Chinascope – Page 204

China’s Marriage Rate Hit a Record Low

Young people in mainland China continue to lie down (tang ping or take a rather passive attitude toward life — See the article at http://chinascope.org/archives/27040 for a description of this phenomenon) and not have a family. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, the number of marriages in the third quarter of this year hit a record low.

The latest official statistics released in October show that, in the third quarter of this year, only 1.72 million couples registered to be married. On a quarterly basis, this was the fist time the number has fallen below 2 million couples.

In the first three consecutive quarters of this year, marriage registrations have been falling. In these three quarters combined, 5.886 million couples registered to be married. That figure is 8,000 fewer than in the same period last year.

Analysts observed that the figure for national marriage registrations has fallen year after year since 2013. The number fell below the 10 million mark in 2019 and it fell below the 9 million mark in 2020, when, in the whole country, only 8.131 million couples registered for marriage.

The recent figures cited above reflect the younger generations’ continuing distrust of the Chinese Communist Party (the CCP) and the widespread public grievances against the regime. Not getting married has become a form of protest against the CCP’s calls for bigger families. People would rather “lie down” to avoid bearing the rising costs of having a family.

Source： Ministry of Civil Affairs, October 29, 2021
http://www.mca.gov.cn/article/sj/tjjb/qgsj/

Briefings | | November 18, 2021 | Economy/Resources

Rights Activist in California Received Threats to His Life; CCP Is Suspected of Being Active in the U.S.

Mr. Jie Lijian is a human rights activist in Southern California. On October 31, Mr. Jie participated in an anti-CCP demonstration on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, using action drama and a chorus. A middle-aged man kept shooting pictures of the demonstrators. Mr. Jie said, “I suspect he was stalking us.”

On November 3, he participated in an event in front of the Los Angles Chinese Consulate to oppose the Beijing Winter Olympics. A person inside a car was watching the participants.

On November 8, when Mr. Jie was riding a bike, a car crashed into him at a high speed and knocked him down. He had multiple bruises on his body and his mobile phone was broken.

On November 10, he received a telegram. The message was from a stranger who identified himself with the name of Sir Zhuang. His account has since been cancelled. The message in the telegram was a threat to Jie’s life. It asked him not to be too active and showed a picture of him walking near his home. Shortly thereafter, the same account sent him a picture of a knife, saying, “(We) should have broken your leg two days ago.”

Although he lives in the United States, Mr. Jie thinks the threat is coming from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Mr. Jie said that he will never yield to the CCP. He is preparing a set of documents and pictures and will submit them to the FBI.

Source: Epoch Times, November 13, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/11/13/n13373287.htm

Briefings | | November 17, 2021 | Government/Politics US-China Relations

Real Estate Developers in China Switch to Giving out Houses as Payments

As China’s real estate developers are struggling with a shortage of cashflow, more and more companies have been giving people houses, many of which are still under construction, as a way of paying their contractors. Normally these houses are sold at a big discount and the recipients can then sell them to recover their cash.

Giving out houses has been happening in many cities. In Guangzhou city, a major economic hub in Southern China, over ten construction projects gave out houses as a way of making their payments.

Also, the housing prices in some cities have started falling. If this trend continues, it could lead to a collapse of the real estate market. Twenty-one cities have issued orders to prevent prices from dropping too fast.

Source: China Business Network, November 13, 2021
https://m.yicai.com/news/101228762.html

Briefings | | November 17, 2021 | Economy/Resources

India Says China Is its No. 1 Security Threat

On Thursday, November 11, multiple Indian media reported that the Indian government told the country’s Supreme Court that the Indian military needs to expand the roads along the India-China border to meet the need to transport the army’s current state-of-the-art BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and other military equipment. Earlier India’s Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat told a forum that China has become India’s number one security threat.

The move came after India unveiled an INR120 million strategic project to connect four pilgrimage sites in North Akhand with a 900-kilometer highway. The government on Thursday petitioned the Supreme Court to revise the plan, as Attorney General K. K. Venugopal reportedly claimed that local terrain conditions were harsh and that the 5.5-meter-wide road was insufficient to transport the 12.8-meter-long BrahMos missile and its launcher. If the Indian military cannot transport the device and other heavy mechanical equipment to the northern border of India and China, it will be difficult for India to respond in the event of war.

