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Source: https://chinadigitaltimes.net/feed

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<title>Photo: Ping Jiang street, Suzhou, China, by cattan2011</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/photo-ping-jiang-street-suzhou-china-by-cattan2011/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 01:09:26 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699171</guid>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_699172" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-699172" class="size-full wp-image-699172" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Ping-Jiang-street-Suzhou-China-by-cattan2011-e1714007287256.jpg" alt="A brilliant yellow sunset is reflected in the water of a canal, which is lined with gray brick walls and charming traditional one- and two-story buildings with white walls and ornate black-tiled rooftops." width="600" height="450" />Ping Jiang street, Suzhou, China, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/68166820@N08/33858208498/">cattan2011 (CC BY 2.0)</a></div>
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<title>Taiwanese Drag Queen’s Victory Sparks Quiet Joy Among Fans in China</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/taiwanese-drag-queens-victory-sparks-quiet-joy-in-china/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alexander Boyd]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:37:02 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Culture & the Arts]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[gay culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[lgbt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LGBT rights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LGBTQ+]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Taiwan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Taiwan culture]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[thailand]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699159</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nymphia Wind, a Taiwanese drag queen, has won the 16th season of the American reality TV competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her victory has been cause for quiet celebration in China, where drag is in the ascendant despite increased state repression of the LGBTQ+ community. Nymphia Wind is the drag persona of Leo Tsao, a […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Nymphia Wind, a Taiwanese drag queen, has won the 16th season of the American reality TV competition show <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuPaul%27s_Drag_Race">RuPaul’s Drag Race</a>. Her victory has been cause for quiet celebration in China, where drag is in the ascendant despite <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/08/wechat-targets-lgbtq-and-feminist-accounts-in-mass-censorship-event/">increased state repression</a> of the LGBTQ+ community. Nymphia Wind is the drag persona of Leo Tsao, a 28-year-old Taiwanese American fashion designer. Wind’s outspoken pride in both her Asian and Taiwanese heritage has made her a complex figure in China. At The Washington Post, Vic Chiang <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/18/rupaul-drag-race-nymphia-wind-taiwan/">interviewed Nymphia Wind and wrote that Chinese netizens are keeping quiet on her victory</a>:
<blockquote>“Yellow represents the color of my skin,” she said in an interview ahead of the finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Friday, preferring to let her outfits rather than her words remind viewers that she’s the only Asian contestant in the season. “By wearing yellow, I hope to raise more Asian awareness and appreciation.”
[…] “Even politicians who work hard abroad may not gain this kind of exposure for Taiwan,” said Lawrence Jheng, 32, part of a cheerful crowd gathered at a Taipei club for the airing of the episode in which Nymphia Wind declared she was “very proud to call myself Taiwanese.”
[…] In fact, Chinese fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” seem to be going out of their way to avoid talking about Nymphia Wind’s success, apparently afraid of being caught up in the escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait. “Drag Race” fan accounts on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo said they would minimize discussions about Nymphia to “protect their nascent drag scene.” [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/18/rupaul-drag-race-nymphia-wind-taiwan/">Source</a>]</blockquote>
CDT found limited but lively conversation about Nymphia Wind’s victory on Weibo. A number of accounts posted photo collages of her outfits, many of which received hundreds of likes. The conversations focused on pride in seeing a person of Chinese descent win RuPaul’s Drag Race, admiration for Leo Tsao’s supportive mother, and discussions of Wind’s loudly pro-Taiwan independence stance: 
<blockquote>Bokuso：The first full-blooded Asian champion. Everyone should go watch the full show. This season has the best outfits. Every runway was incredibly creative and tasteful. 
草莓菠萝艾瑞克：Omg, the first champion of Chinese descent!
愉快的李姓園丁_小飛fairy：After watching the interview and the documentary, I really admire Nymphia’s mom. It can’t have been easy for her… 
YihaoY：My parents only accepted that I had a professional future in drag after my drag persona was showcased on a billboard on Nanjing Road [a major Shanghai shopping street]. By the way, drag isn’t simply performing in women’s clothes. It’s also closely tied to art, identity, cultural literacy, physical fitness, and more.
气4小红：Within the Asian gay community, this is just as important as when Michelle Yeoh won an Oscar!! I feel seen. 
我的外卖到没到：The pride of Taiwan. 
Caojiyin: Most normal young Taiwanese are pro-independence. Most people around the world are for Taiwan’s independence, too.
Hvxghkyg: You’re not embarrassed they’re pro-Taiwan independence?
ShushuFontanna: Very beautiful, but 100% pro-Taiwan independence</blockquote>
A number of users referenced the <a href="https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sN41167AM/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click">2022 documentary “Leo & Nymphia,”</a> which profiled Leo and his drag persona. The documentary is available in full on Bilibili, a Chinese video streaming site. The top comment underneath the video reads: “Congratulations, ‘Banana’ on winning the show!” Nymphia’s fans call her “Banana Buddha” and themselves “Banana Believers” in reference to her first appearance on RuPaul’s drag show, which incorporated bananas and which have since become her trademark.
Upon winning the show, Nymphia dedicated her victory to Taiwan. At one point on the show, Wind costumed herself as “boba tea,” the national drink of Taiwan. <a href="https://ew.com/rupauls-drag-race-winner-nymphia-wind-exclusive-interview-8636500">She told Entertainment Weekly</a>: “I obviously came here to represent my country, and I’m not going to do it by putting a flag on my dress […] That was my way of being camp and still representing my country.” In turn, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/22/taiwan-president-lauds-nymphia-winds-win-on-rupauls-drag-race">President Tsai Ying-wen commended her</a> for “living fearlessly,” adding: “Congratulations to you, Nymphia Wind, for being so accomplished in the difficult art form of drag, and for being the first Taiwanese to take the stage and win on RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🇹🇼🧋💛 Taiwanese American drag queen Nymphia Wind performing as a giant boba drink and winning Season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race — plus having President Tsai congratulate her on social — is the kind of authentic soft power win that propaganda can never manufacture. <a href="https://t.co/JDN4bBhvrP">pic.twitter.com/JDN4bBhvrP</a>
— Melissa Chan (@melissakchan) <a href="https://twitter.com/melissakchan/status/1781654321265836337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In China, drag is also popular but often underground—due to fears of state suppression or social ostracization. A 2021 Vice documentary chronicled China’s drag scene: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Inside China's Drag Community" width="1080" height="608" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/md3bUjSdGM0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Chinese people looking to enjoy drag have increasingly turned to visits to Thailand, which has attracted <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/09/china-thailand-chiang-mai-political-freedom/">a growing community of mainland Chinese visitors seeking increased freedom</a>. At The Associated Press, Yucheng Tang reported on <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-tourism-china-thailand-64aa8fa85e11ff92ce0adad810af58a7">Thailand’s open embrace of the Chinese LGBTQ+ community</a>:
<blockquote>But at the Bangkok Pride parade in June, Wen noticed people confidently wore what they wanted. She was excited to be able to express herself publicly and finally drop her guard. More than that, she said she was also impressed by the protest element to the event, in which people carried signs written in traditional Chinese with slogans like “China has no LGBTQ” and “Freedom is what we deserve.”
[…] Owen Zhu, a gay real estate agent in Bangkok who sells houses to Chinese clients, said many are also coming to stay. He estimated some 2/3 of his clients are LGBTQ+, many of whom buy apartments to live in part- or full-time.
[…] At the Silver Sand gay bar in Bangkok, owner Adisak Wongwaikankha said about 30% of his customers are LGBTQ+ people from China, and that number has been growing. [<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-tourism-china-thailand-64aa8fa85e11ff92ce0adad810af58a7">Source</a>]</blockquote>
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<title>Tighter U.S. Immigration Controls On Inbound Chinese Students Stoke Concern</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/tighter-u-s-immigration-controls-on-inbound-chinese-students-stoke-concern/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arthur Kaufman]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:38:08 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sci-Tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[chinese abroad]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Chinese migrants]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Chinese students]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[deportation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[financial policy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[foreign universities]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[immigrants]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[immigration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[immigration law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[military]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[overseas Chinese students]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[overseas students]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[students abroad]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[study abroad]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[U.S. immigration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[U.S. universities]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[universities]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[university students]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[visas]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699139</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In Peter Hessler’s latest piece for The New Yorker, “How Chinese Students Experience America,” he notes that “COVID, guns, anti-Asian violence, and diplomatic relations have complicated the ambitions of the some three hundred thousand college students who come to the U.S. each year.” One of the first places that some of these hurdles manifest is […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[In Peter Hessler’s latest piece for The New Yorker, “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/08/how-chinese-students-experience-america">How Chinese Students Experience America</a>,” he notes that “COVID, guns, anti-Asian violence, and diplomatic relations have complicated the ambitions of the some three hundred thousand college students who come to the U.S. each year.” One of the first places that some of these hurdles manifest is <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/immigration/">at the American border</a>, where a growing number of <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/students-abroad/">Chinese students</a> and researchers have recently found themselves unexpectedly barred entry to the U.S. on the basis of broad national security concerns. Experts argue that the political inertia behind these immigration restrictions has a self-defeating logic that harms both Chinese students and U.S. interests.
