China Reform Monitor No. 1483

U.S. INTEL OFFICIAL WARNS: CHINA SEEKS TO DOMINATE ADVANCED TECH
The acting director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Michael Orlando, has warned American businesses, academics and local and state government officials about the risk of Chinese investment in advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, quantum computing, semiconductors and biotechnology. Chinese businesses and academics must serve the CPC, he said, “although we’ve been saying this for year after year, people are not digesting this.” Orlando said the U.S. “can’t afford to lose” ground to China in such areas, as they would give Beijing a decisive military edge. Although Orlando stopped short of instructing officials to reject Chinese money, he encouraged them to implement security measures to protect their intellectual property. (Associated Press, October 22, 2021)

CHINA’S CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION TO ELIMINATE “ILLEGAL PUBLISHING AND REPRINTING”
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has released a new “white list” of 1358 approved news providers and aggregators, including hundreds of mobile apps and Weibo and WeChat social media accounts managed by organizations and media groups under the CPC Central Propaganda Department. The new list will close a “back door” by cracking down on “illegal publishing and reprinting” of unauthorized online content. The new list, which is nearly four times longer than the one released in 2016, increases the risks publishers face for printing unofficial content. (South China Morning Post, October 22, 2021)

U.S. REVOKES LICENSE OF CHINA TELECOM
China Telecom, one of China's biggest telecommunications companies, has been stripped of its license to operate in the U.S. due to "national security" concerns, and must stop providing services within 60 days. U.S. officials said Beijing’s control of the company gave it the opportunity "to access, store, disrupt, and/or misroute U.S. communications" and could allow it "to engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the U.S.” Citing the same risks, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) revoked China Mobile's U.S. license in 2019, and is in the process of doing the same for China Unicom Americas and Pacific Networks. (BBC, October 26, 2021)

HONG KONG PASSES NEW FILM CENSORSHIP LAW
Hong Kong's legislature has passed a new law banning films that violate China's national security interests. Violators will receive three years imprisonment and pay $130,000 in fines. The film censorship law, which passed the new, opposition-free Legislative Council, gives the Hong Kong chief secretary the power to revoke a film's license if it "endorses, supports, glorifies, encourages and incites activities that might endanger national security." (BBC, October 27, 2021)

BEIJING WANTS “NEW MEDIA PLATFORMS THAT COVER THE ENTIRE WORLD”
The CPC Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Education are among the 17 government agencies and party organs that have issued policy guidelines to boost the country’s “national cultural exports.” According to the policy, Beijing is encouraging “companies to build new media platforms that cover the entire world” in order to increase the distribution of Chinese “cultural products” such as “films, TV episodes and video games.” To broaden their appeal to foreign audiences, Chinese companies should also enhance their cooperation with “overseas new media platforms.” They are instructed to “carry out cultural investment and cooperation abroad, build international marketing networks and branches, and expand the scale of quality cultural assets abroad.” (South China Morning Post, October 29, 2021)