CiCM 10th August 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

Shandong Provincial Government has introduced a new policy briefing mechanism to enhance transparency and public engagement. Briefings, occurring bi-monthly, will be done to promote key government rules, vital policy documents, and address public concerns. The initiative is aimed at protecting citizens' right to information and bolster policy implementation. The content will encompass policy backgrounds, decision-making rationale, and legality. Accordig to the Provincial Government, innovative communication strategies will be employed, leveraging prominent news media and government-affiliated platforms for wider reach. This move is meant to signify a concerted effort towards greater government transparency.

According to data made public by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 491 confirmed cases of monkey pox infection was reported in July, which is a substantially greater number than June's 106 confirmed cases. No serious incidents or fatalities, however, were reported. These cases were spread over 23 regions in China. Importantly, all the cases in July were recorded in men, with 96.3% of them having sex with other men with pre-existing monkeypox. Fever, herpes, and swollen lymph nodes were the most exhibited symptoms. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the study that only 6.5% of cases were discovered by screening and contact tracing, whereas 89.2 instances were discovered when the ill sought treatment. It has been taking measures to curb the infection from getting worse, including targeted awareness campaigns as well as offline and online dissemination prevention measures.

Based on the findings of China Railway Group, a whole of 35,300 km railways of the country’s main railway network- Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal high-speed railway network- have been operationalized for public, which equals to 77.83 % of the total length. A total of 7025 kilometers of railways are still being built. According to the report, China has invested 371.3 billion Yuan, or $51.51 billion, on its national railways' fixed assets between January and July of this year, an increase of 7% from the same period previous year. It is being done as the part of prominent projects under the 14^th Five Year Plan (2020-2025). Large investments have been done for the integrated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta area and the Guangdong- Hong Kong-Macao.

Japan, South Korea, Australia, US, Germany and Britain are included in the third list of outbound group tour destinations released by Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The move comes following the three years of travel restrictions owing to the COVID19 pandemic. Since the issue of notification on Thursday, the online tourism companies and travel agencies can ensure the availability of travel facilities including air ticket and hotel booking services. The new list permits outbound travelling to over 70 countries from the existing list of 68 countries. The novel list covers countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania. China released the first and second batch destinations for outbound group tours in January and March this year respectively.

Thursday saw the beginning of the operation of a new factory for cultivated meat in the city of Shanghai. Owned by Shanghai-based CellX, the factory marks a new stride for China for large-scale production of lab-grown meat. It is aimed at bridging the gap between small-scale meat cultivation and production of lab-grown meat on a commercial scale. Large-scale production would fulfill an important goal towards the realization of food security for China’s 1.4 billion people, according to the company executive. CellX also aims to launch their lab-grown meat products in overseas markets, especially in countries where sales and consumption of cultivated meat is approved.

In order to reduce costs of consumables and improve the majority of insured personnel, and thereby reduce the burden on the public, Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province has adjusted the payment policy for medical consumables. The notification by the city administration outlined two basic changes to the policy: one, adjust the upper limit of medical insurance payment standards, and two, adjust the pre-payment ratio. The upper limit of medical insurance payments, after the policy adjustment, has been increased. The second adjustment would see the proportion of self-payment be decreased, so that the medical insurance fund pays a chunk of the expenses of the medical consumables.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Pro-China German influencer receives compensation for "expensive and fake" experience: An online influencer, Navina Heyden, who described herself as “ a German girl speaking up for China”, accused a beer festival in China of serving her watered-down German ale and fake lamb skewers, has been given 1,200 Yuan (US$167) in compensation after her complaint sparked public outrage. She described her negative experience at the Qingdao Beer Festival in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong in a post. Heyden claimed to have spent 300 Yuan (US$55), or 90 Yuan a liter for the beer and 15 Yuan per skewer, on two liters of what was allegedly genuine German beer from Munich and eight lamb skewers. Additionally, she labeled her experience as "expensive and fake" in the post. The local government intervened to conduct an investigation as the conflict drew more notice and stirred up extensive discussion. Many Chinese netizens shared their similar experiences and praised her for successfully fighting for her legitimate rights. One user also appreciated speediness of Chinese system which enabled a foreigner to quickly resolve her issues. Some netizens also expressed that she was heard by the administration because she was a foreigner and Chinese citizens would not get such preferential treatment.

INDIA WATCH

China published a list of more than 70 destination countries where Chinese travelers would not face any restrictions while traveling. China had followed stringent covid measures for three years, making the air travel from China to other destinations more restricted. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had the largest outbound travel market in the world in 2019 before the COVID-19 epidemic, with 169 million trips taken during that year. Since China is moving ahead lifting the restrictions, the entire region will have some ensuing effects. Given their similar population populations and rapid aviation market growth, comparing China and India is a fascinating exercise. Tourism industry in India too has been surging in the post-COVID period. The government recently received data from the Bureau of Immigration showing that 6.19 million foreign tourists arrived in India during 2022, up from 1.52 million during the same period of 2021. In India, there were 10.93 million FTAs in the year prior to the pandemic. The industry is very pivotal for India’s economic growth. The tourist industry has been firmly highlighted as a significant sector in the newly released 2023 Union Budget. The Ministry of Tourism is committed to advancing the sector as part of its purpose by encouraging all States to participate actively, bringing together Government Programmes, and creating effective Public-Private Partnerships.

Prepared By

Mohammed Afnan

Mohammed Afnan completed Masters Degree - MA in "Politics:International and Area Studies" from MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He completed Bachelor of Arts ( BA) in Political Science from University of Calicut, Kerala. His main research areas include India's foreign policy, geopolitics of South Asia, peace and conflict.