• Brazil triples rare earth exports to China as Washington-Beijing rift ripples through trade
• Chen Feng, founder of Chinese conglomerate HNA, sentenced to 12 years in prison
• How does space affect the mind? China sends ‘mini-brain’ to Tiangong to find out
• US-China trade deal clues, Emirates flight diverted to Taiwan: SCMP daily highlights
• Chinese actor Yu Shi wins 2 medals at national horseback archery competition
• China“s job market preps for impact as record graduate wave approaches
• Warning of glut in AI computing centres as China readies for return of Nvidia’s H20 chip
• US-built naval facilities in Philippines may strengthen Manila’s hand in South China Sea
• Top China editor slams school for ousting woman for casual sex, demands equal penalty for man
• What you need to know about China’s export restrictions on 8 key EV battery technologies
• Maersk downplays hit from US port fees as doubts swirl over anti-China plan
• US-China trade deal may resemble phase 1 agreement from Trump’s first term: ex-official
• Chinese police investigating 5 missing teens issue further warnings about telecoms crime
• Wahaha heiress Kelly Zong’s inheritance battle puts Chinese family firms in spotlight
• Chinese woman is disabled in car crash, lover disappears after pledging support
• China’s corruption busters target science sector in crackdown on research funding fraud
• US firms say China market critical despite fraying relations, other issues: survey
• ‘Swayed by external forces’: the harsh reality for mainland Chinese students in Taiwan
• Philippines weighs legal action against China over US$194,000 coral reef damage
• Nvidia, AMD expected to win market share in China as US eases export curbs
• ‘Less stressful’: why mainland Chinese pupils choose Hong Kong’s DSE over gaokao
• Chinese ethnic minorities sing songs to mediate disputes in court; case goes viral online
• China’s ‘green great wall’ eases desertification but triggers hay fever misery: scientists
• How deals are trumping port dispute on Australian PM Albanese’s China visit
• China’s new Type 076 Sichuan is a next-level amphibious assault ship

Brazil triples rare earth exports to China as Washington-Beijing rift ripples through trade

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318653/brazil-triples-rare-earth-exports-china-washington-beijing-rift-ripples-through-trade?utm_source=rss_feed

Brazil’s rare earth exports to China tripled in the first half of 2025 just as Chinese imports surged to a record high, fuelling concerns that Beijing-Washington trade tensions may be quietlyreroutingg the world’s supply chains through emerging economies.

The figures are part of a report released on Thursday by the China-Brazil Business Council (CBBC) that shows Brazil’s exports to China fell 7.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, reaching US$47.7 billion.

Imports from China rose 22 per cent to US$35.7 billion. As a result, Brazil’s trade surplus with China narrowed to US$12 billion. It was the lowest since 2019 and half the total recorded in 2024.

Rare earth compound exports reached US$6.7 million, a threefold increase over the first half of 2024. While small in absolute terms, analysts see the growth as a sign of China’s bid to diversify its access to strategic minerals.

Tulio Cariello, research director at CBBC and the report’s author, said the shifting numbers reflected not only China’s evolving industrial policy but also the ripple effects of global trade tensions.

“As the United States and China harden their trade barriers, Brazil ends up absorbing part of that shock,” he said.

“It becomes a destination for Chinese goods, but also a potential supplier of what China no longer wants to depend on domestically.”

Cariello said the trend may also reflect Beijing’s bid to reduce the environmental cost of domestic processing.

“We’re seeing China apply the same logic it used in energy and food security to its access to critical minerals,” he noted. “That means looking outward, and Brazil has quietly entered that radar.”

The report also found that Brazil’s exports of manufactured goods to China rose sharply. Items like taps, rubber tubing and gas-measuring devices posted gains of more than 1,000 per cent. The total value reached US$55 million, twelve times higher than in the same period last year.

These gains, however, were dwarfed by the growing volume of Chinese goods entering Brazil. Imports of hybrid vehicles rose 52 per cent in units and 14 per cent in value, totalling US$1.38 billion. China now accounts for 84 per cent of Brazil’s hybrid vehicle imports.

Cariello noted that the spike appears to reflect a strategy by importers to accelerate shipments before tariff increases took effect. Earlier this year, Brazil reinstated duties on electric and hybrid vehicles to protect local industry, but Chinese brands remain dominant.

In February, Brazil registered a rare trade deficit with China. The shortfall was attributed to a US$2.6 billion offshore platform purchase and falling commodity prices, and officials framed it as an exception. But the new data suggest that the imbalance is becoming a pattern.

Brazil’s top exports to China remain soy, iron ore and crude oil, but while they have maintained volume, they have lost value due to declining global prices.

Meanwhile, Chinese goods are penetrating new areas of the Brazilian market, including those previously served by local industry.

The automotive and steel sectors are among the most exposed. In January, Brazil’s carmakers association and 25 foreign manufacturers requested an anti-dumping investigation targeting Chinese carmakers BYD and Great Wall Motors, contending the companies were undercutting prices and benefiting from local tax regimes despite limited domestic production.

Last year, Brazil also imposed anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese steel products after exporters were found to be altering specifications to evade existing duties.

Yet in the first half of 2025, imports of flat-rolled steel wider than 600 millimetres rose 318 per cent. Imports of semi-manufactured steel grew by more than 2,000 per cent.

Cariello warned that such numbers suggest traditional tariff tools might no longer be sufficient. He argued that China was likely to turn to markets like Brazil as access to the United States and Europe tightens.

While trade disparities with China are widening, diplomatic stalemates with the United States in recent days have reduced Brazil’s hedging options.

During the Brics leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro this month, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 10 per cent tariff on all bloc members that aligned themselves with what he called “anti-US policies”.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sharply criticised Trump, saying that the world did not “want an emperor”.

A few days later, the White House announced a 50 per cent tariff on all Brazilian exports, citing what Trump described as a political “witch hunt” against Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is facing trial over his alleged role in a failed 2023 coup plot and the attempted assassination of then president-elect Lula and a Supreme Court justice.

Asked about Lula’s remarks on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s posture. “The president is certainly not trying to be the emperor of the world,” she said. “He is a strong president for the United States of America, and he’s also the leader of the free world.”

Leavitt also confirmed that Trump had sent a letter to the Brazilian government and ordered the US Trade Representative to launch a Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s trade practices – including digital regulation, data governance, intellectual property enforcement, tariff preferences granted to countries like India and Mexico, and Brazil’s environmental standards.

The letter accused Brazil of tolerating illegal deforestation and intellectual property violations, arguing that these practices give its exporters an unfair edge.

Cariello said that Brazil’s position as both a supplier to China and a regional partner of the US is becoming more exposed to the consequences of global fragmentation. He warned that the country might soon face difficult choices in balancing political alignment with economic opportunity.

He also noted that agriculture, long Brazil’s strongest link to China, may face new challenges. Beijing’s economic plan prioritises food security and reduced import dependency, something that could undermine Brazil’s dominance in soy, maize and beef exports.

“China is not cutting us off, but it is clearly reducing overexposure to any single supplier,” he said. “If Brazil doesn’t diversify its buyers with the same urgency, it will end up more vulnerable than strategic.”

He also believed the rise in rare earth exports and complex manufactured goods could open new opportunities, but only if backed by long-term policy.

“These are promising signals, but they won’t amount to much unless Brazil builds capacity and resilience,” he said.

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Chen Feng, founder of Chinese conglomerate HNA, sentenced to 12 years in prison

https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3318643/chen-feng-founder-chinese-conglomerate-hna-sentenced-12-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed

Chen Feng, a founder of the defunct Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and is subject to a penalty of 221 million yuan (US$30.8 million), nearly four years after he was detained by police.

The 72-year-old businessman was charged with harming the interests of a listed company, fraudulently obtaining loans and a breach of duty through misappropriation, according to a court document. The government said 40 million yuan in personal assets were ordered to be confiscated.

Also sentenced were Sun Mingyu, former chairman of HNA Group’s supervisory board, and Bao Qifa, former chairman of Hainan Airlines Group, which was previously controlled by HNA. Both received prison terms of three and a half years. Sun was fined 9 million yuan and Bao was fined 4.5 million yuan.

Chen Feng, who founded Hainan Airlines in 1989 in Haikou and grew it into the sprawling conglomerate known as HNA Group, was detained for suspected crimes in 2021. The detention came a few months after the group declared bankruptcy following struggles to pay off debts that once totalled more than US$100 billion.

In the mid-2010s, HNA Group went on an acquisition spree, fuelled by bank loans and profits from its aviation business. Initially focused on airlines, the group expanded into areas including tourism, hospitality and financial services, amassing stakes in companies like Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Deutsche Bank and Ingram Micro.

HNA Group was the biggest buyer of land in Hong Kong in 2016, spending HK$27.2 billion (US$3.5 billion) over four months to acquire four plots in Kai Tak, oftentimes paying 50 per cent above valuations amid efforts to snatch land and pricing power from the city’s real estate bigwigs, Chen said in an exclusive interview with the Post nine years ago.

But the shopping spree came to an end in 2017, when financial regulators in mainland China started cracking down on debt-fuelled acquisitions to contain systemic risks in the banking industry. HNA Group came under scrutiny alongside Anbang Group, property developer Dalian Wanda Group and conglomerate Fosun Group.

A working group made up of government officials and Hainan provincial authorities was established in February 2020 to oversee the restructuring of HNA Group’s finances. In September of that year, Chen was barred from spending on luxury items under a court order after the group failed to pay an investor involved in a lawsuit.

Before Chen’s arrest, Guo Wengui, an Interpol-wanted fugitive, claimed in 2017 that HNA owed its success to patronage from the Communist Party and backing from senior cadres. In an interview that same year, Chen dismissed the allegations as “1,000 per cent untrue”, adding that the group was a bystander in a smear campaign conducted by individuals under pressure from China’s anti-corruption crackdown.

How does space affect the mind? China sends ‘mini-brain’ to Tiangong to find out

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3318590/how-does-space-affect-mind-china-sends-mini-brain-tiangong-find-out?utm_source=rss_feed

China has sent a living “mini-brain” – a chip the size of a credit card containing human brain cells and blood vessels – to its Tiangong space station to find out how space messes with the mind.

Researchers aboard the International Space Station have previously used brain cell cultures and early-stage brain organoids to study ageing and disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

But China’s experiment appears to be the first time a highly integrated brain chip featuring blood-brain barrier functions has been sent into space.

Launched on the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft on Tuesday, the experiment aims to probe the effects of microgravity on the brain and eventually help astronauts prevent dizziness, sleep problems and changes in cognitive function during long missions, according to lead scientist Qin Jianhua of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics.

The brain model – grown from living tissue including nerve and immune cells, capillary-like vessels and a barrier that mimics the brain’s natural defences – offers more human-like data than traditional cell cultures or animal experiments, Qin told the state-run China News Service on Tuesday.

