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.
How China lost Central and Eastern Europe / April 22, 2022
Central and Eastern Europe’s attention is currently fixed on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the perception of China has been shifting as well. If China is regarded as supporting Russia, Beijing risks falling into the category of an explicit threat alongside Moscow.
A Shanghai resident shares her views on the city's lockdown / April 26, 2022
Rob Schmitz (NPR reporter) interviews a woman who lives in Shanghai about the impact of the city’s lockdown because of Covid.
Covid in Beijing and Shanghai / April 25, 2022
Beijing has kicked off mass Covid testing after a spike in cases. Shanghai continues to grapple with new waves of infections. On Sunday alone, Shanghai reported more than 19,000 new cases and 51 deaths Authorities are erecting fences around buildings to limit people’s movement.
China is tracking down ex-patriate Uyghurs / April 25, 20222
More than 5,500 Uyghurs outside of China have been targeted by Beijing, hit with cyberattacks and threats to family members who remain in China, and more than 1,500 Uyghurs have been detained or forced to return to China to face imprisonment and torture in police custody.
Xi promotes his 'global security initiative' / April 22, 2022
The president of China has delivered cryptic messages and referenced a new "global security initiative" in a rare televised speech. Xi Jinping said his government supports talks to resolve international disputes and opposes "wanton use" of sanctions. The leader’s remarks confirm that China is sticking to its stance of refusing to criticize Russia's invasion of Ukraine despite the conflict's toll on the Ukrainian population and global security.
Taiwan is a part of China / April 20, 2022
Taiwan is a part of China and no one can change that, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Wednesday during a rare phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to a statement from Beijing. "If the Taiwan issue were not handled properly, it would have a damaging impact on Sino-U.S. relations," Wei added, according to statement published by the defense ministry.
China legislature approves forced labor treaties / April 20, 2022
China’s top legislature ratified two international treaties on forced labor on April 20. The two treaties, the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Forced Labor Convention and Abolition of Forced Labor Convention, were passed by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing. The treaties include eight provisions on issues such as forced labor, equal pay, discrimination, minimum age, and child labor. By comparison, the U.S. has ratified only two of the eight fundamental ILO conventions, forced labor and child labor.
Will China learn from Russian failures in Ukraine / April 20, 2022
Russia’s military failings in Ukraine are mounting. China is paying attention. “The big question Xi and the PLA leadership must be asking in light of Russian operations in Ukraine is whether a military that has undergone extensive reform and modernization will be able to execute operations that are far more complex than those Russia has undertaken during its invasion of Ukraine,” said M. Taylor Fravel, director of the security studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
China and the Solomon Islands ink pact / April 19, 2022
China said on April 19 that it had signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands. The agreement is said to allow China's navy to dock warships on the islands. The Solomon Islands, however, says the agreement will increase cooperation on trade, education, and fisheries, but it does not include permission for China to set up a military base.
Will Covid derail Xi? / April 16, 2022
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to step into a nearly unprecedented third term in power at the twice-a-decade Party Congress this fall, the COVID-19 controls are sparking a crisis in the country. The current situation may mark the most significant challenge for the country — and, arguably, for Chinese leader Xi Jinping — against zero Covid policy.
U.S. Lawmakers visit Taiwan / April 14, 2022
A bipartisan group of six U.S. lawmakers landed in Taiwan on Thursday to show Washington’s “rock-solid” support for the self-ruled island. Zhào Lìjiān, spokeman for China’s Foreiogn Ministry, said, “China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan…. [The U.S. should] “abide by the one-China principle.”
China responds with military exercises near Taiwan / April 15, 2022
China’s military sent frigates, bombers and fighter planes to the East China Sea and the area around Taiwan on Friday. The People’s Liberation Army said the move was intended to target the “wrong signals” sent by the United States.
Peidu parents / April 8, 2022
Peidu mothers and fathers are becoming a common trend across China. Peidu means “accompanying education.” It describes a parent, usually the mother, who dedicates herself to supervising her school-age children so they can better focus on their studies. Most often peidu parents are from rural China. In the past, both would work outside the home. But now they live separately, the husband working in a city while the wife lives frugally with their child. The hope is that the child will do well in school, attend college, and enjoy a successful career.
Witness to testify about Xinjiang abuse / April 12, 2022
A Christian Chinese national who spent 10 months in a Xinjiang detention camp has arrived in the United States. According to international human rights lawyers, he will testify to the International Criminal Court (ICC) that China has committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.
Taiwan’s war survival handbook / April 12, 2022
Taiwan’s defense ministry released a civil defense handbook on Tuesday in an effort to prepare the public for military conflict with China, a threat that has loomed larger since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Guangzhou, China battles Covid / April 11, 2022
The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities. Unlike Shanghai, however, the city is not locked down. Guangzhou has 18 million residents northwest of Hong Kong. Many top companies are located here. It boasts China’s busiest airport. Only 27 cases were reported there on April 11.
