• China unnerved by Russia’s growing ties with North Korea, claims US official
• Exit America, enter China? How Beijing can benefit from an isolationist US
• China sets deadline for Big Tech to clear algorithm issues, close ‘echo chambers’
• Could Trump’s return to power in US widen EU’s rifts over China?
• EV tariffs and Ukraine war weigh heavily on Germany-China relations
• Trump return to power in US may raise risk of escalation in South China Sea, analyst warns
• Chinese singer Zhang Mi battles cancer for third time, faces surgery to cut half her tongue
• China’s mass killings spark calls for support and understanding to prevent repeat
• Foreign spies may be using deepfakes to target China and its people, security ministry warns
• US anti-China misinformation is likely to continue under Trump, analysts say
• China’s top judge promises swift justice after recent mass killings that shocked nation
• Chinese scientists build ‘recoilless AK-47’ that can be wielded by almost any drone
• Chinese murderer holds banquet outside victim’s home after 20 years in jail, angers family
• China’s border with Central Asia deemed concern amid demographic decline
• Chinese film about Covid lockdown wins top prize in 2024 Golden Horse awards in Taiwan
• World interest in ‘China EV’ zooms ahead, leaving ‘global warming’ in its wake
• Have China’s plans for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier taken another step forward?
• China top influencer Li Ziqi angers fans with ‘hypocritical’ advice not to become KOLs
• Chinese smartphone maker Oppo to boost Indonesian manufacturing in bet on Southeast Asia
• Pearl in Beijing’s retail crown struggles to regain shine against China’s economic tide
• World in crisis needs more leaders to embrace China’s ‘big family’ vision

China unnerved by Russia’s growing ties with North Korea, claims US official

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/24/china-unnerved-russia-growing-ties-north-korea-claims-us-official

China is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea’s engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said.

He was leaning into a growing debate among the US’s security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. It is said the North Korean troops are now inside Russia.

There are also doubts in the Japanese foreign ministry that China supports North Korea’s dispatch of troops. Officials say China has largely been silent over the issue, and may be worried that the military collusion in Ukraine will help an American drive to form a network of alliances with South Korea and Japan in east Asia that Beijing already views as aimed at curbing its power.

In a rare olive branch China has told Japan it intends to remove a buoy it installed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Although the step is small, the islands are a flashpoint between Japan and China, and it is seen as symbolic of an effort to encourage those inside Japan that do not want to be drawn into a US-led conflict with China.

In a recent seminar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington thinktank, Campbell said: “The topic that is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Chinese interlocutors is the DPRK [North Korea] engagement with Russia.

“In some of the discussions we have had it seems we are informing them of things that they were unaware of with regard to DPRK pursuits, and they are concerned that Russian encouragement might lead the DPRK to contemplate either actions or military actions that might not be in China’s interests.”

He added: “China has not weighed in directly to criticise Russia but we do believe that the increasing coordination between Pyongyang and Moscow is unnerving them.”

But analysts differ on whether there is a substantial fissure between China and Russia.

Dennis Wilder, a former CIA assistant director for east Asia and Pacific, said: “The radio silence in Beijing on this subject is staggering. There is not a word in the Chinese press either about the strategic agreement made between Russia and North Korea in the summer, or about sending troops.

“How does China explain what is going on and how do they ignore internationally the fact that their client state is now fighting in Ukraine? The Europeans are going to be upset and they are not going to be upset at the North Koreans, but with China.

“If Russia goes down the road of nuclear assistance to North Korea this will bolster the Americans’ alliances in east Asia and maybe create a true Nato so President Xi Jinping is in a very very difficult spot.”

Adm Samuel Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said at the Halifax security forum on Saturday that the relationship between Russia, China and North Korea was having a “certain transactional symbiosis”.

He claimed: “North Korea is fulfilling artillery and missile needs to Russia and Russia in return will probably provide missile and submarine technology for North Korea.” He added he thought China had provided Russia with 90% of its semiconductors and 70% of its machine tools to rebuild its war machine.

Andrew Shearer, the director general of Australia’s Office of National Intelligence, was also sceptical about the extent of China’s unease.

“The idea of driving wedges between Putin and Xi is pretty fanciful and if we do not face up to the reality that Putin is only still in the war in Ukraine today due to China’s military, diplomatic and dual use support we are not going to fashion effective strategies.”

The doubts about China’s attitude are mirrored among observers in Japan too. Prof Emi Mifune, of the faculty of law at Komazawa University, said: “There is no way that China did not know what Russia was planning. China cannot afford to see Russia lose against the west, and if Russia wins it helps set up a propaganda advantage and precedent for China in seeking to control Taiwain.”

She pointed to the May 2024 China-Russia summit as a significant moment when China extracted concessions from Russia, including over Chinese access from the Tumen River to the Sea of Japan.

Prof Hideya Kurata, of the National Defense Academy of Japan, believes Beijing’s position is one of neither approval or disapproval, but one of discomfort. He has been highlighting how the conflict has to be seen in the context of North Korea’s decision to abandon efforts to reunify the Korean peninsula.

He said North Korea was trying to build an escalation ladder that starts with tactical nuclear weapons, extends to intermediate-range ballistic missiles targeting Japan, intermediate- to long-range missiles targeting Guam, and intercontinental ballistic missiles that could target the US mainland. He said he did not believe the US had medium-range nuclear weapons on land or at sea in the region that would act as a deterrence to North Korea.

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Exit America, enter China? How Beijing can benefit from an isolationist US

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287435/exit-america-enter-china-how-beijing-can-benefit-isolationist-us?utm_source=rss_feed

Mainstream global opinion since Donald Trump won the US presidential election has been that his administration will bring instability to the world by imposing stiff import tariffs and abandoning America’s role as a security provider.

On Trump’s proposed tariffs, there are two main views: one is that he sees them as a bargaining chip for concessions, the other is that he is serious about implementing and broadly enforcing his campaign promises. Experts generally agree that Trump’s focus on tariffs on Chinese goods is genuine.

We believe high tariffs and a withdrawal from providing global security are the two primary paths Trump has laid out to achieve his goal of making America great again. Therein lies a significant political and economic opportunity for China.

For a start, Trump cannot aim these two policy thrusts solely at China; that would not help his goal at all. Making America great again has its own logic, which is to restore the country as the world’s leading manufacturing power. Only by protecting its domestic market and acquiring vast external funds can Trump ultimately serve his goal.

The United States’ social system produced Wall Street, which led the country to develop and operate its economy along financial capitalist lines. Wall Street became an outsize part of the US economy and society.

In this context, the decline of US manufacturing was inevitable, as was the loss of its crown as the world’s top industrial power. This has led to traditional manufacturing towns in the United States suffering from economic decline, unemployment and lower living standards.

Meanwhile, China, with its system of centralised governance and low labour costs, successfully developed its modern manufacturing base, becoming a serious economic competitor to the US. The US ruling elite came to see China, a country with a population of 1.4 billion and governed by the Communist Party, as a significant threat.

Trump’s emphasis on shoring up US manufacturing and jobs is not new. Former president Barack Obama tightened market regulation after the 2009 global financial crisis and made job creation, particularly in skilled manufacturing, a priority. US President Joe Biden adopted some of Trump’s policies, such as his tariffs on China.

To fund the restoration of America as a leading manufacturing power, Trump’s strategy, it would appear, is to generate massive revenues through high tariffs on imports while turning US security support for its allies into a strictly paid-for service, thereby creating even more revenue. Despite facing opposition from the political, business and academic elite, Trump’s plans have broad support from the American public, going by his strong election victory.

And Trump won convincingly despite not having the financial and media backing of rival Kamala Harris, and amid resistance from some mainstream Republicans. A large swathe of the US middle and lower classes identify with Trump’s logic of revitalising America and support his high-tariff, no-free-security proposals.

There is no indication of Trump changing his mind but even if does, he has boxed himself into a corner. China will not be the sole target and dissatisfaction with Trump’s America will undoubtedly grow, particularly from those countries that have enjoyed low tariffs and generous US protection – many of these will be small and medium-sized developed economies. It will disrupt the dynamics that drive the global economy, causing turmoil and confusion, at least initially. This, in turn, will provide China with significant political and economic opportunities.

America’s historical contributions to the world have mainly been in three areas. First, its previously low tariffs gave the world access to its vast market. Second, US security assurances and support, including for South Korea, Japan and fellow Nato members, allowed countries to count on US protection while they focused on developing their economies. Third is the US tradition of opening its doors to asylum seekers and immigrants, standing up for human rights and delivering humanitarian aid.

Trump, who assumes the mantle of US president come January, will change these dynamics. America’s abdication as the world’s sole superpower will open up a tremendous diplomatic and economic opportunity for China.

In particular, his plans to impose universal tariffs of 10-20 per cent on all imports, with Chinese goods to be taxed at least 60 per cent, could provoke a global retaliation. Major allies like the European Union, Japan and South Korea, already cautious about Trump’s trade policies after his first term, may well be forced to impose retaliatory tariffs on US imports. This could spark a broader trade war, isolate the US, damage its alliances and diminish its economic influence.

Such a situation would benefit China’s international standing, especially if China responds by lowering its tariffs and easing its foreign investment regulations.

The key here is how China manages the situation, particularly through its ministry of foreign affairs, in contrast with Trump’s proposals to offer incentives for investment in American manufacturing and to reframe security support for US allies in terms of the “protection money” he wants them to pay.

