Li Meets Barbados PM - Wang Xiaohong Wants Tougher Policing - Wagner 'Incident' is 'Russia’s Internal Affair' - NZ Should 'Constructively Manage Differences' - NPCSC to Review Patriotic Education Law
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily's edition on Monday, June 26, 2023.
Page 1: There’s a report on Premier Li Qiang’s meeting with Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley. Xinhua reports:
“Barbados is a good friend and partner of China in the Caribbean region, Li noted. He said that under the new circumstances, China is willing to enhance strategic mutual trust with Barbados, deepen cooperation in various fields, and build China-Barbados relations into a model of solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit for developing countries. China is ready to work with Barbados to promote the joint construction of a high-quality Belt and Road, and enhance exchanges and cooperation related to the economy, trade, culture and other fields. China encourages its enterprises to invest and do business in Barbados, stands ready to import more competitive products from Barbados, and will continue to provide assistance within its capacity for Barbados' economic and social development, he said. China understands the situation and special concerns of developing island countries in coping with climate change and other issues. China is willing to jointly seek solutions for financing difficulties, and to support developing countries as they accelerate their energy transformation and achieve sustainable development, he noted.”
Mottley said that “Barbados is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of agriculture, energy, infrastructure construction, poverty reduction, tourism, culture and education, and jointly tackle climate change and other global challenges, she said. Barbados opposes ‘decoupling and breaking the chain’, and supports maintaining the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core and maintaining the stability of international production and supply chains.”
They signed agreements on implementing the Global Development Initiative, the blue economy, local cooperation, medical and health care, and news media cooperation.
There’s a report with data on cross-border e-commerce. It says that the total value of China’s imports and exports through e-commerce platforms reached 2.1 trillion yuan (around $294.6 billion) in 2022, up 7.1% compared with 2021. In 2022, cross-border e-commerce accounted for 4.9% of China’s total foreign trade in goods. Among them, e-commerce exports were 1.53 trillion yuan, an increase of 10.1%, accounting for 6.4% of the country’s total export value.
In terms of markets, the US was the largest e-commerce export market, accounting for 34.3% of the total. The UK accounted for 6.5%. In terms of imports, Japan accounted for 21.7% of China’s total cross-border e-commerce imports; the US accounted for 17.9%. Among the exported commodities, consumer goods accounted for 92.8%, of which clothing, shoes and bags accounted for 33.1% of the total, and electronic products such as mobile phones accounted for 17.1%. Among the imported commodities, consumer goods accounted for 98.3%, of which cosmetics and toiletries accounted for 28.4%, and fresh food accounted for 14.7%.
Next, there’s a long, long article about the 20th anniversary of the “1,000-village demonstrations and 10,000-village improvements” project by Xi Jinping while he was in Zhejiang. The idea is that this was a farsighted initiative, which has inspired changes in rural China in the years that followed. FYI, under the original project, the goal was to select 10,000 administrative villages for comprehensive improvement, while 1,000 of these would be established as model villages for a comprehensive well-off society. The piece tells us that this initiative was an embodiment of Xi Jinping thought.
Page 2: There’s a report on Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong’s comments at a video conference of the national public security organs on June 25th.
