Hi all!
I’m experimenting still with the format. I want to make this style of news round-up a weekly thing, perhaps Wednesday-ish. On weekends I want to try to do a more editorial piece that brings together the events over the last week, and puts them in more context and sourced within the text, and perhaps with images and maps. In the future, I want to improve the diversity of sources, especially for stories concerning smaller or more minor (in relation to China) places of interest, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vantuatu, South American and African countries. I know today’s issue suffers from single-sided sources in a few areas, and I plan to make that better next time.
Today's edition covers the following topics:
Featured Articles
International Relations & Military
Domestic Issues, Health & the Environment
Ideology, Censorship & Domestic Politics
Business & Economy
Science & Tech
Gender, Sex & Relationships
Ethnicity & Religion
Entertainment & Sport
Society, Offbeat & Other
Enjoy, and please forward to friends, colleagues or anyone else you feel will find it useful or interesting!
If you prefer a more regular newsletter, with more focus on politics and finance, and with excellent commentary, please also consider subscribing to Sinocism (longer, paid) or Trivium (shorter, free).
Cheers!
Danny
FEATURED ARTICLES
The Chinese Workers Who Assemble Designer Bags In Tuscany
The New Yorker
Many companies are using inexpensive immigrant labor to manufacture handbags that bear the coveted “Made in Italy” label.
The first significant wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in the industrial zone around Prato, a city fifteen miles northwest of Florence, in the nineteen-nineties. Nearly all of them came from Wenzhou, a port city south of Shanghai. For the Chinese, the culture shock was more modest than one might have expected. “The Italians were friendly,” one early arrival remembered. “Like the Chinese, they called one another Uncle. They liked family.” In Tuscany, business life revolved around small, interconnected firms, just as it did in Wenzhou, a city so resolutely entrepreneurial that it had resisted Mao’s collectivization campaign. The Prato area was a hub for mills and workshops, some of which made clothes and leather goods for the great fashion houses. If you were willing to be paid off the books, and by the piece, Prato offered plenty of opportunities. Many Wenzhouans found jobs there. “The Italians, being canny, would subcontract out their work to the Chinese,” Don Giovanni Momigli, a priest whose parish, near Prato, included an early influx of Chinese, told me. “Then they were surprised when the Chinese began to do the work on their own.”
Essence and Form
China Channel
Chinese architecture struggles to find its identity
When Xi Jinping called for an end to “weird buildings” in a 2014 speech, journalists raced to point out their favorite offenders, from showpieces of contemporary architecture like Beijing’s massive CCTV tower or the Olympic “Bird’s Nest” Stadium, to less known (but no less striking) examples: buildings shaped like coins, sages, various teapots, and even the USS Enterprise. In comparison to these architectural oddities, Xi praised traditional Chinese architecture and the values it inspires (primarily loyalty to the state).
But while it’s not hard to read between the lines of his speech, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly Xi means by traditional Chinese architecture. Most Chinese cities are hodgepodges of styles: not only the showpiece buildings and skyscrapers nestled next to old courtyard homes and lanes, but also shopping and office complexes, such as Taikoo Li Sanlitun in Beijing (site of the infamous Uniqlo sex video that surely violates traditional values), or the SOHO complex across the street from it, which looks like a set from Logan’s Run. There are also the gaudy new apartment complexes for the nouveau riche, with flashy English names like “Yosemite” and “Long Beach New Money.” And filling in much of the space between these notable buildings are the soviet-inspired socialist housing compounds – danwei – often left in states of disrepair.
The United Nations of China: A vision of the world order
World Affairs Journal
- Chinese scholars’ increasing outspokenness on UN reform
- China’s evolving role in peacekeeping operations
- Chinese views on the global agenda for development
- China’s views on the Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
China’s participation in the United Nations system is often viewed through a succession of single lenses: its use of the veto over the last few years […]; its financial contribution […]; its contribution to peacekeeping operations […]; its fight against interference on human rights and for prioritising development and dialogue over sanctions and intervention […].
[… T]here is sophisticated thinking, and hints of policy debates going on about the UN, its reform process, the various stands taken by other member states, and, to some extent, China’s present and future role in the organisation.
[…]
China claims to defend the UN above all, but the limitations and constraints it puts on the UN’s role, as well as its use of coalitions within the G77 group of so-called developing countries, may well be neutering a more effective role for the organisation.
[…]
One day, a neutralised UN could become a vehicle for China’s worldviews; it is clear that China has the analytical capacity to canvass the ranks of UN members, and therefore to coddle or press them in the direction that it seeks. If and when it achieves that goal, the concept of multilateralism, which has very little prominence in our sources even though it figured in Xi Jinping’s 2017 UN Geneva speech, will surely return with force.
