China Reform Monitor No. 1456

SCHOOLS MUST "CULTIVATE MASCULINITY" – MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
The Ministry of Education will now require schools to increase the number of gym teachers and add more male-oriented education that "cultivate masculinity." Top political adviser Si Zefu has said that China needs to combat the increasing "feminisation" of young men whom he called "delicate, cowardly and effeminate" and a "threat to the development and survival of our nation." Si said China needs to "prevent young men from becoming effeminate," and said more male teachers will "combat the issue." China's "masculinity crisis" has long been a priority for Chinese authorities, who have rolled out numerous initiatives to combat the perceived problem. "A dominant male expression demands men to be brave, rough, to overpower women, so when men can't achieve that through career success or other ways, they've been belittled by the patriarchy as ‘not a man.' Domestic violence is a form of trying to sustain that ‘tough guy' image," said Fang Gang, a Beijing-based expert. (South China Morning Post, February 1, 2021)

CHINA USES CRACKDOWN ON PIRATES TO ENHANCE CENSORSHIP
The Shanghai Police are cracking down on Renren Yingshi, a sprawling network of translators that provides uncensored foreign TV shows and movies in China under the guise of education, over suspected copyright violations. Authorities have arrested more than a dozen people on charges of exploiting pirated material to earn more than $2.5 million from membership fees, ad revenue and product sales. "Taking down Renren, the biggest and most influential [subtitling] group, sends a signal to other groups like them," notes Yu Meng at the China Justice Observer. (Wall Street Journal, February 16, 2021)

PAKISTANI MILITARY AIRLIFTS CHINA'S FIRST COVID-19 VACCINES
A Pakistan military aircraft has airlifted China's first overseas consignment of 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. China's Ambassador to Pakistan has formally handed over the Sinopharm vaccine, and Islamabad has already requested another one million doses of the treatment. Pakistan will also receive 17 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine under the COVAX plan to deliver them to developing nations. About 6 million COVAX doses will arrive next month, and the rest by mid-year, said Pakistan's health adviser, Faisal Sultan. (PLA Daily,February 1, 2021)

CHINA CRACKS DOWN ON FAKE COVID-19 VACCINES
"The Supreme People's Procuratorate has ordered state prosecutors at all levels of government to act quickly and resolutely crack down on coronavirus vaccine crimes," Xinhua reports. The nationwide crackdown on profiteering and fake vaccines comes as authorities have arrested scores of suspects and confiscated thousands of fake doses around the country. Tens of thousands of fake vaccines were made using saline to attract government subsidies and then sold at hugely inflated prices and injected into people in their homes or cars. Xinhua reports that some of fakes were exported and "tarnished the image of the country." But Lu Jun at the Beijing Yirenping Center argues that reports on criminal activity are actually a distraction from the larger threat from shoddy, out-of-date and mishandled vaccines produced from legitimate sources "or illegal operations linked to government procurement and distribution." (Radio Free Asia, February 16, 2021)

CHINESE AND INDIAN TROOPS PULL-BACK FROM DISPUTED BORDER
India and China have pulled their troops back from the Pangong Tso Lake area of the disputed Himalayan border, according to a joint communiqué, which said: "The two sides agreed to follow the important consensus of their state leaders, continue their communication and dialogue, stabilise and control the situation on the ground, push for a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues in a steady and orderly manner, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas." Before the withdrawal, Chinese and Indian troops were in close proximity in territory claimed by both sides. Last June, dozens of troops died in hand-to-hand clashes along the border. (BBC, February 21, 2021)