China
Chinese firm helps websites push pro-Beijing content: research
A Chinese company in the southern city of Shenzhen has assisted at least 123 websites operating in China but posing as local media outlets in 30 countries across Europe, Asia and Latin America to disseminate disinformation, according to a recent study.
The research lab at the University of Toronto found that Shenzhen Haimaiyunxiang Media Co. (Haimai), a public relations firm, was behind the push to promote pro-Beijing business and political “propaganda,” and vilifying reports of former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meeting when U.S.-China and cross-strait relations were in a highly-sensitive state.
The researchers used the Domain Name System to track down these websites in a campaign named Paperwall, and to dig up the information on Haimai, which has a commercial registration in Shenzhen.
While the report is absolutely credible, it is only part of the truth based on his personal experience, Victor Ho, the former editor-in-chief of the British Columbia version of Sing Tao Daily, told Radio Free Asia.
Beijing has a long history of fighting public opinion wars overseas. There are many seemingly neutral Chinese-language media in Canada that promote Beijing’s “big foreign propaganda,” but it is difficult for ordinary people to discern, he pointed out.
Ho said Canada has numerous so-called pro-Chinese Communist Party media, or media that seem to have no relationship with the CCP, such as Ming Pao, Sing Tao Daily, Today Commercial News, Chinese Canadian Times, Dawa News, Health Times and New Star Times.
“These are all localized names in Canada. There are 20 to 30 CCP’s foreign propaganda media outlets in Canada, shaping the impressions of the Chinese community and many overseas Chinese, or Chinese Canadians, of the CCP,” said Ho.
“If you are new here and undiscerning, you could be watching the CCP’s ‘big foreign propaganda’ all the time, but thinking you are watching Canadian Chinese media. This is quite scary and shocking.”
The Paperwall report found that approximately 100 domains backlinked to Times Newswire, a “supposed newswire service.”
The discovered “fake news” network is huge, 32 of which are targeting readers in South Korea and Japan, 11 are British media, and the rest cover about 30 countries around the world.
Most of the “fake news” comes from Times Newswire, which RFA noticed dispatches press releases and news reports written in multiple languages, such as Korean, Japanese and French, covering politics, economy, culture, current affairs, and sports.
For instance, Roma Journal, which targets Italians and is not legally registered as a news outlet in Italy, often publishes information about U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign visits. It also republished a large volume of news from Chinese mouthpiece CGTN before and after Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022, with headlined articles like “Pelosi is short-sighted and selfish, endangering Sino-U.S. relations.” In addition, there was a video that vilified Tsai Ing-wen titled “Undercovering the Tsai scam,” and an unverified article that Taiwanese military officers only visited the U.S. to eat and have fun.
Another media, Conan Finance News, targeting British audiences, reprinted articles about Hong Kong, including those promoting the “one country, two systems.”
Researcher and author of the report Alberto Fittarelli wrote: “While the campaign’s websites enjoyed negligible exposure to date, there is a heightened risk of inadvertent amplification by the local media and target audiences, as a result of the quick multiplication of these websites and their adaptiveness to local languages and content.”
Haimai did not respond to inquiries and a listed phone number was unreachable, according to a Reuters report. The Chinese Embassy in Washington told the news agency in an email that calling pro-China content and reports “false information” and anti-China content and reports “true information” was “typical prejudice and double standards.”
Translated by RFA staff. Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.
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China
China Unveils Measures to Enhance Hotel Accommodation for Foreign Workers
China’s new measures aim to simplify hotel accommodations for overseas travelers by removing qualification barriers and improving service standards, payment convenience, and registration processes. This addresses challenges faced by foreign guests and supports China’s goals of high-level openness and inbound tourism growth, following complaints from foreign travelers.
China introduced new measures aiming to simplify hotel accommodations for overseas travelers by removing qualification barriers and enhancing service standards, payment convenience, and registration processes. These changes address previous challenges faced by foreign guests and support China’s broader goals of high-level openness and inbound tourism growth.
On July 25, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and six other departments jointly issued the Notice on Several Measures to Facilitate Accommodation for Overseas Personnel in High-Level Service and Opening Up (The Notice), to address the difficulties faced by inbound overseas travelers regarding hotel accommodation.
This follows up on several foreign travelers from Nigeria and the United Kingdom who left messages on the Chinese government website, reflecting that they were refused when attempting to check in at hotels in China.
To solve the issues flagged by overseas travelers, the Notice proposed accommodation facilitation measures in the following eight aspects: operating in compliance with the law, enhancing reception capacity, strengthening industry self-discipline, leveraging platform roles, optimizing registration management, ensuring smooth service channels, improving payment convenience, and fostering a friendly atmosphere.
