• China’s bamboo could replace high-emitting plastics, but tech bottlenecks are stunting growth
• What does Chinese diplomacy have in common with the legendary Monkey King? Many virtues, says ex-envoy Cui Tiankai
• Project childbirth: China husband assigns post-delivery tasks for family in care-strategy meeting to ensure well-being of wife, earns online praise
• Cop28: China firm on pledging new carbon targets for 2030 and 2035, calls for global effort to cut methane emissions
• South China Sea: Philippines says over 135 Chinese boats ‘swarming’ reef off its coast
• US reducing reliance on China forces Hong Kong exporters to sever some local, mainland ties over ‘unwritten rules’, boycott threats: industry leaders
• China targets miners and watchdogs in snap eco compliance audit
• China urged to focus on low-income groups like migrant workers as economy seeks new growth engines
• Greenhouse gas emissions soar – with China, US and India most at fault
• ASD jab: Chinese scientists reach milestone in revolutionary gene therapy that could cure autism
• Hong Kong’s Paul Chan says city pushing for deeper ties with Middle East, China to bring in new capital
• China court restrains harsh father who starved, forced winter cold showers on daughter for top university failure
• China, US see the risks AI systems can bring. But can they see past military tech rivalry?
• China edges towards a big bail-out | Finance & economics
• ‘You could never afford our house’: braggart father in China taunts son’s teacher over wealth faces online fury
• With new coach watching from afar, USWNT gets a lift from win over China
• [Uk] Solar panels used by British Army linked to claims of forced labour in China
• US commerce chief warns against China ‘threat’
• China is struggling with a surge of respiratory ailments | China
• Want to rent an affordable flat in one of China’s former pop-up Covid hospitals? Why some people are not so keen

China’s bamboo could replace high-emitting plastics, but tech bottlenecks are stunting growth

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3243521/chinas-bamboo-could-replace-high-emitting-plastics-tech-bottlenecks-are-stunting-growth?utm_source=rss_feed

It feeds one of the Earth’s rarest species. It was the writing surface for some of the earliest books. It could prove essential in reducing vast amounts of carbon emissions – and China has more of it than anywhere else.

Bamboo, the tall, thick grass perhaps most popularly known as the chief component of the giant panda’s diet, has a number of uses even in the present day. The sturdy stalks can be fashioned into scaffolding or roofing, and the pulp can be woven into a variety of fabrics. This versatility has China, in the midst of a long-term effort to meet carbon peaking and neutrality goals, considering the substance as a replacement for petroleum-based plastics.

The idea makes environmental and economic sense, but there will be challenges along the way to universal adoption, including technological bottlenecks and poor public awareness, experts and industry insiders said.

To reduce plastic pollution as well as production emissions, the Chinese government will replace more plastics with value-added products made from bamboo and improve the utilisation rate of the plant, according to an action plan it released earlier this month jointly with the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (Inbar).

Despite thousands of years of experience using the plant to build shelter, swapping out plastics for bamboo equivalents for products such as single-use bags and toothbrushes is still an uphill climb. As the plan stated, the industry’s “size is relatively small, productivity is low, costs are high, and technology and equipment lag behind”.

The government will, therefore, provide support to help the sector grow, funding technological breakthroughs and establishing five to 10 demonstration areas by 2025.

“China is working very hard to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, and the government is putting a lot of hope on the bamboo industry to help achieve this goal,” said Borja De La Pena Escardo, global policy officer at Inbar. The intergovernmental organisation advocates for the widespread adoption of bamboo and rattan in lieu of plastics or other fossil fuel-derived materials, and China is a founding member.

The country has other reasons to be interested in bamboo, even putting aside the benefits which would come with a large-scale reduction in emissions. Bamboo, Escardo said, is deeply intertwined with Chinese history and culture, and can provide green jobs and economic opportunities for people in rural areas.

There is also little chance of a materials shortage. China has more bamboo forest than anywhere else in the world, with a growing area of 7.56 million hectares in 2021, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

This has made it the largest exporter of bamboo products, and overseas demand is increasing as the West pursues its own emission reduction efforts, Escardo said.

The use of bamboo as an alternative for plastics – most of which are made from fossil fuels such as crude oil and natural gas – is of particular importance as greenhouse gases are emitted at every stage of the production process; extraction, transport, refining and manufacturing are all believed to be carbon-intensive activities.

Petroleum-based plastics can take centuries to decompose and have detrimental effects on the environment throughout their life cycle if not disposed of properly, with the potential to pollute waterways and disrupt marine ecosystems.

Chinese scientists claim lead in race for viable biodegradable plastics

The world produces about 400 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Of that total, China contributed 63 million, according to figures for 2022 released by the China National Resources Recycling Association. About 30 per cent of the plastic waste generated in the country was recycled, it said.

As such, there is a huge market for eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, “but the availability of technology is low,” Escardo said.

There are other organic materials that could fill the same role, such as maize and sugarcane. They are cheap to produce, regenerate quickly and contain no synthetic toxins. But they also come with controversies, particularly their potential impact on farming.

As those crops are also food sources for human populations, using them to produce bioplastics would likely mean competition or even a crowding out if the practice proves lucrative - a change that would have far-reaching and potentially disastrous consequences given the already dire threat climate change presents to food security.

Alice Zhang, general manager of Jiangqiao Bamboo, said most businesses in the industry are small and lack the capacity for research and development. Her company makes computer accessories from the material and is based in Tonggu county of East China’s Jiangxi province.

“The government has been talking about supporting the sector for years, but there’s been no real action. Without government funding, the technological transformation will be very slow,” she said.

The company, founded in 2009, has not made any major technological advancement in the past decade due to pressures to control costs, she said.

About 80 per cent of its products are sold overseas – mainly in Europe, the US, South Korea and Japan – as “people there are better aware of environmental issues”, she said.

The switch to biodegradable plastics gathers pace in China

In comparison, she added, “the domestic market is mainly supported by a small group who are simply fond of the products instead of [being] driven by an obligation to go green. Others buy them as gifts for friends and business partners.”

In Anji county of Zhejiang province, a more developed area and home to some of the country’s most popular bamboo tourism sites, some industry players are employing technology to make the grass into a bioplastic that can be turned into single-use items such as bags and tableware.

“It’s a difficult thing to do in China. After the pandemic, there’s less financial support from the government,” said Zang Xiaofeng, deputy general manager of Senlin Biotechnology.

“What we’re doing is making new biodegradable plastics, which are more costly but welcomed by the overseas market,” he said. “But at home, the authorities prefer using raw bamboo, which is [simpler] but also easier to mould.”

Bags made from bamboo can completely decompose in 18 months, but have not yet been embraced by the public due to poor awareness of the environmental benefits and a higher price, he said.

Some scientists have also found that bioplastics are not as biodegradable as expected. A recent study by Wageningen University in the Netherlands has found 48 different types of microplastics across tested soil samples from more than a dozen farms, and nearly 40 per cent of the microplastics detected were bio-based.

The Anji government pledged 3 million yuan (US$417,987) to reward purchasers of biodegradable products to help boost sales, according to a government directive from August.

But biodegradable bags, one of Senlin’s main products, are so far only being sold at local post offices, supermarkets, banks and government agencies.

Upstream, the industry also faces high costs due to a lack of mechanisation in the felling of bamboo, according to Wang Xian, founder of a bamboo plywood manufacturer from Taojiang county, Hunan province. The area is a hub for bamboo production in central China.

China signals reboot of voluntary carbon market is near with draft guidelines

“We still rely totally on human labour to cut bamboo, carry it downhill and transport it to our factories, and there are not many local farmers who are willing to do this job as it’s too tiring,” he said.

Buying 1 tonne of fresh bamboo costs him about 600 yuan (US$83.6), including 300 yuan for manual labour.

Bamboo can grow tall enough for commercial use in three years, Wang said, and with current harvesting methods there will be plenty of acreage that goes underutilised or neglected completely.

About a third of the 2,000-square county is covered in bamboo forest, but only one tenth of that third is being utilised at the moment, he said.

Despite government action over a decade ago to curb their use, single-use plastics are still a common sight across China, and sustainable alternatives remain niche products.

The country began to reduce plastic consumption in 2008, banning supermarkets and shopping malls from providing disposable plastic bags for free to shoppers.

Plastics crisis: China must take lead in slashing usage, recycling, report says

In 2020, it rolled out a stricter plan, pledging to gradually phase out the use of non-degradable plastic bags, tableware and other items in hotels in most areas of the country over a period of five years.

