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Monthly Archives: June 2025 - 5. page

China’s “Temple Economy” Projected to Exceed 100 Billion Yuan as Young People Seek Spiritual Comfort

China’s “temple economy” is experiencing unprecedented growth as increasing numbers of young people flock to temples seeking spiritual comfort and purchasing temple-related merchandise. The market is projected to exceed 100 billion yuan ($13.9 billion) this year.

The temple economy refers to a comprehensive economic model centered around temples, developing through religious culture and tourism. This phenomenon has gained particular momentum among younger generations who visit temples to burn incense, pray for blessings, and purchase commemorative items as a form of emotional investment.

Beyond traditional revenue sources like entrance fees and incense offerings, the temple economy has expanded significantly through cultural and creative products. Young visitors frequently purchase items such as refrigerator magnets, canvas bags, protective amulets, and prayer bracelets. Popular examples include Beijing’s Yonghe Temple’s famous incense ash glass bead bracelets and Lingyin Temple’s eighteen-seed prayer chains.

Innovation has also emerged in this sector, with AI fortune-telling services and virtual lamp offerings attracting post-90s and post-2000s consumers as primary customer groups.

The market reached 80-90 billion yuan in 2023 and is expected to surpass the 100 billion yuan ($13.9 billion) milestone by 2025. Leading temples report substantial annual revenues: Mount Emei generates 820 million yuan ($114 million), Mount Jiuhua earns 720 million yuan ($100 million), and Lingyin Temple brings in 670 million yuan ($93 million) annually.

Industry analysts attribute this growth to people’s heightened demand for spiritual comfort and emotional support. This has driven consumption in prayer tourism, meditation experiences, and cultural products, with more consumers willing to pay for emotional value. The temple economy demonstrates stable cash flow characteristics, reflecting deeper societal needs for spiritual fulfillment in modern China.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), June 10, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202506100214.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China.com: Covid-19 Cases in China Currently at Highest Levels Since Beginning of 2025

China.com recently reported after the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released May’s Covid-19 data. The latest National Coronavirus Infection Status report shows that from May 1 to May 31, 2025, China had 440,662 new reported and confirmed Covid-19 cases in 31 provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

Liu Qiyong, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference held by the Chinese National Health Commission that the results of China’s monitoring of respiratory infectious diseases such as Covid-19 show that, since March 2025, Covid-19 has shown a gradual upward trend. At present, the national Covid-19 outbreak is at its high since the beginning of this year.

Regarding the reasons for this current peak, on the one hand, it has been half a year since the last peak, and the group immunity has declined relatively. On the other hand, the Covid-19 variants in this round are mainly XDV and XDV.1, which have a stronger ability to escape immunity and are more likely to break through the immune barrier established by previous infection or vaccination. These variants still belong to the Omicron family. There is no evidence that the pathogenicity of the variant has changed significantly, and the clinical severity of the disease has not changed significantly. Existing Covid-19 tests and drugs are still effective.

Source: China.com, June 10, 2025
http://news.china.com.cn/2025-06/10/content_117916855.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

CNA: Chinese Captain Involved in Cutting Taiwan Submarine Communications Cable Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that the Togolese cargo ship Hongtai 58 with Chinese background was suspected of towing and cutting the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 submarine communications cable in late February. The Chinese captain surnamed Wang admitted that he instructed the crew to drop anchor and was derelict in his duty, but denied any crime. The Tainan District Court sentenced him to three years in prison, which can be appealed.

The electronic nautical chart of the Hongtai 58 cargo ship did mark the location of the submarine communications cable, and this area was also announced as a prohibited anchoring warning zone, and ships were not allowed to anchor. Captain Wang instructed crew members Qin and Zhang to release six anchor chains (about 160 meters long) and the anchor claws were not firmly fixed to the seabed. The captain allowed the ship to wander in a zigzag pattern on the sea surface, causing the Taiwan-Penghu Cable No. 3 to be completely severed.

There was insufficient evidence to prove the involvement of the other seven crew members, who were deported with no prosecution carried out.

Source: CNA, June 12, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202506120208.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua: China Releases First International Standard on Predictive Maintenance

Xinhua News Agency reported on May 21 that according to information from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the first international standard for predictive maintenance, led by Chinese experts, has been officially released. “This marks a significant step in enhancing China’s international influence in the field of intelligent manufacturing technology standards,” Xinhua wrote.

The released standard, titled “Predictive Maintenance for Industrial Automation Equipment and Systems – Part 1: General Requirements”, was developed under the coordination and support of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology by a team organized by the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Industrial Process Measurement, Control, and Automation. It is currently the world’s only international standard that specifies the implementation process and technical requirements for predictive maintenance.

The standard models the common technical elements of predictive maintenance, defining the full process requirements for data collection, feature extraction, model building, and decision optimization. It also introduces indicators such as fault prediction confidence thresholds and maintenance response times, providing strong support and assurance for the safe and efficient operation of equipment. At present, hardware and software products developed based on this series of standards have been widely applied in intelligent manufacturing-related fields such as aerospace, shipbuilding, automotive, instrumentation, petrochemicals, and metallurgy.

