CiCM 9-10th September 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

Heavy rains in Guangdong and Hong Kong: over 80,000 people in South China's Guangdong province were evacuated due to heavy rainfall and flooding caused by Typhoon Haikui and monsoon. These weather conditions have led to urban flooding, landslides, road closures, and other dangerous situations in the Pearl River Delta region. The provincial disaster reduction commission escalated the emergency disaster relief response to Level II at 6 pm on Friday, with 15 cities implementing flood control emergency measures. Schools in several cities, including Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Jiangmen, as well as parts of Foshan, Dongguan, and Guangzhou, have been suspended. Additionally, 47 rail services have been halted, and traffic controls are in place, including the closure of 79 road sections, six toll booths, and a bridge. The Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau predicts heavy or exceptionally heavy rains in western Guangdong and southern parts of the Pearl River Delta from Friday evening to Saturday. Hong Kong has seen record rainfall that caused mudslides, excessive flooding and damage to public infrastructure.
Chinese Premier calls for solidarity and cooperation at G20 summit: World leaders from the top 20 economies convened in New Delhi, India for the 18^th edition of the G20 summit. Li Qiang, the Chinese premier attending the summit welcomed the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20, a positive sign of consensus among major economies. He reiterated that China's support for the AU's membership in the G20 reflects its commitment to a more diverse and representative international platform. Li Qiang also said that the inclusion of the AU as a permanent member makes the G20 more representative, and China aims to maintain its constructive role within the group. However, Li voiced concerns about unity and the difficulty of reaching a joint declaration that persisted. Li Qiang urged G20 countries to prioritize solidarity, cooperation, and macroeconomic policy coordination to boost economic growth. He emphasized the interconnectedness of humanity's destiny and the need for countries to respect each other and work together to address common challenges. Despite the challenges, he claimed China remains committed to deepening reform, expanding openness, and contributing to global economic recovery and sustainable development.
Xi Jinping calls for revitalisation of Northeast China: Chinese President Xi Jinping convened a significant meeting in Heilongjiang Province to emphasize the need to revitalize northeast China. He called for a new era of revitalization through increased support, self-motivation, and courageous actions. Xi highlighted the importance of high-quality and sustainable development, emphasizing industrial innovation, technological advancements, and industrial upgrading. He also emphasized the digital transformation of traditional industries and the development of emerging strategic sectors like new energy and advanced manufacturing. Additionally, Xi stressed modernizing agriculture, ensuring stable grain production, advancing opening up and Belt and Road cooperation, and developing modern infrastructure. He emphasized improving the quality of the population, fostering talent, creating a favorable business environment, and supporting private companies. Xi also highlighted the importance of Party leadership, disaster recovery efforts, and enhancing people's well-being. The meeting aimed to achieve breakthroughs in the full revitalization of northeast China to contribute to the country's overall development. It also emphasized a people-centred development philosophy and enhancing people's sense of fulfilment, happiness, and security.
Hunan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision publicises 6 cases of abuse of power: The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission recently disclosed six cases of leading cadres in Hunan Province exploiting their positions for personal gain. Almost all were expelled from the party and removed from their respective positions. According to the report by People’s Daily Online, Liu Shuoke, the former deputy secretary and vice chairman of the Xiangtan CPPCC, abused his authority to assist his wife and son in business ventures, resulting in significant profits. Liu Jianyuan, former director of the Hengyang Municipal Civil Defense Office, was found abusing his power to help his brother and niece secure contracts leading to substantial benefits. Huang Xi, the former director of the Langshan Scenic Area Administration Bureau, was accused of favouring his brother-in-law in project contracting and fund allocation, leading to financial gains. Fu Jinsong, the former party secretary and director of the Youxian Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Bureau, manipulated national reward and subsidy funds for his son-in-law's business interests. Hu Jianxin, former member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Transportation, facilitated his son's business activities leading to financial benefits. Fu Limin, the former party committee member and chief agronomist of the Xiangtan County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, allowed his wife to engage in illegal business activities using his influence, resulting in financial gains. He received a serious party warning and had his disciplinary gains confiscated. These developments come within the larger anti-corruption drive that has not only targeted bureaucracy but has also engulfed medical and the sports sector which saw crackdowns over the last month.
Xi Jinping congratulates DPRK on its 75^th founding anneversery: Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, on the 75th anniversary of the country's founding. Xi praised North Korea's achievements in socialist construction over the past 75 years under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the unremitting efforts of the North Korean people. Xi commended Kim's leadership in implementing the WPK's directives, focusing on economic development, and improving people's livelihoods, resulting in significant progress. He expressed confidence that North Korea, under Kim's leadership, will continue advancing its socialist cause and reaching new levels of development. President Xi highlighted the deep-rooted and growing traditional friendship between China and North Korea, emphasizing their close relationship as friendly neighbours. He mentioned their frequent meetings and close communication, which have ushered in a new era of friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. Xi stressed China's commitment to maintaining, consolidating, and developing its traditional friendly and cooperative relations with North Korea, regardless of global or regional changes. He expressed China's willingness to enhance strategic communication and deepen practical cooperation, ensuring that China-North Korea relations progress with the times and benefit both nations, contributing to regional peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

G20 and “Bharat” trends on Chinese Social Media: Despite Xi Jinping’s absence, the G20 summit drew attention of netizens on China’s social media platform Weibo with the topic gathering over 42 million views. Most users were dismissive of the summit claiming China’s and Russian absence makes this summit nothing but an image enhancement tactic for India. Some saw the newly announced India-US-Saudi-EU project as directly aimed at China and its BRI project. Most users were puzzled by the country name “Bharat” in front of India’s Prime Minister, searching for meaning and asking questions if India is going to change its name, the topic gathered over 8 million views.

INDIA WATCH

Xi Jinping’s absence from the G20 Summit has generated interest among both scholars and China watchers alike. Many claimed that domestic problems prevented him from travelling while a report by Nikkei claimed that Xi was reprimanded by party elders over his policies and the direction of the country. However, the veracity of this report was questioned by many scholars over the alleged sources of information and the plausibility of the story. Some experts claim that China is keen to only participate in those organisations that it can dominate, for example, Xi participated enthusiastically in the BRICS, however, he skipped the ASEAN meet in Jakarta. News of the newly established India-US-Saudi-EU infrastructure project was just announced when China’s government mouthpiece Global Times slammed it as “much said little done” and as an effort to side-line China. Some see this infrastructure project as an alternative to China’s BRI that started with G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), the deal is seen as the next step towards countering China. China and Russia skipping the G20 meet has been a win-win for India on every front from achieving consensus on Delhi Declaration to the inclusion of African Union as new member, and finally, the announcement of new infrastructure project. Some experts see this as United sates learning to use these multilateral organisations to counter China and Russia to acquire advantage in the great power competition. However, as with any other multilateral organisation, G20 is also susceptible to stagnation owing to great power rivalry between United States and China, the members must tread carefully in order to derive maximum benefit from the big powers while avoiding inactivity from disagreements between them. As far as the infrastructure project is concerned, it remains to be seen what concrete steps are taken in this direction as the finer details are ironed out.

Prepared By

Alok Kumar Chaurasia

Alok has recently finished his M. A. In Politics with International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is currently a China Studies fellow at Takshashila Institution.