https://www.scmp.com/rss/310424/feed Angela Meng is a writer living in Los Angeles. She has worked in investment banking at Lazard New York, and as a journalist at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and Reuters in Beijing. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com I met Harvey Weinstein in 2014. I was reporting on politics for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong when a friend of a friend asked me to translate during his dinner meeting. At the restaurant, Harvey introduced himself with brio. He was charming and tenacious and said he was in town working on several important projects. He wanted to talk to the press. We agreed to an interview and his assistant took my information. A few days later, at the Mandarin Oriental, his assistant arrived 30... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3103183/eyes-wide-open-cool-girl-looks-peace-harvey-weinsteins-aftermath?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3103183/eyes-wide-open-cool-girl-looks-peace-harvey-weinsteins-aftermath?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2020 22:30:13 +0000 The sound of a familiar cough, from a nearby cell he could not see, tormented Yan Mingfu through some of the darkest days of his seven-year confinement at the notorious Qincheng prison. It was a muffled sound, perhaps just metres away, yet there was something about it that reminded Yan, who would go to become the head of the United Front Work Department, of his father. Since all inmates of Qincheng were kept in solitary confinement, Yan was able to console himself only by reasoning that there... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1833273/chinas-qincheng-prison-tigers-cage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1833273/chinas-qincheng-prison-tigers-cage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jul 2015 21:00:45 +0000 At least 10 people were injured on Friday morning after an explosion at a block of flats in northeast China, Xinhua reported. The blast, believed to have been caused when a liquified gas tank ignited, occurred at 5am and caused the partial collapse of the building in Longgang district in Huludao City, in Liaoning province. The injured have been rushed to a local hospital and rescue workers are now at the scene. On May 31, a similar explosion at another block of flats in Huludao left two people... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1820509/least-10-chinese-residents-injured-after-suspected-gas-explosion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1820509/least-10-chinese-residents-injured-after-suspected-gas-explosion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2015 04:15:00 +0000 Xu Minjie, the former vice-president of China’s largest bulk shipping company, charged his wife’s beauty spa treatment to the company, The Beijing News reported. Xu, who had an annual salary of 5 million yuan (HK$6.3 million) at Cosco, let his wife spend more than 308,000 yuan during one trip to Macau. His wife, surnamed Lu, said that she went to Hong Kong, and immediately received a companion card for the Jockey Club from a Cosco secretary. The secretary told Lu that she could use the card at... https://www.scmp.com/article/1820232/disgraced-vice-president-chinas-largest-bulk-shipping-firm-charged-wifes-spa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1820232/disgraced-vice-president-chinas-largest-bulk-shipping-firm-charged-wifes-spa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2015 10:19:23 +0000 Four abandoned children from one family in southwest China have died from suspected pesticide poisoning. The three girls and one boy, aged between five and 13, were found dead at their home in a township near Bijie in Guizhou province, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Villagers said they were the children of migrant workers, who had left the area, and no adults were looking after them. Police are investigating after the children’s bodies were found on Tuesday night. Their paternal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1820178/four-abandoned-children-found-poisoned-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1820178/four-abandoned-children-found-poisoned-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2015 04:45:45 +0000 A young policeman caught 66 fugitives by pretending to be a young woman online, the Beijing Times reported. Xiao Yun, 26, adopted an online profile of a young woman looking for a job, posting items about food, jokes, funny videos and other content. He would then arrange to meet them in person and arrest them. Xiao said it usually took two months before he could gain the trust of a fugitive. He used a variety of tactics, including commiseration. For instance, if the criminal was divorced, he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819601/policeman-nets-66-fugitives-pretending-be-woman-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819601/policeman-nets-66-fugitives-pretending-be-woman-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2015 08:30:30 +0000 The wife of a policeman who was shot dead by a schizophrenic man leaped to her death in Hebei province on Wednesday – a day after losing her husband, China News Service reported. The wife of officer Xue Yongqing jumped to her death from the sixth floor of the Jin En Hotel at about 4am. Xue was among 20 officers responding to a shooting in Suning county, on Tuesday, Liu Shuangrui, 55, used a double-barrelled shotgun to attack his neighbours, killing two and injuring three others, before police... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819595/wife-slain-chinese-police-officer-leaps-her-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819595/wife-slain-chinese-police-officer-leaps-her-death?