She said its three-dimensional, dynamic design also allowed real-time observation of how brain tissues behaved in orbit, making it a powerful tool for space medicine, neuroscience research and drug development.

The experiment is part of a growing field known as organ-on-a-chip technology, which uses stem cells and microengineering to build lifelike models of human organs on small chips.

Qin’s team has developed systems that simulate the brain, liver and other organs to study how they develop, interact and respond to diseases, according to the team’s webpage.

These chips aim to bridge the gap between cell cultures and real human biology, and offer a new way to study complex conditions and test drug safety. In space, they could reveal how microgravity affects the body at the most fundamental levels.

Qin said that while both brain chips and brain-computer interfaces aim to unlock the secrets of how the brain works, they follow different paths: the chip recreates brain structure outside the body for research, while brain-computer interfaces focus on decoding neural signals to control machines.

The brain chip is one of 23 experiments aboard the Tianzhou-9 that span life sciences, materials research and fluid physics. They were developed by two dozen Chinese research institutes and universities.

The Tianzhou-9 spacecraft lifted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan early on Tuesday and docked with the Tiangong space station three hours later. The mission delivered 6,500kg of supplies, including science payloads, crew necessities, propellant and two new spacesuits, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

US-China trade deal clues, Emirates flight diverted to Taiwan: SCMP daily highlights

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3318623/us-china-trade-deal-clues-emirates-flight-diverted-taiwan-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

The US-China deal under negotiation is likely to bear similarities to the phase one trade agreement from Donald Trump’s first term, according to a former senior official in that administration – offering clues to what the highly anticipated pact may look like just weeks before a trade truce between the two rival economies is set to expire.

Beijing has set aside major disputes with Canberra and instead filled Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s six-day visit to China this week with a slew of trade and investment deals, a move analysts said was an effort to find common ground amid trade tensions with the United States.

An Emirates flight from Dubai to Hong Kong was unexpectedly rerouted to Taiwan on Monday after multiple unsuccessful attempts to land, reportedly because of wind conditions.

It’s getting harder for mainlanders to study across the strait, and observers fear reduced exchanges will only make tensions worse.

The US plan to build new naval facilities in the western Philippines could strengthen Manila’s ability to “confront” Chinese vessels in the South China Sea and even pave the way for shared use between the two allies in the event of future conflict, according to one observer.

China’s latest amphibious warship is designed to take sea-to-land assaults to the next level – a vessel capable of launching fighters and fixed-wing drones like never before.

Researchers find sand sagebrush has five volatile components that spark allergic reactions – an unintended consequence of greening initiative.

Chinese actor Yu Shi wins 2 medals at national horseback archery competition

https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3318591/chinese-actor-yu-shi-wins-two-medals-national-horseback-archery-competition?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese actor Yu Shi, known for his roles in blockbuster fantasy epics, has taken method acting to a new level by claiming two medals at a national horseback archery competition on Wednesday.

Yu, who rose to fame after starring in the 2023 film Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, won bronze in the single mounted and gold in the team event with his group from Shenzhen.

The National Horseback Archery Elite Competition is a traditional sporting event that has deep roots in the region’s history and culture and was held in Chabuchaer County, in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Footage of Yu, who is of Mongolian descent – a country which also practices horseback archery – showed the actor riding his steed at speed while using both hands to fire arrows at targets several metres away.

Despite being born in mainland China, Yu has kept close ties to some aspects of traditional Mongolian culture and has reportedly practised horseback archery for almost 10 years.

In September 2024, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Archery and Equestrian Sports Centre of the China Ethnic Minority Sports Association.

However, the 28-year-old’s sporting prowess does not end with horseback archery, and before he became one of the country’s biggest on-screen stars, Yu, whose Mongolian name is Ashan, could have pursued a career in professional basketball.

At 13, he left his home city of Chaoyang in Liaoning province and enrolled in a five-year training programme at Fuxin Basketball School – an institute known for breeding athletes who go on to compete in the Chinese Basketball Association.

It was then recommended to him that he continue the sport as his major at Liaoning Technical University and he continued playing as a member of the Liaoning Sanguo Basketball Club, rising as high as a second-level national athlete.

The multi-talented performer has captured the hearts of Chinese fans, who flooded his Weibo account with praise following his two medals on Wednesday.

“Yu Shi carries forward traditional Chinese sports, amazing,” one user said.

Another said: “Six months without training and only two days’ preparation … a result worth boasting about.”

China“s job market preps for impact as record graduate wave approaches

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318599/chinas-job-market-preps-impact-record-graduate-wave-approaches?utm_source=rss_feed

Despite an easing of China’s youth unemployment rate in June, the country is steeling itself for a challenging job-hunting season as a record number of fresh graduates prepares to enter the labour market.

The urban jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, dipped to 14.5 per cent last month – more than one in seven people – from 14.9 per cent in May, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday.

While this marked the fourth consecutive month that China’s youth unemployment has fallen, it remained over one percentage point higher than the figure recorded at the same time last year, suggesting significant strain on the job market as the graduation season approaches.

A sharp rise in unemployment is expected over the next two months, when a record 12.2 million university students are set to graduate and a majority likely to join the workforce.

In 2024, the urban youth unemployment rate jumped from 13.2 per cent to 17.1 per cent between June and July.

“Employment pressure on key groups such as young people and migrant workers, as well as some industries, has increased,” said Wang Pingping - head of the bureau’s population and employment statistics department - in an article published Wednesday on China Economic Net, a news website run by the state-owned Economic Daily.

Rick Zhang, a native of Jilin province who just earned his computer science bachelor’s degree in Hong Kong, is one of many feeling the pressure.

Despite mainland China’s strong tech sector, he is determined to look for a position in his place of study, driven by a desire to avoid the fiercer job market.

“As a result of the cutthroat competition, a master’s is now the minimum requirement for roles in web development or algorithms in the mainland,” said Zhang, who has no plans for a postgraduate degree.

Many Chinese students are pursuing further education in the hopes that it will give them an edge, or at least delay their entry to the job market until more favourable circumstances arise.

Beijing has rolled out a series of initiatives to boost youth employment in recent months.

Last week, the State Council announced a one-off subsidy of up to 1,500 yuan (US$209) per person for organisations hiring unemployed individuals aged 16 to 24.

Wang of the NBS called for further policy support – such as social security subsidies and expansion grants for companies – alongside more vocational training.

The unemployment rate for those aged 25 to 29, also excluding students, stood at 6.7 per cent in June, down from 7 per cent in May.

The country’s overall urban jobless rate remained at 5 per cent in June, unchanged from the month prior.

Warning of glut in AI computing centres as China readies for return of Nvidia’s H20 chip

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3318622/warning-glut-ai-computing-centres-china-readies-return-nvidias-h20-chip?utm_source=rss_feed

China is facing a glut of AI computing power and the booming service sector needs to adapt to changing demand, state media has warned as US tech titan Nvidia prepares to resume exports of its made-for-China chips.

Citing data from the Inspur Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Science and Technology Daily reported on Thursday that despite the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, only about 30 per cent of the country’s intelligent computing capacity was being used.

As of November, nearly 150 intelligent computing centre projects were up and running throughout China, and another 400 or so projects were planned or under construction, according to the newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

“The rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has given rise to a boom in the construction of intelligent computing power. However, amid this boom, many blindly launched intelligent computing centres are running idle, and a large amount of idle computing power is waiting to be activated,” the report said.

“Blind investment has led to waste of resources and market imbalances, which have had a negative impact on the high-quality development of [China’s] computing power industry.”

AI is evolving quickly and so too is computing demand, as some industry processes shift from training models to inference models such as Hangzhou-based DeepSeek’s R1.

The bulk of demand is still for training AI models, which requires a higher amount of computing power than running inference, the process where trained AI models use new data to make predictions or decisions.

Chips for training AI models require larger computational power, while chips for inference require designs suited for efficiency.

Nvidia’s H20 GPU chip was designed for such efficiency and was in great demand in China after it was released last year.

The company came up with the chip for the Chinese market after Washington placed strict export controls on its advanced chips to Beijing, including the H200.

But sales of the H20 ground to a halt in April when the White House announced that Nvidia would also require a special licence to export the H20 to China.

On Tuesday, Nvidia announced that the company was filing applications to sell the H20 GPU to China again, saying the US government had “assured” the company that these licences would be granted.

Advanced Micro Devices also announced that it would resume shipments of its made-for-China MI308 AI chips to China after the US government said it would resume viewing MI308 licences.

The announcements come as demand for AI inference is surging in China, according to Ray Wang, research director for semiconductors, supply chain, and emerging tech at US-based high-tech advisory firm The Futurum Group.

In a social media post, Wang said that “given the pace of Chinese AI development”, he expected the demand for AI computing and inference would be higher in the second half of this year and into 2026 than it was in the first quarter of this year.

But many of the centres built for AI are equipped with the same kind of chips, limiting their applications, according to an unnamed source in the Science and Technology Daily report.

Using a diverse mix of computing architecture, including different kinds of chips, could allow centres to get the full advantage of different kinds of applications, the source said.

Jin Yadong, chief AI officer at software company Neusoft, told the newspaper that in the early stages of the development of the AI industry, many centres were built without an understanding of the demands of the industry.

The key now, he said, was to find suitable applications.

In May, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced an action plan for intelligent computing power interconnection, which aims to full-scale standardised interconnection of public computing power by 2028.

The action plan aims to make computing power “as accessible and convenient as water and electricity”, according to a report by the ministry newspaper in June.

US-built naval facilities in Philippines may strengthen Manila’s hand in South China Sea

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318621/us-built-naval-facilities-philippines-may-strengthen-manilas-hand-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed

The US plan to build new naval facilities in the western Philippines could strengthen Manila’s ability to “confront” Chinese vessels in the South China Sea and even pave the way for shared use between the two allies in the event of future conflict, according to one observer.

Earlier this week, the United States said its navy would construct two maintenance facilities for smaller vessels at Oyster Bay and Quezon on Palawan, which is less than 260km (160km) from the Second Thomas Shoal, a major flashpoint between Manila and Beijing.

The US embassy in Manila said the Oyster Bay facility would “provide repair and maintenance capabilities for several small Philippine military watercraft” and include “two multipurpose interior rooms for equipment storage or conference use”, according to The Philippine Star.

The embassy said the facility was “not a military base”, adding that US military activities in the Philippines were conducted “in full coordination” with its ally.

Bao Yinan, an associate research fellow at the Huayang Centre for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in Hainan, said: From the most superficial ‘technical’ perspective, it is primarily aimed at ensuring and enhancing the combat capabilities of the Philippine Navy, thereby directly strengthening the ability of Philippine naval vessels to ‘confront’ or even ‘counter’ China.”

The US may also have the “potential intention” of smoothing the way for the shared use of Philippine naval facilities.

“Simply put, it’s like saying ‘I built this facility for you so when I come to use it in the future, you certainly won’t object’,” he said.

