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• China’s ‘most potent’ naval warplane set to appear at Zhuhai air show
• Hopes dim for China and US space agencies to exchange moon samples
• Indonesian leader Prabowo Subinato urged to join China in leading Global South
• Chinese leader Xi Jinping gives moon dust to visiting Italian President Sergio Mattarella
• China, US militaries hold fresh talks to manage risks as South China Sea tensions grow
• Anxious wait for Chinese students in US to learn Trump’s plans for immigration
• China’s property developers from Vanke to Longfor see October sales surge
• Welcoming Chinese visitors: can Nepal cash in on Beijing’s tourism campaign?
• Man pays China lover to burn old marital bed in ‘new-start ritual’, then she vanishes
• In China’s cities, rampaging boars a growing menace as wild pig population soars
• Hong Kong police warn of scams targeting mainland Chinese students after fake kidnapping
• Europe seeks ‘normal, fair’ China trade ties in wake of Trump win: EU envoy Jorge Toledo
• Man arrested after 9 people stabbed over 2 days in Seattle’s Chinatown
• China’s inflation edges up in October, but pressure remains despite monetary easing
• Chinese internet censors ban anti-West firebrand Sima Nan for a year
• Scholars debunk myth of Roman settlement in China after DNA tests, doubt still draws tourists
• China’s stimulus strategy, while not ‘whatever it takes’, is seen as long and intact
• Chinese student accused of voting illegally in US ‘stood mute’ in court

China’s ‘most potent’ naval warplane set to appear at Zhuhai air show

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3285911/chinas-most-potent-naval-warplane-set-appear-zhuhai-air-show?utm_source=rss_feed

An advanced Chinese carrier-based warplane is set to make its maiden appearance at the country’s largest airshow.

The fourth-generation J-15D is equipped with technology designed to counter radar and missile systems and has been described by one military news portal as the world’s “most potent carrier-based electronic attack aircraft”.

“Compared with the traditional J-15, the main improvement of the J-15D lies in the upgraded avionics and weapon systems, and optimised airframe structure. So it has more powerful combat capability, and can also better adapted to the requirements of the new aircraft carriers,” Li Jian, a navy specialist, told state-owned broadcaster CCTV.

The J-15, also known as the Flying Shark, is based on the Soviet Su-33 and the planes are currently stationed on the Liaoning and Shandong carriers.

According to Pentagon reports, the two-seat aircraft is designed to carry out long-range anti-ship and ground attacks and is equipped with electronic intelligence-gathering pods.

Military Watch Magazine, said the J-15D is expected to “significantly improve survivability by jamming enemy sensors, while also providing a highly potent asset for air defence suppression”.

It added that the J-15D is “very likely the world’s most potent carrier-based electronic attack aircraft”. The plane is expected to be among those stationed on the Fujian, the country’s most advanced carrier, once it finishes sea trials.

The Fujian is equipped with an electromagentic catapult launch system and two catapult-launched fighters – the J-15T and J-15B – which will also appear at the Zhuhai air show are likely to be stationed there too.

A J15-D and J-15T were pictured this weekend taking part in a training flight in the skies above Guangdong this weekend.

The air show will also feature China’s two stealth fighters – the J-20 and the J-35. The latter will be making its first appearance in public, confirming China as the country other than the United States to have two types of stealth fighters.

The event, which starts on Tuesday and runs until Sunday, will also feature the HQ-19 surface-to-air missile, the Z-9F anti-submarine helicopter and Y-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft.

The Marine Corps will also make its debut at the event, showcasing its Z-20J shipborne helicopter and Z-8C transport helicopter.

The air show, officially known as the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, will also see an appearance by Russia’s only stealth fighter, the Su-57, and the country’s aerobatics team, the Russian Knights.

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Hopes dim for China and US space agencies to exchange moon samples

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3285725/hopes-dim-china-and-us-space-agencies-exchange-moon-samples?utm_source=rss_feed

Hopes are fading that the US will respond to a Chinese offer to exchange moon samples, with no word yet from Nasa on what it could swap.

Space officials in the two countries have been negotiating Chinese access to Apollo lunar samples in exchange for Chang’e-5 samples being loaned to US scientists. But while China is ready to share their moon rocks, the request for the American samples remains unanswered, people familiar with the matter said this week.

“Basically, the Americans want our lunar samples, but we can’t have theirs,” said two Chinese planetary geologists, one based in Beijing and the other in Hong Kong, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nasa has not responded to the Post’s request for comment. It remains unclear how much longer the negotiations will last and whether the outcome could affect Beijing’s willingness to loan its samples.

Sample exchanges are common among space powers. In recent years, the US and Japan have traded asteroid samples, and last year China and Russia shared their moon samples just.

In 1978, the US offered China 1 gram (0.03 ounces) of Apollo 17 samples as a goodwill gesture on the eve of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the countries.

However, since 2011, Nasa has been restricted by the Wolf Amendment, a US law that prevents direct collaboration with China in space projects unless Congress gives special authorisation.

After the China National Space Administration (CNSA) issued a global call for applications to study its Chang’e-5 moon samples last year, Nasa worked with Congress to create an exception to the Wolf Amendment so that Nasa-funded scientists could apply.

The Chinese samples are enticing to US scientists. They were collected in 2020 from Mons Rümker, a large volcanic complex on the moon’s near side, and “originate from regions of the moon not yet sampled by Nasa, and are expected to provide valuable new scientific insight on the geological history of the moon,” according to a leaked internal email at the time.

“Applying for samples will ensure that United States researchers have the same research opportunities as scientists around the world,” the email read.

In April, 10 international applicants – five from the US – were interviewed by CNSA for their research proposals. The interview results were ready by June but have not been made public due to ongoing negotiations between CNSA and Nasa.

The two space agencies had been discussing the “terms” of Beijing’s loan agreement, Nasa director Bill Nelson told Reuters last month, adding that he had assured US lawmakers the talks “would not pose national security concerns”.

China did intend to use such an opportunity to help its scientists gain greater access to Apollo samples, one source noted. A team of Chinese researchers was asked to put together a list of samples the community is interested in obtaining from Nasa, said the source who was part of the team.

That list included rocks from Apollo 15 and 17 missions, as well as a more recent Nasa mission to collect samples from the asteroid Bennu.

Clive Neal, a planetary geologist at the University of Notre Dame, said he had proposed a US-China lunar sample exchange to Nasa over a year ago and was glad to see it being discussed.

“It’s encouraging that this is even being talked about,” he said. “I hope an agreement can be reached for an exchange for Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 samples.”

Quentin Parker, an astrophysicist at the University of Hong Kong, praised China for “openhandedly” offering to share its Chang’e-5 rocks with the US, especially given that China had returned only a few kilograms of lunar materials so far, compared with the 382kg (842 pounds) collected by the US.

“I hope and pray that Nasa would be willing to share some of its much larger sample size with China for the good of scientific research, as clearly no one country has a monopoly on scientific expertise, insights and capacity,” Parker said.

Sharing samples could also be the basis of rebuilding scientific cooperation and trust between the two key nations, he said.

“Even if Nasa does not share, China can still pay it forward, as it were – sending a powerful message that tit-for-tat brinkmanship is not always the outcome, but generosity of spirit and a willingness to share regardless are signs of true strength and humanity,” Parker said.

Nelson expressed optimism in his interview with Reuters, predicting that the talks would “end positively”, with China agreeing to provide access to Chang’e-5 samples.

Once negotiations conclude, all other international applicants from Britain, Germany, France, Japan and Pakistan who passed the interview are also expected to receive Chang’e-5 samples from CNSA.

US scientists can already access data on China’s lunar samples by collaborating with China-led teams, according to planetary geologist Yuqi Qian from the University of Hong Kong.

“If they receive loaned samples from the CNSA, a US scientist can conduct analyses as the principal investigator – that’s the major difference,” Qian said.

The outcome of the Nasa-CNSA negotiations may also affect the international application of Chang’e-6 samples retrieved from the moon’s far side this year.

Earlier this month, CNSA opened the first round of domestic applications for Chang’e-6 samples, which are expected to hold high scientific value due to their unique origin.

As all previous lunar samples returned by the US, former Soviet Union and China came exclusively from the moon’s near side, the Chang’e-6 material could shed fresh light on long-standing questions about the moon and the early history of the solar system.

