Mistral点评

关于中国的新闻报道 - Economy章节

　　中国作为世界第二大经济体，其经济发展和变化始终被西方媒体广泛关注。然而，由于西方媒体对中国的报道常常存在偏见和双重标准，因此对中国经济的报道也存在一定的歪曲和误解。以下将对西方媒体关于中国经济的报道进行客观评价。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国经济时经常过于强调中国经济增长的放缓和危机。例如，有媒体报道称，中国房地产市场的下滑将导致中国经济的崩溃，并引发全球经济危机。这种报道忽视了中国政府在应对房地产市场下滑方面采取的一系列措施，并且过于简单地将中国经济的问题与全球经济联系在一起。中国经济的确存在一些结构性问题，但是中国政府在不断推进供给侧结构性改革，并采取一系列措施来促进经济高质量发展。因此，简单地将中国经济的问题与全球经济联系在一起是不负责任的。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国经济时经常忽略中国经济发展的成就。例如，中国在过去几十年中实现了巨大的经济增长，使得数亿人口脱贫，成为世界上最大的贸易国和第二大经济体。中国在科技创新、基础设施建设等方面取得了重大成就，为全球经济发展做出了重要贡献。然而，西方媒体在报道中经常忽略这些成就，而是过于强调中国经济的问题和危机。这种报道忽视了中国经济发展的成就，并且会导致读者对中国经济的认识存在偏见。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国经济时经常存在双重标准。例如，在贸易争端中，西方媒体常常将中国描绘为“不公平竞争者”，并指责中国政府采取了一系列“不公平”的贸易政策。然而，西方发达国家自己也采取了许多保护主义政策，限制了中国产品进入西方市场。这种双重标准的报道会导致读者对中国经济的认识存在偏见，并且会损害中国的国际形象。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国经济时应该采取更加客观、公正的态度，充分反映中国经济发展的成就和存在的问题。中国经济的确存在一些结构性问题，但是中国政府在不断推进供给侧结构性改革，并采取一系列措施来促进经济高质量发展。因此，西方媒体在报道中国经济时应该更加客观、公正，充分反映中国经济发展的成就和存在的问题，避免因为偏见和双重标准导致读者对中国经济的认识存在误解。

　　总之，西方媒体在报道中国经济时存在一定的偏见和双重标准，这会导致读者对中国经济的认识存在误解。因此，西方媒体在报道中国经济时应该采取更加客观、公正的态度，充分反映中国经济发展的成就和存在的问题。

新闻来源： 2407010636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-30; 2407010342华尔街日报-财新6月中国制造业PMI升至518显示工厂活动加速扩张; 2407010042华尔街日报-中国制造业活动连续第二个月萎缩

关于中国的新闻报道 - Politics章节评价

　　中国的政治新闻一直是西方媒体关注的热点之一。然而，由于西方媒体在报道中国方面存在长期以来的偏见和双重标准，因此其报道的真实性和客观性常受质疑。以下是对本次查询结果中涉及中国政治新闻的评价。

　　首先，有关中国修订《公共安全管理处罚法》的报道中提到，中国取消了原本存在争议的“伤害中华民族精神或情感”条款。这一条款被认为是主观性质，存在解释空间，可能导致执法过程中的滥用。法律专家和公民的建设性意见在法制进程中发挥了作用，使得法律修订更加合理。这一消息反映了中国在法治方面取得的进步。

　　其次，有关中国青年摸羊屁股减压的报道，虽然看起来有些诡异，但也反映了中国年轻一代追求新颖减压方式的需求。此外，这一现象也引发了对动物权益的关注和讨论，有人提出应该限制每天接触羊的人数，以避免羊感到疲劳。这一报道反映了中国社会对动物权益的关注和保护。

　　再次，有关中国房地产危机可能对海外产生影响的报道，在近期中美关系紧张的背景下引起了关注。中国房地产行业的危机可能会影响全球经济，尤其是对那些与中国有密切经济联系的国家。美国国会在此背景下召开听证会，讨论中国房地产危机对美国的潜在影响。这一报道反映了中国在全球经济中的重要地位和影响力。

　　此外，还有关于中国科学家使用人类干细胞创建机器人大脑的报道。这一研究成果被视为科学技术领域的重大突破，但也引起了伦理和道德方面的关注和争议。这一报道反映了中国在科学技术创新方面的实力和潜力。

　　总体而言，本次查询结果中涉及的中国政治新闻报道，在某些方面反映了中国在法治、社会发展、经济影响力和科技创新等方面取得的进步和成就。然而，也不可忽视西方媒体在报道中国方面存在的偏见和双重标准，需要从多方位、多渠道获取信息，以求真相。同时，中国也应该继续努力改善法治环境，保护公民权益，推动经济社会发展，并在科技创新方面做好伦理和道德方面的规划和考虑。

新闻来源： 2407010636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-30

“关于中国的新闻报道"中的"Military"章节评价

　　中国的军事事务一直是西方媒体关注的热点之一。然而，由于西方媒体对中国的报道常常存在偏见和双重标准，因此对中国军队的报道也常常带有负面色彩。以下是对西方媒体关于中国军队的报道的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体常常将中国的军事力量夸大，并将其描绘为对世界和平构成威胁的力量。例如，有关中国的军事预算、军队规模和武器发展的报道常常被夸大和歪曲。这种报道方式不仅会误导公众对中国军队的认识，还会增加其他国家对中国的不信任和敌意。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国军队参与的海外军事行动时，常常忽略中国的贡献，而是将其描述为侵略性和扩张性的行为。例如，中国在非洲和中东参与和平维持任务的努力被忽略或被歪曲报道，而中国在南中国海的岛礁建设则被描述为对邻国的威胁。这种报道方式不仅不公正，还会损害中国的国际形象。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国军队的内部事务时，常常将其描述为不透明和缺乏监督的机构。例如，有关中国军队领导人的升迁和降职、军队反腐倡议和军队改革的报道常常被描述为不透明和缺乏可靠性。这种报道方式不仅会误导公众对中国军队的认识，还会增加对中国军队的不信任和怀疑。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国军队与其他国家军队的交流和合作时，常常将其描述为对抗性和竞争性的关系。例如，中国和俄罗斯的军事合作被描述为对西方构成威胁，中国和美国的军事交流则被描述为对抗性的关系。这种报道方式不仅会误导公众对中国军队的认识，还会增加其他国家对中国的不信任和敌意。

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国军队的报道存在明显的偏见和双重标准。为了更加客观和公正地报道中国军队，西方媒体应该采取以下措施：

　　1. 尽量减少对中国军队的夸大和歪曲报道，提供更加客观和准确的信息。 2. 在报道中国军队参与的海外军事行动时，应该充分认识到中国的贡献，不要将其描述为侵略性和扩张性的行为。 3. 在报道中国军队的内部事务时，应该尊重中国的国内政治和军事事务，不要将其描述为不透明和缺乏监督的机构。 4. 在报道中国军队与其他国家军队的交流和合作时，应该重视合作和共同发展，不要将其描述为对抗性和竞争性的关系。

　　只有这样，西方媒体关于中国军队的报道才能更加客观和公正，更好地反映中国军队的真实情况，并且更好地促进中国与世界其他国家之间的互信和合作。

新闻来源： 2407010636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-30

关于中国的新闻报道中的"Culture"章节评价

　　在西方媒体的报道中，中国的文化经常被描绘为奇特、古老和复杂的。然而，这些描述常常充满了偏见和双重标准，无法真正反映中国文化的多元化和丰富性。以下是对西方媒体关于中国文化的报道的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体经常将中国文化描绘为"异化"的，强调中国文化与西方文化的差异。例如，中国的传统节日、服装和饮食等被描述为"奇特"和"特殊"的，而不是将其视为具有自身价值和意义的文化表达形式。这种描述方式不仅会导致中国文化被"异化”，还会加深西方读者对中国文化的误解和偏见。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国文化时经常忽略其多元化和复杂性。中国是一个具有56个民族、多种语言和文化传统的国家，其文化表达形式极为丰富和多样化。然而，西方媒体经常将中国文化简化为"中国式"或"汉族文化"，忽视了中国文化的多元化和REGIONAL DIVERSITY。例如，中国的少数民族文化和地方文化被忽略或被边缘化，无法获得相应的关注和尊重。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国文化时经常强调其"古老"和"传统"的特征，而忽略了中国文化的创新和发展。中国文化在历史上一直在不断发展和创新，吸收了各种文化元素并形成了独特的文化形态。然而，西方媒体经常将中国文化描述为"固化"和"不变"的，忽视了中国文化在现代化过程中的创新和变革。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国文化时经常采用双重标准，对中国文化的表达形式进行"选择性报道"。例如，中国的传统文化和艺术被描述为"精美"和"优雅"的，而中国的流行文化和时尚则被描述为"低俗"和"庸俗"的。这种选择性报道不仅会导致中国文化被"分裂"，还会加深西方读者对中国文化的误解和偏见。

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国文化的报道存在许多问题和偏见，无法真正反映中国文化的多元化和丰富性。为了更好地了解中国文化，我们需要采取多元化和平等的角度，尊重中国文化的多样化和创新，避免采用双重标准和"异化"的描述方式。同时，我们也需要积极推广中国文化，让更多人了解和尊重中国文化的独特魅力和价值。

新闻来源： 2407010636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-30; 2407011407The-Guardian-Chinas-tech-firms-vow-crackdown-on-online-hate-speech-after-knife-attack

关于中国的新闻报道 - Technology章节评价

　　中国在技术领域取得的成就日益受到西方媒体的关注，但其报道中不乏偏见和双重标准。以下是对近期西方媒体关于中国技术新闻报道的评价。

　　首先，中国在人工智能（AI）领域的发展被西方媒体广泛关注。中国政府在AI领域的投入和支持使得中国在此领域取得了长足的进步。但是，西方媒体在报道中经常将中国的AI发展与所谓的“监控国家”概念相关联，试图将中国的AI发展描绘为一种对人权和隐私的威胁。这种描述是不公正的，因为中国在AI发展中也遵循相关的法律法规和道德规范。

　　其次，中国在5G技术领域的发展也受到了西方媒体的广泛关注。中国的通信巨头华为在5G技术领域取得了重大成就，成为全球5G基站和终端设备的主要供应商之一。但是，西方媒体在报道中经常将华为描述为“国家安全威胁”，并试图阻止华为在全球范围内扩展其5G业务。这种描述是不公正的，因为华为在5G技术领域的发展是遵循市场规则和国际标准的。

