https://www.scmp.com/rss/512361/feed The Communist Party of China holds a national congress every five years where major leadership changes are announced. At the 20th Party Congress, convened in Beijing in October 2022, President Xi Jinping began his unprecedented third term with a major shake-up of the top leadership. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Innovation and strategic planning must spearhead China’s modernisation, President Xi Jinping has said as he laid out the priorities in his plans to transform the country into a superpower. Xi also said “we should coordinate development and security” – meaning there was a need to balance the two – in a speech to senior officials, parts of which were published on Saturday in Qiushi, the Communist Party’s most authoritative theoretical journal. China’s manufacturing rebounds in latest sign of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3236454/xi-jinping-highlights-importance-innovation-path-chinese-style-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3236454/xi-jinping-highlights-importance-innovation-path-chinese-style-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Oct 2023 14:05:16 +0000 Beijing has sent a top legal expert and an economist to Hong Kong in a widely televised visit to brief local officials, politicians and various industry professionals on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s twice-in-a-decade work report released two months ago. Shen Chunyao, chairman of the legislative affairs commission of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on Saturday said the report from the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th congress affirmed Xi’s message during a visit to Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3201969/communist-partys-20th-congress-beijing-sends-top-legal-expert-economist-brief-hong-kong-president-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3201969/communist-partys-20th-congress-beijing-sends-top-legal-expert-economist-brief-hong-kong-president-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Dec 2022 15:45:32 +0000 China should prevent big fluctuations in economic growth and ensure a sense of security for the middle class as part of its push for common prosperity, according to the former head of a government think tank. Ma Xiaohe, a former director and a researcher with the Macroeconomic Research Institute within the National Development and Reform Commission, believes China should establish a mature mechanism for wealth accumulation. President Xi Jinping signalled more robust regulation to narrow the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3200113/china-urged-ensure-stable-economy-fix-fragile-wealth-accumulation-seeking-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3200113/china-urged-ensure-stable-economy-fix-fragile-wealth-accumulation-seeking-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:30:11 +0000 Beijing’s top representative in Hong Kong has urged residents to respect the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership and take advantage of the “historic opportunities” offered by the country’s development to avoid regrets. Luo Huining, director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, on Thursday also called on residents to be “combative” and fight any challenges to protect the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as the city’s long-term prosperity. He met 120... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3199898/hong-kong-will-reap-huge-dividends-be-envy-other-economies-beijings-support-top-state-official-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3199898/hong-kong-will-reap-huge-dividends-be-envy-other-economies-beijings-support-top-state-official-city?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2022 00:43:15 +0000 While the world’s attention was focused on the appointment of Xi Jinping for an unprecedented third term at last month’s 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi quietly appointed a new line-up of military leaders. These six members – who will sit on the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s top military body – will shape China’s military and security policy for the next five years, if not longer. Their appointment also signals that Xi is more serious about... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199084/what-chinas-new-military-leadership-line-says-about-xis-plans-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199084/what-chinas-new-military-leadership-line-says-about-xis-plans-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Nov 2022 00:30:10 +0000 Lawmakers have urged Hong Kong officials to boldly promote national pride and raise awareness about foreign interference, as they overwhelmingly approved a motion urging the government to encourage residents to learn about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s report at the country’s 20th party congress. The motion was passed on Thursday with a show of hands during a marathon debate in the Legislative Council, where a rare discussion about the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s report on the development... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3199116/lawmakers-call-officials-boldly-promote-national-pride-approve-motion-urging-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3199116/lawmakers-call-officials-boldly-promote-national-pride-approve-motion-urging-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2022 08:07:29 +0000 Marcelo Duhalde,Han Huang,William Zheng,Guo Rui,Phoebe Zhang,Salina Li,Xinlu Liang,Jun Mai Marcelo Duhalde,Han Huang,William Zheng,Guo Rui,Phoebe Zhang,Salina Li,Xinlu Liang,Jun Mai https://www.scmp.com/infographics/china/society/article/3195959/chinas-communist-party-who-are-new-faces-20th-central-committee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/china/society/article/3195959/chinas-communist-party-who-are-new-faces-20th-central-committee?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 02:00:14 +0000 China needs to regard development as the No 1 priority and ensure a “reasonable growth” of the national economy in a persistent way, a senior economic official said, outlining goals for the next five years. The comments from Han Wenxiu, deputy director at the General Office of the Central Economic and Financial Affairs Commission, come amid market worries that China’s emphasis on high-quality development and common prosperity could sideline the decades-old priority for growth, with the current... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3198611/chinas-no-1-priority-still-gdp-growth-senior-economic-official-asserts-amid-focus-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3198611/chinas-no-1-priority-still-gdp-growth-senior-economic-official-asserts-amid-focus-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 10:00:13 +0000 Late last month, the Chinese embassy in Washington wrote a thundering note to a right-wing US senator accusing him of being “arrogant and despicable” and part of a “pernicious political agenda” leading the US down a “wrong and dangerous path”. The incendiary missive on ambassador Qin Gang’s watch to Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, came after the hawkish senator introduced a bill intended to sanction Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior Beijing officials over alleged human-rights... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198350/qin-gang-chinas-ambassador-us-and-long-time-xi-loyalist-poised-lead-foreign-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198350/qin-gang-chinas-ambassador-us-and-long-time-xi-loyalist-poised-lead-foreign-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:00:13 +0000 Over the past three decades, there has been no shortage of doomsayers on China. I met one at a seminar on China’s 18th party congress at Oxford University in 2013, who maintained that the congress was a “desperate” effort by the Communist Party to save itself from demise. Looking at Western mainstream media over the past week, I have been struck by the same pessimistic tone – though the focus has shifted to the Chinese economy. Such is its “fragile” state, analysts assert, that China has few... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197899/doomsayers-should-think-twice-writing-chinas-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197899/doomsayers-should-think-twice-writing-chinas-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:30:19 +0000 A Chinese diplomat on Wednesday said Beijing had no time frame for the unification of Taiwan with the mainland, refuting recent assessments by US government officials that the mainland’s government had sped up plans for a military seizure across the Taiwan Strait. “I don’t think there’s any so-called timeline over the Taiwan issue,” Jing Quan, a minister at China’s embassy in Washington, said in a discussion with Susan Thornton, a former senior US State Department official, organised by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198210/china-has-no-time-frame-taiwan-reunification-even-if-us-says-so-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198210/china-has-no-time-frame-taiwan-reunification-even-if-us-says-so-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2022 22:30:13 +0000 Maybe the lady intel officer who sought to recruit me for a CIA operation involving Chinese espionage on the US West Coast didn’t look the part – though, then again, perhaps she did. Modest in dress, controlled in comportment, she sat with me in the back of a large steak restaurant in Los Angeles without once raising her voice. She told me she was proud to be “working for the President of the United States, that’s what we do”, and I believed her. She paid for everything (as she had for two prior... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197989/why-criticism-third-term-chinas-xi-jinping-rich-coming-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197989/why-criticism-third-term-chinas-xi-jinping-rich-coming-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2022 17:00:14 +0000 In laying out a vision for China’s next five years at the recent Communist Party congress, President Xi Jinping pledged support for environmental protection and promoting low-carbon industries, declaring the need for “harmony between humanity and nature when planning our development”. His statements suggest that what has come to be described as a “Green Leap Forward” will continue to play a significant role in Chinese domestic policy. China’s strong economic growth in recent decades has come at... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197956/xi-jinpings-green-leap-forward-will-shape-chinas-environmental-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197956/xi-jinpings-green-leap-forward-will-shape-chinas-environmental-future?