https://www.scmp.com/rss/508606/feed Two Sessions refers to China's annual parliamentary meetings, where the two main political bodies of China - the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - reveal plans for China's policies involving the economy, military, trade, diplomacy, the environment and more. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/series/3132888/chinas-communist-party-everything-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/series/3132888/chinas-communist-party-everything-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 May 2021 07:09:15 +0000 In Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, “renewed” by the departure of 19 pro-democracy lawmakers following the National People’s Congress Standing Committee’s decision on the removal of Legco members last November, the legislative process has moved forward at a much brisker pace that was undreamed of for years. The legislature passed a record seven bills, including the budget, in one day on April 28. The committee set up to study over 600 pages of complex amendments to electoral rules completed its... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3132593/how-will-hong-kongs-electoral-system-reform-play-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3132593/how-will-hong-kongs-electoral-system-reform-play-out?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 May 2021 00:45:13 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has hit back at what she called unfair accusations by Western powers against the city, summing up foreign critics’ comments as “double standards, hypocrisy and lies”. In a combative mood, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also rejected accusations that police used excessive force during the 2019 anti-government protests. She singled out Britain for criticism, saying it was “the greatest lie” to claim China had breached the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3131965/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-lashes-out-western-powers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3131965/hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-lashes-out-western-powers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 May 2021 10:53:27 +0000 This is the first in a series of stories about China’s once-a-decade census conducted in 2020. The world’s most populous nation will release the national demographic data on Tuesday, and the figures will have far-reaching social policy and economic implications. This story was originally published on April 28, 2021, but it has been republished and updated after the National Bureau of Statistics announced the release date.  Data from China’s latest nationwide census is expected to show a critical... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3131460/chinas-census-expected-show-population-decline-spur-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3131460/chinas-census-expected-show-population-decline-spur-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Apr 2021 13:00:24 +0000 Never before has the composition of the Legislative Council been altered so extensively or hastily. It is not only that pro-Beijing candidates will have an unarguably distinct advantage in becoming lawmakers, but that sectoral interests and the polling arrangements will make universal suffrage – as envisioned in the Basic Law – an even more distant goal. Officials say the changes are necessary to ensure the city is administered only by “patriots”, a move said to be conducive to good governance.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131032/changes-hong-kongs-electoral-system-remain-hard-sell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131032/changes-hong-kongs-electoral-system-remain-hard-sell?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Apr 2021 15:29:00 +0000 The dust appears to be settling on the drastic shake-up of Hong Kong’s electoral system, with the announcement of local legislation on Tuesday to implement Beijing’s plan for an overhaul. While the revamp will effectively give the central government near-absolute control over Hong Kong’s political structure, Beijing also risks bearing the brunt of responsibility for failures of the city’s governance. Under the “one country, two systems” formula, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3129791/why-hong-kong-electoral-reform-double-edged-sword-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3129791/why-hong-kong-electoral-reform-double-edged-sword-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Apr 2021 06:45:08 +0000 Under pressure from the United States and reeling from a blitz of Chinese sanctions, the European Union is preparing new measures to punish Beijing for sweeping electoral reform that will marginalise opposition voices in Hong Kong.  According to four sources familiar with discussions, the measures could include a suspension of member state extradition treaties with China, although they are yet to be finalised by the officials who are busy laying the groundwork for Monday’s meeting of all 27 EU... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3129599/eu-mulls-end-extradition-treaties-china-over-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3129599/eu-mulls-end-extradition-treaties-china-over-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Apr 2021 04:00:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s pro-establishment legislators will need to prove their worth in the remainder of their term if they are keen to seek re-election, as Beijing is determined to get more new, patriotic faces into the Legislative Council in the December 19 polls, according to analysts. But some pro-establishment legislators warned that it was also important to make sure the legislature, which will be expanded from 70 to 90 seats under Beijing-imposed electoral changes, was filled with experienced... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3129562/hong-kong-electoral-changes-pro-establishment-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3129562/hong-kong-electoral-changes-pro-establishment-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Apr 2021 15:18:13 +0000 Traditional Beijing-friendly organisations and unionists in Hong Kong with a track record of mobilising pro-establishment supporters in polls have emerged to be big winners in an all-powerful committee that controls all key elections under proposed legislation unveiled on Tuesday. A key amendment that raised eyebrows was the composition of a newly created 60-seat sector for grass-roots associations in the Election Committee. The members include the Hong Kong Island Federation, Kowloon Federation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3129420/hong-kong-electoral-overhaul-who-are-biggest-winners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3129420/hong-kong-electoral-overhaul-who-are-biggest-winners?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Apr 2021 16:37:51 +0000 Former justice minister Elsie Leung Oi-sie has cautioned Western governments against undermining Hong Kong’s rule of law by politicising the presence of foreign judges in the city and pressuring them to quit. The city’s first secretary for justice advised judges from other common law jurisdictions working in Hong Kong to stay above the fray, pointing out that they were free to express disagreements with any government stance through dissenting rulings. “This is against the rule of law,” she... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3128837/dont-undermine-hong-kongs-rule-law-politicising-presence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3128837/dont-undermine-hong-kongs-rule-law-politicising-presence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Apr 2021 00:00:25 +0000 Lawmakers and district councillors could be disqualified immediately after taking their oath of office if their behaviour was deemed “problematic”, Hong Kong’s constitutional affairs minister warned on Wednesday. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai also revealed in the legislature that the government was studying whether opposition district councillors who resigned rather than pledge allegiance to the city and its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, would have to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3128647/hong-kong-lawmakers-district-councillors-face-instant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3128647/hong-kong-lawmakers-district-councillors-face-instant?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:12:02 +0000 The pro-establishment camp and the administration in Hong Kong need to raise their game in the wake of the drastic shake-up of the city’s electoral system as now they have far fewer excuses not to perform, politicians from the bloc have conceded. They also had to do more to reach out to the alienated supporters of the opposition who felt divisions had only deepened, members of the camp who spoke candidly to the Post said on Wednesday. A second-generation tycoon, also from the camp and who spoke... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3127833/pro-beijing-camp-leaders-admit-hong-kong-government-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3127833/pro-beijing-camp-leaders-admit-hong-kong-government-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Mar 2021 13:11:03 +0000 China’s top legislative body has approved fundamental changes to Hong Kong’s political system, slashing the number of directly elected seats and ensuring more pro-Beijing representation in the city’s legislature, creating a powerful new post to head a more influential Election Committee, and setting up a vetting body comprising principal officials to screen out candidates deemed to be unpatriotic. While some of the far-reaching changes were expected in the final resolution passed unanimously by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3127686/hong-kong-electoral-changes-chinas-top-legislative-body?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3127686/hong-kong-electoral-changes-chinas-top-legislative-body?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Mar 2021 17:24:03 +0000 Key points: – Election Committee will enjoy biggest share of Legislative Council seats with 40, while 30 seats go to the trade-based functional constituencies, leaving the directly elected geographical constituencies with just 20, down from 35 – First-ever chief convenor will assume top role on Election Committee, must hold state leadership position to qualify – Corporate voters will have greater say in picking their trade-based representatives to the Election Committee – Legco hopefuls must now... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3127563/sweeping-changes-hong-kongs-electoral-system-approved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3127563/sweeping-changes-hong-kongs-electoral-system-approved?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Mar 2021 02:27:56 +0000 A key drafter of China’s 14th five-year plan and several of Beijing’s top economists will take part in a high-level panel meeting on Tuesday to discuss the mainland blueprint and how it can create new opportunities for Hong Kong. The five-year plan, which was approved at the National People’s Congress during its annual “two sessions” meeting in Beijing earlier this month, sets out the country’s main economic and political goals for 2021-25. Watch the event live below Hu Zucai, vice-chair of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3127512/chinas-14th-five-year-plan-hong-kongs-opportunities-2021-25?