https://www.scmp.com/rss/513596/feed Stella joined the SCMP in 2022 after working as a senior researcher at the China Media Project. Her interests include topics related to the environment and gender in China and Asia. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Manchester. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China should ramp up vaccination to avoid an epidemic of Covid-19 infections over the Lunar New Year, but could return to some normality by the middle of next year, according to a leading infectious disease expert. “It is highly unlikely that people will be restricted from travelling home for Lunar New Year celebrations in 2023, but it is still important to step up preparations,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Zhong Nanshan as saying in an interview in the southern city of Guangzhou on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3202892/china-might-be-back-pre-covid-normal-mid-2023-health-expert-zhong-nanshan-forecasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3202892/china-might-be-back-pre-covid-normal-mid-2023-health-expert-zhong-nanshan-forecasts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Dec 2022 09:41:48 +0000 A legal adviser to China’s top lawmaking body has accused lower level governments of fuelling the backlash against the country’s strict Covid controls by breaching the law while implementing Beijing’s policies. The comments by Jiang Mingan, a law professor at Peking University who advises the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, are a rare example of a government adviser accusing lower level governments of breaking the law when implementing zero-Covid policies. Cheers, fears and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202715/illict-local-covid-controls-fuelling-backlash-china-says-government-legal-adviser?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3202715/illict-local-covid-controls-fuelling-backlash-china-says-government-legal-adviser?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Dec 2022 04:00:12 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3202139/women-leading-chinas-covid-19-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3202139/women-leading-chinas-covid-19-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 10:17:31 +0000 While local protests in China over environmental, labour and land disputes are not uncommon, the rare wave of blank-paper protests that spilled across China’s wealthiest cities – all targeting President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy – represents a challenge of the type the country’s leaders have not faced for decades. The protests erupted last weekend after a fire at a residential block in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, claimed 10 lives. University students and angry citizens staged vigils on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201879/why-chinas-lockdown-protests-pose-unprecedented-challenge-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201879/why-chinas-lockdown-protests-pose-unprecedented-challenge-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Dec 2022 14:30:16 +0000 Prominent Chinese websites and social media platforms were turned to black and white on Thursday as the country paid tribute to former president Jiang Zemin. Jiang, who had leukaemia, died of multiple organ failure on Wednesday in Shanghai at the age of 96. As one of the country’s most influential leaders, he elevated China’s global standing and led the country’s economic integration with the rest of the world. Homepages of almost all mainland-based news sites, social media platforms, official... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201731/jiang-zemin-black-and-white-chinas-internet-pays-tribute-former-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201731/jiang-zemin-black-and-white-chinas-internet-pays-tribute-former-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 13:15:03 +0000 As part of SCMP’s commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s death and legacy, this story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. President Xi Jinping led dozens of top officials in receiving the body of former President Jiang Zemin on Thursday, after the casket was flown from Shanghai to Beijing. State broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan standing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201669/china-online-nostalgia-late-president-jiang-zemins-leadership-stands-out-contrast-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201669/china-online-nostalgia-late-president-jiang-zemins-leadership-stands-out-contrast-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:19:25 +0000 As part of SCMP’s commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s death and legacy, this story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Jiang Zemin, China’s top leader in the 1990s and the early 2000s, has left behind a country with a much higher global standing and an economy far more integrated with the world than Communist rulers before him knew. Jiang, who ruled the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201571/jiang-zemin-president-who-took-china-tiananmen-pariah-rising-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201571/jiang-zemin-president-who-took-china-tiananmen-pariah-rising-power?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Nov 2022 12:00:17 +0000 A diverse group of former Chinese officials and scholars visited New York early this month in the largest semi-official diplomatic initiative in Sino-US relations in three years. The nine-day trip, which concluded on November 16 – two days after President Xi Jinping and United States President Joe Biden met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia – was the first by such a delegation since the end of the Communist Party’s five-yearly national congress last month. It was seen by many... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200788/semi-official-chinese-delegation-holds-talks-former-us-officials-executives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200788/semi-official-chinese-delegation-holds-talks-former-us-officials-executives?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Nov 2022 08:00:48 +0000 Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has returned to the diplomatic stage after a three-year absence, with poverty alleviation and environmental protection on her agenda. As Xi engaged in a flurry of diplomacy at last week’s Group of 20 summit in Bali and the Apec meeting in Bangkok, Peng – a soprano and famous folk singer – attended events held alongside those gatherings. It was her first in-person diplomatic engagement outside China since the coronavirus pandemic began – Peng... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200451/peng-liyuan-joins-diplomatic-whirl-first-overseas-trip-pandemic-began?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200451/peng-liyuan-joins-diplomatic-whirl-first-overseas-trip-pandemic-began?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 14:00:19 +0000 Former US vice-president Mike Pence has doubled down the Trump administration’s hardline approach to China, recounting exchanges with Chinese leaders in his memoirs as he weighs up a run for the presidency. In the book So Help Me God, published on Tuesday, Pence plays up his China credentials and says he was motivated to join the Donald Trump ticket in part because of the rising threat from China. “I’m not going to put my little boy on a bus in 10 years to go fight a war I could have helped... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200291/mike-pence-plays-his-china-credentials-us-attention-turns-2024-presidential-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3200291/mike-pence-plays-his-china-credentials-us-attention-turns-2024-presidential-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Nov 2022 12:00:12 +0000 China has cut its quarantine requirement for travellers entering the country from seven days to five as part of a new set of measures announced on Friday. Although the announcement made clear that the country was still committed to its “dynamic zero-Covid” policy and should not be interpreted as a relaxation of controls, the new rules should make it easier to travel both to China from overseas and inside the country. Here is how things stand at present. What are the new rules for international... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199362/what-do-chinas-new-covid-rules-mean-international-travellers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199362/what-do-chinas-new-covid-rules-mean-international-travellers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 14:30:07 +0000 China announced major changes to its strict Covid-19 measures for inbound travellers on Friday, reducing quarantine on arrival from seven days to five, followed by three days of isolation at home. The newly released measures include ending the practice of cancelling international flights if too many passengers from previous flights test positive on arrival – the major barrier to visiting China – the State Council’s Covid-19 prevention team said. ‘End of this year’s work’: China’s migrants,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199248/china-slashes-quarantine-time-international-arrivals-5-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3199248/china-slashes-quarantine-time-international-arrivals-5-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 06:07:34 +0000 China’s foreign ministry said it was in “communication” with the US over a meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden after the US leader signalled that he was expecting to discuss Washington’s “red lines” over Taiwan and other issues with his Chinese counterpart. The two sides have not officially confirmed that the meeting will take place, and on Thursday foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said “no information can be provided at this point” about the proposed meeting at next week’s Group of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199135/china-says-it-discussing-xi-biden-meeting-g20-bali-after-us-president-signals-he-expects-talk-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199135/china-says-it-discussing-xi-biden-meeting-g20-bali-after-us-president-signals-he-expects-talk-about?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2022 12:00:11 +0000 All eyes are on a possible summit between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies at next week’s G20 gathering, but neither Washington nor Beijing has confirmed that a meeting will take place. The two-day Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia starts on November 15 and will offer a rare chance for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden to meet in person. The South China Morning Post has learned that the two sides are working to arrange talks between the two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3198906/g20-summit-bali-opportunity-xi-and-biden-meet-china-and-us-stay-silent-possible-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3198906/g20-summit-bali-opportunity-xi-and-biden-meet-china-and-us-stay-silent-possible-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 15:30:09 +0000 Changes to a decades-old women’s protection law in China have introduced greater clarity on what constitutes sexual harassment in workplaces and schools, but experts say the revised law still lacks the teeth it needs to be effective. China’s top legislative body on Sunday passed amendments to the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests, according to a statement from the National People’s Congress. The revised law will take effect in January. While the original version already... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3198255/will-chinas-updated-womens-rights-law-actually-help-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3198255/will-chinas-updated-womens-rights-law-actually-help-women?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2022 04:00:15 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged claimants to the disputed South China Sea not to use or threaten to use force and to “jointly resist” the United States – though he did not refer to the US by name – provoking tensions. Wang delivered the comments in a pre-recorded online address to the Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in Hainan on Thursday morning. Wang also stressed that nations should oppose “the abuse of arbitration” regarding maritime conflict and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3198280/south-china-sea-beijings-foreign-minister-urges-claimants-jointly-resist-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3198280/south-china-sea-beijings-foreign-minister-urges-claimants-jointly-resist-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Nov 2022 12:00:14 +0000 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory in Brazil’s run-off election on Sunday will help strengthen ties with China, Brazil’s top trading partner, and the BRICS countries, according to analysts. Lula, a 77-year-old former two-term president, narrowly defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, ending a divisive four-year administration that saw ties with China strained. The leftist heavyweight had opened dialogue with Beijing during his first administration and in 2009 helped Brazil form BRICS – a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3197885/lula-presidential-win-boost-brazil-china-ties-brics-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3197885/lula-presidential-win-boost-brazil-china-ties-brics-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2022 10:38:14 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to his South Korean counterpart on Sunday, after a crush at Halloween event in Seoul killed at least 153 people – including four Chinese nationals. “On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, I would like to express our deep condolences to the victims and extend our sincere sympathy to their families and the injured,” Xi said in his note to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. “The accident resulted in several casualties... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3197756/seoul-halloween-crush-4-chinese-among-more-150-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3197756/seoul-halloween-crush-4-chinese-among-more-150-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Oct 2022 06:11:04 +0000 The new-look Politburo held its first meeting on Tuesday with a pledge to kick-start a national communication campaign to brief grass-roots members on the outcomes of the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th national congress. State news agency Xinhua said the core leadership group discussed the “spirit” of the congress, which wrapped up on Saturday, with President Xi Jinping introducing the all-important seven-member Politburo Standing Committee the next day. Study and propaganda work on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197304/chinas-politburo-wastes-no-time-spreading-xis-party-congress-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197304/chinas-politburo-wastes-no-time-spreading-xis-party-congress-message?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2022 12:45:32 +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 Once viewed as a top candidate for China’s uppermost echelon of leadership, Hu Chunhua exited the Politburo on Sunday, leaving lingering questions about his fate. The members of the Politburo, China’s top decision-making body, were unveiled around noon on Sunday. President Xi Jinping remains firmly in charge, having secured a record-breaking third term as the paramount leader of China during the 20th party congress. Not only did Hu fail to gain a spot on the Politburo’s seven-strong Standing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197001/chinas-hu-chunhua-loses-politburo-seat-raising-doubts-about-political-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3197001/chinas-hu-chunhua-loses-politburo-seat-raising-doubts-about-political-future?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 04:05:51 +0000 China’s Communist Party has added “opposing and containing Taiwan independence” to its constitution, the first time such an explicit reference has been included in the document to address tensions around the island. The amendment was part of a resolution passed by more than 2,000 delegates at the party’s national congress on Saturday. The resolution also included a number of President Xi Jinping’s signature policies and slogans, consolidating his power and influence. To better reflect “new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196895/chinas-communist-party-enshrines-opposition-taiwan-independence-its-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196895/chinas-communist-party-enshrines-opposition-taiwan-independence-its-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 14:00:18 +0000 The United Kingdom will soon have its third prime minister in two months. On Thursday, speaking outside 10 Downing Street in London, Liz Truss said she could not deliver the mandate she was given when she was chosen by her party to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister. Her departure, on the heels of a botched economic plan, kicked off a new contest for the next Conservative Party leader and British prime