China’s nightly official newscast, Xinwen Lianbo, is not generally the kind of programming that gets the blood flowing. Its regurgitation of the political news of the day is a political ritual, more about the Chinese Communist Party’s construction of power than about relevance to television viewers. But when Xiang Ligang (项立刚), chief executive of the telecom industry news site cctime.com, remarked on social media over the weekend that “those who don’t watch Xinwen Lianbo are generally low-quality people,” things got very heated indeed.
Made just before midnight on August 18 to Weibo, here is what Xiang’s post said:

“Those who don’t watch Xinwen Lianbo are generally low-quality people. They don’t need to know the major things happening in the country, and they aren’t capable of doing great things. People in China who do great things must watch Xinwen Lianbo.”

Many internet users, infuriated by the apparent political-class implications of Xiang’s remarks and his supercilious toadying to the Party, leapt to the attack. Where did Xiang get off deciding who was “low-quality” and who was “high-quality”?

SMD: why did you send out the Weibo post with the phrase, “Those who don’t watch Xinwen Lianbo are generally low-quality.”?
Xiang Ligang: It started when I noticed that in the Taiwanese news, aside from some political discussion programs and some entertainment programs, there wasn’t much in the way of content, compared to a science and technology program I’d seen on CCTV-2 that had a lot more value. So I posted an said that.
Later someone commented on that post that in China there was only Xinwen Lianbo, and that made me angry, so I wrote a Weibo post about Xinwen Lianbo, and in that I said the thing about low-quality people not watching Xinwen Lianbo. 。
SMD: How do you view the way things have developed and been communicated?
Xiang Ligang: I never thought this thing would escalate to the point it has. It’s definitely been played up by just a few people. And I don’t really want to waste my time on this matter.
This was just my own personal attitude, something I shared within a small group. And most of my fans are those who pretty much share my outlook on things. But later certain Big V’s started started pushing this and seized on that phrase, “Those who don’t watch Xinwen Lianbo are generally low-quality,” so things really spread like wildfire. These people, you could say, have values really opposed to mine, and they seized on this phrase to launch an attack against me.
SMD: What did you mean when you said “low-quality people” in your post?
Xiang Ligang: I have a very clear definition about low-quality people. In my eyes, high-quality people are first and foremost those who do real things. People who have ideals and who take things on. People who face life with courage and strive for self-improvement. And finally, people who love themselves, love their family, love their hometown, and love their country. It’s not at all how it was made out online, just referring to people who have money and are living well. Who are low-quality people? People that are lazy and greedy, who are ungrateful, who don’t take responsibility — they harbor dissatisfaction and hatred toward society.
SMD: How do you view the critical responses online?
Xiang Ligang: I’m essentially a conservative. I believe that right now social stability and economic development are good. This is my basic outlook on life.
So why are many people attacking me? Some ordinary internet users are just seeing that one line and feeling it’s totally unacceptable, and I can understand why they are upset. I think its normal for them to attack me. Then there’s another group of people who know what my values are and who just despise me. Later a bunch of people told me that they despise me because I support the idea of patriotism. These people, in my view, are low-quality people. This kind of person really rubs me the wrong way. This is just my attitude in life.
These people don’t have an effect on me. I just go about my own business. I don’t rely in this life on Weibo, or on seeking conflict.