What Would Chinese Hegemony Look Like? A Lot Like US Leadership
South China Morning Post
The imperialist US pot just cannot accept the Chinese kettle may not be black. But it is American hegemony – sorry, leadership – that is the true force in need of balancing
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s declaration at the close of the National People’s Congress last month that his country would never seek hegemony or engage in expansion is likely to ring hollow in Western corridors of power.
Such is the entrenched mindset of many Western politicians and their advisers on strategy and foreign policy that they just cannot conceive of a rising power not wanting to lord it over others, especially those within the sphere of its influence through sheer economic and military might.
In the case of former imperialist powers like the United States, Britain and Japan, it is perhaps natural that their default mode of thinking is to extrapolate from their own shameful history of colonising weak nations and arrogate to China the same rapacious behaviour. The pot just cannot accept that the kettle may not be black. […] China is likely to supplant the US as the region’s economic, military and political hegemon before long. As that day approaches, she says, America’s allies will face difficult choices – accept Chinese dominance or step up their own defence capabilities as well as join forces with others to counter Beijing.
See also:
A stable, prosperous and fast growing China serves the common interests of the world
People’s Daily Online
China edging closer to becoming a global hegemon
World Affairs Journal
The Cold Frontier, Part One: A journey along North Korea's edge
Reuters
North Korea is a closed country, which makes it easy to forget that North Koreans and Chinese have long crossed each other’s borders. In the 1960s, people ran from China to North Korea. Then in the 1990s, they traveled in the opposite direction.
Both times, the reason was the same: hunger.
The border is the gateway for most of North Korea’s trade with the outside world. That also makes it the main channel for Beijing to put pressure on Pyongyang.
On our journey, we learned of some surprising ways people on both sides of the frontier turn to each other for subsistence, social gatherings and trade. Also, most of the 31,000 or so North Koreans who have defected to the South came through this border, South Korea’s government says. In a final chapter, our colleagues in Seoul share some of the dramatic stories defectors told us after they had crossed the river.
See also:
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & MILITARY
This section covers:
Syrian Strikes
The U.S.
Taiwan
North Korea
Islands & Seas
Australia & Vanuatu
One Belt One Road
Europe
Japan
Other
1. Syrian Strikes
U.N. Security Council Rejects Russian Resolution Condemning Syrian Strikes
The New York Times
The United Nations Security Council voted 8 to 3 against a Russian resolution condemning Western airstrikes on Syria.
See also:
China says Syrian strikes violate international law, urges dialogue
Reuters
China: "The Arrogant US Has A Record Of Launching Wars On Deceptive Grounds"
Zero Hedge
China was the first superpower outside those directly involved to slam the US airstrikes: "Any unilateral military action violates the United Nations charter and its principles and international law and its principles. [The strikes] are also going to add more factors to complicate the resolution of the Syrian crisis," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
See also:
Could China’s involvement in Syria spark World War III?
Asian Correspondent
2. THE U.S.
Why China Will Win the Trade War
Foreign Policy
Trump thinks he has a strong hand. In fact, Washington is far more vulnerable than Beijing.
See also:
Is Trump Serious About Trade War? China’s Leaders Hunt for Answers
The New York Times
US ports from coast to coast brace for possible impact from China trade war
CNBC
U.S. Ban Risks Leaving China’s Rising Tech Star ‘Half Dead’
Bloomberg
- ZTE grapples with a seven-year ban on critical U.S. gear
- It runs afoul of Washington just as U.S.-China tensions rise
See also:
China urges US to treat Chinese companies lawfully, fairly
XinhuaNet
Time to start manufacturing chips domestically now
Global Times
Once again, China and the US take their rivalry into the realms of ideology
South China Morning Post
Cary Huang says the US-led West is coming to the realisation that communist China is not developing into a liberal democracy as it had expected, and the rise of an authoritarian state is a challenge it must meet head-on
See also:
Attack on Confucius Institutes motivated
e-China News Service
3. TAIWAN
China Plans Taiwan Strait Live-Fire Exercises Amid Tensions
The New York Times
China announced it will hold live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions over increased American support for Taiwan's government.
See also:
Taiwan plots independence as Chinese military drill starts
World Affairs Journal
Beijing ready to snuff out any separatist move, and live-fire drill in Taiwan Strait is proof, official says
South China Morning Post
Taiwan leader says island secure ahead of China drills
Channel NewsAsia
Asia’s Bastion of Free Speech? Move Aside, Hong Kong, It’s Taiwan Now.
