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09/12/2019

China, Japan sign cooperation deals on energy saving, environmental protection

JAPAN-TOKYO-ENERGY SAVING-ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION-FORUM

Attendants from China and Japan exchange documents of cooperation projects at the 13th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 8, 2019. Officials, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars from China and Japan discussed cooperation and inked agreements on 26 cooperation projects at the 13th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

TOKYO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) — Officials, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars from China and Japan discussed cooperation and inked agreements on 26 cooperation projects at the 13th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection here on Sunday.

Some 800 people attended the forum co-organized by the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Commerce, Chinese embassy in Japan, and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Japan-China Economic Association.

Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Yong briefed the attendants about China’s achievements in recent years in energy saving, emission reduction and development of environment-friendly industries.

Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang said China will continue to open up to the outside world at a higher level and improve the quality of the ecological environment at a new historical starting point.

He urged Japanese enterprises and institutions to take an active part in China’s energy conservation and environmental protection and work together to promote green and sustainable development.

China and Japan should strengthen policy communication and coordination, deepen bilateral practical cooperation, jointly explore the international market and boost people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, so as to deepen cooperation in energy conservation and environmental protection, he added.

Attendants held discussions on energy saving, circular economy, development of intelligent vehicle and new energy vehicle, clean coal technology and coal-fired power generation, as well as China-Japan long-term trade.

The two sides inked 26 cooperation projects in various areas, including energy saving, circular economy, pollution prevention and control, hydrogen energy and green technology innovation.

The China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection, first held in 2006, has seen agreement achieved on a total of nearly 400 cooperation projects and provides a good platform for enterprises, research organizations and local governments of the two countries to enhance cooperation.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in 13th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection, China alert, Chinese embassy, cooperation, deals, energy saving, Environmental protection, Japan, Japan-China Economic Association, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, National Development and Reform Commission, sign, Tokyo, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

09/12/2019

China Focus: Xinjiang, an emerging investment hotspot

URUMQI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) — Rich in resources but remote, Xinjiang in China’s far west has become a magnet for investors for its unique position on the Silk Road.

In a workshop of the Amer International Group in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, workers are busy adjusting and packing laptops.

Recently, Amer sent the first batch of 2,000 laptops it produced for the German company TrekStor to the European market via China-Europe freight trains.

Headquartered in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Amer invested 20 billion yuan (around 2.8 billion U.S. dollars) to build an industrial park in Xinjiang in 2018. So far, the industrial park has produced and exported around 1.5 million mobile phones, according to Wang Wenyin, the founder and chairman of Amer International Group.

“We saw Xinjiang’s geographical advantages, so we established the industrial park and cooperated with our counterparts in South and Central Asia in the fields of smartphones and IT high-end manufacturing,” Wang said.

Amer International Group is among a growing number of enterprises that have been attracted by Xinjiang in recent years, as trains and planes have made Xinjiang better connected than ever before.

As China’s key trade gateway to Central and West Asia, the remote region’s position as the heart of the Belt and Road Initiative is unmistakable. In 2013, China proposed the BRI, which opened up new space for the world economy, spurring trade and economic growth and stimulating investment and creating jobs worldwide.

Urumqi Customs saw the number of China-Europe freight trains skyrocket to 5,743 in the first 10 months this year, up 53.68 percent year on year, outnumbering the total of 2018.

To attract more investors, the local government has gone to great lengths creating a more friendly business environment, such as cutting the time required for starting a business and lowering the entry threshold for products.

Up to now, Xinjiang has had more than 1.8 million market entities including 359,000 enterprises, up 18 percent year on year.

Foreign and domestic business giants including German chemical giant BASF and China’s real estate conglomerates Wanda Group have also invested in the region.

Lai Naixiang, head of Kashgar Oumeisheng Energy Technology, a home appliance manufacturer, moved his business from Shenzhen to Kashgar in southern Xinjiang in 2017.

“We chose to settle in Kashgar because of the great market potential in adjacent Central Asian countries as well as Xinjiang’s lower electricity prices and preferential tax policy,” he said.

Last year, the company exported electric kettles worth more than 16 million yuan to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Foreign trade in Xinjiang has seen booming growth. The region recorded around 131.5 billion yuan in imports and exports in the first 10 months of this year, up 28 percent year on year.