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2022 08:30:18 +0000 Investors were probably hoping that new policy support for China’s property market would be announced at the 20th party congress. Alas, the event focused on political developments and no specific measures were unveiled to address the challenges facing the real estate sector. This has left the market waiting for updates on how to navigate China’s property sector, an important pillar of growth since the private property rights space expanded decades ago. China is facing a challenging economic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197662/china-wont-let-property-market-collapse-heady-days-are-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197662/china-wont-let-property-market-collapse-heady-days-are-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2022 08:15:11 +0000 The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party ended last Saturday with the election of a new Central Committee and amendments of the party constitution. Then, on the following day, President Xi Jinping further cemented his paramount leader status with a third term as the general secretary, while also confirming a new line-up for the Politburo and its powerful Standing Committee. The results were largely as expected as some of the familiar faces like Premier Li Keqiang and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197836/global-impact-now-dust-has-settled-after-20th-party-congress-where-china-heading-under-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197836/global-impact-now-dust-has-settled-after-20th-party-congress-where-china-heading-under-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2022 06:00:16 +0000 China’s 20th party congress will be remembered for confirming an unprecedented third term for Xi Jinping and packing the Standing Committee with his loyalists. Xi’s report to the congress covered all the traditional themes but the emphasis was on dealing with security in its varied aspects and accelerating technological progress. But, despite a well-choreographed show of confidence, Beijing’s entreaties could not dispel widespread concerns about China’s growth prospects. The original target for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197454/how-china-can-achieve-high-economic-growth-another-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197454/how-china-can-achieve-high-economic-growth-another-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2022 01:15:10 +0000 At the 20th party congress, President Xi Jinping said China was entering a new era of “Chinese-style modernisation”. Considering China’s role in the global economy, it is important for businesses worldwide to understand what this means. Xi has indicated that a new growth model is needed to drive China’s evolution into a modern socialist country by 2049. While China intends to maintain its position as one of the world’s largest economies and a major contributor to global economic growth, this new... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197563/foreign-companies-are-still-needed-chinas-new-era-economic-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197563/foreign-companies-are-still-needed-chinas-new-era-economic-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Oct 2022 19:30:08 +0000 Latest amendments to the Chinese Communist Party’s constitution concerning Hong Kong have reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to the “one country, two systems” policy and its vision the principle would be the governing solution for Taiwan, according to analysts. Observers have pointed to an additional description in the important document guiding China’s ruling party, which states that one country, two systems should be implemented “fully, faithfully and resolutely”. An extra line warning against... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3197594/does-china-intend-rule-taiwan-under-one-country-two-systems-extra-line-latest-changes-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3197594/does-china-intend-rule-taiwan-under-one-country-two-systems-extra-line-latest-changes-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2022 00:00:12 +0000 As I sit down to write this column to reflect on my career as a journalist, my mind keeps drifting to A Good Life, the title of the autobiography of US journalist Ben Bradlee, one of the greatest newspapermen in modern times and for whom I have the utmost respect. I cannot think of a more fitting description to summarise my life’s work as I have decided to move on from the hustle and bustle of reporting and writing for 33 years. I am leaving the South China Morning Post, a newspaper I have... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3197588/26-year-post-veteran-reflects-career-journalist-reporting-china-and-why-he-wants-return-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3197588/26-year-post-veteran-reflects-career-journalist-reporting-china-and-why-he-wants-return-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2022 00:00:09 +0000 Private security firms will play a much more significant role in protecting assets related to China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative after President Xi Jinping discussed enhancing overseas security at the 20th party congress, according to analysts. The total market value of global private military or security companies is between US$100 billion and US$244 billion, according to a report released this month by Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, a conservative defence policy think... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197577/chinas-private-security-firms-shield-against-terrorist-sabotage-xi-jinping-looks-protect-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197577/chinas-private-security-firms-shield-against-terrorist-sabotage-xi-jinping-looks-protect-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 12:30:09 +0000 China’s 20th party congress has laid out a promising blueprint for the future of its economy. The aim is to walk its own path towards modernisation and “high-quality development”, by adhering to party leadership, emphasising innovation and focusing on macroeconomic policies to promote stability. China’s policies reverberate around the globe and its economic direction is the focus of much international attention – some of it optimistic; some, pessimistic. But China, which insists on reform and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197317/how-china-plans-rise-its-economic-challenges-path-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197317/how-china-plans-rise-its-economic-challenges-path-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 03:30:21 +0000 The recently concluded 20th Party Congress was exceptional because it shattered many long-standing conventions. These unwritten rules and customs were established over time after the Cultural Revolution to reduce party infighting, build consensus and avoid excessive concentration of power. At the end of the Cultural Revolution, party elders like Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun found themselves inheriting a party and country torn by bitter political strife and chaos resulting from the excesses of Mao... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3197442/communist-partys-moment-crisis-turned-xi-jinping-weakest-its-most-powerful-leader-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3197442/communist-partys-moment-crisis-turned-xi-jinping-weakest-its-most-powerful-leader-history?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 02:00:20 +0000 Beijing mayor Chen Jining has been promoted to Communist Party chief of Shanghai, confirming an earlier report by the South China Morning Post. The official announcement was made on Friday morning by state news agency Xinhua. Chen had arrived in Shanghai on Thursday evening, sources told the Post. Yin Yong, deputy party chief of Beijing, was named acting mayor of the city. At 53 he is one of the youngest ministerial-level cadres in China. Chen, 58, is an environmental scientist who studied... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197505/beijing-mayor-chen-jining-tipped-surprise-promotion-top-job-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197505/beijing-mayor-chen-jining-tipped-surprise-promotion-top-job-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Oct 2022 23:00:34 +0000 Following days of market turmoil, all eyes are on the appointment of China’s top economic aides, who will be responsible for guiding the country through coming economic storms and continuing Xi Jinping’s grand modernisation strategy. While Li Qiang, now China’s No 2 in the party hierarchy, will take the premiership in March, the naming of senior government roles might have already begun, enabling appointees to get to grips with economic challenges, plan policy priorities and ensure a seamless... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197405/chinas-top-legislature-deliberates-new-nominations-leadership-reshuffle-stokes-market-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197405/chinas-top-legislature-deliberates-new-nominations-leadership-reshuffle-stokes-market-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Oct 2022 06:00:13 +0000 It is Hong Kong’s “primary political task” to roll out carefully crafted activities to boost residents’ understanding of the spirit of the Communist Party’s 20th congress led by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a senior Beijing official overseeing the city’s affairs has said. Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), also pledged support in developing the local economy as well as solving deep-seated economic and social problems to fulfil the direction... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3197290/primary-political-task-hong-kong-roll-out-activities-boosting-awareness-spirit-communist-partys-20th?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3197290/primary-political-task-hong-kong-roll-out-activities-boosting-awareness-spirit-communist-partys-20th?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2022 06:40:53 +0000 As the dust settles on the Communist Party’s leadership reshuffle, China must urgently restore confidence among private and foreign investors in its coronavirus-battered economy, analysts and economists say. The 20th party congress wrapped up on Sunday, handing President Xi Jinping a norm-breaking third term as the party secretary at the apex of power in the world’s second-largest economy. Xi tightened his dominance by lining the country’s top decision-making body with loyalists, while leaving... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197215/after-xi-jinping-solidifies-power-chinas-new-leadership-line-must-restore-confidence-managing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197215/after-xi-jinping-solidifies-power-chinas-new-leadership-line-must-restore-confidence-managing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2022 03:00:07 +0000 China’s 20th party congress has come and gone. Despite all the fanfare and media hype, it was a hollow event. It revealed little we didn’t already know about China – an autocracy that maintains grandiose ambitions and ideological bluster to match but is woefully unprepared for an uncertain future filled with risks largely of its own making. That much is evident when the results of the congress are examined from three perspectives: leadership, strategy and conflict. The leadership reveal of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197146/what-20th-party-congress-reveals-about-chinas-leadership-strategy-and-attitude-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197146/what-20th-party-congress-reveals-about-chinas-leadership-strategy-and-attitude-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Oct 2022 20:00:15 +0000 China’s new top decision-making body unveiled over the weekend comprises an unprecedented number of leaders with extensive links to Hong Kong in their previous roles and an ideologue who had long studied the city, making for a line-up analysts have suggested can lead to a smoother implementation of Beijing’s key policies related to Hong Kong. Pro-Beijing heavyweight Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai also said the new team would be “an asset” for Hong Kong as it could guide the city through an increasingly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3197106/hong-kong-connection-what-6-chinas-top-leadership-team-including-xi-jinping-have-common?