ZGBriefs | April 21, 2016

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Featured Article

New Visa Policies Bring China and US Closer (April 20, 2016, AmCham China)
What's more, reforms to Chinese immigration policies have now also made it easier for new foreign graduates and highly-skilled talent to work in China without interruption. The new regulations include 12 policies in Shanghai effective July 1, 2015 and 20 policies in Beijing effective March 1, 2016.

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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Pu Zhiqiang: China rights lawyer has licence revoked (April 14, 2016, BBC)
The move follows the three-year suspended prison term he was given in December for online comments critical of Communist Party rule. Mr Pu was involved in high-profile freedom of speech cases and defended dissident writers and activists, including the artist, Ai Weiwei.

China sends sharp warnings to Taiwan's new president as she preps for office (+video) (April 14, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
Beijing had 45 Taiwanese citizens deported from Kenya to China on fraud charges, a move Taiwan calls 'kidnapping.' It's just one of the ways that Beijing is sending a message to President-elect Tsai Ing-wen to not try to distance Taiwan from mainland China.

China briefly detains rights lawyer Ge Yongxi over Panama Papers post (April 15, 2016, BBC)
Mr Ge was taken from his Guangzhou home overnight but released late on Friday. He had posted a picture of the Panama Canal, with photoshopped images of President Xi Jinping and two former Chinese leaders in the picture. The Panama Papers showed that relatives of several Chinese leaders had links to offshore firms.

Chinese General Visits Disputed Spratly Islands in South China Sea (April 15, 2016, The New York Times)
Although the details made public about General Fan’s visit were sparse, his tour appeared intended to show China’s determination to ward off any challenges to its claims over the islands, which are also the subject of claims by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. China calls them the Nansha Islands.

Think China’s Xi Jinping Is In Trouble? Think Again (April 18, 2016, China Real Time)
Of course, Xi is facing resistance. It would be astonishing if he weren’t, given the scale of his agenda. Yet while some may view individuals engaged in defiance of Beijing as representing a nascent movement, solitary outbreaks of anger at Xi and his policies do not an organized political opposition make.

China Breaks Ground On Naval Base In Africa (April 18, 2016, NPR)
China plans to open its first overseas military base in the African country of Djibouti. It's the same place where the U.S. has had its major African intelligence gathering base for the last 15 years.

Chinese military plane lands on disputed South China Sea island (April 18, 2016, The Guardian)
In a front-page story, the official People’s Liberation Army Daily said a military aircraft on patrol over the South China Sea on Sunday received an emergency call to land at Fiery Cross Reef to evacuate three seriously ill workers.

Political Psychiatry: How China Uses ‘Ankang’ Hospitals to Silence Dissent (April 19, 2016, China Real Time)
Notably, human rights groups have long charged that one of the crudest examples of illegality in Chinese criminal procedure is the political use of psychiatry to detain, imprison, and forcibly medicate dissidents and activists.

Fifty Years Later, How Is the Cultural Revolution Still Present in Life in China? (April 19, 2016, China File)
Fifty years ago this May 16, Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a chaotic, terrifying, and often deadly decade-long campaign to “purify” C.C.P. ideology and reassert his political dominance. Despite its profound and traumatic impact on Chinese society, the legacy of the Cultural Revolution is seldom formally addressed in public.

China Sentences Man to Death for Espionage, Saying He Sold Secrets (April 19, 2016, The New York Times)
The man, Huang Yu, 41, worked for a research institute specializing in cryptography in Chengdu, a city in southwestern China. He sold the materials, which included military codes, from 2002 to 2011, making about $700,000, the state-run broadcaster China Central Television reported. The government did not specify which spy agencies he had assisted.

In Xi Jinping’s Meeting with Chinese Tech Chiefs, A Reminder of State Control (April 20, 2016, China Real Time)
The meeting reflected the importance of the Internet sector to Mr. Xi’s economic and national security plans. It was also a reminder that Chinese Internet entrepreneurs must ultimately support the state’s goals, for all their efforts to play down government influence in their businesses.

China’s leadership model goes back to the future (April 20, 2016, East Asia Forum)
The most striking change has been the reinstitution of the paramount leader as the undisputable ‘core’ of the Chinese political system. This arrangement, once considered a political taboo, has decisively re-emerged at a critical time in modern Chinese history when the Party, the economy and the nation face serious challenges to their future viability.

Timing of Editor’s Firing Has Hong Kong Worried About Press Freedom (April 20, 2016, The New York Times)
A top editor at one of Hong Kong’s most prestigious newspapers was fired on Wednesday after the publication of a front page devoted to a single story: the offshore holdings uncovered by the Panama Papers of some of the city’s tycoons, celebrities and politicians. The Chinese-language paper, Ming Pao, said in a statement with no mention of the editor by name that it was cutting staff because of a “difficult business environment.”

Forecasting the Aftermath of a Ruling on China’s Nine-Dash Line (April 20, 2016, Foreign Policy)
A tribunal is likely to rule on China's hazy claims to South China Sea sovereignty. How Beijing and others react isn't set in stone.

Religion

China's efforts to mold Christianity in its own image face resistance (April 17, 2016, The Gazette)
Against this backdrop of alleged persecution and violence, Chinese Christians and government leaders eye each other warily, both sides unsure of what the future of Christianity in the Middle Kingdom might be.

Pastor's Wife Dies After Being Buried Alive By Church Demolition Workers In China (April 18, 2016, Gospel Herald)
The wife of a Christian pastor in China's central Henan province suffocated to death after two government workers buried her underground because she attempted to prevent the destruction of a local church. According to a report by Christian NGO China Aid, over the weekend, a government-backed company dispatched personnel to bulldoze Beitou Church in Zhumadian, Henan province, after a local developer wished to take control of the church's valuable property.

Financial Management in Chinese Churches (April 19, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
In March China Christian Daily published an interview with a pastor from Dalian about the importance of properly managing church finances in Chinese churches. He highlights some of the difficulties that churches in China have in this area and some suggestions for improvement.

Society / Life

Hong Kong: NGOs call for speedier, more efficient refugee process (April 12, 2016, EJ Insight)
Dozens of non-government organizations and individuals have signed a petition calling for an end to discrimination against refugees and ethnic minorities. They are concerned about recent “inaccurate and irresponsible comments” regarding the refugee issue.

Crane collapse kills 18 in Dongguan, China (April 14, 2016, BBC)
An official in Dongguan City told the Xinhua state news agency that the crane had toppled onto a two storey building made of shipping containers. Luo Bin said 139 construction workers had been inside the building at the time of the collapse, early on Wednesday morning.

China’s ‘Naohun’ Tradition: Are Wedding Games Going Too Far? (April 14, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
Naohun (闹婚, literally ‘disturbing a marriage’) has been a long-standing practice since the Han dynasty (221–207 BC). It refers to a series of activities that the wedding couple has to do or undergo by the request of wedding attendants. During the wedding, relatives and friends are expected to “drink and laugh, speak and act without restraint” (杨树达，”汉代婚丧礼俗考”) to ensure a lively wedding atmosphere. It is also a sign of friendship.

Three arrests over death of British teacher in China (April 15, 2016, BBC)
One of those detained is described as a girlfriend of Mr Bower, with whom he had been living for 17 years. The police said he had been killed following an "emotional dispute".

New Gadgets Help Chinese Cope With Pollution (April 18, 2016, Wall Street Journal)
Some pollution-weary Chinese consumers have moved beyond stocking up on home air purifiers and strap-on face masks and are now trying to breathe better with second-generation gadgets.

China's latest enemy: child stars (April 18, 2016, The Guardian)
China is banning the children of famous entertainers from appearing on hugely popular reality shows, as the country continues efforts to prevent the manufacture of child stars. The ban by the government’s media regulator also covers appearances by the stars’ children on chatshows and reports about them on entertainment programmes, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

Video: Bereaved parents in China demand One Child Policy compensation (April 18, 2016, BBC) 
In Beijing, hundreds of bereaved parents have gathered outside the government's Family Planning department to demand compensation for the untimely deaths of their only children. John Sudworth struggled against a heavy police presence to hear their stories.

Watch Angry Chinese Construction Workers Duel With Bulldozers (April 18, 2016, TIME)
Police in northern China say an argument between construction workers escalated into a demolition derby-style clash of heavy machinery that left at least two bulldozers flipped over in a street. In online video taken Saturday, several bulldozers are seen ramming each other while passenger cars scurry away from the cloud of dust.

Beware of 'Dangerous Love' with foreign spies, China tells its women (April 19, 2016, The Guardian)
China has marked “National Security Education Day” with a poster warning young female government workers about dating handsome foreigners who could turn out to be spies. A 16-panel cartoon poster entitled Dangerous Love, tells the story of an attractive young Chinese civil servant nicknamed Xiao Li, or Little Li, who meets a red-headed foreign man at a dinner party and starts a relationship.

China internet star Papi Jiang promises 'corrections' after reprimand (April 20, 2016, BBC)
The 29-year-old, whose real name is Jiang Yilei, is a hugely popular internet comedian and video blogger. She won fame through her humorous short videos, usually of herself talking in rapid-fire Mandarin, making light of topics ranging from dating woes to regional Chinese accents.

Chinese Feminism’s Long Journey Takes Two Paths at Bookstores (April 20, 2016, The New York Times)
Since opening two years ago, Lady Book Salon has become a refuge for working women seeking spiritual fulfillment and a place to trade advice on managing families and careers. Bankers, artists, government workers and students come each day in search of books on mindfulness, negotiation, philosophy and women’s rights.

Economics / Trade / Business

China GDP: Economy slows to 6.7% in first quarter (April 14, 2016, BBC)
It is the slowest quarterly growth in the Chinese economy in seven years, but in line with expectations and China's own growth targets. In the final quarter of last year, the economy expanded by 6.8%.

China Work Injury Insurance: A Few New Rules (April 18, 2016, China Law Blog)
Regardless of where your employees are based, if you are a China employer, you must (and you should) contribute to social insurance for your employees. And depending on your location, you may also need to contribute to social insurance for your expat employees as well.

China GDP: Second Look Shows Slower Growth (April 18, 2016, China Real Time)
Here’s more data for the China-is-tinkering-with-GDP grist mill.  China’s National Bureau of Statistics, which puts out gross-domestic-product numbers each quarter, delayed the release of its seasonally adjusted figures until a day after the main headline release on Friday. Those adjusted numbers showed growth from the fourth quarter of 1.1%, the slowest since the government started releasing seasonally adjusted quarterly figures in late 2010.

Tencent Rolls Out New ‘Enterprise WeChat’ for Corporate Clients (April 19, 2016, China Real Time)
Tencent Holdings Ltd., operator of the popular WeChat messaging app, has launched an app for handling office communications and administration in the company’s latest move to attract corporate clients in China.

Social media cries foul over Twitter's new China boss (April 19, 2016, BBC)
So Twitter now has a managing director in China – a Chinese woman who used to be in the military – and online activists on the open side of the Great Firewall are freaking out.

Education

Overseas Chinese Have Mixed Feelings About Returning Home (April 18, 2016, China Policy Institute Blog)
Many seem to be unsure about betting their whole future on the Chinese Dream, leading People’s Daily to warn that China is experiencing “the world’s worst brain drain”. While the central government has launched major projects to lure back top Chinese specialists through preferential policies in hiring and housing subsidies, its tightening control over the media and growing intrusion into private life since 2012 is not helping the situation.

Health / Environment

The Chinese Elite’s New Love of Hunting Has Conservationists Worried (April 15, 2016, TIME)
China’s appetite for wildlife, though, has already decimated endangered-animal populations worldwide, from rhinos and pangolin (sought after because their horns and scales, respectively, are believed to have medicinal properties) to elephants (because of the demand for ivory). Global wildlife monitors are now worried that the burgeoning Chinese interest in hunting could wreak further havoc on vulnerable animal populations.

Heathcare privatisation: China adopts the US model (April 17, 2016, China Medical News)
Prepare for the Mayo Clinic with Chinese Characteristics. This year China is taking the first steps towards creating the equivalent of US group medical practices such as Permanente and the Cleveland Clinic.

China’s Vaccine Scandal Threatens Public Faith in Immunizations (April 18, 2016, The New York Times)
First the news rippled across China that millions of compromised vaccines had been given to children around the country. Then came grim rumors and angry complaints from parents that the government had kept them in the dark about the risks since last year. Now, the country’s immunization program faces a backlash of public distrust that critics say has been magnified by the government’s ingrained secrecy.

Stars or Weaklings? Autism and Public Awareness in China (April 18, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
World Autism Awareness Day has brought more attention to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China, where autistic children are often labelled as ‘stars’ or ‘weaklings’. Although Chinese public awareness on autism is growing, there is still a lot that needs to be done to remove existing general misconceptions.

Chinese Parents Outraged After Illnesses at School Are Tied to Pollution (April 18, 2016, The New York Times)
Chinese families were in an uproar on Monday after a report in the state news media revealed that nearly 500 students at a school in eastern China had developed illnesses, a few as severe as leukemia, possibly because of pollution at a nearby field. Students and parents at the Changzhou Foreign Languages School had complained since December about pollution in the area, after dozens of children came down with rashes and nosebleeds, and a foul stench surrounded the school.

Study finds plummeting levels of physical activity among Chinese adults (April 20, 2016, China Daily)
Levels of physical activity among adults in China fell by nearly half between 1991 and 2011, according to a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity on Wednesday.

Science / Technology

WeChat blasts past 700 million monthly active users, tops China’s most popular apps (April 17, 2016, Tech in Asia)
WeChat has been China’s social app of choice for years now, of course, but Quest Mobile’s report – which is based on data from both Android and iOS devices in March – shows just how far Tencent is ahead of the competition when it comes to user base.

Smart toilet seats are central to Chinese government’s plans, apparently (April 19, 2016, Tech in Asia)
The smart toilet as an important focus for development jumps out as somewhat out of place, and the State Council document offers no further explanation. Why smart toilet seat development is a national priority is a mystery. I do have a theory, though: Japan.

Video: China’s plans for the Moon, Mars and beyond (April 19, 2016, BBC)
Until now, the country has been secretive about its military-led space programme. But in an exclusive interview with the BBC, Wu Weiren, the head designer of its lunar and Mars missions, reveals China's future plans for exploration.

China Drone Users, Beware: Maker Says It May Share Data With State (April 20, 2016, The New York Times)
In a briefing for Chinese and foreign journalists at DJI’s headquarters in Shenzhen on Wednesday, Zhang Fanxi, a spokesman for the company, said that it was still working out how to deal with the data it collects in China. But for now, he said, DJI is complying with requests from the Chinese government to hand over data.

Apple refused China request for source code in last two years: lawyer (April 20, 2016, Reuters)
Apple Inc. has been asked by Chinese authorities within the last two years to hand over its source code but refused, the company's top lawyer told lawmakers on Tuesday in response to U.S. law enforcement criticism of its stance on technology security.

History / Culture

The World’s Only Tiananmen Massacre Museum Is Being Forced to Close (April 15, 2016, TIME)
The museum is run by the Hong Kong Alliance of Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, an advocacy group established two weeks before the Tiananmen Square massacre, and on Thursday, its leaders announced that the museum would close its doors by the end of the year.

A collection: The Anti-American protest wave of 1964 to 1966 (April 19, 2016, Everyday Life in Mao’s China)

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Golf is no longer a crime, decrees China's Communist party (April 14, 2016, The Guardian)
Teeing off is not a crime, the Communist party of China has decreed, lifting millions of fairway fanatics out of the rough. Banned by Mao Zedong – who despised the “sport for millionaires” – golf enjoyed a renaissance during the 80s and 90s only to be outlawed for the party’s 85 million members in 2015 as a result of president Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive.

Naming Super-Man (April 14, 2016, DC Comics)
This July, NEW SUPER-MAN will introduce us to Kenan Kong, China's high-flying new hero. In this exclusive guest blog, writer Gene Luen Yang reveals how he came up with his protagonist's name, and why Kenan went through a name change before he'd even taken flight.

ABC's China website gives in to censorship, say academics (April 14, 2016, Australia Financial Review)
The ABC agreed to comply with China's tough censorship laws when it opened a website promoting Australia inside the country last year, a decision that has led to criticism the broadcaster is refusing to publish articles critical of the Chinese government. According one of Australia's foremost china scholars, John Fitzgerald, The ABC has abandoned any Chinese language coverage critical of Beijing since concluding a deal with a media company backed by Beijing. 

