China News
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING VISITS HAINAN Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared in public when he visited Hainan province on April 10
and 11 accompanied by Liu He, Ding Xuexiang, and He Lifeng. He was in Wuzhishan City on
April 11, and successively inspected the Wuzhishan area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest
National Park and Mauna Village and Shuiman Township. Xinhua (April 12) emphasised his
remarks that "The rural revitalization work must be done in a solid and down-to-earth manner.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG PRESIDED OVER A STATE COUNCIL MEETING ON APRIL 13 The state-owned CCTV (April 13) reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided over an
executive meeting of the State Council on April 13 to discuss policies and measures to promote
consumption, help stabilize the economic fundamentals and ensure the improvement of
people's livelihood. It decided to further increase policy support such as export tax rebates to
promote the stable development of foreign trade; and measures to increase financial support
for the real economy to guide the reduction of financing costs for market players. The meeting
pointed out that consumption has a lasting driving force for the economy and is related to
ensuring and improving people's livelihood.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE LEADERSHIP'S DOMESTIC TOURS At the same time Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was in Jiangxi and Zhao Leji was on inspection
in Hunan. During his inspection of Jiangxi province, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit the
Weilu Water Conservation Project; Nanchang Cross-border E-commerce Business Park;
Dingjia Village - inspecting agriculture (here: rice); and Geely's new energy vehicles.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-PARTY CONGRESS: 2Oth PARTY CONGRESS TO BE HELD IN NOVEMBER A Hongkong paper was cited by Nikkei Asia as reporting that the 20th Party Congress is to be
held in November 2022.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-NATIONAL SECURITY: QIU SHI HIGHLIGHTS XI JINPING'S CONTRIBUTION TO ENSURING NATIONAL SECURITY A Commentator's article in China's leading Party theoretical fortnightly Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth)
on April 14 highlighted that "Under the personal planning, deployment and promotion of
General Secretary Xi Jinping, and under the scientific guidance of the overall national security
concept, national security in the new era has made historic achievements. National security has
been comprehensively strengthened, the national security system has been basically formed,
the national security capability has been significantly improved, the people's defense line has
been strengthened, and the national security awareness of the whole people has been
significantly enhanced. Resolutely safeguard regime security, institutional security, and
ideological security, resist and counter extreme external suppression and containment, push the
situation in Hong Kong to achieve a major transition from chaos to governance, carry out indepth struggles involving Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, and the sea, and make steady progress.
Promoting the border and enriching the people, stabilizing the border and consolidating the
border, properly handling surrounding security risks, and the anti-infiltration, anti-terrorism
and anti-separatist struggles have been fruitful." Exhorting cadres it said, "we must grasp the
key to "overall". We must establish the concept of big security, integrating politics, military,
land, economy, finance, culture, society, technology, network, food, ecology, resources,
nuclear, overseas interests, space, deep sea, polar regions, biology, artificial intelligence, data,
etc."
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: GUANGMING DAILY ARTICLE EMPHASISES DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CCP AND U.S. POLITICAL PARTIES A lengthy article in Guangming Daily (April 13) titled "Adhering to the supremacy of the
people is a distinguishing mark of the Chinese Communist Party from Western political
parties" took the History Resolution as its starting point. It pointed out inter alia that "Western
political parties represent the interests of various monopoly groups and safeguard the interests
of the minority. In the face of the epidemic, whether or not to put the safety and health of the
people at the top of the list is one of the significant differences between the Chinese Communist
Party and Western political parties. China's anti-epidemic practice has proved that the Chinese
Communist Party cares about the people and will spare no expense for the safety and health of
the people. This is absolutely impossible for Western political parties that pursue capital first
and vote first."
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: THEORETICAL PARTY BUILDING CONFERENCE HELD IN INNER MONGOLIA The Party Building Research Base of New Era Inner Mongolia Universities, the School of
Marxism of Shanghai Normal University, and the Research Base of the Integration of
Ideological and Political Courses for Universities, Middle Schools and Primary Schools in
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region jointly sponsored an online theoretical conference on
"Study and Implement the Spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee
of the Party" on April 9.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: THE HENAN PROVINCIAL DIC PUBLISHED AN INTERESTING ARTICLE STRESSING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORDINARY CHINESE CITIZENS AND PARTY MEMBERS The Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision published (April
13) an interesting article on "civil rights" and the transfer by "Party members and public
officials of some of their personal rights for the benefit of all Chinese people and the entire
Chinese nation". The article stressed the need for Party members to voluntarily transfer some
of their civil rights when they join a party organization or enter a public office, so as to perform
the obligations and duties of party members and public officials. It acknowledged that, "in
practice, there are still problems of unclear understanding and inaccurate grasp of the transfer
of civil rights by party members and public officials". Stating it is necessary to clear
misunderstandings, it said "There is a view that party members and public officials, as citizens
of the country, enjoy all legal rights on an equal basis with other citizens, and the transfer of
party rights lacks a legal basis and violates the spirit of the rule of law. This understanding is
one-sided and wrong". It asserted "There are no absolute rights in the world, and the
inviolability and restriction of legal rights go hand in hand." It said, "the transfer of rights of
party members should not be equal to everyone and that, according to the regulations, leading
cadres should report personal matters closely related to family affairs and family property, and
cadres at the township level and below are not within the scope of the regulations that must be
reported". It also distinguished between ordinary citizens who have the freedom to drive luxury
cars and wear famous watches, and party members some of whom "live extravagant lives, talk
about pomp and ostentation, and violate the principles of integrity and self-discipline and the
spirit of the eight central regulations on thrift and luxury, hardship and simplicity, and diligence
and thrift."
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC STANDING COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER DOCUMENTS REGARDING SEAT ALLOCATIONS FOR 14TH NPC NEXT YEAR The NPC Standing Committee will consider three documents relating to the 14th NPC elections.
Two concern the allocation of seats in the 14th NPC: one would allocate all 3,000 seats among
the 35 electoral units (i.e., the 31 mainland provinces, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and the
Chinese military), and the other would more specifically allocate the 360 seats reserved for
ethnicity minorities among the 55 officially recognized minority groups and relevant electoral
units. The third document lays down rules for selecting the delegation purportedly representing
Taiwan in the 14th NPC. The document is likely to create an ad hoc “consultative election
meeting” consisting of representatives of “compatriots of Taiwanese ancestry” who hail from
all mainland provinces, central Party and state organs, and the military. The meeting is expected
to convene next January to select the 13 delegates who will make up the Taiwanese delegation.
The NPCSC is expected to approve all three documents at the upcoming session.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-INTERNAL: GUIZHOU PROVINCE LEGISLATIVE PLAN FOR 2022 INCLUDES "SOCIAL CREDIT REGULATIONS" Guizhou province's legislative plan for 2022 published on April 8 includes "social credit
regulations". The 'Guizhou Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee 2022 Legislative
Plan' was adopted at the 30th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th Guizhou
Provincial People's Congress on January 11, 2022. The detailed notice disclosed that the
'Guizhou Province Social Credit Regulations (Draft)' is among eight regulations being
reviewed by the Standing Committee of the 13th Provincial People's Congress.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CHINA GRAPPLING WITH INSUFFICIENT JOBS FOR GRADUATES THIS YEAR According to Caixin (April 12) China's Ministry of Education reported that 10.76 million
Chinese students are expected to leave college campuses this year, the largest group of
graduates in China's history and 1.67 million more than last year. According to leading
recruitment service Zhaopin.com, job openings for new graduates declined 4.5% in the first
quarter this year from a year ago. The gap between college graduates' job expectations and the
market's demands is visible. Data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
(MHRSS) showed that manufacturing accounted for the largest portion, 38.7%, of demand for
talent in China, followed by the wholesale and retail sectors. But college graduates' most
desirable jobs are mostly in sectors including internet and communications, real estate and
construction, culture and media, and finance, data from Zhaopin.com showed. Graduates are
either unwilling or unable to do jobs in sectors that have the most urgent needs for workers,
analysts said. A 2021 survey by recruitment site 51job.com showed that 39% of students from
China's top-ranking universities preferred state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in their job hunts,
reflecting risk aversion and a desire for stability, according to Feng Lijun, a human resources
expert at 51job.com.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE PREMIER ISSUES THIRD WARNING IN A WEEK ABOUT RISKS TO ECONOMIC GROWTH Bloomberg (April 12) reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had issued a third warning
about economic growth risks in less than a week, suggesting heightened concern about the
outlook as widespread Covid lockdowns disrupt production and spending. At a seminar on
April 11, he said authorities should “add a sense of urgency” when implementing existing
policies and that China will study and adopt stronger economic policies as needed to support
the economy.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CCP CC ISSUES DOCUMENT REGARDING 'DUAL CIRCULATION' The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council jointly
on April 10 issued a key document titled “Opinions about accelerating the establishment of a
unified domestic market” that prescribed new measures to break down local protectionism and
other blockages that restrict local consumption. The document was to clarify issues concerning
'dual circulation' and promote it.
(Comment: The dual circulation strategy was first announced in May 2020 by the Politburo
Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and later revised by Xi to
prioritize “internal circulation.”)
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S EXPORTS TO RUSSIA DROP COMPARED TO LAST YEAR Bloomberg (April 13) reported that Chinese firms sold $3.8 billion worth of goods to Russia
in March, official data showed Wednesday, a 7.7% drop from a year earlier. That was the
lowest amount since May 2020, when global trade was badly affected by the outbreak of Covid19.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: NOMURA SAYS CHINA FACING 'RISK OF RECESSION' Nomura Securities (April 14) says China is facing a "rising risk of recession", with as many as
45 cities now implementing either full or partial lockdowns, making up 26.4% of the country's
population and 40.3% of its GDP.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S FINANCIAL AUTHORITIES PLAN FOR MIDDLE INCOME EARNERS OVER NEXT TEN YEARS China's Zhang Han Financial magazine on April 9 published an article on what plans China
should have for the anticipated 400 million middle income earners in 10 years.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-HEALTH: SHANGHAI PLACED IN LOCKDOWN FROM MARCH 28 China's largest Covid outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic has struck Shanghai and
the number of infections are already overwhelming hospitals and medical staff compelling
authorities to reverse policy and place the city of 26 million inhabitants under lockdown. All
26 million residents are to be tested in the coming weeks. According to the Associated Press,
the lockdown provides that citizens in locked-down areas, except for those providing essential
services, will not be allowed to leave their neighbourhoods; Offices and all businesses not
considered essential will be closed and public transport suspended; and Deliveries will be left
at special checkpoints.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: SIX U.S. SENATORS ARRIVE IN TAIWAN ON APRIL 14 IN SHOW OF SUPPORT TO TAIWAN Reuters (April 14) reported that six US Senators, including the Chairman of the U.S. Senate
Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, landed in Taiwan on April 14 for a previously
unannounced visit, in a show of support to the island in the face of Chinese pressure. They
arrived by a special US Aircraft and were received by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
The Senators include Lindsey Graham, Burr, Rob Portman, Sasse and Representative Ronny
Jackson.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: COINCIDING WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI'S VISIT TO INDIA CHINA SUGGESTS INDIAN FORCES WITHDRAW FROM PP15 AND PP16 TO KARAM SINGH POST The Indian Express (April 10) reported that around the time Chinese Foreign Minister Wang
Yi visited India last month, Beijing sent Delhi a proposal on disengagement of troops from
Patrolling Point 15 in the Hot Springs area of eastern Ladakh. The proposal was rejected by
India. It said Government sources said China proposed that Indian troops, who have been in an
eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Chinese troops at PP 15 for almost two years now, move
back to the Karam Singh Post between PP 16 and PP 17 and in return the Chinese would move
their troops to just behind the LAC. It quoted sources saying this was unacceptable because
China's claim line and India's understanding of the LAC intersect at PP15. It would also mean
that Indian troops move back several kilometres while Chinese troops move back very little.
One officer said, "While they will move back to just behind PP 15, they are asking us to
relinquish even PP 16 which has never been claimed by the Chinese". They added that PP 15
has come into contention only now and never in the past.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-SERBIA: SIX CHINESE PLAAFTRANSPORT AIRCRAFT DELIVERED HQ 22 SAM SYSTEMS TO SERBIA ON APRIL 9 Six of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Y-20 transport planes landed at
Belgrade’s civilian airport early on April 9, reportedly carrying HQ-22 surface-to-air missile
systems for the Serbian military. The Chinese cargo planes with military markings were
pictured at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla airport. Serbia’s defense ministry did not immediately
respond to AP’s request for comment. “The Y-20s’ appearance raised eyebrows because they
flew en masse as opposed to a series of single-aircraft flights,” wrote The Warzone online
magazine. “The Y-20′s presence in Europe in any numbers is also still a fairly new
development.” Serbian military analyst Aleksandar Radic said that “the Chinese carried out
their demonstration of force.” The arms delivery over the territory of at least two NATO
member states, Turkey, and Bulgaria, was seen by experts as a demonstration of China’s
growing global reach.
(Comment: Serbia apparently placed the order in 2019.)
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: TWEETS POSTED BY CHINESE CITIZENS REVEAL THE SENTIMENTS OF CHINESE PEOPLE AND THE CHINESE STATE An article in CNN (April 13) confirmed other reports that Chinese Twitter users are very proRussian in their views of the war in Ukraine. It claimed that anonymous Twitter users are
exposing the extreme nationalism and pro-Russian sentiment circulating online in China —
and Beijing is not happy about it. It cited the example of a prominent military blog falsely
claiming a Russian attack on a train station in Kramatorsk was actually carried out by Ukraine,
a well-known media commentator dismissing the atrocities in Bucha, and a vlogger with
hundreds of thousands of followers using a misogynistic term for Ukraine. CNN disclosed that
the Twitter posts are often hash tagged "The Great Translation Movement," or shared by an
account with the same name. It's run by a decentralized, anonymous team that crowdsources
the collection and translation of popular posts on Ukraine and other hot topics, according to its
administrator. The account was only launched in early March but has already made plenty of
friends and enemies, attracting 116,000 followers (and counting) and a slew of criticism from
China's state-run media. The overseas arm of the People's Daily — the mouthpiece of China's
ruling Communist Party — has accused the anonymous translators of attributing the "extreme
remarks" of some netizens to the "whole country." Nationalistic tabloid Global Times has
accused the group of being "Chinese-speaking bad faith actors," and one of its opinion writers
claimed the group included "foreign hostile forces" perpetuating "psychological warfare
against China."
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-US: US AND PLA NAVY WARSHIPS SIMULTANEOUSLY IN SEA OF JAPAN ON APRIL 11 Duowei News (April 12) reported that South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoting the US
Naval Research Institute (USNI) said on April 11, that the US Navy's "Abraham Lincoln"
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN-72, 100,000-ton class) sailed into the high seas of
eastern South Korea on April 11. It added that this is the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier has
entered the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula after 4 years and 5 months since November
2017. Separately, according to Kyodo News, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced on
April 11 that an intelligence-gathering ship of the Chinese Navy had passed through the
Tsushima Strait and entered the Sea of Japan from the East China Sea on April 11. It said that
the intelligence-gathering ship of the Chinese Navy sailed about 130 kilometres southwest of
Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan around noon on April 11 and then passed northward
between Tsushima and Iki to enter the Sea of Japan. Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force
ships and patrol planes monitored its passage though China's Ministry of National Defence had
not confirmed its presence till April 13.
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-US: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES 5 MORE SPECIAL COMMENTARIES CRITICISING US ROLE IN THE UKRAINE WAR The CCP's official newspaper People’s Daily published four additional Zhong Sheng
commentaries on the United States’ supposed role in starting the “Ukraine crisis.” They were
titled “Who Is Intentionally Prolonging Conflict?”, “Weaponizing the Economy Will
Inevitably Turn on Itself,”, “Clinging to Cold War Thinking Undermines International Security
Cooperation,” and “The ‘Defender’ of Human Rights is Actually a ‘False Defender,’” . The
articles were critical of the US and blamed it for starting and profiting from the conflict. The
commentary, titled “Clinging to Cold War Thinking Undermines International Security
Cooperation, “while trying to repress China and Russia and viewing them as “primary strategic
competitors,” the US was clinging to rigid Cold War thinking and intensifying regional and
global security tensions.”
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: PEOPLE'S DAILY SPECIAL COMMENTARY TAKES AIM AT JAPAN The People's Daily's Zhongsheng article on April 13 was not on the Ukraine war but on Japan's
push to discharge radioactive water into the sea, which is "a serious betrayal of international
morality and obligations under international law"
Apr 2022 |
CHINA-INTERNAL: NIKKEI ASIA REPORTS GUNFIRE NEAR ZHONGNANHAI ON MARCH 19 Writing in Nikkei Asia on March 24, Katsuji Nakazawa revealed that on the night of March
19, gunfire rang out in central Beijing, sending shivers through the Zhongnanhai area, where
Chinese dignitaries have their offices. The sound of gunfire sparked rumours of a coup. The
true nature of the gunfire remains unknown.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: GUANGMING DAILY PUBLISHES LENGTHY ARTICLE ON PARTY UNITY The Guangming Daily (March 22) published a lengthy article emphasising Party Unity.
Captioned 'To take the new road to take the exam, we must always maintain the unity of the
party', it was authored by Sun Cunliang of the Research Center of Xi Jinping Thought on
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Ministry of Education. The article
included 11 references to Xi Jinping.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES LENGTHY ARTICLE BY VICE PRESIDENT OF PARTY LEADERSHIP GROUP OF INSTITUTE OF SOCIALISM The People's Daily (March 22) published a lengthy article on the United Front captioned 'Take
responsibility for the strength of unity and struggle (People's Discussion)' authored by Zhou
Fan, Deputy Secretary and Vice President of the Party Leadership Group of the Central Institute
of Socialism.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-AVIATION: CHINESE PASSENGER AIRLINER CRASHES IN CHINA ON MARCH 21 A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed on March 21 in
the mountains in southern China on a domestic flight following a sudden descent from cruising
altitude. Media said there was no sign of survivors.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE STOCKS FALL SHARPLY IN NERVOUS REACTION TO US SEC WARNING OF IMMINENT DELISTING OF 5 CHINESE COMPANIES Caixin (March 21) reported that following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
on March 8 naming five Chinese companies that could eventually be delisted from U.S.
exchanges because American regulators can’t get access to their audit work papers, two days
later U.S.-traded Chinese stocks began to fall in a plunge that lasted three straight trading days.
During those three days, the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index, which tracks more than 90
Chinese stocks traded in the U.S., fell more than 10% each day. The sell-off spread beyond
U.S. borders, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which tracks Chinese mainland
companies listed in Hong Kong, plummeting 15.6% from March 11 to March 15 and the
mainland benchmark CSI 300 Index shedding 7.5% in the latter two days.
(Comment: The fall in Chinese stocks reflects the uncertainty caused also by the Ukraine crisis
and threats of sanctions against China.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PEOPLE'S DAILY CLAIMS NUMBER OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISES IN CHINA IS 44.575 MILLION UP FROM 10.857 MILLION The People's Daily (March 23) reported that from 2012-21, the number of private enterprises
in China increased from 10.857 million to 44.575 million and the proportion of private
enterprises of all enterprises increased from 79.4% to 92.1%.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE AI COMPANY TRIES TO SELL AI-POWERED SURVEILLANCE TO REDUCE LOSSES Caixin (March 21) reported that the Shanghai-based UCloud Technology Co. Ltd. displayed
six new products focusing on community governance, transportation, manufacturing, industrial
complex management, education, and elder care, at a virtual launch event in mid-March as it
hopes to sell surveillance powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to businesses to help turn
around its widening losses.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: ECONOMIC DAILY SAYS PERCENTAGE OF HIGH SKILLED WORKERS IN CHINA HAS INCREASED FROM 4% IN 2000S TO 20% IN 2022 The Economic Daily (March 22) reported that the percentage of high-skilled personnel in China
increased from 4% in the early 2000s to 20% now. Saying that problems such as "difficulty in
finding employment" and "difficulty in recruiting" have become more prominent in recent
years, it said one of the reasons is that it is difficult for the front-line skilled talents who mainly
focus on operation to adapt to the requirements of high-quality development. It recommended
a focus on the needs of enterprise development. by trying to make up for shortcomings and
shortage of skilled talents, provide multi-level learning and training opportunities for a large
number of workers, and improving the system of using, evaluating, selecting, and motivating
skilled talents to solve the new situation. It also suggested a modern vocational education
system to solve the problem of insufficient quantity of high-quality human capital. It
recommended integration of industry and education, school-enterprise cooperation, and
attracting more young people to receive vocational skills education. It called for getting more
high-quality technical and technical personnel, skilled craftsmen, and craftsmen from major
countries. The third suggestion was on improving the employment skills of retired military
personnel. Saying that retired soldiers generally have responsibility and good execution, it said
they need to be provided with skills that are in line with the development of the industrial chain
and innovation chain, so as to transform the "rich mine" of retired soldiers into promoting
economic growth. talent "bonus".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S 'PAPER' PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON CONSEQUENCES OF WAR IN UKRAINE China's Shanghai-based official 'Paper' (March 23) published a detailed assessment of the
economic fallout of the war in Ukraine. It assessed that "In the short term, the RussianUkrainian conflict is leading to a rapid deterioration of the world economic outlook, and the
European economy will be severely affected; in the long term, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict
may lead to changes in energy trade, reconfiguration of supply chains, fragmentation of
payment networks, and prompts countries Reconsider its holdings of foreign exchange reserves,
which could fundamentally alter the global economic and geopolitical order." It said in articles
and research papers the IMF and OECD said that "in the short term, the conflict between Russia
and Ukraine is causing the world economic prospects to deteriorate rapidly, and the European
economy will be severely affected; in the long run, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
may fundamentally change the global economic and geopolitical order." It specifically noted
that on March 15 a number of IMF officials, including Director of the Asia-Pacific Department
Li Changyong, jointly wrote an article highlighting "the negative impact of the situation in
Ukraine and sanctions against Russia". They believe "on the global economy is mainly
transmitted through three channels: first, rising prices of commodities such as food and energy
will further push up inflation, thereby eroding residents’ income and suppressing demand; ,
Ukraine's neighbouring economies will face disruptions in trade, supply chains and remittances,
and a historic surge in the number of refugees. Third, declining business confidence and rising
uncertainty will weigh on asset prices, leading to tighter financial conditions and potentially
stimulating international Capital flows out of emerging markets." Saying that "latest OECD
estimates that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may reduce global economic growth
this year by at least 1 percentage point and increase inflation by 2.5 percentage points", it added
that the "conflict will make Europe feel "the most pain" and the European economy will suffer
the most." It further said that "IMF officials pointed out that in the long run, the RussianUkrainian conflict could lead to changes in energy trade, reconfiguration of supply chains,
fragmentation of payment networks, and prompt countries to reconsider their foreign exchange
reserves, which will fundamentally change the global economy and geography political order."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI VISITS INDIA FOR FIRST TIME AFTER 2020 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in India on the night of March 24 after an
unannounced visit to Kabul and earlier visiting Islamabad where he attended a meeting of the
OIC and expressed support for an independent Kashmir. He said "On Kashmir, we have heard
again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope". Wang
Yi will be meeting the EAM Dr S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. Foreign Secretary Shringla
will brief the press at 4.00pm on March 25.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: ARTICLE ON CHINESE PORTAL GUANCHA SAYS INDIA NEEDS TO IMPROVE TIES WITH CHINA TO HELP ITS ECONOMY A translation of an article published on the Chinese popular portal 'guancha' by Chen Jing,
Director of R&D, Asia Vision Technology, was republished by Asia Times on March 23 with
the caption 'China-India ties ‘to ease’ after 2020-22 clashes'. The article, timed to coincide with
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's and which visit was implicitly critical of India, made 4
points recommending improvement in India-China ties. Anticipatedly, it sought to project that
India needed China to boost its economy.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINA'S GLOBAL TIMES CRITICAL OF US PRESIDENT BIDEN'S REMARK CALLING INDIA'S POLICY "SHAKY" AND ASSERTS ANTI-RUSSIA FRONT CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED Criticising US President Joe Biden's remark singling out India for its "shaky" response to
Russia's military operation against Ukraine, the Global Times (March 22) said "There is no
motivation for New Delhi to serve Washington's interests at the cost of harming its own
relationship with Moscow. As an independent country, India has the right to make diplomatic
decisions in line with its own interests and the reality." It quoted Li Haidong, a Professor from
the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, as saying "It shows
the US' deep disrespect for India." The article asserted "The so-called anti-Russia united
"democratic front" cannot be established."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINA ATTENDS OIC FOR FIRST TIME AND CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI ATTENDS Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on
March 21 discussed ways to further strengthen the "iron-clad friendship" between the two
countries and later signed five agreements to deepen their bilateral cooperation in various fields.
They exchanged views on bilateral strategic, economic and security cooperation, COVID-19
pandemic, the situation in Ukraine and regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Wang Yi is in Islamabad to attend the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) as a special guest at the invitation of Qureshi. In a
tweet Qureshi highlighted that this is the first time China is participating in an OIC session and
expressed confidence that "interactions with OIC country counterparts will further strengthen
engagement." Speaking at the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on March 22, Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan raked up the Kashmir issue, hitting out at India over its "illegal"
decision to abrogate Article 370. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also called for
collective response from the 57-member OIC to meet challenges faced by the Muslim
community, highlighting conflicts in the Middle East and the "denial of the right to selfdetermination" for the people of Palestine and Kashmir. He said "We have failed both the
Palestinians and the people of Kashmir. I am sad to say that we have been able to make no
impact at all.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-SRI LANKA: SRI LANKA IS NEGOTIATING A SECOND LOAN FROM CHINA The South China Morning Post (March 21) disclosed that China is considering offering a
US$1.5 billion credit facility to Sri Lanka. Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong told
reporters the two sides were also discussing a separate loan of up to US$1 billion which the Sri
Lankan government had requested. He added that the South Asian nation was offered a loan of
US$500 million from the China Development Bank on March 18.
(Comment: Sri Lanka has to repay about US$4 billion worth of debt this year, including a US$1
billion international sovereign bond maturing in July. But its reserves dipped to US$2.31 billion
as of end February, down around 70 per cent from two years ago.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-EU: EU SET TO WARN CHINA AGAINST ASSISTING RUSSIA TO SOFTEN SANCTIONS Media reports (March 21) indicated that the European Union looks set to reinforce the U.S.
warning to China that Beijing would face serious consequences if it tried to cushion the blow
of sanctions against Russia or provide Moscow with military support. With the Western allies
aligned on a powerful package of sanctions on the Russian economy and President Vladimir
Putin trying to find room for manoeuvre, China’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine is coming
into sharper focus. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be the main item on the agenda when Xi
Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hold talks with EU Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen and Charles Michel, who chairs the EU leaders’ council. The reports added that
while the substance of the EU message is to be similar to Biden’s, most member states want
Von der Leyen and Michel to couch it in a way that doesn’t come across as a threat because
they don’t want to alienate Beijing. Separately, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng in
a speech on March 19 accused NATO of trying to “flex muscle” in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hours after Xi’s phone call with Biden, Le Yucheng said “One could well anticipate the
consequences going down this path,” and that “The crisis in Ukraine is a stern warning.”
(Comment: Le Yucheng was an Ambassador to India and is considered to be a front-runner for
becoming Foreign Minister.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA BACKS RUSSIA'S STAY IN G-20 Reuters (March 23) reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the next G20
summit in Indonesia later this year and received valuable backing from Beijing on March 23 as
it rejected suggestions by some members that Russia could be barred from the group.
(Comment: The United States and its Western allies are assessing whether Russia should
remain within the G-20 following its invasion of Ukraine. But any move to exclude Russia
would probably be vetoed by others in the group.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA'S PURCHASE OF LNG FROM RUSSIA MORE THAN DOUBLES Bloomberg (March 21) reported that China imported twice as much liquefied natural gas from
Russia last month than a year earlier. It said China bought almost 401,000 tons from Russia in
February, according to official customs data released Sunday. The increase came as total
Chinese LNG imports fell 12% from a year earlier, with Russia’s share rising to 8%.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARTICLE POINTS TO CHINA AS ASSISTING RUSSIA CONCEAL ITS FOREX HOLDINGS FROM SANCTIONS An article by Benn Steil and Benjamin Della Rocca in Foreign Affairs (March 21) claimed that
their "research suggests that Russia may have stashed tens of billions of dollars in reserve
assets in opaque offshore accounts, where it holds dollar-denominated securities beyond the
reach of international sanctions and asset freezes". According to them indications of this were
discernible across two different periods—one in mid-2018 and the other late last year, as Russia
built up troops on the Ukrainian border— that Russia may have secluded up to $80 billion in
Treasury securities offshore. It stated that Russia’s total offshore dollar holdings could be
higher still and, alluding to China, that Russia may have moved some of its dollars with help
from a foreign government. The article claimed "China was almost certainly behind the 2014
surge. Throughout that year, the assets of its central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC),
rose in tandem with Belgian Treasury holdings. The PBOC was evidently building up its war
chest of dollar reserves and storing them in Treasuries, held through Euroclear. In 2021,
however, the PBOC’s reserves stayed flat, indicating a different source for the sudden rise in
Belgium’s holdings." It also said "The Russian central bank and sovereign wealth fund hold an
estimated $140 billion in Chinese bonds—about four times the total in early 2018. Data from
June 2021 also show China holding 14.2 percent of Russia’s foreign reserves, the largest share
of any country. "
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA REMAINS CHINA'S TOP TRADING PARTNER IN AFRICA New Chinese Customs data revealed that two-way China-Africa trade is up 24.9% in the first
two months of the year to $43.1 billion. South Africa remains China's top trading partner on
the continent with 19% of the total.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ALGERIA: CHINA AND ALGERIA CONCLUDE $ 7 BILLION SHAREHOLDER AGREEMENT FOR FERTILISER PRODUCTION Reuters (March 22) reported that Algeria and China have signed a shareholder agreement to
invest $7 billion to produce 5.4 million tonnes of fertiliser per year in the Algerian region of
Tebessa, Algeria’s national oil company Sonatrach said on March 21. Algeria expects the
phosphate project to create 12,000 jobs during the construction phase.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING CHAIRS PBSC MEETING ON MARCH 17 TO DISCUSS COVID PANDEMIC CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee
on March 17 to 'analyse the situation of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and make
arrangements to strictly control the epidemic'. Xinhua (March 17) reported that Xi Jinping also
delivered an important speech. He pointed out that since the normalization of epidemic
prevention and control, we have adhered to the principle of "foreign defense against imports
and internal defense against rebound". He exhorted Party organizations at all levels and the
majority of Party members and cadres to play an active role, go deep into the front line of
prevention and control, reach out to the masses, and actively help the masses solve their worries
and problems. He stressed that it is necessary to strengthen supervision and accountability and
warned those who have neglected their duties and caused the epidemic to get out of control that
they will be investigated and held accountable. The meeting also studied other matters
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY FRONTPAGE ARTICLE CALLS CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING "PEOPLE'S LEADER" A front page People's Daily (March 13) article captioned "when the spring breeze ——General
Secretary Xi Jinping and the representatives of the National People's Congress and the National
People's Congress have discussed the country together for ten years" described Xi Jinping as
the "people's leader" 8 times in total in this article. It said "During the National People's
Congress and the National People's Congress this year, the deputies and committee members
shared their opinions and experiences in light of their deliberation and work practice, and
invariably expressed their common aspirations: The reason why the party and the country can
achieve milestone achievements is that they have Comrade Xi Jinping as their leader. The core
of the Party Central Committee at the helm is fundamentally guided by the scientific guidance
of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: ON CLOSING DAY OF NPC, CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG CALLS FOR IMPROVED TIES WITH U.S. AND EARLY END TO CONFLICT IN UKRAINE Addressing the closing session of the 13th NPC in Beijing on March 14, Chinese Premier Li
Keqiang Premier talked about ties with US and the situation in Ukraine. He hoped that US and
China can properly manage their differences and for more cooperation between China and the
United States to deal with global challenges while properly managing their differences. He said
economic competition between Beijing and Washington should be benign and fair. Li Keqiang
also called for restraint in Ukraine to avoid a humanitarian disaster. Urging restraint in the
Ukraine conflict to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, he said "We sincerely hope that the
situation will ease and peace will return at an early date."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: XINHUA HIGHLIGHTS FIVE KEYS TO CHINA'S SUCCESS AS "FIVE ROADS TO BE FOLLOWED" Xinhua (March 14) highlighted certain outcomes of the 13th NPC as the "key to China's
"success"." It said one outcome of the Two Sessions is the new slogan of "Five Roads to be
Followed" (五个必由之路). It listed the keys to China success as follows:
i) Party leadership;
ii) Socialism with Chinese characteristics;
iii) Concerted efforts;
iv) New development concept; and
v) Strict party governance.
(Comment: The Guangming Daily on March 15, published its fifth commentary on the "Five
Roads to be Followed" (五个必由之路) - outcome of the Two Sessions - on the fifth road:
strict party governance.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CHONGQING: CHONGQING DAILY HIGHLIGHTS PARY SECRETARY CHEN MINE'R'S EXHORTATION OF XI JINPING'S "FIVE ROADS TO BE FOLLOWED" On March 15, the Chongqing Daily published an article on the Chongqing Municipal Party
Committee meeting of leading cadres in the city held on March 14, to convey and study the
spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during the National People's Congress
and the Fifth Session of the Thirteenth National People's Congress and the Fifth Session of the
Thirteenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
During the meeting Chongqing's Chen Min'er conveyed the spirit of the Two Sessions,
highlighted the "Five Roads to be Followed" (五个必由之路) and "five favourable conditions"
(五个有利条件) 传达学习贯彻习近平总书记重要讲话和全国两会精神). The Chongqing
Daily said Chen Miner, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, presided over the meeting
and delivered a speech in which he 'pointed out that this year's National People's Congress is
an important meeting held at an important moment when the people of the whole country
welcome the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, march towards the
second centenary goal, and forge ahead in the new journey of building a modern socialist
country in an all-round way'. Chen Miner also emphasised that 'it is necessary to learn and
understand the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, understand the
essence, connect with reality, and guide practice' He said it is important to understand the "Five
Must-Roads", the "five sure ways", resolutely support the "two establishments", strengthen the
"four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", achieve the "two
maintenances", and improve political judgment and political comprehension, political
execution, and unswervingly advance along the road guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping'.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: HUBEI DAILY PRAISES CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING FOR MEETING RECOVERED COVID PATIENTS The Hubei Daily (March 15) published a front page article titled "The General Secretary's wise
decision saved our lives", referring to his visiting recovered COVID-19 patients from the
Wuhan outbreak two years ago.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-HEALTH: CHINA HAS SHUT DOWN MORE CITIES AND PUT 50 MILLION PEOPLE IN LOCKDOWN Chinese authorities have already put Shenzhen, the giant manufacturing hub near Hong Kong,
into full lockdown, along with Jilin province. In Shanghai, schools and businesses have already
closed, and numerous Beijing and Tianjin compounds have shut down. More than 50 million
people are already locked down across China and it seems likely that the numbers will continue
to grow in the coming weeks. The People's Daily (March 18) published two main articles on
the COVID-19 situation, including one on Xi Jinping chairing a PBSC meeting and an editorial
arguing that the "general strategy and policy of epidemic prevention are correct and effective"
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CORRUPTION: FORMER MOSS VICE MINISTER UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR CORRUPTION The South China Morning Post (March 12) quoted a CDIC announcement of March 12 stating
that 66-year old Liu Yanping, a former anti-corruption chief of China’s Ministry of State
Security is for “suspected violation of discipline and law”. Liu Yanping is the 12th highranking official to fall from grace this year and first since the annual national legislative
meeting concluded on Friday. He graduated from the China University of Political Science and
Law and had a long career in the police department in Beijing before being appointed as Vice
Minister of Public Security in 2013. Two years later, he became the head of discipline
inspection at the Ministry of State Security. Liu Yanping was also involved in the effort to
repatriate Guo Wengui back to China from the US.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S FINANCIAL STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE HELD A SPECIAL MEETING ON MARCH 16 Xinhua (March 16) reported that China's Financial Stability and Development Committee of
the State Council held a special meeting on March 16 to study the current economic situation
and capital market issues. The meeting was chaired by Liu He, Politburo member, Vice Premier
of the State Council, and Director of the Financial Stability and Development Committee, and
comrades in charge of relevant departments attended the meeting. The meeting pointed out that
in the current complex situation, the most critical thing is to adhere to the “development is the
Communist Party of China's top priority in governance”, adhere to the "economic development
as the central task", adhere to deepening reform and expanding opening-up etc. Regarding
Chinese companies listed in the United States, the meeting said that China’s CSRC and the
U.S. SEC have maintained good communication and have made positive progress, and are
working to form specific cooperation programs. It said the Chinese government continues to
support all types of enterprises to go public outside China. A Xinhua report (March 17) clarified
that the meeting discussed macroeconomic operation, real estate companies, Chinese concept
stocks, platform economic governance, and Hong Kong financial market stability among other
issues. It said the meeting gave a clear direction to "maintain the economic operation within a
reasonable range, and maintain the stable operation of the capital market."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE STOCK VALUES SLUMP IN US STOCK EXCHANGES A Bloomberg report (March 14) said that Chinese stocks in the U.S. which were enjoying an
unprecedented boom just a year ago have plummeted 72% -- almost matching losses during
the 2008 financial crisis. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. alone has lost about $522 billions of
value, the biggest wipe out of shareholder wealth worldwide. Tencent -- which was close to a
$1 trillion market value last year -- slumped almost 10% on Monday, the most since 2011. The
company’s shares are now worth $407 billion. In the week ending March 14, the SEC named
its first batch of Chinese stocks as part of a crackdown on foreign firms that refuse to open their
books to U.S. regulators. The newly identified firms could be subject to delisting from U.S.
exchanges if they fail to comply with auditing requirements for three consecutive years. With
U.S. officials saying Russia has asked China for military assistance for its war in Ukraine,
traders worry that Beijing’s potential overture toward Putin could bring global backlash against
Chinese firms and even sanctions. Fears of being delisted on US stock exchanges and
imposition of sanctions because of Xi Jinping's support to Russian President Putin are also
discouraging investors.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TAIWAN CONDUCTS LIVE FIRE EXERCISES ON DONGYIN ISLAND Reuters (March 16) reported (Reuters) that Taiwan held live fire drills on Dongyin, part of the
Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago off the coast of China's Fuzhou, on March 16, putting
the spotlight on a remote island that is strategically located at a chokepoint near China - and
potentially vulnerable to attack. The exercises are happening as Taipei has raised its alert level
after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, wary of Beijing making a similar move. At a February
seminar in Taipei simulating a Chinese attack on Taiwan, retired Navy Rear Admiral Tan Chihlung said Dongyin's missile sites would be among the first targets of a Chinese attack.
He said, "The People's Liberation Army for sure will go destroy the Hsiung Feng missile base
in Dongyin, it's a must-attack."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TAIWAN FOREIGN MINISTER REACTS TO REPORT PURPORTEDLY AUTHORED BY RUSSIA'S FSB OF LIKELY CHINESE TAKE OVER OF TAIWAN Taiwan's Apple Daily (March 17) claimed that a report by human rights activist Vladimir
Osechkin, head of the Russian anti-corruption website Gulagu.net, purportedly written by an
analyst with the Russian Federal Security Service, mentions that Xi Jinping had considered
a "complete take over Taiwan" in 2022 before the Fall. The object was to "recover Taiwan" for
his re-election as the President of the country before the 20th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China (in the Autumn). However, after seeing Russia's aggression against
Ukraine, Xi Jinping believes that the opportunity to attack Taiwan is no longer available, and
that the United States can use it to threaten China and give Xi's political opponents favourable
conditions. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an interview on March 16, "No matter
when China attacks, we must be ready at any time."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: ECONOMIC TIMES REPORTS THAT CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI LIKELY TO VISIT INDIA SOON The Economic Times (March 15) reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to
visit India in a week or so. It recalled that last week, ahead of the 15th round of Commanderlevel talks, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla had said: "We have made it clear to China that
peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the development of our relationship.
Development of India-China relationship has to be based on 'three mutuals' -- mutual respect,
mutual sensitivity and mutual interest."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES REPORTS 15TH CHINA-INDIA CORPS COMMANDERS MEETING AND CLAIMS SOME INDIAN ANALYSTS SUGGEST CHANGE IN INDIA'S POLICIES TOWARDS CHINA The Global Times (March 12) reported that "the 15th round of China-India corps commander
level meeting concluded on March 11, continuing the positive atmosphere since the 14th round
of talk, as the two sides reached consensus on agreeing to maintain dialogue via military and
diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution to the remaining issues at the
earliest time".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA AND RUSSIA COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO OIL AND GAS PIPELINES China's State-owned China National Petroleum Corp. agreed to import more natural gas from
Russian major Gazprom in a deal announced on the sidelines of the summit between Chinese
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in February. Currently, the only gas
pipeline between Russia and China is Power of Siberia, which began operating in 2019 and has
an annual capacity of 38 billion cu. meters. Nikkei Asia (March 12) said the countries plan to
establish a new pipeline under the deal with an annual capacity of 10 billion cu. meters.
Russia's Gazprom on March 1 also announced it had begun taking concrete steps toward the
construction of the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which would pass through Mongolia and have
an annual capacity of around 50 billion cu. meters. These projects, which include the Power of
Siberia expansion and the new Altai link through China's Xinjiang region, would expand
pipeline capacity between the countries to over 100 billion cu. meters a year -- equivalent to
almost half of China's imports.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA'S PUBLICISES RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER REPORT OF BENEFITS FLOWING TO CHINA BECAUSE OF THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE The Hongkong-based HK01 news service on March 14, publicised a report in the Russian
newspaper The View (Взгляд) (March 12) which listed 10 areas in which Chinese companies
have benefited from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War and the sanctions from the U.S. and
European countries.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA-UKRAINE: CHINA'S JUDGE ON ICJ VOTES AGAINST UKRAINE'S CASE CALLING FOR EARLY END TO RUSSIA'S MILITARY OPERATION Ms Xue Hanqin, China's appointee to the UN's top court, joined her Russian peer Kirill
Gevorgian to cast the only votes against Ukraine's case calling for an immediate end to Russia's
military operation. This was on March 16 at the International Court of Justice case on
'Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation)'.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA-UKRAINE: CHINA'S CGTN AND CCTV ON MARCH 17 NOTICED REPORTING RUSSIAN CASUALTIES IN UKRAINE On March 17 there have been several clips over a 12 hour span showing Russian attacks on
civilians, but sticking to the official language and calling it "Russia's special military
operation". There were similar reports on CCTV-13 prompting speculation inside China as to
whether the official media will also change their language, namely call it an "invasion"
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.S. DENIES THAT PUTIN BRIEFED CHINESE REGARDING HIS INVASION OF UKRAINE Writing in the Washington Post (March 15), China's Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang denied
statements that China was briefed on Putin's plans for invading Ukraine. He said “ Assertions
that China knew about, acquiesced to, or tacitly supported this war are purely disinformation.
All these claims serve only the purpose of shifting blame to and slinging mud at China. There
were more than 6,000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine. China is the biggest trading partner of both
Russia and Ukraine, and the largest importer of crude oil and natural gas in the world. Conflict
between Russia and Ukraine does no good for China. Had China known about the imminent
crisis, we would have tried our best to prevent it. China is committed to an independent foreign
policy of peace." He also sought to differentiate between the cases of Ukraine and Taiwan
saying: "Ukraine is a sovereign state, while Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory.
The Taiwan question is a Chinese internal affair. It does not make sense for people to
emphasize the principle of sovereignty on Ukraine while hurting China’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity on Taiwan. The future of Taiwan lies in peaceful development of crossStrait relations and the reunification of China. We are committed to peaceful reunification, but
we also retain all options to curb “Taiwan independence.”
(Comment: Chinese statements on the subject are contradictory and suggest an attempt at
obfuscation.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: FORMER GLOBAL TIMES EDITOR CAUTIONS BEIJING TO "EASE AND DEVELOP RELATIONS WITH US AND THE WEST" DURING THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE Writing on his personal WeChat blog on March 12, the former Editor of Global Times Hu Xijin
said he is "calling on Beijing to stick to what he says is the 稳 (stable? middle?) road. Hu wrote,
it is in Chinese interests that "Russia cannot fail and the Putin regime cannot fail". Hu Xijin
cautioned Beijing: "We must be careful not to 'Russify' our policy toward the U.S. and the West,
and (must) resolutely prevent the U.S. and the West from equating the definition of China with
the definition of Russia." He said a desirable scenario "In the context of their fierce
confrontation with Russia, it will become more acceptable to them to seek common ground
11
with China while preserving differences". He added that Beijing "needs to do its best to ease
and develop relations with the U.S. and the West, and promote the gradual strategic shaping of
a model of relations between China, the U.S., and the West and China". A "stable, independent
Russia that does not buy into the U.S./West and dares to confront them openly has become
China's biggest strategic barrier. The comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation
between Russia and China in the new era needs to be further consolidated, and China cannot
afford to waver in this."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE OVERSEAS NETWORK DUOWEI NEWS RECALLS BOMBING OF CHINESE EMBASSY IN BELGRADE BY NATO The US-based pro-Xi Jinping Duowei News, regarded as a major media portal of China’s
overseas propaganda network, reported (March 17) that, in a press conference on March 15,
NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed that China has an obligation as a
member of the UN Security Council actually to support and to uphold international law and
join the rest of the world in condemning Russia’s invasion. In response, the spokesperson for
the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union retorted, “We have taken
note of the relevant remarks. The Chinese people can fully relate to the pains and sufferings of
other countries because we will never forget who bombed our embassy in the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia. We need no lecture on justice from the abuser of international law. As a Cold
War remnant and the world’s largest military alliance, NATO continues to expand its
geographical scope and range of operations. What kind of role has it played in world peace and
stability? NATO needs to do some good reflection.”
(Comment: The Chinese delegate was referring to the bombing of its Embassy in Yugoslavia
by NATO forces decades ago.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: PEOPLE'S DAILY 'ZHONGSHENG' ARTICLES ASKS U.S. TO CAREFULLY REFLECT ON ITS ROLE IN THE UKRAINE CRISIS An article in the People's Daily (March 15) signed by ' Zhongsheng' argued that the US "should
carefully reflect on its role in the Ukraine crisis, stop lying, deceiving, and misleading the
public". It said this "exposes the US' sinister intentions to keep the world in chaos". The article
stated, 'The U.S. side should reflect on its role in the Ukraine crisis, stop lying and deceit,
12
confuse people, take its due responsibilities, take practical actions to ease the situation and
solve the problem, and do things that are conducive to peace'. It said, "In promoting the
resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, the top priority is to promote peace and talks, rather than fuel
the fire." Stating that 'China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in persuading
peace and promoting talks, and to carry out necessary mediation with the international
community when necessary', it said 'China does not support the use of sanctions to solve the
Ukrainian issue, and is even more opposed to unilateral sanctions that have no basis in
international law. Sanctions have never been an effective way to solve problems' adding that
since the last 20 years the US has been imposing an increasing number of sanctions'.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: U.S. NSA JAKE SULLIVAN MEETS CCP CC POLITBURO MEMBER YANG JIECHI ON MARCH 14 IN ROME U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member
Yang Jiechi on March 14 in Rome. CNN (March 14) said that Sullivan said U.S. believes China,
"was aware...
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: XINHUA PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON U.S. BIOLABS IN UKRAINE ON MAIN PAGE Xinhua published (March 13) an article on its main page on US bio labs in Ukraine.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: MERCHANDISE OF GIANT CHINESE SPORTSWEAR COMPANY LI NING DETAINED AT U.S. PORTS BY CUSTOMS Bloomberg (March 16) reported that Merchandise made by Chinese sportswear giant Li Ning
Co. has been detained at U.S. ports, after an investigation indicated the company used North
Korean labour in its supply chain. The action against Li Ning Sporting Goods was effective
March 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. U.S. Customs said some
Li Ning goods can enter the U.S. if the company “provides clear and convincing evidence that
their merchandise was not produced with convict labour, forced labour, or indentured labour
under penal sanctions within 30 days of notice of detention.” Otherwise, the merchandise may
be subject to seizure and forfeiture, it said. Li Ning shares fell as much as 3.2% in early Hong
Kong trading, before erasing the losses and rising 4.2% to HK$53.10 at 9:42 a.m. local time.
The stock is down almost 38% this year.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: US PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS FUNDING BILL GRANTING ASSISTANCE TO TIBETAN ORGANISATIONS The US Government Funding Bill signed into law by US President Biden on March 15:
• Increases funding for Tibetans around the world: The legislation provides $10 million
for nongovernmental organizations that have experience working with Tibetan
communities to preserve Tibetan cultural traditions and promote sustainable
development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibet. The legislation also
makes $8 million available for programs to promote and preserve Tibetan culture and
language in Tibetan refugee and diaspora communities; development; and the resilience
of Tibetan communities and the Central Tibetan Administration in India and Nepal; as
well as to assist in the education and development of the next generation of Tibetan
leaders from such communities. Another $3 million will be available for programs to
strengthen the capacity of the Central Tibetan Administration, which provides
democratic governance for Tibetans in exile.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: FIRST BATCH OF CHINESE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AID FOR UKRAINE REACHED ON MARCH 11 The first batch of Chinese humanitarian aid reached Ukraine by plane on March 11. The
consignment, which includes 1,000 family kits containing daily supplies worth 5 million yuan
($800,000). The packs contain blankets, towels, cutlery, damp-proof mats, buckets, and torches,
and were sent from Beijing by the Red Cross Society of China. Ukraine's Red Cross Society
was to receive the consignment when the truck convoy containing the aid arrived in the western
Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi. A second batch of materials will leave the Chinese capital on
March 13.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-UK: FINANCIAL TIMES DISCLOSES THAT TWO BRITISH PUBLISHERS HAVE CENSORED BOOKS BY AMENDING/REMOVING REFERENCES TO TAIWAN, TIBET ETC The Financial Times (March 14) disclosed that two British publishers, Octopus Books, part of
literary empire Hachette, and London-listed Quarto, have censored books intended for western
readers to ensure they can be printed cheaply in China and removed references to Taiwan and
other subjects banned by Chinese authorities from several books. It said that in 2017, academic
publishers Springer Nature and Cambridge University Press were criticised after it emerged,
they had each blocked hundreds of articles from being accessed in China. The Financial Times
said since 2020 Octopus, a self-described “leading publisher of non-fiction”, has removed
references in at least two books to Taiwan. In one case, an entire section relating to Taiwan
was cut. Over the same period Quarto, a picture book publisher that in 2020 released the New
York Times bestseller This Book is Anti-Racist, erased mentions of Hong Kong and dissident
artist Ai Weiwei from separate publications. The nationality of people mentioned in one book
was also changed from Taiwanese to East Asian, while references to Tibet, annexed by China
in 1951, were revised in two books to suggest it was Chinese territory.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: MAJOR ARTICLE IN PEOPLE'S DAILY FRONT PAGE ON XI JINPING On March 10, the People's Daily front-paged a major article titled "General Secretary, the
villagers miss you very much!" The representatives of the two sessions brought the
people's hearts to the general secretary".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG ANNOUNCES HE WILL STEP DOWN NEXT MARCH Reuters (March 11) reported that China's Premier Li Keqiang confirmed on March 11 his plans
to step down after his current term expires next March. Li Keqiang told a news conference:
"This is the last year I will be premier".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: OPENING SESSION OF 5TH SESSION OF 13TH NPC IN BEIJING Li Zhanshu, the Executive Chairman and Executive Chairman of the Presidium of the
Conference, presided over the conference. Executive Chairman and Executive Chairman Wang
Chen, Cao Jianming, Zhang Chunxian, Shen Yueyue, Ji Bingxuan, Ailigen Yiming Bahai, Wan
Exiang, Chen Zhu, Wang Dongming, Baima Chilin, Ding Zhongli, Hao Mingjin, Cai Dafeng,
Wu Weihua , Yang Zhenwu were seated at the podium.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING DELIVERS TWO SPEECHES TO NPC/CPPCC SESSIONS Chinese President Xi Jinping made two speeches at the ongoing NPC/CPPCC sessions in
Beijing. In his first speech he highlighted, among other issues, how China should handle coal
in meeting its carbon goals, as well as the "sense of community for the Chinese nation". In his
second speech to CPPCC members, he stressed agriculture, food security, social welfare, and
protecting women.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: CHINESE LEADERS MEET/REPRESENT DIFFERENT PROVINCES AT NPC Xinhua reported that Chinese leaders met different provincial delegations. PBSC members Li
Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, and Vice President Wang Qishan
met delegations from Jiangxi, Sichuan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, and Hunan respectively.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: CHINESE PREMIER DOES NOT MENTION FIGHTING IN UKRAINE AND PROPOSES 7.1 PER CENT HIKE IN CHINA'S DEFENCE BUDGET RAISING IT TO US$ 230 BILLION Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in the Government Work Report he presented to the Fifth Session
of the 13th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on March 5, 2022,
did not even mention Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and took an implacably steady-as-it-goes
tone on China’s economic outlook.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT The main points in the Government Work Report presented to the NPC on March 5 by Chinese
Premier Li Keqiang were:
- new approaches to social governance
- focus on service provision at grassroots
- improve social credit system.
-The main targets for 2022 listed by the Chinese Premier were:
-GDP growth of around 5.5 percent
-over 11 million new urban jobs
-surveyed urban unemployment rate of no more than 5.5 percent
-CPI increase of around 3 percent
-growth in personal income that is basically in step with economic growth
-steady increases in both the volume and quality of imports and exports
-a basic equilibrium in the balance of payments
-grain output of over 650 million metric tons
-further improvement in the environment
-continued reduction in the discharge of major pollutants
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC/CPPCC: COMMENTS IN CHINESE STATE MEDIA ON GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT The Global Times and CCTV (March 11) commented that China’s 2022 Government Work
Report approved at the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC on March 11 has
had 92 items revised compared with the original version, with revisions focusing on stabilising
the economy, innovation, and fiscal and employment policies. The revisions in China’s 2022
Government Work Report include raising the ratio of investment in basic research to the overall
R&D expense, and boosting winter sports and industries. The Paper (March 11) said that Tax
cuts and fee reductions "help enhance the confidence of enterprises to expand reproduction; at
the same time, it also encourages enterprises to invest more funds in R&D and other production
activities" . The China Police Daily (March 11) commented that the integrated mechanism for
policing ("情指勤舆") - intelligence, command, patrolling - have given police the "ability to
respond quickly, highlight key challenges, and deal with regional emergencies has been
effectively strengthened".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC/CPPCC: 'COMMON PROSPERITY' DOESN'T GET MUCH MENTION Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s Government Work Report contains exactly one mention of
common prosperity (共同富裕), which is rendered as “prosperity for all” in the official English
translation.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC SPOKESMAN AND FORMER VICE FOREIGN MINISTER ZHANG YESUI HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE BEFORE NPC'S OPENING SESSION At the press conference before the start of the NPC's opening session, the spokesman for the
Chinese legislature Zhang Yesui addressed China-EU relationship and condemned the
US$ 350 billion the America Competes Act, which he described as “small circle” diplomacy
that could jeopardise America’s own interests .
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-HEALTH: A CITYWIDE LOCKDOWN HAS BEEN IMPOSED ON JILIN PROVINCE'S CAPITAL CHANGCHUN DUE TO A COVID OUTBREAK The authorities of Changchun on March 11 announced that all businesses and public transport
shall be shut except essential sectors. Schools are to be closed and every resident will test for
Covid.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: OVER 200 TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY ALUMNI SIGN 'OPEN' LETTER DEMANDING WITHDRAWAL OF DOCTORATE AWARDED TO PUTIN IN 2019 On March 3 , over 200 alumni of Tsinghua University – most of whom live in China – signed
an open letter circulated on WeChat calling on the university to strip Putin of an honorary
doctorate awarded in 2019.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CHINA'S AGRICULTURE MINISTER AND NDRC HIGHLIGHT MEASURES TO ENSURE ADEQUATE GRAIN SUPPLIES Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the NPC session, China's Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian said that rare heavy rainfall last year delayed the planting of
about one-third of the normal wheat acreage.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC ORGANISATION DEPARTMENT HOLDS TELECONFERENCE ON GRASSROOTS PARTY BUILDING WORK China Organization and Personnel News (March 4) reported that the CCP CC Organisation
Department had held a teleconference on a key task promotion meeting for grassroots party
building work in Beijing on February 28. The relevant responsible officials of the Organization
Department attended the meeting and delivered speeches. The Party Committee Organisation
Department cadres of Beijing, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Sichuan, Qinghai and other
provinces, regions and municipalities also exchanged speeches. Among the main points made
were: (i) transmit "two establishments" "two safeguards"; (ii) party-building in rural areas; (iii)
social governance; (iv) private enterprises and social organisations; (v) SOEs, work units; and
(vi) education. The meeting also criticised "lying flat" cadres and said, "there are some
"peaceful officials" who dare not act, "leisure officials" who do not do things, "incompetent
officials" who are not good at doing things, and "punk officials" who are unwilling".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINA ANNOUNCES TWO KEY APPOINTMENTS IN DEFENCE INDUSTRY The CCP on March 5 announced two important appointments. These were the appointment of
Hao Zhaoping (郝照平) as the Director, General Manager and Deputy Secretary of the Party
Group of AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) and
Wang Jiang (王江) was appointed Secretary of the Party Committee of China Everbright Group
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: SENIOR ACADEMIC IN JILIN DISMISSED ON MARCH 10 The Jilin provincial party committee in a terse announcement on March 10 and without stating
the reason said that Zhang Lifeng, the Communist Party Secretary and top manager of the Jilin
Agricultural Science and Technology University, was dismissed on March 10 afternoon.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: COMMENTATOR'S ARTICLE IN ECONOMIC DAILY EMPHASISES COORDINATING DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY A Commentator's article in the Economic Daily (March 9) said "the emphasis on coordinating
development and security reflects the scientific research and judgment of the general situation
by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core". Stating that "economic
globalisation has encountered adverse currents, the game between major powers has become
increasingly fierce, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change", it said
it is essential for China to take development as the top priority, "and at the same time ensure
political security, economic security, scientific and technological security, public health
security, social security, etc., to create favourable conditions for development".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPICS: CHINA CENSORS SPEECH OF INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT The International Paralympic Committee is investigating and have asked the state-run CCTV
for an explanation after President Andrew Parsons speech, where he made a clear and direct
call for Peace at the Opening Ceremony, which was censored in China
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: INTEREST ON POPULAR CHINESE WEBSITES REGARDING THE WAR IN UKRAINE DECLINES A survey by the East Asia Institute of the National University of Singapore which has been
monitoring trending topics on popular Chinese online platforms, namely Weibo, Zhihu and
Douyin, between 14 January – 9 March 2022, suggests declining interest in the war in Ukraine.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-EU/UKRAINE: XI JINPING DESCRIBES SITUATION IN UKRAINE AS WORRYING In a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz on March 8 , Chinese President Xi Jinping was quoted by CCTV as calling for
"maximum restraint" in Ukraine and said China is "pained to see the flames of war reignited in
Europe".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-EU/UKRAINE: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI ASKS EU TO DROP SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA IF IT WANTS CHINA TO MEDIATE The EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Josep Borrell Fontelles had a tele conversation with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign
Minister Wang Yi on March 7 regarding the situation in Ukraine. They agreed to continue
discussions after two days. One report states, however, that in private conversation some EU
officials disclosed that Wang Yi during his conversation with Borrell was clear that the EU
needs to drop sanctions if it wants China to intermediate. El Mundo earlier on March 4 quoted
Borrell as saying that China was the only possible mediator in the war. “We have not asked for
it, nor have they asked for it, but since it has to be a power and neither the US nor Europe can
be, China could be”.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE/US: XINHUA EDITORIAL DISMISSES NEW YORK TMES REPORT THAT U.S. BRIEFED CHINA ON RUSSIA'S PLANS TO ATTACK UKRAINE The South China Morning Post (March 9) quoted an editorial published by Xinhua on March
9 which accused the US government of feeding “slanderous news” to the media and denied
reports that Beijing had direct knowledge of Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine. It called the
report published last week in The New York Times a “downright lie” adding that “Shifting
blame to China, misleading the world and transferring accountability away from the crisis
culprit, this is a malicious intention”. The Xinhua editorial said “The US government routinely
feeds information to targeted media like The New York Times in the name of an intelligence
organisation in order to spin public opinion to its own advantage. “Media like The New York
Times then play along in a double act by spreading rumours with lies to maximise
Washington’s interests. All of this is to cover up the fact that the US was the ultimate culprit
in the Ukraine crisis”.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE POMPEO ON 4-DAY VISIT TO TAIWAN AND CALLS FOR IT TO BE AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY In a 20-minute speech at the Prospect Foundation in Taipei on March 4, former US Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo said he was "Honoured to speak about the importance of America
recognizing Taiwan as a free and sovereign country".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: US SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN AGAIN CALLS CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI Washington’s top diplomat pressed his counterpart in Beijing during a call on March 5 over
China’s continued refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The call between US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on March 5 over
China’s continued refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: US SEC PRESIDENT SAYS 250 CHINESE COMPANIES COULD SOON CEASE TRADING IN US STOCK EXCHANGES The Chairman of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Gary Gensler announced
on March 5 that “If China changes tack, “then there's a path forward.” But otherwise "Congress
has spoken about 250 Chinese companies," would have to suspend trading here "potentially as
early as 2024.”
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NEPAL: CHINA CRITICISES NEPAL'S DECISION TO JOIN USA'S MILLENIUM CHALLENGE INITIATIVE As Nepal's parliament on February 27 approved joining the US$ 500 million Millenium
Challenge initiative despite Chinese pressure, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that
the U.S. aid would come with political strings attached. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman
Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing on March 2 “I’m afraid it will turn out
like a Nepalese saying, ‘It looks good, but you will find the meat difficult to chew.’ ”
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINA'S SECOND HUALONG ONE NUCLEAR REACTOR GETS OPERATIONAL ON MARCH 4 The state-owned China National Nuclear Corp. announced on March 8 that an advanced
nuclear reactor developed by China has started up in Pakistan, making it the second unit of its
kind in operation in the country and fourth overall. The Karachi nuclear power plant, a threereactor site, installed its second Hualong One reactor and connected the unit to the grid on
March 4
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CPPCC: CPPCC'S ANNUAL SESSION BEGAN ON MARCH 4 The CPPCC began its annual session on March 4 in Beijing. CCTV telecast the opening
ceremony and showed Chinese President Xi Jinping walking into the Great Hall of the People
ahead of the other members of the PBSC.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: ANNUAL SESSION OF CHINA'S NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS TO OPEN ON 5 MARCH The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress(NPC) started its 33rd session
on March 2 to prepare for the upcoming 5th annual session of the 13th NPC, which will open
on March 5.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING DELIVERS SPEECH AT CENTRAL PARTY SCHOOL Xinhua reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the 2022 Spring Semester Central
Party School (National School of Administration) training class for young and middle-aged
cadres started at the Central Party School on March 1. The state-owned China Central
Television (CCTV) telecast a clip of Xi Jinping being welcomed at the Central Party School.
Wang Huning, PBSC member Secretary of the Central Secretariat, attended the opening
ceremony. Chen Xi presided over the opening ceremony, saying that 'General Secretary Xi
Jinping's important speech is full of ardent expectations for young cadres' and exhorted the
cadres 'to study and understand deeply, and truly internalize it in the heart and externalize it in
action; It is necessary to further learn, understand and implement Xi Jinping Thought on
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply comprehend the decisive
significance of the "Two Establishments", and effectively transform it into a high degree of
self-consciousness to resolutely achieve the "Two Maintenances", and transform it into forging
ahead in a new journey and making contributions'. Ding Xuexiang and Huang Kunming
attended the opening ceremony.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA--LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING CHAIRS POLITBURO STUDY SESSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping chaired the 37th Politburo 'Study Session' on human
rights in China and its development on February 25. Lu Guangjin, Secretary-General of the
Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies gave a lecture and explained the subject.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: NEW BOOK TITLED 'XI JINPING IN SHANGHAI' PUBLISHED Xinhua announced (March 2) that a new book: "Xi Jinping in Shanghai" has been published.
(Comment: Xi Jinping was Party Secretary there from March 2007- October 2007.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER HAN ZHENG PRESIDES OVER MEETING OF LEADING SMALL GROUP ON BRI Xinhua (February 24) reported that Politburo Standing Committee member and Vice Premier
Han Zheng chaired a meeting of the Belt and Road Construction Work Leading Small Group
on February 24, where he called for "conscientiously implementing the spirit of the important
speech of the General Secretary Xi Jinping at the third "Belt and Road" construction
symposium" and summarized the work in 2021 and approved the key tasks in 2022. Yang
Jiechi, Hu Chunhua, Wang Yi, Xiao Jie, He Lifeng and members of the leading group for
promoting the construction of the "Belt and Road" and "responsible comrades" from relevant
departments attended the meeting.
(Comment: The last time this Leading Small Group met was in January 2019.)
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES MAJOR ARTICLE BY CHEN YIXIN, SECRETARY GENERAL OF CCP CC PLAC The People's Daily (February 24)'s theory section published a major article by Chen Yixin,
Secretary General of the CCP CC Political-Legal Commission, on the Party's "self-revolution".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: CHINESE PROFESSORS CIRCULATE STATEMENT/PETITION CRITICISING RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE Five Chinese Professors from prestigious Chinese Universities, including Hongkong
University, issued a statement on February 26 on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: POLITBURO MEMBER ZHAO LEJI ADDRESSES CDIC STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING ON MARCH 28 Zhao Leji, Politburo Standing Committee member and Secretary of the CDIC, presided over
the 25th collective study meeting of the CDIC Standing Committee on February 28 around
"deepening the party history summary, study, education and publicity, and unswervingly
promoting the party's self-revolution".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY (MARCH 1) PUBLISHES MAJOR ARTICLE ON COMMON PROSPERITY QUOTING MAO A major article published by the People's Daily on March 1, on common prosperity article
quotes Mao in Oct 1955. The relevant paragraph says: 'In the early days of the founding of
New China, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Now we implement such a system and such
a plan, we can get richer and stronger year by year, and we can see that we can get richer and
stronger year by year. This wealth is common wealth, and this strength is common strength,
and everyone has a share.” After the reform and opening up, Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed
out: "The essence of socialism is to liberate productive forces, develop productive forces,
eliminate exploitation, eliminate polarization, and finally achieve common prosperity." The
fundamental principles of socialism."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-CYBER: CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION OF CHINA PUBLISHES DRAFT REGULATION S MAKING SERVICE PROVIDERS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT OF 'PUSH NOTIFICATIONS' The South China Morning Post (March 3) said the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC)
-- China’s powerful internet regulator -- has drafted a new law to restrict push notification on
topics such as sensitive news items, disasters, and celebrity gossip in a new effort from Beijing
to curb Big Tech’s power in shaping public discourse.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC DISCLOSES INVESTIGATIONS IMPLEMENTING 'POLITICAL SUPERVISION' INCLUDE UNDER 'TWO SAFEGUARDS' On March 2, the CDIC disclosed that it had investigated 32 cadres in January 2022 and 43 in
February 2022 up from 19 in January 2021 and 21 in February 2021.
The CDIC announced (February 26) that while implementing political supervision under the
"two safeguards" in 2021, it had interviewed 943,000 people and 55,000 were "held
accountable".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: VICE GOVERNOR OF HUBEI PROVINCE PLACED UNDER INVESTIGATION The CDIC announced (March 2) that Wang Dawei, Vice Governor of Liaoning Province, and
Director of the Provincial Public Security Department, is suspected of serious violations of
discipline and law and been placed under investigation. CDIC also announced (March 2) that
four new provincial-level managed cadres are under investigation today: Zhou Yongdi, former
member of the Party Group and Deputy Mayor of Weihai; Sun Bo, Secretary of the Party
Committee of Dongying Vocational College; Zhang Tianzhou, former Secretary of the
Standing Committee of the Longyan Municipal People's Congress; and Lei Zhiqiang, former
deputy general manager of Jiangsu Radio and Television Cable Information Network Co.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RELIGION: CHONGQING PARTY SECRETARY DELIVERS SPEECH AT CHONGQING RELIGIOUS WORK CONFERENCE AND CHONGQING PUBLICISES INSPECTION WORK he Chongqing Daily (February 26) reported that Chongqing Party Secretary and Politburo
member Chen Min'er attended the Municipality's Religious Work Conference on February 24
and delivered a speech where he emphasised it is necessary to deeply study and understand
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on religious work and fully implement
the party's basic policy on religious work and continue to create a new situation in our city's
religious work.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-HEILONGJIANG: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES LENGTHY ARTICLE BY HEILONGJIANG PARTY SECRETARY XU QIN ON 'TWO ESTABLISHMENTS' Heilongjiang Province Party Secretary Xu Qin authored a lengthy article on the decisive
significance of the 'two establishments' and what this means for Heilongjiang which was
published in the People's Daily's (March 2) Theory section.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CHINA'S GLOBAL TIMES SAYS CORN PRICES WILL RISE BUT CHINA IS SELF-SUFFICIENT IN GRAIN A Global Times (February 24) article said that while the conflict in Ukraine will affect
agricultural trade and push prices up, the impact on China will be limited.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-DEFENCE: NPC EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE 7 PER CENT GROWTH IN CHINA'S DEFENCE BUDGET ON MARCH 5 The Global Times (March 3) said that analysts and observers predict, ahead of China's
announcement of its defense budget for 2022, that China will likely continue to steadily
increase its military expenditure, at a rate possibly slightly faster than last year.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA NAVY TO HAND OVER 20 TYPE 056 CORVETTES TO CHINA COAST GUARD The Global Times (February 23) disclosed that the PLA Navy is handing over almost 20 Type
056 corvettes to the China Coast Guard. It said the Type 056 corvettes will be a very good
choice in coastal law enforcement after being customized. Chinese military analyst
Wei Dongxi said in the hands of the Coast Guard, the Type 056, taking advantage of its original
designed purpose as a warship, like its fast speed, can effectively safeguard China's key sea
regions, islands, and reefs.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA-SPONSORED AIIB ISSUES CAREFULLY WORDED SEEMINGLY NEUTRAL STATEMENT In a carefully worded seemingly neutral statement the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) issued a statement on March 3. The statement said "As the war in
Ukraine unfolds, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) extends its thoughts and
sympathy to everyone affected. Our hearts go out to all who are suffering. AIIB is a multilateral
organization created by an international treaty, and adherence to international law lies at the
very core of our institution. AIIB Management believes that multilateralism provides the best
framework for countries to cooperate in dealing with common challenges and supporting
development. Our Bank is actively monitoring the situation and assessing its impact on AIIB’s
operations and our members’ economies".
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CDIC DAILY CLAIMS SWIFT WILL LOSE CREDIBILITY An article in the CDIC Daily (March 1) argued that the SWIFT's influence will gradually
decline because of digital currencies and rival systems (mentions Russia's SPFS, Iran's SEPAM.
It added that its use as a sanctions tool makes SWIFT lose credibility
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TSAI ING-WEN ISSUES STATEMENT AFFIRMING TAIWAN WILL JOIN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA In a statement on February 25, 2022, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen issued a statement which
"strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine" and said Taiwan is also joining the
international economic sanctions against Russia. She also said that the situation concerning
Taiwan is different from that of Ukraine.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: GLOBAL TIMES ISSUES SHARP WARNING TO TAIWAN'S RULING DPP THE DAY AFTER RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE A lengthy sharply-worded Global Times editorial issued the day after Russia's invasion of
Ukraine on February 25 said, "As the situation in Ukraine is heating up, the Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) authority in Taiwan island has again popped into the spotlight,
claiming they "empathize with Ukraine's situation."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA CUTTING BACK ON COAL IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA IN WAKE OF WESTERN SANCTIONS Reuters (March 1) reported that Chinese traders are scaling back imports of Russian coal as
they struggle to secure financing from state banks worried about potential sanctions after
Russia invaded Ukraine, in early signs of supply disruption from the world's third-largest coal
seller. A China-based trader dealing in Russian coal was quoted saying "Most banks have
stopped issuing letters of credit after the SWIFT sanctions. As almost all contracts are dollardenominated, we have no other way to make the payment." China is Russia's largest coal buyer,
taking in more than 50 million tonnes of coal worth $7.4 billion last year via rail and sea from
Russia's Far East. Russia accounted for roughly 15% of China's total imports and was its second
largest supplier behind Indonesia. It said while some buyers could eventually resort to using
China's onshore clearing and settlement system, known as CIPS, overall purchases by China
have been muted since last week after Beijing cut the domestic price cap that makes coal
imports largely uneconomical.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE COMPANIES NOT STATING THEIR PLANS FOLLOWING SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA The South China Morning Post (March 1) observed that complying with Western sanctions on
Russia would run counter to the Chinese government’s official policy of opposing such
measures.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA Xu Qiyuan, Researcher of China Finance Forty Forum and Researcher and Deputy Director of
the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hou
Lei, Associate Researcher of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences, published an assessment of the impact of Western sanctions against Russia
in the 'China Finance Forty Forum on March 1 which was posted on the popular Chinese portal
weixin.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: THE UKRAINE CRISIS Bloomberg News (March 1) claimed that a research group that advises Chinese President Xi
Jinping said that sanctions levelled on Russia will ultimately cause more damage to the U.S.
and its allies. This input will be a factor as Beijing weighs how much backing to give its close
diplomatic partner. Ma Xue, an Associate Researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary
International Relations (CICIR) subordinate to the Ministry of State Security (MoSS), wrote in
an article published on social media on March 1 that Russia has largely adapted to dealing with
punitive financial measures since 2014, when it was penalized for seizing Crimea. Ma Xue,
said the US and European allies will wind up suffering for supporting Ukraine. He wrote “If
the Ukraine refugee crisis is not properly handled, this will be conducive for Russia to sow
hatred and sabotage NATO. The fierce debate on refugee problems inside Europe could also
damage its unity at crucial moments.”
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: XI JINPING SUMMONS HK CHIEF EXECUTIVE CARRIE LAM TO BEIJING Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng summoned Carrie Lam to Shenzhen on February 15, to pass
on a direct order from Xi Jinping: Bring Covid under control before Xi's planned visit to mark
the 25th handover anniversary.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: 5-MEMBER U.S. DELEGATION SUDDENLY VISITS TAIWAN AND JAPAN ON MARCH 2 US President Joe Biden suddenly sent a five-member delegation led by Mike Mullen, former
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Taiwan, in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,
for an about 30 hours stopover. The former Taiwanese legislator Shen Fu-hsiung pointed out
in a Facebook analysis on March 2 that "strategic ambiguity" was considered by many to be
beneficial to Taiwan in the past, but from the experience of Ukraine, it was a big mistake.
Mentioning "strategic clarity" he also said that he believes that "the arrival of the five-member
delegation may be a step in this direction", depending on who they meet in Japan
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-US: CASS RESEARCHER SAYS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY OUT OF TOUCH WITH AMERICAN SOCIETY An article by Wei Nanzhi, CASS researcher at the Xi Jinping Thought Research Centre, in the
Guangming Daily (February 26)'s theory section said that "American-style representative
democracy is out of touch with American society". It said, "Everything is for winning the
election" rather than "everything is for the common good", and the American-style
representative democracy that is out of touch with American society is bound to be in deep
crisis."
