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'Fufu' Diplomacy: How Food Is Helping Chinese See Immigrants As More Than Foreign

By KAIT BOLONGARO 

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  Fried tilapia with jollof rice, a West African specialty served at African Pot. The 3-year-old restaurant in Guangzhou, China, caters to the city's many African immigrants. Lately, it's seen a surge in Chinese customers, too.

  KAIT BOLONGARO

Six months ago, Jessica Luo and her husband, Frank Millen, got the kind of newspaper review no restaurateur wants to see.

Their pan-African restaurant, African Pot, caters to a large expatriate community in Guangzhou, China's largest trading center. But in late spring, two Chinese journalists wrote a scathing piece on the place — criticizing African customers for eating with their hands, a tradition across the continent.

"Their racist coverage backfired – it actually made locals more curious about trying African food," says Millen, who was born in Ghana.

These days, he and his Chinese wife are welcoming more Chinese customers than ever. People like Youqin Chang, who was eating his first meal in an African restaurant on the day we visited. After reading an article about how dishes like fufu, a West African cassava and plantain porridge, are eaten with your fingers, the 28-year-old decided to give it a try.

"The dining experience was good and very new for me. I wish I could visit Africa one day, when I save enough money," she explains.

These sentiments are a welcome respite from the kind of suspicion often faced by the 50,000 to 100,000 African immigrants who live in Guangzhou – earning it the nickname "Chocolate City." Many of them are business people who export Chinese-made goods to their home countries or offer translation services.

Millen and Luo opened African Pot three years ago. "Africans can have a tough time when they come to China, so we try to welcome them with their home food," explains Luo.

For customers like Abimbola Ayemi from Nigeria, the restaurant is a comforting refuge in a foreign land. She appreciates Sunday's all-you-can-eat buffet, which costs $10 and includes a drink.

"I am so happy to have tastes from Africa in China," she says.

A similar desire to provide familiar food in a foreign land prompted Syrian Khaled Birouti, 53, to open his Middle Eastern restaurant, Shami House, in 2002, after he noticed his compatriots sneaking food across the border for their extended business trips to China. While many of its customers are Middle Eastern, about 20 percent are Chinese — a number that's been steadily rising, according to his son and restaurant manager, Anas Birouti.

"Many Chinese people don't know what Middle Eastern food is," says Anas Birouti. "So when they come here with their business partners, they open the door to try new things."

Fanny Li, who works for a Saudi-owned company, first dined at Shami House with her Arab boss.

"I didn't know what to expect when I walked in the door, but now I love the food and the atmosphere," she says. "I like to bring my Chinese friends to this restaurant so that they can explore the food culture."

Jen Lin-Liu, an author who has written two books on Chinese food, says food is very important to Chinese people. "Traditionally, Chinese have been very close-minded about their food, but the younger generation is definitely more open- minded."

"I think it's a generational shift," she says.

Younger Chinese people may be willing to try new cuisines, but overcoming deep-rooted stereotypes remains a challenge.

"I often get asked if Arab men really have four wives," says Anas Birouti.

He admits that it is sometimes difficult to be Muslim in China.

Arab refugees in China face racist comments and are often termed "lazy" or agents of the Islamic State. China's internal issues have also fueled widespread anti-Muslim sentiment. The country is home to 23.3 million Uighurs who have ambitions for independence but face restrictions on practicing their Muslim faith in their home province.

Despite the tensions, customer Li insists that Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures are similar.

"Family and large gatherings play a very important role [in both cultures]," she says.

Africans in China also face widespread discrimination – as evidenced by a racist commercial for a Chinese laundry detergent that sparked international outrage earlier this year. It featured a Chinese woman who puts an African man into a washing machine to "clean" him into a Chinese man. More seriously, Chinese netizens have founded hate groups in an attempt to prevent African immigration to Guangzhou.

Professor Adams Bodomo from the University of Vienna, an expert on the African diaspora in China, cheers the growing number of Chinese patronizing African restaurants in Guangzhou.

"African restaurant owners are like cultural ambassadors and cross-cultural bridge builders between Chinese and Africans."

Luo and Millen have made accommodations to cater to their new Chinese customers. Noticing that Chinese diners were overwhelmed by choice and portion sizes, Luo invented the 'Jungle Feast' — a loaded name for some, but approved by Millen. The mini-buffet offers small portions of different African specialties to suit Chinese ordering habits.

"Chinese people like to try many dishes at restaurants, so we decided to make African food a bit more Chinese," Luo says.

Luo admits she can also see the stereotypes against Africans at the African Pot. New servers sometimes quit after only an hour because they feel uncomfortable around Africans. But she insists her core staff has become fond of their customers.

