What would James Hilton say? — Editor’s Note for Friday, June 10, 2022

Dear reader,

Here are the new stories from China you need to know today:

Chinese Defense Minister General Wèi Fènghé 魏凤和 met his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore today. The South China Morning Post says they “squared off over Taiwan and Ukraine during their first face-to-face meeting…but Beijing described the talks as ‘constructive.’”

Shanghai residents can’t relax yet: Some parts of the city have gone back into lockdown and millions of residents will be tested for COVID-19.

One particular person in Shanghai will definitely not be able to relax: Business tycoon Xiào Jiànhuá 肖建华, who was taken extra-legally by Chinese security agents from his apartment at the luxury Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong in 2017, “is set to face trial on criminal charges in Shanghai as soon as this month, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal reported today.

Another tycoon who may not be able to relax for much longer is the subject of a profile by Li Yuan in the New York Times today: “Already a maverick in business circles,” tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Zhōu Háng 周航 “has dared to openly criticize the government’s zero COVID policy — and urges his peers to speak out, too.” Yuan writes:

Mr. Zhou can’t help himself. He’s worried that China could become more like it was under Mao: impoverished and repressive. His generation of entrepreneurs owes much of their success to China’s reform and opening up policies, he said. They have the responsibilities to initiate change instead of waiting for a free ride.

Despite the never-ending lockdowns in China, parts of the economy grew:

• Online travel agency Qunar has reported that as of June 8, bookings of air tickets and train tickets have recovered to about 70% of the levels of March. Qunar believes that the Dragon Boat Festival in early June was a key turning point as overall passenger travel volume has gradually increased across the country since late May.
• According to the local textile chamber of commerce, China’s textile and apparel exports in May amounted to $29.22 billion, an increase of 20.36% year-on-year and 24% month-on-month, in both cases exceeding China’s overall export growth rate.

Finally, what do purple buttocks have to do with China’s college entrance tests, which took place this week? To find out, check out our phrase of the week: You can do it! (紫腚能行 zǐ dìng néng xíng).