This week, Amy Hawkins from The Guardian described <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/20/chinese-students-in-us-tell-of-chilling-interrogations-and-deportations">cases of “chilling” interrogations and deportations of Chinese students holding valid visas</a>:
<blockquote>“The impact is huge,” says Qin Yan, a professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut, who says that he is aware of more than a dozen Chinese students from Yale and other universities who have been rejected by the US in recent months, despite holding valid visas. Experiments have stalled, and there is a “chilling effect” for the next generation of Chinese scientists.
[…] “It is very hard for a [Customs and Border Protections] officer to really evaluate the risk of espionage,” said Dan Berger, an immigration lawyer in Massachusetts, who represents a graduate student at Yale who, midway through her PhD, was sent back from Washington’s Dulles airport in December, and banned from re-entering the US for five years.
[…] Academics say that scrutiny has widened to different fields – particularly medical sciences – with the reasons for the refusals not made clear.
X Edward Guo, a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University, said that part of the problem is that […] military research does sometimes take place on university campuses. “It’s not black and white … there are medical universities that also do military. But 99% of those professors are doing biomedical research and have nothing to do with the military.” [<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/20/chinese-students-in-us-tell-of-chilling-interrogations-and-deportations">Source</a>]</blockquote>
Lily Kuo and Cate Cadell from The Washington Post reported last month on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/14/china-united-states-university-students-border/">related cases of Chinese students being harshly treated at the U.S. border, which has disrupted their lives and altered their perceptions of the U.S.</a>:
<blockquote>Six Chinese students and two visiting scholars who spoke to The Washington Post described being questioned upon landing in the United States about their research, families and any possible connection to China’s ruling Communist Party. Two of them, their visas canceled, were immediately repatriated. All but one were midway through their studies and had previously been allowed to enter with valid visas.
It is difficult to quantify the number of Chinese students who have been rejected at the border, with both Chinese and U.S. officials declining to provide detailed figures. But the State Department says the number of Chinese students detained and found inadmissible for entry at U.S. ports has remained stable in recent years — representing fewer than 0.1 percent of those who arrive. The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security declined to provide figures on how that compared with other nationalities.
[…] There is no way for students to restore a canceled visa aside from filing a motion to have the decision reviewed by Customs and Border Protection.
[…] “We talk about China being a surveillance state, and you arrive in the U.S. and the U.S. definitely appears to be a surveillance state,” said [Clyde Yicheng Wang, an assistant professor in politics and East Asian studies at Washington and Lee University, who was questioned by CBP about his relations to CCP members]. “I can definitely see that becoming a moment of disillusion.” [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/14/china-united-states-university-students-border/">Source</a>]</blockquote>
News of this phenomenon has spread back to China, where it feeds into an information environment rife with <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/chinese-social-media-ablaze-with-discussion-of-germany-legalizing-weed/">portrayals of Western societies in disarray</a>. The Chinese embassy in the U.S. issued a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-university-students-deported-interrogation-40012461bd45306e527946a7403f8b1a">critical statement</a> in January claiming that some Chinese students entering the U.S. had had their electronic devices checked, been denied outside communication, and been detained for more than ten hours. In April, the embassy accused the U.S. of “unjustifiably” <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258389/china-vows-protest-every-single-incident-mistreatment-chinese-arrivals-us">sending back nearly 300 Chinese citizens</a> since July 2021, including more than 70 Chinese students that it said had valid travel documents. On WeChat, China Science Daily, part of a news media unit under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared an article about <a href="https://www.pekingnology.com/p/how-us-customs-shattered-chinese">a number of Chinese female students who were denied entry at the U.S. border and allegedly subjected to deceitful, punitive treatment by border-patrol officials</a>. Here is an excerpt, translated by Pekingnology, focusing on the case of Ph.D. student Meng Fei, who was repatriated to China upon her arrival in the U.S.:
<blockquote>When signing her statement, Meng was told it was just to confirm the interrogation’s accuracy, but she wasn’t allowed to see the content before signing. Only after signing did she learn that she would not only be repatriated rapidly but also banned for five years. She was outraged because the customs officers kept urging her to accept the decision to return to China during the interrogation, saying she could re-enter easily by reapplying for a visa. The five-year ban was not mentioned during the whole process.
With two armed officers watching, she had no choice but to comply, focusing only on how to leave that dreadful place and contact the outside world.
The nightmare didn’t end there. After an 8-hour wait in the little dark room, Meng confronted a humiliating search, followed by 12 hours in solitary confinement.
[…] The findings [in an Excel document created by Meng Fei, with information from ten other Chinese women who had been repatriated] showed that all ten were graduates from prestigious universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, among others. Their domestic degrees spanned fields like biological sciences, preventive medicine, statistics, materials physical chemistry, communication engineering, German, and business administration. They were currently studying at U.S. institutions such as Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Virginia. Among them, two were first-year master’s students, three first-year Ph.D. students, two fifth-year Ph.D. students, one sixth-year Ph.D. student, one postdoctoral fellow, and one female on a work visa. [<a href="https://www.pekingnology.com/p/how-us-customs-shattered-chinese">Source</a>]</blockquote>
A number of U.S. legal restrictions have been imposed in recent years that have contributed to the climate of scrutiny against Chinese students. President Joe Biden has continued the Trump administration’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2021/08/10/biden-keeps-costly-trump-visa-policy-denying-chinese-grad-students/?sh=70242a7e3641">policy barring students and researchers</a> linked to Chinese entities that have any connection with the Chinese military. Last year, Florida <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/florida-law-chills-chinese-student-recruitment.html">passed a law restricting public universities and colleges in the state</a> from “accepting grants from or participating in partnerships or agreements” with individuals or schools from China and six other countries (Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria). The University of Florida enrolls over 1,000 students from these countries, the majority of whom come from China. This increased scrutiny of inbound (<a href="https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/new-security-measures-curtailing-study-of-china-alarm-educators">and outbound</a>) educational exchange has contributed to a decrease in the number of <a href="https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/for-many-reasons-fewer-chinese-students-attend-us-schools/7537255.html">Chinese students</a> in the U.S. (and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-american-students-universities-f5f6e53cd5d3bc686590f2f961165281?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=share">American students</a> in China).
Many argue that this trend is counterproductive for the U.S. Yingyi Ma at the Brookings Institution argued that <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/us-security-and-immigration-policies-threaten-its-ai-leadership/">restrictive immigration policies against Chinese scholars threaten U.S. global leadership in the field of artificial intelligence</a>:
<blockquote>Some may wonder whether the United States should diversify its dependence on foreign talent. Of course, it should. However, there are few alternative sources of AI talent outside of China. While India has overtaken China in the overall number of international students in the United States, it falls significantly short in producing top AI talent, contributing just 5 percent compared to China’s 47 percent. This disparity is largely attributed to the differences in the two countries’ higher education systems: Among the top 25 global institutions recognized for leading AI research, China boasts six such institutions, while India has none.
Fortunately, many U.S.-educated Chinese talent want to stay and work for American companies, especially in the AI industry, as they offer better pay and work-life balance than companies in China. However, U.S. immigration policies create formidable barriers. The tightening of H-1B visa regulations has led to a sharp decline in approval rates, from 46.1 percent in fiscal year 2021 to just 14.6 percent in fiscal year 2024, with Indian applicants securing 70 percent of these visas (in 2021). Considering that the United States has established a comprehensive system to identify foreign agents through visa screenings and law enforcement framework, denying entry to any law-abiding, skilled foreign talent directly undermines America’s capacity for innovation. [<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/us-security-and-immigration-policies-threaten-its-ai-leadership/">Source</a>]</blockquote>
In the Made in China Journal on Tuesday, Yangyang Cheng argued that restrictive U.S. immigration practices against Chinese scholars have expanded in part due to great-power competition, and that <a href="https://madeinchinajournal.com/2024/04/23/troubling-the-water/">the U.S. motivations for such restrictions are rooted in a hypocritical and supremacist logic</a>:
<blockquote>The United States and China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA), signed in 1979 and generally renewed every five years, is hanging by a second six-month extension as the two sides struggle to reach a deal (Hua 2024). Opponents of the STA argue that Beijing has violated the ‘basis’ of ‘reciprocity’ and that ‘the benefits of scientific cooperation have overwhelmingly flowed one way’—towards China to the detriment of the United States (Razdan 2024; Issa et al. 2023). The transactional logic belies a greater paradox: when the agreement was established in 1979 and in the many years after, both sides understood that Chinese scientists would be learning from the United States to try to catch up. Why is reciprocity pressed as a contractual obligation only with China’s rise, when the former student has become a peer?
