Hotznplotzn

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52602951

Archived

Chinese state media reported extensively on March 16 regarding the launch of Deepzang, a Tibetan large language model ostensibly intended to provide “an authentic platform for global users seeking to learn about Tibetan culture, history, and politics.” Its stated purpose is to “prevent the dissemination of distorted ideologies and values.” In reality, Deepzang serves as a vehicle to effectively position Chinese state-controlled artificial intelligence (AI) as the authoritative voice, propagating the party-state’s position and propaganda to entrench China’s narrative on Tibet. The very name DeepZang feeds into the CCP strategy of Sinicization by including the Chinese term “Zang” for Tibet rather than using the Tibetan term “Bod.”

[...]

When a user in India enters the word “Tibet” (Bod in Tibetan), Deepzang returns text asserting that Tibet has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times. It also states that the name “Xizang” (China’s official name for Tibet) is better suited to represent the region’s characteristics and history. The app further frames its responses within the ideology of Chinese socialism, claiming that its outputs are designed to benefit the social and economic development of the Tibetan ethnic group in accordance with China’s laws and policies.

[...]

When users ask Deepzang about the Dalai Lama, the app returns the CCP position that the 14th Dalai Lama is a religious figure whose activities are not in line with Chinese law and policy. The app regurgitates that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times, and that any attempt to divide the country is firmly opposed. When users attempt to ask in Tibetan about the Dalai Lama specifically as a religious leader of Tibet, the app, instead of giving an answer, displays a message instructing the user to inquire about “legally compliant content.” Open questions about “Tibet’s independence” receive a response in line with CCP talking points or the system tells the user to be “legally compliant.”

Similarly, when users ask Deepzang about the Tibetan national anthem, books about Tibetan political history or the self-immolation protests that have occurred inside Tibet, Deepzang again prompts the user to inquire about “legally compliant content,” effectively blocking access to information on these topics entirely.

[...]

The CCP has a clear history of attempting to use digital tools to advance its Tibet policy. In 2016, it launched a Tibetan language search engine called Yongzin, which it also promoted as the world’s largest of its kind. However, content analysis of Yongzin revealed that while the platform was presented as a tool for preserving Tibetan culture and history, the actual information it provided on sensitive topics aligned entirely with the Chinese government’s official political narrative. Historical accounts were distorted, and topics related to the Dalai Lama and actual conditions inside Tibet were in alignment with common Chinese state propaganda.

[...]

China’s externally facing Global Times claimed on March 16 that “the world’s first Tibetan large language model and its application, Deepzang, has been officially unveiled in Lhasa… The World Record Certification Agency (WRCA) also awarded certification for ‘the world’s first Tibetan large language model’ at Deepzang’s launch event.” China’s narrative and the promotion of Deepzang as “the world’s first” disregards earlier developments in Tibetan AI, particularly those from Tibetan exile communities and academic research outside of China.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52602951

Archived

Chinese state media reported extensively on March 16 regarding the launch of Deepzang, a Tibetan large language model ostensibly intended to provide “an authentic platform for global users seeking to learn about Tibetan culture, history, and politics.” Its stated purpose is to “prevent the dissemination of distorted ideologies and values.” In reality, Deepzang serves as a vehicle to effectively position Chinese state-controlled artificial intelligence (AI) as the authoritative voice, propagating the party-state’s position and propaganda to entrench China’s narrative on Tibet. The very name DeepZang feeds into the CCP strategy of Sinicization by including the Chinese term “Zang” for Tibet rather than using the Tibetan term “Bod.”

[...]

When a user in India enters the word “Tibet” (Bod in Tibetan), Deepzang returns text asserting that Tibet has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times. It also states that the name “Xizang” (China’s official name for Tibet) is better suited to represent the region’s characteristics and history. The app further frames its responses within the ideology of Chinese socialism, claiming that its outputs are designed to benefit the social and economic development of the Tibetan ethnic group in accordance with China’s laws and policies.

[...]

