Mar 10th 2022 IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to acquire a mass following on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service, while being politically careless. A post that annoys the government can result in an account’s sudden closure and with it painful severance from millions of fans. Take Jin Xing, a transgender dancer who was once a colonel in an army entertainment troupe. She had been keeping her page updated with news of her travels in Europe when she took a risk that plunged her into digital darkness. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and…
Month: March 2022
Does China’s Position on the Russia-Ukraine War Matter to African Countries?
Advertisement On March 2, 2022, the 11th ever U.N. emergency session closed with a vote adopting non-binding resolution 377A(V), widely known as “Uniting for Peace,” which reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and demanded the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from Ukraine’s territory. According to analysis by Development Reimagined, 51 percent of African countries voted in favor of the resolution, while the rest abstained or were not “in the room.” Eritrea was the only African country that voted against the resolution.…
China Becomes a Paralympic Sled Hockey Power Behind Russian Coach
BEIJING — All the Russian athletes were kicked out of the Paralympics before the Games began last week, but there is still a Russian here, and he has a chance to win a medal. Nikolay Sharshukov, the little-known Russian coach of China’s national para ice hockey team, has transformed the fledgling squad into a contender in less than five years on the job, molding it in the image of the old Soviet hockey powerhouses. Players like Shen Yifeng, the leading scorer in the tournament, crisscross in front of teammates as…
Narendra Modi walks diplomacy tightrope with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine
As the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, picked up the phone to Vladimir Putin this week – the latest in several phone calls between the two leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine – he put forward a suggestion. Modi’s push, according to an Indian government statement, was that Putin should have a “direct conversation” with the Ukrainian prime minister, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in order to “greatly assist ongoing peace efforts”. It was the latest signal from India that while it has refused publicly to condemn Russia’s violent and merciless actions in Ukraine,…
Nearly 30% think China likely to have spread Covid on purpose, UK poll finds
More than a quarter of people believe Covid-19 was likely to have been a biological weapon intentionally spread by the Chinese state, according to a new UK poll highlighting the spread of conspiracy theories. The findings are contained in a major report by the campaign group Hope Not Hate (HNH) warning that the rise of Covid conspiracy theories and the antilockdown movement are recruiting young people to far-right ideas and movements. It also says the economic hardship of the past year and worries about the future have created an environment…
Hong Kong Puts Mass Testing on Hold as COVID-19 Deaths Rise
Advertisement Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday that reducing the skyrocketing number of deaths in the latest coronavirus surge is the city’s priority, putting a plan to test the entire population on hold in the latest flip-flop in the government’s pandemic response. Lam said there is “no specific time frame” for a citywide testing, two weeks after she announced it would happen this month. Her earlier announcement, coupled with rumors of an accompanying lockdown of the city, left store shelves bare as residents stockpiled daily necessities. “Now the situation…
Ukraine and the Implications for China
Advertisement This is not the first time that Russia has seemingly timed an invasion to coincide with an Olympic Games in China: It invaded Georgia just as the 2008 Beijing Olympics were getting underway. In fact, the Russian annexation of Crimea also occurred during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Although it is possible that Chinese President Xi Jinping was told about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in advance, it is nonetheless likely that Xi now finds himself forced to modify a range of policies – short, medium and long term –…
International Women’s Day 2022: gender equality in China
The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 on March 8 is “Break the Bias”, which asks us to imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. In this series, the South China Morning Post looks at issues that women in China continue to face before this ideal is achieved. South China Morning Post
Chinese companies that aid Russia could face U.S. repercussions, commerce secretary warns.
Gina Raimondo, the secretary of commerce, issued a stern warning Tuesday to Chinese companies that might defy U.S. restrictions against exporting to Russia, saying the United States would cut them off from American equipment and software they need to make their products. The Biden administration could “essentially shut” down Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation or any Chinese companies that defy U.S. sanctions by continuing to supply chips and other advanced technology to Russia, Ms. Raimondo said in an interview with The New York Times. The United States, the European Union and…
Companies Stay In China Despite Political Risks and Travel Limits
BEIJING — American companies are increasingly worried about coronavirus restrictions, regulatory issues and trade tensions with China, but have been cautious so far about moving production elsewhere, new figures show. American companies in China are as worried now about relations between the United States and China as they were when President Donald J. Trump’s trade war peaked in 2019, according to an annual survey released on Tuesday by the American Chamber of Commerce in China. A brief “Biden bump” in sentiment, when relations seemed as if they might improve after…