[…] Critics of US–China scientific exchange have pointed to Beijing’s protectionist stance and dictatorial regression as breaking the promise of ‘reciprocity’ (Razdan 2024). The proposed responses from the US side, however, are alarmingly like the restrictions put in place by the Chinese State. US lawmakers and tech executives routinely decry China’s use of new technologies to strengthen its military, expand state surveillance, and commit human rights abuses, while doubling down on similar developments and applications at home and with allied countries (AI Now Institute 2023). What they really care about, then, is not how science is used but who uses it. What they hope to protect are not the safety and wellbeing of humanity but their own privileges and power. By denying the Chinese people agency, they project their greed and bloodlust [onto] a faceless other. The national border offers a convenient demarcation and the contours of an enemy. The epithet of ‘communism’ erases the role of global capital as a contributor to and beneficiary of repression in China and elsewhere. The banner of liberal democracy is waved as a shield to excuse similar behaviour from the home team as justified and necessary to defeat the other side. [<a href="https://madeinchinajournal.com/2024/04/23/troubling-the-water/">Source</a>]</blockquote>
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<title>Photo: Untitled (Fengjian village, Guangdong province), by Peter Chou Kee Liu</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/photo-untitled-fengjian-village-guangdong-province-by-peter-chou-kee-liu/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 06:24:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699144</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_699145" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-699145" class="size-full wp-image-699145" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-Fengjian-village-Guangdong-province-by-Peter-Chou-Kee-Liu-e1713939812367.jpg" alt="On the side of a house painted aquamarine, a mural in shades of pale blue, dark blue, white, and aquamarine vividly depicts the village of Fengjian with blue houses, yellow-leaved trees, a boat sailing under an arched stone bridge, and a bird soaring through a blue sky." width="600" height="460" />Untitled (Fengjian village, Guangdong province), by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peteropaliu/53667679852/">Peter Chou Kee Liu (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)</a></div>
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<title>Weibo Users Discern Pro-natalist Propaganda in Sina “DINKs” Article</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/weibo-users-discern-pro-natalist-propaganda-in-sina-dinks-article/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:25:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[birth rate]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[demographics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[families]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[feminism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[government policy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[internet propaganda]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LGBTQ+]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[netizen comments]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rearing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rising costs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[tuition]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[unmarried women]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[weibo]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Weibo censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Young people]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[youth]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699110</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On April 14, Sina News Hot Topics published a lengthy article on Weibo under the clickbait headline “The First Batch of DINKs, Exposed: Where Are They Now, and Do They All Regret Not Having Kids?” The four-part article focused on ostensible profiles of DINK (“double income, no kids”) couples, most of whom were portrayed as […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[On April 14, Sina News Hot Topics published a lengthy article on Weibo under the clickbait headline “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706891.html">The First Batch of DINKs, Exposed: Where Are They Now, and Do They All Regret Not Having Kids?</a>” The four-part article focused on ostensible profiles of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DINK">DINK</a> (“double income, no kids”) couples, most of whom were portrayed as either lonely, estranged, divorced, bitter, or regretful that they had never had children. Some of those profiled said that they had changed their minds and decided to have kids after all. Although the article purported to present both sides of the issue, both the language and content were strongly biased in favor of childbearing, as evidenced by this passage toward the end of the article: “Essentially, DINKs are gambling on the future—gambling that you can stick to your original intention, gambling that you can trust your spouse, and more importantly, gambling on the complex vagaries of human nature. Whether they choose a house filled with children and grandchildren, or a cloistered and childless life, people must eventually learn how to plan for themselves and their future.”
The article included <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706891.html">a list of permutations of the Chinese term for “DINK” (丁克, dīngkè) to describe different types of DINKs</a>:
<blockquote>“Die-hard DINKs” (铁丁, tiědīng): DINKs who have resolved never, ever to have children.
“DINKs in vain” (白丁, báidīng): DINKs who, for various reasons, later change their minds and regret their decision not to have children.
“The DINKed” (被丁克, bèi dīngkè): Involuntary DINKs who, for biological reasons, are unable to have children.
“Pet-parent DINKs” (丁宠, dīngchǒng): Those raising pets instead of children.
“Pseudo-DINKs” (伪丁克, wěidīngkè): Those who are young, unmarried, carefree, and unable to commit. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706891.html">Chinese</a>]</blockquote>
Sina News Hot Topics also launched a Weibo hashtag with the same title as the article, which sparked heated discussion and rocketed to the top of Weibo’s hot search list. But a large number of Weibo users expressed suspicions that the article and associated hashtag represented a thinly veiled attempt to discredit DINKs and spread pro-natalist propaganda. Many such critical and questioning comments by Weibo users were subsequently deleted. <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706891.html">CDT Chinese editors archived some of these comments, a selection of which are translated below, before they were censored</a>. Links have been added for context.
<blockquote>搞搞就是潘锆呐: Has the director of the Tiantongyuan “Weak Spot” Research Institute been sacked from his post and prosecuted? [Refers to a <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/690140.html">viral video</a> in which low-level functionaries from the Tiantongyuan neighborhood of Beijing discussed how to intimidate a local resident by putting pressure on “his weak spot”—the man’s son.]
别忘了自己的墙头: I don’t even have to read this post to know that it’s trying to use DINKs to spur childbirth.
一枪穿心周泽楷楷: The birth rate is low, so you’re fucking using this sort of bizarre moral blackmail? Who the hell even knows where you dug up these “case studies”? You can propagandize forever, but unless you resolve the fundamental problem of the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/02/cost-of-raising-children-in-china-is-worlds-second-highest/">high cost of educating a child</a>, it won’t make any difference. Why don’t the rich just have more kids?
难得看穿你心里那层雾: What the hell? Do you think this is going to increase the birth rate? Dream on. I’m a DINK myself.
真圆柚子: So? My uterus belongs to me. If I want to have a baby, I will, and if I don’t want to, I won’t.
再来一包无穷鸡翅根: What a noxious “hot topic”!
怼我者倒霉一辈子: People who don’t have kids aren’t selfish. They just don’t want their kids to end up as beasts of burden.
一点江花: Yeah, sure, we’ll hurry up and reproduce, so you have more of us <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Cut_chives">chives</a> to <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/10/netizen-voices-although-there-are-fewer-chives-more-is-being-extracted-from-them/">chop</a>!
粉嘟嘟努米团子: Don’t have kids. Our generation knows from experience that the law isn’t going to protect us, let alone protect the next generation. If our own survival isn’t even guaranteed, how can we expect to protect our kids?
我有一个朋友临死前说: This article purports to be about personal freedom, but all of the examples are about people who regret their choices.
我的偶像孙立人将军: If I can’t see any hope in life, it’s better to be a DINK.
王佩宜3949: This is a uterus-duping, brainwashing article.
不怕淋雨的毒蘑菇: Apparently the birth raise is staying stubbornly low, so once again, they’re using DINKs as an object lesson.
爱你呦爱你呦爱你: When you do away with “<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2021/09/996-ruled-illegal-yet-labor-researchers-activists-still-arrested/">996” schedules</a> and double shifts, and truly implement the labor law, our lives will be happier, and we’ll naturally want to have kids. That’s better than exploiting workers by <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/707060.html">robbing us of our holidays</a> in order to maintain your so-called “high-speed economic development.”
isqdhq520: Did they punish those <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/690140.html">old Tiantongyuan bastards</a>?
盒饭_Petrichor: How can I support a child when I can’t even support myself?
王二小放牛真费劲: We don’t want to make more beasts of burden for the capitalists. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706891.html">Chinese</a>]</blockquote>
The Chinese government’s concerns about recent demographic trends—<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/01/government-statistics-show-another-year-of-chinas-population-decline/">falling birth rates and a declining population</a>—have fueled <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/05/landmark-lgbtq-center-closes-amidst-state-push-for-straight-marriage/">crackdowns on feminists and LGBTQ+ communities</a> in China, and resulted in an uptick in incentives and propaganda intended to promote childbirth, but these <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/01/online-reactions-to-official-pronouncement-on-chinas-sharp-population-decline/">have not resonated</a> with many <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/01/women-balk-at-chinese-government-plans-to-raise-birth-rate/">women</a> and younger people. (For a deeper dive into how recent demographic, socioeconomic, and political changes have affected the rights and status of women in China, see <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/12/interview-leta-hong-fincher-on-advances-and-setbacks-in-womens-rights-over-the-past-decade/">CDT’s December 2023 interview with Leta Hong Fincher</a>.) The phrase “Four Won’t Youth” (四不青年, sì bù qīngnián)—which describes <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/07/words-of-the-week-four-wont-youth-%e5%9b%9b%e4%b8%8d%e9%9d%92%e5%b9%b4-si-bu-qingnian/">young people who refuse to date, marry, buy a home, or have kids</a>—reflects the profound social, economic, and political shifts underlying the decision not to pursue activities that were once considered prerequisites for adulthood. “Four Won’t Youth,” like other related terms (<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2022/05/were-the-last-generation-becomes-a-slogan-for-chinas-disenchanted/">last generation</a>, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Lie_down">lying down</a>, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Involution">involution</a>, <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/03/words-of-the-week-kong-yiji-literature-%E5%AD%94%E4%B9%99%E5%B7%B1%E6%96%87%E5%AD%A6-kong-yiji-wenxue/">Kong Yiji</a>—all explained in more detail in our <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china-digital-times-ebooks/">recent CDT Lexicon ebook</a>), make the Party-state extremely nervous. A document thought to be from the Guangzhou branch of the Communist Youth League went so far as to call for an effort to transform these young people into “Four Will Youth”: willing to go out on dates, get hitched, purchase real estate, and procreate.
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<title>U.S. Department of State – China Human Rights Report 2023</title>
<link>https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/china/#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699126</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freports%2F2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices%2Fchina%2F%23new_tab&linkname=U.S.%20Department%20of%20State%20%E2%80%93%20China%20Human%20Rights%20Report%202023" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freports%2F2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices%2Fchina%2F%23new_tab&linkname=U.S.%20Department%20of%20State%20%E2%80%93%20China%20Human%20Rights%20Report%202023" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_wechat" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/wechat?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freports%2F2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices%2Fchina%2F%23new_tab&linkname=U.S.%20Department%20of%20State%20%E2%80%93%20China%20Human%20Rights%20Report%202023" title="WeChat" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_whatsapp" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freports%2F2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices%2Fchina%2F%23new_tab&linkname=U.S.%20Department%20of%20State%20%E2%80%93%20China%20Human%20Rights%20Report%202023" title="WhatsApp" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_copy_link" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freports%2F2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices%2Fchina%2F%23new_tab&linkname=U.S.%20Department%20of%20State%20%E2%80%93%20China%20Human%20Rights%20Report%202023" title="Copy Link" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freports%2F2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices%2Fchina%2F%23new_tab&title=U.S.%20Department%20of%20State%20%E2%80%93%20China%20Human%20Rights%20Report%202023" data-a2a-url="https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/china/#new_tab" data-a2a-title="U.S. Department of State – China Human Rights Report 2023"></a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Photo: a long way home, by Ee Shawn</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/photo-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:33:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699105</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_699106" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-699106" class="size-full wp-image-699106" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/a-long-way-home-by-Ee-Shawn-e1713850335337.jpg" alt="A little girl peeks between the seats of a modern high-speed train to look out a large glass window at the scenery rushing by: a gray sky, some leafless trees, and power lines." width="600" height="400" />a long way home, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ee_shawn/49261124258/">Ee Shawn (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)</a></div>
<a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchinadigitaltimes.net%2F2024%2F04%2Fphoto-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn%2F&linkname=Photo%3A%20a%20long%20way%20home%2C%20by%20Ee%20Shawn" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchinadigitaltimes.net%2F2024%2F04%2Fphoto-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn%2F&linkname=Photo%3A%20a%20long%20way%20home%2C%20by%20Ee%20Shawn" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_wechat" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/wechat?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchinadigitaltimes.net%2F2024%2F04%2Fphoto-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn%2F&linkname=Photo%3A%20a%20long%20way%20home%2C%20by%20Ee%20Shawn" title="WeChat" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_whatsapp" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchinadigitaltimes.net%2F2024%2F04%2Fphoto-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn%2F&linkname=Photo%3A%20a%20long%20way%20home%2C%20by%20Ee%20Shawn" title="WhatsApp" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_copy_link" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fchinadigitaltimes.net%2F2024%2F04%2Fphoto-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn%2F&linkname=Photo%3A%20a%20long%20way%20home%2C%20by%20Ee%20Shawn" title="Copy Link" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fchinadigitaltimes.net%2F2024%2F04%2Fphoto-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn%2F&title=Photo%3A%20a%20long%20way%20home%2C%20by%20Ee%20Shawn" data-a2a-url="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/photo-a-long-way-home-by-ee-shawn/" data-a2a-title="Photo: a long way home, by Ee Shawn"></a>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Translation: The Problems of Inefficient Infrastructure Spending Are Beginning to Surface</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/translation-the-problems-of-inefficient-infrastructure-spending-are-beginning-to-surface/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 03:17:13 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[bridges]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[bureaucracy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cadres]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[CDT translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[credit rating]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[debt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic growth rates]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic policy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[fiscal budget]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[GDP]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[government policy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[guilin]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Guizhou]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hainan]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Heilongjiang]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[high-speed rail]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[housing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[housing market]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hubei]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[income]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[infrastructure]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jiangsu]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jiangxi]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[local government]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[local officials]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[market-economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[public transportation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[railways]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[roads]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rural development]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rural growth]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[social security]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Social welfare]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[trains]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[transportation]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699063</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After a decades-long infrastructure spending spree, many of China’s local governments now find themselves saddled with unsustainable levels of debt and a surplus of vastly ambitious but often underutilized infrastructure projects. The International Monetary Fund and Wall Street banks estimate China’s total outstanding off-balance-sheet government debt to hover between $7 trillion to $11 trillion U.S. […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[After a decades-long <a href="https://www.aii.org/chinas-infrastructure-and-construction-problem/">infrastructure spending spree</a>, many of China’s local governments now find themselves saddled with <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-01-06/bloomberg-new-economy-china-s-debt-mountain-is-even-bigger-than-feared">unsustainable levels of debt</a> and a surplus of <a href="https://limn.it/articles/chinas-infrastructural-fix/">vastly ambitious</a> but <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/China-debt-crunch/China-Railway-s-debt-nears-900bn-under-expansion-push">often underutilized</a> infrastructure projects. The International Monetary Fund and Wall Street banks estimate China’s total outstanding off-balance-sheet government debt to hover between <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/china/chinas-colossal-hidden-debt-problem-is-coming-to-a-head-83a34dc0">$7 trillion to $11 trillion U.S. dollars</a>, which includes bonds issued by thousands of <a href="https://china.ucsd.edu/_files/2023-report_shih_local-government-debt-dynamics-in-china.pdf">local-government financing vehicles (LGFVs)</a> to finance roads, bridges, and other forms of infrastructure.
The local government debt problem is a concern for investors and governments alike. In November of last year, China’s central bank announced that it would provide <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-08/china-s-central-bank-vows-liquidity-help-for-debt-laden-regions">emergency liquidity support to regions heavily burdened by debt</a>, but there is a limit to even the central government’s largesse. The following month, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/moodys-cuts-chinas-credit-outlook-negative-2023-12-05/">Moody’s issued a downgrade warning on China’s sovereign credit rating</a>, citing concerns that centralized bailouts of local governments and state-owned enterprises, coupled with an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-28/china-s-property-crisis-is-rippling-through-its-biggest-banks">ongoing property crisis</a>, would weigh down the Chinese economy. Moody’s also <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/China-debt-crunch/China-s-hidden-debt-spurs-warnings-of-more-Moody-s-downgrades">placed the ratings of 26 Chinese LGFVs on review for a downgrade</a>, and dropped the ratings outlook of another 22 LGFVs to “negative.” In January of this year, China’s State Council—concerned about managing approximately $13 trillion U.S. dollars in municipal debt—<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-orders-indebted-local-governments-halt-some-infrastructure-projects-2024-01-19/">instructed 12 heavily indebted local governments to delay or halt some state-funded infrastructure projects</a>.
The following full translation of an article from WeChat finance account <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%85%B3%E8%83%96%E6%9C%AC%E8%83%96">关胖本胖</a> (guān pàng běn pàng) describes some of the more egregious examples of inefficient and excessive infrastructure spending—for example, hugely expensive high-speed rail stations that are located in the middle of nowhere, or that serve very few passengers, or that were never put into operation at all. <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/702307.html">The author also dissects the systemic political weaknesses that gave rise to such undisciplined infrastructure spending</a>, and lays most of the blame on the Chinese Party-state’s “top-down” system predicated on absolute obedience to authority:
<blockquote>Over the past two years, as finances have tightened for local governments in China, many high-speed railway stations have been temporarily closed. Issues stemming from “excessive infrastructure” spending are finally beginning to surface. Even more astonishingly, it appears that some newly-constructed high-speed railway stations were never put into operation at all.
One such example is the Haitou high-speed railway station in Danzhou, Hainan province, a subject of much recent public discussion. Over 40 million yuan was invested in the construction of this two-thousand-square-meter station, but eight years after its completion, it has yet to be used. The news about this “unconscionable” spending earned Danzhou viral infamy. People were flabbergasted to learn that no fewer than three high-speed railway stations have been built to serve Danzhou, a small city of just one million people.
But Danzhou’s three stations are nothing compared to some other regions. In the third-tier city of Guilin, they built nine stations in a single breath: Quanzhou South Station, Yongfu South Station, Xing’an North Station, Wutong Station, Gongcheng Station, Yangshuo Station, Guilin West Station, Guilin North Station, and Guilin Station. Just reading that list aloud in a single breath requires a certain mastery of tongue-twisters.
Guilin is a well-established tourist destination, so developing transportation infrastructure there is understandable to some degree. But high-speed railway stations are not the same as subway stations. It makes you wonder if this is some sort of “Nine-Star Constellation” vanity project. If so, the cost is completely unjustified. Wutong Station alone, one of the nine, cost over 50 million yuan, yet not a single high-speed train has stopped there in over six months. The story of Wutong Station is a classic example of the innate deficiencies of these sorts of infrastructure projects. When the Guiyang-to-Guangzhou high-speed railway opened for operation in late December 2014, construction of Wutong Station was behind schedule. Its official opening was delayed to March 2018. Afterward, during its early days of operation, only seven trains stopped there per day, with an average daily passenger flow of fewer than 200 riders. This proved to be the peak of the station’s ridership. The number of passengers dwindled over time, and Wutong Station operated only intermittently before service was eventually suspended indefinitely.
The provinces of Hainan and Guangxi [home to Danzhou and Guilin, respectively] aren’t the most economically or financially stable of regions. They can ill afford to support “idle stations.” But “neither do the landlords have surplus grain”—even the richest province in the country, Jiangsu, cannot afford to support idle stations either. In April 2020, both Huaqiao Station in Kunshan, Suzhou and Baohuashan Station in Jurong, Zhenjiang were closed due to low passenger volume. Two stations in Jiangsu’s provincial capital of Nanjing—Pudong Station and Zijinshan East Station—have been idle since their construction over a decade ago.
