As coronavirus outbreaks spread across China, Shanghai is introducing new rounds of lockdowns to be rolled out sequentially across the city’s neighborhoods, the city government announced on Sunday night, as part of an effort to test its entire population of 26 million. The restrictions and mass testing will start Monday morning in areas east of the Huangpu River, with those lasting until April 1. Restrictions and testing in districts west of the river will begin on April 1 and continue until April 5. According to the announcement, all citizens, except…
Month: March 2022
China-Russian relations carry deep memories of mutual respect… and scorn | Rana Mitter
The troops gathered on the border. The supreme leader decided that it was time to invade, to teach the other side a lesson. Shortly afterwards, troops breached the internationally recognised border and clashed with local forces. Not Ukraine 2022, but Vietnam 1979. In January of that year, the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping told the US president Jimmy Carter that he wanted to “spank the butt” of his neighbours. For a month, Chinese and Vietnamese forces clashed, leading to a death toll of tens of thousands. Chinese troops withdrew in March…
China Plane Crash: Second ‘Black Box’ Is Found, Officials Say
Search crews have found the second of two flight recorders from a passenger plane that abruptly plunged to earth in southern China, killing 132 people, officials said on Sunday, nearly a week after the disaster. Flight recorders, which collect crucial information, including the pilots’ communications and data on the plane’s engines and performance, could help explain why China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 lost more than 20,000 feet in altitude in just over a minute before crashing into a hillside in the region of Guangxi. Chinese authorities confirmed on Saturday what…
China Eastern Crash Killed All 132 on Flight
Chinese authorities officially confirmed Saturday that there were no survivors in the crash of a China Eastern 737-800 earlier this week with 132 people on board. The announcement by an official of the Civil Aviation Administration of China at a late-night news conference was followed by a brief moment of silence. Investigators have identified 120 of the victims through DNA analysis, state media reported. The flight from the city of Kunming in southwestern China was flying at 29,000 feet on Monday when it suddenly nose-dived into a mountainous area, shortly…
All 132 people on board crashed China Eastern plane confirmed dead
All 132 people on board the plane that crashed into a mountainside in southern China this week have been confirmed dead, the country’s civil aviation authority has said. Dozens of victims’ relatives have been waiting for days as rescue teams combed heavily forested slopes for plane debris and signs of survivors from Monday’s crash near the city of Wuzhou in Guangxi province. “All 123 passengers and nine crew members of flight MU5735 of China Eastern airlines have been killed on board on 21 March,” Hu Zhenjiang, deputy director general of…
Scott Morrison says it would have been ‘weakness’ for him to meet new Chinese ambassador
The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, says there will be no diplomatic thaw in relations with China until it lifts a block on ministerial meetings. “So long as China continues to refuse to have dialogue with Australian ministers and the prime minister, I think that’s an entirely proportional response,” Morrison told reporters on Saturday regarding reports he declined to meet China’s new ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian. “That would be a demonstration of weakness and I can assure you as prime minister that’s the last message I’d ever send to…
China has honed its justifications for taking Russia’s side
Mar 26th 2022 A MONTH AFTER Vladimir Putin plunged Europe into war, China is ready to explain why it sees no urgent need to stop Russia—its closest strategic partner—from killing Ukrainians. After fine-tuning arguments and propaganda lines for weeks, China’s Communist Party bosses and their envoys now have talking points for every audience. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. The most common argument is built on deflection and anti-Americanism. This is used for Chinese domestic consumption…
How narcissistic youth might help struggling Chinese booksellers
Mar 26th 2022 BEIJING IN 1993, AFTER 14 years of imprisonment, one of China’s most prominent dissidents, Wei Jingsheng, was taken on a tour of Beijing. Authorities hoped that the dazzling new architecture and bustling roads would convince him that the Communist Party he so stubbornly opposed had done great things. Mr Wei admitted to being impressed, but asked to see a bookshop before drawing any firm conclusions. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. His tour…
The extraordinary manpower behind China’s zero-covid strategy
Mar 26th 2022 BEIJING THE THIRD fall was the one that finally put Gao Ying in the hospital. As a community health worker, she had been helping Hangzhou, her home city, fight a surge in covid-19 cases. She had not slept in her own bed for two weeks. She was exhausted. Still, on March 18th she set off for a meeting on local covid-control measures. That’s when she collapsed three times in a lift, the third time smacking her head on the wall. Video of the incident was captured by…
In a crucial year politically, Xi Jinping wants stability
Mar 26th 2022 NO DATE HAS been set for it yet, not even a month. But for every official, the orders are clear. Their work must focus on making sure that a crucial Communist Party congress, to be held in the second half of the year, goes smoothly. The conclave is widely expected to herald the start of at least another five years of rule for Xi Jinping. From the police to economic policymakers, all are trying to minimise untoward events that might overshadow his moment of political glory. “The…