CiCM 10th January 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers highlights of China’s diplomacy in 2023: On 9^th January, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony of the symposium on the international situation and China’s diplomacy in 2023 and delivered a speech. He revealed six highlights of China’s diplomacy in 2023 in his speech which included brilliant head-of-state diplomacy, the advancement of building a global community with a shared future, the successful organization of the third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, the historic expansion of BRICS, the success of the China-Central Asia Summit and finally the achievement in promoting the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Mr Wang said that when it comes to choosing between cooperation and confrontation, unity and division as well as opened and closure, China strictly opts for cooperation, unity and openness. He also mentioned that China strictly chooses peace, multilateralism and justice over war, unilateralism and power politics. He further remarked that China will always adhere to self-confidence, self-reliance, opened and inclusiveness to perform its duties as a major country, enhance the development of human civilization and build an equal and orderly multi-polar world.

Presidents of China and the Maldives hold talks to upgrade ties: Chinese President Xi Jinping, on 10^th January, held talks with President Muiz of Maldives who had come to China for a state visit. The leaders revealed that China-Maldives relations will be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and an action plan was signed for developing the same. Xi Jinping stated that China and Maldives have been old friends and established ties through the ancient Maritime Silk Road. He claimed that the participation of Maldives in China’s Belt and Road Initiative has developed their relations in-depth and opened up several opportunities for the communities. China has expressed willingness to exchange experience in state governance with the Maldives, strengthen cooperation in economic and trade investment, support excelling Maldivian students to study in China and increase the number of direct flights between the two nations. President Muiz expressed his gratitude for being the first head of state to be hosted by China this year which reflects the importance given by both countries in advancing friendly relations. A 21-gun salute was also fired in Tiananmen Square where the soldiers lined up to pay tribute as the national anthems of the two states were played.
20^th Communist Party CCDI adopts communique at third plenary session: The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China held its third plenary session from 8^th to 10^th January in Beijing and adopted a communique. The session was attended by important party and state leaders including general secretary Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. The session reviewed the discipline inspection and supervision work that had taken place during 2023 and further assigned tasks for the new year. The Secretary of the CCDI Mr. Li Xi delivered the work report of the commission. It was emphasized during the session that the Standing Committee of the CCDI intensified measures to clamp down on corruption and succeeded significantly in its anti-corruption fight. The communique called for steps to rigorously exercise self-governance of the party, improve conduct and discipline in the party and fight corruption. To strictly uphold Xi Jinping’s unified leadership at the core of the party, the communique called for measures to improve political oversight and remove any potential political threat. The session further stressed on the importance of rectifying pointless formalities and bureaucratism which have been major concerns for the cadres and the public.
China’s SME Development Index records growth in 2023: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Index which is based on a survey of 3,000 SMEs from eight important industries, was recorded to be 89.2 for the year 2023 which is higher than 88.4 recorded in 2022. This information was revealed in a report by the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises. The report credited this improved performance to expanding consumption, fixed assets investment and high-tech industrial development. Additionally, the sub-index for accommodation and catering gained 1.6 points, that for construction gained 1.3 points and that for information transmission, computer services and software gained 1.1 points in 2023. The data revealed through this report reflected an increase in the confidence of enterprises and their performance in 2023 raising expectations for the upcoming year.

China launches an orbital telescope to study about black holes: China launched and sent the Einstein Probe into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center located in the Sichuan Province. The Einstein Probe is a new-generation X-ray observatory satellite which can be used to gather more information about black holes. It weighs around 1.45 metric tons and is shaped like a lotus with 12 petals and 2 stamens. It has been launched into space to monitor flashes in the night sky which can include neutron star collisions and black holes devouring their companion stars. The probe carries two instruments, a wide-field X-ray telescope and a follow-up X-ray telescope. It can also monitor the faint transient celestial objects at the far reaches of the universe using a large field of view and high sensitivity and send warnings to guide other astronomical equipment on land to perform follow-up observations. This launch marks the 506th mission for the Long March series of carrier rockets for China.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Chinese netizens agitated over the story of a Shanghai man living in his car: Wang Hong, a 30-year-old man from Shanghai, has been living in his car for the past three months citing the soaring rents in major Chinese cities as the reason. He had been paying 3,000 yuan (US$420) per month as rent for a room before he moved into his car. He claimed that despite making decent money he did not want to use his salary to support a landlord’s family. He said that this makeshift home of his fulfils 99 per cent of his daily needs which includes keeping warm in winter. He parks his car on unused roads in suburban areas to avoid parking fees. He cannot easily order food deliveries as he does not have a defined address. He also sets up tents beside his car occasionally and uses an electric pump to shower. Wang stated that he saved more than 10,000 yuan through this living arrangement. Upon hearing Wang’s story, a user on Douyin commented “Not only have young people stopped buying flats, they have stopped renting”. Similarly, netizens in China have been expressing their agitation over the high rent prices in major cities. On the contrary, another netizen has commented positively saying “I admire his optimistic attitude and his ability to live as comfortably as he could in a difficult situation. I also admire the way he sticks to his lifestyle no matter what other people say about it.”

INDIA WATCH

With the Maldives and China actively work to upgrade ties between the two countries, it is essential to understand its implications for India as the state visit by Maldivian President to China has surfaced after the row between India and Maldives recently. This week, the relations between India and Maldives were aggravated when three Deputy Ministers from the Maldivian Ministry of Youth Affairs openly shamed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “clown”, a “terrorist” and a “puppet of Israel” on social media platform X after he actively promoted his visit to Lakshadweep. The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry stated that it strongly condemns the derogatory comments. However, a large number of Indians responded to this by cancelling their tourist reservations in Maldives where Indians constituted the highest number of visitors to the country. Later, the Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer clarified the official position of the Maldives government saying that these derogatory remarks against foreign leaders are "unacceptable". On the contrary, the recent attempt by Maldives to strengthen and upgrade relations with China by signing a strategic cooperative partnership while its relations with India are at stake implies further deterioration of India-Maldives relations. Maldivian President Muizzu is known for his pro-China views widely. During his election campaigns, he promised his voters that he would remove Indian troops from Maldives through his “India Military Out” campaign. India-Maldives relations have been declining since Muizzu’s predecessor Abdullah Yameen became the Maldives President. Yameen made Maldives a part of China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative and coined the slogan ‘India Out’. However, former Maldivian President Solih held an “India First’ policy and appreciated India for being the first responder in times of crises. India holds a historical friendship with Maldives and has been a net security provider for the country for decades. India has also played a crucial role in socio-economic development of the Maldives especially during the 1988 coup attempt and the 2004 Tsunami. Despite such a close history with India, Maldives is expected to bring down military ties with India as result of pro-China leader Muizzu’s increasing attempts to strengthen strategic partnerships with China.

Prepared By

Adhithi Senthilkumar

Adhithi Senthilkumar is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in International Studies and a minor in Public Policy at FLAME University, Pune. She is fascinated by the complex dynamics of international relations and the substantial impact that policies can have on communities around the globe. Her passion for studying history, societies and contemporary global and domestic politics has been a driving force in her academic journey. She has participated in internships, attended conferences and engaged in volunteer work related to public policy gaining valuable insights into real-world application of policies. She aspires to apply her knowledge and skills to contribute to addressing pressing global issues and collaborate with like-minded individuals to make a positive difference through policymaking.