China’s overall employment landscape has remained stable despite a fluctuation in its urban unemployment rate due to the Spring Festival holiday, official data showed Monday.
The country’s surveyed urban unemployment rate on average stood at 5.3 percent in the first two months of 2025, unchanged from the same period last year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
In February, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.4 percent, up from 5.2 percent in January.
NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said that the rate typically fluctuates in the January-February period due to the Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 this year.
China’s efforts to stimulate domestic demand, promote high-quality development, upgrade traditional industries, and foster emerging sectors and business models are expected to provide a strong foundation for job growth, Fu told a press conference.
This year, significant efforts are still needed to stabilize and expand employment, he said, noting that “the international environment is complex and challenging, while the foundation for domestic economic recovery is not yet stable.”
China has set a target for a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent in 2025 and aims to create over 12 million new urban jobs, according to this year’s government work report released last week.
This year, the country is committed to further refining the employment-first policy and making better use of various types of funds and resources to provide stronger support. These policies are expected to maintain overall employment stability as their impact continues to unfold, according to Fu.
The Nanzih Technology Industrial Park (NTIP) will host the first-quarter on-site employment recruitment event on Friday, March 21, bringing together six well-known enterprises, including OSE, ASE Semiconductor, WinWay Technology, Ralec, Taiwan SumiKo Materials Co., LTD., and Sinso Enterprise Co., LTD., offering 139 job vacancies. Salaries go up to NT$42,000 per month, covering positions such as process engineers, equipment maintenance engineers, and environmental management personnel, aiming to attract professionals with relevant backgrounds. The Bureau of Industrial Parks (BIP) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) stated that this employment recruitment event not only provides technical and managerial positions but also includes a comprehensive training program to help job seekers integrate into the workplace quickly. Among them, OSE offers positions such as process engineers, quality assurance engineers, and product engineers, with starting salaries of NT$37,000, targeting talents with electronics, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering backgrounds. Meanwhile, Sinso Enterprise Co., LTD. offers 50 environmental management positions with salaries of up to NT$42,000 per month, along with vacancies for cleaning management supervisors and on-site administrators. The employment recruitment event also underscores corporate social responsibility, with OSE establishing a dedicated section for job seekers with disabilities, offering suitable positions tailored to their expertise. This initiative not only expands employment opportunities but also promotes workplace diversity and inclusion. The BIP of MOEA emphasized that as NTIP continues to develop as a high-tech industrial hub in southern Taiwan, this employment recruitment event serves as an effective platform for connecting companies with job seekers. Businesses can use this opportunity to recruit top talent, while job seekers can secure employment quickly, creating a win-win situation for all parties. Interested job seekers are encouraged to bring their resumes and attend on-site interviews at the New Employee Service Center of Nanzih Technology Industrial Park (3rd Floor, Rooms 304 & 305, No. 8, Xinjian South Road, Nanzih District, Kaohsiung City) on March 21. For more details, visit the event website: https://pse.is/76umpu or contact Ms. He at the Nanzi Employment Service Desk of the Training and Employment Center (07-3640508).
Contact Person: Liang, Shu-Juan (Industrial Safety and Labor Affairs Section of the Environment and Labor Affairs Division) Contact Number: 886-7-3611212 ext. 418 Email: ab0413@bip.gov.tw
Saipan – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that HongJiang Yang, age 68, citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was sentenced on March 14, 2025 to 30 days imprisonment by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Conspiracy and Aiding & Abetting Transportation of Illegal Aliens, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii), (v)(I), and (II). He was previously found guilty by jury verdict. The court also ordered one year of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment fee.
The following co-conspirators have pled guilty and were sentenced for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §1324(a)(I)(A)(ii) and (v)(I):
Xiaohua Li – age 58: Sentenced on February 22, 2024, to one year probation, 50 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
Kun Gao – age 44: Sentenced on March 15, 2024, to 30 days in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee
YongBing Tang – age 55: Sentenced on July 2, 2024, to 30 days in prison, one year of supervised release, 50 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
ChangCai Dong – age 61: Sentenced on July 2, 2024, to 30 days in prison, one year of supervised release, 50 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
YingChun Wu – age 45: Sentenced on May 24, 2024, to 30 days imprisonment; one year of supervised release, 50 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
Yan Juan Hu Taitano – age 61: Sentenced on September 9, 2024, to 15 months imprisonment one year of supervised release, 80 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
Lee Jesse Omar Reyes – age 37: Sentenced on September 9, 2024, to time served, two years of supervised release, 80 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
Ramon Jose Quitano Sablan – age 32: Sentenced on September 9, 2024, to time served, two years of supervised release, 80 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
Maverick Ryan Iguel Marlik – age 31: Sentenced on September 9, 2024, to time served, one year of supervised release, 80 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
On July 11, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Saipan received information that the United States Coast Guard conducted an emergency maritime rescue operation for 11 individuals in distress on a small vessel off the coast of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The individuals included nine PRC citizens and two CNMI residents. HSI Saipan initiated an investigation into violations of Title 8 of the United States Code for bringing in and harboring aliens, in addition to other violations, for attempting to unlawfully bring non-United States citizens to Guam.
The evidence at trial established that two evenings prior, the boat departed Saipan and headed south. Overloaded and in high seas, it ran out of gas before sunrise and started drifting. Instead of immediately calling authorities for rescue, those on board made a last-ditch attempt to reach Guam by asking another boat to deliver more fuel. After that effort failed, they at last radioed the United States Coast Guard, triggering a search by military aircraft from the United States and two allied nations. The individuals were located at dusk and rescued by a Navy helicopter after midnight. By delaying their call for help, defendant Yang and the others made an already dangerous situation much more so, for themselves and their rescuers.
“Attorney General Bondi has made immigration enforcement the highest priority of the Department,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “We will fulfil our mission through federal, territorial, and commonwealth partnerships to deter unlawful migration and promote safety at sea. Anyone with information regarding this type of criminal activity should contact Homeland Security Investigations.”
“The sentencing of Mr. Yang and the co-conspirators highlights ICE-HSI’s commitment to stopping smuggling efforts and preventing the evasion of federal immigration law, said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “Stopping these crimes not only protects our communities, but also targets the inherent dangers present with human smuggling. ICE-HSI protects our borders through enforcing our immigration authority.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric S. O’Malley in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Source: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
17 Mar 2025
Researchers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) have opened the door to enhancing canola production in challenging growing environments, after identifying a key gene that helps protect plants from manganese toxicity in acidic soils.
Soil acidity is a significant challenge for crop production in Australia, and crops like canola are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of acidic soils which can limit growth and reduce yields.
Dr Harsh Raman, Senior Principal Research Scientist at NSW DPIRD, said the the discovery is the result of five years of dedicated research by an international team of scientists, with NSW DPIRD leading the effort.
“Soil acidity is a global issue, severely limiting crop production and affecting a huge 13.7 million hectares in NSW alone,” Dr Raman said.
“After conducting a range of experiments in controlled field conditions, NSW DPIRD has successfully cloned the specific gene responsible for manganese tolerance in acidic soils.”
“We have also uncovered new insights into the genetic networks that influence this trait, which will enable the research team to develop practical methods for selecting canola plants with manganese tolerance based on morphological traits and molecular markers.”
According to Dr Raman, the discovery could lead to higher productivity and improved profitability for Canola growers.
“By understanding how canola plants cope with excessive manganese in acidic soils, researchers and crop breeding companies can now work towards developing new crop varieties that are more resilient to thestresses of manganese toxicity. ,” Dr Raman said.
While manganese is an essential nutrient for plant growth, excessive amounts in acidic soils (pH <5) can lead to severe toxicity which can stunt plant growth and reduce crop yields. This is most common in waterlogged soils or those with poor drainage, particularly under high-temperature conditions.
Dr. Raman said that while researchers still recommend a regular application of lime to manage high-acidity soils, manganese tolerance is a valuable enhancement trait for canola varieties by allowing growers to get about their business without having to wait for the lime to ameliorate into the soil.
“Thanks to this research, canola farmers will no longer exclusively need to invest significant time and money into lime applications and wait for amelioration to proceed before they can grow high yield crops.
Now, by unlocking the secret to cultivating varieties that are tolerant to acidic soils, growers can grow high yielding canola whilst applying lime to improve their soils long term PH, increasing productivity and profitability.”
“As farmers face increasing challenges such as soil degradation, this research provides a promising new tool to enhance crop resilience and secure long-term food production,” Dr Raman said.
The project was supported by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Grains Research and Development Cooperation, Oil Crops Research Institute China, Monash University, ARC Training Centre for Future Crops Development at Australian National University and Wagga Wagga, and INRA France.
The US government has sent a 36-point questionnaire to some Australian researchers who are working on joint projects with US colleagues.
ABC Radio National reports at least eight Australian universities are involved. Their research areas include foreign aid, medicine, vaccines and defence. The New York Times reports a similar document has also been sent to other overseas organisations with US funding links.
The questions are wide-ranging and cover academics’ links to China as well as their projects’ focus on topics such as diversity, inclusion and gender identity, as well as climate change.