Wang “called for deepening the fight against infiltration, subversion, terrorism, separatism and cults. Political security should be resolutely defended. Adhere to and develop the ‘Fengqiao experience’ in the new era, and effectively investigate and resolve all kinds of contradictions and disputes. Make efforts to crack down on telecommunications crimes, Internet fraud and cross-border gambling. Quickly detect and resolve cases such as fighting and picking quarrels and provoking troubles, crack down on crimes against vulnerable groups with a zero-tolerance attitude, and continuously improve the people’s sense of security. It is necessary to strengthen overall social prevention and control measures, strictly implement mechanisms such as joint patrols and rapid response by the public security and armed police forces, allowing the public to feel at ease. It is necessary to closely cooperate with relevant departments, carry out in-depth inspections and rectification of public safety hazards, and strictly guard against major public safety accidents. It is necessary to carry out the thematic education in depth, strictly grasp the management of team education, and forge an iron army of public security worthy of the important task of the times.” 王小洪要求，要深化反渗透反颠覆反恐怖反分裂反邪教斗争，坚决捍卫政治安全。要坚持和发展新时代“枫桥经验”，有效排查化解各类矛盾纠纷。要推进扫黑除恶常态化，依法严厉打击电信网络诈骗、跨境赌博等突出违法犯罪，快侦快破打架斗殴、寻衅滋事等夏季多发案件，以零容忍态度打击侵害弱势群体犯罪，不断提升群众安全感。要严密社会面整体防控，严格落实公安武警联勤武装巡逻和快速响应等机制，让群众安心、放心。要与有关部门密切配合，深入开展公共安全隐患排查整治攻坚，严防重特大公共安全事故。要深入开展主题教育，从严抓好队伍教育管理，锻造堪当时代重任的公安铁军.
Page 3: Let’s begin with two reports discussing the events in Russia. First, there’s the official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It says that “This is Russia’s internal affair. As Russia’s friendly neighbour and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity.” The official designation for the events is now the “Wagner group incident.”
Second, there’s a longer report informing that as per Russian media, Wagner’s Yevgeny Prigozhin had accepted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s suggestion to halt operations and ease tensions.
The article quotes Prigozhin’s comments that “the moment has come when blood may spill. That’s why, understanding the responsibility for spilling Russian blood on one of the sides, we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan.” In return for ending operations in Russia, Putin has agreed for Prigozhin to go to Belarus and has withdrawn the criminal case against him.
The article also quotes Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Wagner personnel who refused to participate in the rebellion from the beginning will be able to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, and Wagner personnel who participated will not be prosecuted.
I’m sure everyone’s followed the events in Russia, but if you are interested, CNN has a nice timeline of the developments.
Moving on, there’s a consolidated report on Qin Gang’s meetings with his counterparts from Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
Xinhua’s report on the meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son says:
“Qin said China regards Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and attaches great importance to the prime minister's visit. It is believed that the visit will inject new impetus into work to deepen China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperation, Qin added. He called on both sides to strengthen strategic communication, accelerate the alignment of development strategies, and promote the greater development of bilateral ties. Bui Thanh Son said that Vietnam regards relations with China as its top priority, pursues the one-China policy with a clear-cut stance, and firmly supports the development and growth of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This is in preparation for Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s upcoming visit to China.
Xinhua’s report on the meeting with Ali Sabry, Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs, says that:
“Qin said China and Sri Lanka have respected and supported each other since establishing diplomatic ties, setting a good example of friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes. He called on the two sides to fully implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, enhance high-level and people-to-people exchanges, and promote the joint construction of a high-quality Belt and Road. Qin added that China will continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka’s economic and social development and the improvement of people's livelihood to the best of its capacity.”
“Hailing China as a great friend and important partner in development, Sabry said Sri Lanka treasures the selfless assistance provided by the Chinese government and people to its national independence and economic development, and thanks China for its valuable support for Sri Lanka in handling the debt issue and overcoming temporary difficulties. Sri Lanka will continue to firmly uphold the one-China policy, ensure the construction of the Belt and Road, work in close coordination with China on multilateral occasions, and promote the further development of bilateral ties, Sabry added. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Qin said in the face of complex and volatile circumstances, China will work with other countries to safeguard regional and world peace, stability and prosperity and build a community with a shared future for humanity.”
There’s no mention of the debt issue in any of the reports.