We summarize the details of the proposed measures below:
Foreign travelers often encounter difficulties when attempting to check into hotels in China. Reasons for hotel refusals include not having the necessary qualifications for foreign guests or not knowing how to input information into the system.
In China, there used to be a rule that only foreign-related hotels, or “涉外酒店” (shè wài jiǔdiàn) can accommodate foreigners. Such hotels refers to accommodation facilities such as hotels, guesthouses, apartments, and resorts that have been approved by various levels of business administration and public security departments to accommodate foreigners, overseas Chinese, Hong Kong and Macau compatriots, and Taiwanese.
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
China
China Provides Tax Incentives on Special Equipment for Green and Digital Development
China has introduced a new tax incentive for companies investing in digital and smart upgrades of special equipment to encourage environmental protection and safe production. Companies can enjoy a 10 percent deduction from their corporate income tax payable. Eligibility and requirements are outlined by the Ministry of Finance and State Tax Administration.
A new China tax incentive aims to encourage companies to invest in digital and smart upgrades of special equipment. Companies upgrading certain equipment that aids environmental protection and safe production can enjoy a deduction of the investment at a rate of 10 percent from their corporate income tax payable. We explain the requirements of the new tax incentive.
China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) and State Tax Administration (STA) have issued a new preferential corporate income tax (CIT) incentive for companies investing in digital and intelligent transformations of certain types of equipment. To be eligible for the incentive, companies must invest in the digital and intelligent transformation of equipment related to energy and water conservation, environmental protection, and safe production.
The new tax incentive aligns with a State Council Action Plan, released in March 2024, which aims to accelerate the renewal of large-scale equipment and consumer goods, promoting high-quality development and driving investment and consumption for long-term benefits.
If the annual CIT payable is insufficient for the offset, it can be carried forward to future years for up to five years.
The CIT payable refers to the balance after multiplying the annual taxable income by the applicable tax rate and deducting the tax reductions and exemptions according to China’s CIT Law and relevant preferential policies.
Note that companies enjoying the tax incentives must use the transformed equipment themselves. If the equipment is transferred or leased within five tax years after the transformation is completed, the incentives must stop from the month the equipment is no longer in use, and the previously offset CIT must be repaid.
The “special equipment” eligible for the preferential tax treatment covers equipment purchased and used by companies listed in the Catalog of Special Equipment for Safe Production for Corporate Income Tax Incentives (2018 Edition) and the Catalog of Special Equipment for Energy Saving, Water Conservation, and Environmental Protection for Corporate Income Tax Incentives (2017 Edition).
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
China
Revealing the Encouraged Industries of Hainan in 2024: Unlocking Opportunities
The 2024 Hainan Encouraged Catalogue, issued by the NDRC, MOF, and STA, aims to boost industries in the Hainan Free Trade Port. It prioritizes sectors like tourism, modern services, and high technologies, offering incentives for foreign investment and market access expansion since 2020. The Catalogue includes 176 entries across 14 categories, with 33 new additions focusing on cultural tourism, new energy, medicine and health, aviation, aerospace, and environmental protection.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the State Taxation Administration (STA), has issued the Catalogue of Industries Encouraged to Develop in Hainan Free Trade Port (2024 Version), hereinafter referred to as the “2024 Hainan Encouraged Catalogue.” The updated Catalogue took effect on March 1, 2024, replacing the previous 2020 Edition.
Beyond the industries already addressed in existing national catalogues, the new entries in the 2024 Hainan Encouraged Catalogue are based on practical implementation experiences and the specific needs within Hainan, prioritizing sectors such as tourism, modern services, and high technologies.
The Hainan FTP has been providing incentives to draw investors to invest and establish businesses in the region, especially foreign investment. Alongside a phased approach to opening the capital account and facilitating free capital movement, Hainan has significantly expanded market access for foreign enterprises since 2020, particularly in sectors such as telecommunications, tourism, and education.
The Hainan Encouraged Catalogue comprises two main sections:
Similar to the approach adopted by the western regions, foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) should always implement their production or operations in accordance with the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment.
On top of the industries already addressed in existing national catalogues, the 2024 Hainan Encouraged Catalogue encompasses 14 distinct categories and a total of 176 entries especially encouraged in the region, including 33 new additions compared to the 2020 Edition. These new entries predominantly span cultural tourism, new energy, medicine and health, aviation and aerospace, and ecological and environmental protection, among others.
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
- China Unveils Measures to Enhance Hotel Accommodation for Foreign Workers
- China Provides Tax Incentives on Special Equipment for Green and Digital Development
- Revealing the Encouraged Industries of Hainan in 2024: Unlocking Opportunities
- Key Guidelines for Companies in Compliance Audits for Personal Information Protection Standards
- A Comprehensive Guide to China’s Expanded 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy at 37 Ports
- Regulatory Changes in China Aim to Boost Service Sector Growth in Six Cities