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: UKRAINE'S CONSUL GENERAL IN SHANGHAI PROTESTS QUESTIONING OF UKRAINIAN NATIONALS BY SHANGHAI AUTHORITIES In early March the Ukrainian Consulate General in Shanghai in a note to the Shanghai
Municipality Foreign Affairs Office, the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of
Anhui Province, the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Jiangxi Province
and the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Fujian Province conveyed that it
had 'received many reports from Ukrainian citizens living abroad that Ukrainian citizens are
interviewed by the police or by people presenting themselves as police or being interviewed on
the telephone by police or Chinese police.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: VOTING AT UNSC ON RESOLUTION CONDEMNING RUSSIA China abstained at the voting in the UNSC on the resolution condemning Russia. The voting
was as follows:
Yes- United States - United Kingdom - France - Norway - Ireland - Albania - Gabon - Mexico
- Brazil - Ghana - Kenya
No - Russia
Abstain - China - India - United Arab Emirates
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPAN PRESS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FINDS ONLY 26.3 PER CENT HAVE FAVOURABLE OPINION IN JAPAN ABOUT CHINA The Japanese news service Jiji on February 27 said that in the annual survey, conducted by
Japan Press Research Institute in six countries in November-December 2021, 26.3% of people
in China said that they feel close to Japan, down by 13.4 percentage points from the previous
survey. The drop was largest on record. As reasons, personnel in charge of the research in
China cited Japanese politicians’ remarks about Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade
province, and a decrease in the amount of favourable information on Japan in line with
suspension of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to officials of the institute.
Mar 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CHAIRS POLITBURO MEETING ON FEBRUARY 25 Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a Politburo meeting on February 25. The meeting
discussed the draft of the "Government Work Report" that the State Council plans to submit to
the Fifth Session of the Thirteenth National People's Congress for deliberation, the
"Comprehensive Report on the Eighth Round of Central Inspections" and "Report on the Key
Work of the Central Inspection Leading Group in 2021". The Xinhua report (February 25) on
the meeting said it had stated that "It is necessary to strengthen the atmosphere of
comprehensive and strict governance of the party, implement the "two responsibilities",
strengthen the supervision of the "top leader" and the leading group, and carry out special
rectifications for typical common problems such as violations of the spirit of the eight central
regulations and the "revolving door" of politics and business". A Politburo 'Study session' will
be held on February 26.
(Comment: The last Politburo study session was held on January 24. It is interesting that the
Xinhua report called for strengthening "the supervision of the "top leader" and the leading
group".)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING APPEARS IN PUBLIC AT CLOSING CEREMONY OF BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, along with Party and State leaders such as Chinese
Premier Li Keqiang, PBSC members, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han
Zheng, Vice President Wang Qishan, and IOC President Bach attended the closing ceremony
of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 20 wearing a face mask. Xinhua said that members
of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee in Beijing, Secretary of the Secretariat
of the CCP Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress, State Councillors, President of the Supreme People's Court, Chief
Procurator of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Vice Chairman of the National Committee
of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing and members of the
Central Military Commission attended the closing ceremony.
(Comment: Xi Jinping has made a personal appearance in public after a number of days.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: THEORY AND PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT OF PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES AN IMPORTANT ARTICLE ON 'TWO ESTABLISHMENTS' AND XI JINPING The Theory and Propaganda Department of the CCP's official newspaper People's Daily
published (February 23) an important article under its signature 'Ren Lixuan' (任理轩)
captioned 'Deeply grasp the "two establishments" and resolutely achieve "two maintenances"
(in-depth study and implementation of the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC
Central Committee)'.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XINHUA'S 8TH COMMENTARY EXPLAINS XI JINPING'S THOUGHT ON MILITARY Xinhua (February 20) published its 8th 'Commentary on "Ten Clarifications" Highlighting the
New Leap of the Sinicization of Marxism' - this time on the military - captioned "Building a
People's Army That Follows the Party's Commands and Can Win Battles with Excellent Style".
It declared "It is clear that the party's goal of strengthening the army in the new era is to build
a people's army that obeys the party's command, can win battles, and has a good work style,
and build the people's army into a world-class army" and that "The country is big, and nothing
is more important than the army." Stating that "A strong country must have a strong army, and
a strong army can lead to national security", it gave a chronology of the PLA's reorganisation.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: CHINA'S OFFICIAL MEDIA PUBLISH BRIEF REPORTS ON DEVELOPMENTS IN UKRAINE The People's Daily, Chongqing Daily and Beijing Daily published a number of articles and
photographs on the developments in Ukraine on February 25. One report in the Beijing Daily
predicts that the Ukraine situation will interfere with US mid-term elections.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-SICHUAN: SICHUAN PARTY SECRETARY WRITES ARTICLE ON "TWO ESTABLISHMENTS" IN CENTRAL PARTY SCHOOL'S STUDY TIMES The Sichuan Party Secretary Peng Qinghua penned a big article for the Central Party School's
'Study Times', which was reprinted in the Sichuan Daily on February 22. The article was
captioned: "Deeply grasp the "two establishments" and resolutely achieve the "two
maintenances", and constantly draw wisdom from the party's century-old struggle. and power".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-XINJIANG: XINJIANG PARTY SECRETARY MA XINGRUI CHAIRS AUTONOMOUS REGION'S RELIGIOUS WORK CONFERENCE Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region Party Secretary Ma Xingrui held an Autonomous
Region Religious Work Conference in Urumqi on February 21. In his speech Ma Xingrui
emphasised the need to thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's
important expositions on religious work, implement the spirit of the National Conference on
Religious Work and the Third Central Xinjiang Work Symposium, adhere to the direction of
Sinicization of China's religion, and actively guide Xinjiang's Islam to adapt to the socialist
society, and strive to open up a new situation for Xinjiang's religious work in a new era.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TIBET: TAR DISCIPLINE INSPECTION COMMISSION STANDING COMMITTEE MEETS ON FEBRUARY 22 The CDIC Daily (February 22) reported that the TAR Disciplinary Commission Standing
Committee recently held its meeting, which 'emphasised that it is necessary to deeply grasp the
responsibilities and tasks of the discipline inspection and supervision organs in promoting the
party's self-revolution, to be sober and firm on the road forever, and to persevere to
comprehensively Strictly govern the party to advance in depth, and constantly realize the
strategic goal of not being corrupt, not being corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt'. It revealed
that in 2021, the discipline inspection and supervision organs of the Tibet Autonomous Region
will adhere to the principle of no restricted areas, full coverage, and zero tolerance, and insist
on heavy containment, strong pressure, and long deterrence. They will deal with 6,869 clues, a
year-on-year increase of 41.3%, and file 1,814 cases, punish 1,788 people, and transfer them
to prosecutors. There were 73 people in the agency, an increase of 28.3%, 8.3%, and 69.8%
year-on-year respectively; 304 party members and cadres at the county level and above were
registered, a year-on-year increase of 29.4%, including 38 district management cadres; 321
"top leaders" at all levels were investigated and punished.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RELIGION: HUBEI PROVINCIAL RELIGIOUS WORK CONFERENCE RESOLVES TO PROMOTE SINICIZATION OF RELIGION Hubei Province Party Secretary Ying Yong chaired the Hubei Provincial Religious Work
Conference held on February 18, which emphasised that it is necessary to thoroughly study and
implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on religious work and the
spirit of the National Religious Work Conference and "solidly promote" the "Hubei Practice"
of the Sinicization of religion. Ying Yong emphasised that "to promote the "Hubei practice" of
the sinicization of religion in our country, we should make good use of our province's religious
and cultural resources, and guide religious people and believers to further strengthen the "five
identities". It is necessary to guide all religious groups in the province to explore and formulate
a standard system and code of conduct for promoting the sinicization of religions in China".
The meeting resolved it will construct a research team on Marxist religious studies.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ZHEJIANG: ZHIJIANG RIBAO CLAIMS 'XI JINPING IN ZHEJIANG' HAS SOLD OVER 5 MILLION COPIES AND HIGHLIGHTS HIS "CARE FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE" An article in the Zhejiang Ribao (February 21) captioned "Make good use of precious wealth
to shoulder the mission" reported that over 5 million copies of "Xi Jinping in Zhejiang" have
been sold. The article mentioned Xi Jinping 22 times and said the interview series
"demonstrates Comrade Xi Jinping's superb ideological and theoretical level, macro decisionmaking level, and outstanding political control". It quoted Teng Mingya, member of the
Standing Committee of the Nanhu District Committee of Jiaxing City and Head of the
Organization Department, as saying that "Xi Jinping in Zhejiang" shows "Comrade Xi Jinping's
in-depth thinking on how to strengthen party building under the new situation, and is an
important guiding ideology and action guide for party building work in Zhejiang. . "The Red
Boat of the Chinese Revolution set sail from Nanhu. We must faithfully support the 'Two
Establishments' and resolutely implement the 'Two Maintenances' into the party building work
in the new era, guard the 'red roots', and make every effort to build the side of the Red Boat'
Party building highlands' golden business card." She added "What he cares most about is the
grassroots, and what he cares most about is the common people." "He has a very deep affection
for the common people, and he goes to the countryside whenever he has the opportunity." The
general secretary has a deep and pragmatic work style and sincere and simple feelings for the
people."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CHONGQING: PARTY SCHOOL OF CHONGQING MUNICIPAL PARTY COMMITTEE HOLDS SEMINAR FOR STUDY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF 'SPIRIT' OF SIXTH PLENARY SESSION The Chongqing Daily (February 19) reported that a seminar on the study and implementation
of the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CCP Central Committee was held from
February 16th to 18th, at the Party School of the Municipal Party Committee. It said the
students who participated in the seminar further strengthened their political determination to
resolutely achieve the "two safeguards" and ideological determination. It said the seminar
stressed on "Loyalty core, maintenance core" and to "Transform the political achievements of
the "two establishments" into the political consciousness of resolutely achieving the "two
maintenances". the newspaper report stated: "The Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping as
the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party, and has established
the guiding position of Xi Jinping's new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which
reflects the common aspiration of the entire Party, the army, and the people of all ethnic groups
in the country."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: RETIRED CHINESE OFFICIAL HOPES THAT XI JINPING IS DENIED A THIRD TERM AT THE PARTY CONGRESS A retired former Chinese Commerce Ministry official wrote on February 18 that '2022 now
seems likely to be the year of all-out globalisation crisis; it hence may also be the beginning of
rebuilding the global order in the post-epidemic era. 2022 is already very important; a key
factor is that Xi Jinping will use the 20th National Party Congress to break the term limit,
cementing his life-long dictatorship'.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: US-BASED DISSIDENT WANG DAN ASSERTS THAT CHINA'S 'ZERO COVID' POLICY BEING USED IN XI JINPING'S BID FOR LIFELONG TERM AT 20TH PARTY CONGRESS US-based Chinese dissident Wang Dan, who protested at Tiananmen in 1989 and was exiled,
has written an article in 'Dialogue China' (February 15) asserting that "Zero Covid" is not really
about health.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: PARTY ANTI-CORRUPTION WATCHDOG CDIC ANNOUNCES THAT SENIOR PARTY OFFICIALS EXPELLED FROM CCP OR UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR CORRUPTION On February 18 and 19 the CCDIC announced the expulsions from the CCP of Xue Heng,
former Deputy Secretary and Vice Chairman of the Liaoning Provincial Political Consultative
Conference for, among other things, selling posts and interfering in judicial activities; Sun Yun,
former Deputy Secretary-General of the Yunnan Provincial People's Government and member
of the Party Group of the General Office for, among other things, "illegally flying first class,
business class, and receiving gifts"; and Lu Shicheng, former member of the Party Group and
Deputy Director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Education Department; among other things
for playing mahjong , mistresses etc. It announced that the following officials had been placed
under investigation for corruption including other violations of Party discipline: Bai Hao, the
former Deputy Head of the Jiangjin District Government of Chongqing and the former Director
of the District Public Security Bureau; Wang Shunsheng, the former Vice Chairman of the
Zhengzhou Political Consultative Conference; Wu Weihua, a member of the Party Group and
Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Geological Bureau, for "suspected serious
violations of discipline and law"; and Li Guohua, former Deputy Secretary of the Party Group
and General Manager of China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd., who has
accepted the review and investigation of the CDIC and the State Supervision Commission.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CHINESE SCIENTISTS HAVE DEVELOPED NEW SEATOLERANT RICE STRAINS Bloomberg (February 19) reported that scientists from China's 'Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant
Rice Research and Development Center, have developed new salt-tolerant rice strains in the
hope of ensuring food security that’s been threatened by rising sea levels, increasing grain
demand and supply chain disruptions. Known as “seawater rice” because it’s grown in salty
soil near the sea, the strains were created by over-expressing a gene from selected wild rice
that’s more resistant to saline and alkali. Test fields in Tianjin—the municipality that
encompasses Jinghai—recorded a yield of 4.6 metric tons per acre last year. The breakthrough
comes as China searches for ways to secure domestic food and energy supplies as global
warming and geopolitical tensions make imports less reliable.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-EDUCATION & S&T: CDIC DAILY DISCLOSES APID STRIDES MADE BY CHINA IN SELECTING STUDENTS AND TRAINING HIGH LEVEL TALENT The CDIC Daily (February 20) disclosed that since the 18th Party Congress, China's Human
Resources and Social departments at all levels have organised and implemented a series of
leading talent selection and training projects and high-level talent introduction projects. It said
a total of 22 batches of personnel enjoying special government allowances have been selected,
with a total of 187,000 people, and the total number of returnees from overseas studies has
exceeded 4 million. Among them are 280,000 postdoctoral fellows. It noted that the number of
high-level scientists in chemistry, materials, engineering science, life science and other
disciplines has grown rapidly bringing China to the forefront of the world. It added that the
"2021 Global Innovation Index Report" shows that China's ranking has risen rapidly from the
29th in 2015 to the 12th.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CAIXIN ANTICIPATES CHINA'S GDP IN 2022 COULD BE OFFICIALLY SET AT 5 OR 5.5 PER CENT Caixin (February 18) disclosed that each of China's 31 provincial-level governments have announced their growth targets and policy goals for the new year when delivering their annual work reports to local legislatures. It said the majority have set lower goals for 2022 than in the previous year.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA--ECONOMY: CHINESE MAGAZINE QUOTES CHINESE ECONOMIST JUSTIN YIFU LIN AS SAYING AGEING NEED NOT MEAN LOWER GROWTH RATES The Chinese magazine "K 36" published (February 18) an excerpt from "The Prospects of
China's Economy", authored by Justin Yifu Lin, a reputed Chinese economist, and former
World Bank Chief Economist. It quoted Justin Yifu Lin as saying "2021 is a very important
node.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: JACK MA BEING INVESTIGATED AGAIN Bloomberg (February 23) reported that China is again scrutinising founder Jack Ma’s financial
empire. Banking regulators recently told the biggest state-owned banks and firms to report all
their financial exposure to Ant, its subsidiaries and even its shareholders.
(Comment: Consequent to the Ant Group Co.’s US$ 35 billion initial public offering having
been cancelled at the last minute 16 months ago and Jack Ma having stepped down from all his
positions, it is not clear why he is being investigated again.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE GOVERNMENT ISSUES GUIDELINES ENCOURAGING LEADING ENTERPRISES TO MERGE AND BUILD WORLDCLASS MEGA STEEL ENTERPRISES On February 7, China's Ministry of Industry, and Information Technology and three other
departments in China issued a “Guidance on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the
Iron and Steel Industry", hereinafter referred to as the Guidance. It clearly encourages leading
enterprises in the industry to implement mergers and reorganizations to build several worldclass mega steel enterprise groups. The Guidance makes concrete arrangements for steel
industry mergers and reorganizations. One to two specialized pilot enterprises will be formed
relying on the leading enterprises in stainless steel, special steel, seamless steel tubes, castings,
and other fields, respectively. The Guidance mentioned that those enterprises that have
completed the mergers and reorganizations will be given capacity replacement policy support
during their smelting project construction. The Guidance also encourages Chinese financial
institutions actively to offer integrated financial services to those steel enterprises which
implement mergers and reorganizations, layout adjustments, transformation and upgrading
based on risk-controlled, commercially sustainable principles. Li Xinchuang, Chief Engineer
of the Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, said that the concentration in the
domestic steel industry is still less than 40 percent. China’s steel industry has now ushered in
an important window of mergers and reorganizations and a period of historic opportunity.
Given the background that the output of the iron and steel industry has entered the peak
platform area, it is the key to the healthy and high-quality development of the industry to
intensify the merger and reorganization of iron and steel and improve the concentration of the
industry.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLES CRITICAL OF INDIA The Global Times (February 20) criticised India for signing an FTA with the UAE and said it
was because of the pressure caused by the RCEP. It also compared India with Pakistan and
citing the CPEC as example claimed it is favourable to foreign investment and invites 100 per
cent foreign investment in a wide range of sectors. It concludes by saying "India is very likely
to face severe challenges if it cannot shake off of its fear of outside competition."
Another Global Times (February 20) article said that "Indian External Affairs Minister
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently has twice mentioned the China-India border dispute on a
multilateral occasion at which China was not present. New Delhi may try to exploit the force
of the international community to embolden itself and further play with fire on the border issue.
Such a dangerous tendency is what China needs to be wary of."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN-UKRAINE: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE ASSERTS THAT TAIWAN'S FATE MUST BE DECIDED BY CHINA AND WARNS IT AGAINST BECOMING A PAWN OF THE U.S. In an article captioned 'Associating Taiwan with Ukraine is a trap ‘in the Global Times
(Chinese edition) on February 15, Cui Hongjian, Director of the European Institute of the China
Institute of International Studies, described "The Ukraine crisis, in which the United States,
Russia and Europe are deeply involved, has become the biggest geopolitical hotspot at the
moment." He added "At the same time, it has also become a “right and wrong place” that some
people have too much imagination. One of them is to compare the Ukraine crisis with the
Taiwan issue.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO UN SAYS NATO ENLARGEMENT CANNOT BE OVERLOOKED WHEN DEALING WITH CURRENT TENSIONS RELATED TO UKRAINE Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on February 23 slammed the U.S. as
"the culprit of current tensions" and criticized Washington for sending weapons to Ukraine.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE ANALYSTS ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE UKRAINE CRISIS AND SAY IT SHOULD BE RESOLVED THROUGH NEGOTIATION In an article (February 22) posted on the US' Stimson Centre website, Yun Sun, Senior Fellow
at the Stimson Centre, wrote that "If Crimea serves as a precedent, China will remain silent on
the issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity, which in reality translates into a tacit
recognition of the altered status quo without publicly stating so". She explained that "There are
several nuanced differences in China’s position this time around, however.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-MONGOLIA: MONGOLIA ARRESTS CITIZEN APPARENTLY AT CHINA'S REQUEST Southern Mongolia Watch reported February 21) that on February 17, 2022, at around 3:00
PM, Mr. Munkhbayar Chuluundorj, a citizen of the independent country of Mongolia who has
long supported the Southern (Inner) Mongolian cause, was arrested by the General Intelligence
Agency (GIA) of Mongolia in the capital city Ulaanbaatar. According to a press conference
held by the GIA on Friday, “Receiving instructions and accepting funds from a foreign
intelligence organization, Mongolian citizen Munkhbayar Chuluundorj has engaged in
activities of illegal cooperation [with the foreign intelligence organization]” and was “arrested
in action.” The GIA did not disclose at whose behest the arrest was carried out.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: XINHUA'S REFERENCE NEWS PUBLISHED ON ITS FRONT PAGE A MAJOR ARTICLE ON NIXON-MAO SUMMIT On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Mao-Nixon meeting in Beijing, Xinhua's high
circulation Reference News published (February 17) a major article on the Nixon-Mao Summit
on its front page.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: US CONGRESS AND US ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERING TOUGHER MEASURES TO CONTROL US INVESTMENTS IN CHINA AND OF CHINESE START-UPS The US newspaper Politico (February 19) reported that the US Congress is considering
legislation allowing the government to screen American investments in China and other
adversarial nations — and potentially deny them if a project threatens national security. At the
same time, the White House is talking about issuing executive orders to increase scrutiny of
American funding for Chinese start-ups and technology firms, expanding a ban that today only
exists for a select group of firms aligned with the Chinese military. Supporters say they are
necessary to stop American banks from funding China’s technological development and
prevent U.S. supply chains from being reliant on Beijing for goods used in critical industries,
like medicine, energy, and defense. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who is leading a bill with
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) said “We’re in an economic war, whether we want to use that
language [or not]. I think it requires that we examine some issues that maybe 10 or 15 years
ago we didn’t have to worry about.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: EPOCH TIMES PUBLISHES LIST OF BIOTECH, GENOMICS AND MED-TECH FIRMS WITH LINKS TO CCP OPERATING IN U.S. The Epoch Times (February 7) published an article pointing out that a growing number of
biotech, genomics, and med-tech firms that have ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
are operating in the United States, raising security concerns about American citizens’ medical
and genetic data.
The article listed several Chinese companies as examples:
China’s Lepu Biopharma Co. 0pened its U.S. branch Innocube Bioscience, Inc. in Texas.
Beijing’s sovereign wealth fund, the State Development, and Investment Corporation (SDIC),
heavily invests in Lepu.
BeiGene, a Chinese pharmaceutical and research firm located in San Mateo, California,
conducts research on targeted molecular agents related to gene sequencing. The company’s
research center in China has received significant local government funding.
The PLA-linked BGI Group purchased Complete Genomics, a California-based company that
holds the genetic information of U.S. citizens. Several of China’s sovereign wealth funds have
invested in the company.
The Chinese firm WuXi Pharma Tech acquired U.S. genomic information company
NextCODE Health in 2015.
Also In 2015, IuXi Biologics, bought a stake in an American DNA testing company, andMe.
WuXi Biologics now has locations in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Its drug plant in
Delaware was built with a Chinese government grant.
WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU) announced the opening of a cell and gene therapy
testing facility in the Philadelphia Navy Yard in November 2021.
The article also said that U.S. money has aided the CCP’s infiltration of the U.S. bio and
medical industries. Last month, Chinese firm Andon Health Co. received a $1.28 billion
contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command to supply COVID-19 self-test kits. A
subsidiary of Andon, iHealth Labs, signed a contract with the New York State Department of
Health in December for $120 million worth of self-test kits
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG CHAIRS STATE COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING Chinese Premier Li Keqiang chaired a meeting of the State Council Standing Committee on
February 14. Xinhua reported that the State Council had accepted more than 4,300 suggestions
from the NPC, which submitted 8,666 proposals and the CPPCC, which submitted 5,718
proposals in 2021, and issued 1,600 policies and measures. The State Council discussed NPC
and CPPCC deputies' proposals and the employment situation and concluded that the "stable
recovery of industry" is not solid
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: NEW BOOK OF The 1st volume of a new book of "Xi Jinping's Collected Letters" has been published. The book
includes a letter written in 2014 to the villagers of Liangjiahe in Shaanxi province, where Xi
spent the Cultural Revolution years.
(Comment: The title implies more volumes to come.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-STATE COUNCIL: STATE COUNCIL RELEASES 'NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM PLAN' CCTV (February 14) announced that the State Council recently issued the "14th Five-Year
Plan" National Emergency Response System Plan, which comprehensively deploys work
safety, disaster prevention, mitigation and relief during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The
"Plan" proposes that by 2025, significant progress will be made in the modernization of the
emergency management system and capabilities
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY STARTS PUBLISHING COMMENTARY SERIES ON CHINESE SOCIALISM GETTING The People's Daily (February 16) published its second commentary of a series entitled "Ten
Clarifications" - The road of socialism with Chinese characteristics is getting wider and wider".
The commentaries highlight "the new leap" in the Sinicization of Marxism and Xi Jinping's
leadership. The People's Daily commentaries are being reproduced in all major newspapers of
China. Its third commentary on the "10 clears", published on February 16 is a refresher from
the Party History Resolution and the fourth published on February 17 similarly clarifies the 4th
of Xi Jinping's Thoughts on Party History.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: SENIOR CADRE OF TIBET SOE EXPELLED FROM CCP The CDIC official website announced on February 17 that Zhao Ming, the 1975-born former
Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Tibet Communications Development Group,
had been expelled from the CCP among other things for "illegally setting up and using an "off
book accounts""
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF LEADING CADRES DISCLOSING PERSONAL MATTERS he Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) newspaper, CDIC Daily (February 14)
published an important article on the "Regulations on the Reporting of Personal Matters by
Leading Cadres", highlighting the importance of leading cadres "disclosing personal matters".
It reminded Party members and cadres that "whether or not to report personal matters to the
party organization truthfully is the touchstone to test whether the leading cadres are loyal and
honest to the party." It mentioned that 2021 was the first year of institutionalization of the
"sweep away black and eliminate evil" campaign and that since the beginning of 2022, 3
leading cadres are already under investigation for failing to do this. It also listed 9,931 cases of
corruption and "protection umbrella" (where officials protect criminals) issues and dealt with
other issues related to "gangsterism". A number of provincial cadres were mentioned. The
article cautioned cadres to voluntarily disclose their dealings in real estate, stock investment,
running businesses, and going abroad as "In the era of big data, there are advanced
technological means, and the traces of your crime will never be erased. The organization is
very insightful and very clear about all this. So, you want to be clever and be smart, but you
will be punished. A stupid thing that is clever and wrong is actually stealing the bell." It asserted
that the instructions include their "marriage, spouse, children emigration, employment, income,
real estate, investment and other matters".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: A 40,000-CHINESE CHARACTER ARTICLE (MONOGRAPH) RELEASED BY TWO CHINESE AUTHORS ON THE EVE OF THE BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS UNSPARINGLY CASTIGATED XI JINPING A 40,000-Chinese character monograph titled ‘An Objective Evaluation of Xi Jinping’ (客觀
評價習近平 ) authored by Chinese writing under the pseudonym ‘Fang Zhou & China’ (方舟
與中國 - literally ‘China & Its Ark’) was released in late January and is the first public salvo
of criticism in China in 2022. Commentators in the independent Chinese media quickly pointed
out that Fang Zhou’s damning round-up was released on the eve of the 2022 Winter Olympics
in Beijing, an event staged in part as a celebration of Xi Jinping. A translation of the article, or
monograph, by Geremie R. Barme reveals that it severely castigated Xi Jinping and his
performance in a number of areas. It asserted: "Xi will be the architect of his own defeat. His
style of governance is simply unsustainable; it will generate ever newer and greater policy
missteps. That he has been able to get this far is a testament both to Xi’s obduracy and also his
inertia, a kind of helplessness fuelled by the fact that he will not back down on any front. The
truth of the matter is that he has never really been bolstered by sincerely held core beliefs; he
is sustained by his political instincts. Some people in the Party have his measure. They make a
show of total compliance and they even encourage his wilfulness. They commandeer access to
him and have proved masterful at putting the best face on the consequences of his political
follies. In reality, they are guiding him towards an impossible predicament while letting all the
frustrations and fury that his policies create focus on him and him alone. When the time comes,
he will bear sole responsibility for the quagmire at the heart of China’s cyclical authoritarian
politics". The article says in conclusion: "Even if by some remarkable sleight of hand, he
manages to secure another term in office he will still be faced by a landscape riven by problems
and an inevitable rout in the year 2027. He’s caught up in a monomaniacal fantasy that realworld politics can actually be based upon the kind of abstract ideal that he holds dear. His
circumstances are not all that different from those experienced by Yuan Shikai, whose
autocratic mindset and imperial ambitions were frustrated by the reality of the times. Well may
Xi Jinping inwardly regard himself as the greatest ruler in all of Chinese history but, sooner or
later, he will learn that this is a chimera. The chasm between Xi Jinping’s hubristic self-belief
and stark reality is his Achilles heel. Xi Jinping may well end up as a lonely figure; his
comeuppance is unavoidable".
(Comment: I am attempting a detailed translation and a summary will follow separately.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CHINA'S EDUCATION DAILY STRESSES BUILDING OF PARTY LEADERSHIP IN UNIVERSITIES China Education Daily (February 15) runs two articles on the building of world class
universities and their new mission and requirements. It emphasises that they have a "New
orientation, new mission, and new requirements" in higher education. The article highlighted
that "the person in charge said that first, the party's leadership over colleges and universities
has been comprehensively strengthened, and second, the building (construction) of high-level
teachers has made significant progress. The third is to continuously improve the ability to
cultivate high-level talents to serve the needs of the country; the fourth is to further improve
the ability to serve the country's scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement;
the fifth is to fully demonstrate the role of the main force in philosophy and social sciences;
Continue to improve, and eighth is to demonstrate and drive the new development of regional
higher education". The Education Daily said there are 147 universities in the list announced
this time, and 7 new universities including Shanxi University, Nanjing Medical University,
Xiangtan University, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou Medical University,
Southern University of Science and Technology, and Shanghai University of Science and
Technology have been added. Among the disciplines, there are 59 basic disciplines such as
mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, 180 engineering disciplines, and 92 philosophy
and social science disciplines. The disciplines independently set up by Peking University and
Tsinghua University have been announced by themselves. The South China Morning Post
(February 16) clarified that “The aim is for more Chinese institutions and specialisms to rank
among the world’s best by 2030, and the country to be a global education power by 2035”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA- GOVERNMENT: CHINA'S SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT MOVING TOWARDS DIGITISATION Supreme People's Court Chief Justice Zhou Qiang met China Mobile CEO Yang Jie, to discuss
about smart courts and informatization and digitization, smart "trial" and "office". He promised
to push for further integration. Separately, the CDIC Daily (February 15) published the 33rd
batch of Supreme People's Procuratorate Guiding Cases which revealed that "11,150 cases
were filed and 14,217 people were punished in 53 centrally management enterprises, an
increase of 27.1% and 20.8% compared with 2020".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TIANJIN: TIANJIN COMMENCES ITS CPPCC MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11 Tianjin starts its "two meetings" after a delay due to COVID-19. The Tianjin Daily (February
11) reported on the fifth meeting of the 14th Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) that opened in the Tianjin Auditorium on
February 11. Tianjin Party Secretary Li Hongzhong, Secretary of the Municipal Party
Committee, Liao Guoxun, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor,
and Duan Chunhua, Director of the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress
attended. Sheng Maolin, Chairman of the CPPCC, presented the work report on behalf of the
Standing Committee of the 14th Tianjin Committee of the CPPCC. Vice Chairman of the
CPPCC Cao Xiaohong, Gao Yubao, Shang Binyi, Zhao Zhonghua, Zhang Jinying, Qi Chengxi,
Wang Jianguo and Secretary-General Gao Xuezhong were seated in the front row of the
rostrum. Li Changjin, vice chairman of the CPPCC, was entrusted by the Standing Committee
of the CPPCC to make a report on the proposal work since the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC.
Li Shaohong, vice chairman of the CPPCC, presided over the meeting. 583 members of the
total 704 members attended the fifth meeting of the 14th CPPCC.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CHONGQING: PARTY SECRETARY OF CHONGQING CHEN MIN'ER ADDRESSES SIXTH WORKING MEETING OF CHONGQING MUNICIPAL PARTY COMMITTEE The Chongqing Daily (February 12) On February 11, the sixth working meeting of the
Municipal People's Congress was held. Chen Miner, Secretary of the Municipal Party
Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He emphasized that it is necessary to
conscientiously study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on
adhering to and improving the system of the people's congress, effectively strengthen the
party's overall leadership over the work of the people's congress, further strengthen and
improve the work of the people's congress in our city in the new era, and continuously develop
people's democracy throughout the process. Vigorously promote the construction of socialist
democratic politics, provide a strong guarantee for Chongqing to write a new chapter of highquality development and high-quality life, and comprehensively build socialist modernization.
He added it is necessary to fully implement the Constitution, safeguard its authority and dignity,
strictly abide by, and implement it, and strengthen the supervision of the Constitution. Deputy
Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor Hu Henghua presided over the meeting,
Zhang Xuan, Director of the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress,
delivered a speech, Wang Jiong, Chairman of the CPPCC, Wu Cunrong, Deputy Secretary of
the Municipal Party Committee, Member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party
Committee, and relevant municipal leaders attended the meeting.
(Comment: Chen Min'er's speech included 5 references to Xi Jinping.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: AS WEALTH EXPANDS IN CHINA "COMMON PROSPERITY" IS BEING TOUTED AS A MEANS TO REDUCE INEQUALITY Reuters (February 16) cited a report (February 16) by the Swiss Bank, UBS (UBSG.S), which
said China's drive for "common prosperity" to ease inequality could be a positive catalyst for
the local wealth management industry, as it leads to expansion of the middle-income group and
healthy development of capital markets. The UBS also said the wealth management market in
China could hit 214 trillion yuan ($34 trillion) in investable assets by high net worth individuals
in 2030. Stating that the "Common prosperity" policy drive by President Xi Jinping has sparked
some concerns as Beijing the UBS report said concerns about policy uncertainties amid
Beijing's "aim to 'reasonably regulate and adjust excessively high income'" could boost demand
for geographic diversification and offshore asset allocation by high net worth individuals.
Reuters mentioned that the number of high net worth individuals in China has jumped from 0.3
million in 2008 to 2.6 million in 2020, adding the growth was still the primary driver for the
rise in overall investable assets.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: GUANGMING DAILY SAYS DIGITAL ECONOMY WILL EXACERBATE INCOME INEQUALITY AND ADVOCATES DIGITAL TAX A major Guangming Daily (February 15) article on the digital economy and common
prosperity asserted that the tenth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Commission
in August 2021 made comprehensive and specific arrangements for common prosperity, and
the Central Economic Work Conference in December 2021 stipulated further "clear
requirements for the guiding ideology and practice path of common prosperity". It said the two
cannot be separated and "the digital economy will not alleviate but exacerbate the income
distribution gap", and advocated introduction of a "digital tax" to help with that. It called for
speeding up the establishment of an income distribution system and added that "Preventing and
defusing major financial risks, especially preventing the occurrence of systemic financial risks,
is the core task of financial work and the eternal theme of financial work".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S NDRC UNVEILS SUPPORT FOR 10.76 MILLION COLLEGE STUDENTS GRADUATING THIS YEAR The South China Morning Post (February 14) reported that China's National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on February 11 that China is rolling out support for
a record 10.76 million college students poised to graduate this year. It said the government will
offer special help to young entrepreneurs as “starting a new business has a multiplier effect in
driving up employment”. The NDRC statement said: “In recent years, more college graduates
have taken part in entrepreneurship, but they also face difficulties in financing, lack of
experiences and services among other [issues]. The exemplary activities this year will revolve
around the promotion of college graduates’ entrepreneurial practices and employment
opportunities.” The list of preferential policies includes free, government-funded start-up
incubators, special loans with reduced interest rates, fee, and tax cuts, as well as the possibility
for college students to retain school credits while taking years off to start a business. The
assistance does not include those who graduated from overseas universities and are returning
home.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE COMPANIES LISTED ON CHINA'S STOCK MARKETS POST HEAVY LOSSES FOR 2021 IN END JANUARY 2022 The Epoch Times (February 4) reported that Chinese companies listed on China’s stock
markets – either the Shanghai stock exchange or the Shenzhen stock exchange – are required
to report their profits and losses from 2021 by the end of January. Thus, many companies with
big losses submitted their information on January 28, the last trading day in January.
Suning.com Co had the largest loss, around 43.3 billion yuan (US $6.8 billion), more than the
company’s market cap of 36.4 billion yuan. The company was on the Fortune 500 list in August
2021 and ranked number one among the Chinese retail companies. The second largest loss was
from China Fortune Land Development, a real estate developer, with an estimated loss of 33.1
to 39.1 billion yuan. Caixin reported that, by January 29, out of the 66 real estate companies
which published their 2021 performance information, 30 reported a loss.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: ECONOMIC DAILY ARTICLE CLAIMS TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS WORTH US$ 240 BILLION BY CHINA-EUROPE FREIGHT TRAIN SHOWS VITALITY OF BRI An article in China's Economic Daily (February 11) said that from only 17 trains in 2011, now
the China-Europe freight train has transported more than 4.55 million TEUs of goods with a
value of US$ 240 billion, and has 78 paved and operated lines, reaching 180 cities in 23
European countries. It said despite the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, ChinaEurope freight trains have continued to grow and the number of trains has exceeded 10,000 for
two consecutive years, once again confirming the strong vitality and appeal of the "Belt and
Road". It added that in 2021, the total value of imports and exports between China and the EU
will reach US$ 828.11 billion, a year-on-year increase of 27.5%, continuing to remain the EU's
largest trading partner and in Duisburg, Germany, for example, the China Railway Express has
attracted hundreds of logistics companies creating more than 20,000 employment
opportunities.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S LARGEST CHIP-MAKER SMIC'S PROFITS QUADRUPLE IN 2021 The Financial Times (February 11) said that China’s biggest chipmaker may lack leading-edge
technology and be under the yoke of strict US sanctions, but Semiconductor Manufacturing
International Corporation (SMIC)'s record sales last year hint at what to expect this year. Profit
from operations quadrupled to $1.4bn in 2021 over the year as its top line rose 39 per cent to a
record $5.4bn.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ENERGY: CHINA'S NATIONAL ENERGY ADMINISTRATION RELEASES NEW GUIDELINES SAYING IT WILL CREATE A SYSTEM FOR NEW ENERGY DEMANDS TO BE MET BY NON-FOSSIL FUEL SOURCES Reuters (February 11) reported that China's National Energy Administration (NEA) guidelines
published late on February 10 said that new policies and institutional mechanisms were
required in order for China to take full advantage of green energy. It said by 2030, China would
create a system allowing all new energy demand to be met by non-fossil fuel sources, “Beijing
aims to bring total wind and solar capacity to 1,200 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2030, almost
double the current level, and will gradually phase down fossil fuel use in a bid to become
carbon neutral by around 2060”. It said China would make clean coal consumption a priority
and further eliminate small and inefficient mines, power plants and heating systems, while
providing more support for carbon capture and storage at thermal plants and that "China's new
renewable energy plans will focus on the Gobi and other desert regions, as it speeds up the
construction of huge new wind and solar power bases and boosts its transmission capabilities".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-XINJIANG: UN REPORT ACCUSES CHINA'S 'RE-EDUCATION CENTRES' IN XINJIANG OF USING FORCED LABOUR AND OF EXTRAORDINARY HARSH LIVING CONDITIONS Al Jazeera disclosed (February 11) that an 870-page report of the UN, titled Application of
International Labour Standards, which is an assessment by the Committee of Experts on the
Application of Conventions and Recommendations, sent to the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC) and to governments, alleged that China continues to engage in
widespread and systematic “programmes” involving the extensive use of forced labour of the
Uighur and other Turkic and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. It said a key feature of China’s
programme is the use of forced labour in or around internment or “re-education” camps housing
some 1.8 million Uighur and other Turkic or Muslim peoples in the region. The abuses take
place in or around prisons and workplaces across Xinjiang and other parts of the country. Life
in “re-education centres” or camps is characterised by extraordinary hardship, lack of freedom
of movement, and physical and psychological torture, according to the ITUC. It also alleges
prison labour in cotton harvesting and the manufacture of clothing and footwear. It said outside
Xinjiang, Uighur workers live and work in segregation, are required to attend Mandarin classes
and are prevented from practising their culture or religion. The Chinese government rebutted
the ITUC findings, stressing that language training for ethnic minority workers in Xinjiang is
necessary to increase their language skills and boost their employability and that the minimum
wage system applies across the country. The claims that wages of some migrant workers in
Xinjiang are as low as $114 (approximately 729 yuan) per month are groundless. However,
Beijing pledged to take steps to strengthen the inspection of employer compliance with
minimum wage provisions and call on employers to respect the minimum wage standards. It
stressed that China has policies ensuring freedom of religion and actively guides religions to
adapt to the socialist society, the government said.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: XI JINPING ORDERS HONGKONG TO "STABILISE AND CONTROL" THE PANDEMIC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE The Beijing-owned Hongkong-based Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao newspapers reported
(February 16), without saying where they got the information, that Chinese President Xi
Jinping had ordered Vice Premier Han Zheng, who heads the Communist Party committee
responsible for Hong Kong: “Hong Kong’s government must take up the main responsibility
to stabilize and control the pandemic as soon as possible as a mission that overrides everything,
mobilize all available forces and resource and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety
and health of Hong Kong’s citizens and the stability of Hong Kong’s society.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: CHINESE 'CIVIL' AIRCRAFT APPROACHED TAIWAN'S DONGYIN ISLAND The Global Times (February 16) reported that Taiwan's defense authorities had confirmed on
February 15 that a Chinese mainland civilian aircraft recently approached Dongyin Island and
that the "Taiwan side speculated that the Chinese mainland was testing Taiwan's response
measures". The aircraft that was spotted near Dongyin on February 5 was a Chinese mainland
civilian Y-12 light twin-engine aircraft. It said that Chinese mainland experts, however, said
on February 16 that the incident only exposed the Taiwan military's weak air defense capability,
and warned that such a flight could become routine or even expand to include larger areas if
Taiwan secessionists continue to provoke
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: PLAAF AIRCRAFT VIOLATE TAIWAN'S AIR DEFENCE IDENTIFICATION ZONE ON FEBRUARY 6 China's PLA Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft entered Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone
(ADIZ) at 9:18 on February 6 at an altitude of 4,000 meters. The Freedom Times (February 6)
quoting the records of the Southwest Taiwan Airspace Facebook fan page, claimed that
Chinese military aircraft have entered Taiwan's airspace on 3 days this month and 29 days in
2022. Taiwan's defense department announced that the PLA military aircraft entered Taiwan's
airspace for a total of 26 days in 2022, with 146 sorties
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: CHINESE EMBASSY IN UKRAINE ASKES CHINESE CITIZENS TO "ENHANCE DEFENSIVE AWARENESS" The South China Morning Post (February 12) disclosed that a WeChat post by the Chinese
Embassy on February 11, urges citizens to ‘enhance defensive awareness’ of changing situation,
but that its focus appears to be on Covid-19, even as the US and others urge nationals to
evacuate immediately over Russian invasion fears. The Chinese embassy’s notice added “The
current tense situation between Ukraine and Russia has aroused wide concerns, and various
statements have emerged, which are not consistent with each other.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINA EXTENDS LEASE WITH PAKISTAN'S SAINDAK METALS BY 15 YEARS China has taken a 15-year extension of its leasing rights on a gold and copper mine project in
restive Balochistan province. A 15-year extension of the lease between Saindak Metals
Limited (SML) of Pakistan and the Metrological Construction Company of China (MCC) for
the Saindak Copper-Gold Project was cleared by the Pakistan cabinet on February 9. The lease
contract had been valid until October 31, 2022, but it now expires in 2037.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-UK: NUMBER OF CHINESE STUDENTS APPLYING TO BRITISH UNIVERSITIES HAS REGISTERED A 12 PER CENT INCREASE The Times (February 17) reported that record numbers of students from China have applied to
study in the UK, with applicants from the country now outnumbering those from Wales. The
latest data from Ucas (University admissions service) shows a 12 per cent increase in Chinese
applicants to 28,930, making it the second largest overseas market for British universities after
the European Union. There were 26,000 applicants last year and 6,900 in 2013. The number
from India has also risen.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-UK: BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS VOTED FOR MOTION TO ENHANCE SECURITY COOPERATION WITH TAIWAN AND ITS BID FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION Members of the British House of Commons on February 10 unanimously voted for a motion
to enhance security cooperation with Taiwan and support its bid for international recognition
following discussions over UK-Taiwan friendship and cooperation presided over by MPs
Alicia Kearns and Bob Steward — who are cochairs of the China Research Group and BritishTaiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group respectively.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-FRANCE: CCTV REPORTS PHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN XI JINPING AND FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON ON FEBRUARY 16 The state-run CCTV (February 16) disclosed that President Xi Jinping had a phone call with
French President Emmanuel Macron on the afternoon of February 16 when Macron extended
Chinese New Year greetings and said, "The French side has always supported and will continue
to fully support the Beijing Winter Olympics". Xi Jinping emphasized that in 2021, "we will
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have two phone calls and two jointly attend the China-France-Germany Leaders' Video Summit
to actively promote the development of bilateral relations" He mentioned that last year, the
bilateral trade volume exceeded 80 billion US dollars and the total amount of Chinese
agricultural products imported from France increased by 40% year-on-year.
Xi Jinping pointed out that since France took over the rotating presidency of the EU this year,
it has done a lot to enhance EU unity and strengthen European strategic autonomy and said
China and the EU should make joint efforts to promote new development of China-EU relations.
It said the two heads of state reached a number of important consensuses on bilateral
cooperation in the next stage:
1. Promote cooperation in agricultural science and technology and local advantageous
agricultural industries as soon as possible. China welcomes more French agri-food enterprises
that meet China's requirements to register in China.
2. Deepen the Sino-French "Green Manufacturing Partnership" initiative and provide a fair,
just and non-discriminatory business environment for each other's enterprises to develop in
their own countries.
3. Support more French banks and financial infrastructure to access the RMB cross-border
payment system. The Chinese side will actively examine and approve the financial
qualification applications of French-funded banks in accordance with relevant procedures and
standards.
4. Support the aviation enterprises of the two countries to deepen cooperation in various forms
and promote the mutual airworthiness certification of aircraft.
5. Accelerate the implementation of the list of the fourth batch of demonstration projects for
third-party market cooperation.
6. Hold the China-France strategic dialogue space group meetings and online group meetings
as soon as possible, carry out polar and maritime dialogues, and strengthen dialogues and
exchanges between the two militaries at all levels.
Macron introduced his views on the current situation in Ukraine. Xi Jinping stressed that all
parties concerned should adhere to the general direction of political settlement, make full use
of multilateral platforms including the Normandy mechanism, and seek a comprehensive
solution to the Ukraine issue through dialogue and consultation.
They also exchanged views on other issues of mutual concern.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-FRANCE: CHINA AND FRANCE CONCLUDE US$ 1.7 BILLION AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION IN "THIRD COUNTRY PROJECTS" The Chollima Report disclosed on February 15 that China and France have signed a US$ 1.7
billion cooperation agreement to work on seven projects in "third party countries" covering
infrastructure, environmental protection, new energy, and others.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: PEOPLE'S DAILY SPECIAL COMMENTARY STRESSES POSITIVE ASPECTS OF RECENT XI-PUTIN MEETING IN BEIJING A People's Daily 'He Yin' commentary (February 5) highlighted the recent meeting between
Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 4 in Beijing. Noting that this
meeting was the 38th meeting between the two leaders since 2013 it described the meeting as
“a vivid portrayal of the solidarity and cooperation between China and Russia.” It asserted that
the two leaders have “established a profound friendship” which has led China-Russia relations
to “usher in the best period in [the bilateral relationship’s] history.” It added that the two sides
“firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests,” have “jointly practiced true
multilateralism,” “safeguarded the true spirit of democracy,” and “played a pivotal role in
uniting the international community to overcome difficulties and safeguard international
fairness and justice.” The People's Daily commentary also said that Xi Jinping focused on the
long-term development of bilateral relations between China and Russia in the new era, strongly
supporting each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security, and development interests,” and
“effectively responding to external interference and regional security threats”.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CDIC DAILY PICKS UP REPORT ON RUSSIA'S HUMAN RESOURCE IN S&T The CDIC Daily (February 14) publicised a report on the website of Russia's "Viewpoint" on
February 10, which stated that Russia has overcome the crisis in academia after the
disintegration of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, curbed the momentum of brain drain, and
created a strong attraction for the return of scholars. conditions of. It said according to the latest
poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, "71% of respondents believe that Russian
scientists are the best in the world, and 20% disagree. 69% do not support that Russia will never
catch up with developed countries in the field of science and technology. 25% agree with this
16
view. “It also quoted Alexander Majuga, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower
house of parliament) Committee for Science and Higher Education, as pointing out that the poll
results are a true reflection of the status quo: the prestige of scientific research work is
increasing, and Russian science is "younger year after year. change". He emphasized: "There
are nearly 340,000 people in Russia now engaged in scientific research, and about 100,000
people under the age of 39. In 2010, the number was only about 60,000."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: GUARDIAN REVEALS AUSTRALIA'S SOVEREIGN FUND INVESTED US$ 4.9 MILLION LAST YEAR IN CHINESE ARMS CONGLOMERATE AVICS The Guardian (February 15) revealed that “last year Australia’s sovereign wealth fund had
invested $4.9m in five subsidiaries of the Chinese arms conglomerate Aviation Industry
Corporation of China (AVIC)”.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES FULL PAGE ARTICLE ON CONTRIBUTION OF XI JINPING THOUGHT TO THE WORLD People's Daily (February 7) reproduced a Xinhua article on the contribution of Xi Jinping Thought to the
world captioned 'The strong voice of the times that stirs all continents——A Commentary on the Worldwide
Contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era'
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AND PENG LIYUAN HOST BANQUET FOR FOREIGN VISITORS ON FEBRUARY 5 Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan held a banquet at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall
of the People in Beijing at noon on February 5 to "welcome international distinguished guests attending the
opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics". Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan waved to the
international distinguished guests and took a group photo together. Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan later walked
into the Golden Hall with the guests to the welcome song "Peace - A Community of Shared Future". Xi
Jinping delivered a speech at the banquet when he said, "We should keep in mind the original intention of
the Olympic Movement, jointly safeguard world peace, adhere to mutual respect and treat each other as
equals, and jointly build a world of lasting peace". Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee,
and Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, also delivered speeches. Wang Huning, Han Zheng,
Ding Xuexiang, Sun Chunlan, Yang Jiechi, Cai Qi, Wang Yi and others attended the event.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: OFFICIAL MEDIA COVERAGE OF CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING China's official media published photographs and reports on Chinese President Xi Jinping's meetings with
the foreign visitors. His meeting with the UN Secretary General was specifically reported as was his meeting
with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Xi Jinping told him “China and Egypt share similar visions
and strategies in defending their own interests”. The People's Daily, Beijing Daily, Guangming Daily, CDIC
2
Daily and PLA Daily prominently published reports and photographs of Xi Jinping on their front page and
page 3. The People's Daily published a photograph and report on Peng Liyuan on page 3 while it published
a photograph of Politburo Standing Committee Members Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, and Wang Yang on page
4. Peng Liyuan met with María de Lourdes Alcívar, the wife of the President of Ecuador.
The People's daily, Beijing Daily, CDIC Daily, PLA Daily, Guangming Daily and the Economic Daily
published photographs of Chinese President Xi Jinping and detailed reports of his meetings on their front
pages.
However, others published only detailed reports of Xi Jinping's meetings without any photographs and
usually as one composite article under one headline. These were the Dalian Daily, Guangzhou Daily, Henan
Daily, Zhejiang Daily, Sichuan Daily, Guizhou Daily Tianjin Daily, Xinjiang Daily and the Chongqing Daily.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: NORTH KOREA'S KIM JONG UN CONGRATULATES XI JINPING ON BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS 'Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, sent a message to General Secretary Xi
Jinping, saying that the Beijing Winter Olympics is a great year for the Communist Party of China and the
Chinese people to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and embark on a new journey towards
the second centenary goal. It is another huge victory under the unprecedented severe epidemic background.'
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG MEETS WORLD LEADERS ATTENDING BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met the Presidents of Singapore and Ecuador, the Prime Ministers of PMs of
Pakistan, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the WHO Director-General and WIPO Director General among others on February 5.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: CPPCC CHAIRMAN WANG YANG MEETS FORMER CHAIRPERSON OF KMT CPPCC Chairman and PBSC member Wang Yang met the former chairperson of the Kuomintang Hung
Hsiu-chu on February 5. Wang Yang said: "On the basis of the one-China principle and the "1992 Consensus",
we are willing to conduct extensive and in-depth dialogue, communication and democratic consultation with
all parties, groups and people in Taiwan on issues related to cross-strait relations."
He also said, "Compatriots on both sides of the strait should work together and move forward in unity,
resolutely oppose the "Taiwan independence" split and external interference, promote the peaceful
development of cross-strait relations, maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and jointly create
a bright future for the Chinese nation"
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS FOREIGN OFFICIALS ATTENDING BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS Xinhua (February 4) reported that Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Princess
Sirindhorn of Thailand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore Vivian, and Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Meledov on February 4 in Beijing.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: PEOPLE'S DAILY INTERVIEWS TAJIKSTAN PRESIDENT RAHMON IN DUSHANBE Interviewing Tajikistan President Rahmon in Dushanbe the People's Daily (February 4) quoted him saying
on February 2 that "The Beijing Winter Olympics will not only be the largest and most unique Winter
Olympics, but also one of the most spectatorial winter sports events in recent years." He added "I am very
glad that Beijing is about to become the first 'Double Olympic City' in the world that has hosted both the
Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, which demonstrates China's great strength and the remarkable
achievements of the Chinese people" and that the cooperation between Tajikistan and China in building the
'Belt and Road' has broad prospects. Rahmon sent Spring Festival blessings to the Chinese people: "I wish a
friendly China prosperous and prosperous, the Chinese people are happy and healthy, and I wish the Beijing
Winter Olympics a complete success!"
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY EDITORIAL CAUTIONS BUSINESSES TO ABIDE BY 'TRAFFIC LIGHTS' DURING CAPITAL EXPANSION A People's Daily (February 8) editorial/commentary said 'the socialist market economy is essentially a lawbased economy, and must be based on the protection of property rights, the maintenance of contracts, a
unified market, equal exchange, fair competition, and effective supervision. Capital activities must be carried
out in accordance with the law.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-COMMON PROSPERITY: ZHEJIANG PROVINCE IS ACTIVE IN PROMOTING 'COMMON PROSPERITY' AND 'EDUCATION AND RECTIFICATION' IN 2022 An article in the Zhejiang Daily (February 7) calls for provincial mobilization in 2022 to achieve and master
common prosperity. The article listed a number of cities were common prosperity. The Zhejiang Daily has
published three commentaries on common prosperity since February 7.
Zhejiang Daily (February 10) published a report on its 'education and rectification' drive in Zhejiang province.
It disclosed that in the first batch the province registered a total of 937 cases, 762 people were punished by
party discipline and government affairs, 62 people were detained, and 1,175 political and legal police officers
took the initiative to explain the problem to the organization. The second batch of education and rectification
dealt with 64 provincial-level political and legal police officers who violated discipline and law, and 29
political and legal police officers voluntarily surrendered. Asserting its "zero tolerance" policy and that it
has not distinguished between high and low, it disclosed that among those punished were: Jiang Xunbo,
Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, Zhu Guozhen, former Secretary of the Party Committee and
Captain of the High-speed Traffic Police Corps of the Provincial Public Security Department, Qiu Maojin,
former Director and First-Class Investigator of the Comprehensive Enforcement Division of the Provincial
Court, Shen Chugeng, former Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Deputy Director of
Jiaxing Public Security Bureau, etc.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CHONGQING: CHONGQING MUNICIPALITY'S WORK REPORT PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 10 CONTAINS REFERENCES TO BO XILAI ETC. Chongqing Party Secretary and Politburo member Chen Yixin, in his speech at the work conference
(February 10), where the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress Work Report was released spoke on party
conduct and clean government held by the CPLC, studying, and implementing Xi Jinping's strategic thought
on self-revolution, continuously deepening the vivid practice of the party's self-revolution in the field of
politics and law, and implementing Xi Jinping's thought on self-revolution. He also stated, "Thoroughly and
thoroughly clean up the evil influence of Sun Zhengcai and the evil influence of Bo Xilai and Wang Lijun,
and purge the evil influence of Deng Huilin."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC ANNOUNCED THAT TWO SENIOR OFFICIALS ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION The Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) announced (February 7) that Fan Xiuliao, former
member of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Guangdong Police Officers College has been
expelled from the Party and his case has been transferred to prosecutors for, among other things, illegally
interfering in law enforcement activities. Similarly, it announced (February 7) that 1959-born Yang Xiaoping,
former Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Kunming Central Branch of the People's Bank
of China, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is currently under disciplinary review
and monitoring investigations.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC TEAMS VISIT HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS IN XIAMEN DURING SPRING FESTIVAL TO CHECK OFFICIALS ILLEGALLY USING PUBLIC FUNDS The CDIC Daily (February 7) reported that on the first day of the Lunar New Year on February 1, a discipline
inspection team in Xiamen started visiting hotels and restaurants over the Spring Festival to check whether
officials had been illegally using public funds to eat and drink. As of February 6, cadres from 17 townships
(streets) discipline (work) committees in the district have visited more than 1,320 people and collected 478
pieces of public opinion on integrity.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: SIPRI ASSESSES THAT CHINA'S PLA HAS SHIFTED FROM "ACTIVE DEFENCE" TO "PREEMPTIVE PROACTIVE DEFENCE" A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released late last month said
China’s shift towards joint operations in space, cyberspace, and nuclear technology point to a “proactive
defence” strategy that could include a pre-emptive strike. The report said, “Changes to China’s postures and
technologies indicate that its concept and practice of ‘active defence’ may be converging with more forwardleaning and even pre-emptive ‘proactive defence’.” It added that “One key potentially destabilising outcome
is that the US response to China’s shifts in posture and technologies could trigger an escalatory spiral of both
arms races and crises that cut across space, cyberspace and nuclear domains.” The report said China might
increasingly employ space, cyberspace and nuclear strategies that were more like those of the US and Russia,
which could undermine global security. It said China’s defences had been accelerated by President Xi
Jinping’s proactive leadership style, China’s economic growth, and military and political pressure from the
US. The South China Morning Post (February 6) said this more aggressive strategy could destabilise regional
security as China gains strength but its similarities with the approaches taken by the United States and Russia
could help the three powers better understand each other, and eventually encourage conflict prevention and
crisis management talks. It cited Chinese military experts who said the People’s Liberation Army was still
aiming to deter rather than take a pre-emptive strike. Hongkong-based former PLA officer Song Zhongping
said “China’s actions have been for ‘defensive purposes’, meaning that the PLA will only fight back once
someone else fires the first shot”. “The military should not only be able to strike back, but also fully paralyse
the enemy’s ability to cause further harm. “In Chinese, the concepts of ‘active defence’ and ‘proactive
defence’ are the same, with the latter highlighting more combat-ready preparation.” Zhou Chenming, a
Researcher from the Yuan Wang Military Science and Technology Institute in Beijing, said China would not
change its policy of “not firing the first shot” in any arena. “China’s missiles, including the DF-21 carrierkiller and other weapons, were all designed for deterring and denying foreign military intervention in case
of a Taiwan contingency, which will only happen if Taipei formally declares independence.” “The PLA will
not take pre-emptive strikes in peacetime.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT CHINA BE ADMITTED TO CPTPP ONLY AFTER IT COMMITS TO CPTPP'S STANDARDS Australia's Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade recommended that the
Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to encourage China to re-establish full trading
relations including ending its coercive trade measures and reengaging in ministerial dialogue, and to
demonstrate an ability and willingness to commit to the CPTPP’s high standards, prior to supporting the
commencement of an accession process. It also called for the government to back Taiwan’s bid to join one
of the world’s biggest trade agreements, and block consideration of China’s membership until it ends its
coercive trade measures and re-establishes ministerial dialogue with Australia.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S CIVIL AVIATION SERIOUSLY HURT BY THE COVID PANDEMIC China has ramped up flight cancellations under its zero-COVID strategy, wreaking further havoc on an airline
industry already smarting from the pandemic. 2021 saw a total of 603 flights grounded under these measures.
In the new year alone, 198 flights were suspended through Jan. 13, reaching almost a third of last year's
numbers in just two weeks. Han Guangzu, Director General of the flight standards department at the Civil
Aviation Administration of China, told reporters in January 15, "We're determined to prevent an influx from
overseas as well as a domestic rebound" in the number of cases. The uptick in circuit breakers comes in
response to the spread of the omicron variant. There had been 408 international arrivals and departures per
week scheduled between late October 2021 and late March 2022. January's circuit breakers led to a quarter
of these being cancelled during the first two weeks of the year. This year, China Southern Airlines was forced
to suspend flights to Toronto, Canada, while China Eastern Airlines put flights to Paris on hold. Flights by
American Airlines and Germany's Lufthansa have been subject to similar restrictions. But Chinese airlines
operating internationally have taken the brunt of the crackdown. Chinese carriers account for 56% of the
international flights planned for about half a year through late March, giving them more exposure to the
circuit breakers. At China's three biggest carriers, international flights, including those to Hong Kong and
Macao, made up less than 1% of their passenger volume -- a big drop from the pre-coronavirus 17%.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S EFFORT TO REGULATE THE ECONOMY HAS RESULTED IN THE ARREST OF A NUMBER OF BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMEN In recent months Beijing has sought to tighten controls on 'big business' and imprisoned or detained a number
of China's billionaire businessmen regardless of whether they are CCP members. Among them, those
identified by Bloomberg (February 8) are Xiao Jianhua, the onetime tycoon, who owned the Tomorrow
Group which had interests spanning banking, insurance, real estate, and mining. The government has since
taken over a total of 10 companies linked to Xiao. They include Baoshang Bank Co., the first lender to go
bankrupt in China in two decades; Xiaohui Wu who headed the Anbang Insurance Group disappeared from
public view in 2017, before being ultimately sentenced to 18 years in prison on fraud and corruption
charges; Wang Chaoyong, a former investment banker for Morgan Stanley who heads China Equity Group,
a private equity firm. In December the Caixin news site reported that he hadn’t been seen in public for two
weeks and was the subject of an investigation into financial misconduct. In early January he was released on
bail.; Huang Guangyu, founder of retailer Gome Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd., was detained in
2008.; Yang Zhihui, billionaire owner of casino company Landing International Development Ltd. was
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spirited away in In August 2018. The Board disclosed three months later, with a cryptic announcement, that
Yang Zhihui had resumed his duties after “assisting the relevant department of the People’s Republic of
China with its investigation.”; Most publicised was the case of billionaire Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce
giant Alibaba.com., who since 2020 stepped out of the limelight, his shares took a beating, and at one point
he was reported playing golf on China’s Hainan Island.; Chu Lam Yiu, the CEO of e-cigarette maker Huabao
International Holdings Ltd. and its -controlling shareholder, was under an investigation that involved
“suspected disciplinary violations.”
(Comment: A civil liberties group based in Madrid, Safeguard Defenders, estimated that each year an
estimated 30,000 people in China are secretly detained, often without public charges or access to lawyers.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: ECONOMIC DAILY SAYS CHINA'S POPULATION ENGAGED IN MANUFACTURING DECLINED BY OVER 10 MILLION IN 5 YEARS The Economic Daily (February 4) claimed that in 2021, 12.69 million new jobs were created in cities and
towns, an increase of 830,000 over the previous year and exceeding the annual target. It said the employment
situation remained generally stable in the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan", but that in 2021, the total
employment pressure would increase. Data from the China Labor Statistics Yearbook shows that China's
manufacturing employment population has continued to decline since 2013, with a decrease of more than 10
million people in the past five years. It said "The evolution of the production model characterized by
"machine substitution" has also accelerated the structural contradiction of employment. However, China's
manufacturing industry, which is in a period of high-quality development, has also spawned "technology for
good". The Economic Times added that China's "population employed in manufacturing declined since 2013,
with a decrease of over 10 million people in the past five years" partially because factories were using
machines to replace people
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-XINJIANG: GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT OF XINJIANG MENTIONS 'STABILITY' 20 TIMES AND XI JINPING 22 TIMES Xiao Kaiti Yiming, Director of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region People's
Congress, presented the Work Report of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Xinjiang
Autonomous Region on January 24, 2022, at the fifth meeting of the 13th People's Congress of Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region. The Report was published by Xinjiang Daily on February 8. The Report
mentioned 'stability' 20 times, 'Xi Jinping' 22 times and development 32 times. "Two establishments" was
used twice as to enhance "four consciousness", strengthen "four self-confidence", achieve "two maintenance",
defend "two establishments" .
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TIBET: 3 TIBETANS ARRESTED FOR POSSESSING PHOTOGRAPHS OF DESTRUCTION OF LARUNG GAR TIBETAN BUDDHIST ACADEMY Radio Free Asia (RFA-Feb 2) said that Chinese authorities in Sichuan province have arrested three Tibetan
Buddhists who they claim were in possession of “politically sensitive information” as they returned from a
pilgrimage. Citing Tibetan sources in exile, RFA said the three Tibetans named Asang, Dodra, and Nortso
were interrogated by police on January 10 while traveling home to Chamdo prefecture's Dakyab township
from the sprawling Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Academy in Sichuan’s Serta (in Chinese, Seda) county and
later arrested. These sources said “Their cellphones were examined by police in Drago (Luhuo) county in the
Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and all three of them were arrested for ‘possessing
politically sensitive information and pictures’. They were handed over to police in Chamdo and are currently
held at the Chamdo Police Station.” A second Tibetan in exile, who also declined to be named, told RFA that
the content on their phones was related to the destruction late last month of a three-story statue of Maitreya
Buddha at Gaden Namyal Ling monastery in Drago. He said “They were interrogated by the police in Drago
when they were arrested. The police looked into all the group chat apps on their cellphones and charged them
for keeping videos and pictures of the recent destruction of the Buddhist statue in Drago and also using those
images as their screensaver wallpaper.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: CHINA-OWNED TA KUNG PAO CRITICISES UGC FOR GIVING RESEARCH FUNDING TO A "HONG KONG INDEPENDENCE" ACTIVIST The China-owned Hongkong-based "Ta Kung Pao" on February 8 criticised the University Grants
Commission (UGC) Research and Development Bureau for still granting 5.86 million yuan in research
funding to the "Hong Kong independence" activist Fang Zhiheng, despite earlier objections by the Audit
Commission. It noted that the RGC has been accused of being a "cash machine" for anti-China scholars who
have disrupted Hong Kong and whose "so-called research provided pseudo-academic theories and
brainwashing mobilization for the subsequent social unrest". It quoted Liu Zhaojia, Vice President of the
National Association for Hong Kong, and Macau Studies, who said that the social sciences and humanities
in Hong Kong's higher education sector have long been "colonies" of the West, and their evaluation criteria
can no longer be blindly followed by "ghosts", and must establish their own evaluation criteria and papers
release channel.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: U.S. AND MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SIGN STATEMENT PROTESTING GOVERNMENT'S RAIDS ON MEDIA OUTLETS IN HONGKONG On February 8, the Governments of Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States signed a memorandum protesting the raids
on media outlets in Hongkong and urging that a stable and prosperous Hong Kong in which human rights
and fundamental freedoms are protected should be in everybody’s interest. The statement urged Hong Kong
and mainland Chinese authorities to respect freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Hong Kong, in
line with the Basic Law and China’s obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: PUTIN GIVES INTERVIEW TO DIRECTOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF CHINA CENTRAL RADIO AND TV The "People's Daily" (February 04, 2022) publicised the written interview given by Russian President Putin
on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics to Shen Haixiong, director and editorin-chief of China Central Radio and Television. While the interview focussed mainly on sports, Putin did say
that "China ranks first among Russia's trading partners. Despite the coronavirus restrictions, preliminary
figures show that bilateral trade reached a record high of $140 billion last year." He added "China is our
strategic partner on the international stage. On most issues on the global agenda, we are aligned or very
close. We maintain close coordination within major multilateral organizations and mechanisms such as the
United Nations, the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the G20, the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation, and the East Asia Summit, which have a stabilizing effect on the current complex world
situation". He said in conclusion "the concepts we have established in the Russia-China Treaty of GoodNeighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation have brought the partnership between our two countries to an
unprecedented high level, with a qualitative change in its nature and scale, and for further joint efforts. to
create the conditions".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN HAVE IN-DEPTH AND FULL EXCHANGE OF VIEWS IN BEIJING ON FEBRUARY 4 Xinhua and CCTV (February 4) reported that on February 4, Chinese President Xi Jinping had an "had an
in-depth and full exchange of views on Sino-Russian relations and a series of major issues concerning
international strategic security and stability in a warm and friendly atmosphere" with Russian President
Vladimir Putin at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Stating that "the world has entered a new period
of turbulence and change, and human society has encountered many challenges and crises", Xi Jinping added
that "China and Russia have adhered to their original aspirations and have always maintained their bilateral
relations to move forward steadily. The two sides firmly support each other in safeguarding their core
interests. Political and strategic mutual trust is increasingly consolidated, and bilateral trade volume has hit
a new record high". He asserted that "China and Russia are committed to deepening back-to-back strategic
cooperation and safeguarding international fairness and justice side by side. This is a strategic decision that
has far-reaching influence on China, Russia and the world, and will not be shaken in the past, present and
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future". He said they should continue to maintain close high-level exchanges, "strongly support each other
in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, effectively respond to external interference
and regional security threats, and maintain international strategic stability". Putin replied: "Russia-China
relations are a model of international relations in the 21st century. The joint statement we issued today reflects
the highly unanimous position of Russia and China on major international issues. The strategic nature of
Russia-China relations is unprecedentedly prominent and has attracted worldwide attention. The deepening
of comprehensive strategic coordination between Russia and China is conducive to the realization of the
respective development of the two countries and the maintenance of the common interests of the two
countries. It is also of great significance to safeguarding world strategic security and stability. The Russian
side is willing to further intensify strategic communication and coordination with the Chinese side, firmly
support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly uphold the core coordination
role of the United Nations, firmly uphold international law and international fairness and justice, and promote
the building of a more just and reasonable international order". Xinhua said during the meeting, the two heads
of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the current international and regional situation and major
hotspot issues of mutual concern. After the talks, Xi Jinping held a banquet for Putin. The two sides issued
the "Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations
and Global Sustainable Development in the New Era" and signed a series of cooperation documents in key
areas.
Chinese officials including Ding Xuexiang, Director of the CCP CC General Office, senior Chinese diplomat
Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, NDRC head He Lifeng, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and
Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng also attended the Xi-Putin meeting.
(Comment: This was the first in-person meeting between the two in more than 2 years. At the meeting both
were wearing closely matching ties! Besides Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, only Russian President Vladimir
Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan stayed at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, while other foreign
dignitaries were accommodated in hotels.)
The state-run CCTV (February 4) reported the 'China and Russia joint statement on international relations
and global sustainable development in the new era' issued in Beijing on February 4. CCTV said:
The statement pointed out that at present, the world is going through great changes, and the international
community has a stronger voice for peace and sustainable development. A few international forces continue
to stubbornly pursue unilateralism and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries. The
international community will never accept this.
- The two sides call on all countries to safeguard the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice,
democracy, and freedom for all mankind, defend the international system with the United Nations at the core
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and the international order based on international law, practice genuine multilateralism, and achieve world
peace and stability and sustainable development.
- The two sides agreed that the people of all countries have the right to choose the form and method of
democratic practice that suits their national conditions. Whether a country is democratic or not can only be
judged by its people.
- The two sides believe that development is the key to realizing the well-being of the people, and are willing
to continue relevant work on advancing the global development initiative proposed by China.
- The two sides reiterated that they firmly support each other's core interests and oppose external forces
interfering in the internal affairs of the two countries and undermining the security and stability of the
common surrounding areas of the two countries.
- As world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, the two sides will uphold
responsibility and morality, promote world multi-polarization and democratization of international relations,
and work together to build a new type of international relations.
- The Russian side spoke positively of China's concept of building a community with a shared future for
mankind, believing that this concept will help strengthen the solidarity of the international community and
work together to tackle common challenges.
- Russia supports China in successfully hosting the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
The People's Daily (February 5) published a commentary titled 'Inject more vitality into the development of
Sino-Russian relations'.
(Comment: The joint statement's language appears to be centred on the Chinese sphere of interests: the IndoPacific, Taiwan, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe. The coordination between the CEE and BRI is of
concern to China, but much less so to Russia. Ukraine is not explicitly mentioned. It makes no mention of
mutual support in Russia’s tensions over Ukraine and China’s with Taiwan. It does, however, state: "The
Russian side reaffirms its support for the One-China principle, confirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of
China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan". and in the following paragraph "Russia and
China stand against attempts by external forces to undermine security and stability in their common adjacent
regions, intend to counter interference by outside forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under
any pretext, oppose colour revolutions, and will increase cooperation in the aforementioned areas". This
could signal China's unease over the developments in Ukraine and limits of the growing Sino-Russia
partnership.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: WEIXIN PUBLISHES COMMENTARY ON SINO-RUSSIAN JOINT STATEMENT China's Weixin published (February 6) an interesting article described as assessing the Sino-Russian joint
statement under banner of anti-hegemonic struggle: "China and Russia still have not formed a military
alliance, but a strategic alliance has been established in fact". Titled 'China-Russia strategic alliance has
reached a new level——Comment on the Sino-Russian Joint Statement for a New Era', the author, Zhang
Zhikun, said "Like a thunderclap on the ground, the Chinese and Russian heads of state signed the "Joint
Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations and
Global Sustainable Development in the New Era", which was issued at a critical moment in the global
strategy. It is also a major strategic measure jointly adopted by China and Russia". He said, "from the
perspective of China and Russia, the "New Year's Meeting" and the Joint Statement of the New Era by the
heads of state of China and Russia mark a new level of strategic cooperation between China and Russia".
Stating that the "Joint Statement made a clear statement on a series of major international strategic and
political issues, directly naming the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and other relevant
countries", it said therefore "this document comprehensively criticizes and denies the dominance and
dominance of hegemony in terms of strategic logic, ideological value and action line, and can be called a
joint declaration against hegemony". The article added "The joint targeting of third parties by China and
Russia is an important sign that China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination has
reached a new level" and that "the author believes that under or after this joint statement, the military alliance
between China and Russia will also be further strengthened", however, they have still "not formed a military
alliance, but a strategic alliance has been established". He claimed the joint statement demonstrates to the
world the common views on democracy, civilization, development, history and security of China and Russia,
sounding a new clarion call for the struggle against hegemony in human society, which will definitely impact
the world order dominated by hegemonic countries and the Western Cold War bloc". Contrary to arguments
by the US and West that the outbreak of a war between Russia and Ukraine would not benefit China and
would have a huge impact on the global economy and energy supply and that China should take advantage
of the special relationship with Russia to exert influence in "some constructive way" and advise Russia not
to resort to force, the article states that instead, "China and Russia are leaning even more closely". It claimed
that "China and Russia have formed a firm strategic core and political backbone" giving "the vast number of
countries in the middle zone" including the BRICS countries, the SCO International organizations, etc.,
various options for development laying the basis for "a worldwide peaceful united front" that will surely
grow. Acknowledging that "the Sino-Russian Joint Statement for a New Era has a solid strategic foundation",
it said a lot of work has still to be done such as "adjustment and follow-up of domestic and foreign policies,
including currency settlement, technical exchanges, trade and investment and other specific issues”. It
identified the need for the two countries to jointly oppose "all kinds of sabotage and interference" from, in
particular, the "huge pro-American and pro-Western forces in both China and Russia", which are "deeply
14
rooted and powerful, and penetrates into all aspects of society, especially in the media and academic circles".
It said, "The Sino-Russian Joint Statement for a New Era is a heavy blow to them" and that while "On the
surface, they dare not oppose it", but they will resist it with practical actions. "When it comes to specific
projects, they will do everything they can to interfere and destroy. This must not be underestimated". The
author has always emphasized that the domestic struggle against hegemony is closely related to the
international struggle against hegemony. In conclusion, it said with "the "Joint Statement of the People's
Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations and Global Sustainable
Development in the New Era", China-Russia strategic cooperation has reached a new level. On this stage,
both China and Russia will make great achievements, providing reliable guarantee and support for global
strategic stability and balance, and will strongly promote and promote the arrival of a new era of global
strategy".
(Comment: The commentary projects the Joint Statement as an ideological, diplomatic, economic, and
military alternative to the US-dominated international order.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: RUSSIA'S GAZPROM AND CHINA'S CNPC SIGN 30-YEAR CONTRACT FOR NATURAL GAS THROUGH PIPELINE Reuters reported (February 3) that Russia's Gazprom has agreed a 30-year contract to supply China's CNPC
with natural gas from a new pipeline connecting Russia's Far East with China's northeast. An agreement was
separately concluded for Russia to supply 100 million tons of oil to China over 5 years.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN MEETS CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING Prime Minister Imran Khan held a virtual meeting with He Lifeng, Chairman of China’s National
Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political
Consultative Conference, on February 3 when he said "Pak-China strategic cooperative partnership is timetested and timeless."
