Being Hacked

Oriental Outlook

August 8, 2013

While the China hacker threat is being exaggerated, statistics show that the country is in fact the worldís biggest victim of cyber attacks.

A recent report by the National Computer Network Emergency Response Team Coordination Center of China (CNCERT/CC) indicates that attacks from IP addresses in the United States, no matter if in the form of remote access trojans or spear-phishing attacks, rank the highest.

Although frequent attacks on Chinese networks have not caused large-scale harm, they do pose stiff challenges to the nationís cyber security.

In the first half of 2013, CNCERT/CC lodged 1,760 complaints with international network emergency response organizations, among which 1,110 are American.

Wang Minghua, Director of the Operational Department at CNCERT/CC, noted that to cope with cyber attacks, mutual trust is important. Countries should build such trust by talking face to face, and by carrying out cooperation through bilateral and multi-lateral organizations.

The Chinese Language Crisis

Lifeweek

August 12, 2013

The Chinese language is facing unprecedented challenges in the modern age.

Lifeweek in this issue looks at the problem. Nowadays, many people, even those who have received higher education, often forget how to write even the most common characters, because they generally use computers or mobile phones to type rather than writing by hand on paper. It has only been a little over a decade since keyboard writing was popularized in China and locals are starting to complain that they have forgotten how to write. If this trend continues, in 50 years, even people who hold masterís degrees will be unable to write.

Chinaís large economy also requires a large number of English speakers to ease international communication. This may lead to Chinese people one day giving up their own language and embracing alphabetic foreign languages.

In addition, Internet buzzwords are weakening the beauty and purity of the Chinese language. In the past, new words were coined by intellectuals creating literary works. However, in the Internet age, new words created by netizens gain popularity despite lacking meaningful cultural connotations.

Rising Feminism

China Newsweek

August 5, 2013

Over the 30 years since China began its reform and opening up, Chinaís feminist movement has evolved into an active organizer of online and street protests, drawing increasing public attention. China Newsweek finds feminists express their views on social realities and have even managed to influence government decision-making.

However, this has not necessarily led to a rise in the status of women. Statistics show that, despite the active feminist movement, widespread gender inequality remains a problem manifested in different ways, such as employment discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape and being kept as mistresses.

Undoubtedly, women now have more opportunities than they did 30 years ago, but they still face many dilemmas. Feminists alone are not capable of changing the situation, which requires additional policies, law making and judicial system involvement, as well as the positive input of men.

Helping Hands

Changjiang Daily

August 5, 2013

In Liaoning Provinceís draft legislation that rewards and protects people who help others in emergencies, the original language, ìnot encouraging teenagers to help others in an emergency,î was changed to, ìencouraging legal, proper and effective ways of helping others in an emergency.î

Rising to the occasion requires people to stand up when other people need help. Such heroic deeds are beneficial to public order and social morality.

Helping others in an emergency is not only a moral question, but also a technical one. For teenagers, whose bodies and minds are immature, recklessly helping others in an emergency tends to result in problems.

Voluntarily helping others is an act of taking social responsibility beyond oneís legal duty. It not only requires a person to have sound moral qualities and courage, but also good physical strength, rich experience and professional knowledge. All of these qualities are lacking in teenagers. A mature society stops teenagers from taking responsibilities beyond their abilities, especially when it could cost them their life.