China news roundup / Nachrichten 2024-03-28

about 1 month ago

China’s economy is on track for ‘strong’ March performance, survey says

"“Hiring recorded its longest stretch of improvement since late 2020,” the report said, noting every sector except for services saw job growth pick up.
Retail spending increased in all sub-sectors, except for luxury goods, the report said.
In real estate, the report said that while the residential sector still showed a decline in sales, commercial sales and construction improved significantly.
Manufacturing saw growth in production and domestic orders from February, but export orders fell"

--- China Beige Book is surprisingly positive about the Chinese economy. I don't really see it, but I'm not on the ground...
Then again, Reuters - which is usually more positive on China - seems to see not much of a change:

China's March Factory Activity Likely Contracted for Sixth Month, at Slower Pace

"China's manufacturing activity likely contracted for a sixth straight month in March but at a slower pace, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday, suggesting factory owners are still struggling for orders despite some green shoots in the economy.
The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) likely rose to 49.9 in March from February's 49.1, according to the median forecast of 21 economists in the poll. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction."

--- I guess, if China is not still in a recession, it's at best stagnating.

China removes tariffs on Australian wine as relations improve

"Beijing imposed taxes of more than 200% in 2020 amid a string of economic blows to Australian exports.
That year Beijing targeted Australian coal, barley, timber and lobsters as part of a wider political falling-out.
[...] But China-Australia relations have improved since a new Canberra government was elected in 2022.
[...] Prime Minister Albanese said in a statement [...] his government was still lobbying China on removing remaining tariffs on commodities such as beef and lobster."

--- Some 'experts' on Twitter said, this was despite Australia not changing its attitude. Don't know in which world these 'experts' live, but here, where I am, the Albanese government was pretty subservient to the CCP, with criticism only being whispered if mentioned at all.

"China's Commerce Ministry on Thursday said it was removing the duties on bottled wine due to "changes in the market situation of the relevant wines in China""

--- The market situation being Albanese's kowtowing & emperor Xi's approval.

China’s Xi meets U.S. executives as businesses navigate bilateral tensions

"U.S. business leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, the latest of Beijing’s efforts to bolster foreign investment in China amid tensions with the U.S.
Blackstone founder Stephen Schwarzman, Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon, Bloomberg Chair Mark Carney and FedEx President Rajesh Subramaniam were among the attendees"

--- There are videos showing the Westerners (whose name plates were in Chinese only, btw) speak. Horrible. They sounded like commie cadres. Only actual kowtows were missing.

Invest in Tibet and give your child a leg up on college exams

"Move your family to the region, spend three years there and invest 3 million yuan (US$415,000) – and your teenage children will have a better chance of gaining entry to a good university.
[...] The aim of the offer is to "further optimize the business environment in our region ... and the high-quality development of the plateau economy," said the announcement"

--- That's probably only part of it, much of it is blatant colonialism: Bring more Han Chinese to Tibet.

Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas

"The researchers found that SF6 emissions in China almost doubled from 2.6 gigagrams (Gg) per year in 2011, when they accounted for 34 percent of global SF6 emissions, to 5.1 Gg per year in 2021, when they accounted for 57 percent of global total SF6 emissions. This increase from China over the 10-year period — some of it emerging from the country’s less-populated western regions — was larger than the global total SF6 emissions rise, highlighting the importance of lowering SF6 emissions from China in the future."

--- Mind you, the data comes from Chinese stations, so is probably even underestimating the real problem.
But - hey! - that's just my evil Western mind talking. China's green credentials are not to be doubted.

Chinese cities ban burning of 'ghost money' ahead of grave festival

"Authorities in some parts of China have announced a ban on the burning of "ghost money" and other paper offerings for departed loved ones ahead of the annual grave-tending festival of Qingming next week, calling the practice "feudal superstition""

--- At least they don't claim to do it for the climate or to avoid pollution.

"A resident of Shanghai who gave only the surname Chen for fear of reprisals said he remembers when burning paper offerings was classed as "feudal superstition" during the Cultural Revolution."

--- Smells like Mao spirit.

Ancient DNA reveals intriguing details about a sixth century Chinese emperor

"Ancient DNA recovered from the remains of a sixth century Chinese emperor who ruled during the country’s dark ages has shed some light on what the leader may have looked like.
Emperor Wu ruled China as part of the Northern Zhou dynasty from 560 to 580 and is credited with unifying the northern part of ancient China during a particularly chaotic period.
[...] The genetic analysis showed that Emperor Wu intermarried with ethnically Han Chinese, China’s dominant ethnic group today"

--- Er... what? How can you see from his DNA who he married? Must be science with Chinese characteristics.