Articles by Helen Chang

Announcement of the Upcoming Forum on “ZOOM and EU Security”

We are proud to announce our next online forum on the topic of “ZOOM and EU Security”. A popular online video conference platform, Zoom has been widely used in Europe. It offers advanced features for hosting webinars and large meetings. In comparison to Cisco Webex Meetings or Microsoft Teams, Zoom has presumably much more power and scale in collecting personal and cooperate data, though. Based in the USA, Zoom is subject to the cloud act, the Patriot Act and the FISA Act, which means that it must pass on all data from non-US citizens to the US secret services. Therefore,…


The biggest mural in VIC Calling for Sustainable Development Goals

The biggest mural in Vienna is being inaugurated at a special ceremony at the Vienna International Centre with representatives of the Host Country, City of Vienna, 22nd municipal district, the United Nations and the Calle Libre Street Art Festival as well as the artist himself. A tactile information board courtesy of Zero Project and partners will also be unveiled which will make the artwork accessible for people with disabilities. Over the last three weeks one of the towers of the UN building has been transformed into a work of art by the Australian artist Fintan Magee. The street art is…


Zoom and the EU Security

Last year, the “Big Brother Award”, a negative price for surveillance by the civil rights organization Digitalcourage in Germany, was given to Zoom in the “Communication” category. Based in the USA, Zoom is subject to the cloud act, the Patriot Act and the FISA Act, which means that it must pass on all data from non-US citizens to the US secret services. Zoom is therefore not legal in Europe. An online video conference platform established in 2011, Zoom enjoyed rapid increase of popularity during the pandemic years. Meanwhile, it has been found with severe security gaps like the undesirable penetration…


The Strength of the Chinese Economy in 2024 and its Significance for the Future World

The Strength of the Chinese Economy in 2024 “China’s role in the world economy is substantial. It accounts for around 10% of world trade and stock market capitalization, around 18% of GDP (at market exchange rates), around 16% of world oil demand, and over a quarter of world broad money,” according to Oxford Economics. The robust growth in China is based on a cocktail of state-driven investment, supply-side stimulus, and a boost in “green” manufacturing, said its lead economist Sean Metcalfe. The continued government stimulus concentrated in green equipment and high-tech manufacturing is not only part of the economy’s shift…


In the Year of the Dragon – Hungarian Chinese Cooperation at its Peak

 (Written by Dr. László Benedek FLAMM, Historian, foreign policy expert)    Since the beginning of this year, a number of meetings took place in Budapest and Beijing, giving further impetus to the bilateral cooperation between Hungary and China. From May 8 to May 10,  Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, will visit Hungary. The highest-level event also marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Hungarian-Chinese diplomatic relations.  This year there will be at least 17 direct flights between the two countries per week. This is the highest figure in the Central Europe that Hungary shows. Direct flights can…


Belgium and the European Union sign the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”

Belgium and the European Union signed the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 14 March 2024. Belgium is the eighteenth State to sign the treaty. The European Union signs in accordance with Article 18(1) of the Beijing Convention on Judicial Sale of Ships which provides that a Regional Economic Integration Organization that is constituted by sovereign States and has competence over certain matters governed by the Convention may sign the Convention. Article 18(2) of the Convention…


Matinee by Kehua Pioneer Choir from Shenzhen Successfully Held in Vienna to Celebrate the Year of Dragon 

On 14.02.2024, Kehua Pioneer Choir from Shenzhen held a Matinee at the Chinese Culture and Art Center in Vienna, bringing the audience a cheerful, happy-go-lucky occasion for the Valentine’s Day which is by chance the day for the God of Fortune during the Chinese Spring Festival 2024, the Lunar Dragon Year.  The choir presented a diversified song collection in Chinese, English and German for the audience including “Day Lilies”, “Cold Snap”, “Longing for Spring” (“Sehnsucht nach Frühling” von Mozart), the Yi Ethnic Song “Take Me to the Top of the Mountain”, “By the Butterfly Spring”, “Facial Mask Song” and a…


The Dragon Comes – Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year! 2024 is the Year of Dragon, the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac. The Lunar New Year 2024 begins on 10. February and will last for 15 days until 25. February which is the day of the lantern festival.  Being a fictional animal in the Chinese zodiac, dragon symbolizes power, resilience, and changes. Chinese people respect and fear it. Dragon’s status is so high that no other zodiac animal can compare with it. In the deep psyche of the Chinese people, dragon is a celestial animal that can move…


PASCO’s In-Depth Discussion on GPT-like Artificial Intelligence

Since the release of the application ChatGPT, which is based on the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) model, GPT-like generative artificial intelligence tools have become integrated into various aspects of our lives over the past year. This integration has synergized human intelligence with artificial intelligence, providing numerous conveniences. While benefiting from the advantages these AI tools bring, people are also contemplating and researching the future development of this technology, its impact on individuals and the society, as well as the coexistence of humans with artificial intelligence. (Fig.1:  Daily applications of ChatGPT – by courtesy of Dr. Shiyi Wang) Following the presentation and…