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.
China’s currency continues its slide vs US dollar; China’s Bank says all is well / September 28, 2022
China’s currency, called the yuan or renminbi, continues to lose value compared to the US dollar. But the Bank of China claims the situation is under control.
President Xi makes a public appearance / September 27, 2022
Last weekend the internet offered numerous rumors that President Xi had been overthrown in a coup. Evidence for the rumors included that he had not been seen since returning to China from an international conference in Central Asia, troop movements, and canceled flights. On September 27, Xi demonstrated he remains in power with a visit to an exhibition in Beijing (Reuters).
Chinese, Russian naval ships near Alaska / September 26, 2022
Two other Chinese naval ships and four Russian naval vessels, including a destroyer, were spotted in single formation by a US patrol boat on September 19. “While the formation has operated in accordance with international rules and norms, we will meet presence with presence to ensure there are no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska,” Rear Adm. Nathan Moore, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander said (ABC News).
China’s view of its ships in the Artic / September 26, 2022
China says its activities in the Artic sea are part of normal military cooperation between China and Russia. These exercises are aimed at jointly maintaining regional peace and stability. Stories about these exercises signaling hostile actions are propaganda (Global Times).
China is in danger of isolating itself / September 27, 2022
At the 20th Forbes Global CEO Conference in Singapore, Guatan Adani, the world's third-richest person, warned that global trends toward "increasing nationalism, supply chain risk mitigation, and technology restrictions" could put a stopper on China's growth (MSN).
China offers non-response to Putin Ukraine threats / September 23, 2022
As Putin threatens more military action in Ukraine, including a nuclear response, Beijing has been silent. Joe Webster of The China Project suggests, “There are growing signs, including at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Samarkand last week, that the PRC and other countries are increasingly irritated with the war and its economic dislocations (The China Project).
A formula for China and the US to “get along in the new era / September 23, 2022
In a speech by State Councilor and Foreign Minister. Wang Yi offered three keys to improving relations between the US and China: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation (China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Secretary of State Blinken and Wang Yi meeting / September 24, 2022
This article provides a summary of topics that Secretary of State Blinken and Wang Yi discussed
Man sentenced for attack on four women / September 23, 2022
China sentenced a man to 24 years in prison for an attack on four women at a restaurant in Tangshan in June. The attack was caught on CCTV cameras. News of the attack stirred a national conversation on gender-based violence. For a report on the attack, tap here. Four others were also found guilty of crimes related to the attack (MSN).
China official gets life imprisonment / September 23, 2022
Former Vice Public Security Minister Sun Lijun was given a suspended death sentence with no possibility of parole. His crimes: taking $91 million in bribes, stock manipulation, and illegal gun possession (Hindustan Times).
China’s aging population / September 20, 2022
Twenty percent (20%) of China’s population will be over 60 years old within three years. By 2035, 400 million people (30%) will be in their 60s or older. A severely aging society will have dramatic effects on China’s economy and the overall physical well-being of its people (Global Times).
UAE and China collaborate on moon mission / September 16, 2022
The United Arab Emirates has signed a memorandum of understanding with the China National Space Agency (CNSA) to work together on lunar exploration. Specifically, the two agencies will land a UAE rover on the moon’s south polar region using China’s rocket system (MSN).
Young Chinese adults turning to Buddhism / September 21, 2022
The stresses of the work world are taking a toll on young Chinese business people. Some have opted out of the work world in favor of getting by on as little income as possible. Others are turning to retreats at Zen Buddhist temples (The China Project).
Biden: US would defend Taiwan against Chinese invasion / September 19, 2022
During an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, President Biden said the US “would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.” In response, China condemned the statement as interference in its domestic issues. It reaffirmed that China claims Taiwan as part of its territory (AP).
China both rejects and embraces the United Nations / September 18, 2022
China rejects the UN’s charges that it is responsible for human rights abuse. At the same time, it is using its political and financial leverage to entice nations within its orbit to further its strategic interests (AP).
China’s Xi outlines his goals during his third term / September 17, 2022
President Xi maintains that, while he continues to lead China into the future, it has the "responsibility, capability and confidence to make historic contributions to the progress of scientific socialism…. Our destiny lies in the path we select. If we take the wrong path, we will not achieve our goals and may even break the great rejuvenation of Chinese civilization" (Fox News).
6 things to know as Xi Jinping moves to be China’s dictator for life / September 16, 2022
Politico offers six things to know about Xi’s power grab at the mid-October 20th Party Congress — and the country’s complicated trajectory.
Russia-China pipeline brings gas to more in China / September 17, 2022
A section of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline linking Anping, North China's Hebei Province with Taian, East China's Shandong Province, has been put into operation, with a designed capacity of 18.9 billion cubic meters a year, China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corporation (PipeChina) announced on Friday (Global Times).
Putin suggests China has concerns about Ukraine invasion / September 15, 2022
After meeting with China’s President Xi at Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he sought to address Beijing’s concerns about the Ukraine war. “We understand your questions and your concerns,” he said, in remarks broadcast on Russian state television.
Chinese official voices support for Russia in Ukraine / September 10, 2022
According to Deutsche Welle, Li Zhanshu, the third-highest official of the Chinese Communist Party, publicly expressed support for Russia's attempts to conquer Ukraine. He said that Russia’s actions are defensible because Europe and the US were using Ukraine to weaken Russian security.
Mike Pompeo: The CCP does not represent the Chinese people / September 13, 2022
Former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and the Hudson Institute’s China Center are directing a series of short YouTube videos at the Chinese people. In the first episode, Pompeo explains that despite its rhetoric the Chinese Communist Party is a totalitarian, one-party government that neither represents the Chinese people nor governs in their interests.
China cannot become carbon-neutral / September 13, 2022
According to Richard Smith, a commentator for The China Project, “There is no chance that Xi will meet his carbon-neutral goal. He cannot decarbonize the economy because, since Mao’s day, the Communist Party has been committed to overtaking the United States to become the world’s leading economy. This leaves Xi little choice but to maximize growth of the very industries that are driving emissions off the charts, including coal-fired electricity generation.”
Xi’s COVID-zero causes frustration in China / September 12, 2022
“Lockdowns of varying strictness are going on all over China, causing food shortages, obstructing access to medical care, and limiting holiday travel plans” (TheChinaProject.com).
Typhoon Muifa heads for China’s eastern coast / September 13, 2022
The storm named Muifa became a typhoon on September 13. It will make landfall on Wednesday over the port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan (near Shanghai). Torrential rains are expected, along with waves of up to 16 feet (South China Morning Press).
Xi Jinping has brought China back to its Mao roots / September 11, 2022
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd says Xi Jinping has brought communist ideology back to the core of the country’s decision-making. He warns that the Chinese president appears unable to make a course correction (The Sydney Morning Herald).
Germany’s decoupling from trade with China is impractical / September 10, 2022
In light of Germany cutting back on its trade dependence with China, the Global Times says, “It’s legitimate for a country to be concerned about its high level of external dependence and long-term economic security…. What is unacceptable to China is using ‘reducing dependency on China as a pretext of ‘decoupling’ while accusing China of being ‘unreliable,” which is a 'discriminatory and targeted attack on a major trading partner.”
President Xi offers condolences, praise for Queen Elizabeth II / September 9, 2022
The United Kingdom received condolences on the passing of its monarch from President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese state media lauded the queen's bilateral relations with China and friendly demeanor with the communist state. "The queen was the first British monarch to visit China and received multiple Chinese state leaders’ on their visits to Britain…. She has made important contributions to promoting the understanding of Chinese and British people and expanding friendly exchanges between the two countries."
Chinese scientists find a new mineral in samples of Moon soil / September 09, 2022
Chinese scientists have discovered a new mineral on the Moon. Scientists from Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology isolated a single crystal particle with a radius of about 10 microns through high-tech means such as X-ray diffraction. China becomes the third country in the world after the US and the former Soviet Union to discover a new mineral on the moon (Global Times).
US climate envoy encourages China to reestablish talks / September 5, 2022
John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s top climate envoy, is “hopeful” that climate talks with China will resume after discussions stalled following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month. Kerry said the world’s two largest emitters must restart talks “because that will shape the response of other countries around the planet” (Bloomberg).
