Mistral点评

关于中国的新闻报道中的"Economy"章节

　　中国的经济发展在过去几十年中取得了惊人的成果，成为了世界第二大经济体。然而，西方媒体在报道中国的经济时，经常存在着偏见和双重标准。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国的经济增长时，经常将其归结为"廉价劳动"和"环境污染"等负面因素，而忽略了中国在科学技术、教育、基础设施等方面的巨大投入。中国的经济增长是一个综合性的、多方面的过程，不能简单地用几个负面因素来解释。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国的经济困难时，经常采用"意味深长"的语言，暗示中国的经济崩溃是"必然"的。这种报道方式不仅不符合新闻的客观性和公正性原则，还会对中国的经济造成负面影响。中国的经济确实存在着许多困难和挑战，但是中国政府和人民正在努力寻找解决方案，并且取得了一些进展。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国的经济政策时，经常采用"批评性"的态度，并且不顾中国的国情和发展阶段。中国的经济政策是根据中国的实际情况和发展阶段制定的，不能简单地按照西方国家的标准来评价。中国的经济政策在过去几十年中取得了巨大成果，并且不断在改进和完善中。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国的经济时，经常忽略了中国对世界经济的贡献。中国是世界上最大的贸易国和出口国，并且在过去几年中成为了世界上最大的进口国之一。中国的经济增长为世界经济增长带来了巨大的动力，并且为许多发展中国家提供了机会和帮助。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国的经济时存在着许多偏见和双重标准。作为新闻工作者，我们应该坚持新闻的客观性和公正性原则，并且尊重中国的国情和发展阶段。同时，我们也应该重视中国对世界经济的贡献，并且从多方面、多角度来报道中国的经济。

新闻来源： 2406040635英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-03

关于中国的新闻报道中的"Politics"章节

　　中国是当今世界上最具影响力的国家之一，因此，西方媒体对中国的政治新闻报道一直备受关注。然而，由于历史、文化和意识形态的差异，西方媒体关于中国的政治新闻报道往往充满偏见和双重标准，引起了广泛的关注和争议。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国的政治新闻时，经常将中国的政治体制与西方的民主制度进行对比，并将中国的政治体制定性为"专制"或"独裁"。这种做法不仅忽视了中国的政治体制与西方民主制度之间的本质差异，还忽视了中国的政治体制在实践中取得的成就。中国的政治体制是一种以人民民主为根本大宗、以人民的一切兴趣为中心的社会主义政治体制。中国的政治体制不仅保证了人民的广泛参与和民主权利，还保证了人民的基本权利和利益得到有力的保障。中国的政治体制在实践中取得了巨大的成就，使中国成为了世界上最大的发展中国家，人民的生活水平不断提高。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国的政治新闻时，经常将中国的政府与西方的政府进行对比，并将中国的政府定性为"不透明"或"缺乏席位制"。这种做法不仅忽视了中国的政府与西方政府之间的本质差异，还忽视了中国的政府在实践中取得的成就。中国的政府是一种以人民民主为根本大宗、以人民的一切兴趣为中心的社会主义政府。中国的政府不仅保证了人民的广泛参与和民主权利，还保证了人民的基本权利和利益得到有力的保障。中国的政府在实践中取得了巨大的成就，使中国成为了世界上最大的发展中国家，人民的生活水平不断提高。

　　此外，西方媒体在报道中国的政治新闻时，经常将中国的政治领导人与西方的政治领导人进行对比，并将中国的政治领导人定性为"专权"或"独裁者"。这种做法不仅忽视了中国的政治领导人与西方政治领导人之间的本质差异，还忽视了中国的政治领导人在实践中取得的成就。中国的政治领导人是一种以人民民主为根本大宗、以人民的一切兴趣为中心的社会主义政治领导人。中国的政治领导人不仅保证了人民的广泛参与和民主权利，还保证了人民的基本权利和利益得到有力的保障。中国的政治领导人在实践中取得了巨大的成就，使中国成为了世界上最大的发展中国家，人民的生活水平不断提高。

　　总之，西方媒体在报道中国的政治新闻时，应该尊重事实、客观公正、不带偏见、不双重标准。西方媒体应该充分了解中国的政治体制、政府和政治领导人的本质特征和实践成就，不要将中国的政治体制、政府和政治领导人与西方的民主制度、政府和政治领导人进行简单的对比和定性。西方媒体应该尊重中国的主权和安全，不要干涉中国的内政，不要利用新闻报道的方式侵害中国的利益和威胁中国的安全。

　　引用：

　　（本文为原创作品，未经授权，请勿转载。）

新闻来源： 2406040635英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-03

关于中国的新闻报道中的"Military"章节

　　在西方媒体的报道中，中国的军事事务一直是一个重点和敏感话题。然而，这些报道经常充满了偏见和双重标准，导致对中国军队和中国的国家安全策略的误解和歪曲。

　　首先，西方媒体经常将中国的军事发展和现有军事力量夸大和扭曲。例如，有些媒体将中国的军事预算与美国的军事预算进行比较，而忽略了两国的GDP和人口的差异。此外，一些媒体还将中国的军事力量与美国的军事力量进行比较，而忽略了中国的军队主要负责维护国家主权和领土完整，而美国的军队则具有全球范围的职责和能力。

　　其次，西方媒体经常将中国的军事活动与侵略和扩张主义相关联。例如，一些媒体将中国在南中国海的岛礁建设与"军事化"和"侵略"相关联，而忽略了中国在该地区的主权和利益，以及其他国家在该地区的军事活动。此外，一些媒体还将中国的军事合作与其他国家与"军事同盟"和"反美"相关联，而忽略了中国的合作是基于平等和互惠的原则，并且不针对任何第三方。

　　第三，西方媒体经常将中国的国家安全策略与威权和人权侵犯相关联。例如，一些媒体将中国的反恐怖主义和维稳政策与"人权侵犯"和"种族灭绝"相关联，而忽略了中国在打击恐怖主义和维护社会稳定方面的成就，以及一些西方国家在反恐怖主义和维稳方面的人权侵犯。此外，一些媒体还将中国的网络安全和外交人员管理政策与"审查"和"骚扰"相关联，而忽略了中国在保护网络安全和外交人员的合法权利和利益方面的努力。

　　总的来说，西方媒体对中国的军事事务的报道经常缺乏客观性和公正性，并且往往是基于偏见和双重标准的。这些报道不仅会导致对中国军队和中国的国家安全策略的误解和歪曲，还会损害中中国和西方国家之间的互信和合作。因此，我们应该采取措施，促进中中国和西方媒体之间的交流和合作，并且鼓励西方媒体采取更加客观和公正的态度，对中国的军事事务进行报道。

　　另外，在本次新闻报道中，还涉及到以下几个关于中国军事的热点话题：

　　1. 中国国防部长在香格里拉安全论坛上的演讲。在演讲中，中国国防部长强调了中中国和美国之间的军事沟通的重要性，并且指责美国在亚太地区的军事存在和对台湾的支持是导致当前紧张局势的原因。 2. 中国和美国在香格里拉安全论坛上的竞争视角。美国方面强调了其在亚太地区的军事同盟和合作伙伴关系，而中国方面则强调了其在亚太地区的军事同盟和合作伙伴关系，并且指责美国是亚洲事务的外来势力。 3. 中国的"尸体搬运"传统。这是一种中国的传统丧葬习俗，将逝者的尸体搬回家乡进行安葬。在过去，人们会使用长竹竿将尸体搬运，这种做法已经逐渐消失。 4. 马尔代夫要求印度撤离其军队。马尔代夫新任政府在上任之初就要求印度撤离其在马尔代夫的军队，并且指责印度在其国内从事军事活动。印度方面则表示，其在马尔代夫的军队是为了帮助马尔代夫维护国家安全和秩序。

　　这些话题都是当前中国军事事务的热点话题，也都是西方媒体关于中国军事事务的报道中的重点和敏感话题。我们应该采取措施，加强对这些话题的了解和研究，并且采取更加客观和公正的态度，对这些话题进行报道和讨论。

新闻来源： 2406040635英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-03

关于中国的新闻报道中的"Culture"章节评价

　　在西方媒体的新闻报道中，中国的文化常被描述为古老、丰富和多样化。然而，这些报道也经常被指控具有偏见和双重标准。在本章节中，我们将对西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道进行评价，并着重分析其中的优势和不足之处。

　　首先，西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道具有一定的优势。例如，这些报道通常能够为读者提供中国文化的基本知识和概述，从而促进了跨文化的理解和交流。此外，这些报道也有时会涉及到中国文化的一些独特和有趣的方面，如中国的传统节日、文化遗产和艺术表演等，进而吸引了更广泛的读者群体。

　　然而，西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道也存在着一些不可忽视的问题和不足之处。其中最为突出的就是其中的偏见和双重标准。例如，在一些新闻报道中，中国的文化被描述为"背WARD"和"CLOSED"，而西方文化则被描述为"progressive"和"open"。这种描述方式不仅是不公平的，而且还会导致对中国文化的误解和抵触。此外，西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道也常被指控为过于简单和表面化，未能够抓住中国文化的本质和复杂性。

　　为了改善西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道，我们有以下几个建议。首先，西方媒体应该尽量采用客观和公正的态度，避免在新闻报道中出现偏见和双重标准。其次，西方媒体应该多采用中国本地的媒体和专家的观点和分析，从而更好地了解和捕捉中国文化的本质和复杂性。最后，西方媒体应该多采用新的、创造性的方式来呈现中国文化，如虚拟现实、增强现实和社交媒体等，以吸引更广泛的读者群体，并促进跨文化的理解和交流。

　　总之，西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道具有一定的优势，但也存在着一些不可忽视的问题和不足之处。我们希望能够通过本章节的评价和建议，促进西方媒体关于中国文化的新闻报道的改善和发展，并为跨文化的理解和交流做出自己的贡献。

新闻来源： 2406040635英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-03

关于中国的新闻报道中的"Technology"章节

　　中国在技术领域取得了长足的发展，尤其是在空间技术、量子物理、生物医学等领域的突破性进展为全球带来了重要的影响。然而，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，经常存在着偏见和双重标准的问题。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国的空间技术时，经常将其与军事目的和空间霸权相关联。例如，在报道中国的天宫空间站和火星探测器时，西方媒体经常提到中国的空间技术可能被用于军事目的，并且中国正在努力建立空间霸权。这种报道忽略了中国在空间技术中的成就，并且不公平地将中国的空间技术与军事目的和空间霸权相关联。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国的量子物理突破时，经常忽略中国在这个领域的长期努力和投入。例如，在报道中国科学院的量子引擎实验时，西方媒体经常将其视为一次性的突破，而忽略了中国在量子物理方面的长期努力和投入。这种报道不公平地将中国的成就视为偶然发生的事件，而不是结果于其长期的努力和投入。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国的生物医学进展时，经常过于强调其潜在的风险和负面影响。例如，在报道中国的CAR-T细胞治疗和基因编辑技术时，西方媒体经常强调其潜在的风险和负面影响，而忽略了其在治疗疾病方面的潜在积极影响。这种报道不公平地将中国的生物医学进展视为潜在的危险，而不是潜在的机会。

　　总之，西方媒体在报道中国的技术新闻时，存在着明显的偏见和双重标准的问题。为了更好地理解中国在技术领域的成就和潜在的影响，我们需要采取更加客观和公正的态度，并且充分认识到中国在这些领域的长期努力和投入。

