News that caught our eye / The week ending September 23
NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
China official gets life imprisonment / September 23, 2022
Former Vice Public Security Minister Sun Lijun was given a suspended death sentence with no possibility of parole. His crimes: taking $91 million in bribes, stock manipulation, and illegal gun possession (Hindustan Times).
China’s aging population / September 20, 2022
Twenty percent (20%) of China’s population will be over 60 years old within three years. By 2035, 400 million people (30%) will be in their 60s or older. A severely aging society will have dramatic effects on China’s economy and the overall physical well-being of its people (Global Times).
UAE and China collaborate on moon mission / September 16, 2022
The United Arab Emirates has signed a memorandum of understanding with the China National Space Agency (CNSA) to work together on lunar exploration. Specifically, the two agencies will land a UAE rover on the moon’s south polar region using China’s rocket system (MSN).
Young Chinese adults turning to Buddhism / September 21, 2022
The stresses of the work world are taking a toll on young Chinese business people. Some have opted out of the work world in favor of getting by on as little income as possible. Others are turning to retreats at Zen Buddhist temples (The China Project).
Biden: US would defend Taiwan against Chinese invasion / September 19, 2022
During an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, President Biden said the US “would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.” In response, China condemned the statement as interference in its domestic issues. It reaffirmed that China claims Taiwan as part of its territory (AP).
China both rejects and embraces the United Nations / September 18, 2022
China rejects the UN’s charges that it is responsible for human rights abuse. At the same time, it is using its political and financial leverage to entice nations within its orbit to further its strategic interests (AP).
China’s Xi outlines his goals during his third term / September 17, 2022
President Xi maintains that, while he continues to lead China into the future, it has the "responsibility, capability and confidence to make historic contributions to the progress of scientific socialism…. Our destiny lies in the path we select. If we take the wrong path, we will not achieve our goals and may even break the great rejuvenation of Chinese civilization" (Fox News).
6 things to know as Xi Jinping moves to be China’s dictator for life / September 16, 2022
Politico offers six things to know about Xi’s power grab at the mid-October 20th Party Congress — and the country’s complicated trajectory.
Russia-China pipeline brings gas to more in China / September 17, 2022
A section of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline linking Anping, North China's Hebei Province with Taian, East China's Shandong Province, has been put into operation, with a designed capacity of 18.9 billion cubic meters a year, China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corporation (PipeChina) announced on Friday (Global Times).
Putin suggests China has concerns about Ukraine invasion / September 15, 2022
After meeting with China’s President Xi at Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he sought to address Beijing’s concerns about the Ukraine war. “We understand your questions and your concerns,” he said, in remarks broadcast on Russian state television.
Chinese official voices support for Russia in Ukraine / September 10, 2022
According to Deutsche Welle, Li Zhanshu, the third-highest official of the Chinese Communist Party, publicly expressed support for Russia's attempts to conquer Ukraine. He said that Russia’s actions are defensible because Europe and the US were using Ukraine to weaken Russian security.
Mike Pompeo: The CCP does not represent the Chinese people / September 13, 2022
Former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and the Hudson Institute’s China Center are directing a series of short YouTube videos at the Chinese people. In the first episode, Pompeo explains that despite its rhetoric the Chinese Communist Party is a totalitarian, one-party government that neither represents the Chinese people nor governs in their interests.
China cannot become carbon-neutral / September 13, 2022
According to Richard Smith, a commentator for The China Project, “There is no chance that Xi will meet his carbon-neutral goal. He cannot decarbonize the economy because, since Mao’s day, the Communist Party has been committed to overtaking the United States to become the world’s leading economy. This leaves Xi little choice but to maximize growth of the very industries that are driving emissions off the charts, including coal-fired electricity generation.”
Xi’s COVID-zero causes frustration in China / September 12, 2022
“Lockdowns of varying strictness are going on all over China, causing food shortages, obstructing access to medical care, and limiting holiday travel plans” (TheChinaProject.com).
Typhoon Muifa heads for China’s eastern coast / September 13, 2022
The storm named Muifa became a typhoon on September 13. It will make landfall on Wednesday over the port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan (near Shanghai). Torrential rains are expected, along with waves of up to 16 feet (South China Morning Press).
Xi Jinping has brought China back to its Mao roots / September 11, 2022
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd says Xi Jinping has brought communist ideology back to the core of the country’s decision-making. He warns that the Chinese president appears unable to make a course correction (The Sydney Morning Herald).
Germany’s decoupling from trade with China is impractical / September 10, 2022
In light of Germany cutting back on its trade dependence with China, the Global Times says, “It’s legitimate for a country to be concerned about its high level of external dependence and long-term economic security…. What is unacceptable to China is using ‘reducing dependency on China as a pretext of ‘decoupling’ while accusing China of being ‘unreliable,” which is a 'discriminatory and targeted attack on a major trading partner.”
President Xi offers condolences, praise for Queen Elizabeth II / September 9, 2022
The United Kingdom received condolences on the passing of its monarch from President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese state media lauded the queen's bilateral relations with China and friendly demeanor with the communist state. "The queen was the first British monarch to visit China and received multiple Chinese state leaders’ on their visits to Britain…. She has made important contributions to promoting the understanding of Chinese and British people and expanding friendly exchanges between the two countries."
Chinese scientists find a new mineral in samples of Moon soil / September 09, 2022
Chinese scientists have discovered a new mineral on the Moon. Scientists from Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology isolated a single crystal particle with a radius of about 10 microns through high-tech means such as X-ray diffraction. China becomes the third country in the world after the US and the former Soviet Union to discover a new mineral on the moon (Global Times).