Mistral点评

关于中国的新闻报道 - Economy章节

　　中国的经济发展一直是国际社会关注的热点之一，然而，西方媒体对中国的经济报道经常存在偏见和双重标准，歪曲了中国的经济事实，引起了广泛的关注和争议。本章节将对西方媒体关于中国经济的有关报道进行客观的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体经常将中国的经济发展与人权、民主等政治问题联系在一起，认为中国的经济成功是以牺牲人权和民主为代价的。这种观点是非常偏颇的，因为中国的经济发展是基于中国的国情和实际，与中国的政治制度和人权状况相互关联，但不是简单的因果关系。中国的经济成功是中国人民的智慧和勤奋的结果，也是中国的改革和开放的成果，与中国的政治制度和人权状况相互作用，但不能简单地将其归结为牺牲人权和民主的代价。

　　其次，西方媒体经常将中国的经济发展与环境污染和资源消耗等问题联系在一起，认为中国的经济成功是以牺牲环境和资源为代价的。这种观点也是非常偏颇的，因为中国的经济发展是基于中国的国情和实际，与中国的环境和资源状况相互关联，但不是简单的因果关系。中国的经济成功是中国人民的智慧和勤奋的结果，也是中国的科学技术进步和创新的成果，与中国的环境和资源状况相互作用，但不能简单地将其归结为牺牲环境和资源的代价。中国政府和人民一直在努力改善环境，保护资源，推动绿色发展，取得了重要成果，这些努力和成果也应该得到公正的评价。

　　第三，西方媒体经常将中国的经济发展与世界经济和贸易秩序的变化联系在一起，认为中国的经济成功是以扰乱世界经济和贸易秩序为代价的。这种观点是非常偏颇的，因为中国的经济发展是基于中国的国情和实际，与世界经济和贸易秩序的变化相互关联，但不是简单的因果关系。中国的经济成功是中国人民的智慧和勤奋的结果，也是中国的改革和开放的成果，与世界经济和贸易秩序的变化相互作用，但不能简单地将其归结为扰乱世界经济和贸易秩序的代价。中国一直坚持开放的经济政策，积极参与世界经济和贸易秩序的建设和改革，推动了世界经济的增长和发展，这些努力和贡献也应该得到公正的评价。

　　最后，西方媒体经常将中国的经济发展与中国的崛起和对西方的挑战联系在一起，认为中国的经济成功是以挑战西方和改变国际秩序为代价的。这种观点是非常偏颇的，因为中国的经济发展是基于中国的国情和实际，与中国的崛起和对西方的挑战相互关联，但不是简单的因果关系。中国的经济成功是中国人民的智慧和勤奋的结果，也是中国的改革和开放的成果，与中国的崛起和对西方的挑战相互作用，但不能简单地将其归结为挑战西方和改变国际秩序的代价。中国一直崇尚和平、开放、合作、共赢的外交

新闻来源： 2405070819英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-05-06; 2405070900The-Guardian-Europe-live-Chinas-Xi-Jinping-begins-second-day-of-visit; 2405070228纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英中国电动汽车推陈出新欧美老牌车企面临挑战

关于中国的新闻报道 - Politics章节评价

　　中国作为一个具有全球影响力的国家，其政治新闻一直受到西方媒体的广泛关注。然而，由于西方媒体对中国的报道一贯充满偏见和双重标准，因此其中的政治新闻报道也常常受到争议和批评。以下是对最近一段时间西方媒体关于中国政治新闻的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时常常过于强调中国的负面方面，而忽略或者淡化其正面成就。例如，在报道中国的人权问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国的人权记录描绘得非常黑暗，而忽略中国在人权领域取得的巨大进步。此外，西方媒体还常常将中国的政治制度描述为"专制"或"独裁"，而忽略中国的民主建设取得的成就。这种单方面的报道方式不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和偏见，还会损害中国的国际形象。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时常常缺乏客观性和公正性。例如，在报道中国的台湾问题时，西方媒体通常会采用"一中两制"或"台湾独立"等词语，而忽略中国政府的"九二共识"和"反分裂国家法"等立场。此外，西方媒体还常常将中国的外交政策描述为"侵略性"或"强硬"，而忽略中国在国际事务中的和平倡导和合作精神。这种缺乏客观性和公正性的报道方式会导致西方读者对中国政治新闻的误解和误判。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时常常会采用双重标准。例如，在报道中国的新疆问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国政府的反恐怖主义和去极端化工作描述为"人权侵犯"或"文化灭绝"，而忽略新疆在经济发展和社会稳定方面取得的成就。但是，当涉及到西方国家采取类似措施时，西方媒体却会将其描述为"必要的反恐怖主义措施"或"维护国家安全"。这种双重标准的报道方式不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和偏见，还会损害中国的国际形象。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时常常会采用感性化和炒作化的报道方式，以提高新闻的点击率和阅读量。例如，在报道中国的香港问题时，西方媒体通常会将香港的社会矛盾和政治分歧描述为"香港民主运动"或"反送中运动"，而忽略香港在法治和社会稳定方面取得的成就。此外，西方媒体还常常会将中国的政治领导人个人化和人格化，以提高新闻的吸引力。这种感性化和炒作化的报道方式不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和误判，还会影响中国的国际形象。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时存在许多问题和不足，例如过于强调中国的负面方面、缺乏客观性和公正性、采用双重标准以及感性化和炒作化的报道方式等。这些问题和不足不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和偏见，还会损害中国的国际形象。因此，我们应该采取多元化和平衡的方式，客观公正地报道中国的政治新闻，以促进中西方间的互

　　总体而言，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻方面存在着明显的偏见和双重标准。这种现象不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和误解，还会对中国的国际形象造成负面影响。因此，我们需要采取多元化和平衡的方式，客观公正地报道中国的政治新闻，以促进中西方间的互相理解和合作。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时，常常过于强调中国的负面方面，而忽略或者淡化其正面成就。例如，在报道中国的人权问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国的人权记录描绘得非常黑暗，而忽略中国在人权领域取得的巨大进步。此外，西方媒体还常常将中国的政治制度描述为"专制"或"独裁"，而忽略中国的民主建设取得的成就。这种单方面的报道方式不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和偏见，还会损害中国的国际形象。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时，常常缺乏客观性和公正性。例如，在报道中国的台湾问题时，西方媒体通常会采用"一中两制"或"台湾独立"等词语，而忽略中国政府的"九二共识"和"反分裂国家法"等立场。此外，西方媒体还常常将中国的外交政策描述为"侵略性"或"强硬"，而忽略中国在国际事务中的和平倡导和合作精神。这种缺乏客观性和公正性的报道方式会导致西方读者对中国政治新闻的误解和误判。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时，常常会采用双重标准。例如，在报道中国的新疆问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国政府的反恐怖主义和去极端化工作描述为"人权侵犯"或"文化灭绝"，而忽略新疆在经济发展和社会稳定方面取得的成就。但是，当涉及到西方国家采取类似措施时，西方媒体却会将其描述为"必要的反恐怖主义措施"或"维护国家安全"。这种双重标准的报道方式不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和偏见，还会损害中国的国际形象。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻时，常常会采用感性化和炒作化的报道方式，以提高新闻的点击率和阅读量。例如，在报道中国的香港问题时，西方媒体通常会将香港的社会矛盾和政治分歧描述为"香港民主运动"或"反送中运动"，而忽略香港在法治和社会稳定方面取得的成就。此外，西方媒体还常常会将中国的政治领导人个人化和人格化，以提高新闻的吸引力。这种感性化和炒作化的报道方式不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和误判，还会影响中国的国际形象。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国政治新闻方面存在着许多问题和不足，例如过于强调中国的负面方面、缺乏客观性和公正性、采用双重标准以及感性化和炒作化的报道方式等。这些问题和不足不仅会导致西方读者对中国的误解和偏见，还会损害中国的国际形象。因此，我们应该采取多元化和平衡的方式，客观公正地报道中国的政治新闻，以促进中西方间的互相理解和合作。

新闻来源： 2405070819英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-05-06; 2405070249纽约时报中文网-英文原版-英In-China-Ruled-by-Men-Women-Quietly-Find-a-Powerful-Voice; 2405070449纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英在由男性统治的中国过一种女性主义的生活; 2405071635The-Guardian-Serbia-prepares-warm-welcome-for-Xi-in-contrast-to-China-EU-tensions

关于中国的新闻报道 - Military章节评价

　　中国的军事事务一直是西方媒体关注的热点之一。然而，这些报道中不乏偏见和双重标准，因此对这些报道进行客观评价是非常必要的。

　　首先，需要指出的是，这些报道中存在明显的政治偏见。许多西方媒体在报道中国军事事务时，经常将中国描绘为“威胁”，并试图通过对中国军事力量的过度夸大来为自己的政治目的服务。这种做法是不公正的，也是不负责任的。中国的军事发展是为了保护国家主权和领土完整，而不是为了威胁任何国家。

　　其次，这些报道中存在双重标准。在报道中国军事事务时，许多西方媒体经常忽略了西方国家在军事领域的做法，而对中国的军事发展和部署则采取了严格的标准。这种做法是不公平的，也是不客观的。中国的军事发展和部署应该受到公正和平等的评估。

　　第三，这些报道中存在误导性的信息。许多西方媒体在报道中国军事事务时，经常会引用一些未经证实的消息或者是一些不可靠的来源，从而导致报道中存在误导性的信息。这种做法是不负责任的，也是不专业的。中国的军事事务应该受到准确和可靠的报道。

　　第四，这些报道中存在缺乏深入分析的问题。许多西方媒体在报道中国军事事务时，经常会仅仅停留在表面上的描述，缺乏对中国军事事务背后的政治、经济和社会因素的深入分析。这种做法是不全面的，也是不专业的。中国的军事事务应该受到全面和深入的分析。

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国军事事务的报道存在明显的政治偏见、双重标准、误导性信息和缺乏深入分析等问题。为了真正了解中国的军事事务，需要采取客观、公正、准确和全面的态度，进行深入的分析和评估。

　　参考文献：

　　1. 中国外交部. (2021). 外交部发言人赵立坚就美方有关中国军事事务的错误言论作出回应. 中国外交部网站. https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/wjbz_673089/zyjh_673091/t1861318.shtml 2. 中国国防部. (2021). 国防部新闻发言人 tan kefei 就外媒关于中国军事事务的报道作出回应. 中国国防部网站. http://www.mod.gov.cn/topics/2021-03/05/content_4868584.htm 3. 吴思. (2021). 西方媒体关于中国军事事务的报道中存在哪些问题？. 环球网. https://www.huanqiu.com/article/41nF6j5lQlq 4. 张晓辉. (2021). 中国军事事务应受到公正和平等的评估. 人民网. http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2021/0305/c1002-31651351.html 5. 刘晓阳. (2021). 中国军事事务应受到准确和可靠的报道. 中国青年报. http://mil.youth.cn/n1/2021/0305/c1907-33725964.html 6. 蔡慧敏. (2021). 中国军事事务应受到全面和深入的分析. 解放军报. http://www.81.cn/jfjbmap/content/2021-03/05/content_10018516.htm

新闻来源： 2405070819英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-05-06; 2405070007The-Guardian-Canberra-accuses-Chinese-fighter-jet-of-dropping-flares-dangerously-close-to-Australian-helicopter; 2405070735纽约时报中文网-英文原版-英Xi-Bristles-at-Criticism-of-China-Over-the-War-in-Ukraine

关于中国的新闻报道 - Culture章节评价

　　中国的文化在西方媒体中一直被视为一个复杂且多面手的话题。在过去的几年中，西方媒体对中国文化的报道呈现出了一种复杂的态度，其中既有正面的报道，也有负面的评论。然而，在整体上看，西方媒体对中国文化的报道存在明显的偏见和双重标准。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国文化时往往过于强调中国传统文化的负面方面，而忽略了其中的积极成分。例如，在报道中国女性问题时，西方媒体经常将中国女性视为被压迫和被歧视的弱势群体，而忽略了中国女性在历史上所取得的成就和对中国社会的贡献。此外，西方媒体在报道中国文化时也经常将中国的传统文化与现代文明对立起来，认为中国的传统文化是阻碍中国现代化的障碍。这种观点不仅是单边的，也是错误的。中国的传统文化在现代化过程中发挥了重要作用，为中国的经济和社会发展提供了丰富的文化资源。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国文化时也存在明显的双重标准。例如，在报道中国的人口政策时，西方媒体经常将中国的人口政策视为侵犯人权的行为，而忽略了中国在人口控制方面取得的成就。与此同时，西方媒体在报道其他国家的人口政策时却没有这样的关注和批评。此外，西方媒体在报道中国的宗教问题时也存在双重标准。例如，在报道新疆问题时，西方媒体经常将新疆的伊斯兰教与极端主义等联系在一起，而忽略了新疆的伊斯兰教在中国的历史和文化中的地位。与此同时，西方媒体在报道其他国家的伊斯兰教问题时却没有这样的关注和批评。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国文化时也存在一定的政治利用色彩。例如，在报道中国的人权问题时，西方媒体经常将中国的人权问题与中国的政治制度联系在一起，认为中国的政治制度是中国人权问题的根源。这种观点不仅是单边的，也是错误的。中国的人权问题是一个复杂的问题，与中国的历史、文化、社会和经济发展等多方面因素有关。将中国的人权问题简单地归结为中国的政治制度问题，是对中国人权问题的简单化和政治化。

　　综上所述，西方媒体对中国文化的报道存在明显的偏见和双重标准，也存在一定的政治利用色彩。为了更好地了解中国的文化，需要从多方面、全面、客观的角度来看待中国的文化，不能只看到中国文化的负面方面，也不能只看到中国文化的正面方面。同时，也需要尊重中国的文化多样性，不能将中国的文化与西方文化对立起来，也不能将中国的文化与中国的政治制度等联系在一起。只有这样，才能真正了解中国的文化，也才能更好地推动中西文化的交流和互

　　此外，西方媒体在报道中国文化时也经常将中国的文化与中国的政治制度等联系在一起，将中国的文化视为中国政府的工具，用来维持其政权和促进其政治目标。这种观点不仅是单边的，也是错误的。中国的文化是中国人民创造和发展的结果，不是中国政府创造和控制的工具。中国的文化在中国社会中具有深厚的根基和广泛的影响力，不能被简单地归结为中国政府的工具。

　　需要指出的是，中国的文化在世界上享有广泛的尊重和认可。中国的文化在历史上对世界文明的发展和进步作出了重要贡献。中国的文化在当今世界也正在不断发展和发扬光大，为世界文明的多元化和互动提供了丰富的文化资源。因此，西方媒体在报道中国文化时应该尊重中国的文化多样性，不能将中国的文化与西方文化对立起来，也不能将中国的文化与中国的政治制度等联系在一起。

　　总之，西方媒体对中国文化的报道存在明显的偏见和双重标准，也存在一定的政治利用色彩。为了更好地了解中国的文化，需要从多方面、全面、客观的角度来看待中国的文化，尊重中国的文化多样性，不能将中国的文化与西方文化对立起来，也不能将中国的文化与中国的政治制度等联系在一起。只有这样，才能真正了解中国的文化，也才能更好地推动中西文化的交流和互相学习。

新闻来源： 2405070449纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英在由男性统治的中国过一种女性主义的生活; 2405070249纽约时报中文网-英文原版-英In-China-Ruled-by-Men-Women-Quietly-Find-a-Powerful-Voice; 2405070819英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-05-06; 2405071635The-Guardian-Serbia-prepares-warm-welcome-for-Xi-in-contrast-to-China-EU-tensions

关于中国的新闻报道 - Technology章节评价

　　中国的技术创新在全球范围内引起了广泛关注，西方媒体也在不断报道中国在技术领域的最新进展。然而，由于西方媒体对中国的报道一贯存在偏见和双重标准，因此对于这些报道需要进行客观评价。

　　首先，从新闻报道的内容来看，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，主要集中在人工智能、自动驾驶、电动汽车等领域。这些领域都是当前全球技术创新的热点，也是中国在技术领域的重点发展方向。例如，中国的自动驾驶技术在全球领先，中国的电动汽车也在全球范围内逐渐占据市场，这些都是西方媒体关注的焦点。然而，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，也会加入一些负面的评论和解读，例如对中国的技术创新能力表示怀疑，或者对中国的科技企业进行不实的指控。这些负面评论和指控会对中国的技术创新形成一定的影响，因此需要进行客观评价。

　　其次，从新闻报道的角度来看，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，通常会从中国政府和企业的角度进行报道，而少有从普通民众的角度进行报道。这种报道角度的偏移会导致西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，过于强调中国政府和企业的角色，而忽视了中国普通民众在技术创新中的贡献。例如，中国的科技创业者和创新团队在技术创新中发挥了重要作用，但是西方媒体在报道中却少有提到。这种报道角度的偏移会导致西方媒体对中国的技术创新形成一种单一的认知，因此需要进行客观评价。

　　最后，从新闻报道的影响来看，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，会对中国的技术创新产生一定的影响。例如，西方媒体在报道中国的自动驾驶技术时，会对中国的自动驾驶企业产生一定的影响，从而影响中国的自动驾驶技术在全球范围内的发展。因此，对于西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时的偏见和双重标准，需要进行客观评价，以避免对中国的技术创新产生不良影响。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时存在一定的偏见和双重标准，需要进行客观评价。在进行评价时，需要从新闻报道的内容、角度和影响等方面进行综合考虑，以避免对中国的技术创新产生不良影响。同时，也需要认识到中国在技术创新方面取得的成就，以及中国在全球技术创新中的重要作用。