Chen Jieren (陈杰人), the blogger and popular “Big V” taken into custody by authorities in Hunan province back in June, appeared in court yesterday. But this was not a court of prosecutors and defenders, of cross-examinations, legal arguments or objections. It was the court of the People’s Daily. The court of Xinhua News Agency. The court of the Global Times.
In a raft of reports, central state media attacked Chen as an “internet pest” who had “polluted the online space,” who had deceived millions of online fans into believing he is a man who cares deeply about truth and justice. In fact, the reports said, he is a deranged profiteer, raking in millions through intimidation and extortion, all in the name of watchdog journalism.
As Chen’s lawyer, Tong Zongjin (仝宗锦), rightly pointed out in a Weibo post that was promptly censored, these attacks in the state media — and their reported “confessions” — are a flagrant violation of the principle of presumption of innocence, and amount to trial by the media. “Neither Xinhua News Agency nor the law enforcement officers who told Xinhua reporters about the case have the right to ‘hand down a judgment’ in a case that is still under investigation,” Tong wrote.
It might be possible to debate the facts in Chens’ case, if they were available and transparent, and ask whether there is any basis at all to the allegations made against him. But the crushing, schoolyard-bully language of the state media attacks offers another kind of transparency. The reports are an illuminating gaze into the dark insides of a system that will enforce, through violence when necessary, its supreme right to the truth, that will dismiss as “fake news” all facts that are politically inconvenient or challenge vested interests — a tactic that goes back many decades within the Party discourse, no reference needed or intended to Donald Trump.
The real target of the state media barrage is the claim to independence — of journalism, of thought, of conscience — and the tools that potentially empower those claims. “The development of the self-media must be legal and orderly,” says the People’s Daily piece, referring to the universe of public accounts that have emerged on platforms like WeChat in recent years. “They cannot be allowed to develop barbarously, or even to become online criminal forces.” The kicker is a lingering threat: “The police will not rest in bringing to justice those ‘harmful pests’ of the internet, who pollute the online space with malicious hype seeking illegal profit, regardless of how popular they may be, or how much they manage to package themselves as bright defenders of justice.”
The facts in the Chen Jieren case, laid out like damning exhibits in the state media attacks, are nothing more than a distraction, a bonfire of shame and invective to send a signal to the whole of Chinese society: Do not dare claim the truth for yourself; it is the Party’s through and through.

Maliciously Hyping and Provoking Trouble, Frenzied Profiteering Through Extortion
— Getting to the Bottom of Online Big V Chen Jieren
(People’s Daily, August 17, 2018, page 9)
“Actually, I cheated you all. On the surface, I appeared bright and blameless, a Big V flying the flag of equality and justice — when in fact I was angling for personal gain, and I committed many shady acts and was essentially an online parasite.” This was the confession of online Big V Chen Jieren as he faced interrogation. “I apologize to you all for betraying your goodwill and trust. The internet is a place where information can be very confusing, and the last thing you need is for your eyes to be betrayed by a hypocrite like me.”
Over the past few years, Chen Jieren has made a name for himself through his self-media account (自媒体账号) as someone who “criticizes the government,” “dares to speak” and “dares to expose information,” to the extent the his fans reached into the hundreds of thousands. But on the afternoon of July 7, a notice from police in Hunan caught people off guard: suspect Chen Jieren had already been taken in by the police and subjected to compulsory criminal measures.
As the police have progressed more deeply into the case, the true face of Chen Jieren has gradually been uncovered. The Chen Jieren case is a “clan-style” gang offense of online criminal forces (网上黑恶势力性质的), and this gang has donned the cap of the law and of supervision by public opinion [OR: “watchdog journalism”], taking the internet as a criminal platform, and unrestrainedly conducted extortion and blackmail, wantonly seeking profit, so they are suspected of the crimes of extortion and blackmail, and of carrying on illegal business activities. Over a period of several years, the Chen Jieren gang established 21 accounts, including the “Jieren Observation Viewpoint” (杰人观察视角), “Jieren Observation Heights” (杰人观察高度), on Weibo, WeChat, Toutiao and other self-media services, issuing more than 3,000 posts of various negative forms, hyping, attacking and exposing, and altogether they manufactured around 200 negative public opinion situations (负面舆情) in 11 provinces, raking in funds in the 10s of millions, seriously misleading members of the public watching and listening, seriously disturbing online order, and doing serious damage to grassroots governance and to social stability. . . . 

Chen Jieren was born in Qingshuping Township (青树坪镇), Shuangfeng County of Hunan province, to an ordinary peasant family. His parents were disabled, and the household was struggled with poverty. He worked in the local government and for well-known media, but he was fired by news media because of fake news (假新闻).
In recent years, information technologies have developed. These days, “Everyone has a microphone,” and Chen Jieren clearly recognized the commercial opportunity. He neglected the general knowledge that “on the internet there is not land outside the law,” and he discarded the principle that “self-media must also have professional journalism integrity.” Through unrestrained packaging and hyping, he steadily expanded his influence, seeking fame and fortune.
Open Chen Jieren’s self-media accounts and you find that they are filled with shiny but spurious titles like “veteran media professional,” “scholar of legal culture,” “expert on brand development” and “crisis management,” that he was selected to the list of “top 100 influential Chinese thought leaders” . . . . Read the posts in his accounts and their eye-catching headlines, the enumerations of “evidence,” and add to this the inflammatory nature of his writings, and all of this might easily give you the impression that Chen Jieren is someone who “calls for the truth and upholds justice.”
From 2003 to now, Chen Jieren has been involved in the media industry for many years, and he is clear about how to write articles so that they attract eyeballs. When he realized that writing articles could mean huge economic gain, he started to see this as a road to making money, and he saw the law and journalism as tools for earning money,” Chen Jieren’s lover Liu X said during interrogation. On May 31, 2018, Zhao X Geng (赵某庚), the driver for a certain transport company in Shaodong County, Hunan province, felt unwell on the job, and three days later passed away. Zhao X Geng’s family sought out Chen Jieren for help in seeking compensation. Chen Jieren instructed his brother, Chen Weiren (陈伟人), to negotiate, and the first time he met with the niece of the victim, Peng X, he accepted 26,000 yuan as a consultation fee and reached an agreement: for a settlement [with the company] of under 400,000 yuan, they would take a 10 percent service fee; for anything exceeding 400,000 yuan they would take a 30 percent service fee.
After this, Chen Jieren directed his younger brother Chen Weiren to post “Li X Yan, Black-Hearted People’s Congress Delegate From Hunan’s Shaodong County, Causes Death.” Chen Jieren also arranged for the child [of the victim] to appear outside the transport company with a banner . . .  putting pressure on the local government and the transport company.
Right after, Chen Jieren and the others demanded that Li X Yan compensate the Zhao family. “At the time, I took charge getting the compensation down to 700,000 yuan. A few minutes later, older brother called to cuss me out, saying I had to keep with to the 880,000 previously agreed,” says Chen Weiren. Ultimately, Chen Jieren and the others received a profit of 263,000 illegally from the deal.
“Considering myself a lawyer, when I would write things online to manufacture a disturbance, I would normally employ legal analysis, creating the impression that I was speaking from the law, but behind the scenes it was connected to a lot of personal gain, and this is something that the masses of internet users had no idea about.” In Chen Jieren’s eyes, writing essays, manufacturing public opinion, making social media posts, all of it could be turned into business.
. . . . [Long list of alleged crimes removed here] . . . .
The dignity of the law cannot be trampled, and the goodness of the people cannot be abused. Chen Jieren has ultimately been brought to justice. “I wrongly believed that without belonging to any particular media, I could act in my own way. For the sake of profit, I habitually spoke selectively and with bias, polluting the online space, and violating the overall spirit and direction of the national legal and regulatory system for the internet. I should pay the price for my own illegal actions,” Chen Jieren says with remorse.
The development of the self-media must be legal and orderly. They cannot be allowed to develop barbarously, or even to become online criminal forces. We must cut away those law-breakers who seek to gain underhanded profit by the internet.
“The masses in society must be alert to all instances of those with impure motives masquerading as justice, raising their ability to distinguish. If they are blackmailed by someone, they must not give in, but must use the weapon of the law to protect themselves; relevant departments and units should also ensure robust systems of entry, content review, responsibility etcetera are in place for self-media, creating a proper and healthy online environment,” the police said. The police will not rest in bringing to justice those “harmful pests” (害虫) of the internet, who pollute the online space with malicious hype seeking illegal profit, regardless of how popular they may be, or how much they manage to package themselves as bright defenders of justice.
 

Highlights from our round-up of top-five Chinese media stories from the past week include messaging from the central Party media on the need for the country to steady itself and be ready for “wind and rain” given domestic and international pressures on the Chinese economy, and a surprising hat-tip to former President Jiang Zemin in a provincial-level Party paper.
Also of interest, a brief invitation from the overseas edition of the People’s Daily for Google to return to China is pulled from Facebook and Twitter.

This Week in China’s Media
August 4, 2018, to August 10, 2018
➢ Central Media Issue “Declaration” on the Domestic Economy 
➢  People’s Daily (overseas edition) Welcomes Google Back to China on Facebook and Twitter, Then Deletes Post
➢ Shaanxi Daily Looks Back on Jiang Zemin Inspection Visits in 40th Anniversary of Reform Coverage
➢ New Tax Procedures Introduced to Combat “Unreasonable” Pay Levels in Entertainment
➢ Puyang Broadcast TV in Henan Demand Wages
[1] Central Media Issue “Declaration” on the Domestic Economy 
On August 7, the official Xinhua News Agency ran an article called “Creating a Good Life Come Rain or Shine” (风雨无阻创造美好生活) that amounted to a “declaration” (宣言) of purpose on China’s future and development in times of adversity. “It is normal for there to be wind and rain,” the article said, using a two-character phrase frequently used in Chinese to denote hardship and adversity. “But regardless of what kind of wind and rain, there is no way it can impede the march of the Chinese people toward good lives.”
The article, which was carried the next day on the front page of the People’s Daily and many other newspapers, was the fourth time in recent months that such “declarations” were released by state media. While references to the United States” or “Sino-US [relations]” did not appear in the article, it can be read as a response to ongoing trade tensions. At one point, the article said, directing its ire clearly at the Trump administration: “There are certain people who don’t wish to see the lion stir or the dragon rise into the air, who don’t want to see 1.3 billion people living good lives, and so they seek unilateralism, protectionism, trade bullying (贸易霸凌主义). This is something that cannot be avoided, and must be challenged and met.”

At the recent session of the Party’s Politburo on July 31, the phrase “change in the midst of steadiness” (稳中有变) was raised. China News Service, the country’s second official newswire, reported that “change” related to a number of news problems and challenges internally in China, and to clear changes in the “external environment” (外部环境). In its own assessment of the macroeconomic situation in the past three years, the Guangming Daily, a paper published by the Central Propaganda Department, said that China had made progress in “preventing and resolving major risks” (防范化解重大风险), but that the trade war with the United States and other external environmental challenges had “clearly expanded uncertainty.”
Key Chinese Sources:
Xinhua News Agency (新华社): 宣言：风雨无阻创造美好生活
Xinhua News Agency (新华社): 宣言：改革开放天地宽
People’s Daily (人民日报): 宣言文章为何刷屏？穿越“风雨”说信心
China News Service (中国新闻网): 政治局定调中国经济：“稳中有变”如何应对？
Guangming Daily (光明日报): 经济运行稳中有变 改革开放勇往直前
[2] People’s Daily (overseas edition) Welcomes Google Back to China on Facebook and Twitter, Then Deletes Post
On August 6, the overseas edition of the CCP’s official People’s Daily turned to Facebook and Twitter, both services blocked in China, to say amidst speculation that Google planned a return to China that the company was welcome, but that the precondition was that it abide by China’s laws and regulations. The posts have already been deleted. On August 8, Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po newspaper posted images of the posts to its official Weibo account (@香港文汇网). These too have now been deleted.

According to a report from Hong Kong’s Ming Pao on August 9, some university students inside China reported that they could access Google Scholar from campus, but the service was unavailable if they were not on the campus internet network.
Key Chinese and Other Sources:
Sohu.com: 人民日报发文欢迎谷歌回归 但前提是“遵守中国法律”
Free Weibo (自由微博): 香港文匯網：【人民日报发推欢迎Google回归后又删除】
Newsweek: Google Welcome in China but Must Comply With Censorship: State Media
Business Insider: Chinese state media tentatively welcomed Google back to China, then deleted all trace of its invite
Ming Pao News (明报新闻网): Google學術搜尋重返內地校園
[3] Shaanxi Daily Looks Back on Jiang Zemin Inspection Visits in 40th Anniversary of Reform Coverage
On August 10, Shaanxi Daily, the official newspaper of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, published a four-page series called, “Comrade Jiang Zemin Inspects Shaanxi” (江泽民同志视察陕西) as part of an ongoing series dealing with the 40th anniversary of Reform and Opening. By August 12, the text of the online electronic version of the print page was already unavailable, although the image of the page itself could still be viewed. In 2018, news mentioning “Jiang Zemin” has been extremely rare in China, in part a reflection of the dominance of Xi Jinping — and this is the first time Jiang has appeared this year in a provincial-level Party publication.

