A high-profile policy meeting has revealed the key official players behind China’s science and technology drive, as the country pushes for more unified leadership in the sensitive sectors. The line-up includes finance and education ministry officials, academic chiefs, regional government heads and military officers, footage of the national science and technology work conference aired by … Read more
The mainland Chinese authorities have lifted a pandemic-era ban on travel to Taiwan, allowing tour groups from Shanghai and Fujian province to visit the island. The Culture and Tourism Ministry said preparations were “actively under way” – although there is no timetable for visits to resume – and the move would help normalise cross-strait exchanges, … Read more
Many people in the Chinese city of Guangzhou enjoy eating halal noodles, a popular and affordable option around the country. What they probably do not know is that the local government closely monitors these restaurants as part of its ethnic integration programme. Guangzhou, a city of 22 million, is using big data to track the … Read more
A lawmaker in China’s financial hub of Shanghai has called for the lifting of strict internet controls in free-trade zones, financial districts and universities to help support AI development and attract foreign investment and talent. Mao Xiangdong, vice-president of the Shanghai Institute of Technology and a member of the standing committee of the city’s people’s … Read more
The influx of American “TikTok refugees” onto the Chinese social media app RedNote may feed into some of Beijing’s main talking points, but could also pose a challenge for China’s censors. As of Thursday afternoon, the topic “TikTok refugee” attracted more than 800 million views and 14.7 million discussions as new users, mostly with IP … Read more
Top officials in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have hosted a group of international students from the US and other countries this week in an effort to debunk Western narratives about the region. Ma Xingrui, the Communist Party chief of Xinjiang, and Erkin Tuniyaz, chairman of the regional government, had “in-depth and friendly exchanges” with … Read more
China’s state security forces will be given fresh powers to supervise and manage sensitive construction work on sites such as key government buildings and military facilities. A detailed set of rules, the first of their kind to be made public, were published on Wednesday and mark a further expansion of the powers of the Ministry … Read more
Beijing is expected to ignore a Taiwanese body’s call for a resumption of cross-strait consultations with its mainland counterpart amid tensions that have worsened since the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gained power on the island, according to observers. Luo Wen-jia, secretary general of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), tasked with consultation and negotiation with … Read more
In 2013, during a core decision-making meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping used the term “think tank” for the first time as he laid out a case in which such intellectual groups would help advance a sound system of governance and policy consultation for Beijing. Two years later, Beijing acted on that vision by publishing its … Read more
Taiwan’s military is grappling with a personnel shortage as a growing number of volunteer soldiers and officers opt for early discharge, despite the financial penalties. In 2020, 401 personnel applied for early discharge, having agreed to pay the fees to leave. Last year, that figure rocketed to 1,565 personnel, according to figures obtained through a … Read more
