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The Overtime Phenomenon in China

Working overtime has become a common phenomenon in China. IT companies even have the “996” work style (work from 9 am to 9 pm for 6 days a week). An Internet article provided an analysis of the “China-style overtime.” It said that according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Chinese workers work on average 2,272 hours a year (or 9.2 hours per day). It listed eight characteristics of this “China-style overtime.”

  1. Overtime is usually forced though it may be called “voluntary.”
  2. Overtime usually applies to all employees (and therefore people won’t benefit from it since it is required of everyone).
  3. Overtime workers’ hours are usually unpaid or insufficiently compensated.
  4. Overtime in many instances occurs over a long term and is of a high intensity.
  5. Overtime can just be a formality and the work is not efficient.
  6. Overtime is a result of management’s lack of capability or low efficiency.
  7. Overtime sometimes is a vehicle to please the upper management or to suppress subordinates.
  8. Overtime may morph into a test of an employee’s obedience.

Source: China Digital Times, April 24, 2023
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/695261.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Why Do Countries Choose Renminbi in Bilateral Trade?

Recently some countries such as Russia, North Korea, and Brazil agreed to the use of Renminbi (RMB) jn settlements in bilateral trade with China. Economist Yin Hetian gave three reasons for their decision:

The first is a political reason: Countries such as Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia, North Korea, and Iran receive financial support from Beijing. For this reason, they feel they are compelled to accept the RMB when exporting to China. However, there is not much for China to gain in this, since these countries “suck China’s blood.”

 

The second is the discounted goods from China. Russia and Brazil provide energy resources to China and have a trade surplus over China. China sells them goods of daily necessities, which they can also buy from other countries using the U.S. dollar. Therefore, China must sell its goods at a discount.

The third is China’s US dollar reserve. Those countries feel comfortable about the RMB because of China’s foreign reserve of 3 trillion US dollars. They put their dollar reserve in a different format: holding the RMB which links to China’s dollar reserve. If China’s dollar reserve is gone, then no one will want to take RMB.

Source: China News Center, April 24, 2023

失去庞大美元外汇储备支持 人民币在国际上就是废纸；说人民币能够取代美元的大外宣实际上是在害中国只有习近平不懂罢了

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Suicide Cases Are More Frequent In China

Suicide cases have been reported more frequently as the political and economic environments continue to deteriorate in China under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) rule.

On April 25, a male from Linyi City, Shandong Province bought a knife at a convenient store and then cut his own throat right there.

On April 23, a man jumped out of a shopping mall in Shanghai and died. His body also hit and injured a woman who was shopping at the mall.

On the same day, two 5th grade girls from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province jumped out of a high building.

On April 20, three people came to a tourist site in Shifang City, Shandong Province and drank poison to commit suicide.

On April 4, four people from different provinces gathered at Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, a famous mountainous site in China, took poison and then jumped off the cliff.

Source: Aboluowang.com, April 27
https://www.aboluowang.com/2023/0427/1894748.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Pilot Project: Paying Salaries with Digital Currency

China has been piloting the use of a digital currency issued by the state. Recently Changshu City, Jiangsu Province announced that, starting in May, it will make the salary payments for people working in the public sector in digital currency. The first pilot city to do so was Taichang City, also in Jiangsu Province, in July of last year. China has also started piloting digital currency and a digital wallet in 26 regions among 17 provinces.

Some people feel that digital currency can help prevent bribery or improper income. However, there are concerns about privacy and whether the government can use it as a weapon to suppress the people it wants to target.

Sources:
1. China.com, April 25, 2023
http://news.china.com.cn/2023-04/25/content_85251374.shtml
2. Central Network Agency, April 22, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202304220117.aspxApril 22, 2023

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chengdu Demolished Its 40-Billion-Yuan Green Way to Change the Land Back to Grow Crops

China used to call for a “green environment (绿化)” and promoted “turning farmlands back into forests (退耕还林).” However, it has now made    a 180 degree turn to stress growing more crops, or to “turn forests back to farmlands (退林还耕),” as it faces a shortage in its food supply both domestically and internationally.