Some of the specific questions include:
Can you confirm that your organisation has not received ANY funding from PRC People’s Republic of China, Russia, Cuba or Iran?
Can you confirm that this is no DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] project or DEI elements of the project? [sic]
Does this project take appropriate measures to protect women and to defend against gender ideology as defined in the below Executive Order?
Can you confirm this is not a climate or “environmental justice” project or include such elements?
The survey also covers issues such as secure borders with Mexico, ending government waste, terrorism, the war on opioids, and “eradicating anti-Christian bias”.
Concern and anger
In response, the Group of Eight (which represents Australia’s top research universities) and Australian Academy of Science have separately raised concerns with the Australian government about the survey and its impact on Australian research.
The Group of Eight says the US has already suspended or terminated research grants with six of its eight member universities.
The National Tertiary Education Union also labelled the survey “blatant foreign interference”.
A spokesperson for Education Minister Jason Clare says Australia is
“engaging with the US government to understand what these measures mean for future funding and collaboration”.
Are Trump’s orders legal?
Trump’s executive orders are currently the subject of numerous lawsuits in the US. Plaintiffs say Trump’s orders violate the First and Fifth Amendments – those dealing with protection of free speech, equal protection and “due process of law” when depriving a citizen of property.
Whether Trump’s orders are legal or not is a tricky question, and will likely come down the judges hearing each case.
US involvement in Australian research is significant. According to the Academy of Science, US government research funding involving Australian research organisations was $A386 million in 2024.
It is arguable Trump’s orders infringe Australian sovereignty. But the US has always had the capacity to interfere in Australian university research – it just hasn’t actually done it until now.
Research contracts signed between universities and funding bodies can contain all kinds of requirements, so US law can end up applying to Australian researchers. When the AUKUS deal was announced in 2021, a huge question was how universities would comply with notoriously harsh US export control laws.
The survey indicates it was issued by the US Office of Management and Budget and appears to be supported by the US CHIPS and Science Act (which authorises certain research investments) and National Science Foundation policies. So, while Australian researchers could potentially ignore these questionnaires, that would legally give a US funding body grounds to cancel the funding contract.
Our foreign interference laws also weren’t designed for situations like this. Even if they did, Trump is the current head of the US government, and is likely to be immune from prosecution
Statutory tests for foreign interference – including criteria that such acts are covert, and/or involve threats of harm – simply don’t apply to a US president like Trump.
So legally, it doesn’t look like there is much Australia can do about Trump’s orders.
What can Australia do?
Some newly unemployed researchers are now poised to leave the US, taking their research with them. This poses a potential security risk, with countries such as China and Russia both keen to capitalise on Trump’s decisions.
But other nations are also aware of the possibilities. The European Union has already offered displaced US scientists a more “sympathetic place to work”. South Korea and Canada are also marketing themselves as attractive options. Australia could follow suit.
The federal government is currently doing a strategic review of Australia’s research and development system. This could make diversifying our research partners a national priority.
Either way, given such radical changes in the US, Australia needs to seriously reconsider how it is funding and structuring research.
Brendan Walker-Munro has consulted for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, and is also an Adjunct Expert Associate of the National Security College. He has received funding from the Social Cyber Institute and Active Cyber Defence Alliance.
China’s fixed-asset investment went up 4.1 percent year on year in the first two months of this year, 0.9 percentage points higher than the full-year growth rate of 2024, official data showed Monday.
The investment totaled 5.2619 trillion yuan (about 734 billion U.S. dollars) during the January-February period, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement.
Investment in infrastructure construction rose 5.6 percent from a year ago during the period, and manufacturing investment increased 9 percent, according to the NBS.
Excluding the property sector, the country’s fixed-asset investment rose 8.4 percent in the first two months. Investment in property development fell 9.8 percent year on year during the period.
China’s value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 5.9 percent year on year in the first two months of 2025, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.
In February alone, the industrial output grew 0.51 percent from January.
The industrial output is used to measure the activity of large enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.79 million U.S. dollars).
China’s retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country’s consumption strength, climbed 4 percent year on year in the first two months of 2025, official data showed Monday.
Total retail sales of consumer goods reached over 8.37 trillion yuan (about 1.17 trillion U.S. dollars) from January to February, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Retail sales of consumer goods, excluding automobiles, reached over 7.68 trillion yuan, registering a year-on-year growth of 4.8 percent.
Commercial home prices dipped slightly in most Chinese cities in February amid Spring Festival sales off-season and other factors, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.
Prices of new homes in first-tier cities increased from a month ago, according to the data.
Beijing ranks first nationally in high-quality development, according to the Beijing High-Quality Development Report released at the sixth Capital High-Quality Development Symposium at Beihang University on March 14, 2025. This solidifies its leading position alongside Shanghai and Shenzhen as top-tier cities.
The sixth Capital High-Quality Development Symposium is held at Beihang University in Beijing on March 14, 2025. [Photo by Yang Chuanli/China.org.cn] The report expanded its research scope for the first time to 318 prefecture-level cities across China, identifying the nation’s top 50 cities in high-quality development. Beijing’s high-quality development index demonstrated steady growth, rising from 0.71 in 2017 to 0.86 in 2023. This marked a 21.1% increase with an average annual growth rate of 3.25%. Beijing demonstrates excellence across six dimensions: economy, society, environment, innovation, culture and governance, with a particularly strong performance in economic, innovation and cultural metrics. The top 10 cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, Xiamen, Suzhou and Ningbo. Jia Pinrong, director of the High-quality Development Research Center at the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, attributed Beijing’s leadership to five pillars. These include the deep implementation of high-quality development principles, the transformation of scientific innovation into industrial momentum and the dual-driven growth of high-end precision industries and the digital economy. Jia also highlighted the role of regional synergy through the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy and the expansion of new quality productive forces. Additionally, he emphasized Beijing’s national leadership in green and low-carbon transition practices. Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Jia proposed a three-tiered strategy for urban high-quality development. At the micro level, priorities should include advancing core technologies, cultivating talent, upgrading infrastructure, stimulating consumer spending and empowering industry leaders. For industries, Jia recommended optimizing structures, fostering new quality productive forces and enhancing global supply chain competitiveness. At the city level, efforts should focus on establishing incentive mechanisms, accelerating digital transformation, improving workforce skills and aligning development with green and intelligent trends. The symposium featured an invited address by Yu Bin, a national committee member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and director of the Technical Economics Research Center at Tsinghua University. Other keynote speakers included Fan Ying, dean of the School of Economics and Management at Beihang University, and Pan Chong, dean of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Beihang University. Roundtable discussions at the symposium explored topics including artificial intelligence applications, green new productive forces and environmental, social and governance (ESG) solutions. Scholars proposed integrated technical and managerial strategies for these areas. Since 2019, the Beijing High-Quality Development Report has provided an annual assessment of Beijing’s progress across various dimensions. This year’s edition, co-organized by the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology and Beihang University, provides a comprehensive benchmark for national urban development.
Photo released on Jan. 1, 2022 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows the group photo of the orbiter and Mars. China released on the first day of 2022 a group of new Mars images taken by the Tianwen-1 probe. China’s Tianwen-1 mission, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched on July 23, 2020. [Photo/CNSA] China has invited the global scientific community to participate in its Tianwen-3 Mars exploration mission, according to a statement released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on March 11. Scheduled for launch around 2028, the Tianwen-3 mission is accepting project proposals from interested institutions until the end of June, with final selections expected by October. Proposed payloads must align with the mission’s core scientific objectives, such as the search for potential traces of life on Mars. CNSA emphasized that selected projects should demonstrate strong innovation in scientific exploration and engineering technology. While payloads can be included free of charge, foreign partners must independently fund their development and agree to share their data with China. CNSA also encouraged international institutions to collaborate with Chinese payload developers. The Tianwen-3 mission will consist of a lander, ascender, orbiter and returner. In addition to investigating signs of life, it aims to study the geological features of Mars, its internal structure, atmospheric circulation and escape processes to enhance understanding of the planet’s habitability. CNSA noted that the samples collected by Tianwen-3 are expected to return to Earth around 2030.
Weight control in China was once a solitary battle. Now, the government is offering a helping hand. At a recent news conference, Lei Haichao, head of the National Health Commission (NHC), announced plans to establish more weight management clinics at medical and health facilities, helping people shed pounds safely and pivot to healthier lifestyles. The announcement, made on the sidelines of the annual gathering of national lawmakers in Beijing — where the year’s priorities and goals are set — quickly caught fire online. Social media platforms like Weibo and rednote buzzed with reactions to the news. The 2025 government work report, green-lit by lawmakers on March 11, reaffirmed China’s commitment to a health-first strategy in its medical and health system — a clear departure from the traditional emphasis on disease treatment. The public didn’t hold back on the fun. A cheeky hashtag, “The country’s calling you to drop those pounds,” took off, along with a flood of witty cartoons from netizens that lit up the internet. Wang Youfa, head of the Global Health Institute at Xi’an Jiaotong University, saw this as a sign of growing public awareness about the toll of obesity. “It mirrors an alignment of scientific research, government action, and public engagement,” he said, noting this synergy indicates a vibrant wellness boom unfolding across the country. For a nation that had long struggled to feed its vast population, obesity barely registered until the late 1970s, when reform and opening-up ignited an economic boom, as well as a swelling national appetite. Today, with more than 1.4 billion people, China faces a growing obesity challenge. The NHC reported that over half of adults are overweight or obese. It warned that if left unchecked, the rate could climb to 70.5 percent by 2030. An estimate once projected that the economic burden attributed to overweight and obesity would account for 21.5 percent of the country’s total medical expenses by that time. In response, authorities launched a nationwide campaign in June 2024 to foster a supportive environment for weight control within three years. Obesity clinics are a key component of these efforts.
