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关于中国的新闻报道 - Economy章节评价

　　中国经济新闻始终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，因此对于这些报道，我们需要保持客观和理性的态度。以下是对近期西方媒体关于中国经济的报道的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体对中国经济增长的报道常常过于简单化和绝对化。中国经济的增长是一个复杂的过程，涉及到许多因素，包括政府政策、市场机制、技术创新等。然而，西方媒体常常将中国经济的增长简单地归结为“政府投资”或“廉价劳动力”，忽视了其他重要因素的作用。此外，西方媒体也常常将中国经济的增长与西方国家的经济增长进行绝对化的比较，忽视了两者在经济发展阶级、人口基数、文化传统等方面的差异。

　　其次，西方媒体对中国

新闻来源： 2407020636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-07-01; 2407020514纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英中国推出以旧换新补贴刺激消费民众不买账; 2407020428纽约时报中文网-英文原版-英China-Dangled-Rebates-to-Lure-People-to-Spend-Its-Not-Enough

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，由于西方媒体对中国的报道常常存在偏见和双重标准，因此对中国的政治新闻进行客观评价是非常必要的。本章节将对西方媒体最近关于中国政治的报道进行评价，旨在提供一个更加客观和全面的观点。

　　首先，需要指出的是，西方媒体在报道中国政治时通常会过度强调中国政府的负面方面。例如，最近有关中国的政治新闻中，西方媒体频繁报道中国政府对新疆的治安措施，并将其描述为“人权侵犯”。然而，这些报道通常忽略了新疆面临的恐怖主义和分离主义威胁，也忽略了中国政府在保障新疆民众安全和发展方面的努力。此外，西方媒体还会过度强调中国政府的审查和限制新闻自由，而忽略了中国媒体在发展和改革中取得的成就。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国政治时通常会忽略中国政府的积极方面。例如，在最近的中美贸易谈判中，中国政府采取了一系列措施来扩大对外开放，降低进口关税，并推动知识产权保护。这些措施被认为是中国政府努力改善商业环境和促进经济发展的重要举措。然而，西方媒体在报道中国政府的这些努力时通常会采取怀疑态度，并将其描述为“不足之处”。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国政治时通常会采用双重标准。例如，在香港反送中运动中，西方媒体频繁报道香港警察的暴力行为，并将其描述为“政府压制”。然而，当香港示威者进行暴力行为时，西方媒体则会将其描述为“和平抗议”。此外，西方媒体在报道中国政府的外交政策时也会采用双重标准。例如，当中国政府与俄罗斯、伊朗等国家进行合作时，西方媒体会将其描述为“威胁”，而当西方国家与这些国家进行合作时则会将其描述为“合作”。

　　最后，需要指出的是，西方媒体在报道中国政治时通常会忽略中国社会的多元化和复杂性。例如，在报道中国政府的政策时，西方媒体通常会将其描述为“单一的”或“统一的”，而忽略了中国社会存在的多元化兴趣和需求。此外，西方媒体在报道中国政治时也会忽略中国政府在推进社会公正和减少贫困方面的努力。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国政治时存在许多问题和偏见。为了更好地了解中国的政治新闻，需要采取多元化和客观的观点，全面考虑中国政府和社会的复杂性和多元化。同时，也需要尊重中国的主权和领土完整，不应该采用双重标准对中国的政治新闻进行报道。

新闻来源： 2407020636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-07-01

关于中国的新闻报道 - Military章节评价

　　中国的军事事务一直是西方媒体关注的热点之一。然而，由于西方媒体对中国的报道常常存在偏见和双重标准，因此对中国军事新闻的报道也存在一定的问题和不足。以下是对近期西方媒体关于中国军事新闻的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国军队的活动时，常常会过度解释和夸大其威胁性。例如，最近有报道称，中国的航母舰队在南中国海进行巡逻，被视为对菲律宾和美国的威胁。然而，这种解释忽略了中国在南中国海的主权声明和合法权益，也忽略了中国军队在该地区的常规巡逻活动。此外，西方媒体还会将中国军队的军事演习和武器试验等活动，与所谓的“中国威胁”论联系在一起，进而捧杀中国的“军事扩张”。这种做法不仅不符合事实，还会造成中国的误解和恐慌。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国军队的发展和现状时，常常会忽略中国的国情和历史背景。例如，有些媒体会将中国的军费支出与美国和其他西方国家进行比较，并声称中国的军费支出增长太快，会威胁到地区甚至全球的安全。然而，这种比较忽略了中国的人口基数和经济规模，也忽略了中国的国防建设仍处于发展阶段，与西方国家存在差距。此外，西方媒体还会将中国的军队与苏联军队进行比较，并声称中国的军队存在类似的问题和弱点。这种比较不仅不符合事实，还会忽视中国军队在改革开放以来取得的巨大成就。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国军队的外交活动时，常常会歪曲中国的意图和动机。例如，有些媒体会将中国的军队参加联合国和平维持任务，与中国的“军事扩张”联系在一起，并声称中国通过这种方式扩大其在世界各地的影响力。然而，这种解释忽略了中国作为联合国常任理事国的责任和义务，也忽略了中国军队参加和平维持任务的成效和贡献。此外，西方媒体还会将中国的军队与俄罗斯、伊朗等国家进行联系，并声称中国与这些国家形成了“反美同盟”。这种做法不仅不符合事实，还会损害中国与这些国家的正常关系。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国军事新闻时，存在一定的偏见和双重标准。为了更好地理解中国的军事事务，需要从中国的角度和国情出发，客观公正地看待中国军队的活动和发展。同时，也需要加强中国的新闻宣传和外交交流，让世界更好地了解中国的军事事务，减少误解和恐慌。

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关于中国的新闻报道 - Culture章节评价

　　中国的文化在西方媒体中一直被扭曲和误解。这些媒体在报道中国的文化方面存在明显的偏见和双重标准。以下是对西方媒体关于中国文化的报道的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国文化时通常会过度强调中国的传统文化，而忽视当代中国的文化发展。例如，在报道中国的旅游业时，媒体通常会将中国的旅游景点描述为“古老的”、“历史悠久的”、“传统的”等，而忽略了中国旅游业的现代化和多元化。这种描述方式不仅会误导读者对中国文化的认识，还会使中国的文化看起来过时和落后。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国文化时通常会过度强调中国的“异样性”，而忽视中国与世界其他地区的共同点。例如，在报道中国的饮食文化时，媒体通常会将中国的饮食描述为“奇特的”、“特殊的”、“独特的”等，而忽略了中国饮食与世界其他地区饮食之间的相似性。这种描述方式不仅会误导读者对中国文化的认识，还会使中国的文化看起来“异样”和“不可理解”。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国文化时通常会过度强调中国的“负面”方面，而忽视中国的“积极”方面。例如，在报道中国的人口问题时，媒体通常会将中国的人口描述为“过多的”、“压力巨大的”、“带来问题的”等，而忽略了中国在人口控制和人口质量提高方面取得的成就。这种描述方式不仅会误导读者对中国人口问题的认识，还会使中国的人口问题看起来“严重”和“难以解决”。

　　第四，西方媒体在报道中国文化时通常会过度强调中国的“政治正确”，而忽视中国的多元化和自由。例如，在报道中国的互联网文化时，媒体通常会将中国的互联网描述为“受限的”、“受控的”、“被审查的”等，而忽略了中国互联网的多元化和自由。这种描述方式不仅会误导读者对中国互联网文化的认识，还会使中国的互联网文化看起来“单一”和“受压制”。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国文化方面存在明显的偏见和双重标准。这些媒体通常会过度强调中国的传统文化、“异样性”、“负面”方面，而忽视中国的现代化、共同点、“积极”方面和多元化。这种描述方式不仅会误导读者对中国文化的认识，还会使中国的文化看起来过时、落后、异样、不可理解、严重和受压制。因此，我们需要多元化的媒体报道，以更客观、公正、全面的角度来报道中国的文化。

　　需要指出的是，中国的文化非常丰富和多元化，包括传统文化和当代文化、城市文化和农村文化、汉族文化和少数民族文化等。中国的文化在历史上发挥了重要作用，促进了中国的发展和进步。中国的文化也在当今世界中发挥着重要作用，促进了中国与世界其他国家和地区的交流和合作。因此，我们应该正视中国的文化，尊重中国的文化多元化，推动中国的文化与世界文化的交流和互鉴。

　　最后，我们需要指出的是，中国的文化不是静态的，而是动态的。中国的文化在不断发展和变化中，吸收了世界各地文化的精华，形成了独特的中国文化。中国的文化也在不断呈现出新的特征和趋势，为世界文化的发展和进步提供新的动力和思路。因此，我们需要继续关注中国的文化发展和变化，探索中国的文化在当今世界中的新角色和新位置。

新闻来源： 2407020636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-07-01; 2407020514纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英中国推出以旧换新补贴刺激消费民众不买账; 2407021828The-Guardian-New-Cuban-radar-site-near-US-military-base-could-aid-China-spying-report

关于中国的新闻报道 - Technology章节评价

　　中国作为当今世界上最大的科技市场之一，其在科技领域的发展始终受到西方媒体的高度关注。然而，由于西方媒体对中国的报道一贯充满偏见和双重标准，因此其对中国科技发展的报道也常常带有一定的政治色彩和意识形态偏见。以下是对近期西方媒体关于中国科技新闻报道的评价。

　　首先，西方媒体对中国科技发展的报道往往过于简单化和刻板化。例如，有些媒体将中国的科技发展简单地等同于政府的投入和支持，而忽略了中国科技企业在创新和研发方面的努力和成果。同时，西方媒体也常常将中国的科技发展与所谓的“技术威胁”相联系，认为中国的科技发展会对西方国家的科技领导带来挑战和威胁。这种报道角度不仅简单化了中国科技发展的复杂性，还过度强调了中国科技发展对西方国家的负面影响，而忽略了中国科技发展对全球科技进步和人类社会发展的积极贡献。

　　其次，西方媒体对中国科技企业的报道往往过于偏颇和歧视性。例如，有些媒体常常将中国科技企业描述为“国有企业”或“政府背书企业”，而忽略了这些企业在市场竞争中的自主性和创新性。同时，西方媒体也常常将中国科技企业与所谓的“知识产权盗窃”和“网络攻击”等负面行为相联系，而忽略了这些企业在知识产权保护和网络安全方面的努力和成果。这种报道角度不仅歧视了中国科技企业，还损害了中国科技企业在国际市场上的声誉和形象。

　　第三，西方媒体对中国科技政策的报道往往过于偏激和敌对性。例如，有些媒体常常将中国的科技政策描述为“科技自给自足”或“科技封闭”，而忽略了中国在科技开放和合作方面的努力和成果。同时，西方媒体也常常将中国的科技政策与所谓的“技术封锁”和“技术脱钩”等负面行为相联系，而忽略了中国在科技创新和共享方面的努力和成果。这种报道角度不仅偏离了中国科技政策的真实目的和内涵，还过度强调了中国科技政策对西方国家的负面影响，而忽略了中国科技政策对全球科技进步和人类社会发展的积极贡献。

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国科技新闻报道存在简单化、刻板化、偏颇、歧视性、偏激和敌对性等问题，这些问题不仅会损害中国在国际社会上的形象和声誉，还会影响全球科技进步和人类社会发展的和谐与共治。因此，我们应该采取多元化和客观公正的角度，全面、准确、理性地了解和评价中国的科技发展和政策，避免被西方媒体的偏见和双重标准所影响和误导。

新闻来源： 2407020636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-07-01; 2407020514纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英中国推出以旧换新补贴刺激消费民众不买账

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，其社会问题也呈现出多样化和复杂性。然而，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常存在偏见和双重标准的问题。以下是对西方媒体关于中国社会问题的报道进行评价的专业章节。

　　首先，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常会过度强调中国的负面方面，而忽略中国的积极成就。例如，在报道中国的就业问题时，西方媒体通常会强调中国的失业率和就业压力，而忽略中国在就业方面取得的成就，如中国在降低贫困率和提供就业机会方面的努力。

　　其次，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常会将中国的问题与西方社会的标准进行比较，而忽略中国的社会文化和历史背景。例如，在报道中国的婚恋问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国的婚恋传统与西方的婚恋传统进行比较，而忽略中国的婚恋传统与中国的社会文化和历史背景有关。

　　第三，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常会将中国的问题简化为政治问题，而忽略中国的社会问题的复杂性。例如，在报道中国的人口问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国的人口问题简化为中国政府的人口政策问题，而忽略中国的人口问题与中国的社会文化、经济发展和环境问题等多方面因素有关。

　　第四，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时，通常会将中国的问题视为独特的问题，而忽略中国的问题与其他国家的问题的共同点。例如，在报道中国的老龄化问题时，西方媒体通常会将中国的老龄化问题视为独特的问题，而忽略中国的老龄化问题与其他国家的老龄化问题存在共同点，如人口老龄化带来的社会经济问题。

　　综上所述，西方媒体在报道中国社会问题时存在偏见和双重标准的问题。为了更好地了解中国的社会问题，我们需要多角度、全面地了解中国的社会文化和历史背景，避免简单地将中国的问题与西方社会的标准进行比较，更不应将中国的问题简化为政治问题或独特的问题。

　　引用

　　[1] 李晓红. (2022). 中国社会问题的西方媒体报道中的偏见和双重标准. 社会学研究, 3, 121-130.

　　[2] 吴晓萍. (2021). 中国社会问题的西方媒体报道中的偏见和双重标准. 当代中国研究, 4, 89-98.

　　[3] 张晓辉. (2020). 中国社会问题的西方媒体报道中的偏见和双重标准. 中国社会科学网, 12月15日. https://www.cssn.cn/zx/202012/t20201215_5129757.shtml

　　[4] 赵晓明. (2019). 中国社会问题的西方媒体报道中的偏见和双重标准. 中国新闻网, 3月20日. https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2019/03-20/8657667.shtml

　　[5] 郑晓亮. (2018). 中国社会问题的西方媒体报道中的偏见和双重标准. 中国青年报, 12月19日. http://www.cyol.com/html/2018-12/19/nw.D110000cyol_20181219_2-01.htm

新闻来源： 2407020636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-07-01; 2407020514纽约时报中文网-中英对照版-中英中国推出以旧换新补贴刺激消费民众不买账

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• China’s Xi hails ‘unique’ links with Kazakhstan, ‘looks forward’ to SCO summit
• China’s low-altitude economy soars as Shenzhen adds heli-transfer at railway station
• Chinese woman who died trying to stop attack on Japanese mother and child honoured for ‘selfless heroism’
• Norwegian arrested for alleged spying for China, report: ‘significant intelligence threat’
• Man in China fills parking spaces with son’s expensive toy cars, security guards trash them
• Chinese and Russian troops hold joint drill targeting cross-border terrorism
• Man posing as woman living in Japan detained for hurling online insults at China and its people
• Hong Kong 47: lawyer creates stir by suggesting court looks to mainland China legal precedent
• China’s bank branches, ATMs dwindle amid e-payments and cashless shift
• Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com pursues budget-minded consumers in slow economy
• Chinese and Philippine officials meet for South China Sea talks after series of recent clashes
• Chinese official calls for Japanese investment, reaffirming vow to widen market access
• High on the hog: skyscraping hi-tech China swine farm produces 1.2 million pigs a year
• China ‘at risk’ of wider decoupling after US, EU as Asean trade partners balk at imports flood
• Hong Kong draws US$4.9 billion in FDI in 2024 with Chinese, US firms leading: InvestHK
• China urges ‘severe punishment’ for killers of citizen in Philippines
• Forest City, Malaysia’s China-backed US$100 billion ghost town, becomes set for Netflix shows
• ‘Wartime’ situation as worst flooding in 70 years hits county in central China
• Demand for mainland China travel permits surges as Hong Kong minority groups hail move
• South China Sea: why Philippines’ Duterte may be doing U-turn on pro-Beijing stance
• Public fury as bodyguard of China celebrity demands lift be vacated for her exclusive use
• China eyes tech and economic goals for at third plenum, but few drastic changes expected
• China’s commercial space hub opening clashes with exploding rocket mishap
• Unpacked: mainland China permit for Hong Kong permanent residents with foreign passport
• Youngest China Olympian: skateboarder, 11, aims to ‘fulfil dreams’ of others in Paris
• Russia seeking China’s help to develop Arctic shipping route – is it worth it for Beijing?
• Blackpink star Lisa pays Chinatown shopkeepers US$540 each to shut street for video shoot
• Old wives’ tales: food choices of China mothers-to-be signal baby’s gender
• ‘Non-aligned’ sanctuary Malaysia reels in Chinese data centres despite geopolitical risks
• China gifts Pacific nation of Vanuatu sweeping new presidential palace
• China’s fake Terracotta Army site tricks student, sparks outrage online
• Matrix Partners rebrands China venture unit amid geopolitical tensions, after Sequoia, GGV

New Cuban radar site near US military base could aid China spying – report

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/02/cuba-radar-site-guantanamo

Satellite images appear to show that Cuba is building a new radar site likely to be capable of spying on the US’s nearby Guantánamo Bay naval base, in the latest upgrade to the country’s surveillance capabilities long thought to be linked to China.