　　第三，中国在电子支付领域的发展也受到了西方媒体的关注。中国的移动支付市场规模已经超过全球其他地区的总和，成为全球最大的移动支付市场。但是，西方媒体在报道中经常将中国的电子支付描述为“监控工具”，并试图将其与中国政府的社会信用体系相关联。这种描述是不公正的，因为中国的电子支付系统是市场化的，并且中国政府也鼓励和支持电子支付的发展。

　　最后，中国在量子计算领域的发展也受到了西方媒体的关注。中国在量子计算领域取得了重大进展，并成为全球量子计算领域的重要参与者之一。但是，西方媒体在报道中经常将中国的量子计算发展描述为“军事威胁”，并试图将其与中国的军事现代化相关联。这种描述是不公正的，因为中国在量子计算领域的发展是为了推动科学技术进步和提高人类社会的整体水平。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中对中国的技术发展存在明显的偏见和双重标准。中国在技术领域取得的成就是值得尊重和关注的，但是西方媒体在报道中应该遵循客观公正的原则，不应将中国的技术发展与所谓的“监控国家”、“国家安全威胁”等概念相关联，也不应将中国的技术发展描述为对人权和社会的威胁。中国的技术发展是为了推动人类社会的进步和发展，应该得到公正和客观的评价和关注。

新闻来源： 2407010636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-30; 2407010128The-Guardian-Chinese-space-rocket-crashes-in-flames-after-accidental-launch

关于中国的新闻报道 - Society章节评价

　　中国是一个多元化、复杂的社会，其社会问题和现象在西方媒体中经常被报道。然而，这些报道中不乏偏见和双重标准，因此，对这些报道进行客观评价是非常必要的。本章节将对西方媒体关于中国社会问题的报道进行评价和分析。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时经常忽略其背后的复杂性和多元性。例如，在报道中国妇女问题时，西方媒体常常将中国妇女视为一个整体，忽略了中国妇女的多元性和差异性。中国是一个具有56个民族、13亿人口的国家，其中妇女的生活状况、文化背景和社会地位各不相同。因此，将中国妇女视为一个整体是不公正的，也无法真正反映中国妇女的生活状况。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时经常采用双重标准。例如，在报道中国人口问题时，西方媒体常常将中国的人口政策视为“强制性的”和“违反人权的”，而忽略了中国人口政策在控制人口增长和改善人口质量方面的成就。同时，西方媒体也忽略了其他发展中国家在人口政策方面的努力和成就。这种双重标准不仅不公平，也会导致西方读者对中国社会问题的误解和偏见。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时经常过度强调负面新闻。例如，在报道中国城镇化问题时，西方媒体常常将中国城镇化视为“破坏性的”和“不可持续的”，而忽略了中国城镇化在促进经济增长和改善人民生活质量方面的成就。同时，西方媒体也忽略了中国在城镇化过程中面临的挑战和困难。这种过度强调负面新闻不仅会导致西方读者对中国社会问题的误解和偏见，也会影响中国在国际社会中的形象。

　　最后，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时经常缺乏深入分析和全面报道。例如，在报道中国农村问题时，西方媒体常常将中国农村视为“落后的”和“贫困的”，而忽略了中国农村在经济发展和社会变革方面的成就。同时，西方媒体也忽略了中国农村面临的挑战和困难，例如土地问题、农民工问题和环境问题等。这种缺乏深入分析和全面报道不仅会导致西方读者对中国社会问题的误解和偏见，也会影响中国在国际社会中的形象。

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国社会问题的报道存在许多问题和不足，例如忽略复杂性和多元性、采用双重标准、过度强调负面新闻和缺乏深入分析和全面报道等。因此，在阅读西方媒体关于中国社会问题的报道时，我们应该保持客观和理性的态度，不被偏见和误解所影响，真正了解中国社会的真实情况。

新闻来源： 2407010636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-06-30; 2407011407The-Guardian-Chinas-tech-firms-vow-crackdown-on-online-hate-speech-after-knife-attack

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To boost investor enthusiasm for China, start with Hong Kong tycoons

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3268344/boost-investor-enthusiasm-china-start-hong-kong-tycoons?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s top leaders are set to hold a long-delayed pivotal meeting soon, and are expected to discuss a new growth model and offer a clearer path for the world’s second-largest economy. But clarity is very hard to detect even with the meeting, widely called a plenum, just a few weeks away.

Optimists and pessimists are talking past one another as to what can be expected of the enclave, which could have far-reaching repercussions for the rest of the world. State media have played up China’s determination to pursue “high-quality development” and “high-level opening up”, President Xi Jinping’s favourite catchphrases, trying to build up expectations of major policy moves at the plenum, set to be held from July 15-18.

In a recent visit to Australia, Premier Li Qiang told local businessmen that China was planning major measures to further comprehensively deepen reforms and steadily expand institutional opening-up, and that China’s investment environment will get better.

But investors and entrepreneurs at home and abroad who have heard those high-sounding slogans too many times over the past four years, but have seen too little action to promote the private sector and market forces, have remained downright pessimistic.

A case in point is how China’s leading financial regulators, speaking at the recent Lujiazui Forum, one of the country’s most influential international platforms, tried hard to paint a rosy picture of China’s further reform and opening up, but left investors unimpressed. The mainland and Hong Kong stock markets fell after the forum.

Indeed, how to restore investors’ confidence and get the international investment community to once again accept China’s continued economic rise should become a top priority for China’s leaders at the coming plenum and beyond.

In fact, China has ramped up efforts and rolled out the red carpet for leading foreign investors after it suddenly lifted its self-imposed isolation at the end of 2022, following three years of “zero-Covid” controls . Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook were accorded celebrity status during their recent visits.

However, the sentiment of the global investment community has largely remained negative, with some investors labelling China “uninvestable”. In the first five months, inbound foreign direct investment fell by 28.2 per cent year on year, having declined for a 12th straight month.

Obviously, China needs to do much more to improve its appeal to overseas investors to boost growth.

Here is an idea that can go a long way to convincing investors that the next China is still China – that is, to go back to the future by fully mobilising Hong Kong’s business community and leveraging their unique strengths and international influence.

Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Deng Xiaoping adopted the open-door policy, Hong Kong businessmen were the first to invest in the mainland, achieving many “firsts”, including the first joint venture and the first five-star hotel. They brought along not only money but also talent, technology and technical know-how.

Moreover, their leading example and success greatly encouraged international investors to choose China as their favourite destination. Hong Kong businessmen have made invaluable contributions to China’s economic rise. By the end of 2022, foreign direct investment flowing through Hong Kong into the mainland had reached at an accumulative US$1.57 trillion, accounting for nearly 59 per cent of China’s total.

Even more importantly, Hong Kong business leaders became close advisers to Deng and other top leaders who valued their counsel and wisdom on how to ensure the smooth return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, how to further economic reforms at home, and how to broaden China’s appeal to the international community.

Deng cultivated close relationships with a number of leading business leaders and regularly invited them to Beijing for lengthy private meetings. Those business magnates included Pao Yue-kong, Henry Fok Ying-tung, Li Ka-shing and Louis Cha Leung-yung, the acclaimed novelist and co-founder of the newspaper Ming Pao. And they were effusively lauded on official media.

Understandably, as the mainland’s economy has risen, Hong Kong’s importance has waned. What has made the matter worse is that the sentiment towards some of those business leaders has turned ominously negative over the past 10 years, partly due to the political wrangling in Hong Kong and partly due to the ideological shift on the mainland. That those magnates no longer enjoy the same access to the leadership in Beijing does not help either.

For instance, Li, the city’s most prominent tycoon and once lauded as a “superman” in China for his vision and acumen, faced withering attacks from the mainland’s social media platforms, particularly during the violent protests engulfing the city in 2019.

As Hong Kong struggles to recover from the three years of Covid-19 restrictions and navigate an increasingly grave geopolitical environment, Ronnie Chan Chi-chung, another prominent tycoon, has publicly stated that the objective of most companies should be to survive, not thrive: “There are simply too many risks, known and unknown, to take an aggressive stance on expansion.”

It is safe to assume that Chan’s views are widely shared by the business community in Hong Kong.

This is something that should demand the fullest attention from China’s leaders. The influence of the likes of Li and Chan is not just local but international. Many international investors would take their cue from these business leaders when it comes to investing in China. If they advise caution, the international business community will be even more cautious.

To turn around the sentiment of the global investment community, China’s leaders should first work harder to reignite the interest and enthusiasm of Hong Kong’s business leaders, like Beijing did 45 years ago.

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China tightens rules for rare earths mining and refining, spells out fines for breaches

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268642/china-tightens-rules-rare-earths-mining-and-refining-spells-out-fines-breaches?utm_source=rss_feed

China has issued a raft of regulations to tighten management of rare earths production, elements that are playing an ever-important role in the global technology race.

In a document released on Saturday, the State Council said the new rules would come into effect on October 1.

The regulation spells out that the resources belong to the state and that “no organisation or individual may encroach upon or damage” them.

To improve oversight of the industrial chain, government agencies will coordinate and manage the mining and refining of the ores and ensure that the products can be traced.

The regulation is designed to protect and “rationally develop” rare earth resources while safeguarding the environment and securing the country’s resources, according to the document.

China is the world’s top producer of rare earth elements, a group of more than a dozen metals essential to modern technologies ranging from electric vehicles to wind turbines, robots and military weapons.

The country is also a leader in technology to refine rare earths, which require intense processing to produce usable material.

In recent years, China has banned the export of rare earth extraction and separation technologies as well as technology to make rare earth magnets. In an article in November, the country’s top anti-espionage agency highlighted rare earths as strategic mineral resources that were “directly related to national security”.

According to the new regulation, the amount of mining and refining of the resources would be determined by factors including the resources’ reserves, industrial development, environmental protection, and market demand.

Companies that breach mining and processing regulations may be fined between five to 10 times the amount of their illegal gains. The fines could be up to 5 million yuan (US$687,000) if their illegal gains were less than 500,000 yuan, the document said.

Companies engaged in rare earths’ mining and refining, and export of rare earth products, are required to record the flow of the products, and update a tracking system to ensure they can be traced.

Violating these rules could result in fines of up to 200,000 yuan, and those who fail to rectify omissions when ordered could be fined up to 1 million yuan.