　　注：本文为作者根据题目的要求进行的主观评价，并不代表任何机构或组织的立场。

新闻来源： 2406040635英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-03; 2406040735The-Guardian-Chinas-lunar-probe-makes-first-successful-takeoff-from-far-side-of-moon

关于中国的新闻报道中的Society章节评价

　　在西方媒体的新闻报道中，中国的社会问题经常被放大和歪曲，缺乏客观性和公正性。以下是对于上述关于中国的Society新闻报道的评价。

　　首先，报道中提到了中国的“尸体驾驶员”传统，将其描述为“令人不安的伴侣”。这种描述不仅是情绪化的，还缺乏对于中国文化的理解和尊重。中国有着五千年的文化历史，其中包括许多传统和习俗，“尸体驾驶员”是其中之一。这种传统在当时是出于实际需要，并不是为了“令人不安”。

　　其次，报道中提到了中国的教育制度，将其与伊斯兰教育制度进行了比较。这种比较是不合理的，因为中国的教育制度是一个复杂的体系，不能仅仅从技术课程和伊斯兰课程的角度进行比较。中国的教育制度在世界范围内享有盛誉，培养了无数的科学家、工程师和企业家。

　　第三，报道中提到了中国的国际影响力，将其描述为“不断增长的影响力”。这种描述是一种隐含的威胁，缺乏对于中国的理解和尊重。中国是一个和平发展的国家，从来不寻求霸权和侵略。中国的国际影响力的增长是因为中国的经济实力和文化软实力的不断增强，是一个自然的过程，不应该被描述为“不断增长的影响力”。

　　最后，报道中提到了中国的国防部长重申了对台湾独立使用武力的威胁。这种描述是一种误导，缺乏对于中国的台湾问题的理解和尊重。中国的台湾问题是中国的内部问题，是中华民族的大亏，是国家主权和领土完整的问题。中国的国防部长重申了对台湾独立使用武力的威胁，是出于维护国家主权和领土完整的必要，并不是对于台湾人民的威胁。

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国的Society新闻报道存在情绪化、不合理比较、隐含威胁和误导等问题，缺乏客观性和公正性。作为媒体，应该坚持客观、公正、真实的新闻报道原则，尊重和理解不同的文化和国家，不要为了追求点击率和政治目的而歪曲和误导新闻。

新闻来源： 2406040635英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-03

• Chinese carmakers brace for EU tariffs on electric vehicles from July 4
• Stanford University team apologises over claims they copied Chinese project for AI model
• China’s local government debt woes ground ambitions of regional airlines as overdue subsidies mount up
• Chinese internet giant Baidu to provide map service for Tesla EVs, as US carmaker eyes mainland launch of self-driving system
• ‘An old issue’: China, Iran to continue ‘strong relations’ despite Beijing’s stance on disputed Gulf islands
• China-founded online fast-fashion retailer Shein to file IPO in London: UK media reports
• Is Hong Kong ‘just another Chinese city’? Its clean public service still sets it apart
• In EV trade row with EU, China calls on Spain to help ease ‘anxiety’
• Australian rare earths firm says data leaked day after Chinese investors blocked
• China’s lunar probe makes first successful takeoff from far side of moon
• Tougher China criticism by Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine complicates troubled Sino-EU ties
• Going bananas? Stressed-out China office staff cultivate desktop fruit to battle workplace stress
• US vies to reset Cambodia ties with Pentagon chief’s flying visit to China ally
• Philippines rejects South China Sea gun-pointing allegations: ‘we have the right to defend ourselves’
• Silence and heavy state security in China on anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown
• ‘Immeasurable trauma’: China is trying to solve school bullying, but is it ready to face the causes?
• Japan hunts man who spray-painted ‘toilet’ on Yasukuni Shrine in Chinese social media video
• Malaysia urged to follow Philippines’ lead and get tougher with Beijing over South China Sea claims
• Chinese scientists turn largest Earth surveillance network satellite upside down to hunt killer asteroid
• China’s premium wine industry fermenting a ‘buzz and energy’, and it’s ‘only going up’
• China’s Chang’e 6 probe blasts off from the moon with the first-ever ‘far side’ samples
• China’s spacecraft carrying rocks from the far side of the moon leaves the lunar surface

Chinese carmakers brace for EU tariffs on electric vehicles from July 4

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265384/chinese-carmakers-brace-eu-tariffs-electric-vehicles-july-4?utm_source=rss_feed

The European Commission is expected to levy provisional duties on made-in-China electric vehicles from July 4, EU officials told Chinese carmakers on Monday.

An EU investigation into subsidies in China’s EV industry has threatened to tear new ruptures in an already tense bilateral relationship. The commission is expected to inform companies privately next week about the level of import duty that will be applied.

A Chinese automobile association met with the bloc’s department of trade in Brussels on Monday for a hearing on the probe, according to people familiar with the meeting. During this hearing, businesses were told to expect provisional duties on July 4, although no tariff rate was disclosed.

It is understood that Chinese businesses affected have sought legal advice on the commission’s apparent decision to apply tariffs without communicating the rate four weeks before they take effect, as is customary in the EU.

It was previously expected that the rate would be disclosed on Wednesday, June 5. After July 4, the commission has four months to turn the provisional duties permanent, in consultation with member states.

“This is an ongoing investigation, we are not going to comment on it. We will be in a position to announce some provisional elements on it quite soon,” said Olof Gill, the EU’s trade spokesman.

The saga has infuriated Beijing, and dominated discourse on EU-China relations for months.

The probe was launched in October, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warning of a “flood” of Chinese EV imports coming to Europe, which she said could decimate the continent’s automotive industry in the same way its solar sector was all but wiped out a decade earlier.

Since then, the ins and outs of the inquiry have been debated ad nauseam. Supporters want higher duties to deter Chinese imports, an argument that has united securocrats, who fear the data harvesting potential of EVs, and economic nationalists, who want to protect the EU’s industry.

Free-traders and environmentalists, on the other hand, have formed an unlikely alliance against duties, arguing that they would distort markets and derail the bloc’s efforts to wean itself off combustion engine cars and thus decarbonise.

Powerful elements in Germany too have emerged in opposition to the duties, with its own car companies also on the hook for higher costs in shipping their vehicles made in China back to Europe. German diplomats have been lobbying against the tariffs in Brussels, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly questioned the probe.

Now, Brussels faces a challenge in applying a countervailing duty that would balance out the level of subsidies they have found in the Chinese economy and level the playing field for domestic car companies, while also not appearing to abandon its commitment to the EU’s Green Deal.

A cottage industry of analysis has sprung up around the investigation, with experts scrambling to predict the level of duty that will be applied – but also attempting to forecast the response from Beijing, and gaming out the steps of what many expect will be a tit-for-tat trade war.

Regardless of the rate they land on, they are bound to upset some stakeholders. Some may gripe that if the rate is too low, it will incur a response from Beijing without restricting the flow of imports.

China has fumed not just at the prospect of duties, but at the very idea of the investigation.

A five-page letter mailed to the EU’s trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis threatened to go after EU aviation and food exports. Brussels sources said the letter contained no serious proposal for ending the feud, which could only be resolved on a technical basis, by addressing the underlying subsidies.

It was seen internally as a way of ginning up opposition to the probe among EU member states.

Before the letter was first reported by Politico, stories emerged that the commission would delay informing the exporters of the level of duty until after this week’s European Parliament elections. The suspicion is that Beijing could have hiked duties on sensitive agricultural products ahead of the polls, potentially skewing the vote.

It is this course of action that prompted Chinese businesses to seek legal advice.

“Instead of postponing the decision, the EU Commission should stop the probe ASAP. China stands ready to safeguard businesses’ lawful rights and interests,” the Chinese foreign ministry’s top Europe official Wang Lutong wrote on X in response to the delay.

Analysts at Rhodium Group have found that a tariff rate below 50 per cent would be unlikely to deter all Chinese EV imports and protect the EU’s industry, given that other markets have higher duties. The United States, for example, slapped a 100 per cent import tax on the cars last month – an effective ban.

The average historical countervailing duty applied by EU authorities is 19 per cent, while there is currently a 10 per cent import duty on the cars.

Research published last week by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute, showed that a 20 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs would result in a US$3.8 billion drop in EU EV imports from China, roughly 25 per cent of the current value of trade. Sales of domestically produced EVs would rise by US$3.3 billion, the study found.

Beijing also faces a balancing act in deciding how to respond. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Ling Ji, the commerce vice-minister, are currently touring Southern European countries, with the EV probe high on the agenda in both Spain and Greece.

“If the European side does not live up to its words and continues to suppress Chinese enterprises, China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese enterprises,” read a Chinese commerce ministry statement after Wang met with businesses in Spain on Sunday.

So far China has threatened, through official, media and business sources, to target EU pork, dairy produce, large engine cars, and aircraft, while also launching an anti-dumping probe into imports of EU-made brandy.

“Beijing is signalling its readiness to use highly visible tools to put pressure on member states that it hopes can influence the course of EU trade policy. The threats are aimed at France (agricultural and aerospace products) and Germany (cars), the two biggest EU member states,” read a note from Rhodium.

“France has been supportive of the commission, and Beijing is sending a signal to Paris that there will be a price to pay for this support. Germany has voiced doubts about the EV probe, and by threatening Berlin, Beijing likely hopes to encourage Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to push back more forcefully,” it read.

Stanford University team apologises over claims they copied Chinese project for AI model

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3265377/stanford-university-team-apologises-over-claims-they-copied-chinese-project-ai-model?utm_source=rss_feed

A Stanford University team has apologised after being accused of plagiarising the open-source work of Chinese scientists to create a new artificial intelligence model.

The AI model, called Llama 3-V, drew global attention for its powerful performance when it was launched on Wednesday last week.

But on Sunday, two Stanford students involved in the project admitted that “our architecture is very similar” to another model, MiniCPM-Llama3-V 2.5.

“We want to sincerely apologise to the original authors,” Stanford computer science undergraduates Aksh Garg and Siddharth Sharma said in a statement posted on X on Monday.

They said the original model had been taken down.

Llama 3-V was developed by Garg, Sharma and another researcher, Mustafa Aljadery, who is not from Stanford. The three researchers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Launching Llama 3-V last week, they claimed it could be trained to rival the performance of cutting-edge AI models such as GPT4-V, Gemini Ultra and Claude Opus at a cost of just under US$500.

Soon after its release, Llama 3-V made it into the top five trending list on Hugging Face, a popular artificial intelligence platform.

But questions were raised within the AI community over whether a large part of the new model might have been stolen from MiniCPM-Llama3-V 2.5. That model was jointly developed by Tsinghua University’s Natural Language Processing Lab and ModelBest, a Beijing-based AI start-up founded in 2022.

Content posted by one whistle-blower on open-source platform GitHub suggests the model structure and code of the two projects are almost identical.

Liu Zhiyuan, co-founder of ModelBest, said in a WeChat post on Monday that he was “relatively sure” that the new model had stolen from their project.

He said MiniCPM-Llama3-V2.5 had an embedded feature – it can identify bamboo slips from the Warring States Period (about 475-221 BC).

In 2008, Tsinghua University acquired 2,500 bamboo slips – Chinese texts written on strips of bamboo – from this period.

Liu’s team scanned and annotated the texts verbatim to create a dataset for training. That dataset is not publicly available, but the Llama3-V model showed the same recognition ability, according to Liu.

“Even the wrong cases are the same,” he said.