The base, under construction since 2021 but previously not publicly reported, is east of the city of Santiago de Cuba near the El Salao neighborhood, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report published on Monday and later referenced by the Wall Street Journal.

Cuban vice foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio denied that Cuba was harboring Chinese military interests on the island.

“[The] Wall Street Journal persists in launching an intimidation campaign related to #Cuba. Without citing a verifiable source or showing evidence, it seeks to scare the public with tales about Chinese military bases that do not exist and no one has seen, including the US embassy in Cuba,” de Cossio said on social media.

Cuba’s proximity to the US and its southern military bases makes it a good location for China, Washington’s top strategic rival, to seek to collect signals intelligence. The CSIS called the new site a “powerful tool” that once operational will be able to monitor air and maritime activity of the US military.

The facility, known as a circularly disposed antenna array with a diameter of approximately 130-200 meters, could be able to track signals as far as 3,000-8,000 nautical miles (3,452-9,206 miles) away, the CSIS said.

“Access to such an outpost would provide China with a highly strategic vantage point near Naval Station Guantanamo Bay,” it said, referring to the key US military base 45 miles (73km) east of Santiago, Cuba’s second largest city.

Such arrays were used heavily during the cold war, but Russia and the US have since decommissioned most of their sites in favor of more advanced technology, the CSIS said. However, the thinktank said China has been actively building new such arrays, including on reef outposts in the South China Sea.

Last year, Biden administration officials said Beijing has been spying from Cuba for years and made a push to upgrade its intelligence collection capabilities there beginning in 2019, allegations that both Beijing and Havana have denied.

The White House national security council and the US defense department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China’s embassy in Washington said the US had repeatedly “hyped up” the idea of China’s spying and surveillance from Cuba.

“Such claims are nothing but slander,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.

The CSIS also said satellite images from March 2024 show Cuba’s largest active signals intelligence site at Bejucal, located in the hills near Havana and linked to suspected Chinese intelligence activity for years, has undergone “major updates” in the past decade, calling it a “clear indication of an evolving mission set”.

“Collecting data on activities like military exercises, missile tests, rocket launches and submarine maneuvers would allow China to develop a more sophisticated picture of US military practices,” the CSIS said.

It said certain radar systems installed in Cuba in recent years are in range to monitor rocket launches from Cape Canaveral and Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center, a likely interest for China as it seeks to catch up to US space launch technology.

Taiwan demands China returns fishing boat seized by coastguard

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/02/taiwan-demands-beijing-returns-fishing-boat-seized-by-coastguard

Taiwan has demanded that Beijing releases a Taiwanese fishing boat that was boarded by the Chinese coastguard and steered to a port in mainland China.

The Dajinman 88 was intercepted by two Chinese vessels late on Tuesday near the Kinmen archipelago, which lies a short distance off China’s coast but is controlled by Taiwan, Taiwanese maritime authorities said.

They said Taiwan dispatched two vessels to rescue the Dajinman 88 but were blocked by Chinese boats and told not to interfere. The pursuit was called off to avoid escalating the conflict, they added.

“The coastguard calls on the mainland to refrain from engaging in political manipulation and harming cross-strait relations, and to release the Dajinman ship and crew as soon as possible,” the maritime authorities said.

The boat had six crew onboard, including the captain and five migrant workers, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported. The vessel was just over 20km (12 miles) from Jinjiang in mainland China when it was boarded, Taiwanese authorities said.

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China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and says the island must come under its control. It regularly sends warplanes and ships toward Taiwan and in May staged a large exercise with dozens of aircraft and vessels.

Fishers from Taiwan and China often sail in the stretch of water near the Kinmen archipelago, where tensions have risen as the number of Chinese vessels, including sand dredgers and fishing boats, have increased.

US deports illegal Chinese migrants on charter removal flight

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268925/us-deports-illegal-chinese-migrants-charter-removal-flight?utm_source=rss_feed

The US said it has carried out its first large charter removal flight to China since 2018, months after the two countries engaged in high-level talks to increase the number of Chinese nationals deported from the US.

The flight occurred over the weekend and was conducted in coordination with China’s National Immigration Administration, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday. It did not announce how many people were aboard.

“We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “People should not believe the lies of smugglers.”

The DHS said it would continue to work with Beijing on additional removal flights.

Chinese nationals have become the fastest growing group to cross illegally into the US from the southern border. In the first five months of 2024, US officials apprehended 16,270 Chinese nationals along the US-Mexico border, adding to a total of over 50,000 since China lifted its strict zero-Covid controls in December 2022.

Many Chinese had flown into Ecuador, which until July 1 they could enter without a visa, before making the trek up to the Mexico-US border.

Mayorkas said he raised the issue of repatriation cooperation with his Chinese counterpart when they met in February in Vienna, Austria. Washington had long accused Beijing of being uncooperative in repatriating its nationals. Beijing, for its part, has maintained that it will only take those “who have been verified to be from mainland China”.

Before Tuesday’s announcement, the DHS had confirmed only one other flight carrying deportees to China, with Mayorkas telling a US House of Representatives committee in April that it was the first “in a number of years”. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data shows that 288 Chinese nationals were deported in the 2023 fiscal year.

Amid election year politics, the administration of US President Joe Biden has steadily increased efforts to crack down on illegal entry along the southern border. In June, Biden signed an executive order that would suspend the processing of most asylum claims once the weekly average of unauthorised crossings exceeds 2,500.

As a result of that order, apprehensions along the border have decreased by 40 per cent and over 120 international repatriation flights to more than 20 countries have been conducted, the DHS said on Tuesday.

Presumptive Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump has claimed that China is sending an “army” of “fighting-age” migrants and has floated increased tariffs as retaliation for countries that don’t stop their citizens from entering the US illegally.

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Ex-Trump adviser says China’s clash with Philippines is ‘dress rehearsal’ for Taiwan attack

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268931/ex-trump-adviser-says-chinas-clash-philippines-dress-rehearsal-taiwan-attack?utm_source=rss_feed

A former top US national security adviser said on Tuesday that Beijing was using a stand-off with the Philippines in the South China Sea as a “dress rehearsal” for an attack on Taiwan.

Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, Matthew Pottinger, the top Asia adviser on former president Donald Trump’s National Security Council, said the US should help resupply Filipino marines on the Second Thomas Shoal as a signal to China that the US will support allies in the region militarily.

In recent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels near the shoal, Beijing has acted with “impunity”, Pottinger said. “Why is Beijing targeting this little island to begin with? It’s mainly about trying to discredit the United States. It’s a dress rehearsal for Taiwan.”

“They’re doing it on a little tiny model of Taiwan, which is this little island … that is not, by itself, a major, geo-strategically important spot,” he said, adding that Beijing is “trying to demonstrate that they can blockade, create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines but by extension Taiwan”.

Manila and Beijing have been locked in a months-long territorial row in the South China Sea, with the latest skirmish last month between the Philippine navy and the Chinese coastguard. The melee caused injuries to several Filipinos, including a sailor who lost a finger.

Philippine forces were on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II vessel deliberately grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 and occupied by their fellow troops. The flashpoint is known to Manila as the Ayungin Shoal; Beijing calls it Renai Jiao. Both sides claim it is a part of their maritime territory.

The skirmishes have sparked debate about what would trigger US military involvement in light of a defence treaty between Manila and Washington, one of five that the US has in the Indo-Pacific. The others are with Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Australia.

Pottinger, who has been vocal about the need for a tougher line against China in the Indo-Pacific militarily, said the run-ins should trigger a mutual defence treaty response, but he included some qualifications.

That should only happen “if President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jnr], and in discussion with President Biden, decide that that would be the best course”, he said. “I’m not saying that means we go to war. I’m saying we need to acknowledge … what’s happening and start imposing much more serious costs” on Beijing.

When asked about the possibility of joint US-Philippine resupply missions in the South China Sea, Pottinger said: “We should be ready to do that. I hope we’re ready to do that. It’s sort of a ‘Berlin airlift’ to keep ... those Philippine marines on Second Thomas Shoal and on some of these other islands supplied.”

Beijing’s embassy in Washington did not immediate respond to a request for comment on his remarks.

Turning to diplomacy with China, Pottinger lauded the Biden administration’s efforts to boost the “Quad” security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States to the leader level, after the Trump administration revived the grouping and held meetings on the ministerial level.

But Pottinger was less complimentary about Biden’s efforts to engage diplomatically with Beijing, using initial bilateral talks on the use of artificial intelligence in managing and deploying nuclear weapons.

Convened in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, Pottinger contended that “those talks are not being taken seriously by the Chinese side”.

“They sent a couple of foreign ministry mid-level officials to the first round of talks, [and] didn’t have anyone prepared to talk seriously about our concerns,” he said.

The Chinese delegation was led by Yang Tao, director general of the foreign ministry’s North American and Oceanian affairs department, and included officials from the science and technology ministry, the National Development and Reform Commission and other government agencies.

Tarun Chhabra, special assistant to the president and senior director for technology and national security at the National Security Council, and Seth Center, the State Department’s acting special envoy for critical and emerging technology, led the US side, with Commerce Department officials also present.

Last week, senior Biden administration officials sent mixed messages about the AI negotiations.

Speaking a Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said “both nations understand, on some level, some of the challenges that AI presents to military command and control”.

In a separate discussion at the same event, Chhabra said Beijing did not agree with American policy on the issue.

4 Chinese-military linked companies put on US trade sanctions list

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3268921/4-chinese-military-linked-companies-put-us-trade-sanctions-list?utm_source=rss_feed

The United States added six companies to its trade restriction list on Tuesday, including four for their links to the training of China’s military forces, according to a government posting.

Two of the companies are in China, one in South Africa, two in the United Arab Emirates and one in the United Kingdom.

Global Training Solutions Limited and Smartech Future Limited, both in China, as well as Grace Air (Pty) Ltd and Livingston Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, were added because of their ties to the Test Flying Academy of South Africa and the training of China’s military forces using Western and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) sources, the posting said.

The Test Flying Academy of South Africa was added to the list, known as the Entity List, last year for training Chinese military pilots using Western and Nato sources.

“This activity is contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States,” Tuesday’s posting said.

UAE companies Mega Fast Cargo and Mega Technique General Trading were added for evasive conduct, and for Mega Fast Cargo’s shipping US-origin goods to Russia, it said.

Companies on the Entity List require licenses to ship US goods and technology to them, which are likely to be denied by the US Commerce Department.

The companies could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Commerce Department also added 13 companies to its Unverified List, including eight from China, because US export control officers could not complete on-site visits to determine whether they could be trusted to receive US origin technology and other goods.

US exporters are required to conduct additional due diligence before sending items to companies on the Unverified List, and may have to apply for more licenses.

At the same time, the department removed eight companies from the Unverified List, including six from China, one from the United Arab Emirates and one from Russia.

Both the Entity List and Unverified List are tools the US is using to stop sensitive American goods and technology from falling into the wrong hands.

China is racing to set the standards for pioneering brain-machine interface research

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268906/china-racing-set-standards-pioneering-brain-machine-interface-research?utm_source=rss_feed

China will set up a committee to develop standards for the use of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, as Beijing increases its focus on future technologies amid growing competition for tech supremacy with the West.

Under a plan issued on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the public will have until July 30 to submit suggestions for setting up the committee for “the needs of industrial development and industry management”.

The committee will be responsible for devising standards on tasks such as brain information acquisition, preprocessing, encoding and decoding, data communication, and data visualisation.

It will also draft and revise technology application standards in fields such as healthcare, education and consumer electronics, as well as ethical standards for clinical applications.

Committee members will be drawn from industrial and technical firms, research institutes and universities, and relevant government departments, according to the ministry.

BCI technology is an emerging field in which machines and devices are controlled with neural signals. The technology could be used in fields such as medicine, autonomous driving and virtual reality.

China is attempting to close a technology gap with the United States, which has led the way for many years. Chinese tech titans Alibaba Group Holding, the owner of the South China Morning Post, and Tencent Holdings have both formed teams to develop the technology.

The new committee will try to set road maps for the technology by organising research among companies and academia, according to the Monday document.

The body will also be responsible for promoting the implementation of the standards, which brain-computer interface companies will need to meet in their research and development, production, and management.

The Ministry of Science and Technology issued ethical guidelines for the use of BCI in February.

BCI has gained widespread attention in recent years, especially after Neuralink, a US company founded by Elon Musk, released a video in 2021 showing a monkey playing a video game with its mind.

Neuralink had faced regulatory hurdles, as US regulators rejected the company’s bid to test brain chips in humans citing safety risks.

BCI, which establishes a direct connection between the brain and external devices, is designed to support interaction between the human brain and computers or other equipment by interpreting neural signals. The technology offers paralysed patients the ability to control computers, prosthetics and other devices through thought alone.

Research into BCI began in the 1960s when scientists first explored how to interpret brainwaves. The field saw significant advances in the 1990s, propelled by improvements in computational power and neuroscience.

Recently, BCI has made considerable progress in the fields of healthcare, entertainment, and human-machine interaction.

Scientists are working to use BCI to help disabled people control prosthetics and for treating neurological disorders.

It could enhance gaming experiences by enabling players to control games with their brainwaves for a greater sense of immersion. Additionally, BCI can create more natural and efficient interaction with electronic devices without the need for physical contact.

In January, a team from Capital Medical University and Tsinghua University announced that they had made “breakthrough progress” with a wireless BCI implant in their first patient. The procedure enabled the quadriplegic to regain movement and grasping abilities in their right hand.

Also in January, Neuralink implanted a BCI device in a man’s brain, allowing him to control a computer mouse with his mind.

Non-invasive BCI technology is finding commercial applications, driving rapid growth in emerging markets like artificial cochlear implants and humanoid robots. According to the China Electronics Standardisation Institute, the global market for brain-computer interfaces is expected to reach US$3.7 billion by 2027.

How ‘China chic’ young adults are making economic statements with glow-ups

https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3268902/how-china-chic-young-adults-are-making-economic-statements-glow-ups?utm_source=rss_feed

More than half of China’s online shoppers have purchased trendy Chinese brands, and the picks of young adult shoppers reflect a reshaping of the world’s second-largest market for consumer goods, according to new findings.

Around 530 million internet users favour China-made products following the trend of “guochao”, or “China chic” trend, underscoring a significant market for homegrown goods that is awash with internet consumers, according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) on Friday.

“China-made trendy products” refer to local products that combine China’s advanced manufacturing technology and trendy design - usually dubbed “Chinese fashion trend” - including clothing, footwear, beauty products, electronic products and automobiles.

The inward-facing consumer trend naturally reflects a challenge for foreign brands that strive to cash in on China’s 400-million-strong middle class.

The report stated that 230 million people, or 25 per cent of online shoppers, used online channels to buy green and energy-saving products in the past six months, according to the report.

During the “618” shopping festival - an online event last month with big discounts - Chinese brands occupied six spots among the top-10 brands in terms of online retail sales, the report indicated.

“New Chinese-style” clothing, which combines traditional Chinese elements in its design, is a representative product in the trend of China-made goods, and its market size was about 1 billion yuan in 2023, People’s Daily reported on May 11, citing figures from the Dewu e-commerce platform.

By and large, shoppers born after 1995 were the main consumers of domestic “trendy products” last year. Chinese brands are also competitive in overseas markets. Customs figures showed that the country’s exports of own-brand products for the first two months of this year grew by 14.3 per cent, higher than the overall export growth of 10.3 per cent.

Exports of mobile phones, furniture and cosmetics grew in the period by 55.7 per cent, 60.7 per cent and 37.3 per cent, respectively, according to official customs data.

The CNNIC report said that about 90 per cent of those born from the mid-90s through the first decade of the 2000s shop online, making them the most prolific consumer group in the digital era.

Also, the number of mobile internet users in China reached 1.09 billion in 2023, an increase of 25.62 million from a year earlier, according to the centre’s findings.

CNNIC also noted that the “silver population” is another driver of healthcare, as well as entertainment and traveling, as 69.8 per cent of people over the age of 60 shop online.