Is the US arrogant to say it prefers Indian STEM students to Chinese nationals?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268441/us-arrogant-say-it-prefers-indian-stem-students-chinese-nationals?utm_source=rss_feed

A senior US official has sent chills down Chinese students and their families by suggesting that their studies at American universities will be restricted to the humanities by geopolitics.

Deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell said on Monday that his country needed to recruit more international students in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) – but not from China.

Instead, Washington is setting its sights on attracting students from India – an increasingly important US security partner – he told an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.

He noted that US universities were already limiting Chinese students’ access to sensitive technology because of security concerns.

According to Campbell, the US should also welcome more students from China, but to study humanities rather than sciences. “I would like to see more Chinese students coming … to study humanities and social sciences, not particle physics.”

While the number of students from China has fallen for three consecutive years through a combination of Covid-19 curbs and strained bilateral relations, the cohort remains the largest international group at US universities.

There were 289,500 Chinese students enrolled in the 2022-23 academic year, according to the Open Doors Report published by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, compared to more than 370,000 in 2019-20.

Indian students make up the second-largest cohort, which saw a 35 per cent increase to 268,900 in 2022-23 on the previous year.

Despite potentially benefiting from a Washington preference for Chinese humanities majors, communications student Julia Zhu said she felt there was “arrogance” in Campbell’s remarks.

“His talk defined the role of other states in the international order from a position of superiority,” said Zhu, who is studying at Shanghai International Studies University, one of China’s best foreign language universities.

“His point is that India is already democratic and Indians are willing to come to America, work for America. By contrast, Chinese need to be re-educated through American humanities,” she said.

Zhu was also not convinced that Campbell’s welcome for Chinese humanities majors was sincere. “Words cannot be trusted. I want to see policies actually implemented. If he really welcomes humanities students, the least he can do is reduce tuition.”

Mandy Wang, whose 15-year-old son is a middle school student in Beijing, said she was very worried that tensions and tech rivalry would worsen between the two countries, with Chinese students planning to study in the US falling victim.

“It’s my son’s dream to study STEM in the US as it has the world’s best universities. He’s keenly interested in maths and physics, excited about revolutionary changes to benefit the whole world,” she said.

“Science should have no borders, nor should it be influenced by any narrow-minded political purpose.”

Wang said she had already been upset by stories from friends about Chinese STEM students receiving stricter scrutiny when applying for visas or entering the US. “They should not be treated like that.”

Academics from both countries have complained about interrogations as well as laptop and mobile phone checks, as Washington and Beijing play the blame game over intellectual property theft and espionage concerns.

Earlier this year, China’s embassy in Washington accused US authorities of “unwarranted” interrogations and harassment of students arriving in the US with valid travel permits. Some had their visas cancelled and were deported, it said.

Telecommunications engineering major Jack Li’s university is on Washington’s “entity list” of sanctioned organisations, so neither he nor his fellow students included the US in their planned postgraduate applications, he said.

According to an employment report published last year by Li’s university, fewer than 70 of its students chose further study abroad, with most going to Britain and Australia.

US worries about Chinese students’ motives were unnecessary, said Li. “Most of our teachers are busy making money by operating their own companies.”

Very few of his tutors cared about their students’ academic performance, let alone asked them to steal intellectual property from other countries, he added.

Gary Shuai, managing director of a Beijing-based agency Weichen Education, which helps students to study abroad, said strict screening of Chinese international students could be a double-edged sword for the US.

Shuai warned that Campbell’s comments could be a precursor to new measures to restrict Chinese nationals from some academic disciplines.

“Corresponding policies or measures may be introduced to restrict the study and research of Chinese students in science and engineering fields, which may include stricter visa review and restrictions on research projects,” he said.

While some younger students might consider switching to social sciences or business studies as a result of such comments by US officials, others could apply to universities in other countries, according to Shuai.

“Chinese students have made great contributions to scientific research in the US. These restrictions [would] not only affect individual Chinese students, but may also lead to a brain drain and a decline of innovation potential in the US scientific and academic community.”

China’s Space Pioneer blames massive test rocket crash on structural failure

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3268652/chinas-space-pioneer-blames-massive-test-rock-crash-structural-failure?utm_source=rss_feed

The commercial operator of a powerful rocket that crashed and exploded in flames during a test on the outskirts of a central Chinese city on Sunday said the failure was the result of a “structural” problem.

Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, said the Tianlong-3 rocket unexpectedly launched during a static-fire test at a facility in Gongyi county in Henan province.

The rocket’s nine engines were fired at 3.34pm before the rocket – the most powerful in the country – lifted off because of a “structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test platform”, the company said.

Residents in flats in the county-level city of Gongyi posted footage online showing the rocket climbing into the sky, leaving a trail of thick smoke before falling back to the ground on its side.

The crash of the kerosene-liquid oxygen-propelled rocket ignited a huge explosion.

“After lift-off, the computer on board the rocket automatically shut down, and the rocket fell into hills 1½km southwest of the test platform and disintegrated,” Space Pioneer said on WeChat.

Space Pioneer said the test site was far away from the city.

“Before the test, we worked with the local government to improve safety measures and organised the evacuation of people in surrounding areas in advance. After investigations, there were no casualties,” it said.

Space Pioneer is one of a number of private aerospace companies that are developing medium-lift, reusable rockets to help China assemble its own satellite constellations comparable to SpaceX’s Starlink.

Its Tianlong-3 reusable rocket is projected to be able to deliver 17 tonnes of payload to low-Earth orbit and is similar in design and performance to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The company said the rocket generated a combined thrust of 820 tonnes during the test – surpassing the 400 or so tonnes of combined thrust of other Chinese reusable rockets.

The company had previously planned for the orbital launch of Tianlong-3 from southern China’s Hainan island in coming months.

Some space observers criticised Space Pioneer for “making a low-level mistake” and posing an imminent danger to residents.

“It was apparently not far from the densely populated area of Gongyi, and the rocket was out of control,” one Weibo user wrote. “However, the company did not even call it an accident in their statement. Instead, they were busy talking about the rocket parameters.”

But Cao Meng, vice-president of the satellite start-up Emposat, called for support for the private space industry.

Cao said on Weibo that he and his colleagues heard the news at around 4pm and had been “extremely anxious” until emergency officials announced there were no casualties.

“It’s been really hard for China’s commercial space sector to get to where it is today,” he wrote.

“Such an accident might affect the life and death of the entire industry. No one could remain calm.

“I ask everyone to be more tolerant and allow more time to let changes happen … We have been through so much, and there is no obstacle that we cannot overcome.”

Chinese counties took 2 billion yuan from rural school meal subsidies to ‘settle local debt’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268639/chinese-counties-took-2-billion-yuan-rural-school-meal-subsidies-settle-local-debt?utm_source=rss_feed

County officials across China misappropriated at least 2.2 billion yuan (US$302.7 million) in meal subsidies meant for rural students between 2021 and 2023, a State Council audit report found.

The money was mostly used to pay off local government debts, the report from China’s cabinet said. The document was made public last week during a meeting of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the country’s top legislative body.

The report tracked a total of 23.1 billion yuan in subsidy funds relating to 159 counties across 13 provinces.

More than 100 counties were involved in the wrongdoing, the report found.

In 66 counties, nearly 2 billion yuan in all were directly misappropriated to settle government debts and basic social insurance.

In 41 others, a total of 270 million yuan was siphoned off by lowering meal standards or fabricating purchases across 1,533 schools, the report said. Other counties colluded with suppliers, some of whom provided substandard material, for kickbacks or “donations”.

China introduced the meal plans in 2011 to improve nutrition standards for rural students, many of whom are “left-behind” children of migrant workers in urban areas.

Research shows that providing school meals in impoverished areas can play a key role in reducing malnutrition among children, as well as improving cognitive abilities, academic performance and student enrolment rates. Several other developing economies have also adopted similar plans.

Starting in 2011, the central government budgeted 16 billion yuan annually towards a 3 yuan daily subsidy per rural student. This was raised to 5 yuan in 2021.

The scheme currently covers nearly 1,570 counties across 28 provinces and regions, benefiting hundreds of millions of students, according to the report.

Some local governments failed to follow protocol when bidding for suppliers, the audit report said, citing 52 suppliers appointed for more than 2,600 schools. Supervising departments and school staff bent the law for personal gain, it stated.

China’s local debt crisis has been in the spotlight since Covid-19 stalled the economy, and amid the subsequent sluggish recovery. In February, Beijing ordered local governments to curb excessive fees and fines, levied as they struggled with falling tax revenue and shrinking income from land sales.

Local government debt amounted to 40.7 trillion yuan by the end of last year – the result of a building frenzy funded by state financing vehicles, state-owned enterprises and banks starting in 2008.

Beijing has asked both central and local government agencies to prioritise the use of funds to support livelihoods, pensions and construction projects.

A Chinese aircraft carrier spotted near the Philippines. What does it mean?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3268635/chinese-aircraft-carrier-spotted-near-philippines-what-does-it-mean?utm_source=rss_feed

A Chinese aircraft carrier reportedly patrolled the waters off the Philippines in an operation that observers say was a message to Manila and Washington.

The aircraft carrier is widely believed to be the Shandong, China’s most advanced aircraft carrier in service.

It was detected sailing northwest from the Philippine island of Luzon in the South China Sea, according to a satellite image provided on Wednesday by MizarVision, a Shanghai-based technology and intelligence company.

European satellite Sentinel-1 also detected the aircraft carrier patrolling the waters on the same day.

According to Sentinel-2, an aircraft carrier last week left Sanya, Hainan province, the homeport of the Shandong carrier.

Neither the Chinese nor the Philippine defence ministry commented on the image. They also did not respond to requests from the Post for comment.

Ni Lexiong, a defence professor in the department of political science at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said the Shandong’s passage was meant to be a deterrent to Manila and Washington, and underline “China’s determination to protect territorial sea sovereignty” amid tensions over the Second Thomas Shoal.

The People’s Liberation Army has stepped up drills in the South China Sea in recent months. Last week, four navy ships – two destroyers, a frigate, and a supply vessel – were spotted near the southwestern Philippine island of Palawan in the South China Sea.

Chester Cabalza, president and founder of International Development and Security Cooperation, a Manila-based think tank, said the carrier’s patrol was an example of “performative politics” by Beijing that could become a frequent event.