Indonesian leader Prabowo Subinato urged to join China in leading Global South

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285918/indonesian-leader-prabowo-subinato-urged-join-china-leading-global-south?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said Indonesia should join Beijing in leading the Global South as the country’s new leader Prabowo Subinato visited the country this weekend.

“As large developing countries and key members of the Global South, China and Indonesia should jointly promote Asian values centred on peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration,” Xi said.

“[China and Indonesia should] lead the Global South in solidarity and self-improvement, and promote the development of global governance in a more just and rational direction”.

Prabowo, who was making his first trip abroad since being sworn in last month, said Indonesia was committed to a “non-aligned foreign policy” and did not want to “ join any military alliance or coterie against third parties”.

The leader of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country also thanked China for its position on the war in the Middle East, saying Beijing “upholds justice and righteousness”, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

He also met Premier Li Qiang, and Zhao Leji, the country’s No.3 official, during his visit.

Xi and Prabowo also vowed to further strengthen economic cooperation. Xi emphasised the digital economy, advanced manufacturing, and recycling as well as the Belt and Road Initiative, his transcontinental infrastructure project.

He also said the two countries should cooperate on “infrastructure, energy and mining, medicine, agriculture, housing, joint development of the sea, food security, and poverty reduction”.

Prabowo, who has said Indonesia should adopt a non-aligned position internationally, will next visit the United States – where he is expected to meet President Joe Biden and possibly Donald Trump – before travelling to Peru and Brazil for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Group of 20 summits.

He has expressed a willingness to join Brics, the bloc of emerging economics - a move that his predecessor Joko Widodo had resisted.

However, the South China Sea has threatened to overshadow the first week of his presidency.

Indonesian coastguards escorted Chinese ships away from the Nantua islands three times last week for “disrupting” oil and gas exploration activities.

Indonesia claims the waters as part of its exclusive economic zone, but China said its coastguard ship was on patrol in waters that are under its jurisdiction.

China has been Indonesia’s biggest trading partner for more than a decade. According to the most recent figures from the commerce ministry in Beijing, it accounted for more than 20 per cent of Indonesian imports and exports in 2022.

Some of the heaviest Chinese investment in the country has been in sectors such as new energy and natural resources, especially nickel.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping gives moon dust to visiting Italian President Sergio Mattarella

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285899/chinese-leader-xi-jinping-gives-moon-dust-visiting-italian-president-sergio-mattarella?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping has given his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella a collection of soil taken from the moon by the Chang’e-5 lunar probe.

The gifts included 1 gram of samples scooped and drilled from the moon for research purposes and another 0.3 micrograms of soil held inside an ornament, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Mattarella is on a six-day visit to China, which ends on Tuesday. Last year Italy, which was the only Group of 7 country to sign up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, pulled out of the infrastructure project.

China has previously given French and Russian Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin lunar soil. The Chang’e-5 samples are the youngest-ever soil brought back to Earth, offering insights into the moon’s recent history.

The country’s most recent lunar expedition, Chang’e-6 brought back samples from the far side of the moon and Beijing has invited international scientists to study them.

Xi and Mattarella also inspected a collection of Chinese cultural relics that had been returned from Italy as part of an agreement to prevent the illegal sale of historic items.

China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration said on Friday that Italy has returned 56 cultural relics and artworks to China.

They include painted Neolithic pottery from the Majiayao Culture as well as items from celebrated dynasties such as the Han and Tang and the Mongol era.

The Italian presidency is a largely ceremonial role and the decision to leave the Belt and Road Initiative was taken by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year.

During the meeting with Mattarella on Friday, Xi said both countries should continue cultural exchanges and cooperation, mentioning the Medieval Venetian explorer Marco Polo.

“In the 13th century, the great Italian traveller perceived and depicted China without any prejudice, opening a door for the Western world to learn about China,” Xi said.

“As two ancient civilisations, China and Italy should carry forward our traditions of openness and inclusiveness, encourage the international community to resolve differences through dialogues and transcend conflicts with cooperation, while building a harmonious world together,” he said.

Mattarella said his country considers China an important cooperation partner and would strengthen cooperation in fields such as science and technology, and trade, according to CCTV.

“Through the cultural cooperation mechanism … we will strengthen the friendship between our nations, lay a solid foundation for harmonious coexistence and inject momentum into our joint efforts to address global challenges,” he said, according to CCTV.

China, US militaries hold fresh talks to manage risks as South China Sea tensions grow

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285896/china-us-militaries-hold-fresh-talks-manage-risks-south-china-sea-tensions-grow?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese and US military officials have held fresh talks on air and maritime safety, to prevent “unintended escalation” amid mounting tensions in the region including the South China Sea.

The talks, held in the coastal Chinese city of Qingdao from Wednesday to Friday, involved officials from US military services including the Indo-Pacific Command, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Air Forces, as well as the Chinese navy and air force.

According to a statement from the US Indo-Pacific Command, the American delegation was led by Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy at the command. The Chinese team was led by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rear Admiral Qiang Wang, assistant to the chief of staff of the PLA Navy Headquarters.

The officials met under the US-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA), a framework established more than 25 years ago but suspended in 2022 over Washington’s high-level engagement with Taiwan.

The framework was revived in April and this week’s talks included both semi-annual MMCA working group meetings and the annual plenary session.

The US statement said the working group provided a platform for military officials to discuss “operational safety and professionalism” as well as the “norms and standards that facilitate the safe operation of military forces in the air and maritime domain”.

Both sides reviewed operation interactions between their forces and discussed best safety practices, it added.

Bargeron was quoted as saying that the working group and plenary session continued “direct discussions on air and maritime operation safety with the PLA … to reduce the risk of accidents that might prompt an unintended escalation”.

“As the United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific wherever international law allows … these meetings serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception, miscalculation, or accidents, and therefore help foster stability within the [US-China] military-to-military relationship,” he said.

The talks followed a similar round of discussions held in Hawaii in April – the first MMCA working group talks since Beijing halted the framework in August 2022 in a furious reaction to then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan despite several warnings against such a move.

The thaw came after a presidential summit in November 2023, when Xi Jinping and Joe Biden agreed to reopen direct military-to-military communication at several levels.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. The US, like most countries, does not recognise the self-governed island as an independent state but is opposed to any attempt to take Taiwan by force and is committed to arming it.

Latest efforts on both sides to get military-level communication back on an even keel included a video call between the respective theatre commanders in September, the first such talks since the 2022 fallout.

This week’s MMCA talks come amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea, marked by clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels.

On Friday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr enacted the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act to assert his country’s sea boundaries and rights to maritime resources, a move that drew condemnation from China.

Beijing said the two new laws breached Chinese rights in the South China Sea. It called on Manila to “immediately stop any unilateral actions that could escalate disputes” and also summoned the Philippine ambassador to “lodge stern representations”.

The Philippines is among several Southeast Asian countries whose territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of Beijing, which claims most of the vast, resource-rich waterway.

The US, a long-time treaty ally of the Philippines, has pledged to defend Manila against any attack in the South China Sea.

Anxious wait for Chinese students in US to learn Trump’s plans for immigration

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285761/anxious-wait-chinese-students-us-learn-trumps-plans-immigration?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese students studying in the United States watched Donald Trump’s historic comeback to the White House with anxiety, worrying about their ability to stay in the country.

Given Trump’s record of restrictive legal immigration and visa policies, the possibility looms large of fresh immigration rules that hinder foreign students.

Several Chinese students in the US expressed scant hope of any supportive changes to immigration policy from the next administration.

“Trump has not yet taken office nor implemented any specific restrictive measures, leaving much uncertain. Nevertheless, my friends and I are mentally preparing ourselves for, potentially, even harsher developments ahead,” said Jennifer Zhang, a software engineer from Fujian working at a tech company in Silicon Valley.

Although Trump has always claimed he targets illegal immigration, Zhang said she believed he could not achieve this end and could only strictly scrutinise the visas used for legal immigration.

In contrast, President Joe Biden streamlined the system, reversing some of Trump’s policies and dramatically improving the process for H-1B visa applicants.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa category in the US that allows local employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations, such as technology or mathematics.

