IN BRIEF
By Avishka Ashok and Arshiya Banu

REGIONAL
Philippines: Foreign Minister holds meeting with top officials; enhances bilateral relations
On 6 July, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the Philippines and held a meeting with the top political leaders and officials. Wang Yi met the National Security Advisor Clarita Carlos and appreciated the joint efforts from the two sides to improve bilateral relations in the past six years. Wang Yi’s visit portrayed the emphasis of the Chinese government on maintaining healthy relations with the new Philippine government. He said: “The election of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos as the new Philippine president has turned over a new leaf in the China-Philippines ties as the people of the two countries have a high expectation on the future development of bilateral relations.” Carlos also agreed to the long-existing traditional relationship with China and expressed the country’s willingness to collectively build a society with a shared future. Wang Yi further reassured the Philippines that the country would not follow the West and engage in plundering the states for its own advantage. He said: “The two sides should carry on their traditional friendship, make the China-Philippines relationship more solid and stronger, and keep its development on the right track.” 

Wang Yi also met with Foreign Secretary Luis Enrique Manalo and concurred to further enhance the friendship and mutual trust between China and the Philippines. The leaders also agreed to adhere to good neighborliness and deepen bilateral cooperation. Manalo also noted that China is the first country to visit the Philippines after the election of the new government in June 2022. Manalo promised to adhere to the one-China policy and hoped to increase the mutual friendship between the states. 

On the disagreements in the South China Sea, “The Philippines believes that the problem involving islands and reefs in the South China Sea should be settled through diplomatic means and peaceful consultations with a view to jointly safeguarding peace and stability there.” Wang also appreciated the proper handling of the maritime issues and said that the countries have undertaken a strategic and overarching perspective in the dispute; thereby providing a proper position on the issue. Wang said: “The two sides should also work to steadily advance the joint development in the South China Sea, accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and expand maritime cooperation to increase mutual benefit and win-win results.” 

Apart from the bilateral ties, the delegation also discussed China’s role in ASEAN and the partnership with the Philippines benefitting the regional organization in the coming years. The two countries agreed to safeguard the regional architecture, jointly implement the consensus reached at the latest summit and push for a solid China-Asean comprehensive strategic partnership. 

Wang Yi also met the Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos and spoke about the challenges to bilateral trade and the issues in the South China Sea. President Marcos noted that China is the largest trading partner and is an important development partner for the country. He appreciated China’s help during the COVID-19 outbreak and the “Build Build Build” program which aims to improve the infrastructure in the country. Marcos said: “The Philippines hopes to continue pushing forward bilateral cooperation with China in politics, economy and trade, education, culture, and other areas, so as to enrich the connotation of their comprehensive strategic cooperation.” 

(“China, Philippines agree to upgrade cooperation, resolve differences through dialogue,” Xinhua Net, 07 July 2022; “China, Philippines vow to enhance good-neighborly friendship, deepen cooperation,” Xinhua Net, 06 July 2022; “China, Philippines agree to upgrade cooperation, resolve differences through dialogue,” Xinhua Net, 07 July 2022) 

Taiwan: AT-5 Brave Eagle showed off by Air Force
On 6 July, the new AT-5 Brave Eagle was unveiled by Taiwan's air force, which was created and manufactured domestically, and was showcased for its superior combat capabilities in place of the current fleet's outdated and accident-prone older models. Despite the fact that the majority of Taiwan's armed forces' equipment comes from the United States, President Tsai Ing-wen has prioritised the growth of a sophisticated domestic defense industry, particularly as China, which claims Taiwan as its own, intensifies military modernization activities and drills close to Taiwan. With a US$2.3 billion budget, the state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp built the jet trainer, which had its first test flight in 2020. (“Taiwan touts new air force advanced training jet's abilities,” The Strait Times, 06 July 2022)

