Stories

Neican: Celebrity and nationalism, Disaggregating “Chinese influence”, Dissenting intellectuals, Sexual assault

Posted on 17 August 2021 by Yun Jiang

1. Celebrity and Nationalism Every now and then I turn my attention to celebrity news/gossip — sometimes they can be illuminating about popular trends, government attention, and the interaction between the two. After the Kris Wu sexual assault allegations, the next celebrity to experience huge controversy is Zhang Zhehan 张哲瀚. Zhang became popular after starring … more

The Chinese Civil War: the peril of mobilization

Posted on 13 August 2021 by Mark Baker
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

The Civil War between China’s Communist and Nationalist parties (1946-49) was one of the most important events of the 20th century. Its legacy in Cross-Strait relations still looms large in the geopolitics of East Asia and beyond. But historical memory and research on the Civil War is at risk of being sidelined, with the focus … more

Evolving Representations: The Development of Elected Workplace Trade Unions in China

Posted on 6 August 2021 by Yunxue Deng

The promotion of workplace trade union elections in Guangzhou in response to strike waves of 2010 was aimed at absorbing workers’ grievances and stabilizing industrial relations. However, it has generated new forms of worker militancy. Autoworkers have increased the representativeness of workplace trade unions by taking advantage of the elections. They have used the elected … more

Neican: Regulations, Visits, and Asia-capability in Australia

Posted on 3 August 2021 by Yun Jiang

1. Regulations and crackdowns The Chinese Government has been cracking down on a few different technology-related industries recently. We’ve noted previously Ant Financial, Didi, and the online tutoring industry. And now, it is “targeting” food delivery companies by forcing them to focus more on labour rights. We know that the CCP likes to take credit … more

Neican: Three Child, Cyber attribution, Competitive purchase, MeToo

Posted on 28 July 2021 by Yun Jiang

1. More children please As expected when the Three Child Policy was announced, the Chinese Government has now followed up the ease of restriction with some carrots to incentivise child-rearing. In the announcement, this pro-birth policy has been infused with a sense of nationalism, characterised as “a major issue concerning the development of the Chinese … more

Neican: ETS, mystery seeds, and tutoring

Posted on 20 July 2021 by Yun Jiang

1. Emissions trading scheme In a step significant in symbolism, China launched an emissions trading scheme to combat the climate crisis. China, with the world’s largest population, is also the world’s biggest carbon emitter — 28 per cent of global carbon emissions. There are many ways to count carbon emissions, including taking into account the … more

Sino-Vatican Provisional Agreement: Unresolved issues

Posted on 7 July 2021 by Chit Wai John Mok

In September 2018, Beijing and the Holy See reached a provisional agreement regarding the appointment of Chinese bishops. Despite growing worries and mixed signals from China, the agreement was renewed in 2020. Pope Francis’ strong personal identification with the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci and his flexible pastoral approach allowed him to achieve what his predecessors … more