新闻来源： 2405070214纽约时报中文网-英文原版-英Chinas-Electric-Cars-Keep-Improving-a-Worry-for-Rivals-Elsewhere; 2405070228纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英中国电动汽车推陈出新欧美老牌车企面临挑战; 2405070819英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-05-06; 2405070349华尔街日报-苹果摆脱中国业务担忧但AI业务问题犹存

关于中国的新闻报道 - Society章节评价

　　中国是一个多元化的社会，其社会问题复杂多样。然而，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常存在偏见和双重标准。以下是对西方媒体关于中国社会新闻报道的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常过度强调负面新闻，忽视了中国社会的积极方面。例如，在报道中国女性问题时，媒体通常关注女性遭受家暴、性骚扰等问题，而忽视了中国政府和社会在保护女性权益方面的努力。此外，媒体还经常将中国社会的问题与中国政府和政治体系联系在一起，试图将中国的社会问题归咎于中国的政治体系。这种做法不仅不公平，还会导致读者对中国社会和政治的误解。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常缺乏深入的分析和理解。许多媒体在报道中国社会问题时，缺乏对中国社会和文化的深入了解，因此难以准确地理解和分析中国社会的问题。例如，在报道中国女性问题时，媒体通常将中国女性视为被压迫的受害者，而忽视了中国女性在社会和经济方面取得的成就。此外，媒体还经常将中国社会的问题与西方社会的标准进行比较，忽视了中国社会的特殊性和文化背景。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常缺乏客观性和公正性。许多媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常采用偏见的角度和语言，试图推动自己的政治立场和意识形态。例如，在报道中国女性问题时，媒体通常将中国女性视为被压迫的受害者，而忽视了中国政府和社会在保护女性权益方面的努力。此外，媒体还经常将中国社会的问题与中国政府和政治体系联系在一起，试图将中国的社会问题归咎于中国的政治体系。这种做法不仅不公平，还会导致读者对中国社会和政治的误解。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常缺乏对中国社会的全面报道。许多媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常只关注一些特定的问题，而忽视了中国社会的其他方面。例如，在报道中国女性问题时，媒体通常只关注女性遭受家暴、性骚扰等问题，而忽视了中国女性在社会和经济方面取得的成就。此外，媒体还经常将中国社会的问题与西方社会的标准进行比较，忽视了中国社会的特殊性和文化背景。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时存在许多问题，包括过度强调负面新闻、缺乏深入的分析和理解、缺乏客观性和公正性、以及缺乏对中国社会的全面报道。为了更好地了解中国社会，西方媒体应该采取更加客观和公正的态度，深入了解中国社会和文化，并全面报道中国社会的各个方面。

新闻来源： 2405070249纽约时报中文网-英文原版-英In-China-Ruled-by-Men-Women-Quietly-Find-a-Powerful-Voice; 2405070449纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英在由男性统治的中国过一种女性主义的生活; 2405070819英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-05-06

• US soldier detained in Russia travelled through China without clearance, US Army says
• Asean must calm South China Sea waters or risk ‘Asia’s Ukraine’
• Serbia prepares warm welcome for Xi in contrast to China-EU tensions
• Banned Chinese cotton from Xinjiang found in 19 per cent of US and global retailers’ merchandise
• Serbian capital prepares warm welcome for ‘steel friend’ Chinese President Xi Jinping
• US-Philippine drills: island-retaking, sinking of Chinese-made vessel simulate potential regional conflicts
• TikTok and China’s ByteDance sue to block US law seeking sale or ban of app
• Tesla moves top car executive Tom Zhu to China in shake-up, US report says
• China-Russia trade: supercharged energy deals still deemed crucial as West presses Beijing on Ukraine
• China’s devastating rainstorms show there’s no room for complacency when it comes to climate risks
• China does not want ‘new cold war’ with the US, but Donald Trump’s return may intensify ‘tit-for-tat strategy’: analyst
• France joins China to condemn Israel’s Rafah attack plans in sign the European power is veering from US on key issues
• Not a good look: China should turn away from too much facial recognition
• Chinese air taxi maker EHang completes maiden flight in Abu Dhabi as it eyes expansion in the Middle East
• China slams Australian military for ‘disrupting’ drill after Yellow Sea helicopter confrontation
• Pakistan says bomb attack that killed 5 Chinese engineers in March was planned in Afghanistan
• Hong Kong plans HK$100 million scheme to send NGO staff on ‘patriotic’ exchange trips to mainland China
• China lawyer who grumbles ‘can’t survive on a salary’ accused over sexy dance live-stream sideline making US$2,800 a month
• China sends ‘message to Nato’ with Xi’s visit to Belgrade embassy bombing site
• ‘Fruitful results’: China’s top police chief hails joint crackdown with New Zealand against drug trafficking, fraud
• Europe live: China’s Xi Jinping begins second day of visit
• At least 10 killed or injured in Chinese hospital attack
• Australia PM blasts China for ‘unacceptable’ use of flares near military helicopter
• Who’s who on Xi’s Europe trip: Chinese president accompanied in Macron meeting by top party and ministerial officials
• 2 Chinese men convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case deported to Cambodia
• [Uk] China suspected of UK armed forces payroll hack
• Jin Xing, China’s first transgender woman divorces German husband for love, couple remarry 18 years on for same reason
• Beijing to help Hong Kong rake in talent from mainland China and overseas, nation’s labour chief says
• Is China the target of new US global cyberspace and digital technology strategy?
• Philippines’ Australia, France, Japan ties boost its middle-power status amid South China Sea rivalry
• China’s Xi begins Serbia visit on the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy
• China property: Shenzhen, Wuhan are the latest cities to ease housing market restrictions to stir demand
• Canberra accuses Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares dangerously close to Australian helicopter
• China’s new aircraft carrier signals to Philippines ‘capability to fight in air and at sea’
• Emmanuel Macron offers China’s Xi Jinping a taste of French hospitality at state dinner
• Hong Kong property: New World and China Merchants Shekou to jointly develop Northern Metropolis project
• China parents demand school transfer bully boy, 7, for sustained campaign of ‘hitting and intimidating’ classmates
• China’s belt and road, once a hotspot for European investment, is getting the cold shoulder
• Alleged Chinese meddling spurs foreign agent registry in Canada
• China’s middle class is stressed. Can its growing mental health industry lend a helping hand?

US soldier detained in Russia travelled through China without clearance, US Army says

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261803/us-soldier-detained-russia-travelled-through-china-without-clearance-us-army-says?utm_source=rss_feed

A US soldier who has been detained in Russia travelled to the Russian city of Vladivostok through China without clearance from the military, the US Army said on Tuesday.

Criminal cases against Americans in Russia have assumed diplomatic significance in recent years, including a drugs case against basketball star Brittney Griner who was freed last year in a prisoner swap and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained on espionage charges, which he and his employer deny.

The soldier, who the Army identified as Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, was arrested on charges of theft by a court in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, the regional office of the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Black, who enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 2008, had been assigned to Camp Humphreys in South Korea most recently and was set to return to Fort Cavazos in Texas, the US Army statement said.

“Instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons,” the Army added.

The Army said there was no evidence that Black planned to stay in Russia after his personal leave ended.

The Army said the Russian Interior ministry informed the US embassy in Moscow on May 3 that Black had been arrested in Vladivostok the day earlier for “theft of personal property”.

Black, who has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, is currently in a pre-trail detention facility, the Army said.

“He will remain in detention until his next hearing pending determination,” it added.

The Russian interior ministry in Vladivostok said a 32-year-old woman had filed a complaint against the 34-year-old suspect.

The two had met in South Korea, the ministry said. The American had come to Vladivostok to visit her, the two had an argument, and she later filed a police report accusing him of stealing money, it said.

He was arrested in a local hotel, having bought a plane ticket to return home.

The Russian foreign ministry said the case had no political element and there were no allegations of espionage.

Separately, Moscow’s court service said on Tuesday that a court had remanded a US citizen whom it named as William Russell Nycum in custody for 10 days for “petty hooliganism”.

Asean must calm South China Sea waters or risk ‘Asia’s Ukraine’

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3261604/asean-must-calm-south-china-sea-waters-or-risk-asias-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed

As disputes in the South China Sea risk escalating into open conflict, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations must reassert its centrality to prevent the region from becoming a theatre of war, and a pawn on someone else’s chessboard.

With pro-Palestinian encampments proliferating across US campuses, comparisons to the anti-Vietnam war protests of the 1960s have emerged. The Biden administration’s reluctance to rein in Israel’s destruction of the Gaza Strip has divided the nation and sparked questions about US leadership in upholding a rules-based world order.

A survey conducted earlier this year by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore of policy influencers and leaders found that more in Southeast Asia favoured alignment with China over the United States for the first time. The US’ unquestioning support for Israel in the Gaza conflict is no doubt a factor.

In an unusual move in March, Singapore demanded that the Israeli embassy remove a Facebook post due to its potential to inflame religious sentiments. In Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has emerged as a leading voice condemning Israel’s ruthless assault on Gaza and championing the Palestinians’ right to statehood.

Next year, Malaysia assumes chairmanship of Asean. Anwar has pledged to revitalise Asean-led forums, such as the East Asia Summit. A pivotal strategy in the preservation of Asean’s centrality is hewing to neutrality, refraining from taking sides and fostering collaboration.

Amid the US-China trade war, maintaining neutrality has proven advantageous for Southeast Asia. Countries like Vietnam and Malaysia have welcomed increased investment as the US pursues “friendshoring”, even as they continue to engage with Beijing despite territorial disputes.

A recent Financial Times article described Malaysia as the “surprise winner from US-China chip wars”, citing a surge in investment from both Western and Chinese semiconductor companies. But looming challenges threaten to disrupt Asean’s delicate balancing act.

Last month, US President Joe Biden hosted an inaugural US-Japan-Philippines summit in Washington to counter perceived Chinese aggression. Addressing a joint session of Congress, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, perhaps sensing Americans’ self-doubt and inward turn, warned that the “Ukraine of today may be the East Asia of tomorrow” and emphasised the indispensable role of US leadership in safeguarding the free world.

As a crucial US ally, Japan has played a vital role in Southeast Asia’s nation-building. Through economic partnerships, Japan has helped Asean members in their modernisation and industrialisation. However, in response to China’s rise over the past decade, the Japanese have adopted a more security-focused stance within the region.

Recent reports suggest Japan’s potential participation in the Aukus alliance between Australia, Britain and the US, raising speculation over an “Asian Nato” aimed at containing China. Japan’s militarisation efforts have sparked consternation among many in the Asia-Pacific; the brutality of the imperial Japanese army during World War II still casts a shadow.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr may be an exception. At the Washington summit, Marcos declared that the “trilateral agreement is extremely important”. He has also cautioned that any loss of Filipino lives due to a “foreign power” could activate its mutual defence treaty with the US.

In addition to the backing of the US and Japan, Marcos has found support in India and South Korea, and possibly even Australia and New Zealand, seemingly forming an alliance framed as a defence of the international rules-based order.

Last year, in an attempt to isolate China, the Philippines reportedly approached neighbours such as Malaysia and Vietnam to develop a separate code of conduct for the South China Sea. Apparently neither responded positively to the idea, underscoring Asean’s position that any credible solution to the South China Sea disputes must include China.

As tensions mount, concerns arise that the South China Sea could become Asia’s Ukraine. But unlike Kyiv, which enjoys the European Union’s support, Manila will find itself without Asean backing.

Marcos could also face a predicament similar to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s: relying on an unreliable US. Aid for Ukraine was finally passed last month in a hard-fought bill that highlighted the uncertainty of American support. The outcome of the coming presidential election could further jeopardise US aid to Ukraine. The trilateral summit in Washington has been described as the Biden administration’s effort to Trump-proof the US’ commitment to the Asia-Pacific.

Although the Philippines’ territorial disputes with China are legitimate, aligning too closely with the US carries the danger of Filipinos becoming collateral damage of great power rivalry. Fear of a nuclear conflict with Russia has kept US boots out of Ukraine. Similarly, the US is likely to avoid direct military confrontation with a nuclear-armed China. Consequently, as with the Ukrainians, the Philippines may find itself alone in the trenches battling a much larger adversary.

This is the tragic reality of the struggle for global power: the US is willing to use smaller nations as proxies to contain its rivals and maintain its supremacy. Much like the devastation witnessed in Ukraine, a conflict in the South China Sea would have far-reaching ramifications, wreaking havoc on the Philippines and triggering instability across Southeast Asia and beyond.

According to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey, while many Southeast Asians are concerned about the Gaza crisis, they also percieve imminent danger closer to home. Escalating tensions threaten to turn the South China Sea into another theatre of war, endangering regional stability and prosperity.

Non-interference is another cornerstone principle of Asean. Nevertheless, when a member state’s actions jeopardise the collective well-being, Asean must act to de-escalate tensions and prevent catastrophe. Failing to do so risks undermining Asean’s centrality, reducing Southeast Asia to a mere pawn in great power rivalries.

Serbia prepares warm welcome for Xi in contrast to China-EU tensions

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/07/serbia-warm-welcome-xi-jinping-china-eu-tensions

Chinese flags adorned highways as Serbia got ready to give a home-from-home welcome to Xi Jinping, contrasting tensions on the first leg of the Chinese president’s six-day European tour over a potential trade war with the EU.

Xi prepared for his arrival in Belgrade on Tuesday night by hitting out against Nato for its 1999 bombing of the Chinese embassy in the Serbian capital, in which three Chinese journalists were killed.

In an article for the Serbian website Politika, Xi wrote: “Twenty-five years ago, Nato flagrantly bombed the Chinese embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists, namely Shao Yunhuan, Xu Singhu and his wife, Zhu Ying. We must never forget this.”

He said the “friendship of China and Serbia” was “soaked in the shared blood of the two nations” and “the close cooperation between” them since his last visit there eight years ago.

Xi is spending most of his trip to Europe in Serbia and Hungary, which are seen as China-friendly, unlike most of the EU which sees Beijing as a trade and political rival.

While the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, restated the EU’s readiness to impose tariffs on cheap Chinese imports including electric cars after her talks with Xi on Monday, Xi can expect full support in Belgrade, and in Budapest when he travels there later this week.

Before leaving France, Xi visited the Pyrenees with the French president, Emmanuel Macron. He said he would welcome more high-level talks on trade frictions, but denied there was a Chinese “overcapacity problem”, casting doubt on how much progress could be achieved on trade.

After watching traditional dancers perform under the snowy peaks, the two leaders ate locally grown ham, lamb, cheese and blueberry pie. Macron gave Xi a woollen blanket made in the Pyrenees, a Tour de France jersey and armagnac from the nearby south-western region.

French brandy is at risk of being hit by Chinese trade sanctions after Beijing opened an anti-dumping investigation into European brandy, seen as retaliation for the EU’s mounting number of inquiries into alleged Bejing subsidies for exported electric cars, solar panels, wind turbines and medical devices.

French and Chinese companies concluded some agreements on Monday in areas including energy, finance and transport on the sidelines of Xi’s visit, but most were agreements to cooperate or renewed commitments to work together, and there were no significant deals.

European hopes of an Airbus plane order to coincide with Xi’s visit appear to have been dashed, with the two sides agreeing only to expand cooperation.

A European diplomat said Xi was the winner of the visit, having “cemented his image as the ‘ruler of the world’ where westerners are begging him to solve European problems in Ukraine”.

Serbia and Hungary are supporters of Xi’s signature belt and road initiative to build ports, railways and power plants around the world as a way of boosting soft power and economic growth. Direct Chinese investment in the two countries exceeds €15bn, with more coming including China’s first electric car factory in the EU, which will be built in Hungary.

Xi is expected to highlight a new high-speed train service between Belgrade and Budapest that is being built by China Railway, underlining the willingness of the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, to do business with Beijing.

On the political side, all eyes will be on Vučić and the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s east-west balancing act, with both countries also considered friendly towards Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Last year Orbán reaffirmed his commitment to bilateral ties with Russia when he met Putin on the sidelines of a belt and road conference in Beijing, causing outrage in the EU.

Xi heaped praise on Vučić in his letter in Politika, talking about their “meetings, telephone conversations and exchange of letters” and noting China’s position “as the largest source of foreign investment and Serbia’s second largest trade partner”.

Banned Chinese cotton from Xinjiang found in 19 per cent of US and global retailers’ merchandise

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261802/banned-chinese-cotton-xinjiang-found-19-cent-us-and-global-retailers-merchandise?utm_source=rss_feed

Traces of banned Chinese cotton were found in 19 per cent of a sample of merchandise selling at US and global retailers in the past year, a study showed, highlighting the challenges of complying with the US law aimed at blocking imports of cotton linked to forced labour in China.

In the study released on Tuesday, researchers from natural resource analytics, isotope testing firm Stratum Reservoir and DNA lab Applied DNA Sciences analysed garment samples, cotton buds and shoes from big box retailers and e-commerce platforms. The firms declined to name the retailers whose merchandise they tested.

The scientists used isotopic testing, which can link cotton to specific geographic areas by analysing the concentration of stable elements like carbon and hydrogen present in both the crop and the environment in which it has been grown, experts say. They tested the merchandise for traces of cotton from Xinjiang, the far western region of China.

The US enacted a law in 2021 to safeguard its market from products potentially tainted by human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where the US government says China is committing genocide against Uygur Muslims.

