Joseph Popper 
Some local governments in China have been fabricating the number of businesses in their regions – a key indicator of economic recovery – and in one case set hard targets for towns to register fake businesses, the country’s top anti-corruption watchdog said on Monday. In an official notice, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) … Read more
Former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou called on younger generations to learn from the past to “resolve disputes peacefully” during a visit on Monday to a museum in Beijing commemorating the second Sino-Japanese war. “People in both the mainland and Taiwan had been bullied by Japanese warlords, and suffered heavy casualties. Although we were lagging behind … Read more
China is banking on tourism and consumption to power its post-pandemic economic recovery, as a deepening property sector crisis and weak private sector and foreign investor confidence continue to weigh on overall growth. Ching Ming or “tomb sweeping” festival is a day for honouring the dead, by sweeping their resting places and burning paper offerings. … Read more
According to the Ministry of Water Resources, China’s major rivers and lakes can flag “numbered floods” when their water levels reach the warning level or register a flood of “once in two to five years” magnitude. By 9am on Sunday, the water level at the local measuring station in Guangdong’s Yingde county, which lies along … Read more
Addressing the Boao Forum for Asia in the Chinese island province of Hainan, Russian deputy prime minister Alexey Overchuk said the Kremlin and Beijing had discussed the possibility of “improving connectivity” between the initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led effort to create an EU-like common market. China-Russia ties set to deepen with … Read more
Tokyo claims the Diaoyus belong to the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, which includes the area once known as Ryukyu. However, Beijing has long disputed the notion that the Diaoyus were part of the Ryukyu kingdom. Okinawa or Ryukyu? The prefecture on the front line of China-Japan ties Liu Chengyong, director of the China National Archives … Read more
According to Abby Lee, Taiwan’s representative in Israel, Taiwan has provided humanitarian relief and help to non-governmental organisations on the ground in Israel since the beginning of the war. This has included offering food and clothes to evacuees and psychological help to those who were impacted by the October 7 attack. Lee said that in … Read more
“But now, births have been decreasing every year, beds have been cut back, and more and more doctors have had to change profession. But what can they do?” he wrote, jokingly suggesting they become vets. “Save obstetrics!” he pleaded on Weibo. Duan, who is director of the maternity ward at Shanghai No 1 Maternity Hospital, … Read more
The city warned of fines, administrative penalties and even criminal prosecution for those found violating the rules. People visit the tombs of relatives during the annual Ching Ming Festival at Beijing’s Babaoshan Cemetery in April 2023. Photo: AFP During Ching Ming Festival, Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors, clean their gravesites and make … Read more
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Thursday for the first leg of her week-long trip aimed at helping manage the trade relations between the world’s two largest economies. Yellen, who arrived in Guangzhou just after 6pm local time, media reports said, was greeted by China’s vice-minister of … Read more
