https://www.scmp.com/rss/14715/feed Mimi Lau is a former Post correspondent covering human rights, religion and civil society in China. She spent seven years in southern China as the Post's Guangzhou correspondent and was based in Hong Kong from 2017. She has won numerous awards for her work. She left the Post in 2022 and has been teaching journalism in local universities. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Mimi Lau Mimi Lau Hong Kong’s Births Registry gives new parents 42 days to name their child before imposing a fine. This might seem enough, but when you are navigating new motherhood, learning to keep a tiny human alive while your body heals, time becomes both endless and insufficient. It took me nearly all that time to settle on two names, not from indecision, but from the weight of history. Months before my daughter arrived, I had chosen for her a Chinese name meaning “dwell in peace”. The name came from a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3321172/elegant-english-name-would-be-all-wrong-my-hong-kong-baby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3321172/elegant-english-name-would-be-all-wrong-my-hong-kong-baby?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 01:30:07 +0000 Multiple Chinese state media outlets have published an article calling for an end to online attacks on medical experts who have called for a flexible approach to Covid-19 and criticising nationalist conspiracy theories that blame “hostile foreign forces” for the current outbreak. The article, published first by a former journalist known as Mingshuzatan on their personal WeChat account, was reprinted on the website of the Guangming Daily newspaper on December 24, before being picked up by a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3205118/chinese-state-media-publishes-call-end-online-attacks-covid-experts-amid-mounting-criticism-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3205118/chinese-state-media-publishes-call-end-online-attacks-covid-experts-amid-mounting-criticism-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2022 11:56:28 +0000 Beijing has appointed historian Gao Xiang, a specialist on the Qing dynasty, to head the influential Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) think tank. Gao, 59, replaces Shi Taifeng, whose short seven-month tenure ended with his appointment after the 20th party congress to lead the United Front Work Department. Gao served under Shi’s predecessor – the veteran economist Xie Fuzhan who headed CASS from 2018 – as vice-president, before his promotion last year as the think tank’s deputy party... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3204935/qing-dynasty-expert-gao-xiang-named-head-chinas-leading-policy-think-tank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3204935/qing-dynasty-expert-gao-xiang-named-head-chinas-leading-policy-think-tank?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2022 09:00:09 +0000 The appointment of ethnic minority officials and those charged with minority policies since the Communist Party’s five-yearly national congress in October suggest Beijing is doubling down on efforts to assimilate the diverse groups into one common Chinese identity, experts say. Those appointments saw the representation of ethnic minority officials on the party’s Central Committee hit a 10-year low, which experts said suggested ethnic diversity was not a priority for President Xi Jinping. China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202822/china-doubling-down-assimilation-its-ethnic-minorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202822/china-doubling-down-assimilation-its-ethnic-minorities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Dec 2022 10:00:16 +0000 Chinese rocket scientist Yuan Jiajun, newly named to the Communist Party’s 24-member Politburo, has been appointed to take the helm of the southwestern mega city Chongqing as party secretary. The appointment was announced on Thursday by state news agency Xinhua, seven weeks after the 20th Party Congress, a landmark edition of the five-yearly conclave which saw President Xi Jinping secure a groundbreaking third term and reveal a top leadership stacked with loyalists. Yuan was named to the new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202482/rocket-scientist-yuan-jiajun-named-chinas-communist-party-chief-mega-city-chongqing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202482/rocket-scientist-yuan-jiajun-named-chinas-communist-party-chief-mega-city-chongqing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 02:53:52 +0000 As part of SCMP’s commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s death and legacy, this story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Jiang Zemin was cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing on Monday, after top officials led by President Xi Jinping bade farewell to the former Chinese leader. A brief closed-door ceremony was held at the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202156/jiang-zemin-cremated-beijing-top-leaders-pay-their-respects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202156/jiang-zemin-cremated-beijing-top-leaders-pay-their-respects?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 12:06:00 +0000 Sections of the Chinese capital will be closed to traffic for a day and a half from Monday as part of preparations for an official memorial service for late Chinese leader Jiang Zemin on Tuesday. Beijing’s police bureau said on Saturday night that from 6.30am Monday roads in much of the city’s west would be off-limits to public buses, trains, cars and pedestrians, with only designated vehicles and personnel allowed to use the routes. The restrictions will remain in place until after the memorial... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202017/chinese-capital-close-citys-west-traffic-jiang-zemin-memorial-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202017/chinese-capital-close-citys-west-traffic-jiang-zemin-memorial-service?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Dec 2022 12:00:10 +0000 While local protests in China over environmental, labour and land disputes are not uncommon, the rare wave of blank-paper protests that spilled across China’s wealthiest cities – all targeting President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy – represents a challenge of the type the country’s leaders have not faced for decades. The protests erupted last weekend after a fire at a residential block in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, claimed 10 lives. University students and angry citizens staged vigils on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201879/why-chinas-lockdown-protests-pose-unprecedented-challenge-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201879/why-chinas-lockdown-protests-pose-unprecedented-challenge-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 14:30:16 +0000 Citizens in a handful of Chinese cities took to the streets in a rare show of defiance to protest against the country’s strict Covid-19 controls following the deaths of 10 people in a fire at an apartment block in Xinjiang last week. In Beijing several hundred people took to the streets in a protest that continued until after 3am on Monday. Other demonstrations took place in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu over the weekend, according to media reports and social media posts. Some... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201315/anger-chinese-covid-restrictions-boils-over-rare-protests-major-cities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201315/anger-chinese-covid-restrictions-boils-over-rare-protests-major-cities?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:47:05 +0000 Ten people have died in a fire at a residential building in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region, which has been under Covid lockdown since August. State media reports said the Jixiang residential complex in Tianshan district had been identified as a low-risk area where residents were allowed to “leave the building to conduct activities” downstairs. But these reports were greeted with scepticism online, with web users questioning whether that was really the case. The fire reportedly broke out... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201005/fresh-covid-questions-over-chinese-covid-lockdowns-after-10-killed-fire-xinjiang-residential-block?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201005/fresh-covid-questions-over-chinese-covid-lockdowns-after-10-killed-fire-xinjiang-residential-block?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Nov 2022 09:43:31 +0000 China’s Communist Party has appointed a public health expert to take up its top municipal job in Beijing, just as the world’s second-biggest economy starts to ease Covid restrictions in place for more than two years. Yin Li, 60, one of the 24 members of the Politburo, was previously party secretary of Fujian province and has been replaced by Zhou Zuyi, a 57-year-old geophysicist, according to state news agency Xinhua. The appointments announced on Sunday reflect a shift towards technocrats in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199466/chinas-communist-party-names-health-expert-yin-li-top-beijing-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199466/chinas-communist-party-names-health-expert-yin-li-top-beijing-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Nov 2022 12:01:11 +0000 Bao Tong, a senior Chinese official turned activist who played a central role in pushing the Communist Party’s limited political reform in the 1980s, has died at the age of 90. “From life to death and from compassion to kindness, he never ceased advocating from this sense of morality that we all ought to do our best,” his son Bao Pu said on Thursday from Beijing. “He demonstrated this through his life journey … so his final days were happy.” Bao Tong died in hospice care in the Chinese capital... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199124/bao-tong-former-chinese-official-turned-activist-dies-90?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199124/bao-tong-former-chinese-official-turned-activist-dies-90?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2022 08:38:51 +0000 Over the weekend, China’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council named and shamed several city governments for imposing extra measures to fight Covid-19. It was not the first time the State Council, China’s cabinet, has warned local governments against taking excessive Covid-19 controls. But observers questioned the effectiveness of these public reprimands as local officials face the impossible task of balancing the demands of the economy and China’s dynamic zero-Covid... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3198978/why-chinas-local-officials-will-remain-caught-zero-covid-paradox?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3198978/why-chinas-local-officials-will-remain-caught-zero-covid-paradox?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 06:00:56 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s dramatic reshuffle at last month’s 20th Communist Party Congress has changed the face of Chinese politics, effectively dismantling the collective leadership model engineered by Mao Zedong’s successors. Xi’s changes to the top echelons of the party’s decision-making bodies were bigger than expected, but they also chiselled away at party retirement norms and promotion trajectories, while stepping up the centralisation of power. In a break with decades of precedent, Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3198865/xi-jinpings-end-chinas-collective-leadership-model-was-years-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3198865/xi-jinpings-end-chinas-collective-leadership-model-was-years-making?