Skip to content

Hot Topics

Xinhua: Xi Jinping Encourages Youths to Go to Rural Areas

Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News Agency recently reported that Xi Jinping encourages Chinese youths to go to rural areas or “wherever the country and the people need them most.”

The report stated that Xieyite Primary School, located in Halajun Township of Atush City in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, is a village-level school situated 47 kilometers from the national border. The school primarily serves Kirghiz students and, in August 2022, became the first pilot site in the prefecture for the “Volunteer Teaching Program for the Western Region.”

Recently, members of the school’s volunteer teaching team wrote a letter to Xi Jinping, sharing their experiences and expressing their commitment to remaining rooted in the western frontier and serving the local community.

In his written reply, Xi Jinping extended warm regards to the volunteers and offered high expectations for China’s youth nationwide:

“In recent years, an increasing number of young people have chosen to volunteer in China’s western regions, rural areas, and grassroots communities. Their selfless dedication reflects the high-spirited outlook and strong sense of responsibility characteristic of the youth in the new era. I hope young people will firmly uphold their ideals and beliefs, cultivate a deep love for the country, develop strong professional skills, and carry forward the spirit of perseverance. May they shine wherever the country and the people need them most and contribute their youthful strength to the cause of Chinese modernization.”

Source: Xinhua, May 4, 2025
http://mrdx.xinhuanet.com/20250504/7b0e85f6558c4338a5978179275a2721/c.html

Hot Topics | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: US Soft Power Is Evaporating

Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Communist Party’s official state news agency published an article, titled “U.S. Soft Power Is Evaporating – The Decline of U.S. Soft Power and the Fall of Hegemony.” Below are some key excerpts from the article.

Recently, the decline of United States’ soft power has become a frequently mentioned topic among Western scholars and media outlets, with much of the criticism directed at the Trump administration.

In fact, the U.S. has long pursued hegemonic interests through the abuse of military intervention and economic coercion in international affairs. Meanwhile, domestic political polarization, social division, and widespread dysfunction have increasingly revealed the true nature of the U.S. to the world. According to international public opinion and experts, the decline of American soft power is now widely acknowledged and seen as irreversible – Trump’s return to power has only accelerated the downfall of U.S. hegemony.

Joseph Nye, the former dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School and the scholar who coined the term “soft power,” believes that a nation’s soft power depends on the attractiveness of its culture and values, as well as the perceived legitimacy of its policies. In a recent commentary for the Financial Times, Nye criticized President Trump for expressing interest in “buying” Greenland, coveting the Panama Canal, and bullying allies and developing nations. However, these policies are driven by “coercion and transaction,” that are neither legitimate nor reasonable and have seriously damaged U.S. soft power.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has wielded tariffs like a weapon, creating chaos and uncertainty worldwide.

The disorder and inconsistency of Trump’s governance have further disillusioned the public. His large-scale dismissal of federal employees and proposals to dismantle departments like the Department of Education have been labeled by U.S. media as “purges.” The “Signal Gate” scandal exposed top U.S. officials using group chats on messaging apps to discuss and plan military operations. His administration’s immigration deportation efforts led to legal battles, with the Justice Department even invoking a wartime law over 200 years old to justify its actions.

Yet the Trump administration shows little concern over the erosion of U.S. soft power.

As the U.S. increasingly relies on coercion and even force in its foreign policy, its national strength will be further drained. Its increasingly aggressive and domineering image will continue to undermine its soft power – ultimately hastening the end of American hegemony.

Source: Xinhua, April 29, 2025
http://www.xinhuanet.com/fortune/20250429/9b72ee417e60472cad54f8829213786c/c.html

Hot Topics | | |   @CS Government/Politics US-China Relations

Professors from Top Chinese University Allegedly Call to End CCP Rule

On April 28, a manifesto allegedly co-authored by Lin Ying, Dean of the School of Bioscience and Bioengineering at South China University of Technology, and Han Shuangyan, Dean’s Assistant, circulated online, calling on Chinese citizens and young students to “stand up against the regime that oppresses us and deprives us of our human rights, and fight for democracy and freedom!”

The manifesto made points about:

  • “Xi Jinping’s Reappointment: The Endless Continuation of One-Party Rule”
  • “Recent Events: Intensifying Hardship and Oppression Among the People”
  • “The Zero-COVID Policy and Public Anger”
  • “The ‘996’ Work Schedule and Youth Struggles” {Editor’s Note: ‘996’ refers to a common abuse of Chinese white-collar workers, who have to work from 9am to 9pm for 6 days every week.}

The manifesto states “If you do not stand up today, you may become another victim of history tomorrow. Now is the time for your voices to be heard! You must not only call for freedom, democracy, and justice, but also fight for a future where you can think, choose, and speak freely.”

Demands from the document include:

  1. Ending one-party rule and implementing democratic elections.
  2. Restoring freedom of speech and ensuring freedom of the press.
  3. Improving livelihoods and achieving a fair society.
  4. Establishing the rule of law and protecting human rights.

The letter is signed by Lin Ying and Han Shuangyan, with their handwritten signatures, resident ID numbers, and a red official university stamp.

At this time, the authenticity of the manifesto and its claimed authorship has not been verified. Neither Lin Ying nor Han Shuangyan has publicly responded either.

Source: China News, April 28, 2025
https://news.creaders.net/china/2025/04/28/2862324.html

Hot Topics | | |   @CS Social Stability

CCP Designates December 24th as Day of Commemoration for Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Replacing Christmas Eve

In December 2024, Chinese media, including the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency, has asserted that December 24th should not be celebrated as Christmas Eve, but rather as the victory day of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir (长津湖战役). This battle marked the first major military confrontation between the Chinese army and U.S. and U.N. forces during the Korean War.