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3197106/hong-kong-connection-what-6-chinas-top-leadership-team-including-xi-jinping-have-common?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Oct 2022 00:00:17 +0000 More than anything else, the message from the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was one of continuity. Xi Jinping continues to serve as the party’s top leader, and his signature concepts such as “Chinese modernisation”, “high-quality development”, “common prosperity” and “community with a shared future” remain prominent in the 20th national congress report. Washington has already cast Xi’s China as the most serious geopolitical challenge the United States is facing. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197044/us-and-china-must-avoid-tragedy-armed-conflict-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197044/us-and-china-must-avoid-tragedy-armed-conflict-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 22:45:07 +0000 Li Xi, Guangdong’s Communist Party chief, has taken over as the party’s anti-corruption chief after being named among the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Li, who appeared alongside President Xi Jinping on Sunday when the new leadership team was unveiled, will rank as No 7 in the hierarchy. Li, 66, is originally from the landlocked northwestern province of Gansu, and has administrative experience across the nation, including the country’s main financial centre Shanghai, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197067/seat-top-table-caps-guangdong-party-chief-li-xis-journey-across-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197067/seat-top-table-caps-guangdong-party-chief-li-xis-journey-across-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 14:00:11 +0000 Two security officials have been promoted to the upper echelons of the Communist Party in China, appointments that observers say underline Beijing’s growing security concern in the face of tensions with Washington and its allies. On Sunday, a day after the party congress ended, Beijing unveiled the new Politburo line-up, the party’s core leadership. Chen Wenqing, the 62-year-old minister of state security, landed a coveted seat in the 24-member decision-making body, becoming the first... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197094/security-mission-focus-xi-jinpings-key-communist-party-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197094/security-mission-focus-xi-jinpings-key-communist-party-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:59:45 +0000 The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party formally closed on Saturday. The 2,200-odd delegates will now return to their provinces and work units having completed their three sacred tasks – electing a new Central Committee, endorsing a norm-breaking third term for President Xi Jinping as the party boss and adopting amendments to the party constitution. The week-long congress has so far been run strictly according to the script. Xi delivered the work report last Sunday, laying down... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197007/global-impact-20th-party-congress-wraps-xi-jinping-lays-down-his-vision-chinas-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197007/global-impact-20th-party-congress-wraps-xi-jinping-lays-down-his-vision-chinas-future?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:00:12 +0000 In his capacity as Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping’s unveiling of the next generation of national leadership has lived up to expectations of a major reshuffle. Xi, who has secured his third term as general secretary, has hand-picked his core team to meet mounting challenges. New faces are in the majority. For most people, the abiding concern is what it means to China’s economy and continued opening up. That depends on the construction placed on replacement of four political heavyweights at the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3196975/rather-closing-doors-new-leadership-will-open-new-ones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3196975/rather-closing-doors-new-leadership-will-open-new-ones?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Oct 2022 16:27:57 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/infographics/china/military/article/3195706/chinas-military-who-are-top-decision-makers-worlds-biggest-standing-army?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/china/military/article/3195706/chinas-military-who-are-top-decision-makers-worlds-biggest-standing-army?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Oct 2022 10:05:35 +0000 “The more vague it is, the more afraid everyone is.” A renewed push to regulate wealth accumulation has triggered fresh worries among wealthy and upper middle-class families in China. First mentioned last year as part of a plan to address inequality, President Xi Jinping laid out more practical implications of so-called common prosperity in Sunday’s work report to the 20th party congress. Xi outlined how a personal income tax system will be improved, while highlighting how China will keep... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196774/why-has-vague-brief-mention-new-common-prosperity-push-got-nerves-chinas-rich?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196774/why-has-vague-brief-mention-new-common-prosperity-push-got-nerves-chinas-rich?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 03:00:11 +0000 China is taking a cautious approach to balancing its carbon-neutral commitment against the need for energy security amid an energy crisis globally and at home, according to climate analysts. At the opening of the weeklong Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress in Beijing last Sunday, President Xi Jinping addressed the need to push the country’s green development in a two-hour speech. “We must speed up the green transformation, implement comprehensive conservation strategies, develop... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3196741/climate-change-chinas-xi-jinping-affirms-net-zero-commitment-while-touting-coals-near-term-value?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3196741/climate-change-chinas-xi-jinping-affirms-net-zero-commitment-while-touting-coals-near-term-value?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2022 06:32:09 +0000 A greater emphasis on wealth distribution and tacking inequality via “common prosperity” could herald fresh efforts to boost China’s middle-class households, but Beijing has been urged to roll-out immediate and concrete measures to restore confidence that has been faltered by almost three years of the coronavirus pandemic. President Xi Jinping pledged in his work report to the 20th party congress on Sunday to bring per capita disposable income to new heights and “substantially grow the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196646/chinas-common-prosperity-push-could-boost-key-middle-class-action-urged-bring-back-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196646/chinas-common-prosperity-push-could-boost-key-middle-class-action-urged-bring-back-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2022 05:00:16 +0000 Will Beijing’s “Wolf Warrior” diplomats drop their aggressive stance, how much fiscal pressure are local Chinese governments under and will Xi Jinping turn his gaze abroad after securing an unprecedented third term? These are among the questions American analysts and former US officials are asking as they watch this week’s 20th party congress unfold. Their quest for insights comes as US-China relations hit new lows, tensions mount over Taiwan and a bilateral tech war heats up. Even as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3196676/wolves-and-word-choice-outsiders-try-decode-chinas-20th-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3196676/wolves-and-word-choice-outsiders-try-decode-chinas-20th-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2022 04:01:46 +0000 The sole semiconductor industry delegate at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is advocating for the development of the country’s own industrial information technology (IT) system, independent from the widely adopted Intel-Windows and Android-Arm structures, as tensions intensify between Beijing and Washington. “If China doesn’t have its own industrial IT system, it’s like farming on other people’s land. We don’t have control,” said Hu Weiwu, the founder, chairman and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3196651/tech-war-sole-semiconductor-sector-delegate-20th-communist-party-congress-pushes-chinas-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3196651/tech-war-sole-semiconductor-sector-delegate-20th-communist-party-congress-pushes-chinas-own?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Oct 2022 23:00:11 +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 lack of social capital and an ageing population could widen the growth gap between rural areas and more developed regions in the coming years, challenging China’s renewed push for “high-quality development”, according to analysts. President Xi Jinping laid out the Communist Party’s top priority as he delivered his work report to the 20th party congress on Sunday, emphasising “green development”, greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, as well as improving mechanisms to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196618/xi-jinpings-drive-chinas-high-quality-development-faces-population-social-capital-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196618/xi-jinpings-drive-chinas-high-quality-development-faces-population-social-capital-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Oct 2022 12:30:12 +0000 Just days after President Xi Jinping announced tighter oversight of the way wealth is accumulated in China, speculation is growing about who might be targeted and how, with private business confidence still shaky following Beijing’s crackdown on the tech sector. On Sunday, Xi’s report to the 20th party congress signalled more robust regulation to narrow the wealth gap under “common prosperity”. “We will keep income distribution and the means of accumulating wealth well-regulated,” Xi said,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196510/chinas-xi-jinping-sends-warning-signal-wealthy-he-opens-new-front-common-prosperity-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196510/chinas-xi-jinping-sends-warning-signal-wealthy-he-opens-new-front-common-prosperity-push?