Welcome to this week’s Jingjing Newsletter. Let’s continue to explore under-reported sides of world news.
In the Russian elections held this week, President Vladimir Putin recorded a landslide victory, gaining 87% of the vote. In the five presidential elections Putin has contested, this is the largest vote share the Russian president has recorded. Coming in second in the presidential poll was Nikolay Kharitonov, the Communist Party candidate. Russia’s partners in the Global South were quick to congratulate Putin, with Chinese President Xi Jinping releasing a statement saying that the reelection of Putin as Russian president fully reflects the Russian people's support for him. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his congratulations, writing on social media “Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come.” However, US allies in the West were quick to denounce the reelection as illegitimate with British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron stating that “This is not what free and fair elections look like.” Cameron’s comments are ironic given that, as a member of Britain's unelected second chamber, he is hardly democratically accountable while his Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, stood unopposed in an internal Conservative Party contest in his own election to the Premiership - not really what a free and fair election looks like.
Israel’s war in Gaza continues to rage on as the official death toll reaches 32,000, with a further 74,000 seriously wounded. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) released a statement on Wednesday highlighting the rapidly deteriorating food security conditions, including an approximately 80 percent increase in the number of people facing the highest level of food insecurity since the onset of the conflict. International observers fear a famine could be imminent if the situation does not change soon. Airdrops of humanitarian aid continue to parachute into the Gaza Strip, but these have proved controversial after one of the drops killed 5 and injured 10 when the parachute failed to open. However, with Israel severely limiting supplies by land and sea, the international community has limited options if it wishes to avert famine. This week the Canadian government also bowed to pressure from Palestinian activists and halted its exports of weapons to Israel. Palestine’s new Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, welcomed the Canadian government's decision to halt arms exports to Israel, but with continued American support, Israel’s ability to prosecute their war in Gaza remains undimmed.
A report by the news agency Reuters has revealed that during his presidency Donald Trump authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to launch a propaganda campaign on Chinese social media aiming to spread misinformation among Chinese netizens and turn social media users against the Chinese government. The CIA team was not just active in China, however, and by the end of the Trump presidency, had spread their operations into countries with friendly relations with China in an effort to spread fear and disinformation about Chinese development projects. The Biden administration refuses to comment on if the Trump-era foreign interference campaign has been shut down or if it is still ongoing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to the Reuters report at a news conference saying, "Fabricating and spreading lies will only accelerate the bankruptcy of one's own reputation; spreading disinformation cannot stop China's progress, but will only bring more shame on the US." The Chinese government has long suspected the US government of using the internet to spread disinformation about China and has championed the concept of internet sovereignty, the idea that independent countries should be able to construct their own internet regulations free from American oversight.
China and Australia agreed to resume all-round dialogue and further strengthen cooperation after the seventh round of China-Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue in the Australian capital, Canberra, on Wednesday. Under the previous administration of the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison relations between the two countries had become strained as Morrison sought to tie Australia more closely to the US security bloc. However, the election of Anthony Albanese, the Labor Party leader, has seen relations steadily improve. The Australian and Chinese economies are closely linked, with nearly 80 percent of Australia's foreign trade surplus coming from trade with China. However, the talks extended far beyond economic cooperation: in the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also noted that the two countries should continue to promote educational, cultural, tourism, sub-national, and youth exchanges and actively take measures to facilitate people-to-people exchanges and consolidate public support for the China-Australia relationship. In a separate meeting with Australian business leaders and policy experts in Canberra on Wednesday, Wang said China pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up and strives to create new opportunities for the world with its own development. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, welcomed the improvement in bilateral relations and looked forward to deepening dialogue in the future.
