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American Military News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Chinese police crackdown on writers of online erotic fiction
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Police in northwestern China are cracking down on writers of online erotic fiction across the country, including many college students,according to RFA sources and media reports, amid concern that officers are punishing people outside their jurisdiction. Police in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, have been summoning writers who don't even live there. A report from Caixin media group said some have been referred to police for prosecution, and anecdotal evidence indicates writers are facing substantial fines. A source who spoke to Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity for safety reasons said the crackdown could involve 200-300 writers. Their cases have also sparked a legal debate over the definition of 'obscene materials' and renewed public discussion on the boundaries of creative freedom. Known as 'Danmei,' the genre features romantic relationships between male characters. It originated in Japan and has become popular in China. Amid tightened restrictions in China, many writers have turned to Haitang Culture, a Taiwanese-based adult fiction website established in 2015 to publish their work. The website on the democratic island doesn't force censorship and allows explicit written content. Most readers are females. Authorities in China have reacted. Last year, two China-based distributors affiliated with Haitang Culture were arrested for 'assisting in information network criminal activities,' according to Shuiping Jiyuan, a news portal on the WeChat social media platform. The recent police crackdown in Lanzhou followed similar moves in the eastern province of Anhui in June 2024, where authorities began arresting writers of online erotic fiction under the charge of 'producing and distributing obscene materials for profit,' resulting in heavy fines and even prison sentences. Police are seeking out writers even when they leave outside their jurisdiction – a practice that critics call 'offshore fishing,' implying the motive of police is financial or political, rather than strictly legal. 'I don't understand what they're trying to do—are they pushing political correctness, or are they just desperate for money?' said Liu Yang, a veteran media professional in Lanzhou, told Radio Free Asia. 'The police are short on funds, and now even arrests have become a way to make money.' Cases in Anhui appeared focused on how much profit writers made. But according to multiple Chinese media reports, police in Lanzhou pursued suspects on the basis of what sort of traffic they were generating. Many of those summoned are young women, including college students. A well-known Chinese online cultural critic Li Yuchen wrote on WeChat that one writer who received only 'two Haitang coins' in tips was also placed under investigation and then moved to prosecutors. Haitang refers to the Taiwan-based fiction website. RFA has sought comment from Haitang Culture but has yet to receive a response. Song Tao, a Chinese university law lecturer, told RFA that Lanzhou police crackdown is one of the most expansive and controversial uses of the law on 'producing, reproducing, publishing, or distributing obscene materials for profit' in recent years. Tsinghua University legal scholar Lao Dongyan expressed concern on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, writing that the use of inconsistent legal standards risks undermining law enforcement and the justice system. The case has triggered intense debate in Chinese legal circles. Several attorneys have posted on Weibo and WeChat offering free legal assistance to the families of those who have been detained. The Emperor's Scandalous History Yunjian, one of the top writers on Haitang Culture, was arrested last year by Anhui police and later sentenced to four years and six months in prison, according to the news portal Shuiping Jiyuan. One of Yujian's top works of fiction, The Emperor's Scandalous History , is about a non-binary emperor who has relationships with male characters, including generals and chancellors. Several fiction writers have posted online about their brush with Lanzhou police, although most online references to the crackdown have been removed from Chinese social media platforms, meaning only screenshots made by other users are still viewable. 'Probably in the past 20 years of my life, I never imagined that my first time flying would be to visit a police station in Lanzhou,' said one writer named Sijindesijin who claimed in a post on Weibo that she'd been contacted by Lanzhou police over stories she earned 4,000 yuan ($670) for. Her post, since deleted, implied that she'd had to fly to Lanzhou to deal with the matter. It wasn't clear where she lived. Some netizens posted on Weibo in support of Sijindesijin, whose handle translates as 'silky silky.' RFA couldn't reach Sijindesijin for comment or confirm the details of what allegedly happened and if the writer was detained. Another writer named Jidepihuangmajia, who described herself as an undergraduate student, wrote in a post on Weibo that she flew to Lanzhou from Chongqing, a municipality which is administratively separate from Lanzhou, to meet with the local police and was asking for help from other users in borrowing money to pay the fine. The writer said that police claimed she had earned 21,313 yuan ($3,044) from writing the stories in question, and she was advised to return the money for a reduced punishment. This writer owed between 50,000 and 60,000 yuan ($7,100 to $8,500), including the fine. Another writer from a top-tier university named Shijieshiyigejudadejingshenbingyuanha, whose handle translates as 'The world is like a giant mental hospital,' claimed in the post that she was taken in for questioning by police and that her university had subsequently canceled her admission to graduate school. Chinese lawyer Ma Guoguang told RFA that under China's Criminal Procedure Law, criminal cases should be investigated by police in the suspect's place of residence or where the alleged crime occurred. 