Beijing:

China is targeting citizens studying abroad for their political activism, rights group Amnesty International said Monday, with some students reporting harassment of family members back home.

China does not tolerate political dissent and has used sophisticated tech tools as well as intimidation to crack down on domestic protestors and activists.

And Beijing’s curbs on political activism are increasingly expanding abroad in the form of “transnational repression”, Amnesty International said in a report, citing interviews with dozens of students in eight European and North American countries.

Overseas students reported that family members in China received threats after they attended events abroad including commemorations of the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to the group.

“Threats made to family members in mainland China included to revoke their passports, get them fired from their jobs, prevent them from receiving promotions and retirement benefits, or even limiting their physical freedom,” it claimed.

Students also said they had been blocked from posting and surveilled on Chinese social apps — often the only way to communicate with family members due to Beijing’s internet firewall.

One student told Amnesty International that police showed his parents “transcripts of his online WeChat conversations with family members”.

Students said they actively self-censored during classes and social interactions and complained of mental health problems caused by the feeling of pervasive surveillance, “ranging from stress and trauma to paranoia and depression”.

“I would really want to publish my thesis… but I’m worried, so I chose not to,” one student told Amnesty.

Beijing has not yet responded to Monday’s report, but has previously rejected mounting criticism in recent years that it targets citizens living abroad, insisting that it respects other countries’ sovereignty and that any law enforcement operations are conducted in accordance with the law.

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A Long March rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-18 spaceship blast off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, on April 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station on April 25 as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket at 8:59 p.m. (1259 GMT).

The spacecraft’s three-member crew will relieve the Shenzhou-17 team, which has been staffing China’s Tiangong space station since last October.

The China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA, held a send-off ceremony — complete with flag-waving children and patriotic music — for the Shenzhou-18 crew earlier on Thursday, as the three astronauts prepared to enter the spacecraft.

The trio is made of Commander Ye Guangfu, 43, a veteran astronaut who took part in the Shenzhou-13 mission in 2021, and fighter pilots Li Cong, 34, and Li Guangsu, 36, who are spaceflight rookies.

They are expected to reach the space station about six-and-a-half hours after liftoff.

China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of U.S. concerns over the Chinese military’s involvement in the program. This year, the Chinese station is slated for two cargo spacecraft missions and two manned spaceflight missions.

The Shenzhou-18 crew will spend about six months on the space station. They will conduct scientific tests, install space debris protection equipment on the station, carry out payload experiments, and popularize science education, among other things, according to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.

Lin also said China was working toward eventually offering access to its space station to foreign astronauts and space tourists.

“We will accelerate the research and promotion of the participation of foreign astronauts and space tourists on flights on China’s space station,” he said in a press conference Wednesday.

The country is planning a mission to bring back samples from Mars around 2030 and three lunar probe missions over the next four years. It also wants to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources.

The U.S. space program is believed to still hold a significant edge over China’s due to its spending, supply chains and capabilities. However, China has broken out in some areas, bringing samples back from the lunar surface for the first time in decades and landing a rover on the less explored far side of the moon.

The U.S. aims to put a crew back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025 as part of a renewed commitment to crewed missions, aided by private sector players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, speaks at the Western Pacific Navy Symposium held in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong Province on April 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

One of China’s top military leaders took a harsh line on regional territorial disputes, telling an international naval gathering in northeastern China on April 22 that the country would strike back with force if its interests came under threat.

The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium opened in Qingdao, where China’s northern naval force is based, providing a vivid backdrop to China’s massive military expansion over the past two decades that has seen it build or refurbish three aircraft carriers.

The two-day talks have drawn representatives from partners and competitors including Australia, Cambodia, Chile, France, India and the U.S. and comes amid heightened tensions over China’s assertive actions in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China seas, and as China’s Navy has grown into the world’s largest by number of hulls.

Zhang Youxia, the Vice-Chairman of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces, spoke of “common development” and said “decoupling, friction and confrontation will only divide the world into isolated islands guarding against each other with suspicion.”

Then he turned to China’s territorial claims, which have not been recognised under international law and in some cases have been denied. Beijing has ignored rulings not in its favour, particularly in the South China Sea, where it is in dispute with five other parties over islands, waterways and undersea resources.

Japan continues to defend its control over the uninhabited Senkaku island chain, called Diaoyu by China, in the East China Sea, against incursions by the Chinese coast guard.

Taiwan last week reinforced its foothold in the disputed South China Sea by establishing satellite communications between the main island and its garrison on Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, the largest land feature in the highly contested Spratly Island chain. China has created seven artificial islands in the area by piling sand and cement on coral reefs and equipping them with airstrips and other military infrastructure.

Mr. Zhang said China’s territorial sovereignty “brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland.”

Mr. Zhang has spoken in the past of Beijing’s determination to take control of the self-governing island republic of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory, using force if necessary. With its crucial high-tech economy, Taiwan has been building up its defences on its own and with help from the U.S., where Congress this weekend approved $8 billion in military aid for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.

Taiwan is also building its own submarines and trainer aircraft and waiting on the delivery of upgraded versions of F-16 fighters, battle tanks and other hardware from the U.S.

Mr. Zhang appeared to press China’s unilateralist approach to foreign relations and military conflicts as espoused by Xi Jinping, the top military commander, Communist Party leader and head-of-state for life, who has eliminated all dissenting views.

China “remains committed to resolving maritime disputes with directly concerned countries through friendly consultations, but we will not allow our good faith to be abused,” Mr. Zhang said. “Particularly over the self-governing island republic of Taiwan that Beijing threatens to use force to bring under its control. We will take justified actions to defend our rights in accordance with the law.”

Mr. Zhang’s comments follow a major shakeup of the Chinese military in recent months that has seen the still-unexplained disappearance of former Defence Minister Li Shangfu and several top officers in the missile corps.

Also due to speak at the gathering was the recently appointed head of the Russian Navy, Adm. Alexander Moiseyev, the Russian Defence Ministry said on April 22, according to the official Interfax news agency.

It said Adm. Moiseyev met with Adm. Hu Zhongming, commander of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, in Qingdao on April 21, and they agreed to further cooperation on search and rescue.

“The sides emphasised the importance of further developing cooperation between the two countries’ fleets for supporting security and stability on the world’s oceans,” Interfax said.

China has refused to criticise Russia’s full-on invasion of Ukraine and has held multiple rounds of drills with the Russian Navy and other armed forces branches, part of an alignment of their military and political postures to form a joint front against the prevailing U.S.-led Western liberal order.

Ukraine has developed deadly sea drones that have struck Russian Navy ships in the Black Sea. Those successful strikes have embarrassed the Kremlin.

A divorce court in China has ordered a man to pay his disabled wife 30,000 yuan (approximately Rs 352,000 or $4,200) as compensation after he called her “trash”. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the court described the man, named Zhao, as a domestic abuser as he frequently insulted his wife, surnamed Qian. The couple got married in 2007 and became parents to two children, but their lives changed after Ms Qian became disabled in a traffic accident in 2015. 

After the car crash, Mr Zhao’s attitude changed towards his wife, the outlet reported. He began to disrespect Ms Qian, ignoring her and verbally abusing her. When he filed for divorce, Ms Quan consented and made a claim for damages. During multiple hearings, the court learned that Mr Zhao showed no love or care for his wife. When Ms Qian needed more support because of her disability, he constantly humiliated and oppressed her instead. 

The court believed Mr Zhao did harm to Ms Qian. It ruled that his belittling behaviour towards the wife had constituted psychological abuse and his verbal attacks had totalled up to domestic violence. 

The court decided Mr Zhao should pay Ms Qian compensation of 30,000 yuan and be awarded only 40% of the value of the jointly-owned property. 

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The story saw a lot of angry reactions from users on Chinese social media. “There was no need to humiliate her. She must have suffered a lot,” one user said. “Since the beginning of her disability, the man’s purpose has clearly been to divorce her,” said another.

“Do you not think the penalty was too mild?” asked another. “How did she tolerate the abuse for years? Poor woman,” expressed a fourth user. 

Notably, China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law of 2016 stipulates that abusers who cause severe injury or death to victims can be jailed for up to seven years.

A collision Wednesday between a cargo ship and a fishing boat near the southern Chinese island of Hainan has left eight people missing, state media reported, as search efforts continued.

The SITC Danang container ship, which sails under a Panamanian flag, collided with a fishing vessel around 15 minutes after midnight (1615 GMT), state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The impact caused the fishing vessel to sink, and eight people aboard fell into the water, the report said.

As of CCTV’s report at just after 8:00 pm, none of the missing people had been found, and search and rescue efforts are still underway.

After receiving notice of the incident, Hainan emergency response personnel dispatched military and police search teams to the site — as of 5:30 pm, 21 ships and five aircraft were at the scene, CCTV said.

An image published by the broadcaster showed a bright orange emergency life raft floating on the area of sea where the collision happened, though no people were visible.

“The cause of the the accident is under investigation,” added CCTV.