The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, has resigned this week as both leader of Ireland and of his ruling Fine Gael party, citing personal and political reasons. Varadkar had served as Taoiseach since 2022, having previously served in the role between 2017 and 2020. His government had experienced a series of embarrassing defeats earlier this month as Irish voters rejected in overwhelming margins in two referendum Fine Gael’s attempts to change how the Irish constitution referred to women and the family. The loss in the referendum constituted the largest defeat of an Irish government in a referendum in history. This was not the only political blow to Varadkar, however, as his Fine Gael party lost the last 5 by-elections to the Irish parliament, and almost half of the parties’ MPs have declared they will not stand at the next election, to be held next year. The departure of Varadkar may leave a political opening for the all-Ireland nationalist party, Sinn Fein, who, at the last election, secured the most votes but were prevented from forming a government by a grand coalition of Ireland’s two establishment parties, Fianna Fail and Varadkar’s own Fine Gael. However, Sinn Fein is currently high in the polls. Sinn Fein also made history recently by securing for the first time the leadership of the provincial assembly in Northern Ireland, the 6 counties in the province of Ulster still controlled by the British. If Sinn Fein secured the Taoiseach in the Irish election next year and retained leadership of Northern Ireland, this could prove a headache for the United Kingdom, given Sinn Fein’s long-standing ambition to reunite Northern Ireland with the Republic in the south.
The West African country of Niger has suspended a military agreement with the United States “with immediate effect”, according to a Niger government spokesperson. The agreement allowed the American military to operate out of Niger, primarily from a large airbase near the city of Agadez, about 920km from the capital of Niamey. The airbase had acted as a key node in US operations in the Sahel region, as much of the US unmanned drone fleet operated out of Agadez. The removal of the base will, therefore, make American great power projection in northwest Africa more difficult. The military government of Niger had previously ejected the French military from the country, and the current suspension of US military cooperation comes after the Niger government accused the US of threatening Niamey for developing a close relationship with Russia and Iran. The ejection of US troops, then, appears to be retaliation for heavy-handed diplomatic efforts by the American government.
Jingjing’s Highlights in This Week
1. A discussion on democracy: Why some put people into poverty while others eradicate poverty
Discussing the differences between democracies in different countries with scholars from around the world.
2. Scholar on U.S. governance: 'The opposite of democracy'
"If you are not putting people first, if you are not committed to common prosperity, if you are not helping others develop, but rather exploiting others, your system is based on exploitation, oppression ... then can we call you democratic?"
3. NATO says China's military spending is worrying.
NATO countries, which have relatively small populations, have a waaaaay bigger per capita military spending than the country with the largest population.
What You May Have Missed This Week in the World.
1. Gunmen kill more than 60 in concert attack near Moscow, Islamic State claims responsibility
“Camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers near Moscow on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 145 in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants.”
2. China, Australia agree to resume all-round dialogue, strengthen cooperation
“‘The most fundamental principle for developing China-Australia relations is mutual respect. China never interferes in Australia's internal affairs and respects its political system and national path. Similarly, we hope the Australian side can continue to honor the commitments it has made since the establishment of diplomatic ties and respect China's sovereignty, dignity and legitimate concerns, and properly handle them,’ Wang said.”
3. UN adopts first global artificial intelligence resolution to ensure AI is safe
“The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the first global resolution on artificial intelligence on Thursday, encouraging countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI for risks.”
4. TRT World - Meet Israel's ZAKA, the group that fabricated the 'beheaded babies' story
“Here's how ZAKA, a volunteer organisation founded on Zionist ideologies, helped Israel galvanise public support in the weeks after October 7.”
5. Rare Earth - The American Military Built a Ghetto In the Pacific (And It's Never Been Bigger)
How the American Military turned the small island of Ebeye in the Pacific into a ghetto - and why they are getting away with it.
6. Pekingnology - Taipei hid collision between Coast Guard vessel and capsized mainland fishing boat that killed two
“Taipei's omission of the key detail at the time, changed timeline, and absence of video recording cloud the deadly incident in ‘the most dangerous place on Earth.’”
7. Second Thoughts - How The Media Controls The Masses
Page Editor: Jin Yulin
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'“This is not what free and fair elections look like.” Cameron’s comments are ironic given that, as a member of Britain's unelected second chamber, he is hardly democratically accountable while his Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, stood unopposed in an internal Conservative Party contest in his own election to the Premiership - not really what a free and fair election looks like.'
That's what I call hitting the nail on the head. Thank you Jingjing.
I often recommend you video "Does China have democracy" to friends and many who watch it agree with me, that China looks more democratic than Australia.