Politics News
Latest politics news and updates
Total: 138
From Classrooms to Drill Squares: China’s Campaign to Instill Military Patriotism in Schoolchildren
Chinese military and local armed‑forces units have been staging immersive national‑defence education activities in schools—using hero stories, equipment displays, martial arts and themed exhibitions—to instil patriotic and pro‑military sentiment among children. The programmes form part of a sustained drive to deepen civil‑military ties and normalise the visibility of the armed forces in everyday life, with implications for recruitment, domestic legitimacy and how the public may respond to future security initiatives.
Xi Revives Lei Feng’s Legacy as a Tool of Civic Morality and Party Cohesion
On Lei Feng Memorial Day, state commentary highlighted Xi Jinping’s repeated urging since the 18th Party Congress to make the “Lei Feng spirit” an everyday practice. The revival of this moral campaign aims to promote volunteerism and social cohesion, serving the Party’s broader goals of stability and ideological influence while raising questions about symbolic action versus structural reform.
Beijing Puts Tech and State Capital at the Centre of Its Growth Pitch as NPC Opens
At the opening of the 14th National People’s Congress, Chinese leaders and ministers billed 2025 as a year of record R&D and rapid AI and robotics deployment, with state-owned enterprises ploughing trillions of yuan into strategic emerging industries. Officials framed these gains as evidence that Beijing will continue to rely on state-directed investment and technology-driven industrial policy to steer China's economy in 2026.
Beijing Adds ‘Smart Economy’ and Social Measures to a Tighter 2026 Growth Target — What That Means for AI, Housing and Health Care
China’s 2026 Government Work Report introduced six new policy formulations, most notably the formal adoption of a “smart economy,” while setting a growth target of 4.5–5%. The document pairs industrial priorities — large-scale compute, AI terminals and satellite internet — with expanded social measures on housing, parental leave and encouragement for commercial health insurance to fill gaps in the public system.
Sixty-Year-Old Recording Brings Lei Feng’s Voice Back — and Revives a Campaign for Civic Sacrifice
A 60-year-old recording of soldier Lei Feng released on the Learn-from-Lei-Feng day has reanimated a state-sanctioned model of selfless service. The audio’s plainness, paired with recent acts of heroism by young Chinese like Jin Chenglong, has renewed official appeals for lifelong civic devotion amid social and economic strains.
Li Qiang’s Fifth-Year Blueprint: Fiscal Firepower, Tech Push and a Focus on Domestic Demand
Premier Li Qiang’s government work report for 2026 balances modest growth targets with an expanded fiscal programme, a reinforced industrial-technology push and stronger social supports. The plan emphasizes domestic demand, strategic R&D investment, and risk-managed stabilisation of property and local-government debts while reaffirming Beijing’s assertive foreign-policy and security posture.
China’s 15th Five-Year Plan: Accelerating Tech Self-Reliance, High-Quality Growth and a Stronger State Role
China’s draft 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) focuses on technology self-reliance, high‑quality growth, digital and green transitions, and strengthened national security under continued party leadership. It balances domestic resilience with selective openness and frames the next five years as critical to meeting broader 2035 goals.
In a Crisis, Whose Papers Protect Whom? What Taiwan Travel Documents Reveal About Cross‑Strait Calculations
Commentary prompted by the question "what do Taiwan compatriots' documents deliver in a crisis?" highlights how travel permits and passports perform both practical and symbolic roles across the Taiwan Strait. In emergencies, legal status, institutional capacity and political will matter more than paperwork, yet documents remain central to the competition for legitimacy and the protection of civilians.
China’s 2026 Roadmap: Modest Fiscal Boost, Big Bets on Tech and Green Transition
Premier Li Qiang’s brief government work report for 2026 opts for a calibrated fiscal stance—around a 4% deficit and targeted bond-financed projects—while doubling down on technology, a green transition and modest social measures to stabilise growth. The plan emphasises industrial upgrading and carbon-intensity cuts rather than broad stimulus or sweeping market liberalisation.
Beijing Sets Modest Growth Target, Boosts Long-Term Bonds and AI Push in Li Qiang’s Government Work Report
Premier Li Qiang set a 2026 GDP target of 4.5–5 percent and outlined expanded fiscal support including a c.5.89 trillion yuan deficit and 1.3 trillion yuan of ultra-long special bonds. The government paired modest growth ambitions with a five-year plan emphasising AI, infrastructure, carbon-intensity cuts and tighter market governance.
Beijing Sets Modest Growth Target, Big Fiscal Push and Tech-Centered Industrial Strategy in 2026 Work Report
China’s 2026 government work report sets a pragmatic growth target of 4.5–5%, pairs higher fiscal spending and large bond issuances with targeted social measures, and doubles down on industrial policy for semiconductors, aerospace and future technologies. The emphasis is on structural stability, controlled fiscal expansion and selective opening rather than an aggressive growth push.
China’s 2026 Priorities: From Risk Control to Tech-Led Development, ‘Development’ Tops the Government Report
An analysis of China’s 2026 Government Work Report shows “development” as the most frequently used word and a reordering of priorities toward technology, industrial upgrading and social policies that bolster domestic demand. The shift signals a tactical move from defensive risk-control to proactive growth measures, though structural risks remain.