“Highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored” cyberattack hits Canada Government’s top research organization

Note: Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is in Beijing

A “highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored actor” recently managed to hack into the computer systems at Canada’s National Research Council, confirms the country’s chief information officer, Corinne Charette.

China’s demolition campaign against Christian Cross hits two more churches

BEIJING — In another sign of the authorities’ efforts to contain one of China’s fastest-growing religions, a government demolition campaign against public symbols of the Christian faith has toppled crosses at two more churches in the coastal province of Zhejiang, according to residents there.

Zhou Yongkang Used Oil Executive Jiang Built a Network of Allies

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Oil executive Jiang Jiemin rose to power in Communist China in time-honored fashion: by hitching his star to a mighty mentor.

In Jiang’s case, that patron was another oil man, Zhou Yongkang, who went on to become the chief of China’s internal security apparatus and one of the country’s most powerful men.

China Blocks Wall Street Journal’s Chinese Edition

Another major international website has hit the Great Chinese Firewall—this time it’s the Wall Street Journal’s Chinese language edition, and it’s a mystery as to why the site has been blocked.

Three Tibetans Detained for Refusing to Fly the Chinese Communist Flag at Home

Chinese authorities in Tibet have detained three villagers for refusing to fly the Chinese national flag from their homes, as local officials continue to press a campaign forcing displays of loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Two More House Churches Raided by Police in China’s Xinjiang Region

China Aid has learned of two more police raids on house churches in Xinjiang.

Western Intelligence Agencies Ban China Lenovo Computers Over Hacking Issues

Britain’s intelligence agencies, including MI6 and MI5, have allegedly banned the use of computers manufactured by Chinese company Lenovo due to concerns that the machines come hardwired with a vulnerability to hacking.

Will Bo Xilai’s Case Haunt the Party’s Beidaihe Meeting?

China’s first group of “model workers” recently gathered in Beijing. This shows that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders have been gradually stationed in Beidaihe. This is the first Beidaihe meeting (summer meeting in beach resort district of Beidaihe) for General Secretary Xi Jinping. Will the trial of Chongqing Party Secretary, Bo Xilai, become the main topic discussed and the focus of international public opinion?

“Top 10 Most Likely Charges” Used by Chinese Government to Against Entrepreneurs

If you have a business in China, then you must be very careful not to be put in prison. A recent media report summarizes “ten most likely crimes” of Chinese entrepreneurs. This shows what a complex legal environment they have to face.

Hence comments that, for all Chinese business owners, they are either in prison or on their way there.

China’s Latest Leadership Ranking Change- Hu and Wen Moved Up, Jiang Zemin Lost Standing

Frequently, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) leadership ranking is displayed in public and it shows who the top dogs are.

Recently, Sichuan Agricultural University academic, Zhou Kaida’s funeral, the CCP top brass attendees’list had big changes. Hu Jintao was listed behind Xi Jinping, Wen Jiabao was behind Li Keqiang. Hu and Wen ranked on 2nd and 4th position.

America’s China Mistake，on Military

By Gordon G. Chang and James A. Lyons Jr-

This spring, China’s navy accepted the Pentagon’s invitation to participate in the 2014 Rim of the Pacific — RIMPAC — naval exercise to be held off Hawaii. This will be the first time China takes part in the biennial event.

Banned Book ‘Tombstone’ Chinese Author Yang Jisheng Receives Literary Prize in New York

A former senior editor for the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda mouthpiece collected the Manhattan Institute’s Hayek Prize Wednesday night.

The book award is given by the libertarian-leaning think tank to acknowledge recent works that “best reflect Hayek’s vision of economic and individual liberty.” It comes with a $50,000 cash prize.

Significant jump of China’s censorship capabilities before the Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre

Beginning early Friday morning, users of Sina Corp.’s massively popular Weibo microblog were able to search for information about one of the most sensitive incidents in recent Chinese history: the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

In a serious shift of censorship tactics just days ahead of the anniversary of the government’s bloody June 4, 1989 crackdown on protestors in Tiananmen, Sina appears to have begun to allow searches for terms associated with the highly sensitive event. But instead of turning up content related to the incident, searches yield results that have nothing to do with the protests or the government’s heavy-handed response.

