Winter Olympics - Box Office Earnings - Putin's Interview - Wang-Lavrov Meeting - India's Boycott
Before I get to today’s edition, the politicisation of the torch relay in Beijing, which I covered yesterday, did come back to bite. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.
India’s state broadcaster then also decided to not air the ceremonies.
This was such an own goal by the Chinese side. For instance, this is from the SCO Dushanbe Declaration from September this year. Prime Minister Modi had attended this summit.
And Exhibit 2: This is from the joint statement issued after the November 2021 RIC Foreign Ministers meeting.
Anyway, here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy from the Thursday, February 04, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily.
Page 1: The lead story is about Xi’s video message to the 139th session of the International Olympic Committee. Xinhua English has the story.
“Noting that the world today, under the combined impact of changes unseen in a hundred years and a once-in-a-century pandemic, is entering a new period of turbulence and transformation and facing multiple challenges to humanity, Xi said the IOC has led the Olympic Movement in forging ahead with courage and fortitude, playing an important and unique role in galvanizing global solidarity and cooperation to tide over this difficult time. He thanked the IOC for its active contribution to the development of sport in China over the years and for its strong support and guidance for China's bid and preparation for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Xi stressed that from ‘One World, One Dream’ in 2008 to ‘Together for a Shared Future’ in 2022, China has taken an active part in the Olympic Movement and consistently championed the Olympic spirit. China is committed to pursuing the Olympic ideal with concrete actions.” — Yeah, not quite if you look at the content shared above.
There’s another story about Xi and the Olympics, which I am not going into. It’s titled: “The General Secretary tells the world about a China that embraces the Winter Olympics.”
This is followed by an editorial around the Olympics. The editorial calls the Games a “major event.” It pats China on the back for hosting the Games amid a complex environment, particularly in the backdrop of the pandemic. And then says:
“The successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games will, with the universal language of sports and the Olympic spirit, provide an inclusive stage for building a community with a shared future for mankind, gather the common aspiration and greatest consensus of people of all countries to build a better world…Looking ahead, as long as we unswervingly stand on the right side of history, stand on the side of human progress, and carry forward the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom of all mankind, we will be able to continuously contribute wisdom and strength to the progress of human civilisation and push the wheel of history forward towards a bright future!”
There’s also a new book Xi’s discourses on sports that’s been published.
Finally, a report telling us that box office receipts after the first three days of the new year are at 3.475 billion yuan. Three new releases, of which only The Battle at Lake Changjin II is mentioned, account for 2.025 billion yuan of that — or 58.26% of the market.
Page 3: We have the full interview (English text) of Vladimir Putin by Shen Haixiong, president and editor-in-chief of the China Media Group. Some excerpts:
President Xi Jinping and I have known each other for a long time, as good friends and politicians who hold largely the same views on addressing the world's problems; we maintain close and frequent contact. That is why, I immediately responded to his invitation to visit China and to join our Chinese friends in celebrating this year's main sporting event – the Winter Olympic Games.
Russia has been and remains committed to the traditional Olympic values. We oppose the attempts to politicize sport or use it as a tool of coercion, unfair competition and discrimination. We reject the practice of "collective punishment" for acts perpetrated by individual people, which has recently become a frequent occurrence. And of course, we strongly condemn the use of prohibited substances by athletes and advocate broad international cooperation in the fight against doping in sport.
The Russia-China Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation signed more than 20 years ago is a basic policy document that established the legal framework for a long-term consistent development of the Sino-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. That is why, on June 28 last year, President Xi Jinping and I decided to extend it for another five years. It is a very rich document in terms of ideas contained in it, many of its provisions being rediscovered in the context of today's rapidly changing international environment. Relations between Russia and China are developing on an equal, de-ideologised basis. Our partnership is sustainable, intrinsically valuable, not affected by the political climate and not aimed against anyone. It is underpinned by respect, regard for each other's core interests, adherence to international law and the UN Charter.
Also on the page is Putin’s interview with Xinhua, which I had covered yesterday.
And then there’s a report on the Sergei Lavrov-Wang Yi meeting in Beijing. The PD story is very limited and generic. The MoFA readout is much more detailed. Wang said that the “the primary task of his meeting with Lavrov is making final political preparations for the in-person meeting between the two heads of state.” Putin and Xi are to meet on Friday. Wang added that their meeting would “chart the course for China-Russia relations in the post-epidemic era.”
The Chinese readout adds that Wang spoke about achieving greater synergy between BRI and the EEU. He added that the ‘blocking points’ 堵点 inhibiting practical cooperation between the two countries due to the pandemic have all generally been cleared. Towards the end, the Chinese readout mentions points of agreement:
The two sides agreed to carry forward the Olympic spirit, reject the politicisation of sports and expressed support the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The two sides stand for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and oppose any attempt to create confrontation between camps or blocs.
The two sides agreed to carry out coordination and cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization to jointly promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The two sides agreed to deepen communication and cooperation within the framework of the SCO, BRICS, RIC and United Nations to jointly uphold norms governing international relations and regional and international security.
The Russian side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments in the relations between Russia and the United States and NATO, and stressed the principle of indivisible security; the Chinese side expressed its understanding and support.
The two sides also had in-depth discussions and coordinated positions on BRICS cooperation, as well as international and regional issues of common interest, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Following the talks, the two sides signed a cooperation document between the two foreign ministries.
Indeed, another example of poor judgment and a lack of soft power skills. At such a high level, every decision should be accompanied by a pro-con analysis matrix. Appointing Qi Fabao is all downside and minimal (at best) upside. I'm sure they could find a better torchbearer within a population of 1.4bn. Truly regrettable. 🤦♂️