China calls for joint efforts to combat terrorism: Xinhuanet

December 23, 2021

The international community should strengthen solidarity and join hands in fighting terrorism, a senior Chinese diplomat said. The lessons of the boomerang effect are still fresh in memory, and must be learned by heart, Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao said on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Second International Seminar on Counterterrorism in Beijing. Click here to read…

China escalates crackdown on fraudulent, fake online activities: Xinhuanet

December 23, 2021

China’s cyberspace watchdog has launched a targeted campaign to combat fraudulent online traffic, irregular public-relations activities and fake social-media accounts. The two-month campaign aims to tackle these interlinked issues, which infringe on the legal rights and interests of netizens, and disrupt the environment for public opinion and market order, according to a video conference of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. Click here to read…

Minister prioritizes stable growth for industrial development: Quishi

December 24, 2021

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has stated that stabilizing industrial growth in 2022 is its top priority, and it has urged efforts to promote the upgrading of manufacturing and facilitate digital and green transformations. Click here to read…

Work on shipyard in Shanghai for Chinese warships goes smoothly, to open in 2023: Global Times

December 24, 2021

Since its start at the beginning of the year, the construction of a new shipyard for a key Chinese warship builder has been going smoothly, and dock basin construction kicked off on Wednesday. The new site is expected to allow China to build a range of warships – including amphibious assault ships, amphibious landing ships and frigates – faster, better and more efficiently, observers said on Thursday. Click here to read…

China plans to boost railway technology advantages by 2025 with a 600km/h maglev system and vacuum tube trains: Global Times

December 23, 2021

China plans to boost its technology assets and R&D with a high-speed maglev system capable of reaching 600 kilometers per hour and high-speed trains in a vacuum tube, according to a five-year plan for railway science and technology innovation unveiled on Thursday by the National Railway Administration (NRA), the national railway regulator. Click here to read…

Ex-cyberspace official charged with abusing position, receiving bribes: China Daily

December 23, 2021

Peng Bo, former deputy head of the Office of the Central Leading Group on the Prevention and Handling of Cult-related Issues, who was charged with receiving bribes worth over 54 million yuan ($8.5 million), pleaded guilty in court on Thursday. The Wuxi Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu province held a public hearing of the case. Peng made his final statement in court. His sentence will be announced later. Click here to read…

China, South Asia friendship organizations boost mutual trust, cooperation: People’s Daily

December 24, 2021

With the theme of “Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development,” the 7th China South Asia Friendship Organizations’ Forum was held on Wednesday via video link to promote friendly exchanges between China and South Asian countries. About 140 participants from China and six South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Nepal, joined the event both online and offline. Click here to read…

Japan will not send govt delegation to Beijing Olympics: Reuters

December 24, 2021

Japan will not send a government delegation to next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, it said on Friday, a move that stops short of joining a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Games, but one nonetheless likely to deepen tension with China. The boycott, driven by Washington and including some of its allies, has become another delicate issue for Japan, a close partner of the United States that also has strong economic ties to China. Click here to read…

China 2021 tech crackdown: once seen as the golden ticket, Big Tech has shed jobs and lost its allure among the young: South China Morning Post

December 24, 2021

This year will go down as a tough period for Chinese technology firms, as Beijing moved to exert control over the once-freewheeling sector. In the third of a four-part series, the South China Morning Post looks at how 2021 became a turning point in the development of China’s Big Tech companies. Xiang Zikui, a Shenzhen-based woman who works in the gaming division of one of China’s biggest internet companies, says she was shocked to hear about large-scale lay-offs at iQiyi, often dubbed China’s Netflix. Click here to read…

Loans for babies: Chinese province’s strategy to beat population blues: Reuters

December 23, 2021

Jilin in northeast China is offering married couples bank loans of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,400) if they have kids, joining other provinces in the roll-out of financial incentives to overcome a declining population. Certain small businesses set up by couples with two or three children will also enjoy exemptions and cuts in value-added taxes, the Jilin government said in a statement on ThursdayClick here to read…

Chinese scientists hail success of new hypersonic engine that military ‘did not think would work’: South China Morning Post

December 24, 2021

A new engine for hypersonic weapons, built using technology that the military did not believe would work, has successfully completed its first test flights in China, the team behind it has said. The scientists believe it will help China speed up large-scale production of hypersonic weapons at relatively low cost while maintaining high quality and performance. They said a new manufacturing method allowed them to make titanium alloy components that laboratory and real-world tests had found to perform far better than those made using traditional methods, allowing them to go straight from the furnace to the engine assembly line without further processing. Click here to read…

Xi meets with HKSAR chief executive: Xinhuanet

December 22, 2021

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is on a duty visit to Beijing. During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lam on Hong Kong’s current situation and the HKSAR government’s work. Click here to read…

Newly-elected HKSAR lawmakers set for long to-do list: Xinhuanet

December 23, 2021

For Lillian Kwok, the improved electoral system allows her to enter the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and voice for the next generation and frontline teachers. Kwok, a registered teacher, is a new LegCo member returned by the Election Committee constituency in the just-concluded seventh-term LegCo election of the HKSAR. Click here to read…

