Behind Shenzhen's aggressive introduction of new police technologies is an unusual computer software company that has won some of the initial government contracts, China Public Security Technology Inc, and the wealthy tycoon who runs it, Lin Jianghuai (
Shenzhen has started a pilot program to upgrade the city's household registration system to more closely monitor the population, China Public Security Technology said.
The Chinese government will use China Public Security's integrated information transfer platform to manage the immigrant population and improve public security, the company said in a statement.
China Public Security is traded in the US on the obscure over-the-counter bulletin board market, but has a market capitalization of almost US$180 million. It is preparing to seek a NASDAQ listing next year, Lin said.
Lin, 38, who holds more than US$100 million in China Public Security stock, said that he dreamed as a boy of becoming a police officer to fight crime and defend the helpless. A powerfully built amateur weightlifter who is also a devout Buddhist, he made his first fortune as a manufacturer of an important component for DVD players.
Lin said the success of US technology during the invasion of Iraq inspired him to acquire the predecessor company for China Public Security and turn it to police work.
"I really felt strongly that the police would absolutely benefit from such technology," he said. "[US President George W.]Bush helped me get my vision."
Lin bought an obscure e-commerce business three years ago and changed its business focus. He then did a so-called reverse merger, in which he bought a tiny Florida printing company with sparsely traded stock, renamed it China Public Security, and turned the software business into a subsidiary of the US company.
China's Ministry of Public Security awarded the contract for the first phase of the Shenzhen Residence Card Information Management System Project to China Public Security to test the new household registration system, which is expected to be completed in three years.
The computer chip-imbedded identity cards will store personal information such as social welfare status, one-child policy conditions, education history and house rental management, the company said. They may also allow the government to access medical history, personal credit history and driving records.
Helping Chinese police agencies has been profitable for China Public Security and its investors. The company estimated in May that it would earn an after-tax profit of US$12.5 million on sales of US$27 million this year.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique