CiCM 4th December 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

Plans unveiled for emission control across 18 Chinese provinces: Zhao Yingmin, the head of Chinese delegation to the COP28 United Nations climate change conference, claimed that 18 regions across China have come up with feasible plans to reduce the emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. China, like other developing countries, is in the industrialization process. As a result, it faces the dual pressure in terms of controlling traditional pollutants and curbing carbon emissions. He also noted that reducing carbon emissions and pollutants is in the best interests of China as it will enhance efficiency and decrease costs. As per Zhao, China has succeeded in maintaining high economic growth while decreasing carbon intensity so far; there has been a significant 51% decrease in carbon intensity between 2005-2022. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and six other government bodies have issued an action plan for the national implementation of reducing carbon emissions and traditional pollutants in tandem. He stated that China will improve communication with the international community in order to collaboratively promote synergy between the emission control of traditional air pollutants and heat-trapping gases.

Xi Jinping met Belarusian President Lukashenko in Beijing: President Xi Jinping met with President Lukashenko of Belarus at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Monday, the 4th of December. Both have reached an important consensus on promoting the high-level development of China-Belarus relations as the mutual trust between the two countries has been consolidated over the past year. Both sides seek to promote China-Belarus industrial cooperation through projects such as the China-Belarus Industrial Park. Moreover, they have decided to improve cross-border transportation facilitation and promote economic, trade and personnel exchanges, thereby expanding cooperation in education, health, sports, and tourism. Belarus is also willing to firmly support China, and encourage further growth of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Belarus will continue to engage in the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” and other global initiatives proposed by President Xi as it believes that these are great undertakings that foster international cooperation.

China donated smart classroom to Bangladesh: Under the China-Bangladesh Friendship Talent Development Project, the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh has donated the second smart classroom. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, expressed China’s hope for the realisation of Bangladesh’s vision of a Smart Bangladesh at the inaugural ceremony to launch the smart classroom at Sofir Uddin High School and College in the eastern city of Sylhet on Sunday. The head of Sofir Uddin, Md. Roshid Ahmad, expressed gratitude to the Chinese embassy for the donation of the smart classroom and for the assistance that the Chinese people have provided to the students at the school. As a technology partner, Huawei Ideahub installed in the smart classroom provides students and teachers with advanced online teaching and learning platforms. The first smart classroom was previously donated to Bangladesh's Chandpur Government Technical School and College in March by the Chinese embassy and Huawei South Asia.

Xi stresses expediting building Shanghai into a modern socialist international metropolis: CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping ran an inspection tour in Shanghai last week from Tuesday to Saturday. During his tour, he visited the Shanghai Futures Exchange, the Zhangjiang Science City in the Pudong New Area, a residential community in Minhang District, and lastly, a memorial hall of the New Fourth Army in Yancheng, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, while returning to Beijing. He emphasised the importance of accelerating Shanghai’s transformation into an international metropolis by the establishment of international hubs for economy, finance, trade, shipping and sci-tech innovation. Xi emphasised the city’s need to advance research to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, upgrade traditional industries, and solidify its status as an international centre of economy and its influence in global economic governance. He commended affordable housing initiatives and stressed the importance of including migrant workers. Xi also called for an enhanced role of Shanghai in high-level financial opening-up, aligning with the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative and prioritising the well-being of residents. Recognising that Shanghai is the birthplace of the Communist Party of China, Xi stressed the importance of cultivating a team of high-calibre, professional officials and making good use of local resources to carry forward the Party’s founding spirit.

Thailand, Hong Kong launched cross-border QR payment for seamless transactions: The launch of a cross-border QR payment by Thailand and China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, seeks to provide travellers with a quick, safe, and convenient way to make retail payments. According to a joint press release, customers can use their phones to scan the code displayed by the vendors in order to make contactless, seamless transactions while merchants receive the money instantly. The QR code has been launched by Thailand’s PromptPay and Hong Kong’s Faster Payment Service (FPS). The collaboration between the two countries is a step forward towards a more interconnected digital and financial cooperation in the region. According to Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, the governor of the Bank of Thailand, 1.5 million tourists from both the countries are expected to experience real advantages with the launch of this QR payment system, ensuring traveller convenience and encouraging tourism between the two countries. This service will be offered by seven banks and two non-bank institutions from Hong Kong and three commercial banks from Thailand.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

China diner shocked by US$60,000 bill for meal after accidentally posting photo of dish ordering QR code online: A woman, surnamed Wang, received a whopping 430,000-yuan (US$60,000) bill at a restaurant in China after accidentally posting the QR code for ordering food online, which others used to place food orders. Despite the fact that the code was only visible to her WeChat contacts as it was uploaded on her WeChat Moments page with restricted viewing, many people from that list scanned the code. Wang deleted her post immediately, but people kept making new orders to their table as they had downloaded the photo. In a screenshot of the bill that Wang later posted online, people ordered 1,850 portions of fresh duck blood, 2,580 portions of squid and 9,990 portions of shrimp paste. The restaurant ignored all the new orders and did not make Wang pay the bill and, instead, moved her to a new table. The management said it was unable to identify the people who ordered the food or prevent future occurrences. Wang called for increased awareness of information security so that individuals be more cautious when sharing pictures of their food online, as she described this incident as a learning experience. In order to avoid this issue in the future, Lin Xiaoming, a lawyer from Sichuan Yishang Law Firm, recommended restaurants involved in similar cases to cancel the order and demand financial compensation from those who made the fake orders. He also suggested incorporating a confirmation mechanism to the ordering process to prevent the problem in the future. Many on social media expressed sympathy for Wang’s situation, with one person drawing attention to the fact that restaurant QR codes carry “some risk despite their convenience.”

INDIA WATCH

Historically, India and the BIMSTEC member states have been connected through education and culture. After gaining independence, India grew to become the second-largest higher education provider in the world and continued to draw students from the BIMSTEC nations. According to 2018–19 data, 26.88 percent of India's international students were from Nepal, 4.38 percent were from Bangladesh, and 3.82 percent were from Bhutan. By providing more educational opportunities, India will be able to use soft power diplomacy to fortify its relations with its BIMSTEC partners. India also offered the second Line of Credit (LoC) of US$2 billion to support 15 development projects across various sectors, including education. This was issued after Prime Minister Modi's visit in June 2015 to Bangladesh that emphasised the importance of education for bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India. Since 1971, there has been strong educational cooperation between Bangladesh and India, especially in West Bengal, because of their close proximity and shared cultures. Prominent academic establishments in Bangladesh and West Bengal have participated in joint research projects, seminars, and teacher and student exchanges. On the other hand, China has been actively collaborating with Bangladesh in upskilling people from Bangladesh. Bangladesh and China's Yunnan Province’s partnership on the Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) is one example. By September 2018, the partnership hoped to have placed 85 Bangladeshi students in affiliated Yunnan universities on scholarships.It is thus clear that Beijing is invested in educational cooperation with its neighbours which has challenged India’s geographical advantage. Therefore, India must concentrate on building resource capacity and boosting its economic growth in the long run. India needs alliances and the willingness to aid its neighbours and play a role in their development in the short-term.

Prepared By

Saranya Menon

Saranya Menon is a UG2 student at FLAME University, majoring in International Relations with a minor in Public Policy. Excited to apply academic knowledge, she is interning at ORCA to gain practical insights into foreign policy and looks forward to enhancing her understanding of International Relations through this internship.