Xi and Putin vow stronger China-Russia cooperation at BRICS summit
... as North Korean troops assemble in Russia's Kursk region
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Through the Lens
In Focus
I. On Xi Jinping
Former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd discusses the ideological worldview driving Chinese behavior both domestically and on the world stage, as well as that of President Xi Jinping, who now holds near-total control over the Chinese Communist Party. Rudd argues that Xi’s worldview differs significantly from those of the leaders who preceded him, and that this ideological shift is reflected in the real world of Chinese policy and behavior.
Watch: A Conversation With Kevin Rudd: C.V. Starr & Co. Annual Lecture on China (Council on Foreign Relations)
II. “He who controls the spice controls the universe.”
The vise-tight grip that China wields over the mining and refining of rare minerals, crucial ingredients of today’s most advanced technologies, is about to become even stronger.
In a series of steps made in recent weeks, the Chinese government has made it considerably harder for foreign companies, particularly semiconductor manufacturers, to purchase the many rare earth metals and other minerals mined and refined mainly in China.
Already, China produces almost all the world’s supply of these materials. The new restrictions solidify that market dominance.
As of Oct. 1, exporters must provide the authorities with detailed, step-by-step tracings of how shipments of rare earth metals are used in Western supply chains. That has given Beijing greater authority over which overseas companies receive scarce supplies.
China is also taking greater corporate ownership over the mining and production of the metals. In a deal that has received almost no attention outside the country, the last two foreign-owned rare earth refineries in China are being acquired by one of the three state-owned companies that already run the other refineries in China.
Read: China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips (The New York Times)
III. Character amnesia
During a visit to Beijing many years ago, I was having lunch with three PhD students in the Chinese Department at Peking University, all of whom were native speakers of Chinese. I happened to have a cold that day and was trying to write a brief note to a friend to cancel an appointment that afternoon. I found that I could not recall how to write the Chinese characters for the word ‘sneeze’. I asked my three friends to write the characters for me and, to my surprise, all three simply shrugged in sheepish embarrassment. Not one of them could correctly produce the characters. I thought to myself: Peking University is usually considered the ‘Harvard of China’. Can one imagine three PhD students in the English Literature Department at Harvard forgetting how to write the English word ‘sneeze’? Yet, this state of affairs is by no means uncommon in China. This was my first encounter with an increasingly widespread phenomenon in China known as ‘character amnesia’. Chinese people, even the well-educated, are forgetting how to write common characters. What is the explanation for this peculiar problem?
Read: Character Amnesia in China (Global China Pulse)
Politics & Society
China Lawmakers to Meet Nov. 4-8 as Investors Eye Stimulus to Boost Economy (Bloomberg)
China’s top legislative body will hold a highly anticipated session in Beijing from November 4 to 8, as investors watch for any approval of fiscal stimulus to revive the slowing economy.
The once-every-two-month gathering of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress will review a State Council report on financial works, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The agenda was adopted at a meeting chaired by top legislator Zhao Leji on Friday, according to Xinhua.
The published agenda doesn’t specifically mention fiscal policies, although a previous decision to raise budget deficit mid-year last year was disclosed only after lawmakers approved it.
Voting will come on the last day of the meeting, with details to be released by state media afterward.
Who Briefs Xi Jinping? How Politburo Study Sessions Help to Decode Chinese Politics (Asia Society)
Our unique database of Politburo study sessions shows the increasing priority of internal Party affairs and national security in Xi’s approach to governance. Speakers have also increasingly been drawn from Party institutions, reinforcing Xi’s more inward-looking approach to politics and the centralization of power in the Party Center over the State Council. This echo chamber is intensified by inviting fewer and less diverse experts to interact with the Party’s top leaders. These developments are contributing factors to the uncertainty and volatility of policymaking in Beijing today, as well as to decision-making that is stickier and less responsive to changing dynamics and emerging problems in Chinese society.
China Speeds Nuclear-Weapons Buildout, US Defense Agency Says (Bloomberg)
China is pressing ahead with plans to rapidly upgrade and expand its nuclear weapons arsenal across land, sea and air, according to a new US assessment that offers the most detailed accounting yet of the country’s bid to catch up to the US in an area where it lagged.
