The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) pledged to take more powerful and effective measures to stabilize the market and boost confidence during its 2024 work meeting held on Thursday and Friday.

The conference conveyed a proactive approach to addressing the concerns of investors, with a commitment to maintaining market stability and intensifying the crackdown on unlawful practices, analysts said.

Efforts will be made to enhance the internal stability of the capital market and establish effective mechanisms to maintain its smooth operation, the CSRC said.

Among the key takeaways from the conference were an emphasis on an investor-centric approach, coordination between stability and progress, and integrated promotion of strong regulation, risk prevention, and development.

The CSRC said it will improve regulatory rules such as issuance pricing, quantitative trading, and margin trading to protect the rights of investors, especially smaller and individual investors.

Additionally, it will promote the assessment system for state-owned enterprises based on their market value and reinforce the regular delisting mechanism, promoting survival of the fittest.

The CSRC said it will increase efforts to combat fraud, stock manipulation and insider trading in the capital market. It will also intensify investigations into wrongdoing and impose more severe penalties on lawbreakers.

Efforts will be made to push for the sound implementation of a registration-based system for stock issuance, strengthen effective supervision throughout the entire process of issuance and listing and improve relevant mechanisms and arrangements, it said.

The CSRC also pledged to promote the integration of strong regulation, risk prevention and development, while coordinating risk control and providing appropriate financing support.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed on Friday at 2910.22 points, up 0.14 percent, achieving a four-day winning streak. The Shenzhen Component Index closed at 8762.33 points, down 1.06 percent. The tech heavy ChiNext Index closed at 1682.48 points, down 2.23 percent.

South Korean chip maker SK Hynix has dismissed rumors that it is selling its factory in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, which mainly produces 3D NAND flash memory. It said it remains focused on the company's business in China.

"We do not intend to sell our Dalian factory in China at all," the company said in a statement on Tuesday, according to a report by guancha.com.

In light of trade restrictions and the US' intensifying chip war, SK Hynix said that it will maintain its China operations, while abiding by regulations and laws in the jurisdictions in which it does business. The firm is the world's second-largest memory chip maker.

It also vowed to make further contributions to the development and stabilization of the semiconductor industry, the report said.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that SK Hynix had been affected by the US' export control policy and was considering the sale of its Dalian factory, which the Seoul-based company acquired for $9 billion from US technology company Intel in December 2020.

South Korea's economy is heavily reliant on the semiconductor sector. That makes it especially vulnerable to Washington's drive to restrict supplies to China and constrain Beijing's access to key chip technology, the Bloomberg report said.

Against the backdrop of mounting pressure from the US on Seoul and other countries to isolate China from global tech supply chains, this is the second time the South Korean manufacturer has denied rumors about the upcoming sale of the factory in Dalian.

In April last year, the company described "the rumored sale" of the Dalian plant as "unsubstantiated," saying construction of the Dalian facility "will be completed as planned," South China Morning Post reported.

According to a Business Korea report, China accounts for a significant portion of sales for South Korean semiconductor manufacturers, and SK Hynix's revenue from sales to China peaked at nearly 47 percent of the total in 2019.

In May 2022, the firm announced it would build a new wafer manufacturing base in Dalian to produce 3D NAND flash memory, further expanding its business in China after acquiring Intel's assets in the region.

The new manufacturing facility will promote the competitive power of its local capacity as well as securing supplies in the Chinese market, according to Chung Eun-tae, president of SK Hynix China.

He noted that China is an important partner for SK Hynix and the company has been continuing its investment in its existing facilities in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province and Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

China plans to launch a "2024 Spring Breeze Action" from late January to early April, aiming to create 30 million job openings. Experts noted on Wednesday that the initiative is to stabilize employment and boost the economic recovery as the new year begins.

The initiative targets rural labor and businesses with a shortfall of workers, focusing on guiding migrant workers returning to urban centers, promoting local employment and entrepreneurship and organizing recruitment services for businesses, Yun Donglai, a deputy director of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's employment promotion department, said at a press conference.

The action has six key aspects. First, it involves accurately identifying needs across the labor market by delving into rural communities and workshops, using various methods to learn the preferences of workers and the headcount requirements of employers, Yun said.

It also includes conducting intensive recruitment by making full use of online platforms such as recruitment websites and short video platforms, as well as public squares, transit stations and marketplaces to launch targeted recruitment activities.

