Amit Kumar
The 'Eye on China' newsletter features this week's most important developments on India-China relations, Chinese Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy, Economy and Tech, and the military!
Section A: India-China Relations
To begin with, this week, we are sharing our thoughts on ‘Three Years of Galwan Valley Clashes’
June 15, 2023, marks the third anniversary of the Galwan clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh. The incident involved casualties on the India-China border for the first time since 1975. While India lost 20 soldiers, the Chinese reported four casualties.
The incident followed the buildup of tension between the two sides along the LAC since April 2020. The PLA in a surprise move diverted the movement of its 4th and 6th Highland Mechanised Infantry Division westwards to the LAC instead of withdrawing backward to its post after completion of their annual spring exercise in Tibet.
Taking cognizance of the Chinese maneuvers that violated the Agreement on Confidence Building Measures of 1996, the Indian Army carried out mirror deployment and initiated negotiations for disengagement and de-escalation.
After 18 rounds of Corp Commander Level talks between India and China since the beginning of the Ladakh standoff in April 2020, conditional disengagement contingent upon the observance of demilitarised/buffer zone has been achieved at four of the six friction points. These include Galwan (PP14), Pangong Tso (north bank and south bank), and Gogra-Hot Springs (PP15 and PP17A). The other two friction points, Depsang and Demchok, continue to be negotiated without any success.
Meanwhile, the mainstream focus has largely been centred around understanding the underlying Chinese motives and their implications on the overall bilateral relationship between the two Asian giants. And while the efforts to restore the status quo ante of April 2020 continue to be underway, a realistic assessment of developments so far indicates a point of no return.
Firstly, the Chinese have shown no willingness to de-escalate from any of the six friction points in question. Even the disengagement at the four friction points has been a reluctant concession of a long drawn-out negotiation process of three years. The reluctance to de-escalate is evident in their constant reiteration that the border issue be placed at its appropriate place so as to not affect the overall relationship.
This reasoning could only flow out of the Chinese conviction that the diffusion of the tension at the border issue is not desirable at the moment. Furthermore, the overt admission by the PLA delegation on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue that the Indian military is no challenge to them, points to the sense of security within the Chinese military leadership, which is, in turn, impeding any breakthrough.
The second set of evidence entails a massive building and upgradation of infrastructure including permanent military installments, bridges, and roads within the 20 KM wide strip along the LAC. While the Indian Army managed to get the temporary structures near the friction points dismantled, the Chinese continue to build permanent military structures equipped with high-altitude necessities unabated away from the friction points but close to the LAC.
It suggests that the Chinese are determined to upscale the strength of their troops in the region and along the LAC. It means that the ceiling on troop presence as prescribed by the 1996 agreement is already breached. Thus, a return to the status quo ante, even in case of de-escalation from the current strength, might not be plausible.
Lastly, the propping up of dual-use border villages or moderately prosperous villages (Xiaokang) in the hitherto uninhabited zones in the vicinity of the LAC also indicates that the PLA is determined to militarise the border. Media reports put the number of such villages close to 628 which can possibly also act as reinforcements in the time of contingency.
While Ladakh continues to be the focus of discussion, it is important to highlight that the above developments are not restricted to eastern Ladakh alone. The eastern, middle, and western sectors of the LAC are uniformly witnessing a change in the status quo, albeit at different scales. The evidence suggests that there is a high probability that the 20 km stretch up to the LAC will be subject to increased militarisation by the Chinese and that the expected level of de-escalation might never occur.
The most immediate reasoning behind the PLA’s militarisation of the LAC appears to be an attempt towards addressing the shrinking gap between the reaction time vis-a-vis Indian troops owing to the latter’s aggressive push for last-mile connectivity lately.
My colleague Anushka Saxena penned down a brilliant piece for the Wion looking at the developments in China’s western theatre command in the last three years since Galwan.
Then, the Visa Spat between Indian and Chinese journalists is making rounds in the news
On the ongoing visa spat between India and China, Ananth Krishnan’s report for The Hindu is a good read. He writes:
Since 2020, more than a dozen journalists have effectively been expelled by not having their visas renewed — three Indian reporters in China and the rest, Chinese reporters in India.
Thanks to the expulsions, now only one reporter from each country remains on the other side of the border. That number may soon be down to zero. The last Chinese reporter in India is awaiting his visa to be renewed. Should it be declined, China has said that the last Indian reporter in Beijing will have to leave the country.
Explaining the developments so far, the report continues:
The current spat began with New Delhi in 2017 deciding to issue only three-month visas for Chinese reporters. The Indian government hasn’t publicly given an explanation for this, but the move followed the expulsion of three Chinese reporters after they visited a Tibetan settlement in India without obtaining the necessary permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The three-month visas appeared to be designed to prevent Chinese reporters from travelling, as their passports were forever held in endless cycles of submissions and renewals. It also meant Chinese reporters in India had trouble renting apartments or opening bank accounts. Several of them returned to China as daily living in India became impossible.
China also bears its share of the blame. Starting in 2020, the Chinese government suddenly stopped issuing new visas to Indian journalists, leaving the number frozen at three. This led to a glaring mismatch, as 14 Chinese reporters were then present in India. In New Delhi’s view, this made it impossible to continue facilitating the presence of Chinese reporters in India. Thus, the expulsions began. But when China finally began granting visas in 2022, New Delhi, however, continued with the expulsions, no reasons given.
I highly recommend our readers also listen to our ATP podcast featuring Manoj Kewalramani and Aditya Ramanathan on the issue:
Lastly, we would like to share the latest newsletter being published by my colleague at the Takshashila Institution, Dr. Nithiyanandam, called the ‘Geospatial Bulletin’. Do read, share and subscribe here.
Section B: Economy and Tech
- Amit Kumar
Before we begin with this section, I would like to share my latest piece, that I wrote for The Hindu, analysing China’s series of recent crackdowns against foreign tech and consultancy firms as an outcome of securitisation of China’s developmental pattern.
Back to the highlights from the last week. State Council mulls stimulus package
On June 16, Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired the State Council executive meeting which deliberated on policies to promote sustained recovery of the economy. Xinhua reports:
The meeting said China's overall economy is rebounding and improving, with recovering market demand, climbing output and supply, stable prices and employment, and solid advancement in high-quality development.