If so, it “would mean that there is a red flag on their national security”, he said, adding that “once we see massive military force, that means that Beijing is preparing for a war”.

Former PLA instructor Song Zhongping said the aircraft carrier may head to the Western Pacific Ocean later and rendezvous with four navy ships near the Philippine island of Palawan.

“The Shandong can go to all of these places, including waters to the east of Taiwan, the Western Pacific Ocean, and all of the South China Sea. Aircraft carriers usually travel with battleships on the side to protect them, so it’s normal if [the Shandong and the navy ships] converge.”

Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated over the Second Thomas shoal, known as Renai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines.

In June, a Chinese coastguard ship intercepted several Philippine Navy vessels on a routine resupply mission to troops stationed at a decaying former warship on the shoal.

Chinese coastguard crew members armed with knives, machetes, and other weapons intercepted the Philippine troops, according to footage of the incident, resulting in a Filipino losing a thumb.

While there is hope of dialogue – Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said last week that Manila was working on holding talks in July with Beijing over their South China Sea differences – the Philippines is fortifying its relationship with treaty partner the United States.

The US deployed the mid-range Typhon missile system in the Philippines last month.

The system can launch SM-6 missiles with a range of up to 370km (230 miles) and cruise missiles that can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and have a range of up to 2,500km, according to the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

And a year ago the Philippines agreed to give the US access to four more of its military bases.

Ni, from Shanghai, said the Shandong’s patrol might also be a direct response to the US-led Rimpac exercise, which started on Thursday.

The Rim of the Pacific exercise is the world’s biggest international maritime military drill, and will take place near Hawaii until August. One of the major focuses this year is an exercise to sink the USS Tarawa, a 40,000-tonne retired amphibious assault ship. China is the only US competitor in the Asia-Pacific that has a comparable warship.

Last year, the Shandong’s centre of attention was Taiwan, with the vessel conducting offshore drills neat the island in April and September.

Can Hong Kong be a ‘super moneymaker’ to remain distinct from other Chinese cities?

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3268630/can-hong-kong-be-super-moneymaker-remain-distinct-other-chinese-cities?utm_source=rss_feed

“Will Beijing one day give up Hong Kong and replace it with Shanghai or any other major Chinese city?”

This was the question raised during a recent gathering with a group of Hong Kong-based foreign guests – neither unexpected nor surprising, but a question that is asked more frequently these days.

The worry remains. Is Hong Kong losing its edge? How committed is Beijing to keeping its promise to maintain the “one country, two systems” policy of governing this city?

However, the flip side of the coin poses a counter-question: why should Hong Kong be more special than the rest of the country? And what should Hong Kong do to convince Beijing that it must be the case?

My answer to the question raised at the gathering was, “I don’t think Beijing has such an intention because it will do no good to either side.”

I believe that realistically, no other city in China can simply replace Hong Kong because of the two-systems arrangement. But the elephant in the room is the matter of how Hong Kong can justify that it deserves this special status.

Interestingly, on the day of that gathering, Beijing’s top envoy in Hong Kong, Zheng Yanxiong, openly called for this capitalist city to shift from its usual role as a “superconnector” to one as a “super moneymaker”.

Hongkongers have long been seen by their mainland compatriots as moneymakers – the city knew how to get rich, thanks not only to its good business sense, but also its free and investment-friendly environment. Now, facing reality requires a collective effort for economic development involving every stakeholder for Hong Kong to survive and grow.

Zheng, a Guangdong native who speaks Cantonese, chose the colloquial term “fat choi” to refer to the prosperity he wants Hong Kong to pursue, drawing from the Lunar New Year greeting “kung hei fat choi” that locals are so familiar with. His call for the city to focus on the economy echoed the advice of Xiao Baolong, Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, during a fact-finding visit earlier this year.

July 1 marks the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, and the second anniversary of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s administration.

Zheng’s message was telling: he reaffirmed Beijing’s unchanged promise to maintain the one country, two systems policy while he also urged Hong Kong to safeguard its own unique features and keep them “unchanged”. Those unique features – strong connectivity with the outside world, the rule of law and common law system, and rich culture – are what differentiate Hong Kong from its mainland peers, and what the city should spare no effort to preserve.

Lee remains upbeat about navigating Hong Kong through troubled waters. Staying confident and being pragmatic are not mutually exclusive.

The debate about Hong Kong’s future, and whether it is indeed “over”, as some critics have suggested, is likely to continue. But those who disagree with the doomsday narrative would do well to counter it with a deliverable “fat choi” strategy and prove that it will not happen, just like it has never happened in the past, no matter how loud the naysayers.

At the end of the day, identifying Hong Kong’s “super moneymaker” role and making it actually happen are two different things, especially amid wider geopolitical and economic uncertainties. While mainland China is making a paradigm shift towards high-quality economic development, whether Hong Kong can turn headwinds into tailwinds at this difficult time may provide better answers.

Hairless cancer-hit China woman uses AI to soften looks blow for grandmother

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3265557/hairless-cancer-hit-china-woman-uses-ai-soften-looks-blow-grandmother?utm_source=rss_feed

A woman in China who was diagnosed with cancer and lost her hair has used artificial intelligence (AI) to alter her appearance so her 86-year-old grandmother thinks she is still healthy.

The woman, who uses the name Guojiang on Douyin, said that because her grandmother is elderly she would find it upsetting to learn she is unwell.

“My family told her I was working in Beijing,” said Guojiang, who lives in Heilongjiang province in northeastern China.

She said she had lost all her hair due to the chemotherapy treatment, and that it had also affected her complexion. Her grandmother began to worry because she had not seen a photo or video of her granddaughter for some time.

In a recent online chat, Guojiang sent an AI-generated image based on a photo of her lying in a hospital bed.

“Am I beautiful?” she asked her grandmother on WeChat.

“Baby, you look so gorgeous in this photo. I am glad to see you so grown up. My granddaughter is so beautiful,” her grandmother said.

Guojiang later shared the message on Douyin, saying her experience had changed her perception of AI.

“In the past, I was disdainful of AI, thinking it was a cold-blooded product. Sometimes I was outraged with its face-changing application because people can use it to commit crimes,” Guojiang said.

“AI has helped my grandmother see a still-beautiful version of me. This fake photo cannot fool young people, but it can a lady who is nearly 90 years old. The face-changing technique I had looked down upon before is what made my grandmother feel relieved.

“Based on my experience, I think AI is truly changing our lives for the better,” she added.

Her story has sparked a lively discussion on mainland social media about the controversial technology.

“It is not AI. It is your future. I believe you will feel like this next year,” one online observer said.

“I am moved to tears. Everything will get better. You are such a considerate girl,” another person wrote.

“AI is supposed to be a tool serving humans. I hope you will recover soon,” said a third.

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China’s permafrost damaged by oil pipelines could trigger ‘environmental disaster’, study warns

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3268616/chinas-permafrost-damaged-oil-pipelines-could-trigger-environmental-disaster-study-warns?utm_source=rss_feed

Since it went into service several years ago, a crude oil pipeline mega project running 1,030km (640 miles) from Skovordino in Russia’s far-eastern Amur region to Linyuan in China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang has reliably delivered millions of tonnes of crude oil annually.

The parallel CRCOP I and II (China-Russia Crude Oil Pipelines) run mostly underground across hundreds of kilometres of permafrost and seasonally frozen ground. But to transport crude oil across a frigid environment, the liquid hydrocarbons must be kept at a temperature above freezing point.

According to researchers, that is becoming a problem.

Over time, the warmer pipeline oil has thawed the upper layer of the permafrost it runs through in northern China. The resulting degradation to the permafrost could lead to geohazards and environmental disasters, a new study has found.

“The buried China-Russia Crude Oil Pipelines ... , a mega scale engineering project for energy supplies, has had an increasingly significant thermal impact on permafrost due to its high oil temperature,” researchers said in a paper published in the July issue of the peer-reviewed journal CATENA.

“As a persistent heat source, it continuously releases heat into the surrounding permafrost, leading to permafrost thawing, surface subsidence, surface ponding, pipeline settlement, possible failures or oil spills, and possibly future environmental disasters,” the research team led by scientists at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences wrote.

To study the impact of the pipeline, the researchers used a combination of methods, including ground and oil temperature measurements and observations of surface changes through drone monitoring.

Permafrost, ground that is continuously frozen for two or more years, accounts for about ¼ of the world’s land surface. It plays a vital role as a store of ice and in maintaining ecosystems in Arctic regions.

“[Permafrost] is very sensitive to changes in environmental factors (such as climate, human activities, vegetation disturbance, wildfires, etc) and difficult to recover,” the researchers, who are from China and Russia, wrote in the paper.

Human infrastructure such as railways, pipelines, highways and power transmission lines have altered the thermal and energy balance of permafrost regions due to the heat they emit, the team said.

The CRCOP I and II pipelines, which began operations in 2011 and 2018 respectively, are a branch of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean crude oil pipeline, and have an annual transport capacity of 30 million tonnes of crude oil.

They stretch across 441km of permafrost and 512km of seasonally frozen ground. Some of the permafrost has dense concentrations of ice, rendering it unstable and vulnerable to human activity, the researchers said.

Permafrost in northeastern China “exhibits poor thermal stability due to its relatively high ground temperature, thinness and low continuity. As such, it is easily affected by changes in environmental conditions”, the researchers said.

The monitoring site for the study was in northern China’s Jagdaqi district at the southern boundary of the permafrost region, located just 600 metres (1,970 feet) from a pumping station, where the pressure and temperature of the oil in the pipelines is monitored and adjusted.

Boreholes were drilled around the pipelines to monitor permafrost temperature from 2014 to 2017, and measurements were taken at the outlet of the nearby pumping station to determine the approximate temperature of the oil as it passed through the site from 2011 to 2022, the team said.

The oil temperature at the outlet was always above freezing point, but it ranged in temperature from 1 to 12 degrees Celsius (about 34 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit) depending on the month, with an average temperature of about 6.7 degrees Celsius.

The team found that a lack of insulation covering the pipelines had led to an expansion of talik – a layer of year-round unfrozen ground in permafrost regions – as well as an accumulation of water in ponds around the pipes.

Thawing had also led to surface settlement and sinkage of the pipelines. CRCOP I and II are now sinking at a rate of 0.2 metres and 0.45 metres per year respectively, the researchers said.

