A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
China approves Genuine Biotech's HIV drug for COVID patients (July 25, 2022, Reuters) The availability of effective COVID vaccines and treatments is crucial in laying the groundwork for China's potential pivoting from its "dynamic COVID zero" policy, which aims to eliminate every outbreak - however small - and relies on mass testing and strict quarantining.
What inflation? China’s peppercorn purveyors are feeling the heat (July 15, 2022, The New York Times) (subscription required) The Sichuan peppercorns are ripe here in southwestern China, with a spicy, minty fragrance emanating from the rows of scrubby trees.
China’s Top 10 Most Livable Cities, According to Chinese Youth (July 9, 2022, Radii China) Last week, China’s biggest lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu published a study revealing the factors that impact young Chinese people’s decisions on where to live in the country. Changsha, a city in Central China known for its underground scene, tops the list.
Exclusive: Pope hopes China deal on bishops will be renewed soon (July 5, 2022, Reuters) Pope Francis said that while the Vatican's secret and contested agreement with China on the appointment of Roman Catholic bishops is not ideal, he hopes it can be renewed in October because the Church takes the long view.
China cuts travel quarantine but retains zero-Covid approach (June 29, 2022, CNN) On Tuesday, the National Health Commission said incoming visitors need only spend seven days at a quarantine facility and three days at home.
20 Things We Learned from China’s 7th Census (June 17, 2022, Sixth Tone) There’s a lot to explore in this data, but here’s some of the first things we noticed, from an improving sex ratio to the tiny group of households who reported five generations sharing a single room.
China is encouraging college graduates to work in the countryside (June 13, 2022, CNN) China is urging college graduates to seek jobs in the countryside as youth unemployment in urban areas soars to the highest level in history.
Why the sparsely-populated South Pacific islands have become the next US-China contest (June 6, 2022, CNN) The island nations that stretch across the South Pacific – sparsely populated atolls and volcanic archipelagos, known more for tourism than lucrative natural resources – may not seem, at first glance, to be a major geopolitical prize. Yet, Pacific Island countries have become the latest arena for a great power contest between the United States and China.
"Runology:” How to "Run Away" from China (June 1, 2022, Council on Foreign Relations) China's forever lockdowns have caused some to look for a radical solution: to emigrate, or run away from what they see as a lost future in China.
Video: From Matteo Ricci to Pope Francis: Jesuits and Christian Dialogue in China (May 16, US-China Catholic Association) In his reflections, Dr. Anthony Clark examined how Jesuits have maintained Christian dialogue with China from 1582 until the present. As representatives of this uniquely Jesuit approach, Matteo Ricci and Pope Francis frame that exchange.
Here’s What Thousands of Christian WeChat Accounts Reveal About Chinese Internet Evangelism (May 13, 2022, Christianity Today) WeChat is a powerful digital media outlet with more than 1.2 billion users worldwide and tens of millions of “public accounts.” Over the past decade, WeChat accounts have been an important platform for Chinese Christians to speak about their faith and communicate the gospel.
A Teacher in China Learns the Limits of Free Expression (May 9, 2022, The New Yorker) How had the country experienced so much social, economic, and educational change while its politics remained stagnant?