The BrahMos missile is the most advanced long-range supersonic missile of the Indian military. Rawat said that the Indian military has prepared for “any misadventure.” “If a Galwan [Editor: referring to the place of a previous clash] were to happen again, it would not be in our hands; it is up to the Chinese. They can carry out a Galwan again but should they do it, they will get in the same coin they got last time.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 13, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/7-11132021171839.html

Briefings | | November 17, 2021 | Geo-Strategic Trend

China Bans State-owned Entities from Virtual Currency Mining

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic policy agency under the State Council, recently issued a press release, which requested local governments to punish virtual currency mining activities and to investigate the mining activities that involve state-owned entities.

In late September, NDRC and other cabinet agencies issued a notice on regulating virtual currency mining. Virtual currency mining projects were forbidden from participating in the electricity market, and the projects that were already in the electricity market were to withdraw.

In July, China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), issued a “Risk Alert on Preventing Virtual Currency Transactions.” The notice warned that institutions should not provide business venues, commercial exhibitions, marketing, promotion, payment and other services for virtual currency-related activities. Financial institutions were not to provide virtual currency-related services directly or indirectly to customers.

China is a major cryptocurrency mining country. About 70 percent of the world’s bitcoin mining takes place in China. Some of these “miners” had already considered leaving after the authorities showed their determination to eliminate virtual currency mining.

Source: Central News Agency, November 13, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202111130086.aspx

Briefings | | November 17, 2021 | Economy/Resources

Chinese Ambassador Gave Speech to a United Front Work Department-controlled Organization

On Saturday November 13, the annual meeting of the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU) was held in San Francisco. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang delivered a speech using video conferencing. Qin said that the United States is “manipulating” the Taiwan issue and attempting to “contain China using Taiwan,” a move that seriously endangers peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He urged the United States to adhere to the one-China principle, properly handle the Taiwan issue, and prevent the Taiwan issue from leading to conflict and confrontation between the United States and China.

The NACPU is a U.S.-registered umbrella organization with branches in multiple cities including Washington DC, New York, and Houston. In mainland China, there is a corresponding government-controlled China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification (CCPPR, 中国和平统一促进会), a senior Chinese Communist Party leader is almost always its head. The U.S.-based NACPU and its branches routinely carry out the tasks of mobilizing the local Chinese American community and advancing Beijing’s agenda on the Taiwan issue at the federal, state, and local governments.

In October 2020, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, “The Designation of the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU) is a Foreign Mission of the PRC.” It said, “The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) organ that is tasked with co-opting and neutralizing threats to the party’s rule and spreading its influence and its propaganda overseas. The CCP regards this party apparatus as a ‘magic weapon’ to advance Beijing’s policies.”

“… the Department of State designated a UFWD-controlled organization – the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU) – as a foreign mission of the PRC under the U.S. Foreign Missions Act. The goal of this action is to shine a light on this organization and make clear that its messages come from Beijing, as we did when, in August, we designated the Confucius Institute’s U.S. Center (CIUS) as a foreign mission.”

The recent speech by Qin Gang to the NACPU annual meeting is a recent example of Beijing’s message to this organization.

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 14, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/4-11142021115124.html

Briefings | | November 16, 2021 | US-China Relations

Oriental Daily: White House Opposes Intel’s Plan to Increase Chip Production in China

Popular Hong Kong newspaper Oriental Daily recently reported that sources familiar with the matter revealed that the U.S. Biden administration rejected Intel’s plan to increase chip production in China on the grounds of security concerns. The world’s largest chip maker has proposed to use a factory in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, to produce silicon chips. The discussion was conducted in private. The production line may be launched by the end of next year, helping to ease global supply tensions. At the same time, however, Intel has been seeking federal assistance to strengthen research and production in the United States. Officials in the Biden administration strongly opposed the plan. The government is working hard to solve the chip shortage problem. It is especially working hard to bring the production of important components back to the States. Intel said its focus is on the continued significant expansion of its existing semiconductor manufacturing business. The plan is to invest tens of billions of dollars in new wafer manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe. A White House representative declined to comment on specifics but stated that the government is “very much focused” on preventing China from using U.S. technology, to develop first-class capabilities.

Source: Oriental Daily, November 13, 2021
https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/international/2021/11/13/449762

Briefings | | November 16, 2021 | Information/Technology US-China Relations

China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized