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.
Opinion: US must develop sound economic relationship with China / October 30, 2022
China's economy will maintain sustained and stable growth. The US should not misjudge China's economic situation and make wrong policies in its cooperation with China…. The US is actually pushing an economic decoupling, which is fully responsible for the current bilateral economic and trade tensions. The US side should stop the decoupling approach as soon as possible and promote the bilateral economic relationship back on the right track (Global Times).
Opinion: Xi’s priorities are Taiwan, missiles, and spying / October 28, 2022
Secretary Xi’s choices for his top leaders “reflect a focus on developing advanced military and technological capabilities so that Beijing can withstand any pressure from the United States and its allies, particularly when it comes to enforcing territorial claims over Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy of 23 million” (Washington Post).
China and Russia reaffirm close relations / October 29, 2022
“Chinese observers said that China-Russia relations, which set a very prominent and positive example for establishing mutually beneficial cooperation between major countries, drive the world toward a more just, effective and multipolar global order, and the deepened cooperation between the two countries also contributes to the decline of US hegemony” (Global Times).
Mao’s China invoked by Xi / October 29, 2022
Freshly after his third 5-year appointment as the head of China’s Communist Party, Chairman Xi visited Chairman Mao's former residence. It was there, in 1945, that Mao was confirmed as CCP chairman. "Among the signals Xi appears to be sending ... is prepare for difficult times ahead, and prepare for struggle," analyst Bill Bishop wrote in his Sinocism newsletter (CNA).
Rent in Shanghai drops 20% as citizens flee / October 31, 2022
Rental charges are falling in Shanghai. Some landlords are offering discounts of up to 20 percent. The reason: expatriate residents and high-income salaried workers are leaving the city in reaction to lingering zero-Covid controls (MSN).
Climate Change Drying Up China’s Three Gorges Dam / October 25th, 2022
Drought in the US and Europe is also impacting China. Hydroelectric power generation at the massive Three Gorges Dam is severely limited. This has necessitated widespread power cuts (Bloomberg). Note that in August 2020 the fear was that the dam was holding back too much water (The Guardian).
Chinese college students talk about marriage / October 27, 2022
China’s marriage rate has plummeted in recent years. Sixth Tone visited several college campuses around Shanghai to ask students why that is (Sixth Tone).
China and US pushing closer to cold war / October 27, 2022
“China and the United States have exaggerated concerns over national security, and ties between the two nations could be severed if Washington pushes for closer ties with Taiwan, according to a member of a high-level Chinese think tank” (South China Morning Post).
Profile: Xi Jinping leads China on new journey / October 25, 2022
Newly appointed Chairman Xi has vowed to lead the CPC in striving for national rejuvenation, in pursuing a better life for the people, and in addressing problems within the Party. "We shall keep in mind the Party's nature and purpose and our own mission and responsibility, and work diligently in the performance of our duty, to prove worthy of the great trust of the Party and our people," Xi said (China Daily).
Analysis: China’s new leaders are loyalists, not economists / October 23, 2022
“The new slate of China’s top leaders, packed with allies of Xi Jinping, has some economists fearing further erosion of checks on the power of a Chinese leader who has overseen the biggest expansion of state control over the economy in decades” (Wall Street Journal).
Charges against Chinese spies / October 26, 2022
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has revealed three cases against Chinese nationals, one of which accuses two suspects of attempting to obstruct a criminal investigation by bribing a source for inside information about the high-profile lawsuit against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei (The China Project).
Xi’s China to be more open to the world / October 23, 2022
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said on Sunday China will open its door wider, will be steadfast in deepening reform, will push for high-quality development, and will create more opportunities for the world (China Daily).
China's Xi willing to work with United States / October 27, 2022 (Reuters)
U.S.-Listed Chinese Stocks Plunge / October 25, 2022
In the wake of Xi’s reappointment to CCP chairman, U.S.-listed Chinese stocks slumped on with internet giants and electric-vehicle (EV) makers among the hardest hit. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index of 65 Chinese stocks plunged a record 14% to close at its lowest level since April 2013 (Caixin Global).