Liu said rapid development of AI could not be achieved without global open-source sharing of algorithms, data and models. He noted that their model had used the latest open-source Llama 3 from Meta as a base.

But he said the cornerstones of open-source sharing were adhering to protocols, trusting other contributors, and respecting and acknowledging the work of pioneers, which the Stanford team had “seriously undermined”.

In Monday’s statement, Garg and Sharma, the two Stanford students, said the third team member, Aljadery, had written all the code for the project.

“We apologise to the authors and take full responsibility for not doing the diligence to verify the originality of this work,” they said.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Christopher Manning, a professor of computer science and linguistics at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, said he did not have any knowledge of the case. “‘Fake it before you make it’ is an ignoble product of Silicon Valley,” he added.

The case has caused a stir on social media, particularly in China where it topped the list of hottest topics on Weibo on Tuesday. It has also prompted broader discussion of China’s progress in artificial intelligence.

Lucas Beyer, a researcher at AI research lab Google DeepMind, commented in a post on X that “such a good model” already existed – MiniCPM-Llama3-V 2.5 – but had received a lot less attention because it was not from an Ivy League university, but from a Chinese lab.

In his WeChat post, Liu from ModelBest acknowledged the “significant” gap between China’s generative AI models and top-tier Western projects such as Sora and GPT-4. But he said China had rapidly gone “from a nobody more than a decade ago to a key driver of AI technology innovation”.

China’s local government debt woes ground ambitions of regional airlines as overdue subsidies mount up

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3265365/chinas-local-government-debt-woes-ground-ambitions-regional-airlines-overdue-subsidies-mount?utm_source=rss_feed

While China’s aviation market is one of the fastest growing in the world, a series of lawsuits against local governments and local-government backed entities this year over millions of yuan worth of overdue subsidies have dampened the ambitions of its regional airlines.

Domestic tourism has been a bright spot for China’s economy this year but smaller regional airlines have yet to benefit, while they are also facing increasing competition from the sprawling high-speed railway network.

“The importance of regional aviation cannot be neglected as it connects communities across various city pairs, but with rapid growth of high-speed railway across China, this does pose a threat to regional airlines,” said Mayur Patel, head of Asia at OAG Aviation.

“However, as with any regional domestic carrier’s viability, it requires government subsidies to remain economical and the impact it has on local communities.”

And while subsidies in aviation are not uncommon, in China, local governments are much more active, including airline ownership.

Regional carrier Joy Air has filed three lawsuits since the start of the year against three local governments – two concerning overdue subsidies – according to filings with the People’s Court of Weicheng district in the city of Xianyang, Shaanxi province, on March 15.

Joy Air claimed Tianshui Maijishan Airport had not met its contractual obligations to pay 3.14 million yuan (US$433,000) in subsidies for flying a route between Xian and Tianshui, a city in China’s northwestern Gansu province, between 2016 and 2018.

The two parties had signed an agreement in March 2016 that Joy Air would initiate the route, with the airport assuming the obligation to pay for the operating expenses.

Another case filed by Joy Air claimed Qiannan Libo Airport only partially paid subsidies to operate a route between Changsha, the capital of the central Hunan province, and Libo, a county in the southern Guizhou province, in 2018.

In September 2020, the Libo County Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau promised in a letter that it would repay the outstanding 800,000 yuan in a series of instalments, but Joy Air claimed it never received any payments.

On April 10, Joy Air filed another lawsuit against both the Airport authority and Development and Reform Commission of Alxa League and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, although the exact details were not disclosed.

Joy Air had flown a route from Xian to Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport and Ejin Banner Taolai in Inner Mongolia, although the last flight by JR1513 was flown in October 2021, according to Chinese flight data provider VariFlight.

Joy Air and the Development and Reform Commission of Alxa League did not respond to faxed questions over the details of the lawsuit.

Official data does not indicate the amount of subsidies local governments have provided to regional airlines, but analysts said small state carriers like Joy Air are highly dependent on government allowances, with the local governments named in Joy Air’s lawsuits among the most indebted in China.

According to the Ejin Banner government in September 2023, citing Zhang Guangyu, deputy director of the Railway and Aviation Centre of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission, the local government had spent 225 million yuan (US$31 million) on subsidies to cover the operation of regional flights throughout the summer and autumn in 2023.

Another regional airline, the Chongqing-based China Express, which offers connections between secondary hubs at airports in Guiyang, Dalian, Hohhot, Xian and Xinjiang, continued to post losses in 2023, although they had narrowed from 2022 and 2021.

Rashi Lal, senior industry analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said subsidies have been extended to support the opening of routes domestically and globally following the end of the coronavirus pandemic in 2022.

And as of the end of 2023, subsidies had contributed to 515 new domestic routes, Lal estimated.

“Subsidies have led to a considerable increase in driving flight demand and setting up new air routes and for better services to airports in remote areas,” Lai said.

But critics have said local governments’ hefty presence has been detrimental to the aviation industry.

At the “two sessions” annual parliamentary meeting in March, Ma Chongxian, chairman of state-owned Air China, told delegates that local governments control more than 30 airlines in China.

As such, it has often led to overlapping of resources and “disorderly” competition, which affected the overall development of the aviation market, Ma said.

Ma advocated for guidelines to regulate and clarify the scope of local government subsidies, according to an article from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference magazine in March, citing comments he made at the National People’s Congress in Beijing.

Zhang Yuxing, an official with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), the manufacturer of regional ARJ21 and narrowbody C919, said that regional airline routes had concentrated on less developed regions in China.

And for the ARJ21 to succeed, Comac needed to work closer with airport operators to use the regional jet to connect with larger hubs, Zhang said.

“Domestic airports favour international routes, trunk routes and mainline passenger planes and have fewer resources for regional routes and regional aircraft,” said Zhang in a commentary published by Comac in March.

He added that even if the ARJ21 was suitable to fly within Inner Mongolia, more than half of the airports are not equipped to support the regional aircraft.

China is building an average of 10 airports a year for commercial use, with the goal of lifting the total to 400 by 2035, with many designated for regional aircraft, according to Zhang.

Addison Schonland, co-founder of AirInsight, believes while China’s regional air travel would become more mature, it does not necessarily mean Comac’s investment in the ARJ21 would pay off.

“The ARJ21 is not going to be a great success because it’s too heavy and is eclipsed by better models like the Embraer E175. The ARJ21 sells because China wants it to,” said Schonland.

“For Comac, this especially is a problem because of the Western equipment needed for assembly.

“Being so much smaller than the Western competitors, they have to wait in line. Avionics and engine suppliers focus on their biggest customers first.”

Chinese internet giant Baidu to provide map service for Tesla EVs, as US carmaker eyes mainland launch of self-driving system

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3265366/chinese-internet-giant-baidu-provide-map-service-tesla-evs-us-carmaker-eyes-mainland-launch-self?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese internet search giant Baidu will provide Tesla with mapping software for its electric vehicles (EVs), paving the way for the US carmaker to launch its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system on the mainland.

Version 20 of Baidu Maps, a desktop and mobile web-mapping application released in April, will soon be available on Tesla’s EVs, the Beijing-based artificial intelligence (AI) champion said in a post on microblogging platform Weibo on Monday.

Baidu Maps’ new lane-level, 3D navigation software will have a user interface that is “more intuitive” and “better suited” for Tesla, according to a road test video the Chinese firm posted on Weibo. The V20’s capabilities include traffic light countdowns, lane instructions and surveillance alerts.

This development shows that Tesla, which has been using Baidu for in-car mapping and navigation in China since 2020, could move closer to introducing its FSD system on the mainland. Baidu is one of only around 20 entities in China that have been granted a top-level, map-surveying qualification for advanced driver-assistance systems in the country.

Mapping data is also one of the most guarded categories of information on the mainland, where the popular Google Maps service is not officially available and displays some incorrect coordinates that China distorts.

Baidu, meanwhile, apologised on Weibo for the delay in making its mapping service’s latest version available to Tesla EV owners on the mainland. The company said it was “sorry for keeping everyone waiting” and that Baidu Maps for Tesla will be available “very soon”.

At the April launch of Baidu Maps V20, the company said the service’s new version will roll out in May for a number of vehicles including those from Tesla, Huawei Technologies and JiYue, an EV brand established in 2021 by Baidu and Geely.

In the same month, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk visited Beijing to meet senior government officials, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as the Austin, Texas-based company planned to launch its FSD system on the mainland amid fierce competition with domestic carmakers in the world’s largest EV market.

Musk had sought consent to operate a robotaxi business on the mainland during a discussion with the country’s top policymakers in April, according to a report by state-run newspaper China Daily. Beijing will grant Tesla such a licence to show the government’s positive stance on economic ties with the United States, the report said.

Tesla is preparing to register its FSD software with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and plans to roll out the system on the mainland this year, according to a Reuters report last week, citing anonymous sources.

The potential launch is expected to boost the adoption of autonomous driving in China, even though it might not be able to shake up the industry because Tesla’s local rivals are offering similar technologies, according to Ming Lee, head of Greater China Autos Research at Bank of America, in a South China Morning Post report last month.

‘An old issue’: China, Iran to continue ‘strong relations’ despite Beijing’s stance on disputed Gulf islands

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265379/old-issue-china-iran-continue-strong-relations-despite-beijings-stance-disputed-gulf-islands?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s united call with Abu Dhabi for talks over disputed islands in the Persian Gulf will not seriously damage its ties with Iran, as Beijing and Tehran seek closer links, observers said.

In a rare protest, the Iranian foreign ministry summoned Chinese ambassador to Tehran Cong Peiwu on Sunday to protest against a joint statement by China and the United Arab Emirates.

The statement said China supported the UAE’s effort for a “peaceful solution” to the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa “through bilateral negotiations in accordance with the norms of international law and following international legitimacy”.

Both the UAE and Iran claimed sovereignty over the three islands in the Strait of Hormuz, which have been under Iranian control for more than five decades. The statement was made following a visit to Beijing by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Iranian foreign ministry asked China to revise its stance “considering the strategic cooperation between Tehran and Beijing”, according to a statement from Tehran.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that China’s position on the three islands issue had been “consistent” in “calling on both parties to resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue and consultation”.

She added that China and Iran had “strong relations”, and “China attaches great importance to the development of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership”.

Iran took control of the three islands in 1971, shortly before the governing Gulf sheikdoms gained independence from Britain to form the UAE with other sheikdoms.

After independence and the formation of the United Arab Emirates, two emirates, Ras el Khaimah and Sharjah, continued to claim sovereignty over the three islands.

Tehran maintains that its sovereign claim over the three islands is non-negotiable, while the UAE says Iran’s control of the islands violates international law, as it sought support through multiple diplomatic channels, including China and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Liu Xinlu, director of the school of Arabic studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Beijing would not change its position on the controversial issue despite Tehran’s pressure, and its move would not have a significant impact on Sino-Iran relations.

“The three island issue is actually ‘an old issue’ [for Iran and the UAE] … Beijing’s position is relatively neutral, which is just calling for a dialogue to solve the problem. Iran wants to force China to choose sides through [diplomatic pressure], but China is certainly not going to make that choice,” Liu said.

“Currently, Iran cannot get away from China, and does not want to make too much trouble with it.”

This is not the first time Iran has been irritated with Beijing’s stance on the three islands. In 2022, late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi expressed “dissatisfaction and complaints” to former Chinese vice-premier Hu Chunhua in Tehran after Chinese President Xi Jinping told Arab nations that their territorial disputes with Iran – namely the three islands – should be solved by negotiation.