The African Pot also faces more police scrutiny than its neighbors, says Millen. He says one African customer who forgot his passport was handcuffed after he had begun eating during a raid.

"It was embarrassing. The police came here because it's an African restaurant," he explains.

Despite the challenges, Luo is optimistic that restaurants like hers are fostering a cross-cultural dialogue.

"The Chinese and Africans are really learning from each other here," she explains. Restaurant owners like Luo and Birouti hope to see everyone co-exist, building more peace with every plate of fufu and couscous served.

Is the World's Biggest Surveillance Camera Maker Sending Footage to China?

WASHINGTON — 

Imagine a world where almost everyone can be tracked, and everything can be seen by cameras linked directly to the Chinese government.

The rapid growth of a little known Chinese manufacturer of high-powered surveillance technology has some people concerned that it's no longer a theory.

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, a company controlled by the Chinese government, is now the world's largest supplier of video surveillance equipment, with internet-enabled cameras installed in more than 100 countries.

Capable of capturing sharp images even in fog, rain or darkness, Hikvision claims its most advanced technologies can recognize license plates and tell if a driver is texting while behind the wheel. They can also track individuals with unrivaled "face-tracking" technology and by identifiers such as body metrics, hair color and clothing.

In the United States alone, the company's surveillance systems can be found everywhere from prisons to airports to private homes and public schools, and even in places with sensitive national security concerns, such as Fort Leonard Wood military base in Missouri. Abroad, its cameras were installed in the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

According to a U.S. government procurement document published on IPVM.com, the world’s largest online video surveillance trade magazine, U.S. embassy officials decided in August 2016 to allow only Hikvision suppliers to bid on the installation contract.

American flag waves beside CCTV cameras on top of the U.S. embassy in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 25, 2013.

Stephen Bryen, a widely published expert on international affairs and cyber security, wrote an article outlining his concerns about the purchase, saying the Hikvision cameras were never proven to be any more secure than comparable models.

“If the procurement officer actually thought these cameras were more secure than others, that would have been claimed as part of the sole-source justification,” he said of the embassy purchase agreement, adding that no claims of any kind were made regarding the Hikvision products.

“The issue is that the U.S. embassy is installing commercial cameras in one if its most sensitive locations,” Bryen wrote. “This is a big mistake, and mistakes like this can cost lives.”

On Monday, a State Department official said on background: "A Hikvision camera system was initially installed to monitor non-sensitive electrical closets for theft prevention. The procurement in question was to either expand this or to install a new system. The procurement was cancelled September 2016 and the previously installed cameras were removed."

It is not known whether other Hikvision products have ever been installed in other U.S. embassies.

Spreading the word

Edward Long, a former employee of a video surveillance equipment company in Florida, recently petitioned the U.S. government with a letter warning that Hikvision cameras are sending information back to China.

“Over the past year, [Hikvision has] ... flooded the United States with their equipment,” he wrote. “Every time one of their machines is plugged into the internet, it sends all your data to three servers in China. With that information, the Chinese government can log in to any camera system, anytime they want.”

Frank Fisherman, a general manager for Long’s former employer, IC Realtime Security Solutions, tells VOA that Hikvision devices are engineered for effortless hacking.

“They have their encrypted information set up so they can access even if you change the admin [passwords] and the firewall,” he said, adding that Hikvision may have set aside a "back door" in the production process, such that the manufacturer can monitor devices remotely without the users being aware.

IPVM President John Honovich, however, strikes a less alarmist tone.

“So far, we haven’t found any evidence showing these cameras are sending information back to China, and there is no evidence of such back doors,” he told VOA, cautioning, however, that these facts alone do not rule out a possible security threat.

“The issue that still remains is that maybe [back doors] haven’t been found yet," he said. "All devices have firmware, [which is] updated all the time, just like you update your computer [or] your PC. At any point during the firmware upgrade, back doors can be added by the manufacturers.”

In April, a New York Times report addressed similar concerns about Chinese drone maker DJI — the world's largest manufacturer of small drones — that said it issued a user agreement warning customers that "if you conduct your flight in certain countries, your flight data might be monitored and provided to the government authorities according to local regulatory laws."

Among well-known video surveillance equipment manufacturers, Honovich added, Hikvision products may not be worth the risk.

"There are hundreds of security camera manufacturers in the world,” he said. “One can [find a reliable system] without the risk of buying products made by a company largely owned and controlled by the Chinese government.”

A Beijing incubator company

Established in 2001, Hikvision, which originated as a Chinese government research institute, maintains strong ties with that government. More than 42 percent of the company is owned by China’s state-owned enterprises, with the remaining stock owned by a combination of general public stockholders and venture capital investors, including 18 percent from private equity in Hong Kong.

