China

Al Jazeera | English | News | Aug. 8, 2025 | Political Scandal or Corruption

Macau police have arrested Au Kam San, a prominent pro-democracy figure, on charges of collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security. Au, who co-founded several pro-democracy groups and served nearly two decades as a lawmaker before stepping down in 2021, was taken from his residence for investigation. Authorities claim he had been in contact with an anti-China organization abroad since 2022, providing false and seditious information and attempting to incite hatred against Beijing, disrupt the upcoming 2024 Macau leadership election, and provoke hostile foreign actions against Macau.

The Public Prosecutions Office placed Au under compulsory detention following a preliminary investigation, emphasizing their commitment to hold accountable those threatening national security. His arrest marks a further tightening of Macau’s national security laws, which were amended in 2023 to align more closely with those of Hong Kong and mainland China, particularly to prevent foreign interference.

Au’s activism had long challenged the opaque governance and social inequalities in Macau, a city under Chinese sovereignty since 1999 under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework promising autonomy and rights protections. Unlike Hong Kong, where mass pro-democracy movements have gained international attention, Macau’s democratic opposition has remained marginal amid stringent government controls. The arrest of Au is likely to have a chilling effect on civil society, according to activists familiar with Macau’s political climate.

数读3.2万亿北部海洋经济圈 蓝色引擎激活发展新动能

STCN | Local Language | News | Aug. 8, 2025 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

In 2024, China’s Northern Marine Economic Zone, comprising Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei provinces, and Tianjin city, achieved significant growth with a marine gross product of approximately 3.19 trillion yuan, marking a 5.9% nominal increase. This accounted for 16.2% of the regional GDP and 30.3% of the national marine GDP. Marine tourism led the industrial sectors with a 30.8% share, followed by the marine chemical and transportation industries. The marine shipbuilding and mining industries posted the highest growth rates of 28.5% and 21.5% respectively. Five marine sectors held a majority national share in their added value, including aquatic product processing, oil and gas, mining, salt, and chemical industries.

Shandong province maintained its leading role with a marine gross product of 1.8 trillion yuan, growing 6.1% year-on-year and contributing 18.3% to its GDP. The province’s marine industries reached a combined added value of over 806 billion yuan, leading nationwide for five consecutive years. Marine mining experienced significant gains due to high gold prices, supported by Shandong’s large gold reserves in the Jiaodong area. Shandong also advanced in marine biopharmaceuticals, with clustered R&D and industry scale leading nationally. Key achievements in 2025 include launching the world’s first 150,000-ton smart fishery aquaculture vessel and completing major marine infrastructure investments totaling over 37 billion yuan.

Hebei province, strategically located in the Bohai Rim region, recorded port cargo throughput exceeding 1.4 billion tons in 2024, placing it among the national leaders. Its port group—Tangshan, Huanghua, and Qinhuangdao Ports—showcased strong growth, with Tangshan Port ranking as the world’s second-largest by volume. Huanghua Port established the fastest maritime route to the U.S. West Coast and expanded its domestic and international shipping routes, supporting regional trade and energy transport. In 2025, Hebei plans significant port construction investments focused on expanding berth capacity and handling volumes, reinforcing its role in regional and national economic integration.

Liaoning province emphasized marine clean energy development in 2024, with clean energy capacity and electricity generation surpassing 50% of its targets ahead of schedule. The province doubled its wind and photovoltaic power capacity since 2020 and is advancing two large offshore wind power bases in Bohai Bay and the North Yellow Sea, supported by a manufacturing cluster valued over 100 billion yuan. Liaoning's marine tourism sector showed robust growth, with significant increases in tourist numbers and revenue, while the Changshan Archipelago gained national recognition as a top-level tourism resort.

Tianjin city focused on its marine oil and gas industry, which accounted for 41.7% of its marine industrial added value in 2024, alongside marine tourism, chemical, and transportation sectors. The city enhanced its marine oil and gas equipment manufacturing through the establishment of China’s first intelligent marine oil and gas completion tools factory and smart manufacturing base. Tianjin’s cruise economy experienced a sharp rise, with nearly 200 cruise ship arrivals and departures and over 350,000 cruise passengers from May 2024 to May 2025, highlighting the city's growing prominence as a marine tourism and trade hub.

多个执法部门“拼团”检查，北京在10个区试点“综合查一次”

Beijing News | Local Language | News | Aug. 8, 2025 | Regulation

Since July 2025, Beijing has piloted a "comprehensive single-visit inspection" reform across 10 districts—including Dongcheng, Haidian, and Fengtai—to address inefficiencies caused by separate inspections from multiple law enforcement departments. This initiative uses an integrated regulatory information system to coordinate inspection plans, enabling multiple departments to conduct joint inspections in one visit, thereby improving regulatory effectiveness and reducing repetitive enforcement.

In Haidian District’s Huaxi business area, the pilot includes 45 unicorn companies, over 1,000 AI enterprises, and nearly 100 merchants. The district established a full-process collaborative mechanism that integrates inspection intentions, arrangements, and scheduling among 59 administrative bodies, completing multiple inspection tasks in a single visit. Participating departments include market regulation, culture and tourism, fire safety, emergency management, ecological environment, and urban management, all adhering to strict QR code-based transparency and standardization processes.

The reform shifts from traditional joint inspections to a smart coordination mechanism driven by digital means, generating unified inspection schedules based on departmental plans and emphasizing professional complementarity. This approach improves inspection efficiency, resolves compliance inconsistencies, and encourages enterprises to undertake “comprehensive one-time improvements." Businesses such as Haidilao Hotpot have noted significant efficiency gains from simultaneous inspections by multiple departments.

From January to July 2025, Haidian District saw a 60% reduction in administrative inspections compared to the prior year, with non-site inspections comprising nearly 72% and a problem detection rate of 25.85%. The Economic and Technological Development Zone reported a 71% year-on-year drop in monthly inspections of key enterprises by using a big data platform coordinating 26 regulatory departments with advanced algorithms. Additionally, Beijing manages a “no disturbance unless necessary” list currently including 231,000 enterprises to minimize unnecessary inspections.

The pilot now covers various business types citywide, such as hotels, business districts, and technology parks. Beijing plans to expand this model to all districts and industries, aiming to institutionalize “comprehensive single-visit inspections” as a standard regulatory practice to enhance the business environment and stimulate market vitality through more streamlined and precise inspections.