“Frankly speaking, Iran actually can accept Beijing’s stance on the issue because it has actual control over the islands … Tehran was just expressing an attitude at most, the country’s [protests] have been commonplace for so many years,” Liu added.

China has positioned itself as a neutral power and a peace broker in the Middle East to expand its influence beyond its economy. Last year, Beijing brokered a historic peace deal in which Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to revive relations severed in 2016.

But Middle East-focused research fellow, Yin Gang, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said “there is nothing China can do” on the three islands issue.

“The dispute will continue, but it will not escalate,” Yin said, describing the issue as an inherent problem of the Gulf states that cannot be solved.

“The normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Iran will not change the conflict [regarding the islands]. It is right for China to not stand with Iran, China should adhere to support for a political solution.”

Pinar Akpinar, an associate professor in international affairs at Qatar University, added that Iran’s move would not affect China’s growing mediation role in the Middle East, despite Beijing’s statement drawing anger from Tehran.

“Mediation is a more complex issue – neutrality is often not the only criteria for effective mediation or choice of mediators. Sometimes being able to convince the parties through leverage could be more important,” Akpinar said.

“China has a lot of leverage over Iran as its biggest partner.”

Beijing’s stance on a political solution to the three-island issue was in line with the country’s growing ambition to step into regional politics, she added.

“China’s continued involvement in the UAE-Iran island dispute signals a shift in its traditional non-interference policy towards the Middle East. This suggests a growing commitment to the region, particularly prioritising the Gulf,” she said.

China’s relations with both Iran and the UAE are at historic highs, but Beijing’s investment and trade with the UAE, including crude oil, have significantly surpassed those with Iran, which has suffered from US sanctions.

Iran has been more active in multilateral platforms largely led by Beijing, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Brics.

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China-founded online fast-fashion retailer Shein to file IPO in London: UK media reports

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3265340/china-founded-online-fast-fashion-retailer-shein-file-ipo-london-uk-media-reports?utm_source=rss_feed

Fast-fashion retailer Shein, which thrives on a business model that sells budget made-in-China consumer goods overseas, is set to file an initial public offering (IPO) in London this week, according to UK media reports.

Shein, founded by the publicity-shy Chinese entrepreneur Sky Xu Yangtian, will file a confidential prospectus for a listing on the London Stock Exchange, television broadcaster Sky News reported on Monday. The Financial Times also reported that Shein will file privately with regulators in the coming days.

While Shein, which competes with PDD Holdings’ Temu, has been gaining popularity in the West, the company stays largely under the radar in China. There is no record of any public speeches or interviews given by Xu.

According to its latest recruitment advertisements, Shein serves consumers in “more than 150 countries and regions” across the world. Its shopping site does not have a simplified Chinese version for mainland consumers.

Shein did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The Singapore-headquartered company, which has signed Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley as financial advisers, aims to raise over 1 billion pounds (US$1.28 billion) from the IPO, which would value the company at around 50 billion pounds, according to Sky News.

That would make Shein the most valuable China-originated unicorn after ByteDance, owner of short-video platforms TikTok and Douyin.

Shein has moved its IPO destination to London from New York amid US-China tensions, executive chairman Donald Tang told the Financial Times in an interview last month. While the company in 2021 changed its domicile to Singapore from the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, that was “not enough” to win over US lawmakers, Tang was quoted as saying.

It is not immediately clear whether an overseas IPO application by Shein would require the approval of mainland regulators, such as the Cyberspace Administration of China or the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).

According to rules introduced last year, any company that wishes to list overseas must register their intention with the CSRC and obtain approval from their own industry regulator, if most of its employees are Chinese or based in China.

Shein runs a huge sourcing centre in the suburbs of Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, taking advantage of the vast manufacturing capacity in the Pearl River Delta region.

Local governments in China are pinning their hopes on Shein to help boost exports.

Guangzhou’s Baiyun district has been working to connect Shein with local clothing, leather and cosmetics exporters, according to a news report by Southern Metropolis Daily in March. A delegation from Sanshui district in neighbouring Dongguan city visited Shein and recommended cosmetics and home appliance businesses to open shops on Shein.

Is Hong Kong ‘just another Chinese city’? Its clean public service still sets it apart

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3265368/hong-kong-just-another-chinese-city-its-clean-public-service-still-sets-it-apart?utm_source=rss_feed

For months the debate about whether Hong Kong has become – or will soon become – “just another Chinese city” has been heated and evenly poised.

Those who say it is losing its distinctiveness cite the plans for the Greater Bay Area, the decline of the economy and the introduction of security legislation.

Those making the case against highlight President Xi Jinping’s promise to preserve Hong Kong’s common law system in the long run. They also cite the city’s continued access to a free flow of capital and information.

These elements, they say, distinguish Hong Kong from cities in mainland China and are instrumental in preserving Hong Kong’s status as a financial centre.

But two Hong Kong assets that are mentioned less often are its relatively clean public sector and a citywide culture that makes it more difficult for corruption to take hold.

These are the results of persistent effort since the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) 50 years ago.

As older generations can testify, the police, fire service and the rest of the public sector were riddled with corruption in the 1950s and 60s – so much so that it was a staple theme of Hong Kong movies.

ICAC was undoubtedly instrumental in turning the corruption tide but other factors contributed as well.

One was the minimal political interference in the agency, which before the handover in 1997 reported directly to the governor and subsequently to the chief executive.

Other institutional checks and balances on civil servants also played their part. These included public tenders, disclosure regulations, free media, non-governmental organisations and Legislative Council and District Council watchdogs.

Over the past generation or so, these elements have helped to change the mindsets of the majority and cultivate a culture of transparency.

While it is naive to say there is no corruption in the city, a resident of Hong Kong can live his or her life without worrying whether to pay bribes for everyday services such as getting a restaurant licence, applying for public housing or schools, getting a job, or receiving medical care in a hospital.

A clean public sector and a culture resistant to corruption contribute to a stable business environment and help attract talent, which are crucial to an international city.

The mainland has been in the grips of an anticorruption crackdown for more than a decade, with the Communist Party’s graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), sweeping through one sector after another, from finance, to medicine, the military, and more recently, sport.

The watchdogs have also not been spared, with some senior graft investigators detained for corruption.

While the CCDI is similar in some ways to ICAC, the corruption crackdowns on the mainland are mainly driven by political decisions about which sector the party wants to clean up.

Like Hong Kong, mainland authorities have also introduced procedures such as public tenders and procurements in recent years. But there are still many grey areas and it has long been a culture for people to exchange favours through connections, if not outright bribes.

The CCDI’s role in maintaining checks on the public sector is also that much greater on the mainland given the increasingly tight restrictions on the media and civil society.

For now, Hong Kong is holding its own.

The city ranked 14 among 180 “countries” on the Corruption Perception Index, which assesses jurisdictions “by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys”.

That put Hong Kong ahead of mainland China on 42 but behind Singapore on five.

Beijing and Hong Kong should do everything to preserve the factors that contribute to a clean public service and society; and exercise extreme caution when it wants to change rules such as granting land directly without tenders to speed up the process.

A clean and transparent Hong Kong not only helps to preserve the city’s competitiveness, it can become an example to other mainland cities, helping to change mindsets gradually and benefiting Beijing’s fight against corruption.

In EV trade row with EU, China calls on Spain to help ease ‘anxiety’

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3265353/ev-trade-row-eu-china-calls-spain-help-ease-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed

China has condemned Brussels’ investigation into its electric vehicles as trade protectionism and expects that Spain will be proactive in encouraging the European Union to engage in dialogue, while the Spanish side is also seeking opportunities for cooperation in vehicles and renewable energy between the two nations, according to its commerce ministry.

The European Union’s investigation of Chinese EVs in the name of “excessive production capacity” is typical trade protectionism, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao was reported as saying by the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.

“It’s not [a matter of] excess capacity but [rather] anxiety,” he said. “We hope that the EU and China can address each other’s concerns through dialogue and communication.”

The minister said China wants to see Spain encourage the European bloc to maintain an open stance on green new energy.

In October, the EU launched an anti-subsidy probe into China’s EVs, alleging that China is flooding the European market with cheap government-subsidised electric cars, at the detriment to local manufacturers.

Last week, the EU said it would postpone a decision on whether to impose punitive tariffs on China’s electric cars until after parliamentary elections on June 9.

Wang’s remarks on Monday were made with Carlos Cuerpo, the Spanish minister for economy and industry, in Madrid during the 29th meeting of the China-Spain Joint Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee.

China hopes to increase trade and two-way investment with Spain, communication between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their cooperation in third markets, Wang added.

Spain is willing to promote business between the two countries to explore further cooperation opportunities in areas such as automobiles, renewable energy, industrial machine tools and medical equipment, Cuerpo said.

Xinhua said they also discussed ways to facilitate the flow of people between the two countries, government procurements, and market access for agricultural and food products.

Electric cars, along with lithium batteries and solar panels, are becoming the new growth engine for the world’s second-largest economy, with 2023’s exports up nearly 30 per cent, year on year, gaining international market share.

Yet, the West’s assessments of China’s overcapacity problems and government subsidies for its new-energy sector have put manufacturers under more pressure.

Washington last month proposed increasing tariffs on Chinese EVs from 25 per cent to 100 per cent.

“It is always better to communicate than not. However, it depends on whether there are genuine exchanges and actions taken by China to mitigate the concern,” said Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank.

“China will need to find ways to invest in the EU and create jobs without only exporting from its domestic production, as well as providing a competitively neutral environment for foreign firms to lower geopolitical tensions,” he said.

Ng said that Chinese EV makers would inevitably face more obstacles globally as the concern comes not only from the EU but also from emerging markets, and that the country will continue to incentivise domestic purchases and invest further in improving export competitiveness and lowering prices to solve its overcapacity issues in the future.

“It is also possible for China to see further trade barriers in traditional sectors such as steel and building materials in the future,” Ng added.

Australian rare earths firm says data leaked day after Chinese investors blocked

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3265347/australian-rare-earths-firm-says-data-leaked-day-after-chinese-investors-blocked?utm_source=rss_feed

Anonymous hackers on Tuesday leaked data stolen from an Australian rare earths mining company, just one day after Chinese shareholders were given a deadline to offload their stake in the business.

Northern Minerals is vying to challenge China’s overwhelming dominance of dysprosium production, a rare earth mineral that is used to make high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles.

The company said Tuesday it had “been the subject of a cybersecurity breach” – and that the stolen data had been “released on the dark web”.

The data had been swiped in late March, Northern Minerals told the Australian Stock Exchange, but was only now being leaked.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Monday ordered five China-linked shareholders to sell off a combined 10 per cent stake in Northern Minerals, saying such foreign ownership was against Australia’s “national interest”.

About 24 hours later, hackers said they had stolen sensitive financial and personal data from the publicly listed company.

The hackers did not mention Chalmers’s decision to block Chinese shareholders, according to a screenshot shared on social media, and it was not immediately clear if the cyberattack was linked to that decision.

The hackers claimed to have stolen data on “potential projects” and “research of competitors”, according to the screenshot, which appeared to be authored by a group dubbed BianLian.

Australia’s intelligence agencies describe BianLian as a “ransomware developer” that targets “critical infrastructure sectors”.

The China-linked Yuxiao Fund had previously sought to up its stake in Northern Minerals, a move that drew the attention of Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board.

Yuxiao Fund and four other associated shareholders were subsequently given 60 days to dispose of their interests in the company.

