CiCM 30th November 2023

NEWS IN CHINA

Water damage repair projects completed in 148 villages in Fangshan, Beijing: The Beijing Fangshan District Water Conservancy Bureau declared on Thursday that the water damage repair project of water supply facilities in Fangshan District, Beijing have been completed. This has resulted in restoring the water supply capacity of 148 villages with damaged water supply facilities to pre-disaster levels. The Fangshan District Water Bureau and Fangshan District Infrastructure Construction Company divided the town into 4 areas and established 4 winter water emergency support teams to ensure the safety of drinking water for the masses in winter. To deal with emergencies promptly, they also issued 3,400 “Rural Water Supply Guarantee Contact Card,” to repair any water supply problem - if and when it occurs - as soon as possible. During this year’s flood season, Shidu Town, on the banks of the Juma River, suffered a severe flood in the Haihe River Basin. The average water level in the farmyards was 1.5 meters; the water supply in Shidu Town has been fully restored now. This water damage repair project of rural water supply facilities in Fangshan District involved a total length of about 860 kilometres of water supply pipelines rebuilt, 85 water source well houses rebuilt, a total of 132 water pumps replaced, and 1,006 valve wells rebuilt.
China’ Foreign Ministry condemns Canada's hyping: China's Foreign Ministry during the press conference pushed back against Canada's hyping of the so-called “arbitrary detention” of two Canadian spies. Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, the ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, said that the two Canadians were suspected of committing crimes endangering China's national security and their case was handled by the Chinese judicial authorities in accordance with the law. In his statement, the spokesperson urged the Canadian side to respect facts and reflect upon its mistakes and stop misleading public opinion. Beijing formally arrested Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a Canadian businessman based in China, on suspicion of endangering national security in 2018 after being found guilty of foreign espionage and the illegal provision of State secrets. Canada's national news outlet recently cited two sources stating that Michael Spavor was seeking a multimillion-dollar settlement from Ottawa with the allegation that he was detained in 2018 because he unwittingly provided intelligence on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to Michael Kovrig, his fellow prisoner, which was later shared with Canada and its Five Eyes spy-service partners.
China inducts the first 2 unmanned maritime helicopters in eastern coast: To better manage water traffic and emergency maritime accidents, China inducted the first batch of unmanned maritime helicopters in the city of Weihai in East China's coastal Shandong Province on Wednesday. The two commissioned unmanned maritime helicopters, each 7.33 meters long, 1.58 meters wide and 2.43 meters high, are currently the most advanced unmanned helicopter deployed in China's maritime system. The helicopters will be used to monitor the waters around Chengshantou, which is the easternmost point of Shandong and is surrounded by sea on three sides. The unmanned maritime helicopters, with a payload capacity of 75 kilograms, a remote-control range of up to 150 kilometers, a maximum endurance range of 400 kilometers, and a maximum flight speed of 150 km/h, can track and monitor illegal vessels. According to Wang Gang, Director of the Command Center of the Weihai Maritime Bureau, aerial photography equipment enables rapid investigation and evidence collection to help the onshore and offshore law enforcement forces in handling maritime violations.
China becomes world's top clean energy consumer, equipment manufacturer: : Zhang Shaogang, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said at the ongoing China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, that China has become the world's largest clean energy consumer and equipment manufacturer, with sectors including hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic (PV) facilities and nuclear power units. According to Zhang, China-made PV modules and wind turbines hold more than 70 percent of the world market, making the country an important force in stabilizing the global clean energy industry and supply chains. China's clean energy technologies are at par with those of industrialized nations, and cooperation between China and other countries will accelerate technological advancements further, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, expressed, noting that certain Western countries' crackdowns on China would have a negative impact on the world's green energy transition. Moreover, the construction of the Al Dhafra PV2 Solar Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, built under contract by a Chinese company, has been fully completed, reiterating China's technical growth in the sector. China has also undertaken other clean energy projects in Pakistan, Morocco, Qatar, and in Kenya, according to China's Foreign Ministry.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

‘Auntie Goose Legs’ goes viral after becoming a sensation among Beijing’s student circles: A food vendor known by the name of ‘Auntie Goose Legs,’ who has been selling her food near the dorms and entrances of the various local universities has generated a social media stir after relocating her stall. This has led to debates among local students in Beijing over which university she truly ‘belongs’ to. The food vendor, who is known for wearing a pink helmet, initially set up her stall near the entrances of Peking University and Renmin University. Her move to relocate further north, near the entrance of Tsinghua University has stirred conversations in many Beijing students’ WeChat groups. While the Peking University student community mourned the loss of convenient access to their beloved goose legs, the Tsinghua crowd welcomed Auntie with enthusiasm and assisted her in professionalizing her business by implementing online payment systems. Meanwhile, the students at Peking University pleaded for the return of their beloved ‘auntie,’ as reported by WeChat account Meishaonv023. One of the reasons why this story has blown up on Chinese social media is because the universities involved are among the most prestigious in the entire country. On November 28, Auntie, extremely overwhelmed and emotional, announced that, owing to the mounting pressure, she was going to take a short break from her food stall. Her story shares similarities with that of a duck head seller in Zibo, who, too, had to shut down his business temporarily due to viral success.

INDIA WATCH

The perception of renewables as the future source of energy is gradually gaining traction. Major powers including the US, UK, Australia, Japan and China are moving at a fast pace to enhance their renewable energy capacity. Amongst these powers, China has already emerged as a leading country in the renewable energy sector. Compared to China, the Indian renewable industry is at the nascent stage. However, the country is investing aggressively in the sector as India aspires to achieve 523 GW of renewable capacity by 2023. Currently, India stands at the fourth position globally for overall installed renewable energy capacity and is running the world’s largest renewable energy expansion programme. These targets are formidable, having said so, the clean energy transition in India is already well underway. It has overachieved its commitment made at COP 21- Paris Summit by already meeting 40% of its power capacity from non-fossil fuels- almost nine years ahead of its commitment and the share of solar and wind in India’s energy mix has grown phenomenally. As other developed countries strive for a greener world, India’s climate adaptation and mitigation ambitions, too, are not just transformational for itself but for the entire planet. NITI Aayog and IEA are committed to working together to enable India to grow, industrialize and provide a better quality of life to its citizens without the need to carbonize.