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Tiktok CEO defends app’s data policies at US Congress

TikTok’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew appeared Thursday March 23rd, 2023 at the US House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, where lawmakers questioned him about China’s influence and data privacy while they expressed deep distrust.

During the more than five hours of testimony, Chew repeatedly denied accusations that the app shares data or has connections with the Chinese government.

“We’re headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we have 7,000 employees in the US today,” said Chew. “The bottom line is this: American data stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel,” he said.

The lawmakers in both major political parties seemed convinced that the app poses national security risks, citing its parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, and they seemed uninterested in Chew’s answers.

Following Representative Kat Cammack’s lengthy critique of TikTok’s content moderation and links to China, Chew asked the committee chair, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, if he could respond.

“No. We’re going to move on,” she said.

In a post-hearing statement, TikTok said, “Shou came prepared to answer questions from Congress … unfortunately, the day was dominated by political grandstanding that failed to acknowledge the real solutions already underway.”

TikTok has become extremely popular in the US, especially among young people. The platform has 150 million monthly active users in the country, including 5 million businesses that use TikTok to reach customers, according to the company.

It has come under increased scrutiny in the past few years over the “national security” concerns that US users’ data could be passed on to China.

The company survived a ban attempt by former president Donald Trump. The Trump administration first proposed banning the short-form video app in 2020, but that effort was stopped by the federal courts, which questioned the validity of the claims about national security risks.

During Thursday’s hearing, the lawmakers offered no evidence of TikTok harming US national security interests.

“I think a lot of risks that are pointed out are hypothetical and theoretical risks,” Chew said at the hearing. “I have not seen any evidence. I am eagerly awaiting discussions where we can talk about evidence and then we can address the concerns that are being raised.”

Like previous congressional hearings at which tech industry leaders testified, US lawmakers were criticized for a lack of understanding of the tech and social media industries at Thursday’s hearing.

McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state, repeatedly said TikTok collected every bit of data from a user’s phone.

Geoffrey Fowler, The Washington Post’s technology columnist, said that is not true.

“It (the app) does not collect your location, which is one of the most sensitive pieces of data. … whether it’s watching your eyes, it fits in the same realm like Facebook’s listening to you, kind of urban myths about technology,” he said.

To address the privacy concerns, TikTok said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts under the name “Project Texas”, which currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle Corp to store TikTok’s US user data.

“Please rename your project. Texas is not the appropriate name,” Representative August Pfluger from Texas told Chew at the hearing.

Outside of the hearing, TikTok gained support from several Congress members who called the proposed ban on TikTok GOP-led “hysteria” about the app’s ties to China.

In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill to ban the app on government devices. Recently, the administration has threatened to ban the app in the US, if its parent company won’t sell its stakes.

Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York joined two colleagues and dozens of TikTok content creators on Wednesday in front of the Capitol to oppose the ban.

“You can ban TikTok, but there are still data brokers who sell our data to other countries. … So let’s not have a dishonest conversation. Let’s not be racist towards China and express our xenophobia when it comes to TikTok because American companies have done tremendous harm to American people,” Bowman said at the protest.

“The problem here is the isolation of TikTok because they’re a Chinese company,” he continued. Behind him supporters held signs of “Keep TikTok”, “My teaching thrives on TikTok”, “My Art thrives on TikTok”.

“I’m very clear on how harmful Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube have been, just to name a few. I mean, President Donald Trump used Twitter to help facilitate an insurrection, an attack on the US Capitol by US citizens. So, while we’re worried about China harming our country, we are harming ourselves,” said Bowman.

“A ban takes away the connections we’ve built, silencing communities that continue to be underrepresented and not given a voice,” said Tiffany Yu, who was disabled and founded a disability advocacy organization.

“TikTok has really been a game-changer for me. It’s allowed me to reach new audiences. … I’m not alone. It’s become a vital platform for advocates across society and across the political spectrum to connect, share their stories and help change people’s lives,” she said.

Callie Goodwin, who runs a greeting card company, said 95 percent of her orders come from TikTok followers. “I’m so thankful that this app has given me the chance to grow my business and to seek this entrepreneurial journey that would not be possible without it,” she said.

A ban on TikTok would be “devastating” to her livelihood and other small businesses as well, she said.

“A ban would be an entirely un-American, undemocratic and inappropriate response to an unproven risk,” wrote Chris Stokel-Walker, author of TikTok Boom: China’s Dynamite App and the Superpower Race for Social Media, in a recent article for The Washington Post.

“Banning TikTok would be completely useless in combating a different, much better-evidenced social media pitfall — the spread of dangerous propaganda,” said Stokel-Walker.