The New York Times
[A]s Beijing has tightened its grip on the former colony, Hong Kong has been increasingly supplanted by Taiwan, a self-governing island that has emerged as one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. Taiwan now draws the sorts of dissidents, rights groups and events that once naturally gravitated to Hong Kong.
Taiwan battles a brain drain as China aims to woo young talent
The Washington Post
[H]undreds of thousands of Taiwanese [are] flooding to their booming neighbor to find work, fueling fears of a brain drain on the island. And it is a brain drain that China appears to be gleefully exploiting.
See also:
Environment of innovation has top talent heading to China
Nikkei Asian Review
Young Taiwanese jobseekers cautioned over changing job market in China
Taiwan News
Taiwan predicted to become 'hyper-aged' country within 8 years
Taiwan News
Taiwan is anticipated to become a 'hyper-aged' society within 8 years
4. NORTH KOREA
Two Koreas Discuss Official End to 68-Year War, Report Says
Bloomberg
- Munwha Ilbo says statement may come at Moon-Kim summit
- Direct phone line between Moon and Kim may be connected Friday
North Korea, China 'discussing Xi Jinping visit to Pyongyang'
Money Control
The North is using its Beijing embassy to arrange Xi's itinerary with the international department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, quoting Chinese and North Korean sources.
See also:
DPRK pledges to consolidate friendship with China
XinhuaNet
5. ISLANDS & SEAS
Emptiness of US rhetoric has been exposed by China bringing Vietnam to heel
South China Morning Post
Washington failed to back up words with action after Beijing pressured Hanoi into abandoning South China Sea oil drilling project
See also:
Chinese Kidnapping Of Vietnamese Fishermen In The South China Sea: A Primary Source Analysis
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
China defends South China Sea military buildup
Times of India
China's military says it's entitled to strengthen its defences on islands in the disputed South China Sea but says those measures aren't directed at any specific countries.
See also:
President Xi reviews navy in South China Sea
XinhuaNet
China’s largest maritime military parade showcases aircraft carrier battle group
Global Times
America's ‘big stick’ arrives in the Philippines
GMA Network
[…] And as sticks go, they don't come any bigger than the nuclear-powered Roosevelt and its formidable support group of three destroyers and a cruiser.
See also:
Chinese navy stages double show of strength as US strike group drills in disputed South China Sea
South China Morning Post
6. AUSTRALIA & VANUATU
How China's property boom is costing young lovers — and Australia
ABC
A Chinese real estate agent once told me the country's real estate boom should be attributed to all the Chinese mothers who refuse to let their daughters marry men who do not own property.
China-Australia tension as biggest trading partner gives us the cold shoulder
The Sydney Morning Herald
The freeze in diplomatic relations between China and Australia is on, despite official denials – and business executives are clearly despondent about it.
See also:
Australian PM says foreign interference bill has soured ties with China
Channel NewsAsia
China is funding a $90 million South Pacific wharf big enough for warships
Quartz
China is flexing its maritime muscle. In the South China Sea last week, it put on its biggest-ever display of naval power, and its navy is conducting a live-fire drill in the Taiwan Strait this week, rattling nerves in Taipei and beyond.
See also:
U.S. inspects Chinese-funded Vanuatu wharf ahead of military exercise
Reuters
Response to rumours of a Chinese military base in Vanuatu speaks volumes about Australian foreign policy
The Conversation
7. ONE BELT ONE ROAD
IMF head Lagarde warns of Belt and Road ‘debt risks’
World Affairs Journal
'These ventures could lead to a problematic increase in debt, creating balance of payment challenges,' she says
See also:
Xi says Belt and Road Initiative not an intrigue of China
People’s Daily Online
Is China’s belt and road infrastructure development plan about to run out of money?
South China Morning Post
One Belt, One Road, One Happy Chinese Navy
Foreign Policy
[…] Beijing’s acquisition of more than a dozen ports across the Indian Ocean is a state-directed effort to bolster Chinese political influence and extend its military reach from Indonesia to East Africa, according to a detailed new study released Tuesday.
China’s Billions Are Set to Revive Pakistan’s Dilapidated Railways
Bloomberg
In the past decade, Pakistan’s rail network had become a byword for corruption, delays and filth. But a pledge from China has prompted authorities to overhaul its colonial-era rail infrastructure.