Participants compete during the 2025 Chongqing Marathon in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, March 2, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua] Professional aid Weighing 100 kilograms, a Beijing resident surnamed Chen became one of the first to benefit from the new weight management clinic at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. On Wednesday, the 104-year-old institution unveiled its joint clinic, staffed by experts in clinical nutrition, endocrinology, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Greeted by clinical nutrition specialist Chen Wei, Chen learned she faced not only obesity but also diabetes and high blood pressure. Chen Wei brought in endocrinology and TCM specialists, and the trio crafted a treatment plan blending TCM medications, acupuncture and Metformin, along with a personalized health management strategy. Highlighting the prominence of traditional medicine in this approach, Wang said that practices such as acupuncture, massage, Qigong and medicinal diets have given China a distinct edge in tackling obesity. At Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in east China’s Jiangsu Province, physician Jiang Yawen has already treated over 100 patients with acupuncture for obesity just two weeks into March. From the perspective of TCM, obesity is linked to the functioning of the liver, spleen and kidneys, said Jiang. Acupuncture can help by enhancing the function of these organs, curbing appetite, and improving nutrient absorption in the stomach and intestines, she added. Jiang has even taken these techniques abroad. As part of a Chinese medical team sent to Malta from 2020 to 2021, she brought her therapy to the Mediterranean country, where it helped relieve locals of obesity and was warmly embraced. While weight control clinics offer professional services, they carry the risk of over-treatment and unintended health or financial consequences, Wang cautioned. “We need to put in place relevant research, assessment, oversight and regulation.”
Vowing to make domestic demand “the main engine and anchor of economic growth”, China’s policymakers have sent fresh and firm signals on empowering the vast number of consumers to spend, countering skepticism about the country’s shift toward a consumption-driven economy.
China will “place a stronger economic policy focus on improving living standards and boosting consumer spending”, according to this year’s Government Work Report submitted on March 5 to the National People’s Congress, the national legislature, for deliberation.
Boosting consumption is hardly a fresh concept in the Chinese policy toolbox, and consumer spending has played an increasingly vital role in China’s economy. In 2024, final consumption contributed 44.5 percent to China’s economic growth, surpassing investment and exports, and drove GDP up by 2.2 percentage points.
This year, however, the push has been particularly important as China’s economy contends with rising trade protectionism and global headwinds, while the domestic shift from traditional growth drivers, such as real estate, to new and more sustainable ones poses new challenges.
“Expanding domestic demand through stimulating consumption can effectively counter external uncertainties, and it stabilizes short-term growth while aiding structural shifts over time,” said Yang Decai, a national political advisor and economics professor at Nanjing University, during the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and political advisory body, known as the two sessions.
To support this pivotal transition, the Government Work Report unveiled stronger supportive measures, including issuing ultra-long special treasury bonds of 300 billion yuan ($41.3 billion) to back the consumer goods trade-in program, doubling the scale from last year.
The trade-in program, launched a year ago, has played a vital role in revitalizing consumer markets. In 2024, it led to sales exceeding 1.3 trillion yuan, including over 6.8 million vehicles, 56 million home appliances and 1.38 million e-bikes. More items have been added to the list of subsidized products this year.
“The trade-in program is more than just an economic policy,” Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao told a news conference on the sidelines of the third session of the 14th NPC on March 6, noting that it has fostered new development engines and improved the quality of life for millions of households.
Wang pointed out that the primary issue constraining goods consumption is the ability and willingness to spend, while the main challenge for services consumption is the lack of high-quality supply.
To tackle these weaknesses, the Chinese government, in addition to clinching cheaper deals for consumers, aims to lift consumer confidence by bolstering people’s well-being, with a focus on creating jobs, raising incomes and easing their financial burdens.
More funds and resources will be used to serve the people and meet their needs, according to the Government Work Report.
Targeting over 12 million new urban jobs this year, the government will provide stronger support for full and higher-quality employment, according to the report. It also pledged to raise the minimum basic old-age benefits for rural and non-working urban residents as well as the basic pension benefits for retirees.
“Raising farmers’ pension payments may be the most effective way to boost consumption because it will significantly reduce the savings rate and boost consumption for half of China’s population,” said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura, who expects more will be done in this regard in coming years.
Government spending on education will rise by 6.1 percent this year and that on social security and employment by 5.9 percent, with strong gains also expected in healthcare and housing, Finance Minister Lan Fo’an revealed at the news conference on March 6.
Chinese policymakers have also tied consumption to lifestyle upgrades, not just spending volume, as the Government Work Report highlighted the need to create new consumption scenarios to accelerate the growth of digital, green, smart, and other new types of consumption.
It promised to improve the leave system and ensure its implementation to unlock consumption potential in sectors like culture, tourism and sports, which are among the most powerful service consumption engines.
Meanwhile, new consumption trends, from winter sports boom to silver-haired consumer spending upsurge, are already stoking fresh growth.
The silver economy, which caters to China’s aging population, could reach 30 trillion yuan by 2035 and create at least 100 million jobs by 2050, according to national political advisor Jin Li, vice-president of Southern University of Science and Technology.
Sun Guangzhi, head of the provincial culture and tourism department of the ice and snow-rich Jilin province, said the northeastern province sparked over 100 million yuan in direct spending by issuing consumption vouchers in the latest snow season.
“This demonstrates the combined benefits of policy incentives and local resource strength,” said Sun, a national lawmaker.
The Shanghai government on Sunday announced a series of measures and activities aimed at promoting the high-quality development of what it calls the “debut economy”, as the East China metropolis works to become a global consumption hub, according to official sources.
The latest policy package seeks to optimize the business environment in the city and encourage the introduction of more “first” stores, debut products, shows and exhibitions.
According to Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, a series of “first “events is set to take place in Shanghai and other cities aiming to unleash market potential and promote the integration of domestic and international trade.
“We hope Shanghai will continue to lead the development of the debut economy nationwide and drive high-quality economic growth to a higher level,” Wang said.
Since introducing policies to boost the debut economy in 2018, Shanghai has become a top destination for domestic and international brands to launch their first stores, debut products and host shows and exhibitions, said Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng.
To maintain its appeal as a consumption hub, Shanghai will continue to attract high-quality brands to open their first stores, create new consumption experiences and scenarios, and enhance the business environment, Gong said.
With the aim of creating “First in Shanghai” as a city brand, the measures seek to attract more high-profile events, position the initiative as a global consumption bellwether and make Shanghai the top choice for international brands entering the Chinese market, said the city’s Vice-Mayor Hua Yuan.
More than 3,500 domestic and international brands have held debut activities in the city as of the end of 2024, with 1,269 first stores opening in Shanghai last year, Hua said. These included 14 first stores across Asia or beyond and 202 debut stores at the national or Chinese mainland level — leading Chinese cities in both quantity and quality, he added.
Some have said Christopher Luxon’s pledge to get a free trade deal between New Zealand and India over the line in his first term as prime minister was overly optimistic. But not all trade deals are the same, and Luxon may yet get to claim bragging rights.
Already he is managing expectations, saying a “good” deal will be better than waiting a long time for a “perfect” one. And with formal negotiations confirmed not long after Luxon touched down in New Delhi, we can perhaps expect genuine movement.
At the same time, India’s negotiating style is notoriously rigid, with its bilateral investment treaty model having proved a stumbling block to deals with many other nations or blocs, including the United Kingdom and European Union.
New Zealand first held formal negotiations with India over a decade ago. But talks derailed in 2015 over the inclusion of dairy products in any agreement. We can be fairly sure this will be the compromise Luxon’s government is ready to make now.
Beyond the economic implications, of course, lie domestic political calculations. Luxon needs a win to counter flatlining poll numbers and speculation about his leadership future. Good news in India offers just that.
Playing the Indo-Pacific card
Using diplomatic language that plays up New Zealand being part of the Indo-Pacific region – rather than the traditional Western alliance – will be essential.
New Zealand – despite its relatively small size – is still a significant regional player, with the Indo-Pacific’s fourth highest GDP per capita.
In the context of an imminent “Asian Century”, and the region becoming a crucial zone for economic and military power, New Zealand also provides a strategic pathway into the Pacific, where India is becoming increasingly involved.
All of this will influence Luxon’s keynote address today at the 10th Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship multilateral conference on global politics and economics. He is the first leader not governing a European country to make such a speech, and is also the chief guest at the dialogue.
