This is the 40th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Widely referred to as Ah Jie (“big sister”), Liza Wang Ming-chun has been a household name in Hong Kong for over half a century for her performances on TV and in Cantonese opera. Born in Shanghai … Read more
All eyes have turned to China’s tone-setting annual central economic work conference for any clues of relief for the beleaguered economy. Decisions reached at the conference effectively chart economic policy for the world’s second-largest economy for the coming year. Why does China’s central economic work conference matter? The close-door conference, which often lasts two or … Read more
Police issuing warnings in domestic violence cases could use video and audio recordings, text messages, testimony from children or neighbours, and medical records as evidence, Chinese authorities said in new national guidelines. The guidelines were recently issued by nine government agencies – including the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme Court and the All-China Women’s … Read more
China’s annual tone-setting economic work conference, which is set to convene this week, is expected to assess mounting challenges and signal intensified policy support, as policymakers seek to stabilise growth amid domestic pressures and external uncertainties, analysts said. Chinese leaders are expected to spend at least two or three days for closed-door exchanges on next … Read more
The National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, will convene in Beijing on Monday to discuss a wide range of issues. A large fiscal stimulus, recommended by several prominent economists and hotly anticipated by investors, is likely to be among them. As markets speculate over the potential size of a fiscal package … Read more
Li Xiaopeng, son of former Chinese premier Li Peng, has taken a semi-retirement role on the country’s top political advisory body, drawing an end to the closely watched political career of a member of one of China’s most powerful families. Li was assigned the role of deputy director of the economic affairs committee of the … Read more
Wu Bangguo, the former head of China’s top legislature, died in Beijing on Tuesday morning at the age of 83, official news agency Xinhua reported. Wu was one of China’s most powerful men between 2002 and 2012, serving as chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, and … Read more
Beijing’s quick endorsement of a scheme to raise the retirement age shows it is determined to address the problem of dwindling pension funds amid faltering economic growth and an ageing population, analysts say. But, they add, the changes are unlikely to be a silver bullet for fiscal shortfalls and could come with “political pain”. For … Read more
China’s top legislature has reviewed a plan to gradually raise the retirement age, months after the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee proposed it be lifted in a “voluntary and flexible” way. The retirement age has been in place since 1951 and is among the lowest in the world. It is currently 60 for men, 55 … Read more
Chinese schools must raise students’ awareness about military service by stepping up their national defence education, according to a new set of legislative amendments. The proposed amendments, which are now under review by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, included clauses about the contents of military training for students and military units’ obligations, China’s … Read more
