Neican: census, human rights, conspiracy, propaganda

1. Birth rate and demography Population and birth rate were the main focus of last week’s census release. The census showed that the number of births continued to fall, marking last year the lowest official number of births since 1961 (in the middle of the Great Famine). China’s total fertility rate in 2020 was only … more

VIEWPOINTS: Detention of Australians in China

What should the Australian Government do about China detaining Australians for national security reasons? There are currently two Australians detained in China on national security grounds: Yang Hengjun and Cheng Lei. Both of them were arrested for national security reasons by Chinese authorities. How did bilateral friction play into their detention? What message was Beijing … more

China Neican: 31 March 2021

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

Neican: Demography, Hukou, Lei Feng, and Uyghur genocide

1. Demography China’s ageing population received some important attention in the 14th Five Year Plan (FYP) that will run from 2021 to 2025. China has a rapidly ageing population. By 2025, one-fifth of the population will be over 60. By 2050, China’s dependency ratio is projected to reach 70 per cent. Chinese and international experts … more

Neican: 11 October 2020

This week’s topics: National consciousness, Domestic violence, Views of China 1. Chinese national consciousness A fortnight ago in Neican, we argued that Beijing’s assimilationist policies in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia are driven by its agenda to “forge a common [Chinese] identity” and as a result, “minorities are being forced to melt in a Han-dominant … more

Neican: 27 September 2020

China Neican is a weekly column on the China Story blog edited by Yun Jiang and Adam Ni from the China Policy Centre in Canberra. Neican 内参 or “internal reference” are limited circulation reports only for the eyes of high-ranking officials in China, dealing with topics deemed too sensitive for public consumption. But rest assured, everyone is welcome to … more