Policy Digest

Draft guideline to curb online violence

China is soliciting public opinions on a draft guideline about how to properly punish people engaged in online violence.

The guideline, drafted by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security, is aimed at protecting the personality rights of individuals and maintaining order on the internet.

According to the draft, online violence includes behaviors such as spreading rumors and slander and the infringement of privacy, which damage reputations and can psychologically disturb victims or even lead them to commit suicide, it said.

Given that the victims of online violence rarely know their attackers and so have trouble identifying the perpetrators, collecting evidence and pursuing legal remedies, the draft requires authorities to offer better legal assistance to victims.

Those who commit online violence against minors or people with disabilities, or who fabricate sex-related stories that infringe upon personal dignity, will be punished more severely, the draft guideline stated.

It also stipulated that in some cases, depending on severity, authorities could apply the Criminal Law to punish those accountable.

The solicitation of public opinion will end on June 25.

Imports, exports up despite low demand

China's imports and exports increased 4.7 percent year-on-year to 16.77 trillion yuan ($2.35 trillion) in the first five months of 2023, showing continued resilience despite sluggish external demand.

During this period, exports grew 8.1 percent year-on-year while imports rose 0.5 percent, the General Administration of Customs said on June 7.

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations continued to be China's largest trading partners during the five months, with trade volume reaching 2.59 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.9 percent.

From January to May, trade with member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement experienced stable growth, accounting for more than 30 percent of China's foreign trade, GAC data showed.

Trade with Belt and Road countries rose 13.2 percent year-on-year to 5.78 trillion yuan in the period.

In particular, trade with the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — surged 44 percent year-on-year, the GAC said.

During the January-May period, imports and exports by private enterprises jumped 13.1 percent to 8.86 trillion yuan, accounting for 52.8 percent of the national total.

In terms of the types of goods, exports of mechanical and electrical products expanded by 9.5 percent and accounted for 57.9 percent of total exports.

5G being integrated into national economy

The application of 5G networks is being consistently promoted and has been integrated into nearly 60 percent of the major categories that make up the national economy, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology told China Central Television on June 6.

China first started to grant 5G licenses for commercial use on June 6, 2019.

Four years on, solutions supported by 5G applications are being widely used in key industries related to mining, ports and electric power, and are facilitating the digitalization of companies.

According to the ministry, 5G is being used by 60 of 97 categories that make up the national economy, with more than 50,000 applied cases.