Day: March 3, 2026

China’s elite pushes for overtime curbs and public holiday to tackle low birth rate

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. A new public holiday to encourage consumer spending, a crackdown on overtime work in the hope of boosting the birth rate and $100bn in consumption vouchers are some of the proposals being aired at China’s biggest political pageant this week. The annual eight-day extravaganza, known as the “two sessions”, will kick off on Wednesday with the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a “united front” advisory body. A meeting…

Manufacturing talent boom? Why China’s smartest students are factory-bound

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New Tsinghua University data this week reveals a nearly 20 per cent rise in graduates joining the manufacturing and energy sectors, signalling a major shift in career pursuits in China. The sharp rise seen in Tsinghua’s class of 2025 indicates a renewed interest in traditional industrial sectors among top-tier talent as well as the pull of national strategic priorities. As some of China’s brightest minds enter these fields, the country is poised to intensify its competitive challenge to Western companies in advanced manufacturing. Advertisement According to the Tsinghua University website,…

China and US to hold high-level trade talks in Paris before Trump’s Beijing visit

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China and the United States will hold a new round of high-level trade talks in Paris at the end of next week, according to sources from both sides, as preparations press on for US President Donald Trump’s visit to China. Led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, the two delegations will meet in the French capital to discuss trade and investment deals – including on tariffs, investment, soybean and rare earth – that would be presented as deliverables when Trump meets Chinese…

The quiet revolution in animal rights in China

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Public awareness of animal welfare on the Chinese mainland is at an all-time high. The country now has the world’s second-largest pet population, estimated at 430 million in 2024 and growing strongly. The cultural shift was on full display last year when the justice ministry solicited public feedback on its legislative plans. In a massive show of support, an online survey pushing for anti-cruelty legislation attracted over 4.2 million votes, with 96 per cent voting in favour. Yet despite rising expectations, animal welfare legislation remains elusive. Since the mid-2010s, proposals…

Healthcare investors keeping an eye on ‘two sessions’ for clarity on drug pricing

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Ahead of China’s annual legislative meetings – typically a window into Beijing’s top-level policy agenda – this is the eighth entry in a series examining the complex economic recalibration driving China’s growth philosophy and its wide-ranging implications for local governments, financial investors and private enterprises. Investors are watching Beijing’s annual “two sessions” this week for signs that the country will address drug pricing and shore up its drug payment system, as a new form of insurance introduced in January for expensive, innovative treatments struggles to gain traction. Near-term policy impact…

China’s Two Sessions: what are the meetings and why do they matter?

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China’s annual Two Sessions meetings begin this week, with thousands of political and community delegates descending on Beijing from across mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to ratify legislation, personnel changes and the budget over about two weeks of highly choreographed meetings. What is the Two Sessions? The event is called the Two Sessions because both the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) hold their annual meetings separately, but at the same time. The CPPCC is an advisory body, with little real political influence…