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☆ Putin looks set to run for president in 2024 — and there's no one who can oppose him right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images) Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly decided to run in the March 2024 presidential election and he's likely to win another six-year term in office, essentially because there's no one that can oppose him. Analysts say that the bitter truth in modern Russia is that there is no one who can oppose Putin, for now. In this pool image distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the regional head of Inigushetia in Moscow's Kremlin, on August 15, 2023. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sobyanin, he's, —, Vladimir Milov, Alexander Kazakov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Morozova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Medvedev, Mikhail Svetlov, Medvedev, deigning, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Milov Organizations: Moscow's, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, CNBC, Sputnik, AFP, Kremlin's, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Russia, IK, Wagner Group, Analysts, Saint Petersburg, Economic, Prigozhin's Wagner Group, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations, Putin Locations: MOSCOW, RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Moscow's Kremlin, Ukraine, Vladimir, Iran, North Korea, SAINT PETERSBURG, Concord, Saint Petersburg, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russia's, Tver

☆ Cuba seeks foreign investment, thumbing nose at US sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Cuba hosted a business fair with over 800 companies from more than 60 countries on Monday as it lobbied for new investments, thumbing its nose at U.S. sanctions that have long spooked foreign companies from engaging with the communist-run island. "Today we work ...to minimize the negative impact of the economic, financial and commercial blockade," said Cuba foreign trade minister Ricardo Cabrisas at the forum's opening event. Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel told attendees "massive" participation at the fair this year was proof of business confidence in Cuba. The trade fair includes promotional stands from countries ranging from Spain to Russia, Iran and China. Foreign companies also complain that local regulations, bureaucracy and problems with the peso currency and payments also bog down business in Cuba.

Persons: Ricardo Cabrisas, Miguel Diaz, Canel, Diaz, Jay Brickman, Biden, Hugo Cancio, Cancio, Nelson Acosta, Dave Sherwood, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Miami, U.S, DeCancio, Thomson Locations: HAVANA, Cuba, U.S, Cuban, Spain, Russia, Iran, China

☆ Gay Games: Sporting and cultural LGBTQ event faces a conservative backlash in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I have no idea how it managed to reach Hong Kong,” he said. Gay Games organizers hit back at the opposition from Hong Kong lawmakers and have vowed the event will be a proud, non-political, celebration of inclusivity. A spokesman did not answer the first part and replied on the latter: “Any activity that takes place in Hong Kong must not contravene any laws of Hong Kong. One of Hong Kong leader John Lee’s top advisers and also a lawmaker, Ip has been one of the few Hong Kong politicians vocally supportive of the games. Meanwhile Chan Kwan-on, one of the Gay Games ambassadors in Hong Kong, urged critics not to jump to conclusions and come see for themselves.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, –, ”, Junius Ho, Peter Shiu, Lisa Lam, Alan Lang, Hong, Tyrone Siu, Xi Jinping, Hong Kong, ” Wayne Morgan, ‘, Lang, Regina Ip, John Lee’s, Ip, Chan Kwan, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Gay Games, Wednesday, firebrand, Beijing, CNN, Reuters, Gay, Valencia, Hong, Gay Sports and Movement Association, China’s Communist Party, ’ Gay Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, Mexican, Guadalajara, Beijing, China, Hong, Australian, Taiwan

"The decision has been made - he will run," said one of the sources who has knowledge of planning. Three other sources said the decision had been made: Putin will run. A foreign diplomatic source, who also requested anonymity, said Putin made the decision recently and that the announcement would come soon. Peskov said in September that if Putin decided to run, then no one would be able to compete with him. "Russia is facing the combined might of the West so major change would not be expedient," one of the sources said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Mikhail Metzel, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Mikhail Gorbachev grappled, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexei Navalny, Oleg Orlov, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Unity, Sputnik, Kremlin, Reuters, Kommersant, West ., KGB, Soviet, Cuban Missile, West, NATO, China, European Union, Thomson Locations: Red, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, West . RUSSIA, Soviet Union, Ukraine, United States, European, Soviet Russia, Afghanistan

☆ China's He Lifeng named to key post in Central Financial Commission
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A Chinese vice premier, He Lifeng, has been appointed head of the office of the Central Financial Commission (CFC), which is responsible for running day-to-day affairs of a new regulator tasked with overseeing a vast financial sector. He was also appointed as party chief of a separate Central Financial Work Commission (CFWC), which has been set up to strengthen the ideological and political role of the party in China's overall financial system. The appointments, announced by the central bank's Financial News publication, underscore how the ruling Communist Party has taken direct control of supervising the financial sector. He has also been appointed director of a key ruling Communist Party economic body, the Central Finance and Economic Affairs Commission, replacing Liu He. In 2014, He was named vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the state planning agency, before taking full control in 2017.

Persons: Lifeng, Florence, Xi Jinping, Liu He, Xi, Ziyi Tang, Kevin Yao, Ryan Woo, Edwina Gibbs, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Central Financial Commission, Financial Work, Financial, Communist Party, Central Finance, Economic Affairs Commission, Xiamen University, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Quanzhou, Fujian province, Xiamen, Tianjin

☆ ICBC ex-VP being probed by China’s anti-graft body
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Zhang Hongli, a former senior executive at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), is being probed by China’s top anti-corruption watchdog, in a sign of a continuing crackdown in the country’s financial sector. State-owned ICBC is one of China’s “Big Four” banks and the world’s largest lender by assets, according to S&P Global. Prior to joining ICBC, Zhang worked at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, where he held senior management roles. They include three top executives at the highest ranks of China’s financial world, who have either been probed or charged, according to the commission. In October, Li was expelled from the Communist Party and arrested for allegedly taking bribes, according to Xinhua.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zhang Hongli, Zhang, Goldman Sachs, Bao Fan, Bao, Xi, Li Xiaopeng, —, Li, Liu Liange, Liu, “, Wang Bin, Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, Central Commission, P, Deutsche Bank, ICBC’s Communist Party, Xinhua, CNN, China, Communist Party, of China, China Life Insurance Locations: China, Hong Kong, ICBC, Xinhua

☆ China to accelerate issuance of government bonds, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman walks in the Central Business District (CBD) on a hazy morning in Beijing, China, October 25, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, China, Nov 5 (Reuters) - China will accelerate the issuance and use of government bonds, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday citing an interview with new finance minister Lan Foan. "The Ministry of Finance will continue to implement a proactive fiscal policy, focus on improving efficiency, and better play the effectiveness of fiscal policy," said Lan, who also noted the "complex domestic and international situation". Some new local government debt quotas for 2024 have been issued in advance to reasonably ensure local financing needs, he said. The top parliamentary body last month approved the issuance of 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in sovereign bonds in the fourth quarter to fund rebuilding of areas affected by floods, state media reported.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Lan Foan, Lan, Liu Kun, Martin Quin Pollard, Wang Shuyan, William Mallard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Central Business, REUTERS, Rights, Xinhua, Ministry, Finance, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanxi

☆ The UAW is already looking ahead to its next auto strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Members of the United Auto Workers union are back on the job at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. They can’t go on strike in sympathy with another union’s strike, and they can’t wage a strike over political issues, such as a change in government policy. The Teamsters and the UAW also both have members now on strike against a group of casinos in Detroit. The significance of May 1The date Fain sees for this collective, coordinated strike is May 1, 2028, or May Day, which is also International Workers Day. That is celebrated as a Labor Day in many other countries, but rarely in the United States, which is where its historical roots are.

Persons: Shawn Fain, ”, Todd Vachon, Taft, Harry Truman, Vachon, Fain, expirations, Kate Bronfenbrenner, “, ‘, “ He’s, Bronfenbrenner, McCarthy, ” Fain Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, UAW, Rutgers University, US Department of Labor, Teamsters ’, UPS, Labor Education Research, Cornell University, Kaiser Permanente, Teamsters, Workers, Labor, Unions Locations: New York, Europe, United States, France, Detroit, “

☆ McCormick wants the US to divest from China. As a hedge fund manager, he oversaw investments in Chinese companies grow more than a thousand-fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Em Steck | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

However, as the head of the world’s largest hedge fund, McCormick oversaw massive investments into US exchange traded Chinese companies and holdings, according to a CNN KFile review of the hedge fund’s holdings. I held deep reservations about Bridgewater’s exposure to the moral and patriotic hazards of doing business in China,” McCormick said in September 2023 before officially launching his campaign. That amounts to a 108,000% increase in Chinese holdings over a five-year period. In 2017, Bridgewater reported investing in just one US exchange traded Chinese company; by the final quarter of 2021, its holdings included 47 Chinese companies. McCormick’s hedge fund also held an additional $779 million indirectly in Chinese companies through their investments in exchange traded funds.

Persons: David McCormick’s, McCormick, ” McCormick, Hugh Hewitt’s, CNN’s KFile, Bush, Mehmet Oz, Oz, Democrat John Fetterman, Bridgewater, Elizabeth Gregory, “, he’s, Ray Dalio –, thievery ”, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, US, CNN, CCP, Bridgewater Associates, US Securities and Exchange, Bridgewater, Republican Party, Republican, Democrat, Chinese Communist Party, US Commerce Department Locations: New York, Pennsylvania, hardliner, China, McCormick’s, United States, Xinjiang, ”

The rule, de minimis, exempts packages shipped into the United States from duties and fees if they are worth less than $800. U.S. retailers want that rule changed. Over six years, that amounted to about $100 million in duties that could have been invested in modernizing the business, he added. Temu and Shein most likely account for 30 percent of packages shipped daily under the provision, according to a report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. A Shein spokeswoman said de minimis “is not critical to the success of our business,” and in July, Shein’s executive vice chairman said the company was “eager” to work with lawmakers to help change the rule.

Persons: de, minimis “, David Bridal’s, Jim Marcum, DealBook, Marcum, ” Organizations: Customs, Chinese Communist Party Locations: United States

☆ Australia-China: After seven years of strain, leader Albanese heads to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Stakes are high for the four-day visit, which begins on Saturday and will see Albanese meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and make stops in Beijing and Shanghai. Albanese’s trip also carries symbolic overtones, marking 50 years since the first official visit by an Australian leader to Communist China after the two countries established ties. James Bugg/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesUS relations loomAlbanese is heading to Beijing less than two weeks after he met with US President Joe Biden in Washington. As he aims to repair ties with China, Albanese will need to walk a line between these interests and China’s suspicions about the aims of these blocs, analysts say. “Beijing came to learn that the weaponization of trade did not force a close US ally to back down,” said Collinson.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Scott Morrison’s, Jingdong Yuan, ”, Cheng Lei, Yang Hengjun, Yang, ” Albanese, Elena Collinson, teeters, ” Collinson, James Bugg, Joe Biden, “ Albanese, Yuan, Xi, Biden, Collinson, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Foreign Ministry, University of Sydney, Reuters, Huawei, Albanese’s Labor, Canberra, Albanese’s, University of Technology Sydney’s, China Relations Institute, Trans, Pacific, Bloomberg, Getty, Albanese, China, China - Asia Security, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Economic Cooperation, Australia Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Australia, Washington, Seoul, Communist China, Asia, Pacific, Darwin, Pacific Islands, South, University of Technology Sydney’s Australia, Europe, Yarra, Victoria, South China, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Sydney, Stockholm, San Fransisco

☆ U.S. Retailers Say an Old Trade Law Puts Them at a Disadvantage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Jordyn Holman | More About Jordyn Holman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

If it isn’t, they argue, companies may move their warehouses, and the jobs that come with them, outside the United States. In 2022, David’s Bridal said it paid about $20 million in fees to U.S. Customs. Competitors based in China that ship dresses directly to shoppers paid nothing, Mr. Marcum said. In the course of six years, he added, David’s Bridal paid about $100 million in duties that could have been invested in modernizing its business. “You can see the enormity of that — the disadvantage that we’ve had to face,” Mr. Marcum said.

Persons: ”, Shein, ” Jim Marcum, “, David’s, Marcum, ” Mr, Ron Sorini Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, ”, . Customs Locations: United States, China, U.S

☆ ‘Charlie Chaplin vs. America’ Review: How the Tramp Was Trampled
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jeremy Mccarter | Scott Eyman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Charlie Chaplin in a scene from the film ‘The Great Dictator’ (1940). A little tramp in a battered bowler hat picks it up and starts waving it, trying to catch the driver’s attention. Grab a Copy Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided By Scott Eyman Simon & Schuster 432 pages We may earn a commission when you buy products through the links on our site. Buy Book Amazon Barnes & Noble Books a Million BookshopThis scene, from “Modern Times” (1936), turned out to have a grimly prophetic quality for Charlie Chaplin, the actor in the hat. After docking in Cherbourg, France, Chaplin declared that he had no political convictions beyond being an individualist who believed in liberty.

Persons: Charlie Chaplin, ’, Scott Eyman Simon, Schuster, Barnes, Chaplin’s, Chaplin, ”, “ Organizations: Politics, Noble, “ Locations: England, U.S, Cherbourg, France

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese middlemen launder the proceeds of North Korean hackers’ cyber heists while Chinese ships deliver sanctioned North Korean goods to Chinese ports. China views North Korea as a buffer against the U.S., which maintains a significant troop presence in South Korea. The U.S. has accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells and rockets to Russia, while new evidence shows Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their Oct. 7 assault on Israel. “China violates North Korea sanctions it voted for and says won’t work because it’s afraid they’ll work. Such “over-the-counter” brokers allow North Korean hackers to bypass know-your-customer rules governing banks and other financial exchanges.

Persons: “, ” Aaron Arnold, Kim Jong Un, ”, Joshua Stanton, cryptocurrency, Anthony Ruggiero, couldn’t, hadn’t, Eric Penton, Dake Kang Organizations: WASHINGTON, North, Associated, United Nations, Royal United Services Institute, U.S, . Security, North Korean, Kremlin, AP, Treasury, government’s Ministry of Commerce, U.N, Associated Press, Carnegie Corporation of New, Outrider Foundation, Investigative@ap.org Locations: Beijing, Korea, North Korea, China, Pyongyang, South Korea, Ukraine, The U.S, Russia, Israel, North, U.S, Carnegie Corporation of New York

A woman dressed up as a starving medical student. One woman dressed up as a medical student, holding a begging bowl in her hands. A woman dressed up as a liberal arts student hungry for egg fried rice. Greg Baker/Pool/ReutersTo address these challenges, President Xi Jinping hosted a key financial policy meeting this week to reiterate the need to resolve financial risks in the economy. “Hidden economic and financial risks are still widespread,” the readout said.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Zhou, Xiao Pan, Yan Ziqi, “, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Xi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Global, Stock, Huaan Securities, Service, National People's, of, People, Reuters, Communist Party, Ministry of State Security Locations: China, Hong Kong, China’s, Shanghai, Weibo, Douyin, “, Beijing

☆ Wu Zunyou, the Face of China’s Covid Controls, Dies at 60
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Liyan Qi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wu Zunyou became a household name in China during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: China News Service/Imago/Zuma PressWu Zunyou, China’s top epidemiologist, never wanted the spotlight, believing that a successful public-health professional should be “invisible.” His last role, as the face of China’s draconian Covid-19 restrictions, was anything but. In China, the decisions that kept the country in isolation with closed borders and rolling lockdowns for three long years—policies deemed extreme by the global public-health community—were made by the Communist Party leadership. Still, by the time Wu died, on Oct. 27 at the age of 60, he had become the target of much of his countrymen’s anger over China’s pandemic response.

Persons: Wu Zunyou, Wu Organizations: China News, Zuma, Communist Party Locations: China

☆ China’s Male Leaders Signal to Women That Their Place Is in the Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Alexandra Stevenson | More About Alexandra Stevenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At China’s top political gathering for women, it was mostly a man who was seen and heard. Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, sat center stage at the opening of the National Women’s Congress. From the head of a large round table, Mr. Xi lectured female delegates at the closing meeting on Monday. In the past, officials had touched on the role women play at home as well as in the work force. But in this year’s address, Mr. Xi made no mention of women at work.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, “, ”, Xi’s Organizations: National Women’s, Communist Party’s, Communist Party

☆ Bill Ackman says it's 'pathetic' that law firms and other corporations feel they have to 'police' antisemitism on university campuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Ackman is continuing to speak out against the divisive letter signed by Harvard student groups. "It's pathetic that we need to rely on law firms and corporations to police antisemitism on campus," he said. And Ackman, a Harvard alumnus himself, called on the university to release the students' names to stop CEOs "inadvertently" hiring them. On Wednesday, Ackman's post quoted a letter sent by law firms to the deans of several law schools. "It's pathetic that we need to rely on law firms and corporations to police antisemitism on campus," said Ackman.

Persons: Bill Ackman, Ackman, —, Israel, Larry Summers, Joe McCarthy, McCarthy, Ackman's Organizations: Harvard, Service, Pershing, Capital Management, Boston Globe, Treasury

[1/3] The Chinese flag at a gate to the Zhongnanhai leadership compound flies at half-mast in memory of late former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, in Beijing, China November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mark Chisholm Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 2 (Reuters) - China lowered the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Thursday amid an outpouring of grief online as the country cremated former premier Li Keqiang, known as "the people's premier" for his down-to-earth, hands-on leadership. "In memory of comrade Li Keqiang, flags were flown at half-mast at Tiananmen Square in the capital," state media said. "Personally, I still feel a bit unreal (about his death) because I feel like he's a good premier and suddenly he's gone. Some businesses such as international coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX.O) turned their app interface black and white in mourning for Li.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Mark Chisholm, Li, Xi Jinping, Han Zheng, Hu Jintao, Gao, Xi, he's, Wan, Zhang Shijun, Liz Lee, Xiaoyu Yin, Ryan Woo, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party's, Xinhua, Weibo, China's, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai, Weibo

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng attends a joint press conference following the 10th China-EU High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China September 25, 2023. He, 68, replaced internationally respected Liu He as one of China's four vice premiers during its annual parliament session in March. The full scope of his portfolio had been largely unclear until Sunday when state media referred to him as the director of a powerful Communist Party economic body. "He Lifeng mainly implements policies from the top leader," said a policy adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to Xi. "Now under the leadership of the Party ... there will be closer cooperation among the top economic planner, central bank and the finance ministry."

Persons: Lifeng, Florence, Xi Jinping's, Liu, Xi, Liu He, Li Keqiang, Peng Liyuan, Kevin Yao, Laurie Chen, Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang, Marius Zaharia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party, Central Financial Commission, Harvard, Investors, State Council, Party, Xiamen University, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China's, Washington, Europe, Quanzhou, Fujian, Xiamen, Tianjin, Lincoln

☆ China kicks off nationwide population survey amid declining birth rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Nov 1 (Reuters) - China will begin polling 1.4 million people on Wednesday in a survey on population changes, as authorities struggle to incentivise people to have more children amid a declining birth rate and the first population drop in more than six decades. The survey will be based on a sample of 500,000 households and last for around two weeks until Nov. 15, China's National Bureau of Statistics said. It will help provide a basis to monitor China's population developmental changes and for the government and Communist Party to formulate national economic, social development and population related policies, it said. China last conducted its once-in-a-decade census in November 2020 which showed it grew at the slowest pace since the first modern population survey in the 1950s. Population development has often been linked to the strength and "rejuvenation" of the country in state media amid the declining birth rate and widespread concerns by citizens on the difficulties of raising children.

Persons: Farah Master, Michael Perry Organizations: China's National Bureau of Statistics, Communist Party, Authorities, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, China's

☆ Li Keqiang: Death of China’s former premier offers glimpse into discontent with Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The sudden death of China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has spurred an outpouring of grief and mourning across the country. But for many, it also appears to offer a rare opening to air pent-up discontent with top leader Xi Jinping and the direction he has taken the country. His death, just months after his retirement, shocked the Chinese public. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang review a guard of honor prior to a meeting at the Chancellery on July 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a hospital in Wuhan on January 27, 2020, days after the city was placed under a complete lockdown to curb the raging Covid-19 outbreak.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Li, Xi –, ”, Alfred Wu, Lee, “, Xi, Angela Merkel, Sean Gallup, Zhang Lun, Mao Zedong, Zhang, “ I’ve, Wu, Li Tao, Zhou Enlai, Mao, Hu Yaobang, Fish Leong, ” Zhang Organizations: CNN, Communist, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Getty, Studies, University of Cergy, Peking University, Li, AP Party, Communist Party, Xinhua, CPC, Party Locations: Shanghai, China, Singapore, German, Berlin, Germany, Pontoise, France, Communist China, Wuhan, AFP, Yunnan province, Weibo, Malaysian, Hefei, Anhui, Zhengzhou, Henan, Beijing

☆ China to cremate 'outstanding' leader Li Keqiang on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Newspapers with the obituary of late former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the front page are displayed, at a newsstand in Beijing, China October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 31 (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. 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.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Tingshu Wang, Li, Xi Jinping, Ryan Woo, Ethan Wang, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Xinhua, CPC, Party, Chinese Communist Party, of, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai

BEIJING (AP) — The remains of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are to be cremated on Thursday, with flags around the country to be flown at half-staff to mourn the official who helped guide the world’s second-largest economy for a decade. Mourners gathered at his childhood home in the city of Hefei in an apparently spontaneous outpouring of grief seen by some as a rebuke of state leader and head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping. Li was once seen as a potential top leader, but the trained economist was shunted aside in a leadership shakeup last year and replaced with Xi loyalist Li Qiang. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesAlthough he was the Communist Party's second-ranking official, Li received far less attention from state media outlets than Xi. Flags will be lowered at government offices, including in the semi-autonomous cities of Hong Kong and Macao and at Chinese consulates and embassies around the world, Xinhua said.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Li, Xi, shakeup, Li Qiang Organizations: BEIJING, Communist, Central Financial Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Communist Party, Party, Xinhua News Agency, Xinhua Locations: Hefei, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Asia, asia

☆ US lawmakers urge Yellen to speed up China outbound investment rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Janet Yellen, United States Secretary of Treasury, participates in global infrastructure and investment forum in New York, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Seth Wenig/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The Republican and Democratic leaders of a U.S. congressional committee on China urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to urgently implement outbound investment restrictions on the country, warning that Beijing was using American capital to develop technologies as her department debated new rules. China has condemned the move, but some U.S. lawmakers have argued it has too many loopholes. Yellen should adopt a broad definition of technology in her guidelines on the investment restrictions, the lawmakers said in the letter, dated Oct. 30, arguing China had blurred the lines between commercial and military technology. Some U.S. officials have said the outbound investment rules should not be overly broad to avoid harming the U.S. economy.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Seth Wenig, Joe Biden, deliberates, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi –, Gallagher, Krishnamoorthi, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: Treasury, Rights, Republican, Democratic, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, U.S, Biden, Thomson Locations: United States, New York, China, Beijing, U.S

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