“Banning one platform and ignoring the others would solve nothing, while allowing the deeper problems to fester,” he said. (Int’l news)

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Xi’s metaphoric vision on APEC family

Article from China Daily

President Xi Jinping is attending the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru, where leaders from across the Asia-Pacific have convened to chart strategies for shaping the region’s future.APEC gatherings, renowned for blending economic discussions with cultural exchanges, often feature leaders donning local attire for the iconic “family photo”. This no-tie tradition is seen as a way to cut down on the formality that high-level meetings usually involve.

In these meetings, Xi’s remarks showcase not only his eloquence but also his wit, vividly conveying his vision for Asia-Pacific cooperation. Over the years, his incisive words and catchphrases have offered fresh perspectives on advancing regional growth and fostering deeper collaboration among APEC members.

On growth

During the 2016 APEC gathering, also held in Lima, Xi used an analogy to describe the relationship between China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, comparing it to sweet potatoes, a food native to Latin America.

He explained that while the vines of sweet potatoes may stretch in all directions, they all grow out of their roots. “Similarly, no matter what level of development it may reach, China, with its roots in the Asia-Pacific, will always contribute to the region’s development and prosperity.”That metaphor holds even truer today.Since joining APEC in 1991, China has become a key trading partner and export market for the majority of APEC members. According to China Customs, China’s trade with APEC economies reached a historic high, surpassing 21 trillion yuan ($2.92 trillion) in the first 10 months this year, marking a 5.7 percent increase from the previous year and accounting for 59.1 percent of China’s total trade.

In its efforts to promote free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, China has reduced its overall tariff level to 7.3 percent.”China cannot develop in isolation from the Asia-Pacific while the Asia-Pacific cannot prosper without China,” the Chinese leader made these remarks when he debuted at the APEC stage in Bali, Indonesia, in 2013, highlighting the interconnected growth of the region.Connectivity stands out as one key theme of Xi’s vision for Asia-Pacific development.

He once invoked a concept from traditional Chinese medicine to illustrate APEC cooperation: when there is free flow, there is no pain; when there is pain, there is no free flow. “Connectivity makes the economic arteries of the Asia-Pacific flow more smoothly,” he explained.During his 2013 trip to Indonesia, Xi proposed the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a pivotal component of the Belt and Road Initiative, and proposed plans for establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to support the BRI.

To date, more than half of APEC’s 21 economies have engaged in Belt and Road cooperation, with signature projects like the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia and Chancay Port in Peru aiming to help strengthen trade networks and drive growth across the region.”

President Xi has put forward a series of proposals and initiatives to enhance Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, and the BRI is a major one to promote regional comprehensive connectivity,” said Liu Chenyang, director of the APEC study center at Tianjin-based Nankai University.”

These efforts led by President Xi have also shown the world China’s determination to take root in the Asia-Pacific and benefit the region in the long run,” Liu said.

While hosting the 2014 APEC meeting by Yanqi Lake in Beijing’s northern suburbs, Xi compared the 21 APEC economies to 21 swan geese.The lake got its beautiful Chinese name because the migrant swan geese would flock there for rest each spring and autumn. In Chinese culture, swan geese symbolize faithfulness, resilience and determination, flying in unison toward a shared destination despite great distances.”

We are meeting here at Yanqi Lake to enhance cooperation and embark on a new flight to shape a new vision for the development of the Asia-Pacific region,” he said. “A lone goose cannot make a formation.”As a steadfast champion for unity, Xi called on APEC economies to stay committed to mutually beneficial cooperation and fully leverage each other’s strengths to promote development for all.

“We should replace the ‘winner-take-all’ mentality with an all-win approach and work together for great development and prosperity of our region,” he noted.Founded in 1989, APEC was designed to foster economic growth and facilitate free trade and investment across the Asia-Pacific region. Throughout the years, thanks to the joint efforts of its members, the Asia-Pacific region has served as a vital engine of the world economy, driving what Xi has called “the Asia-Pacific miracle”.

The latest IMF data show the region contributes approximately 60 percent to global economic growth.The APEC economies, covering several continents and home to one-third of the world’s population, vary significantly in their development paths and economic conditions.

Acknowledging the differences and divergences among those in the region, Xi emphasized, “Those who cherish the same ideals and follow the same path can be partners, and so can those who seek common ground while reserving differences.”In 2014, under Xi’s chairmanship, APEC economies endorsed a road-map to advance the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, initially proposed in 2006 in Hanoi, Vietnam. This endorsement was widely viewed as a milestone, marking the official start of efforts to transform a broad vision into concrete actions aimed at elevating Asia-Pacific regional economic integration to a new level.Sharing Xi’s vision, Montri Mahaplerkpong, executive board member of the Federation of Thai Industries, said, “Adhering to the objective of driving APEC together, whether in big, small or medium-sized economies, we have plenty of room in this world to move the economy forward together, as long as we have the will to make it better.”

