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China Law To Target Certain Stories

A new law being considered in China that would fine both native and foreign press agencies for reporting on certain kinds of stories has provoked dismay both outside the country as well as in Hong Kong, home of the freest press in the People?s Republic. The fine, set at approximately U.S. $12,630, or just over 101,000 yuan, would be levied on those news agencies which report on public disturbances or emergencies. While Beijing is stating that the fine would only be applied if news stories result in public disturbances, few in the West and elsewhere doubt that the move is anything more than another measure to control information in the Communist Party-run state.

Google, the world?s most popular search engine, sparked protests when it opened up a Chinese-based version of its services and agreed to state controls on information. While Google executives countered arguments which said they were contributing to repression by saying that they hoped to help open up China by keeping a Chinese-language based version online outside of the country, human rights activists have cried foul. Coupled with China?s increasing economic transparency and power, a creeping effort by Beijing to retain political control over China?s vast population has sparked alarm among many in the United States.

To add to the arguments of those who warn of the growing power and influence of the Chinese ?dragon?, the completion of the Beijing-Tibet railroad ? the highest-altitude railroad in the world ? is being seen by Buddhists across the border in India and sympathizers around the world as a continuation of the dominant Han Chinese ethnic group to assimilate Tibet, conquered in the mid-twentieth century, into the rest of China and repress Tibetan traditions, culture and identity.