Study Times: Strengthening Public Opinion Guidance and Management
Qin Lu, deputy director of the Central Party School’s Department of History and Culture, argues that China’s rapidly changing media environment has made public opinion a growing source of social tensions and a major governance challenge. He proposes the following measures for the authorities to strengthen public-opinion management:
- Shift from emergency response to routine governance: Rather than treating public-opinion incidents as isolated “emergencies,” authorities should integrate public-opinion management into the broader national governance system.
- Address problems before they become public-opinion crises: Qin emphasizes that resolving underlying social and livelihood problems should be the foundation of public-opinion management. Governments should use social-governance centers, the 12345 government-service hotline, public-opinion monitoring, and government social-media platforms to identify public concerns, respond to grievances, and defuse potential tensions.
- Build an integrated system: He proposes combining regular press briefings, daily public-opinion guidance, and emergency response. Government press offices and social-media platforms should proactively explain policies, respond to public concerns, build credibility, and serve as rapid official-information channels when controversies emerge.
- Respond quickly with both “emotion and facts”: Officials should establish clear criteria for when and how to respond to emerging controversies. Initial responses should address both the underlying incident and public emotions through empathy, reassurance, apologies when appropriate, and transparent updates. Qin warns that defensive messaging or attempts to shift responsibility can intensify negative sentiment and trigger secondary controversies.
- Strengthen information management and preparedness: Government communications should provide both factual information and confidence-building messages, including clear explanations of an incident’s causes, investigation, response, and follow-up. Qin also calls for regular training, simulation exercises, and reviews of past cases to develop practical response plans and improve interdepartmental coordination.
- Overall framework: Qin proposes a comprehensive system of “good governance of people’s livelihoods → information release → public-opinion guidance → public-opinion response,” making public-opinion management a routine component of governance rather than a response limited to exceptional crises.
Source: Study Times, September 18, 2026
https://www.studytimes.cn/llsd/202609/t20260917_91732.html
Chinese Universities Tighten Spending Amid Growing Budget Pressure
Several Chinese universities are urging staff to “practice strict economy and live through tight times” as shrinking budgets increase financial pressure. Beijing Forestry University recently issued measures restricting spending on travel, meetings, training, official receptions, and overtime meals, while Anhui Jianzhu University prohibited reimbursement for tobacco, alcohol, and high-end dishes at research-related meals. Shanxi Finance and Economics Vocational College also tightened rules on official receptions, travel, meetings, and promotional materials.
The financial pressure is reflected in declining budgets at several universities. In 2025, Renmin University’s total budget revenue was RMB 9.17 billion (US$1.37 billion), down RMB 816 million (US$121 million) from the previous year, while Yunnan University and Fuzhou University saw declines of RMB 801 million and RMB 677 million, respectively. Other universities, including the University of Science and Technology of China and Minzu University of China, also reported reduced government funding. Meanwhile, Chinese social media has seen increasing reports of salary and performance-pay cuts among university faculty, including reduced research bonuses, canceled overtime-teaching subsidies, and cases in which poor performance reportedly resulted in salary deductions.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 15, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609150331.aspx
China’s Education “Involution” Drives Extreme Early Learning and Student Distress
China’s intense educational competition is increasingly affecting elementary and middle school students. A recent internet term, “prefabricated children” (预制娃), describes students who learn course material well ahead of the school curriculum, turning classroom instruction largely into review. Guangzhou Experimental Middle School principal Zhang Xianlong criticized the practice, saying excessive academic pressure has contributed to high levels of depression, anxiety, and school aversion among students. A 2025 survey cited in the report found that 11 percent of Chinese primary and secondary students were in poor psychological condition and in need of professional intervention.
The pressure has persisted despite China’s 2021 “Double Reduction” policy, which was intended to reduce academic and extracurricular tutoring burdens. Parents interviewed in Beijing said the policy has failed to ease the pressure, with exam difficulty reportedly increasing since its implementation and driving families toward intensive advance preparation and underground tutoring. Some parents reported severe test anxiety and depression among their children, including cases in which students took leave from school because of academic difficulties.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 20, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609200045.aspx
Another Incident of Beijing-Organized Supporters Clashed with Protesters During Xi’s Visit to the U.S.
Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States drew demonstrations by at least 39 anti-CCP groups. Chinese authorities reportedly organized large numbers of supporters—one source estimated nearly 1,000—to welcome Xi. Supporters and protesters clashed outside Joint Base Andrews during Xi’s arrival (see Chinascope briefing).
Another altercation occurred around 3:30 p.m. on September 24 outside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., where Falun Gong practitioners were peacefully demonstrating. A woman identified as Li Huahong confronted practitioner Xin Qin, who was photographing the demonstration. Xin said Li repeatedly pressured him to move back before grabbing and pulling him down, after which several people accompanying Li allegedly struck, scratched, and bit him. Xin said he did not fight back and called police. A police officer reportedly witnessed the incident and intervened, handcuffing Li, who was later taken away by ambulance.
According to the report, Li had previously attacked Falun Gong practitioners in New York and had been arrested several times. She was convicted of assault in 2013.
Also, an earlier incident occurred on September 22 outside the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, Canada, where a Chinese-Canadian man allegedly damaged Falun Gong protesters’ display boards and banners, issued threats, and injured a practitioner who tried to protect a banner. Police reportedly arrived, documented the incident, and said the case could proceed to legal action.
Sources:
{1} NTDTV, September 25, 2026
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2026/09/25/a104136302.html
{2} NTDTV, September 26, 2026
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2026/09/26/a104136553.html
Taiwan Scholar: PLA’s Actual Combat Effectiveness May Lag Its Visible Military Strength
At a seminar hosted by the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, National Defense University professor Ma Zhenkun assessed the “substance and appearance” of China’s military expansion. He said China’s People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) tangible capabilities have improved significantly since the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, including a sharp increase in missiles, broader precision-strike capabilities, more survivable mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, and advances in second-strike capability.
