China Society

The Chinese authorities have lowered standards for pollution control across the northern China region.

HONG KONG/VATICAN CITY—A landmark deal between China’s leaders and the Vatican over the appointment of bishops has been struck without Beijing taking action on long-held Church concerns over clerics in detention, Catholic Church sources familiar with the matter say. The agreement, which gives the Vatican a long-desired say in the appointment of bishops in China, […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Police said on Sept. 28 that 93 Chinese citizens and six Malaysians have been detained on suspicion of being involved in swindling money from people in China through a telephone scam. The arrests, the largest in recent months, were made on Sept. 26 during a police raid at a call center in a […]

BEIJING—A former Chinese stock market regulator who was detained after a collapse in share prices in 2015 was sentenced on Sept. 28 to 18 years in prison on charges of taking bribes and insider trading. Yao Gang, a former deputy chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, was one of a series of prominent figures […]

BEIJING—The Vatican’s breakthrough agreement to give China some say over bishop appointments has critics accusing the church of caving in to the ruling Communist Party just as it is waging a sweeping crackdown on religion. The agreement is a step toward addressing the long-cherished hope of bringing together China’s 12 million Catholics who are divided […]

BEIJING—When a former intern at China’s state broadcaster wrote in July about being groped and forcibly kissed by one of the country’s most recognizable television stars, her story ignited a social media firestorm in a country where a backlash against sexual harassment was growing. Now her case is set to go before the Chinese legal […]

TAIPEI—Taiwan said on Sept. 27 its relationship with the Vatican is stable, although it will closely watch what it described as “suppression” by China following a landmark deal between Beijing and the Vatican on the appointment of bishops on the mainland. The Vatican has signed an agreement giving it a long-desired say in the appointment […]

China has implemented tight control over its foreign exchange reserves due to the depreciating value of the yuan and to prevent rapid capital outflow. However, the Chinese people who want to withdraw cash (in foreign currency) from their banks are finding it difficult to do so. So they use different channels to get their money […]

The Chinese regime on Sept. 20 published new regulations for TV and radio stations to limit foreign content and the presence of foreign actors onscreen. On the same day, the official media reported that school textbooks must be inspected and any self-written or foreign textbooks must be removed from schools. China’s National Radio and Television […]

Wang Dong, a freshman at Hunan City University in southern China, was expelled by the school because he posted liberal and anti-communist statements online. He had been at the university only 13 days.

Asian elephants in Burma are being poached at an alarming rate—all to meet soaringdemand for the animal’s skin in China, where it’s considered a potent traditional medicine. “Elephant skins? Give me four hours, and I’ll get you anything from the hunters in the jungle,” a shopkeeper at a pharmacy in Kyaikto, a town in southeastern […]

BEIJING—X-Men star Fan Bingbing’s Beijing management office is dark and abandoned. Her birthday passed almost unremarked in China’s hyper-adrenalized social media environment. For one of China’s best known stars and a rising Hollywood actress, Fan’s vanishing is stunning, coming amid vague allegations of tax fraud and possibly other infractions that could have put her at […]

A professor at Guizhou University has been fired for voicing criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.

On Sept. 18, the Sichuan Provincial Public Security Bureau opened a case involving five people suspected of extorting 200,000 yuan (about $30,000) from one enterprise using the "internet water army" method.

HONG KONG–China is looking to tighten regulation of overseas-produced content, especially blocking current affairs shows from being shown in the country. Chinese regulators will restrict film, TV series and animation that will be aired on domestic television stations or online video platforms, a draft guidance by the National Radio and Television Administration showed on Sept. […]

HONG KONG–A Hong Kong cardinal who has spearheaded opposition to the Vatican’s rapprochement with China has called for the Pope’s secretary of state to step down, saying any deal with Beijing on the appointment of bishops would amount to a betrayal of the Catholic faith. Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Catholic cleric on Chinese soil, […]

HONG KONG–Eight beluga whales jump in unison out of a bright blue indoor pool, flipping their tailfins and spewing fountains of water, as a packed audience cheers and snaps photographs. Whale shows like the one at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, located in Zhuhai on China’s southern coast, are proliferating at new marine parks across the country, […]

Chinese netizens have found a platform to express their thoughts on the U.S.-China trade war: the U.S. Embassy's Weibo page.

The event did not make the news until Sept. 14, when the Chinese Embassy in Sweden issued a public notice warning Chinese not to visit Sweden on account of poor safety and abuse by the local police.

Guo Jingyu, a prolific television director and producer, tells all about how officials pressure TV shows to “buy” good ratings.