https://www.scmp.com/rss/326509/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com As Beijing seeks to accelerate China’s rise to superpower status, the expanded global ambitions set out by President Xi Jinping may have already hit a snag. While Americans worry about US President Donald Trump’s inward-looking vision of Washington’s global role and the steep budget cuts he has proposed for the State Department, which many warn are causing a US foreign service brain drain, Beijing seems to have a talent gap of its own to deal with. With China becoming increasingly assertive on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137092/china-headed-diplomatic-crisis-its-own-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137092/china-headed-diplomatic-crisis-its-own-making?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Apr 2018 13:02:07 +0000 It’s been a momentous month in Chinese politics, but the move to abolish the presidential term limit has overshadowed all else. It took just two weeks – from the time it was announced to the near unanimous endorsement by the legislature – to make the most drastic revision to the state constitution since it was introduced in 1982, a change that sent shock waves through both Chinese society and the international community.   Now, the only clause that had prevented Xi Jinping from staying in power... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138439/does-xi-jinping-really-want-be-chinese-president-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138439/does-xi-jinping-really-want-be-chinese-president-life?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Mar 2018 10:00:30 +0000 The top domestic security commission of China’s Communist Party looks set to regain its prominence under Beijing’s latest restructuring plan for state and party agencies. The Central Politics and Law Commission was once an extremely powerful body, and until 2012 was run by then security tsar Zhou Yongkang. But after his retirement, and subsequent expulsion from the party and imprisonment on corruption charges, the organisation was downgraded. Now that is all set to change, as three coordination... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138272/chinas-domestic-security-commission-gets-renewed-powers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138272/chinas-domestic-security-commission-gets-renewed-powers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:03:18 +0000 Beijing on Wednesday unveiled a massive plan to further assert the Communist Party’s control over economic and foreign affairs, cultural policies, and the appointment and training of cadres. While the central government is restructured every five years after each term of cabinet, major overhauls of the party organs are rarely seen. The move was made public by state-run Xinhua a day after the largely ceremonial legislature concluded its annual meetings. It is part of a shake-up that will also see... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138291/china-unveils-bold-overhaul-tighten-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138291/china-unveils-bold-overhaul-tighten-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Mar 2018 15:30:27 +0000 China is merging its state television and radio networks into one mega broadcaster in an overhaul designed to tighten the Communist Party’s grip on public opinion and burnish the country’s global image. China Central Television (CCTV), China National Radio (CNR) and China Radio International (CRI) will be consolidated into a new broadcaster called Voice of China – a nod to federally funded Voice of America in the United States and Germany’s Deutsche Welle. A department head at one of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138103/beijing-plans-merge-state-media-outlets-it-tightens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2138103/beijing-plans-merge-state-media-outlets-it-tightens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:59:10 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday vowed there would be no mandatory technology transfers in China’s manufacturing sector, in the latest bid to reassure the country’s frustrated trading partners. Foreign companies have complained for years about forced technology transfers in exchange for market access in China, including having to reveal their most sophisticated or key technology to Chinese partners in joint ventures. They say forced technology transfers are rife in the car, semiconductor and new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2138087/china-vows-end-forced-tech-transfers-manufacturing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2138087/china-vows-end-forced-tech-transfers-manufacturing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:34:05 +0000 China’s leaders delivered veiled jabs at US President Donald Trump at the close of the country’s biggest political event of the year, as trade tensions between the two nations continue to simmer. Without naming the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping hit out at those who perceived China’s rise as a threat, as the curtain fell on the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature, in Beijing. “Our development poses no threat to other countries,” he said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2138091/china-no-threat-other-nations-president-xi-jinping-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2138091/china-no-threat-other-nations-president-xi-jinping-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:45:30 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday rejected suggestions that China was leveraging its economic strength to gain political influence on the world stage. In answer to a question posed at a press conference at the end of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Li said that such an interpretation would be a “misreading or misunderstanding”, and that China was on the path of “peaceful development”. The United States, Germany, India and Australia have all raised concerns about China’s growing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2138085/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-rejects-claims-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2138085/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-rejects-claims-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:13 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has finished his press conference to mark the end of the National People’s Congress.  