“If a conflict between China and the US occurs … it would make it more justifiable for the US Navy to use Philippine facilities.”

Tensions remain high between China and the Philippines over their competing claims in the South China Sea, the scene of regular clashes involving coastguard and civilian vessels.

Beijing’s sweeping claims over the resource-rich waterway are disputed by several neighbouring countries, including the Philippines, a long-time US ally.

Bao said the US had “repeatedly made clear” that disputed features within the South China Sea fell within the scope of its mutual defence pact with the Philippines.

He said that “although the likelihood of the US directly entering into confrontation or conflict with the Chinese navy, coastguard, or maritime militia is extremely low, it is feasible for the US to attempt to ‘deter’ China or explicitly show support for the Philippines through various auxiliary means”.

Beijing has regularly accused Washington of interfering in the South China Sea dispute and undermining regional stability.

“Of course, China considers this behavior to be an act that endangers regional peace and stability,” Hu Bo, director of the Centre for Maritime Strategy Studies at Peking University, said.

“[But] it will not affect China’s claims, let alone its activities. [It] is insignificant, to be honest.”

Bao said Beijing would probably express strong dissatisfaction over the plans but added that the new facilities did not seem “provocative enough” to prompt strong countermeasures.

He suggested that China was likely to adopt a strategy of “holding its ground” in the South China Sea by carrying out routine coastguard patrols but avoiding “intense confrontations”.

“It is entirely reasonable and natural for the US to provide weapons or build facilities for the Philippines. China does not need to be overly sensitive about this,” he said.

“As the country with the strongest military power and the most advanced weapons in East Asia and Southeast Asia, China does not need to worry or panic over some small moves by a neighbouring small country.

“Instead, it should be more confident and act in a way that matches its national strength, and that is maintaining composure in the face of changes.”

Top China editor slams school for ousting woman for casual sex, demands equal penalty for man

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3318547/top-china-editor-slams-school-ousting-woman-casual-sex-demands-equal-penalty-man?utm_source=rss_feed

A former editor in China has called for gender-neutral punishment and criticised a university for expelling a woman who had casual sex with a man.

The backlash follows the expulsion of a 21-year-old Chinese student, surnamed Li, after her alleged sexual involvement with a Ukrainian gamer.

Li reportedly had a one-night stand with a 37-year-old Ukrainian ex-Counter-Strike player, Danylo Teslenko, known as “Zeus”, while he was in Shanghai for an event last December.

Teslenko shared their intimate photos and videos in his fan group, which later spread online.

Some reports claimed he was married with children and had called Li an “easy girl”, though he denied both claims.

Li’s personal information and social media details were leaked online, fuelling insults and harassment as she reportedly had a boyfriend at the time.

Not long after, Dalian Polytechnic University named Li publicly, accusing her of “undermining national dignity and the school’s reputation” through her ties with a foreigner.

The school expelled her while saying that she could appeal. Li has yet to respond.

The incident went viral on mainland social media, catching the attention of media commentator Hu Xijin.

Hu, 65, a former war correspondent and long-time state media editor, stepped down from the Global Times in 2021.

Known for his blunt views on controversial social issues, Hu now has more than 24 million followers on a major social media platform.

On July 13, Hu spoke out against the school’s decision, saying the university had a duty to protect its students.

He wrote: “Li deserves criticism for cheating, but a warning or probation would have been enough. The expulsion was too harsh. After her private video leaked, she became a victim of online abuse.”

He argued that the Ukrainian gamer should face serious consequences.

“By posting Li’s private video without her consent, Teslenko harmed not just the girl but also his country’s image,” wrote Hu.

Hu called for Teslenko to be banned from China and face financial penalties. The Chinese authorities have yet to comment on the incident.

His post attracted almost 300,000 likes and struck a chord with many people online.

One netizen wrote: “Old Hu is right. Do not punish the girl too harshly. Keep Zeus out of China!”

“The university should not dump on this poor girl just to avoid attention. She made a mistake and should be punished, but she deserves respect first,” said another.

On July 14, Teslenko went online to deny that he is married and claimed he never called Chinese women “easy”.

He said he has “deep respect for China and Chinese culture.”

The Post has reached out to Teslenko for comment but has yet to receive a response.

In a later post, Teslenko criticised some media and netizens for their “terrible” behaviour and called for an end to the hate.

“Instead of looking for the truth, you are just writing hateful comments. That does not make you good people,” he said.

What you need to know about China’s export restrictions on 8 key EV battery technologies

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318610/what-you-need-know-about-chinas-export-restrictions-8-key-ev-battery-technologies?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s latest export restrictions on eight key electric vehicle (EV) battery technologies officially took effect this week, about half a year after it announced its intention to implement them.

According to the rules announced by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology, manufacturers using the technologies in the production of EV batteries must now obtain government licences before transferring them abroad.

In this explainer, the Post takes a look at the technologies involved and the potential impact of the restrictions.

The restrictions primarily cover technologies for battery cathodes, a critical component that sets the ceiling for a battery’s energy density and lifespan.

Restrictions are being applied to three technologies used to make intermediate substances needed for battery cathodes – including those used to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), and other phosphate-based precursors with defined chemical compositions and performance standards.

Five technologies related to lithium extraction and processing – essential upstream steps for producing materials such as LFP – are also included on the export restriction list.

The announcement also specified that export restrictions on gallium extraction technologies – used in the production of a key semiconductor material – now focus on ion exchange and resin techniques, replacing the broader “dissolution method” mentioned in previous rules.

China’s dominance in the global EV battery industry stems in large part from its control over cathode technologies. It holds over 95 per cent of global production capacity for key materials like LFP and LMFP, according to Liu Yanlong, former secretary general of the China Industrial Association of Power Sources.

LFP powered 74.6 per cent of the electric vehicles made in China in the last year, including Tesla’s Model Y, which is made in the company’s Shanghai gigafactory, according to China’s Nonferrous Metals Industry Association.

Boasting a 15 to 20 per cent increase in energy density compared to prevailing materials, LMFP is seen as a promising next-generation cathode material, Liu said, although it remains in the early stages of commercial adoption.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, cathode material technologies are increasingly used in “sensitive sectors”, and adding them to the export control list helps balance development and security.

The world’s second-largest economy now holds 16 per cent of the world’s lithium reserves. It produced 70 per cent of all cathodes in 2022, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.

The restrictions focus on cutting-edge battery technologies but leave common cathode processes untouched, some experts said, which would not hurt global cooperation while still protecting China’s lead in the supply chain.

“The export restrictions would help to prevent critical technologies from flowing overseas and safeguard the competitive edge of Chinese firms in the new energy value chain,” Liu said.

The tightened restrictions have been implemented amid a growing trend of battery material companies setting up production facilities overseas, with EV battery giant CATL at the forefront of that expansion.

At the same time, rivals in Japan, South Korea and the US are accelerating their push to advance next-generation battery technologies.

With the European Union and the US putting pressure on Chinese companies to localise battery production, Liu said the export restrictions on key cathode producing technologies would give China greater leverage by making it harder for foreign manufacturers to build independent supply chains.

“Cathode materials account for the largest share of battery costs, which is around 30 to 40 per cent,” he said. “Tightening control over its production method could delay overseas competitors’ expansion.

“As LMFP is seen as a key next-generation technology, tightening export controls at this stage could give Chinese companies a three-to-five-year window to prepare for the next wave of innovation.”

Maersk downplays hit from US port fees as doubts swirl over anti-China plan

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318568/maersk-downplays-hit-us-port-fees-doubts-swirl-over-anti-china-plan?utm_source=rss_feed

When the United States unveiled plans to charge hefty fees to any China-built or operated ship entering an American port earlier this year, the shipping industry appeared to face a stark choice: cut Chinese vessels out of their fleets or see their costs soar.

But months ahead of the charges coming into force, the global shipping giant Maersk insists that it will be able to avoid making that decision, casting further doubt over the US’ ability to curtail the dominance of China’s shipbuilders.

Maersk will not raise prices for its clients due to the US port fees; nor will it exclude Chinese shipyards and shipbuilders from consideration when ordering future vessels, according to Silvia Ding, the company’s Greater China president.

“Maersk has 10 per cent of its fleet that will be subject to the port fee, and we can reassign our vessels to avoid the extra cost,” she told the Post on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2025 China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.

Ding added that Maersk would consider multiple factors when placing shipbuilding orders, including cost and technical requirements.

The comments are the latest sign that the port fees – which are due to come into force in October – may have a more limited impact than some initially thought, after several moves by US officials to scale back the policy amid industry backlash.

The US aims to use the fees – as well as a bundle of tariffs on Chinese-made equipment – to push firms to build ships in America and stop using Chinese vessels. But it remains unclear how effective the measures will prove in practice, with recent industry data and company announcements sending mixed signals.

The marketing head of another shipping company at the expo, who declined to be named due to company policy, said there were still doubts within the industry about how the port fees would be implemented, given the series of recent policy flip-flops by the US government.

Since the port fees were announced in February, officials have already made several changes to the proposals amid intense pushback from shipping companies and industry bodies.

The marketing head said their company’s clients were currently more concerned about the effect of US tariffs, which pose a more immediate threat to their businesses than the port fees.

The trade war has sparked turmoil in the shipping sector in recent months. In April, the US and China placed triple-digit tariffs on each other’s goods, sparking a dramatic decline in demand for container shipping. China’s exports to the US slumped 21 per cent year on year in April, then by 34.5 per cent in May.

That was followed by a surge in cargo shipments from late May, after Beijing and Washington agreed to roll back tariffs for 90 days. But the end of the “trade truce” is now approaching, with the two sides yet to agree a permanent deal, leading to further uncertainty.

Shipping companies said they had been able to handle the turbulence smoothly so far.

“Although the first half of the year saw dramatic cargo volume fluctuations, our global shipping network has been flexible enough to help clients navigate the market turmoil,” Ding said. “We have kept our network unchanged, but simply adjusted ship sizes to align capacity with the changing demand.”

MSC, the Geneva-headquartered shipping giant, said it had been able to deal with the market disruptions thanks to a new East/West network launched in February.

Instead of using an alliance-based model, the network is independently operated by MSC, providing a high degree of flexibility and enabling the company to respond rapidly to market changes, the company said.

The market turmoil has also forced companies to work harder to provide end-to-end logistics services, which integrate rail, shipping, warehousing and road transport, Ding said.

Maersk’s flagship warehouse in Shanghai’s Lingang is set to start operations in the fourth quarter of this year. With a total investment of US$174 million and an area of 14,700 square metres, the logistics centre will handle both imports and exports and function as a regional distribution hub.

“It represents our continuous confidence and commitment to the Chinese market,” she added.

US-China trade deal may resemble phase 1 agreement from Trump’s first term: ex-official

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318541/us-china-trade-deal-may-resemble-phase-1-agreement-trumps-first-term-ex-official?utm_source=rss_feed

The US-China deal under negotiation is likely to bear similarities to the phase one trade agreement from Donald Trump’s first term, according to a former senior official in that administration – offering clues to what the highly anticipated pact may look like just weeks before a trade truce between the two rival economies is set to expire.