However, Ma argued that extensive purges of senior PLA officers have weakened its command structure and operational effectiveness. Citing think-tank estimates, his research said roughly 28–30 senior generals and more than 40–50 lieutenant generals have been detained, expelled, or absent from important meetings since 2023. He also pointed to the absence of large-scale, centrally commanded joint exercises around Taiwan following the removal of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. As examples of possible operational weaknesses, Ma cited a PLA formation sent to the Western Pacific after a Japanese destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait that consisted of only two combat ships, lacked a supply vessel, returned after three days, and did not disclose its training objectives. He also cited a confrontation near Sandy Cay in the South China Sea in which two larger Chinese vessels reportedly failed to intercept a smaller Philippine vessel, which he said reflected weaknesses in tactical coordination and force deployment.
Ma concluded that while the PLA’s tangible military strength has grown and affects U.S. force planning in the First Island Chain, its “intangible” capabilities—including senior leadership, joint command, and combat effectiveness—have been weakened. His overall assessment was that the PLA’s actual military strength may currently be lower than its visible military capabilities.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 18, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609180243.aspx
Sulfur-Cured Bamboo Shoots Renew Scrutiny of China’s Food Safety Oversight
China is facing fresh food safety controversy after a food-safety blogger, who previously exposed formaldehyde-treated cabbage in Hebei, uploaded video showing a processing site in Qingyuan, Guangdong, buying fresh bamboo shoots and curing them with burning sulfur in a remote mountain location. Mainland outlets including Xinmin Evening News and The Paper reported that the footage showed crude conditions and thick white smoke, with witnesses describing the fumes as pungent and irritating to the respiratory tract.
Following the video’s spread online, Qingyuan’s market regulation bureau confirmed the site was found to match what was shown, said the case is under further investigation, and thanked media and internet users for their oversight.
The episode has drawn pointed commentary from state-run outlet Guangming Daily Online, which argued the incident is another blow to consumer confidence and an implicit indictment of regulators, asking why it is consistently ordinary internet users, rather than authorities, who uncover such problems. The commentary noted a repeating pattern behind recent vegetable safety cases: tips from netizens, on-the-ground investigation by independent bloggers, online public pressure, and only then regulatory action. It questioned whether authorities had received prior tips and failed to act, and suggested that if no one had reported concerns to regulators at all, that itself reflects a troubling public preference for trusting independent bloggers over official channels. The piece concluded that when local authorities are slow to detect — or altogether unaware of — food safety problems, it signals a serious structural gap in China’s food safety system.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 20, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609200025.aspx
Trump and Xi Discussed U.S.-China WWII Alliance, Prompting Concern in Japan
During a September 24 welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump recalled that China and the United States were allies during World War II, highlighting the American volunteer pilots known as the Flying Tigers. He expressed hope that the two countries could build on their wartime cooperation to create a better future. At a state dinner that evening, Xi echoed the historical theme, recalling how Chinese and American forces fought against Japanese militarism, established the Hump air route, and rescued American pilots during the war.
Trump’s remarks reportedly surprised some Japanese government officials and received extensive coverage in Japanese media. On September 26, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a roughly 20-minute telephone call with Trump, who briefed her on his meeting with Xi. Takaichi emphasized that Japan and the United States had become each other’s “most trusted allies.” The two leaders exchanged views on China-related economic and security issues and reaffirmed bilateral cooperation and their shared commitment to regional and global peace and stability.
Sources:
{1} Radio France International, September 25, 2026
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/国际/20260925-特朗普称中国为-盟国-震惊日本
{2} Kyodo News, September 26, 2026
https://china.kyodonews.net/articles/-/16131
Chinese Firms and Local Governments Roll Out Marriage Incentives to Boost Birth Rates
A growing number of Chinese companies and local governments are offering cash rewards to encourage marriage and childbirth, as the country pushes to build broader social support for family formation.
In Daye, Hubei, beverage maker Jingpai organized a collective wedding for 52 couples, covering all costs and giving each pair a 10,000 yuan (US$1,490) gift package. The company also runs a matchmaking service for employees that has paired 58 couples, resulting in 10 marriages and three births so far.
Retailer Pang Dong Lai has been even more generous: since January 2025, 73 employees have received marriage bonuses totaling 3.65 million yuan (US$544,000), with 54 recipients sharing 2.7 million yuan (US$402,000) in 2026 alone. At a company event in Wuhan in February, over 50 employees who married or had children in 2025 received bonuses—10,000 yuan (US$1,490) for a single employee, doubling to 20,000 yuan (US$2,980) if both spouses work at the firm.
Local governments are joining in too. Shengzhou, Zhejiang offers free premarital and prenatal checkups plus a 300 yuan (US$45) reward for qualifying first-time marriages. Mingxi County, Fujian gives 3,000 yuan (US$447) to couples registering their first marriage locally who complete premarital checkups. In Lüliang, Shanxi, couples marrying for the first time where the bride is 35 or younger receive 1,500 yuan (US$224). Several other regions, including parts of Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Foshan, along with cities like Hangzhou, Ningbo, Yiwu, and Wuhu, have introduced similar rewards or wedding consumption vouchers.
The measures align with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which calls for strengthening family-support policies and promoting a positive marriage and childbirth culture. Scholars note that since most Chinese births occur within marriage, encouraging marriage is an extension of birth-support policy and a way to ease the broader costs of marrying, having, and raising children.
Source: Yicai, September 21, 2026
https://www.yicai.com/news/103372556.html