Chengdu residents complained that some portions of the green beltway surrounding the city, which the city spent 40 billion yuan (US$ 6 billion) on  building has since been demolished and replanted with wheat. Even some parks have  been changed in order to grow crops, whereas the parks were once a big selling point for the nearby apartments.

A researcher also reported that village officials have been forced to take land back in order to grow crops. In some mountain areas, the local government encouraged peasants to build orchards. However, after people put all their savings into planting fruit trees, the government is now asking them to cut all the trees to grow crops.

Source: Epoch Times, April 25, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/4/25/n13980976.htmi

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Kindergartens Have Shut Down Due to a Drop in Population

The impact of the One-Child policy continues to surface in China. In 2022, 46.28 million children were in kindergarten, a decrease of 1.78 million in population from the previous year. This has also led to kindergarten closures. The number of kindergartens dropped from 2.94 million in 2021 to 2.89 million in 2022, a loss of 5,000. This is the first-time the number of kindergartens has decreased in the past 15 years.

Seeing that its One-Child policy has resulted in a big reduction in new-borns, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) switched to a two-child policy, boosting the new baby population to 18.83 million in 2016 and over 17 million in 2017. But it didn’t last long and free fall came back quickly. The new-born population dropped to 15.23 million in 2018, 14.65 million in 2019, and 12.00 million in 2020.

Source: Sina, March 24, 2023
https://edu.sina.com.cn/l/2023-03-24/doc-imymyqqc8479107.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Top Officials Will Report Work to the CCP Central Committee and to Xi Jinping

Xinhua News Agency reported on March 2 that, “According to the relevant provisions of the Party’s Central Committee, members of the Politburo; the Secretaries of the Party’s Central Committee Secretariat; members of the CCP committees at the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); and the Party Secretary of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate shall report to the Party Central Committee and to General Secretary Xi Jinping in writing every year.”

All these officials are at the State level or Vice-State level. There are 24 members (including Xi Jinping) in the party’s Politburo, 7 Secretaries at the Secretariat, 10 members at the Congress’s party committee, 10 members at the State Council party committee, 12 members at the CPPCC party committee, one party secretary of the Supreme Court, and one party secretary of the Supreme Procuratorate. Excluding overlapping counts, a total of 57 officials will report to the CCP Central Committee and Xi Jinping.

Source: People’s Daily, March 3, 2023
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0303/c1024-32635242.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics

The CCP Provided a Downgraded Reception for Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou

Taiwan’s former President and former Kuomintang Chairman Ma Ying-jeou arrived in China on March 27 to worship his ancestors. Political observers take his reception in China as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) countermeasure to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to the U.S. at the same time.

Reports showed that the CCP provided a much lower level of reception to Ma than what he had expected:

  • The CCP called him “Mr. Ma Ying-jeou” instead of “President Ma Ying-jeou.”
  • Ma did not receive a “Presidential treatment” at the airport.   Ma’s team expected to see Ding Xuexiang, member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Politburo, a state-level official to welcome Ma there. Instead, Chen Yuanfeng (陈元丰), Deputy Director of the State Councils’ Taiwan Affairs Office, a Deputy-Ministerial level official, came to meet Ma at the airport.
  • Ma planned to bring six secret service agents, each with a gun and a bulletproof jacket and Ma himself would wear another (the seventh) bulletproof jacket. However, Beijing only allowed Ma and his guards to carry 3 guns, 2 bulletproof briefcases, and 3 bulletproof jackets. (meaning Ma would not be able to wear one). Beijing also didn’t allow them to bring any radio and anti-listening bug devices with them.

A commentator pointed out that the CCP treated Ma not as a former president, but rather as a former provincial governor, since it wanted to downgrade Taiwan to the level of a province.

Source:
1. Liberty Times, March 27, 2023
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4252848
2. China Times, March 23, 2023
https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20230323004426-260407?chdtv

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics