CiCM 3rd December 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

China Issues Guidelines for Writing the Chinese National Anthem in Braille: In an effort to raise the standard of education and public services for those with disabilities, China recently published new guidelines to standardize the Braille writing of the national anthem and the sign language proficiency test. The Ministry of Education, the National Language Commission, and the China Disabled Persons' Federation jointly issued the two guidelines, which will go into effect on March 1, 2025. The Chinese national anthem's Braille inscriptions of five-line staff and numbered musical notation are governed by the new Braille national anthem standard, which can help those who are visually impaired better understand the song's melody and lyrics so they can sing it correctly. Additionally, on December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the China Foundation for Human Rights Development and the National High-level Think Tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a report detailing how China has significantly improved its standards for facilities for visually impaired individuals.
Xi Pledges to Improve Strategic Partnership of Cooperation with Nepal: On December 3, Xi met with the Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Beijing and pledged to strengthen strategic partnership of cooperation with Nepal. China places Nepal in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy, Xi said, adding that next year would mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In addition to promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi elaborated on China's commitment to expand pragmatic cooperation with Nepal and fortify collaboration in areas like ports, transportation, power grids, and communication. Oli thanked China for its contributions to Nepal, pointing out that the two countries were allies and had no issues. According to him, Nepal welcomes more Chinese businesses to invest there and expand their collaboration across a range of industries. For Nepal, Taiwan and Xizang are both unalienable components of China's territory, said Oli. He emphasized that Nepal is a committed supporter of the one-China policy. Following the meeting between the two leaders, a joint statement by the People’s Republic of China and Nepal was also issued.
China Urges Chinese Citizens in South Korea to Enhance Security Awareness After Declaration of Emergency Martial Law: Following South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of emergency martial law in the country, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea issued an advisory to the Chinese nationals in South Korea. The Chinese Embassy has reminded Chinese citizens in South Korea to maintain composure, monitor political developments, increase security awareness, and abide by official directives from the South Korean government. According to the Yonhap News Agency, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed emergency martial law on December 3 and charged the opposition with "anti-state activities plotting rebellion." According to the article, the decision was made after the opposition Democratic Party filed impeachment motions against the top prosecutor and a state auditor, as well as railroaded a reduced budget bill in the parliamentary budget committee.
China to Improve AI Education in Primary and Secondary Schools: The Ministry of Education has said that China will improve AI education for its younger generations in order to get them ready for the technological future. In order to foster students' creativity, scientific curiosity, and digital literacy, the ministry has asked for initiatives to investigate methods of teaching AI in primary and secondary schools. According to a ministry circular, schools have been encouraged to create relevant curricula, integrate AI into regular lesson plans, and carry out frequent assessments. It is anticipated that early primary school students would get practical experience with AI technologies. As they advance to junior high and senior primary school, they would concentrate on comprehending and using these technologies. The circular states that senior high school students would create AI projects and investigate innovative AI applications. There would also be a national smart education platform with an AI section. The ministry said that the project will merge high-quality resources and make them more accessible. Education Minister Huai Jinpeng compared AI to a "gold key" for the educational system, highlighting how technology might influence education going forward while posing both opportunities and difficulties.
China Submits Baseline Charts of Huangyan Dao to the UN: On December 2, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, formally delivered the Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Baselines of the Territorial Sea Adjacent to Huangyan Dao and the accompanying chart to Mr. Stephen D. Mathias, the UN Legal Counsel and acting under-secretary-general for legal affairs. The statement and charts will be made available on the United Nations website. According to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, the Chinese government delineated and declared the baselines of the territorial sea next to Huangyan Dao on November 10 in compliance with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone. According to UNCLOS, coastal governments must provide the UN Secretary-General with copies of their territorial sea baselines and any pertinent charts or geographic coordinates.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Netizens React to the Appearance of Woman with Schizophrenia After 15 Years: Recently, a Master’s degree candidate with schizophrenia, who had disappeared over a decade ago was found. Ms. Bu from Yuci District, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, has been found after 15 years. After receiving treatment for schizophrenia, Ms. Bu was discharged from the hospital to recover at home, where she lived with her brother, Mr. Bu, and his wife. As Mr. Bu reported, his sister disappeared from home one day in 2010 and was never found despite multiple attempts to find her. Recently, in an attempt to assist her aunt in locating her family, a woman from Heshun County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, approached Zhu Yutang, a volunteer for family search assistance. With the help of volunteers and the police, her aunt finally found her relatives and confirmed that it was Ms. Bu and she now had a daughter and a son. Netizens on Weibo started a discussion about this. Many users appreciated Ms. Bu, who tried to appear for a doctoral examination in 2008, when it used to be very uncommon, despite her condition. They also applauded her for having studied engineering. Some users were touched by the fact that Ms. Bu’s brother was ready to sell his house for his sister’s schizophrenia treatment. Few users were concerned about how she had a son and a daughter in 10 years and suspected that she might have been abducted in 2010. Overall, users felt relieved that she had been reunited with her family and hoped for her to get better.

INDIA WATCH

Chinese Media Reports on Rahul Gandhi's Comparison of PM Modi and Biden: South China Morning Post reported on Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments about PM Modi. The article reported that in an apparent reference to Joe Biden, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memory was fading like that of a "former president of America." This claim sparked controversy over Gandhi's political behavior and prompted a rare rebuke from the nation's foreign ministry. Rahul Gandhi’s remarks were criticised by Shehzad Poonawalla, spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Randhir Jaiswal, a foreign ministry spokesperson, and Kangana Ranaut, a BJP member of parliament, SCMP reported. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an independent political commentator said that PM Modi had turned into a "one-point matter of projection for the Indian state," emphasizing that the foreign ministry of the nation had not previously dared to get involved in internal political matters and that most of the time is now spent in defending the Prime Minister’s image. In recent months, Gandhi has been inclined to be more aggressive against the ruling party, the article noted.

Prepared By

Ananya Tandon

Ananya Tandon is a third-year undergraduate student at FLAME University, majoring in International Studies and minoring in Journalism. With a keen interest in political journalism, she gained valuable hands-on experience through her internship at NDTV, where she had the opportunity to explore the field. She is passionate about staying up-to-date on issues that shape the global community.