Hollywood risks ‘artistic surrender’ in effort to please China Censors

In Hollywood, the screenwriter William Goldman once observed, “nobody knows anything”. Now, however, everybody knows at least one thing: whatever you do, be nice to China.

If your movie features a Chinese villain, change his nationality. If your plot omits a scene in China, insert one – preferably with gleaming skyscrapers. If your production deal lacks a Chinese partner, find one. If Beijing’s censors dislike certain scenes, cut them.

Censored and Frustrated Chinese People Send Complaints to White House Website

The Chinese people would like President Barack Obama to stop an oil refinery from being built in southern China, endorse sweet-flavoured tofu and reopen an 18-year-old criminal probe of a poisoning case. And while he’s at it, if he wouldn’t mind mobilising US troops to liberate Hong Kong, as well as China as a whole, that would be great, too.

U.S. Weapons System Designs Compromised by Chinese Cyberspies, Confidential report says

Designs for many of the nation’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, according to a report prepared for the Pentagon and to officials from government and the defense industry.

Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programs critical to U.S. missile defenses and combat aircraft and ships, according to a previously undisclosed section of a confidential report prepared for Pentagon leaders by the Defense Science Board.

A List of Compromised U.S. Weapons Designs and Technologies by Chinese Hackers

The following is reproduced from the nonpublic version of the
Defense Science Board report “Resilient Military Systems and the Advanced Cyber Threat”:

Table 2.2 Expanded partial list of DoD system designs and technologies compromised via cyber exploitation

“Dirty little secret”: Chinese Hacker Breaks in Australian Federal Government departments, ABC reports

While debate rages over Australia’s border security, there’s growing evidence that the greatest threat to Australia’s national security potentially comes from foreign computer hackers. Few in government or business will admit the full extent of the break-ins, with one expert calling it a “dirty little secret”.

Next on Four Corners reporter Andrew Fowler reveals that hackers, working from locations overseas, have targeted key Federal Government departments and major corporations in Australia. Their intention is to steal national security secrets and vital business information.

Chinese Hackers Strike Australian Intelligence Agency 2 Months After “strategic partnership” Negotiation

Blueprints for the new headquarters’ (building) of Australia’s intelligence agency, located in the capital of Canberra, have been stolen by Chinese hackers, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The news, which hit hard in Australia on Monday night, comes less than two months after Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard negotiated a “strategic partnership” with the Chinese Communist Party’s new leadership, and a subsequent Defence White Paper was released stating that the People’s Republic of China is no longer seen as a threat.

China Army’s “Department of Enemy Work” Reachs Out to Western Elites in Australia and US

John Garnaut, China correspondent for Fairfax Media-

General Zhang Yang had been in the elite leadership sanctum of the People’s Liberation Army for barely a month when he took time out to greet a former vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

China High-ranking Military Spies Woo Australia Business Leaders

Some of Australia’s most influential business leaders were feted in China by an intelligence platform of the People’s Liberation Army, a Fairfax investigation has revealed.

Andrew Forrest, who touted his talks with the leaders last month as a lesson on how to be friendly with China, was joined by the heads of four of the five big banks, Qantas and the Business Council of Australia, and the former Australian ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, who is a director of Mr Forrest’s iron ore company, Fortescue.

China Wants To Block “Human Flesh Search Engine”

On May 21st the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) internal magazine “Hong Qi Wen Gao” published an article which stated that “Constitutionalism is a characteristic of Capitalism, not Socialism”. This opinion triggered a public outcry in China, and has become a sitting duck for critics. Someone noticed that another article in the same volume reacted against the “human flesh search engine”, stating that “Human flesh search engine is a type of tyranny by the majority and is an invasion of privacy”. However, some argued that as Chinese civilians are not protected by Constitutionalism, “human flesh search engine” turns out to be their only weapon to supervise the CCP so it should not be taken away.

Chinese Hackers Found Sensitive U.S. Government Data on Google Servers

When Chinese hackers breached Google servers in 2010, they were not targeting the Gmail accounts of human rights activists, as the company claimed at the time.

What the hackers were actually after was a database containing years of sensitive information related to U.S. surveillance. Now we have learned that the attack was successful, and the data compromised.