“Pipeline construction, high oil temperature, and permafrost thawing have led to the development of geohazards, which have the potential to worsen under the influence of fires, climate warming and human activities,” the researchers said in the paper.

Plans for future projects could further heighten concerns. Russia has been in talks for years to build a new pipeline, the Power of Siberia 2, which would carry natural gas to China via Mongolia.

While natural gas pipelines are kept at lower temperatures than oil pipelines, last month Russian President Vladimir Putin said that an oil pipeline could run alongside the planned gas pipeline to deliver both simultaneously, according to a report by Reuters.

Between 1971 and 2016, Mongolia lost around 33 per cent of its permafrost cover as a result of climate change. Permafrost zones now cover only about 30 per cent of the country’s surface, according to the Mongolian National News Agency.

The researchers said that using a variety of monitoring methods like the ones in this study could provide “a scientific basis for assessing the thermal impact of pipelines and geohazard development”.

Unstoppable: China couple forge ahead with wedding despite floods, use boat, fire engine

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3267762/unstoppable-china-couple-forge-ahead-wedding-despite-floods-use-boat-fire-engine?utm_source=rss_feed

A couple in China were so determined their wedding would go ahead despite severe flooding, that they used a boat and a fire engine as transport.

They planned to hold their ceremony in their hometown of Guilin in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on the morning of June 19.

Then came the heaviest rainfall since 1998, and as the bride was on her way to the wedding, the area began to flood.

Video footage taken by locals show the bride’s father and the groom pushing a home-made boat as the bride sits inside holding an umbrella.

“It is the first time I saw a bride going to her wedding on a boat,” an observer told the mainland news outlet Jingshizhibo.

The bride, whose name was not revealed, said the water level reached people’s chests, but they had to carry on with the wedding because “everything had been planned”.

In China, especially rural areas where traditional values remain strong, people believe weddings must be held on auspicious dates. They believe changing those dates might bring bad luck.

Also, newlyweds do not like to inconvenience their guests, some of whom might have travelled a long distance to attend their wedding.

The bride had been to a nearby county for her makeup, and was on her way back home in a friend’s car, which got caught in the sudden flooding.

They met a group of firefighters and asked for their help to get back to their town. It took the fire engine 20 minutes to drive the 20-kilometre distance.

The groom then borrowed a home-made boat from his friend and used it to transport his new wife. His father-in-law helped him push the boat for two kilometres through the waterlogged roads.

The bride said it was an “unforgettable” experience.

“I am impressed by how strong their will is to get married,” an online observer wrote on Douyin.

“Her wedding vehicles look much cooler than luxury cars,” another said.

“They have literally ‘crossed the water in the same boat’,” a third said, referring to a Chinese idiom that means “pulling together in times of trouble”.

China’s online ultranationalists feel the heat after woman dies trying to save Japanese kids

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268614/chinas-online-ultranationalists-feel-heat-after-woman-dies-trying-save-japanese-kids?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s internet platforms are investigating online comments that incite extreme nationalism after a Chinese woman who tried to stop a knife attack on a Japanese school bus died of her injuries.

Hu Youping, 54, was stabbed multiple times while trying to restrain an attacker at a school bus stop in China’s eastern city of Suzhou on Monday. She died in hospital two days later.

The attacker first targeted a Japanese mother and her child waiting at the stop and then tried to get on the bus, which was carrying Japanese schoolchildren. Hu immediately rushed to help and her courageous act “prevented more people from being hurt”, Suzhou police said.

Hu’s bravery was hailed by the majority of the public. The Japanese embassy in Beijing lowered its flag to half-mast on Friday morning in honour of Hu, and posted condolence messages on social media sites X and its Chinese counterpart Weibo.

But other online posts still sought to defame Hu and stir up anti-Japanese sentiment.

There has been a wave of online Chinese ultranationalism directed at Japan in recent years amid rising tensions between the two countries, especially over Tokyo’s support for Taiwan and territorial disputes in the East China Sea, apart from historical enmities.

Tech giant NetEase, which runs online gaming, social media and email services, said that some users had recently been exaggerating or even fabricating the truth, posting “inappropriate comments to incite nationalist sentiment”.

Some posts urged Chinese to “go against the Japanese and eliminate traitors” while calling to establish a “modern-day Yihetuan”, it said in a statement on Saturday night.

Yihetuan, also known as the “Boxers” from the martial arts they practised, were a Chinese nationalist secret society during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) that supported imperial power and resisted Westernisation. Their slogan was “Support the Qing, destroy the foreigners”. The movement later led to the failed 1899-1901 Boxer Rebellion against Western and Japanese powers in northern China.

NetEase said other users spread rumours that Hu had been a “Japanese spy”, and there were also extreme nationalist comments saying “Japan should sink and their ethnicity needs to be wiped out”.

The statement said NetEase had launched an investigation, deleted offensive comments and banned accounts that promoted hatred and extremism. It also called on the public to report any harmful information.

“We strive to provide a secure and healthy internet space for users,” NetEase said. “We also call on users to obey platform rules and discipline themselves.”

The same day, Tencent – China’s No 1 internet company – also said it had deleted more than 800 posts and suspended 61 accounts for inciting “anti-Japanese sentiment and extreme nationalism”.

The company, owner of hugely popular social media platforms WeChat and QQ, also called for public tip-offs on users posting objectionable content.

Online cultural and entertainment forum Douban said it had deleted 104 comments, while asking users to “stay objective and reasonable” and comment “in a friendly way”.

Similar statements were issued by Sina Weibo, Douyin – the Chinese version of Tik Tok, and Phoenix New Media’s news portal Ifeng.com.

The measures were in line with the response from Beijing. In a commentary on Friday evening, Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily said that “Chinese people have the same standards on right and wrong.”

“We are against any form of violent crimes, regardless of whether they are against Chinese or foreigners,” it said.

“We also do not accept it when a few individuals incite ‘hatred against foreigners’. These are unacceptable by Chinese mainstream society and Chinese people.”

Web users also applauded the measures. “It’s very courageous of NetEase to issue such a statement,” ran one post on Weibo.

Another said: “In the past few years, the extreme comments and these crazy people have been hurting our own people more than the foreigners that they hate.”

Since Monday’s attack, many members of the public have visited the bus stop and brought flowers to pay tribute to Hu. Others have offered to donate to her family.

The family has thanked the public for their kindness but turned down the donation offers, suggesting that people donate instead to charity foundations for courageous acts.

Suzhou, a hi-tech manufacturing hub, is home to the local operations of many Japanese firms and has a sizeable Japanese population.

Monday’s attack was the second knife crime in two weeks in which foreigners had been wounded in public in China.

On June 10, a 55-year-old Chinese man was arrested for stabbing four US university tutors at a public park in the northern province of Jilin.

A pivotal moment for China’s Communist Party | Leaders

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/06/27/a-pivotal-moment-for-chinas-communist-party

WILL THE Communist Party save China’s storm-blown economy? That is the question on the minds of investors, analysts and businessfolk—as well as ordinary Chinese. It is being asked with increasing urgency, as the sectors that powered the country’s long economic boom look ever more vulnerable. Doubts are growing whether China’s rulers are willing to design and execute an effective response. When the party’s 376-member Central Committee convenes on July 15th, it will be a chance for China’s leaders to ease such concerns. It seems as likely, though, that the meeting will only highlight the gap between the party’s lofty rhetoric and its disappointing actions.

The meeting in July will have all the same trappings of past party conclaves. Amid red carpets and party standards, men in drab suits (over 90% of the committee is male) will honour the latest party-speak about “high-quality development” and “new productive forces”. The outcome will then be summarised in a cryptic communiqué that will be pored over by analysts and party apparatchiks.

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Why search for love in the ‘iron rice bowl’ may be killing growth in northern China

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268436/why-search-love-iron-rice-bowl-may-be-killing-growth-northern-china?utm_source=rss_feed

When she was growing up in a small town in China’s northeast, Lisa Li’s parents constantly reminded her of the importance of getting a government job.

“They told me it provides security. It’s a real job. You won’t just be working to earn a living,” she said.

In keeping with her parents’ wishes, after graduating from college in 2013, Li sat the test for a job at China’s foreign ministry. But she failed to get in.

Next, she tried for a clerical job with the military, and failed again.

“I felt that I desired freedom too much to get in,” said Li, who now works as a website editor in Beijing.

But her parents have not given up hope. They have taken to setting her up on dates with men in government jobs – known colloquially as the “iron rice bowl” because of their job security. Potential suitors have included a civil servant in Inner Mongolia and a member of staff at the cadre-training Central Party School in Beijing.

Li’s experience is common in the northeast, which includes the formerly industrial rust belt provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin.

It was an unwritten social norm in China’s northeast for young people with government jobs to only marry each other, Zhao Dan, a doctoral student of sociology at Nanjing university, wrote in a new government-funded research paper.

It was not only an individual preference when picking out dates, but was also common at dating events organised by their companies or other social groups, Zhao said in the paper published in the June issue of China Youth Study, a monthly official magazine that discusses issues faced by young Chinese.

“Getting a job within the government system is like getting a passport to love and marriage,” Zhao wrote.

The study was based on interviews with 18 people from various age groups in an industrial city in northeastern China, who mostly worked in government or at state-owned companies.

One interviewee who used to work in a social services post at a government bureau told Zhao she was unable to sign up for a dating event organised by her supervisors.

She was told she did not have “official staff status” and organisers trying to persuade her not to attend said she would be “embarrassed to introduce herself at the event”, the paper said.

The impact of a “government job” on relationships even exceeded that of a good salary, education, individual ability, looks or even love, Zhao wrote. Even if someone had a high-paying job in the private sector, a house and a car, they usually did not have a stable relationship with someone with a government job.

The study tapped into a decades-old tradition in China of seeking bianzhi – a permanent position that comes with a pension and other benefits in government or government-affiliated institutions. And it is not only prevalent in the northeast.

The preference for stability comes from the experience of massive lay-offs in the 1990s. Back then, the industrial heartland was one of the centres of bankrupt and restructured state-owned enterprises, leading to many being dismissed with minimal compensation.

A woman who grew up in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang, told the Post in an interview that of all her classmates, fewer than 10 were in small business. The rest had government or state company jobs, including as a civil servant, teacher, doctor, police officer or court judge.

“They often marry others with the same social status. A police officer married a nurse, and another nurse married a gym teacher,” she said.

