CiCM 20th July 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

The Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs was held in Beijing on Thursday. President Xi Jinping was present at the meeting and emphasized the need to strengthen China’s farmlands through protection. He stressed onimproving farmland quality to enhance agriculture production. It was also emphasized that measures should be taken to utilize the potential of saline-alkali land, convert basic farmland into modern fertile land, ploughing of abandoned land, and non-conventional farms to be set-up. These goals would be achieved by investment in science and technology, research and development incentives and development strategies that will help overcome scarcity of farmland and decreasing agricultural produce.
Former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing, a day after the United States Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, departed the capital city. Kissinger is valued as a veteran diplomat by Xi, and held in high regard for his instrumental efforts in normalising US-China ties under President Richard Nixon in the 1970s. Hailed as an ‘old friend’ by Xi, Kissinger stated during the meeting that it is critical to uphold the Shanghai Communique's principles and recognise the one-China principle to progress the relationship between the US and China. Kissinger previously met with the Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and China's highest-ranking diplomat, Wang Yi.
Dong Jingwei, the former Vice Minister of State Security, has been appointed as the National Security Office Head of Hong Kong. His predecessor, commissioner Zheng Yanxiong, held the post till January. The Office was established in July 2020 and is primarily responsible for ensuring national security, developing plans and programmes, and addressing important issues. With Dong’s former experience as the Vice Minister, the Director of the Ministry of State Security (2017-2018), and the Deputy Minister of China’s counter-espionage services, he brings extensive knowledge of managing national security. His responsibilities involve overseeing an undisclosed number of Chinese security officers stationed in the city to suppress dissent in Hong Kong and quell counter-espionage practices. Dong was previously the director of the Hebei Provincial Department of State Security from 2006 to 2017.
The China 2023 Internet Civilization Conference was held in Xiamen, Fujian on 18^th and 19^th July. The forum was organized by the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, Commission for Guiding Cultural and Ethical Progress and Fujian Provincial Committee. The keynote address at the conference was delivered by Li Shulei, member of the Politburo and the head of the Publicity Department of the CPC. More than 800 people attended the event, which included representatives from internet companies, social organizations, party personnel and other cyberspace experts. The event was organized to discuss how to increases exchanges between China’s internet and the rest of the world, improve China’s influence on the internet and enhance its digital economy through the internet.
The ‘China Enterprise Credit Index’ 2023 was released by the State Administration for Market Regulation. The Index has recorded a jump of 24.14 points, compared to 2022, registering at 158.36. The Index detailed corporate credit assessment as a tool of market supervision by assessing companies credit information and the market credit value. The index indicates the enthusiasm of enterprises to operate in good market conditions and aid in economic development by bringing in investments and cash flow into the market cycle. In revealing the index, Liu Pingan, director of the Code Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation of China, highlighted that the compilation of the index adhered to objective economic laws and displayed the basic characteristics of the market supervision data.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Netizens shocked by flat owner who kept 7 cows on the balcony of residential apartment: Videos of seven calves enjoying food and living on the balcony of an apartment complex in Sichuan have gone viral in China. The videos have been viewed 5 million times on Douyin. Even after the animals were removed from the apartment, the owner tried to sneak them back into the flat a few days later. Some people online were sympathetic to the flat owner over the villagers losing their former way of life after being resettled. Others said, “At least the building is of fine quality” and “I am sure the cattle never imagined they could live in a building one day”.

INDIA WATCH

Henry Kissinger’s visit to Beijing revealed important challenges to cooperation in China-USA relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that the US policy towards China needs Kissinger-type diplomacy. Even Xi Jinping was quoted saying ‘China and the US are once again at the crossroads of where to go’. This advice comes at a time when China perceives the US is trying to contain China by restricting trade, technology transfers, and using Taiwan and China’s internal disputes against it. Diplomatic contacts have recently been reestablished after relations took a turn for the worse in 2022 during US. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Kissinger’s visit highlights China-US efforts to restart their relations with new vigour. As efforts are being made from both sides to strengthen high-ranking diplomatic visits, India should monitor these developments to ensure it is an equal partner in any of their trade negotiations affecting supply chains. The US and China are India’s most important trade partners. Any agreement or disagreement between them will directly have an impact on India’s economy due to India’s trade relationship with China and USA. Relations set in goodwill will remove the global bottlenecks and reduce the spillover effects of the trade war between China and the US. To ensure that these two superpowers cooperate on various fronts such as trade, climate and security would be beneficial for India.