https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... e&s=clWed 15 Jun 2022
New Hong Kong textbooks will teach students that the city was never a British colony, after an overhaul of a school subject that authorities have blamed for driving the pro-democracy protests.
According to local reports, the new texts will teach students that the Chinese government didn’t recognise the treaties that ceded the city to Britain after the opium wars. They ended in 1997 when Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control, and therefore the texts claim Hong Kong was never a British colony.
The new books also adopt Beijing’s narrative that the 2019 protest movement was driven by “external forces”, South China Morning Post reported.
Students attend a flag raising ceremony during the National Security Education Day at a secondary school, in Hong Kong, Thursday, April 15, 2021. Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong on Thursday warned foreign forces not to interfere with the “bottom line” of national security in Hong Kong, threatening retaliation even amid ongoing tensions between China and Western powers. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
The four sets of textbooks for Hong Kong’s liberal studies subject were released online last week, for schools to choose materials for the new academic year in September. They are set to be used by fourth form students in “citizenship and social development” classes, which replaced the liberal studies course designed in 2009 to teach students critical thinking. In 2020 the liberal studies course was attacked by pro-Beijing authorities who blamed it for driving youth towards protests and pledged rectification.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... -regina-ipFri 1 Jul 2022
Speaking to the Guardian from her quarantine hotel room ahead of a ceremony with Chinese president Xi Jinping to mark 25 years since the British handover and the start of new chief executive John Lee’s term, Regina Ip was asked how she felt knowing some former Legislative Council (LegCo) colleagues would be sitting in a jail cell instead of attending the event.
Hong Kong's new chief executive, John Lee (left), with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, after a swearing-in ceremony in Hong Kong.
“They have themselves to blame for going too far,” said Ip, who has served as a pro-Beijing legislator in Hong Kong’s government since 1996. “It was in the LegCo they have caused a lot of damage with their obstruction and filibustering. So nothing was done, we were locked in battle every day, sometime in fistfights,” she said.
“If the government is to bear any blame it’s that we have been too lenient over the years allowing them to cause havoc.”
In November 2020, several pro-democracy legislators were arrested over a melee in May that saw scuffles and some legislators dragged out by security. That same month, four legislators were disqualified under a new measure banning “unpatriotic” people from serving. In protest, the entire pro-democracy caucus resigned. Some have since fled overseas.
In January 2021 dozens of politicians, campaigners and activists were arrested by national security police for holding unofficial primary polls which Beijing later declared illegal. Of the group, 47 are still awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to commit subversion, many of them denied bail.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... d-freedomsFri 1 Jul 2022
Xi Jinping has hailed China’s rule over Hong Kong as he led 25th anniversary celebrations of the city’s handover from Britain, insisting that democracy was flourishing despite a political crackdown that has silenced dissent.
After swearing in a new hardline chief executive, John Lee, in a solemn ceremony on Friday morning, the Chinese president laid out his vision for the city and its administrators.
On his first trip outside mainland China since the pandemic began, he vowed that “one country, two systems” – a governance model under which Hong Kong was promised it would retain some autonomy and freedoms for 50 years – would endure.
“For this kind of good system, there is no reason to change it, it must be upheld for the long term,” Xi said, as critics questioned whether the city’s high level of autonomy was still intact.
“After much turmoil, people have learnt a painful lesson that Hong Kong cannot be disorderly, it cannot afford to be,” he said. “Hong Kong is in a new phase from disorder to stability, from stability to prosperity”.
The past three years have seen an unprecedented unpicking of freedoms in Hong Kong as a result of the Beijing-imposed national security law. Scores of pro-democracy activists, journalists and opposition politicians have been jailed.
Read more here: https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/06/volk ... in-china/(TechCrunch) Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said the company is planning “big moves” in China.
The world’s second-largest automaker is beefing up operations in its largest market to keep pace with fast-growing Chinese automakers and fast-changing customer preferences.
