Iphone 15 Sparks Frenzy In China: Sells Out In Under 1 Minute, Website Overloaded!

Failed borrowing leads to revenge plot. Tianjin Hebei District government renovates Debiyun. 300 acres of farmland turned into a garbage dump. Police. It was the urban management chief's order. Frontline medical staff expose insider information. CCP's medical anti-corruption strategy conceals hidden secrets. The Lishangfu scandal cannot be ignored. Analysis indicates that a real bloody storm is approaching. Outperforms Huawei. iPhone new model overloads website. Sells out on Taobao in one minute. It's all covered in today's China Truths. Failed borrowing leads to revenge plot. Tianjin Hebei District government renovates Debiyun. As previously reported, a user named luoxiang on the internet social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, revealed that in March 2023, the Hebei District government of Tianjin City in China borrowed 300 million yuan, approximately 41.12 million U.S. dollars, from a local Buddhist temple called Debiyun to pay the salaries of government employees. By July, the funds had been depleted, and they approached Debiyun for another loan, which the temple refused, stating, There has never been a person in the world who has received alms from our Buddhist community. We are not donors. Consequently, after this news was widely circulated on the internet, the Hebei District government of Tianjin promptly announced a special campaign for environmental order rectification in the Debiyun area. In detail, various departments, including public security, justice, fire services, urban management, health, and industry and commerce, were called upon. This rectification was scheduled to take place during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day Golden Week holiday. According to NTD reporters, the official website news center of the Hebei District government of Tianjin indeed issued a press release on Sept. 11 titled Hebei District to launch special campaign for environmental order rectification in the Yifeng and Debiyun areas. This campaign's primary focus was to address issues like occupying sidewalks to attract customers, irregular business practices, and environmental hygiene problems. In reaction to this, Liu Xiang left a comment on his post, stating, Adopting the communist bandit style is quite apt. Under the United Front of the Chinese Communist Party, many temples on the Chinese mainland have transformed into institutions akin to tourist attractions. The notion that local governments borrow money from temples to reverse their alms is not unfounded. Back in May 13, 2020, the public account Jingxin Third Son had already released an article titled Unbelievable. Local government borrowed money from temples to pay salaries. In that article, it mentioned, I heard that a county in the northern part of the country, impacted by the epidemic and seeing a drop in fiscal and tax revenues, ended up borrowing money from a local temple to cover salaries when they couldn't manage their own expenses. The article further reveals that the author recently spoke with the finance director of a certain district about the topic of local governments issuing special bonds. The finance director complained that after receiving the special bond, it was cleared and blocked on the same day, leaving him with several hundred thousand yuan. However, the department and creditors who heard the news crowded the hallway at his doorstep. He insisted there was no money, but they didn't believe him. They accused him of dishonesty. The finance director also lamented, saying, Brother, our local finances are running dry. We can't hold on much longer. Three hundred acres of farmland turned into a garbage dump. Police. It was the urban management chief's order. In recent years, within Huanghua Village, situated in Yinchuan City, Ningxia, more than three hundred acres of farmland, approximately 20 hectares, have transformed into a massive dump site, and this issue has persisted for an extended period. Villagers have reported that not only has this extensive farmland become unsuitable for cultivation, but the garbage has also inflicted harm on the local ecological environment and had a negative impact on adjacent farmland. If this situation is not halted, the consequences could be devastating. The villagers have consistently reported this issue to the local government for the past two years, from stopping vehicles to seeking assistance from various individuals and even filing police reports. However, their efforts have yielded no results, and no one has stepped up to address the problem, despite their hopes of protecting their local farmland. Villagers have also approached the town government multiple times, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. In some cases, they even faced surveillance, physical assaults by unidentified individuals, or received threatening and intimidating phone calls. The villagers expressed their deep distress to the media. Their ancestors have relied on this land for sustenance for centuries, but now it has been despoiled by this mountain of garbage. Due to the degradation of the local ecological environment, they no longer dare to consume the crops and vegetables they once grew themselves, nor do they trust the well water they used to rely on. Villagers recounted that a police officer who responded to the scene once disclosed that the person behind this garbage dumping was none other than the former director of the Urban Management Bureau. Even the trucks used for this purpose were labeled with Xixia Urban Management. An unnamed official from the Urban Management Bureau defended the actions, stating that the garbage had been transported from the city center and was purportedly intended for leveling farmland in preparation for future development and construction. The official argued that all these activities had been carried out in accordance with directives from higher-level authorities and hadn't violated any regulations. Following public outcry and media coverage, this issue started trending on the mainland's internet on September 18th. On that same day, an official public account called Yinchuan Release, backed by the municipal government, released a statement, declaring that the city government would form a joint investigation team to conduct a verification investigation into the incident. They pledged to take serious action based on the findings of this investigation. Frontline medical staff expose insider information, CCP's medical anti-corruption strategy conceals hidden secrets. Since August, the CCP has initiated an anti-corruption