“The decision, based on advice from the Foreign Investment Review Board, is designed to protect our national interest and ensure compliance with our foreign investment framework,” Chalmers said in a statement.

Northern Minerals has the rights to a substantial dysprosium deposit found at Browns Range in Western Australia.

Almost 99 per cent of the world’s dysprosium is currently produced in China, according to the company.

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China’s lunar probe makes first successful takeoff from far side of moon

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jun/04/china-lunar-probe-far-side-moon-change-6

A Chinese probe carrying samples from the far side of the moon has started its journey back to Earth, the country’s space agency said – a world first and a major achievement for Beijing’s space programme.

The ascender module of the Chang’e-6 probe “lifted off from lunar surface” and entered a preset orbit around the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.

It was the first craft to successfully take off from the moon’s far side, with the state news agency Xinhua describing the launch as “an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history”.

Analysis of the samples it is bringing back will allow scientists “to deepen research on the formation and evolutionary history of the moon”, Xinhua quoted the Chang’e-6 mission spokesperson, Ge Ping, as saying.

It will also offer insights into “the origin of the solar system ... laying an improved foundation for later exploration missions”, he said.

The Chang’e-6 module touched down on Sunday in the moon’s immense South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, according to the CNSA.

The technically complex 53-day mission began on 3 May.

The Chang’e-6 has two methods of sample collection: a drill to gather material under the surface and a robotic arm to grab specimens above the surface.

After it successfully gathered its samples, “a Chinese national flag carried by the lander was unfurled for the first time on the far side of the moon”, the CNSA said.

Scientists say the moon’s “dark” side – so called because it is invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun’s rays – holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side.

Material collected from the far side may better shed light on how the moon formed in the first place.

Plans for China’s “space dream” have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping. Beijing has poured huge resources into its space programme over the past decade, targeting a string of ambitious undertakings in an effort to close the gap with the two traditional space powers – the US and Russia.

It has notched several notable achievements, including building a space station called Tiangong, or “heavenly palace”. Beijing has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the moon, and China is only the third country to independently put humans in orbit.

But Washington has warned that China’s space programme is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space.

China aims to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.

The US is also planning to put astronauts back on the moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission.

Tougher China criticism by Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine complicates troubled Sino-EU ties

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265256/tougher-china-criticism-volodymyr-zelensky-over-ukraine-complicates-troubled-sino-eu-ties?utm_source=rss_feed

Fresh concerns about Chinese support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were adding further strain to Beijing’s already fraught relationship with Europe on Tuesday, ahead of a mammoth month for bilateral ties.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky broke from his customary cautious rhetoric on China to accuse it of working with Moscow to undermine a Kyiv-backed peace summit in Switzerland this month.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security summit in Singapore, Zelensky said Moscow was doing “everything to disrupt the peace summit” by using “Chinese influence on the region” and diplomats to do so, he said.

“It is unfortunate that such a big, independent, powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Vladimir] Putin,” said the Ukrainian leader, referring to Russia’s president.

The remarks were being parsed across Europe on Monday, with senior sources suggesting they would embolden capitals to adopt a tougher line vis-à-vis China’s relations with Russia.

They came on the heels of US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s visit last week to Brussels, where he warned Nato allies that Beijing was helping Russia retool parts of its military and providing significant battlefield hardware.

“What we’ve seen from China to Russia is not a one-off or a couple of rogue firms involved in supporting Russia,” Campbell said.

“This is a sustained, comprehensive effort that is backed up by the leadership in China that is designed to give Russia every support behind the scenes.”

Beijing’s actions had created capacities for Moscow not only on the battlefield but also to be “able to pose a strategic challenge to others in Europe”, the American envoy said.

A senior European Union official believed Zelensky’s “very strong” intervention in particular would help loosen the tongues of some capitals who were previously reluctant to criticise China, citing Ukraine’s close counsel on the matter.

“Now the gloves are off,” they said.

At the end of May, the top Asia officials from a group of EU members met in Stockholm to discuss China. The consensus was that Europe must “impose more cost on China for its support of Russia”, according to a figure familiar with the discussion.

Campbell and Zelensky’s subsequent remarks have helped solidify what has been described as a “more assertive trajectory” on China among significant EU members.

The diplomatic one-two came at a crunch moment for EU-China relations.

Next week, the European Commission is expected to inform businesses about import duties applicable to Chinese-made electric vehicles, as a high-profile investigation into subsidies in the industry winds down.

Many believe this could kick off a tit-for-tat trade war, with Beijing threatening consistently to retaliate.

“The accusation against China is untenable,” Wang Lutong, the Chinese foreign ministry’s top official for Europe, wrote on X last Friday.

“Instead of postponing the decision, the EU commission should stop the probe ASAP. China stands ready to safeguard businesses’ lawful rights and interests.”

Europe heads to the polls on Thursday for its twice-a-decade European Parliament elections, which will help determine the course of the bloc’s ties with Beijing until 2029.

The European People’s Party to which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen belongs is expected to emerge again as the top grouping, with the German likely to be nominated for a second stint as head of the EU’s civil service.

This is likely to mean a continuation of de-risking its trade with China and of its all-in support for Ukraine.

“EU countries are worried to go head to head with China, but they know they have to in the next political cycle with lawmakers pushing for protecting European jobs and industries, there’s no way around it,” said a senior EU diplomat.

They will be “happy” to use Zelensky’s remarks as an “additional excuse [to be tough on Beijing], saying China is also helping Russia against Ukraine”, the diplomat added.

While Beijing claims to be neutral in the war, it is broadly seen in Europe as having sided with Russia, widely regarded as the conflict’s aggressor.

At a press conference in Beijing on Monday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning flatly denied that China had tried to stop other countries from attending a Swiss-led Ukraine peace summit this month, describing its position as “fair and impartial”.

On Friday, she confirmed China would not send a delegation to the Swiss talks.

“China has always insisted that an international peace conference should be endorsed by both Russia and Ukraine, with the equal participation of all parties, and that all peace proposals should be discussed in a fair and equal manner.

“Otherwise it will be difficult for it to play a substantive role in restoring peace,” Mao said.

But Western governments have accused China of intensifying the sale of goods with military and civilian uses to the Russian military in recent months.

In May, Britain’s defence secretary even said London and Washington were in possession of evidence that Beijing was shipping “lethal aid” to Moscow.

On Monday, the EU’s top official on export controls, Stéphane Chardon, shared on X a Financial Times story reporting that a Chinese state-backed trade group tried to buy drone-jamming equipment for Russian buyers last month.

“That is worrying,” Chardon wrote.

Analysts said Zelensky’s Shangri-La activity showed that Ukraine’s top brass had had enough.

“Until now, Kyiv has always been very careful not to alienate China. Ukraine wanted China present at the peace conference. Aggressively alienating China would also have hurt its image in the Global South,” said Sense Hofstede of the Clingendael Institute, a Dutch think tank.

“However, Zelensky now seems to be losing some patience.”

Yurii Poita, head of the Asia-Pacific section at the Centre for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies in Ukraine, said Zelensky’s office had long hoped Beijing would use its influence to rein in Putin but that this hope had evaporated.

“They were cautious about China. They thought it could play a positive role,” said Poita, who described Zelensky’s words as “strong, clear and explicit … exactly what he had avoided” until then.

Poita and other analysts were following a breadcrumb trail of government releases that they said may have convinced Kyiv that China was trying to sabotage its summit.

Before embarking on a third round of shuttle diplomacy across leading Global South countries, China’s envoy for Eurasia spoke with Brazilian officials by phone, the foreign ministry said.

On May 16, it was announced that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would not attend the June peace talks, to which Russia had not been invited.

A week later, Lula’s top foreign affairs adviser Celso Amorim met Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, in Beijing, culminating in a joint statement addressing “common understandings between China and Brazil on political settlement of the Ukraine crisis”.

Within that, the pair rubbished the idea of a peace summit without Moscow attending.

“China and Brazil support an international peace conference held at a proper time that is recognised by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties as well as fair discussion of all peace plans” it read.

Going bananas? Stressed-out China office staff cultivate desktop fruit to battle workplace stress

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3263316/going-bananas-stressed-out-china-office-staff-cultivate-desktop-fruit-battle-workplace-stress?utm_source=rss_feed

Burned-out young workers in China have found yet another novel way of alleviating workplace stress – cultivating bananas in the office.

Employee cultivators of the fruit describe the process by which it ripens as “stop banana green”, or ting zhi jiao lu, in Mandarin, which sounds similar to “stop anxiety” in English.

The trend gained popularity on Xiaohongshu, China’s Instagram, where related posts have attracted more than 22,000 likes.

The anxiety-busting bananas are typically bought when they are green with the stems still attached, allowing them to be cultivated in vases of water.

After a week or so of nurturing they are ready to eat.

This process of waiting for the bananas to ripen is considered a fun distraction from tension at work.

“From lush green to golden yellow, every moment is filled with endless hope and surprises,” one person said online, adding: “Eat away the anxiety and let your troubles vanish.”

It has also been said that sharing bananas with colleagues can foster better relationships at work.

“Desktop bananas naturally generate conversation,” one online observer said.

Some people write their colleagues’ names on the skin to “reserve” them, before handing them out to colleagues.

There are hundreds of stores selling bananas on the e-commerce platform Taobao alone, with the top-selling store recently shifting more than 20,000 bunches of the fruit. Taobao is operated by the Alibaba Group, which owns the South China Morning Post.

Some people have suggested that the trend began as a marketing stunt by banana farmers in response to a slump in sales.

“Are bananas not selling well this year? I’ve seen this type of banana being advertised more than once, and they are more expensive than buying them directly,” said one person on Xiaohongshu.

In addition to cultivating bananas, some young office workers are also growing pineapples in vases.

“My workstation is like a tropical rainforest, it feels like I’ve stepped into spring early,” said a 30-something worker, surnamed Yang, who grows fruit on her desk and plans to add more.

“Customising workstations according to personal preferences allows young people to create a sense of belonging and security in their own little space, helping them feel happier at work,” psychologist Yu Guangrui explained to Shanghai’s Youth Newspaper.

With the average working week exceeding 49 hours in China, young workers often seek ways to alleviate stress.

Last month, the “20-minute park effect” trend also went viral on Xiaohongshu, as office workers discovered that even a brief visit to an urban park could enhance their well-being and sense of happiness.

Last year, Chinese youngsters embraced tree-hugging as a stress-reliever.

US vies to reset Cambodia ties with Pentagon chief’s flying visit to China ally

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265314/us-vies-shore-ties-china-ally-cambodia-pentagon-chiefs-flying-visit?utm_source=rss_feed

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia on Tuesday in an effort to reset ties with the staunch China ally.

Washington’s relationship with the Southeast Asian nation has been deteriorating for years, with China pouring in billions of dollars in infrastructure investments under Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.

The United States has voiced concerns over a key Cambodian naval base that is being upgraded by Beijing, which it says could be used to boost the Asian giant’s influence in the Gulf of Thailand.

En route from the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin landed in Phnom Penh on Tuesday for the one-day visit to “explore opportunities to deepen our bilateral defence relationship”, he wrote on social media platform X.

He first met Hun Sen – who stepped down last summer after a nearly four-decade rule over Cambodia – and is also meeting Prime Minister Hun Manet, who took over from his father.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Chum Sounry told reporters last week that Austin’s visit would be “another good chance to advance ties and relations of the two countries”.

Both Austin and Hun Manet graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point – Austin in 1975 and Hun Manet in 1999.

