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☆ An afternoon at the popular Chinese coffee chain that should be making Starbucks very, very nervous
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A Chinese coffee chain called Luckin Coffee recently overtook Starbucks in China, beating the international coffee chain in sales in the second quarter of 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Founded in Beijing in 2017, Luckin Coffee has staged a dramatic turn-around. AdvertisementCurious to see whether Luckin could live up to its Starbucks-killer hype, I headed over to a Luckin Coffee in Singapore's central Chinatown neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. Luckin Coffee and Starbucks did not respond to my requests for comment for this story. Ordering my coffee was machine-like: technical, efficient and impersonalA typical ordering experience on the Luckin Coffee app means you'll never have to interact with a human.

Persons: —, Luckin, Kai Xiang Teo, he'd, weren't, Amanda, didn't dally, Esther, I've, Jeremy Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Wall Street, Google, Singapore Locations: China, Beijing, China . Singapore, Singapore's, Chinatown, Luckin, Singapore, Hong Kong

☆ Chinese Tesla rival Nio cuts 10% of workforce as CEO predicts 'intense competition'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nio's ET5 stands on display at the Central China International Auto Show on May 25, 2023, in Wuhan, China. Chinese electric carmaker Nio plans to cut 10% of its workforce amid "fierce competition," CEO William Li said Friday. This is a tough but necessary decision against the fierce competition." Like many Chinese electric vehicle startups, Nio has been hit by weak consumer sentiment in the world's second-largest economy, stiff competition and a price war kicked off by Elon Musk's Tesla. Nio first resisted any price declines, but ultimately carried one out in June.

Persons: Nio's ET5, William Li, Li, Nio, Elon Musk's Tesla, Xpeng Organizations: Central China International, CNBC, stoke Locations: Wuhan, China

☆ 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

[1/3] China's Premier Li Keqiang waves as he arrives for a news conference after the closing ceremony of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 15, 2017. Li was premier and head of China's cabinet under Xi for a decade until stepping down from all political positions in March. Adam Ni, an independent China political analyst, described Li as "a premier who stood powerless as China took a sharp turn away from reform and opening". A glowing 2014 state media profile of Li, praising him as "a calm and tough wall-breaker", went viral shortly after his death was announced. Li's frequent visits to disaster sites and his easy camaraderie when speaking to ordinary people were also highlighted on Chinese state media.

Persons: Li, Damir Sagolj, Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Xi, Deng Xiaoping, Alfred Wu, Lee, Zhu Rongji, Wen Jiabao, Wu, Adam Ni, Jiang Zemin, Deng, Li Yining, Hu Jintao, Cheng Hong, Laurie Chen, Tian, William Mallard Organizations: People's Congress, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party, CCTV, Weibo, Australian National University, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Peking University, Communist Party's Youth League, Youth League, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai, Singapore, Social, Anhui, Henan, Liaoning

☆ BMW says diversifying risks does not mean it is leaving China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WUHAN, CHINA - MAY 25: (CHINA OUT) Attendees wear protective masks as they look around the at BMW Ix3 during 2023 Central China International Auto Show on May 25, 2023 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. More than 80 brands took part in the 2023 Central China International Auto Show which started on Thursday. (Photo by Getty Images)German automaker BMW Group said that diversifying its supply chains away from China does not mean it is leaving the country completely. "Especially the BMW Vision Neue Klasse, it will not be a small volume. BMW is not leaving China, he said, adding that free trade is "fundamental to our business model."

Persons: Oliver Zipse, CNBC's Martin Soong, Annalena Baerbock Organizations: BMW Ix3, China International, Getty Images, BMW Group, BMW, Neue, Japan, Neue Klasse, Tesla Locations: WUHAN, CHINA, Wuhan, Hubei province, China, Germany

☆ Ex-Australia PM Says He Also Had Beijing in Mind When Arming Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that he also had Beijing on his mind when he decided to help arm Ukraine given Western concern about the global expansion of authoritarianism. Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Morrison said his decision to fund lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine after Russia's invasion had a broader message. "When my government took the decision for Australia to swiftly provide lethal aid to support and assist Ukraine following the illegal invasion by Russia, that decision was taken with as much of having Beijing in mind as Moscow," Morrison said. China has refused to condemn Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine it launched in February 2022. It has offered its own peace plan, which received a lukewarm response in both Russia and Ukraine.

Persons: Scott Morrison, Morrison, China's, Ben Blanchard, Nick Macfie Organizations: Australian Locations: TAIPEI, Beijing, Ukraine, China, Canberra, Australian, United States, Taipei, Australia, Russia, Moscow, Taiwan, South China

☆ Chinese titanium producers expect boost from new iPhone
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 13 (Reuters) - China's titanium producers said on Wednesday they expect stronger demand for the lightweight metal after the launch of a new model of Apple's iPhone with a titanium shell. China accounts for more than 60% of the 240,000 metric tons of titanium and titanium alloys produced globally each year, according to the CNIA. A consumer product "monster" such as the iPhone would help bring wider adoption of titanium in new industries, replacing materials like stainless steel, he added. The titanium shell on the new iPhone is made with an alloy known as Grade 5 Titanium that also contains small amounts of aluminium and vanadium, according to three Chinese titanium producers. "There's a technical barrier to produce titanium alloys and international enterprises such as Apple require high standards.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq, Zhao Wei, Zhao, Foxconn, Ningwei Qin, Amy Lv, Siyi Liu, Dominique Patton, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Rights, China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, Ningwei, Thomson Locations: Lille, France, Rights BEIJING, China

LGBTQ+ people from China, frequently scorned and ostracized at home, are coming to Thailand in droves, drawn by the freedom to be themselves. Thailand doesn't keep figures on LGBTQ+ tourists. But through mid-August, it has counted 2.2 million Chinese tourists out of an overall 16 million. But LGBTQ+ people in China face other pressures to conform that can make the free expression of their identities difficult. Another draw for tourists, inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community, is Thailand’s loose enforcement of prostitution laws and renowned nightclub shows.

Persons: Xinyu Wen, Wen, “, ”, ” “, hasn't, Apichai Chatchalermkit, Owen Zhu, Jade Yang, Yang, Adisak Wongwaikankha, Eros Li, Li Organizations: Thailand Tourism Authority, The Nation Locations: BANGKOK, Thailand, Bangkok's, Thai, China, Bangkok, “, Beijing, Malaysia, Asia, asia

☆ Nio reports wider second-quarter loss amid China slowdown and product line revamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( John Rosevear | In Jrosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Revenue: 8.77 billion yuan ($1.21 billion), vs. 9.25 billion yuan expected. 8.77 billion yuan ($1.21 billion), vs. 9.25 billion yuan expected. On a GAAP basis, the company reported a net loss of $835.1 million, or 51 cents per share. A year ago, Nio reported a net loss of 2.76 billion yuan, or 1.68 yuan per share, on revenue of 10.29 billion yuan. Nio's gross margin on vehicles for the second quarter was 6.2% in the second quarter, down from 16.7% a year ago but up from 5.1% in the first quarter of 2023.

Persons: Nio's ET5, Nio, William Bin Li Organizations: Central China International, Refinitiv . Locations: Wuhan, China, Abu Dhabi

Feeling the pinch of rising housing costs and a slowing economy, the jobless graduates are forfeiting cities that have traditionally provided a stepping stone to middle-class wealth. The numbers varied by region, with 59% of graduates in the well-developed east heading home. To keep costs down as they stay longer in hope of finding a job, some young mega-city drifters even share their beds with strangers. One such post was looking for a roommate to share one bed in a room "with a huge balcony" in Beijing. ($1 = 7.2004 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ella Cao and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer CHINA, Joyce Zhang, I've, Zhang, China's, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Conor Humphries Organizations: Central China Normal University, REUTERS, China News Service, China's, Xinhua, Reuters, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Wuhan, Hubei province, China, BEIJING, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Inner Mongolia, Hangzhou, Zhejiang

“I don’t necessarily need a higher paid job or a better life,” she added. College graduates looking for jobs at a fair in central China's Hubei province on July 20. A growing trendOn Douban, about 4,000 members of a group called “full-time children’s work communication center” discuss topics related to their daily “working” lives. By contrast, today’s “professional” children spend time with parents and do housework in exchange for financial support. In addition to her family duties, she’s busy applying for government jobs and taking exams for graduate school.