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2015 08:15:45 +0000 A subway passenger in Beijing whose leg was crushed on a crowded train during a morning rush hour is seeking 54,000 yuan (HK$68,000) in compensation, the Beijing Times reported. The passenger, surnamed Shao, said that on October 31, 2014 the train doors were not even fully open when passengers began crowding into the carriage. Shao’s body was forced inside with the crowd, where he immediately he felt pain in his right leg, which appeared deformed. Subway police called for an ambulance. Later, at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819216/passenger-sues-beijing-subway-operator-after-his-leg-was-broken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819216/passenger-sues-beijing-subway-operator-after-his-leg-was-broken?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2015 09:43:51 +0000 Patrol officers found a man from Sichuan paddling an inflatable dinghy in restricted waterways of the massive Three Gorges Dam, China News Service reported. The officers were on patrol in their boat on Monday when they discorered the man and called him alongside for questioning. The man gave his name, Tang, and that he was an “experienced kayaking enthusiast” from Sichuan, where there were many wild rivers. However, he said he was lost and asked “where is the Yangtze river exit?” The Yangtze... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819185/chinese-water-police-find-man-dinghy-restricted-area-three-gorges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819185/chinese-water-police-find-man-dinghy-restricted-area-three-gorges?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2015 07:36:54 +0000 Two teachers and a nurse all working at the same Chinese kindergarten have been detained by Beijing police after a number of parents alleged that staff had stuck needles into their children as a punishment, mainland media reports. One parent, whose daughter attends the unnamed kindergarten in the city’s Fangshan district, told The Beijing News she had found what appeared to be a needle mark in her daughter’s foot while dressing her on June 4. Her daughter then admitted that a teacher had pricked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819156/chinese-police-detain-kindergarten-staff-after-children-pricked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1819156/chinese-police-detain-kindergarten-staff-after-children-pricked?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2015 04:45:45 +0000 The children of a 78-year-old woman battling cancer threw a special wedding banquet on Sunday in honour of their parents who tied the knot 56 years ago, The Beijing News reports. Zhang Chunlan, who lives in Beijing with her husband of the same age, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer in February. Her three children, who have been caring for her, decided to hold the banquet to cheer her up, the newspaper reported. A smiling Zhang and her husband donned red Chinese wedding costumes and went... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1818340/children-beijing-cancer-victim-78-throw-wedding-banquet-she-never?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1818340/children-beijing-cancer-victim-78-throw-wedding-banquet-she-never?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 08:00:30 +0000 A 440-year-old bridge in Shanghai has disappeared, local media reported. The royal bridge, which was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1575, disappeared recently for unknown reasons, according to Thepaper.com. According to local authorities in Pudong, the bridge, which the Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (1736-1799) once walked, was declared a protected cultural relic in 2008. A man surnamed Hong, who was born in the area in the 1950s, remembered the bridge fondly – it was surrounded by white walls... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1818333/protected-ming-dynasty-royal-bridge-disappears-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1818333/protected-ming-dynasty-royal-bridge-disappears-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 07:15:00 +0000 A man has prompted debate on the internet in China after he paid for a special raft trip down a river to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday and for staff at the attraction to salute the couple as they went past, according to a media report. Many people said on social media that the move was in bad taste and embarrassing for the workers, the news website Ahwang.cn reported. The couple, who were not named, took the raft trip in a natural park in Nanzhao county in northern Henan province, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1818322/chinese-boyfriend-rapped-over-patronising-stunt-girlfriends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1818322/chinese-boyfriend-rapped-over-patronising-stunt-girlfriends?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 05:30:45 +0000 Finance Minister Lou Jiwei and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso met in Beijing yesterday in a move that reopened talks for economic cooperation after more than a three-year delay due to tensions between the two countries. The two finance leaders discussed cooperation on economic, financial and international affairs in the Fifth China-Japan Finance Dialogue held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse complex, Xinhua reported. The last dialogue was held in April, 2012 in Tokyo. The next meeting,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1817793/finance-ministers-talks-back-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1817793/finance-ministers-talks-back-track?