Screen shows monitor views at a surveillance-camera manufacturer showroom in Taipei, Taiwan, Nov. 1, 2016.

In 2015, when Chinese President Xi Jinping went on an inspection tour of the southern city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, he visited Hikvision's main office instead of the famous Alibaba headquarters. Xi also met with Pu Shiliang, 38, Hikvision's head of research and development.

According to the official website of Zhejiang Police Academy, Pu is also the director of a technology laboratory within China’s Ministry of Public Security, the main domestic security agency that has long been criticized for tracking and detaining dissidents and perceived Communist Party opponents of any stripe.

Beginning in 2015, China's state Development Bank and Export-Import Bank provided Hikvision with 20 billion yuan (nearly $3 billion) in low-interest loans and a 20 billion yuan line of credit — loans of a size typically unavailable to Chinese or foreign companies.

Invisible to consumers

Despite its enormous security implications, the United States appears to have made no national security assessment of Hikvision's products. As indicated by Long’s online petition, which ultimately closed with only 15 supporters, Hikvision's links with Beijing are virtually invisible to American consumers.

In Britain, where many Hikvision cameras have been installed, some government officials have begun voicing concerns.

“If you've got cameras that are IP enabled, or potentially could covertly be so enabled...they could potentially be used for malign purposes,” Nigel Inkster, a former British intelligence official, told The Times.

Canadian-based Genetec, one of the world's leading video surveillance software companies, recently announced that it would no longer offer free technical support for products from either Hikvision or Huawei — a Shenzen-based multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company — citing ongoing "security considerations."

Issuing the announcement, Genetec cited government and corporate clients who called Hikvision and Huawei products "too risky."

Voice of America received no response to multiple attempts to contact Hikvision’s headquarters in Hangzhou and its branch in California.

Jeffrey He, president of Hikvision’s U.S. and Canadian branch, defended the company during an undated interview with U.S. security monitoring website SourceSecurity.com.

"There have been some misguided accusations targeting Hikvision’s public and industry image, sometimes seeking to create controversy where none exists," he said. "These questions are geared in general not just to Hikvision, but also to many Chinese manufacturers, and none of these accusations have been proven to be true. These accusations are baseless.

"The Cold War was officially over when the Berlin Wall came down, but I am seeing that, in the minds of some, it never ended," he added. "We all would be better served if, instead of living in the past, we would look toward the future and the realities of world changes and technology changing along with it.”

Hikvision now has 35 branches in mainland China and 21 overseas subsidiaries with more than 18,000 employees.

Canadian lawyers take Chinese organ-harvesting claims to Australia

The two lawyers published evidence they say shows that China performs an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 organ transplants a year, with organs primarily taken from Falun Gong practitioners.

Canadian lawyers David Matas, left, and David Kilgour came to Australia's Parliament House on Monday to persuade lawmakers to pass a motion that would immediately end the practice of Chinese organ-harvesting.  (ROD MCGUIRK / AP)  

By ROD MCGUIRKAssociated Press

Mon., Nov. 21, 2016

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA—Two Canadian lawyers came to Australia’s Parliament House on Monday to persuade lawmakers to pass a motion urging China to immediately end the practice of what they say is organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

David Kilgour, a former prosecutor and Canadian secretary of state for the Asia-Pacific, and David Matas, a human rights lawyer, have published evidence they say shows that China performs an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 transplants a year, with organs primarily taken from Falun Gong practitioners, Muslim Uighurs, Tibetan Buddhists and Christians.

China says it performed 10,057 organ transplants last year and has not harvested organs of executed prisoners since January 2015.

The U.S. House of Representative passed a resolution in June calling on the State Department to report annually to Congress on the implementation of an existing law barring visas to Chinese and other nationals engaged in coercive organ transplantation. The resolution also condemns persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual group China calls a cult and has outlawed.

China accused Congress of making “groundless accusations.”

The European Parliament passed a similar declaration in July calling for an independent investigation of “persistent, credible reports on systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience” in China.

Kilgour said the Australian government was reluctant to accept evidence of large-scale, forced organ harvesting in China. Kilgour blamed Australia’s close economic ties with China, its largest trading partner.

“The greatest amount of skepticism seems to be in Australia,” Kilgour said.

Kilgour and Matas first published a report on organ harvesting in China in 2006, which became the basis of their 2009 book Bloody Harvest. The Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs.

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade First Assistant Secretary Graham Fletcher told a Senate committee last month that he had doubts about the credibility of Falun Gong reports of forced organ harvesting.