“I believe all 21 APEC member economies could do hand-in-hand collaboration by seeking common ground while shelving differences,” said Montri.On shared future“I was looking at the vast ocean when I boarded the ship, and it struck me that we are all indeed fellow passengers in the same boat,” Xi said while addressing the 2018 APEC CEO Summit hosted at a distinctive setting — onboard the giant cruise Pacific Explorer in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.”

As we brave the rough waters of the global economy and confront the many risks and challenges, it is all too befitting that we have come together on this ship to chart the course for future development and cooperation,” he noted. APEC has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years, from trade frictions to geopolitical tensions. Against this backdrop, Xi has consistently championed genuine multilateralism and warned against antagonism and confrontation.

“The Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and should not become an arena for big power contest,” he emphasized in the 2022 Bangkok meeting.During the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held in San Francisco last year, Xi posed a critical question: “Where will Asia-Pacific cooperation be headed in the next 30 years?” And he has provided an answer with Chinese insights — build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.”Community” has always been the keyword of Xi’s foreign policy. At his APEC debut in 2013, Xi urged member economies to strengthen “the sense of community of common destiny”.

Five years later in Port Moresby, he advocated for jointly building “a community with a shared future in the Asia-Pacific” to address common challenges.In 2020, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, Xi, while attending the annual APEC gathering via video link, elaborated on his vision to build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future featuring openness and inclusiveness, innovation-driven growth, greater connectivity and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The 2020 meeting saw APEC members adopt the Putrajaya Vision 2040 as the guiding framework for future work, calling for the creation of an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community.As Xi prepares to join other Asia-Pacific leaders for discussions under the theme of “Empower. Include. Grow,” observers have set their expectations for the ongoing annual meeting in Lima.

“The role of APEC in facilitating dialogue among political and economic leaders is more crucial than ever at this time of growing protectionism and economic decoupling,” said Hans Hendrischke, professor of Chinese business and management at the University of Sydney Business School.

China has always been active in pushing emerging market economies and developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to realize more efficient development, said Dora Isabel Gonzalez, a researcher at the Faculty of Higher Studies of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Acatlan.

“I believe President Xi’s trip to Peru will strongly promote economic, trade and investment cooperation and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region and even globally,” said Gonzalez.

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Chinese vice premier calls for strengthening early warnings for all at COP29

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative Ding Xuexiang, also China’s vice premier, on Tuesday called for strengthening early warning systems for all and enhancing climate adaptation capacity when addressing a high-level meeting held by China on early warnings during the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Ding, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China attaches great importance to international cooperation on meteorological early warning and President Xi has made specific requirements on this issue.

In recent years, climate change has had an increasing impact globally, with frequent extreme weather events posing unprecedented challenges to the safety of people’s lives and property as well as to economic and social development, Ding said, adding that strengthening early warning systems for all and enhancing climate adaptation capacity have become increasingly important and urgent.

China is willing to work with all countries to advance the implementation of the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All initiative, make new and greater contributions to addressing climate change, Ding said. He further proposed three points.

First, jointly improving global risk assessment capabilities and promoting the standardization of climate risk assessments to provide scientific support for climate governance.

Second, jointly building a global early warning network, sharing technology, enhancing system interconnectivity, and working to improve global early warning systems.

Third, jointly establishing a climate adaptation partnership. Ding said that China will develop and implement a South-South cooperation flagship project for early warning in response to climate change, supporting other developing countries through the provision of meteorological observation equipment, early warning systems, and capacity-building training.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, the UN secretary-general’s Special Adviser on Climate Action and Just Transition Selwin Hart, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, and Kamal Kishore, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for disaster risk reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, also attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

During the meeting, China’s Action Plan on Early Warning for Climate Change Adaptation (2025-2027) was published. Article from CGTN

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Port heralds a bright future for China and Peru

Article from China Daily

“‘From Chancay to Shanghai’ has become a popular phrase, heralding the broad future of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries,” President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte Zegarra in Beijing in June. In Spanish, Chancay and Shanghai sound similar. 

As a flagship Belt and Road cooperation project, the Chancay Port, located about 78 km north of Peru’s capital Lima, is set to be inaugurated soon. Once in operation, it will become a major maritime gateway and a crucial hub in the South Pacific, shortening the sea freight time from South America to Asia by half, from around 45 days to 23.

The port will bridge Latin America and Asia as a new channel in November and is one of the flagship projects under the #BeltandRoad Initiative in #LatinAmerica.

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