News that caught our eye / June 11-17
Young Chinese press for right to be single / June 15, 2022
China’s marriage rate plunged 40% between 2013 and 2020, as millennials rejected traditional social mores that pressure young people to settle down early. According to government estimates, the number of people living alone in China reached 92 million in 2021. Chinese law, meanwhile, penalizes those without a spouse. Single people can’t adopt a child, access assisted reproductive technologies, or — in many cases — claim maternity benefits. In some cities, they even face extra restrictions when buying a home.
President Xi voices his support for Putin / June 15, 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday offered the most unambiguous declaration of support to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, vowing to support Moscow’s “sovereignty and security.” The remarks were a significant rhetorical departure from Xi’s earlier call on Putin to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of “all countries,” which he made a day after the war began.
China opens a rail loop around its largest desert / June 16, 2022
The last section of a 2,712-km (1686 miles) rail loop line around China's largest desert, the Taklimakan, was put into operation on Thursday, June 16. The opening of the Hotan-Ruoqiang rail line will enable trains to skirt a full circle around a desert for the first time in the world, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
More countries back China on Xinjiang than find fault / June 15, 2022
According to China’s Global Times, more countries have stood in support of China over its actions against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang than against it.
Emigrating wealthy Chinese take $65 billion with them / June 15, 2022
Emigrating mainland Chinese and Hongkongers could take as much as $65 billion with them, according to the Consultancy Henley & Partners. The firm predicts 10,000 high-net-worth individuals will leave mainland China and 3,000 will depart Hong Kong this year.
China claims its has sovereignty over the Taiwan Straits / June 13, 2022
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, China has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Straits. That means the US and its allies' claims that most of the Taiwan Straits are "international waters" are unjustified.
China to become cimate resilient / June 14, 2022
China has detailed measures to boost its climate change monitoring and risk prevention capabilities. The country will seek to basically build a climate-resilient society by 2035. It plans to institute significant improvements in its ability to adapt to climate change.
Uyghur slave labor act about to kick in / June 13, 2022
In December 2021, President Bident signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The law is intended to curb forced labor in China by requiring that that U.S. businesses prove their products are not manufactured by slave labor. Senator Marco Rubio says of the law, “If you’re a company who is manufacturing in that area, you’re going to need to prove that slaves didn’t make it. The presumption is on you.” The law goes into effect at the end of this month.
Chinese seniors told not to waste their pension on religion / June 13, 2022
This year the Chinese government use the annual Dragon Boat Festival to warn senior citizens against illegal religion and superstition. In presentations during the festival, seniors were told to protect their pension money by refusing it to give to religious groups. They were encouraged to promise that they will stay away from superstition, illegal religion, drugs, and other “evil” activities. They were given leaflets to study at home.
Heavy rains affect over 1.4 mln in China's Guangxi / June 12, 2022
Over 1.44 million residents in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been affected by torrential rains and rain-induced disasters such as floods and mudslides since early June, according to local authorities. Map.
The beating of four women highlights gender violence / June 13, 2022
The brutal beating of four women at a restaurant in northern China sparked widespread outrage over the weekend, leading to the swift arrest of nine people involved and calls for heavy punishments. For many Chinese women, however, the incident has served as a painful reminder of the ongoing danger of gendered violence, while the official reaction has often felt dismissive and sexist, coming amid a rise in anti-feminist rhetoric both online and from state media.
Opposition to Xi Jinping's 3rd Term In Office / June 11, 2022
As Chinese President Xi Jinping is eyeing to secure a third term in office, his political opponents are challenging this bid of the President at a time when his much-criticized strict "Zero-COVID" policies have brought the entire nation to the brink of economic collapse.
China accuses US of turning Asia-Pacific nations against it / June 12, 2022
China’s defense minister has accused the United States of trying to “hijack” the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing. He claims Washington is seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism.”
WHO says Covid most likely the result of animal to human infection / June 11, 2002
Even though the original host, intermediate hosts, or how the virus jumped to humans are still unknown, “the strongest evidence is still around zoonotic transmission” of Covid to humans. The Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens has determined that the theory that the virus may have escaped from a lab was “extremely unlikely,” though it stressed that further study is needed.
China opposes European Parliament's Xinjiang resolution / June 10, 2022
The European Parliament has called out China on "the human rights situation in Xinjiang." China has labeled that resolution "political manipulation and gross interference in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights." You Wenze, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, says that attempts by anti-China forces in the European Parliament to smear and slander China's Xinjiang policy are aimed to sow discord among various ethnic groups in China, taint China's image and contain its development, You said, adding that all such acts are doomed to fail.
China ready to fight over Taiwan / June 10, 2022
When the Chinese and US defense chiefs held their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore, the US was told that the Chinese military won't hesitate to fight anyone who dares to separate the island of Taiwan from China.