CiCM 29th March 2024

NEWS IN CHINA

Partnerships and Green Ambitions Take Centre Stage at Boao Forum: China's top legislator, Zhao Leji, leveraged the Boao Forum for Asia to strengthen regional ties and champion green development initiatives. High-level meetings with Kazakhstan, Cambodia, and Russia underscored the progress and potential of existing partnerships. Discussions focused on enhanced cooperation across various sectors, including legal frameworks, trade, and communication. The Russia meeting reaffirmed the robust China-Russia relationship, with both sides committed to further collaboration. Beyond partnerships, Zhao emphasized China's unwavering commitment to green development. He projected a potential 10 trillion-yuan annual market for green investment and consumption, solidifying China's position as a global leader in renewable energy. From leading in solar power generation and electric vehicles to spearheading global reforestation efforts, China's green credentials were on full display. Furthermore, Zhao outlined ambitious environmental targets, aiming to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

China’s Patent Industrialization Rate Tops 50 percent for the First Time: China has achieved a significant milestone in its technological development, with the industrialization rate of invention patents held by Chinese enterprises surpassing 50 percent for the first time. This marks a 3.2 percentage increase from 2022 and reflects a consistent upward trend over the past five years, according to China's top intellectual property regulator. The rise in patent industrialization is particularly notable among high-tech enterprises, reaching 57.6 percent in 2023. While large enterprises play a leading role in patent generation, with over 70% of China's effective invention patents held by them which amounts to over 3 million patents, smaller companies still face challenges in transforming patents into commercial products. The government has acknowledged this hurdle and recently released a plan to provide increased support for patent industrialization among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Shanghai Investment Boom: $7.4 billion Secured, State-Owned Giants Join the Fray: The 2024 Shanghai Global Investment Promotion Conference concluded with a bang, securing investments worth 52.4 billion yuan ($7.4 billion). This fuels Shanghai's ambitions to become a modern industrial powerhouse. The conference showcased 32 specialized investment tracks across 14 key industries, including emerging sectors like metaverse and hydrogen energy. To incentivize investment, Shanghai unveiled the "Invest in Shanghai" package with a 100-billion-yuan industrial fund, 2 trillion yuan in joint bank credits, and operational cost reductions for enterprises. Adding momentum, the parallel "State-owned Enterprises Look at Shanghai" conference saw collaborations between central state-owned enterprises and Xuhui, Minhang, and Jinshan districts. Leaders emphasized deepening collaborations and fostering integrated development. Each district offered unique strengths: Xuhui as a model for central-local cooperation, Minhang focusing on aerospace and aviation, and Jinshan targeting advanced manufacturing. Cooperation agreements were signed, paving the way for further exploration of opportunities across key industrial sites.

Cybercrimes in China See a Rising Trend: A new report by Beijing's Chaoyang District People's Court reveals a surprising trend in cybercrimes. While cybercrime rates have gone up in recent years, most cases (over 96 percent) involve traditional crimes like fraud, gambling, or defamation, simply committed online. Only a small fraction (around 3.5 percent) targeted computer systems or data directly. The report highlights a case where a man impersonated a woman online to defraud another player out of money. This exemplifies how the internet facilitates traditional criminal activities. The court emphasizes the need for stronger online legal education and improved methods for collecting evidence in cyberspace to combat these evolving online scams. It also highlights that majority of 1454 criminals prosecuted in the last five years were unemployed males. The court calls for creating more awareness among old and younger generations by posting more articles and cases online and exploring various measures to collect evidences.

Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang Issue Regulations for Yangtze River Delta Integration: Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang jointly announced the "Regulations on Promoting High-Quality Development of the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone." Ratified by the respective Standing Committees of the provincial People's Congresses, these regulations aim to bolster the legal framework for the region's high-quality development, effective May 1, 2024. Following the 2020 "Demonstration Zone Decision," this legislation represents coordinated efforts in regulations. The regulations encompass nine chapters and 66 articles outlining cross-regional collaborative mechanisms in various sectors, including planning, ecological protection, innovation, and public services. Noteworthy provisions include unified territorial spatial planning, ecological environment standards, industrial collaboration, and cultural heritage preservation. The regulations are lauded for elevating institutional innovations to legal standards, facilitating further development advancements in the demonstration zone.

China Strongly Opposed US Move to Blacklist Advanced Chip Factories: China vehemently opposed the United States plan to compile a list of advanced Chinese chip manufacturing plants that are barred from accessing crucial tools, as declared by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian during a recent press conference. Lin criticized the US for impeding China's technological progress through sanctions and restrictions, which violate market principles and disrupt global trade norms. The move undermines Chinese firms' rights and destabilizes the international industrial and supply chains. China called on the US to rectify its actions, cease unilateral sanctions, and refrain from extraterritorial jurisdiction over Chinese companies. With a firm stance against such measures, China pledged to safeguard its enterprises' legitimate interests and closely monitor further developments.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Controversy Erupts Over Chinese University Course on "Psychology of Love": A lecturer from a prestigious Chinese university is under fire for advising female students to adopt behaviors such as wearing makeup, expressing a desire for children, and feigning guilt after sex to appeal to men. Gong Li's guidance in the "Psychology of Love" course sparked outrage for perpetuating outdated gender stereotypes. Photos shared by students depicted Gong instructing women to emphasize their reproductive abilities and appear younger through makeup. He even suggested conservative dating strategies and advised expressing guilt and regret after sexual encounters. Despite criticism, the course remains popular due to its "easy credits" appeal. Following widespread condemnation, the university suspended the class and announced that future sessions would be led by the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science staff. Critics argue that such courses perpetuate harmful gender norms and fail to address genuine emotional needs in relationships. Online reactions overwhelmingly condemned Gong's teachings as toxic and called for stricter measures against such ideologies in academia.

INDIA WATCH

China’s recent announcement of patent industrialization rate surpassing 50% for the first time shows China’s growing prowess in transforming inventions into commercially viable products especially in the high-tech sector. In contrast, India’s patent commercialization rate remains significantly low. Although many universities in India have dedicated cells and special funds for such activities, only 14 percent of patents granted in India in the last 8 years were commercialized. India has nevertheless made strides in IP filing, ranking 10^th globally with Indian residents filing most of the patents. What it lacks is the Joint Research and development centers between university professors and industry professionals to collaborate on projects with direct commercialization potential, often through TTOs or technology transfer offices, many of which have been strengthened in China yielding positive results. Another way of increasing the patent commercialization in India can be through increasing support to SMEs in terms of financial and technical assistance. The latter can be done by teaming up of the local ‘Patent Information Centres (PICs), which have been established by Technology Information and Forecasting Council (TIFAC) in 20 states with higher education universities and institutes. A stronger implementation of the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) legislation can also drive innovation among the MSMEs and in turn increase commercialization of patents.

Prepared By

Alisha Mehra

Alisha is a 2nd year student pursuing Development Studies with a minor in International Relations at IIT, Madras. Her interdisciplinary course offers her a unique perspective on Public Policy and Global Polity issues. She is passionate about China Studies, Economics and Climate and loves to explore the interconnections between the them.