Another ‘missing’ Chinese minister is abruptly fired

Hello.

News broke this morning that China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has died of a sudden heart attack aged 68. Until his retirement last year, he was the second most powerful man in the Chinese Communist Party. He had once been tipped to be in the running for the presidency, but fell out of favour as President Xi Jinping appointed loyalists to powerful positions by his side.

From our archives in March, we look back at what political observer Bo Zhiyue wrote of Li Keqiang’s contribution to China and whether successor Li Qiang would be a yes-man or a Xi Jinping whisperer.

In a commentary this week, Bo Zhiyue also weighs in on the abrupt sacking of two of Xi’s Cabinet ministers within a short span of three months. Defence minister Li Shangfu and foreign minister Qin Gang were both conspicuously absent before being fired and their sackings suggest that political loyalty is no insurance in China. 

Meanwhile in the Middle East, the war between Israel and Hamas has reached its 20th day, with Israeli troops preparing for a full ground invasion of Gaza. US and other countries have urged Israel to delay, fearing it could ignite hostilities on other fronts in the region.

We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week. Stay connected for timely updates and comprehensive analysis.

Alison Jenner

Supervising Editor, Commentary

Could Trans-cab merger and rumoured foodpanda buyout spell trouble for Grab customers?

Grab could potentially acquire taxi company Trans-cab and food delivery competitor foodpanda in Singapore. But it has every incentive to keep the ecosystem competitive, says Momentum Works’ Jianggan Li.

Snap Insight: Chinese defence minister’s sacking reflects Xi Jinping’s deeper problems

“Missing” defence minister Li Shangfu has been abruptly fired, just months after former foreign minister Qin Gang was similarly ousted. This raises questions about President Xi Jinping’s leadership team, says political observer Bo Zhiyue.

The real tragedy of Marina East crocodile is there was no real alternative to putting it down

The Marina East crocodile will not be the last wild animal to show up in an unexpected place in Singapore. We need to prove that we can be a country where human safety and biological conservation are not mutually exclusive, says Herpetological Society of Singapore’s Sankar Ananthanarayanan.

For everyone’s sake, companies must stop manipulating their emission reports

A fundamental tool to address climate change is carbon accounting, but there are loopholes that companies can exploit to hide their true environmental impact, says NTU’s Kelvin Law.

Idea no enough? Why movie directors like Jack Neo keep spinning sequels

Jack Neo’s upcoming Money No Enough 3 has been derided by netizens – but no local filmmaker has a box office record like Neo, says former movie critic Edwin Yeo.

I jogged 15km a week, so why did I keep getting fatter?

Like many people, strategic communications lecturer Ian YH Tan believed that exercising regularly was enough to burn off excess weight gain. As Singapore’s obesity rate creeps up, it helps to rethink the narratives about health and nutrition.

Get more news on our website or follow us on
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Telegram

Unsubscribe | Privacy policy | Contact | Advertise with us

Copyright © Mediacorp  . Mediacorp Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.