4th October 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

Communist Party of China (CPC)- Driving China’s Development: Professor Li Shuangtao, from the School of Marxism at the Central Party School, outlined several reasons demonstrating how the living standards of the Chinese people have consistently improved under the leadership of the CPC. He starts his initial argument by claiming that revolutionary ideas are lofty. He says the CPC has lofty ideals alongside the ability to bring them to fruition. He backed it up with the 5-year plan example, wherein the party achieved its aim of building a moderately prosperous society by 2020 with the next goal already set in sight for 2035. His second argument is that CPC only wants to make life better for ordinary people and that the common people support CPC’s policies (eg: poverty alleviation) because CPC carries those out with the sole aim of supporting its citizens. His third argument is that due to CPC’s self-reliance and self-confidence attitude, they have realized their ideals of Chinese-style modernization seen in its 2023 GDP. The final argument he puts forth is the CPC’s “spirit of self-revolution” emphasizing on CPC’s courage to face its own mistakes.
China’s men’s contingent: The face of China on the ATP Tour- Wu Yibing, China’s former US Open boy’s champion emerged victorious in his first ATP tour win against India’s Sumit Negal, after more than a year. Wu said, China’s contingent contains 3 top-100 contenders and 2 wild-card entries, making the famous five the face of China at the ATP tour. Wu after his win was seen scribbling 'F5' on the broadcasting camera, which he later revealed to be the ‘refresh’ button on the computer (F5), further expressing his desire for their contingent and to be able to “renew their previous best by outdoing themselves here” This came after Wu suffered from injuries that took a toll on him for 10 years, hindering his progress in his tennis dream. 19-year-old Shang who’s quickly climbing the tennis ladder to success will be participating with Wu, along with one of the wild cards Zhou Yi, in the second round of the Shanghai tournament. Shang proved himself by defeating the 4-time winner Carlos Alcaraz while Zhou was given a walk-over.
Granny Nyima: One of China’s first border guards in the Alshaa League: Granny Nyima’s dedication to her country has earned her the title of “Model Individual for National Ethnic Unity and Progress”. At the age of 79, she still manages to patrol the China-Mongolia border, alongside her family members which include her son, his wife and a grandson. The grandson is stepping into his grandmother’s shoes by joining the Alshaa League Border Management Brigade. Nyima has been patrolling the border ever since she was 25, i.e. in 1971, which established her as one of the initial border patrol guards in the Alshaa League, which came into being post-PRC. She proudly narrates her tale of shooting down 1000 incidents of trespassing all the while patrolling a distance of over 180,000 kilometers. She exclaims how she herds the camels alongside her son in the day and starts patrolling in the evening all the while being alert of her surroundings, despite the harsh nature of the environment. Her daily routine stands as a true testament to her patriotic feeling towards her nation.
Chinese Diplomat Urges Peace Talks in Somalia: Dai Bing, a Chinese representative to the UNSC, emphasised the importance of encouragement and support of the global world towards Somalia due to their significant progress in rebuilding their nation. He also mentioned their progress in the UN and AU missions operating within the country. He outlined 3 important points to be put into action. The first was to maintain political equilibrium, solidify the security transition and ensure that the UN mission operates effortlessly. He emphasized the necessity of negotiation and solidarity among Somali parties and urged for foreign aid for Somalia’s developments while considering the challenges that underfunding has been posing. He continued with clarity about ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) to transition into a new AU mission while also asking for dialogue and cooperation to strengthen among the important stakeholders to achieve an agreement on new mission agreements and ensure the smooth progress of the relevant work. Dai lastly promised support for Somalia’s operations and missions from China and urged the council to help Somalia move away from UNSOM towards a UN country team.
China has created more than 70 international investment networks: Xinhua, a reporter, reported on China’s expansion of worldwide investment partnerships to increase effective dialogue and funding for Chinese companies expanding abroad. These businesses work with foreign governments to simplify procedures, in turn making it simpler for the national firms to make financial decisions abroad. Since the onset of 2023, 42 memorandums of understanding have been signed by China with countries who meet their investment agendas in the field of green, digital and blue economy so that it benefits them to increase dialogue and cooperation in the same with other countries, giving them a nexus of possibilities. China has put in place a management system from filing to reporting to manage foreign investment. This includes the use of digital permits, provided more than 40,000 times, to cut costs and enhance performance. The system launched as a one-stop platform, was accessed by over 300 million users. There’s a particular guide called, ‘Guidelines for Countries (Regions) for Overseas Investment and Cooperation’ which encompasses 170 countries and is made to help Chinese firms better understand the business environment of the respective country.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Record Traffic Surge on Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link Over Holiday: The Shenzhen-Zhongshan link which is a cross-sea road connecting both in Guangdong province was filled with traffic on October 1. It has been reported on WeChat that there were 155,000 vehicles along with the already present 170 personnel, 100 traffic police and 100 special operation vehicles to avoid the exact catastrophe. Since it is an important transportation project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay area, it has been regarded as the ‘transportation backbone’ for the vicinity which helps expand on both the sides of Pearl River Estuary. Though this link has been the subject of discussion due to its traffic jam today, this link has previously reduced the travel time drastically between Shenzhen and Zhongshan, which earlier was 2 hours but now is just 30 minutes. Social media reactions showcased a blend of frustration and gratitude, as users acknowledged the efficiency of the authorities while also expressing concerns about traffic jams and the need for improved infrastructure to accommodate the increasing vehicle volume.

INDIA WATCH

Sino-Indian Economic Tussle: China Daily reports that China's move to expand its investment in the green, digital and blue economies will pose challenges and pressure on India. China is tapping into the South Asia and African regions, strengthening ties and increasing cooperation with ASEAN. And, this move will bolster China’s road and belt initiative by also increasing trade among stakeholders of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. This poses a challenge for India because this will take away opportunities from India in its corridor. Indian companies might encounter increased rivalry while establishing contracts and funding. For India, this may diminish its potential to contribute to trade and investments in infrastructure. But it is not just the trade issues that concern India, as it also becomes an issue of security. The author states that the COVID-19 pandemic and border clashes in Ladakh, like the Galwan clash in 2020, have adversely affected the Sino-Indian economic ties. The author further states that India has implemented strategic regulations for Chinese Companies. These include “frequent inspections, stricter FDI approvals, stringent data localization policies and mandating personal data not to surpass the boundaries of India so that it is not misused”. India should now solely focus on strengthening economic ties with ASEAN for further potential investment opportunities while also pushing for potent international regulations on foreign investments like Europe has on China, which later saw a decrease in Chinese investment.

Prepared By

Aditi Khamkar

Aditi Khamkar is a third-year undergraduate student at FLAME University majoring in International Studies and minoring in Public Policy. Having completed an internship at International SOS, her interest in security has deepened, driving her to pursue a career as a security analyst. Passionate about making meaningful contributions, she aspires to write impactful analyses that address global security challenges.