Radio Free Asia reported that Xi Jinping recently visited the Middle East and African countries and provided economic aid amounting to billions of dollars while he was there. It resulted in dissatisfaction among the general public in China. People felt that the residents who live in impoverished regions in China need more help. According to statistics, in the first half of this year, China provided low-interest or interest-free loans to foreign governments in the amount of 2.26 trillion yuan (US$330 billion) but it only allocated 800 million yuan (US$117 million) in funding to the 10 provinces in southern China that suffered from the flood disaster. At the same time, it was reported that Heilongjiang Province, whose pension insurance was losing 20 billion yuan (US$2.93 billion) announced that it would delay the pension payments. In addition, statistics showed an overall economic downturn in the first half of the year and a reduction in summer grain production. The article quoted one resident from Shanghai who told Radio Free Asia that he hopes that the U.S. will win the trade war. He said, “If the U.S. were to win the trade war, Chinese citizens would gain true freedom, democracy and human rights. The government would not inadvertently rob us of our property. We would live in a happy environment and would not eat poisonous and harmful products.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, July 26, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/ql2-07262018092232.html