Luxon is already on the record as saying New Zealand and India are “very aligned” on Indo-Pacific security and concerns over Chinese regional influence, with scope for more joint defence exercises. This linkage between security and trade mirrors Wellington’s recent relations with Beijing, which have become increasingly difficult to navigate.
Solid foundations
But there is a long way to go. In 2024, India-New Zealand trade was worth a combined NZ$3.14 billion – a fraction of the $208.46 billion generated by trade with China in the same year.
Nevertheless, Luxon and his ministers have made undeniable progress. His “recalibration of a relationship that has long been neglected” bore fruit in October last year when he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ASEAN summit, and the countries announced their intention to take the relationship to “greater heights”.
The previous Labour government helped set the scene with a succession of high-level diplomatic visits and parliamentary exchanges. In 2023, the Indian government described relations with New Zealand as having “an upward trajectory”.
And there are clearly good foundations to build on – especially the 292,000 people of Indian ethnicity in New Zealand, who contribute US$10 billion to the New Zealand economy.
Great expectations
Trade is ripe for expansion, too. New Zealand primarily exports wool, iron and steel, aluminium, fruits and nuts, wood pulp and recovered paper, and imports Indian pharmaceuticals, machinery, precious metals and stones, textiles, vehicles and clothing.
There were 8,000 Indian students in New Zealand last year, a number that may well grow given a relative drop in student numbers from China. With the US and UK becoming more hostile to immigration, New Zealand can offer a relatively safe and tolerant alternative.
As such, while Luxon has momentum on a trade deal, he is also part of a long queue. Given the relative power imbalance between the two countries, the weight of expectation sits squarely on his shoulders.
Chris Ogden is a Senior Research Fellow with The Foreign Policy Centre, London.
In the spring of 2024, celebrated singer Gong Linna embarked on an exciting new musical journey to breathe fresh life into an ancient art form: yuanqu. The genre, popular during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), is known for its colloquial language and accessibility, an intriguing mix of songs and drama that resonated deeply with everyday people at the time.
The Yuan period saw the rise of famous plays like The Romance of the Western Chamber by Wang Shifu and Dou E Yuan (Injustice to Dou E) by Guan Hanqing, both of which belong to the yuanzaju genre, and captivated audiences across China. Masters like Guan Hanqing and Bai Pu composed numerous sanqu (scattered lyrics) and xiaoling (short songs) that showcased the emotional depth and popularity of yuanqu — a genre that was equal parts entertainment and cultural reflection.
Inspired by this tradition, Gong teamed up with a group of talented musicians, ranging from traditional Chinese opera artists to contemporary composers and instrumentalists. The result is a new album, Gong Linna Sings Yuanqu, which blends the essence of this ancient genre with modern musical sensibilities, creating a bridge between the centuries.
On March 3, Gong performed three songs from the album — Twelve Butterflies, Forget Your Worries Tune, and Idle Joy — at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
“Yuanqu was originally performed as part of theater productions, with its songs and lyrics essential to the drama. This genre marks a crucial development in the Chinese literary tradition, and it laid the foundation for later theater arts in China. What we have today are mostly the lyrics without the music,” Gong explains. “With this album, my friends and I sought to capture the spirit of yuanqu by blending traditional lyrics with contemporary production techniques. We wanted to make ancient poetry feel timeless, but also refreshingly modern.”
On the album, Gong pushes the boundaries of artistry, experimenting with a variety of regional operatic styles.
“Through this yuanqu series, I want to work with different forms of Chinese opera, like Qinqiang Opera and Yuju Opera,” she says. “I hope these songs will be as widely sung as the lyrics from the Yuan Dynasty.”
One standout track on the album is Twelve Butterflies, a piece by Yuan Dynasty poet Zhao Yan. Gong’s rendition marks her debut at pingtan — a traditional art form that blends singing and storytelling in the Suzhou dialect. Adding a fresh twist, she collaborates with Sheng Xiaoyun, a renowned pingtan artist, resulting in a rich, cross-generational fusion of past and present.
Another track, Idle Joy, adapted from a sanqu by Guan Hanqing, injects humor and liveliness into the album. With lines like “he brought a pair of chickens, I brought a goose. Idle joy, idle joy”, the playful tone of the lyrics finds counterpoint in a blend of reggae rhythms and traditional Chinese poetry. Gong’s singing and producer Chen Junwu’s arrangement infuses a carefree energy into the song in a joyful nod to the simple pleasures of life.
Meanwhile, Forget Your Worries Tune, based on a piece by Bai Pu, combines the poignant lyrics of a Yuan Dynasty song with the musical style of Kunqu Opera. Gong says that the song resonates deeply with her, its introspective message urging the listener to release their worries.
Bai Ning, a professor in the Chinese Traditional Vocal Music Department at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music and an expert on yuanqu, makes a point of the distinctiveness of this art form. “Yuanqu is very different from the classical poetry of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. It’s much closer to the everyday language of the people, making it accessible and full of life,” she says. “It’s the music of the streets — vibrant and full of wisdom.”
Gong’s exploration of yuanqu comes at a time when she’s already left her mark on a variety of traditional Chinese poetic forms. She’s previously performed work from The Book of Songs, The Songs of Chu, and poetry from the Tang and Song dynasties.
As she moves forward, her yuanqu project will continue to expand with more pieces that celebrate the leisure and pleasures of ancient times.
“I want to bridge the gap between the past and the present, to ensure these beautiful, centuries-old songs continue to resonate with modern listeners,” she says.
With her innovative approach to blending the traditional and modern, Gong Linna’s new album promises not only to honor the past but also bring these ancient melodies to life for a new generation of music lovers.
When a movie presents tragic history in a comedic way, it goes beyond entertainment to convey profound meaning. Detective Chinatown 1900 is one such cinematic endeavor.
Set in San Francisco in 1900, the film follows detectives Qin Fu and Ah Gui as they investigate the murder of an American woman in Chinatown. Starring Chow Yun-fat, Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, this fourth installment of the Detective Chinatown franchise premiered during the Spring Festival holiday, quickly capturing public attention.
Praising the movie for its seamless blend of mystery and humor, Georges Chamchoum, an Emmy Award-winning film director and producer, says that the film effectively employs over-the-top acting and comedic elements to depict the harsh realities of historical racism.
“I believe the story resonates with a broad audience, including American viewers, as it vividly portrays the racism of that era,” Chamchoum told China Daily at a recent special screening hosted by the Asian World Film Festival in Culver City in the United States.
Co-directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, the film explores issues of race, immigration and national identity. Despite the invaluable contribution of Chinese immigrants to the development of the US during the Gold Rush, and the construction of the Pacific Railway, they faced discrimination and were even labeled the “yellow peril”, and the subject of derogatory rumors. The film highlights the rhetoric surrounding the Chinese Exclusion Act and its exploitation by one of the film’s characters, a mayoral candidate named Grant, who attempts to frame Chinese laborers in order to drive them out of the US.
Although the film treats these serious historical themes with a touch of caricature, its subtext regarding racial discrimination remains “significant”, according to Chamchoum.
For Chow, the role of Bai Xuanling was a long-awaited opportunity. Speaking to Chinese media, the actor said that he had been offered a similar role in the 1990s when he first arrived in Hollywood seeking opportunities. The late director King Hu had given him the script for The Battle of Ono, a film about Chinese laborers building American railways during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). However, Hu died before the project could be realized.
Three decades later, Chow finally found his dream role in Detective Chinatown 1900. The film dramatically portrays the real-life injustices suffered by Chinese immigrants through its fictitious plot in which San Francisco elites fabricate a “Chinese Jack the Ripper” to justify dismantling Chinatown.
One of the most powerful scenes in the film has Chow’s character Bai delivering a passionate courtroom monologue in English. Facing an all-American jury, he exposes the discrimination endured by Chinese immigrants, despite their critical role in the growth of the US. The moment has been widely discussed for its emotional impact and historical significance.
“I think a lot of Americans didn’t know this history before, but the film brings it back to life and explains it to younger audiences, and I was so proud of those Chinese workers,” Miriam Ajibekova, an audience member, told China Daily.
Detective Chinatown 1900 is more than just an action-comedy mystery; it is a cultural bridge between China and the US, according to Chamchoum. Chen who studied in Hollywood has successfully merged Chinese and American cultural elements in the Detective Chinatown series through international collaborations. The latest installment features Hollywood actor John Cusack in the role of mayoral candidate Grant.
The film’s composer, Nathan Wang, a University of Southern California-trained musician born in the US, shared his experiences of working on the film after the special screening. “We recorded the pipa (a four-stringed lute), guzheng (plucked zither), and erhu (a two-stringed fiddle) here in LA and layered them with Western orchestration,” says the composer, who worked with German film composer Hans Zimmer on Kung Fu Panda 3.
Wang adds that he took pride in writing a score that blends Western orchestral elements with traditional Chinese instruments.
The film was shot in Shandong province at the Laoling Film Studio in Laoling county-level city, Dezhou, where a replica of 1900s San Francisco Chinatown was built. Covering a 200,000-square-meter area, the set took seven months to complete, adding to the film’s authenticity.
