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.
Shanghai lockdown ends / May 31, 2022
Shanghai, China’s commercial and financial capital, is set to relax a two-month-long citywide lockdown on Wednesday, June 1. The city will do so in a phased manner, with the goal of returning to normal by the end of June. More than 90% of Shanghai’s 25 million inhabitants will be able to leave their residential compounds. Public transport will be resumed fully.
U.N. Human Rights visit to China criticized / May 29, 2022
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet ended her visit to China with cautious criticism of the country’s crackdown in the Xinjiang region. She balanced her criticism with praise for Chinese authorities. Rights advocates have complained that she did not decry the treatment of Uyghurs. China maintains it does not violate human rights.
Pacific island turndown China / May 29, 2022
10 Pacific island nations failed to endorse a proposed security cooperation deal with China after a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Fiji. China is offering to radically ramp up its activities in the South Pacific, directly challenging the influence of the United States and its allies in the strategically vital region.
Better communication required / May 29, 2022
Poor communication channels between the U.S. and China poise the danger of unintended war. Mark Magnier of the South China Morning Press suggests that communication and crisis management are faltering between the two nations. He warns that, with the two nuclear powers increasingly framing their relationship as a contest between democracy and authoritarianism, communication is made all the harder.
Covid tests for the dead / May 28, 2022
Ever cautious about the spread of Covid, China health officials in Shenzhen have ordered nucleic acid tests to detect Covid in the dead before they are cremated, “if the deceased is from closed-off management areas, restrictive control areas, and prevention areas.” In case a nucleic acid test report of the deceased is not available, a “close-contact” relative’s test report would also do. On social media, some have mocked the rule. Others called for understanding the cautious nature of the rule.
Press decries China’s foreign minister's visit to the Solomon Islands / May 26, 2022
The Media Association of Solomon Islands is calling on its members to boycott a news conference with China’s foreign minister. The reason: only selected media were invited to the event, and the schedule allowed for just a single question to be asked of Wang by China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV. Association president Georgina Kekea wrote on Twitter, “Our protest is for our govt to see our disappointment. They have failed us & they failed to protect #democracy.”
US is wrong in dismissing the one-China principle / May 27, 2022
Attempts by the United States to marginalize the one-China principle and use the Taiwan question to contain China are nothing but pipe dreams, a spokesman for the Chinese military said. Senior Colonel Wu Qian said, “The US has been continuously marginalizing and diminishing the one-China principle [The one-China principle maintains that Taiwan is part of China]. It wants to use the 'salami-slicing tactic' to play the 'Taiwan card' to contain China and that is a complete illusion…. The People's Liberation Army is ready to take all necessary measures to crush any form of 'Taiwan independence' moves and to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Leaked audio clip reveals China's plan to invade Taiwan / May 24, 2022
A leaked audio clip purportedly featuring the Chinese Communist Party's top brass contains a discussion military plans for a Taiwan invasion. The Times Of India has reported the clip is genuine based on the expert analysis of the YouTube channel of Lude Media. The discussion included the use of 140,000 soldiers and 953 ships.
China military must be able to destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites / May 25, 2022
Chinese military researchers say the country needs to be able to disable or destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites if they threaten national security.
Germany, Britain and US press China over Xinjiang human rights abuse / May 24, 2022
Top German and British diplomats have called for an investigation into fresh reports of alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang just as United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet begins a trip to the region.
Scientists discover an ancient forest inside a giant sinkhole in China / May 20, 2022
Cave explorers stumbled upon a prehistoric forest at the bottom of a giant sinkhole in South China earlier this month. At 630 feet deep, the sinkhole would hide the Washington Monument and then some. The bottom of the pit holds an ancient forest spanning nearly three football fields in length, with trees towering over 100 feet high. And according to the Chinese government, it is one of 30 enormous sinkholes in the county.
Biden says the U.S. would be willing to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan / May 23, 2022
President Biden said Monday that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if it was attacked by mainland China, while insisting that America's policy toward the island had not changed.
Is Biden Missing a Chance to Engage China? / May 23, 2022
In this opinion piece, Michael Hirsh, a senior correspondent at Foreign Policy, suggests both China and the U.S. have an opportunity to develop a closer relationship. That would benefit both nations and the planet.
China improves on human rights / May 22, 2022
According to Xinhua, an official Chinese news source, China has made remarkable achievements in respecting and protecting human rights in various aspects over the past few years. China has prioritized the rights to subsistence and development, as well as people’s health.
IPEF to counter Chinese influence / May 23, 2022
President Joe Biden launched a new Asia-Pacific trade initiative with 13 countries signing up. The initiative is named the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity or IPEF. The thirteen nations that have agreed to the framework are the United States, Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The framework foresees integrating partners through agreed standards in four main areas: the digital economy, supply chains, clean energy infrastructure and anti-corruption measures. The agreement creates a trade bloc that will help blunt the economic influence of China.
US plan for anti-China alliance set for failure (China Daily) / May 23, 2022
Text of the INDO- PACIFIC STRATEGY OF THE US / presented on May 23, 2002
Goals include: Drive new resources to the Indo-Pacific, Lead in an Indo-Pacific economic framework, Reinforce deterrence, Partner to build resilience in the Pacific Islands
China visits to Pacific Islands / May 24, 2022
Chinese Foreign Minister WangYi starts a 10-day, eight-country diplomatic sweep of the Pacific Islands today in a Chinese counter-offensive to Biden’s two weeks of Asia-focused diplomacy.