When users ask Deepzang about the Dalai Lama, the app returns the CCP position that the 14th Dalai Lama is a religious figure whose activities are not in line with Chinese law and policy. The app regurgitates that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times, and that any attempt to divide the country is firmly opposed. When users attempt to ask in Tibetan about the Dalai Lama specifically as a religious leader of Tibet, the app, instead of giving an answer, displays a message instructing the user to inquire about “legally compliant content.” Open questions about “Tibet’s independence” receive a response in line with CCP talking points or the system tells the user to be “legally compliant.”

Similarly, when users ask Deepzang about the Tibetan national anthem, books about Tibetan political history or the self-immolation protests that have occurred inside Tibet, Deepzang again prompts the user to inquire about “legally compliant content,” effectively blocking access to information on these topics entirely.

[...]

The CCP has a clear history of attempting to use digital tools to advance its Tibet policy. In 2016, it launched a Tibetan language search engine called Yongzin, which it also promoted as the world’s largest of its kind. However, content analysis of Yongzin revealed that while the platform was presented as a tool for preserving Tibetan culture and history, the actual information it provided on sensitive topics aligned entirely with the Chinese government’s official political narrative. Historical accounts were distorted, and topics related to the Dalai Lama and actual conditions inside Tibet were in alignment with common Chinese state propaganda.

[...]

China’s externally facing Global Times claimed on March 16 that “the world’s first Tibetan large language model and its application, Deepzang, has been officially unveiled in Lhasa… The World Record Certification Agency (WRCA) also awarded certification for ‘the world’s first Tibetan large language model’ at Deepzang’s launch event.” China’s narrative and the promotion of Deepzang as “the world’s first” disregards earlier developments in Tibetan AI, particularly those from Tibetan exile communities and academic research outside of China.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52593801

Archived

Chinese authorities have reportedly tortured a young Tibetan Buddhist monk to death while in custody, before returning his body to his monastery under strict orders of silence, according to a report by research group Tibet Watch.

The monk, identified as Samten, 25, was reportedly under police surveillance since 2021. His remains were returned in December last year to Ditsa Geden Tashi Choeding Ling Monastery by authorities from Shongshan Tibetan Township. Officials claimed that he had fallen suddenly ill and died during an emergency transfer to a hospital, the name and location of which were not disclosed. The exact date of his detention also remains unclear.

Samten had previously been detained in 2021 after being accused by local police of sharing photographs via the messaging platform WeChat related to the election of the exile Tibetan government, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

[...]

His detention coincided with a broader crackdown on monastic institutions in the region. That same year, authorities intensified surveillance at his monastery and expelled around 50 monks under the age of 18 from Ditsa Monastery, along with an additional 30 monks from Jhakhyung Monastery in Palung County, located in Tsoshar Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the northeastern Amdo region.

[...]

The report further situates these developments within what it describes as China’s most extensive assimilation campaign to date. Under policies promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, authorities have advanced a systematic programme of “Sinicisation,” aimed at reshaping Tibetan cultural and religious identity to align with that of the Han majority. Measures cited include restricting the use of the Tibetan language in education, confining it to a single subject in state-run boarding schools, and curbing traditional monastic education for children.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52593646

Lawmakers in Macau, a city under Chinese rule, unanimously approved a bill on ​Thursday that allows court proceedings to be held behind ‌closed doors when deemed necessary to protect national security interests.

The city enacted its first national security law in 2009 and tightened ​it with amendments in 2023. Last July, leading democrat Au ​Kam San was arrested for alleged collusion with ⁠foreign forces to endanger national security, the first known ​arrest under that law.

[...]

The Macau government said ​the approval had ​demonstrated the ⁠successful implementation of the principle of "patriots governing Macau".

Unlike in Hong Kong, which saw big social ​movements challenge Chinese Communist Party rule in ​2014 and ⁠2019, the democratic opposition in the former Portuguese colony has always existed on the fringes amid tight Chinese control.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52593801

Archived

Chinese authorities have reportedly tortured a young Tibetan Buddhist monk to death while in custody, before returning his body to his monastery under strict orders of silence, according to a report by research group Tibet Watch.

