Sixty years ago, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution – a decade of fanaticism that consumed China. Perhaps 2 million people, from top leaders to impoverished farmers, were killed or driven to suicide for political “crimes” or their family background. Tens of millions more, including the father of China’s leader, Xi Jinping, were hounded. The party, and most of those who lived through the movement, prefer to forget it. But the years of chaos, violence, zealotry and stagnation, which ended only with Mao’s death, have left deep scars. Among the many victims…
Author: Media Library
The quiet escalation unfolding around Taiwan’s remote outposts as Beijing sends ships
Taiwan has for the first time reported mainland Chinese law enforcement vessels near an island it controls in the South China Sea, a development experts say could form the basis of Beijing’s effective control in the waters. The move comes after Beijing accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of inaction in the face of Japan-Philippines maritime delineation talks, which could concern exclusive economic zones claimed by Beijing and Taipei. Two mainland Chinese law enforcement ships – the Sansha Zhifa 301 and Sansha No 2, which are both managed by the…
Bollywood drops Beijing as a villain – is a Russia-China-India axis next?
Not long ago, China was the villain of choice in much of India’s public discourse. The 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, in which both sides lost soldiers in hand-to-hand combat over their disputed Himalayan border, changed Indian public sentiment almost overnight. From WeChat to TikTok, Chinese apps disappeared from Indian app stores. Investment rules tightened. Television debates grew more jingoistic after arch-rival Pakistan used Chinese-supplied jets and missiles in a three-day conflict with India in May last year. Advertisement In December, Chinese state media lashed out at a coming Bollywood film,…
Taiwanese group sends emergency call for cross-strait sea rescue hotline
The head of a Taiwanese sea search-and-rescue group has called on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together on maritime emergencies. Yin Liu-sheng, secretary general of the Taiwan-based volunteer group Chinese Search and Rescue Association, said in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Sunday that “maritime search and rescue should remain completely above politics” and that Beijing and Taipei should cooperate “to ensure the safety of life and property of vessels navigating the Taiwan Strait”. “Maritime search-and-rescue operations are time-critical, and both sides should ensure that rescue hotlines remain open…
Chinese materials scientist Pei Qibing takes up new post in Macau
A materials scientist whose career took him from rural China to California is heading for a post in Macau after 30 years in the United States. According to the University of Macau’s website, Pei Qibing has been appointed chair professor and director of the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering. Pei, an emeritus professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, began his studies in a very different world, attending a small rural school on an island in the Yangtze River in… South China Morning Post
Chinese World Cup fans robbed at gunpoint soon after arrival in Mexico
Two Chinese football fans were carjacked shortly after arriving in Mexico to watch the World Cup. The Chinese embassy said one suspect had been arrested while the two victims had returned to China on Friday after less than 48 hours in the country. State news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday that the two men, identified only by their surnames Wang and Li, had landed at Mexico City International Airport on Wednesday evening. Advertisement Two masked motorbike riders held up their car at gunpoint near the airport, stealing a watch from…
China will be a neighbour Mongolia can rely on, Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledges
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushed for stronger cross-border transport and trade ties during a visit to Mongolia over the weekend as Beijing sought to anchor the country’s newly formed government within its economic orbit. “China’s policy towards Mongolia maintains stability and continuity, and has always placed the development of bilateral relations in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy,” Wang said during a meeting with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Saturday. “China is both willing and able to be a neighbour that Mongolia can rely on, a trusted friend, and…
Surge in AI-related court cases fuels calls for China to clarify its laws
The Chinese legal system is grappling with a surge of artificial intelligence cases, but experts have warned that the lack of a unified legislative framework is hampering efforts to tackle the problem. In a recent landmark case, a court in the eastern city of Hangzhou ruled against a tech company that had fired one of its workers after he refused to accept a demotion and pay cut, with the company telling him he could be replaced by AI. The worker had been employed by a fintech firm to evaluate the…
China tees up digital payments system to compete with dollar
Beijing’s cross-border currency platform will be backed by central banks of Hong Kong, Thailand, UAE and Saudi ArabiaFinancial Times
Will turmoil around former leader Ma Ying-jeou affect Taiwan’s local elections?
What began as an internal personnel dispute at the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation has evolved into an increasingly bitter and publicly fought battle that is engulfing the former Taiwanese leader whose political legacy it is meant to preserve. Allegations of financial misconduct at Ma’s foundation have spiralled into criminal complaints, publicly traded accusations among long-time allies and an unprecedented intervention by his family. The dispute has also raised broader questions about Ma’s health, political legacy and what effect all this will have on the main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) ahead of…