Could the West punish China the way it has punished Russia?

Apr 23rd 2022 HONG KONG “WOULD THE US really dare to freeze or confiscate China’s reserve assets?” asked Wang Yongli, a former director of Bank of China, in an article last month. Good question. After Russia invaded Ukraine, America and its allies imposed crippling sanctions on Russia’s central bank, removing from its reach about half of its foreign-exchange reserves. They also cut off some of Russia’s biggest banks from the Western financial system and banned many high-tech exports to the country. If China were to do something geopolitically rash, such…

‘Voice of April’: Chinese netizens get creative to keep censored film on social media

A virtual protest has taken place on China’s heavily monitored social media platforms, where netizens took turns to keep a censored video called the Voice of April alive and overwhelm censors. The six-minute short documentary is a collage of audio snippets of government official announcements, as well as residents’ descriptions of their sufferings during Shanghai’s strict lockdowns in the last three weeks. The video showed the city’s skyline presented without commentary and was mostly in black and white. The ending card of the video read: “Get better soon, Shanghai.” <gu-island…

Shanghai Eases COVID-19 Restrictions, Hong Kong Ends Entry Ban

Advertisement Officials in Shanghai promised Friday to ease anti-virus controls on truck drivers that are hampering food supplies and trade, while Hong Kong’s government announced the end of a 2-year-old ban on non-residents flying into the city as its outbreak fades. Streets in Shanghai were largely empty despite an easing of restrictions that confined most of its 25 million people to their homes. Many residents still were barred from leaving their neighborhoods. A deputy mayor, Zhang Wei, promised “every effort” to resolve problems that prompted complaints about lack of food…

Amid Low Birth Rate Worries, China Increases Pressure on Women

Advertisement During its annual work report in March 2022, the Chinese government made commitments to combat workplace discrimination based on gender and advocated for equal opportunities for all. However, it took approximately one month for two Chinese government-controlled media outlets to contradict the words written in the government report. On April 12, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League published a controversial post on its social media account. The Communist Party youth wing accused some female social media users of being “radical feminists” for challenging its propaganda picture…

Clean at Home and Polluting Abroad: The Trouble With China’s Energy Finance

Advertisement Energy investments across the globe are gradually shifting toward renewables as part of commitments to curb global warming. In this trend, China is seen as both a climate hero and a climate villain – the country is simultaneously by far the largest investor in both renewables and coal power. As China is increasing its role in the world, energy investments have an increasing impact outside its borders. However, the proportions of fossil fuels and renewables differ from domestic to overseas. While China invests in both renewables and fossil power…

Shanghai further tightens Covid restrictions after weeks of strict lockdown

Authorities in Shanghai have further tightened restrictions on the movement of residents in some districts and warned its 25 million inhabitants that strict measures would continue until Covid-19 was eradicated, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. After three weeks of stringent lockdown that has fuelled discontent in China’s largest metropolis, some districts were told that restrictions would be tightened even when they met the criteria for people to be allowed to leave their homes. “Our goal is to achieve community zero-Covid as soon as possible,” the government said, referring to a target to…