Next, there’s a very brief report on the third round of talks on the next phase of the China-ASEAN FTA being held in Kunming, from June 24th to 27th. About 370 officials from China, the competent authorities of the 10 ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat attended the meeting. Likewise, there’s a very brief report on ILD chief Liu Jianchao visiting Ireland. Xinhua reports:
“Liu held separate meetings with Speaker of the Irish Senate Jerry Buttimer, former prime minister Bertie Ahern, Leader of the Green Party and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs Joe Hackett and Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council Eddie Fitzpatrick. Liu also held a meeting and exchanged views with scholars at the Institute of International and European Affairs, a think tank in Ireland. The two sides shared the view that China and Ireland are important cooperative partners for each other. They agreed to further strengthen exchanges between political parties, governments, think tanks and local authorities, people-to-people exchanges and exchanges between various sectors of society, deepen practical cooperation in economy and trade, environmental protection, innovation and medicine, as well as promote greater development of the China-Ireland and China-Europe relations, they said.”
Next, there’s an article by China’s ambassador to New Zealand. This article comes ahead of New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ visit to China. He is expected to meet with Xi Jinping. Earlier, reports informed that the country’s Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, “was harangued for a whole hour” in her meeting with Qin Gang in Beijing in March.
Anyway, in his article today, Wang Xiaolong writes that through Hipkins’ visit “it is believed that the two countries will enhance mutual trust, expand exchanges, promote cooperation, push forward the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership, and better benefit the two countries and the two peoples.”
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, China and New Zealand have always adhered to mutual respect, equal treatment, win-win cooperation, and seeking common ground while reserving differences. The relationship between the two countries has been at the forefront of China's relationship with Western developed countries, with many ‘firsts’ being achieved. For more than 50 years, China-New Zealand relations have maintained healthy and stable development. The cooperation between the two countries in various fields has brought benefits to the two peoples and made positive contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity…For more than half a century, China and New Zealand have leveraged each other’s highly complementary economic advantages to continuously expand the pie of common interests and achieve win-win cooperation. In recent years, bilateral trade between China and New Zealand has grown rapidly, with China consistently being New Zealand's largest trading partner, export market, and source of imports, effectively promoting the economic development and revitalization of both countries. In 2022, the volume of goods traded between China and New Zealand reached a new high, demonstrating the resilience and potential of practical cooperation between the two sides. Both sides are actively exploring cooperation in new energy, electric vehicles, sustainable agriculture, technological innovation, and other fields to enhance the quality and upgrade the level of economic and trade cooperation.” 自1972年建交以来，中新始终坚持相互尊重、平等相待、合作共赢、求同存异，两国关系走在中国同西方发达国家关系前列，创造了多项“第一”...半个多世纪以来，中新两国发挥彼此经济高度互补优势，不断做大共同利益蛋糕，实现合作共赢。近年来，中新双边贸易额增长迅速，中国连续多年是新西兰最大贸易伙伴、最大出口市场和最大进口来源国，有力促进两国经济发展和繁荣振兴。2022年，中新货物贸易额再创新高，彰显了双方务实合作的韧性和潜力。双方正积极探索新能源、电动汽车、可持续农业、科技创新等领域合作，推动经贸合作提质升级.