Biden and Xi may talk / May 19, 2022
With an eye on North Korean threats to use nuclear options in order to secure its goals, President Joe Biden may talk with his Chinese president Jinping in the coming weeks. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters, “I wouldn't be surprised if, in the coming weeks, President Biden and President Xi speak again." Sullivan also noted that he had spoken with Yang Jiechi, a key foreign policy adviser to Xi. He said he was "direct with him about our concerns about North Korea's nuclear and missile activities and our view that this is not in China's interests."
Hong Kong’s cardinal arrested / May 12, 2022
China’s national security police arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. He was charged with "collusion with foreign forces" or more specifically, with advocating that foreign governments sanction Hong Kong and/or China. After interrogation, he was released on bail.
Evidence of organ harvesting in China / May 17, 2022
Bitter Winter presents evidence that organ harvesting from live donors is taking place in China.
China moves ahead with intelligent agricultural machinery / May 18, 2022
China released the nation's first technology roadmap for intelligent agricultural machinery. The roadmap describes how unmanned agricultural machinery will revolutionize agriculture in China.
China’s economy weakens in April / May 16, 2022
Economic data for April show:
Industrial output dropped by 2.9% in April year on year while value added in manufacturing industry decreased by 4.6% year on year;
Retail sales fell by 11.1% year on year;
The unemployment rate climbed to 6.1%, higher than the forecast of 6%.
Chinese airship breaks altitude record / May 14, 2022
China has developed a floating airship that reached a record altitude of 9,032 meters (29632.55 feet). The airship collects high altitude data that tracks information on regional water cycles and monitors changes in atmospheric composition.
Is Xi Jinping suffering from a brain aneurism? / May 16, 2022
A variety of news sources are reporting on rumors that China’s president suffers from b brain aneurism. Official Chinese sources never comment on Xi’s health so the reports cannot be verified.
China promotes its digital yuan / May 14, 2022
China’s citizens regularly use digital payment options for any purchases. WeChat Pay and Alipay easily substitute for cash — especially since cash is a suspected source of Covid transmission. China’s government is promoting its digital yuan (China’s currency). Since 2017, the country has tested the use of the digital yuan in a number of cities. The digital yuan can be used without a network connection.
Chinese travel restrictions / May 16, 2022
China is tightening non-essential international travel for citizens. The issuance of travel documents and passport renewals is designed to limit travel. In addition, flights are limited, fares are increased, and anyone returning to China must undergo the required 21-day quarantine.
China: WSJ is wrong on Chinese economy / May 13, 2022
A Xinhua commentary condemns the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for warning that foreign companies should "minimize their exposure to China's political vagaries or risk more business trouble ahead." The commentary asserts that the long-term prospects for investment in China are strong. In addition, China’s approach to combatting Covid are backed by science and will create sustainable prosperity.
When several Chinese cities, including the financial hub of Shanghai, were wrestling with the Omicron resurgence, the dynamic zero-COVID policy, though bringing some instant impacts, will help reinforce China's economic fundamentals in the long run instead.
Chinese react to Xi’s covid policy / May 13, 2022
According to the Washington Post, China’s zero-covid policy is raising concerns about President Xi’s style of personal rule, “which increasingly relies on mass mobilizations where every person is expected to follow orders.” Some compare the implementation of the zero-covid policy to “dark periods of China’s past.” The policy is “sparking fears that there is no longer space in society to live a quiet life uninterrupted by ideologically motivated campaigns.”
China disagrees that Disney doesn’t need China to turn a profit / May 13, 2022
Disney's CEO Bob Chapek predicted that Disney's movies will do fine without box office from the Chinese market. "If it were to be that we continue to have difficulties in getting titles in there, that it doesn't really preclude our success given the relatively lower take rate that we get in the box office in China," Chapek said. The Global Times reports that netizens interpret Chapek’s remarks as arrogant and looking down on the Chinese market.
Foreign money flowing into China / May 2, 2022
The Ministry of Commerce reports that in the first quarter of the year, 25.6% more in foreign investment arrived in China than in 2021. The Ministry’s conclusion: this a sign of foreign investors’ confidence in the Chinese government’s management of COVID and the economy.
Bearish Chinese market analyst silenced / May 2, 2022
A prominent market analyst, Hong Hao, managing director and head of research at BOCOM International, used social media to warn about the amount of capital that has recently left China and that the country’s economy is weakening. In response, WeChat has frozen his account.
Chinese social media displays your location / May 2, 2022
Comment on a post that appears on China’s Weibo social media and the site will not only report your name, it will also show people where you are.
Shanghai COVID outbreak shows signs of waning / May 2, 2022
The COVID-19 outbreak that has shut down most of Shanghai appears to be waning, with the number of new cases falling below 10,000 a day over the weekend. Authorities have begun a limited easing of a citywide lockdown that has disrupted the lives of millions of residents and dealt at least a temporary blow to China’s economy. Many have been confined to their apartments for three weeks or more.
Chinese building collapses; 9 arrested / May 1, 2022
Chinese police say they have arrested nine people over the collapse of a building in the southeast city of Changsha, where several people remain trapped or missing. The cause of the disaster has not been confirmed by authorities. Six people have been rescued, but dozens are still trapped inside or unaccounted for, according to Changsha Mayor Zheng Jianxin.
Beijing public transportation curtailed / May 4, 2022
Seeking to stem the spread of Covid, Beijing has shut down some of its public transportation system. About 15% of the subway network and 158 bus routes have been closed.
Chinese college grads unable to find jobs / May 4, 2022
10.76 million recent college graduates have not been able to find full-time employment. That is an increase of 1.67 million job-seekers compared to 2021. As of mid-April, 46.7% of recent graduates have received job offers. That compares to 62.8% in 2021, a 34% decrease.