The agreement is “very likely to resemble, in its broad contours, the phase one trade deal negotiated between 2017 and 2020, and at the heart of that was a substantial purchase of US agricultural and industrial goods”, said Stephen Biegun, deputy secretary of state under Donald Trump from 2019 to 2021, at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday.

Under the deal struck in 2020, China agreed to buy an additional US$200 billion worth of American goods and services over two years compared to 2017 levels. Much of that deal did not materialise, partly due to the economic devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that began soon after the agreement was signed.

Trump officials have, to varying degrees, signalled a desire to revive the deal. On the first day of his second term, the US president signed an executive order directing a review of China’s compliance with the agreement.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is leading the current trade negotiations, has cited Beijing’s failure to meet its commitments as something to “take into account” – and called the phase one deal a “road map” for current talks.

Explaining why he expects a similar framework this time, Biegun said Chinese officials have recognised that they have to “pay a certain price” to create “at least some temporary balance in the US-China trade relationship”.

“The [US] president uses the trade balance as his singular yardstick to measure the economic fairness in bilateral relations with any country around the world, including allies,” Biegun explained. “And it’s no different in the case of China.”

He added that the final tariff rate on Chinese goods under any new deal would likely exceed the roughly 10 per cent that Trump has proposed for many other countries.

Biegun also warned that it was “much less likely” the new agreement would directly address long-standing US complaints such as China’s intellectual property theft and industrial overcapacity. But he said Washington’s negotiations with other trade partners could force Beijing to push through reforms.

“In these negotiations the Trump administration is undertaking with trade partners around the world, there is now a boilerplate provision of higher tariffs on transshipped Chinese goods,” he explained. “So the Chinese are not going to be able to use back doors to get into the US economy.”

“The president wants a big, splashy purchase of several hundred billion dollars of American goods, but maybe, in the end, it also proves to be the right way to reform the Chinese economy.”

Beijing and Washington are in the final stretch of a 90-day trade truce, with an August 12 deadline to reach a more durable deal. Earlier this year, the Trump administration raised tariffs on Chinese goods to as high as 145 per cent, prompting Beijing to respond with steep levies of its own – before both countries de-escalated after a meeting in Geneva in May.

Since then, talks have progressed. In a second round of talks in London in June, both sides reached an understanding to ease export controls on semiconductors and rare earth minerals.

On Tuesday, Bessent told Bloomberg TV the two countries were “in a very good place” ahead of an expected meeting in the coming weeks and suggested the August deadline could be flexible.

Earlier this week, chipmaker Nvidia said the US government had assured it that licences for sales of its advanced H20 AI chips to Chinese firms would be granted – a development confirmed by Bessent in his Bloomberg interview.

Chinese police investigating 5 missing teens issue further warnings about telecoms crime

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3318564/chinese-police-investigating-5-missing-teens-issue-further-warnings-about-telecoms-crime?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese police are investigating at least five cases of teenagers who have gone missing recently and are suspected of being caught up in scam centres, including some who have lost contact with their families after travelling to Myanmar.

Police in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province in central China, issued a notice on Wednesday, confirming the disappearance of an 18-year-old high school student who had travelled to a city in Yunnan province, in southwestern China, at the border with Myanmar.

According to his parents, the student surnamed Hu left school to look for a job in Hefei in April. But in late June his mother could not find him at his workplace.

He was reported last seen near a restaurant in Jinghong, Yunnan, after coming out of Xishuangbanna airport on June 5, having flown from Nanjing. Jinghong police said they had no further information about him.

Hu’s disappearance is not an isolated case. In the past month, many teenagers aged 18 or 19 who set out to travel or work during the summer holiday reportedly travelled to Yunnan without their families’ knowledge, and then lost contact in the border area.

According to Elephant News, an official news outlet in Henan province, a mother in Hubei urgently sought help on Tuesday, saying that her high school student son and two of his classmates had lost contact after going to Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture on June 24, and that they were suspected to be in Myanmar, where telecoms-related crime is rampant.

Hubei police confirmed the case, saying that the three students had arrived in Xishuangbanna prefecture on June 25 and lost contact with their families and friends two days after their arrival. Their last message was sent from abroad, police said.

The mother in Hubei said her son had previously met a “buddy” on the internet who had invited the three to go to Yunnan with him, saying he was “delivering rhino horns”.

A special team was set up by Hubei’s Huangzhou police force to move quickly to Yunnan to investigate, the police report said.

Another family lost track of their high school graduate son, surnamed Peng, in Shaanxi province on July 4, according to the local Xiaoxiang Morning Herald. Peng sent a message to his girlfriend saying that he was in Myanmar and stating that he “had not been scammed” after the girl sent him news related to online fraud in northern Myanmar.

According to Peng’s mother, she and some of Peng’s friends managed to dial his number, but the person who answered the phone was not Peng and claimed to be from Myanmar and working in the compounds there.

“We’re a rural family and we are at our wits’ end,” said Peng’s mother, surnamed Yang. She told reporters she had received several calls from people claiming to be connected to the Myanmar military, saying they could help rescue her son but that a payment of 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) was required.

Huangzhou police in Hubei warned students to be wary of information such as high-paying part-time jobs and invitations from netizens to avoid being duped abroad.

And a media statement issued by Guangzhou Baiyun airport border officials said parents must better guide, educate and supervise their children, according to Yangcheng Evening News, an official outlet in Guangdong.

So far, the missing teenagers mentioned in these cases and others remain missing. Police say they are continuing to investigate.

Teenage students are not the only victims of rapidly growing telecoms fraud.

On July 4, the Chinese embassy in Thailand said it had successfully rescued a Chinese model surnamed Zhong, who had accepted a job offer in Thailand from his former employer but was then tricked into going to Myanmar.

The number of people being lured, kidnapped and trafficked to compounds in Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, has continued to rise in recent years, despite China’s repeated anti-fraud publicity campaigns. A huge number remain missing without any chance of being rescued.

In January, the case of kidnapped Chinese actor Wang Xing drew public attention to international gangs involved in telecoms crime.

In a case similar to that of model Zhong, Wang was lured to Thailand by a fake agent on the pretext of work on a film shoot. Thanks to his girlfriend, who spared no effort in recruiting help online, Wang was eventually rescued.

Since the beginning of this year, relevant government departments from China, Myanmar and Thailand have worked together to launch a fierce offensive against telecommunications and internet fraud crimes in the Myawaddy area, arresting and repatriating more than 5,400 Chinese nationals involved in fraud, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

On July 4, the second ministerial meeting on jointly combating telecommunications and internet fraud crimes between China, Myanmar and Thailand was held in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. They all agreed to deepen cooperation to safeguard the rights and interests of their people.

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Wahaha heiress Kelly Zong’s inheritance battle puts Chinese family firms in spotlight

https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3318545/wahaha-heiress-kelly-zongs-inheritance-battle-puts-chinese-family-firms-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed

Kelly Zong Fuli, chairwoman and CEO of mainland China’s largest soft-drinks producer Hangzhou Wahaha Group, is embroiled in a wealth-inheritance dispute that has prompted questions about the sustainability of the country’s family businesses.

The daughter of late founder Zong Qinghou is facing two lawsuits as three plaintiffs, claiming to be her half-brothers and half-sister, seek to prevent her from dealing with assets worth about US$2 billion. The feud surfaced just a year after the heiress won a battle for control of the company following her father’s death in February 2024 at 79.

The company asserted on Monday that the lawsuits were unrelated to its operations, but the situation provoked commentary about the prospects for family-owned firms amid a shaky economy and keen competition.

“No one waves a red flag when business is good, even though family businesses’ questionable corporate governance and management structure cannot support their further growth,” said Wang Feng, chairman of Ye Lang Capital, a Shanghai-based financial services group. “Family feuds and power battles in boardrooms may hurt employee morale and brand image, particularly at a time when the companies are undergoing succession from first-generation entrepreneurs to their offspring.”

Wahaha said on Monday that it would not provide any further official response, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. The company could not be reached for comment.

According to a January Hong Kong court document obtained by the Post, the plaintiffs – Jacky, Jessie and Jerry Zong – were demanding that Kelly Zong honour her father’s will because the late founder had promised them trusts valued at US$700 million each.

The three also sued in a court in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China’s Zhejiang province, to secure their rights, according to Bloomberg.

The family feud fed into a bearish outlook for China’s private companies, which were already suffering amid a shaky economy.

“Wahaha is not only the country’s soft drink king, but also a symbol of the prospering privately owned businesses in line with China’s economic reform over the past four decades,” said Eric Han, a senior manager at Suolei, an advisory firm in Shanghai. The feud had “raised eyebrows” among Chinese businesspeople and consumers about Zong Qinghou’s integrity and the succession plans he made, Han added.

“Zong [Qinghou] has long been a respected tycoon, but the stories about his other children made me suspect his honesty and succession plans,” said Zhang Mingjun, a Shanghai-based entrepreneur in the electrical engineering business. “As a small company boss, I feel that more people will cast doubts on our integrity and sustainability.”

Founded in 1987, Wahaha has a so-called mixed ownership structure. An investment arm of the Hangzhou Shangcheng district government is the biggest shareholder, with a 46 per cent share. The Zong family has a 29.4 per cent interest, followed by a stockholding party representing Wahaha’s employees with 24.6 per cent.

Zhang Zhijie, a partner with Zhong Lun Law Firm, urged the state-owned shareholder to step in to iron out the thorny issues that may hinder Wahaha’s further development.

“As the single largest share owner of Wahaha, the state-owned investor is responsible for overseeing a proper use of Wahaha brands to better serve the group,” he wrote in a commentary posted by financial magazine Caixin.

It did not appear that the state-owned firm had taken an active enough role in supporting Wahaha since Zong Qinghou’s death, he added.

Wahaha, which means “laughing child” in Chinese, posted a 35 per cent year-on-year decline in sales to 51.2 billion yuan (US$7.2 billion) in 2022, according to the latest available financial information released by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

In comparison, rival Nongfu Spring’s revenue jumped by almost a third to 42.7 billion yuan in 2023, propelling its founder Zhong Shanshan to the position of China’s wealthiest businessman.

Kelly Zong, 43, was publicly known as her father’s only child until recently. She was put in charge of Wahaha after her father’s death, but offered to resign just five months later, citing differences of opinion with other shareholders and executives about the company’s growth path.

The resignation turned out to be a non-event, as Wahaha announced a week later that she would retain her role as CEO of the group. Following “friendly negotiations” with shareholders, she decided to continue to perform her management responsibilities, Wahaha said in a statement at the time.

Zong graduated with a degree in international business from Pepperdine University in the US and then started her career at one of Wahaha’s factories to learn production management. She was named vice-chair and general manager in December 2021.

