Beijing (The Economist) – This time of year can be a tough one for factories in areas surrounding Beijing. To keep the capital’s sky clear of smog during the annual session of China’s parliament, which begins …
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Column: The Medical Blame Game
Herizons – For the past three years, sleeping soundly through the night, instead of waking up coughing, has been a rare treat. I’m living and working in Beijing, where dark clouds of smog deposit layers of soot …
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China’s New Multibillion-Dollar Target Market: LGBT Youth
Shanghai (Foreign Policy) – China’s Spring Festival, which celebrates the lunar New Year, is the ultimate test for fledgling romances. A partner’s invitation to meet family signals commitment; but for China’s LGBT population, the holiday …
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‘We the Workers’: New film depicts crackdown on China’s labour advocates
Hong Kong (AFP) – Film-maker Wen Hai had intended to portray the gritty lives of Chinese migrants toiling in factories in his documentary “We The Workers”, but wound up chronicling a gathering crackdown on courageous labour …
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180-degree turn? Trump, the US, Taiwan and China: a guide
Beijing (AFP) – US President Donald Trump endorsed the long-standing “One China” policy on Thursday during a phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a move analysts interpreted as a change of course for the …
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“The good times are over”: Chinese fear Trump impact on economy
Beijing (dpa) – Many of his fellow citizens still admire Donald Trump, but Chinese exporter Cai Jipeng has been dreading inauguration day. Cai’s business, based in Qingdao, a port city of north-east China, specializes in …
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American business group warns against US trade conflict with China
Beijing (dpa) – The American Chamber of Commerce in China said Wednesday that Beijing will likely respond if US president-elect Donald Trump imposes restrictions on trade or investment between the two countries. “China is not without an arsenal …
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A doctor’s poem is going viral in China and raising awareness that smog (surprise!) is a cause of cancer
Beijing (Quartz) – As toxic clouds of smog continue to cover much of China, more and more Chinese are turning to vent their anger online at the airpocalypse—even turning to poetry. A poem written by …
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Hong Kong’s cultural influence on mainland China in decline
Beijing (dpa) – In Beijing’s main entertainment district, few people spending a recent afternoon shopping and snacking were able to name more than a few currently active Hong Kong actors or singers. Most could only …
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Beijing expresses “serious concern” about Trump’s “One-China” remarks
Beijing (dpa) – China on Monday expressed “serious concern” following US president-elect Donald Trump’s remarks that the US does not have to be bound by its long-standing policy of reserving formal diplomatic ties for Beijing. …
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Report: Secret detentions used to extract confessions in China
Beijing (dpa) – The Chinese government still uses a secretive detention system called “shuanggui” to extract confessions from Communist Party members suspected of corruption, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Tuesday. In recent …
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China’s ecommerce giants have figured out ingenious ways of reaching even rural shoppers
Beijing (Mashable) — When Cheng Yuan Yuan left her job as an accountant in the sprawling southern metropolis of Shenzhen to go home and start a family, the 27-year-old thought she was leaving better economic …
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Chinese citizens warn of China-style Cultural Revolution in US
Beijing (dpa) – Donald Trump’s stunning victory over Hillary Clinton, a veteran politician, is a sign that many underestimated the amount of anger there was directed towards the elite in the United States, China’s state media and citizens are …
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China imposes sweeping new restrictions on lawyers
Beijing (dpa) – Human rights organisations are alarmed at new directives for lawyers in China which they said will make them shy away from important cases. The right groups said that the new rules are …
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Documentary “Hooligan Sparrow” shows how dangerous it is to protest against rape in China
Beijing (Quartz) – The documentary film Hooligan Sparrow begins with Wang Nanfu, a fresh journalism school graduate, introducing herself while standing on a busy street. Seconds later, she is surrounded by a group of men. They …
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China laughs off US democracy
Beijing (dpa) – On an autumn evening in Beijing, people from the United States, Canada and China gathered at a pub in the city centre to watch the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. While nearly …
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Pokemon Go launch in China given hope with new venture
Beijing (dpa) – A new venture from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba may smooth the path for the launch of Pokemon Go in the world’s most populous country, technology experts have told dpa. Nintendo’s smartphone “augmented reality” …
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Charity overhaul in China, but only with government approval
Beijing (IRIN) – The world’s strongest storm of the year slammed into China last week, just as the country was recovering from severe flooding that the government said left about 1,000 people dead. In many …
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Exclusive: G20 leaders to agree to join Paris climate deal as soon as possible
Hangzhou (dpa) – All members of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies are expected to join the first universal action plan to mitigate the impacts of climate change, according to a late draft of the G20 summit communique …
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Exclusive: China blocks major civil society groups from monitoring G20 summit
Hangzhou (dpa) – The host of this year’s G20 summit has “broken precedent” by denying leading civil society organizations the ability to monitor and comment on events inside the venue’s media centre, activists charge. China either ignored or refused …
