CiCM 24th November 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

Book on Xi’s law-based military governance discourses published: According to a statement issued on November 24, Xi Jinping, the chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), has published a collection of speeches on governing the military in compliance with the law. The extracts were taken from Xi's written works and speeches from November 2012 to June 2024. The CMC has called on military officers and soldiers at all levels to read the book carefully, and it has specifically asked senior officers to set an example for respecting, understanding, adhering to, and using the law. Military officers and soldiers have been urged to read the book to accelerate the fundamental changes in military governance and strengthen the role of the rule of law in enhancing national defence and military capabilities. The CMC also stated that the book would improve officers’ and soldiers’ ability to think and act per the rule of law in their work.
China launches campaign to tackle algorithm issues: Many Chinese regulatory bodies announced on November 24 their plans to launch a joint campaign to improve governance over important algorithmic concerns on major network platforms. The is expected to be operational from November 24, 2024, to February 14, 2025. According to a notice released by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the campaign's primary goals include tackling problems like promoting uniform content, unapproved ranking manipulation, the heedless pursuit of profit, and using big data-enabled price discrimination against current customers. The CAC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Market Regulation have jointly launched the campaign. The campaign is expected to have three stages. First, businesses are expected to self-review and self-correct from November 24, 2024, through December 31, 2024. The second step is to confirm the results of their self-examination in January 2025. The third stage will finish a thorough evaluation of these measures' efficiency by February 14, 2025. The campaign aims to address common, recurring issues, especially those involving the algorithms used by large internet platforms.
Xi says China's and Morocco's cooperation will continue: Xi Jinping stated on November 21 that China is prepared to continue collaborating with Morocco to push for the expansion of the strategic collaboration between the two countries. He added that both countries would firmly support one another in their fundamental interests. Xi made these remarks during a technical stop in Casablanca with Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan after concluding his state visit to Brazil. Xi noted that the relationship between China and Morocco had developed well, with productive practical cooperation and more lively exchanges in multiple spheres. Xi said that China was prepared to work with Morocco to carry out the outcomes of the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Additionally, Xi stated that China was working to achieve more results in practical cooperation across a range of fields within the framework of cooperation along the Belt and Road Initiative. The Moroccan Crown Prince stated that they were prepared to cooperate with China to strongly support one another in preserving national sovereignty, security, and stability, noting that the two nations share similar views on a wide range of subjects.
China to upgrade to 5G-A network and promote 6G-related research: China released draft rules for building the nation's data infrastructure, which included advancing 6G-related research, development, and innovation, as well as upgrading its 5G network to 5G-A-standard. According to a statement released by the National Data Bureau on November 22, China will increase international submarine and land cable information lines while distributing international communication gateways evenly throughout its eastern, central, and western areas. Additionally, a satellite internet that combines ground-based and space-based infrastructure will be built. According to the guidelines, China will facilitate large-scale, low-cost, secure free flow of data. The 5G-A network outperforms the current 5G network in terms of speed, latency, connection scale, and energy consumption. The 5G-A network has a peak data rate level of 10 gigabits per second for downloads and 1 gigabit per second for uploads, and millisecond-level latency and inexpensive connectivity for the Internet of Things.
Xinjiang launches a lab program focusing on the development of the local coal mining industry: The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw the launch of a laboratory program this week by experts from China's top academic institution to solve scientific and technological issues in the region's coal mining sector. The Chinese Academy of Engineering is in charge of the lab, which is named after the famous Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang. Utilising Xinjiang's geographical advantages and wealth of coal resources, it will concentrate on important areas like intelligent and safe coal mining, clean and efficient processing and utilization, coal integration with renewable energy, etc. Academician Peng Suping, who is in charge of the expert team, stated that the objective is to create a top-tier sci-tech platform that can support large-scale coal resource development and offer timely solutions to technical problems in regional industrial chains. Three universities and colleges in the area have supported the new lab, which is situated in Urumqi, the regional capital.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Netizens react to Guangzhou announcing the beginning of autumn: Guangzhou Weather reported that as of 20:00 on November 24, the Guangzhou National Basic Station's 5-day sliding average was ≤22°C, indicating that Guangzhou had officially entered autumn on November 18. This also indicated that the record for the longest summer had been broken after 30 years with a summer of 240 days in 2024. Consequently, “The damp and cold weather that people of Guangzhou are afraid of is coming” was trending on Weibo. Netizens on Weibo commented on the announcement. Many users found it hilarious that autumn started late, jokingly stating that winter would begin in two days, and then it would be summer soon. This reflected their awareness of climate change. Many users pointed out how the temperature had dropped significantly across the whole country recently. Many users wished for it to not rain in the area. Some users also raised concerns about going to school and working in these weather conditions.

INDIA WATCH

Chinese media reports on the collision of an Indian fishing boat with an Indian Navy submarine: Guancha reports on the collision between a fishing boat and an Indian Navy submarine ship that occurred on November 21 near the coast of Goa. Thirteen people were on board the fishing vessel "Marthoma" when it crashed with an Indian Navy submarine 70 nautical miles off the coast of Goa. Eleven members of the fishing boat were rescued following the incident, and the search and rescue effort for the two remaining crew members has begun. Citing the Hindustan Times, Guancha reported that the search operation was being coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Mumbai. It was also reported that the submarine that collided with the fishing vessel seemed to have been a "Scorpene" class submarine, which, based on the P-75 project, are conventionally powered submarines that India imported from France.

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.