CiCM 26th August 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

Li Qiang led the ninth State Council study session: On the afternoon of August 26, the State Council conducted its ninth special study session, focusing on "Implementing the National Strategy for Actively Responding to Population Aging and Promoting the Coordinated Development of the Elderly Care Industry." Premier Li Qiang emphasized the importance of thoroughly studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's key directives on addressing aging. He stressed the need to follow the Party Central Committee's decisions, actively pursue the national strategy for addressing population aging, and integrate the concepts of active and healthy aging into the broader economic and social development framework. The aim is to strengthen and improve efforts related to aging and promote the high-quality development of aging-related initiatives. After a lecture by Professor Wu Yushao from Fudan University and speeches by Vice Premier Liu Guozhong and State Councilors Wang Xiaohong and Chen Yiqin, Premier Li Qiang emphasized the long-term reality of population aging in China, urging a balanced approach to its challenges and opportunities. He called for proactive planning, viewing the elderly as a valuable resource, and urged regions to prioritize aging, improve policies, tackle key issues, and enhance elderly well-being.
China to Uphold South China Sea Conduct Declaration; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: On August 26, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian addressed an incident near Xianbin Reef in the South China Sea. An AFP reporter asked about claims that a Philippine ship deliberately collided with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel. China also claimed to have rescued Philippine personnel, a claim the Philippines denied. Lin Jian stated that Xianbin Reef is part of China’s Nansha Islands. He said that on August 25, a Philippine vessel entered these waters despite China's objections and deliberately approached the Chinese Coast Guard, leading to the collision. He asserted that the Chinese Coast Guard's response was lawful and professional, placing responsibility for the incident on the Philippines. Lin accused the Philippines of trying to establish a presence in the area by repeatedly sending vessels. He said these actions violate China’s sovereignty, breach the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," and threaten regional stability. China urged the Philippines to stop its provocations and warned of firm measures to protect its sovereignty.
Taiwanese Teachers Integration Training Launched in Beijing: On August 26th, a week-long training program focused on the integration and development of Taiwanese teachers working on the mainland began in Beijing. Co-organized by the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots and the Taiwan Returned Scholars Association, the program featured visits to key sites and a seminar on social science fund applications. Nearly 30 Taiwanese teachers participated. Chen Jingchao from Xiamen University highlighted that since its 2016 launch, the program has covered many provinces. He expressed that each visit has highlighted the rapid development of the mainland and mentioned his anticipation for this year's trip to Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. In recent years, as cross-strait exchanges have deepened, a growing number of Taiwanese teachers have begun teaching at universities across the mainland. To help them better understand China, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots and the Taiwan Alumni Association have launched thematic training activities. Ji Bin, Party Secretary and Vice President of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, noted that the Taiwan Teachers Training Activity has become a key initiative for connecting and supporting Taiwanese living on the mainland. The program provides a platform for policy communication, exchange, mutual support, and gathering feedback, with the goal of helping Taiwanese teachers settle in, integrate, and thrive in China.
Chinese and US Scientists Develop New AI Drug Discovery Model: Scientists from China and the United States have created a new AI model named ActFound that could address significant challenges in drug development and discovery. According to a paper in Nature Machine Intelligence, ActFound surpasses other models and overcomes obstacles associated with using machine learning for bioactivity prediction. Researchers from Peking University, the University of Washington, and AI firm INF Technology Shanghai explained that bioactivity involves various compound properties, including target interactions, effects on biological systems, and therapeutic outcomes. The two biggest obstacles to machine learning are incompatibility between assays, which are tests used to gauge a drug's activity or potency, and insufficient data labeling. The model works as well as a free-energy perturbation (FEP), a conventional computational technique, in addition to surpassing rival AI models. The scientists cautioned that while FEP calculations are highly accurate, they "require extensive computational resources that are often not affordable for large-scale applications”. The team noted that existing machine-learning methods face challenges in bioactivity prediction due to limited compounds and inconsistent measurements. Foundation models, pre-trained on large datasets, address these issues. ActFound was trained on 35,644 assays and 1.6 million bioactivity measurements. When tested on six real-world bioactivity datasets, it outperformed nine other models in both in-domain and cross-domain predictions.A case study on cancer drug bioactivity also showed superior performance compared to other models.
CSRC to Establish "Long-Term Money and Investment" Policy System: The China Securities Regulatory Commission informed us on August 25 that in order to further deeply and totally expand the capital market reform and to carefully examine and put into practice the principles of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, At a recent special symposium in Beijing, Wu Qing, the Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, engaged in in-depth discussions and solicited feedback from representatives of ten prominent institutional investors, including the National Social Security Fund, Insurance Asset Management, Bank Wealth Management, and Private Equity Funds. Attending the symposium was Li Chao, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and a member of the Party Committee. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee's "Decision" outlined capital market reforms to aid China's modernization, emphasizing coordinated investment and rising demand for long-term equity. Reforms include enhancing investment incentives, market systems, stock issuance, and promoting innovation and higher dividends. Wu Qing emphasized that following the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee's directives is crucial for the CSRC. The CSRC will adhere to the "Decision," advance key policies, and focus on stability, risk prevention, and high-quality development. This includes refining systems for issuance and trading, enhancing long-term investment policies, and improving the capital market’s functions to support China’s modernization.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Users Outraged Over Claims Sun Yang Can No Longer Cut It Among World’s Best: Weibo users in China have expressed outrage after local media suggested that disgraced swimmer Sun Yang might no longer be among the world's best. Sun, 32, won the men’s 400-meter freestyle final at the National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei with a time of 3:49.58, his first race since serving a four-year doping ban. His time was nearly 10 seconds slower than his Olympic record of 3:40.14 from London 2012 and almost eight seconds behind Lukas Martens' gold-winning time of 3:41.78 at the Paris Olympics. A hashtag highlighting that was viewed more than 52 million times on Monday, with one local media outlet saying Sun “lacks competitiveness internationally”. One user suggested that instead of critiquing Sun Yang's performance, attention should be directed towards managing foreign media and protecting athletes. Another user pointed out that, given Sun's absence from competitions and national team training, it is unrealistic to expect rapid results and argued that his golden years as an athlete may have passed, so he should not be judged too harshly. Sun Yang called the past four years challenging as he got married and pursued a PhD. He shifted his focus from rankings to valuing perseverance and effort and is determined to compete strongly if given the chance at the 2028 Olympics. After winning the 400m heats on Sunday, Sun was emotional during his interview and cried again when Zhang presented him with a bouquet after his final win.

