https://www.scmp.com/rss/326508/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Yan Qijiao sits contentedly with her eyes closed, head tilted towards the sky, on a wooden bench along Xian’s ancient city wall in China’s northwest.  It is not often that she can come outdoors to enjoy the warm spring sun, light blue skies and snatches of fresh air here in the capital of Shaanxi province.  It’s a lightly polluted day in Xian, according to the official air quality index, and the skyline in the distance is a smoggy grey, but at least Yan isn’t confined to her bed, struggling to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2139060/why-spring-couldnt-come-soon-enough-city-frontline-chinas-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2139060/why-spring-couldnt-come-soon-enough-city-frontline-chinas-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Mar 2018 06:15:30 +0000 The controversial Chinese Communist Party department responsible for promoting its influence around the world will have its authority greatly strengthened, according to a document seen by the South China Morning Post.  The document was later published by the official Xinhua news agency on Wednesday afternoon. The United Front Work Department, which has fallen under the scrutiny of Western governments in recent months, will now oversee the country’s ethnic and religious issues as well as overseas... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138196/its-mysterious-department-behind-chinas-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138196/its-mysterious-department-behind-chinas-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Mar 2018 07:00:15 +0000 President Xi Jinping has vowed to crush any attempt to divide China, and tried to rally support for his Chinese dream using nationalism and references to the country’s cultural achievements – from ancient literature to architecture. Xi’s status as the country’s most powerful leader in decades has been cemented during the 16-day session of the National People’s Congress, and his closing address on Tuesday was his first since the constitution was changed to remove the limit on how long he can stay... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138112/xi-jinping-tries-rally-support-chinese-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138112/xi-jinping-tries-rally-support-chinese-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 15:00:45 +0000 China said it will continue to “resolutely” tackle financial irregularities, after several officials and tycoons were punished last year in a crackdown on market manipulators and fraud. “Some unlawful and [risky] conduct has been making waves in China’s financial sector,” Premier Li Keqiang said at a press briefing wrapping up the National People’s Congress on Tuesday. China’s regulators had been working “decisively” to prevent financial risk from spreading, Li said, and had “lanced the boil” of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2138101/china-will-push-ahead-resolutely-financial-sector-fight-says-li?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2138101/china-will-push-ahead-resolutely-financial-sector-fight-says-li?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:53:19 +0000 China’s President Xi Jinping addressed the National People’s Congress on Tuesday as it ended its annual session in Beijing. The meetings have seen Xi cement his grip on power, with a limit on presidential terms in office scrapped and major changes made among the government’s top leadership. Here are the key points Xi made during his remarks at the Great Hall of the People: 1. Taiwan Xi warned that forces leaning towards independence in Taiwan or “any efforts to divide the nation would be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137981/six-key-points-xi-jinpings-speech-wrapping-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137981/six-key-points-xi-jinpings-speech-wrapping-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 04:45:15 +0000 President Xi Jinping spoke at the closing of China’s National People’s Congress today. This year’s NPC carried special meaning for Xi. His status as the most powerful Chinese leader in decades was cemented over the course of the 16-day event.  The constitution was changed to remove presidential term limits – allowing him to stay on as head of state for as long as he sees fit. The political theories that bear his name were also enshrined in the constitution, giving him the same political status... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137914/xi-jinpings-speech-wrap-chinas-two-sessions-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137914/xi-jinpings-speech-wrap-chinas-two-sessions-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 01:15:00 +0000 China has unveiled most of the main players charged with handling the vexed Sino-US ties, with the elevation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to state councillor at the national legislature’s annual meeting in Beijing on Monday. Wang’s rise to state councillor – a position not previously held by a serving foreign minister – is among a number of moves expected to raise the profile of diplomats in the nation’s decision-making structure as North Korea, Taiwan and the South China Sea – and the US – loom... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137922/meet-team-china-expects-unknot-ties-united-states?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137922/meet-team-china-expects-unknot-ties-united-states?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Mar 2018 13:30:30 +0000 Harvard-educated economist Liu He is set to play a pivotal role in the management of China’s US$12 trillion economy – alongside newly appointed central bank governor Yi Gang – after being named on Monday as one the country’s four vice-premiers. While the division of duties among the four deputies to Premier Li Keqiang has yet to be announced, 66-year-old Liu is the hot favourite to lead on economic and financial affairs, which would include the handling of trade issues with the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137913/vice-premier-liu-he-set-lead-chinas-new-economic-team-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137913/vice-premier-liu-he-set-lead-chinas-new-economic-team-government?