Jingjing Newsletter (Week 67)
Welcome to this week’s Jingjing Newsletter. Let’s continue to explore under-reported sides of world news.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz landed in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing last Sunday as part of his three-day visit to China - the second such visit of his Chancellorship. He then visited Shanghai, where he toured German-linked businesses before ending his trip in Beijing, where he held an extensive meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. China is a vital market for Germany with trade between the two nations totaling $272 billion last year, and many German manufacturers operating factories in China. However, German trade with the US is growing, coming in at around $270 billion for 2023. This means any rising tension in the China-US relationship would put Germany in a precarious economic position, especially now that the US is urging its allies to de-couple from the Chinese economy. In his Tuesday meeting with President Xi, Scholz said that Germany is willing to further strengthen bilateral relations with China and deepen bilateral dialogue and cooperation in various fields. For his part, President Xi said that mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany creates no "risks" but serves as a guarantee for their stable relations and presents opportunities for future development. Scholz’s successful visit to China is just one of a series of visits made by EU leaders in recent years, and Scholz’s friendly attitude stands in stark contrast with the often hawkish remarks of officials from the US and UK. On the issue of China, at least, it seems as if the EU is willing to make space between itself and the Americans.
Iran launched a massive aerial bombardment of Israel this week. The attack was in retaliation for Israel’s April 1st bombing of the Iranian consulate, which killed 13 people, including two Iranian generals. The attack, called Operation True Promise by the Iranians, involved more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones, and more than 30 cruise missiles and appeared to have been principally directed at the Golan Heights and in the south of the country. The Golan Heights are internationally recognized as Syrian territory but have been occupied by Israel since 1967, while the south of the country is home to many of Israel’s military facilities. Israel confirmed that the Iranian strikes damaged Nevatim Airbase in the southern Negev desert but insisted the damage was superficial. Iran warned Israel, the US, and her allies from attempting a response to the attack, and later in the day, the Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN would write on X that “Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!” The US appears to have ignored this advice. Despite damage from the attack being superficial and resulting in no deaths, the US introduced sweeping new sanctions on Iran on Thursday in response to the retaliatory strike.
Meanwhile, at the UN, the United States continues to wield its veto on the UN Security Council in defense of Israeli interests. On Thursday, a draft resolution was brought forward to have Palestine formally accepted as a full member of the United Nations (currently, they are a Permanent Observer). At the UN Security Council the UK (who also have a veto) and Switzerland abstained while the other 12 members voted to accept the resolution. However, despite US President Joe Biden claiming to support the establishment of an independent Palestinian under the two-state solution, the American representative once again blocked movement on the issue. Representatives of Palestine condemned the US action, calling it a “blatant violation of international law.”
The first phase in the election of India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, started on April 19th. With 969 million registered voters, the country’s election takes place over 44 days and in 7 stages. 102 of the 543 seats in the parliament are up for grabs in this earliest stage. India has a galaxy of different small and regional parties competing for votes, but the two principle coalitions vying for a majority are the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a broad coalition of 26 different parties united in an anti-Modi alliance. Modi is expected to win re-election fairly easily. Not only does Modi remain one of the most popular leaders in the world with a broad base of support among India’s Hindu majority, his principle opponents, the INDIA group, have no clear ideological vision. The INDIA group has also been racked with leadership problems. Although nominally led by the main opposition, the India National Congress, the various parties have clashed over direction in recent months and have been finding it difficult to build up the kind of momentum needed to take down the BJP. The votes in the election will be counted, and the results will be announced on June 4.
Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the President of Suriname, became the first Latin American and Caribbean head of state to visit China this year during his visit last week. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last Friday. During the meeting, President Santokhi spoke at length about how the cooperation between China and Suriname has served as a model for South-South cooperation with Chinese investment, facilitating Suriname's economic development and improving people's livelihoods. Suriname is a participating nation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and during the meeting, President Xi noted that China stands ready to deepen cooperation with Suriname on joint Belt and Road construction as well as welcoming more Surinamese products into the Chinese market. After the meeting, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation agreements in various areas, including economy and trade, green development, digital economy, and education.
Lastly, Liz Truss, the short-lived former British Prime Minister, has a new book out. The memoirs of former Prime Ministers are usually a bit of a cash grab for retiring politicians - Boris Johnson received £500,000 advance for his account of life in Downing Street while Tony Blair received an astonishing £4.6 million advance for his memoir. However, apparently, Truss’ 49 days in office didn’t impress publishers as her advance is reported to be a tiny £1,512.88 – just 0.29 percent of that of her immediate predecessor. Truss will probably receive another payday if the book sells well, but it seems making money, or even setting the record straight, isn’t the primary motivation for the book. The former Prime Minister is set to launch the book in the US next week at an event hosted by the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation. The organization previously paid Truss $15,000 for a speaking engagement, and her expenses for the promotional tour appear to be covered by the Green Dragon Coalition, an American lobbying group. The former Prime Minister is spending more and more time in US right-wing political circles and has appeared on a podcast with Steve Bannon, the former Trump advisor, and spoke at CPAC in Maryland. The book launch, then, appears to be yet another way for the former Prime Minister, still deeply unpopular in her home country, to relaunch her career in the much more lucrative US market.
Jingjing’s Highlights in This Week
1. Football connects us all!
123 students from 43 countries appeared at Cun Chao (Village Football League) in China's Guizhou Province, probably the most football-crazed place in China!
2. Clubbing in China’s villages is lit!
The biggest party I've ever been to…
What You May Have Missed This Week in the World.
1. Scholz's China trip a chance to shift 'moralization' of foreign policy
“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in China this week for his second official visit. Interestingly, some Western media outlets are outdoing themselves with negative remarks about Scholz's visit.”
2. China says 'disappointed' by U.S. veto of Palestine's pursuit of full UN membership
“‘Today is a sad day,’ said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, after the UN vote on Palestine's pursuit of full UN membership. Twelve members out of the 15-member Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, while the UK and Switzerland abstained and the U.S. voted against it.”
3. ‘True Promise’: Why and how did Iran launch a historic attack on Israel?
“Iran’s use of hundreds of drones and missiles to directly target Israel overnight on Sunday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus set some major political and military precedents.”
4. China has more than 4,500 AI enterprises: MIIT
“The number of artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises in China has exceeded 4,500, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Thursday.”
5. CGTN - How U.S. Americanized Japan
“Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on a state visit to the United States, where he held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in the military and other fields. Looking back, Japan and the U.S. used to be in opposing camps during World War II. Decades later, the two countries now emerge on the world stage as close allies.”
6. Megaprojects - A Chinese Maglev Revolution is Coming...
Some of the fastest trains in history are being built in China right now. Learn more about this amazing industrial feat.
7. Uncivilized - Palestinian Travels to Arctic to Uncover Europe's Darkest Secret
“The Sámi people have lived deep in the Arctic circle for thousands of years, but their way of life has been under threat from colonization, mining, and now, climate change. How are they fighting to keep their culture alive? A Palestinian travels far norther to get answers.”
Page Editor: Jin Yulin
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