Issue: July 2008--Focus on China and the Olympic Games

PORTABLE DEVICE DATA SECURITY IN CHINA [Top Of Page]

Officials are warning businesses and federal employees about potential portable data device security breaches during overseas travel, and at the Olympic Games. Attempts could be made to steal secrets or plant bugs to infiltrate U.S. computer networks through laptops and email devices.

If you are traveling internationally with a computer make sure it has the least amount of files possible stored on it, and even those should be encrypted. A process called “whole-disk encryption” will mask and password-protect your files. Windows Vista includes a program called BitLocker for this. Mac offers FileVault and CNET recommends software called PGP Disk Encryption; other software is available. 

Remember, though, that encryption is not a panacea. Choose a difficult password. Don’t leave your laptop on with a screensaver active and think your data is protected. You must shut your computer off completely to bar access to your encrypted files. Consider encrypting at the whole-disk level and adding password protection to each individual document.

Keep your laptop in your possession at all times, but don’t think that just because you do that it is not at risk: connecting to the Internet anywhere immediately exposes your data to potential intrusions. Only use virtual private networks (VPNs) for network traffic and secure socket layer (SSL) for email. If you are in China for the Olympics, be mindful that the government controls all internet service providers and wireless networks. .

International border guards may ask you to enter decryption passwords during security checks when entering a country, putting the data at risk. Some companies have countered this procedure by giving employees laptops with empty hard drives and then emailing them necessary documents. Before the employees travel across another border, they can clean out the hard drive again.

Whenever you travel overseas, check your computer for viruses and bugs upon return, and especially before you reconnect to any networks at your home office.

The best solution of all? Leave your laptop and email devices at home if possible. 

OLYMPIC GAMES SAFETY MEASURES [Top Of Page]

Beijing's Capital International Airport has adopted special security checks for the Olympic Games. Not only passengers, but those who come to receive or drop off passengers, as well as airport staff, will all undergo security checks if they attempt to enter the airport. An Olympic Security Command Center has also been launched, linking to a video surveillance system that monitors surrounding roads, terminals, fly zones, offices and public areas to ensure 24-hour security. Commanders there can monitor events, communicate with each other efficiently and even deploy security forces as necessary. 

Host cities have set up no-fly zones restricting air space near the venues. The restrictions encompass small aircraft including planes, helicopters, manned and unmanned balloons, gliders, and remote control and/or model aircraft. Any potential airborne threats will be warned and intercepted.   

Railways

Railways in Beijing and Shanghai will be patrolled by armed special police and canine units capable of sniffing for flammables, explosives, weapons and drugs. Extra trains will be running to accommodate Olympic Games attendees.  

Streets and Roadways

In Beijing, armed police with sniffer dogs, metal detectors and security scanners have been activated at checkpoints on every access road to Beijing. Police will be screening people (licenses, passports) and cargo. Any trucks with non-Beijing license plates will be banned from entering the city unless they present valid documentation.         

A high-tech surveillance system developed by IBM will be used to scan city streets and issue real-time alerts when certain patterns are detected. The system can warn security guards if restricted areas have been breached, or if criminal or terrorist activity is afoot. Olympic Games tickets will contain a microchip allowing for electronic tracking.

Power

Beijing Power Corporation has added four large, portable generators to their infrastructure, and will have a total of 18 emergency power sources on standby for the Olympic Games. The generators can be activated quickly if the city power grid experiences a blackout, especially in the Olympic and residential areas.

Municipal Services

The fire department in Beijing has been asked to step up its capabilities and vigilance during the Olympic Games.  Firefighting teams are expected to reach the scene of any fire within one minute, be actively fighting any blaze within three minutes, and have the fire under control within ten minutes.

Mail security has been heightened. Anyone mailing parcels to Beijing (as well as the five co-host cities) must provide identity cards at the post office counter. Parcels will be opened and searched.

The Municipal Public Security Bureau of Beijing is offering rewards of up to $75,000 for anyone providing substantial information about a major security threat.