INDIA WATCH

India's Rape and Murder Case Sparks Protests; Modi Calls Crimes Against Women Unforgivable: The Paper reported that the rape and murder of a female intern doctor, along with the sexual assault of two girls in India, have sparked widespread outrage. As protests erupted across the country, Prime Minister Modi spoke on the 25th, declaring that crimes against women are "unforgivable" and that those who aid in such crimes must also be held accountable. In Jalgaon, Maharashtra, Modi addressed political parties and state governments, emphasizing that crimes against women are unforgivable and that both perpetrators and their supporters should face consequences. He stressed that negligence in hospitals, schools, offices, or the police system must be addressed, and accountability should be enforced at all levels. Modi highlighted that protecting the dignity and safety of women is a fundamental responsibility of both society and government. Modi affirmed the Indian government's commitment to protecting women and noted that the new law imposes severe penalties for crimes against women. Recent reports highlight widespread outrage following the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old female intern in Kolkata. The doctor was attacked while sleeping in a hospital lobby. The incident has led to numerous protests by doctors and women's groups calling for better protection and rights for women. The Indian Medical Association has called for a 24-hour national strike starting on the 17th, maintaining only emergency services, due to concerns for the safety of women in the medical field.

Prepared By

Pavithra SR

I am a third-year undergraduate majoring in International Relations at Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, Greater Noida specializing in gender, security, and digitalization. My interests include policy making and South Asian studies, with a particular focus on international migration, subaltern communities, and democratic studies. I am keen to conduct policy research in these areas in the future.