CiCM 13th December 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

China’s former railway minister sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption: A court in Shanxi province indicted Sheng Guangzu, China’s former railway minister, and sentenced him to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment for charges of corruption. The official statement released by the court stated that Sheng would be imprisoned and that all income gained illegally, including interest, would be confiscated, in addition to paying a fine of six million yuan. His case is the latest in a series of corruption cases involving China's influential railway figures. His predecessor Liu Zhijun was also sentenced with a death penalty in 2013, which was suspended later. Sheng took over the position in 2011 and served his position until his retirement in 2016. Sheng was named deputy director of the Finance and Economics Committee of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, after serving in that capacity. The court ruled that Sheng leveraged his influence to secure advantages for entities and individuals across various domains, including business operations, construction, and professional growth in exchange for bribes. From 2004 to 2022, he has been found guilty of accepting bribes worth 63.8 million yuan (US$8.9 million). The court concluded that Sheng maintained his power in the railway industry even after he retired, securing advantages for some companies in return for payments that occasionally surpassed seven million yuan. Among the many accusations made against Sheng are those of resisting the party's investigation, accepting gifts that could compromise the impartial execution of official duties, and permitting family members and relatives to gain personal benefits through the misuse of his official position.

National Public memorial ceremony was organized for the victims of Nanjing massacre: Li Hongzhong, a Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official and vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, delivered a speech at the 10^th national memorial ceremony on Wednesday for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province. The memorial service was held by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to honour the 300,000 people who died in the Nanjing Massacre, a tragic crime committed by Japanese invaders during World War II. Over 8000 representatives from across China attended this ceremony. In his speech, Li stressed that the memorial service honours those who gave their lives in the Chinese People's War of Resistance, including national heroes, revolutionary martyrs, victims of the Nanjing Massacre, and fellow citizens killed by Japanese invaders. Li called for concerted efforts to forge a world community and realise the dream of China becoming a great modern socialist nation. The ceremony was presided over by Wu Zhenglong, the State Councillor and Secretary-General of the State Council. Participants included survivors, veterans, leaders from non-CPC parties, representatives of the central government, and families of those killed in the Nanjing Massacre. This tradition began in 2014 after National People’s Congress’ decision to observe 13 December as the national memorial day for the victims of Nanjing massacre.

Chinese scientists built largest-ever neutral hydrogen catalogue in deep space: Using the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, or “China Sky Eye,” a group of Chinese astronomers succeeded in creating the largest and best-quality catalog of neutral hydrogen (HI) sources outside of our galaxy. The abundance and kinematics of hydrogen - a fundamental element in the cosmos and an essential component of galaxies, especially in the interstellar medium of disc galaxies - were measured using the 21-centimetre emission line. Several astrophysics puzzles, such as the properties of dark matter, dim galaxies that remain undetected, and the structure and history of the cosmos, could be resolved by using this data. The largest single-dish radio telescope in the world, the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, has a reception area that is comparable to thirty ordinary football fields. The telescope, which was formally launched on January 11, 2020, in the Guizhou region of Southwest China, is the best instrument for high-resolution surveys as it offers greater coverage, spectral and spatial resolution, and more complete and consistent data quality. With assistance from scientists at Peking University, Guizhou University, and the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the ground-breaking discoveries were recently published in the journal SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics, and Astronomy.

Xi Jinping met Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue: On December 13, President Xi Jinping met with Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue in Hanoi. As this year marks the 15th anniversary of a formal establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, both sides expressed mutual support and willingness in carrying forward the relationship and envisioning a positive future. Earlier, Xi Jinping and General Secretary of Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong announced the elevation of bilateral relations to the China-Vietnam community with a shared future. Xi Jinping further emphasised that both sides seek to view China-Vietnam relations - which have been solidified since the establishment of their diplomatic relations 73 years ago - from a long-term perspective. To continue their friendly relations, both sides outlined three important points: maintaining bilateral relations well by improving communication, safeguarding common interests of both the parties, promoting pragmatic cooperation through increased connectivity, building of industrial chains, and managing issues and differences that will allow both parties to promote cooperation together and address differences simultaneously. In recent years, the exchanges between the legislative bodies of the countries have strengthened in areas like rule of law and anti-corruption.

Number of national high-tech zones in China increased to 178: Wu Jiaxi, the deputy director of the planning department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated that, as of the end of November, China has 178 national high-tech industrial development zones. These high-tech zones produced 12.33 trillion yuan (1.73 trillion US dollars) in economic output in the first three quarters of this year - a 7.11 percent rise over the previous year. Wu highlighted national high-tech zones act as vital catalysts for progressive development and growth engines for the economy. During a press conference in Beijing, Wu said that around 80% of important national laboratories and 70% of national industrial innovation centres are now located in national high-tech zones. By fostering high-tech industrial clusters, these zones have contributed significantly to the advancement of new industrialization and the protection of supply chains and the industrial sector. Additionally, the zones have played a key role in hastening the industrialization of breakthroughs in domains like satellite navigation and intelligent robots. In order to lay the groundwork for the industrialization of scientific and technical achievements in the future, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology intends to provide incentives to high-tech zones that meet certain requirements. With this project, the Ministry hopes to accelerate the transfer of more scientific and technological innovations from labs to real manufacturing facilities.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Dong Yuhui posted a long article in response to the “little essay controversy”: The aftermath of Oriental Selection's “Jilin Tour,” became a trending topic on Weibo on December 13. Dong Yuhui, the anchor, was praised during a live broadcast for an excellent script, prompting a surge in online discussions. However, when he was inquired about the authorship of the script, the incident took a turn for the worse. The anchor Dong Yuhui explained that the creation of the compositions he read on the tour involved collaboration among the anchor, copywriting team, filming team, and editing team, which created backlash. The followers of Dong Yuhui were not happy with this remark because they thought it meant that Dong Yuhui's contributions weren’t given enough recognition. As the frustration grew, many fans vented their resentment on rivals’ live broadcasts, which affected the dynamics of viewership and ultimately the live performance and stock price of Oriental Selection - so much so that the Oriental Selection’s live viewership declined to 8.18 million, while their stock price fell by 7.31 percent. In response to inquiries from fans about Yu Hui's treatment, Dong Yuhui and CEO Sun Dongxu provided clarification on the script writing process and also addressed the editorial team’s emotional mistakes. Both stressed that Dong Yuhui's achievements have been acknowledged by the company.

INDIA WATCH

Recent events indicate closer ties between Vietnam and China. During XI’s visit to Vietnam, both sides outlined three important points: maintaining bilateral relations by improving communication, safeguarding common interests of both the parties, promoting pragmatic cooperation through increased connectivity, building of industrial chains, and managing issues and differences that will allow both parties to promote cooperation together. Moreover, this was only the fourth overseas trip undertaken by President Xi this year after trips to Russia, South Africa, and the US. This shows the importance he attributes to Vietnam, and his commitment to further ameliorate the ties. While they definitely seem to pave the way forward for a comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries, many analysts claim that the improvement in relations is perhaps more symbolic than real. India is watching these developments closely. Despite India being one of the three countries that Vietnam has a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with, Vietnam only sends vice ministers to India's National Day festivities. The contradiction that exists here is the presence of excellent political relations at the top level and ineffective or inadequate implementation at lower levels, especially with respect to people-to-people connection. India-Vietnam ties have been strengthening since its establishment in 1992. Their strategic partnership involves mutual cooperation, trade, and collaboration in areas including the digital economy, sustainable development, health care, and climate change. While their relationship has improved over the past years, it is vital for India to take into account the current developments taking place and act accordingly to build stronger ties with Vietnam at all levels.

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.