Provincial Politics and the Death of Free Media in China (Asia Media; Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief)

By Arnold Zeitlin Posted: April 1, 2004 Click here for full article Article reports that on March 19, the former editor-in-chief of the cutting-edge newspaper, Southern Metropolitan Daily, was arrested on charges of embezzlement. Two senior managers were also recently sentenced to long-term imprisonment for bribery and embezzlement. The report indicates that the government is […]

Read More

Beijing ditches bullfighting plans (BBC)

April 2, 2004 Reflecting sensitivity to the issue of animal cruelty and how it might tarnish China’s image abroad, the Beijing City Council reportedly intervened to scrap plans for Spanish-style bull fights in a privately owned arena, newly constructed for that purpose. According to the BBC, the move also represents a victory for the emerging […]

Read More

Tiananmen Mothers released (AP)

Xinhua News Agency said today that the three “Tiananmen Mothers” were “released by police after being admonished and showing repentance,” the Associated Press reported. The full report is here.

Read More

2003: 60% Growth in Web Sites (State Council)

April 1, 2004 According to a report written by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and issued by the State Council, China had roughly 600,000 approved web sites by the end of 2003, representing a 60.3% increase over the previous year. However, the report notes significant regional disparities in web site development. The comparatively […]

Read More

China tightens visa rules for US citizens (FT)

By Mure Dickie in Beijing Published: March 31 2004 9:09 | Last Updated: March 31 2004 11:34 China on Wednesday tightened rules for issuing visas to US citizens in retaliation against Washington’s insistence on fingerprinting Chinese travellers to the US. The new measures, which include requiring diplomats travelling for personal reasons to apply for an […]

Read More

UN Global Forum on Internet Governance

“More than 200 leaders from government, business and civil society attended the Global Forum on Internet Governance, held on 25 and 26 March 2004 and organized by the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Task Force” according to a report by CircleID. The entry is mostly large sections of direct quotation from participants in […]

Read More

China Seeks to Name Asteroid After Copyrighted Taikonaut (BBC)

April 1, 2004 According to the BBC, “A Chinese observatory is hoping to give the ultimate accolade to the country’s first man in space, Yang Liwei, after proposing to name an asteroid after the 38-year-old fighter pilot.” In an interesting twist on Chinese intellectual property law, “his image, name and signature have also been copyrighted […]

Read More

Reporters Without Borders announces prizes for online repression (Press Release)

March 26, 2004 The France-based NGO, Reporters Without Borders, has issued an “awards list” for those countries practicing “online repression.” China wins its grand prize, though notably a number of Western nations, including the United States, Canada and France are listed as being on “probation.” Regarding China, Reporters Without Borders, notes: “Golden Palm¬†: China An […]

Read More

China’s boom leaves many behind (IHT)

March 25, 2004 “China’s economic miracle has had an ironic side effect. The communist government has created an economic powerhouse with a more entrenched class system than any capitalist country could imagine. Although China has had the world’s fastest growing economy for 25 years, its new wealth is spreading unevenly. The once narrow gap between […]

Read More

Who Needs English? (LA Times)

March 29, 2004 “Chinese studies are booming throughout Asia. At the largest chain of private language schools in Japan, enrollment in Chinese in 2003 was double that in 2002 ” displacing French as the second most popular language after English.” Click here for full story.

Read More

Pres. Chen says W. Post distorted interview

Following an interview with President Chen Shui-bian in yesterday’s Washington Post, the president now says he was misquoted on his stance about relations with the mainland. The dispute is over the first paragraph of the Post article, which says: “President Chen Shui-bian declared Monday that his narrow re-election victory was a mandate from voters to […]

Read More

The great Chinese aircraft carrier mystery (STI)

The Straits Times (STI) published an article written by Anthony Paul today, about online rumours of Chinese aircraft carriers. It said: “Several websites refer to ‘eyewitness reports’ of three graving docks at Shanghai, each with carrier construction under way. First mention appears to have come in a lengthy report on the ‘Strong Nation Forum’ (Qiangguo […]

Read More

Baidu president takes on Google (Xinhua)

This is from Chinaview today. “When Google launched its Chinese language advertising service in February, the battle suddenly heated up as domestic search engine operators rushed to get a market share they deserve. Among domestic competitors, Robin Lee’s Baidu seems to be one of the most promising, as the firm began generating profits last year […]

Read More

Tiananmen Mothers are Detained (NYT)

Ding Zilin and others in Tiananmen Mother Movement have been detained. This report is from New York Times on March 29, 2004. “At least three family members of people gunned down by the Chinese military during the June 1989 crackdown on dissent in Beijing have been detained, as the authorities seek to prevent protests connected […]

Read More

CDT EBOOKS

Subscribe to CDT

SUPPORT CDT

Unbounded by Lantern

Now, you can combat internet censorship in a new way: by toggling the switch below while browsing China Digital Times, you can provide a secure "bridge" for people who want to freely access information. This open-source project is powered by Lantern, know more about this project.

Google Ads 1

Giving Assistant

Google Ads 2

Anti-censorship Tools

Life Without Walls

Click on the image to download Firefly for circumvention

Open popup
X

Welcome back!

CDT is a non-profit media site, and we need your support. Your contribution will help us provide more translations, breaking news, and other content you love.