PRC-EU trade ties ‘on hold,’ Supreme Court takes TikTok case, and Pentagon releases report on PRC’s military
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Through the Lens
In Focus
I. China’s “dirty laundry” and “designer clothes”
In its dedicated section on corruption, as elsewhere across its many pages, the Pentagon document does an admirable job of explaining what many all too often confuse if not actively misrepresent — “2027” is absolutely not a U.S. government construction or estimate per se, but rather Xi’s own grand plan: the Centennial Military Building Goal, a capabilities development deadline requiring China’s armed forces, inter alia, to give Xi a full toolbox of military operational options against Taiwan by 2027. The report rightly highlights the corruption-related investigations and removal of 15 high-ranking military officers and defense industry executives between July and December 2023. It speculates that this could have disrupted China’s 2027 modernization goals.
That statement should be understood in light of the tremendous military progress that the Pentagon documents throughout, which is clearly ongoing despite the impact of politicized corruption investigations and their imposition of costs on China’s military to the extent that some “dirty laundry” occasionally emerges — but they are fundamentally a speedbump, not a showstopper. With some of the world’s greatest military resources at his command, Xi is pressing ahead with determination.
Read: What the Pentagon’s New Report on Chinese Military Power Reveals About Capabilities, Context, and Consequences (War on the Rocks)
II. “Any U.S. strategy to deter China should take into account the world’s largest trading bloc—the EU.“
Instead of pushing Europeans into Beijing’s arms out of economic necessity, the United States should further incentivize smart derisking from China. This is in Washington’s interests, as in the event of a crisis over Taiwan, the EU’s ability to exercise economic statecraft will be a critical factor in upholding deterrence. In fact, as the European Council on Foreign Relations argues, “EU sanctions threats could be game-changing, as Beijing has probably not priced in such measures.”
Indeed, Europe’s strongest leverage lies in trade measures targeting China’s access to the EU market. There is an important calibration exercise here: Some trade relation is beneficial because it gives the EU a measure of leverage over China. However, pushing Europeans over the fence and making them double down on their relationship with Beijing, as the proposed tariffs and troop withdrawals would do, would be counterproductive, as the costs of imposing sanctions would become far too high in European capitals.
Hence, any U.S. strategy to deter China should take into account the world’s largest trading bloc—the EU. Whether the union ends up aligning with the United States is largely up to Washington and how it manages the economic security dimension of the transatlantic relationship. While Europeans should spend more on defense, and increasingly are, the shock therapy idea being flouted in Washington would only hurt U.S. interests in the short and long run.
Read: Why a Rapid U.S. Withdrawal From Europe Will Reinforce China (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
III. “Best China Books of 2024”
Now, at the end of 2024, we have counted some 600 books published over the last year whose subject or setting is China (or the greater Sinophone world and Chinese diaspora), from academic to trade titles, fiction to cookbooks. They range from weighty tomes on Xi Jinping’s ideology to more eclectic fare (such as a novel imagining Xuanzang and the Monkey King’s journey to find the Hebrew Scriptures, billed as “the world’s first Chinese-Jewish historical fantasy”). Indeed, we could barely feature a sliver of them.
To compile our end-of-year round-up of the most notable books published in 2024 (also see our 2023 picks), we sent a call-out for nominations from a list of over a hundred China watchers and writers. The ten titles that received the most nominations are presented below — in no particular order, with blurbs written by some of those who recommended (or reviewed) them — across two categories: nonfiction books on China, in English; and translated Chinese literature.
As ever, the range in these top picks is impressive. Geographically, terrain is covered from reporting in Xinjiang to teaching in Sichuan. Historically, from a late Qing reformer to Deng Xiaoping’s 1992 Southern Tour. And in genre, from Party biographies to chronicles of Chinese cooking — not to mention translated fiction taking in queer tales of Taiwan under Japanese rule, Malaysian guerilla warfare and Hong Kong under linguistic siege. We hope you enjoy this year’s literary Chinese garden.
Read: Best China Books of 2024 (China Books Review)
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Politics & Society
Xi Jinping urges party to ‘turn knife inward’ to tackle corruption (The Guardian)
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said internal divisions within the ruling Communist party were inevitable but that it must “turn the knife inward” to instil discipline, in a newly disclosed call to root out corrupt officials.
The remarks were made at a meeting of the anti-graft watchdog in January, but only published in the party’s flagship policy journal Qiushi on Monday.
“As the situation and tasks facing the party change, there will inevitably be all kinds of conflicts and problems within the party,” he said.
“We must have the courage to turn the knife inward and eliminate their negative impact in a timely manner to ensure that the party is always full of vigour and vitality.”
Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has sought to present an uncompromising crackdown on corruption as a hallmark of his leadership, with the twin objectives of consolidating his authority within the party and restoring eroded public trust.
But the party continues to be plagued by corruption, particularly within the armed forces, raising questions over the military’s much-vaunted battle-readiness. Two former defence ministers have been purged from the party in the past two years for “serious violations of discipline”, a euphemism for corruption.
Xi's article on advancing Party's self-reform to be published (Qiushi Journal)
An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on deeply advancing the Party's self-reform will be published on Monday.
The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's 24th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.
The article states that the CPC pursues lofty ideals and is tasked with arduous missions. Only through self-reform and by improving its capabilities in leadership and governance can the Party remain a strong leadership core that advances socialism with Chinese characteristics.
As the situation and tasks facing the Party change, there will inevitably be all kinds of conflicts and problems within the Party, the article says, adding that it is imperative for the Party to eliminate negative impacts through self-reform and ensure that it always retains its vigor and vitality.
Xi brought down powerful rivals in the military. Now he’s going after his own men (CNN)
Shih, the expert on Chinese elite politics, said many dictators, from former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to Mao, have eventually turned against their own proteges.
“Once all of their real competitors are gone, a dictator can never think to themselves: ‘Oh well, all the threats are gone. I can just relax.’ Because they always think that new threats could emerge, including from people who once were very close to them. This happens over and over again,” he said.
As a result, the dictator is always looking for increasingly subtle signs that someone is plotting against them, said Shih, the author of “Coalitions of the Weak,” which examines Mao’s hold on power in the late stage of his life.
During Mao’s last years, he turned against Lin Biao, his longtime protege, former defense minister and heir apparent, accusing him of plotting a coup.
“This kind of dynamic will become increasingly severe as Xi Jinping gets older, as his health is not as robust as previously. His sensitivity to signs of potential challenge to his power will also become keener over time,” Shih said.
China’s defence minister in Vietnam on first overseas trip since shaking off corruption claims (SCMP)
On his first official overseas trip in four weeks and his first since Beijing publicly denied he was under investigation for corruption, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun met the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hanoi.
China’s defence ministry said on Friday that Dong was in the Vietnamese capital to attend celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army. It is not known how long he will be in the country.
In his meeting with Dong on Thursday, party general secretary To Lam called for expanded cooperation in training, ideology and border defence with China’s military.
Full article: ‘Flexible’ versus ‘fragmented’ authoritarianism: evidence from Chinese foreign policy during the Xi Jinping era (Australian Journal of International Affairs)
In this paper, we aim to demonstrate that the FA framework is misleading in the realm of foreign policy, especially in the era of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In its place, we characterise China’s decision-making and policy implementation system as flexible authoritarianism. Although actors such as corporations and local governments have a considerable degree of autonomy, they are responsible primarily for policy implementation, to which they can make adjustments within a set of broadly defined boundaries. Long-term strategic goals defined by the Party leadership are combined with elements of neoliberal free-market economics and applied with a remarkable degree of consistency. We illustrate the argument through evidence and case studies from Chinese foreign policy during the BRI era.
China has expanded its nuclear force and strengthened ties to Russia, the Pentagon says (AP)
China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year, according to a Pentagon report Wednesday that details actions accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States.
