Jingjing Newsletter (Week 66)
Welcome to this week’s Jingjing Newsletter. Let’s continue to explore under-reported sides of world news.
President Xi Jinping met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday in Beijing. At the meeting, President Xi said that Russia and China have embarked on a path of co-existence and win-win cooperation, which has proven to be beneficial to both countries. Earlier in the day, Lavrov had met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At a joint press conference, Wang expressed similar sentiments to President Xi on China’s desire to continue to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with Russia. He also mentioned that Russia will hold the BRICS presidency this year, China will take over the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the two sides will support each other's chairmanship and light up the "moment of South" global governance. Lavrov’s visit comes in the teeth of Western opposition as many in the West, principally in the US, call on China to break off relations with Russia and take a hostile stance against their large northern neighbor. China has rejected this call, instead sticking to the long-held foreign policy principle of non-interference and win-win cooperation. However, China has expressed a desire for an end to the conflict in Ukraine, with Wang Yi saying at the joint press conference with Lavrov that on this issue, China hopes to see a "cease-fire and an end to the war as soon as possible."
In South Korea, the liberal-left opposition bloc won around three-fifths of the seats in the country’s parliament, the National Assembly. The main opposition, the liberal Democratic Party, along with their satellite parties, won a total of 175 seats in the 300-seat Assembly while other minor liberal and left-wing opposition parties also picked up seats. The election is widely seen as a rebuke to the conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, whose party, the People Power Party, dropped to just 90 seats. President Yoon has promised to reform and change the administration in the wake of the electoral defeat. Yoon has been dropping in popularity for months as he struggles to implement his policy agenda, and his administration has become mired in corruption scandals.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has reported that last month was the warmest March on record, with an average worldly temperature of 14.14C. March was the 10th consecutive month to break its previous heat record and marks the hottest 12-month period ever recorded. Speaking in London on Wednesday, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, has said that humanity has only two years to save the planet from climate catastrophe and called on the G20 leading economies (who are together responsible for 80% of emissions) to prioritize the climate emergency. However, for most of the developed world, climate change remains far from the top of the agenda, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen threatening China’s electric vehicle and green technology sector with high tariffs to try to discourage consumers from buying cheap, clean energy products from China.
The Supreme Court of the US state of Arizona has ruled that the state should follow a restrictive abortion law dating back to the 1860s. The old law makes abortion illegal in almost all cases and has no exemptions for instances of rape or incest. Performing an abortion is punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Abortion is a controversial issue in the United States, with 14 states having severe restrictions on abortion and another 15 protecting the right to an abortion in some way. The Arizona ban has already become an issue in this year’s presidential election, with Joe Biden, the current president, calling for nationwide federal abortion protections in the wake of the news, while his challenger, former president Donald Trump, has stated he believes abortion laws should be decided at the state rather than the federal level. With Biden trailing in the polls and unpopular with elements of his own party over his policy towards Israel and on immigration, he will be hoping his promise to protect abortion might motivate enough voters to support him to keep him competitive in the November election. However, Biden’s firm stance against the Arizona abortion ban doesn’t seem to be helping him in Arizona, where recent polls put him 3 to 5% behind Donald Trump in a state Biden won in 2020.
In a meeting this week with President Wesley Simina of the Federated States of Micronesia, President Xi said China was willing to push the relationship between the two countries to a new level. Xi said that China supports Micronesia in safeguarding its national sovereignty and independence, following a path of development in line with its national conditions, revitalizing its economy, and improving people's livelihood. In the same meeting President Simina thanked China for its long-standing and valuable assistance to the economic and social development of Micronesia and other Pacific island countries. On an immediate and practical level, this increased cooperation will probably result in more Micronesian students studying at Chinese universities and increased Chinese assistance in developing infrastructure and combating the effects of climate change in Micronesia. Increased Chinese involvement in the Pacific also gives the small island nations in the region a partner independent of the US, the country that has dominated the Pacific since the end of World War 2. China and Micronesia also released a joint statement to accompany the visit, which you can read in full HERE.
Jingjing’s Highlights in This Week
1. Chinese mainland and Taiwan Island, we are from one family.
A group of Taiwan youth led by former Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party Ma Ying-jeou met with President Xi, and had a tour across the mainland to trace their roots and learn more about Chinese culture.
2. Japan’s war crimes in WWII
Oppenheimer raised the awareness of war crimes in WWII. Since we are on this topic, let's review Japan's war crimes too, such as the Asian Holocaust - the Nanking Massacre, Unit 731's germ warfare & human experimentation, and how Japan abducted women across Asia to be s*x slaves.
3. Survey: Southeast Asian countries would choose China over the U.S
“The US as a choice dropped from 61.1% in the previous year to 49.5%. This region wants to have good ties with both China & the U.S., but if the region were forced to align itself in the ongoing US-China rivalry, China is the prevailing choice (50.5%).”
What You May Have Missed This Week in the World.
1. Xi Jinping meets with Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing
“People on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese, Xi said. ‘There are no knots that cannot be untied, no issues that cannot be discussed, and no force that can separate us,’ he said.”
2. Xi meets Lavrov, reaffirms China's emphasis on partnership with Russia
“Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Xi said China and Russia have embarked on a new path of harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation between major countries and neighbors, which has benefited the two countries and their peoples and contributed wisdom and strength to international fairness and justice.”
3. China urges the Philippines to return to right track of dialogue on Ren'ai Jiao issue
“The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Thursday urged the Philippine side to value and honor its commitments, abide by the consensus and return as soon as possible to the right track of properly managing the situation of Ren'ai Jiao through dialogue and consultation.”
4. Politico - Kari Lake is scrambling to call Arizona lawmakers after abortion ban ruling
“Senate hopeful Kari Lake is personally lobbying Arizona state lawmakers to repeal a Civil War-era law effectively outlawing abortion — the clearest sign yet that she fears the GOP’s hardline stance on the issue will hurt her campaign in the fall.”
5. TRT World - The many times Biden warned Israel but did nothing to protect Palestinians
“Despite strong words in the last few weeks Washington remains the biggest weapons supplier to Israel, which has killed more than 33,000 men, women and children in Gaza.”
6. Hakim - Why Does Iran Hate The USA?
A brief look into the history of American-Iranian relations - and why Iran distrusts US intentions.
7. Al Jazeera - Why India’s election is such a big deal
A concise explainer on India’s upcoming elections
Page Editor: Jin Yulin
Call for Contributors!
I’ve added a “ feature article” section to my Substack homepage. It’s an open platform I specifically designed to let everyone share their own perspectives with the world. Feature articles can be related to any topic as long as you’re highly passionate about it! Article length is recommended to be within 700 - 900 words.
If you have an idea for a feature article, contact jjnewsletter@hotmail.com with a brief description of the article's focus.
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