Carl Thayer, emeritus professor of politics at Australia’s University of New South Wales, said “US-Cambodia relations are at an inflection point after Hun Manet became prime minister”.

He said that Austin’s visit to Cambodia “signifies that the two sides are willing to jettison some of their rigid policies restricting defence cooperation and engage in renewed dialogue to seek common ground”.

Austin’s visit comes just days after Cambodia and China wrapped up their largest annual military Golden Dragon exercises, involving several Chinese warships and hundreds of military personnel.

In early 2017 Cambodia scrapped a similar joint exercise with US forces.

In December, two Chinese warships made a first visit to the Ream Naval Base that Washington fears is intended for Chinese military use.

Cambodian officials have repeatedly denied that the base, near the port city of Sihanoukville, is for use by any foreign power.

Cambodian political analyst Ou Virak said that the relaunch of joint exercises might be a point of discussion during Austin’s visit.

The Pentagon chief would also want to convey a message to Beijing, “saying this region is too important and China won’t have free rein”, he added.

Washington has in the past voiced criticism over Cambodia’s human rights record and crackdowns on political dissidents and critics.

Philippines rejects South China Sea gun-pointing allegations: ‘we have the right to defend ourselves’

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265302/philippines-rejects-south-china-sea-gun-pointing-allegations-we-have-right-defend-ourselves?utm_source=rss_feed

The Philippine military on Tuesday rejected Chinese allegations that troops stationed on a warship grounded on a disputed South China Sea shoal had pointed guns at its coastguard, insisting its personnel maintained professional conduct.

Philippine troops are governed by rules of engagement and acted with the highest level of professionalism, military spokeswoman Francel Margareth Padilla told a press conference.

Chinese state media said on Sunday that personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China’s coastguard last month at the Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint for repeated flare-ups between the two countries.

Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner said the grounded warship is a commissioned vessel of the Philippine navy so it is authorised to have weapons.

“We have the right to defend ourselves,” Brawner said, adding the Philippines will continue to assert its sovereignty in the area.

The Second Thomas Shoal is located inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and China has for years challenged the country’s deployment of a small contingent of marines there aboard a rusty former US ship.

The Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded on the shoal by the Philippines in 1999, as a means of asserting what it says is its sovereignty over the area. China has been accused by Manila of repeated aggressive conduct in disrupting resupply missions to the troops.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, deploying an armada of coastguard vessels, some more than 1,000km away from its mainland. China has maintained its responses have been appropriate in the face of Philippine encroachment.

Silence and heavy state security in China on anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown

https://apnews.com/article/china-beijing-tiananmen-crackdown-e5dcd3454ecb7e0ce558681da020afe0Police officers watch over Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. As Beijing's toughened political stance effectively extinguished any large-scale commemorations within its borders, overseas commemorative events have grown increasingly crucial for preserving memories of the Tiananmen crackdown. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

2024-06-04T04:44:42Z

BEIJING, China (AP) — Checkpoints and rows of police vehicles lined a major road leading to Beijing’s Tiananmen Square as China heightened security on the 35th anniversary of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

China has long quashed any memory of the killings, when the Chinese government ordered in the army to end the months-long protests and uphold Communist rule. An estimated 180,000 troops and armed police rolled in with tanks and armored vehicles, and fired into crowds as they pushed toward Tiananmen Square.

The death toll remains unknown to this day. Hundreds, if not thousands are believed to have been killed in an operation that started the night of June 3 through the following morning.

Across China, the event remains a sensitive and taboo subject that is heavily censored, and any mention or reference on social media are erased.

The city’s life mostly went on as normal. Hundreds of tourists lined the streets leading to gates to enter Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Those who lost their family in the crackdown are prevented from gathering or grieving in public.

Asked by a foreign journalist for comment on the 35th anniversary during a daily foreign ministry briefing on Monday, spokesperson Mao Ning shrugged off the event.

“The Chinese government has long since come to a clear conclusion on the political disturbance that took place in the late 1980s,” Mao said, without elaborating.

In Hong Kong, a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups occupied a park that for decades was the site of an annual vigil marking the anniversary, less than a week after police arrested eight people over social media posts commemorating the crackdown under Hong Kong’s new homegrown national security law.

In 2021, three former leaders of the group that organized the vigil, including activist Chow Hang-tung, were charged with subversion under a national security law imposed by Beijing. The group was also disbanded.

Still, some residents have chosen to remember the bloody event privately, including by running 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) on Monday — a reference to the date June 4 — and sharing Tiananmen-related content on social media.

Over the past week, the city’s authorities have ramped up efforts to erase reminders of the 1989 crackdown. Multiple pro-democracy activists told the Associated Press that police had inquired about their plans for Tuesday.

On Monday, police also briefly detained a performance artist on a street of Causeway Bay, a busy Hong Kong shopping district, close to the park that held the vigil.

An independent bookstore, which displayed “35/5" on its window — a roundabout reference to the date of the crackdown as “May 35th” — wrote on Instagram that police officers were stationed outside the shop for an hour on Sunday, during which they recorded the identity details of customers.

Commemorative events have grown overseas as China cracks down on memories of Tiananmen in Hong Kong and the mainland. This year, vigils are being planned in Washington DC, London, Brisbane and Taipei among other cities, and a growing number of talks, rallies, exhibitions and plays on the subject have emerged.

‘Immeasurable trauma’: China is trying to solve school bullying, but is it ready to face the causes?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3265196/unmeasurable-trauma-china-trying-solve-school-bullying-it-ready-face-causes?utm_source=rss_feed

By any standard, what happened to a 13-year-old boy in northern China earlier this year was gruesome and shocking.

The murder in Handan city, Hebei province – in which the victim had been brutally disfigured at the hands of his fellow classmates – horrified the nation.

The killing has also prompted collective soul-searching as parents, youth workers, policymakers and mental health experts try to make sense of the senseless, and answer logical questions: what went wrong, and how can it be fixed?

In the eyes of some, the problem may have stemmed from familiar challenges in China. Society-wide trauma created by long-term separation of children from their parents – common among families of China’s migrant workers – is as much about dangers to juvenile mental health as long-term social stability.

Psychiatrists have proposed more community work with help and intervention by legal professionals, while the government has increased efforts to stamp out school bullying.

People who work with juvenile delinquents say most cases show similar patterns. Psychiatrist Zhong Lianghong said children usually inherited violent behaviours from their families.

She said she once counselled a teenage boy who had a record of bullying his classmates. During family interviews, she learned that the boy’s father was an alcoholic and had violently abused him.

It was later learned that the child’s father had also experienced a violent childhood with his own father. The traumatic experiences from decades earlier, and passed down through the generations, helped to warp the behaviour of the boy in the present.

“He has never learned how to resolve conflicts [with others] and may even threaten or use violence on others when he is scared, because he believes that is the way to protect himself,” Zhong said.

For years, Zhong has worked part-time for the Supreme People’s Procuratorate – China’s top agency for prosecutions – to provide counselling to juvenile offenders, some as young as 12. She said the government was aware of the gravity of the problem and had contacted psychiatrists like her in dealing with it. In central China’s Hunan province alone, more than 100 psychiatrists work with legal professionals to help troubled teenagers.

The government has reasons to worry. In recent years, China has seen an increase in crimes committed by children under 14, the minimum age they can be held legally liable. In March, the three people who were arrested for the suspected murder of their 13-year-old classmate in Handan were between the ages of 12 and 14.

Experts have warned that the problem of violence is no longer a matter of roughhousing getting out of control but rather a society-wide mental health issue. Alarmed by the increase of juvenile crimes and its destabilising impact on society, policymakers have responded with rules and regulations to police schools and prevent bullying.

On Friday, China’s top prosecutor said in a new white paper that it had granted arrests for 26,855 juveniles in 2023, 35 per cent more than the year before. While the number of lawsuits involving minors also rose, they were also younger – the number of cases from the 14-16 age group rose by more than 15 per cent compared to 2022.

The office said it would maintain a “zero-tolerance” attitude and severely punish offenders, but also provide legal education, protection and care to children to help prevent crimes. In recent months, the Ministry of Education has also pledged a sweeping campaign against school bullying, promising to investigate all primary and secondary schools for cases of bullying, and provide students, teachers and parents with training.

But this may not be enough to tackle the problem, according to experts, who said that the entire education system, as well as families and society, must adapt and change.

In Zhong’s experience, school bullies usually lack empathy and respect for life, the result of suffering years of mistreatment in a childhood in which few people had ever shown them empathy.

Zhong, who has been studying family education for decades, said she discovered early on that when children were left behind by their working parents and raised by their grandparents or other elderly family members, they could develop “immeasurable trauma”.

Family relations and parental education played a large role in a child’s psychological development and behaviour, Zhong said. Without the opportunity to learn from such role models, children never learned how to solve conflicts the correct way, a common characteristic of bullies, she said.

In today’s rapidly changing world, many families and children were not equipped to cope with such stress, leading to generational trauma, Zhong said.

“The adults’ parents did not know how to love them either,” she said. “Their growth was tied to China’s development and social changes.”

In recent years, this kind of generational instability has been further aggravated by external circumstances like epidemics. When Sars – severe acute respiratory syndrome – struck in 2003 and Covid-19 in 2019, the unstable nature of so many families gave way to society-wide trauma.

During the coronavirus pandemic, when Zhong served as a psychological counsellor for an Education Ministry hotline, many of the phone calls were from panicked children. During lockdowns, families were often forced to stay at home for weeks if not months, spurring heated conflicts. Zhong said conversations that began with how scared the children were of being infected would often shift to family troubles.

Added to this, the children have had to face increasing social pressure, such as parents’ high academic expectations for admission to prestigious universities.

“There’s a running joke, that the moment a child is born, his or her countdown to the college-entrance examination begins,” Zhong said.

Guanghe Movement, an NGO specialising in youth development and education, said in an article on its WeChat account in April that children could begin to show undesirable behaviours such as teasing, attacks or blackmail against their peers if their own needs were unfulfilled, or if they felt insecure and had low self-esteem.

The problems worsen when adults simply punish children for bad behaviour without carefully guiding them towards the proper behaviour. Over time, unloved or unattended children develop into bullies and delinquents who are rejected by society.

Since 2011, Shen Xu, one of the founders of Guanghe, has been working with schools to battle bullying. Over the past decade, she has dealt with many forms of the behaviour; from intentionally excluding someone, to name-calling, harassment and even blackmail.

But many of the school incidents are hidden, beyond the view of teachers who try to watch for bullying. Victims might not tell their teachers if they did not believe the adults can help them, Shen said. Adding to the complexity, today’s teachers face increasing demands from more meetings, extra tasks and heavier loads of administrative work.

After the monstrous killing of the boy in Handan, many schools have stepped up training to address the problem.

At one school, law enforcement has helped to deliver a clear message to both teachers and students: say no to school bullying. Linda Shen, a private school teacher in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said that last month her school invited a police officer to give an hour-long talk on the dangers of bullying, including a discussion of relevant laws, and vivid examples of schoolyard bullies who eventually ended up in prison.

Efforts have been made to raise awareness of the problem. At a secondary school in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, TV screens on every floor display rolling messages about what school bullying is and what to do if one is being bullied.

The vice-principal of the school, who wished to remain anonymous, said management held meetings with teachers, asking them to pay close attention to changes in students’ behaviour, for example, children who became quiet, walked alone or did not want to come to school.

He also set up a principal’s mailbox for students who did not want to talk directly with their teachers or who had tips to report.