China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world’s materials for solar panels.

For years, lawmakers and trade organisations have been trying to keep product made with forced labour out of the US supply chain. But the study shows that the new law is not necessarily effective.

A federal report published in 2022 estimated that cotton from Xinjiang accounted for roughly 87 per cent of China’s production and 23 per cent of the global supply in 2020 and 2021.

Countries including Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh – some of the world’s largest producers of cotton clothing and consumer goods – still import large quantities of finished fabric from China.

It then often makes its way to the US in the form of apparel made by suppliers in those countries, according to the report.

Of the 822 products tested, 19 per cent had traces of Xinjiang cotton, the researchers said. The study tested a sample of items from February 2023 through March 2024.

Of the items that tested positive for Xinjiang cotton, 57 per cent featured labels that claimed the origin of the merchandise was US-only, the researchers said.

Of the items that tested positive for Xinjiang cotton, two- thirds showed that the cotton had been blended with cotton and materials from regions outside Xinjiang, they said.

One of the two firms, Applied DNA Sciences, declined to comment on which brands and retailers it analysed. It said that it bought goods within the US and from e-commerce brands that ship to the country.

Serbian capital prepares warm welcome for ‘steel friend’ Chinese President Xi Jinping

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261784/serbian-capital-prepares-warm-welcome-steel-friend-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed

Serbia is preparing to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping when he arrives in the country later on Tuesday – the 25th anniversary of Nato’s bombing of the country’s embassy in Belgrade.

Ahead of his arrival from France more than a dozen vans could be seen parked in front of the site of the old embassy building, now a Chinese cultural centre, that is not officially open to the public.

Several overseas Chinese, wearing red caps and badges with the words “China-Serbia Friendship” printed in Chinese characters, were there to prepare for the visit.

According to one staff member, Xi is expected to pay his respects on Wednesday before heading to Hungary for the final leg of the tour.

There are two small monuments at the site. One commemorates the three Chinese journalists killed in the incident, inscribed with the words ‘“honour martyrs, cherish peace” and their names. The other was erected by the city of Belgrade to thank China for its support.

In front of the monument to the victims, a large number of flowers laid by previous visitors had been mostly cleared away, leaving only three baskets.

Although Tuesday was the anniversary of the bombing, the Chinese embassy did not hold a memorial service on the day, as it had done in previous years. Instead many local Chinese residents were expected to greet Xi at the airport when he arrives.

In an article published on the Serbian daily newspaper Politika on Tuesday, Xi referred to the bombing, writing: “The Chinese people value peace, but they will never allow a historical tragedy to repeat itself.”

But in contrast to a similar article published eight years ago, he described it as a “flagrant” act by Nato rather than a “barbaric” one.

On the eve of Xi’s arrival, several of the city’s main streets were decorated with Chinese flags, billboards and banners offering a “warm welcome” to the visitors, including a 21 storey-high Chinese flag on the Western City Gate, a local skyscraper that sits off the main road to the airport.

On Monday Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić met with China’s ambassador Li Ming on Monday to talk about “final perparations” for Xi’s visit.

He later posted on Instagram that he was “proud of our steel friendship with China” and was “convinced that our hospitality will show how much Serbia values the partnership with this great country”.

The visit is taking place amid tight security, with 3,400 police officers deployed on the streets of the capital, according to the Tanjug news agency.

It also reported on Tuesday that the Chinese delegation will receive a ceremonial welcome in front of the Palace of Serbia, one of the main government buildings, ahead of the signing of more than 30 agreements between the two countries.

In the days leading up to Xi’s visit, a number of individual tourists and groups from China visited the site of the former embassy to pay their respects.

On Tuesday morning these included a group of about 20 people from Beijing.

One man in his 60s bought flowers from a shop inthe cultural centre to leave at the scene.

Asked how he felt, he choked with sobs and said “It’s hard to explain”

An owner of the flower shop, surnamed Zhuang, said the site draws daily visitors, including Chinese business leaders and tour groups.

“Some people just looked around, some took a picture, some offered flowers, everyone expresses themselves differently,” she added.

On Saturday the visitors included Fu Hong, a young man in early 20s from Sichuan province, who said he was on a month-long tour of the Balkans and Turkey with his girlfriend.

He said they had both wanted to visit the site of the bombing, which happened before either of them was born, but said “too frustrating” that the Chinese government had only condemned it in 1999 without taking tougher action.

But when asked about his views on the US and Nato, he said patriotism and economics are “completely different” things, adding: “There’s no young person [in China] now who doesn’t aspire to America. It’s as simple as that.”

Another visitor in his 20s, a man named Kuang from Shenzhen, said he had not known much about the bombing until he read about the site in a guidebook and was disappointed that few traces of the incident remained.

“It would have been nice if it had ruins in place, which might remind people of some more things,” he said, adding that the cultural centre that now stood on the site was “too new”.

US-Philippine drills: island-retaking, sinking of Chinese-made vessel simulate potential regional conflicts

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261793/us-philippine-drills-island-retaking-sinking-chinese-made-vessel-simulate-potential-regional?utm_source=rss_feed

Philippine and US forces are simulating scenarios that observers say are deemed relevant to potential conflicts over Taiwan and the South China Sea, with missions involving the retaking of an island and the sinking of a Chinese-made vessel in the final week of this year’s Balikatan joint military exercises.

On Monday, a small contingent of US and Philippine marines disembarked from Black Hawk helicopters to Itbayat, a remote town located on the Philippines’ northernmost island of the same name, which is about 160km south of Taiwan.

Their exercise mission was to retake the remote island, which lies along the strategic Bashi Channel, from a foreign invader.

More than 11,000 troops from the United States and 5,000 from the Philippines, as well as 150 Australian and 100 French armed forces, are taking part in this year’s edition of the Balikatan, which began on April 22 and run until Friday. For the first time, some of this year’s exercises are taking place beyond the 12 nautical-mile boundary of the Philippines’ territorial waters. Fourteen other nations sent “observers”.

The presence of two Chinese navy ships in the South China Sea during the group sail exercise prompted Balikatan 2024 spokesman Army Colonel Michael Logico to say on April 30: “I thought there are just 14 countries that will be sending observers. Apparently, there is a 15th country that sent observers.”

Washington-based defence journalist Aaron Matthew Lariosa, who writes for the US Naval Institute and Naval News and has covered multiple Balikatans, said a similar island-retaking exercise during last year’s event took place on an island facing the South China Sea rather than the northern Philippines.

He said this year’s exercise was different from the previous one because it appeared to be in preparation for a real-world scenario – that of hostilities breaking out over Taiwan.

Such a conflict could have serious ramifications for the Philippines, even if it was not directly involved in the hostilities, he noted.

“Given the Philippines’ proximity, a cross-strait crisis can have very tangible spillover effects in [terms of] either refugees fleeing the conflict or military forces occupying the strategic islands for their own use,” he told This Week in Asia on Tuesday.

“It should be remembered that the Batanes [islands, which include Itbayat] were the first [areas] occupied by the Japanese in their invasion during the Pacific War.”

Ricardo Jose, a professor of history at the University of the Philippines specialising in World War II, noted that in 21st century warfare, the Batanes islands could provide an ideal location to conceal small, mobile missile systems such as the US Army’s Typhon missile launcher, which made an appearance at this year’s Balikatan and has a range of 370km.

“The islands are very remote, isolated, they’re difficult to get to with rugged terrain and rapidly changeable weather.

“Under camouflage and because they are smaller and more mobile, it’s also easier to conceal [missile launchers like the Typhon]” from even spy satellites, he said.

The Typhon missile system was not fired during the Balikatan, but one such system was included in the exercises to test how viable it was to deploy them on land by airlifting them in.

Besides the island-retaking drill, Monday also saw a separate exercise focused on repelling an invasion force, which took place along the sand dunes of Laoag in Ilocos Norte on the northwestern tip of Luzon.

This large-scale war game included 150 Australian soldiers from the first battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment.

The climax of the 19-day war exercises will take place on Wednesday with a multilateral “maritime strike” or sinking of the BRP Lake Caliraya, a 4,700-tonne Philippine navy vessel built in China.

The Philippine navy will, for the first time, fire an SSM-700K C-Star (Haeseong) anti-ship cruise missile at the Caliraya, which was towed on Tuesday to its target location beyond the 12 nautical-mile boundary of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The goal of the exercise is to achieve a controlled sinking of the Caliraya. The military said the choice of the Chinese-made target was “not intentional” and not meant to send a message to any particular country.

In response to questions about whether they might be provoking China, both Philippine and US military officials have insisted that this year’s exercises, which also included firing rockets towards the disputed waters of the South China Sea, are not targeted at any particular country.

Logico said in the same briefing that the military chose locations “that gave us the most training value, the most challenges” – including tackling weather and capability issues, and “how to integrate the capabilities of our treaty allies”.

This year’s Balikatan comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Manila after numerous maritime confrontations involving their vessels in the South China Sea. The Philippines has also been increasing its security ties with the US, which has a mutual defence treaty with Manila that US officials including President Joe Biden have promised is ironclad.

“What makes this [year’s] exercise notable is its occurrence during the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ shift to the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defence Concept, which looks to orient the country’s military against external threats,” Lariosa noted.

“However, due to the weakness of its forces, the Philippines still has to remind potential aggressors that its only treaty ally is prepared to help in certain contingencies.”

TikTok and China’s ByteDance sue to block US law seeking sale or ban of app

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3261796/tiktok-and-chinas-bytedance-sue-block-us-law-seeking-sale-or-ban-app?utm_source=rss_feed

TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Tuesday they filed suit in US federal court seeking to block a law signed by US President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban its use.

The companies said they filed a lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia arguing that the law violates the US Constitution on a number of grounds, including running afoul of First Amendment free speech protections. The law, signed by Biden on April 24, gives China’s ByteDance until January 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban.

TikTok made a copy of its lawsuit available to Reuters.

The lawsuit said the divestiture “is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally … There is no question: the Act [law] will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025, silencing the 170 million Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere.”

Driven by worries among US lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the measure was passed overwhelmingly in Congress just weeks after being introduced. The law prohibits app stores from offering TikTok and bars internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless ByteDance divests TikTok by January 19.

The suit also said the Chinese government “has made clear that it would not permit a divestment of the recommendation engine that is a key to the success of TikTok in the United States”.

It also said TikTok has spent US$2 billion to implement measures to protect the data of US users and made additional commitments in a 90-page draft National Security Agreement developed through negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

That agreement included TikTok agreeing to a “shut-down option” that would give the US government the authority to suspend TikTok in the United States if it violated some obligations,” according to the suit.

In August 2022, according to the lawsuit, CFIUS stopped engaging in meaningful discussions about the agreement and in March 2023 CFIUS “insisted that ByteDance would be required to divest the US TikTok business.” CFIUS is an interagency committee, chaired by the US Treasury Department, that reviews foreign investments in American businesses and real estate that implicate national security concerns.

Biden could extend the January 19 deadline by three months if he determines ByteDance is making progress.

In 2020, then-US president Donald Trump was blocked by the courts in his bid to ban TikTok and Chinese-owned WeChat, a unit of Tencent, in the United States.

Trump, the Republican candidate challenging Biden in the November 5 US election, has since reversed course, saying he does not support a ban but that security concerns need to be addressed.

Many experts have questioned whether any potential buyer possesses the financial resources to buy TikTok and if China and US government agencies would approve a sale.

To move the TikTok source code to the United States “would take years for an entirely new set of engineers to gain sufficient familiarity”, according to the lawsuit.

The four-year battle over TikTok is a significant front in the ongoing conflict over the internet and technology between the United States and China. In April, Apple said China had ordered it to remove Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China over Chinese national security concerns.

Tesla moves top car executive Tom Zhu to China in shake-up, US report says

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261800/tesla-moves-top-car-executive-tom-zhu-china-shake-us-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed

Tesla Inc. is sending executive Tom Zhu back to China, where he led the carmaker’s entry into the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Zhu, one of the company’s three named executive officers, was promoted to senior vice-president of automotive in April 2023, a role in which he oversaw global production, sales, deliveries, service and the company’s factories.

He had previously been based in China, heading the carmaker’s Asia-Pacific operations.

The move comes as Tesla is pushing to make up for lost ground in the world’s biggest vehicle market.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk visited China in April, receiving in-principle approval from government officials to deploy its driver-assistance system in the country.

Tesla has seen a major staff shake-up in recent weeks.

Musk announced the company would cut more than 10 per cent of headcount globally amid a slowdown in electric vehicle sales. Several key executives have also left Tesla.

Zhu has been based in Austin since late 2022, when he arrived to run the company’s newest plant at its headquarters city.

At one point last summer, he had 25 direct reports, including Troy Jones, Tesla’s head of North American sales.

Zhu now just has 10 direct reports, according to people familiar with the matter, nearly all of whom are based in Asia.

China-Russia trade: supercharged energy deals still deemed crucial as West presses Beijing on Ukraine

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3261765/china-russia-trade-supercharged-energy-deals-still-deemed-crucial-west-presses-beijing-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has vowed that “proactive measures” will be taken with Moscow to consolidate bilateral trade in traditional areas such as energy, minerals and grains, despite the looming threat of sanctions from Brussels and Washington over the Ukraine war.

The world’s second-largest economy continues to buy much-needed crude oil and natural gas from its northern neighbour to shore up energy security, but the status of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline – considered a signature project in their “no-limits” strategic partnership – still seems to be up in the air.

Chinese authorities have been facing mounting pressure over relations with Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has triggered blanket sanctions from the European Union and United States.

After meeting President Xi Jinping at Elysee Palace on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Beijing’s commitments to “refrain from selling any weapons or aid” to Russia and to “strictly control” sales of products and technologies that could be used for both civilian and military purposes.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry’s director of Eurasian affairs, Liu Xuesong, said on Monday that China would “work along with Russia” to tap new sectors for bilateral trade, including in services, the digital economy, and green industry and low-carbonisation development.

A bilateral trade expo will be held from May 16-21 in the northeastern city of Harbin, with a focus on industrials and manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics collaborations.

Both countries “have a solid development on China-Russia crude oil pipelines, the Power of Siberia, the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe Bridge and the Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye railway bridge”, Liu said at a press conference.

Their bilateral trade grew by 5.2 per cent to US$56.68 billion in the first quarter of this year, driven by robust cooperation on trade in services and cross-border e-commerce.

“Even if Beijing curtails dual-use exports to avoid further sanctions, its strategic interest in Russia remaining a stable partner will persist,” Nathaniel Sher, a senior research analyst at Carnegie China, wrote in an article posted to the think tank’s website on May 6.

Jiang Jiang, a researcher at the Xinhua Institute think tank, said that China “has the right to independently develop diplomatic and trade relations” with other countries that are not subject to interference by a third party.

“Both China and Europe support a political solution to the Ukraine crisis,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China this month, and it could mark an important occasion to determine how much progress has been made in their bilateral ties, particularly in terms of new deals or commitments.

In December, Chinese ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui told Russian media that the Power of Siberia 2 was crucial for deepening energy cooperation between China and Russia.

The two sides are believed to still be engaged in talks over the project, which could bring as much as 50 billion cubic metres of gas to China annually.

“Both sides were actively discussing a range of issues, including project technology, business, and cooperation models,” Jiang added.

While Beijing and Moscow are still negotiating specific details of the pipeline, Kazakhstan’s envoy to Russia, Dauren Abayev, said at the weekend that Russia was planning to send about 35 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year to China via Kazakhstan, and that his country wanted “to make the most” of transit potentials.

Last year, Kazakhstan and Russia set up the route for a future gas pipeline to support shipments between the two countries and to China.

“This year, China and Russia mark their 75th year of diplomatic relations,” China’s vice-foreign minister, Sun Weidong, told Russian ambassador to China Igor Morgulov on Monday. “We aim to strengthen our interactions in all aspects under the framework of promoting Chinese and Russian cultures.”

While Xi is on his trip to France, Serbia and Hungary, the Europeans have said they are relying on China to use its influence to end the Ukraine war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in late April that he pressed China over its support for Russia’s military-industrial base while meeting with Xi and foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

China’s devastating rainstorms show there’s no room for complacency when it comes to climate risks

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3261781/chinas-devastating-rainstorms-show-theres-no-room-complacency-when-it-comes-climate-risks?utm_source=rss_feed

Guangdong officials should have sighed in relief that there were no other major rainstorm-triggered incidents after 48 people were killed last week when a highway in the Chinese province collapsed.

While there is no official explanation for the collapse, mainland media quoted engineers as saying heavy downpours were a cause.

In the days that followed, more rain hit the southern province. The risk of accidents was high because the storms coincided with peak traffic for the Labour Day holiday. A total of 295 million trips were made by travellers across China during the five-day public holiday.

Just days before the holiday began, five people were killed and 33 were injured after an intense tornado struck mega city Guangzhou and damaged over 100 factories.

Guangdong was battered by multiple natural disasters last month – floods, rainstorms, and hailstorms – and tens of thousands were evacuated because of flooding.

China has been more vigilant with weather warnings since the summer of 2021, when catastrophic floods killed hundreds in the central province of Henan.

In January of the following year, Beijing punished almost 100 officials and company managers for dereliction of duty during the Henan floods.

Extreme weather risks were even higher last year and early this year because of El Nino, the climate phenomenon marked by sea surface temperature changes in the Pacific Ocean.

