No. 115 | 17.09.2022

Xi Jinping arrives in Samarkand, with President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, 14 September 2022 [Xinhua/Ju Peng]


Dear reader,

In the latest episode of The Crane: An Africa-China Podcast, Mika Erskog and Amadeus Musumali look into the origins and customs of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival that comes with orange flowers, poetry, matchmaking, and ancient surfers. Listen here (English).

Gisela Cernadas spoke this week on Argentina’s Barricada TV about President Alberto Fernandez’s official request for the South American country to join the BRICS. You can watch it here (Spanish).

Dongsheng editorial collective


Geopolitics

President Xi Jinping participates in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on his first trip abroad since 2020

The SCO meeting, held in Uzbekistan with the participation of 15 heads of state, has eight full members and has just added Iran and accounts for 41% of the global population and 24% of global GDP; Xi met with Putin and said that China is willing to strengthen mutual support with Russia

Global Times, 15.09.2022

Since 2017, China has made emergency loans totaling US$32.83 billion to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Argentina, as well as other developing countries

Aims of the credits are to avoid defaulting on infrastructure loans made under the Belt and Road framework or to relieve debts with the IMF; unlike the IMF, Chinese financial aid is more attractive to developing countries because as it does not involve imposing austerity measures

Yahoo, 12.09.2022

Global Times, 12.09.2022

US restricts sale of Nvidia’s two most advanced chips to customers in China, expected to affect the country’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) systems

Processors from the US company, which train AI models for autonomous driving, image recognition, weather variables, and big data analysis, have no immediate replacements; domestic investors hope the ban accelerates the development of China’s leading startups, which have raised US$2.5 billion in recent years

SCMP, 12.09.2022

Reuters, 08.09.2022

National Politics

In the face of US sanctions, China names 8997 “small giants” strategically important industries, including software and artificial intelligence

Designated small and medium-sized companies are eligible for preferential treatment to help the country become a stronger technological powerhouse; the central government plans to allocate 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) to 1,000 of these companies between 2021 and 2025

SCMP, 09.09.2022

China passes law to crack down on telecom scams, which caused more than US$5 billion in losses in 2020

In 2021, authorities prevented 1.5 million people from transferring US$47.5 billion to scammers, which emerged in the 1990s and grew by 20-30% annually in recent years; new law allows authorities to pursue suspects abroad and mandates cooperation from companies and banks

Nikkei Asia, 23.09.2022

Economy

Evergrande sees its Hong Kong headquarters building confiscated by creditor for nearly US$1 billion debt

Having not yet released its 2021 balance sheet, the company owes US$22.7 billion overseas and faces a petition in Hong Kong demanding its liquidation; in response to mortgage defaults on undelivered apartments, Evergrande plans to restart construction on 38 developments by the end of September

Caixin Global, 14.09.2022

Category Icons

Agriculture and Environment

China begins building its largest solar panel plant in desert Ningxia, amid the rapid rise of renewable energy industry

The solar panel base has an installed capacity of 3GW and an investment of US$2.17 billion, and will have annual output of 5.78 billion KW between January and July; renewable energy represented 31.8% of the electricity generated in the country

Global Times, 08.09.2022

Global Times, 12.09.2022

Category Icons

Science and Technology

Chinese scientists discover new mineral on the Moon called Changesite-(Y), the sixth in the history of lunar missions

Lunar samples were obtained on the historic 2020 Chang’e-5 mission; China is the third country to discover a new lunar mineral, after the US and former USSR, and plans to conduct three expeditions with the goal of starting to build a lunar base and send taikonauts by 2030 with Russian collaboration

Global Times, 09.09.2022

Space, 15.09.2022

People’s Life and Culture

China’s new marriages fell to 36-year low, down 6% year-on-year in 2021 (7,6 million)

Many young people moved to big cities and faced pressures related to housing, transportation, and consumption, while changing their attitude toward marriage; number of divorces fell 35% due to a new “cooling-off period” law that seeks to discourage separation

Yicai Global, 31.08.2022

Government seeks to expand medical coverage for the population, especially for the elderly, rural dwellers, and women

The goal is to cover at least 75% of the population and 85% of priority patients by 2035, with clinics and qualified doctors were established in rural areas for their villagers (36.1% of the population) to enjoy medical services; Rugao city, known for its longevity, builds a high-quality medical system for the elderly

Global Times, 04.09.2022

Two doctors visiting a villager in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, 17 August 2021 [VCG via Global Times]


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