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Mar 2018 12:45:00 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been promoted to a state councillor, a move elevating his status in the nation’s decision-making structure. Wang will keep his foreign minister title in a list of government appointments endorsed by the National People’s Congress on Monday morning. The move comes as China shakes up its foreign affairs structure in an effort to raise the country’s profile on the world stage. Xi shakes up Chinese government to cut bureaucracy, end turf wars The existing foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137769/china-promotes-foreign-minister-wang-yi-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137769/china-promotes-foreign-minister-wang-yi-state?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Mar 2018 02:12:01 +0000 China on Sunday showed its commitment to stamping out corruption in the military with the appointment of a senior anti-graft official to the highest ranks of its governing body. General Zhang Shengmin was officially endorsed by the National People’s Congress as one of the four regular members of the Central Military Commission, who will serve under its chairman Xi Jinping and his two vice-chairmen. While Zhang was already head of the defence organisation’s discipline inspection commission, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137732/china-confirms-anti-graft-officials-position-militarys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137732/china-confirms-anti-graft-officials-position-militarys?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Mar 2018 11:43:24 +0000 China is looking to set tougher goals in a new three-year “green” plan to improve air quality and tighten regulations, minister of environmental protection Li Ganjie said on Saturday. The ministry said the country had exceeded its target set in an air pollution action plan in 2013. Last year, average concentrations of PM 10, a fine particle that is harmful to health, were down by 22 per cent – compared to the target of 10 per cent – in more than 330 cities from 2013. In Beijing, the average... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137666/china-has-new-three-year-plan-clean-environment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137666/china-has-new-three-year-plan-clean-environment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 23:02:07 +0000 Chinese researchers are bracing for what will be the biggest change to how they are funded by the government in more than three decades. “There’s fear everywhere,” Yang Jinbo, a professor with the physics department at Peking University, said on Tuesday after the announcement. As he spoke, his phone buzzed constantly with a stream of new messages on WeChat, mostly from other researchers concerned about what the move would mean for them. Hours earlier, a sweeping plan to shake up the central... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2137495/fear-everywhere-chinas-scientists-braced-ministry-takes-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2137495/fear-everywhere-chinas-scientists-braced-ministry-takes-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Mar 2018 15:02:47 +0000 China will upgrade its management of strategic reserves such as food and energy, the latest step in efforts to boost national security beyond military weapons and training. A new State Grain Reserves Administration will be set up under the nation’s top economic planner as part of a government restructuring plan that is expected to be approved by the National People’s Congress on Saturday. Xi shakes up Chinese government to cut bureaucracy, end turf wars The agency will be responsible for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137573/china-tries-improve-running-strategic-food-and-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137573/china-tries-improve-running-strategic-food-and-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Mar 2018 12:27:54 +0000 Beijing is mapping out specific tactics to lure Taiwan into its orbit and possibly pave the way for forcible seizure of the self-ruled island, although there is no timetable for such a drastic move, according to a senior mainland Taiwan affairs adviser. Li Yihu, dean of Peking University’s Taiwan Studies Institute, said Beijing was reinforcing its “carrot and stick” approach to dealing with Taiwan’s independence forces after passing historic constitutional amendments on Sunday to remove... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137259/beijing-planning-take-taiwan-back-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137259/beijing-planning-take-taiwan-back-force?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Mar 2018 04:30:45 +0000 China has moved to strengthen the role of its environmental watchdog as it continues its uphill battle to tackle widespread ecological degradation and pollution. The move to set up a new ministry of ecological environment – a decade after the first full environmental ministry was established – was hailed by state media as a significant step to boost the power of the largely rubber-stamp watchdog and cut regulatory overlap after President Xi Jinping identified the battle against pollution as one... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137038/china-boosts-environmental-watchdogs-powers-next-step?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137038/china-boosts-environmental-watchdogs-powers-next-step?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 11:46:00 +0000 The servicemen and women of the world’s biggest military will be in for a bonus when they open their pay packets this month – all personnel have been given a pay rise backdated to August. The move comes amid a major reform of China’s military designed to boost its combat strength, during which Beijing has stressed the need to improve the welfare of both serving and retired officers. To that end, on Tuesday, the State Council proposed the establishment of a Ministry of Veterans Affairs to take... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137008/china-raises-pay-pensions-trimmed-down-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137008/china-raises-pay-pensions-trimmed-down-military?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:15:30 +0000 China will merge two ministerial-level agencies into one overarching cultural body to try to boost its soft power and reverse setbacks in its international image abroad. The country’s media regulator – the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television – was set to merge with the Ministry of Culture to create a super cultural ministry to expand the scope of China’s ideological influence, a source familiar with the discussions told the South China Morning Post. Both bodies... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136901/chinese-culture-ministry-merger-works-renewed-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136901/chinese-culture-ministry-merger-works-renewed-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:45:00 +0000 Under the watch of a confident and relaxed President Xi Jinping, nearly 3,000 Chinese lawmakers were nearly unanimous in their approval on Sunday of changes to the state constitution that included removing the term limit on the presidency. Xi, who had maintained a poker face throughout the opening day of China’s parliamentary session last Monday, appeared much more at ease on Sunday. He even smiled when Wang Cheng, the vice-chairman of the National People’s Congress, announced the final result... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136748/chinese-president-xi-jinping-confident-and-relaxed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136748/chinese-president-xi-jinping-confident-and-relaxed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2018 14:15:15 +0000 China aims to slash the debt ratio of state-owned firms this year as it tries to ward off hidden financial risks. Xiao Yaqing, head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac), said the asset manager aimed to realise the goal by more debt-to-equity swaps, diversified fundraising, ushering in private investment and disposing of “zombie enterprises” and non-core businesses. “We will further cut the absolute amount of the liabilities and the debt ratio as well,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136672/china-hack-away-zombies-and-state-firms-debt-battle-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136672/china-hack-away-zombies-and-state-firms-debt-battle-against?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 13:24:43 +0000 First they looked at local governments, then at major enterprises … now China’s financial watchdogs are focusing their sights on the debt problem facing the country’s households. Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, and Pan Gongsheng, a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, both raised red flags this week on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the National People’s Congress in Beijing. Guo said on Friday that curbing leverage levels held the key to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136646/chinas-banking-watchdogs-set-sights-rising-household-debt-problem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136646/chinas-banking-watchdogs-set-sights-rising-household-debt-problem?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 08:30:45 +0000 Sidney Leng,Xie Yu Sidney Leng,Xie Yu After it banned cryptocurrency exchanges and declared all initial coin offerings illegal, China is still open to the idea of a digital currency if it doesn’t disrupt the financial system, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said on Friday. The government will be happy to accept those that “bring efficiency, low cost and safety” to consumers as long as they “don’t directly conflict with the current financial stability and financial order”, Zhou told reporters on the sidelines of the National... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136551/china-open-idea-digital-currency-long-its-efficient-and-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136551/china-open-idea-digital-currency-long-its-efficient-and-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Mar 2018 13:30:30 +0000 China has achieved initial victory in containing debt risks – a major threat to the world’s second biggest economy – and has entered a stage of “stabilising the leverage ratio”, the outgoing central bank governor said on Friday. At a briefing on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Zhou Xiaochuan, who has headed the People’s Bank of China for the past 15 years, also tried to reassure investors that China would continue to free up its capital account. He said Beijing could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136479/china-claims-initial-victory-curbing-soaring-debt-levels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136479/china-claims-initial-victory-curbing-soaring-debt-levels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Mar 2018 03:18:15 +0000 China called for direct dialogue between North Korea and the United States to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula and warned there was still the potential for chaos amid the stand-off over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. The warning by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday came despite the announcement that North and South Korea’s leaders are to meet at a summit, raising hopes that the nuclear crisis might be defused. Kim Jong-un’s sister could be sent to US to launch talks on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136263/china-calls-us-north-korea-talks-defuse-nuclear-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136263/china-calls-us-north-korea-talks-defuse-nuclear-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Mar 2018 04:00:00 +0000 China is seeking a more prominent role in global leadership but rejected suggestions that it is trying to supplant the United States in world affairs as “strategic misjudgment”. Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday laid out this year’s broad policy agenda of boosting its presence in Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and pushing for talks to defuse tensions over the Korean peninsula. Asked whether China was deviating from its long-standing policy of non-interference in other countries... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136260/china-denies-trying-supplant-us-role-global-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136260/china-denies-trying-supplant-us-role-global-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Mar 2018 03:30:00 +0000 Beijing has set a lower economic growth target for this year than the 6.9 per cent achieved last year as it keeps an eye on global trade uncertainties and long-term financial risks and seeks new drivers for the world’s second largest economy. The growth target of “around 6.5 per cent” revealed in Premier Li Keqiang’s annual government work report on Monday morning did not surprise markets at home or abroad. But it gives the government more flexibility than last year’s target of “6.5 per cent and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135800/beijing-sets-softer-growth-target-eye-financial-risks-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135800/beijing-sets-softer-growth-target-eye-financial-risks-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Mar 2018 12:33:57 +0000 China will continue to focus on supply-side reforms, financial risks, poverty and the environment this year and beyond in the drive for “high-quality growth”, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday. With an annual growth target of “about 6.5 per cent” for 2018, Li made it clear in his two-hour speech to the national legislature that the speed of economic expansion was less of a worry now that the risk of a hard landing had faded. Li told the 3,000 or so delegates to the National People’s Congress... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135811/china-reaffirms-goals-rebalance-economy-reduce-poverty-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135811/china-reaffirms-goals-rebalance-economy-reduce-poverty-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Mar 2018 12:00:45 +0000 The annual session of the National People’s Congress opened on Monday amid a major shift in Chinese politics. It was the first session of the legislative body since the new Communist Party leadership was installed at its 19th congress in October. It was also China’s first big political event since it became clear that President Xi Jinping intends to stay in power beyond his second five-year term, with the party proposing the constitution be changed to remove the limit. Key takeaways from Premier... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135619/what-will-chinas-parliamentary-session-reveal-about-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135619/what-will-chinas-parliamentary-session-reveal-about-its?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Mar 2018 00:15:00 +0000 China’s military budget for this year will expand but by how much is still unknown after a government spokesman broke with convention by not releasing details at a media briefing the day before the annual parliamentary session begins. Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the National People’s Congress, hinted that the country would spend more on defence, but unlike in previous years he did not give a figure or range of growth. Military spending is included in China’s annual budget that is expected to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2135645/beijing-keeps-military-spending-under-wraps-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2135645/beijing-keeps-military-spending-under-wraps-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Mar 2018 11:33:04 +0000 A new team in Beijing is expected to use its wealth of diplomatic experience to further constrict Taiwan’s international manoeuvring space, with the aim of coercing the island’s independence-leaning government into acknowledging a key cross-strait agreement known as the 1992 consensus. Coupled with Beijing’s existing military and economic “salami-slicing” tactics, which have included conducting more drills near the island and courting Taipei’s diplomatic allies, cross-strait relations experts... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135262/why-new-team-beijing-set-ramp-pressure-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135262/why-new-team-beijing-set-ramp-pressure-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2018 02:07:57 +0000 Beijing is pushing forward a plan for more mainland economic integration with Hong Kong and Macau and a blueprint to develop the “Greater Bay Area” is awaiting approval, a spokesman for China’s top political advisory body said on Friday. The scheme to link the cities with nine others in southern Guangdong province was one of the key issues addressed by Wang Guoqing, spokesman for the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, in a briefing ahead of the opening of its annual session on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135514/beijing-pushing-forward-greater-bay-area-plan-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135514/beijing-pushing-forward-greater-bay-area-plan-top?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Mar 2018 13:58:38 +0000 China is considering plans to merge its banking and insurance watchdogs to bring more order to a fragmented regulatory system and to heed President Xi Jinping’s calls to reduce financial risk. Sources with knowledge of the matter told the South China Morning Post that proposals were being considered to amalgamate the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), which has been headless since its chairman was put under investigation for corruption in April, and the China Banking Regulatory... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135104/china-considers-merger-insurance-and-banking-watchdogs-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135104/china-considers-merger-insurance-and-banking-watchdogs-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2018 11:00:45 +0000