Eileen Gu after winning the gold medal in women’s freeski big air [Liu Lu/VCG]
Dear reader,
For our 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics special, see Tings Chak’s interview (English) with Breakthrough News‘s Rania Khalek and Eugene Puryear, discussing Western media coverage, Covid-19 restrictions, and gold medalist Gu Ailing. In case you missed it, watch Kambale Musavuli (Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa) and Dongsheng’s Mikaela Nhondo Erskog in conversation (English) with CodePink responding to “Why is China in Africa?” episode on Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show.
—Dongsheng editorial collective
Geopolitics
President Alberto Fernandez announces that Argentina will join the BRI on his first official visit to Beijing during the Winter Olympics
Agreements foresee investments and economic cooperation worth US $23.7 billion, with emphasis on infrastructure projects (increasing participation of Argentine suppliers) and expansion of exports to China, aiming to reduce the trade deficit of the South American country
Presidents Xi and Putin release a joint communiqué and affirm opposition to NATO expansion and Taiwan independence, after Beijing meeting
China and Russia signed 15 cooperation agreements (emphasizing energy and agricultural trade), increased their criticism of the US and allies, and defended multilateralism
Economy
Spring Festival holiday, the benchmark of the rest of the year’s consumption in China, sees growth in online shopping and domestic tourism
Amid Covid-19 outbreaks, offline consumption shrank, but online transactions (US $660.3 billion) rose 5.3% year-on-year; Q1 GDP growth could be between 3.06% and 4.14%
China’s 2021 crude oil imports fell (-5.4%) for the first time in 20 years, totaling 513 million tons
Experts point to pandemic restrictions and the drop in sales of conventional vehicles as important factors, but recognize that decarbonization goals should influence a new trend in the economy, in a year that also saw a drop in imports of iron ore and bauxite (-3.8%)
China’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) sales grew 181% year-on-year in 2021, exceeding the total of the previous three years
World’s largest producer and consumer, China produced 3.54 million NEVs last year, which already account for nearly 30% of the domestic market; 2022 sales are predicted to jump to 5-6 million vehicles
Agriculture and Environment
Provinces in China’s subtropical region face droughts and water rationing due to climate change and economic growth
Guangdong is experiencing the most severe drought in over 60 years and cities along the Pearl River have drinking water sources threatened by encroaching seawater; provincial authorities invest in dams, treatment plants, and water transfer projects
Winter Olympics uses innovative low-carbon technologies, expected to emit ⅓ less CO2 than the previous games in South Korea
In addition to powering all Olympic venues with wind energy, over 800 hydrogen-powered vehicles were made available, one of six “industries of the future” according to China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25)
People’s Life and Culture
China hosts the Winter Olympics for the first time since its debut over four decades ago, sending a record-breaking 176 athletes
In 1980, the Chinese winter sports delegation went abroad for the first time to participate in the 13th Winter Olympic Games in the USA (Lake Placid); in 1992 they won their first medals, and their first gold in 2002
World-renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou directs the second Olympics opening ceremony, focusing on “love, unity… and values” of the Chinese people
The ceremony that included 3,000 performers (vs. 15,000 in 2008 Games) was created by the 72-year-old “fifth generation” filmmaker whose work includes controversial portrayals of rural life, Oscar-nominated international hits, mainstream martial arts epics, and a blockbuster on government’s anti-poverty drive
US-born Chinese freeskier Gu Ailing won China its first Winter Olympics gold, accused of being a “traitor” in US media
In 2019, the 18-year-old announced she would represent China and is among several naturalized players on Team China; “sports must be used to unite human beings,” said Gu, whose victory received 670 million online views and comments
Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games [CFP via CGTN]
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