The meeting also noted that China's economic recovery has been impacted by an increasingly complex external environment and slowdowns in global trade and investment. In response to the changing economic landscape, it is imperative to introduce policies that are more effective, it said.
The policies deliberated at the meeting centered around four aspects: improving macroeconomic policies, expanding effective demand, strengthening and optimizing the real economy, and preventing and resolving risks in key fields.
The meeting also deliberated and adopted an action plan to support financing for technology-based enterprises and a draft regulation on the supervision and administration of private investment funds.
As technology-based enterprises at different development stages have varied demand, financial institutions are encouraged to further optimize products, markets and services to provide diversified relay financial services throughout the entire lifecycles of such enterprises, according to the meeting.
The private investment fund sector has developed rapidly in China, playing a positive role in serving the real economy and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, the meeting said, adding that specialized administrative regulations will help protect investors and safeguard the healthy development of the sector.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the recent economic indicators unveiled by Chinese authorities that have failed to infuse confidence among the observers. News relating to April and May data on economic indicators were covered in previous editions of EoC.
While the government keeps on reiterating that the Chinese economy remained on a recovery trajectory, experts remain skeptical.
Via SCMP
Weak economic data from May has also forced UBS Investment Bank to downgrade their forecast for China’s 2023 growth rate on June 16 to 5.2 while Nomura's chief China economist pegged it at 5.1 percent.
China’s Ministry of Natural Resources bans ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to farmland reclamation amid food security drive
In a directive issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the top land use regulator has warned local authorities against efforts to reassign steep slopes, polluted, eroded and ecologically fragile land for agriculture.
Lately, the local authorities have been under pressure to expand the acreage area amidst the food security and self-sufficiency push from the Central leadership. Food security and self-sufficiency in foodgrains have become a priority under Xi Jinping. The Chinese President has reiterated the issue at several high-level state and party meetings including during his inspection tours.
The SCMP reports:
The order follows a slew of complaints about reclamation cases, including the city of Chengdu’s plan to reclaim about 6,700 hectares (16,556 acres) along a planned green belt surrounding the city to use for farming.
China’s total arable land has decreased amid rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in recent decades, and local governments are now under growing pressure to guarantee a certain acreage for crop cultivation.
The ministry listed several measures local governments must not take to meet the central government’s requirements, such as converting land that is highly polluted, ecologically fragile or suffering serious soil erosion or desertification into cropland.
The latest directive also banned reclamation of land with a slope of more than 25 degrees or, if located above a major water source, a slope steeper than 15 degrees.
The directive said some governments had “just pursued the balance of farmland size on paper without considering how the land is used after reclamation, causing land loss again”.
The existing regulation/scheme adopted in the 2000s required that for every plot of farmland being converted and used for non-agricultural purposes, a new plot of farmland of equal size must be created. The report adds that “this has resulted in many local governments using good farmlands for construction” and expanding urban spaces and “converting infertile land or slope land to farmland.”
South Korean exports of tech products slumps in May
Amidst the continuing high-tech geopolitical tensions, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on June 15 reported that “the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) exports - including semiconductors, displays and smartphones - to mainland China and Hong Kong fell more than 30% in May from a year earlier,” according to SCMP.
The shipment specific to semiconductors witnessed a fall of 35.7 percent year-on-year in May, while trade in memory chips plunged 53.1 percent.
The decline is exports is significant given China accounts fo about 40 percent of South Korea’s total chip exports.
The SCMP reports:
The diminishing tech trade, particularly in semiconductors, between the two countries may reflect how China’s standing in the global chip supply chain has been affected after Seoul closely aligned its interests with Tokyo and Washington.
South Korea already forms part of the US government-backed Chip 4 Alliance that includes Japan and Taiwan. Beijing has criticised this alliance as Washington’s plot to exclude China from semiconductor supply chains.
However, a slowdown in the global ICT market might have also contributed to the decline in China-South Korea trade. The report quotes Gary Ng, senior economist for Asia-Pacific at investment bank Natixis:
The decline seems to reflect the broad downturn in the tech cycle rather than US pressure.
South Korea’s ICT exports to China and the US both fell considerably in May.
China’s industrial capacity utilisation rate for electronics also remained low at 74 percent in the first quarter of this year, “lower than 77 percent in the same period last year. It is unlikely that the situation has improved for now. It is more a global problem than export control.
Lastly, the figures also suggest that South Korea has not yet benefitted from Beijing’s ban on the domestic sale of Micron-produced chips in critical industries.
Micron to invest USD600 million to upgrade its plant in Xian
Micron on June 16 published a statement on its official WeChat account informing of its plan to invest 4.3 billion yuan (US$602 million) to upgrade its chip packaging plant in Xian. It also informed that it would acquire the operations of its outsourcing partner Powertech Technologies.
The decision comes weeks after Beijing imposed a partial ban on Micron-made chips from use in critical infrastructure. The SCMP reports:
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in the statement, which was only in Chinese, that the plan shows the firm’s commitment to its China operations and the local team.
Betty Wu Mingxia, the recently appointed general manager of Micron China, said the deal would allow the US company to directly manage all chip packaging and testing operations.
Upon completion of the deal, which is expected to take a year and is subject to regulatory approval in China, Micron’s total payroll in the country will increase to 4,500, by adding 1,200 workers from Powertech, Micron said.
However, Micron’s US$600 million spending in Xian pales in comparison with its plans in Japan, where the company said it would invest US$3.6 billion over the next few years in next-generation memory chip fabs.
For more details on the Chinese ban on Micron products, refer to the previous editions of EoC where the subject has been covered in detail.
US sanctions 31 Chinese entities
On June 12, the US commerce department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added 31 Chinese entities to its Entity list. These sanctions are aimed at “preventing advanced technologies form being used as part of China’s civil-military fusion strategy,” Alan Extevez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security said in a statement.
Another official stated, “we are committed to preventing the PRC from accessing advanced technologies to enhance their military modernisation and commit human rights violations.”
Other grounds for sanctions included China’s recruitment of “Western pilots to train PLA piolts on Western aircraft maneuvres and tactics, for hypersonic weapons development, hypersonic flight modeling, and weapon lifecycle management using Western software.”
