Month: November 2023

Émigré, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra — story of love and refuge in China’s Jewish community

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Between 1933 and 1941, 20,000 Jewish refugees found shelter in Shanghai due largely to a colonial-era rule that kept the Chinese city’s international settlement open. The fact that Shanghai welcomed the stateless migrants who most nations shunned has largely slipped from historical narratives — in Europe because it occurred so far off-site, in China because the People’s Republic reset the history books in 1949. Keeping that memory alive, though, has…

Photos of kids doing homework while on a drip spark horror in China

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Health officials in Beijing have put out an official plea for leniency amid an online outcry over photos of schoolchildren studying while receiving intravenous fluids in hospitals, as a wave of respiratory illness sweeps China. In a Nov. 27 directive, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission reminded parents and schools that “Children’s health is the top priority in everything!” and announced that students aren’t required to do homework while sick. “Schools do not impose strict requirements for students’ homework while they are sick,” it said. “It is not recommended to rush…

US accuses Indian official in foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist in NYC

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US foreign policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. US federal prosecutors have accused an Indian government official of orchestrating a plot to kill a Sikh activist in New York City, complicating the Biden administration’s efforts to boost ties with India to help counter China. The allegations were contained in an indictment filed on Wednesday by the US justice department, which charged another Indian citizen with working with the official to carry out the plot. The Indian official…

Nepal Registers First Official Same-Sex Marriage in Country 

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KATHMANDU —  A gay couple in Nepal on Wednesday became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it. “After 23 years of struggle we got this historic achievement, and finally Maya and Surendra got their marriage registered at the local administration office,” said Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay former parliamentarian and leading LGBTQ+ rights activist. Pant was present with Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung when they registered their marriage at the Dorje village…

China, India court Global South in competing bids to lead developing countries

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Use of the term – attributed to US political activist Carl Ogelsby in 1969 – has exploded in recent years as a “convenient shorthand” for countries that want the global economy’s structures overturned in favour of a more multipolar system, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 03:15 US, Russia praise G20 summit declaration as India meeting closes without Putin and China’s Xi US, Russia praise G20 summit declaration as India meeting closes without Putin and China’s Xi While China and India have adopted different approaches – with the…

China-Turkey business deals on rise as ‘strategic partnership’ evolves out of geopolitical strife with West

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Turkish businesses say they are keen on further tapping into China’s market, with an eye on ramping up their position as a midpoint for Chinese investment amid rising geopolitical tensions with the West. A business delegation of around 50 representatives from Turkey visited Beijing for a bilateral business forum on the sidelines of China’s inaugural International Supply Chain Expo – designed to show China’s resilience as many foreign companies have begun “de-risking” by shifting investments away from China. “From digital platforms to telecommunications, renewable energy to electric vehicles, cloud technology…

Xi Jinping showcases policy priorities on first trip to Shanghai since 2020, as Chinese leader promotes his agenda

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Chinese President Xi Jinping is making his first visit to Shanghai since 2020, state media reported on Wednesday, on a trip that highlights some key aspects of his policy agenda in areas such as finance, technology and welfare. On Monday, the Post was the first to report that Xi would be visiting the city this week. Sources familiar with the matter said he had postponed his visit, after originally planning to make it his first stop on his way back from the United States, where he met Joe Biden and…

Children’s hospital overrun as respiratory sickness takes hold in China – video

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A rise in respiratory illnesses in China, particularly among children, has reportedly swamped paediatric units in city hospitals, while authorities have urged calm, attributing it to a post-lockdown wave of illness. Many hospital wards are full, according to state and other media reports in China. The Global Times reported on Tuesday that the Beijing children’s hospital was receiving up to 9,378 patients a day and had been at full capacity during the past two months The Guardian

Silenced in China, Grassroots Activists Commemorate the White Paper Protests Abroad

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In late November 2022, the Chinese internet was overwhelmed by expressions of grief and rage, despite the government’s best efforts to maintain its strict censorship of online dissent. The outpouring was triggered by a fire in Urumqi, capital of the western region of Xinjiang, that killed at least 10 people after harsh COVID-19 rules reportedly restricted the movement of victims and rescuers. In the subsequent days, tens of thousands of people, many of them young, took to the streets across China to protest the government’s inhumane pandemic measures and denounce…

Chinese celebrity chef offends China with egg fried rice video

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A Chinese celebrity chef has apologised after he was accused of insulting the memory of Mao Zedong’s son by posting a video about how to cook egg fried rice. Wang Gang, who has more than 3.3 million followers on Weibo and more than 2 million on YouTube, faced a torrent of criticism by viewers who accused him of deliberately publishing his cooking tutorial around the anniversary of the death of Mao Anying as an act of mockery. “As a chef, I will never make fried rice again,” Wang said in…