Online communities on platforms like Xiaohongshu use codes and posts that normalise strict eating and extreme thinness. Research shows more Chinese teenagers now show signs of eating disorders and experts say removal of posts is not enough.
Photo by Declan Sun, Unsplash
Khadija Haidary’s month-long email correspondence was translated and published on WeChat in October 2024 and later became a book. Chinese readers responded with quiet, individual acts of support as her story highlighted restrictions on Afghan women after 2021.
Repeated heatwaves and frequent blackouts have driven households and businesses in Pakistan to install rooftop solar. Cheap Chinese panels and more batteries have boosted self-generation, but officials worry about grid revenue, imports and safety rules.
After the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal expanded cement production with large investments, especially from Chinese firms. By 2019 it became self-sufficient and started exports to India in July 2022, while social and environmental problems grew.
China is now Kyrgyzstan’s main creditor, largest investor and biggest trading partner, and ties were upgraded in 2023. Growing Chinese influence has caused protests, violence and environmental complaints, and China has responded with security aid and training projects.
Many Moroccan students choose to study in China because economic and social pressures at home make staying difficult. High youth unemployment, low graduate pay, social media and agencies drive the trend, but visas and scams create risks.
Uzbekistan began construction of two waste-to-energy plants with Chinese firms in July 2025 and plans at least seven plants by 2027. The projects aim to burn waste and produce electricity, but critics raise transparency and health concerns.
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