Leaked Email: ABA Cancels Book for Fear of ‘Upsetting the Chinese Government’ (April 15, 2016, Foreign Policy)
But on January 28, 2015, Teng received an email from an employee of the ABA, a professional organization with nearly 400,000 members, one avowedly committed to “serving the legal profession,” according to its website. “I have some bad news,” wrote the ABA employee, whom Teng wished FP keep anonymous.

The Joke’s On All Of Us (April 16, 2016, The World of Chinese)
US comedian Jesse Appell spent a year studying Chinese humor as part of a Fulbright Scholarship, before settling into a career in the Middle Kingdom. This career has seen him perform in stadiums and aboard cruise ships, alternating between Chinese styles of humor such as xiangsheng (cross-talk) or blends of Western and Eastern comedy, as well as create online web-series such as “The Great LOL of China” and “The Fapiao Rap Song”.

China’s Movie Industry is the New Hollywood, Some Top Filmmakers Say (April 18, 2016, China Real Time)
Is China going to replace Hollywood as the hub of global filmmaking talent? Some Chinese and Hollywood filmmakers vote yes.

Story of Scottish Missionary and Runner Eric Liddell Comes to Life Again After Success of 'Chariots of Fire' (April 20, 2016, The Beijinger)
The release of The Last Race or 终极胜利 (Zhōngjí Shènglì, roughly The Final Victory) will bring to a close 10-year journey for co-director Stephen Shin, a Christian, who was long fascinated by the story of the second act of the runner Liddell, who, because he was born and died in China, is considered by some as the nation’s first Olympic medalist.

Travel / Food

How to Get a Kick out of Your Family China Adventure (April 14, 2016, Wild China Blog)
Experiencing China’s history and culture as a family doesn’t have to be a chore. Instead, set out on a family adventure that will enrich your kids’ understanding of the world and leave them saying “Whoa! That was so cool!” Leave the chores at home and add these family-friendly China activities to your trip.

Skift Podcast: Are You Ready for the Next Wave of Chinese Travelers? (April 15, 2016, Skift)
On today’s episode of the Skift podcast, we’re discussing Chinese travelers, what they want, who is trying to deliver it and what it all means to the rest of the world.

5 Dishes That Will Have You Booking Your China Trip Right Now (April 20, 2016, Wild China Blog)
Food is a very important aspect of Chinese life and culture and with the sheer size of China, there are always new dishes to sample. Here are a few favorites from Fuchsia’s tour across China that are sure to leave your tastebuds happy.

A Walking Holiday Along China’s Most-Beloved Trails (April 20, 2016, Wild China Blog)
It’s time to slow down and experience China’s natural wonders on foot. An active walking holiday through fog-shrouded mountains or bamboo-forested karst terrain will reveal the natural settings of one of the world’s most ancient cultures. Here are some of China’s most celebrated destinations for walking and exploring.

Books

A Photographer’s Farewell to China (April 15, 2016, TIME)
Saying goodbye to an old friend can feel so definitive. Instead, Magnum photographer Patrick Zachmann chose to leave it more open ended. After spending more than 30 years and over 25 self-financed trips visiting China, Zachmann is publishing a 583-page-long book of photographs and journal entries titled So Long, China.

Video: China’s Future (April 18, 2016, China File)
In this new book, David Shambaugh argues that these potential pathways are all possibilities—but they depend on key decisions yet to be made by China’s leaders, different pressures from within Chinese society, as well as actions taken by other nations. Assessing these scenarios and their implications, he offers a thoughtful and clear study of China’s future for all those seeking to understand the country’s likely trajectory over the coming decade and beyond.

Voices from the Past: A Book Review (April 20, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Andrew Kaiser has compiled Voices from the Past: Historical Reflections on Christian Missions in China, a collection of short quotations from China missionaries during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although they speak of a land that is in many ways worlds apart from the China of today, these voices from the past touch on timeless themes that are as urgent in the 21st century as they were in imperial China.

Links for Researchers

AmCham China Releases 2016 White Paper (April 2016, American Chamber of Commerce)
This is the 18th year that AmCham China has produced its White Paper. It is written by the chamber’s members and includes more than 43 chapters covering industry-specific and cross-industry issues. It also addresses many of the issues identified in the chamber’s annual Business Climate Survey, which was released in January. 

Image credit: Wikimedia