Month: September 2022

China’s Zero-Covid Approach Explained as Chengdu Lockdown Is Extended

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HONG KONG — The coronavirus has become widespread around much of the world, and many countries have settled on some combination of living with or ignoring its presence. But China, where it first appeared in late 2019, remains intent on eradicating the virus, carrying out extensive lockdowns and testing wherever new cases arise. The country’s “zero-Covid” policy, and the weight it has imposed on the economy, travel and everyday life, has spurred continuing debate on whether it remains the best course for managing the risks posed by the pandemic. But…

Ex-president demands inquiry into Marshall Islands ‘mini-state plot’

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A former president of the Marshall Islands has called for an investigation into an alleged plot by a Chinese couple to establish a mini-state inside its borders and set it up as a lucrative tax-break haven. The pair were charged by US prosecutors with bribery and money-laundering offences over a “multi-year scheme” that included establishing a non-governmental organisation, allegedly bribing five Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) officials and attempting to bribe a sixth. One of the five was allegedly given cash to bribe others into supporting the carving out…

Babel: the BookTok sensation that melds dark academia with a post-colonial critique

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A boy lies still beside the body of his mother. Her skin is blue and her eyes are open, wet and glassy. It is 1828, and a cholera epidemic has swept through Canton, China. The boy is the only one left alive in the house and is on the brink of death when a quiet white Englishman brings him to London. There, the young Chinese boy is named Robert Swift and grows up in solitude, trained in English, Latin, ancient Greek and Chinese. For what reason, he does not yet…

Mooncake madness: China cracks down on extravagant versions of festival staple

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Chinese authorities have launched a crackdown on “sky high” mooncake prices ahead of this weekend’s autumn festival, amid government efforts to curb corruption and societal excesses. Mooncakes, a small customary dessert baked with varying designs and fillings, are traditionally given to family and friends to celebrate one of the most important holidays in the lunar calendar. Known as mid-Autumn festival in China and Taiwan, it is called Tsukimi in Japan, Chuseok in South Korea, and Tet Trung Thu in Vietnam. International online shopping guides have collated the best places to…

Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

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(Want to get this newsletter in your inbox? Here’s the sign-up.) Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday. 1. Voter fraud prosecution is rare, erratic and often undeserved. As part of our Democracy Challenged series, The New York Times reviewed some 400 voting-fraud charges filed since 2017. Often, voters didn’t know they’d broken a law. Serious penalties usually fell hardest on those least able to fight back: Poor and Black people were likelier to go to jail than comfortable retirees. In Florida, where the governor, Ron DeSantis,…

Zero-covid is making it tougher for Chinese strivers to get ahead

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In january, for the purpose of contact tracing, the authorities in Beijing released data on the movements of two people infected with covid-19. A 44-year-old migrant worker with the surname Yue had gone from one construction site to another, visiting nearly 30 over the course of 18 days. He worked odd jobs, supporting a big family. Then there was a young white-collar worker, reportedly with the surname Li. She spent the early days of January skiing and browsing in posh shops, such as Dior. By many measures inequality in China…

Hong Kong journalist union chair arrested weeks before Oxford fellowship

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The head of Hong Kong’s journalist union has been arrested, weeks before he was due to leave for an overseas fellowship at Oxford University. Ronson Chan, the chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), was arrested for allegedly obstructing a police officer and disorderly conduct in a public place. Channel C, the online news outlet Chan works for, said the veteran reporter was taken away by officers who asked to check his identity while he was reporting on a meeting of public housing flat-owners on Wednesday. Police said a…

How China Is Responding to Its Water Woes

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Advertisement This has been China’s driest and hottest summer since it began keeping records in 1961. The severe heatwave was brought on by a greater-than-usual Western Pacific subtropical high, further compounded by reduced rainfall. The effects of these extreme weather events are seen in many provinces and sections of the Yangtze River Basin (YRB), one of China’s strategic development regions and the country’s longest river. Estimates from the South China Morning Post (SCMP) suggest that the current heat wave has affected over 900 million people in more than 17 provinces…

China reports ‘most severe’ heatwave and third driest summer on record

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China recorded its highest temperatures and one of its lowest levels of rainfall in 61 years during a two-month summer heatwave that caused forest fires, damaged crops and hit power supplies, the national meteorological agency said. The average national temperature in August, 22.4C, was 1.2C higher than the seasonal norm, while average rainfall fell 23% to 82mm, the third lowest since records began in 1961, according to Xiao Chan, the vice-director of China’s national meteorological administration. He told reporters that 267 weather stations across China recorded their highest temperatures in…