China will not be immune to Trump’s tariff threat, but Beijing has learned its lesson after Trump’s first term and is well prepared. China can mitigate the impact through third-party re-export trade, investments in third-party countries or even direct investments in the US. It can also counteract Trump’s tariffs with its own.

For China, the key to navigating its relations with the US lies in understanding where the points of conflict between Trump and the world exist, and how adept Beijing will be in leveraging third-party negotiations. Can China’s diplomatic team handle this? Time will tell.

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China sets deadline for Big Tech to clear algorithm issues, close ‘echo chambers’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3287929/china-sets-deadline-big-tech-clear-algorithm-issues-close-echo-chambers?utm_source=rss_feed

Tech operators in China have been given a deadline to rectify issues with recommendation algorithms, as authorities move to revise cybersecurity regulations in place since 2021.

A three-month campaign to address “typical issues with algorithms” on online platforms was launched on Sunday, according to a notice from the Communist Party’s commission for cyberspace affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and other relevant departments.

The campaign, which will last until February 14, marks the latest effort to curb the influence of Big Tech companies in shaping online views and opinions through algorithms – the technology behind the recommendation functions of most apps and websites.

System providers should avoid recommendation algorithms that create “echo chambers” and induce addiction, allow manipulation of trending items, or exploit gig workers’ rights, the notice said.

They should also crack down on unfair pricing and discounts targeting different demographics, ensure “healthy content” for elderly and children, and impose a robust “algorithm review mechanism and data security management system”.

Tech companies have been told to “conduct in-depth self-examination and rectification to further improve the security capabilities of algorithms” by the end of the year.

In January, relevant departments will begin inspecting the “self-examination situation” of the companies and “organise technical forces to verify and supervise rectification” of companies that do not meet standards.

Central and local information technology units will then review the impact of the campaign and assess the country’s overall algorithm regulation framework for further improvements by mid-February.

They will also “analyse difficulties and issues and develop pragmatic measures for a certain period ahead”, the notice said.

China’s digital economy – dominated by giants like Tencent, Alibaba Group Holding, Meituan and JD.com – and social media platforms like ByteDance’s Douyin have grown rapidly in the past decade. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

The soaring use of algorithms for online functions, ranging from content recommendation and e-commerce to work distribution among delivery workers has prompted Beijing to step up regulation.

In March 2022, six months after issuing a set of guiding principles for the industry, internet watchdog the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) released an extensive regulatory framework for recommendation algorithms.

The move aimed to curb both the use and misuse of such algorithms, in areas ranging from gaming to activities that might endanger national security or disrupt social order.

Tech companies were told to “promote positive energy” and allow users to decline personalised recommendations offered by their platforms.

Most of those requirements were repeated in Sunday’s notice, including protecting gig workers employed by on-demand service platforms, such as delivery drivers who may be pressured to break traffic rules to meet tight deadlines set by algorithms.

According to the CAC, the regulations issued in 2022 were also expected to help authorities clamp down on content recommendations, which had the potential of “shaping public opinion” or “social mobilisation”.

Could Trump’s return to power in US widen EU’s rifts over China?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287935/could-trumps-return-power-us-widen-eus-rifts-over-china?utm_source=rss_feed

Increased pressure on the European Union to pick sides between the United States and China when Donald Trump returns to power could widen the bloc’s internal divisions, a panel discussion heard on Sunday.

In recent years the bloc has increasingly focused on the competitive aspects of the relationship – having dubbed Beijing a systemic rival – while trying to balance its desire to maintain positive economic relations.

However, the recent decision by Brussels to impose tariffs on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles threatens to trigger a trade war. Beijing retaliated with its own levies on brandy imports and is threatening further measures targeting agricultural products.

Russia’s war with Ukraine is another important factor and Feng Zhongping, the director of the Institute of European studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Baichuan Forum in Shenzhen the broader dynamics this brought into play would help shape the bloc’s relationship with China.

Most of the bloc’s members are strong supporters of Ukraine and Beijing’s close ties with Moscow have caused intense distrust despite its repeated denials it is providing support to the Russian war effort.

“The EU may aim to keep a positive relationship with the US while continuing its economic cooperation with China. However, under Trump’s administration, Washington is likely to push the EU to choose sides between Washington and Beijing,” Feng told the event at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Shenzhen campus.

He also pointed to the diversity within the bloc, noting that the 27 member states all had different interests and attitudes towards foreign policy.

He said these internal differences could lead to a more fragmented EU with some following the US lead and others favouring a more pragmatic approach toward China.

He also predicted that Washington would intensify pressure on Europe regarding technology export restrictions to China.

“Europe is caught in a state of ‘strategic anxiety’ as Trump threatens to rekindle a trade war with Europe, withdraw support for Ukraine, and scale back security commitments to Nato,” Zheng Chunrong, director of Tong Ji University’s German studies faculty, told the event organised by the Institute for International Affairs.

He added that Trump’s trade policies towards Europe could significantly influence the bloc’s response and described the situation as “highly dynamic and interactive”.

“One possibility is that the EU might adopt a tough stance on China in exchange for stability in relations with the US. However, such a measure is expected to cause disagreements within the bloc, and there is significant concern that this strategy may backfire, leaving Europe in a more passive strategic position,” Zheng said.

Interviewed on the sidelines of the event, he said Europe might strengthen coordination with the US in hopes of forming a united stance on certain issues against China and the bloc hoped this could persuade Trump to exempt Europe from some of the tariffs he has threatened.

Alternatively, Zheng said that faced with the threat of a trade war with Trump, the EU might choose to hedge its bets by maintaining strong ties with Beijing to safeguard its economic interests in the Chinese market.

“However, the EU must tread carefully in deciding which strategy to adopt. There’s a real risk that Europe could end up neither securing exemptions from Trump’s tariffs nor preserving its economic benefits in its trade relations with China.”

Another academic at the forum said that Brussels’s stance and policies toward China were “hardening”.

“The EU’s negative perception of China is intensifying, which further cements the view of China as a competitive rival and a systemic adversary,” said the academic, who did not want to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to media.

He also noted that this was mirrored in the EU’s growing alignment with US policies on China.

“There is a trend towards more intensive coordination between Europe and America regarding China policy. This includes an expansion of the areas covered and an increase in the level of coordination.”

However, he added: “Given the fundamentally reciprocal nature of China-EU relations, abandoning mutual interests would result in significant losses for both sides.

“In the short term, the hardening of the EU’s policy towards China is unlikely to undermine the reciprocal nature of the relationship … I believe neither side will let their relationship worsen and spiral out of control.”

EV tariffs and Ukraine war weigh heavily on Germany-China relations

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287527/ev-tariffs-and-ukraine-war-weigh-heavily-germany-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Rio de Janeiro. While their meeting lasted a mere 30 minutes, they still found time to talk about crucial economic and geopolitical issues.

Both leaders face difficult situations at home, with Scholz occupying a more precarious position. While Scholz was talking to Xi and other world leaders in Brazil, meetings were taking place in Berlin to discuss whether Scholz should remain his Social Democratic Party’s top candidate for the general election which is expected to take place on February 23.

Scholz’s coalition government collapsed earlier this month as the German economy slowed and coalition partners were riven by deep economic and political rivalries. For the time being, Scholz serves as the head of an interim minority government.

In Beijing, meanwhile, Xi also must grapple with a difficult economic situation, including a slowly recovering economy and a looming trade war over electric vehicles (EVs) with the European Union (EU). The prospect of the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House is adding further uncertainty to the fragile and tense state of US-China relations.

As part of the summit in Brazil, G20 leaders released a declaration. The document outlines multiple fields of cooperation and attention for a more inclusive and effective G20: the international economic and political situation; social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty; sustainable development, energy transitions and climate action; and the reform of global governance institutions.

In his remarks on global governance in Rio de Janeiro, Xi emphasised the need for cooperation, openness, stability, innovation and eco-friendliness. While these high-minded aspirations are shared by many world leaders, their implementation is likely to be difficult in an increasingly polarised international environment.

During the Scholz-Xi meeting on November 19, Xi spoke of the Europe-China and Germany-China partnerships as among the most important economic relationships in the world. But Xi also asked for German help in overcoming the European Commission’s decision to adopt tariffs on electric vehicles from China.

Berlin had opposed the imposition of tariffs on Chinese-made EV vehicles entering the single market and even voted against it, but the tariffs were backed by 10 EU members and adopted by the European Commission.

In his conversation with Xi, Scholz focused on another priority: Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Shortly before the G20 leaders summit, the EU received evidence that drones for use in the war by Russia were being produced in China’s Xinjiang region. China has denied this.

While there have been strong suspicions on the part of many Western countries that China has delivered products classified as dual-use goods to Russia, which can be used for military purposes, the possible production of drones for Russia on Chinese soil seems to paint a different picture.

The war in Ukraine is bringing Europe and the rest of the world to a tipping point. Thousands of North Korean troops have arrived in Russia to support Moscow’s war efforts, and two undersea fibre-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea were cut on November 17 and 18, raising European fears of sabotage.

The Chinese-flagged Yi Peng 3, which according to tracking data crossed both cables around the time they were cut after it left a Russian port, is the focus of an ongoing investigation, though reports suggest European and American officials disagree over whether the incident was intentional sabotage or an accident. For example, the German defence minister believes that the cables were intentionally cut.