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2015 17:45:00 +0000 The captain of the Eastern Star said he was attempting to steer into the best position to resist strong winds on the Yangtze River when a sudden surge of wind capsized the passenger ship. Zhang Shunwen told the state news agency Xinhua that a gentle to moderate breeze of between 12-28km/h was blowing from the south before the accident on Monday night. “I attempted to move the ship to leeward [downwind] and move towards north, but the wind suddenly become stronger and I lost control of the hull,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1816951/eastern-star-captain-says-ship-hit-strong-gust-and-capsized-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1816951/eastern-star-captain-says-ship-hit-strong-gust-and-capsized-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2015 05:00:45 +0000 The Dongfangzhixing, or Eastern Star, was carrying more than 450 passengers and crew when it capsized in the Jianli section of the Yangtze River in Hubei province on Monday night. As rescue workers continue searching for survivors, the public is seeking answers to what caused one of the mainland's worst maritime disasters. The State Council has repeatedly reassured family members it will launch a comprehensive investigation into the accident. Satellite data suggests the cruise ship made a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1816118/speculation-abounds-over-cause-chinas-eastern-star-ferry-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1816118/speculation-abounds-over-cause-chinas-eastern-star-ferry-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2015 19:15:00 +0000 The captain of a passenger ship that was near the Eastern Star when it capsized on Monday night said his vessel narrowly escaped the same fate, according to a mainland media report. The captain, identified only by his surname Li, told the Shanghai Morning Post that his passenger ship, the Jiangning, was sailing through the Jianli section of the Yangtze River at about 9.30pm on Monday, when the Eastern Star capsized. Li said the Jiangning's radar indicated "something was wrong". A storm descended... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1816117/close-calls-tragedy-yangtze-river?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1816117/close-calls-tragedy-yangtze-river?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0000 A rescuer cancelled his wedding to save the people trapped inside the Eastern Star passenger ship. Wang Xiaofei, a rescuer from Beijing, was called to join the rescue effort soon after the ship sank on Tuesday, just five days ahead of his wedding. Wang didn’t hesitate to join the operation, but asked his fiancee to tell his friends about the wedding being cancelled. “My fiancee was mad when I told her about it, and just refused to talk to me,” Wang told online portal Sina.com. But the fiancee... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1815697/rescuer-cancels-wedding-search-survivors-chinese-ferry-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1815697/rescuer-cancels-wedding-search-survivors-chinese-ferry-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2015 09:00:00 +0000 More than 400 people - most of them tourists aged from 50 to 80 - remain missing after a cruise ship carrying 456 people capsized in the Yangtze River during stormy weather on Monday night. The Eastern Star was en route from the eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing when it capsized at about 9.30pm on Monday in the Jianli section of the river in Hubei province. Watch: Search and rescue teams work through the night looking for survivors, bodies The national meteorological... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1814719/yangtze-cruise-ship-sinking-worst-maritime-disaster-chinas-modern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1814719/yangtze-cruise-ship-sinking-worst-maritime-disaster-chinas-modern?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2015 00:32:22 +0000 Mainland researchers have developed the first automated teller machine with facial recognition technology. The developers include Tsinghua University and Tzekwan Technology, a Hangzhou firm that provides security protection for financial transactions, Xinhua reported. Tzekwan chairman Gu Zikun, an anti-counterfeit technology expert, believes the technology will curb ATM-related crimes. ATM parts on the mainland currently relied mostly on imported technology, the report said, but the new machine,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1813322/china-develops-cash-machines-facial-recognition-feature-curb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1813322/china-develops-cash-machines-facial-recognition-feature-curb?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2015 22:45:00 +0000 An eight-year-old Taipei girl has died almost a day after her throat was slashed by an intruder to her school, the island's Central News Agency reported. Kung Chung-an, 29, allegedly entered the Taipei Municipal Beitou District Wenhua Elementary School without permission on Friday and followed the girl to a restroom, where he slashed her throat twice with a fruit knife. The girl, surnamed Liu, was found in a pool of blood. She was rushed to Taipei Veterans General Hospital, where she was briefly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1813324/taipei-girl-8-dies-day-after-her-throat-was-slit-school-prowler?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1813324/taipei-girl-8-dies-day-after-her-throat-was-slit-school-prowler?