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G20 host China faces tall order of keeping controversy off the agenda
Beijing (dpa) – This year’s G20 summit in China follows a summer of jolts to the market caused by pendular news events – not least of all Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and an attempted coup …
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Chinese sports regime under pressure to go easier on future Olympians
Beijing (dpa) – Winning her first Olympic gold medal was a huge relief to 15-year-old diver Ren Qian. That’s because she’s been training since age 3. Ren clinched the 10-metre platform competition on Thursday, becoming one …
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Pipe Dreams: Major Chinese cities can’t seem to figure out basic drainage and flood prevention
Beijing (Quartz) – As major Chinese cities were submerged this summer during some of the worst floods to hit China in history, the irony of the fact that the 600-year-old Forbidden City remained free of flooding thanks …
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The judicial system: Suppress and support
Beijing (The Economist)- A human rights lawyer and three activists have been found guilty of “subverting state power” in a series of trials in the northern city of Tianjin. With resonances of the show trials of …
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China sentences first activist connected to rights lawyer crackdown
Beijing (dpa) – A court in northern China’s city of Tianjin found a legal activist guilty of “subverting state power” on Tuesday, in the first known trial following the arrests of hundreds of human rights …
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Chinese families of MH370 victims protest decision to suspend search
Beijing (dpa) – Chinese families with loved ones who went missing aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 protested in Beijing on Friday after authorities announced the search for the plane would be suspended. Transportation ministers for Malaysia, …
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‘Dozens’ dead in Hebei floods as protesters accuse government of failing to tell residents of dam opening
Beijing (HKFP) – Video clips and photos shared on Chinese social media sites on Saturday show police facing off with residents in China’s northern Hebei province amid protests over floods. Villagers in Xingtai, Hebei, claim they were …
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Why is China getting involved in Afghan peace talks?
Beijing (IRIN) – During German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent visit to China, the two countries agreed to jointly fund a disaster response centre in Afghanistan. It was just the latest sign of China’s increasingly prominent …
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Foreign investors “scared off” by Mongolian economic crisis
Ulan Bator, Mongolia (dpa) – Inside a cramped traditional tent dwelling called a ger, a formerly nomadic family sleeps and cooks around a coal stove in the polluted provincial capital of Bayankhongor. They have relied …
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Merkel meets human rights lawyers on visit to China
Beijing (dpa) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel met human rights lawyers, an artist, a writer and other civil society representatives in Beijing late Monday after holding government consultations focused on trade during her three-day visit to …
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When disaster strikes, should China do more?
Beijing (IRIN) – Sixty-two Chinese rescuers and six sniffer dogs were the first global team on the ground in Nepal the day after a massive earthquake devastated the country just over a year ago. The quick deployment …
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The smog economy: Bottled air takes off as a big business in China
Beijing (Mashable) — Moses Lam was an overworked mortgage broker when he started selling bags of air from Canada on eBay as a joke. Now his company, Vitality Air, is scrambling to keep up with …
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“I killed my mother”: China’s Cultural Revolution shame, 50 years on
Beijing (dpa) – Zhang Hongbing was 16 years old when he and his father sent his mother to the executioner. At that point, over a million people had already been killed and many millions more …
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Chongqing: China’s biggest experiment in economic reform
The rapid development and urbanization of China’s biggest city, Chongqing, shows how the country’s leaders are trying to revive slowing economic growth. Will the experiment work? Chongqing, China (dpa) – The presenter waved his hand over …
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In Focus special report: China’s five-year plan
China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) was finalised during the government’s annual ‘Two Sessions’ policy meetings in March. Focus asked a number of experts for their views on what it all means. I provide my views …
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For Chinese Victims of Sexual Assault, ‘Going Viral’ Is Best Revenge
Foreign Policy – A violent attack in the Chinese capital of Beijing on the evening of April 3 has set Chinese social media ablaze, calling attention to the indifference that female Chinese citizens encounter when trying …
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China’s quarterly growth falls to lowest rate since financial crisis
Beijing (dpa) – China’s economy grew by 6.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, according to official figures released Friday, marking a seven-year low in quarterly growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The figure matched …
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House churches: Underground, overground
The Economist – FOR the past couple of years, China’s tens of millions of Christians, most of whom are Protestants, have been watching events in the coastal province of Zhejiang with anxiety. The authorities there …
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China’s Secret Weapon on Disputed Island: Beer and Badminton
Beijing (Foreign Policy) – Soldiers, ships, and military outposts are the usual tools of nations staking out their territory. But on disputed shoals in the South China Sea, Beijing may be deploying a new arsenal: …
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Column: Equality should be the icing on the marriage cake
