Zero-COVID protests, and new draft law to protect women

Here’s what else you need to know about China today:

Rare protests against COVID-zero controls are cropping up in Tibet and online: Videos circulating on social media reportedly show hundreds of demonstrators in Lhasa marching and clashing with police on Wednesday, according to reports from Radio Free Asia and the BBC, as residents chafe under nearly three months of ongoing lockdown measures that have yet to control a wave of COVID infections.

• In Xining, the capital of neighboring province Qinghai, dozens of locals have taken to social media to complain of food shortages, after the city went under sudden lockdown due to a surge in cases.
• One article from a Xining resident that documented a series of social media posts and chat logs describing the lack of food and other supplies went viral on social media, while another man posted a video on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) showing hours-long waits for food during the allotted times to go grocery shopping.
• Meanwhile, other Chinese cities are ramping up their COVID curbs, after the country reported a third straight day of more than 1,000 new cases nationwide.

Beijing plans to revise its law protecting women for the first time in nearly 30 years, after a new draft aimed at guarding women in China against gender discrimination and sexual harassment at work was submitted to the nation’s parliament on Thursday.

• According to state-run news outlet Xinhua, the draft will hold employers accountable if women’s labor and social security rights are violated.
• The revised legislation will also count obstructing the rescue of trafficked and kidnapped women as an offense, while holding local authorities responsible for overseeing the rescue operations for victims.
• The proposals come as reports of a woman being trafficked and chained up early this year sparked public outcry over the lack of women’s rights and protections in China.
• Meanwhile, Chinese authorities on Wednesday announced a campaign to clean up the nation’s art training schools, in a bid to crack down on recent allegations of years of sexual harassment from dozens of young graduates against a drama teacher.

No industrial profits but mines are still raking it in: The National Bureau of Statistics reported today that from January to September, the revenue of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 8.2% year-on-year, while profits decreased by 2.3%, although in September, the decline in profits narrowed by six percentage points from August. From January to September, the profits of the mining industry increased by 76% year-on-year. See today’s Business briefs from the Chinese media, with more links and info on:

• Lithium battery riches.
• Beer profits.
• Growing Chinese outbound investment.

Want more business and technology news from The China Project in your inbox? Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter that goes out at the end of every business day in China (coffee time in New York).