The monk, identified as Samten, 25, was reportedly under police surveillance since 2021. His remains were returned in December last year to Ditsa Geden Tashi Choeding Ling Monastery by authorities from Shongshan Tibetan Township. Officials claimed that he had fallen suddenly ill and died during an emergency transfer to a hospital, the name and location of which were not disclosed. The exact date of his detention also remains unclear.

Samten had previously been detained in 2021 after being accused by local police of sharing photographs via the messaging platform WeChat related to the election of the exile Tibetan government, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

[...]

His detention coincided with a broader crackdown on monastic institutions in the region. That same year, authorities intensified surveillance at his monastery and expelled around 50 monks under the age of 18 from Ditsa Monastery, along with an additional 30 monks from Jhakhyung Monastery in Palung County, located in Tsoshar Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the northeastern Amdo region.

[...]

The report further situates these developments within what it describes as China’s most extensive assimilation campaign to date. Under policies promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, authorities have advanced a systematic programme of “Sinicisation,” aimed at reshaping Tibetan cultural and religious identity to align with that of the Han majority. Measures cited include restricting the use of the Tibetan language in education, confining it to a single subject in state-run boarding schools, and curbing traditional monastic education for children.

[...]

Archived

Chinese authorities have reportedly tortured a young Tibetan Buddhist monk to death while in custody, before returning his body to his monastery under strict orders of silence, according to a report by research group Tibet Watch.

The monk, identified as Samten, 25, was reportedly under police surveillance since 2021. His remains were returned in December last year to Ditsa Geden Tashi Choeding Ling Monastery by authorities from Shongshan Tibetan Township. Officials claimed that he had fallen suddenly ill and died during an emergency transfer to a hospital, the name and location of which were not disclosed. The exact date of his detention also remains unclear.

Samten had previously been detained in 2021 after being accused by local police of sharing photographs via the messaging platform WeChat related to the election of the exile Tibetan government, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

[...]

His detention coincided with a broader crackdown on monastic institutions in the region. That same year, authorities intensified surveillance at his monastery and expelled around 50 monks under the age of 18 from Ditsa Monastery, along with an additional 30 monks from Jhakhyung Monastery in Palung County, located in Tsoshar Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the northeastern Amdo region.

[...]

The report further situates these developments within what it describes as China’s most extensive assimilation campaign to date. Under policies promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, authorities have advanced a systematic programme of “Sinicisation,” aimed at reshaping Tibetan cultural and religious identity to align with that of the Han majority. Measures cited include restricting the use of the Tibetan language in education, confining it to a single subject in state-run boarding schools, and curbing traditional monastic education for children.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52593495

Archived

Here is the full report (pdf).

The first-ever assessment and ranking of the climate commitments and actions of eight major supermarkets across four Asian countries—China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore—by global environment organization Mighty Earth, finds three major supermarkets operating in China, DFI Retail Group and Sun Art Retail Group in Hong Kong, and Walmart, are failing to take action on climate pollution, specifically methane emissions from meat, dairy and rice supply chains.

[...]

DFI Retail Group scored 17 points in total, sitting in second place on the table behind AEON of Japan, which was just ahead with 20.5 points out of the 100 available points. Sun Art Retail Group Limited of Hong Kong and Walmart were nearer the bottom end of the ranking, scoring 6 and 4.5 points, respectively.

[...]

“Retailers in China risk losing face when it comes to tackling climate pollution embedded in meat, dairy and rice supply chains", says Meihua Piao, East Asia Manager for Mighty Earth

"Demand for beef in China is driving the super-polluting global trade, while massive methane emissions from rice cultivation are being largely overlooked.”

[...]

Methane is a short-lived but super-polluting greenhouse gas that is roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year-period, making rapid cuts to methane emissions one of the fastest levers to slow near-term warming.

