Livestream show in a tea farm in Taipingxi Township, Hubei Province, 19 February 2021 [People’s Daily Online / Zhang Guorong]
Geopolitics
US law banning imports of Xinjiang products for alleged use of “forced labor” comes into effect
Beijing raises concerns that Washington is trying to provoke a regional crisis and says it may apply retaliatory measures, while Western companies in Xinjiang (Volkswagen, Skechers, etc.) deny accusations; experts fear impact on global supply chain, as Xinjiang produces 45% of polysilicon for solar panels, 25% of tomatoes, and 20% of cotton in the world
Chinese oil imports from Russia (8.42 million ton) soar 55% year-on-year in May, while liquefied natural gas imports (400,000 ton) jump 56%
Overtaking Saudi Arabia again after 19 months, Russia is once again the largest supplier of oil to China, which is taking advantage of large discounts given by the Russians (due to NATO sanctions) to increase its fossil fuel reserves
Chinese citizen is arrested in Zambia over widely-circulated racist videos with children from a Malawian village
Lu Ke – who will be deported to Malawi – was denounced by African reporters for selling videos in which children unknowingly repeat racist phrases about themselves in Mandarin; China’s top diplomat in Africa, Wu Peng, says the government will continue to fight racial discrimination videos
National Politics
China implements stricter rules for families of party cadres to prevent abuses of power in an ongoing anti-corruption campaign
Officials at the level of department head, or higher, will be required to report annually on their families’ business dealings; if conflicts of interest are proven, businesses will be terminated, and the higher the positions, the stricter the rules
Economy
Central government seeks to boost domestic demand with US$45 billion investment in railroads, rural road construction, and renovation
Following year-over-year growth in investment in manufacturing (15.6%), fixed assets (9.3%) and infrastructure (8.5%) in Q1 2022, China accelerates investment, with local governments issuing US$276 billion in bonds for this year
BRICS countries hold new summit and are seen as a stabilizing factor in regional development and global supply chain
BRICS represent 26% of GDP, 20% of foreign trade, and 42% of the global population; BRICS bank plans to invest US$30 billion as financial support to member countries (2022-26), of which 40% will be earmarked to combat climate change
Agriculture and Environment
Government issues 19 measures to accelerate water conservation projects, involving renovating irrigation areas to reinforcing dangerous reservoirs
By 2022, the central government will invest US$1 billion to renovate 76 large-scale irrigation areas; by the end of May, 58 sites carried out water-saving renovations in 405 medium-sized irrigation areas
Science and Technology
China launches its first supercarrier using an electromagnetic system, increasing its capacity by over 60 aircraft (from 30)
The Fujian Type-003 is the first non-US aircraft carrier to rival the US Navy’s similar Ford and Nimitz, and is capable of supporting over 80,000 tons; by 2050, China aims to make its Navy operate on an equal footing with that of the U.S
People’s Life and Culture
More young people choose to work in villages or grassroots communities with government and university incentives, amid growing urban unemployment
Over the past three years, 70% of university graduates gained employment in small cities and rural areas and 60% chose to work in lesser developed central and western regions of China, assisting with rural revitalization
Qiao Yu (1927-2022), China’s most famous songwriter of over 1,100 songs over a seven-decade career, passes away at 94 years-old
At four years-old, Qiao had learned over 3,000 Chinese characters and recited ancient poems; rising to fame during the 1950s with revolutionary classics such as My Motherland, his songs became the soundtrack of New China since the revolution
Legendary composer Qiao Yu (1927-2022)
Subscribe to News on China. The digest is published every Saturday in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
Follow our social media channels:
- Twitter: @DongshengNews (English), @DongshengNewsES (Spanish), @DongshengNewsBR (Portuguese)
- Telegram: News on China, Noticias de China, Notícias da China
- Instagram: @DongshengNews
- YouTube: Dongsheng News