Month: August 2022

China Fights Brush Fires, Extends Power Rationing in Drought

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement Brush fires have forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people in southwest China and power rationing for factories has reportedly been extended as weeks of record heat and drought batter the region. Some shopping malls in the megacity of Chongqing have been ordered closed for most of the day to reduce electricity demand, state broadcaster CCTV said, limiting opening hours to 4 to 9 p.m. The drought and heat have wilted crops and caused rivers, including the giant Yangtze, to shrink, disrupting cargo traffic and reducing power supply…

Drought Hurts China’s Economy as Central Bank Cuts Rates

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HONG KONG — Record-high temperatures and a severe drought in west-central China have crippled hydropower generation and prompted the shutdown of many factories there, in the latest blow to a Chinese economy that already has stagnant consumer spending and a deeply troubled real estate market. Sichuan Province in west-central China, one of China’s most populous and a fast-growing industrial base in recent years, normally generates more than three-quarters of its electricity from huge dams. The summer rainy season usually brings so much water that Sichuan sends much of its hydropower…

China drought causes Yangtze to dry up, sparking shortage of hydropower

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A record-breaking drought has caused some rivers in China – including parts of the Yangtze – to dry up, affecting hydropower, halting shipping, and forcing major companies to suspend operations. A nationwide drought alert was issued on Friday as a long-running and severe heatwave in China’s heavily populated south-west was forecast to continue well into September. The loss of water flow to China’s extensive hydropower system has sparked a “grave situation” in Sichuan, which gets more than 80% of its energy from hydropower. On Sunday the provincial government declared it…

Fresh Kenyan avocados on Chinese shelves mark new era in Africa-China food trade

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A worker at Sunripe factory in Limuru Town, Kiambu County, Kenya, arranges avocados on August 2, 2022. The first batch of fresh avocados grown in Kenya and destined for the Chinese market was sent off this month at a ceremony attended by senior government officials, diplomats, and industry executives. Kenya became the first African country to export fresh avocados to China. Photo: Xinhua South China Morning Post

The Face of China: A Globetrotting Diplomat Armed With U.S. Admonitions

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China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, a dapper man in well-pressed suits, keeps up a relentless travel schedule, more than 30 countries so far this year, to places big and small: island nations in the Pacific, Central Asia on China’s western periphery and, often, Africa. He is the campaigner for the global ambitions of his boss, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, carrying the message that Beijing will not be pushed around, least of all by the United States. During a meeting last month with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Indonesia,…

Fears over China’s access to genetic data of UK citizens

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Rising political and security tensions between Beijing and the west have prompted calls for a review of the transfer of genetic data to China from a biomedical database containing the DNA of half a million UK citizens. The UK Biobank said it had about 300 projects under which researchers in China were accessing “detailed genetic information” or other health data on volunteers. The anonymised data is shared under an open-access policy for use in studies into diseases from cancer to depression. There is no suggestion it has been misused or…

Growing pains: China’s faltering economy tests leadership’s nerve

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On his tour of the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen last week, Li Keqiang, the premier, tried to send some positive energy at a time many citizens have been complaining of economic hardship. “China’s opening will continue. The Yellow river and the Yangtze river will not flow backward,” Li said, striking an upbeat tone while visiting Yantian Port, a gateway to Europe and North America, two of China’s biggest markets. “The waters of Yantian Port will also flow incessantly, and not only will continue to maintain your advantages, but also…

Xiao Jianhua Sentenced to 13 Years for Financial Crimes

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HONG KONG — Xiao Jianhua, the Chinese Canadian billionaire and onetime trusted financier to China’s ruling elite, was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Friday, and his company fined $8 billion, after he pleaded guilty to bribery and other crimes that the authorities said had “seriously jeopardized” the country’s financial security. Mr. Xiao, whose Tomorrow Group umbrella of companies was once worth hundreds of billions of dollars, was also fined $1 million, a Shanghai court said on Friday. One of several Chinese business tycoons caught in the cross hairs…

Pat Conroy on Labor’s engagement with our Pacific neighbours

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Sarah Martin, Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, talks to the minister for international development and the Pacific, who is newly returned from a visit to Solomon Islands. Together they discuss the climate crisis, democracy and China’s growing presence in the region How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian

TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research

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The web browser used within the TikTok app can track every keystroke made by its users, according to new research that is surfacing as the Chinese-owned video app grapples with U.S. lawmakers’ concerns over its data practices. The research from Felix Krause, a privacy researcher and former Google engineer, did not show how TikTok used the capability, which is embedded within the in-app browser that pops up when someone clicks an outside link. But Mr. Krause said the development was concerning because it showed TikTok had built in functionality to…