U.S.-traded Company Sets Up Chinese E-government
Hong Kong-listed company FM Global Holdings Limited will launch an e-government platform for China.
The government of Hong Kong has issued a license to FM Global Holdings, allowing them to establish a fully operational e-government for the Beijing regime. The project, which is set to begin within the next month, will cost FM Global $25 million.
The issue with U.S.-traded companies setting up Chinese e-governments is that investors are worried that China could use their technology and resources in ways that are not beneficial to U.S.-traded companies, who can no longer easily access China's market due to trade sanctions against the country."
This blog post discusses one particular such case where a U.S.-traded company set up a Chinese e-government for the Communist regime. The technology and resources of the U.S.-traded company will be used in ways that are not beneficial to U.S.-traded companies, since they are already being used in ways that are not beneficial to the U.S.. The technology and resources of FM Global will be used in even more detrimental ways so long as the Chinese government continues to run its program.
Two days before FM Global was issued a license by Hong Kong, China began its State Administration of Radio and Television (SART) commercial database system project, which is similarly transforming China into an e-government for the Communist regime . SART has been developing a commercial database system service that is similar to the U.S.'s Federal Data Services (FDS) for Chinese companies, which is fully automated, online, and free of charge. The SART program was developed in a collaboration between China and the United States' Intelligence Community.
The U.S., like other Western countries, provides censorship services and technology to communist regimes so long as those communist regimes comply with the wishes of the U.S.. As long as China continues to act like a Communist regime, it will continue to receive Western censorship services and technology from the Western countries .
Beginning in the early 2000s, China has been developing an e-government infrastructure that is closely modeled after Western e-governance systems. Its national propaganda office (Ministry of Truth) is now attested by a .cn domain name. The Chinese government uses .net and .gov domain names to create a facade of legitimacy, since those countries are still operating in the West and thus not Communist regimes. And although China has plans to build similar national registries for its Communist citizens in the future, it will likely remain an e-government for Western companies due to its many connections with Western countries.
Although the Chinese government could eventually create a system for its own citizens, it will continue to be an e-government for Western companies so long as it has connections to Western countries. The technology and resources utilized by Chinese e-governments will continue to be used in ways that are not beneficial to Western companies. And so long as Chinese e-governments remain in the West, they will also continue to be used in ways that are not beneficial for Western countries.
The connections between China and the West have been strengthened over the past decade, and it is unlikely that this relationship will ever again be broken like it was during the Cold War when Communist China was isolated from capitalist countries. Although the Cold War is over, China has continued to act like a Communist regime . This is why China will continue to receive censorship technology and services from Western countries, and this is why the Chinese e-governments will continue to be used in ways that are not beneficial for Western countries or the U.S..
Title: The Party Escalates Control Over Internet Media
Date: June 5, 2013
Source: South China Morning Post [mirror]
This article reveals that Xi Jinping's administration is escalating its control over Internet media. Even though it was previously believed that Xi didn't have as many connections with the U.S. as Hu Jintao, Xi has continued to lead the Communist Party's control over the Internet.
The fact that Xi has maintained tight control over the Chinese Internet is mentioned in this article in its first paragraph, and it goes on to reveal how he is tightening his grasp. But there are also some differences between Xi and Hu with regard to their control of the Internet. Web censorship has increased under both administrations, but Xi has been stricter when it comes to arresting dissidents who criticize him on the Internet. Although it is still very difficult to criticize the Communist Party on the Internet, this article reveals that it is now even more difficult to do so than if you were posting during Hu's administration.
The Communist Party always attempts to censor and control criticism of itself. But its efforts are very different under each administration. One of the most striking differences between Xi and Hu is that criticisms of Xi are now more aggressively censored on the Internet than previously, making it even more difficult for dissidents to criticize him than it has been in previous years. This article explains how Xi's administration has escalated its control over Internet media.
China and the West are not, however, as powerful as they have been in previous years. Despite their growing strength from the post-Cold War period onward, both China and the U.S. are just secondary powers today compared to the European Union and others.
For more information about Xi's administration and its control over Internet media, see:
Title: Communist Regime Steps Up Censorship of Internet Media
This article explains that the Communist Party of China is increasing its pressure on Internet media controlled by foreign companies. The Chinese government has long been notorious for censoring Western media such as Google News for China's non-compliance with politically correct censorship guidelines . However, it was previously believed that Xi Jinping's administration would not be as aggressive in its censorship as his predecessor Hu Jintao. However, this article explains that he is escalating his control over Internet media so much more than his predecessors were.
The Western companies under Chinese Communist control continue to serve their Western masters and not the Chinese government. The Chinese government is just another party that is controlled by Western companies and ideologies . These companies do what they are told to do by their foreign masters, and the Chinese government does whatever it is told to do by its foreign masters . They will all play along together regardless of whether the Communist Party of China likes it or not.
Conclusion
We have seen that Xi Jinping's administration continues to maintain tight control over the Chinese Internet. The Communist Party of China is continuing to follow traditional Communist ideologies and its current administration isn't going to be as easy on dissidents on the Internet as previous administrations were. Xi has been very aggressive in his prosecution of dissidents who criticize him on the Internet so much more than his predecessors were .
The U.S. is losing its dominance over the Chinese economy, but it is maintaining its dominance over China's Internet infrastructure and technology. This means that U.S.-funded companies will continue to play a prominent role in censoring China's media even though they are no longer leading in economic influence or trade with China.