Asia in 3 minutes: India bemused by ‘racist’ Chinese video, not amused by Game of Thrones leak
Beijing seeks an end strange company names; Cambodian medic who spread HIV seeks mercy
Indians bemused by ‘racist’ Chinese video on Bhutan border stand-off
Indians have reacted with bemusement and outrage at a “racist” video posted online by Chinese state media, as a border dispute between the two countries enters its third month. Xinhua published a video highlighting India’s “seven sins” in relation to the stand-off sparked by China building a road near Bhutan. The video repeatedly cuts to a Chinese man wearing a fake beard and turban, wobbling his head and feigning an Indian English accent. “Have you ever negotiated with a robber who had broken into your house and refuses to leave?” asks the presenter. “You just call 911 or just fight him back, right?”
What next? Indians on Twitter have called the video’s exaggerated depiction of a Sikh soldier racist, while The Indian Express newspaper criticised its “collage of poorly designed graphics replete with the soundtrack of canned laughter”. “This is China’s official sense of humour!” tweeted Indian defence pundit Ajai Shukla. “Xinhua isn’t quite sure whether it’s producing a spoof ... or a propaganda piece.”
Beijing cracks down on weird, long company names
“Beijing Afraid of Wife Technology” and “What You Looking at Technology” are among the kinds of company names that will become a thing of the past under new Chinese rules. After launching a campaign to eliminate public signs with bad English translations, Beijing is taking aim at firms that try to register names that are too long or strange. The Legal Daily cited names of existing firms that would not be allowed under the new rules, including “Shanghai Wife Biggest Electronic Commerce”, “Hangzhou No Trouble Looking for Trouble Internet Technology” and a condom company called “There is a Group of Young People with Dreams, Who Believe They Can Create Wonders of Life Under Uncle Niu’s Leadership Internet Technology”.
What next? The State Administration for Industry and Commerce brought in the restrictions this month, while also banning company names deemed offensive or racist, or with religious or political connotations. The drive for normality also moved the government to previously ban “weird architecture” in a country that has seen a huge construction boom.
Indian police arrest four over Game of Thrones leak
Four people have been arrested in India for leaking an episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones television series before it was aired in the country, police said. Already the most pirated show ever, the popular fantasy drama has been plagued by leaks in recent weeks following the premiere of the seventh series. After receiving a complaint from a production company “we investigated the case and have arrested four individuals for unauthorised publication of the fourth episode from season seven”, Deputy Commissioner of Police Akbar Pathan said. The four are accused of criminal breach of trust and computer-related offences.