The Defense Intelligence Agency’s report details how China is building up a land-based arsenal involving about 300 missile silos, while also expanding its fleet of road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles and further developing a fleet of bombers that carry air-launched ballistic missiles.
“China is undergoing the most rapid expansion and ambitious modernization of its nuclear forces in history — almost certainly driven by an aim for enduring strategic competition with the US,” the Pentagon’s intelligence arm said in its 2024 Nuclear Challenges report. The document also detailed nuclear expansion by Russia and North Korea.
But China drew most of the focus. The Defense Intelligence Agency stuck to an estimate from 2021 that China is building out its arsenal far more quickly than earlier forecast, with a goal of having at least 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, up from 500. By contrast, the US currently has about 3,750 warheads.
Xi Jinping visit highlights PLA Rocket Force’s key role in Taiwan strategy (SCMP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to a PLA Rocket Force unit last Thursday highlights the key role the force might play in trying to deter the US from getting involved in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, military analysts said.
Last week, Xi inspected a People’s Liberation Army brigade stationed in the southeastern province of Anhui, according to state news agency Xinhua.
It was the first reported visit to a Rocket Force unit since 2016 and footage of the visit showed a number of nuclear-capable missiles that commentators said could be used to target warships or military bases.
The visit came just three days after the Joint Sword-2024B military drill, which involved air, ground and naval forces as well as the Rocket Force.
Xi Jinping tightens stranglehold on China’s academia (Financial Times)
A Chinese scholar who was one of the most prominent critics of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been forced into early retirement, becoming the latest victim of a crackdown by Beijing on academics.
Hu Wei, a top government adviser, sparked fierce online debate in China at the outbreak of the war in 2022 by calling for Beijing to “cut off as soon as possible” its ties with Vladimir Putin, a position that ran directly against Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s policy of closely courting the Russian president.
Two people familiar with the matter said this month that Hu, whose commentary has been featured extensively in international media, was forced to retire from the Shanghai Party Institute of the Communist party — a school for officials — last year at the age of 59. This was considered early for such a prominent scholar, who once advised the country’s top leaders.
Hu is one of a growing number of scholars targeted in recent years as the Communist party under Xi tightens its grip on academia. The crackdown has targeted Chinese intellectuals overseas as well as those working within the country, muzzling public discussion of not only traditionally sensitive topics such as politics and international relations, but also China’s struggling economy.
China and the Vatican agree to extend an agreement on appointing bishops (AP)
China and the Vatican have agreed to extend a provisional agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four more years, officials said Tuesday.
The 2018 agreement, extended twice previously, was an attempt under Pope Francis to bridge long-standing differences over control of the church in China. There have been disagreements since, but they have so far not derailed the fragile rapprochement.
“The two sides will maintain contact and dialogue following a constructive spirit and continue to advance the improvement of China-Vatican relations,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday while confirming the extension.
The Vatican said that it “remains dedicated to furthering the respectful and constructive dialogue” with China, “in view of the further development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese people as a whole.”
Local Officials Call Women to Ask: "Are You Pregnant?" (China Digital Times)
One of the latest trends on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu is for women to share complaints about pushy government inquiries on whether they are pregnant or plan to be soon. The Chinese government has responded to two straight years of population decline with a pro-natalist push. On Xiaohongshu, women have been sharing stories of receiving calls from local government officials asking deeply personal questions such as: “Are you pregnant? Do you plan to be? Do you have a boyfriend?” Some even report officials demanding they stop raising pets and focus on child-rearing instead.
China’s Latest Pro-Marriage Tactic: Grammable Wedding Venues (Sixth Tone)
Until recently, couples signing their marriage papers in China usually had to make a trip to a drab government office. But officials across the country are now being pushed to set up registration sites in local parks, beaches, and historic landmarks to provide “a beautiful environment and high-quality services,” Zhu Yujun, an official at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a press conference on Wednesday.
The ministry has already made it possible for couples to get married at more than 270 new venues, according to Zhu. These range from an island off the coast of eastern China’s Zhejiang province to Shanghai’s Art Deco former City Hall.
The move is part of China’s wider push to create a “marriage- and birth-friendly society,” as the government tries to defuse a looming demographic crisis.
China’s ‘Comedy Queen’ Loses Yet Another Deal Over Men Jokes (Sixth Tone)
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has cut ties with the female comedian Yang Li after being inundated with complaints from male customers.