Overestimating passenger flows is understandable, but the locations of some of these high-speed railway stations seem to have been carefully chosen to avoid passengers. In Hubei province, Xiaogan North Station is located 100 kilometers from Xiaogan’s downtown. Who would travel one or two hours by car from the city center just to get to Xiaogan North Station? And yet, there it is, a 120-million-yuan, first-class, high-speed railway station, serving only a hundred or so passengers per day. The station has more employees than passengers. Even more ridiculous is Guizhou province’s Zunyi South Station, a three-hour journey on public transportation from downtown Zunyi. Instead of “South Station,” they ought to have named it “Out-in-the-Sticks Station.”
It goes without saying: high-speed railway station planning and development in China is a complete disaster, in terms of both excess and inefficiency. According to publicly available information, as of 2022, China had 5,544 railway stations, including 50 special-class stations, 236 first-class, 353 second-class, and 939 third-class stations. These so-called “classed” stations, including the Xiaogan North Station with its first-class facilities and third-class passenger flow, make up less than 30% of the total. How many of these 5,544 stations can effectively be put to use? It’s a very concerning question.
Looking back now, the term “infrastructure mania” was quite apt: the manic pace of building high-speed railway stations back then looks just as maniacal today. And what became of the “scientific planning” and “strict budgeting” the public was promised? After so much debate and so many layers of approvals, how is it possible that these enormous projects, costing tens or hundreds of millions of yuan, are now sitting idle? What’s the point of spending millions of yuan per year to maintain these “idle stations,” where the employees outnumber the passengers?
There has been a great deal of reassessment of “ineffective” and “excessive” infrastructure. Many people blame these problems on the “GDP-only” performance appraisal system for local cadres, and though that may be a cliché, it is one that rings true.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-699066 size-full" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Image-1-train.jpeg" alt="A train enters a station along a curving track." width="750" height="500" />
In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, many local governments realized that large-scale infrastructure construction was an effective shortcut to raising GDP. Breaking ground on a new infrastructure project meant that GDP growth—and performance assessments based on GDP growth—would remain stable for years to come. High-speed rail construction naturally played a starring role in this. As the data bears out, the GDP-growth-based performance-appraisal system for local cadres was indeed the impetus behind many excessive and ineffective infrastructure projects.
But would changing performance-appraisal benchmarks really cure local governments of their addiction to excessive infrastructure investment? Let’s not be naive. Well, you couldn’t go wrong by switching the performance-appraisal benchmark from “GDP growth” to “safeguarding citizens’ livelihoods” (i.e. improving the economic well-being of ordinary citizens), could you? To answer this question, let’s consider Hegang, a city in Heilongjiang province, whose [housing glut] situation recently went viral on the Chinese internet. Back in 2011, China officially designated Hegang as a “<a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/In-depth-Coal-once-a-boon-turns-Chinese-rustbelt-city-into-a-bust">resource-depleted city</a>.” Because of this designation, performance-appraisal benchmarks for Hegang’s municipal cadres based on GDP growth and other economic indicators were scrapped in favor of benchmarks based on improving the economic lot of ordinary citizens. Subsequently, between 2013 and 2018, the city built 110,000 units of low-income and affordable housing. But because the population of Hegang is less than one million, and that number is shrinking as permanent residents leave the city, Hegang now finds itself with a glut of unoccupied low-income housing. Some families have even been allocated four apartments—an average of one apartment per person. At that rate, a four-person family could switch to a different apartment every season of the year, if they wanted to! But the residents of Hegang aren’t happy about having all these apartments, because they must pay a fee for obtaining low-income housing—about 350-550 yuan (roughly $48-76 U.S. dollars) per square meter. It may not be much for one apartment, but the fees for four apartments add up to a substantial sum of money. It’s also important to note that while Hegang was feverishly building all this low-income housing, many of the area’s coal mines were shutting down and laying off workers. Many laid-off residents ended up using their severance money to pay the apartment fees.
The next part of the story became famous on the internet. In formerly “overcrowded” Hegang, property values plummeted, homes could be bought for a song, and real estate agents were thrown out of work. Needless to say, all those apartment fees that residents had been paying turned out to be a complete waste of money.
Hegang’s low-income housing glut represents not only ineffective infrastructure investment but also ineffective social-welfare strategy. Switching the performance-appraisal benchmark from “GDP growth” to “citizens’ welfare” has not altered the behavior of the local government, which continues to follow the same old playbook: reckless, excessive infrastructure investment with no thought for the consequences. [In 2022, Hegang became the <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1245222.shtml">first prefecture-level city in China to be forced into fiscal reorganization.</a>]
Top-down performance appraisals of municipal-government officials are like the essay section of the university entrance exam: the essay questions may change from year to year, but the answers are always written in the same old style. When the government made “environmental protection” a paramount concern, it led to the closure of a huge number of factories. When the government decided to strengthen market supervision and oversight, fines rained down without mercy. When the government decided to “beautify” a certain city, all the store signs were changed to a uniform, spartan black and white. Some say that local governments are inefficient, but that is a misunderstanding: when higher levels of government wield the “big stick” of performance-appraisal benchmarks, local governments can be motivated to make miracles happen.
The “GDP-only” standard appears to be the lesser of two evils. Before infrastructure development emerged as the predominant strategy to juice GDP numbers, the “GDP-only” model did, to some extent, promote local government efficiency and improve the economic well-being of the citizenry. Because of the focus on economic indicators, local governments were incentivized to follow a more laissez-faire policy, maintaining a certain degree of tolerance for (and sometimes even actively encouraging) the normal operation of the local economy. It was a delicate balancing act that at times undermined the local economy, but never totally destroyed it—that is, until the “infrastructure shortcut” emerged.
All it took to jump on the infrastructure bandwagon was a seal of approval from government higher-ups and a bank loan. Who cared if it meant that the local government coffers were overextended? Poor planning, excessive debt loads, and other such problems could be pushed off into the future. By the time those problems surfaced, chances were that none of those local cadres with cushy sinecures would still be in office, and those fly-by-night project teams would be long gone, so why overthink it?
Faced with the shambles of inefficient, excessive infrastructure construction by local governments, there are many critics who take it for granted that “holding people accountable after the fact” is the right medicine, as if it were some sort of panacea.
But real accountability requires digging back through the entire project approval process, examining each and every link in the chain. How would you even go about doing that? Not only would you need to sift through each layer of the approval process, stretching back many years, but at each step of the way, you’d also have to contend with bureaucrats’ instinctive tendency to cover for one another.
Even if you do make an example of some of these local cadres, it stands to reason that you can’t punish everyone who erred back in the day. Any official who balked at an infrastructure project for fear of future consequences would have been dismissed on the spot, so naturally, anyone with a brain in their head just chose to go along with it. The notion of “holding people accountable after the fact” doesn’t exert the deterrent power that some might imagine.
Even if, against the odds, you are singled out and held “accountable after the fact,” your punishment, at worst, will be administrative in nature. The matter will be dealt with internally, forming just a minor setback in your career as an official. Once you’re out of the limelight, you can go back to being an “honorable” official. And if not, you’ll still always have what you need, which is a far sight better than being sacked immediately for not playing along in the first place.
Those who think it sufficient to pursue accountability after the fact do not realize that top-down accountability and top-down government performance appraisal standards are part of the same closed feedback loop. “Imbibing more of the same” isn’t going to fix anything.
In the end, top-down government performance appraisal standards are similar to writing assignments given at school. The higher-ups assign the topic and ultimately decide the grades. In other words, whether the performance appraisals are based solely on GDP growth or on some other criteria, the system is still predicated on absolute obedience to authority. Whatever policies the higher-ups deem worthy, the underlings are expected to implement with enthusiasm. And as those underlings go about their work, they will seek out any advantage they can gain over their peers, knowing that the most ruthless among them will receive the best marks. Thus, under this “top-down” system, the result is always the same. Excesses are inevitable. It’s just a matter of degree.
All problems stemming from excessive infrastructure construction, such as lack of local fiscal self-discipline and lax planning controls, are systemic in nature and rooted in this strictly top-down system. Local budgets are constrained, resources are limited, and priorities are constantly shifting, so how is it possible to rein in local government spending? Performance appraisal standards are imposed from above, as are project approvals, so central government authorities face a dilemma. Their control over local governments is predicated upon these performance appraisal standards, but excessively high performance benchmarks lead to undisciplined local spending. But if central authorities demand too much fiscal discipline from local governments, then nothing will ever be accomplished. For what seem like technical issues at the local level, there are no technical solutions.
If these fundamental issues are not resolved, how can local government fixes hope to solve the problem? After so many years of tinkering, everything that can be fixed at the local level has already been fixed. What is left is unsolvable, at least at the local level.
Admittedly, there is nothing wrong with local governments pursuing political achievement. Nor is there anything wrong with keeping an eye on economic indicators such as GDP growth when endeavoring to develop the local economy. Every government in the world does this. But we must reflect on why we are pursuing these normal goals through such abnormal means. And by reflect, I mean actually ask probing questions, rather than assuage yourself by making some clichéd, superficial remarks and calling it a day. False or careless reflection is worse than no reflection at all. While the “GDP-only” model led to our excessive infrastructure problem, is it really true that simply switching to another standard could fix the problem? Surely you couldn’t be so naive as to believe so. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/702307.html">Chinese</a>]</blockquote>
Translation by Little Bluegill.
