Author: UC Berkeley Library

The East Asian Library has received the following email from East View Information Services:

SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
March 17, 2023

Dear Customer,

We bring to your attention some important, breaking news. As all are surely aware, recent weeks have seen an acceleration in policy changes at the government level in the People’s Republic of China. East View has been monitoring the situation, and we are doing all possible to remain closely informed by our partners, such as CNKI.

The Cybersecurity Administration of China (CAC) has recently imposed new oversight requirements on Chinese publishers and exporters of information. In short, many content types that were previously viewed as mundane have now been flagged by the Chinese authorities to be subject to government review. We were just informed in recent days that this may lead to a review of:

– DISSERTATIONS
– PATENTS
– STATISTICS
– CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

As of the evening of March 15, 2023, East View was informed that the Cybersecurity Administration will require Chinese publishers to temporarily suspend access to full-text downloads of these content types, as soon as April 1 as CAC creates new compliance standards for publishers.

These conditions are also breaking news for our partners in China, who supply the content for overseas use.

As of this morning (March 17th, 2023), we received the following official notification from one partner, CNKI, affirming the imposition of changes on April 1. Their official notification can be downloaded at the following links: https://www.eastview.com/暂停部分服务通知/ and https://www.eastview.com/notice-of-suspension-of-partial-services/

East View has learned that similar measures have been imposed in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, and will occur in South Korea, Japan, and elsewhere. East View is attempting to learn the extent to which actions imposed in those countries are similar to or divergent from any actions that will be applied for North America.

The fact that these developments are emerging at a moment of heightened international tension is clear. Our partners are operating under difficult circumstances to become compliant with recently created regulations and short deadlines. The duration of such suspensions is not yet known, but we have been told that access will resume upon CAC determining that Chinese publishers have addressed their requirements for the review of the affected content types. While we are working with partners to understand their circumstances, we are also advocating frankly for our customers’ interests and have registered our concern about the timing and scope of these actions.

East View’s mission is to provide meaningful access and solutions for research content from dynamic regions from which such access is not unproblematic. Whether it is content from within or beyond China’s borders, and whether it is collaboration with partners operating under evolving regulations of this nature, this remains our mission. East View is always grateful for your support, and we are eager to provide you maximum transparency and positive outcomes in fulfillment of your missions. We will be engaged with China and with you, our library partners, actively as we learn more about these emerging developments.

Sincerely,
East View Information Services
online@eastview.com