CiCM 15th March 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

Former General Manager of CNOOC put under investigation for corruption: Several high-ranking officials in China have recently come under scrutiny for serious violations of disciplinary codes. On March 15, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced an investigation of Li Yong, the former deputy Party Secretary and general manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Li Yong, with over 35 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry, had been a key figure within CNOOC from the initial years of CNOOC until the end of 2023. Prior to CNOOC, Li has also worked on important positions in Sinopec and China Oilfield Services Company (COSL). Other than Li Yong, 10 central management officials faced similar investigations and were dismissed this year. Zhong Ziran, the former Director of the China Geological Survey; Peng Guofu, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress; Su Changzhang, the Deputy Director of the Party leadership group in Fujian; Wang Yong, Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Government, and Wang Yilin, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation, were some of the prominent officials to be investigated.

China calls for advancing the use of AI to protect and safeguard child rights: At the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Chinese diplomat and Permanent Representative to the UN office in Geneva Chen Xu emphasised on the need to advance high-quality development of artificial intelligence that would benefit and safeguard the mental health and rights of the children. Speaking on behalf of 80 countries which issued a joint statement, Chen Xu highlighted AI as a pivotal front in human development which should be governed through consultation, joint cooperation and shared benefits among the nations. The joint statement, while highlighting the importance of taking into account the plight of the new generation- AI users, put forward three key propositions: it includes prioritizing children’s interests and utilizing AI for counselling their mental health, promoting fairness and inclusivity through AI to bridge the digital divide, and respecting countries’ sovereignty and laws while strengthening international AI governance. On a similar note, China had also issued a joint statement at the UNHRC at the 53rd session for the promotion of the rights of people with disabilities using AI, thereby reflecting China's broader effort to advocate for the rights of different groups in relation to AI in this increasingly technology-driven world.

Beijing launches projects aiming at infrastructure development in 2024: The Beijing municipal development and reform commission has launched 160 major infrastructural projects with a total investment of more than 247.8 billion Yuan. These projects aim to provide a strong support to the areas of urban redevelopment, people’s livelihood, modern industrial development, post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, flood control capabilities complemented by the overall infrastructural development. Of the 160 projects, the 500 KV science city substation in Huairou District occupies a major significance. Upon completion, it would become Beijing’s first indoor 500 KV hub substation. This substation would serve as a reliable power support for the north eastern region of the city alongside enhancing the overall 500 KV power grid structure of the city. The commencement of these major projects also aims at ensuring daily power supply requirements of the residents.

National Consumers Association launches smart 315 platform to enhance consumer services: The National Consumers’ Association Smart 315 platform was launched for trial operation on the 15th of March, 2024. This platform aims at fostering and enhancing suitable consumer services by incorporating a unified channel for accepting complaints and providing a convenient space to the consumers to report consumption problems that they encounter in daily life. The platform provides a QR code that the consumers can scan on their mobile phones and lodge complaints. The platform has also opened an online consumer complaint portal to facilitate the online reception of complaints. The platform aims to streamline the online complaint process, offering functions such as online complaints, submission of evidence, negotiation, and inquiries. Additionally, the platform implements a sunshine disclosure system, that would publicly disclose complaint information involving non-registered operators and cases where established operators fail to handle complaints effectively, thereby encouraging operators to resolve complaints promptly and establish a positive brand image. Looking ahead, the platform plans to optimize and enrich its functions by focusing on intelligence and co-governance and meeting the evolving needs of consumer rights protection in the digital era.

China and Angola elevate their strategic partnership: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Angolan President Joao Lourenco announced the transformation of their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership during their talks in Beijing on 15th march. This upgrade aims to enhance cooperation between China and Angola, particularly in trade and business, and injects new momentum into China-Africa cooperation. The cooperation amongst the countries would largely focus on improving the quality of business and trade cooperation. Xi noted that China would share its governance experiences with Angola to jointly promote its modernization. He further added that China pledged to strengthen multilateral coordination to safeguard the interests of developing countries and promote economic globalization. During this visit, Angolan president Lourenco also visited Shandong in order to establish cooperation in pharmaceutical and agriculture sectors. Both presidents also witnessed the signing of cooperation plans for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as economy, trade, agriculture, and green development. China is considered as an important partner for providing foreign investments in Angola to diversify its industrial base beyond the oil sector.