Shortly before travelling to Rio, Scholz placed his first phone call in almost two years to Russian President Vladimir Putin. While his decision to call Putin received heavy criticism, it highlights Germany’s deep concern about the escalating conflict in Ukraine. The war will play a significant role in the forthcoming general election in Germany, and Scholz is trying to position himself as the peacemaker candidate.

As part of this push for peace, Scholz is in favour of holding an international peace conference to find a resolution to the Ukraine war. While China sat out and Russia was not invited to the peace conference held in Switzerland in June, Germany was among the participating countries.

In September, Scholz joined the calls to host a new conference with the inclusion of Russia, a demand that China and other countries have made for months. It is uncertain how European and German cooperation with China will proceed in this venture, given the crisis over the alleged Russian drone production facilities in China and investigation of the Chinese ship in relation to the cutting of the undersea cables.

Trump’s return to power adds further uncertainty to the future of German and European foreign policy. Renewed calls for European strategic autonomy – the ability of Europe to stand on its own feet in security and military affairs – are becoming louder.

But European and German strategic autonomy will not necessarily mean a stronger partnership with China. The battle over EV tariffs and other economic issues will continue for the foreseeable future. Xi said in Rio that China sees Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world” and that “Beijing is committed to cooperating with Europe to jointly meet challenges and promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-EU relations”.

Even so, much remains to be done to realise Xi’s vision for the future of Sino-European relations. To get there, confidence-building measures and mutual trust will be necessary.

Trump return to power in US may raise risk of escalation in South China Sea, analyst warns

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287910/trump-return-power-us-may-raise-risk-escalation-south-china-sea-analyst-warns?utm_source=rss_feed

The risk of conflict in the South China Sea may increase if Donald Trump steps up military activity in the disputed waterway because of the lack of legally binding rules over air and sea encounters, a Chinese maritime affairs analyst has warned.

Wu Shicun, founder of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Trump would use the issue to try to contain China and stir up discord between Beijing and other South China Sea claimant states but said he would take a different approach to the current administration.

The United States has conducted extensive military and intelligence gathering efforts directed at China in the waterway but “there is no binding set of rules or mechanisms in place”, he told the Baichuan Forum at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Shenzhen campus.

He highlighted an incident when destroyers from the two countries came close to colliding in the disputed Spratly Islands in 2018 as “the result of lacking legally binding rules of close encounter”.

The two countries were among the 21 signatories to a Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea agreed in 2014 but it is not legally binding.

“Given the lack of binding rules or mechanisms between China and the US regarding air or maritime encounters in the South China Sea, there is an increased risk of accidental incidents or escalation of conflicts, particularly if such incidents are mishandled and if US military activities in the region are intensified under Trump,” Wu said.

He said Trump’s unpredictable behaviour may undo recent efforts to stabilise the situation in the South China Sea and its relationship with rival claimants such as the Philippines and Vietnam may be shaken up.

“Manila’s provocative manoeuvres against Beijing in the waterway” might decrease, he told the event organised by the Institute for International Affairs.

“One possibility is a loosening of the alliance between the US and the Philippines as Trump has shown he is not interested in alliances.”

Over the past 12 months there have been a string of clashes, sometimes involving the use of water cannons or lasers, between Philippine and Chinese coastguard ships around disputed features in the Spratly Islands, many near the Second Thomas Shoal where the Philippines grounded an old warship that is manned by a detachment of marines.

While Trump’s return to the White House is widely expected to affect US alliances around the world, the self-styled master deal-maker is expected to seek what he sees as more favourable terms from other countries, which could involve them buying more American weapons or increasing their own defence spending.

Trump’s second term could present China with a strategic “window of opportunity”, according to Wu.

“Beijing’s South China Sea strategy could focus on reclaiming back the rights and entitlements that originally belonged to Beijing but were challenged or encroached upon by other countries.

“If we seize this window of opportunity, our rights and claims in the South China Sea will be further strengthened,” he said.

He also described Beijing’s recent announcement of territorial sea baselines around Scarborough Shoal – which map out its claims – as “a significant move”.

He said Beijing had started technical preparations for mapping out these baselines after an earlier stand-off with the Philippines in 2012, but “we waited over a decade without finding the right opportunity to announce it”.

Chinese singer Zhang Mi battles cancer for third time, faces surgery to cut half her tongue

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3287560/china-singer-zhang-mi-battles-cancer-third-time-faces-surgery-cut-half-her-tongue?utm_source=rss_feed

A famous Chinese singer garnered widespread sympathy on mainland social media by announcing the heartbreaking news of her third cancer diagnosis, following her battles with two previous cancers over the past five years.

Zhang Mi, 54, was diagnosed with tonsillar cancer and oropharyngeal cancer in 2019, both of which had progressed to advanced stages. She successfully overcame these challenges, and with no relapses reported in the past five years, she expressed her happiness on Weibo in August.

However, on November 19, Zhang revealed that she had been diagnosed with tongue cancer, as reported by the news portal The Paper.

“I have bad news for you,” she shared with her followers on Weibo. “There is something in my tongue that turned out to be tongue cancer. I was overwhelmed by this result.”

“How could I have a third cancer? I am very upset these days, and I can’t accept this,” Zhang said tearfully.

She mentioned that she would soon undergo surgery to remove half of her tongue. While uncertain about her ability to speak after the operation, she fears she may never sing again.

“I don’t know how many tortures I must endure in my life. It seems these cannot be avoided at all,” said Zhang, who appeared to be in low spirits.

Zhang is a celebrated singer in China, having reached the pinnacle of her popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s.

A native of Heilongjiang province in northeastern China, Zhang is also a model.

Before returning to mainland China for cancer treatment in 2019, she spent most of her time living abroad.

She underwent months of chemotherapy and over 20 sessions of radiotherapy to combat her previous two cancers.

“I can’t describe my anguish and suffering. During these five years of battling cancer, I felt so small and helpless,” Zhang said in a video released in August.

“I was once sentenced to death by God, but I created a miracle in life. To achieve this, you must have strong faith, as well as substantial financial resources – the treatment cost all my savings from the past decades.”

The five-year survival rate for tongue cancer is over 60 per cent, Dr Zhang Bin from Beijing Cancer Hospital said on the Baidu website. He also cautioned that the disease has a high rate of recurrence.

Zhang’s announcement prompted an outpouring of sympathy from mainland Chinese internet users.

“Strong Sister Mi, I’m so sorry for you. Sending hugs. Wishing you a speedy recovery,” one netizen commented.

Another added: “You will overcome this. Hope to see you back soon.”

China’s mass killings spark calls for support and understanding to prevent repeat

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3287922/chinas-mass-killings-spark-calls-support-and-understanding-prevent-repeat?utm_source=rss_feed

Following a spate of mass killings in China, the country’s legal professionals are calling for better mental health and social resources while urging authorities to dig for the deeper reasons behind these attacks.

On the evening of November 11, a car was driven into a crowd of people exercising at a sports centre in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing 35 and injuring 43. The suspect, who tried to take his own life, was promptly taken away by police and is being treated in hospital. Police said at the time he might have been motivated by his anger about a recent divorce settlement.

Before the public had a chance to recover from the shock, the country was faced with its second mass killing in less than a week. A knifeman killed eight and injured 17 at a college in Yixing in the eastern province of Jiangsu on November 16.

The 21-year-old suspect had studied at the institute, and police said he was unhappy with his low pay at a factory internship.

Three days later, an SUV hit a group of parents and children outside a primary school in Changde, in the central province of Hunan. Local police reported that several children were injured and needed hospital treatment, but there were no deaths. The suspect is a 39-year-old named Huang.

Some people have questioned whether there was a pattern to the attacks. Chinese authorities typically label them as “isolated incidents” or focus only on the personal motives of suspects, such as being divorced or jobless.

Chen Bi, a criminal justice law professor at the China University of Political Science, wrote on social media last week that in a modern society, it was important to have a fair public authority that people could turn to.

If not, “revenge incidents” could easily occur, according to Chen.

“In modern times, in a society governed by law, the truly valuable public topic to discuss is: who should bear this collective responsibility?” Chen asked.

She said that from a sociological point of view, it was necessary to allocate social resources and apply welfare-oriented policies rationally so that vulnerable groups received preferential protection and had a sense of hope.

From a legal point of view, it was also essential that the public knew they could use the law and legal procedures to protect themselves, she added.

After the Zhuhai attack, a 2019 research paper analysing 20 mass attacks in China started circulating online.

Written by two PhD students at East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai, the study found that when some people suffered social setbacks and lacked the social and psychological resources to relieve negative emotions, they could adopt a “revenge mentality” and resort to retaliatory actions.

“It is worth noting that some criminal acts of revenge against society are a form of performative violence, in which the perpetrators use extreme behaviour to gain public attention and social recognition,” it said.

Zhao Hong, a professor at Peking University Law School, wrote on social media that China’s legal system was quick to punish suspects in violent attacks without learning their stories.

“But if we only punish the criminals in these cases without understanding their real motive, that is regrettable as we can’t comfort the survivors who are in pain, nor can we avoid similar incidents from happening again,” she wrote.

Zhao said she believed that if a reason could be found for mass attacks, innocent lives might be saved in the future, though she admitted that her views might be misconstrued as sympathy towards the attackers.

Others believe that such mass attacks are not preventable.

Zhang Wei, deputy director of the forensic psychology institute at the Guangzhou College of Commerce, told local magazine South Reviews that these crimes were often random and the perpetrators typically did not have a chance to offend again.