Persons: Litsky Li, Li, ”, “, headwinds, Zhang Dandan, ” hashtag, somethings, today’s, ’, Fang Xu, Nancy Chen, she’s, Chen, hasn’t, It’s, George Magnus, Magnus Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, College, CNN, Peking University, University of California, China News Service, Harvard University, China Centre, Oxford University, SOAS University of London Locations: Hong Kong, Luoyang, China's Hubei, Beijing, ”, China, University of California Berkeley, Jiangxi, Wanshou, China's Jiangxi

In the sandstone desert of China’s far west, a local meteorological station recorded an all-time high temperature of 126 degrees. In central China, heat-induced mechanical problems trapped tourists riding on a cable car in midair. The heat wave choking China is so intense that it even became a repeated talking point for John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate change, as he met with China’s premier on Tuesday in Beijing to discuss cooperation on slowing global warming. “You and I know things are changing,” Mr. Kerry told the premier, Li Qiang, while sitting in the Great Hall of the People, on the edge of Tiananmen Square. “In the last weeks, scientists have expressed greater concern than ever about what is happening on the planet,” said Mr. Kerry, who also met separately with Wang Yi, China’s top foreign policy official.

Persons: John Kerry, Biden’s, Mr, Kerry, Li Qiang, ”, Wang Yi Organizations: China’s, of Locations: China, Beijing, Xinjiang

☆ China logs 52.2 Celsius as extreme weather rewrites records
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The target of keeping long-term global warming within 1.5C is moving out of reach, climate experts say. Prolonged bouts of high temperatures in China have challenged power grids and crops, and concerns are mounting of a possible repeat of last year's drought, the most severe in 60 years. China is no stranger to dramatic swings in temperatures across the seasons but the swings are getting wider. Since then, the heaviest rains in a decade have hit central China, ravaging wheat fields in an area known as the country's granary. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Ryan Woo, Tom Hogue Organizations: U.S, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Sanbao, Xinjiang's Turpan, Xinjiang, Ayding, Asia, China, Mohe, Heilongjiang, United States, Beijing

☆ China’s Rebound Falters, Tripped Up by Debt and Weak Exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Keith Bradsher | More About Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

China’s economy is flashing many warning signs. Weak spending is pushing China close to a dangerous trend known as deflation: Consumer prices are flat, and wholesale prices paid by companies are actually falling. “It’s not a strong recovery; the economy is quite weak,” said Wang Dan, the chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China. Some companies are also moving supply chains out of China, which will have a longer-lasting effect on exports, Mr. Fattal said. But a huge accumulation of debt, particularly at the level of local governments, has made that hard to do.

Persons: ”, Diana Choyleva, “ It’s, Wang Dan, Richard Fattal, Fattal, Lou Jiwei, Cui Dongshu, Fu Linghui, Lou, Ms, Wang, Li You Organizations: Enodo, National Bureau, Statistics, Investment, Hang Seng Bank China, National Bureau of Statistics, Administration, Customs, Companies, Workers, China, China Passenger Car Association Locations: Shanghai, London, China, Baoding, United States, Europe

☆ China executes kindergarten teacher for poisoning preschoolers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 14 (Reuters) - A former kindergarten teacher was executed in central China this week after killing one child and injuring 24 others by poisoning their porridge with sodium nitrite four years ago, state media reported on Friday. In March 2019, Wang purchased some sodium nitrite after being involved in a dispute with a fellow teacher. The next morning at the kindergarten she added some of the chemical compound into the children's "eight treasures porridge", the court ruled, according to state media. "Eight treasures porridge" is a sweet-flavoured rice-based porridge which is very popular in China. China executes thousands of people each year, by far and away more than any other country, according to estimates by human rights NGO Amnesty International.

Persons: Wang Yun, Wang, Martin Quin Pollard, Lincoln Organizations: Amnesty International, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Henan province, China's Guangdong

☆ One dead, 7 missing in central China highway landslide
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, July 9 (Reuters) - One person has died and seven were missing after a landslide overtook a highway construction site on an expressway in central China, local government officials said on Sunday. China's ministry of emergency management activated a level-four emergency response and sent a working group to the site to guide emergency handling, according to a WeChat post. The minister of emergency management urged authorities to find out what caused the landslide. Torrential rains in parts of China over several weeks have led to a number of deadly landslides. China's government has issued advisories about rain and other natural disasters for local governments to stay alert and respond quickly.

Persons: Bernard Orr, Qiaoyi Li, William Mallard Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Saturday's, Hubei province, Sichuan province

☆ Factbox: China's major germanium and gallium producers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China produces around 60% of the world's germanium, or 180 metric tons in 2022, and over 90% of the world's gallium, about 606 tons last year, according to research firm Antaike. YUNNAN GERMANIUM, AN ESTABLISHED PRODUCERHeadquartered in southwest China's Yunnan province, Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industry Co. Ltd. (002428.SZ) extracts germanium from its own germanium mines and germanium-containing lignite coal mines. It has an annual capacity of 47.6 metric tons of germanium ingot, 60 tons of germanium tetrahydride - used to build 5G infrastructure - and 300,000 germanium wafers for solar cells. CHINALCO, A MAJOR GALLIUM PRODUCERState aluminium giant Chinalco has three gallium production plants, one each in central China's Henan and southwestern Guangxi and Guizhou provinces. It has annual production capacity of 200 metric tons of gallium metal and produced 146 metric tons in 2022.

Persons: Duan Xiangdong, Hope, Zhuzhou, Dominique Patton, David Evans Organizations: . Ltd, Aluminum Corporation of China, Zhuhai Fangyuan, Xing'an, Gallium, AXT Inc, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, YUNNAN, China's Yunnan, Yunnan, China's Henan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Shanghai, Zhuzhou, China's Hunan, Zhuhai, Guangdong, Shanxi, Nanjing, U.S, Beijing

☆ Extreme Floods and Heat in China Ravage Farms and Kill Animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Nicole Hong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The downpour began in late May, drenching the wheat crops in central China. In a viral video, a 79-year-old farmer in Henan Province wiped away tears as he surveyed the damage. In recent years, tensions with the United States, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine have all created more volatility in global food prices, heightening the urgency for China to grow more of its own crops. The country has not experienced food price inflation at the levels seen in other major economies, but officials are concerned about the vulnerability of its food supply to global shocks. Last summer, prices for pork, fruit and vegetables spiked in China, prompting the government to release pork from its strategic reserves to stabilize prices.

Persons: Xi Jinping’s, Xi’s Locations: China, Henan Province, United States, Ukraine

☆ Chinese EV maker Nio raises more than $700 million in capital injection from Abu Dhabi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Nio's ET5 stands on display at the Central China International Auto Show on May 25, 2023, in Wuhan, China. BEIJING — Chinese electric car company Nio announced Tuesday it received $738.5 million in new capital from a fund owned by the Abu Dhabi government. The strategic investment ultimately gives the fund, CYVN Holdings, a 7% stake in Nio. Nio earlier this month said lackluster car deliveries was affecting cash flow, and that it was delaying capital expenditure and some research and development projects. Nio disclosed cash and cash equivalents of 14.76 billion yuan ($2.07 billion) as of March, below what it disclosed for the end of 2021 and 2022.

Persons: Nio's ET5, Nio Organizations: Central China International, CYVN Holdings Locations: Wuhan, China, BEIJING, Abu Dhabi, Nio, U.S

☆ A former Samsung exec stole plans for a chipmaking plant in China — then tried to replicate it across town, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Associated Press | Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An ex-Samsung executive has been indicted on charges of stealing company secrets for a chip plant. The 65-year-old man tried to use the stolen plans to build a copycat facility, prosecutors said. The copycat chipmaking plant would have been less than a mile from Samsung's in Xi'an, China. A former Samsung executive stole blueprints and trade secrets from his ex-employer — and then tried to set up a microchip factory in China less than a mile away from Samsung's own, prosecutors said. The technology prosecutors said was stolen by the man's China-based company would have been worth at least $233 million for Samsung.

