Mainland Chinese police have formally initiated an investigation into Taiwanese legislator Puma Shen, marking Beijing’s latest move targeting individuals it deems to be “diehard Taiwan separatists”. On Tuesday, the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau in southwestern China issued a police bulletin on social media, stating Shen had “engaged in criminal activities aimed at splitting the…
China’s “institutional strength” will help the country tackle “major tests” over the course of the next five-year plan, analysts and state media have said. The country’s latest development plan, which is due to start next year and run until 2030, comes at a time when Beijing is facing increasing obstacles to its long-term ambitions both…
In a lengthy article on Saturday detailing some of the build-up to the Communist Party’s fourth plenum this week, state news agency Xinhua and party mouthpiece People’s Daily said Xi “personally headed” the team that drafted the outline for the next five-year plan. “[He] oversaw and guided the formulation of the proposal for the 15th…
As China’s leadership meets this week to chart a policy course for the 15th five-year plan – China’s development blueprint for the rest of the decade – events that unfolded more than 70 years ago are echoing again. The growing external challenges of today have similarities to those the country faced in the 1950s –…
China saw a massive uptick in generative artificial intelligence adoption in the first half of the year to 515 million users, with most of the users preferring domestic models, according to a state-run research organisation. The number of users more than doubled in the first six months of the year from the end of December…
China’s ruling Communist Party kicked off a key four-day conclave on Monday that will determine the country’s development over the next five years. The fourth plenum of the party’s Central Committee began on Monday morning, according to state news agency Xinhua. Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, who is also the nation’s president, delivered a work…
High technology and low incomes were in sharp focus in China late last week as two of its senior officials visited opposite ends of the country. On a trip to the eastern province of Zhejiang from Thursday to Saturday, Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing urged manufacturers to apply new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to research…
Chinese Premier Li Qiang promised closer cooperation with North Korea as he began a three-day visit to the country on Thursday following a recent flurry of diplomatic exchanges that signalled a thaw in relations. Li said Beijing was ready to work with Pyongyang to “strengthen strategic communication, maintain close exchanges and advance friendly cooperation to…
The United States formally determined in January 2021 that China’s actions in Xinjiang constitute genocide, according to the US State Department. Photo : AP Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Urumqi in late September to mark the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to Reuters. The trip was heavily publicised by state broadcaster…
By the time we moved out of our Hong Kong home and relocated to Canada, it was practically World War III with our neighbours, well two of them anyway. With the rest, we were friendly or actual friends with them. My neighbourly foes were two expatriate families, who hated that we let our dogs use…