China’s media landscape has undergone tremendous changes over the last few years. Technological innovation and the explosion of Internet use have changed the landscape for the dissemination of entertainment and information. Provincial television channels have boomed. Privatization and foreign investment and influence have become important questions for consideration. The cultural industries have become a priority area for further economic development. At the international level, media trade is one of the most prominent issues between China and the United States. Electronic media have also become a channel for bottom-up political activity: increasingly microblogs are used to bring specific incidents into the public sphere, or for satirical expressions. However, so far, questions of how these matters are governed have not yet been studied in depth. This conference aims to identify and discuss relevant questions of emerging issues in Chinese media law and policy.
*Friday 15 June*
09.15: Registration
09.30 Welcome and Participant Introductions
09.45 Workshop Overview (Dr Rogier Creemers, PCMLP)
10.00-11.30: The Structure of Chinese Media Governance
These two sessions explore how the Chinese media are organized. Topics to be addressed include the development of content regulation in China, the structure of the media control regime and the theoretical background of media governance.
The Development of the Media Industry and the Reform On Content Regulation: The Case of China (Professor Li Danlin, Communication University of China)
An Historical Overview of Chinese Departments and Ministries Engaged in Chinese Internet Management (Mr Gianluigi Negro, USI Lugano)
For Whom Do You Speak? Looking at Chinese Media Regulation in a Luhmanian Way (Mr Ge Xing, University of Tokyo)
Chair: Dr Damian Tambini (London School of Economics)
11.30-11.45 Coffee break
11.45-13.00 The Structure of Chinese Media Governance, part II
Chinese Media Regulation and Entrepreneurship: The View From Social Media (Mr Alex Mou, Zuosa.com)
Chinese Media Governance in a Comparative Perspective (Professor Monroe Price, University of Pennsylvania)
Chair: Dr Anna Boermel (King’s College London)
13.00-14.00: Lunch
14.00-15.30: Defamation
The expansion of China’s online population has fundamentally changed the public sphere. As a consequence, the number of disputes between private parties concerning expressions on social media has risen sharply. This session provides insight into different aspects of defamation cases, and aims to theorize the emerging legal doctrines in this field.
Free Speech and Defamation on the Chinese Internet:
A Case Study of the Human Flesh Search Engine (Mr Shen Weiwei, University of Pennsylvania)
The Current Situation, Problems and Countermeasures of Defamation Law in China (Dr Zheng Wenming, Beijing Capital University of Economics and Business)
Exploring the Particularities and Challenges of Media Tort in China: An Empirical Study on 800 Legal Cases (Mr Zhu Li, Wentian Law Firm, Beijing)
Chair: Dr Perry Keller (King’s College London)
15.30-15.45: Coffee Break
15.45- 17.15: Press Regulation
The traditional press remains an important channel for public communication. Traditionally, it was considered to be the mouthpiece of the Party, but as China’s society and political structure has grown more complex, fragmentation has rendered this characterization obsolete. Nonetheless, the Party-State aims to adapt its control over journalism to better suit changed circumstances. This session explores the measures that are being taken, for which purposes and what their impact is.
Regulating Reporters: A Three-Tiered Approach (Professor Doreen Weisenhaus, University of Hong Kong, via Skype)
The Media’s Watchdog Role in China: the State’s Promotion and Journalists’ Interpretation (Ms Maria Repnikova, University of Oxford)
Logic and Dynamics of Gradual Reform on China’s Press Regulation: A Reflection on Enterprise Transformation and Delisting Mechanism (Professor Han Xiaoning, Renmin University of China)
Chair: Mr Richard Danbury (University of Oxford)
17.30-18.30: Drinks Reception (PCMLP)
*Saturday 16 June*
09.30-11.00: Telecommunications and Economic Regulation
Following technological development, media require an increasingly complex technological support structure. Questions of network access, telecommunications and network integration are crucial as a framework for the content industries to develop. This session addresses some of these questions, in particular in relation to industrial policy, innovation and their effect on media markets.
The Chinese Interpretation of Industrial Policy in Telecommunications and Media Markets (Dr Thomas Hart, Information Society Strategy and Policy, Beijing, via Skype)
The Dragon Awakes: China’s Telecoms, Internet, New Media, and Next Generation Networks (Professor Rohan Kariyawasam and Ms. Chen Zhang, University of Cardiff)
Getting it Both Ways: Media Regulation in China in the Wake of Communications Convergence (Dr Zhongdong Niu, Edinburgh Napier University)
Chair: Dr Nicole Stremlau (PCMLP)
11.00-11.15: Coffee Break
11.15-12.45: The Market and the Media
Chinese media have become increasingly marketized, as they have emerged as an important locus of economic activity, as well as fulfilling a political role. However, commercial interests often clash with political and social objectives. This session looks at the regulation of advertising as an example of this, as well as the burgeoning animation sector. Furthermore, it explores the links between copyright and media regulation.
How do the Chinese Copyright Law and Regulations Affect the Business Activities of the Media Industry? (Mr Wan Yong, Shanghai Jiaotong University)
Blindness and Myopia Caused by Self-Interest: Government Failure in Chinese Advertising Regulation (Ms Li Mingwei, Shenzhen University)
The Interplay Between Regulation and the Market in China’s Animation Industry (Dr Chwen Chwen Chen, Vincenzo De Masi, USI Lugano)
Chair: Dr Rogier Creemers (PCMLP)
12.45-13.15: Concluding Remarks
13.15-14.15: Lunch
Participation in this conference is free of charge, but space is limited so participants are kindly requested to register with Ms. Louise Scott (louise.scott@csls.ox.ac.uk). A sandwich lunch will be provided on both days.