“The production value is incredible,” Chamchoum says, expressing hope for further collaborations between Chinese and American filmmakers.
Detective Chinatown 1900 is among the flagship Chinese films released internationally during Spring Festival, China’s most profitable box-office period. The film opened to 460 million yuan ($64 million) on its first day, Jan 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, and grossed 3.4 billion yuan in early March. The three preceding films in the franchise amassed over 8.74 billion yuan before the latest installment.
The 18th Asian Film Awards were announced here in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Sunday night.
This year’s Asian Film Awards showcased 30 exceptional films from 25 countries or regions, competing for 16 awards. The nominated works were diverse in genre and the competition was intense.
Chinese actress Tang Wei was honored with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award. Sean Lau, actor from China’s Hong Kong, was awarded Best Actor. Action film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” from China’s Hong Kong won two awards including Best Editing and Best Production Design. Chu Wan Pin, composer from China’s Hong Kong, was awarded the Best Original Music for the film “the Last Dance.”
Japanese actor Koji Yakusho was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Established in 2007, the Asian Film Awards aimed to showcase outstanding Asian films to global audiences. Since 2014, they have been hosted by the Asian Film Awards Academy, jointly founded by international film festivals of Hong Kong, Busan and Tokyo.
SHANGHAI, March 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Exhibition name: The 37th China International Plastics and Rubber Industry Exhibition (CHINAPLAS 2025) Exhibition time: April 15-18, 2025 Exhibition location: Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center (Bao’an New Hall) CYCJET booth number: 8W81
1. About CHINAPLAS 2025 Founded in 1983, CHINAPLAS is one of the most influential exhibitions in the global plastics and rubber industry. The 2025 exhibition will focus on sustainable development and innovation, with an exhibition area of 380,000 square meters and more than 4,000 well-known exhibitors.
The exhibition not only brings together the latest technologies and products in the industry, but also holds the Global Rubber and Plastic Industry Development Trend and Technology Summit Forum at the same time, focusing on emerging industries such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, wind power, hydrogen energy, and discussing hot topics such as digital empowerment and green energy. In addition, the exhibition is expected to attract 250,000 professional buyers from 150 countries and regions, of which overseas visitors account for about 25%, this is not only a weather vane for the development of the industry, but also an excellent opportunity for companies to demonstrate their strength and expand the market, and fully demonstrate the high-value utilization and high-tech production of plastic recycling.
2. About CYCJET
CYCJET Yuchang Industrial Co., Ltd., as a leader in product identification solutions, has participated in the CHINAPLAS International Rubber and Plastics Exhibition for six consecutive years. With its outstanding laser inkjet technology and product performance, CYCJET has accumulated rich experience in the field of identification equipment and has won wide market recognition. At this exhibition, we will bring star products such as CYCJET series UV inkjet printers, laser machines, portable handheld inkjet printers, etc. to present you with the latest technological achievements.
1. UV inkjet printer: It adopts advanced UV inkjet technology to achieve high-precision inkjet coding, can perform high-precision coding on the surface of various materials, and can dynamically adjust the content according to the real-time needs of the production line. It is widely used in packaging identification in food, beverage, pharmaceutical and other industries.
2. Laser marking machine: It adopts non-contact processing method, which will not cause physical damage to the workpiece and ensure the original accuracy of the workpiece. In addition, the laser marking machine supports real-time data printing, which can meet the needs of complex industrial production. It can engrave clear and permanent marks on the surface of metal, plastic and other materials, and is widely used in automotive parts, electronic components and other industries.
3.Portable handheld inkjet printer: It is small and portable, flexible to operate, suitable for printing on the surface of various materials, and can meet the needs of rapid on-site marking.
In addition to these star products, there are also small character inkjet printers, automatic inkjet equipment, etc. These products reflect CYCJET’s unremitting pursuit of logo quality and in-depth insight into customer needs. At the same time, CYCJET’s inkjet printer technology has demonstrated excellent performance and wide application value in many fields such as cartons, medical treatment, lithium batteries, roll film, rulers, pipes, beverage bottles, plastic bags, wood, metal, tires, rulers, etc. It not only improves production efficiency, but also enhances the added value and brand image of products.
In addition, CYCJET’s technical team has rich experience and expertise, and can provide customers with customized solutions and comprehensive technical support to ensure that any problems encountered by customers during use can be solved promptly and effectively.
CHINAPLAS 2025 is an excellent platform for gathering industry elites and displaying cutting-edge technologies. CYCJET Yuchang Industrial looks forward to meeting you at the exhibition to discuss industry development trends and share technical experience. Our booth 8W81 will provide you with a full range of product displays and technical support, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of CYCJET’s strength and innovation. Let us work together to create a better future for the rubber and plastics industry!
CYCJET is the brand name of Yuchang Industrial Company Limited. As a manufacturer, CYCJET have more than 20 years of experience for R& D different types of handheld inkjet printing solution, Laser printing solution, and portable marking solution, High Resolution Printing solution in Shanghai China.
Hong Kong registered 8.4 million visitor arrivals in the first two months of 2025, up 7 percent year on year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said.
Among them, approximately 6.5 million visitor arrivals were from the mainland, up 4 percent from last year. Visitor arrivals from elsewhere jumped significantly, hitting 1.91 million and representing a 20 percent increase from last year, the HKTB data showed.
Short-haul markets have shown particularly strong performance, with 1.13 million visitor arrivals recorded in the reporting months, up 26 percent. Notably, travelers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea all increased over 30 percent.
In the long-haul sector, around 500,000 arrivals were made from overseas, reflecting a 20 percent increase, with Australia leading the way at an impressive growth rate of 34 percent.
To enhance experience for travelers, the tourism board has launched a new program platform titled “Hong Kong Great Outdoors,” designed to introduce global visitors to the city’s scenic hiking trails, outlying islands, and geological parks.
The recent budget proposal from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government for the fiscal year 2025/2026 included a significant allocation of 1.235 billion Hong Kong dollars (158.8 million U.S. dollars) to the tourism board, aimed at realizing the concept of “tourism is everywhere” and implementing the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0.
SF Airlines, China’s largest air-cargo carrier in terms of fleet size, has increased its fleet to 90 freighters, notable progress for the company in strengthening its service capacity in the global market, the cargo carrier announced on Sunday.
The 90th member of the SF Airlines fleet, a B767-300BCF widebody freighter, arrived at the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport on Sunday to join the fleet, the cargo carrier said.
The company disclosed that currently more than 30 percent of its freighter fleet consists of widebody jets — which are key players on its air route networks, reaching destinations both domestically and globally.
The expansion of the scale and improved structure of its transport capacity will support SF Airlines in its endeavors to broaden its air-cargo transport route network, which reaches over 100 destinations at home and globally. It also enhances the airline’s services for logistics supply chains and customers, the cargo carrier added.
Headquartered in Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province, SF Airlines received its first freighter and launched its first cargo route back in 2009.
In 2024, SF Airlines transported more than 1.17 million tonnes of air cargo — exceeding one million tonnes of annual cargo volume for the first time in its history, the company said.
The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal welcomed a record number of foreign tourists on Sunday, as two large international cruise ships docked at the port.
The ships, AIDAstella of AIDA Cruises and Spectrum of the Seas belonging to Royal Caribbean International, brought nearly 4,800 foreign tourists to the east China metropolis, marking the highest single-day arrival of international visitors since this Shanghai terminal opened in 2011.
AIDAstella made its maiden call at the terminal on Sunday. Operated by AIDA Cruises, which primarily serves European markets, the ship is carrying approximately 2,200 foreign tourists, mainly from Germany and Poland, on a 14-day voyage that starts from Bangkok and stops at Vietnam, Japan, and China’s Hong Kong, Taiwan and Shanghai.
Elizabeth, a tourist from Poland, said: “This is my first time in China, and I’m traveling with my family. I’m looking forward to this trip.” She added that she plans to go to the Great Wall in Beijing on her next trip.
During their stay, tourists will visit Shanghai’s landmarks, including the Bund, Yuyuan Garden and Oriental Pearl Tower. They will also take trips to nearby cities like Suzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province.
Spectrum of the Seas, which operates from Wusongkou as its home port, is carrying about 2,600 foreign tourists on this cruise. Angela Stephen, senior vice president of Royal Caribbean’s international business, praised the terminal’s excellent facilities and beautiful surroundings, emphasizing the company’s confidence in the Chinese cruise market.
Notably, the growing popularity of “China Travel” has fueled a surge in Shanghai’s cruise tourism market. Upcoming cruise ship visits include Mein Schiff 6 of TUI Cruises both this month and in April, while Costa Serena of Costa Cruises will return to the Chinese market in June.
Shanghai is leveraging its cruise tourism potential by developing diverse travel products, aiming to establish itself as the premier destination for inbound cruise tourism in China.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
VIENNA, March 16 — A Chinese business delegation, organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), visited Austria from March 13 to 16.
It has been the first large-scale Chinese delegation to visit Austria since the establishment of the new Austrian government.
