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
1. Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) passed the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law《中华人民共和国反外国制裁法》(Chinese | English) on 10 June 2021. The law is effective immediately. The law provides a legal basis for the Chinese Government to punish and deter those involved in foreign sanctions against China. Individuals and organisations directly or indirectly involved could … more
1. Three Child Policy We wrote recently about family planning and gender roles, and the latest census. Now the Chinese Government has changed its “Two Child Policy” to “Three Child Policy”. Let’s recap. The “One Child Policy” lasted around 25 years from 1980. The “Two Child Policy” was then instituted in 2016 as China faced … more
1. Tsinghua spirit Tsinghua University held celebrations for its 110th anniversary on Sunday. One of the top schools in China, Tsinghua was founded in 1911 amid dynastic collapse, social upheaval, and foreign aggression against China. Today, the Tsinghua spirit, as embodied in the official motto “self-discipline and social commitment” (自強不息、厚德載物) and the famous words “independent … more
Despite the Chinese government declaring that absolute poverty has been eliminated in China, its poverty alleviation efforts have done little to address growing inequalities. In fact, Chinese policymakers now widely recognise income inequalities as a threat to sustainable development. Yet the government’s approach to the issue is unlikely to change, because poverty alleviation continues to … more
1. Party history The CCP’s Party History Learning and Education (党史学习教育) campaign, kicked off in February, is now in full swing. The case of CCP history serves as another poignant reminder of the importance of history in understanding contemporary China. Propagandising and popularising Party history is more about finding a path into the future than … more
1. Sanctions and counter-sanctions The US, the EU, the UK and Canada, in coordination, imposed sanctions last week on Chinese officials and state entities over human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The US has previously sanctioned Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSC) and six officials in July 2020. Last week, the … more
1. Two sessions 2021 The “two sessions” — annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) — are in full swing. This year’s “two sessions” is seen by Beijing as especially important for at least three reasons. First, in July the CCP will celebrate its centenary, and … more
Classical Chinese quotes are frequently used in speeches by China’s political leaders to give greater depth to the content of their talk as well as to concisely sum up the speaker’s intentions. But the insights they offer rarely see the light of day in international media. In fact, their mistranslation and omission is the norm. … more
1. Abuses of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Tursunay Ziawudun is a Uyghur woman who spent nine months in internment camps in Xinjiang. She recounted her personal experience to the BBC. Warning: the details in this article are distressing and contains references to rape and torture. Gulzira Auelkhan, a Kazakh woman, also recounted shocking experiences. Moreover, … more