In the first 10 months, Kazakhstan topped the list of Xinjiang’s major trade partners, with trade volume between the two growing by 28.2 percent to 60.2 billion yuan.

Xinjiang’s trade with Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Pakistan, Britain, Argentina and Vietnam also showed fast growth, according to the local customs authorities.

“With further Belt and Road construction, Xinjiang will get more impetus in economic and social development. I see great potential in the region,” Wang said.

Source: Xnhua

Posted in Amer International Group, Argentina, Australia, Ürümqi, BASF, Belt and Road (B&R), Belt and Road construction, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Britain, chemical giant, China-Europe freight trains, economic and social development, emerging, German, home appliance, hotspot, Investment, Kashgar, Kashgar Oumeisheng Energy Technology, Kyrgyzstan, manufacturer, Pakistan, real estate, Shenzhen, Silk Road, Tajikistan, TrekStor, Uncategorized, Vietnam, Wanda Group, Xinjiang | Leave a Comment »

09/12/2019

Why a forgotten 21-year-old film flop has taken Chinese cinema by storm and made millions

  • The Legend of 1900 is taking more at the box office than the latest international and domestic blockbusters
  • An appetite for enhanced editions and 3D might have something to do with the surprise success of Giuseppe Tournatore’s forgotten flick
Tim Roth (left) stars in The Legend of 1900, the Giuseppe Tournatore that has taken Chinese cinema by storm.
Tim Roth (left) stars in The Legend of 1900, the Giuseppe Tournatore that has taken Chinese cinema by storm.
China’s consumer class is always looking for the latest, most cutting-edge smartphone app or the most talked-about viral video. Who would have predicted, then, that a 21-year-old movie would take Chinese cinema by storm over the past few weeks?
What’s incredible is that The Legend of 1900 was hardly a classic in the first place.
Revolving around a piano prodigy (played by Tim Roth) who has spent his entire life on board an ocean liner, the movie received mixed reviews on its release in 1998, with disapproving critics lambasting it as “fragile” (Variety), “overwrought” (San Francisco Chronicle), schmaltz that “drowns in its own treacle” (Salon.com). The first English-language feature by Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore faded fast into obscur­ity, never reaching the heights of his revered Cinema Paradiso(1988).
And then Chinese audiences came to its rescue. Having never been released in China, Legend finally unspooled in main­land cinemas on November 15, along­side local romantic drama Somewhere Winter and Hollywood’s latest reboot, Charlie’s Angels.
Rather than becoming a sideshow to these two headlining block­busters, the film broke out of the arthouse scene and crossed over to the mainstream: its opening weekend gross of 63.1 million yuan (HK$70.2 million) topped that of Angels, and its average of 13 viewers for each screening was higher than both Winter (11 viewers per screening) and Angels, which crashed with a mere eight.
A fortnight into its run, Legend had generated more than 130 million yuan, eclipsing its total takings of the past two decades. To put this into context, the film took in US$167,435 during its month-long release in the United States, in 1999. Adjusted for inflation, this figure would be about US$258,635 today, or 1.8 million yuan – that’s just 1.3 per cent of its gross during the first two weeks of its China run.
And it’s not just tills that are ringing: the rave online reviews must be music to Tornatore’s ears. On douban.com, China’s equivalent to Internet Movie Database, Legend secured an average rating of 9.3, far above those of current imports such as Knives Out
(8.5), Frozen II (7.3) and Midway (7.7), local blockbusters such as Better Days (8.4), or any of the flag-waving tub-thumpers that dominated Chinese cineplexes for weeks before and after National Day.
So the question is: why? One advantage Legend has over its box-office rivals is that it is a state-of-the-art 4K restoration of the original film. Chinese audiences have long been susceptible to enhanced editions of films: the 3D version of Titanic sailed into the record books with total takings of 946 million yuan during its two-month run in the country from April to June 2012.

The success of Legend could in part be attributed to young mainlanders’ pursuit of novelty: China is one of the few markets where 3D films, complete with their marked-up ticket prices, remain popular.

Chinese audiences have also embraced old films like never before, flocking to movies they could only hear or read about, or watch on pirated discs while the country lagged behind the rest of the world in the number of screens and foreign titles that could be shown on them.

