News that caught our eye / The week ending December 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.
Investments are set to flow back into China / December 21, 2022
One investment manager states that professional investors will likely start investing in over 100 Chinese companies after the threat by the US to “delist” them from the US Stock Exchange was averted, and China declared support to these companies in an effort to reignite the Chinese economy (CNBC).
Xi Tells Russia’s Medvedev China Wants Talks on Ukraine / December 21, 2022 President Xi Jinping continues his global diplomatic strategy this week, meeting with former Russian President Medvedev and urging a diplomatic road to peace regarding Ukraine (Bloomberg News).
Should the CCP fear for its long-term existence? / December 2022
Chairman Xi’s surprising withdrawal from his Zero Covid policy hints at his government’s insecurity in the face of popular disapproval. “The protests only serve to show that the party is, in fact, fallible and responsive to public anger, that the people have more power than anyone thought” (Time)
What’s behind China’s meek response to chip ban? / December 18, 2022
“It is a puzzle,” an American analyst says of China’s meek response to US chip restrictions. The reason is probably due to a lack of retaliatory options (SCMP).
A Chinese dilemma: too few workers / December 20, 2022
Within a decade, China will not have sufficient workers to fuel its manufacturing jobs. China’s working-age population, defined as those aged between 15 and 64, declined from the peak of 997 million in 2014 to 986 million last year. According to projections released by the United Nations in July, it will start declining rapidly in the 2030s and shrink by more than 60 percent to 378 million by the end of the century (Policy Research Group/SCMP).
Covid death rise, China seems to underreport total / December 20, 2022
“China appears to be seeing an increase in Covid deaths across a swath of the country that aren’t being reported in government figures, according to social media posts, adding to speculation that officials are masking the full impact of their abrupt shift away from Covid Zero” (Bloomberg/MSN).
China's Covid statistics doubted as Cases Increase / December 20, 2022
With China’s recent report declaring suspiciously low Covid cases and deaths, many Chinese citizens are skeptical of the numbers, citing social media posts of crowded hospitals and knowledge of illnesses in their social circles. Epidemiologists predict hundreds of millions of cases, and over a million deaths in China in the coming months (Voice Of America).
China Covid: Five deaths under country's new counting method / December 20, 2022
Citing only deaths caused by respiratory failure due to the Covid virus, China counted only 5 Covid deaths so far this week. It raises the question: should deaths from comorbidities be included? (BBC News)
Christians compelled to honor deceased leader Jiang Zemin / December 16, 2022
The members of China’s only legalized Protestant denomination, the Three-Self Church, were encouraged by its leadership to “honor” the former president during his memorial ceremony as the “great Marxist we love,” even though Zemin upheld party laws to control religious groups and mercilessly persecuted the Falun Gong movement in 1999 (Bitter Winter).
The Prince: Searching for Xi Jinping
The Economist explores Xi Jinping’s turbulent past, how he has changed China, and how he is trying to change the world. “The Prince” by Sue-Lin Wong is an eight-part podcast.
US blacklists 36 Chinese companies / December 16, 2022
The U.S. Department of Commerce is adding 36 Chinese high-tech companies, including makers of aviation equipment, chemicals and computer chips, to an export controls blacklist, citing concerns over national security, U.S. interests and human rights (AP).
Opinion: Reasons church leaders are charged with fraud / December 12, 2022
“Many Chinese house church leaders have been arrested on charges of fraud…. These pastors are charged with defrauding their church members, running an illegal business, or other similar charges. In this excerpt, a house church elder shares a few theological comments on some of the reasons for these charges” (China Partnership).