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 10:00:11 +0000 For the first time in 20 years, no women have been selected for the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, an omission experts say is “a step backwards” for gender diversity, and one that may further dampen female participation in Chinese politics. The new line-up of top party leadership that was unveiled on Sunday at the conclusion of the week-long 20th party congress was an all-man band. Further, both the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee and the 24-seat Politburo were filled exclusively... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196848/absence-women-chinas-new-leadership-elite-step-backwards-political-diversity-say-observers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196848/absence-women-chinas-new-leadership-elite-step-backwards-political-diversity-say-observers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:00:08 +0000 On the last day of the Communist Party’s week-long national congress, the spotlight was momentarily focused on the unexpected departure of former Chinese president Hu Jintao from the stage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. While the exact reason for Hu’s premature exit remains unclear, footage of his confused departure was widely discussed online. A reporter for state news agency Xinhua wrote on Twitter late on Saturday that Hu’s early departure was related to his health. “Hu Jintao... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196899/former-chinese-president-hu-jintaos-congress-exit-break-communist-party-script?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196899/former-chinese-president-hu-jintaos-congress-exit-break-communist-party-script?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 12:10:44 +0000 Once considered a front runner for the role of China’s premier, Wang Yang – head of the country’s top political advisory body – is set for full retirement instead next March. His name was notably absent from the newly released list of top Communist Party leaders who will steer the country for the next five years. Wang, 67, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was the fourth ranking official on the current Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s top... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196826/chinas-man-all-seasons-wang-yang-stops-short-premiership-glory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196826/chinas-man-all-seasons-wang-yang-stops-short-premiership-glory?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 09:00:16 +0000 Members of China’s 55 non-Han ethnic minorities present a colourful diversion on the national political stage each March when their bright outfits and dazzling headpieces break up a drab sea of dark-suited Han delegates at the annual sessions of the legislature and a key advisory body. But the spotlight is very much on the latter, and that is also the case at the Communist Party’s national congress, which began on Sunday. President Xi Jinping is set to kick off his third term as the party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196388/do-ethnic-minorities-add-more-just-dash-colour-chinas-political-stage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196388/do-ethnic-minorities-add-more-just-dash-colour-chinas-political-stage?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 04:00:16 +0000 So long as there is the slimmest chance, Beijing will do its “level best” to peacefully resolve the Taiwan issue, with “non-peaceful means” to be used only as a last resort, according to a Communist Party spokesman. Appealing to Taiwanese people at a press conference ahead of the official opening of the 20th party congress, spokesman Sun Yeli said the intention to take Taiwan by force was targeted at external forces and separatists rather than the island’s populace. “Reunification brings bright... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196105/taiwan-independence-dead-end-chinas-communist-party-says-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196105/taiwan-independence-dead-end-chinas-communist-party-says-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Oct 2022 22:00:12 +0000 Former presidents Jiang Zemin, 96, and Hu Jintao, 79, as well as 105-year-old party elder Song Ping are among the 46 members of the presidium standing committee that will oversee the proceedings of China’s 20th Communist Party congress. The list was made public on Saturday by state broadcaster CCTV. This comes after months of speculation over the health of Jiang, Hu and former premier Zhu Rongji, 93, another member of the new presidium standing committee, after all three were absent from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196072/former-chinese-presidents-communist-party-elders-committee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196072/former-chinese-presidents-communist-party-elders-committee?