According to data from the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration research organisation, the initial denial rate for the visa, which had soared to a staggering 24 per cent in 2018, plummeted to 2 per cent by 2022 when Biden was in office.

Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a non-partisan public policy research organisation focusing on immigration, wrote in Forbes this week that Trump was likely to maintain his hardline approach to immigration.

According to Anderson, anticipated policies could further complicate the visa process for international graduates, introducing more hurdles to secure employment visas and potentially driving those waiting for job-based green cards to abandon their American aspirations after long periods of uncertainty.

Trump’s first term in the White House, which ended in January 2021, left incoming students and graduates who wished to stay in the US grappling with a troublesome and prolonged visa application process.

In mid-2020, Trump issued an executive order that barred many types of employment and immigration visas until the end of that year, further limiting the ability of companies to hire foreign workers. Senior officials at the time described these measures as essential to safeguard American workers, which had seen considerable job losses in the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At that time, the Trump administration frustrated the H-1B visa application process significantly, leading to a rise in rejection rates and extra paperwork for petitions.

Zhang’s concerns are widely echoed by other Chinese nationals hoping to continue working or studying in the country. Lynne Que said it was difficult to know what Trump’s immigration policies might be, but she thought “the overarching trend will undoubtedly lean towards more stringent measures”.

“I acknowledge that America is excellent – a land brimming with opportunities, higher salaries and home to the world’s leading industries. But if it becomes untenable to stay after graduation, I am open to exploring other possibilities and will not stubbornly refuse to leave here,” said Que, who arrived in the US in September for a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University.

During Trump’s first presidency, his administration sought to introduce policies that would significantly increase the minimum wage for H-1B visa holders, mandating that minimum salaries for foreign-born professionals be set much higher than those typically paid to US employees.

The Department of Homeland Security tried to refine the definition of “speciality occupation” in late 2020, stipulating that a position must require a degree in a directly related speciality to qualify. The administration also announced its intention to eliminate the rule that allowed spouses of H-1B visa holders to work.

While these initiatives were either blocked by courts or postponed by the Biden administration, they may serve as precursors to stricter policies during Trump’s second term.

Zhang, studying computer science at Northeastern University, expressed deep concerns about the potential reintroduction of restrictive policies.

As she looked closer at Trump’s immigration stance during the campaign, she became anxious, particularly at the possibility that her two-year Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension could be revoked.

The OPT programme allows international students to work in the US for 12 months after graduation, with an additional 24-month extension for STEM graduates.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that external political advisers – such as Stephen Miller, who shaped Trump’s first-term immigration policy in the White House, and research institutes – had been drafting executive orders, regulations, and memos. These documents are being prepared for a future homeland security secretary to sign, aimed at restricting legal immigration paths.

The report added that Miller is expected to have a senior government position in a future Trump administration. In 2015, Miller wrote a bill for senators, which suggested eliminating the OPT.

Zhang said: “Especially if Trump’s Republican Party wins control of both the US Senate and House, he could indeed introduce more restrictive policies with less resistance.

“In such a case, I am left with no recourse but to hope he refrains from doing so or betting on … H-1B by lottery.”

H-1B visas are distributed not on the basis of merit but through a lottery. Each year, the US federal government apportions 85,000 H-1B visas to employers nationwide via a randomised selection process, with a less than 30 per cent chance of being selected. It includes a special quota of 20,000 visas for people with advanced degrees from US institutions.

According to Zhang, if conditions worsened, her only viable option might be to try to move to Canada via her tech company.

“That is the extent of what I am capable of doing in response to the worst situation. Beyond that, my hands are tied,” she said.

Another what-if that troubles Que is the abrupt introduction of rules that could stop people with OPT or other work visas from re-entering the US.

“My primary concerns centre on scenarios such as potential restrictive rules imposed by Trump when I’m travelling back to China, for instance, during my winter break. I may encounter issues if I depart and then try to re-enter the US,” Que said. She also worried about being scrutinised by customs on her return to the US.

A similar situation occurred when Trump issued Proclamation 10043 in 2020, barring higher-degree Chinese students and researchers associated with entities that support China’s military-civil fusion strategy from entering the US. Several Chinese students who were outside the US at that time were left scrambling and could not return to the country.

If the policy is revived, Chinese students may not have the option of leaving – even temporarily – if they seek to stay in America, according to Que.

Lawrence Jin, a 23-year-old studying mass communication at a state university in Florida, was worried not only about stricter immigration regulations but also an escalation and spread of policies unfriendly to China.

For example, starting last year, Florida state universities banned all devices using a university Wi-fi network from accessing several foreign-owned apps, including TikTok and WeChat, which are popular among Chinese.

Furthermore, a Florida state law enacted in July last year bars public universities from accepting funding from or collaborating with entities in China and six other “countries of concern”. This legislation also thwarts faculties that want to employ Chinese graduate students and postdoctoral students in their research laboratories.

“What I am also extremely worried about is his hostile attitude towards the Chinese and the broader Asian community, which could lead to increased discrimination and hatred against Asians, similar to what occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Jin said of Trump.

During the pandemic period, Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric – particularly his references to the coronavirus as the “China virus” – is believed to have fuelled anti-Asian sentiment in the country.

Ray Wang, a PhD candidate studying astronomy and astrophysics in Michigan, said he had a “wait-and-see approach” towards potential changes to visa policies because Trump’s behaviour was “quite unpredictable”.

Trump caught many off guard when he proposed during a tech podcast in June that international students graduating from US colleges should automatically receive a green card. His campaign later retracted it.

“Trump can only serve at most for another four years. The future beyond that remains uncertain. What we can do is to take things as they come because policies are always changing,” Wang said.

Jin’s advice to those considering studies in the US is to reflect on their underlying reasons for doing so.

“If immigration is the ultimate aim, thorough mental preparation for the forthcoming hurdles is needed. For those already living in the US, a deep and clear understanding of current policies is essential,” he said.

“We face a path that is both lengthy and fraught with difficulties.”

China’s property developers from Vanke to Longfor see October sales surge

https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3285894/chinas-property-developers-vanke-longfor-see-october-sales-surge?utm_source=rss_feed

Improved property sales in October have given China’s cash-strapped developers more breathing room, as Beijing’s recent economic stimulus measures, which include mortgage rate cuts for homeowners, bolstered market confidence.

China Vanke on Friday posted a 23 per cent month-on-month increase in contracted sales to 21.4 billion yuan (US$2.98 billion) in October. Beijing-based Longfor Group, one of the country’s top 10 developers by sales, posted a 37 per cent rise in contracted sales to 11.2 billion yuan.

China Jinmao, a subsidiary of state-owned Sinochem Corporation, saw a nearly 66 per cent surge in contracted sales from the previous month to 11.6 billion yuan.

“October’s sales data reflected the release of pent-up demand driven by the central bank’s rate cut and delays caused by the pandemic,” said Shen Meng, director at the Beijing-based investment firm Chanson & Company.

The sales data comes after the standing committee of China’s top legislature on Friday approved an additional 6 trillion yuan bond quota to help reduce local governments’ hidden debt and shore up the economy.

The Ministry of Finance also pledged to “support relevant tax policies for the healthy development of the property market”, while acknowledging that special bonds could be used to acquire idle land and reduce excess housing inventory.

The land acquisition policy could “play a positive role in mitigating risks associated with the land inventories of distressed property developers”, said Yan Juejin, vice-president of the Shanghai-based E-House China Real Estate Research Institute.

“Additionally, the acquisition of existing commercial housing to be repurposed as affordable housing helps absorb current or near-complete housing inventory while actively increasing the supply of affordable housing,” he said.

Still, declines in longer-term economic indicators, such as net population growth and number of newly married couples, will pose ongoing challenges to the recovery of the property market, according to Shen.

Government-backed Vanke’s cumulative sales from January through October, totalling 202.6 billion yuan, were 35.2 per cent lower than the same period last year, as market headwinds persist and home prices remain under pressure.

Longfor sold 84.5 billion yuan worth of property in the first 10 months of the year, which was 44.2 per cent below the level a year ago. Jinmao’s year-to-date sales amounted to 75 billion yuan, down 38.5 per cent year on year.