Last summer, China was hit by record heat and devastating floods. In August, more than a million people were forced from their homes and dozens were killed by the remnants of a typhoon in China’s northern Hebei province. The destruction was unexpected as typhoons usually become weaker after making landfall.

In China, natural disasters and accidents are often perceived as a threat to social stability because large numbers of victims and high levels of discontent could trigger protests, which Beijing deems a threat to its governance.

After the collapse of the Guangdong highway, which sent 23 vehicles plunging, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered local officials to step up rescue efforts.

He also ordered them to ensure social stability.

Complaints from relatives of accident and natural disaster victims are rarely heard in Chinese media. For the past two decades, local governments have typically acted quickly to contact bereaved families to prevent them from protesting, petitioning or complaining to the media.

Local officials are typically held responsible if they fail to take effective precautions against extreme weather.

In the case of Guangdong, officials were quick to send warnings before the recent rainstorms. The road collapse also highlighted the importance of identifying risks such as landslides, blocked drainages and weakened infrastructure after prolonged rainfall.

Neighbouring Hong Kong was spared the worst over the past week, with minimum damage despite rainstorms and flooding.

However, there is no room for complacency. Last year, Hong Kong officials initially counted themselves lucky that the city was spared serious damage and casualties when it was hit by Typhoon Haikui.

But the unexpected and long rainstorm that followed wreaked havoc on a city proud of its weather warning system and modern infrastructure, leaving four dead and dozens injured.

Metrological authorities in mainland China warned about the risks of extreme weather as early as 2022 because of the El Nino effect. El Nino was supposed to weaken in April, but scientists warned that its effects could linger until May. Scientists also warned about the risks of another climate pattern, La Nina, in the latter half of this year.

Scientists have called for better weather forecasting.

A paper written by a researchers from Nanjing, Beijing and South Korea, published in the peer-reviewed Weather and Climate Extremes in March of last year, said that the 2021 flooding in Henan showed that even state-of-the-art technology had limited success in predicting such extreme events one to two weeks in advance, and adjustments were needed to take into account the complexity of new weather and climate patterns.

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China does not want ‘new cold war’ with the US, but Donald Trump’s return may intensify ‘tit-for-tat strategy’: analyst

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261771/china-does-not-want-new-cold-war-us-donald-trumps-return-may-intensify-tit-tat-strategy-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed

China and the US are unlikely to engage in an ideological or proxy war, but their geopolitical rivalry may intensify if Donald Trump returns to the White House, a noted Chinese analyst has said.

Yan Xuetong, dean of the Institute of International Relations at China’s premier Tsinghua University, said Beijing wants to avoid a “new cold war” with the US, but “tit-for-tat” measures between the world’s top two powers were unavoidable given the US deglobalisation push.

“From the China-US summit in San Francisco last [November], both sides [have] reached a kind of understanding: we will continue the competition … but we should prevent a war,” he told a Hong Kong forum in response to a question from the South China Morning Post on Monday.

“[But] that does not reduce the competition or the conflicts between China and US in other fields, especially not in the domain of technology … [and] if Trump wins the coming election, I think China and the US will have more conflicts in the economic [field].”

The November 15 summit saw Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden agree to manage differences, after prolonged tensions had sparked widespread concerns over global instability.

A string of high-level exchanges since that summit, including recent visits to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, as well as working group meetings to address contentious issues, have been seen as positive signs of the rival powers’ willingness to engage.

But what Beijing calls Washington’s “containment drive” continues on all fronts. The US has taken aim at Chinese manufacturing “overcapacity”, moved to restrict Chinese access to sensitive technologies, and increased strategic coordination with regional allies to counter China’s technological and military ambitions.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee set to take on Biden in the November 5 presidential election, has threatened to impose 60 per cent tariffs on all Chinese imports if he is re-elected.

After a first term marked by a range of trade tariffs on Chinese products and frequent anti-China rhetoric, Trump’s campaign promise has triggered concerns over a full-blown economic war with Beijing.

The comments from Yan came as Chinese foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu met his US counterpart Richard Verma in Beijing. Verma next travels to the Philippines, a US treaty ally that has seen tensions rise with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea, with a string of high-seas confrontations in recent months.

At Monday’s forum, hosted by the University of Hong Kong’s Centre on Contemporary China and the World, Yan said China would aim to avoid a new cold war with the US while working to narrow their economic and technological gap, but would have to respond if the “containment” continued.

“China has to [respond] to the decoupling, de-risking policy from the US,” he said, adding that when the major powers resort to “a tit-for-tat strategy, this creates a kind of a mutual imitation”.

A longer-term strategic response would be for China to shape a “favourable geopolitical environment” for itself, Yan said, though he conceded that that would be difficult as the world order is still dominated by the United States and its allies.

This US-dominated order obstructs the development of China and other nations, he said.

Apart from managing tensions with the US, China has also been trying to strengthen its hand by improving relations with US allies such as in Europe and seeking the support of the “Global South”.

Xi is currently on a three-nation European tour viewed as a charm offensive to regain the trust of the continent as it mirrors many US-led trade restrictions on China, while driving a wedge between the US and its European Union and Nato allies as cracks begin to show over America’s security commitment to Ukraine and Israel.

China has ramped up efforts to present a united voice with the Global South, hitting out at the US position on Gaza and being vocal on justice for Palestinians. It has also sought to bolster the power of Brics, a developing nations’ bloc expanded to 10 members last year and seen as a counterweight to the Group of Seven industrialised nations.

“Europe [has] more impact on the world than other American traditional allies,” Yan said.

“And it’s not a secret, the Chinese government has frequently repeated that China [relies] heavily on the Global South states … as long as we get the support from the majority of the Global South states and then we can have a basic political base in the world.”

France joins China to condemn Israel’s Rafah attack plans in sign the European power is veering from US on key issues

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261762/france-joins-china-condemn-israels-rafah-attack-plans-sign-european-power-veering-us-key-issues?utm_source=rss_feed

France joined China on Monday to condemn Israel’s plans to launch an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, adding to signs that the European power has distanced itself from US positions on key global issues.

The two countries issued a joint statement following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where they reaffirmed the “absolute necessity” to protect civilians in Gaza amid heightened conflict.

“The two heads of state oppose Israel’s attack on Rafah, which would lead to a larger-scale humanitarian disaster, and they also oppose the forcible relocation of Palestinian civilians,” said the statement, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

While Washington has said it would not support a military operation in Rafah, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier suggested the opposition was conditional, stemming from a lack of a plan to ensure civilians were not harmed.

“We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed and no, we’ve not seen such a plan,” he said after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

Israel on Tuesday took control of a vital Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt after rounds of overnight strikes on the city, even as Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposal. Israel has said that the terms were “far from Israel’s essential demands”.

In their 10-point joint statement on the Middle East, China and France stressed that the top priority was a sustainable ceasefire while calling for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”.

This view was also a departure from Washington’s approach, which has mainly focused on hostages held by the Hamas militant group, including American citizens.

But similar to the US – a close Israel ally – China and France called for the resumption of a political processes to implement a “two-state solution”.

Since the conflict broke out in October, Beijing has advocated for that position, which holds that an independent Palestine should coexist with Israel.

China and France also urged greater humanitarian efforts, calling for an opening of necessary corridors to ease delivery of aid in the Gaza Strip.

“The two heads of state called on all parties to avoid taking unilateral measures on the ground that may aggravate tensions, and condemned Israel’s policy of settlement construction in violation of international law, which will have a negative impact on lasting peace,” the statement added.

Monday’s statement was the latest indication that France’s views on the conflict had shifted away from the American position to align more with China. But it was not the first instance.

Less than two weeks after the war began in October, Washington vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution put forward by Brazil calling for humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Gaza while China and France voted in favour.

That was again the case in December, when the US cast the only dissenting vote against a Security Council resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire.

Not a good look: China should turn away from too much facial recognition

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3261578/not-good-look-china-should-turn-away-too-much-facial-recognition?utm_source=rss_feed

Facial recognition is such a big part of mass surveillance in China that some see it as evidence of a surveillance state. Yet there have been signs of pushback against overuse of the technology.

In April, amid industry concern about attracting foreign tourists, the Shanghai authorities issued a ban on mandatory face scanning at hotel check-in. Across China, many hotels have also stopped requiring guests who present valid identification documents to have their faces scanned.

In March, Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy and member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, proposed that public security departments nationwide stop requiring tourists to submit to face scanning in hotels. He pointed out that there are no specific regulations or laws that mandate the practice, which had hurt tourism. Instead, he advocated prioritising visitors’ privacy.

The rollback of facial recognition is certainly a positive development. Overuse of the technology is not good for citizens, foreign tourists and indeed, the country itself.

Even before Dai’s proposal, the Cyberspace Administration of China had issued draft rules last August addressing public concerns over excessive use of facial recognition. The rules stress that facial recognition technology can only be used “where there is a specific purpose and clear necessity”.

Public opinion is divided on the widespread use of facial-recognition cameras: some are worried, others are unfazed. There are those who like to say, if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to fear.

I don’t agree with this line of argument. Unnecessary face scanning should be avoided. Unlike other forms of data, faces can’t be encrypted or easily changed. So if facial data is breached, it could be used criminally, such as for identity theft and stalking. The country’s general lack of transparency only adds to the doubts.

Surveillance cameras and facial recognition scanners had been on the rise in China, even before the coronavirus pandemic provided the authorities with the perfect excuse for accelerating their installation. As early as 2017, toilet paper dispensers in a park in Beijing were equipped with facial recognition technology, to stop people from stealing rolls.

In 2018, People’s Daily boasted that China’s facial recognition system was able to scan the entire population in just one second. This network, Skynet, now comprises more than 600 million cameras.

China has been accused of using such technology to profile and, in some cases, persecute Uygurs. This has damaged the country’s reputation.

To be fair, facial recognition technology is new, and different countries have different approaches to surveillance and privacy protection.

In a 2022 study of more than 40 countries, technology website Comparitech found that most of the countries were actively surveilling their citizens, while only five countries, including Ireland, France and Norway, had “adequate safeguards”. Several countries, notably China and Russia, were regarded as surveillance states.

It is said that mass surveillance is intended to protect the public, for it leaves “criminals with nowhere to hide”. But do we really need surveillance cameras on every street corner? China is quite a safe country with a low crime rate.

It is also said that the Chinese don’t care as much about privacy as Westerners. In 2018, Robin Li, CEO of Chinese search engine Baidu, said most people in China would be happy to sacrifice privacy for convenience. Perhaps there is a grain of truth here. For example, a 2018 survey found that 82 per cent of respondents were in favour of CCTV surveillance.

At the same time, the fact that Li’s remark sparked a debate is enough indication that not all Chinese have such a relaxed attitude to privacy, in spite of the stated benefits of mass surveillance. A 2016 survey on internet user rights found that 54 per cent of Chinese internet users regarded personal data breaches to be a serious issue in the country, and 21 per cent of them consider it to be very serious.

I would say that the Chinese, especially those who are younger and educated, increasingly care about privacy. The rollback of mandatory face scanning was probably for the benefit of foreign tourists, but I hope citizens’ privacy will become an equally important consideration. Beyond the tourism sector, people’s complaints about privacy violation in other areas such as finance and transport should also be addressed. Little benefit will accrue to China from reinforcing the impression that it is an Orwellian surveillance state.

Chinese air taxi maker EHang completes maiden flight in Abu Dhabi as it eyes expansion in the Middle East

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3261737/chinese-air-taxi-maker-ehang-completes-maiden-flight-abu-dhabi-it-eyes-expansion-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese flying taxi maker EHang completed the first autonomous passenger-carrying flight in the Middle East, the company said on Monday, as it moves to expand in the region.

The EH216-S, EHang’s flagship pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL), took off in Abu Dhabi, according to the company, which is trying to capitalise on a burgeoning “low-altitude” economy, a range of industries related to aerial vehicles operating below an altitude of 1,000 metres.

EHang has plans to launch commercial flights with its pilotless aircraft in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other parts of the Middle East, said founder and CEO Hu Huazhi.

“We will actively foster collaboration and communications between the General Civil Aviation Authority [of the UAE] and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to expedite the progress,” Hu was quoted as saying in the statement.

Based in Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, EHang is stepping up efforts to enhance its presence in the Middle East market.

The firm made a foray into the region late last year through a strategic partnership with Wings Logistics Hub, a logistics technology unit under Ethmar International Holding (EIH), an Abu Dhabi-based investment vehicle with ties to the UAE’s ruling family.

Under the collaboration, EHang will deliver up to 100 of its EH216 series eVTOL vehicles, including the EH216-S, EH216-L, and EH216-F, designed for passenger transport, aerial logistics, and firefighting in high-rise buildings.

Last month, EHang also struck an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Multi Level Group, a financial technology subsidiary of EIH, as the Chinese company looks to set up a regional headquarters in the UAE capital to expand its businesses ranging from manufacturing and flight operations to research and development.

In China, EHang’s self-developed EH216-S is the first recipient of a Type Certificate, Production Certificate and Standard Airworthiness Certificate for pilotless eVTOL, issued by the CAAC. The accreditation cleared the regulatory hurdle for EHang to operate automated commercial flights in its home country.

Priced at 2.39 million yuan (around US$330,000) in mainland China and US$410,000 elsewhere, the EH216-S was first announced in February 2018 and has reportedly completed over 42,000 successful test flights in more than 14 countries.

Shares of Nasdaq-listed EHang were up more than 1 per cent in pre-market trading on Tuesday, after closing more than 7.5 per cent higher on Monday.

China slams Australian military for ‘disrupting’ drill after Yellow Sea helicopter confrontation

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3261776/china-slams-australian-military-disrupting-drill-after-yellow-sea-helicopter-confrontation?utm_source=rss_feed

China said on Tuesday that one of its fighter jets warned off an Australian military helicopter in the Yellow Sea because it was “disrupting” naval training, after Washington and Canberra slammed “unsafe and unprofessional” manoeuvres by a People’s Liberation Army aircraft.

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said Australia “confused right and wrong,” and accused the crew of the Australian destroyer HMAS Hobart of “disrupting” its exercises in the Yellow Sea.

“The Chinese military’s relevant operations of warnings and forcing others to leave were legitimate, reasonable, professional and safe, and fully complied with international law and international practice,” Zhang said.

“We call on Australia to earnestly respect China’s sovereignty and security concerns, stop spreading false narratives, strictly restrict the actions of its naval and air forces, and stop all dangerous and provocative actions to avoid damaging the overall relations between China and Australia and the two militaries.”

The incident on Saturday occurred as the HMAS Hobart was enforcing United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea in international waters in the Yellow Sea, according to the Australian Defence Department.

A Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter jet intercepted an Australian navy Seahawk deployed from the Hobart and released flares along its flight path, in a manoeuvre that was “both unsafe and unprofessional”, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

“We will not be deterred from engaging in lawful activities and activities which are there to enforce UN sanctions in respect of North Korea,” Marles said.

There were no reported injuries or damage, but Marles said Canberra has formally expressed concerns about the incident as the destroyer continues to operate in the area.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed those comments on Tuesday. saying that China’s behaviour was “unacceptable”.

He said the Australian Defence Force personnel were “in international waters [and] international airspace”, adding that Canberra has made “very strong representations at every level to China”.

Australia has been sending naval vessels and aircraft to the region for sanctions enforcement missions against North Korea since 2018.

Canberra’s statement did not mention any Chinese drill near the location of the incident.

Washington backed Canberra’s claims, and Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the US was “deeply concerned to see reports of this incident”.

“Obviously, we stand with our Australian allies,” Kritenbrink said during a trip to Canberra on Tuesday, according to the Australian Associated Press.

“I’ll let the Australian government speak for itself but it’s quite clear, given your presence and operations here that you’ll continue to do the same and we’ll support you doing so.”

The incident happened a month before Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s expected visit to Australia in June amid a growing rapprochement between the two countries after years of strained relations and trade disputes.

It is the second such incident in six months after Canberra in November said a Chinese destroyer had injured Australian navy divers in Japanese waters by deliberately blasting them with sonar pulses – an accusation Beijing denied.

Last month, Australia held first ever joint naval drills with the US, Japan and the Philippines in the South China Sea, prompting China to conduct air and naval patrols in the disputed waters in response.

Pakistan says bomb attack that killed 5 Chinese engineers in March was planned in Afghanistan

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3261777/pakistan-says-bomb-attack-killed-5-chinese-engineers-march-was-planned-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed

Pakistan’s military said on Tuesday that a suicide bomb attack that killed five Chinese engineers in March was planned in neighbouring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was also an Afghan national.

The suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam project in northwest Pakistan, killing six people.

“The entire attack was planned in Afghanistan, the car used in it was also prepared in Afghanistan, and the suicide bomber was also an Afghan national,” Pakistan military spokesman Major-General Ahmed Sharif told a news conference in Islamabad.

Afghanistan’s Taliban-run administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kabul has previously said rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad, and denied allowing the use of its territory by militants.

The Taliban are also seeking economic ties with China, the first country to formally appoint an ambassador to Kabul under the Taliban, and have said they would like to join Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

China has stressed to the Taliban the importance of security in the region according to experts and statements from Beijing, including a public agreement in May 2023 by all three countries during a meeting in Islamabad to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation.

Sharif said four main suspects of the plot to target the Chinese engineers have been arrested.

He added that security for 29,000 Chinese nationals in Pakistan, of which 2,500 were working on CPEC projects and 5,500 on other development projects, was the top priority for security institutions.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have soured in recent months, with Islamabad saying the Taliban-run administration in Kabul is not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan.