However, he said there were things authorities could do to relieve public stress and prevent copycat crimes – including making appropriate disclosures about cases and providing psychological help to those affected by the violence.

President Xi Jinping issued a rare instruction after the Zhuhai attack, demanding that local governments “learn the lesson”, resolve conflicts in a timely manner and avoid risks stemming from extreme cases.

Authorities reacted immediately. Ying Yong, the country’s top prosecutor, called for local prosecutors’ offices to respond to every letter and visit from members of the public and carry out sweeping investigations of any conflicts to eliminate risks.

On Thursday, Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong stressed that big data and the “Fengqiao experience” – a Mao Zedong-era model of resolving social conflicts at the grass-roots level – should be used to ensure social stability through the coming winter and spring.

It is not clear how community cadres will carry out investigations to tackle potential risks, but media reports highlighted instances of increased fellow feeling.

For example, restaurant owners in some cities have started offering free meals for people in trouble. One barbecue eatery in Tianjin hung a poster advertising free meals upon request. “You must have hope and try to live on,” the poster read.

The restaurant’s owner, Song Hao, a retired veteran and single father, is by no means wealthy. But he said he wanted to provide for those who were even less fortunate.

“I am from the bottom of society, and I want to help others like me if I can,” he said.

Foreign spies may be using deepfakes to target China and its people, security ministry warns

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3287917/foreign-spies-may-be-using-deepfakes-target-china-and-its-people-security-ministry-warns?utm_source=rss_feed

Foreign spies could be using deepfake technology to threaten both individual and national security, China’s Ministry of State Security has warned.

Deepfake tools, while finding application in general industries, could be exploited by espionage agencies as a new weapon for “cognitive warfare”, the ministry said in a statement on its social media account on Saturday.

It also urged better personal privacy protection and vigilance from citizens, particularly those holding sensitive positions.

“Avoid inputting state secrets, trade secrets, or personal sensitive information into related software, and refrain from sharing classified content online,” the statement said, while urging people to look out for suspicious content.

“Certain foreign spy agencies may leverage this emerging [deepfake] technology to upgrade intelligence-gathering methods, carry out recruitment [or] defection efforts [and] defamation campaigns, and spread disinformation,” cautioned the ministry, which is China’s top intelligence agency.

Deepfake, derived from “deep learning” and “fake”, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate images, audio and video, making highly realistic forgeries nearly indistinguishable from reality.

It enables face-swapping, voice cloning, and fake identities – raising concerns about disinformation, erosion of public trust, and potential misuse in spreading fake news or conducting covert operations.

China is seen as leading the way on regulating and setting up administrative guidelines for AI.

In August, internet watchdog the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) approved a new list of 487 AI algorithms that could be used for deepfakes, the second-largest list since the CAC started publishing white lists last year.

The latest list cited algorithms used in products from both domestic technology giants like Baidu, Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, as well as foreign firms such as Hewlett-Packard. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

On the list were Baidu’s portrait image diffusion generator, which is bundled with its cloud gallery app Yike, and a search algorithm in Tencent’s WeChat platform.

The efforts are in compliance with China’s Administrative Provisions on Deep Synthesis for Internet Information Services, which took effect last year to regulate deepfake technologies. Failure to register an algorithm with the CAC could result in removal from domestic app stores.

The CAC has published six other white lists.

To regulate “deep synthesis”, China requires service providers to prominently label AI-generated content that “may cause public confusion or misidentification”, in order to help users distinguish between machine-created images and audiovisual materials and those produced by humans.

In May last year, short-video app Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, announced measures requiring the clear labelling of AI-generated content, registration and real-name verification for virtual personas, and platform tools to support compliance and protect registered virtual figures.

Last month, police in Hong Kong smashed a local fraud syndicate that used deepfake technology to swap the faces of swindlers with those of attractive women in video calls, cheating love-struck men in the region out of HK$360 million (U$46 million).

After developing online love relationships, the victims were lured into investing in cryptocurrencies through bogus trading platforms.

It was the first such crackdown by local authorities on a Hong Kong-based fraud network that leveraged AI-powered deepfake technology to deceive victims, sources told the South China Morning Post.

US anti-China misinformation is likely to continue under Trump, analysts say

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287907/us-anti-china-misinformation-likely-continue-under-trump-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed

A bipartisan effort in the US that was meant to unite both sides of politics against foreign propaganda has backfired, with critics accusing it of censoring Americans, especially those on the right.

While the little-known branch of the State Department may shut down next month before president-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, analysts predict that US policy on information warfare is unlikely to change course.

The Global Engagement Centre (GEC) was established in 2016 under former president Barack Obama to address “foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts” targeting the US and its allies.

The GEC’s mission was significantly broader than its predecessor, the Centre for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, which focused solely on countering terrorism.

Unless Congress acts to save it, the Obama legacy operation will shut down on December 23, when its seven-year mandate expires.

But the GEC’s potential shutdown does not mean the second Trump administration will lose sight or control of alleged propaganda from abroad, said Josef Mahoney, politics and international relations professor with the East China Normal University in Shanghai.

“Now whether the GEC disappears, I don’t think anyone believes that this would lead to the US fundamentally changing its position on China or Russia or Iran, and there are in fact other groups in the US government that are producing information campaigns against these countries,” he said.

The GEC is one of many US government offices directed at fighting foreign disinformation, from the Pentagon’s Influence and Perception Management Office to numerous organisations within the Department of Homeland Security and FBI.

Most of these organisations are supervised by the Foreign Malign Influence Centre (FMIC), which was formed in 2022 and names China, Iran, North Korea and Russia as target countries.

The scope of what constitutes “foreign malign influence” is notably expansive under the relevant law and any country can be added to the list as the FMIC director deems appropriate.

According to the legislation, the FMIC is empowered to counteract “any hostile effort” from foreign entities attempting to sway US policies, including electoral processes and “public opinion within the [country]”.

Mahoney noted that a Reuters investigation in June found the US military ran a clandestine programme in the Philippines to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation against Covid-19.

The news agency said it had identified at least 300 social media accounts that matched descriptions of former US military officials said to be familiar with the operation.

According to Mahoney, the campaign was intended to put the Philippine people and their leaders in a “confrontational position”, which was followed by decisions to again welcome American troops to their borders and buy US missiles.

“So, to what extent is the GEC part of a broader military campaign of disinformation where it’s playing a role in the information warfare, where the US itself is also a malign actor?” he said.

The GEC is also controversial in the US, where a group of Republican congressmen expressed their concerns in a letter of Secretary of State Antony Blinken in July.

“Any value the GEC provides is tempered by genuine concerns that [it] is at best indifferent to, and at worst complicit in, an orchestrated and systematic effort to stretch the term ‘disinformation’ to encompass viewpoints that, among American progressives, are deemed to be politically disfavoured or inconvenient,” they said.

Trump ally Elon Musk, who is tipped to co-head an efficiency commission into government spending in the new administration, alleged last year that the GEC set out to shape social media content.

“The worst offender in US government censorship [and] media manipulation is an obscure agency called GEC,” the billionaire wrote on Twitter in February 2023, labelling it “a threat to [American] democracy”.

Two years before it was acquired by Musk and renamed X, the GEC claimed its investigations showed Beijing had coordinated nearly 250,000 accounts on the social media platform to disseminate disinformation related to the coronavirus outbreak.

Twitter pushed back on the accusation, saying that the information provided by the State Department had included numerous accounts belonging to government entities, non-governmental organisations and journalists.

“One of the problems with this effort is that Democrats and Republicans frequently have different interpretations on the right policy and information strategy towards these various countries,” Mahoney said.

“During the Biden administration, the GEC has been accused by Republicans of promoting a very specific narrative about its vision or understanding of the world – one that isn’t necessarily corresponding to objective facts, but supporting what might be described as the Biden doctrine.”

Zoon Ahmed Khan, a research fellow at the Beijing-based Centre for China and Globalisation, said that perceived state-directed censorship on social media platforms had led to growing criticism and scepticism towards the GEC’s practices.

“A perpetual anti-China posture and an inability to engage in objective discourse not only hurts the global credibility of Western media and think tanks, but also increases the [ideological] gap between audiences that follow and believe Western media and those who are sceptical,” she said.

According to Khan, Americans interpreted instances where criticism of the government was “misdiagnosed” as foreign-funded propaganda as a violation of their free speech.

While the messaging may change from Biden to Trump, the GEC’s potential shutdown is unlikely to “significantly alter US policy, or the US capacity to continue to wage this type of information warfare”, Mahoney said.

“In fact, it might get worse under Trump, given his history of an aggressive and culturally insensitive communication style, as well as the potential for increased conflict, for example, between the US and China or Iran, given several of the key figures being proposed as potential members of his cabinet.”

Florida Representative Mike Waltz, nominee for national security adviser, and Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, both maintain a “very hawkish stance” towards China, Mahoney said.

China’s top judge promises swift justice after recent mass killings that shocked nation

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3287905/chinas-top-judge-promises-swift-justice-after-recent-mass-killings-shocked-nation?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s most senior judge has promised to dish out swift punishments for random attacks on members of the public following a series of incidents that have shocked the nation.

In the most serious incident, 35 people were killed and dozens injured when a car ploughed into crowds of people exercising outside a sports stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai almost two weeks ago, prompting authorities around the country to tighten security measures.