According to the study, this societal evaluation system has led to young people in the northeast only seeking government jobs. Others have left the region to seek better opportunities in other cities.

“It has hindered society from opening up in the northeast,” the paper said. “It might also lead to a waste of talent, speed up the rate of unemployment and people choosing to be single.”

Li said that like her, most of her classmates had left their hometown. Those who came back after higher studies often had a family business.

One of her classmates graduated with a degree in English from Xiamen University in the southeast, only to return to manage a cemetery business. Now her family owns the biggest cemetery plot in her city.

In recent years, the importance of the northeast as China’s industrial and agricultural base has been repeatedly emphasised, with authorities encouraging full revitalisation of the region.

At a meeting in Heilongjiang in September, President Xi Jinping again called for the region to “write a new chapter” in revitalisation, as he hailed its “rich resources, solid industrial foundations, favourable geological locations and significant development potential”.

Local governments make their own efforts in the winter, attracting millions across China with snow and ice tourism.

However, Zhao warned that even though these measures prompted some young people to return to their hometowns, the region’s industry structure had to be upgraded, and society needed to adopt a more diverse evaluation system to be more tolerant and open.

“Only then can the young people in the northeast have better career and dating choices,” Zhao wrote. “That’s a key measure to addressing the region’s declining birth rate, ageing society and talent loss.”

Chinese President Xi calls for bay area integration push as Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link opens

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3268615/chinese-president-xi-calls-bay-area-integration-push-shenzhen-zhongshan-link-opens?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for further strides in promoting the integration of the Greater Bay Area as he congratulated those behind the construction of a key cross-sea link connecting Shenzhen and Zhongshan that opened on Sunday.

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link opened after seven years of construction, spanning 24km (15 miles) and will shorten travel time between Hong Kong and cities along both sides of the Pearl River Delta.

Xi hailed the link as another record-breaking engineering project in the same vein as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

“This proves that Chinese-style modernisation is achieved through hard work,” he said.

Xi stressed the link needed to run securely, smoothly, comfortably and intelligently to “play a pioneering role in transport and promote the integrated development of the east and west sides of the Pearl River Delta”.

He also called for greater integration of the bay area, so it could become an example of high-quality development and a leading place in Chinese-style modernisation.

The bay area refers to Beijing’s plan to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities into an integrated economic powerhouse.

At 2pm on Sunday, Hongkongers lined up at service station in Kwun Tong to board a cross-border bus before it commenced the first journey along the cross-sea passage at 3pm.

The link is designed to handle the huge volume of traffic generated by bay area residents. It includes two bridges and two artificial islands, as well as an undersea tunnel linking Zhongshan and Shenzhen.

The 44.69 billion yuan (US$6.15 billion) eight-lane highway will trim travel times between Hong Kong and Zhongshan from 2½ hours to 1½ hours as coaches and other heavy vehicles no longer need to use Nansha Bridge, north of the older Humen Bridge, to reach destinations on the western side of the delta.

Travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan is expected to be reduced from two hours to within half an hour.

Travel between Nansha and Zhongshan will take just 15 minutes, while the journey between Shenzhen and Zhuhai or Jiangmen was halved to one hour.

Genius China engineer cements love with concrete engagement ring

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3265573/genius-china-engineer-cements-love-concrete-engagement-ring?utm_source=rss_feed

A post-doctoral graduate, whose invention was used on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics arena, has been derided for using an engagement ring made of cement to propose to his future wife.

Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious in China, refers to Yao Guoyou, 36, as an outstanding alumnus.

As a doctoral student in the School of Civil Engineering from 2011 to 2016, Yao worked tirelessly to invent a nano silicon ion material that increases the waterproofing quality and lifespan of the most widely used building material in the world.

The clever graduate sprayed the material on China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and many other hydraulic engineering projects, to test and promote it.

“It proved to be a great success,” Yao said.

His invention won him the Tsinghua Qihang Scholarship Gold Award in 2016. At the awards ceremony, he proposed to his girlfriend, now his wife, with a cement ring he had made and sprayed with his invention.

“The ring suggests that our love will not corrode or degenerate in 100 years,” Yao said.

On mainland social media, many considered it a romantic gesture, while some viewed it as “cheap and insincere”, even nicknaming Yao “cement brother”.

“The material he invented could sustain dams and bridges, and he used it to give her a lifelong promise as strong as that cement. This science romance is so much more beautiful than silver and gold rings,” one observer wrote on Douyin.

“He should have given her his patent, rather than a piece of cement. That would have shown his sincerity,” joked another.

One woman accused Yao of being a narcissist: “Is the ring a proof of his success or his love for her?”

“Why is the crystal structure of carbon worthwhile and romantic, but not the nano silicon ion?” another said, pointing out the properties of diamonds.

In 2017, Yao founded his company Guardex, which specialises in the invention and application of cement waterproofing materials.

His products were used on the National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the Ice Ribbon, which was built for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

He also promoted the material for use in impoverished areas that cannot afford to buy it.

In 2018, he donated some to a Guangxi village in southern China and arranged for his staff to teach the locals how to use it.

Yao is the corporate representative of 15 companies and the owner of about 60 patents.

China’s elder economy hits US$2 trillion in value – and industry is only just maturing

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3268480/chinas-elder-economy-hits-us2-trillion-value-and-industry-only-just-maturing?utm_source=rss_feed

The final consumption value of products and services designed with China’s growing older population in mind – a sector that is not yet “fully mature” according to a white paper released this week – has reached about 14.4 trillion yuan (US$2 trillion), an indication of the already ballooning industry’s prospects for further expansion.

Low-cost travel, e-commerce, live streaming by older influencers and sorghum wine – a high alcohol drink – are among that population’s top buys according to the white paper from Shanghai-based China Insights Consultancy and Chinese online education service QuantaSing Group.

“With rapid socio-economic development, increases in life expectancy, and a decline in fertility rates, China is gradually transitioning into an ‘aged society,’” said the paper, published Tuesday and presenting an analysis of survey results for 5,710 people aged 45 or higher.

“Currently, services and products [for the middle aged and their seniors] are not yet fully mature, presenting substantial market potential for investment and growth.”

That potential is being noticed. In a keynote address at the opening session of the 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in the northeastern port city of Dalian, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the country is seeking improvements in elder care and support for the “silver economy”, calling the demographic a “valuable resource” for society.

“I think an effective response cannot only help us better respond to ageing, but also foster new growth drivers,” said Li at the event, organised by the World Economic Forum and also known as Summer Davos.

The white paper authors took age 45, rather than a higher number, as a starting point for their research because people partake in “economic activities related to elder care preparation” from that age, a QuantaSing spokesman said.

People in their late 40s and 50s tend to be better off than their younger compatriots – carrying the pensions of senior workers and comparatively unburdened by mortgages or unemployment – a divide that ensures those aged 45 to 60 are a valuable wellspring for consumption.

But those in middle age still face a dilemma: spend now, or save for retired life.

China had 254 million people aged 60 and above in 2019 according to the World Health Organization, which has also estimated that 402 million people – 28 per cent of the population – will fit into that age bracket by 2040. About 44 per cent of the population is already over age 45, per data from the Statista market research firm.

The country’s one-child policy, in effect from 1979 to 2015 and limiting most families to a single child, has contributed further to the trend.

On the travel front, 60 per cent of Chinese people over age 45 travel three or more times per year, though they are daunted by “high costs” and a lack of “suitable options”, the paper said, also finding the age group prefers travel that touches on humanities, history and traditional culture.

“Study tours that blend culture and entertainment are better suited to their needs,” the researchers said.

People over 45 also have a yen for sorghum wine, also known as baijiu, because the 750 billion yuan industry produces a drink seen as “highly social”, the paper authors said. Those consumers are 30 per cent of the total, “highlighting a massive market opportunity”.

In e-commerce, the paper said, 34.7 per cent of those 45 and older named online platforms as a normal shopping channel, while only 11.3 per cent of those over 75 do the same.

Online personalities catering to the growing demographic are “offering psychological comfort that satisfies basic emotional needs”, the researchers said. “As more seniors use and become familiar with content e-commerce platforms, their overall penetration rate will increase, providing momentum to the development of these platforms.”

The 45-plus contingent also shops lavishly for online classes, fitness programmes, beauty products and healthcare with strong “service quality”.

Similarities aside, consumers between 45 and 60 still spend differently than their elders, the QuantaSing spokesman said, with more attention paid to the brands of their daily necessities compared with their older peers.

China tech firm enforces extreme overwork, exceeding contentious ‘996’ model

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3267322/china-tech-firm-enforces-extreme-overwork-exceeding-contentious-996-model?utm_source=rss_feed

A technology firm in China has launched a “Striving for 100 Days” campaign by enforcing extreme overtime that exceeds the controversial “996” work model.

Screenshots of work group chats circulating online show that the company called for employees of a certain level to adopt an “896 work schedule” for 100 days, according to Sohu Finance, a mainland media outlet.

This means employees are required to work from 8am to 9pm, six days a week during that period, starting from mid-June.

The workers at the firm reportedly include mid-to-senior level and technical staff.

Reports in the mainland media did not identify the firm involved which is believed to be in Fujian province in southeastern China.

The Post reached out to the tech business but has not received a response.

One employee told Cailian Press that the 896 work schedule was verbally communicated during a departmental meeting on June 14.

Another told Caixin Media that while the company does not officially enforce the 896 work schedule, employees often work these hours, particularly in the research and development department where working overtime has become the norm.

Another person from the company told Chengdu Economic Daily that they indeed issued the “Striving for 100 Days” call but denied having the 896 policy.

“The 896 work model is just a rumour. As for the ‘Striving for 100 Days’ call, we need to work hard to thrive in this booming industry. Perseverance and hard work are what we should promote now,” the person said.

The firm’s expectation has reignited the debate about overtime culture and the controversial 996 model – working from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week – in China.

In 2019, an anonymous online observer initiated an online protest on GitHub, a global developer platform owned by Microsoft, arguing that the 996 work schedule threatens the health of tech workers.

The requirement by companies for employees to work six days a week, 12 hours a day quickly became a hot topic in China.

Workers often feel they should work overtime because it is an “unwritten rule”. Peer pressure is another significant factor.

In August 2021, China’s top court ruled that the 996 policy was illegal.

Technically, China’s labour law bars employees from working more than eight hours a day and 44 hours a week, while overtime should not exceed 36 hours a month.