Businesses from both sides had in-depth exchanges on industries including automobile, agriculture and food processing, and reached multiple cooperation intentions.
During the visit, Ren Hongbin, chairman of the CCPIT, made extensive interactions with local political and business representatives and those of relevant UN agencies, highlighting that China stands ready to work with all parties to enhance economic and trade cooperation and promote the stability and smooth flow of global industrial and supply chains.
Representatives of the Austrian business community expressed their willingness to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese business community and jointly oppose trade protectionism, and they hoped that more Chinese enterprises will invest and do business in Austria.
An investigation report released on Sunday concluded that a fatal bus crash in north China’s Shanxi Province in 2024 was a production safety incident. Fourteen people were killed and 37 others injured after a passenger bus crashed into a tunnel wall on the Hohhot-Beihai Expressway in Shanxi on March 19, 2024. According to the report released by Shanxi provincial department of emergency management, the accident was caused by a combination of driver fatigue, speeding in the tunnel, and the failure to use headlights. negligence by the involved bus company and regulatory authorities also contributed to the crash, the report determined. Direct economic losses resulting from this accident were estimated at approximately 15.89 million yuan (about 2.22 million U.S. dollars). The report suggested that Li Congyong, the legal representative of Jiajun Transport Company, along with several others, be transferred to judicial authorities. Several other involved enterprises and individuals have also been advised for administrative penalties, according to the report. A total of 18 people were held accountable by disciplinary inspection and supervisory commissions in Shanxi Province and Henan Province, respectively. Three of the people held accountable are in Shanxi, while the remaining 15 are in Henan in central China.
Consumers learn about relevant policies during a consumer goods trade-in event in Qingdao City, east China’s Shandong Province, May 17, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
China on Sunday made public a plan on special initiatives to increase consumption, as the world’s second-largest economy moves to make domestic demand the main engine and anchor of economic growth.
The plan, issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, aims to vigorously boost consumption, stimulate domestic demand across the board, and increase spending power by raising earnings and reducing financial burdens.
It also aims to generate effective demand through high-quality supply, improve the consumption environment to strengthen consumer willingness to spend, and address prominent constraints on consumption.
The plan, organized into eight major sections, adopts a holistic approach by simultaneously addressing factors such as income growth, service consumption quality enhancement, big-ticket consumption upgrading, and consumption environment improvement.
The plan aims to promote reasonable wage growth by strengthening employment support in response to economic conditions and improving the minimum wage adjustment mechanisms. China will expand property income channels through measures to stabilize the stock market and develop more bond products suitable for individual investors.
The plan calls for exploring ways to unlock the values of houses legally owned by farmers through rental arrangements, equity participation and cooperative models.
Notably, the plan emphasizes both traditional consumption sectors like housing and automobiles, alongside emerging categories such as artificial intelligence-powered products, low-altitude economy and silver tourism.
China will accelerate the development and application of new technologies and products including autonomous driving, smart wearables, ultra-high-definition video, brain-computer interfaces, robotics and additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, to create new high-growth consumption sectors.
These measures reveal a geographically nuanced approach, with targeted policies for rural areas, regions rich in ice and snow resources, and urban centers — allowing local authorities flexibility via implementation based on regional conditions.
Support will be given to ice and snow resource-rich regions to help them develop into globally recognized winter tourism destinations. The plan also emphasizes developing inbound consumption by systematically expanding unilateral visa-free arrangements and optimizing regional visa-free entry policies.
By connecting consumer spending to broader social goals like elderly care improvement, childcare support and work-life balance, the plan embeds consumption growth within China’s wider development objectives, signaling that consumption is being positioned not just as an economic target but as a means to enhance quality of life.
Accordingly, China will consider establishing a childcare subsidy system. It will guide eligible regions to include individuals in flexible employment, rural migrant workers, and those in new forms of employment who are covered by the basic medical insurance for employees, in the country’s childbirth insurance program.
Regarding elderly care, the country will in 2025 increase the fiscal subsidies for basic old-age benefits and basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents. Additionally, basic pension benefits for retirees will be appropriately raised.
The country will work to strictly implement the paid annual leave system — ensuring that workers’ rights to rest and vacation are legally protected. It will also prohibit the unlawful extension of working hours.
Financial institutions will be encouraged to increase the issuance of personal consumption loans, provided risks are controllable. They should reasonably set loan limits, terms and interest rates, according to the plan.
Zou Yunhan, a researcher with the State Information Center, said consumption is playing an increasingly important role in boosting economic growth, but that some challenges still remain in the quest to further unlock consumer potential.
Looking ahead, Zou called for collective efforts from all sectors to fully implement the action plan and ensure its effectiveness. “Driven by innovation and supportive policy initiatives, China’s consumer market is poised for steady growth this year. New opportunities are emerging, which will provide a strong impetus for the country’s high-quality economic development.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday ruled out any territorial concessions to Russia as a potential step towards a ceasefire, the UNIAN news agency reported.
“Our position is that we do not recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian under any circumstances,” Zelensky told reporters.
He confirmed that potential territorial concessions were discussed during a March 11 meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky noted that Washington took into account Kiev’s stance on the issue.
He stressed that the territorial issues are “complex” and should be addressed later at the negotiating table.
This photo taken on March 16, 2025 shows the site of a fire at a nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia. [Photo/Xinhua]
At least 59 people have died, and over 100 others have been hospitalized after a devastating fire broke out on Sunday at a nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, local media reported.
Authorities believe the blaze was sparked by pyrotechnic effects that ignited the venue’s flammable ceiling material, causing the flames and thick smoke to spread rapidly. Video footage circulating online shows the ceiling engulfed in fire as people scramble to escape.
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski confirmed that 18 of the injured are in critical condition. Among those hospitalized is Vladimir Blazevski, a member of the performing hip-hop group DNK, who sustained burns but remains in stable condition.
Police have detained one suspect and issued arrest warrants for four others, including the club’s owner. Investigators are focusing on possible safety violations and negligence.
The North Macedonian government has pledged a thorough investigation to prevent similar disasters in the future. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski canceled his planned trip to Montenegro and traveled to Kocani to oversee emergency efforts. Justice Minister Igor Filkov has called for accountability, stressing that such a tragedy must never happen again.
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also extended her condolences to the victims and their families.
U.S. warplanes launched extensive airstrikes across northern Yemen on Saturday night, targeting multiple Houthi-controlled locations in a large-scale operation. According to Houthi estimates on Sunday, the bombardment resulted in at least 31 deaths and 101 injuries.
Widespread military campaign
American fighter jets carried out approximately 40 airstrikes targeting multiple locations across six Houthi-controlled governorates in northern Yemen. The coordinated assault struck sites in the capital Sanaa as well as Dhamar, Al-Bayda, Marib, Hajjah, and Saada provinces, according to the Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV.
In Sanaa, the strikes focused on strategic military installations including the Jabal Attan area housing missile brigade headquarters, the Jarban area in Sanhan district east of the capital, and Al-Jarraf residential neighborhood in the north, which reportedly contains significant Houthi political offices.
The bombing campaign extended to critical civil infrastructure in Saada province, the Houthi main stronghold in Yemen’s far north, where the U.S. warplanes targeted a key power plant in Dahyan area.
Additional targets included sites in Marib’s oil-rich Majzar district, areas in central Al-Bayda province, positions in the outskirts of Dhamar province and military sites in Hajjah province.
The U.S. Central Command publicly announced the large-scale operation against “Iranian-backed Houthi targets” via social media, stating the mission aims to “defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation.”
This is the first military operation conducted by the U.S. military against the Houthi sites since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office in January and redesignated the group as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Trump posted on social media Truth Social that the aerial attacks on the “terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses were to protect American shipping, air and naval assets, and to restore navigational freedom.”
He also warned the Houthis that if they do not stop their attacks “starting today … hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
Civilian impact & casualties
The strikes on residential areas, particularly in Sanaa’s Al-Jarraf neighborhood, caused widespread panic among civilians. One resident, speaking under the pseudonym Ahmed Hayani, described the terrifying experience to Xinhua: “I was at home with my children when suddenly we heard a huge explosion and the glass of the house’s windows fell on us, as if an earthquake had struck.”
He recounted four massive explosions that followed within minutes as missiles struck a building in the neighborhood. Security forces quickly cordoned off streets leading to the targeted structure while ambulances rushed to retrieve victims. The resident noted significant damage to nearby homes and the traumatic night experienced by all neighborhood inhabitants.
Following Saturday’s night bombardment, witnesses reported that huge explosions continued on early Sunday in Faj Attan, generating powerful shockwaves that affected scores of businesses in neighboring areas and shattering storefront windows. Ambulances were seen rushing to the targeted neighborhoods following the attacks.
The Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health in Sanaa reported this morning that most casualties were women and children, describing the attacks as “a full-fledged war crime.”
Houthi response & regional implications
In response to the U.S. strikes, the Houthi Supreme Political Council — the group’s highest governing authority — vowed a “painful” retaliation, framing the American attacks as support for Israel and warning they would “drag the situation to a more severe and painful level.”