Hong Kong stocks show signs of rebound / October 25, 2022 (South China Morning Post)
Two hardliners set to be top Chinese leaders / October 24, 2022
Wang Huning and Wang Yi will serve on China’s 24-member Politburo. Wang Huning is a leading theorist of wolf warrior diplomacy. Wolf warrior diplomacy describes an attack mode in response to anyone or any nation Chinese perceives as threatening it. Wang Yi has developed the skills necessary to transform wolf warrior theory into action. The two Wangs will encourage a continuation of China's hard-nosed foreign policy (Nikkei Asia).
Other members of the Politburo bring economic experience / October 24, 2022 (CNBC).
China’s Xi expands powers, promotes allies / October 23, 2022
General Secretary Xi Jinping was named to another term as head of the ruling Communist Party on October 23. He will serve an unprecedented third five-year term as general secretary. The party also named a seven-member Standing Committee, its inner circle of power. It is dominated by Xi allies. Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 leader, was dropped from the leadership. He had advocated market-style reform and private enterprise (AP).
One congress, five years of change in infographics / October 19, 2022
Since the 19th Congress of China’s Communist Party in 2017, monumental changes have happened in the country. The World of Chinese has created a series of infographics to describe some of those changes.
What these buzzwords say about Xi's China / October 19, 2022
The BBC mined the People's Daily, the biggest state-run newspaper, to identify buzzwords that define Mr Xi's time at the helm. The words that had the most prominence were “The core,” “Red country,” “anti-China forces,” and “the great struggle.” The article describes what they mean.
How Xi Jinping is reshaping China, in five charts / October 17, 2022
The Christian Science Monitor’s has designed five charts to describe how China has changed since Chairman Xi came to power ten years ago. ”Understanding how Mr. Xi has transformed China over the past decade can offer clues for what comes next.”
Key Issues Highlighted in China’s 20th Party Congress / October 19, 2022
The Sixth Tone highlights three topics that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China discussed this week. Those topics are carbon emissions, food security, and anti-corruption.
Infographic: A glimpse of China in 2035 / October 19, 2022
Global Times offers an infographic that pictures Chairman Xi’s vision of China by 2035.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Press Conference / October 18, 2022
Wang Wenbin, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, commented on a number of topics at his regular press conference on October 18. Those topics included China’s commitment to building a worldwide community with a shared future for mankind, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Taiwan, and Ukraine.
Xi: China’s economy will surpass the US by 2030 / October 17, 2022
Chairman Xi promised the China Communist Party that by 2030 their country’s economy will be the top economy in the world. By 2050, it will be double the size of the US. The driving force for this growth, Xi said, is based on “the high-quality development,” “innovation and security of development,” and overcoming “a growing ‘decoupling’ push from the West” (Global Times).
Opinion: Chairman Xi’s 3rd term and its impact on the US / October 16, 2022
This opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal considers Xi Jinping’s leader of China, especially in a third 10-year term. It concludes, “If Mr. Xi becomes convinced China has an advantage in hard power, he will find a moment to act against Taiwan or some other U.S. strategic interest. The U.S. must rally its confidence and resources, and soon, if it doesn’t want a world dominated by Xi Jinping thought” (WSJ).
4 key points from Xi's speech at the Chinese Communist Party congress / October 16, 2022
On Sunday, October 16, China’s Communist Party opened its twice-a-decade congress. National Public Radio (NPR) has identified four key points that General Secretary Xi made in his keynote address: He will not back down from 'zero COVID', There's a push for economic improvement—but it will be an uphill battle, Continued pressure will be put on Taiwan, China's global ambitions will continue (NPR).
Analysis: China’s tough economic choices loom / October 31, 2022
“In all likelihood, China’s high-growth era is over—or at least already ending… China’s best way of sustaining economic competitiveness and modest growth in the future is by doing things that depart from old recipes and go strongly against its leaders’ usual instincts” (Foreign Policy).
