In the era of tariffs, stimulating domestic demand is vital for Beijing. But consumption is growing slowly—and it is no longer the megacities driving it, but smaller cities, where wages and confidence in the economy are rising. These shifts may also bring about broader social changes.
A source talked to AsiaNews about how Chinese Catholics are coping with Francis’s death. Remarks and pictures abound on local social media. “Amid the sorrow and mourning, the joy of announcing love prevailed,” as “a spontaneous explosion, not very cautious, but conscious that death and fear are not the last word.” An elderly lady and the Pope shared an “impossible dream”: she wanted to visit the Vatican, while he wanted to visit China.
Nine hours of lessons a day plus homework in the evening, parental expectations, anxiety about the gaokao, the exam that opens the doors to the best universities. A recent study reveals the widespread feeling of never being good enough. The toll of the long years of the ‘one-child policy’ is also evident in the relational difficulties of today's teenagers.
The implications of Trump’s trade war are being vetted in Beijing. For sociologist Sun Liping, it is time “to overcome the obsession with a production-oriented model of society” and instead increase “domestic consumption”.
China’s Ministry of Commerce accuses Washington of "unilateral bullying" but keeps channels of communication open. Beijing had already launched stimulus measures for domestic consumption, expecting lower exports, but now it will also have to deal with the fallout from the heavy tariffs imposed on Southeast Asia. The chances for free trade area with Japan and South Korea have improved.
The Bangladeshi leader starts a four-day visit that is viewed with suspicion in New Delhi at a time when the regional balance of power in South Asia is still shaky after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. Reducing interest on its loans is Dhaka's most important request to Xi Jinping. Large Chinese investments in solar panel production and other outsourcing opportunities in Bangladesh are other top issues.
One million Chinese will be living in Japan by next year, according to some estimates, driven by families enrolling their children in academies linked to Japan’s animation industry, where the best talents are offered the possibility of permanent residence. About 70 per cent of foreign students today come from mainland China, but distrust is growing towards them.
Called "space oil” because it makes people feel as if they were in space, the substance is taken through electronic cigarettes. Its basic ingredient is an anaesthetic, etomidate. It is increasingly popular among youth in Hong Kong, but also mainland China and Taiwan. A “zero tolerance” policy has failed so far to deal with the real causes of the problem.
One way to understand the scope of the Belt and Road Initiative is to look at where most students at Chinese universities come from, namely Central Asia, Africa, and South America. For them, the People's Republic is the land of opportunities, but also the cultural backdrop of their daily life. They are unlikely to stay in China but will end up working for Chinese companies in their home countries.
Despite the risk of persecution, Thailand deported 40 Uyghurs held for over a decade. Activists and NGOs say the group risks persecution in China. The Thai government confirmed the news after the fact, while for Beijing it is a case of “illegal migration”.
The Global Times describes Trump’s attack on Zelensky as interference in internal affairs and his proposal to end the war a hasty solution that risks increasing tensions, further complicating geopolitical dynamics. China does not want to be left on the sidelines of the issue. Some analysts see a "Nixon in reverse" effect to break Xi-Putin axis.
Mainland Chinese scholars are increasingly challenging the Out-of-Taiwan theory for aboriginal peoples whose ancestors crossed the ocean and settled thousands of miles. This comes as Beijing and Taipei continue their battle over alliances in the Pacific.
While not renouncing tradition, Generation Z is making significant changes in the way they celebrate the holiday these days. From ‘reverse trips’ to invite their parents to the cities where they work to new digital consumption.
The explosion of "cheap" alternative to ChatGPT is the result of China’s bet on internal competition among large companies and startups to develop the most advanced AI systems. A stinging defeat in a Go tournament is having a greater impact than US sanctions on the advanced microchip exports to China.
In agreement with the Holy See, the current bishop of Xiamen took office today in one of the most historically important sees of the Church in China. The province is right across from Taiwan in a politically very sensitive context. For him, the challenge of reaching out to underground communities, while reiterating cumbersome slogans about “patriotism”.
