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People’s Daily Calls for Officials to Implement Policies Proactively

The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published a commentary emphasizing that it is imperative for government officials to implement decisions and policies set forth by the Party’s Central Committee. The paper’s call to action comes amidst growing concerns in China regarding an increase in recent times of officials adopting a passive attitude.

The article highlights a statement made by Xi Jinping during his visit to Jiangsu urging officials to “meticulously implement the Central Committee’s decisions without compromise and carry out the implementation with a proactive, resolute, persistent, and problem-solving mindset.” The commentary further points out perceived deficiencies of some officials, describing their actions as “sluggish and procrastinating, selective – focusing only on tasks they agree with while neglecting others, superficial – aimed at appearance rather than substantive results, and evasive in responsibility.”

Source: People’s Daily, September 19, 2023
http://dangjian.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0919/c117092-40080628.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Oxfam Report Highlights Hong Kong’s 20% Poverty Rate and Widening Wealth Gap

Oxfam is an international confederation of 21 independent affiliates “that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice.” In September, Oxfam Hong Kong released its ‘Hong Kong Poverty Report 2023,’ analyzing government data from 2019-2023. It found that the overall poverty rate in Hong Kong reached 20% in early 2023, affecting over 1.36 million people. Comparing pre- and post-pandemic median monthly incomes, the poorest households now earn 57.7 times less than the richest, up from a ratio of 34.3 in 2019. This shows that, while society is returning to normal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery remains polarized between high- and low-income families.

The median monthly income for the poorest 10% of households dropped by over one-third to HK$2,300. In contrast, the richest 10% of households grew by more than 10% to HK$132,600. The median household income for Hong Kong only increased 1.7%.

Nearly 210,000 employed Hongkongers still live in poverty, mostly working in retail and food services. Over 40% of Hong Kong’s unemployed live in poverty. Inactive individuals in poverty exceeded 1.1 million, increasing 10.6% since 2019.

Director Kalina Tsang of Oxfam Hong Kong urged the government to adjust the city’s minimum wage, support grassroots employment, aid subdivided flat households, collaborate with businesses and NGOs on social innovation, and improve childcare. She said that, following the pandemic, wealth inequality has seriously worsened and slow recovery among poor families is alarming. Oxfam believes Hong Kong is facing structural changes that make poverty more complex. It has called on the government to narrow the wealth gap and improve conditions for low-income workers post-pandemic.

Source: Oxfam Hong Kong, September 19, 2023
https://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/news-and-publication/gaping-wealth-gap-leaves-hong-kong-s-poorest-making-57-7-times-less-than-richest-while-struggling-to-recover-post-pandemic

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Divorces Decline for 3rd Straight Year Amid Housing Slump

Lawyers specializing in divorce cases in China say the recent housing market downturn is making couples more hesitant to divorce. The number of divorces in China has declined for three straight years, with lawyers attributing this trend partly to difficulties dividing property amid unstable housing prices.

According to mainland-Chinese media, divorce lawyer Liu Shengfei says clients have recently been taking much longer to decide on divorce. Property division, especially regarding real estate, has always been tricky in divorce cases, but now couples are facing even greater uncertainties in splitting assets due to China’s housing slump.

When a divorce is filed in China, judges usually won’t grant the divorce if one spouse firmly opposes the divorce. Additionally, as of January 2021, China has implemented a 30-day waiting period for divorces. These factors have contributed to the country’s lower divorce numbers.

Liu explains the risks to clients upfront – a lawsuit may not end in divorce, and dividing assets can be time-consuming. If spouses dispute housing value or ownership stake, further legal proceedings may be needed.

Previously, with stable or rising prices, spouses faced smaller differences in dividing real estate assets. One would keep the home, compensating the other financially per their ownership share. But now, amid difficult sales and unstable prices, deciding who gets the house and at what value is much more contentious.

According to Liu, this year several clients have been unable to proceed with their divorce due to housing market factors. The housing downturn is creating uncertainties in asset division that discourage couples from splitting.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 16, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202309160200.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Russia, China Bolster Energy Ties With $686M Joint Investment in Oil Transit Complex

Russia’s ONGK and China’s XY Group Industrial Development Co (轩辕集团实业开发有限公司) have agreed to jointly invest $686 million to build an oil transit complex in Russia’s Far East. This will boost Russian oil exports to China as Moscow expands infrastructure and shifts exports eastward, away from politically “unfriendly” Europe.

The financing deal was signed last week at an economic forum in Vladivostok. The complex will be built near a railway bridge crossing the Amur River, connecting Russian and Chinese border towns.

The $686 million complex will include a terminal able to store and load 5.8 million metric tons of crude oil yearly, plus oil and gas condensate blends. It will also have a warehouse for receiving, storing and distributing 1 million metric tons of petroleum products and fuel oil annually. Additionally, it will include facilities for transshipping 650,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas per year.

China’s crude imports from Russia hit a record high in May, up 15.3% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Europe has cut Russian oil imports by 90% since the Ukraine war began.

Sanctioned by the West, Russia has turned to China as its strongest ally. China refuses to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has increased economic cooperation, helping Russia offset losses from Western sanctions. Amid strengthening China-Russia economic ties, senior Chinese official Wang Yi visited Russia September 18-21 for strategic consultations, possibly to prepare for the leaders’ upcoming meeting.

Source: Voice of America, September 18, 2023
https://www.voachinese.com/a/russia-and-china-to-build-oil-transshipment-complex-for-686-mln-20230918/7272923.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Apple’s iPhone15 Pre-Sale in China Was Much More Successful Than Huawei

Well-known Chinese news site NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) recently reported that, within ten minutes of going on sale, Apple’s Chinese official website crashed and remained unavailable for six to seven minutes. And in the official Tmall Apple flagship store, the first batch of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were sold out within one minute. According to the online sales manager in charge of the Tmall site, in half an hour, they restocked nine times and are still restocking. For now, iPhone 15 Pro Max is selling the fastest, and iPhone 15 Pro sales are also very high.

According to the iPhone reservation data released by the JD.com platform, the number of reservations for the iPhone 15 Pro model exceeds 1.13 million; the number of reservations for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has higher specifications and a higher price, is even greater, with more than 1.43 million reservations. Judging from this reference data, the iPhone 15 Pro models are already far ahead, unmatched by any other manufacturer, not even the breakthrough Huawei Mate 60 series made recently. Huawei recently announced a new Mate model that utilized 7-nm technology which was considered an answer to the U.S. blockage. However, Apple’s latest iPhone employs 3-nm cutting-edge technology which is far ahead and attracted much more enthusiasm in China.

Sources:
(1) NetEase, September 16, 2023
https://www.163.com/dy/article/IEPM2QJ80526D8LR.html
(2) Economy Daily (Taiwan), September 17, 2023
https://money.udn.com/money/story/5603/7444856

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

CNA: Beef Soup Restaurant Fined for Providing Free Wi-Fi

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that, the Public Security Bureau of Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province recently fined a beef soup restaurant for providing consumers with open Wi-Fi for failing to fulfill its network security protection obligations. This restaurant provided free Wi-Fi, and you only need to enter a password to log in. They did not record the real names of customer users and was imposed an administrative penalty – the source of the law is the Cyber Security Law. Recently China has been strengthening domestic data security law enforcement, and law enforcement agencies have increased monitoring efforts and strengthened control intensity. There have been several recent cases of administrative penalties against restaurants, massage parlors and other small businesses and stores accused of not complying with the official network security requirements. China issued the Cybersecurity Law in 2016, emphasizing the maintenance of national sovereignty over cyberspace and national security control, and it came into effect on June 1, 2017. On this basis, the Data Security Law was later implemented on September 1, 2021, citing national security interests. Experts pointed out that these recent enforcement actions are a clear signal from Chinese authorities that any informal grace period is over and that companies, regardless of size, must comply with the country’s data privacy and data security laws. However, small businesses may be less able than larger businesses to take compliance measures that sometimes bring high costs.

Source: CNA, September 10, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202309100145.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

UDN: U.S. Discovered Lithium Deposit in Nevada – May Be the World’s Largest

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that, according to new research published in the journal Science Advances, scientists estimate that the lithium deposit located in the McDermitt Crater on the border of Oregon and Nevada contains 20 to 40 million tons of lithium. If the estimate is correct, the lithium reserves here will be greater than those in Bolivia’s salt flats, which contain about 23 million tons. Lithium is crucial for producing the batteries needed for electric cars and other green technologies, and the U.S. may have found the world’s largest lithium deposit. This estimate could change global lithium dynamics in terms of price, supply security and geopolitics. Some of the world’s richest lithium deposits are found in salt marshes. But McDermitt Crater’s lithium is locked in clay, and this clay mineral is easier to separate. As demand for lithium batteries grows exponentially nowadays, experts warn the world could face a lithium shortage by the end of the century. While global lithium supplies are likely to remain adequate in the next couple of years, regional supply imbalances are inevitable.

Source: UDN, September 11, 2023
https://udn.com/news/story/6813/7431205

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources US-China Relations

PLA Officer Advocates Preemptive Strikes Against U.S. in Event of War

Li Li (李莉), a prominent military commentator and esteemed professor at China’s National Defense University, recently made a bold assertion during a televised discussion. In contemplating the prospect of armed conflict, Li recommended that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) consider a proactive “preemptive” approach, targeting U.S. military installations in Japan as a primary strategic objective.

Li’s perspective can be summarized as follows: “In the event of war, our foremost imperative is to preemptively neutralize U.S. military bases situated in Japan.” In her discourse, Li used the term “American imperialism” to refer to the United States and emphasized that “we will not hesitate like Russia did”. She firmly asserted that “only decisive and swift counteraction can guarantee our nation’s survival and sustained progress. We shall not delay in neutralizing U.S. ‘black’ aircraft carriers and ‘black’ bombers. We shall seize the earliest opportunity to take actions and leave the enemy no chance to breathe.”

Source: Aboluo, September 8, 2023
https://www.aboluowang.com/2023/0908/1951318.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military US-China Relations