Though bamboo is just one solution among many to curb the world’s excessive consumption of plastics, Escardo said, “if we have many solutions together, the opportunity to compete with the plastic industry will be higher.

“But nowadays it’s still difficult.”

What does Chinese diplomacy have in common with the legendary Monkey King? Many virtues, says ex-envoy Cui Tiankai

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243685/what-does-chinese-diplomacy-have-common-legendary-monkey-king-many-virtues-says-ex-envoy-cui-tiankai?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese-style diplomacy reflects some of the virtues of the fictional character the Monkey King, former veteran diplomat Cui Tiankai said on the weekend, adding that some Western countries have popularised “erroneous narratives” about Beijing’s foreign policy.

“If I had to find an image representative of China’s diplomatic style, I would choose Sun Wukong from Journey to the West,” Cui said, referring to the Chinese name for the character.

“Sun Wukong is loyal and steadfast, can distinguish between good and evil, and has strong abilities,” the official Guangzhou Daily quoted him as saying at the Understanding China Conference in the southern city of Guangzhou on Saturday.

The 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West is an East Asian literary classic and the Monkey King, one of its main characters, possesses supernatural powers, including immortality, invincibility, celestial strength and fighting skills.

The story has been the basis for comics, cartoons and television series, as well as video games. Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu portrays the Monkey King in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences also named its first dark matter satellite probe Wukong, launched in December 2015, after the cultural icon.

At the conference on Saturday, Cui, China’s ambassador to the US from 2013 to 2021 and the person to hold the post the longest, also quoted a poem by chairman Mao Zedong that drew parallels between the Monkey King’s powers to dispel “demonic fog” and purify the world of evil, to the ability of Marxist-Leninist thinkers to counter criticism of their ideology.

“Although this [poem] was written more than 60 years ago, when I read it today, I still feel that he was talking about today’s world,” said Cui, adding that people should be “highly vigilant” of “erroneous narratives” about China.

Beijing has been viewed as pursuing an increasingly assertive foreign policy in recent years as relations with the US-led West have soured.

After decades of low-profile diplomacy, some Chinese envoys have become known as Wolf Warriors with a more adversarial style.

Cui said some of the erroneous narratives were “due to misunderstandings, and some were due to deliberate distortions ... which hindered people’s correct understanding of China’s development strategy and foreign policy”.

Despite Beijing’s repeated statements about its goal of peaceful development, Cui said some people promoted the idea that China intended to compete with the United States for dominance.

“China will never be another America,” he said, suggesting that Beijing would never imitate Washington’s foreign policy, nor seek to replace the United States.

“We are against any attempt at hegemony, no matter where it comes from and who does it.”

Such false narratives had “incited confrontation”, “damaged relations between countries” and “hindered the development of human progress”, Cui said, adding that “narratives reflect perceptions, determine attitudes, and influence behaviour”.

“So [we] ask them to learn more, listen more, and attend more conferences on understanding China,” he said.

Cui concluded that diplomacy was more than a job – it was also an art with norms that had to be followed. Finding common ground between nations required “continuous effort”, he said.

Diplomats should understand the concerns, characteristics and people in the country where they were stationed, and strive to have that community understand China’s logic and respect its position, even if they disagreed, he said.

Project childbirth: China husband assigns post-delivery tasks for family in care-strategy meeting to ensure well-being of wife, earns online praise

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3243088/project-childbirth-china-husband-assigns-post-delivery-tasks-family-care-strategy-meeting-ensure?utm_source=rss_feed

A loving husband in China who held a care-strategy meeting to issue his family instructions to ensure his wife was properly looked after post-delivery has earned praise online.

The man’s wife, surnamed Xu, from southeastern China’s Guangdong province, posted photos of the meeting on the social media platform Xiaohongshu on November 19, just prior to her due date.

The photos show her husband assigning tasks for the next three months on an interactive television screen to his parents and mother-in-law.

The tasks included preparing baby formula, changing nappies, cooking, and smiling.

Xu said her husband issued a special reminder that the family must take care of his wife’s mental health during her period of postpartum confinement.

Known in China as zuo yue zi, or sitting the month, the confinement is thought necessary for a new mother to rest and recover after giving birth.

Xu said she gave birth to a daughter the day after the meeting and the family has been executing the care plan very well, adding that her husband also assigned tasks to himself.

The family has received praise for their actions on mainland social media.

“Your family atmosphere is so enviable,” said one online observer on Xiaohongshu.

“I could tolerate the pain of giving birth if I have a husband like this,” said another on Douyin.

A third joked that it “showed the importance of knowing how to lead a team”.

Many women commented that they would be more willing to get married and have children if they could ensure a family with such a good atmosphere.

In 2022, China’s birth rate hit a record low with only 9.56 million births, 10 per cent lower than the previous year and the lowest since records began in 1949, according to the National Health Commission.

The country also recorded the lowest marriage rate in three decades, with 6.83 million couples marrying last year, around 10 per cent down on 7.63 million in the previous year.

Last month, a husband in northwestern China spent five hours making a model house for his English teacher wife which she used as an educational tool for her class, delighting many people online.

In October, a man from China’s central Henan province tied his wrist to that of his wife while he slept beside her hospital bed after she gave birth so that he could look after her any time she needed him, moving many on social media.

Cop28: China firm on pledging new carbon targets for 2030 and 2035, calls for global effort to cut methane emissions

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3243680/cop28-china-firm-pledging-new-carbon-targets-2030-and-2035-calls-global-effort-cut-methane-emissions?utm_source=rss_feed

China will set up new emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035 as part of global pledges to fight climate change, the country’s top climate envoy said, while urging a greater push for methane control.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Cop28 United Nations climate change conference, Chinese special envoy Xie Zhenhua said Beijing was committed to announcing 2035 carbon goals within two years.

“After this meeting, each country needs to propose its 2035 contribution goals by 2025. The Chinese government also attaches great importance to this matter,” Xie said in Dubai on Friday, according to state-backed China News Service.

China has already pledged to have carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2060.

Xie called for more technical innovation to meet the global warming control targets laid down in the Paris agreement, referring to the 2015 treaty among 196 countries to limit warming from pre-industrial levels.

He also said developed countries should contribute more to a loss-and-damage fund announced last year to compensate poorer countries facing the damaging effects of climate change.

More than 195 nations attending the Cop28 in Dubai agreed to set the fund rolling in a landmark move on the conference’s opening day on Thursday.

The initial funding will be almost US$475 million, with host country the United Arab Emirates pledging US$100 million and the European Union US$275 million. The United States will contribute US$17.5 million while US$10 million will come from Japan.

Xie also called for global joint efforts to control the emissions of methane, which has more than 80 times the ability of carbon dioxide to trap heat in the atmosphere, and is behind more than a quarter of global warming.

Methane emissions hole in climate change models puts targets at risk: scientists

At a panel discussion on methane and other non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases on Saturday, Xie said China, as a developing country, faced difficulties and risks in controlling methane emissions.

“China’s work on methane emission control started late and has a weak foundation. The data is unclear with insufficient statistical accounting and monitoring capabilities. The regulatory regime, including rules, standards and policies, is imperfect,” he said.

“The task of controlling methane and other non-carbon dioxide gases in China is not easy and cannot be achieved overnight. It requires long-term arduous efforts, extensive foundational work and capacity building,” Xie said.

“I believe that many developing countries are in the same situation as us. We are willing to act, but we still lack the capabilities, and we need to continue to work hard and strengthen this area through international cooperation,” he urged.

International Energy Agency estimates show methane has been responsible for around 30 per cent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. Rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions are regarded as key to limiting near-term global warming and improving air quality.

China is by far the biggest methane emitter with more than 14 per cent of the global total. It has not joined a 2021 US-led action plan to cut methane output by 30 per cent by 2030. Neighbours and fellow big polluters India and Russia have not joined either.

An action plan published by Beijing on November 7 to tackle methane emissions did not include firm targets for emission cuts beyond reusing the gas as fuel.

However, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment plan does aim to curb “flaring,” or burning off emissions at oil and gas wells, and for methane leaks at coal mines to be closed up.

China and the US have pledged to work together to reduce global methane emissions, as part of a deal to jointly tackle climate change reached by Xie and his US counterpart John Kerry in San Francisco on November 14.

South China Sea: Philippines says over 135 Chinese boats ‘swarming’ reef off its coast

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3243681/south-china-sea-philippines-says-over-135-chinese-boats-swarming-reef-its-coast?utm_source=rss_feed

The Philippines said Sunday more than 135 Chinese vessels were “swarming” a reef off its coast, describing the boats’ growing presence as “alarming”.