This year’s congress  resulted in many significant changes, including the constitutional revision to remove presidential term limits, a sweeping plan to restructure the State Council and the appointment of many new figures to top government posts.  Here are the key takeaways from the two-hour event. China-US relations Li called on the United States not to act “emotionally” when asked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137907/live-premier-li-keqiang-addresses-media-close-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137907/live-premier-li-keqiang-addresses-media-close-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Mar 2018 02:30:15 +0000 Despite rumours that some serious heavyweights were in the running for the top job at the People’s Bank of China – including newly elected Vice-Premier Liu He – with the benefit of hindsight, the appointment of Yi Gang was never really in doubt. Not only had he served a 10-year apprenticeship as deputy governor under Zhou Xiaochuan – whose retirement after 15 years was confirmed on Monday – but he had also spent a decade studying and working in financial fields overseas. As Beijing seeks to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137763/china-appoints-yi-gang-central-bank-governor-liu-he-vice-premier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137763/china-appoints-yi-gang-central-bank-governor-liu-he-vice-premier?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Mar 2018 01:15:00 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang began a second five-year term on Sunday after President Xi Jinping’s nomination for him to remain in office was endorsed by the National People’s Congress. Li, 62, received 2,964 votes in favour and just two against. Xi on Saturday received unanimous support to remain as president, while just one delegate voted against Xi’s close ally, Wang Qishan, becoming vice-president. Meanwhile, on the military front, Xu Qiliang (four abstain) and Zhang Youxia (two votes against,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137707/li-keqiang-endorsed-chinas-premier-while-military-commission?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137707/li-keqiang-endorsed-chinas-premier-while-military-commission?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Mar 2018 07:30:37 +0000 A Communist Party deputy anti-corruption chief and President Xi Jinping’s trusted aide has been appointed head of China’s controversial new super anti-graft agency. Yang Xiaodu’s nomination as chief of the new National Supervisory Commission, which was endorsed by the National People’s Congress on Sunday, has surprised some political observers.  The super commission merges the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and several other government anti-graft departments. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137685/xi-aide-likely-head-chinas-anti-corruption-super-agency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137685/xi-aide-likely-head-chinas-anti-corruption-super-agency?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Mar 2018 02:45:30 +0000 Strongman politics is back. And for anyone who thought otherwise, a quick peruse of this weekend’s headlines should help set them straight. On Saturday in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping received a thunderous ovation at the Great Hall of the People as he was sworn in for a second term, just minutes after receiving a unanimous mandate to do so and less than a week after lawmakers voted to revise the constitution and remove the two-term limit. On Sunday in Moscow, Vladimir Putin will seek to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2137644/chinas-xi-jinping-and-russias-vladimir-putin-are-putting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2137644/chinas-xi-jinping-and-russias-vladimir-putin-are-putting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 13:00:45 +0000 Xi Jinping on Saturday became the first Chinese state leader to take a constitutional oath, as the country’s president and head of its military.  The ceremony was held in the Great Hall of the People, where three guards of honour goose-stepped towards the podium, as a copy of the constitution was placed before Xi.  After the national anthem was played, Xi was invited to take the oath both as China’s president and chairman of the Central Military Commission.  Next up to swear their allegiance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137598/president-xi-jinping-chinas-first-leader-swear-oath?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137598/president-xi-jinping-chinas-first-leader-swear-oath?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 11:06:58 +0000 China’s legislature formally endorsed Xi Jinping’s second five-year presidential term on Saturday, and voted in Wang Qishan as the country’s new vice-president. It followed the National People’s Congress a week ago approving a change to the constitution to remove term limits on both the presidency and vice-presidency. The political comeback of Wang – who stepped down from the ruling Communist Party’s top echelon and his position as head of its graft watchdog in October – confirmed a South China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137615/wang-qishan-chinas-new-vice-president-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137615/wang-qishan-chinas-new-vice-president-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2018 02:45:30 +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 When China unveils the line-up of its top state leadership on Saturday, one man will probably receive more attention than President Xi Jinping – his