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3127512/chinas-14th-five-year-plan-hong-kongs-opportunities-2021-25?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Mar 2021 12:46:18 +0000 Let’s look at the facts. Hong Kong showed during last year’s district council elections that belief in “one country, two systems” was declining, when pro-democracy candidates won a landslide victory. The central government’s representatives in Hong Kong at the time totally misread public sentiment, resulting in a shake-up. Do not forget that our own government totally failed to represent us and let Beijing take the lead. We now have three mainland agencies operating in Hong Kong. In less than a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3127084/change-hong-kongs-dna-first-recognise-it-exists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3127084/change-hong-kongs-dna-first-recognise-it-exists?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Mar 2021 22:15:06 +0000 Beijing has embraced its new role in Hong Kong, rolling up its sleeves, getting its hands dirty, wading knee-deep into the political malaise. And things are getting done at lightning speed: in three days, Beijing held 66 consultation sessions in Hong Kong on the overhaul of the city’s electoral system. Speaking to the press at the end of the sessions last week, Zhang Xiaoming, executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, indicated that a larger proportion of lawmakers... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126202/hong-kong-electoral-reform-happening-breakneck-speed-grandpa-runs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126202/hong-kong-electoral-reform-happening-breakneck-speed-grandpa-runs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Mar 2021 01:15:18 +0000 The verdict is in and it does not make for pleasant reading – everyone is guilty. In the light of recent events, Beijing has spent several months studying Hong Kong’s political experiences during the past two decades from the perspectives of competence and loyalty to the country. The conclusion is devastating – the patriots are not competent and the competent are insufficiently patriotic. Is that assessment too harsh? A little unfair on a few, perhaps, but overall it is not an unreasonable... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126160/hong-kong-election-reform-missed-chances-shape-citys-future-must?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126160/hong-kong-election-reform-missed-chances-shape-citys-future-must?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 06:30:06 +0000 As Beijing steps up its efforts to become self-reliant in manufacturing computer chips, Taiwan is fighting an uphill battle to stop its engineers from being lured to the mainland and stamp out illegal operations within its own territory. On March 9, Taiwanese prosecutors raided the offices of two companies alleged to have been funded by mainland China-based Cvitek, a chip design firm suspected of having financial links to Beijing-based Bitmain Technologies, the world’s largest manufacturer of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3126269/taiwan-hits-back-mainland-firms-fishing-its-chip-makers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3126269/taiwan-hits-back-mainland-firms-fishing-its-chip-makers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 04:00:15 +0000 Beijing’s sweeping changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system were so fast and furious that many across the political spectrum were caught by surprise. Ten days into the approval of the changes by China’s top legislature on March 11, Beijing officials completed consultative sessions with more than 1,000 individuals in the city, they said, and the pro-establishment bloc floated various proposals in the hope of fine tuning how rules of three upcoming elections would be rewritten. Ahead of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3126302/hong-kongs-electoral-shake-making-sense-political-tectonic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3126302/hong-kongs-electoral-shake-making-sense-political-tectonic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 03:30:19 +0000 Extending China’s legal retirement age will keep more people employed longer as society ages, but a number of Chinese workers are worried that it might exacerbate discrimination in the job market. After years of discussions, Beijing announced in its new five-year plan (2021-25) that it will “gradually” increase the nation’s mandatory retirement ages that have been unchanged for 70 years, as China’s population crisis looms larger every year. By law, Chinese men retire at age 60 while women... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3126215/chinese-workers-fear-job-discrimination-will-rise-under-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3126215/chinese-workers-fear-job-discrimination-will-rise-under-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Mar 2021 12:30:09 +0000 Hong Kong lawmakers will start discussing Beijing’s coming overhaul of the city’s electoral system even before China’s top legislative body unveils the final details of its plan. The Legislative Council’s House Committee, which scrutinises bills and legislation, on Friday afternoon adopted a suggestion by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to fast-track the local legislative work to pave the way for the Beijing-decreed shake-up. A subcommittee will be set up to immediately start... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3126217/hong-kong-electoral-reform-lawmakers-start-discussing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3126217/hong-kong-electoral-reform-lawmakers-start-discussing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Mar 2021 12:29:41 +0000 I refer to “China trying to ‘erode democratic elements’, ‘eliminate dissenting voices’ in Hong Kong with electoral reform, G7 says” (March 13). The past “century of humiliation” is embedded in the psyche of Chinese people, and it is the painful bedrock from which Han nationalism springs. It is hard to imagine China once again being subjugated by Western powers. The Chinese system draws on propaganda, censorship by means of new technology, and the use of fear. As perceived by the mainland, Hong... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125836/why-old-hong-kong-will-endure-despite-new-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125836/why-old-hong-kong-will-endure-despite-new-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 23:00:14 +0000 Beijing’s overhaul of Hong Kong’s political system is gathering pace. Details of the reforms, to be endorsed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, will be released soon. The aim is to have the new system in place by May. The direction of the reforms, to achieve the central government’s aim of ensuring only “patriots” can govern Hong Kong, is clear. But questions remain about the precise form the arrangements will take and the extent to which there will be a role for the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126054/now-time-opposition-build-bridges-not-burn-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126054/now-time-opposition-build-bridges-not-burn-them?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 19:07:52 +0000 There is now an orthodox view on the problem plaguing Hong Kong. If only the city can resolve its livelihood problems, chief among which is unaffordable housing, everything will be hunky-dory. When Vice-Premier Han Zheng briefed a group of Hong Kong representatives during the “two sessions” on the coming overhaul of the city’s electoral system, he singled out housing as the key problem to be addressed. Since then, Beijing’s allies in Hong Kong have been nodding their heads in agreement. Property... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126052/why-we-cant-solve-hong-kongs-housing-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126052/why-we-cant-solve-hong-kongs-housing-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 18:42:19 +0000 “Women shine at China’s ‘two sessions’,” said a glowing Xinhua headline earlier this month. The article went on to note: “In the 13th National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, there are 742 female deputies and 440 female members respectively, marking a historic high for female representation.” However, women still account for less than a quarter of all NPC and CPPCC members. As China inches towards greater female... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125775/chinas-political-gender-gap-remains-huge-so-much-women-holding-half?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125775/chinas-political-gender-gap-remains-huge-so-much-women-holding-half?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Mar 2021 01:15:12 +0000 Beijing coming down hard for Hong Kong to resolve the housing crisis comes to me as great news. For too long, politicians on both ends of the spectrum dragged their feet on the issue. The apparently pro-Beijing camp – where many are among the vested interests, such as property tycoons and developers – never intended for property prices to fall and become affordable. Consultations, expert studies and think tank research went on and on, but arrived at no real solutions. Free-market ideology, the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125606/how-hong-kongs-electoral-overhaul-will-solve-housing-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125606/how-hong-kongs-electoral-overhaul-will-solve-housing-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Mar 2021 22:30:16 +0000 I refer to “Lam vows city can still move towards greater democracy” and “Beijing to use ‘combination punches’ to safeguard constitutional order” (March 9).  Our chief executive pledges a drive to explain the electoral overhaul to residents. It appears Mrs Lam is mirroring former chief executive Leung Chun-ying’s optimistic view that the overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system could create the right conditions to open up the system and even pave the way for universal suffrage.  The official... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125519/hong-kong-democracy-chinese-characteristics-city-awaits-explainer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125519/hong-kong-democracy-chinese-characteristics-city-awaits-explainer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Mar 2021 22:50:15 +0000 Federer vs Nadal, Sampras vs Agassi. These tennis greats were opponents for years. If one is mentally strong, an opponent will only motivate one to improve and progress further. It does not mean only one of the two can survive. The same principle applies everywhere, even in politics. The National People’s Congress has resolved to reshape the electoral process in Hong Kong. Pan-democrats’ responses to this electoral reform have been disappointing and focus on no more than accusing the central... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125518/be-brave-enough-respect-china-and-welcome-hong-kongs-electoral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3125518/be-brave-enough-respect-china-and-welcome-hong-kongs-electoral?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Mar 2021 22:30:14 +0000 The one-child policy accelerated China’s development. But the dividend of a low birth rate – a bigger workforce and more savings – came at the price of premature ageing of the population. As a result, retirement planning has overtaken family planning in little more than a generation. Policy debate on a complex issue began long ago. It includes the idea of extending the retirement age from 60 to 65, a structural reform that would need to be introduced incrementally. Premier Li Keqiang confirmed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125715/reform-retirement-policy-time-critical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125715/reform-retirement-policy-time-critical?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Mar 2021 20:14:50 +0000 The rise of China has been one of the defining stories of the 21st century, and the country has officially become one of the few countries where domestic changes affect the rest of the world. If China stumbles, the whole world will feel a bruise. Which is why this year’s all-important political meeting, called Lianghui or “two sessions,” which wrapped up last week, was aimed at making sure China doesn’t trip on its own shoelaces. “Whether that be dual circulation economic strategy, innovation,... https://www.scmp.com/politics/china-trying-make-policy-moves-wont-shake-world/article/3125682?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/china-trying-make-policy-moves-wont-shake-world/article/3125682?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Mar 2021 12:36:18 +0000 Beijing has ordered all levels of government across China to lower their debt levels, as leaders move to address the fiscal risks that arose last year when policymakers boosted spending and cut taxes to fight the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. In its work report presented to the National People’s Congress on March 5, Beijing said it would strive for “basic stability” in the macroeconomic leverage ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP). But at Monday’s meeting of the State... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125672/china-debt-state-council-says-local-governments-must-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125672/china-debt-state-council-says-local-governments-must-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Mar 2021 11:30:07 +0000 Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has vowed to fast-track the local legislation required for delivering the Beijing-decreed overhaul of the city’s electoral system, suggesting lawmakers can accelerate the process by holding extra meetings and setting aside other business. The chief executive also said on Tuesday that an omnibus bill allowing the government to amend several ordinances in one go would be tabled in the Legislative Council to help simplify the undertaking, given the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125654/hong-kong-elections-reform-carrie-lam-promises-fast-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125654/hong-kong-elections-reform-carrie-lam-promises-fast-track?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Mar 2021 08:52:51 +0000 Institutional change is often characterised by path dependence. However, the passage of major changes to the electoral system by the National People’s Congress on March 11 seems to have taken Hong Kong’s constitutional development away from its past trajectory. The road map and timetable Beijing promulgated in December 2007 could have allowed Hongkongers to directly elect their chief executive in 2017, based on the nomination mechanism prescribed by the Basic Law. It flopped because of the 2014... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125437/electoral-reform-time-hong-kongs-democrats-reinvent-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125437/electoral-reform-time-hong-kongs-democrats-reinvent-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 22:45:14 +0000 A team of Chinese researchers say they have found a “massively more efficient” and more accurate way to simulate quantum computing using traditional processors, challenging a 2019 claim by Google scientists that they had achieved “quantum supremacy”. Quantum computing is still in its infancy but promises to take computational power to a new level by manipulating subatomic particles. Scientists hope it will help lead to breakthroughs in areas such as materials science and developing new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3125539/chinese-scientists-challenge-googles-quantum-supremacy-claim-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3125539/chinese-scientists-challenge-googles-quantum-supremacy-claim-new?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 22:00:05 +0000 Beijing’s grand plan for the next five years and its vision for 2035 have two big assumptions. One is that China is experiencing an unstoppable rise against the West, and the other is that China’s 1.4 billion consumers will create a domestic market big enough to guarantee the country’s continued growth. To turn the second assumption into a reality, China needs to tilt its national income distribution in favour of the people. The 14th five-year plan and the 2035 Vision paint a rosy picture for... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125490/chinas-economic-grand-plan-falls-short-how-enrich-people-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125490/chinas-economic-grand-plan-falls-short-how-enrich-people-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 10:15:06 +0000 China’s “godfather of train photography” Wang Fuchun, whose portraits of travellers on China’s railways garnered worldwide fame, died in Beijing on Saturday at the age of 79 from an undisclosed illness. Starting his career as a railway worker in the 1970s, Wang, who won both domestic and international awards in photography, had spent over 40 years taking pictures of people from different walks of life on trains, providing a portrait of Chinese society during a time of radical... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3125487/chinas-famous-train-photographer-wang-fuchun-whose-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3125487/chinas-famous-train-photographer-wang-fuchun-whose-work?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 07:59:49 +0000 The imminent cutback on directly elected seats in Hong Kong’s legislature as part of Beijing’s overhaul of the system became a contentious point during a dialogue chaired by central government officials on Monday, as pro-establishment politicians said popularly elected lawmakers had contributed to the city’s chaos. Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), said on Monday at the first of a three day session about the reforms with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125435/hong-kong-elections-reform-senior-beijing-official-opens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125435/hong-kong-elections-reform-senior-beijing-official-opens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 03:40:33 +0000 Hong Kong property tycoon Gordon Wu Ying-sheung recalls attending a closed-door meeting in Shenzhen on February 28, where top Beijing officials discussed ways to overhaul the city’s elections system. “I was the first to speak,” said the 85-year-old chairman of Hopewell Holdings, one of only two property developers in the select group of about 30 invited to the seminar chaired by Xia Baolong, head of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. In an interview with the Post, Wu said he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125384/fix-hongkongers-livelihood-housing-woes-and-all-will-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125384/fix-hongkongers-livelihood-housing-woes-and-all-will-be?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 00:00:13 +0000 The 4th session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) of China held recently made a decision to improve Hong Kong’s electoral system. The purpose is to provide an institutional guarantee for the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, and ultimately for the long-term implementation of “one country, two systems”. To gain an accurate understanding, let me share with you the following perspectives. First and foremost, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a subnational... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125327/patriots-governing-hong-kong-one-country-two-systems-guaranteed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125327/patriots-governing-hong-kong-one-country-two-systems-guaranteed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 17:00:16 +0000 China’s ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong’s democracy are “completely unnecessary”. In an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post on Sunday, the ambassador defended an overhaul of the city’s electoral system that critics fear will freeze out dissenting voices. A resolution rubber-stamped by the National People’s Congress last week will effectively shut out opposition members deemed “unpatriotic” and change the means by which the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3125398/chinese-ambassador-us-defends-plan-bar-unpatriotic-candidates-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3125398/chinese-ambassador-us-defends-plan-bar-unpatriotic-candidates-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 12:30:06 +0000 Beijing’s drastic planned shake-up of the Hong Kong elections system is designed to prevent separatists or foreign agents from infiltrating the administration of the city, while restoring stability after the chaos of recent years, according to the finance minister. Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that the central government’s plan also aimed to fix the problems embedded within the current arrangements for city polls. “The reforms are for rectifying the deficiencies and plugging the loopholes of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125397/hong-kong-elections-reform-beijing-shake-designed-stop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125397/hong-kong-elections-reform-beijing-shake-designed-stop?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 10:30:07 +0000 China’s top legislative body will soon set out a detailed plan for shaking up Hong Kong’s elections system so the necessary changes to the city’s laws can be completed by May, its sole local delegate has revealed. Tam Yiu-chung, of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), on Sunday noted that timings were tight for implementing the reforms given the city’s chief executive election was scheduled for next year. He warned against filling a new vetting committee with retired... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125390/hong-kong-elections-reform-beijing-reveal-detailed-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125390/hong-kong-elections-reform-beijing-reveal-detailed-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 08:40:31 +0000 Beijing is cleaning house, and it’s not just getting rid of those troublesome obstructionists; they may not be the only ones Beijing has found lacking in “patriotism”. Given the electoral overhaul the National People’s Congress has just rolled out – which had definitely been in the works for a while now – Beijing is determined to clear out more clutter.   In other words, the central leadership has lost all patience when it comes to both the troublemakers and the ineffective patriots who are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125177/hong-kong-election-system-overhaul-reveals-beijings-displeasure-pro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125177/hong-kong-election-system-overhaul-reveals-beijings-displeasure-pro?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 07:40:15 +0000 China’s decisions and foreign policy positions have given rise to “significant” uncertainty and anxiety as countries globally assess their implications, and this is not an ideal situation for Beijing, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said. Lee was speaking in an interview with British broadcaster BBC recorded two weeks ago and aired on Sunday, before Beijing on Thursday confirmed it would move ahead with the biggest overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system since the city returned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3125369/singapore-pm-says-global-anxiety-over-beijings-decisions-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3125369/singapore-pm-says-global-anxiety-over-beijings-decisions-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 03:29:32 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang insisted last week that Beijing wanted to promote peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait, but many Taiwanese are questioning how this can be achieved when the mainland authorities have shown no signs of reducing the pressure on the island – including a recent ban on its pineapples. Speaking at a press conference on the final day of the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress, the mainland’s top legislative body, Li said Beijing was committed to promoting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125324/if-they-want-peaceful-exchanges-they-shouldnt-have-banned-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125324/if-they-want-peaceful-exchanges-they-shouldnt-have-banned-our?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 02:00:19 +0000 China’s parliament on Thursday approved the biggest overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. In the second of a two-part special, the Post looks at what the revamp will mean for the opposition camp. Read part one on the pro-establishment bloc here. Shortly after chairing a meeting with his colleagues at the Democratic Party’s headquarters in Prince Edward on Wednesday afternoon, Lo Kin-hei hopped into a taxi for a 45-minute ride to the Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125355/shaken-beijings-plans-overhaul-hong-kongs-election-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125355/shaken-beijings-plans-overhaul-hong-kongs-election-system?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 00:00:19 +0000 Beijing is inclined to slash the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong’s legislature from 35 to 20 – the lowest ratio in the city’s election history – to remove “all risk factors” that might allow opposition activists to form a one-third veto bloc in the future, the Post has learned. The ratio of geographical seats in the revamped 90-member Legislative Council is expected to be one of the major issues to be discussed on Monday when Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the State Council’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125353/hong-kong-electoral-reform-beijing-could-cut-number?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125353/hong-kong-electoral-reform-beijing-could-cut-number?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Mar 2021 16:45:55 +0000 The pandemic continues to define national and world affairs, including in China, even though it has emerged from it to lead a global recovery. As a result the whole world was watching with a degree of anticipation and trepidation as Premier Li Keqiang took media questions on China’s economy after the annual “two sessions” of the national legislature and political advisory committee. In line with uncertain times, China has set a cautious growth target of “above 6 per cent”, a guide to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125350/boosting-consumption-economic-priority-new-five-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125350/boosting-consumption-economic-priority-new-five-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Mar 2021 15:22:44 +0000 The District Council elections, held amid anti-government protests in November 2019, saw a record turnout and a landslide opposition victory. There were hopes the polls would set the stage for greater democracy in Hong Kong. But they have proved to be a landmark of a different kind. Reforms approved by the National People’s Congress last week will take us back in time. They are intended to ensure only “patriots” will govern Hong Kong. But the changes also guarantee that landslide victories for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125343/reforms-have-shattered-hong-kongs-democratic-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125343/reforms-have-shattered-hong-kongs-democratic-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Mar 2021 13:28:47 +0000