The Chinese boats were “dispersed and scattered” within the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef, which the Philippines calls Julian Felipe Reef, around 320km (200 miles) west of Palawan Island, the coastguard said.

Whitsun Reef is more than 1,000km from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan island.

The Philippines said it counted 111 “Chinese maritime militia vessels” (CMM) on November 13. When the coastguard deployed two patrol boats to the area on Saturday the number had increased to “more than 135”, the force said.

“No response was made to the radio challenges issued by the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) to the CMM vessels which is now estimated to have grown to more than 135 vessels dispersed and scattered within Julian Felipe Reef,” Manila’s coastguard said, describing the boats’ presence as “alarming” and “illegal”.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including waters and islands close to the shores of its neighbours, and has ignored an international tribunal decision that its assertion has no legal basis.

It deploys vessels to patrol the waters, and has built artificial islands and military installations to reinforce its stance.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have also staked claims to various islands and reefs in the sea, which is believed to have rich petroleum reserves deep beneath its waters.

The coastguard released images Sunday which it said showed Chinese vessels lined up in formation while others were scattered around the waters.

In 2021, a similar incident involving more than 200 Chinese vessels at the reef sparked a diplomatic row between Manila and Beijing.

Philippines to track China vessels in South China Sea with new station

At the time, Manila insisted their incursion into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone was unlawful.

But China insisted they were fishing boats sheltering from bad weather and were allowed to be there.

The Philippines announced Friday that it was establishing a coastguard station on the largest island it holds in the South China Sea to improve the monitoring of Chinese vessels.

The coastguard station would be equipped with “advanced systems”, including radar, satellite communication, coastal cameras and vessel traffic management, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said during a visit to Thitu Island.

The station has been built and is expected to be operational early next year.

US reducing reliance on China forces Hong Kong exporters to sever some local, mainland ties over ‘unwritten rules’, boycott threats: industry leaders

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3243675/us-reducing-reliance-china-forces-hong-kong-exporters-sever-some-local-mainland-ties-over-unwritten?utm_source=rss_feed

A push by the US to drastically reduce its reliance on mainland China has forced Hong Kong exporters to sever some ties at home and over the border, with firms also cutting down on imports of raw materials due to threats of boycotts, industry leaders have told the Post.

But a shippers’ organisation said moves to diversify away from the country would not be easy, as it was an integral part of the global supply chain and difficult to replace. Amid the disruption, manufacturers and brands both locally and abroad said they had to face new business realities, some of which required overhauling operations.

Dennis Ng Kwok-on, vice-president of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, told the Post that the United States had started to ask local exporters who recently moved operations to Vietnam to register their companies in Singapore, and designate a representative from the city state.

Hong Kong minister urges US against stripping trade offices of special privileges

“There are some unwritten rules for the companies which newly set up shop in Vietnam – they are not allowed to register their operation in Hong Kong or mainland China,” he said in an interview last week. “They must do it in Singapore with a Singaporean designated representative.

“If these new entrants register their firms on the mainland or in Hong Kong, they will not get any orders from the US and will be totally boycotted.”

Foreign investment has poured into Vietnam in recent years.

After enduring three years of strict Covid-19 restrictions, mainland and Hong Kong companies have been among those setting up operations in the southeast Asian country, including Growatt, a Shenzhen-based power storage firm, and Hangzhou First Applied Material, a solar panel component maker.

But US buyers had reduced orders by 60 per cent in Vietnam in the face of economic belt-tightening, high inflation and high interest rates in the country, Ng said.

The pullback comes as Hong Kong’s exports suffered 17 consecutive months of decline up to September, with an 11 per cent contraction recorded during the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period in 2022.

The gloomy streak was finally broken in October, when exports grew by 1.4 per cent compared with the same month last year. Before that, exports last recorded year-on-year growth in April 2022.

But authorities have warned that challenges will persist amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

The export figures cast a shadow over Hong Kong’s gross domestic product, which the government estimated would grow by 3.2 per cent this year compared with 2022, missing its earlier forecast of 4 to 5 per cent.

Hong Kong’s John Lee skipped Apec. Did the city win or lose?

Willy Lin Sun-mo, chairman of Hong Kong Shippers’ Council, said Washington’s tougher stance on decoupling started a few years ago when city exporters were told to cut down on made-in-China components or raw materials in their products.

“The US has demanded the city’s exporters to reduce made-in-China components to below 40 per cent by 2026-27 if they want to receive orders,” Lin said.

“But a lot of companies have said it is difficult to source raw materials outside the country, as processing of raw materials such as integrated circuit chips and yarn causes serious pollution, such as water pollution,” he said. “Many Asian countries don’t take part in this kind of production.”

Lin said he believed US buyers would eventually back down as there were no viable alternatives.

“China is irreplaceable in terms of producing raw materials with a very stable supply chain,” he said. “Eventually the buyers will be forced to explain to their country that they will have to make concessions.”

More positive steps needed to improve Hong Kong-US ties, John Lee says

Referring to requests for Hong Kong operators in Vietnam to register their companies in Singapore, he said the impact was very limited.

“Its decoupling impact is not critical at all,” Lin said. “If an operation is backed by Hong Kong investors, the profits will eventually go into their pocket no matter where they register their companies.”

Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the Washington-based American Apparel and Footwear Association that represents more than 1,000 global brands, said US companies were carrying out the largest sourcing diversification process in a generation to prevent being dragged into the geopolitical tensions.

“Although there is no single target number, US apparel, footwear and travel goods companies continue to diversify their sourcing [away] from China and other traditional suppliers to de-risk and build resilient supply chains,” he told the Post.

“As part of that strategy, [the association] has been advocating for more predictable and smart trade policies and programmes to support investment in and sourcing from Central America and the Caribbean, Africa and the United States.”

But Lamar emphasised that as China would remain an important partner and market, US firms should ensure they followed responsible purchasing and production practices in the country.

“It is also important to stress that with China continuing to be a large producer and consumer of fashion, it will be at the forefront of any successful efforts to ensure that the industry meets science-based decarbonisation goals to combat climate change,” he said.

But Louis Chan Wing-kin, deputy director of research at the Trade Development Council, described the shake-up as “labour pains” for exporters forced to reconstruct their supply chains.

Hong Kong, Beijing slam US committee over bill that could close trade offices

“There’s no cause for concern,” he said. “I would not call it decoupling from China but just some kind of strategic reshuffling of the global supply chain.”

Chan pointed out that firms could enter the US market under the North American Free Trade Agreement by establishing a presence in Mexico.

“There are many flexible ways to conduct business and resolve the issue of geopolitical tensions,” he said.

“For example, some firms have moved part of the production processes to Asean countries or set up shop in Mexico to break into the international market.”

China targets miners and watchdogs in snap eco compliance audit

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3243679/china-targets-miners-and-watchdogs-snap-eco-compliance-audit?utm_source=rss_feed

Environmental inspectors in China have taken miners and regulators to task over violations at a major reserve of critical minerals in northwestern Qinghai province.

Inspectors dispatched from the central government and the State Council found breaches of environmental regulations in the Qaidam Basin, a salt lake area long mined for potash and in recent years for lithium carbonate, which is used in the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles.

The team found that companies did not adhere to environmental protection guidelines while local governments did not do their job to enforce regulations, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.

“The inspection team believes that relevant departments working at Qaidam prefecture’s salt lake have not paid enough attention to the requirement of high-level development when it comes to managing of natural resources, water conservancy, forestry and grassland in the area and have failed to supervise [the companies that operate there],” Xinhua quoted the inspectors as saying.

Two subsidiaries of state-owned China National Salt Industry Corporation (CNSG), also known as China Salt, falsified accounts of their production volumes to evade inspectors, Xinhua added.

In addition, one of the units, CNSG Qinghai Kunlun Soda Industry, “unlawfully” used 272 hectares (672 acres) of grassland as its waste water site, threatening nearby national nature reserves, Xinhua reported, citing findings from the inspectors.

Individual local departments turned a blind eye to the environmental problems in the salt lakes caused by unauthorised excavation, unauthorised tapping of groundwater as well as unlawful land use by state firms, the report said.

Local authorities also tried to pass the buck and blamed each other over the weak regulatory oversight.

The inspection team was just one of a number sent throughout the country last month as part of a new nationwide investigation into environmental compliance.

Teams were also sent to Fujian, Henan, Hainan and Gansu provinces for month-long audits, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said.

After decades of rapid growth, China has been trying to rein in environmental damage from excess pollution and energy consumption by factories and industrial plants. Previous inspections have led to criminal prosecutions and fines.