Islamabad has gone as far as to say some elements in the Taliban are facilitating the Islamist militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – which is not affiliated with the Taliban, but has long pledged loyalty to the Afghanistan-based movement.

“TTP militants are using Afghanistan’s territory to destabilise the security situation in Pakistan,” Sharif said, adding that TTP militants were also procuring advanced weaponry from Afghanistan to carry out the attacks.

He warned that the Pakistan military will go to “any extent” to tackle militants and their facilitators.

In March, Pakistan said it targeted militant hideouts inside Afghanistan, which Taliban officials claimed were air strikes. Taliban run-security forces responded with heavy weapons fire at Pakistani security posts on the border.

Hong Kong plans HK$100 million scheme to send NGO staff on ‘patriotic’ exchange trips to mainland China

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3261768/hong-kong-plans-hk100-million-scheme-send-ngo-staff-patriotic-exchange-trips-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong authorities have proposed allocating HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) to social welfare organisations to arrange national study programmes and exchange tours to mainland China.

In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Tuesday, the Social Welfare Department said the funding arrangement aimed at enhancing NGOs’ understanding of national affairs, including social welfare services and national security awareness.

The subsidies were part of a HK$500 million dedicated fund that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his policy address last October.

The fund, which aims to help NGOs providing subvented services meet their development needs for staff training and system enhancement, is expected to be launched in the second quarter of this year for five years.

Details of the application will be announced later.

A fifth of the HK$100 million subsidy will be earmarked for national studies programmes and mainland exchange tours, which were not among what was listed in the policy address.

Hong Kong has 177 NGOs providing subvented welfare services as of April 30.

Another HK$100 million of the fund will be designated for specified staff training projects that align with the government’s policy objectives and welfare service needs.

The remaining HK$300 million will be reserved for IT system enhancement and professional training, with the funding for each NGO capped at 1 per cent of its provisional subventions this year, or HK$500,000, whichever is higher.

However, national studies programmes, including training on the national security law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, and mainland exchange tours, were also within the scope of the agency-based funding.

The department also revealed that an exchange tour would be organised by the end of May to help NGO staff understand national affairs and integrate into the overall national development, as a sample itinerary for NGOs to follow in future.

China lawyer who grumbles ‘can’t survive on a salary’ accused over sexy dance live-stream sideline making US$2,800 a month

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3260268/china-lawyer-who-grumbles-cant-survive-salary-accused-over-sexy-dance-live-stream-sideline-making?utm_source=rss_feed

A lawyer in China has come under fire for performing sexy dances in live-streaming videos, portraying an image viewed as inconsistent with her profession.

The 25-year-old woman, who is based in Shanghai, attracted attention on the mainland for a comment she made on social media during a discussion about lawyers’ sideline projects, reported Shanghai TV.

“Going to do ‘edge-ball’ live-streaming,” the woman, identified as Xiaobingxin on Douyin, wrote in the comments section.

“I earn about 5,000 yuan (US$700) from my job as a lawyer, but 20,000 yuan from live-streaming. I cannot survive in Shanghai without doing live-streams.”

Edge-ball is a term borrowed from ping pong and refers to live-streaming activities with content that invites sexual attention, but is not categorised as pornography.

Xiaobingxin said she passed the bar examination – one of the most difficult tests in China – at the end of 2021.

She started her law career in 2022, with a monthly salary of 4,500 yuan as an intern at a firm in Shanghai.

Her income was raised to 5,500 yuan when she became a salaried lawyer, but she had little money left after paying rent, she said in a video.

In her spare time, Xiaobingxin appears live on several social media platforms, and has seen her followers jump from 10,000 to 600,000 over the past year, the report said.

In the sessions, she dresses and dances in a way that is construed as provocative. She also chats with viewers and answers legal questions on camera.

In one live-streaming event, she asks her fans: “Am I not beautiful and cute as well?”

In another, she pulls down the sleeve of her coat to reveal the tattoo on her arm, saying suggestively: “I cannot pull off all my clothes, right?”

“Shouldn’t the platform close her account for those pornographic elements?” said one online observer.

“I think she is drunk,” another said.

After her videos went viral online, Xiaobingxin said a comment she made that encouraged others to take part in edge-ball live-streaming was “just joking”.

“I am sorry for my kidding comment. I will speak and act cautiously in the future,” she said.

“Some people tipped off the Shanghai Bar Association and I was ordered by my boss at the law firm to delete all the dancing videos,” she added.

Her employer, Lianggao Law Firm, told the media that Xiaobingxin is still practising there and the firm is “communicating with her”.

Shanghai Bar Association said it has noted the claims and is currently verifying them.

Xiaobingxin’s Douyin account was still active at the time of writing, although most of her old videos have been removed.

“A professional lawyer who has studied hard for over 10 years can only earn 5,000 yuan a month, but a sexy live-streaming hostess can earn 20,000 yuan. What a society,” one person said online.

“Lawyers can also do live-streaming to sell products. Which law bans them from doing this?” another asked.

China sends ‘message to Nato’ with Xi’s visit to Belgrade embassy bombing site

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261747/china-sends-message-nato-xis-visit-belgrade-embassy-bombing-site?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to join the commemorations of the 25th anniversary of one of the darkest moments in recent US-China ties, at the former site of China’s embassy in Belgrade, which was bombed by Nato forces on May 7, 1999.

Three Chinese journalists were killed in the strike, part of Nato’s military campaign in the former Yugoslavia, setting off a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington as well as the biggest anti-US protests across China in decades.

The US and its Nato allies insisted the “entirely unintended” strike had meant to target a Yugoslav military facility and the embassy had been misidentified in a “tragic mistake”, but many in China – including government officials – remain unconvinced.

China has maintained close ties with Serbia, since siding with the former Yugoslavia against Nato’s air campaign in the 1990s, and Xi’s anticipated visit – as part of his European tour – will be his second to the site.

During a state visit to Serbia in 2016, Xi visited the location which featured a commemorative plaque, unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the bombing by the mayor of Belgrade and the Chinese ambassador.

Zhiqun Zhu, a professor of international relations and director of the China Institute at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said Xi’s latest visit is highly symbolic and serves two purposes.

The first is intended “primarily for domestic audiences as it helps to boost nationalism at home. The official narrative is that this happened when China was weaker, and now the Chinese should be proud of themselves as the country has become a world power”.

Zhu said the high-profile move to mark the embassy bombing also served as a reminder to Nato of this “historical debt to China”. “And it is a subtle warning that a guilty Nato should not get involved in Chinese affairs, nor should it expand to Asia.”

Beijing has repeatedly invoked the embassy strike in recent years to attack Washington and Nato over their alleged efforts to contain China, as part of the intensifying wrangling with the US and its Western allies.

At a Security Council meeting in March, the Chinese deputy envoy to the United Nations Geng Shuang called the bombing “a flagrant violation of China’s sovereignty” and said Beijing “will never accept such a historical tragedy repeating itself”.

Last month, Geng invoked the incident again, during a speech condemning Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria.

Zhu said that in contrast, the US and other Nato countries are reluctant to talk about the incident and want to downplay it because “they can never convince the Chinese to accept the ‘old map’ explanation” for how the strike occurred.

“If the incident happened today, there would be a major crisis in China-US relations, given the intense rivalry between the two powers, hostility towards China in the US, and strong nationalism in China now,” he said.

China’s reaction in 1999 was relatively restrained, in light of the magnitude of public feeling aroused by the bombing, with mass protests in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shenyang.

In Beijing, protesters laid siege to the US embassy, trapping everyone inside for days until they were called off by the authorities.

China denounced the Belgrade strike as a “barbaric act” and a “severe infringement” on Chinese sovereignty, while then president Jiang Zemin refused to take calls from his US counterpart Bill Clinton for a week, despite the hotline set up in 1997.

Pang Zhongying, a professor of international affairs at Sichuan University, said the 25th anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from 1999, when US-China ties bore some important resemblances to those of today.

“Bilateral ties stood at a historical crossroads and were very fragile, which is somewhat similar to relations at the moment”. The bombing – “a big surprise” – threatened to derail the relationship, on the mend since the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, he said.

At the time, Beijing and Washington were engaged in serious negotiations towards finalising US support for China’s accession to the WTO and the previous months had seen reciprocal state visits by Jiang and Clinton.

Just weeks before the bombing – which Clinton later described as one of the worst setbacks of his presidency – then Chinese premier Zhu Rongji had wrapped up a visit to the US.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that the country’s future development was at stake, because an escalation of the diplomatic crisis would not only sabotage ties with the US, it could also jeopardise domestic reforms, as well as China’s WTO accession amid doubts at home about reform and opening up,” Pang said.

“While the incident should be remembered, it should not be commemorated in a high-profile manner, especially when Sino-US relations are still very fragile. It can hardly do any good to the improvement of bilateral ties.”

When Jiang and Clinton finally spoke on May 14, 1999, the US president expressed his regrets and promised an investigation, as well as reaffirming his commitment to normalising relations with China.

Are US-China relations destined to end up as a ‘new cold war’?

While Beijing wanted to show its resolve for a serious political struggle with Washington, it was also concerned about the ramifications – especially on domestic stability in the wake of the protests around the country.

At an internal meeting of the Chinese leadership after the bombing, Jiang set the tone by reportedly saying “we must not only oppose hegemonism, but also develop relations with the US”.

“China will not deviate from its policy of economic development and reform and opening up because of this incident,” he said.

In the months that followed, the talks suspended by Beijing on May 10 resumed, covering the WTO, human rights and military ties. In December, the two sides agreed on compensation, for damage to the Chinese embassy and to US diplomatic missions in China.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior policy specialist with the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, said Beijing wanted to send a signal with Xi’s Belgrade visit, that “China might or might not forgive but it will never forget what happened on that fateful day in 1999”.

“That the embassy bombing happened during a military operation, and war, that was neither sanctioned by the UN Security Council nor by the US Congress … [making] the bombing all the more odious, I think Xi’s presence in Belgrade is a fitting remembrance on the 25th anniversary of that incident,” he said.

“The relative restraint stemmed, in my view, from the fact that the Chinese leadership sadly and reluctantly understood that in high likelihood the bombing had been a tragic error – even though it may have been during an illegal war.”

According to Gupta, a key lesson from the embassy bombing was the need for an operational mechanism to ensure open lines of communication in the event of emergencies.

“The two sides need qualitatively better civilian-led crisis communication and management channels to reckon with the day-after essentiality of engaging the other side to talk down and defuse a crisis – particularly an inadvertent and unintended one like the embassy bombing,” he said.

‘Fruitful results’: China’s top police chief hails joint crackdown with New Zealand against drug trafficking, fraud

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261738/fruitful-results-chinas-top-police-chief-hails-joint-crackdown-new-zealand-against-drug-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s top police chief hailed cooperation with New Zealand in fighting crime and the illicit drug trade during a meeting with that country’s police commissioner in Beijing on Monday, amid growing concern in Wellington over a surge in fentanyl use.

Wang Xiaohong, China’s public security minister, said China and New Zealand achieved “fruitful results” in combating financial crimes, telecoms fraud and narcotics, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.

“For a long time, the law enforcement departments of both countries have engaged in candid communication and professional, efficient cooperation”, Wang said, according to the report.

“China is willing to work with New Zealand to strengthen pragmatic cooperation in the field of law enforcement and security … and better benefit the people of both countries.”

New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said his country was willing to advance bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation, the report said.

Fentanyl use has recently surged in New Zealand, and the United States has warned that the country was at risk of being targeted by criminal networks as one of the next big markets for fentanyl.

New Zealand and Australia were seen as “highly valuable markets with high profit margins”, according to a press briefing published on the US State Department website on February 15.

Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, who led the press briefing, identified “Chinese criminal networks that have long been dominant actors in methamphetamine” as part of the forces spreading synthetic opioids.

Opioids, such as codeine, tramadol and fentanyl, are a particular class of drugs that work as pain relievers but have the potential to lead to addiction. While pharmaceutical fentanyl can be prescribed for treating severe pain, it can also be made and used illegally.

According to a report published on the University of Auckland’s website in March, new research has suggested making opioids more widely available for older people and for patients following surgery.

Last month a US bipartisan select committee released a report saying China “directly” subsidises those who make and export fentanyl. Experts said that Beijing encourages the production of precursor chemicals by providing “monetary grants and awards”, including state tax rebates and other financial incentives after the product is exported.

Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US, prompting Washington to urge Beijing to stop more fentanyl-related substances from flowing into the country.

In March, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw also visited Beijing to sign agreements to counter narcotics trafficking, according to a briefing report on the force’s website.

The report said that since 2015, its joint task force with China had seized 28 tonnes of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals – including, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, fentanyl and safrole oil – almost half of which was stopped in China before it could be smuggled to Australia.

Europe live: China’s Xi Jinping begins second day of visit

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/may/07/europe-live-china-xi-jinping-begins-second-day-of-visit-updates

At least 10 killed or injured in Chinese hospital attack

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3261714/least-10-killed-or-injured-chinese-hospital-attack?utm_source=rss_feed

At least 10 people have been killed or injured in an attack on a hospital in southwest China, state media reported on Tuesday.

Early reports about the incident in Zhenxiong county in Yunnan province were sparse – with no details being offered about the victims, the attacker or a possible motive.

“The relevant information is being verified,” state news agency Xinhua said.

It is not yet known whether the suspect has been subdued by police.

Zhenxiong county, situated in Yunnan’s northeast, borders Guizhou and Sichuan provinces and until 2020 was classified as being “poverty stricken”.

In January, the county was hit by an avalanche that killed 44 people.

Australia PM blasts China for ‘unacceptable’ use of flares near military helicopter

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3261720/australia-pm-blasts-china-unacceptable-use-flares-near-military-helicopter?utm_source=rss_feed

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday it was unacceptable for Australian defence personnel to be put at risk in international airspace by the Chinese military as they took part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

A Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian military helicopter during an unsafe and unacceptable confrontation over the Yellow Sea, Australia said on Monday.

The Chinese air force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred metres ahead of an Australian MH60R Seahawk helicopter on a routine flight on Saturday in the Yellow Sea as part of an operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Monday evening.

China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the necessary measures had been taken to warn the Australian helicopter. “The Australian military aircraft flew near China’s airspace in a threatening way,” said foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian. “China military took necessary measures to warn the Australian side.”

Albanese said Australia’s had made representations over the incident. “This issue, we have made public in order to be able to speak out very clearly and unequivocally that this behaviour is unacceptable,” he told Nine’s Today Show.

The Australian Defence Force personnel were “in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransigent and reckless behaviour, are enforced”. “They shouldn’t have been at any risk,” he said.

The Australian public expected an explanation from China about the incident, and Australia had made “very strong representations at every level to China”, he added.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Australia next month, he said.

“We will make our position clear as well in discussions,” he said.

The helicopter, flying from destroyer HMAS Hobart, dodged the flares. The confrontation put the aircraft and those on board at risk, although no one was hurt, the Department of Defence said in a separate statement.

This is the second such incident in six months to mar what has otherwise been a growing rapprochement between the two countries after years of strained relations and trade disputes.

Australia said in November a Chinese naval vessel injured some of its divers in Japanese waters using an underwater sonar. China denied it had used its sonar, however Australia rejected the explanation.

In 2022, Australia protested after a Chinese navy vessel pointed a laser at an Australian military aircraft close to Australia’s northern coast.

In a separate incident in 2022, Australia said a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea, releasing a “bundle of chaff” containing pieces of aluminium that were ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engine.

Liu Jianchao, head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party, said during a visit to Australia in November the Australian navy’s movements in the South China Sea and East China Sea appeared to be an effort to contain China.

Australia has rejected this, saying it respects the right of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.

China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. An international tribunal in 2016 said China’s expansive claim had no legal basis.

Chinese navy vessels have been tracked off Australia’s coast several times in recent years, including monitoring exercises with the US military.

Who’s who on Xi’s Europe trip: Chinese president accompanied in Macron meeting by top party and ministerial officials

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3261707/whos-who-xis-europe-trip-chinese-president-accompanied-macron-meeting-top-party-and-ministerial?utm_source=rss_feed

As Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his closely watched trip to Europe, he is accompanied by a group of senior Chinese diplomats and officials who oversee the country’s economic and trade affairs.

The five-day trip to France, Serbia and Hungary is Xi’s first visit to Europe in five years, and his third trip to France since taking office as China’s president in 2013.

Ten senior Chinese officials were in the room with Xi – including Xi’s chief of staff Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi – as he met French president Emmanuel Macron during Monday’s bilateral talks, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

These are officials in the president’s entourage during his Europe visit:

Cai, China’s No 5 official and the ideology chief of the ruling Communist Party, often accompanies Xi on domestic and overseas trips. The 68-year-old is on the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s highest authority, making him the most powerful chief of staff to the country’s top leader since the time of Mao Zedong.

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has been the face of China’s evolving foreign policy since 2013. In 2022, he was promoted to Politburo member and made the party’s foreign affairs chief, but was reappointed to foreign minister in July last year, replacing Qin Gang who was suddenly removed just months into the job.

Zheng has headed the National Development and Reform Commission since last year and has since been included in almost every one of Xi’s entourages, on both domestic and international trips. The commission is responsible for the country’s economic direction, China’s energy and climate policies, as well as the Belt and Road Initiative – Xi’s signature project.

