IN BRIEF
By Avishka Ashok and Arshiya Banu

REGIONAL
Indonesia: President Widodo’s visit to China and meeting with President Xi Jinping and other officials
On 26 July, China’s President Xi Jinping met the visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing and held comprehensive discussions on common issues of interests, bilateral relations and international affairs. President Xi shed light on Indonesia being the first country to be hosted by China after the Winter Olympic games in Beijing, signifying the strong relations and growing bilateral ties between the countries. President Xi said: “The China-Indonesia relationship has enjoyed robust growth under the joint guidance of the two presidents in recent years, demonstrating great resilience and vitality. Strategic mutual trust has been further consolidated, and the four-pillar cooperation, namely political, economic, people-to-people and maritime cooperation, has kept deepening.”

The Presidents of the two countries released a Joint Statement on the Bilateral Meeting. The Joint Statement covers 15 points. The fourth point focused on the China-Indonesia Strategic Partnership and noted the new synergy and four-pillar cooperation covering politics, economy, people-to-people exchanges and maritime projects. The fifth point focused on the creation of a shared community with a common future. Through the sixth point, the leaders agreed to speed up the formulation of a new Five-Year Action Plan for the Implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The other points emphasized increasing bilateral trade, strengthening cooperation along the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Maritime Fulcrum, deepening cooperation in the field of agriculture, health, poverty alleviation and food security, and extending support in implementing consensus reached on China-ASEAN Special Summit to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations.

President Xi Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan also met with Indonesia’s First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Peng observed that the countries shared a strong friendship that propelled the people-to-people exchanges between China and Indonesia. Iriana appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality shown by China and wished for more Chinese citizens to visit Indonesia. 

On the same day, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indonesia’s Coordinator for Cooperation with China and the Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and the Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. The officials discussed Indonesia’s Presidency in the G20 and the country’s chairmanship at ASEAN next year. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also met with the Indonesian President Joko Widodo and discussed bilateral relations and other issues of common interest. Li said: “As friendly neighbors and major developing countries in the region, China and Indonesia share broad common interests, which makes the two natural cooperation partners.” Li further stressed on maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea to conform to the interests of all countries in the region. 

(“Chinese, Indonesian presidents pledge joint efforts to build community with shared future,” Xinhua Net, 26 July 2022;
“Peng Liyuan meets with Indonesian first lady,” Xinhua Net, 27 July 2022;
“Chinese FM meets Indonesian ministers,” Xinhua Net, 27 July 2022;
“Chinese premier meets Indonesian president to discuss bilateral ties,” Xinhua Net, 27 July 2022;
“Full text of Joint Press Statement on the Bilateral Meeting between President of the People's Republic of China and President of the Republic of Indonesia,” Xinhua Net, 27 July 2022)

Japan: China’s Defense Ministry condemns 2022 white paper 
On 26 July, China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian addressed a press conference and commented on Japan’s defense white paper and specifically on the part referring to China. Wu claimed that the paper disregarded facts and was completely biased. He said: “The white paper made irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and military development, hyped up the so-called "military threat of China," stirred up regional tensions, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs.” He also expressed China’s strong dissatisfaction and firmly opposed the contents of the paper, lodging solemn representations with the Japanese side. Wu Qian further stressed on China’s commitment to peaceful development, upholding the national defense policy and world peace while accusing Japan of choosing violence throughout its imperialist historic era. (“Japan's 2022 defense white paper disregards facts, full of bias: spokesperson,” Xinhua Net, 26 July 2022)

INTERNATIONAL
Sri Lanka: Premier Li Keqiang congratulated Prime Minister Gunawardena 
On 26 July, China’s Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message to Dinesh Gunawardena, congratulating him on becoming the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. In his message, Li appreciated the traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka and noted that the strategic cooperative cooperation has resulted in positive benefits for both countries. Li said: “Since the establishment of their diplomatic ties 65 years ago, the two sides have always treated each other with respect and as equals, continuously strengthened mutual political trust and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation, and joined hands to deal with difficulties and challenges.” He further reassured the newly elected Sri Lankan Prime Minister that China stands ready to support and help the country fight the political and economic challenges facing Sri Lanka. (“Chinese premier sends congratulations to Sri Lankan new PM,” Xinhua Net, 26 July 2022)