The central government environmental inspection teams were first launched at the end of 2015 with the full authority of the Communist Party’s top leadership, reflecting concerns that the environment ministry itself was not powerful enough to tackle the problems on its own.

The teams are often led by former senior officials and politicians, covering a specific province and region, to check how well China’s policies and standards are being enforced.

Liu Wei is leading the Qinghai inspection team, according to the environment ministry. Liu is a deputy director of the Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

China urged to focus on low-income groups like migrant workers as economy seeks new growth engines

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3243673/china-urged-focus-low-income-groups-migrant-workers-economy-seeks-new-growth-engines?utm_source=rss_feed

Boosting the spending power of low-income groups could unleash new growth potential for China, a central bank adviser and the former mayor of a major industrial hub have said.

The comments come as the world’s second largest economy tries to find sustainable growth engines amid a faltering post-pandemic recovery.

Liu Shijin, a member of the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC) monetary policy committee, said China would be able to hit its target of “around 5 per cent” growth this year.

However, certain structural reforms could help the country discover its full growth potential, Liu told a financial forum in Beijing on Saturday, according to state-backed digital media The Paper.

Concerns have been mounting in China over the economy’s long-term potential amid a prolonged property market slump and local government debt crisis, alongside a drop in exports.

This has seen Beijing double down on its “dual-circulation” strategy, involving greater reliance on the internal cycle of production, distribution and consumption, supported by economic innovation and upgrades.

Advisers like Liu have long urged the central government to relax urban residency restrictions to boost the spending power of migrant workers, the millions of rural economic migrants who helped power China’s rapid urbanisation.

‘Severely punish’: China bosses warned over holding up migrant workers’ wages

In 2022, about 921 million of China’s 1.4 billion people lived in urban areas, nearly double the number of those in rural regions, according to official data.

To support urbanisation, China has been pushing to loosen its residence permit system, or “hukou”, which determines access to public education, healthcare and other social services. In place since the 1950s, the system has long been criticised for restricting internal migration and preventing rural residents from enjoying public services in cities, which squeezes their earnings and widens the urban-rural divide.

Liu said bigger efforts were needed to promote “equality” among rural and urban residents in terms of access to social welfare and public services.

“Apart from a few special regions … we need to abolish the differences in permits between rural and urban residents,” Liu said.

He also proposed a three-year plan to help boost the welfare of migrant workers, saying local governments could buy properties that developers were struggling to sell, and use them as housing for lower-income groups.

China had around 295.6 million migrant workers in 2022, according to official data.

Huang Qifan, a former mayor of southwestern mega city and major industrial hub Chongqing, also said boosting the spending power of low-income groups would be “key” to driving long-term growth.

“Over the past 20 years, China’s model of relying on real estate to drive economic growth and increase fiscal revenue has become unsustainable,” Huang said in a keynote speech at a forum in Guangzhou on Saturday published by Beijing-based think tank New Economist.

Rather than cash handouts to boost consumption in the short-term, as some have suggested, he said measures to boost the overall spending power of low- to middle-income groups would be more effective at powering the economy in the next few decades.

Greenhouse gas emissions soar – with China, US and India most at fault

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/03/greenhouse-gas-emissions-soar-with-china-us-and-india-most-at-fault

Electricity generation in China and India, and oil and gas production in the US, have produced the biggest increases in global greenhouse gas emissions since 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was signed, new data has shown.

Emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, have also risen, despite more than 100 countries signing up to a pledge to reduce the gas, according to data published on Sunday by the Climate Trace project.

The data shows that countries and companies are failing to report their emissions accurately, despite obligations to do so under the Paris agreement. More than 190 countries have been meeting in Dubai since Thursday in an attempt to put the world on track to meet the Paris goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

At the core of the Cop28 UN climate summit in Dubai is a process known as the “global stocktake” – an assessment of progress towards meeting the emissions cuts needed to stay within the 1.5C limit. Many countries, however, have failed to make updates.

Al Gore, a founder of the Climate Trace initiative, said: “Climate Trace is filling a vacuum that is presently virtually devoid of accurate information. We can break down exactly where emissions are coming from, facility by facility. If the problem is greenhouse gas emissions, it only makes sense to find out where they’re coming from.”

He said the UN was able to use the data, as were companies seeking to make accurate reports of their own emissions. Climate Trace uses satellite images and AI software to pinpoint the sources of emissions with a high degree of accuracy around the world, and has uncovered discrepancies between countries’ and companies’ reporting of emissions and their actual behaviour.

The new data showed coal mines from China were responsible for a large proportion of the increase in methane emissions between 2021 and 2022. China has signed a new pledge to include methane in its national climate plans for the first time, and is collaborating with the US on ways to reduce methane.

Scientists say sharp cuts to methane are the best chance of staving off the worst impacts of global heating in the short term. According to estimates, cuts to methane and other short-lived pollutants could reduce global temperature increases by as much as 0.3C.

Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, hailed cooperation on methane at the Cop28 summit. “[This] may just make it possible to keep 1.5C alive,” he said. “Methane is the blowtorch that is boiling the planet. Turn it off, and you immediately turn down the heat.”

Flaring of methane from oil and gas production was also “a significant and wide-ranging source of emissions”, the Climate Trace project found. Cracking down on flaring would offer a quick way to make substantial cuts in methane.

More than 50 oil and gas companies at Cop28 signed up to a “decarbonisation accelerator” by which they will reduce the climate impact of their operations, though they have not pledged to reduce their output. Climate campaigners said the deal did not go far enough, and its voluntary nature meant it would be difficult to hold the companies to account.

David Tong, global industry campaign manager at pressure group Oil Change International, said: “[The global decarbonisation accelerator] is a dangerous distraction from Cop28. We need legal agreements not voluntary pledges. The science is clear: staying under 1.5C global warming requires a full, fast, fair and funded phase-out of fossil fuels, starting now.”

Climate Trace data also revealed that emissions from aviation have bounced back strongly since the Covid lockdowns: carbon from international flights rose by 74% between 2021 and 2022, and from domestic flights by 18% over the same period. Road transport emissions also increased, by 3.5% – probably a result of the rise in SUV sales.

There was also good news. Deforestation is dropping in key regions, with emissions from the degradation and destruction of forests in the Congo Basin dropping by up to 19% in 2022, compared with the previous year.

Gavin McCormick, a co-founder of Climate Trace and executive director of environmental nonprofit WattTime, said: “By harnessing the power of AI and machine learning paired with the right data from satellites and beyond, our models are giving us a picture of the world we’ve never seen before. And it’s allowing us to make climate progress in a way some never believed possible.”

• Cop28: Can fossil fuel companies transition to clean energy?
On Tuesday 5 December, 8pm-9.15pm GMT, join Damian Carrington, Christiana Figueres, Tessa Khan and Mike Coffin for a livestreamed discussion on whether fossil fuel companies can transition to clean energy. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live

ASD jab: Chinese scientists reach milestone in revolutionary gene therapy that could cure autism

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3243482/asd-jab-chinese-scientists-reach-milestone-revolutionary-gene-therapy-could-cure-autism?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese scientists have reached a significant milestone in creating the first injection that can undo the signs of autism through genetic base editing within the brain.

The treatment, developed by researchers in Shanghai, showed positive results when tested on mice.

The team created a genome editing system, which successfully modified the DNA of mice that had been given a mutation found in some patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Mice given the injection containing the editing system registered a decrease in ASD-associated behaviour.

In a paper on their research, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience on November 27, the scientists said the potential treatment method could not just be used for patients with ASD, but also other genetic neurodevelopmental disorders.

ASD affects around 1 per cent of the global population. One in every 36 children in the United States is diagnosed with the disorder, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disorder can affect a person’s ability to interact and communicate, as well as cause repetitive behaviours and intense interests.

Hong Kong start-up lowers cost of early autism detection using whole genome sequencing

To study the impact of genomic editing for the treatment of ASD, the researchers created mice with mutations in the MEF2C gene, which they said is “strongly associated” with the disorder.

Mutations in this gene are thought to cause developmental deficits, speech problems, repetitive behaviours and epilepsy, the paper said.

The male mice given the mutation were found to have lower levels of the MEF2C protein in the brain, and had symptoms that mimicked ASD-like hyperactivity, problems with social interaction and repetitive behaviour.

Earlier this month, Britain approved the world’s first CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing therapy for patients with blood conditions such as sickle cell disease.

CRISPR-based systems perform gene editing by cutting the DNA double strand in half, which is repaired by cells once editing is complete. This process can lead to unintended mutations.

To limit unintended mutations, the researchers used a single-base editing system – which they called AeCBE – that is able to work on individual DNA base pairs without creating any cuts.

Li Dali, a professor of Life Sciences at East China Normal University, who is not an author on the paper, said this was the first effective treatment of mice with ASD-related mutations using base editing in the brain, according to Shenzhen-based autism media platform Dami & Xiaomi.

To deliver the system into the brain, it needs to pass through the blood-brain barrier, which is a group of cells that tightly regulate the entry of molecules into the brain.

Researchers overcame this barrier by packaging their editing system on to an adeno-associated virus vector – capable of crossing over into the brain.

The combined editing system and virus vector was administered to mutant mice through a single injection into a tail vein. A few weeks later, the mice were examined.

“The treatment successfully restored MEF2C protein levels in several brain regions and reversed the behavioural abnormalities in MEF2C-mutant mice,” the paper said.

Through examining brain cells of the mice, the team found that the editors were able to perform repairs across the brain at an accuracy rate of 20 per cent, which was enough to raise levels of the MEF2C protein.

The samples taken were a mixture of neurons along with other cells, so the team said that the editing rate of the neurons alone could be higher, as base editing happens preferentially in these cells.

Researcher Chen Jin and his student Zhu Junjie at ShanghaiTech University, who are not authors on the paper, said that “although cases of ASD are extremely complex” this study provides guidance in using base editing to treat neurodevelopmental disorders, according to Dami & Xiaomi.

Expansion of the technology and lower costs would make treatment using base editing more prevalent, the team added.

“Individualised gene editing therapy could become feasible and affordable for patients in the near future,” the paper said.

ASD is a complex disorder, and hundreds of mutations have been found to be related to it, said Zou Xiaobing, chief physician in child development behaviour at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University, according to Dami & Xiaomi.

For some patients, the disorder may not be caused by a single nucleotide variation like it was for the mice in the study, but rather more complex mutations that would be difficult to edit.

“Even if an effective gene therapy method is found in a specific single nucleotide variation, it is at least a very valuable thing for people with autism caused by this gene,” said Zou, who is not an author on the Nature Neuroscience paper.

“Continuing scientific, targeted and personalised intervention and training based on the child’s specific situation is still the main way to deal with autism.”

“This work suggests that in vivo base editing might be a feasible approach for intervening in genetic brain disorders in humans,” the paper said.

While the target scope of the team’s genetic editing – as well as that of other scientists – was still limited, the paper said base editing systems with broader targets “would notably facilitate the development of genetic tools to intervene in genetic disorders”.

Hong Kong’s Paul Chan says city pushing for deeper ties with Middle East, China to bring in new capital

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3243670/hong-kongs-paul-chan-says-city-pushing-deeper-ties-middle-east-china-bring-new-capital?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong is making a concerted effort to bring in new capital by deepening business ties with the Middle East and China, the local finance chief has said as the city navigates geopolitical tensions and global economic headwinds.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday said the inaugural launch of the Priority Asia Summit in Hong Kong by the Saudi-backed Future Investment Initiative Institute this coming Thursday and Friday showed the city was already expanding ties.

“This symbolises Hong Kong’s important position in connecting the Middle East and Asia,” the minister wrote in his weekly blog.

Chan also said that Hong Kong was a small, fully open and export-oriented economy that was highly susceptible to external changes, meaning it needed to seek out new opportunities.

“We must work hard to find new partners and open up new markets and enhance the resilience of economies and financial markets,” he said.

The summit will host more than 120 speakers, comprising policymakers, financiers, academics and business leaders from the mainland, Hong Kong, the Middle East, Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia.

The event is expected to touch on megatrends, such as urbanisation and digitalisation in Asia.

Chan characterised the conference as a high-level summit, pointing to the attendance of Saudi government officials and representatives for the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund.

Meet 5 Hongkongers blazing a Middle East trail in areas from jewels to energy

Future Investment Initiative Institute chief executive Richard Attias earlier said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the head of the wealth fund that boasts more than US$700 billion in assets, would lead the Saudi delegation to Hong Kong.

The delegation would also include Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who serves as the country’s ambassador to the US, as well as Saudi investment minister Khalid Al-Falih, he added.

Attias noted that about 1,000 people had registered to join the event as of November 24.

Chan on Sunday said he would attend the summit and join other speakers for a plenary session on how to deepen global economic partnerships to ensure more inclusive and sustainable development.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is also expected to attend the opening ceremony, while Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing chairwoman Laura Cha Shih May-lung is among local financial leaders set to join the event.

Finance chief Chan stressed the importance of taking a measured policy approach to trade amid geopolitical tensions and global economic headwinds.

“We need to recognise the situation clearly, respond calmly, make good use of our advantages, seize potential opportunities, and move forward firmly and steadily on the challenging road ahead,” he said.

The minister expected that ties with the Middle East would become stronger thanks to the successful debut of the first Saudi Arabia exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Hong Kong, which was also a first for Asia, last Wednesday.

Chan said the debut marked the internationalisation of the local ETF market. In the first 10 months of this year, the market’s average daily turnover grew 25 per cent to HK$11.6 billion compared with the same period last year.

“Since the beginning of this year, the performance of the Hong Kong stock market has been restrained to a certain extent by such factors as high interest rates globally, geopolitical tensions, and uncertainty in economic recoveries,” he said. “But the ETF, for example, did well.”

Hong Kong’s Paul Chan says exports likely to face significant hurdles in 2024

The minister also called on the city to expand business ties with the mainland, pointing to memorandum of understandings to boost cooperation in financial services that were signed during the fifth plenary session of the Hong Kong-Beijing Cooperation Conference last Wednesday.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor Ceajer Chan Ka-keung, who previously served as the local treasury minister, said China would remain the city’s mainstay market, even as new growth sources arose in the Middle East and among the Asean economies.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the Asean bloc will replace Germany as the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030.

It also noted that Asia had recorded 4.6 per cent economic growth this year, bringing it above the world average and contributing two-thirds of the global economy.

China court restrains harsh father who starved, forced winter cold showers on daughter for top university failure

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3243099/china-court-restrains-harsh-father-who-starved-forced-winter-cold-showers-daughter-top-university?utm_source=rss_feed

A father in China who severely abused his 16-year-old daughter after she failed to get into a prestigious university has sparked widespread outrage on mainland social media.

The girl, surnamed Wu, had been living with her father since her parents divorced, a hearing in the Supreme People’s Court heard, according to a report in the Beijing News.

During that period her father exerted substantial pressure on her to excel academically, including making her take the Chinese College Entrance Exam in 2022, despite his daughter being younger than the standard age of 18.

She failed to gain admission to a “Project 985” university – an elite group of 39 universities in China – which infuriated her father.

Her failure caused him to ramp up the pressure by choosing to personally tutor her at home and preventing her from attending regular school classes.

Wu’s grandmother soon discovered that the situation had spun out of control.

She discovered that Wu’s father had resorted to a series of extreme methods, such as cutting her hair haphazardly and starving her.

The girl was even forced to take cold showers in winter and was isolated from the outside world, including her relatives.

Her father also threatened to withhold the legal documents she needed for exam registration unless she complied with his demands.

After attempts at intervention failed, Wu’s grandmother sought help from a local women’s federation and an official investigation was launched.

Wu also sought a writ of habeas corpus from the court.

The court ruled that her father was prohibited from engaging in domestic violence against her, restricting her personal freedom and depriving her of her educational rights.

However, some people on mainland social media continued to support the father, citing the traditional Chinese saying, “Nothing is as touching as a parent’s love.”

“Isn’t all of this for the benefit of the child? Isn’t it necessary to do this to get into a 985 university? It’s hard to find a good job after graduating from a non-985 university. Parents have their children’s best interests at heart,” said one online observer.

Such comments sparked an angry online response by people who called for the father to be held accountable and punished.

“If your daughter didn’t get into a 985 university, it means she didn’t inherit the outstanding study genes from you.

“If you want to resort to domestic violence, you should do it to yourself, not your daughter. What’s so great about abusing your own child?” one commenter said.

“Will the father not face any substantive punishment? Why is it that within family relationships, intentional physical or domestic violence can escape punishment?” added another.

A third person said: “If he loves ‘985’ so much, he should go and take the exam himself!”

China, US see the risks AI systems can bring. But can they see past military tech rivalry?

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243662/china-us-see-risks-ai-systems-can-bring-can-they-see-past-military-tech-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed

Even as China and the US race for supremacy in the military use of artificial intelligence, their presidents have recognised the need to “address the risk of advanced AI systems and improve AI safety”.

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, meeting for a rare summit in San Francisco last month, agreed to work together on regulating the military application of AI.