It will also facilitate joint recruitment efforts between labor-intensive regions and regions that are short of laborers, and encourage entrepreneurship by exploring entrepreneurial incubation bases and hometown entrepreneurship parks. Additionally, it will aim to match job opportunities and skills training for older migrant workers.

The Spring Breeze Action has been an annual event for many years, representing a significant part of government-led efforts to promote employment, Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The period from January to April is crucial for the labor market, particularly for groups like migrant workers, as the period around the Spring Festival holidays represents a crucial time for finding a job, Li said.

These policies could reduce imbalances in employment information and enhance the overall efficiency of the job market, Li said.

In 2023, China added 12.44 million urban jobs, official data revealed. The surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent, down 0.4 percentage points from 2022.

The overall employment situation remains stable, with a continued improvement for key demographic groups, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a report.

Thanks to the normalization of economic activities, major cities have experienced a boost in economic vitality, leading to a continuous improvement in the employment situation, Wang Pingping, an NBS official, said in a statement.

Despite mounting pressures in the labor market in recent years, several new trends have emerged for new graduates and other job hunters to explore, and this situation is expected to continue to stabilize the job market and boost the economic recovery, experts said.

For instance, there is a growing trend of university graduates returning to their hometowns to start businesses. With the flourishing development of the digital economy, a considerable number of self-employed, temporary or flexible employment models have become new trends in the market.

The emergence of cutting-edge technologies in the digital economy - combined with new scenarios and sources of demand - have brought more options and chances for young people, Li Qiang, a vice president of Zhaopin.com, told the Global Times in a recent interview.

A diverse range of job opportunities have emerged with different entry levels, from the frontiers of digital technology to more basic jobs in expanding sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), Li Qiang noted.

Mexin Group, a door company based in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, told the Global Times that it has created new positions and expanded the hiring of AI engineers amid the development of its intelligent production.

Digital transformation has advanced the production and development patterns for enterprises in the manufacturing sector, while providing potential and space for young job applicants, particularly in rising sectors such as industrial automation and new energy.

According to Zhaopin.com, in the first half of 2023, the number of job openings in the new-energy industry grew 36.1 percent year-on-year, while in the industrial automation sector, job openings rose 6.9 percent.

Industrial automation supports technology and products in smart manufacturing. The growth in recruitment reflects the vigorous momentum of new manufacturing and shows the country's enthusiasm for digital transformation across various industries, the report said.

As one of the largest dairy and milk consumers in the world, with an annual industry growth rate of about 10 percent, China has in recent years set its sights on aseptic packaging, an unassuming but critical phase for the milk industrial chain, which aroused market attention as Chinese companies strategize to break foreign monopoly through business mergers and acquisitions.

In the Chinese market, aseptic packaging demand is primarily driven by liquid milk products.  In 2022, the retail scale of domestic liquid milk reached about 440 billion yuan, marking a 4 percent year-on-year increase. The sector’s compound annual growth rate is projected at 4.8 percent, supporting the burgeoning aseptic packaging industry, according to data from China Insights Consultancy.

Chinese leading aseptic packaging enterprise Shandong NewJF Technology Packaging Co., Ltd (NEWJF) announced in January 2023 its acquisition of a 28.22 percent stake in Greatview Aseptic Packaging and completed the acquisition in October of the same year, notably boosting NEWJF’s competitiveness in the liquid product packaging market. 

“From a macro point of view, the acquisition further enhanced China’s food security and accelerated the domestic substitution in aseptic packaging sector,” a representative from NEWJF told the Global Times, adding that the move also promoted a long-term steady development of downstream enterprises.

Both NEWJF and Greatview are prominent companies in the industry and their cooperation is seen as a strategic endeavor to enhance the overall competitiveness and productiveness of the domestic aseptic packaging industry. 

The two sides’ partnership includes a centralized fund for research and development aimed at upgrading domestic aseptic packaging technology, ensuring the security and independent development of the sector, said the NEWJF.

“NEWJF values this cooperation opportunity, and is willing to explore the aseptic packaging sector providing clients and industry with better services,” said the NEWJF，as Greatview published circular and notice of Shareholders’ Assembly on appointment of directors on January 9, 2024,“It is our right to appoint directors as the largest shareholder and we believe that diversifying Greatview’s board of directors will expedite its sustainable development.”

Founded in 2007, NEWJF, listed on the Growth Enterprise Market of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in September 2, 2022, witnessed consecutive revenue growth from 2020 to 2022. Analysts believe that the acquisition will facilitate NEWJF in further exploring international markets.