Xinhua (February 6) reported that he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 6 after which a 33-point
joint statement was issued on February 7. The joint statement said, "The meetings were marked by traditional
warmth, strategic mutual trust and commonality of views that characterize the Pakistan-China All-Weather
Strategic Cooperative Partnership" and that "Prime Minister Imran Khan lauded the role of CPC leadership
with President Xi Jinping at its core for China's growth and prosperity and appreciated President Xi for his
personal contribution to promoting the enduring Pakistan-China partnership". It said both "leaders reaffirmed
that close strategic ties and deep-rooted friendship between Pakistan and China are time-tested and timeless"
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with the Pakistan side underscoring "that Pakistan-China relationship is the cornerstone of its foreign policy
and that closest friendship with China enjoys the abiding support of the people of Pakistan. Both sides
reiterated their support on issues concerning each other's core interests. The Pakistan side expressed its
commitment to One-China Policy and support for China on Taiwan, South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang,
and Tibet. The Chinese side reaffirmed its support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence
and security, as well as promoting its socio-economic development and prosperity". "Prime Minister Imran
Khan underscored that as the flagship project of BRI, CPEC has significantly contributed to Pakistan's
economic and social development" and both "agreed to task the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC)
to strengthen cooperation across all areas including in the fields of trade, infrastructure, industrial
development, agriculture modernization, scientific and technological cooperation and socio-economic wellbeing of local people". The two sides also agreed to launch the China-Pakistan health, industry, trade, green
and digital corridors while expressing "their strong determination to safeguard CPEC from all threats and
negative propaganda. Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to making all-out efforts for the security of all
Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan and the Chinese side expressed its appreciation for
the measures taken by Pakistan in this regard". Both sides agreed to continue the momentum in defence
cooperation at various levels and "underscored that stronger defence and security cooperation between
Pakistan and China was an important factor of peace and stability in the region". China recognized Pakistan's
sacrifices and efforts in the fight against terrorism. Article 27 of the joint statement stated: "The Pakistan
side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments on the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, including its
concerns, position and pressing issues at the moment. The Chinese side reiterated that the Kashmir issue was
a dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant
Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate
the situation". In response to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's invitation to visit Pakistan, the joint
statement noted that it was agreed "to undertake the visit at a mutually convenient time".
An article in Asia Times (February 10) disclosed that during his recent (February 3-6) visit Pakistan’s Prime
Minister Imran Khan asked China for a US$ 9 billion bailout package comprised of financial support and the
rollover of existing debts to prevent a possible default on external payments worth $8.6 billion that come due
at the end of June. Khalid Mansoor, Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) who accompanied Imran Khan to Beijing, told media on February 7
that the Chinese leadership “took note” of the request while Khan was in Beijing but had not yet replied. He
said China agreed to consider Pakistan’s request for a $4 billion debt rollover and additional financial support
worth $5.5 billion by expanding an existing currency swap arrangement from $4.5 billion to $10 billion.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-MONGOLIA: XI JINPING MEETS MONGOLIAN PRIME MINISTER AT GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE The state-run CCTV on February 6 televised a report on the meeting on February 6 between Chinese
President Xi Jinping and Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun Erden at the Great Hall of the People.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-SRI LANKA: POPULAR CHINESE PORTAL PUBLISHES ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTING SRI LANKA'S ACUTE FINANCIAL DISTRESS An article posted on the popular Chinese portal NetEase (January 3) said that half a million people in Sri
Lanka have been thrown into poverty since the outbreak, and rising costs have forced many to cut back on
food. The country is now facing a deepening financial and humanitarian crisis, with fears it could go bankrupt
in 2022 as inflation rises to record levels, food prices soar and state coffers dry up.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-UK: THE TIMES EXPOSES COLLABORATION BETWEEN BRITISH UNIVERSITIES AND CHINA ON SENSITIVE DUAL-USE TECHNOLOGIES The Times (February 4) published a report stating that British universities have accepted £240 million from
Chinese institutions, many with links to the military. It added that their joint research could help Beijing to
build superweapons. The Times investigation found the number of research collaborations between scientists
in the UK and Chinese institutes with deep connections to the country’s defence forces has tripled to more
than 1,000 in six years. The university funding includes £60 million from sources now sanctioned by the US
government for supplying the Chinese military with fighter jets, communications technology, and missiles.
It said the academics have worked with professors from military-linked Chinese universities on sensitive
“dual-use” research, involving technology that can be used for military aims as well as benign civilian
purposes. They included drones, futuristic electromagnetic technology that can fire projectiles, cutting edge
aerospace materials, radar, jamming equipment and high performance batteries. It reveals that Imperial
College London has accepted £5 million in funding to research high-tech aerospace materials from three
companies linked to the Chinese military that are sanctioned in the US. An engineer at Swansea has
completed research on helicopter parts and advanced wing technology with engineers at two of China’s
foremost military research universities. He had previously been an honorary professor at Nanjing University
of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. The university said this work had been published in accessible
international journals. The Times stated that there are 1069 academics in 2021 who are collaborating with
Chinese entities. It also revealed that British Colleges/Universities had received large amounts of funds from
Chinese entities and listed examples of: Imperial College London receiving GBP 54,573,978; University of
Cambridge GBP 46,122, 029; University of Oxford GBP 24,078,126.06; University of Manchester GBP
19,760,242; and the University of Edinburgh GBP 13,904,353.
(Comment: It is believed that another more 'explosive' article is to appear shortly.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: LEADING CHINESE ECONOMIST JUSTIN YIFU LIN COMMENTS ON 'THE FUTURE AND CHALLENGES OF CHINA'S ECONOMY' Reputed Chinese economist Justin Yifu Lin commenting on 'A New Start in 2022: The Future and Challenges
of China's Economy', said as "China's international influence gradually increases, the United States wants to
use its hegemony in technology, military, and ideology to block my country's development".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: U.S. LAWMAKERS MOVE BILL TO RENAME 'TAIWAN ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE' IN WASHINGTON AS THE 'TAIWAN REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE' Nikkei Asia (February 4) reported that a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers proposed matching bills in the
Senate and House of Representatives on February 3, that would require the U.S. to negotiate the renaming
of Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington as the "Taiwan Representative Office". It is currently called the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), using the name of the island's capital city.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: US COMMERCE DEPARTMENTS LISTS 33 CHINESE ENTITIES The U.S. Department of Commerce on February 7 listed 33 Chinese entities it said use American export
items in ways that it has been unable to trace, injecting fresh volatility into markets. The highest-profile
among them was Chinese novel drug maker Wuxi Biologics Cayman Inc., which suspended trading in Hong
Kong after its addition to the department’s unverified list sparked a record sell-off. Wuxi Biologics shares
sank as much as 32% in Hong Kong earlier Tuesday, leading health-care stocks lower. The CSI Health Care
Index dropped as much as 2.6% to its lowest level in nearly two years.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPANESE CABINET OFFICE ANALYSIS REPORTS THAT CHINA HAS MORE THAN 50% SHARE IN 1,133 CATEGORIES OF IMPORTED GOODS OR 23% OF JAPAN'S IMPORTS Bloomberg (February 4) reported the release on February 3 of an analysis by the Japanese government's
Cabinet Office showing that China had a more than 50% share in 1,133 categories of imported goods, or 23%
of the value of Japan’s imports in 2019. The analysis was released prior to the introduction of an economic
security bill that aims to strengthen supply chains, ensure the security of core infrastructure, enhance research
and development, and tighten information disclosure on patents.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: CHINA BECAME LARGEST IMPORTER OF JAPANESE FOOD PRODUCTS IN 2021 Nikkei Asia (February ) said that official data released by the Japanese government showed that Mainland
China had become the largest importer of Japanese food products for the first time last year, dethroning longtime leader Hong Kong. Exports of food, farm, forestry, and marine products to mainland China surged 35.2%
to 222.4 billion yen ($1.93 billion) in 2021. Japanese sake, whisky and snack foods were among the most
popular items
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES LENGTHY ARTICLE ON XI JINPING'S LOVE FOR HIS MOTHER AND HOW SHE WAS A ROLE MODEL FOR HIM On the occasion of the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year, the People's Daily (February 2) published on
its front-page a nearly 1700-word article titled 'Xi Jinping and his mother'. The article recounted that his
mother, Qi Xin, was also a revolutionary who had experienced war and her husband Xi Zhongxun had told
Xi Jinping that "Your mother is an excellent Communist Party member!" She was a role model for Xi Jinping.
It narrated instances of Qi Xin's love for Xi Jinping and how he still misses her deeply.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE RECOUNTS XI JINPING'S CONSTANT LOVE FOR THE RURAL MASSES The People's Daily (January 31) published on page 2 a lengthy article titled 'Dedicated to the people ——
The story of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the people', which recounted instances from Xi Jinping's visits
to villages since 2013. The opening paragraph said, "Time goes by, true love is eternal" and said, "as the
Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger is approaching, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again came to the
people to send the best wishes of the New Year to thousands of households" and that this is the tenth year
since the 18th Party Congress that Xi Jinping has visited the grass-roots cadres and the masses before the
Spring Festival. He was quoted saying "No matter how busy I am, I always make time to take a walk among
the villagers" and in conclusion "I will be without me and not let down the people."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING CONVEYS NEW YEAR GREETING FOR 'YEAR OF THE TIGER' On the occasion of the Spring Festival, the traditional festival of the Chinese nation and the Year of the Tiger,
Chinese leaders, heads of the federations and representatives of non-partisan persons gathered together to
welcome the festival. On behalf of the CCP CC, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended (January 28) sincere
greetings and New Year wishes to all democratic parties, federations of industry and commerce, people
without party affiliation, and members of the United Front. PBSC member and Chairman of the CPPCC
Wang Yang and PBSC member and Vice Premier Han Zheng attended the meeting.
Xinhua published a photograph on January 29, of Xi Jinping, Wang Yang, Han Zheng and others gathered
together with people outside the Party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to welcome the festival.
Newspapers of all provinces and centrally administered municipalities published photographs (Jan 28) of Xi
Jinping in military uniform on the front page conveying New Year's greetings to military personnel. CMC
Vice Chairmen Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia and CMC members Wei Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua,
Zhang Shengmin and others participated in the event.
CCTV (January 29) reported the "important speech" delivered by Xi Jinping and said he visited the Central
Theatre on January 28. Mentioning the "spirit" of the "important" speech, it said he asked officers and
personnel to "bear in mind the commander-in-chief's entrustment, faithfully fulfil the mission, focus on
preparing for wars, and resolutely complete the mission and tasks entrusted by the party and the people". It
said Xi Jinping came to the Joint Operations Command Center of the Central Theatre at approx. 4pm on
January 28. He first watched a multimedia film reflecting the construction of the theatre and the operation of
the theatre joint command center, and listened to relevant reports. In his speech, President Xi emphasized
that it is necessary to thoroughly implement the Party's idea of strengthening the military in the new era,
thoroughly implement the military strategic policy for the new era, complete various tasks with high
standards, and constantly create new situations in the construction of theatres and war preparations, and meet
the Party with practical actions. CCTV added that the commanders and fighters at all levels in the Central
Theatre Command who listened to President Xi's important instructions were very excited. Xi Jinping also
made a video call with the overseas peacekeeping detachment of the Central Theatre Command, and
expressed his condolences to all the officers and soldiers of our army who are performing overseas missions.
'The officers and soldiers have expressed that they must fight on the front line of peacekeeping with high
morale and faithfully perform the peacekeeping mission in accordance with the requirements of the
commander-in-chief'. Xi Jinping "stressed that as the Spring Festival is approaching, the troops of the whole
army should strengthen their combat readiness on duty and maintain national security and social stability".
The large numbers of officers and soldiers said that they must bear in mind the ardent trust of President Xi,
and forge ahead and fly far in the struggle to strengthen the army and prepare for the war.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING VISITS SHANXI ON JANUARY 27- 28, 2022 The Paper reported (January 28) that Xi Jinping visited Shanxi Province and on January 27 went to Pingyao
County. He also travelled to Fengnanyuan, a village in the city of Huozhou, which was hit hard by severe
flooding last year, and visited Duancun village of Fenxi county. At Shanxi, Xi Jinping said "The goals of
carbon peak and neutrality are not something that others have asked to be done, but they are in China’s selfinterest. Yet, these goals cannot be achieved easily; neither can one wait, nor can one rush. One must “respect
objective laws, grasp the pace of steps, first establish and then break, and make progress while maintaining
stability.” China is rich in coal, but lacks sufficient oil and natural gas. It is necessary to consolidate the
domestic energy production base, ensure coal supply security, make overall plans for clean and low-carbon
development of coal, diversified utilization and comprehensive storage and transportation of coal, accelerate
the research on green and low-carbon technologies, and continuously promote the optimization and
upgrading of industrial structure. We should actively yet prudently advance the goals of carbon peak and
neutrality and make due contribution to the realization of the second centenary goal and the construction of
a community of shared future for mankind.” Xi Jinping was accompanied by Provincial Party Secretary Lin
Wu and Governor Lan Fo’an, in addition to central leaders Xue Xiang, Liu He, Chen Xi, He Lifeng and other
members of relevant departments of the Central Committee.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CHAIRS 36TH COLLECTIVE STUDY MEETING OF POLITBURO AND EMPHASISES CARBON NEUTRALITY Xinhua (January 25) reported that Xi Jinping chaired and delivered an "important" speech at the thirty-sixth
collective study meeting of the Politburo on January 24 afternoon on striving to achieve the goal of peak
carbon and carbon neutrality. Xi Jinping emphasised that achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality is
an inherent requirement for implementing new development concepts, building a new development pattern,
and promoting high-quality development. Xinhua observed that in this collective study of the Politburo, the
"comrades of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee taught themselves and exchanged their work
experience". Liu He, Li Qiang, Li Hongzhong, and Hu Chunhua made speeches in combination with the
work-in-charge of the field and local areas.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: FORMER VICE PREMIER ZHANG GAOLI MENTIONED IN LIST OF PARTY LEADERS WHO RECEIVED NEW YEAR GREETINGS FROM XI JINPING AND OTHER SERVING PARTY LEADERS China's official media reported that former Chinese Vice Premier and PBSC member Zhang Gaoli, who was
accused by Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai of sexual assault on social media before later denying she made
such allegations, was included in a long list of former party chiefs who had received Lunar New Year wishes
from President Xi Jinping and other state leaders by phone ahead of the celebration.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: ANOTHER TSINGHUA LAW PROFESSOR CRITICISES THE SECURITY CONTROLS BEING IMPOSED ON SOCIETY BY XI JINPING On January 29, 2022, Tsinghua University Law Professor Lao Dongyan wrote a post on Weibo expressing
anguish at the present state of affairs in China under Xi Jinping and criticising the unbridled use of technology,
ranging from facial recognition to controls on the internet and social media, to control the population. She
said the authorities had used the pandemic as a pretext and claimed, "Everything is done in the name of
security or social stability." The post was deleted within 20 minutes. Very briefly, she cited as examples an
instance of a woman eight months pregnant sitting outside the hospital in snowy weather awaiting a
miscarriage, an old man having a heart attack who lost his chance to be treated because he must wait until he
gets a nucleic acid test for COVID-19, a mother coming to pick up her daughter from high school at the start
of vacation and despite having passed eighteen rounds of nucleic acid testing still being prevented from
returning home at the quarantine checkpoint and compelled to wander the cold winter night streets until
dawn. She added that this mother, who wandered the streets with her daughter on a cold winter night, cried
out at one point: “If every lesson has to cost a life to become a lesson, isn’t that in itself a tragedy? …… you
are law enforcement agencies, but shouldn’t you be reasonable and put people first?” and her cries made
people weep. In contrast she quoted a township Communist Party Committee secretary in Shandong warning
petitioners that there are a hundred ways to “criminalize” them. The county government head of a certain
county in Henan Province, she said, was even more aggressive in shouting that those who "maliciously"
return home during the Spring Festival should be isolated and detained. Professor Lao Dongyan added "I,
like my colleagues in the legal profession and the media, have worked hard over the past two years on the
issue of facial recognition. Two years ago, when the Beijing subway was preparing to promote face
recognition, it was shelved due to public opposition. Two years later, face recognition has been quietly
implemented in five subway stations in Beijing and is expected to be fully rolled out soon. Not only that, in
communities, in shopping malls, schools and other kinds of public venues, facial recognition technology is
becoming more widespread under the banner of epidemic prevention and control". Another instance referred
to the more than 70% of the graduates from the top two universities in China in recent years who have chosen
civil service and teaching positions within the system. She said she "felt a bit sorry even as I understood why
they made that choice. I understand because I see how the young people around me face huge pressure of
survival and are generally highly anxious. I feel sorry because choosing a position within the system means
choosing stability". The post included the comment: "It can be said that many people, including myself,
choose to just bear it and retreat, thereby enabling evil people to continue to do evil with impunity. In a
sense, we are responsible by our passive inaction for the deterioration of our environment since we choose
to tolerate and beat a retreat in the face of it. This is not the way a good person should behave. Instead, it is
5
only a manifestation of cynicism and cowardice. How can we repay virtue with virtue? Without lowering
yourself, it is time to consider a firm counterattack".
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: WELL KNOWN CHINESE DISSIDENT WANG DAN WRITES OF AN ONGOING INNER-PARTY STRUGGLE In an article in 'Dialogue China' on February 1, Chinese exiled Tiananmen dissident Wang Dan wrote that a
power struggle is underway within the Party and this raised the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping
might not be able to secure a third term at the 20th Party Congress. Saying that the "recent rumours of the
Liu Yazhou incident and the Sun Lijun incident during the Wuhan epidemic are similar in nature to the Bo
Xilai and Sun Zhengcai incidents", he said "This shows that Xi Jinping's unchallenged leadership position
within the Communist Party is not as secure as it once was". He referred to the two consecutive articles
published in the People's Daily on December 9 and 10, 2021, that seemed to be contradictory in terms of
content. He said "One article is mainly about reform and opening. The article mentions the names of Deng
Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, but not a single word about Xi Jinping. The second article, on the
other hand, talks about Xi’s “achievements” without mentioning Jiang and Hu’s names or even Deng’s once".
He also mentioned, as another indication of the inner-Party struggle, the rumours circulating about the
detention of former National Defense University Political Commissar, PLA General Liu Yazhou, whose
brother, Liu Yawei, is director of the China Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta and is the founder and
editor of the website US-China Perception Monitor.
(Comment: PLA General Liu Yazhou is a 'princeling', a 'hawkish' and outspoken General who has often
travelled abroad. Considered close to Xi Jinping, he has also written pieces that appeared to be critical of
some of Xi Jinping's policies.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: CHONGQING REPORTS ON RECTIFICATION EFFORTS DURING 2021 Reporting on the Municipality's 'rectification' efforts, the Chongqing Daily (January 29) stated that in the
past year, the city has held about 3,500 special lectures on Xi Jinping's thought on the rule of law and the
study and education of party history, conducted 1,520 political rotation training sessions, delivered 840 party
lectures by "top leaders", and carried out "four explanations based on cases" and "four reforms based on
cases". It said more than 1820 sessions of lessons and "warning education" sessions had been held. The
majority of political and legal police officers said: "After going through strict and serious political experience,
ideological tempering, practical exercise, and organizational test, they have strengthened their ideals and
beliefs, supplemented their spiritual calcium, and built up political loyalty."
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: TIANJIN PARTY SECRETARY LI HONGZHONG CHAIRS TIANJIN MUNICIPALITY'S 'SPECIAL DEMOCRATIC LIFE' MEETING Tianjin Daily (January 29) disclosed that Tianjin Party Secretary Li Hongzhong chaired a 'special democratic
life' and party history meeting of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee where he emphasised the "two
establishments". It said the Municipality, through special seminars, collective training, individual self-study,
etc., organizes all the comrades of the Standing Committee to deeply study Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism
with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC
Central Committee. They studied the important requirements of Tianjin's "three efforts" pointed out by
General Secretary Xi Jinping and the spirit of a series of important instructions, and studied the party
constitution and party regulations and the relevant requirements of the Party Central Committee on the
democratic life meeting. The team of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and the
comrades of the Standing Committee strictly followed the requirements of the central government, conducted
an in-depth analysis of the party spirit, and carefully wrote the inspection materials and speech outlines. The
meeting adopts a variety of methods, widely listens to opinions and suggestions, conducts in-depth heart-toheart conversations, communicates ideas and exchanges opinions. At the meeting, Li Hongzhong reported
on the solicitation of opinions at the special democratic life meeting and the implementation of the
rectification measures of the 2020 Democratic Life Meeting and Inspection and Rectification Special
Democratic Life Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, and made a
comparative inspection on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee. He analysed
the cause of the problem, clarified the direction of future efforts and corrective measures. Afterwards, Li
Hongzhong took the lead in self-criticism, and "comrades" on the Standing Committee of the Municipal
Party Committee conducted personal comparison checks one by one, and criticized and helped each other.
Everyone put themselves in, put their responsibilities in, put their work in, got straight to the problem, pointed
out the key points, dug deep into the root cause, and put forward opinions and suggestions in a frank and
honest manner. The improvement measures are clear and specific, and the expected goals have been achieved.
(Comment: 1956-born Li Hongzheng, when he was Hubei Party Secretary, on January 15, 2016, asserted
that "the Politburo and its Standing Committee are the core leaders [hexin] of the party, General Secretary
Xi Jinping is the core leader of the party center". He was the first Party Secretary to call Xi Jinping "hexin"
or core leader. He is in the running for elevation to the PBSC.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: CHINA'S 'NEW ERA CIVILISATION PRACTICE CENTRES LAUNCHED IN 2018 HAVE NOW INCREASED TO 100,000 ACROSS CHINA According to ChinaFile (January 31) and state media articles examined by the Wall Street Journal (February
1), the 'New Era Civilization Practice Centers', first built in 50 counties as part of a small pilot program
launched in 2018, have now expanded roughly 10-fold to 100,000 centres in some 500 urban and rural
counties across China. The CCP CC Propaganda Department's implementation plan issued in 2019 hailed
the centers as helping to “truly open up the ‘last mile’ in terms of ‘propagandizing to the masses, educating
the masses, leading the masses, serving the masses.’ ” Local governments and institutions have been
estimated to spend as much as 700 million yuan (US$ 110 million) on these centres between August 2018
and September 2021.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING WILL HOST WELCOME BANQUETS FOR DIGNITARIES ATTENDING BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at the routing press briefing (January 28) that
Chinese President Xi Jinping would host welcome banquets from February 4 to 6 for dignitaries attending
the Games opening, which will include more than 30 heads of state, government, royal families and
international organisations. She said Xi would also attend a range of bilateral events during the period. CCTV
said that among the guests will be: Russian President Vladimir Putin, European representatives from Poland,
Serbia, Luxembourg and Monaco and dignitaries from Singapore, the five Central Asian nations and Pakistan,
and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN General Assembly president Abdulla Shahid and World
Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: CHINA ACCUSES U.S. OF "BUYING" ATHLETES TO SABOTAGE THE WINTER GAMES Reuters (January 29) reported that China's foreign ministry and the China Daily accused the United States of
planning to interfere with and "sabotage" the Beijing Winter Olympics by paying athletes from some
countries to make half-hearted efforts in competition and to criticise China. The CCP CC Propaganda
Department-owned English-language China Daily, on January 28 evening cited unnamed sources as saying
the United States has a plan to "incite athletes from various countries to express their discontent toward China,
play passively in competition and even refuse to take part". It said Washington would provide a large amount
of compensation and "mobilise global resources" to help protect the reputation of athletes of who choose to
compete passively. A spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Reuters on January 29 that the
report has "exposed the real intention of some Americans to politicise sports and to sabotage and interfere
with the Beijing Winter Olympics. He strongly condemned the attempts by some Americans to "buy off"
athletes and "cause trouble" during the Games, adding that these attempts are "doomed to fail". A U.S.
Embassy spokesman told Reuters by email on January 29 that "We were not and are not coordinating a global
campaign regarding participation at the Olympics. U.S. athletes are entitled to express themselves freely in
line with the spirit and charter of the Olympics, which includes advancing human rights." In a message to
convey greetings for the Chinese New Year festival next week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told
China-based foreign diplomats that China "has the confidence and ability to remove the interference" and
turn the Winter Games into an event that promotes friendship and mutual understanding.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: WHILE CHINA'S LEADERS EXPECTED TO SET GROWTH TARGET FOR 2022 AT 5.5 PER CENT, IMF PROJECTS LOWERED GROWTH AT 4.8 PER CENT The Wall Street Journal (January 28) reported Chinese economists who consult with the government as
saying that China’s leadership is likely to set a growth target of about 5.5% for 2022. The figure might,
however, prove overly optimistic, given that economic expansion sharply decelerated to 4% in the final
quarter of last year. IMF also now expects China’s gross domestic product to expand 4.8% this year, down
from its previous projection of 5.7%.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: NEW REGULATIONS OF CHINA SECURITIES REGULATORY COMMISSION TO INCLUDE NATIONAL SECURITY CLAUSE China’s forthcoming rules on overseas IPOs will apply to Chinese companies that want to list in Hong Kong,
the China Securities Regulatory Commission told CNBC on January 28. In an exclusive interview with
CNBC, the Commission’s Director General of the International Affairs Department, Shen Bing, spoke about
what draft rules will mean for Chinese companies that are planning to list in the U.S. and other markets
following last summer’s crackdown. he said “By overseas, we mean, of course, you know, anywhere besides
mainland China. Of course, it includes Hong Kong.” Shen Bing said the rules would apply not only to
Chinese companies wanting to offer H-shares in Hong Kong, but also a category called “red chips,” which
previously did not need the CSRC’s approval. The draft rules state that overseas listings are prohibited in
some of the following situations: (i) when other government departments consider the offering a threat to
national security; (ii) if there are disputes over the ownership of the company’s major assets; or (iii) if there’s
criminal offense by a controlling shareholder or executive within the last three years.
(Comment: The Regulations are due to come into force shortly as the period for public comment ended on
January 24.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: SENIOR PARTY CADRES INCLUDING CHAIRMAN OF SOE EXPELLED FROM CCP AND CASES TRANSFERRED TO PROCURATORATE i) Four employees of the "Eastern Airports" SOE, including the company's Chairman, have been expelled
from the Party and their cases transferred to the procuratorate. This comes after a COVID-19 cluster in
Nanjing airport in summer 2021.
The following were reported by the CDIC on February 1 as having been expelled from the CCP:
ii) Zhang Wei, former Secretary of the Party group and Director of the Changchun Supply and Marketing
Cooperative Association was expelled from the Party for taking bribes, benefits for others in the selection of
cadres.
iii) Wang Xijing, former Secretary and First-level Inspector of the Licang District Committee of Qingdao,
was expelled from the party because he was engaged in "image projects" and "performance projects",
nepotism, money and sex, and intervening in judiciary.
iv) Hu Xiaogang, former Vice President of China Great Wall Asset Management was expelled from the Party
for violating Party Centre's policies on financial work, corruption, abandoning of his responsibility for
increasing the value of state-owned assets.
v) Zhang Wei, former Secretary of the Party group and Director of the Changchun Supply and Marketing
Cooperative Association was expelled from the Party for taking bribes, benefits for others in the selection of
cadres
vi) Wang Xinghua, former Member of the Standing Committee of the Linyi Municipal Party Committee and
former secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of Shandong Province was expelled from the Party
for lost ideals and concealing and not reporting personal matters.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINA RELEASE 'CHINA'S SPACE PROGRAMME: A 2021 PERSPECTIVE" Space News (January 28) reported that China's State Council Information Office had on January 28 released
a new White Paper titled “China’s Space Program: A 2021 Perspective, “outlining the centrality of space to
the country’s “overall national strategy” as well as major plans for the years ahead. The Paper, which is
issued every 5 years, said the global space industry has entered a “new stage of rapid development and
profound transformation” and over the next five years China will seek to develop its space transportation
capabilities, test new technologies, embark on exploration missions, modernize space governance, enhance
innovation and boost international cooperation. Crewed lunar landings, on-orbit servicing and work on
planetary defence are all noted as key areas for research and technical breakthroughs in the coming years.
Wu Yanhua, Deputy Director of the China National Space Administration, said at a press conference on
January 28 that “China’s space industry has made rapid and innovative progress.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: ZHAO ZHIDAN PROMOTED TO LT. GENERAL AND TRANSFERRED FROM XINJIANG MILITARY REGION TO PLA NORTHERN THEATRE COMMAND The US-based DW news reported (February 2) that Zhao Zhidan, who till recently was previously the
Commander of the South Xinjiang Military Region, has been promoted to Lt. General and moved to the PLA
Northern Theater Command. According to recent Liaoning news reports, the PLA military bases under the
Northern Theatre Command held a meeting for the Spring Festival, which was attended by Zhang Guoqing,
Director of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Li Lecheng, Deputy Secretary of the
Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and Governor, and Zhou Bo, Chairman of the Liaoning Provincial
Political Consultative Conference. The official TV news-report showed that Zhao Zhidan was attending the
meeting and had been promoted to Lieutenant General.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINESE AERONAUTICS ENGINEERS CLAIM TO HAVE DEVELOPED AI SYSTEM WHICH CAN TEACH COMBAT DRONES TO WIN DOGFIGHTS The South China Morning Post (January 30) disclosed that the domestic peer-reviewed journal Acta
Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica had published a report (January 28) where researchers in Sichuan
province say they have developed an artificial intelligence system that can teach Chinese combat drones to
win dogfights thousands of times faster than comparable American technology. The researchers at the China
Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, said the higher learning
speed could help the drone identify “cheating manoeuvres” by human pilots, reduce a computer chip’s
workload and outperform opponents in complex, large-scale air combat. They added “The algorithm in this
paper can be extended to an air combat with multiple AI agents, which will be closer to the real situation in
a battlefield”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA'S J-20 STEALTH JET FIGHTERS TO BE EQUIPPED IN FUTURE WITH DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS SUCH AS LASERS ETC. Asia Times (January 27) said that in an interview on the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), Chinese
military expert Wang Mingliang mentioned that China's latest stealth fighter jet, the J-20, could in the future
be equipped with directed energy weapons such as lasers, optionally-manned capability and the ability to
command drone swarms.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TIBET: TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION ISSUES NEW DIRECTIVE THAT TIBETANS EMPLOYEES IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES, SCHOOLS OR HOSPITALS MUST BE LOYAL TO THE CCP AND RENOUNCE THE DALAI LAMA Radio Free Asia (January 28) disclosed quoting sources inside Tibet that the Tibet Autonomous Region had
issued new directives on January 25 to all provinces and municipalities of the Tibet Autonomous Region
directing that all Tibetans looking for work in their region’s state sector must first renounce all ties to Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as a condition of employment. It stated that workers employed in Tibetan
government offices, schools or hospitals must be “trustworthy and reliable citizens” and remain loyal to the
ruling Chinese Communist Party. They must also renounce the Dalai Lama and his followers, the directive
says, referring to the group of supporters that has formed around the exiled spiritual leader over the years as
a “clique.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-TIBET: TAR AUTHORITIES TO BAN ALL ONLINE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES WITH EFFECT FROM MARCH 1 Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoting a source inside Tibet said that the Chinese authorities had issued orders on
January 20, to take effect from March 1, stating that “All online coordinating of religious activities and
related events will be banned” and “Anyone found violating this order will be investigated and punished.” It
added “But religious events and ceremonies performed or discussed on social media groups will now be
banned completely, and online activities by the groups will be constantly monitored.” However, religious
activities conducted inside the monasteries will be allowed to continue as before, the source said.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: PLA REGIMENTAL COMMANDER QI FABAO WHO WAS INVOLVED IN GALWAN VALLEY "SKIRMISH" IS A TORCHBEARER FOR BEIJING WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES China's CCP-owned Global Times (February 2) disclosed that Qi Fabao, a PLA Regiment Commander of
the Xinjiang Military Region who sustained a "head injury while fighting bravely in the Galwan Valley
border skirmish with India", was a torchbearer during Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay on February
2 and took the flame from Wang Meng, China's four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion, at
Winter Olympic Park.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAK PRIME MINISTER IN CHINA (FEBRUARY 3-6) TO ATTEND BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS AND SEEK LOANS Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in China on February 3 to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics
and meet Chinese leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Pakistan media reports indicate the
Pakistan Finance Ministry has finalized a draft agreement for a US$ 3 billion loan to shore up depleting
foreign exchange reserves to be discussed with Chinese leaders during Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing. Pakistan
separately plans to approach Russia and Kazakhstan for credit lines of US$ 1 billion each. Discussions will
also turn toward the US$1.5 billion in overdue payments Pakistan owes Chinese energy companies that have
built power plants as part of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: CHINA REACTS TO JAPAN'S PARLIAMENT PASSING RESOLUTION EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS OF UYGHURS Japan’s parliament passed a resolution expressing concern about Uyghur human rights on February 1. The
resolution, adopted by the lower chamber, said the international community has expressed concerns over
such issues as internment and the violation of religious freedom in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,
Tibet and Hong Kong. It said, "Human rights issues cannot just be domestic issues, because human rights
hold universal values and are a rightful matter of concern for the international community". "This chamber
recognises changes to the status quo with force, which are symbolised by the serious human rights situation,
as a threat to the international community." Yasue Funayama, an opposition lawmaker and co-chair of one
of the parliamentary human rights groups leading the effort, said “It’s an enormous first step. If the whole of
parliament agrees that there are concerns about the human rights situation, we will have to look at what to
do about it.” China reacted promptly with its Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying, "China
reserves itself the right to take further measures". You Wenze of the NPC's Foreign Affairs Committee
accused Japan of "serious interference in PRC domestic affairs", adding "For any vile actions that attempt to
interfere in China's internal affairs and harm China's interests, China will surely fight back firmly and
forcefully."
(Comment: The Japanese resolution did not directly use the word "China" anywhere in the text, and steered
clear of such expression as "human rights violation", saying, instead, "human rights situation", in a possible
nod to close bilateral economic ties.)
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: PUTIN AND XI JINPING TO HAVE LUNCH AND SIGN 15 AGREEMENTS IN BEIJING ON FEBRUARY 4 Reuters (February 3) quoted Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as saying that Russian President Putin and his
Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have lunch together on February 4, and could sign more than 15
agreements, with lots of new deals being prepared in relation to natural gas. He said the possibility of Russia
building a new gas pipeline to China through Mongolia was also being looked at. Reuters also quoted Shi
Yinhong, International Relations Professor at Beijing's Renmin University, saying “Putin is very busy now.
He is here because he has to be." "Putin knows China is indispensable for Russia, just as Russia is
indispensable for China.” Xinhua on February 4 said the Xi-Putin meeting for the Winter Olympics will
"open a new chapter in China-Russia relations" and "is expected to inject a much-needed dose of stability
and certainty into the world". Putin wrote an article titled "Russia and China: Strategic Partnerships Focusing
on the Future" which was published by Xinhua on February 3.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: PROMINENT CHINESE ACADEMIC WANG JISI SAYS RISK OF ACCIDENTAL CONFLICT BETWEEN US AND CHINA IS HIGH The South China Morning Post (February 3) reported that Wang Jisi, President of the Institute of International
and Strategic Studies at Peking University, during an interview with Shenzhen Satellite TV on February 1,
said that the risk of an accidental military conflict between China and the United States is high despite efforts
by both countries to ease tensions. He said he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about US-China relations
this year but there was a risk of accidental conflict. Wang Jisi said “I believe that we have a guarantee of
peace. The leaders of both nations have repeatedly stressed in their conversations that they do not want a
new cold war or a political war, or a hot war.”
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: WALL STREET JOURNAL REVEALS U.S. TECH CORPORATIONS THAT HAVE LINKS WITH CHINESE ENTITIES An article in the Wall Street Journal (February 2) cited a report by the Victims of Communism Memorial
Foundation and the consulting firm Horizon Advisory, which implicates U.S. and multinational corporations
in the Communist Party’s human-rights abuses, the surveillance of Chinese people, and Beijing’s military
build-up.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-US: US INVESTMENT COMPANY BLACKSTONE INVESTS US$ 250 MILLION IN DATA CENTRE DEVELOPER VNET GROUP Mingtiandi, an Asia Real Estate publication, on February 2 announced that Blackstone will invest a further
$250 million in Beijing-based data centre developer VNET Group, as the US private equity giant looks to
jump-start a bet that has suffered in the wake of China’s crackdown on domestic firms listing on American
exchanges. Blackstone is led by billionaire co-founder and Chairman Stephen Schwarzman.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: CHINA-UKRAINE TRADE LINKS An article in SupChina (December 31, 2021) reported on the ties between China and Ukraine, observing that
they have been growing in recent years and in the first half of 2021, agricultural trade between China and
Ukraine increased by 33% over the same period in 2020. China is a key trade partner for Ukraine, providing
14.4% of its imports and a destination for 15.3% of its exports. Ukraine began selling corn to China in 2013
and by 2019 had become its largest supplier, accounting for more than 80% of Chinese corn imports. Also
in 2013, China's paramilitary organisation Xinjiang Construction and Production Corps signed an agreement
with Ukraine's KSG Agro to lease 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) of agricultural land for cultivation and
pig farming over a 50-year period. Ukraine has 42 million hectares of farmland. Trade turnover in 2021
amounted to $15.4 billion and China has only invested $127 million in Ukraine since 2015. Ukraine supplies
a variety of military equipment to China, including turbofan engines for aircraft, diesel engines for tanks,
and gas turbines for air-to-air missiles. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a Macau-based company
purchased Ukraine's Varyag aircraft carrier at the bargain basement price of $20 million, after claiming it
would never be used for military purposes. The vessel, later renamed the Liaoning, was later refurbished and
ultimately would provide a shortcut for China's People's Liberation Navy to its first aircraft carrier. Ukraine
also has very large iron ore deposits.
Feb 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XINJIANG PARTY SECRETARY MA XINGRUI VERY LIKELY TO GET ELEVATED TO POLITBURO AT THIS CONGRESS A People's Daily reporter said on January 21, that the new Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui is likely to
be the first one to secure a Politburo seat this fall. He described him as "among the most confident provincial
chiefs I've seen in the new era".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: ARTICLE PRAISING XI JINPING AUTHORED BY PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT HEAD OF BEIJING PUBLISHED IN PEOPLE'S DAILY Mo Gaoyi, head of Beijing's Propaganda Department and member of the Standing Committee of the CCP
Beijing Municipal Committee, authored an article captioned 'Strive to build an advanced socialist cultural
capital with Chinese characteristics (in-depth study and implementation of the spirit of the Sixth Plenary
Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee)', which was published in the People's Daily on January 21. The
article, which focussed on the CCP's history, said "The Chinese Communists, mainly represented by
Comrade Xi Jinping, answered the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times in a timely manner.
Starting from the new reality, they created a society with Chinese characteristics in the new era of Xi Jinping."
It contained 12 mentions of Xi Jinping.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: ARTICLES ON 'TWO ESTABLISHMENTS' AND PROVINCES PUBLICISE GOVERNMENT WORK REPORTS China's official provincial papers/editions of the People's Daily have been publishing articles on the "two
establishments" since at least January 20. Xinhua (January 25) reported that PBSC member and NPC
Chairman Li Zhanshu, while chairing a symposium of NPC Deputies in Beijing on January 25, told the
Deputies that they "must transform the political consensus of "two establishments" into practical actions of
"two safeguards". Politburo member and NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairman Wang Chen attended the
symposium. The People's Daily (January 25) published a major article by the Party Secretary and Minister
of Civil Affairs Li Jiheng on deeply grasping the "two establishments". Zhejiang Daily (January 19)
published the Zhejiang Province High Court Work Report which mentions the "two establishments" four
times. Guizhou Daily (January 25) reported that a meeting of the Provincial Propaganda Ministers in Guiyang
on January 25, said "framed in terms of "two establishments", 2022 is of special importance and among other
things, must "build a "firewall" of ideological security"." Hubei Daily (January 25) front-paged two articles
whose titles include the "two establishments". Chongqing Daily (January 27) reported that at the Sixth
Plenary meeting of the Chongqing Fifth Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Chongqing Party
Secretary Chen Min'er mentioned the "Two Establishments".
The following provinces have published their respective Government Work Reports: Zhejiang (Jan 18),
Sichuan (Jan 18), Chongqing (Jan 17), Xinjiang (Jan 24)
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC GENERAL OFFICE ISSUES REGULATIONS ON MANAGEMENT OF LEADERS OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS FROM THE PROVINCIAL LEVEL AND ABOVE Xinhua (January 23) disclosed that the CCP CC General Office issued the "Regulations on the Management
of Leaders of Public Institutions" and issued a notice, requiring all regions and departments to strictly abide
by them. The full text of the Regulations on the Management of Leaders of Institutions containing 51 Articles
was published. The regulations apply to the members of the leading bodies of the Party committees and the
government directly under the provincial level and the public institutions affiliated to the departments, and
the leaders of the public institutions affiliated to the standing committees of the people's congresses, the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Commission for Discipline Inspection, the People's
Courts, the People's Procuratorates, and mass organizations at or above the provincial level
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: FORMER DEAN OF PEKING UNIVERITY'S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SCHOOL CRITICISES OVEREMPHASIS ON SECURITY In a thinly veiled criticism of the current foreign policy, Jia Qingguo, CPPCC Standing Committee member,
former Dean of Peking University’s International Relations School, and an America expert, wrote an article
in the January issue of the bimonthly Journal of International Security Studies, published by the University
of International Relations in Beijing, which cautioned that overemphasis on absolutes, whether it is defence
spending or supply chains, is likely to be self-destructive. He said, “To ignore the comparative nature of
security, and blindly pursue [it] absolutely will result in making the country less secure, as it inflicts
unbearable costs and fails to achieve absolute security.” The South China Morning Post (January 22) said
that while Jia Qingguo opens with paying homage to President Xi Jinping’s general views on national
security, his 22-page article is full of thinly veiled criticisms against hawkish outlooks. He says too much
emphasis on defence spending could trigger an arms race making all countries involved less secure and cites
the Soviet Union’s decades of massive defence spending as a typical example of the drawbacks of ignoring
long-term security, which led to the federation’s ultimate disintegration in 1991.
(Comment: The article appears when China's relations with the US are under considerable strain and Beijing
faces economic difficulties. Other prominent Chinese have recently suggested modulation of the present
policies, but without appearing to be critical of Xi Jinping.)
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: CENTRAL DISCIPLINE INSPECTION COMMISSION ADVISES GRASS ROOTS COURTS TO RESOLUTELY DEFEND 'TWO ESTABLISHMENTS' AND GUARD AGAINST ERRONEOUS IDEOLOGICAL TRENDS An article in the China Discipline Inspection and Supervision News (January 27) stated that "The people's
court is both a judicial organ and a political organ. Talking about politics is the first requirement of the
people's court". It asserted that Political supervision "is the foundation and the "two establishments" must be
resolutely defended and the "two safeguards" achieved". It said, "We must resolutely resist the influence of
erroneous ideological trends such as "constitutional democracy", "separation of powers" and "judicial
independence". It also advised grass roots courts on political construction, no rigid case handling, substantive
justice, strict court staff mgmt, keeping up with the times.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-DIGITAL: CHINA'S CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL VILLAGES Xinhua (January 26) reported that China's Central Cyberspace Administration announced that 'Arrangements
have been made for the Development of Digital Villages during the Fourth Five-Year Plan period'. The 8-
point action plan proposes that by 2025, important progress will be made in the development of digital
villages including the popularization of 4G in rural areas and the innovative application of 5G
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CCP CC GENERAL OFFICE ISSUED NEW REGULATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING PARTY LEADERSHIP OVER EDUCATION IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS To "fully implement the party's organizational line and the party's educational policy in the new era, and to
uphold and strengthen the party's overall leadership over primary and secondary schools", the CCP CC
General Office on January 26 issued the "Opinions on Establishing a Principal Responsibility System for the
Leadership of Party Organizations in Primary and Secondary Schools (Trial)". The People's Daily (January
26) published the text of the Regulations, which emphasised strengthening the party's overall leadership over
education and building party organizations and party members in primary and secondary schools . The first
of the 5 points and their numerous sub-clauses stressed adherence "to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, strengthen the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the
"four self-confidences", and achieve the "two maintenances", etc
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CDIC AND NSC TO PROMOTE CENTRALLY-MANAGED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES INTO WORLD CLASS INSTITUTIONS The People's Daily (January 25) reported that the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) and the
National Supervision Commission (NSC) held a mobilization and deployment meeting on January 20 for
deepening the reform of the discipline inspection and supervision system in centrally managed colleges and
universities. Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the CDIC and Director of the NSC, Yang Xiaodu
attended the meeting and delivered a speech, emphasizing that under the guidance of Xi Jinping's new era of
socialism with Chinese characteristics the NSC will supervise, guarantee, implement, and promote
development of centrally-managed colleges and universities into world-class universities with Chinese
characteristics, and "cultivate socialist builders and successors with comprehensive development of morality,
intelligence, physique, beauty, and labour".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: GUANGMING DAILY ARTICLE SAYS RETURNING CHINESE STUDENTS ARE FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO GET EMPLOYMENT The Guangming Daily (January 25) published an interesting article on students returning to China from study
abroad. Saying that returning to China after graduation has become the first choice for many international
students, it said reports show that after the epidemic, the trend of overseas students returning to China has
increased significantly. In 2021, it is expected that the number of returning students for employment will
exceed one million for the first time. In contrast, the number of college graduates in 2021 nationwide will
reach 9.09 million, and the number of college graduates in 2022 is expected to reach 10.76 million. The
article conceded that under the arduous pressure of "stabilizing employment" and "guaranteeing
employment", "the employment situation of returnee talents is extremely tense, and it needs to be further
resolved in the process of macroeconomic reform".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: 11 CHINESE ORGANISATIONS LAUNCH THREE YEAR NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN IN JANUARY TO COMBAT MONEY LAUNDERING Stating that the situation of "money laundering is still grim", the Procuratorate Daily (January 26) announced
that the People's Bank of China, the Ministry of Public Security, the National Supervisory Commission, the
Supreme People's Court, The Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of State Security, the General
Administration of Customs, the State Administration of Taxation, the China Banking and Insurance
Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the State Administration of
Foreign Exchange jointly issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Combating and Controlling Money
Laundering Crimes (2022-2024)". It said a three-year campaign to combat and control money laundering
crimes will be carried out nationwide from January 2020 to December 2024. The announcement also said
the "Three-Year Action Plan for Combating and Governing Money Laundering Crimes (2022-2024)"
requires all departments to improve their political positions, strengthen organizational leadership, and
strengthen publicity and training
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC ANNOUNCES 627,000 OFFICIALS PUNISHED LAST YEAR The CCP's anti-corruption watch-dog the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) announced that
627,000 officials had been punished for "violating Communist Party discipline and laws" last year, more
than any other year since President Xi Jinping took the party's reins in 2012. Of them, 36 were provincial
leaders and cabinet-level officials.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: FORMER PARTY SECRETARY OF HANGZHOU EXPELLED FROM PARTY AND ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES The CDIC announced on January 26 that Zhou Jiangyong, former Party Secretary of Hangzhou -- the base
of Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. -- has been expelled over corruption charges relating to the
“disorderly expansion of capital,” serious violations of official duties, taking bribes and abuse of power. It
said investigations began in August last year and the case has now been handed over to the prosecutors.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ESPIONAGE: CHINESE SCIENTIST INVOLVED IN DEVELOPMENT OF HYPERSONIC MISSILE DEFECTS TO U.S. VIA U.K. London's Express newspaper reported (January 23) that a Chinese national in his 30s who was a scientist and
a rocket technician attached to the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China, where he helped develop a
mid-range hypersonic boost-glide vehicle capable of carrying DF-17 missiles to a range of up to 2,000 miles,
has defected to U.K. He sought asylum for himself and his family who were all sent to a former British
colony before being sent onward to the US via a US Air Force base in Germany. The defector resented having
been passed over for promotion, which persuaded him to contact a British intelligence asset in Hong Kong
at the end of September last year. During that first, tentative approach, he told the middleman he possessed
detailed information about the hypersonic glide vehicle. Knowing he faced a firing squad if discovered, he
demanded asylum for himself and his wife and child. The Express said a call was made to Vauxhall Cross -
the London HQ of the Secret Intelligence Service, more commonly known as MI6 - and a three-person team,
comprising two intelligence officers and a technical specialist, were readied to deploy to Hong Kong.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: 7 OFFICERS PROMOTED TO RANK OF GENERAL CCTV (January 21) telecast a report on the promotion of 7 officers to the rank of General on January 21 at
the Bayi Building in Beijing. General Xu Qiliang, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC),
read out the order for promotion to the rank of General and police signed by Xi Jinping, Chairman of the
Central Military Commission. Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CMC, presided over the promotion
ceremony. The officers and police officers who have been promoted to the rank of general are: Liu Qingsong,
Political Commissar of the Northern Theater Command, Wu Yanan, Commander of the Central Theater
Command, Xu Deqing, Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command, Qin Shutong, Political
Commissar of the Army, Yuan Huazhi, Political Commissar of the Navy, Li Yuchao, Commander of the
Rocket Army, and the Armed Police Force Political Commissar Zhang Hongbing. CMC Members Wei
Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua, Zhang Shengmin, relevant units of the military stationed in Beijing, and
officers in charge of various departments of the CMC attended the promotion ceremony.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: CMC ISSUES INSTRUCTIONS ON STRENGTHENING RECRUITMENT AND "NEW TYPE COMBAT FORCES" Approved by Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Central Military Commission
recently issued the "Decision on Strengthening the Work of Military Talents in the New Era". Xinhua
(January. ) said the "Decision" pointed out that talents are the key factor to promote the high-quality
development of our army, win military competition and take the initiative in future wars. The General Office
of the Central Military Commission issued "Several Measures on Strengthening the Construction of Joint
Operations Command Talents", "Several Measures on Strengthening the Construction of New-type Combat
Forces Talents", "Several Measures on Further Stimulating the Innovative Power of Scientific and
Technological Personnel", and "On Strengthening High-tech Several Measures for the Construction of
Horizontal Strategic Management Talents".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: CHONGQING PARTY SECRETARY CHEN MIN'ER DELIVERS SPEECH AT PLA CHONGQING GARRISON PARTY COMMITTEE'S PLENARY SESSION The Chongqing Daily (January 26) disclosed that Chen Min'er, Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party
Committee and First Secretary of the Party Committee of the PLA Chongqing Garrison District, attended the
Seventh Plenary Meeting (January 24 to 25) of the Fifth Party Committee of the Chongqing PLA Garrison
District and delivered a speech. Gao Buming, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party
Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Garrison District, and Political Commissar of the PLA
Chongqing Garrison District, delivered a work report on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Party
Committee of the Garrison District. Liu Shixu, Deputy Secretary and Commander of the Party Committee
of the PLA Chongqing Garrison District, and Li Mingqing, Member of the Standing Committee and
Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee, attended the meeting. The meeting commended the
advanced units and individuals of the garrison area in 2021. In his speech Chongqing Party Secretary Chen
Min'er invoked Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought and stressed that "it is necessary to adhere to the guidance
of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement Xi
Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Army", etc. He emphasised "it is necessary to deeply understand the
decisive significance of the "two establishments", effectively transform the political achievements of the
"two establishments" into the political consciousness of resolutely achieving the "two maintenances", adhere
to the party's absolute leadership over the military, and implement the responsibility system of the chairman
of the Military Commission".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: PLAAF OFFICER DISCUSSES SOCIAL CONTRADICTIONS IN ARTICLE IN PLA DAILY Li Hongxuan, an officer of a certain department of the PLA Air Force, published an article in the PLA Daily
(January 21) on "Scientifically grasping the new changes of the principal contradiction in society". In the
article he said China "faces different major social contradictions in different historical periods", but the Party
"scientifically judges the main contradictions in society, determines the party's key tasks and goals
accordingly, and maximizes the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the broadest masses of the people.
Practice has proved that an accurate understanding of the principal contradiction in society is the "key" to
grasp the stage of social development"
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA DAILY ARTICLE SAYS CHINA'S SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT ARE FACING A "MORE SEVERE SITUATION" Stating that "People cannot be born without a soul, and an army cannot stand without a soul. The Party's
absolute leadership over the army is the foundation of the people's army and the soul of a strong army", an
article in the PLA Daly (January 21) highlighted the importance of political work in the PLA. It said, "Under
the new historical conditions, China's security and development are facing a more severe situation, the
struggle in the ideological field has become more acute and complex, and the contest between "casting the
soul" and "souling the soul" is more intense. Therefore, it is even more necessary to strengthen the role of
the lifeline of our military's political work, especially to unswervingly adhere to the dominance of Marxism
in the ideological field, to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese
Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Army, Firm ideals and beliefs,
and build a strong spiritual pillar, so that our army will have a firm and correct political direction, and will
have infinite combat effectiveness and vigorous vitality"
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-S&T: PROVINCES ACCELERATE INNOVATION AND PROJECTS IN S&T IN THE NEW YEAR The state-run CCTV (January 23) publicised that a number of provinces have initiated or enlarged S&T
projects and innovation in the New Year. It said a world-leading intelligent excavation robot was massproduced in Changsha, Hunan, and this robot can receive gestures and voice commands, automatically and
accurately perform actions, and realise remote unmanned operations through its own cloud platform. In
Chongqing, the Western (Chongqing) Science City Germplasm Creation Science Center was put into
operation and that since January, Chongqing has launched more than 40 projects targeting future industrial
needs, covering high-tech services, big health, and other fields.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINA'S TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY SUCCESSFULLY TESTED A NEW AEROSPACE RAMJET ENGINE The People's Daily (January 25) reported that a new aerospace ramjet engine developed by China's Tsinghua
University had successfully conducted a test flight on January 24, demonstrating the country's independent
research and development capability and a ground-breaking achievement in the field of new airpower.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CCTV AGAIN HIGHLIGHTS WASTAGE OF FOOD AS A SERIOUS NATIONAL PROBLEM The state-run CCTV telecast a news item on January 21 highlighting that the Institute of Geographical
Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted a two-year
practical investigation on the wastage of food by the public.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-POPULATION: NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION OFFICIAL SAYS DECREASE IN NUMBER OF CHILD-BEARING AGE IS MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO CHINA'S DECLINING BIRTH RATE After data showed the birth-rate hit a record low in 2021, Yang Jinrui, Deputy Director of the National Health
Commission’s Population Surveillance and Family Development Department, said at a press conference on
January 20, that the number of women in the 20-34 age group decreased by an average of 3.4 million per
year from 2016 to 2020, and the decline reached 4.73 million in 2021 compared with 2020. He said the
declining number of women of childbearing age, especially those ages 20 to 34, is a major factor contributing
to China’s flagging birth-rate.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: 5 CHINESE PHARMA COMPANIES SIGN AGREEMENTS WITH U.N.'S MEDICINES PATENT POOL (MPP) TO PRODUCE RAW MATERIALS FOR MERCK'S MOLNUPIRAVIR Caixin (January 21) reported that 5 Chinese companies are among 27 global generic-drug makers that signed
agreements with a United Nations-backed organization to produce versions of Merck & Co.’s Covid-19
antiviral pill for 105 poorer countries. Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology
Co. Ltd., Shijiazhuang Longze Pharmacy Co. Ltd., and Shanghai Desano Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. were
authorized to produce both the raw ingredients for Merck’s molnupiravir and the finished product. Zhejiang
Langhua Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. will make only the raw ingredients. The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a
U.N.-backed public health organization working to increase access to life-saving medicines for lower-income
countries, will determine production volumes, when the drugs will be available and what countries will get
the medicines, but the drug makers may reach cooperation agreements with the MPP on distribution
channels.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: FOUNDER CHAIRMAN OF LEADING CHINESE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY SANY HEAVY INDUSTRY STEPS DOWN Caixin (January 21) disclosed that Liang Wengen, the founder of China’s leading construction-machinery
maker Sany Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., stepped down from his role as Chairman in a core leadership shakeup
that came after the company suffered a poor third quarter. Xiang Wenbo, the former Vice Chairman and
President of Sany, has been appointed its new Chairman. Liang Wengen will continue to serve as a member
of the Board.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE PROVINCES ANNOUNCE GDP GROWTH TARGETS FOR 2022 China’s province-level administrative entities have issued their GDP growth targets for 2022. Hubei, Jiangxi,
Anhui, Ningxia, and Henan have all set growth targets of around 7%, while almost all of the remaining
Chinese provinces forecast growth of between 5.5 – 6.5%. The Beijing municipal government has set the
lowest GDP growth target for 2022, at 5%.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: GUANGDONG PROVINCE CLAIMS TO HAVE ELIMINATED 'HIDDEN' LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEBT Caixin (January 22) reported that the Acting Governor of Guangdong, Wang Weizhong, while delivering
the annual government work report to the province’s legislature on January 20, announced that the province
was the first to eliminate hidden local government debt as the country approaches the halfway mark in a
campaign to clean up trillions of yuan of risky liabilities piled up off the books. Wang Weizhong did not
specify the scale of the liabilities brought back onto the books
(Comment: A pilot program to achieve “zero hidden (government) debt” was earlier announced in October.)
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: COVID SPREAD IN HONGKONG ATTRIBUTED TO PARTY HOSTED BY RELATIVELY LOW LEVEL OFFICIAL BUT WITH HIGH-LEVEL CONNECTIONS The spread of Covid in Hongkong that annoyed Beijing is learnt to have been caused by a birthday party of
a longtime former government official held by Witman Hung, principal liaison officer for Hong Kong at the
Shenzhen Qianhai Authority, which oversees economic development between Hong Kong and the Greater
Bay Area. Though Witman Hung is reportedly a relatively low-level official representing private interests in
the development zone in Shenzhen his birthday party included some senior guests, including Hong Kong
police chief Raymond Siu, Secretary of Home Affairs Casper Tsui, and others. Witman Hung is, however, a
HK Deputy to the NPC. Among others who attended were members of the Shenzhen CPPCC, Vice President
of Guangdong’s Association For Promotion of Cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao,
Commissioner of Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol, Chairman Emeritus of the Y.Elites Association, Vice
President and Secretary General of Hong Kong-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Foundation and Council
Member of Hong Kong Professionals and Senior Executives Association.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: 39 CHINESE PLAAF FIGHTER AIRCRAFT VIOLATE TAIWAN'S ADIZ On January 23, China sent 39 PLA Air Force aircraft to violate Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone
(ADIZ). The incursion involved 34 J-16 and J-10 fighter jets, one H-6 bomber, and four aircraft with
electronic warfare capabilities. The PLA's J-16D electronic warfare aircraft was spotted for the first time
near Taiwan. Chinese warplanes started making forays into Taiwan's ADIZ since September 2020. Taiwan's
Defence Ministry said there were about 380 sorties in 2020, and the number more than doubled to 961 sorties
in 2021. While this is the largest breach in 2022, the largest show of force by China was on October 4, 2021,
when 56 military aircraft breached the island’s ADIZ. So far this month, there have been only five days when
Taiwan's Defence Ministry didn’t report any incidence of China’s incursion.
(Comment: China's violation of the ADIZ coincided with the 6-day long US-Japan Naval Exercises in waters
south of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa. 10 U.S. military vessels—including aircraft carriers the USS
Carl Vinson and the USS Abraham Lincoln, a destroyer, and an amphibious assault ship—took part in the
joint exercise with Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force.)
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA'S ECONOMIC AND STRATEGIC TIES WITH RUSSIA ARE GROWING CLOSER In an article highlighting the growing China-Russia relationship, the South China Morning Post (January 23)
cited the Chinese media as stating that Putin and Xi have held 37 video meetings since 2013 – most recently
last month – and the Russian President is likely to be the first world leader to meet Xi in person since the
start of the pandemic. It noted Putin's assurance last month that he would attend the Beijing Winter Olympics
in a show of solidarity after the US, Britain, Canada, and Australia announced a diplomatic boycott over
human rights. At the same time, Xi expressed support for his “old friend” Putin and called for “more joint
actions to effectively safeguard security interests” of the two countries. The Hongkong-based newspaper said
that as the relations of both countries with the US worsen, their leaders have pledged cooperation in emerging
areas, including data security, cyberspace, the Arctic, and infrastructure. Beijing and Moscow are seeking to
increase the use of their currencies in bilateral payments to curtail the influence of the US dollar and reduce
the effects of Washington-imposed sanctions. Last month, in the face of a threat from the US and Europe to
exclude Russia from Swift, the world’s largest electronic payment system, Putin’s foreign policy adviser
Yuri Ushakov said Russia and China had agreed to develop an independent financial infrastructure to service
trade between the two countries “that cannot be influenced by third countries”.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINA-RUSSIA-IRAN HOLD JOINT NAVY EXERCISE (JANUARY 18 - 21) IN NORTH INDIAN OCEAN The Joint Naval Exercise CHIRU-2022 of warships of Russia, China and Iran started in the Gulf of Oman
(northern Arabian Sea) on January 18 and continued till January 21. In total, involved more than 140 warships
and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 units of military equipment, and about 10,000 military
personnel to participate. The PLA Navy has deployed its guided-missile destroyer 'Urumqi' (118) and
replenishment ship 'Taihu' (889), along with embarked helicopters and 40 People’s Liberation Army Navy
Marines of the 39th Escort Task Force, which is carrying out anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-U.K.: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY LIZ TRUSS HIGHLIGHTS U.K.- AUSTRALIA COOPERATION IN INDO-PACIFIC AGAINST CHINA British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss spoke at Australia's Lowy Institute on January 21 when she discussed
countering China. In a speech that contained 8 mentions of China, and 3 mentions of Beijing she said "Russia
and China are working together more and more, as they strive to set the standards in technologies like
artificial intelligence, assert their dominance over the Western Pacific through joint military exercises and in
space through closer ties.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-GERMANY: GERMAN NAVY CHIEF'S REMARKS ON CHINA German Navy Chief VAdm Kay-Achim Schönbach speaking (January 22) at an event in IDSA in Delhi said,
'China is giving money to dictators, killers, to criminals as long as long as they give resources to China'.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-US: CHINA REACTS TO US DECISION TO SUSPEND 44 CHINA-BOUND FLIGHTS FROM U.S. East Asia Forum (January 23) published an article on the current state of Sino-US relations by Jia Qingguo,
CPPCC member, former Dean of Peking University’s International Relations School, and a US expert, where
he traced the slide in Sino-US ties. Titled 'Waiting for spring to come in China–US relations', Jia Qingguo
said that despite some cooperation on issues, like climate change, the conflict between the two sides has
increased, Taiwan is the single contentious issue. Jia Qingguo said the push by Taiwan authorities "for
independence coupled with increasing US endorsement and support elicited a tougher stance from China",
and "the vicious cycle of interactions between Beijing, Taipei and Washington increased the likelihood of a
military showdown". He said despite the November 16 virtual summit meeting between Chinese President
Xi Jinping and Biden on 16 November for setting guard rails for the relationship the most recent bickering
includes a US official boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, sanctions over Xinjiang and Chinese
retaliation. He assessed that these factors are unlikely to change in the short run, and "the 2022 mid-term
elections bode ill for China–US relations because the Republicans who stand on an even tougher policy
toward China appear likely to win. Under these circumstances, the Biden administration is unlikely to be
able to advance a pragmatic approach toward China. Ahead of the 20th Party Congress, China is also unlikely
to compromise". Jia Qingguo concluded that "the stabilisation and improvement of China–US relations is
likely to remain a distant prospect for some time yet"
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN NAVY INDUCTS CHINA-BUILT TYPE 054A/P FRIGATE The Pakistan Navy on January 24 inducted the PNS Tughril, the first of four Type 054A/P frigates developed
by China, in the Pakistan Navy Fleet. The President of Pakistan announced that the Type 054A/Ps will serve
to safeguard the sea routes of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The induction ceremony of
the PNS Tughril multi-role frigate was held at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard in Karachi. The China State
Shipbuilding Corp. said the frigate is the largest and most advanced surface combat vessel China has ever
exported.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN PAYS CHINA US$ 11.6 MILLION IN COMPENSATION FOR THE DEATH OF 10 CHINESE ENGINEERS WORKING ON CPEC'S DASU DAM PROJECT Pakistan has approved an unprecedented $11.6 million in compensation for the families of Chinese engineers
who were killed and wounded in a terrorist attack last year in a move to smooth bilateral relations as Prime
Minister Imran Khan prepares to visit Beijing in February. The Chinese contractors had demanded Islamabad
pay $38 million in compensation for their dead and injured, but the amount finally paid by Pakistan is at a
compensation rate reported to be double what Beijing normally pays families of victims in such cases. The
cabinet's economic coordination committee made the award last week. Pakistan's finance ministry said in a
press statement "The ECC, after deliberation and considering the depth of our relationship with China,
approved the proposal of payment of $11.6 million as a goodwill gesture."
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CAMBODIA: SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW CHINA IS PROBABLY DEEPENING REAM BASE IN NORTHERN CAMBODIA Nikkei Asia (January 22) reported that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)' Asia
Maritime Transparency Initiative on January 22 released a January 16 satellite image showing two clamshell
dredgers just off the coast of Ream accompanied by barges for collecting dredged sand.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRALIA REPORTEDLY DOES NOT SUBSCRIBE TO "WOLF WARRIOR DIPLOMACY" 57-year Xiao Qian has been appointed China's new Ambassador to Australia in an apparent bid to improve
ties. Married with one daughter, Xiao Qian has previously worked in Ethiopia, India, the US, The Philippines,
Hungary, and Indonesia and spent two years as Beijing’s deputy representative on Korean peninsular affairs.
In a statement released on arrival in Australia on January 26, he said “The Chinese side always believes that
a sound, steady China-Australia relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the
two peoples, and contributes to the prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. As long as both sides
adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equality, inclusiveness, and mutual learning and firmly grasp the
right direction of the development, the China-Australia relations will keep moving forward and make further
progress.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-EU: EU LAUNCHES CHALLENGE IN WTO AGAINST CHINA FOR DISCRIMINATORY TRADE PRACTICES AGAINST LITHUANIA Reuters (January 27) reported that the European Union has launched a challenge at the World Trade
Organization on January 27 accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania that it says
threaten the integrity of the EU's single market.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING GIVES "IMPORTANT" SPEECH AT CDIC'S SIXTH PLENARY SESSION On January 18, CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an "important" speech at the Sixth Plenary
Session (January 18 to 20, 2022) of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, where he once
again talked about "self-revolution".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING ADDRESSES CENTRAL POLITICAL AND LEGAL AFFAIRS WORK CONFERENCE ON JANUARY 15 The Central Political and Legal Work Conference was held via video teleconference on January 15. Xinhua
(January 15) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping issued "important instructions on political and legal
work". He mentioned that the political and legal front resolutely implemented the decisions of the Party
Central Committee, maintained national political security and social stability, and made new achievements
in comprehensively deepening reforms in the field of politics and law and "rectifying the education and
rectification of political and legal teams". It said Xi Jinping emphasized that "it is necessary to adhere to the
Party's absolute leadership over political and legal work" and, inter alia, "comprehensively deepen political
and legal reforms, and consolidate and deepen the educational and rectification achievements of the political
and legal teams, earnestly fulfil the major responsibilities of maintaining national security, social stability,
and people's tranquillity, so that the people can truly feel that fairness and justice are at their side" He urged
Party committees at all levels solve outstanding "problems that restrict political and legal work, support all
political and legal units to perform their duties in accordance with the law, provide a strong guarantee for the
construction of a higher level of safe China and the rule of law in China, and take practical actions to welcome
the victory of the Party's 20th National Congress". Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee
and Politburo member Guo Shengkun, conveyed Xi Jinping's important instructions and delivered a speech
at the meeting, "emphasizing that the political and legal organs across the country should be guided by Xi
Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement Xi
Jinping's thought on the rule of law, and fully implement the spirit of the 19th Plenary Sessions to strengthen
the "four consciousness", strengthen the "four self-confidence", achieve "two maintenance", deeply study
and understand the decisive meaning of "two establishments", and think that the 20th National Congress of
the Party will be successfully held". State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi, President
of the Supreme People's Court Zhou Qiang, and Chief Procurator of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
Zhang Jun attended the meeting.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PREMIER LI KEQIANG PRESIDES OVER STATE COUNCIL EXECUTIVE MEETING Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council on January 19, which
discussed further strengthening the guarantee of coal, electricity, oil and gas transportation and market supply
in the next stage, especially during the Spring Festival. It also decided to continue to implement some expired
tax cuts and said the fee reduction policy supports the rescue and development of enterprises. The meeting
also discussed the Government Work Report to be submitted to the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's
Congress for deliberation, and decided to send a draft of the report to all provinces and regions, relevant
departments and units of the city and the central state organs to solicit opinions.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER WANG HUNING ADDRESSES MINISTERIAL LEVEL CONFERENCE TO STUDY 'SPIRIT' OF SIXTH PLENUM Xinhua (January 14) reported that Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Huning addressed the
concluding session of the meeting held in Beijing on January 14, of leading cadres at the provincial and
ministerial levels to study and implement the 'spirit' of the Sixth Plenum. Wang Huning said that it is
necessary to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech
at the opening ceremony of the seminar, deepen the understanding of the decisive significance of the "two
establishments", strengthen the "four awareness", strengthen the "four self-confidence", and achieve "Two
maintenance", better implement the important requirements of taking history as a mirror and creating the
future, strengthen historical confidence, grasp historical laws, grasp historical initiative, and take practical
actions to welcome the victory of the Party's 20th National Congress. Politburo member Chen Xi presided
over the closing ceremony, and Politburo members Ding Xuexiang, Yang Xiaodu, Guo Shengkun and Huang
Kunming and 19th CCP CC member You Quan attended the closing ceremony.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: GUIZHOU PARTY SECRETARY PUTS 'TWO ESTABLISHMENTS' AHEAD OF 'TWO SAFEGUARDS' IN HER SPEECH Party Secretary of Guizhou Province Shen Yiqin, in her speech at the opening meeting of the 5th session of
the 12th CPPCC Provincial Committee on January 19, 2022, put the "two establishments" before the "two
safeguards", both in the title and body of her speech.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: CENTRAL PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT HOLDS NATIONAL PUBLISHING WORK CONFERENCE FOR 2022 The CCP CC Propaganda Department held the 2022 National Publishing (Copyright) Work Conference in
Beijing on January 19. It said the Central Propaganda Department will thoroughly implement the 'spirit' of
the 19th Party Congress and "the spirit of the previous plenary sessions, study and implement the spirit of
the National Propaganda Ministers Conference", study the key tasks of the publishing work in 2022, and take
practical actions to welcome the victory of the 20th Party Congress. The meeting emphasized that it "is
necessary to hold high the ideological banner, take the publication and publicity of Xi Jinping Thought on
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary political task of the publishing front,
highlight the decisive significance of the "two establishments", carefully create a matrix of key works, and
promote the party's innovative theory to go deeper"
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: XINHUA PUBLICISES DEVELOPMENT OF XINJIANG ON ELECTRIC BILLBOARD IN TIMES SQUARE Radio Free Asia (RFA-January 12) reported that on January 6, Xinhua posted an article that China has
broadcast “Discover Shihezi (a city in Xinjiang)” in Chinese and English on the electric billboard “China
Screen” at Times Square in New York, 48 times a day for 7 consecutive days. In addition, on January 7,
Xinhua posted the same video on the websites of the Paris-based Nouvelles d’Europe newspaper and Japan’s
AFPBB News and its social media. The videos were in Chinese, English, French, and German. The videos
claimed that Shihezi’s present-day “prosperity” is the result of more than 70 years of development under the
CCP’s leadership. RFA added that in July 2011, Xinhua News Agency rented the biggest and best-located
billboard at Times Square, a 60 inch by 40 inch screen. Media said the rent could be US $300,000 to $400,000
per month
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: NDRC ESTABLISHES 'XI JINPING ECONOMIC THOUGHT RESEARCH CENTRE' The People's Daily (January 19) disclosed that the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
had officially established the 'Xi Jinping Economic Thought Research Center' with the approval of the Party
Centre
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: CHINA'S VICE FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS CCP'S DESIRE IS TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES NOT SURPASS U.S. Le Yucheng, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister told a forum held by the Chongyang Institute for Financial
Studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing on January 18 that “Exceeding the US in GDP, we are
not interested in it, and this is not what we are going after. “He added “To meet the people’s desire for a
better life, this is what the Communist Party of China aims for.” Li Yucheng also said, “We should oppose
the Cold War mentality of unilateralism, interference in internal affairs, making coterie and group politics.”
Jan 2022 |
A-CCP: OVERSEAS CHINESE NEWS OUTLET CLAIMS THAT "FOUR SELFCONFIDENCES" WILL BECOME "FIVE SELF-CONFIDENCES" ONCE IT INCLUDES "HISTORICAL SELF-CONFIDENCE" The US-based Duowei News (January 14) claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had through last year
been increasingly mentioning "historical self-confidence" in his speeches. Asserting that it is important to
learn from history to avoid mistakes, it stated that Xi Jinping's 'intensive emphasis on "historical selfconfidence" is not only a self-confidence and high recognition of the 100-year history of the CCP, but also a
set of historical legitimacy narratives that have been striving for national rejuvenation for generations'.
Stating that this complements and conforms to the logic of the "four self-confidences", it assessed that it is
very likely that the CCP will expand the "four self-confidences" into "five self-confidences" at an appropriate
time, thereby making it 'a new spiritual guide for the whole party'.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-S&T: S&T MINISTRY TO CREATE FUND TO PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS BY SMES The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) issued a notice on January 13, on increasing the sci-tech
R&D capabilities of SMEs. Specifically, MoST plans to create a national fund to support research and
development by small- and medium-sized businesses and simplify the admin processes for financial subsidies
and tax rebates. MoST is also keen on ensuring that SMEs can access top-tier sci-tech talent.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CUTS IN SALARIES OF OFFICIALS IN PROVINCES Reports indicate that salaries of officials in China's provinces are being reduced. Changsha, capital of Hunan
Province issued a notice recently announcing a 15 percent cut in salaries
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PEOPLE'S BANK OF CHINA LOWERS INTEREST RATE FOR FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS BY 10 BASIS POINTS The People’s Bank of China lowered its key interest rate for the first time in almost two years to help bolster
an economy that’s lost momentum because of a property slump and repeated virus outbreaks. It lowered the
rate at which it provides one-year loans to banks by 10 basis points -- the first reduction since April 2020.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S TAX ADMINISTRATION REVEALS THAT TAX CUTS BETWEEN 2016 AND 2021 TOTALLED 8.6 TRILLION YUAN The People's Daily (January 10) reported officials of China's State Administration of Taxation saying at a
recent National Taxation Work Conference that from 2016 to 2021, the cumulative tax and fee cuts exceeded
8.6 trillion yuan, and the macro tax burden is expected to drop from 18.7% in 2012 to around 15.2% in 2021.
Separately, a report about the support provided to enterprises last year says the annual increase in tax and fee
cuts is expected to have exceeded 1 trillion yuan in 2021. Giving details, it said, R&D related subsidies have
ensured enterprises enjoyed 333.3 billion yuan in tax reductions and exemptions in advance; tax and fee
reductions granted to micro, small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises are expected to be around
200 billion yuan; and some 13 million new tax-related market entities are believed to have been added in
2021, up 13.6% year-on-year, or 2.4 times more than in 2012
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: NEW HONGKONG-BASED AIRLINE PLANS TO RIVAL CATHAY PACIFIC AIRLINES Greater Bay Airlines, a new Hong Kong-based airline with ties to Beijing, is awaiting final approval to
operate commercial passenger flights out of Hong Kong. It is assessing whether to opt for Boeing’s 737 Max
10 model jets or Airbus’s A321neos, which would mean an investment of approx. US $1.77 billion.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: SURVEYS SHOW 60 PERCENT OF TAIWAN'S 23 MILLION PEOPLE IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS SOLELY TAIWANESE The New York Times (January 20) reported that surveys show that more than 60 percent of Taiwan’s 23
million people identify as solely Taiwanese, three times the proportion in 1992. Only 2 percent identify as
Chinese, down from 25 percent three decades ago.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: CHINESE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXPERTS SAY RISK OF WAR OVER TAIWAN HIGHEST SINCE 1966 CROSS-STRAIT MISSILE CRISIS The South China Morning Post (January 20) Chinese Professor of International Relations at Beijing’s
Renmin University, Shi Yinhong, as saying at an international relations forum in Beijing on January 20 that
tensions in the Taiwan Strait have steadily escalated amid growing US support for Taiwan and with Beijing
seeing the self-ruled island as a breakaway province, reunification has become a much more pressing goal in
recent years.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ADVISES INDIA NOT TO GET AGITATED BY THE BRIDGE AT PANGONG BUT DEVELOP ITS ECONOMY A Global Times (January 19) article claimed that "any progress connect to China's infrastructure construction
in its southwestern territories touches a nerve in New Delhi. And the news of the bridge across the Pangong
Lake appears to be no exception.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES POINTS TO INCREASE IN BILATERAL TRADE AND TAUNTS INDIA FOR ITS DEPENDENCE ON CHINA Referring to the increase China-India trade in 2021, the Global Times (January 14) said that its reaching "a
record high, surpassing $125 billion, amid bilateral tensions, is just another piece of proof that New Delhi is
unable to reduce its dependence on the Chinese market".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: INDIAN INCOME TAX AUTHORITIES CONDUCT NATIONWIDE RAIDS ON CHINESE TELECOM AND FINTECH COMPANIES India's Income Tax authorities have since December 21, conducted raids and search operations in several
areas in states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi & NCR. According to an ANI report, I-T officers targeted 15
manufacturing units of mobile manufacturers Oppo, OnePlus and Xiaomi, Dixon, and Rising Star India.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ADVISES INDIA TO LOOK TO REGIONAL COOPERATION LIKE RCEP INDIA The Global Times (January 13) observed that "India appears to be showing a sense of unusual urgency in
expanding its trade network these days, in contrast to its long-held protectionist stance" but warned " India
must understand clearly that any attempt to exclude China, the world's second-largest economy and biggest
trading nation, will seriously hamper its quest for influence in global trade."
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-TURKEY: TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI IN BEIJING Meeting his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: “It is hoped
that the two sides will firstly support each other in safeguarding their own sovereignty, security and
development interests.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAK PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN TO ATTEND BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS On January 13, the Foreign Office of Pakistan informed that Prime Minister Imran Khan would attend the
opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to take place on February 4
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAK PM'S SPECIAL ASSISTANT SAYS CHINA HAS ALREADY INVESTED US$ 25 BILLION IN CPEC PROJECTS China Economic Net reported (January 14) that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on
CPEC, Khalid Mansoor, said on January 14 that the upcoming CPEC infrastructure projects are likely to
attract US $28 billion Chinese investment. Mansoor informed that a total of US $ 25 billion had already been
invested under the CPEC by China, while another US $ 28 billion were expected under the upcoming projects.
He added “The timeline for the execution of the CPEC phases spanned from 2015 to 2030, with many projects
providing benefits over a much longer period” and reminded that Pakistan turned to China for help to solve
the energy crisis, so that “we should be able to address the ever-declining economy of Pakistan, as there was
no power in the country.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-SRI LANKA: SRI LANKA M.P. ACCUSES CHINA OF PUSHING SRI LANKA INTO DEBT TRAP The Wall Street Journal (January 18) reported that the deepening debt crisis has left Sri Lanka struggling to
pay for imports and stoked political controversy over Chinese lending to the South Asian nation as part of
Beijing’s global Belt and Road infrastructure program. With around two-thirds of government revenue
already going toward interest payments, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa warned in a speech to Parliament that
the country had insufficient foreign-currency reserves to pay for the imports it needed. Earlier this month,
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, a member of Parliament in the ruling party, wrote a six-page letter addressed to
Chinese President Xi Jinping accusing Beijing of pushing Sri Lanka into a debt trap to expand China’s sphere
of political influence. He wrote “It is manifestly visible that your friendship with us is no more genuine and
candid, instead you use our relations to achieve your ambition of becoming the world power at the stake of
lives of our innocent people.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-DPRK: CHINA-NORTH KOREA RAIL-LINK TO REOPEN AFTER 18 MONTHS China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing on January 11 that “After
friendly consultations between the two sides, freight in goods in Dandong has resumed.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-SLOVENIA: SLOVENIA TO ALLOW TAIWAN TO OPEN OFFICE Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa strongly criticised China in a television interview on January 17. The
Prime Minister also announced that Slovenia plans to allow Taiwan to open an office there. The Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China was “shocked” by Slovenia’s plans to allow Taiwan to
open an office, saying it would damage ties between China and Europe.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-US: US SPECIAL COORDINATOR ON TIBET UZRA ZEYA IN HER FIRST INTERVIEWS TO NEWS OUTLETS SAID US GOVERNMENT'S STANCE ON WINTER OLYMPICS CAN HELP ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN TIBET The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) reported the first interviews of US Under Secretary of State for
Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya as US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues.
In separate interviews on Radio Free Asia, Tibet TV, and Voice of America, Uzra Zeya said the US
government’s stance on the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics can help shine a light on China’s human
rights abuses in Tibet. She addressed the Biden-Harris administration’s increasing efforts to combat China’s
“transnational repression” of Tibetan exile communities. She further discussed her work with Congress and
other partners, and her desire to meet with the Dalai Lama. She said, “I think that our decision with respect
to the Olympics was also to show that we would not treat these Games as business as usual, and that we
would not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games in such a way that obscures the reality of human rights
abuses occurring as we speak in the PRC". She added that “On the question of access, this is an absolute
priority. We have a legislative mandate as well that we intend to uphold. I think there is an opportunity in
our stance with respect to the Olympics to show our commitment to promoting human rights and to shine a
light on the reality of the situation in Tibet and elsewhere.” Zeya also spoke in her interviews about the
Chinese government’s attempts to intimidate Tibetan communities living in exile in the United States and
across the world.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-US: OFFICIALS WORKING ON MEETING BETWEEN US NSA JAKE SULLIVAN AND CHINESE POLITBURO MEMBER YANG JIECHI The South China Morning Post (January 21) disclosed that China and the US are in talks to prepare for a
potential meeting between Chinese top diplomat Yang Jiechi and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan
on core national security concerns. It cited sources as saying that the two sides are, however, deeply divided
on protocol and agenda items.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING DELIVERS SPEECH AT OPENING CEREMONY OF SEMINAR ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SPIRIT OF SIXTH PLENUM Xi Jinping delivered an important speech on January 11, at the opening ceremony of the seminar on the study
and implementation of the spirit of the CCP CC Sixth Plenary Session for leading cadres at the provincial
and ministerial levels.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG PRESIDES OVER STATE COUNCIL MEETING Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided over an Executive meeting of the State Council on January 10,
deploying and accelerating major projects identified in the "14th Five-Year Plan" Outline and special plans,
expanding effective investment; centralized procurement with volume to further reduce the medical burden
on patients.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CENTRAL DISCIPLINE INSPECTION COMMISSION TO HOLD ITS SIXTH PLENARY SESSION FROM JANUARY 18-20 The Sixth Plenum of the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) will be held from
January 18 to 20, and a new CCDI committee will be selected later this year.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHEN YIXIN, SECRETARY GENERAL OF PLAC, ADDRESSES CENTRAL POLITICAL AND LEGAL COMMITTEE PARTY HISTORY LEARNING AND EDUCATION SUMMARY MEETING The Procuratorate Daily (January 5) reported that the Central Political and Legal Committee Party History
Learning and Education Summary Meeting was held on January 5. Chen Yixin, Secretary General of the
Central Political and Legal Committee (PLAC) delivered a speech, and Wang Xiufeng, head of the 11th
Guidance Group of the Central Committee of Party History Learning and Education, attended the meeting
for guidance.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: LI SHANGLI, DEPUTY AT CENTRAL POLICY RESEARCH OFFICE WRITES MAJOR ARTICLE IN ECONOMIC DAILY Lin Shangli, deputy at the Central Policy Research Office, wrote a big article in the Economic Daily (January
7) emphasising independence, self-esteem, self-reliance and unity. Asserting that "China's affairs must be
advocated and handled by the Chinese people themselves" and the people owe their independence to the
struggles and leadership of the CCP, he recalled “Comrade Deng Xiaoping has repeatedly warned people:
"China's affairs must be handled according to China's conditions, and must be handled by the Chinese
people's own strength. Independence and self-reliance, no matter the past, present or future, are our
footholds." "Any foreign Don't expect China to be their vassal, and don't expect China to swallow the bitter
fruit that harms our country's interests." General Secretary Xi Jinping also emphasized: "The entire history
of China since modern times tells us that China's affairs must be based on China's characteristics and China's
actual conditions. It's the right way to solve all China's problems."
(Comment: Li Shagli is a protege of PBSC member Wang Huning.)
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: ECONOMIC DAILY PUBLISHES LENGTHY ARTICLE BY RENMIN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT ON XI JINPING'S ECONOMIC THOUGHT The Economic Daily (January 12) published a major article titled 'The Creative Development of Marxist
Political Economy', which mainly focused on Xi Jinping Economic Thought as its development. It was
authored by Liu Wei, President of Renmin University. It contained 16 references to Xi Jinping and 6 to "Xi
Jinping Thought" and says "Practice has proved that Xi Jinping's economic thought has a strong vitality,
which is not only a clear era, but also an open theoretical system facing the future".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS 2022: POLITBURO MEMBER GUO SHEGKUN ADDRESSES MEETING ON SECURITY FOR BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS The People's Court Daily (January 10) reported that Guo Shengkun, Politburo member and Secretary of the
Central Political and Legal Committee, attended and spoke at the second meeting of the Beijing 2022 Winter
Olympics and Winter Paralympics Security Headquarters on January 9. He emphasised the importance of
doing a good job in security work at the Winter Olympics. State Councilor and Minister of Public Security
Zhao Kezhi presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. Chen Yixin, Secretary General of the Central
Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Wang Xiaohong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry
of Public Security and Deputy Minister in charge of daily work, Han Zirong, full-time Vice Chairman and
Secretary General of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and relevant responsible comrades
from the Security Headquarters attended the meeting. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has promised
Olympic athletes’ free access to social media platforms and other websites in the Olympic Village in Beijing,
but heavy surveillance of online activity is expected to continue, even for visitors who are allowed to access
sites that would otherwise be blocked. Chinese authorities have said Olympic participants and foreign media
will have uncensored access to the internet through special SIM cards.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: TAR VICE CHAIRMAN ZHANG YONGZE UNDER INVESTIGATION BY CDIC The Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) announced on its official website on January 8
that Zhang Yongze, Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Government (TAR), was examined
and investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission
on suspicion of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: IMPORTANT CDIC COMMENTARY STATES 'LARGE-SCALE GANGS' AND 'GANGS WITHIN THE PARTY' STILL EXIST A commentary posted (January 8) on the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC)'s official website
spoke of keeping up the "overwhelming" pressure against corruption thereby setting tone for the 20th Party
Congress later this year.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES LENGTHY ARTICLE ON "TEN PERSISTENCE" The People's Daily (January 11) published a lengthy article by Qu Qingshan, Director of the CCP CC's Party
History and Literature Research Institute, on implementation of the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: CCP CC PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW ENGLISHLANGUAGE MONTHLY MAGAZINE The CCP CC's Propaganda Department has brought out a new periodical magazine called China News
Release (中国新闻发布), available in both Chinese and English. The English-language version will be
available monthly.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: 1,117 CADRES GRADUATE FROM CENTRAL PARTY SCHOOL I, II7 cadres graduated from the CCP CC Central Party School at its graduation ceremony for the fall
semester of 2021 held in Beijing on January 8. Politburo member and President of the Central Party
School Chen Xi attended the ceremony and issued the graduation certificates. The 'students' all agreed that
they had "comprehensively and thoroughly studied Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese
Characteristics for a New Era, deeply comprehended the major achievements and historical experience of
the party's century-long struggle, strengthened political literacy, tempered party spirit, improved leadership,
and stimulated forge ahead. , to have a deeper understanding of the decisive meaning of "two establishments",
and further enhance the consciousness and firmness of "two maintenances"."
(Comment: The upward mobile CCP cadres are selected for training at the Central Party School and they
usually rise to 'leading' positions in the CCP.)
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CHAIRMAN OF CHINA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY IS UNDER INVESTIGATION China's Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) disclosed on January 8 that Wang Bin, Party
Secretary and Chairman of China Life Insurance (Group) Company, is under investigation.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CIVIL AVIATION: CAAC RELEASES 14TH FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR CIVIL AVIATION DEVELOPMENT The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the National Development and Reform Commission
(NDRC), and the Ministry of Transport jointly issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for Civil Aviation
Development". It clarifies the guiding ideology, basic principles, target requirements and major measures for
the development of civil aviation in the next five years, and is a programmatic document to guide the
development of the entire industry in the future. The planning period is to 2025, and the outlook is to 2035.
It includes the construction of six major systems is the main part of the "14th Five-Year Plan" of civil
aviation. It disclosed that during the "13th Five-Year Plan", 339 general-purpose airports were registered,
and 6,795 civil aviation aircraft were in the fleet
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE EXPORTS CONTINUED TO RISE IN 2021 TAKING THE ANNUAL TOTAL TRADE VOLUME TO US$ 3.36 TRILLION Data released on January 14 by the Chinese Customs Administration showed that Chinese exports continued
to do well into December, pushing the annual trade surplus to a new high. Exports in December were $340.5
billion, taking the full year total to $3.36 trillion. Imports were $246 billion in December and $2.69 trillion
for the year, leaving a trade surplus of $94.5 billion for the month and $676 billion for the full year.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: STATE COUNCIL UNVEILS PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA'S DIGITAL ECONOMY China's State Council issued a plan on January 5 for the development of China's digital economy, aiming to
increase this sector's share of national GDP by pushing technologies like 6G and big data centers. It set
several targets for 2025, namely the increase of the digital economy's share of the national GDP from 7.8%
in 2020 to 10% in 2025. Other targets included accelerating the construction of big data centers and
increasing the number of users of gigabit broadband, the fastest connection speed available, from 6.4 million
in 2020 to 60 million in 2025. The State Council also pointed out structural issues in China's digital economy
that needed to be addressed.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: NEARLY HALF OF CHINESE GRADUATES CHOOSE JOBS IN CIVIL SERVICE AND SOES Caixin (January 11) reported that nearly half of Chinese college graduates chose civil service, public sector,
and state-owned enterprise jobs in 2021, with graduates from prestigious schools such as Tsinghua University
taking a much higher percentage. It said that according to a report published on January 4 by Prof. Yue
Changjun of the Institute of Economics of Education of Peking University, there were 9.09 million fresh
college graduates in China last year. Some 49.3% of respondents in a survey of more than 20,000 graduates
from 34 colleges across the country got a job in the civil service, public institutions and state-owned
enterprises.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE FINANCE MINISTER ASKS OFFICIALS TO WORK HARD AND BE THRIFTY Liu Kun, China’s Minister of Finance published an article in the 12th issue of the magazine, “Organ’s Party
Development Research,” calling on officials to work hard and be thrifty. It doesn’t matter if there is an ample
or an insufficient budget, (officials) should always manage income and expenditure as a whole, truly spend
the money where it most needs to go, and effectively put the requirement of living on a tight budget into
practice
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA FACES SHORTAGE OF NEARLY 30 MILLION WORKERS IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR BY 2025 Quoting China's Ministry of Education has estimates, the South China Morning Post (January 13) reported
that while there is an overflow of people looking for office jobs, there will be a shortage of nearly 30 million
workers in the manufacturing sector by 2025. The Blue Collar Employment and Compensation Management
Report 2021, from China International Intellectech, a human resources company, said nearly 70 per cent of
Chinese businesses face labour shortages, and 55 per cent of companies are struggling to find blue-collar
workers. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said in January 2021 that of the 100
occupations with the greatest worker shortages, as many as 36 were categorised as “manufacturing and
related personnel.” Of the 25 new occupations on the list, 15 were directly related to manufacturing,
accounting for 60 per cent of the total.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE PRIVATE EDUCATION COMPANY LAYS-OFF 60,000 EMPLOYEES FOLLOWING CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S BAN ON PRIVATE TUTORING China’s largest New York Stock Exchange-listed private education company, New Oriental Education, laid
off 60,000 employees after Beijing’s far-reaching crackdown last year. New Oriental Education’s billionaire
founder Yu Minhong confirmed the massive shakeup in a post on his WeChat account over the weekend,
adding that the company’s operations are in uncertain territory because of “policies, the pandemic and
international relations.” Famous for its after-school tutoring services, New Oriental Education laid off 60,000
staff members over the last year. The company had more than 88,000 full-time employees and about 17,000
contract teachers as of May 2021, according to its latest annual report. Yu Minhong did not say whether any
of the 60,000 employees were contract workers, but added that New Oriental’s revenue fell 80%, while its
market capitalization shrank 90%.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-WESTERN REGION DEVELOPMENT: 180,000 GRADUATES VOLUNTEER FOR WORK IN CHINA'S WESTERN REGIONS The People's Daily (January 8) reported that 180,000 graduates from over 2,300 universities signed up for
volunteering in China's Western regions for 1-3 years; over 410,000 graduates have participated in this
programme since 2003. It added that data shows that 13.45% of the college graduates who signed up for the
Western Plan in 2020-2021 were party members, and 33% were party members who were eventually
admitted as volunteers
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE ECONOMIST CALLS ON CHINA'S CENTRAL BANK TO PRINT ADDITIONAL 2 TRILLION YUAN FOR SUBSIDIES TO ENCOURAGE BIRTHS Citing a recent survey which said the main reasons for low fertility are the high cost of childbirth and the
high housing price, Dr. Ren Zeping, one of the most visible economists in China, made headlines on January
11 by calling for, among other measures, China's central bank to print an additional 2 trillion yuan every year
for establishment of an 'encouragement fund' as soon as possible. He asked that the central bank print an
additional 2 trillion yuan to give in subsidies over 10 years to encourage births without increasing the burden
on ordinary people, enterprises and localities.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA UNITS PROMPTLY COMMENCE TRAINING AFTER CMC CHAIRMAN XI JINPING ISSUES NEW TRAINING AND MOBILISATION ORDER Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commision Xi Jinping signed the Central Military
Commission's Order No. 1 of 2022 which is a Training and Mobilisation order requiring the entire Army "to
comprehensively promote the transformation and upgrading of military training, and to train elite soldiers
who can fight well."
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: COMMENTATOR'S ARTICLE IN PLA DAILY INSISTS THAT ELITE SOLDIERS MUST BE TRAINED WELL AND THAT THE DANGER OF WAR IS A REALITY A Commentator's article in the PLA Daily (January 5) clarified that the Central Military Commission's Order
No. 1 of 2022, clearly directed "comprehensively promote the transformation and upgrading of military
training, and train elite soldiers who can fight well." It said the mobilization order "sounded the clarion call
of the times for military training and preparation for war" and that the order had prompted an upsurge of
actual combat military training in the new year. Asserting that "Armies exist to fight, soldiers are born to
win", it said "The army is first and foremost a combat team, and fighting and preparing for war is the duty
of soldiers. Our army is an armed group that carries out the party's political tasks. It must be strong in politics
and strong in ability.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-PLA: 11 CHINESE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS INCLUDING MINISTRY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ISSUE REGULATIONS AUTHORISING MONTHLY PENSIONS TO RETIRED SOLDIERS Xinhua (January 4) reported that 11 departments including the Ministry of Veterans Affairs had jointly issued
the "Measures for Retired Soldiers' Monthly Retirement Payments and Resettlement Measures" which will
be effective from January 4. The orders were approved on December 24, 2021. It marks the official
establishment and operation of a new system for the placement of retired soldiers, and is a monthly payment
of pensions. It is intended to "help enhance the sense of respect for the military's career, improve the stability
of military service, will help encourage and guide retired soldiers to integrate into social employment and
entrepreneurship, and contribute wisdom and strength to social and economic development".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: QIU SHI ARTICLE ON CHINA'S DIPLOMATIC WORK IN 2022 The Party theoretical fortnightly on January 9 published an article titled '2022 Diplomatic Work Outlook'. It
observed that "the world has entered a period of turbulence and change. Faced with unprecedented
challenges, all countries are exploring ways to deal with them, and mankind needs to make the right choice".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: FOREIGN MINISTERS OF SAUDI ARABIA, KUWAIT, OMAN AND BAHRAIN VISITING CHINA FROM JANUARY 10-14 At Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's invitation, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister
and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed, Oman Foreign Minister Badr, Bahrain Foreign Minister
Zayeni and GCC Secretary General Naif will visit China from January 10 to 14.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: CHINA URGES HONGKONG TO TAKE SWIFT STERN ACTION AGAINST OFFICIALS WHO ATTENDED A BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY DISREGARDING COVID PROTOCOLS The South China Morning Post (January 10) disclosed that Beijing has asked Hong Kong Chief Executive
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to “take swift action” against officials who attended a big birthday party in the
midst of an outbreak of Covid-19 cases. It added that observers echoed the need for a prompt response to
resolve the controversy and said any delay could deal a “serious blow to the credibility of
governance”. Government advisers said should a breach of discipline be confirmed, demotion, pay cuts or
even dismissal should be considered. It quoted sources as saying that Mainland China officials were piling
pressure on the Hongkong government to punish Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, after Beijing
health experts had earlier identified aircrew as a potential risk area in their trip to the city. Reporting on the
issue, the Beijing-owned Hongkong-based Wen Wei Po (January 10) stated that Carrie Lam had administered
a "severe reprimand" to the Cathay Pacific management. It also asked her administration to examine whether
"any other loopholes" require to be plugged.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: PAP MAJOR GENERAL PING JINGTANG APPOINTED COMMANDER OF PLA HONGKONG GARRISON China’s Xinhua News Agency reported late on January 2 that Major General Peng Jingtang, a Deputy Chief
of Staff of the People's Armed Police Force, will head the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong.
He was previously Chief of Staff for the armed police in Xinjiang where he was in charge of counterterrorism
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: CICIR SCHOLAR SAYS PUTIN'S SUGGESTION OF A RUSSIA-INDIACHINA PLATFORM COULD INCREASE STABILITY IN INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS The South China Morning Post (January 9) said that in a post on the CICIR website on January 5, Hu
Shisheng, Director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies and a border expert
at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), suggested that 'In the face of rising
Western hostility, Russia ‘would not want to see India and China fighting with each other’.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINA CONTINUES ANTI-INDIA PROPAGANDA WITH PLA WESTERN THEATRE COMMAND ASSERTING IT WILL NOT GIVE UP EVEN AN INCH OF TERRITORY The PLA Western Theatre Command opened its official account on Twitter-like Sina Weibo on January 7
and released a notice that on February 1 it will randomly choose 10 lucky netizens from those who reposted
the notice and send them a stone from the Galwan Valley. The Global Times reported that "A picture with
Chinese soldiers patrolling the Galwan Valley, with a rockface seen in the post reading in Chinese characters
"Splendid landscape, no inch to give up" was posted together with the notice."
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-BHUTAN: REUTERS REPORTS SATELLITE PHOTOS REVEAL CHINA IS BUILDING 200 STRUCTURES INCLUDING 2-STOREY BUILDINGS ON BORDER WITH BHUTAN Based on images and analysis supplied to Reuters by U.S. data analytics firm HawkEye 360, which uses
satellites to gather intelligence on ground-level activities, and vetted by two other experts, Reuters (January
12) disclosed that China has accelerated settlement-building along its disputed border with Bhutan, with
more than 200 structures, including two-storey buildings, under construction in six locations. Chris Biggers,
the mission applications director at HawkEye 360 was quoted as saying that images show the work speeded
up in 2021. Smaller structures were erected - possibly to house equipment and supplies - followed by the
laying of foundations and then the construction of buildings. Two other experts who studied the locations of
the new construction and recent satellite images taken by Capella Space said all six settlements appear to be
in territory disputed by China and Bhutan - including a contested tract of roughly 110 square kilometres -
with little in the way of resources or native population. They added that the new construction is 9 to 27km
from the Doklam area at the junction of the borders of India, Bhutan and China, where Indian and Chinese
troops were locked in standoff for more than two months in 2017. Bhutan's foreign ministry said in response
to questions from Reuters that "It is Bhutan's policy not to talk about boundary issues in the public." China's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters the construction is "entirely for the improvement of the working and
living conditions of the local people. It is within China's sovereignty to carry out normal construction
activities on its own territory."
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: BEIJING MUNICIPALITY FINES 7-ELEVEN STORES IN BEIJING FOR DESCRIBING TAIWAN AS INDEPENDENT COUNTRY AND INCORRECT DEPICTION OF CHINA'S BOUNDARIES Asia Nikkei (January 7) disclosed that the Japanese-owned operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in
Beijing has been fined for describing Taiwan as an independent country and other naming conventions on
its company website. It said the Beijing municipal government in December issued a warning to the company
and imposed a fine of 150,000 yuan ($23,500). The stores in the capital are run by a local unit of SevenEleven Japan, a subsidiary of Japanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings. The company also failed to use
Chinese names for several South China Sea islands as well as for the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands,
which China claims and calls the Diaoyu, according to the site. The 7-Eleven map was found to have mistakes
in showing China's borders along the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the Tibet Autonomous
Region. Seven & i Holdings issued a comment, acknowledging the reprimand by Beijing authorities.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: VICE CHAIRWOMAN OF U.S. HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS NEW LEGISLATION TO ALLOW U.S. FORCES TO RESPOND FASTER AND COME TO TAIWAN'S AID Speaking at the Surface Navy Association symposium in Arlington, Va, the Vice Chairwoman of the U.S.
House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va. said on January 12 that new legislation is
needed to allow the U.S. to respond faster should China invade Taiwan. President Joe Biden “doesn’t have
the authority [under the law] to actually respond” should China attack the island, adding that a U.S. response
would be needed to maintain stability in the region. She said “If China were to invade Taiwan today, the
president would have to come to Congress for authorization to respond. We can’t lose [the] months that it
would take in order for us to provide a response.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-NORTH KOREA: NORTH KOREA SAYS IT WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS 2022 Singapore’s Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported (January 7) that the North Korean
Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports sent a letter to the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Beijing
Winter Olympics, the Paralympics Organizing Committee, and the General Administration of Sports of
China. The letter said that, due to the conspiracy activities of hostile forces as well as the global epidemic of
infectious diseases, North Korea could not participate in the coming Winter Olympics Games. The North
Korean Ambassador to China conveyed the letter when he met with the responsible officials of the General
Administration of Sports of China. North Korean also pointed out in the letter that the United States and its
followers are trying to hinder the smooth holding of the Beijing Winter Olympics. North Korea sent the letter
to the General Administration of Sports of China on the day when they tested a hypersonic missile.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-IRAN: IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BEGINS VISIT TO CHINA FROM JANUARY 14 Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian commenced his visit to China from January 14 to deepen
the “comprehensive strategic partnership” the two countries signed last year. Chinese foreign ministry
spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed (January 11) that Amir-Abdollahian will visit China on January 14,
reiterating that “China is ready to work with Iran to further deepen the China-Iran comprehensive strategic
partnership.”
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: TROUBLE IN KAZAKHSTAN CAUSE CHINA CONCERN Articles in the English and Chinese editions of the Global Times (January 6) headlined 'Riots show signs of
“color revolution,” sounding alarm bells for China, Russia' said "As the chaos in the Central Asian country
- the worst in decades - has shown signs of a "color revolution," analysts warned of the high possibility that
the US will take the chance to destabilize the region to further contain China and Russia".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-SRI LANKA: SRI LANKA PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSA ASKS CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI FOR RESTRUCTURING OF LOANS AND CONCESSIONARY CREDIT FACILITY Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on January 9 asked China for the restructuring of its loans and
access to preferential credit for imports of essential goods. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis,
partly due to Beijing-financed projects that don’t generate revenue. Rajapaksa told visiting Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi that it would be “a great relief to the country if attention could be paid on restructuring
the debt repayments as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen in the face of the COVID-19
pandemic”. A statement said Rajapaksa asked Wang for a concessionary credit facility for imports so that
industries can run without disruption. He also requested assistance to enable Chinese tourists to travel to Sri
Lanka within a secure bubble.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-US: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE DIRECTLY THREATENS JAPAN AND U.S. Commenting on the virtual 2+2 meeting on January 7 between the Foreign and Defense ministers of the US
and Japan, an article in the Global Times (January 8) noted that "they hyped the so-called threat from China
and declared that 'they resolved to work together to deter and, if necessary, respond to destabilizing activities
in the region'.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: GLOBAL TIMES REPORTS THAT JAPAN IS DEVELOPING A NEW TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT HYPERSONIC MISSILES The Global Times (January 5) reported that Japan is developing a new technology that can be used to combat
hypersonic missiles. It quoted Japan's Nikkei Asian Review's website (January 4) as quoting sources that
said Japan's Defense Ministry will develop electromagnetic launch technology to intercept enemy missiles
"because Japan is now eager to deal with hypersonic weapons being developed by China, Russia and North
Korea. ". According to the report, Japan's Defence Ministry is working on rail gun technology capable of
launching projectiles by electromagnetic acceleration, which is faster than the launch method of conventional
interceptor systems and can fire continuously. Together with long-range missiles, this new generation of
weapon systems would provide Japan with a multi-layer interception capability.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CHAIRS DAY-LONG POLITBURO AND PBSC MEETINGS The PBSC held a meeting throughout the day on January 6 to listen to the work reports of the NPC Standing
Committee, the State Council, the CPPCC National Committee, the Supreme People's Court, Supreme
People's Procuratorate, and the work of the Central Secretariat. CCP Central Committee General Secretary
Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING'S CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNIST THOUGHT EULOGISED Xinhua on January 1, 2022, front-paged a lengthy report eulogising CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping's
contribution to Chinese Communist Thought. A People's Daily Commentary (January 2) praised Xi Jinping's
leadership and his "courage" in locking down cities to combat the pandemic.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG HOSTS SEMINAR ON TAX AND FEE REDUCTION CCTV (January 5) reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hosted a seminar on tax reduction and fee
reduction in Beijing on January 5. PBSC member and Vice Premier Han Zheng attended the meeting. Hu
Chunhua, Liu He, Wang Yong, Xiao Jie, Zhao Kezhi and He Lifeng also participated.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER WANG HUNING DELIVERS SPEECH AT NATIONAL PROPAGANDA MEETING HELD IN BEIJING ON JANUARY 5 CCTV (January 5) reported that the National Propaganda Ministers' Meeting was held in Beijing on January
5. PBSC member and Secretary of the CCP CC Secretariat, Wang Huning attended and delivered a speech.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: NPC CHAIRMAN AND PBSC MEMBER LI ZHANSHU'S ABSENCE AT CPPCC'S NEW YEAR'S PARTY ON DECEMBER 31 SPARKS SPECULATION IN BEIJING There is considerable speculation in Beijing about Li Zhanshu, Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC)
member and one of Xi Jinping's closest confidants, since he was absent at the New Year's tea party in Beijing
hosted by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee on 31
December.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC AGENDA FOR 2021 2021 was the legislature’s most productive year yet in the New Era. The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC)
was in session for a total of 25 ½ days. It held six regular sessions and, following the Communist Party’s call
for additional legislative sessions, a seventh full-length session in January.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CCP: LEADERSHIP CHANGES BEING MANAGED AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL IN CHINA'S PROVINCES AND AUTONOMOUS REGIONS The Zhonguo Zuzhirenshi Bao on January 4 published a lengthy article on the changing leadership at the
municipal level, to build a team of leaders and cadres with strong political skills. Captioned 'Efforts to build
a leadership team and a team of cadres with strong political skills and the ability to lead modernization ——
Solid advancement of the change of municipal leadership in various regions', the article enumerated the steps
being taken by different provinces. I mentioned that 'Tibet had promoted and reused 49 outstanding cadres
with outstanding performance in the forefront of maintaining stability, the main battlefield of economic
development, the main frontline of ecological and environmental protection, and the front line of solid
borders and strong borders into the municipal leadership team'. It noted that 'Yunnan selected 11 cadres
familiar with economic work from the deputy city (prefecture) mayors and county party committee
secretaries to join the party committee' and 'Xinjiang focuses on advancing the strategy of long-term stability
and stability and enhancing the leadership ability to maintain stability'
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI'AN CITY OFFICIAL DISMISSED FOR PANDEMIC CONTROL SYSTEMS CRASH The Shanghai Daily (January 5) reported that the Director and Party chief of the Big Data Resources
Management Bureau in Xi’an City was dismissed over poor performance. Xi’an’s health code system, the
essential id for PCR testing and medical screening in pandemic control, had crashed several times. The
announcement was made after the city's health code system, the essential identification method for medical
screening during pandemic control, crashed again on January 4 after it broke down on December 20 due to
excessive traffic
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CDIC: CDIC ISSUES NEW REGULATIONS ON WORK OF PARTY'S DICS Xinhua (January 4) announced that the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) had issued new
"Regulations on the Work of the Disciplinary Inspection Committee of the Communist Party of China".
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CLIMATE: BEIJING MEETS ALL NATIONAL AIR-QUALITY STANDARDS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2013 The Wall Street Journal (January 5) reported that Yu Jianhua, deputy head of Beijing Municipality's
Environmental Protection Bureau, said at a press briefing in Beijing on January 4 that Beijing met all national
air-quality standards for the first time since targets were set in 2013 in preparation for next month’s Winter
Olympics. Yu Jianhua said the average concentration of fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, fell by
13% compared with a year earlier and 63% compared with 2013 levels.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: NEW YORK TIMES REPORT SAYS CHINESE POLICE HAVE ENLARGED SECURITY APPARATUS TO UNMASK AND CONTROL DISSENT A recent New York Times and the Washington Post (December 31) investigation revealed that the Chinese
government, which has built an extensive digital infrastructure and security apparatus to control dissent on
its own platforms, is going to even greater lengths to extend its internet dragnet to unmask and silence those
who criticize the country on Twitter, Facebook, and other international social media.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CYBER: CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION OF CHINA ISSUES NEW CYBER SECURITY REVIEW MEASURES ON JANUARY 4 The Cyberspace Administration of China on January 4 issued Cyber Security Review measures, clarifying
that Online platform operators who have personal info of more than 1 million users and are going to list
abroad must report for cybersecurity review. It also directed that Online platforms must not use algorithms
to influence online public opinion, evade supervision, and monopolize and unfair competition.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-SPACE: CHINA'S CASC PLANS TO COMPLETE TIANGONG SPACE STATION THIS YEAR SpaceNews (January 3) reported from Helsinki that the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
(CASC) stated on social media that it will target more than 40 orbital launches this year, including completion
of the Tiangong space station, following 48 successful launches in 2021.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC PUBLICISES ACTIVITIES OF INVESTIGATION TEAMS IN DIFFERENT PROVINCES AND MUNICIPALITIES The Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) publicised in its paper that its investigation teams
had been active in Inner Mongolia, Hubei, Shanxi, Beijing, Jiangsu, and Tianjin.Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan,
and Tianjin uncovering different types of corrupt activities.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CHINA HOARDING GRAIN STOCKS An article in Nikkei Asia (December 23) quoted Qin Yuyun, head of grain reserves at the National Food and
Strategic Reserves Administration, as telling reporters in November reported that China is maintaining its
food stockpiles at a "historically high level." He said "Our wheat stockpiles can meet demand for one and a
half years.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CENTRAL ECONOMIC WORK CONFERENCE RECOMMENDED MEASURES TO DEVELOP CAPITAL MARKET The state-run CCTV News (January 6) stated that the Central Economic Work Conference put forward
several requirements for the development of the capital market this year. Yi Huiman, Chairman of the China
Securities Regulatory Commission, told CCTV that in 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission
will strive to achieve "three stability and three advancements" and actively contribute to stabilizing the
macroeconomic market. The Central Economic Work Conference pointed out that the stock issuance
registration system should be fully implemented. Yi Huiman said the China Securities Regulatory
Commission is speeding up the formulation of a market-wide registration system reform plan to ensure the
smooth implementation of this major reform.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA RELEASES NEW 5-YEAR (2021-25) DOCUMENT TO PROMOTE THE ECONOMY The South China Morning Post (December 31) disclosed that a new five-year (2021-25) document says
domestic trade must play an increasingly important role in shoring up national economy.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: 4.37 MILLION MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESSES CLOSE PERMANENTLY IN CHINA IN FIRST 11 MONTHS OF 2021 The South China Morning Post (December 30) disclosed that nearly 4.37 million of China’s smallest
businesses permanently shut their doors in the first 11 months of the year – more than three times the number
of new ones that opened during the same time. Only 1.32 million new micro and small firms opened in China
during the first 11 months of this year, compared with 6.13 million last year.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: 2459 BANK OUTLETS AND 29 COMMERCIAL BANKS IN CHINA CLOSED OPERATIONS RETRENCHING 22355 EMPLOYEES According to the 21st Century Business Herald (December 28), bank outlets in China have been shrinking
rapidly. Based on the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission’s statistics, as of December 24,
2021, a total of 2,459 bank outlets of commercial banking institutions ceased operations this year.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI VISITING ERITREA, KENYA, THE COMOROS, THE MALDIVES, AND SRI LANKA Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi is travelling through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from January 4 to
9. He will be visiting Eritrea, Kenya, the Comoros, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, all face a financial crisis
and have debt issues to be addressed. Eritrea joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in November
2020.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINA GIVES NEW NAMES TO 15 PLACES AND FEATURES LOCATED IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH On December 29, 2021, China's Ministry of Civil Aviation Affairs announced that in accordance with the
relevant regulation of the State Council on the management of geographical names, the Ministry and relevant
departments have standardized some geographical names in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese media report
disclosed that of the 15 places whose names have been changed, eight of them are residential areas, four of
them are mountain peaks, two rivers and one Mountain Pass. Along with the changes in places names, they
have also carried out virtual administrative divisions of these places under the Chinese counties and
prefectures namely, Cuona County of Shannan Prefecture, Medog County of Nyingchi Prefecture and Longzi
County of Shannan Prefecture
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-JAPAN: DEFENCE MINISTERS OF CHINA AND JAPAN AGREE TO SET UP DEFENCE HOTLINE IN 2022 Reference News, a subsidiary publication of Xinhua News, recently reported on December 29, that on the
December 27, Chinese State Councillor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe held a video conference with
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. The call took about two hours, which exceeded the original
scheduled time.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CANADA: CANADA TERMINATES OPERATIONS OF CMLINK, A SUBSIDIARY OF CHINA MOBILE, ON GROUND OF NATIONAL SECURITY Global Times (December 30) reported that CMLink, a subsidiary of China Mobile Canada, announced on
December 28, that, at the request of the Canadian Federal Government, the company will cease its operations
on January 5, 2022.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-US: US BANS IMPORT OF PRODUCTS MADE IN CHINA'S XINJIANG REGION The business news service Axios (December 23) quoted a White House release that US President Biden
signed a bill on December 23 banning imports from China's Xinjiang region and punishing the Chinese
government for its genocide of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. Human rights activists say the bill will
impose the first substantive costs the Chinese government has ever faced for its atrocities in Xinjiang and
could set a precedent for other countries to follow.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-US: PROPORTION OF CHINESE STUDENTS IN U.S. REGISTERS SLIGHT INCREASE China's Guangming Ribao (January 4) pointed out that the proportion of Chinese students of all international
students in the US has slightly increased in 2021, reaching 34.7%. Quoting from a report of the American
Society for International Education's latest "U.S. Open Door Report" released in November 2021, it said
statistics show that there are 317,000 Chinese students studying in the U.S. from 2020 to 2021, still occupying
the first place in the number of overseas students studying in the U.S. Although the number has dropped by
14.8% year-on-year, considering that the total number of international students in the United States has
dropped by 15%, the proportion of Chinese students in the total number of international students in the United
States has even slightly increased compared with last year, reaching 34.7%.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-CUBA: CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO CUBA PLACES WREATH AT MONUMENT TO FALLEN CHINESE FIGHTERS IN HAVANA Xinhua (December 31) reported that the Chinese Ambassador to Cuba, Ma Hui, on December 31 laid a
wreath of flowers at the monument to fallen Chinese fighters during Cuba's Independence War in Havana.
Ma Hui said, "Over the past 170 years, the Chinese and Cuban people have forged a friendship that has stood
the test of time." Luis Gongora, Director General of Foreign Trade, and International Relations at the
government of Havana, said that China has provided an extraordinary example to the world in the fight
against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jan 2022 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: POLITBURO HOLDS DEMOCRATIC LIFE MEETING A Politburo Democratic Life Meeting was held on 28 December 2021.
(Comment: No details are available as yet. The 'Democratic Life Meetings' of the CCP are known to be
serious affairs where candid criticisms and self-criticisms are made. They are known to be held at the end of
the year. in December since 2015.)
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: MAO'S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY December 26th was the 128th anniversary of Chinese Chairman Mao 's birthday.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS: GUANGDONG GOVERNOR APPOINTED NEW XINJIANG PARTY SECRETARY The state-owned Xinhua news agency said in a brief announcement on December 25 that Ma Xingrui, the
62-year old Governor of Guangdong province since 2017, had replaced Chen Quanguo as Party Secretary of
the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). It said Chen Quanguo will move to another role. Chen
Quanguo, 66, was appointed XUAR Party Secretary in 2016. He is one of the 25 members of China’s
politburo and was placed on a sanctions list last year by the US. Ma Xingrui has a background in the
aerospace industry.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PARTY: MAJOR GUANGMING DAILY ARTICLE CLARIFIES 'TWO ESTABLISHMENTS' A major article in the Guangming Daily (December 24) by Liu Jianwu, former Dean of Hunan Academy of
Social Sciences, Researcher of Hunan Research Center for Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese
Characteristics, clarified the difference between the "two Establishings".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PARTY: GUANGMING DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY FORMER EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT CENTRAL PARTY SCHOOL HE YITING Guangming Daily (December 30) published an article by former Exec. Vice President of the Central Party
School and currently Member of the 13th NPC Standing Committee and Chairman of the Social Construction
Committee titled 'The core of leadership and innovative theory of the Communist Party of China'.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CENTRAL RURAL WORK CONFERENCE HELD IN BEIJING ON DECEMBER 25-26 A People's Daily lead article on December 27, referring to the Central Rural Work Conference held in Beijing
from December 25 to 26, asserted that the issue of agriculture and rural farmers is a fundamental issue related
to the national economy and the people's livelihood.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC STANDING COMMITTEE AND CPPCC NATIONAL COMMITTEE DECIDE DATES FOR THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETINGS The 32nd meeting of the 13th NPC Standing Committee voted on December 24 to convene the decision to
convene the 5th meeting of the 13th NPC. According to the decision, the Fifth Session of the 13th National
People's Congress will be held in Beijing on March 5, 2022.
The 64th Chairman’s Meeting of the 13th CPPCC, the CPPCC National Committee recommended that the
Fifth Meeting of the 13th CPPCC National Committee will be held in Beijing on March 4 next year.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-RELIGION: CHINA'S MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY ZHAO KEZHI CONVENES MEETING OF PUBLIC SECURITY PERSONNEL SOON AFTER XI JINPING'S SPEECH AT RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE In the second week of December, Bitter Winter reported that the National Conference on Work Related to
Religious Affairs -- the first such conference since 2016 -- was held on December 3–4 and personally
presided over by President Xi Jinping, who also delivered the keynote speech. It said the Minister of Public
Security, Zhao Kezhi immediately followed this up with a high-level meeting of security officers on how to
implement Xi Jinping’s speech at the conference. Zhao Kezhi instructed officers to earnestly study the
Marxist theory of religion to avoid serious mistakes.
(Comment: Bitter Winter noted that Zhao Kezhi’s speech was largely a summary of the one delivered by Xi
Jinping at the conference and repeatedly used the expression “xie jiao and illegal missionary activities”.
Mentioning that this is not usually the case, Bitter Winter clarified that use of the word 'xie jiao' means the
concerned group is perceived by the CCP as "anti-Party and subversive.”)
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: MAJOR ARTICLE BY DEPUTY SECRETARY OF CDIC DISCLOSES THAT 393 'LEADING CADRES AT OR ABOVE PROVINCIAL AND MINISTERIAL LEVEL' HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED BETWEEN DECEMBER 2012 AND JUNE 2021 The People's Daily (December 24) published a major article by Xiao Pei, Deputy Secretary of the Central
Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC), titled 'Persist in the courage to struggle and self-revolution (indepth study and implementation of the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of
the Party)'.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE PROVINCES BEGIN WITHDRAWING ''PERFORMANCE BONUSES' GIVEN TO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES A post written on China's social media by an employee of the Hangzhou municipal government has become
the talk of China, and after December 30 when Nikkei Asia reported it gone global. She wrote: "Listen to
this. My annual pay is going to be slashed by around 25%. That's 50,000 yuan ($7,850) less.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY CASS VICE PRESIDENT GAO PEIYONG EXPLAINING 'NEW DEVELOPMENT STAGE' The People's Daily (December 30) published an article captioned 'Correctly understand and grasp the new
development stage' by Gao Peiyong, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA FORMS A RARE EARTHS CONGLOMERATE THAT WILL CONTROL 70 PER CENT OF COUNTRY'S HEAVY RARE EARTH METALS The Global Times (December 22) reported that according to a stock filing published by the China Minmetals
Rare Earth Co on December 19, the company received notice from its parent company China Minmetals
Corp that the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) has approved to
set up a new company based on the strategic merger of assets from companies including China Minmetals
Corp, the Aluminium Corporation of China as well as the government of Ganzhou.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINA RETALIATES BY SANCTIONING 4 MEMBERS OF U.S. GOVERNMENT'S COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Following the sanction by the US Treasury on December 10 of Shohrat Zakir, Chairman of the Xinjiang
Uyghur Autonomous Region’s government from 2018 until early this year, and his successor and former
deputy Erken Tuniyaz, China on December 21 announced retaliatory sanctions against four members of the
United States Government’s Commission on International Religious Freedom. Those sanctioned by China
are: Chairwoman Nadine Maenza, Deputy Chairman Nury Turkel and members Anurima Bhargava and
James Carr. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said they are barred from visiting mainland
China, Hong Kong and Macau, and any assets they have in the country will be frozen.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: FORMER CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.S. CUI TIANKAI U.S. WILL NOT WILLINGLY ACCEPT RISE OF ANOTHER POWER WITH DIFFERENT SYSTEMS AND THAT ITS CHINA POLICY HAS A STRONG ELEMENT OF RACISM Speaking to Chinese diplomats and academics at an annual seminar hosted by the China Institute of
International Studies at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on December 21, Cui Tiankai, the China's
longest-serving Ambassador to the United States, warned against any “carelessness, slackness and
incompetence” in China’s dealing with the US.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: RETIRED SENIOR CHINESE OFFICIAL CAUTIONS AGAINST VIEW THAT U.S. IS DECLINING Recently addressing a panel on Sino-US relations at an economic development forum in Sanya, Hainan, the
former deputy chief of Party History Research Centre, Zhang Baijia stressed the need for China to balance
opening up and safeguarding national interests.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-CENTRAL ASIA: PRESIDENT OF CICIR WARNS THAT THE NEW 'ORGANISATION OF TURKIC STATES' COULD ADD TO UNCERTAINTY IN CENTRAL ASIA According to the South China Morning Post (December 26) Yuan Peng, President of the influential Beijingbased China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), wrote on the think tank’s social
media account that an upgrade to a grouping of Turkic-speaking states is adding to “extreme uncertainty” in
Central Asia.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-CENTRAL ASIA: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI WRITES IN PEOPLE'S DAILY HIGHLIGHTING POTENTIAL FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND THE CARS Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote an article in the People's Daily (December 30) highlighting the
scope for cooperation between China and the five Central Asan Republics in various fields. Among the areas
of cooperation, he mentioned the need "to jointly build a peaceful and stable regional security structure."
Wang Yi said "The changes in Afghanistan have impacted regional security, and the "three forces" have
emerged, seriously threatening regional stability. China is willing to continue to work with other countries,
relying on bilateral and multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and AsiaInfo
to further deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, resolutely combat the "three forces", jointly
prevent transnational organized crime, drug smuggling, and cybercrime, and work together to create a "safe
silk". Road", so that the people of the six countries will live in peace and tranquillity forever."
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: AUSTRALIA'S DEFENCE DEPARTMENT FINDS NO GROUND TO TERMINATE 99-YEAR LEASE OF PORT DARWIN TO CHINESE COMPANY LANDBRIDGE The Australian (December 28) reported that a review by Australia's Defence Department has found there are
no national security grounds sufficient to recommend a government intervention to overturn the controversial
99-year lease of the Port of Darwin to Chinese company Landbridge. It has, accordingly, made no formal
recommendation for a national security intervention. The Australian confirmed that the national security
committee of cabinet has considered the review it commissioned to -re-examine the 2015 agreement under
which Landbridge won the bid to operate the port in a deal worth $506m. It added that the review is
understood to have disappointed China hawks who were hoping the review would trigger a reversal of the
-decision and allow the government to unpick the lease arrangement.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING PRESIDES OVER POLITBURO MEETING TO ANALYSE AND STUDY ECONOMIC WORK IN 2022 The CCP CC Politburo met on December 6 to analyse and study the economic work in 2022; listen to the
work report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission, and
study and deploy the party's work style and clean government and anti-corruption work in 2022; deliberation
Regulations on the Work of the Disciplinary Inspection Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG CHAIRS STATE COUNCIL MEETING TO PROMOTE STABLE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN TRADE The state-run CCTV on December 23 reported that a few days earlier Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided
over an executive meeting of the State Council to determine cross-cycle adjustment measures to promote the
stable development of foreign trade; make arrangements for the implementation of the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement after its entry into force.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-VILLAGE REFORM: CCP CC'S GENERAL OFFICE AND STATE COUNCIL ISSUE 5- YEAR (2021-2025) ACTION PLAN FOR VILLAGE REFORMS Xinhua reported that on December 5 the General Offices of the CCP CC and State Council issued the "Fiveyear Action Plan for the Improvement and Improvement of Rural Human Settlement Environment (2021-
2025)" requesting all regions and departments to conscientiously implement it.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-MEDIA: HU XIJIN, ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF GLOBAL TIMES Former People’s Daily reporter Hu Xijin announced his retirement as Editor-in-Chief of the nationalist
tabloid the Global Times on December 16. He said he would continue as the Global Times' special
commentator and "contribute my efforts to the development of the Global Times and continue to do my
utmost for the Party's news and public opinion work".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: ANOTHER CHINESE PRIVATE EQUITY TYCOON ARRESTED IN NOVEMBER Caixin (December 22) disclosed that 56-year Wang Chaoyong, a Chinese private equity tycoon who founded
China equity Investment Co. Ltd., was detained by Beijing police on allegations of misappropriation of funds.
It said Wang Chaoyang disappeared from public sight nearly three weeks ago and was last seen at his office
in Beijing’s central business district on the afternoon of November 29. He was detained by police the next
afternoon. China equity manages more than US$1.7 billion and is listed on the New Third Board in Shenzhen.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: ORIGINAL VERSION OF PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE ON SIXTH PLENUM MAKES NO MENTION OF XI JINPING The official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) People's Daily published an article on
December 9 which, intriguingly, ignored any mention of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The 2703-character
article was titled "Deeply Studying the Spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Central Committee (Sixth
Plenum)" and authored by Qu Qingshan, member of the CCP's 18th Central Discipline
Inspection Commission of and member of the 19th CCP CC. He is currently Dean of the CCP
CC's Institute of Party History and Literature. The article was replaced with an amended version many hours
later. The amended version read: "General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Reform and opening up is a
great awakening in the history of our party. It is this great awakening that gave birth to great creations from
theory to practice in the new era.” Reform and opening up is the product of a great awakening, and the great
awakening gave birth to reform and opening up. Reform and opening up developed China, developed
socialism, and developed Marxism".
(Comment: Appearing at a time when Xi Jinping is supposed to have consolidated his unshakable authority,
the article's appearance strongly hints at inner-Party differences in the months leading to the 20th Party
Congress.) .
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: ANONYMOUS BLOGGER POSTS ARTICLE SATIRISING CHINA'S RESPONSE TO US PRESIDENT BIDEN'S SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY An anonymous Chinese blogger posted on December 8, a highly satirical blog taunting China's reaction to
US President Biden's recent Summit for Democracy. Thousands of Chinese netizens have already viewed
the site.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: PROMINENT CHINESE HR LAWYER MISSING SINCE HOURS BEFORE EVENT AT EU REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN BEIJING Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported (December 17) that Tang Jitian, a prominent Chinese human rights attorney
has been incommunicado since texting friends a couple of hours before an event linked to Human Rights
Day at the EU representative office in Beijing on December10. RFA claims he is believed to be detained and
that repeated calls to Tang Jitian's phone remained unanswered on December 16.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PERIPHERAL DIPLOMACY: CASS PUBLISHES UPBEAT ARTICLE ON PERIPHERAL DIPLOMACY BY CHINESE ACADEMIC In an article captioned 'Innovation of Peripheral Diplomacy and Policy Practice' and published by the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Zhou Fangyin the Dean and Professor of the School of International
Relations, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, stated that "China has always attached great importance
to developing relations with neighbouring countries" and since the 18th Party Congress followed a policy of
"being good with neighbours and partnering with neighbours". It observed that in April 2015, China and
Pakistan upgraded their China-Pakistan strategic partnership to an "all-weather strategic partnership" and the
“China-Pakistan Economic Corridor”, as the flagship project of the “Belt and Road” initiative, "has become
a pragmatic cooperation between China and Pakistan to jointly forge a bilateral destiny". In June 2019, China
and Russia announced the development of a "comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era", which is
currently the highest-level partnership of China's diplomacy. He added that China has also established
"comprehensive strategic partnerships" with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, established
"strategic partnerships" with South Korea, Brunei, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India,
and established "permanent comprehensive strategic partnerships" with Kazakhstan and establish a
"comprehensive strategic partnership" with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and
Mongolia. China and Laos, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Myanmar, he said, have "reached consensus on
building a community with a shared future". The cooperation between the two sides has been further
consolidated, enriched, and enhanced. At the same time, China is also actively promoting the construction
of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future and a China-Central Asia community with a shared
future. The building of a community with a shared future in the surrounding areas is gradually spreading
from point to surface, and continues to deepen. The coronavirus pandemic was identified as "the most serious
public health crisis in the world since the end of World War II". Zhou Fangyin also referred to the "effective
management and control of hot issues", where he said, "the long-term existence of a variety of hot issues is
a challenge facing China's surrounding environment". He added "The emergence of this phenomenon is not
only caused by complicated historical factors, but also influenced by the transformation of the current
regional order. These hot issues are difficult to be fundamentally resolved in a short period of time, but with
the joint efforts of China and neighbouring countries, overall management and control are relatively effective.
Even in the face of interference from many external factors, the relationship between China and neighbouring
countries remains stable and developing for the better. Taking into account the inherent complexity and
mutual interaction of surrounding hotspot issues, the continuous involvement of countries outside the region
for many years, the profound changes in regional power, the instability and uncertainty of the international
situation, and the ongoing deep-level transformation of the regional order, China has successfully maintained
Effective management and control of surrounding hotspot issues and promoting the continued development
of relations with neighbouring countries are quite commendable". He said, in conclusion, that "China's
neighbouring diplomacy" since the 18th Party Congress "has been carried out under the background of the
gradual strengthening of strategic competition between China and the United States. Despite the
unfavourable international environment, under the guidance of innovative ideas and the joint efforts of both
sides, China's relations with neighbouring countries have undergone new development, and China's ability
to shape a good surrounding environment has been improved". He concluded that "as the sense of community
with a shared future takes root further, the relationship between China and neighbouring countries will be
improved, which will also lay a solid foundation and provide a stronger foundation for peace, stability and
prosperity in the region".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CHINA STOCKS UP ON GRAIN AT "HISTORICALLY HIGH LEVEL" Qin Yuyun, head of grain reserves at the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, told reporters
in November that China is maintaining its food stockpiles at a "historically high level" and "Our wheat
stockpiles can meet demand for one and a half years. There is no problem whatsoever about the supply of
food." According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China is expected to have 69% of the
globe's maize reserves in the first half of crop year 2022, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat. China spent
$98.1 billion importing food (beverages are not included) in 2020, up 4.6 times from a decade earlier,
according to the General Administration of Customs of China. In the January-September period of 2021,
China imported more food than it had since at least 2016, which is as far back as comparable data goes. Over
the past five years, China's soybean, maize, and wheat imports soared two- to twelvefold on aggressive
purchases from the U.S., Brazil, and other supplier nations. Imports of beef, pork, dairy, and fruit jumped
two- to fivefold. China's production of wheat and other provisions as well as the amount of land used for
agriculture plateaued in 2015. Goro Takahashi, a Professor Emeritus at Aichi University and expert on
Chinese agriculture, said "Agricultural productivity in China is low due to the dispersion of farmland and
soil contamination. The amount of agricultural production will continue to stall as farmers migrate to urban
areas."
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S TWO DAY (DECEMBER 8-10) CENTRAL ECONOMIC WORK CONFERENCE STRESSES STABILITY Xinhua (December 10) reported that at the annual Central Economic Work Conference held in Beijing from
December 8-10, Chinese leaders mapped out priorities for the economic work in 2022. In a speech at the
conference, Xi Jinping, described 2021 as a milestone for the Party and the nation. The meeting noted that
China maintained a leading position in the world in economic development and epidemic control, with
progress made in scientific strength, industrial chain resilience, reform and opening-up, people's livelihood
and ecological civilization.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PEOPLE'S DAILY COMMENTARY EMPHASISES IMPORTANCE OF UNIFIED PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE A People's Daily (December 16) Commentator's article highlighted that "the Central Economic Work
Conference pointed out that it is necessary to adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party
Central Committee, calmly respond to major challenges, and move forward in unison". Asserting that
"Practice has fully proved that the decision and deployment of the Party Central Committee with Comrade
Xi Jinping at the core are completely correct", it said China's economic development is "faced with the triple
pressures of shrinking demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations" and that "the external
environment has become more complex, severe and uncertain". It urged cadres to work hard and focus on
economic work.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: HONGKONG ELECTIONS SEE LOWEST EVER TURNOUT BUT LANDSLIDE WIN FOR PRO-BEIJING CANDIDATES Candidates loyal to China’s Communist Party won a landslide victory in Hong Kong’s legislative elections
after pro-democracy activists were imprisoned and authorities received the power to exclude those deemed
inappropriate for office. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said during a news conference on December 20 that
she was “satisfied” with the election despite a 30.2 percent voter turnout -- the lowest since the British handed
Hong Kong over to China in 1997. She left to brief the Chinese leaders in Beijing and met Chinese President
Xi Jinping on December 22, who said that Hong Kong had consolidated the achievements in moving from
chaos to governance and the situation has constantly improved. He added that the region had also achieved
notable results in COVID-19 response, steadily recovered its economy and maintained social stability. Xi
Jinping then talked about Lam’s work towards the implementation of changes to HK’s electoral system,
holding of elections, implementation of NSL and HKSAR’s integration into the overall development of the
country and said that “the central authorities fully acknowledge the work of Lam and the HKSAR
government.” Senior Chinese officials including Han Zheng, Ding Xuexiang, Guo Shengkun, You Quan,
Wang Yi and Xia Baolong attended the meeting
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: DPP GETS CLEAR VICTORY IN ALL 4 ISSUES FOR NATIONAL REFERENDUM The results of the national referendum that took place December 18, resulted in a defeat for the KMT and
victory for the DPP, with all four referendum proposals voted down. The DPP had advocated the four “Nos”.
Four issues were voted on during the referendum. These were: the restart of Nuclear Reactor No. 4; the
construction of a liquified natural gas terminal off the coast of Datan, Taoyuan; the lifting of barriers to the
import of American pork containing the growth hormone ractopamine; and whether the date that national
referendums should be held on the same date as elections. The DPP took the clear lead in all four referendum
questions.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: KMT TO OPEN AN OFFICE IN WASHINGTON DC Nikkei Asia (December 16) disclosed that Kuomintang Deputy Director Eric Huang will this month open the
KMT's new office in the U.S. capital. The move is a tacit admission that the party has an image issue in
Washington, where President Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been warmly received
since coming to power in 2016. It also comes as a Kuomintang-sponsored referendum this on December 18
threatens to derail the prospects for a U.S.-Taiwan trade deal, which would undoubtedly please China. The
Nikkei Asia report also said the KMT held a reception for its birthday in conjunction with American
Thanksgiving in late November in what appeared to be an informal launch of its strategy of warming up to
Washington. KMT Chairman Eric Chu addressed party members, diplomats, and journalists, but said little
to suggest the party had new ideas for handling the tricky three-way relationship between Taiwan, the U.S.
and China. He said "The KMT is the party with the wisdom and the experience to preserve the cross-strait
status quo."
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: US-JAPAN DRAW DRAFT PLAN FOR JOINT OPERATIONS IN CASE OF CHINESE ATTACK ON TAIWAN The Guardian (December 24), citing Japan’s Kyodo news agency, reported that amid increased tensions
between the island and China, Japanese and US armed forces have drawn up a draft plan for a joint operation
for a possible Taiwan emergency. Under the plan, the US marine corps would set up temporary bases on the
Nansei island chain stretching from Kyushu – one of the four main islands of Japan – to Taiwan at the initial
stage of a Taiwan emergency and would deploy troops. Kyodo said citing unnamed Japanese government
sources on December 23.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: ARTICLES BY CHINESE EXPERTS REVEAL CHINA POLICY TOWARDS THE U.S., RUSSIA AND EUROPE ARE IN PROCESS OF CHANGE The South China Morning Post (December 23) referred to an article by Politburo member Yang Jiechi's
younger brother and former president of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies Yang Jiemian in The
Paper. In the article, Yang Jiemian said China’s US strategy is “confrontational where it must be and
collaborative when it can be” and that China should make better use of the US factor in its burgeoning ties
with Moscow while maintaining “a sense of crisis” about the limits of its own influence.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. APPOINTS INDIAN-ORIGIN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT AS NEW SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR TIBET The U.S. State Department on December 20 announced the appointment of Ms Uzra Zeya as the new Special
Coordinator for Tibetan issues in the US State Department. Uzra Zeya, born in the U.S. to Bihari immigrant
parents is the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights. Her appointment
was promptly welcomed by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), which observed that she is the first
Indian American to be appointed to this position. On December 22, she 'virtually' met the International
Campaign for Tibet (ICT)’s Interim President Bhuchung K. Tsering, Interim Vice President Tencho Gyatso
and Director of Government Relations Franz Matzner.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. BACKLISTS CHINA'S ACADEMY OF MILITARY SCIENCES AND 11 AFFILIATED BIOTECH RESEARCH INSTITUTES Quoting the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia (December. ) reported that the U.S. Commerce Department on
December 16 put China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences and 11 affiliated biotechnology research
institutes on an export blacklist for allegedly helping the Chinese military to develop "brain-control"
weapons.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: PURDUE UNIVERSITY AUTHORITIES BACK CHINESE STUDENT WHO PRAISED TAM PROTESTS OF 1989 The Wall Street Journal (December 17) reported that Zhihao Kong, a Purdue grad student from China, was
harassed by other Chinese students after he posted a letter online praising the 1989 Tiananmen Square
protests and his family in China received a visit from the Ministry of State Security. On hearing of this,
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels denounced the “atmosphere of intimidation” directed at Zhihao
Kong and his family and affirmed that Purdue is “proud” that mainland Chinese students come to his campus,
where they enjoy freedom of inquiry and expression. He insisted, however, that “those seeking to deny those
rights to others, let alone to collude with foreign governments in repressing them, will need to pursue their
education elsewhere.”
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING DELIVERS IMPORTANT SPEECHES AT CHINA FEDERATION OF LITERARY AND ART CIRCLES AND CHINESE WRITERS ASSOCIATION Xinhua (December 14) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed and delivered important speeches at the opening sessions of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 14. The speech contained two mentions of Mao Zedong.
The Beijing Daily (December 14) front-paged an article by the former Deputy Director of the Party History Research Office of the CCP CC highlighting veteran CCP leader Hu Qiaomu's "important" contributions to the drafting of the First and Second Resolutions on Party History.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: THE PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHED A LENGTHY ARTICLE BY GUO SHENGKUN, CHAIRMAN OF THE POLITICAL AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION In a lengthy (5514-word) article titled 'Persist in taking Xi Jinping's thoughts on the rule of law as the guide, striving to write a new chapter in the comprehensive rule of law at a new starting point', published on Page 6 of the People's Daily on December 13. The article included 48 references to Xi Jinping.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: PARTY SECRETARY OF FUZHOU EXPELLED FROM CCP AND ARRESTED FOR ILLEGAL CRYPTO-MINING ACTIVITIES Caixin reported (December 15) that Xiao Yi, Party Chief of Jiangxi provinces's capital Fuzhou City from 2015 till this March was arrested on December 15 for illegal crypto-mining and other illegal activities. He was expelled from the CCP in November and arrested in December. Xiao Yi has become the first high-ranking cadre brought down for misconduct related to the country’s recent crackdown on cryptocurrencies and mining.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC INSPECTS SINOPEC AND PUNISHES MANAGEMENT-LEVEL OFFICIALS China's Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) issued a notice on December 15 stating that “In the special rectification of business dealings between the relatives of leaders and Sinopec’s business enterprises, a total of 16 people were given party discipline and government sanctions, 78 people were given organizational treatment, and 70 people were given salary deductions." Recently, it has been learned that the disciplinary inspection and supervision team of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation has included the company's system deputy and above management personnel into the scope of inspection and rectification during the special rectification. Up to now, the inspection and rectification have been completed.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA PRESENTS ITS POSITION PAPER ON APPLICATION OF AI IN THE MILITARY TO UN The People's Daily highlighted that on December 13, China submitted the "China's Position Paper on Regulating the Military Application of Artificial Intelligence" to the Sixth Review Conference of the United Nations "Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons". It said this is China's first proposal on regulating the military application of Artificial Intelligence, and it is also the first position paper on the security governance of Artificial Intelligence under the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. It described it as "another important effort of China to actively lead the process of international security governance in response to the development of international security and emerging technologies".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINA IS CREATING A SPACE-BASED QUANTUM NETWORK TO PROTECT ITS ELECTRIC POWER GRIDS AGAINST ATTACKS The South China Morning Post (December 10) disclosed that China has created a quantum communication network in space to protect its electric power grid against attacks. Part of the network links the power grid of Fujian, the southeastern province closest to Taiwan, to a national emergency command centre in Beijing.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: TAIWANESE COMPANIES SIGN AGREEMENT TO TO CREATE THEIR OWN SEMI-CONDUCTOR INDUSTRY Taiwan’s chip fabricators -- four Taiwanese trade groups and three nonprofit organizations representing the whole of Taiwan’s high-tech industry -- signed an agreement on December 3 to create their own semiconductor equipment industry, opening an “option to decouple from the West,” in the view of a prominent US research firm.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PEOPLE'S DAILY HIGHLIGHTS XI JINPING'S CALL FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN ENERGY, FOOD AND MINERALS AT CENTRAL ECONOMIC WORK CONFERENCE An article published in the People’s Daily on December 12 and the South China Morning Post (December 13) highlighted Chinese President call for self-sufficiency in energy, food and minerals among global challenges at the Central Economic Work Conferemce. He said resource shortages could turn into a ‘grey rhino’ risk – an obvious yet ignored threat – for the world’s No 2 economy.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: 3-DAY CENTRAL ECONOMIC WORK CONFERENCE EMPHASISES STABILITY Xinhua (December 10) reported that the annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 8 - 10, where Chinese leaders mapped out priorities for the economic work in 2022.
In a speech at the conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping reviewed the country's economic work in 2021, analyzed the current economic situation and arranged next year's economic work. A statement issued after the Conference cautioned that China's economic development is facing pressure from demand contraction, supply shocks and weakening expectations, and the external environment is becoming increasingly complicated, grim and uncertain. It said "We must face the difficulties squarely while staying confident." The Central Economic Work Conference said China will continue to implement a “proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy and some infrastructure investment will be accelerated. It includes long sections on Common Prosperity and about thrift/conservation. The Global Times asserted that stability is a big theme. It said the meeting prioritized stability [稳], a word that was mentioned 25 times , for 2022, vowing to improve people's livelihood, stabilize the macro economy, and maintain social stability.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: XINHUA STATEMENT ON XI-PUTIN VIRTUAL SUMMIT ON DECEMBER 15 On December 15, Xinhua released the following statement on the Xi Jinping-Putin Virtual Summit earlier the same day.The statement said:
"Xi Jinping pointed out that it is a great pleasure to hold the second video meeting this year with you at the end of the year. This is also our 37th meeting since 2013.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LITHUANIA: LITHUANIAN DIPLOMATS AND THEIR FAMILIES LEFT CHINA ON DECEMBER 15 AFTER CLOSURE OF THEIR EMBASSY Lithuania's diplomatic delegation to China left the country on December 15, amid worsening relations over Taiwan which opened a de facto embassy in Vilnius last month. Lithuania said in a statement it had summoned its top diplomat back from China for "consultations" and that the embassy would operate remotely for the time being. The diplomats and their families left Beijing for Paris on December 15.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING TELLS POLITBURO TO STRENGTHEN "POLITICAL GUIDANCE" OF LAWYERS Xinhua (December 9) reported that Xi Jinping told a meeting of the Politburo in Beijing on December 6 that the Party should strengthen its “political guidance” of lawyers. Xi Jinping said “[We should] educate and guide lawyers to consciously abide by the basic requirements of supporting the leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist rule of law in China, and strive to be good lawyers satisfied by the party and the people.” He added that lawyers in China too should consciously “follow and embrace” the leadership of the Communist Party.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING DELIVERS "IMPORTANT SPEECH" AT NATIONAL RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE Addressing a national conference on work related to religious affairs, held from December 3-4 in Beijing, Xinhua (December 4) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an "important speech" where he highlighted fully implementing the Party's theory on religious affairs in the new era, the basic policy on religious affairs, and the policy on the freedom of religious belief.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE OFFICIAL MEDIA BEGINS USING PHRASE 'XI JINPING ECONOMIC THOUGHT' The Hongkong-based China Media Project recently pointed out that two small signals were sent out on the front page of the People’s Daily on December 5 and 6, through the inclusion in headlines of the phrase “Xi Jinping Economic Thought” (习近平经济思想), the first headline references in the key arena of economic decision-making to Xi’s so-called banner phrase, or qizhiyu (旗帜语), the long-winded “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想). It observed that though these headline appearances may also have something to do with the upcoming annual Central Economic Work Conference, there can be little doubt that they are important steps toward the formal introduction of the potent “Xi Thought” — putting Xi on par with Mao. Separately, the "Economic Daily Issue Group 经济日报课题组" published (November 30) a lengthy article titled - "A review of Xi Jinping Economic Thought", which used this specific phrase 16 times.
(Comment: Analysts have commented that this could be a build up to the 20th Party Congress.)
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-NPC: PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR 32ND SESSION OF 13TH NPC STANDING COMMITTEE SESSION FROM DECEMBER 20 - 24, 2021 The 13th NPC Standing Committee will convene for its 32nd session from December 20 to 24. According to a preliminary agenda, it will review the following bills: draft amendment to the Organic Law of Local People’s Congresses at All Levels and Local People’s Governments at All Levels [地方各级人民代表大会和地方各级人民政府组织法]; draft Anti–Organized Crime Law [反有组织犯罪法]; draft Wetlands Protection Law [湿地保 draft revision to the Scientific and Technological Progress Law [科学技术进步法]; draft Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law [噪声污染防治法]; draft amendment to the Seed Law [种子法]; draft amendment to the Civil Procedure Law [民事诉讼法]; draft revision to the Vocational Education Law [职业教育法]; draft amendment to the Trade Unions Law [工会法]; draft Black Soil Protection Law [黑土地保护法]; draft revision to the Women’s Rights and Interests Protection Law [妇女权益保障法]; draft Yellow River Protection Law [黄河保护法]; draft revision to the Emergency Response Law [突发事件应对法]; and draft revision to the Decision on Strengthening the Oversight of Economic Work [加强经济工作监督的决定].
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL RELEASES 54-PAGE WHITE PAPER ON DEMOCRACY China's State Council released its White Paper titled “On Chinese Democracy” on Democracy on December 4. 54 pages in length, the White Paper observed in its Preamble that "this year marks the centenary of the CPC. Since its founding in 1921, the Party has taken wellbeing for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its abiding goals, and has made continuous efforts to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: XU ZHIYONG AND DING JIAXI, WELL-KNOWN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS AND CRITICS OF XI JINPING LIKELY TO BE BROUGHT TO 'SECRET' TRIAL SOON According to a report of December 5, well known critics of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese human rights lawyers, Ding Jiaxi and former Professor Xu Zhiyong are likely to be brought to "secret" trial by the Chinese authorities probably between Christmas and New Year to minimise international publicity.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: CHINESE HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND BLOGGER SENTENCED TO IMPRISONMENT Chen Yunfei, a human rights activist and blogger from Sichuan province who has campaigned against environmental degradation, highlighted human rights abuses and spoken out on behalf of the families seeking justice for those killed in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment on December 3. A notice issued on December 3, 2021, by the People's Court of the Pidu District of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province it had "tried the case of the defendant Chen Yunfei for compulsory indecency and child molestation in a closed trial in accordance with the law, and publicly pronounced the sentence. The defendant Chen Yunfei was guilty of the crime of compulsory indecency. Sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of 1 year and 6 months; committed child molestation, sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of 3 years; combined punishment for several crimes, and decided to carry out fixed-term imprisonment of 4 years."
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-HUMAN RIGHTS: UYGHUR TRIBUNAL DETERMINES CHINA IS GUILTY OF GENOCIDE AGAINST UYGHURS Sir Geoffrey Nice QC delivered the Uyghur Tribunal’s judgment in London on December 9, 2021. The tribunal has determined that China has committed torture and crimes against humanity and possibly genocide, all instructed by Xi Jinping and supported by the most senior government officials.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-POPULATION: CHINESE STATE-RUN EDITORIAL POSTS EDITORIAL INSISTING THAT ALL CCP MEMBERS MUST HAVE THREE CHILDREN The Guardian (December 10) reported that an editorial in a Chinese state-run website called China Reports Network said that all CCP members. -- there are 95 million CCP members -- must be obliged to have three children. It said "No party member should use any excuse, objective or personal, to not marry or have children, nor can they use any excuse to have only one or two children". The post has subsequently been deleted but not before it went viral with screenshots appearing on other social media sites.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CASS ANTICIPATES 5 PER CENT GROWTH OF CHINA'S ECONOMY IN 2022 The annual blue book issued by CASS said that China's economy is likely to grow around 5.3% in 2022, but cautioned that the forecast could be adjusted lower depending on the COVID-19 situation. Li Xuesong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told reporters "A target of above 5% leaves a certain room of leeway, which is a relatively prudent call. It would also allow all parties to focus on promoting reforms and innovation and pushing for high-quality development."