There has also been a surge of interest in re-evaluating film heritage with festivals placing emphasis on introducing pains­takingly restored films to viewers. In October, for example, the Pingyao Inter­national Film Festival hosted a programme of rarely seen titles from India’s socially conscious Parallel Cinema movement. The recent Hainan International Film Festival presented a more diverse offering, including classics such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush (1925), Agnès Varda’s La Pointe Courte(1955) and Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer (2009).

It is in such programmes that legends are made and the old becomes the new.

Source: SCMP

Posted in 21-year-old, box office, Chinese cinema, domestic blockbusters, Film, flop, forgotten, Giuseppe Tournatore, international blockbusters, latest, made, millions, storm, taken, The Legend of 1900, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

09/12/2019

Chinese pilot turns plane round on runway to let bereaved couple leave flight

  • Couple received bad news as the Hainan Airlines plane was taxiing but returned to departure gate so they could get off
The Hainan Airlines flight returned to the departure gate to let the couple off. Photo: Reuters
The Hainan Airlines flight returned to the departure gate to let the couple off. Photo: Reuters
A Chinese plane turned round on the runway after a couple on board suffered a sudden bereavement.
The Hainan Airlines flight was due to fly from Hangzhou to Sanya on Sunday when the passengers asked to be let off so they could make alternative travel plans.
“The flight was due to take off on time, all preparations had been made. The plane was already taxiing,” one unnamed passenger told Pear Video.
“The air stewardess immediately comforted the elderly couple, told them not to worry and said that she had already contacted the captain … then an in-flight announcement was made so that everyone could understand the situation.”
“[W]e were moments before take-off. Someone suddenly said their relative had passed away and wanted to get off the plane,” the passenger wrote on social media in a post shared by Pear Video.
Chinese woman opens plane’s emergency exit for some fresh air, delaying flight

“Cabin crew contacted the captain and we are now returning to the departure terminal. I can only say that the deceased must have been important.”

The plane returned to the departure gate, where the elderly couple got off and made other travel arrangements. The flight was able to continue after a 50-minute delay.

An unnamed flight attendant told video news outlet Kankan News that they often encountered unexpected situations during flights, and that everyone was able to understand Sunday’s situation.

However, some social media users were not so sympathetic.

“I want to know, did they get the consent of all the passengers before the plane was turned around? If not, then I feel like the flight should take off at the scheduled time … otherwise people might think that these elderly passengers pulled some strings behind the scenes with the cabin crew,” wrote one user on Weibo.

Source: SCMP

Posted in bereaved, Chinese pilot, couple, departure gate, flight, Hainan Airlines, Hangzhou, leave, Pear Video, plane, returned, round, Runway, Sanya, taxiing, turns, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

08/12/2019

Participants visit Shanghai before attending South-South Human Rights Forum

CHINA-SHANGHAI-PARTICIPANTS OF SOUTH-SOUTH HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM-VISIT (CN)

Participants learn about the construction of Shanghai West Bund in Shanghai, east China, Dec. 7, 2019, before attending the upcoming 2019 South-South Human Rights Forum. (Photo by Wang Xiang/Xinhua)

SHANGHAI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — Officials and scholars from more than 70 Asian, African and Latin American developing countries, as well as the United Nations, visited Shanghai on Saturday before attending the upcoming 2019 South-South Human Rights Forum.

The forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be held in Beijing from Dec. 10 to 11.

According to the Beijing Declaration issued at the first South-South Human Rights Forum held in Beijing in 2017, participants agreed that the right to subsistence and the right to development were the primary basic human rights.

During the one-day trip in Shanghai, the officials and scholars, from countries including Laos, Brunei, South Africa, Mexico and Mauritius, visited the city’s financial district and the World Expo Museum, snapped pictures of local residents’ life scenes on the bank of the Huangpu River, and investigated the progress of waste sorting in ordinary residential streets. They were impressed by the prosperous and orderly development of the mega city.

“I think China is becoming more open and confident about human rights. The changes I saw here are examples of the great improvements in the Chinese people’s rights to subsistence and development,” said Davina Sigauta Rasch, director of Corporate Service of the Ombudsman Office in Samoa, who studied international economics and trade from 2009 to 2013 at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

She said that compared with 10 years ago, China has made significant progress in the emerging fields such as high-speed railways and mobile payments, which directly improved people’s lives. China is not only developing itself, but also helping other developing countries, she said.