*Editor’s note: The text has been edited to clarify that the 5,544 stations referred to include all railway stations, not only high-speed railway stations.
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<title>VOA – Fact-checker on China’s Weibo targets US Embassy, Russian state media</title>
<link>https://www.voanews.com/a/fact-checker-on-china-s-weibo-targets-us-embassy-russian-state-media/7577876.html#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 22:12:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699089</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<title>Wadham College, University of Oxford – “It’s the largest underclass in human history…”</title>
<link>https://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/its-the-largest-underclass-in-human-history#new_tab</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2024 05:01:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT in the news]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699085</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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<title>Quote of the Day: “Do You Think Xi Jinping is a Dictator?”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/quote-of-the-day-do-you-think-xi-jinping-is-a-dictator/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alexander Boyd]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2024 04:46:59 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Cyberspace Administration of China]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Harry potter]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[netizens]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[poverty]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[quote of the day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[video]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[weibo]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Weibo censorship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Xi Jinping]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699060</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hu Chenfeng, a Chinese content creator who first rose to fame making videos about poverty, has been suspended from Bilibili and Weibo after a livestream viewer asked him: “Do you think Xi Jinping is a dictator?” CDT a published a video of the incident: After uttering “fuck” under his breath, Hu began denouncing the question-asker […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Hu Chenfeng, a Chinese content creator who first rose to fame making videos about poverty, has been <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/707012.html">suspended from Bilibili and Weibo after a livestream viewer asked him</a>: “Do you think Xi Jinping is a dictator?” CDT a published a video of the incident: 
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After uttering “fuck” under his breath, Hu began denouncing the question-asker by repeatedly exclaiming that the question was a serious violation of streaming guidelines, that the person who asked the question must be insane, and that police would likely be at their doorstep soon. The following day, Hu shared a post to Bilibili announcing that he would take three days off from streaming due to “physical discomfort.” Fans were skeptical that the choice was his own, asking underneath the announcement: “Was this voluntary, or coerced? Are you unwell, or was there some other reason behind it? Please state your opinion directly.” Another fan asked, “Stop beating around the bush. Please state your opinion about him clearly,” in apparent reference to the question about Xi. Despite Hu’s vehement reaction to the question and his abrupt self-announced hiatus, his social media presence was suspended across platforms.
The question was a classic example of “rushing the tower” (冲塔, chōngtǎ), slang for deliberately saying politically sensitive things online knowing full well that censorship—or perhaps even real-life detention—will follow. An example of “rushing the tower” includes <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/11/maoist-blog-republishes-all-out-attack-on-party-state-censorship/">a December 2023 WeChat post</a> titled “Arise, Ye Bloggers Who Refuse to be Slaves!” that denounced censors as “the sanctimonious face of evil.” (For more on “rushing the tower,” see <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2023/12/lexicon-20th-anniversary-edition/">CDT’s 20th Anniversary Lexicon</a> ebook.)
The incident was <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/619077.html">a near exact repeat of a 2019 incident</a> in which the streamer Yao Shui Ge, famed for his outlandish online antics, invited a viewer onto his livestream only for the viewer to jokingly assert himself to be “Xi Jinping’s son.” Yao Shui Ge immediately ended the stream but the damage was done. He, too, was suspended across platforms and his name became a sensitive term on both Bilibili and Baidu—returning no search results in the period after the incident. (He is now searchable across both platforms.) CDT Chinese’s “quote of the day,” a selection of a netizen voice, held that <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/707025.html">the two streamers’ panicked reactions to mentions of Xi revealed all</a>:
<blockquote>Do you think Xi is a dictator? Judging by Hu Chenfeng’s reaction and Yao Shui Ge’s shock back in the day, deep down everyone knows the answer. [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/707025.html">Chinese</a>]</blockquote>
Online mentions of Xi Jinping are so frequently censored that netizens have taken to jokingly calling Xi “Voldemort,” after the Harry Potter villain also known as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/03/trump-self-serving-representatives-and-criticism-of-xi-among-censored-topics-in-run-up-to-chinas-two-sessions/"> Recent key-words related to Xi that have been censored include</a>: “Xi Jinping Rules China,” “Xi Jinping + The Emperor is Greatly Pleased,” “Xi Jin + Guaranteed Failure,” “Jinping + Guaranteed Failure,” and “Freedom of Speech + Xi Jinping.” “Inflammatory” content about Xi was reportedly behind <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/04/china-orders-apple-to-remove-meta-apps-after-inflammatory-posts-about-president/">the removal of Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads apps from Apple’s App Store in China</a> on Friday.
This is not Hu Chenfeng’s first brush with censorship. In early 2023, Hu made<a href="https://youtu.be/0iL6LHhB7uQ"> a viral video documenting the poverty of an elderly woman</a> in Chengdu. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/business/china-censorship-poverty.html">Censors took it down, much to his shock</a>. From Li Yuan at The New York Times:
<blockquote>In March, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator, announced that it would crack down on anyone who publishes videos or posts that “deliberately manipulate sadness, incite polarization, create harmful information that damages the image of the Party and the government, and disrupts economic and social development.” It bans sad videos of old people, disabled people and children.
[…] Hu Chenfeng recorded the footage that was removed from the Chinese internet. On popular video sites, he had posted a recording showing an elderly woman living on barely $15 a month. In the words of many social media commenters, he was revealing too much. “This subject is untouchable,” one commenter wrote on a now-deleted discussion thread on Zhihu, a site similar to Quora. Another wrote, “His account was censored simply because he showed what life is like for many people.”
[…] “I shot these videos in the hope of making some money while pushing our society to move forward just a little bit,” Mr. Hu, the videographer, said in a video posted in a backup social media account that had not been blocked. “But I never expected that this is forbidden.” [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/business/china-censorship-poverty.html">Source</a>]</blockquote>
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<title>Photo: Untitled, by Yining Zhang</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/photo-untitled-by-yining-zhang/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2024 03:49:16 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_699073" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-699073" class="size-full wp-image-699073" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-by-Yining-Zhang-e1713584891612.jpg" alt="A view from within Shanghai’s high-speed railway station shows passengers walking to and fro and an enormous multi-story panel of windows framing some of Shanghai’s high-rise buildings." width="600" height="359" />Untitled, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/yining/5159475381/">Yining Zhang (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)</a></div>
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<title>Scholz Visit to China Draws Trepidation Over Germany’s Economic Dependence, European Disunity</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/scholz-visit-to-china-draws-trepidation-over-germanys-economic-dependence-european-disunity/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arthur Kaufman]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 22:41:38 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[China & the World]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Recent News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Angela Merkel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[bilateral trade]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[doing business in china]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic influence]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[EU trade]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Europe relations]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[foreign businesses]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Germany]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Germany relations]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[human rights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[merics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Russia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ukraine]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699047</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz completed a three-day visit to China. It was his second trip since becoming chancellor and his first since the German government produced its China strategy last July. His previous trip to China in November 2022, only weeks after Xi’s coronation at the 20th Party Congress, was heavily criticized for […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[This week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz completed a three-day visit to China. It was his second trip since becoming chancellor and his first since the German government produced its China strategy <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/german-cabinet-pass-china-strategy-thursday-govt-sources-2023-07-12/">last July</a>. <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2022/11/scholz-steers-germany-closer-to-china-undermining-european-unity/">His previous trip to China</a> in November 2022, only weeks after <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2022/10/xi-jinping-cements-control-after-20th-party-congress/">Xi’s coronation</a> at the <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/20th-party-congress/">20th Party Congress</a>, was heavily criticized for undermining European unity and prioritizing business deals over human rights. This recent trip proceeded in a similar fashion, leaving many critics worried that Scholz is trading long-term sustainability for short-term gain in an attempt to sustain Germany’s prized economic relationship with China. Alexandra Stevenson and Melissa Eddy from The New York Times summarized <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/world/asia/olaf-scholz-germany-china.html">the current dynamics underpinning Germany’s relationship with China, which complicated Scholz’s position</a>:
<blockquote>Mr. Scholz’s trip was an example of the difficult dance that Germany is trying to do: maintaining economic ties with China while managing U.S. pressure to align itself more closely with Washington against Beijing.
In his meetings, Mr. Scholz highlighted Germany’s commitment to doing business with China, but he also warned that Beijing had to curb the flood of Chinese goods into Europe. At the same time, he expressed reservations about the European Union’s investigations into China’s use of subsidies for green technology industries, saying that any discussion about trade must be based on fairness.
[…] China’s manufacturing push in green sectors like electric cars and solar panels has touched off trade disputes with Europe and the United States, where such industries have also received government support. But with 5,000 German companies active in the Chinese market, Germany stands to lose more than many of its European partners would if Beijing were to retaliate against the European Union.
“If the E.U. goes too hard against China, we could expect countermeasures and this would be a catastrophe for us,” said Maximilian Butek, the executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China.