What is of interest is that many of the Chinese entities were sanctioned for aiding the advancement of Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme and conventional and strategic weapons.
The details of the sanctioned entities are as follows:
Aviation Industry Corporation of China 612 Institute; Beijing Iwintall Technology Co. Ltd.; Beijing Transemic Technology Co., Ltd.; Beijing Transemic Information Technology Co., Ltd.; China Aviation Development Harbin Bearing Co., Ltd.; Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Opturn Co., Ltd.; and Pera Global were added to the Entity List for acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of China’s military modernization.
These entities have demonstrable ties to activities of concern, including hypersonic weapons development, design and manufacture of air-to-air missiles, hypersonic flight modeling, and weapon lifecycle management using Western software.
Shanghai Supercomputing Technology Co., Ltd. was added to the Entity List for acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of China’s military modernization. This entity has supported the operation of supercomputers located in the PRC, specifically by offering cloud-based supercomputing capabilities to support hypersonics research.
Beijing Ryan Wende Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (Beijing Ryan) and Xinjiang Kehua Hechang Biological Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (Xinjiang Kehua) were added to the Entity List for procuring and supplying items subject to the EAR that enable the Chinese government to carry out human rights abuses against individuals in China.
Specifically, Beijing Ryan procures and distributes items subject to the EAR, including mobile phone inspection software, fingerprint analysis technology, biostatistics software, and DNA testing items to Public Security Bureaus (PSBs) throughout China.
Xinjiang Kehua procures and distributes biotechnology items subject to the EAR to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), an entity designated on the Entity List and on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, and to PSBs in Xinjiang.
Affiliates International and Changzhou Utek Composite Co., Ltd. were added to the Entity List based on their contributions to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
Beijing Luo Luo Technology Development Co., Ltd.; General Technology Limited; Tiger Force Electronics Limited; and Universal Enterprise Limited were added to the Entity List based on their contributions to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program
Qianpu Technology Co., Ltd.,Quantum Logix (Private) Limited and Imminent Engineering Co., Ltd. were added to the Entity List based on information that these entities significantly contribute to certain advanced conventional weapons and strategic weapons capabilities in Pakistan.
Remaining entities were added to the Entity List because they have been implicated in a conspiracy to violate U.S. export controls, including a scheme to supply the Chinese People’s Liberation Army – Navy with U.S. military grade vessels and equipment.
Section C: Military Developments in China
- Anushka Saxena
Let’s begin with a short announcement made by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MoND) Spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang on June 17 during a regular press conference, highlighting that at the invitation of the Ministry of Defense of Mongolia, the Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will send troops to Mongolia in mid-June to participate in the Khaan Quest 2023 multinational peacekeeping exercise.
With any subsequent information released about the actual dates and the drills involved in the exercise, ‘Eye on China’ will feature details of the same.
Next, on June 17, in a meeting of senior defence officials, the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force to attend the 19th National Congress of the Communist Youth League of China was established.
China Military Net reported: At the meeting, the head and deputy head of the delegation were elected, the relevant situation of the delegation was informed, and clear requirements were put forward for the representatives to participate in the agenda of the conference. The representatives expressed that they must actively offer advice and suggestions, display a good image, and fulfill their glorious duties with practical actions.
The delegation of the PLA and the PAP has 72 official representatives, representing more than 1 million members of the two defence bodies.
The Communist Youth League of China, reserve force of the Communist Party of China, will convene its 19th national congress from June 19 to 22 in Beijing.
Then, a delegation of the PLA Navy visited Brazil on June 15 for a two-day visit.
Led by the Secretary of the PLA Navy Yuan Huazhi, the group also includes the Navy Deputy Chief of Staff Admiral Li Pengcheng; China’s defence attaché in Brazil, Zhang Linhong; and five other officers.
The commander of the Brazilian Navy, Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, and the chief of staff of the navy, Admiral José Augusto Vieira da Cunha de Menezes, hosted their guests in Brasilia.
According to admirals interviewed by Folha, the commander of the Navy, Marcos Sampaio Olsen, intends to demonstrate the concern that Brazil has with the crimes committed in the South Atlantic and should ask for support from the Chinese authorities to combat crimes.
In addition to the agenda on illegal fishing, the Brazilian Navy will present to the Chinese a study plan on the presence of countries in the maritime region. The objective, according to reports, is to assess the impacts of naval powers in the South Atlantic and discuss maritime security strategies and regional cooperation.
The main fear of the Brazilian authorities is that the growing interest of global powers in the South Atlantic could pose risks to maritime security, such as a possible increase in crimes in the ocean and the leak of data passed through submarine cables.
Members of the Navy summit assess that, considering conversations prior to the meetings, Beijing is willing to dialogue on the maritime region and act in partnership with the countries of South America. This approximation has intensified since the last decade, when the Chinese Navy started to consider the South Atlantic as a priority exploration area.
Beijing has strengthened ties with countries on the west coast of Africa through visits and military exercises. More recently, Chinese authorities have shown interest in building a naval base in Ushuaia, Argentina , to consolidate their operations both in the South Atlantic and in the Arctic.
Brazil used the visit of a Chinese naval delegation on Friday to complain about alleged illegal fishing by Chinese vessels between the Brazilian and African Atlantic coasts.
The meeting points to the resumption of bilateral defence talks, postponed since 2020 due to the pandemic. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the visit was brokered by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and arranged just days in advance – the reason no military agreement is likely to be signed.
The group will also visit the Naval War College, in Rio de Janeiro, and will end the tour in Manaus (AM), where it will meet the Command of the 9th Naval District.
According to the Navy, this is a "courtesy visit" by the authorities of the Chinese Force, with no expectation of bilateral agreements.
"The arrival of the entourage is the result of an initiative to resume visits at the Defense level, which began in 2019. It is now happening because it was postponed during the pandemic,” says the note.
An interesting opinion appearing in the June 13 edition of the ‘PLA Daily’ on ‘Beware of artificial intelligence "compliance and recklessness"‘;
Section D: Foreign Policy Watch
- Anushka Saxena
First is the big news on Blinken’s China visit. In what is arousing great speculation about potential breakthroughs in the tense US-China relationship, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached Beijing on June 16 to meet with senior Chinese policymakers. The visit lasted three days, between 16-19 June, 2023.
This was a much-anticipated trip, given it was earlier scheduled to take place in February and was postponed due to a Chinese surveillance (‘spy’) balloon being found hovering over US territory.
Blinken is the first US cabinet-level official to visit China since 2019, the first secretary of state since 2018, and the highest-ranking US government official since President Joe Biden took office.
On June 14, the same day that Blinken's China visit was announced, Daniel Kritenbrink, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs told reporters in a briefing call:
"We're not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of breakthrough or transformation in the way that we deal with one another. We're coming to Beijing with a realistic, confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possible."
To that, an article in Global Times responded:
High-level US officials played down expectations of breakthrough from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming visit to China. Although Chinese experts also have low expectations, they said the visit, propelled by the US' urgent need to engage with China as it finds itself mired a slew of domestic and international woes, may serve as "window of opportunity" to save bilateral ties from deteriorating to "worse than the worst."
"The lack of expectations of a breakthrough from Blinken's trip is mutual," Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. However, he described Kritenbrink's remarks as "restrained."
The announcement of this visit was complemented by other developments in US-China interactions:
First, on June 15, SCMP reported that “Zhao Junning, deputy director of China’s National Medical Products Administration, met Andi Fristedt, the US Food and Drug Administration’s deputy commissioner for policy, legislation, and international affairs, in Beijing and “exchanged views on cooperation for 2023 and in the future”, according to an NMPA statement.”
“Cooperation between Chinese and US drug regulatory agencies not only helps promote regulatory coordination between the two countries, but also lays a solid foundation for global cooperation in the field of drug regulation,” the statement quoted Zhao as saying.
Fentanyl overdoses cause tens of thousands of deaths each year in the US, with deaths related to the drug rising from 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2016 to 21.6 in 2021, according to US data. China had been considered the main source of illicit fentanyl entering the US until 2019, when Beijing imposed stricter export controls at the US’ request.
This talk on drug control cooperation was revived between the US and China after ten months (when it was first stopped during then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, Taiwan in August 2022). Before Pelosi’s visit, cooperation on drug control, in particular on fentanyl, had been a key area of the relationship despite other tensions between the two countries.
Then, on June 16, Xi met with Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, as the latter has been paying a highly-anticipated visit to China.
During the trip, he also met with other high-level officials, with both sides expressing willingness to join hands to solve global challenges and help developing nations.
The meeting, which took place as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepares for a long-awaited trip to China, illustrated clearly that China's door has never shut on cooperation with the US and its sincere hope for a stable and healthy relationship has been consistent when dealing with non-governmental or governmental figures.
In recent years, the Gates Foundation's cooperation with China has made remarkable progress, and that accelerating innovation and development in China is good for China, developing countries and the world, Gates said.
Now, Blinken’s visit has concluded, and the readouts from the meetings between the two sides have some interesting facets:
On June 18, Blinken met with Qin Gang. On this, the US Department of State’s readout said:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken held candid, substantive, and constructive talks today with People’s Republic of China (PRC) State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing.
The Secretary emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation.
The Secretary raised a number of issues of concern, as well as opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational issues with the PRC where our interests align.
The Secretary made clear that the United States will always stand up for the interests and values of the American people and work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the international rules-based order.
The Secretary and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin also noted the importance of facilitating exchanges between the people of the United States and the PRC.
The Secretary invited State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin to Washington to continue the discussions, and they agreed to schedule a reciprocal visit at a mutually suitable time.
Qin pointed out that the China-U.S. relationship is at the lowest point since its establishment. This does not serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples or meet the shared expectations of the international community. China’s policy toward the U.S. remains consistent and stable.
China is committed to building a stable, predictable and constructive relationship with the U.S. China hopes that the U.S. will adopt an objective and rational perception of China, work with China in the same direction, uphold the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and handle unexpected and sporadic events in a calm, professional and rational manner.
The two sides should deliver on the common understandings reached by President Xi and President Biden in Bali in letter and spirit, and work to stabilize and steer the relations back to the right track.
Qin expounded on China’s firm position and raised clear demands on the Taiwan question and other core interests and major concerns. Qin pointed out that the Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests, the most consequential issue and the most pronounced risk in the China-U.S. relationship.
The Chinese side urged the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, and truly deliver on its commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence.”
Both sides agreed to maintain high-level interactions. Secretary Blinken invited State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin to visit the U.S., and Qin expressed his readiness to make the visit at a mutually convenient time.
Both sides agreed to keep moving forward consultations on the guiding principles of China-U.S. relations. Both sides agreed to continue advancing consultations through the joint working group to address specific issues in the relations.
Both sides agreed to encourage more people-to-people and educational exchanges, and had positive discussions on increasing passenger flights between the two countries. Both sides welcomed more mutual visits by students, scholars and business people, and agreed to provide support and facilitation to this end.
Then, on June 19, Blinken met with Wang Yi. The US State Department’s readout said, briefly:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi today in Beijing. In a candid and productive discussion, they addressed a range of bilateral and global issues that affect people in the United States, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and around the world.
The Secretary underscored the importance of responsibly managing the competition between the United States and the PRC through open channels of communication to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.
The Secretary reiterated that the United States will continue to use diplomacy to raise areas of concern and stand up for the interests and values of the American people.
The Secretary and Director Wang also discussed opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational challenges.
Wang noted that the Secretary of State’s visit to Beijing comes at a critical juncture in China-U.S. relations, and a choice needs to be made between dialogue and confrontation, and cooperation and conflict. History always moves forward, and China-U.S. relations will also move on. Reversing the wheels of history will lead nowhere, and overturning what has been achieved is even less desirable.
Noting that relations between China and the United States are at a low point, Wang underscored that the root cause is U.S. misperceptions toward China, which has led to misguided China policies. China-U.S. relations have gone through ups and downs, and it is necessary for the United States to reflect upon itself, and work with China to jointly manage differences and avoid strategic surprises.
In order to stabilize China-U.S. relations, the most urgent task is to act on the common understandings reached between the two presidents with real actions. In order to ensure the steady and long-term growth of China-U.S. relations, the most critical task is to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation put forward by President Xi Jinping as the fundamental guidance.
Wang demanded that the United States stop playing up the so-called “China threat”, lift illegal unilateral sanctions against China, stop suppressing China’s scientific and technological advances, and not wantonly interfere in China’s internal affairs. Wang specially analyzed the nature of the Taiwan question.
He stressed that safeguarding national unity has always been the core of China’s core interests. It is where the future of the Chinese nation lies and the abiding historical mission of the CPC. On the Taiwan question, China has no room for compromise or concession. The United States must earnestly abide by the one-China principle set out in the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and unequivocally oppose “Taiwan independence”.
Blinken laid out the U.S. views. He noted that the U.S. side is committed to going back to the agenda set by the two presidents during their summit in Bali and looks forward to enhancing communication with China, managing differences responsibly and cooperating in areas of common interests.
Finally, on June 18 itself, Blinken met with Xi. On that, coverage by Global Times said:
The meeting between Xi and Blinken itself signaled that the talks between Chinese and US senior diplomats from Sunday to Monday reached some consensus, reflecting that the Chinese government highly values the stable development of China-US relations, underscoring its sincerity and goodwill and paving the way for the next phase of China-US high-level interactions in coming months.
The world needs a generally stable China-US relationship. Whether the two countries can find the right way to get along will have a bearing on the future and destiny of humanity, Xi told Blinken during the meeting. The common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity and not a threat to each other, the Chinese top leader said.
President Xi stressed that major-country competition does not represent the trend of the times, still less can it solve America's own problems or the challenges facing the world. China respects US' interests and does not seek to challenge or displace the US. In the same vein, the US needs to respect China and must not hurt China's legitimate rights and interests, Xi said.
There was no readout of this particular meeting from the US State Department, but they did issue a concluding readout at the end of Blinken’s visit. Some new subjects highlighted in there not mentioned in the readouts from the Wang and Qin meeting are:
Secretary Blinken emphasized that it remains a priority for the United States to resolve the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China.
He underscored the importance of working together to disrupt the global flow of synthetic drugs and their precursor chemicals into the United States, which fuels the fentanyl crisis.
The Secretary addressed the PRC’s unfair and nonmarket economic practices and recent actions against U.S. firms. He discussed U.S. de-risking policies and the historic domestic investments the Administration has made.
The Secretary raised concerns about PRC human rights violations in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as individual cases of concern. He emphasized that the United States will always stand up for our values.
The Secretary underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and reiterated there has been no change to the U.S. one China policy, based on the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.
The two sides discussed a range of global and regional security issues, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the DPRK’s provocative actions, and U.S. concerns with PRC intelligence activities in Cuba.
The Secretary made clear that the United States will work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the rules-based international order.
My observations:
➣ These readouts and reports indicate that the two sides went into the meetings with quite different mindsets. One the one hand, Blinken’s entire argument is based on the two sides handling competition well, and accepting it as part of the negotiations towards a healthy relationship. On the other hand, Xi’s statements suggest that China does not want to recognise the relations between the two sides as competitive; rather, he expects that the US give China a peer status while also accepting that relations need to be stable overall.
➣ Blinken continued to reiterate that America will stand up for its interests and values globally, and use diplomacy and alliances to address issues that concern it. But on the other hand, both Wang Yi and Qin Gang iterated that topics such as Taiwan and the Uyghur muslims’ rights as ‘core issues’ of Chinese domestic politics that need not become a subject of the US-China dynamic. Topics like Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang are subjects of contention for the US, but they are non-issues for China in the bilateral or multilateral context.
➣ Blinken clearly stated that America expects China to open lines of communication across any and all aspects of the relationship so as to avoid ‘miscalculation’ and ‘misperception’. But China has refused to reopen military-to-military exchanges on the grounds that their National Defense Minister Li Shangfu remains sanctioned in the US. China instead suggests that to manage the ‘misperception’ problem, the US should drop the hoax of ‘China-threat’, prevent China-containment, and learn to act in a calm and rational manner.
➣ Finally, it seems as if Blinken had hoped that China would be open to accepting US’s legitimate concerns and finding ways to negotiate around them. Moreover, he believed that the relationship hadn’t deteriorated to the point that they couldn’t be salvaged. But China was prepared to clearly communicate to Blinken that the relationship is at its worst at the current juncture, and all steps the US is taking now are “reversing the wheels of history.”
Overall, no one predicted or expected the Blinken visit to lead to massive breakthroughs in US-China relations. But the difference of mindsets and diametrically opposed views on everything from the nature of the world order to what issues the two sides should even communicate on, have shown us just how structural the challenge is.
Next, on June 14, 2023, during a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, China and Palestine upgraded their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.
Abbas was on a three-day state visit to the country. Before the talks, Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Abbas in the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing.
During the meeting, Global Times reported Xi as saying:
China and Palestine are good friends and good partners who trust and support each other. China was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the State of Palestine, and has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights.
Facing unprecedented changes in the world and the new developments in the Middle East, China stands ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Palestine, and work for a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the Palestinian question at an early date.
The upgrading of relations will serve as an important milestone in China-Palestine relations that builds on past achievements and heralds a brighter future. China will seize this opportunity to work with Palestine to advance bilateral friendship and cooperation in all areas.
Then, Xi endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. China has long endorsed a two-state solution to the conflict, like much of the international community.
Additionally, Xi also put forward a three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question:
First, the fundamental solution lies in the establishment of an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Second, Palestine's economic and livelihood needs should be met.
Third, it is important to keep to the right direction of peace talks.
WAFA, the news agency of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), reported on the meeting:
The President [Abbas] briefed his Chinese counterpart on the ongoing Israeli occupation's violations against the Palestinian people, and the unilateral Israeli measures represented in the intensification of settlements, daily killings, the desecration of Christian and Islamic sanctities in Jerusalem, the disavowal of the signed agreements, and the piracy of Palestinian tax funds.
The two leaders discussed ways to enhance the historical bilateral relations between their two countries in all fields for the benefit of their two friendly peoples, and they exchanged views on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and regional and international issues of common concern.
He [Abbas] reaffirmed that the State of Palestine will continue to adhere firmly to the principle of One China, actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, and continue to enhance cooperation with China in all fields, expressing his confidence that China will continue to provide political and economic support to enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.
On that last point, the Chinese media platform ‘China Military Net’ also added that “The Palestinian side supports the global security initiative, global development initiative, and global civilization initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, highly appreciates China's successful mediation of the Saudi-Iran dialogue, and appreciates China's multiple proposals for an early and fair settlement of the Palestinian issue.”
Apart from the two leaders, the meeting was attended by the Director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Qin Gang from the Chinese side, and from the Palestinian side, by Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Malki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund Mohammad Mustafa, Chief Justice of Palestine, Advisor to the President for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud al-Habbash, Advisor to the President for Diplomatic Affairs Majdi Khalidi, and Palestine's Ambassador to China Fariz Mahdawi.
Documents Produced:
Abbas and Xi also signed bilateral cooperation documents on the economy, technology, and visa exemptions for diplomats, as well as a friendship agreement between the Chinese city of Wuhan and the Palestinian capital Ramallah.
The meeting also concluded with a ‘Joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the State of Palestine on Establishing a Strategic Partnership.’
Interestingly, after these talks, the official website of the ‘East Turkistan Government-in-Exile’ released a Press Statement, saying:
The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) strongly condemns the recent strategic partnership between Palestine and China, which shamelessly supports China’s ongoing colonization, genocide, and occupation campaign in East Turkistan.
The joint statement between the People’s Republic of China and the State of Palestine on establishing a Strategic Partnership reiterated China’s false narrative that the “Xinjiang [East Turkistan] related issue is not a human rights issue at all, but an issue of counter-terrorism, de-radicalization, and anti-separatism,” and that the “Palestine side firmly opposes interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretexts of Xinjiang [East Turkistan]-related issue.”
It is a grotesque distortion of reality to refer to the ongoing Sino-East Turkistan conflict as a matter of “Chinese internal affairs.” This distorted narrative not only aids Chinese imperialism but also ignores the unspeakable atrocities endured by the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic people in Occupied East Turkistan. The East Turkistani people are subject to unrelenting atrocities, such as genocide, systemic racism, and persecution.
Before this, on June 5 too, on the occasion of a visit to Xinjiang by an Arab League delegation, the ‘Government-in-Exile’ released a Press Statement saying: “The East Turkistan Government in Exile strongly condemns the recent visit to occupied East Turkistan by a 34-member Arab League delegation representing 16 Arab nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria. During the shameless visit, members of the Arab delegation made statements supporting China’s efforts to whitewash and deny its ongoing genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan.”
Before all this, on June 11, 2023, Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the inauguration ceremony of the embassy of the Republic of Honduras in Beijing with visiting Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina.
Extending warm congratulations on the opening of the Honduran embassy in Beijing, Qin said the establishment of diplomatic ties on the basis of the one-China principle has opened a new era of China-Honduras relations.
Noting that bilateral relations got off to a strong start over the past two months, Qin said that the rapid development of bilateral relations has fully proved that adherence to the one-China principle is recognized by the international community, reflects the trend of the times and the aspiration of the people, and serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples.
Echoing Qin's remarks, Reina said that the establishment of diplomatic relations with China opens a new era in Honduras' relations with the world and offers a chance for Honduras to become a great and prosperous country.
Before all this, on the afternoon of June 12, 2023, President Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People with Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who was on a state visit to China.
Xi Jinping pointed out that President Castro is the first Honduran president to pay a state visit to China. ‘Your’ visit has opened a new chapter in the history of China-Honduras relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras in March this year, the relations between the two countries have started rapidly and started well, showing vigor and broad prospects.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras is in the present and will benefit in the long run. China will unswervingly develop China-Honduras friendly relations, firmly support the economic and social development of Honduras, and is willing to be a good friend and good partner with Honduras with mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development.
I [Xi] am willing to work with you to lead and promote the in-depth development of bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, turn the beautiful vision of cooperation between the two countries into tangible results, and bring more benefits to the two peoples. It is believed that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Honduras relations will surely go far and steadily towards a bright future.
Castro said that establishing diplomatic relations with China is a historic choice made by the Honduran government and will be recorded in history. Honduras firmly supports and abides by the one-China principle, and firmly supports the Chinese government's efforts to realize national reunification.
Under the strong and powerful leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has made great development achievements, and Honduras deeply admires it. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the global development initiative, global security initiative, and global civilization initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping will help build a more peaceful and secure world that meets the common expectations of people all over the world. Honduras speaks highly of it and will actively participate.
Honduras firmly believes that developing friendly and cooperative relations with China will help Honduras obtain more and better development opportunities. The rapid progress of cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than two months ago has given Honduras full confidence in the future.
CGTN further reports on a Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two sides: “From establishing formal relations in March to their first presidential talks, swift progress in diplomacy provides a launchpad for signature Chinese-Honduran achievements. That includes an early consensus on negotiating a China-Honduras free trade agreement (FTA), given China's readiness to begin talks as soon as possible. A future FTA could play a substantive role in expanding market access for major Honduran exports to China, and at the same time support minimum tariff opportunities.”
China’s expanding ties with Honduras are a sign that Beijing’s “dollar-diplomacy,” as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen put it when Honduras severed ties with Taipei two months ago, is working. This is also evident from Castro’s statements supporting BRI and GDI, and applauding the newfound Honduran exporters’ access to Chinese markets.
Overall, this is another in a set of succesful Chinese manoeuvres to restrict Taiwan’s international space.
Finally, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has been mired in controversy this week as the Global Communications Director for the Bank, Bob Pickard (who is of Canadian nationality) resigned on June 14, and Canada announced a subsequent freeze of ties with the Bank.
Bob Pickard tweeted: “I have tendered my resignation as the global comms chief of @AIIB_Official. As a patriotic Canadian, this was my only course. The Bank is dominated by Communist Party members and also has one of the most toxic cultures imaginable. I don’t believe that my country’s interests are served by its AIIB membership.”
He also added in response to another tweet: “Happy to be gone from that cesspool. The Communist Party hacks hold the cards at the Bank. They deal with some board members as useful idiots. I believe that my Government should not be a member of this PRC instrument. The reality of power in the bank is that it’s CCP from start to finish.”
Canada is freezing ties with the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) while it probes allegations it is dominated by the Chinese Communist Party, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday.
Freeland said she did not rule out any outcome of the investigation — a clear hint that Ottawa could pull out of the bank it officially joined in March 2018.
The bank's global communications director, Canadian Bob Pickard, said Wednesday he had resigned and accused the bank of being "dominated by the Communist Party" — an allegation the AIIB said was baseless.
"The Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank. And I have instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations raised and of Canada's involvement in the AIIB," Freeland told reporters.
How has China responded?
First, on June 14, Remarks of the Spokesperson of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canada were published, in which they said:
“The remarks made by the individual are outright lies with an attempt to seek sensationalization. AIIB has responded that recent public comments and characterization of the Bank of that individual are baseless and disappointing. As for the "de-risk" mentioned by the Canadian leader, I would like to emphasize that numerous facts show that China is an active contributor to world peace, common development and response to global challenges. The true risks faced by the world are such practices as stoking bloc confrontation and brewing a new Cold War, wantonly interfering in other countries' internal affairs and causing regional turmoil and chaos, politicizing trade and sci-tech issues and destabilizing global industrial and supply chains, shifting domestic economic and financial risks overseas and reaping global wealth like a seasonal crop. The international community needs to be vigilant and jointly fend off these risks. As for the alleged "authoritarian regimes," some countries are willfully pointing fingers at other countries and even wielding the big stick of sanctions, which are absolutely “authoritarian” behaviours.“
Then, on June 15, the AIIB announced in a public statement that it is accepting Bob Pickard’s resignation, and further informed in another press release:
“The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) welcomes the review announced by Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and AIIB Governor, Ms. Chrystia Freeland, into the baseless allegations made by Mr. Bob Pickard, AIIB’s former Director General of Communications, following the announcement of his resignation yesterday. Over the last 24 hours, Senior Management has been working closely with the AIIB Board of Directors to develop a response that demonstrates transparency, maintains trust in the Bank’s multilateral character, and aligns with the Bank’s high standards of governance. In addition to cooperating with its Canadian counterparts, AIIB will also be conducting its own internal review of the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Bob Pickard and the allegations he has made. This management review will be led by the General Counsel, Alberto Ninio. In the sidelines of the Board Retreat today, the AIIB Board of Directors met informally with Management and agreed to establish a group of Directors to which Management will report.“
Finally, during his regular press conference on the same day, in response to a question by Reuter’s reporter on the matter, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the following:
“Since its inception over seven years ago, with the joint efforts of its members, the AIIB has acted as a truly international, rule-based and high-standard institution and has achieved important progress in institution building, development of strategies and policies, and investment portfolio, which has been recognized by the world. On your specific question about the resignation of a certain employee, I would refer you to the AIIB. It is understood that the AIIB recruits and manages its staff in accordance with the principles of openness, merit-based selection and transparency. Its staff come from 65 countries and economies, who generally consider the AIIB as a fine employer. China, as the largest shareholder of the AIIB, will continue to work with all parties to uphold multilateralism, support the AIIB, make it a success, and contribute to the infrastructure and sustainable development in Asia and the wider world.“
Interested readers may also refer to the following two updates:
A Xinhua report from June 16, when Chairman of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Zhao Leji held talks with Speaker of Kiribati's House of Assembly Tangariki Reete in Beijing on 15 June (Thursday); and
➣Zhao Bin was appointed ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, replacing Zhu Jing.
➣Zhou Ding was appointed ambassador to Zimbabwe,
replacing Guo Shaochun.
➣Tang Songgen was appointed ambassador to Latvia,
replacing Liang Jianquan.
Section E: Chinese Domestic Politics
- Anushka Saxena
First, The 15th Straits Forum was jointly held by the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, Fujian provincial government, and 82 institutions and organizations from across the Taiwan Strait. The forum's main conference commenced on Saturday (June 17) in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen.
On this, Global Times has reported some interesting facts and statistics:
More than 5,000 Taiwan attendees came upon invitation, including over 1,000 who arrived directly from the island. This is the biggest cross-Straits people-to-people exchange event since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the 5,000 Taiwan attendees are representatives from several major political parties on the island, except the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as well as representatives from various industries, community leaders, and people from trade unions, Communist Youth League organizations, women's federations, towns and counties, representing a wide range of people.
This year's forum not only continues the orientation of being nongovernmental, grassroots and extensive, but also shows two new trends. First, the forum is becoming younger. The positive role of youth in cross-Straits relations is more prominent. Second, there are more "first-time visitors." Nearly 450 young guests attended Friday's forum on site, with 303 coming from Taiwan island. More than 70 percent of attendees are new faces.
This shows that the youth on Taiwan island is adding more vitality to cross-Straits relations. It gives people higher expectations of young people from both sides of the Straits getting to know each other and working together in the future.
As a Taiwan youth who attended the forum said, "You only realize how big the world is when you cross the Straits."
Leading a Kuomintang delegation, Hsia Li-yan (Andrew Hsia), vice-chairman of the island's main opposition party, attended the forum in person.
Andrew Hsia also said at the Forum conference that the KMT is committed to the political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," and will promote cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, while working for cross-Strait peace and stability.
At the press conference on Thursday, Chen Zhiyong, deputy director of the Organizing Committee Office of Straits Forum and deputy director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Office of Fujian Province, said that a total of 51 events will take place during this forum, falling under four major themes - grassroots communication, youth development, culture and economy.
Chen noted that the forum has received a positive response from civil organizations and people in Taiwan, which fully demonstrates that restoring cross-Straits exchanges is the common aspiration of compatriots on both sides of the Straits.
Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory letter to the Forum, stating: “We will continue to respect, care for and deliver benefits to the Taiwan compatriots, promote cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, and advance integrated development in various fields.“
Xinhua reports that he also “called on people from both sides of the Strait to work together to keep pace with the trends of history, safeguard the overall interests of the Chinese nation and contribute to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the cause of national reunification.”
This has given rise to a political back-and-forth between Taiwanese ruling and opposition parties.
For example, on Andrew Hsia’s attendance at the Forum, CNA News Agency reporters in Taipei said:
“The DPP appealed today that the Kuomintang should prioritize Taiwan's interests in its exchanges, and should not cooperate or echo the CCP's United Front actions and become a model for United Front propaganda. DPP spokesman Zhang Zhihao said in the afternoon that the MAC [Taiwanese Mainland Affairs Council] has explained that the Taiwan Strait Forum is one of the CCP’s platforms for united front against Taiwan. Cooperate with or echo the CCP's united front actions, and become a model for united front propaganda.”
“KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) said on Wednesday that the DPP was creating unnecessary roadblocks to communication between both sides of the strait, and that the party had tried to discredit the KMT and others who will participate in the forum, a sentiment echoed by Chinese state media on Thursday. “The Straits Forum … has provided an opportunity for mutual understanding, allowing us to resolve misunderstandings, and create a win-win situation,” he said.”
Next, Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), presided over a seminar in Kunming city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on June 16.
This was part of Li’s inspection trip in Yunnan from June 14 to June 17, 2023.
Disciplinary inspection and supervisory agencies should focus their work on advancing Chinese modernization and make significant progress in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, improving the conduct and integrity of the Party, and combating corruption.
He also called for efforts to improve the systems for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, step up political oversight, advocate a pragmatic, upright and frugal style, foster a rigorous awareness of abiding by rules and laws, and win the tough and protracted battle against corruption.
He asked the agencies to carefully examine themselves during the education campaign, identify weak links and correct problems.
On this trip to Yunnan, Li Xi also met with Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, in Kunming (on June 15).
As per the Laotian government’s statement, Sisoulith, his spouse, and a delegation of high-ranking officials of Laos are visiting Yunnan in response to the invitation of the Party and government leaders of China “to strengthen the traditional relations between the two Parties, states of Laos and China and deepen the building of a Laos-China community with a shared future”.
Xinhua reported that Li said during the meeting: “In recent years, under the strategic guidance and promotion of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, China-Laos relations have maintained a high level of development.”
Further, he said China is willing to work with Laos to implement the important consensus reached by Xi and Thongloun, deepen exchanges and mutual learning on governance, strengthen exchanges and cooperation on anti-corruption, and promote new development of the two parties and two countries.
Thongloun asked Li to convey his best wishes to General Secretary Xi Jinping and Professor Peng Liyuan, and expressed readiness to work with China to firmly promote the building of a Laos-China community with a shared future.
Interested readers may also note that among many development projects like the railway mentioned above, the special railway line of Yunnan Shuifu Port Logistics Park was officially opened and passed the completion acceptance, marking the multi-modal transportation of goods in Shuifu Port, the largest inland port in Yunnan. A brief report can be perused here (translation required!)
Then, the high-level forum on global human rights governance was held in Beijing on June 14-15.
This forum is co-hosted by the Chinese State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), and more than 300 Chinese and foreign guests from nearly 100 countries and international organizations including UN agencies were invited to attend it.
The theme of the two-day forum was "Equality, Cooperation and Development: The 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and Global Human Rights Governance."
Li Shulei, CPC Politburo member, reads out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the Forum on Global Human Rights Governance and delivers a keynote speech, on June 14 | Via Xinhuanet
In addition to an opening ceremony and plenary meetings, five parallel sessions were held, focusing on international cooperation and global human rights governance, the Global Development Initiative and the realization of the right to development, the Global Security Initiative and human rights protection, UN human rights mechanism and global human rights governance, as well as human rights protection in the digital times.
Xi’s pitch on GSI, GDI and GCI at the Forum was covered in Xinhua’s report on his congratulatory letter to the Forum:
At a time of severe challenges facing the global human rights governance, China stands for safeguarding human rights with security, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, calling on all countries to follow the path of peaceful development, and putting into action the Global Security Initiative, Xi noted in the letter.
China advocates for promoting human rights with development, putting into action the Global Development Initiative, and ensuring fair entitlement to human rights by people of all countries through modernization paths with their own characteristics, Xi said.
China stands for advancing human rights with cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and equality, putting into action the Global Civilization Initiative, and deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, he added.
Putting the people above all else, China has pursued a human rights development path that follows the trend of the times and suits its national conditions, strengthening human rights protection in the course of advancing Chinese modernization, Xi stressed.
China is ready to work with the rest of the world to act on the principles enshrined in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, push for greater fairness, justice, reason, and inclusiveness in global human rights governance, and promote the development of a human community with a shared future, he said.
Finally, on June 13, the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC, and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Building a High-quality and Balanced Basic Public Education Service System" and issued a notice, requiring all regions and departments to implement it conscientiously in light of their actual conditions.
Interested readers may peruse the full text of the ‘Opinions’ here. Some interesting provisions are as follows:
Persist in making up for shortcomings, continue to improve school-running conditions, pay more attention to connotative development, and promote basic public education services that cover all people and are of high quality and balanced.
The aim, as highlighted:
By 2027, a high-quality and balanced basic public education service system will be initially established, the total supply will be further expanded, the supply structure will be further optimized, and the level of equalization will be significantly improved.
By 2035, the school conditions, teaching staff, funding, and governance system of compulsory education schools will meet the needs of a strong education country, and the balanced development of compulsory education in the city (prefecture, state, league) region will be significantly improved.
Most counties (cities, districts, and banners) will achieve high-quality and balanced compulsory education, school-age students enjoy fair and high-quality basic public education services, and the overall level has entered the forefront of the world.
Promote coordinated regional development. Focus on promoting the standardization of school construction, and accelerate the narrowing of regional education gaps. Continue to increase support for difficult areas in the central and western regions.
Accelerate the development of education in ethnic minority areas. Comprehensively improve the conditions for running schools in ethnic minority areas, and improve the overall level of running schools. Strengthen the construction of teachers in ethnic minority areas, strengthen special training in ideological and political quality, national common language, subject professionalism, education and teaching ability, etc.
Strengthen student health services. Strengthen school health systems and capacity building. Establish student health files and gradually realize the connection with preschool health files. Provide students with services such as health education, health consultation, and health science popularization, and teach targeted health knowledge and health skills that suit the characteristics and needs of students.
Do a good job in employment and entrepreneurship services for graduates. Strengthen career education and guidance on employment and entrepreneurship for school graduates, build a high-quality employment service platform, provide consultation on employment and entrepreneurship and labor employment policies and regulations, publish employment information such as human resource supply and demand, market wage prices, and trainee positions, and provide services for fresh graduates in need.
And, of course: Strengthening the overall leadership of the party, party committees and governments at all levels should build a high-quality and balanced basic public education service system as a major livelihood project to achieve common prosperity, and put it on the important agenda of party committees and governments.
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