Her idea was echoed by Lionel Vairon, CEO of CEC Consulting in Luxembourg and also a senior research member of the Charhar Institute, a private think tank in China.

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, great achievements which have attracted worldwide attention have been made, he said, adding that the international community should not ignore China’s progress in human rights out of ideological misunderstanding and prejudice.

“In the future, global governance must make a choice between the policy of strong-power hegemony and the path of a community with a shared future for humanity. And the latter is the wisdom China has contributed to the world,” he said.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in attending, before, Brunei, Chengdu, forum, Human rights, Laos, Mauritius, Mexico, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participants, Samoa, Shanghai, sichuan province, South Africa, South-South, State Council Information Office, Uncategorized, visit, World Expo Museum | Leave a Comment »

08/12/2019

China Focus: China’s paleolithic relics gain recognition from int’l experts

FUZHOU, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese and foreign experts have marveled at the archaeological and anthropological value of the Wanshouyan Paleolithic Relics in east China’s Fujian Province.

Dozens of archaeological experts from China, Malaysia, Poland, Russia and Japan gathered in Sanming City on Friday and Saturday for a visit to the relics and academic exchanges.

“I have never seen such a thing,” said Lucyna Domanska, a professor with the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Lodz from Poland, pointing to a 120-square-meter space floored with pebbles inside a cavern.

The artificial floor, built about 40,000 years ago, is part of the Wanshouyan Paleolithic Relics, a habitat of human ancestors dating back as early as 200,000 years ago.

“This site is very exciting,” Domanska said. “It is important not only for Asia but for the whole world.”

Some of the relics are “unusual,” said Evgeny Rybin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noting that “it could be a source of scientific advancements.”

Standing inside a cavern named Lingfeng where ancient stone choppers, scraping devices and hammering tools were unearthed, Rybin said the relics from this site broadened their understandings about the capabilities of ancient people.

“The relics show that ancient people not only used caves but also changed them to fit their lifestyles,” he said.

It is a contribution to the world, said Mohd Mokhtar Saidin, a professor and director of Malaysia’s Center for Global Archaeological Research.

“This is very important. Not every country has evidence of human activities 200,000 years ago, and not every region has this type of cave,” he added.

Inside the limestone hill of Wanshouyan, archaeological remains of the Paleolithic Age have been found in several caverns, which provide important evidence for studying human life as early as hundreds of thousands of years ago.

In 2000, the Wanshouyan Paleolithic Relics was listed as one of China’s top 10 archaeological discoveries of the year.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in archaeological and anthropological value, Center for Global Archaeological Research, China alert, from, Fujian Province, gain, Institute of Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, int'l experts, Japan, Malaysia, paleolithic relics, Poland, recognition, Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Sanming City, Siberian branch, Uncategorized, University of Lodz, Wanshouyan Paleolithic Relics | Leave a Comment »

08/12/2019

China, Myanmar pledge to boost ties to new high

MYANMAR-NAY PYI TAW-PRESIDENT-WANG YI-MEETING

Myanmar President U Win Myint (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Dec. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/U Aung)

NAY PYI TAW, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — Myanmar President U Win Myint met here Saturday with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi with both sides pledging to strengthen high-level exchanges to push bilateral ties to a new high.

The Myanmar president expressed gratitude to China for its long-term support for Myanmar’s sovereignty, dignity and socio-economic development.

He hoped that both sides will seize the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year as an opportunity to consolidate and deepen mutual political trust, speed up the joint construction of the Belt and Road, comprehensively press forward the building of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, expand cooperation in sectors including economy and trade, education, health, and enhance cooperation and coordination in regional and international issues so as to further advance the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The president also hoped that China would continue to support Myanmar in pressing forward the ongoing national reconciliation and peace process.

For his part, the Chinese state councilor said China and Myanmar are neighbors linked by rivers and mountains enjoying a “baobo” (brothers and relatives) friendship. Both countries advocate and practise the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, setting an example of equality and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries.

He pledged that China will continue to firmly support Myanmar’s efforts in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions, protecting its legitimate rights and national integrity in the international arena and maintaining its overall development and stability. China also appreciates Myanmar’s firm support for China on issues bearing on its core interests and major concerns, he said.