HEALTH NOTES FROM CHINA [Top Of Page]

• Smoking will be prohibited in Olympic venues and in the majority of public places, including taxis and public transportation
  
  
• Beijing held blood drives in the spring to bolster the supply of Rh-negative blood, which is not common in Asia but very common among Westerners.
  
  
• Health authorities in Beijing have promised 140 ambulances onsite at venues every day.
  
  
• Food and water supplies in Beijing and other sites are being safeguarded by a rigorous system of selection, monitoring and inspection, including GPS tracking, visits from health supervisors and regular water/air sampling. 
  
  
• The city has engaged in large-scale pest (rats, cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes) extermination in advance of The Games, to mitigate potential spread of malaria, plague and West Nile as well as the discomfort of plain old itchy bites. China has also established a nationwide electronic network for reporting epidemics, the largest of its kind in the world with 207,000 CDC staffers.
  
  
• The CDC lists rabies as a potential health hazard in the Olympic host cities. Dogs and cats are not vaccinated against the disease in China, so avoid petting or handling any animals, even ones that seem friendly. If you do, and are scratched or bitten, wash the area with soap and hot water and see a doctor immediately. Take care with children who might be tempted to interact with animals.

Sharon*, a 20-year old student from China studying at the University of Iowa, began acting strangely and reported hearing voices. Dorm-mates called university personnel, who in turn contacted the local police. They brought her to the psychiatric ward of the nearby hospital, where a social worker called Assist America.

Immediately on the case, we consulted fully with her treating doctors. Sharon was displaying a suspicious manner with darting eye contact, child-like behavior and an odd, faraway smile. She was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia and would not be able to continue her program of studies.

After we monitored her condition in the hospital over several days, she was ready to be released into the care of her mother in Beijing. She obviously would need significant help getting home, including sedation for travel.

We arranged and paid for Sharon to travel home to Beijing, sedated with a medical escort, on a commercial carrier. She arrived safely and was delivered into the care of her family and local physicians. The school was very relieved to have an assistance company that was so helpful and that does not have exclusions for mental illness. Another happy ending thanks to Assist America!

*name has been changed for privacy

TIPS FOR VISITING BEIJING [Top Of Page]

Heading to the Olympic Games? Or just planning a trip to China? Our colleagues at China Assist, the licensed provider of Assist America in China, have some tips for your safety and convenience:

• The pollution in Beijing and in other major Chinese cities can be significant. Businesses representing the major polluting culprits have agreed to cut or suspend emissions for the duration of the Olympic Games, and car traffic is being cut in half to help alleviate the smog. Still, if you have a respiratory sensitivity, talk to your doctor before leaving, bring necessary medications and consider at least carrying a mask with you while outside during your stay in the country.
  
  
• Expect that some of the Olympic preparations will not be completed due to resources being redirected to rebuilding after the earthquake earlier this year.
  
  
• When crossing the street in Beijing, the green pedestrian signal to walk does not grant the pedestrian right of way over cars, and drivers pay little attention to it. Use caution when crossing streets and wait for a longer lull in traffic to cross than you normally would at home.
  
  
• Some Chinese speak English and others don’t. Do not assume you will always be able to find an English speaker in any given situation.
  
  
• Although Beijing authorities are planning to use cloud-bursting rockets seeded with silver iodide to force showers and storms away from the main stadium, the weather can fluctuate rapidly. Wear layers and be prepared for varying temperatures and conditions. 
  
  
• Remember and abide by Olympic venue rules:
  
  
  • No smoking, no crossing over guardrails, no use of umbrellas or standing up for a long period of time in the seating area, and no flash photography. 
  • Restricted items include musical instruments, oversized bags, suitcases, handbags, flags of countries and regions not participating either in the Beijing Olympic Games or Paralympic Games, flags over 6.6 feet in length or 3.3 feet in height, banners, leaflets, posters, unauthorized professional videotaping equipment, knives, bats, long-handled umbrellas, long poles, animals (except for guide dogs), vehicles (except for strollers and wheelchairs), loudspeakers, radios, laser devices or wireless devices.
  • Banned items include guns, ammunition, crossbows, daggers, fireworks, flammable materials, corrosive chemicals and radioactive materials.
    
