Temporary air membrane laboratory at the Ma On Shan Sports Center, Hong Kong [Edmond Tang/China Daily]
Geopolitics
Official paper prepared by German Foreign Ministry is set to recommend that Berlin treat China as a “systemic rival”
Following the EU Parliament’s line, the German position marks a shift in relations with China from Angela Merkel’s former government; ⅓ of German cars are sold in China, the second largest destination for German exports (2021), totalling over US $114 billion
Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to resume UK-China joint economic and trade committee (JETCO) negotiations, suspended since 2018
China is the UK’s third largest trading partner (US $128.5 billion in the last 12 months), but Huawei ban and British accusations of alleged human rights violations by China drove London and Beijing apart in recent years; Conservative Party MPs criticize Johnson for the move
National Politics
Hong Kong faces a 5th COVID-19 wave, straining the public health system, as mainland China provides support during crisis
Five local task forces will coordinate with provincial and national authorities, providing labs, temporary hospitals, tests, and pandemic-control expertise; if mainland China’s procedures are adopted, Hong Kong will need to increase daily testing from 200,000 to 700,000
China aims to become global education leader, planning to lift 147 universities and 331 disciplines to “first-class” standard by 2030
To serve national strategic needs and to encourage cross-disciplinary research, the government plan increases investment in subjects including engineering (180 disciplines), basic sciences (59), philosophy and social sciences (92), such as Marxism studies
Economy
Government prioritizes infrastructure investment to spur economic growth, but restricts lending and spending on speculative, unsustainable, or commercially questionable projects
With aging population, Chinese state seeks to change traditional growth engines by increasing investments in technology; local governments issue US $229.6 billion in bonds to finance infrastructure investment (Q1, 2022), linked to common prosperity goals
China’s revenue from land auctions see the 3rd lowest increase in history (3.5%), reaching US $1.38 trillion
Tighter credit policies for real estate developers are among the causes; sales of land use concessions account for more than half of local governments’ revenue, often between 80-90%
Agriculture and Environment
China’s energy self-sufficiency grows thanks to increased domestic production of oil (198 million tons) and natural gas (207.5 billion m³) in 2021
The country’s oil (72.7%) and gas (46.1%) dependency increased (2021), and coal accounted for 66.9% of total energy, while clean, low-carbon energy is growing (25.6% in 2021 vs. 16.4% in 2010)
People’s Life and Culture
Edgar Snow, US journalist and author of the 1937 bestseller Red Star over China, died 50 years ago
Read by millions – including two US presidents – his book was the first English language text to show the world the reality of the Chinese revolution, the CPC, and its leader, Mao Zedong, contributing to the normalization of Sino-US relations
Unmarried mothers face obstacles in accessing maternity benefits and judicial protection, despite national policial policy set for all citizens
Shenzhen mother sues city’s health commission for right to maternity benefits, among other cases nationwide; domestically, <10% of children are born out of wedlock (~40% in US, 60% in Europe), while family planning policies are relaxing
Chinese elders, living longer lives, seek matchmakers and dating platforms while reshaping social attitudes about remarriage
¼ of China’s 260 million elders aged 60+ years are single, widowed, or divorced, increasing from 0.4 to 3/1,000 people (1985-2020); TV dating shows focused on middle-aged and elders grow in popularity
“Love Never Comes Late” dating show from Jilin TV [Sixth Tone]
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