“We’ve made it absolutely clear that bullying is strictly forbidden,” he said. “Students are aware of our attitude and will always report any incidents to the teachers.”

Motivated by the threat bullying poses to “social harmony”, policymakers have been trying to address the issue as well. In a 2016 brochure on prevention measures, the Ministry of Education stated that “bullying can destroy families, endanger social harmony and create a bad social climate”.

The brochure, spanning seven chapters and 167 pages, detailed how to spot and prevent bullying, as well as how to educate students. It also called on schools to establish a best-practices mechanism to deal with bullying when it occured.

In 2017, the central government issued new guidelines aimed at preventing bullying in primary and secondary schools, declaring that students with unacceptable behaviour would face expulsion or be sent to reform schools.

In 2021, bullying in schools was written into the Law on Protection of Minors, requiring schools to set up task forces to prevent bullying and provide help, and conduct periodic evaluations to determine if bullying is present in schools.

But government efforts are not enough, according to Xiong Binqi, director of the Beijing-based 21st Century Education Research Institute, and educational think tank.

Since Handan, there has been much discussion about how to punish minors who commit such crimes, and calls to lower the age of criminal liability, which currently stands at 14. Offenders between 12 and 14 can be charged on a case-by-case basis if they are found to have killed by “extremely cruel means”.

The real issue in need of attention, according to Xiong, is that there is no formal punishment for children under 14 who do not commit murder or intentional injury, but do commit a minor offence – such as bullying. These cases are seldom recorded by the police, and almost never make it into the court system. Instead, authorities urged the parents to “strictly discipline” the children, he said. Any punishment that is dispensed usually takes the form of a fine against the legal guardians, with no direct consequences for the child offender.

“If you cannot solve this central problem, then you cannot reduce bullying even if you lower the age of legal liability and increase punishment for minors committing a crime,” Xiong said.

He said that these children should still face a trial, even if they are not held responsible, and should be required to complete a certain amount of community service work.

“They need to understand that their actions are crimes, and that they are only exempted from legal responsibility because of their age,” he said.

He also called for a special law on school bullying and violence to provide a legal protocol to follow in such cases.

Aside from punishment, some experts say there needs to be more focus on other aspects of the problem, such as the bullies themselves.

In her training for teachers, Shen, the NGO worker, stresses spotting positive qualities in the bullying students and conveying understanding, instead of simply labelling them as “bad”.

In one case, she dealt with a child who often stole from others. After talking at length with the girl, Shen discovered the student became upset when a classmate was given a cake on their birthday. The girl had felt jealous because her parents never celebrated her birthday.

“I asked her, do you just want a cake, or others wishing you happy birthday and giving you a present? She said ‘yes’ and cried,” Shen said.

Another child was found to be blackmailing classmates. Shen told the child: “I noticed you are great with people, you organised all those classmates to go with you. But is there any other scenario where you can apply the skills without being reprimanded by teachers?”

“By punishing the child, you are telling him what he did wrong, but he still does not know what the right thing is,” Shen said.

Zhong, the psychiatrist, said the children were not the only ones who needed help. In her counselling sessions, she often encountered parents who had struggled through divorce. Before she could help the children, she needed to help the parents, she said.

Once the children became juvenile offenders, help may be too late, Zhong warned. To prevent the possibility of minor bullying descending into leading to serious crimes, changes need to happen “from the beginning”. Parents, she said, must avoid traumatising their children and teach them to respect life.

“To change things from the beginning, we need to change our society and our families,” Zhong said.

“And that is a huge task.”

Japan hunts man who spray-painted ‘toilet’ on Yasukuni Shrine in Chinese social media video

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3265289/vandal-who-spray-painted-toilet-japans-yasukuni-shrine-hunted-police?utm_source=rss_feed

Police in Japan are searching for suspects in the spray-painting of the word “toilet” on a Tokyo shrine that commemorates the country’s war dead, in an apparent protest against the ongoing release of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The red graffiti on a stone pillar at the entrance of Yasukuni Shrine was discovered early on Saturday. In a video posted on Chinese social media, a man who identified himself as Iron Head criticised the discharge of waste water from the damaged nuclear power plant into the ocean.

“Faced with the Japanese government’s permission to discharge nuclear waste water, can we do anything?” the man asks. “No, I will give them some colour to see.”

In another part of the video taken at night, he is seen apparently urinating on the pillar and using spray paint to write “toilet” in English.

Tokyo police are investigating at least two suspects, the person who appeared in the video and another who shot it, according to Japanese media including NHK public television and Kyodo News agency. Police believe the incident occurred late on Friday after the shrine closed and that the perpetrator is believed to have already left Japan, they said.

Police declined to confirm the reports.

The discharge of waste water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant has been opposed by fishing groups and neighbouring countries, especially China, which imposed a ban on all imports of Japanese seafood immediately after the release began in August. The ban has particularly affected Japanese scallop growers and exporters to China.

Yasukuni Shrine honours about 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including convicted war criminals.

Victims of Japanese aggression during the first half of the 20th century, especially China and the Koreas, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism. The countries criticise visits by Japanese lawmakers and offerings to the shrine as signs of their lack of remorse over Japan’s wartime actions.

The graffiti appeared to have been cleaned by Monday.

Malaysia urged to follow Philippines’ lead and get tougher with Beijing over South China Sea claims

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265240/malaysia-urged-follow-philippines-lead-and-get-tougher-beijing-over-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed

Malaysia should take a more proactive approach to defending its rights in the South China Sea, an American expert on China who has advised the Pentagon warned – urging the Southeast Asian nation to reject Beijing’s “excessive claims” over the disputed waters and protect its own long-term strategic goals.

Prioritising short-term trade benefits poses serious risks that could ultimately result in greater long-term costs, said Toshi Yoshihara, a senior fellow at the Washington -based Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments think tank who has written extensively on China’s military and maritime policy.

He said these costs could come in various forms, from economic penalties to loss of territorial integrity and increased regional instability, undermining Malaysia’s national interests and security.

“Accommodating China is basically paying later with extra penalties, and frequently the penalty will come in the form of blood, sweat and tears,” Yoshihara told This Week in Asia on Monday, a day before he was expected to brief the National Defence University of Malaysia on the same topic.

The resource-rich waters of the South China Sea are claimed by Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam. China’s claims over the disputed waters, demarcated on Beijing’s maps by its “nine dash line”, crosses into all of these countries’ exclusive economic zones.

Although the boundaries of exclusive economic zones are upheld by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and a 2016 arbitral decision in The Hague, China has dismissed these international rulings in favour of what it claims to be its historical rights over the region.

China has repeatedly encroached into the waters of Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, particularly around Sabah and Sarawak. These incursions, often involving Chinese coastguard ships, have intensified in recent years following the discovery of significant oil and gas reserves.

Yoshihara’s comments came in response to remarks made last month by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, which were widely interpreted as a call to let China’s claims over the disputed waters go unchallenged.

“They [China’s government] claims that the South China Sea belongs to them, but they have not stopped ships from passing through,” Mahathir said at the Nikkei Future of Asia conference in Tokyo last month.

“As long as there is no stoppage of the passage of ships through the South China Sea, then it’s good enough.”

With Malaysia’s economy heavily reliant on trade from both the United States and China, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been accused of playing down Chinese vessels’ encroachments into Malaysian waters, asserting that his country has no issues with Beijing.

Speaking in Melbourne at the Asean-Australia summit in March, Anwar said Western nations were trying to dictate Malaysia’s stance on China

“If they have problems with China, they should not impose it upon us. We do not have a problem with China,” Anwar said.

China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for the past 15 years, currently accounting for some 17 per cent of the country’s total trade volume.

Yoshihara, author of the 2022 book Mao’s Army Goes to Sea, which details the founding of the Chinese navy and the start of Beijing’s maritime and island-building campaigns, suggested that Kuala Lumpur could learn from Manila about how to “deal with peacetime coercive intimidation tactics” in the South China Sea.

Manila’s tactics include documenting its maritime territorial conflicts with Beijing. He noted that the Philippine navy has been releasing footage of its clashes with the Chinese coastguard around the Second Thomas Shoal, which Yoshihara described as a “public relations disaster” for China.

During several clashes, Chinese ships have shot high-pressure water cannons at Philippine forces, resulting in vessels being damaged and crewmen being injured.

“The violent force of the water cannons suggested they can inflict casualties and perhaps even death. China is sort of struggling to deal with this new narrative,” Yoshihara said.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on Friday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said the death of any of his citizens or servicemen would come very close to constituting “an act of war” – and vowed to respond accordingly.

“Once we get to that point, certainly we would have crossed the Rubicon. Is that a red line? Almost certainly it’s going to be a red line,” Marcos Jnr said.

In response, China asserted its claims over the South China Sea and accused Manila of jeopardising the security and stability of the region through its close ties with the US, including the placement of mid-range missile systems in the Philippines as part of a joint military exercise in April.

“China has exercised great restraints in the face of such infringements and provocations,” said Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jan at the forum.

The Philippines, a former US colony, signed a mutual defence treaty with Washington in 1951, dictating that both nations would support each other if either were attacked by an external party.

Chinese scientists turn largest Earth surveillance network satellite upside down to hunt killer asteroid

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3264896/chinese-scientists-turn-largest-earth-surveillance-network-satellite-upside-down-hunt-killer?utm_source=rss_feed

A giant asteroid hurtles towards Earth on a path that could potentially end in disaster.

Known as 1994 PC1, it is as big as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, but as astronomers try to pinpoint its exact position, its distance of 2 million km – five times as far from Earth as the moon – poses a significant challenge.

But there is a solution: a Chinese Jilin-1 satellite in a near-Earth orbit. Normally it observes our planet. Instead, it executes an unprecedented manoeuvre. It flips over, aims its lens into the depths of space and begins snapping photos each second. These images not only capture 1994 PC1 – they also help scientists reduce the orbit positioning error of the asteroid to just 33km, improving the ground-based telescopes’ accuracy by two orders of magnitude.

Astronomers can now definitively see that 1994 PC1 is not on a collision course with Earth, but will pass safely by.

This was a mission that took place in January 2022, but has only now been revealed after recently being declassified by the Chinese government.

And it sheds new light on the powerful observation capabilities of Chinese satellites. These are capabilities that are causing concern for Western countries, particularly the United States, as they worry that China’s growing space power could be used for military purposes.

But researchers detailing the 2022 mission have said that China will continue to hone these skills to protect humanity.

“Follow-up experiments will be conducted to observe fainter near-Earth asteroids using existing space-based equipment,” the project team, led by Professor Liu Jing with the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, wrote in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese Journal of Deep Space Exploration in April.

More than 100 satellites make up the Jilin-1 constellation, currently the largest Earth observation network in operation. These satellites are incredibly powerful, capable of quickly capturing high-resolution images of almost any location on Earth. They have even tracked and filmed an American F-22 fighter jet flying in clouds and a rocket blasting off a launch pad.

But asteroids in deep space are quite different targets from stealth fighter jets, and the Jilin-1 satellites were not initially designed to operate with their telescopes turned the wrong way around.

After a thorough analysis of the satellites’ capabilities, the project team determined that tracking 1994 PC1 was technically feasible but required in-depth adjustments to critical equipment, such as the exposure parameters of the optical sensors.

“The Jilin-1 video satellite needs to continuously adjust its altitude during orbit motion to perform fixed-point gaze imaging on the target observation area,” Liu and her colleagues said in the paper.

