ZGBriefs | August 1, 2024

Featured Article

Interview—Understanding China’s Transformation Firsthand with David Moser (July 29, 2024, National Committee on US-China Relations)
Arriving in China more than thirty years ago with nothing more than an interest in Chinese culture and philosophy, David Moser ended up witnessing China’s monumental evolution from a country just discovering Coca-Cola to a wealthy, worldly, and confident nation. His experiences in China inspired his enthusiasm for cultural exchange, the importance of curiosity, and the necessity of dialogue to grow greater understanding of the country he calls home.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

South China Sea: A Visual Guide to the Key Shoals, Reefs, and Islands (July 29, 2024, The Guardian)
Territorial confrontations are rising between China and a host of other nations in waters that are key to global trade. Here is a map and guide to the region, showing why its fate matters.

Xi Sets Out 2029 Vision at the Third Plenum (July 23, 2024, The Jamestown Foundation)
Xi’s position continues to appear unassailable within the Party. Indications in the plenum communiqué suggest, however, that the PRC remains in a precarious position. The external situation is characterized as “serious and complex (严峻复杂),” while the task of stable reform and development at home is viewed as “formidable and strenuous (艰巨繁重).”

Podcast—Ambassador Nicholas Burns—On the US-China Relationship (July 25, 2024, Pekingology)
In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. They discuss his time spent in China and his perception of current and future US-China relations.

Chinese Spy or Counterrevolutionary? Foreign Agent Trial Begins in Brooklyn (July 29, 2024, Reuters)
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Wang Shujun, a naturalized US citizen, exploited his leadership role among pro-democracy Chinese diaspora communities in New York to collect information about activists, and shared it with four officials in China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), an intelligence service. Wang, who emigrated to the United States in 1994, was arrested in March 2022. He pleaded not guilty to four counts including acting as a foreign agent without notifying the U.S. attorney general, and lying to U.S. authorities.

Religion

Bamboo Resilience (July 29, 2024, Desiring God)
God is faithful to his church in China. Yes, Chinese believers are resilient and innovative, and foreigners have been able to play a unique supporting role in the story of the growth of the Chinese church. However, underneath it all is God’s faithfulness.

Generation to Generation (July 24, 2024, ChinaSource)
Like a deep-water creature, we get used to the darkness, cold, and pressure. If you live in the surface water, the conditions are unbearable. But we learned how to share the gospel, pastor our churches, and advance God’s kingdom in deep water.

Olympic Gold to Missionary Sacrifice: Eric Liddell’s Legacy at 100 (July 26, 2024, The Gospel Coalition)
In 2004, Chinese athlete Liu Xiang won Olympic glory for his nation as the gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles. After his victory, he was acknowledged as the first male Chinese-born track and field Olympic champion. From the standpoint of his nationality, that may be true. If you were to go to Weifang in Shandong, however, you’d find a monument to another son of China who won track and field gold 80 years earlier.

The Legacy of Ancient Christianity for China (July 26, 2024, ChinaSource)
An examination of another and influential era of thought forces us to confront our innate prejudices and our own worldview which would otherwise go unnoticed. By delving into the writings of ancient Christians, one is confronted with different times, places, and perspectives that can change the way we think about our life in God, reading Scripture, and instruction for those who depend on us.

China’s NGO Policy: Iron Cage or Ladder to Success? (July 29, 2024, ChinaSource)
The oft-told story of social control in China’s NGO sector is a valid narrative. The “iron cage” is real. But it is not the whole story. While some focus on the bars holding them back or keeping them out, others see rungs on which to climb to new heights.

Crossing Cultures: Theology versus theology (July 30, ChinaSource)
Paul Hiebert suggests the ability to distinguish between Theology and theology is one of those critical dynamics empowering missionary efficacy. For Hiebert, Theology with a capital T is “a systematic description and explanation of the way things really are, the way God sees them;” theology with a lower-case t describes “human descriptions and explanations of reality that arise out of our study of the Bible.”

Society / Life

Leaked Plan Reveals Bid to Get Chinese Officials to Have More Kids (July 23, 2024, Radio Free Asia)
The leaked Quanzhou document, which was confirmed by health officials as a genuine leak by “negligent” staff in comments reported by Jiemian News, goes a little further than sloganeering, calling on officials lead by example and have more children themselves, while proposing an array of support services to help them.

Renmin University Professor Fired, Expelled From Party After Sexual Harassment Accusation (July 23, 2024, China Digital Times)
On Sunday, Renmin University PhD candidate Wang Di publicly accused her doctoral supervisor Wang Guiyuan (no relation) of sexual harassment and assault in a video that went viral on Chinese social media. Her supervisor was previously the Party secretary and vice dean of Renmin University’s School of Liberal Arts.

From Hero to Zero: Fake-Fueled Patriotic Marketing on Chinese Social Media Platforms (July 27, 2024, The Diplomat)
In the quest to “go viral” on social media, false stories are created deliberately with targeted content, narrative construction, and dramatization techniques. “Performative” fakes could be more convincing and compelling than reality, and even able to manipulate public perceptions and mobilize public actions.

Nike-wearing Nationalist Assaults Kimono-wearing Cosplayer While Yelling about “Cultural Invasion” (July 26, 2024, China Digital Times)
The latest outburst of anti-Japanese violence to shock China happened this week in Jiuquan, Gansu province, where a cosplayer at a mall comic-con was assaulted by a man yelling about “cultural invasion.” Ironically, the attacker was wearing Nike sneakers.

