CiCM 28th May 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

China and Equatorial Guinea Decide to Foster Deeper Relationship: Chinese President Xi Jinping and the president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea met in Beijing to discuss the bilateral relationship moving forward. XI reaffirmed that China and Equatorial Guinea have a positive relation, and China supports the latter in opposing foreign interference to safeguard national sovereignty. Xi confirmed China’s willingness to work with Equatorial Guinea and other developing countries to improve relationships. The connection between the two has scope for deepening to expand cooperation and political trust based on the two countries mutual interests. As part of the strategy, XI encouraged Chinese enterprises to invest into Africa’s agricultural and rural areas to support socioeconomic development in Equatorial Guinea. President Obiang responded positively to China’s perspective and maintained appreciation for the collaborative efforts in the field of healthcare and their positive effects on local societies. Equatorial Guinea confirmed its stance of the one-China policy and states that Chinese investment in the African economy is welcome and appreciated.
Chinese Asset Manager Sentenced to Death: The Tianjin Intermediate People’s Court publicised the first verdict of Bai Tianhui’s trial. The defendant was the former general manager of China Huarong International Holdings Ltd. and was found guilty of accepting bribes worth over 1.1 billion yuan between 2014 and 2018. Arrested in 2019, Bai had exploited his powerful positions within the asset management company and offered unequal treatment, favouring matters of project acquisition and corporate financing. Due to the large amount of money, the extreme abuse of position and the serious damage caused to the state and its people, Bai was sentenced to death, deprivation of political rights for life and the confiscation of all personal property. The court considered Bai's assistance in exposing clues and information related to other criminal activities, but concluded the crime to be too severe to warrant a lighter sentence. The death sentence can be carried out if accepted after review by the Supreme People’s Court. Huarong, the state-owned financial management company has been under investigation bribery and corruption at least once before, as its chairman, Lai Xiaomin was similarly sentenced to capital punishment in 2021. Lai was concluded to be guilty of embezzling public funds through his powerful position, taking bribes and bigamy.
Arrests Made in Hong Kong Under Allegations of Seditious Intentions: Six people were arrested in Hong Kong under the suspicion of violating section 24 of the new National Security Ordinance implemented on March 23^rd, 2024. The ordinance resolved to implement the one-country, two-systems policy and to prevent, supress and punish activities endangering national security, and section 24 outlaws sedition. The six arrested were suspected to have violated section 24 of the ordinance by maintaining seditious intentions. The residences and electronic communication devices of the six suspects were seized and searched. The investigation yielded evidence that activist Chow Hang-Tung was inciting “hatred” towards the central government through posts considered seditious in nature. Her arrest was under the allegation of exploiting the sensitive date of June 4^th and planning to incite hatred towards the central government through online posts. These posts and messages discussed and reflected upon the 1989 Tiananmen protests and massacre, the ban of the protest anthem “Glory to Hong Kong” and other “politically sensitive” topics. Chows’ detainment under the charge of publishing seditious posts makes her liable to imprisonment for seven years. Security Secretary Chris Ping-Keung emphasised that her crime was the incitement of hatred, rather than the subject matter of the posts. The other five detained include Chow’s mother, League of Social Democrats member Lee Ying-Chi, ex-Tsuen Wan district council member Chan Kim-Kam and two activists associated with the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The six arrests are the first under the new National Security Ordinance.
Chinese State Security Retaliate Against False Claims: The Ministry of State Security of the People’s Republic of China has responded to false information pertaining to border procedures. The ministry claims that anti-China forces were spreading rumours of mandatory phone checks for travellers at the Chinese borders; the ministry clarified that the checks are carried out in accordance to the legal procedures under specific circumstances only as the privacy of communication is a constitutional right. Article 29 of the anti-espionage law permits national security to access information on the suspects property when permitted by the municipal level or above. Approval for inspection must be obtained prior to the phone checks in cases where espionage is suspected the regulations follow newly-revised anti-espionage policies to combat the national security threat of spies. The ministry emphasised that the checks follow procedure and are only carried out on targets who are suspected spies, rather than average travellers at the border. China’s counterespionage law decrees spying to be the stealing, purchasing, prying into or illegally providing documents, data and materials connected to national interests and security.
Sichuan Dramatist and Playwright Dies of Illness: Renowned Playwright Wei Minglun passed away at the age of 83 in Sichuan. Described as a “literary pioneer”, Wei was a dramatist, essay writer and poet who was well known for his operas and plays. His work was award winning for their excellent scripts and a segment of his opera was included in People’s Education Press junior high-school Chinese textbook. Wei’s works won the National Excellent Script award thrice, the movie adaptation of his drama “King of Masks” won various awards in film festivals around the world after its release in 1996. His 1985 Sichuan opera script “Pan Jinlian was made popular by its controversy due to critics mixed opinions on its “absurdity”. The effect of the discourse lead to the play was recantation by several opera troupes around China and it was performed over 200 times. The play generated discourse surrounding topics of love, marriage and family through its contemporary and cross-cultural reimagination of the story of its titular character, Pan Jinliang. His works were iconic for their uniquely dramatic features, and Wei was praised for his understanding of audience psychology. In accordance to his final wishes, his corneas were donated, and his family held a private funeral.
Chinese Economy Has Room to Benefit from US Interest Rate Cuts: China’s prolonged status of low inflation and low interest may be influenced in light of US’s plan to cut interest rates, according to US Federal Reserve’s ex-risk manager, Carl Tannenbaum. Tannenbaum predicted the US rate cut is likely to happen around September this year if prices drop, and the cut is expected to allow leeway for China to cut its rates. The large interest-rate gap between Western Countries such as the US, and China is a hurdle in the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC) plan to keep the yuan value aligned with their target. China’s producer price index has been in decline since September 2022, while the inflation measure of the consumer price index (CPI) grew by 0.3 percent. Given China’s low inflation rates, investors expect the PBOC to cut interest to encourage spending and economic movement. Tannenbaum states that a break in China’s low interest and low inflation state will be difficult to execute, though the current status quo would be problematic if sustained. China’s current economic problems could be tackled through the restructuring of national debt and the development of a large, state-funded spending package. China’s direction towards utilising the computing techniques of the rapidly developing AI technology will likely be an imperative investment, according to Tannenbaum.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

C-Beauty Industry Sees Immense Popularity: South China Morning Post published an article discussing C-Beauty and its developing popularity locally and globally. Chinese beauty products have seen a steep increase in popularity in 2024 because of social media trends and influence. Homegrown Chinese products have seen local success for several popular brands like Flower Knows and Judydoll, however C-beauty brands have notably been globally overshadowed by the immense popularity of Korean and Japanese products. Social media agency Red Ant Asia’s co-founder Elisa Harca stated that China lacks the soft power strategy South Korea capitalizes on; pop culture in Korea acts as a segway for global audiences to gain an interest in products available. Despite this, C-beauty seems to be making a name for itself through capitalizing on makeup trends. Influencers participating in the trends expose a global audience to the formulas and design choices of C-beauty products and slowly clarify preconceived ideas of the Chinese beauty industry, such as questions of animal cruelty. South China Morning Post specifically points out L’Oreal’s announcement of its minority stake in “To Summer”, a Chinese fragrance brand as a turning point in the industry, signalling global and local potential in the brand. The mainland’s fragrance industry is predicted to be worth over 150% of its current value by 2025 based on its current success. The cosmetic and makeup industry of China is similarly garnering success due to its virality on platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu.

INDIA WATCH

Chinese media reported on Cyclone Remal and the natural disasters triggered in its wake on the 28^th of May. The landslides and storms killed at least 32 people and injured many more across West Bengal and the northeastern states of Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya. The cyclone impacted local power supplies and caused damage to infrastructure as the winds uprooted trees and blew away the roofs of homes. Reports state that homes and farmlands are flooded, and the displacement of debris blocked roads in West Bengal, Mizoram and Bangladesh. The northeastern state of Mizoram has received press attention due to the tragic incident of a stone quarry collapse. Triggered by the heavy rains, the collapse killed 17 people, with several more trapped under the debris. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced that the families of the victims will be compensated for their loss following an emergency meeting to assess and respond to cyclones aftereffects. The preventative and management measures taken in response to the cyclone have been represented in the reports, as China Daily confirms 100,000 people in vulnerable areas were evacuated and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are working to remove debris. The confirmed casualties include the victims of electrocution, residential collapses and the quarry collapse.

Prepared By

Aditi Dash

Aditi Dash is an undergraduate student of Literary and Cultural Studies at FLAME University. Her interests span the academic study of literature and art history, as well as anthropological concepts of culture and social behaviour.