Month: August 2022

What’s Behind China’s ‘Action Guidelines on Military Operations Other Than War’?

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement On June 13, China announced in a press release that its paramount leader Xi Jinping, in his capacity as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), had signed an order for the implementation on an experimental basis of the “Action Guidelines on Military Operations Other Than War,” which took effect from June 15. While the full text of the mandate has yet to be publicly released, China’s state-run media have summed it up as comprising 59 articles in six chapters, setting up norms specifically for main subjects such as…

China issues alert as drought and heatwave put crops at risk

Chin@Strategy

A drought in China is threatening food production, prompting the government to order local authorities to take all available measures to ensure crops survive the hottest summer on record. On Tuesday, four government departments issued an urgent joint emergency notice, warning that the autumn harvest was under “severe threat”. It urged local authorities to ensure “every unit of water … be used carefully”, and called for methods included staggered irrigation, the diversion of new water sources, and cloud seeding. A record-breaking heatwave combined with a months-long drought during the usual…

As Myanmar Coup Intensifies Regional Human Trafficking, How Will China Respond?

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement Since the 2021 Myanmar coup, over 2,200 people have been killed by the military. The military doubled down on political repression by executing well-known political activists and burning villages with members participating in armed resistance. Threats to human security in Myanmar have spread to the region as observed by the outflow of refugees, human trafficking of women and children, drug smuggling and so on. Foreigners have also become victims of human trafficking in the wake of the Myanmar coup. Dozens of Chinese-speaking people are being kidnapped from Thailand to…

China’s property market is in freefall. What does this mean for the world economy? | Keyu Jin

Chin@Strategy

The property sector in the Chinese economy has always been something of a puzzle. At its peak, it accounted for a quarter of the nation’s economic output, broadly measured. And it sees people in Beijing and Shanghai paying house prices similar to those in San Francisco and New York, despite having just a quarter the income of American buyers. Now many believe that we are about to see a violent contraction of the property market in China. The government wants to intervene to curb speculation, and rein in what it…

China punishes 27 people over ‘tragically ugly’ illustrations in maths textbook

Chin@Strategy

Chinese authorities have punished 27 people over the publication of a maths textbook that went viral over its “tragically ugly” illustrations. A months-long investigation by a ministry of education working group found the books were “not beautiful”, and some illustrations were “quite ugly” and did not “properly reflect the sunny image of China’s children”. The mathematics books were published by the People’s Education Press almost 10 years ago, and were reportedly used in elementary schools across the country. But they went viral in May after a teacher published photos of…

Of Dictators and Trade Surpluses

Chin@Strategy

According to a new NBC News poll, U.S. voters now consider “threats to democracy” the most important issue facing the nation, which is both disturbing and a welcome sign that people are paying attention. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t just an American issue. Democracy is eroding worldwide; according to the latest survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit, there are now 59 fully authoritarian regimes out there, home to 37 percent of the world’s population. Of these 59 regimes, however, only two — China and Russia — are powerful…

Your Tuesday Briefing: Political Turmoil in Pakistan

Chin@Strategy

Good morning. We’re covering political turmoil in Pakistan and schools reopening in the Philippines. Political tensions swell in Pakistan Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, was charged under the country’s antiterrorism act on Sunday. He is trying to stage a political comeback after he was ousted from power in April following a no-confidence vote. The charges followed a rally in Islamabad, the capital, where Khan condemned the recent arrest of one of his top aides and vowed to file legal cases against police officers and a judge involved in the…

China’s economy is losing momentum. What is happening and why does it matter for Australia?

Chin@Strategy

China, the world’s second-biggest economy, is in a rocky economic period marked by rolling Covid clampdowns. The timing is awkward, given China is in the run-up to the 20th National Congress of the Communist party in November, which is expected to extend president Xi Jinping’s grip on power. But the issues go beyond the pandemic and notably include a deflating property bubble. Here we break down China’s economic outlook – and what it means for Australia and other countries. How is China faring? The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month…