As the two countries will celebrate 70 years’ diplomatic ties next year, China is willing to join hands with Myanmar to sum up experiences in bilateral cooperation in the past years while planning for future development of bilateral ties and carrying out a series of celebration activities, Wang said.

The Chinese state councilor said China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with Myanmar in the new year to push the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new high.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in "baobo" (brothers and relatives) friendship, Belt and Road (B&R), boost, China alert, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Myanmar, Myanmar President, new high, pledge, ties, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2019

“One country, two systems” principle proves feasible, achievable, popular in Macao SAR: liaison office director in Macao

MACAO, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — The “one country, two systems” principle has proved to be feasible, achievable and popular in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) since Macao returned to the motherland in 1999, said Fu Ziying, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR.

Fu told Xinhua in a recent interview that the Macao SAR government, along with all walks of life, has comprehensively and precisely understood and implemented the “one country, two systems” principle and strictly abided by China’s Constitution and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR since Macao’s return to the motherland.

The Macao SAR government has ensured the steady and practical implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle by devoting to developing economy, improving people’s wellbeing, upholding inclusiveness and mutual support and promoting the unity of the compatriots in Macao under the banner of loving both the motherland and the region, thus opening a new horizon in practicing the “one country, two systems” with Macao characteristics.

Fu eulogized Macao’s success in implementing the “one country, two systems” principle in three aspects.

Firstly, for the past 20 years, the authority of China’s Constitution and the Basic Law has been firmly safeguarded in Macao and the executive-led system has been running smoothly.

The Macao SAR government and all walks of life have always firmly safeguarded the authority of China’s Constitution and the Basic Law by holistically combining upholding the principle of “one country” with respecting the differences of the “two systems,” and maintaining the power of the central government with ensuring the high degree of autonomy of the Macao SAR, ushering in a new era of good political situation in Macao.

The national sovereignty, security and interests are well safeguarded and the capability and level of law-based governance has been significantly promoted in Macao, Fu said.

Secondly, Macao has witnessed rapid economic development and continued improvement of people’s livelihood, with people feeling more satisfied and happier, Fu said.

Macao, by making good use of the advantages of the “one country, two systems” principle, has achieved a leaping development in economy, Fu said.

Over the past 20 years, Macao has witnessed the fastest development in its history, with outstanding performance in various macroeconomic sectors, Fu said.

With the full efforts from the SAR government in building long-term efficient mechanisms in social security, housing, education, health, human resources and disaster prevention and reduction, the social welfare and people’s livelihood have been greatly improved since Macao’s return to the motherland, said Fu,

Thirdly, Macao’s success could be seen in its harmony and inclusiveness in society, where both loving the motherland and the region has become the mainstream value, according to Fu.

He said education on the country’s Constitution and the Basic Law is deep-rooted in the society, as the “one country, two systems,” “Macao people governing Macao” and the high degree of autonomy are well-accepted by residents in Macao.

Fu said Macao has attached great importance to cultivating patriotism among the youth, with patriotic education legalized in Macao in 2006.

The development of the socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era, so is the cause of the “one country, two systems,” said Fu.

Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the practice of “one country, two systems” is included in the Chinese Dream.

In the future, Macao should further exploit the advantages of “one country, two systems” principle, seize the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

“We will always comprehensively and precisely understand and implement the principle of ‘one country, two systems’,” said Fu.

Fu called on Macao to participate in the country’s reform and opening-up cause more actively so as to help boost the country’s people-to-people exchanges with other countries.

He highlighted the importance of the construction of the Greater Bay Area, hoping that Macao would, by participating in the development, further expand its industries and promote people’s livelihood so as to maintain the economic and social stability.

“Remain true to the original aspiration of the principle of ‘one country, two systems,’ Macao, the land of lotus, will for ever glisten,” Fu added.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in "one country, two systems", achievable, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Central People's Government, Chinese President Xi Jinping, feasible, Greater Bay Area, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Macao SAR, motherland, popular, The Chinese Dream, the land of lotus, Uncategorized, Xinhua | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2019

Chinese vice president meets head of Japan’s national security council

CHINA-BEIJING-WANG QISHAN-JAPAN-NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL-SHIGERU KITAMURA-MEETING (CN)

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with the head of Japan’s national security council Shigeru Kitamura in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 6, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Friday met with the head of Japan’s national security council Shigeru Kitamura.

