Protests & COVID Policy - 10 Years of the 'China Dream' - New Party Secretaries for Shaanxi & Liaoning - Wang Yi Meets Igor Morgulov
Dear subscribers,
It’s been quite the weekend in China, with protests across major cities following a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi, Xinjiang, on Thursday, which killed 10 people and injured nine. I am sharing some threads and posts that capture the developments over the weekend.
Beijing last night:
Tsinghua University:
Translations of statements from students from PKU and Tsinghua alumni
Detention of BBC journalist in Shanghai
Removal of the road sign in Shanghai
More protest details:
NYT’s report, which covers the different cities where protests have occurred:
CNN’s coverage by Selina Wang
Finally, this was People’s Daily’s front page commentary on Sunday:
Some analysis:
Anyway, here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy in the Monday, November 28, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily
Page 1: At the top of the page is another 仲音 commentary on the COVID situation. It’s important to note that there is still a clear attribution of the policy to Xi Jinping. I mean, it’s not new, but stating this again at this moment tells us that there is no wavering from the broad policy for the moment.
“Over the past few days, all regions and departments have conscientiously implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions and the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee in light of their respective realities, and strived to improve the effectiveness of epidemic prevention work.” 连日来，各地区各部门结合各自实际，认真贯彻落实习近平总书记重要指示精神和党中央决策部署，努力提高防疫工作的有效性.
The commentary talks about the importance of timely and effective measures. It says that the changes via the 20 optimisation measures fit this definition.
“Facts have fully proved that every version of the prevention and control plan has withstood the test of practice, and every optimisation and adjustment has gone through repeated research, assessment and scientific demonstration, in order to further improve the scientificity, accuracy and effectiveness of the prevention and control.” It adds that the 20 optimisation measures made some changes to the 9th prevention and control plan. For instance, the quarantine period for close contacts in case of confirmed infections was reduced from 7-day centralised quarantine + 3-day home health monitoring to 5-day centralised quarantine + 3-day home quarantine. This “not only saves centralised isolation resources, but also maximises the control of risks and improves the efficiency of prevention and control.” The classification of areas into high, medium and low risk areas has been modified to only have high and low risk areas. This, the article says, creates higher standards for precise classification of areas. It adds that the emphasis by the authorities is on “scientific prevention and control, precise prevention and control, and being problem-oriented and effect-oriented.” 事实充分证明，每一版防控方案都经受住了实践的检验，每一次优化调整都经过了反复研判、科学论证，为的是进一步提升防控的科学性、精准性、有效性。二十条优化措施是对第九版防控方案部分措施的优化和完善。比如，密切接触者的管控措施由“7+3”调整为“5+3”，不仅节约了集中隔离资源，还能最大限度管住风险，提高防控效率。再如，取消中风险区的判定，并且更加科学精准地判定高风险区，对各地的疫情处置工作提出了更高的标准，要求流调、风险研判更加精准高效。总的来看，强调的是科学防控、精准防控，突出的是问题导向、效果导向.
The next bit talks about the need for “resolute implementation by all localities.”
“If you hesitate and miss the critical period of epidemic prevention and control, the number of infected people in the society will increase rapidly in a short period of time, and the difficulty of epidemic prevention and control will also increase greatly. The more critical and pressing the situation, the more we must improve the effectiveness of the epidemic prevention work, adhere to the 9th edition of the prevention and control plan, implement the 20 optimisation measures, and ensure that we will not waver or distort in implementation. We should base ourselves on ensuring early and rapid prevention, resolutely prevent deviation in understanding and hesitation in action, resolutely overcome paralysis, war-weariness, fluke mentality and slackness, resolutely block leakage and dripping (跑冒滴漏) in implementing the measures, and scientifically and accurately do a good job in epidemic prevention and control.” 如果犹豫不决、错失疫情防控的关键期，后期社会面感染者会在短期内迅速增长，疫情防控的难度也将大大增加。越是在紧要关头、吃劲阶段，越要提高防疫工作的有效性，坚持第九版防控方案、落实二十条优化措施，切实做到不动摇、不走样。要立足于防、立足于早、立足于快，坚决防止认识上存在偏差、行动上迟疑犹豫，坚决克服麻痹思想、厌战情绪、侥幸心理、松劲心态，坚决堵住落实措施上的“跑冒滴漏”，科学精准做好疫情防控各项工作.
