China has deleted social media accounts of an influencer known as the country’s “livestreaming queen” and stripped her of a title that promotes honesty on the internet, a day after she was ordered to pay a record $200m fine for tax evasion. Huang Wei, known by her popular username Viya, is one of China’s most high-profile livestreamers in an e-commerce sector that saw rapid growth since the coronavirus pandemic took hold last year. With over 110 million followers on social media, Viya reportedly sold products worth a total of 8.5bn…
Month: December 2021
China mulls bolstering laws on women’s rights and sexual harassment
China is considering strengthening its laws on women’s rights to provide more robust protection against gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. The draft regulations come amid the rise of a nascent #MeToo movement in China, which activists say has been hampered by the country’s strict regime of censorship and oppression against all signs of dissent. The major draft revision was presented to China’s top lawmaking body for deliberation on Monday. The amendment marks a significant development in the country’s women’s rights legislation since it was implemented almost three…
Chloe Kim and Shaun White Thrilled Fans at the Dew Tour
The December Dew Tour stop is always a big one for the best snowboarders and freestyle skiers and for the fans who come to party and watch. In an Olympic season like this, it is even bigger — a key Olympic qualifying event for many athletes and a strong peek at what to expect come February. If this year’s event in Copper Mountain, Colo., was an indication, the competition in the halfpipe and the slopestyle course at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games is going to be tight, filled with bigger…
How Washington Soured on China-US Subnational Exchanges
Advertisement As noted in an earlier article, China-U.S. subnational exchanges received support from Obama and previous administrations. However, in subsequent years, as relationships between Beijing and Washington grew increasingly contentious, more PRC scholars openly discussed the importance of working with subnational entities, with some recommending taking advantage of U.S. federal-state divisions to improve the bilateral relationship. For example, in August 2018, Li Wei, an associate professor in the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, commented on U.S. local officials expressing their desire to continue working with China…
With Opposition Sidelined, Pro-Beijing Candidates Sweep Hong Kong Elections
Advertisement Candidates loyal to China’s Communist Party won a landslide victory in Hong Kong’s legislative elections after pro-democracy activists were imprisoned and authorities received the power to exclude those deemed inappropriate for office. Candidates loyal to Beijing won a majority of the seats in Sunday’s election after the laws were changed to ensure that only pro-Beijing “patriots” could run the city. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said during a news conference Monday she was “satisfied” with the election despite a 30.2 percent voter turnout — the lowest since the British…
China riveted by public row between pop star and former wife
The highly successful Mandarin-speaking singer-songwriter Wang Leehom has issued a public apology to his ex-wife after a high-profile family row that has gripped the Chinese-speaking world. In a lengthy social media post on Friday, Lee Jinglei accused Wang of emotional abuse, lack of care for his family, infidelity and solicitation of sex workers. The accusation drew particular attention in part because of Wang’s reputation as a “high-quality idol” – a phrase applied to celebrities whose private conduct is deemed praiseworthy. Lee further accused Wang of transferring assets under his name,…
China Maritime Report No. 17: The PLA Army’s New Helicopters: An “Easy Button” for Crossing the Taiwan Strait?
This report examines the potential roles and missions of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) new rotary wing capabilities in a cross-strait invasion. Looking specifically at the helicopter units of the PLA Army (PLAA), it discusses two possible scenarios in which these forces could serve as the main thrust in a campaign to seize control of Taiwan. In the first scenario, the PLAA would use nearly all of its rotary wing inventory simultaneously to overwhelm Taiwan’s defenses and quickly convince the country’s political leadership to surrender. In a second “unconventional” scenario,…
DPP Sweeps Taiwan’s Latest Referendum Vote
Advertisement The results of the national referendum that was held on Saturday, December 18 in Taiwan led to a victory for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), with all four referendum proposals voted down as the DPP had called for. However, turnout was not high enough that any of the referendum proposals would have been binding anyway had they passed. As a result, the referendum is perceived as a victory for the Tsai administration and a defeat for the opposition Kuomintang (KMT). Current laws regulating national referendums in Taiwan require…
Hong Kong: Pro-Beijing candidates sweep controversial LegCo election
“Since handover, candidates with diverse political views have contested elections in Hong Kong. Yesterday’s election has reversed this trend,” the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the British foreign secretary and US secretary of state said in a statement. “These changes eliminated any political opposition.” BBC
Peng Shuai appearance fails to address concerns for her wellbeing, says WTA
The Women’s Tennis Association has reiterated its call for an investigation into the welfare of Peng Shuai and said a public appearance by the Chinese star on Sunday still did not address its concerns about her wellbeing. On Sunday Peng said a message she had posted on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, in early November in which she accused the former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault had been “misunderstood”. “First, I need to stress one point that is extremely important: I have never said or written that anyone has sexually…