Who’s Really Responsible for Digital Privacy in China?

By Shazeda Ahmed & Bertram Lang on May 30, 2018

While the United States is reeling from the revelation that political consultancy Cambridge Analytica harvested data from over 87 million Facebook accounts, China’s biggest tech companies and regulators are confronting a wave of of their own customers’ concerns about digital privacy. Boundaries between the public and private sector are dissolving as Chinese tech platforms are increasingly required to march in lockstep with government imperatives, and as the state grows more reliant on tech companies to monitor and restrict citizens’ behavior on- and offline. Chinese tech users who believe that state regulators will rein in tech companies’ invasive data collection practices overlook how intertwined state and corporate interests are. Chinese citizens and consumers may be disappointed if they think the minor regulatory measures taken against tech companies are going to protect their privacy in the near future.

Mattis Says China Is ‘Out of Step’ With International Law

By Nancy A. Youssef on May 30, 2018

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday that he rescinded China’s invitation to take part in a multinational Pacific Rim military exercise because Beijing is “out of step with international law” in how it has militarized the islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

Military, Politics
South China Sea, International Law, Military Drills

What Is the Scope of Work Permitted under the Foreign NGO Law?

on May 30, 2018

Foreign NGOs may conduct work in “fields such as economics, education, science, culture, health, sports, and environmental protection, and for areas such as poverty relief and disaster relief.” Foreign NGOs’ work “must not endanger China’s national unity, security, or ethnic unity; and must not harm China’s national interests, societal public interest and the lawful rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations.” (A legal person generally refers to a “non-human entity that is treated as a person for limited legal purposes,” such as corporations.) Foreign NGOs must not engage in or fund for-profit activities, political activities, or religious activities.

What if There Is No Professional Supervisory Unit for the Type of Work My NGO Does?

on May 30, 2018

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is approving new Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) to sponsor foreign NGOs, in addition to those that were originally included on the 2017 list of eligible PSUs. As of May 1, at least 11 unlisted PSUs have sponsored foreign NGOs. As the MPS has previously stated, foreign NGOs may request that the MPS or local public security bureau add a new PSU to the list. If new PSUs are willing to act as sponsors, this might ameliorate difficulties certain foreign NGOs have experienced when their fields of work were not clearly represented on the initial 2017 list.

Resetting China-India Relations

A China in the World Podcast

By Paul Haenle & C. Raja Mohan on May 29, 2018

Following a year marked by mounting tensions between China and India, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Wuhan for an informal summit in April to reset the relationship. Major points of tension dominating China-India relations include territorial disputes, China’s encroachment on India’s traditional sphere of influence, and Beijing’s increasingly close relations with regional rival Pakistan. An agreement to not escalate areas of disagreement and recognize that a stable China-India relationship would be positive forces for the region were two major takeaways from the Xi-Modi summit.