Weibo Reacts To the Paris Olympics with a Shrug (July 23, 2024, China Digital Times)
When China’s top party- and state-media outlets published a barrage of photographs documenting the activities of China’s Olympic team, many on Weibo responded with indifference, complaints about the state of the Chinese economy, or concerns over a still-unfolding food safety scandal: “Leisure activities are for the rich. Nobody here’s got any money, so nobody here cares.” – 龙标遥寄

Economics / Trade / Business

Luxury Brands Suffer as Chinese Shoppers Hold Back (July 24, 2024, BBC News)
LVMH says its sales in Asia, which include China but not Japan, fell by 14% in the three months to the end of June, worsening from a 6% decline in the first quarter. The Paris-based firm is not alone, as many of its competitors are also seeing sales slow in the world’s second largest economy. It comes as Chinese shoppers cut back on expensive purchases and government censors shut down social media accounts of influencers who have shown off their luxury goods online.

“High Quality, Low Price and Dizzying Variety”: How the Chinese Switched to Electric Cars (July 24, 2024, The Guardian)
China’s EV industry has exploded thanks to years of government subsidies and tax breaks, and major intervention in development of technology and infrastructure, as well as policies designed to encourage buyers—like the free license plates.

China’s E-Commerce Platforms Are Poised to Rival Amazon’s Empire (July 25, 2024, East Asia Forum)
If Amazon is worried about competition from China, it only has itself to blame. In 2013, Amazon introduced its third-party marketplace platform to Chinese manufacturers. Unwittingly, it showed them what it takes to challenge Amazon itself.

Education

At China’s Top Schools, Good Isn’t Always Enough (July 24, 2024, Sixth Tone)
This year’s gaokao college entrance exam season is over, and China’s Class of 2024 is checking the mail for their acceptance letters. The biggest winners of this annual ritual are those admitted to one of China’s prestigious “985” universities: A set of 39 higher education institutions singled out for increased funding in 1998 by the “985 Project,” which aims to create world-class universities on the Chinese mainland. But acceptance into a 985 university is no guarantee of an easy life, or even an easy job search.

Health / Environment

Mudslide Kills 15 People Near Tourist Site in China as Rains from Tropical Storm Gaemi Drench Region (July 28, 2024, AP News)
Fifteen people were killed after a mudslide hit a homestay house in a tourist area in southeastern China on Sunday as heavy rains from what remained of a tropical storm drenched the region, state media said. The deaths were the first in China that appear linked to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall on Thursday.

China Targets Childhood Obesity with Urgent New Guidelines on Food and Exercise (July 24, 2024, South China Morning Post)
With one-fifth of Chinese aged 6-17 deemed overweight or obese, Beijing is looking to increase physical exercise and improve nutrition to safeguard the health of young people.

Science / Technology

Wind and Solar to Surpass 40% of China’s Power Capacity by Year-End (July 27, 2024, South China Morning Post)
Wind and solar are expected to account for more than 40% of China’s total installed power generation capacity by the end of the year, after exceeding coal-fired capacity for the first time in the first half, according to the country’s power trade association.

China’s Secretive Spaceplane Likely Testing “Dual Use” Technology, Experts Say (July 24, 2024, Reuters)
As militaries worldwide develop complex satellite networks, a reusable spacecraft that can interfere with them could have immense value, Langbroek and three other experts said. China has never disclosed what technologies the spacecraft has tested, nor has the spaceplane been publicly photographed since it began operating.

Travel / Food

The Oriental Magpie—Beijing’s Smartest Bird? (July 25, 2024, The Beijinger Blog)
If you’ve not seen them yet, you’ve definitely heard them squawking their distinctive “chachacha” from early morning to night, or else hopping about on the ground scouring for food and bits and pieces for their massive ball-like nests. Magpies are as much a part of Beijing as the Forbidden City and Peking duck. But how much do you really know about them?

Arts / Entertainment/ Media

Xi’s Ten-Year Bid to Remake China’s Media (July 24, 2024, China Media Project)
History has taught China’s leadership that communication technology is a capricious force. More so, perhaps, than even at the dawn of the internet era in the late 1990s, drawing on the difficult lessons of the decade that followed, Xi Jinping is determined to pre-write the history of communication technology in the 21st century and its impact on politics at home and globally.

Behind the Numbers: China’s Big Market for Mini Games (July 26, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Requiring no bloated downloads or lengthy installations, the sector has come a long way since WeChat debuted its first mini game, Tiao yi tiao, in 2017. According to a report from China Merchants Securities, the mini game market is expected reach 42 billion yuan this year, up nearly twofold from 2022.

Creative Chaos: The Chinese Students Pushing the Limits of Art (July 26, 2024, Sixth Tone)
When it comes to university majors with the most eccentric students, the experimental arts program at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) would definitely make the list. Every year, up to 30 students are recruited to the major, which is under the School of Experimental and Sci-Tech Arts.                     

Pray for China

August 3 (Pray for China: A Walk Through History)
On Aug. 3, 1967, 59-year-old evangelist Huang Enyu (黄恩余弟兄) was beaten to death by Red Guards in Lucheng, Jiangsu. Huang had worked as an evangelist in the 1930s and later established an orphanage in Shanghai. During the Civil War, he worked at a clinic that served wounded soldiers of both the Communist and Nationalist armies. Huang was repeatedly persecuted during the 1950s as a former evangelist and because as a doctor he had helped Nationalist soldiers. At the time of his death, he was serving as a school doctor. Pray for the children and grandchildren of those persecuted in Jiangsu during the Cultural Revolution to walk with the Lord and not forget His faithfulness.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23