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Shenzhen Issues Plan to Promote Development of HarmonyOS Operating System

HarmonyOS is a distributed operating system (OS) developed by Huawei for smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, smart watches, personal computers and other smart devices.

On March 3rd, the government of Shenzhen issued the “Shenzhen Support for Open Source HarmonyOS Native Application Development 2024 Action Plan” to promote the Chinese version of this OS.

The plan puts forward specific development goals and directives for the development of the HarmonyOS software ecosystem by the end of 2024:

  • The number of HarmonyOS native applications developed in Shenzhen should account for over 10 percent of the national total;
  • major industries in Shenzhen are to be fully served by native applications targeting HarmonyOS;
  • HarmonyOS development courses will be offered in major universities and training institutions in Shenzhen;
  • the number of certified HarmonyOS developers will account for over 15 percent of the national total;
  • establish at least two industrial parks that rely primarily on HarmonyOS-based applications and software;
  • there will exceed 1000 software companies with staff who are qualified in HarmonyOS application development;
  • promote the stable operation of the HarmonyOS Ecosystem Innovation Center, providing public services such as showcasing and promoting HarmonyOS native applications, and talent cultivation; and
  • officially launch and expand the global Smart Internet of Things (IoT) Alliance to continuously increase the international influence of HarmonyOS applications.

The plan also encourages capable enterprises to expand outsourcing services for development of HarmonyOS-native applications, aiming to reach a scale of 500,000 HarmonyOS developers.

By the end of 2023, a total of 49 enterprises in Shenzhen had participated in the construction of the open-source HarmonyOS ecosystem, contributing 133 products and 11 software distributions. The open-source HarmonyOS community has more than 250 ecosystem partners, 35 project donors, 173 partners passing the HarmonyOS compatibility evaluation, and over 230 commercial devices in fields such as finance, education, smart home, transportation, digital government, industry, and medical care.

Source: Xinhua, March 3, 2024
http://www.news.cn/local/20240303/dca3e6d4bd734380b4dc9602d5df9b76/c.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

Secretariat of China-Central Asia Mechanism Launched

The launching ceremony of the Secretariat of the China-Central Asia Mechanism (CCM) was held in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province on March 30. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — sent congratulatory letters.

Wang Yi stated that the CCM was established four years ago, helping cooperation between China and the countries of Central Asia to develop at a rapid pace. China’s Xinhua news agency stated that “The launch of the secretariat marks the implementation of the heads of states’ consensus and once again demonstrates to the international community the firm determination of the six countries to work together to pursue development and promote cooperation side by side.”

Source: Xinhua, March 30, 2024
http://www.news.cn/politics/leaders/20240330/4b872c0eb352441989dd9063866fafd3/c.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese Social Media Celebrates Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The Francis Scott Key bridge, located in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed on March 26th after being rammed by a cargo ship, the Dali, which lost control of its steering. Much of the bridge sank into the river within seconds of being rammed.

The accident immediately drew attention on Chinese social media. On Weibo, for example, a video of the accident has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. On Chinese social media platforms, where anti-American sentiment is prevalent, many netizens celebrated the incident. A Weibo blogger named “Air Sky Toner” wrote: “This is a really beautiful sight, like watching a movie; this bridge is free from now on.”

The bridge was named after Francis Scott Key, the author of the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some Chinese netizens inferred that the bridge collapse signaled the decline of the United States. “It is not a good sign that this bridge collapsed,” one blogger wrote.

Some social media users also used the bridge collapse to mock American democracy. On the Chinese video website Bilibili, a commentary video with 24,000 likes said that the “a ship of democracy” caused the collapse of “a bridge of democracy.” The video went on to criticize the U.S.’ infrastructure problem.

False information about the accident spread widely on Chinese social media. A number of bloggers with large numbers of followers have claimed that the captain of the Dali was from Ukraine and that the accident was staged by the U.S. government. Some bloggers posted photos of the alleged Ukrainian captain’s credentials. The Associated Press found that a Ukrainian captain did indeed pilot the Dali years ago, from March 19 to July 27, 2016.

Some Chinese bloggers also claimed that CNN incorrectly reported that the collision was an attack from China. They posted screenshots with captions reading “A cargo ship loaded with Chinese goods attacked our bridge!” However, unlike Chinese media that often use the term “our country” to refer to China, American media, including CNN, rarely use that term to refer to the United States. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the screenshot was not from CNN, but from NBC’s local channel in Baltimore. In a statement to AFP, CNN said that it had never run a story like that; the image was fake, and the caption, font, and style are not CNN’s either.

Source: VOA, March 31, 2024
https://www.voachinese.com/a/baltimore-china-disinformation-20240329/7549288.html

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Chinese State Council Issues Action Plan on Equipment Renewal and Consumer Good Trade-Ins

Recently, the State Council of China issued an “Action Plan for Promotion of Large-Scale Equipment Renewal and Trade-In of Consumer Goods” (the “Action Plan”). The Action Plan aims to implement the decisions of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Economic Work Conference and the Fourth meeting of the Central Finance and Economic Committee.

The Action Plan proposes that, by 2027, equipment investment should increase by more than 25% over 2023 levels in the fields of industry, agriculture, construction, transportation, education, cultural tourism, and medical care. The adoption rate of digital R&D tools and the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) rate of key processes at large-scale industrial enterprises should exceed 90 percent and 75 percent, respectively. Compared with 2023 levels, the rate at which scrapped cars are recycled will double, sales of second-hand cars will increase by 45 percent, and the rate at which scrapped household appliances are recycled will increase by 30 percent.