The “Comrade Jiang Zemin Inspects Shaanxi” article looked back on five visits Jiang made to Shaanxi province between 1989 and 2002, and emphasized how Comrade Jiang Zemin cared for the development of Shaanxi and had defined the direction for the province in terms of reform and “socialist modernization” (社会主义现代化).
Key Chinese Sources:
Shaanxi Daily (陕西日报): 江泽民同志视察陕西
[4] New Tax Procedures Introduced to Combat “Unreasonable” Pay Levels in Entertainment
News reports this week in China said that since August 1 this year a new taxation system had been applied to the film industry, with taxes on incomes rising suddenly from 6.7 percent previously to 42 percent, and that authorities were demanding that tax payments be made in a lump sum every six months. On August 11, iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video joined with major production companies Daylight Entertainment (正午阳光), Huace Film and TV (华策影视), Ciwen Media (慈文传媒), Youhug (耀客传媒) and New Classics Media (新丽传媒) to issue a document called “Joint Declaration on Inhibiting Unreasonable Compensation and Preventing Negative Trends in the Industry” (关于抑制不合理片酬，抵制行业不正风气的联合声明). They pledged in the document to jointly resist “sky-high” payments for entertainers and tax evasion, and to be open about contracts. The statement specified clear standards for paying of star entertainers, with the maximum not to exceed one million RMB for individual episodes, and 50 million RMB for films.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Central Propaganda Department and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued a “Notice” in June demanding that the problem of excessive pay be dealt with and a system of “sunshine contracts” (阴阳合同) be put in effect in order to ensure the healthy development of the industry.
Key Chinese Sources:
36KR.com (36氪): 抵制天价片酬！9家公司联合声明：单个演员片酬不超5000万
National Business Daily (每日经济新闻): 天价片酬，再见！每经影视对话联合声明方：明星片酬税费由演员承担
Central News Agency Taiwan (中央通讯社): 傳中國官方出手 明星稅率從6%飆至42%
WeChat Public Account “Black Bamboo Zhang” (微信公众号”紫竹张先生”): 税务总局出手了，明星税率从6%改为42%
China News Service (中国新闻网): 明星天价片酬再见！5000万，不能再多了
Xinhua News Service (新华社): 中宣部等部门联合印发《通知》 治理影视行业天价片酬“阴阳合同”偷逃税等问题
[5] Puyang Broadcast TV in Henan Demand Wages
This week, images made the rounds in WeChat private message groups and on social media in China of employees from Puyang Broadcast TV in Henan province gathering at the local Petition Office (信访局) to demand unpaid wages.

In June this year, internet users posted images on Weibo and WeChat reporting that journalists at Qiqihar Broadcast TV in Heilongjiang province were demanding payment of back wages, and that the station was already three months behind in payment.
Key Chinese Sources:
Baidu Tieba “Puyang Bar” (百度贴吧”濮阳吧”): 最近网上濮阳电视台讨薪的事是真的么？有人知道吗？？？
WeChat Public Account “Fanren Fanyu” (微信公众号”凡人钒语”): 不要以为戴顶“党媒”的帽子，就可以搞特权！
WeChat Public Account “Riji Bu Fanhuang” (微信公众号”日记不泛黄”): 又见广电职工拉横幅讨薪，媒体界还有铁饭碗吗？

This week we have news of some important reshuffling at the top of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). Zhuang Rongwen (庄荣文), a deputy director at the CAC who was previously in the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, will now take over as director of the CAC, replacing Xu Lin (徐麟), a close ally of Xi Jinping. State media would say only that Xu would be “assigned to other responsibilities,” but it is very likely Xu will be announced this month as the new head of the State Council Information Office, in charge of China’s overseas propaganda strategy.
In other CAC news, it was reported this week that formal charges of corruption have been brought against former CAC chief Lu Wei.
One of the most important stories of the week, however, might be sharp criticism leveled by Chinese state media at the Apple Store for alleged “loopholes” that have resulted in the provision of “illegal” apps for download. One focus of the reporting is the need for more comprehensive regulation of app sales in China — and that could mean greater scrutiny in the not-too-distant future.