minister. Truss’ resignation – after just six weeks on the job – makes her the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196819/how-does-truss-political-turmoil-play-chinas-take-western-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196819/how-does-truss-political-turmoil-play-chinas-take-western-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2022 11:28:17 +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 When President Xi Jinping stepped up to address the Communist Party’s 20th national congress on Sunday morning, he did not address any specific foreign relations policy or any of the major challenges the country has faced over the past five years. There was no mention of the dire state of China’s relationship with the United States, China’s position on the invasion of Ukraine and or of Beijing’s controversial zero-Covid policy. But while the message was not direct it was clear – China will not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3196156/xi-jinpings-indirect-message-us-his-communist-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3196156/xi-jinpings-indirect-message-us-his-communist-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Oct 2022 15:00:13 +0000 Hundreds of China’s political elites have wrapped up their final preparations ahead of a key gathering of the ruling Communist Party. They were also sent a message on political loyalty as they endorsed the “lenient” punishment of a senior official for wrongdoings that took place before Xi Jinping took power. At a conclave in Beijing that ended on Wednesday, the Central Committee confirmed the punishment of four officials for their wrongdoings. But it was the case of Li Jia, former head of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3195881/chinas-political-elites-get-message-loyalty-ahead-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3195881/chinas-political-elites-get-message-loyalty-ahead-party?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:00:13 +0000 Senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party have been fully briefed and prepared for the all-important national party congress that will confirm an unprecedented third term for President Xi Jinping as the paramount leader and introduce sweeping changes at the top. The four-day closed-door plenum meeting of 358 full and alternative Central Committee members is the last gathering of the party elite before the national congress starts on Sunday, where they will be joined by some 2,000 other... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3195659/chinas-top-communist-party-leaders-make-final-preparations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3195659/chinas-top-communist-party-leaders-make-final-preparations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:23:20 +0000 Brazil’s presidential election run-off at the end of this month between left-winger Lui Inacio Lula da Silva and far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro could shake up the country’s relationship with China, its top trading partner. Experts said 67-year-old Bolsonaro, known as the “Trump of the tropics”, would distance himself from China, at least rhetorically, while Lula, who was open to dialogue with Beijing when he was Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010, favoured a closer bilateral... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194979/what-does-brazilian-presidential-run-hold-ties-top-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194979/what-does-brazilian-presidential-run-hold-ties-top-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Oct 2022 01:00:12 +0000 Stella Chen Stella Chen Cuba’s legalisation of same-sex marriage and “altruistic” surrogacy has revived debate half a world away in a major trading and ideological partner, China. In a national referendum last week, Cubans voted overwhelmingly in favour of a “family code” allowing non-commercial surrogate pregnancies and same-sex couples to marry. The code also introduces measures against gender-based violence, increases the rights of women, the elderly and children, and encourages families to share the housework load... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3194582/how-chinese-internet-saw-cubas-vote-gay-marriage-surrogacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3194582/how-chinese-internet-saw-cubas-vote-gay-marriage-surrogacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Oct 2022 01:00:14 +0000 A proposal by Chinese lawmakers to further reduce the amount of time spent studying English has triggered a wave of complaints that it risks harming students’ future prospects. The proposal has been described as an effort to reduce Western influence further and is part of a decade-long trend to cut the amount of time spent studying foreign languages in favour of promoting Chinese culture instead. The suggestion was first made public last month when the Ministry of Education issued a response to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3194439/chinese-lawmakers-call-schools-spend-less-time-teaching-english?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3194439/chinese-lawmakers-call-schools-spend-less-time-teaching-english?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2022 04:00:24 +0000 Zhou Shifeng, the first Chinese rights lawyer to face trial during the nationwide crackdown on advocates and activists in 2015, has been released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence for subversion. “Thank you very much for caring about my situation. I believe this shows the care for the rule of law and human rights law in China,” Zhou told the South China Morning Post by phone on Monday after his release on the weekend. His tone was buoyant but the 57-year-old said now was not a good... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193856/709-crackdown-chinese-human-rights-lawyer-zhou-shifeng-released?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193856/709-crackdown-chinese-human-rights-lawyer-zhou-shifeng-released?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Sep 2022 13:00:15 +0000 The Ukraine war will have a long-term impact on US-China ties, and Beijing should anticipate security pressures and monitor the role of non-state actors such as Elon Musk in international conflicts, according to a state-backed Chinese think tank. The warnings came from Li Yan, deputy director of the institute of world political studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), in a commentary published on Monday by China-US Focus. “The conflict has rebuilt the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3193685/ukraine-war-keep-eye-tech-giants-elon-musk-conflict-shakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3193685/ukraine-war-keep-eye-tech-giants-elon-musk-conflict-shakes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Sep 2022 14:00:17 +0000 The chairman of the Chinese social media platform Weibo has pledged support for an ongoing crackdown on content posted online. Writing in a journal published by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator and censor, Cao Guowei said rules such as a real-name registration system, displaying users’ locations and the role of Weibo users in monitoring other accounts had all helped to clean up the platform. Top Chinese internet censor pleads guilty to bribery charge He... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193605/weibo-chairman-backs-chinese-censors-crackdown-and-promises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193605/weibo-chairman-backs-chinese-censors-crackdown-and-promises?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Sep 2022 02:00:19 +0000 When followers of Lao Dongyan, a criminal law professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, clicked onto her Weibo social media account last week, they made an unnerving discovery – her entire account had been wiped clean. Lao, a prominent China policy critic with more than 400,000 followers, had become one of the latest intellectuals to be silenced online, one month before the Communist Party is set to convene its 20th national congress. It remains unclear how or why Lao’s account on Weibo, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193133/another-china-policy-critic-vanishes-social-media-ahead-20th?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193133/another-china-policy-critic-vanishes-social-media-ahead-20th?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Sep 2022 09:08:23 +0000 Anger in China over strict Covid-19 measures flared to a level matching the early days of the pandemic, after a bus carrying people from the southern city of Guiyang to a quarantine centre crashed on Sunday, killing 27 and injuring 20. Guiyang vice-mayor Lin Gang apologised on Sunday night after the crash, which happened soon after 2am as the bus was heading to Libo, a mountainous county about 260km (160 miles) from the city. 27 dead, 20 injured in China after bus taking people to Covid... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193033/chinas-fatal-quarantine-bus-crash-sparks-online-outcry-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193033/chinas-fatal-quarantine-bus-crash-sparks-online-outcry-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Sep 2022 22:00:26 +0000 China’s top police chief has hailed law enforcement’s role in supporting the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security law and urged police to stay alert to the risk of a “colour revolution” in an article for a leading Communist Party journal ahead of the year’s biggest political set piece. In the article, Wang Xiaohong, the minister for public security, also stressed the importance of loyalty to President Xi Jinping and the leadership, urging law enforcement to “clear risks” and “maintain... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3192868/chinas-top-police-chief-warns-law-enforcement-stay-alert-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3192868/chinas-top-police-chief-warns-law-enforcement-stay-alert-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Sep 2022 05:00:14 +0000 Accounts on Western social media sites that extol China’s achievements have long been linked to Beijing’s external propaganda effort and its focus on “telling China’s story well”, but fresh evidence has emerged that the West is not averse to playing the covert opinion influencing game in the global clash of narratives. The US and the United Kingdom were behind covert influence operations that used more than 200 social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3192709/social-media-platforms-front-line-narrative-war-between-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3192709/social-media-platforms-front-line-narrative-war-between-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Sep 2022 09:00:21 +0000 Officials in one Chinese city could be denied promotion if they are found to have a history of domestic violence as the country grapples with the problem of how to better protect women. The issue was brought into sharp focus after four women were assaulted by a gang in the northern city of Tangshan earlier this year, prompting pledges from the police and justice system to crack down on the problem. The policy is part of the Communist Party’s attempts to own the public debate on gender issues,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3192076/chinese-city-targets-domestic-violence-links-drive-discourage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3192076/chinese-city-targets-domestic-violence-links-drive-discourage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Sep 2022 01:00:38 +0000