Year: 2023

Why have millions dropped out of China’s state health insurance scheme?

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But despite the best efforts of the teachers, “there are still a couple of students in each class whose families have refused to pay for next year’s insurance”, said Ma. The lack of enthusiasm for the scheme epitomises a falling participation rate in China’s state health insurance system, which is having its long-term financial health tested by a growing elderly population and shrinking workforce. While it covered over 96 per cent of China’s 1.4 billion population between 2019 and 2021, last year it fell by over 1 percentage point, meaning…

‘Shameless’: controversy over cuts to classical Chinese content in Taiwan’s schools heats up presidential race

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Ko Wen-je, the candidate and head of the smaller opposition Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), set off the debate during a campaign rally in Taipei on December 8, saying he strongly opposed teaching less classical Chinese literature in the island’s high schools. “I studied Tang dynasty poetry [618-907 AD],” Ko told the rally. He said there was nothing wrong with learning classical Chinese, especially when Chinese culture had existed for more than 2,000 years. “Taiwan and mainland China came from the same race, same history, religion and culture. Though their political…

Smartphone makers bet on foldables to revive lacklustre market

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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. Every large smartphone maker except Apple is betting that “foldable” phones will help revive a lacklustre mobile market, despite the devices still largely failing to attract mainstream consumers. Foldables, which have a screen that opens like a book or compact mirror, barely exceed a 1 per cent market share of all smartphones sold globally almost five years after they were first introduced. But Samsung has doubled down on the product,…

Argentina Won’t Join BRICS Alliance in Milei’s Latest Policy Shift

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BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA —  Argentina formally announced Friday that it won’t join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the latest in a dramatic shift in foreign and economic policy by Argentina’s new far-right populist president, Javier Milei. In a letter addressed to the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the founding members of the alliance — Milei said the moment was not “opportune” for Argentina to join as a full member. The letter was dated a week ago, December 22, but released by the Argentine government…

Relatives say imprisoned Vietnamese journalist’s health declining

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A Vietnamese journalist who is serving an 11-year prison sentence told family members that his health has declined to the point that he can no longer consume food without vomiting, a relative told Radio Free Asia. Le Huu Minh Tuan, a member of the Vietnam Independent Journalists’ Association, was arrested in 2020 on a charge of “conducting propaganda against the state.” He’s now serving an 11-year term at Xuyen Moc Prison in southern Vietnam’s Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Tuan, 34, said during a visit on Tuesday that “he is too…

INTERVIEW: Politics is the same as selling insurance, says Taiwan heiress

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Shin Kong heiress and Taiwan People’s Party vice-presidential nominee Cynthia Wu didn’t say much when she was announced as the running mate for transplant surgeon Ko Wen-je in next month’s election, putting down the microphone after a few brief words. Yet during a recent interview with RFA Mandarin’s “Asia Wants to Talk” chat show, the U.S.-born Wu switched easily among Mandarin, Taiwanese and English to chat non-stop about her experiences on the campaign trail and her vision for Taiwan’s future. Until she joined the presidential race in a decision that…

Tibetans in quake-hit areas get scarce aid from Chinese government

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Tibetans in earthquake-affected areas of China’s Qinghai Province have received scarce help from the Chinese government, except for “some tent facilities” and utilities checks for those whose homes were destroyed by a December earthquake, at least three sources inside the country told Radio Free Asia. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake rocked the northwestern Chinese provinces of Qinghai and Gansu on Dec. 18 — one of the most powerful earthquakes the country has seen in recent years — killing at least 149 people and injuring over 780 others.  The earthquake brought down…

China’s Residential Property Sector Filled With Livid Buyers of Unfinished Units

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Taipei, Taiwan —  A growing number of home buyers in China have seen their dream of moving into new homes dashed in the past year after a slew of bankrupt developers left behind millions of unfinished pre-sold properties. Many of the buyers could do nothing but vent their anger and frustration on Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin, known internationally as TikTok, over what they called “rotting apartments” that represented their lifetime savings. Police are cracking down on protests. The crisis of confidence in a sector that was once…

Hong Kong puts runaway activist Tony Chung on wanted list

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Authorities in Hong Kong on Friday issued a “recall” order for prominent independence activist Tony Chung, who recently arrived in the United Kingdom to seek political asylum, as police questioned the parents of activist Agnes Chow, who skipped bail and fled to Canada. Chung, now 22 and one of the youngest democracy activists to be jailed under a draconian national security law, announced on Facebook and Instagram that he had applied for political asylum in the United Kingdom, where he arrived earlier this week. Hong Kong’s Correctional Service Department issued…