“We will do some major investments in China,” Diess said in an interview posted Tuesday on LinkedIn. “In a few years, we will have several thousand software people in China.”
During the interview with Chang Qing, the CEO of CARIAD China, Volkswagen’s in-house automotive software arm, Diess highlighted Volkswagen’s need to keep up with the Chinese market and invest in its local operations.
Growing its presence in China will help Volkswagen respond quickly to changes in the local market, especially in two crucial areas: autonomous driving technology and the in-car user experience, “which in China is really different and sophisticated,” Diess said.
Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/1007202 ... o-covid/(Eurasia Review) China’s zero-COVID-19 policy has had profound impacts on global supply chains due to the large-scale lockdown of major cities that would have been unimaginable before the pandemic. COVID-19-related restrictions have caused a severe decline in China’s manufacturing capacity, logistics and human mobility, as well as business and consumer confidence.
China is a major supplier of a variety of commodity goods, intermediate goods for manufacturing and consumer goods. The loss of its manufacturing and logistics capacity has contributed to an ongoing shortage of supply in interdependent global markets, intensifying worldwide inflation.
The wave of Omicron infections led to a 70-day-long lockdown of Shanghai, the country’s economic powerhouse, and caused unprecedented supply chain disruptions. Shanghai is not only an industrial hub but also lies at the centre of the Yangtze Delta Region. Most of the cities and towns in the region make up an interwoven supply chain network that funnels out overseas via Shanghai’s world-class seaports and airports.
Faced with intensified economic, political and social challenges, China has recently signalled a policy shift by modestly and incrementally easing its lockdowns. While this shift does not mean that China has completely abandoned the zero-COVID-19 policy, it does suggest that the policy will be gradually relaxed and implemented in a more balanced way.
There are multiple reasons to believe that China is adjusting its zero-COVID-19 policy.
Read more here: https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/24/ber ... on-fund/(TechCrunch) BAI Capital, the storied China-focused venture investment firm that was formerly known as Bertelsmann Asia Investments, has raised $700 million to back Chinese companies that are part of the country’s structural reform as well as those expanding overseas.
The announcement follows on the heels of the closing of several other big-ticket funds, quelling speculation that foreign capital for Chinese tech is drying up amid a slowing economy. Sequoia Capital China recently snagged $7 billion to bet on Chinese tech companies at all stages. Qiming Ventures raised $3.2 billion. And IDG Capital banked $900 million.
BAI Capital was founded in 2008 as an investment arm of German media mogul Bertelsmann and has surged to become one of the top venture players in China with a portfolio of over 200 tech companies. Its notable investments include electric vehicle upstart Nio, Southeast Asia’s popular livestreaming app Bigo, and China’s shared bike pioneer Mobike, which was acquired by Meituan.
The latest close marks the first time that BAI Capital has brought in external limited partners, including sovereign wealth funds, large insurance companies, internet giants, funds of funds, on top of capital from its parent Bertelsmann.
The new fund, according to BAI’s announcement, focuses on helping Chinese companies from retail, fintech, content, media, as well as the red-hot areas of web3 and metaverse that are expanding globally. BAI is setting up new offices in Singapore and Berlin.
Read more here: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/202 ... ears.html(Kyodo News) Beijing - China's central bank cut its benchmark lending rate Monday for the first time in seven months to shore up the country's slowing economy amid restrictions under its radical "zero-COVID" policy to stem the novel coronavirus outbreak and a property market slump.
The People's Bank of China said it had lowered the one-year loan prime rate by 0.05 percentage point to 3.65 percent. The central bank also said it had reduced the five-year loan prime rate -- the benchmark mortgage interest rate -- by 0.15 point to 4.30 percent, the first cut since May.
The move came as the world's second-largest economy has been facing serious downward pressure, with the Communist Party's all-encompassing COVID-19 restrictions taking a heavy toll on private spending and industrial production as well as disrupting supply chains.
The country's real estate sector has become sluggish amid fears of the possible bankruptcy of major property developer China Evergrande Group.