Going forward, the team of Chinese experts will continue to promote the development of a series of international standards, aiming to build a predictive maintenance standard system composed of “General Requirements – Algorithm Evaluation – Performance Assessment,” providing key technical support for the in-depth advancement of intelligent manufacturing in China.

Source: Xinhua, May 21, 2025
https://app.xinhuanet.com/news/article.html?articleId=1cb077e72bbbe863924a5357df11da00

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Information/Technology

China Plans to Convert Auxiliary Police into Civil Servants to Strengthen Control of “Social Stability”

The Chinese public security system is planning to convert a portion of its auxiliary police officers (contractors who perform/assist police duties) into officially registered civil servants over the next two years. Several experts view this as a significant signal that the authorities are seeking to strengthen their state control system in response to potentially increasing social risks. However, they caution that it may ultimately lead to bureaucratic bloating and more government spending.

The Ministry of Public Security led the conversion effort and will implement it in phases, with the goal of completing the reclassification and partial conversion nationwide by 2027.

Data from the Ministry of Public Security showed that by the end of 2024, there were over 1.2 million auxiliary police officers in China, accounting for 46 percent of frontline police personnel. However, due to poor compensation, lax management, and low loyalty, they are increasingly unable to meet the Chinese Communist Party’s political priority of stability.

Public reports indicate that Shanghai completed the first pilot program to convert 5,000 auxiliary officers in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security officially included “auxiliary police” in the national occupational classification catalog, categorizing them as “security and fire protection support personnel.” The Ministry of Public Security classified the auxiliary officers into four categories: administrative support, law enforcement support, technical police work, and special positions. The ministry also introduced job-based salary structures and performance evaluations to improve standardization and management.

Source: Epoch Times, June 3, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/6/3/n14523333.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics Social Stability

China Expands Unilateral Visa-Free Policy to Latin America to Attract Foreign Visitors

To address its economic downturn and the decline in foreign investment, China has introduced unilateral visa-free policies to attract more foreign visitors. This initiative began with several European countries in December 2023.

Starting June 1, 2025, China has for the first time extended its visa-free policy to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, granting visa exemptions to holders of ordinary passports from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. From June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, citizens of these five countries may enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, exchanges, or transit.

With this expansion, a total of 43 countries are now eligible for China’s unilateral visa-free entry policy.

In addition, China recently launched an “ASEAN Visa” program targeting the 10 ASEAN member states and ASEAN observer Timor-Leste. Under this initiative, eligible business travelers from these 11 countries, along with their spouses and children, may apply for a five-year multiple-entry visa, with a maximum stay of up to 180 days per visit.

Sources:
1. Xinhua, June 2, 2025
http://www.news.cn/mrdx/20250602/1768df32d30f4fa39dd2e4c8f33bd7fc/c.html
2. Guancha, June 6, 2025
https://www.guancha.cn/qiche/2025_06_06_778453.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

CCP Control Over the Chinese Communist Young Pioneers

The 9th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Young Pioneers opened in Beijing from May 27 to 29. This congress is held every five years.

According to People’s Daily, as of December 31, 2024, there are 113 million Communist Young Pioneers nationwide, with 3 million team counselors at the primary and secondary school levels, and 176,000 school-level Young Pioneer Committees across China.

Communist Young Pioneer is an affiliated organization for Chinese Communist Party (CCP), whose members are children aged 6 to 14. Though it is said that joining the Young Pioneer is “at will,” most elementary schools just have all students join.

At the beginning of 2021, the CCP issued “Opinions of the CCP Central Committee on Comprehensively Strengthening the Work of the Young Pioneers in the New Era.” This document shaped a new working mechanism for the Young Pioneers: the organization is to be “led by the Party, supported by the government, with the Communist Youth League taking the lead, coordinated by the Communist Youth League and the education system, and supported by broader society.”

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, June 1, 2025
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2025/0601/c1001-40491855.html
2. People’s Daily, May 25, 2025
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2025/0525/c1001-40487248.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: China’s First Aircraft Carrier Equipped with Electromagnetic Catapult System Currently in Sea Trials

Xinhua News Agency reported that as China’s first catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian ship, is currently undergoing intensive sea trials. “Compared with conventional carriers, those using catapult-assisted takeoff offer clear advantages,” Xinhua wrote.

“First, fighter jets can take off with a full load of fuel and munitions, directly enhancing their combat capabilities. Additionally, the carrier can support fixed-wing airborne early warning aircraft, significantly boosting its early warning, surveillance, and command-and-control capabilities. Moreover, electromagnetic catapults provide precise control over launch force, making it possible to launch a wide variety of aircraft types – from large transport and early warning aircraft to smaller drones – thereby enabling greater operational flexibility.”

Xinhua cited military expert Cao Weidong: “With the use of electromagnetic catapults, the number of aircraft takeoffs and landings on the Fujian ship can increase significantly each day, greatly strengthening its ability to gain air and maritime superiority. Stealth fighters like the J-35 are also being tested for carrier operations, which further enhances Fujian’s combat capability. Fujian, once officially commissioned, will greatly improve the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s capacity for both near-seas defense and far-seas escort missions.”

Source: Xinhua, May 24, 2025
http://www.news.cn/politics/20250524/385adc8a6dda46548c1922f05ada7156/c.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military