https://www.scmp.com/rss/34894/feed Hailing from one of the country's poorest provinces, Wang Yang lacks the revolutionary pedigree of the so-called "princeling" party leaders. Yet since taking office in 2007, Wang has led a far-reaching crackdown on corruption resulting in several high-profile convictions, including that of former Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng. He has also overseen a rise in government transparency, making the provincial capital of Guangzhou the mainland's first city to publish its budget. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat China has completed one of Southeast Asia’s largest solar power projects in Laos, at a time when regional economies are stepping up efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels amid global energy disruptions in the Persian Gulf. The initial phase of the 1 gigawatt (GW) solar project was officially connected to the grid on Tuesday, becoming the country’s first large-scale mountainous photovoltaic installation. Located in northern Laos, the installation is expected to generate about 1.65 billion... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349382/china-backed-solar-project-powers-laos-amid-iran-war-energy-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349382/china-backed-solar-project-powers-laos-amid-iran-war-energy-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Canada’s finance minister will travel to China for a four-day visit, China’s Finance Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “Following the Prime Minister’s visit, I am travelling to the People’s Republic of China to re-engage with counterparts, strengthen our economic relationship, and advance priorities on trade and investment, building on our existing [Canadian] $118.9B [US$85.7 billion] in two-way trade,” Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a social media post on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3348710/canadas-finance-minister-visits-china-both-countries-seek-bolster-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3348710/canadas-finance-minister-visits-china-both-countries-seek-bolster-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:24:44 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang A 75-year-old Chinese actress has ignited a nationwide debate over age representation after portraying a teenage girl and sharing a kiss with a much younger male co-star in a mini-drama. Liu Xiaoqing, a cherished figure in Chinese cinema with over 10 million social media followers, has long been celebrated for her youthful energy and commitment to her craft, earning her the title of China’s “ageless goddess.” In the mini-drama Splendid Tranquility, which aired in February, Liu plays Su Wanqing,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3345418/china-actress-75-triggers-debate-playing-teenage-girl-mini-drama-kissing-young-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3345418/china-actress-75-triggers-debate-playing-teenage-girl-mini-drama-kissing-young-man?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:00:35 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang In the daytime the temperature in northern China often stays below freezing, but for many rural villagers the prohibitive cost of heating means that they have little choice but to endure the cold. “We dare not turn on the heating during the day,” one woman from Guan county in Hebei named Wang said. The 75-year-old’s home is around 70km (43 miles) from the centre of Beijing, but running the heating all day would cost between 60 and 90 yuan (US$8-13), an expense that could soar over the course of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339631/north-china-farmers-pay-heavy-price-winter-beijings-clean-air-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339631/north-china-farmers-pay-heavy-price-winter-beijings-clean-air-success?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 01:00:16 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A mild uptick in bitcoin mining in China has prompted calls for Beijing to loosen its restrictions and let the power-hungry industry tap into the country’s oversupply of energy, but experts said the likelihood of China ending its mining ban was low. China’s bitcoin mining market share by hash rate rose from 13.75 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 to 14.06 per cent in the current quarter, making it the third largest bitcoin mining country behind the US and Russia, according to Hashrate Index,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3334615/experts-doubt-china-will-lift-bitcoin-mining-ban-despite-uptick-and-excess-energy-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3334615/experts-doubt-china-will-lift-bitcoin-mining-ban-despite-uptick-and-excess-energy-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 02:00:11 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan Two young siblings in southwestern China tragically lost their lives after being stung hundreds of times by wasps, leading to the detention of the farmer raising the bees on charges of negligent homicide. This shocking event occurred on June 28 in a village in Muding county, Yunnan province, where a seven-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister were attacked by swarms of wasps, as reported by the news portal The Paper. The children were typically cared for by their grandparents while their... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3325063/china-siblings-killed-wasps-boy-has-300-stings-girl-has-700-beekeeper-faces-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3325063/china-siblings-killed-wasps-boy-has-300-stings-girl-has-700-beekeeper-faces-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong Beijing’s massive military parade on Wednesday will feature China’s next-generation QBZ-191 rifles, described by state broadcaster CCTV as the “Transformers of the rifle world”. The guards of honour in the parade will carry the new rifle, which made its first public appearance at the 70th National Day parade in 2019, and marked China’s departure from the bullpup-configured QBZ-95 that had been standard since 1997. The QBZ-191, part of the Type 20 weapons family with variants for different combat... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324051/honour-guards-chinas-military-parade-carry-plas-latest-qbz-191-rifles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324051/honour-guards-chinas-military-parade-carry-plas-latest-qbz-191-rifles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:43:26 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A father in China has sparked controversy for abandoning his young son on a busy highway as punishment for hitting his older brother during a quarrel. The man came under the spotlight after a motorcycle travel influencer posted a video of the abandoned youngster, who is thought to be seven or eight years old, online. It showed a young boy standing alone on the side of No. 219 National Highway in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of northwest China. The stranded boy even tried to hail a lift, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3322490/china-boy-left-highway-dad-after-fight-brother-car-mum-walks-15km-find-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3322490/china-boy-left-highway-dad-after-fight-brother-car-mum-walks-15km-find-him?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang The Chinese social media platform Weibo has shut down several accounts for “inciting gender antagonism” and vowed to continue cracking down on such behaviour. On Monday, the social media site announced via its official account that it had permanently closed an account named “Lilian Shuodao” for “continuously stigmatising the opposite sex and posting extreme anti-marriage remarks”. The term “opposite sex” referred to men. As of Tuesday, the banned account, which had 129,000 followers, was no... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3322407/chinas-weibo-shuts-down-social-media-accounts-inciting-gender-antagonism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3322407/chinas-weibo-shuts-down-social-media-accounts-inciting-gender-antagonism?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:15:38 +0000 Beijing’s top man overseeing Hong Kong affairs has asked the city to remain vigilant against possible sabotage by foreign forces during the legislative process of a domestic security law. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, delivered the message as he met the city’s representatives attending the country’s annual political gathering in Beijing on Monday, while Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu witnessed the signing of two cross-border agreements on healthcare... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3254143/beijing-has-conducted-research-better-integrate-hong-kong-youths-nations-development-cppcc-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3254143/beijing-has-conducted-research-better-integrate-hong-kong-youths-nations-development-cppcc-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Mar 2024 12:31:28 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. China’s former premier Li Keqiang, who died at the age of 68 on Friday, has been hailed as an “outstanding leader of party and state” by the Communist Party and was praised for his contributions to China’s economy and his support for President Xi Jinping. An official obituary published by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday night – almost 10 hours after the news... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3239355/li-keqiang-former-premier-china-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3239355/li-keqiang-former-premier-china-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2023 00:27:15 +0000 Shanghai party chief Li Qiang has bounced back from his flawed handling of a coronavirus outbreak in the financial hub to emerge as the front runner in the race for China’s next premier, the Post has learned. With current Premier Li Keqiang due to step down in March when his constitutionally limited two terms are up, all eyes are on the ongoing 20th Communist Party congress and President Xi Jinping’s choice of a replacement. Xi, who is on the cusp of a record-breaking third term as paramount... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196640/how-revised-chinese-law-makes-shanghai-party-chief-hot-candidate-role-premier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196640/how-revised-chinese-law-makes-shanghai-party-chief-hot-candidate-role-premier?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Oct 2022 15:00:13 +0000 A new Communist Party slogan, the “two establishments” – which boils down to all-out support for Xi Jinping as China’s paramount leader – did not get a mention in the president’s work report at the opening of the national congress on Sunday. But it has been a consistent theme in panel discussions at the five-yearly gathering in Beijing, according to reports by state news agency Xinhua. When the congress ends on Saturday, the more than 2,200 delegates are expected to endorse amendments to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196532/congress-delegates-embrace-communist-party-slogan-pledging-support-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196532/congress-delegates-embrace-communist-party-slogan-pledging-support-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 14:02:37 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has broken his silence to voice support for the country’s tech firms to go public at home and abroad, echoing the views expressed by Vice-Premier Liu He this week at a high-level meeting chaired by China’s top political advisory body chairman Wang Yang. China will support platform companies and digital economy enterprises to raise capital in domestic and overseas stock markets “in accordance with relevant regulations and laws”, Li said on Wednesday at a symposium with... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3178383/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-voices-support-tech-listings-china-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3178383/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-voices-support-tech-listings-china-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 May 2022 13:00:24 +0000 The chief of China’s top advisory body has moved to allay fears and quell suggestions that authorities are not doing enough to support the nation’s private companies, in Beijing’s latest attempt to reassure the jittery sector that is struggling amid pandemic lockdowns and regulatory crackdowns. The country will stick to its reform and opening-up policies, while the promise of “unswervingly” encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector will not change, and neither... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169576/two-sessions-2022-small-business-concerns-persist-chinas-no-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169576/two-sessions-2022-small-business-concerns-persist-chinas-no-4?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:15:17 +0000 No foreign entity has the right to criticise China over Tibet, a senior official said on Thursday as the region attracts greater international attention. “No one outside China has the right to point fingers at us when it comes to Tibetan affairs. Any attempt … to separate Tibet from China is doomed to fail,” Wang Yang, the Communist Party official responsible for ethnic affairs, told a ceremony outside the Potala Palace, Lhasa’s best known landmark. Wang, the number four in the party hierarchy,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3145664/dont-point-finger-china-over-tibet-says-senior-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3145664/dont-point-finger-china-over-tibet-says-senior-official?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 13:00:25 +0000 China’s police chief has hit out at what he called efforts to use Xinjiang to contain Beijing, as the Communist Party comes under growing pressure over its treatment of ethnic minorities in the region. “[We] must step up international cooperation on counterterrorism and resolutely stop attempts to use Xinjiang to contain China and attempts to use terrorism to contain China,” Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi said, according to a statement from the ministry on Thursday. He was speaking... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3127019/police-chief-lashes-out-attempts-use-xinjiang-contain-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3127019/police-chief-lashes-out-attempts-use-xinjiang-contain-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:15:37 +0000 The European Union has imposed sanctions on China for the first time in nearly 32 years, less than three months after the two toasted an agreement on the principles of an investment pact. Beijing responded swiftly with its own sanctions against European individuals and organisations. Brussels was soon to be joined by the United States, Britain and Canada with their own sanctions against Chinese officials and entities. They all cited human rights abuses in Xinjiang for banding together. However,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126695/sanctions-are-not-answer-solving-issue-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126695/sanctions-are-not-answer-solving-issue-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Mar 2021 16:53:48 +0000 One of the most powerful men in China has told Communist Party officials in Xinjiang to “optimise” governance of the region as criticism grows of Beijing’s policies on religion and treatment of ethnic minority groups there. “[We] must scientifically grasp the situation of the Xinjiang work, and focus on the ultimate goal of long-term stability,” Wang Yang, who is the fourth-highest ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “[We] must uphold ruling... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3126008/xinjiangs-leaders-must-optimise-governance-region-communist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3126008/xinjiangs-leaders-must-optimise-governance-region-communist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 13:00:06 +0000 The yuan replaced the US dollar as the most used currency in transactions between Hong Kong and Macau and the nine mainland Chinese cities that together make up the Greater Bay Area development zone, a local branch of the country’s central bank said. Transactions worth 17.2 trillion yuan (US$2.65 trillion) were cleared in the zone last year, the Guangzhou branch of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said on Thursday. The development zone, which includes Guangdong province’s largest economies,... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3117971/chinas-yuan-replaces-us-dollar-most-used-currency-greater?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3117971/chinas-yuan-replaces-us-dollar-most-used-currency-greater?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jan 2021 04:00:22 +0000 A proposal to make Kashgar, a city in China’s far western Xinjiang region, into a municipality administered by Beijing has left academic opinion divided. The suggestion was included in an academic paper written by researchers from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and published in the academy’s bulletin last week. The paper, which analysed what would be the best administrative and regional governance model for China during... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3096195/chinese-academics-divided-idea-turn-kashgar-municipality-under?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3096195/chinese-academics-divided-idea-turn-kashgar-municipality-under?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:30:21 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has been busy touring the country in recent weeks with his message to the people to remain vigilant to the ongoing threat of Covid-19 while encouraging industry and commerce to do all they can to get the nation’s economy back up and running. While the purpose of the so-called inspection tours might appear self-evident, some observers say that China’s most powerful leader in decades is also using the personal appearances to promote a new narrative and reinforce the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3084682/chinese-president-xi-jinping-sets-sights-affluent-society-goal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3084682/chinese-president-xi-jinping-sets-sights-affluent-society-goal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2020 04:00:20 +0000 The economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak is taking its toll on China’s poorest people as experts and the country’s leaders warned it could undermine its poverty reduction drive. The disease has killed more than 2,000 people and seen many parts of the country go into lockdown, damaging both the rural and urban economies and pushing some of those affected back into poverty. On Tuesday Wang Yang, the Communist Party’s number four, told a group of political advisers that it was the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3051467/coronavirus-outbreak-threatens-undermine-chinas-drive-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3051467/coronavirus-outbreak-threatens-undermine-chinas-drive-end?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2020 00:30:14 +0000 Lest anyone was in any doubt about the intentions of the Communist Party towards Christianity under Xi Jinping’s leadership, the announcement by Wang Yang at a recent meeting of religious leaders should make it quite clear that there is no room for alternative narratives or interpretations (“Bring scripture in line with socialism, religious chiefs told”, November 28). The Party’s ideology must not only prevail but must be reflected throughout all religious narratives in China. Although the work... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3040485/why-china-under-xi-jinping-will-fail-shake-faith-chinese-christians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3040485/why-china-under-xi-jinping-will-fail-shake-faith-chinese-christians?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Dec 2019 18:15:03 +0000 China’s Xinjiang autonomous region has attracted international attention for all the wrong reasons – police crackdowns and reports that local ethnic Uygur people are being held in internment camps. What hasn’t gained much attention is the difficulty Beijing has drafting in staff to execute its policies in the far northwest area. The measures targeting Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have triggered “widespread discontent among Han Chinese officials and citizens”, a source close to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3040628/wanted-chinese-cadres-hold-beijings-line-xinjiang-han-head?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3040628/wanted-chinese-cadres-hold-beijings-line-xinjiang-han-head?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 13:45:06 +0000 A senior Chinese leader known for his relatively liberal style of governance has been named the ruling Communist Party’s handler of Xinjiang policy, amid increasing international criticism over the mass detention of Muslim minorities in the far western region. Wang Yang, a member of the party’s policymaking Politburo Standing Committee, attended a high-level three-day conference in Xinjiang as head of the Central Committee’s Xinjiang Work Coordination Small Group, the state-run news agency... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3019044/liberal-policy-chief-unlikely-mean-softening-xinjiang-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3019044/liberal-policy-chief-unlikely-mean-softening-xinjiang-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2019 14:03:40 +0000 The head of China’s top political advisory body has told a Hong Kong business delegation in Beijing to be ready for a protracted trade war and expressed hopes local firms can join hands with mainland Chinese enterprises to “go abroad” for development. The remarks on Wednesday by Wang Yang, the country’s No 4 official and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, followed President Xi Jinping’s call on Monday for the nation to embark on a “new Long March”, in a sign that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3011389/top-chinese-official-wang-yang-tells-hong-kong-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3011389/top-chinese-official-wang-yang-tells-hong-kong-business?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2019 14:26:46 +0000 China’s biggest political advisory body has been told to stick to the directives of the Communist Party to confront risks and tasks Beijing called “unprecedented”. “[We] should treat studying the political thoughts of Xi Jinping as the most important task of all, and consolidate the self-confidence in our political system,” Wang Yang, head of the China People’s Political Consultative Conference, said at the closing ceremony of the body’s annual session on Wednesday. “[We] must unite our thoughts... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3001545/wang-yang-top-chinese-adviser-urges-faith-partys-judgment-face?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3001545/wang-yang-top-chinese-adviser-urges-faith-partys-judgment-face?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:30:09 +0000 The Communist Party’s top political adviser has openly derided the Cultural Revolution for damaging traditional Chinese culture, in a rare reference by a senior Chinese official to the dark chapter in the party’s history. “The Cultural Revolution eliminated a large part of both the essence and the dregs of traditional culture on the mainland,” said Wang Yang, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body. “But Taiwan preserved it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2149715/top-chinese-communist-party-cadre-criticises-cultural?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2149715/top-chinese-communist-party-cadre-criticises-cultural?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jun 2018 09:00:40 +0000 China's point man on Sino-US trade ties is set to move on to be the country’s top political adviser and take direct charge of the Communist Party’s public engagement campaigns. The appearance of Wang Yang, 63, at a national party gathering on engaging non-party sections of society is the latest sign that the former Chinese representative in high-level economic talks with the United States will take up the outreach portfolio. It also comes as China’s activities abroad are under greater scrutiny... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2128703/chinas-go-man-us-trade-take-communist-partys-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2128703/chinas-go-man-us-trade-take-communist-partys-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2018 13:00:30 +0000 As US President Donald Trump stepped out of a car outside the Great Hall of the People for a welcoming ceremony on Thursday morning, a line of Chinese officials standing on the red carpet rolled out before a flight of imposing stairs waited to greet him. The presence of this group of top officials, whose hands Trump shook one by one, shed light on who the central figures will be who will help shape China’s relations with the US over the next five years. Whereas in the Trump administration... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2119239/receiving-line-donald-trump-offers-rare-glimpse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2119239/receiving-line-donald-trump-offers-rare-glimpse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Nov 2017 02:00:30 +0000 Veteran politician Wang Yang is most likely to become China’s executive vice-premier while Shanghai party chief Han Zheng may head its top political advisory body, sources have told the South China Morning Post. Both are tipped to ascend to the ruling Communist Party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee. The changes will be made during the party’s twice-a-decade national congress, which is under way in Beijing. Five out of the seven Standing Committee members are due to retire when the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116411/seasoned-duo-tipped-take-key-jobs-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2116411/seasoned-duo-tipped-take-key-jobs-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 01:00:15 +0000 About two months ago, I wrote a column saying the Shanghai free-trade zone was to be a showcase for Premier Li Keqiang's ambitious economic reforms. I was partly right. In fact, the free-trade zone may not just be about Li's economic ambitions; it may also be a reflection of the competition between the reformers and the conservatives in high-level mainland politics. Who wins in this planned first round of economic reforms - centred on Shanghai's free-trade zone - will signal the mainland's... https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1320817/reform-showcase-becomes-part-intensifying-political-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1320817/reform-showcase-becomes-part-intensifying-political-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Vice-Premier Wang Yang's son-in-law recently launched a Hong Kong-based hedge fund focused on mainland equities, joining a growing number of young family members of top officials who have set up asset management businesses in the city. Nicholas Zhang, who married Wang's only daughter some years ago, started Magnolia Capital Management this year with some of his former colleagues from the Hong Kong offices of Soros Fund Management and UBS, said sources familiar with the situation who declined to... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1284957/son-law-vice-premier-wang-yang-sets-hong-kong-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1284957/son-law-vice-premier-wang-yang-sets-hong-kong-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A well-known diplomatic tool to help ease the way to an agreement is humour. It brings levity, loosens the atmosphere and makes discussion less tense. Vice-Premier Wang Yang's jokes in opening remarks at this year's US-China strategic and economic dialogue in Washington were uncharacteristic for a Chinese official, but they were just what was needed. In an instant, difficult relations gave way to laughter, putting last week's two-day talks on the right footing. It would be simplistic to contend... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1283471/humour-can-have-its-place-formal-diplomatic-settings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1283471/humour-can-have-its-place-formal-diplomatic-settings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Wang Yang's surprisingly light-hearted tone in Sino-US talks - in which the vice-premier compared the countries' relationship to a "straight" marriage and joked about Americans' "longer" noses - reflects the more direct and personable style of the new Chinese leadership. But the decision to open a high-level economic dialogue on such a humorous note drew mixed reviews at home. Some saw it as a welcome change from the stern image of many Communist Party leaders. Others thought it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1280594/mixed-reviews-over-vice-premiers-light-hearted-tone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1280594/mixed-reviews-over-vice-premiers-light-hearted-tone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A Chinese government news agency deemed two jokes by Vice-Premier Wang Yang, one on same-sex marriage and one on Rupert Murdoch, so funny that it issued a "special report" on them. Wang, speaking in Washington on Wednesday at the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, compared the relationship between the two countries to a marriage. "In China, 'new people' refers to newlywed couples. I am aware that the US allows gay marriage, but I don't think Jacob and I have such intentions," Wang... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1280133/chinese-vice-premier-wang-yang-gay-marriage-joke-us-summit-applauded-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1280133/chinese-vice-premier-wang-yang-gay-marriage-joke-us-summit-applauded-home?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2013 02:14:28 +0000 Etched into a 3,000-year-old clay wall of Luxor's most fabled temple is now a strange inscription that looks nothing like what an ancient Egyptian might write. Locals and archaeologists have made nothing of it, but one humiliated Chinese tourist was able to point out the culprit almost immediately. “Ding Jinhao visited this place,” the carving read – in modern Chinese characters. “I tried to wipe it with a paper towel, but it didn’t come off. I didn’t dare to use water because the relic was more... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1246598/i-was-here-chinese-carving-ancient-egyptian-wall-decried-weibo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1246598/i-was-here-chinese-carving-ancient-egyptian-wall-decried-weibo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 May 2013 08:15:21 +0000 The dire manners and "uncivilised behaviour" of some of its tourists are harming China's image overseas, a top official said. Vice-Premier Wang Yang singled out "talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and wilfully carving characters on items in scenic zones". Improving the civilised quality of the citizens [is] ... the obligations of governments at all levels Vice-Premier Wang Yang Such bad manners were "often criticised by the media and have damaged the image of Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1240206/dire-manners-and-uncivilised-behaviour-tourists-harming-chinas-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1240206/dire-manners-and-uncivilised-behaviour-tourists-harming-chinas-image?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The dire manners and “uncivilised behaviour” of some Chinese tourists abroad are harming the country’s image, said a top official who lamented their poor “quality and breeding”, according to state-run media. Wang Yang, one of China’s four vice premiers, singled out for condemnation “talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and willfully carving characters on items in scenic zones”. Such “uncivilised behaviours” were “often criticised by the media and have damaged the image of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1239784/uncivilised-behaviour-tourists-harming-chinas-image-admits-vp-wang-yang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1239784/uncivilised-behaviour-tourists-harming-chinas-image-admits-vp-wang-yang?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2013 07:08:11 +0000 The closer co-operation between China and the United States over North Korea's continuing nuclear threats will provide new momentum in the upcoming China-US strategic and economic dialogue, analysts say. That is also in view of the increasingly mutual reliance between the world's two largest economies and the need to revive their economic dynamism amid the global uncertainty, according to analysts. The US Treasury Department said on Saturday that the fifth meeting of the US-China Strategic and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1214747/more-concrete-results-will-emerge-upcoming-sino-us-dialogue-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1214747/more-concrete-results-will-emerge-upcoming-sino-us-dialogue-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The central government has made stabilising and sustaining economic growth and basic price stability policy priorities this year, according to a statement issued yesterday after a cabinet meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. Meanwhile, the division of labour among the nation's four vice-premiers is becoming clearer. Vice-premier Wang Yang, formerly the party chief in Guangdong, has been assigned to oversee the agriculture sector. He chaired a State Council work meeting on Tuesday concerning... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1201434/state-council-prioritises-stabilisation-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1201434/state-council-prioritises-stabilisation-economic-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The division of labour between the State Council's four vice-premiers and five state councillors, appointed last week, has yet to be made public, but the activities of two of the vice-premiers this week may shed light on their responsibilities. Zhang Gaoli inspected 10 of the 25 ministries and ministerial-level agencies under the State Council. Among them were the National Development and Reform Commission, the superministry in charge of overall economic operations, and the Ministry of Finance,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1197662/vice-premiers-activities-may-shed-light-division-labour-state-council?