China’s “Fox Hunting” strikes another successful operation: A Chinese fugitive named Liu who had been hiding for 11 years and was on Interpol's Red Notice, was finally repatriated to China from Indonesia. He was accused of illegally soliciting public deposits between 2010 and 2012, resulting in significant economic losses. Liu fled to Indonesia in early 2013, where he remained until his deportation on 14th March. Chinese authorities had been pursuing Liu since 2014 as part of their "fox hunting" operation. With the cooperation of Indonesian law enforcement, Liu was captured in February and repatriated with the assistance of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia. This operation marks a success in the on-going efforts between China and Indonesia to combat economic crimes and apprehend fugitives. Chinese authorities further emphasized that no one can escape after committing economic crimes in China and also encouraged them to voluntarily surrender in China. This operation marks the second case of the "fox hunting" operation this year, following the repatriation of another fugitive from Singapore in February. The "fox hunting" operation was launched in 2014, targeting fraudulent activities and has been integrated into the broader "Sky Net" campaign aimed at repatriating fugitives and illicit funds back to China. According to the reports of the 20th national congress of the Chinese communist party in October 2022, the "Sky Net" campaign had successfully repatriated 10,668 fugitives and recovered 44.79 billion Yuan ($6.22 billion) illicit funds.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

A video of a school staff smashing cell phones in the school assembly strikes massive debate online: In a recent video on the social media that shows a member of the school staff smashing mobile phones with a hammer has garnered attention on social media and brought severe criticisms and opinions regarding the school’s policies. In Hunan province, a school staff member was observed smashing mobile phones with a hammer as a warning to students against using their phones on campus. While demonstrating, the teacher also read out the regulations of the school regarding use of cell phones in the school premises. The official of the school administration informed that the cell phones used for the demonstration were defective and the parents of the students had consented prior to the demonstration. However, the school’s approach has sparked a massive online debate on Douyin, between netizens supporting and opposing such an act. While some expressed their support towards the school’s approach, citing the negative impacts of the cell phones on the children, the others expressed deep concern over the impact of such threatening methods on the minds of the children. They emphasised on the character development and the mental health crisis that the children would go through after such a dangerous demonstration.

INDIA WATCH

Recently, the National Consumers Association in China has launched a platform that aims at strengthening consumer grievance redressal mechanisms. It facilitates an online procedure of lodging a complaint that would protect the rights of the consumers against any violation by holding the operators or service providers accountable under legal grounds. On a similar note, India too has a well-structured consumer rights protection mechanism. In recent times, the consumer app launched by the government of India in 2019 aims to ensure smooth resolution of the critical consumer’s grievances within 60 days and simple issues within 15 days respectively. Following this, the E-Dakhil portal also helps the consumers to lodge a complaint regarding any service or operator. Such mechanisms empower the consumers and their advocates to file complaints along with the payment of requisite fees online from anywhere around the country. It also facilitates the rural consumers for e-filing which takes place through the common service centres in their villages. Therefore, both India and China aim at developing and establishing a strong consumer redressal mechanism that seeks to empower, protect and extend consumer rights. However, the feasibility and the impact of these initiatives in both countries are still plagued with several drawbacks. For instance, as per the recent survey by local circles, around 55 percent of surveyed Indian households have not been able to get replacement for their defective products. The problem in China has a historical background, as its anti-market approach did not allow to define the idea of a “consumer” precisely. China’s efforts at protecting consumer rights began in 1993 with the establishment of its consumer protection law, followed by its amendment in 2013. However, despite such measures, Chinese Law still projects a vague definition of “consumer”, which puts constraints on the consumer’s redressal procedures in courts. Hence, with certain drawbacks on both sides, the aspects of consumer rights protection still constitute a key priority in either country. With newer innovations coming in both countries, the idea must be to strengthen and build upon existing measures to ensure a strong, competent consumer rights protection system.

Prepared By

Agniva Ray

Agniva Ray is an M.A, 2nd year, 4th semester student pursuing Political Science with International Relations in the Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University. He holds a deep interest in Socio-economic (Non-Traditional Security) as well as Traditional security issues concerning South Asia and aims to pursue research work in this very field.