campaign in the field of medicine, which has swept through at least 20 provinces across the nation. Authorities are encouraging citizens to report instances of corruption, creating an atmosphere of fear within the pharmaceutical industry, reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution era. According to public reports, just this year, China has launched investigations into at least 176 hospital directors and party committee secretaries, more than twice the number compared to the previous year. In this sweeping anti-corruption campaign within the medical sector, CCP disciplinary agencies at all levels have mandated that deputy chief physicians and senior medical personnel in hospitals return any lecture fees they have received over the past five years. This action is based on the grounds that pharmaceutical companies have been conducting various public relations activities under the guise of academic exchanges for many years, using lecture fees to influence the heads of major hospitals. Dr. Qi, a medical professional from a hospital in southwest China, stated, The goal of the medical anti-corruption campaign extends beyond merely combating corruption. It aims to curtail the previously unregulated sources of income and profits, which were tacitly endorsed by authorities within the medical industry. The intention is to recover these funds for the National Treasury and allocate them to cover the substantial losses incurred during epidemic prevention and control, amounting to tens of billions of dollars. The policy has effectively achieved its intended objectives. Numerous regions have established hotlines for reporting corruption within the medical field. Previously regarded as compliant, medical academic conferences are now being scrutinized for corruption issues, leading to the suspension of their activities. Additionally, various regions have introduced integrity accounts to encourage those involved in corruption to deposit funds under their real names. Nurse Ms. Zhang from a hospital in Nanjing stated, I have always known that doctors have a grey income, which is that if they are dealing with those drug agents, it is estimated that they are no longer. In the past, it was those drug agents who went there to promote drugs. If we used it for patients, that doctor would receive a commission, but now I haven't listened to them. I just heard them say that nurses are quite sad now. Furthermore, according to Ms. Zhang, despite their strenuous work and frequent overtime, ordinary healthcare workers do not earn high incomes. Moreover, many hospitals have begun reducing salaries due to declining revenue, which has caused dissatisfaction among healthcare workers. Corruption is not limited to hospitals. It has also impacted pharmaceutical companies. In July, three pharmaceutical companies listed on the Stock Exchange saw their chairman being placed under investigation. Lawyer Liang Xiaohua, formerly heading the legal department at Beijing Construction Bank, highlighted the fundamental origin of corruption, which is widely acknowledged, whether it's within the healthcare sector or state-owned enterprises. This root cause is the concentration of power. Nowhere is this more evident than within the healthcare sector, where the party committee secretary and the party's leadership wield significant influence. This influence even extends to pharmaceutical approvals, where substantial financial transactions are necessary for drug approval in China. All of these dynamics ultimately revolve around the exercise of power by the party. Lawyer Liang emphasized that in China, approximately 80% of healthcare resources are allocated to CCP government officials. This allocation encompasses critical resources such as hospital beds and equipment, primarily intended for their use, without the requirement for financial contributions. Why is there widespread corruption in the medical field of the Communist Party of China, and how can it be eradicated in the future? The CCP cannot provide a clear answer, but the new policy seems to be preparing for a 180-degree turn. In detail, officials from the CCP's National Health Commission introduced the concept of the Three Nos and the One Guarantee, with a particular emphasis on the idea that they must not arbitrarily expand the scope of centralized rectification work. This statement has left external observers puzzled. Lawyer Liang explained, they will likely conclude this campaign hastily. It's highly improbable for them to wrap it up immediately. Instead, they will find a way to stage an ending, saying that the anti-corruption effort has reached a certain stage. Then, they will summarize how many people have been apprehended, how much money has been seized, and how much healthcare costs have decreased. After this summary, they will consider the matter resolved. That's the most likely outcome. Experts argue that the CCP's campaign-style anti-corruption efforts cannot effectively address the underlying problems. The Lishangfu scandal cannot be ignored. Analysis indicates that a real bloody storm is approaching. The disappearance of China's defense minister Lishangfu has consumed a lot of ink in the media and international public opinion. The outside world is attempting to understand the direction of the CCP political landscape. However, unlike Xi Jinping's earlier anti-corruption campaign, where many high-ranking party, government, and military officials were not personally appointed by Xi Jinping, this current group is entirely different. Su Ziyun, the director of the Institute for Defense Strategy and Resources at Taiwan's National Defense University, has analyzed this matter. According to the official statements of the Chinese government, starting from the 20th CCP Congress and especially after this year's two sessions, which marked the beginning of Xi's third term, all high-ranking officials above the level of central committee members are personally selected by Xi. But, as Mr. Su pointed out, these high-level leaders, many of them, were purged shortly after taking office, which completely contradicts the political culture of the CCP. If Xi Jinping still holds absolute power, these individuals might resign for other reasons in at most two years. Resigning in less than half a year is a severe blow to Xi Jinping. Mr. Su suspects that anti-Xi Jinping forces may be using the exposure of scandals involving these high-ranking officials to force Xi Jinping's hand because attacking these people is essentially attacking Xi Jinping. There are also differing opinions from observers. Former PLA Navy staff officer and Colonel Yao Qing