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Chinese woman is disabled in car crash, lover disappears after pledging support

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3317702/chinese-woman-disabled-car-crash-lover-disappears-after-pledging-support?utm_source=rss_feed

The boyfriend of a Chinese woman has shocked social media by abandoning her just three months after she was made paraplegic in a car accident for which he was primarily responsible.

On April 5, the woman, surnamed Bai, 25, was travelling with her boyfriend, surnamed Zhang, and members of his family near a reservoir in Gansu province, northwestern China.

Zhang was at the wheel and Bai was the front-seat passenger.

Tragedy struck when Zhang reportedly became distracted while making a right turn, causing his car to swerve into the oncoming lane and collide head-on with a truck. His car also hit a smaller vehicle behind the truck.

Police later determined that Zhang was primarily responsible because he had violated traffic laws by driving into the opposite lane, while the truck driver bore secondary responsibility.

Zhang and his family only suffered minor injuries, but Bai’s were catastrophic.

She suffered spinal cord damage and multiple fractures, leading to paraplegia.

The couple had planned to get engaged this year and marry in 2026, and had even discussed buying a home together.

Initially, Zhang and his family visited Bai in hospital, offering a commitment to marriage, financial support and ongoing care.

“We will get married after you recover,” Bai remembered Zhang telling her.

However, Zhang and his family’s attitude changed dramatically after Bai’s condition stabilised and she was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Chengdu.

By late June, Zhang and his entire family had completely vanished, ceasing all contact and cutting off all financial support.

“I asked his mother on WeChat if I could see him. At that time, I had suddenly become paraplegic and was abandoned. I completely broke down,” heartbroken Bai recounted.

Bai now faces an overwhelming physical and financial burden, as she is completely unable to care for herself and continues to endure severe nerve pain.

Her initial treatment cost about 300,000 yuan (US$42,000), with Zhang’s family contributing more than 100,000 yuan. Future surgeries are expected to cost an additional 300,000 to 400,000 yuan.

With her personal savings exhausted and her parents, who are farmers with no stable income and unable to provide long-term support, Bai is now considering legal action to secure the funds she needs for continued treatment.

“I cannot pause my treatment just to settle the case,” she said.

“The only thing I can do now is demand that the other party pay the medical expenses in advance.”

Zhang Yonghui, a senior partner at Zhejiang Exoneration Law Firm, said that by being primarily responsible for the accident, Zhang is obliged to provide compensation.

“Even if he has disappeared, Bai can still name him as the primary defendant and pursue enforcement through asset investigations,” the lawyer said.

Bai’s plight has sparked widespread sympathy online.

One person said: “Then let him bear the criminal responsibility.”

“The old Chinese saying holds true: ‘Husband and wife are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways’,” said another.

China’s corruption busters target science sector in crackdown on research funding fraud

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3318538/chinas-corruption-busters-target-science-sector-crackdown-research-funding-fraud?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s top anti-corruption watchdog has pledged to focus on funding for scientific research in its latest crackdown to help ensure that hi-tech development and innovation remain a driving force for the country’s economy.

Li Xi, party chief of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), told a meeting of the body’s standing committee on Tuesday that it needed to ensure that the country’s scientific and technological development advanced “in the right direction” to create a good environment for innovation.

He said this would require a focus on key risk areas, such as the evaluation process for research projects and the way funds were managed and granted. He added that the anti-corruption body must “resolutely crack down on corruption that abuses project management authority to accept bribes, or colludes to embezzle research funds”.

Li also called for new regulations to plug loopholes and improve the governance of the sector, as well as more daily supervision and guidance that would encourage officials to take the initiative.

Technological developments could also bring new opportunities for disciplinary supervision, Li said, and called for a digital system and the greater application of big data and artificial intelligence to help fight corruption and improve efficiency.

The CCDI has previously indicated it was using these hi-tech tools to detect crimes that were harder to find through traditional methods.

“Even the most intricate and deeply layered schemes [of corruption] can ultimately be exposed through big data analysis, leaving no place to hide,” the CCDI said in a documentary released online in January.

He said the aim was to create “strong safeguards to accelerate the building of a leading global science and technology power” and help advance the country’s “modernisation through high-quality development”.

The Chinese government has made its drive to become self-sufficient in advanced technology and innovation a key element of its response to the growing competition with the United States.

This year has already seen a number of corruption cases involving scientific research.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China, the state body in charge of allocating funds for basic research, announced in April that it was investigating 15 misconduct involving 13 universities and 24 individuals.

The cases included breaches of review protocols, buying and selling papers, plagiarism and the unauthorised labelling of grant support.

There is also an ongoing major anti-corruption investigation targeting officials responsible for science and technology in Guizhou, a province that has invested heavily in big data.

A number of officials have been placed under investigation, including Li Gang, director of the province’s National Defence Science and Technology Industry Office, Liu Lan, the deputy mayor of Guiyang, who was in charge of the provincial capital’s big data policy, and two former heads of the Big Data Development Administration.

US firms say China market critical despite fraying relations, other issues: survey

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318497/us-firms-consider-china-market-critical-despite-fraying-relations-other-issues-survey-says?utm_source=rss_feed

A new survey of American companies operating in China has indicated that most of them consider the country’s market critical despite fraying bilateral relations, tariffs, economic weakness and lost market share.

Nearly all respondents participating in an annual US-China Business Council survey said they cannot remain globally competitive without their business in the world’s second-largest economy, according to a report about the survey published by the advocacy group on Wednesday.

This is despite the fact that a growing number of US firms report dropping sales, reputational damage and pressure on profitability in the face of growing geopolitical tensions and trade issues and stricter investment restrictions.

Moreover, although leaving China is not viable for many American firms, the group said that fewer than half of survey respondents are optimistic about the future, given persistent concerns over tariffs, China’s deflation and insufficient demand and policy uncertainty.

The survey covered about 130 of the group’s 270 member firms, most of which are large corporations that have been in China for over 20 years, and was conducted between March and May.

Sean Stein, the trade group’s president, in an interview with the Post called for current bilateral trade talks to address issues other than just tariffs and export controls.

“Now it feels like all of the negotiation oxygen is being taken up by tariffs and export controls … What we need to make sure is if both sides actually do want to have robust American investment in China,” he said.

“There are various places where American or foreign companies generally don’t enjoy the same market access, the same benefits as Chinese companies. One of the real challenges is unequal treatment with Chinese competition,” he said.

Beijing has laid out a reform road map to make investing easier, fairer, less risky, and more profitable for foreign companies.

“Our hope is that the negotiations with the US can help move that process along more quickly, so that investment can recover,” Stein said.

Asked whether there is a change in how the US and China view each other and their negotiating leverage for a lasting, good deal by August 12, when the pause on Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs is set to end, Stein pointed to a reckoning on both sides.

“I think both now realise they have the ability to do significant economic harm to the other and that they need to tread carefully on things like weaponising supply chains and exports. That’s very healthy for the two countries to have that common understanding,” he said.

He also said China has become more confident.

“The Chinese now have greater self-confidence and that is going to make it much more difficult for the US to negotiate a deal that it wants to negotiate,” he said.

Stein said he hopes talks can help both sides agree on the value of US and foreign investment in China and of an agreement on how to improve the investment climate.

Beijing released a glowing economic report card this week for the first half of the year, with a 5.3 per cent year-on-year growth, and Stein said that the Chinese economy overall is definitely in “a better place”.

“American companies will almost all tell you the economy is on a more stable footing and is looking better now than it was a year ago.”

The No 2 challenge last year the macro economy, but it has fallen to No 5, he said.

“Part of that is tariffs have heated up … Certainly the status of the economy is a significant concern, but not so much of a concern as it was last year.”

Commenting on efforts to improve China’s business climate, Stein also said American businesses feel that local governments are doing a good job but on the national level there is more of a “mixed bag”.

“In the main provinces where there’s a lot of investment, local governments are doing a good job engaging multinationals … But by and large, the business community is still waiting for Beijing to follow through on a number of promised reforms … There’s still a lot of waiting for Beijing to create a more friendly environment,” he said.

He also said risks and rewards for US business have become less evenly matched in China.

“Risk and reward have to be balanced. On one hand, overall profits are down in China, so rewards are lower for being there; at the same time, risks are higher. That combination equals less investment.”

He also, though, acknowledged progress on easing cybersecurity and data transfer restrictions and making rules more transparent.

Dealing with the strained US-China relationship remains the most pressing challenge cited by surveyed member companies, with 88 per cent of companies citing impacts – up from 79 per cent last year.

Tariffs rose from eighth to second place among all top concerns, with 68 per cent of companies expressing alarm over US President Donald Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs.

The survey found that tariffs have hit manufacturing and technology hardest, with nearly 90 per cent of companies in those industries reporting operational disruptions.

Companies are thus now focused on securing long-term tariff relief, pinning hopes on the negotiations between Washington and Beijing, which have led to a 90-day suspension of duties ending August 12.

The two countries have hammered out a framework deal in trade, with more talks set to continue in coming weeks.

What companies need immediately from the trade talks, the report said, is an end to indiscriminate tariffs and the implementation of policies to enable American companies to compete in China on a level playing field.

“And, of course, predictability,” the report added.

Nevertheless, “the ability to operate in China’s fiercely competitive market remains non-negotiable for American companies”, Stein said in survey comments, allowing them to “access a burgeoning middle class” in China and sharpen “new technologies and practices essential for maintaining global competitiveness”.

While US companies remain committed to China’s long-term potential, the survey warned that without progress made by China to address common complaints, American firms in China will likely see further disinvestment and market share losses.

Also, Washington’s host of harsher enforcement of export controls aimed at throttling China’s rise has had a significant impact on US firms in China too, both in sales and reputation.

Nearly 40 per cent of companies reported being harmed by US export controls, especially in advanced technology products, citing “lost sales, severed customer relationships, and reputational damage in China due to the intensifying perception that US firms are unreliable suppliers”.

The report also cited a 20 per cent increase in sales losses tied to export controls compared to the same period last year, largely driven by new restrictions on semiconductors and high-bandwidth memory.

Chinese industrial policies and subsidies that usually put foreign firms at a disadvantage remain a key complaint.

Nearly one-third of respondents reported declining market share as China accelerated its roll-out of industrial policies and subsidies favouring domestic firms, especially state-owned enterprises. This caused sales losses to Chinese firms for 56 per cent of respondents.

The profitability of US firms in China is under more strain, the survey also found.

China’s economic slowdown, rising overcapacity, and cutthroat price wars are further adding to profitability pressures.

For the first time since 2016, overcapacity ranked among the top 10 challenges for American firms, affecting 42 per cent of respondents – up from 25 per cent last year. Among those affected, 81 per cent reported falling prices.

China’s insufficient domestic demand was also cited as the top constraint on profitability, followed by rising costs related to tariffs. While 82 per cent of companies reported profits in 2024, only 47 per cent expect profit margins in China to match global averages in 2025.

‘Swayed by external forces’: the harsh reality for mainland Chinese students in Taiwan

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3318436/swayed-external-forces-harsh-reality-mainland-chinese-students-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed

As tensions between Beijing and Taipei rise, academia and the education sector reveal how each side is changing to adapt to – or shape – the new environment. In the second of a two-part series, we look at the situation for mainland students in Taiwan. Read the first instalment .

As a mainland Chinese student in Taiwan, John Wang felt apprehensive only once during his five months on exchange.

It was December 20 and he was passing the parliament building in Taipei on his way back from a social gathering.

Thousands of protesters had massed on the road outside, waving signs and giving speeches, watched on by security guards at the gates.

It was part of the Bluebird Movement – a series of pro-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) protests that erupted over parliamentary reforms giving the opposition more power to scrutinise the government. The opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party hold a majority in Taiwan’s legislature.

Wang said the atmosphere was tense and anti-mainland China sentiment was strong. He recalled one student protester telling the crowd that he was against mainland China, even though his mother was from the mainland.

“I didn’t dare say a word,” Wang said. “I was afraid that my [mainland Chinese] accent would be recognised and I’d get into trouble.”

He feared the protesters might think he was a spy and report him to the police, and that he could end up being sent back to the mainland.

Students like Wang – and others on cultural exchanges – were once seen as an important part of efforts to improve communication and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.

In December, Wang was one of a dwindling number of mainland students in Taiwan. Amid the pandemic, Taiwan had announced in February 2020 that mainland residents, including students, were not allowed to enter the island. In April, in a move seen by some as retaliation, the mainland’s Ministry of Education said it was stopping applications for mainland students to study in Taiwan. Taiwan lifted its ban in November 2022 but the mainland still does not allow students to enrol in full-time university degrees on the island.

It was a different story in 2011, when there were 12,155 exchange and university students from the mainland studying in Taiwan, according to its Mainland Affairs Council.

That number peaked at 41,975 in 2016 – the year Tsai Ing-wen became the self-ruled island’s leader – but it has gradually declined since then, as Beijing saw Tsai’s policies as pro-independence and tensions around the issue grew. There were just 3,852 mainland students in Taiwan last year.

Those who were already studying for a bachelor’s degree before the ban can continue on to higher studies in Taiwan. But if there are none still around next year then this summer could see the last enrolments of master’s and PhD students from the mainland.

Tensions have worsened across the strait since William Lai Ching-te became Taiwan’s leader last year, and Beijing has ramped up military pressure on the island in response to Lai’s remarks and policies that Beijing sees as provocative. Observers fear the diminishing student exchanges and communication between the two sides will only make the situation worse.

Wang sees himself as a “Taiwan lover”. He said there was a familiarity to the island given that its language and culture were similar to the mainland’s, and he had immersed himself in Taiwanese music, television and politics. He described an international news channel in Taiwan as “eye-opening”.

Other mainland Chinese students also point to Taiwanese culture, especially those from the east coast like Lin Zihao, who is doing a PhD in Taiwan. Lin said he was able to watch Taiwanese television from his hometown in Fujian province – directly across the strait from Taiwan – when he was young.

“In Fujian province, we are so close to Kinmen and we can search for their signals,” he said, referring to the outlying Taiwanese islands also known as Quemoy that are 10km (6.2 miles) away from the mainland city of Xiamen.

Lin said he also went to school with Taiwanese children whose parents had moved to mainland China for work or business.

Mainland students apply to study in Taiwan for reasons including curiosity or interest in the island and its culture, or because of a university’s reputation. For Lin it was “another path” in his education that opened up when representatives from Taiwanese universities came to his school.

Mainland students were first allowed to pursue a degree in Taiwan in 2011, under a cross-strait agreement. At the time, Ma Ying-jeou was the island’s leader and pushing for closer economic ties with Beijing. Mainland authorities initially limited applications to the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang as well as the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. In 2013, the programme was expanded to add Liaoning and Hubei.

It was a development that raised hopes on both sides of the strait.

Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, said cross-strait educational and people-to-people exchanges were seen at the time as a pathway towards mutual understanding and cooperation.

Educators saw it as a means for students on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to learn from each other in a way that could have a far-reaching impact, a magazine run by Taiwan’s semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation reported.

In 2012, then-Chinese president Hu Jintao even called it a “major transition” in relations between the two sides.

For the students, it was more a chance to experience something different. In her early days in Taipei in 2018, mainland exchange student Dong Ying had the chance to interact with a politician in the street who had waved to her in the lead-up to the local elections.

She had never seen anything like it in mainland China, where representatives are elected to the national legislature in a multilayered system in which ordinary voters elect the lowest level of grass-roots lawmakers who in turn vote for lawmakers on the next rung, and so on until it gets to the top.

It is rare for members of the public to know who their local representatives are, let alone that they would get a chance to meet face-to-face.

“I didn’t know who that person waving to me was. I didn’t know how their work might affect me, but I just teared up,” Dong said. “They were so undisguised and friendly.”

Mainland students also find university life quite different in Taiwan. Lin, the PhD student, said lecturers and tutors respected diversity and encouraged students to “be ourselves”.

“They keep saying that mainland students have too much on our minds and that we can’t loosen up,” he said. “They want us to go crazy while we’re young and finish everything we want to do ... to live in the moment.”

Tseng Yu-chen, an assistant professor at Fo Guang University in Yilan, Taiwan, has written about the friendship and trust built by student exchanges, and how that can reduce negative impressions on both sides of the strait.

But differences – including language, customs and politics – can also create negative impressions, she wrote in a 2020 paper published in Prospect and Exploration magazine run by the justice ministry’s Investigation Bureau.

“Regrettably, the complexity and bitter history of cross-strait relations have placed the political burden of strained ties on mainland students in Taiwan,” Tseng wrote.

“Especially during election periods, the divisive rhetoric and polarisation often make these students the frontline emotional scapegoats.”

Dong recalls how the mood changed in 2018 after a controversial speech at the Golden Horse awards in Taipei. Taiwanese director Fu Yue, who won the best documentary award, said in her acceptance speech that she hoped Taiwan could be “seen as a truly independent entity” – remarks that drew criticism from mainland film stars and authorities.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Most countries do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but oppose any forcible change to the status quo.

After Fu’s remarks, Dong said the atmosphere had changed overnight, and even though she did not experience any overt hostility she felt like she was caught in the middle.

“In reality, you are being swayed by external forces,” she said. “You are merely an insignificant individual, easily influenced by policies and the big picture.”

The student exchange programme was always subject to the vagaries of politics. Taiwan capped the number of mainland students who could take part and they were not allowed to work or join the health insurance scheme – moves to quell concerns that mainlanders could take the jobs of locals and harm national security.

Mainland students who apply are said to be meticulously background-checked. Wang said he waited months while various mainland Chinese government and university departments approved his Taiwan entry certificate and checked the details in his application.

“It almost seemed like a technique to stop you from going to Taiwan – making it more complicated,” he said.

It is not just mainland students who are caught in the middle. In March, three mainland Chinese women – all married to Taiwanese men – were ordered to leave the island because of their support for a military takeover of the island, raising concerns over freedom of speech.

Zhu, from Beijing Union University, said it appeared that the ruling DPP was trying to reduce cross-strait interactions.

He said it was unlikely that the once-flourishing economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides would be restored any time soon.

Wang, who was at the Taipei protest in December, said it could be tricky to navigate conversations with his Taiwanese friends.

He said he had a tacit understanding with one of them, from the DPP, that they would change the subject if they were heading for an argument. His friend wants Taiwan to be independent, but Wang believes that path will lead to war.

“Personally, I find this a bit of a pity because, in the past, people at least sought common ground or a basis for dialogue,” he said.

The names of the students in this story have been changed to protect their privacy.

Additional reporting by Nora Mankel

Philippines weighs legal action against China over US$194,000 coral reef damage

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318475/philippines-weighs-legal-action-against-china-over-us194000-coral-reef-damage?utm_source=rss_feed

The Philippines has publicly accused a Chinese vessel of causing more than 11 million pesos (US$194,000) in damage to protected coral reefs near Thitu Island in the South China Sea.

On Monday, Manila released the results of an environmental survey showing that a Chinese ship had ran aground near Thitu Island in June.

Investigators found that the vessel dragged a parachute anchor across the sensitive marine ecosystem, scarring at least 464 square metres (4,994 square feet) of reef less than 3km from Thitu – one of the Philippines’ main outposts in the disputed waters, known locally as Pag-asa Island.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea presented the findings, which were based on dives conducted by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Western Philippines and the Philippine coastguard.

The vessel, identified by hull number 16838, was stranded on June 7 for nearly three hours before freeing itself and being escorted away by the China Coast Guard and two other Chinese ships, the report found.

Before departing, the ship reportedly left behind the parachute anchor, which dragged across some 30 per cent of the reef area and was later found resting atop 307 square metres of coral, blocking sunlight and further threatening marine life, according to representatives of the council.

Benjamin Gonzales, a member of the council’s scientific advisory panel, warned that the anchor should be removed quickly to prevent further harm.

Although the team had found broken fragments of soft and hard corals, the absence of flattened or crushed reef structures suggested the damage was primarily caused by the dragging anchor.

“We conclude, based on our observation, that the damages on the reef at the impacted area were caused by the drag of the reef anchor,” said Mark Dela Cruz, the council’s chief of habitat management. He noted that the anchor, which was nine metres (30 feet) underwater, would require specialised equipment to remove after six divers had failed to lift it.

The Philippine government is now weighing its next steps. The survey’s findings will be submitted to the departments of foreign affairs and justice, which will consider possible penalties against China under local laws.

Teodoro Mata, the council’s executive director, said the incident occurred within a maximum protection zone, where all human activity is prohibited.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine coastguard spokesman for West Philippine Sea affairs, said the anchor was located 2.6km (1.6 miles) from Thitu Island, within Manila’s 12-nautical-mile (22km) territorial sea.

“We cannot speak for the People’s Republic of China,” Tarriela said at Monday’s press briefing. “But again, we still accord with them the sense that they are a responsible member of the international community. So we are hopeful that through the [Philippine] foreign affairs department, we can be able to reach out to them.”

China claims Thitu, as well as much of the South China Sea, under its sweeping nine-dash-line.

Edcel Ibarra, an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, said the findings by the Palawan team could be a starting point for Manila and Beijing to “moderate their positions” and establish a joint fact-finding committee.

“The Philippines should still unilaterally publicise a preliminary report, but it should invite China towards a final report,” Ibarra said, adding that Beijing might be incentivised to take part “if it wants to rebuild its reputation as a state that respects Unclos [the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] and international law”.

He added that a joint fact-finding commission under a bilateral agreement would be preferable to immediate arbitration, urging Manila to “try to bring China to the negotiating table first”.

