Ever since the "China Dream" of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg all but evaporated

Zuckerberg recognized the harsh reality of China's major threat to the order of internet and issued a warning at Georgetown University. What is happening right now is the clash between two ideologies and a modern Cold War. The below passage is an excerpt from his speech:

//This raises a larger question about the future of the global internet. China is building its own internet focused on very different values, and is now exporting their vision of the internet to other countries. Until recently, the internet in almost every country outside China has been defined by American platforms with strong free expression values. There's no guarantee these values will win out. A decade ago, almost all of the major internet platforms were American. Today, six of the top ten are Chinese.

Until recently, the internet in almost every country outside China has been defined by American platforms with strong free expression values. But there's no guarantee these values will win out.

We're beginning to see this in social media. While our services, like WhatsApp, are used by protesters and activists everywhere due to strong encryption and privacy protections, on TikTok, the Chinese app growing quickly around the world, mentions of these protests are censored, even in the US.
Is that the internet we want?

It's one of the reasons we don't operate Facebook, Instagram or our other services in China. I wanted our services in China because I believe in connecting the whole world and I thought we might help create a more open society. I worked hard to make this happen. But we could never come to agreement on what it would take for us to operate there, and they never let us in. And now we have more freedom to speak out and stand up for the values we believe in and fight for free expression around the world.

This question of which nation's values will determine what speech is allowed for decades to come really puts into perspective our debates about the content issues of the day. While we may disagree on exactly where to draw the line on specific issues, we at least can disagree. That’s what free expression is. And the fact that we can even have this conversation means that we’re at least debating from some common values. If another nation's platforms set the rules, our discourse will be defined by a completely different set of values.//

Reference:
https://www.facebook.com/shensimon/posts/2788887951145337

Full Speech: https://youtu.be/2MTpd7YOnyU

#Facebook #ChinaDream #ChineseInfluence #ChinaThreat #HongkongProtests

Tencent-funded 'Top Gun' Cuts Taiwan and Japan flags from Tom Cruise's Jacket

"Top Gun: Maverick" released its movie trailer last year. However, sharp-eyed fans from around the world noticed some changes to Tom Cruise's character, other than age catching up with the character.

The old jacket that the main character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell wore in the original 80s classic had the Taiwanese and Japanese country flag patches on it. However, in the new one as seen in the trailer, those flags have been replaced by two symbols with similar color schemes.

According to journalist Mark MacKinnnon, a Senior International Correspondent for Canada's The Globe and Mail, he mentioned that there was a new Top Gun movie coming out, and that Maverick was wearing the same leather jacket, just that this time, with the Taiwanese and Japanese flags removed, it is approved by the Chinese Communist Party.

We are seeing a stark increase in Hollywood movies bowing down to 'Chinese sensitivities'. While filmmakers are often found defending such actions, using the Chinese box office as an excuse, we know that this is a clear example of the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the West. Companies such as Tencent will be earning direct from a cut of the profits made out of it.

Actions speak louder than words. If we talk about boycotting Chinese products and Chinese companies, then we should also start boycotting such movies as well.

#BoycottChina #ChineseInfluence
#CCP #SharpPower

Original article:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/07/22/media/top-gun-flags-intl-hnk/index.html

#ChinesePropaganda
China Propaganda Machine Spreads to the US

It is found that massive amount of tweets and Facebook posts about the US protests circulating on the Internet were posted by social media accounts registered in China.

According to Dr. Shen Bo-yang (Puma), assistant professor of criminology in National Taipei University, as of May 31, 2020 Chinese has engendered over 70,000 said engagements in the social media world.

China's goal to defame protesters in all places has become obvious, as the chief editor of a China state-run tabloid Global Times Hu Xijin (@HuXijin_GT) tweeted the following on May 31:

"I highly suspect that Hong Kong rioters have infiltrated American states. Attacking police stations, smashing shops, blocking roads, breaking public facilities, these are all routine in their protests. Vicious HK rioters obviously are mastermind of violent protests across the US😡."

Despite China's attempt to influence international opinions from the coronavirus pandemic to the protests in the US, China has repeatedly reprimanded the international community for "meddling with China's internal affairs".

Source: Puma Shen; Stand News
#June2 #ChineseInfluence #America #SocialMedia #Twitter #Facebook

NSW Labor MP suspended after raids probing China links

China’s infiltration plot surfaces in Australia as NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane became suspended after home raid for probing China links. Moselmane himself is revealed to have taken nine privately-funded trips to China, paid by Chinese Government or agencies as documents disclosed, since he entered Parliament in 2009. Moselmane has a part-time political staffer, Zhang, who completed a propaganda training course prepared by an academy that trained senior cadres of the Chinese Communist Party.

However, Moselmane was not the only MP to speak for China. Labor Party’s director Allan Gyngell during a meeting in the Shadow Cabinet criticized and attempted to silence those who are vocal about China as he told them “not to cause a fuss”. Labor MPs are therefore concerning their free speech being curtailed by Anthony Albanese’s leadership team. They claimed they were urged to not to sign an international letter condemning China over Hong Kong’s National Security Law.

Meanwhile, university undergraduate student Pavlou is expelled from the University of Queensland and is facing graphic death threat as well as vile abuse after he gathered to speak out against Beijing’s anti-democracy efforts in Hong Kong, the treatment of the Uighur minority, and the university’s close ties with China. Mr Pavlou was assaulted by men who are alleged to be sent by the Consulate.

Source:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-labor-mp-shaoquett-moselmane-to-be-suspended-after-raids-probing-china-links-20200626-p556gd.html

https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-police-investigating-top-chinese-diplomat-after-complaint-from-aussie-uni-student/news-story/d9bd9f8838076ab36156346403cc04f3

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6166083948001

https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/australian-police-raid-lawmaker-over-china-links/

#Australia #China #LaborMP
#ChineseInfluence #FreedomOfSpeech

Chinese property developer in Melbourne reportedly deported from Australia for 'endangering national security'

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have confirmed that the federal government has accused Chinese millionaire #ZhengJieFu of carrying out missions for Chinese intelligence agencies and secretly promoting Beijing's interests.

Zheng has been deported from Australia in 2021, making him one of the most recent Australian residents to be deported by the federal government for allegedly having close ties to Chinese state security or foreign interventionist agencies.

Unidentified sources told reporters that the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (#ASIO) had accused Zheng of foreign interference in Australia on behalf of the Chinese government, claiming that he had offered cash to a student in Australia to pressure the father of a human rights activist who was already in Chinese custody. However, Zheng has previously denied the allegations.

ASIO alleges that Zheng had "repeatedly" contacted a suspected Chinese spy on mission in Australia while he was in the country.

Source: SBS Australia #Apr5

https://www.sbs.com.au/chinese/cantonese/zh-hant/millionaire-chinese-property-developer-quietly-expelled-for-harming-security-interests

#Australia #Melbourne #China #ZhengJiefu #Chineseintelligenceagencies #Chineseinfluence #Chinesespy #Australianationalsecurity #ASIO