However, there were no specifics, and differences remain between the rival powers.

“I don’t know if they can go beyond what has already been agreed on at the international level,” said Dr Guangyu Qiao-Franco, an assistant professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands who specialises in politics and AI.

China, the United States and 96 other countries in 2019 devised a set of guidelines on the use of lethal autonomous weapon systems, or LAWS, which can be enhanced with AI. Meeting in Geneva, they agreed that humans must remain responsible for using such systems, their development should comply with international humanitarian law and that they should be fully tested before being deployed. The guidelines, however, are not legally binding.

“I’m not optimistic, to be honest, because [the US and China] are still too divided,” Qiao-Franco said. “I feel like the US has this incentive to limit China’s technology development. And then also China, of course, wants to increase its technology independence and wants to reduce those technology choke points.”

Australia, US, UK to test AI system to track Chinese submarines in the Pacific

The US has warned that Chinese AI leadership in emerging applications, such as computer vision and autonomous underwater vehicles, could blunt the US’ edge. It has also flagged concerns about China’s military-civil fusion strategy on hi-tech development.

The military can use AI technologies for many purposes. The main concern was how civilian impact could be minimised when AI is used in combat, said Neil Davison, a senior scientific and policy adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross.

AI could use image recognition to identify targets, be they people or sites of interest. It can analyse data to help humans make better decisions on the battlefield, and find weak points to launch cyberattacks capable of disrupting essential systems used by hospitals and other civilian infrastructures.

Enemy nations can also use generative AI, some of it already widely available for free on systems such as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, to churn out disinformation for a tactical advantage, such as misleading the civilian population about an imminent attack.

States should watch these areas, Davison said, adding that regulation should focus on specific applications of AI, not only stipulate general principles on the technology itself.

Beijing and Washington have separately endorsed the view that keeping humans in control of AI systems was key to their use in the military.

China emphasised this in its 2021 position paper on the military application of AI, calling for AI weapon systems to be always placed under human control as a human could always suspend their operation at any time.

Washington has criticised terms such as “meaningful human control” for being vague, instead preferring “within a responsible human chain of command”. Disagreement over language such as this has precluded consensus in United Nations discussions over LAWS.

But international agreements to set parameters for the military use of AI rarely come with concrete mechanisms for their regulation.

The US last month led 46 other countries, mainly key allies and partners, in pledging “responsible” use of military AI applications, such as setting up transparency standards and adequate training for users. China was notably absent from the declaration, which mentioned no mechanism for its enforcement.

The first challenge is the lack of a definition. Countries are still debating what LAWS mean. Without a common definition, regulating or even banning them with a treaty, for example, would be impossible.

That debate has been split largely between developed and developing countries, Qiao-Franco said. The richer states can invest heavily in research and development and want to ensure that restrictions on LAWS development are narrowly defined, so that they can develop more precise and stable AI-led weapons and equipment.

Poorer states, who lack similar resources, argue for a wider definition that is harsher on LAWS because they see themselves as their potential victims or targets.

China’s position is unique. Beijing wants to be the voice of the Global South, with Xi declaring China will always be a developing country. But on AI research, it has invested substantially and presented a narrow definition of LAWS, characterised by their lethality, absence of human intervention during execution, impossibility for termination, indiscriminate effect, capability to evolve, and expansion of functions exceeding human expectations.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, defines them as weapon systems that can “select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator” once activated.

“It seems to have adopted this lone wolf approach,” Qiao-Franco said of China. “It’s a position that is quite different from … any other country so far.”

Davison said: “Ultimately, there remains interest, even for major military powers, to set constraints.

“The advantages that might be gained by certain uses of military AI might also … leave vulnerabilities to their societies, their militaries, their own soldiers.”

That mutual vulnerability could push China and the US to create a common set of binding regulations on the military application of AI.

The two countries have been holding backchannel meetings on AI, including between Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy and Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution.

A good starting point would be a joint US-China statement on the importance of human control in making decisions over nuclear arms, said Dr Lora Saalman, a senior researcher at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

But devising an AI version of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which aims to confine such weapons to only five countries, would be difficult, she said.

“The lack of ability to verify compliance, combined with the overall speed of AI technological advancement, would likely derail any efforts to conclude an AI NPT,” Saalman said.

AI deal shows China, US can cooperate on tech rules despite rivalry: analysts

Countries other than the “nuclear five” – China, France, Russia, the US and the United Kingdom – are also believed to have developed nuclear capabilities, including India, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea.

Saalman said the US and China could start with a joint statement on the importance of “human control” in nuclear decision-making.

France, the US and the UK have committed to maintaining human control in AI. Though China does not have an identical stance, the principle could evolve into concrete nuclear policy, she said.

On Friday, China joined the US, the UK, Australia and 24 other countries as well as the European Union in signing the “Bletchley Declaration” aimed at boosting global cooperation on AI, recognising its risks and the importance of reducing bias, and increasing human oversight.

Saalman said given China’s “no first use” commitment on nuclear weapons, and expectations of a formal US-China channel to be set up for AI talks following the Biden-Xi summit, “there may be enough of a foundation to achieve a joint statement on human control in nuclear decision-making”.

China edges towards a big bail-out | Finance & economics

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/11/30/china-edges-towards-a-big-bail-out

Chinese buses are idling. Statements released by a handful of transport companies complain of deteriorating economic conditions and a lack of financial support. In October two in the city of Nanchong, in south-west China, said that they would halt services owing to a lack of finance from municipal authorities. These announcements may seem prosaic, but the intention is to do more than just inform riders about cancelled bus routes. They are aimed upwards at central authorities, says a former state official, and local authorities encourage the statements because they send a signal that all is not well in the provinces. Some have been even more direct, warning that they can no longer pay their debts. Across the country cadres are begging for bail-outs, in ways both subtle and direct. And there are signs that their efforts are beginning to persuade the higher-ups.

Local cadres must overcome severe resistance. Officials in Beijing want to avoid picking winners and the moral hazard inherent in bailing-out poorly run localities. Property is at the heart of the problem. Over the past year local governments have used shrinking budgets to stop construction sites from shutting down. Some have drummed up demand by lowering downpayments or making mortgages more accessible. But these efforts seem to be failing. In the first half of November home sales by floor space fell by nearly 20% year on year. Local government land sales have plummeted, squeezing a vital source of income. And thousands of firms run by provincial officials, called local-government financing vehicles (lgfvs), face problems. Goldman Sachs, a bank, estimates that such firms sit on 61trn yuan ($8.6trn) in debt, equivalent to about half China’s gdp, and are struggling to make payments.

Individual property developers are also hoping for rescues, and small banks require capital injections. On November 22nd Zhongzhi, one of China’s largest wealth-management companies, said that it was “severely insolvent” and unable to pay $36bn in debts, prompting a police investigation. Zhongzhi’s liabilities are heavily intertwined with developers, local governments and wealthy urban investors, meaning they pose risks of financial contagion. The firm will probably require some form of state-brokered bail-out.

Will officials give in to the demands? They seem to have realised the scale of damage that could be caused by forced deleveraging in the property sector, says Zhang Zhiwei of Pinpoint Asset Management. According to Bloomberg, a news service, banks are being asked to supply unsecured short-term loans to a handful of developers. Prices of developer bonds traded in Hong Kong have risen recently on reports that authorities are drawing up a list of 50 firms eligible for new financing through banks, bonds and equities.

This news came after unconfirmed reports in mid-November that the government would provide 1trn yuan in low-cost financing for affordable housing and urban renovation. Another 1trn yuan in government bonds was issued in October. Some of the cash will probably find its way to local officials hoping to pay down debts. The plans imply that the central government is willing to print money in order to avert a collapse of local governments and the property market. They will be music to the ears of desperate local apparatchiks.

Analysts are yet to call the moves a bail-out. lgfvs have been swapping high-cost loans for special refinancing bonds that carry lower interest rates. This is easing the crushing repayment pressure many poor cities are under but, crucially, the towering debts are not being wiped clean. The 1trn yuan for urban renovation, if it materialises, will probably encourage more people to buy homes, but millions of others are still waiting for the delivery of properties for which they paid upfront. Many will not be built on time, if at all. Zhongzhi’s liabilities are to wealthy investors; the state will be reluctant to rescue all of them.

A true bail-out would give developers access to copious credit, as would be needed to restore confidence in the property market. Demand for land would rise, giving local governments more income. Shadow banks such as Zhongzhi might even be able to recoup debts from developers. There have been signs of such a move. The city of Shenzhen said it would provide enough cash to a large local developer for it to avoid default. Reuters, a news agency, reported that Ping An, an insurance firm, was tapped to bail-out Country Garden, one of China’s largest developers. Ping An denied the story, but the rumour has raised expectations that something is coming.

The plan to provide just 50 developers with liquidity indicates that officials still do not want to bail out everyone. They think that they can protect healthy but illiquid firms, and let insolvent ones fail. The desire to weed out duds has already prevented the creation of a lender of last resort for the companies, says Larry Hu of Macquarie, an investment bank. Therefore officials must also get banks to lend, says Mr Hu. This has not worked in the past. As always, the more cash Beijing hands out, the more others come begging for help. ■

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‘You could never afford our house’: braggart father in China taunts son’s teacher over wealth faces online fury

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3243120/you-could-never-afford-our-house-braggart-father-china-taunts-sons-teacher-over-wealth-faces-online?utm_source=rss_feed

A bragging father in China who flaunted his wealth and taunted his son’s teacher in a public chat group has been widely condemned on mainland social media.

The man went viral online after a group-chat conversation between him, his son’s teacher and other parents was leaked online on November 23, reported the news portal Chao News.

He asked why the teacher did not film his son in a video of the primary school students’ morning reading session.

“My son enjoys wealth and honour and he has a distinguished name,” the father, surnamed Ying, said.

“You would not be able to afford one of my family’s houses even if you earned one million yuan (US$140,000) a year and do not eat, drink, or spend any money for three decades. What’s more, I am a CEO of a listed company,” he added.

Ying said he does not see his son often during the year: “He is the apple of my eye,” he told the teacher.

When the mother of another student said: “As a CEO, please pay attention to your image”, Ying responded: “When you can afford one of my houses, you can talk to me.”

He then described his son as “outstanding”.

“He has travelled to more than 10 countries around the world.”

After Ying trended on mainland social media, online observers speculated that he was the CEO of a particular firm, but the company denied this.

A spokesperson from Lanqing Primary School, the private institution in Ningbo in eastern China’s Zhejiang province where Ying’s son studies, did not release the father’s details, citing privacy.

Online, the criticism was harsh.

“I would guess there is something wrong with his brain. A listed company’s CEO would not talk this way,” said one online observer.

“A true tycoon despises showing off his or her wealth publicly. Being humble, honest and responsible is what a rich man looks like,” said another.

Last year, mainland social media lashed out at a Shanghai mother after she mocked her son’s teacher for being too poor to afford a car because he rode a bike to work. She said his example would make the boy think “studying is useless”.

With new coach watching from afar, USWNT gets a lift from win over China

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/12/02/uswnt-china-friendly/2023-11-27T14:06:29.756Z

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Five time zones and an ocean away in the cold of London, where her priorities remain until May, Emma Hayes planned to watch a live feed of her future disciples on the U.S. women’s national soccer team play in steamy South Florida on Saturday. It was their first match since Hayes, the longtime Chelsea coach, was appointed the next leader of the sport’s most decorated women’s program.

Much of what she saw in a 3-0 victory over China probably pleased her, though the list of tasks remains substantial leading up to the Paris Olympics next summer.

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman, among the key figures in U.S. efforts to rebound from last summer’s World Cup disappointment, posted a goal and two assists — then met one of her idols, retired tennis star Serena Williams.

Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan also scored as the United States extended its unbeaten streak since the World Cup to five games (with no goals conceded).

“I hope she’s sleeping at this moment,” interim coach Twila Kilgore said of Hayes. “One hundred percent, she was watching. She was definitely watching live. I will look forward to talking to her when she’s ready and has time to do that and kind of get her viewpoint, and we’ll go from there.”

Until she steps into her new role, Hayes will monitor the transitioning program from afar, collaborating with Kilgore on rosters, lineups and tactics. Hayes met with Kilgore and the players during training camp earlier in the week before returning home Thursday.

USMNT loses to Trinidad and Tobago after Sergiño Dest’s meltdown

Although there were not glaring changes to the approach Kilgore used in September and October camps, the players said they noticed greater energy and direction — and greater freedom to express themselves on the field.

“Being able to meet Emma was the start of the foundation,” Rodman said. “I definitely feel like we’re starting to create that new identity. ... I don’t know if ‘relief’ is the word, but security of knowing who’s coaching us was a weight lifted off all of our shoulders.”

Horan, the captain, said the team is making progress.

“There were places and opportunities we could have been better. We could have capitalized more,” she said. “But it has been really nice having Emma for a few days, bringing that energy and presence.”

Midfielders Jenna Nighswonger and Olivia Moultrie made their debuts, and center back Abby Dahlkemper returned from a 20-month absence following back surgery.

In the second half, the lineup included Moultrie, 18; Rodman, 21; Jaedyn Shaw, 19; and Mia Fishel, 22.

“It’s so fun to see people out there I have played [with] together for a long time,” Moultrie said. “The things we would talk about at [under-20 camp], ‘Oh, I hope we’re on the full team together someday.’ That’s super cool, just seeing the turnover and what’s coming.”

Added Fishel: “I think we all felt that that connection and how we want to play in the future.”

The United States went ahead in the eighth minute following sustained possession. Naomi Girma’s long ball out of midfield liberated Rodman gaining separation on the left flank. In stride, Rodman sent a bending cross into the six-yard box, where a sliding Smith beat goalkeeper Xu Huan to the ball.

Typically a wing on the national team, Smith started at center forward. The team’s longtime starter, Alex Morgan, was not selected to this roster amid a dip in her international form. Several other veterans also were passed over.

Smith, the NWSL’s top scorer this season, enjoyed three additional chances before halftime.

“We had some really, really good moments,” Kilgore said, “but we just need to be more clinical in our finishing.”

Changes came in the second half. Fishel and Shaw displayed chemistry in the attack. Rose Lavelle, who started on the right side, shifted centrally. Moultrie and Shaw, whose U.S. career began in October, became the first teenagers since 2005 to debut in the same year.

The lead grew in the 52nd minute on Horan’s accidental goal. After accepting Rodman’s pass, she chipped a long ball toward Shaw deep in the box. Shaw’s leap froze Xu momentarily. Shaw did not make contact, and the ball took a big hop into the right corner of the net.

In the 77th minute, Shaw’s deflected cross fell to Rodman for a tap-in. After the game, Rodman enjoyed a bigger thrill.

“I gave one of my jerseys away to a fan, and then I walked across the field, and somebody said, ‘Serena wants to meet you,’ ” Rodman said. “I was like, ‘Serena who?’ They were like, ‘Serena Williams.’ I walked over there and she’s like, ‘Can I have your jersey?’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I dug in the dirty bag from the beginning of the half to find mine and gave it to her.”

Notes: The third-ranked Americans will finish their 2023 schedule with a rematch against No. 15 China on Tuesday in Frisco, Tex. ...

With the U.S. team in transition, Saturday’s match drew an announced 8,768 — the smallest home audience since February 2022. ...

Ali Krieger, a two-time World Cup champion who retired last month after captaining Gotham FC to the NWSL title, will be honored before Tuesday’s match. The Dumfries, Va., native made 108 international appearances, the last in January 2021.

[Uk] Solar panels used by British Army linked to claims of forced labour in China

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67550551?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

US commerce chief warns against China ‘threat’

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3243657/us-commerce-chief-warns-against-china-threat?utm_source=rss_feed

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Saturday urged lawmakers, Silicon Valley and US allies to stop China from getting semiconductors and cutting-edge technologies key to national security.

Speaking at an annual national defence forum in Simi Valley, California, Raimondo called Beijing “the biggest threat we’ve ever had” and stressed “China is not our friend.”

The world’s top two economies are locked in a fierce commercial and geopolitical rivalry, in which her department plays a leading role.

In October, Raimondo unveiled a series of restrictions on the export of advanced chips to China, including those used in the development of artificial intelligence (AI), to prevent their use by Beijing for its military.

“I know there are CEOs of chip companies in this audience who were a little cranky with me when I did that, because you’re losing revenue. Such is life, protecting our national security matters more than short term revenue.”

“Newsflash: democracy is good for your businesses. Rule of law here and around the world is good for your businesses,” she said.

Raimondo noted that Nvidia, maker of the most sophisticated chips needed to develop the latest generation of AI, had developed a product that performs just below the limit set by her department for export to China.

“That’s what industry does,” she acknowledged, but added, “That’s not productive.”

US further restricts China from AI chips to hinder military development

“Every day China wakes up trying to figure out how to do an end run around our export controls … which means every minute of every day, we have to wake up tightening those controls and being more serious about enforcement with our allies,” she said.

