Welcome to this week’s Jingjing Newsletter. Let’s continue to explore under-reported sides of world news.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Paris, France on Sunday afternoon, to pay a state visit to the country at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Upon his arrival, Xi said in a written speech that China is ready to consolidate traditional friendship, enhance mutual political trust, build strategic consensus, deepen exchanges and cooperation with France.
At the invitation of China the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas (who govern the Gaza Strip) and Fatah (who govern the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank), met in Beijing this week to begin a dialogue building towards reconciliation between the two groups. The two factions have long been at odds over issues of strategy and ideology, with the Islamist Hamas long advocating for a policy of armed resistance against Israeli occupation while the secular Fatah urging a process of negotiation. The relationship between the two groups reached a low point in 2007 during the Battle of Gaza, an armed conflict which saw Fatah pushed out of the Gaza Strip and Hamas cement its position as the governing authority there. In the subsequent years there have been halting efforts towards reconciliation, of which the meetings in Beijing seem to be the latest stage. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said of the meeting "They agreed to continue this dialogue process and strive for the early realization of Palestinian unity," Lin said, noting that the two sides highly appreciate China's firm support of the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, thanked China for its efforts to promote Palestine's internal unity and reached an agreement on the next step of dialogue.
The student protests in support of Palestine that flared up on US university campuses last week appear to be ending in a brutal police crackdown. Over 300 protesters have been arrested as the New York Police Department as they broke up Gaza solidarity encampments at City College of New York and Columbia, which had become the spiritual heart of the protest movement. Hours later and on the other side of the country pro-Israeli protesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Eyewitness testimony and videos from UCLA showed people wielding sticks or poles to hammer on wooden boards being used as makeshift barricades to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters and fireworks being set off in the direction of the encampment. In a statement UCLA Chancellor Gene Block called the violence “appalling”. The Mayor of Los Angles, Karen Bass, and the California Governor Gavin Newsom issued separate statements condemning the overnight violence. However, the condemnation of the violence does not appear to have saved the protesters as the Los Angeles Police Department have used the attack as a pretext to try to clear the pro-Palestinian protesters from the campus of UCLA. Encampments at Brown and Northwestern University have also been dismantled after both universities made separate deals with the protesters. At Northwestern the university agreed to disclose information about its investments as well as fund Palestinian scholarships to the school. At Brown administrators agreed to hold a vote on investment in Israel at some point in October. While these agreements are hardly sweeping victories for the student protest movement, in the face of harsh police crackdowns, student expulsions, and violent vigilante action it is perhaps more surprising that the students at Brown and Northwestern got even these concessions.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd46c6df4-b35f-4d96-9449-fd2d28070fdb_2048x1152.png)
Elon Musk was in Beijing this week, making progress in preparing Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance package for the Chinese market. Reports suggest Tesla has also reached an agreement with Baidu to use the Chinese giant's mapping license for data collection on China's public roads. Musk also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and during the meeting Li said Tesla's development in China can be called a successful example of China-U.S. economic cooperation, and facts have proven that equal cooperation and mutual benefit are in the best interests of the two countries. The visit and the meeting with Premier Qiang appear to have been a huge success for Musk as the leap in Tesla's stock in the wake of his China trip added $90 billion to the company's market value.
On Thursday Iran announced sanctions on several American and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war in Gaza. It said the sanctions targeted seven Americans, including General Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the U.S. special operations command, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a former commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. British officials and entities targeted include Secretary of State for Defense Grant Shapps, commander of the British Army strategic command James Hockenhull and the UK Royal Navy in the Red Sea. Penalties were also announced against U.S. firms Lockheed Martin and Chevron and their British counterparts Elbit Systems, Parker Meggitt and Rafael UK. Given the pre-existing steep penalties that any British or American individual or company would incur if caught doing business in Iran due to Western sanctions these moves by Iran are almost entirely symbolic since it is unlikely the targeted entities had much financial dealings with the Islamic Republic prior to Thursday. However, it comes at a time when Israel’s allies are increasingly coming under fire for their support for the ongoing hostilities in Gaza: for example, Germany has been called before the International Criminal Court, the UN’s highest court, over its unwavering support for Israel, while in the UK thousands of trade union members picketed arms manufacturers supplying weapons to the IDF in part due to fear that the workers at these factories may become legally complicit in any future prosecution of war crimes in Gaza.
Jingjing’s Highlights in This Week
1. Upon arrival in Paris, President Xi published an article on French newspaper Le Figaro. Full of goodwill and addressing some of the major concerns. What did he say?
Full Text: Carrying Forward the Spirit that Guided the Establishment of China-France Diplomatic Relations, Working Together for Global Peace and Development
2. X Spaces live discussion: Discussing China-France and China-Europe relations
A live Space discussion with Arnaud Bertrand on China-France relations
What You May Have Missed This Week in the World.
1. A bridge of communication: China, France open new vistas for ties
“‘I hope this visit will help cement our long-standing friendship, enhance political trust, build strategic consensus and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields,’ Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival, adding that it is a great pleasure to begin his third state visit to the country at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.”
2. Israeli authorities raid Al Jazeera after shutdown order
“Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office after the government decided to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station's local operations on Sunday, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera.”
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4a974af9-f051-43eb-96e9-6620d0a46ed2_1480x984.png)
3. Last-minute candidate José Raúl Mulino wins Panama’s presidential election
“José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in for former President Ricardo Martinelli in Panama’s presidential election, was set to become the new leader of the Central American nation as authorities unofficially called the race Sunday night after his three nearest rivals conceded.”
4. Hakim - The Polish Gamble: How the CIA Brought Down a European Government
A history lesson on how the US undermined the Cold War government of Poland – and what we in the present can learn from the experience.
5. Boy Boy - Our friend is going to jail.
How the Australian government covered up war crimes in Afghanistan – by going after the whistleblower who let the world know about the war crimes in the first place.
6. TrueAnon – Quad Squad
The podcast hosts check out a couple of university encampments and comparing what we saw to what columnists and politicians are saying. Then talk Israel, deflections, and students and donors as customers. A highly informative episode that puts the current protests in their political and historic context.
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.
Jingjing’s Social Media Links
X: @Jingjing_Li YouTube: @Jingjing_Li Facebook: Talk it Out with Li Jingjing
TikTok: @iamlijingjing Reddit: r/NewsWithJingjing Instagram: @jj_ontheroad
even though we westerners have no cheng yu we at least have parables, proverbs, key phrases. Here is an example:
Jingjing's reporting is always willing to "grasp the nettle": she goes into the tough thorny unseen facts to help us all "smell the roses".
We can, but not usually, use quote marks to show the phrases.
Grasp the nettle means: to be willing to engage with (grasp) tough truths even though there are painful facts (thorns) hoping thereby for beauty (nettles also have flowers)
Smell the roses: though roses have thorns we ought enjoy their fragrance = to accept fine things & overlook minor problems (that can be overcome)
Nettle - Scottish Flower
Rose - English Flower
I am NOT the foreign & commonwealth office: but Chinese policies that seek peace & wealth built a better planet, Now, in China.
NEXT!
加油!