Zhang Jun, president and chief justice of the Supreme People’s Court, told a special meeting of the country’s top courts on Saturday that serious and vicious crimes must be sternly punished, while trials and sentencing must be timely so the public can “truly feel fairness and justice”.

But he said courts should consider lighter punishments for minor social crimes or incidents triggered by social conflict – if the defendant pleads guilty and is forgiven by the victim – to “promote the reform of criminals”.

Zhang also said that when there are repeated incidents in a short space of time, the judicial system should find the source of the problem to help prevent future incidents and focus on strengthening correctional education, as well as support for former convicts and patients with severe mental disorders.

The chief justice also told courts across the country to implement a campaign to “resolve conflict and maintain stability” ordered by the country’s top security body after the Zhuhai car attack, a statement from the supreme court said.

The suspect in the case went into a coma after trying to slit his throat after the attack. The local authorities said a preliminary investigation indicated he was angry about his divorce settlement.

Days after the incident, eight people were killed and 17 injured when a knifeman went on the rampage at a college in the eastern city of Wuxi. A 21-year-old former student who had failed his exams and was said to be angry about his low pay as a factory intern was detained at the scene of the attack.

Police are also investigating an incident in which a car ploughed into a group of parents and children outside a school in the central city of Changde on Tuesday. A 39-year-old man was detained at the scene.

On Sunday, Yin Bai, secretary general of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, called for more controls to prevent “major security incidents”.

During a tour of Zhejiang province, Yin said local governments must provide “one-stop solutions” to resolve disputes and prevent conflicts.

He urged China’s security force to dig into their vast data resources to discover potential risks and hidden dangers and better predict when attacks might occur so they can be stopped.

Officials around the country have also been stepping up security measures around schools and other places where large crowds gather.

Dozens of Chinese cities also saw their party and government inspecting security measures at places with large crowds, especially schools, according to mainland media reports.

In one city, Bijie in the southwestern province of Guizhou, the mayor has ordered traffic and pedestrians to be diverted away from schools at the start and end of the school day.

Senior officials, including President Xi Jinping, have called for stronger security measures in the wake of the Zhuhai attack.

The Ministry of Public Security has urged police across the country to “resolve conflicts at the grass-roots level” to prevent “extreme cases”.

Meanwhile, Ying Yong, the country’s top prosecutor, called on prosecution agencies to support measures to deter “similar malicious crimes” but also “learn profound lessons” from the incident and step up investigative action.

Chinese scientists build ‘recoilless AK-47’ that can be wielded by almost any drone

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3287631/chinese-scientists-build-recoilless-ak-47-can-be-wielded-almost-any-drone?utm_source=rss_feed

An automatic rifle specifically tailored for drones has been developed by Chinese scientists, marking a huge step forward in unmanned warfare technology.

The firearm uses the same 7.62mm calibre bullet as the famous AK-47, while the bullet’s velocity can reach 740 to 900 metres per second (2,427 to 2,952 feet per second), 10 metres (33 feet) away from the muzzle, matching the AK-47’s power.

But the main innovation that sets this weapon apart is its almost non-existent recoil. The recoil is as mild as tapping a keyboard.

This means that even a consumer drone – or a toy robotic dog – can wield this gun and fire at will, according to the scientists and engineers involved in the project.

Before this, such scenes were confined to the movies. On real battlefields, such as in Ukraine, small drones have been limited to dropping grenades or mortar shells. Even specialised unmanned weapon platforms or heavily modified drones struggle with the recoil of machine guns, compromising their shooting accuracy and versatility.

Now, the new rifle developed by a team led by Professor Liu Pengzhan with the school of mechanical and electrical engineering at North University of China offers a solution to these challenges.

The team found that drilling a strategically placed hole in the rear of the gun barrel helped vent the gas shock wave generated by the gunpowder explosion. Then, to maintain the bullet’s muzzle velocity, Liu and his colleagues designed a new bullet with a high-strength membrane sealed at the rear and an electromagnetic induction chip inside.

When the firing command is received, the chip ignites the explosive, propelling the bullet forward. Only when the pressure reaches a critical level does it break through the membrane and vent through the hole, eliminating recoil while ensuring high muzzle velocity.

The gun’s structure is simple, and the manufacturing cost is low. It only requires installing a coil in the gun barrel to detonate the chip and protecting it with a layer of high-temperature and high-pressure-resistant ceramic, according to the researchers.

The North University of China is an important research institution in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, established by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence. Engineers with some military industrial enterprises also took part in the research and testing of this weapon.

The project details were published this month in the peer-reviewed academic journal Acta Armamentarii.

“Multiple tests have confirmed the effectiveness of this design,” Liu’s team wrote in the paper.

During the trials, the rifle was suspended in the air and fired, with the amplitude of its front-to-back swing measuring just 1.8cm, showing its negligible recoil.

In 2016, China put forward a proposal to the United Nations to ban the conversion of drones into lethal weapons, becoming the first among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to make such a suggestion.

In 2021, China, along with over 100 countries, proposed the motion again but it was vetoed by the United States and Russia.

Since then, China has vigorously developed such weapons and gained a significant advantage through its industrial capacity. But Beijing has recently put dual-use drone products and technologies in its export control list to prevent potential abuse by other countries.

Chinese murderer holds banquet outside victim’s home after 20 years in jail, angers family

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3287585/china-killer-holds-celebratory-banquet-outside-victims-home-after-20-year-jail-angers-family?utm_source=rss_feed

A convicted murderer in China ignited significant online outrage after celebrating his release from a 20-year prison sentence with a lavish banquet and firecrackers right outside the victim’s home.

This provocative act was brought to light through a series of videos on Douyin by the victim’s son, known online as “Kailiang Rensheng”, whose surname is Xiang. He hails from Mianyang, Sichuan province in southwestern China.

Xiang revealed that at the age of 15, he lost his father to a brutal murder orchestrated by three killers hired by their neighbour.

His father, just 39 and on the verge of starting his career, was murdered in his bedroom, and his body was set ablaze with petrol to destroy evidence.

Xiang never saw his father’s remains, as his family shielded him from the trauma. Following the murder, they also faced threats and surveillance from the killers.

In response to online speculation regarding his father’s involvement in unethical activities, Xiang clarified that the murder stemmed from a dispute among his father’s relatives and the mastermind behind the crime.

When his father intervened during the argument, the mastermind harboured a grudge that ultimately led to the murder.

Xiang further noted that of the four individuals involved, two were executed, while the mastermind and another received death sentences with reprieve.

Under China’s Criminal Law, a person sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve can have their sentence commuted to life imprisonment, and subsequently to a fixed term of 25 years if they demonstrate good behaviour and make significant contributions.

However, the minimum term for any reduction in sentence cannot be less than 20 years.

On November 14, upon learning of the murderer’s release after serving 20 years and the plans for a celebratory banquet, Xiang, who currently works in Shenzhen, rushed back to his hometown.

The following day, the convict hosted the extravagant event with 18 banquet tables set up in front of their home.

Online videos captured a car arriving at a rural courtyard, adorned with a red carpet, as guests walked in amid the sound of firecrackers, reminiscent of a festive celebration.

“If I had the chance, I’d like to talk to the killer. Not to vent my anger, but to understand why he made the choice that brought so much pain to two families. But on the day of his release, I was met with blatant provocation and overwhelming malice,” Xiang expressed in the video.

Despite pleas to stop the celebration, it continued until local police and government officials intervened.

A representative from Qingyi Town’s government confirmed that upon receiving Xiang’s report, local officials, police, and village leaders quickly intervened and conducted educational sessions with the convict and his family.

Both parties have since expressed a desire to avoid further conflict, according to Red Star News.

However, the blatant provocation has sparked public fury online.

One commenter remarked: “What was the point of 20 years in prison? If he received a reduced sentence, it was clearly a mistake.”

Another added: “A murderer like this shouldn’t have been released. Investigate that prison thoroughly.”

A third questioned: “Why were so many people at the banquet? What were they thinking?”

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China’s border with Central Asia deemed concern amid demographic decline

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3287769/chinas-border-central-asia-deemed-concern-amid-demographic-decline?utm_source=rss_feed

To bolster national security amid a countrywide demographic slide, China should turn its eyes to the declining populations of its towns bordering Central Asia, a government adviser said.

As Central Asian countries see fast population growth and attract more Chinese immigrants, Beijing should “raise awareness of population security and integrate border population issues into the national defence and security policy framework,” said He Dan, director of the China Population and Development Research Centre, a think tank affiliated with the National Health Commission.

Most of the 40 western border counties in question – including those in the Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions – have fewer than 200,000 residents. They are still experiencing population declines, He said in an article for the commission’s Population and Health magazine, despite their significance to national security and foreign trade.

For instance, Alashankou Port in Xinjiang handles half of the nation’s overland freight volume, but the city’s total population is only 17,000, of which only 3,423 are permanent residents.

Similarly, Manzhouli Port in Inner Mongolia – which accounts for over 60 per cent of China’s overland trade with Russia – saw its registered population drop from 128,900 in 2020 to 88,800 in 2023. He Dan attributed this to ageing demographics and the difficulty attracting and retaining talent.

“Border port towns have fragile ecosystems and underdeveloped living and economic foundations,” she said. “Many of these towns grapple with harsh conditions such as strong winds, limited arable land, severe desertification, and water scarcity, which lead to high living costs and lagging social development.”