believes that among the military's second-generation Reds, only Zhang Youxia and Li Shangfu remain. Li Shangfu's investigation is seen as Xi Jinping's declaration of war against these second-generation Reds within the CCP. The term second-generation Reds refers to individuals who were the offspring of Chinese political elites born in the 1960s and early 1970s, which was before the conclusion of the Cultural Revolution. They were raised in an environment heavily influenced by the politics and ideology of Mao Zedong. Today, many of these second-generation Reds occupy prominent positions in high offices, with the most notable example being the current CCP leader, Xi Jinping. Recently, media outlets such as The Washington Post, Financial Times, and Reuters cited insiders reporting that Li Shangfu is being investigated by the CCP Military Discipline Commission due to corruption related to procurement during his tenure in the Equipment Development Department. Yao Qing stated to Voice of America that this department is quite lucrative and serves as a money bag for the Crown Prince Faction. Senior CCP members and members of the Crown Prince Faction are dissatisfied with Xi Jinping's handling of economic issues, which challenges his supreme status. The term Crown Prince Party refers to the offspring or relatives of high-ranking Chinese officials who have amassed significant wealth and influence. They are often associated with benefiting from their family connections in various ways, including in business and politics. Back to the main topic, Yao Qing stated to Voice of America that this department is quite lucrative and serves as a money bag for the Crown Prince Faction. Senior CCP members and members of the Crown Prince Faction are dissatisfied with Xi Jinping's handling of economic issues, which threatens Xi's supreme status. Therefore, Xi Jinping intends to wage war against the Crown Prince Faction through the Lishangfu case, tearing off the mask completely. He predicts a real bloodbath will soon occur. Yao Qing analyzed that Xi Jinping plans to achieve multiple goals with one move by eliminating the Crown Prince Faction and the military and may soon target the core of the Crown Prince Faction, the China Poly Group, which deals with the import and export of large-scale military equipment and apprehend all key figures involved in corruption. Mr. Yao believes that Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign within the military serves a larger purpose of pacifying the armed forces, ensuring their loyalty, consolidating military power, and purging dissent. It is not solely about combating corruption. Additionally, the investigation into corruption within the Equipment Development Department goes back only to 2017, coinciding with Lishangfu's tenure as its head. This selective focus suggests that Xi Jinping has chosen to spare Zhang Yaoxia, the previous head of the Equipment Development Department and a close friend of Xi Jinping, and concentrate on investigating Lishangfu. Media personality Zhang Tianliang analyzed that since Xi Jinping came to power, he has almost offended all of the second-generation red families, including the families of Bo Xilai, Wang Zhen, Deng Xiaoping, and so on. Unlike ordinary officials, second-generation reds within the CCP generally have the idea of sticking together to safeguard the regime, as preserving the CCP's rule is essential for safeguarding their vested interests. Now, they may even turn against Xi Jinping out of concern that he might disrupt the regime. In summary, Xi Jinping's relationship with the second-generation reds has become very poor, yet they form the core of his political power. Zhang Tianliang therefore believes that if Xi Jinping continues down this path, the outcome is worrying. Outperforms Huawei, iPhone new model overloads website, sells out on Taobao in one minute The release of the Apple iPhone 15 has set off a massive craze in China. On the evening of September 15 at 8 o'clock, the iPhone 15 series officially started pre-orders. On September 17, the World News Network cited data from JD.com, reporting that pre-orders for the iPhone 15 exceeded 2.56 million people. At the Apple Store on Tmall, formerly Taobao Mall, official flagship store, the first batch of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were all sold out within one minute, leaving Huawei far behind. Especially the Huawei Mate 60 series, which claims to have made significant breakthroughs. The Apple official website experienced a 6-7-minute outage, leading to the trending topic of Apple official website outage on Weibo. Right after that, on Saturday, another wave of criticism against Apple erupted on the Chinese internet. It remains unknown whether this is orchestrated by Chinese government-sponsored internet forces, or little pinks, or an outpouring of frustration from certain segments of the Chinese internet population. On that day, someone posted on a Chinese online forum, Baidu Tieba, claiming that there was an image on Apple's official website and the Apple Watch specialist one-on-one selection page that was seen as insulting China. This photo was said to incorporate six elements—narrowed eyes, wide interocular distance, garlic nose, eunuch mole, mongoloid face, and pigtail—and was interpreted as Apple's deliberate mockery of Chinese people. Some individuals also commented, We cut off our pigtails a hundred years ago, and they're still humiliating us. Many mainland Chinese netizens took this opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with Apple, with some even threatening that the company must apologize. However, many Chinese netizens do not take this seriously and have published articles mocking the absurdity and ridicule of this wave of patriotic and anti-American propaganda, finding it absurd and laughable. Internet users discovered that this image was not specifically designed by Apple for its Chinese official website. Corresponding pages on official websites of countries such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea also used the same image. According to media reports, at the request of the Chinese communist authorities, the new iPhone 15, sold in mainland China, has been castrated, with some functions disabled or blocked. Prior to the release of the iPhone 15, Huawei had also launched what they called high-end domestically produced phones. However, the Chinese people's enthusiasm for the new iPhone has not diminished. Don't forget to comment in the section below to share your opinions on today's topic with us. Make sure to like and subscribe to see more interesting topics from China Truths.