Later Wang writes: “The two countries have close exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education, tourism, sports, and more. New Zealand is the first Western developed country to officially establish a nationwide ‘Chinese Language Week,’ and China is a major source of tourists and overseas students for New Zealand.” 两国在文化、教育、旅游、体育等领域交流合作密切，新西兰是首个由官方设立全国性“中文周”的西方发达国家，中国是新西兰主要游客来源国和海外留学生来源国。
He adds:
“China and New Zealand seek common ground while respecting differences and properly handle their differences. China and New Zealand have differences in social systems, development stages, history and culture. It is natural for us to have differences on some issues, but differences should not define or affect bilateral relations. The development of bilateral relations over the past half-century has shown that the common interests between the two sides far outweigh their differences. Both countries should enhance communication, deepen mutual trust, accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, engage in dialogue and consultation on an equal footing, and constructively manage differences, ensuring that mutually beneficial cooperation remains the mainstream of bilateral relations. Both China and New Zealand pursue an independent foreign policy, support free trade and multilateralism, and oppose unilateralism, protectionism and bullying. They should strengthen communication, coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs and work together to meet global challenges such as climate change. In the face of the turbulent international situation, the two countries have great potential to work together to safeguard world peace and promote human progress.” 中新两国求同存异，妥处分歧。中新社会制度、发展阶段、历史文化不同，在一些问题上存在分歧是自然的，但不应让分歧来定义或影响双边关系。两国关系半个多世纪的发展历程充分表明，双方的共同利益远远超过差异分歧。两国应加强沟通，增进互信，照顾彼此核心利益和重大关切，在平等基础上开展对话协商，建设性地管控分歧，使互利合作始终是双方关系的主流。中新两国都奉行独立自主的外交政策，支持自由贸易和多边主义，反对单边主义、保护主义、霸凌行径，应在国际和地区事务中加强沟通协调与合作，携手应对气候变化等全球性挑战。面对变乱交织的国际形势，两国在携手维护世界和平、推动人类进步方面大有可为.
Page 4: There’s a report on the press briefing by Zang Tiewei, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee. From June 26 to 28, the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, will convene its third session in Beijing,
Xinhua reports: Among other things, the session's agenda includes:
reviewing a draft law on developing barrier-free environments
reviewing a draft law on external relations
reviewing a draft revision to the Administrative Reconsideration Law
reviewing a draft revision to the Marine Environment Protection Law
reviewing a draft patriotic education law
reviewing a draft food security law
reviewing a draft decision on establishing a deputies affairs commission of the NPC Standing Committee
a draft decision on designating a ‘National Ecology Day,’
“During the session, a draft law on patriotic education will be submitted for deliberation for the first time…Noting the significance of the legislation move to rallying national morale and advancing national rejuvenation, Zang said the law will stipulate on the objective, guiding principle and overall requirements of patriotic education, as well as the leadership mechanism, working principles and content of patriotic education, together with supporting and safeguarding measures for patriotic education.”
The NPC Observer website offers the details of the eight bills, including six draft laws, that are on the session’s agenda.
Page 11: A report on the reduction in drug-related crimes in China. The Ministry of Public Security said during a briefing that the number of drug-related criminal cases nationwide has decreased from over 160,000 in 2015 to 35,000 in 2022.
“The China Drug Situation Report 2022 issued by the Ministry of Public Security pointed out that in 2022, China's anti-drug departments arrested 53,000 criminal suspects, seized 21.9 tonnes of narcotics, and investigated and dealt with 197,000 drug users, down by 24.3%, 18.7% and 39.7%, respectively. By the end of 2022, there were 1.124 million drug users in China, a year-on-year decrease of 24.3%. 公安部发布的《2022年中国毒情形势报告》指出，2022年，我国禁毒部门抓获犯罪嫌疑人5.3万名，缴获各类毒品21.9吨，查处吸毒人员19.7万人次，同比分别下降24.3%、18.7%和39.7%。截至2022年底，全国现有吸毒人员112.4万名，同比下降24.3%.
It adds that from January to May, a total of 16,000 drug-related criminal cases were solved nationwide, with 27,000 criminal suspects arrested and 8.4 tons of drugs seized. 1至5月，全国共破获毒品犯罪案件1.6万起，抓获犯罪嫌疑人2.7万名，缴获毒品8.4吨.
In response to new challenges posed by new types of drugs, the national anti-drug departments have added 58 new types of drugs to the controlled list and have innovated the whole category of fentanyl substances and synthetic cannabinoids, actively preventing and combating crimes involving new psychoactive substances such as nitrous oxide and addictive substitute substances. 为积极应对新型毒品问题新挑战，全国公安禁毒部门新增列管58种新型毒品，创新整类列管芬太尼类物质、合成大麻素类物质，积极防范打击涉“笑气”等新精神活性物质、成瘾性替代物质违法犯罪.