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY PAKISTANI RESEARCHER PRAISING CHINA'S STANCE ON W.T.O. The People's Daily (November 30) published an article by Zamir Ahmed Awan, a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of China accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-AVIATION: AIRLINE PASSENGER TRAFFIC REGISTERS MASSIVE DROP IN FIRST 8 MONTHS OF 2021 Citing data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Wall Street Journal (December 6) stated that airlines carried around 1 million people in and out of China over the first eight months of 2021, down from almost 50 million over the same period in 2019.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES PUBLISHES NASTY ARTICLE CRITICISING INDIA AT A TIME INDIA IS GRIEVING TRAGIC DEATH OF GENERAL RAWAT Pointing to an article by Brahma Chellaney, the Global Times (December 9) published an article on Indian CDS General Rawat's tragic death and castigated Indian military competence. It said " one thing is clear: The capability of India's military equipment is not as impressive as the country has been boasting. India' defense manufacturing sector has very limited capability. It can make components of arms and some weapons at home, but most of its military equipment is imported and assembled in India. Its locally produced weapons are mostly modeled on arms from other countries. That being said, there are often hidden dangers when the arms come into actual use. Some military equipment is quite old and outdated but still in service. These show that India's overall military capacity is worrisome, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times."
(Comment: This is a particularly nasty article.)
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: CHINESE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE SPOTTED ON THE SURFACE IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT In the 'Covert Shores' blog on November 30, submarine expert H.I. Sutton commented on the unexpected appearance of a Chinese submarine in the Taiwan Strait this week and identified the vessel as a Chinese Type-94 nuclear-powered ballistic missile sub in a photo from the open source European satellite imagery service, Sentinel-2. The sub was spotted allegedly cruising above the surface of the waters separating Taiwan from mainland China. The reason for its alleged presence in the strait is unknown, but Sutton said it was likely the Chinese sub — also known as an SSBN or boomer — was on a routine mission, possibly heading back to a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy port on the Bohai Sea for repairs or maintenance. Other experts who viewed the satellite image said the alleged presence of a boomer on the surface was perplexing. Carl Schuster, an ex-US Navy captain and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said "An SSBN on the surface is all but unheard of. This may suggest a hull or engineering problem that requires a major shipyard to investigate and fix."
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: NICARAGUA SWITCHES DIPLOMATIC TIES TO PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Nicaragua severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan on December 10 and switched recognition to the PRC. Taiwan now has 14 diplomatic allies.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: FORMER JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE WARNS CHINA Delivering a speech by video to a forum organized by the Institute for National Policy Research, a Taiwanese think tank, on December 1, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned China that a "military adventure would be the path to economic suicide". He said the actions of an increasingly powerful China towards Japan and Taiwan were likely to become more complex, blurring the line between war and peace. He said "an armed invasion of Taiwan would present a serious threat to Japan. A Taiwan crisis would be a Japan crisis and therefore a crisis for the Japan-US alliance. Beijing, President Xi Jinping in particular, should not have any misunderstanding in recognizing this.” He urged democratic peoples to constantly remind the CCP officials not to take the wrong path.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-SOUTH ASIA: CCP CC ILD ORGANISES SEMINAR ON SIXTH PARTY PLENUM WITH LEFT-WING POLITICAL PARTIES IN SOUTH ASIA On November 22, the CCP CC's International Liaison Department held a seminar on the 'spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session' and a seminar on the experience of governing the party and the country through video for the left-wing political parties in South Asia. Leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), Vice President of Nepal Poon, Speaker of Sri Lanka Abewadner, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxism) Yaqiuri, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxism-Leninism) Barua attended and delivered speeches About 300 people including leaders from about 20 left-wing political parties in South Asia, regional and international left-wing organizations, and think tank media representatives attended the meeting, which was addressed by Song Tao, Minister CCP CC ILD.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF PRIVATE AUSTRALIAN COMPANIES AND CHINESE SOES TO MEET FOR FIRST TIME AFTER YEARS ON DECEMBER 13 A report of December 10 disclosed that top Chinese executives will meet with their Australian counterparts for the first time in years as business leaders attempt to find a way through a hostile diplomatic environment that has hit Australia with $20 billion in trade strikes. The high-level private meeting between half-a-dozen Chinese representatives from state-owned energy and resources firms including Sinosteel, the China National Petroleum Corporation, Chinalco and their Australian counterparts in BHP, Fortescue and Rio Tinto on December 13 is the first sign that Beijing has authorised its representatives to re-engage with major Australian firms.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LITHUANIA: CHINA DROPS LITHUANIA FROM ITS CUSTOMS LIST A report from Vilnius (December 3) quoted Vidmantas Janulevicius, President of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, to say that China has imposed a customs block on Lithuanian exports. He said "Chinese customs no longer lists Lithuania in its list of origin countries. So customs forms for cargoes from Lithuania cannot be filed." Janulevicius added that the confederation, whose members account for half of Lithuania's economy, will ask the government to file a complaint with World Trade Organisation, to protest over barriers to trade. Lithuania's foreign ministry is separately talking to the European Commission to find "a common European Union reaction". The Chinese Office of the Charge d'Affairs in Vilnius did not comment on the report. Lithuania, which trades largely with European Union countries, exported 300 million euros worth of goods to China in 2020, making it 22nd largest destination for exports, according to government statistics.
(Comment: China downgraded its diplomatic ties with the Baltic State and suspended consular services there after the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania opened on Nov. 18.)
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-EQUATORIAL GUINEA: US CAUTIONS EQUATORIAL GUINEA ABOUT CHINESE DESIGNS ON ITS PORT OF BATA An article in the Wall Street Journal (December 6) cited US Intelligence sources as saying the Chinese likely have an eye on Bata, a port in Equatorial Guinea. It claimed Bata already has a Chinese-built deep-water commercial port on the Gulf of Guinea, and excellent highways link the city to Gabon and the interior of Central Africa. It said U.S. intelligence agencies began picking up indications of China’s military intentions in Equatorial Guinea in 2019. During the closing days of the Trump administration, a senior Pentagon official visited the country, but the approach apparently left the Obiangs uncertain about how seriously the U.S. took China’s military aspirations. The Biden White House has sought to deliver a sharper message: It would be shortsighted of Equatorial Guinea to insert itself between the front lines of U.S.-China global competition. It quoted Maj. Gen. Andrew Rohling, Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force—Africa, as explaining in an interview in June that the U.S. concern “is that the Chinese would develop a naval base in Equatorial Guinea, which would then give them naval presence on the Atlantic.”
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES 2021 'UNDERSTANDING CHINA' CONFERENCE IN GUANGZHOU On December 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video speech at the opening ceremony of the 2021 "Understanding China" International Conference (Guangzhou) in Beijing. Pointing out that 'the world has entered a period of turbulent change due to the intertwined effects of the world's major changes unseen in a century and the global pandemic of the new crown pneumonia epidemic', he said at this time it is necessary to promote communication, exchanges and cooperation. He added that "To understand China today, you must understand the Communist Party of China" and that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ATTENDS CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION TALENT WORK CONFERENCE IN BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping attended and delivered an "important" speech at the Central Military Commission (CMC)’s Talent Work Conference held in Beijing's Jingxi Hotel from November 26 to November 28. Xi Jinping emphasized that the way to strengthen the army is to win people. 'Talent is a key factor in promoting the high-quality development of the army, winning military competition and taking the initiative in future wars. It is of great practical significance and far-reaching historical significance for achieving the party's goal of strengthening the army in the new era and building the army into a world-class army in an all-round way. It is necessary to implement the spirit of the Central Talent Work Conference, thoroughly implement the strategy of strengthening the army with talents in the new era, and ensure that solid support is provided for the realization of the goal of the century-long struggle of the army, and the overall level of talents ranks among the top military forces in the world'. CMC Vice Chairmen and Politburo members Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia attended the meeting along with CMC members Wei Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua, and Zhang Shengmin. The relevant leading comrades of various departments of the Military Commission, various theaters, various services and arms, the Academy of Military Sciences, the National Defense University, the National University of Defense Technology, and the Armed Police Force also attended the meeting.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: SIXTH PARTY PLENUM RESOLUTION BEING DISCUSSED IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES ACROSS CHINA The People's Daily (November 28) reported that teachers and students in colleges and universities across the country were discussing the spirit of the CCP 19th CC's Sixth Plenary Session. On November 27, the People's Daily reported that 'the vast number of grassroots police officers in public security organs across the country have thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Party'.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: TO RELEASE WHITE PAPER ON DEMOCRACY Xinhua News Agency (December 2) disclosed that China's State Council Information Office will release the White Paper entitled "China's Democracy" on December 4 and hold a press conference.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-WINTER OLYMPICS: WTA ANNOUNCES SUSPENSION OF TENNIS TOURNAMENTS IN CHINA The Women's Tennis Association on December 2, announced that it is suspending all tennis tournaments in China amid concern for Chinese Tennis player Peng Shuai after she accused former Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member and Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. The whereabouts of Peng Shuai, a former doubles world No 1, became a matter of international concern almost a month ago, with Peng Shuai having disappeared after alleging that Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: SHANGHAI DATA EXCHANGE STARTS FUNCTIONING Shanghai’s new Data Exchange began trading on November 26. Initial data offerings include 20 products from China Eastern Airlines, Cosco Shipping, China Mobile Insight and other Chinese firms, according to the Exchange’s website.
(Comment: Analysts are saying this might be one of the transformational events of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.)
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S FOREIGN TRADE VOLUME REACHED 31.67 TRILLION YUAN IN FIRST TEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR CCTV (November 27) telecast news that in the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, China's foreign trade scale and international market share reached new highs, and high-quality development was steadily advancing, which strongly promoted the growth of the national economy. It said the volume of import and export of goods trade in the first 10 months was 31.67 trillion yuan, an increase of 22.2% year-on-year. It was 130 billion yuan higher than the 31.54 trillion yuan in 2019. It said in the first 10 months, China's imports and exports with major trading partners such as ASEAN, the European Union, and the United States increased by more than 20%, and imports with countries along the “Belt and Road” increased by 23%. The growth rates of imports and exports to Latin America and Africa were also 10.3 and 5.2 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: HENAN PROVINCE SECURITY AUTHORITIES COMMISSION SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING AND SURVEILLING JOURNALISTS Reuters (November 30) reported that a July 29 tender document published on the Henan provincial government’s procurement website details plans for a system that can compile individual files on such persons of interest coming to Henan using 3,000 facial recognition cameras that connect to various national and regional databases. It said a 5 million yuan ($782,000) contract was awarded on September 17 to Shenyang-based Chinese tech company Neusoft, which was required to finish building the system within two months of signing the contract. Reuters was unable to establish if the system is currently operating. U.S.-based surveillance research firm IPVM'S Head of Operations Donald Maye was quoted by Reuters as saying "While the PRC has a documented history of detaining and punishing journalists for doing their jobs, this document illustrates the first known instance of the PRC building custom security technology to streamline state suppression of journalists." IPVM described the tender as unique in specifying journalists as surveillance targets and providing a blueprint for public security authorities to quickly locate them and obstruct their work.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA DAILY HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO MATCH RECRUITS' SKILLS WITH THAT OF POSTS An interesting article in the PLA Daily (November 28) disclosed that Battalions faced the problem of finding the appropriate jobs for recruits, or slotting the right person in the right job. It observed that an electronic air defense battalion of the 80th Army had taken some innovative steps in the matter whereby new recruits had to fill in the "Recruit Assignment Willingness Form," so that everyone could choose positions carefully according to the actual situation of their majors, hobbies and specialties. It said this had become more important with the rapid development of military weaponry and equipment technology, the increasingly complex system, the increasing degree of knowledge intensiveness, and the higher and higher requirements for post specialization.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: SINA DISCLOSES THAT CHINA'S H-6K STRATEGIC BOMBER IS DEPLOYED IN KASHGAR NEAR INDIA BUT QUOTES CHINESE MILITARY COMMENTATOR AS SAYING IT WILL NOT ATTACK CIVIL AREAS The Sina.com disclosed on November 18, that a PLAAF propaganda film had recently shown that the H-6K, known as the "quasi-strategic bomber" was used to map topographical features. It added that "the H-6K bomber is usually deployed in Shaanxi, but has been temporarily stationed in the neighboring Kashgar area of western Xinjiang since last year. This bomber belongs to the Western Theater Command which is responsible for disputes with India and security along the border.” It added “The PLA can easily fly the H-6K to the Sino-Indian border area because they are all under the command of the Western Theater Command.” The report specifically emphasized that the H-6K has a combat range of more than 3,500 kilometers. In addition to carrying a long-range "CJ-20" cruise missile, it can also carry missiles with a shorter range such as the "KD-63". The former Hong Kong-based PLA Second Artillery officer and military commentator Song Zhongping stated that although New Delhi is quite close to the China-India border, "China will not attack civilian areas".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES BOOK OF COMMENTARIES: SAYS PLA STRUCTURE IS UNSOUND AND LIMITS OPERATIONS AND COMBAT PERSONNEL INCREASED Mentioning that the People's Daily had published a book of commentaries in mid-November, the South China Morning Post (November 29) quoted military commentator Zhong Xin to say that the PLA had been “optimising” its personnel structure by deploying more troops to combat roles while cutting 300,000 positions.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA NDU OFFICER STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE'S SUPPORT TO ARMY In a lengthy article captioned 'Strengthen the core functions of party management and armed work' in the Chinese Journal of Social Sciences (December 2), Ren Long of the School of Political Science, National Defense University stressed the importance of the people's support to the army and said "Party and government leaders, especially the main leaders, must thoroughly study Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the army, earnestly study the original text, read the original works, understand the principles, fully recognize the political responsibility of the party’s armed work and the responsibility and mission of the "first secretary", and fully recognize the strengthening of national defense." He said "We must use the goal of strengthening the military to build consensus, soberly see that the world is not peaceful, and the Western hostile forces headed by the United States. The heart will not die. The containment, containment and launching of the "color revolution" has not stopped for a moment. Party committees and governments at all levels must be prepared for emergency response at any time." He also emphasised the need for cohesion and ''national defense education and guidance'.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES HIGHLIGHTS JOINT COMMUNIQUE EXPRESSING "SUPPORT" FOR BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS ISSUED AFTER 18TH TRIPARTITE RUSSIA-INDIA-CHINA FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING Global Times (November 28) highlighted that the joint communiqué issued after the18th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China, Russia and India included the sentence: "the Ministers expressed their support to China to host Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games". It commented that the US and some of its allies such as the UK and Australia are considering a "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and New Delhi in recent years is moving closer toward Washington in terms of geopolitics, and is hostile toward Beijing over some issues. "Against this backdrop, India's support for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games has surprised some netizens at home and abroad".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: BEIJING SLOWS INVESTMENT IN PAKISTAN BECAUSE OF CHINESE COMPANIES ARE NOT BEING PAID A report in the Asia Times (December 2) said Pakistan’s repayment problem is reflected in the pace of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as Beijing slowed further investment given the difficulties faced by Chinese companies in getting their financial matters settled with Islamabad. It said Chinese state insurer Sinosure had already blocked $13 billion worth of CPEC energy and infrastructure projects due to non-payment of capacity dues. Sinosure’s lethargy to underwrite the CPEC projects has delayed the much-touted 1,733-kilometer railway track linking Pakistan’s seaport with the northwestern parts of the country and about half a dozen energy-related projects that should have been started generation by the end of June. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on CPEC Khalid Mansoor told journalists on November 30 that the Chinese ambassador in Islamabad has been briefed on the Sinosure issue and urged to intervene. Mansoor hoped that strategically important projects like the ML-1 railway line and six energy projects including Gwadar, Karrot, Kohala and Azad Pattan, Thar and Thal-Nova would be prioritized.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: 4 US CONGRESSMEN ARRIVE IN TAIWAN AND CHINA REACTS WITH AIR AND SEA MILITARY EXERCISES Four more US Representatives (3 Democrats and 1 Republican) led by Mark Takano, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, arrived in Taiwan on November 25, on a US military C40-C transport plane. This is the third delegation of US Congressmen to visit Taiwan this year. The delegation was received by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on November 25. In response, a spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theatre Command said the following day the Chinese army carried out “a naval and air force combat readiness patrol in the direction of the Taiwan Strait”. He said “This is a necessary measure in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait,” and pledged the army would “protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.” The spokesman stated “The army will continue to be on high alert and take all necessary measures to counter, at any time, any interference by external forces and any conspiracy by separatists aiming at the so-called ‘Taiwan independence’.”
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: 27 PLAAF AIRCRAFT INTRUDE TAIWAN'S ADIZ SHORTLY AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF A LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION AND 4 U.S. CONGRESSMEN IN TAIWAN Taiwanese fighter aircraft scrambled on November 28 to intercept 27 PLAAF aircraft that intruded into Taiwan's ADIZ. The refueling variant of the Y-20 large transport aircraft took part for the first time in this "massive exercise" by the PLAAF which, the Global Times (Novemberr 28) pointed out took place the same day that a Lithuanian parliamentarian delegation arrived in Taiwan followed shortly after a US congressional delegation.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE STATE COUNCILLOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI CRITICISES US DECISION TO HOST 'SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY' Reacting to Washington's decision to host a "Summit for Democracy" in December, China Daily (November 27) reported Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying that democracy should not be privatized, labeled or politicized, and expressing strong opposition to Washington engaging in undemocratic activities under the banner of "democracy".
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-SRI LANKA: SRI LANKA ACQUIESCES TO CHINESE DEMAND FOR PAYING 70 PER CENT OF CLAIM MADE BY CHINESE COMPANY An article in the Diplomat (November 27) reported that a Sino-Sri Lankan dispute over fertilizer has ended in China’s favor with Sri Lanka agreeing to pay 70 percent of the claim made by a Chinese organic fertilizer company for a shipment that Colombo had rejected as it was found to be contaminated.
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LAOS: CHINA-FUNDED CHINA-LAOS BULLET TRAIN INAUGURATED ON DECEMBER 2 Nikkei Asia (December 2) disclosed that the number of passengers, which includes Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanah, on the inaugural run on December 2, of the 'Lane Xang' bullet train has been reduced due to Covid protocols. The bullet train covers the 414-kms from Vientiane to Boten, a northern frontier town along the Laos-China border, which normally takes 2 days in approx. 3 hours. An estimated 60%, or $3.6 billion, of the high-speed railway's cost has been funded by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. The Lao-China Railway Company, a joint venture between the countries, has been covering the remaining 40%. But China holds a 70% stake in the venture, and Laos' share is funded by $250 million from the national budget and $450 million via another loan from the Export-Import Bank. It is a US$ 6 billion project
Dec 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CHAIRS POLITBURO MEETING TO DISCUSS NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY (2021-25) The state-run CCTV (November 18) reported that the CCP CC Politburo held a meeting chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 18 to review the National Security Strategy (2021-2025), the Regulations on Commendation of Military Meritorious Services and the 2021 Consultation Report of the National Advisory Committee on Science and Technology.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: MPS VICE MINISTER WANG XIAOHONG POSITIONED TO TAKE OVER AS MINISTER OF MPS Xinhua and the Legal Daily disclosed (November 19) that 64-year old Wang Xiaohong, a long-time associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been named as the Ministry of Public Security’s party chief. The Legal Daily said Wang Xiaohong, 64, currently Vice Minister of Public Security and a member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, will replace Zhao Kezhi as Minister of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The South China Morning Post (November 20) quoted Gu Su, a political scientist at Nanjing University, as saying “Wang is a trustworthy person.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CHAIRS 22ND MEETING OF CENTRAL COMPREHENSIVE DEEPENING REFORM COMMISSION CCTV announced (November 24) that Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also Director of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission, presided over the 22nd meeting of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission on November 24 afternoon, and reviewed and approved the " Three-year Tackling Plan for the Reform of the Science and Technology System (2021-2023)", "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Unified National Electricity Market System", "Opinions on Establishing the Principal Accountability System Leaded by Party Organizations in Primary and Secondary Schools (Trial)", "About Implementation Opinions on Revitalizing Cultural Relics and Expanding the International Influence of Chinese Culture", "Several Measures to Support the Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone to carry out high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, self-reliance, and pilot reforms." Premier Li Keqiang, PBSC member Wang Huning and PBSC member Han Zheng attended along with the members of the Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform attended the meeting, and the responsible comrades of relevant departments of the central and state organs attended the meeting as non-voting delegates
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CALLS FOR GREATER FOCUS ON BRI Speaking at a symposium with top officials on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on November 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledged that “The international environment of the BRI is becoming increasingly complex” and took note of COVID-19, climate change, and “fierce” industrial and technological competition. He stressed that “It is necessary to strengthen the coordination of mechanisms for the protection of overseas interests, international counter-terrorism, and security guarantees.”
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PREMIER LI KEQIANG CHAIRS SYMPOSIUM OF TOP CHINESE ECONOMIC EXPERTS AND BUSINESS LEADERS Chairing a symposium of economic experts and business leaders on November 18, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang listed the challenges that have impacted China’s economy this year. These included COVID-19 outbreaks; Heavy flooding; Rising commodities prices; and Energy supply. He said the government proposes to meet these challenges by“Making macro policies more forward-looking and targeted, promoting reform and opening up…and maintaining stability in employment.”
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES POLITBURO MEMBER AND TIANJIN PARTY SECRETARY'S ARTICLE AS LEAD ARTICLE The People's Daily (November 26) published as its lead article Politburo member and Tianjin Party Secretary Li Hongzhong's article captioned "Resolutely safeguard the core of the Party and the authority of the Party Central Committee (study and implement the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Party)".
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY DEPUTY CIVIL AFFAIRS MINISTER ON SIXTH PARTY PLENUM The People's Daily (November 24) published an article by China's Deputy Civil Affairs Minister Zhan Chengfu on the Sixth Party Plenum and "realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". He described the Sixth Plenum Resolution as "a brilliant Marxist programmatic document and a new era of China". He stressed that "The party established Comrade Xi Jinping as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core position of the entire party, and established Xi Jinping’s guiding position in the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics". The article included 10 references to Xi Jinping and Xi Jinping Thought.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: POLITBURO MEMBER AND VICE PREMIER LU HE ATTENDS 5G+INDUSTRIAL INTERNET CONFERENCE Vice Premier Liu He attended and spoke at the opening of the 5G + Industrial Internet Conference on November 20 in Wuhan. China's top tech policy makers were present at the Conference. The People's Daily quoted Vice Premier and Politburo member, Liu He as saying “[The combination of 5G and industrial internet] is a historic opportunity for the leap-forward development of traditional industries.”
Separately, Vice-Premier Liu He reflected on the key weakness of the country’s economic system in a 6,500-word article published by the ruling Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily. In the article he also raised the possibility of further economic reforms, technological innovation and institutional high-level opening-up to tackle stubborn problems in the latest comments by a senior official amid concerns over an economic slowdown.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: XINHUA ORGANISES FOURTH WORLD MEDIA SUMMIT IN BEIJING The People's Daily (November 23) and Xinhua news agency reported that CCP CC PBSC member Huang Kunming had attended the plenary session of the fourth World Media Summit held in Beijing on November 22, and read Chinese President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter and delivered a keynote address. Huang Kunming pointed out that Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter fully affirmed the achievements of the summit and placed great expectations on the global media to shoulder their social responsibilities and promote the building of a “community of human destiny in a better way.” He told the media “to adhere to objectivity, truthfulness, and scientific and rational judgment; to oppose rumors and bias, and to be responsible in disseminating public information.” Huang Kunming then said: “The CCP and the State have made historic achievements and have made important contributions to the peaceful development of the world.” Xinhua news agency hosted this year’s summit. Nearly 400 Chinese and foreign guests from more than 260 media and institutions in nearly 100 countries and regions attended the meeting online and in person.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PARTY CONGRESS: CCP CC ORGANISATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION OF DELEGATES TO 20TH PARTY CONGRESS Xinhua (November 18) announced that the CCP CC had released a circular on the election of delegates to the 20th Party Congress and the CCP CC Organization Department has made detailed arrangements for the nationwide election of delegates. It disclosed that the 20th Party Congress will convene in Beijing in the second half of 2022, and a total of 2,300 delegates elected by 38 electoral units across the country will attend. The Xinhua report said the CCP CC Organization Department has emphasised that political standards must be prioritized and high-caliber delegates should be elected. The Organisation Department also mandated that there should be 15 candidates more on the ballot than the number of vacancies. It said the elections will run from now on until the end of June 2022.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-CORRUPTION: CO-FOUNDER OF BEIJING NEWS SENTENCED TO 8 YEARS JAIL TERM FOR "BRIBERY" Radio Free Asia (November. ) disclosed that 58-year old Dai Zigeng, co-founder and publisher of Beijing News has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for "bribery". The original sentence was awarded by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court on February 22, 2021 which also ordered seizure of more than 16 million yuan of Dai Zigeng's assets. selling some of them. It said Dai Zigeng resigned as publisher at the Beijing News after the CCP stepped up control and censorship of the media and later worked as general manager and deputy secretary of the CCP committee of Beijing Cultural Investment and Development Group, a state-owned investment and management services company. Veteran journalist Cheng Yizhong, who co-founded the Beijing News with Dai Zigeng, said his sentencing and trial appeared to have taken place in secret, as neither the sentence nor any details of the charges against him had been made public.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INTERPOL: CHINESE MINISTRY OF STATE SECURITY OFFICIAL ELECTED TO INTERPOL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Interpol announced (November 26) in a tweet that Hu Binchen, a Deputy Director General in China's Ministry of State Security (MoSS), was elected for a three-year term on Interpol's executive committee following a secret vote of members at the general assembly. Praveen SINHA of India was also elected to the post of Delegate for Asia (three-year term).
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-WINTER OLYMPICS: GLOBAL TIMES REACTS TO CALLS FOR BOYCOTT OF WINTER OLYMPICS TO BE HELD IN CHINA The Australian (November 25) reported that US President Joe Biden confirmed this month that his administration was considering a diplomatic boycott, which would be aimed at protesting China’s human rights record including in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. The United Kingdom and Canada are also weighing their positions. The Australian government is awaiting the decision by the Biden administration before it makes a call on whether to sign up to a diplomatic boycott. A diplomatic boycott would involve not sending a delegation of officials to the Winter Olympics, but allowing athletes to participate.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-POPULATION: CHINA'S BIRTH RATE FELL BELOW 1 PER CENT IN 2020 MARKING A NEW LOW IN 43 YEARS According to the recently published China Statistical Yearbook 2020 compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's birth rate fell below 1 percent last year, marking a new low in 43 years. The birth rate in 2020 was recorded as 8.52 per thousand people, with a natural growth rate of the population accounting for 1.45 per thousand, also a new low in 43 years. Demographers contributed the sharp decline to the falling number of women of childbearing age, and the impact of COVID-19. Statistics from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs show that there were 5.88 million registered marriages during the first three quarters this year, a fall of 17.5 percent compared with last year. There were 966,000 couples registered for divorce in the first half of this year, a decline of 50 percent compared with the same period last year. China in May announced to further lift its family planning policy to allow each couple to have up to three children after the number of the country's newborns declined for four years straight, a major policy shift from the current second-child policy. The South China Morning Post (November 23) called for it to be treated as a "serious crisis".
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: EASTERN THEATRE COMMAND AIR FORCE BEGINS SWITCHING TO ADVANCED J-10C FIGHTER AIRCRAFT Quoting the CCTV, Global Times (November 21) reported that the PLA Eastern Theatre Command is replacing old J-7 fighter jets with the advancedthe J-10Cs which, the Shanghai-based news website eastday.com said are equipped with the domestically developed WS-10 Taihang engines. It quoted Colonel Wang Hongbo, a pilot in a brigade with the Eastern Theater Command Air Force, as telling CCTV that the new aircraft has changed the way he perceives the battlefield. He said with the J-10C, the pilot needs to switch his role from just being a pilot to being a combatant, and added that since the old J-7 uses mechanical flight controls while the J-10C uses fly-by-wire, the new warplane allows the pilot to focus on the battlefield instead of on steering the aircraft.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: HONGKONG'S PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE REMOVING BOOKS THEY FEEL COULD ATTRACT ADVERSE ATTENTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY LAW Radio Free Asia (November 24) reported that public libraries in Hong Kong have been quietly removing books from the shelves deemed politically "sensitive" under a national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). More than 100 titles -- many of them referencing the 1989 Tiananmen massacre -- are believed to have disappeared from Hong Kong's network of public libraries since the law took effect on July 1, 2020. While the city's leisure and cultural services department has made a list of more than 70 books deemed to be in breach of the law, which criminalizes public criticism of the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, the local media reports that regular readers have spotted many more.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES REPORT CLAIMS INDIAN HACKERS ARE TARGETING CHINA AND PAKISTAN A Global Times report (November 20) claimed that a report published by Antiy Labs, one of China's cybersecurity companies, disclosed an active hacker team whose members are based in Delhi has been launching cyberattacks against government agencies and defense departments in China and Pakistan.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: STATEMENTS ISSUED BY INDIAN AND CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRIES AFTER 23RD WMCC MEETING DIFFER NOTICEABLY The South China Morning Post (November 19) quoted the Chinese foreign ministry as saying that during a virtual meeting of the 23rd Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Sino-Indian Border Affairs, senior officials from the two neighbours also agreed to continue communication through diplomatic and military channels for another round of commander-level talks aimed at agreeing a full disengagement.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: CHINESE SURVEY SHIP INTRUDES INTO JAPANESE TERRITORIAL WATERS FOR FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS ON NOVEMBER 17 Japan's Asahi Shimbun (November 18) disclosed that a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-1 patrol aircraft spotted a Chinese naval survey ship moving south of Yakushima in a westward direction in the contiguous zone and heading for territorial waters around 8:40 p.m. on November 17. Japan's Defense Ministry stated this is the first such incident in about four years, prompting an official complaint to Beijing passed on through diplomatic channels.Defence Ministry officials said the survey ship must have “intentionally intruded” into sovereign waters on the evening of November 17 off the coast of Yakushima island of Kagoshima Prefecture, south of the main southern island of Kyushu.
(Comment: Chinese Coast Guard ships have repeatedly entered territorial waters in the southwestern portion of the Japanese archipelago, particularly near the disputed Senkaku Islands of Okinawa Prefecture. However, it is rare for the Defense Ministry to formally announce that a Chinese naval ship had entered territorial waters. The last such incident occurred in July 2017.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES STRONG STATEMENT ON NOVEMBER 19 WARNING CHINA THAT ARMED ATTACK ON PHILIPPINES PUBLIC VESSELS WOULD INVOKE U.S. MUTUAL DEFENCE COMMITMENTS In a strongly worded statement issued on November 19, the US State Department stated that "Two days ago, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard blocked and used water cannons against Philippine resupply ships en route to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The United States stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of this escalation that directly threatens regional peace and stability, escalates regional tensions, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order". It cautioned the PRC not to "interfere with lawful Philippine activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone" and added "The United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order and reaffirms that an armed attack on Philippine public vessels in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. The United States strongly believes that PRC actions asserting its expansive and unlawful South China Sea maritime claims undermine peace and security in the region".
(Comment: The statement is unusually strong and raises the possibility that the U.S. would have to use force against China. It is in sharp contrast to the passivity shown by the Obama Administration.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. AND CHINA LIKELY TO OPEN HIGH-LEVEL CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THEIR MILITARIES Bloomberg (November 19), quoting official sources, said that officials in Washington and Beijing have agreed to open high-level channels of communication between their militaries. It added that during a 3 1/2-hour virtual summit with President Joe Biden on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to support such channels between the U.S. military and top officials from the People’s Liberation Army, including Xu Qiliang, Vice Chairman of the country’s powerful Central Military Commission.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SHOT DEAD IN CHICAGO A University of Chicago international student, Zheng Shaoxiong was killed in a shooting incident in Chicago on November 9. The death has sparked outrage over the dangers facing international students in the US. The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, has called for justice and condemned hatred and xenophobia. He mourned the loss and tweeted “My deep condolences to his parents. The Chinese consulate general in Chicago is helping them deal with the aftermath. We call for justice in his case and protection of Chinese in the US from hatred and xenophobia". Li Rong, Zheng’s mother, flew from Sichuan in western China to attend a memorial service for her son at the university’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on November 11.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-CONGO: 5 CHINESE WORKERS KIDNAPPED IN ATTACK ON GOLD MINE The Global Times (November 21) quoted the Chinese Embassy as reporting that five Chinese nationals have been kidnapped in an armed attack on a gold mine near the village of Mukera in South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on November 21. The Chinese Embassy said that the security situation in Province de l'Ituri, Province du Nord Kivu and Province du Sud Kivu is very severe, and armed attacks involving Chinese people have occurred in these places many times. According to Sputnik News, a local police officer was killed and eight Chinese nationals were kidnapped in the armed attack on a gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-DENMARK: CHINESE PROFESSOR LINKED TO PLA CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON EFFECTS OF HIGH-ALTITUDE ON MONKEY'S BRAINS TO DEVELOP DRUGS FOR SOLDIERS IN TIBET Reuters reported (November 18) that Guojie Zhang, a Chinese professor at the University of Copenhagen conducted genetic research with the Chinese military without disclosing the connection. Guojie Zhang, is also employed by Shenzhen-based genomics giant BGI Group, which funds dozens of researchers at the university and has its European headquarters on the university campus. Guojie Zhang and a student he was supervising worked with a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) laboratory on research exposing monkeys to extreme altitude to study their brains and develop new drugs to prevent brain damage—a priority the PLA has identified for Chinese troops operating on high plateau borders. He hhad co-published that paper with a PLA major general in January 2020. BGI said the study with the PLA lab “was not carried out for military purposes” and brain research is a critical area for understanding human diseases. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said the study had national defense and civilian benefits on the Tibetan plateau.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LITHUANIA: CHINA DOWNGRADES REPRESENTATION IN LITHUANIA TO LEVEL OF CDA China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on November 21 downgrading its relations with Lithuania to the Chargé d’Affaires level. It said on November 18, Lithuania, in disregard of China’s strong protest and repeated representations, allowed the Taiwan authorities to set up a “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania” thus openly creating the false impression of “one China, one Taiwan” in the world. Asserring that "There is only one China in the world and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China", it said "Lithuania has chosen to ignore China’s solemn position and to disregard the broader interests of bilateral ties and the basic norms governing international relations" and by allowing "the establishment in Lithuania of the “Representative Office” bearing the name of Taiwan, had created an egregious precedent in the world". The statement concluded by stating "We also have this stern warning for the Taiwan authorities: Taiwan is never a country. No matter how “Taiwan independence” forces try to misrepresent facts and confound black and white, the historical fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China cannot be changed. Attempts to seek foreign support for political manipulation will prove a dead end".
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LITHUANIA: LITHUANIAN NEWSPAPER INVESTIGATION TEAM RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT CHINESE-MADE DJI DRONES Mindaugas Aušra, an LRT Investigation Team, on November 18 said that the Chinese drones used by the Lithuanian intelligence services, the military, the police, and the State Border Guard Service are suspected of leaking information. It said they use hundreds of drones branded with the DJI logo.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: XIAO QIAN BEING APPOINTED NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRALIA Xiao Qian, China’s current ambassador to Indonesia, is being nominated as the Chinese Ambassador to Australia and his nomination has been accepted. The 'Australian' newspaper (November 25) described him as “smart” and “tough” and not yet known as one of Beijing’s “wolf warrior” diplomats. It quoted diplomatic sources as saying Xiao Qian is well-regarded by international counterparts, and suggested his appointment might mark a “more sophisticated approach” by Beijing to its engagement with Australia
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: OFFICIAL CHINESE MEDIA EULOGISES XI JINPING AROUND THE PERIOD OF THE SIXTH PARTY PLENUM Around the period of the CCP CC's Sixth Plenum the official Chinese media, including Xinhua
and the People's Daily, has been replete with articles eulogising Xi Jinping and his leadership.
The state-run CCTV on November 9 said "The key to managing China's affairs lies in the party.
The leadership of the party is the “sacred needle” of the continuous development of the party
and the country. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General
Secretary Xi Jinping personally planned, personally deployed, and personally promoted a series
of key decision-making decisions, led the party and the people to overcome a series of major
risks and challenges, and solved many long-term problems that have not been resolved. It has
accomplished many major events that we wanted to do but failed to accomplish in the past, and
created the great achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Ten
thousand mountains are majestic, and there must be a main peak. General Secretary Xi Jinping
clearly pointed out that the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential
feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the greatest advantage of the socialist system
with Chinese characteristics, the fundamental and lifeblood of the party and the country, and
the interests of the people of all ethnic groups across the country."
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: BEIJING DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON SIGNIFICANCE OF SIXTH PLENUM RESOLUTION The Beijing Daily (November 8) published a frontpage article titled 'What are the historical
mission and contemporary value of the "two resolutions"?'. It explained the significance of the
resolution to be passed at the Sixth CCP CC Plenum when it meets from November 8-11, 2021.
The CCTV (November 8) similarly telecast a programme but added an account of the successes
achieved during the CCP's "leadership". Xinhua (November 8) published an article titled 'An
irreversible historical process-the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
from the transformational practice of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at
the core leading the new era'.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: SPECULATION IN BEIJING THAT SIXTH PLENUM MAY DECIDE ON CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION MEMBERSHIPS Hongkong's Ming Pao (November 5) reported speculation in Beijing that the Sixth Plenary
Session of the Central Committee, which starts on November 8, may be the first to approve
members of the new Central Military Commission. It added that personnel adjustments will be
an important part of its agenda. The Ming Pao reported also that on the eve of the Sixth Plenary
Session, in late October as many as seven provincial party committee secretaries were
appointed and that 21 provinces have now got new Party and Government leaders. It said no
changes had occurred in the top leadership in the 4 municipalities directly under the Central
Government, in Guangdong and Beijing and Sichuan, Qinghai, Ningxia, Hebei, Xinjiang and
Inner Mongolia.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: FORMER PUBLIC SECURITY VICE MINISTER SUN LIJUN PLACED UNDER ARREST ON NOVEMBER 5 The South China Morning Post (November 5) disclosed that China’s state prosecutor had
ordered the arrest of Sun Lijun, former Chinese Vice Minister of Public Security. Sun Lijun
was placed under disciplinary investigation in April last year and a month earlier had been
expelled from the Chinese Communist Party membership and all official posts.
(Comment: The CCP's investigation into Sun Lijun lasted 17 months, far longer than most such
investigations which take 6-9 months. Sun Lijun's case was not only one of corruption, but of
apparent active opposition to Xi Jinping as he was accused of forming "political gangs"!)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-MEDIA: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF GLOBAL TIMES COMMENTS ON THE GROWING RESTRICTIONS ON THE MEDIA IN CHINA In a lengthy post (in Chinese) on Weibo on November 8, the Editor-in-Chief of Global Times,
He Xijin commented on China's increasing restrictions on the media. He wrote that while
"Many times I feel that I live a very fulfilling life and have a strong sense of integration in this
era", "Yet I’ve experienced changes in the media industry as well, and feel deeply it’s becoming
ever more difficult for media. Society has high requirements and hopes for the media, but many
fail to grasp its fundamental nature, or the political role it should play in promoting social
progress".
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: FOUNDERS OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISES ARE REPORTEDLY DIVESTING SHARES BECAUSE OF TIGHTENING CONTROLS The South China Morning Post (November 3) reported that Zhang Yiming, the founder of
ByteDance, has officially stepped down from the company’s board after an announcement in
May 2021. ByteDance owns the popular platform TikTok. South China Morning Post added,
citing sources, that Zhang Yiming remains “powerful behind the scenes”. The CEOs of
technology companies have been trying to cash out their shares in anticipation of tightening
controls. Financial Times recently reported that at least two heads of Chinese tutoring
companies started selling their shares right after Xi Jinping criticised private tutoring earlier in
March.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: FOUNDER OF CHINA'S HOME APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONICS CONGLOMERATE 'HAIER GROUP IS STEPPING DOWN AS CHAIRMAN Caixin disclosed that Zhang Ruimin, the founder and Chairman of Chinese home appliances
and electronics giant Haier Group, is stepping down, the company announced in a statement
on November 5. It said Haier President Zhou Yunjie will succeed him as Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, and Executive Vice President Liang Haishan will replace Zhou as President
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-ENERGY: CHINA PLANS TO BUILD 150 NEW NUCLEAR REACTORS IN NEXT 15 YEARS The Asia Times (November 10) claimed that China, the world’s biggest emitter, is planning at
least 150 new nuclear reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in
the past 35 years. According to Bloomberg, the effort could cost as much as US$440 billion.
The Chairman of the state-backed China General Nuclear Power Corp. said the goal is to
generate 200 gigawatts by 2035, enough to power more than a dozen cities the size of Beijing.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: NEW REGULATIONS SIGNED BY CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING PERMIT FASTER ACQUISITION OF BEST, MODERN WEAPONS The Global Times (November 2) disclosed that Chinese President and Chairman of the Central
Military Commission, Xi Jinping, had signed a new set of regulations on military equipment
procurement, focusing on war preparedness and combat capabilities, to facilitate the PLA
acquire the best weapons and equipment that are most needed on future battlefields at a faster
pace. It said the PLA Daily (November 1) said the regulations, comprising 42 articles in eight
chapters, standardize the management of military equipment procurement, based on the general
principle that the Central Military Commission takes charge of the overall administration, the
theatre commands concentrate on combat, and the service branches focus on their own
development. It said the regulations give clear, concrete measures to generate combat
capabilities rapidly, and optimize management procedures including submitting requests,
planning, setting up of projects, the signing of contracts, and delivery and supervision.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: STATE-RUN CCTV HIGHLIGHTS XI JINPING'S PERSONAL GUIDANCE TO PLA Timed to coincide with the Party's Sixth Plenum, CCTV (November 9) highlighted Xi Jinping's
personal involvement with the PLA. It said "Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the
Central Military Commission, profoundly pointed out that the Chinese people’s freedom from
suffering and liberation of the Chinese people depend on a heroic people’s army; the Chinese
people’s great rejuvenation, the Chinese people to achieve a better life, we must accelerate the
building of the People's Army into a world-class army. Since the 18th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core
has led the entire army to conduct in-depth theoretical exploration and practical creation in the
magnificent practice of strengthening the army, forming Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening
the Army, and the cause of strengthening the army in the new era has made historic
achievements. , A historic change has taken place. The People's Army has taken firm steps on
the road to a strong army with Chinese characteristics, and has made important contributions
to safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests". It added that
"Training is in full swing on the military exercises in the north and south of the river: the army
has carried out extensive assessments and competitions, and the navy has repeatedly refreshed
its open sea and ocean combat training records. The air force has highlighted all-weather and
critical combat." It said "With a new system, a new structure, a new structure, and a new look,
this is the people's army today. What kind of a strong people's army to build and how to build
a strong people's army have always been a major issue for the Party Central Committee and the
Central Military Commission to focus on, think about, and plan. In the new era, Chairman Xi
Jinping stands on the strategic height of realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation
of the Chinese nation, and clearly put forward the party’s goal of strengthening the army in the
new era—building a people’s army that listens to the party’s command, can win battles, and
has a good work style, and puts the people in the army is built to become a world-class army."
It particularly added "The party's absolute leadership over the army is the foundation of the
people's army and the soul of a strong army. Since the 18th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core
has insisted on building and controlling the army politically, incorporating the party building
of the army into the strategy of comprehensive and strict governance of the party. ... The
officers and soldiers of the whole army deeply cherish their absolute loyalty to the party and
always obey the party's command, focus on preparing for war with all their strength, and
continuously improve the level of actual combat training and the ability to win." The CCTV
programme also said "Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,
Chairman Xi has taken warships, boarded chariots, and boarded warplanes to drill down to the
front line of exercises, put forward a series of important discourses on training and preparations,
made a series of major decisions, commanded a series of major actions, and provided actual
combat training for the troops. ... At the beginning of the new year in 2018, the Central Military
Commission solemnly held a training and mobilization meeting. Chairman Xi, dressed in a
uniform, boarded the main hall of the school reading stage, and issued instructions to the whole
army: “The whole army must strengthen training and preparations with a clear orientation and
unswervingly place military training."
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: APPARENTLY REACTING TO A RECENT INDIAN MILITARY EXERCISE GLOBAL TIMES LISTS EXERCISES CONDUCTED RECENTLY BY PLA The Global Times (November 8) reported that the PLA, after the Indian military launched a
major exercise along the border with China at the start of the month, had conducted multiple
drills in the western plateau over the past week. Quoting the state-owned CCTV, it said an
artillery regiment affiliated with the PLA Xinjiang Military Command recently conducted a
comprehensive, cross-day-and-night exercise in a high-altitude region, involving live-fire
shooting of PCL-181 155mm self-propelled howitzers and PHL-11 122mm multiple rocket
launchers. In another recent exercise held in the plateau region at an elevation of 5,100 meters,
the PLA Xinjiang Military Command organized a joint fire strike confrontation drill, as PHL03 300mm multiple rocket launchers and China's latest type of multiple rocket launchers
capable of firing 370mm rockets teamed up with reconnaissance drones and artillery radars to
launch precision strikes on the enemy. JH-7 fighter bombers affiliated with the PLA Western
Theatre Command Air Force also joined the exercise. CCTV (November 2) also reported that
a combined arms brigade of the PLA Xizang (Tibet) Military Command recently conducted an
assault training at an elevation of more than 4,000 meters. It said advanced PLA main battle
equipment, including the Type 15 light tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled
howitzers, and auxiliary vehicles, took part in the drill. The Global Times quoted military
expert Song Zhongping as observing that the PLA is also enhancing its combat preparedness
as India keeps making provocations along the borders, and proper military approaches are
needed, when necessary, in order to safeguard national sovereignty and security.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: CHINESE GOVERNMENT-OWNED BAUHINIA CULTURE (HONGKONG) HOLDINGS IS NEGOTIATING PURCHASE OF HONGKONG'S SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST The Chinese government-owned Bauhinia Culture (Hong Kong) Holdings Ltd. is negotiating
with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. the acquisition of Hong Kong’s influential South China
Morning Post. Bloomberg News had reported in March that Alibaba has come under pressure
from the Chinese government to divest some of its media assets, including SCMP.
(Comment: Bauhinia Culture (Hong Kong) Holdings Ltd. is owned by The Liaison Office --
the Chinese government’s main office in the former British colony -- via its Sino United
Publishing Holdings Ltd. unit. Its General Manager and Chairman are Wen Hongwu exSecretary General of the Liaison Office, and Mao Chaofeng, former Executive Vice Governor
of China’s Hainan province.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-EU: FIRST EVER OFFICIAL DELEGATION OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR CLOSER COOPERATION WITH TAIWAN TO FIGHT DISINFORMATION Taiwan's Central News Agency reported (November 5) that the head of a first ever official
European Parliament (EP) delegation's visit to Taiwan, its head Raphaël Glucksmann, said on
November 5 that he believed Taiwan would be a perfect partner for the European Union (EU)
as it considers building a hub to combat disinformation campaigns launched by authoritarian
regimes. At the press conference at the end of the delegation's three-day trip to Taiwan, he
said "We can benefit a lot as Europeans form a closer cooperation with Taiwan in the fight
against disinformation." "That actually makes a lot of sense, the partnership should grow and
get deeper and deeper." He added "We are really convinced that the more you have interaction
between international community and Taiwan, the less dangerous the situation would be in the
Strait." The EU is now considering building a hub to combat disinformation and the whole
delegation agreed that "it should be Taiwan." The delegation consisted of members of the EP's
Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union,
including Disinformation (INGE). China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi reacted angrily to the
visit and warned that Europe "will pay the price" for the visit
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TAIWAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY BUREAU DIRECTOR GENERAL SAYS THEY AWARE THAT CHINA HAS HAD DISCUSSIONS ON SCENARIOS LIKE CAPTURING PRATAS ISLANDS Reuters reported (November 4) that National Security Bureau Director-General Chen Mingtong, while referring to a scenario of China capturing the Pratas Islands located almost 250
miles (400 Kms) from the Taiwan mainland, disclosed to a parliamentary meeting on
November 4 that "Attacking and capturing the Pratas Islands - this scenario where war is being
used to force (Taiwan into) talks - our assessment is that this will not happen during President
Tsai's tenure." He added "Frankly speaking, they have internally debated this before. We
obviously have some understanding." He did not elaborate or mention when such a discussion
occurred. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on
Thursday.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TAIWAN'S DEFENCE MINISTER CONFIRMS U.S. IS TRAINING TAIWANESE MARINES IN GUAM Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed on the sideline of a Legislative hearing on November 2 that a group of Taiwanese marines have been sent to undergo one-month training in Guam as part of a Taiwan-U.S. defense cooperation and exchange program. He said the program is one of a number of "long-standing" bilateral exchange projects between Taipei and Washington. Apple Daily separately said that Taiwan's Marine Corps has recently sent a platoon of 40 marines for a month-long amphibious landing training at the U.S. military base in Guam to enhance their combat capabilities. Both countries' marines will also undergo training for joint operations to learn the latest tactics from the U.S. Marine Corps, it added.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES QUOTES CHINESE TECHNOLOGY SECURITY COMPANY AS SAYING HACKING OF CHINESE TARGETS BY INDIAN HACKERS HAS INCREASED A Global Times (November 2) report claimed that during an exclusive interview on November 2 with Chinese tech giant 360 Security Technology, it learnt that hackers from India have been caught actively launching cyberattacks targeting China's multiple sectors as well as individuals in the past two years during the epidemic, and their attacks are largely on the rise in the first half of 2021. It said the company's experts believe that intelligence analysis is likely behind these hacking groups as they are taking advantage of trendy affairs and topics, such as politics and economy related topics, epidemic situation, and professional activities from industries, so as to accurately launch their attacks. The hackers were identified by China's official media as an "Indian hacking group called ‘Evil Flower’ and accused of targeting “government, defence and military units, as well as state-owned enterprises in China, Pakistan, and Nepal”. Global Times has claimed in an investigation that the hacking group has the support of the Indian government. It said in 2020, the company monitored and captured more than 100 of initial payloads mostly from India and they induce users to execute malicious payloads through harpoon emails in various fields. It added that hackers from India have been caught actively launching cyberattacks targeting China's multiple sectors as well as individuals in the past two years during the epidemic, and their attacks are largely on the rise in the first half of 2021. Two Global Times articles (November 9) highlighted that India lacked border infrastructure and was incapable of building the required roads and logistical support. They claimed that the Indian Army was hampered by the poor logistics.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN RECEIVES ITS FIRST ADVANCED TYPE 054A/P FRIGATE FROM CHINA The Global Times (November 8) reported that on November 8, China delivered to Pakistan the
largest and most advanced Type 054A/P frigate named the PNS Tughril. Designed and built
by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the frigate was delivered to the
Pakistan Navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai. The PNS Tughril is the first hull of
four Type 054 frigates being constructed for the Pakistan Navy.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-NEPAL: DEPUTY HEAD OF CCP CC ILD MEETS FORMER NEPAL PRIME MINISTER MADHAV NEPAL VIA VIDEO The Deputy Head of the CCP CC International Liaison Department, Chen Zhou met via video
link with Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) (CPN (Unified Socialist)) Chairman
and former Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on November 5.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: FOUR U.S. SENATORS AND TWO MEMBERS OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ARRIVED IN TAIWAN ON A 'SURPRISE VISIT' Taiwanese media reported that four senators and two members of the House of Representatives
including Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama made
a 'surprise' visit to Taiwan when they landed at Taiwan's Taipei Songshan Airport aboard a US
Navy C-40A plane from Manila at around 6pm on November 9. The group included senators
Mike Crapo of Idaho and Mike Lee of Utah, as well as Representative Jake Ellzey of Texas,
also all Republicans. Beijing said the visit amounts to ‘rude interference in China’s internal
affairs’ and an act of provocation and later conducted a combat readiness patrol in the region
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINA'S SINOCHEM AND SINOPEC GROUPS CONCLUDE LONGTERM DEALS FOR IMPORT OF LNG FROM U.S. Caixin reported (November ) that two Chinese energy majors announced bumper long-term
deals to import liquid natural gas (LNG) from U.S. firms this month, continuing a trend that
comes amid skyrocketing prices of the fuel source. Sinochem Group Co. Ltd. announced a 17
1/2-year deal to buy as much as 1.8 million tons annually from Cheniere Energy Inc. on
November 5, while China’s largest oil refiner, Sinopec, announced a 20-year contract with
Venture Holding LNG to import 4 million tons of LNG annually on November 4.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. SEC APPROVES FRAMEWORK FOR ENFORCEMENT OF 'HOLDING FOREIGN COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE ACT' In a step towards enforcement of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which
became law at the end of last year and stipulates that any foreign companies listed on US
exchanges face delisting if they fail to turn over audit results for three straight years, the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission approved a framework to determine which US-listed
Chinese companies fail to fully allow auditing inspection and, therefore, will be delisted from
American capital markets. It will allow the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s
(PCAOB), a non-profit entity that deals with accounting issues of public companies, to
determine whether a delisting process needs to be triggered.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: YAHOO ANNOUNCES PULL-OUT FROM CHINA Yahoo Inc. announced (November 2) that it has pulled out of China, citing an increasingly
challenging operating environment.
(Comment: The withdrawal was largely symbolic, as many of the company’s services were
already blocked by China’s digital censorship. But recent government moves to expand its
control over tech companies generally, including its domestic giants, may have tipped the
scales for Yahoo.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: SENIOR CHINESE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER CONVICTED AFTER EXTRADITION IN 2018 FOR TRYING TO STEAL DEFENCE SECRETS FROM GENERAL ELECTRIC A senior Chinese intelligence officer of China's Ministry of State Security, Xu Yanjun was
convicted by an American Federal jury in Ohio of trying to steal secrets from General Electric.
He was accused of asking a GE Aviation employee who had travelled to China to help him
obtain proprietary information in Washington. This is the first time a Ministry of State Security
official was extradited to the US for trial. Xu Yanjun was arrested in Belgium in 2018 after
being lured there by US agents who were tracking his efforts to obtain aviation-related
technology, in particular a composite aircraft engine fan that is made exclusively by GE
Aviation.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-GERMANY: GERMAN NAVY FRIGATE 'BAYERN' PASSES THROUGH SOUTH CHINA SEA Associated Press reported (November 9) that commenting on the German frigate Bayern's
passage through the South China Sea, Germany's Navy Chief Vice Admiral Kay-Achim
Schonbach said the frigate’s dispatch was to show support for Japan, the US, and other partners.
He underscored Germany's concerns that freedom of navigation and the rule-based
international order were being threatened in the region, apparently referring to its biggest
trading partner, China.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING PRESENTS NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDS TO CHINA'S TOP SCIENTISTS ON NOVEMBER 3 IN BEIJING The state-run CCTV (November 3) telecast the "grand national science and technology awards conference"
organised jointly by the CCP CC and the State Council in Beijing on November 3, which was attended by
Party and state leaders including Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng. PBSC member and
Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech at the conference where PBSC member Han Zheng presided. CCP CC
General Secretary Xi Jinping first awarded medals and certificates to Academician Gu Songfen of China
Aviation Industry Corporation and Academician Wang Dazhong of Tsinghua University, who won the highest
national science and technology award in 2020. Later, Xi Jinping, the Party and state leaders, together with
the two top prize winners, issued certificates to the representatives who won the National Natural Science
Award, the National Technological Invention Award, and the National Science and Technology Progress
Award. A total of 264 projects, 10 scientific and technological experts and 1 international organization were
selected for the 2020 National Science and Technology Awards. Among them, there are 2 national top science
and technology awards; 46 national natural science awards, including 2 first prizes and 44 second prizes; 61
national technological invention awards, including 3 first prizes and 58 second prizes; There are 157 national
science and technology progress awards, including 2 special prizes, 18 first prizes, and 137 second prizes; 8
foreign experts and 1 international organization are awarded the People’s Republic of China International
Science and Technology Cooperation Award.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES PLA EQUIPMENT CONFERENCE IN BEIJING The People's Daily (October 27) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech at the People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) Military Equipment Conference held in Beijing on October 25 and 26. In his speech,
Xi Jinping said, “I hope that comrades implement the Party’s thinking about building a strong army, … and that they build the management system for weapons and equipment modernization in order to make positive
contributions to the PLA’s one hundred year anniversary (August 1, 2027).” Xi Jinping emphasized the
“breakthrough development” of military weapons and equipment construction during the 13th Five-Year Plan
period under the Central Military Commission’s (CMC) strong leadership and expressed hope that “comrades
will thoroughly implement the Party’s thoughts on strengthening the military in the new era, thoroughly
implement the guidelines on military strategy in the new era, speed up advancing the implementation of the
‘14th Five-Year’ Plan’s tasks, and speed up the construction of a modernized management system for weapons
and equipment,” among other things. General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CCP Central Military
Commission, said “We must focus on national security needs, keep an eye on the realistic military struggle,
focus on technological self-reliance and self-improvement, and make every effort to speed up the
modernization of weapons and equipment, to advance the PLA’s weapons and equipment work to another
great level.”
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PROMOTES XI JINPING'S IMAGE The People’s Daily (November 2) published its second Episode of the “Crucial choices in the New Era” series,
intended to boost Chinese President Xi Jinping's image before the Party's Sixth Plenum, which starts on
November 8. this episode is titled 'Xi – the protector of the people’s lives' and credits him with taking the
tough decision regarding the lockdown during the Covid pandemic.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: CHINA'S TOP RANKING TENNIS STAR PENG SHUAI ACCUSES FORMER VICE PREMIER ZHANG GAOLI OF SEXUAL ASSAULT In a very unusual and explosive post on China's social media, which the Wall Street Journal (November 2)
claims was seen by it before it was taken off within 20 minutes, China's top ranking professional Tennis star
35-year old Peng Shuai accused 1946-born ex-Vice Premier and Politburo Standing Committee member Zhang
Gaoli of sexual assault. In her post she described an on-and-off relationship with Zhang Gaoli lasting for some
years that she said was sometimes consensual and sometimes involved coercion, including forced sex. Peng
Shuai said she couldn't offer any proof. but 'vowed' to tell the truth.
(Comment: Peng Shuai was ranked No. 1 in women’s doubles with the Women’s Tennis Association in 2014.
Her post comes at an increasingly sensitive time before the 20th Party Congress. She has a Taiwanese partner,
Hsieh Su-wei)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-COVID PANDEMIC: RISE IN COVID INFECTIONS IN CHINA CAUSES SERIOUS CONCERN Caixin (November 4) reported that local Covid-19 outbreaks in the Chinese mainland have spread to 19 out of 31 provincial-level regions, the widest distribution nationwide since the Wuhan outbreak early last year, as the number of infections mostly linked to trips in northern China since mid-October continues to grow. It said as of November 3, China had recorded more than 700 locally transmitted infections in dozens of cities in 19 province-level regions since October 17 when Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, confirmed two cases in a group of eight who had visited Inner Mongolia and Gansu province. The widest spread prior to this began in Nanjing on July 20 before reaching 16 provinces in a month.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-FOOD RATIONING: CCP CC AND STATE COUNCIL ISSUE NOTIFICATION ON NOVEMBER IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON FOOD STORAGE, CONSUMPTION ETC. On November 1, the CCP CC General Office and State Council issued a 9-section notification restricting the storage, consumption etc of food. The Beijing Municipality issued a notification repeating the notice and its sections: Overall requirements; 2. Improve the conservation and loss reduction in the agricultural production chain; 3. Improve the loss reduction in food storage; 4. Improve the loss reduction in food transportation; 5. Improve the conservation and loss reduction in food processing; 6. Resolutely curb the waste in food and drink consumption; 7. Push for innovation on food conservation and loss reduction; 8. Strengthen the propaganda and education on food conservation and loss reduction; and 9. Strengthen the food safeguarding measures. Separately, the Global Times (November 1) reported that the Chinese government had issued a rare public advisory asking people to store essential daily necessities for “emergency needs” sparked concern of possible food shortages, new COVID-19 outbreaks or a likely offensive by China to capture Taiwan. It quoted a statement issued by China's Ministry of Commerce on November 1, about ensuring stable supplies and prices of vegetables and daily necessities during the upcoming winter and spring seasons. The Ministry said that it “encourages families to store a certain amount of daily necessities in accordance with their needs to meet daily and emergency needs.” The rare public advisory sparked off speculation after it was widely posted on social media, while official media too began highlighting it on Tuesday though in the form of playing it down saying that the public should not read too much into it or wrongly interpret the statement. (Comment: The timing of the notification has prompted speculation whether China is headed for a food shortage or preparing for war with Taiwan or any similar eventuality.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-CPPCC: CHINA'S NON-CCP PARTIES CONVENES SEMINAR TO DISCUSS AGEING AND LONG-TERM BALANCED POPULATION DEVELOPMENT On October 28, the 4th Population Development Strategy Seminar with the theme of "actively responding to
population aging and promoting long-term balanced population development" was held via a hybrid mode. He
Wei, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and Executive Vice Chairman of the Central
Committee of the Peasants and Workers Party, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech in
Beijing. He Wei said the concept of aging has been integrated into the whole process of economic and social
development, accelerated the implementation of the three-child policy, and improved the supporting measures
for the whole process of "birth-nurture-nurture” and China needs to promote long-term balanced population
development. Yang Zhen, full-time Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Peasants and Workers
Party, presided over the opening ceremony. The seminar was co-sponsored by the Central Committee of the
Peasants and Workers Party, the Chinese Association of Aging and the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of
the CPPCC. The seminar was broadcast live on the Internet, and the majority of Peasants and Workers Party
members and relevant experts and scholars listened to the live broadcast of the meeting online.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PERSONALITIES: TANG 'NANCY' WENSHENG, FORMERLY CHIEF INTERPRETER TO MAO AND ZHOU ENLAI, ATTENDED AN EXHIBITION IN BEIJING ON NOVEMBER 1 Tang Wensheng, also known as Nancy and daughter of Tang Mingzhao, a founding member and editor-inchief of China Daily News, visited the exhibition organised by China Daily in Beijing on November 1. She
said "China Daily News was designed to be a progressive newspaper made by overseas Chinese people.
Although some members of the Communist Party of China joined the preparation, it was not a paper of the
CPC. But it was one that aimed to give a voice to overseas Chinese".
(Comment: American-born Chinese diplomat Tang Wensheng was Mao Zedong's chief interpreter during U.S.
President Richard Nixon's historical 1972 visit to China. Born in 1943, she also served as Premier Zhou Enlai's
interpreter.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PERSONALITIES: LIN SHANGLI, SECRETARY GENERAL OF CCP CC'S CENTRAL POLICY RESEARCH OFFICE, IS WANG HUNING'S PROTEGE Lin Shangli (林尚立) is a protege and former student at Fudan University of Politburo Standing Committee
member and China's leading theoretician Wang Huning. He is the author of an early think-piece that touched
on ‘common prosperity’. Lin Shangli (林尚立) moved from a Vice Presidency at Fudan (where he had been a
student, and later junior colleague of Wang Huning) to Secretary General of the Central Policy Research Office
in 2017.
(Comment: Lin Shangli authored the book 'Institutions and development: political logic of self-confidence in
China’s institutions' (Zhonggong zhongyang dangxiao xuebao, 2 December 2016 [林尚立:'制度与发展:
中国制度自信的政治逻辑',中共中央党校学报,2016年12月 2日. Professor Dr. Lin Shangli was born in
Fuzhou in 1963. In 1981, he studied at the Department of International Politics, and after graduating in 1988
started his teaching career in the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University. He
became Associate Professor in 1993 and Professor in 1997. He received a Ph.D. from the School of Law at
Fudan University in 1998. He has been a visiting scholar at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Keio
University in Japan, Georgetown University in the U.S.A. and at the University of Munich in Germany. Apart
from Fudan, Prof. Lin is also a guest researcher at Shanghai CCP College and the Shanghai Administration
Institute, and Vice Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Institute of East Asia, Shanghai. ).
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS: NEW VICE AND ASSISTANT MINISTERS IN MOFA AND NEW POLITICAL COMMISSAR OF XINJIANG PRODUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION CORPS Xinhua (October 26) announced the appointments of six officials to higher posts among who were: Deng Li
(邓励) was appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Hua Chunying (f) (华春莹), MoFA
spokesperson, was appointed Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Li Yifei (李邑飞) was
appointed Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and Chairman of the China
Xinjian Group.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: POLITBURO MEMBER YANG JIECHI PUBLISHES ARTICLE IN 'QIU SHI' ON 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHINA OCCUPYING ITS SEAT IN UN A commentary by former Foreign Minister and Politburo member and current Director of the Central Foreign
Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi was published by Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth - (2021/21) with the title 'Fifty
years of deepening cooperation with the United Nations to build a community with a shared future for mankind'.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP ILD'S OUTREACH ON DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS WITH 100 SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ASIAN POLITICIANS AND 30 POLITICAL PARTIES Chen Zhou, Vice Minister of the CCP CC International Liaison Department (ILD), on October 26 afternoon
addressed the “Looking at the CCP from a Cloud” activity for South and Southeast Asian political parties via
videolink. Over 100 people, including young politicians from nearly 30 political parties and organizations and
representatives from the media, think tanks, and colleges and universities in 10 South and Southeast Asian
countries, participated in the activity.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: SPECIAL CCTV PROGRAMME STRESSES DATA SECURITY Recalling that November 1 is the 7th anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the Antiespionage Law, the state-owned CCTV on November 1 telecast a special programme titled 'Secretly detect
dangerous leaks'. It said public security agencies have discovered that "some overseas data companies have
long-term, large-scale, and real-time collection of data" and added that "The phantom of "commercial
espionage" in the field of data security is full of domestic ship data". The programme disclosed that since 2020,
national security agencies have carried out special operations and found that a group of foreign-related
maritime data companies and radio enthusiasts in Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong and other places have built
more than 700 AIS (automatic identification system for ships) base stations on the important islands and inland
ports of China's coastline. Security agencies acted in accordance with the "Anti-espionage Law" and "Data
Security Law" related regulations, seized a large number of base station equipment, intercepted more than
10,000 GB of outgoing maritime data, promptly cut off the data leakage channels, and required relevant
organizations and individuals to make rectifications. Eliminate hidden dangers. The programme stated in
conclusion that data resources are of great value to the country's economic and social development, and data
security governance and data security protection are also important elements of competition among major
powers.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S FOREIGN INVESTMENT DEPARTMENT OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM COMMISSION DISCUSSES FOREIGN DEBTS WITH KEY BUSINESSES Sina (October 27) reported that on October 26, China’s Foreign Investment Department of the Development
and Reform Commission, together with the Capital Department of the Foreign Exchange Bureau, held a forum
with some key industry players to discuss their foreign debts. It also disclosed that nine Chinese real estate
companies have missed the payments on their U.S. dollar debts, including Oceanwide Holdings (泛海控股),
Fantasia (花样年), China Fortune Land Development (华夏幸福), Sunshine 100 China (阳光100中国), The
Tianfang Group (天房集团), The Sannong Group (泰禾集团), Sinic Holdings (新力控股), Languang Dev
(蓝光发展), and Modern Land (当代置业). The combined unpaid debt is US$ 28.073 billion.
(Comment: Fantasia (花样年) is owned by former PBSC member Zeng Qinghong's niece -- brother's daughter.
Zeng Qignhong was a very close associate of Chinese President Jiang Zemin. )
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: THREE PLA DAILY 'JUN SHENG' COMMENTARIES CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON U.S. SUBMARINE ACCIDENT IN SOUTH CHINA SEA Following up on the earlier two commentaries of October 19 and 22, the PLA Daily published three additional
commentaries on the USS Connecticut collision in the South China Sea under its Jun Sheng (钧 声) byline.
The third commentary on October 25, titled “The United States Is the Greatest Source of Disaster in Stirring
Up the South China Sea (SCS)” reiterated that "the US's vagueness and cover-ups after the accident have made
the international community full of doubts about the truth of the accident and the US intentions. the threat
posed by the USS Connecticut nuclear submarine’s collision and the United States’ subsequent lack of
transparency, saying the incident had elicited a “high degree of concern” from the international community".
The commentary added that "the United States was not content with peace but “only wanted to fish in troubled
waters (浑水摸鱼),” making trouble for its own gain". The fourth commentary (October 27) titled “The United
States is the Greatest Destroyer of World Peace” noted that the USS Connecticut is one of three Seawolf-class
submarines currently in service in the U.S. Navy and one of the most powerful and sensitive attack submarines
currently available in the U.S. Navy. It said the incident "once again reflected the "belligerent gene" in the
bones of American politicians". Jun Sheng added that the United States has an “‘interference addiction’ (干涉
成瘾) regarding other countries’ political affairs,” citing its involvement in “color revolutions” following the
Cold War and, referring to AUKUS, called for the world to “maintain a high degree of vigilance toward the
‘warlike’ and ‘interference-addicted’ United States.” The fifth commentary (October 29) was titled “The Ugly
Face of ‘US-Style Double Standards’” and focused on the US’ lack of transparency regarding the USS
Connecticut collision. Ironically, while the United States has touted military transparency, “some US
politicians for whom telling lies is second nature have been ridiculed by people the world over as political
‘Pinocchios’ (匹诺曹)” stemming from their failure to be forthcoming about the submarine accident.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE REACTS TO INDIA'S SUCCESSFUL TEST OF AGNIV ICBM Lan Jianxue, Director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at China Institute of International Studies,
reacted to India's successful test of the 5000kms range Agni-V ICBM. In an article in the Global Times
(October 30) he warned against India being carried away by the US and West and getting into an arms race
with China. He also claimed that "Many Indian people have complaints toward their government on various
issues, and many contradictions can be seen at home. For example, the daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases
are still as high as more than 10,000. The epidemic continues to severely impact India's economy, and the
Modi government appears to lack an effective approach to deal with it. Furthermore, a yearlong series of
ongoing protests by farmers against the Indian government has also stepped up. Against this backdrop, the
Modi administration is eager to find a new external hotspot issue to divert domestic attention. This has been
one of the Modi administration's old tricks, which China has got used to". He added "The root of the ChinaIndia tensions over the recent two years lies in the series of provocative practices by the Indian government
on its borders with China. The incitement by Indian and Western media outlets have also played a big role,
adding fire to the tensions between China and India. In the face of increased nationalist sentiment and the
fanning of flames from the West, the Modi government seems to lack a clear strategy on how to deal with the
tensions with China. If the Modi government could remain sober, it should stay away from the incitement from
the West and the mounting populist mind-set, and those asking it to resort to military actions to deal with the
border tensions with China."
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: REACTING TO ARTICLE IN FOREIGN POLICY GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE WARNS INDIA AGAINST JOINING FORCES WITH U.S. AGAINST CHINA Writing in the Global Times (November 1) Qian Feng, Director of the Research Department at the National
Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, referred to a co-signed article in Foreign Policy entitled "It's Time
to Formalize an Alliance with India" by former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Republican
congressman Michael Waltz calling it "an attempt to form a clique in the modern era". He described Nikki
Haley as "having the political capital to return to politics and is a possible frontrunner for the 2024 GOP
presidential nomination" and said Michael Waltz, "a veteran from Florida, a Republican stronghold, has
always shown his strong anti-China attitude". Qian Feng said the proposal will not be acceptable to the
Generals in the Pentagon and that the idea of the US and India combining to contain China has always been
popular in strategic circles in India. The article said, in conclusion, "The Modi government is committed to
leading India to become a global power. It has its own plans and logic for the country's future development
and foreign policy. The so-called ideology and democratic values are nothing more than tools to achieve India's
goals. With the help of the US, it may be possible for India to obtain the recognition and endorsement for a
"great power identity. However, if India is arranged by Quad to take the lead in charging in the anti-China
front, and becomes "cannon fodder" of US strategy, Indians will not accept it". It ended with the warning: "For
India, China is the biggest neighbour that cannot be moved away. It is also a major country vital to India's
security and development. In fierce competition between China and the US, if Indian leaders are tempted by
some anti-China forces at home and abroad, put China-India ties behind, abandon its principle of nonalignment, establish formal alliance with the US, this will undoubtedly be tantamount to turning itself to the
enemy of China. And if so, such an India will never become a true global power"
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: THE CCP-OWNED GLOBAL TIMES CONTINUES SHARP CRITICISMS OF INDIA A sharply worded article in Global Times (November 4) criticised a Tweet by an Indian comparing Prayagraj with Shanghai. Objecting to such comparison, it said, "Indian elites’ misconception of China exposed in a tweet comparing Prayagraj and Shanghai" and said once more Indians begin travelling to China, they will realise how far advanced China is compared to India. Another Global Times article criticised Modi's speech at the COPS Summit saying it is unachievable. It quoted the "recently released Global Hunger Index 2021 where India was ranked 101 out of 116 countries and regions, behind such economies as Sudan and Mali, and was one among the nations in which hunger was classified as "serious." Although the Indian economy is estimated to be one of the fastest-growing in the world in 2022, many of its people still live in extreme poverty". It added "Even though some in the West expressed disappointment that India's climate target is 20 years behind that of most other countries, the willingness of India, with its large poor population, to make a step forward toward limiting global warming is still commendable. However, it is an open question as to whether India's economy can support its ambitious emissions-reduction target". The last paragraph of the article said, "Under these circumstances, if any one from the advanced economies still think that the developing world needs to commit more to the climate action, they should go to India to experience the real hunger before lecturing others".
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: BIDEN-XI JINPING SUMMIT LIKELY BEFORE YEAR'S END The US Government announced that President Joe Biden and Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping will meet
in a virtual summit meeting before the end of the year. The announcement followed the meeting in early
October in Zurich between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Politburo member Yang
Jiechi. This indicates that Sullivan and Yang Jiechi likely found issues on which their bosses could reach
agreement. The Straits Times (October 30) said the US government dropping its attempt to prosecute Huawei
executive Meng Wanzhou in September might also create more space for Xi Jinping to be magnanimous at
the summit. It assessed Beijing will have two main goals at the summit: (i) a return to the level of economic,
educational and scientific exchange that prevailed before the bilateral relationship soured and specifically the
restrictions on granting of US visas to members of the Communist Party of China and to Chinese students and
researchers with PRC military connections. (ii) Beijing's demand that Washington ceases using the issues of
Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and human rights to "interfere in China's internal affairs". This means Beijing
will insist that Washington stop supporting the Republic of China (ROC) government on Taiwan as Beijing
says the US has taken new steps since the downturn in US-China relations to encourage Taiwan's political
separation from China. The United States main objectives are to get China's assent to what the Biden team
calls "responsible competition" or relationship "guardrails", meaning the two countries pursue their objectives
within the (US-sponsored) rules of international behaviour without taking actions that raise military tensions
and the second US objective is to dissuade China from linking climate change cooperation to other issues.
Third, the Biden administration has elevated the specific issue of Chinese military pressure on Taiwan as a
high-priority concern. "We need to see China stop these actions," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said
recently. The Japan Times (October 29) published a similar assessment of the objectives of the likely Summit.
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-US: NEW HEAD OF US TAIPEI OFFICE REITERATES US POLICY ON TAIWAN Sandra Oudkirk, the new Director of the American Institute in Taiwan's (AIT) Taipei office, told Taiwan's
CNA (October 29) that the United States considers peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait "central to the
security and stability of the broader Indo Pacific region and to the U.S." She said, "Our commitment to Taiwan
is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the
region." Asked specifically about President Joe Biden's recent pledge to defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese
attack, Oudkirk said there has been no change in U.S. policy. The U.S., she said, will continue to help Taiwan
boost its self-defence capability as part of America's commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA),
which has served as the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan relations since official diplomatic ties were severed in
1979, adding "We engage with our partners in Taiwan on a routine basis to access vulnerability, to access
ways we can support Taiwan in mounting its own self defence."
