https://www.scmp.com/rss/322621/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Former security tsar Zhou Yongkang was once one of China’s most powerful men. Now, he grows fruit and vegetables inside the “tigers’ cage” – the country’s infamous maximum security jail for fallen political elites. Disgraced Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai and his former police chief Wang Lijun, who were at the center of the country’s biggest political scandal in recent years, do not cross paths at the prison but apparently share the same hobby: calligraphy. More than 1.3 million Chinese officials... https://www.scmp.com/society/what-chinas-elite-prisoners-do-behind-bars/article/3000455?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/what-chinas-elite-prisoners-do-behind-bars/article/3000455?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 10:12:22 +0000 Former security tsar Zhou Yongkang was once one of China’s most powerful men. Now, he grows fruit and vegetables inside the “tigers’ cage” – the infamous maximum security jail for fallen political elites. Meanwhile, disgraced Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai and his former police chief Wang Lijun, who were at the centre of the country’s biggest political scandal in recent years, do not cross paths at the prison but apparently share the same hobby: calligraphy. More than 1.3 million Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2181862/elite-prisoners-chinas-tigers-cage-qincheng-grow-vegetables-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2181862/elite-prisoners-chinas-tigers-cage-qincheng-grow-vegetables-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jan 2019 09:03:43 +0000 China watchers searching for clues in identifying the next generation of top Chinese leaders have been focusing on the recent promotion of about a dozen vice-governors and vice-ministers born in the 1970s. Many of these relatively young political stars, analysts believe, are being groomed for future leadership roles. And what is notable about them is that they had been destined to be China’s “seventh generation” of leaders, yet look increasingly likely to overtake their immediate seniors – once... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2180788/will-chinas-leadership-succession-after-xi-jinping-skip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2180788/will-chinas-leadership-succession-after-xi-jinping-skip?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jan 2019 21:58:12 +0000 Lessons learned from the implementation of the “one country, two systems” formula in Hong Kong will be of great value to Beijing as it seeks to woo Taiwan into accepting the model for reunification with the mainland, a legal expert said. Issues such as school textbooks and the right of final adjudication should be clearly defined as matters of sovereign power of the central government if a Basic Law is to be adopted for Taiwan, said Tian Feilong, associate professor of Beijing’s Beihang... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2180599/lessons-learned-sovereign-power-hong-kong-crucial-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2180599/lessons-learned-sovereign-power-hong-kong-crucial-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jan 2019 15:15:11 +0000 Strengthening training and preparation for war are among the top priorities for China’s military in 2019, its official newspaper said on Tuesday. “Drilling soldiers and war preparations are the fundamental jobs and work focus of our military, and at no time should we allow any slack in these areas,” the PLA Daily said in its New Year’s Day editorial. “We should be well prepared for all directions of military struggle and comprehensively improve troops’ combat response in emergencies … to ensure... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/2180309/chinas-military-priorities-2019-boost-training-and-prepare-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/2180309/chinas-military-priorities-2019-boost-training-and-prepare-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jan 2019 14:36:30 +0000 China’s top leaders held a series of meetings in Beijing this week to underscore the authority of Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping and set the national agenda for the year ahead. The Politburo – the party’s highest echelon – ended two days of meetings on Wednesday at which members discussed how to “strengthen the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment”, state news agency Xinhua reported. “[The meeting] also... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2179722/chinas-leaders-reaffirm-loyalty-party-under-xi-jinping-top-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2179722/chinas-leaders-reaffirm-loyalty-party-under-xi-jinping-top-level?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Dec 2018 21:00:15 +0000 China faced “unimaginable” perils and dangers, but Communist Party rule and its chosen path would help to weather them, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday as he tried to shore up confidence in a country at a crossroads after four decades of reforms. He was speaking at a high-profile event in Beijing marking the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening that started with a ceremony to honour 100 “reform pioneers”. Ten foreigners also received a “China Friendship Medal”, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2178607/what-xi-jinping-says-can-help-save-china-terrifying-tidal-waves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2178607/what-xi-jinping-says-can-help-save-china-terrifying-tidal-waves?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2018 15:30:23 +0000 China’s Communist Party has for the first time declared a “crushing victory” in President Xi Jinping’s war on corruption, a sudden announcement that left observers debating what it all meant for the six-year campaign. In a statement after its meeting on Thursday, the party’s top 25-member decision-making body, the Politburo, said “the fight against corruption has achieved a crushing victory” since the 19th party congress late last year. But it also warned that the situation ahead was still tough... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2178019/crushing-victory-whats-next-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2178019/crushing-victory-whats-next-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Dec 2018 08:15:00 +0000 As the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies sat down to dinner in Buenos Aires on December 1, hopeful of reaching a truce in the months-old trade war, Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off the talks with a 30-minute monologue, according to American officials there that night. Yet for several days after the meeting, the world – and especially the Chinese people – had little confirmed knowledge of what Xi had said, or whether his remarks had helped de-escalate the tariff war between... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2177531/chinas-dilemma-trade-war-talks-making-concessions-without?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2177531/chinas-dilemma-trade-war-talks-making-concessions-without?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Dec 2018 16:00:15 +0000 Wang Ruilin, the top military aide to China’s late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, died on Saturday in Beijing at the age of 88, according to people close to the matter. “General Wang Ruilin, former deputy head of the People’s Liberation Army’s General Political Department, passed away at the PLA’s General Hospital in Beijing on Saturday morning,” said a source close to the military, adding that a funeral service would be held on Monday at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2177141/deng-xiaopings-top-aide-chinese-army-wang-ruilin-dies-aged-88?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2177141/deng-xiaopings-top-aide-chinese-army-wang-ruilin-dies-aged-88?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2018 12:43:15 +0000 US technology giant Cisco has sent an email to staff asking them to cut non-essential travel to China as Beijing sought to address fears that US executives would be targeted in retaliation for the arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou. Some US-based Cisco employees said on Friday that they had received an email asking them to cut non-essential travel to China, saying the restriction will take effect immediately. The company admitted that the email existed, but insisted... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2176981/china-seeks-reassure-us-executives-concerns-rise-retaliation-over-huawei-cfos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2176981/china-seeks-reassure-us-executives-concerns-rise-retaliation-over-huawei-cfos?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Dec 2018 13:00:30 +0000 On the same night that President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China met over dinner in Argentina to discuss ending their trade war, authorities on the other side of the American continents sprang into action. At the request of the United States, the Canadian authorities arrested a top Chinese tech executive in transit through Vancouver: Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei – and daughter of its founder. The arrest, analysts said, now threatens to... https://www.scmp.com/politics/huawei-executive-meng-wanzhous-arrest-risks-complicating-us-china-trade-war-talks/article/2176725?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/huawei-executive-meng-wanzhous-arrest-risks-complicating-us-china-trade-war-talks/article/2176725?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2018 10:15:45 +0000 Beijing on Thursday demanded the US and Canada clarify why Ottawa has detained Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei’s chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou at the request of the US government. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that both the US and Canadian authorities had yet to clarify their reason for arresting Meng, who is also one of Huawei’s deputy chairpersons and a daughter of its founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei. Geng said Beijing had lodged protests... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2176608/huawei-deputy-chairwoman-sabrina-meng-wanzhou-detained-canadia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2176608/huawei-deputy-chairwoman-sabrina-meng-wanzhou-detained-canadia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Dec 2018 22:30:45 +0000 The potential payday was huge, but a senior law enforcer in China’s southern tech hub still failed to tempt even the most avaricious money launderer to move his billion-yuan stash of ill-gotten cash across the border into Hong Kong. Li Huanan, the 59-year-old deputy Communist Party chief of Shenzhen, had offered up to half of his haul – or more than US$70 million – to any underground banker willing to take up the challenge, according to a source with direct knowledge of the case. “Li tried to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2174752/us144-million-dirty-cash-no-money-launderer-china-would-touch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2174752/us144-million-dirty-cash-no-money-launderer-china-would-touch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 03:00:57 +0000 To lose one mayor may be regarded as a misfortune but now Nanjing, the capital of the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, has achieved the rare distinction of losing two mayors and a Communist Party chief in five years. The party’s anti-graft watchdog and the new National Supervisory Commission announced on Thursday that Miao Ruilin – the city’s mayor from late 2013 until he was promoted to Jiangsu vice-governor in January this year – was under investigation on suspicion of severe violation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2173656/another-ex-mayor-exits-and-nanjing-wins-place-chinas-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2173656/another-ex-mayor-exits-and-nanjing-wins-place-chinas-political?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Nov 2018 13:31:24 +0000 China’s pork industry is struggling to contain the spread of African swine fever, which has now reached the southwest of the country – one of its major pig-producing areas. Ten of 16 pigs infected with the virus have died at a farm in Yibin, Sichuan province, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday. In central Hubei province, another 13 pigs died from the disease on Thursday following reports of an outbreak there last month. African swine fever has now spread to most of China’s pig-farming... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2173653/african-swine-fever-spreads-one-chinas-biggest-pig-farming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2173653/african-swine-fever-spreads-one-chinas-biggest-pig-farming?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Nov 2018 12:37:33 +0000 The composition of air pollution in Beijing is changing, according to the latest research into the subject. Potentially harmful pollutants, known as nitrates, emitted by cars and factories are now the main component of the tiny atmospheric particulate matter known as PM2.5 in some parts of the Chinese capital, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed official from the city’s environment watchdog. Beijing’s choking smog is back, and the government is blaming perfume and hair... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2171599/beijings-air-pollution-changing-new-research-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2171599/beijings-air-pollution-changing-new-research-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Nov 2018 08:49:13 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China must develop, control and use artificial intelligence (AI) to secure the country’s future in the next technological and industrial revolution. The comments underscored Beijing’s continued ambition for technological dominance despite Washington’s allegations of theft and unfair practices in relation to intellectual property. Xi made the comments at a Politburo “group study” session about AI, after the Communist Party’s 25-member... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2171102/develop-and-control-xi-jinping-urges-china-use-artificial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2171102/develop-and-control-xi-jinping-urges-china-use-artificial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Oct 2018 14:18:22 +0000 It was not even 8am but the southern Chinese boom town of Shenzhen was already on alert for President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the city on the third day of his trip to Guangdong province. Amid the morning quiet, there were clear signs that someone important was about to arrive. In Futian, the city’s central business district, roads around the Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning Exhibition were blocked and residents wondered aloud about why they had to suddenly shut their windows. All... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2170067/two-chinese-cities-and-legions-dancing-aunties-and-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2170067/two-chinese-cities-and-legions-dancing-aunties-and-students?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Oct 2018 14:45:15 +0000 Nine former Chinese government prosecutors have been jailed for their role in the mysterious torture and death of Hong Kong businessman Stephen Lau Hei-wing in custody last year. Lau, 60, owned the Kimberley Hotel in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district. News of his possible death in custody in mainland China was revealed during a court hearing in Hong Kong in June 2017. The Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday sentenced Xu Xuezhe, the lead interrogator, to 15 years in jail. Zhou... https://www.scmp.com/china/china-court-jails-9-torture-death-hong-kong-businessman/article/2170023?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/china-court-jails-9-torture-death-hong-kong-businessman/article/2170023?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Oct 2018 10:15:00 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Guangzhou on Wednesday afternoon on the fourth leg of his much-anticipated trip south ahead of the 40th anniversary of the country’s reform and opening up. After attending the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Tuesday, Xi also visited Guangdong province’s impoverished backwaters, pledging that “no one would be left behind” in his poverty alleviation campaign. State television reported that Xi had visited an old district of Guangzhou, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169930/china-must-close-wealth-gap-says-xi-jinping-visit-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169930/china-must-close-wealth-gap-says-xi-jinping-visit-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Oct 2018 03:45:00 +0000 A Chinese court has jailed nine former prosecutors for up to 13 years over the case of Hong Kong businessman and hotel owner Stephen Lau Hei-wing, who was tortured to death in custody last year. The Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People’s Court handed down the sentences on Tuesday, giving the nine defendants, most of them from Yanbian prefecture in Jilin province, less than two weeks to appeal the decision. According to a copy of the verdict seen by the South China Morning Post, lead interrogator Xu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169869/china-jails-former-prosecutors-over-tortured-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169869/china-jails-former-prosecutors-over-tortured-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Oct 2018 11:38:12 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping will soon embark on what he hopes will be a confidence-boosting tour of Guangdong province, according to sources familiar with the matter, as the manufacturing and export base begins to feel the impact of the country’s trade war with the US. While the leader’s itinerary is a closely guarded secret, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that he might attend the official opening ceremony for the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, which is set to take place... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169190/chinese-president-xi-jinping-set-visit-guangdong-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2169190/chinese-president-xi-jinping-set-visit-guangdong-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2018 23:15:15 +0000 Two senior former generals have been stripped of their Communist Party membership and military rank because of corruption allegations, Beijing announced on Tuesday. “The violations are very serious and the scale of the corruption is huge. It caused serious damage,” according to a statement released through state news agency Xinhua. A source close to the Chinese military said more than 300 military personnel were implicated in the case against Fang Fenghui. The former chief of joint staff is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/2168823/two-senior-chinese-generals-stripped-rank-and-party-membership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/2168823/two-senior-chinese-generals-stripped-rank-and-party-membership?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Oct 2018 10:48:31 +0000 The downfall of the former head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, effectively completed a gradual change of guard in the top echelon of the 2 million strong police force Chinese President Xi Jinping inherited five years ago. Analysts said the line-up of the minister and his deputies at the Ministry of Public Security, where Meng was a senior vice-minister, reflected how Communist Party leaders had traditionally seen the political importance of the police force. Meng’s name and title were deleted from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2168451/chinas-removal-meng-hongwei-completes-reshaping-public-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2168451/chinas-removal-meng-hongwei-completes-reshaping-public-security?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Oct 2018 02:16:44 +0000 With former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei under investigation in China and the government raising the “pernicious legacy” of disgraced ex-security tsar Zhou Yongkang, there is growing speculation over whether the two cases are linked. But a source close to Zhou’s family has dismissed the suggestion they are connected. The Ministry of Public Security on Monday accused Meng, who is also vice-minister of public security, of taking bribes. The investigation is being handled by the National Supervisory... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167708/ex-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-was-never-close-disgraced-former?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167708/ex-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-was-never-close-disgraced-former?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Oct 2018 13:14:33 +0000 China has accused the former Interpol president and its vice-minister of public security Meng Hongwei of taking bribes and detained him for investigation. A statement on the Ministry of Public Security’s website on Monday also said police would form a task force to go after Meng’s associates, adding that his “insistence on doing things in his own way means he has only himself to blame for being placed under investigation”. Meng’s case is now in the hands of the country’s new and powerful... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167451/china-accuses-former-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-taking-bribes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167451/china-accuses-former-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-taking-bribes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Oct 2018 06:30:30 +0000 The Chinese head of Interpol – who vanished last month after returning to his homeland – was under investigation for possible criminal activity, China announced late on Sunday, as the world police organisation said he had resigned. The revelations came as Meng Hongwei’s wife voiced concern for his life after receiving a final text message from his phone with a knife emoji. Meng, 64, was reported missing last week by his wife in Lyon, France, where Interpol is based. Grace Meng said she had not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167384/china-confirms-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167384/china-confirms-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Oct 2018 16:15:30 +0000 Chinese film star Fan Bingbing’s tax woes are likely to have far-reaching effects on the country’s entertainment industry. Coupled with the ruling Communist Party’s tightening controls on the film and TV, the industry is expected to see a slump that will last for as long another two years, say entertainment insiders. Tenky Tin, the head of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, told the South China Morning Post that the slowdown started about three months ago, shortly after Fan first... https://www.scmp.com/arts/chinas-film-industry-grinds-halt-because-fan-bingbing-tax-scandal/article/2167174?