ZGBriefs | June 22, 2023

Featured Article

Last Lockdown: Why Are China’s Campuses Still Closed to the Public? (June 19, 2023, The World of Chinese)
Months after China lifted its “zero-Covid” policies in December 2022, marking a sudden end to three years of mandatory testing to enter public spaces and other strict measures, one space has yet to return to normal—university campuses.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

The World in Xi Jinping’s Court (June 15, 2023, China Media Project)
The visual treatment of reports in the official media on the appointment of Chinese ambassadors, and the acceptance of foreign ones, bears an important message about the imperial ambitions of China’s top leader. 

Shaky China: Five scenarios for Xi Jinping’s third term (June 15, 2023, MERICS)
The baseline scenario of the report is a “Shaky China”. In this  unstable “status quo” scenario, China’s economy, politics and engagement with the world follow the trends seen at the outset of Xi’s third term in office: the centralization of power, slower growth and external pressure.

With visit to China, Blinken clears a diplomatic path, but it’s unclear where it goes (June 20, 2023, NPR)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s long-anticipated trip to Beijing shows that the administration is keen to reignite diplomacy and inject some stability to its dealings with China, but whether it was a success remains to be seen.

CCP crackdown spooks entrepreneurs (June 20, 2023, East Asia Forum)
The position of big private companies in China today is less secure than it has been at any point since 1989. State intervention has resulted in entrepreneurs losing confidence in China’s future, with some choosing to move abroad temporarily or for good. At the same time, collaboration between the Party and private entrepreneurs over the last decade appears less exceptional if we acknowledge that red capitalists are a creation of the Party itself.

China hits back as Biden labels Xi a ‘dictator’ (June 21, 2023, Reuters)
China hit back on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, saying the remarks were absurd and a provocation in an unexpected row following efforts by both sides to lower tensions. Biden made his comments just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing to stabilize relations that China says are at their lowest point since formal ties were established.

China surpasses US in popularity among Arab youth as Beijing expands Middle East footprint (June 21, 2023, CNN)
The US ranks seventh among nations considered as friendly, compared to China, which ranked second in the Arab Youth Survey conducted by Dubai-based public relations firm ASDA’A BCW. The findings show that support for China has gradually risen over the years as Beijing expands its footprint in the region. But they also reveal that as much as Arabs want the US to play a smaller role in the Middle East, many believe the superpower will continue to be the most influential actor.

Religion

Spirit-Empowered Chinese House Churches (1): Rural Revival (June 12, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
The recent rise of Chinese Christianity was in large extent due to the rapid growth of Christians in villages from 1985 to 2005. The religious passion of the Christian peasants encouraged them to rethink traditional understandings of Christian life and ministry. 

Spirit-Empowered Chinese House Churches (2): Urban Revival (June 12, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
I have participated in establishing house churches in China since 2001, and from my observation, signs of spiritual revival usually include passionate preaching, evangelism, healing, deliverance, and speaking in tongues. 

Yan’s Conversion and Pentecostal Experience (June 12, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
Yan became a Christian in 1998, a year that will be long remembered for a major flood that devastated the southern part of China. The beginning of the new millennium also became the watershed in China for fast economic development and galloping church growth as millions of people, seeking prosperity, immigrated to the cities. 

Learning from the Larger Story (June 12, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
The ongoing story of Pentecost in China is not a story that can be easily found on the shelves of your nearest library. Its dynamism and ethos are not readily grasped or communicated by detached scholars.

A Pentecostal Perspective on the Chinese Union Version (June 12, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
In the six illuminating, and sometimes technical, chapters of The Language of the Spirit, Robert Menzies presents a clear case for the importance of unbiased biblical translations. Drawing on his background as a distinguished New Testament scholar and his years of service in China, Menzies addresses important issues that impact the translation of New Testament terms, particularly those related to the work of the Spirit or other Pentecostal themes.

Very Much Against My Faith: Baffled by Unconditional Love (June 12, 2023, China Partnership Blog)
Amy is a member of the post-80s generation. An only child, she grew up in China with parents who expected her to excel academically and had rigorous standards for who she would be and what she would accomplish. She became a believer when, after university, she studied abroad in the States.

The Impact of a Gospel-Centered Life: A Reflection on the Ministry and Writings of Timothy Keller (June 14, 2023, The ChinaSource Blog)
As I reflect on over 35 years of China-related ministry, I would have to say that the last 10 years have been the most challenging but also the most exciting and fruitful. In the US I have been involved in campus ministry to Chinese international students, Chinese church plants, and theological education but for me something extraordinary began in 2010 and it coincided, not coincidentally, with the ministry of Dr Timothy Keller and Redeemer City to City (C2C) church planting training. 

Chinese Churches Remember Timothy Keller’s Legacy on Interpretation of the Gospel, Response to Contemporary Culture (June 15, 2023, China Christian Daily)
An overseas Chinese Christian leader shared Timothy Keller’s legacy on a comprehensive interpretation of the gospel and his response to contemporary culture. On June 10th, an online exchange meeting titled “Understanding Timothy Keller,” sponsored by the Public Theology Association Organizing Committee which was initiated by overseas Chinese Christian theologians, was held among the Christian community. 

Webinar Video: WeChatting to the Glory of God (June 16, 2023, ChinaSource Blogging)
On May 31, we hosted a webinar called “WeChatting to the Glory of God,” during which we presented a picture of what God is doing through four different ministries involved in digital engagement.

Society / Life

Glum Chinese graduates go viral with pictures of misery amid jobs anxiety (June 15, 2023, The Guardian)
As millions of young people in China graduate from university this month, the traditional pictures of joyful students throwing their hats and gowns into the air have been replaced by photos of them lying on the ground or throwing their degree certificates into the bin. Some photos show students draping themselves over bridges or park benches in poses of dejection. In others, students lie face down on stairs or in grassy fields.

Young Chinese Have a New Plan to Escape Tough Times: Win the Lottery (June 19, 2023, Sixth Tone)
China’s millennials are seeking cheap thrills and get-rich-quick solutions amid a tough economy. That’s leading many to embrace an institution long considered hopelessly uncool: the country’s state-run lotteries.

Recovering the Lost Smells of China’s Slow Trains (June 20, 2023, Sixth Tone)
The overpowering odors of China’s slow trains have gradually given way to the more antiseptic experience of high-speed rail travel.

“Yellow Oxen”: How China’s Ticket Scalpers Keep Turning a Profit (June 20, 2023, The World of Chinese)
Nowadays, however, scalping is seen as a cutthroat, for-profit business, especially as it has moved online. Huangniu exist not just for performance tickets but also train tickets, hospital registration, and other sought-after goods and services. Using a combination of software or personal connections with the vendors, scalpers are accused of buying up huge swaths of tickets as soon as they go on sale, which they can then resell with a huge mark-up.

Economics / Trade / Business

Their parents made China the world’s factory. Can the kids save the family business? (June 19, 2023, Reuters)
Du, like tens of thousands of other young Chinese factory bosses, is inheriting a basic manufacturing business that can no longer rely on the labour-intensive model that made China the world’s largest exporter of goods. A shrinking and ageing workforce and competition from Southeast Asia, India and elsewhere are making at least a third of China’s industrial base – the low-end manufacturers – obsolete, Chinese academics say.

China cuts main interest rate as economic recovery fizzles out (June 20, 2023, CNN)
The rate cuts come as Wall Street banks, including Goldman Sachs, slash their forecasts for China’s economy. Goldman said on Sunday that the recovery sparked by the country’s post-Covid reopening appeared to have “fizzled out” in the second quarter as it downgraded its forecast for growth this year to 5.4% from 6%.

Foreign companies are shifting investment out of China as confidence wanes, business group says (June 21, 2023, ABC News)
Foreign companies are shifting investments and their Asian headquarters out of China as confidence plunges following the expansion of an anti-spying law and other challenges, a business group said Wednesday. The report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China adds is one of many signs of growing pessimism despite the ruling Communist Party’s efforts to revive interest in the world’s No. 2 economy following the end of anti-virus controls.

China unveils $72 billion tax break for EVs, other green cars to spur demand (June 21, 2023, Reuters)
China unveiled on Wednesday a 520 billion yuan ($72.3 billion) package of tax breaks over four years for electric vehicles (EVs) and other green cars, its biggest yet for the industry as it seeks to boost slower auto sales growth. Weakening sales growth in the world’s biggest auto market has raised concern over China’s economic growth and while financial support was widely expected after an earlier government pledge to promote the industry, shares in major automakers jumped after the details were released.

China imposes limits on Russian banks (June 21, 2023, DW)
China clearly doesn’t want to be drawn any deeper than it has to into the diplomatic and rhetorical war over Ukraine, which may partly explain its move to aid the US and EU in tightening the sanctions on Russia.

History / Culture

Video: President Reagan and Nancy Reagan visit Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an in 1984 (Everyday Life in Maoist China)

Travel / Food

Chinese culinary craze of stir-fried stones rocks the internet (June 21, 2023, The Guardian)
In tough economic times, a new money-saving ingredient for stir-fries is gaining in popularity among Chinese internet users: rocks. Videos of chefs making stir-fried rocks are the latest trend on Chinese social media. Some show chefs frying up pebbles with garlic and chilli at busy night markets, while others depict bucolic scenes of villagers cooking freshly fished stones on a riverbank.

From Hot Pot to Milk Tea, Chinese Influencer Praised For Exposing False Advertising (June 21, 2023, Sixth Tone)
BTai and his friends go around the country checking that milk tea and hot pot meats served at different establishments are the amounts advertised. His meticulous nature has won him plaudits online.

Links for Researchers

U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era: Responding to a More Assertive China (June 2023, Council on Foreign Relations)
U.S. policy toward Taiwan needs to evolve to contend with a more capable, assertive, and risk-acceptant China that is increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo.

Pray for China

June 27 (Pray for China: A Walk Through History)
On June 27, 2002, Christian activist Wang Bingzhang (王炳章博士) was kidnapped by Chinese agents in Vietnam. Dr. Wang was given a life sentence, and his health has been damaged by times in solitary confinement in a Guangdong prison. Pray for Dr. Wang and others in Guangdong who are suffering for doing good. But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:14-17