Slight Improvement in Press Freedom Index Ratings But Control Their State Media

[rolleyes]

Press Freedom Index : China 174 Sinkieland 135

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_Freedom_Index


Political pressure allegedly forces changes at Guangzhou paper

Staff Reporter
2012-07-17
14:08 (GMT+8)

Chinese youth are packed off to the countryside to "learn from the peasants" during the Cultural Revolution, an experience shared by several of China's incoming leadership. (Photo/CNS)

Lu Fumin, the chief editor of the Guangzhou-based New Express Daily (Xin Kuai Bao), was replaced by Li Yihang on July 16 in a move by the central government to strengthen its control over China's media before the Communist Party's 18th National Congress this fall, reports Mingjing News, an outlet based in Hong Kong.

The change in leadership has meant a change in New Express Daily's style and reporting. It now reports purely local rather than national and international news, while the editorial page has also been cut. Sources told Mingjing News that Lu came under fire for publishing stories on Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Qishan, Li Yuanchao and Zhang Dejiang — who are set to take up China's most senior leadership positions — which described their earlier days when they were sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution.

Lu had crossed the line by predicting the Communist Party leadership following the 18th National Congress and their likely ranking in terms of seniority. Though the articles about the youthful experiences of the officials were not in themselves controversial — they were reprinted from pieces run by the Jinan Daily, a party-run newspaper in Shandong, it was considered inappropriate for a smaller newspaper like the New Express Daily to address these sensitive issues. Zhong Guokang, another writer working for the newspaper, had also attracted trouble for criticizing the leaders of the China Calligraphers Association.

Staff at the newspaper have denied however that political pressure was brought to bear to force the changes. Liu Ziyu, a New Express Daily reporter, said on his microblog that the newspaper had already turned its attention to local news since 2008, and the recent shakeup had nothing to do with the 18th National Congress. The pages regarding international and national news as well as the editorial were also restored in the morning of July 17, according to a report from Duowei, an outlet operated by overseas Chinese.

 

[rolleyes]

China is getting better all the time. Regulate until no privacy might as well close shop.

Changsha tells stores to monitor customers' internet use

Staff Reporter
2012-07-17
08:03 (GMT+8)

Could this internet user at a cafe be propagating "harmful information"? (File photo/Xinhua)

The public security bureau of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in south-central China, has demanded that all stores providing internet access should install equipment to monitor their customers' online activities.

Stores that refuse to install such equipment can be fined up to 15,000 yuan (US$2,350). Hotels, restaurants, karaoke bars and spa centers that provide internet access to customers must all follow the new policy.

The authorities say the fact that no identification was needed to surf the web in Changsha left many loopholes, with some leaving "harmful" information online.

The new policy requires stores to install equipment that can track IP addresses if someone leaves "inappropriate" information.

The equipment must be purchased by stores themselves, according to the policy.

The policy follows a similar move that was introduced in Beijing last year.

 

[rolleyes]

Eat them at your own risk.

Vegetable imports from China increase significantly

17 July 2012 4:11 PM | Updated 4:25 PM

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin: 4px 0px; ">(Photo / Wikimedia)</cite>
Minister of National Development Khaw Boon Wan revealed on his blog that the import of vegetables from China has increased significantly over the past ten years, leading to reductions in vegetable imports from Australia and Indonesia.

In his post, reported on by Shin Min Daily, he also mentioned that the government is working through the Indonesia-Singapore Agribusiness Working Group to provide more variety and options for consumers.

He said that “price is often a major factor that influences consumer behaviour and vegetables are especially price sensitive given their daily consumption”. He added that most of the vegetables and the sources of import reflect Singaporeans consumers’ preference.

The post also said that “in the past 10 years, China, with its competitively priced vegetables, has expanded its market share of vegetables in Singapore by 8 percentage points, at the expense of traditional sources like Australia and Indonesia.”

The blog revealed that the export of vegetables from Indonesia to Singapore dropped from 32,000 tonnes in 2002 to 21,000 tonnes in 2011. The reduction is especially drastic for heavier vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Mr Khaw said there is potential for Indonesia to increase its vegetable exports to Singapore. The working group will explore ways to implement practical initiatives, such as studying the cost structure of Indonesian agri-produce to identify bottlenecks in exporting from Indonesia, and holding promotion fairs with supermarket retailers to showcase Indonesian agri-produce.

He added that Malaysia remains the largest source of vegetables for Singapore, with 43 per cent of market share.