The next paragraph says that the epidemic situation in the country is “severe and complex,” and calls for doing a good job in regard to the four earlys, testing, managing the flow of people, isolation resources and “rationally using prevention and control resources”
The other top story today is marking the 10th anniversary of Xi Jinping leading the PBSC to visit the National Museum, where they had seen the Road to Revival exhibit. This was when we got the slogan of the China Dream. The first bit of the article talks about that visit, along with the visits to Shanghai after the 19th Party Congress and then to Yan’an after the 20th Party Congress.
This section ends by saying: “Today, what the Chinese nation presents to the world is a thriving scene, and is marching towards a great revival at an unstoppable pace.” - 今天，中华民族向世界展现的是一派欣欣向荣的气象，正以不可阻挡的步伐迈向伟大复兴.
The piece basically makes the point that the country is moving towards prosperity and strength, or rather, wealth and power, as the title of one of my favourite books says. It says that over 10 years, “the Party Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as the core has maintained overall command, ensured that there has been a backbone for united struggle, and that the realisation of dreams has a leader.” 稳经济、促发展，战贫困、建小康，控疫情、抗大灾，应变局、化危机……原创性思想，关键性抉择，战略性举措，变革性实践，突破性进展，标志性成果，以习近平同志为核心的党中央统筹指挥，团结奋斗有了主心骨，实现梦想有了领路人.
The piece talks about China’s economic growth over the decade, the advancement of shipbuilding in China, Xi’s phrasing of being selfless in service (我将无我) and how he is the “son of the yellow earth.” There’s lots of praise for Xi’s “far-sightedness and overall strategic planning.” And finally, we are told that the Two Establishments “is the greatest certainty, greatest confidence and greatest guarantee for overcoming all difficulties and obstacles and coping with all uncertainties.” 非凡十年，我们感受深切，党确立习近平同志党中央的核心、全党的核心地位，确立习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的指导地位，是推动党和国家事业取得历史性成就、发生历史性变革的决定性因素，是战胜一切艰难险阻、应对一切不确定性的最大确定性、最大底气、最大保证.
The second section says:
“‘The Chinese dream is ultimately the dream of the people. It must be realised by the people and must continue to benefit the people’. All the struggles of the Communist Party of China are for the happiness of the people. The affectionate words of General Secretary Xi Jinping explain the core value of the Chinese dream, point out the source of power of the Chinese dream, and demonstrate the governance consciousness of a Marxist party.” “中国梦归根到底是人民的梦，必须紧紧依靠人民来实现，必须不断为人民造福。”“小康梦、强国梦、中国梦，归根到底是老百姓的‘幸福梦’。中国共产党的一切奋斗都是为人民谋幸福。”习近平总书记的深情话语，阐释了中国梦的核心价值，指明了中国梦的动力源泉，彰显了马克思主义政党的执政自觉. — The current protests are so fundamentally challenging this narrative.
The third section says that the Chinese dream will not only benefit the people of China but also the world, and then discusses China’s external engagement over the decade. One part of it says:
“Abandon capital as the centre and avoid polarisation; curb the expansion of materialism and the emptiness of the spiritual world; abandon the law of the jungle, do not engage in hegemony, transcend zero-sum games, and stick to the path of peaceful development…Chinese-style modernisation has broken the myth that modernisation is westernisation, it has expanded the way for developing countries to modernise, and provided a brand-new choice for those countries and nations in the world who both want to accelerate development and maintain their independence.” 摒弃以资本为中心，避免两极分化；遏制物质主义膨胀、精神世界空虚；摒弃丛林法则、不搞强权独霸、超越零和博弈，坚持走和平发展道路……中国式现代化，打破了现代化就是西方化的迷思，拓展了发展中国家走向现代化的途径，给世界上那些既希望加快发展又希望保持自身独立性的国家和民族提供了全新选择.
The fourth section talks about how this dream will require struggle and not just beating drums and gongs. So, lots of struggle here. The final section is a call to embark on a new journey.
Next, a report on the new guidelines with regard to regulations related to the families of armed forces personnel accompanying them during their postings. It says that for those individuals who are posted in difficult and remote areas, such as Tibet, their spouses, minor children, and children without the ability to live independently, may accompany them upon approval by the political work departments of units at or above the brigade level; for those in Beijing, policies will be formed separately. 《意见》明确，现役军官（含警官）和三级军士长以上军士（含警士），以及驻国家、军队确定的艰苦边远地区、三类以上岛屿和西藏自治区部队服役的一级上士，其配偶和未成年子女、无独立生活能力的子女，经旅（团）级以上单位的政治工作部门批准，可以随军；驻京部队军人家属随军有关政策由军队参照党中央关于北京市新增落户审批和管理文件精神另行制定，新政策出台前仍暂按现行有关政策执行。军人配偶符合到军人所在单位驻地自主落户条件，经驻地人民政府有关部门批准且办理落户手续的，落户30日之内，军人应当向所在旅（团）级以上单位的政治工作部门报告和备案.
Finally, a report on air pollution. Data from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment says that the average number of days with good air quality in 339 prefecture-level and above cities was 86.3%. The average concentration of PM2.5 was 27 micrograms/cubic metre, a year-on-year decrease of 3.6%.
Page 3: A report on Wang Yi meeting the new Russian ambassador Igor Morgulov. Xinhua reports:
Wang said “that both China and Russia are committed to promoting a multipolar world and do not believe in unipolar hegemony. Both countries are committed to upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and reject power politics, Wang said. No matter how the international situation may evolve, China and Russia will advance strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation and jointly uphold international fairness and justice, he said. Morgulov said Russia-China relationship is unbreakable and the friendship between the two countries can overcome any challenge. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern”
New appointments at provincial levels:
Zhao Yide is now the secretary of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee
Hao Peng is now the secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee
Third, a report on Sun Chunlan’s visit to Chongqing. She said that: “At present, Chongqing's prevention and control work has achieved phased results, the rapid rise of epidemic situation has been effectively curbed, and the prevention and control situation has become stable and better.” 当前，重庆防控工作取得阶段性成效，疫情快速上升势头得到有效遏制，防控形势趋稳向好.
But she added that “the current epidemic prevention and control in Chongqing is in a critical period. It is necessary to do a good job in risk assessment and scientific and accurate classification… and concentrate resources and efforts on high-risk areas and to address key problems.” She frames the prevention and control effort using the metaphor of war in terms of having an effective front warfare strategy and narrowing encirclement. 孙春兰指出，当前重庆疫情防控处于关键时期，要根据检测、流调做好风险研判，科学精准分类指导，既要集中资源力量推进高风险区拔点攻坚，加强对疫情较重的街道（乡镇）、城中村、老旧小区的防控工作指导，打好“阵地战”、缩小“包围圈”，不断巩固扩大防控成效...
She calls for accelerating the clearing of areas with milder outbreaks, implementing the ninth edition of the prevention and control plan and 20 optimisation measures, promoting the unblocking of risky areas as soon as possible, and expanding the number of epidemic-free communities. 又要加快疫情较轻地区社会面动态清零进度，落实第九版防控方案和二十条优化措施，尽快推动风险区域解封，扩大无疫小区覆盖面，让更多群众有获得感. She adds: “it is necessary to respond to and solve the reasonable demands of the masses in a timely manner, strengthen humanistic care and psychological counselling, strictly guard against security risks in all aspects of epidemic prevention and control, and maintain the order of epidemic prevention and control.” 要及时回应和解决群众的合理诉求，加强人文关怀和心理疏导，严防疫情防控各环节的安全风险，维护疫情防控秩序.
Finally, there’s an article of foreigners praising Chinese-style modernisation.