China Rare Earth Group founded in Jiangxi: Xinhuanet

December 23, 2021

China Rare Earth Group Co., Ltd, a state-owned enterprise, was established Thursday in east China’s Jiangxi Province. The group was jointly founded by three companies — Aluminum Corporation of China, China Minmetals Corporation, Ganzhou Rare Earth Group Co., Ltd — and two research firms — China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group and Grinm Group Corporation Ltd. Click here to read…

China steps up efforts to accelerate reform, opening-up: Quishi

December 23, 2021

China is on full throttle to becoming a new highland in reform and opening-up. The country’s efforts in this regard are evident — the southern city of Shenzhen is building a pilot demonstration area for socialism with Chinese characteristics, Hainan Province is building a free trade port (FTP), and Shanghai’s Pudong is becoming a pioneer area for socialist modernization. Click here to read…

State Council appoints, removes officials: Xinhuanet

December 22, 2021

The State Council, China’s cabinet, announced the appointment and removal of officials Wednesday. Li Meng was appointed head of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. Hao Junhui was appointed deputy head of the State Taxation Administration, replacing Ren Rongfa. Hu Wenhui became the deputy head of the National Intellectual Property Administration, replacing Zhou Huiguo. EnditemClick here to read…

Proposal for a constitutional review on ethnic education regulations submitted, no harm to freedom in using ethnic languages: Global Times

December 23, 2021

A proposal under discussion about local regulations on the use of ethnic languages at ethnic schools and their alignment with the Chinese Constitution on the promotion of Putonghua, the standard spoken and written Chinese language, was submitted to the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Tuesday. This is the first time that a proposal for a constitutional review has been submitted to the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee for five consecutive years since 2017. It is also the first case since the establishment of the recording and review system. Click here to read…

Xi’an locks down to combat growing outbreak, governance ability faces test: Global Times

December 22, 2021

The historic Chinese city of Xi’an, home to about 13 million people, tightened travel controls and locked down communities on Wednesday to combat a growing COVID-19 outbreak after the detection of more than 140 local cases within two weeks sparked great concerns of wider transmission. The city in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province also shut down 3,574 schools and organized online classes. Large indoor recreation venues were suspended and company employees were advised to work from home. Click here to read…

Silicon prices slide due to tightened regulation: Global Times

December 22, 2021

Prices of silicon materials are falling from historic highs amid a government clampdown on high bulk commodity prices, as a reasonable price level will accelerate the downstream expansion of solar power stations, helping China reach its carbon reduction targets. Silicon prices peaked in October and have remained elevated ever since. But the government efforts, combined with domestic companies’ production expansion and technology advances, stabilized prices in the global market, where China has the biggest share in output and consumption. Click here to read…

China tells celebrities, livestreamers to correct tax-related offences before 2022: Reuters

December 22, 2021

Chinese provincial authorities have ordered celebrities and livestreamers to report tax-related crimes before 2022, just days after China’s “queen of livestreaming” Viya was fined 1.34 billion yuan ($210 million) for tax evasion. Top e-commerce livestreamer Viya, whose real name is Huang Wei, was fined on Monday by the tax bureau in Hangzhou, a city in southern China, for hiding personal income and other offences in 2019 and 2020. Click here to read…

A year into China’s tech crackdown, the sky is no longer the limit for China’s Big Tech: South China Morning Post

December 23, 2021

This year will go down as a tough period for Chinese technology firms, as Beijing moved to exert control over the once-freewheeling sector. In the second of a four-part series, the South China Morning Post looks at how 2021 became the watershed moment in the development of China’s Big Tech companies. The first part is here. In early July, the head of ByteDance’s gaming studio outlined an ambitious plan to rival Nintendo and Activision Blizzard, after hiring 3,000 programmers and artists to work for his Nuverse unit, in a display of the company’s mantra to “take initiative and push boundaries”. Click here to read…

China’s latest crackdown on religion bans foreigners from spreading church and spiritual content online: South China Morning Post

December 22, 2021

All foreign organisations or individuals will be banned from spreading religious content online in China under new regulations released on Monday, in what Beijing says is another effort to safeguard its national security.No organisation or individual will be allowed to disseminate information about religious ceremonies on the internet unless they have a licence from China’s religious regulator, according to the new rules. Click here to read…

Xi stresses improving Party regulations to safeguard Party’s leadership, governance: Xinhuanet

December 20, 2021

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has stressed the important role of the Party’s internal regulations in maintaining the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. The regulations are also vital to the Party’s long-term governance and the country’s enduring prosperity and stability, said Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, in an instruction to a national meeting on the work of the Party’s internal regulations held in Beijing Monday. Click here to read…

Chinese FM sums up China’s foreign relations in 2021: Xinhuanet

December 21, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday delivered a speech at a symposium on the international situation and China’s foreign relations in 2021. During the past year, the world has witnessed a persistent and unchecked pandemic, accelerating changes unseen in a century and a period of turbulence and transformation globally, Wang said while addressing the symposium, co-hosted by the China Institute of International Studies and the China Fund of International Studies in Beijing. Click here to read…