Not only close neighbors, China and Japan are also major economies in Asia and the world, said Wang, pointing out that the two countries both face huge tasks of domestic development and bear important responsibilities for world peace and development.

Wang said the two sides should use the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries as a guide, and move the bilateral relationship forward with wisdom and vision.

He called on the two countries to learn from history, take the overall situation into consideration, gain a clear understanding of common interests, and maintain the focus in developing ties with a long-term perspective.

Wang also encouraged the two sides to work together to create a favorable environment for the two countries’ high-level exchanges in the next stage.

Kitamura said that since last year, bilateral relations have developed positive momentum and seen close high-level contacts. Japan is ready to make full preparations for future exchanges between the two countries’ leaders.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in China alert, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, head of Japan's national security council, Japan, Shigeru Kitamura, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2019

Chinese residents worry about rise of facial recognition

Facial recogition system in busImage copyright GETTY IMAGES
Image caption Some buses in Shanghai have had facial recognition systems fitted to them

A survey by a Beijing research institute indicates growing pushback against facial recognition in China.

Some 74% of respondents said they wanted the option to be able to use traditional ID methods over the tech to verify their identity.

Worries about the biometric data being hacked or otherwise leaked was the main concern cited by the 6,152 respondents.

Facial recognitions systems are being rolled out in stations, schools, and shopping centres across the country.

The survey, first reported in the West by The Financial Times, was released on Thursday by the Nandu Personal Information Protection Research Centre.

It has been described as being one of the first major studies of its kind into public opinion on the subject in mainland China.

Some 80% of respondents said they were concerned that facial recognition system operators had lax security measures.

Separate research suggests that they have good reason to be concerned.

China was ranked the worst of 50 surveyed countries in a study looking at how extensively and invasively biometric ID and surveillance systems are being deployed. The work was carried out by the cybersecurity firm Comparitech.

It said China had no “specific law to protect citizens’ biometrics” and highlighted a “lack of safeguards for employees in the workplace”.

Face recognition system by roadImage copyright GETTY IMAGES
Image caption Some cities are deploying facial recognition systems at road crossings to identify and deter jaywalkers

Surveillance concerns

Nandu’s survey was carried out via the internet between October and November.

In its sample, 57% of respondents voiced concern about their movements being tracked.

In addition, 84% of people said they wanted to be able to review the data that facial recognition systems had collected on them and to be able to request that it should be deleted.

The majority said they wanted an option to be able to use ID cards, driving licenses and/or passports as an alternative. But the survey also suggested that between 60 to 70% of Chinese residents believed facial recognition made public places safer.

Hard to avoid

China has more facial recognition cameras than any other country and they are often hard to avoid.

Earlier this week, local reports said that Zhengzhou, the capital of the northeastern Henan province, had become the first Chinese city to roll the tech out across all its subway train stations.

Commuters can use the technology to automatically authorise payments instead of scanning a QR code on their phones. For now, it is a voluntary option, said the China Daily.

Earlier this month, university professor Guo Bing announced he was suing Hangzhou Safari Park for enforcing facial recognition.

Prof Guo, a season ticket holder at the park, had used his fingerprint to enter for years, but was no longer able to do so.

The case was covered in the government-owned media, indicating that the Chinese Communist Party is willing for the private use of the technology to be discussed and debated by the public.

Media captionWATCH: BBC’s John Sudworth put a Chinese facial recognition system to the test in December 2007

But the state continues to make some uses of the tech mandatory.

At the start of the month, a new regulation came into force that requires mobile phone subscribers to have their faces scanned when they sign a new contract with a provider.

The authorities say the move is designed to prevent the resale of Sim cards to help combat fraud.

But country-watchers have suggested it may also be used to help the police and other officials keep track of the population.

Source: The BBC

Posted in authorities, Beijing, buses, chinese communist party, chinese residents, combat fraud, Comparitech, cybersecurity firm, driving licenses, facial recognition, facial recognition systems, Fingerprint, Henan province, ID cards, mobile phone subscribers, Nandu Personal Information Protection Research Centre, passports, phones, research institute, rise, scanning a QR code, Shanghai, Sim cards, stations, subway train, The Financial Times, Uncategorized, worry, Zhengzhou | Leave a Comment »

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