China Reform Monitor: No. 1213

February 25:

In 2015, the Office of the Central Leading Group for the Cyberspace Administration of China collaborated with police to close down 4,977 websites for posting “vicious political rumors and other illegal information.” They disciplined those responsible for circulating information linked to terrorism, minority and religious issues, and required websites to delete over 20 million videos and closed over 10,000 terrorism-related accounts, the official Beijing News reports.

China has been intervening to prevent the distribution of financial data and criminalized commentary that could hurt stocks, the currency, or threaten to undermine confidence in the Communist Party. This month, Chinese banking officials omitted currency data from closely- watched economic reports. Chinese regulators fined a journalist $23,000 for reposting a message that said a big securities firm had told elite clients to sell stock. Before that, officials pressed two companies to stop releasing early results from a survey of Chinese factories that often moved markets. Chinese stocks are down more than one-fifth since the beginning of this year. The government moved to bolster confidence this week by ousting its top securities regulator, who had been accused of contributing to the stock market turmoil, the New York Times reports.

February 26:

Construction on China's first overseas naval base has begun in Djibouti at the cost of $590 million. The base will support the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and enable China to respond rapidly to emergencies in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. While some troops would be stationed at the base, its infrastructure and facilities will prioritize logistical tasks and provide a "comprehensive supply point" for Chinese ships in the region, the South China Morning Post reports. It will have warehouses for water, oil, food, repair docks, and hospitals to provide supplies, maintenance and medical services.

February 27:

Marco Rubio, former Republican presidential hopeful and co-chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, is demanding closer scrutiny of repression in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reports. “We’ve seen booksellers disappear, academic and media freedom shrinking, and growing disaffection among Hong Kong’s youth. The trajectory is troubling and merits greater attention from the Obama administration.” The pending trial of Joshua Wong and fellow protest leaders – whose September 2014 arrests sparked clashes with riot police – will serve as an indicator of Hong Kong’s autonomy, Rubio and fellow chairman Christopher Smith, a New Jersey Republican congressman, said in the statement. “We will be watching closely how it is handled. Joshua and his fellow students represent the future of Hong Kong, not Beijing’s tired tactics of repression and intimidation.”

March 2:

Zambia’s Ambassador to China, Winnie Chibesakunda, said that of the 1,600 Zambian students studying in China, 500 are almost stranded and at risk of being sent back home for not renewing their visas after failing to pay their schools fees. About 25 students have already been detained and sent back to Zambia, while three were returned after suffering mental break downs. Unscrupulous agents in Zambia swindled some students out of their money while others deliberately misinformed them that they would receive scholarships after they reached China. The number of Zambian students losing passports in China has increased and the Zambian government suspects that the students are selling them to raise money for fees and food, the Lusaka Timesreports.