Yang is one of the leading lights of a new generation of female Chinese comedians, who is known for poking fun at the male ego. But these gender-based barbs have made her into a controversial figure, with many accusing her of being “anti-men.”
JD.com had originally signed a deal with several stars of two popular new stand-up comedy TV shows, including Yang, to promote the company’s “Singles’ Day” shopping festival campaign, which was launched on Oct. 14.
But Yang’s appearance at the launch ceremony quickly sparked the ire of many of JD.com’s male customers, who flooded the brand’s social media channels with angry comments.
U-Turn: Female Food Couriers Find Strength in Stereotypes (Sixth Tone)
In a new book on China’s platform economy, female delivery riders talk about overcoming the roadblocks they face in a male-dominated industry.
Responding to Government Censors’ Crackdown on Online Slang and Memes, Chinese Internet Users Protest, “We Want to Speak Properly, but You Won’t Let Us!” (China Digital Times)
Chinese internet users are taking issue with a recent announcement that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and Ministry of Education are trying to standardize online speech by cracking down on the use of “irregular and uncivilized language and text” appearing on the homepages, trending search lists, and suggested content sections of major online platforms. Such verboten speech includes variant or homophonic Chinese characters, abbreviations, online slang, “bad” memes, and phrases whose meaning seems obscure.
In Chinese Megacities, ‘Ultra-Long Commutes’ Are on the Rise (Sixth Tone)
Extreme commuting is becoming more common in China’s megacities, with more workers undertaking “ultra-long” journeys to the office, a new report has found.
The new study — jointly produced by Baidu Maps, the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, and a research center affiliated with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development — analyzes how commuting habits have evolved over the past five years in 45 different Chinese cities.
The findings, released on Oct. 17, paint a picture of a growing polarization in commuting habits, especially in China’s largest metropolises, where very long and very short travel times are both becoming more common.
China Clamps Down on Fake Prescriptions After Massive Fraud Case (Sixth Tone)
The Chinese government plans to introduce far tighter controls over the way that pharmacies process drug prescriptions, after uncovering a massive insurance fraud case worth over 100 million yuan ($14 million).
State broadcaster CCTV reported last week that four pharmacies in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin were suspected of making vast numbers of fake medical insurance claims using forged doctors’ notes.
The pharmacies reportedly used tens of thousands of these fake handwritten prescriptions to make over 100 million yuan of fraudulent insurance claims.
Overcrowding reported at China detention centers amid economic downturn (VOA)
Reports of overcrowded detention centers in China are spreading on the country’s social media platforms as Chinese law enforcement cracks down on both petty and serious crime.
Analysts say China’s increasing economic challenges from the slowing economy to unemployment and a massive property crisis, are all contributing to higher crime rates and in turn an increase in detainees at detention centers.
Her Dog Was Poisoned. Now She’s Fighting to Reform Pet Laws in China. (Sixth Tone)
After her dog was poisoned, Li Yihan’s pursuit of justice has become a landmark legal battle, one that could bring significant changes to China’s approach to pet protection laws.
Rui Chenggang, former CCTV anchor, resurfaces on YouTube, dismisses ‘various scandals’ (SCMP)
A controversial former Chinese state television presenter has resurfaced after his sudden disappearance a decade ago, dismissing speculation about espionage and sex rumours.
Rui Chenggang, a former anchor for Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, known for his exchanges with former US president Barack Obama, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and other political figures, posted a video on a newly created YouTube channel on Monday. It was his first public appearance since he was taken away by police on corruption charges 10 years ago.
In the 17-minute video, Rui, 47, did not discuss the details of his arrest or reveal his whereabouts. But he rejected speculation that he had been a spy as well as his alleged involvement in “various scandals”.
German VW Exec Expelled From China Over Positive Drug Test (Barron's)
A senior executive working for German auto giant Volkswagen in China has been expelled from the country after allegedly testing positive for drugs following a holiday in Thailand, German officials confirmed Tuesday.
Jochen Sengpiehl was detained and told to quickly leave the country after Chinese officials said they had detected traces of cannabis and cocaine in his blood on his return from Thailand, according to German media reports.
The German foreign ministry said it was "aware of the case" and its Beijing embassy was "in regular contact with the person concerned and his family, as well as with the local authorities".
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