Month: December 2021

Hong Kong Police Raid Pro-Democracy News Outlet, Arrest 6

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Advertisement Hong Kong police raided the office of an online pro-democracy news outlet on Wednesday after arresting six people for conspiracy to publish a seditious publication, the latest moves in a crackdown on dissent in the city. Those arrested were affiliated with Stand News, one of the most vocal pro-democracy news outlets in the city after the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily ceased operations earlier this year. More than 200 officers were involved in the search, police said. They had a warrant to seize relevant journalistic materials under a national security…

Mind Games: how China’s confidence soared between two Olympics

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Spectacular fireworks lit up the summer sky and the air filled with the smell of sulphur as trails of smoke descended on the crowds in Tiananmen Square. The throng cheered enthusiastically. “Go Beijing, go China, go Olympics,” they chanted. The collective pride was palpable. It was shortly after the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics, which began at 8.08pm local time on 8 August 2008; the Chinese believe eight is an auspicious number. That evening, Chinese-American Kaiser Kuo was watching from the balcony of his apartment in eastern Beijing.…

Covid news live: infections hit record highs across Europe; South Africa reinstates contact tracing and isolation

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Infectious disease epidemiologist and World Health Organization Covid-19 Technical Lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, has cautioned against becoming “numb” to rising case numbers. Do not become numb to these numbers. Each one is a person, a family, a friend, a loved one… Do not become complacent. Even if Omicron is less severe. Many places are seeing record numbers of cases and hospitalisation rates… We can do more. We need to end this pandemic.” Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) Do not become numb to these numbers. Each one is a person, a family,…

From economic miracle to mirage – will China’s GDP ever overtake the US?

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“The east is rising, the west is declining”, according to the narrative propagated by the Chinese Communist party (CCP). Many outside China take its “inevitable rise” as read. On the way to becoming a “modern socialist country” by 2035, and rich, powerful, and dominant by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic, China wants to claim bragging rights as its GDP surpasses the United States, and project its power based on its expanding economic heft. There is, however, a critical flaw in this narrative. China’s economy may fail to overtake…

Advertisements Draw Flak in China Over Asian Stereotypes

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Advertisement Advertisements featuring some Chinese models have sparked feuding in China over whether their appearance and makeup are perpetuating harmful stereotypes of Asians.  German automaker Mercedes-Benz and a Chinese food company are the latest to get caught up in the fray. Some Chinese consumers complained after the local snack brand Three Squirrels featured advertisements for noodle products on its Weibo microblogging account showing a Chinese model with eyes they said looked slanted. Critics accused the company of spreading Western stereotypes. Mercedes Benz also was attacked by some Chinese online who…

What is the Future of China’s Vocational School Drive?

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Advertisement During the summer of 2021, the Chinese government initiated drastic policies to reform the education sector. As part of the Common Prosperity Campaign, the goal of the reform, according to the Chinese government, is to make education affordable for all families and reduce the excessive competition among students because of the National College Entrance Exam (gaokao). Overnight, the suppression of cram schools transformed several large private education institutions into shambles. Besides this high-profile crackdown, the Department of Education announced an ambitious project to expand China’s vocational education system. Fifty…

Delta Says Flight to Shanghai Was Turned Round in Midair Because of Cleaning Rules

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A Delta Air Lines flight that was en route from Seattle to Shanghai turned back in midair last week because the Chinese airport had imposed new cleaning rules that would have caused delays, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. “The new cleaning procedures require significantly extended ground time and are not operationally viable for Delta,” the airline said. Details of the new cleaning regulations in place at Shanghai Pudong International Airport were not immediately clear, but China has rolled out increasingly strict Covid-19 travel rules amid a growing…

China to ‘strengthen’ Hong Kong as yuan trading hub, diversify forex reserves in 2022

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Hong Kong’s close economic connection with the mainland, including its stock, bond, and wealth management connect programmes, give it an edge over other offshore yuan centres like Singapore and London. Advertisement The central bank did not elaborate on what policy support the special administrative region would receive, but there is huge potential for the issuance of yuan-denominated financial products, trade settlement and use of the digital yuan. Zhou Xiaochuan, former central bank governor who masterminded the yuan’s international use, said over the weekend that China should reconsider establishment of an…

China anger after space station forced to move to avoid Elon Musk Starlink satellites

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Beijing has called on the UN to remind the US to abide by the treaty regulating outer space after space satellites launched by tech tycoon Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX almost collided with its space station twice in the past year. China said its space station deployed prevention collision avoidance control measures in July and October to avoid colliding with Starlink satellites in a recent report submitted by Beijing to the UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space earlier this month. “China wishes to request the secretary general…

A cluster of covid-19 cases in China prompts a citywide lockdown

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Dec 28th 2021 FOR MUCH of the pandemic, the lives of most people in China have remained relatively normal except for hassles caused by tough border controls. For the 13m residents of the western city of Xi’an, that changed on December 23rd 2021 when officials imposed one of the biggest lockdowns anywhere in the country since SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in the central city of Wuhan late in 2019. Four days later inhabitants were told to stay at home, and go out only to be tested for covid-19. No one…