CiCM 7th & 8th September 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

China Makes Significant Headway in Cybersecurity: China has strengthened its cybersecurity, focusing on legislation, talent development, and the protection of individuals' rights and interests. The country has implemented laws and regulations to safeguard cyberspace and data security, protect personal information, and secure critical information infrastructure. Measures and policies have been established for cybersecurity reviews, assessments of outbound data transfers, and the management of generative artificial intelligence services and automotive data security. Over 380 national standards in cybersecurity have been released. In education, more than 90 higher learning institutions have established cybersecurity schools, and over 200 colleges and universities have launched bachelor's programs in cybersecurity. Authorities have launched special initiatives to inspect cybersecurity and personal information protection in key sectors such as postal and express services and real estate. Progress has been made in ensuring compliance with automobile data security standards. Actions have been taken against the illegal collection and use of personal information by apps, as well as crimes involving the buying and selling of personal data, privacy violations, and telecom fraud.
Hainan Gradually Resumes Operations Following Super Typhoon Yagi: China's island province of Hainan is slowly returning to normalcy after being struck by Super Typhoon Yagi, which left four dead and 95 injured. The provincial transport department announced a phased resumption of air and maritime traffic. Haikou Meilan International Airport in the capital is expected to reopen by noon on Sunday, while airports in Sanya and Bo'ao resumed operations on Saturday. Seaports are set to restart shipping, prioritizing cargo transport, from 1 p.m. Sunday. The eastern section of Hainan's high-speed railway loop resumed service at 11 a.m., though the western section and Haikou's city train service remain suspended. In Chengmai County, authorities have mobilized emergency response efforts, with rescuers dispatched to typhoon-affected areas to support recovery actions such as obstacle removal, drainage, and water delivery. The transport department has pledged to accelerate post-disaster recovery efforts to restore normalcy in production and daily life. The gradual reopening of transportation infrastructure marks a significant step in Hainan's recovery from one of the strongest typhoons to hit the region in recent years.
China Bolsters Administrative Reconsideration System to Address Disputes: China has significantly increased its efforts to resolve administrative disputes through an enhanced administrative reconsideration system. Kong Xiangquan, an official from the Ministry of Justice, reported at a recent press conference that in the first half of 2024, administrative agencies across China received 292,000 administrative reconsideration cases and concluded 225,000. This marks a 150% increase in new cases compared to the same period in 2023, a growth attributed to the revision of the Law on Administrative Reconsideration. The revised law expanded the system to accommodate a broader range of administrative disputes. Notably, nearly 90% of concluded cases were resolved without resorting to administrative lawsuits, a 12.6 percentage point increase from the previous year. The system has also played a crucial role in fostering a favorable business environment, with 23,000 cases filed by business entities concluded in the first half of the year. Kong emphasized that administrative reconsideration serves as both a supervisory mechanism to correct government errors and a relief system for resolving disputes, making it a key channel for safeguarding the rights and interests of individuals and businesses.
China Repatriates Five Economic Crime Suspects from Cambodia: China's Ministry of Public Security announced on Friday that five criminal suspects involved in aiding telecom fraud operations were escorted back to China from Cambodia. The suspects, who had been living in Cambodia since June 2023, allegedly recruited over 100 people in China online to assist in transferring and laundering illegal gains from telecom fraud and other crimes. Their activities came under investigation by Shanghai police in September 2023. Through international police cooperation channels, Shanghai authorities shared information about the suspects with Cambodian law enforcement. In June 2024, Cambodian authorities apprehended the five suspects and agreed to repatriate them to China. The Ministry of Public Security emphasized its commitment to deepening international law-enforcement and judicial cooperation to pursue criminal fugitives and recover assets overseas. This case highlights China's ongoing efforts to combat cross-border economic crimes and telecom fraud, as well as the importance of international cooperation in addressing such issues.
China Introduces Pioneering Standard for Detecting Fake Digital Faces in Finance: China has unveiled its first standard for detecting fake digital faces in the financial sector, marking a significant step in combating AI-powered fraud. Announced at the 2024 Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, this standard outline functional, technical, and performance criteria for fake digital face detection services. It requires financial institutions to detect fake faces across various scenarios, including replacement, activation, and deepfakes. Institutions must establish a real digital face dataset of at least 5,000 images and create fake face datasets to address complex real-life scenarios, considering factors like skin tones, lighting conditions, and clarity. Qin An, an expert in cyber security governance, highlighted this as an important advancement in AI safety. The standard's introduction comes amidst growing concerns about deepfake technology, exemplified by recent incidents of deepfake pornography distribution in South Korea. This development underscores China's proactive approach to addressing the challenges posed by AI in financial services and reflects the country's commitment to enhancing data security and combating AI-powered cybercrimes in an increasingly digital financial landscape.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Death of Overworked Chinese Man Ignites Online Fury Over Work Culture: The tragic death of a 30-year-old Chinese man, A'bao, who endured 104 consecutive workdays with just one day off, has triggered a surge of outrage on Chinese social media. The court's ruling, which deemed the company 20% responsible for his death and awarded a modest 400,000 yuan, has amplified criticisms of China's intense work culture and the enforcement of labor laws. The collective response from netizens has been one of shock and dismay. Many are expressing deep frustration over what they see as the company's blatant disregard for employee well-being and the insufficient penalties imposed. The general sentiment is that the company's appeal of the initial judgment demonstrates a troubling lack of empathy and accountability. Additionally, there is growing concern about the perceived inadequacy of labor law enforcement in China. Users are voicing their dissatisfaction with what they consider the low cost of legal violations for companies, and they argue that labor laws seem to primarily serve to restrict workers rather than protect their rights. The online discourse reflects growing concerns among Chinese workers about work-life balance and employee rights, with many calling for stricter enforcement of labor regulations and harsher penalties for companies violating these laws.

INDIA WATCH

Death Toll in Lucknow Building Collapse Reaches Eight: Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that the death toll from a building collapse in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, has risen to eight as rescuers pulled four more bodies from the debris early Sunday. According to senior police officer Amit Verma, around 30 people were rescued and are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, with some already discharged. As per the article the three-storey building, used for pharmaceuticals wholesale trading, collapsed on Saturday evening in the Transport Nagar area following intense rainfall that caused waterlogging in surrounding areas. The 15-year-old structure's collapse has prompted authorities to form a committee to investigate the cause of the accident. Rescue operations are ongoing to ensure no one remains trapped beneath the rubble. The author states that this incident highlights the issue of failing infrastructure, with construction experts attributing such accidents to lax administration and corruption leading to violations of building regulations. The collapse in Lucknow serves as another tragic reminder of the urgent need for stricter enforcement of building safety standards across India.

Prepared By

Vanshika Patel

Vanshika is a recent graduate from Ashoka University with a degree in Economics and a minor in Computer Science. Her interests lie in understanding the global economy and its impact on international communities, policy-making, and the social sector. She is particularly drawn to quantitative analysis and has a keen interest in international economics, aiming to contribute to data-driven decision-making in global economic contexts.