Han-Blinken Meeting - Leading Cadres & Xi Thought on Rule of Law - GSI @ Lian Yungang Forum - Russia-China Security Dialogue - Havana Declaration - Chinese Modernisation: Education, Sci-tech & Talents
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People's Daily's edition on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. If you are interested in checking out my other research and writing work, do check out my new website.
Page 1: At the top of the page there are two stories about Xi Jinping. The first one informs that a book on Xi’s discourses on human rights is now available in Arabic, Portuguese, German, Swahili, Urdu and Vietnamese.
The second one covers Xi’s reply to a letter from Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Jeffrey Greene and Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Mel McMullen. Xinhua says:
“‘I was heartened by the great enthusiasm of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and the veterans of Flying Tigers in letting more Chinese and Americans know about the stories of the Flying Tigers over the years. Inspired by this, more and more young Americans have joined the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program, and nearly 500 Flying Tigers veterans and several hundred of their family members have visited China. I wish to pay tribute to you for all this,’ Xi said. ‘In the past, our two peoples fought the Japanese fascists together, and forged a deep friendship that withstood the test of blood and fire,’ Xi said. ‘In the future, the two major countries shoulder even more important responsibility for world peace, stability and development.’ ‘We therefore should, and we must, respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation,’ he said. Noting that ‘in growing China-U.S. relations, the hope lies in the people, the foundation lies among the people, and the future lies with the youth,’ Xi said that ‘a sound and steady development of the relationship in the new era requires the input and support of a new generation of Flying Tigers’.”
Speaking of China-US ties, there’s a report on Vice President Han Zheng’s meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the sidelines of the UNGA. The report is actually a consolidated one, covering Han’s meetings with Blinken and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Xinhua reports:
“During his meeting with Blinken, Han said that a healthy and stable China-U.S. relationship is good for the two countries and the world. Describing China's development as an opportunity rather than a challenge, a gain rather than a risk to the United States, Han said that the two sides may well contribute to each other's progress and achieve common prosperity. China, he said, maintains consistency and stability in its policy toward the United States, all following the three principles put forward by President Xi Jinping, namely mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation in viewing and handling China-U.S. relations. Han expressed the hope that the United States will work with China (meet each other halfway 希望美方同中方相向而行) to follow through on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in Bali, Indonesia. The two sides, he said, need to take practical actions, create favorable conditions and do more to enhance understanding, mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to bring China-U.S. relations back on a healthy and stable track and deliver benefits to both countries and the rest of the world.”
As per Xinhua, Blinken said that the US “looks forward to strengthening communications with China, managing the differences and advancing cooperation.”
The US readout from the meeting says:
“The two sides had a candid and constructive discussion, building on recent high-level engagements between the two countries to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship. The Secretary emphasized that the United States will continue to use diplomacy to advance U.S. interests and values and to discuss areas of difference. The Secretary also explored potential areas of cooperation and advocated for progress on shared transnational challenges. The two sides exchanged views on a range of key bilateral, global, and regional issues, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, the DPRK’s provocative actions, and other topics. The Secretary underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Both sides reiterated their commitment to maintaining open lines of communication, including follow-on senior engagements in the coming weeks.” (Comment: I guess this is building momentum for a potential Xi Jinping visit to the US in November for the APEC Summit. It would be interesting to see if Wang Yi visits the US anytime soon in preparation for that.)
Anyway, the report on Han’s meeting with Guterres says:
“Han told Guterres that the world today is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century with various unstable and uncertain factors intertwined. The more complex and grim the international situation is, the more necessary it is to uphold genuine multilateralism and the more the world needs a strong United Nations, he said. The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative -- proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping -- are highly aligned with the ideals and goals of the United Nations, and have been widely recognized and actively supported by the international community, said Han. China will, as always, be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, and support the United Nations in playing a central role in international affairs, he said.”
Next, there’s an article discussing the work done to ensure that leading cadres or the “key minority” become role models in abiding by Party regulations and national laws. It says that recently a new guideline was issued on establishing a system of Party regulations and national laws that leading cadres should know and understand.
Some key messages from the article:
“Respecting the rule of law and having a reverence for the law are fundamental qualities that leading cadres must possess. Developing the legal literacy of leading cadres should begin from the moment they enter the cadre ranks, and they should be educated and guided to fasten the ‘first button’ of the rule of law…Nowadays, taking the constitutional oath when assuming a position in the state has become the norm, inspiring and educating state officials to remain loyal to the Constitution, abide by the Constitution, uphold the Constitution, and carry out their duties in accordance with the law, continuously strengthening their sense of mission and responsibility. The Party Constitution is the fundamental law of the Party and the general rules that the entire Party must abide by. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, every revision of the Party Constitution embodies the wisdom and efforts of the entire Party, and embodies the Party’s new achievements in theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation. Leading cadres at all levels take the lead in learning the Party Constitution, abiding by the Party Constitution, implementing the Party Constitution, and safeguarding the Party Constitution, keeping in mind their original mission and tempering their firm Party spirit.” 尊崇法治、敬畏法律，是领导干部必须具备的基本素质。对领导干部的法治素养，从其踏入干部队伍的那一天起就要开始抓，教育引导他们把法治的“第一粒扣子”扣好。“我宣誓：忠于中华人民共和国宪法，维护宪法权威，履行法定职责……”如今，国家工作人员就职时进行宪法宣誓成为常态，激励和教育国家工作人员忠于宪法、遵守宪法、维护宪法，依法履行职务的使命感和责任感不断增强。党章是党的根本大法，是全党必须遵循的总规矩。党的十八大以来，每一次党章的修改，都凝聚着全党的智慧和心血，凝结着党在理论创新、实践创新、制度创新上的新成果。各级领导干部带头学习党章、遵守党章、贯彻党章、维护党章，牢记初心使命，锤炼坚强党性。
Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is the latest achievement in adapting Marxist rule of law theory to China and the times. It serves as the fundamental guiding principle and action plan for advancing comprehensive law-based governance in the new era. In respecting the rule of law and having reverence for the law, the most important thing is to truly learn, understand, believe in, and apply Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law.” 习近平法治思想是马克思主义法治理论中国化时代化的最新成果，是新时代推进全面依法治国的根本遵循和行动指南。尊崇法治、敬畏法律，最重要的是对习近平法治思想真学真懂真信真用.
“‘Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is a powerful weapon that has been tested in practice and is full of practical vitality,’ said Xiao Lihui, a professor from the Central Party School. The Guideline that has been issued clearly states that ‘learning and mastering Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law should be treated as an important compulsory course’. Leading cadres at all levels must deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the four consciousnesses and four self-confidences and achieve the two safeguards. They should continue to work on deepening internalisation and transformation, starting from the ideological level, purify the ideological root, cultivate the foundation of faith, supplement the spiritual calcium, stabilize the rudder of thought and become staunch believers, active disseminators, and model practitioners of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law.” “习近平法治思想是经过实践检验、富有实践伟力的强大武器。”中央党校（国家行政学院）政治和法律教研部教授肖立辉说，《意见》明确提出“把学习掌握习近平法治思想作为重要必修课程”。各级领导干部要深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，持续在深化内化转化上下功夫，从思想上正本清源、固本培元，筑牢信仰之基、补足精神之钙、把稳思想之舵，做习近平法治思想的坚定信仰者、积极传播者、模范实践者.
“Leading cadres at all levels should, in particular, understand how the law requires us to exercise our power, what we can do and what we cannot do, and we should not act as though we are ‘ignorant of the law’/’blind to the law’. In fact, many matters are clearly regulated by Party discipline and national laws. If we study and take a look at them seriously, or check and take a look carefully before doing something, you can avoid making mistakes and taking the wrong path.”“各级领导干部尤其要弄明白法律规定我们怎么用权，什么事能干、什么事不能干，而不能当‘法盲’。其实，很多事情党纪国法都有明确规定，平时认真学一学、看一看，或者在做事情前认真查一查、看一看，就可以避免犯错误、走邪路。”
The article informs that the guidelines offer book recommendations for leading cadres: 习习近平总书记《论坚持全面依法治国》《习近平关于全面依法治国论述摘编》《习近平关于依规治党论述摘编》《习近平法治思想学习纲要》-- All books of Xi’s discourses. It also reiterates:
“To conscientiously implement the requirements of the Guidelines, leading cadres at all levels should profoundly understand the decisive significance of Two Establishments and achieve the two safeguards; firmly establish a consciousness about the Party constitution, study the inner-Party laws and regulations more consciously, and restrain one’s words and deeds within the context of Party constitution and rules and regulations; and firmly establish the basic concepts of the rule of law, such as the supremacy of the constitution and the law, equality before the law, statutory power and the exercise of power according to law, so as to think, make decisions and do things under the rule of law.” 认真贯彻落实《意见》要求，各级领导干部要深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，做到“两个维护”；牢固树立党章意识，更加自觉地学习党内法规，用党章党规党纪约束自己的一言一行；牢固树立宪法法律至上、法律面前人人平等、权由法定、权依法使等基本法治观念，做到在法治之下想问题、作决策、办事情.
Page 2: A couple of important reports to note. First, there’s a report on State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong meeting with officials from Guyana, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, who are attending the 2023 Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lian Yungang. This is really important because this is the operationalizing of GSI. Xinhua has the report too:
“When meeting with Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn of Guyana, Wang appreciated the Guyanese side's adherence to the one-China principle and firm support for China's core interests and major concerns and expressed willingness to work with Guyana to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and push bilateral relations to a new level. Benn expressed willingness to strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation between the two countries and advance the continuous development of Guyana-China relations.”
“When meeting with the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Petr Gorodov, Wang expressed hope that the two countries will strengthen cooperation in maintaining political security and anti-interference, deepen cooperation in criminal judicial assistance, and continuously enrich China-Russia relations in the new era. For his part, Gorodov expressed willingness to strengthen exchanges between the procuratorial and public security departments of the two countries and carry out pragmatic and efficient cooperation.”
When meeting with Ulan Niyazbekov, Internal Affairs Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Wang said that China is willing to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism, combating cross-border gambling and law enforcement capacity building, and push for all-round development of China-Kyrgyzstan practical cooperation. Niyazbekov expressed willingness to continue close cooperation with China to safeguard the security and stability of the two countries.
When meeting with Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzod, Wang said China is ready to deepen cooperation with Tajikistan in anti-interference, strengthen cooperation in combating the ‘three forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and Belt and Road projects security, drug control, and law enforcement capacity building to safeguard the prosperity and stability of the two countries and the peace of the people. Rahimzod said that Tajikistan is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with a more open and candid attitude.”
PD informs that Great Wall Commemorative Medals were awarded to Ulan Niyazbekov, Ramazon Rahimzod, the Deputy Public Security Minister of Laos and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police of the Solomon Islands Karen Galokale. 王小洪分别授予尼亚兹别科夫、拉希姆佐达和老挝公安部副部长坎京、所罗门群岛警察部常秘加洛卡勒金质、银质“长城纪念章”.
Next, there’s a report on Wang Yi’s meeting with Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, for the 18th round of strategic security consultations. Xinhua reports:
“The two sides exchanged in-depth views on a wide range of issues related to deepening strategic cooperation between the two countries, strengthened coordination and enhanced mutual trust. “China-Russia relations have withstood the test of the vicissitudes of the international situation and continued to develop healthily and steadily,’ said Wang. ‘The connotation of the strategic cooperation between the two countries has been continuously enriched, and the quality of pragmatic cooperation has been continuously improved.’ Wang noted that as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and responsible major countries, China and Russia work closely together on the international stage to jointly defend true multilateralism, oppose various practices of power bullying, and promote the development of the global governance system in a more fair and reasonable direction. Wang stressed that the China-Russia strategic security consultation mechanism, as an important part of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries in the new era, reflects the depth of political mutual trust and the breadth of strategic coordination between China and Russia. ‘Since the establishment of the mechanism, the two sides have maintained close communication and positive interaction, effectively safeguarded common interests, and contributed wisdom to global strategic stability and the resolution of regional hot issues,’ Wang said. ‘The two sides firmly support each other on issues involving each other's core interests, demonstrating the due meaning of a comprehensive strategic partnership.’ ‘We are willing to work with Russia to fundamentally follow the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further release the effectiveness of the mechanism, and make greater contribution to safeguarding the national security of the two countries and promoting world peace and stability,’ he added.” (Comment: Is it just me, or is this really not saying anything in particular. It’s more about the mechanism rather than actual issues. Of course, there are the bits about the broad strategic convergences, i.e., bullying, true multilateralism, global governance reform and core interests.)
“Patrushev said that since the beginning of this year, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, Russia-China relations have developed steadily and practical cooperation has been advanced in an orderly manner. ‘Both sides always respect and support each other. Faced with the challenges of rapid changes in the international security situation and frequent conflicts, Russia and China are not subject to external influence and interference, adhere to independence, and strengthen strategic coordination, demonstrating the unique value of comprehensive strategic partnership, said Patrushev. Russia firmly supports China's legitimate stance on Taiwan and on issues related to Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, and opposes Western interference in China's internal affairs, Patrushev said, adding that Russia highly appreciates and supports the three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and is willing to jointly promote stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.”
In terms of outcomes, “the two sides agreed to hold China-Russia strategic stability consultation at an appropriate time and strengthen cooperation in law enforcement security, non-proliferation, and global governance of emerging technologies. The two sides will also continue to strengthen collaboration under multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS mechanism.”
AP’s report quotes Patrushev as having said: “Amid the campaign unleashed by the collective West that is aimed at the double containment of Russia and China, it’s particularly important to further deepen Russian-Chinese coordination and interaction on the international arena.”
Next, there’s a commentary drawing from the recent G77 summit. It says:
“The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. Developing countries are growing in strength, and South-South cooperation is playing an increasingly important role in safeguarding the momentum of collective development among developing countries and promoting stable growth of the world economy. In the din of rampant unilateralism and hegemonism, some countries have resorted to unilateral sanctions and decoupling, which has severely damaged the legitimate development rights and space of developing countries. Developing countries generally hope to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, safeguard the right to development, defend fairness and justice, and promote global governance in a more fair and reasonable direction.” 当今世界正在经历百年未有之大变局，发展中国家力量不断壮大，南南合作为维护发展中国家群体性崛起势头、推动世界经济稳定增长发挥日益重要作用。面对单边主义、霸权主义甚嚣尘上，个别国家大搞单边制裁、脱钩断链，严重损害发展中国家正当发展权益和空间，发展中国家普遍希望加强团结合作，维护发展权利，捍卫公平正义，推动全球治理朝着更加公正合理的方向发展.
"The summit, through the Havana Declaration, called for a comprehensive reform of the international financial structure, the establishment of a more inclusive and coordinated global economic governance framework and opposed unilateral sanctions against developing countries. These actions clearly demonstrate that the G77 and China are practising true multilateralism, steadfastly upholding international fairness and justice, striving to enhance the voice of developing countries, safeguarding the common interests of the vast developing countries, and representing a just force for unity, cooperation, and mutual development. United Nations Secretary-General Guterres stated in his speech that the 'G77 and China' have always supported multilateralism and played an important role within the framework of the United Nations.” 峰会通过《哈瓦那宣言》，呼吁全面改革国际金融结构，构建更包容、协调的全球经济治理格局；反对对发展中国家实施单方面制裁。这些充分表明，77国集团和中国践行真正的多边主义，坚定维护国际公平正义，努力提升发展中国家话语权，维护广大发展中国家共同利益，是团结合作、共谋发展的正义力量。联合国秘书长古特雷斯在致辞中说，“77国集团和中国”始终拥护多边主义，在联合国框架下发挥重要作用。
As the world's largest developing country and a natural member of the ‘Global South’, China has always shared a common destiny with the vast number of developing countries. With the world entering a period of turbulent change and factors of instability and uncertainty increasing, China is committed to joining hands with all parties to build a community with a shared future for the Global South, encouraging developing countries to adhere to the original aspiration of independence, unity and self-reliance, uphold the spirit of fairness, justice, equality, and inclusiveness, and fulfil the mission of development and revitalization through win-win cooperation. Only when the majority of developing countries collectively oppose bloc confrontation and Cold War mentality and insist on resolving differences and disputes among countries through peaceful means can we better safeguard world peace and tranquillity; only when developing countries actively speak loudly and uphold justice at international forums can they continuously enhance the voice and representation of developing countries in global governance and better safeguard the common interests of developing countries. 作为世界上最大的发展中国家、“全球南方”的天然成员，中国始终同广大发展中国家同呼吸、共命运。在世界进入动荡变革期、不稳定性不确定性因素增多的背景下，中国致力于携手各方共筑全球南方命运共同体，倡导广大发展中国家坚守独立自主、联合自强的初心，弘扬公道正义、平等包容的精神，践行发展振兴、合作共赢的使命。广大发展中国家共同反对集团对抗和冷战思维，坚持以和平方式解决国家间分歧和争端，才能更好地守护世界和平安宁；广大发展中国家在国际场合积极响亮发声、主持公道，才能不断提升发展中国家在全球治理中的话语权和代表性，更好地维护发展中国家共同利益.
The piece then says that China has always “prioritized South-South cooperation” and touches upon BRI, GDI, GSI and GCI. The article argues:
“The 'Havana Declaration' incorporates several Chinese ideas and propositions, explicitly stating that all parties should be committed to achieving global development and win-win cooperation on the basis of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and sharing, and promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. This once again demonstrates that the Chinese approach is in line with the trend of the times and meets the common expectations of a broad range of developing countries for development and cooperation.” 《哈瓦那宣言》纳入多项中国理念和主张，明确指出有关各方应在共商、共建、共享基础上致力于实现全球发展和共赢合作，推动构建人类命运共同体。这再次表明，中国方案符合时代潮流，顺应广大发展中国家谋发展、促合作的共同期待.
Page 6: Today’s article from the Face to Face with Chinese-style Modernisation discusses the importance of education, science and technology, and talents, arguing that these are the fundamental and strategic support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. This is available for paid subscribers below.
Page 15: Two reports to note on the international page. First, a report on a new publication by China Society for Human Rights Studies and Xinhua Institute on China’s practice of and contribution to global human rights governance. Xinhua English says:
The report comprises four parts, namely:
China’s Practice of Participating In Global Human Rights Governance
China’s Contribution to Promoting the Development of World Human Rights
Chinese Wisdom that Enriches the Form of Human Rights Civilization
China’s Plan to Improve Global Human Rights Governance
It says: “In the development process of the world human rights cause, China is not an outsider, but a constant practitioner…With concrete actions, it said, China has laid a solid foundation for advancing global human rights protection, protected a safe environment for global human rights protection, safeguarded fairness and justice in global human rights governance, and promoted exchanges and mutual learning between different human rights civilizations, thereby contributing significantly to promoting the development of world human rights cause. In light of the great historic achievements of China's human rights practice, the report characterized China's human rights development path as having four distinctive features, namely, the people-centered nature of human rights endeavors, autonomy in human rights practice, comprehensiveness in human rights promotion, and sustainability in human rights development. It said that while making a consistent endeavor to push forward its own human rights cause, China also takes concrete actions to push for greater fairness, justice, reason and inclusivity in global governance on human rights.”
Second, there’s a report on how the Japanese government should “face up to history and reflect on its crimes.” This is in the context of the new evidence of the “crimes committed by Unit 731 through military-medical coordination”, which was made public recently.
Other Stories:
MoFA said yesterday that representatives from more than 110 countries have confirmed that they will attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October. Mao Ning said the event includes the opening ceremony, three high-level forums on connectivity, green development and digital economy, and another six forums featuring smooth trade, people-to-people exchanges, think-tank exchanges and other topics.
HT reported: “By next month, the Chinese embassy in India will have been without an envoy for a year – the longest such gap in ambassadorial postings since 1976, reflecting the current downslide in relations amid the standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). President Xi Jinping has appointed new envoys to Japan and the US, but there has been no word whether the post in India will be filled anytime soon. The Chinese side is yet to request an agrément, or formal agreement, for posting a new ambassador in the embassy in New Delhi and there are no signs of movement on this issue, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The last Chinese ambassador, Sun Weidong, completed his term on October 26 last year and was appointed one of three vice foreign ministers.”
Next, there’s a controversy brewing around Chinese “research vessel” Shi Yan 6, which is believed to be heading toward Colombo port. The Sri Lankan foreign ministry says that the request for docking is still under processing. India, of course, is watching all this with unease. Earlier in August, a Chinese vessel Hai Yang 24 Hao docked in Colombo. This is basically a process of normalising PLAN presence in the IOR, and we’re going to see a lot more of this going forward.