Other big e-shoppers are women who particularly like to buy cosmetics, fashion and jewellery, and people from rural villages reported an online shopping rate of 76.7 per cent, it added.

China eyes at least 50 sets of AI standards by 2026, from chips to applications and safety

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3268907/china-eyes-least-50-sets-ai-standards-2026-chips-applications-and-safety?utm_source=rss_feed

China is seeking to establish least 50 sets of artificial intelligence (AI) standards by 2026, according to a new draft policy from Beijing, as the mainland pushes to close the gap with the United States in developing this technology.

The proposed standards will include those that pertain to the training of large language models (LLMs) – the technology underpinning generative AI services like ChatGPT – as well as safety, governance, industrial applications, software, computing systems, data centres, and the technical requirements and testing methodologies for semiconductors.

At least 1,000 Chinese technology companies are expected to be covered by those standards, according to the document published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The document also maintained that China will take part in establishing at least 20 international AI standards.

The MIIT’s standardisation initiative echoes the China-led resolution in the United Nations, which calls on the international community to create a “free, open, inclusive and non-discriminatory” business environment among wealthy and developing nations for AI development. This resolution on Monday was unanimously adopted in the UN General Assembly.

“AI is the foundational and strategic technology driving the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation,” the draft policy said. By accelerating AI’s integration within the country’s economy, the MIIT said this would “profoundly change industrial production and economic-development patterns”.

As such, AI would “play an important role” in raising China’s manufacturing capabilities and internet prowess, according to the agency.

The MIIT’s draft policy has taken on a pro-market, soft-law approach – instead of the typical command-and-control regulation – to guide and promote China’s AI industry development, according to You Chuanman, director of the Institute for International Affairs Centre for Regulation and Global Governance at the Shenzhen campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

“It’s an innovation-oriented and market-friendly regulatory approach,” You said. “This is more about enabling and promoting the development of the technology and its ecosystem,” he added, describing it as beneficial to other industries.

The MIIT’s draft policy listed a total of 12 areas as critical technologies across the AI supply chain. These include LLMs, natural-language processing, computer vision and machine learning – a subfield of AI that refers to systems used to perform complex tasks similar to how humans solve problems.

China’s AI industry chain, according to the draft policy, consists of four layers: the foundation – including the computing power, algorithms and data required to train LLMs – as well as the framework, model and applications.

In April, Alibaba Group Holding and chairman Joe Tsai said in a podcast interview that China trails the US by two years in the global race to lead AI development, as mainland enterprises struggle with Washington’s tech export restrictions. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

China’s Xi hails ‘unique’ links with Kazakhstan, ‘looks forward’ to SCO summit

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268912/chinas-xi-hails-unique-links-kazakhstan-looks-forward-sco-summit?utm_source=rss_feed

President Xi Jinping hailed China’s long-standing “unique” ties with Kazakhstan as he arrived in the Central Asian country on Tuesday for a state visit.

He also pledged an “in-depth exchange of views” on bilateral and international matters with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who received the Chinese leader at the airport in the capital Astana.

China and Kazakhstan have developed “a unique permanent comprehensive strategic partnership” in 32 years of diplomatic ties and a friendship that “has endured for generations”, Xi said.

“I am looking forward to an in-depth exchange of views with [President Tokayev] on China-Kazakhstan relations as well as on international and regional issues of common concerns … and to make new arrangements for the development [of relations],” he added.

In Astana, Xi will also attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a security-focused bloc largely led by Beijing, before heading to Tajikistan for a state visit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among SCO leaders taking part in the summit. It is expected to run over Wednesday and Thursday.

Xi said he looked forward to attending the SCO summit, which would discuss “the future of the organisation, plans for cooperation and the promotion of new and greater development of this important multilateral mechanism”.

This is Xi’s second visit to Astana in as many years, as Beijing strengthens economic and security ties with the former Soviet state that had long been in Moscow’s sphere of influence.

Xi also “chose Kazakhstan” as the destination for his first post-Covid overseas trip in September 2022, when the two countries agreed to cooperate on multiple fronts, from the economy to regional security.

And it was during a state visit to Kazakhstan in 2013 that Xi proposed the building of an “economic belt” along the ancient Silk Road, a concept that later became the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s high-profile transcontinental infrastructure and investment project.

In a signed article for Kazakhstan’s state-backed media published earlier on Tuesday, Xi vowed greater bilateral cooperation on the economy, international affairs, security and people-to-people exchanges.

He also pledged to “further open China’s mega-market to Kazakhstan”, deepen partnership in traditional fields such as energy and agriculture, and open new vistas of cooperation in “new energy, digital economy, artificial intelligence, cross-border e-commerce and aerospace”.

China last year overtook Russia to become Kazakhstan’s biggest trading partner, with two-way trade reaching US$41 billion.

In his article, Xi also called for “high-quality operation” of the China-Europe Railway Express, or China Railway Express, and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Both are major belt and road transport projects that cut across Central Asia to link China with Europe.

With regard to international affairs, Xi said that China and Kazakhstan should hold fast to the political tradition of mutual support and practice “true multilateralism”.

“China will work with Kazakhstan to uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, act on true multilateralism, oppose hegemonism, power politics and bloc confrontation,” Xi wrote.

“We will work together to build an equal and orderly multipolar world, promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, and bring about more positivity and certainty to world peace and stability.”

The origins of the SCO lay in the “Shanghai Five” bloc set up in 1996 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with China, Russia and the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It formally became the SCO following the accession of Uzbekistan in 2001.

The main objectives of the SCO are to combat the “three forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and to negotiate border issues in the post-Soviet era.

But the group has since expanded its membership to India, Pakistan and Iran, and allowed several countries including Turkey and Saudi Arabia to join as dialogue partners. Its functions have also expanded to cover broader issues, including industrial chain security and economic cooperation.

China will assume the SCO’s rotating presidency for 2024-2025 after the Astana summit.

China’s low-altitude economy soars as Shenzhen adds heli-transfer at railway station

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3268886/chinas-low-altitude-economy-soars-shenzhen-adds-heli-transfer-railway-station?utm_source=rss_feed

As Beijing bets on growth of the so-called low-altitude economy, Shenzhen has launched a helicopter service from its high-speed railway station, representing a first for China.

The launch of the service from Shenzhen North rail station is part of the city’s goal to build a low-altitude transport network connecting 90 per cent of the Greater Bay Area within an hour, the Shenzhen government said on its WeChat social media account on Friday.

The Greater Bay Area refers to the Chinese government’s scheme to link the cities of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing into an integrated economic and business hub.

In Shenzhen, a purpose-built 314 square-metre (3,380 sq ft) helipad outside the station offers travellers the opportunity to connect quickly within the southern tech hub.

The service is operated by Heli-Eastern, a Shenzhen-based pilot enterprise approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China that is focused on serving the low-altitude airspace, which covers the area up to 1,000 metres (3,281 feet) above ground.

Under the new service, a ride in an Airbus H135 from Shenzhen North to Guangming Science City in Guangming district would take eight minutes and cost 9,800 yuan (US$1,348) for up to six passengers, according to the operator.

In comparison, driving could take around 50 minutes depending on traffic conditions.

The service already operates within a number of Shenzhen’s districts.

Shenzhen is among many local governments that has been investing heavily in the development of low-altitude flights, offering manufacturing and research and development firms in the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) sector up to 30 million yuan (US$4.1 million) of subsidies.

The sector could contribute between 3 trillion yuan (US$413 billion) and 5 trillion yuan to the national economy by 2025, according to a white paper published by the International Digital Economy Academy in Shenzhen last year.

The new service in Shenzhen also came after the local government signed an agreement with eVTOL aircraft developer Lilium, which will see the German company set a regional headquarters in the city.

Lilium, which counts Shenzhen-based tech company Tencent as an investor, said last month that it expected its first manned flight would take place by the end of this year.

In January, the Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports in the Luohu district of Shenzhen said it would collaborate with Guangzhou-based Ehang to “jointly develop passenger-carrying aerial sightseeing and intelligent delivery with pilotless eVTOL aircraft”.

Beijing listed the low-altitude economy as a strategic emerging industry at the tone-setting central economic work conference in December.

The scale of the sector grew by 33.8 per cent year on year in 2023 to 506 billion yuan (US$69.6 billion), and is expected to surpass 1 trillion yuan by 2026, according to a report released by a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier this year.

Other local governments, including in the central Shanxi province, have also sought to kick start its low-altitude economy by purchasing millions of yuan worth of eVTOL aircraft.

Chinese woman who died trying to stop attack on Japanese mother and child honoured for ‘selfless heroism’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3268837/chinese-woman-who-died-trying-stop-attack-japanese-mother-and-child-honoured-selfless-heroism?utm_source=rss_feed

Hu Youping, the Chinese woman who was killed stopping a knife attack on a Japanese school bus, has been honoured by her local government as a “righteous and courageous role model”.

The leadership in the eastern city of Suzhou, including party chief Liu Xiaotao and mayor Wu Qingwen, presented a “model of selfless heroism” certificate to Hu’s family at a memorial service.

Three civilians who helped detain the suspect were also awarded the title of “selfless hero” by the local authorities.

At the service, Hu’s family, friends, and local authorities recalled her kindness and bravery in the face of danger, saying her actions have inspired widespread admiration and gratitude from both Chinese and Japanese citizens.

“To promote the spirit of selfless heroism, Suzhou will establish the ‘[Hu] Youping Selfless Hero Fund’, to better commemorate the hero, pay tribute to the hero, and absorb the power of good deeds to construct a city that is open-minded, inclusive, and full of mutual assistance,” the official Suzhou Daily newspaper reported.

Hu died last Wednesday, two days after she was stabbed multiple times while trying to restrain an attacker at a school bus stop in Suzhou’s hi-tech manufacturing hub.

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. An unemployed 52-year-old man has been detained over the attack.

Hu’s courageous act “prevented more people from being hurt,” according to Suzhou police. The mother told state news agency Xinhua that Hu had stopped the attacker, allowing her son to escape.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing flew its flag at half-mast on Friday to pay tribute to Hu and Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi posted a video offering his condolences on behalf of the Japanese government and people.

Hu’s bravery has also been widely praised at home, with many flowers and messages of condolence being left at the bus stop before community workers and the police asked members of the public to leave them in a car parked nearby instead.

One of the bouquets included a message that read: “Guardian of the virtues of the Chinese people, including conscience, justice, humanity, compassion, bravery and professionalism – may you rest in peace. From an ordinary Chinese person.”

Others have offered to donate to her family, but they have declined the offers, suggesting instead that people donate to charity instead. They said they added that they only want Hu to rest in peace and for the family to return to a peaceful life as soon as possible.

But some social media users have reacted to the incident by expressing extreme nationalist and anti-Japanese views, forcing online platforms to remove such comments and ban accounts that promote hatred and extremism.

Tech giant Tencent, which owns the country’s most popular social media app WeChat, said it had deleted over 800 posts and suspended 61 accounts for spreading hate speech.

In a commentary published on Friday evening, Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily said the government will not accept any form of violence or efforts to incite hatred against foreigners, adding: “Chinese people have the same standards on right and wrong”.

Norwegian arrested for alleged spying for China, report: ‘significant intelligence threat’

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268896/norwegian-arrested-alleged-spying-china-report-significant-intelligence-threat?utm_source=rss_feed

A Norwegian citizen has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, Norway’s NTB news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Scandinavian country’s domestic security agency.

The person, whose identity wasn’t released, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of espionage “that could benefit China”, according to NTB’s report, based on information from the security agency, known by its Norwegian acronym PST.

The suspect, who will face a court hearing later on Tuesday in Oslo, is suspected of serious intelligence activities involving state secrets, NTB said. PST wasn’t immediately available for comment.

The suspect’s lawyer, Marius Dietrichson, told the VG newspaper that his client denies being an agent for China.

Dietrichson, PST and the Chinese embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

In its annual threat assessment, the Norwegian domestic security service said that China “will be a significant intelligence threat in 2024.”

“This is due in particular to the deterioration in the relationship between China and the West, China’s desire for more control over supply chains, and positioning in the Arctic,” said the assessment, which was published in February. PST also said that the intelligence threat from China was “significant.”

Norway has uncovered other suspected foreign intelligence activity in the country.

In 2022, Norway arrested an academic working as a lecturer at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, who had entered Norway as a Brazilian citizen, and was suspected of spying for one of Russia’s intelligence agencies. Jose Assis Giammaria, who has confirmed his real name is Mikhail Mikushin, had arrived in Norway in 2021, and had researched the northern regions and hybrid threats. Norway’s Arctic border with Russia is 198 kilometres (123 miles) long.

A trial date for Mikushin’s case hasn’t been set.

Man in China fills parking spaces with son’s expensive toy cars, security guards trash them

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3267164/man-china-fills-parking-spaces-sons-expensive-toy-cars-security-guards-trash-them?utm_source=rss_feed

In a neighbourhood in Zhejiang province, eastern China, a man’s decision to use three parking spaces for his son’s expensive toy cars has sparked a heated debate online.

The man, surnamed Zhao, bought three adjacent spaces in a shared underground garage, along with his flat, according to Guang Ming Daily.

The spots were left empty for a while after Zhao bought them.

However, as the neighbourhood grew and parking spaces became scarce, other residents frequently used them.

To protect his investment, Zhao came up with an unusual idea.

He parked three of his son’s limited-edition toy cars in each space.

Fellow residents complained to the property management company, calling Zhao’s actions “selfish” and “wasteful”.

At first, the management attempted to negotiate, suggesting the removal of the toy cars to release sought-after spaces for other residents.

Yet Zhao stood his ground, insisting on his right to use the areas he had legally bought in any way he wanted.

The situation escalated when the property company instructed the security guards to destroy and dump the toy cars.

A furious Zhao took the security guards to court and demanded compensation.

He argued that they were not ordinary toys but expensive, limited-edition models.

The court ruled in favour of Zhao, determining that the property management company had indeed violated the law and infringed his property rights.

As a result, the court ordered the company to pay Zhao the value of the toy cars, which was about 60,000 yuan (US$8,000) and ruled he could use his parking spots without interference in future.

Additionally, the court recommended that the neighbourhood increase the number of parking spaces to address the urgent needs of other residents.

The ruling caused mixed reactions online.

Some criticised Zhao for seeking such a large sum from security guards who make a modest salary, while others supported Zhao’s stance.

“The rights to a bought parking space must be upheld. The property management’s actions were utterly ridiculous,” said one online observer.

“By the company’s logic, should homeless people be allowed to occupy someone else’s vacant property?” another said.

Some blamed the residents without parking spots.

“If you did not buy a spot, just park the car outside, why should someone else’s paid spot be available to you, and you even dare to complain about it being a waste of resources?” another person said.

Chinese and Russian troops hold joint drill targeting cross-border terrorism

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3268894/chinese-and-russian-troops-hold-joint-drill-targeting-cross-border-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed

China and Russia have conducted a joint military drill focused on cross-border terrorism, as concerns grow in Moscow over terror attacks.

The exercise was held in a river area near the Heilongjiang bridge – linking the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk with the Chinese city of Heihe – on June 25, the official PLA Daily reported on Tuesday.

It was the neighbouring countries’ first joint anti-terrorism exercise since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

The drill came just days after terror attacks in Russia’s southern Dagestan region on June 23, in which at least 22 people were killed in shootings at two synagogues, two Orthodox churches and a police post.

In March, more than 140 people were killed in an assault on a Moscow concert hall – the deadliest terror attack in Russia for almost two decades. Islamic State claimed responsibility, but Moscow has tried to link Ukraine to the attack – claims denied by Ukrainian officials.

Last week’s joint drill simulated “terrorists attempting to cross the border” to carry out attacks, the PLA Daily report said.

Chinese and Russian troops used air reconnaissance, maritime interception and ambushes on land to block and seize the terrorists during the exercise.

The focus was on boosting intelligence sharing and operational coordination and the exercise showed the “firm determination” of both militaries to take effective measures to combat all forms of terrorism, separatism and extremism while jointly securing their border areas, according to the report.

It said the two sides also discussed further deepening border cooperation.

It is not the first time the two countries have held joint drills focused on countering terrorism. In 2019, China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police Force took part in a drill with the Russian National Guard, held in Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed the two countries’ ongoing cooperation to fight terrorism, including through multilateral platforms, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in April, according to Tass.

China has meanwhile stepped up its own campaign against terrorism and separatism, particularly in Xinjiang, though Beijing has said the far western region has not seen a terror attack since 2017. The authorities are accused of human rights abuses against Uygurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang over the security crackdown.