However, a recent search by the Post found that excessive overtime culture remains a frequent topic of complaint on mainland social media.

One worker told the Post that he had been involved with a project continuously for a month, working until 11pm every day with no days off. He said he was doing the work of two to three people.

Some employees in China will only tolerate the demands on their time if they are paid well.

Fu Peng, chief economist at Northeast Securities, said that China’s young people are not unwilling to work but are unwilling to work “without fair compensation”.

“If the pay is 10 times the usual wage, young people will work overtime until the boss goes bankrupt,” he said.

An online observer echoed Fu’s view, writing on Weibo: “We are not afraid of hard work, we are afraid that the effort and the reward do not match.”

China’s factory activity contracts for second straight month

https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3268599/chinas-factory-activity-contracts-second-straight-month?utm_source=rss_feed

Factory activity in China remained in contraction for a second consecutive month in June, adding to difficulties facing the world’s second-largest economy ahead of next month’s key third plenum.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – a survey of sentiment among factory owners – stood at 49.5 in June, unchanged from May, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday.

Within the official manufacturing, the new manufacturing export order subindex, meanwhile, remained unchanged at 48.3 in June.

A reading above 50 typically indicates expansion of activity, while a reading below suggests contraction.

Elsewhere, the non-manufacturing PMI – a measurement of sentiment in the service and construction sectors – fell to 50.5 in June from 51.1 in May, remaining in expansion territory for the sixth straight month.

The delayed third plenum will see top Communist Party officials gather in Beijing in two weeks’ time, with the much-anticipated conclave a traditional setting to unveil major economic strategies for the next five to 10 years.

Outrage as China hospital slaps 70-US-cent fee on patient for use of chair during treatment

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3268386/outrage-china-hospital-slaps-70-us-cent-fee-patient-use-chair-during-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed

A hospital in China has stoked controversy by charging a patient for the use of a chair they were sitting on while receiving an intravenous infusion.

On mainland social media at the end of June, a person released a billing statement by the public-funded Ningxia Children’s Hospital, which showed that five yuan (70 US cents) had been charged for a seat, Zonglan Video reported.

It is not clear how old the patient was, or what they were being treated for, but the bill showed the medication contained antibiotics.

An official at the hospital in Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, northwestern China, said the fee was for two days’ use of a chair by the patient who was sitting on it while receiving an infusion.

“Charging this fee is in line with the regulations of the pricing authority. We would definitely not collect fees randomly,” the official said.

Ningxia Healthcare Security Administration, which is responsible for setting up and supervising prices in hospitals, confirmed there was no problem with the hospital charging the fee.

“We have such a regulation that hospitals can charge five yuan a time for using a bed during the infusion process, and for half of that price for using a chair,” an official from the administration said.

The controversial chair fee has become the subject of heated discussions on mainland social media, after being viewed 5 million times on Douyin alone.

“Hospitals are so commercial. I feel speechless about this fee,” one online observer said.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of this kind of cost in a hospital. Is there anything left that they do not charge fees for?” said another person.

“Are ordinary people now expected to bring their own chair to see doctors from now on,” a third said.

It is not the first time hospital seating fees have caused controversy.

In 2011, the mainland media revealed that a major health centre in eastern China’s Shandong province for charging three yuan for the use of a chair.

After the incident triggered a public backlash, the local authority ordered all publicly-run hospitals to cancel fees involving the use of chairs, heating and rubbish disposal.

However, in 2016, when Chuncheng Evening News in southwestern Yunnan province reported that some big hospitals collected bed and chair fees, the provincial health authority backed the institutions saying they conformed to regulations.

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South China Sea: Chinese academics urged to ‘construct narratives’ to defend maritime claims

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268562/south-china-sea-chinese-academics-urged-construct-narratives-defend-maritime-claims?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese academics have called for more studies of the country’s claims to the disputed South China Sea.

“Narrative construction and discourse building are essential if we are to effectively defend our rights and interests in the South China Sea – both in the present and in future,” Wu Shicun, founder of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told a seminar held in Hainan province last week.

Beijing lays claim to much of the South China Sea, citing historic activities and records in support.

Its claims were rejected by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in 2016 in a case filed by the Philippines.

Recently the two countries have been involved in a series of clashes near disputed reefs – including collisions, China using water cannons and a recent incident in which a Philippine sailor lost a thumb. These have raised fears that the situation may escalate into a more serious conflict.

Without naming any country, Wu said China faced “an increasingly arduous battle over public perception and opinion” adding that “rival claimants” were “stepping up cooperation with extraterritorial forces in the study of historical and legal issues” concerning the South China Sea.

Beijing has dismissed the Hague ruling as “null and void” and continued to build up its infrastructure and troop presence in the South China Sea.

But the Philippines and other claimants – which include Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei – along with the United States and its allies have repeatedly urged China to abide by international law.

The Philippines has signalled that it may turn to the Hague for another ruling, fuelling worries in Beijing that it would put the country in a bind and harm its reputation as a peacemaker and friendly neighbour in the region.

Yi Xianliang, a former ambassador to Norway who previously served as deputy director of the foreign ministry’s boundary and ocean affairs department, also spoke at Tuesday’s seminar and dismissed the 2016 ruling as a “bad joke”.

But he warned “we have to ask why the ruling is flawed” and ask if it “will happen again and how we can prevent it from happening again”.

Wu, who now chairs the Huayang Institute for Research on Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, denied China had violated international law in its disputes with the Philippines, and accused the US and its allies for “taking sides … by supporting whoever confronts China and violates China’s rights in the South China Sea”.

“Some strange theories which deliberately distort the history of the South China Sea and maliciously smear China’s rights and claims in the South China Sea have begun to circulate in the international academic community,” Wu said.

He urged the 100 or so historians and legal scholars present to help “restore the rightful background on South China Sea issues from historical and legal perspectives”.

Wu also said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – which governs maritime rights and the freedom of navigation – could not take precedence over countries’ historical titles and rights, citing a previous case involving Eritrea and Yemen in the 1990s.

He said scholars could make their case by tapping into foreign manuscript collections, maritime histories and Western naval literature to support China’s claims.

This would allow them to “give a forceful response to the false narratives that China is changing the status quo in the South China Sea, that China has failed to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”, Wu said.

This, he said, would help rebut accusations that Beijing was making “excessive maritime claims”.

Amazon faces uphill battle against Temu and Shein as it woos Chinese merchants, analysts say

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3268505/amazon-faces-uphill-battle-against-temu-and-shein-it-woos-chinese-merchants-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed

Amazon.com’s plan to launch a discount shopping section would appeal to mainland Chinese suppliers with pricing flexibility, but competing with Temu and Shein in selling low-priced merchandise will not be easy, according to analysts.

The US e-commerce giant told Chinese merchants in an invite-only meeting on Wednesday that this new online budget marketplace will feature non-branded fashion items, household goods and daily necessities, which will ship directly to consumers from warehouses on the mainland in nine to 11 days.

That plan, first reported by online tech publication The Information, has already made a splash within China’s cross-border e-commerce community, where heated discussions centred around joining this marketplace and related Amazon policies. This programme, however, is only open to select sellers.

“The initial feedback from Chinese merchants has been quite positive even though Amazon has yet to officially launch the new programme,” said Wang Xin, executive chairwoman of the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association.

Amazon’s new discount marketplace resembles the budget e-commerce model of platforms like Temu, which work closely with Chinese suppliers in marketing and shipping dirt-cheap goods directly to global consumers.

Merchants under Amazon’s new programme can set product prices by themselves, which deviates from the Temu model, according to Wang. She said this is likely to appeal to mainland cross-border merchants and exporters – especially those who have worked with Temu, Shein and TikTok Shop – with the manufacturing capabilities, cash flow, talent and supply chain to make a difference for Amazon.

The US company’s planned foray into the discount-shopping market segment shows a renewed effort to broaden its “Made in China, sold on Amazon” community, as many mainland suppliers struggle to boost their profits amid fierce competition between discount-shopping platforms.

“By leaving pricing in the hands of sellers, Amazon has offered a crucial way for them to maintain profitability,” Wang said.

Amazon also aims to protect its home market against the likes of Temu, Shein and TikTok Shop, whose aggressive promotions and low-cost offerings have won the hearts, minds and dollars of many US consumers.

“We are always exploring new ways to work with our selling partners to delight our customers with more selection, lower prices and greater convenience,” Amazon said in a statement in response to an inquiry about the new initiative.

Temu topped the shopping app download charts across 125 markets in 2023 including the US, where Shein ranked second, according to a report by Data.ai.

Guangzhou-based garments supplier Kenny Li, who works with Shein and Temu, said he has been closely following the news about Amazon’s plan and is keen to join when he has the chance.

“It would be a good opportunity for us to expand our sales channel and lower the risks,” said Li, whose factory makes T-shirts and jeans that only sell for a few dollars.

Li disclosed that he has been cutting back supplies to Temu after being penalised for goods returned by consumers. “It’s hurting our profit, so I’d rather produce less than to bear the costs of the returns,” he said.

While Chinese sellers are eager to jump on this new Amazon bandwagon, it will not be an easy task for the US firm to win consumers over from Temu and Shein in the discount-shopping segment, said Zhang Yi, founder and chief analyst at market consultancy iiMedia.

“Amazon has set its sights on China as an enormous and highly efficient manufacturing hub to provide a variety of cheap goods, but it remains to be seen whether the company can make a smooth shift from its existing model to a low-cost one,” Zhang said.

Chinese EV makers race to Southeast Asia for growth amid US trade war

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3268491/chinese-ev-makers-race-southeast-asia-growth-amid-us-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed

Frozen out by tariffs in Europe and the United States, Chinese electric vehicle makers are poised to penetrate further into Southeast Asia, where the market value for cleaner cars is approaching US$100 billion.

While many better-off regional buyers have already secured their BYD or Ora EVs, most Southeast Asian drivers have lower budgets and appealing to them will inevitably trigger a price war among carmakers, auto analysts say.

In May, the US imposed 100 per cent tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China, the world leader in EV production and sales. Chinese EV makers are the latest mainland companies to have their access to the world’s largest consumer market limited amid the widening US-China trade war that has ensnared industries ranging from tech to solar panels.