See also:
KP to recruit 2800 SPU cops to protect CPEC projects, Chinese
Pakistan Observer
Chinese firm to invest $800 million on Sri Lanka Port City underground road
Reuters
China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) will invest $800 million to build an underground road network to Sri Lanka’s Port City, a $1.4 billion project built on reclaimed land, a government minister said.
8. EUROPE
'Boiled frog syndrome': Germany's China problem
Reuters
[…] Germany’s China conundrum is part of a broader challenge facing Europe: Years of inward-focused crisis fighting have left the bloc politically divided and ill-prepared to respond to looming geopolitical and economic challenges. Now the continent risks being squeezed between a more assertive Beijing and the “America First” policies of Donald Trump.
See also:
German spy chief warns of dangers from Chinese hi-tech takeovers
South China Morning Post
Mounting angst in Germany over relationship with China
The Star Online
German port Duisburg witnesses fruitful results of Belt and Road Initiative
XinhuaNet
Europe’s new ‘Eastern bloc’
POLITICO
Beijing’s diplomatic masterstroke has put former Soviet countries on a collision course with Brussels.
Local media silent as Scottish leader tours China seeking investment
Nikkei Asian Review
Two sides sidestep thorny issues during UK secession advocate's Beijing visit
See also:
More cultural exchanges between China, Scotland
Gov.Cn
Commentary: China, Austria enjoy profound friendship
People’s Daily Online
Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen agreed to establish a Sino-Austrian friendly strategic partnership and advance bilateral pragmatic cooperation on Apr. 8.
Sweden charges man with spying on Tibetan exiles for China
Reuters
Sweden has charged a man with spying on Tibetan exiles on behalf of the Chinese security services, the state prosecutor said on Wednesday.
9. AFRICA
China to Build New ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja
Council on Foreign Relations
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and China have signed a memorandum of understanding in which Beijing will fund and build a new ECOWAS headquarters building in Abuja, Nigeria.
China’s Strategy in Djibouti: Mixing Commercial and Military Interests
Council on Foreign Relations
With the opening of the first overseas Chinese military base in Djibouti, this tiny Horn of Africa country has become a testing ground for the mixing of China's commercial and military interests abroad.
How can China help Angola achieve economic goals?
Global Times
China and Angola established diplomatic relations in January 1983, and their strategic partnership has moved forward steadily since then. The Chinese government and enterprises actively participated in Angola's post-war reconstruction since the end of the civil war in 2002, mainly in the form of contracted construction. Smooth progress was made in bilateral cooperation in the form of "mutually preferential loans."
Libya expresses willingness to join Belt and Road Initiative
Global Times
Libya's UN-backed Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed M'etig on Monday revealed that Libya desires to develop its economy by joining in the Belt and Road Initiative at a meeting with Wang Qimin, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Libya.
10. OTHER
Modi to fly to China soon to ‘reset’ bilateral ties
The Hindu
Ajit Doval’s unannounced visit to Shanghai this week seen as crucial preparation; Prime Minister may go to another city
See also:
Shanghai spirit permeates Sino-Indian dialogue
Asia Times
India’s adjustment of China policy a good start
Global Times
China’s Elitist Collaborators
Project Syndicate
In less than 15 years, China has gone from playing a marginal economic role in Latin America to being among the region's top investors and trading partners. The elites whom China is courting as part of its efforts to expand its influence have a responsibility to provide a clear-eyed assessment of the potential pitfalls of engagement.
See also:
Why China should help solve Venezuela’s deepening crisis
World Affairs Journal
DOMESTIC ISSUES, HEALTH & THE ENVIRONMENT
This section covers:
Hong Kong
The environment
Health
Mainland Cities
Other
1. HONG KONG
Compromise with Beijing now or suffer later
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s intransigence on enacting a national security law means reforms on the political and economic fronts are also being held back. Isn’t it time we met the central government half way?
See also:
Beijing ‘confuses Hong Kong localism with being anti-China’
South China Morning Post
Public fears pressure from Beijing is leading to end of press freedom in Hong Kong
South China Morning Post
Annual Press Freedom Index puts city at lowest level since survey started in 2013
Hong Kong civil servants to get HK$23.7 million worth of ‘national studies training’, some of it conducted by Beijing officials
South China Morning Post
Basic Law expert Qiao Xiaoyang will speak at a seminar on the mini-constitution on Friday, the second mainland representative to do so in a week
2. THE ENVIRONMENT
China cuts smog but health damage already done: Study
Channel NewsAsia
While China has made progress cutting smog, the damage to the health of millions of people may already have been done, especially as the population ages, the head of a US-based research agency said.
See also:
Smog in key north China region rises 27 percent in March: ministry
Reuters
China's green energy company starts construction of biggest solar plant in Egypt
Global Times
Egypt and China's clean energy company TBEA Sunoasis started Tuesday the construction of four solar power stations at the Benban Solar Energy Park in Egypt's southern province of Aswan.
Hungry Chicken Army Deployed to Combat China’s Locust Problem
Bloomberg
- Locusts expected to destroy area bigger than Jamaica this year
- Avian infantry to replace pesticides, protect environment
Xinjiang Snow Scientists Dig Deep for Climate Change Clues
Sixth Tone
An ongoing survey of shifting snow patterns in the Tianshan Mountains examines the impact of global warming in northwestern China.
Yangtze River City Closes Factories to Protect Porpoises
Sixth Tone
Yichang, a city in Hubei province situated on the Yangtze, has announced that it will close all of its riverside chemical factories by 2020, in keeping with ongoing efforts to protect porpoises and other wildlife, The Paper reported Tuesday.
3. HEALTH
Doctor arrested for describing Chinese medicinal tonic that was banned for false advertising as ‘poison’
South China Morning Post
Medic placed under investigation after company that has been repeatedly censured for misleading claims complained to police
See also:
Arrest for Slandering Snake Oil Angers Doctors
Sixth Tone
Doctors’ group to help physician detained for calling medicinal liquor ‘poison’
People’s Daily Online
‘Saving a life at any cost’: the Chinese parents flocking to big cities for a cure for their sick children
South China Morning Post
Fan Xiujuan and her husband have left home and given up more than everything they have in search of the best medical care for their son
China greenlights 'Internet hospitals'
e-China News Service
China has given the greenlight to "Internet hospitals" but stressed that safety is the bottom line.
4. MAINLAND CITIES
Why Urban Villages Are Essential to Shenzhen’s Identity
Sixth Tone
Neighborhoods of densely packed ‘handshake buildings’ house the poor and add to the city’s vitality.
Shanghai's Amazing 'Hanging Gardens' Nearly Complete
That’s Shanghai
Shanghai will soon have its own ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon,’ right along the Suzhou Creek. According to Shine, the main construction of the design called ‘Tian An Sunshine Peninsula’ has recently been completed, with the remaining development on target for a late 2019 debut.
Shanghai is Chinese mainland's top city for foreigners
e-China News Service
Shanghai, for the sixth consecutive year, has topped the list of the most attractive Chinese mainland's cities for foreigners, according to a ranking released at the weekend.
5. OTHER
China sets up English language website urging citizens to report on foreign spies
The Telegraph
Beijing has set up a website in English and Chinese for people to report on "spies", the latest national security measure to be rolled out by increasingly sensitive Chinese authorities.
See also:
Spies Like Us: National Security Hotline Receives 5,000 TIps in Fight Against Espionage
The Beijinger
China urges workers in defense-related field to watch out for foreign spies
Global Times
'Red wall' opens doors in Beijing
e-China News Service
[L]ocal government officials in Beijing's Xicheng district have taken on the task of solving problems confronting residents in their daily lives. Since the headquarters of China's central leadership Zhongnanhai is in the district, people who live and work around the compound have developed loyalty to the Party, a sense of responsibility and a faith to serve the public good. Since 1999, this common awareness has been called a "red wall consciousness" because of the color of walls surrounding Zhongnanhai.
Tropical island on forefront of next phase of China's reform, opening-up
XinhuaNet
China has decided to support Hainan in developing the whole island into a pilot free trade zone, and gradually exploring and steadily promoting the establishment of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics.
See also:
China to Support Horse Racing, Sports Lotteries in Hainan
Bloomberg
Property, Travel Stocks Soar After China Announces Measures to Develop Hainan
Bloomberg
Why China’s Food Museums Are in Poor Taste
Sixth Tone
Food-filled exhibition halls are putting company profits above culinary culture.
Mountains Moved, Then Left to Waste
Sixth Tone
Authorities in Gansu can’t agree on who signed off on a massive land creation project that was left half-finished — or if it was ever approved at all.
Leftovers From Beijing Restaurants Used as Swill to Feed Pigs
The Beijinger
[…] A number of Beijing restaurants have been caught selling off their food waste to be used as pig swill, a banned practice that may cause diseases in the animals, like pigs, that eat it (and, in turn, harm those who eat their meat).