The monetary easing is in sharp contrast with the United States and European countries that are moving to tackle inflation stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Hong Kong (CNN) For weeks now, a power crunch caused by a record heat wave and accompanying drought has wreaked havoc across Sichuan, a province home to 80 million people in southwestern China.
It's dimmed skyscrapers, shut factories, darkened subways, and plunged homes and offices into rolling blackouts, forcing air conditioning to be unplugged -- and killed thousands of poultry and fish at farms hit by electricity cuts.
The impact has been felt far and wide, from the neighboring mega city of Chongqing and the eastern provinces along the Yangtze River to the financial hub of Shanghai -- where the iconic skyline went dark this week to save energy.
In a country that prides itself on economic growth and stability, the acute power shortage has come as a shock to residents who in recent decades have grown used to improved living conditions and infrastructure.
Hong Kong (CNN Business) China is mining and importing more coal as its worst heatwave and drought in six decades hits hydroelectricity, the nation's second biggest source of power.
The country's crucial Yangtze River has dried up in parts because of extreme heat and scant rainfall. The drought has impacted six provinces along the river, affecting the water supply for tens of thousands of people and forcing the closure of factories in some provinces to preserve electricity supplies.
Sichuan, which is famous for its rich water resources and accounts for 21% of China's hydropower, has seen its hydroelectricity capacity plunge by 50% this month, according to the state grid. The unrelenting heatwave has also resulted in unprecedented power demand, pushing the region's electricity grid to the brink.
To ease the power crunch, China has been boosting coal output and imports to generate electricity.
Nationwide, power plants burnt 8.16 million tonnes of thermal coal daily for the first two weeks of August, up 15% from a year ago, according to most recent data from the National Development and Reform Commission. On August 3, daily thermal coal consumption hit a record high of 8.5 million tonnes.
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/to-chin ... s-abuses/BEIJING (AP via Courthouse News) — The U.N. accused China of serious human rights violations that may amount to “crimes against humanity” in a long-delayed report examining a crackdown on Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups. Beijing on Thursday denounced the assessment as a fabrication cooked up by Western nations.
Human rights groups have accused China of sweeping a million or more people from the minority groups into detention camps where many have said they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. The camps were just one part of what the rights organizations have called a ruthless campaign against extremism in the far western province of Xinjiang that also included draconian birth control policies and all-encompassing restrictions on people's movement.
The assessment from the Geneva-based U.N. human rights office largely corroborated earlier reporting by researchers, advocacy groups and the news media, and it added the weight of the world body to the conclusions. But it was not clear what impact it would have.
Still, among Uyghurs who have fled overseas, there was a palpable sense of relief that the report had finally seen the light of day since many worried that it would never be published. Several saw it as a vindication of their cause and of years of advocacy work.
“The report is pretty damning, and a strong indictment on China’s crimes against humanity,” said Rayhan Asat, a Uyghur lawyer whose brother is imprisoned in Xinjiang. “For years, the Chinese government has said the Uyghurs are terrorists. Now, we can point to them and say, you’re the terrorists.”
Read more here: https://maritime-executive.com/article ... - shipyard(The Maritime Executive) Typhoon Mufia left a path of damage and heavy rains as it made landfall four times in China, including passing over key seaports and one of China’s large shipyards near Shanghai. Belgium’s Jan De Nul Group is reporting that it was advised that its newbuild at the COSCO shipyard has sustained damage from the storm.
The typhoon made its first landfall on the coast near Zhoushan late on Wednesday, September 14, and several hours later its second landfall in Shanghai's Fengxian district. Chinese officials are reporting that it was the strongest tropical storm to ever impact Shanghai. Winds were approximately 95 mph with wave heights reported at 16 feet near Shanghai. The storm also brought nearly eight inches of rain to the region.
Jan De Nul said it has been advised that the eye of the storm passed directly over the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong in the early hours of Thursday morning.