As import tariffs and value-added taxes from imported goods are fully remitted to the central government, she added, local governments are left without a share of the revenue, which limits the capacity of local economies to attract investment and create jobs.

As of 2022, 86.67 per cent of cities in China’s border regions were classified as small by national standards, according to a report co-authored by Xu Xiaoyong, a demography researcher with Yunnan University. Only four were found to have populations exceeding 500,000 and none surpassed 1 million.

“The limited number of cities, their small scale, and the lack of central cities with strong economic influence have weakened the ability of border areas to effectively attract and retain populations or industries,” report authors wrote in a separate article for Population and Health.

“As a result, a significant number of non-agricultural migrant workers and urban residents are compelled to seek better income, development opportunities and living conditions by working and residing elsewhere.”

Young people should be encouraged to settle in border regions with a wide range of incentives, He said, adding the region should attract skilled personnel and cultivate the specialised professionals needed in major sectors.

“[Border regions should] utilise long-term government bonds to increase investment in people, advancing education, healthcare, environmental protection, housing, and employment-related social welfare initiatives to support and encourage populations in border areas to live and work locally.”

The cultural heritage of local ethnic groups should also be promoted to increase tourism, she said.

China is in the middle of a nationwide population decline that threatens to weigh down the nation’s long-term economic prospects.

In 2023, China’s population fell for the second year in a row to 1.4 billion, a decline of over 2 million. Only 9 million births were reported in China for the year, the lowest figure since records began to be maintained in 1949.

The fertility rate in Central Asian countries has stayed above 3, while China’s dropped to 1.09 in 2022, according to an estimate by the China Population and Development Research Centre. Demographers suspect the rate had dropped below 1.0 by 2023.

In Shanghai, one of China’s wealthiest cities, the total fertility rate dipped to 0.6 in 2023, according to the municipality.

The fertility rate indicates the average number of children born to each woman. The replacement fertility rate, 2.1 children per woman, is considered the necessary minimum for a country’s population to remain constant.

Chinese film about Covid lockdown wins top prize in 2024 Golden Horse awards in Taiwan

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3287889/chinese-film-about-covid-lockdown-wins-top-prize-2024-golden-horse-awards-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed

Films by mainland Chinese directors – one about the Covid-19 pandemic, the other a gay romance – won major prizes at the Golden Horse awards in Taiwan.

Unencumbered by the strict censorship of mainland China, Taiwan’s Golden Horse awards typically attract a diverse selection of films. More than 200 films made in mainland China were entered in competition, the highest number in recent years, according to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council.

Lou Ye’s docudrama about Covid-19 lockdowns in China, , won for best film and for best director, awards accepted by his wife, Ma Yingli, as he is in Japan for work.

“We all went through that difficult period together,” Lou said in a message Ma read out, describing the film, set during the lockdown of Wuhan in the earliest stages of the pandemic, as “the most special directing job I have ever done”, and thanking those who worked on the film.

Lou has had numerous run-ins with Chinese censors, including for his sexually graphic 2006 film Summer Palace.

Meanwhile, the black-and-white gay drama Bel Ami, by Chinese director Geng Jun but produced in France, won for best leading actor, best cinematography and best editing.

While same-sex relations are not illegal in China, same-sex marriage is not recognised, and the government has been cracking down on activists and depictions of LGBTQ+ people in the media.

Geng, accepting the award on behalf of friend and best leading actor winner Zhang Zhiyong, said Zhang had not let an injury from a childhood accident that left him partially disabled deter him.

“He was not confident at the beginning and always wanted the camera to avoid his injured eyes and hands,” Geng said. “I told him not to avoid it, never avoid it. I said this is your unique sense of reality and characteristic and you are a most unique actor.”

Hong Kong’s Chung Suet-ying was named best actress for her role in The Way We Talk, which is about the deaf community.

Neither Bel Ami nor An Unfinished Film has been released in China.

Beijing banned its entertainers from taking part in the Golden Horse awards – once known as the Oscars of Chinese-language film – in 2019 after Taiwanese director Fu Yue voiced support for the island’s independence in an acceptance speech in 2018.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, which the Taipei government rejects, and Chinese A-listers and big commercial productions have largely avoided the event ever since.

But producers in mainland China, generally those whose films were banned or with no hope of a public release there, continue to enter the awards.

After an absence of several years, Chinese stars began trickling back to the awards in Taipei last year, with actress Hu Ling the first to grace the red carpet since the ban.

On Saturday, Geng and some of his cast were among the few mainland Chinese entertainers to join stars and filmmakers from around the region, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, and the United States on the red carpet.

World interest in ‘China EV’ zooms ahead, leaving ‘global warming’ in its wake

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3287672/world-interest-china-ev-zooms-ahead-leaving-global-warming-its-wake?utm_source=rss_feed

The world is entranced by electric vehicles (EVs), but people’s interest in the clean energy machines may have little to do with global warming, according to the latest Google Trends data.

And one environmental expert has put the shift down to the politicisation of climate change.

Google Trends data from August showed that online searches for the terms “electric vehicle” and “EV” had steadily increased over the past decade, with “China EV”, in particular, reaching a new peak this year.

It reflected the success of China’s EV sector, which also hit a new milestone this year with annual production volume surpassing 10 million units.

Google Trends provides a sample of actual search requests, and “a spike in a particular topic means that more users than usual are searching for it”, according to Google.

At the other end of the scale, though, searches for the term “global warming” hit their lowest number since records began in 2004 – only reached once before during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paul Harris, chair professor of global and environmental studies at The Education University of Hong Kong, said there had been a global shift away from using the term “global warming”.

For scientists, this is because warming – along with other impacts of increased greenhouse gas emissions – fall under the wider umbrella of climate change.

But the move towards using the term “climate change” had not occurred alongside widespread acceptance of the topic worldwide, Harris said, as it “gets enormous pushback still”.

“The idea of climate change is highly politicised and it’s caught up in domestic debates and geopolitical debates,” he said, noting that it also involved a lot of different vested interests.

“Those who want to take action on [climate change] are using other terminologies.”

He pointed to the recent elections in the United States – where president-elect Donald Trump has previously referred to climate change as a “hoax”.

During campaigning, “climate change” was only uttered three times by candidates during both presidential debates, all by Democratic Party candidates.

In fact, when asked directly about climate change at the September 10 debate, Vice-President Kamala Harris acknowledged the issue but then largely focused on the building of a clean energy economy and creating jobs.

The unprompted mention of global warming, climate change and the environment hit its peak during the 2000 US presidential elections, according to communications organisation Climate Power.

In the US, the recent focus has instead been on things like investing in renewables to provide jobs, as that can be more “politically palatable” than investing for the sake of cleaning the air and saving lives, Harris said.

He said that Trump’s return to the White House and potential reversal of the Biden administration’s climate efforts could cause China to respond with “mediocre objectives of its own”.

China was a “clear leader” in solar and wind energy, but was also still approving coal-fired power plants and breaking records in coal production, Harris pointed out.

Beijing’s own focus on clean energy and EVs, he said, was an attempt to diversify its grid and create energy self-dependence.

But concerns about Chinese overcapacity have caused the European Union and US to impose tariffs on its EVs and renewable energy products, leading to rising trade tensions.

Harris believes that transitioning away from fossil fuels will happen eventually as there are benefits to doing so, “but the problem is that the steps that we are taking globally to address climate change are happening at a glacial pace”.

A hallmark of international climate policy has been to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels. This is set to be the first full year where warming will be 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

But while staying below 2 degrees of warming could be practically possible, it may be “politically impossible” based on the current geopolitical climate, Harris said.

Have China’s plans for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier taken another step forward?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3287853/have-chinas-plans-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier-taken-another-step-forward?utm_source=rss_feed

Reports that China has built a prototype nuclear reactor for its next aircraft carrier have prompted renewed focus on its supposed long-term ambition to project naval power far from its shores.

Carriers powered by nuclear reactors do not need to refuel as often as conventionally powered ones. This gives them much greater range and also allows them to carry more fuel and weapons for their aircraft.

Associated Press reported on November 11 that China had built a prototype reactor for a large surface warship on a mountain site outside the city of Leshan, in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

Research provided to the news agency by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California concluded that China’s 701 Institute, which is responsible for aircraft carrier development, had procured reactor equipment “intended for installation on a large surface warship”.

The analysis was based on publicly available documents, including an environmental impact report that described it as a “national defence-related” project, and satellite images taken between 2020 and 2023 showing the construction of facilities related to the reactor site.

The United States has 11 carriers that use the technology and the only other nuclear-powered carrier in service is France’s Charles de Gaulle.

Beijing has long been rumoured to have been planning a nuclear-powered carrier that would help to achieve its ambitions of giving the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “blue-water capabilities”, and the AP report may be the first evidence it is working towards this.

Adding such a carrier to the PLA Navy’s fleet would allow it to conduct “smooth deepwater aircraft operations,” according to Yoon Suk-joon, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs in Seoul and specialist in Chinese naval weapons systems.

“[Nuclear propulsion allows] sufficient operating speed that is not affected by sea conditions, sufficient power supply, ensuring the safety of the aircraft take-off and landing system, and building unlimited propulsion,” added Yoon, who is a retired naval captain.

“This means that the Chinese navy can always keep its aircraft carriers on standby in open seas with greater confidence.”

He said nuclear power would give the carrier a top-speed of up to 30 knots (55km/h or 34mph) and help increase the speed at which advanced launch systems for the aircraft could operate.

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said a nuclear-powered carrier would be able to go on “global voyages”, without necessarily having to stop for refuelling.

“All that means [is] that we are not just looking at the Chinese operating the carrier just within the region.”

Koh also said he could not imagine that this type of reactor would be used for any other surface ships “and that clearly highlights the long-term Chinese ambition”.

He said while nuclear-powered carriers could play a key role in potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, “we are also going to expect the Chinese carrier to go more global … starting with the Indian Ocean”.

He also said the PLA’s first overseas base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa “is large enough to accommodate an aircraft carrier”.

China’s navy is already the world’s largest and has a goal of having six carriers by the end of 2035 as it undertakes a rapid modernisation.

Its third and newest carrier, the Fujian, is currently undergoing sea trials and is the first outside the United States to be equipped with an advanced electromagnetic catapult launch system that allows planes to be launched more frequently.

Koh added that the Chinese carrier programme is an “evolutionary” one and the Fujian’s successor – commonly known as the Type 004 – will be of the “same size or even larger”.

He added that if the reported reactor project was successful, “subsequent Chinese carriers … will all be nuclear-powered”.

In March, Yuan Huazhi, political commissar for the PLA Navy, confirmed work on a fourth carrier was under way and an announcement on whether it would be nuclear-powered would be made “soon”.

Alex Bristow, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said nuclear-powered carriers would “bolster the PLA Navy’s status as a ‘first-tier’ competitor of the US Navy”.

He added: “It’s debatable whether aircraft carriers would survive long in a major US-China war … but [they] could play an important role in a number of other scenarios, giving Beijing the means to signal strength and apply force, including against weaker military opponents than the US.”

Bristow also said: “China’s development of a blue-water navy that could project force throughout and beyond the Pacific Ocean is another justification for Australia’s military modernisation, including the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through the Aukus partnership [with Britain and the US].”

But some analysts also pointed out that there were practical constraints on what such carriers can do.

Timothy Heath, a senior international defence researcher at the Rand Corporation think tank in the US, said a nuclear-powered carrier would still need places to stop to take on food and water on long distance voyages.

“The carrier would be very vulnerable to US submarines in any confrontation with the US navy on the high seas,” he added.

Koh said that to have a “fully functional, operable and sustainable carrier strike group”, the ships need proper support. This not only included the ability to replenish supplies, but also suitable escorts to develop a “real blue-water capability”.

“Correspondingly, it also means that the cost of protecting the carrier will become higher as well, with more assets to protect, the more liabilities … It isn’t just about, ‘oh, I have a nuclear power and aircraft carrier’.”

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China top influencer Li Ziqi angers fans with ‘hypocritical’ advice not to become KOLs

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3287544/china-top-influencer-li-ziqi-angers-fans-hypocritical-advice-not-become-kols?utm_source=rss_feed

As China’s leading influencer, Li Ziqi, made a comeback after a three-year absence from the internet, a video clip from an old interview aimed at dissuading young people from pursuing careers as online influencers went viral, igniting intense debate.

On November 12, Li updated her social media with two videos, officially marking her return after more than 1,200 days away due to a legal dispute with her former agent, Weinian.

The first video of the vlogger, renowned for her idyllic craftwork, showcases the painstaking process of refurbishing her grandmother’s wardrobe using lacquer art.

In this clip, she employs the special technique known as “carved lacquer with hidden patterns”, which she recently learned from Chengdu lacquer art inheritor, Yin Liping.

Li undertook every aspect of the project herself, from climbing the lacquer tree to collect its sap to the intricate carving and lacquering.

After six months and overcoming one setback, she successfully created a stunning lacquer art wardrobe that appears unremarkable in the dark but reveals a radiant golden qilin pattern when illuminated.

Li described the technique as a reflection of the Chinese people, who may seem modest and ordinary but possess “an all-embracing universe on the inside”.

As this video gained immense popularity, attracting another 12 million followers on Douyin within a week, an old remark she made regarding teenagers’ career aspirations resurfaced, sparking controversy after being highlighted by her hometown news outlet, Sichuan Online.

In a 2021 interview with state broadcaster CCTV, during a period when Li was embroiled in a legal dispute and had paused her account updates, she expressed her desire for teenagers to avoid dreaming of becoming internet celebrities.

“Young people are exposed to fragmented information too early. I don’t want them to adopt misguided values. I hope they focus on their studies so they can seize future opportunities,” Li stated.

Her comments elicited mixed reactions from online observers.

“Li is insightful. Being a KOL may seem glamorous, but it also entails significant risks. It’s crucial to expand one’s horizons and explore various career options rather than making KOL their sole ambition,” one user commented on Weibo.

“Her perspective is valuable because she is a top influencer and understands the costs involved,” another added.

Conversely, some labelled Li as “hypocritical”.

One critic remarked: “Isn’t Li Ziqi herself an influencer? It seems she is trying to block the path for others to protect her own profits.”

Li did not address these criticisms, stating that her focus lies in using her influence to promote Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

Over the past three years, Li mentioned that she visited 100 artists of intangible cultural heritage across China to learn their crafts.

In a recent interview with Xinhua News, she revealed her plans to connect more influencers with these artists to help popularise traditional crafts among a broader audience.

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo to boost Indonesian manufacturing in bet on Southeast Asia

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3287743/chinese-smartphone-maker-oppo-boost-indonesian-manufacturing-bet-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is looking to increase its sourcing from Indonesian suppliers at its local factory in an effort to strengthen its global manufacturing capabilities, amid a shift in many economies encouraging more localisation.

Around 36 to 37 per cent of smartphone components that Oppo sources for its Indonesian factory in Tangerang come from domestic suppliers, including batteries, packaging materials, adaptors and USB cables, according to Jefry Firman de Haan, director of Oppo’s Indonesia Manufacturing Centre.

The proportion of parts puts it slightly above Indonesia’s required 35 per cent threshold for smartphone makers under its domestic component level (TKDN) policy. Meeting this mandate is required for brands to sell handsets in the country, which has the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

Still, Oppo wants to go further, according to de Haan. “We are looking for good suppliers for all of our components, and we communicate and cooperate closely with the Ministry of Industry and local governments to find the right suppliers and vendors for us,” he said during a media tour of the factory on Tuesday, which the company sponsored.

Indonesia banned the sale of Apple’s latest iPhone last month, saying the US tech giant failed to meet the TKDN requirement and fulfil its investment commitment to the market. Days later, Google’s Pixel phones were also banned for sale in the country for similar reasons.

Indonesia is leveraging its rapidly growing economy to boost foreign investment in local manufacturing, a trend that has been growing globally. India, for example, has been pushing a “Make in India” campaign for a decade, significantly growing its manufacturing base.

Oppo’s Indonesian factory produces all the smartphones it sells across the archipelago, from low- to high-end handsets, including its latest Find X8 flagship phone. Its monthly production output varies from 1 million to 2 million units, based on market demand, according to de Haan.

Oppo’s local commitment comes as it looks to embed itself further in Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest-growing smartphone market. Smartphone shipments in Indonesia grew 11 per cent in the third quarter, and Oppo was the top-ranked vendor making up 19 per cent of the market, according to research firm IDC. It came ahead of Chinese rival Transsion and South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics, which each had an 18 per cent market share.

“The Indonesian market is a very important market for us. We have established very comprehensive capabilities in sales, marketing and production in the market,” Oppo vice-president Billy Zhang said after the global launch of Find X8 in Bali. “The essence [of the local factory] is to increase efficiency, and bring our latest technologies and products to our local consumers as fast as possible.”

Other Chinese smartphone makers have also established their own manufacturing facilities in the country to comply with regulations and sell to local consumers. Oppo’s crosstown Dongguan-based rival Vivo has its own facilities in Tangerang. Xiaomi, which set up plants in the industrial zone of Batam Island, also locally manufactures all the smartphones it sells in Indonesia.

“International relations in recent years have urged all manufacturers to rethink their supply chain strategy, but Oppo started setting up overseas manufacturing before the geopolitical issues between China and the US,” Andy Shi, Oppo’s Asia-Pacific president, said in a media briefing on Wednesday. Oppo built its first factory in Indonesia in 2015, more than a year before Donald Trump became US president in 2017 and kicked off a trade war the following year.

While Oppo’s Indonesian facility currently produces just for the domestic market, it was designed to be able to cover more Southeast Asian countries, according to Shi.

“It’s possible for us to build out more factories across Southeast Asia, or supply other countries from the Indonesia facility,” Shi said. “We haven’t decided yet.”

Oppo’s plant in Tangerang, just west of Jakarta, has been operational since 2022, when the company expanded its manufacturing facilities to meet growing demand for smartphone devices during the Covid-19 pandemic, de Haan said.

Covering an area of over 100,000 square metres, the facility has hired more than 1,000 employees, making it Oppo’s second-largest overseas manufacturing hub behind India. Around 99 per cent of the factory’s workforce is local, according to de Haan.

Oppo currently has seven manufacturing hubs outside China, including Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil and Egypt.

Future manufacturing expansion will depend on local demand and regulations, according to Zhang. “We have the manufacturing capabilities, and when there’s demand, we will roll out locally,” he said.

Pearl in Beijing’s retail crown struggles to regain shine against China’s economic tide

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3287749/pearl-beijings-retail-crown-struggles-regain-shine-against-chinas-economic-tide?utm_source=rss_feed

One of Beijing’s oldest wholesale markets that once hosted former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and American actor Nicolas Cage is struggling to restore its shine.

