https://www.scmp.com/rss/322256/feed China’s annual "two sessions" or “lianghui” of 2016 took place in Beijing on March 3, 2016. It comprised plenary meetings of the country's top legislative and consultative bodies, the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A women’s group which recently met the two leading chief executive candidates has called for the government to increase the proportion of women in consultation bodies and to raise the status of the Women’s Commission. “Women are under-represented in consultation bodies. Currently less than 30 per cent [in those bodies are] women; we want that to increase to at least 30 per cent,” said Connie Wong Wai-ching, honorary president of the All-China Women’s Federation Hong Kong Delegates Association.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2076800/hong-kong-group-wants-more-women-be-part?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2076800/hong-kong-group-wants-more-women-be-part?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Mar 2017 14:00:35 +0000 The archbishop of Hong Kong’s Anglican Church lives in a luxury apartment on scenic Tai Tam Bay and sits on China’s top political advisory body, but he said it was “a loving and caring heart” that defined a Christian leader, not anything else. In a rare interview, Most Reverend Paul Kwong spoke with the Post on questions raised in the media about his political stances and why he resided at upscale Pacific View complex on Tai Tam Road. It was reported that the apartment cost the church HK$13.4... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1931378/top-anglican-official-hong-kong-defends-multi-million-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1931378/top-anglican-official-hong-kong-defends-multi-million-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Mar 2016 12:31:59 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying expects Hong Kong to encounter “emotional resistance and political interference” domestically when the government presses ahead with initiatives spelt out in Beijing’s 13th five-year development plan. The city risked ignoring opportunities on the mainland at its own peril, he said. For Hong Kong to play its role as a “super connector” – Leung’s favoured buzzword – to the mainland, there needed to be proper support not only from the government but all parties in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1928686/turbulence-ahead-hong-kong-chief-executive-expects-emotional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1928686/turbulence-ahead-hong-kong-chief-executive-expects-emotional?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Mar 2016 17:33:42 +0000 For centuries wealthy Chinese were known for philanthropy, such as gifts to schools and temples. But it dried up after state ownership displaced private ownership. More than 35 years after the opening up and reform that have made people rich and minted hundreds of billionaires, the tradition of sharing wealth has failed to take off again. It remains grounded in a legal void, plagued with suspicion, scepticism and scandal. The nation is poorer as a result, materially and spiritually. As the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1928109/chinas-new-charity-law-provides-much-needed-clarity-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1928109/chinas-new-charity-law-provides-much-needed-clarity-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Mar 2016 16:28:25 +0000 The annual liang hui – “Two Sessions” – has always carried an air of political mystique. It is inevitably so, perhaps, under “one country, two systems”, in which well water is not to mix with river water. So most Hongkongers are left at the periphery, a fact that is most pronounced during liang hui. Over the years, the occasion has become, for Hong Kong, open season for the practise of political “tasseography” – the reading of political tea leaves requiring interpretation and speculation in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1927006/hong-kongs-envoys-nation-have-duty-uphold-basic-law-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1927006/hong-kongs-envoys-nation-have-duty-uphold-basic-law-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Mar 2016 00:01:09 +0000 The government would meet its pension obligations, Premier Li Keqiang vowed on Wednesday, saying payments would be made “on time and in full”. Li also pledged to bolster the medical insurance scheme, promising to expand direct payment for hospital bills beyond the city level within one to two years. He also pledged that business and individual contributions to social security would be cut. READ MORE: In brief: Premier Li Keqiang on China’s growth target, US elections, and the future for Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926277/time-and-full-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-seeks-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926277/time-and-full-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-seeks-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:45:15 +0000 China’s relations with Russia will not be affected by changes in the international situation or pressure from any third party, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday. Sino-Japanese relations, however, remained fragile despite signs of improvement, he said. READ MORE: In brief: Premier Li Keqiang on China’s growth target, US elections, and the future for Hong Kong and Taiwan Russia and China have extensively enhanced economic, security and diplomatic ties in recent years as Moscow faces Western... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1926276/russian-ties-strong-relations-japan-still-fragile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1926276/russian-ties-strong-relations-japan-still-fragile?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:30:15 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang called on the United States to open up its markets to China, saying Beijing would give more access to American investors under a bilateral investment treaty. Addressing the media on Wednesday, Li said the two countries should treat each other in an equal and mutually beneficial way, despite the “sharp differences” on various issues. The underlying direction of US-China ties would not change, irrespective of who won this year’s US presidential election, he said. The premier... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1926275/chinese-premier-calls-us-open-markets-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1926275/chinese-premier-calls-us-open-markets-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:30:00 +0000 At the opening of the National People’s Congress two years ago, Premier Li Keqiang declared “war” on pollution, pledging to use an “iron fist” to crack down on offenders while vowing to the public that tackling environmental woes was high on the government’s agenda. But at yesterday’s press conference, none of the 17 questions put to the leader related to environmental pollution. Only a few months ago, in December, the nation’s capital issued China’s first smog red alert, although authorities... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926274/environment-fails-get-mentioned-during-question-session?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926274/environment-fails-get-mentioned-during-question-session?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:15:15 +0000 Despite a couple of stabs at humour, Premier Li Keqiang ­appeared more subdued on Wednesday than in previous press conferences. Li took centre stage for a fourth post-National People’s Congress media briefing and sounded less ambitious than he did the first two times. READ MORE: In brief: Premier Li Keqiang on China’s growth target, US elections, and the future for Hong Kong and Taiwan In 2013, at his debut appearance as premier, Li said: “Talking the talk [on economic reforms] is not as good as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926273/jokes-aside-meet-more-subdued-li-keqiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926273/jokes-aside-meet-more-subdued-li-keqiang?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:15:00 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing would push for greater trade with Taiwan only when the island’s incoming independence-leaning government recognised the “one China” principle. “[Beijing] will continuously introduce measures to promote economic cooperation between both sides in consideration of the premise ... that the cornerstone is still the 1992 consensus,” Li said after the close of the National People’s Congress ­on Wednesday. “As long as Taiwan adheres to the [political] foundation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1926272/one-china-cornerstone-cross-strait-trade-chinas-premier-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1926272/one-china-cornerstone-cross-strait-trade-chinas-premier-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:00:45 +0000 The mainland’s first charity law was approved by the national ­legislature on Wednesday and is due to come into effect in September. The legislation approved by the National People’s Congress lays out details on registration, fundraising and government oversight of charitable groups. It promises tax benefits for charitable activities and tightens scrutiny of such groups’ internal management. The regulatory framework is expected to boost public confidence in the sector after a series of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926271/september-start-date-set-chinas-first-charity-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926271/september-start-date-set-chinas-first-charity-law?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:00:15 +0000 Amid major concerns about China’s economic prospects and market stability, Premier Li Keqiang made clear for the first time that it was “impossible” for the country’s growth rate to fall to below 6.5 per cent. Addressing the media after the close of the National People’s Congress’ annual session on Wednesday, Li insisted that Beijing would take the necessary steps, including cutting taxes, to keep headline GDP growth above 6.5 per cent. READ MORE: In brief: Premier Li Keqiang on China’s growth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926266/growth-target-will-be-met-chinese-premier-li-keqiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926266/growth-target-will-be-met-chinese-premier-li-keqiang?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 15:45:15 +0000 New technology is transforming the way in which the media collects and delivers information. As delegates descended on Beijing for the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, they were joined by masses of journalists using the latest devices, as well as traditional methods, to capture the deliberations. Post photographer Simon Song took these images in and around the Great Hall of the People showing digital technology in use. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926261/two-sessions-digital-age-innovative-tech-photographing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926261/two-sessions-digital-age-innovative-tech-photographing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 15:30:00 +0000 A senior legal official from Beijing has completely dismissed escalating calls from some Hongkongers to turn the Chinese territory into an independent sovereign state in 2047. “It’s impossible,” Qiao Xiaoyang, head of the National People’s Congress Law Committee, said of the suggestion. “How would it be possible?” Qiao, a former Basic Law Committee chairman, was speaking on the sidelines of the “two sessions” in the capital. The comments came after an article in the latest issue of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1926253/hong-kong-independence-impossible-says-beijing-legal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1926253/hong-kong-independence-impossible-says-beijing-legal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 14:00:45 +0000 The annual government report that Premier Li Keqiang submitted to deputies for their approval at this year’s National People’s Congress received the lowest number of objections out of all the reports at the annual plenary session. READ MORE: Big questions that went unasked at Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s press conference Among the 2,857 lawmakers it received only 27 vetoes, despite the nation facing its worst economic downturn for 25 years. Vetoes against working reports when former premier Wen... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926254/chinas-premier-li-keqiangs-annual-report-league-its-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1926254/chinas-premier-li-keqiangs-annual-report-league-its-own?