This reminds me of a grad student I knew in Beijing who told me how his statistics deptartment was hired out by a world famous soft drink company to conduct 'research' about the taste preferences of the Chinese populace, so that it could gobble up the local market. They also got suggestions from their handsomely paid research team on strategies to make their soft drink more appealing to the local population. This kind of thing is done by MNCs all around the world, it's nothing new of course. And as long as MNCs have the cash to buy off researchers to do such 'research', this trend will continue unabated. Would that such 'research' fell under the purview of this recent law.
Doubtful, after all, such research is not political.....and there is too much money that it attracts. Odds are small budget graduate researchers will make up the target of such laws...If you have bucks backing up your research in China, laws or no laws, you're in good hands.
Steve
South China Morning Post
Monday, October 11, 1999
Pollsters warned to follow rules
DANIEL KWAN
_________________________________________________________________
Foreign pollsters were warned yesterday to comply with mainland
regulations on conducting surveys or risk severe punishment.
The State Statistical Bureau said it would strictly enforce a
two-month-old regulation on conducting polls on the mainland.
From next month any foreign violators would "be dealt with severely",
the bureau said without elaborating.
A spokesman told Xinhua that there had been "frequent incidences" when
polls conducted by foreign pollsters "threatened China's national
security and social and public interests and provided false
information that jeopardised their clients' interests". He did not
give any examples of the alleged violations. But the spokesman said
foreign companies would be able to continue to conduct market surveys
of their own products or appoint mainland firms for research outside
their own business area.
The Xinhua report said only approved polling companies could conduct
surveys in China, under a licensing system to be implemented next
year.
Foreign organisations and individuals would have to appoint these
licensed firms if they wanted to commission any polls on the mainland.
The spokesman said many organisations had not yet complied with a
regulation issued by the Government two months ago on conducting
surveys.
Under this rule, polling organisations must submit their surveys and
results to the Government for approval.
He warned that these organisations would not be qualified for licences
if they remained defiant beyond November 15.
A number of polling companies have appeared in recent years to compete
in China's burgeoning polling market as manufacturers pay more
attention to customers' tastes and preferences.
Some foreign companies including media organisations have also begun
to hire polling companies to gauge public attitudes on sensitive
social issues.
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