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1197662/vice-premiers-activities-may-shed-light-division-labour-state-council?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 "In fact, reforms are aimed at cutting off pieces from one's own body." That's what Wang Yang, a senior mainland official, told a panel discussion of NPC deputies from Anhui province in Beijing last week. His words may sound sadistic but they encapsulate the enormous challenges and difficulties the mainland leadership has in pushing ahead with any major reform - political, economic or social. This is not the first time Wang, well known for his reformist outlook, has made such a bold call for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1187882/new-ministry-needed-map-out-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1187882/new-ministry-needed-map-out-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Wang Yang has never been far from the limelight during his five years as Guangdong party chief, so cue the headlines when he stepped down last month for another posting. Reviewing his own performance in the south, Wang said he "had not been lazy or deceptive, or tried to avoid facing up to problems". This was solid praise indeed, rather different from the self-effacing assessment that senior officials usually give themselves at the end of a job. Unfortunately, in this case, the huge gap between... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1116763/wang-yang-no-reformist-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1116763/wang-yang-no-reformist-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New Guangdong Communist Party chief Hu Chunhua is filling some big shoes, with his predecessor, Wang Yang, one of the most high-profile and outspoken politicians on the mainland. As the new head of the mainland's economic powerhouse, 49-year-old Hu will find his capabilities tested. If he passes that test, he could be rewarded with elevation to the Communist Party's supreme Politburo Standing Committee in five years. After his appointment was announced on Tuesday, Hu said he would treasure the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1108542/all-eyes-hu-chunhua-he-takes-over-guangdong-party-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1108542/all-eyes-hu-chunhua-he-takes-over-guangdong-party-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Campaigners detail death of activists At least two activists died before or during the party congress and tens of thousands had their movements restricted, rights campaigners said yesterday. The Chinese Human Rights Defenders said Zhang Yaodong, a petitioner from Henan, was beaten to death in custody in Beijing on November 5. On Thursday, Chen Chengxiang from Hubei set herself on fire in protest over local corruption in front of the Beijing office that houses the UN Commission on Human Rights.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1086375/briefs-november-20-2012?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1086375/briefs-november-20-2012?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Guangdong party secretary Wang Yang, State Councillor Liu Yandong and State Council secretary general Ma Kai are front runners to fill the vice-premiership vacancies to be left by Zhang Dejiang, Hui Liangyu and Wang Qishan in March. All three potential vice-premiers are among the 25 members of the Communist Party's new Politburo, unveiled yesterday. Judging by her past experience, Liu, 67, could become the vice-premier responsible for culture, education, health care and technology. If she does... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1083430/front-runners-emerge-vice-premier-vacancies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1083430/front-runners-emerge-vice-premier-vacancies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 US media snubbed at inner circle's debut Neither The New York Times nor Bloomberg, which have both reported on the hidden fortune of China's top families, have been invited to this morning's media debut for the new Politburo Standing Committee. Bloomberg reported in June that members of Xi Jinping's extended family were in control of assets totaling US$376 million, citing public documents. A New York Times report last month alleged Wen Jiabao's family had amassed at least US$2.7 billion of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1082598/congress-briefs-november-15-2012?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1082598/congress-briefs-november-15-2012?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Pledges for more transparency by top Chinese Communist officials made after high-profile graft cases have been met with scepticism that corrupt leaders can come clean over their assets. Wang Yang, the top Communist official in the southern province of Guangdong, and Yu Zhengsheng, the party boss of Shanghai, both said on Friday that Chinese officials would begin releasing details of their assets in the future. “I believe that Chinese officials will gradually make assets public in line with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1079980/transparency-calls-china-congress-face-tough-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1079980/transparency-calls-china-congress-face-tough-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Nov 2012 07:49:49 +0000