Month: December 2021

Jonathan Spence, Noted China Scholar, Dies at 85

Chin@Strategy

Jonathan D. Spence, an eminent scholar of China and its vast history who in books like “God’s Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan” (1996) and “The Search for Modern China” (1990) excavated that country’s past and illuminated its present, died on Saturday at his home in West Haven, Conn. He was 85. His wife, Annping Chin, said the cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease. Professor Spence, who taught for more than 40 years at Yale University, where his lecture classes were always in great demand, found the…

Covid cases rise in Xi’an as China battles biggest community outbreak since 2020

Chin@Strategy

Lockdown restrictions have been tightened in the Chinese city of Xi’an, which is battling the largest community outbreak the country has seen since the initial months of the pandemic when China brought thousands of daily infections under control. Authorities reported 162 new community infections on Monday, up from 158 on Sunday. All but 10 of Monday’s new cases were reported in Shaanxi province, where 13 million residents of the capital Xi’an have been locked down for five days. The lockdown is the first time China had implemented such severe measures…

China replaces Xinjiang party boss associated with Uyghur crackdown

Chin@Strategy

China has replaced the Communist party official widely associated with a security crackdown targeting ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in the far-west region of Xinjiang. The state-owned Xinhua news agency said in a brief announcement on Saturday that Ma Xingrui, the governor of the coastal economic powerhouse Guangdong province since 2017, had replaced Chen Quanguo as the Xinjiang party chief. Chen will move to another role. The change came amid a wider reshuffle ahead of next year’s 20th party congress, scheduled for the autumn. It is not clear whether the…

In Congo, Bolivia and Beyond, Where the Green Future Begins

Chin@Strategy

Like prospectors in the American West during the gold rush, companies and self-starters are racing to far-flung places around the globe to mine the natural resources that will drive the technology of the 21st century. The Times’s ongoing Race to the Future series is documenting the geopolitical, economic and environmental wrangling that is shaping the shift from fossil fuels to electricity in vehicle technology. Times journalists from four desks are collaborating to shed light on the scramble for metals and the players involved: local residents with pickaxes, celebrity investors eyeing…

The Chinese mother backing bigger families

Chin@Strategy

For decades, China was known as the country where you could only have one child. That all changed recently to try to overcome a new problem: an ageing population. But the relaxation of the rules hasn’t convinced many young Chinese couples that having more kids is the way to go. Enter Chen Ting, a successful mother-of-three who’s taking it upon herself to change their minds. Reporter: Stephen McDonell Filmed and edited by Joyce Liu Produced by Ellen Jin BBC

Why Bragging About Your Wealth In China Can Get You Censored

Chin@Strategy

He started by exploring the sauna, built into the palatial bathroom of the hotel’s presidential suite. Then the video blogger moved on to the dining room, where a chef waited with a glistening steak. The next morning, he awoke to a lobster breakfast, which he ate cross-legged in bed. “Today’s bill: 108,876 kuai,” or more than $17,000, he said after checking out from the hotel in Chengdu, China, waving his receipt at the camera. “I slept away the equivalent of multiple iPhones,” he giggled. The video was tacky, sure. Ostentatious,…

In China, Bragging About Your Wealth Can Get You Censored

Chin@Strategy

He started by exploring the sauna, built into the palatial bathroom of the hotel’s presidential suite. Then the video blogger moved on to the dining room, where a chef waited with a glistening steak. The next morning, he awoke to a lobster breakfast, which he ate cross-legged in bed. “Today’s bill: 108,876 kuai,” or more than $17,000, he said after checking out from the hotel in Chengdu, China, waving his receipt at the camera. “I slept away the equivalent of multiple iPhones,” he giggled. The video was tacky, sure. Ostentatious,…

Chinese city of Xian sees Covid cases rise as it enters third day of lockdown

Chin@Strategy

The Chinese city of Xian has reported an increase in daily Covid-19 infections and local companies have curtailed activity as the country’s latest hotspot entered its third day of lockdown. Xian, home to 13 million people, detected 75 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Friday, its highest daily count of the year and reversing the previous day’s decline, official data showed on Saturday. China as a whole reported 140 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Friday, an increase of 62% from 87 cases the day before, its health authority said…

Chinese officials face punishment over Covid lockdown in Xian

Chin@Strategy

Officials in the north-western Chinese city of Xian are facing punishment for “not doing a good job” after a Covid-19 outbreak led to the lockdown of its 13 million residents. All domestic flights out of Xian and most trains from the city scheduled for Friday were cancelled. Officials say the outbreak has been traced to the arrival of a plane from Pakistan. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement that 26 people in Xian were being held accountable for failing in their efforts to prevent and control…

Shortage of key ingredient puts Australia’s 2022 wine vintage at risk

Chin@Strategy

Wine industry suppliers have been warned to plan ahead amid rising costs and international shortages of a key ingredient in the winemaking process. The sector has been affected by reduced supplies of diammonium phosphate (DAP), a nitrogen fertiliser commonly used during grape fermentation. Jason Amos, the chair of Wine Industry Suppliers Australia (Wisa), told Guardian Australia that shipping delays and a reduction in supply of DAP from China had combined to increase costs. “I’ve seen prices up to five times more expensive for us in the wine sector,” he said.…