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Oct 2022 12:10:04 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3195409/no-promotions-women-chinas-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3195409/no-promotions-women-chinas-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Oct 2022 06:08:51 +0000 The rarity of female state leaders in China often sees them characterised as mythical creatures – “phoenix feather and unicorn horns” in Chinese idiom. There are about two million female cadres serving in Communist Party and government organs, mostly at the grass-roots level, and women make up more than half of the central government’s new civil service recruits every year. But the boys’ club of Chinese elite politics means very few women hold real power. For those who do make it, the path is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3194570/why-are-women-unlikely-win-promotion-race-chinas-communist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3194570/why-are-women-unlikely-win-promotion-race-chinas-communist?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Oct 2022 15:00:09 +0000 The Communist Party is set to hold its 20th national congress in mid-October, a gathering that will usher in a new line-up of the party’s leadership. In the third piece in a three-part series exploring the rules of the personnel reshuffle, Mimi Lau looks at the shared traits among those likely to be promoted to key national positions. In February 2020, the Communist Party faced one of its worst crises in three decades as the deadly coronavirus, first detected in the central Chinese province of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193290/what-does-it-take-get-promoted-chinese-politics-and-comers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193290/what-does-it-take-get-promoted-chinese-politics-and-comers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Sep 2022 22:00:10 +0000 As world leaders paid tribute to the passing of Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning British monarch, her death is also being mourned in China. President Xi Jinping sent deep condolences on Friday to King Charles and the British royal family on the passing of the queen. Premier Li Keqiang also extended his condolences to British Prime Minister Liz Truss. The queen died on Thursday at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands after serving for 70 years. Her enduring presence and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3191926/china-remembers-queen-elizabeth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3191926/china-remembers-queen-elizabeth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Sep 2022 06:04:32 +0000 China’s Sichuan province banned unauthorised people entry to earthquake zones and imposed daily testing as it struggled to battle Covid-19 while rescue work continued for the third day. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which had an epicentre in Luding county about 260km (162 miles) from the provincial capital Chengdu, was felt across five provinces on Monday. At least 74 people were confirmed dead as of Wednesday, with 35 people reported missing and 270 others injured. About 1,000 people were trapped... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3191692/china-earthquake-death-toll-climbs-74-sichuan-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3191692/china-earthquake-death-toll-climbs-74-sichuan-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:00:17 +0000 At least 46 people were killed and dozens of others injured when a powerful, shallow earthquake hit a mountainous area of China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Monday afternoon, according to state media. It is the latest disaster to strike a population battling prolonged drought, power shortages and a Covid-19 outbreak that has put the capital under lockdown. The 6.8 magnitude quake, which hit at 12.52pm, had its epicentre near a tourist centre in Luding county, about 260km (161 miles) from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3191365/chinas-sichuan-province-hit-68-magnitude-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3191365/chinas-sichuan-province-hit-68-magnitude-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Sep 2022 07:05:47 +0000 The United Nations report into Xinjiang, which found that the Chinese government’s actions “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity” is likely to place further strains on the relationship between China and the West, according to diplomatic analysts. Beijing bluntly rejected the findings, which were released on Wednesday, the last day of Michelle Bachelet’s tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report, which followed Bachlet’s visit to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3190934/anti-china-plot-beijing-slams-un-human-rights-report-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3190934/anti-china-plot-beijing-slams-un-human-rights-report-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Sep 2022 05:19:53 +0000 China paid tribute to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday, hailing him for his contribution to improving ties between Beijing and Moscow. “Mr Gorbachev made positive contributions to the normalisation of China-Soviet Union relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. “We mourn his death and express our condolences to his family.” The leader of the former Soviet Union died in Moscow on Tuesday aged 91. News of Gorbachev’s death was widely reported by Chinese state... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3190896/china-offers-tributes-late-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3190896/china-offers-tributes-late-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Aug 2022 14:55:29 +0000 Top political adviser Wang Yang has urged new Catholic leaders in China to resist foreign influence and ensure that control of the church remains in the hands of patriots. He made the remarks after the two state-sponsored Catholic Church bodies in China elected new leaders at a twice-a-decade conference that wrapped up in Wuhan, Hubei province on Saturday. During the three-day meeting, Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing was appointed chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3190067/beijing-tells-new-catholic-leaders-fend-infiltration-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3190067/beijing-tells-new-catholic-leaders-fend-infiltration-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Aug 2022 14:15:22 +0000 The Chinese city that provides the bulk of the world’s Christmas products started to get back to business on Sunday after a 10-day lockdown that choked economic activity, but restrictions remained in place in some of the country’s major tourist hotspots. Yiwu, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, is home to the world’s largest small commodities market and a key hub for e-commerce and sourcing low-cost goods. Traditional Chinese Medicine can’t prevent Covid-19, says renowned expert A city... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3189672/covid-19-china-worlds-biggest-christmas-product-maker-gets-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3189672/covid-19-china-worlds-biggest-christmas-product-maker-gets-back?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Aug 2022 13:06:56 +0000 China is trying to stabilise its supply chains to maintain its industrial output and boost consumption as the economy slows dramatically in the face of its draconian zero-Covid policy. Jin Zhuanglong, the new Minister for Industry and Information Technology, told a ministerial conference on Friday that boosting consumption and pushing for technological advances in key sectors should be a priority, China News Service reported. Covid-19, property, heatwaves erode recovery as China’s GDP forecasts... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3189612/chinas-new-industry-minister-looks-boost-consumption-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3189612/chinas-new-industry-minister-looks-boost-consumption-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Aug 2022 12:49:40 +0000 Chinese police have vowed to prioritise cases involving underage victims as part of an ongoing crackdown on sexual assaults. On Sunday the Ministry of Public Security announced that it had started the second phase of a 100-day campaign that began in June as the authorities tightened their control over society ahead of a major leadership reshuffle later this year. Chinese security official calls for gang crackdown following Tangshan attack The statement said the campaign had seen the arrests of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3188857/chinese-police-vow-prioritise-sex-crimes-against-underage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3188857/chinese-police-vow-prioritise-sex-crimes-against-underage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Aug 2022 12:00:14 +0000 Beijing has removed an offer not to deploy military personnel to Taiwan in the event of reunification in its latest policy paper on the topic. The new white paper, published by the Taiwan Affairs Office and the Information Office on Wednesday, reaffirms Beijing’s commitment to peaceful reunification but also its readiness to use force if it deems that to be necessary. ‘Extremely serious’: looming Taiwan bill ‘would overturn US-China relations’ It also keeps the “one country, two systems” model... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3188454/beijing-removes-pledge-not-station-military-personnel-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3188454/beijing-removes-pledge-not-station-military-personnel-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Aug 2022 22:00:24 +0000 Provincial chiefs and central government ministers have gathered in Beijing to study President Xi Jinping’s governing doctrines – a signal that the ruling Communist Party will soon hold its twice-a-decade congress. State media reported on Wednesday that Xi had addressed the key officials at a two-day study session emphasising the importance of the congress, which is expected to be held in autumn. “The upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a very important conference... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3186819/xi-jinping-tells-cadres-prepare-critical-moment-china-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3186819/xi-jinping-tells-cadres-prepare-critical-moment-china-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jul 2022 14:47:46 +0000 Chinese human rights lawyer Chang Weiping was tried behind closed doors on a subversion charge in Shaanxi province on Tuesday, with his family barred from attending the hearing. The 38-year-old lawyer was accused of subversion of state power, according to a trial notice issued by the Baoji Municipality Intermediate People Court last week. Chang’s case was heard at Fengxian People’s Court in the northwest of the country. His two lawyers were asked to sign confidentiality agreements that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3186681/chinese-human-rights-lawyer-chang-weiping-closed-door-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3186681/chinese-human-rights-lawyer-chang-weiping-closed-door-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jul 2022 14:23:17 +0000 Two iconic Chinese fish, known as the last giants of the Yangtze River, have been declared extinct after decades of environmental efforts that scientists and conservationists say were defeated by dam construction and overfishing. In the first comprehensive assessment of its type in more than 13 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated its Red List of Threatened Species on Thursday and confirmed the extinction of the Chinese paddlefish, or Psephurus gladius. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3186276/last-giants-are-gone-chinese-paddlefish-and-yangtze-sturgeon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3186276/last-giants-are-gone-chinese-paddlefish-and-yangtze-sturgeon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jul 2022 10:46:20 +0000 The Henan bank scandal, in which 40 billion yuan (US$6 billion) in deposits disappeared, is more than a Chinese banking crisis – it is a political crisis that could undermine people’s confidence in local governance and also other local banks, according to analysts. The blow to public confidence in financial stability and the government’s ability to protect their legitimate interests could be a long-term issue, unless the central government can find ways to promptly repay the depositors, they... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3185182/chinas-henan-bank-scandal-not-just-financial-crisis-it-may-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3185182/chinas-henan-bank-scandal-not-just-financial-crisis-it-may-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jul 2022 22:00:24 +0000 China’s top court has ordered a crackdown on crimes such as violence against women, children and the elderly, as the authorities seek to contain public outrage following an attack on a group of women at a restaurant last month. “[We] must severely punish according to the law crimes that the people abhor. Cruel assaults against women, children and the elderly that challenge the bottom line of the law and morals must be punished with the utmost severity,” Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3184775/head-chinas-top-court-orders-crackdown-abhorrent-crimes-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3184775/head-chinas-top-court-orders-crackdown-abhorrent-crimes-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jul 2022 11:00:23 +0000 China has promised a “maximum” display of police force in a 100-day campaign the public security ministry said would improve public safety. The announcement comes two weeks after a brutal group attack against women on the streets of the northern Chinese city of Tangshan that sparked a nationwide outcry. Tangshan suspect was wanted by Chinese authorities over previous crimes The assault triggered widespread outrage and discussion about violence against women after security camera footage showed a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3183129/chinese-authorities-unveils-plans-maximise-display-police-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3183129/chinese-authorities-unveils-plans-maximise-display-police-force?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jun 2022 10:14:15 +0000 China is putting two of the country’s most prominent civil rights leaders, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, through closed-door state subversion trials this week amid tight security. No family members or supporters were allowed to attend Xu’s trial held in the Linshu County People’s Court in Shandong province on Wednesday morning. The activist’s legal representatives declined to comment. It is understood the lawyers have been asked to sign confidentiality agreements barring them from speaking to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182706/chinese-rights-advocate-xu-zhiyong-trial-state-subversion-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182706/chinese-rights-advocate-xu-zhiyong-trial-state-subversion-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jun 2022 16:05:23 +0000 Once they were seen as trailblazers, bridging the development gap between China and the rest of the world, but today many Hongkongers living on the mainland find themselves negotiating new identities. Among them is 56-year-old Bing Chiu, who moved to Shanghai as a creative director in 1998, just a year after Hong Kong’s handover. While his advertising career in Hong Kong had hit a bottleneck, he was soon taking on clients like Motorola and Intel. World-class production studios were practically... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182692/uneasy-times-hongkongers-making-their-home-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182692/uneasy-times-hongkongers-making-their-home-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:30:23 +0000 The US Supreme Court overturned the country’s landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which guaranteed women’s right to abortion and legalised it nationwide, on June 24 despite widespread protests. In China – which has one of the world’s highest recorded abortion rates – women’s reproductive rights have also historically been a contentious issue, but are seen through a very different cultural lens. Here’s what you need to know about abortions in China. Are abortions legal in China? Abortions are widely... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182106/abortion-legal-china-how-common-it-and-why-it-controversial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3182106/abortion-legal-china-how-common-it-and-why-it-controversial?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jun 2022 03:00:31 +0000 For decades, the Communist Youth League of China fiercely butted heads with the ruling party before gradually evolving into a key career springboard for state leaders. Today, the century-old league stands reshaped as a modern United Front machine – trying to capture the pulse of Chinese youth with NFTs (non-fungible tokens), rap videos and even dating services. While the transformation shows just how far the Communist Party is willing to go to unify young people and ensure its survival, analysts... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3178434/reshaping-chinas-communist-youth-league-gives-insight-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3178434/reshaping-chinas-communist-youth-league-gives-insight-party?