The premium property segment in major Chinese cities remains largely insulated from the nationwide decline in home prices. Sunac China Holdings, which sold out all units on offer at its latest Shanghai luxury project One Sino Park within three hours of sales opening late last month, posted a fourfold month-on-month jump in contracted sales to 7.3 billion yuan in October.

Its year-to-date sales reached 43.8 billion yuan, marking a 42.2 per cent decline from the same period in 2023.

Welcoming Chinese visitors: can Nepal cash in on Beijing’s tourism campaign?

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3285748/welcoming-chinese-visitors-can-nepal-cash-beijings-tourism-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed

Tired of city life, Guangzhou resident Chu Yu has set her sights on Nepal’s peaceful mountains for her next adventure.

“After Covid, we need some connection with nature,” says Chu, 29, referring to the growing trend of young Chinese hiking and trekking at home and abroad. “Nepal is a budget-friendly destination and the culture there is really vibrant.”

Visitors like Chu are likely to add to the anticipated influx of Chinese tourists to Nepal in 2025 amid the Chinese government’s tourism promotion campaign – Visit Nepal Year in China – that was announced during a high-level diplomatic meeting between the two countries in June.

While political analysts view the initiative as China’s soft power push to help Nepal achieve its goal of welcoming 2 million tourists next year, travel entrepreneurs see an occasion to bolster Nepal’s tourism industry, which contributed 6.6 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product in 2023.

“This is a huge opportunity for us,” says Bidur Prasad Khatiwada, chairman of the China Tour Promotion Committee of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents. “It could massively benefit our tourism industry.”

Over the past decade, China has become a major tourist source for the Himalayan nation known for its trekking trails in the foothills of the Everest and Annapurna mountain ranges.

Chinese tourists became the second-largest group by nationality arriving in Nepal in 2019 and ranked third after India and the US in 2023, accounting for nearly 6 per cent of the 1 million international visitors, according to official data.

About 83,000 Chinese tourists visited Nepal between January and October this year, some 35,000 more than the same period in 2023.

While the Chinese government granted an “approved destination status” to Nepal in 2001, allowing its citizens to travel there, it was not until a decade later that Chinese visitors started arriving in crowds.

In 2013, the Chinese romance film Up in the Wind introduced Nepal to many youngsters, with tourists following the shooting locations in the picturesque town of Pokhara, culturally-rich Kathmandu and wildlife sanctuaries in Chitwan. The 2016 Marvel superhero movie Doctor Strange and the 2023 Chinese drama Chase After You, both shot in Nepal, further enhanced the allure of the country that many consider mystical.

But despite the charm, travel operators and analysts say Nepal has been unable to reap the benefits of Chinese tourism, with minimal plans to promote the country for China’s Visit Nepal campaign.

“China has shown interest in sending more and more of its citizens to Nepal, but the Nepali side has not been able to provide the same level of enthusiasm,” Khatiwada says. “There is a lack of strategy to promote ourselves and attract more Chinese visitors.”

Khatiwada, who runs Jugal Holidays and has worked with Chinese tourists for 15 years, says their interests have been changing over the years. Most are now more inclined towards spiritual and wellness retreats, apart from the nature-based tours, he notes.

Yet, Nepal has done little to promote itself in China to capitalise on its own appeal and cater to such shifting trends, says Aneka Rajbhandari, the Beijing-based co-founder of The Araniko Project which focuses on Nepal-China relations.

Nepal-related events at the embassy in Beijing and cultural centres at venues such as the 13th-century Miaoying Temple – built by the renowned Nepali architect Araniko – are mostly sponsored by the Chinese with little Nepali initiation, she notes.

Nepal’s tourism promotion bureaus also lack the marketing savvy to make full use of China’s social media ecosystem, Rajbhandari says, as seen in the dearth of initiatives in reaching out to potential Chinese tourists.

Many popular restaurants in Kathmandu featured on the Chinese review and rating app Dianping primarily showcase Chinese cuisines, suggesting that Nepali restaurants may be struggling to leverage the platform to boost their business, she adds.

In Kathmandu and Pokhara, Chinese businesses have proliferated over the years, catering to the rising number of tourists. However, many establishments are run by Chinese, making local businesses wary of the competition.

“It all begins with not understanding the language – you are blocked from an entire world and we are missing out on a massive opportunity,” Rajbhandari says.

“We are not following the trend. Nepal needs to invite online influencers who can promote the country to millions of people, and we can tap into the spiritual impression that Nepal has on Chinese social media.”

The authorities have been taking note. According to Mani Raj Lamichhane, director of the quasi-government Nepal Tourism Board, various government departments are coordinating to finalise plans to boost outreach in China next year. These include attending more trade fairs in China, promoting Nepal on Chinese TV channels and inviting online influencers for more social media engagement.

Khatiwada urges domestic airlines and the hospitality industry to also do their bit and introduce more incentives to bring in the Chinese tourists.

To that end, his travel agency has been promoting Nepal on its WeChat account, which has about 7,000 followers. Khatiwada also recently opened an account on Xiaohongshu, the go-to social lifestyle platform for young Chinese to browse travel trends and itineraries, to drum up interest.

Wolfgang Georg Arlt, CEO of China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, agrees that Nepal should use Chinese social media platforms to better promote the country but cautions against “falling into the trap of accepting mass market”.

Nepal needs to reposition itself from a budget-friendly destination to offering more customised products and targeting high-end Chinese tourists, he adds.

That initiative is gradually taking off, as tour operators focus on packages with longer stays to yield better income. The country is also aiming to revive luxury tourism in areas previously considered offbeat – they include the Shinta Mani Mustang in Jomsom situated at about 2,700 metres above sea level and the coming Kunda Himalayan spa resort at 3,070 metres up in the Everest region.

“The demand and behaviour of Chinese outbound tourism has changed a lot after the pandemic – people are able and willing to spend, but they want value for their money,” Arlt says.

“Nepal already has a positive image in China and many Chinese see it as a place to come relax, so it should capitalise on it and offer diverse products. Nepal does not need to sell itself as a cheap destination.”

Man pays China lover to burn old marital bed in ‘new-start ritual’, then she vanishes

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3285568/man-pays-china-lover-burn-old-marital-bed-new-start-ritual-then-she-vanishes?utm_source=rss_feed

A man in China was told by his fiancée that he needed to burn the “marriage bed” of her and her ex-husband so that they could get married, but it turned out to be a scam.

The man from northern China’s Tianjin municipality, surnamed Wang, met his girlfriend surnamed Li on an online dating platform.

Li said she was single and beautiful, and owned multiple properties and a jewellery store.

They began dating after meeting in person.

Wang was convinced of Li’s wealth after she offered him some gifts and shared photos of her properties on social media.

As they were about to tie the knot, Li requested Wang to perform the “marriage bed burning” ritual for her ex-husband, who died a few years ago from illness.

Wang was told all Li’s properties were inherited from her ex, and the ritual would be a “thank you gesture” for him, the mainland media outlet Hongxing News reported on October 31.

She told Wang he needed to spend 100,000 yuan (US$14,000) on the ritual to show his sincerity.

She required Wang to transfer her the money without showing up at the ritual, because it would bring bad luck to him.

Li sent Wang a few video clips of the “ritual”, before blocking his chat app account and vanishing.

Wang realised he was scammed and called the police.

It transpired that Li had used the same trick to scam 30,000 yuan (US$42,000) out of another man. All her properties were fake.

The Heping district court in Tianjin ruled that Li had committed fraud and sentenced her to 42 months in jail plus a fine.

Despite the “burning marriage bed” ritual turning out to be a scam, there had been some widely practised superstitious marriage rituals related to the marriage bed, which refers to the newlyweds’ new bed, in China.

It is a taboo for anyone, including the newlyweds, to use the bed before their wedding day, or it may bring bad luck to their marriage.

However, some families still carry out the outdated ritual of letting young boys roll over on the marriage bed so that the new couple would give birth to boys.

It is increasingly frowned upon as more young people advocate gender equality.

In 2023, the police discovered a scamming group in northwestern China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, which conned almost 1.5 million yuan (US$209,000) out of five men from other provinces who were desperate to get married.

They hired women to marry the men for a bride price, and ran away from their home shortly after the wedding.