“For us it’s extremely important that the Chinese market remains open,” he said. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/world/asia/olaf-scholz-germany-china.html">Source</a>]</blockquote>
In <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/china/germany/">Germany</a>, the reaction to Scholz’s trip was mixed, with many commentators criticizing his approach and lack of deliverables. One Der Spiegel article read, “<a href="https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/china-strategie-der-bundesregierung-berlin-hat-das-chinesische-denken-nicht-verstanden-a-afb72c3c-29ee-4fde-875a-f5a0ffc212ae">Germany is too easily dazzled by China</a>,” and argued Germany is not succeeding in obtaining enough concessions from China. MERICS Politics and Society Program Director Katja Drinhausen stated, “Although Scholz did raise key points of concern for Germany and the EU, <a href="https://merics.org/en/merics-briefs/german-chancellor-scholzs-visit-china-china-iran-overcapacities#msdynttrid=NaV418tpEosD-WhoI-pQlpKvJFnZqNfVY85oB6qRtOE">the visit highlighted China’s success in steering the conversation</a> and limiting it to issues China can deflect or push back on.” One op-ed in Germany’s business-friendly Handelsblatt was titled, “<a href="https://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommentare/kommentar-scholz-wiederholt-in-peking-merkels-fehler-01/100032750.html">Scholz repeats Merkel’s mistakes in Beijing</a>,” and argued that he “hardly achieved anything on his trip” and “makes it too easy” for Xi Jinping. One analyst interviewed in Die Zeit suggested that in order to improve its bilateral negotiations, <a href="https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-04/china-deutschland-olaf-scholz-bundesregierung-xi-jinping">Germany must cultivate greater China expertise</a>.
Many critics underlined Scholz’s refusal to take a European rather than German approach. Abigaël Vasselier, head of foreign relations at MERICS, said: “I have to say it’s a disaster … <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259275/visit-china-german-chancellor-scholz-shows-divisions-eu-over-how-engage-beijing-trade-and-russia">there was no European dimension</a>, either in the preparation or in the outcome of the visit. It shows how nationally Scholz played this and how non-European he has been,” adding, “It’s almost like if what’s happening in Brussels is a completely different universe.” Cora Jungbluth and Anika Laudien, China analysts from the Europe’s Future Program at Bertelsmann Stiftung, argued that “the chancellor’s trip is a <a href="https://globaleurope.eu/europes-future/chancellor-scholzs-trip-to-beijing-a-missed-opportunity-for-europe/">missed opportunity to establish the EU as an independent geopolitical player</a> acting out of a position of strength. […] Chancellor Scholz could have sent a clear signal if he had traveled to China not alone, but together with other high-ranking EU politicians or heads of government from other member states.” Describing Scholz’s trip, an editorial from France’s <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2024/04/16/scholz-in-china-the-dangers-of-going-it-alone_6668574_23.html">Le Monde complained about “The dangers of going it alone”</a>:
<blockquote>In pleading for ‘open and fair’ competition during his China trip, the German Chancellor seems to be unaware that Beijing is only concerned with power politics. Europeans run the risk of becoming weakened if they do not work together.
[…] When Xi visited Paris in March 2019, he was received at the Elysée not only by Emmanuel Macron, but also by Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker, then European Commission president. In April 2024, the German chancellor was visiting China three weeks before a state visit to France by the Chinese president. It looks as though every country will go it alone, with Xi likely to be the only winner. [<a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2024/04/16/scholz-in-china-the-dangers-of-going-it-alone_6668574_23.html">Source</a>]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
If we look at Scholz’s visit to China as an indicator of how the EU’s future relationship with China will form, a plausible scenario is that in the absence of pushback from Europe’s biggest and most influential economy, the EU member states start competing against one another for…
— Sari Arho Havrén (@SariArhoHavren) <a href="https://twitter.com/SariArhoHavren/status/1780509787366572321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Chinese state media were happy to amplify Scholz’s distance from the E.U.’s “de-risking” agenda:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Scholz gets a front-page splash in People's Daily: 
"XJP pointed out that the industrial & supply chains of 🇨🇳&🇩🇪 are deeply embedded…& their markets highly interdependent. Mutually beneficial cooperation between 🇨🇳& 🇩🇪 is not a 'risk'" <a href="https://t.co/AueVL6YtH1">pic.twitter.com/AueVL6YtH1</a>
— Mary Hui (@maryhui) <a href="https://twitter.com/maryhui/status/1780418473107337662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Highlighting another critique, Wenzel Michalski, Director for Germany at Human Rights Watch, wrote that <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/18/german-chancellors-trip-china-wasted-opportunity">the “German Chancellor’s Trip to China [was] a Wasted Opportunity” to address human rights issues</a>:
<blockquote>Germany’s economy is very dependent on China, so expectations were low that Chancellor Olaf Scholz would place human rights concerns prominently on the agenda of his April 13-16 trip to China. But his apparent unwillingness to publicly say the words “human rights” was deeply disappointing.
[…S]adly, the German China Strategy proved to be nothing but hollow words. Germany’s experience with Vladimir Putin’s Russia should have made it clear that abusive governments make unreliable trade partners. Instead of steering Sino-German relations on a new course consistent with its own strategy by publicly promoting respect for human rights, Scholz defaulted to the well-worn path that will not further Germany’s long-term interests nor the basic human rights of the people in China. [<a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/18/german-chancellors-trip-china-wasted-opportunity">Source</a>]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
I wish it was naïveté. But it’s hard to say it wasn’t an informed, considered choice—and this a disgrace, selling out <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/humanrights?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#humanrights</a> in the most crass way. <a href="https://twitter.com/Bundeskanzler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bundeskanzler</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABaerbock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABaerbock</a> <a href="https://t.co/gNZPEF76yU">https://t.co/gNZPEF76yU</a>
— Sophie Richardson (@SophieDRich) <a href="https://twitter.com/SophieDRich/status/1780582158765064636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Many commentators worried about how Scholz’s China strategy will affect Germany’s economic future. His 12-member business delegation comprised corporate representatives and three ministers eager to make new deals. Volkswagen, whose CEO was initially scheduled to participate, announced on the eve of the trip that it will <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259275/visit-china-german-chancellor-scholz-shows-divisions-eu-over-how-engage-beijing-trade-and-russia">invest $2.7 billion USD</a> to expand its operations in China. But a Der Spiegel article on Friday described Volkswagen’s ongoing engagement in China as increasingly risky, calling it a “<a href="https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/volkswagen-steckt-in-der-china-falle-groesster-absatzmarkt-wird-zum-unkalkulierbaren-risiko-a-d821fd65-981c-4c51-9a99-e57015555bb2">China trap</a>.” For The Financial Times, Martin Sandbu expanded this analysis to Scholz’s broader economic approach in an article titled <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2ff22d32-390a-4126-865f-7365178a0d6c">“Germany’s doomed China strategy”</a>:
<blockquote>“Much of the debate in Germany, and other countries’ debate about Germany’s China strategy, tends to start from the premise that the interests of German industry dominate the political strategy — and this leads to a strong bias to keep bilateral trade and investment flowing even at the cost of greater dependence.
[…] But that is no longer true, if there is, for example, a trade-off between promoting exports to China and encouraging investment into local production there or if production in China cannibalises export markets for domestic German production.
For now, German big business is still able to convince politicians that what is good for them is good for other segments of the German economy. But soon enough, the corporatist spell will surely break under the pressure of conflicting claims from labour and smaller businesses. That will shake the foundations of German politics, for Scholz’s own Social Democrats more than anyone. [<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2ff22d32-390a-4126-865f-7365178a0d6c">Source</a>]</blockquote>
While Scholz seeks to maintain China’s status as one of Germany’s <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2024/04/16/pour-olaf-scholz-la-chine-reste-un-partenaire-privilegie-de-l-allemagne_6228133_3210.html">privileged partners</a>, the tide may be shifting. Finbarr Bermingham from the South China Morning Post reported on <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259321/germanys-china-shock-scholz-leaves-beijing-others-raise-alarm-about-waning-economic-honeymoon">Germany’s looming “China shock” and its “waning economic honeymoon” with China</a>:
<blockquote>A growing number of economists believe the prolonged Sino-German honeymoon period is over. Tales like [German automobile supplier] Webasto’s struggle with Chinese competition will become the rule rather than the exception in the relationship as the complementary nature that enriched both sides over the past quarter of a century wanes.
[…] As China has moved up the value chain and its manufacturers have become more sophisticated, suppliers and customers of German industry have become fierce competitors. The German automotive industry’s sluggish embrace of new electric vehicles, along with China’s stunning rise in this sector, presents a whole new raft of challenges.
[…] A report by research house Rhodium Group found big German companies were cutting jobs in their home market to expand investment in China, and noted a backlash from trade unions.