• In 2023, methane emissions from Asia reached approximately 4.58 billion tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). With the region warming at roughly twice the global average, climate impacts are already being felt across economies, ecosystems and societies.
• Beef is the single biggest driver of agricultural methane emissions globally and is the second most widely consumed red meat in Asia after pork. According to the FAO/OECD, meat and seafood consumption in Asia is set to rise by 78% by 2050. In short, growing meat and dairy consumption is driving Asia’s methane emissions.
• Asia accounts for approximately 90% of global rice production and consumption, with methane emissions from rice cultivation representing a major and persistent climate challenge in the region. Globally, approximately 60 million tons of methane is emitted each year from rice production — around 10% of global anthropogenic methane emissions.

[...]

Lawmakers in Macau, a city under Chinese rule, unanimously approved a bill on ​Thursday that allows court proceedings to be held behind ‌closed doors when deemed necessary to protect national security interests.

The city enacted its first national security law in 2009 and tightened ​it with amendments in 2023. Last July, leading democrat Au ​Kam San was arrested for alleged collusion with ⁠foreign forces to endanger national security, the first known ​arrest under that law.

[...]

The Macau government said ​the approval had ​demonstrated the ⁠successful implementation of the principle of "patriots governing Macau".

Unlike in Hong Kong, which saw big social ​movements challenge Chinese Communist Party rule in ​2014 and ⁠2019, the democratic opposition in the former Portuguese colony has always existed on the fringes amid tight Chinese control.

[...]

Archived

Here is the full report (pdf).

The first-ever assessment and ranking of the climate commitments and actions of eight major supermarkets across four Asian countries—China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore—by global environment organization Mighty Earth, finds three major supermarkets operating in China, DFI Retail Group and Sun Art Retail Group in Hong Kong, and Walmart, are failing to take action on climate pollution, specifically methane emissions from meat, dairy and rice supply chains.

[...]

DFI Retail Group scored 17 points in total, sitting in second place on the table behind AEON of Japan, which was just ahead with 20.5 points out of the 100 available points. Sun Art Retail Group Limited of Hong Kong and Walmart were nearer the bottom end of the ranking, scoring 6 and 4.5 points, respectively.

[...]

“Retailers in China risk losing face when it comes to tackling climate pollution embedded in meat, dairy and rice supply chains", says Meihua Piao, East Asia Manager for Mighty Earth

"Demand for beef in China is driving the super-polluting global trade, while massive methane emissions from rice cultivation are being largely overlooked.”

[...]

Methane is a short-lived but super-polluting greenhouse gas that is roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year-period, making rapid cuts to methane emissions one of the fastest levers to slow near-term warming.

• In 2023, methane emissions from Asia reached approximately 4.58 billion tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). With the region warming at roughly twice the global average, climate impacts are already being felt across economies, ecosystems and societies.
• Beef is the single biggest driver of agricultural methane emissions globally and is the second most widely consumed red meat in Asia after pork. According to the FAO/OECD, meat and seafood consumption in Asia is set to rise by 78% by 2050. In short, growing meat and dairy consumption is driving Asia’s methane emissions.
• Asia accounts for approximately 90% of global rice production and consumption, with methane emissions from rice cultivation representing a major and persistent climate challenge in the region. Globally, approximately 60 million tons of methane is emitted each year from rice production — around 10% of global anthropogenic methane emissions.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52546220

Archived

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday welcomed a joint statement by Australia and New Zealand emphasizing the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait.

The statement came at the close of Tuesday’s third ANZMIN 2+2 meeting in Canberra. Participants in the annual consultations were New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Defense Minister Judith Collins, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Defense Minister Richard Marles.

[...]

Australia and New Zealand said they wanted to continue deepening economic, trade, and cultural relations with Taiwan while enhancing the coordination of development efforts in the Pacific.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52546220

Archived

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday welcomed a joint statement by Australia and New Zealand emphasizing the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait.

The statement came at the close of Tuesday’s third ANZMIN 2+2 meeting in Canberra. Participants in the annual consultations were New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Defense Minister Judith Collins, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Defense Minister Richard Marles.

[...]

Australia and New Zealand said they wanted to continue deepening economic, trade, and cultural relations with Taiwan while enhancing the coordination of development efforts in the Pacific.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52545959

*This is an opinion piece by Benedict Rogers, a British human rights lawyer. *

Archived

[...]

China’s new "ethnic unity" law, passed by the National People’s Congress last week, is the latest step in Xi Jinping’s campaign of forced Sinicization. It codifies in law what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been implementing for some years — a program of forced assimilation for China’s ethnic minorities aimed at wiping out ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity.

[...]

Sharing a common loyalty to one’s country, regardless of ethnicity, is a desirable objective.

However, there are three points about China’s plans that should be kept in mind.

First, this is less about social cohesion and more about political control and repression.

The “identity” the CCP wants its citizens, of all ethnicities, to adopt is loyalty to the Communist Party. Indeed, the CCP conflates Party and State, so that to be patriotic means to be devoted to the Party.

In any democracy, you can be loyal to your country without being aligned with the governing party. You can be a patriotic American and a critic of the incumbent president. You can be a British patriot and an opponent of the sitting prime minister.

The same is true in Asia’s democracies, such as Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. Even in India under the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi, or in Indonesia under former dictator Suharto’s son-in-law Prabowo Subianto, you can be a political opponent without your patriotism being in doubt.

But not in China. The Party, the State, and the nation are one in the mind of the CCP.

That is why the new law insists that citizens must have “correct views” on history, culture, and religion, and abandon “outdated customs.” It requires parents to “educate and guide children to love the Chinese Communist Party.”

[...]

Secondly, this will apply to people who were never part of historic China.

The history is disputed, but certainly for significant periods of history, Tibet and East Turkistan were their own nations, which were invaded by China.

Now the CCP wants us to call East Turkistan — the homeland of the Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim peoples — by the name it has chosen, “Xinjiang,” which literally means “New Frontier.”

It is also mounting a campaign to persuade the world to call Tibet “Xizang,” a Chinese term meaning “Western Zang.”

China invaded Tibet in October 1950.

Last week, Tibetans and friends of Tibet around the world marked the 67th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day on March 10, 1959. That day, tens of thousands of Tibetans protested against Chinese military occupation and were massacred. The Dalai Lama escaped into exile, where he has been ever since.

A campaign of forced assimilation has already been underway for decades in both occupied Tibet and occupied East Turkistan.

Under Xi Jinping, it has intensified. More than one million Tibetan children have been forcibly separated from their parents and coerced into colonial boarding schools, where they are prohibited from learning their own Tibetan language, practising their own Tibetan Buddhist religion, or celebrating their Tibetan culture.

[...]

Thirdly, Xi Jinping has also been mounting a campaign of Sinicization against Christians across China, which again proves that this is not about culture or language, but politics.

The Sinicization of religion is not about making religion culturally sensitive or integrated — it is about making religion politically co-opted. It is about forcing state-controlled churches to display portraits of Xi and CCP propaganda banners alongside, or sometimes instead of, religious imagery.

A crackdown against Christians who refuse to comply — or who run churches outside the state-approved institutions — is intensifying, resulting in the detention last October of Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of the Zion Church network, and 17 of his pastors and elders.

[...]

“Ethnic unity” is very different from “inter-ethnic harmony.”

A 22-year-old Chinese student, Zhang Yadi, has been detained since last summer because, while studying in Paris, she had become involved with a group working to promote understanding and awareness among Chinese students about Tibetan culture.

This was promoting inter-ethnic harmony, an idea it turns out the CCP dislikes, and so she was arrested when she returned home to visit her family.

[...]

Diversity, of ethnicity, religion, culture, or thought, and inter-ethnic harmony or pluralism of religious, philosophical, spiritual, political, or cultural ideas, are concepts that terrify the CCP.

That is why it has introduced this new law — because it wants to make every Chinese citizen, regardless of their ethnicity, a cookie-cutter mold in the Party’s image. It is a campaign of forced assimilation that is genocidal in its intentions.