About 20 years ago, aseptic packaging technology played a pivotal role in Chinese milk brands’ nationwide development. This technology, which allowed for a six-month-expiration date for fresh milk, was initially monopolized by foreign companies, stifling the independent development of the domestic milk industry. 

At the time, Swedish aseptic packaging company Tetra Pak held over 90 percent of the domestic market share, cooperating with Chinese milk giants Yili and Mengniu. Before 2008, the cost for aseptic packaging accounted for about 30 percent of the overall cost of milk products, and compressed the profit margin of the milk industry.

According to a report from Chinese analysis firm TF Securities, in 2020, Tetra Pak still accounted for over 50 percent of domestic market share, while domestic aseptic packaging brands are expected to gradually increase market share by breaking through technological monopolies, and entering the core customer supply chain with a price advantage.

NEWJF became qualified provider of aseptic packaging material for Yili in 2009 and it solidified its ties when Yili bought a 20 percent stake in NEWJF in August 2015.  While Yili’s current stake has been reduced to less than 5 percent at present, it still remains NEWJF’s largest client, generating 70 percent the packaging company’s revenue. 

Greatview Aseptic Packaging accounts for about 40 percent of products of Mengniu, and is also the core supplier of New Hope Dairy and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Xiajin Milk. 

The acquisition helped NEWJF resolve overcapacity issues with Mengniu and enhance production efficiency by adopting a universal management system. The collaboration between the two leading companies also facilitated the healthy development of the industry, moving away from price wars. 

What’s more, Greatview’s overseas manufacturing bases and aseptic filling machine technologies were also a catalyst for the domestic substitution process of aseptic packaging, further boosting NEWJF’s global business.

Business insiders said the acquisition positions NEWJF as the most promising aseptic packaging company in China, with the potential to replace Tetra Pak.

According to data from SWS Research, domestic demand for aseptic packages was 113.6 million in 2022, up 3.2 percent year-on-year. The market scale has grown to 20.1 billion yuan, reflecting a 4.1 percent year-on-year increase. 

Considering the numerous opportunities in China's milk and beverage market, NEWJF is expected to replicate Tetra Pak's successful path and grow into a “Hidden Champion” in the unassuming industry of aseptic packaging.

The recent report released by the long-established conservative think tank in the US, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), states that China's scientific research vessels engaged in energy and marine environmental surveys in the Indian Ocean can support "military needs," including how to maneuver and obscure submarines during conflict. The timing of this report is delicate, coinciding with the visit of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu to China, while another South Asian country, Sri Lanka, recently announced the suspension of foreign research vessels including those from China entering its waters under India's pressure. The CSIS report rightly comes at a time when some countries need to manufacture a "China threat" narrative in the Indian Ocean region and provides them with ammunition.

It is essential to shed light on the CSIS in this context. Founded during the Cold War, it has intricate connections with the US military and intelligence agencies. Active-duty military officers can directly serve as researchers in the think tank, and the think tank also regularly undertakes policy reports commissioned by the US Department of Defense. When a think tank with such affiliations releases a report, it becomes challenging for the outside world to acknowledge its authenticity and independence, prompting skepticism about whether it serves as a "white glove" for advancing the strategic and tactical objectives of the US military.

Another noteworthy point is that, following the release of the report by CSIS, Western media quickly followed up on its content. This pattern of "military/intelligence agencies leak information - media follows up with sensationalism - government and parliament apply pressure" has become quite common in recent years in the US and Western countries. The so-called "evidence" against China is often later proven to be baseless or inconclusive, while measures by the US and Western countries to contain and suppress China remain in place.

For instance, take the recent issue raised by the US regarding China's comprehensive scientific expedition in the Indian Ocean. These activities have been ongoing for many years and involve more than just China; countries like Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, among others, were once invited by China to participate. Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all Indian Ocean nations. Does this mean all these countries have intentions to "invade" the Indian Ocean? China has provided detailed public explanations regarding the research topics, scope, and results of each scientific expedition, both before and after the events. What more does China need to clarify? If some countries, right from the beginning, are not interested in the scientific research vessels but have other disguised intentions, then, no matter how China proves its innocence, they will find reasons to overturn it.

The US accuses China's scientific research activities of possibly having military purposes, but what the outside world perceives is the US showcasing its military actions in the Indian Ocean. Just last year, the US and the UK disregarded United Nations resolutions and the sovereignty of Mauritius by privately transferring Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean, which sparked international outrage. Since the US wants to take such a big risk and maintain its military presence in the Indian Ocean, it definitely needs to find a reason. Since even Chinese garlic can be used as a reason to "threaten US national security," what else is deemed impossible?

The Indian Ocean is one of the least understood oceans by the scientific community, and a fundamental reason is the lack of sufficient on-site observations. The unsolved mysteries surrounding the Indian Ocean not only result in scientific losses but also imply uncertainties faced by Indian Ocean countries in terms of climate, ocean currents, resources exploration, and other aspects. In the context of global warming and rising sea levels, this even endangers the national security of coastal countries and the security of all humanity. China and regional countries are exploring the natural ecology of the Indian Ocean through cooperation, without any hidden agenda. The purpose is to further promote marine ecological protection, develop sustainable blue economy, and jointly respond to crisis challenges. In the eyes of some countries, including the US, they only see their own military hegemony and disregard other countries, obstructing and threatening other countries' independent cooperation. It needs to be reminded that most of the Indian Ocean is international waters, not their internal sea.

Interestingly, in response to the vivid portrayal of China's scientific research vessel as a "military threat" by American media outlets such as The Washington Post, there is merciless ridicule from some netizens. One comment sarcastically mocks the US, saying, "Oh my, doesn't China know that only the US can do such things?!" Regardless of how sternly it presents itself now, the US' double standards have already reduced its credibility to zero in the eyes of the international community, resulting in a backlash in public opinion. Hong Kong media has pointed out that while other countries are constrained by the US' selfish interpretation of international law, the US believes it is not bound by the law. Its ideology is, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Researchers from China and the US have jointly created a new type of stable semiconductor graphene, which displays performance 10 times higher than silicon and 20 times larger than that of the other two-dimensional semiconductors. The achievement marks "a leap from silicon chips to carbon chips," Ma Lei, leader of the research from the Tianjin International Center for Nanoparticles and Nanosystems (TICNN) at Tianjin University, who led the research, told the Global Times.

The achievement, jointly made by Ma's team and researchers from School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, was published online on the website of the journal "Nature" on January 3, 2024.

With silicon-based chips gradually approaching the physical limit of two nanometers, there is a surge in global demand for chips based on high-quality semiconductor materials. Two-dimensional materials, due to their excellent electronic transport properties and potential for high integration, have become a new frontier that scientists and semiconductor companies around the world are eager to invest in. 

Graphene, as the first discovered two-dimensional material that can exist stably at room temperature, has been the focus of scientists' efforts since its discovery in 2004 to design a new type of chip that consumes less energy and operates faster than existing semiconductors. However, the unique Dirac Cones of graphene leads to its "zero bandgap" characteristic, which has been the biggest obstacle to its application in the semiconductor field. 

By precisely controlling the epitaxial growth process of graphene, Ma's team introduced a bandgap into graphene, creating a new type of stable semiconductor graphene, which exhibits electron mobility far exceeding that of silicon materials. It displays performance 10 times higher than silicon and 20 times larger than that of the other two-dimensional semiconductors.

"We mainly applied a special growth environment and growth conditions to modulate graphene itself using SiC crystals, achieving the opening of a bandgap in graphene. This transforms the originally gapless graphene into a material with a bandgap," Ma said. He noted that what the team created "is a true single-crystal graphene semiconductor."

The development of this semiconductor not only paves the way for high-performance electronic devices surpassing traditional silicon-based technologies but also injects new impetus into the entire semiconductor industry. As the limits predicted by Moore's Law draw closer, the emergence of semiconductor graphene heralds a fundamental shift in the field of electronics. Its breakthrough properties meet the growing demand for higher computing speeds and miniaturized integrated electronic devices, read a report on the Tianjin University's website.  

Once delivered into large scale production, the single-crystal semiconductor graphene will lay an important foundation for the transition from the silicon era to the carbon era. However, whether graphene semiconductors can lead to a breakthrough in the chip industry still needs time to test, Ma noted.

When asked how far the achievement is from industrialization, Ma said he currently cannot predict. "When it can be put into large-scale industrial applications depends on the process from millimeter-scale single crystals to inch-scale single crystals." 

In a related report on January 4 by yicai.com, Ma was quoted as saying that "I estimate that it will take another 10 to 15 years before graphene semiconductors can truly be fully implemented." 

Ma said that now he and his team are working hard to grow larger-sized graphene semiconductor single crystals.

In order to continue to promote the development of semiconductors, countries and regions all over the world are actively seeking new materials and paradigms in addition to two-dimensional materials. In November 2023, Huawei and Harbin Institute of Technology jointly applied for a "hybrid bonding method for three-dimensional integrated chips based on silicon and diamond." In September 2023, Japanese news outlet Nikkei reported that the Japanese startup company OOKUMA plans to commercialize diamond semiconductors, and will start production as early as the fiscal year 2026. 

With the intensification of competition, the US has been increasing its export control measures on chips to China, unreasonably suppressing Chinese semiconductor companies, and attempting to "strangle" China in the semiconductor chip field. 

In this context, the achievement by Chinese and American teams has attracted special attention. According to Ma, the intensification of China-US semiconductor competition has indeed had an impact on the cooperation between the scientific teams of the two countries, such as information exchange and sample exchange. However, overall, the cooperation between the two teams has been fruitful. 

"Healthy competition is an important factor in promoting development, while malicious competition hinders the development of technology. I hope that cooperation is the mainstream and competition is a stimulant. With cooperation as the mainstream, appropriate competition will make scientific development better and better," Ma noted.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) separatist candidate Lai Ching-te's latest remarks to advocate the fallacy of "Taiwan independence" as well as his previous remarks indicate that if he was elected as the leader of Taiwan region, he will further promote "Taiwan independence" and separatist activities and the so-called "new situation" that Lai wants to create will be a dangerous situation with rough waves in the Taiwan Straits, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office told a press conference on Wednesday. 

On Tuesday, Lai told a press conference that he will continue Tsai Ing-wen's diplomatic, national defense, and stable cross-Straits policies, claiming that if elected, it will contribute to creating a new situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Chen said that the cross-Straits relations have deteriorated from peaceful development to tense confrontation over the past eight years, which fully proves that the so-called "Tsai Ing-wen path" is a path of "Taiwan independence" and confrontation, and is harmful to Taiwan. It is the major threat to Taiwan's security, the interests of Taiwan people, and regional stability.

Lai claimed to continue the path, which means continuing old path of provoking "independence" and confrontation, leading Taiwan away from peace and prosperity but toward conflict and recession, said Chen.

"Taiwan independence" is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Straits and goes against the interests and well-being of the people in Taiwan. Only with peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and peaceful development of cross-Straits relations can the people in Taiwan live a peaceful, secure, and prosperous life, Chen said.

The spokesperson also sincerely hoped that the majority of the compatriots on the island of Taiwan will recognize the extreme harm of the DPP's "Taiwan independence" path and the extreme danger of Lai's provocation of cross-Straits conflicts, and make the right choice at the crossroads of cross-Straits relations, to create a new situation of friendly support and prosperous development between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

The mutual visits of the table tennis teams from Chinese and the US' universities continued the friendly chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy and injected new strength into the two countries' people-to-people exchanges, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday when asked to comment on the Peking University students' visit to the US in December 2023, followed by a trip by students from the University of Virginia to China.

53 years ago, young table tennis players from China and the US raised the curtain for the normalization of bilateral relations in Beijing, enabling "the little ball to move the big ball," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at the Tuesday press conference.

"The more frequent exchanges the two countries' people have, the stronger the public support for developing bilateral relations, the broader the space, and the stronger the driving force there will be," Mao added.

From December 12 to 23, the Peking University table tennis team made up of 15 students and teachers was invited to visit the US to for the US Table Tennis Open in Los Angeles. They also participated in a series of events commemorating the 52nd anniversary of China-US Ping Pong Diplomacy in Washington, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with close interactions between the young Americans and local residents.

"As the backbone of future society, young people from China and the US should step out of their countries and experience the lifestyle and culture of other countries. Ping Pong, as a medium of communication, has truly brought us closer," Wu Bohan, a student from the Peking University table tennis team told the Global Times.

"What impressed me the most is the huge interest and enthusiasm the American students showed during our visit to the US this time," Zhang Yuwen, a member of the Peking University table tennis team and student from the School of International Studies, told the Global Times. "Every time the Americans saw the name 'China' marked on our jerseys, they would come to ask where in China we come from; which games we play, and even wished us good luck in our games."

In return, 18 table tennis team members from the University of Virginia were invited to visit China, coinciding with the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the US. They stayed in Beijing from January 4 to January 8 and participated in the youth table tennis exchange at Tsinghua University.

During their nine-day trip to China from Hong Kong, Beijing to Shanghai the students learnt about the history of Ping-Pong Diplomacy and cultural differences between the two countries.

Mao noted that China is willing to work with the US to implement the important consensus on promoting cultural exchanges reached at the China-US summit in San Francisco, to promote the spirit of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," and to continue new chapters of friendship between the Chinese and American people.

Chinese shipbuilding enterprises have obtained the most orders from global clients, with their scheduled ship delivering time stretching as far-flung as 2028, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Saturday.

The delivery time for ships to be built by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Co has already been scheduled into 2027 and 2028, as ship owners worldwide are drawn to the company by its strengths in green production and environment protection, said Li Hao, an official from the company, the CMG reported.

More than 60 percent of the company's on-hand orders are methanol powered dual-fuel ships or liquefied natural gas fired dual-fuel models. Comparing with the conventional container ships, ultra-large container ships powered by dual-fuel can reduce 20 percent of carbon emissions, in addition to curbing 85 percent of nitrogen oxide and 99 percent of sulfur emissions.

China's shipbuilding industry has been ramping up efforts to advance the industry's high-quality development through intelligence and green technology, and the nation's shipbuilding completions, new orders and orders on-hand have achieved a marked growth in 2023.

From January to November in 2023, China completed shipbuilding of 38.09 million deadweight tons (dwt), a year-on-year increase of 12.3 percent, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. New orders recorded an annual growth of 63.8 percent to 68.45 million dwt, and the orders on-hand totaled 134.09 million dwt as of the end of November.

For instance, a mega vessel - with a loading capacity of up to 16,616 standard containers constructed by the company - is one of the largest container ships in tonnage under construction in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Li said.

The intelligent transformation has also boosted shipbuilding efficiency, which is traditionally a labor-intensive process. Through intelligent transformation, the entire workshop for building a ro-ro passenger ship with over 20,000 square meters can be reduced from 200 people to 50 people by integrating more automation and robotics technology.

China's first domestically-built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, welcomed its first group of more than 3,000 Chinese and foreign passengers at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on the first day of 2024, embarking on its maiden commercial voyage.

A series of typical cases related to bride price and dowry were issued by China’s top court and other departments on Monday as reference and supplement to the stipulations in the Civil Code in dealing with disputes over bride price when couples break up. 

According to China’s Supreme People’s Court, as a traditional Chinese custom, bride price and dowry have a deep social and cultural foundation in the Chinese society. However, the rising amount of bride price and dowry in recent years has led to an increasing number of bride price-related disputes and even serious criminal cases, China Central Television reported on Monday. 

A recent murder case of two victims related to the disputes over bride price happened in Liangshan, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on November 11. The incident sparked heated discussions online. 

A woman and her relative were killed by the woman’s ex-boyfriend and his father at a local mahjong parlor after the woman refused to return the bride price despite that she decided to break up with the man. The woman received 300,000 yuan ($41,741) in bride price but returned 150,000 yuan to the man after they broke up, according to media reports. 

On Monday, the Supreme People’s Court, together with China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs and All-China Women’s Federation held a press conference to release four cases involving disputes over bride price and dowry, which balanced the interests of the involved parties. The ruling took local economic and social development into account, and gave consideration to factors such as the duration of cohabitation, whether they have registered for marriage legally, and whether they have children. 

According to the Civil Code, there are three situations the bride price should be returned: the couple have not registered legally, they registered but don’t live together, or the payment of betrothal gifts causes financial difficulties for the payer. 

However, in practice, there are many cases in which the couples have not registered legally but have held weddings according to local customs and have lived together. Sometimes the couples have registered their marriage but only live for a short period of time. The Civil Code does not apply to these cases. 

According to the Supreme People’s Court, this batch of representative cases clarifies three principles for handling betrothal disputes: prohibiting soliciting property through marriage; the reasonable betrothal gifts amount based on local practice and customs; and the balance of rights and interests of both parties by considering their duration of cohabitation, marriage registration status and whether they have children.

Two common situations where disputes of betrothal gifts often occur is “flash divorce” and living together without legal registration of marriage. 

The court clarified that in addition to marriage registration, the bride price is usually meant for living together for a long time. Thus, the time of cohabitation should be considered an important factor in determining whether and how much the bride price should be returned. 

Meanwhile, considering that the termination of pregnancy causes harm to a woman’s health, it is appropriate to return only part of the bride price to better balance the interests of both parties.

In one case where the couple did not register their marriage but held a wedding ceremony according to local customs, lived together for three years and had conceived a child, the court did not support the return of the bride price to protect the woman’s legitimate rights and interests. 

Besides, the top court also noted that bride price and dowry are both traditional Chinese marriage customs which share a common purpose and should be subject to the same rules based on local customs.