CiCM 21st August 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

Conference promoting Reunification and opposing Taiwanese Independence held in Hong Kong: On Tuesday, the 2024 Overseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China was held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In a letter addressing the conference, Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, congratulated the conference. He called upon compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to protect Chinese interests and oppose the independence of Taiwan and support reunification with the mainland. Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, said that the conference’s objective and garnering the support of citizens of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese citizens will further reunification and resist independence. 1,200 attended the conference themed “Unswervingly promoting China’s peaceful reunification and striving to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. The 2024 Hong Kong Declaration was adopted at the Conference.
Xi Jinping Hails Victories and Spirit of Chinese Olympians: President Xi Jinping praised the performance of Chinese Olympians at the Paris Olympic Games and the glory they brought to the nation. Attending at the Great Hall of People, President Xi, encouraged Olympians to build China into a sports powerhouse. China bagged 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals in Paris, their best overseas performance so far. Xi praised the athletes for spreading Chinese culture, boosting the Chinese economy, and demonstrating the country’s growing strength. He expressed his wish for the athletes to remain humble, continue their training to develop strengths and further boost the country’s performance as they prepare for the 2028 Olympics. He lauded them for their sportsmanship, victory, and determination to bring glory to China.
Central China Enhances Efforts to Grow IP Protection: On Wednesday, China’s leading IP regulator said that Central China has grown in intellectual property (IP) protection. At a press conference in Zhengzhou, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) presented data that indicated the number of valid registered trademarks had reached over 7.04 million, which is an 11 percent annual increase. The number of valid invention patents in central China reached 618,000 in June, a 19 percent increase since 2023. Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi are rich in labour resources and have seen a positive effect through tech-driven emerging industries like electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and genetic breeding. Guo Wen, a CNIPA spokesperson, said that national IP protection pilot zones have been up in multiple cities to enhance the implementation of the IP protection rule-of-law standards. 3,136 IP cases have been processed by 13 national IP protection centres and five IP protection centres.
China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) Releases Judicial Interpretations to Protect Consumer Rights: The Chinese Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released a new judicial implementation on punitive damages for food and drug cases. This was done to ensure that producers use lawful production methods and to encourage consumers to exercise their rights rationally. At a conference, a chief judge of the SPC’s first civil adjudication tribunal, Chen Yifang, said the court’s actions would underscore safeguarding consumer rights and promoting socio-economic development. It also ensures commensurate penalties by managing compensation claims and not hindering regular business and production activities. The judicial implementation includes 19 articles which support ordinary consumers' access to punitive damages for their daily consumer needs. Additionally, it also stipulates guidelines for malicious excessive compensation and repeat claims. Illegal compensation claims will be curtailed by imposing penalties from fines to detaining perpetrators who illegally access compensation or use false lawsuits. Furthermore, it outlines that discarding food and drugs whenever necessary should be undertaken in line with the Food Safety Law and Pharmaceutical Administration Law to contain concerns regarding re-entering unqualified food and drugs into the market. These interpretations will be enforced on Thursday.
China and Russia Discuss Deepening and Strengthening Relations at 29th Annual Meeting: Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Russia for the 29th regular meeting. The meeting between Chinese and Russian senior officials has been held annually since 1996. Li said that the Chinese and Russian Presidents have developed strategic relations between major countries. He also emphasized that China-Russia relations have withstood multiple international challenges and have strengthened and deepened. Trade between the countries in 2024 has increased by 1.6% annually, reaching $136.67 billion. On Wednesday, Li Qiang said that China wishes to partner with Russia in enhancing multilateral cooperation to establish multipolarity and economic globalisation. He said that China and Russia will develop a comprehensive strategic partnership and increase practical cooperation across the board. He commented that China and Russia will collaborate in emerging areas, increase industrial innovation and the role of science and technology to increase economic growth points.
China’s Ministry of Commerce Launches Countervailing Investigation Against Certain EU Dairy Products: On Wednesday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said that it will be launching a countervailing investigation into EU dairy products. The investigation was effective immediately. The Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau of the MOFCOM said that the investigation is a “domestic industry application”. MOFCOM also stated that the investigation will be conducted consistent with the Chinese laws and WTO rules while protecting the interests of all relevant parties to reach an objective decision. On July 29, the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association sent a formal application to MOFCOM asking for a countervailing probe. During consultations with the EU, evidence given by the applicant and a preliminary review of the MOFCOM indicated that the total output of certain dairy products made up a significant amount of China’s total output of similar products in the same period between 2020 and 2023 and Q1 of 2024. The Countervailing Regulations of China allow the ministry to use samples, hearings, questionnaires, on-site inspections and other things to gather information from relevant parties and governments for investigations.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Hashtags on Black Myth: Wukong” Trend on Weibo; Garners Backlash on Social Media: China’s first large budget, AAA video game, Black Myth: Wukong, has amazed the global gaming industry with its early sales. The game launched on Tuesday, garnered over 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam. The game borrows from the renowned Chinese novel from the 16^th century, “Journey to the West”, and follows Sun Wukong, the iconic Monkey King. The game and the developing company, Game Science, have investments from tech giants like Tencent. The company’s future is dependent on the success of the game due to large development and promotional costs of over $100 million. Players have said that the game offers a cinematic experience with noteworthy visuals and auditory elements. The game has earned high praise from domestic and international reviewers. However, at the same time, there have been discussions about technical bugs and criticism of the game. On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, the hashtag “Black Myth: Wukong insults women” was trending with over 18 million views. The controversy comes from the company’s offensive comments towards women on social media. The game is being criticised for the lack of female characters and gender representation.

INDIA WATCH

Global Times Op-ed on India Hosting the Global South Summit: Global Times, a Chinese news agency, reported on India hosting the third Voice of the Global South Summit virtually. According to the author, the enthusiastic participation from Global South countries underscores their feelings of uncertainty and their wish for their voices to be considered by the global community. The author stated that a united front was an essential aspect in forwarding the group's agenda. The article however stated that the lack of major powers of the Global South, like China, at the summit hindered the achievement of common goals through united efforts. Additionally, the article stated that South-South collaboration and North-South dialogue was a necessary precursor because cooperation between major Global South countries like China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa could assist less developed countries through investments, aid, technological and developmental support. This would increase unity among the Global South, smoothening interactions with the Global North. Furthermore, the article called for effective action as the summit mainly focused on raising awareness. The article critiqued India for facing varied developmental issues, and for making up ¼ of the world’s poor population. It elaborated that this hinders India from providing support to other countries. Lastly, the author commented that there is a lack of collective leadership in the Global South, stating that if India continued to view China as a hindrance, the solidarity of the Global South would not grow. It called for India to collaborate with China to avoid an unfavorable outcome for Global South countries.

Prepared By

Sanjana Shah

Sanjana Shah is a graduate in International Studies with a minor in Journalism from FLAME University, Pune. Her interests lie in exploring the nuances and intricacies of geopolitics and understanding the complexities that arise from the socio-political-economic nexus. She is deeply interested in history, defence and security studies, and humanitarian studies.