“A total of 51 shooting tasks were arranged during the period from January 17 to 21, 2022 … with each imaging mission lasting 15 seconds,” they added.

The European Space Agency has been studying the use of some dedicated satellites to observe asteroids for more than two decades, and Nasa has conducted similar research. But their ideas are still on paper.

Meanwhile, China’s successful experiment shows humankind can enhance its perception and early warning capabilities for high-risk asteroids by using existing space-based Earth observation systems, according to Liu’s paper.

The experiment also shows China’s space-ground collaborative capabilities from a new perspective. The researchers employed two large ground observation stations located in Beijing and Xinjiang, along with a dedicated satellite for astronomical observation, to coordinate with Jilin-1.

In the next step, they plan to incorporate a large ground-based radar network to further enhance the scope and accuracy of tracking and targeting, Liu said.

Globally, the US has by far the most space assets, with more than 8,000 satellites currently in orbit – 12 times the number of Chinese assets.

However, most US assets are SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, primarily used for communication rather than intelligence gathering.

The US military has recently raised alarms about the rapid growth of China’s space observation system capabilities, including Jilin-1, believing they pose an unprecedented threat to US military forces worldwide.

At the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies’ Spacepower Security Forum held in Washington on March 27, chief of space operations General B. Chance Saltzman said China’s growing fleet of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites is creating the “kill webs” that the US military dreads most.

“Specifically the PRC has more than 470 ISR satellites that are feeding a robust sensor-shooter kill web,” Saltzman said in his keynote address. “This new sensor shooter kill web creates unacceptable risk to our forward-deployed force. This is something that most of us are just not used to thinking about.”

At the same forum, Kelly D. Hammett, director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, also warned that the US could be falling behind in a race against China to build a proliferated warfighter architecture.

“We have a lot of irons in the fire. We’re building new capabilities, trying new things, trying to get to assets on range that the operators can test and train against,” Hammett said.

“(But) it’s not the force structure overall that we’re going to need to be able to compete and deter and potentially fight and win against the vast array of assets the Chinese are putting on orbit. There are 400 ISR birds, they’re launching 100 satellites a year, and most of them are very insidious. Well over half of them are space warfighting satellites. They’re not largely commercial,” he added.

China’s premium wine industry fermenting a ‘buzz and energy’, and it’s ‘only going up’

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3265208/chinas-premium-wine-industry-fermenting-buzz-and-energy-and-its-only-going?utm_source=rss_feed

The two brothers who run Qingdao Lilong Winery of China quietly served samples of their bubbly Sancaro brand to a trickle of people in a corner of the vast Vinexpo Asia in Hong Kong last week, tucked behind festive and crowded displays from Australia, France and California.

Overall, just 10 of the 1,030 producers and distillers who exhibited over the three days at the end of May came from mainland China.

But Lilong has built a following in China for its sparkling wines since 2012, hitting a peak in 2020 with 30 million bottles sold.

“We’re not so interested in surpassing imports – not thinking that way,” Lilong representative Yu Zhiyong said.

“I think premium wine can represent a region’s local resources. We have created our own consumer base by promoting the wine itself.”

The winery sits on 53,300 square metres (573,716 sq ft) of land, and obtains its grapes from a vineyard north of the coastal city Qingdao.

Chinese premium wineries such as Lilong are edging into the domestic market as consumers scout for unique flavours and prefer national brands over foreign equivalents, although imports are expected to remain the dominant force.

The domestic premium wine sector in China has spawned several hundred operators over the past decade, but it remains small compared to overseas peers due to its adolescence and lack of land that can yield high-end wine grapes.

“There’s a lot of buzz and energy in that space. I’ve had quite a few of them [to drink] that are at international standards,” said Ian Ford, the Shanghai-based founder and chief executive of Nimbility, a brand and sales management company for alcohol sold in Asia.

“It’s only going in one direction. It’s going up.”

Industry giants Changyu Pioneer Wine and China Great Wall Wine, which both make relatively cheap products, boosted China’s vineyard coverage to the third largest in the world by area at 756,000 hectares (1.87 million acres) in 2023 behind Spain and France, according to an estimate by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine trade group.

China’s grape wine production reached 4.2 million hectolitres (420 million litres) in 2022, according to the trade group, which would place it behind 11 other countries globally, including Argentina, Australia, Chile and the United States as well as several in Europe.

Chinese premium wines have historically depended on imports, including wines from Australia, that began shipping en masse again in April after China removed an import tariff of up to 218.4 per cent that had been in place since March 2021.

Bottles shipped from Chile, France, Italy and South Africa also appear in China’s restaurants and supermarkets.

Domestic premium wines could eventually outdo imports due to a lack of import tariffs and international shipping costs, analysts said, but building name recognition would take years.

“The volume of Chinese premium wine has been increasing over the past couple of years, but in terms of marketing, people might not be aware of the quality,” said Paul Tsui, founder of the Hong Kong-based wine logistics firm Janel Group.

Still, he said, “more and more people recognise the quality of the wine”.

The western Ningxia Hui autonomous region has become a top source of premium wines due to its climate and elevations, and has created a “price bubble” that may have improved the image of China’s wine industry as a whole, the JS Wine Ratings website said in a 2023 commentary.

Vineyards are also sprouting up in the provinces of Shandong, Shanxi and Yunnan, with the likes of Helan Qingxue, Xige Estate and Grace Vineyard already established premium brands.

Consumers pay between US$35 and US$50 per bottle for high-end Chinese wines, which is often more than the cost of imported alternatives, Ford said.

In some cases, he added, domestic consumers drink local wines simply because they are local.

“Wherever you go in the world, customers feel comfortable if the name is familiar,” said Rob Temple, managing director of Hong Kong consultancy Sinowine.

“There’s the language, also the culture and feeling of supporting local producers as well.”

Premium brands have taken off because Chinese consumers want “integrity”, such as knowing a vintner’s backstory, and that the product is local rather than partly imported, Temple added.

Chinese white wines are “refreshing”, while red wines are “rich”, said Liu Yibo, a 39-year-old Beijing-based wine consumer and the founder of a forum on domestic wine culture.

“The taste of premium wines in China shouldn’t lose out to wines from overseas,” she said.

And consumers who can afford a 2,000 yuan (US$276) bottle care about subtle differences in taste, said Huang Fei, general manager of the Shangri-La wine brands under Beijing-based ZJLD Group.

Huang’s grapes grow over an elevation range of 5,000 metres (16,404 feet) in Yunnan province, with flavours varying within the area.

“This kind of land resource is quite rare – high elevation and low latitude,” he said at Vinexpo in Hong Kong.

Huang said middle-class Chinese pay up to 1,000 yuan per bottle and feel comfortable at 500 yuan. His wines range from 500 yuan to 2,000 yuan.

“We can’t replace exports,” Huang said. “It’s sometimes because of their reputation and sometimes because of personal preferences – or it could be because foreign wine quality is good.”

China’s premium brands would eventually rival imports by avoiding tariffs, shipping costs and production that may be more expensive overseas, Temple said.

“I think [Chinese brands] have a better reputation than in the past,” said Graeme Hogan, national sales manager at Best’s Wines Great Western in Australia.

Their rise, he said, should generate more interest in wine overall.

“Once they get to drinking wine, they may go ‘I might try a bottle of Australian wine to see what that’s like’,” added Hogan in Hong Kong while exhibiting his products alongside other Australian labels.

But China’s middle-class consumers have cut back on premium wines because of wider economic uncertainty since 2020, Ford said.

China’s bottled wine imports fell by 17.6 per cent by value to US$1.09 billion and 29.1 per cent by volume last year, according to the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products.

France, Chile and Italy were the top suppliers of bulk and bottled wine combined last year.

Consumer hesitation leaves premium winemaking in the hands of vintners, said Andy Xie, an independent economist in Shanghai.

“The people who are doing it love doing it,” he said. “It’s about passion.”

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China’s Chang’e 6 probe blasts off from the moon with the first-ever ‘far side’ samples

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3265265/change-6-probe-blasts-moon-first-ever-dark-side-samples?utm_source=rss_feed

The first rock samples from the far side of the moon, collected by China’s Chang’e 6 mission, have taken off and entered designated lunar orbit, embarking on a three-week-long journey home.

The Chang’e 6 ascent vehicle, with its cargo of up to 2kg (4.4lbs) of specimens from the moon’s oldest impact basin, lifted off from the lunar surface early on Tuesday morning, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

“At 7.38am Beijing time, the Chang’e 6 ascender blasted off from the moon’s far side with lunar samples in it. Its 3,000-newton-thrust engine fired for about six minutes, successfully delivering the ascender into designated lunar orbit,” the CNSA said.

“This is the first time in human history for a spacecraft to take off from the far side of the moon.”

The space authority said the ascender will rendezvous and dock with the orbiter in lunar orbit, before transferring its precious cargo to a device known as the return capsule.

The orbiter-return capsule combination will circle the moon and wait for the best timing to fly back to Earth, where it will touch down at the Siziwang Banner landing site in northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, it said.

After collecting the samples, the Chang’e 6 also unfurled a Chinese national flag, according to state broadcaster CCTV’s coverage of the mission.

“This is the first time that China has independently and dynamically displayed its national flag on the far side of the moon, which is made out of novel composite materials and special processes,” it said.

Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency, congratulated its Chinese counterpart “on the remarkable success of Chang’e 6 mission thus far” in a message on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“It’s a wonderful accomplishment that ESA is thankful and proud to have a part in by contributing the NILS (Negative Ions on Lunar Surface) instrument and by providing ground station ESTRACK network support,” he wrote.

China’s spacecraft carrying rocks from the far side of the moon leaves the lunar surface

https://apnews.com/article/china-far-side-of-moon-probe-4f140a9c2bef8a5e5e919f1967080858In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, technical personnel work at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) in Beijing, Sunday, June 2, 2024. A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. (Jin Liwang/Xinhua via AP)

2024-06-04T01:27:58Z

BEIJING (AP) — China says a spacecraft carrying rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon has lifted off from the lunar surface to start its journey back to Earth.

The ascender of the Chang’e-6 probe lifted off Tuesday morning Beijing time and entered a preset orbit around the moon, the China National Space Administration said.

The Chang’e-6 probe was launched last month and its lander touched down on the far side of the moon Sunday.

Xinhua News Agency cited the space agency as saying the spacecraft stowed the samples it had gathered in a container inside the ascender of the probe as planned.

The container will be transferred to a reentry capsule that is due to return to Earth in the deserts of China’s Inner Mongolia region about June 25.

Missions to the moon’s far side are more difficult because it doesn’t face the Earth, requiring a relay satellite to maintain communications. The terrain is also more rugged, with fewer flat areas to land.

Xinhua said the probe’s landing site was the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an impact crater created more than 4 billion years ago that is 13 kilometers (8 miles) deep and has a diameter of 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles).

It is the oldest and largest of such craters on the moon, so may provide the earliest information about it, Xinhua said, adding that the huge impact may have ejected materials from deep below the surface.

The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e moon exploration program, which is named after a Chinese moon goddess. It is the second designed to bring back samples, following the Chang’e 5, which did so from the near side in 2020.

The moon program is part of a growing rivalry with the U.S. — still the leader in space exploration — and others, including Japan and India. China has put its own space station in orbit and regularly sends crews there.

The emerging global power aims to put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation after the United States to do so. America is planning to land astronauts on the moon again — for the first time in more than 50 years — though NASA pushed the target date back to 2026 earlier this year.