CHina watchers speculate about tensions between President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Technocrats are making a comeback under Xi. The team wants to renew China and Pakistan relations under Shahbaz Sharif. China may sign new security agreement with Kiribati chinascope Brings you the stories of China and the world as they changed our world last week.
China in a week
Making sense of Chinese politics by reading between the lines is a craft that Chinese audiences have honed through trial and error. But the approach comes with its own disadvantages.
Last week China-watching community was full of speculation about Xi Jinping’s fading presence from the pages of the party newspaper. People’s Daily, Experts cited Xi’s absence from the front page of the newspaper to argue that his economic and COVID policies were facing backlash from the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Instead, Premier Li Keqiang’s 8,000-word speech at the Fifth State Council’s Clean Government Business Conference on April 25 was published in full on the second page. People’s Daily.
But the China Media Project took a long-term approach, referring to Xi’s relative absence from the front page of the newspaper and predicting any impending changes in the leadership structure. It is difficult to predict a political system designed to be opaque by default.
Despite reports of “unusual shortages”, the year after the 19th National Congress of the CCP will have 20 front pages without Xi Jinping. And yet the center held. Xi’s power, and the cult of personality surrounding him , only grew” wrote David Bandursky of China Media Project.
No one is arguing against the mounting evidence of increasing media mentions of Li Keqiang, indicating some approval for his policies. But there is no evidence that Li has the party’s backing to directly challenge Xi.
Xi’s Disappearance People’s Daily That’s not the end of his tight grip on the CCP for a few days.
With the change of government in Pakistan, China is trying to ensure the continuity of its bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang spoke to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the phone on 16 May.
“China is shocked and outraged by the recent attack on Chinese citizens in Karachi and strongly condemns this terrorist attack. It is hoped that the Pakistani side will bring the killers to justice at the earliest, make every effort to deal with it thereafter and console the victims and the relatives of the injured. Told Sharif during phone call
On Sunday, Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Guangzhou during his first visit to China in a new role.
Bhutto’s visit marks the completion of 71 years of China-Pakistan bilateral ties. “The two sides will deeply align their respective development strategies, advance the prospects for economic cooperation, and advance the creation of the CPEC,” said Readout of the meeting in Guangzhou.
Unlike in Mao’s era, Chinese communist leaders and their families have close links with the outside world. But now the party wants to stop the promotion of officers whose spouse and children have assets abroad.
An internal Communist Party directive may soon bar senior executives from promotion if their families directly or indirectly own immovable property abroad or have shares in a company. 20 this step. is being seen as Xi’s effort to set the stage forth Party Congress later this year.
The decline in leadership, possibly leaving Xi, would alter the party hierarchy in the Central Committee. Xi wants more technocrats to be in charge of the party’s top posts.
according For Macropolo, a think tank at the Paulson Institute, there has been a steady return of technocrats to party positions that declined under Hu Jintao. Technocrats are professionals with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) training and a largely nonpolitical approach to problem-solving. Xi is likely to further push technocrats within the CCP’s central committee.
Nowadays, there is limited interaction between US and Chinese officials as tensions run high in various regions. China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi spoke to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on the phone.
“The US side has repeatedly clarified that it adheres to a one-China policy and does not support ‘Taiwan independence.’ However, the US side’s actual actions and statements on the Taiwan issue have differed significantly in recent times. If the US side insists on playing the ‘Taiwan card’ and continues on the wrong path, it will certainly take the situation to a dangerous place,” Yang said in a readout of the phone call.
Yang’s message to Sullivan wasn’t subtle at all.
“China will take strong action to protect its sovereignty and security interests, and we will do what we say!” Yang said. Sullivan has indicated that President Joe Biden may speak to Xi in the coming days.
The call may have resulted from China’s attempt to read Washington DC’s mind. The US State Department recently updated its fact sheet on US relations with Taiwan. Although the One-China Doctrine appears to be an updated version, the US reiterated its long-standing Taiwan policy that it adheres to its own version of the One-China Doctrine, based on the Taiwan Relations Act.
The mystery behind the sudden crash of China Eastern Airlines plane MU5735 deepens with a new revelation wall street journal, magazine Citing US officials, someone intentionally crashed the flight from the cockpit. Initial Evaluation The vertical descent into the mountains by US officials and comes after the discovery of no mechanical failures to explain the eventual accident.
Xi’s anti-corruption campaign continues to progress without any end.
The former head of the monetary policy department of the People’s Bank of China was Sun Guofeng. taken into custody For “serious breach of discipline and law” – which usually means allegations of corruption.
Read also: The Chinese economy is feeling the heat. Blame Xi’s Political Lysenkoism, Vaccination Policy
China in world news
Chinascope recently told you about the official guidance of the CCP Central Committee and the State Council to accelerate the construction of infrastructure in the border areas of China. impression informed of This week the construction of a large bridge across Pangong Tso Lake, which can carry armored columns, when completed.
China has not officially commented on the story, but a Netease blogger with 1,67,788 followers commented “Whether it is the Doklam standoff or the Galwan Valley, the Modi government follows a so-called ‘forward policy’ of encroaching on China,” ThePrint report said. In recent years, India has built land, roads and bridges along the border areas. A lot of effort has been made to build them up and extend them to the Line of Actual Control.
Canada has now decided to ban telecom companies Huawei and ZTE from 5G.
Canada has asked telecom companies to stop buying 4G and 5G equipment by September this year and to phase out existing 4G equipment by December 2027. On Thursday, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced the exit of Huawei and ZTE, but a decision has yet to be made. Approved by an amendment to the Telecom Act, which has not yet been introduced in Parliament.
“Without convincing evidence, the Canadian side cited unreasonable security risks as an excuse to exclude Chinese companies belonging to its market. The move violates the principles of market economy and free trade rules, and the legitimate rights of Chinese companies and seriously harms interests. The Chinese side strongly opposes this,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
The security of Quad Asia was once a vision envisioned by Tokyo, but now the leaders of the group are meeting in the Japanese capital for the first time.
according to this financial Times, gathered leaders may announce a new maritime initiative aimed at curbing China’s illegal fishing. Sources who spoke anonymity alleged that China represents 95 percent of illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific.
“The system will allow the US and its allies to monitor illegal fishing even when fishing boats have turned off transponders, commonly used to track seagoing vessels”, reported financial Times,
official leader meeting Scheduled for 24 May 2022.
The China-Solomon Islands Security Agreement was signed just two weeks ago. But now China is discussing a security deal with another Pacific island nation, Kiribati. according To financial Times,
Read also: Modi went to the dragon’s den in Lumbini. Why India wants to get back Nepal’s influence from China?
Must read this week
Is Beijing Making Changes to Big Tech? , chinafile
Is studying abroad reducing the attractiveness of Chinese students? , Zhu Jingyi and Ni Dandan
Increasing Strategic Stability in South Asia , USIP Senior Study Group
The author is a columnist and a freelance journalist, currently pursuing an MSc in International Politics with a focus on China from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He was previously a Chinese media reporter for the BBC World Service. He tweeted @aadilbrar. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Choubey)