CiCM 16 - 17th December 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

Chinese Premier signs a State Council order for Non-Bank Payment Institutions: Premier Li Qiang signed an order of the State Council announcing “Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Non-Bank Payment Institutions” that will be implemented from 1^st May 2024. The regulations mentioned in the order contain six chapters and sixty articles covering various topics. The definition and permissions for establishing non-bank payments have been clarified. Non-bank institutions have been defined as companies apart from banking financial institutions involved in transferring monetary funds based on electronic payment instructions issued by users. It is established that these institutions should primarily provide small, convenience payment services and not indulge in other businesses without the approval of law wherever required. Further, payment business rules have been classified into two categories: stored value account operation and payment transaction processing. Non-bank payment institutions will have to sign payment service agreements with users on fair terms and conditions. Additionally, supervision and management of non-bank payment institutions were expected to abide by the party and national lines while focusing on boosting the real economy.
North Korea’s Foreign Vice-minister visits Beijing:Vice foreign vice-ministers, Sun Weidong of China and Pak Myong-ho of North Korea, met in Beijing to discuss strengthening strategic communication and coordination between the two countries. This visit to China is one of the very few visits by a high-level North Korean official since Pyongyang closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The two countries pledged to reinforce cooperation amid recent efforts by China to boost relations with its neighbouring countries to defend against external risks. This also indicates North Korea has resumed its engagements with its neighbours after the pandemic. A brief statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said, “The two sides agreed to take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea next year as an opportunity to deepen the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries”. This meeting has been suspected to occur as a result of North Korea's heightened nuclear activities.
China’s National Health Commission held a press conference discussing the prevention and control of winter respiratory diseases: The NHC revealed that according to recent reports, the total number of outpatient and emergency respiratory disease diagnoses and treatments in the country has been decreasing overall. Medical resources have been expanded in all regions and secondary hospitals, maternal and child health hospitals, while traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and primary health institutions have contributed immensely. Chang Zhaorui, a research fellow at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that among the new variants of Covid-19, JN.1 seems to have risen significantly since November and has become one of the dominant variants in some countries. The Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission informed that 98% of China's tertiary maternal and child healthcare hospitals and 91% of the second-level maternal and child healthcare hospitals have paediatrics.
The Ministry of Natural Resources organizes China’s 40^th Antarctic expedition: China’s 40^th Antarctic expedition, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, set off on Saturday 16^th December. This is the first time China has dispatched three ships namely "Xuelong", "Xuelong 2" and "Tianhui" to execute an Antarctic expedition. An inland team of 29 members will be going to Taishan Station, Kunlun Station and Grove Mountain area to carry out relevant scientific expeditions. Twenty members from the team will go through Taishan Station and reach Kunlun Station which is located at the highest point of the Antarctic ice sheet at an altitude of 4,087 meters. They will be carrying out scientific investigations in the domain of glaciology, astronomy, geology, and geophysics. The other nine members will proceed to the Grove Mountain area at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters on average. They will be conducting scientific investigations such as geological surveys, ice core drilling, and meteorite searches. A notable direction of this expedition is to conduct cooperative research in the frontier areas of Antarctica science with support from many countries.
National Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief Committee issues notice on recent freezing disasters: On 17^th December, the National Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief Committee issued a notice directing local disaster reduction committees and relevant departments to pay close attention to various measures in order to prevent and respond to low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters, and rigorously execute numerous disaster relief measures. It urged leading cadres at all levels to promptly respond to emergencies and ensure safety, smooth traffic and power supply. The notice emphasized preparing emergency repair teams along with ice removal and melting equipment to carry out emergency rescue operations. It also stressed on pre-storage of thermal coal to ensure regular power generation by thermal power plants even during critical periods. Further, it strictly advised on inspection of concealed potential danger sections for ice-prone accidents like subways, overpasses, and underpass tunnels to essentially prevent such accidents. The entire notice focused on laying out guidelines to make sure the people of China have a safe and warm winter.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Chinse firm incentivizes employees to run at least 50km a month: The Dongpo Paper company in Guangdong province has introduced a new policy that says that employees will get a 100 per cent monthly bonus if they run 50km a month, a 60 per cent monthly bonus for running 40km and 30 per cent for 30 km. Mountain hiking and speed walking shall also be considered for 60 and 30 per cent respectively of the total exercise required. The distance will be tracked with the help of apps on the employees’ phones. The Company’s boss is a skilled mountain climber having climbed Mount Everest twice and continues to run 90km every month as he encourages his employees. This policy is “killing two birds with one stone” as “we can get both health and money”, said an employee. Netizens had contrasting views on this scheme. One said, “I need a company like this to help me keep fit”, while another said, “The intention of the company’s policy is good but it should take into consideration any existing conditions or health issues among its employees”. The company has, in fact, replaced its usual year-end bonus with this new monthly bonus system. One netizen commented, “The company should add an extra bonus to the employees who do exercise, instead of using the existing bonus as a bargaining chip".

INDIA WATCH

With severe respiratory illnesses increasing in China, India has started closely monitoring respiratory diseases in the country, especially among children. The Indian government has instructed the (Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories VRDL) network under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to test all samples of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) focusing especially on samples from children. In addition, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, S P Singh Baghel states that a list of priority viral and bacterial agents, including mycoplasma pneumoniae has been shared with the VRDL network for which the samples need to be tested. He said, “While WHO, in the context of the surge in respiratory illness in China, has not recommended any trade/travel restrictions, the health ministry continues to maintain a close watch on the evolving situation in China, as well as globally.” The health ministry has also issued an advisory on 25^th November requesting all states and union territories to review their hospital preparedness and response capacities. It urged for a review of any requirements such as human resource, testing capacities, hospital beds, availability of medical counter-measures and adequate provisioning of infection-control practices at health facilities. States have also been requested to reinforce ILI/SARI surveillance for respiratory diseases and report it regularly on the IDSP-IHIP platform. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) is a decentralised system of trained rapid response teams at the central, state and district levels for monitoring disease trends and initiating necessary public health control and containment measures in the early phase of outbreaks. Additionally, thermal screening of international travellers to India has been taking place as per the health ministry’s guidelines on 19^th July earlier this year.

Prepared By

Adhithi Senthilkumar

Adhithi Senthilkumar is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in International Studies and a minor in Public Policy at FLAME University, Pune. She is fascinated by the complex dynamics of international relations and the substantial impact that policies can have on communities around the globe. Her passion for studying history, societies and contemporary global and domestic politics has been a driving force in her academic journey. She has participated in internships, attended conferences and engaged in volunteer work related to public policy gaining valuable insights into real-world application of policies. She aspires to apply her knowledge and skills to contribute to addressing pressing global issues and collaborate with like-minded individuals to make a positive difference through policymaking.