CiCM 13th July 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

Lü Daliang, a spokesperson with the General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced on 13th July that China is likely to maintain its position as the world’s largest trading nation in goods in 2023. In the first half of the year 2023, China’s import and export growth rate created a record in the country’s history with the total volume being 20.1 trillion yuan, according to the data released by GAC. The import and export quantity increased up to 5.9 percent and 2 percent respectively in the second quarter, indicating decline in year-on-year growth rate. Despite these pressures and challenges of foreign trade, China’s foreign trade sector has shown positive results. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, China’s trade in goods with BRI countries has increased to 9.8 percent in the first half of 2023. The total trade in goods with countries associated with the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for 34.3 percent of China’s total import and export value of 20.1 trillion yuan.

The project of “living circles” is included in a three-year prefecture-level action plan released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and 12 other departments on 12th July, 2023. The construction of “living circles” in cities will enable the citizens to carry out their essential activities such as shopping, catering, housekeeping and repairing services within a 10-minute walk from their homes while also conducting leisure activities such as services related to culture, entertainment, social communication, fitness, etc within 15-minute walk from their homes. This plan will also in turn help in promotion of services related to child and elderly care among communities. The construction of these community living circles has already begun and so far 2,057 circles have been built in two batches of 80 targeted areas across the country. According to MOC, these living circles have been benefitting almost 42.01 million residents.

The National Immigration Administration launched a public security crackdown on June 25th, 2023 and since then have been able to inspect 38,000 key locations with border-related threats such as illegal entry and exit, arms and drug trafficking, smuggling and electronic frauds. A team of 286,000 police officers and 213,000 prevention and control forces. Strict inspections and control is being maintained with border patrol and blocking measures to prevent and control the front-line. The National Immigration Administration is prepared to launch national cluster campaigns and investigate the criminal activities through border law enforcement cooperation mechanisms such as “Mongoose Hunting” to detect border related crimes in accordance with present laws.

China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi met with the Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Wednesday and highlighted the high prospects of development through their bilateral relations. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two countries as China is prepared to promote the next stage of Belt and Road cooperation with Indonesia in the fields of green development, food security, digital economy, poverty reduction as well as poverty alleviation. According to Wang Yi, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) which is a major landmark project under the BRI will be completed on time and play an important role in Indonesia’s economic and social growth. Wang Yi is also scheduled to attend the various meetings such as the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta from 13th-14th July, 2023.

The Shanghai Household Service Industry is reported to add 5,000 certified housekeepers, giving a chance for housekeeping services enterprises to update and improve their business. According to a report, Shanghai began to promote private practical projects along with door-to-door housekeeping services since 2016, leading to the passing of local legislation “Shanghai Housekeeping Service Regulations” in 2020. At present, there are more than 600 enterprises and nearly 180,000 certified domestic workers in Shanghai that are associated with door-to-door services and covering nearly 16 administrative districts. This database will be used to facilitate communication between house owners and domestic workers and would create a platform where details will be provided regarding contracts, medical examinations and insurance of domestic workers, training, work experiences as well as their service evaluation.

On 12th July, 2023, The Urban Environment and Landscape Industrial Exhibition began in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, marking it as the first expo which focuses on the urban environment and landscape industry of China. The exhibition brought in 560 industrial leaders and highlighted various sectors such as landscaping, urban lighting and smart city management and environmental health. Smart sanitation vehicles were displayed in the exhibition as visitors were also able to experience a VR tour of the green ways. The most famous project at the exhibition was the zero-energy consumption building project which featured photovoltaic rooftop that can generate almost the yearly energy consumption. The exhibition is displaying various smart urban management solutions such as smart street lamps and smart trash bins among many others.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Age limit on residents in hostels sparks debate: According to a post made on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, several hostels in Beijing have been refusing accommodation to people over the age of 35, highlighting the predicament of the “35-year-old crisis” in China. The people in the age group of 30s and above have been facing problems due to the age restrictions in not just the job market but also while searching for accommodations in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Guangzhou. The hostel staff justified the age restrictions by stating the huge differences in schedules and living habits of the young and older generation. According to them, these limitations were set as a safety measure for the elderly as well as to avoid any conflict between the residents of the hostels. These arbitrary age restriction regulations gained widespread attention on various social media platforms as well as a related hashtag on Weibo. A survey conducted by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions in 2022 indicated that nearly 54 percent of people between the age of 35 and 39 are concerned for their job positions and 71% are worried about outdated job skills. Netizens have been rocking this discrimination as people are left abandoned and hopeless not just by the private companies but also by hostels due to their age.

INDIA WATCH

The Indian Ocean Region is one of the strategic contestation areas for India and China. Maintaining bilateral ties with the ASEAN states is important to establish an influential presence in the region. China has been strengthening its ties with the ASEAN nations over the years, the accession of China to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2003 being one example. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has been able to maintain its influential position in countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar. Even after suspending diplomatic ties with Indonesia from 1967 to 1990, China has been able to establish a vital economic partnership with Indonesia in recent years. In 2019, China’s investments in Indonesia accounted for $4.7 billion with 2,130 projects which made China the second largest investor in Indonesia. Indonesia being one of the crucial BRI partners has had many Chinese firms invest in various nickel and steep projects and further collaborate in various sectors to boost the domestic firms in Indonesia. Although China has been growing its presence in Indonesia, the issue of the South China Sea remains a weak link in their relationship. On the other hand, India has had a long-standing relationship with Indonesia. The two countries signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement in 2001 and have had regular defence exchanges since then. The Indian Embassy in Jakarta also launched the India Business Forum (IBF) in 2012 to strengthen their economic engagement and bring together various Indian entrepreneurs and professionals to the Indonesian economic environment while talks on improving the infrastructural sector are underway. India needs to create a new innovative strategy to broaden its partnership with Indonesian regionally as well as internationally. India's soft power approach in the ASEAN region can help in taking its partnership with Indonesia towards multiple fronts such as maritime cooperation, health and education system through digital and infrastructural services. India has been trying to connect with the countries using the cultural space of religion, music and art which has been showing positive results compared to the aggressive business-minded approach of China. The core of India’s Act East Policy - Commerce, Connectivity and Culture is being proven useful while maintaining bilateral ties with the Southeast Asian countries.

Prepared By

Aanchal Budhwar

Aanchal Budhwar is currently pursuing her Masters degree in International Studies from Symbiosis School of International Studies in Pune with a specialisation in Asia Area Studies. She completed her Bachelors degree in English Honours from MCM DAV College, Chandigarh. She is an avid reader and is passionate about learning new languages. She is keen on learning about Asian culture and geopolitics and deciphering the strategic meaning behind the political, diplomatic, cultural, economic and social developments taking place in China and its impact beyond the borders.