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-UN: CHINA AMONG THE COUNTRIES WHO VOTED AGAINST UNGA RESOLUTION CALLING FOR MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT 120 UN member states voted on November 17, in favour of a resolution in the Third Committee of the UN
General Assembly reiterating a call for a moratorium on the use of capital punishment. The General Assembly
plenary is expected to adopt the resolution in December. China is among the 39 countries which voted against
the resolution.
(Comment: The 11 countries from the Asia-Pacific region who voted against the resolution are: Afghanistan,
Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Japan, the Maldives, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore,
and Tonga.)
Nov 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ATTENDS MEETING TO MARK 50TH YEAR OF PRC GETTING A SEAT IN THE UN The state-owned CCTV (October 25) reported that on October 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended
the 50th anniversary meeting of the People's Republic of China to restore the legal seat of the United
Nations in Beijing and delivered an "important" speech. In his speech Xi Jinping emphasised that "China
will adhere to the path of peaceful development and always be a builder of world peace; adhere to the path
of reform and opening up and always be a contributor to global development; adhere to the path of
multilateralism and always be a defender of the international order". He asserted that China strives
unremittingly for a community with a shared future for mankind. PBSC member and Secretary of the CCP
CC Secretariat Wang Huning attended the meeting as did Ding Xuexiang and Yang Jiechi. Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi presided over the meeting which was attended by over 2000 officials from different
departments
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING AND ENTIRE PBSC ALONGWITH VICE PRESIDENT WANG QISHAN VISIT S&T INNOVATION EXHIBITION IN BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping and the entire PBSC and Vice President Wang Qishan visited the 13th FiveYear Plan Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition in Beijing on October 26. The
theme was “Innovation Driven Development, Towards a Powerful Country in Science and Technology.”
Displays of China’s scientific achievements during the plan (2016-2020) included: The “Nine Chapters”
quantum computing prototype; the Tiangong space station; and the Guohe No. 1 nuclear power unit.
(Comment: Their visit demonstrated the importance the Chinese leadership is giving S&T.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING HAS NOT TRAVELLED OUTSIDE CHINA SINCE JANUARY 2020 The Wall Street Journal (October 21) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s last foreign trip was to
Myanmar in January 2020. In March 2020, he hosted Pakistan’s president in Beijing, but since then has not
been noticed to have met in person with any foreign leader
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER AND NPC CHAIRMAN LI ZHANSHU TELLS NPCSC MEETING CHINA MUST RESIST "EROSIVE INFLUENCE" OOF THE WEST At a meeting of the NPC Standing Committee on October 23, the South China Morning Post (October 24)
quoted PBSC member and NPC Chairman Li Zhanshu as saying “We need to learn from the beneficial
achievements of foreign political civilisations, but we must not abandon the fundamentals of China’s
political system. We should resolutely oppose, resist and prevent the erosive influence of so-called
‘constitutionalism’, multi-party elections, the tripartite system, the bicameral system and the independence
of the judiciary in the West" and “We should strengthen theoretical research and the propaganda
interpretation of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics and the People’s Congress system, and
tell good stories about China’s democracy.” Xie Maosong, a political scientist at the University of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences, said top leaders had made similar remarks in the past, such as referring to
“the story of Chinese-style democracy” and that this “looks much the same, but in fact, there are subtle
differences, now they will just say ‘telling the story of China’s democracy’, which is more precise and
straightforward, and more confident. What all this means is that China’s leaders believe that democracy in
China is real democracy, whole-process democracy, that fulfils commitments. It is not a fake democracy
where Western politicians make high-profile promises during election campaigns and then don’t deliver
afterward. China is now confident that its democracy is real compared to the fake democracy of the West.”
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC PASSES NEW LAND BORDERS LAW ON OCTOBER 23 The closing meeting of the 31st session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee on October 23 voted to adopt
a new Land Borders Law. The new law empowers the state to: Use the police apparatus and weapons for
illegal border crossers under certain circumstances; close China’s borders if war or armed conflict threatens
border security; and build border facilities “for the purposes of blockade, transportation, communication,
monitoring, deterrence, defence, and assistance”. The law also makes the People’s Liberation Army
responsible for “Guarding the land border, resisting armed aggression, [and] dealing with major
emergencies, and terrorist activities.”
(Comment: China has 14 international land borders, and shares that statistic with Russia. The full text
(translated from Chinese) reads: during the period of deepening the reform of the national defence
mobilization system , Temporarily adjust and apply the "National Defence Mobilization Law of the People's
Republic of China", "People's Air Defence Law of the People's Republic of China", "National Defence
Traffic Law of the People's Republic of China", and "National Defence Education Law of the People's
Republic of China" related to national defence mobilization and the people's armed mobilization and
economic mobilization , Civil air defence, traffic readiness, national defence education leadership and
management system, military and local functional configuration, work organization settings, and national
defence mobilization resources command and use regulations. The specific measures shall be implemented
in accordance with the relevant decisions of the Party Central Committee and the relevant regulations of
the State Council and the Central Military Commission. After the reform measures have matured, relevant
laws should be revised and improved in a timely manner.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: EX-CHAIRMAN OF NORINCO YIN JIAXU ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES The South China Morning Post (October 25) disclosed that China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate had decided on October 25, to formally arrest Yin Jiaxu, former Norinco Chairman, “on suspicion of accepting bribes and making illegal gains for relatives and friends in accordance with the law”. His formal arrest came seven months after he was put under an internal party probe by China’s top anti-corruption body, the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC), for “serious violations of discipline and the law”. Yin Jiaxu had been the Party Secretary and Chairman of China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) until his sudden retirement in 2018, three years ahead of his official retirement age of 65. He was formally handed over to prosecutors on September 30 after being expelled from the party and stripped of all official positions and benefits. The CDIC accused Yin Jiaxu of receiving “huge sums” of money and gifts, using his official capacity to benefit others and transferring the profitable business of the company to relatives and friends for personal gain, “resulting in huge losses in national interests” and being “obsessed with golfing” and having long held a golf club membership illegally. Before rising to Norinco’s top management position in 2013, Yin Jiaxu spent more than 14 years at Changan Automobile Co, a subsidiary of Norinco that manufactures passenger cars, minivans, commercial vans and light trucks, where he was regarded as key to the group’s rebound from near bankruptcy in 1998. (Comment: The CDIC has previously arrested Hu Wenming, Chairman of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China and later China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), which oversaw the development of China’s aircraft carriers. There was suspicion that he may have been spying on behalf of a foreign power. Hu Wenming was expelled from the party for taking bribes and abusing his power. He faced trial in February in a Shanghai court and is now awaiting sentencing. Before Hu, Sun Bo, former General Manager of CSIC, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for taking bribes and abuse of power in July 2019.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-UNITED FRONT: ARTICLE BY UFWD DEPUTY DIRECTOR XU YOUSHENG IN PEOPLE'S DAILY DISCUSSES UFWD'S IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL WORK Xu Yousheng, Deputy Director of the CCP CC United Front Work Department (UFWD), published an
article in the People's Daily on October 25 where he discussed the UFWD's ideological and political work.
The article said that since the 18th Party Congress the UFWD's central and provincial (regional, municipal)
levels have organized more than 300 classes of non-party intellectuals, trained nearly 20,000 people, and
organized more than 5,000 people on the job. It added that since 2018, the CCP CC United Front Work
Department has organized more than 20 new training courses for people from social strata, training more
than 1,000 representatives.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: RECORD NUMBER OF YOUNG CHINESE APPLY FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS Foreign Policy magazine (October 28) reported that a record 2 million applicants have registered for the
Chinese civil service examinations next month, the first stage in a conventional career as a government
official. That is up from 1.5 million applicants last year, which was already a record, illustrating the growing
trend of young Chinese seeking official jobs rather than employment in the private sector. It added that
under Xi Jinping, China has followed a consistent pattern of “the state advances, the private sector
retreats”—a slogan originally coined to describe state-owned enterprises’ advances that is now
ideologically pushed from the top. It’s not surprising that a cynical generation of young people are seeking
the comfort and stability of government positions. It also suggests that despite a decade of anti-corruption
campaigns, the official and unofficial perks of government jobs remain substantial.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: ISSUE OF COMMON PROSPERITY AFFECTS PILOT PROJECTS FOR PROPERTY TAX The NPC Standing Committee on October 23 approved pilot projects in 10 cities for at least five years in a step towards enacting a nationwide “real estate tax”, or “property tax”. PBSC member and Vice Premier Han Zheng has been tasked to steer the pilot projects.
(Comment: Meanwhile a vigorous debate has erupted in China over the issue of "common prosperity" and the property tax is being viewed as a step in the direction of implementing common prosperity. Opposition to common prosperity, enunciated by Xi Jinping on August 17, has also resulted in the pilot projects for property tax being confined to only 10 cities instead of the originally approved 30.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AUTHORISES CAMPAIGN TO RECTIFY LAW FIRMS, INCLUDING FOREIGN FIRMS, FROM MID-OCTOBER TO END DECEMBER The Beijing Chaoyang District Justice Bureau issued a notice on October 19, stating that "In accordance
with the spirit of the document of the Ministry of Justice and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice on
cleaning up and regulating outstanding issues in the establishment and management of law firms, from midOctober to the end of December, the legal team will carry out cleaning up and regulation of outstanding
issues in the establishment and management of law firms". It said the inspecting units can accept reports,
complaints, clues etc in connection with their investigations
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA EXPECTS FDI INTO CHINA WILL SLOW DOWN BETWEEN 2021-2025 China's Ministry of Commerce (MofCom) released its 32-page Five-Year Plan (FYP) on foreign investment
on October 18, where it indicated it hoped that foreign direct investment (FDI) into China will hit US$ 700
billion between 2021 and 2025. This is just 0.2% higher than the US$ 698 billion that landed between 2016-
2020. MofCom’s target allows for a 100 billion dollar decline, but FDI into China is still on track to hit
US$ 160 billion in 2021 – meaning that, even if investment stayed flat, the total would hit USD 800 billion
in five years. Zong Changqing, head of MofCom’s Foreign Investment Department, said: “The current
external environment for stabilizing foreign investment remains complex and grim.” He added “We will
strengthen coordination [of national security reviews] with anti-monopoly and anti-unfair-competition
reviews to build a solid defensive line on national security.” Wei Jianing, a former research fellow at the
Development Research Centre under the State Council, said it was hard to envisage a large amount of
foreign investment coming into China due to deteriorating international relations. “What we are worrying
about is not only deglobalisation, but also globalisation without China,” he said at a virtual forum in August.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA DAILY URGES U.S. TO EXPLAIN NATURE OF COLLISION ON OCTOBER 2 OF ITS NUCLEAR SUBMARINE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA The PLA Daily published two successive commentaries on the USS Connecticut collision in the South
China Sea under its Jun Sheng by-line on October 21 and 22. The commentaries titled “What Exactly Does
the US Side Want to Cover Up?” and “The Source of the Greatest Risk to International Nuclear Security”
urged the U.S. to clarify the circumstances and nature of the collision on October 2, of the USS Connecticut
nuclear submarine in the South China Sea (SCS).
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: NEW PARTY SECRETARY APPOINTED IN NYINGCHI, TAR Ao Liuquan was appointed the new Party Secretary of Nyingchi Prefecture of TAR. Nyingchi is witnessing
considerable dual-use developmental activity.
(Comment: Ao Liuquan is of Han nationality. He was born in May 1974 in Guiyang, Guizhou, and joined
the Communist Party of China in July 1996. He graduated from Sichuan Business Administration Institute.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: ARTICLE IN CHINA'S SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES QUARTERLY (NANYA YANJIU) ASSESSES MODI ADMINISTRATION'S ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY China's Nanya Yanjiu (South Asian Studies Quarterly) Issue No. 2, 2021, published an article by Li Tao
and Yuan Xiaojiao assessing the theory and practice of the Modi administration’s economic diplomacy.
They assess that under the Modi administration, India’s economic diplomacy seeks to attract FDI, build
relationships with the global Indian diaspora, and elevate India’s status in regional and multilateral forums.
Stating that India’s economic diplomacy is grounded at a theoretical level in a mixture of neoliberal
institutionalism and nationalism, Li Tao and Yuan Xiaojiao argue that India’s economic diplomacy is
grounded at a theoretical level in a mixture of neoliberal institutionalism and nationalism. On the one hand,
Modi has pursued a pragmatic strategy of cooperation via bilateral and multilateral agreements. Through
“selective multilateralism,” India can participate in global multilateral forums while placing some
limitations on the impact of globalization and India’s integration into a free and open global economy. At
the same time, Modi’s economic diplomacy reflects Hindu nationalism, urging citizens to limit their
material consumption and protect the domestic economy. In this view, India’s economic development is a
“duty” of both the Indian individual and the Indian government. According to Li and Yuan, this mixture of
neoliberal institutionalism and Hindu nationalism is evident in India’s economic diplomacy. They say that
at the core are India’s interests. India’s relations with its South Asian neighbours reflect “defensive
economic nationalism,” as India uses its influence to protect its national economic interests, and its
economic diplomacy is characterized by asymmetric interdependence. As the largest economy in South
Asia, India seeks to increase its neighbours’ economic dependence on India by encouraging the adoption
of a common market and offering commercial aid. In its relations with great powers such as China, the
United States, Russia, and Japan, India mixes neoliberal institutionalism with economic nationalism; it
balances and free rides in an attempt to maintain strategic autonomy and assert regional leadership. For
example, India has accepted the US “Indo-Pacific” strategy as a way to fend off pressure from China’s Belt
and Road Initiative. With regard to China, India’s policy has shifted from “soft checks and balancing” to
“comprehensive decoupling” in the wake of the 2020–2021 skirmishes in the Galwan valley. At these
peripheral and global levels, India adopts liberal economic policies by seeking to expand economic
partnerships. Modi has focused on building relations with Asian countries to attract foreign capital and
provide employment opportunities for India’s vast working-age population. Farther afield, Modi has
pursued military, energy, and trade deals with Australia and countries in Western Europe and promised
credit lines and aid to much of the African continent. Modi has also affirmed India’s commitment to
multilateral economic institutions by pursing leadership roles and seeking to reshape global economic
governance to reflect a multipolar world order.
(Comment: Nanya Yanjiu, also called "International Forum", was founded in 1999 as a bimonthly by the
University of International Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: ARTICLE IN 'GUOJI LUNTAN', PUBLICATION OF THE CHINA INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, COMMENTS ON U.S.-INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS Another article published in Guoji Luntan (No. 5, 2021), Li Qingyan, Associate Research Fellow at the
Department for Developing Countries Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, explored US
efforts to incorporate India into its Indo-Pacific strategy, which he said is motivated by the U.S. desire to
contain China, and Indian motivations for pursuing closer ties with the United States, and the inherent limits
to US–Indian relations. He said under Modi, India has shifted from its traditional “non-alignment” policy
to a “multi-alignment” approach that emphasizes building strategic relations with multiple great powers.
Politically, the United States, operating under what Li criticizes as flawed zero-sum Cold War thinking,
views India as a key pillar of its Indo-Pacific strategy. India is happy to acquiesce to the Indo-Pacific
strategy because it views cooperation with the United States as a way to achieve its great power ambitions.
Consequently, India has increased its dialogues and cooperation with the members of the Quad. In the
security field, the United States regards India as a “defence partner” and treats it much as it would treat a
formal ally. The two countries share technology and some intelligence, have worked to integrate military
operations, and participate in joint military exercises. Li Qingyan contends that India and the United States
have teamed up to oppose the Belt and Road Initiative, painting its projects as “debt traps” and “neocolonialism,” and promoting their own initiatives as an alternative. Despite the strengthening of US–Indian
relations, however, Li asserts that geopolitical, security, and economic differences will hinder the
development of formal alliance relations. US–Indian relations are limited by conflicting objectives and a
lack of mutual trust. India participates in the Indo-Pacific strategy not because it wants to take the United
States’ side in the US–China strategic competition, but because India views cooperation with the strategy
as the best way to achieve its great power ambitions and establish its regional significance as the world
transitions to multipolarity. He points to India's continuing purchase of weapons from Russia and trade
frictions that are undermining Indian–US relations. Li Qingyan anticipates continued tension between US
policies first developed under Trump’s “America First” approach and those promoted by Modi’s “Made in
India” strategy of domestic protectionism. He argues, the “China factor” is not enough to push the United
States and India toward alliance relations: India remains unwilling to sacrifice its strategic autonomy for
US interests. India’s willingness to cooperate with the United States is motivated by India’s perception that
China poses a threat to India’s regional dominance and its global influence. Li Qingyan argues, this analysis
is completely flawed; if India “abandons ‘strategic autonomy’” and aligns with anti-Chinese elements in
the West, it will lose its opportunity to become a great power. He contends that over the long term, China
and India as emerging markets with enormous populations have many common interests and face similar
development challenges, which might push the two countries closer together. The two countries have
extensive trade relations. They also share the view that the Global South should have a far greater say in
global economic governance than it currently does and anticipate that their countries will play increasingly
significant roles as the world transitions toward a multipolar order. Furthermore, Li Qingyan expects India’s
decision to pursue closer relations with the United States for geopolitical reasons to shift over the longer
term. He expects that the United States and China will eventually learn to coexist in a multipolar world,
decreasing India’s opportunity to advance its own interests by playing off China and the United States
against each other, and strengthening the value of strategic autonomy. Li Qingyan predicts that the IndoPacific strategy ultimately will fall away as China and India rise together.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: US SECRETARY OF STATE ISSUES PRESS STATEMENT ENCOURAGING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR ADMITTING TAIWAN TO U.N. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued a Press Statement on October 26 describing Taiwan as a
"democratic success story" and "critical to the global high-tech economy and a hub of travel, culture, and
education". He said "We are among the many UN member states who view Taiwan as a valued partner and
trusted friend". He asserted that "As the international community faces an unprecedented number of
complex and global issues, it is critical for all stakeholders to help address these problems. This includes
the 24 million people who live in Taiwan. Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system is not a
political issue, but a pragmatic one". "Taiwan’s exclusion undermines the important work of the UN and
its related bodies, all of which stand to benefit greatly from its contributions. We need to harness the
contributions of all stakeholders toward solving our shared challenges. That is why we encourage all UN
Member States to join us in supporting Taiwan’s robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN
system and in the international community, consistent with our “one China” policy, which is guided by the
Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances".
(Comment: Twice this year, President Biden has made commitments that the U.S. is prepared to defend
Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, but the White House promptly issued clarifications walking back on
his statements and leading to confusion over a high-stakes U.S. national security policy.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE VICE PREMIER LIU HE HAS VIDEO CALL WITH U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY JANET YALLEN On October 26, Chinese Vice Premier and economic czar Liu He held a video call with US Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen. Few details are available, but the US Treasury’s summary said: “[T]hey discussed
macroeconomic and financial developments in the United States and China” and that “Secretary Yellen
also frankly raised issues of concern.” Equally succinct was China's Ministry of Commerce (MofCOM)
statement which said: “The two sides had pragmatic, frank and constructive exchanges on the
macroeconomic situation and bilateral and multilateral cooperation.” It added, though, that “The Chinese
side expressed concern about the lifting of tariffs and sanctions imposed by the United States and the fair
treatment of Chinese enterprises.”
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. RESCINDS LICENCE FOR CHINA TELECOM TO OPERATE IN U.S In a long-expected move, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously agreed to
rescind the license for the state-run firm China Telecom to operate in the United States, citing security risks.
The Biden administration hasn’t shown the same level of enthusiasm as its predecessor for picking new
Chinese technology targets, but it hasn’t backed off, either. Foreign Policy observed (October 28) that the
FCC vote and other reports show, anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) action remains one of very few
areas of strong bipartisan agreement in Washington.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE MILITARY RESEARCHER CLAIMS U.S. HAS CONDUCTED NEARLY 2000 SPYING OPERATIONS AGAINST MAINLAND CHINA THIS YEAR The South China Morning Post (October 28) reported that Cao Yanzhong, a researcher with the People’s
Liberation Army Academy of Military Science, divulged at the 10th Xiangshan forum that United States
warships and planes carried out over 2,000 close spying operations aimed at China this year. The targets of
these missions include Chinese controlled islands and reefs in the South China Sea, as well as the coastal
area of the Chinese mainland. Cao Yanzhong also said “The high frequency of such close reconnaissance
endangers China’s sovereign security and heightens regional tensions, which will inevitably trigger firm
opposition from China and undoubtedly increase the risk of gunfire.” He added that “The most urgent task
at the moment is that the US immediately ceases its frequent close reconnaissance to reduce the possibility
of misfires.”
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS QATAR AND MEETS TALIBAN LEADERS ON OCTOBER 25-26 The People's Daily (October 25) reported that Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is
to visit Qatar to meet Taliban's Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Acting Deputy Prime ,Minister of the (newly
restored) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi from October
25 to 26. The talks in Doha, Qatar, on October 25-26 were the first high-level engagement between China
and the Taliban since the group resumed power in August. Xinhua (October 26) said that Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi urged Afghanistan to “Master its own destiny, achieve reconciliation and tolerance, and
advance national reconstruction” and also asked the Taliban to crack down on terrorist groups, notably the
East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist group Beijing blames for attacks in Xinjiang. Mullah
Baradar thanked China for its respect and friendliness during difficult times. He recognized China’s security
concerns and reaffirmed the Taliban’s promise to never allow any force to use Afghan territory to harm
China. Baradar reportedly added: “For now, women in medical institutions, airports and other places have
resumed their work, and girls in primary and secondary schools in many provinces have returned to school,
but they still face difficulties such as lack of facilities and funds.”
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-EUROPE: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI VISITING GREECE, SERBIA, ALBANIA AND ITALY BETWEEN OCTOBER 27-29 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi started his trip in Greece and will visit Serbia, Albania, and Italy from October 27 to 29, ending his trip just ahead of the G-20 Summit in Rome. On October 27, Wang Yi met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. The same day, he travelled to Belgrade, Serbia, for meetings with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic. Explaining the logic behind Wang Yi’s choice of destinations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said: “Greece, Serbia, Albania and Italy are important cooperation partners of China in Europe. China and these four countries boast profound traditional friendship, have close cooperation across the board and share fruitful outcomes in BRI cooperation.” At a press conference (October 27) in Greece, Wang Yi said his trip was meant to “send three clear messages to my friends in Greece and Europe.” “First, China hopes to work with Europe to carry forward the Olympic spirit”. “Second, China hopes to work with Europe to boost connectivity” and “Third, China hopes to work with Europe to promote dialogue among civilizations”: He said “We hope that more European partners will join us in injecting stability and positive energy into China-Europe relations and international cooperation"
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CCP TO CONVENE ITS SIXTH PLENARY SESSION FROM NOVEMBER 8 - 11 Xinhua (October 18) and the state-run CCTV announced (October 18) that the 19th CCP Central
Committee will hold its sixth plenary session in Beijing from Nov. 8 to 11, during which a key
resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the Party's 100 years of
endeavours will be reviewed. It said this was decided at a Politburo meeting on October 18, which
was presided over by CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping. It said Xi Jinping also chaired a
symposium to hear from the central committees of the non-CPC political parties, the head of the
All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and individuals with no party affiliation. Xinhua
added that the draft has won wide recognition from various regions, departments, and sides, along
with delegates to the 19th CCP National Congress. Xinhua observed "The Party, the military, and
the public became united as never before. China’s international status has further consolidated". It
also said, “The CPC and the Chinese people have solemnly declared to the world through heroic
and tenacious struggle that the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up,
becoming rich to becoming strong, and the realisation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
has become a historical inevitability.” CCTV added "The meeting emphasized that in the long
course of the party’s struggle, the Chinese Communists, with Comrades Mao Zedong, Deng
Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao as the main representatives, have united and led the entire
party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country to promote revolution, construction, and
reform, and have made major achievements and accumulated valuable resources." The meeting also
cautioned that "the whole party must bear in mind that it was born in trouble and died in peace,
always think about it, and be prepared for danger in times of peace, continue to promote the new
great project of party building in the new era."
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: POLITBURO DISCUSSES DIGITAL ECONOMY AT ITS MONTHLY 'STUDY SESSION' ON OCTOBER 18 The Politburo held its monthly study session on October 18 to discuss promotion and development of China’s digital economy. It was presided by Xi Jinping who, in his speech, described "the digital economy as fundamental to China's future development" and said “We must seize the opportunities, and seize the commanding heights of future development.“ He added “We must use new Internet technologies to carry out all-round and full-chain transformations of traditional industries.” Xi Jinping also spoke of the integration of digital technology into the “real economy”, like manufacturing, services, and agriculture. He suggested: Accelerating the construction of new digital information infrastructure; Enhancing the competitiveness of key links in the industrial chain; Improving the supply chain system of key industries; and accelerating the iteration of products and services. He said China must also: Investigate and deal with monopoly and unfair competition and strengthen tax supervision and tax inspection.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: QIU SHI PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY XI JINPING COMPRISING HIS REMARKS ON COMMON PROSPERITY The CCP's leading theoretical fortnightly Qiu Shi (October 15) published an article by Xi Jinping
captioned 'Solidly promoting common prosperity', which contained remarks on common prosperity
made in his speeches in 2021. Xi Jinping said that "After the reform and opening up, our Party
profoundly summarized both positive and negative historical experiences, realized that poverty is
not socialism, broke the traditional institutional constraints, allowed some people and some regions
to get rich first, and promoted the liberation and development of social productive forces". Since
the 18th Party Congress, it said, the Party Central Committee has "put the gradual realization of
common prosperity for all people on a more important position, promoted coordinated regional
development, taken strong measures to protect and improve people's livelihood, won the battle
against poverty, and built a moderately prosperous society, creating good conditions for promoting
common prosperity". It said that "Now, it has reached the historical stage of solidly promoting
common prosperity". It added that the promotion of common prosperity for all people must be the
focus point for the people's happiness and continuously strengthen the Party's long-term ruling
foundation. Pointing out that "the global income inequality problem is prominent, some countries
are divided between the rich and the poor,", the article emphasised: "Our country must resolutely
prevent polarization, promote common wealth, and achieve social harmony and stability". It added
"At the same time, it must be soberly recognized that the problem of unbalanced and inadequate
development in China is still prominent, with a large gap between urban and rural regional
development and income distribution". Xi Jinping said "Common prosperity is the essential
requirement of socialism and an important feature of Chinese-style modernization. The common
affluence we are talking about is the common affluence of all people, the affluence of both the
material and spiritual life of the people, not the affluence of a few, nor the neat and uniform
egalitarianism". The article identified this as the goal for the middle of this century.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-MEDIA: POPULAR CHINESE FINANCIAL PUBLICATION PLACED ON BANNED LIST BY CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION OF CHINA The Cyberspace Administration of China announced on October 21 an approved list of some 1,300 domestic media outlets, social media accounts and government agencies, banning internet news providers from using other sources. Caixin -- a financial news organization that has reported on official corruption, pollution issues and public anger at the government -- has been put on this banned list meaning its articles cannot appear on the internet platforms such as Sina.com that are popular ways for the Chinese public to consume news. Meanwhile, Ant has exited its stake in Caixin.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS-2022: THREE PERSONS PROTEST HOLDING OF BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS AT TORCH LIGHTING CEREMONY IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA The Olympic torch lighting ceremony, held on October 18 in Ancient Olympia, Greece, prior to
the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, was disrupted by three people protesting China's treatment of
Uyghurs and Tibetans. A press conference organized by a separate group of activists in Athens the
following day denounced China's human rights violations as the Olympic torch heads to
Beijing. The torch-lighting ceremony had a small audience due to COVID restrictions, though top
figures such as Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and International Olympic Committee
president Thomas Bach attended. The torch will also be taken directly by plane from Greece to
Beijing this year instead of being transported by relays of athletes traversing 20 countries
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTER ZHAO KEZHI PRESIDED OVER ENLARGED PARTY COMMITTEE MEETING OF MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY The Legal Daily (October 19) reported on the enlarged meeting of the Party Committee of the
Ministry of Public Security on October 16 to convey the spirit of the Ministry of Public Security’s
third work report and the spirit of the Ministry of Public Security’s third work report. State
Councillor, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security, and Minister Zhao
Kezhi presided over a meeting of the Party Committee. The Legal Daily said "the bureau and 8
bureau-level units under the Ministry promoted investigation, correction, rectification, and report
on the work of eliminating the effects of poisoning". Zhao Kezhi stressed the need to "thoroughly
study and implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the spirit of the
CPC Central Committee decisions and arrangements, to enhance the "four consciousness" firm "four
self-confidence", so that "two maintenance", continued to deepen political Sun Lijun eliminate the
pernicious influence of gangs Work, continue to advance the work of investigation, correction and
rectification, to ensure that the goals and tasks set by the Party Central Committee are completed
with high quality". It said, "the education and rectification of the second batch of political and legal
teams across the country entered the stage of investigation, correction and reform". It included
repeated references to "Sun Lijun political gangs" and their serious violation of law, elimination of
"the pernicious influence of political gangs as a top priority" and regard practically clarifying
the serious violation of law by the Sun Lijun political gangs. The meeting asserted: "We must focus
on political loyalty, persist in learning and education throughout, thoroughly study and implement
the spirit of the important precepts of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, and earnestly
build the foundation of faith, supplement the spirit of the spirit, and stabilize the ideological rudder,
from the ideological, political, and organizational In the above and work style, thoroughly eliminate
the poisonous influence of Sun Lijun's political gang, and strive to build a loyal and vigilant soul",
insisting "We must continue to deepen the rectification of stubborn diseases". Wang Xiaohong,
Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public
Security, and members of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security attended the meeting.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: CPPCC MEMBER AND FORMER CHINESE VICE MINISTER FOR PUBLIC SECURITY PROPOSES NEED FOR CONCEPT OF MUTUAL SECURITY Chen Zhimin, China’s Vice Minister for Public Security until 2017 and currently a member of the
CPPCC, was quoted by South China Morning Post (October 21) as telling a panel organised by the
Beijing-backed Boao Forum in Changsha, Hunan province, on October 18 that “In the face of
challenges, countries need to establish a concept of mutual security. [Nations should] agree to share
intelligence, rules, education and experiences – including hi-tech and big data components – on
security matters, in order to achieve a new model of global development.” The South China Morning
Post added that China’s latest five-year plan identified “protecting the rights and interests of Chinese
overseas investments” as a key goal to ensure national “economic security”, acknowledging that
there were increasing risks and uncertainties regarding the safety of China’s wide range of overseas
projects under its Belt and Road Initiative. Lu Wei, an expert at Zhongan Security Services, a
government-backed company that was among the first to provide security training and protection
for Chinese investment overseas, was quoted as telling Beijing Youth Daily it was clear that the belt
and road scheme had been facing bigger security threats due to rising global terrorism threats and
growing negative impressions about China. “There needs to be speedy legislation on protecting
overseas investment, so there can be legal grounds for taking action. Secondly, there needs to be a
government-level warning mechanism that issues alerts, guidance, and emergency response
protocols for any huge security risk, in order to minimise the loss of life and financial costs related
to overseas Chinese investments. Thirdly, there needs to be a functioning international cooperation
mechanism with the investment recipient country, as their public security abilities are always critical
to the safety of Chinese-funded projects.”
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMIC: CCP CC AND STATE COUNCIL ISSUE MASTER PLAN FOR CHENGDU-CHONGQING ECONOMIC CIRCLE Xinhua (October 21) reported that the CCP CC and State Council issued a Notification on October
20, publicising the Master Plan for the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle in
southwest China. The plan aims to turn the Chengdu-Chongqing area into an economic circle with
its own strengths and distinctive features, as well as a new driver and an important growth engine
of the country's high-quality development. It said by 2025, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle
will witness significant increases in economic strength, development vitality and international
influence, and about 66 percent of its permanent residents are expected to be living in urban areas.
In five years, it will take only an hour to travel between Chongqing and Chengdu, it said. The area
will enjoy a railway network of more than 9,000 km that covers all the cities with a population of
over 200,000, while a shipping centre and a logistics centre for the upper Yangtze River will be
basically established. All urban areas and key scenes will be covered by the 5G network, and the
economic circle will see a marked improvement in new infrastructure and stronger capabilities in
safeguarding energy security. The area is expected to see spending on research and development
reach around 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product, while the contribution rate of scientific and
technological progress will hit 63 percent. Breakthroughs will be made in the construction of major
opening-up platforms such as the pilot free trade zones in Chongqing and Sichuan by 2025,
providing stronger support for the joint construction of the Belt and Road, according to the document.
By 2035, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle will become an active growth pole and a
powerful driver with international influence, it said.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-XINJIANG: AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE RELEASES REPORT DETAILING Chinese OFFICES AND OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPRESSION IN XINJIANG A new report released on October 18 by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), an
Australian research organization, reveals new details about how the Chinese Communist Party —
and specifically who within the party — is carrying out its campaign of repression in Xinjiang. The
report uncovers the actual offices and individuals implementing the Chinese government's forced
labour policies in Xinjiang. Entitled "The Architecture of Repression: Unpacking Xinjiang's
Governance," the report maps out 170 government bureaus in Xinjiang, identifies 440 top local
officials, and reveals a return to mass political campaigns there.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA DAILY URGES "PEOPLE'S WAR" TO COUNTER CIA SETTING UP NE 'CHINA MISSION CENTRE' The South China Morning Post (October 17) said the PLA Daily has called for a “people’s war” to
defeat American espionage after the CIA set up the China Mission Centre on October 7, which CIA
Director William Burns said was aimed at countering “the most important geopolitical threat” of
the century, has gone viral on Chinese social media. A widely circulated video clip in the past few
days, carried by many state-controlled media outlets, claimed that the CIA was recruiting Chinesespeaking operatives who understood Mandarin as well as Cantonese, Hakka, and Shanghainese. The
PLA Daily post on social media says, ‘no cunning fox can defeat a good hunter’ and says the military
is relying on the people to look out for spies.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS NUCLEAR-CAPABLE HYPERSONIC MISSILE The Financial Times reported (October 17) that China secretly tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic
missile which orbited the globe before returning to Earth to strike its target in a technological
development that would overcome US anti-ballistic missile systems. The report, which cited five
unnamed intelligence sources, said the Chinese military launched the Long March rocket in August
carrying a “hypersonic glide vehicle” into low orbit. It circled the globe before descending towards
its target, which it missed by about two dozen miles. It quoted sources as saying the system would
be able to overcome US anti-ballistic missile defence systems that are based in Alaska and set up to
shoot down projectiles coming over the North Pole — the Chinese system would be able to strike
the US from the south. It added the incident has left US intelligence officials at the Pentagon stunned,
sources say, as it shows China has made astonishing progress on the development of its hypersonic
weapons.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: SATELLITE PHOTOS REVEAL CHINA HAS UPGRADED THREE AIR BASES IN FUJIAN PROVINCE The South China Morning Post (October 15) cited satellite photos captured by Planet Labs and first
published by American tech and military site The Drive, which revealed that China is upgrading
and reinforcing three airbases closest to Taiwan along its southeastern coast in Fujian province. It
said that the airbases in Fujian province will give long-term logistical air combat support to the
People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), which mounted a record 149 sorties into Taiwan’s
air defence identification zone over four consecutive days from October 1. It suggested this could
be an indication that Beijing may be stepping up its plans to take the island by force.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: RETIRED PLA SR. COLONEL OUYANG WEI SAYS CHINA FACES SERIOUS THREATS AT ITS LAND AND SEA BORDERS The South China Morning Post (October 17) said that retired PLA Senior Colonel Ouyang Wei,
who after retiring from the PLA National Defence University is now working with the Grandview
Institution, said in a recent report that China faces increasingly serious challenges at its land and sea
borders on almost every side and must urgently reinforce its defences in these regions. The
assessment from Ouyang Wei, a retired professor with the PLA National Defence University, in a
report written on October 12 and titled 'Current Situation in the Building and Development of
China's Border and Coastal Defence' has been published as the US steps up its military presence in
the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and uncertainties grow on China’s land borders with
India, Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea. In the report, Ouyang said the country was facing
encroachment, secession, and terrorism in some border areas. India-specific comments by Ouyang
Wei state "India takes China as a strategic contestant and adopts an approach of “defending the north
and advancing eastward”. It has deployed forces of comparative advantage against China in the
disputed land border areas, intensifying its encroachment on China's territory. At the same time, it
has increased its budget in naval forces and implemented the “Act East Policy” to push into the
Pacific Ocean. Joining the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” system, India vigorously interacts with the
United States, Japan, and Australia. It keeps monitoring and preventing China from expansion into
the Indian Ocean.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINA INSISTS ON US$ 38 MILLION COMPENSATION FOR NINE ENGINEERS WHO DIED AT DASU DAM PROJECT ON JULY 14 China has demanded US$ 38 million compensation for the nine dead Chinese engineers at the Dasu
Dam Project.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TOUGH GLOBAL TIMES EDITORIAL WARNS TAIWAN'S DPP NOT TO BE MISGUIDED BY U.S. ASSURANCES A hard-hitting Global Times (October 14) editorial reacted to US officials describing US-Taiwan
relations as "rock solid" and as having "condemned the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s
drills in the Taiwan Straits region as "destabilizing and only increase the risk of miscalculation."
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINA-BHUTAN SIGN MOU VIRTUALLY ON OCTOBER 14 AGREEING TO A 3-STEP PROCESS FOR SETTLING BOUNDARY DISPUTE AS AN "IMPORTANT FOUNDATION FOR ESTABLISHING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS" A Global Times article (October 14) and a Global Times editorial (October 15), both reporting on
the MoU signed between China and Bhutan on October 14 agreeing to a three-step plan for settling
the boundary issue, were very critical of India. Reflecting the current tensions and strained bilateral
relations, the Global Times articles accused India of preparing to play the spoiler when actual
negotiations begin or reach a crucial stage. They also stated that: "According to a list of facts
released by the Xinhua News Agency, the 1890 Convention has made it clear that the China-India
boundary in the Sikkim sector commences at Mount Ji Mu Ma Zhen on the Bhutan frontier.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA'S RITUAL OFFERING AT YASUKUNI SHRINE PROVOKES CHINESE REACTION The Global Times (October 17) said the new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a "bad
start" by sending a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where the war criminals are
enshrined, on October 17, only two weeks after he took office. It said by following in the footsteps
of his predecessors Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga, he had demonstrated again the rise of rightwing conservative forces in Tokyo. Chinese observers warned that the foundation of China-Japan
ties is being eroded through a series of provocative moves.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: CICIR PRESIDENT YUAN PENG GIVES INTERVIEW TO SINA.FINANCE ON SINO-US RELATIONS Sina Finance published its interview (in Chinese) with CICIR President Yuan Peng on Sino-US relations on October 21. In his interview Yuan Peng said, "There is a deep-rooted tradition in the United States in dealing with international relations "from a position of strength".
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-UK: LEADING BRITISH PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE MAKING MILLIONS OF POUNDS FROM CLOSE TIES WITH CHINESE ENTITIES The London Times (October 18) disclosed that their investigation revealed that leading English
private schools are making tens of millions of pounds from franchises with close ties to the Chinese
Communist Party. The board of Harrow International School Hong Kong, whose sprawling campus
was built with an interest-free £22.5 million loan from the Hong Kong government, includes four
senior
Communist Party members.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. COURT CLEARS CHINESE-ORIGIN U.S. ACADEMIC OF ESPIONAGE CHARGES Professor Anming Hu, who was arrested last year for wire fraud and false statements but was
acquitted by a judge in September, has been offered his position back at the University of Tennessee.
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick said in a letter to Anming Hu on October 14
that he could have his job back with tenure an as engineering professor. He was also given support
for his work visa, back pay, payment for an immigration attorney and $200,000 over the next three
years to get his research started again. Federal prosecutors went after Hu for not saying he worked
part-time at a Chinese university in an application for a NASA-funded research grant. The judge
said that Hu never had anyone from China work on the project, nor did he ever take money from
China. The judge also said that NASA’s funding restrictions were unclear
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES CENTRAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS WORK CONFERENCE ON OCTOBER 13 AND 14 Addressing the central People's Congress work conference in Beijing on October 13 and 14, Xi
Jinping delivered an "important speech", emphasising that the People’s Congress system conforms
to China’s national conditions and reality, reflects the nature of a socialist country, ensures that the
people are the masters of the country, and guarantees the realisation of the great rejuvenation of the
Chinese nation. Describing it as a good system and "a brand-new political system of great
significance in the history of political development in China and even in the history of world
political development", he said the people's congress system must be strengthened and improved.
Politburo Standing Committee Members Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han
Zheng, and Vice President Wang Qishan attended the meeting. Li Zhanshu, member of the Standing
Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Standing
Committee of the National People's Congress, made the concluding speech "around studying and
implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech". CCTV (October 14)
said that "Party secretaries and comrades in charge of the Standing Committee of the National
People’s Congress of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the
Central Government, deputy directors of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress at the
provincial level, major comrades in charge of various departments of the central and state organs,
relevant people’s organizations, and relevant departments of the Central Military Commission, the
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and various specialized Relevant
responsible comrades of the committee and the working committee of the Standing Committee
attended the meeting".
Oct 2021 |
CHINA--LEADERSHIP: POLITBURO MEMBER AND SECRETARY OF POLITICAL AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION AFFIRMS SUPPORT TO PARTY'S DECISION TO INVESTIGATE SUN LIJUN AND FU ZHENHUA Xinhua (October 8) reported that Politburo member and secretary of the CCP CC's Central Political
and Legal Committee chaired the second national political and legal team education and rectification
work promotion meeting on October 8 where he emphasised that he firmly supported the Party
Central Committee's decision to thoroughly implement the Party Central Committee's deployment
and increase efforts to promote the education and rectification of political and legal teams. Guo
Shengkun also expressed firm supports for the Party Central Committee's decision to deal with Sun
Lijun's serious violations of discipline and law and the decision to conduct disciplinary review and
supervision and investigation of Fu Zhenghua's suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
He added "We must resolutely and thoroughly eliminate the poisonous influence, insist on real hard
work, and resolutely clean up in place". Zhao Kezhi, Zhou Qiang and Zhang Jun were present.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INTERNAL: LI GUANGMAN PERSISTS WITH HIS ASSESSMENT THAT CHINA IS IN THE MIDST OF "PROFOUND TRANSFORMATION" In a post to his WeChat public account on October 9, Li Guangman, who came to prominence for
his article declaring China to be in the midst of a “profound revolution” and which was reproduced
by China's prominent official newspapers, reiterated that a “profound transformation” is underway
in China, with deep implications for politics, business, culture and the media. He first quoted the
notice issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of new draft rules
unambiguously prohibiting the involvement of all “non-public capital” (非公有资本) – meaning
private capital of any kind, domestic or foreign – in news gathering, production and dissemination.
While restrictions on news content and its production are of course not news in China, these new
rules are so salient and broad in their prohibitions that they seem to remove all strategic ambiguity.
The second media case he cited was the detention on October 7 in Hainan of well-known
entrepreneur and former professional journalist Luo Changping, who was charged with insulting
and defaming the martyrs of Chinese history by criticizing a new film about China’s involvement
in the Korean War. Luo’s detention, widely reported by state-run media, underscores the resolve of the Chinese Communist Party leadership in policing the bounds of the CCP’s official narratives, the
stories and mythologies that undergird its power and legitimacy.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA CARRIES OUT AMPHIBIOUS AND BEACH LANDING EXERCISES ON SOUTHERN FUJIAN COAST Reuters reported (October 11) that the PLA had carried out beach landing and assault drills in the
province directly across the sea from Taiwan. It said that in a brief report on its Weibo
microblogging account, the official People's Liberation Army Daily newspaper said the drills had
been carried out "in recent days" in the southern part of Fujian province. The PLA Daily added that
the action had involved "shock" troops, sappers and boat specialists. Troops were "divided into
multiple waves to grab the beach and perform combat tasks at different stages". It provided no
further details. It showed a video of soldiers in small boats storming a beach, throwing smoke
grenades, breaking through barbed wire defenses and digging trenches in the sand. The drills
appeared to involve a small number of troops.
(Comment: China routinely carries out military exercises up and down its coast as well as in the
disputed South China Sea.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-SPACE: CHINA ANNOUNCES ITS ASTRONAUTS FOR CHINA'S FIRST SPACE STATION MISSION On October 14, China disclosed a young crew for its coming Shenzhou-13 mission, including Wang
Yaping, who will be the first female Chinese astronaut to visit the country’s first space station and
carry out extravehicular activities. Zhai Zhigang, 55, Ye Guangfu, 41, and Wang Yaping, 41, have
been selected to carry out the mission. The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO)
said at a press conference that Zhai Zhigang is the commander. The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft is
scheduled to blast off at 00:23 a.m. on October 16 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in
northern China.
(Comment: This will be China's longest space mission.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: GUANGZHOU ((CANTON TRADE FAIR FOR FIRST TIME INVITES DOMESTIC BUYERS The Canton Fair, China’s biggest twice-yearly trade exposition, has for the first time sent invitations
to eligible domestic buyers as the country’s pandemic control measures prevent foreign buyers from
attending in person. Caixin (October 14) commented that the China Import and Export Fair, held
every spring and fall in Guangzhou, is widely seen as a barometer of China’s foreign trade. The
theme of this year’s fair is China's “dual circulation” strategy for building up the domestic consumer
economy.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE STATEMENTS CONTINUE TO ASSERT THAT INDIA IS MAKING "UNREASONAB;E" DEMANDS REGARDING THE BORDER AND AFFIRM THAT CHINESE FORCES WILL NOT PULL BACK A second Global Times (October 11)article referred to the PLA Western Theatre Command
statement released on October 11 saying that "China has made tremendous efforts to ease and calm
the border situation, while India insisted on unreasonable and unrealistic demands, adding
difficulties to the negotiations". It quoted the PLA Western Theatre Command statement that
"China's determination to safeguard sovereignty is unwavering, and China hopes India will not
misjudge the situation". It said "the "status quo" that India referred to is to legitimize their
continuous encroachment on Chinese territory. India's statement said the "resolution of the
remaining areas would facilitate progress in the bilateral relations." This shows the Indian side's
current attitude of linking border disputes with overall China-India relations and trying to coerce
the Chinese side to make concessions". It said the border issue between China and India remains
stuck because the "Indian side still hasn't developed a correct attitude in the negotiations. It always
makes unrealistic demands not in line with the real situation or its strength". It added that "New
Delhi anticipates Beijing softening its stance over the border issue and yielding to its demands to
prevent New Delhi from aligning itself with Washington against Beijing" and that "such an
opportunistic attitude has lowered India's status in international politics as a major power, because
this tactic will not work between great powers. The border issue is related to the dignity of all nations.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: FORMER PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG'S AIDE SAYS CHINA WOULD BE UNWILLING TO TAKE TAIWAN UNLESS IN A SURPRISE MOVE Prof. Wu Guoguang (吴国光), Zhao Ziyang's former aide, was interviewed by Yomiuri Shimbun
(Yomiuri News) about China under XJP in July and August and the interview was published by
Intium News on October 9. In response to the question that some experts in Japan have analysed or
predicted that the CCP will attack the outlying islands around Taiwan in the near future, such as
Taiping Island or Dongsha and that might entail the CCP paying a higher price for Taiwan’s actions,
such as the United States, Prof. Wu Guoguang replied "I don't understand military strategy and
tactics.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING TELEPHONES NEW JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA On October 8, Chinese President Xi Jinping telephoned his new Japanese counterpart, Fumio
Kishida. They agreed that maintaining stable relations is the best way forward – for both countries,
and for the global community. The South China Morning Post Quoted Xi Jinping as having
said“[Our] two countries…should properly handle major sensitive issues concerning history and
Taiwan among others, [and] properly manage [our] differences.” It said Kishida agreed, but noted
that Japan would“’[S]ay what needs to be said’ regarding China’s perceived shortcomings in
upholding human rights and the rule of law.”
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: SECRETARY GENERAL OF CCP CC'S POLITICAL AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION RECENTLY ANNOUNCED EXPANSION OF 'GRID MANAGEMENT' SYSTEM TO GRASSROOTS LEVEL ACROSS CHINA The official website of China's powerful Political and Legal Affairs Commission on September 22,
disclosed that Chen Yixin, Secretary General of the CCP CC's Political and Legal Affairs
Commission (PLAC), recently visited the city of Shenzhen.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: FORMER MINISTER OF JUSTICE FU ZHENGHUA IS UNDER INVESTIGATION Within days of the announcement that former Vice Minister of Public Security Sun Lijun had been
expelled from the CCP and is to face trial, the Central Discipline Inspection Commission notified
on October 2 that a former Chinese justice minister has become a target of President Xi Jinping's
anti-corruption campaign. Fu Zhenghua, who was also a former vice minister of public security,
is under investigation for severe violations of party discipline and law. It is unclear why 66 year
old Fu Zhenghu would become a target of the campaign. He was the long time head of public
security for Beijing and Vice Minister of Public Security from 2013 to 2018. He then served as
Minister of Justice from 2018 to 2020. When he was Vice Minister for Public Security, Fu
Zhenghua led the probe against Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, one of
the most senior officials convicted in the anti-corruption campaign. An interesting aspect of these
investigations of senior Public Security officials is observation of the Central Discipline
Inspection Commission that Sun Lijun had “extremely bloated political ambition, vile political
quality.” The allegations levelled against him are grave and stated that to fulfil his personal
political goals, Sun Lijun groomed rebels within the Chinese Communist Party, spent much effort
forming interest groups to control key government departments, and seriously undermined the
unity and political security of the party, according to the allegations. He is also accused of blatantly
selling official posts and inserting his trusted minions in positions, which severely damaged the
political and legal environment of the Public Security Ministry. Sun Lijun was secretary to Meng
Jianzhu, a former Minister of Public Security, and a close ally of Deputy Prime Minister Han
Zheng, who heads the central leading group on Hong Kong and Macau affairs.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ENERGY: POWER CUTS IN CHINA LEAD TO RISE IN ELECTRICITY PRICES China News (October 1) reported that since August, over 20 provinces in China have issued notices
to limit electricity usage. This has caused blackouts in certain regions. The power plants are faced
with increased electricity demand while there is a coal shortage and thus coal prices are higher.
They are operating at a loss because the electricity price is set according to State Council guidelines.
Starting in July, over eight provinces have increased the price of electricity, but they are still within
the 10 percent ceiling previously required by the State Council. Several provinces introduced peak
demand pricing to normalize the usage. Currently the electricity price increase is aimed at business
electricity consumption rather than at residential use. On September 29, the National Development
and Reform Commission issued a notice calling for increased coal production while enabling the
coal power plants to set a price that is market driven and reflects the changes in demand and cost.
The central authorities said it is expected that this wave of price increases will continue to expand.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ENERGY: CHINESE RESEARCHER CHALLENGES ESTIMATES THAT CHINA HAS FUNDED 70 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS A Chinese researcher Tan Hao, Associate Prof. at the University of Newcastle Business School
recently (September 28) challenged in the FT Chinese that international estimates that China had
funded 70 per cent of the world's coal-fired power plants. He said "China provided financial
support to a total of 81GW of coal-fired power stations worldwide from 2009 to 2020. Meanwhile,
a total of 335 GW of coal-fired power projects outside of China have been completed during this
period. In other words, in the past 12 years, Chinese-funded projects accounted for only about 11%
of the world’s newly operating coal power projects. Only in three years (2013, 2018, and 2020),
more than 20% of the completed coal power projects involved Chinese funds. In seven of the 12
years, China-funded overseas coal-fired power projects accounted for less than 10%."
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: PENPA TSERING, SIKYONG OF THE TIBET CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION IN DHARAMSHALA, MET TAIWAN'S REPRESENTATIVE IN DELHI Penpa Tsering, Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala, met Taiwan's
Representative to India Ambassador Baushuan Ger at the latter's office on October 4 for an hourlong meeting when they discussed issues of mutual interest and concern. Penpa Tsering was on a
three-day visit to Delhi from October 3-5.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: LARGEST NUMBER OF CHINESE PLAAF AIRCRAFT VIOLATE TAIWAN'S ADIZ ON CHINA'S NATIONAL DAY ON OCTOBER 1 Beijing marked its National Day on October 1, with its biggest aerial show of force against Taiwan
to date, buzzing the self-ruled democratic island with 38 warplanes, including nuclear-capable H6 bombers. First 25 PLA aircraft (J-16*18, SU-30*4, H-6*2 and Y-8 ASW) entered the Taiwan's
southwest ADIZ and later the same day another batch of 13 fighter aircraft (ten J-16s, two H-6s
and one KJ-500) flew into Taiwan's ADIZ. On October 2 another 39 aircraft of different types
entered the ADIZ. The 20 PLA aircraft were fourteen J-16 fighter jets, four Su-30 fighter jets, and
two Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Last week 24 Chinese warplanes flew into the area after
Taiwan applied to join a major trans-Pacific trade pact. On October 3, a US State Department
statement reiterated the interest of the United States in ensuring regional peace and security and
said it "is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near
Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability.
We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against
Taiwan".
(Comment: Last year, PLAAF jets made a record 380 incursions into Taiwan's defence zone, and
the number of breaches for the first nine months of this year has already exceeded 500.)
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: HARD-HITTING ARTICLE IN GLOBAL TIMES WARNS INDIA AGAINST CONTINUING "ENCROACHMENTS" OF CHINESE TERRITORY The Global Times (October 10) published a hard-hitting article using language warning India.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE AMBASSADOR REITERATES OFFICIAL CHINESE POSITION ON CHINA'S NATIONAL DAY ON OCTOBER 1 The Indian newspaper Print quoted the Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong as saying on
the occasion of China's 72nd National Day on October 1 that “China and India should properly
handle differences. We should place the boundary question in an appropriate position in bilateral
relations and speak a fair, reasonable mutually acceptable solution through dialogue and
consultations.” He said “Both sides need to meet each other halfway to move the situation towards
stability and shift it from urgent dispute settlement to regular management and control, so as to
jointly safeguard the peace and tranquillity of the border area,” and “should stick to the right
direction of bilateral relations.” He added “We should view the bilateral ties from a historical and
strategic perspective, and uphold the strategic consensus that China and India are opportunities of
development and cooperation partners to each other instead of being threats or competitive
rivals. ”Both sides need to meet each other halfway to move the situation towards stability and shift it from urgent dispute settlement to regular management and control, so as to jointly safeguard
the peace and tranquillity of the border area.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.S. CALLS FOR AVOIDING "MISCOMMUNICATION, MISCALCULATION AND UNINTENDED CONFLICT" After the US Central Intelligence Agency launched a China Mission Centre, Chinese Ambassador
to the US, Qin Gang said in an article published (October 10) by the South China Morning Post,
that “Some people in the US, immersed in their delusions that they are James Bond, simply can’t
resist the urge to act out their own drama. Haven’t they been worn out by such meaningless and
harmful actions? Why not give themselves a break?” He said both countries should “avoid
miscommunication, miscalculation and unintended conflict” to put bilateral relations back on track.
Saying "It is normal for us to have economic competition and trade frictions. The key is how to
deal with them,” he added “We are willing to have further communication with the US side,
properly manage differences, and jointly create conditions to expand the positive side of our
relations on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation.” Qin Gang also said Chinese
firms are finding it more difficult to invest in the US and list on US stock markets and that more
than 900 Chinese companies were subject to various restrictions and the US had used national
security as an excuse to target Chinese firms.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-MYANMAR: 10,000 CHINESE WAITING AT RUILI BORDER TOWN TO RETURN TO CHINA The Global Times (October 2) said that due to the turbulent political situation and worsening
coronavirus infection, over 10,000 Chinese nationals are waiting at the China-Myanmar border
city of Ruili, to turn themselves in, in order to return to China, putting great pressure on the border
city Ruili as it struggles to fight imported COVID-19 cases. It quoted an anonymous Ruili
government official as saying the flow of Chinese nationals, who plan to turn themselves in,
waiting to cross the border into China hasn't stopped since June.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-GERMANY: DUOWEI OBSERVES THAT UNDER MERKEL GERMANY HAS LAGGED BEHIND IN DIGITAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND NUCLEAR ENERGY The US-based pro-Xi Jinping overseas Chinese news outlet, Duowei, on October 3, while
assessing the situation after the general elections in Germany described Merkel as "a rather stable
and mature leader, rather than an open leader who is determined to make progress". It called her
leadership style more than conservative and less enterprising. In the process, it said, "the Merkel
administration was conservative and missed the opportunity of a new round of industrial revolution
represented by digital information technology". This misstep has caused Germany and the EU as
a whole to lag behind China and the United States in the emerging digital technology industry.
Taking the Internet industry as an example, there is currently no leading Internet company in the
EU that is capable of supporting global competition. At the same time, the entire European Union's
Internet market is under the monopoly control of US Internet giants. It added that outside the field
of digital technology also, Germany under Merkel did not have any forward-looking policy in the
field of new energy. The most obvious of these was the decision to hurriedly abandon the nuclear
power plant after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan. However, this expedient
measure caused Germany's to lag in the field of new energy, and brought a profound negative
impact on Germany's own energy security. This is a serious challenge for Germany, which has
long used thermal power generation as the mainstream, and nuclear power, which was originally
the first choice for new energy sources, was completely abandoned by Berlin after the Fukushima
accident. In this situation, the Merkel authorities have to turn to rely on natural gas that is scarce
in the European Union-according to the European Commission's 2019 data, 77% of the EU's
natural gas demand depends on imports-for the "green power generation transition." This in turn
provides the two major powers outside the EU, the United States and Russia, with the "natural
gas" brand that they dream of and can directly influence the EU's foreign decision-making.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: SPECULATION THAT SIXTH PARTY PLENUM IN NOVEMBER MAY PASS 'HISTORIC RESOLUTION' The Hongkong-based Ming Pao (September 9) asking whether this year's Sixth Plenary Session
will really pass a third "historical resolution", observed that the earlier two such resolutions by
Mao and Deng had negated the line of the former 'dynasty'.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING VIRTUALLY ADDRESSES 13TH BRICS SUMMIT Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the 13th BRICS Summit on September 8. He noted that
China will chair the BRICS Summit in 2022, and looked forward to deepening cooperation in
various fields with its BRICS partners to build a closer, more pragmatic partnership, and to jointly
tackle common challenges. Leaders of the five BRICS countries - China, Russia, Brazil, South
Africa, and India - met virtually on September 8 for talks chaired by Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: GUANGDONG AND BEIJING PARTY SECRETARIES AND PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT VICE MINISTER SEPARATELY LEAD DELEGATIONS TO TAR Politburo member and Guangdong Party Secretary 1956-born Li Xi and Guangdong Governor
Ma Xingrui led a Guangdong Party and Government delegation to Linzhi (Nyingchi) City and
Lhasa from September 2 - 4, 2021.
(Comment: Li Xi was named a member of the CCP Politburo at the 19th Party Congress. Shortly
after the Party Congress in October, Li Xi was transferred to take over the politically important
province of Guangdong from Hu Chunhua. Born in 1959, Ma Xingrui is recognised as one of
China's top scientists. He received a bachelor's degree at Fuxin Mining College (now Liaoning
University of Technology) in 1982, and went on to graduate school for general mechanics
at Tianjin University. He earned his doctorate in mechanics at Harbin Institute of
Technology (HIT). He was named a Professor at HIT in 1991. He joined the CCP in January
1988.)
- Cai Qi, Party Secretary of Beijing, led a delegation to TAR from September 5-6, 2021, to inspect
'counterpart' assistance to Tibet.
- Yu Cenxi, Vice Minister of the CCP CC Propaganda Department and Director of the State
Administration of Radio and Television, also travelled to Tibet for inspection visits to Nyingchi
and Lhasa.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC ARTICLE DECLARES THAT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY MUST NOT HARM THE STATE'S INTEREST An article posted on the official website of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC)
on August 31, declared that the entertainment industry must not harm the state’s interest. The
article comes in the wake of the CCP crackdown on the entertainment industry and recent broader
clampdown on the private sector. Private capital has been blamed for contributing to the risks of
data breaches, education inequality, the disintegration of the Chinese culture, threatening social
stability, harming state security, among other deep seated concerns. According to the State Council
Information Office in 2019, the value-added of China’s entertainment industry reached 4,436.3
billion yuan, accounting for 4.5 percent of China’s GDP. Stating that money has been driving the
growth and the chaos in the entertainment industry, the article said entertainment stars induce and
influence fans’ consumption habits (particularly young people), ultimately eroding the socialist
ideology. It said “Entertainment is by no means mere singing, dancing, and playing music, but an
important battlefield for ideological and cultural work. It is an important part of the superstructure
[a Marxist term referring to culture, political power, and the state], and it is critical to Party [CCP]
work. If capital is allowed to expand unfettered, entertainment will fail its role of serving the people
and socialism, and it will disintegrate the spiritual homeland of the Chinese nation.” It said the
entertainment industry "cannot harm state interests; and it cannot corrupt Party members and
leading cadres, let alone seek improper political gains.”
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: U.S.-BASED CHINA AEROSPACE STUDIES INSTITUTE ASSESSES THAT RECENT MISSILE 'LIVE FIRE' TEST BY CHINA INDICATES ONLY LIMITED IMPROVEMENT IN WARHEADS The U.S.-based China Aerospace Studies Institute in its report in August 2021, stated that on 13 August, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) conducted a live fire missile launch, likely from the 1st Test and Training District in Jilantai. The missiles impacted at least two targets parked on the apron of the runway at the PLARF’s Ruqiang Target Impact Area which is roughly 1400km west of Jilantai. It said the lack of observed cratering beyond two target impacts suggests the PLARF used unitary warheads for both missiles. The two targets were almost certainly simulating unsheltered aircraft at an airbase. Given the PLA’s wide definition of jamming, the warheads could be fitted with electro-optical, infrared, or a radar-based guidance system that is jam-resistant. Individuals associated with 613 Brigade have published articles discussing radar signal processing, suggesting that some of the warheads used by 613 Brigade have a radar guidance system, although there is no way to determine if such research efforts are tied to the warheads used on 13 August. The impact area also reveals no substantive improvements to warhead accuracy or destructive power. This missile launch event almost certainly featured a new system of some kind and indicates that the PLARF has modernized yet another missile brigade with a Taiwan-centric mission set. The China Aerospace Studies Institute assessed, however, that this new system does not appear to represent a dramatic improvement in PLARF capabilities. Rather, the PLA likely intends to create a deterrent effect by highlighting what is a relatively limited improvement in capability. The PLA openly talks about revealing advanced weapons and conducting military exercises as ways of deterring or coercing its adversaries. With each deterrent activity, the PLA emphasizes the need for there to be some real capability behind the activity, demonstrated resolve, and for the information on the activity to be transmitted to the adversary’s population. In this instance, there is some limited capability behind the activity, in that the weapon system in question is real and marginally improves the PLARF’s overall capabilities.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AND VICE PREMIER LIU HE SEND MESSAGES TO REASSURE CHINESE TECH ENTREPRENEURS Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the International Research Centre of Sustainable
Development for Big Data, which launched a forum on big data and sustainable development goals
in Beijing on September 6. He said establishment of the international research centre underpinned
his promise to support the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the letter
Xi Jinping said “At present, the world is suffering from the huge impact of the new crown
pneumonia epidemic. Technological innovation and the application of big data will help the
international community overcome difficulties and implement the 2030 Agenda.” Separately,
Xinhua (September 6) reported that Vice Premier Liu He delivered the opening remarks at the
2021 China International Digital Economy Expo via video link on September 6. In his remarks he
said the digital economy is key to innovation (Xinhua) and “[We] need to develop the digital
economy with a strong sense of innovation and urgency.” He also emphasised the importance of
cultivating tech talent to provide the imagination and ingenuity necessary to build an innovative
economy adding that the government will look to support the development of the tech industry by
improving the legal environment, including by protecting fair competition and opposing
monopolies. Liu, He assured the gathering that “[Our] policy of supporting the development of the
private economy has not changed…and will not change in the future!” The South China Morning
Post (September 6) quoted Jia Kang, a former Director of the Ministry of Finance’s Research
Institute for Fiscal Science, as having said in a speech last month at a Chengdu forum that “Under
the current complex and changing situation, we need to give the public, especially those leading
private companies a sense of direction, safety and hope.” A People's Daily (September 8) editorial
reinforced their message and explained that “The regulations and policies introduced treat
[everyone] equally” and that “[They’re] aimed at violations of laws and regulations, and by no
means single out specific industries or companies.” The Editorial said in conclusion that “The
commitment to create a good environment and provide more opportunities for the development of
the non-public sector of the economy have not changed.”
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S WEALTHY TECH COMPANIES BEGIN CONTRIBUTING TO "COMMON PROSPERITY" INITIATIVES Following Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at a meeting of the Central Commission for
Financial and Economic Affairs (CCFEA), in which he vowed to tackle inequality and promote
“common prosperity", China's tech companies have begun funding "common prosperity"
initiatives. On September 2, the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. pledged RMB 100 billion to fund
“common prosperity” initiatives. Earlier other wealthy tech companies like TenCent have pledged
RMB 100 billion for a raft of social responsibility programs.; Pinduoduo has pledged RMB 10
billion for farmers; and the founders of Xiaomi and Meituan both donated over RMB 10 billion in
equity shares.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S LARGEST CHIP MANUFACTURER TO EXPAND CAPACITY China’s biggest chip maker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), announced
(Reuters-September 3) that it will invest nearly USD 9 billion to expand production capacity. This
is good news for China’s tech over the long term, given current short-term chip shortages and an
overall strategic dependency on foreign chip makers. However, it will be a few years before the
plant comes online. The new factory will be producing chips at 28nm and above – not exactly
cutting edge.
(Comment: For the highest-grade hardware out there, there is no end in sight to foreign
dependency.)
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: ON SEPTEMBER 2, CHINESE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES NEW STOCK EXCHANGE IN BEIJING Speaking at the China International Trade in Services Fair on September 2, Chinese President Xi
Jinping announced that China would set up a new stock exchange in Beijing dedicated to small
and medium-sized firms (SMEs). He said the Beijing Stock Exchange will create a platform for
7
innovative SMEs and that the authorities will also further deepen reform of the National Equities
Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ) board. In a statement following Xi Jinping’s speech, the China
Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said that certain innovative firms currently listed on
NEEQ will move across to the new Beijing exchange
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: 19 PLAAF AIRCRAFT ENTER TAIWAN'S ADIZ The latest intrusion of Taiwan's ADIZ by China's PLAAF occurred in September in an area
northeast of Pratas Island. Taiwan's Defence Ministry released a map showing that the Chinese
aircraft flew in an area closer to the Chinese than Taiwanese coast. The PLAAF sent 10 J-16 and
four Su-30 fighters, as well as four H-6 bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, and an antisubmarine aircraft. Taiwanese combat aircraft were dispatched to warn away the Chinese aircraft,
while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-GERMANY: GERMAN AMBASSADOR DIES SUDDENLY IN BEIJING ON SEPTEMBER 5 WITHIN DAYS OF PRESENTING HIS CREDENTIALS 54-year old German Ambassador Jan Hecker died suddenly within days of presenting his
credentials in Beijing on September 5
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: FRONT-RUNNER CANDIDATE FOR JAPAN'S PREMIERSHIP, FUMIO KISHIDA, SAYS "TAIWAN STRAIT WILL BE NEXT BIG PROBLEM" Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, one of two declared candidates to serve as the
ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s next leader, said on September 3 that Japan should seek to
cooperate with Taiwan and countries that share its values of freedom, democracy and the rule of
law, as authoritarian countries wield more power. He said, “Taiwan is at the front line of the
standoff between the U.S. and China,” he said. “Looking at the situation with Hong Kong and the
Uyghurs, I have a strong feeling that the Taiwan Strait will be the next big problem.”
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: US AND CHINESE PRESIDENTS TALK ON PHONE TO MANAGE COMPETITION RESPONSIBLY The South China Morning Post (September 10) reported that US President Biden and Chinese
President Xi Jinping spoke over the phone on September 10 when, according to the White House
they had “a broad, strategic discussion” intended to manage the increasing rivalry between Beijing
and Washington. The White House said Biden had made clear the discussion was “part of the
United States’ ongoing effort to responsibly manage the competition” between the two countries.
It said, “President Biden underscored the United States’ enduring interest in peace, stability, and
prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of
both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.” A senior White House official said
Biden’s message was that the US wanted to ensure “the dynamic remains competitive and that we
don’t have any situation in the future where we veer into unintended conflict.”
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. FEDERAL JUDGE ACQUITTED PROFESSOR ANMING HU WHO WAS ACCUSED OF CONCEALING HIS LINKS TO CHINA A federal judge in Tennessee on September 9 acquitted Professor Anming Hu who had been
accused of hiding his China ties when applying for research grants to work on a NASA project,
saying the U.S. government hadn’t proven its case. The judge’s ruling comes as the Justice
Department is facing increasing criticism from groups representing Asian-Americans and some
Democrats in Congress over whether it is improperly targeting Chinese academics while looking
into allegations of fraud in U.S. grant programs.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINA REACTS TO USS BENFORD GUIDED-MISSILE DESTROYER IN WATERS ADJACENT TO MISCHIEF REEF The Global Times (Chinese-September 8) in a sharply worded article criticised the USS "Benford" guided-missile destroyer for entering waters "adjacent to China's Nansha Mischief Reef on September 8 without permission". The statement issued by the United States acknowledged that the "Benford" entered 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef. Calling it "a naked provocation by the 9 US", it said "The United States deliberately provoked the South China Sea dispute, and it must in turn endure the PLA's increasingly strong countermeasures against it. The game between the two sides will continue to be limited. Except in the not too distant future, the United States will definitely see the People's Liberation Army appear at its doorstep. It will also face uncertainties that are increasingly difficult to control with China". The article warned: "If things go on like this, sooner or later there will be trouble between China and the United States in the South China Sea." Urging China to prepare for conflict with the US, it said "Once the situation is out of control, leading to short-term battles between China and the United States, we must give full play to our "home field advantage", so that we can do nothing if we fight, and we will win if we fight!"
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE AMBASSADOR QIN GANG'S REMARKS DURING SPEECH IN WASHINGTON Speaking at the National Committee on US-China Relations on August 31 in Washington, on the 50th anniversary of Dr Henry Kissinger's 'secret' visits to China, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang said there are three wrong beliefs on China-US relations in the United States. He enumerated these as: Some people believe that China is betting against America, and China's goal is to challenge and displace America.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: FBI ISSUES DECLASSIFIED WARNING ABOUT CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO THREATEN CHINESE REFUGEES AND DISSIDENTS IN U.S. AND WEST The US publication TechCrunch reported (September 2) that the FBI has issued an unclassified
bulletin warning that the Chinese government is using both in-person and digital techniques to
intimidate, silence and harass U.S.-based Uyghur Muslims and other Chinese refugees and
dissidents, including Tibetans, Falun Gong members and Taiwan and Hong Kong activists.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CCP POLITBURO ANNOUNCES THAT 6TH PARTY PLENUM WILL BE HELD IN BEIJING IN NOVEMBER The CCP CC Politburo announced that the 6th plenum will be held in November. It said the main
agenda is that the Politburo will present its work report to the plenary session, which will focus on
comprehensively summarising/reviewing the major achievements and the historical experience
accumulated during the Party's 100 years of struggle.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES YOUNG CADRES IN CENTRAL PARTY SCHOOL ON SEPTEMBER 1 Xinhua (September 1) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed a training session for
young and middle-aged officials at the Central Party School on September 1.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING CHAIRS 21ST MEETING OF CENTRAL COMPREHENSIVE DEEPENING REFORM COMMISSION ON AUGUST 30 The state-run CCTV (August 30) telecast a report that CCP CC General Secretary and Director of
the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission, Xi Jinping hosted the 21st meeting
of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission on August 30.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: APPOINTMENT OF YOUNGER FEMALE PARTY CADRES AS PARTY SECRETARIES OF PROVINCES 52-year old Shi Xiaolin has been appointed Party Secretary of Sichuan's capital city Chengdu at a
meeting of the city’s leaders and cadres on August 26. Shi Xiaolin Shi is the first female party
chief of Chengdu in 40 years, the youngest party chief in any provincial capital city and is the
youngest female standing committee member of any provincial party committee. Born in 1969 in
Zhejiang province, Shi Xiaolin has studied and worked in Shanghai for more than three decades.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY COMMENTARY TARGETS CHINA'S CAPITALISTS AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND ASSERTS THAT CHINA IS UNDER SEVERE PRESSURE FROM THE U.S. A hard-hitting and important People's Daily article on August 29, 2021, by Li Guangman, former
Editor-in-Chief of Central China Electric Power News, which began its trial publication on
October 1, 1995, and ceased publication in 2012, targeted China's entertainment industry and
prominent personalities like Wu Yifan, Ho Zun, Zhang Zhehan and Hunan TV host Qian Feng,
Zheng Shuang, Zhao Wei and others for politically incorrect and unacceptable behaviour and tax
evasion.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY COMMENTARY ON XI JINPING'S SPEECH AT CENTRAL ETHNIC WORK CONFERENCE The People's Daily published a commentary on August 30, on Chinese President Xi Jinping's
speech at the Central Ethnic Conference where he stressed that "forging of the Chinese nation’s
community consciousness must be the main line of the party’s national work in the new era, and
promote all ethnic groups to be firmly committed to the great motherland, the Chinese nation,
Chinese culture, and the Communist Party of China". It quoted Xi Jinping as saying only "by all
ethnic groups jointly safeguarding national security and social stability, can we effectively resist
the infiltration and subversion of various extreme and divisive ideologies. In order to continuously
realize the yearning of the people of all ethnic groups for a better life, and to realize, maintain, and
develop the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups; only with a strong sense of community of
the Chinese nation can we effectively deal with the risks that may occur in the ethnic field in the
process of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. .... only by forging the sense of
community of the Chinese nation can the conscious identification of all ethnic groups with the
Chinese nation be strengthened." He asserted that "In the big family of the Chinese nation, only if
all ethnic groups hug each other like pomegranate seeds, kiss each other and help each other, can
the great dream of national rejuvenation be realized smoothly, and the flower of national unity and
progress can last forever".
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: XI JINPING THOUGHT INTEGRATED INTO TEACHINGS AT UNIVERSITY, MIDDLE AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT CHINA The Ming Pao Daily (August 25) reported that on the eve of the autumn semester in the Mainland,
the National Textbook Committee issued a number of textbook guides. Among them, the "Xi
Jinping New Era Socialism Thought with Chinese Characteristics" (hereinafter referred to as "Xi
Thought Guide") clearly requires to be fully integrated into the curriculum and teaching materials
of universities, middle schools, and primary schools. Xi Jinping's thought, it said, infiltrates
teaching materials at all levels, and elementary schools emphasize "political enlightenment". 9
topics of revolutionary tradition, national security, and labour education are "integrated" into
universities, middle schools, and primary schools.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: BIG TECH FIRMS SUBSCRIBE TO CONCEPT OF 'COMMON PROSPERITY' An article in the publication 'Markets Heard on the Street' (August 28) said that on August 24
internet commerce firm Pinduoduo reported its first quarterly profit since listing in 2018. It also
said it would donate it all—$374 million—to support agriculture and rural areas, and would do the
same with any future profit up to a total of 10 billion yuan. Its shares rose 22% that day. On Aug.
18, Tencent pledged to contribute 50 billion yuan, the equivalent of $7.73 billion, to low-income
groups, basic healthcare, and education—on top of a separate 50 billion yuan charitable pledge in
April. Meituan founder Wang Xing donated 10% of his stake in the food-delivery company to his
philanthropic foundation in June. The publication added that the weak recovery in services—where
most college students head after graduation—has also further exacerbated already high youth
joblessness: Surveyed unemployment among the 16 to 24 set, which averaged 11% in 2018 and
2019, has since then averaged 14%.