Located in the heart of Beijing, east of the Temple of Heaven, the 45-year-old Hongqiao Market has long established itself as a go-to place for foreign tourists, with pearl jewellery its signature product, but it has not been spared amid the ebb and flow of the economic tide.

While lacklustre domestic consumption and continuous shocks from e-commerce represent the most formidable challenges facing shopping centres in major Chinese cities, the slow recovery of inbound international travel following the coronavirus pandemic has added to the pain of the state-owned market and its 300-plus tenants.

“The development of Hongqiao Market is inseparable from the influence of the general situation, but we are also working hard to save ourselves despite the general situation,” said general manager Jin Wei, who has been working at the market for decades.

Before the pandemic, between 30,000-40,000 people passed through the mall on average per day, but that has dropped to around 10,000, with the per capita spending having also dropped, Jin added.

While local residents living nearby recalled old days when they shopped there for stationary or even fresh fish – it used to host one of Beijing’s biggest seafood markets in the basement before 2008, foreign residents and visitors had gradually become Hongqiao’s main source of customers, until the coronavirus pandemic hit.

And these old clients have yet to fully return, even though China has extended its visa-free entry scheme to boost inbound tourism in the past year.

The current share of foreign clients stayed at around 60 per cent, compared to over 80 per cent in pre-Covid era, according to Jin.

To bring in more tourism, China has extended visa-free entry privileges to visitors from 38 countries for stays of up to 30 days at a time.

Nationals of a further 54 countries, including the United States, Canada and Britain, are allowed to enter China through one of 37 entry points and stay for up to 72 or 144 hours without a visa, provided that they have a valid onward ticket to another country.

But the number of foreign visitors coming to Beijing has yet to recover to the pre-pandemic level.

In the first three quarters of 2024, the Chinese capital received 2.719 million inbound tourists, down 18 per cent from the same period of 2019, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

Among the major source countries, the number of American tourists has halved compared to five years ago, with those from Japan recovering to 63 per cent. Tourists from Russia, however, have increased by 160 per cent.

The number of long-term foreign residents in the city is also on the decline, despite the government’s plea to make it more international.

According to a report published by the Beijing International Talent Exchange Association last month, only around 22,000 foreigners are living and working in the Chinese capital, compared to 37,000 a decade ago.

The report also said the percentage of Americans and Europeans had dropped from 16 per cent in 2019 to 12 per cent, while Africans now made up 31 per cent of the foreign workforce, up from 26 per cent.

And the pattern is also reflected in Hongqiao’s client flow as the share of shoppers from the US and Europe have seen the biggest decline, while customers from Africa, Southeast Asia and Middle East are on the rise.

The lull in traffic means shop owners are eager to attract any potential clients. On a weekday afternoon in early November, soliciting expressions in English like “come here” and “what are you looking for”, from vendors of electronic devices and leather bags lingered on the first and second floors.

“It’s been overwhelming,” said Tom, a tourist from Melbourne, Australia, who came to China via the 144-hour visa-free transit scheme.

“Everyone’s like ‘come here’, ‘come here’”, he added, imitating the sellers by waving one hand.

Having heard of the mall from a friend at home, Tom, who only gave his first name, said cheaper prices were still the main attraction, and he hoped to find some souvenirs.

To retain and attract more shoppers, especially foreigners, elevating its cultural value remains a key strategy for Hongqiao’s life-saving transformation attempt.

Shops with traditional Chinese cultural elements, like those with handicraftsmen specialising in calligraphy on Chinese fans and delicate painting inside snuff bottles, are always in the spotlight in the mall’s self-promotion efforts.

The market also hopes to attract more domestic consumers, largely by embracing e-commerce.

Each day, in a few dark booths on a corner on the third floor, live-streaming sales professionals are speaking to thousands of viewers on mobile tablets across different social media platforms, including Douyin and Xiaohongshu, promoting specialities from the mall such as pearls.

Still, sluggish consumption, along with fierce competition from online shopping platforms, has been clouding Hongqiao’s outlook, along with almost every other shopping centre or market in the country.

In Beijing, old wholesale markets have disappeared one after another in the past years, and French multinational retailer Carrefour closed its last store in 2023.

Chu Lifeng, a pearl wholesaler with a booth on the third floor of Hongqiao, is also struggling to keep her 20-year-old business afloat.

Having arrived in Beijing from her hometown in the eastern Zhejiang province – a major pearl producing region – in 2001, Chu and her husband at one point ran four pearl shops in different parts of the city.

But in the past four years, the other three have closed one after another, with sales at her Hongqiao store having only recovered to 60 per cent of the level seen in 2019.

“This year [the business] is even worse than last year,” Chu said.

While the recovery has been slow, general manager Jin believes Hongqiao is on the right track.

“In fact, the most painful time has passed,” Jin said.

World in crisis needs more leaders to embrace China’s ‘big family’ vision

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287287/world-crisis-needs-more-leaders-embrace-chinas-big-family-vision?utm_source=rss_feed

This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech in Brazil titled “Building a just world of common development”, at the G20 summit’s first session on the global fight against hunger and poverty. He spoke of China’s poverty elimination campaign and its commitment to bringing common development and prosperity to the world.

“Common” is a keyword in China’s policies. “Common prosperity” and “common development” might sound like communist slogans, but in China, they are rallying cries for something deeply ingrained. When China talks about “a community with a shared future for mankind”, it is not diplomatic jargon – it is a reflection of how Chinese people see the world: as one big family.

Consider how we say hello to a group of people. In Chinese, we say da jia hao – literally “big family, hello”. It reflects the collective perspective, where individuals are seen as interconnected parts of a whole. Contrast that with the English “Hello, everyone” and its emphasis on individuality – greeting every one of you.

The idea of people as one big family is a philosophy that runs through Chinese society, shaping everything from family life to national policy. The Confucian ideal of a Great Unity envisions a utopian world of harmony where all resources are shared.

Xi’s vision of common prosperity is an echo of this age-old ideal. In his book Up and Out of Poverty, Xi wrote about his time (1988-1990) in Ningde, one of China’s poorest regions, in Fujian province. There, he emphasised community-driven efforts to address poverty. His strategy wasn’t about quick fixes; it was about empowering local people, building infrastructure and fostering industries for long-term growth.

This approach to poverty alleviation has been scaled up nationally. As Xi pointed out in his speech, China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, meeting the target under the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ahead of schedule. This is a testament to vision in action. Xi has made it clear that prosperity for a few isn’t enough. The goal is to ensure everyone benefits from China’s development.

This ethos extends to China’s foreign policy. The idea of a community with a shared future for mankind is essentially the “big family” concept writ large. It’s a call for countries to work together, recognising that problems like climate change, pandemics and economic inequality cannot be solved in isolation.

Consider the Belt and Road Initiative. Often criticised as a tool for geopolitical influence, its underlying philosophy is simply shared development. By building roads, railways and ports, China isn’t just promoting trade, it is laying the groundwork for shared prosperity. For many nations in the Global South, these investments are lifelines.

Similarly, China’s leadership in renewable energy and commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 reflect its understanding that global challenges require collective solutions. Drawing on Taoist principles of harmony between humanity and nature, China frames its climate policies not just as domestic priorities but as contributions to a shared global responsibility.

We live in a fractured world. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed deep inequalities and left countries scrambling to protect their own interests. Add to that rising nationalism, economic divides and geopolitical tensions, and the idea of global unity can feel almost naive.

But that is precisely why China’s vision is so significant. While Western nations often champion individual freedoms, China’s collective approach offers an alternative path. Common prosperity isn’t about eliminating wealth but ensuring no one is left behind. A community with a shared future isn’t about erasing national boundaries but fostering cooperation on cross-border challenges.

This perspective resonates particularly in the Global South, where countries often feel sidelined by Western-led global governance. China’s willingness to engage on their terms – whether through trade, infrastructure or climate initiatives – has positioned it as a partner of choice for many.

Of course, there are hurdles. Critics in the West often view these initiatives as self-serving, arguing they are a strategic expansion of China’s influence. But they miss the deeper cultural roots of these concepts: family, harmony and shared responsibility reflect a world view prioritising collective well-being over individual gain.

Common prosperity and a shared future reflect a philosophy central to Chinese civilisation for millennia. While the implementation of these ideas sometimes clash with Western perceptions, the principles themselves resonate with universal values of equity, harmony and mutual support.

Perhaps that’s where the world can learn from China. The Western model, with its emphasis on individualism and free markets, has undeniably driven progress. But it has also exacerbated inequalities and divisions. China’s emphasis on shared goals and mutual support offers a complementary perspective that could help bridge these gaps.

China’s collectivist world view isn’t about undermining individuality but about emphasising interdependence. It’s an idea that could reshape global governance, moving away from zero-sum competition towards win-win cooperation.

At its heart, common prosperity is about fairness; it’s anti-exclusion. And a community with a shared future is about acknowledging that in an interconnected world, no one thrives in isolation.

This perspective feels particularly urgent today. As climate change intensifies and geopolitical fractures widen, the world needs fresh approaches to global governance. China’s vision, rooted in its cultural DNA, offers an optimistic framework for collective problem-solving.

Maybe it’s time for more leaders to think of the world not as a collection of competing interests but as one big family, where shared responsibilities outweigh individual rivalries. After all, families don’t always get along, but they stick together when it matters. Isn’t that what the world needs more than ever?