China Plans to Increase Retirement Age to 65; China's Youth ‘Buying Jobs’ Trend Exposed

China plans to increase retirement age to 65. China's youth buying jobs trend exposed. CCP's Africa access to 10,000 villages project ends in failure. Chinese men's basketball team sets record low, first loss to Japan in 88 years. Xi Jinping's killer move, experts warn of intensifying CCP power struggles. It's all covered in today's China Truths. China plans to increase retirement age to 65. China's youth buying jobs trend exposed. Recently, discussions about spending a fortune to buy a job have been circulating widely online. Investigations by journalists from Sina.com revealed that on social platforms like Xiahangshu, like Instagram, in mainland China, many companies engage in deceptive practices, appearing as consulting service providers on the surface but actually operating as brokers for buying and selling jobs. These companies openly list prices for different positions. Large private enterprises like Mastercom offer varying amounts, while state-owned enterprises like First Automobile Works, FAW, and Red Flag set prices around 200,000 yuan, approximately 30,000 U.S. dollars. For established central enterprises, the price tag is upwards of 450,000 yuan, approximately 63,000 U.S. dollars. Hu Hui, a recent master's graduate from Changchun, Jilin Province, became disheartened after several failed interviews. She then stumbled upon her interview position listed with a price tag of 140,000 yuan on Xiahangshu, a Chinese social media and e-commerce platform, like Instagram. In an interview, Hu Hui expressed her dismay, stating that she initially intended to become a teacher at a local private university but faced repeated interview failures. By chance, she came across a job advertisement on Xiahangshu, which turned out to be the same position she had just interviewed for. She lamented, So interviews are useless. Paying money is the only way. Hu Hui's roommate had already realized that buying a job is the way to go and chose to work in Hainan to earn money, aiming to save up 300,000 yuan, around 42,000 U.S. dollars, and then return to their hometown to purchase a stable job. According to reports, many human resources companies on platforms like Xiahangshu engage in deceptive practices. An employee from Jilin New Leader Human Resources told Sina.com journalists that through their channels, those seeking permanent positions need not take written As long as the basic requirements are met, they guarantee a smooth process. However, candidates are required to pay half of the deposit and sign a contract up front, and the remaining payment is settled after passing the interview and officially starting the job. Related reports have been taken down by the Chinese Communist Party, but the content has been reposted on other social media platforms. The report states that due to the influence of this negative trend, stable and decent jobs are increasingly hard to come by for young people. Many young people returning to their hometowns openly state that most good jobs in various industries require payment, saying, without paying, you can't get employed. According to official CCP statistics, the youth unemployment rate in China for those aged 16 to 24 has continuously risen for six months, reaching a record high of 21.3% in June last year. However, it is widely believed that the true youth unemployment rate in China is much higher than the official figures. Xiang Danden, an associate professor of economics at Peking University, published a paper last year titled Possibly Underestimated Youth Unemployment Rate, in which she calculated that by March 2023, the maximum youth unemployment rate in China could reach 46.5%. Besides, with a declining birth rate and an aging population, China is facing exacerbated demographic challenges. The CCP is considering extending the retirement age to 65. Meanwhile, young people are finding it increasingly difficult to secure jobs, leading to a trend of paying for employment opportunities. According to recent reports in CCP-controlled media, in response to China's aging population and the risk of Social Security funds being insufficient to cover expenses, there may be a policy introduced this year to raise the retirement age to 65. Delaying retirement age could alleviate the financial strain on pension funds. Currently, the statutory retirement age in China is 60 for male workers, 55 for female cadres, and 50 for female workers. CCP's Africa Access to 10,000 Villages project ends in failure. In December 2015, the CCP pledged to provide satellite digital television signals to 10,000 villages in Africa. However, after several years, African scholars conducting field investigations in Nigeria found that the Connect 10,000 Villages project was more geared towards fulfilling its propaganda objectives and has seen minimal implementation to date. Voice of America reported that the CCP proposed the Connect 10,000 Villages project at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Johannesburg in December 2015. Later, China's StarTimes group was selected as the sole contractor for the project. According to StarTimes' website, the project entails equipping public areas in each assisted village with two sets of solar-powered projection television systems and a set of integrated digital television systems. Additionally, 20 households in each village are provided with digital television set-top boxes, with StarTimes responsible for program transmission and operational maintenance for the next five