(Comment: In a speech on August 17 aimed at China's big business, Chinese President Xi Jinping
spoke on “common prosperity” and called for rationally “adjusting” excessive incomes and for
high-income individuals and companies to contribute more to society. He also called for more aggressive measures to expand the middle class and the social safety net, including health and
elderly care.)
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: THIS YEAR'S CREDIT SUISSE GLOBAL WEALTH REPORT SHOWS U.S.' TOTAL WEALTH AT US$ 126.3 TRILLION AND CHINA'S AT US$ 74.9 TRILLION An article in South China Morning Post (August 31) by Gregory Mitrovich reported that the global
wealth report issued each year by the investment bank, Credit Suisse, this year showed that the US
remain at the top. According to its 2021 report, the US’ total wealth stands at US$126.3 trillion;
China is a distant second with US$74.9 trillion. Furthermore, instead of declining, America’s share
of total global wealth has increased over the past decade, from 25 per cent in 2011 to 30 per cent
today. It cautioned Beijing to understand that the US is abandoning Afghanistan in 2021 to
concentrate on its contest with China.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLAAF ANNOUNCES IT WILL DISPLAY LATEST "20 FAMILY" AIRCRAFT AT 'AIRSHOW CHINA 2021' The Global Times (August 31) reported that the PLA Air Force will display its latest achievements
that have transformed the Chinese military into a strategic force on its way to becoming world
class, at the Airshow China 2021. It said military observers predicting that the "20 family" aircraft,
namely the J-20 fighter jet, Y-20 large transport aircraft and Z-20 utility helicopter, will likely
again be in the spotlight.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: POLITBURO MEMBER AND CHONGQING PARTY SECRETARY CHEN MINE'R VISITS (AUGUST 25-26) TIBET Chongqing Party Secretary and Politburo member Chen Mine'r visited Chamdo, in eastern Tibet, at the head of a delegation from August 25-26, 2021. Among the delegation from Chongqing were Zhang Xuan, Director of the Standing Committee of Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress, Li Mingqing, Member of the Standing Committee of Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, Secretary-General and Director of the General Office, and Chen Jinshan, Vice Mayor of Chongqing, and Director of the Municipal Economic Commission. Wu Yingjie, TAR Party Secretary, Liu Jiang, Secretary-General, and Member of the Standing Committee of TAR, Doto, Deputy Party Leadership Group of TAR, Deputy Director of TAR People’s Congress, and the Party Secretary of Chamdo, Norbu Dhondup accompanied the delegation during their visit
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: QINGHAI PROVINCE AUTHORITIES ARREST TWO TIBETAN STUDENTS FOR OPPOSING IMPOSITION OF MANDARIN IN TIBETAN ETHNIC SCHOOLS Radio Free Asia (RFA-August 27) reported that Qinghai province authorities arrested two 19-yearold Tibetan Middle School students of Darlag county for opposing the use of the Chinese language
as the only medium of instruction in Tibetan schools. The two students, identified as Gyuldrak and
Yangrik, spoke out on the WeChat social media platform against the Chinese policy mandating,
beginning in September, that all classes in local schools be taught only in Chinese. The students
are presently being held at the Darlag county police station.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: POLICE IN TIBETAN TOWNSHIP IN SICHUAN ARREST 60 PEOPLE FOR POSSESSION OF DALAI LAMA'S PHOTOGRAPH Citing Tibetan sources inside China, Radio Free Asia (RFA) on August 26 reported that police in
Dza Wonpo township in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in
Sichuan province on August 22 arrested about 60 Tibetans found with photos of exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, intensifying a campaign against possession of the banned images.
The arrested included 19 monks from a local monastery and 40 laypeople whose homes were
thoroughly searched by police.
(Comment: The arrests come in the wake of the recent high-level visits by Chinese President Xi
Jinping and CPCC Chairman Wang Yang to the Tibet Autonomous Region.)
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES REACTS SHARPLY TO BJP MP SUBRAMANIAM SWAMY'S REMARK THAT INDIA SHOULD GO TO WAR WITH CHINA Reacting to BJP MP Subramaniam Swamy's remark that India should go to war with China, the
CCP-owned Global Times (August 30) in a sharp article said "the 81-year-old dotard's words are
utter nonsense and crazy. The PLA is stationed on China's own territory. It's the Indian side that
has long surreptitiously engaged in salami-slicing tactics to gradually occupy China's territory.
Politicians like Swamy have deliberately confused right from wrong". Pointing out that China's
comprehensive national strength is way ahead of India's and that Indian politicians and officials
are trying to divert the people’s attention from their mismanagement of the Covid pandemic, it
said "regrettably, after the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, ultra-nationalism has been surging
in India. It has even become "political correctness" for politicians to make irresponsible anti-China
remarks". It quoted Lan Jianxue, head of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at China Institute
of International Studies, as telling Global Times: "The BJP should have the wisdom and rationality
to restrain the politicians and officials from making anti-China belligerent speeches. Otherwise,
India will leave the region and world a belligerent ultra-nationalist image, which is detrimental to
India's development and rise in the long run." He added "India should understand that China
exerted great restraint regarding the Galwan Valley clash; otherwise, India's casualties would have
been severer." Lan Jianxue said India should learn a lesson from its Galwan fiasco, knowing what
kind of policy is in its best interest.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPAN SCRAMBLES AIRCRAFT AS CHINESE AIRCRAFT ENTER AIRSPACE BETWEEN OKINAWA AND MIYAKOJIMA ISLANDS Japan News (August 27) reported Japan's Defense Ministry as announcing on August 26, that the
ASDF scrambled planes in response to three Chinese military aircraft spotted in the airspace
between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima Island in Okinawa Prefecture. Although
there were no airspace violations, one of the aircraft seen on August 27 is believed to have been
an unmanned TB-001, making it the third consecutive day of Chinese drone sightings in the area
from August 24. The three aircraft flew from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean on August 26, and then returned to the East China Sea. The ministry is looking into possible motives behind
China’s actions.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: JAPAN-TAIWAN RULING POLITICAL PARTIES HOLD VIRTUAL TALKS DESCRIBED AS EQUIVALENT TO 2+2 MEETINGS Japan-Taiwan relations took a big step forward on August 27, with virtual talks between Japan's
LDP and Taiwan's DPP where both sides emphasized the convergence between their governments
on the perceived threat from China – and reaffirmed their desire to increase cooperation to counter
that threat.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TAIWAN REPRESENTATIVE TO U.S. THREW THE CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH AT THE 16TH ANNUAL METS TAIWAN DAY IN NEW YORK ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 29 Taiwan's Representative to the United States Hsiao Bi-khim threw out the ceremonial first pitch at
the 16th annual Mets Taiwan Day in New York on August 29. Hsiao Bi-khim is the first Taiwanese envoy to the U.S. to have been invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on the New York
Met's annual Taiwan Day, and wore a No. 11 jersey that symbolized "keeping both feet on the ground." After throwing the pitch, she said it was an honour to perform that part of the ceremony
and she appreciated the opportunity to advance Taiwan-U.S. relations, along with TaiwaneseAmericans and baseball fans. Prior to the ceremonial first pitch, President Tsai Ing-wen gave a
pre-recorded address to the 20,000 baseball fans at the Citi Field Park in Queens, and she
commended the "inspiring" Taiwanese athletes who competed at the recent Tokyo Olympics. Tsai
also thanked the U.S. for extending a much-needed helping hand to Taiwan by donating 2.5 million
doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. At the end of the video, Tsai and Hsiao appeared
together, cheering for the Mets and Taiwan.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: FIRST MILITARY CONTACT BETWEEN US AND CHINA TOOK PLACE ON AUGUST 27 VIA SECURE VIDEO LINK Michael Chase, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, spoke on August 27 with
Chinese Major General Huang Xueping, Deputy Director for the People's Liberation Army Office
for International Military Cooperation, vis the U.S.-PRC Defense Telephone Link to conduct a
secure video conference. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "Both sides
agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the two
militaries". This was the first contact between the US and Chinese militaries for managing risk
since US President Joe Biden took office in January.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: JOHN BOLTON SAYS OVER THE LONGER TERM CHINA AND RUSSIA WILL THREATEN U.S. IN THREE DISTINCT THEATRES In an article in the Wall Street Journal (August 30), John Bolton wrote that America’s retreat from
Afghanistan is ending tragically—and that has sweeping strategic implications.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE AUTHORITIES CLOSE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN CHENGDU Chinese authorities have instructed an American Chamber of Commerce in Chengdu, capital of
Sichuan province, to cease operations, officials with the organisation said on August 31. The
chamber notified members on August 30 that, in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, it
had to stop operations and “no longer carry out any activities in the name of the American Chamber
of Commerce in Southwest China.” The Chinese authorities had closed the US consulate in
Chengdu in retaliation for being ousted from its Houston consulate in July 2020.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS CHINA WILL MAINTAIN ITS EMBASSY IN KABUL AND ENHANCE RELATIONS AFP (September 3) reported that Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen had tweeted on September 1,
that Abdul Salam Hanafi, a member of the Islamist group's political office in Doha, Qatar, "held a
phone conversation with Wu Jianghao, Deputy Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of
China." His tweet said "The Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister said that they would maintain their embassy in Kabul, adding our relations would beef up as compared to the past. Afghanistan can
play an important role in security and development of the region."
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-MYANMAR: CHINA'S SPECIAL ENVOY SUN GUOXIANG VISITS MYANMAR FOR TALKS Reuters reported (September 1) that China's Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang visited
Myanmar on August 21 to August 28 for talks with its military ruler Min Aung Hlaing as well as
Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and Minister for the Union Government Office Yar Pyae.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on August 28 that they "exchanged
views with them on the political landscape in Myanmar". He added "We will work together with
the international community to play a constructive role in Myanmar's efforts to restore social
stability and resume democratic transformation at an early date." The visit coincided with the
opening of a new route connecting Myanmar with Chinese trade flows to the Indian Ocean.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ISRAEL: ISRAELI CELLPHONE HACKING COMPANY CELLEBRITE CONTINUES TO SELL ITS HACKING TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA Even as the Israeli cell phone hacking company Cellebrite tries to go public next week, and said it
withdrew from China and Hong Kong, an Intercept investigation has found that police in Mainland
China continued to buy the company’s Universal Forensic Extraction Device, or UFED, products,
which allow officers to break into phones in their possession and siphon off data. It said while
Cellebrite did deregister its Chinese subsidiary earlier this year, it appears to have done little about
the brokers that peddle its hacking technology. Chinese government procurement award notices
and posts on resellers’ websites show that police have continued to purchase powerful Cellebrite
software, while resellers have continued to provide updates for the software. In one case, a reseller
reported delivering the Israeli company’s software to border guards in Tibet and demonstrating
how it could be used to search people’s WeChat accounts. The Intercept claims the findings follow
reports of abuses involving Cellebrite technology elsewhere in the world — including in Bahrain,
Botswana, Indonesia, India, and Saudi Arabia — that the company has not meaningfully addressed.
Natalia Krapiva, tech legal counsel for AccessNow, said “Cellebrite hasn’t demonstrated that they have made serious efforts to investigate the misuse of their technology,” said Natalia Krapiva, tech
legal counsel for AccessNow
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: PLAAF SENDS TWO BATCHES OF 24 AIRCRAFT INTO TAIWAN'S AIR SPACE ON SEPTEMBER 23 On September 23, Taiwan’s defense department issued two consecutive military intelligence
bulletins stating that two batches of 24 PLA military aircraft entered Taiwan’s "southwest
airspace" that day. The notice mentioned that in the morning, there were 12 sorties of J-16 fighters,
2 sorties of Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, 2 sorties of H-6 bombers, 1 sortie of Y-8, and 2 sorties of
J-11 fighters, totaling 19 sorties; and in the afternoon, 2 sorties of J-11 fighters. -16 fighters, 1
sorties of Air Police -500 early warning aircraft, 2 sorties of J-11 fighters, a total of 5 sorties. The
report said that the Taiwan Air Force dispatched air patrol troops to respond, used broadcasts to
drive away, and dispatched ground guidance troops to track it. According to Taiwan media
statistics, this is the third largest PLA aircraft group to enter Taiwan’s "southwest airspace" this
year. The two previous largest flights were 28 sorties on June 15 and 25 sorties on April 12.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: US DEFERS CHARGES AND RELEASES HUAWEI CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER MENG WANZHOU IN EXCHANGE FOR RELEASE OF TWO IMPRISONED CANADIANS The release of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei's daughter, has raised many
questions in the US and West on China's "hostage diplomacy". Meanwhile, documents released
by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) reveal that Meng Wanzhou's prosecution has been deferred
for four years and the charges have not been dropped.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: QIU SHI PUBLISHES XI JINPING'S SPEECH OF NOVEMBER 17, 2012, EMPHASISING THE PARTY'S OVERALL LEADERSHIP Qiu Shi (2021/18 dated September 15) published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which
reproduced his speech at the first collective study of the 18th Politburo on November 17, 2012,
under the caption 'Unswervingly persist in and strengthen the party's overall leadership'. Its main
theme was that "The Communist Party of China is the core of leadership for the cause of socialism
with Chinese characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen and improve the leadership
of the party, and give full play to the party's role as the core of leadership in overseeing the overall
situation and coordinating all parties."
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-CYBER: CCP CC AND STATE COUNCIL JOINTLY ISSUE NEW GUIDELINES ON DEVELOPING A "CIVILISED AND WELL-REGULATED" CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT The CCP CC and State Council jointly issued a guideline on developing a more civilized and wellregulated
cyberspace environment on September 14. It said the country aims to consolidate the
guiding status of Marxism in the ideological cyberspace sphere, foster a common ideology among
the whole Party and the Chinese people, and interiorize core socialist values".
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: GLOBAL TIMES OP-ED DISCUSSES COUNTERING US PROPAGANDA EFFORTS The Global Times (August 17) published an Opinion piece on countering US propaganda efforts
and how China should win the discourse rights and change the current trend of China’s weak
position in international public opinion.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CHINA'S PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS START DISCUSSING WAYS TO REDUCE NUMBER OF EXAMINATIONS AND PRESSURE ON STUDENTS Pursuant to the People's Daily article of August 31, instructing primary and secondary schools in
the fall semester to reduce the pressure of student examinations and strengthen the management of
education and teaching and promote the "double reduction" policy to fully implement, provinces
and counties have started convening meetings to finalise a policy. On August 30, at the Ministry
of Education press conference, Director Lv Yugang of the Ministry of Education's Department of
Basic Education stressed "We should make great efforts to strengthen and improve in-school
education, improve the quality of school education service system, and effectively achieve that
teachers should teach as much as possible; students learn enough to learn well." The Forest City
4
Campus of Hefei 45 Middle School convened a meeting on September 9, to exchange ideas on
how to improve teaching quality in the context of "double reduction", implement the "Xi Jinping
Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era" teaching work, and further to
summarize the work of teaching and research in the last semester and plan the teaching and
research activities in this semester.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: CHINA'S MINISTER OF STATE SECURITY CHEN WENQING VISITS TIBET China Tibet News (September 13) disclosed that Chen Wenqing, the Minister of National Security,
and a team of the delegation visited Tibet and met top TAR leaders like TAR Party Secretary Wu
Yingjie, Chairman of TAR People's Government Che Dalha, Chairman of TAR People's Congress,
Executive Deputy of TAR Party Committee and Secretary of TAR PPCC Zhuang Yuan,
Commander of the Tibet Military Region Wang Kai, and Standing Members of TAR Party
Committee, He Wenhao, and Liu Jiang. The dates of the visit were not mentioned. In his speech
Wu Yingjie said, "there will be policies and actions to further consolidate the campaign to draw
clear-cut lines from and eliminate the negative influence of the 14th Dalai Lama, his use of religion
to influence people". He went on to add TAR will implement policies and guide people to treat
religion "rationally, and dilute the negative influence of religion, and live this life happily". He
also talked about strengthening border development, ensuring border defence, consolidating
border security, and speeding up of infrastructural constructions in border areas. Wu Yingjie
reported that at present, "Tibet's border defence had consolidated border security, the overall social
situation has become stable, and sense of security among people have improved". He appreciated
the Ministry of National Security for their "strong support". Wu Yingjie also pointed out that
protecting Tibet's 1.2 million square kilometres of land and safeguarding national security is a
major task entrusted by Xi Jinping and the CCP Central Committee. He said protecting and
safeguarding 1.2 million square kilometres of Tibet's land is also a duty of all people in Tibet.
Chen Wenqing in his speech said the Ministry of National Security attaches great importance to
Tibet-related work. The purpose of the inspection that he and his team are undertaking is to oversee
the proper study and implementation of Xi Jinping's speeches during his Tibet visit.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-UYGHURS: TRIBUNAL TO DETERMINE PERSECUTION OF CHINA'S UYGHUR ETHNIC MINORITY CONCLUDES HEARINGS IN LONDON The Uyghur Tribunal concluded on September 13 after eight days of public hearings in London
in June and September in which the tribunal heard from over 70 witnesses and after over 30
researchers spent over 10,000 hours reviewing hundreds of thousands of pages of documents,
including 500 fact witness statements. The Tribunal’s judgment is due on 9 December.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANTICIPATES CHINA'S WILL HAVE BUMPER DOMESTIC CORN CROP THIS YEAR On September 10, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast that China's domestic corn
crop would hit a record 273 million tons this year. It said that China's policy support had helped
nurture the bumper harvest.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA APPLIES TO JOIN TPP AND CPTPP In a notification issued on September 16, China's Ministry of Commerce said that China had
applied for membership of TPP/CPTPP.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE GOVERNMENT DATA REVEALS SHORTAGE OF 20 MILLION 'SENIOR TECHNICIANS' China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on July 22 and Tencent on September
5 disclosed that China has a shortage of 20 million senior technicians.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: JOINT VENTURE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS CLOSES ONE PLANT DUE TO SLUGGISH SALES A joint venture between multinational car giant Stellantis NV and Guangzhou Automobile Group
Co. Ltd. is shutting down one of its two Jeep factories in China, the world’s largest vehicle market,
after years of sluggish sales. GAC Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Co. Ltd. said on September 8 that it
will close the factory in Guangzhou and transfer all the production to the city of Changsha in
Hunan province. Reuters said the transfer will be completed by next March.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES IMPORTANT ARTICLE WHICH ALSO DISCUSSES PLA'S ROLE IN REUNIFYING CHINA The People's Daily (September 16) published an important article on 'Questions and Answers on
'Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics', asserting that the PLA is 'An
important guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation'. The article had
excerpts from Xi Jinping's speeches.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: ROAD-BED COLLAPSE ON SICHUAN-TIBET HIGHWAY REPAIRED BY PAP'S MOBILE CORPS WITHIN 3 DAYS The PLA website Sina.com on September 9 reported that at 8:30 on August 24, affected by
continuous heavy rainfall, a 110-meter roadbed collapsed near Jiaoba Village, Songzong Town,
Bomi County, Sichuan-Tibet Line, rendering the section impassable. After the disaster occurred,
a detachment of the Second Mobile Corps of the Armed Police Force immediately dispatched
troops and large-scale emergency repair equipment to the scene to perform road repair and
emergency construction tasks. From August 29th to 31st, the armed police officers and soldiers
carried out the widening of the inner mountain rock, the optimization of the sidewalk descending
slope, and the dangerous rock removal work of the high slope. As of September 2, large trucks
could pass.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: MALE AND FEMALE SOLDIERS OF PLA LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY BRIGADE OF TIBET MILITARY REGION HOLD DAY AND NIGHT DRILLS AT ALTITUDE OF OVER 4600 METRES According to a Chinese military media report (September 9) a long-range fire unit of a brigade of
the Tibet Military Region conducted day and night, multi-type, ultra-limit range firepower strike
drills, and a group of well-trained and heroic female soldiers also participated in the exercise. The
officers and soldiers took advantage of the high accuracy and destructiveness of long-range
firepower, and effectively destroyed multiple fixed targets and moving targets at extremely long
distances! The exercise was held at an altitude of 4600 metres.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: AIR DEFENCE BRIGADE OF TIBET MILITARY REGION HOLD 'LIVEFIRE' DRILL AT HEIGHT OF 4700 METRES TO NEUTRALISE CRUISE MISSILES An air defence brigade of the Tibet Military Region was reported on September 8 to
have organized a live-fire drill in a mountainous area at an altitude of 4,700 meters. During the
exercise, after the radar successfully detected the position of the simulated fighter, the cruise
missile and the air-to-surface missile hit the target one after another.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE ALLEGES THAT WITHOUT FORMALLY JOINING INDIA HAS DIFFERENT FORMS OF COOPERATION WITH 'FIVE EYES' Lin Minwang, Professor with the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, in an article
published in Global Times on September 13 warned that "with the intensified strategic competition
of the US against China, Canberra and New Delhi have formed a consensus on the policy of jointly
containing Beijing. Australia is willing to be a US pawn to charge forward in a series of issues to
discredit China. It not only vigorously advocates the "China threat theory," but also unreasonably
accuses and attacks China, creating antagonism. India, on the other hand, regards the long-term
competition between China and the US as a major opportunity for its own rise, and thus makes a
strategic adjustment. India is shifting from pursuing a balanced diplomacy to the path of cozying
up to the US to jointly contain China". Stating that "Although India has not formally joined the
Five Eyes, it has established different forms and levels of intelligence sharing with members of
the group" and advised that "China must be vigilant against the future impact of intelligence
sharing between India and the Five Eyes".
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE WARNS INDIA AGAINST AGREEING TO US REQUEST FOR A 'STAGING POST' Writing in the Global times on September 16, Long Xingchun, senior research fellow with the
Academy of Regional and Global Governance at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and
president of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs, referred to Indian media reports citing US
Secretary of State Blinken's remarks to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that US is in
touch with India about using it as a staging post for aerial strikes in Afghanistan, and warned India
that the US will continue its relationship with Pakistan, that the US is trying to draw India into a
quasi-alliance and that by agreeing to it India will lose its strategic autonomy and independence.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER ANNOUNCES US$ 31 MILLION EMERGENCY AID TO AFGHANISTAN'S TALIBAN GOVERNMENT Reuters (September 9) reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had promised to provide
nearly US$ 31 million emergency funding to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The emergency aid
will include food, winter weather supplies, vaccines, and medicine. Wang Yi also announced a
donation of 3 million vaccine doses to Afghanistan. He simultaneously called on Taliban to crack
down on terrorism and build an “inclusive political structure".
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: CHINA RATTLED BY U.S. AND U.K. DECISION TO HELP AUSTRALIA BUILD NUCLEAR SUBMARINES The new deal, dubbed 'Aukus' and unveiled on September 15, by which London and Washington
will help Canberra to build nuclear-powered submarines as well as swap knowledge on cyber
information, artificial intelligence, undersea technology, and other cutting-edge sciences, has
rattled Beijing. A Global Times article pointed out that so far, the US had shared such technology,
and that too on a limited scale, only with Britain. It said by now including Australia China will
consider Australia a target for nuclear attack in case conflict breaks out with the US.
Sep 2021 |
10 CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER ANNOUNCES US$ 31 MILLION EMERGENCY AID TO AFGHANISTAN'S TALIBAN GOVERNMENT Reuters (September 9) reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had promised to provide nearly US$ 31 million emergency funding The US-based pro-Xi Jinping Duowei News (September 10) commenting on the 90-minute
telephone conversation between US President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on
September 10, pointed to a press release issued by the Chinese official media which said Biden
stated that "the two countries have no reason to fall into conflict due to competition, and the United
States has no intention to change the one-China policy."
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: GLOBAL TIMES CRITICAL OF FIRST QUAD SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 24 After the White House issued a statement that US President Biden will host the first-ever Quad
Leaders’ Summit at the White House on September 24, the Global Times (September 15) criticised
the proposed meeting and quoted Chinese experts as saying that the summit will make no big
change on its hostility against China.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: POLITBURO MEMBER YANG JIECHI ADDRESSES 12TH CHINA-US POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS DIALOGUE The new Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, was on September 14 barred from
parliament by the Speakers in the Commons and Lords after the imposition of sanSpeaking at a video conference to the 12th China-US Political Party Leaders Dialogue, which
included representatives from the US Democratic and Republican parties, Yang Jiechi, Politburo
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member and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, urged the US
to correct its wrong China policies and get bilateral ties back on track.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-UK: NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.K. BARRED FROM ATTENDING MEETING OF PRO-CHINA GROUP IN PARLIAMENT The new Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, was on September 14 barred from
parliament by the Speakers in the Commons and Lords after the imposition of sanctions on British
MPs by Beijing. Zheng Zeguang was due to attend a meeting of the broadly pro-Chinese all-party
group in China, but following a letter from MPs who were subjected to sanctions by China,
including the former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith, the Commons Speaker,
Lindsay Hoyle, has said the meeting is not appropriate. A similar decision has been endorsed by
the Lords Speaker, Lord McFall.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-GERMANY: GERMAN FRIGATE BAYERN DENIED ENTRY TO CHINESE HARBOUR Reuters reported (September 16) that China has denied the German frigate Bayern, currently on a
six-month mission to the contested South China Sea, entry into a Chinese harbour. , a German
foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday. The Chinese harbour was not identified.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-MYANMAR: CHINESE NATIONALS WHO CROSSED INTO MYANMAR ILLEGALLY AND ARE WORKING IN BORDER TOWNS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO RETURN Caixin (September 10) reported that in mid-May local authorities in towns and cities across China
issued notices urging their citizens living in the border regions of Myanmar to return by June 30,
2022. Many of them, working in places like Muse, Kokang, Mongla and Wa State, crossed the
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border illegally, often to engage in scams such as telephone and online fraud. In exchange, the
state is offering leniency, as long as the migrants return by certain deadlines. According to China's
Ministry of Public Security, Chinese scammers, working in gangs to fool unsuspecting phone users
back home into handing over their personal details, have become adept at theft. In 2019, a total of
2,553 suspects were extradited to China for their alleged involvement in telecom fraud. Fraud cases
originating in northern Myanmar accounted for 50% to 60% of total cases in China.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-NATIONAL DAY: CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL HOSTS RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE 72ND NATIONAL DAY China's State Council celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of
China on the evening of September 30, and hosted a National Day Reception in the Great Hall of
the People. Party and state leaders such as Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang
Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, Wang Qishan and nearly 500 Chinese and foreigners gathered
together to celebrate the birthday of the Republic.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES 33RD POLITBURO COLLECTIVE STUDY SESSION ON BIOSECURITY The CCP CC Politburo held its 33rd collective study on strengthening China's biosafety
construction on September 29. Presiding over the study session, CCP CC General Secretary Xi
Jinping delivered an "important" speech when he emphasized that biosecurity is related to people's
lives and health, to the long-term stability of the country, and to the sustainable development of
the Chinese nation.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES 2021 ZHONGGUANCUN FORUM IN BEIJING On September 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum in
Beijing via video.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER ZHAO LEJI GIVES SPEECH AT THE CCP CC'S 8TH ROUND OF INSPECTION WORK MOBILISATION MEETING CCTV (September 26) reported that PBSC member and leader of the Central Inspection Work
Leading Group Zhao Leji, attended the CCP CC's eighth round of inspection work mobilization
and deployment meeting on September 26 and gave a speech. Zhao Leji pointed out that
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inspections are political supervision and a powerful tool for comprehensively and strictly
governing the party.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: POLITBURO MEMBER HUANG KUNMING DELIVERS SPEECH AT PARTY HISTORY STUDY AND EDUCATION CENTRAL LEADING GROUP SYMPOSIUM Politburo Member, Propaganda Department Head, and Party History Study and Education Central
Leading Group Head Huang Kunming attended and spoke at a Party History Study and Education
Central Leading Group symposium in Beijing on September 22.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: ON THE EVE OF CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS XINHUA PUBLICISES COUNTRY'S ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER GUIDANCE OF THE CCP On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year on September 26, Xinhua published a lengthy article
captioned 'Why we can succeed' outlining the successes achieved under the guidance of the party.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-CYBER SECURITY: CHINA'S CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION ISSUES NEW REGULATIONS GOVERNING USE OF ALGORITHMS The South China Morning Post (September 29) reported that Cyberspace Administration of China
(CAC) on September 29 published a notice China laying out a three-year plan to rein in the use of
algorithms, marking Beijing’s latest effort to bring the country’s internet industry firmly under
state control. Under the new policy guidelines, local governments are urged to tighten the
regulation of algorithms, while companies are told that they will be held accountable for misusing
the technology.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: PARTY CENTRE APPROVES 8TH ROUND OF CENTRAL INSPECTIONS OF FINANCIAL, BANKING ETC COMPANIES AND REGULATORS The Paper (September 27) reported that the Party Center had approved Central Inspection Groups
to carry out the 8th round of inspections of the following finance-related institutions--regulators
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: FORMER PUBLIC SECURITY VICE MINISTER SUN LIJUN EXPELLED FROM PARTY AND BEING PROSECUTED FOR GROSS VIOLATIONS OF LAW AND INFLATED POLITICAL AMBITIONS China's official media reported on September 30 that 52-year old Sun Lijun, a former Chinese Vice
Minister of the Public Security Bureau, has been sacked and expelled from the Communist Party,
and will face trial for “serious violation of discipline rules and law”.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-RETIREMENT: CHINESE GOVERNMENT DISCUSSING AMENDING RETIREMENT AGES IN VIEW OF INCREASED LIFE EXPECTANCY Recently, more than 20 of China’s 31 provinces completed soliciting public opinions on delaying
the retirement age. The process started last December. The statutory retirement ages – 60 for men,
55 for white-collar women, and 50 for blue-collar women – were set 70 years ago. A
Beijing government statement said since then life expectancy in urban China has increased by a
whopping 40 years.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY OPENS BRANCHES IN CHINA'S FILM & TV PRODUCTION CENTRE The China News (September 21) reported that Temporary Chinese Communist Party (CCP) branch
offices have been established in 11 cast teams that are currently filming TV and movie dramas in
the Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang Province, China’s film and television production center
and also known as China’s Hollywood.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-ENERGY: CHINESE PROVINCES RESORT TO POWER RATIONING China has been hit by a power shortage compelling at least 21 provinces and local governments to
ration power to enterprises and residences to limit and manage electricity demand. The provinces
include: Hunan, Guangdong, Hebei, Anhui, Shandong, Tianjin, and Liaoning. Last month, China's
top economic planning agency the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC),
criticised the “energy consumption intensity” of nine provinces – Guangdong, Jiangsu, Yunnan,
Fujian, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang – for actually increasing their energy
use instead of reducing it.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-BRI: US COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTRE 'AIDDATA' SAYS 42 LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES HAVE DEBT EXPOSURE TO CHINA EXCEEDING TEN PERCENT OF THEIR GDP The Wall Street Journal (September 28) reported that on September 26, AidData, a research center
at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., released an in-depth report on China's
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which counted 42 low- and middle-income countries that now have
debt exposure to China exceeding 10% of their annual gross domestic product.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: HONGKONG PAPER CLAIMS DURING INTERNAL CCP MEETING IN 2018, XI JINPING DECLARED THAT HONGKONG'S BUSINESS COMMUNITY WILL NO LONGER INFLUENCE BEIJING'S POLICIES ON HONGKONG The Hongkong-based pro-Xi Jinping HK01 newspaper on September 21 reported that, in 2018, Xi
Jinping made a clear statement in an internal meeting of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s)
Hong Kong and Macau Coordination Group.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING TELLS NEWLY ELECTED KMT CHAIRMAN THAT THE SITUATION IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT IS COMPLEX AND GRIM In a congratulatory letter to Eric Chu -- the newly elected leader of the Beijing-friendly
Kuomintang (KMT) party on September 26 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Chinese
Communist Party and the KMT should collaborate under a "shared political basis." In the letter
released by the KMT, he said "In the past our two parties insisted on '1992 consensus' and opposing
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'Taiwan independence' ... to promote peaceful developments in cross- strait relations." Xi Jinping
added "At present the situation in the Taiwan Strait is complex and grim," and urged the parties to
jointly seek peace and "the unification of the country."
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE THINK-TANK CLAIMS RISK OF SINO-US CONFLICT IN SOUTH CHINA SEA IS RELATIVELY LOW The South China Morning Post (September 26) cited a report released by the Knowfar Institute for
Strategic and Defence Studies, a think tank founded by retired Chinese military officers, on
September 23.
Oct 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT ATTENDS 76TH UNGA DEBATE VIA VIDEO The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman announced (September 20) that Chinese President Xi JInping will attend the General Debate of the 76th UN General Assembly by video on September 21 and delivered an "important speech".
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES SCO MEETING OF COUNCIL OF HEADS OF STATE The state-run CCTV (September 17) reported Xi Jinping's speech at the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Beijing on September 17. He urged the member states to strengthen coordination to promote a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan and truly embark on the path of peace, stability and development. He also asked them to promote the in-depth integration of the "Belt and Road" initiative with the development strategies of various countries and regional cooperation initiatives such as the Eurasian Economic Union, maintain the stability and smooth flow of the industrial chain and supply chain, and promote economic integration, development linkage, and sharing of results among countries. He said China will provide 1,000 poverty alleviation training places to Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries, build 10 Luban workshops, and carry out 30 cooperation projects in the fields of health, poverty alleviation, culture and education within the framework of the "Silk Road One Family" initiative . China will host the organization’s youth science and technology innovation forum next year. CCTV said the meeting initiated the process of accepting Iran as a member state, and absorbed Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar as new dialogue partners. The meeting decided that Uzbekistan would take over as the rotating chairman of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, He Lifeng and others attended the meeting.
Xi Jinping also attended the Joint Summit on Afghanistan among the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Beijing on September 17 and delivered an 'important' speech. Pointing out that the situation in Afghanistan has undergone fundamental changes recently, which have had an important impact on the international situation, regional structure, and security and stability, he asked SCO member states and the Collective Security Treaty Organization to work together at such critical moments to maintain peace and stability. He said it is important to promote the smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan as soon as possible and support all parties in Afghanistan to reach an inclusive political arrangement at an early date through dialogue and consultation; it is necessary to pay attention to the trends of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, and urge relevant parties in Afghanistan to carry out resolute strikes and prevent the terrorist forces holding Afghanistan from causing disaster to the Quartet.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER AND VICE PREMIER HAN ZHENG ATTENDS INAUGURATION OF GUANGDONG-HONGKONG-MACAO GREATER BAY AREA IN ZHUHAI PBSC member, State Council Vice Premier, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Construction Leading Group Head Han Zheng attended an inauguration ceremony in Zhuhai, Guangdong for the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (hereafter referred to as “the Zone”) on September 17 and gave a speech.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER ZHAO LEJI VISITS INNER MONGOLIA PBSC member and Head of the Central Discipline Inspection Committee (CDIC) Zhao Leji conducted investigation work in Inner Mongolia from September 15 to 17.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER HU CHUNHUA TRAVELLED TO SICHUAN PROVINCE TO SUPERVISE WORK OF RURAL REVITALISATION According to the state-run CCTV News on September 18, PBSC member Hu Chunhua travelled to Sichuan from September 16 to 17, to supervise the work of "Key counties for rural revitalization to help counties to consolidate and expand the results of poverty alleviation". This is the first time that Hu Chunhua went to supervise work in key counties for rural revitalization after China's national rural revitalization key assisted counties work conference.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-IDEOLOGY: CCP CC GENERAL OFFICE ISSUES IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHING MARXIST COLLEGES Xinhua (September 21) disclosed that the CCP CC's General Office had recently issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Marxist Colleges in the New Era" and issued a notice requesting all regions and departments to conscientiously implement them in light of actual conditions.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE EXTOLLING XI JINPING'S ARTICLE IN QIU SHI AND REITERATES THAT WITHOUT THE CCP THERE WOULD BE NO NEW CHINA Jingbo of the National Defense University Learning Jinping New Era Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Research Center authored a lengthy article titled 'Vigorously inherit and carry forward the great spirit of the party' published in the PLA Daily on September 20. Jingbo commented on "Chairman Xi’s important article "The great spirit of the party is always the precious spiritual wealth of the party and the country", in the 17th issue of Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth) magazine in 2021.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA DAILY COMMENTATOR'S ARTICLE SAYS CHINA FACING INCREASING RISKS AND CHALLENGES AND ENTIRE ARMY SHOULD EMULATE THE BATTALION IN TIBET A PLA Daily (September 14) Commentator's article on Chinese President Xi Jinping's letter of September 13 to a PLA Battalion guarding the border in Tibet, said 'Xi’s letter “fully embodied the core of the Party and [his] deep love and concern for the border guard troops as military commander” and his high degree of emphasis on building the grassroots'.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: AVIATION UNIT OF WESTERN THEATRE COMMAND CARRIES OUT AIRDROP AND AIRBORNE TRAINING IN 'UNFAMILIAR' AREAS The PLA Daily (September 14) disclosed that an Air Force aviation unit of the Western Theater Command in late August carried out airdrop and airborne training in unfamiliar areas to comprehensively improve the multi-domain cooperative combat capability of the unit.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: LARGE PLAAF TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT CARRY OUT TROOP TRANSPORT MISSSIONS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLANDS China's Global Times (September 21) quoted a report released by the PLA South Sea Fleet in its social media account, which disclosed that in two recent, separate moves in the South China Sea, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched Y-20 large transport aircraft to reefs for troop transport missions, and conducted amphibious landing drills under complex conditions, showing the PLA's capabilities in safeguarding peace and stability in the region.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN CAUTIONS INDIA AGAINST FLIGHT TESTING AGNI-V ICBM At the weekly press briefing on September 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reacted to Indian media reports that India is set to conduct its first user trial of nuke capable intercontinental-range ballistic missile Agni-V, which has a 5,000-km range.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE ANALYSTS WARN THAT INDIA COULD "POISON" MULTILATERAL EFFORTS OF SCO The Global Times (September 17) highlighted warnings by Chinese experts on September 10 that India not be "poison" for cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST QUOTES OBSERVERS AS SAYING CHINA WILL ENHANCE PRESSURE ON TAIWAN IN CASE U.S. AGREES TO RENAME TAIWAN'S OFFICE The South China Morning Post (September 18) quoted diplomatic and military observers as saying that Beijing is likely to step up its military activities to deter Taiwan while retaliating diplomatically against the US if the island’s de facto embassy in Washington gets renamed, but these countermeasures are likely to be limited.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: TAIWAN APPLIES TO JOIN CPTPP Quoting Taiwan's official Central News Agency, Reuters reported (September 22) that Taiwan has formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), less than a week after China said it too had submitted an application. Taiwan's Deputy Economy Minister Chen Chern-chyi was quoted as sayingthe Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua will give details on September 23.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-WORLD BANK: CHINA MISUSES INFLUENCE TO BOOST ITS RANKING IN WORLD BANK'S 'DOING BUSINESS 2018' REPORT A report, prepared by law firm WilmerHale at the request of the World Bank's ethics committee, raises concerns about China's influence at the World Bank.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN CAUTIONS INDIA AGAINST FLIGHT TESTING AGNI-V ICBM At the weekly press briefing on September 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reacted to Indian media reports that India is set to conduct its first user trial of nuke capable intercontinental-range ballistic missile Agni-V, which has a 5,000-km range.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE ANALYSTS WARN THAT INDIA COULD The Global Times (September 17) highlighted warnings by Chinese experts on September 10 that India not be "poison" for cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-US: US AND HUAWEI FOUNDER MENG WAZHOU'S LAWYERS RESOLVE LEGAL CASE AND SHE HAS BEEN RELEASED FOR RETURN TO CHINA Ms Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, charged by the US of wrongdoing in accounts in dealings with Iran, has been released after 3 years house arrest in Canada and is on her way home following "resolution" on September 25 of the case between the US prosecutors and her lawyers. The two Canadian nationals, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, imprisoned since 2018 have similarly been released by the Chinese authorities.
Sep 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING INSPECTS CHENGDE Chinese President Xi Jinping made an inspection tour of Chengde a popular tourist spot and the prefectural-level city just north of Beijing, on August 24.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-STATE COUNCIL: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG PRESIDES OVER STATE COUNCIL MEETING TO DISCUSS NORTHEAST CHINA Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided over a meeting of the State Council Leading Group for Revitalizing the Northeastern Region and Old Industrial Bases on August 23.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: BEIJING DAILY ARTICLE STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF XI JINPING'S JULY 1 SPEECH The Beijing Daily (August 23) published an article by Shi Zhongquan, former Deputy Director of the Central Party History Research Office, on CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping's July 1st speech.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP RELEASES PUBLICATION TITLED 'THE CPC: ITS MISSION AND CONTRIBUTIONS' The Chinese Communist Party released a publication on August 26 titled "The CPC: Its Mission and Contributions" at a press conference in Beijing attended by senior officials of the Party. Xu Lin, Vice Minister of the CCP CC Publicity Department and Minister of the State Council Information Office chaired the conference.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY EDITORIAL RECALLS XI JINPING'S END-JULY VISIT TO TIBET A People's Daily editorial (August 19) recalled President Xi Jinping’s July visit to Tibet commemorating the 70th anniversary of its “Peaceful Liberation,” pointing out that this is the first such visit by a CCP or Central Military Commission (CMC) chair.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINA APPOINTS NEW MINISTER OF EDUCATION On August 20, the NPC appointed Huai Jinpeng (怀进鹏) Minister of the Ministry of Education.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: POLITBURO MEMBER DING XUEXIANG CHAIRS PARTY'S SPECIAL WORKING MECHANISM FOR RECTIFYING FORMALISM Politburo member and Xi Jinping’s chief-of-staff Ding Xuexiang chaired a meeting of the Party's special working mechanism for rectifying formalism and alleviating burdens on the grassroots on August 20,
Xinhua reported that “While highlighting the problem of unnecessary and repetitive meetings, paperwork and performance evaluations, the meeting asked localities to guard against and rectify newly-emerged practices of formalities for formalities sake.”
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: HANGZHOU PARTY SECRETARY PLACED UNDER INVESTIGATION The Central Discipline Inspection Commission said in a statement on August 21 that Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee Secretary 53-year old Zhou Jiangyong, has been placed under investigation for serious disciplinary violations.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC PASSES AMENDMENT TO POPULATION AND FAMILY PLANNING LAW LEGITIMISING 3 CHILD POLICY China’s National People's Congress (NPC) passed an amendment to its Population and Family Planning Law on August 20, legitimising the recent three-child policy.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: SHANGHAI ISSUES REGULATIONS AFTER CCP CC AND STATE COUNCIL DECISION TO ELIMINATE FOR-PROFIT EDUCATION SECTOR Following the decision on July 24, of the Party Central Committee and the State Council to essentially eliminate China’s for-profit education sector, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission on August 24 issued the 'Implementation Opinions on Further Reducing Students’ Homework and After-school Training Burdens During the Compulsory Education Stage'.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: XINHUA SAYS CHINA'S DIGITAL ECONOMY WAS 39.2 TRILLION YUAN IN 2020 Reporting on the Smart China Expo 2021 and the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on the Digital Economy Industry, both held in Chongqing this week, Xinhua (August 25) said the scale of China's digital economy hit 39.2 trillion yuan in 2020, accounting for 38.6 per cent of the country's GDP.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: GOVERNOR OF PEOPLE'S BANK OF CHINA (PBoC) SAID CHINA WILL INCREASE SUPPORT OF BANK LENDING Yi Gang, Governor of the People's Bank of China said, in the latest and clearest signal of monetary easing, on August 23 that China will increase the support of bank lending to the real economy and especially SMEs.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA TO SET UP USD 1.72 BILLION OLD AGE PENSION FUND China plans to set up a national pension company in Beijing with registered capital of 11.15 billion yuan ($1.72 billion) as the country’s population rapidly ages.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CLARIFICATIONS REGARDING 'COMMON PROSPERITY' AND TAXATION Han Wenxiu, Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, clarified at a press conference in Beijing on August 26, that China’s efforts to build a society of “common prosperity” are not about achieving egalitarianism and do not mean “robbing the rich to give to the poor”.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: GLOBAL TIMES PUBLICISES LARGE NUMBER OF EXERCISES CONDUCTED BY PLA NAVY IN LAST THREE MONTHS The Global Times (August 24) disclosed that the PLA held more than a hundred military exercises across all major Chinese sea areas over the past three months.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: TIBET MILITARY REGION RECENTLY HELD LARGE MILITARY EXERCISE AT HIGH ALTITUDE IN TIBET PLATEAU The Global Times (August 26) quoted the state-run CCTV to report that the Tibet Military Command recently organized large-scale joint exercises at an elevation of about 4,500 meters in a snowy plateau region, in which the troops operated some of the PLA's latest weapons and equipment and practised multidimensional tactics with the goal of target elimination.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: SPECULATION IN OVERSEAS CHINESE MEDIA THAT KMT'S MA YING-JEOU IS LIKELY TO MEET CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING The US-based overseas Chinese Mainland media Duowei said (August 24) that Jiang Qichen, who is running for the Chairman of the Kuomintang, said in an exclusive interview with Huang Weihan on August 24, "a senior media player" in Taiwan, that he did not rule out the possibility of a second Xi - Ma meeting.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: PLA NAVY FLOTILLA SAILS THROUGH SEA OF JAPAN FOR SECOND TIME THIS YEAR The Global Times (August 24) reported that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched a powerful naval flotilla led by a Type 055 large destroyer to the Sea of Japan for the second time this year on August 22.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CCTV REPORTS CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING'S CONVERSATION ON AUGUST 25 WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN The state-run CCTV while reporting the conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin on August 25, said that the two had exchanged in-depth views on the situation in Afghanistan.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY THINK-TANK ADVISES GOING SLOW IN AFGHANISTAN AND AFTER THE TALIBAN FIRMLY SETTLES IN Mei Yixin a respected world geopolitics scholar at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce think-tank 'Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC)' wrote in Aisixiang on August 18, that "The U.S. military is leaving Afghanistan in defeat; yet China must not indulge in a delusional dreamlike carnival".
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE AND TAJIK FORCES HOLD ANTI-TERRORISM COORDINATION-2021 EXERCISES TO COUNTER GROWING REGIONAL TERRORIST THREAT China's Xinhua news agency disclosed that China held joint anti-terrorism exercises with Afghanistan’s neighbour Tajikistan on August 18 and 19 to counter a growing regional terrorist threat.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: SUICIDE ATTACK ON CONVOY CARRYING CHINESE PERSONNEL ON GWADAR EXPRESSWAY CAUSES "SLIGHT INJURY" TO ONE CHINESE On August 20, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan issued a statement confirming that on the same day, a convoy carrying Chinese personnel was attacked by a suicide bomber on the Gwadar East Bay Expressway project in Balochistan, Pakistan, "slightly injuring" 1 Chinese personnel.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CALLS FOR ADDRESSING INCOME INEQUALITY AT CCFEA MEETING Chairing a session of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs (CCFEA) on August 17, Xi Jinping said that the Party must expend more efforts in tackling inequality and promoting “common prosperity”.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: MANY NETIZENS WISH JIANG ZEMIN ON HIS 95TH BIRTHDAY ON AUGUST 17 Many Chinese netizens greeted former Chinese President Jiang Zemin on his birthday on August 17. They wished him long life and "hundred years"!
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG VISITS HENAN PROVINCE AND INSPECTS DISASTER RELIEF WORK Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inspected Henan Province on August 18-19 to discuss disaster relief work.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CPPCC CHAIRMAN AND PBSC MEMBER WANG YANG ARRIVES IN TIBET FOR 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS 'PEACEFUL LIBERATION' The 4th ranking PBSC member and Chairman of the CPPCC, Wang Yang, arrived in Tibet on August 19 at the head of a delegation for the 'grand celebrations' of the 70th anniversary of the 'peaceful liberation' of Tibet outside the Potala Palace in Lhasa, which was attended by over 20,000 people.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: QIU SHI PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY XI JINPING ON AUGUST 15 The CCP's leading theoretical fortnightly journal Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth) on August 15 (Issue 2021/16) published an article by CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping which included excerpts from 16 speeches given by him between June 2015 and February 2021.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE MEDIA REPORTS SPECULATING ABOUT THE BEIDAIHE MEETING Chinese media reports speculating on the annual Beidauhe meeting of China's veteran leaders said that among the indications of this year's Beidaihe meeting was the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement on July 31 that the regular press conferences will be adjourned from August 2 to August 13 and would resume on August 16.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-GOVERNMENT: CCP AND STATE COUNCIL ISSUE 10-POINT 5-YEAR PLAN FOR GOVERNANCE UNDER RULE OF LAW On August 11, 2021, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s Central Committee (CC) and the State Council unveiled a 10-point five-year (2021-2025) plan titled "Implementation Outline for the Construction of a Government under the Rule of Law (2021-2025)" and issued a notice requesting all regions and departments to conscientiously implement it in light of actual conditions.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-GOVERNMENT: CHINA TO ISSUE DIGITAL DRIVING LICENSES NATIONWIDE FROM 2022 The People's Daily (August 18) quoted a public security official as saying on August 18 that China will roll out digital driver's licenses across the country by 2022.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-EMPLOYMENT: STUDENT UNEMPLOYMENT HAS RISEN CONSIDERABLY THIS YEAR Quoting the National Bureau of Statistics, the state-run CCTV News reported (August 16) that since the beginning of this year, the employment situation has remained generally stable. Commenting on the employment situation of college graduates, it mentioned that many college graduates entered the labour market in July and, therefore, the unemployment rate will rise "relatively sharply from June to July".
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: PBSC MEMBER WANG HUNING STRESSES NEED FOR PROGRESS IN POLITICAL WORK AND BUILDING IDEOLOGY IN UNIVERSITIES Politburo Standing Committee Member Wang Huning presided over the 27th National Conference on Party Building in Colleges and Universities on August 17.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CHINA'S MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TERMINATES COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENTS WITH 286 FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES The South China Morning Post (August 16) reported that China’s education authorities terminated 286 cooperative programmes between Chinese and foreign universities last week as part of a routine assessment of collaborative arrangements with foreign institutions.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-POPULATION: CHINA'S ONCE IN A DECADE POPULATION CENSUS SHOWS MORE THAN 44.7 PERCENT PREFECTURE-LEVEL CITIES HAD SMALLER POPULATIONS THAN IN 2010 According to the once-a-decade census, which was conducted last year of China's 330-plus prefecture-level cities, 149-or 44.7 percent had smaller populations last year than in 2010.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: WIFE OF CHINESE DISSIDENT REVEALS THAT CHINA MAINTAINS 'BLACK SITE' DETENTION FACILITY IN DUBAI During an interview in a safe house in Ukraine on June 30, 2021, 26-year old Wu Huan claimed that she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run "black site" in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a secret detention facility beyond its borders.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA'S STATE-RUN CCTV AND XINHUA COMMENT ON THE LARGEST SINO-RUSSIAN LAND-AIR MILITARY EXERCISES HELD FROM AUGUST 9-13 According to China's state-run CCTV (Military channel) on August 13, in the final stage of the Sino-Russian joint exercise, joint land and air operations were launched.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION OFFICIAL WRITES ON PLA'S RECRUITMENT POLICY The People's Daily (August 15) published an article by Liu Guoshun of the Political Work Bureau, National Defense Mobilization Department, Central Military Commission, on the PLA's recruitment policy.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: TIBETAN STUDENTS PROMISED REIMBURSEMENT OF SCHOOL FEES IF THEY JOIN PLA Radio Free Asia (August 11) citing Tibetan sources reported that Tibetan students ages 18-21 are being offered reimbursement of their school fees in exchange for enrolling in a two-year course of military training.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY'S INITIAL COMMENT ON TAKEOVER OF KABUL BY TALIBAN IS BRIEF AND CAUTIOUS The People's Daily (August 16) reported the cautious and short statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Hua Chunying that China will respect the choice and will of the Afghan people.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE EMBASSY IN INDIA VOICES OBJECTION TO US SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN'S MEETING WITH TIBETAN OFFICIALS IN INDIA A statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in India on August 12 "strongly opposed the repeated provocative acts by the US" after the Chargé d'Affaires at US Embassy in New Delhi met with Ngodup Dongchung, representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi and said that the US respects "the Dalai Lama's vision for equal rights of people."
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN FOREIGN MINISTER CLAIMES THAT BLAST ON BUS ON JULY 14 KILLING CHINESE WORKERS WAS HANDIWORK OF INDIAN AND AFGHAN INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES Reuters (August 12) reported Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi as saying on August 12 that the bus blast on July 14 that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese workers, was a suicide bombing by Islamist militants backed by the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPAN'S LDP AND TAIWAN'S DPP TO HOLD 2+2 MEETING WITHIN THE MONTH The Japan Times disclosed (August 18) that in the first such initiative, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is planning to hold online talks on security issues with Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) within this month at the earliest.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: CHINESE-ORIGIN JAPANESE WOMAN RELEASED AFTER SERVING 6-YEAR JAIL SENTENCE FOR ESPIONAGE A Chinese origin Japanese woman who was detained in Shanghai in June 2015 and sentenced in December 2018 by the Shanghai Intermediate People's Court to six years in prison for spying has been released after serving the six-year prison sentence in Shanghai.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-US: NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR QIN GANG AND US DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE WENDY SHERMAN MEET ON AUGUST 12 On August 12, China’s newly arrived Ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang met US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-US: US KEEN TO DECOUPLE RELIANCE ON CHINA FOR RARE EARTHS AND THEIR PROCESSING With China having carved out a dominant position in multiple supply chains on which the US is uncomfortably reliant, there are efforts in the US to decouple this reliance, especially in rare earths.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LAOS: LAOS MINISTER SAYS LAOS-CHINA RAILWAY WILL BE COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER THIS YEARCHINA-LAOS: LAOS MINISTER SAYS LAOS-CHINA RAILWAY WILL BE COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER THIS YEAR According to Pasaxon, the newspaper of the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the Laotian Minister of Planning and Investment Sonexay Siphandone on August 11 during a meeting of 10th Laos-China Railway Project Construction Committee, said that as of July 25, construction of the railway, which runs from the town of Boten on Laos’s border with China to the capital Vientiane, was 93.82 per cent complete.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY ANHUI PROVINCE PARTY SECRETARY The People's Daily (August 7) published an interview with Li Jinbin, Party Secretary of Anhui Province, under the caption 'Break a new path in the rise of Central China'.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-RECTIFICATION OF SECURITY APPARATUS: CHINA'S CDIC DISCLOSED ON AUGUST 7 THAT OVER 90 PERCENT 'LEADING CADRES' OF THE POLITICAL AND LEGAL SYSTEM HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED IN FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2021 China's Central Discipline Inspection Commission posted a notification on its official website on August 7, stating that over 90 leading cadres of the political and legal system at the department level or above were investigated and dealt with in the first half of the year.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-HEALTH: POLITBURO MEMBER SUN CHUNLAN VISITS NANJING IN JIANGSU PROVINCE TO INVESTIGATE COVID OUTBREAK Xinhua (August 1) reported that Politburo Member and State Council Vice Premier Sun Chunlan travelled to Nanjing, Jiangsu to investigate epidemic prevention work amid the city’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINESE MILITARY RESEARCHERS ASSESS USA'S "TRACKING LAYER" FOR HYPERSONIC MISSILES The South China Morning Post (August 10) quoted a peer-reviewed study published in the domestic journal Infrared and Laser Engineering on August 4, by Chinese military scientists of the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunication Technology affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), stating that a global early warning system being built in the US to track hypersonic weapons will be an improvement on its existing system but will have to overcome several big challenges to be effective.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: QIU SHI EDITORIAL EMPHASISES THAT PLA MUST FOCUS ON POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL WORK IN ADDITION TO MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM The Qiushi Editorial Department published (2021/15 dated 31 July) an article directed at the army, saying that it is critical for it to be built up politically and ideologically as well as militarily and that understanding the vital role of the Party’s leadership in the military’s success is crucial.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA NAVY TO EXERCISE IN LARGE STRETCH OF WATERS FROM HAINAN TO SOUTH CHINA SEA China’s maritime authorities cordoned off a large section of waters from Hainan to the Paracels from August 6 for a military drill on a scale that analysts say could involve tests of carrier-killer ballistic missiles.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: NEW SOLDIERS OF BORDER DEFENCE REGIMENT OF XINJIANG MILITARY REGION VISIT KANGSIWA MARTYRS CEMETERY FOR 'SPECIAL PARTY CLASS' Sina.com reported on August 4 that newly recruited soldiers of a border defence regiment of the Xinjiang Military Region visited the Kangsiwa Martyrs Cemetery, the highest altitude cemetery in the whole army, to have a special party class.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA ARMY AVIATION COMBAT GROUP IN WESTERN THEATRE COMMAND USING HELICOPTERS FOR LOW ALTITUDE AND ULTRA LOW ALTITUDE OPERATIONS Reporting on the 'Western Joint 2021 Exercises', Sina.com (August 9) disclosed that the Army Aviation Combat Group in the Western Theatre uses helicopters as its main equipment, and uses low-altitude and ultra-low-altitude as the main battlefield to implement three-dimensional, full-depth, and mobile operations.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: GLOBAL TIMES REPORTERS VISIT TIBET FROM MID-JULY TO EARLY AUGUST AND SEE 'TROPHIES' CAPTURED FROM 'FOREIGN FORCES' ON THE BORDER Sina.com reported on August 5 that Global Times reporters set off from Xinjiang and followed the general route of the People's Liberation Army that entered Tibet from Xinjiang from mid-July to early August.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE ACADEMIC URGES CHINA TO STEP UP ITS PROPAGANDA AGAINST INDIA AS CHINA'S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION IS GETTING DAMAGED An article captioned 'How to suppress and counter India's information war against China' by Liu Zongyi, Secretary-General, China and South Asian Studies Center, Shanghai Institute of International Studies, was posted on the guancha news portal on August 5, 2021.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN REPLACES RETIRED GENERAL ASIM BAJWA WITH BUSINESSMAN KHALID MANSOOR AS PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR CPEC On August 3, Pakistan appointed Khalid Mansoor to the top position responsible for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), replacing retired Pakistan Army General Asim Saleem Bajwa.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPAN'S SELF DEFENCE FORCES TO DEPLOY ANTI-SHIP AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES ON ISHIGAKI-JIMA ISLANDS BY 2022 An article in the Diplomat (July 6) reported that Japan’s Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo confirmed plans this week to deploy several hundred Self-Defense Force personnel and anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles to another of its southwestern islands of Ishigaki-jima sometime in 2022, to deter and defend against a potential threat from China’s growing military.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-US: US PRESIDENT BIDEN APPROVES HIS ADMINISTRATION'S FIRST ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN Bloomberg (August 4) reported that amid rising tensions with China, the Biden Administration has approved its first arms sale of a potential $750 million to Taiwan.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LITHUANIA: CHINA RECALLS ITS AMBASSADOR AS LITHUANIA ALLOWS TAIWAN TO OPEN REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE UNDER THE NAME OF "TAIWAN" In an article in the Global Times (August 100), its Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin said China had decided to recall its Ambassador to Lithuania and demanded that the Lithuanian government recall its Ambassador to China.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-MYANMAR: CHINA GIVES US$ 6 MILLION AID TO MYANMAR'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT ON AUGUST 11 The Diplomat reported (August 11) that China’s government today transferred more than $6 million to Myanmar’s military government to fund a range of development projects, in the latest sign that Beijing is accommodating itself to the junta that seized power in February.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-CANADA: CANADIAN BUSINESSMAN MICHAEL SPAVOR SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS IMPRISONMENT ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES BUT WITH PROVISION FOR DEPORTATION The court in Dandong has sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison on charges of spying.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE STUDENTS APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO U.S. COLLEGES DECLINES BY ONE-FIFTH The Washington Post (August 13) said that according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the total number of Chinese students in the government’s database declined by a fifth from 2019 to 2020 and that while international applications to the United States plunged across the board for the 2019-2020 school year, they rebounded this year — with the exception of China.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING SPEAKS ON PLA AT 32ND POLITBURO MEETING The state-run CCTV reported the 32nd session of the CCP CC Politburo on July 30 afternoon. It reported that the meeting insisted on the party’s absolute leadership over the People’s Army and the goal of achieving the 100-year army’s struggle.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON PARTY AND PLA IN QIU SHI Xinhua (July 31) disclosed that an article by Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published on August 1 in this year's 15th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CCP CC CONVENES HIGH-LEVEL FORUM IN ZHONGNANHAI WITH NON-PARTY PERSONALITIES TO DISCUSS CHINA'S ECONOMY Xinhua (July 30) reported that the CCP CC held a non-party forum in Zhongnanhai on July 28 to listen to the leaders of the democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and representatives of non-party personalities on the current economic situation and economic work in the second half of the year.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: NEW DEPUTY PARTY SECRETARY APPOINTED FOR INNER MONGOLIA On August 1, Ms. Wang Lixia was appointed Deputy Party secretary of Inner Mongolia.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY ON AUGUST 4, GIVES TWO-PAGE COVERAGE STARTING FROM THE FRONTPAGE OF CCP'S INNER PARTY REGULATION SYSTEM The People's Daily on August 4, 2021, gave 2 full-page coverage, starting from the front page, of the 'Chinese Communist Party's Inner Party Regulation System' updated till July 2021.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-FLOODS: STATE COUNCIL BEGINS INVESTIGATION TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THERE WERE LAPSES BY ZHENGZHOU OFFICIALS IN TACKLING FLOODS As the death toll from the floods rose to 302, with 50 missing by August 2, the Global Times reported that of the total 292 died and 47 are missing in Zhengzhou alone.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-NPC: UPCOMING NPC SESSION TO CONSIDER DECISION TO ADD ONE OR MORE NATIONAL LAWS TO HONGKONG AND MACAU'S BASIC LAWS Among the 14 draft Bills up for review by the 13th NPC Standing Committee when it convenes for its 30th session from August 17 to 20, are draft decisions to add one or more national laws to Annexes III to Hong Kong and Macau Basic Laws.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-IDEOLOGY: GUANGMING DAILY ARTICLE EXPLAINS CORRECT WAY OF TEACHING IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL THEORY The Guangming Daily (August 1) published a lengthy article on the "correct" way of teaching ideological and political theory and cautioned that international and domestic negative textbooks should be avoided.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-SPORTS: CHINESE OLYMPICS SPRINT CYCLISTS WEAR MAO BADGES AT OLYMPICS EVENT Reuters (August 2) reported that Chinese sprint cyclists Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi wore badges featuring Mao Zedong during their gold medal ceremony on August 2 in a potential breach of Olympic rules regarding the display of political paraphernalia.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA PERSONNEL TO START GETTING PARENTAL AND SPOUSE FINANCIAL SUPPORT WITH EFFECT FROM AUGUST 2021 The spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defence Colonel Wu Qian announced (July 29) that starting August eligible military personnel will begin receiving parental support benefits of RMB 600 per month.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA'S PLA INVITES TENDERS FOR TESTING LAUNCH SYSTEM FOR MAGNETISED PLASMA ARTILLERY The US magazine National Interest (July 30) cited a Global Times report publicising that the PLA had recently issued a notice that "invites tenders for a theory-testing and a launch system for magnetized plasma artillery.”
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: QIU SHI COMMENTARY EXHORTS NEED TO GUARANTEE THAT "THE PARTY COMMANDS THE GUN" A commentary published in Qiu Shi (August 3) said General Secretary Xi Jinping had "profoundly clarified that the party’s command of guns is an unbreakable truth".
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE STATING THE PLA'S SECOND CENTURY GOAL HAVE BEEN CLEARLY SET OUT On PLA Day on August 1, the People's Daily published a frontpage article captioned 'The People's Army listens to the party, follows the party, keeps in mind its original mission, inherits the red gene, and assumes the responsibility of being a strong army——The military flag always floats with the party flag'.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CMC VICE CHAIRMAN ZHANG YOUXIA PUBLISHES IMPORTANT ARTICLE IN QIU SHI The CCP's leading theoretical fortnightly journal 'Qiu Shi' (Seeking Truth) published (2021/15 dated August 1, 2021) an important 4429-word article by CMC Vice Chairman General Zhang Youxia.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA TROOPS IN TIBET MILITARY REGION GET NEW ANTI-TANK MISSILES AND OTHER EQUIPMENT A Chinese website reported (July 30) that the border defence forces of the Tibet Military Region have been equipped with many advanced weapons, such as the 'Red Arrow 12' anti-tank missile, and a new type of precision shooter rifle.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: ARTILLERY BATTALION OF PLA 78TH GROUP ARMY IN XINJIANG GETS NEW 4 X WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE-MOUNTED HOWITZER Sina.com (July 29) quoting an article in the 'North Xinjiang Guardian' reported that an artillery battalion of a combined brigade of the PLA 78th Group Army recently held a live ammunition tactical exercise where it displayed the new four-wheel drive 122mm vehicle-mounted howitzer with which the combined brigade is now equipped.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-RAILWAY: QIU SHI PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY CHAIRMAN OF CHINA'S RAILWAY HIGHLIGHTING IMPORTANCE OF CHINA'S RAILWAYS TO CHINA'S NATIONAL STRENGTH The Party theoretical journal Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth 2021/15) published an article on August 1, by Lu Dongfu, Chairman and Party Secretary of China National Railway Group Co., Ltd, who highlighted the advantages of China's high-speed railway.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-NUCLEAR: CHINA TO SHUT DOWN ITS TAISHAN NUCLEAR REACTOR The Financial Times (July 30) reported that after French nuclear operator EDF publicly recommended its closure last week, China announced it would shut the Taishan nuclear reactor after fuel damage.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: INFLUENTIAL CHINESE BLOGGER WRITES IN CAIXIN MAGAZINE OVERSEAS INVESTORS ARE WITHDRAWING CAPITAL DUE TO UNCERTAINTY OF GOVT SANCTIONS AGAINST MAJOR COMPANIES SUCH AS ANT GROUP Ren Yi, an influential Chinese blogger who has more than 1 million followers on Weibo, in an article in Caixin on July 30 wrote that "Stocks of offshore-listed Chinese companies have slumped recently amid Beijing’s sweeping regulatory actions targeting a range of industries from fintech and ride-hailing to after-school education."
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: HUAWEI LAUNCHES NEW MOBILE SMARTPHONES WITH 4G MICROCHIPS INSTEAD OF 5G Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. unveiled its P50 smartphone series after a months-long delay, though the squeeze of U.S. sanctions means the handsets contain 4G microchips instead of the 5G-ready chips that the Chinese technology giant initially touted.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET Quoting a Chinese diaspora media outlet Mingde, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) reported (August 4) that the authorities are closing the Kharmar (Chinese: Hongcheng) Monastery and video clips depict officials carrying out forced evictions, monastics staging a sit-in to protest having to leave their monastic lives, nuns crying as an elderly teacher walks down an aisle and a monk threatening to jump off a roof.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: 24-YEAR TONG YING-KAT BECOMES FIRST HONGKONGER TO BE PUNISHED UNDER NATIONAL SECURITY LAW Hongkonger Tong Ying-kit, 24, became the first person to be convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law on July 29 to nine years in jail on two charges.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-EUROPE: CHINA PREPARING FOR VISIT BY EU DIPLOMATS TO XINJIANG BUT DENIES THEIR REQUEST TO MEET ILHAM TOHTI Quoting Xinjiang Regional Government spokesman Xu Guixiang, the Global Times (July 30) disclosed that China is "actively coordinating" the visit of EU diplomats to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region but some of their demands, including visiting Ilham Tohti, a Uygur sentenced to life imprisonment for provoking social unrest, disrespect China's sovereignty.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE AND RUSSIAN ARMED FORCES TO SEND TEN THOUSAND PERSONNEL EACH FOR 'ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021' MILITARY EXERCISE IN NINGXIA-HUI AR PLA Colonel Wu Qian, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defence announced at a press briefing on July 29, that Russia and China will be holding the 'Zapad/Interaction-2021' exercise in the Qingtongxia Joint Tactical Training Base in China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from early to mid-August.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAK ARMY CHIEF GENERAL BAJWA HOSTS RECEPTION IN ARMY HQ TO CELEBRATE PLA'S 94TH FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY The Chinese PLA-maintained website Sohu.com (July 30) reported the posting on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan that on July 29, General Bajwa, Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army, held a reception at the Army Headquarters to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the PLA with the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.
Aug 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING VISITS (JULY 21-23) VISITS NYINGCHI AND LHASA Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) at Nyingchi’s Mainling Airport on July 21 at the start of a two-day (July 21-23, 2021) visit, without prior public notice.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CPPCC CHAIRMAN WANG YANG VISITS XINJIANG AND STRESSES PROSPERITY AND SECURITY Wang Yang, PBSC member and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) toured Xinjiang from July 21 - 24, 2021. The focus of his visit was on prosperity and security.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-RELIGION: CHINESE PANCHEN LAMA IGNORED DURING RECENT VISIT FOR RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE Quoting Tibetan sources Radio Free Asia (July ) reported that Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese appointed Panchen Lama, who had gone to Sichuan’s Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on July 12 to participate in a religious conference, was ignored by ordinary Tibetans who had been told by authorities to turn out to greet him, with only hand-picked officials present to show him respect.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-HEALTH: FRESH OUTBREAK OF COVID PANDEMIC IN NANJING HAS RAISED QUESTIONS AMONG CHINESE HEALTH AUTHORITIES The Nanjing outbreak of the pandemic is still growing and local officials are under a lot of pressure for poor epidemic prevention. The authorities have traced cases to tourists in Zhangjiajie, Hunan.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LAW: CHINA'S SUPREME COURT DELETES ALL JUDGEMENTS ON CASES RELATED TO ENDANGERING STATE SECURITY The Human Rights Journal Dui Hua on July 26 reported that all judgments and judicial decisions in cases for endangering state security (ESS), including those for reduction of sentences, have been purged from the Supreme People's Court (SPC) online judgment website China Judgements Online (CJO, 中国裁判文书网).