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2022 05:48:59 +0000 The arrest of Hong Kong’s veteran Catholic Church leader Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has sent shock waves through the community, sparking concerns that a wider net would be cast over religious institutions accused of having foreign ties. National security police detained the 90-year-old cardinal on Wednesday night, along with former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and singer Denise Ho Wan-sze, for allegedly colluding with foreign forces. Analysts questioned if such severe action was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3177400/national-security-law-arrest-hong-kongs-cardinal-joseph-zen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3177400/national-security-law-arrest-hong-kongs-cardinal-joseph-zen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 May 2022 02:16:51 +0000 China’s ability to survive Covid-19 with low death rates has “shattered the American myth”, a controversial political scientist has argued. In an article posted on Fudan University’s China Institute website last week, Zhang Weiwei said the outbreak, and high death rates in the United States, marked the end of the popular belief it had a superior governance model and criticised those who held that view as “spiritually American”. “Chinese people, including the people of Shanghai, will never allow... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176539/claim-chinas-covid-19-success-has-shattered-american-myth-stirs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176539/claim-chinas-covid-19-success-has-shattered-american-myth-stirs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 May 2022 15:00:16 +0000 The new party boss for China’s tech hub Shenzhen, Meng Fanli, made his first public appearance last month at Lianhuashan Park to honour the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping for his pioneering market reforms. But Meng also made sure to be seen first and foremost as a loyalist to President Xi Jinping, who also visited Deng’s statue in the park two years ago to mark the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen special economic zone. “We must consistently align our ideology, politics and actions with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176293/beijing-centralises-power-provinces-ahead-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176293/beijing-centralises-power-provinces-ahead-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2022 15:00:28 +0000 Shanghai authorities have fired or reprimanded at least six people following a flash investigation amid a public backlash after a senior citizen was mistaken for dead by staff at an aged care centre and sent to the morgue. The Putuo district government confirmed the blunder on Monday morning and announced an investigation. Hours later, it said four officials, a director of the care home and a doctor had been either sacked or reprimanded. The incident from Sunday afternoon sparked an online... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176237/elderly-death-mix-adds-covid-19-turmoil-shanghai-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3176237/elderly-death-mix-adds-covid-19-turmoil-shanghai-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2022 06:16:57 +0000 Ukraine has called on China to mediate a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow and act as a “security guarantor” for a deal. In the first interview by a senior Ukrainian official with a Chinese state news outlet since Russia’s invasion in late February, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged China to call on Russia for a ceasefire to stop further escalation of the conflict. “This would be an important measure to maintain peace and prevent the humanitarian catastrophe from worsening,” state news agency... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3176169/ukraine-renews-calls-china-mediate-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3176169/ukraine-renews-calls-china-mediate-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 May 2022 08:36:45 +0000 A low-profile economist has been named to lead China’s southern tech hub of Shenzhen, after the city’s former Communist Party boss was promoted to provincial governor. The appointment of Meng Fanli, 56, was announced on Tuesday by the party in Guangdong province, state news agency Xinhua reported. He takes over from Wang Weizhong, who has been confirmed as governor of Guangdong after carrying out the dual role of acting governor and Shenzhen party chief since December. Meng, a native of eastern... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3174818/economist-meng-fanli-56-named-communist-party-chief-chinas-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3174818/economist-meng-fanli-56-named-communist-party-chief-chinas-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Apr 2022 01:00:29 +0000 Chinese lawmakers will push for mandatory reporting of trafficking or abduction and provide more support for victims under proposed revisions to the women’s rights law, the top legislature said on Thursday. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee is expected to review the second draft of amendments to the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests next week. It comes amid public pressure for more powerful legal protection to address concerns about gender-based abuse and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3174323/china-moves-make-reporting-trafficking-mandatory-under-changes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3174323/china-moves-make-reporting-trafficking-mandatory-under-changes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2022 14:29:38 +0000