But Dindo Manhit, president of the Manila-based Stratbase-ADR Institute think tank, argued that the Philippines must demand accountability from China for the environmental harm caused, in line with Manila’s commitment to international law.

“While there is little expectation that China will comply, given its consistent disregard for international law such as the 2016 arbitral award, pursuing reparations affirms the Philippines’ commitment to the rules-based order and strengthens its position in asserting its rights in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Manhit said the Thitu Island incident had reinforced the findings of the 2016 arbitral tribunal, which ruled that China had violated its environmental obligations under Unclos “by tolerating activities that caused irreversible damage to marine ecosystems”.

“The Philippines’ assertive transparency strategy in exposing China’s grey zone tactics has proven effective in raising public awareness and rallying international support,” he said. “The government should expand this strategy to include activities by China that cause damage to the marine environment in the West Philippine Sea.”

This latest incident adds to a series of similar Philippine accusations against China. Last year, authorities in Manila alleged that Chinese vessels had harvested giant clams and dredged reefs at Scarborough Shoal, calling for an international inquiry. Officials have also voiced alarm over the widespread destruction of coral reefs near Pag-asa Island, blaming Beijing’s land reclamation.

Building on its 2016 victory at The Hague, the Philippines announced in January that it was preparing a second international legal case against China, this time focusing on environmental destruction in the South China Sea. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the government was in the final stages of selecting a venue, with the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice among the options, and aimed to seek reparations from China for its activities.

Nvidia, AMD expected to win market share in China as US eases export curbs

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3318479/nvidia-amd-expected-win-market-share-china-us-eases-export-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed

The sales resumption of Nvidia’s H20 processors and Advanced Micro Devices’ (AMD) MI308 chips in China is expected to ease the anxiety of local artificial intelligence companies, according to analysts.

Speaking at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on Wednesday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he hoped to introduce more advanced chips to China. The H20, designed to comply with US trade curbs, is less powerful than the H200.

Under current US rules, most advanced Nvidia chips, including the A800 and H800, remain restricted from sale to China – one of the company’s largest markets.

Huang’s comments followed Nvidia’s announcement that it would soon resume exports of its H20 chips to China, while the US has also approved AMD to sell its rival made-for-China product MI308. The US government had “assured Nvidia that licences will be granted” for exporting the H20 processors, the chipmaker said on Tuesday.

During the absence of H20 and other advanced Nvidia chips in China, Huawei Technologies has been pushing for domestic firms to adopt its alternative products.

Huang said on Wednesday that the Chinese giant was “a really incredible technology company” and that anyone who belittled the company and China’s manufacturing capability was “deeply naive”, according to local media outlet Yicai.

The resumption of Nvidia H20 chip sales can increase the share of foreign chip supplies in China and address computing-power shortages in the local AI industry, according to analysts.

Market intelligence firm TrendForce estimated in a Wednesday note that foreign chip supply would account for 49 per cent of the Chinese AI market this year, up from the previously projected 42 per cent.

The return of Nvidia H20 would “ease the anxiety” of domestic AI companies that are building large language models – the technology behind advanced AI chatbots, Sealand Securities analyst Liu Xi said in a research note on Wednesday. It could “address the lack of semiconductors for local computation”, Kaiyuan Securities said on Tuesday.

Nvidia’s H20, suitable for AI inference, had been in high demand in China before the US export ban, according to Liu.

During the first quarter, Tencent Holdings, which develops its in-house Yuanbao model while also integrating AI start-up DeepSeek’s technology into its products, paid TikTok owner ByteDance about 2 billion yuan (US$279 million) for computing resources – mainly servers and H20 chips – according to Chinese media outlet Caijing.

After Nvidia’s announcement, Tencent said it was in the process of applying to buy H20 chips, according to a Reuters report.

Although AMD chips have not been as popular in China, the country was its second-largest market after the US last year, accounting for 24 per cent of its annual revenue.

Both Nvidia and AMD issued profit warnings after the US updated its export rules earlier this year, forecasting a revenue hit of US$5.5 billion and US$800 million, respectively.

Morningstar senior equity analyst Brian Colello on Tuesday raised Nvidia’s fair-value estimate to US$170 from US$140, and AMD’s to US$140 from US$120.

“We assume the reversal stays in place going forward, although we are cautiously – rather than wholly – optimistic about the latest restrictions,” he said in a note.

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‘Less stressful’: why mainland Chinese pupils choose Hong Kong’s DSE over gaokao

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3318481/dse-versus-gaokao-more-mainland-chinese-pupils-opting-hong-kong-system?utm_source=rss_feed

An increasing number of mainland Chinese pupils are taking Hong Kong’s university entrance exams as a step towards more diverse opportunities in higher education, with at least two achieving flying colours as private candidates this year.

Leslie Wang Ziqi, 18, a student in Shenzhen, switched from the National Higher Education Entrance Examination or gaokao, mainland China’s university entrance exam, to the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE), as a private candidate at the beginning of his final year of senior high school.

“Compared to the gaokao, the DSE is less stressful,” he said, adding that the DSE was also internationally recognised and opened up more diverse pathways for mainland students like him who wanted to pursue their tertiary education and careers abroad.

To prepare for the exam, Wang travelled to bookstores in Hong Kong to buy study guides and also used AI tools to help him organise his notes.

“The DSE is a strictly standardised exam, and a lot of study materials are publicly available, so it’s very suitable for self-study,” he said.

On Wednesday, all candidates received their exam results, with individual subjects graded on a seven-level scale from 1 to 5**. Wang scored an impressive total of 28 marks across his subjects: 5** for compulsory mathematics, 5* for physics, 5* for the extended module of algebra and calculus, 5 for Chinese language and 4 for English language.

Wang said he wanted to pursue a science degree at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and his strong DSE results would help his chances of getting in.

Another DSE private candidate from the mainland, Alexander Xu Mohan, also scored 28 marks in total after attaining 5* for compulsory mathematics, 5* for physics, 5 for the extended module of algebra and calculus, 4 for chemistry, 3 for Chinese language and 4 for English language.

“The DSE suits me better,” the 18-year-old said. “In the gaokao system, English was my strongest subject, while the others were just average. The DSE’s English exam is tough, but subjects like science are easier than in the gaokao.”

While he was disappointed about his grade for Chinese language, Xu Mohan believed his overall score could be strong enough to secure him a place for a double degree in education and science at HKU.

There were 960 non-local private candidates taking the DSE this year, up from 238 in 2023 and 549 last year, according to authorities.

Issac Liang Weiyi, the founder of Winning Star, a consulting company in Shenzhen for students applying to overseas universities, attributed the increase in DSE candidates from the mainland to the expansion of the Top Talent Pass Scheme, which allowed successful applicants to bring their children to study in Hong Kong.

He added that there were also many children, born around the mid-2000s to mainland Chinese parents who had moved to Hong Kong, who were now of university-going age. There was also a growing number of pupils who had been educated on the mainland but chose to take the DSE as private candidates.

Both Wang and Xu said mainland students had an advantage in mathematics and science because those subjects were of a higher standard under the gaokao system.

By contrast, they struggled more in English, as the DSE demanded a larger vocabulary and higher proficiency, and a lack of familiarity with Hong Kong’s local culture could also make learning the language more difficult.

“For example, in the English oral exam, the content is more localised. The writing and reading materials are also closely related to local life,” Xu Mohan explained.

The students also said they found the DSE less stressful because exams were spread over a month, in contrast with the gaokao which crammed all tests into two or three days.

Chinese ethnic minorities sing songs to mediate disputes in court; case goes viral online

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3317714/chinese-ethnic-minorities-sing-songs-mediate-disputes-court-case-goes-viral-online?utm_source=rss_feed

Some courts in southwestern China’s Guizhou province have hired folk singers to work as mediators in a bid to settle legal disputes among local ethnic minorities.

In a 2023 video that recently went viral on social media, a man in Rongjiang County, Guizhou province, took a woman from a neighbouring village to court after she spread a folk song she made up to defame him and his wife in several chat groups.

Both parties are from the Shui ethnic group, for whom folk singing is a major way of expressing feelings.

It is traditional to sing folk songs at serious occasions such as marriage proposals and dispute settling. Many in the ethnic group believe that folk songs are more powerful than plain words.

The defendant said the song at the heart of the dispute was adapted from an old number and tells the story of a useless man who depends on his thick-skinned wife to earn a living.

The name of the man in the song is that of the plaintiff.

He said the song had spread across local villages and brought trouble to his family.

The two parties could not settle their dispute as the plaintiff demanded 120,000 yuan (US$17,000) in compensation.

That figure includes his travelling costs and compensation for emotional damage.

The woman confessed to her mistake, but refused to pay the compensation, saying she did not have enough money. She offered to pay a small sum of money plus a rooster, a duck and some wine.

The court then invited two folk song mediators and let them sing in court to reason with the two parties.

They sang content like “everyone can live well if we care for others”, “let us not be harsh with each other” and “let us seek legal help”, which reportedly moved the two parties.

They later reached an agreement, with the defendant paying compensation of about 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) to the plaintiff.

Rongjiang County, located in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, has a population of 376,000, and 81.3 per cent of the population is composed of 28 ethnic minorities.

China officially has 55 ethnic minorities.

The Dong, Miao, Shui and Yao people are the four biggest minor ethnic groups in the county. All of them have a well-established folk song tradition.

The Justice Department in Rongjiang hired 19 folk song mediators.

Qiandongnan prefecture also invited folk singers to create new songs, make short videos of the songs and post them on social media to popularise the law to the public.

This is not the first case of a local Chinese government organisation applying folk customs to settle disputes.

In 2019, police stations in southeastern China’s Fujian province established mediation rooms in the name of the sea goddess Mazu, whom many locals believe in.

The police said the Mazu mediation rooms have been “very effective”.

“This is the first time I have seen folk song mediators. Very fresh,” one online observer said.

“It takes mutual understanding to settle a dispute, even in court, and folk songs are a good way to touch emotions among those who believe in their power,” said another.

A person also from the Shui ethnic group said it is now common for many Shui people to sing folk songs in group chats to communicate.

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China’s ‘green great wall’ eases desertification but triggers hay fever misery: scientists

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3318423/chinas-green-great-wall-eases-desertification-triggers-hay-fever-misery-scientists?utm_source=rss_feed

For Ma Bo, a resident of Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, late July marks the beginning of another round of suffering.

He has suffered from hay fever – an allergic condition triggered by inhaling pollen – for many years. His symptoms have gradually worsened since 2018, progressing from sneezing and conjunctivitis to an allergic cough and, eventually, bronchial asthma.

The artemisia plant, which is widely cultivated in northwestern China to contain wind and sand erosion, has been identified as the trigger for his symptoms. Its pollen is particularly active from late summer to mid-autumn.

This resilient plant contributes to the “green great wall” – the weapon across the arid northern region that China uses to fight desertification – but it is also suspected of causing an increasingly concerning endemic hay fever outbreak.