China sets to build fusion energy research facility: Xinhuanet

December 21, 2021

China is building a research facility to incubate core technologies used in power generation of fusion energy that powers the sun. The facility in the pipeline, called “Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology” (CRAFT), is a platform on which engineers develop and test fusion energy reactor’s key components. Click here to read…

Chinese underwater acoustic communication machine achieves long-distance transmission: Xinhuanet

December 20, 2021

A Chinese-made underwater acoustic communication machine has achieved long-distance transmission at a high rate. The acceptance test of the sample machine showed that the underwater acoustic communication machine, developed by a research team from the Ocean College of Zhejiang University, realized 90 percent of transmission rate at a speed of 3.07 KBps (kiloBytes per second) over 14 km. Click here to read…

China endeavors to turn construction waste into resources: Quishi

December 20, 2021

At China Construction Fourth Engineering Division Corp. Ltd.’s construction site in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong province, residual waste is ground into fine aggregates and turned into bricks permeable to water. The construction project is able to process 500 cubic meters of solid waste for eight consecutive hours per day on average, with the waste processing and recycling rate reaching 40 percent to 50 percent, said Niu Yongxu, manager of the project. Click here to read…

Huawei releases scenario-based solutions to facilitate digital transformation of industries: People’s Daily

December 21, 2021

Chinese tech giant Huawei has launched 11 scenario-based solutions for customers from different industries to satisfy their individualized demands for digital transformation, aiming to respond to challenges, take opportunities and create new value in these industries together with its partners. To achieve digital transformation, enterprises need to develop digital platforms as a foundation and focus on business restructuring with the aim of supporting the success of their main business, noted Tao Jingwen, Huawei’s Board Member. Click here to read…

China strives to keep employment stable: People’s Daily

December 20, 2021

Facing the COVID-19 impact and downward pressure of the economy, China is looking to keep employment stable. As measures keep rolling out to ensure people get jobs, more policies are needed to cope with the COVID-19 impact. Employment bears the brunt of the downward pressure on the economy, said Lian Ping, chief economist at Zhixin Investment Research Institute, noting that it is crucial to give priority to employment in economic and social development as well as macro policies. Click here to read…

Local legislatures should make suggestions from public transparent: China Daily

December 21, 2021

Suggestions from deputies to local people’s congresses — local legislative bodies — should be publicized in an appropriate manner, according to a draft amendment. Whether the suggestions are accepted and how deputies aim to resolve problems should be made transparent after being reported to the standing committees of the congresses, the draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments said. Click here to read…

China expected to extend regulatory crackdowns into 2022: Reuters

December 21, 2021

After China’s year of unprecedented crackdowns, roiling markets and halting deals, bankers and lawyers expect tighter scrutiny to continue in 2022 but say clearer rules will give investors some certainty about the regulatory environment. Over the past year, Beijing has clamped down on antitrust violations, banned private tuition groups, reined in property developers’ debt binge, and made some offshore listings close to impossible. Click here to read…

China cuts benchmark lending rate for 1st time in nearly 2 years: Kyodo

December 20, 2021

China’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rate on Monday for the first time in nearly two years to prop up the slowing economy, in a sharp contrast to the United States and other major economies that are moving to tackle inflation. In recent months, the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank have been inclined to tighten their monetary policy in an attempt to curb steep inflation stemming partially from a spike in global material prices amid hopes for post-pandemic economic recovery. Click here to read…

G7, EU, Five Eyes condemn Hong Kong elections while US sanctions five Chinese officials: South China Morning Post

December 21, 2021

The Group of Seven (G7) and European Union on Monday voiced “grave concern” over the outcome of Hong Kong’s recent Legislative Council elections, following a similar condemnation by the Five Eyes alliance and Washington’s decision to sanction five Chinese officials for allegedly undermining the city’s semi-autonomous status. The blitz of criticism pointed to Beijing’s overhaul of local electoral systems in March to ensure only “patriots” hold office as an unacceptable restriction of voter choice. Foreign ministers of the seven countries and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell issued a joint statement about their “grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements” in Hong Kong. Click here to read…

China’s Big Tech crackdown: number of apps falls 40 per cent over 3 years amid new data laws and clean-up campaigns: South China Morning Post

December 21, 2021

Chinese smartphone users have seen the number of apps available to them fall by 38.5 per cent over the past three years, with the most precipitous drop coming this year amid the country’s crackdowns on Big Tech platforms and internet content, showing how China’s fortified market structure has taken a toll on the digital sector.The total number of apps in Chinese app stores fell to just 2.78 million by October of this year, down from 4.52 million at the end of 2018, according to a South China Morning Post review of data compiled from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The fall in the total number of apps is partly a sign of China’s maturing app market. WeChat, Tencent Holdings’ social network with 1.2 billion monthly active users globally, has dominated social media in China for years. Click here to read…