This Week in China’s Media
July 28, 2018 to August 3, 2018
➢ Former Deputy Propaganda Minister Lu Wei (鲁炜) Formally Charged in Corruption Case
➢ Zhuang Rongwen (庄荣文) Appointed Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Xu Lin Set For New Appointment
➢ Cybersecurity Authorities Nationwide Shut Down 720,000 Accounts in 2nd Quarter 2018, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Investigates 27 Websites
➢ Apple Store Criticized by China Central Television and Other Central Party Media
➢ The Beijing News Criticizes Calls at Tsinghua University for the Firing of Hu Angang
[1] Former Deputy Propaganda Minister Lu Wei (鲁炜) Formally Charged in Corruption Case
According to a notice made on the website of the Supreme People’s Court on July 30, the corruption case against former deputy propaganda minister and Cyberspace Administration of China chief Lu Wei (鲁炜) has now been referred to the prosecutor’s office in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, for investigation and prosecution (审查起诉).
Prosecutors have listed Lu Wei’s alleged crimes as follows: “The plaintiff Lu Wei used the opportunity offered by his positions as a member of the Party leadership group, secretary and deputy director of Xinhua News Agency; as a member of the municipal standing committee, minister of propaganda and deputy mayor of the people’s government of Beijing; as director of the State Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室); as deputy director of the State Council Information Office; as head of the office of the Central Leading Group for Cybersecurity and Informatization; as a deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department and other positions, in order to seek benefit for his own person. [He] used the convenience of his personal position and status, and the conduct of other national government staff, to obtain improper benefits for himself, illegally accepting substantial sums and goods of value (巨额财物), and he should face criminal responsibility for graft and bribery in accord with the law.
Key Chinese Sources:
The Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China (高检网): 检察机关依法对鲁炜、莫建成、张杰辉三案提起公诉
[2] Zhuang Rongwen Appointed Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Xu Lin Set For New Appointment
On July 31, the Cyberspace Administration of China held a conference of cadres at which Zhou Zuyi (周祖翼), deputy director of the Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party announced that Zhuang Rongwen (庄荣文) had been appointed the new head of the CAC, replacing Xu Lin (徐麟), who was appointed to the post in June 2016. It is not yet clear what new position was being prepared for Xu Lin, but some have speculated that he is due to take over as head of the State Council Information Office, taking charge of China’s external propaganda efforts.
In related news, the “Office Leadership” section of the CAC website was updated this week, showing that Liu Liehong (刘烈宏) has been serving since last month as deputy director of the CAC. According to Liu’s online resume, he was previously the chief executive officer of China Electronics Technology Group, a state-owned technology equipment manufacturer.
Key Chinese Sources:
China News Service (中国网信网): 中央网信办召开干部大会
People’s Daily Online (人民网): 刘烈宏任中央网信办副主任
[3] Cybersecurity Authorities Nationwide Shut Down 720,000 Accounts in 2nd Quarter 2018, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Investigates 27 Websites
In the second quarter of 2018, the Cyberspace Administration of China and its local and regional offices expanded their enforcement operations across the country, according to state media reports. Inspections were conducted for various types of websites suspected of hosting illegal content. An estimated 446 websites were called in for discussions by authorities, and warnings over illegal content were issued to 167 sites. Jointly with Chinese telecoms authorities, cyberspace authorities cancelled permits and shut down 1,888 sites, and referred 336 cases for investigation by judicial authorities. Violation by the websites in question resulted in the closure of an estimated 720,000 accounts hosted on these web-based platforms.
Focusing on Bilibili (哔哩哔哩), the video sharing site, Kuaikan Comics (快看漫画) and other animation and video sites, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has instructed its local Cultural Market Enforcement Teams (地方文化市场行政执法总队) to conduct inspections (link to Beijing local office here).
Key Chinese Sources:
China.com.cn (中国网): 传播危害国家安全信息等 1888家网站72万账号被关闭
China National Radio Online (央广网): 文化和旅游部集中执法检查27家网站 下线10万条违规视频
[4] Apple Store Criticized by China Central Television and Other Central Party Media

On July 31, the “Live News” (新闻直播间) program of CCTV News directly criticized the Apple Store for management “loopholes” (漏洞) in the services offered to Chinese users, alleging the offering of “illegal” apps, including those offering online gambling. At the same time, China Youth Daily, a newspaper published by the Chinese Communist Youth League, ran a report called “How a Disguised Lottery App Made It Onto the Shelves” (“伪装”博彩App是如何上架的). The report interviewed Chinese lawyers to suggest that while the domestic Chinese app market is managed by a wide array of departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Public Security Bureau and others, there is still no management system directly dealing with apps. The report argued the need for new policies to better and more directly regulate the app industry.
Key Chinese Sources:
CCTV (央视) “Live News” (新闻直播间): 苹果官方应用商店管理存漏洞 非法APP借马甲上架 逃避监管
China Youth Daily (中国青年报): “伪装”博彩App是如何上架的
[5] The Beijing News Criticizes Calls at Tsinghua University for the Firing of Hu Angang
On August 3, The Beijing News, a newspaper administered by the top leadership of Beijing municipality, ran a commentary responding to calls online by Tsinghua University alumni for the removal of Hu Angang (胡鞍钢), the director of the university’s National Situation Research Center (国情研究院), for his controversial comments over the past year — including in his book “China in 2020: A New Type of Superpower” — that many argue over-hype China’s strengths.
Key Chinese Sources:
The Beijing News Online (新京报网): 高校“浮夸学风”问题需认真对待
Sina.com (新浪网): 胡鞍钢终于说清楚：中国综合实力是怎么超越美国的？