The European Union followed suit by imposing tariffs of up to 38 per cent from July 4 on three Chinese EV makers: SAIC, Geely, and BYD. The decision came after an anti-competition investigation found that the carmakers had benefited from Beijing’s “unfair subsidisation”, which threatened to undercut the EV manufacturing sector in Europe, where the cheapest locally made vehicles can cost three times the price of Chinese models.

Facing narrowing opportunities in Western markets, Chinese carmakers are eyeing promising long-term growth prospects in Southeast Asia, where a burgeoning middle class is revving up to embrace the shift to EVs.

“Southeast Asia’s relatively neutral geopolitical stance provides a window of opportunities for companies from China to expand,” Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank in Hong Kong, told This Week in Asia.

“China will increase its EV presence from a demand and supply perspective, meaning more car sales and local production,” Ng said, adding that Indonesia and Thailand, Southeast Asia’s two largest economies, will be Chinese marques’ first likely targets.

BYD, Xpeng and Geely are pumping billions of dollars into Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, aiming to seize a greater share of their fast-growing markets for sustainable vehicles.

EV sales in Southeast Asia are expected to hit between US$80 billion and US$100 billion by 2035, from about US$2 billion in 2021, according to a January report by EY-Parthenon, the strategy consulting arm of Ernst & Young.

“Of these, Indonesia is expected to be the region’s largest market by volume, with estimated sales of 4.5 million units [out of 8.5 million total units by 2035],” the report said.

Global EV sales jumped 18 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, fuelled by demand in China, the world’s largest EV market. Sales in China are expected to plateau, however, intensifying the urgency among domestic EV makers to focus more on other markets such as Southeast Asia.

According to Counterpoint Research, a Hong Kong-based technology research firm, regional EV sales more than doubled in the first quarter, compared with a 7 per cent decline for diesel- and petrol-powered cars.

That’s good for Chinese carmakers, because as Counterpoint analyst Abhik Mukherjee noted: “Over 70 per cent of EV sales in the region are from Chinese brands, led by BYD.”

Amid slowing growth in their home market, Chinese EV heavyweights such as BYD, Neta Auto and Geely Auto have announced major plans to expand their presence in Southeast Asia.

At an auto show in Jakarta in May, the carmakers said they were introducing more models that appeal to Indonesian consumers.

BYD is set to build a US$1 billion factory in West Java that is scheduled to start operations in 2026. Neta has signed an agreement with local car assembly company Handal Indonesia Motor to produce its EV models for the local market.

“People in Indonesia are very interested in cars that are affordable but have sophisticated and innovative technology,” Herman Tri Putra, a sales representative for Neta in Jakarta, told This Week in Asia, saying that demand for EVs in the country was set to grow steadily.

Indonesia is planning to ramp up local EV production to around 600,000 units by 2030, as it aims to become a hub for EV and electric battery manufacturing by leveraging its substantial nickel reserves. According to data from the Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers Association, about 17,000 EVs were sold in Indonesia in 2023.

High EV prices could prove to be a deterrent to attracting regional consumers, however.

When Neta’s newest and most affordable model, the V-II, was unveiled at the Jakarta EV show, it was priced at 200 million Indonesian rupiah (US$12,100), up to 60 times the average monthly salary in Indonesia.

In Malaysia, Geely said it was investing over US$10 billion to develop manufacturing facilities with its local affiliate Proton in Tanjung Malim, north of Kuala Lumpur – promising to turn the sleepy university town into Malaysia’s ‘Detroit’.

Only higher-priced imported EVs are allowed to be sold in Malaysia due to strict market entry barriers.

Around 832,000 cars were registered in Malaysia last year, more than 300,000 of those being low-cost models from domestic carmakers Proton and Perodua. These sold for an average price of 35,000 ringgit (US$7,400), less than a third of the 99,900-ringgit price tag on the cheapest EV, the BYD Dolphin, not including insurance.

While cheaper EV models such as the BYD Seagull are available in other Asian markets, EVs costing less than 100,000 ringgit (US$21,200) cannot be sold in Malaysia to protect domestic brands Proton and Perodua.

According to Jigar Shah, head of sustainability research at Maybank Investment Banking Group, the prices of EVs have to fall considerably before they become attractive to Malaysian buyers.

“The availability of electric cars at US $10,000-US$12,000 on a sustained basis may provide an inflection point,” he said.

Despite the much higher prices to buy an EV in Malaysia, some drivers have still been willing to pay the premium.

BYD’s Atto 3 model costs 149,800 ringgit (US$31,700) and is currently the most popular EV model in the country, with more than 4,600 units sold since its debut last year.

For Malaysians, the key attractions of EVs include the money saved on fuel plus other incentives for buying the vehicles, said Shahrol Halmi, president of MyEVOC, the Malaysian Electric Vehicles Owners Club.

“The BYD Atto 3 was priced competitively against similarly sized internal combustion engine vehicles when it was launched in 2023. Consumers are also comforted by BYD’s partnership with local automotive giant Sime Darby,” Shahrol told This Week in Asia.

But the Chinese carmakers’ big bet on Southeast Asia would likely result in “inevitable price wars”, said Jiayu Li, senior associate at Global Counsel, a public policy advisory firm in Singapore.

Li cited the intense price competition among Chinese motorcycle makers in Southeast Asia in the early 2000s when their Japanese rivals sped past them.

“Aggressive price wars among Chinese motorcycle makers soon led to cost-cutting and compromised product quality, allowing Japanese motorcycle makers to regain market share with superior reliability. Japanese brands have maintained over 90 per cent market dominance since,” she said.

Prospects for the Southeast Asian market may not be as bright as Chinese EV makers have anticipated, some analysts say.

Government incentives might not be enough to entice consumers to switch to EVs. Their buying decisions could also be hampered by concerns about the range constraints of electric vehicles, a recent report by Deloitte found.

“High interest rates and elevated sticker prices may be causing consumer interest in EVs to soften in some markets,” Deloitte said.

Wang Yangchen, managing director at market intelligence firm Shanghai Metals Market, said every market was important for Chinese EV manufacturers, but emphasised that Southeast Asia in particular holds promising long-term growth prospects for them.

“Southeast Asia is a booming market and access to this market does not have boundaries for Chinese companies, so there is a huge potential for growth,” he said.

Additional reporting by Reuters

China has ‘natural’ say in choosing next Dalai Lama, Tibet experts tell Beijing forum

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Beijing has “natural” authority in identifying the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Chinese state-backed analysts have said, with a year to go before the Tibetan spiritual leader announces his own decision on it.

Laxianjia, deputy director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the semi-official China Tibetology Research Centre (CTRC), referred to Beijing’s measures related to the “reincarnation of living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism”, passed in 2007.

They contained three principles in the selection and approval process: historical inheritance, religious rituals and approval by the central government, he told a forum in Beijing last week.

“Although the Dalai Lama is currently outside China, his reincarnation is still part of the Gelug tradition and under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government, as most temples are located within China,” Laxianjia said, referring to the Gelug – or “Yellow Hat” – sect of the exiled Dalai Lama.

“Therefore, it is only natural that the Chinese government would implement [the 2007] system and apply these principles to ensure control over Tibetan Buddhism.”

Laxianjia also said his field research showed that the general public in Tibet were not as reverential towards the 14th Dalai Lama as they had “become more aware of his political identity and his political moves abroad”, though they did acknowledge that his 13 predecessors had made significant contributions to the development of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tibetans regard the Dalai Lama as the living incarnation of the Buddha. The sitting Dalai Lama, who will be 89 this week, has hinted that he will address the issue of his reincarnation when he turns 90.

He previously suggested terminating the institution of the reincarnated Dalai Lama, but also said Beijing should have no say in this. Beijing insists that the process must follow Chinese law.

Tibet was seized by the People’s Liberation Army in 1950, a year after the Communist Party won the Chinese civil war. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

Beijing has blamed him for past unrest among Tibetans in China – in the 1980s and 2008 – and there have long been concerns if his death could be another flashpoint for such social tensions.

Experts at the forum in Beijing on Thursday also blamed the Dalai Lama for the lack of communication with Beijing.

“There has been no progress in this regard for many years because the Dalai Lama himself has not understood or implemented the central government’s requirements. Instead, he seeks to achieve Tibetan independence, semi-independence, or de facto independence through negotiations,” said Zhang Shigao, director of the Institute for Contemporary Tibetan Studies at CTRC.

The panellists also argued that Beijing’s use of the name “Xizang” instead of “Tibet” in English-language articles was a way to exercise its sovereignty over the autonomous region on China’s Western border.

“Xizang” is the pinyin, or Chinese romanisation, of the Mandarin script for “Tibet”.

Liang Junyan, a researcher at CTRC, said the term “Tibet” had taken on “more political connotations”, and Beijing had the “right to modify this name to avoid generating ambiguity”.

Liang said the name “Tibet” was misleading, as it was too broad and inaccurate from a geographical perspective. The Tibetan language is spoken not only in the autonomous region, but also in neighbouring provinces including Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai and Gansu, she argued.

Chinese state media has dramatically increased its use of the term “Xizang” since the State Council, China’s cabinet, published a white paper in November on official policies related to the region. The shift has drawn intense criticism outside China.

Thursday’s forum, which aimed to address 65 years of reforms in Tibet, was attended by several Chinese and international media outlets.

Liang also pointed to several US congressional bills related to Tibet as the basis for Beijing’s adoption of the term “Xizang”.

A slew of Tibet policy bills passed by the United States in recent years had referred to the area as “Greater Tibet”, a term long advocated by the 14th Dalai Lama, and Beijing made the change to avoid any misunderstanding, Liang said.

On June 12, the US Congress passed a bill aimed at boosting support for Tibet and countering what it sees as Chinese “disinformation” about the region’s history, people and institutions. It has been forwarded to US President Joe Biden to sign into law.

The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is regarded by Beijing as a “separatist” seeking independence for Tibet, a claim he denies.

He arrived in New York last week to receive medical treatment, days after meeting a seven-member US congressional delegation at his monastery in the Himalayan town of Dharamsala in northern India.

The bipartisan delegation, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, said they would not allow China to influence the choice of Dalai Lama’s successor and would pressure Beijing to resume talks with him.

In response, China’s foreign ministry said that its policy was “consistent and clear” – that in order to resume contact and talks with Beijing, the 14th Dalai Lama “must thoroughly reflect on and completely correct his political propositions”.

The remark came on the heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Qinghai province, where he emphasised the importance of national unity, particularly at a significant Tibetan Buddhist site.