“It is true that love makes people blind, so blind that he fell for such an obvious scam,” one online observer said.

In China’s cities, rampaging boars a growing menace as wild pig population soars

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3285841/chinas-cities-rampaging-boars-growing-menace-wild-pig-population-soars?utm_source=rss_feed

Wild boars are a growing menace to China’s cities, where the animals have attacked people and wreaked havoc on property, prompting authorities to deploy funds and hunting teams to tackle the problem.

Videos on social media and television reports have recorded multiple cases of boars encroaching on urban areas, in some cases charging through enclosed areas or attacking residents.

Last Saturday, in an incident captured on video, a woman in the southeastern city of Chuzhou suffered minor injuries after she was knocked over by a rampaging boar while trying to carry a child to safety.

The animal had previously charged two children playing outside, narrowly missing them, and then went on to attack another resident on a motorbike truck.

The children were not injured and the boar was eventually shot and killed by police.

A few days earlier, one of the animals was the indirect cause of a railway worker’s death in the eastern city of Nanjing. The man was on a train that had collided with a boar, and when he got out of the carriage to investigate, he was killed by another train travelling on the next track.

On the same day, another wild pig broke into a hotel lobby in the city, according to local television reports. No injuries were reported.

Nanjing police told Chinese media they had received 713 reports involving boars in 2023, up nearly 19 per cent from the previous year, bringing the total number for the past three years to 1,913.

Such reports mainly involved traffic accidents or the animals causing a nuisance.

In August, another dramatic incident recorded a boar storming through a railway station in Jiangxi province, smashing into glass doors while trying to escape from firefighters who were trying to catch it. No one was injured in that incident.

China is home to over 2 million wild boars, and the animals have been spotted in 28 provinces, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. In all but two of those provinces, the animals are reported to have attacked people or caused damage to property.

Provinces where the problem is particularly bad include Shaanxi in the northwest, Sichuan in the southwest and Guangdong in the south, said Jin Kun from the Chinese Academy of Forestry in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV.

According to Jin, their numbers are increasing rapidly because of environmental improvements and the lack of natural predators such as tigers and wolves.

“The habitat for wild animals has improved in China thanks to improved environmental protection efforts and a series of protective measures. The strong reproductive ability and adaptability of wild boars has also contributed to the rapid growth of their population,” Jin said.

Jin said the animals were more likely to encroach on human habitats in spring and autumn, leading to the surge in recent sightings.

“Autumn is the season when crops are ripe, and they go to [farmland to] eat rice, corn and fruit. Their main purpose in entering cities is to find food, but they may also aim to extend their habitat,” Jin said.

Last year, hunting restrictions on boars were eased after they were removed from a list of protected animals.

Since then, 14 provinces have organised hunting teams to control their numbers.

China’s national legislature has also approved legislation allowing the hunting of boars for medicinal purposes, leather and animal feed – but not for human consumption.

Authorities have approved more than 61 million yuan (US$8.5 million) to control the number of wild boars, and over 10,000 of the animals had been hunted as of January of this year, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Local governments have also stepped up to tackle the problem.

Forestry authorities in the city of Baoji in Shaanxi province said last month they had put together two boar hunting teams that had already killed 830 of the animals.

Also in October, the government of Guyuan county in Ningxia Hui autonomous region granted hunting licences to six teams, which will use technology such as drones, infrared cameras and positioning systems to cull wild pigs.

Guyuan county also said it would award the teams 2,400 yuan for each adult boar weighing more than 40kg (88lbs) as an incentive to stall the population growth. The county, located in China’s northwest, is home to over 2,600 boars, which have caused economic losses of nearly 2 million yuan this year, according to authorities.

However, in Wangjiang county in the southeastern province of Anhui, a plan to hunt boars was shelved because of a lack of funding, according to Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper.

The problem is not unique to mainland China. A number of cities across Europe have reported issues with boars in recent years, and both Hong Kong and Japan have taken steps to reduce their wild pig populations.

Hong Kong adopted a strategy of sterilising the animals and relocating them to rural areas in 2017, but the strategy has failed to contain their numbers.

Following a series of boar attacks, and with the animals wandering into MTR stations and onto trains, Hong Kong authorities started capturing and culling animals spotted in urban areas in 2021.

In March, the city’s environment chief Tse Chin-wan said that as a result of the policy, boar numbers had fallen from 1,830 in 2022 to 1,360 by the end of last year.

The number of boar attacks was also down, with nine recorded injuries in 2023 compared with 36 the previous year.

After decades of relying on hunting to manage the boar population, Japan adopted new measures in 2013, including targeted culls and habitat management, with a focus on blocking access to areas that could attract wild pigs, such as abandoned farmland and piles of rubbish.

As a result, Japan’s boar population dropped from a high of 1.3 million in 2010 to around 800,000 in 2019, according to research produced for the Hong Kong Legislative Council.

Jin, from the Chinese Academy of Forestry, said the best thing to do when encountering a boar is to run away.

“When bumping into boars in the wild, even three people together are no opposition … [People] should escape at once or take shelter behind barriers, and not try to fight the boars,” he said.

He also warned against “playing dead” to avoid being attacked, saying: “If a boar feels threatened, it will be very aggressive and attack people lying on the ground.”

Hong Kong police warn of scams targeting mainland Chinese students after fake kidnapping

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3285890/hong-kong-police-warn-scams-targeting-mainland-chinese-students-after-fake-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong police have issued a warning over a rising trend of fake official scams targeting mainland Chinese students after fraudsters tried to stage the kidnapping of an 18-year-old to extort HK$6 million from his father.

Senior inspector Chu Yuen-tim of the Hong Kong Island regional technology and financial crime unit said on Saturday that 126 people were arrested in a 12-day operation, code-named “Enter Haze”, between October 28 and November 8.

The 87 men and 39 women, aged 14 to 78, were rounded up on suspicion of money laundering and obtaining property by deception, among other crimes.

They were allegedly involved in 110 scam cases, which affected 325 people.

The victims, aged 18 to 86, have lost funds ranging from HK$400 to HK$59 million, with the total amount involved reaching HK$5.7 billion.

Among them was the 18-year-old mainland university student, who is studying in Hong Kong. He was tricked by a fraudster in a mainland police uniform who had an arrest warrant for him.

He told the student that he was involved in a serious case on the mainland and that he had to report regularly and record videos of him while begging for mercy in a confined area.

He followed instructions to hide in a camp in Sai Kung and was even asked to hand over his social media login credentials as scammers claimed his accounts were being monitored by criminals.

They then used the credentials to fake his kidnapping to extort HK$6 million from the victim’s father, who reported the case to police.

The force solved the case within 48 hours and rescued the victim.

“It was fortunate that the victim in this incident was able to return unharmed and that no monetary losses were incurred,” senior inspector Tai Ying-wai of the Hong Kong Island Regional Crime Prevention Office said.

The force said its Hong Kong Island region alone had already recorded 55 such scams targeting mainland students since September, with HK$390 million lost in total. The highest amount of money lost in one case was HK$3.5 million.

In the case involving HK$59 million, the biggest amount, Chu said that a 77-year-old retiree was coerced into revealing their bank account details in a fake-official ruse.

The victim was led to believe that the information could help prove his innocence, with scammers then using it to clear out his life savings.

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Europe seeks ‘normal, fair’ China trade ties in wake of Trump win: EU envoy Jorge Toledo

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285887/europe-seeks-normal-fair-china-trade-ties-wake-trump-win-eu-envoy-jorge-toledo?utm_source=rss_feed

Donald Trump’s return to the White House could present a chance for China and Europe to mend trade ties, the EU ambassador to Beijing has said, while warning of geopolitical “choppy waters ahead”.

“What happened a couple of days or three days ago in the US may change … the global landscape but it can also be an opportunity for China and Europe to resume more normal relations,” Jorge Toledo said on Saturday, referring to Trump’s sweeping victory in the US presidential elections.

“Because now we are in a difficult moment. We can’t hide it. We want, in Europe, to resume normal, fair relations with China especially when it comes to business and investment relations,” Toledo told an event marking the 30th anniversary of the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

The comments from the European Union envoy come amid growing anxieties in Brussels following Trump’s election win on Tuesday. The former president has threatened to relaunch a trade war with Europe, withdraw US support for Ukraine, and roll back Washington’s Nato security commitment.