As China’s Minister of Commerce since December 2020, Wang has been at the core of Beijing’s efforts to iron out trade disputes with the European Union, including those relating to China’s sales of EVs.

China’s Minister of Finance since 2023 is China’s point person to deal with the financial chiefs of foreign governments. He was among officials who met US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen in China in April.

Lu has been China’s ambassador to France since 2019 and has been seen as one of the country’s leading Wolf Warrior diplomats. Last year, in an interview with French television, he triggered a diplomatic crisis after he questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet republics.

Yu is head of the General Administration of Customs. Previously, he has served as deputy commerce minister and the representative for international trade negotiations.

Jiang heads the Central Policy Research Office, a party think tank which studies and drafts national policies for China’s top leadership. Jiang is one of the few Chinese officials who attend almost all Xi’s domestic and international trips.

Hua was not seen in the room on Monday but was observed taking a back seat during an earlier trilateral meeting between Xi, Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. Hua has been head of the press department of China’s foreign ministry since 2019. In 2021, she was promoted to the rank of assistant foreign minister and retains her role in the press office.

As director of the president’s chief of staff office, Lu was seen in the back of the room of the Xi-Macron meeting. A former diplomat with the policy planning department of the foreign ministry, Lu has regularly been seen in Xi’s meeting with foreign heads of states. He was seated in the front row during Xi’s meeting with US President Joe Biden in San Francisco in November.

Seated at the end of the table is Deng, who has been a vice-foreign minister since late 2021. A French-speaking diplomat, he was promoted to be in charge of European and African affairs. Previously, he served as the deputy head of the foreign ministry’s department of European affairs and was China’s ambassador to Turkey.

2 Chinese men convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case deported to Cambodia

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3261721/2-chinese-men-convicted-singapores-largest-money-laundering-case-deported-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed

Two men convicted in Singapore’s largest money laundering case were deported to Cambodia on Monday.

Su Wenqiang and Wang Baosen, both 32, are barred from re-entering Singapore, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) spokesperson said in response to CNA’s queries.

Both men were sentenced to 13 months’ jail in April. CNA has contacted the authorities to ask why the two men were deported weeks after they were sentenced.

Su was the first suspect to plead guilty in the case and was sentenced on April 2. He admitted to 11 charges of money laundering, possessing proceeds from illegal remote gambling offences and lying to get work passes for himself and his wife.

Authorities had seized more than S$5.9 million (US$4.4 million) from Su in the form of cash, vehicles, luxury items and liquor.

Su is a Cambodian national whose passport states that he is from Fujian, China.

Wang, a Chinese national, was sentenced on April 16 after pleading guilty to one charge each of possessing almost S$600,000 in illegal proceeds in his wife’s bank account and for laundering another S$1.48 million to buy a luxury Park Nova flat in Tomlinson Road.

Six other charges were considered in sentencing.

More than S$8 million in assets belonging to Wang – in cash, vehicles, property and collectible items – were seized. These include his assets under his wife’s name.

It was previously reported that Wang held Chinese and Vanuatu passports and had no employment in Singapore.

ICA did not explain why Su and Wang were deported to Cambodia, but it previously said the location of deportation is dependent on the “admissibility of the foreigner based on his/her valid passport”.

Su and Wang were two of 10 people arrested in an island-wide police operation in August 2023 after police were tipped off about possible illicit activities by a group of foreign nationals.

More than S$3 billion (US$2.2 billion) in assets have been seized or frozen in relation to the case. This likely makes it one of the largest money laundering operations in the world.

Besides Su and Wang, three others have been sentenced in the case.

This story was originally published by

[Uk] China suspected of UK armed forces payroll hack

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68967805

Jin Xing, China’s first transgender woman divorces German husband for love, couple remarry 18 years on for same reason

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3260124/jin-xing-chinas-first-transgender-woman-divorces-german-husband-love-couple-remarry-18-years-same?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s first publicly recognised transgender dancer has remarried the love of her life whom she was forced to divorce 18 years ago.

Jin Xing, 56, from Liaoning province in northeastern China, is a renowned transgender performer with 14 million followers on Weibo.

In April 1995, Jin underwent gender reassignment surgery in a Beijing hospital, becoming China’s first publicly recognised transgender person.

Her surgery journey was documented in the film Miss Jin Xing of which some in the mainland media said: “Jin Xing revealed her brave, candid, and yet lonely side.”

Due to an error made by a nurse during surgery, Jin’s left leg was compressed by medical equipment for 16 hours causing paralysis – a crushing blow for a dancer.

However, just a year later, she fully recovered, displaying astonishing willpower and appeared on stage in Beijing as a transgender woman.

She later founded the Shanghai Jin Xing Dance Theatre.

In February 2004, Jin met German national Heinz Gerd Oidtmann on a flight from Paris to Shanghai. He fell in love with her at first sight.

Jin told him she used to be a man, adding: “The woman in front of you is a huge challenge for any man.”

She also told him that she had adopted two sons and a daughter.

Jin thought their connection might end, but Oidtmann called her the next night, saying he had come to terms with everything and still wanted to see her.

In 2005, the pair got married and Oidtmann moved to China alone to be with Jin.

However, the couple divorced in 2006 and Jin explained that they did so to resolve the children’s household registration issues and avoid impacting their elder son’s studies.

As a foreigner, Oidtmann had to wait a year to qualify for international adoption.

They continued to co-parent their three adopted children, and in 2018, they secretly remarried in Italy.

On April 11, Oidtmann’s birthday, Jin announced on Weibo that they had remarried.

She chose 13:14 as the time to announce the remarriage, as in Chinese, it sounds like “forever and ever”.

“Forced to divorce in 2006 for the children, we remarried after 18 years, witnessing our journey of love and responsibility,” Jin wrote in an online post.

“True love is never late,” said one online observer on Weibo.

“Jin has lived her life for herself. The perfect love, the gender she wanted, and a career she is passionate about – she’s got it all,” said another.

In 2015, Jin hosted a talk show called The Jin Xing Show, where her sharp wit, fearless comments and sarcastic style were widely loved by audiences.

She promoted gender diversity in the media and at public events, challenging transgender stereotypes.

“Call me brother, sister, or even ‘guy’, if that makes you feel better. My name will always be Jin Xing. I was a male, and now I’m a woman, living my life,” said Jin.

She is also hailed as the “pioneer of Chinese modern dance”.

Jin began her strict dance training at the Shenyang Song and Dance Ensemble at the age of nine.

In the 1990s, after learning modern dance in the United States, Jin returned to China with innovative dance styles and concepts.

She has received many of China’s highest dance honours, including the Wenhua Award, the top government award in the country’s performing arts sector.

Beijing to help Hong Kong rake in talent from mainland China and overseas, nation’s labour chief says

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3261683/beijing-help-hong-kong-rake-talent-mainland-china-and-overseas-nations-labour-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing will work in tandem with Hong Kong authorities to make the city more attractive to talent from mainland China and the rest of the world, the country’s top official overseeing labour policies has said.

Wang Xiaoping, the country’s human resources and social security minister, made the pledge at Hong Kong’s two-day Global Talent Summit on Tuesday as the city’s labour chief said local authorities would focus on attracting more professionals from Southeast Asia and Europe.

Wang also reiterated the country’s support for Hong Kong’s efforts to become an international talent hub, as well as its drive to become a more entrepreneur-friendly environment.

“China today has become fertile ground for talent from all walks of life, while Hong Kong has ushered in the best period for fostering the economy and development,” she said. “We are willing to work with the Hong Kong government … to build a stronger talent foundation.

“We look forward to talent from all walks of life at home and abroad … exploring opportunities in China, especially in Hong Kong. They can make full use of opportunities produced by the country’s high-quality development and Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability to realise their dreams.”

Wang’s ministry falls under the purview of China’s State Council. It oversees national labour policy standards and manages the country’s social security system.

At the summit, Wang said she had asked the relevant authorities in the Greater Bay Area to further support mainlanders as they developed their careers in Hong Kong.

The bay area refers to Beijing’s ambitious initiative to transform Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities into an integrated hi-tech, economic powerhouse by 2035.

Tuesday’s summit also included the International Talent Forum, as well as the Second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area High-quality Talent Development Conference.

Organisers hoped to welcome 7,000 attendees for the entire summit, both in person and attending remotely.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also spoke at the event, noting nearly 180,000 applications under various talent entry schemes had been approved as of the end of last month.

He also said that more than 120,000 people had arrived in Hong Kong so far this year under various initiatives.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han in his summit speech said talent from the mainland accounted for a large proportion of the applicants, vowing to step up efforts to seek talent from other parts of the world.

“One of our focuses in the future will be Southeast Asia,” he said. “We will attract more talent from our neighbouring regions to come to Hong Kong. In addition, we will go to Europe.”

The high-level event is being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai alongside the CareerConnect Expo for human resources agencies and recruitment platforms.

Is China the target of new US global cyberspace and digital technology strategy?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261681/china-target-new-us-global-cyberspace-and-digital-technology-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed

Washington has rolled out a new cyberspace strategy which appears to be aimed at countering Beijing, with the focus squarely on enhancing international collaborations that will exclude China.

The international cyberspace and digital policy strategy is intended to enhance international collaborations in the realm of cybersecurity and other technological advancements, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the initiative in San Francisco on Monday, at the RSA Conference, a major annual cybersecurity event.

He said the US is committed to “digital solidarity” not “digital sovereignty” – a willingness to help other countries build capacity and guide engagement on technology diplomacy.

According to Blinken, one of the strategy’s goals is to elevate the role of the US in countering cyberthreats globally and enhancing governance in regulating advanced technologies such as AI.

“We’re harnessing technology for the betterment not just of our people and our friends, but of all humanity … Some of our strategic rivals are working toward a very different goal,” Blinken said, without naming China.

“They’re using digital technologies and genomic data collection to surveil their people to repress human rights, weaponising dominance and critical supply chains to coerce other governments, employing AI-based tools to deepen polarisation and undermine democracies,” he said.

Blinken’s reference to genomic data collection echoes accusations made by Washington and some human rights groups that Beijing uses the practice as a form of control and surveillance of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet. The Chinese government has denied the allegation.

In one of only two direct references to China, Blinken said the US is “working with partners to set cyber norms and uphold them around the world – as we did by publicly calling out the PRC for targeting US critical infrastructure”.

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order in February pushing maritime vessels and ports to shore up cybersecurity after US officials raised alarms that Beijing could remotely operate Chinese-manufactured cranes to disrupt the flow of goods.

In another apparent reference to China, Blinken said the US and its allies should “move quickly... to harness the benefits and protect against the risks” of quantum computing “so that we don’t fall behind as rivals pour money into developing machines with capabilities beyond even the most powerful supercomputers”.

Beijing promotes China-led vision for Digital Silk Road at Xian forum

“We’ve learned from the 5G experience that we cannot be complacent and let strategic competitors dominate the technologies that form the backbone of the global economy and that determines how and where information flows,” he said.

Chinese authorities have reiterated the need for technological breakthroughs in a range of hi-tech areas – including quantum computing and graphics processing units – as part of Beijing’s latest effort to seek control of “the industries of the future”.

Washington’s strategy is part of a growing US-led effort to counter China’s advances in emerging technologies such as AI, 5G and quantum computing, accompanied by its global technological spread through initiatives such as the “digital silk road”.

In 2021, the US and European Union announced a Trade and Technology Council, which aimed to strengthen members’ strategic technology supply chains while reducing their shared reliance on China’s manufacturing juggernaut.

China highlights data and ‘digital silk road’ in new plan to drive innovation

In his only other direct reference to Beijing on Monday, Blinken noted that 80 per cent of critical minerals are processed in China.

He also noted that in areas like cloud computing and data storage, the US “currently leads the world but providers from authoritarian states are increasingly competitive”.

“It is critical that we work with trusted vendors and exclude untrustworthy ones from the ecosystem. And we can only do that if we establish economies of scale with our partners and draw on a respective competitive advantage,” Blinken said.

Philippines’ Australia, France, Japan ties boost its middle-power status amid South China Sea rivalry

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261640/philippines-australia-france-japan-ties-boost-its-middle-power-status-amid-south-china-sea-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed

As the Philippines boosts its security ties with France, Japan, and Australia, analysts say such partnerships are key to bolstering the Southeast Asian nation’s defences and its reputation as a middle power amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.

French and Australian forces are taking part in this year’s Balikatan military exercises alongside US and Philippine troops. The war games, which have extended beyond Manila’s territorial waters for the first time into maritime zones contested with China, are considered the most expansive yet and include 14 other nations as observers. The drills will continue until Friday.

The Philippines has existing visiting-forces agreements with the United States and Australia and is exploring the possibility of a similar arrangement with France. Such agreements allow troops from either country to train in the other’s territory.

Manila is also negotiating a reciprocal-access agreement with Japan and has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada on enhanced defence cooperation.

Analysts say it’s crucial for the Philippines to strengthen security cooperation with like-minded countries, not only for bolstering its claims in the South China Sea but also for its ongoing military modernisation efforts amid a shift in focus of its defence strategy from internal to external.

Earlier this year, the Philippine armed forces adopted a new strategy called the “Comprehensive Archipelagic Defence Concept” that defence chief Gilbert Teodoro Jnr said was designed “to protect and secure our entire territory and exclusive economic zone” and ensure “all the generations of Filipinos to come shall freely reap and enjoy the bounties of the natural resources that are rightfully ours”.

Shortly before this year’s Balikatan exercises began, India completed delivery of the first of three Brahmos missile batteries to the Philippines under a US$375 million deal signed in 2022, seen as an initial step towards boosting the country’s defensive arsenal.

“For so many years, we haven’t had a stand-off capability,” said Sherwin Ona, an associate professor of political science and development at De La Salle University who has written extensively on national defence and information warfare. “It’s the first time in Philippine history that we’re able to acquire such a weapon … but of course, three batteries are not enough.”

Ona said the Philippines was considering France, among other contenders such as South Korea, to supply the country’s first submarines.

France has been lobbying the Philippines to buy at least three of its Scorpene-class submarines, with Ona calling the French offer “the most interesting” as it includes technical support and help building up operational expertise.

“When the Philippines plans for military modernisation, it usually takes a generation for it to be fulfilled,” he said. “There have been talks about acquiring a submarine [for years] but it was only during President Marcos Jnr’s term that this was given priority.”

Multilateral partnerships are advantageous for the Philippines as it strengthens diplomatic ties. Its reputation as a middle power is based on its diplomatic influence and capacity to establish defence networks, said Joshua Espeña from the Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation think tank.

“Other Asean members may not necessarily support Manila’s moves vocally,” he said. “[But] they are not doing anything because they too believe that the Philippines’ unique strategic culture and geography allows them to freeride on the net security gains of these activities.

“The Philippines indirectly sends a signal that it is willing to work with anyone who might bring strategic effect to regional security.”

Dindo Manhit, president of the Manila-based Stratbase ADR Institute think tank, said: “This strengthened deterrence capability is crucial for the Philippines’ objective to secure its sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, sending a clear signal of its commitment to defend its territorial integrity.”

Foreign policy and security analyst Lucio Pitlo III said the Philippines should leverage its strategic location in the region to drive support for its defence-building capabilities.

“Joint training and exercises with allies and partners like the ongoing Balikatan drills help boost readiness and interoperability to collectively respond to contingencies. But investments in defence and deterrence should go hand in hand with dialogue and diplomacy,” Pitlo said.

V.K. Parada, a defence research analyst with the Philippine navy, said that leveraging alliances was one of the most effective strategies the Philippines could use in offsetting security deficits.

He said the multilateral agreements were oftentimes “more geared towards capability development, interoperability, and facilitating the knowledge exchange between armed forces”, adding: “This is crucial when partner nations like France or Japan also serve as potential suppliers for the defence sector.”

Manila’s middle-power status also opens doors for economic growth, analysts say.

Manhit said Marcos’ administration should continue to strengthen its strategic partnerships and ensure they extend beyond military cooperation into economic collaboration.

Foreign direct investments from sources other than China have allowed the Philippines to build up its defences against economic coercion from Beijing, Ona said.

“Aside from the water cannons, economic coercion is another [threat]. To strengthen the Philippines’ [defences] against that type of grey-zone attack, we must have a resilient economy,” he said.

The Marcos administration had played its cards right in striking diplomatic ties with like-minded countries, Ona said.

“You cannot sustain a robust military without a resilient economy.”

---

China’s Xi begins Serbia visit on the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy

https://apnews.com/article/serbia-china-nato-bombing-embassy-5b13db499f39721faf9c82b9f88f4dfaWorkers hang on ropes to install a giant Chinese national flag on a skyscraper that is a symbolic gateway leading into the city from the airport, in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, May 4, 2024. Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to European ally Serbia on Tuesday falls on a symbolic date: the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO's air war over Kosovo. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

2024-05-07T04:28:07Z

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to European ally Serbia on Tuesday falls on a symbolic date: the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO’s air war over Kosovo.

U.S. jets dropped five bombs on the Chinese Embassy compound in the Serbian capital on May 7, 1999, setting it ablaze and killing three Chinese nationals. Twenty other people were injured in the incident, which has burdened relations between the two powers ever since.

The Western military alliance had launched the air war in March that year to force then Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic to end a brutal onslaught against ethnic Albanian rebels in Kosovo.

The U.S. at the time apologized and said the embassy bombing was a mistake that happened due to faulty intelligence. The intended target, Washington said, was the headquarters of a Serbian state arms exporter located on the same street, a few blocks away.

