CPPCC member Dr. Chen Hong Tian: Please Be Merciful With Your Words

2020.08.19

Some articles circulated by self-media publishers have caught my attention recently. These write-ups revolved around a Shenzhen businessman and two of his projects, and they contained information that is unsubstantiated and not legally verified, to attack and tarnish the entrepreneur's image.

For example, an online news site published an article entitled, "A Battle for Dongmen Property: Plot More Dramatic Than A Movie" on July 27; an online charity platform based in Shenzhen published an article entitled "Harping on the Old Tune After 20 Years, Buildings in Dongmen Left Unattended - The Facade of a City Is Important, May the New Civil Code Show Its Power Quickly" on July 17; a Weibo account specialising on real estate published a post entitled "A Piece of Land Abandoned for 13 Years in This Bustling City Where An Inch of Land is an Ounce of Gold, And With a Recent RMB$ 3 Billion Loan?"on January 9, 2018; and a personal account belonging to a library also published a post entitled "The Most Extraordinary Abandoned Building, Links to Mintai Group Revealed" on April 25, 2018.

The reasons leading to unfinished projects and abandoned buildings are complex, and often involve a slew of history. Likewise, there are also objective historical reasons for economic disputes between businesses.Moreover, the businesses involved must have more insights into the matter and disagreements than the media and other third-party organisations, and would be more keen on resolving these economic disputes as quickly as possible. If the matter involves any form of judicial dispute, I believe that the court will make a fair and impartial decision. Before the court forms a judgement, the deliberate act of accusing one of the parties concerned clearly perverts the course of justice, and may interfere with the court in making a fair decision. Any speculations about the businessman and his company's projects are not only misleading to the public, but it will also cause more issues for the companies involved as they strive to resolve the problems they are facing.

Disputes are common in trades and business, and it is a social norm to resolve disputes in accordance with the relevant policy instruments and applicable laws and regulations. The rise of malicious speculation and baseless attacks on entrepreneurs and businesses by self-media publishers accentuates the lack of regulation since the advent of self-media. Certain self-media publishers use scandalous claims to create eye-catching titles, and some even disguise unverified or fictitious content as "news". There are even scenarios in which self-media publishers turn their platform into a tool for profiteering, through publishing inaccurate statements and articles, to tarnish the image of legitimate businesses with malicious intent. It is noteworthy that the phenomenon in recent years, in which some self-media platforms published inaccurate and malicious articles targeted at specific entrepreneurs and businesses frequently, may have to do with the dishonest practice of some ofthe businesses' competitors to disrupt their business operation and destroy their goodwill through negative press. As a result, the rights and interests of many entrepreneurs and businesses have been severely damaged.

The current economic situation internationally and domestically is incredibly complex. The Central Committee of the Communist Party and the respective levels of government have spared no effort to introduce a wide range of policies, to help enterprises tide over the difficult times together in the face of the COVID epidemic and the China-US trade war. In the face of such a challenging environment, businesses need to spend more effort on reinforcing their foundation, in order to perform well in their business operations, and to provide workplace stability for their employees.

Regulation by the authorities, discipline, and self-regulation of the media industry are essential conditions for creating a healthy environment for public opinion. Therefore, I sincerely call on the relevant departments to step up their supervision of the self-media industry, and I also urge my friends in the sector to exercise more self-discipline in their line of work. As businesses are facing a crucial life-and-death moment of survival, please be merciful with your words, and refrain from interfering with the operation of the enterprise. Let us join forces in supporting our businesses to tide over these difficult times, and work hand in hand to support the development of the local economy on both the national and municipal levels.

- Dr. Chen Hongtian, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, a Justice of the Peace appointed by the HKSAR, Chairman of Harmony Club, and Chairman of Cheung Kei Group