ZGBriefs | June 20, 2024

Featured Article

Podcast—Peter Hessler On His New Book, “Other Rivers: A Chinese Education” (June 13, 2024, Sinica Podcast)
This week on Sinica, the highly-regarded writer Peter Hessler joins to talk about his new book, out July 9: Other Rivers: A Chinese Education. Over 20 years after teaching with the Peace Corps in Fuling (the subject of his first book, Rivertown, Pete returns to China to teach at Sichuan University in Chengdu. He writes about the two cohorts of students, with whom he has maintained extensive contacts, to offer fascinating insights into how China has changed across this momentous period with touching, deeply human stories.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Will China Replace the US as Saudi Arabia’s Main Ally? (June 12, 2024, The Diplomat)
Riyadh is trying to strike a balance between short-term economic benefits from China and its long-standing strategic alliance with the United States.

China’s Maritime Militia: The Shadowy Armada Whose Existence Beijing Rarely Acknowledges (June 12, 2024, The Guardian)
Chinese fishing boats started swarming the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in mid-May. Some had already been drifting around the picturesque reef in the Philippines exclusive economic zone for some time. However, the Chinese boats were not regular fishing vessels, and they weren’t there to fish. They were there to counter a Philippine aid flotilla aiming to deliver supplies to fishers near the disputed shoal.

China Wants Its 12 Million Delivery Drivers to Work for the Party (June 13, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
Chinese takeout diners could soon be getting their food delivered with a side of political ideology. China is calling on its army of 12 million food delivery drivers to start showing more obedience and loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, as well as acting as the government’s eye and ears on the ground.

Bolivia Turns to China Amid Historic Economic Crisis (June 12, 2024, The Diplomat)
China is strengthening its posture among non-Western countries, attempting to build its branding as a representative for the Global South. While the US is seen as a difficult ally, China is perceived as a more neutral, stable partner.

US Lawmakers in India to Meet Dalai Lama, Discuss Tibet-China Dispute Bill (June 18, 2024, Reuters)
A group of US lawmakers arrived in India on Tuesday to meet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, with the head of the delegation saying President Joe Biden would soon sign a bill that aims to press China to resolve the Tibet dispute.

Religion

Why Should I Love My Enemies?: Give Up Revenge, Love Enemies (June 17, 2024, China Partnership)
The bad news is that often justice is not served in our lives. The good news is that God will handle this—one day. In the meantime, because we trust that vengeance is in God’s hands, Christians are commanded to not only forgive those who harm us, but to take it a step further and love our enemies.

Nanjing: Bringing the Gospel into Life (June 13, 2024, China Partnership)
This June, we are praying for Nanjing, an ancient and important city in eastern China. Nanjing is a port on the Yangtze River, and has a population of nearly 10 million. In this portion of our interview, Nanjing pastors share how their cities and churches have changed over the past five years. While there are still many challenges, these pastors have seen their faith grow, and the hard times have helped them and their churches to deepen their walks with God.

Homeward Bound: A Christian’s Return to China (June 12, 2024, Chinese Church Voices)
Three months ago, I returned to China, and upon returning, I found the situation more urgent and desperate than I imagined. From a spiritual perspective, China is like a dried-up pond, and I hope more people will come to serve in China, as it urgently needs your help. I am waiting for your arrival here.

A Watershed Moment for Global Chinese Christianity (June 17, 2024, ChinaSource)
Given that the small community of the Chinese diaspora and the East Asian societies and Western societies that host it are all facing crises and challenges brought about by various changes, the ministry work done by churches in this context can provide a powerful witness, allowing the grace experienced by this small community to bless the much larger Chinese and Western populations in which it is embedded.

The Transformation of Overseas Chinese Churches: “Three Highs and One Low” (June 18, 2024, Chinese Church Voices)
Overseas Chinese churches need to equip immigrant congregations to become people on the move, learn to grow and blend together in mixed groups, achieve cross-cultural missions together, and establish gospel partner relationships with other churches, instead of going it alone.

Society / Life

We Spent a Week in China. Here’s What We Learned About Our Global Rival (June 15, 2024, NPR News)
What’s really happening inside China? Americans have a hard time answering that question. Though China ended its years of pandemic isolation, tensions with the US have restricted the visits of American business people, students, journalists, and even tourists who want to see how their global rival is doing.

Food Fight: The Competitive World of “Last-Mile Runners” (June 14, 2024, Sixth Tone)
It’s around noon, peak time for Xie and the other “last-mile runners” gathered outside the entrance to the SEG Plaza, a skyscraper in the southern metropolis of Shenzhen, Guangdong province. These self-employed delivery workers, mostly women in their 50s, bridge the gap between takeout couriers on the ground and hungry customers dotted throughout the building’s 72 floors.

Dan’s the Man: Why Chinese Women Are Looking to ChatGPT for Love (June 12, 2024, BBC News)
Dan has been described as the “perfect man” who has “no flaws.”

He is successful, kind, provides emotional support, always knows just what to say and is available 24/7.

The only catch?

He’s not real.

Starting a New Job in China? It Might Involve a 60-Kilometer Hike. (June 13, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Some companies are forcing new hires to take part in military-style boot camps to “foster team spirit.” But is the practice even legal?

Does China Still Need Libraries? (June 11, 2024, Sixth Tone)
In her newly published book, Why the World Needs Libraries, Yang describes how she selected which books to purchase and the main challenges she faced building the library. The story is ostensibly about the birth of a small local library, but it also sheds light on key aspects of Chinese society today, from the role of education to the allocation of resources.

