PEOPLE&POINTS
NEW INFORMATION OFFICE CHIEF
Xu Lin has been appointed minister of the State Council Information Office, replacing Jiang
Jianguo, according to a statement published on the website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on August 21.
He was previously the head of the Cyberspace Administration of China.
A Shanghai native, Xu started his career at a middle school in the city in 1982. He became director of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau in 2003, and served as head of the Publicity Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from 2013 to 2015. Xu was appointed vice minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China and head of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs in June 2016.
Telecom Operators Self-Discipline Urged
Nanfang Daily August 22
If you have had advertising accounts automatically friend you on microblogging platform Sina Weibo, or have been added to a chat group on instant messaging app QQ without your consent, it is possible that your personal information has been leaked.
Recently, police in Shaoxing City in east China’s Zhejiang Province solved a case involving the theft of 3 billion pieces of personal information. The police found that a listed new media company in Beijing signed contracts with telecom operators in over 10 provinces to illegally gain user data from the operators’ servers. As a result, over 90 Internet companies, including Baidu and Alibaba, had their user data illicitly obtained by the company in question.
In this case, personal information was leaked not through a single website or app but by telecom operators. This means that when Internet users log into their computers or mobile phones, their personal information may be intercepted.
Telecom operators possess a large amount of user information, such as search and transaction records as well as passwords. They should try their best to protect these assets, but in reality they often fail to do so.
Telecom operators are the providers of key information technology infrastructure. Compared with providers of Internet services, they are the foundation of the Internet and gatekeepers of information safety. Whether they can fulfill their function of guaranteeing Internet safety concerns national security, social order and public interests.
However, currently China’s core information infrastructure still faces huge security risks and telecom operators’ ability to prevent risk is far from enought to confront national and organized cyberattacks. Therefore, telecom operators should strengthen self-discipline to at least avoid cooperating with private companies to steal user information.
Thriving E-Sports Sector
Oriental Outlook August 23
Chinese e-sports club OMG won the championship at the fi rst PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Global Invitational (PGI) in Berlin, Germany, in late July. It is considered a landmark event for China’s e-sports industry as it marks the first time a Chinese club has won the PUBG Championship at an international competition.
E-sports have as much influence as traditional sports today. The PGI finals attracted 200,000 comments on the bullet screen—a phenomenon whereby realtime comments from viewers fl y across the screen like bullets—of a single video sharing platform.
On July 24, the State General Administration of Sports announced that China will host the 2018 National E-Sports Open, where PUBG will be listed as an exhibition competition and League of Legends, StarCraft 2 and Hearthstone will be categorized as formal competitions. The fi nal will be held in December.
Moreover, six video games, including Arena of Valor, were included in the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, in late August.
According to the market research fi rm iResearch, China’s e-sports market value was 65 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) in 2017, indicating that the industry had embarked on high-speed growth.
Currently, the industry has formed a value chain incorporating game development, competition hosting and the production of byproducts.
Figuring out how to make the industry more professional and reduce its underground nature has become the concern of industry members.
In addition, the training of e-sportsrelated talent should also be strengthened to keep up with the development of the industry. To this end, several domestic universities set up e-sports majors last year.
Green Development
People’s Daily August 20
Lishui, a city in east China’s Zhejiang Province, was once haunted by environmental problems but has transformed itself into an art zone and resort destination, enabling local people to strive for a prosperous life while committing to green development.
China has turned to the pursuit of economic growth through green development. Against such a background, local authorities should explore more approaches to translating natural resources into profit in an environmentally friendly manner. Over exploitation and exhaustion of resources should be stopped, while sustainable development that gives full play to local advantages needs to be promoted.
Aside from producing high-quality agricultural products, regions boasting rich natural resources should also develop innovative industry for prosperity. Combined with local culture and creations, natural resources can generate new economic growth points.
Problems are still looming since natural resources have been gravely exhausted due to tourism and agricultural industries that are much too homogeneous in some regions. Some local governments have attracted investment for enterprises but people have not shared in the benefi ts.
Therefore, the governments should guide local enterprises to seek distinctive development approaches and major enterprises should play an exemplary role. Agricultural households should also improve awareness to seize market demands.
Green development should be pursued with steady efforts and unlimited exploitation should be banned. Only in this way can China protect its natural resources and achieve sustainable growth.
A photovoltaic power station in Huzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province XINHUA
“It is a great opportunity to know more about China and it is also an effective way to expand friendship between China and the state of Utah.”
Rachel Bremer, Manager of Global Travel Trade and Destination Development from the Utah Offi ce of Tourism, commenting on the China National Tourist Offi ce’s new campaign titled, Beautiful China—Journey along the World Heritage, launched in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 21
“The exhibition is designed to further optimize market layout, promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges and publicize Chinese enterprises and products in North America.”
Wu Zhengping, Director General of the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, commenting on a threeday exhibition of Chinese brand goods which opened at the Toronto International Center on August 20
“Government support, technological progress and a cultural emphasis on education have all contributed to a burgeoning online education market in China.”
Liu Jiehao, an analyst at consultancy iiMedia, in response to a recent report from UBS Securities—a Chinese investment bank and brokerage fi rm affi liated to Swiss investment bank UBS—which projected the scale of China’s online education market to reach 714 billion yuan ($104 billion) by 2025
“Chinese publishers have connections with publishers from 190 countries and regions. International cooperation deepens exchanges and understanding, and boosts the harmonious development of diverse civilizations.”
Liang Yanshun, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, on the opening day of the 25th Beijing International Book Fair on August 22