The “Action Plan” specifies 20 key tasks in five categories. The five categories are:

  1. Enable equipment renewal: Promote equipment renewal and transformation in key industries, accelerate equipment renewal in construction and infrastructure projects, support the renewal of transportation equipment and old agricultural machinery, and improve equipment used in the fields of education, cultural tourism, and medicine.
  2. Implement trade-ins for consumer goods: Enable trade-ins of old cars and household appliances, promoting the use of new consumer goods for home renovation.
  3. Recycle and reuse: Improve the network for recycling of used or scrapped products and equipment.
  4. Improve standards: Accelerate improvement standards for energy consumption, emissions, and other technical standards, including technical standards for products.
  5. Strengthen policy support: Increase fiscal policy support, improve tax support policies, optimize financial support, and strengthen support of innovation.

Source: People’s Daily, March 14, 2024
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2024/0314/c1001-40195328.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

“Patriotic” Leader of American Fujian Association Publicly Berates Chinese Consul-General

Radio Free Asia recently published an article on the American Fujian Association’s apparent internal division and conflict with the Chinese Consulate. The American Fujian Association is a U.S.-based organization that has long been regarded as a pro-Communist overseas Chinese organization with extensive ties to the Chinese consulate.

On the evening of March 18th, the American Fujian Association in New York held a swearing-in ceremony for its “Co-President” Liu Aihua at the Junhao Restaurant in Flushing, New York. The honorary chairman of the Fujian Association, Chen Xueduan, a “patriotic overseas leader” for the Chinese community in the U.S., openly berated the Chinese Consul-General in New York, Huang Ping. In an online video, Chen stood on stage with Liu and three other members, holding a microphone and loudly addressing the audience, “President Liu Aihua is now suppressed by someone, by whom? By the Chinese consulate!” “No matter who suppresses him, we are patriots [of China], we will always be patriots. Huang Ping, the Consul-General, is a puppet Consul-General. When he was in power, he was high and mighty; but when he gets put into prison, he can only cry!” Chen also asked the media present to spread his speech.

Chen’s words received enthusiastic response from the audience, both on and off the stage.

The American Fujian Association has a history of 82 years. Recent years have seen internal disputes within the organization, leading to internal division and multiple groups acting independently. It currently has “Co-Presidents.” The Chinese Consulate at New York supports “President” Chen Heng, and on March 16th Consul-General Huang Ping attended an 82nd anniversary celebration hosted by Chen. But Huang didn’t attend “President” Liiu Aihua’s swearing-in ceremony on March 18th.

When it comes to suppressing overseas democratic activists or attacking Falun Gong and other faith groups and ethnic minority groups, the Fujian Association members frequently act as convenient “enforcers” for the Chinese consulate. In recent years, the U.S. has intensified efforts to combat Beijing’s infiltration in the U.S. On April 18, 2023, the FBI arrested two leaders of the Fujian Overseas Chinese Association in New York, Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping, accusing them of operating a “secret police station (for China)” in Manhattan’s Chinatown and attempting to act as agents of China. Both of these individuals are key members of the Fujian Association.

Some commentators have said that Chen Xueduan’s berating of the Chinese Consul-General is a “call to desertion,” indicating that the Communist Party is about to collapse and its days are numbered.

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 27, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/kw-03272024103015.html

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

China Threatens Paraguay Over Diplomatic Relations with Taiwan

At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s press conference on March 25, a reporter asked: “According to reports, Paraguayan President Peña said on March 23 in a social media post that the 66 years of diplomatic relations between Paraguay and Taiwan have been ‘deep’ and ‘friendly.’ And this has not hindered Paraguay’s trade with China, as the country is still exporting soybeans to China. What is China’s comment on this?”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing all of China. “China is the world’s top soybean importer. According to official Chinese statistics, China has imported zero soybeans from Paraguay in recent years. If the Paraguayan government truly wants to work for the development of the country and the wellbeing of its people, it should see the big picture and choose to stand on the right side of history, instead of putting its mind on ‘playing smart’ and ‘exploiting loopholes.'”

Source: Xinhua, March 25, 2024
http://www.news.cn/world/20240325/8d6027121dd741cf92f016423ca23259/c.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Xi Jinping Directly Invites American Youths to China for Exchange Programs, Circumventing U.S. Federal Government

During Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in November 2023, he announced a plan to invite 50,000 American youths to study and exchange in China during the next five years. Since then, this five-year program has been highly-publicized in Chinese media.

Xinhua News Agency reported on March 17 that a group of 24 middle school students from Washington state, organized by the U.S.-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, left San Francisco on March 16 for an 11-day visit to China. Other Chinese media have published subsequent reports about their trip. A Yibao article titled “Xi Jinping’s recruitment of America’s youngsters,” published on Feb. 16, 2024, stated that at least five groups of U.S. students completed trips to China as of January 2024. These groups include graduate students from Columbia University; table tennis players from Virginia; undergraduates from California State University, Long Beach; high school students from Muscatine, Iowa; and even elementary school students from Utah.

Political observers have remarked that Beijing likely wants to get something out of this exchange program. Since the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. federal government have taken a bipartisan stance against the CCP, Beijing is trying to gain influence through civil exchange as well as through local governments (e.g. winning over agricultural U.S. states by buying agricultural products from them), circumventing the federal government.

Source: Epoch Times, March 25, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/3/25/n14210335.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations