Chinese Students Form Long Lines for U.S. Flights, Biden Admits Kabul Fell Faster Than Expected, Half of Wall Street English Students Borrowed Money for Tuition

Here is today’s ranking of the 10 most-read news stories in China, in economics, finance and current affairs, to help give you a sense of what’s trending in the Chinese language sphere.

Chinese social media users have been paying close attention to the arrest of pop star Kris Wu on suspicion of rape. They are also following China’s response to the Taliban taking control over Afghanistan.

1. Arrest warrant issued for pop star Kris Wu on suspicion of rape

Prosecutors in Beijing on Monday issued a warrant for the arrest of Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu on suspicion of rape, according to an official statement.

2. Japan marks 76th anniversary of surrender in World War II

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (external source, in Chinese) marked the 76th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II in Tokyo on Sunday. Three ministers from Suga’s cabinet and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which is dedicated to Japan’s war dead. China expressed its firm opposition to the visit

3. China says embassy in Afghanistan ‘operating normally’ after Taliban takes control

The Chinese embassy in Afghanistan was “operating normally” and embassy staff were “still at their posts and fulfilling their duties,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing Monday.

4. Japanese prime minster vows country won’t wage war again

Suga promised Sunday that Japan would never go to war again (external source, in Chinese). Members of his cabinet paid a visit to Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Japan’s war dead, including 14 Japanese military leaders convicted as “Class A” war criminals by a tribunal after World War II.

5. Fudan University to investigate infectious disease expert for alleged plagiarism

Fudan University (external source, in Chinese) announced Sunday it had opened an investigation into well-known infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong in response to online accusations that he plagiarized his dissertation, which was published in 2000.

6. Biden admits Afghanistan's government collapsed faster than expected

U.S. President Joe Biden (external source, in Chinese) acknowledged Monday that the Afghan government’s collapse and the Taliban takeover happened faster than the U.S. government expected, but insisted that ending the 20-year war was the right decision.

7. Trump calls on Biden to resign over unfolding crisis in Afghanistan

Former U.S. President Donald Trump (external source, in Chinese) on Sunday called on his successor to resign in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. "It's time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for allowing what happened in Afghanistan," Trump said in a written statement.

Photo: VCG

8. Long lines for flights to U.S. after travel restrictions eased

After the U.S. government eased restrictions on foreign students traveling to the U.S. (external source, in Chinese), flights from Beijing and Shanghai to the country are almost full as ticket prices soar. A kilometer-long line of Chinese students has formed at check-in counters at Shanghai Pudong Airport.

9. More than half of Wall Street English students loaned money to pay for tuition

Chinese students enrolled at the Italian international adult English training company Wall Street English (external source, in Chinese) are preparing to sue the company for alleged fraud to recover their tuition fees. Tens of thousands of students, nearly half of whom chose to take out loans to pay for tuition, are suing the company for a total of more than 1.2 billion yuan ($18.5 million),  according to the news website iFeng.com.

10. China to amend the law to confirm the three-child policy and issue supporting measures

The draft amendment to the Population and Family Planning Law (external source, in Chinese) was submitted to the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress for consideration on Monday, which specifies that a couple can have three children and other relevant supporting measures.

Translated by intern reporter Chen Bingyi.

Caixin has not independently verified the veracity or accuracy of all of the headlines or stories.

The daily ranking of most-read news stories among Chinese people, about China and global affairs, is jointly provided to you by Caixin Insight and HANA Data, an artificial intelligence technology team.

The key indicators calculated on the list are based on mass data sourced from China’s mainstream social media platforms and online news websites. Click here for a detailed introduction of our methodology.