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2015 22:45:00 +0000 Photos of a British Chinese volunteer in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have gone viral on mainland social media after he posted photographs of everyday life as an international freedom fighter on his weibo account. Huang Lei, who goes by the username “LeiG7”, is one of a group of international volunteers that includes military veterans and others with no combat experience, who have travelled to Syria to help Kurdish guerillas according to an report in The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1811274/british-chinese-volunteer-fighting-alongside-kurds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1811274/british-chinese-volunteer-fighting-alongside-kurds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2015 09:45:00 +0000 The authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang say they have broken up 181 terrorist groups since they launched a security crackdown a year ago. The government has blamed a series of violent attacks in the region and other areas of China on separatist Islamic militants from Xinjiang. The Communist Party committee in the region said 96.2 per cent of the gangs were discovered while they were planning attacks, the state-run news agency Xinhua said. Some 112 suspects had turned themselves in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1808450/china-breaks-181-terrorist-groups-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1808450/china-breaks-181-terrorist-groups-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2015 07:45:00 +0000 China’s civil aviation authority is to introduce a blacklist of passengers who behave badly on flights. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said a system for blacklisting poorly behaved travellers would be ready soon and will be introduced with the help of airlines, travel agents and airports, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The move comes after a series of widely reported incidents of unruly behaviour by Chinese air passengers. A flight from Thailand to China in December had... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1808434/chinas-aviation-authority-produce-blacklist-unruly-passengers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1808434/chinas-aviation-authority-produce-blacklist-unruly-passengers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2015 04:30:15 +0000 The Chinese navy plans to showcase a stealth frigate at a key Asian defence expo this week, the first time it has had a presence at the international event in eight years. The People's Liberation Army Navy said on its microblog yesterday that it would send a 4,000-tonne Type 054A Jiangkai II frigate to the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (Imdex) Asia in Singapore. The exhibition starts today. The last time China sent a similar warship to Imdex Asia was in 2007. The announcement follows... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1802635/pla-navy-show-stealth-frigate-return-asian-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1802635/pla-navy-show-stealth-frigate-return-asian-military?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2015 17:00:00 +0000 Five Chinese villagers were injured, two of them critically, after two artillery shells fired from Myanmar landed in their village in Yunnan province on Thursday night, China’s state broadcaster and other media reported. It is the second incident military incursion from Myanmar in two months resulting in casualties across the border in Yunnan. On March 8, four farmers were killed when a Myanmar government fighter jet dropped a bomb on a sugarcane field near Mengding village, in Yunnan’s Lincang... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1797863/shells-fired-myanmar-injure-five-civilians-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1797863/shells-fired-myanmar-injure-five-civilians-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2015 05:00:15 +0000 Local governments are laying down the rules to punish officials seen as slacking on their jobs, a trend observed since the corruption crackdown began. The move - which has seen governments roll out trial regulations to define and punish slack officials - follows Premier Li Keqiang's criticism of lazy officials during the annual parliamentary sessions in March. The official People's Daily reported that these rules defined slackness in three categories: inaction, passiveness, or launching... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1793890/chinas-local-governments-lay-down-rules-punish-laidback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1793890/chinas-local-governments-lay-down-rules-punish-laidback?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2015 16:00:30 +0000 The mainland's banking regulator on Friday urged commercial banks to boost lending to small businesses and the rural sector, as Beijing tries to revive its faltering economy and steer it towards more sustainable growth driven by domestic consumption and new technology. The comments by China Banking Regulatory Commission vice-chairman Zhou Mubing coincided with the release of weaker-than-expected trade data. Imports fell 16.2 per cent year on year in April while exports were down 6.4 per cent,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1790307/regulator-tells-chinas-commercial-banks-turn-lending-taps-small?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1790307/regulator-tells-chinas-commercial-banks-turn-lending-taps-small?