Manufacturers in ASEAN countries are concerned about what might happen if a trade war with China breaks out once the US president takes office in a few days. The fear that Chinese products that no longer take the road to the West could be dumped in their markets, already grappling with tough competition from the “Made in China”.
A Shanghai court convicted Chen Pinlin, born in 1991, even though he had signed a plea bargain for a two-year sentence over “Urumqi Middle Road”, a video he made and posted on YouTube in 2023 with eyewitness accounts from people who had suffered from the government’s strict pandemic measures.
China’s official Xinhua news agency released the data while the National Health Commission presents a three-year plan to deal with rising mental disorders. The issue has come to prominence following a string of violent incidents, but it is also the legacy of the government’s zero-COVID policy.
Increasingly, to crush house churches, Protestant communities independent of government-controlled bodies, the authorities are turning to charges of financial wrongdoings over tithes. Christian pastors, lawyers and faithful issued an appeal on behalf of the Linfen community hit by arrests. In their view, giving one’s “money to serve God, supporting church needs and caring for the poor” does not violate any law.
The Huangmao Sea Channel Bridge opened to traffic yesterday, an ideal infrastructure that links up with the majestic bridge that connects Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. This is a further step to the creation of a metropolitan area of 70 million people that China wants to turn into an economic engine on a par with Tokyo and New York.
The International City of Commerce in the south-eastern province of Zhejiang is the place of origin of most of the Christmas decorations sold these weeks all over the world. A gigantic 6.4 million square metre wholesale market open seven days a week for traders from all over the world who are arriving en masse again in 2024.
New supply chain regulations adopted by the United States and the European Union are forcing many companies to take a stand on the issue of Uyghur exploitation. The German automaker sold its controversial Urumqi plant "for economic reasons", but it is still renewing its business plans in China. The Japanese clothing brand says that it does not use cotton from Xinjiang.
Shanghai-based SpaceSail wants to reach remote areas of Brazil in the coming years thanks to an alternative to Starlink. The South American country currently relies on Elon Musk's company, but the latter has recently faced off the country’s Supreme Court.
Xi’s tour of the region began yesterday. One stop included the virtual inauguration of Chancay Port, a key trade hub between China and the region. His aim is to boost cooperation and multilateralism. Donald Trump's return to the White House is a challenge for the future.
The China Labour Bulletin posted some videos from Chinese social media showing workers fainting from the gruelling shifts at the Foxconn plant in conjunction with the release of its new smartphone models. Overtime can reach up to four times the limit established by Chinese law.
A state research institute in Guangzhou is working on integrated offshore power plants based on the combined use of wave, wind and solar energy to create self-sufficient communities of up to a thousand people. The goal is to boost China’s presence on the artificial islands it created, and boost its claims to the sea, which are challenged by other countries in Southeast Asia.
Trump shows a more aggressive and isolationist approach, Harris is more prudent and inclined to stability. Towards Beijing, a desire to protect national interests prevails on the US side. Over the years, China has softened the tone of ‘wolf-warrior diplomacy’. And it is looking ahead to the 5 November vote without officially exposing itself, although it seems to be betting on the Democratic candidate.
Using satellite images, a recent report shows 20 new Chinese settlements with about 7,000 residents in Bhutanese territory. For experts, China’s strategy began in the 1990s and is aimed at India, becoming more aggressive in recent years. In the last year alone, seven new villages have been built in strategically important areas at around 4,000 metres above sea level.
Just as the row over tariffs with the US and the EU intensifies, China is preparing to lift the last retaliatory measure still in place against Australia, Australian Prime Minister Albanese announced. In two years in office, the Australian leader has mended ties, keeping trade with China distinct from geopolitical issues.
In villages still dominated by householders, women who marry an ‘outsider’ lose access to local services and compensation for expropriated collective land. With increasing levels of education and greater social connections, more and more of them are taking these kinds of disputes to court. But the road to their protection remains an uphill one.