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-NUCLEAR: CHINA IS CONSTRUCTING A SECOND NUCLEAR MISSILE SILO FIELD The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) on its blog on July 26 reported that Satellite images reveal that China is building a second nuclear missile silo field near the prefecture-level city of Hami in Eastern Xinjiang.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: NEW COMMANDER OF PLA SSF APPOINTED On July 5, General Ju Qiansheng was promoted to full general and named the new Commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force (SSF). He is the third PLA SSF commander in almost six years, succeeding General Li Fengbiao and General Gao Jin, who assumed command in 2019 and 2015, respectively.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION ISSUED NEW REGULATIONS ON "MASS WORK" TO BRING THE PLA AND CHINESE PEOPLE CLOSER The People's Daily (July 21) publicised the Central Military Commission (CMC)'s “Regulations on Military Mass Work,” which will come into effect on 1 August.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: NUMBER OF CHINESE ASYLUM SEEKERS HAS RISEN SHARPLY AFTER XI JINPING TOOK OVER An article published in The Economist on July 28, stated that the number of asylum seekers from China had increased sharply since Xi Jinping took over.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S STOCK MARKET SLUMPS BY 15 PERCENT PROMPTING CHINA SECURITIES REGULATORY COMMISSION TO CONVENE AN EMERGENCY MEETING The Golden Dragon index, which tracks Chinese technology stocks, has fallen by 15 percent this week amid the introduction of private education regulations and fears of further action against tech firms. Chinese stocks are now the worst-performing in Asia.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PROMINENT BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN SUN DAWU SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN JAIL A Chinese court in Gaobeidian City in Baoding on July 28 sentenced 67-year old Sun Dawu, an outspoken farming magnate, to 18 years in jail for allegedly causing public disorder and a multitude of other offences.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: ROBBIE BARNETT SAYS CHINA USING THE 250,000 TIBETANS COERCED INTO BORDER DEFENCE VILLAGES AS FORM OF ANNEXATION In an article in Foreign Policy (FP-July 28) titled “China Is Using Tibetans as Agents of Empire in the Himalayas,” Robert Barnett said nearly 250,000 Tibetans coerced into new border fortress-villages in the Himalayas follows on FP’s earlier revelation of Chinese annexations in northern Bhutan.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINESE ENGINEERS ATTACKED BY GUNMAN IN KARACHI On July 28, a gunman opened fire on a car carrying two Chinese engineers in the city of Karachi. One of the engineers was hit four times, mostly in the arm, police said, but was in stable condition.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINESE ENGINEERS ATTACKED BY GUNMAN IN KARACHI On July 28, a gunman opened fire on a car carrying two Chinese engineers in the city of Karachi. One of the engineers was hit four times, mostly in the arm, police said, but was in stable condition.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-U.S.: U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE WENDY SHERMAN'S MEETS CHINESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER XIE FENG AND CALLS ON FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI IN TIANJIN The readouts from the US State Department and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Shrerman-Xie Feng meeting were quite different with the US stressing that the meeting was with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Chinese that it was between Wendy Sherman and Xie Feng.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: 55-YEAR QIN GANG, CHINA'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. LEFT FOR WASHINGTON ON JULY 27 China's yet-to-be-announced new ambassador to the United States, 55-year old Qin Gang, left for Washington on July 27, amid worsening relations between the world's two largest economies.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES NON-BINDING BILL PROHIBITING USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS TO MAKE OR DISPLAY ANY MAP OF CHINA SHOWING TAIWAN AS PART OF CHINA Newsweek reported (July 29) that the US House of Representatives passed a bill on July 28 that included a motion to ban the use of public funds to buy, make or display any map of China that shows Taiwan as part of its territory.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINA SANCTIONS SEVEN U.S. NATIONALS A week before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's arrival in Tianjin, China on July 23 released its list of US officials it has sanctioned in response the sanctions imposed by the US.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: LOWY INSTITUTE STUDY CLAIMS MORE WORLD LEADERS VISITED CHINA IN DECADE AFTER 2013 The Lowy Institute released (July 28) a report stating that more world leaders have visited China as compared to the US in the decade 2010-2019. It said a sharp turnaround was noticed from 2013 after China's economy picked up.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT ON 2-DAY (JULY 21-22) VISIT TO NYINGCHI AND LHASA IN TIBET Xinhua (July 22) disclosed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had arrived (July 21) at Nyingchi's Mainling Airport where he was "warmly welcomed by local people and officials of various ethnic groups".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING ATTENDS INFORMAL APEC MEETING AND GIVES A SPEECH CCTV News (July 17) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the informal meeting of APEC leaders in Beijing by video on the evening of July 16 and delivered a speech.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: 300 MARXIST SCHOLARS ATTEND PEKING UNIVERSITY'S 2-DAY 'HYBRID' CONFERENCE ON MARXISM China Daily reported that nearly 300 Marxist scholars from home and abroad attended the opening ceremony of the 2-day Third World Congress on Marxism on July 18, which was held both online and offline by Peking University in Beijing.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CYBER: FORMER MAYOR OF CHONGQING SPELLS OUT PROBLEMS WITH EXISTING BUSINESS MODELS OF CHINESE INTERNET COMPANIES In a speech at the China Internet Conference in Beijing on July 13 which he attended as a guest professor at Tsinghua University, the former Mayor of Chingqing Huang Qifan said that existing business models of internet firms will no longer work in the coming decade.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINESE AEROSPACE SCIENTISTS ARE DEVELOPING A SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT Sputnik News (July 14) disclosed that according to a study by scientists involved in Chinese missions to Mars and the Moon, China is developing a supersonic aircraft that is larger than the Boeing 737.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA NAVY CONDUCTS EXERCISES IN "ALL MAJOR CHINESE SEA AREAS" AROUND TAIWAN The Global Times (July 20) publicised that in response to recent US "consecutive military provocations against China", the People's Liberation Army (PLA) held exercises in all major Chinese sea areas over the past week in moves that military experts said on July 20 could be seen as countermeasures that displayed the PLA's determination and preparedness.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE OFFICIALS AND SCHOOL TEACHERS IN PROVINCES ASKED TO RETURN BONUSES Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported (July 12) that recently civil servants and school teachers in Henan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces received orders to give the performance bonuses they received back to the government.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ENVIRONMENT: FLOODS IN HENAN Incessant rains since July 16 have caused major flooding in large areas of Henan and are threatening its capital Zhengzhou. Chinese media reports that more than 35 people have been killed and the subway in a couple of cities is submerged.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-INNER MONGOLIA: TWO DAMS BURST IN INNER MONGOLIA AUTONOMOUS REGION AFFECTING 16,660 PEOPLE China's Ministry of Water Resources said that two dams in the Inner Mongolian city of Hulunbuir, collapsed on July 18 afternoon in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after torrential rain. They had formed reservoirs with a combined water storage capacity of 46 million cubic metres.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: PLA XINJIANG MILITARY REGION COMMANDER ACCOMPANIES TAR GOVERNMENT CHAIRMAN ON INSPECTION TOUR OF NGARI (ALI) DISTRICT Chairman of TAR People’s Government Chedak/Che Dalha (Ch: Qi Zhala) inspected the borders of Ngari (Ch: Ali) from June 20-21, 2021.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: TIBETANS ARRESTED FOR CELEBRATING DALAI LAMA'S BIRTHDAY Radio Free Asia (RFA) on July 13 quoted Golog Jigme, an escaped Tibetan political prisoner who now lives in Switzerland, that Chinese police arrested two Tibetans in their 40s—a man named Kunchok Tashi and a woman named Dzapo—on “suspicion of being part of a group on social media that shared images and documents, and encouraged the reciting of Tibetan prayers on the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINESE LEADERSHIP REACTS TO DEATH OF 9 CHINESE IN BUS EXPLOSION IN NORTHERN PAKISTAN AND DEMANDS QUICK STERN ACTION China's media reported the bus explosion in Pakistan on July 14 that caused 9 deaths and 28 injuries to Chinese citizens and which attracted "high attention" from senior Chinese officials.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI'S OBSERVATIONS TO HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART AT DUSHANBE CLEARLY INDICATE CHINA WILL NOT WITHDRAW TO APRIL 2020 POSITIONS ON LAC During the meeting between India's External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yii on July 14 on the sidelines of the SCO Meeting at Dushanbe, Wang Yi said that "after the two foreign ministers' meeting in Moscow in September last year, the frontier troops of both countries disengaged in the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Lake areas, and the overall situation in the border area was de-escalated.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: CHINESE MARITIME POLICE BUREAU VESSELS ENTER JAPANESE TERRITORIAL WATERS DAY AFTER JAPAN RELEASES DEFENCE MINISTRY WHITE PAPER The Central News Agency observed (July 14) that Japan’s annual defense whitepaper, released on July 13, has for the first time explicitly cited the importance of Taiwan’s stability.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: TAIWANESE MINISTER CANCELS VISIT TO TOKYO OLYMPICS FOLLOWING IOC LIMITING OPENING CEREMONY TO HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT The Taiwanese government on July 18 announced that the planned visit to Japan by Audrey Tang, Taiwan''s Digital Minister, for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games has been cancelled. Audrey Tang was scheduled to visit Japan from July 19.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-MONGOLIA: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING CALLS MONGOLIAN PRESIDENT ON EVE OF U.S. DEPUTY ASSTT. SECRETARY WENDY SHERMAN'S VISIT Chinese President Xi Jinping called the President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on July 16, the eve of US Deputy Secretary of State Diplomat Wendy Sherman's visit to Mongolia.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE NEWS PORTAL REPORTS THAT US PACIFIC AIR FORCE COMMAND DEPLOYED 25 F-22 RAPTOR FIGHTERS FOR 'PACIFIC IRON 2021' EXERCISE Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) reported on July 17 that the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Air Force Command said that it will deploy approximately 25 F-22 Raptor fighter jets to Guam and Tinian to participate in an exercise named 'Pacific Iron 2021'.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. PORTAL PUBLICISES BRAZEN OPERATIONS OF CHINESE POLICE OFFICERS INSIDE U.S. In a detailed 4-part article the U.S. online publication ProPublica on July 22 said that in April, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the FBI has over 2,000 active China-related investigations, with a 1,300% increase in economic espionage cases alone.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG CONVENES MEETING OF ECONOMIC EXPERTS, BUSINESS LEADERS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMY Chinese Premier Li Keqiang invited (July 12) economic experts, business leaders, and top government officials to share their thoughts on the economy.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC AND STATE COUNCIL ISSUES INSTRUCTIONS ON STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVING IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL WORK CCTV News (July 12) disclosed that on the 100th anniversary of the CCP's founding, the CCP Central Committee and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Ideological and Political Work in the New Era".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: NEW BOOK ON 'XI JINPING'S NEW ERA' INTRODUCED IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES THROUGHOUT CHINA A Chinese Ministry of Education notification on July 8, announced that the Ministry of Education had organised and compiled the "Xi Jinping New Era" for universities, middle schools and primary schools.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-GOVERNANCE: CENTRAL AUTHORITIES TO TIGHTEN MONITORING OF COUNTY-LEVEL PARTY SECRETARIES Xinhua (July 12) announced that China's central authorities have released a plan on modernizing the system and capacity for primary-level governance.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-MINORITIES: CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL INFORMATION OFFICE RELEASED A WHITE PAPER ON XINJIANG ON JULY 14 Xinhua (July 14) reported the release by China's State Council Information Office of a Paper on 'Respecting and Protecting the Rights of All Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang'.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: ZHANG TAO, PARTY SECRETARY OF CHINA AEROSPACE INVESTMENT HOLDINGS BEATS TWO DISTINGUISHED CHINESE AEROSPACE SCIENTISTS WHEN THEY DECLINE TO RECOMMEND HIM TO A STOCKHOLM-BASED ORGANISATION Reports emerging almost a month after two aerospace experts were violently attacked by an aerospace company executive on June 6 and hospitalized have created a sensation on China's social media — raising questions about corruption and cover-up within the prestigious industry.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS RELEASES LATEST STATISTICS, BUT A CHINA RESEARCH FIRM EXPRESSES DOUBTS Xinhua (July 15) publicised the statistics released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and quoted it as saying China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 12.7 per cent year on year in the first half of 2021 as recovery continues to consolidate.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA HAS INSUFFICIENT JOBS FOR UNIVERSITY GRADUATES The South China Morning Post (July 16) reported that China’s universities produce millions of graduates each year, but many can’t get a decent job and end up unemployed or in factories.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: EUROPEAN FIRM ASSESSES CHINA'S FOREIGN LAND HOLDINGS AT APPROX. 6.48 MILLION HECTARES Land Matrix, a European land monitoring organization, has assessed that Chinese companies have in all gained control of 6.48 million hectares of land devoted to agriculture, forestry and mining around the world from 2011 to 2020.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINA'S 12TH ARCTIC SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION DEPARTED FROM SHANGHAI ON JULY 12 People's Daily (July 12) disclosed that China’s 12th Arctic Scientific Expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources set sail on July 12, from Shanghai on the "Snow Dragon 2" ship to perform scientific expeditions in the Arctic.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CIVIC ISSUES: TENCENT-OWNED WECHAT HAS DELETED A DOZEN LGBT ACCOUNTS CNN-Hong Kong Business (July 7) reported that WeChat has deleted more than a dozen LGBT accounts run by university students, sparking fears that safe spaces for China's sexual and gender minorities are going to shrink even further.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CYBERSECURITY: CHINA'S CYBERSPACE ADMINISTRATION RELEASED DRAFT MEASURES FOR CYBERSECURITY REVIEW ON JULY 9 As Beijing continues to tighten its grip over the country’s once-freewheeling tech sector, including measures to prevent risks arising from cross-border data transfers by foreign-listed companies, draft changes to the Measures for Cybersecurity Review were revealed on July 9 by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and are open for public comment until July 25.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: PLA TROOPS 'INTRUDE' INTO INDIAN TERRITORY AT DEMCHOK Chinese troops reportedly ingressed at Demchok in Ladakh to protest against celebrations of Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6 in Indian villages.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: INDIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER ASSERTS THAT UNILATERAL CHANGE IN STATUS QUO BY CHINA IS UNACCEPTABLE The Washington Post (July 14) reported that the foreign ministers of India and China met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign ministers’ meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on July 14 where New Delhi stressed that a military standoff along a mountainous border area was profoundly disturbing their ties, and warning that any unilateral change in the status quo by Beijing was unacceptable.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: 9 CHINESE WORKING ON A CPEC DAM PROJECT KILLED IN BUS ACCIDENT IN NORTHERN PAKISTAN A bus carrying 30 Chinese engineers to the site of the Dasu dam, a hydroelectric project being built as part of the BRI’s associated US$60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), were injured and nine died when the bus plunged down a high mountain ravine in northern Pakistan.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: US STATE DEPARTMENT WITH FIVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS UPDATED THE XINJIANG SUPPLY CHAIN BUSINESS ADVISORY ON JULY 13 The U.S. Department of State, alongside the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. Department of Labor on July 13 issued an updated Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory to highlight the heightened risks for businesses with supply chain and investment links to Xinjiang.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINA OBJECTS TO U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT LANDING IN TAIWAN TVBS reported that a U.S. military C-146A Wolfhound arrived in Taipei on July 15 morning to deliver a package to the new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director, Sandra Oudkirk.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT WANG QISHAN CALLS FOR CHINA-US DIALOGUE TO AVOID MISGUIDANCE AND MISCALCULATION Caixin (July 10) reported that Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan had called for dialogue between China and the U.S. on July 9.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE OFFICIAL FORECASTS STEADY RISE FOR CHINA AND DECLINE OF THE U.S. Prof. Huang Renwei, Executive President of the Fudan Institute of Belt and Road & Global Governance and former Vice President of SASS, recently spoke on "What does the decline of American hegemony mean to the world?".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: CHINESE INTELLIGENCE SHIP MONITORS AUSTRALIAN NAVY'S 'TALISMAN SABRE JOINT EXERCISE' Australia’s military is monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's intelligence-gathering vessel Tianwangxing that is sailing towards the Australian coast, to monitor the country’s biannual Talisman Sabre joint exercise involving the United States and a number of US allies.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER ZHAO LEJI INSPECTS JILIN PROVINCE CCTV News (July 11) reported that PBSC member and Secretary of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission Zhao Leji visited Jilin from July 9 to 11.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINA'S STUDY TIMES PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE BY CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI ON JULY 9 China's Study Times published an article captioned ''Deeply implement Xi Jinping's diplomatic thinking and hold high the torch of true multilateralism' by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 9.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY HOLDS SUMMIT OF WORLD POLITICAL LEADERS THROUGH VIDEO ON JULY 6 China’s official Xinhua News Agency, on July 6, disclosed that CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the summit of the Chinese Communist Party and world political party leaders through video conferencing and delivered a speech.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING SPEAKS TO GERMANY'S ANGELA MERKELL AND FRANCE'S MACRON On July 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping called German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in a bid to improve the tense EU-China relationship.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: LEADING CADRES OF STATE COUNCIL 'STUDY' XI JINPING'S JULY 1 SPEECH Leading cadres of the State Council attended a study session presided by Premier Li Keqiang on July 2 to study Xi Jinping’s major speech from the July 1 celebration of the Party’s 100th founding anniversary.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CHINA PLANS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE PRIMARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS TO UNDER 5 PERCENT IN 2-3 YEARS Caixin (July 3) reported that over the past few weeks, provincial education departments have issued orders to reduce the presence of private players in primary and middle schools and cut the percentage of children enrolled in private school to just 5% within two to three years.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: FOUR PLA OFFICERS PROMOTED TO RANK OF FULL GENERAL CCTV and Xinhua (July 5) announced the promotion of 4 PLA officers to the rank of full General.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: SOUTHERN THEATRE COMMAND ARMY GETS NEW POLITICAL COMMISSAR The Beijing Daily (July 7) reported that Wang Donghai, Deputy Director of the National Defense Mobilization Department of the Central Military Commission, is appointed Political Commissar of the Army in the Southern Theater Command.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: 99 PARTY WORKERS IN PLA AWARDED ON JULY 1 99 Advanced and Grassroot Party organisation workers in the PA were awarded on the occasion of the CCP's hundredth founding anniversary on July 1, 2021.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: FOURTH TYPE 052 DESTROYER JOINS SERVICE IN PLA NAVY The Kaifeng, China's fourth Type 052 Destroyer with Hull No: 124, was reported on July 2 to have been commissioned into service in the PLA Navy.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINESE MAGAZINE CLAIMS CHINA TESTED AN UNDERWATER DRONE THAT CAN LOCATE AND ATTACK AN ENEMY SUBMARINE WITHOUT HUMAN INSTRUCTION The South China Morning Post (July 8) disclosed that a research team in China has unveiled an underwater drone that can recognise, follow and attack an enemy submarine without human instruction.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA PLANS WARTIME CONSCRIPTION POLICY WHICH GIVES PRIORITY FOR ENLISTING RETIRED SOLDIERS The South China Morning Post (July 7) disclosed that according to draft regulatory changes released by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs on the weekend China had finalised wartime conscription plans.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S CYBER ADMINISTRATION IS INVESTIGATING 4 CHINESE COMPANIES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE RECENTLY LISTED IN THE U.S. On July 2, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced it will conduct a “cybersecurity review” of ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing. New account registrations were suspended. Later on July 4, the CAC announced that the investigation revealed “serious violations of laws and regulations in collecting and using personal information.”
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA ORDERS NATIONWIDE CUT IN STEEL PRODUCTION On July 5, Caixin reported that Beijing has issued a national mandate instructing provinces to reduce crude steel output within their jurisdictions in 2021.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: DALAI LAMA THANKS PERSONS WHO WISHED HIM ON HIS 86TH BIRTHDAY AND SAYS HE WILL LIVE TILL HE IS 110 YEARS AND CHINA'S GLOBAL TIMES REACTS On July 7, the Dalai Lama thanked all those who had wished him on his birthday and said "According to some of my dreams and predictions, I will live till 110 years and some say 113".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-UK: BRITISH PRIME MINISTER ORDERS REVIEW OF TAKEOVER OF LARGEST BRITISH SEMICONDUCTORS MANUFACTURING COMPANY BY CHINESE-OWNED ENTITY Asia Times (July 9) quoting the Guardian said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had ordered a review of the recent takeover of Newport Wafer Fab, the UK’s largest producer of semiconductors, byNexperia, a Dutch-based firm wholly owned by China’s Wingtech.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER LE YUCHENG SAYS US HEGEMONY IS IN DECLINE THOUGH IT WILL BE HARD TO OVERTAKE IT FOR THE NUMBER ONE SPOT In an interview with Guancha, the news outlet owned by the CCP CC Propaganda Department, China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said “The US decline is not a decline in strength but a decline of hegemony". “No matter a country’s strength, hegemonic power is bound to wither, hegemony is not popular.”
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: WELCOMING CHINESE INVESTMENT TALIBAN SPOKESMAN SAYS TALIBAN WILL NO LONGER ALLOW UYGHUR SEPARATISTS TO ENTER CHINA FROM AFGHANISTAN The South China Morning Post (July 9) reported that Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on July 7 that the Taliban welcomes Chinese investment in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and promises to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINESE FIRMS EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT CPEC The Economic Times (July 7) reported that Chinese firms in Pakistan had raised concerns over the CPEC projects for the first time, and have also threatened to shift their headquarters in Pakistan to a safer place.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-NORTH KOREA: XI JINPING AND KIM JONG-UN EXCHANGE CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES ON 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION China's state-owned CCTV News on July 11, reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Council, and Supreme Commander of the North Korean Armed Forces on the 60th anniversary of the signing of the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CAMPAIGN BEGINS TO "STUDY AND IMPLEMENT" CCP CC GENERAL SECRETARY XI JINPING'S "IMPORTANT" SPEECH OF JULY 1 The CCP CC General Office issued a notice on July 3, requesting all regions and departments to "earnestly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech" at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY POLITBURO MEMBER YANG JIECHI PRAISING XI JINPING'S CONTRIBUTION TO CHINA'S DIPLOMACY The People's Daily (July 3) published an article by Politburo member Yang Jiechi captioned "Continuing a hundred years of glory, creating a chapter of the times: Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Guides the Party's Foreign Affairs Work to Achieve Brilliant Achievements".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: 100TH ANNIVERSARY The Chinese media publicised that 29 Chinese Communist Party members had been awarded the newly instituted 'July 1' medal this year. Only one was a Tibetan ethnic minority.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING PUBLISHES ANOTHER BOOK GIVING HIS THOUGHTS ON PARTY BUILDING China's Central Literature Publishing House released a new book on June 28 captioned 'Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Expositions on Comprehensive and Strict Party Building Work' for nationwide distribution. It contains Xi Jinping's thoughts on the full and strict governance of the Party.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC'S ORGANISATION DEPARTMENT REVEAL CCP NOW HAS 95.148 MILLION MEMBERS The CCP CC Organisation Department on June 30 issued a notice stating the total membership of the Party is: 95.148 million, a 3.5% increase from 2019.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-GOVERNMENT: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE FOR DIPLOMACY The Chinese government has launched (July 2) a new website for diplomacy: http://www.chinadiplomacy.org.cn The site consists of some news on China's diplomatic initiatives but mostly carries remarks or news about Xi Jinping.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINESE SCIENTISTS ACHIEVE BREAKTHROUGH IN BUILDING MOST POWERFUL LASER ON THE PLANET The South China Morning Post (July 2) disclosed that a research team in Shanghai has achieved a technological breakthrough that allows them to build the most powerful laser on the planet.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: DIRECTOR OF CASS INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT DIVISION RECOMMENDS EDUCATION REFORM Writing in Caixin, Zhang Ming, Director of the International Investment Research Division of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said "Data on the family backgrounds of Peking University students from 1978 to 2005, compiled by Liu Yunshan, a professor in the university’s Graduate School of Education, show approximately 30% of fresh students there came from rural families between 1978 and 1998.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-BORDER SECURITY: YUNNAN SOCIAL SCIENCES ARTICLE STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF BORDER SECURITY An article in the 'Yunnan Social Sciences' issue (2/2021) said "China’s border security is challenged by both internal and imported risks". It said in the new era of promoting the formation of a new pattern of comprehensive opening up, border security has become more and more important in the overall national security structure.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: LT. GENERAL QIAO XIANJI APPOINTED NEW DEPUTY COMMANDER OF WESTERN THEATRE COMMAND Lt General Qiao Xianji was identified on June 28 as the new Deputy Commander of the PLA Western Theatre Command. He was attending the inauguration ceremony of the new Terminal at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA COLLEGES AND ACADEMIES RECRUIT 13,000 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES THIS YEAR The People's Daily (June 24) reported that at the regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense on June 24, its spokesman Ren Guoqiang disclosed that according to this year’s military college enrollment plan, a total of 27 colleges and universities recruited more than 13,000 ordinary high school graduates.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINESE MAGAZINE PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON 3-STAGE OPERATION FOR CAPTURING TAIWAN The Chinese magazine Naval and Merchant Ships, published a detailed outline of a three-stage surprise attack which could pave the way for an assault landing on Taiwan.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: GLOBAL TIMES CITES RESULTS OF TAIWAN POLLSTERS SHOWING INCREASE IN SUPPORT AMONG TAIWANESE FOR CCP Coinciding with the centenary celebrations of the CCP and Xi Jinping's speech on July 1, the Global Times (July 2) cited the results of a poll released by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) on July 1, apparently showing that among adult Taiwan residents, favourable views of the CCP have increased by 4 per cent and negative views decreased by 16 per cent as compared to October 2020.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF STATES SITUATION ON BORDER IS STABLE AND CHINA HAS "NO INTENTION OF LAUNCHING AN ATTACK ON INDIA" Pointing to a report in the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg about the movement of 50,000 troops by India to the LAC "and is implementing an "offensive defense" against China, which will give Indian forces "more options to attack and seize territory in China", Hu Xijin, Editor in Chief of the Global Times (July 3) dismissed these reports as " intended to set off the tension in the China-India border area and stir conflict".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS REVEAL HUGE SUMS PAID THROUGH CHINA DAILY TO MAJOR U.S. NEWS MEDIA The US Justice Department confirmed (July 6) that China Daily’s disclosure submitted to the Justice Department for the time period between November 2016 and April 2020, had revealed that the CCP paid US$ 19 million to some major media houses like the New York Times and Washington Post.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE ACADEMIC WANG JISI DISCUSSES SINO-US RELATIONS IN LATEST ISSUE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS Writing in Foreign Affairs (July/Aug 2021) Chinese academic and Americas expert Wang Jisi said "In the past decade, the consensus in Washington has shifted decisively in favour of a more confrontational posture toward Beijing" and that "The recent change in U.S. administration has produced a different tone, but not a dramatic shift in substance".
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-KAZAKHSTAN: ANTI-CHINA PROTESTS IN KAZAKHSTAN Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported that police in Kazakhstan on July 1, detained a handful of activists long involved in protesting Chinese policies in Xinjiang.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP GENERAL SECRETARY XI JINPING GIVES HOUR-LONG SPEECH AT CCP'S CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS AT TIANANMEN ON JULY 1; MENTIONS CCP HAS 95 MILLION MEMBERS Dressed in a grey Mao-style suit Xi Jinping, BBC said, delivered a defiant speech at the event marking the centenary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party on July 1.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CHEN XI, HEAD OF CCP CC ORGANISATION DEPARTMENT ADMINISTERS OATH TO NEW PARTY MEMBERS Xinhua (June 22) reported that the CCP CC Organization Department held a “grand oath-taking ceremony” in Beijing on June 22, for representatives of new party members, with Politburo Member and Head of the Central Organization Department Chen Xi presiding over the swearing-in ceremony and delivering a speech.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CPPCC: 17TH MEETING OF CPPCC NATIONAL COMMITTEE STANDING COMMITTEE HELD IN BEIJING ON JUNE 21 The People's Daily (June 22) reported that the CPPCC National Committee's Standing Committee held its 13th meeting in Beijing on June 21.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: FORMER CENTRAL PARTY SCHOOL PROFESSOR CAI XIA AUTHORS 28-PAGE PAPER ON CHINA-US RELATIONS Cai Xia, former senior Professor at Beijing’s Central Party School and sharp critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a 28 page paper for Stanford University's Hoover Institute and captioned an “Insider’s Perspective,” has said that four decades of U.S. bridge-building has merely entrenched a Chinese leadership inherently hostile to the U.S. And under President Xi Jinping, China no longer finds engagement useful.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: CHINESE EDITOR RECOMMENDS CHANGE IN CHINESE DIPLOMACY IN ORDER NOT TO LOSE MARKETS WHICH COULD LEAD TO DOMESTIC DISCONTENT Cao Xin, Secretary-General of the International Public Opinion Research Center of the Chahar Institute; researcher at the Peninsula Peace Research Center and Deputy Director of Southern Newspaper Group Beijing Office, Deputy Chief Editor of Southern Weekend Newspaper Network and current Chief Correspondent in Beijing, published an article recently captioned “Does China’s Diplomacy Need a Big Adjustment?”.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ANTI-CORRUPTION: CDIC DEPUTY SECRETARY XIAO PEI REVEALS NUMBER OF CADRES PUNISHED BETWEEN DECEMBER 2012 AND MAY 2021 AND SAYS CDIC WILL INSIST ON ARMING CADRES WITH XI JINPING'S THOUGHTS ON 'NEW ERA SOCIALIST THOUGHTS WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS' At its second press conference on June 28, Xiao Pei, Deputy Secretary of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) and Deputy Director of the State Supervision Commission; Xu Yousheng, Deputy Director of the CCP CC United Front Work Department; Guo Yezhou, Deputy Minister of the CCP CC International Liaison Department (ILD); and Han Wenxiu, Deputy Director of the Central Finance Office in charge of daily work briefed the reporters and fielded their questions.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: BEIJING DAILY COMMENTARY ABSOLVES MAO AND BLAMES "LIN BIAO AND JIANG QING COUNTER REVOLUTIONARY GROUPS" FOR CULTURAL REVOLUTION A lengthy Beijing Daily (June 28) commentary said "In the 10 years of the "Cultural Revolution", the party has repeatedly corrected the "Left" and turned the tide, making Chinese socialism stand firm in the East of Asia.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CHINA INCREASES NUMBER OF MISSILE SILOS AND IS BUILDING NEW SILOS IN GANSU In an article in the Washington Post on June 30, Jefffrey Lewis stated that China is building a huge nuclear launch site in Gansu, with more than 100 ICBM missile silos.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: HONGKONG TO TEST CROSS-BORDER USE OF DIGITAL CHINESE CURRENCY Hongkong's Sing Tao Daily reported June 28) that the cross-border use of digital Chinese currency will be fully rolled out for testing in Hong Kong.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINA'S NOMINEE GETS POST OF DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WTO According to the Economic Times (June 28), China has pipped India to bag the post of Deputy Director General (DDG) at the World Trade Organization, allegedly by using its good offices with director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Jul 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING CHAIRS POLITBURO'S 31ST 'COLLECTIVE STUDY' SESSION ON JUNE 25 The state-owned CCTV reported (June 27) that on the occasion of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Politburo "used red resources and continued red blood" for its 31st collective study on June 25.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: SEVEN NEW RESEARCH CENTRES SET UP TO STUDY AND PROMOTE 'XI JINPING THOUGHT ON SOCIALISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS FOR A NEW ERA' China Daily (June 26) reported that seven new research centres, approved by the CCP CC, have been established to further study, research and promote 'Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: WANG XIAOHONG, VICE MINISTER AND DEPUTY PARTY SECRETARY OF MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY WRITES IN PEOPLE'S DAILY On June 25, the People's Daily published an article by Wang Xiaohong, Vice Minister and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security and member of the 19th CCP CC, titled ' Absorbing forge ahead from the history of the party and show new deeds on the new journey (a monograph celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China)'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-SECURITY: SECURITY HEIGHTENED IN BEIJING FOR CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS Beijing has tightened security as the CCP celebrates its 100th anniversary on July 1.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE WARNING CADRES THAT PEOPLE ARE YEARNING FOR A BETTER LIFE AND COMPLACENCY OF CADRES COULD HAVE SERIOUS POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES The People's Daily (June 21) published an interesting article by Bao Xinjian, Professor at the School of Marxism, Shandong University, captioned 'Demonstrate the most distinctive character and greatest advantage of self-revolution (a monograph celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China)'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC ORGANISATION DEPARTMENT DISCLOSES THAT BY END OF 2020 A TOTAL OF 537,000 COLLEGE STUDENT VILLAGE OFFICIALS HAD BEEN HIRED The People's Daily (June 23) reported that since the 18th Party Congress when Xi Jinping had stressed the importance of young people going to the front line of the countryside to build their careers and that ‘talent is the key to rural revitalization, the CCP CC's Organisation Department has been working to guide “all localities to actively select college graduates to work in villages.”
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-AVIATION: CHINA OPERATIONALISES NEW AIRPORT 50 KMS FROM CHENGDU, CAPITAL OF SICHUAN The People's Daily (June 27) announced that the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport was put into operation on June 27.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: CMC HOLDS SPECIAL STUDY SESSION ON PARTY HISTORY WHERE IT EMPHASISES PARTY'S ABSOLUTE LEADERSHIP OVER THE ARMY CMC Vice Chairmen General Xu Qiliang and General Zhang Youxia attended a special study session on party history on June 24.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: GUANGMING DAILY ARTICLE EMPHASISES "PARTY'S ABSOLUTE LEADERSHIP OVER THE ARMY" The Guangming Daily (June 27) published an article by Liu Zhengbin, Professor of the School of Political Science, National Defense University, and Researcher of Shanghai Xi Jinping Research Center for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, titled: 'The leadership of the party'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-UKRAINE: CHINA THREATENS TO WITHHOLD VACCINE SUPPLIES TO UKRAINE IF IT SUPPORTS STATEMENT TO UNHRC CALLING FOR ACCESS TO XINJIANG The Associated Press (June 25) disclosed that China had pressured Ukraine into withdrawing its support for a call for more scrutiny of human rights in China’s western region of Xinjiang by threatening to withhold Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines destined for Ukraine unless it did so.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HUMAN RIGHTS: UNHRC CHIEF URGED TO DOCUMENT UNHHRC'S FINDINGS ON PLIGHT OF UYGHURS IN XINJIANG Reuters (June 25) reported that activists and Western diplomats are asking Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, to document her own findings on the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang even without China’s blessing for a visit.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING REPLIES TO LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS The People's Daily (June 23) reported that on June 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to the international students of Peking University, which aroused an enthusiastic response among the universities and foreign students in China.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING TAKES PBSC MEMBERS TO VISIT NEW CCP MUSEUM ON JUNE 18 Chinese President Xi Jinping took a dozen Politburo members on June 18 to the new Museum of the Communist Party of China.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG PRESIDES OVER STATE COUNCIL'S LEADING SMALL GROUP MEETING ON 'WESTERN REGION DEVELOPMENT' Chinese Premier Li Keqiang chaired a meeting of the State Council’s Leading Small Group (LSG) for developing the western region on June 21. This is the first time this LSG has met in three years.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PB MEMBER SUN CHUNLAN ATTENDS EVENT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND URGES THEM TO CELEBRATE CCP'S FOUNDING AND STUDY PARTY'S HISTORY The People's Daily (June 18) reported that Politburo member Sun Chunlan attended the finale of the “Online Retrace of the Long March”, an event for college students.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL RELEASES NEW WHITE PAPER ON THE CCP State Council Information Office released a 14,000-word, 9-chapter, White Paper on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) this (June 25) morning in Beijing.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINESE NUCLEAR SCIENTIST AND VICE PRESIDENT OF HARBIN ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY ZHANG ZHIJIAN FALLS TO DEATH FROM BUILDING The Business Standard of the U.S. reported (June 19) that Zhang Zhijian, who was one of China's top nuclear scientists and the Vice-President of Harbin Engineering University and Vice-President of the Chinese Nuclear Society died after falling from a building.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING TALKS TO THE THREE CHINESE ASTRONAUTS IN CHINA'S SPACE STATION On June 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to the three astronauts Nie Haisheng (56), Liu Boming (54) and Tang Hongbo (45) via video link, and congratulated them on their successfully entering the space station while thanking them for their work.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CPPCC CHAIRMAN ADDRESSES UNITED FRONT RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION SYMPOSIUM ON STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN S&T People’s Daily (June 16) reported on the United Front Work Department Research and Consultation Symposium held in Beijing on June 16. The symposium was held to review the research results on strengthening national strategic capacity in science and technology carried out by relevant party groups. PBSC Member and CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang delivered a speech when he described how Xi Jinping and the CCP had contributed to strengthening the national strategic capacity in science and technology.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-DEFECTION: MYSTERY CONTINUES TO SURROUND CLAIMED DEFECTION TO U.S. OF CHINESE VICE MINISTER OF STATE SECURITY DONG JINGWEI The WeChat Official Account of the Ministry of National Security at 1600 hrs on June 18, 2021 said, "It is necessary to catch spies as well as "traitors" and "behind the scenes" and this was repeated by the
"Central Political and Legal Committee Chang An Jian" WeChat official account the same day.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: 4000 RECRUITS TO TIBET MILITARY REGION HAD THEIR SWEARING-IN CEREMONY ON COMPLETION OF TRAINING Xinhua (June 18) disclosed that on June 15, more than 4000 Spring recruits to the recruits brigades of the Tibet Military Region in three camps lined up neatly for their swearing-in ceremony in front of the military flag, and completed the transition from local youth to qualified military personnel.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES COMMENTATOR'S ARTICLE ON RESPECTING STATUS AND RIGHTS OF SOLDIERS People’s Daily (June 15) published a Commentator's article on the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of the Status, Rights and Interests of Military Personnel,” passed by the National People’s Congress on June 10.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: VARIED TYPES OF PLAAF AIRCRAFT INTRUDED INTO TAIWAN'S ADIZ ON JUNE 15 A total of 28 PLAAF and PLAN aircraft intruded into Taiwan's ADIZ on June 15.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-BRI: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI HOLDS 'VIRTUAL' BRI MEETING ON JUNE 23 On June 23, China held a virtual conference on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), formally titled the “Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on Belt and Road Cooperation.”
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE BANKS STRUGGLING TO COMPLY WITH NEW RULES FOR WEALTH ASSET MANAGEMENT Caixin (June 22) reported that halfway through what’s supposed to be the final year of a transition to sweeping new rules covering asset management in China, the $3.9 trillion bank-based sector of the industry is deeply mired in a struggle to accomplish all it needs to by the end of 2021.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA MOVES AHEAD WITH PLANS TO LAUNCH YUAN-DENOMINATED CRUDE OIL OPTIONS CONTRACTS Caixin (June 22) reported that China has moved ahead with its plans to open the country’s financial markets and increase its pricing power over globally traded commodities with the launch of yuan-denominated crude oil options contracts, the first in the energy sector available to foreign investors.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: GUANGZHOU FUTURES EXCHANGE TO LAUNCH A CARBON FUTURES MARKET Gao Li, a spokesperson of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), was quoted by Caixin (June 22) as saying that the Guangzhou Futures Exchange will accelerate efforts to launch a carbon futures market.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: HONGKONG'S INDEPENDENT 'APPLE DAILY' SHUTS DOWN ON JUNE 24 Hongkong's independent Apple Daily shut down on June 24 as the authorities refused to 'unfreeze' its assets.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: US 7TH FLEET'S GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER TRANSITS TAIWAN STRAIT ON JUNE 22 The US Seventh Fleet said that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on June 22 through international waters in accordance with international law.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: TAR PARTY SECRETARY WU YINGJIE GIVES IMPORTANT SPEECH TO DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEE MEETING ON IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL WORK The Tibet Daily (June 22) reported that the District Party Committee held an Ideological and Propaganda and Ideological Work Leadership Group Meeting on June 21, to thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on ideological work, propaganda and ideological work, and Tibet work, as well as the party’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: TAR CHAIRMAN CHE DALHA AND XINJIANG MILITARY REGION COMMANDER LT, GENERAL WANG HAIJIANG INSPECT NGARI (ALI) BORDERS TAR Chairman Che Dalha inspected the borders of Ngari (Ali) on June 20-21, 2021. After the inspection he convened a forum and discussed consolidation of borders, strengthening and the speeding up of border infrastructures.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: PLA PORTAL CLAIMS CHINA HAS BUILT DOZENS OF HANGARS AND NEW AMMO DEPOTS IN NGARI AREA A PLA website on June 22 observed that "One year has passed since the Sino-Indian border conflict, but India is still not reconciled to the initial failure and has been making small moves. The Chinese Air Force dispatched more than 20 fighters to conduct large-scale exercises near Ladakh.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: PEOPLE'S DAILY ZHONG SHENG ARTICLE ASKS TAIWAN'S DPP TO IMPORT VACCINES FROM CHINA The People's Daily (June 15) published a 'Zhong Sheng' article calling on the United States to honour its commitments from the Three China-US Joint Communiqués, in which the United States officially maintains a one-China policy.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CCTV GIVES INSIGHT INTO XI JINPING'S PERSONAL QUALITIES The state-owned CCTV (June 19) telecast a report giving insights into Xi Jinping's personal qualities and emphasised that he had learnt a lot from his father, Xi Zhongxun.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING SETS KEY POINTS FOR IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL STUDY SESSIONS The People's Daily (June 18) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping has set the key points for running the ideological and political class well.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: QIU SHI PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING The "Seeking Truth" magazine published on June 16, 2021, published an "important" article by General Secretary Xi Jinping captioned "Taking History as a Mirror, Taking History to Mingzhi, Knowing History and Loving the Party, Knowing History and Patriotism".
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG CHAIRS STATE COUNCIL MEETING WHICH EMPHASISES IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE CCTV (June 18) reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council on June 18 and decided to provide one-off subsidies to actual grain farmers in response to the rapid increase in the price of agricultural materials this year; and decided to expand the full cost insurance and planting of food crops.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-AGRICULTURE: PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF FOODGRAIN PRODUCTION A front-page article in the People's Daily (June 18) highlighted the need to 'Ensure food security is placed in a prominent position so that grains are basically self-sufficient and food rations are absolutely safe'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: GUANGMING DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE EULOGISING PARTY'S LEADERSHIP The Guangming Daily (June 18) published an article by Liu Baodong, researcher of the Central Party School [National School of Administration] Xi Jinping Research Center for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, and Deputy Director of the Party Building Education and Research Department of the Central Party School.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-DISSIDENCE: FORMER TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CONTINUES TO SPEAK OUT TO FOREIGN MEDIA Asia Times (June 21) reported its interview with former Tsinghua University lecturer Wu Qiang at his apartment in Beijing on June 10.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: CHINA'S AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE ENDORSES 'WOLF DIPLOMACY' AS 'SELF DEFENCE' DIPLOMACY Global Times (June 18) reported that outspoken Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, said he is proud to be endowed with the title of "wolf warrior" and is determined to stand in the way of "mad dogs" that attack China.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PROPAGANDA: CGTN RECRUITING "INTERNET MEDIA INFLUENCERS" IN U.K. The Times reported (June 16) that after the Chinese state-owned CGTN had its broadcasting licence revoked and was taken off the air in Britain in February, the network has launched a “media challengers” campaign to recruit internet influencers and vloggers globally, some of whom will promote China and counter western narratives that damage its image.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INTERNAL: CHINESE SOCIAL PHENOMENON "LYING FLAT" RECEIVES HIGH-LEVEL ATTENTION The current social issue called 'Lying Flat', which Chinese psychologists have said denotes the feeling of helplessness among China's youth of today has attracted notice in academic circles.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA CRACKS DOWN ON BITCOIN The People's Daily (June 19) reported that the State Council’s Financial Committee meeting on May 21 called for cracking down on Bitcoin mining and trading.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: 13TH LUJIAZUI FORUM HELD IN SHANGHAI The 13th Lujiazui Forum, co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the People's Bank of China, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission, was held in Shanghai on June 10, 2021.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY & INDIA: AIIB PRESIDENT JIN LIQUN REFERS TO BORDER CLASHES WITH INDIA IN HIS SPEECH AT CHINA INTERNATIONAL FINANCE 30 FORUM ON MAY 16 Zichen Wang of Pekingology translated a speech by Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and once China’s Vice Finance Minister, at the 3rd symposium of the China International Finance 30 Forum, on May 16, 2021.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TAIWAN: CHINESE DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN AIMS TO DAMAGE DPP'S IMAGE AND POPULARITY Since May this year, the Chinese seem to have mounted a disinformation campaign in Taiwan aimed at weakening the DPP. The DPP's image is being affected not only by the campaign but also by internal dissatisfaction with the DPP government in its handling of the Covid pandemic.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: FUDAN UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR MAKES OBSERVATIONS ON INDIA A speech by Zhang Weiwei, now heading Fudan's China Research Institute and a Senior Research Fellow at the Shanghai-based think tank Chunqiu Institute and Wu Xinwen, a Senior Research Fellow at the Chunqiu Institute, to Fudan University students delivered on June 13 was reported by the popular Chinese online portal Guanchazhe.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE SITE SAYS INDIA HAS DEPLOYED ITS FOURTH BRAHMOS MISSILE REGIMENT IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH A post (June 14) on a popular Chinese social media site (June 14) reported that the BrahMos missile, which has Russian technology and is claimed to be fast, multi-ballistic, anti-jamming, and difficult to be intercepted, has been deployed with the fourth "BrahMos" missile regiment in the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh which is the southern part of Tibet".
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINA ACTIVELY WATCHING SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN On June 20 morning the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Kabul have asked Chinese citizens in Afghanistan to leave because of the security situation.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: THE TRIAL OF U.S. UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AND CANADIAN CITIZEN ACCUSED OF CONCEALING LINKS WITH CHINA ENDED IN A MISTRIAL The first jury trial of Anming Hu, a former Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, tried as part of the Department of Justice’s controversial China Initiative ended in a hung jury and a mistrial on June 16, prompting renewed calls for the department to suspend the initiative and investigate concerns about racial profiling and targeting of Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG VISITS JILIN PROVINCE Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Jilin Province. on June 15. In Jilin he visited Panpan Foods, a leading food processing company and official sponsor of the 2022 Beijing Olympics and a China-South Korea International Cooperation Demonstration Zone.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHEN YIXIN CHAIRS PLAC MEETING On June 15, the Secretary-General of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC) Chen Yixin, chaired a PLAC meeting on implementing the Party’s recent directive to improve supervision of top bosses at Party and state organisations.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF DEFECTION OF MOSS VICE MINISTER TO CHINA Unconfirmed reports have been in circulation since June 17 that Dong Jingwei (董经纬), former Vice Minister of China's Ministry of State Security (MoSS) defected in mid-February, flying from Hong Kong to the United States with his daughter, Dong Yang.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CPCC CHAIRMAN ATTENDS SEMINAR ON STRENGTHENING S&T The United Front Work Department held a seminar on June 16, to discuss the results of the “Strengthening National Strategic Science and Technology Forces” research campaign.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-NPC: NPC ADOPTS REVISED LAW ON PROTECTION OF STATUS, RIGHTS AND INTERESTS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL On June 10, 2021, the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) adopted the Revised new Law on the Protection of the Status, Rights, and Interests of Military Personnel [军人地位和权益保障法] to be effective from August 1, 2021).
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: 28 PLAAF FIGHTER AIRCRAFT OVERFLEW TAIWAN'S AIR DEFENCE IDENTIFICATION ZONE ON JUNE 15 On June 15, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) sent 28 warplanes on sorties into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: HONGKONG POLICE ARREST FIVE EDITORS AND MEDIA EXECUTIVES UNDER NATIONAL SECURITY LAW On June 17 morning the Hong Kong police used the National Security Law for arresting five editors and executives on charges of collusion with foreign powers.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: CHINESE POST ON PLA PORTAL REASSERTS CHINA'S AIM TO "TAKE BACK" ARUNACHAL PRADESH Citing media reports a PLA website on June 3 posted an article captioned "The Medog Expressway in Tibet is about to open, becoming an important guarantee for the recovery of southern Tibet'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: PLA REGIMENTAL COMMANDER INJURED AT GALWAN VALLEY ASSERTS AT HIGH-LEVEL MILITARY MEETING THAT SACRIFICE IS BETTER THAN LOSING EVEN AN INCH OF TERRITORY The PLA Daily (June 11) reported that Qi Fabao, the Regimental Commander of the PLA Xinjiang Military Command, who suffered a serious head injury while fighting bravely in the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020, spoke at a high-level military meeting organized by the CMC's Political Work Department in honour of heroic border troops on June 11.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: DRAFT OF JAPAN'S DEFENCE WHITE PAPER MENTIONS STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF TAIWAN FOR THE FIRST TIME The draft Japan's Defence Ministry White Paper released on June 16, for the first time mentioned the strategic importance of Taiwan while heavily focusing on maritime moves by China’s military.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-AUSTRALIA: AUSTRALIA DECIDES TO TERMINATE FURTHER S&T COOPERATION WITH CHINA Caixin (June 15) reported that Australia’s National Science Agency had decided to end its research partnership with a top Chinese lab next year following a warning that the tie-up could impact the country’s national security, according to Australian media.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-G-7: CHINA CRITICISES G-7 STATEMENT AS "SLANDER" The Chinese embassy in the U.K. on June 14, criticised a statement by the leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) for the “deliberate slandering” of China, accusing the countries’ leaders of “gross interference” in its internal affairs.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-'SOFT POWER': FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF SCMP CALLS FOR LETTING BACK IN FOREIGN JOURNALISTS TO TELL THE CHINA STORY Writing in the South China Morning Post (June 12) its former Editor-in-Chief Wang Xiangwei said "If China’s leaders want to engage the international media, learn from Mao, Deng and Jiang".
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: MILITARY FLYPAST TO BE HELD ON CCP'S CENTENARY ON JULY 1 The Global Times (June 13) reported that the PLAAF's new J-20 stealth fighters, the new Z-8L helicopters and the Z-19 gunship and the Z-10 gunship will perform a flypast at the CCP's centenary celebrations on July 1.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: HUBEI UNIVERSITY RELEASES VIDEO SAYING WITHOUT CCP THERE WOULD BE NO NEW CHINA The Foreign Languages School of Hubei University for Nationalities' released an English rendition of a music video titled "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China" on Twitter on June 14.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: NEW ELECTRIFIED RAILWAY LINKING LHASA WITH NYINGCHI TO BECOME OPERATIONAL ON JUNE 30 Tibet's first electrified railway line 435 kms in length and a major part of China's second rail line with Tibet is to begin operation from June 30.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: URBAN-RURAL INCOME INEQUALITY HAS GROWN IN CHINA Nikkei-Asia reported (June 13) that China's income inequality has grown despite village modernization.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE ACADEMIC EXPLAINS NATIONAL ECONOMIC SECURITY In an article published on June 12, 2021, in "Marxist Studies" (Issue 3/2021) Prof. Yang Yunxia, Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the School of Marxism, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and a special researcher at the Center for Innovation and Development of Ideological and Political Work of the Ministry of Education of Northwestern Polytechnical University, described National economic security as an important content of national security.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: TIBET PLANS GLOBAL PROMOTIONAL EVENT ON TIBET AS PART OF CCP CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS Executive Vice Chairman of TAR People’s Government and Standing Member of TAR Party Committee, Jiang Jie convened a special meeting recently to evaluate the preparatory work for the “Global Promotional Event on Tibet by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-G-7: OVERSEAS CHINESE NEWS OUTLET COMMENTS ON G-7 COMMUNIQUE The Washington-based Duowei News reported on the G7 summit. Observing that it had concluded its three-day agenda on June 13, and issued a communiqué after the meeting.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HUNGARY: GERMANY CRITICISES HUNGARY FOR ITS VETO OF EU SANCTIONS ON CHINA Radio Free Asia (June 9) reported that on June 7, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, in his annual speech to German diplomats, criticized Hungary without naming it.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: CCTV CRITICAL OF US DEFENCE SECRETARY'S 'INTERNAL' DIRECTIVE TO US DEPTT OF DEFENCE DESCRIBING CHINA AS PRIMARY SECURITY THREAT CCTV (June 12) reported that the US Department of Defense published a newsletter on June 9 that US Secretary of Defense Austin issued an "internal directive" requesting the Department of Defense to take a series of actions to better respond to so-called China as America’s primary challenge Security threats.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN GIFTS MANGOES TO CHINA AND 31 OTHER COUNTRIES ANI reported (June 11) from Islamabad that Pakistan has gifted boxes of mangoes to 32 countries, including China.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT X JINPING POINTS TO QINGHAI PROVINCE AS 'MODEL OF NATIONAL UNITY' During a three-day (June 7-9) tour of Qinghai province, Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the importance of Qinghai by stressing its importance for maintaining order in neighbouring Xinjiang and Tibet.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CGTN TELECASTS XI JINPING'S WIFE, PENG LIYUAN, APPEALING FOR GLOBAL EFFORT TO ERADICATE AIDS AND TB The state-owned CGTN telecast a report (June 8) showing Madame Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, calling for global efforts in AIDS and TB prevention and treatment in order to benefit all mankind and build a global community of health for all.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PBSC MEMBER ZHAO LEJI VISITS SHANDONG PROVINCE PBSC member and Secretary of the CCP CC's Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) Zhao Leji visited Shandong from June 6 to 8.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING CHAIRS POLITBURO MEETING TO DISCUSS AGEING On May 31, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a Politburo meeting to listen to reports on major policy measures to actively respond to the ageing population in the “14th Five-Year Plan” period and to deliberate on the “Decision about Improving Birth Policies to Promote Long-Term Balanced Population Development”.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-GOVERNMENT: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING SIGNED ORDER NO: 90 ON "ANTI-FOREIGN SANCTIONS LAW" CCTV reported (June 10) that Chinese President Xi Jinping had signed the Chairman's Order No: 90 approving the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law". Xinhua had reported that, on July 7, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China was deliberating the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law (Draft).”
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES 10TH CONFERENCE OF NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES OF CASE IN BEIJING The People's Daily (May 29) reported that on May 28, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed a large national conference for the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) solemnly convened at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-S&T: CHINA PLANS TO LAUNCH SINGLE-FUNCTION BIOLOGY EXPERIMENT PLATFORM 'SPARKLE-1' BY SEPTEMBER The Global Times (March 14, 2021) had reported an NPC delegate saying on the sidelines of the NPC Plenum on March 11 that a single-function biology experiment platform payload, Sparkle-1, is expected to be launched via a Long March carrier rocket by September, while a multi-functional platform supporting biological experiments may be put into orbit by 2022.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HEALTH: OUTBREAK OF DELTA VARIANT OF COVID-19 REPORTED IN GUANGZHOU Caixin (June 7) reported that China, which has largely recovered from the pandemic since last summer, reported a new wave of flare-ups in Guangzhou that is testing the city’s ability to contain a stronger version of the virus.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: CHINA'S ANNUAL COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS BEGAN ON JUNE 7 10.78 million candidates appeared for China's annual college entrance exam, better known as the 'Gaokao', which began on Monday morning.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: FUDAN UNIVERSITY MATHEMATICS PROFESSOR STABBED TO DEATH BY COLLEAGUE ON JUNE 7 Chinese social media revealed a stabbing incident in Shanghai's Fudan University on June 7 when 39-year Jiang Wenhua stabbed to death Wang Yongzhen, Party Secretary of the Fudan Mathematics Department. Jiang Wenhua is a colleague in the same department.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA'S MINISTRY OF FINANCE ISSUES NOTICE REVISING COLLECTION OF NON-TAX REVENUES China's Ministry of Finance and several ministries on June 4, jointly issued a notice ordering four kinds of non-tax revenues to be collected by central tax authorities.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA UNIT OF TIBET MILITARY REGION "ON THE BATTLEFIELD IN EASTERN TIBET" CONDUCTS "OFFENSIVE" COMBAT TRAINING A Chinese news portal reported (June 3) that officers and soldiers of a certain unit "on the battlefield in eastern Tibet" of the Tibet Military Region conducted offensive combat training to temper their handling methods and coordinated combat capabilities in complex battlefield conditions, and further improve their actual combat level.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA XINJIANG MILITARY REGION'S TACHENG MILITARY SUB-DISTRICT HOLDS LIVE-FIRE ARTILLERY EXERCISES IN JUNE The US-based Duowei news portal reported (June 4) that the Xinjiang Military Region has recently launched live ammunition exercises. It said the latest news from military sources indicates that the heavy artillery squad of a certain regiment of the Xinjiang Military Region has launched live ammunition training.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA PORTAL DISCLOSES PRESENCE OF FEMALE SOLDIERS IN XINJIANG MILITARY REGION'S HIGH-ALTITUDE AREA A PLA news portal revealed (May 30) that a brigade of the Xinjiang Military Region of China is stationed on a snow-covered plateau at an altitude of 4,500 meters in difficult combat conditions.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA SOUTHERN THEATRE COMMAND DISCLOSES ITS NAVY CONDUCTED A LONG EXERCISE PASSING THROUGH THE CELEBES SEA IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC The South China Morning Post (June 7) reported that the PLA Southern Theatre Command disclosed on June 5 that a fleet under its command had travelled more than 6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km) over the past month, passing through the Celebes Sea — which separates Indonesia and the Philippines — and the western Pacific.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: LEAKED PHOTOS SHOW CHINA'S NEW '003' AIRCRAFT CARRIER MATCHES USA'S BIGGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIERS Australia's Cairns Post revealed (June 8) photographs 'leaked' on Chinese social media on May 31 that provide a pretty good estimate of the flight deck layout for Type 003 CATOBAR CV once completed overlaid on the current stage of construction.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLES CLAIMS INDIA COULD CREATE NEW BORDER CONFLICT The Global Times (June 9) published an article captioned 'India may create new border conflict to shift attention from worsening economic, pandemic conditions: expert'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-VACCINE DIPLOMACY: BAHRAIN, DUBAI AND SEYCHELLES HAVE OPTED FOR PFIZER VACCINES AS SINOPHARM VACCINES HAVE NOT PROVED EFFECTIVE ARS Technica reported (June 6) that in Bahrain officials are now offering high-risk people who have already received two doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine a third vaccine dose—but one made by Pfizer-BioNTech.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-AFGHANISTAN: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI HOLDS CHINA-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN TRIPARTITE MEETING ON JUNE 3 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the fourth session of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue with his respective counterparts on June 3.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ASEAN: CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI MEETS ASEAN COUNTERPARTS AT CHONGQING Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his ten ASEAN counterparts on June 8 at Chongqing when they discussed restoring tourism and other economic exchanges battered by COVID-19, to more coordinated efforts in fighting the pandemic and the feasibility of creating a vaccine passport to allow freer travel among them.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. SENATE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES US$ 250 BILLION BILL TO BOLSTER U.S. MANUFACTURING AND TECHNOLOGY The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed an expansive 2,400-page 'US Innovation and Competition Act of 2021' to invest almost $250 billion in bolstering U.S. manufacturing and technology to meet the economic and strategic challenge from China on June 8 by 68-32 votes.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: US SENATORS TRAVEL TO TAIWAN IN USAF AIRCRAFT Three US Senators, Ladda Tammy Duckworth (D), Daniel Scott Sullivan (R) both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Christopher Andrew Coons (D) a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, travelled to Taiwan on a USAF C-17 Globemaster rather than an unmarked private jet.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT BEGINS TRIAL AGAINST US PROFESSOR AT TENNESSEE UNIVERSITY FOR CONCEALING RECEIVING FUNDS FROM CHINA The jury trial in the US against Hu Anming, an Associate Professor in the University of Tennessee’s department of mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering in February 2020, on charges of defrauding NASA by hiding his relationship with a Chinese university began in the Knoxville federal court on June 7.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: POLITBURO MEMBER WANG CHEN'S ARTICLE IN PEOPLE'S DAILY INVOKES YAN'AN SPIRIT TO RALLY CADRES In his article published in the People's Daily (May 31), Politburo member Wang Chen highlighted the significance of the Yan’an Spirit, and how “Yan’an has also become a red beacon that will always inspire the Chinese Communists to march forward courageously.”
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HEALTH: NEW REPORTS REVEAL CHINESE MILITARY SCIENTIST HAD APPLIED FOR PATENT FOR COVID VACCINE IN FEBRUARY 2020 Recent reports (June 5) reveal that The Weekend Australian reported that according to documents obtained by it, Zhou Yusen, a respected military scientist for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who collaborated with the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and American experts, submitted a patent for a Covid-19 vaccine on 24 February 2020.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-FOREIGN POLICY: RENMIN UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SHI YINHONG RECENTLY ENUMERATED CHINA'S "EIGHT STRATEGIC GOALS" FOR NEXT 20 YEARS The US-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) published an article (May 24) reporting that Shi Yinhong, Director of the Center for American Studies at the Renmin University's School of International Studies, enumerated "eight strategic goals of China" for the next 20 years.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: GUANGMING DAILY HIGHLIGHTS 'PARTY HISTORY STUDY AND EDUCATION' ACTIVITIES IN PLA The Guangming Daily (June 6) published a lengthy article titled: 'The Experience and Enlightenment of the Innovation of Military Theory of the Big Party in the Past Hundred Years".
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: TAR PARTY SECRETARY'S ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN PEOPLE'S DAILY ON JUNE 2 The People's Daily (June 2) published a signed article by TAR Party Secretary Wu Yingjie titled: "The Glory of the Party Illuminates the People of the Frontier and the People in the Frontier".
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: PRESIDENT OF BAD DEBT MANAGER CHINA GREAT WALL ASSET MGT. CO. LTD APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF HUARONG Caixin (June 4) reported that Liang Qiang, the new president of bad-debt manager China Great Wall Asset Management Co. Ltd., was named deputy Communist Party chief of troubled China Huarong Asset Management Co. Ltd. on June 4.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE BILLIONAIRE OWNER OF MEITUAN TRANSFERS US$ 2.2 BILLION OF COMPANY'S HOLDING TO CHARITABLE FUND Caixin reported (June 4) that Wang Xing, the billionaire founder of internet giant Meituan, will transfer $2.2 billion of his company holdings into a separate charitable fund, stock exchange filings showed, adding his name to a growing list of high-tech billionaires using their fortunes for philanthropy.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-BRI: PEOPLE'S DAILY CLAIMS TWO MAJOR ENERGY PROJECTS IN HUNGARY AND POLAND HAVE BEEN SET UP UNDER BRI The People’s Daily (June 3) reported the official launch of a 100 MW solar power plant in Kaposvár, Hungary last week.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPANESE AUTHORITIES START REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES OF CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES IN JAPAN Nikkei Asia reported (June 6) that the Japanese authorities will conduct a review of the Beijing-funded educational organization known as the Confucius Institutes that operates on university campuses in light of concerns that the group is a propaganda tool of China.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-MALAYSIA: 16 PLAAF AIRCRAFT IN TACTICAL FORMATION FLEW INTO MALAYSIA'S EEZ NEAR THE SOUTH LUCONIA SHOALS ON MAY 31 On the afternoon of May 31, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) flew 16 aircraft consisting of Ilyushin Il-76 and Xian Y-20 multi-role airlifters over Malaysian maritime zone airspace close to Sarawak.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC ANNOUNCED AWARDS WILL BE GIVEN TO VETERAN PARTY MEMBERS EACH YEAR The Global Times (June 2) reported that the office of the leading group of the CCP centennial celebrations had announced that the CCP Central Committee will for the first time award honorary medals to over 7.1 million veteran Party members, as the CCP marks the 100th anniversary of its founding.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ADDRESSES POLITBURO GROUP STUDY SESSION ON MAY 31 Addressing a Politburo group study session on May 31, Chinese President Xi Jinping was reported by Xinhua (May 31) as saying that China needs "to develop a voice in international discourse that matches China's comprehensive national strength and international status."
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG VISITS NINGBO PORT The People's Daily (May 26) reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, accompanied by Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun and Governor Zheng Zhajie, inspected Ningbo from May 24 to 25.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY JIANGXI PARTY SECRETARY The People's Daily (June 3) published an article Liu Qi, Party Secretary of Jiangxi Province, captioned 'Actively explore the path to realize the value of ecological products (in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era)'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY GANSU PARTY SECRETARY The People's Daily (June 3) published an article by Yin Hong, Party Secretary of Gansu Province captioned: 'Keep in mind the entrustment to write a new chapter and forge ahead on a new journey'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC ISSUES INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY OF SENIOR PARTY OFFICIALS A lengthy article in the People's Daily (June 3) reported that on June 1, the Party Central Committee published a document on stepping up supervision of the "top boss" at various Party organizations and state agencies.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: SHANGHAI DAILY STARTS PUBLISHING 100 Q&A's ON CCP TO MARK ITS CENTENARY To mark the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China this year, the Shanghai Daily has decided, starting June 1, to publish daily 100 Q&As about the CPC and its members.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: NEW REGULATIONS ISSUED BY STATE COUNCIL STIPULATE STRENGTHENING THE PARTY LEADERSHIP INCLUDING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS The China Education News (June 3) published an article on the newly revised "Regulations for the Implementation of the Private Education Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China" recently issued by the State Council and which will come into force from September 1 this year.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-EDUCATION: ARTICLE EMPHASISES IMPORTANCE OF PARTY HISTORY EDUCATION IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES An article in the Guangming Daily (June 3) emphasised that "colleges and universities are important positions for carrying out party history education.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-HEALTH: CHINESE INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST ESTIMATES CHINA MAY WAIT TILL FIRST HALF OF 2022 BEFORE RELAXING RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN TRAVEL Caixin (June 3) reported that Chinese Infectious disease specialist Zhang Wenhong has estimated that China may wait until the first half of 2022 to begin relaxing restrictions on international travel.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINA PERMITS MARRIED COUPLES TO HAVE UPTO THREE CHILDREN On May 31, China announced that married couples would be allowed to have up to three children, raising the official two-child limit in a widely anticipated move.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE FASHION INDUSTRY IS CHALLENGING WORLD FASHION LEADING COMPANIES Caixin (June 3) reported that the rapid rise of the $15 billion Chinese fast-fashion business, which now challenges industry titans like Zara and H&M, has prompted questions about who controls the company and the sustainability of its business model.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: PLA REGIMENT IN 'HIGH PLATEAU AREA' INTRODUCES PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES FOR PERSONNEL The PLA Daily (May 26) reported that some officers and soldiers of an unidentified Regiment posted in the harsh climate of the high altitude plateau experienced psychological discomfort and greater pressure.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: Z-10 HELICOPTERS CONDUCT HIGH-INTENSITY COMBAT EXERCISES IN HINTERLAND OF KARAKORAM PLATEAU Z-10 Medium Attack Helicopters of an Army Aviation Brigade of the Xinjiang Military Region were reported on May 28 to have carried out high-intensity, multiple-type combat exercises in the hinterland of the Karakoram Plateau, which is nearly 5,000 meters above sea level.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: RETIRED CHINESE SENIOR COLONEL ZHOU BO COMMENTS ON PLA'S PEACEKEEPING AND BRI AND INDIA IN INTERVIEW PUBLISHED BY GUANCHA China Forum Executive Committee member and Peking University Prof. Han Hua's interview of retired PLA Senior Colonel Zhou Bo and Senior Researcher, Center for Strategic and Security Studies, Tsinghua University; China Forum Contributing Expert, was published by China's high-circulation portal Guancha (Observer) on May 29.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: CCP AND PAKISTAN'S T-E-I HOLD ONLINE MEETING TO CELEBRATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF EXCHANGES BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES The CCP and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) held an online event on May 26 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan and the 10th anniversary of the exchanges between the two parties.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-NEPAL: CCP ILD HOLDS MEETING WITH MAJOR NEPALESE POLITICAL PARTIES ON JOINTLY COMBATTING PANDEMIC AND PROTECTING PEOPLE'S SAFETY The CCP held a video conference on May 26, with major Nepalese political parties on the theme of "Jointly Combating the Pandemic and Jointly Protecting People's Safety - China and Nepal Join Hands to Fight the Pandemic."
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINA CLAIMS US WARSHIP USS CURTIS WILBUR "ILLEGALLY" ENTERED ITS TERRITORIAL WATERS NEAR PARACEL ISLANDS On May 24, China's PLA Southern Theatre Command claimed that the U.S. warship USS Curtis Wilbur had illegally entered its territorial waters near the Paracel islands in the South China Sea without permission and was expelled by its forces.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: XI JINPING INAUGURATES 10TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF CAST ON MAY 28 Xinhua (May 28, 29) reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the opening of the Tenth National Congress of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 28 when he delivered an "important speech".
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: NEW 'LEADING SMALL GROUP' CONSTITUTED FOR ACHIEVING CLIMATE GOALS Executive Vice Premier Han Zheng chaired the first plenary meeting of the newly-formed Leading Small Group (LSG) for Peak Carbon and Carbon Neutrality on May 26.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY SICHUAN PARTY SECRETARY The People's Daily (May 29) published an article by Sichuan Party Secretary Peng Qinghua captioned 'Firmly implement the new development concept, Strive to draw a new picture of governing and rejuvenating Sichuan in the new era'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY GUIZHOU PARTY SECRETARY The People's Daily (May 30) published an article by Guizhou Party Secretary Chen Yiqin captioned 'Breaking new roads, opening new games, seizing new opportunities, creating new achievements, creating a colourful new future in Guizhou where the people are rich and ecologically beautiful'.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PLA: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST MENTIONS PROBLEMS IN PLA WITH TRAINING OF "NEW BREED OF SOLDIER" The South China Morning Post (May 30) disclosed that the gathering pace of the PLA’s modernisation has given its instructors and recruiters the challenge of how to train a newer breed of soldier.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-SPACE: CCTV REPORTS SUCCESSFUL DOCKING OF TIANZHOU-2 CARGO SPACECRAFT WITH CORE MODULE OF TIANHE The state-owned CCTV reported (May 30) that at 20:55 on May 29th, the Long March 7 Yaosan carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft was successfully launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TECHNOLOGY: HUAWEI COOPERATES WITH RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES IN ATTEMPT TO OVERCOME U.S. SANCTIONS Washington Post (May 29) reported that last month Zhou Hong, President of Huawei’s European and Russian research institutes, visited Novosibirsk State Technical University in Siberia and discussed how Russian universities could help the Chinese tech giant.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TECHNOLOGY: LENOVO'S CEO SAYS GLOBAL SEMICONDUCTOR SHORTAGE WILL PERSIST AT LEAST FOR ANOTHER 18 MONTHS Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo Group Ltd. said (May 27) that he expects the global semiconductor shortage to persist for as long as another 18 months as the unprecedented scarcity continues to squeeze production across a wide range of sectors.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE TECH COMPANIES WATCHING HOW ANT GROUP AND TENCENT RESPOND TO NEW REGULATIONS Caixin (May 29) reported that China’s big tech companies, which made aggressive forays into financial services, all now have their eyes firmly fixed on the sector’s two dominant players — Ant Group Co. Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. — and how they are following regulators’ orders to overhaul their multibillion-dollar financial operations.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: CHINESE REGULATORS FINE ALIBABA GROUP-BACKED GROUP-BUYING PLATFORM 'NICE TUAN' Caixin reported (May 29) that China’s market regulator, State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), slapped a 1.5 million yuan ($235,302) fine on Alibaba Group-backed community group-buying platform Nice Tuan, citing violations including product dumping and deceptive pricing.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: NYINGCHI PARTY SECRETARY VISITS METOK BORDER COUNTY AND ASKS VILLAGERS TO BE VIGILANT AND PROTECT THEIR HOMES AND COUNTRY FROM THE PANDEMIC IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES Ma Shengchang, Party Secretary of Nyingchi went to the border villages and duty stations in Metok County (Metok also known as Pema Ko in Tibetan borders Arunachal Pradesh, India) on inspection on May 18 and 19.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: CHINA HOLDS INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON TIBET'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN PAST 70 YEARS SINCE ITS The People's Daily (May 27) publicised that an 'International Symposium on "Progress and Development of Human Rights in the 70 Years of Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" was held in Chongqing on May 26, around the 70th anniversary of the "peaceful liberation" of Tibet.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN CABINET AUTHORISES SPECIAL CPEC VISAS FOR CHINESE INVESTORS ANI (May 27) reported that the Pakistan Federal Cabinet on May 25 approved a special China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) business visa to facilitate Chinese investors in the country.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-EUROPE: 4 EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS VISIT CHINA The Foreign Ministers of Ireland, Poland, Hungary and Serbia visited China from May 29 to 31 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during the visit Wang Yi will separately meet the four ministers and discuss bilateral and China-Europe relations.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: SOURCE CLOSE TO CHINESE VICE PREMIER LIU HE POSTS ACCOUNT OF LIU HE'S TALK WITH USTR KATHERINE TAI ON MAY 27 A source close to Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and his team posted a brief comment (Taoran Notes, May 27 & 28) on a WeChat account of the talks between USTR Katherine Tai and Liu He on May 27.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: DUBAI RELEASES CHINESE STUDENT WHO IS A PERMANENT U.S. RESIDENT DETAINED AT CHINA'S REQUEST The Dubai authorities, who had detained 19-year old student Wang Jingyu, a permanent resident of the United States at China's behest, was freed on May 27.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-US: US BANS IMPORTS FROM CHINA'S DALIAN OCEAN FISHING CO. LTD The Washington Post (May 30) reported that the U.S. has banned seafood imports from China's Dalian Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd. accusing it of using forced labour.
Jun 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE'S DAILY PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY HAINAN PARTY SECRETARY SHEN XIAOMING The People's Daily (May 27) published an article by Hainan Party Secretary Shen Xiaoming with the caption 'Those who have the country in mind are determined to reform and innovate: To steadily advance the construction of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics'.
May 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: HUNAN PARTY SECRETARY XU DAZHE'S ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY PEOPLE'S DAILY The People's Daily (May 24) published an article by Hunan Province Party Secretary Xu Dazhe captioned 'Keep in mind Yin Yin's entrustment to carry forward the revolutionary spirit and walk the Long March in the new era'.
May 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: PEOPLE'S DAILY EXTOLS CCP'S CHOICE FOR CHINA'S DEVELOPMENT A People's Daily (May 27) commentary pointing to its major achievements extolled the CCP's choice of a development path for China. It stated "A hundred years of overcoming obstacles and thorns, a hundred years of great changes.
May 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CPPCC CHAIRMAN WANG YANG EMPHASISES RELIGIOUS WORK AND ETHNIC UNITY DURING INSPECTION OF NINGXIA FROM MAY 17-19 The People's Daily (May 20) reported the inspection visit by a team led by PBSC member and CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang to Ningxia from May 17-19, 2021.
May 2021 |
CHINA-LEADERSHIP: HEAD OF CCP CC UFWD YOU QUAN INSPECTS HENAN PROVINCE FROM MAY 17-19 The People's Daily (May 20) reported the visit of the Head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) to Henan province between May 17-19.
May 2021 |
CHINA-CCP: CCP CC ISSUES NEW NOTICE LISTING ACTIVITIES TO BE CARRIED OUT ACROSS CHINA FOR PROPAGANDA ON THE REVISED 'HISTORY OF THE PARTY AND NEW CHINA' The CCP CC General Office issued a Notice on May 25, on "Carrying out Propaganda and Education on the History of the Party, the History of New China, the History of Reform and Opening-up and the History of Socialist Development in the whole society", and said arrangements had been for carrying out publicity and education on the "Four Histories" on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
May 2021 |
CHINA-ECONOMY: INNER MONGOLIA ISSUES 8-POINT DRAFT REGULATION AGAINST CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's Regional Development and Reform Commission issued eight draft measures against mining activities in the region.
May 2021 |
CHINA-XINJIANG: RADIO FREE ASIA CONFIRMS DEATH IN CUSTODY OF MIHRAY ERKIN, AN UYGHUR GRADUATE OF SHANGHAI'S JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY Radio Free Asia reported (May 25) the death in custody of Ms Mihray Erkin, a graduate of Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University with a degree in plant biotechnology who had gone on to complete a related master’s degree in Tokyo University before becoming a researcher at Japan’s Nara Institute of Science and Technology, returned to the XUAR in August 2019 after authorities in Kashgar put her parents under pressure to call her home.
May 2021 |
CHINA-HONGKONG: HONGKONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE EXPANDED TO ADD TWO NEW DEPARTMENTS South China Morning Post (May 24) disclosed that Beijing’s top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs will be expanded to create two new departments covering national security and propaganda.
May 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA-BHUTAN: CGTN'S 'FIRST VOICE' REBUTS ROBBIE BARNETT'S REPORT IN FOREIGN POLICY OF CHINA BUILDING A VILLAGE INSIDE BHUTAN The state-owned CGTN's 'First Voice' reacted to an article in Foreign Policy (May 7) by Robert Barnett saying that "News of the construction of the Chinese villages is neither stealthy nor secretive."
May 2021 |
CHINA-SRI LANKA: CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEERING COMPANY AWARDED CONTRACT TO BUILD 17KMS HIGHWAY IN COLOMBO Asia Times reported (May 25) that the Sri Lankan cabinet on May 24, awarded the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) a contract to build a 17-kilometre (10.5-mile), four-lane highway in Colombo.
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: KURT CAMPBELL'S REMARKS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY CLEARLY STATE THAT U.S. POLICY TOWARDS CHINA WILL BE DOMINATED BY COMPETITION Speaking at the Stanford Shorenstein Center, Stanford University, Kurt Campbell, the US coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council, on May 26 said “The period that was broadly described as engagement has come to an end,” and US policy towards China will now operate under a “new set of strategic parameters”.
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: USTR KATHERINE TAI AND CHINESE VICE PREMIER LIU HE HAD THEIR FIRST CONVERSATION ON MAY 27 U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China’s Vice Premier Liu He had a “candid” first conversation as the two sides began to try to resolve some of their differences on trade.
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: US PRESIDENT BIDEN ASKS US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TO INVESTIGATE ORIGINS OF COVID-19 A statement issued by the White House quoted US President Biden as saying on May 26 that he had asked for an additional follow-up to the Intelligence Community's report on the origins of COVID-19, including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident.
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST STATES THAT MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN U.S. AND CHINESE DEFENCE MINISTRIES AFFECTED DIALOGUE The South China Morning Post (May 25) citing analysts and sources said misunderstandings and protocol disagreements have affected dialogue between the Chinese and US militaries, but without causing an immediate crisis.
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: U.S. MEDIA OUTLET CLAIMS ERIC GARCETTI, TIPPED AS BIDEN'S CHOICE FOR U.S. AMBASSADOR TO INDIA HAS TIES WITH CCP CC'S UFWD National Pulse on May 26 reported that current Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, US President Biden's reported choice for US Ambassador to India, has a "long history of collaboration with groups tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD)".
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: US FEDERAL COURT LIFTS RESTRICTIONS ON US INVESTORS BUYING OR HOLDING SECURITIES OF XIAOMI CORP A federal court in Washington issued a final order Tuesday vacating the designation by the U.S. Department of Defense of Smartphone-maker Xiaomi as subject to sanctions for alleged ties to China’s military, the Hong Kong-listed company said in a securities filing.
May 2021 |
CHINA-SAMOA: INCOMING SAMOAN PRIME MINISTER PLEDGES TO CANCEL US$ 100 MILLION CHINESE-BACKED PORT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Fiame Naomi Mataafa, Samoa's opposition leader who is set to take over as Samoa's new prime minister has pledged to cancel a $100 million Chinese-backed port development, calling it excessive for the small Pacific island that is already heavily indebted to China.
May 2021 |
CHINA-JAPAN: JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WARNS SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES FOR LEAKING BLUEPRINTS OF A PROTO-TYPE MACHINE GUN Japan Times reported that Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry issued a warning last month to Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. and a subcontracted firm after the latter leaked blueprints for parts of a military-use prototype machine gun to a Chinese company.
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: CASS PROFESSORS LIST MOVES BY U.S. WHICH HAVE UNDERMINED TRAUST Writing on May 20, 2021 in the publication of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Zhang Yuyan, Professor of the School of International Relations, examined Sino-US relations and observed that "Looking to the future, China and the United States must evade the terrorist balance based on mutual destruction between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and continue to lay a solid foundation for the healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations by ensuring mutual dependence (Mutually Assured Interdependence)".
May 2021 |
CHINA-US: CHINESE PROFESSOR AND CHINA'S TOP AMERICA EXPERT WANG JISI REGRETS LACK OF EXPERTISE ON AMERICAN AFFAIRS The South China Morning Post (May 23) reported that Wang Jisi, President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University and one of China's top America experts, while addressing a ceremony attended by former Chinese diplomats to launch the new American Studies Centre at Zhejiang International Studies University in Hangzhou on May 15, regretted that American studies in China are "too weak".
May 2021 |
CHINA-RUSSIA: CHINESE POLITBURO MEMBER YANG JIECHI TO ATTEND 16TH CHINA-RUSSIA STRATEGIC SECURITY CONSULTATION The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on May 23 that Chinese Politburo member and Director of Office of Foreign Affairs Commission, Yang Jiechi will attend the 16th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation and visit Slovenia and Croatia on May 24-27, 2021.
May 2021 |
CHINA-INDIA: PLA WEBSITE INDICATES REVIVED CHINESE INTEREST IN "RECOVERING" ARUNACHAL PRADESH A PLA-maintained website on May 21, indicated revived Chinese interest in Arunachal Pradesh, which it said were in India's "illegal" occupation.
May 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: CHINA RELEASES WHITE PAPER ON TIBET ON MAY 21, 2021 China issued a White Paper on Tibet comprising ten chapters and captioned 'Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity' on May 21, 2021.
May 2021 |
CHINA-TIBET: CHINA COMPLETES STRATEGIC HIGHWAY OPPOSITE ARUNACHAL PRADESH LINKING NYINGCHI WITH MEDOG China announced the completion |