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2015 16:30:00 +0000 China, the world's biggest maker and user of tobacco, has increased taxes on cigarettes to discourage smoking and raise government revenue. From Sunday, taxes on wholesale cigarettes will rise to 11 per cent from 5 per cent, and individual cigarettes will cost an extra 0.005 yuan each, the State Administration of Taxation said on its official microblog. The increase will rake in an additional 20 billion yuan (HK$25 billion) in taxes for the government this year compared with 2014, according to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1790178/china-doubles-tax-cigarettes-stub-out-smoking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1790178/china-doubles-tax-cigarettes-stub-out-smoking?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2015 16:17:46 +0000 The State Council has pledged to help the development of e-commerce by cutting red tape, supporting entrepreneurship, and easing market access. New e-commerce guidelines were published in a paper released by China’s cabinet on Thursday night – the third time in a week central authorities have promised to nurture the growth of online businesses amid the economic downturn. The move came as Premier Li Keqiang made a tour of Zhongguancun, Beijing’s high-tech business hub, to applaud innovation and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1789178/china-cut-e-commerce-red-tape-back-entrepreneurship-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1789178/china-cut-e-commerce-red-tape-back-entrepreneurship-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2015 05:00:15 +0000 China’s former president Hu Jintao made a rare public appearance in Sichuan on Thursday. Just days ahead of the anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Hu was photographed checking on recovery efforts in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, along with the county chief Qu Yongan. Hu did not appear to be travelling with a large security detail; online pictures showed civilians getting close to the former leader and taking pictures on their mobile phones. Hu may also have made a public appearance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1788855/public-appearance-chinas-ex-president-hu-jintao-dispels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1788855/public-appearance-chinas-ex-president-hu-jintao-dispels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2015 01:30:45 +0000 Wang Lijun, the former police chief who served under the jailed Chongqing  Communist Party chief Bo Xilai, allegedly kept a dossier of government officials’ “dirty secrets” to intimidate them, according to an official magazine affiliated with the party’s top anti-corruption body. The latest issue of China Discipline Inspection, published monthly by the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection, revealed details of graft inspectors’ search for leads and how they dodged steps taken by suspects... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1781592/bo-xilais-police-chief-kept-blackmail-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1781592/bo-xilais-police-chief-kept-blackmail-list?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2015 06:15:30 +0000 Surfing the web and sleeping are the favourite extracurricular activities of Beijing's undergraduate university students, a study has found. The survey, conducted by the Beijing branch of the Communist Youth League, also found that many undergraduates were overly optimistic about the job market. There was a 2,000-yuan (HK$2,530) gap between their expectations of their monthly salaries after graduation and the real average, China Youth Daily reported. Of 8,143 students surveyed, a little less... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1780122/beijing-students-favourite-pastimes-sleeping-and-surfing-net?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1780122/beijing-students-favourite-pastimes-sleeping-and-surfing-net?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2015 07:00:15 +0000 China’s anti-graft authorities are continuing to investigate state-run energy companies, as mainland media reported that senior energy-sector officials account for a quarter of all fallen state-owned enterprise (SOE) executives. China News Service reported that executives working in the mainland’s infrastructure sector were the second largest group to be probed by the top corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Since the 18th Party Congress in November 2012... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1778702/quarter-chinese-soe-executives-investigated-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1778702/quarter-chinese-soe-executives-investigated-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2015 07:45:45 +0000 A 58-member medical team sent by the Chinese government arrived in Nepal yesterday to help with relief efforts after massive earthquake struck the Himalayan region on Saturday. China also dispatched four Ilyushin IL-76 transport aircraft yesterday to help with the rescue operation, according a military website affiliated with The PLA Daily. China Military Online quoted Colonel Shen Jinke, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Air Force, as saying the four aircraft were chosen because the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1777677/chinese-medical-team-arrives-help-nepal-quake-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1777677/chinese-medical-team-arrives-help-nepal-quake-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2015 08:00:15 +0000 Tourists from China have been recounting their ordeals after returning from Nepal after the deadly earthquake on Saturday, state media reported. Three men from northern Shanxi province were at Everest base camp when it was struck by an avalanche caused by the quake, the Qianjiang Evening News said. One of the men, Shi Lei, was quoted as saying that he looked up and saw the camp had disappeared, with tent cloths and people scattered on the ground. Shi said he did not sleep that night as he