trusted ally Wang Qishan. With Xi’s status a certainty, all eyes will be on whether Wang, who retired from the Communist Party’s top echelon in October, will become the vice-president as expected. If that happens, it will mark a formal return of the 69-year-old to the centre stage of Chinese politics. He will become Xi’s wingman and transform a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137398/will-wang-qishans-new-job-become-problem-communist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137398/will-wang-qishans-new-job-become-problem-communist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Mar 2018 01:30:45 +0000 Foreign diplomats and businesspeople expect China’s former anti-graft tsar to play a key role in de-escalating trade tensions with the United States, and that he could also get global relations higher up the nation’s policymaking agenda. Containing tensions with Washington and other economic trouble spots are expected to be the top priorities for Wang Qishan – known for his “firefighting” skills and ability to handle the tough tasks – when he takes charge of diplomatic issues as China’s new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137384/can-chinas-firefighter-wang-qishan-break-deadlock-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137384/can-chinas-firefighter-wang-qishan-break-deadlock-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000 China is hoping that a change to its government structure will help the campaign to get some of the country’s 350 million smokers to quit the habit. As part of a sweeping reshuffle, a new health commission will take over from the industry ministry as the government body responsible for tobacco control, implementing a set of international rules from the World Health Organisation. Beijing signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003 and it took effect in China in 2006. But compliance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2137208/how-new-health-commission-could-help-reduce-smoking-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2137208/how-new-health-commission-could-help-reduce-smoking-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2018 23:01:46 +0000 Wang Yang, a vice-premier and member of China’s apex of power, was elected chairman of the country’s political advisory body on Wednesday. He received full votes from the 2,144 delegates to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. They also elected 24 vice-chairs and standing committee members for a new five-year term until 2023. Wang was Guangdong’s party boss from 2007 to 2012 and is credited with putting the province on track to becoming... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137223/wang-yang-takes-helm-chinas-top-political-advisory-body?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137223/wang-yang-takes-helm-chinas-top-political-advisory-body?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2018 13:19:16 +0000 China’s debt mountain remains an ominous threat to the world’s second-biggest economy, and will take years to remedy, according to a prominent Chinese lawmaker. Yin Zhongqing, who was re-elected on Tuesday as a deputy director of the National People’s Congress’s financial and economic affairs committee, said Beijing’s official figures for local government debt – 16.5 trillion yuan (US$2.6 trillion) overall as of the end of last year – could be underestimates, with many government liabilities... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137148/one-leak-and-well-all-drown-top-chinese-lawmaker-raises-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2137148/one-leak-and-well-all-drown-top-chinese-lawmaker-raises-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2018 07:04:35 +0000 Xinjiang deputy party secretary Zhu Hailun on Tuesday said the government would continue its campaign against separatists, and that the troubled far western region was “stable” thanks to its efforts. Speaking at the Xinjiang delegation meeting during the National People’s Congress in Beijing, the deputy party chief of one of China’s most repressive areas said the fight against separatists was “intense” and the government would not let its guard down. “Through the efforts that the people of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137061/xinjiang-official-vows-continue-intense-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137061/xinjiang-official-vows-continue-intense-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2018 02:45:45 +0000 China’s family planning commission, which for nearly four decades enforced the country’s notorious one-child policy, will be absorbed by a new agency as the government stops trying to clamp down on births. The new National Health Commission will take over responsibility for population management from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which dates back in various forms to 1981 and known for its use of forced abortions and sterilisation, and hefty fines to limit births. The phrase... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137094/china-puts-end-its-notorious-one-child-policy-enforcer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137094/china-puts-end-its-notorious-one-child-policy-enforcer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2018 02:25:41 +0000 The growing trend of people emigrating to and from China has prompted Beijing to set up a new agency to coordinate immigration policies and their implementation. It comes as Beijing ramps up measures to attract more skilled foreigners to China for work – efforts that are often undermined by red tape, particularly the complicated visa application process. Managed by the Ministry of Public Security, the new immigration bureau will be responsible for overseeing visas, repatriation of people found... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137058/new-immigration-bureau-set-handle-growing-number?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2137058/new-immigration-bureau-set-handle-growing-number?