In a statement, the council said “the aggressors against Yemen will be punished in a professional and painful manner,” while calling on the international community to address what it termed “U.S.-Israeli recklessness.”
The Houthi leadership also confirmed that its naval operations would continue until the blockade on Gaza is lifted, and humanitarian aid is permitted entry.
Fatima Asrar, research director at the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies, told Xinhua that the Houthis are unlikely to be deterred by these strikes.
“The Houthis have a known pattern of escalation, and they will not yield to deterrence,” she explained, predicting the group may target Israel directly “to justify their position of weakness and frame it as support for the Palestinians so that they can garner sympathy.”
The renewed conflict comes after Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, coinciding with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
On Tuesday, the Houthi group announced that it would resume launching attacks against any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the crossings of Gaza Strip are reopened and aid allowed in.
From November 2023 to Jan. 19, the Houthi group launched dozens of drone and rocket attacks against Israel-linked ships and Israeli cities to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The attacks later expanded to include U.S. and British ships after the U.S.-British navy coalition started to intervene, launching air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.
The Houthis stopped their attacks on Jan. 19, when the Gaza ceasefire deal took effect.
The Houthi group has maintained control of Sanaa and most of northern Yemen for more than a decade with strong ties to Iran.
Yemen’s Houthi group said it launched a retaliatory attack against the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea on Sunday in response to dozens of U.S. airstrikes on its positions.
“The American enemy launched a blatant aggression against our country with more than 47 air raids targeting Sanaa and seven other governorates,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
“In response to the aggression, we carried out a military operation, targeting USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts with a drone and 18 ballistic and cruise missiles,” Sarea stated.
The Houthi attack came after the Houthi Supreme Political Council — the group’s highest governing authority — vowed a “painful” retaliation, framing the American attacks as support for Israel and warning they would “drag the situation to a more severe and painful level.”
The spokesperson also confirmed that his group would “continue to impose a naval blockade on the Israeli enemy” in its area of operations, including the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, until the entry of aid into Gaza is permitted.
U.S. warplanes launched extensive airstrikes across northern Yemen on Saturday night, targeting multiple Houthi-controlled locations. According to the latest Houthi estimates on Sunday, the bombardment resulted in at least 53 deaths and 98 injuries.
This is the first U.S. military operation against the Houthi group since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed power in January and redesignated the group as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Trump warned on the social media platform Truth Social on Saturday that if the Houthis do not stop their attacks on the Red Sea shipping, “hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” claiming the U.S. aerial attacks on the “terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses were to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore navigational freedom.”
The U.S. Central Command said earlier on X platform that the airstrikes were launched from a U.S. aircraft carrier north of the Red Sea.
The U.S. airstrikes came days after the Houthi group announced on Tuesday that it would resume launching attacks against Israeli-linked shipping until the crossings of the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid allowed in.
From November 2023 to Jan. 19 this year, the Houthi group, which currently controls much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, launched dozens of attacks against Israel-linked ships and Israeli cities to show solidarity with Palestinians who are engulfed in a prolonged conflict with Israel.
The attacks later expanded to include U.S. and British ships after the U.S.-British navy coalition started to intervene and launch strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.
The Houthis stopped their attacks on Jan. 19, when a Gaza ceasefire deal took effect.
SPECIAL REPORT:By Peter Cronau for Declassified Australia
Australia is caught in a jam, between an assertive American ally and a bold Chinese trading partner. America is accelerating its pivot to the Indo-Pacific, building up its fighting forces and expanding its military bases.
As Australia tries to navigate a pathway between America’s and Australia’s national interests, sometimes Australia’s national interest seems to submerge out of view.
Admiral David Johnston, the Chief of the Australia’s Defence Force, is steering this ship as China flexes its muscle sending a small warship flotilla south to circumnavigate the continent.
He has admitted that the first the Defence Force heard of a live-fire exercise by the three Chinese Navy ships sailing in the South Pacific east of Australia on February 21, was a phone call from the civilian Airservices Australia.
“The absence of any advance notice to Australian authorities was a concern, notably, that the limited notice provided by the PLA could have unnecessarily increased the risk to aircraft and vessels in the area,” Johnston told Senate Estimates .
Johnston was pressed to clarify how Defence first came to know of the live-fire drill: “Is it the case that Defence was only notified, via Virgin and Airservices Australia, 28 minutes [sic] after the firing window commenced?”
To this, Admiral Johnston replied: “Yes.”
If it happened as stated by the Admiral — that a live-fire exercise by the Chinese ships was undertaken and a warning notice was transmitted from the Chinese ships, all without being detected by Australian defence and surveillance assets — this is a defence failure of considerable significance.
Sources with knowledge of Defence spoken to by Declassified Australia say that this is either a failure of surveillance, or a failure of communication, or even more far-reaching, a failure of US alliance cooperation.
And from the very start the official facts became slippery.
Our latest investigation –
AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE: NAVIGATING US-CHINA TENSIONS
We investigate a significant intelligence failure to detect live-firing by Chinese warships near Australia, has exposed Defence weaknesses, and the fact that when it counts, we are all alone.
— Declassified Australia (@DeclassifiedAus) March 7, 2025
What did they know and when did they know it The first information passed on to Defence by Airservices Australia came from the pilot of a Virgin passenger jet passing overhead the flotilla in the Tasman Sea that had picked up the Chinese Navy VHF radio notification of an impending live-fire exercise.
The radio transmission had advised the window for the live-fire drill commenced at 9.30am and would conclude at 3pm.
We know this from testimony given to Senate Estimates by the head of Airservices Australia. He said Airservices was notified at 9.58am by an aviation control tower informed by the Virgin pilot. Two minutes later Airservices issued a “hazard alert” to commercial airlines in the area.
The Headquarters of the Defence Force’s Joint Operations Command (HJOC), at Bungendore 30km east of Canberra, was then notified about the drill by Airservices at 10.08am, 38 minutes after the drill window had commenced.
When questioned a few days later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared to try to cover for Defence’s apparent failure to detect the live-fire drill or the advisory transmission.
“At around the same time, there were two areas of notification. One was from the New Zealand vessels that were tailing . .. the [Chinese] vessels in the area by both sea and air,” Albanese stated. “So that occurred and at the same time through the channels that occur when something like this is occurring, Airservices got notified as well.”
But the New Zealand Defence Force had not notified Defence “at the same time”. In fact it was not until 11.01am that an alert was received by Defence from the New Zealand Defence Force — 53 minutes after Defence HQ was told by Airservices and an hour and a half after the drill window had begun.
The Chinese Navy’s stealth guided missile destroyer Zunyi, sailing south in the Coral Sea on February 15, 2025, in a photograph taken from a RAAF P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane. Image: Royal Australian Air Force/Declassified Australia
Defence Minister Richard Marles later in a round-about way admitted on ABC Radio that it wasn’t the New Zealanders who informed Australia first: “Well, to be clear, we weren’t notified by China. I mean, we became aware of this during the course of the day.
“What China did was put out a notification that it was intending to engage in live firing. By that I mean a broadcast that was picked up by airlines or literally planes that were commercial planes that were flying across the Tasman.”
Later the Chinese Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, told ABC that two live-fire training drills were carried out at sea on February 21 and 22, in accordance with international law and “after repeatedly issuing safety notices in advance”.
Eyes and ears on ‘every move’ It was expected the Chinese-navy flotilla would end its three week voyage around Australia on March 7, after a circumnavigation of the continent. That is not before finally passing at some distance the newly acquired US-UK nuclear submarine base at HMAS Stirling near Perth and the powerful US communications and surveillance base at North West Cape.
Just as Australia spies on China to develop intelligence and targeting for a potential US war, China responds in kind, collecting data on US military and intelligence bases and facilities in Australia, as future targets should hostilities commence.
The presence of the Chinese Navy ships that headed into the northern and eastern seas around Australia attracted the attention of the Defence Department ever since they first set off south through the Mindoro Strait in the Philippines and through the Indonesian archipelago from the South China Sea on February 3.
“We are keeping a close watch on them and we will be making sure that we watch every move,” Marles stated in the week before the live-fire incident.
“Just as they have a right to be in international waters . . . we have a right to be prudent and to make sure that we are surveilling them, which is what we are doing.”
Around 3500 km to the north, a week into the Chinese ships’ voyage, a spy flight by an RAAF P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane on February 11, in a disputed area of the South China Sea south of China’s Hainan Island, was warned off by a Chinese J-16 fighter jet.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to Australian protests claiming the Australian aircraft “deliberately intruded” into China’s claimed territorial airspace around the Paracel Islands without China’s permission, thereby “infringing on China’s sovereignty and endangering China’s national security”.
Australia criticised the Chinese manoeuvre, defending the Australian flight saying it was “exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace”.
Two days after the incident, the three Chinese ships on their way to Australian waters were taking different routes in beginning their own “right to freedom of navigation” in international waters off the Australian coast. The three ships formed up their mini flotilla in the Coral Sea as they turned south paralleling the Australian eastern coastline outside of territorial waters, and sometimes within Australia’s 200-nautical-mile (370 km) Exclusive Economic Zone.
