Month: October 2021

Tourists in Asia Navigate a Patchwork of Policies

Chin@Strategy

While fully vaccinated Americans can fly to hundreds of cities and towns across the country and 27 European capitals, border rules across Asia remain far stricter than in any other region in the world. Governments in Asia have promised to reopen their borders because of the improved Covid situation and progress on vaccinations. But they are falling behind the rest of the world. Air travel in August across the region was still 10 percent of what it was two years ago, lagging the rebound in the United States. Travelers must…

China Evergrande shares fall sharply after $2.6bn asset sale collapses

Chin@Strategy

Shares in the struggling property giant China Evergrande have fallen sharply after plans to offload a stake in one of its units for $2.6bn fell through, casting further doubt over whether it can avert the country’s biggest ever corporate failure. China Evergrande Group, the parent company for the sprawling empire built by former steel industry executive Xu Jiayin, closed down 12.54% in Hong Kong on Thursday. Evergrande announced on Wednesday that it had formally abandoned plans to sell a 50.1% slice of Evergrande Property Services, one of its most profitable…

Biden’s pick for China ambassador says ‘we cannot trust the Chinese’ on Taiwan

Chin@Strategy

US president Joe Biden’s nominee to be ambassador to Beijing on Wednesday said China was aggressive and untrustworthy, insisting that boosting Taiwan’s defences against the threat of Chinese invasion should be a US priority. Speaking to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which is due to confirm his appointment, Nicholas Burns denounced recent Chinese warplane incursions into Taiwan’s air defence zone, calling them “especially objectionable”. “We certainly cannot trust the Chinese” on the issue of Taiwan, Burns said. “Our responsibility is to make Taiwan a tough nut to crack.”…

Beijing updates list of approved news sources, tightening its control over internet content

Chin@Strategy

The Cyberspace Administration of China has updated a list of official news sources that others are allowed to republish, increasing it to more than 1,350 sources. Consisting mainly of government websites and state-owned media, like Xinhua and People’s Daily, the list is the latest example of Beijing moving to increase its control of content online. Photo: Shutterstock South China Morning Post

Burns Calls for a Mix of Competition and Cooperation with China

Chin@Strategy

R. Nicholas Burns, President Biden’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to China, told a Senate panel on Wednesday that if he was confirmed he would help Mr. Biden pursue a strategy of competition and cooperation with a rising Beijing, which he called “the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.” A lifelong diplomat who has held senior foreign policy posts in Democratic and Republican administrations, Mr. Burns was appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is considering his nomination. He was searing about China’s recent international role, saying that…

Op-Ed in China Draws Backlash for Advocating Women ‘Warm Rural Bachelor’s Beds’

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement Red Net, a news site affiliated with the Hunan Provincial Government, published an opinion piece on October 7 titled “The work of warming rural bachelors’ beds is highly necessary.” The piece highlighted existing concerns about the cost to women’s rights of China’s drive to push up the birth rate. The author, Jiang Wenlai, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, wrote, “The question of rural men’s marriage has evolved from an individual issue into a social issue,” quoting directly from a recent policy document from the local…

Can Russia and Mongolia Replace Australia’s Coal Supply to China?

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement Since the beginning of the pandemic, China has faced several unexpected challenges. The trade spat with Australia, the continued South China Sea shipping congestion, and a shortage of coal supply are testing the country’s economic capabilities and problem-solving skills. China has stepped up its efforts to engage Russia, Mongolia, and other third parties to fill their coal shortage. Exactly a year ago, in October 2020, Chinese state-owned companies were ordered to stop the import of Australian coal, widely viewed as retaliation for Australia’s more critical stance on China. The…