Posts tagged ‘Internet in the People’s Republic of China’

20/07/2012

* Rural Chinese get online as mobile overtakes desktop

BBC News: “Mobile phones are now the most common way for people to connect to the internet in China, a report has said.

For the first time, desktop computers are no longer the leading method for the country’s 538 million connected citizens to get online.

The report from the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC) said over 50% of the year’s new internet users were from rural areas.

A fall in smartphone costs has been the key cause of growth, experts said. “Mobile phones are a cheaper and more convenient way to access the internet for [residents in] China’s vast rural areas and for the enormous migrant population,” said the report from the state-linked CINIC.

Mobile internet users now number 388 million, up almost 10% since the start of the year. “Mobile phone prices continued to drop,” the report said.

“The emergence of smartphones under 1,000 yuan [$157, £100] sharply lowered the threshold for using the devices and encouraged average mobile phone users to become mobile web surfers.”

The total number of those online has risen 5% since the end of last year, many of whom are very active in cyberspace.”

via BBC News – Rural Chinese get online as mobile overtakes desktop.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/information-technology/

13/07/2012

* Chinese couple paid for forced abortion

UPI: “A Chinese couple forced to abort their child at seven months in early June was paid an $11,200 settlement by the local government Wednesday.

Deng Jiyuan said the government agreed to pay $11,200 after already firing two officials, sanctioning five officials and issuing a former apology for forcing Deng’s wife, Feng Jianmei, to have an abortion when she was seven months pregnant, The New York Times reported.

Feng was forced to abort her second child because China limits families to one child per household. Deng could not afford to pay the fine for having a second child, so the government forced Feng to abort her child.

A picture of Feng next to the aborted fetus circulated through the Internet in China, prompting the government to respond.

“We want to return to our home and move on with our life, ” Deng said. “This was a tragedy but life has to continue.””

via Chinese couple paid for forced abortion – UPI.com.

$11,200 may not seem like much for a life. But note that this is the first publicly recorded compensation for such an act. It is the first step towards righting a historic wrong.

See also:

Law of Unintended Consequences

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