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 13:59:26 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang has expressed faith in Hongkongers’ ability to solve their own ­problems wisely as he struck a confident note on the city’s ­prospects despite gloomy predictions of a slowdown and worsening tension. Adopting a distinctly gentler tone than Beijing had previously taken, Li yesterday said the central government ­believed local authorities had “the capability and the public the wisdom to handle all the complex problems and situations facing Hong Kong”. He made the comment in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1925841/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-expresses-confidence-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1925841/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-expresses-confidence-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 09:15:15 +0000 China’s Premier Li Keqiang addressed many issues during his wide-ranging press conference as he took questions from journalists at the end of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Wednesday. But the questions asked in the two-hour-long session did not touch on some major topics of concern to the public. Here are some of the notable absences. Environment Over the past three years since he became premier, Li Keqiang has always answered a question on China’s efforts to curb pollution, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925820/big-questions-went-unasked-chinese-premier-li-keqiangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925820/big-questions-went-unasked-chinese-premier-li-keqiangs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 07:30:45 +0000 Hong Kong “I have confidence in a bright future for Hong Kong.” Asked “what’s wrong with Hong Kong”, China’s Premier Li Keqiang did not touch on the 2017 chief executive election or the Mong Kok riot earlier in January. Hong Kong had to put in its own efforts to develop, Li said. It could also take advantage of mainland China’s economic development, he added. “The central government will give full support to any proposals from the SAR government that help maintain Hong Kong’s long-term... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925811/brief-premier-li-keqiang-chinas-growth-target-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925811/brief-premier-li-keqiang-chinas-growth-target-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 06:15:45 +0000 China’s relationship with the United States will only improve, whoever wins the US presidential election, as the two nations common interests expand, China’s Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday. Li said that as China had become the US’s top trading partner, with two-way trade reaching US$560 billion, differences between two countries have been outweighed. “I believe that in the end no matter who gets into the White House the underlying trend for US-China ties will not change.” Li told a press... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1925794/chinas-relations-us-moving-forward-says-premier-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1925794/chinas-relations-us-moving-forward-says-premier-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 05:02:59 +0000 Welcome to scmp.com’s full coverage of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s message at the annual post-National People’s Congress press conference that took place at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday morning. SOCIAL SECURITY 12.56pm On the call by the public and business to cut their contributions to the social security fund – namely insurances for medical, unemployment, work safety, maternity and pension, and housing funds – Li said the social security fund balance allowed room for adjustment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925718/well-stabilise-chinas-economy-premier-li-keqiang-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925718/well-stabilise-chinas-economy-premier-li-keqiang-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 02:45:00 +0000 China’s growth is still on track and Beijing isn’t giving up its reform agenda. That’s the key message Premier Li Keqiang is expected to deliver at his annual post-National People’s Congress press conference in the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. The event is the closest most of the media can get to questioning the premier on China’s economic, diplomatic and social issues and there is much to cover. Analysts said Li was expected to use the show to reassure the world that the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925704/li-keqiangs-big-chance-chinese-premier-sell-his-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925704/li-keqiangs-big-chance-chinese-premier-sell-his-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:30:30 +0000 GDP growth target at least 6.5% China has set its annual growth target to at least 6.5 per cent. This came after gross domestic product grew 6.9 per cent last year – a 25-year low for the world’s second-largest economy. Premier Li Keqiang urged the Chinese people to “fight a hard battle” amid increasing downward pressure on the economy at home as well as risks and uncertainties abroad. READ all the latest stories on China’s annual ‘Two Sessions’ parliamentary meeting Budget deficit is 3% of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925636/5-big-numbers-set-define-china-2016?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925636/5-big-numbers-set-define-china-2016?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:45 +0000 The State Council has proposed a “9+2” strategy that will create an enlarged Greater Pearl River Delta zone with coverage of Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland provinces in a vision that will deepen economic, social, technological and infrastructure integration, according to a guidance document it released on Tuesday. On top of Hong Kong and Macau, the nine provinces that will make up the mainland side of the “9+2” spanning from the coastal east to the inland west include Fujian,... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925690/hong-kong-and-macau-be-integrated-nine-mainland-provinces-state-council?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925690/hong-kong-and-macau-be-integrated-nine-mainland-provinces-state-council?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:00:30 +0000 Beijing got off to a successful start in its efforts to stem illegal fund flows to the sizzling property market as 17 peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms suspended loans for down payments on property. The suspensions come just two days after China’s central bank announced plans to crack down on illegal lending to homebuyers. According to yingcanzixun.com, an online consultancy tracking operations of the mainland’s P2P companies, on Monday 17 companies halted lending to those who seek loans for... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925684/beijing-seen-gaining-ground-battle-curb-illegal-online-lending-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925684/beijing-seen-gaining-ground-battle-curb-illegal-online-lending-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 13:46:12 +0000 In a surprise move that reflects Beijing’s capricious policymaking on the stock market, the central government appears to have shelved a plan to create a high-profile new board for emerging industries, just three months after it received a go-ahead from Premier Li Keqiang. In an amended version for the 13th five-year plan, the mainland’s blueprint for economic and social development in 2016-2020, the attempt to launch the board was deleted, the Beijing Evening News reported Tuesday. The creation... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925635/beijing-backs-away-plans-new-trading-board-geared-towards-emerging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1925635/beijing-backs-away-plans-new-trading-board-geared-towards-emerging?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 11:50:29 +0000 A Chinese tycoon has defended action film star Jackie Chan against claims he is a “curse” as a mainland brand ambassador after many firms he has promoted in the past have found themselves mired in problems and controversy. Dong Mingzhu, billionaire chairwoman of leading Chinese home appliance maker Gree Electric – speaking on the sidelines of the annual National People’s Congress meeting in Beijing – said the actor’s work representing her company had not hurt the business. READ MORE: He made HOW... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1925207/curse-jackie-chan-chinese-tycoon-defends-film-star-against-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1925207/curse-jackie-chan-chinese-tycoon-defends-film-star-against-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 08:15:45 +0000 China’s housing bubbles are controllable and the country’s property market is not on track for a Japan-style boom and bust. That was the view of Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Chen Zhenggao, who mounted a strong defence of the country’s frothy real estate market on Tuesday. He said action by the authorities and the national urbanisation drive could be instrumental in helping China avoid a sudden collapse in housing prices that battered Japan decades ago. “It’s a different era... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925170/china-not-headed-japan-style-property-bust-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925170/china-not-headed-japan-style-property-bust-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 05:00:09 +0000 Dozens of amendments have been made to the mainland’s first charity law but a controversial ban on donation appeals by individuals remains firmly in place. The much-debated draft went through a third reading at the National People’s Congress last week and a fourth draft will be submitted for approval on Wednesday. More than 30 amendments were made to the third draft of the bill. The NPC’s legal committee said the prohibition on campaigns by individuals stayed because such actions were seen as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925096/dozens-changes-chinas-first-charity-law-ban-stays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925096/dozens-changes-chinas-first-charity-law-ban-stays?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2016 15:30:45 +0000 Find what interests young people and use that to support youth exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland. That’s the message golf resort chief Ken Chu Ting-kin delivered in Beijing last week. “Young people from the mainland and Hong Kong have a lot of common interests like comics and electronic games. Organising joint events or [sports] competitions will provide more channels to enhance communication,” Chu, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, proposed. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925093/comics-cosplay-and-video-games-one-proposal-build-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925093/comics-cosplay-and-video-games-one-proposal-build-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2016 15:15:45 +0000 No new small-scale hydropower plants will be built on the Nu River to help restore the environment, Yunnan officials gathering in Beijing have said, with the provincial party boss even talking about turning it into “China’s Grand Canyon”. But fate of the country’s last free-flowing river is still unclear as the officials remained tight-lipped on whether they would go ahead with plans to build a series of dams on the upper reaches of the Nu, known as the Salween River outside China and protected... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925053/chinas-grand-canyon-no-more-small-hydropower-plants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1925053/chinas-grand-canyon-no-more-small-hydropower-plants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2016 15:15:15 +0000 The mainland is drawing up rules to regulate the fast-growing ride-hailing market, the transport minister said on Monday. But it remains unclear when the regulations would go into ­effect, with Yang Chuantang ­cautioning that the interests of all stakeholders including taxi companies needed to be weighed. “As a new invention, online ride-hailing services have been a good experience for consumers, and welcomed by some passengers. So our solution is to provide a legal way” forward for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924576/china-give-green-light-ride-hailing-firms-uber-didi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924576/china-give-green-light-ride-hailing-firms-uber-didi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2016 06:45:30 +0000 Cracking down on financial crimes will be the top priority for mainland courts and prosecutors this year as the threat from illegal fundraising and Ponzi schemes continues to stalk the sector. In work reports presented to the National People’s Congress on Sunday, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Supreme People’s Court said safeguarding national security and the ongoing fight against corruption would also head the agenda for the judicial system. The focus on illegal fundraising and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924478/chinas-courts-and-prosecutors-take-aim-plague-illegal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924478/chinas-courts-and-prosecutors-take-aim-plague-illegal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:45:15 +0000 China will set up an “international maritime judicial centre” as it seeks to project its power at sea and territorial tensions rise with its neighbours. The move was expected