China’s military veterans ministry opens after pension protests
South China Morning Post
Beijing opens new Ministry of Veterans Affairs following big protests over handling of welfare for China’s 57 million former armed forces personnel
China named 'world’s top executioner' as global rate falls
The Guardian
Amnesty says more people executed in China than rest of world combined but sub-Saharan Africa is a ‘beacon of hope’
IDEOLOGY, CENSORSHIP & DOMESTIC POLITICS
Tech Shame In The “New Era”
China Media Project
When does a corporate apology become a political self-confession, or jiantao (检讨), an act of submission not to social mores and concerns, but to those in power? The line can certainly blur in China. But the public apology today from Zhang Yiming (张一鸣), the founder and CEO of one of China’s leading tech-based news and information platforms, crosses deep into the territory of political abjection.
See also:
China’s Anti-Pornography Office Asks Video Platforms To Strengthen Censorship
China Money Network
Facebook's China Argument Revealed in Zuckerberg's Hearing Notes
Bloomberg
Public security minister vows to guide opinions
Global Times
China's public security minister has vowed to guide management of public opinion on sensitive cases and prevent hyping of such cases, the Ministry of Public Security said in a Tuesday statement.
Is Xi Jinping ‘Personally Opposed’ To Lifelong Rule?
SupChina
Meanwhile, Mao Zedong's secretary expresses surprise for “low level” of Xi Jinping’s education and his failure to learn from Mao's mistakes.
Families of Chinese activists face house arrest, harassment from 'smiling tigers'
Reuters
When a team of Chinese state security agents picked up Li Wenzu and then prevented her from leaving her own home last week, she was scared but not surprised. She was detained on the seventh day of a protest march she organized in an attempt to get the authorities to explain what has happened to her husband, Wang Quanzhang, a lawyer who has been missing since August 2015 during a sweeping crackdown on rights activists.
See also:
Eight Detained for Organizing Humanitarian Assistance for Political Prisoners and Their Families
China Change
Huge statue of Marx, a gift from China, erected at his German birthplace
Reuters
A massive statue of the founding father of communism was erected in his birthplace on Friday, after the southern German city of Trier decided to accept the bronze sculpture from China despite concerns over the country’s human rights record.
See also:
This Communist Life: Party Podcast Celebrates Marx Bicentennial
Sixth Tone
How to Win Friends and Influence People
China Channel
Inside China’s secretive United Front
How China uses forced confessions for propaganda purposes
The Sydney Morning Herald
A human rights organisation, Safeguard Defenders, has [drawn] attention to a practice it says violates fundamental due process and international legal standards — and to call out the media organisations in China and in Hong Kong that abet the practice by circulating the "confessions" and in some cases even participating in them.
The Committee By the Numbers
Macro Polo
The 19th Central Committee, composed of 376 full and alternate members, represents the epitome of political power in the Chinese system. But rather than viewing this Party body as merely a collective of politicians and power brokers, it is worth digging deeper into the composition and paths to power of the current Central Committee.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
China’s Communists Rewrite the Rules for Foreign Businesses
The New York Times
The party is strengthening its influence — often gaining direct decision-making power — over the international firms doing business in China.
See also:
China urges US to treat Chinese companies lawfully, fairly
XinhuaNet
China’s young consumers are snubbing foreign brands amid growing national pride, says Credit Suisse
South China Morning Post
China is seeing the emergence of a generation of consumers who are more likely to opt for home-made brands, spurred by a growing sense of national pride, according to a survey by Credit Suisse.
See also:
Chinese netizens look past politics in buying Japanese
Nikkei Asian Review
Muji expects record profits as Chinese consumers return to basics
Nikkei Asian Review
China's first quarter growth beats expectations at 6.8%
BBC
China's economy grew at an annual pace of 6.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, according to official data, beating forecasts for the period.
China's Xi says rising protectionism adds risks and uncertainty in world economy
Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping said rising protectionism adds risks and uncertainty in the world’s economy, state media reported on Monday.
SCIENCE & TECH
This section covers:
Hardware & Software
Ethics
Business
1. HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
China’s failed Long March 5 rocket ‘choked to death’, but space mission expected to resume this year
South China Morning Post
Problem that caused heavy-lift rocket to plunge into Pacific Ocean in July has been resolved, official report says
See also:
China plans to grow flowers and silkworms on the dark side of the moon
The Telegraph
German expert: China to take the lead in self-driving sector
China Global Television Network
China’s recent developments in the self-driving sector have drawn worldwide attention and the country is expected to take the lead in this field, according to a German expert’s view which was published on Deutsche Welle’s website last Thursday.
