No. 87 | 19.02.2022

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

Nikkei Asia, 12.02.2022

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

Politico, 10.02.2022

Financial Times, 11.02.2022

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

South China Morning Post, 15.02.2022

South China Morning Post, 14.02.2022

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

South China Morning Post, 15.02.2022

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 Briefing, 11.02.2022

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%

Caixin Global, 12.02.2022

Category Icons

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)

China Daily, 15.02.2022

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

SHINE, 15.02.2022

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

Caixin Global, 11.02.2022

Sixth Tone, 01.09.2021

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

Sixth Tone, 14.02.2022

South China Morning Post, 03.02.2022

“Love Never Comes Late” dating show from Jilin TV [Sixth Tone]


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