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.
The EU sues China / January 27, 2022
The European Union launched legal action against China at the World Trade Organization, accusing Beijing of "discriminatory trade practices" against Lithuania. The Baltic country has faced a months-long campaign of intimidation from Beijing for strengthening its ties with Taiwan. Lithuania's decision last year to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius under the name "Taiwan," rather than "Chinese Taipei," drew outrage from Beijing, which considered it a violation of the "One China" policy.
Beijing seals off several communities over two cases of Covid-19 / January 30, 2022
Beijing officials have sealed off several residential communities north of the city center after two cases of Covid-19 were found as the Chinese capital prepares to host the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, February 4. Another 34 cases were confirmed among athletes and others who have come for the Games, the organizing committee said. In all, 211 people have tested positive among more than 8,000 who had arrived by the end of Saturday.
US Navy wants to get crashed stealth fighter back -- before China can / January 26, 2022
The United States Navy is trying to retrieve its most advanced fighter jet from the depths of the South China Sea, an extremely complex operation that analysts say will be closely monitored by Beijing. The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crash-landed on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Monday, the Navy said.
President Xi promises a better life for rural China / January 27, 2022 — YouTube video, 58 seconds
China urges U.S. to correct wrongdoings in trade practices following WTO ruling / January 27, 2022
China has urged the United States to "find no more excuses and immediately correct the wrongdoings" in its trade practices after a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling granted China rights to slap tariffs on U.S. goods, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
China Urban vs rural income / January 19, 2022
In 2021, the annual per capita disposable income of rural households in China was approximately 18,931 yuan ($2,989.92), roughly 40 percent of the income of urban households. Although living standards in China’s rural areas have improved significantly over the past 20 years, the income gap between rural and urban households is still large. One yuan equals $.16 US dollars.
China tests 2M in Beijing, lifts COVID lockdown in Xi’an / January 24, 2022
A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Beijing has prompted authorities to test millions and impose new measures two weeks ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics, even as the city of Xi’an in north-central China lifted on Monday a monthlong lockdown that had isolated its 13 million residents.
U.S. drops ‘China Initiative’ case against MIT professor / January 20, 2022
The U.S. Justice Department dropped its case against Chen Gang, the MIT nanotechnology professor whom it accused a year ago of failing to disclose China ties. The U.S. government “badly…misunderstood the details surrounding scientific and academic collaboration,” said Chen’s lawyer.
Hong Kong’s Brain Drain Worsens as Expats, Locals Flee City /January 10, 2022
An exodus of expatriates and locals from Hong Kong is poised to intensify in 2022, as policy makers continue their crackdown on civil society and brush off an increasing uproar over aligning with mainland China’s Covid Zero strategy.
China’s success taming virus could make exit strategy harder / January 22, 2022
The sweeping “zero-tolerance” strategy that China has used to keep COVID-19 case numbers low and its economy functioning may, paradoxically, make it harder for the country to exit the pandemic. The communist government’s practice throughout the pandemic of trying to find and isolate every infected person has largely protected hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and staved off the deaths that have engulfed most of the world. But the uncompromising approach also means most people in China have never been exposed to the virus.
French Parliament's Uyghur Genocide Declaration Angers China // January 21, 2022
China condemned a French parliament resolution on Friday that accuses Beijing of carrying out a genocide against its Uyghur Muslim population. The resolution adds to a chorus of western nations that have criticized Beijing for placing around 1 million Uyghurs in forced labor camps, terming "the violence perpetrated by the People's Republic of China against the Uyghurs as constituting crimes against humanity and genocide.”
China's births fall in 2021, as workforce shrinks / January 17, 2022
The number of babies born in China fell again last year, official data showed Monday, adding to pressure on the ruling Communist Party's ambitions to boost national wealth and influence with a workforce that has been shrinking for a decade.
Xi’s rivals know that the situation demands a new leader: Roger Garside // January 15, 2022
China expert, Roger Garside, recently published a book titled, China Coup: The Great Leap to Freedom. In this interview, he explains why he envisions a coup d’état led by members of today’s leadership in China.
Why Chinese President Xi Jinping must stay in power for his survival / January 15, 2022
American academic Myron Rush, author of The Khrushchev Succession Problem, wrote: "In any personal dictatorship or tyranny, one thing is certain: someday there will be a succession crisis.” By removing the two-term limit on his chairmanship and not nominating a successor, China experts Richard McGregor and Jude Blanchette said, "Xi has solidified his own authority at the expense of the most important political reform of the last four decades: the regular and peaceful transfer of power…. He has pushed China towards a potential destabilizing succession crisis."