“They are not given credence by serious human rights activists,” Fletcher said, referring to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Amnesty International’s Australian spokeswoman Caroline Shepherd said the London-based organization had not done its own research into organ harvesting in China and supported United Nations’ calls for an independent investigation of such allegations.

The Australian Health Department said at least 53 Australians travelled to China for organ transplants between 2001 and 2014.

Matas said it was not possible for such a large organ-transplant industry to thrive without the support of the Communist Party.

“This is an institutionalized, party-driven scheme, with an institutionalized cover up,” Matas said.

Around 200 Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated outside Parliament House against forced organ harvesting on Monday as Matas and Kilgour addressed a meeting of lawmakers from several political parties.

Fresh blow to China's troubled tech giant LeEco

By Leo KelionTecnology desk editor

h21 November 2016

 
• From the 

Image copyrightCOOLPAD

Image captionThe Cool1 Dual smartphone is a collaboration between Coolpad and LeEco

The Chinese smartphone-maker Coolpad has unexpectedly warned of a sales slump, causing its shares to fall by nearly 10%.

It blamed tougher economic conditions and "fierce competition in the domestic smartphone market" for its troubles.

The news is a fresh blow to its biggest shareholder LeEco, which had recently increased its stake in the business.

Earlier this month, one of LeEco's co-founders warned of its own financial problems following a push into the US.

Partnership phone

Coolpad's stock dropped to a four-year low after it announced that sales had fallen by 43% over the first 10 months of 2016. It now expects to post a £3bn Hong Kong dollar ($386.8m; £313.2m) loss for its financial year as a whole.

LeEco became the firm's biggest shareholder in June, when it raised its stake in the company to 28.9%.

The two companies subsequently teamed up to release the metal-cased Cool1 Dual smartphone in August.

But the device struggled against rival handsets from other Chinese tech firms including Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.

"Chinese manufacturers used to be able to rely on their home market to give them unprecedented scale," commented Ben Wood from the tech consultancy CCS Insight.

"However, this year the Chinese market has plateaued and we are starting to see some of the casualties as a result."

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionLeEco hosted a glitzy launch event in California in October

American ambitions

The latest development casts a further cloud over LeEco after a period in which it pursued rapid growth.

In June, the privately-owned company bought 49 acres (19.8 hectares) of land from Yahoo in Santa Clara, California for a reported $250m.

In July, it revealed it was buying the US TV-maker Vizio for $2bn.

Then last month, the Beijing-based company held a high-profile launch event in San Francisco, where it announced it was to start selling a wide range of own-brand products in the US.

These include a range of 4K TVs, two smartphones, a virtual reality headset, a set-top box with its own streaming TV platform and an Android-enabled smart bicycle. It also planned for its concept car to drive itself on to the stage, but the vehicle was damaged en route to the event.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionLeEco had hoped to show off its self-driving LeSEE Pro concept at its San Francisco event

"LeEco has outsize ambitions," noted the Recode tech news site at the time.

"The company literally describes itself as Apple, Netflix, Amazon and Tesla all rolled into one."

But on 7 November, Bloomberg revealed that LeEco's co-founder Jia Yueting had written to its 10,000-plus workers warning that its finances had come under pressure.

"We blindly sped ahead and our cash demand ballooned," the internal memo said.

"We got over-extended in our global strategy. At the same time, our capital and resources were in fact limited."

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionYueting Jia cut his salary after acknowledging financial pressures

Mr Yueting added that he was reducing his salary to 1 yuan ($0.14; 11p) and would now pursue a slower growth plan.

Eleven days later, Faraday Future confirmed that it had halted work on a huge factory in Las Vegas due to build a second vehicle bankrolled by LeEco.

"We are acknowledging that there has been a temporary work stop at the site," a spokesman told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionFaraday Future has stopped work on its $1bn factory

"Part of the re-evaluation and refocusing of our efforts on producing the car were a result of the restructuring and re-evaluation of finances from Jia.

"Faraday Future and LeEco operate as strategic partners, but the finances of the two companies are completely separate."

Rerouted plans

Faraday Future had caused a stir earlier in the year when it unveiled a futuristic concept electric car at the CES tech show and claimed it would bring a separate design to market by 2018.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionFaraday Future said the FFZERO1 vehicle unveiled at CES represented "an amplified expression" of its plans for a production vehicle

It had promised to show off the production vehicle at this January's CES.

It is unclear whether this is still planned.

"It would appear to be the case that LeEco has overstretched itself in multiple areas," said Mr Wood.

"Our bet is that it will now have to retrench and perhaps one of those investments will have to be sacrificed."