United Nations: Open letter urges Human Rights High Commissioner to refrain from fabricating assessment on Xinjiang 
On 27 July, Xinhua Net publicized an open letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The letter expressed concerns regarding the pressure created on the international organization on releasing the assessment on Xinjiang. The letter hoped that the High Commissioner’s report would reflect the truth and facts of what she witnessed and experienced during her visit to Xinjiang in May 2022. It claimed that the report falsely accused the Chinese government of suppressing the Muslim minority in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region and will be used as a tool to interfere in the country’s internal affairs. Xinhua Net reported: “The assessment, once released, will be definitely used by certain countries as a political tool to interfere in China's internal affairs and to contain China's development under the pretext of human rights. It will badly damage the credibility of Madame High Commissioner yourself and the OHCHR, and seriously undermine the developing countries' confidence in constructive cooperation with the OHCHR.” The letter was signed by 923 state institutions and other government bodies. (“Open letter to UN High Commissioner for human rights,” Xinhua Net, 27 July 2022)

The US: President Biden to speak with Xi Jinping over the phone
On 27 July, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby stated that in the midst of rising tensions over Taiwan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are planning to speak on call. He added that handling economic rivalry between the two states would also be a focus of the conversation. The call comes amid warnings issued by China to the US regarding the possibility of the speaker of the US House, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Kirby said: "This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and there's already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about." (“U.S. says Biden-Xi call expected to cover Taiwan tensions, Ukraine,” The Asahi Shimbun, 27 July 2022)

The UNSC: Chinese representative calls out for more importance to the Palestinian issue
On 27 July, Xinhua reported that China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Geng Shuang urged the UN Security Council that the issue of Palestine be discussed at a more powerful global peace conference. He said: "China calls for a larger, more authoritative, and more influential international peace conference, in which permanent members of the Security Council and all stakeholders in the Middle East process are invited to participate in exploring effective ways and means to politically resolve the Palestinian issue." The Middle East peace process, according to Geng, is "still at a standstill," relevant UN resolutions have not been carried out for a considerable amount of time, and the rights of the Palestinian people have consistently been infringed. (“China calls for more influential peace conference to address Palestinian issue,” Xinhua Net, 27 July 2022)

INTERNAL
COVID-19: New cases in Wuhan cause more restrictions
On 27 July, a district in Wuhan experienced a temporary closure of some businesses and public transportation as the city increased surveillance in response to a number of new infections. China, which has invested a lot in its "dynamic COVID zero" strategy, uses severe quarantining of cases, rapid restrictions on business activity and people's movements, and mass testing to prevent fledgling clusters from spreading. The plan has assisted Wuhan and other regions of the nation in containing the number of cases, but severe lockdowns during significant outbreaks and the worry of potential recurrent restrictions whenever new cases are reported have hurt the economy, business confidence, and the willingness of people to travel. (“China’s Wuhan shuts some businesses, transport amid new Covid-19 cases,” The Strait Times, 27 July 2022)

TECHNOLOGY
Space: Long March 5B rocket expected to crash by month end
On 27 July, the Strait Times reported that a Chinese rocket is expected to crash to Earth sometime in the coming days, with the possibility for debris to land all around the world. According to the Aerospace Corp, a non-profit organisation with a base in El Segundo, California, a portion of a Long March 5B rocket China launched on July 24 will make an unexpected re-entry around July 31. The organisation estimated the potential debris field might span over a large portion of the US as well as Africa, Australia, Brazil, India, and South-east Asia. (“China says it's closely tracking debris of its most powerful rocket crashing towards Earth,” The Strait Times, 27 July 2022)