A Peek Into Everyday China : A Potpourri by Lt Gen PR Shankar(R)

 

This is a potpourri of excerpts from the South China Morning Post with links given. There is no central theme to these excerpts but to give you a broad spectrum peek into every day China. There is a lot of Hype which normally comes out of Chinese media. However, many a time, the truth also comes out. These days there is more of truth than hype. Having said that, one must recognise that the truth is heavily doctored. The situation might be even worse. There could also be the view that such events are normal in a big country like China. I agree. However the trendline off late is that there is concern in the air and that is palpable.     

 

Headline : Former Chinese police boss Fu Zhenghua admits corruption @ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3187010/former-chinese-police-boss-fu-zhenghua-stands-trial-corruption

 

Excerpts : Fu, who served as deputy minister of public security, pleads guilty to taking bribes worth almost US$15 million and hiding his brother’s alleged crimes…He was once a rising political star but suffered a series of career setbacks starting in 2016…“Fu Zhenghua took advantage of his official authority or position to seek gains for others in business operations, official positions and legal cases, and [in return] illegally accepted money and gifts … either directly or through his relatives,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Changchun prosecutors as saying….Prosecutors also accused Fu of hiding evidence of suspected crimes committed by his brother, Fu Weihua, and failing to handle the case in accordance with the law from 2014 to 2015 as director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

 

Comments : The first purge this season! Expect more as November nears. 

 

Headline : China-US relations: Xi warns Biden on Taiwan, urging ‘clear-eyed’ approach versus playing with ‘fire’ @ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3186951/china-us-relations-xi-and-biden-move-calm-tensions-during

 

Excerpts : Chinese leader stresses commitment to resisting ‘interference by external forces’ in self-governing island, alluding to possible Pelosi trip...in a two-hour call described as ‘candid, in-depth and constructive’, with both sides instructed to maintain communication, Chinese embassy adds

 

Comments : Propaganda , propaganda and propaganda. The Chinese president has to WARN the evil US president after all. Good internal optics. 

 

Headline : China’s Politburo ‘insists’ on zero-Covid, omits mention of GDP growth target @ https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3186947/chinas-politburo-insists-zero-covid-omits-mention-gdp-growth  

 

Excerpts : China’s 25-member Politburo has reiterated it is trying to strike a balance between coronavirus containment and economic growth…Analysts say it is clear Beijing’s top priority is Covid control and there will not be huge stimulus to meet the ‘around 5.5 per cent’ growth target…China’s top leadership defended its zero-Covid policy in a tone-setting economic conference on Thursday, making it a political priority while calling for a long-term perspective on pandemic control and economic growth ahead of the 20th party congress later this year….However, the 25-member Politburo, which is headed by President Xi Jinping, softened its language on achieving the full-year growth target of “around 5.5 per cent”, which is looking increasingly distant due to periodic coronavirus outbreaks, global recession risks and trade tensions.

 

Comments : They have no choice really. If they open up, there will be widespread sickness and death considering that there is huge vaccine hesitancy and Chinese vaccines are useless. If they continue with Zero Covid, their economy will  continue to haemorrhage. In English it is called the Hobson’s choice. In hindi it is called the Trishanku Swarg. In Chinese it is called the Middle kingdom!

 

Headlines : Uygur separatist group rebuilds bases in Afghanistan even as China-Taliban ties grow @ https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3186820/uygur-separatist-group-rebuilds-bases-afghanistan-even-china

 

Excerpts :  ETIM is continuing to grow its operations in Afghanistan almost a year after the Taliban vowed it would stamp out terror groups when it returned to power, the UN says…Analysts say even though ETIM, which is aligned with al-Qaeda, has kept a low profile, it remains a ‘ticking time bomb for China’ …After the Taliban returned to power last year, China pledged support for the leaders while demanding it crack down on ETIM, also known as the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP). Several member states noted that ETIM/TIP is continuing to strengthen its relations with TTP and Jamaat Ansarullah, augmenting its military training on the manufacture and use of improvised explosive devices, focusing on morale and planning to carry out terrorist attacks against Chinese interests in the region when the time is right.”

 

Comments: The Taliban is doing exactly to China as what it did with Pakistan. I had predicted earlier that  they will back TTP and ETIM to milk Pakistan and China. The milking has just commenced. 

 

Headline : ‘Instant PhDs’: head of China university fired for using US$2.7 million to rehire teachers after obtaining doctorates from ‘obscure’ school to lift status @https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3186498/instant-phds-head-china-university-fired-using

 

Excerpts : The teachers attended a school in Manila where they earned PhDs in 28 months, far shorter than normal..The school then rehired them to boost its doctorate rate, sparking public criticism…Shaoyang University became a centre of controversy last week after it made a public employment announcement that stated it had re-employed the teachers, raising public doubts about the quality of the degrees.

 

Comments : All that glitters in China is FAKE. 