Meanwhile, a trade row between the EU and China has deepened, with the bloc’s increased tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) taking effect last week.

China has responded to the development by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization, saying it would take “all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies”.

Toledo addressed the Chinese move at a separate event on Friday. He said the EU “accepted” the complaint but was “absolutely certain that we have played by the rules and what we have done is perfectly compatible and perfectly legal according to the WTO”.

“We think that China has taken retaliatory measures against this, very clearly, that are not compatible with the WTO,” the Spanish diplomat said during a panel discussion at the 15th Caixin Summit in Beijing.

The raised EU tariffs are a result of an anti-subsidy probe that began last year, and were imposed after months of negotiations with China fell through.

A top rate of 35.3 per cent will apply to EVs from Chinese-state owned SAIC Motor and its subsidiaries, on top of a baseline 10 per cent duty that applies to all EV imports.

China earlier responded by announcing tariffs of up to 39 per cent on imports of European brandy, and has also launched anti-dumping investigations into certain dairy and pork products from the bloc.

Toledo stressed on Friday that the EU’s anti-subsidy investigation had been detailed and “extremely fact-based”, and that its tariffs were “very reasonable [and] targeted” compared to those imposed by other countries.

The United States and Canada are among nations that have raised tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.

China earlier said it would carry out a new phase of consultations and hoped Europe would work with it to “reach a solution acceptable to both sides … to avoid escalating trade frictions”.

Toledo agreed that the EU would push ahead with talks with China “until we find a mutually agreeable solution”.

“And for us, that means that it has to address the injuries that the [Chinese] subsidies … have caused and are causing in the European EV industry,” he said.

“The European Union is not trying to get a balanced trade. There is a huge imbalance. We are only looking for a level playing field.”

Asked what kind of progress they were looking at, the ambassador said the raised tariffs were a means to address the impact of the Chinese state subsidies to the EV sector, and “if we find, with the Chinese government, another way of compensating this unfair situation, we will accept it”.

“That’s why we are discussing [this].”

Man arrested after 9 people stabbed over 2 days in Seattle’s Chinatown

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3285872/man-arrested-after-9-people-stabbed-over-2-days-seattles-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed

A man has been arrested in connection with a spate of random stabbings over two days in Seattle, in which nine people were injured – five of them on Friday afternoon, police said.

“This incident was apparently one individual over a 38-hour period of time committing random assaults,” deputy chief Eric Barden said at the scene on Friday.

The stabbings on Friday afternoon took place in a roughly four-block area in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

Witnesses reported a description of the suspect and officers found him nearby and took him into custody, police said. A weapon was found near the person who was arrested, and a knife was lodged in one of the victims, police said.

Four of the victims were taken to Harborview Medical Centre in Seattle and one victim was treated at the scene and released. A Harborview spokesperson confirmed four victims were at the hospital and said all were in critical condition.

Barden said police suspect that the person arrested in connection with Friday’s stabbings is the same person involved with at least four other stabbings that happened starting early Thursday. He cited similar suspect descriptions and the randomness of the attacks, but added that the investigation is ongoing.

The Thursday stabbings in Chinatown started when a 52-year-old woman was found with multiple stab wounds, police said. On Thursday afternoon, a 32-year-old man was found after being stabbed multiple times and at about 8pm, a 37-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the back, police said.

Then early on Friday, police responding to an assault call found a 53-year-old man bleeding heavily from a neck injury. Police followed a blood trail to a nearby doorway and unsuccessfully used that as a starting point for police dogs to try and track a suspect.

“It is my understanding that everyone is alive,” Barden said of the victims on Friday afternoon.

Police said a 10th stabbing on Thursday night involved a mobile phone robbery in which someone forcibly opened a vehicle door and tried to stab a 60-year-old man in the chest. The victim blocked the assault and was cut on his hand, police said. It was not clear that it was connected to the random attacks, police said.

China’s inflation edges up in October, but pressure remains despite monetary easing

https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3285877/chinas-inflation-edges-october-pressure-remains-despite-monetary-easing?utm_source=rss_feed

Consumer prices in China edged higher in October but the rise was slower than expected despite Beijing’s recent monetary policy easing, prolonging over a year of economic weakness.

The consumer price index (CPI), a key gauge of inflation, grew by 0.3 per cent year on year last month, slowing from an increase of 0.4 per cent in September, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Saturday.

The reading fell short of the expected 0.42 per cent growth projected by economists polled by Chinese financial data provider Wind and was the slowest growth in four months.

China’s CPI growth has remained around zero since March last year, raising market concerns about deflationary pressure and sluggish demand.

The October data came a day after China’s top legislative body unveiled a sweeping plan to lift local government debt and pledged more policies to boost spending.

Meanwhile, China’s producer price index (PPI) – which measures the cost of goods at the factory gate – slipped by 2.9 per cent in October, falling for the 25th consecutive month, after a decline of 2.8 per cent in September.

The reading was worse than the 2.5 per cent decline forecast by Wind.

Elsewhere, China’s core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose by 0.2 per cent last month compared to a year earlier and up from 0.1 per cent in September.

Consumers in the world’s second-largest economy have been curbing spending amid a weak labour market and ongoing challenges in the property sector.

On a month-on-month basis, China’s CPI in October fell by 0.3 per cent after it remained flat in September, according to the NBS.

The CPI reading, with growth of 0.3 per cent for the January-October period, falls considerably short of the annual control target of 3 per cent.

The People’s Bank of China rolled out a larger-than-expected monetary easing at the end of September, including key rate cuts and a 1 trillion yuan (US$139 billion) injection of liquidity into the interbank market.

Beijing has since announced additional support measures. Its latest move was a 4 trillion yuan debt swap over next five years, as well as an increase in local special bonds by 6 trillion yuan over the next three years, announced after a week-long meeting by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee that ended on Friday.

“The deflationary pressure is clearly persistent in China. The NPC decision yesterday on debt swap is one step to address the macro challenge China faces. Bolder actions are likely next year if a trade war breaks out,” Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist of Pinpoint Asset Management, said in an analysis note.

“I think the minister of finance signalled stronger fiscal spending at the NPC press conference yesterday. The market is anxiously waiting for details of potential fiscal stimulus.”

However, he noted that stimulus targeting the consumption side would be more effective to boost domestic demand and to avoid worsening China’s overcapacity problem.

Chinese internet censors ban anti-West firebrand Sima Nan for a year

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3285839/chinese-internet-censors-ban-anti-west-firebrand-sima-nan-year?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese internet regulators have banned controversial ultranationalist blogger Sima Nan from posting on his social media accounts, according to sources.

Two sources familiar with the situation told the Post that the ban on the highly controversial Chinese online influencer known for his strong anti-West hot takes was expected to last for a year.

Both sources declined to comment on the reason for the ban.

“He was banned across the platforms for a year. But I can’t talk about what triggered the ban,” said one source with direct knowledge of the matter.

Sima Nan did not respond to the Post’s requests for comment on Friday.

Sima Nan, who first rose to national fame in the 1990s with his criticism of Falun Gong, a spiritual group Beijing later outlawed, has been active and vocal for over two decades.

His real name is Yu Li and he now has more than 44 million followers on Chinese social media.

With no official affiliation, Sima Nan is seen by many as a symbolic voice on the nationalistic left, raging on China’s heavily-censored internet against various targets, from businesspeople to the West and liberal intellectuals.

In those attacks, he often cites Communist Party ideology, including Mao Zedong Thought, leading many in the country to believe that his remarks have some degree of official endorsement.

He frequently accuses groups or individuals of betraying China’s interests and colluding with the United States, an approach that has earned him the nickname “the anti-US fighter”.

In 2021, he became a national talking point after he accused tech company Lenovo of selling state assets for less than they were worth and paying top executives unreasonably high salaries, despite the company’s mediocre performance.

Lenovo’s parent company defended the 2009 sale of an equity stake in the company made by China’s top science academy, saying it was legal and in line with regulations.

But Sima Nan’s comments were widely shared on social media platforms and he went on to post more than 50 videos and articles on the topic, accusing Lenovo of “causing loss to state assets”.

