Qin Gang’s exit as China’s foreign minister, The 1975’s onstage kiss, Singapore’s scandals: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week
- From Qin Gang’s highly unusual exit as China’s foreign minister to Singapore’s spate of scandals, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues.
1. Exit Qin Gang, enter Wang Yi — what is behind China’s foreign minister switch?
The abrupt ousting of China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang after only seven months might be highly unusual, but is the response in line with Beijing’s typical playbook? The Communist Party has a history of turning to senior figures to steady the ship in emergencies and Wang Yi’s return may be in keeping with this precedent.
2. UK band The 1975 faces lawsuit as LGBTQ Malaysians slam onstage kiss
“I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” lead singer Matty Healy said before kissing fellow bandmate Ross Macdonald while performing at Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival. This prompted organisers to pull their performance and Malaysia’s communications minister to end the festival two days early. The band was applauded abroad by fans but members of the gay community were less impressed by what some described as “performative activism”.
3. Singapore’s PAP draws line at corruption but not affairs, No 2 leader says
Singapore’s scandal-hit ruling party does not police the private lives of its MPs and has never adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards extramarital affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said. His comments came after a spate of scandals put the long-dominant People’s Action Party (PAP) on the back foot this month.
4. Game changer or white elephant? China eyes Asean with first shipping canal in 700 years
China kicked off construction of the 72.7 billion yuan (US$10.1 billion) Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in August. It is hoped that the waterway can facilitate trade with Southeast Asian nations, but concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of the project.
5. Why is the Chinese calendar based on the sun’s movement?
There is a Chinese saying: “Everything is born in spring, grows in summer, is harvested in autumn, hides in winter and people should follow it”. Take a look at our infographic to see how the ancient Chinese precisely structured their calendar to match the seasons, and what it means for people in 2023.
6. Bad for business and leisure? Hong Kong’s visa rules send Vietnamese visitors elsewhere
When Ho Chi Minh City resident Tracy Ly Kiet Oanh wanted to visit Hong Kong with her mother in June, it took one month to process the paperwork for the tourist visas, but that was only part of the hassle of obtaining the permit. She said Hong Kong’s Immigration Department asked for a record of every place overseas she had travelled in the past decade, as well as her birth certificate.
7. ‘Real-life Spider-Girl’: girl watches TV from ceiling in China
Social media has been left awestruck by a real-life “Spider-Girl” whose hobby is watching television while stuck to the ceiling. The girl’s mother put surveillance video footage online which shows her eight-year-old daughter climbing up the walls at the corner of the living room before chilling out on the ceiling.