Economics / Trade / Business

China’s Glut of Idle Property Causes Headache for the Government (June 11, 2024, The Guardian)
Since the real estate sector was sent into a tailspin in 2020, caused by the pandemic and a sudden regulatory crackdown, the industry that has traditionally powered about one-quarter of GDP has been in a downward spiral that policymakers have struggled to halt.

Video Dialogue—Are Tariffs Hurting US-China Relations? (June 12, 2024, National Committee on US-China Relations)
As part of the trade war that erupted between the United States and China during the Trump administration, successive US administrations have placed tariffs on Chinese imports across dozens of sectors. How have these tariffs impacted Chinese consumers and manufacturers, and what effect will they have on US-China relations?

BYD: China’s Electric Vehicle Powerhouse Charges into Europe (June 18, 2024, The Guardian)
BYD is vying with Elon Musk’s Tesla as the world’s largest electric carmaker, and Europe is its key export target. But BYD is facing its own Euro drama, as the EU threatens to impose tariffs on its products.

Education

Censors Take Down Discussion of Last Mongolian-Language College Entrance Exams (June 12, 2024, China Digital Times)
The gaokao reforms conform with a government campaign to have 85% of the population speaking Mandarin by 2025. The push is controversial. In 2020, the replacement of Mongolian with Chinese as the language of instruction for core classes in Inner Mongolian schools sparked rare public protests and mass censorship of dissent.

Health / Environment

In Central China, a Vicious Heat Wave Strikes at Worst Possible Time (June 17, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Last year, farmers in China’s central Henan province suffered crippling losses after torrential rain hindered the summer harvest. Now, they are having to deal with the opposite problem: a sudden drought.

Thousands Evacuated as Floods and Deadly Landslides Hit Southeast China (June 17, 2024, CNN)
Thousands of people have been evacuated in southeast China after heavy rains hammered the region over the weekend, triggering floods and deadly landslides, authorities and state media said Monday.

Science / Technology

Chinese Leadership’s In-House Lecture Offers Valuable Insights into China’s AI Strategy (June 15, 2024, The Diplomat)
In a lecture to China’s top legislative body, a leading computer scientist outlined a national AI strategy focused on developing the real economy and overcoming US tech restrictions.

Chinese Scientists Create and Cage World’s First AI Commander in a PLA Laboratory (June 16, 2024, South China Morning Post)
In China, where it is forbidden for artificial intelligence to lead the armed forces, scientists have created an AI commander. This “virtual commander,” strictly confined to a laboratory at the Joint Operations College of the National Defense University in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, mirrors the human commander in all ways, from experience to thought patterns to personality—and even their flaws.

Hong Kong Is Chiming in on China-US Tech Competition (June 17, 2024, The Diplomat)
Hong Kong’s investments in semiconductors and technology highlight a deliberate strategy to align with China’s objectives while exploiting gaps in US regulations.

Culture / History

Why Is Chinese Art Full of Dragons, Phoenixes, and Tigers? (May 17, 2024, Smithsonian Magazine)
China’s history is famously rife with mythical imagery—such as dragons, phoenixes, and tigers—and historians have long sought the origins of such motifs. Now, a new exhibition is filling in some of that fractured history, bringing visitors face to face with 3,000 years of Chinese artisanship.

Travel / Food

Chinese Outbound Travel Recovery Lags Due to Costs, Visa Snags (June 17, 2024, Reuters)
Eighteen months after China dropped strict zero-COVID policies and reopened its borders, the recovery in overseas travel is lagging behind market expectations and the shape of Chinese travel is changing, with a surge in domestic trips.

To the People, Food is Heaven (2024, BBC Culture)
China is the home of 1.4 billion foodies. That might seem like hyperbole, but in the world’s most populous country, food culture is simply just culture. The art of cultivating, cooking and eating food is profoundly interwoven with what it means to be Chinese, whether you’re a farmer, factory worker or tech billionaire.

Arts/Entertainment/ Media

Sight: More about Dr. Ming Wang, the Real Doctor behind the Film (June 14, 2024, Chinese Church Voices)
Dr. Ming Wang says of his first step toward faith, “Although I had been exposed to world literature in my education in China, I knew very little about religion and spirituality. The concept of faith was very foreign to me, but at that moment, a thought emerged deep inside me: if there is indeed a God in the universe, now would be the time for him to appear.”

China Targets Younger Taiwanese with Junkets for Island’s Celebrities (June 17, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
Taiwanese YouTuber Potter King reported last week that dozens of influencers from the island, which has never been ruled by China nor formed part of the People’s Republic of China, are being invited to China on expenses-paid junkets during which they will film tourism promotion videos, as part of a United Front operation targeting young people.

Why China’s Hottest New Drama Is Dividing Female Viewers (June 11, 2024, Sixth Tone)
The new TV drama The Tale of Rose has smashed streaming records in China since its release on Sunday, but viewers are divided over whether the show is really as progressive as it claims to be.

Pray for China

June 15 (Pray for China: A Walk Through History)
All Girls Allowed is a ministry that was founded by former Tiananmen student leader Chai Ling (柴玲女士) on June 1, 2010, shortly after she had become a Christian. Pray for All Girls Allowed and other ministries to be effective in combating trafficking, helping prostitutes, and otherwise serving in China with the love of Christ.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? Proverbs 24:11-12