years. Currently, countries like Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Burundi, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Congo, Zambia, among others, have completed project acceptance. However, Emeka Umegyei, the chief researcher of the African Dictatorship Influence Analysis Center, recently found after conducting on-site investigations that most of the satellite televisions in public areas of these villages have become unusable, with very few still in operation. In November 2023, Umegyei visited three villages in Nigeria with populations close to 10,000, Hulumi and Kpaduma near the capital Abuja, and Agogo Eketi in the southwest. I chose these three villages because they were among the few places I could find where the Connect 10,000 Villages project was implemented, Umegyei told Voice of America. StarTimes claimed they covered a thousand villages in Nigeria, but I couldn't find any evidence to support that claim. In a report published recently, Umegyei wrote that Agogo Eketi had 14 satellite televisions installed. Two were installed in a public hospital and municipal hall for communal use, while the other 12 were provided to the village chief and other important individuals. Hulumi and Kpaduma each had 20 satellite televisions installed. The report stated that after the one-year free period for Nigeria's satellite television services expired, renewal became problematic. In the three villages Umegyei visited, many satellite televisions, either public or privately used, were abandoned because users were unwilling to renew their subscriptions. In Hulumi village, frequent power outages made it impossible for residents to afford generators. Umegyei pointed out that claims of installing Chinese television in a thousand villages in Nigeria are fundamentally unverifiable, with no independent third-party oversight. To compile this research report, Umegyei contacted various Nigerian government departments, including the Ministry of Information and National Guidance, the Ministry of Digital Communications, and the National Broadcasting Commission, all of which responded with statements like not clear, no information available, or you should ask Star Times. He further remarked that while these projects may seem exciting, no one pays attention to where the money goes, and without oversight, most African government officials and policymakers are not interested in tracking the implementation of these projects. Umegyei believes that these investment projects in Africa primarily serve the CCP's external propaganda objectives, and similar issues exist in various engineering projects undertaken by China in Africa. Wesley Hill, from the International Tax and Investment Center, expressed skepticism about the success of China's Connect 10,000 Villages project in Nigeria, citing China's prioritization of equipment export over installation. He highlighted that Chinese companies often receive subsidies for projects up front, rather than upon completion. However, a resident in Rwanda reported positive progress with Star Times satellite television, indicating variations in project implementation across African countries due to local political dynamics and relationships with China. Chinese men's basketball team sets record low, first loss to Japan in 88 years. On February 25, in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, the Chinese men's basketball team faced off against the Japanese men's team at the Aomi Urban Sports Park in Tokyo. At the beginning of the game, the Chinese team took a lead of 14-colon-3, but the Japanese team responded with an 11-o'clock run. By the end of the first half, the score was tied at 38. After the third quarter, the Japanese team led by four points. With just one minute and nine seconds left in the fourth quarter, a fatal mistake by Chinese guard Hu Mingxian led to a dunk by Japan's Hakamira, extending their lead to five points. Although Chinese player Cheng Shuiping made a three-point shot shortly after, Japanese player Taniguchi made one free throw out of two attempts, putting Japan ahead by three points again. In the final play, Chinese player Xu Junlong missed a three-point shot, missing the chance to tie the game and leading to a final score of 73-76, resulting in a loss for the Chinese team. According to records, since the 1936 Olympics, the Chinese men's basketball team had never lost to the Japanese men's team in any FIBA-organized competitions at the Asian level or higher. Moreover, they had a perfect record of 16 wins against Japan in the Asia Cup. However, after this game, China's aforementioned record against Japan has come to an end. This marks another new low for the Chinese men's basketball team since last year's World Cup and Asian Games. During the World Cup in September last year, the Chinese men's team lost all three group matches, achieving their worst performance in the World Cup, and its predecessor, the World Championships, since 1990. In the Asian Games held in Hangzhou in October last year, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to the Philippines, failing to make it to the Asian Games final and ultimately winning only a bronze medal, marking their worst performance in the history of the Asian Games. Xi Jinping's Killer Move – Experts Warn of Intensifying CCP Power Struggles On February 21, the Chinese authorities announced the full text of the newly revised regulations on the work of party inspection of the Chinese Communist Party, referred to as the regulations, and issued a notice requiring all regions and departments to strictly adhere to the implementation. Xing Xue, a Chinese-Canadian writer, commented on this today, saying, Faced with international, livelihood, and economic difficulties, Xi Jinping realizes that he lacks the ability to revive those areas while insisting on the CCP's state terrorism rule. He can only continue on a path to darkness, waving the banner of political dominance, preventing people from questioning or provoking him on other issues. Because as long as there is a political task at hand, everyone can only prioritize this political task. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly stated, Promote the concretization, precision, and normalization of political supervision and enhance the practical effectiveness of supervising the leading group and leading cadres. The newly revised regulations specifically stipulate that inspection work should strengthen supervision of the principal responsible persons of the inspected party organizations, and the principal responsible persons of party organizations bear the primary responsibility for inspection and rectification, and other members of the leadership team bear dual responsibilities. Apart from directly managing party organizations at the municipal and county levels as inspection objects, the regulations also, for the first time, include village, community, party organizations within the scope of inspection by county, city, district, flag, party committees, extending strict party governance to the grassroots level. Veteran commentator Lan Xu told Sound of Hope, Xi Jinping basically held all power in his hands during his first two terms. The members of the Politburo Standing Committee at the 20th National Congress of the CCP were basically chosen by Xi Jinping. His instructions may still encounter resistance at the grassroots level. He wants to establish a political inspection system mainly to ensure that the top leaders at all levels can effectively implement what Xi Jinping wants to do next. The notice points out that the regulations adhere to Xi Jinping's thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as the guide and thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's important thoughts on the party's self-revolution. Lan Xu highlighted Xi Jinping's strategy of party self-revolution as a means to combat private capital in China. Private capital has become a significant force in China's economy, challenging the control of the CCP. Under Xi Jinping's leadership, there has been a steady shift towards favoring state-owned enterprises over private ones, leading to economic downturns. Xi Jinping faces a choice, allow private capital to accelerate the collapse of the CCP system or forcibly control it. This conflict has resulted in significant transformations in China's economy, including the establishment of armed forces and the promotion of state-controlled cooperatives, as part of Xi Jinping's broader strategy to assert CCP dominance over private capital and property. In the preamble section, Article 2 of the regulations clearly states, inspection work is political supervision by higher-level party organizations over lower-level party organizations to fulfill the party's leadership responsibilities. The fundamental task is to resolutely maintain the core position of the Xi Jinping Party Central Committee and the centralized and unified leadership, and it is clear that inspection work adheres to the principle of discovering problems, forming deterrence, promoting reform, and promoting development. Xing Xue points out that the Communist Party's inspection work is primarily aimed at consolidating Xi Jinping's power. China's economy is facing a recession, with various sectors such as real estate, stocks, and retail experiencing declines. The international environment is becoming increasingly hostile towards the CCP, leading to withdrawals of foreign companies and stagnant investment. Many local governments are struggling due to heavy taxation and exploitation by the CCP, leading to calls for resistance and even separatism. Xi Jinping's response to these challenges is to further enhance totalitarianism and dictatorship, leading to a state of fear within the CCP system. Xi Jinping's regime of state terrorism exceeds historical authoritarian regimes, and he relies on deterrence through suppression to maintain control. As Xi Jinping faces increasing resistance and obstruction, he resorts to rigidly enforcing his power through the party's system. Xing Xue highlights Mao Zedong's historical legacy, particularly the Great Famine from 1959 to 1962, which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions due to his anti-human policies. Rather than reflecting on these policies, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, exacerbating political, international, livelihood, and economic issues. Similarly, Xi Jinping faces numerous challenges, including economic downturn, international tensions, financial instability, and rising unemployment, while maintaining CCP's state terrorism rule. Unable to address these issues effectively, Xi Jinping emphasizes political dominance to suppress opposition within the CCP. This approach stifles dissent and prevents questioning of his leadership. As internal struggles within the CCP intensify, there may be increased repression and violence. Xi Jinping's desire to surpass Mao Zedong indicates a descent into further authoritarianism, as Mao's ideologies offer no path to a prosperous future for China or its people. Don't forget to leave a 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.