CiCM 13th November 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

World’s fastest internet launched in China: A collaboration between Tsinghua University, China Mobile, Huawei Techology, and Cernet Corporation, launched the first backbone network that can transmit data at 1.2 terabytes per second (1200 Gigabytes). The backbone network is the principal data route between cities, wherein most cities in the world operate backbone network at speeds of 100 gigabytes per second. In China, this internet route was implemented between Beijing, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. It was a part of China’s Future Internet Technology Infrastructure (FITI), a project 10 years in making by Cernet Corporation. Backbone network is pivotal for education and research. FITI project leader Wu Jianping also mentioned the backbone network marks another advance for China and its non-reliance on the US and Japan for routers and other components of internet technology.

Kashi’s Pilot Free Trade Zone unveiled: In northwest China’s Xinjiang Ugyur Autonomous Region, Chinese authorities unveiled the new Kashi Area Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ). This FTZ is part of the Xinjiang FTZ unveiled on November 1, consisting of three major areas including Kashi Prefecture, the regional capital of Urumqi, and Khorgas City. The Kashi Prefecture would focus on development of labour-intensive industries such as agriculture, textile, and electronics assembly. 35 enterprises are already settling in, with project funds of more than 17.6 billion yuan ($2.4 billion). Companies signed the “Central Asia International Manufacturing and Trade Industrial Park” project with the Kashi Prefecture FTZ, and these industries plans to invest 1 billion yuan to integrate production of daily commodities, like textiles, and support other industries in China and simultaneously improve cross border industrial links with Kyrgyzstan. In addition, to the industrial park, the FTZ also introduced a carbon-neutral logistics port, an industrial park for new materials, a lithium-ion battery factory, and cold chain storages.

Beijing Golden Autumn Recruitment Series launched: The Beijing Federation of Trade Union organised the “Beijing Golden Autumn Recruitment Series 2023”, at the Beijing Ditan Stadium. The job fair was attended by more than 100 companies provided nearly 2700 labour demand, ranging from the field of science and technology to logistics, internet media, marketing, aiming to provide jobs for college graduates, unemployed youths, retired soldiers. Activities were carried out in both online and offline modes with promotion of enterprise construction meeting, entrepreneurship, small loans, skill promotion, legal consultation being held offline, while recruitment activities will be held online for a month. Zhang Liang, Secretary of the Party Group of the Beijing Federation of Trade Unions, and Wu Xiaojun, member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Beijing Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and other leaders attended the launching ceremony.

157th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-Sen celebrated: A ceremony was held by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in downtown Beijing's Zhongshan Park, to commemorate the 157th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen. Sun born in 1866 in the Guangdong Province, is known for his leading role during the 1911 Revolution, which overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty and ended more than 2,000 years of feudal rule in China. Sun is considered a national hero, a patriot, and a forerunner of China’s democratic revolution. Flowers were laid in front of a statue of Sun by senior officials from the CPPCC National Committee, the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and the Beijing municipal government. The central committees of non-Communist parties and representatives of personnel without party affiliation also paid their respects.

Fishing boat rescued by Chinese icebreaker in the southwestern Pacific: In the waters of Papua New Guinea, a fishing boat and its four member crew were saved by the Chinese Icebreaker Xuelong 2 after been adrift for nine hours after running out of fuel, and battery. It became known that the crew were from southwestern Pacific Island countries. The expedition team on the Xuelong 2 offered food, fuel, charged the batteries, and contacted China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, Papua New Guinea Maritime Rescue Coordination Center and the families of the crew members. The icebreaker Xuelong 2 also known as Snowdragon 2, is part of China’s 40th Antarctic mission which set sail on November 1st.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Heartbroken father donates organs of his only daughter: Deng Lianfu, a single father who donated his only daughter’s organs to save the lives of five people, has moved many netizens online. His daughter, Deng Xingyang aged 20, was a third-year student of a technical college in China who met with a traffic accident, a week before her new life as an intern. The father had lost his wife and son a year ago in another accident, and lived with his only daughter. He said Xingyang was a very thoughtful woman. He hoped that people who have received his daughter’s organs would live well and “carry on his daughter’s life.” One commentator on Weibo mentioned “What a great father, still having such a great love after losing three close family members,” while another said “I hope people who received her organs will cherish their life and experience the beauty of the world together with her”.

INDIA WATCH

China and India both became a part of the Antarctic Treaty in 1983, and received consultative status in the following months with right to vote. India in 2022, with its Indian Antarctic Bill 2022, officially legislated the Antarctic Treaty to conserve the marine ecosystem of the Antarctic. In regards to research bases both India and China have three and four bases respectively, with Maitri, Dakshina Gangotri, and Bharati being India’s latest commissioned base in 2013. India and Norway collaborated to deploy an underwater moored observatory named IndARC in a span of six years with the aim of gathering real-time data on the Arctic. China is also in line to build its newest research base near Ross Sea, which would work on the Pacific Sector of the Antarctic. While China already has two polar research vehicle and icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2, India is still in line to build its first polar research vessel (PRV), in the next five years.

Prepared By

Subhayan Acharya Majumdar

Subhayan is an Intern at the Organisation for Research on China and Asia . He is a postgraduate in International Relations with Political Science from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. His area of interest includes subaltern security studies with a focus on labour (formal and informal) studies especially in the developing countries with context to Asia and Africa. He could be reached on his email subhayanmajumdar@protonmail.com