Video: Americans warned against traveling to China / April 10, 2022
State Department warns Americans against traveling to China The State Department cited an “Arbitrary enforcement of local laws and COVID-19 restrictions” as a reason for the warning.
China needs to control its own seeds / April 11, 2022
Xi Jinping on Sunday stressed the crucial role of "Chinese seeds" in ensuring the country's food security. China's food security can only be safeguarded when seed resources are firmly held in our own hands, Xi said while inspecting a seed laboratory in south China's Hainan Province.
China: Pakistan remains our close friend / April 10, 2022
Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan has implied that the US was behind the motion against him. Chinese scholars argue that, even if the US was playing tricks from behind the scene, it cannot sow discord between China and Pakistan. Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, observes, "There is no difference between Pakistan's major political parties in their friendship… with China.”
90% of Chinese say Ukraine conflict shows U.S. is a bully / April 8, 2022
Almost 90% of Chinese netizens believe the US is a hegemon and bully in the Ukraine issue, according to the latest survey conducted by Huanqiu.com. Among the 12,000 responses received by April 7, 89.2% of respondents believe the US is a hegemon and bully in the Ukraine issue. Only 5.6 percent, or 672 people, think the US is fair and just, while 5.2 percent said they are not sure.
Shanghai officials fired / April 8, 2022
Three local officials in Shanghai have been sacked over a slack response to the COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest city, where residents are complaining of harsh lockdown conditions leading to shortages of food and basic necessities.
China to Pelosi: Cancel your Taiwan trip / April 7, 2022
China warned it would take strong measures if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China considers democratically ruled Taiwan its own territory. The possible visit has not been confirmed by Pelosi's office or Taiwan's government. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters that Beijing firmly opposed all forms of official interactions between the United States and Taiwan and that Washington should cancel the trip.
China's abstentions on U.N. votes / April 7, 2022
Beijing has refused to call Russia's actions in Ukraine an invasion and has repeatedly criticized what it says are illegal Western sanctions to punish Moscow. But U.S.-led pressure on China appears to be helping keep Beijing on the fence over the conflict. China abstained from two non-binding U.N. General Assembly votes last month that criticized Russia for the ongoing war and its humanitarian costs. "That is a win when China abstains. We'd love them to vote yes, but an abstention is better than them voting no," said U.N. ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
No progress: European Union and China summit / April 6, 2022
The European Union's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has dismissed last week's high-profile summit with China as a "dialogue of the deaf", saying that Chinese leaders "did not want to talk about Ukraine." Borrell said, "This was not exactly a dialogue, maybe a dialogue of the deaf ... we could not talk about Ukraine a lot, and we did not agree on anything else."
China’s UN Envoy Calls Violence in Bucha ‘Deeply Disturbing’ / April 5, 2022
China’s envoy to the United Nations expressed dismay at the killing of unarmed civilians in Bucha, while calling on all sides to refrain from judgment until a probe establishes who is responsible.
Grim: Shanghai lockdown / April 5, 2022
The COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest metropolis of Shanghai remains “extremely grim” amid an ongoing lockdown confining around 26 million people to their homes, a city official said Tuesday.
Hypersonic aircraft / April 5, 2022
A Chinese firm is determined to create a passenger aircraft that will shrink the travel time between Shanghai and New York to about two hours.
Congressional-Executive Commission on China and The Persecution of Unorthodox Religious Groups in China / April 5, 2022
Two reports have been released on religious persecution in China. One was written by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China; the other by the Dui Hua Foundation. Both document China’s attempts to extinguish religious groups that the CCP considers “xie jiao,” heterodox religious groups.
Beijing reports COVID cases linked to S.Korean clothes store / April 04, 2022
Beijing reported 10 new local COVID-19 cases from Sunday to 4 pm Monday, with nine confirmed cases and one asymptomatic infection. This transmission chain, together with two others in different Chinese cities, is believed to be related to imported clothing from South Korea.
Chinese women not eager to marry / March 20, 2022
In a Communist Youth League survey of unmarried urban residents aged 18 to 26 in October, 43.9 percent of women respondents said they either had no intention of getting married or were unsure if it would happen. That was 19.3 percentage points higher than the unmarried male respondents.
China blames West for Ukraine war / April 1, 2022
China renewed its criticism of Western sanctions against Russia, as top European Union officials sought assurances from Beijing that it would not help Moscow circumvent the economic measures imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also laid blame for the war in Ukraine at least partially on the United States for pushing to expand the NATO military alliance closer to Russia’s borders.
China’s airlines lose billions / April 1, 2022
China’s three major domestic airlines lost more than 10 billion yuan in 2021. The three major state-owned airlines — China Southern Airlines, Air China, and China Eastern Airlines — disclosed the losses in their annual reports on March 30. The airlines will lose a total of 40.957 billion yuan in 2021. Together they lost a total of 37.087 billion yuan in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 10.43%.