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 23:00:12 +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 Between China’s 20th Communist Party Congress, that began on Sunday, and the next one in 2027, Japan will undertake its biggest arms build-up since World War II in a race to deter Beijing from war in East Asia, according to Japanese government officials and security analysts. Japan identified China as its chief adversary in its 2019 defence white paper, worried that Beijing’s flouting of international norms, pressure on Taiwan and rapid military modernisation posed a serious security threat.... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3196438/japan-pushes-ahead-biggest-military-expansion-decades-beijing-ratchets-pressure-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3196438/japan-pushes-ahead-biggest-military-expansion-decades-beijing-ratchets-pressure-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 02:09:22 +0000 China’s bespectacled, studious ideology tsar Wang Huning could rise further after the Communist Party’s five-yearly leadership reshuffle, sources say. With party chief Xi Jinping set to shake up the top team for his unprecedented third term, Wang, the soft-speaking former academic, is tipped to stay and transition to the new leadership. This would make him a rare veteran in Xi’s new core team as the president brings in fresh blood for his rule for the next five years and beyond. Wang, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196399/chinas-ideology-tsar-wang-huning-tipped-head-national-peoples-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196399/chinas-ideology-tsar-wang-huning-tipped-head-national-peoples-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Oct 2022 15:30:10 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s highly-anticipated work report at the opening of the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade national congress in Beijing on Sunday served as a blueprint for his grand vision for China. During the address, Xi promised “incomparable glory” to restore the country to the forefront of global powers, hailed the party’s achievements over the past 10 years, and rallied the country to brace for the challenges it must face in the future. But the 105-minute speech was a departure from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196376/what-xi-jinpings-shortened-congress-work-report-did-not-mention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196376/what-xi-jinpings-shortened-congress-work-report-did-not-mention?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:00:21 +0000 The Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China – the top decision-making body overseeing the People’s Liberation Army – is about to undergo a leadership reshuffle. The Central Military Commission (CMC) is chaired by President Xi Jinping, who is expected to stay on. During the 20th party congress unfolding in Beijing this week, all eyes will be on who Xi picks to join the top brass – moves that could shed light on the direction of the PLA and its ambitious modernisation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3196360/what-chinas-central-military-commission-and-why-it-so-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3196360/what-chinas-central-military-commission-and-why-it-so-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Oct 2022 08:22:40 +0000 China has refined its development objectives for 2035, placing a greater emphasis on technological self-reliance, national security and rural development, highlighting that Beijing is “prioritising high technology at the top of all economic policies”, analysts said. The delivery of the highly-anticipated work report by President Xi Jinping on Sunday during the opening ceremony of the 20th party congress came at a time when China is seen to be reassessing the international environment amid... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196263/china-priorities-hi-tech-top-all-economic-policies-xi-jinping-refines-2035-development-goals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196263/china-priorities-hi-tech-top-all-economic-policies-xi-jinping-refines-2035-development-goals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Oct 2022 03:00:26 +0000 Wu Hai has been warning about the struggles faced by China’s private businesses for years, and he seems to have Beijing’s ear. The founder of karaoke chain Mei KTV, Wu complained about the country’s business environment in an open letter to state leaders that was posted on social media in 2015. He was surprised when it prompted an official invitation to explain his suggestions to a select audience at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing amid efforts to encourage start-ups and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196247/chinas-rattled-private-firms-little-confidence-await-signs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196247/chinas-rattled-private-firms-little-confidence-await-signs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Oct 2022 16:00:14 +0000 Amid escalating technology tensions between China and the US, Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a supportive message to the country’s information technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and new energy sectors, labelling them as the new “engines” of future growth. In a 72-page document forming the basis for Xi’s speech to the 20th Party Congress on Sunday, Xi said that China must promote integrated development of “strategic emerging industries” and grow “a new group of growth engines” that... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3196287/communist-partys-20th-congress-xi-sends-supportive-message-domestic-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3196287/communist-partys-20th-congress-xi-sends-supportive-message-domestic-it?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Oct 2022 15:30:13 +0000