Headline : Has China’s population peaked? Drop in newborn screening underscores birth crisis @ https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3186544/has-chinas-population-peaked-drop-newborn-screening  

 

Excerpts : Data on screening rates for birth defects indicates the number of newborns fell in Henan, the country’s third-most-populous province, in the first six months of the year…The statistics underline the growing demographic crisis facing the world’s No 2 economy, which is also grappling with a fast-ageing population…Babies born in Henan, the country’s third-most-populous province, fell by 9.5 per cent in the first six months of 2022 compared to last year…there is also growing anecdotal evidence that Chinese couples are becoming more reluctant to have children, especially as the coronavirus pandemic takes a toll on finances…Some demographers are convinced China’s population peaked last year, while a United Nations report published last week, titled “World Population Prospects 2022”, said China is expected to see an absolute decline in its population as early as 2023…...China’s birth crisis is being compounded by the country’s rapidly ageing population. At the end of last year, some 267 million Chinese were aged 60 and above, accounting for 18.9 per cent of the total population…In 2024, more than one fifth of the population will be aged 60 and older…

 

Comments : The storks are going away from China! Once upon a time Mao ordered all sparrows to be killed in China! Has Xi given a secret order to drive storks away? As days go by, China will look more like an old age home. Just imagine a matchup between the Agniveers and Chinese oldies!!

 

Headline : China plans to turn the moon into an outpost for defending the Earth from asteroids, say scientists @ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3186279/china-plans-turning-moon-outpost-defending-earth-asteroids-say

 

Excerpts : Two optical telescopes would be built on the moon’s south and north poles to survey the sky for threats evading the ground-base early warning network..Test satellites could also help protect China’s national security by having the telescopes and sensors pointed towards the Earth, say researchers.. Beijing may extend the planetary defence system it is constructing in China to the moon and beyond to protect the Earth from asteroid strikes that could potentially wipe out a city or human civilisation, according to scientists involved in the project..

 

Comment: Competitive or Delusional…they are portraying themselves as the defenders of the earth Armageddon style !...wonder who is the Chinese version of Bruce Willis? 

 

Headline : Chinese headphone maker in Dongguan shuts down, intensifying country’s woes in manufacturing, cross-border e-commerce@ https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3185989/chinese-headphone-maker-dongguan-shuts-down-intensifying-countrys

 

Excerpts: A major Bluetooth headphone maker, Dongguan Koppo Electronics Co, has decided to shut down for good and dismiss all its workers, becoming the latest casualty of the economic headwinds, supply chain disruptions and trading woes that have hit China’s manufacturing heartland…Koppo Electronics, which has operated its factory in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province for 12 years, said it was ceasing operations partly because “a number of cross-border e-commerce clients have failed to make due payments”

 

Comment : Are we looking at the tip of a melting iceberg? 

 

Headlines: China’s foreign businesses adapt by looking inward for talent as zero-Covid keeps expats away@ https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3187087/chinas-foreign-businesses-adapt-looking-inward-talent-zero?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage

 

Excerpts : Even in cities without major coronavirus lockdowns, including Hong Kong, ‘trust issues’ are rife among foreigners, and the main concern is often their children..Foreign business groups say firms want to maintain China presence, but diminished labour pool of outside talent is expected to continue until after 20th Party Congress

 

Comments : Remember the poem we learnt at kindergarten? …Fly away peter Fly away Paul…well they are flying away…will not come back in a hurry…are they going to be replaced by Ching and Ming?

 

Headline : China-Europe rail shipping growth slows as Ukraine war pushes companies back to the seas @ https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3187070/china-europe-rail-shipping-growth-slows-ukraine-war-pushes?module=AI_Recommended_for_you_In-house&pgtype=homepage

 

Excerpts : China’s railway authorities have been coordinating with foreign counterparts to open new routes to Europe..But alternative rail routes cannot handle the same volume of freight traffic, and experts say it is forcing some firms to ship goods by slower maritime routes…after a decade of rapid expansion under the umbrella of heavy government subsidies and political blessings from Beijing, the China-Europe Railway Express that provides an alternative to ocean freight between Asia and Europe may be showing signs of stagnation, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bringing unprecedented challenges.

 

Comments : The transport sector is struggling. Revival of this route to EU countries is difficult to imagine given the rise in animosity levels between EU and China. 

 

Head line : China looks to boost consumption with ‘comprehensive measures’ to help economic recovery @ https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3187158/china-looks-boost-consumption-help-economic-recovery?module=AI_Recommended_for_you_In-house&pgtype=homepage  

 

Excerpts : The State Council says it is looking to expand demand by boosting property and car sales, as well as subsidising green energy products…The service sector has been badly hit by the country’s Covid policies, threatening to derail the annual growth target of ‘around 5.5 per cent’…Beijing hopes to boost its economic recovery by rolling back restrictions on car and property sales and offering tax breaks and subsidies for environmentally friendly products to boost consumption…Beijing hopes to boost its economic recovery by rolling back restrictions on car and property sales and offering tax breaks and subsidies for environmentally friendly products to boost consumption….The measures, announced at Friday’s executive meeting of the State Council, China’s cabinet, may reflect the reality that service sectors – such as catering, retail, tourism and transport – will continue to face pressure as a result of the country’s zero-Covid policies in the second half of the year.

 

Comment : Important information. Service sectors like such as catering, retail, tourism and transport – will continue to face pressure as a result of the country’s zero-Covid policies… hence the recourse back to Property…which is failing anyway…overall I leave it to your imagination if you still think China is a runaway economy…in my opinion…they are struggling. 

Overall Comments : You can take a call for yourself as to where China is heading…my next analysis will intimate to you the direction of China as per my reading….till then….Ciao.