Latest news with #Guilin
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
China slams grass-roots mismanagement, shames ‘longevity city' debacle as a warning
It was a sprawling cultural and tourism project that completely went off the rails, and now Beijing is using it as evidence of grass-roots government mismanagement – one of three high-profile examples of wastefulness newly flagged by China's disciplinary authorities. Following an investigation, the project – dubbed 'Yaohan Longevity City' and located in Gongcheng Yao autonomous county of Guilin – was condemned as a 'severe waste of resources'. Initially hailed in 2018 as a key initiative in the county's 30th-anniversary celebration, the undertaking intended to position Gongcheng as a leading hub for health tourism. Now it serves as a warning to other local-level government cadres across China. Spanning an area of about 9.3 hectares (23 acres), the project was initially expected to attract a total investment of 1.65 billion yuan (about US$229 million). However, due to a broken capital chain and a series of poor decisions by local authorities, only 540 million yuan was spent, with six out of the eleven planned buildings left abandoned and idle. Authorities in the county, with a population of nearly 250,000 people, 'made blind decisions to build cultural and tourism projects out of touch with reality, resulting in idleness and waste', China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in its report, released this week. Deng Xiaoqiang, the primary backer of the project, who was found guilty of misappropriating 5 million yuan (US$700,000) under the guise of loans to a company he controlled, was expelled from the Communist Party in December 2022.
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Treaty Ally Intercepts Chinese Warships Near Coast: Video
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Philippines dispatched its coast guard over the weekend to challenge a pair of Chinese warships in the Southeast Asian country's maritime zone. Newsweek reached out to China's Foreign Ministry by email with a request for comment. Why It Matters The neighbors are locked in a territorial dispute over China's expanding coast guard and naval presence inside Manila's exclusive economic zone, an area that extends 230 miles from the Philippine territorial sea. The U.S. ally alone is entitled to patrol in the zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which both the Philippines and China are signatories. An estimated one-third of the world's ship-borne trade passes through the South China Sea each year. It is the subject of competing claims by several countries, including China. What To Know In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Philippine coast guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela said the agency deployed its largest vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to intercept Chinese electronic surveillance ship the Tianwangxing. The vessel was detected about 80 miles off the coast of Cabra Island, in the Philippine province of Occidental Mindoro. This photo shows the Philippine Coast Guard tracking Type 051 guided missile destroyer the Guilin in waters off Cabra Island on July 12, 2025. This photo shows the Philippine Coast Guard tracking Type 051 guided missile destroyer the Guilin in waters off Cabra Island on July 12, 2025. Philippine Coast Guard Video released by the Philippine coast guard captured a radio broadcast informing the Chinese ship that it was not authorized to operate in those waters and ordering it to leave. The Tianwangxing did not react but its Chinese coast guard escort responded by asserting Beijing's claim to the area. As of 11:00 a.m. Saturday, the Chinese ships had been joined by a second People's Liberation Army Navy vessel—guided-missile destroyer Guilin—which deployed its onboard helicopter in what Tarriela said were landing exercises. "The PCG remains steadfast in its mission to uphold Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in its maritime zones, especially in the West Philippine Sea, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2016 Arbitral Award, and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act," Tarriela said. The West Philippine Sea is Manila's term for those parts of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone. The arbitral award he referenced is a 2016 ruling by a Hague-based tribunal that rejected most of China's expansive maritime claims. Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings and continues to reject the ruling. Cabra Island is situated nearly 800 miles from China's southernmost province, Hainan. What People Are Saying Chinese state-affiliated think tank South China Sea Strategic Probing Initiative wrote on X: "Wow! How brave PCG is! However, what right does the PCG have to intercept a Chinese military vessel in this area?" The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday: "Today, the Philippines commemorates the ninth anniversary of the landmark ruling on the South China Sea Arbitration. "Since its promulgation by the Arbitral Tribunal, this Arbitral Award continues to serve as a guide for the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law and its dispute settlement mechanisms, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea..." What's Next China is likely to continue sending maritime forces into the Philippine EEZ, in what analysts say is a bid to normalize their presence there. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to continue challenging the Chinese ships and publicizing their movements. Marcos vowed in 2024 not to cede "one square inch" of Philippine territory to any foreign power.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's cyber nationalists target maths star Hong Wang over lectures in English