According to the company, the high winds and waves caused their wind turbine installation jack-up vessel, Voltaire, to come loose from its moorings. The 21,500 dwt vessel is currently under construction having been launched in January 2022 and due for delivery during the second half of this year. The massive vessel, which is 555 feet long, will be the largest in the company’s fleet with the capability to operate in waters up to 262 feet in depth and an elevated load of up to 16,000 tonnes. It is designed to support the installation of the largest offshore wind farms.
They are reporting that the vessel safely moored back in the shipyard after breaking loose during the storm. The first sight assessments show limited damage to certain parts of the crane and the helideck. Further assessments are ongoing.
Shanghai officials said they had warned more than 7,400 vessels to take shelter before the storm arrived. Operations in the world’s largest container port were suspended along with all bunkering operations. Flights into and out of the international airport were also suspended.
Read more here: https://ensia.com/features/china-belt- ... ilk-road/(Ensia) In July 2019, China rolled out the carpet for Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Flown to Beijing by the Chinese government, she was greeted with an honor guard and banquet and received by both President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Three days later, she returned to her capital, Dhaka, with nine agreements worth billions of dollars to build power plants and provide other development assistance.
Hasina’s short visit benefited both countries. Big new infrastructure projects would help lift living standards in Bangladesh, but also enable China to strengthen its influence on its fast-growing neighbor of more than 160 million people.
Those loans and agreements made up one very small part of China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) — the world’s largest infrastructure program since the U.S. Marshall Plan helped rebuild Europe after World War II. Launched as a President Xi flagship project in 2013, it involves China flooding the world with investments to construct a trillion-dollar-plus modern “Silk Road” network of many thousands of individual projects along major transcontinental corridors spanning Asia, Africa and eastern Europe.
Between 2000 and 2017, China invested some US$843 billion in 165 countries and more than 13,000 projects, many of them related to the BRI. They include high-speed railway lines, coal and hydropower plants, ports, roads, bridges, and tourism developments. Chinese money has flooded in for dams, hospitals, mines, pipelines, IT cables, and the construction of new cities and parliament buildings. The bulk has gone to transportation and power projects and, according to a report by Morgan Stanley, by 2027 China’s total investment could approach as much as US$1.3 trillion.
But while many world leaders have welcomed BRI as a way to raise cheap loans and receive grants not available from the World Bank or wealthy countries, they are becoming more cautious as the full environmental and social costs of China’s loans become apparent and their countries risk being swamped with debt.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/1 ... anchester/A Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was apparently beaten inside the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester on Sunday, according to footage circulating on social media.
Read more here: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14749556(The Asahi Shimbun) BEIJING--Premier Li Keqiang’s name was not on a list of individuals chosen as members of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, evidence that the 67-year-old will step down next spring, further solidifying President Xi Jinping’s grip on power.
Both Li and Xi were promoted to the Central Politburo Standing Committee in 2007, but now it turns out the younger Li will be leaving the political stage before Xi.
The roster of new Central Committee members was released Oct. 22 in conjunction with the closing of the Communist Party National Congress.
The revelation means that Xi is all but assured of serving an unprecedented third term as Communist Party general secretary.
Li has championed Xi by overseeing the government administration since he became premier in 2013. But Xi apparently wants no rivals in the top leadership corps.
BEIJING (AP) — President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader in decades, increased his dominance Sunday when he was named to another term as head of the ruling Communist Party in a break with tradition and promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy.
Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years. The 69-year-old leader is expected by some to try to stay in power for life.
The party also named a seven-member Standing Committee, its inner circle of power, dominated by Xi allies after Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 leader and an advocate of market-style reform and private enterprise, was dropped from the leadership Saturday. That was despite Li being a year younger than the party’s informal retirement age of 68.
“Power will be even more concentrated in the hands of Xi Jinping,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a Chinese politics expert at Hong Kong Baptist University. The new appointees are “all loyal to Xi,” he said. “There is no counterweight or checks and balances in the system at all.”