    
• Taxi drivers will all be wearing the same clothing during the Olympic Games to make them more identifiable. They will wear white short-sleeve shirts or blouses with white gloves and blue neckties. The Chinese—especially cab drivers—will likely not recognize English names for hotels, such as Marriott or Sheraton. Bring the exact address, phone number and even the name of your hotel written in Mandarin in case you need to show it to someone. To receive a free chart of Beijing hotel names in English and Mandarin, email olympics@assistamerica.com.

China has its own set of norms--even quirks--when it comes to dining.  Some hints that may be helpful if you plan to travel there:

• Though strides are being made to clean up public restrooms, you may still encounter facilities that are not as clean or fresh-smelling as Westerners are used to. Bring a small pack of tissues with you; sometimes toilet paper can be scarce.
  
  
• If you are only in China for a few weeks or less, avoid eating from street vendors, as the bacteria on the meat will be too much for your system to handle.
  
  
• Menus are not always provided in English, or with photographs. Ingredients (such as donkey meat and uncommon animal body parts—think brains, intestines, etc.) can be very unfamiliar, sometimes distasteful, to Western palates. If something looks suspicious to you, just don’t eat it. Keep in mind that dog meat, known in Chinese as “xiangrou” or “fragrant meat,” is being taken off the menus of restaurants around Beijing during the Olympic Games. Pictures and Mandarin translations of common dishes in China can be found here: 
  
  http://www.beijingtraveltips.com/chinese_food_guide/chinese_food_guide.htm
  
  
• MSG is used in most Chinese cooking. If you don’t want MSG in your food, try saying “Bu yao fan wei jing,” (“Don’t cook with MSG”), but don’t expect it really to happen.
  
  
• Though Chinese food is often considered safe for vegetarians, keep in mind that cooks may use the same grill for vegetables and meats, and that lard is a common ingredient in some vegetable soups.
  
  
• The Chinese way of eating is for each individual to have their own bowl of rice while the entrée dishes are communal. Serving spoons and/or a knife and fork might be offered to you; if they’re not and you need them then it’s not bad etiquette to ask.
  
  
• During meals, finish the rice in your bowl if you can. It is ok to refuse a second bowl if offered. Some people think it uncouth and bad etiquette to hold your rice bowl with your palm beneath the base because it looks like you'’re begging, so to be safe, grip it from the side or on the rim. Don’t feel obliged to finish all the entrees, if you do the host might order more.
  
  
• Foods like shrimp are picked up and torn apart with the hands. Because most other eating is done with chopsticks, foods are normally chopped, sometimes leaving bone fragments in the dish that you will have to eat around. According to the style of the restaurant, you’ll be expected to drop bones, shells and other waste onto a small plate, or straight onto the table. Some restaurants have throwaway tablecloths for this very purpose. If in doubt, slow down a bit and see what everyone else is doing to establish the correct etiquette.
  
  
• Locals may drink loudly, slurp soup, talk at high volume during meals and chew with mouths open. If they encounter something unsavory in their food, they will spit it right out on the table without using a napkin. This is normal custom.
  
  
• Fill up your neighbor’s cup with tea when you fill your own, and leave the pot so that the spout does not point directly at any one individual.
  
  
• It is bad etiquette to leave your chopsticks vertically plunged into the rice bowl when you’re not using them--it looks like an offering of incense to the dead. There might be a special chop stick holder, if not lean them on the side or across the top of the bowl. If your chopsticks fall to the table or floor, don’t attempt to pick them up—your server will bring a new pair. For a video of how to hold and use chopsticks properly, visit:
  
  www.jazzviolin.com/swf/how_hold_chopsticks/how_to_hold_chopsticks_china.html
  
  
• It’s usual for everyone to try to pay the bill, but etiquette dictates that whoever made the invitation should pay in the end. Don’t suggest the idea of splitting the bill or offer to pay for your share.

For the latest, up-to-date information regarding key regions, click on the links below:

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