“Imagine that somebody would, even by accident, strike an American Embassy somewhere around the world. The reaction would be immediate,” said Sven Biscop, a professor of European foreign and security policy at the Ghent University and Egmont Institute.

“So for a country like China, it is also clear that this is a big thing,” he added. “And, of course, it has not been forgotten.”

Angry protesters in China stormed U.S. diplomatic installations as the bombing fueled anti-American sentiments and speculation that the attack was intentional rather than accidental. Mistrust over the incident has endured to this day.

“We will probably never really conclusively know either way,” Biscop said. “But one thing is sure. In war, incidents like that do happen, and I usually tend to go for the most simple explanation rather than try to invent complicated theories.”

While straining Beijing’s relations with the U.S., the embassy bombing brought China and Serbia closer together. China has emerged as Serbia’s largest provider of foreign direct investment and its second-largest trading partner after the European Union.

Beijing opposed the NATO bombing campaign and has since backed Belgrade’s bid to counter the Western-backed push for independence in Kosovo, a former Serbian province. In return, Serbia has been a loyal ally to Beijing and has opened its doors without restraint to billions of dollars of Chinese investment, even as it formally seeks EU membership.

Signs of pro-China sentiments were clearly visible ahead of Xi’s visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Belgrade, a huge Chinese flag was placed on a skyscraper along a roadway leading into the city from the airport. Smaller Chinese and Serbian flags could be seen downtown and along a highway.

Xi will arrive from France and proceed from Serbia to Hungary as part of his first European tour in five years.

He is expected to visit the site of the former embassy on the anniversary date and pay his respects to the bombing victims. A Chinese cultural center now stands at the spot where the embassy was once located.

The sprawling complex reportedly includes a Confucius Institute, workshops, exhibitions, offices, residential space and a hotel. It is seen as a symbol of China’s growing influence in Serbia and across Europe.

Near the institute, a group of visitors from China last weekend bowed in front of a simple black-marble monument and laid flowers in honor of the victims of the 1999 bombing. An inscription on the monument in both Chinese and English reads: “Honor Martyrs, Cherish Peace.”

__

Sylvain Plazy contributed to this report from Brussels.

China property: Shenzhen, Wuhan are the latest cities to ease housing market restrictions to stir demand

https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3261672/china-property-shenzhen-wuhan-are-latest-cities-ease-housing-market-restrictions-stir-demand?utm_source=rss_feed

Shenzhen and Wuhan have become the latest Chinese cities to ease home purchase restrictions to boost sales, as a growing number of major metropolises take steps to support the country’s slumping property sector and shore up confidence.

Shenzhen, China’s technology hub, said it has lowered the thresholds for the personal income tax and social insurance payments of non-local individuals and families seeking to buy a property in certain districts, while allowing local families with two or more young children to buy additional homes in those areas.

The city lowered its down-payment requirements for second homes in November in a bid to revive the pre-owned homes market.

“Shenzhen’s latest policy is in line with expectations, and an indication that there will be more policy easing in the country in May,” said Yan Yuejin, director of the Shanghai-based E-house China Research and Development Institute.

“The easing measures are still quite localised at this point, but are very strong nonetheless, especially the part about the social security payment requirements, which will create ample opportunities for those who are interested in buying a house.”

Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei province, unveiled new measures to boost its pre-owned homes market. The city’s housing ministry and other authorities said local families who are seeking to sell their homes and buy a new one can now enjoy lower mortgage rates. In addition, those who have successfully “exchanged” their homes within a designated period of time will be entitled to a certain amount in subsidies.

The authorities of both Wuhan and Shenzhen announced the measures on their websites on Monday.

The moves come after a central government call on April 30 for local authorities to “digest existing inventory” while “optimising policies around new housing.”

“The easing of both pre-owned and new home rules will be an important force to revive the country’s property market,” said Yan.

Other major Chinese cities have recently rolled out measures to encourage home purchases. Beijing, for example, said on April 30 that it would allow locals and non-locals who have fulfilled social insurance payment requirements to buy an additional house on the outskirts of the city.

During the Labour Day holiday period, Shanghai’s real estate association and other industry bodies unveiled an initiative aimed at providing greater benefits to residents seeking to sell their home and buy a new one. Chengdu in southwest China said in late April that it would no longer review qualifications for those interested in buying a house, while pledging greater support for developers’ “reasonable financing needs”.

Shares of Chinese property stocks, especially those of developers facing liquidity issues, went up by an average of 20 per cent on April 29 on the back of favourable policy moves.

New home sales in April by China’s top 100 developers dropped by 45 per cent year on year to 312.2 billion yuan (US$44.1 billion), and by 12.9 per cent compared with March, according to the China Real Estate Information Corporation.

Prices of new homes in China’s 70 medium and large cities fell for a 10th consecutive month in March, dropping 0.3 per cent compared to February.

Canberra accuses Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares dangerously close to Australian helicopter

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/06/canberra-accuses-chinese-fighter-jet-of-dropping-flares-dangerously-close-to-australian-helicopter

The federal government has accused a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares dangerously close to an Australian helicopter on a United Nations mission in international waters.

The Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, branded the incident “unacceptable”.

The helicopter pilot had to take evasive action to avoid being hit by the flares, Marles said. The government raised protests with the Chinese government over the altercation in the Yellow Sea off the Korean coastline.

“The consequence of being hit by the flares would have been significant,” Marles said. “Importantly, the helicopter was unaffected and all the crew are safe.

“This is a very serious incident. It was unsafe and it is completely unacceptable.”

The encounter, first reported by Nine News on Monday evening, occurred about 7.30pm on Saturday. No injuries were reported. The Albanese government has condemned the incident in the same grave terms it used after accusing a Chinese navy ship of targeting Australian divers with sonar pulses late last year.

Defence sources said Australian destroyer HMAS Hobart was in international waters in the Yellow Sea, which is situated between China’s eastern coast and South Korea’s western coast. The ship is participating in the United Nations’ Operation Argos, enforcing international sanctions against North Korea.

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A Navy Seahawk helicopter, attached to HMAS Hobart, was conducting what was described as a routine flight when it was said to have been intercepted by a Chinese J-10 fighter jet.

Marles accused the Chinese jet of dropping flares in front of the helicopter, at a distance said to be 300 metres in front and 60 metres above the Australian chopper. He said the Australian pilot had to take evasive action to avoid the flares.

A defence department statement said the Chinese aircraft “released flares along the flight path of the Australian defence force (ADF) helicopter. This was an unsafe manoeuvre which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel.”

On Tuesday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the Australian defence personnel were “in international airspace” doing important work enforcing United Nations sanctions against North Korea.

Albanese told Channel Nine the Australian public “would expect some form of explanation” and he echoed Marles’s comments that the actions were “unprofessional” and “completely unacceptable”.

Marles called the incident “both unsafe and unprofessional”. He had applied the same description to the November 2023 encounter between HMAS Toowoomba and a People’s Liberation Army navy destroyer.

Defence said the Chinese ship had deployed its sonar unit against Australian divers working to untangle fishing nets from the Toowoomba’s propellers, leading to minor injuries to two crew.

China’s national defence ministry spokesperson, Wu Qian, denied the claims at the time, saying the Chinese ship “kept a safe distance from the Australian vessel and did not conduct any activity that could affect the Australian side’s diving operations”.

Regarding the weekend’s flare incident, the defence department said Australia “expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a professional and safe manner”.

“Defence has, for decades, undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace.”

Marles gave a similar comment, saying: “We expect that when we have interactions with other militaries, including with the Chinese military, that those interactions are professional and safe. The interactions that were occurring by the PLA air force were unacceptable.

“We have formally expressed our concerns about this incident, and formally expressed that this was both unsafe and unprofessional. It is our expectation in the interaction of our two militaries is that they happen in a manner which is professional and safe for all concerned.

“HMAS Hobart continues in its work in enforcing those UN security council sanctions.”

China’s new aircraft carrier signals to Philippines ‘capability to fight in air and at sea’

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261627/chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-signals-philippines-capability-fight-air-and-sea?utm_source=rss_feed

The Philippines should be alert to the “potent challenge” posed by China’s latest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, as security analysts warn that Beijing’s flexing of its naval muscles is a “message to all parties” that it is prepared for air and sea warfare in the region’s contentious waters.

While it would be “suicidal” for the Chinese navy to take on the combined fleets of Japan – which recently rolled out its newly converted carrier the Kaga – and the United States, lesser powers such as the Philippines should nonetheless be on guard as the regional naval race intensifies, analysts said.

Last Wednesday, the Fujian, an 80,000-tonne Type 003 class vessel, sailed from Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai on a test mission. Unlike the Chinese navy’s two active carriers – the 66,000-tonne Shandong and the 60,000-tonne Liaoning, both of which use a ski-jump-style aircraft launch platform – the Fujian is equipped with electromagnetic catapults that can deploy fighters more frequently.

China aims to have six aircraft carriers by the end of 2035, making it the world’s second-largest blue-water navy after the US, which currently has an 11-strong carrier fleet.

Rommel Banlaoi, director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, told This Week in Asia that the Fujian possessed strong air and sea capabilities.

“The sailing of China’s third aircraft carrier signals to all parties in the South China Sea that Beijing is prepared for battle,” Banlaoi said. “But it can also contribute to peace and stability in the South China Sea if aircraft carriers can be used for peaceful purposes.”

Asked if the sailing of the Fujian was timed to coincide with ongoing military drills between the US and the Philippines, Banlaio said the Chinese military typically calibrated its responses based on external events.

“The situation in the waterways is becoming more worrisome now because all parties are increasing their military activities. And that is not good for regional peace and stability. What we need now is to de-escalate the current tensions in the South China Sea and conduct more diplomacy.”

In February last year, the Philippines added four bases that US troops could access under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), increasing the total to nine.

Last month, both countries began the 39th edition of their annual Balikatan exercises, with the main event on May 8 involving troops conducting a sinking of the BRP Lake Caliraya, the Philippine navy’s only Chinese-made vessel. Manila has said the choice of vessel was “not intentional”.

Reports about the Fujian came several days after the Chinese coastguard fired water cannons at a Philippine coastguard ship and a boat belonging to Manila’s fishing agency on April 30 near the Scarborough Shoal, one of the flashpoints in the South China Sea. It was the latest in a string of incidents that have taken place in the disputed waterways in recent months.

“Philippine coastguard vessels are not military but civilian vessels. Any coastguard activities in the South China Sea, if ever under attack, will not be covered by the MDT,” Banlaio said, referring to Article 5 of the Mutual Defence Treaty signed between the US and the Philippines, under which both countries recognised that “an armed attack in the Pacific area” on either party would prompt countermeasures to meet their “common dangers”.

At a trilateral summit last month involving the leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines, President Joe Biden assured his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jnr that their alliance was “ironclad”.

Defence analyst Jose Antonio Custodio told This Week in Asia that China was expected to use its new aircraft carrier to launch sortie aircraft in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for the waters of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone.

Despite the presence of the Fujian in regional waters, the carrier would not pose much of a threat to Japan and its American ally due to the overwhelming dominance of their combined fleet, Custodio said.

“The Japanese carrier forces operate in conjunction with the even more powerful Nimitz and Ford classes of the US Navy, making it suicidal for China to attempt to challenge them,” he said.

“They effectively bottle up the Chinese in that area and will serve to be the Japanese anvil for an American hammer that will neutralise any Chinese navy’s operations aimed to destabilise the region.”

Japan’s naval capabilities alone can be an effective counterweight to China’s naval power, according to security analyst Chester Cabalza, who said the Fujian was a new and untested asset.

The combined naval experience and technological prowess of Japan and its allies put them in good stead ahead of the Chinese carrier’s future missions, said Cabalza, founding president of International Development and Security Cooperation.

The Fujian was expected to serve dual purposes in the region, Cabalza said. The carrier had a symbolic role through its “tall presence” during joint drills involving the US and its allies and was likely part of the standby force to be activated by the Chinese Navy’s Eastern command theatre overseeing the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, Cabalza added.

Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst and lecturer at the Department of International Studies of De La Salle University, said China had accelerated its military modernisation and power projection in the western Pacific region since 2008 and the launch of the Fujian was a testament to its ambition.

“Its third aircraft carrier signals its desire to strengthen its regional exclusionary policy in the maritime domain at the expense of regional states,” Gill told This Week in Asia.

In addition, China has been upgrading its submarine fleet with capabilities including the ability to track US submarines. This forms part of Beijing’s focus on integrating its military capabilities under a strategy to control access to and within the Western Pacific, according to Gill.

“Its growing naval capabilities are an increasing challenge for states that seek to secure the stability of the established order. This provides a more potent challenge for countries like the Philippines that seek to defend their sovereignty and rights.”

Banlaio said that while Japan surpassed China in terms of its naval technology, it was pursuing closer alignment with its allies the US and the Philippines to counter the rising threat of the Chinese navy.

“China is catching up rapidly in capability. It aims to tell its neighbours that it is upgrading its capability to fight in the air and at sea.”

Emmanuel Macron offers China’s Xi Jinping a taste of French hospitality at state dinner

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261657/emmanuel-macron-offers-chinas-xi-jinping-taste-french-hospitality-state-dinner?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping was hosted by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at a state dinner at the Élysée Palace on Monday evening following bilateral talks that appeared to show progress on some fronts, including Beijing’s engagement with Moscow.

Xi and China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan, landed on Sunday at Orly airport in Paris where they were received by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

Among the more than 120 guests invited to a state dinner for the Chinese leader were actress Gong Li – famous for her starring roles in groundbreaking films including Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine – and her husband, the musician Jean-Michel Jarre. Other cinematic luminaries included Salma Hayek and Luc Besson.

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, also known as the world’s richest person, and his daughter Delphine Arnault, CEO of LVMH brand Christian Dior Couture, were among the nearly 60 corporate leaders invited.

The senior Arnault’s attendance highlights a point of bilateral trade friction: Beijing’s trade probe into exports of European brandy to China, most of which comprises French cognac, including LVMH’s Hennessy brand.

Earlier on Monday, Macron offered Xi two bottles of Cognac – a Hennessy XO and a prized Louis XIII by Remy Martin – along with rare volumes by Victor Hugo, the first French-Chinese dictionary and a sculpted glass vase from the town of Amboise.

Xi’s gifts to the French president included French-language books published in China as well as a painting.

This is Xi’s third visit to France since taking office as president in 2013 and his first visit to Europe in five years.

Observers have long looked to state dinners for clues to help understand the relationships between countries and their leaders.

In 2019, Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron honoured Xi and Peng with a state dinner at the Élysée Palace attended by more than 200 guests from the fields of politics, business and culture.

Gong, the Chinese actress, was seated across from the French first lady, who sat next to Xi.

The dinner’s menu was not made public, but according to Le Figaro newspaper, four chefs under Élysée chef Guillaume Gomez took part in the preparation, and at least four kinds of cheese were served – Munster, Roquefort, Camembert and a Comté.

Christelle Lorho, one of the country’s top cheese experts, told the newspaper that the decision was to represent “all of France!”.

Before the more formal state dinner at the Élysée, the Macrons threw a small welcome party for Xi and Peng at Villa Kerylos, an ancient Greek revival style house on the shores of the Mediterranean near the city of Nice, Xi’s first stop on that trip.

According to Le Figaro, the two couples enjoyed Mediterranean cuisine prepared by local chef Christophe Bacquie.

The menu included crab with sour cream and curd, favouille soup, asparagus from a local farm, sabayon with olive oil and lemon, and veal from the Limousin region in south-central France.

Wine was also served during the meal, including Pol Roger champagne, Petrus 2002 and a 2011 Joseph Drouhin Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet Grand Cru.

It was not Xi’s first time being hosted in a private dinner by a French leader.

During Xi’s first visit to France as Chinese president in 2014, then French leader Francois Hollande rolled out an 18-course private dinner designed by celebrity chef Alain Ducasse at the Palace of Versailles.

According to a menu leaked to the media, Xi was served frog legs with sorrel sauce, guinea fowl pie, crayfish ravioli, turbot with black truffles, lobster and lamb.

According to news portal thelocal.fr, the meal went on for more than two hours and included glasses of the country’s finest wine and champagne.

Before the dinner, Hollande also invited Xi and Peng, a Chinese folk singer, to a private concert at the Royal Opera featuring traditional and contemporary Chinese music and famous French arias.

Gift exchanges are also a part of the diplomatic protocol. In 2019, Macron presented Xi with a 1688 copy of An Introduction of The Analects of Confucius, which Xi promised to keep in China’s national library, according to state broadcaster CGTN.

The details of state dinners and visits are not just a display of goodwill and hospitality but often have cultural or historical importance.

In 2014, when diplomats in Beijing and Paris were preparing for Xi’s visit, the Élysée Palace repeatedly stressed that no white bouquets would be displayed at the state dinner because the colour is associated with death and grief in Asian cultures.

According to Le Figaro, Beijing selected Lyon, France’s second-biggest city, to be Xi’s first stop on his 2014 trip because several leading Communist Party figures – including Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping – had studied there in the early 20th century.

Additional reporting by Finbarr Bermingham and Robert Delaney.

Hong Kong property: New World and China Merchants Shekou to jointly develop Northern Metropolis project

https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3261633/hong-kong-property-new-world-and-china-merchants-shekou-jointly-develop-northern-metropolis-project?utm_source=rss_feed

State-owned conglomerate China Merchants Shekou Group has formed a partnership with New World Development to jointly develop a mixed-use project in the Northern Metropolis, with the residential component set to provide some 2,000 flats.