to improve Beijing’s expertise in legal issues and raise its profile in international arbitration, observers said. Delivering a work report at the National People’s Congress on Sunday, Supreme People’s Court chief Zhou Qiang said China would improve the work of its maritime courts. Courts across China should work to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1924477/china-floats-plans-international-maritime-legal-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1924477/china-floats-plans-international-maritime-legal-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:45:00 +0000 Beijing has made “cracking down on infiltration and subversion by hostile forces” one of its key priorities after a year that saw convictions for state security ­offences double, according the nation’s top prosecutor’s office. In a move that raises concerns that the crackdown on activists and non-governmental organisations will intensify, chief prosecutor Cao Jianming highlighted the fight against terrorism, separatism and extreme religious activities in the Supreme People’s Procuratorate’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924476/beijing-pledges-get-tough-state-security-raising-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924476/beijing-pledges-get-tough-state-security-raising-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:30:45 +0000 President Xi Jinping has called for better integration between the military and the civilian sector to boost innovation in both the army and the nation. Xi, who is also chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, made the remarks when he attended a discussion among military delegates to the National People’s Congress on Sunday, Xinhua reported. He urged the armed forces to fully implement the innovation-driven development strategy, put combat capacity at the centre of its work, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924475/innovation-crucial-pla-chinese-president-tells-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924475/innovation-crucial-pla-chinese-president-tells-military?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:13:03 +0000 A group of delegates to the top political advisory body has called for the government to create a multibillion-yuan fund to help the ailing newspaper industry adapt to the internet age. The proposal, which was submitted to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), also appealed for more legal protection for newspapers to counter widespread copyright infringement online, media outlet Caixin reported on the weekend. The proposal was submitted by Li Dongdong, former deputy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924472/all-news-fit-subsidise-china-political-advisers-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924472/all-news-fit-subsidise-china-political-advisers-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:00:00 +0000 China’s top industry official on Sunday offered a rosy projection for the growth of environmentally friendly vehicles this year, announcing the new-energy car sector was on track to become the world’s biggest. Miao Wei, the minister for industry and information technology, said on the sidelines of the annual session of the legislature that annual sales would more than double in 2016 after strong growth last year. “An increasing number of companies and products are prepared to join in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1924461/chinas-industry-regulator-predicts-competition-green-car-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1924461/chinas-industry-regulator-predicts-competition-green-car-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 13:30:30 +0000 The government of northernmost Heilongjiang province has vowed to “financially support” a struggling state-owned coal firm after miners went to the streets to protest over unpaid wages. Governor Lu Hao said on Saturday that his government would continue to support Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group but also ordered the firm to pay its miners their overdue salaries, a government statement said. It was the first time Lu, who is in Beijing for the annual National People’s Congress, has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924126/miners-protest-ailing-chinese-coal-firm-heilongjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924126/miners-protest-ailing-chinese-coal-firm-heilongjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 11:40:47 +0000 Every March, when Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing heavyweights gather in the capital for the “two sessions” of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, they feel the political thermometer up north for the latest temperature of the central government’s policies towards the city. This year, along with many Hongkongers, they are looking for signs on two issues: whether Beijing will turn more hawkish in dealing with Hong Kong after the Mong Kok riot and whether... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1924084/its-economy-stupid-back-basics-mainland-chinese-leaders-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1924084/its-economy-stupid-back-basics-mainland-chinese-leaders-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2016 07:45:30 +0000 A crackdown is to be launched on the mainland against offering loans to pay for down payments on property. The move to stamp out the loans would help cool the property market and reduce financial risks. The crackdown will form part of government curbs on finance companies operating on the internet, the officials said. People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan (周小川) told a press briefing on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress that borrowing money to place down payments on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924025/china-crackdown-loans-property-down-payments-help-cool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924025/china-crackdown-loans-property-down-payments-help-cool?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:05:40 +0000 The mainland’s newly appointed chief stocks regulator said yesterday the government would not withdraw the capital injected to shore up the country’s share markets in the near future. Analysts said Liu Shiyu’s comments were aimed at boosting confidence in the nation’s stock markets amid continued volatile trading in recent months. “In quite a long time in the future it would be immature to talk about withdrawing market-saving capital,” he told a press conference on the sidelines of a meeting of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1924016/stocks-regulator-rules-out-withdrawing-government-cash-used-shore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1924016/stocks-regulator-rules-out-withdrawing-government-cash-used-shore?