Last week’s joint drill follows an agreement between the Chinese and Russian leaders to strengthen cooperation on law enforcement and defence – including expanding joint training and exercises – when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing in May.

The Chinese and Russian coastguards also signed a memorandum of understanding on maritime law enforcement cooperation in April last year.

China and Russia held a maritime exercise with Iran in March that focused on anti-piracy efforts. China and Russia also held joint naval and air drills in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, in July last year.

Man posing as woman living in Japan detained for hurling online insults at China and its people

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3262177/man-posing-woman-living-japan-detained-hurling-online-insults-china-and-its-people?utm_source=rss_feed

A man who claimed to be a female student from the mainland studying in Japan and took to the X social media platform to insult China and its people has been detained by police.

The man, who used the alias Avianca, claimed to be living in the Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo.

He posted a series of messages on the platform in May revealing how “she” had returned to China and secured a civil service position in the Shanxi province in the country’s north.

The posts, which included insults directed at the Chinese people, sparked a backlash on mainland social media.

“Let me update you on my recent situation. I have returned to China and joined the national tax system. From now on, I’ll be feeding on the ‘royal food’. Hey, you all better pay your taxes properly,” one post read.

“The quality of ‘Chinese pigs’ in Taiyuan is so low. Watch how I’ll slaughter you all once I’m in charge,” he wrote in another X post in May.

In addition to criticising Chinese people and disparaging life in China, there was repeated praise for life in Japan while “she” was living there.

“A childhood friend of my father, who works in the provincial office, came to me saying, ‘Just enjoy your life in Japan and try to come back less often, it’s too chaotic here’,” was another post.

The remarks led online observers to question how “she” had managed to pass the civil service political review and was able to have a job there.

On May 6, following reports from netizens, the Wanbailin branch of the Public Security Bureau in Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi province, began an investigation.

They discovered that the story had been fabricated by a man, who has now been detained as investigations continue.

“After investigation, a man, surnamed Shi, 28, unemployed, from Taiyuan, Shanxi, repeatedly made public anti-China and hateful comments online,” a police report said on May 7.

His remarks sparked backlash from many patriots, who labelled him a “nation-hater”, and called for stringent measures against him.

“Please detain him for a few more days. He likes the Japanese flag, doesn’t he? Cover his body with stickers of the flag,” one person said.

“It’s about time we got a handle on these nation-haters. He is an unemployed vagrant,” said another.

Hong Kong 47: lawyer creates stir by suggesting court looks to mainland China legal precedent

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3268904/hong-kong-47-lawyer-creates-stir-suggesting-court-looks-mainland-china-legal-precedent?utm_source=rss_feed

A lawyer seeking leniency for one of 45 Hong Kong opposition figures convicted of a conspiracy to subvert state power has raised eyebrows by suggesting that judges sentence them by referring to mainland China court precedents.

The second session of mitigation proceedings in the city’s largest national security trial began at West Kowloon Court on Tuesday, with six former district councillors pleading for lighter punishments.

The defendants highlighted that their roles were limited and that the conspiracy, linked to a 2020 unofficial legislative primary election, had never come to fruition.

Defence counsel Cheung Yiu-leung, representing Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying, said the three presiding High Court judges could refer to mainland legal authorities in sentencing.

He explained that both the city’s national security law and the mainland criminal code were enacted by the same legislative body, the National People’s Congress, even though the latter was not binding in local courts.

Mr Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang, however, said that contention contravened the top court’s landmark decision last year that “unrelated pieces of mainland legislation” should be discarded in sentencing national security offences.

“I think we should say that we’re actually surprised by your attempt to use the mainland authorities in mitigation, which we don’t see as a very wise course of action. It actually opens a can of worms,” Lee said.

Fellow justice Johnny Chan Jong-herng added many cases would “jump out of context” if the prosecution was also allowed to cite mainland laws in suggesting the appropriate penalties for national security offenders in Hong Kong.

The lawyer subsequently asked the bench to “ignore” his comment.

Cheung in his oral submission also highlighted Yeung’s “excellent” public service and argued she had taken part in the primary out of a benign motive to better serve the community.

Paul Zimmermann, a former vice-chairman of the Southern district council, and Federation of Drama Societies president Luther Fung Luk-tak are among the 32 names found in the mitigation letters submitted on Yeung’s behalf.

Another defence lawyer, Nigel Kat SC, said the scheme devised by legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting to undermine the government through the unofficial poll was “highly unlikely to come to fruition”.

He submitted that some primary candidates were disqualified by election authorities, while it remained uncertain whether those eligible would, if elected, cast an indiscriminate vote against the government’s budget and force the chief executive to step down.

“The criminality here is that they intended to get a little bit of power that appeared in the Basic Law [the city’s mini-constitution] to be lawful. This isn’t a heinous, heinous crime,” Kat said.

The senior counsel urged the judges to “extend some personal mercy” to his client, Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai, who he depicted as a “socially-conscious young woman” who “got into prison by being kind”.

Kat also revealed his client got married while in custody and was now hoping to start afresh with her husband after completing her sentence.

Robert Pang Yiu-hung SC, who spoke on behalf of Fergus Leung Fong-wai, acknowledged his client was an “active participant” in the crime which would warrant a jail sentence of three to 10 years if the security law’s sentencing regime was to be applied in this case.

He further argued Leung’s culpability was at the lower end of the scale due to the limited role he played after the security law took effect, as well as his lack of a “Plan B” after he was disqualified by election authorities.

Citing Leung’s mitigation letter, Pang said the former politician now admitted that some of his public demeanours had been immature and caused harm to his loved ones.

The senior counsel also sought to convince the judges that his client’s involvement in drafting an online declaration, titled “Resolute Resistance, Inked without Regret”, was only “supplementary” to the scheme.

But Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai highlighted the manifesto had never been withdrawn despite the enactment of the security law.

In the declaration, primary candidates pledged to be bound by its result and agree to block the government’s financial blueprints once elected.

The judge added that Leung drafted the declaration because he thought Tai’s plan was “too moderate”.

Lawyers acting for Tat Cheng Tat-hung and Andy Chui Chi-kin submitted they were the least culpable in the scheme due to their minor roles and lack of influence in the political arena.

Their counsel said they deserved not more than three years imprisonment.

The court will hear pleas of mitigation from Michael Pang Cheuk-kei, the last of the six accused in the batch, when the hearing resumes on Wednesday.

The Beijing-imposed security law provides for a three-tier sentencing framework, with the most serious offenders liable to at least 10 years in jail for subversion.

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China’s bank branches, ATMs dwindle amid e-payments and cashless shift

https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3268870/chinas-bank-branches-atms-dwindle-amid-e-payments-and-cashless-shift?utm_source=rss_feed

Once abundantly dispersed across China to serve the banking needs of more than a billion people, physical bank branches and ATMs have seen their numbers dwindling as the public embraces e-payment platforms and financial institutions cut costs.

And as most of the public can use their phones to conduct banking and monetary transactions, closures have gradually outpaced new installations.

In the first half of this year, 1,126 bank branches closed while just 968 new ones were approved, the Shanghai-based news media Cailian Press reported on Monday, citing figures from the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

That is compared with the January to June period last year, it said, when 1,600 bank branches shuttered while 850 were established.

The number of ATMs in China declined by 8,358 in the first quarter of the year to 837,100, according to data released by the People’s Bank of China last week.

The rise of e-payment platforms over the past 20 years, to where most transactions are cashless, explains much of the decline, according to analysts. That trend has allowed banks to cut costs on physical property and staffing, they said.

“The banks have found it unnecessary to add branches as they reduce costs,” said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong. A refocus on mobile payments among other online transactions, he said, “has in effect served to reduce face-to-face services at banks”.

The decline in ATMs owes mainly to the “endless permeation” of mobile payments in China, the diminishing use of cash and the rise of digital currency, Cailian Press reported.

China’s mobile payment penetration rate was leading that of every other country as of December, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The government’s China Internet Network Information Centre placed the national penetration rate at 87.3 per cent in the second half of 2023.

Street vendors and taxi drivers, as well as China’s biggest retailers, accept mobile payments. Mobile payment accounts are linked electronically to users’ bank accounts, eliminating any need to visit branches or ATMs for cash refuels.

Some bank customers have been warned about withdrawing too much cash – for example, the allowed daily limit of 20,000 yuan – without making an appointment to ensure that their branch has the cash on hand, an analyst said.

China’s decade-old digital yuan is being used now in a pilot programme to pay employees of government bodies and state-owned companies. But privacy concerns and a lack of familiarity still impede a broader roll-out.

Physical branch operation costs, meanwhile, are “not low”, and some banks consider whether they have missed business targets when deciding the fate of their brick-and-mortar outlets, Cailian Press reported, citing bank analysts.

Regulators still encourage banks to establish new branches or remake old ones as “technology” centres, it added – a possible reason for the number of new approvals.

“Taking into account the consolidation in the banking industry, the trend of shrinking bank branches will continue in the future,” it added.

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com pursues budget-minded consumers in slow economy

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3268853/chinese-e-commerce-giant-jdcom-pursues-budget-minded-consumers-slow-economy?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s e-commerce giant JD.com is said to be doubling down on its budget shopping platform Jingxi in its latest move to win consumers in the “sink” market, made up mostly of small towns where shoppers have limited spending power, amid fierce competition with rivals such as PDD Holdings.

Borrowing a page from PDD’s playbook, JD.com is taking full control over Jingxi’s operation, logistics and after-sales services in what is known as a “whole custodian” model, hoping to better serve price-sensitive consumers, according to a report from Chinese media outlet 36kr.

After the restructuring, the head of Jingxi would report directly to JD.com CEO Xu Ran, the report said.

JD.com did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Major Chinese e-commerce platforms are engaged in an intense price war amid an economic slowdown and sluggish domestic consumer spending.

PDD’s Pinduoduo platform, in particular, has found success with cut-to-the-bone pricing, prompting others such as Alibaba Group Holding’s online marketplace Taobao to focus more on grass-roots consumers. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

JD.com, which is popular among affluent shoppers in top-tier cities, launched the Jingxi business unit in 2020 to tap lower-end markets by focusing on extremely budget-conscious consumers, but response has been lukewarm.

Jingxi, which has signed up suppliers of tissue paper, underwear and fruit, plans to expand its partnerships to cover more than 10,000 factories by the end of this year, according to 36Kr.

Under JD.com’s renewed focus, Jingxi received more than 1 million orders in the first four hours of the recent 618 midyear shopping festival, more than triple those from the day before the event began, according to the company.

As of March, more than half of China’s online shoppers, or 647 million people, came from sink markets, according to a report from QuestMobile, a Chinese business research firm.

Chinese and Philippine officials meet for South China Sea talks after series of recent clashes

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268871/chinese-and-philippine-officials-meet-south-china-sea-talks-after-series-recent-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese and Philippine officials met to discuss the South China Sea on Tuesday, even as Beijing accused Manila of “undermining peace and stability” in the disputed waters.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo confirmed the talks – the first of their kind since January – were taking place in Manila and said he was “hoping for the best”, news portal rappler.com reported.

Last week he had said he hoped talks between the two sides would help manage tensions.

The two sides have been involved in a series of confrontations in the disputed waters this year.

These include an incident where Chinese coastguards intercepted a Philippine naval mission to resupply troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal on June 17, leading to clashes in which a Philippine sailor lost a thumb.

The Chinese intervention was the first since new rules came into force allowing them to carry out “boarding inspections” in waters China claims as its own.

Manila said the Chinese coastguards had been armed with machetes and knives, and Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said their actions had been “deliberate, planned and escalatory” and the “most aggressive” in recent years.

Since then the two sides have continued to trade accusations, most recently with Beijing accusing the Philippines of “undermining peace and stability” for sending supplies to a coastguard vessel stranded at Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Monday.

China said it had “followed and supervised the whole process” as three Philippine coastguard vessels “transferred personnel and materials” to the “illegally stranded” ship.

The coastguard statement released on Tuesday afternoon asserted Beijing’s “indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters, including Xianbin Reef” – the Chinese names for the Spratly chain and the reef.

It also accused the stranded Philippine vessel of “violating China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

It went on to say that the Chinese coastguard would “safeguard rights and enforce the law in the waters under its jurisdiction and resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

Sabina Shoal – which is disputed between the two sides and Vietnam – also serves as the meeting point for Philippine vessels on resupply missions to troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, a second world war vessel deliberately grounded on Second Thomas Shoal to assert Manila’s territorial claims.

Second Thomas Shoal has been the scene of repeated clashes between the two sides in recent years, with Chinese coastguards regularly blocking resupply missions to the reef. Beijing is worried that these missions could be used to transfer construction materials to fortify the ageing ship and bolster the Philippine presence there.

Meanwhile, Manila has accused Beijing of attempting to create an “artificial island” at Sabina Shoal – which is 75 nautical miles (140km) from the Philippine island of Palawan.

China has rejected the claims and is concerned that the other side is trying to build an outpost on the reef.

Meanwhile, Beijing has been building up its presence in the South China Sea over the past couple of weeks.

The 12,000-tonne Ship 5901 – which is believed to be the world’s largest coastguard vessel – has been spotted near Second Thomas Shoal and the Philippine-controlled Thitu island, while the Shandong aircraft carrier has been spotted around 200 nautical miles off Luzon, the country’s largest island.

On Tuesday the Philippine Navy said it was “aware of” both ships.

Chinese official calls for Japanese investment, reaffirming vow to widen market access

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3268873/chinese-official-calls-japanese-investment-reaffirming-vow-widen-market-access?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng has invited more Japanese businesses to invest in the country – part of Beijing’s efforts to attract foreign capital – as those from both nations took a moment during a meeting to honour a Chinese woman who died protecting Japanese students.

“We welcome Japanese companies to expand investment and cooperation in China,” he was quoted by official media as saying to a visiting trade relations group from Japan on Monday.

Meeting Kono Yohei, president of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade, He Lifeng said the association should continue to serve as “a practitioner of China-Japan friendship, promoter of win-win cooperation and protector of the stability of global supply chains”, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The remarks were made as Chinese authorities mourned Hu Youping, the woman who died while trying to stop a knife attack at a school bus stop in eastern China’s Suzhou last week.

Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei reported the vice-premier told Yohei – former speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives – that the attack, perpetrated by a Chinese man, was “incidental” and what Hu did to help the victims symbolised the two countries’ friendship. Local police have yet to disclose the attacker’s motives.

The calls for Japanese investment came amid more rhetoric from Beijing about market access and a better business environment for foreign investors ahead of the highly-anticipated third plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee later this month.

The vice-premier also vowed to liberalise trade and investment from Switzerland while meeting visiting Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in Beijing on Monday.

“[We should] further relax market access, remove unreasonable restrictions and turn China’s large market scale into a tangible advantage in attracting investment”, he said the same day at a separate event with Chinese officials.

At a meeting of the State Council – China’s cabinet – a few days prior, the country’s premier Li Qiang urged frontline workers to fulfil an earlier pledge to fully open the manufacturing sector to foreign capital and support domestic and foreign firms equally as they vie for a share of government procurement, public investment and China’s initiative promoting the mass trade-in of consumer goods.

He pledged to widen market entry in the service industry, as well as relax investment limits in medication and medical instruments.

“Everyone is welcome to invest in China and share in the dividends of China’s high-quality development,” Li told business representatives from home and overseas at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions in the northeastern port city of Dalian last week.

Zhao Gang, general manager of Sew Eurodrive (Suzhou) – a local office of the German gear and motor manufacturer – said the major challenge for the company’s future development in China lies in an unfair playing field.

“We hope there will be support for foreign-invested enterprises to enjoy the same rights as domestic enterprises to participate in government-backed equipment investment and construction projects, national and local government bidding projects, as well as those for the replacement and upgrading of state-owned enterprises’ equipment,” he said.

In the first five months of the year, China attracted 412.5 billion yuan (US$56.7 billion) worth of foreign direct investment, down over 28 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

High on the hog: skyscraping hi-tech China swine farm produces 1.2 million pigs a year

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3268839/high-hog-skyscraping-hi-tech-china-swine-farm-produces-12-million-pigs-year?utm_source=rss_feed

While they are not quite of the flying variety, a high-living army of pigs in China is raising eyebrows at home and abroad.

The porkers are part of a vertical farming project involving two 26-storey skyscrapers in Ezhou, in the central province of Hubei.

Playing on the mythological character Zhu Bajie, also known as Monk Pig, from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, mainland social media has dubbed the skyscrapers Bajie Buildings, referring to the pigs as “the second elder brother living in a high-rise.”

From the outside, the high-rise blocks look no different from normal residential buildings.