Opinion: Chairman Xi is more emperor than Marxist revolutionary / October 13, 2022
Xi Jinping resembles an imperial Chinese emperor more than a Marxist revolutionary. “Mao wished to overturn the established order, both at home and abroad, and fomented political and social upheaval to achieve his goals. Xi’s agenda is much closer to imperial China’s. He intends to restore the nation as the dominant power in Asia at the core of a new Sinocentric system, similar in nature to the position it held in the region under the dynasties” (The Atlantic).
China: The US is creating a new Cold War environment / October 13, 2022
The Chinese government on Thursday accused Washington of “Cold War thinking” and appealed for efforts to repair strained relations after President Joe Biden released a national security strategy that calls for “out-competing China” and blocking its efforts to reshape global affairs (AP).
Analysis: In Xi’s next term, he faces huge economic challenges / October 13, 2022
After next week's Communist Party Congress, Xi Jinping must confront economic challenges unlike those he has faced before. Youth unemployment is at record highs. Economic growth is near historic lows. The construction and sales of new homes is in crisis. Debt levels are soaring. China’s past economic model is now unsustainable (Reuters).
China pushes back against US hedge on Artic / October 8, 2022
The US is working with allies, especially those whose territory borders on the Artic, to curtail Chinese presence there. China claims the US' strategy to control the Artic will further militarize the area. It points to "more than 22,000 active-duty troops in Alaska, with a base in Denmark-ruled Greenland." China is calling for “international rules on peacefully developing the Arctic…” guaranteeing “that the Arctic is a public region rather than the private asset of some countries and that development and cooperation in the region should be peaceful and equal” (Global Times).
Opinion: Xi Jinping is firmly in control / October 13, 2022
AP commentators Dake Kand and Ted Shaffrey maintain that at China’s 20th Communist Party congress, President Xi Jinping will be firmly in control. They quote longtime China observer Ho Pin, “It’s not about who’s going to be in the Standing Committee any longer [the Standing Committee is the handful of people who will be named to lead the ruling Communist Party for the next five years]. No matter who they are, they all have one thing in common: They all have to listen to Xi.”
Shanghai residents panic-buy drinking water / October 12, 2022
On October 12, city authorities assured Shanghai's 28.5M residents that drinking water supplies remained at a “normal” level. That announcement followed several days of residents rushing to stockpile bottled water because of rumors their municipal water was contaminated. Shanghai’s water supply has been threated by a drought that has depleted its water supply and by salt tide intrusion into its reservoirs since early September (Reuters).
How are delegates to China’s 20th Communist Party congress chosen / October 11, 2022
On Sunday, October 16, China’s 20th Communist Party congress convenes. 2,296 delegates will assemble there to set plans for China’s next five years. They will also endorse a list of 300 top party members for the Central Committee. That includes choosing President Xi Jinping to lead China for another five years. How does one become a delegate? The process is rigorous but at its heart is proof that each delegate is intensely loyal to Communist Party doctrine and to Xi Jinping (South China Morning Post),
China debuts a flying taxi in Dubai / October 11, 2022
China is bringing the day of George-Jetson-like flying cars closer to reality. China has debuted a pilot-less taxis in Duba. Taxis like this could whisk passengers above crowded urban streets. The vehicle can carry two passengers. It is powered by eight propellers. The company says it has a top speed of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour (6abc.com).
New U.S. restrictions on technology exports to China / October 7, 2022
On October 7, the U.S. Commerce Department unveiled sweeping restrictions on the sale of semiconductors to China and on the equipment that makes semiconductors to Chinese customers. The restrictions are intended to curb Chinese companies from developing next-generation semiconductors (US Department of Commerce).
Chinese Covid cases rise as do lockdowns / October 10, 2022
Following a long national holiday to celebrate National Day, Covid infections are rising again in China. That has resulted in locking down citizens of a number of cities. Fenyang, a city in northern China’s Shanxi province, was locked down after a preliminary positive case was found in citywide testing. Hohhot, Inner Mongolia’s capital, has prohibited vehicles and their passengers from outside entering the region. 2,000 cases were discovered there over about 12 days. China continues to insist on following its Zero Tolerance policy toward Covid (AP).
China must stick with Covid zero policy, People’s Daily Says / October 10, 2022 (Bloomberg)