Netizens discovered that, following 2019, platforms including Baidu and other Chinese internet sites made alterations to the timeline of the battle, changing its end date from December 13, 1950, to December 24th. This revision provided Chinese media with a basis on which to “reclaim” Christmas Eve as a day for promotion of the CCP’s anti-U.S. narrative.

Sources:
1. Radio Free Asia, December 25, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/china-christmas-eve-battle-of-lake-changjin-nationalism-12252024112521.html
2.  Aboluo, December 29, 2024
https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/1229/2152143.html

Hot Topics | | |   @CS Defense/Military Government/Politics US-China Relations

Public Opinion: The Six Huge Costs of the Three-Year Zero-COVID Policy

Lao Man (老蛮), an individual commentator in China, known for his writing on China’s economy, posted an article to list six prices that China paid for adopting the “zero-COVID” policy for the past three years:

  1. The fiscal deficit increased by 60 percent in those three years.
  2. The collapse of municipal investment companies (these companies are set up by local governments as a vehicle to raise money to finance government spending, usually using land which the government owns as collateral).
  3. The collapse of the government’s credibility.
  4. The collapse of the birth rate.
  5. The withdrawal (departing from China) of foreign companies.
  6. The general public’s decision not to take out loans to finance their purchases after they lost hope in the future.

Source: China News Digest, May 8, 2023
http://hx.cnd.org/2023/05/08/老蛮：清零三年的六个巨大代价/

Hot Topics | | |   @CS Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Renting a “Girlfriend”

China’s one-child policy has now generated a new industry – “The girlfriend” rental business. Chinese tradition is that a son (but not a daughter) will carry on the family heritage. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forced people to have only one child, some families chose to abort the pregnancy if the baby was a girl. China’s seventh census in 2020 showed that the male to female ratio in China was 105 to 100 and there were 35.9 million more males than females.

As a result, many young men cannot find girlfriends. Of course, there are reasons such as work pressure and so on other than the population parity. A new business started that when a young man goes home for Chinse New Year or other occasion, he hires a woman to go together with him and act as his girlfriend to quiet down his parents’ pressure on him to find a girlfriend.

An article reported that in the year 2022, a woman lending herself out as a “girlfriend” charged 1,000 yuan per day for her services (the price could go to 2,500 yuan per day during holidays) and she made 40,000 yuan (US$ 6,000) from this business.

Source: Guancha, March 17, 2023
https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2023_03_17_684476.shtml

Hot Topics | | |   Economy/Resources

People’s Lives: Self-Employed Chinese Are Quitting the Social Security Program

Facing a big shortage in the government’s medical insurance system (partly due to COVID spending and partly due to corruption), many local governments have adjusted the medical insurance funds: The first adjustment was to cut the monthly payments to individual healthcare accounts for those who are company employees. The second was to cancel the monthly payment to self-employed people.

This triggered the public’s concern about the government’s changing its policy at will.

As a result, many self-employed people recently decided to quit their participation in the government’s social security program. The reasons: One, they cannot afford the monthly contribution of 1,492 yuan, while many of them have a monthly income of only three or four thousand yuan. Two, the government keeps adjusting the benefit payout plan. Some local governments extended the minimum contribution period from 15 years to 25 or 30 years, and there is a rumor that the government may defer the retirement age to 65. This means the participants will have many more years to contribute but fewer years to receive benefits. On a simple calculation without adjusting for inflation, paying 1,492 yuan per month for 20 years will end up contributing 358,000 yuan in total. If the retiree starts to receive a social security payment of 2,000 yuan per month at age 65, he needs to live to age 80 to break even, but the average age for Chinese is only 77. Thus many people may end up receiving less than what they contributed. Therefore, they would rather keep the money in their own account instead of putting it in the government’s account.

According to the National Labor Union’s statistics, in the year 2021, China had over 200 million self-employed people. Only 48.6 million, or 24 percent, participated in the social security program.

Sources:
1. 51.ca website, February 21, 2023
https://info.51.ca/articles/1186931
2. Radio Free Asia, February 21, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/gt2-02212023020155.html

Hot Topics | | |   @CS Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Public Opinion: Why Can’t People Who Work Hard Have a Better Life?

Recently, an Internet posting triggered Chinese people to discuss whether work can lead to prosperity. Quite a number of people doubted it. This could be a sign that more people may choose Tang Ping (Lying Flat or Relaxing) in their lives.

An Internet video by two college graduates, one from a worker’s family and one from a farmer’s family, talked about the fact that, after working for five years, they were not able to save any money at all. Both of them had graduated from decent universities in China, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, and the Hubei Province and Communication University of China. One changed 12 jobs in five years and saved less than 5,000 yuan (US$720). One works as a cleaner in a restaurant. Both of them showed a positive attitude while facing a harsh life.

Many comments said that it was true that these days many college graduates can not find decent jobs and thus have struggled to make ends meet.

In another incident, the People’s Daily website published an article, “Do It Diligently and Life Will Become Sweeter and Sweeter.” However, many people questioned whether working hard will really get people a good life. One author used her own family’s example to explain. She said that everyone in her entire family, from her grandparents to her parents-in-law and then to her husband, all were extremely hardworking but they didn’t save much money, not to mention having a better life.

Sources:
1. China Digital Times, February 14, 2023
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/692967.html
2. Zhihu, February 16, 2023
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/607066570

Hot Topics | | |   Economy/Resources