INTERNATIONAL
United Nations: China highlights abuse against indigenous groups at 50th session of Human Rights Council
On 7 July, the Global Times reported that the Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations had taken up the issue of mutilation and abuse against indigenous children at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council. China called for a thorough investigation into the crimes against indigenous groups on behalf of Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, North Korea, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Sierra Leone, Syria, and Venezuela. The representative called for justice and expressed its concerns over the human rights violations in certain countries. The joint statement read out by China said: “Some countries have conducted mass killings of indigenous people in history. They forcibly took indigenous children away from their families and communities to the so-called "residential schools," where indigenous children were deprived of their identity and cultural recognition with bans on traditional costumes, language and culture, and many died of hunger, disease, corporal punishment or sexual violence.” (“China calls for thorough investigation into some countries' history of mutilation and abuse against indigenous children,” Global Times, 07 July 2022) 

Uzbekistan: China aims to heighten strategic relationship and extends support for development plans
On 7 July, the Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu held a meeting with the Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva, and agreed on increasing the parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. Li stressed the developing comprehensive strategic partnership with Uzbekistan and urged the countries to heighten the link between the countries and their people. Li said: “Uzbekistan has consistently supported China's stand on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as in the fight against the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and China appreciates that.” He also promised to support Uzbekistan in its development and securing its national sovereignty. (China's top legislator holds talks with chairperson of Uzbekistan's Senate,” Xinhua Net, 07 July 2022)

The Caribbean: China inaugurates Development Centre in Jinan
On 6 July, China inaugurated the China-Caribbean Development Centre in Jinan in the Shandong Province. The Centre is expected to heighten the cooperation between China and the Caribbean countries in the coming years. During the inauguration ceremony, three cooperation projects were signed with the Caribbean countries. China’s trade with the countries has increased manifold in recent years in diverse fields. Apart from the booming trade, China also been working on anti-pandemic cooperation and on supplying vaccines. (“Xinhua Headlines: China, Caribbean countries deepen comprehensive cooperation,” Xinhua Net, 07 July 2022)

The US and the UK: FBI and Britain’s intelligence agency claim China steals corporates’ technology
On 7 July, the Strait Times reported the director of the FBI Christopher Wray and the director-general of Britain's domestic intelligence service Ken McCallum issued warnings to corporate executives against the Chinese government, claiming that Beijing is trying to steal their technology for competitive advantage. Wray reiterated long-standing worries by criticising China's intelligence operations and cyber activities as well as its attempts to quell dissent abroad. Wray said: “We consistently see that it’s the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security, and by ‘our,’ I mean both of our nations, along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere.” McCallum stated that the “covert pressure” of the Chinese government across the globe needs to be talked about and acted on, adding that it is "the most game-changing challenge we face." (“U.S., U.K. leaders raise fresh alarms about Chinese espionage,” The Asahi Shimbun, 07 July 2022)

The US: Government implements ban on chip production to prevent China's domination
On 6 July, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticized the US efforts to prevent ASML Holding and Nikon from supplying the country with significant chipmaking technology and called it "technological terrorism." In an effort to block China's plans to overtake the rest of the world in chip production, Washington has proposed imposing additional limitations on ASML that would go beyond the current ban on sales of the most cutting-edge systems to China. The range and type of chipmaking equipment that is currently prohibited from entering China will be greatly expanded if the Netherlands agrees, potentially dealing a devastating blow to Chinese chipmakers like Semiconductor Manufacturing International and Hua Hong Semiconductor. (“China calls US pressure on chipmakers 'technological terrorism',” The Strait Times, 06 July 2022)

INTERNAL
Shenyang: Intense rains flood roads and restricts residents’ activities
On 7 July, China’s north-eastern rust-belt was pummelled by intense rain, which caused floods that stranded buses, submerged roads, and hindered city commuters. Even though numerous red signals, the worst in a four-tier storm warning system, were issued, the unusually intense rain caught Shenyang's 7.6 million residents off guard. Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning province. The public alerts on residents' mobile phones when they awoke warned them to postpone going to work and cancel any unavoidable activities due to "extreme weather." According to traffic police data, there were 30 closed roads and 52 flooded sections. (“Rain storms lash China's north-eastern rust-belt,” The Strait Times, 07 July 2022)