Ong Beng Seng admits to abetting obstruction of justice
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CNA
33 minutes ago
- CNA
Commentary: The crisis of the Chinese family
BEIJING: News stories about China nowadays largely focus on geopolitical developments, particularly the Sino-American rivalry. But China's 1.4 billion people, while aware of these issues, are more preoccupied with a problem that hits much closer to home: their shrinking families. For millennia, Confucian values have defined the family as essential to social order and harmony, with family relations playing a central role in confronting challenges such as competition for land and resources. Sons managed farms and businesses, and cared for elderly parents. Daughters expanded the family through marriage, creating large extended networks that carried out critical economic and social functions, such as building schools and resolving disputes – functions that in Europe might have been carried out by the church. This basic economic and social structure survived even the dislocations of the 1950s to 1970s, when the new Communist regime encouraged people to live in dormitories (away from their families, including their spouses) and to send their children to state-run nurseries and boarding schools in order to boost labour productivity. Today, however, the Chinese family is in crisis, owing to plummeting fertility rates, which declined from 7.51 children per woman in 1963 (its modern peak) to just one per woman in 2023. This demographic collapse is putting China's economy, society and polity at risk. The roots of China's fertility struggles are deep. China's population more than doubled between 1900 and 1979, from 400 million to 969 million. Food shortages were so common during this period that China became known as the 'land of famine'. Between 1959 and 1961, China endured the worst famine in recorded history, with 20 million to 45 million people dying as a result of both high population density and deeply flawed government policies. So, beginning in the 1970s, China's government introduced strict family-planning laws that, for decades, restricted most Chinese households to one child. A CRISIS THAT RUNS DEEPER THAN THE LAW But family-planning laws are only part of the story. Though China's now infamous one-child policy was loosened in 2016, to two children, and then in 2021 to three, fertility rates have not increased. And unlike other countries grappling with low fertility rates, such as Japan and South Korea, China is still a poor country. According to the most recent data (from 2022) China's median per capita disposable income is US$6,224 (US$17 per day) for the 944 million people living in urban areas, and just US$2,777 (US$7.60 per day) for the 465 million in rural areas. In the United States, that figure is US$63,589. Even accounting for America's higher prices, the difference is huge. Add to that limited economic opportunities for young people – including those with university degrees – and Chinese households simply cannot afford more children. The newest generation of Chinese parents face an additional psychological hurdle, rooted in their lack of firsthand experience of big families. The vast majority of them grew up as only children in households with two only children as parents, as well as four grandparents. They did not have cousins or siblings to play with, but they did have a large number of adult caregivers. As a result, many do not value large families and find the notion overwhelming. But all those caregivers imply heavy dependencies as generations age. A small and shrinking cohort of working-age Chinese, operating in a job market characterised by sparse opportunities and low wages, is now supporting a larger and growing population of retired individuals, who have limited access to pensions and health care. And their responsibilities extend beyond finances to include physical and emotional support. As if that were not enough, each young person is also the only source of pride for their parents and grandparents, who have collectively dedicated their lives – their time, energy, and money – to setting the child up for success. Young adults now have to earn all the sacrifices their caregivers made for them, effectively compensating their parents and grandparents for the children and grandchildren who were never born. This burden of responsibility is felt starting in childhood. Playgrounds are largely empty, and parks are populated mostly by retirees, even after school and on weekends. Children are more likely to be at home studying than outside playing. All this pressure may well be fuelling rising rates of depression and suicide among youths and young adults. CHINA'S LONELY FUTURE The situation is set to worsen. Slower economic growth – which has already driven youth unemployment to historic highs – will continue to constrain the job market, intensifying already-fierce competition for limited opportunities, and will impede the government's ability to increase pensions. China's government has a strong interest in addressing the crisis of the country's families. Economic and social problems tend to evolve in unpredictable ways, and they can easily spiral into political instability. Although the government has implemented a broad range of policies aimed at encouraging families to have children, including monetary incentives, fertility remains low. How will a civilization built around family units and networks fare as a nation of individuals without siblings and cousins? What will the lives of the elderly be like when there are few young adults to care for them? Can ordinary Chinese, to whom family represents both a virtue and a way of life, feel content without children? As the spectre of social and economic upheaval looms, these questions must be answered.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Two Chinese nationals in California accused of illegally shipping Nvidia AI chips to China
LOS ANGELES: Two Chinese nationals were arrested in California and charged with illegally exporting tens of millions of dollars' worth of Nvidia AI chips and other advanced technology to China without the required US government licenses, the Justice Department said on Tuesday (Aug 5). Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte, are accused of operating a company, ALX Solutions Inc, that facilitated more than 20 illegal shipments between October 2022 and July 2025, according to a criminal complaint unsealed this week. EXPORT CONTROLS VIOLATED The complaint alleges that ALX Solutions was established in 2022, shortly after the US imposed sweeping export controls restricting the sale of certain high-performance chips and technologies to China. The rules require exporters to obtain licenses from the US Commerce Department. Instead, Geng and Yang are accused of routing the chips through third-party shipping and freight forwarding firms in Singapore and Malaysia, common transshipment points for goods illegally destined for China. The Department of Justice said one China-based company paid ALX Solutions US$1 million in January 2024. Additional funds reportedly came from businesses in Hong Kong and mainland China, rather than the listed freight forwarding intermediaries. ADVANCED AI CHIPS SHIPPED The illegally exported items included Nvidia's H100 chips, which are among the most advanced semiconductors available and can be used for training large language models, powering autonomous vehicles, and running complex medical diagnostic systems. Records show ALX Solutions purchased over 200 Nvidia H100 chips from Super Micro Computer, a San Jose-based server manufacturer, between August 2023 and July 2024. The end users were falsely declared as being in Singapore and Japan. A spokesperson for Nvidia declined to comment on the case, while Super Micro did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In addition to the H100s, Geng and Yang allegedly exported Nvidia's PNY GE Force RTX 4090 graphics cards, another high-performance component that also requires a license for export to China under current US restrictions. COURT APPEARANCE IN LOS ANGELES Both defendants appeared in US District Court in Los Angeles late Monday. Geng, who holds permanent residency in the United States, was released on a US$250,000 bond. Yang, who allegedly overstayed her visa, remains in custody and is scheduled for a detention hearing on August 12. The charges come amid heightened scrutiny of illegal technology transfers to China, as the US intensifies efforts to restrict Beijing's access to advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence hardware that could have military or strategic applications.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Bangladesh to hold elections in February 2026: Yunus
DHAKA: Bangladesh will hold elections in February 2026, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Tuesday (Aug 5), marking the first polls since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year. "On behalf of the interim government, I will write a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner requesting that the election be arranged before Ramadan in February 2026," Yunus said in a broadcast marking the one-year anniversary of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ousting. The 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is leading the caretaker administration as chief adviser until elections are held and has pledged to step down after the vote. "We will step into the final and most important phase after delivering this speech to you, and that is the transfer of power to an elected government," he said. Yunus had previously indicated elections would take place in April, but key political parties have demanded an earlier timeline, insisting the vote be held before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million. "I urge you all to pray for us so that we can hold a fair and smooth election, enabling all citizens to move forward successfully in building a 'New Bangladesh'," Yunus added.