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:58:12 +0000 China is laying the groundwork for a new aid agency to oversee its massive – and opaque – foreign aid programmes as Beijing closes in on Washington as the world’s biggest donor. The new agency, the International Development Cooperation Agency, will answer to China’s highest executive body, the State Council, and consolidate roles that had been between divided between the ministries of commerce and foreign affairs. It comes as China, the world’s second-biggest economy, is dispensing foreign aid... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137036/china-launches-mega-aid-agency-big-shift-recipient?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2137036/china-launches-mega-aid-agency-big-shift-recipient?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:17:10 +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 Management teams at research institutes, public hospitals and schools as well as village officials will all come under the scrutiny of China’s new anti-corruption agency. Details of the National Supervisory Commission’s (NSC) proposed operations emerged in a supervision law bill presented for discussion at the National People’s Congress on Tuesday, the day after the agency’s creation. According to the bill, the new agency, ranked alongside the central government and above the judiciary, will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136949/far-reaching-powers-chinas-new-super-anti-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136949/far-reaching-powers-chinas-new-super-anti-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 04:00:30 +0000 China unveiled an ambitious plan to revamp its central government structure, with more than two dozen ministries and organisations affected, two days after President Xi Jinping secured the right to stay in power indefinitely. The sweeping institutional changes are part of Xi’s plan to improve the Communist Party’s governing efficiency by shaking up vested interests among agencies. They include the merger of the banking and insurance regulators, and the setting up of special agencies to oversee... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136939/china-unveils-sweeping-governmental-changes-cut-bureaucracy-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136939/china-unveils-sweeping-governmental-changes-cut-bureaucracy-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 01:45:30 +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 Chinese state media on Monday attacked critics of ending presidential term limits, which effectively allows President Xi Jinping to stay in office indefinitely, saying the key to the country’s path was following the Communist Party. China’s largely ceremonial parliament on Sunday overwhelmingly voted to amend the constitution, scrapping the term restrictions and adding clauses to strengthen the party’s already dominating role in politics. In the run-up to the vote, critics on Chinese social... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136788/chinas-state-media-defend-changes-constitution-removing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136788/chinas-state-media-defend-changes-constitution-removing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Mar 2018 03:49:27 +0000 China’s legislature officially set up the country’s new super anti-graft agency on Sunday, but the most contentious part – giving it the power to deny suspects access to lawyers – will be voted on at the end of the annual session. As well as repealing the presidential term limit, the legislature added a clause to establish the National Supervisory Commission, which will have a status close to the cabinet and is ranked higher than the supreme court and top prosecutor’s office. With the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136757/china-sets-new-super-agency-fight-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136757/china-sets-new-super-agency-fight-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2018 23:03:34 +0000 China’s legislature gave near-unanimous approval to sweeping changes to the constitution on Sunday, formally removing term limits to enable Xi Jinping to stay as president beyond 2023. Deferring to Xi’s unchallenged authority, the National People’s Congress passed the historic constitutional amendments with 2,958 votes in favour, only two against, and three abstentions. One ballot was invalid and 16 deputies were absent from the vote.  It also endorsed an assortment of revisions to further... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136719/xi-jinping-cleared-stay-president-chinas-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136719/xi-jinping-cleared-stay-president-chinas-political?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2018 08:00:30 +0000 A trade war between China and the United States would be disastrous not only for the two countries involved, but also the rest of the world, Beijing warned on Sunday. “There will be no winner,” Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress. “A trade war will be catastrophic for China, the US, and the rest of the world,” he said. While he declined to say how Beijing planned to respond to the tariffs imposed by Washington on aluminium and steel imports, he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136697/china-us-trade-war-would-produce-no-winners-only-catastrophe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136697/china-us-trade-war-would-produce-no-winners-only-catastrophe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2018 05:01:58 +0000 Soon after Xi Jinping took the helm of the Communist Party in 2012, he gathered China’s political elite in Beijing to mark the 30th anniversary of its modern constitution. “No individual or organisation is above the constitution,” the new party chief thundered from the podium of the Great Hall of the People.  “Anyone who acts against the constitution or the law will be held accountable.” Few people attached great significance to the speech at the time. After all, Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136676/xi-jinping-changing-constitution-whats-his-endgame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136676/xi-jinping-changing-constitution-whats-his-endgame?