CiCM 5th January 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

● Beijing named the "National Forest City": The State Forestry and Grassland Administration has named Beijing a "National Forest City", in recognition of the city's noteworthy advancements in ecological development. Beijing Municipal Government Deputy Secretary-General, Cheng Jianhua, listed major accomplishments that included a significant rise in the area covered by forests; the addition of 2.43 million acres of new wetlands and forests; and the establishment of 1,065 parks. Beijing intends to carry out a thorough five-year action plan for the greater development of forest cities in the future. This plan focuses on five main actions: creating ecological conservation groups, strengthening ecological networks, increasing the colour and greenery of urban and rural areas, maintaining the preservation of nostalgic landscapes, and improving forest quality through good management methods. These programmes are intended to solidify Beijing's standing as a premier, peaceful, and liveable city with a thriving biodiversity. This pledge is in line with the larger national project, which since its launch in 2004, has resulted in the creation of 219 national forest cities throughout China's provinces, municipalities, autonomous areas, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

● The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security plans extensive vocational skills training for migrant workers: The "Opinions on Strengthening Vocational Skills Training for Migrant Workers," released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, are in line with the employment and talent development objectives of the country. The 14 tasks outlined in the strategy are divided into three main sections. First, improving organisation, mobilisation, and information disclosure for vocational skills training is prioritised in the organisational and implementation phases. The goal is to improve the quality and efficacy of training for greater employment possibilities by optimising the relationship between employment services and skill development. Second, the strategy recommends combining several funding sources, such as unemployment insurance and subsidies, to boost training in occupational skills. It encourages migrant labourers to have their abilities evaluated, and certification might result in financial aid and assistance for developing new skills. Third, the plan asks for a joint mechanism in service management, headed by the social security and human resources departments. In order to increase the efficacy of vocational skills training, it places a strong emphasis on streamlining subsidy procedures, enhancing information-based services, and raising policy knowledge. The "Opinions" also supports labour market-driven focused skill development in construction, maintenance, housekeeping, catering, security, and logistics. Businesses can receive assistance with pre-employment training, skill enhancement, and high-skilled personnel training. Training for entrepreneurship is encouraged, particularly in developing industries like artificial intelligence and e-commerce, where major platforms and industry leaders are essential for providing vocational skills for new jobs.

● Amidst booming trade, China extends its maritime routes to South America: With the opening of a new sea route, Dalian port in Northeast China is now connected to South America. This is the port's first South American container ocean trunk line. Serving nations such as Ecuador, Mexico, and Colombia, this route cuts the travel time down to around 25 days, which is up to seven days quicker than earlier routes. It is anticipated to improve commercial relations, especially for China's imports of cold-chain products, which is an important trading partner for these countries. This project comes after Tianjin Port opened a direct route to South America in December 2023. Ten ships will carry a variety of goods, such as wine, tropical fruits, beef, prawns and Chinese-made goods. The expanding maritime routes demonstrate the strong trade flows—which are expected to reach $500 billion by 2022—between China and Latin America.

● Chinese carmaker delivers first NEV with sodium-ion battery: With an 82 percent increase in new EV sales and surpassing almost 60 percent of global EV sales in 2022, China has become the global leader in the electric vehicle (EV) market. China's dedication to developing EV technology is demonstrated by JAC Group's recent delivery of the country's first mass-produced EV using a sodium-ion battery, leveraging the advantages of sodium-ion batteries over conventional lithium-ion ones. But in the middle of China's electric vehicle triumph, market leader Tesla is suffering a serious setback. Safety is vitally important in the rapidly expanding electric vehicle (EV) market, as seen by the recall of over 1.6 million vehicles in China on safety concerns, including problems with car doors unlocking during collisions and possible misuse of assisted driving capabilities.

● China Taiping Insurance Group executive Xiao Xing expelled from party and public office for serious violations: Xiao Xing, former deputy general manager of China Taiping Insurance Group Co., Ltd. and member of the party committee, is the subject of a case review and investigation for serious offences such as abandoning his ideological direction, participating in superstitious activities, betraying the party, and breaking organisational rules by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission, with approval from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Xiao Xing is charged with breaking the law by receiving bribes in the form of gifts and cash, abusing his position of power to recruit people for his own benefit, and behaving dishonestly by pursuing advantages for his family's companies. In addition, it is said that he engaged in financial malfeasance to amass considerable illicit cash, then used his position to benefit himself in project funding and commercial collaboration. The Central Committee has decided to remove Xiao Xing from the CPC due to the seriousness of his conduct. They have also decided to remove him from public office, seize his illegal riches, and forward his suspected criminal activities to the procuratorate for investigation and possible legal punishment.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

● Chinese entrepreneur's virtual 'Einstein Brains' spark debate: "Einstein's Brain," a virtual service by Zhang Jiangxi, is available on the Chinese e-commerce site Taobao. It has drawn attention for its distinctive method of offering solutions to people’s questions, comfort and spiritual nourishment. For 0.5 yuan (about 7 US cents) per encounter, users can communicate with Zhang. Clients use the service for a variety of purposes; the majority of whom are young people. Zhang observes that a large portion of users are students in secondary and college education, some of whom attend esteemed universities such as Peking University. Usually, the topics of conversation include future plans, exam preparation, and academic issues. In addition, Zhang gives customers a variety of ways to communicate with him through additional virtual chat services including "Say No to Love" and "Happiness." Social media users have differing views about Zhang's endeavour. While some applaud his entrepreneurial spirit and think the idea is intriguing, others voice doubts and express fears that it might be interpreted as fraud. Positive feedback includes compliments on the idea's originality and inventiveness, and some people say they'd like to buy the virtual product. However, detractors contest the service's validity and wonder if customers actually require "Einstein's Brain."

INDIA WATCH

● Given China's noteworthy achievements in ecological development, understanding India's efforts in this area is crucial. China has launched three significant umbrella reforms in the last five years to combat environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources for sustainable development: Air Ten (2013), Water Ten (April 2015), and Soil Ten (2016). These changes show a proactive approach and a thorough policy framework for addressing environmental issues. In contrast, the National Green Tribunal Act (NGT, 2010) is India's most recent major environmental policy effort. The Air (1981) and Water (1974) Prevention and Control of Pollution Acts, as well as the Environmental Protection Act (1986), are among the other significant environmental reforms in the nation that have been in effect for a long time. Comparing the dates on which these policy initiatives were put into effect directly highlights the different times and strategies that the two countries' governments have adopted to address environmental challenges. Nonetheless, India’s future is promising. India presented Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2015 that included goals for the years 2021–2030 in accordance with the Paris Agreement. These include reducing GDP emissions intensity by 33 percent to 35 percent by 2030, achieving 40 percent of electricity generation from non-fossil fuels, adding more forest cover to act as a 2.5 to 3 billion tonne carbon sink, and setting goals for climate-friendly growth, finance, technology, sustainable lifestyles, and adaptation. Notably, India wants its emissions to be "NET ZERO" by 2070. Some of the major initiatives taken by India to achieve this target include the National Hydrogen Mission in 2021 that was launched to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere thus contributing to reducing the greenhouse effect, and the promotion of electric vehicles through FAME India schemes. According to the NITI Aayog vision document, 30 percent of the total vehicles on Indian roads by 2030 would be Electric Vehicles (EVs).

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.