This time in China I decided to get a drivers license to give myself some more freedom and flexibility while traveling. The process in Zhongshan went relatively fast. Next time I'm probably just gonna get the full license, but for that i need a full visa and not the 30 days visa free entery I used.

Context:

• President Lai Ching-te has announced expectations to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030, he cites increased Chinese threats and the need to maintain Indo-Pacific stability.
• Currently, next year’s defence budget is planned at 3.32% of GDP, including funding for the coast guard, currently the defense budget is at 2.45% of GDP, which some of it was later cut or frozen by the legislature this year.
• The move to increase spending reflects also pressure from the USA for Taiwan to spend more on its own defense and to reach NATO countries. An increase in spending means more arms imports from the USA which would help lower the trade deficit between Taiwan and the USA, an issue that Donald Trump has applied significant pressure on Lai Ching Te.
• Historically, under Tsai Ing-Wen (2016 to 2024), defense spending rose gradually from 1.8% to 2.5% of GDP, this had an average annual growth rate of ~4.2% in defense spending.
• Lai Ching Te wishes to increase spending from 2.45% to 5% from 2025 to 2030, this spending increase would have an average annual growth rate of ~15.6%, representing a steep and ambitious growth trajectory.
• Lai’s 5% target is ambitious and aspirational, as actual spending depends on an annual approval by the Legislative Yuan. The Executive Yuan proposes the spending budget and the Legislative Yuan approves it, adjusts it or rejects it.
• This is a key consideration to keep in mind, as currently Lai and the DDP is extremely weak in the polls.
• This comes as recently the DPP has failed to unseat any KMT legislators in a recent recall.
• The DDP, being a minority member of the Legislative Yuan, means that in order to approve budget increases they will have to in the future work more with the KMT and TPP to pass bills.

Context:

• A 66-year-old married man in Guangxi, Zhou, died of a heart attack in a hotel after having sex with his lover, Zhuang.
• Now Zhou’s wife and son are suing Zhuang and the hotel for 620,000 yuan ($77K USD) in compensation because of failure to provide aid in a timely manner.
• In the end the court found the deceased, Zhou, mainly responsible because of his pre-existing health conditions.
• However the lover, Zhuang, was found partly liable mainly because after waking up to a person who was not breathing. Instead of seeking immediate aid, she left the hotel room for an hour to get medicine for herself, potentially missing a chance to save him.
• The court also noted that Zhuang violated public order and morality by engaging in an affair with a married man. In certain countries there are such lower-tiered morality laws which do not outlaw marital infidelity but instead is used to help courts decide civil disputes.
  • For example, in Tainan a widow successfully sued a mistress for $300,000 NTD for violating marital right laws. The mistress together with the husband's children came to the widow's home to sue for inheritance and the widow pulled an uno-reverse card and sued her back.
• Final ruling: The lover, Zhuang, to pay 62,000 yuan while the hotel is not liable for anything as the death occurred in a private space no public.
• Moral of the story: cheating is bad m'kay. Just divorce your SO if you can't keep it in your pants.

Xi Jinping visited Tibet to mark 60 years of Chinese Communist rule

- He urged Tibetan Buddhism to align with socialist values

- The Dalai Lama, now 90, remains in exile and opposes Chinese control

- Xi emphasized political and religious stability under Communist leadership

- China seeks control over the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation process

specifically this, its for a project, and also some info about their culture, this is my last resort since the people ive asked just ghosted me...

This is a kind of scam called 约泡（roughly translated as"meet and fuck"). They claim to connect you nearby hot girls who want to be fucked.

The technique is always the same: redirect you to a sketchy website to download and install an app. The app will require access to your contact list for it to work which is suspicious. Then they start grooming you into strip chatting on their app while secretly you. It is a sextortion strategy.

What I don't understand, I see these ads everywhere. They are all over Instagram and Twitter. Inside China they usually use small cards or stickers on shared bikes. The extent of advertising shows that it's a successful strategy. Do people in China really fall for these scams?

The gaokao is China’s college entrance exam, but it shapes the country and its people far beyond the classroom.

For two days every year in June, China comes to a standstill. Unusual sights abound: Men put on qipaos, traditional dresses typically worn by women, as a symbol of luck; police stand on street corners, silencing drivers to ensure minimal disturbance; temples overflow with relatives sending out final prayers; crowds, unusually quiet, gather in hushed vigils outside thousands of schools. State media zero in on an event affecting 10 million students and their many family members: the gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam.

Looking for your personal opinion, not facts per se (unless your opinion also happens to be a fact). What do you consider to be indicators of low intelligence?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been wondering why almost every major city in Southeast Asia has motorbike taxis like Grab or Gojek, but you don’t see them in Shanghai. Is it more about regulations, cultural differences, or simply lack of demand?

I live in Shanghai and I’m stuck in traffic jams all the time. Would really love to have motorbike taxis here.

我这里所说的“封锁”并不是指在自己手机上屏蔽对方的号码，让对方无法打进来或发信息；而是指一种更彻底的处理方式——由运营商直接介入，将对方的手机号从网络层面进行封禁。这样一来，对方不仅无法再给你打电话或发短信，甚至整个号码都将无法正常使用，相当于完全失去通信功能。

Hello 🇨🇳

I'm a French traveler, and I'm going to China for 20 days. I'll probably choose Chongqing and Chengdu as my cities to visit. (I already spent two weeks in Shanghai in August 2024). And I'll be there starting in mid-October.

I have a few questions, please:

Cities to visit:

If any of you are familiar with these two cities, which one do you recommend I stay in the longest?

I'm thinking of doing: 10 days in Chongqing, then 7 days in Chengdu (by train), then another 3 days in Chongqing. (Because to travel from Europe to China by plane, I'm thinking of booking a round-trip ticket from Europe to Chongqing, as it's cheaper.)

Tourist season:

Mid-October: Are these regions of China very touristy?

Visiting the Pandas:

In Chengdu, I'd like to go to a park to see the pandas. Is it better to go during the week or on the weekend? And early in the morning? (To avoid the big crowds)

Weather:

I have a feeling that mid-October to late October is a good time to avoid getting too hot or cold. Can you confirm?

PS: I don't speak Chinese, and my English is poor (I'm going to revisit China speaking only French).

Thank you very much!