The report, however, also notes that the recent rash of corruption allegations within China’s powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the People’s Liberation Army, is hurting Beijing’s military growth and could slow its campaign to modernize.
The impact, said a senior defense official, is a bit of a mixed bag because while there has been progress in some programs, China has slid back in others.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the U.S. assessment, warned that Beijing is working toward developing a more diverse and technologically sophisticated nuclear force. While the expected number of nuclear warheads has maintained consistent growth, China is broadening its targeting abilities.
Six Takeaways From the Pentagon’s Report on China’s Military (Council on Foreign Relations)
This year’s report revised upwards the estimate of China’s defense budget, the second-largest in the world (behind the United States), to one-and-a-half to two times its public defense budget ($330 billion to $450 billion). While the report included a special section on corruption in the PLA, it would be a mistake to focus on this issue at the expense of the significant strides China is clearly making toward building a highly modern and capable military that can threaten the United States and its allies and partners. Indeed, the fact that China’s leader Xi Jinping continues to aggressively root out corruption in the PLA over a decade into his tenure demonstrates his determination to have a military that can provide him with credible options to achieve his political objectives, above all unification with Taiwan.
China's Newest Project Could Increase Military Presence in Outer Space (Newsweek)
China makes no secret of the link between its space interests and security goals. "Explore the vast universe, become a great power in space!" Xi has told scientists and the military. China's national defense strategy says it will "safeguard China's security interests in outer space, electromagnetic space and cyberspace", and the government says it will create "effective governance in space."
China's plans include settling and mining the Moon and getting to Mars and Jupiter, as well as guarding the world from asteroids, growing amounts of man-made space junk, and monitoring for supernova explosions and gamma ray bursts. In June, the Chang'e-6 probe brought rocks from the far side of the Moon—a world first. The U.S. shares many of these goals and has more satellites in space than China, as well as a large military space program.
But the Communist Party is catching up fast, launching about 200 satellites of all kinds each year. In August it sent into orbit the first small communication satellites of its "Thousand Sails" project that aims to outdo Starlink, the satellite constellation of billionaire Elon Musk. Together with another, more hidden, project called "Guowang" (State Net), Beijing aims to place at least 25,000 small satellites in orbit. Starlink currently has about 6,700 with plans for 42,000.
According to China's Space White Paper published in 2022, Ministry of State Security policies and scientific and military plans, Beijing will develop a "space surroundings governance system" by 2027. It is setting up institutions including a China-run headquarters and a bureaucracy to research, settle and mine the Moon—the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)—with Russia. Its Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), headquartered in Beijing, is drawing up a body of "space law".
Central Rural Work Conference held in Beijing, Xi delivers important instructions on rural work (Xinhua)
Xi stressed that Party committees and governments at all levels should give priority to the development of agriculture and rural areas, consolidate the political responsibility of secretaries of CPC committees at five levels in advancing rural revitalization, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of Party members and officials as well as farmers, work hard with persistent efforts and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, so as to consolidate further the foundation of agriculture, make rural areas and villagers' life more prosperous, and move towards the goal of building the country's strength in agriculture.
Reforms key to food security and high-quality rural development - Opinion (China Daily)
As the readout of the meeting indicates, authorities at various levels should strictly adhere to the red line of farmland protection, promote the construction of high-standard farmland, strengthen support for agricultural science and technology and equipment manufacturing, and ensure the stable production and supply of grain and other important agricultural products.
The country needs to build a diversified food supply system and support the stable development of animal husbandry in order to improve the long-term mechanism of grain and food conservation.
Meanwhile, more attention should be paid to developing rural industries that can create rural jobs and increase rural residents' income, improve the comprehensive benefits of agriculture, promote the county-level economy, broaden farmers' income channels, avoid abject rural poverty, promote rural infrastructure and the cultural industry, strengthen rural environmental protection, and enhance grassroots governance efficiency.
