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Slides in the Chinese stock market may mark the last gasp of the policy settlement that emerged in China in the 1980s – a mix that underpinned one of the most extensive periods of growth in economic history. The fall Key share benchmarks in China have tumbled in recent weeks, with the Hang Seng…
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The latest anti-corruption actions in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) in late December 2023 and early January 2024 have highlighted the degree to which a “stockade mentality” has taken hold in official circles, as in the 1950s. Anti-corruption initiatives The Politburo (中共政治局) of the PRC in December 2023 noted that anti-corruption efforts in…
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The preparation of a list of 50 property companies that the government wants to receive lending from banks has hinted at a rising willingness to bail out the ailing real estate sector in mainland China. The Lucky 50 The People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) was said to have prepared a list of at least 50…
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A series of incidents in recent weeks along China’s seaboard, ranging from Japan to the Gulf of Thailand, have highlighted how precarious the regional security regime has become, and how broad is the area that could be contested in the event of conflict. Sonic aggression The first incident related to the use of sonar by…
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A recent exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum about the Sanxingdui (三星堆) bronzes highlights how little is really known about the earliest periods of Chinese history. Indeed, the bronzes speak to a vision of the world at huge variance with other ancient cultures not only in China, but also around the world. An archaeological…
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An investigation under way in Singapore into a major money laundering case has not only offered up enthralling images of gold bars, handbags and jewellery, but also provides insights into how capital flows out of China move across Southeast Asia. Gold, Jewels and Property Ten individuals were arrested in mid-August 2023 for forgery and other…
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Louis Cha Leung-yung (查良鏞) was without doubt one of the most popular writers in Chinese in the last century. However, his influence extended well into other spheres, such as journalism, as founder of a major newspaper, and politics, as a member of Hong Kong’s Basic Law Drafting Committee. Rivers and Lakes Louis Cha is best…
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Most people are well-aware of the role of Confucius in Chinese philosophy. However, fewer are conscious that the philosopher, who lived from about 550 to 479 BC, was really interpreting an older set of precepts associated with a sort of “philosopher king”, the famous Duke of Zhou or Zhou Gong (周公). The Duke of Zhou…
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I had not intended to write again so soon about Taiwan, but a hoped-for deal between the Kuomintang (國民黨) (“KMT”) and the Taiwan People’s Party (台灣民眾黨) has already collapsed. The deal’s foundering means that William Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party and his new running partner, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), a former ambassador to…
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Living with the Dragon 