China’s education ministry recently introduced a new curriculum for primary and secondary students with the aim of teaching life skills. From cooking to technology applications, young children will be better equipped to face society. However, parents have voiced their concerns about the added burden on both children and parents.
Society
Society
Chinese internet celebrities have landed in hot water since social media platforms began displaying the IP addresses of posts by verified accounts. Netizens are crying foul as the locations of these individuals have potentially exposed the deception and falsehoods in their content and “patriotic” personae. Is this the end for the “patriotic Big Vs”?
Society
With over ten million Chinese university students set to graduate this year, the competition for jobs will be more intense than ever, and it does not help that certain sectors are scaling back recruitments for various reasons. Can the potential mismatch of jobs and skills be rectified? And will the impact of youth employment difficulties spill over to other areas?
Economy
Zaobao’s China Desk analyses the impact of the recent China Eastern Airlines crash, touted as China’s worst aviation disaster since 2010. This comes at a time when China has been improving its flight safety record and its airlines are struggling to recover from the losses suffered from the Covid-19 slowdown. Will the aviation industry regroup and come back stronger from this?
Economy
Chinese concept stocks plunged after the US Securities and Exchange Commissions’ recent announcement that another five US-listed Chinese companies might be delisted for non-compliance with US regulations. Although there was a rebound after Vice-Premier Liu He’s reassurance that China will implement policies to stabilise the stock market and support overseas listings, Chinese companies looking to raise capital abroad will still have to deal with two sets of inherently contradictory regulations from the US and China.
Politics
The US’s long-running policy of strategic ambiguity towards the Taiwan Strait has created a delicate balance on the Taiwan issue, and the US believes that with ambiguity, Beijing will think twice about taking military action against Taiwan, as it can never be sure if the Americans will come to Taiwan's aid. However, with the Ukraine war, some Taiwanese and Americans are questioning the effectiveness of strategic ambiguity. Since Russia has attacked Ukraine without the latter joining NATO, wouldn't Beijing do the same to Taiwan even if the latter does not declare de jure independence? They ask: Isn't it time to review the strategic ambiguity policy?
Society
As the impact of the pandemic persists, some 200 million people are choosing flexible employment, which gives them greater freedom in terms of work hours, work location and income. While the media is eager to highlight success stories of those in glamorous jobs such as livestreaming, in reality, companies are hiring general workers for odd jobs instead. How far do the statistics reflect the actual situation?
Society
The Beijing Winter Olympics has featured some naturalised China athletes, not least skier Eileen Gu and figure skater Zhu Yi, as well as the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. These naturalised athletes have come under close scrutiny, and Zhu Yi’s poor performance in particular has come under fire. What makes for an effective naturalised athlete policy?
Politics
Amid the Kuomintang’s current slump in popularity and dynamism, one man might be the one to give it the spark it needs: Wayne Chiang, the great-grandson of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. But will Wayne Chiang’s family name and background be an asset or burden in his bid for Taipei mayor in the upcoming election later this year? And will Taiwan see another Chiang as president in future?