In particular, as the meeting stressed, a key reform related to the rural work should be to promote the pilot project of extending the second round of land contracts for another 30 years after their expiration in an orderly manner, explore effective forms of utilization of idle farmhouses through leasing, equity investment and cooperation, and create new investment and financing mechanisms for rural revitalization.
Migration from China’s countryside to cities to be a key factor in resource allocation (SCMP)
China has pledged to make consideration of population movements a priority when allocating resources as it grapples with the twin demands of deepening urbanisation and invigorating rural areas.
Local authorities should “adapt to the trend of population changes” when mapping out rural planning and construction, according to the annual national rural work conference, which convened on Wednesday, as the migration of rural residents to cities becomes a policy focus to drive flagging economic growth.
The instruction came after the government invested heavily in building infrastructure in the countryside to narrow the vast urban-rural development gap under President Xi Jinping’s rural revitalisation initiative, only to see much of that infrastructure left idle as people continued moving to urban areas.
Officials should consider the “organic combination” of the rural revitalisation mission with China’s new round of urbanisation, which refers to offering migrant workers the same entitlements enjoyed by city dwellers and encouraging them to settle down in cities, an official readout of the meeting said.
The migration of rural people, who account for roughly half of China’s 1.4 billion people based on permanent residence registrations, is believed to represent huge potential demand and has been seen as a major driver of future growth of the world’s second-largest economy.
“Based on the criteria of advanced economies, where generally 80 per cent of the population live in urban areas, China still has 14 percentage points to catch up, so there’s great potential in this regard,” said Zheng Fengtian, a professor from the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at Renmin University in Beijing.
China is recruiting embassy staff with a focus on electric vehicles, source says (SCMP)
Beijing is on the hunt for science and technology counsellors for its overseas embassies, with a focus on diplomatic engagement related to the electric vehicle sector, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
China has the world’s biggest EV market and the latest diplomatic push comes as it faces allegations of overcapacity, with the US, Canada and Europe all slapping tariffs on its electric cars in a bid to level the playing field for local manufacturers.
Hundreds of candidates sat an exam in Beijing recently as part of the recruitment process for new science and technology counsellors, according to the source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The candidates were put forward by state-owned research institutes or government agencies from across the country, the person said.
Most of the applicants were said to be fluent in English and had been educated overseas. They were assessed on their understanding of Communist Party ideology – a standard test for all government-related positions – as well as knowledge of the electric vehicle sector.
China extends visa-free transit policy to 10 days as part of efforts to lure more foreign tourists (CNN)
China has tripled the amount of time visitors can spend in the country without a visa in yet another move to entice more foreign tourists.
The Chinese State Administration of Immigration announced the country will expand its visa-free layover period to 240 hours (10 days) across the board.
Previously, there were two tiers, allowing eligible travelers to visit for 72 hours (3 days) or 144 hours (6 days) depending on the destination.
China’s Middle Class Frets as Macau Colleges Ban Non-‘Gaokao’ Students (Sixth Tone)
Middle-class Chinese parents have reacted with concern to news that universities in Macau plan to ban applications from mainland students who did not take the gaokao, China’s national college-entrance exams.
A growing number of Chinese families have chosen to send their children to expensive international schools in recent years, so that they can avoid the grueling and highly competitive gaokao system.
But these students are now facing growing barriers, as universities in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau become increasingly concerned about widespread cheating among non-gaokao applicants.
Universities on the Chinese mainland require all domestic applicants to take the gaokao. But institutions in Hong Kong and Macau traditionally allowed applications from students with other qualifications, such as the international baccalaureate (IB).
The Woman Who Found ‘Home’ in an Unfinished Building (Sixth Tone)
Three years ago, 28-year-old Qi Qi (pseudonym) purchased a home in the Star Mall apartment complex in Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province. To this day, the construction project remains unfinished. However, in her desperation, Qi decided to move into her new home, despite at the time having no gas, electricity, or running water, and relatively little security. This is her story.