See also:
Alibaba Accelerates Autonomous Driving Research, Following In Footsteps Of Baidu And Tencent
China Money Network
China lays out self-driving rules in global race: China Daily
Reuters
Every big tech firm in China is becoming a self-driving car company
Quartz
China’s Built a Road So Smart It Will Be Able to Charge Your Car
Bloomberg
The road of the future is likely to become the brain and nerve center of an autonomous-driving revolution.
Shanghai's First 'Unmanned Bank' Run By Adorable Robot Manager
That’s Shanghai
In robot news, one Shanghai-based branch of China Construction Bank is now being hailed as the first ‘unmanned bank’ in China. […] The bank is equipped not only with a robot manager, but also with video teller machines and other services that employ augmented reality and virtual reality technology.
In race for 5G, China leads South Korea and US: Study
Channel NewsAsia
China is slightly ahead of South Korea and the United States in the race to develop fifth generation wireless networks, or 5G, a US study showed on Monday (Apr 16).
Face-Scanning Technology Officially Implemented at Beijing Capital International Airport
The Beijinger
After two years of trials, the new technology is now firmly installed at BCIA Terminal 2. At a rate of just one minute each, passenger processing times are estimated to rise from 160 to 266 an hour.
See also:
Mentally ill Chinese man ‘lost’ for a year reunited with family thanks to facial recognition technology
South China Morning Post
VR technology used to train police in central China
XinhuaNet
The public security bureau of Wuhan City in central China's Hubei Province has introduced virtual reality (VR) technology to boost the crime scene investigation ability for new recruits.
2. ETHICS
Police Shut ‘Privacy Art’ Exhibit for Displaying Personal Data
Sixth Tone
Artist Deng Yufeng purchased and presented the information of his fellow citizens to raise awareness of privacy issues.
China Will Always Be Bad at Bioethics
Foreign Policy
[…] As China’s advances in biotechnology come closer to the secrets of life, they pose tantalizing prospects for the future. But when standards for research on the latest technological frontiers are being set by a government that has always prioritized power over ethics, there’s also plenty of cause for concern.
3. BUSINESS
Apple's dominance in China is over, UBS says
Markets Insider
- Apple is facing increased competition in China's smartphone market, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich wrote in a note to clients.
- Apple's presence in the high-end slice of the market is diminishing.
- The broader Chinese smartphone market is slowing down too.
China's Ant ups fundraising target, valuation could hit $150 billion: sources
Reuters
China’s Ant Financial Services Group is in talks with investors to boost its fundraising target to at least $8 billion, which could see its valuation jumping to about $150 billion, people with knowledge of the plan said.
A brutal battle among China’s food-delivery apps is resulting in practically free meals
Quartz
[…] Last week, Didi officially added food delivery to its app’s offerings, starting off in a city near Shanghai called Wuxi. It will expand the offering into other cities in the months ahead. […] Days after launching the service, it announced that its share of Wuxi’s food-delivery market was already over 30%, with 334,000 orders generated on the first day alone.
Tencent Looking To Acquire $485M Stake In Chinese Bullet Train WiFi Operator
China Money Network
Chinese social media giant Tencent Holdings will bid for a stake in the company that provides WiFi services on China’s bullet trains in a deal worth more than RMB3.05 billion (US$485 million).
GENDER, SEX & RELATIONSHIPS
Are China’s university lecturers exploiting their traditional ‘godfatherly’ roles to abuse students?
South China Morning Post
The suicides of two students raise questions about the often unchecked power of professors
See also:
Renmin announces new steps to curb sexual harassment
e-China News Service
Gone But Not Forgotten
China Channel
Why Feminist Voices will never die in China
China’s LGBT people came out as a protest against an online ban on gay content. And it worked
Quartz
China’s answer to Twitter, Sina Weibo, today (April 16) withdrew its short-lived ban on homosexual content, after people came out as gay to protest the ban.
See also:
Weibo Administration: “We’re No Longer Targeting Gay Content”
What’s On Weibo
After Outcry, Weibo Does U-Turn on Gay Content Ban
Caixin Global
Chinese society learning to accept LGBT community
Global Times
First Gay-ish Film Widely Released in China
Sixth Tone
Gay cinemagoers in China are finding “Looking for Rohmer” a bit of a letdown. Long heralded on Chinese social media as the first gay-themed film to be approved for nationwide release, “Looking for Rohmer” — also known by its prerelease title, “Seek McCartney” — premiered on Friday to mixed reviews.
More Open, More Anxious: China’s Changing Sex Lives
Sixth Tone
Young people are having sex earlier and earlier, but performance anxiety is on the rise.
Off the Racks: In China, Push-Up Bras Are So Last Year
Sixth Tone
Sales of lightweight, wireless bras outpace popular beauty standards.