Beijing did not launch any investigations into the matter, despite the widespread debate.

Sima Nan has not posted on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, short-video platform Douyin or mobile social media service WeChat since Tuesday night, when just hours before the voting started, he made his last comments on the US presidential election.

In his final post on Douyin, where he has nearly 38 million followers, he jokingly referred to himself as “the deputy head of Trump’s presidential campaign office in Beijing”, expressing support for the Republican candidate.

In his last Weibo post, Sima Nan said he preferred Trump because “Trump’s transactional mentality” might help Beijing to take over Taiwan.

“To put it bluntly, Trump is a trader. He calls himself a great trader. Trump will cut ties with Taipei and trade with Beijing. Everything is for sale for him. The key is the price,” he said on the Weibo post.

There are no indications that the ban on Sima Nan is linked to any other issue.

The blogger has been banned before – for several weeks in August 2022.

This time the ban comes as Beijing struggles – despite repeated official pledges – to convince domestic and international audiences of its commitment to market reforms and support for the private sector.

Beijing’s internet regulators have also in recent months vowed to step up censorship to create a “favourable environment” for private businesses.

As well as censoring comments deemed to be promoting Western ideology, Chinese internet authorities also clamp down on nationalistic voices they see as having gone too far.

In June, multiple Chinese social media platforms said they were clamping down on hate speech related to a knife attack on a Japanese school bus in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou.

Chinese courts have also jailed radical Maoists seen as challenging Beijing’s fundamental support for post-Mao reform and opening up.

Earlier this year, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of nationalist newspaper Global Times, disappeared from social media for more than three months after his article interpreting a key party economic strategy document was posted – and then deleted.

In the July 22 article, Hu wrote that the omission from the document of the phrase “public ownership playing a dominant role” was a “historic change” towards achieving true equality between private and state-owned economies.

However, the “dominant role” of public ownership is enshrined in the party and national constitutions, and Hu’s interpretation drew immediate backlash from conservative bloggers.

Hu reappeared on social media on October 31.

In August, prominent Tsinghua University law professor Lao Dongyan was also muted on social media for more than two months, after she complained of being attacked online over her objection to Beijing’s highly unpopular plan to adopt a national cybersecurity ID system.

A media professor in Hong Kong said ultranationalist views spread on social media by influencers like Sima Nan were causing a lot of harm to the confidence of domestic and foreign investors in China.

“If you continue to allow such people to talk nonsense, it will definitely make investors doubt China’s determination to reform and open up,” the professor said, declining to be named.

“So if China is serious about this, the simplest and most practical signalling is to rein in people like Sima Nan.”

Scholars debunk myth of Roman settlement in China after DNA tests, doubt still draws tourists

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3285610/scholars-debunk-myth-roman-settlement-china-after-dna-tests-doubt-still-draws-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed

In the remote village of Liqian, nestled in northwestern China’s Gansu province, a captivating myth once captured global attention and sparked an intriguing question: are the local people descendants of a lost Roman legion?

In the 1990s, the presence of Romanesque architecture and the villagers’ European traits – evident in their facial features – fuelled speculation regarding these potential connections. However, subsequent DNA testing and historical research have since debunked this myth.

The Post delves into the origins of this theory and its eventual discrediting.

In 1957, American sinologist Homer Dubs proposed in his paper, A Roman City in Ancient China, that Liqian village could be linked to a Roman legion. He asserted that after their defeat in a battle in 53 BC, some Roman soldiers fled to the territory of the Xiongnu, which corresponds to modern Central Asia and northwest China.

Dubs noted that the Han dynasty (206 BC-220) employed a unique “fish-scale formation” in their army and wooden defences – military tactics strikingly similar to those used by the Romans. He speculated that captured Roman soldiers were brought to what is now Liqian village in Yongchang county, where they settled and imparted combat skills to the Han people.

Dubs’s theory garnered acceptance among Western and Chinese scholars at the time. In 1993, the state media outlet Xinhua Daily Telegraph published a report claiming evidence suggesting that descendants of ancient Roman soldiers still inhabited Liqian.

The discovery of villagers with distinct European features deepened the mystery surrounding this theory. Mainland media outlet Evening News reported that Liqian resident Cai Junnian had brown hair, green eyes, and ruddy skin, while another villager, Song Guorong, was photographed with wavy hair, a particularly long hooked nose, and stood six feet tall (1.8m).

Despite scepticism from historians, the allure of Roman culture quickly permeated China, giving rise to a surge of TV dramas and novels inspired by the legendary journey of a Roman legion to the East.

Local officials seized the tourism potential, constructing a Roman-style pavilion and erecting statues of Roman soldiers in Liqian. In 2007, the Gansu government even published a picture book titled The Lost Roman Legion, featuring 150 images of local historical sites and customs.

As the 21st century progressed, several prominent Chinese historians, including Zhang Xushan from Tsinghua University, Wang Shoukuan, and Liu Guanghua from Lanzhou University, contended that the story of a Roman legion in Liqian was fictitious.

The Post reached out to these scholars, who shared their insights with us.

Zhang’s research in 2002 highlighted that historical records indicate Han army captives were dispatched to regions in central Asia, not to the Chinese mainland, thereby dismissing claims of Roman soldiers within Han territory.

He further noted that the European features observed among Yongchang residents were not surprising; historical records from the Han dynasty acknowledged the presence of Europeans who traded in Western China, many of whom intermarried and settled.

DNA testing conducted by Lanzhou University in 2008 further undermined the myth. Of the 87 Liqian villagers tested, only three exhibited West Asian traits distinct from the Mediterranean characteristics associated with Roman legions, revealing a diverse ancestry from various regions and eras.

Proponents also claimed that the Han army’s “fish-scale formation” was akin to the Roman testudo. In Wang’s 2012 book, The Broken Dream of Liqian, he countered this idea, clarifying that Chinese historical texts describe the formation as soldiers closely aligned together, resembling fish scales, but not necessarily linked to Roman war tactics.

Supported by substantial historical evidence, Wang’s work identified contradictions and fabrications within the hypothesis, attracting considerable backing from the academic community in China.

Ultimately, the once-sensational narrative of Roman settlement in China was thoroughly discredited by scholars. Historian Gao Kebing from Langfang Normal University remarked that contacts between ancient Rome and ancient China were “exceedingly rare”.

“With vast distances, challenging terrain, and volatile, war-torn regions in between, diplomatic connections held little allure for the two empires,” Gao explained to the Post.

Before the 5th century and the fall of the Roman Empire, recorded interactions between Rome and China included a Roman envoy visit in 166 AD and Roman merchants arriving by sea in 226 AD.

Yet, even today, Liqian’s tourism remains heavily influenced by Roman culture. In October 2012, Yongchang county erected a monument commemorating the “Eastward Journey of the Roman Legion”.

On Xiaohongshu, many tourists share photos of “Roman-style” buildings and sculptures in Liqian, with some still under construction as of this August.

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China’s stimulus strategy, while not ‘whatever it takes’, is seen as long and intact

https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3285842/chinas-stimulus-strategy-while-not-whatever-it-takes-seen-long-and-intact?utm_source=rss_feed

The riddle of China’s stimulus, and what exactly it will entail, has been dutifully dissected, chewed over and speculated on for weeks. Yet, amid hopes for a revelation of sorts on Friday, Beijing opted to keep the guessing game going – with fresh vows of more forceful fiscal actions … next year.

More than a month after China’s leaders announced “a package of incremental policies” to prevent the country’s economy from further cracking under various pressures, outsiders finally got a chance to peer beyond the veil and catch of glimpse of what the National People’s Congress has been cooking up.

On Friday, the standing committee of the country’s top legislature approved an additional 6 trillion yuan (US$838 billion) bond quota to defuse local hidden debts as the government aims to significantly reduce the size of China’s local-level hidden debt – widely seen as a fiscal time bomb – from the outsized 14.3 trillion yuan level at the end of last year to 2.3 trillion yuan by 2028.

Nevertheless, interest among ordinary residents in China’s stimulus developments appears much more subdued than it was a month ago – much of the enthusiasm, ignited by an unexpected monetary policy bazooka, waned in the aftermath of three high-profile, but largely less exciting, press conferences featuring top economic officials in early October.