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/chinas-film-industry-grinds-halt-because-fan-bingbing-tax-scandal/article/2167174?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Oct 2018 09:30:00 +0000 The scandal over Fan Bingbing’s tax affairs coupled with the Communist Party’s tighter controls on China’s entertainment industry will have a significant impact on the number of locally produced films and television shows in the next one or two years, insiders said. Tenky Tin Kai-man, the head of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, said the slowdown started about three months ago soon after Fan first disappeared from public view. “Most of the production work on both movies and television... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167047/chinas-film-industry-grinds-halt-because-fan-bingbing-tax?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2167047/chinas-film-industry-grinds-halt-because-fan-bingbing-tax?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Oct 2018 22:30:45 +0000 Xiao Jianhua, the Chinese billionaire who vanished from a luxury Hong Kong hotel over the 2017 Lunar New Year break, is about to face trial in Shanghai charged with stock price manipulation and bribery. A pre-trial meeting – similar to a preliminary hearing – was held earlier this month, a step that signals the end is near for one of the most dramatic and complicated cases in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on the country’s wayward tycoons. A source said there might be additional rounds... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2165416/chinese-tycoon-xiao-jianhua-could-face-trial-soon-stock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2165416/chinese-tycoon-xiao-jianhua-could-face-trial-soon-stock?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Sep 2018 23:00:15 +0000 Beijing has affirmed the leading role of state firms in China’s technological and economic progress amid the escalating trade war with the United States, with a major nationwide conference planned for the end of September. Two sources have confirmed to theSouth China Morning Post that the conference will be chaired by China’s top economic adviser and will showcase Beijing’s strong support for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Washington’s strong objection to the prominent role of SOEs in the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2163927/trade-war-escalates-china-intensifies-role-state-owned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2163927/trade-war-escalates-china-intensifies-role-state-owned?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Sep 2018 11:15:30 +0000 Three senior Chinese generals have been either severely punished or detained as part of a corruption investigation this week, multiple sources said, as President Xi Jinping sent a strong message to the military that his crackdown on graft is far from finished. Two generals who at different times held top military jobs in the country’s south, including overseeing the sensitive South China Sea, were demoted by seven grades to become deputy regimental officers, the sources said. China’s rising... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161289/president-xi-jinping-takes-aim-more-top-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161289/president-xi-jinping-takes-aim-more-top-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Aug 2018 14:01:35 +0000 China’s annual round of military promotions has skipped a generation to focus on the military’s rising stars instead. In a break with tradition, no full generals were promoted this year on August 1, the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, but in July some 15 officers were elevated to the rank of lieutenant general. The youngest of these was Chang Dingqiu, 51, who led the 2015 fighter jet flights over Tiananmen Square to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2160997/chinas-rising-military-stars-take-centre-stage-annual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2160997/chinas-rising-military-stars-take-centre-stage-annual?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Aug 2018 19:00:50 +0000 A Chinese state newspaper editor who set off a public debate on the country’s overblown technological strength has said scientific spirit remains scarce, despite the nation being in pursuit of it for a century. Liu Yadong, chief editor of Science and Technology Daily, said a lack of scientific spirit was often the underlying reason for some of the problems facing China, from weaknesses in fundamental innovation and research, to widespread counterfeiting and fraud, and even arrogance in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159920/century-china-still-lacks-drive-scientific-truth-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159920/century-china-still-lacks-drive-scientific-truth-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Aug 2018 22:00:00 +0000 The Chinese authorities have begun a coordinated crackdown on tax evasion and offshore currency transfers by some of the country’s highest-paid celebrities, in a move to tamp public anger over a yawning income gap. The joint investigation involves the nation’s tax bureau, the foreign-exchange watchdog, financial crime investigators and regulators of the publishing, broadcasting and sports bureaus, according to several sources familiar with the matter. In their cross hairs are movie actors and... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2159456/chinese-authorities-crack-down-tax-dodges-illegal-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2159456/chinese-authorities-crack-down-tax-dodges-illegal-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Aug 2018 10:00:30 +0000 On a busy street in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun, two tired-looking security guards stand at the entrance to a vast, apparently deserted commercial complex. A broken sign reads “Changchun Institute of Biological Products.” Across the street, in a residential block for retirees from the institute, several people remain in shock and disbelief at how Gao Junfang, a former colleague who rose to become China’s “Vaccine Queen,” became embroiled in one of the biggest healthcare scandals... https://www.scmp.com/science/gao-junfang-changsheng-bio-tech-became-billionaire-vaccine-scandal-may-land-her-behind-bars/article/2159383?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/science/gao-junfang-changsheng-bio-tech-became-billionaire-vaccine-scandal-may-land-her-behind-bars/article/2159383?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Aug 2018 09:30:00 +0000 On a busy street in Changchun, a city in northeast China that was once the capital of Japan’s puppet state Manchukuo, two tired-looking security guards stand at the entrance to a vast but apparently deserted commercial complex. A broken sign reads “Changchun Institute of Biological Products”. Across the street, in a residential block for retirees from the institute, several people remain in shock and disbelief at how Gao Junfang, a former colleague who rose to become China’s “Vaccine Queen”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159133/mysterious-rise-and-fall-chinas-scandal-hit-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159133/mysterious-rise-and-fall-chinas-scandal-hit-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Aug 2018 13:00:28 +0000 Officials investigating the former chairman of China’s largest state-owned asset management firm for bad loans have seized 270 million yuan (US$39.5 million) in cash from properties owned by the businessman, according to a mainland media report. Lai Xiaomin, who led China Huarong Asset Management, was put under investigation for suspected “serious discipline violations”, a euphemism for corruption, in April. He resigned the same month. Head of China’s biggest bad-debt manager Huarong under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159221/chinese-corruption-inquiry-finds-us39-million-cash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159221/chinese-corruption-inquiry-finds-us39-million-cash?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Aug 2018 14:02:37 +0000 When state radio reported on Wednesday that Premier Li Keqiang met United Nations General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa in Beidaihe, it was the clearest confirmation that the annual summer gathering of China’s most influential politicians was taking place at the northern Chinese seaside resort. Despite no exact opening or closing or official agenda, the summer conclave – described variously as a “meeting” or “holiday” over the past six decades – has mirrored the changing landscape... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2158875/where-chinas-top-leaders-go-summer-and-secret-brief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2158875/where-chinas-top-leaders-go-summer-and-secret-brief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Aug 2018 14:41:15 +0000 China has officially named Zhuang Rongwen as the new chief of the agency supervising the country’s internet. The announcement that Zhuang would replace Xu Lin as head of the Cyberspace Administration of China confirms a report by the South China Morning Post last week, which also said that President Xi Jinping was seeking to shake up the country’s propaganda and censorship wings. Xu, a former aide to Xi in Shanghai, is expected to become the Communist Party’s new international propaganda chief,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2157762/beijing-names-new-internet-watchdog-china-keeps-door?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2157762/beijing-names-new-internet-watchdog-china-keeps-door?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Aug 2018 06:15:47 +0000 China is shaking up its propaganda and internet leadership as it tries to improve the country’s image abroad and ensure online views toe the Communist Party’s line, two sources briefed on the changes told the South China Morning Post. The changes are also part of Beijing’s efforts to fix a propaganda and censorship system plagued by corruption and scandals, including the downfall of Lu Wei, the former Chinese cyberspace tsar whom Beijing labelled “tyrannical” and “shameless”. As part of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2156921/xi-jinping-shake-propaganda-censorship-chiefs-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2156921/xi-jinping-shake-propaganda-censorship-chiefs-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jul 2018 03:45:45 +0000 The Communist Party’s disciplinary chief for Beijing has been named as the new party boss of Guangzhou, the capital of south China’s economic powerhouse province Guangdong, as part of a nationwide reshuffle at the provincial level. The appointment of Zhang Shuofu, 53, was announced to senior cadres in Guangzhou on Friday, official Beijing Daily reported on social media. Zhang will take over from Ren Xuefeng, who will retain his post as deputy party boss of Guangdong and his law enforcement... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2156228/beijings-head-discipline-take-over-boss-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2156228/beijings-head-discipline-take-over-boss-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jul 2018 14:50:28 +0000 China has sent a spy ship to monitor the US-led Rim of the Pacific drill under way in waters off Hawaii, according to US media reports, after its navy was excluded from the event amid simmering tensions over the South China Sea. Chinese military experts said the ship could be used to obtain information about communication channels, but it was not breaking international law by being there. US Pacific Fleet spokesman Captain Charlie Brown told USNI News on Friday that a Chinese surveillance ship... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2155289/china-sends-spy-ship-monitor-us-led-rimpac-war-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2155289/china-sends-spy-ship-monitor-us-led-rimpac-war-games?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jul 2018 11:57:39 +0000 After spending much of the past eight years imprisoned in her own home, Liu Xia, widow of China’s most prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo, was finally freed on Tuesday and is on her way to Germany. The 57-year-old poet, painter and photographer had been under house arrest since 2010, when her husband Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison. Liu Xia has never been charged with any crime. She was reunited with Liu Xiaobo in late June last year at a Shenyang hospital after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2154693/freedom-detained-dissidents-widow-liu-xia-after-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2154693/freedom-detained-dissidents-widow-liu-xia-after-long?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jul 2018 13:38:54 +0000 A 49-year-old aerospace technocrat has been named to lead the 81 million-plus members of China’s Communist Youth League, highlighting what could be the start of a bigger push for younger officials in the administration. The league announced on Friday that He Junke would be its new head, becoming the youngest person in the country to hold ministerial-level office. The league has long been regarded as a cradle of China’s leadership, with former president Hu Jintao and Premier Li Keqiang among... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2153238/promotion-chinese-aerospace-technocrat-start-communist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2153238/promotion-chinese-aerospace-technocrat-start-communist?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jun 2018 13:02:06 +0000 The American songbook is not usually inspiration for the People’s Liberation Army but on Wednesday it set the tone for a banquet held in Beijing for visiting US Defence Secretary James Mattis. The tough official talks of Mattis’ three-day trip were set aside for the dinner as – in a rare gesture – PLA performer Cai Guoqing sang Edelweiss, a standard from the US musical The Sound of Music. “Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright, you look happy to meet... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2153179/china-dips-american-songbook-entertain-us-defence-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2153179/china-dips-american-songbook-entertain-us-defence-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Jun 2018 14:07:13 +0000 Foreign tourists hoping to visit the Chinese island of Hainan under a new “visa-free” scheme may end up spending a day in the arrivals lounge “being processed” and will have their fingerprints taken, sources said. Beijing waived the visa requirement in May to lure travellers to the tropical province, which it also plans to develop as a free-trade port. Under the new policy, which was announced in April by the State Immigration Administration, individuals and groups from 59 countries – including... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2152096/foreign-visitors-chinas-visa-free-holiday-island-left?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2152096/foreign-visitors-chinas-visa-free-holiday-island-left?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jun 2018 06:00:00 +0000 Taiwan will have to try to get closer to Washington in the face of increased pressure from mainland China, a former minister from the island has warned. Alexander Huang Chieh-cheng, a former deputy minister on Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, was speaking after the self-ruled island lost another ally on Thursday, with Burkina Faso breaking its diplomatic ties with Taipei. Taiwan retaliated by tightening its screening of mainland officials visiting the island. Taiwan ‘won’t tolerate Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2147875/taiwan-needs-get-closer-us-beijing-steps-pressure-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2147875/taiwan-needs-get-closer-us-beijing-steps-pressure-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 May 2018 13:03:38 +0000 Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, was assured by a senior Chinese official that she could leave the country by April. But the promise hasn’t been fulfilled, and Liu Xia is still under house arrest. Liu has been in captivity since 2010, the year her late husband won the Nobel Peace Prize. She has never been charged with any offence.     Tension around Liu’s arbitrary detention has prompted an international outcry about China’s human rights abuses.... https://www.scmp.com/politics/liu-xia-widow-chinese-nobel-peace-prize-winner-liu-xiaobo-told-she-could-leave-country-april-shes/article/2147776?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/liu-xia-widow-chinese-nobel-peace-prize-winner-liu-xiaobo-told-she-could-leave-country-april-shes/article/2147776?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 May 2018 09:45:15 +0000