At the First Trade Fair on Syrian Reconstruction Projects (on July 9), Qin Yong, Vice President of the China-Arab Exchange Association, revealed that China plans to invest US$2 billion in Syria to establish industrial parks. The first phase will attract 150 enterprises to participate.

Syrian ambassador to China, Imad Mustafa, said that this is the first time that a Syrian reconstruction project fair has been held in Beijing. The hope is to build an important platform for Chinese enterprises to understand Syria and participate in the reconstruction of Syria.

The Syrian ambassador also said, “China, Russia, and Iran have provided substantial support to Syria during the military conflict. Therefore, it is these three countries that should play a major role in the reconstruction of Syria. If the work were to be carried out by other countries, even by those who participate in the damage to the Syrian infrastructure, it would be very unfair.”

“We learned the lessons from what happened (during the domestic war). We learned who our strategic partners are. Now we will not move closer to the West, but to the north and the east (referring to China, Russia and Iran).”

Source: Sina, July 14, 2017
http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/china/2017-07-14/doc-ifyiakur8888497.shtml?cre=milpagepc&mod=f&loc=1&r=9&doct=0&rfunc=49

BBC Chinese recently reported that the BBC World Service just completed its global survey of country images among people from 19 nations. Compared to the same survey done in 2014, the number of people with positive views on China declined from 43 percent to 41 percent, and those with negative views grew by two percent to 42 percent. On a country level, Canada, the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Indonesia, and India have negative views on China, while Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Greece, Russia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Pakistan hold positive views on China. According to the survey, people from the U.S. have the highest percentage of negative views on China (70 percent). In some countries, negative views grew significantly, such as India (from 35 percent to 60 per cent). For the first time, Indonesia has more negative views (50 percent) than positive (28 percent). In the meantime, 61 percent of the people in China gave the U.S. negative views. They gave Russia 74 percent positive views and Britain 73 percent positive views (this was after Brexit, with a 34 percent increase from 2014). China also gave North Korea 76 percent negative views and Japan 75 percent negative views (from 90 percent in 2014). China’s negative views against South Korean changed dramatically, from 32 percent (in 2014) to 71 percent.

Source: BBC Chinese, July 6, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-40522666

On June 27, 2017, China’s state-run Global Times website, called Huanqiu in Chinese, published a commentary titled “Indian Troops’ Provocation in the Wrong Place Brings Disgrace to Themselves.”

China accused Indian troops of “trespassing” its boundary and entering Chinese territory. Chinese and Indian soldiers are locked in a face-off at the Sikkim section of the China-India border, where, according to the Huanqiu commentary, no disputes have ever occurred between them.

The commentary stated, “It remains unclear whether this flare-up is the fault of low-level Indian troops, which chose a wrong place to declare ‘patriotism’ or a tentative strategic move that the Indian government made. Whatever the motive, China must stick to its bottom line. China must use all means necessary to force the Indian troops to retreat to the Indian side and China’s road construction mustn’t be stopped.”

“What we are concerned about is that Indian’s attitude toward China has become more arrogant. With its GDP rising to fifth in the world, its national confidence is growing. The fact that the U.S. and the West are willing to woo India to counterbalance China has particularly added to Indians’ sense of strategic superiority. … India shows an inexplicable arrogance toward China as if it holds the strategic dominance in Sino-Indian relations.”

“Some Indians believe that the US and Japan are building a circle to contain China and India has an advantage over China because it can choose whether to join this circle.”

“It’s not time for India to display arrogance toward China. India’s GDP is only one-quarter of China’s and its annual defense budget is just one-third. Having a friendly relationship and cautiously handling border issues with China is its best choice.”

“However, almost all friction is fed to the Indian media by the Indian military which hypes {things up} time and again.”

Global Times continued, “China has avoided making an issue of these border disputes, which has indulged India’s unruly provocations. This time the Indian side needs to be taught the rules. … Let the Indian troops lose face openly. Let them know that they have to pay the price if they break the border agreement.”

“India cannot afford a showdown with China on border issues. It lags far behind China in terms of national strength and the so-called strategic support for it from the U.S. is superficial,” the commentary said, adding that China has no desire to confront India.

{Editor’s note: Zachary Keck, former editor of the National Interest, wrote a recent article focusing on a different point of view}

Sources:
1) Huanqiu, June 27, 2017
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2017-06/10905174.html
2.) National Interest: China’s Secret Landgrab (No, Not in the South China Sea)
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/chinas-secret-landgrab-no-not-the-south-china-sea-21296?page=show

Radio Free Asia reported on news that Russia’s “63 news network” published on June 26. According to Russian Samara Customs, since the beginning of 2017, 4.5 kilograms of drugs and strong psychotropic drugs had been seized in the Samaritan area. Of the synthetic drugs that had been seized, more than 90 percent came from China.

The Russian media report also revealed that many of the drugs from China had been sent through the mail and through other hidden means in order to avoid a customs inspection. Alexander Maximovich, head of the anti-drug department of Samara Customs, said that the Chinese hid narcotics in vegetable oil or in a variety of buns and dumplings, in semi-finished packages, and in packs of different kinds of soup materials, all of which were sent through the mail.”

Source: RFA, June 26, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/lxy1-06262017100059.html

Reuters Chinese recently reported that, based on data that the China General Administration of Customs just released, China’s imports from North Korea in May were valued at US$123.8 million. This was a 31 percent decline, year-over-year. The lowest import level from North Korea was in April, reaching US$99.3 million. March was the second lowest. The custom’s data showed that China’s halt to the importation of North Korean coal in February significantly limited North Korea’s capability of obtaining enough hard currency. The same data also showed China’s exports to North Korean totaled at US$319.8 million in May, which was a two-digit percentage increase, year-over-year. Also, the May export level was higher than April’s.

Source: Reuters Chinese, June 23, 2017
http://cn.reuters.com/article/cn-kp-may-import-idCNKBS19E0Z3