Month: March 2022

China’s Wolf Warriors Aren’t the Majority of the Pack

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Advertisement “Disinformation magician,” Zhao Lijian, deputy director of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department, tweeted on February 16, with an image implying that U.S. predictions of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine were empty warmongering. Once the invasion actually materialized, Zhao pivoted to deflecting criticisms of Russia by accusing the United States of war crimes in the Middle East and stealing Afghan assets. Commentary critical of the U.S. and other countries has earned Zhao and other Chinese diplomats the moniker “wolf warriors” – diplomats who take an antagonistic stance…

China’s Divorce Rate Is Down, but So Are Marriages

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HONG KONG — Faced with a soaring divorce rate, the ruling Communist Party in China introduced a rule last year to keep unhappy marriages together by forcing couples to undergo a 30-day “cooling off” period before finalizing a divorce. The rule appears to have worked, according to government statistics released this week, which show a steep drop in divorce filings in 2021. Local officials have hailed the new rule as a success in the country’s effort to grow families and curb a demographic crisis threatening China’s economy. But the party…

A run through the snow, PCR tests and no guests: a wedding in China’s Covid lockdown

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When Amanda Liu Chang and Jia Shihan grow old, they can tell their family members of the time they got married in the middle of a pandemic, Liu having to trudge with her wedding dress through the snow. The story began on 19 March when the couple awoke in their respective Tangshan city apartments in China’s Hebei province, looking forward to formalising their three-year romance with family and friends. But unknown to them, authorities had locked down Jia’s gated neighbourhood overnight, banning all residents from leaving, after some had tested…

‘A blatant lie’: China and Taiwan fight for credit over rescue of sailors lost at sea for 29 days

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Tensions between China and Taiwan have found an unlikely battleground – a fight over who rescued nine Papua New Guinean sailors who were lost at sea for nearly a month. The dispute came after the rescue of the Papua New Guinean nationals in Solomon Island waters after 29 days lost at sea, late in February. Credit for the mission was claimed by China in an article published in the Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper, on 26 February. The article claimed the ship’s captain called the Chinese embassy in Solomon…

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Fights for Survival

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan is fighting for his political survival after opposition political parties have moved for a no-confidence motion in Parliament and the country’s powerful military has withdrawn its support for his government. Mr. Khan, the former cricket-star-turned-politician, has announced plans to gather a million supporters in Islamabad, appealed to the Supreme Court to disqualify lawmakers who have defected from his party and denounced his critics as part of an American-influenced conspiracy. But as demands for his resignation mount, critics and analysts say he…

China Eastern Jet’s Steep Plunge Suggests Little Chance of Survival

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A day after a Boeing 737 plane crashed in southern China, hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramilitary troops were combing the region’s lush hillsides for survivors. Orthopedic surgeons and burn specialists waited at nearby hospitals. Students lined up for blood donation drives, according to Chinese news reports on Tuesday. At the crash site, workers found burned identity cards, purses, cellphones and other belongings, news reports said. But the likelihood that any of the 132 people onboard the plane made it out alive appeared increasingly slim. The China Eastern Airlines…

China locks down city of 9 million and reports 4,000 cases as Omicron tests zero-Covid strategy

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China has locked down an industrial city of 9 million people overnight and reported more than 4,000 virus cases, as the nation’s “zero-Covid” strategy is confronted by an Omicron wave. Health authorities reported 4,770 new infections across the country on Tuesday, the bulk in the north-eastern province of Jilin, as the city of Shenyang in neighbouring Liaoning province was ordered to lock down late Monday. China has moved fast in recent weeks to snuff out virus clusters with a pick-and-mix of hyper-local lockdowns, mass testing and citywide closures. It reported…

What Keeps China’s Zero-COVID Policy Going

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Advertisement China is facing its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the initial outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020, as daily reported cases have jumped to over 3,500. While this number is minuscule compared to the worldwide Omicron outbreak, the outbreak has led to a strict lockdown in many cities. Facing the surge of positive cases, the Chinese government has decided to double down on its draconian zero-COVID policy. During a State Council meeting in March, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, the top coordinator of China’s COVID-19 response, declared that China will continue…