CiCM 6th June 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

China’s first ever homegrown large cruise liner undocked in Shanghai to begin trial runs. Construction of the ship, Adora Magic City, began in 2019 and is slated for delivery by the end of 2023. Its construction by the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. (SWS) - a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding (CSS), signals a breakthrough in the local shipbuilding industry. It now marks the completion of the last type of large ship that China had been yet to produce. Adora Magic City or Mo Du as it is called in Putonghua, weighs 135,000 gross tonnes and can accommodate up to 5,246 passengers. The ship is expected to sail along routes to Japan and Southeast Asia, facilitating commercial tourism along the Maritime Silk Route.
The Yangtze River Delta Integrated Development Achievements Conference was held in Hefei. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Yangtze River integration being promoted to the status of a national strategy. Attendees included members of the Provincial Party Committees of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, and the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee; the four regions that form the concerned delta. Their representatives, Wang Qingxian, Xu Kunlin, Wang Hao and Gong Zheng respectively, made speeches. The event emphasised on the centrality of the Yangtze project to Xi Jinping’s vision of Chinese-style modernisation. Other areas of focus included the implementation of digital projects, integration of local supply chains, construction of an ecological barrier, and project promotion during the upcoming Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games.
The High Court in Hong Kong has received and is reported to be processing an application from the region’s justice secretary. The court is currently considering an injunction against the 2019 anti-government protest song, ‘Glory to Hong Kong.’ The song acquired the status of an unofficial anthem as opposed to the official national anthem - ‘March of Volunteers,’ constituting a grave and seditious insult as per official statements. The filed writ asks the High Court to the court to restrain those harbouring criminal intent from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing (the song) in any way.” The order is speculated to criminalise adaptions of the song including translated versions and instrumentals, as well.
Chinese train manufacturer, CRRC Tangshan Co., produced the first new-energy light rail train for Argentina. A ceremony was held to commemorate the successful production, as well as to signal the start of the export of such trains from China. The design of the train that will run in the Jujuy Province of Argentina is inspired by Quebrada de Humahuaca - a World Heritage Site located in the country. The train is powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries and has a flexible passenger capacity ranging from 72 to 388. It runs at a maximum speed of 60km per hour. CRCC Tangshan chairman, Zhou Junnian has expressed hope that the train will encourage cooperation between China and the Latin-American countries.
The China Manned Space Agency announced that the Tianzhou-5 successfully re-docked with the Tiangong space station, after over a month of independent flying. The agency reported the time of redocking to be 3:10. AM on Tuesday. The spacecraft had separated from the orbiting combination of the space station on 5 May to make space for its successor- the Tianzhou-6 which was launched last month. It spent a total of 33 days flying independently.
A press release from the Chinese Defense Ministry revealed that the sixth edition of the Sino-Russian air patrols was conducted. China and Russia carried out joint strategic air patrols over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, continuing a military tradition that began in 2019. The Ministry revealed that the patrols were part of the annual cooperation plans charted out between the two militaries. Information about the details of the aircraft and their numbers were scarce in the statement. Last year, the Chinese air force deployed H-6K bombers while the Russian military utilised its fleet of Tu-95 bombers and Su-35 fighter jets.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Cyberbullying reports spark outrage over Wuhan woman’s suicide: A woman in Wuhan committed suicide last week, just days after her seven-year-old son was killed outside his school in a traffic accident. The boy was run over by a teacher’s car - the teacher was later arrested, and the senior and vice principals of the school were removed from their positions. The mother, surnamed Yang, had earlier spent her time raising the issue of her child’s death around the school premises, generating a flurry of media interest. A clip of her verbally retaliating when a government official confronted her went viral on social media. Reports have now surfaced that her suicide was prompted by cyberbullying. Some netizens had attacked her outward emotional and physical appearance in the public demonstrations - interpreting Yang’s lack of tears and well-kept attire, to allege that she showed no signs of sadness over her son’s death. Local police are investigating the links between Yang’s death and cyberbullying. Weibo has said that it has blocked 33 accounts for making unfriendly comments on the boy’s death and maliciously speculating on his family.

INDIA WATCH

With the delivery of Adora Magic City towards the end of 2023, China will become the 5th country to join the ranks of Germany, France, Italy, and Finland, who are already manufacturing large cruise ships. Unlike China which is expecting to establish itself in the international market with this development, the Indian domestic shipbuilding industry is still mulling in a stagnant sea. India’s contribution to commercial shipbuilding globally accounts for less than 1 per cent. India has around 35 shipbuilding companies, including a few state-owned firms. The government had largely focused on producing warships; INS Visakhapatnam was a confirmation of self-reliance or an Atmanirbhar Bharat, but not much attention had been diverted to the market for commercial ships. Despite a 16 per cent financial subsidy from the government and plenty of production capacity, private firms choose to prioritise defense orders over commercial needs. An insufficient supply of domestically produced ships then pushes shipping companies to source their commercial fleets through imports. Global demands are being increasingly met by China, Japan, South Korea and a few Southeast Asian countries, apart from the well-established European players. This in turn affects India’s stakes in the global shipping industry, as capital becomes expensive. The Indian shipbuilding industry needs to reorient some of its focus and see the economic viability that comes from catering to commercial needs as well.

Prepared By

Tamiliniyaa Rangarajan

Tamiliniyaa Rangarajan is a fourth-year undergraduate student of International Relations and Governance Studies, at Shiv Nadar University. Her research interests are geared towards understanding the implications of political economy, and culture and soft power- applying these to the Chinese context. In her spare time, she likes to experiment with photography and pick up foreign languages.