China’s economy grows 8.1% in 2021, slows in second half / January 17, 2022
The world’s second-largest economy grew by 8.1% last year, but activity fell abruptly in the second half as the ruling Communist Party forced China’s vast real estate industry to cut surging debt, official data showed Monday.
Dept of State: China’s maritime sovereignty claims are “unlawful” / January 13, 2022
The State Department issued a report Wednesday that rejected the legality of the Chinese government’s expansive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The report concluded that China “unlawfully claims sovereignty or some form of exclusive jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea [and that] these claims gravely undermine the rule of law in the oceans and numerous universally-recognized provisions of international law.”
China’s Public Security: To Protect Economy, Crack Down on Illegal Religion / January 12, 2022
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is obsessed with the idea that religion should be kept under control. For example, history textbooks say Communism in Eastern Europe fell because it did not crack down in time on civil society and it provided too much religious freedom.
7-Year Sentence for Selling Christian Books / January 11, 2022
Chen Yu, the head of the “Wheat Bookstore” in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, has had his sentence for operating an illegal business, that is, he sold Christian books upheld on appeal. He was also fined 200,000 yuan ($3138.48) by Linhai City Court. At trial, the prosecutor claimed that he had sold more than 20,000 Bibles and Christian books and that 12,684 books had been found at his premises. Those books were destroyed.
China Locks Down Third City, Raising Affected to 20 Million / January 11, 2022
A third Chinese city has locked down its residents because of a COVID-19 outbreak, raising the number confined to their homes in China to about 20 million people.
China-Laos Railway: A railway of friendship, cooperation and prosperity / January 10, 2022
Although some countries have found China’s willingness to fund its Belt and Road Initiative predatory, Laos has embraced China’s offer to build a high-speed rail line between the two countries.
China's foreign minister visits Kenya amid unease over rising debt / January 5, 2022
China's foreign minister began a visit to Kenya on Wednesday, where the government has relied on Chinese loans to develop infrastructure but faces criticism over the resulting debt burden.
India-China tensions flare up again over border issues and Tibet / January 10, 2022
Indian domestic politics erupted in controversy over China last week. The fallout is limiting the government’s room to maneuver to resolve a border crisis.
Chinese officials say Xi’an COVID outbreak is ‘effectively contained’ / January 6, 2022
After two weeks of arduous lockdown, during which the residents of Xi’an complained of food shortages and expressed outrage over medical services access, officials now say that the COVID-19 outbreak is under control.
China locks down entire cities over tiny COVID outbreaks / January 5, 2022
The city of Zhengzhou ordered its nearly 13 million residents to take COVID-19 tests Wednesday after a handful of cases were detected, as China fights to stamp out virus clusters ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Everyone in Zhengzhou, which has been placed under a partial lockdown, must be tested to "thoroughly uncover infections hidden among the public," the city's government said in a statement Wednesday.
Australia, Japan sign defense pact as China concerns loom / January 6, 2022
The leaders of Japan and Australia have signed a “landmark” defense agreement that allows closer cooperation between their militaries and stands as a rebuke to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region
China’s aging population / January 6, 2022
China’s 30-year experiment with a one-child policy has created an aging population that will require significant expense in the next two generations and will severely impact China’s economy. Don’t miss the motion graphic that illustrates this trend.
Chinese women unlikely to fulfill their government's desire for more babies / January 7, 2022
Many are pushed to the limit raising one child, or keeping their heads above water even without children.
Beijing Games’ corporate brand gamble / January 6, 2022
Will there be blowback on U.S. corporations that sponsor the winter Olympic Games in Beijing?
Biden administration presses Israel on Chinese investments / January 5, 2022
The Biden administration and the Israeli government held low-profile consultations last month on China — a sensitive issue given U.S. concerns about Chinese investments in Israel.
Lithuania bows to Chinese pressure / January 5, 2022
Lithuanian president says Taiwan office naming was ‘a mistake’ after ‘unconventional measures’ from Beijing. China is also applying pressure to European Union countries.
Taiwan steps in to help Lithuania / January 6, 2022
Taiwan's government announced Wednesday that it would create a $200 million fund to invest in Lithuania's economy, boost bilateral trade, and send an expert team to help the tiny Baltic nation stand up its own semiconductor industry.
3 Challenges for Chinese Foreign Policy in 2022 / January 3, 2022
China faces three major challenges that, in theory, could slow down China’s seemingly unstoppable rise to global center status if not managed well.