News that caught our eye / The week ending November 15, 2024
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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.
Curated by James Getka.
100,000 Chinese students join 50km night-time bike ride for good soup dumplings / November 10, 2024
When four college students made a bike trip to the ancient city of Kaifeng in June to enjoy the city’s popular oversized soup dumplings, their posts of the trip resonated among other students to the point that last Friday, an estimated 100,000+ students on bikes flooded the roads to the city and overwhelmed the city’s parks and restaurants. Authorities and universities took action, creating no-bike zones and mandating permission slips for students to leave campus (the Guardian).
Dozens killed in China by driver who rammed car into crowd ahead of army air show / November 12, 2024
A 62-year old man, apparently upset over details of his divorce, rammed his car into a sports complex in Zhuhai, killing thirty five and injuring more than forty others on Monday, just before an annual PLA aviation show in the city. Posts and inquiries about the incident at the sports complex were scrubbed from social media ahead of the air show (CBS News).
When horror hits China, the first instinct is shut it down / November 12, 2024
Wanting to report on tragic incidents in China, foreign journalists have been met by “staged,” outraged citizens or police blocking their way to the crime scene, which is usually cleaned up within hours of the incident by local authorities. Part of this strategy is to prevent hype and copycat incidents, but even flowers or memorials to the injured or deceased are not allowed for long (BBC).
From Taiwan to technology, China ponders what's to come under Trump 2.0 / November 9, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump’s unpredictability is China’s challenge as they project what will come in the next four years as Trump takes the helm for a second term. China’s leadership is projecting stability, but they are also planning more punitive measures if Republicans, not just Trump, step on too many toes in the next dance (NPR).
Would the US defend Taiwan under Trump if China invades? / November 10, 2024
It is difficult to determine what President-elect Trump would do if China invaded Taiwan because Trump has said he wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen in the first place. He would rather wage an economic war and display military superiority to hold China back. Trump has often expressed disdain for Taiwan’s apparent lack of financial support for the military aid it gets (Fox News).
China’s president unveils a megaport in Peru, but locals say they’re being left out / November 14, 2024
President Xi was in Lima, Peru, before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum to celebrate the inauguration of a new Chinese funded megaport in Chancay, Peru, a fishing town north of Lima. Locals say the new port has destroyed fish breeding grounds and even changed surfing waves and currents due to newly installed breakwaters (AP News).
Biden and Xi will meet in Peru as US-China relations tested again by Trump’s return / November 13, 2024
President Biden will meet with President Xi on Saturday at the APEC forum in Lima, Peru, just a few months from President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, presenting new challenges to the troubled relationship between the two countries. Biden will press for stability and cooperation as the transition takes place (AP News)
China reasserts South China Sea sovereignty amid Philippine boundary laws / November 10, 2024
After Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed two laws on Friday to define its territory around the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, China rejected the move in Manila and reasserted its own claims in the area. The two countries have been embroiled in skirmishes along the Philippine’s territory for years (Al Jazeera).
Indonesia's new leader calls for collaboration with China before heading to US / November 10, 2024
Indonesia’s new president, President Prabowo Subianto called for collaboration with China rather than confrontation as he met with President Xi in Beijing and strengthened the relationship between the two countries. China has invested heavily in Indonesia, but a flood of low-priced Chinese imports has hurt Indonesia’s garment makers as they are now calling for tariffs on Chinese goods (ABC News).
Research reveals China has built prototype nuclear reactor to power aircraft carrier / November 11, 2024
China has built a nuclear-powered reactor for a military aircraft carrier as part of its modernizing efforts. China already has the largest navy in the world with three carriers, but the US has eleven nuclear powered carriers, allowing it to have a global presence at all times.
Foreign firms pull more money from China’s slowing economy / November 10, 2024
Foreign direct investment in China fell in the third quarter of the year, bringing the total annual loss of foreign investment to almost $13 billion through September this year. Geopolitical tension was named the primary reason for investors’ skittishness. However, some investors are putting their money into small and medium investments (Fortune).
China’s recent rally fuels youth rush for quick gains. How are they faring? / November 12, 2024
Young Chinese adult investors under 30 made a surge of investments in October after the government announced stimulus measures in September to boost the economy, marking an unusual trend from a typically more conservative group of investors. But, the Chinese stock market’s volatile ride since then has put some young investors in the red (CNA).
He made a daring escape from China. Then his real troubles began. / November 10, 2024
Facing persecution in China, Uyghur Hasan Imam managed to escape from China, but he got caught in Thailand, was jailed, escaped to Malaysia, and got caught again. After six years of being smuggled and imprisoned throughout southeast Asia, Imam was one of the rare people who made it to Turkey (The New York Times).