Now, after years of research, a group of Chinese scientists have confirmed the plant’s role in causing the disease at a molecular level and identified several allergenic substances in its pollen.

For the first time, the team has identified five volatile components from a member of the artemisia plant family, confirming they could all trigger allergic reactions. These findings “provide a basis” for preventing and treating allergic diseases in areas where the plants are grown, according to a report in the state-owned newspaper Science Daily on Monday.

The study, which was conducted jointly by scientists from the school of pharmacy at Xian Jiaotong University and the Yulin Forestry Science Research Institute – both in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province – was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials at the end of May.

Artemisia, which has more than 100 species, is easy to grow and has low cultivation costs. However, according to a 2023 report by the Health Times, a subsidiary of People’s Daily, its pollen has become a common allergy cause in northern China.

Over the past years, what has unfolded in Yulin – a city in the northernmost part of Shaanxi province – is a prime example of how well-intentioned efforts to transform harsh natural environments can induce unexpected side effects.

Yulin, situated at the confluence of the Mu Us Desert and the Loess Plateau, was once among the country’s worst affected by land desertification. Large-scale planting of sand sagebrush, an artemisia species, began in the 1950s. This measure has proven highly effective, with the Mu Us Desert steadily shrinking and Shaanxi’s green landscape expanding northwards by 400km (250 miles).

However, residents reported that allergies had become more common. A preliminary survey conducted in 2019 by Yulin health authorities in collaboration with Peking Union Medical College Hospital found that pollen from sand sagebrush was the main cause of allergic rhinitis in the region.

In 2023, the ongoing prevention and control of allergic rhinitis was listed by the local government as the top priority for improving livelihoods.

He Langchong, a pharmacy professor at Xian Jiaotong University who was born in Yulin, decided to take action. Starting in 2022, he and his team lived in Yulin and worked with with a local research institution to launch a long-term “allergen tracking campaign”.

Allergies are an overreaction of the immune system to specific substances. When allergens in the air enter the human body, they bind to specific receptors and trigger allergic symptoms.

By developing an allergen gas analyser and conducting a systematic screening of plant samples, the researchers identified five volatile components. They further discovered that these components could significantly activate mast cells via a receptor called MrgX2, leading to allergic reactions. Mast cells generally aid in normal immune system function.

Additionally, by measuring changes in the content of these volatile components in plant samples taken in different months, He and his colleagues found that the total content increased gradually as the plants grew, reaching much higher levels in August and September than in other months. This pattern closely aligns with the onset of the hay fever peak season in Yulin.

Once allergens are identified, they can be monitored and the public can be advised on appropriate protective measures, according to Science Daily. In the meantime, anti-allergy drugs targeting this specific allergen can be developed based on the findings.

Shaanxi is not the only province where people are hit with the condition. Ma Bo, the resident of Hohhot, estimates that more than 30 per cent of people around him are affected. He said there was no specific treatment available, only a plan to manage symptoms.

And a resident of Lanzhou, in the northwestern Chinese province of Gansu, told the South China Morning Post he had suffered from hay fever for more than 10 years. His symptoms started in autumn each year and include severe sneezing, watery eyes and facial swelling.

In China, a forestry and grassland bureau official from Yulin admitted in a 2020 newspaper interview that the public health issue caused by sand sagebrush planting had taught officials “a profound lesson”.

“In future desertification control efforts, we have fully considered plant diversity and potential impacts on residents’ lives,” he said.

How deals are trumping port dispute on Australian PM Albanese’s China visit

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3318508/how-deals-are-trumping-port-dispute-australian-pms-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed

Beijing has set aside major disputes with Canberra and instead filled Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s six-day visit to China this week with a slew of trade and investment deals, a move analysts said was an effort to find common ground amid trade tensions with the United States.

The deals include the potential widening of access to the Chinese market for Australian farm produce and coal, cooperation in the digitalisation of the financial sector, investment in greenfield projects and potential tariff cuts for Australian agricultural exports, according to a source with knowledge of their content.

There has been no mention of any discussion on the future of Darwin Port, which the Australian government wants to take back from a Chinese company on national security grounds, with the source saying the two sides had decided to step back from the controversy.

Albanese’s visit, which has included meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, began in Shanghai on Saturday and will end on Friday, with details of the deals expected to be released after it is wrapped up.

According to an official readout from Xinhua, Li raised Australian scrutiny of Chinese investments in two hours of talks with Albanese on Tuesday, asking for “a fair, open and non-discriminatory business environment” for Chinese investors.

Li did not explicitly mention Darwin Port.

Landbridge Group, a private company based in east China’s Shandong province, was granted a 99-year lease on the port in 2015. Despite a warming of bilateral trade relations in recent years, the planned buy-back remains a major point of contention between the two countries.

“Both sides decided to temporarily hold back on the controversy and resort to further discussions,” the source said, adding that they wanted instead to emphasise their complementary economic structures and future cooperation.

The source added that ongoing decarbonisation projects in the steel industry and the planned establishment of a clean technology cooperation centre in Perth would fit in well with the Albanese government’s promotion of green transition initiatives.

Australia China Business Council national president David Olsson, who joined Albanese’s business delegation for a CEO Roundtable meeting in Beijing, said that there had been “a clear shift from transactional diplomacy to strategic dialogue” between China and Australia.

“That gives business more confidence to invest in long-term engagement,” he added, noting that the business community had a sense that “dialogue is back on track, and that there is political will on both sides to keep it there”.

China and the European Union will have a summit meeting in Brussels next week to address bilateral trade issues, and Beijing will engage in more negotiations with Washington early next month, when a 90-day tariff truce is due to end.

In 2015, Australia, a US ally with high trade exposure to China, became the first major developed economy to sign a free-trade deal with China. It now faces a 10 per cent tariff on exports to the US, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of revised tariffs for America’s global trade partners in early April.

Chinese investment in Australia increased by 41 per cent last year, up from US$613 million in 2023 to US$862 million, according to figures in a report by KPMG and the University of Sydney that was released in March. The report said the mining sector saw “a significant increase” to A$1.12 billion (US$733.13 million) in 2024, from A$34 million in 2023, with the nine deals in the sector accounting for 86 per cent of total Chinese investment.

The report said that despite the year-on-year increase, last year saw the third-lowest investment value and number of transactions since 2006 – ahead of only 2021 and 2023. The highest Chinese investment figure in that time was US$16.2 billion in 2008.

When touring the Great Wall on Wednesday, Albanese highlighted the importance of having a positive relationship with China.

We’ll cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, but engage in our national interest,” he said. “Where there are differences, we’ll talk about them, but not be defined by them. And that is critical going forward.”

China’s new Type 076 Sichuan is a next-level amphibious assault ship

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3317834/chinas-new-type-076-sichuan-next-level-amphibious-assault-ship?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s latest amphibious warship is designed to take sea-to-land assaults to the next level – a vessel capable of launching fighters and fixed-wing drones like never before.

The new-generation Type 076 assault ship will feature an advanced electromagnetic catapult launch system, allowing a wider variety of aircraft to take off more frequently during an amphibious attack.

The flat-top vessel will serve as a fleet command centre that will enable drones, helicopters, fighters and landing craft to approach an adversary’s coast.

Its unprecedented size, launch ability and expected drone transport role will position it as a light, regionally based aircraft carrier that can be deployed to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

The Sichuan, which was first spotted on satellite images in 2023, was officially launched as the first Type 076 ship in December with the hull number 51.

The vessel is undergoing equipment tests, mooring and sea trials, and is expected to be commissioned by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by the end of 2026.

The warship is an upgrade over China’s first amphibious assault ship – the Type 075 – which was launched in 2019 and went into service 19 months later.

The most notable advances are the electromagnetic catapult and arresting gears, which are similar to what was installed on China’s first-ever catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian.

China was the second country after the United States to deploy an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), but this is the first time such a system has been installed on an amphibious assault ship.

According to the February issue of Chinese military magazine Weapons Engineering Technology, the electromagnetic catapult is about half the size of traditional ski jumps on aircraft carriers and is designed to save about 35 per cent on operation and maintenance manpower.

The catapult speed can also be adjusted between 100 and 370km/h (62 and 230mph) to launch “not only fighters weighing more than 30 tonnes but also small-sized drones that are a few hundred kilograms”, it said.

The US and Japanese navies have operated F-35B stealth fighters from their amphibious warships. The PLA does not have vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft such as the F-35B, but it is incorporating a more efficient launching system to support a variety of aircraft.

This will allow not only helicopters, but also advanced crewed fighters, like the PLA’s ship-borne J-15T and J-35B, and heavyweight combat drones, like the GJ-11, to be launched and recovered on the ship in an area the size of a helicopter dock.

The GJ-11 is expected to be deployed on the ship as it appeared in the ship’s crest design. The aircraft mock-ups were also spotted in the same shipyard where the Sichuan was built.

Manufactured by Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, the GJ-11 is designed for precision strikes and aerial reconnaissance missions. The stealth aircraft features a tailless flying wing and two internal weapons bays for a likely role as a “loyal wingman” of fighter jets.

The open deck design has led to speculation that the vessel could be capable of launching waves of smaller-sized drones.

China is ramping up spending on drone development with an emphasis on unmanned systems, and the Type 076 is believed to be China’s first carrier where unmanned aerial vehicles were integrated in its initial design.

Countries including Turkey and Iran have acquired their own “drone carriers” as unmanned assets are increasingly used in operations.

South Korea also unveiled a next-generation drone carrier concept in May with no island superstructure but two separate operational zones.

According to military news site Army Recognition, the ship deck would consist of an open launch and recovery area aft for fixed-wing drones and a recessed forward section potentially dedicated to VTOL drone operations.

Turkey – an experienced drone maker – commissioned the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship in 2023 to launch and land combat drones.

Earlier this year, Iran’s navy repurposed a container ship and commissioned the Shahid Beheshti with a similar ski-jump system.

The hull of the Sichuan is around 260 metres (853 feet) long while the expansive flight deck is about 52 metres wide, considerably wider than a Type 075 or its American counterparts.

At more than 40,000 tonnes, it has a slightly larger displacement than Type 075 ships and about half that of the Fujian.

According to satellite images obtained last year by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the catapult trench of the Type 076 was estimated to be about 130 metres long, compared to the Fujian’s catapult trenches, which are around 110 metres long.

But later satellite images circulating on Chinese social media suggested that there might be two catapults: one more than 70 metres long and another about 50 metres long, which would allow for more frequent take-offs.

The vessel also features a unique twin-island configuration, likely separating command control of sea navigation from air defence and traffic control.

An internal hangar is situated under the flight deck, with an aircraft elevator on each side of the vessel. There is also a floodable well deck at the stern of the vessel for the launch of amphibious vehicles.

Munitions on the vessel include three sets of HQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missiles, as well as at least two Type 1130 naval Gatling guns, according to a notional illustration by Chinese military magazine Modern Ships in January.