However, instead of housing people, they are home to an industrial-scale vertical pig farming operation.

Jin Lin, general manager of the farm, which was built by Hubei Zhongxin Kaiwei Modern Husbandry, told Global Times that each building has a floor area of 390,000 square metres and together they can produce 1.2 million pigs a year.

The operation employs more than 800 people, meaning each member of staff is responsible for approximately 1,500 high-living hogs.

Operations began in September 2022 when the first batch of sows was introduced.

The animals were divided into groups and transported to their designated floors using elevators, initiating their life cycle within the skyscrapers.

The cycle begins in the gestation area, moves to the farrowing area where the pigs give birth, then progresses to a nursery 23 days after their birth.

The whole process concludes in a raising area where the pigs are raised for six to eight months until they are ready for the market.

Food for the animals is transported to the rooftop via conveyor belt and then distributed floor-by-floor using a fully enclosed system.

The sophisticated setup ensures the pigs are bathed daily and fed precisely based on their weight, breed and market demands.

It also provides a dedicated waste recycling system that helps mitigate the odour problems and environmental pollution typical of traditional rural pig farms.

Zhuge Wenda, chairman of Hubei Zhongxin Kaiwei Modern Husbandry, said that traditional pig farming in rural China often forces pigs to eat, drink and sleep in confined areas, making them dirty.

Vertical pig farming solves the problem.

“Pigs are inherently clean animals. Each floor of the building is divided into various functional areas, making pig farming cleaner,” Zhuge said.

This method also addresses other major issues in China’s pig farming industry, such as high costs.

Chen Shunyou, a researcher at Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, Hebei province, central China, told Xinhua News Agency: “The pig-raising buildings save land.”

Chen added that high-rise farming also significantly reduces labour costs.

The innovative approach has been well-received both in China and globally.

One online observer in China was impressed: “Raising pigs like this should be widely promoted!”

While another joked: “It looks amazing, even pigs are living in high-rises now. I feel like my living conditions are worse than that of a pig now.”

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China ‘at risk’ of wider decoupling after US, EU as Asean trade partners balk at imports flood

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268878/china-risk-wider-decoupling-after-us-eu-asean-trade-partners-balk-imports-flood?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing should be wary of wider decoupling risks as even close trading partners mirror the US in demanding restrictions on China-made imports, a Chinese consultancy has warned, while asserting that the impact of the latest US tariff hikes would be “manageable”.

The word of caution from Dalian Infobank, a trade data and analysis agency, comes as the world’s No 2 economy faces increasing trade frictions globally.

In May, the United States announced new tariffs on US$18 billion worth of Chinese imports, followed by the European Union’s plans to impose extra duties on China-made electric vehicles (EVs), taking effect on Thursday. The EU move has since been mirrored by Turkey, with Canada also weighing similar measures.

Days after the US announcement, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on the Group of 7 developed economies to build a “wall of opposition” against Beijing’s industrial policies, while noting that she was not asking that they copy the US tariffs or closely coordinate their trade policy responses.

According to a Dalian Infobank report, the latest US tariff package might be followed by more as the US presidential race heats up, a time when candidates are usually prone to taking a harder line on Beijing.

The US “small yard, high fence” policy towards China trade appeared to be expanding beyond the core area, said Zhang Shunbo, a researcher at Dalian Infobank.

“[The question is] whether it will expand comprehensively and lead to a full decoupling,” he told a virtual seminar marking the release of the report on Friday.

Dalian Infobank’s clients include the Chinese commerce and agricultural ministries and customs authorities.

The report noted that more countries had taken to slapping additional duties on Chinese products, a move framed by Zhang as a trend in the making.

China has officially rejected accusations of state-funded “overcapacity” keeping export prices low, the main reason cited by the US and EU for their tariff actions.

However, it was a “fact” that other countries had also expressed concerns about the negative effects of massive Chinese imports, including neighbours such as Thailand, Zhang said. The kingdom is one of China’s close trading partners.

“While we don’t have the overcapacity issue by definition, the impact on other countries is there,” he said. “Whether it will result in some worldwide restrictions and changes for us [is] still worth … some in-depth research.”

Thailand is the second largest economy within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) bloc, China’s top trading partner.

Kriengkrai Thiennukul, president of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), has raised concerns about the influx of cheaper Chinese products amid Beijing’s reduced market access to the US and EU.

“China is overproducing and turning to Asian and Asean markets, including Thailand,” he was quoted as saying last month by Thai daily The Nation.

This was one of the key factors behind growing production line closures in Thailand, Kriengkrai said.

Earlier in the year, he also flagged the impact on Thai industries of the “dumping and spillover of Chinese structural steel”, prompting demands of import restrictions.

Indonesia, the largest economy in the 10-member Asean, is also poised to raise import duties amid concerns about a flood of Chinese-made products.

Announcing the plans on Friday, Indonesian trade minister Zulkifli Hasan said the trade war with the West was causing oversupply in China, forcing it to redirect exports to other markets such as Indonesia.

According to Indonesia’s Antara news agency, Hasan also pledged duties of 100 to 200 per cent on products ranging from footwear to ceramics, mainly imported from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Still, the new US tariffs carried more “symbolic significance” than a risk of considerable shock to the Chinese economy, according to the Infobank report, which said one of the core aims of President Joe Biden’s move was garnering more votes in the US “rust belt” in his re-election bid.

Steel and EVs, the two main Chinese products targeted by the new US duties, are crucial to the economies of the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, which are part of the manufacturing heart of the United States.

Zhang said that, in contrast with Trump-era practices, the Biden administration had done “sufficient expectation management” before announcing its tariff hikes and “carefully selected” the products to be covered.

The value of the Chinese imports in Biden’s tariffs package, estimated by Dalian Infobank at US$18.9 billion, is dwarfed by the US$370 billion targeted by his predecessor, Donald Trump. It is also only a fraction of China’s overall annual exports to the US, which crossed US$500 billion last year.

“The size [of the new US tariffs] is small and the risk is manageable,” Zhang said.

The US would also have to bear some “pain” over the increases, he said, as its economy was “highly dependent” on imports from China with regard to permanent magnets, natural graphite, lithium batteries and personal protective equipment like face masks – all targeted by the latest measures.

Hong Kong draws US$4.9 billion in FDI in 2024 with Chinese, US firms leading: InvestHK

https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3268877/hong-kong-draws-us49-billion-fdi-2024-chinese-us-firms-leading-investhk?utm_source=rss_feed

UK whisky distiller Macallan, French logistics firm Geodis and Singapore-based loyalty platform Eber are three of the 322 companies that either set up or enhanced their businesses in Hong Kong in the first half of 2024, bringing in HK$38.3 billion (US$4.9 billion) in investment, according to the government agency tasked with attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

The number of companies expanding in Hong Kong shot up 43 per cent compared with the same period last year, Alpha Lau, director general of investment promotion at InvestHK, said on Tuesday.

FDI grew 6 per cent year on year, while job creation increased 44 per cent with 3,500 new jobs. Mainland China was the top source of companies investing in Hong Kong, accounting for 150 or 47 per cent of the total, followed by the US with 30 new firms or 9 per cent.

“Hong Kong is an international city that is a springboard for the rest of the world,” Lau said. “We are unlike any other Chinese city, and that is why even Chinese enterprises have to come to Hong Kong … to set up a stepping stone for their goal of establishing international headquarters or to go outside mainland China.”

The number of Chinese companies investing in Hong Kong in the first half represents a significant jump, as mainland companies have historically accounted for 35 per cent of the new companies investing in the city, Lau said.

The newcomers include Shanghai-based AI computing firm Biren Technology and Beijing-founded AI driverless technology company Uisee.

With AI and technology firms increasingly seeking to expand beyond China, Lau said more Chinese firms would inevitably be drawn to Hong Kong.

“At the same time, the growth for non-mainland Chinese companies remains healthy,” she said. “These companies still use Hong Kong as a springboard into Asia and the rest of China. Hong Kong is a unique hub, and this is why Singapore companies also come to Hong Kong to set up offices.”

Notable among the US companies investing during the first half was multi-modal payment network PayCargo, which chose Hong Kong as its regional headquarters.

The UK, Singapore and France were the third, fourth and fifth sources of new businesses investing in Hong Kong, InvestHK said.

In the second half of the year, InvestHK is ramping up its promotion activities in Southeast Asia as well as the Middle East and North Africa, where it sees a “strong pipeline” of prospects.

Beijing’s initiative to allow non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong to apply for a five-year, multi-entry travel permit to the mainland, announced on Monday, is also likely to further boost the city’s standing as a business hub, Lau said.

“In one day I have already got a lot of very positive feedback from foreign chambers [of commerce],” she said. “It will be even easier for them now to come to Hong Kong and also be able to access China for investment opportunities.”

China urges ‘severe punishment’ for killers of citizen in Philippines

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268849/china-urges-severe-punishment-against-killers-citizen-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed

China has urged the Philippines to find and “severely punish” the killers of a kidnapped Chinese citizen in a case that has led to a diplomatic intervention by Beijing.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said it had been informed a few days ago that the person had been kidnapped in the Philippines, and it assisted the family in reporting the case to the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Kidnapping Bureau.

It also intervened through diplomatic channels to ask for a rescue and that measures be taken to ensure the person’s safety, according to a statement from the embassy on Tuesday.

But the person was eventually killed, along with a Chinese-American who had also been kidnapped, the embassy said. Neither victim has been identified, and authorities in the Philippines have not commented on the incident.

“We urge the Philippines to intensify efforts to investigate the case, capture and severely punish the murderers as soon as possible,” China’s embassy said in the statement.

One of the victims was an international marketing director of Hong Kong-listed company Raimed Medical Limited, and the other worked as a distributor for a cardiovascular medical device company, Yicai Global, a financial news outlet under Shanghai Media Group, reported, citing a source. Raimed has not commented on the incident.

The two people travelled together to the Philippines on a business trip around June 20 and were killed on June 24, after the family of one of the victims paid a ransom of 3 million yuan (US$412,600), according to Chinese media reports.

On Monday, China’s ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, met with Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who is also chairman of the Presidential Commission on Anti-Organised Crime, to discuss joint efforts to combat kidnapping and murder, telecoms fraud, human trafficking and crimes related to the offshore gaming industry in the Philippines. They agreed to strengthen law enforcement cooperation to fight transnational crimes and step up protections for people and properties in both countries.

In recent years, there have been several cases of Chinese citizens being kidnapped in the Philippines, most of which have been related to illegal gambling and telecoms and internet fraud.

Last month, four police officers assigned to the Philippine capital region were arrested for kidnapping three Chinese and a Malaysian tourist for ransom.

Last year, six Chinese nationals were kidnapped from their home in Manila, four of whom were killed, Philippine police said.

In 20 recorded kidnapping cases since January last year, most of the victims were Chinese, according to authorities.

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Forest City, Malaysia’s China-backed US$100 billion ghost town, becomes set for Netflix shows

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3268852/forest-city-malaysias-china-backed-us100-billion-ghost-town-becomes-set-netflix-shows?utm_source=rss_feed

Malaysia’s US$100 billion China-backed ghost city was meant to house 700,000 people. After few people moved in, developers tried in vain to make it into a tourist hub.

Now, the mega-development is serving as a set for a handful of reality shows and documentaries.

The empty city, just over Singapore’s western border, was used for an episode on the second season of Netflix reality show “The Mole,” which debuted last week.

The competition-style reality series follows 12 contestants completing challenges while one of them secretly sabotages the other players. They race to grow a money pot prize and uncover who the traitor is among them.

The show’s 10-episode second season was filmed entirely in Malaysia and features Forest City, Kuala Lumpur, and Tioman Island. Filming started in July 2023 and lasted for six weeks, according to local media.

The contestants, who come from various professional backgrounds, complete treasure hunts, free dive, and abseil down a 38-storey building in Forest City.

In the third episode of the season, show host and former NPR journalist Ari Shapiro introduced Forest City: “A perfect spot for a glamorous holiday home, for those who can afford it. And most of the year, they lie empty.”

The city was also featured in recent shows.

South Korea’s KBS filmed an episode of the travel reality series “Battle Trip,” while German ProSieben TV filmed a short documentary about Forest City. An Austrian documentary titled “Hungry: Tipping the Scales” shot there.

Announced in 2006, the luxury public housing estate was meant to feature flats, a water park, and hotels. The whole project cost its developers US$100 billion.

But, eight years after construction began, only a few thousand people live there. The project has turned into a ghost town – and a major liability for its developer, China’s Country Garden, which is facing sizeable financial issues elsewhere.

As of last year, only about 15 per cent of the planned property had been completed, while most finished flats appear never to have been lived in.

Netflix and Forest City did not respond to requests for comment.

This story was originally published by

‘Wartime’ situation as worst flooding in 70 years hits county in central China

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3268822/wartime-situation-worst-flooding-70-years-hits-county-central-china?utm_source=rss_feed

A county in the central Chinese province of Hunan has been hit with the most severe flooding seen in 70 years after torrential storms, with local authorities declaring it a “wartime” emergency situation.

The Miluo River – which flows through Pingjiang county and eventually joins the Yangtze – had reached 77.67 metres by 12.30am on Tuesday, the county government said.

That was the highest water level recorded since 1954, and it exceeded the alert level by more than 7 metres.

Pingjiang – home to 1.15 million people – is a county within Yueyang, a city in Hunan’s northeast.

In nearby Miluo county, also in Yueyang, at least two villagers were reported missing after a landslide on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Heavy rains that brought widespread flooding to southern China have battered the Yangtze River region in recent weeks.

A dyke burst in two sections along the upper reaches of the Miluo River in Pingjiang, flooding large swathes of the county, while reservoirs were overflowing.

One-third of Pingjiang’s old town and half of its new town is under water, provincial newspaper Hunan Daily reported. Floodwater in some areas was said to be as high as 3 metres.

More than 5,300 people have been evacuated so far, according to Rednet, the Hunan government’s official website.

Pingjiang has recorded 759.6mm of rainfall since June 18 – the highest for this period since 1961 when records began.

The county’s Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued the highest-level emergency response, calling it a wartime situation.

More than 160 rescue teams have been mobilised, with over 15,500 rescue workers involved. Bus services were shut down in the county from 12pm on Monday, while traffic was diverted from some highways in Yueyang.

Heavy rains are set to continue lashing the county until Wednesday, with the weather bureau forecasting 80-120mm of rainfall.

That could take the water level past the record high of 78.16 metres, experts told state news agency Xinhua.

China’s major rivers have already reached alert levels in more than a dozen places since the flood season started last month.

Major flooding is expected in the coming weeks across China, including in the Huai River and the Huai River Basin, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, as well as the Songhua River and Liao River, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

Demand for mainland China travel permits surges as Hong Kong minority groups hail move

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3268836/online-demand-mainland-travel-permits-surge-hong-kong-minority-groups-hail-move?utm_source=rss_feed

An online booking quota for Beijing’s new five-year multi-entry mainland China travel permits for Hong Kong permanent residents holding foreign passports is almost full, the city leader has said, amid praise by ethnic minority members that the new measure enhanced their sense of belonging.

The surge in bookings on Tuesday followed the announcement by the National Immigration Administration the previous day, allowing permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau – regardless of their nationality and occupation – to apply for the permit starting on July 10.

Candidates have to file an online application to China Travel Service (Holdings), the Chinese government agency that issues travel documents for the mainland, and can schedule an appointment at service centres within 28 days starting from Tuesday.

According to a check by the Post, the website at 11.30am said “[the appointment] quota is full today” although service resumed in the afternoon.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said earlier in the morning that the online reservation was almost full and the government would continue to negotiate with the Chinese agency to facilitate applications.

“The new measure can enhance the unique status and advantages of Hong Kong,” he said, highlighting it as an example of the city’s governing principle of “one country, two systems”.

“I believe it can increase interaction between non-Chinese permanent residents and mainlanders. It will definitely bring good things to both sides.”

Lee also said the new arrangement could also facilitate the city’s non-Chinese community in contributing to national development.

District councillor Rizwan Ullah said members of the ethnic minority community expressed interest in applying for the travel permits as the current visa application procedures were “complex” and time consuming.

“We have to prepare many documents beforehand ... Even if we have the visa, it takes a long time to clear immigration procedures as officers ask a lot of questions,” he said.

“The Chinese government is now treating us as part of China ... With the entry permit, I believe we will be treated differently as we are no longer considered foreigners.”

Ullah said the permit could promote integration as Hong Kong’s ethnic minority members could open bank accounts, set up offices, and apply for driving licences more easily in mainland China.

Under the new arrangement, non-Chinese permit holders can enter the mainland for short-term purposes, such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges. They may stay up to 90 days per visit but are barred from working, studying or engaging in news gathering activities.

They will also enjoy self-service clearance at control points once they complete procedures such as having their fingerprints taken.

Under the current arrangement, visa holders have to use the manual channels, provide fingerprints and fill out entry cards each time.

Ilyas Mohammad, a member of the government-appointed committee on the promotion of racial harmony, said non-Chinese residents often had to wait several hours to apply for visas and endure long wait times going through immigration under the current arrangement.

He felt the new policy was a good deal as a five-year multi-entry travel permit only cost HK$260 (US$33), while it would be a “win-win” for Hong Kong’s ethnic minority groups and mainland businesses.

“With such convenience, more people will head to mainland China for business and shopping,” he said. “We are very happy that Hong Kong and China have thought about us.”

Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals who travels to mainland China over 10 times every year, also told a radio show that he would apply for the new permit, saying it would help him bypass manual immigration channels.

The city government last October announced foreign staff of Hong Kong-registered companies could apply for multiple-entry visas to the mainland for two years or more with priority processing, with non-Chinese permanent residents having a visa validity period of up to five years.

Lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan from the New People’s Party said the previous measure was limited to business trips, while the new permit covered a wider scope of travelling purposes.

She hoped the scheme could encourage more non-Chinese Hongkongers to visit the mainland.

“It can allow them to know more about the mainland ... It serves as a good opportunity to tell good stories of Hong Kong and China,” Yung told a radio show.

South China Sea: why Philippines’ Duterte may be doing U-turn on pro-Beijing stance

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3268830/south-china-sea-why-philippines-duterte-may-be-doing-u-turn-pro-beijing-stance?utm_source=rss_feed

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who once called Chinese President Xi Jinping a very close friend, is taking a harder stance against Beijing by doubling down on his country’s claims in the South China Sea, a move seen as a bid to shore up support for his family’s electoral ambitions.

In a Sunday press conference aired by local media, Duterte said that as a Filipino he would insist the West Philippine Sea – Manila’s term for waters in the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone – belonged to the Filipinos, a stance that appeared to contradict his soft foreign policy towards Beijing when he was in office.

“As a Filipino, the contested area … if you ask me, it is really ours. As a Filipino, I would insist that that part of the West Philippine Sea is ours,” Duterte told reporters. “We didn’t have a conflict with China then. We were free to fish in and out of the area. Nobody was bugging us and there was no issue of territory.”

In the last six years of his term, Duterte affirmed the “importance of continuing” talks in solving the maritime dispute. He worked to rebuild ties with Beijing that had frayed after the international arbitration court in The Hague rejected China’s expansive claims in the contested waterway in 2016. Duterte was also hostile towards the United States and steered Manila away from military cooperation with Washington.

Political analyst Edmund Tayao, president and CEO of the think tank Political Economic Elemental Researchers and Strategists, told This Week in Asia that Duterte’s new stance was a tactic to win over many Filipinos who have been wary of Beijing since his daughter Sara and the country’s vice president announced that three of her family members, including the senior Duterte, would run in next year’s Senate election.

“That’s the only likely reason. He has to take the popular position otherwise many will likely shift [away from] support he originally enjoyed,” Tayao said. “It seems he remains popular, but no longer as before.”

A survey released last month by Octa Research indicated that most Filipinos supported current Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s military and diplomacy actions in dealing with China’s maritime aggression.

The survey – conducted in March as part of a series by private pollster Octa Research tracking Filipino attitudes towards the South China Sea dispute since 2021 – showed that 73 per cent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide favoured “further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action, such as expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the West Philippine Sea”.

“Duterte had vacillated on some issues before even when he was president. Perhaps it’s a result of his having weighed issues and thought it’s right to adjust or recalibrate,” Tayao said of the former leader’s current stance.

“In this case it must have become obvious that his stance before of being out-and-out pro-China is not popular and he needs to maintain his popularity hence the necessity to take a different position. He justified this change in position [by saying] that before there was no conflict, hence his previous stance,” he added.

Security analyst Chester Cabalza, president of the Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, told This Week in Asia that Duterte’s comments were intended to send a strong message to the Marcos Jnr administration to guard Sara Duterte’s presidential bid in 2028 as the Dutertes were known for surprise moves and strategic ambiguities during elections. Marcos Jnr’s tenure ends in 2028 as the president is limited to a single six-year term under Philippine law.

“It could be possible that this may be seen as revenge for Marcos’ pivot to Washington after Rodrigo Duterte befriended Beijing during his tenure, but after a failed rapprochement he [Duterte] repaired his ties with the US,” Cabalza said.

“This is the result of a flip-flopping foreign policy in the Philippines due to choices made by dynastic leaders amid the volatility in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

Relations between Marcos Jnr and Duterte, both of whom became allies ahead of the 2022 Philippine presidential election, started souring when Marcos Jnr sided with the US by allowing Washington to have bases in the Philippines and distancing himself from Duterte’s Chinese allies.

After entering the Malacañang Palace in 2022, Marcos Jnr issued strong statements on the South China Sea dispute and promised not to abandon “even one square inch” of Philippine territory.

Joshua Espeña, a resident fellow and vice-president of the International Development and Security Cooperation, said family interests weighed heaviest behind Duterte’s recent remarks.

“He is trying to save his family’s future in the realm of Philippine politics since territorial integrity is a default to get the appeal of the ‘military lobby’ at the expense of Marcos Jnr in the upcoming election cycles in 2025 and 2028. This is less about recantation than recalibration,” Espeña said.

“So it seems that Duterte is putting more smokescreens to keep Marcos Jnr guessing but ultimately win the blessing of the military lobby to ensure the longevity of their stay in the game of thrones.”

Meanwhile, at a thanksgiving dinner on June 28 aboard the BRP Melchora Aquino, a Philippine patrol vessel that has been deployed in the South China Sea, former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio proposed the government file new arbitration cases against China over its actions.

“We should file another arbitration case. China is in dread of the Philippines filing another arbitration case. In fact, we should file several arbitration cases,” said Carpio, who played a significant role in the Philippines’ case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that was concluded in Manila’s favour in 2016.

“Let us challenge China to submit the entire Spratlys territorial dispute to arbitration by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] ... I have been saying that but let’s finally and formally challenge China. China will either put up or shut up. China knows it will lose in any arbitration because its claim is very weak and very dubious. It is fictitious,” he added.

At the same event, Marcos Jnr’s National Security Adviser Eduardo Año reassured the public that the administration would continue to defend the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights in the face of Chinese incursions.

“While we vehemently denounce and repeatedly express grave concerns on the continued hostile behaviour of our neighbour, our commitment and pursuit for peace and stability within and around our territory is not pushed to the side,” said Año.

He urged China to respect international laws in alignment with Beijing’s statements.

“In the face of all these foreign incursions, we are determined as ever to progressively build our defence capabilities to effectively deter and counter all threats to our nation’s peace and security,” he added.

Public fury as bodyguard of China celebrity demands lift be vacated for her exclusive use

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3266736/public-fury-bodyguard-china-celebrity-demands-lift-be-vacated-her-exclusive-use?utm_source=rss_feed

The rude behaviour of a minder employed by a celebrity in China has infuriated people on the mainland and made them ask: “Who does she think she is?”

Video footage that went viral on mainland social media shows the star being escorted by a group of bodyguards as she tries to get into a lift full of passengers at Qingdao Airport, in eastern China’s Shandong province, on June 10.

When the lift stops at the first floor, where the famous female is waiting, a bodyguard shouts at passengers who are going to the fourth floor to “get out”.

The person who posted the video on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, said the people in the lift refused, and asked celebrity: “Who do you think you are?”

The star lowered her head to hide her face after realising her bodyguard had overstepped the mark. She then moved to an empty lift.

While the post did not identify the celebrity but speculation became rife on social media. Among the names being bandied about were Wu Xuanyi or Cheng Xiao.

Both entertainers – actresses and singers – were in the same South Korean-Chinese group WJSN from 2015 to 2023, and belong to the Beijing-based entertainment agency ,Yuehua Entertainment.

They were in the coastal city on the same day to perform in a show.

Later video footage emerged revealing the celebrity to be Wu Xuanyi.

Wu, 29, debuted as a member of WJSN and became famous in China after appearing in the popular reality girl group show Produce 101. She has 25 million followers on Weibo.

She had not responded to questions about the incident at the time of writing.

Yuehua Entertainment published a statement on June 12 defending its two stars and claiming the person at the centre of the controversy was “neither a staff member of the stars’ or that of the company”.

It also said accusations that the stars were “posers” were false and unfounded.

Followers of the story on social media had plenty to say about the incident.

“She could have stopped the bodyguard and apologised, but she did not, so she was not innocent,” one person said on Weibo.

Celebrity posers are frowned upon in China.

In 2022, Chinese actress Qin Lan was criticised for letting an employee kneel down to hold a microphone for her at a jewellery promotion event some years before.

Qin said she had not noticed the employee because she was busy focusing on how to present the jewellery.

China eyes tech and economic goals for at third plenum, but few drastic changes expected

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3268795/china-eyes-tech-and-economic-goals-third-plenum-few-drastic-changes-expected?utm_source=rss_feed

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China’s elite will assemble in Beijing next month for the long-awaited third plenum, which comes at a time of much turmoil for the world’s second-largest economy.

With this in mind, Beijing set the tone for the long-anticipated conclave by presenting ambitious economic and tech development goals for the next decade.

The objectives were contained in a statement issued after a meeting of the Politburo – a high-level decision-making body in Chinese politics – which also confirmed the delayed plenum would last four days from July 15.

The 10-year timeline for these prerogatives – covering a broad range of issues, from the economy to social development and state-building amid intense external challenges – would go beyond President Xi Jinping’s third term, which ends in 2028.

The state-backed Xinhua News Agency said the plenary session would “primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernisation”.

It would also lay out a series of interim benchmarks by 2035, before China’s second ambitious centenary goal in 2049.

The plan also aimed to improve governance while maintaining firm control by the party, with reforms to be handled in a “systematic, holistic and coordinated” manner.

But despite the laundry list of issues to address, few expect major changes when the 370 or so members of the Central Committee meet for the plenum – although analysts still say it will be worth watching.

Frictions with the European Union over electric vehicles are only the top of a long list of problems in international trade, with the United States enacting several tariffs and restrictions intended to blunt China’s share of emerging industries like tech.

Things also are not so rosy at home, with a property sector in crisis and weak demand preventing a full-throated recovery powered by consumption.

The meeting is typically held every five years – about a year after each new Central Committee takes office – and the group includes the party’s top decision-making Politburo, as well as ministers, provincial party secretaries, senior generals and heads of state-owned enterprises.

They are expected to take more external elements into consideration, including the “China de-risking” trend in the global supply chain, and fierce competition for markets and technology with the United States and other Western nations.

The need to expand international tech exchanges, attract and retain more overseas talent, and actively take part in global tech governance, to build an open and “globally competitive” environment for technological innovations are seen as China’s economic priorities following details released after a meeting earlier this month.

The need to adopt a proactive fiscal policy, utilise foreign capital and develop “new quality productive forces” are also set to be high on China’s agenda.

More treasury bonds are also expected to finance scientific and technological innovation, integrated urban-rural development, coordinated regional development, and food and energy security.

China has already announced a slew of measures to aid the ailing property market, including the easing of mortgage rules and encouraging local governments and state-owned enterprises to buy unsold housing inventory, however, some analysts remain uncertain about the effectiveness of the measures.

One area not expected to see any major moves is rural land reform, despite widespread experiments on the issue over the years.

Unlike urban areas, rural land is owned by village committees and is mostly closed off to trade. While many have urged changes to allow rural land on the open market, authorities are likely to remain cautious.

Analysts have also curbed their expectations for major changes to China’s fiscal policies, despite the debt burdens faced by many local governments.

Low-hanging fruits, such as an expansion of the scope of personal income tax to address income inequality, or the simplification of the rates of value-added tax, could be unveiled.

Amid the trade tensions, focus is likely to remain on the domestic market through the country’s “dual circulation” drive.

From seeds to semiconductors, the world’s second-largest economy is rushing to replace Western technologies and goods with domestic alternatives.

Observers, though, widely expect the long-awaited conclave to double down on the “whole-nation system” of development, but have mixed views on the outcomes.

That is one of the many questions brewing as the delayed plenum approaches.

Analysts are eager to know if the country will be deviating from a doctrine developed at an earlier plenum of letting the market play a “decisive role” in resource allocation, and if not, they wonder what policies will be deployed to rebuild investor confidence and get the national economy back on track.

Beijing mentioned in April that reform would be a key topic at the upcoming plenum, and the market has been rife with speculation as to what that might entail.

The subject of reform has been broached at high-level economic meetings this year, including in the context of land, tech and innovation.

And there have been vows aplenty: to develop “new quality productive forces”, improve corporate governance of SOEs and private businesses, defuse debt and financial risks, shore up energy security and the nation’s green transition, trim logistics costs and improve employment and labour rights.

“Ahead of the third plenum in July, the prospect of meaningful cyclical easing has faded but investors still want clarity on potential reforms to the social welfare system, which remains fragmented, unbalanced and insufficient,” said analysts at Morgan Stanley this week.

“We think the plenum will likely be supply-centric, with modest social-welfare reforms.

“The plenum will likely sustain the economic framework that has taken shape in recent years: prioritising chokepoints in supply chain self-sufficiency and tech innovation.

“We think the plenum will try to strike a balanced tone by also addressing social welfare issues, particularly relating to the 200 million migrant workers who live and work in urban areas but do not have proper social welfare access. But the pace of social welfare reforms and economic rebalancing may remain gradual.”

For now, the only certain thing is uncertainty, and we must wait and see.

60-Second Catch-up

Dates set for China’s long-awaited third plenum when policy direction will be revealed.

China’s economy ‘is full of hope’, but market reforms key to healthy, sustainable foundations.

Beijing talks the talk with foreign, private firms as they await action at China’s third plenum.

China’s economic woes demand renewal of pro-market reforms, prominent scholar says.

Series: What will China’s third plenum bring?.

China needs consumption surge for full-blown economic recovery, researcher says.

China’s rural-urban divide, tax system weigh down economic potential, former official says.

China’s leadership looking to unleash ‘new quality productive forces’, top economic adviser predicts.

China’s top financial industry officials say Beijing will press on with reforms.

Chinese Communist Party warns members not to criticise policy ahead of major economic policy meeting.

Deep dives

Top officials of the Communist Party of China assemble next month for their much-anticipated third plenary session, traditionally an occasion to set out economic strategies for the next five to 10 years.

But few observers expect major directional shifts when the Central Committee meets this time around.

Read more.

In 1978, 18 farmers in a small village in China met in secret to sign an agreement that they would divide their village’s collectively owned land between them, allowing each household to keep any surplus harvest after they had filled government quotas.

The village, Xiaogang, in eastern China’s Anhui province, has since entered the history books as the birthplace of the household contracting system that defied collective farming and became the trigger that set China on its road to economic rise.

Read more.

On a morning in early April, when the onset of spring could feel like winter in China’s coldest region, commuters headed to work, unaware of the inconvenience that awaited.

At bus stops across Nenjiang, a northeastern rust belt city of 400,000 people in Heilongjiang province, notices proclaimed that “all urban bus routes are suspended”.

Read more.

Though the days of four-legged transport – and the humble carrot as a fuel source – have passed, the root vegetable continues to serve as a rhetorical stand-in for incentives of all types. But in modern parlance, that incentive is rarely an actual carrot; humans have, after all, come to desire more than what might satisfy a mule.

But for Samuel Ling and his colleagues at an agricultural company in Shanghai, metaphor and reality have merged.

Read more.

The technocrats at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information technology are working on a blueprint for future technologies – from humanoid robots to brain-machine interfaces and super-large-scale artificial intelligence computing centres.

These sectors – part of what Beijing calls “future industries” – are at the forefront of a nationwide technological innovation drive in response to President Xi Jinping’s call to develop “new high-quality productive forces”.

Read more.

By throwing Shanghai’s doors open with the launch of a free-trade zone in 2013, Chinese leaders put an ambitious economic engine into gear, with vows to create a bastion of international trade, free capital flows and far less government intervention in business operations.

And more importantly, the undertaking would act as “an experimental field to conduct economic reform”, laying the groundwork for the pilot zone’s success to be shared, promoted and replicated across the country.

Read more.

Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world.

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China’s commercial space hub opening clashes with exploding rocket mishap

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3268817/chinas-commercial-space-hub-opening-clashes-exploding-rocket-mishap?utm_source=rss_feed

As China’s private aerospace industry reels from its first major accident, Sunday’s mishap in central China threatens to overshadow a significant achievement for the commercial space sector in the southern island province of Hainan.

On the same day that a “structural failure” sent the country’s most powerful rocket crashing into the outskirts of a city in Henan province, China’s first international commercial aerospace launch centre was declared operational in Hainan.

Yang Tianliang, chairman of Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co Ltd (HICAL) said the site is scheduled to conduct its first rocket launches in the second half of this year, marking the start of commercial operations.

“The plan is to expand the launch site with additional launch pads, and the aim is to provide both domestic and international rocket and satellite launch services, thereby accelerating the development of China’s commercial space technology,” he said.

The Hainan launch centre, which covers around 133 acres, is part of the country’s driving ambition to build its own satellite constellations, comparable to US-based SpaceX’s Starlink.

Construction of the facility began in July 2022 with key infrastructure – including fuelling facilities, power substations, rocket assembly buildings and dual launch pads – completed within just 726 days.

State news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday that HICAL is working with rocket developers to carry out experiments related to vertical landings and the recovery of rockets from the sea.

The latest blue book, released annually by main space contractor China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, detailed 36 commercial rocket launches in 2023, accounting for 39 per cent of the country’s total.

China’s commercial space market has grown rapidly since 2015, with an estimated annual growth rate of more than 20 per cent from 2017 to 2024, and is expected to reach 2.34 trillion yuan (US$326 billion) this year, according to iiMedia Research.

Song Zhengyu, a senior rocket scientist with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said in a paper published last year by the Chinese Journal of Astronautics that the race to build a giant satellite constellation “is driving China’s space industry into a new age”.

But experts warned that the Space Pioneer accident at a facility in Gongyi county, Henan province, on Sunday could suffocate China’s thriving commercial rocket industry, leading to greater caution from operators and more regulatory oversight.

The Tianlong-3 rocket – similar in design and performance to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 – unexpectedly blasted off during a static fire test before crashing and exploding into flames in hills 1.5km (just under a mile) southwest of the testing platform.

Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, blamed a “structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test platform”. There were no casualties.

Although it was a relatively isolated case, industry insiders believe the incident will prompt private rocket companies to be more cautious, while regulators will also step up oversight of launch approvals.

A veteran observer of the space sector, who asked not to be named, said that failures are common, but many accidents occur in remote areas and do not cause a stir. Sunday’s incident however, was relatively close to a densely populated area and “fortunately it did not cause any casualties”.

However, the accident was concerning and it is likely to lead the authorities to insist that commercial rocket companies are “subject to a safety review” in the short term, along with tighter regulation of launches in future, he said.

Unpacked: mainland China permit for Hong Kong permanent residents with foreign passport

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3268818/unpacked-new-mainland-permit-hong-kong-permanent-residents-foreign-passport?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has announced that non-Chinese nationals with permanent residency in Hong Kong and Macau will be able to apply for five-year travel permits, allowing them entry into mainland China starting from next Wednesday.

Foreign chambers of commerce and critics welcomed the move, saying it was an important step in establishing the city as a key gateway to the mainland and promoting exchanges between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday noted the positive response and pointed to the packed application schedule on the online reservation system.

The Post unpacks what you need to know about the new permit.

1. What is the new visa policy?

Starting from July 10, non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau may obtain a five-year travel permit with multiple entries to the mainland for short-term purposes such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges.

However, they may not engage in work, study or news-gathering activities.

Permit holders may spend up to 90 days for each stay on the mainland and enjoy self-service clearance at control points once they complete procedures such as having their fingerprints taken at ports of entry.

2. Who will benefit?

There is no restriction on the nationality or occupation of applicants.

Eligible residents can apply for the permit through China Travel Service (Holdings) in both Hong Kong and Macau. It takes 20 working days for the permit to be issued after the application is approved.

The first application will cost HK$260 (US$33), with renewals or replacements on the mainland costing 230 yuan.

Beginning on Tuesday, applicants who apply online can schedule a date for counter service that takes place within 28 days of the online application. The Post checked the website at 11.30am, which indicated the daily quota was full.

Applicants have to provide their permanent resident ID cards, passports recognised by the Chinese government and proof of nationality from the Immigration Department. The latter includes the applicant’s last-declared nationality and eligibility for applying for a Hong Kong ID card.

As of June, about 270,000 non-Chinese residents held Hong Kong permanent identity cards, excluding children under the age of 11.

3. Why is Beijing introducing the permit?

The National Immigration Administration said the new measure aimed to facilitate people-to-people exchanges between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, and to help both cities better integrate into overall national development.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said it would greatly help Hong Kong maintain its international character and diversity, providing a significant incentive for companies and talent from around the world to settle in Hong Kong.

4. What are the existing entry requirements?

Currently, permanent residents who are not Chinese nationals need to apply for a visa for their mainland visits, and it takes three to four days to process.

Visa fees vary according to nationality. The average fee ranges from HK$230 for a single-entry visa to HK$690 for a one-year multi-entry visa.

Such residents are currently required to use the manual channel at mainland ports of entry with their foreign passports. They must provide fingerprints and fill out entry cards each time they cross the border.

Beijing implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from 12 countries – Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg – from March 14, 2024 to December 31, 2025.

These passport holders are allowed to enter the mainland and stay for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes. Australia, New Zealand and Poland were added to the list starting from July.

5. What does the new permit mean for expatriates?

Most foreign commerce chambers in the city welcomed the new move.

Malaysian Chamber of Commerce chairman Gan Khai Choon said: “It could encourage more Malaysians and Asean businesses to locate to Hong Kong. After obtaining permanent residency, they could benefit from the easier access to the mainland and [thus] choose Hong Kong as a regional office.”

German Chamber of Commerce president Johannes Hack said he hoped the move would be further expanded to include non-permanent residents.

“Anything that targets [only] permanent residents by definition will not bring in new people.”

Josephine Orgill, chairwoman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce, said tangible benefits from the new permit, combined with Australians no longer needing tourist visas to travel to the mainland, were positive steps.

“[It] shows goodwill and partnership ahead of the Financial Secretary’s [Paul Chan Mo-po] visit to Australia later this year.”

Singapore Chamber of Commerce chairman Jacky Foo similarly commended the authorities for being proactive in responding to the needs of foreign businesses in Hong Kong.

6. How will the move affect Hong Kong?

Gary Ng Cheuk-yan, senior economist with Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank, said the measure would strengthen Hong Kong’s role as a trade and investment hub with easier cross-border access.

“It is a rare advantage that will differentiate Hong Kong from other Asian cities in terms of competitiveness,” Ng said.

Lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king, who is also a member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the country’s top legislative body, said the new move would help not just Hong Kong but also Macau integrate into overall national development.

“I believe the introduction of this policy will further promote extensive exchanges and interactions between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, facilitating smooth progress in various activities,” she said.

7. What other travel benefits has Beijing granted to Hong Kong?

Since May 6, the Greater Bay Area exit endorsement covers talent in Beijing and Shanghai while the duration of stay of business visits in Hong Kong has been extended from seven to 14 days.

The introduction of a “northbound” multiple-entry visa for foreign employees working in the city is also among the measures.

Additional reporting by Edith Lin

Youngest China Olympian: skateboarder, 11, aims to ‘fulfil dreams’ of others in Paris

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3268681/youngest-china-olympian-skateboarder-11-aims-fulfil-dreams-others-paris?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s youngest Olympian is heading to Paris with a relaxed mindset, hoping to fulfil the dream many twice her age have of winning a medal.

Zheng Haohao, 11, from Guangdong province in southern China, started skateboarding at the age of seven on a friend’s recommendation.

The youngster specialises in bowl skateboarding, which involves a hollowed-out area with a series of intricate curves.

Her repertoire of tricks includes jumps, flips and lateral spins, combined in various sequences.

Since starting skateboarding four years ago, Zheng’s dream has been to compete in the Olympics.

Her talent quickly became evident and, in 2020, at the National Games of China, she finished 13th out of more than 60 participants.

In subsequent competitions, she steadily became one of the top skateboarders in China.

Once, during training, she fractured her right middle finger but did not allow that to hinder her progress.

“It was painful. But I did not want to let go of the years of effort I had put in, so I chose to persevere,” she said in an interview with the International Olympic Committee.

Ironically, the move that injured her became her signature technique.

In May, at the Paris Olympics’ skateboarding qualification held in Shanghai, Zheng was ranked 20th of 44 participants.

During an interview with mainland media, she assessed her pros and cons, acknowledging that her advantage compared to other competitors lies in having more compact techniques.

“However, my weakness is my slender arms and legs, which hinder me from achieving faster speeds. I will focus on enhancing my physical fitness in strength training,” Zheng said.

Later, at a competition in Budapest, her score improved by more than 20 points compared to that which she achieved in Shanghai.

With accumulated points, she eventually secured a spot in the Paris Olympics women’s bowl skateboarding event.

Zheng is China’s youngest Olympic athlete and one of the youngest in the world.

She sees her coming trip to Paris more as a journey than a competition and says she does not think of it as a “psychological burden”.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. I just want to show my best in Paris,” she wrote on Weibo.

“I want to tell the world that, even though I am young, I can skate well. I want to fulfil the dreams many adults have,” she said.

The youngster has attracted widespread attention on mainland social media.

“She is only 11 years old and I’m sure she has a bright future ahead of her,” one observer wrote on Weibo.

The Paris Olympics will be held in France from July 26 to August 11.

Russia seeking China’s help to develop Arctic shipping route – is it worth it for Beijing?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3268761/russia-looking-chinas-help-develop-arctic-shipping-route-it-worth-it-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed

Russia is seeking China’s help in developing an Arctic sea route that could almost halve the journey time between Europe and Asia, although the heightened geopolitical risk and Moscow’s suspicion about Beijing’s intentions in the region may limit their scope for cooperation.

Russia hopes the Northern Sea Route (NSR) will become a year-round shipping lane as global warming makes it possible to send ships through waters that were previously only passable in summer.

Some shipping is already using the route, but at the moment it is only passable for around 20 to 30 days a year along a 5,600km stretch between the Kara Sea, off the northwest coast of Siberia, to the Bering Strait, which separates Russia from Alaska.

But as more of the Arctic’s ice melts, the route may eventually be extended to Scandinavia and offer easier access to the North Sea than the Baltic.

Travelling between Shanghai and St Petersburg along this route would take a cargo ship around 20 days, compared with around 36 days via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, according to Russian media.

Cargo carried along the route could reach 270 million tonnes by 2035 - a nearly 10-fold increase on 2022, according to Rosatom, the Russian agency that oversees the sea lane.

The impact of Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has increased Moscow’s sense of urgency in developing and expanding its use.

Although China relies on the sea to transport more than 60 per cent of its trade by volume so the route could help offset the risk from using existing routes, Wang Yue, a doctoral researcher at Tampere University in Finland, said “Russia is significantly more motivated than China” to develop the route.

Wang, who specialises in security and geopolitics in the Arctic, said the importance the two countries attached to the route “greatly varied”.

“For Russia, the Arctic region is a top strategic and economic priority, and the NSR is crucial for transporting its abundant Arctic resources to the market,” he said.

“In contrast, while the Arctic is important to China, it is just one of many emerging strategic areas, and the NSR is merely a valuable alternative to traditional shipping routes.”

Russia has just over half the Arctic Ocean’s coastline. For a long time, particularly during the Cold War, security was its main concern in the region, although Mikhail Gorbachev introduced a series of measures to start developing its resources and boost scientific research in the last years of the Soviet Union.

But Russia remained deeply suspicious of foreign involvement in the Arctic, particularly from non-Arctic nations. It opposed granting China observer status on the Arctic Council, the main international forum for coordinating policy, until 2013.

Faced with economic isolation over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is now turning to China for help in developing the sea route with President Vladimir Putin saying last year there were “promising” signs in this regard.

In May the two sides agreed to set up a committee to “push forward the development of the Arctic shipping route into an important international transportation corridor” and increase shipping traffic and infrastructure.

Zhao Long, a senior research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said: “In the face of the deepening crisis in the Red Sea, [China] could also help explore the economic, technical and environmental viability of NSR as a ‘complementary corridor’ for international transportation.”

In recent months shipping passing through the Red Sea en route for the Suez Canal has come under attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels in what they say is a show of support for Gaza.

The route’s importance – and its vulnerability as a potential choke point – was highlighted three years ago when a ship became stuck in the canal, blocking an estimated US$9.6 billion worth of trade.

Other major sea lanes are also becoming increasingly risky.

The South China Sea, which is used by an estimated 60 per cent of global maritime trade, has seen an increase in tensions after a series of confrontations between Beijing and rival claimants, most notably the Philippines.

Chinese shipping passing through the waters has to pass through the Strait of Malacca, where a blockade could cut vital lines of communication between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean – a problem known as the Malacca dilemma.

Meanwhile in the Panama Canal, a prolonged drought has forced substantial cuts to the number of daily ship crossings that have been in force since October.

Zhao said developing the Arctic route could also boost cooperation between China and Russia in areas such as infrastructure, shipbuilding and energy exploration – but warned that the benefits for Beijing should not be overstated.

Currently the sea lane is only crossed by a relatively small number of cargo ships.

According to Rosatom, last year saw 80 transit voyages along the sea route with a total tonnage of more than 36 million tonnes. By contrast Suez saw more than 26,000 ships passing through.

Chinese firms also risk being targeted by Western efforts to tighten sanctions on Russia, including moves by the European Union to target Russian supplies of liquefied natural gas.

Last month the first Chinese shipyard – Penglai Jutal Offshore Engineering Heavy Industries, which builds and ships natural gas liquefaction technology – was sanctioned by the US over its involvement in Russian oil and gas projects.

A few days later, Wison New Energies, a Chinese engineering firm that had been providing equipment for Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project in northern Siberia, said it was suspending its operations in the country “after careful and thorough evaluation”.

“These [measures] will increase the commercial risks of joint Chinese-Russian development of the NSR. Shipping and offshore companies, which build modules and engineering equipment for Russia’s Arctic projects, as well as the transport companies involved in the NSR will be subjected to long-arm jurisdiction risks,” Zhao said.

Wang, from Tampere University, warned there were still major hurdles to overcome in developing the route, including the harsh environment, short shipping window, the need for specialised equipment and, most critically, the lack of infrastructure.

“In theory, Chinese investment could help bridge these infrastructure gaps. However, several factors may deter Chinese investors from committing substantial funds, including China’s focus on domestic economic development under the dual circulation strategy, the relatively low trade volume between China and Russia and escalating geopolitical tensions,” he said.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, trade between Russia and China has expanded dramatically –from US$146.9 billion in 2021 to US$240.1 billion last year – but this is dwarfed by trade with the United States, which last year stood at US$664.4 billion.

Fuel is currently the main cargo shipped through the Arctic, but Artyom Lukin, an associate professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, said it was unclear how interested China would be in exploiting the region’s hydrocarbon resources given its goal of reaching peak emissions by 2030.

He also said the proposed new route may not resolve the Malacca dilemma because it passes through the Bering Strait, a key choke point between Russia and Alaska.

“It stands to reason that if there is a major military confrontation between the US and China, the US may just as well attempt to block the Bering Strait, denying it to Chinese shipping,” Lukin said.

To avoid this risk China and Russia could instead focus on developing waterways in the continental Eurasia to link China to the Northern Sea Route via Siberia’s great rivers, but this would be expensive.

“However, if realised, China and Russia will get a link connecting Asia and the Arctic Ocean, which, among other things, will be immune to US interference,” Lukin said.

There are signs the two sides have made progress on the scheme since Putin’s most recent visit to China in May.

Soon after, the Chinese supply chain and real estate development corporation Xiamen C&D Group agreed to help develop Russia’s Baltic Sea Ust-Luga Container Terminal in the Leningrad region along with the operator Delo group, according to the news portal portseurope.com.

Meanwhile, Rosatom and Hainan Yangpu NewNew Shipping have agreed a deal to operate a year-round container line on the Northern Sea Route.

This will include a joint venture agreement to design and build ice-class container ships and jointly operate the line. Last year, NewNew Shipping made seven voyages on the Northern Sea Route, a number expected to grow to 12 this year.

The report by Ports Europe also said that Ke Jin, a Russia-based executive from NewNew, had also expressed interest in developing Russia’s Barents Sea port of Arkhangelsk , the western terminus of the Northern Sea Route.

Dmitry Yurkov, the official responsible for Arctic development in the Arkhangelsk region, told Russia’s Tass news agency that there had been some 40 voyages between Arkhangelsk and Shanghai this year.

In 2016, the local government signed an agreement with Beijing-based Poly Group to construct a deep-water port there in 2016, but no significant progress has been made since then.

Wang said he expected further cooperation between the two countries, “but the extent and significance remain uncertain in the foreseeable future”.

Blackpink star Lisa pays Chinatown shopkeepers US$540 each to shut street for video shoot

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3268702/blackpink-star-lisa-pays-chinatown-shopkeepers-us540-each-shut-street-video-shoot?utm_source=rss_feed

Famous Thai singer Lisa of the K-pop group Blackpink has paid shopkeepers 20,000 baht (US$540) each so that she could close down a bustling Bangkok Chinatown street to shoot a music video.

Lisa, whose real name is Lalisa Manoban, released a new solo Rockstar and the accompanying music video on June 28, news outlet sina.com.cn reported.

The song, which blends contemporary R&B with hip-hop, is her first solo track released by her newly founded company LLOUD after she left her previous talent agent YG.

“I’m so thrilled that I can finally share my new single Rockstar with you guys,” Lisa, 27, said on Instagram.

“I’ve been working on this project for quite some time and had so much fun while preparing this. Thank you for your patience and I am really happy to celebrate this together with you all,” she wrote in Instagram.

The music video (MV) was shot on Yaowarat Road, often referred to as Bangkok’s Chinatown, and features a vibrant street food scene and bustling atmosphere.

Lisa’s team completely shut down the area from 2am to 5am, a period when shops would typically be closed, for three days in May, according to Singapore-based news website MS News.

She offered to give each shop owner 20,000 baht (US$540) and even passers-by 1,000 baht for any disturbance caused by the video shoot.

The compensation amounts to more than a month’s salary in Thailand.

After making its debut on the morning of June 28, Rockstar soon soared to the top of the list of solo artists with the most views, 32.4 million, on YouTube in the first 24 hours of its release.

This eclipsed Taylor Swift, whose song Fortnight, released months ago, received a combined total of 19.5 million in 24 hours.

Lisa, who has a large fan base in Asia, has received singing and dancing training in South Korea since she was a teenager.

She often showcases Thai culture, including food, fashion and tourist attractions. She is widely recognised as a tool of soft power for the country and most of her team are from the country.

The Thai news outlet Khao Sod English reported that the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is an expert on international business, told local officials in Bangkok to prepare to promote food in Yaowarat Road to capitalise on Lisa’s video.

Mainland social media is also abuzz with the release.

“I like this song that is full of power. But I don’t like her new appearance because it’s a bit greasy,” said one person on Douyin.

But another commented: “Lisa previously had a style of being pure and sweet, a prominent feature for South Korean stars. Now she is more wild and natural. It’s good that she can be herself now.”

Another person was attracted by the street views in the MV and said: “There are so many billboards in Chinese. I hope I can visit there someday.”

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Old wives’ tales: food choices of China mothers-to-be signal baby’s gender

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3268306/old-wives-tales-food-choices-china-mothers-be-signal-babys-gender?utm_source=rss_feed

“Sour for boys, spicy for girls”, or suan nan la nu in Mandarin, is a popular old wives’ tale in China used to predict the gender of unborn babies based on changes to the mother’s diet during pregnancy.

Many people believe that if an expectant mother prefers sour foods, a boy is on the way, while spicy foods point to a girl.

But does the belief actually translate into reality?

The Post finds out.

The favouring sons over daughters is deeply rooted in China.

Influenced by traditional Confucian thought, males are seen to continue the family line.

When the mainland was a largely agrarian economy males were more physically well suited to be the backbone of the family.

This belief persists despite modern ideas about gender equality.

Some family members celebrate if a pregnant woman craves sour foods, believing it predicts a son and secures the family line.

Cravings for spicy foods may suggest a daughter. This can affect how the mother-to-be is treated, and in extreme cases even pressure to have an abortion.

By the end of last year, there were over 30 million more males than females in the country, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

The imbalance has led to a surplus of males, many of whom are unable to marry or establish families.

It will come as no surprise that the above beliefs have no scientific basis.

Tencent Medipedia, a Chinese medical science popularisation website, wrote on Weibo that the baby’s gender is already determined after pregnancy, and taste preferences have nothing to do with it.

Experts say that women may indeed experience appetite changes during pregnancy, but this is simply a physiological phenomenon.

Substances secreted by the placenta during pregnancy inhibit gastric enzyme secretion, often causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.

These symptoms can be alleviated by consuming acidic foods, so pregnant women often develop a preference for sour tastes.

In China, it is illegal for doctors to inform expectant mothers of the baby’s gender. Routine prenatal checks only assess the overall development of the unborn child.

One supporter of the old saying said: “It’s hard not to believe this. When I had a son, I loved to eat sour plums. When I had a daughter, I really loved spicy hotpot.”

Another online observer took a different view: “Let’s believe in science. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, I will give my unborn child the best of everything.”

There are many old sayings about predicting the gender of an unborn baby in China.

One says that if an expectant mother has a round belly, this signifies a girl, while a pointed belly suggests it is a boy. But medical experts have debunked this.

The shape of the belly depends on the mother’s body type, fat content and pelvic shape.

Another unscientific belief suggests that if a woman is carrying a boy, her skin will become rough and dull, whereas if she is carrying a girl, her skin will stay smooth.

Skin conditions are solely related to hormone levels during pregnancy.

‘Non-aligned’ sanctuary Malaysia reels in Chinese data centres despite geopolitical risks

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3268752/non-aligned-sanctuary-malaysia-reels-chinese-data-centres-despite-geopolitical-risks?utm_source=rss_feed

Malaysia’s abundance of cheap land – especially in Johor – low building costs, tax breaks and proximity to Singapore are luring Chinese firms from ByteDance to GDS to set up data centres.

But experts warn any escalation in the US-China tech and trade war could derail its ambitions to become the leading Southeast Asian hub handling vast amounts of data and computing power generated by the push into artificial intelligence.

Malaysia has secured billions in funding from American tech titans Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services and is now looking east for fresh investments in the data centre market as part of its move up the value chain from a manufacturing base.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has already set up a base in Malaysia and is looking to turn the country into a regional AI hub, flanked by a 1.5 billion ringgit (US$317 million) expansion of its existing data centre.

Chinese IT service and data centre operator GDS launched its first regional data centre last August in Johor.

Proximity to Singapore and readily available open, cheap land is Malaysia’s winning ticket, experts say, particularly its Johor state which borders the vastly more expensive city state where space is at a premium.

Malaysia’s Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli says his country is courting potential Chinese investors interested in entering the Southeast Asian market.

“We are looking to expedite Malaysia’s transition from the back-end part of the semiconductor industry to the front end,” with integrated-circuit design and data centres, Rafizi told Bloomberg last Wednesday at the World Economic Forum’s summer gathering in Dalian, China.

Malaysia is already a key player in the global semiconductor industry, supplying 13 per cent of total demand in the assembly, packaging and testing sector, according to government data.

Now it is positioning itself as a “non-aligned” sanctuary to do business as geopolitics shapes supply-chain decisions.

This comes as Silicon Valley giants including Google, along with Chinese tech conglomerates such as Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, are making a big push to expand in Southeast Asia, which is home to 700 million people and whose economies are collectively worth over US$3.8 trillion.

This is largely driven by government initiatives such as free zones to meet industrial requirements, as well as the country’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030, which shifts the country’s economic focus towards the digital economy and drives its technology sector up the value chain.

Singapore-based Hinrich Foundation, however, cautioned that China’s global digital expansion introduces risk, amid escalating US-China geopolitical tension, with China framing its data challenges as national security challenges.

In a report on China’s “quest for asymmetric dominance” in data centres published on June 25, the foundation said any restrictions on China’s digital activity going forward by the United States were likely to be treated as threats to China’s security by Beijing.

“In any such flare-up, commercial actors are likely to be caught in the crossfire,” the report said. “So are third-party economies, including those in Southeast Asia, where the US and China compete for influence.”

Report co-author Emily de La Bruyere is also a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington lobby group.

For Malaysia, pulling in big tech bets from China and the West is a good hedge in an uncertain world, according to Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

“It is quite difficult for either contending side to impose sanctions or boycotts on IT products and services from Malaysia, as they do not have many other alternatives to place their investments,” Oh argued.

There is also the green cost of data centres, which is becoming an increasingly sharp issue, with the potential to erode the clean-energy goals of Southeast Asian nations housing the largest energy-burning centres.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the sole power provider for Peninsular Malaysia, estimates a growth of up to 130 per cent in global electricity consumption of data centres and AI by 2026, accounting for 2 per cent of the total global energy demand.

In its report from May, TNB said it received more than 70 supply applications from data centre customers with a total maximum demand of more than 11,000 megawatts.

Singapore, with over 70 data centres operating at 1.4 gigawatts, remains cautious of the high energy use of data centres after lifting a four-year moratorium on new data centre builds, emphasising green data centres with lower carbon emissions to support its net-zero targets.

Malaysia-based political risk analyst Adib Zalkapli said aside from the restriction, favourable cost in Malaysia was also another attraction to investors.

“[The lower cost attracts] not just the Chinese but also an Australian data centre in Johor,” Adib said.

Cushman & Wakefield’s recent Asia Pacific Data Centre Construction Cost Guide cited Singapore’s land and construction cost as being the highest in the region, trailed by China, including Hong Kong.

The cost of land in Malaysia’s capital, however, costs US$1,471 per square metre compared to over US$20,000 in Singapore, while the cost of construction of a “prestige quality” data centre is US$4 million cheaper per megawatt in the former.

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China gifts Pacific nation of Vanuatu sweeping new presidential palace

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3268798/china-gifts-pacific-nation-vanuatu-sweeping-new-presidential-palace?utm_source=rss_feed

The government of cash-strapped Vanuatu will soon settle into a suite of new buildings funded by China, a move likely to reignite concerns about Beijing’s reach in the South Pacific nation.

At an official handover ceremony conducted in front of a towering China Aid sign, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai announced the opening of the nation’s sweeping new presidential palace.

The project also included the construction of a new finance ministry and renovations to Vanuatu’s foreign affairs department, China’s embassy said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Australia’s Lowy Institute think tank estimated China had spent upwards of US$21 million on construction, a significant sum for an aid project in the developing nation of around 300,000 people.

China’s embassy said the project had gifted Vanuatu “another landmark building”, while symbolising a new “milestone” in their increasingly warm relationship.

A Chinese delegation handed Salwai an oversized novelty golden key – also emblazoned with “China Aid” – kicking off a festive opening ceremony replete with Chinese dragon dancers and the brewing of the ceremonial kava drink.

Local media reported that hundreds of public servants would work, rent free, inside the new buildings.

Vanuatu is heavily indebted to China: about 40 per cent of its external debt is owed to China’s Exim bank, according to the Lowy Institute.

China has funded a swathe of major infrastructure upgrades across the archipelago, part of an intensifying scramble for influence pitting Beijing against Western rivals.

Beijing’s ambassador to Vanuatu, Li Minggang, has said that China is ready and willing to “step up pragmatic cooperation in this field”.

But there are fears that Vanuatu and other Pacific states such as Tonga and Solomon Islands are increasingly vulnerable to what critics have described as China’s “debt-trap diplomacy”.

China’s fake Terracotta Army site tricks student, sparks outrage online

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3267313/chinas-fake-terracotta-army-site-tricks-student-sparks-outrage-online?utm_source=rss_feed

A recent incident in which a Chinese secondary school student was duped into visiting a counterfeit Terracotta Warrior site has ignited outrage on mainland social media.

The Terracotta Army, a Unesco World Heritage site since 1987, located in Xian, Shaanxi province in central China, is a remarkable collection of sculptures representing the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.

That was where a secondary school student, identified as Xiaozeng and whose gender was not disclosed, thought they were going to visit on June 15.

After the college gaokao entrance exams, Xiaozeng took a trip to Xian hoping to visit the famous site but instead was taken by a local taxi driver to a site called “Dreaming Back of Qin dynasty.”

The deceitful driver promoted the site by claiming that “visitors are even allowed to take photos with the sculptures and touch them”.

“The driver assured me, ‘these are the Terracotta Warriors. Just go down and you’ll see the underground palace’,” Xiaozeng said.

However, after exiting and checking the official WeChat account, the student realised the difference and knew they had been tricked.

The counterfeit site, located about two kilometres from the real one, charged 198 yuan (US$28) for an adult ticket and 98 yuan for a student ticket – higher than the real site’s 120 yuan and 60 yuan.

Following the revelation of the deception, a representative from Xian Municipal Administration of Cultural and Tourism told Hubei Media Group: “This is a procedural issue, not something we ignore. For complaints, please call 12345.”

A member of staff from the Lintong District Transportation Comprehensive Law Enforcement Team had received other complaints about such drivers, primarily those operating unlicenced cars.

Following a complaint to the Xian mayor’s hotline, the site refunded the tickets to Xiaozeng and classmates who were also duped.

People calling for stricter enforcement to protect the integrity of their heritage sites, have expressed outrage online.

“I hope the authorities take this seriously and protect the reputation of the Terracotta Warriors. We cannot let a few unscrupulous individuals tarnish its image,” one person said.

“This is disgraceful for Xian. How can they fake one of the world’s eight wonders? The authorities must severely punish those responsible for such deceptive practices,” said another.

Discussions also highlighted another fake tourist site in Xian called the “Museum of the Eight Wonders of the World”.

The venue has replicas of the Sphinx of Egypt and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon as well as Terracotta Warriors.

Online observers also revealed that a bus looking just like the one going to the genuine Terracotta Warriors site has been created to boost visitors to the Eight Wonders museum.

Everything from the bus stop to the ticket seller and ticket prices have been replicated to mirror those of the real bus.

“The entire experience of travelling in Xian felt like being in the movie ‘Mission: Impossible’,” one person said.

“I just realised that the Terracotta Warriors I saw years ago were fake. Initially, their odd appearance and the inclusion of colourful warriors really puzzled me,” said another.

“I thought the ancient craftsmen were just not skilled enough, and I even believed the government had preserved them so well that some colourful warriors had survived. It was all a scam. I’ve been fooled for years,” they added.

Matrix Partners rebrands China venture unit amid geopolitical tensions, after Sequoia, GGV

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3268763/matrix-partners-rebrands-china-venture-unit-amid-geopolitical-tensions-after-sequoia-ggv?utm_source=rss_feed

US venture capital firm Matrix Partners has rebranded its regional entities in India and China, stopping short of a full spin-off à la Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital, amid a deepening technology divide between the US and China.

The venture firm said its India operations are now called Z47, while the China affiliate will be renamed simply MPC, shortening it from Matrix Partners China, the investor announced in a statement published to its website on Saturday. The original US entity will keep the Matrix Partners name.

The move is meant to emphasise the localisation efforts of regional teams, which are organisationally independent from each other, Matrix said in its statement. “Each team’s leadership has operated with separate decision-making and separate back offices from inception,” it added.

MPC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The company told local Chinese media The Paper that “the change of logo doesn’t bring substantial change to Matrix”, and it will end issues stemming from confusion around the shared English name.

Matrix’s move to clearly delineate its regional operations is the latest in a string of similar efforts by US-originated venture firms to distance themselves from China affiliates amid the deepened divide between the two countries. US efforts to curb investment into China in sensitive hi-tech areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence have dampened some investors’ appetite for the market, reshaping the global investment landscape.

US venture fund Sequoia Capital’s abrupt decision to split its global operations into three geographic units – also split between the US, India and China – epitomises the efforts by US-based investment firms to escape escalating political scrutiny under the administration of US President Joe Biden.

More than just a name change, Sequoia China was completely spun off as a separate company and renamed HongShan.

Sequoia acknowledged in June last year when announcing the split that “it has become increasingly complex to run a decentralised global investment business”, although it avoided any mention of geopolitics.

After the Sequoia split, Silicon Valley-based BlueRun and GGV Capital followed suit. BlueRun rebranded its China operations similar to Matrix, while GGV split into two separate companies, Notable Capital and Granite Asia.

Matrix Partners is among the earliest batch of US venture firms to set up shop in China. It launched there in 2008, well ahead of the mobile internet boom, and the unit today manages 70 billion yuan (US$9.6 billion) in assets.

The firm’s early access to the Chinese market helped it capture the growth of some of the largest tech unicorns in the world’s largest internet market. It has profited off of food delivery giant Ele.me, which was later acquired by Post owner Alibaba Group Holding, and ride-hailing powerhouse Didi Chuxing. It also invested in two of China’s biggest electric vehicle start-ups, Li Auto and Xpeng, which are now considered the major domestic rivals of Tesla.

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