[…] At the same time, German exports to China have been plunging. In 2023, they fell 4.2 per cent from the previous year. The trend worsened into 2024, Chinese customs statistics show, with a 16.6 per cent slump over the first quarter. [<a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259321/germanys-china-shock-scholz-leaves-beijing-others-raise-alarm-about-waning-economic-honeymoon">Source</a>]</blockquote>
One notable talking point for Scholz was his attempt to confront Xi about China’s support to Russia in its war against Ukraine. Scholz told reporters that he believes “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-germany-scholz-xi-jinping-2de75f16b8f44603dea60eccd35b3d63">a building block has been put in place</a>” that will contribute to a peaceful resolution of the war. But German media were not impressed. Headlines on that topic from Der Spiegel read, “<a href="https://www.zeit.de/politik/2024-04/china-reise-olaf-scholz-xi-jinping-nachrichtenpodcast">Meat and apples instead of a promise of peace</a>,” and from Handelsblatt, “<a href="https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/kanzler-in-peking-wo-scholz-frieden-wollte-und-nur-aepfel-bekam/100032924.html">Where Scholz wanted peace and only got apples</a>,” referencing minor agreements to open the Chinese market to certain farm products. AFP described <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/17/german-chancellor-urges-xi-jinping-to-press-russia-to-end-ukraine-war-saying-chinas-word-carries-weight">Scholz’s attempts and setbacks in his negotiations around Ukraine</a>:
<blockquote>“I have therefore asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war,” he said on social media platform X.
Scholz said Xi had agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland, which is due to take place in June without Russia in attendance.
[…] Xi, however, appeared to dismiss the meeting in Switzerland, saying efforts towards a peaceful resolution should be recognised by both sides and include equal participation by all parties.
Russia has dismissed any such meeting as meaningless without Moscow’s participation. [<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/17/german-chancellor-urges-xi-jinping-to-press-russia-to-end-ukraine-war-saying-chinas-word-carries-weight">Source</a>]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
It is necessary to talk about 🇷🇺Russia with 🇨🇳XJP, even though we know that China will not change its position. 
The problem with 🇩🇪Scholz is that this topic was not a high on the agenda, rather has been ticked off✅, while focus was on 🇩🇪🇨🇳 econ coop<a href="https://t.co/iyXTtpxuzY">https://t.co/iyXTtpxuzY</a>
— Justyna Szczudlik诗丽娜 (@Shilinabolan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shilinabolan/status/1780504030126440707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Highlighting Scholz’s tepid engagement with Xi on security matters, Judy Dempsey argued in Carnegie Europe that <a href="https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/92230">“Scholz’s Visit to China Confirms Germany’s Political Weakness”</a>:
<blockquote>[F]undamentally, Scholz’s bickering coalition has failed to grasp how it could be a pivotal player that gives Europe the strategic and political depth it lacks. Scholz’s visit to China confirms a persistent reluctance of Europe’s biggest economy to play a central role in the EU, in NATO, and other multilateral organizations.
With the global order no longer stable but rather lurching from crisis to crisis, Europe’s own stability and security is in question. For Germany, its economy depends on stability and predictability. Since neither is a given, Berlin has to change its mindset about making the leap from a reactive, hapless foreign policy to a proactive, strategic one.
[…] But speaking out matters. Even better if it is followed by action. For now, Germany is a reluctant, if not irresponsible bystander. It benefits from trade with China, security from the United States, and a European Union that gives it immense economic influence. Strategic input, to the detriment of its allies, is absent. [<a href="https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/92230">Source</a>]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Scholz‘s China visit <a href="https://t.co/KrG7jOBnHu">pic.twitter.com/KrG7jOBnHu</a>
— 巴丢草 Bad ї ucao (@badiucao) <a href="https://twitter.com/badiucao/status/1780107504405696619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<item>
<title>Photo: Forest Park Shanghai, China, by sung ming whang</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/photo-forest-park-shanghai-china-by-sung-ming-whang/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 06:56:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Main Photo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699041</guid>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_699042" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-699042" class="size-full wp-image-699042" src="http://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forest-Park-Shanghai-China-by-sung-ming-whang-e1713509706983.jpg" alt="Bright green leaves, abundant ground vegetation, and flowers make this section of forest with dozens of towering trees feel like a cool and peaceful oasis." width="600" height="400" />Forest Park Shanghai, China, by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/smwhang/3639331196">sung ming whang (CC BY 2.0)</a></div>
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<item>
<title>Quote of the Day: Official Disposable Income Figures Derided as “Today’s Daily Dose of Humor”</title>
<link>https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/quote-of-the-day-official-disposable-income-figures-derided-as-todays-daily-dose-of-humor/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Carter]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:57:49 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[CDT Highlights]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Level 2 Article]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[The Great Divide]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Translation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[consumer class]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[consumer prices]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[consumption]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic growth]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[economic growth rates]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[filtering]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[GDP]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[income]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[inequality]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[National Bureau of Statistics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[netizen comments]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[online public opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[quote of the day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rural income]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[statistics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[unpaid wages]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[urban rural divide]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[wages]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[weibo]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://chinadigitaltimes.net/?p=699031</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On March 16, China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced that the Chinese economy was off to a good start in 2024, with reported 5.3% year-on-year GDP growth in the first quarter of the year. The better-than-expected data was touted by various Chinese state media outlets online, although many of those news posts had comment filtering […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[On March 16, China’s National Bureau of Statistics <a href="https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202404/t20240416_1954583.html">announced</a> that the Chinese economy was <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/4/16/chinas-economy-beats-expectations-growing-five-point-three-percent-in-first-quarter">off to a good start in 2024</a>, with reported <a href="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-04-16/China-s-economy-off-to-strong-start-in-Q1-2024-up-by-5-3--1sQks8lNMD6/p.html">5.3% year-on-year GDP growth in the first quarter</a> of the year. The better-than-expected data was <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0416/c90000-20157354.html">touted</a> by various Chinese state media outlets online, although many of those news posts had <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706928.html">comment filtering enabled</a>, perhaps in anticipation of negative or skeptical reactions from social media users. Two items in particular seemed to strike netizens as overly optimistic: the reported “nationwide average per-capita disposable income” figure of 11,539 yuan (equivalent to nearly $1600 U.S. dollars) for the first quarter of the year, and the claim that “the incomes of rural residents grew more quickly than those of urban residents.”
Both were the subject of withering commentary from social media users, particularly on Weibo. CDT editors have compiled and translated some <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706928.html">comments from Weibo users, many of them profoundly skeptical about the government figures on average per-capita disposable income</a>:
<blockquote>洛晓洛跑得快呀: Today’s daily dose of humor has arrived.
寶公子Young: My salary has not increased by one cent, and prices haven’t gotten cheaper. I have no idea where they got this data, or how it supposedly increased.
墨卡不是摩卡: Why haven’t I been informed about when I can expect to receive my portion of this increase?
hikaru岚: I’ll never catch up to the average.
王海东15: As long as they [the people in power] are happy, that’s all that matters.
karlsnake: Does anyone believe this?
化做一粒尘: I just did a quick calculation, and my disposable income is about one hundred yuan (less than $14 U.S. dollars). Not bad. I’m very satisfied. After all, compared to the many workers whose wages are in arrears, I’m considered rich—seriously!
李小姓9863: As everyone knows, statistics is sorcery.
爱着帅哥的兔子君TVXQ: Data with Chinese characteristics.
谦哥理查德: Read the comments, look at the data, and compare. Is this some new form of “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/430804">exaggerated crop yields</a>?” [<a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/706928.html">Chinese</a>]</blockquote>
Despite the strong first-quarter GDP growth, which appears to have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/business/china-gdp-q1.html">driven largely by manufacturing </a>and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/16/chinas-q1-gdp-grew-5point3percent-in-the-first-quarter-beating-expectations.html">external demand</a>, the Chinese economy faces numerous challenges, including <a href="https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/02/08/a-bumpy-road-ahead-for-chinas-economy/">sluggish consumption</a>, high <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-18/china-s-youth-unemployment-level-remains-steady-in-march">youth unemployment</a>, and a troubled <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-new-home-prices-decline-fastest-pace-since-2015-2024-04-16/">property sector</a>. A recent WeChat post from audacious entrepreneur and philanthropist Chen Guangbiao urging the Chinese government to bolster consumption by <a href="https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2024/04/quote-of-the-day-stop-obsessing-about-ordinary-peoples-pocket-change-they-know-better-than-you-where-that-money-ought-to-be-spent/">focusing on providing stable jobs, higher incomes, and a stronger social safety net</a> earned many supportive comments from social media users.
At Reuters, Chan Ka Sing reported on the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/china-is-tale-least-two-economies-2024-04-16/">conflicting economic indicators that make China’s economic recovery “a tale of at least two economies”</a>:
<blockquote>An optimist will look at China’s latest GDP figures released on Wednesday and argue they signal that the best of times is returning. The country’s economy grew 5.3% in the first quarter year-on-year, comfortably beating analysts’ expectations of a 4.6% increase and putting Beijing on track to hit its 5% target for 2024. Yet beneath the headline number lies evidence that the People’s Republic has yet to put worse times behind it, not least near-zero inflation and sluggish lending and an enduring property market crisis. It’s a tale of at least two economies.
[…] Recent economic indicators have pointed to a rockier time ahead. Consumer inflation cooled more than expected in March and hovers around negative territory. An increase in monetary supply has also failed to translate into more bank lending. Fitch last week followed Moody’s by downgrading its outlook on China’s sovereign credit rating.
When meeting a group of U.S. business leaders last month, Xi said his administration is planning “a series of major steps” to propel China’s economy forward and that the Peak China theory will not be proved right. The remark has instilled expectations that the People’s Republic is serious about a new round of economic reforms. Such a diverse and often conflicting set of data, though, is complicating Beijing’s search for effective stimulus. [<a href="https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/china-is-tale-least-two-economies-2024-04-16/">Source</a>]</blockquote>
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