“Defence always monitors foreign military activity in proximity to Australia. This includes the Peoples Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) Task Group.” Admiral Johnston told Senate Estimates.
“We have been monitoring the movement of the Task Group through its transit through Southeast Asia and we have observed the Task Group as it has come south through that region.”
The Task Group was made up of a modern stealth guided missile destroyer Zunyi, the frigate Hengyang, and the Weishanhu, a 20,500 tonne supply ship carrying fuel, fresh water, cargo and ammunition. The Hengyang moved eastwards through the Torres Strait, while the Zunyi and Weishanhu passed south near Bougainville and Solomon Islands, meeting in the Coral Sea.
This map indicates the routes taken by the three Chinese Navy ships on their “right to freedom of navigation” voyage in international waters circumnavigating Australia, with dates of way points indicated — from 3 February till 6 March 2025. Distances and locations are approximate. Image: Weibo/Declassified Australia
As the Chinese ships moved near northern Australia and through the Coral Sea heading further south, the Defence Department deployed Navy and Air Force assets to watch over the ships. These included various RAN warships including the frigate HMAS Arunta and a RAAF P-8A Poseidon intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance plane.
With unconfirmed reports a Chinese nuclear submarine may also be accompanying the surface ships, the monitoring may have also included one of the RAN’s Collins-class submarines, with their active range of sonar, radar and radio monitoring – however it is uncertain whether one was able to be made available from the fleet.
“From the point of time the first of the vessels entered into our more immediate region, we have been conducting active surveillance of their activities,” the Defence chief confirmed.
As the Chinese ships moved into the southern Tasman Sea, New Zealand navy ships joined in the monitoring alongside Australia’s Navy and Air Force.
The range of signals intelligence (SIGINT) that theoretically can be intercepted emanating from a naval ship at sea includes encrypted data and voice satellite communications, ship-to-ship communications, aerial drone data and communications, as well as data of radar, gunnery, and weapon launches.
There are a number of surveillance facilities in Australia that would have been able to be directed at the Chinese ships.
Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) Shoal Bay Receiving Station outside of Darwin, picks up transmissions and data emanating from radio signals and satellite communications from Australia’s near north region. ASD’s Cocos Islands receiving station in the mid-Indian ocean would have been available too.
The Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) over-the-horizon radar network, spread across northern Australia, is an early warning system that monitors aircraft and ship movements across Australia’s north-western, northern, and north-eastern ocean areas — but its range off the eastern coast is not thought to presently reach further south than the sea off Mackay on the Queensland coast.
Of land-based surveillance facilities, it is the American Pine Gap base that is believed to have the best capability of intercepting the ship’s radio communications in the Tasman Sea.
Enter, Pine Gap and the Americans The US satellite surveillance base at Pine Gap in Central Australia is a US and Australian jointly-run satellite ground station. It is regarded as the most important such American satellite base outside of the USA.
The spy base – Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG) – showing the north-eastern corner of the huge base with some 18 of the base’s now 45 satellite dishes and covered radomes visible. Image: Felicity Ruby/Declassified Australia
The role of ASD in supporting the extensive US surveillance mission against China is increasingly valued by Australia’s large Five Eyes alliance partner.
A Top Secret ‘Information Paper’, titled “NSA Intelligence Relationship with Australia”, leaked from the National Security Agency (NSA) by Edward Snowden and published by ABC’s Background Briefing, spells out the “close collaboration” between the NSA and ASD, in particular on China:
“Increased emphasis on China will not only help ensure the security of Australia, but also synergize with the U.S. in its renewed emphasis on Asia and the Pacific . . . Australia’s overall intelligence effort on China, as a target, is already significant and will increase.”
The Pine Gap base, as further revealed in 2023 by Declassified Australia, is being used to collect signals intelligence and other data from the Israeli battlefield of Gaza, and also Ukraine and other global hotspots within view of the US spy satellites.
It’s recently had a significant expansion (reported by this author in The Saturday Paper) which has seen its total of satellite dishes and radomes rapidly increase in just a few years from 35 to 45 to accommodate new heightened-capability surveillance satellites.
Pine Gap base collects an enormous range and quantity of intelligence and data from thermal imaging satellites, photographic reconnaissance satellites, and signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellites, as expert researchers Des Ball, Bill Robinson and Richard Tanter of the Nautilus Institute have detailed.
These SIGINT satellites intercept electronic communications and signals from ground-based sources, such as radio communications, telemetry, radar signals, satellite communications, microwave emissions, mobile phone signals, and geolocation data.
Alliance priorities The US’s SIGINT satellites have a capability to detect and receive signals from VHF radio transmissions on or near the earth’s surface, but they need to be tasked to do so and appropriately targeted on the source of the transmission.
For the Pine Gap base to intercept VHF radio signals from the Chinese Navy ships, the base would have needed to specifically realign one of those SIGINT satellites to provide coverage of the VHF signals in the Tasman Sea at the time of the Chinese ships’ passage. It is not known publicly if they did this, but they certainly have that capability.
However, it is not only the VHF radio transmission that would have carried information about the live-firing exercise.
Pine Gap would be able to monitor a range of other SIGINT transmissions from the Chinese ships. Details of the planning and preparations for the live-firing exercise would almost certainly have been transmitted over data and voice satellite communications, ship-to-ship communications, and even in the data of radar and gunnery operations.
But it is here that there is another possibility for the failure.
The Pine Gap base was built and exists to serve the national interests of the United States. The tasking of the surveillance satellites in range of Pine Gap base is generally not set by Australia, but is directed by United States’ agencies, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) together with the US Defense Department, the National Security Agency (NSA), and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Australia has learnt over time that US priorities may not be the same as Australia’s.
Australian defence and intelligence services can request surveillance tasks to be added to the schedule, and would have been expected to have done so in order to target the southern leg of the Chinese Navy ships’ voyage, when the ships were out of the range of the JORN network.
The military demands for satellite time can be excessive in times of heightened global conflict, as is the case now.
Whether the Pine Gap base was devoting sufficient surveillance resources to monitoring the Chinese Navy ships, due to United States’ priorities in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, North Korea, and to our north in the South China Sea, is a relevant question.
It can only be answered now by a formal government inquiry into what went on — preferably held in public by a parliamentary committee or separately commissioned inquiry. The sovereign defence of Australia failed in this incident and lessons need to be learned.
Who knew and when did they know If the Pine Gap base had been monitoring the VHF radio band and heard the Chinese Navy live-fire alert, or had been monitoring other SIGINT transmissions to discover the live-fire drill, the normal procedure would be for the active surveillance team to inform a number of levels of senior officers, a former Defence official familiar with the process told Declassified Australia.
Inside an operations room at the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) head office at the Defence complex at Russell Hill in Canberra. Image: ADF/Declassified Australia
Expected to be included in the information chain are the Australian Deputy-Chief of Facility at the US base, NSA liaison staff at the base, the Australian Signals Directorate head office at the Defence complex at Russell Hill in Canberra, the Defence Force’s Headquarters Joint Operations Command, in Bungendore, and the Chief of the Defence Force. From there the Defence Minister’s office would need to have been informed.
As has been reported in media interviews and in testimony to the Senate Estimates hearings, it has been stated that Defence was not informed of the Chinese ships’ live-firing alert until a full 38 minutes after the drill window had commenced.
The former Defence official told Declassified Australia it is vital the reason for the failure to detect the live-firing in a timely fashion is ascertained.
Either the Australian Defence Force and US Pine Gap base were not effectively actively monitoring the Chinese flotilla at this time — and the reasons for that need to be examined — or they were, but the information gathered was somewhere stalled and not passed on to correct channels.
If the evidence so far tendered by the Defence chief and the Minister is true, and it was not informed of the drill by any of its intelligence or surveillance assets before that phone call from Airservices Australia, the implications need to be seriously addressed.
A final word In just a couple of weeks the whole Defence environment for Australia has changed, for the worse.
The US military announces a drawdown in Europe and a new pivot to the Indo-Pacific. China shows Australia it can do tit-for-tat “navigational freedom” voyages close to the Australian coast. US intelligence support is withdrawn from Ukraine during the war. Australia discovers the AUKUS submarines’ arrival looks even more remote. The prime minister confuses the limited cover provided by the ANZUS treaty.
Meanwhile, the US militarisation of Australia’s north continues at pace. At the same time a senior Pentagon official pressures Australia to massively increase defence spending. And now, the country’s defence intelligence system has experienced an unexplained major failure.
Australia, it seems, is adrift in a sea of unpredictable global events and changing alliance priorities.
Peter Cronau is an award-winning, investigative journalist, writer, and film-maker. His documentary, The Base: Pine Gap’s Role in US Warfighting, was broadcast on Australian ABC Radio National and featured on ABC News. He produced and directed the documentary film Drawing the Line, revealing details of Australian spying in East Timor, on ABC TV’s premier investigative programme Four Corners. He won the Gold Walkley Award in 2007 for a report he produced on an outbreak of political violence in East Timor. This article was first published by Declassified Australia and is republished here with the author’s permission.