China newspaper accuses UK of ‘barbarism’ after Queen’s remarks
Media in the United Kingdom—in particular London’s gossipy tabloids—appeared to enjoy the fracas that resulted after private remarks made by Queen Elizabeth II about a Chinese delegation were picked up by her cameraman and broadcast around the world recently.
On April 10, when the Queen was speaking with Commander Lucy D‘Orsi, a member of the U.K. police force responsible for security during the visit of Xi Jinping last October, she can be heard commiserating with D’Orsi about the behaviour of the Chinese officials responsible for security.
D'Orsi explained how Chinese officials had walked out during a meeting about the security arrangements for Xi’s visit. “They were very rude to the ambassador,” the Queen said. “Extraordinary,” she added, in response to another remark.
Now Global Times, a popular Chinese tabloid has taken issue with what it says is the lack of seriousness with which the matter has been treated in the press. Global Times is well known for its studied, sanctimonious tone.
“Western media take great pleasure in reporting irrelevant news,” it said. “And the English royal family is the most constant target of the U.K. press, often having its pigtail yanked.”
Ultimately, the Global Times says, the “gossip craze” set off by the incident was an example of the Western media again “baring fangs and brandishing claws” toward China and demonstrating its narcissism. “It seems that some unrefined ‘barbarism’ has remained” in the West, it said.
Nearly 10,000 in New York support 237 million Chinese who have quit the Chinese Communist Party
Nearly 10,000 people from 53 countries gathered near the United Nations at Dag Hammarskjold Park on May 13 at a rally in support of Tuidang, a large grassroots movement in which Chinese people renounce their affiliation with or support of the Chinese Communist Party.
“China, without communism, is good for the stability of the Chinese society and the peace of the world,” said Yi Rong, organizer of the rally and president of the Tuidang Center, a non-profit organization that solicits and catalogues the renunciation statements. “This rally is to support those who have cut ties with the Chinese regime.”
In addition to Yi Rong, the rally featured speeches by Alan Adler, chair of Friends of Falun Gong; and Manyan Ng of the German International Human Rights Association. A Taiwanese human rights lawyer and the heads of the Falun Dafa associations in both Taiwan and Hong Kong also spoke. Falun Dafa, most commonly known as Falun Gong, is a traditional Chinese practice of meditation, and the associations of the practice in various countries are voluntary groups that coordinate the public activities of practitioners.
The movement to quit, or renounce, the Chinese Communist Party, called “Tuidang” in Chinese, began shortly after the Chinese-language Epoch Times published the editorial series “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” The series aimed to shed light on the use of violence and propaganda as key tools of Party rule since the founding of the regime.
The Tuidang movement, instead of calling for revolution or protests, “is about persuading Chinese people, one at a time, to understand that what they have experienced is indoctrination, and that the path to freedom for them is to quit the Party,” said David Tompkins, spokesperson for the Tuidang Centre.
Two Chinese men and their failed plot to blackmail hundreds of government officials
Two men in southern China have been implicated in a planned scheme to extort over 20 million yuan (about C$4 million) from more than 200 government officials. Though the plot was uncovered this January, one suspect is still at large.
In February 2015, the duo had met in the city of Shuangfeng, Hunan Province, to alter photos of state officials and depict them in embarrassing erotic situations before mailing the photos to the intended victims.
Liu Ling, the man who has been caught, was responsible for mailing the images. He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 50,000 yuan (about C$10,000) in February by the Suizhou Intermediate People’s Court.
Chutian Metropolis Daily reported that Liu’s accomplice, Chen Shuqi, who came up with the moneymaking plot, has yet to be apprehended.
Such incidents targeting officialdom are common in Shuangfeng, where 19 extortion schemes aimed at government officials have been uncovered thus far, as reported by the Shanghai-based state media The Paper.
The particulars of this specific case notwithstanding, Chinese officials are notorious for their debauched affairs, a point of focus for online comments.
“Many government officials have done those things,” one reads. “They themselves don’t even remember the details, that’s why they are uneasy. Those who are completely innocent are not the majority.”
One user wrote: “No need to photoshop, just add pixelization to some generic porn photos, and [the officials] will all think they’re seeing themselves.”
A Chinese jellyfish delicacy and its poisonous fake substitute
In East Asia, shredded jellyfish is a common appetizer, usually served cold and dry. It can come with sauce or as part of various sushi recipes, and is well liked for its tough texture and chewiness.
But in China, notorious for its unsafe or outright counterfeit food, some rings have figured out how to artificially manufacture the meal—albeit not one that anyone should be eating.
On April 22, police in eastern China’s city of Huzhou seized hundreds of pounds of synthetic jellyfish meat from a small workshop, the local Hangzhou Daily reported May 7.
The shop made the fake jellyfish using alginic acid, dry calcium chloride, and aluminum sulfate. The synthetic jellyfish interferes with digestion and the aluminum sulfate causes deterioration of the nervous system and can cause Alzheimer’s disease.
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