Herizons – I am puzzled by many Western wedding traditions. My multicultural family chooses which customs to observe, and, usually, efforts are minimal. We may roast a duck on Thanksgiving, peer at the moon on Mid-Autumn …
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Single parents: Pariahs
The Economist – AFTER more than three decades of often brutal interference by the government in citizens’ reproductive choices, it seemed something of a breakthrough when, in October, it decided to allow all couples to have …
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Mongolia appeals for aid as “dzud” kills livestock and livelihoods
Nature has been hard on Mongolia. Little rain in summer followed by too much snow and cold in winter is killing off the country’s livestock, leaving the people who depend on them in dire straits. …
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Mongolian livestock succumb en masse to the freezing dzud
Ulziit, Mongolia (IRIN) – Daashka and his brother tear across the Mongolian steppe on a motorbike in a desperate search for somewhere to graze their herds. Pastureland is dwindling rapidly as the country is beset by a …
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Amid pollution’s haze, stories make it worth staying in China
This is my second essay for SupChina, a new platform featuring original reporting, commentary and a daily newsletter on China’s business, political and cultural news. SupChina – Beijing and other parts of China may present …
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The one and many ways of being Chinese
This is the first in a series of essays for SupChina, a new platform featuring original reporting, commentary and a daily newsletter on China’s business, political and cultural news. SupChina – Although I possess only a Canadian …
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Seeking Justice for China’s ‘Underage Prostitutes’
After a government crackdown on rights activists, child victims of sex crimes have fewer advocates. BEIJING, China (Foreign Policy)— Four and a half years ago in a small village on the outskirts of the coastal …
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Activist arrest puts foreign NGOs in China on edge
BEIJING, 25 January 2016 (IRIN) – Foreign NGO employees in China watched in horror last week as a Swedish rights activist went on state television to deliver what colleagues described as a “forced confession”. With …
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China’s economic woes: the country’s leadership have much to lose
The National UAE – A quote from China’s architect of free market reforms, Deng Xiaoping, has resurfaced on the country’s social media after multiple trading halts failed to keep Chinese stocks from plunging in January, leading a rout …
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Hong Kong could withdraw from UN torture convention, leader suggests
By Christy Choi with reporting from Joanna Chiu Hong Kong (dpa) – Chief Executive CY Leung’s suggestion that he would consider removing Hong Kong as a signatory to an international torture convention has set off …
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Analysis: China unwilling to punish North Korea for nuclear test, experts say
Beijing (dpa) – North Korea’s surprise claim that it had successfully conducted a fourth nuclear bomb test this week renewed fears and ignited a chorus of condemnation around the world. If confirmed, the detonation would …
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Why millions of Chinese parents left their children behind
Beijing (GlobalPost) — In some ways, Lai Wei and her husband faced the same dilemma that many foreigners who move to Beijing to pursue career opportunities struggle with. Should they bring their daughter to the big city, …
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Worst smog of the winter blankets Beijing, angers residents
Beijing (dpa) – The worst smog of the winter so far enveloped Beijing Monday as recorded air pollution levels reached over 20 times international safety limits. Authorities in the Chinese capital on Sunday issued the …
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South China Morning Post CEO confirms talks over possible sale
By Christy Choi and Joanna Chiu, dpa Hong Kong (dpa) – The venerable Hong Kong-based English broadsheet South China Morning Post confirmed it is in talks to sell stakes in the paper with a yet unidentified interested …
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Alibaba smashes sales record for China’s Singles’ Day with $9.3 billion in 12 hours
Beijing (Mashable) — China’s Singles’ Day, otherwise known as the world’s biggest online shopping event, was bigger and better this year, going by the numbers of its lead online shopping sites. Alibaba said that by mid-day on …
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The very real danger of fake cosmetics from China
Beijing (Mashable) — China is the world capital of fakes. Here you can get counterfeit handbags, watches and electronics that look identical to the real goods. You can visit an amusement park with over 130 replicas …
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Mobile chat apps are latest battleground in war on Chinese fakes
Beijing (dpa) – A woman from south China’s tropical island province of Hainan made 400,000 yuan (63,000 US dollars) last year by selling counterfeit handbags using a mobile chat application. The 27-year-old, who only gave …
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Interview: China-Taiwan summit: High stakes in meeting, says mainland academic
Beijing (dpa) – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou are scheduled to hold talks on Saturday in Singapore, the first face-to-face meeting between leaders since the two sides split in 1949 after …
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Commentary: Turn up the volume on Canadian media diversity
Herizons, fall 2015 – As a journalist in my mid-20s, I should have plenty to feel confident about. After getting a master’s degree in journalism from an Ivy League university, I moved to China, where I …
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China to let couples have two children as it ends one-child policy
Beijing (dpa) -China is to abolish its one-child policy and allow all couples to have two children, the official Xinhua news agency reported Thursday from a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party …
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Legal loopholes in China fail to stop sexual abuse of children
Beijing (dpa) – A tax official in south China’s Sichuan province paid 6,000 yuan (945 dollars) in 2009 to have sex with a virgin but escaped with only a 5,000-yuan fine after he told police …
