People lay flowers at the former residence of Jiang Zemin in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, 01.12.2022 [CNS]
National Politics
China bids farewell to Jiang Zemin, former CPC general secretary and founder of the Three Represents theory
During his tenure, China regained sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao, the country joined the WTO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was created; in his speech, President Xi Jinping remembered him as a prestigious leader, a great Marxist, and a communist fighter who led the country in difficult times
China continues to relax Covid Zero measures and will seek to vaccinate 90% of people over 80 by the end of January
Mass nucleic acid testing and negative tests are no longer required within 48h to enter buildings, use public transport, or interregional travel; some cities face their largest outbreak, but authorities have downplayed the severity of the omicron variant and are calling for accelerated vaccination, which is seen as crucial to reopening
Geopolitics
Canada plans to send more warships to the area to challenge Chinese sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait
As part of a new Indo-Pacific strategy, Canada’s government says it is investing US$ 298 million in military presence in the region; Canada describes China as “an increasingly disruptive global power” – a position that has generated serious concern and firm opposition from the Chinese government
With a visit by European Council President Charles Michel, the EU seeks to stabilize relations with China amid tensions between the bloc and the US
Xi stated that there are “no conflicts of fundamental importance between China and the EU,” while Michel acknowledged that “China does not pursue expansion… [and] is an important partner for upholding the purposes of the UN Charter and supporting multilateralism” – similarly, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated recently that “China’s rise does not warrant isolating Beijing or curbing cooperation”
Economy
As part of its poverty eradication campaign, China will expand assistance to 63 million low-income people
Special assistance could be in the form of housing, education, health care, and employment assistance and these new measure will apply to about 6.1 million people about to apply for the basic subsistence allowance, and another 6.8 million with temporary financial problems – in addition to the 45 million already receiving some form of government assistance
Yuan hits its highest value against the US dollar (6.95) since mid-September, improving the 7 yuan per dollar mark
The boost to the Chinese currency was, among other reasons, because of the expected slowdown in interest rate hikes by the Fed – the US central bank – due to “signs” of cooling inflation in that country; China’s economic growth outlook and global economic slowdown in 2023 will support steady yuan recovery, survey finds
Agriculture and Environment
China chairs the second phase of COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal, Canada, which aims to adopt the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
As chair, China coordinates and moderates the negotiations among the parties; according to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), China ranks 1st in forest area and met the target set in 2011 to establish in situ conservation areas and to have at least 17% of its land area in protected areas
Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, 03.12.2022
Traditional Chinese tea techniques and their related social practices have been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO
The recognition covers planting, harvesting and processing, and consumption and distribution; steeped or boiled tea is considered an important medium in social gatherings and ceremonies and, for UNESCO, its culture reflects the Chinese values of modesty, harmony, and respect
People’s Life and Culture
Traditional culture, humanities and social science books gaining popularity among Chinese readers
In the JD site’s annual bestseller list, humanities books took the top three spots, with Chinese audiences increasingly interested in topics such as the environment and ancient and modern Chinese history; in turn, China’s publishing industry exported more than 400 copyrights of books on epidemic prevention in 2020
Apps, social networks, news, government, and e-commerce websites were dyed black and white in tribute to Jiang Zemin
A common practice in China following major tragedies or before national commemorations, in 2021, sites went black and white to commemorate the anniversary of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and, in April 2020, in national mourning for those killed by COVID-19; Jiang’s death was the first major Chinese leader given this tribute in the Internet era
Screenshots of Meituan, Taobao, Dianping, and Alipay in black and white for the death of Jiang Zemin [Dongsheng]
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