It was a golden opportunity for academic exchange when Chinese mathematician Hong Wang , a contender for a top award, gave lectures at universities in Beijing last month, but instead her overseas experience and use of English made her an unexpected victim of rising nationalism in China. The 34-year-old mathematician earned global attention last year when a paper she co-authored solved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture – a century-old problem in geometric measure theory. The study, with implications for imaging, data processing, cryptography and wireless communication, makes her a leading contender for the Fields Medal, regarded as the Nobel Prize of mathematics. Winners of the prize, awarded every four years, will be announced next year. Wang was born in the southern city of Guilin. She graduated from Peking University then completed a postgraduate degree in France and a doctorate in the US. She is now an associate professor at the New York University Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. She will join Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques near Paris as a permanent professor of mathematics starting in September, according to an announcement in May. Last month, she gave seminars on her research at Peking University, Beijing International Centre for Mathematical Research, Capital Normal University, Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with every venue full and bustling with attendees.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Louis Vuitton's New Travel Campaign Highlights the Beauty of China
GREAT ESCAPE: Chinese consumers may have paused luxury spending, but the country remains firmly in the sights of industry leader Louis Vuitton. Days after opening a Shanghai flagship in the shape of a cruise ship, the brand has unveiled its new travel campaign, set in China. For the first installment, U.S. photographer Alec Soth shot the lush green scenery and karst limestone mountains near the Li river in Guilin. More from WWD Designer Nicole Miller and Model Carol Alt Help Judge Albanian Fashion Show Welcome to Can Nikita, an Oasis Made of Love in Ibiza MAC Cosmetics Debuts 'Musical Spaceship' Concept for Nanjing Flagship The brand's Monogram Horizon rolling case and Soft Keepall bag are showcased against a traditional fisherman's bamboo raft. Its Alzer briefcase and small travel trunks are among the items strapped to bicycles crossing the river. 'The campaign's images and video invite viewers to discover the country's lesser-known gems and move beyond the familiar narratives often presented in Western portrayals,' Vuitton said. The campaign launched in display on Tuesday, with print insertions due to begin on July 5, a rollout on Vuitton's local social accounts on July 8, and its global social platforms on July 24. The brand will unveil two more destinations in the coming months: Zhangjiajie, home to the quartzite sandstone pillars of the Wulingyuan District, and Datong, one of the nine ancient capitals in China. Vuitton's last travel campaign, in 2022, was shot by Viviane Sassen in Iceland. Soth, who is based in Minneapolis, is best known for his large-format photography that blends documentary realism with lyrical storytelling. He has published more than 30 books — including 'Sleeping by the Mississippi,' 'A Pound of Pictures' and 'Advice for Young Artists' — and is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship. A member of Magnum Photos, Soth is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Hammons Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco and Loock Galerie in Berlin. Best of WWD Longtime Vogue Editor Grace Mirabella Dies at 91 First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Helps Forbes Celebrate Its 50 Over 50 List Mikaela Shiffrin Gets Personal in New Series for Outside+
South China Morning Post
30-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
China teen boy forced to do 1,000 deep squats at delinquent centre gets kidney failure
The story of a 15-year-old boy in China who was forced to do 1,000 deep squats as a punishment, leaving him needing a kidney transplant, has sparked outrage online. The tragic tale began in August 2023, when the boy, identified by the pseudonym Ajun, from Guilin in Guangxi province, southern China, was caught stealing 3,500 yuan (US$500) in cash from a parked car. However, because he was under 16, the minimum age for criminal prosecution, the police sent him to Yongqing School for 'corrective education'. His father, Jiang Peifeng, said Ajun was about to start his third year of secondary school and was going through a rebellious phase. Ajun outside the centre in which he endured the deep squats punishment. Photo: He believed that turning his son over to the authorities might teach him a valuable lesson.