and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1777566/chinese-tourists-recount-horrors-earthquake-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1777566/chinese-tourists-recount-horrors-earthquake-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2015 04:45:15 +0000 Vows by China and Pakistan to deepen security and defence ties will reinforce Beijing's ambitions to increase its arms exports, which could create unease among some countries in the region, especially India, security experts say. President Xi Jinping made his first state visit to Pakistan last week and met Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, with the sides agreeing to boost their partnership to "all-weather levels". The two nations also decided to step up dialogue between their armed forces, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1776522/beijing-eyes-bigger-arms-exports-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1776522/beijing-eyes-bigger-arms-exports-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2015 21:30:00 +0000 Family, employment and investment are some of the ways that corrupt Chinese officials might have made their way into the United States, according to legal experts. China's anti-graft watchdog announced on Wednesday that 40 suspects on a list of 100 wanted fugitives were believed to be hiding in the US. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection released the detailed list as a part of its "Sky Net" anti-corruption operation. The fugitives have been placed on Interpol "red notices" that seek... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1775369/top-countries-chinese-fugitives-offer-life-style-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1775369/top-countries-chinese-fugitives-offer-life-style-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2015 07:00:45 +0000 Current vice-minister of Finance Wang Baoan has been tipped by mainland media to lead the National Bureau Statistics of China (NBS) following the appointment of outgoing chief Ma Jiantang to a top government academy. Ma has joined the Chinese Academy of Governance as executive vice-president, leaving room for Wang, the academy’s official website announced on Tuesday. Wang, 52, began his career in the State Administration of Taxation before moving to the Ministry of Finance in 1998. He has held... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1773431/chinas-vice-minister-finance-wang-baoan-tipped-head?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1773431/chinas-vice-minister-finance-wang-baoan-tipped-head?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2015 10:24:39 +0000 Sewage has been discharged into a reservoir, river and farmland in Shenzhen turning fields in the area a reddish brown. The water bureau in the Baoan district of the city said an ink mixing and cartridge company was responsible, the Shenzhen Jing Bao newspaper reported. People living near the Tiegang Reservoir said that water feeding into their farmland had turned "blood red". "It's very likely to be the result of an accident, like a spillage, or someone decided to dump the sewage instead of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1770159/shenzhen-reservoir-and-river-hit-sewage-spill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1770159/shenzhen-reservoir-and-river-hit-sewage-spill?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2015 19:45:36 +0000 The threat of terrorist groups and uncertainty over China's future economic growth are some of the challenges facing the nation's New Silk Road initiatives, says a scholar at a Chinese government think tank. Many factors inside China and beyond had to be considered before the US$40-billion Silk Road infrastructure fund can "break the connectivity bottleneck" in Asia, according to Shi Ze, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies. The concepts of the New Silk Road Economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1770165/silk-road-plan-may-take-decades?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1770165/silk-road-plan-may-take-decades?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2015 19:45:36 +0000 Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, said on Thursday that China was building its first airstrip on the Spratly Islands only to provide supply and maintenance for passing ships. The comments, made in Washington during a speech organised by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, were made following the release of images provided by Airbus Defence and Space that showed China building a runway on reclaimed parts of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. Cui told... https://www.scmp.com/article/1768318/satellite-images-show-china-rapidly-building-new-south-china-sea-island-airstrip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1768318/satellite-images-show-china-rapidly-building-new-south-china-sea-island-airstrip?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2015 03:00:00 +0000 The mainland spent more than 400 million yuan (HK$505 million) monitoring pollution in 177 cities last year, according to Wu Xiaoqing, vice-minister for environmental protection. Cars were the main source of locally generated pollution in the country's four major cities, Wu said on Wednesday at an environmental monitoring site in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. The ministry had completed analysis of atmospheric pollution in nine major cities, Wu said. Particles from motor vehicles, industrial... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1753781/china-spends-y400-million-keep-tabs-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1753781/china-spends-y400-million-keep-tabs-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2015 15:30:30 +0000 Two associates of President Xi Jinping have been promoted to key posts in the Ministry of Public Security. Fu Zhenghua, a native of Hebei who was appointed director of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau in 2010, has been promoted from fifth to third-in-command at the ministry. Deng Weiping, who served under Xi in Fujian, was promoted to anti-graft chief of the public security bureau, the People's Daily website reported. Just days ago, Wang Xiaohong, an associate of Xi, who served alongside... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1749910/two-xi-jinpings-associates-promoted-key-public-security-ministry-posts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1749910/two-xi-jinpings-associates-promoted-key-public-security-ministry-posts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2015 22:41:14 +0000 HENAN 30 year search for parents A woman who was abducted 30 years ago has been looking for her real family for the past three years, the Zhengzhou Evening News reports. The woman, who is now about 35 years old, said she went to work with her mother one morning, and when her she was busy, a passer-by asked her whether she wanted to play. After a while, she fell asleep and woke up on a train. Three years ago, she began to look for her family, but she cannot remember any details about her... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1748677/around-nation-woman-searches-family-30-years-after-her-abduction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1748677/around-nation-woman-searches-family-30-years-after-her-abduction?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2015 10:30:15 +0000 ZHEJIANG Xi inspires model maker A villager has built a life-sized clay model of President Xi Jinping, news portal Dfic.cn reports. Zheng Hongkang, from Yuyao, said he had never had any artistic training, but had always enjoyed painting and moulding clay. He said he was inspired by Xi’s “China dream” to turn figures from his imagination into real-life models. Zheng has also built a collection of characters from the Chinese 16th century novel, Journey to the West. Row ends in baby’s death A... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1748048/around-nation-president-xi-jinpings-china-dream-fires-model?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1748048/around-nation-president-xi-jinpings-china-dream-fires-model?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2015 09:30:00 +0000 CHONGQING An arresting policeman A police officer in Chongqing unintentionally disrupted a marathon – because of his film-star good looks, the news website China.org.cn reports. The officer, who looks like Hong Kong actor Wallace Chung, was mobbed by female runners, who abandoned the race to take selfies with him. Other police were sent to escort the officer away so the race could resume. Failed kidnap scam A Chongqing man allegedly tried to swindle money from his brother-in-law by faking his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1747293/around-nation-chinese-policemans-looks-bring-female-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1747293/around-nation-chinese-policemans-looks-bring-female-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:00:30 +0000 ZHEJIANG ‘Naked’ marriage vows Ten couples covered in body paint wearing only their underwear have celebrated their “naked weddings” at Hangzhou Paradise amusement park in Zhejiang province, news website China.org.cn reports. The couples, some of whom have been married for many years, said they were rejecting modern Chinese values, which place greater value on money than love. In China, a naked wedding involves a couple marrying without owning a house or car. Cash theft at hotel A man who... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-digest/article/1746571/around-nation-chinese-naked-wedding-celebrations-focus-love-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-digest/article/1746571/around-nation-chinese-naked-wedding-celebrations-focus-love-not?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2015 14:45:00 +0000 SHAANXI DIY submariner eyes funds Shenmu county inventor Du Xiutang, 53, who has spent 300,000 yuan building his own submarine, is looking for new investors, news website Hsw.cn reports. Du has always been fascinated by machinery and technology, but had to quit his second-year studies at secondary school and start work as a farmer when his family could not pay his fees. Since 2005 he has studied submarine design by himself. He was granted three national patents after inventing a submarine... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1745557/around-nation-chinese-diy-inventor-searches-investors-help-finish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1745557/around-nation-chinese-diy-inventor-searches-investors-help-finish?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2015 14:00:30 +0000 JIANGXI Somefin the matter? Physical examinations of finless porpoises are being carried out on a boat on Poyang Lake, Jiangxi province, Xinhua reports. The exams are aimed at gaining an insight into the health issues facing the marine mammals. The porpoises, which are related to whales and dolphins, are an endangered species, with only about 1,000 left in China. Pollution, poaching and construction projects are blamed for their decline. Accidentally-on-porpoise? Investigators are probing the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1743080/around-nation-chinese-teacher-shot-head-was-mistaken-wild-boar-free?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1743080/around-nation-chinese-teacher-shot-head-was-mistaken-wild-boar-free?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2015 12:00:45 +0000