Raimondo stressed that her department needs better funding to effectively carry out its mission.

“I have a US$200 million budget. It’s like the cost of a few fighter jets. Come on,” she said. “Let’s go fund this operation like it needs to be funded so we can do it, we need to do to protect America.”

“America leads the world in artificial intelligence … America leads the world in advanced semiconductor design,” Raimondo said. “That’s because of our private sector. No way are we going to let [China] catch up.”

China is struggling with a surge of respiratory ailments | China

https://www.economist.com/china/2023/11/30/china-is-struggling-with-a-surge-of-respiratory-ailments

On China’s fever-prone social media, netizens have been sweating with anxiety as hospital waiting rooms fill up. On November 29th a provincial newspaper posted a message on Weibo, a microblog service, describing an unnamed hospital in the north. The waiting area, it said, was filled with the sound of coughing and the crying of children. After receiving confirmation that her daughter had tested positive for a bacterium that can cause pneumonia, one woman, having waited hours, still had 300 people ahead of her in the queue for a consultation.

The item rapidly became one of Weibo’s hottest-trending posts: its hashtag received tens of millions of views. It was quickly deleted. China’s censors apparently want to keep the temperature down. But in recent days similar stories have filled the internet. Some have included pictures of packed fever clinics and even of children doing their homework while hooked to intravenous drips. The covid-era custom of wearing masks in public had all but ended in China. Amid a recent surge of respiratory diseases, especially among children, it is making a comeback.

On November 22nd the World Health Organisation (WHO) asked China for more details of the outbreaks, raising concerns all over. On the following day Chinese officials told the WHO that there was no new or unknown cause of these ailments. They said the infections were being caused by a range of familiar pathogens, such as the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacterium, as well as adenovirus, covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The WHO said some of the increases were “earlier in the season than historically experienced, but not unexpected” given the lifting of covid controls, and were similar to patterns observed in other countries. It quoted the Chinese officials as saying that hospitals were not being overwhelmed.

Drips all around

But it is clear that China’s health-care system still suffers from problems that make it prone to unusual stress. One is the weakness of primary health care. The number of general practitioners (GPs) has more than quadrupled since 2012, but there are still far fewer of them per person than there are in rich countries and they are often poorly trained. Many Chinese prefer to go straight to hospitals for diagnosis and treatment rather than consult a GP. This causes lengthy queues, especially at the best facilities. Another handicap is pressure on doctors to generate revenue. Ill-informed patients demand unnecessary treatments, which doctors are often willing to prescribe (such as intravenous infusions even for minor ailments).

China has stopped publishing regular statistics on covid vaccinations, but last year take-up was low among the elderly. Less than 4% of over-60s typically get a flu jab. So it will be a tough winter for China’s hospitals—and for the country’s most vulnerable people. ■

Subscribers can sign up to Drum Tower, our new weekly newsletter, to understand what the world makes of China—and what China makes of the world.

Want to rent an affordable flat in one of China’s former pop-up Covid hospitals? Why some people are not so keen

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3243642/want-rent-affordable-flat-one-chinas-former-pop-covid-hospitals-why-some-people-are-not-so-keen?utm_source=rss_feed

On a chilly afternoon in late November, 16-year-old Bruce finished his morning shift at a coffee shop in a busy shopping district in Beijing and returned to his unusual rented flat in the northeastern suburbs of China’s capital.

The 18 square metre flat that Bruce (not his real name) lives in was once a temporary Covid-19 hospital. It resembles a standard room in a cheap hotel with a single bed, air conditioning, a TV and a bathroom.

It still contains clues to its original role. Buildings were assembled from containers, wire fences remain outside and the occasional medical waste bag and Covid-19 slogan are visible.

The residential area is the size of 20 football pitches and looks like Lego blocks painted in seven colours. As a residential complex it retains the name it was given as a pandemic facility – the Colourful Community.

“This used to be a makeshift Covid hospital, but it was left unused after the pandemic,” said an employee of the state-owned housing company that manages the Colourful Community.

The sudden transformation of the site into low-rent housing by the local government in September has sparked much debate on Chinese social media, with some praising it as a smart move. Others said it revived traumatic memories of the strict zero-Covid policy that affected livelihoods and movement for so many Chinese.

“I will never set foot in a makeshift hospital again until the day I die,” said one Beijing resident who had to undergo mandatory quarantine several times.

Under China’s zero-Covid policy, a large number of temporary hospitals were set up to achieve Beijing’s goal of accommodating all Covid-19 patients, regardless of how severe their symptoms were.

Some facilities were converted from stadiums or convention centres; others were makeshift hospitals mostly made of containers and built quickly after the spring of 2022 in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron strain.

Late last year, mandatory quarantine requirements were lifted as the Chinese government relaxed most of its Covid-19 controls, including mass PCR testing and the health code system. The makeshift hospitals across the country, including the Colourful Community in Beijing, were then left empty.

But for many living on the mainland, their memories of severe pandemic measures remain.

Last week, some took to social media to implicitly mark the anniversary of a deadly fire in Urumqi last year that sparked protests in several major cities and fuelled the eventual loosening of Covid-19 controls. At the time of the blaze, state media reports that residents who had been under lockdown were allowed to leave the building were greeted with online scepticism.

Discussion around the fate of makeshift hospitals also rouses memories and concern among the public.

In September, online media outlet Jiemian said dealing with these temporary buildings was a “difficult problem to solve” for local governments.

The Guangzhou-based Southern Weekly reported in August that hundreds of makeshift hospitals were being transformed, with some becoming official medical facilities and others being dismantled. But whatever might happen to the container-like hospitals, it would cost the government money, Southern Weekly said.

China’s municipalities to issue special bonds for urban renewal, affordable housing

Another report in the paper in December last year said building the makeshift hospitals involved some 19.5 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion) in local government debt, the tip of the iceberg of China’s massive local debt which has become a significant economic illness in the post-Covid recovery.

Earlier, mainland media reported that a makeshift hospital in Jinan, in the eastern province of Shandong, was converted into rental flats but only some of the pandemic-era medical structures have been converted into flats.

Demands of the pandemic meant these emergency facilities were constructed rapidly. The state-owned construction company responsible for building the Colourful Community said in a WeChat article it built the original pandemic hospital in just 20 days in July 2022.

That summer, despite strict controls in Beijing to reduce the movement of people and prevent the virus from spreading in the heart of China’s political capital, cases continued to emerge.

By October, the Colourful Community saw a spike in its population as the number of infections in Beijing rose. According to publicity material cited by mainland media, close to 40,000 people stayed there in 2022.

Residents included Covid-19-infected patients transported from all corners of Beijing, as well as their close contacts, and sometimes even the close contacts of their close contacts. But a year later, the rooms created for compulsory quarantine had become low-rent flats.

Despite filling an accommodation need, there are signs in the Colourful Community that the authorities are carefully managing the tenants here.

“Residents from Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as foreign citizens, are not allowed to live here,” reads a notice posted in the community by the management on the public housing estate that alludes to China’s complicated household registration system.

Property, demand weigh heavy as factory, services dent China’s recovery efforts

Bruce in Beijing said his neighbours in the Colourful Community included takeaway workers, ride-share drivers, construction workers and university students looking for work.

“As long as you don’t mind that it used to be a place of medical quarantine, it’s a nice place to live,” Bruce said.

The Colourful Community is less than 10km (6.2 miles) from the busy Beijing Capital International Airport, but 30km from Tiananmen Square in the city centre and 8km from the nearest subway station.

At the end of September many young people in Beijing, including Bruce who had just arrived to look for a job, noticed an advertisement on the social media accounts of some rental companies.

“1,200 yuan [US$170] per month, private bathroom, pets allowed,” one notice said.

Even on the outskirts of Beijing, 1,200 yuan a month is a relatively low price. In Beijing’s business and technology districts, people often pay three times or more to rent a bedroom, according to popular rental website Lianjia.

A report in China Newsweek, a Beijing-based magazine, said in mid-November that about 400 of the 520 available flats had been rented, however the once-busy PCR testing lab was removed by crane last month.

Reports by several Chinese media outlets said most residents they interviewed were satisfied with the Colourful Community because they saw the affordable flats as a temporary place to stay.

But on social media a year ago, many users posted different stories.

One Weibo user who was housed there during the pandemic said in November last year: “When the air conditioner works, the whole building shakes.

Another said then: “I haven’t finished my quarantine in the Colourful Community, but I don’t want to go back for the rest of my life.”

A Weibo commenter said in April: “To this day my heart still stops a beat when I think about my experience of quarantine in the Colourful Community.”

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