The collision occurred about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the town of Yinggehai on the the far southwest coast of Hainan, according to the report.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, speaks at the opening ceremony of Boao Forum of Asia, in Boao in southern China’s Hainan province on March 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

China’s top legislator Zhao Leji on March 28 said that Asia has endured both “hot and cold” wars and they should prevent the world from becoming an arena for “geopolitical fighting” and welcomed all countries to board China’s “express train” of development.

Mr. Zhao, Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, was speaking at the opening session of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2024, an international organisation of 29 member states, including many leaders from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries such as Sri Lanka.

Also Read | All eyes are now on the Indian Ocean region

Speaking at the same session, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunewardane, said that Sri Lanka’s port development has taken a new turn of “advanced” development with the assistance of China and it will “change the present scenario”.

A day earlier, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister had said that China has pledged to develop the island nation’s strategic deep sea port and the capital’s airport after talks with his counterpart in Beijing, according to AFP.

“Colombo port will become a hub of a newly developed port with financial instruments that could cater to the new demands that are growing among ourselves, among our countries, for development and investment, which is essential. This will change the present scenario from East Asia to East Africa, and the blue seas that we all could work together for the future that we face in a successful and a great joint program are what we look forward to,” Mr. Gunawardena said on March 28.

Sri Lanka’s southern sea port of Hambantota was handed to a Chinese state-owned company in 2017 on a 99-year lease for $1.12 billion. India and the U.S. are both concerned that a Chinese foothold at the port could boost China’s naval advantage in the Indian Ocean.

In December 2023, amid repeated messages from New Delhi, Colombo announced a year-long moratorium on foreign research vessels visiting Sri Lankan waters.

Walk together

Mr. Zhao said that Asian countries have the fine tradition of helping each other out in trying times and they have overcome one difficulty after another on their paths to development.

“Now in a phase of clamours for division and confrontation, it is essential that we stay independent, seek strength through unity, and continue to walk side by side with each other. (We should) jointly oppose unilateralism and self-serving practices, oppose picking sides and bloc confrontation and prevent this region and the world from becoming an arena for geopolitical fighting,” he said.

Mr. Zhao called on all countries to transcend the “old mentality” of bloc confrontation and zero-sum games and practice genuine multilateralism to jointly build an open world economy. “We must oppose trade protectionism and all forms of erecting barriers, decoupling, or severing of supply chains,” he said.

Mr. Zhao said that people in Asia have endured both hot and cold wars, as well as hardships and tribulations, leading them to deeply cherish the value of peace. He added that China will make it more convenient for foreigners to work, study, and travel in China.

The BFA, which concluded on Friday, was held in Hainan — the southern most and the only tropical island province of China — in the South China Sea, not very far from Philippines, amidst an ongoing tension between both the countries.

(The correspondent attended the Boao Forum for Asia at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy Association)

A file photo of Chinese Premier Li Qiang 
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China’s government said on Monday that it is eliminating an annual news conference by the Prime Minister that was one of the rare times a top Chinese leader took questions from journalists.

Lou Qinjian, the spokesperson for the National People’s Congress, said on the eve of the opening of the legislature’s annual session that Premier Li Qiang would not hold a news conference at its conclusion, as Premiers have done every year since 1993.

The weeklong meeting of the largely ceremonial congress, which opens Tuesday, is being closely watched for any indications of what steps the government will take to boost the struggling economy

A Chinese paramilitary police officer walks at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on March 3, 2024, ahead of the country’s annual legislative meetings known as the “Two Sessions”.
| Photo Credit: AFP

China’s annual political conclave kicks off in Beijing on March 4, with officials saying the flagging economy and youth unemployment are of “great concern” as they lay out plans for the coming year.

Armed police and public security workers are ubiquitous on Beijing streets as thousands of delegates arrive for the beginning of the annual “Two Sessions” gatherings.

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Proceedings kick off Monday at 3:00 p.m. (0700 GMT) with the opening ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – attended by President Xi Jinping and other party top brass – which will last until Sunday, March 10.

At a press conference on March 3, CPPCC spokesperson Liu Jieyi said that “economic topics are of great concern” to the body’s more than two thousand members.

So, too, was “the employment of young people, especially fresh graduates”, he said, with youth unemployment officially at around 15% at the end of 2023, after the statistics bureau adjusted its calculation methods.

Monday’s CPPCC is relatively low-stakes compared to the near-simultaneous gathering of the country’s legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC).

The NPC begins on March 5 and runs until March 11, spokesperson Lou Qinjian told a press conference on Monday.

The meetings are not expected to see the unveiling of big-ticket bailouts that experts say are needed to stimulate China’s economy, which last year posted some of its lowest growth in decades.

