Partheno, a single female Skywalker hoolock gibbon living in Nankang, Gaoligong nature reserve. Photo: Li Jiahong

 

Selections from Godfree Roberts’ extensive weekly newsletter: Here Comes China.   You can get it here: https://www.herecomeschina.com/#subscribe

Further selections and editorial commentary by Amarynth.


China suspended economic dialog with Australia.

The PRC will probably opt to retaliate against Australia for its anti-BRI actions this month. Ambassador Cheng indicated that tourism and education may be in the sights, saying that the current environment in Australia ‘appears to create obstacles for Chinese travelers to return’.  Read full article →

Can you blame China?

Australian commander’s leaked China comments fuels further talk of war: Australia’s Major General Adam Findlay told special forces troops in a private briefing last April to prepare for possibility of conflict with China. Read full article $ →


An important event is the respective speeches by Mr. Lavrov and Mr. H.E. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of The People’s Republic of China at the UN Security Council High-Level Meeting titled “Maintenance of international peace and security: Upholding multilateralism and the United Nations-centred international system,” held via videoconference, Moscow, May 7, 2021.

Comparing these two speeches brings a most important issue to the forefront.  This is a major difference between what The Saker termed “Zone A” and “Zone B”.  It is also another demonstration of the Russia/China relationship in a form that Larchmonter445 termed “The Double Helix”

We see Zone B at work here and Mr. Wang Yi organized and called for this meeting.

Mr. Lavrov spoke about multilateralism and universally recognized norms of international law with the United Nations as a key platform for coordinating efforts as it is the backbone of the modern global order, where all independent states are represented.

Mr Wang Yi spoke about, you guessed it .. “The United Nations is the banner of multilateralism. To pursue multilateralism, we must follow the basic norms governing international relations built around the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold the authority and stature of the UN, and ensure its central role in international affairs. That is what it means to practice multilateralism, an intrinsic nature that is absolutely incompatible with unilateralism.” and “The key is to promote law-based international relations, observe universally recognized international laws and norms, and honor international agreements adopted by all parties. International rules must be based on international law, and must be written by all. They are not a patent or a privilege of a few. They must be applicable to all countries, and there should be no room for exceptionalism or double standards.”

In comparison, these two speeches set out the resistance (Zone B) to a ‘rules-based international order’, (Zone A) which is simply another attempt at single polar hegemony and also called ‘a new concert’ of international relations and I would argue, not very far off from the much-maligned green new deals and (not so great) resets.

It is also clear from these two speeches, that the gauntlet has been thrown down professionally and formally and the challenge is out in the open.

It is now up to the resistance countries to join their voices.  Iran, with their refusal to negotiate with the US for another round of the Iran Nuclear Deal or the JPCOA, may have inadvertently illustrated what international law means and that it cannot willy nilly be broken by somebody else’s new-fangled ‘rule’ and in this sense, forced the US back to their agreement.

From previous comments by both Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Putin, the idea may be overall to increase the size of the UN Security Council in order to add a bigger voice and stop the stale-mate veto powers.  But this remains to be seen.

On this note, the rules-based international order or the multilateral and international law-based global order has extreme economic repercussions.  There is no one better than Michael Hudson to explain this.


From that important and lofty start to this China Sitrep, and on another note: We know that China used their traditional Chinese medical practitioners and the ancient principles of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) as an equal and integrated and complementary practice to modern medicine during the height of the Covid outbreak.  This conference was held in March of last year and specifically to help western practitioners and share experience and expertise.  From Godfree’s newsletter:

(Yes, we know that China never helped anyone else of course, or so says the propaganda).


Governance – China is continually strengthening its Governance. 

Xi Jinping to Party leaders: “Common prosperity cannot be just a slogan, but a visible, touchable, real, and perceptible fact. Achieving common prosperity is not only an economic issue, but also a major political issue related to the Party’s governing basis. We must not allow the gap between the rich and the poor to grow wider, the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer, and an insurmountable gap between the rich and the poor must not appear. .. At the same time, this work can not wait, we must consciously and actively solve the problems of regional disparities, urban-rural disparities, income disparities, etc.”. Read full article → 

The government’s information disclosure system is intended to act as a guarantee that all citizens can obtain government information in accordance with the law. Annual reports offer a key glimpse into the system’s workings. 31 provincial-level administrative regions and most of the State Council’s constituent departments have recently released their 2020 reports on government information disclosure as scheduled. Read full article →

Public health advocates say the powerful State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) — which both regulates and sells most of China’s tobacco products— should not also be given the power to regulate vapes. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which oversees the STMA plans to end the booming market’s regulatory free-for-all. Read full article →

New rules for live-streaming e-commerce industry ($154 billion), scrutinize fake products, falsified sales figures and fraudulent behaviors. Starting May 25, live streamers will be required to authenticate their identities and meet age requirement (>16); platforms will need to hire moderators to ensure safety of content. Read full article $→ 

China Development Bank (CDB) issued a 5-year, $1.9 billion bond with a coupon of 3.28% in a pilot program that removes the role of the underwriter and allows investors to bid directly for the debt. The program aims to open the financial sector to both domestic and foreign direct participation. Read full article →

The first Futures Law will govern far more than futures, as the latest draft of the legislation defines which derivatives will be covered under the law, now available for public comment. The draft legislation brings more of complex financial instruments besides futures under the purview of Chinese law and raises fines for violators. Read full article →

Xiong’an New Area became the home of a new, state-owned satellite company to build its own satellite internet to compete private projects. China Satellite Network will be responsible for the overall planning and operation of satellite internet construction as part of a new infrastructure plan published by the National Development and Reform Commission in April. Read full article →

Beijing released its new national standards on basic public services covering 80 public services including education, employment, medical services, elderly care, and housing. They serve as important references for governments at all levels to fulfill their responsibilities and advance the equalization of public services nationwide. Read full article →

Congress adopted a law on the “promotion of rural vitalization” covering cropland and environmental protection, industrial development, and urban-rural integration. The notion of “rural revitalization strategy” was advanced by President Xi in 2017: “Implementing the rural revitalization strategy. The issue of agriculture, rural areas and farmers is a fundamental issue related to the people’s livelihood, and we must always make solving the “three rural issues” as the top priority of the whole party. Read full article on Beijing Channel


Cover Image: Partheno, a single female Skywalker hoolock gibbon living in Nankang, Gaoligong nature reserve. Photo: Li Jiahong

The Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon, is among the world’s most endangered primates, with 150 living in the tropical rainforests of Yunnan, less than 10% of the number of wild giant pandas. There are clusters in Myanmar, and the remaining Skywalkers in China live in separate clusters with impassable barriers between them created by human activities. Read full article $→

This is but a fraction of what I gleaned from the Here Comes China newsletter.  If you want to learn about the Chinese world, get Godfree’s newsletter here: https://www.herecomeschina.com/#subscribe