G7 calls out China, Xi meets Central Asian leaders, and weak economic data
+ Beijing LGBT Center closes its doors and comedian arrested after joke about army
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
XINJIANG
Abandoned camps hint at a far darker next chapter for China's Uyghur people – Sky News
In recent years, China's most northwestern province has been mostly closed to outsiders. The latest phase of a campaign of oppression against the native Uyghur minority has gone largely unchecked - and unreported.
But for the first time since zero-COVID restrictions were dropped, Sky News has been inside the region - reporting on the ground from former detention camps, speaking to survivors and analysing satellite footage to investigate what's really going on.
China claimed the phase of "re-education" is over - but this does not tell the whole story.
POLITICS & SOCIETY
Chinese comedian arrested after joke about army – BBC
A Chinese comedian who told a joke comparing the behaviour of his dogs to a military slogan has been arrested.
The company that hired Li Haoshi was also fined 14.7m yuan (£1.7m), and Mr Li could face time in prison.
Police in Beijing said they had opened an official investigation into his performance, which they said "caused a severe social impact".
Mr Li has apologised for his comment, saying he felt "deeply shamed and regretful".
Chinese police detain woman for supporting comedian who joked about military – The Guardian
On Tuesday, in a post that appears to have been taken down, Shi posted: “Why should HOUSE be banned? Aren’t all soldier brothers just dog brothers?”
The Global Times reported she was put in administrative detention, which allows police to hold someone for up to 15 days without charge for a minor public order offence.
Beijing LGBT Center shuttered as crackdown grows in China – AP
An advocacy group that also served as a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Beijing became the latest organization to close under a crackdown by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government.
“We very regretfully announce, due to forces beyond our control, the Beijing LGBT Center will stop operating today,” read a notice posted on the center’s official WeChat account Monday night.
Beijing LGBT Center did not respond to an email request for comment. The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which oversees nonprofits in China, also did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.
The group’s shuttering marks a critical blow for advocacy groups that once had been able to be public about their work for LGBTQ+ rights.
China launches projects to build 'new-era' marriage, childbearing culture – Reuters
China will launch pilot projects in more than 20 cities to create a "new-era" marriage and childbearing culture to foster a friendly child bearing environment, the latest move by authorities to boost the country's falling birth rate.
China's Family Planning Association, a national body that implements the government's population and fertility measures, will launch the projects to encourage women to marry and have children, state backed Global Times reported on Monday.
China’s Surrogacy Debate Extends to Women’s Toilets – Sixth Tone
From universities to hospital toilets, women are finding themselves surrounded by small ads recruiting surrogacy candidates as well as customers. They, and some companies, are hitting back.
China’s rural law enforcement force, a recent initiative targeting the country’s vast rural areas, is causing doubt about its tactics after several incidents were perceived on Chinese social media as the bullying of farmers.
The Agricultural Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement team – referred to as nongguan, or “agriculture management” – has been a hot issue in recent weeks after video clips of contentious law enforcement actions started trending on Chinese social media platforms.
Opinion: China’s Food Security Faces a Hidden Threat: An Aging Countryside – Sixth Tone
Hollowed out villages populated by aging farmers pose a challenge to the country’s ambitious food security goals.
Opinion: Families Are Abandoning China’s Rural Schools. Here’s Why That Matters. – Sixth Tone
From the perspective of individuals and families, moving to the city offers the possibility of higher incomes and greater opportunities for their children. As the rural labor and brain drain intensifies, however, rural communities are driven further into decline, worsening the structural inequalities between the countryside and the cities and pushing more residents to migrate.
Xiongan is unlikely to bloom unless it is heavily subsidised, but at what cost, for how long and to whose benefit? It is isolated from the vibrant commercial and industrial cities of south and central China and lacks the kind of freewheeling attitude towards development enjoyed by more successful economic experiments. Urban studies scholar Andrew Stokols points to stringent restrictions including tight curbs on real estate, types of business permitted and building height, design and materials.
The vision guiding Xiongan is sufficiently rigorous and top-down to dampen enthusiasm for the kind of migration that helped drive Shenzhen and Pudong’s rise. While it’s nice in principle to design a tidy city that strictly adheres to central guidance, the wild, sometimes messy organic growth of many great cities is not easily duplicated in a controlled environment.
The Rise of Xi Jinping’s Young Guards: Generational Change in the CCP Leadership – Asia Society Policy Institute
Who are the rising stars emerging in the second decade of Xi’s reign? How young are they, exactly? What does their relative advantage in age mean? What are the salient characteristics of the winners in this round of intraparty power redistribution? And what does their rise mean for China’s elite politics?
This paper begins to address these questions by sketching a profile of these younger high-ranking cadres, with a focus on their roles in the composition of the new CCP Central Committee and the reshuffled provincial leadership lineup.
Interview: Dan Wang, China specialist –
We talk about China's economy, decoupling, export controls, industrial policy, state control, and lots more.
Coming up next:
China’s economic recovery loses steam
G7 leaders call out China
Xi meets Central Asian leaders
Ex-Apple engineer charged with stealing trade secrets
Montana TikTok ban
And so much more…
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