China’s Food Delivery Giants to Introduce Mandatory Rest Breaks for Riders (Caixin)
China’s food delivery giants Meituan and Ele.me are to impose mandatory rest breaks for delivery drivers to improve their health and safety.
The changes in policy come after a public outcry over a September incident when a 55-year-old delivery rider collapsed and died in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
An online notice revealed that the two platforms were to force riders offline after excessive shifts. Meituan on Tuesday confirmed adjustments to its working hours policy, with small-scale trials already underway.
The pink tax and period stigma in China ( by )
Menstrual pads have a relatively short history in China, but Chinese women have been fighting against period-related challenges ever since the first pad became available in the country.
China didn’t establish its first menstrual pad production line until 1982. In 1985, the first domestic brand, "安乐" (Anle), was launched, which later became the well-known brand Space 7 (七度空间). This marked the point when commercial menstrual pads became available to Chinese women—almost half a century later than in the U.S. and Europe.
However, back then, the price of pads was unaffordable for many families.
[…]
Decades later, commercial pads have become a common staple for Chinese women. However, in 2020, a viral image on Chinese social media exposed a shocking reality. A netizen kindly suggested in the comment section of a "三无产品" (three-no product: no quality guarantee, no production license, and no expiration date) menstrual pad to switch to an alternative from a well-known brand for better hygiene and safety. To the surprise of many, other buyers commented with phrases like "my life is difficult," implying that they could only afford a product with no such quality assurance.
This incident brought the issue of "period poverty" to the forefront for many Chinese people, especially those in more affluent urban areas, who were shocked to learn that, in 2020's China, there were still people unable to afford a simple package of sanitary pads.
Despite being a basic necessity, the current tax rate for sanitary pads in China is 13%, the highest standard VAT rate. For comparison, the VAT rate on drinking water and food is just 9%. Additionally, the menstrual pad industry enjoys high profit margins, with many leading companies’ gross margins exceeding 50%.
The high price point and generous profit margins have not been matched by quality. Nor have they led to proper advertising standards from pad companies. In 2024, Chinese netizens discovered that some companies were still using inappropriate and vulgar advertising tactics—such as hiring male actors to perform dramatic, attention-grabbing stunts in short videos to attract online traffic.
Apart from that, the stigma surrounding menstruation has long been pervasive in today’s China. Due to outdated mentality, many still believe that a woman’s period is a private matter, something not to be discussed publicly—including many Chinese women themselves. For example, when purchasing a pad in a store, many believe it should be placed in an opaque black bag, not a transparent one. Asking for a pad, or even taking one out to go to the restroom in public places like schools or workplaces, is often considered inappropriate and something that must be done in secret.
Jaime FlorCruz: I arrived in China in 1971 (Living History: Stories from the Opening of China)
Few foreigners arrived in the PR China as early as Jaime FlorCruz: In 1971 he was a student activist in the Philippines when the Chinese Government invited him, together with other Philippine Youth Leaders, to visit Mao’s China for three weeks. But he had barely arrived when the Marcos’ Government back in the Philippines declared a State of Emergency and made it impossible for him to return. This changed his life: Jaime FlorCruz became a student in the legendary Class of 1977 at Peking University, where he studied next to Li Keqiang 李克强, later Premier of China, and the later-infamous Bo Xilai 薄熙来. He went on to become a journalist for Time Magazine and CNN in Beijing and today serves as the Ambassador of the Philippines in China.
China’s 2024 in Photos (Sixth Tone)
The year 2024 began with a rare blizzard that disrupted Spring Festival travel plans across China and ended with a major consumption push. In the interim, Zheng Qinwen’s underdog run to gold at the Olympics ignited a tennis craze, the success of “Black Myth: Wukong” rocked the gaming industry, and the country’s new energy vehicle industry went into overdrive.
Here are 30 photos that capture the moments that defined China’s 2024, as selected by Sixth Tone’s photo editors.
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