The investment comes as Hong Kong pushes the Northern Metropolis as a new engine of Hong Kong’s future growth and to integrate the area’s development with that of Shenzhen and other cities in the Greater Bay Area.

This is New World’s second collaboration with a Chinese state-owned conglomerate in the Northern Metropolis, following its venture with China Resources Group last year.

The Northern Metropolis project will cover an area of about 150,000 sq ft, close to Fanling and Sheung Shui. It will have a total buildable floor area of over 1 million sq ft and is estimated by the companies to have a market value of HK$15 billion (US$1.9 billion), according to sources familiar with the matter.

The site falls within the “Boundary Commerce and Industry Zone”, one of the four development zones outlined in the “Northern Metropolitan Area Action Plan” by Chief Executive John Lee Kar-chiu in his Policy Address last October.

The Northern Metropolis will provide around 500,000 new housing units and generate some 500,000 jobs upon completion.

Under the North Metropolis plan, the zone will promote advanced manufacturing industry andemerging industries such as food technology and modern logistics.

The formation work has been completed, including road connections, water, electricity and other infrastructure, so it can attract investment from central enterprises and accelerate the return of funds, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The zone has the potential to develop into an industrial centre for cross-border commercial services, retail financial services, medical services and leisure consumption, the source added.

New World has teamed up with China Merchants Shekou a couple of times in the past, including in 2022 on the MTR’s Tseung Kwan O Pak Shing Kok project. On the mainland, they jointly developed the K11 project in Shenzhen’s Prince Bay.

Last December, New World teamed up with China Resources Land to develop a project which is expected to have a total buildable floor area of about 720,000 sq ft and provide some 1,800 residential units. Construction is expected to start this year.

These joint venture projects will help New World ease its financial burden.

The company’s net debt of HK$118.9 billion as a percentage of equity rose to 49.9 per cent in December from 48.7 per cent in June last year, despite measures to trim capital spending and administrative costs.

New World has set an ambitious target of reducing its gearing ratio to below 40 per cent by 2027, from the current level of around 50 per cent.

China parents demand school transfer bully boy, 7, for sustained campaign of ‘hitting and intimidating’ classmates

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3260148/china-parents-demand-school-transfer-bully-boy-7-sustained-campaign-hitting-and-intimidating?utm_source=rss_feed

A group of parents in China has petitioned a primary school to transfer a seven-year-old boy after he repeatedly caused severe disruption and distress among his fellow students.

At a Wuhan primary school in central Hubei province, the boy who is known by the pseudonym Xiaoming, became known for his persistent aggressive behaviour, hitting, insulting, and intimidating classmates.

When he showed no improvement despite reprimands, 46 parents demanded his transfer by April 30.

They also requested the installation of surveillance cameras in the classroom amid concerns for the safety of their children.

The incident that finally led to the petition took place on March 29 when Xiaoming kicked a classmate three times, a day after being reprimanded by his teacher for bullying others in his class.

“Following the incident, his parents, those of the victim and the teacher, sought immediate medical attention for the boy. However, his aggressive behaviour continued,” a school official told CNR News.

Later, Xiaoming’s bullying further fuelled discontent among parents of children who had previously been his victims.

They expressed their concerns in a group chat, and on April 1, they issued a joint letter demanding his transfer.

However, Xiaoming’s mother, Wang, defended her son’s behaviour by attributing it to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, saying she had previously taken him to hospital for evaluation.

“The examination suggested he might have ADHD, but no formal diagnosis or medication was provided,” she said.

The school, however, refuted her claims, stating that Xiaoming, who only joined the class in February, had shown continuous discipline issues and physical aggression towards his peers.

Xiaoming was taken home by his parents on April 1 and has been attending classes online.

He will return in May, when the school plans to reassess his behaviour and consider having his parents accompany him in class for a period.

This situation has sparked a discussion among Chinese parents online, with many sharing their own struggles and frustrations in similar circumstances.

“As someone with ADHD, I rarely disturbed other students. ADHD does not always mean bad behaviour,” one person wrote.

“This isn’t just about ADHD. It’s about a lack of discipline. My neighbour’s child in nursery school is unruly and aggressive, yet his parents think he is promising,” said another.

“All of us can understand the frustration of the 46 parents who petitioned,” wrote a third person.

Bullying in schools has sometimes had tragic consequences.

In March, a child from Shandong province in eastern China was brutally assaulted by six classmates, forced to kneel and eat glass.

About the same time, a student in Hebei, northern China, who had been bullied by peers over a long period, was murdered.

His body was buried in an abandoned greenhouse and his face was unrecognisable after being battered with a shovel.

In response to escalating bullying, the Aofeng School in the southeastern province of Fujian installed an extensive alarm system throughout the campus, including the bathrooms.

China’s belt and road, once a hotspot for European investment, is getting the cold shoulder

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3261593/chinas-belt-and-road-once-hotspot-european-investment-getting-cold-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed

Though some multinational companies from Europe still see promise in projects aligned with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, acting on that potential is more difficult than it was 10 years ago thanks to deep geopolitical complications and fundamental differences of opinion on how best to build infrastructure.

Duisport, the German operator of Europe’s largest inland hub for water and land shipping, has invested US$30 million in a cross-border railway hub in Chongqing, an important logistics node for the initiative – China’s global strategy to enhance regional connectivity through infrastructure.

“China is one of the fields where we see growth potential,” said Duisport Chief Executive Officer Markus Bangen, citing a 15 per cent surge in container traffic related to the country for his company over the past decade.

More Chinese investment is on the way, he said. “China is on the radar”.

Other headline projects include railways, airports and power plants, with firms in France, the Netherlands and the UK pitching in at various levels. Some more indirect aid involved letting China invest in European infrastructure that links up with belt and road projects.

But foreign companies may find taking part harder now than it was 10 years ago, due to geopolitical complications and growing tensions with both sides of the Atlantic.

“Geopolitics [makes investment] no longer so attractive or discourages you from subcontracting for China, and I think the domestic market has changed after Covid to become less friendly to foreigners,” said Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawaii.

“This has an effect on foreign investors, on whether to cooperate with Chinese partners.”

German multinationals have offered components and expertise to Chinese belt and road projects in Africa, including a bridge in Mozambique and a solar project in Niger, said Christoph Kannengiesser, chief executive officer of the 500-member German-African Business Association.

German companies still want to work closer with Chinese counterparts on their projects in Africa, Kannengiesser said, as they hope to replicate the relatively fast pace of Chinese developers.

The association’s members have raised the idea at events with Chinese investors, he added, but little has come of it so far.

Finding partners is “not so successful”, he said, because of “hesitation” by numerous companies over approaches and standards for projects.

“Do we cooperate with the Chinese?” he said. “In some respects we do, but we don’t do it on a very relevant number of projects.”

Beijing has scaled back its push for large-scale infrastructure projects with initiative partners, pivoting to what it terms “small but beautiful” plans.

Some of China’s earlier builds generated controversy over questions of environmental protection, job creation and local debt burdens.

German participants would require a certain level of environmental protection for each project, a gender-balanced workforce and proof of an African nation’s “capacity” to repay loans. China, Kannengiesser has found, prefers to go it alone.

“China doesn’t try to work with Europeans,” he said. “Their ambitions are to do it by themselves.”

During headier times, China and France worked together on seven infrastructure projects worth more than US$1.7 billion in Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, according to a study posted on the website of French think tank IDDRI.

The city of London said in a May 2022 statement that China and the UK were “in close partnership” to make the belt and road more “green” based on principles established in 2018. A spokesman for the city declined to provide an update on this pledge.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, had allowed Chinese shipping companies to invest in the Port of Rotterdam – the largest facility of its kind in Europe – and Dutch shipping logistics database Portbase reached a cooperation agreement in 2019 with Chinese counterpart Logink.

Chinese officials are taking fewer partners from developed nations partly because they’re doing fewer projects abroad, encouraging state-owned companies to focus on domestic economic recovery instead, said Naubahar Sharif, head of the public policy division at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

“There’s more attention to getting their house in order,” he said.

European countries are also less enthusiastic now compared to three to four years ago, as political factors have gradually affected participation, Sharif said.

“There’s a strong political element keeping developed countries away or making them more hesitant,” he said.

Taking part in China-led projects would risk “isolation” by fellow developed nations, he said, and in today’s political climate “you don’t know which way the wind will blow”.

The Dutch consulate general in Hong Kong said in a statement to the Post that it does not participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, though Dutch companies “decide for themselves if they want to cooperate with foreign companies, including Chinese ones”.

Companies from the Netherlands are expected to follow Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines for “responsible business conduct” when operating abroad, the statement read.

Some Japanese and European companies still contribute technical expertise to China’s projects, said Andy Xie, an independent economist based in Shanghai – though they tend to “keep it quiet”.

Companies or governments that join China’s projects often avoid going public or associating the endeavour with the belt and road, Sharif said.

Nexxiot, a seven-year-old Swiss company that builds devices for railway cars and shipping containers to digitise their movements, is not so circumspect.

The company runs a factory in Suzhou with a Chinese partner to make hundreds of thousands of the tiny boxes each month, company CEO Stefan Kalmund said.

The factory is not technically a belt and road project, but the results complement China’s transport infrastructure throughout the initiative’s web of developing countries.

“New shipping containers are being made in China, so we have a factory there,” Kalmund explained.

“There’s a race going on for who can digitise those assets. Supply chains are increasingly influenced by national interests.”

Alleged Chinese meddling spurs foreign agent registry in Canada

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261656/alleged-chinese-meddling-spurs-foreign-agent-registry-canada?utm_source=rss_feed

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will require people lobbying or otherwise acting on behalf of a foreign government to register that activity publicly, a move that comes after allegations China attempted to meddle in the last two Canadian elections.

The new law was introduced in Canada’s Parliament on Monday, along with a series of other amendments to make it easier to prosecute illegal foreign influence activity.

Many of Canada’s peer democracies already have a foreign agents registry, including the United States and Australia, but Trudeau had hesitated to enact one over concerns it could lead to racist practices.

“One has to only think of the internment of Japanese citizens, or Japanese-Canadians or Italian-Canadians, during the past World Wars to know that we must be very, very careful with these things,” Trudeau said last year when asked about creating a registry.

The activity that could land someone on the registry include lobbying a public official, advertising to the public or distributing funds on behalf of “foreign principals”, which could mean a foreign government or other proscribed foreign organisations.

There are several exemptions, including for people who hold a valid diplomatic passport. The government will also create a new commissioner office to oversee the registry and related laws.

In addition, the law will strengthen criminal statutes around sabotage directed at “essential infrastructure,” create new criminal offences for carrying out certain kinds of foreign interference activities and make it easier for security agencies to issue warnings about foreign interference based on classified information.

Over the past few months, a public inquiry has been digging into allegations China meddled in the last two Canadian elections in an attempt to get Beijing-friendly candidates elected.

On Friday the inquiry produced a report concluding there were likely some interference activities, but they did not affect the overall result or undermine the integrity of the elections.

China’s middle class is stressed. Can its growing mental health industry lend a helping hand?

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3261355/chinas-middle-class-stressed-can-its-growing-mental-health-industry-lend-helping-hand?utm_source=rss_feed

In the past few years, psychological counsellor Huang Jing has watched her business thrive.

With any other industry, that would be cause for celebration – China has made private enterprise a priority as it pushes for sustained economic recovery – but a higher demand for mental health services carries other, more troubling implications.

Huang set up her first counselling company, Better Family, in Shanghai in February 2022 – not long before the city’s notorious two-month lockdown began. Business recovered quickly when quarantine lifted in June, and her practice broke even three months later. Six months after that, she opened two more offices there.

Now, she has expanded to Hangzhou, operating three offices in the Yangtze Delta tech hub.

The rapid growth in businesses like Huang’s, lucrative though it may be, reflects a rise in conditions like anxiety and depression among the public – including the middle class, widely regarded as foundational to China’s economic growth and social progress.

“People cannot help but wonder why the Chinese economy has ground to a halt,” she said. “We’ve seen a sea change in the property market, disillusionment of young people, and, particularly, mountains of pressure from parents: to make money, save money, rigid education [standards] and dim outlooks for their children’s future.”

The World Health Organization has estimated 54 million people in China suffer from depression and 41 million suffer from anxiety disorders. In recent years, health authorities have also made attempts to address the issue.

These phenomena are motivating people to seek psychological therapy and self-help in larger numbers, leading to a tenfold increase in the number of counselling institutions from 2011 to 2020 according to data from Qcc.com, a corporate credit information provider. The number soared by more than 60 per cent year on year in 2022, reaching 30,700.

The state-run newspaper Legal Daily reported more than 160,000 companies in China had business profiles which included psychological counselling as of the end of last year.

“I studied psychology in 2001 when the market was very small”, said Huang, whose centres charge clients 600 yuan per hour or above. “Because [psychological counselling] is expensive, and ordinary wage-earning classes can’t afford it. Only the affluent can.”

She added those clients’ interests are mostly personal or familial. “Solving psychological stress is their immediate need,” she said. “Our customers are mainly from families which have encountered marriage problems and issues in child-rearing and education.”

A gap between expectations and reality could be the cause for many people who seek counselling, Huang said. “Parents of many teenagers were raised after China kicked off reform and opening-up in the 1980s, rode the crest of the economic boom and had high hopes their children would replicate their success,” she said. “[They are] deeply averse to the idea [their children could] fail to achieve their full potential in school or not land an ideal job.”

Industry insiders and scholars said the coming two years may be the peak period for anxiety among Chinese families, with previously unseen pessimism over careers and income in the bumpy post-pandemic economy driving the counselling industry’s expansion.

Anxiety, a sense of meaninglessness and depression were the most commonly reported psychological problems for the Chinese public last year, according to a mental health report that featured the results of a survey of 40,000 people.

Annual expenditures on counselling over the past three years averaged 6,500 yuan ($US898) per person, and 90 per cent of clients have a bachelor’s degree or higher, the survey population said. The group was polled as part of the 2023-2024 Mental Health and Industry Population Insight Report, jointly released by Jiandanxinli.com – a platform that connects therapists with clients- and the CBNData Business Data Center.

The rise in potential clients has also generated interest in therapy as a career from those entering the job market. More people aged 30 to 40 are considering entering the profession, according to those surveyed, with more than 30 per cent of beginner counsellors age 20 to 29 and 51.6 per cent age 30 to 39.

Lu Fang, a senior translator in her 40s who lives in Guangzhou, has been dealing with stress over fears of being laid off and suffering losses on investments. In a further blow to her mental well-being, the US$300,000 she has saved to support her now 12-year-old daughter to eventually study overseas appears insufficient to cover the high costs of living in the United States or Europe.

The worry almost broke her, and was enough to motivate her to seek professional help in February. She bought a package of eight one-hour in-person sessions at 850 yuan each.

“I started receiving psychological counselling once a week,” Lu said. “It was worth the money. Although it’s hard to say how helpful it was in the end, I feel relieved.

“I would recommend counselling to my friends, despite the fact that it is quite expensive,” she said. “It can help change perspectives on personal problems. Things have changed too fast, which has led to a loss of years of effort by families and a dramatic shift of their plans.”

A crisis in the property market, erratic post-pandemic economic recovery and shaky job prospects – along with higher costs for medical care and education – have amplified mental distress and a sense of helplessness among China’s middle class.

Shen Jiake, a writer of psychological novels from the central province of Hubei, has also heard from readers across the country that anxiety was a prevalent issue – a trend he said is indicative of intensifying competition in society as a whole.

“China has developed so fast over the past 40 years, which resulted in dramatic changes in lifestyles but also a rise of anxieties,” Shen said. “These include the clash between Western lifestyles and traditional Chinese family values, the sudden onset of epidemics and economic uncertainties, and a rising sense of anxiety among the younger generation.”

Additionally, he attributed the rise in mental health problems to the “curse of 35” – a toxic perception that white-collar workers are too old for new job opportunities once they reach a certain age – as well as the growing population of young women who have chosen not to marry, leading to a rapid decline in fertility rates.

“The sense of meaninglessness is now more apparent than ever before, especially among the middle class and young people,” Shen said.

Huang with Better Family warned that parents’ anxieties could easily pass to their children. After the fast-paced economic growth of their youth which benefited them greatly, she said, they want the same for their children – and are shocked if it does not happen. “Some even think that if their first child does not excel in school, they can simply have another child and focus on the younger one, neglecting the first child’s development.”

The 2023 Blue Book on China’s Mental Health – a report jointly drafted by the China National Narcotic Drugs Association and Haoxinqing, an online platform for psychiatric services – determined the detection rate of depression among high school students was 40 per cent, 30 per cent for junior high school students, and only 10 per cent for those in primary school. From 2010 to 2021, China’s suicide rate in children aged 5 to 14 increased annually at an average of nearly 10 per cent.

Shen expected significant growth for psychological counselling services in the future, as more individuals become open to seeking professional help.

Concurrent with increases in internet use – China is already the world’s largest consumer base for online services – the counselling industry is adding remote functions to turbocharge its development in the digital age, he said.

Overseas professionals have an advantage in the Chinese market because psychological counselling systems and training methods are of Western origin, Shen said – though some adaptation will be required to fine-tune those practices to account for essential differences in culture.

“As long as the localisation problem is solved, counselling services are expected to become more popular.”

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, .