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 23:00:45 +0000 China is set to introduce significant changes to its foreign affairs structure with the merger of two ministerial-level organisations under its top diplomat, as it continues to push for greater recognition as a global leader, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Under the plan, the Communist Party department responsible for relations with overseas political parties would be consolidated with the party’s foreign policy coordination office, the source told the South China Morning... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136651/china-restructure-foreign-affairs-team-push-greater?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136651/china-restructure-foreign-affairs-team-push-greater?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 11:00:30 +0000 For years, we have been warned that the day will come when machines will be able to do our jobs better than we can. Now a leading Chinese economist is offering a time frame. Cai Fang, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the country’s top think tank, and former head of its Population and Labour Economic Research Institute, robots will “definitely” surpass humans in many job skills in 10 to 20 years. Like Microsoft founder Bill Gates and other technology titans, Cai is an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136613/robots-set-overtake-humans-range-work-tasks-10-20-years-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136613/robots-set-overtake-humans-range-work-tasks-10-20-years-top?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 06:00:45 +0000 Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan is one of a group of top Chinese political advisers calling for a law to “protect national integrity and dignity”, after a string of cases of Chinese showing Japan’s wartime military in a positive light. The call came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi labelled people who were “psychologically Japanese” as “degenerates”. The proposal from 38 arts members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference suggests making “advocacy for Japanese militarism,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2136562/chinese-movie-star-jackie-chan-push-law-protect-national-dignity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2136562/chinese-movie-star-jackie-chan-push-law-protect-national-dignity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Mar 2018 09:58:27 +0000 The Chinese government is working on new rules to control the country’s big financial firms and holding companies to curb the massive risks generated by the conglomerates’ speculative investing, China’s central bank officials and senior political advisers said. Zhou Xiaochuan, China’s veteran central bank governor, said on Friday that China’s financial holding groups covering the banking, securities, trust investment and insurance sectors were threatening financial stability through their risk... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136541/china-vows-tighter-rules-clip-wings-big-finance-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136541/china-vows-tighter-rules-clip-wings-big-finance-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Mar 2018 08:27:20 +0000 Beijing on Thursday defended China’s growing role along the new Silk Road and massive investment in Africa, rejecting concerns that its projects lacked transparency and exacerbated some of its partners’ debt problems. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said projects under the “Belt and Road Initiative” – Beijing’s flagship programme to boost infrastructure and trade links with nations from Asia to Africa – were needed by the nations involved. Wang gave several examples of belt and road projects with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136438/no-back-room-deals-everything-transparent-china-defends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136438/no-back-room-deals-everything-transparent-china-defends?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Mar 2018 23:16:42 +0000 China’s foreign minister on Thursday took a veiled swipe at a US aircraft carrier’s highly symbolic visit to a Vietnamese port, saying “external powers” were showing off their military muscle and creating a great disturbance in the South China Sea region. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress – the annual session of the country’s ceremonial parliament – Wang Yi said also that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations planned to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136408/beijing-accuses-external-powers-flexing-muscles-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136408/beijing-accuses-external-powers-flexing-muscles-south?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Mar 2018 12:20:32 +0000 No mountain is high enough to stop China and India having a strong relationship, as long as both sides strive to build trust instead of fighting one another, China’s foreign minister said on Thursday. “Despite certain tests and difficulties, Sino-Indian relations continue to grow,” Wang Yi told a press briefing on the sidelines of the ongoing National People’s Congress in Beijing, the annual session of China’s ceremonial parliament. His comments came after a turbulent period for the two Asian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136421/china-india-should-build-ties-resolve-differences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2136421/china-india-should-build-ties-resolve-differences?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Mar 2018 11:32:43 +0000 President Xi Jinping told liberal economic powerhouse Guangdong on Wednesday to push for “full opening up”, sending a message in a year that marks the 40th anniversary of China’s open-door policy. Speaking to the delegation from the southern province at the annual legislative session in Beijing, Xi said luring and nurturing talent was critical to his vision of making China strong, including the ambition to take a global lead on technological and industrial change. He also told the province to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136205/xi-jinping-tells-guangdong-lead-charge-full-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136205/xi-jinping-tells-guangdong-lead-charge-full-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Mar 2018 15:33:42 +0000 Beijing must cut red tape and increase its investment in people if it wants to overcome the problems of a shrinking labour force and dwindling productivity, an eminent government researcher said. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing legislative sessions in Beijing, Cai Fang, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the South China Morning Post that one of the keys to future growth was not further fiscal stimulus, but greater freedom of movement for its workers. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136185/china-can-ease-its-labour-shortage-giving-migrant-workers-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136185/china-can-ease-its-labour-shortage-giving-migrant-workers-better?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Mar 2018 11:58:04 +0000 China’s finance ministry says it is working on a proposal to cut personal income taxes, months after US President Donald Trump unveiled tax reforms for US households and two weeks after Hong Kong announced its tax overhaul. While the details have not been finalised, Shi Yaobin, deputy finance minister, told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that the authorities planned to raise the threshold for personal income tax based on changes in basic living expenses. The tax threshold was increased to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136177/after-us-and-hong-kong-beijing-plans-cut-tax-burden-middle-class?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2136177/after-us-and-hong-kong-beijing-plans-cut-tax-burden-middle-class?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Mar 2018 10:48:35 +0000 China will open more of its economy to foreign investors, with moves afoot to expand market access, top economic officials said on Tuesday as lawmakers from around the country met for an annual session set to back an end to presidential term limits. While the prospect of an end to the limits has raised fears of strongman rule, economic bureaucrats are trying to convince the world that China will open to trade and investment flows and is willing to integrate further into the global economy. In... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135945/chinas-top-economic-officials-put-friendly-face-foreign-trade-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2135945/chinas-top-economic-officials-put-friendly-face-foreign-trade-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Mar 2018 07:54:12 +0000 Taiwan will face a tough challenge staunching what could be an even bigger brain drain and exodus of investment to the mainland after Beijing’s latest offer of economic sweeteners to lure Taiwanese, analysts warned.  “More young people who have complained about low pay in Taiwan or who want to find a bigger market for development would choose to work on the mainland because of the incentives,” said Chang Wu-ueh, a professor at Tamkang University’s China Study Institute.  In what analysts called... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135851/tapei-struggles-staunch-brain-drain-spurred-latest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135851/tapei-struggles-staunch-brain-drain-spurred-latest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Mar 2018 04:30:45 +0000 Beijing will bulk up spending on diplomacy this year, expanding the foreign affairs budget at almost double the rate of growth for defence outlays as China takes a bigger global role and protects it interests abroad. In its annual fiscal report to the national legislature on Monday, Beijing said spending on diplomacy would rise by 15.6 per cent to 60 billion yuan (US$9.45 billion), while the defence budget would grow by 8.1 per cent to 1.1 trillion yuan. The report did not break down the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2135830/beijing-bulks-diplomacy-budget-china-extends-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2135830/beijing-bulks-diplomacy-budget-china-extends-global?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Mar 2018 23:04:42 +0000 China sought to justify its controversial plan to allow President Xi Jinping to rule without term limits at the opening of its legislature on Monday, citing an “overwhelming appeal” from the party and the public to do so. The proposal to remove the presidential term limit from the constitution has dominated global discussions about China since it was announced last month, sparking fears of a dangerous return to one-man rule. It has also drawn fierce criticism from intellectuals and business... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135838/china-claims-move-scrap-presidential-term-limit-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135838/china-claims-move-scrap-presidential-term-limit-has?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Mar 2018 15:02:46 +0000 The Communist Party’s plan to remove the two-term limit on China’s presidency from the country’s constitution has sparked a global debate about the dangers of a return to strongman politics. Even though many had anticipated Xi – the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong – would find a way to retain power after completing his second five-year term as president, which has yet to start, few could have guessed he would reveal his cards so early. China to be more open to foreign investment,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135425/can-china-avoid-sliding-back-strongman-politics-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2135425/can-china-avoid-sliding-back-strongman-politics-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Mar 2018 13:00:30 +0000