Hong Kong's small polyamory community finds solace, support in social media
AsiaOne
The idea of free love for all may be a concept hard to grapple with for some, but for Lea from Hong Kong, as per the South China Morning post last April 8, she believes polyamory is no more unusual than any other lifestyle choice.
ETHNICITY & RELIGION
Xinjiang Authorities Detain Uyghur Pro Footballer For ‘Visiting Foreign Countries’
Radio Free Asia
Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region have detained 19-year-old Uyghur Erfan Hezim—a former member of China’s national youth football team—in a “political re-education camp” for “visiting foreign countries” after he traveled abroad to train and take part in matches, according to local sources.
China jails pastor as Beijing pursues plan to ‘sinicize’ country’s major religions, eliminate foreign influence
The Japan Times
[…] He was sentenced last month to seven years in prison for “organizing others to illegally cross the border” — a crime more commonly applied to human traffickers. His American sons and Christian colleagues — who have not been allowed contact with him since his arrest — spoke about the case for the first time, arguing that the pastor’s sentence should be reduced in light of his humanitarian work.
Buddhists Win Round in Fight Against Commercialization
Caixin Global
A travel agency in East China’s Zhejiang province is discovering that some things are too sacred for earthly matters like the nation’s booming tourism industry. That lesson is being learned by a tourism company associated with Putuoshan, one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains, which has been accused of trying to commercialize the well-known name in the run-up to a planned IP0.
Beijing Event Promotes Black Visibility, Community Building In China
SupChina
Poets, activists, authors, and observers packed the Beijing venue The Bookworm on Friday night for a spoken-word event called Culture Shock, organized by BLK GEN (short for “Black Genius”). It was highlighted by a performance by Bay Area poet/rapper/activist Tyson Amir, whose work investigates structural racism, intergenerational trauma, addiction, incarceration, and identity.
ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Chinese values influence global film industry
Global Times
Box office sales in China have attracted worldwide attention in recent years. The Chinese mainland's film market has overtaken that of Japan to become the world's second largest and the number of movie screens tops the world, according to media reports.
Beijing Festival: Chinese Art Films to Get $16 Million Acquisition Fund
Variety
The emerging art house film sector in China is to get a further boost from the launch of a $16 million (RMB100 million) specialized acquisition fund. The initiative is backed by five companies already operational in the sector.
‘Have A Nice Day,’ A Beijing Film Festival Selection, Is An Unsparing Portrait Of Urban China At The Margins
SupChina
Director Liu Jian’s violent, bleak, and often hilarious take on the physical and moral toll of three decades of government-encouraged breakneck urbanization.
When It Comes To Sports Success In China, It’s All About The Women
source
China’s women’s soccer team becomes first to qualify for World Cup, while the women’s rugby team wins Hong Kong Sevens.
China gives Olympic ski dreams a lift in remote regions
Channel NewsAsia
[…] The world's most populous country wants to put 10 per cent of its total population on skis ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics - a figure so large it would double the current global tally of skiers. To reach its goal, Beijing will have to boost enthusiasm for the sport […] in previously ignored corners of the country such as barren Qinghai, with frigid winters and an average elevation of over 3,000m.
SOCIETY, OFFBEAT & OTHER
China’s Week in Photos, April 9-15
Sixth Tone
In this Week in Photos, the Chinese Grand Prix is held in Shanghai; travelers prepare to release sky lanterns in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province; and a crow pecks at a giant panda’s furry rump at a zoo in Beijing.
The Opium Wars And China’s Century Of National Humiliation
SupChina
The Opium Wars and the humiliation that the Chinese endured at the hands of foreign powers remains a source of shame and anger for many today.
‘Too busy, too much pressure’: an ageing China and the erosion of filial piety
Hong Kong Free Press
[…] China had more than 158 million people over 65 by the end of last year, which was more than the population of similarly aged people in Japan, Germany, the UK, France and Australia combined. The figure swells by 10 million each year. [A]s China’s ageing crisis deepens, more people feel pulled between the demands of filial duties to one’s parents and their work or other relationships. Even as the cultural taboo and mistrust towards nursing homes remains, single children and their parents are running out of options, though experts say nursing homes are only a small part of any potential solution.
Parents Plead With Government to Give Kids More Homework
Sixth Tone
Anxious moms and dads doubt the efficacy of the decades-old workload reduction movement.
Alibaba removes child sex dolls from AliExpress online marketplace
Hong Kong Free Press
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has removed child sex dolls from its AliExpress online marketplace following an enquiry by HKFP.