China's Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake / September 6, 2022
Authorities in southwestern China’s Chengdu have maintained strict COVID-19 lockdown measures on the city of 21 million despite a major earthquake that killed at least 65 people in outlying areas (Associated Press).
Pictures of China’s drought / August 29, 2022
Record-high temperatures and dry weather have been ravaging a vast swath of southern and central China in recent weeks. This post has gathered images, videos, and social media posts illustrating the severity of the searing heat wave (The China Project).
China’s People’s Liberation Army video / September 5, 2022
The official website of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has released a promotional video to demonstrate to the world that the Chinese PLA has always been a staunch force in protecting world peace (Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Union).
China’s Sichuan Hit by Deadly Earthquake / September 6, 2022
A powerful earthquake rocked China’s southwestern Sichuan province. Currently, the death toll stands at 66 with 253 injured. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck shortly before 1 p.m. local time on September 5, with the epicenter in Luding County, about 140 miles southwest of Sichuan’s capital of Chengdu (Wall Street Journal).
Dozens of relics discovered in South China Sea shipwrecks / September 5, 2022
Chinese research vessels have discovered 66 ancient relics among the wreckage of three ships in the north area of the South China Sea. The relics include porcelain fragments, redware pottery, and bronze coins. The treasures were found among three shipwrecks located 2,000 to 3,000 meters below the surface (Global Times).
Discovery In Chinese lab could stop Covid-19 / September 2, 2022
A Chinese research team has developed a nanomaterial that can find Sars-CoV-2 viruses in a living cell and remove them. Unlike most existing Covid-19 drugs, the material can inhibit infections from all major variants including Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron with high biosafety (Technology Times).
Typhoon Hinnamnor takes aim on eastern China / September 4, 2022
On Sunday, Typhoon Hinnamnor raged over Taiwan and the Koreas. Cities in eastern China suspended ferry services and classes and flights were canceled in Japan. Shanghai grounded ferry services and deployed more than 50,000 police officers to aid with rescues and guide traffic away from dangerous areas. The eastern business hub of Wenzhou ordered all classes suspended on Monday. Hinnamnor is the strongest global storm this year (Global News).
China to increase national defense education / September 1, 2022
A guideline on enhancing and improving national defense education for all people has been jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission. The guideline urges improved education in national defense theories, knowledge, history, statutes, relevant contexts and tasks, skill training, and culture.
China’s game plan should Putin die / September 3, 2022
Wikistrat, a “crowdsourced consultancy,” has run a simulation intended to predict outcomes should Russia’s President Putin die. CEO Oren Kesler told Express.co.uk: “One thing that we found from carrying out the simulation was that there is a consensus among the experts that Russia’s dependency on China will increase over time unless there is a sharp change in strategy by Russia leaning to the West - which most experts don’t see happening.” The simulation also predicted that, after Putin’s death, China will see to make Russia depend on it and will consume Russia’s natural resources and trade ties (Express.co.uk).
Gorbachev showed authoritarian rulers what not to do / September 1, 2022
“In much of the West, Mikhail S. Gorbachev is hailed as the farsighted visionary who brought the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion. But for autocratic leaders in other parts of the world, his legacy stands as a cautionary tale of power discarded quickly and, by some estimates, cavalierly, with little or nothing in return” (New York Times).
US limits computer chips; China cries foul / September 1, 2022
The Chinese government on Thursday called on Washington to repeal its technology export curbs after California-based chip designer Nvidia said a new product might be delayed and some work might be moved out of China. American officials say they need to limit the spread of technology that can be used to make weapons (ABC News).
UN report on China’s Uyghurs / September 1, 2022
The United Nations High has released a damning report on China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. The report maintains that China may have committed “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. China has repeatedly and vehemently denied accusations of human rights abuses in the region (CNN).
Taiwan forces fire at drones flying over island near China / August 31, 2022
Taiwan’s military fired warning shots at drones from China flying over its outposts just off the Chinese coastline. Taiwan’s forces said in a statement that troops took the action on August 30 after drones were found hovering over the Kinmen island group. Dadan, one of the islands where a drone was spotted, lies roughly 9 miles off the Chinese coast (AP).
Taiwan shoots down commercial drone harassing guard post / September 1, 2022 (Newsweek)