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:07:26 +0000 China can achieve its growth targets without the need for massive monetary stimulus to boost the nation’s economy, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said yesterday. Zhou said the government would adopt prudent monetary policy and that other measures and reforms would help increase consumption and ensure the nation’s future economic growth. “It’s unnecessary to take excessive monetary stimulus to achieve the growth target,” he said. “With prudent monetary policy and other supportive macro... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1924015/chinas-central-bank-chief-zhou-xiaochuan-confident-hitting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1924015/chinas-central-bank-chief-zhou-xiaochuan-confident-hitting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:00:30 +0000 A major omission among future proposals concerning China’s securities market, outlined by Premier Li Keqiang last weekend, may offer a revealing glimpse into the current stasis of the government’s financial reforms and liberalisations. Supporting the reforms will require a process and a period of time, and the reform of registration-based IPO system can’t move ahead on its own Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission To the amazement of mainland investment bankers, fund... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1922396/key-chinese-reform-delay-securities-market-overhaul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1922396/key-chinese-reform-delay-securities-market-overhaul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 15:40:08 +0000 While dim sum bond issuance – yuan-denominated bonds issued in offshore yuan markets – has been shrinking for a few months, China’s’s top central bank officials say they remain hopeful about the market’s future. Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan and his deputy, Yi Gang, both believe the market is not at all doomed. The dim sum bond market had been an ideal place for mainland companies to get cheaper debt since its debut in 2007. But doubts have been raised over the past six months as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924010/chinas-central-bank-officials-remain-hopeful-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924010/chinas-central-bank-officials-remain-hopeful-about?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 15:15:45 +0000 Tea breaks – ubiquitous around the world – could return to China’s annual “Two Sessions” meetings officials said on Saturday – if delegates behave. Nothing, it seems, stops for tea – certainly not the mainland’s delegates in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, who should be seated inside the auditorium listening attentively to officials giving their speeches, rather than sipping their favourite cup of cha. Not that any brave-and-thirsty delegates would have been able to sit and enjoy a nice cup... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924009/tea-break-reprieve-chinas-two-sessions-delegates-may?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924009/tea-break-reprieve-chinas-two-sessions-delegates-may?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 15:00:45 +0000 China’s industrial production and retail sales slowed in the first two months of the year, highlighting the pressure leaders will face to meet this year’s annual growth target even as the central bank governor said major stimulus wasn’t needed. Industrial output rose 5.4 per cent from a year earlier in January and February, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Saturday, compared with the 5.6 per cent median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.  READ MORE: China doomed to fail as it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1923589/china-says-large-scale-monetary-stimulus-not-needed-boost-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1923589/china-says-large-scale-monetary-stimulus-not-needed-boost-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 07:47:52 +0000 China will adopt a prudent but more flexible monetary policy to help counter global shocks while also avoiding excessive stimulus measures, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said during a press conference today on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress. Zhou also commented on the recent surge in property prices nationwide. More highlights from the press conference are listed below. 1. On economic growth targets and monetary policy Zhou said China will not rely as heavily on exports... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1923588/central-bank-governor-zhou-says-china-will-embrace-prudent-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1923588/central-bank-governor-zhou-says-china-will-embrace-prudent-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2016 07:15:00 +0000 On the ninth day of China’s annual “Two Sessions”, the foyer of the Great Hall of the People was suddenly quiet and largely empty. The scores of round tables and red chairs that had filled both sides of the foyer for more than a week were nowhere to be seen. Also gone were the legions of delegates who sat around the tables, sipping their tea and chatting through the rounds of applause in between speeches that resounded in the auditorium next door. A tea break in the foyer used to be a popular... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1923471/no-more-idle-chatter-great-teahouse-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1923471/no-more-idle-chatter-great-teahouse-people?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2016 18:28:23 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) campaign against corruption has not come without collateral damage to trust between officials and businessmen. This has done nothing to grease the wheels of commerce, with officials wary of business and social contacts with businessmen that pave the way for approvals of contracts and transactions. Now Xi has not only encouraged officials to resume this important interaction by forging squeaky clean relationships, but has delivered a pep talk to wealthy and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1923537/xi-jinpings-message-rich-set-good-example-timely?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1923537/xi-jinpings-message-rich-set-good-example-timely?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2016 16:35:30 +0000