Page 9: On the theory page, Qu Qingshan talks about Xi Jinping’s thought having opened up a new realm of sinicisation and modernisation of Marxism. I am not doing a detailed breakdown. But Qu praises Xi for his “in-depth thinking and scientific assessment on a series of major theoretical and practical issues related to the development of the cause of the party and the country in the new era…”
He adds that “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era came into being amid the great practice of the new era. It is a scientific theory based on the foundation of the times, answering the questions of the times, and leading the changes of the times, and it has achieved a new leap in the modernisation of Marxism in China. General Secretary Xi Jinping is the main founder of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and has played a decisive role and made decisive contributions to the creation of this thought.” 习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想是在新时代的伟大实践中应运而生的，是立足时代之基、回答时代之问、引领时代之变的科学理论，实现了马克思主义中国化时代化新的飞跃。习近平总书记是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的主要创立者，对这一思想的创立发挥了决定性作用、作出了决定性贡献.
He finally calls for everyone to “enhance political consciousness, ideological consciousness, and action consciousness, and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the entire process of the work of the Party and the country, so that this thought can resonate with stronger power of truth and great power of practice.” 全党要增强政治自觉、思想自觉、行动自觉，把习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想贯彻落实到党和国家工作各方面全过程，让这一思想彰显出更加强大的真理力量和实践伟力.
In the end of the article, he makes six points calling on everyone to make good use of the positions, viewpoints and methods that run through Xi’s thought. These are:
uphold the supremacy of the people:
“Adhering to the supremacy of the people is the fundamental standpoint of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the fundamental starting point for advancing the modernisation of Marxism in China. People-centred nature is the essential attribute of Marxism. The Party’s theories come from, are for the people, and benefit the people, and the people's creative practice is an inexhaustible source of theoretical innovation. All theories divorced from the people are weak, and all theories that do not benefit the people are lifeless. We must stand firm on the people's position, grasp the people's wishes, respect people's creation, concentrate people's wisdom, and form a theory that is loved, recognised and owned by the people, making it a powerful ideological weapon to guide people in understanding and transforming the world.” — 必须坚持人民至上。坚持人民至上，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的根本立场，是推进马克思主义中国化时代化的根本出发点。人民性是马克思主义的本质属性。党的理论是来自人民、为了人民、造福人民的理论，人民的创造性实践是理论创新的不竭源泉。一切脱离人民的理论都是苍白无力的，一切不为人民造福的理论都是没有生命力的。我们要站稳人民立场、把握人民愿望、尊重人民创造、集中人民智慧，形成为人民所喜爱、所认同、所拥有的理论，使之成为指导人民认识世界和改造世界的强大思想武器. — Again, this is something that is being deeply challenged by the protests.
insist on self-confidence and self-reliance; in this, he talks about the four self-confidences and making new contributions to the development of Marxism.
adhere to integrity and innovation
adhere to problem orientation
adhere to the systems concept
“China is a big, developing country that is still in the primary stage of socialism, and is undergoing extensive and profound social changes. In such a situation, promoting reform and development and adjusting interest relations often affects the whole body. We should be good at looking at the reality through the lens of history and understanding the nature and essence of phenomena beyond the immediate appearance; we should grasp the overall and local, current and long-term, macro and micro, major and minor contradictions, and special and general relationships, and constantly improve our strategic, historical, dialectical, systematic, innovative, rule-of-law, and bottom-line thinking abilities, so as to provide scientific thinking methods for forward-looking thinking, overall planning, and overall promotion of the various undertakings of the Party and the country.” 我国是一个发展中大国，仍处于社会主义初级阶段，正在经历广泛而深刻的社会变革，推进改革发展、调整利益关系往往牵一发而动全身。我们要善于通过历史看现实、透过现象看本质，把握好全局和局部、当前和长远、宏观和微观、主要矛盾和次要矛盾、特殊和一般的关系，不断提高战略思维、历史思维、辩证思维、系统思维、创新思维、法治思维、底线思维能力，为前瞻性思考、全局性谋划、整体性推进党和国家各项事业提供科学思想方法.
keep the world in mind and broaden our global vision
Other Stories:
One other story that I wanted to highlight this week was around the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum, which was organised by CIDCA in Kunming on November 21. The official statement from CIDCA said that 19 countries participated. The countries listed were: Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti, and Australia.
Obviously, this was noted in India because India is the big actor missing from what’s being called an Indian Ocean Region Forum. But then later, the governments of the Maldives and Australia issued statements stating that they were not part of this forum.