Focus on economy

Mr. Lou on Monday struck a bullish tone, saying Beijing’s leaders had “ample confidence” that the economy would rebound.

“China has more favourable conditions than challenges in its economic development,” he insisted.

“The underlying trend of a rebound in the economy and long-term growth remains unchanged,” he said.

But, he added, Premier Li Qiang would not be holding a press conference at the end of the NPC, in a break with decades-long tradition.

Mr. Li had used the briefing last year to warn that Beijing’s modest growth goals would be “no easy task”.

China is also set to double down on national security, with analysts expecting it to increase its military budget, second only to the United States.

Beijing revised a law dramatically expanding its definition of espionage last year and conducted raids on a string of big-name consulting, research and due diligence firms.

The legislature’s top body also approved a broad and vaguely worded revision to the country’s state secrets law in the run-up to the NPC.

Lynette Ong, a professor at the University of Toronto, told AFP there would “be continued emphasis on security”.

“I don’t expect any major policy change such as important structural reforms that will change the course of economic trajectory,” she added.

On paper, the NPC wields little actual power.

All major decisions will have been made weeks before in closed-door meetings of the Communist Party, far from the international media’s cameras.

But the topics that are up for discussion and the tone of the speeches allow for key insights into what’s keeping China’s rulers up at night, analysts say.

“Balancing security with the need to keep the economy ticking over while other issues are worked out is at the centre of policymaker’s minds,” said Diana Choyleva, chief economist at Enodo Economics.

A self-proclaimed “tumour research institute” in China is under investigation after a woman exposed how her cancer-stricken mother was duped into paying a staggering 200,000 yuan (approximately Rs 22.76 lakh) for treatments that include bloodletting and even applying cement to her skin.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the woman, surnamed Wang, learned that her mother had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at the end of 2021. Soon after diagnosis, the two women were introduced to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Wuhan, who claimed to specialise in treating cancer. They travelled to meet the man, surnamed Yu, at his Dongyusanbao Tumour Research Institute, where he told them he had invented a medicine that could kill cancer cells.

According to Ms Wang, Mr Yu went to great lengths to convince the two women, showcasing what appeared to be credible patent documents and prestigious awards certificates for his cancer treatment. 

Filled with hope, Ms Wang’s mother immediately purchased the first batch of liquid medication from Mr Yu at a cost of 20,000 yuan (US$2,700), which he assured was a simple oral remedy. Over the course of a year, Ms Wang said she and her mother flew to Wuhan from their home in northeastern Liaoning province six times. This journey took a severe financial toll, with the total expenditure racing over 200,000 yuan. 

Moreover, in addition to giving the elderly woman oral medication, Mr Yu also made dozens of injections into her breasts to make her lose blood, Ms Wang said, as per the outlet. He bizarrely also told the woman to apply a mixture of cement and lime skin under her armpits, claiming that it would aid in shrinking the cancerous lumps. 

“He told my mother to apply cement mixed with lime on the skin under her armpits, saying this could help shrink lumps. My mother followed his instructions but her skin festered after doing it for two months,” Ms Wang said.

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However, in April this year, Ms Wang’s mother’s condition deteriorated and local doctors told her that the cancer cells had spread across her body. But Mr Yu insisted that was normal and even told them not to worry. He even convinced the woman to continue drinking his medicine. However, this ultimately led to the mother’s death in June, Ms Wang said. 

According to SCMP, Mr Yu later confessed that neither he nor his institute have any medical qualifications. “I am not practising medicine. I just sold them health-enhancing products. My method of bloodletting is aimed at promoting good health, it is not acupuncture,” Mr Yu said. He also confessed that the certificates and documents he had shown the two women were, in fact, bought online for a few thousand yuan. The authorities are now still investigating the bizarre case.

A man reads a newspaper with an obituary of late former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on a bulletin board in Beijing, China October 28, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China will cremate the remains of former Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, when flags will fly at half mast across the country in mourning for an “outstanding” leader, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Li, a former economist and pro-reform leader who served as the premier for 10 years before retiring in March, died of a heart attack on Friday.

His remains were transferred to Beijing from Shanghai aboard a special flight on that day, Xinhua reported.

“He was extolled as an excellent CPC member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the state,” Xinhua said on Tuesday, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

On the day of the cremation, national flags will fly at half-mast to mourn Li at the capital’s Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, the foreign ministry as well as seats of local governments across the country, and diplomatic missions, Xinhua said.

Li’s death was a huge loss to the Communist Party and the nation, according to an official obituary posted by Xinhua last week.

But Li, once viewed as a Communist Party leadership contender, was sidelined in recent years, analysts and diplomats said, as President Xi Jinping tightened his grip on economic policymaking.