Compared with Beijing’s earlier piecemeal style of policy announcements, the current round of stimulus did signal a major shift in terms of its scale and proactive use of tools, which economists argued “had been delayed for years”. But it has also become increasingly clear that the country is still reluctant to inject a strong dose to fully turn the tide of its sluggish economy all at once.

“It is definitely not ‘whatever it takes’, or at least we can’t see that as of now,” said Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China at Standard Chartered. “The market initially thought it was ‘whatever it takes’, and that’s one of the reasons why it felt disappointed.”

Adding in the victory by Donald Trump in the US presidential election is likely to further add to China’s pain, as an amped-up trade war could affect its current growth engines – exports and manufacturing.

If a 60 per cent tariff hike is implemented on all Chinese products, as threatened by Trump, Beijing will have no choice but to escalate its stimulus measures, especially in housing, said Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Group.

“Policymakers may not increase stimulus immediately, as they need to know more about the new US trade policy,” Hu said.

Compared with a total deviation from the previous path that prioritised risk prevention and structural reforms over short-term economic growth, Beijing’s actions have appeared more like tactical adjustments to buy time, especially when the current economic cycle remains at a low point both domestically and globally, according to economists.

With a long-term strategy of boosting the real economy via advanced technologies intact, Beijing, however, seems to have realised that it needs to act immediately to get the economy back on an upward trajectory before it is too late.

“The problem is, if the macroeconomic situation is not good and people’s income keeps falling, how do you reform,” a Beijing-based economist asked, speaking on condition of anonymity.

For opponents of expansionary fiscal and monetary policies in China, structural reform has long been their key reason, but the economist said the two do not contradict each other.

“For many years, reform has been empty talk. If you look at the progress on reform, there has been basically none, though regression is quite obvious,” the economist said.

But up until now, it seems still unclear whether China is really adopting an expansionary fiscal policy. At an October 12 press conference, Chinese finance minister Lan Foan said: “China’s finances have sufficient resilience. By taking comprehensive measures, we can achieve a balance in revenue and expenditure and meet the annual budget target. Please rest assured.”

Lan’s remarks showed that he might not be aware that the baseline of expansionary policy is fiscal sustainability, not fiscal balance, the anonymous economist said. There is a widespread belief that a country’s national debt is sustainable if the interest rate on its debt is lower than its GDP growth rate.

A balanced budget that China may be seeking is “unacceptable” in a balance-sheet recession, said Richard Koo, chief economist at the Nomura Research Institute. Koo created the notion of a balance-sheet recession to describe circumstances in which high levels of private-sector debt lead to increased saving, which in turn results in an economic slowdown – a situation that China is currently facing.

“When an economy is in the midst of a balance-sheet recession, the one thing the government must absolutely not do is try to balance the budget,” Koo said in a note last month. “That effectively signifies an end to public borrowing, which prevents the government from borrowing and spending the increased savings (and debt repayments) of a private sector seeking to repair its balance sheet.”

Those surplus savings will then drop out of the income cycle – as money that was saved but not borrowed and spent, opening up a deflationary gap in the economy, Koo added.

He said there may be two camps within the Chinese government that have yet to come to an agreement: one that understands the concept of balance-sheet recessions and is arguing for countercyclical fiscal stimulus, and one that is not considering balance-sheet recessions and is making a case for a balanced budget – which is desirable under ordinary circumstances when there are plenty of private-sector borrowers.

“The second group, the one arguing for a balanced budget, probably includes people who believe that what China needs now are structural reforms,” Koo said. “But the economy must first recover for reforms to elicit investment.”

“Structural reforms help to create a better microeconomic climate for businesses, but years must pass before the private sector responds to such policies by borrowing money, starting businesses, and expanding capacity,” he added.

Liu Shijin, former deputy director of the State Council’s Development Research Centre, who has called for a stimulus package of at least 10 trillion yuan over a year or two, said any stimulus measures come at a cost, but they would buy time and space for long-term reform.

“When the economy is under great pressure and is likely to decline rapidly in the short term, it is necessary to take stimulus measures,” Liu said at a forum organised by Tsinghua University late last month.

The current package could be stimulus plus reform, that is spending money to build new mechanisms and create institutional conditions that support high-quality and sustainable growth in the medium and long term, Liu added.

He said a key task falling in the category could be promoting “people-centred” urbanisation that improves cities’ capacity to accommodate rural migrant workers and their families and offers them equal access to social services along with urban residents. This was already one of the highlights on the to-do list released by the National Development and Reform Commission last month.

“[Relying on] only stimulus without reform will not solve the problem of insufficient demand that we are facing in the long run. But we are seeing a tendency [in which people are] interested in stimulus but not in reform,” Liu said.

No matter which one is of more interest to the Chinese people, it is clear that the term “stimulus” in this context has Chinese characteristics as is far from the kind seen in the West, where more proactive and direct measures such as cash handouts to households have been used.

The vast majority of the Chinese fiscal stimulus, however, will not add to GDP, as the spending will go to the purchase of existing assets – such as unfinished and unsold housing – or to cover losses, economists said.

“It’s a big amount … but all of the money is not growth enhancing, although it’s very useful because China needs to clean up,” said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for the Asia-Pacific region at Natixis.

“They have been delaying this for years. But they know that they can’t delay this further,” she said. “The turning point is there, but it’s more sobering than we would have imagined.”

Thus, the measures unveiled so far will not lead to a big increase in the GDP growth rate next year, Garcia-Herrero predicted.

The current policies are still focused on addressing local government debt and the real estate sector, with limited response to the issue of low consumer confidence among households, said Su Yue, principal economist for China at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“The strategy represents a shift for Beijing – from previously aiming to boost GDP growth in a deleveraging environment to now trying to address debt through higher GDP growth,” Su said.

“When GDP growth is sluggish, it becomes challenging to lower the leverage ratio,” she added.

Ding from Standard Chartered also said that the effect of government spending on debt swaps and bank recapitalisation is “limited” in terms of boosting economic growth in 2024-25.

“One trillion [yuan] to deleverage and 1 trillion to support the real economy would have totally different results,” Ding said. “The benefits of deleveraging to the economy would be felt more in the long run.”

For now, the dust has yet to settle. And already, eyes are looking to next month, when the annual tone-setting central economic work conference is expected to offer more clues as to what path the world’s second-largest economy will march toward.

Chinese student accused of voting illegally in US ‘stood mute’ in court

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3285867/chinese-student-accused-voting-illegally-us-stood-mute-court?utm_source=rss_feed

Gao Haoxiang, a 19-year-old University of Michigan student from China, was arraigned on Friday in Washtenaw County District Court on charges that he voted illegally in the presidential election.

The Michigan Secretary of State’s Office and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office revealed on October 30 that a student who was not a US citizen had cast a ballot at an early voting site in Ann Arbor.

The announcement came six days before Election Day and drew the attention of national political figures, as there was no way for local election officials to prevent Gao’s ballot from being counted after it was entered into a tabulator.

Michigan authorities did not identify Gao as the individual who allegedly cast the ballot until Friday, when he was arraigned in the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor.

Gao is facing felony charges of perjury – making a false statement on an affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration – and of being an unauthorised elector who attempted to vote.

The standard penalty for perjury in Michigan, the most serious of the two allegations, is up to 15 years in prison.

According to court records, Gao “stood mute” in court on Friday, meaning he did not specifically plead guilty or not guilty. His lawyer, K. Orlando Simon, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Magistrate Elisha Fink set his bond at US$5,000, according to court records.

Under federal law, only US citizens can vote in federal elections.

But Gao cast his ballot on October 27 at an early voting site at the University of Michigan Museum of Art on State Street, according to Milton Dohoney Jnr, the Ann Arbor city administrator.

Later, the UM student voter contacted the local clerk’s office, asking if he could somehow get his ballot back, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

In a previous message to the Ann Arbor City Council members, obtained by The Detroit News, Dohoney said there had been an instance of “potential voter fraud in Ann Arbor” involving a UM student who is a green card holder.

“Through a series of actions, the student was apparently able to register, receive a ballot and cast a vote,” Dohoney wrote in an email on Monday.

“Based upon the scenario that we’re hearing this morning, the student was fully aware of what he was doing, and that it was not legal.”