Persons: —, wasn't, China —, Yonhap, … Organizations: Samsung, Morning, South, AP, Prosecutors, Korean Herald, SK Hynix Locations: Samsung's, Xi'an, China, Korea, South Korean, South Korea, Suwon, Singapore

☆ 'Relentless' heatwaves scorch southern China, test power grids
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Workers of grid operator China Southern Power Grid inspect power cables connecting transmission towers in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoBEIJING, June 2 (Reuters) - Having sweltered through May, southern and eastern China face more weeks of unrelenting heatwaves, putting power grids under strain as demand for air-conditioning soars in mega-cities like Shanghai. Like many parts of Asia, China has been besieged by extreme hot weather in recent weeks ahead of summer proper in the northern hemisphere. But how they are occurring - it's just been week on week on week of these records being shattered. Powerful convection weather has also wreaked havoc in central China in recent weeks, with protracted downpours and even hail devastating the country's ongoing wheat harvest.

Persons: Stringer, I'm, Sarah Perkins, Kirkpatrick, Gao Rong, Ryan Woo, Qiaoyi Li, David Stanway, Michael Perry, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: China Southern Power Grid, REUTERS, University of New, National Climate Centre, Thomson Locations: Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, BEIJING, Shanghai, Asia, Provinces, University of New South Wales, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Henan, Beijing, Singapore

In the next three days, most of southern China is expected to suffer temperatures of more than 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), with temperatures in some areas exceeding 40C, national forecasters said on Friday. Extreme hot weather beset China, like many part of Asia in recent weeks, even before summer arrived. But how they are occurring - it's just been week on week on week of these records being shattered," said Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate scientist with the University of New South Wales. ELECTRICITY DEMANDDemand for electricity in southern manufacturing hubs, including Guangdong, has surged in recent days, with China Southern Power Grid, one of the country's two grid operators, seeing peak power load exceeding 200 million kilowatts - weeks earlier than normal and close to historical highs. Powerful convection weather has also wreaked havoc in central China in recent weeks, with protracted downpours and even hail devastating the country's ongoing wheat harvest.

Persons: David Kirton, we've, Zhao, Yang, haven't, heatstroke, I'm, Sarah Perkins, Kirkpatrick, Mei, Gao Rong, Ryan Woo, Qiaoyi Li, David Stanway, Michael Perry, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: heatwave, REUTERS, Reuters, University of New, China Southern Power Grid, National Climate Centre, Thomson Locations: Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, BEIJING, Shanghai, Asia, University of New South Wales, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Henan, Beijing, Singapore

☆ Farm animals, crops suffer from extreme weather affecting China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This year, extreme heat has ravaged many parts of the country even earlier than last year. Animals killedIn recent days, reports of farm animals killed by extreme heat have dominated the news. The pigs suffocated to death amid extreme heat and poor air circulation, Jimu News, a government-owned news website, cited an unnamed employee at the farm as saying. The heat wave was blamed for killing large numbers of farmed carp living in rice fields in the southwestern region of Guangxi. And more extreme weather events are likely to come.

Persons: Sheng Xia, El, El Niño, ”, Sheng, Wang Gang, Niño, Xi Jinping, Shi Guangming Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Meteorological Administration, Citic Securities, “, El, World Meteorological Organization, Qiushi, Communist, Villagers, China Today, China Media Group Locations: Hong Kong, China, Yunnan, Sichuan, El, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Henan, Pingdingshan, Henan province, Xinjiang

☆ China’s Young People Can’t Find Jobs. Xi Jinping Says to ‘Eat Bitterness.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Li Yuan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The few offers she has gotten are internships that pay $200 to $300 a month, with no benefits. Over two days in May she messaged more than 200 recruiters and sent her résumé to 32 companies — and lined up exactly two interviews. “A decade or so ago, China was thriving and full of opportunities,” she said in a phone interview. Yet the Communist Party and the country’s top leader, Xi Jinping, are telling them to stop thinking they are above doing manual work or moving to the countryside. They should learn to “eat bitterness,” Mr. Xi instructed, using a colloquial expression that means to endure hardships.

☆ Wuhan is so cash-strapped it's calling in debts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It urged them to pay their overdue debts as soon as possible. The public appeal by Wuhan, which was at the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic that began in late 2019, is highly unusual and underscores the fiscal challenges facing China’s local governments. A real estate crash has exacerbated the problem, as local governments rely heavily on land sale revenues. Analysts estimate China’s outstanding government debts surpassed 123 trillion yuan ($18 trillion) last year, of which nearly $10 trillion is so-called “hidden debt” owed by risky local government financing platforms. Wuhan and Kunming are not the only city governments revealing the extent of their debt problems.

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