'The legality of Lanzhou police pursuing writers across the country—thousands of kilometers away—under the so-called 'offshore fishing' model is highly questionable,' he said. But Chinese lawyer Tang Hongyang, who defended for several writers arrested by Anhui police last year, explained to Sanlian Lifeweek, an in-depth reporting magazine in China, 'for crimes committed via the internet, there is a special legal provision: any location where the content can be accessed online is considered a place where the consequences of the crime occur.' According to Sanlian Lifeweek, Lanzhou police summoned local readers of Haitang in Lanzhou to serve as witnesses while also summoning writers from other provinces. Ma pointed out that China currently lacks clear judicial interpretations on fictional literary works containing explicit content. According to him, the line between online erotic fiction or adult fiction and actual obscene materials remains undefined, as does the legal threshold for what constitutes 'public harm.' The main guidelines of definition of obscene materials date back more than 20 years and were established when the internet was far less developed. Tsinghua University's Lao argued that the definition should evolve with shifting social attitudes. 'They set relatively low thresholds for what constitutes 'serious circumstances',' Lao wrote in her post. 'But in today's more open environment, the bar for what qualifies as obscenity should clearly be raised.' Ma warned that aggressive criminal enforcement under such vague standards could have a chilling effect on creative writing in China. RFA contacted Lanzhou police but calls went unanswered.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Apple's India push deepens with Foxconn locally producing iPhone casings- Details
Apple is gradually increasing its manufacturing and assembly centres in India to develop iPhones. As it continues to deepen ties with the country, Apple's Taiwanese-based manufacturing giant, Foxconn, is in talks to produce iPhone casings locally in India. The company is also building a new manufacturing unit in the country to develop the metal-based casing for the iPhone, making a huge step for Apple as well as India. This move is expected to be beneficial for India as it deepens the country's position in the global market and also encourages the growth of local suppliers. On the other hand, it will reduce Apple's dependence on China for manufacturing major iPhone components and shipping them to the US at a much higher price, considering the growing tariffs in the country. Also read: Foldable iPhone may launch soon with crease-free display, new hinge tech According to an Economic Times report, one of Apple's major manufacturing companies, Foxconn, is building a new unit in ESR Industrial Park in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu. This new manufacturing unit will solely focus on developing metal chassis for iPhones. Earlier, these metal casings were developed by Tata Electronics for Apple. However, now Foxconn is also reported to contribute, and the construction of the new unit is already in the works. But what does it mean for Foxconn? Well, it suggests that it will contribute to a greater percentage of iPhone production, which is done locally. Although the physical casing of the iPhone contributes to only 2 to 3% of the total cost of developing an iPhone. While Apple is growing ties with India, US President Donald Trump is not very happy with the move. Also read: iPhone 17 Air likely to come with optional accessories for lasting battery life- Details In previous interactions with Tim Cook, the President clearly stated that he is not very happy with Apple assembling and exporting iPhones from India or any other country in the world. Trump plainly stated, 'I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else. If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.' However, the warning is surely not affecting Apple as it continues to build iPhones in India and ship them to the US at a much lower price. However, with rapidly changing decisions and traffic by the US government, it is unclear how long the decision will last and how it will affect Apple and the end buyers.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's Crypto Dinner Guests Admit They're Trying to Buy Him Off
Incredibly unsurprising news: The people who paid millions of dollars to get into Trump's lavish cryptocurrency dinner did soto directly influence the president's financial policy in their favor. 'I will definitely not hesitate to share my perspective,' Vincent Liu, CIO of Taiwanese-based crypto firm Kronos Research, who bought enough Trump's crypto to attend the dinner Thursday night, told The New York Times. 'It's great to see the current direction that everything's going.' 'It's kind of a fund-raiser' for Mr. Trump, Korean crypto executive Sangrok Oh and another dinner attendee, told the Times. 'And he'll always be good to his sponsors.' The dinner was held at Trump's private golf club in northern Virginia on Thursday evening for the top 220 holders of the president's memcoin cryptocurrency—after an auction that brought in $147,586,796.41. Protesters lined the entrance to the building, chanting 'shame, shame, shame!' and other holding up signs while attendees arrived. The event was promoted as the 'most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the world,' according to an email. While the top 220 buyers got into the gala, the top 25 buyers received much more personal, 'ultra-exclusive private VIP reception' and 'Special VIP Tour' with Trump, allowing them unfettered access to the president. There were also some other high profile attendees there (with much smaller pockets than the likes of Liu and Oh). Embattled former NBA player and reality TV star Lamar Odom posted a video on X of himself walking into the event while boos and jeers rained down on him from the crowd. 'I'm just about to pass through security and officially walk into the Trump Gala. Honestly… I'm fired up. Think about it—what meme coin has ever done this?' Odom wrote on X, plugging his own memecoin as well. '$ODOM isn't just a token, it's taking the stage at a presidential gala tonight!' Trump's cryptocurrency has been widely condemned as a blatant conflict of interest that completely blurs the lines between executive power and private business. 'Donald Trump's dinner is an orgy of corruption. That's what this is all about,' Senator Elizabeth Warren said that evening. 'Donald Trump is using the presidency of the United States to make himself richer through crypto, and he's doing it right out there in plain sight. He is signaling to anyone who wants to ask for a special favor—and is willing to pay for it—exactly how to do that.
