The Beijing municipal government has a set of stringent eligibility criteria for those applying for a Beijing hukou, such as higher education qualifications and working in jobs serving the city’s development priorities. Yet these criteria are not well-publicized. On top of the formal eligibility criteria, the government applies yet another set of hidden rules, which … more
As the United Kingdom (UK) increases its strategic and economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific, Australia should continue its advocacy for the UK to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and its further integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This will enhance regional stability. But Australia should not advocate … more
1. English language in China China may be de-prioritising education requirements on the English language, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Last month, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission issued a notice on measures to reduce the burden of students and to enhance comprehensive all-round education (素质教育 rather than exam-oriented education 应试教育). One of the … more
Beijing adopted a functionalist approach to the integration of Hong Kong and Macau with Mainland China, hoping that practical cooperation will foster trust and patriotism, and facilitate institutional integration. Our research, however, finds that Macau and its neighboring mainland city of Zhuhai did not make substantive progress towards integration under this approach. Beijing’s approach has, … more
1. Queer China The Chinese leadership is deeply conservative on certain social issues. When it comes to gender norms or “family values”, their stance resembles the Christian right in the West. In the past year, the government has tried to constrain gender expressions and eliminate gender diversity. I have noted previously the renewed push for … more
1. Regulating algorithms The Cyberspace Administration of China has been busy lately. After its recent work on Data Security Law and Personal Information Protection Law, it has released a draft regulation for consultation on “algorithm recommendations” 互联网信息服务算法推荐管理规定 [China Law Translate]. The draft includes the following provisions: Algorithms that make users addicted or spend large amount … more
In June 2015, the news of four siblings who committed suicide in Guizhou Province shocked China. The suicides exposed the hardship of the “left-behind” children — children who stayed behind in rural villages while their parents moved to the cities for work. My recent article in the journal Current Sociology argues that the problem is … more
Since the 1990s, the Chinese party-state has waged a “patriotic education” campaign to teach youth how to think and speak about the nation. In a recent article in The China Quarterly, I explored how young people across different social backgrounds have received these messages by conducting interviews and surveys among Han Chinese high school students … more
China’s policies towards the Middle East region, including policies aimed at protecting its citizens there, have been based on the principle of non-interference. But with growing engagement and the increasing frequency of violence against Chinese nationals and assets in the region, the efficacy of this approach will be increasingly challenged in the coming years. China’s … more
1. Common prosperity The Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, China’s highest economic decision-making body, held a meeting to discuss “common prosperity” 共同富裕 (the Chinese term is also the literal translation of “common-wealth”, but Commonwealth means something quite different from common-wealth nowadays). You can find Adam’s take on the topic and his translation of the … more
