NIAS Area Studies
PAKISTAN READER
Photo : Tribune India
IN BRIEF
Avishka Ashok and Arshiya Banu
INTERNATIONAL
Pakistan: China initiates four-day joint military drill in Shanghai port
On 10 July, China and Pakistan began their four-day joint military exercise at a port in Shanghai. The People’s Liberation Army Navy Spokesperson Liu Wensheng referred tot he drill and said: “The drill, codenamed Sea Guardians-2, is a normal arrangement as per a yearly plan between the two militaries. It is not related to any regional situations and does not target any third party.” The joint drill is aimed at enhancing defense cooperation, exchange expertise and experiences on military practices, deepen strategic and traditional friendship between countries and militaries and promote the development of China-Pakistan cooperative partnership. (“China, Pakistan hold joint maritime drill,” Xinhua Net, 10 July 2022)
REGIONAL
Indonesia: China discusses infrastructure and anti-epidemic cooperation
On 11 July, Global Times reported that China and Indonesia met at the Second Meeting of the China-Indonesia High-Level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism and pledged to jointly elevate their cooperation on numerous infrastructure projects along the Belt and Road Initiative. Two big projects in the plan are the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the Two Countries Twin Peaks. The meeting was co-hosted by China and was attended by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indonesia’s Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and the Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. The top diplomats discussed issues such as food security, strengthening cooperation between the countries, supply and value chain integration and jointly helping boost the world economy. Wang Yi also highlighted the anti-epidemic cooperation as a key area for collaboration and said: “China supports Indonesia in building a regional vaccine center and is willing to help Indonesia increase its vaccine production capacity and promote the joint construction of a joint research center for vaccines and genes.” (“China and Indonesia to jointly push for major landmark projects on transportation, vaccine: FM,” Global Times, 11 July 2022)
Thailand: Bangkok-Kele railway line finishes first phase of construction
On 11 July, CGTN reported that the China-Thailand high-speed railway project had completed the first phase by successfully erecting the girders in the 252.3 kilometer-long section. The line connects Bangkok to Kele and can reach speeds of 250 kilometer per hour. The project is the first standard-gauge railway in Thailand which is making use of the Chinese standards. The project plays a key role in connecting China and Singapore through the Trans-Asian Railway Network and is one of the special projects between China and ASEAN countries. The railway line is expected to increase economic productivity, improve local and regional infrastructure, heighten regional trade and connect Thailand with the rest of the region. (“Construction speeds up of giant bridge on China-Thailand railway,” CGTN, 11 July 2022)
INTERNAL
Anti-corruption drive: People’s Procuratorate files lawsuit against ex-senior official
On 11 July, the Changchun Municipal People’s Procuratorate filed a lawsuit in the Intermediate People’s Court of Changchun and initiated a public prosecution against the senior official Fu Zhenghua for taking bribes and bending the law for his own personal gains. The lawsuit comes after the conclusion of the National Supervisory Commission which looked into Fu’s case. Fu was the former deputy head of the Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and had also served as the head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the vice minister of public security and the minister of justice. (“China's ex-senior official Fu Zhenghua prosecuted,” The Strait Times, 11 July 2022)
Mass protests: Police arrests criminal gang for fleeing with depositors’ money
On 10 July, a large crowd of bank depositors’ protests turned into a faceoff with the police authorities as some were forcibly taken away to prevent further mobilization of the demonstrations. The protestors held banners and chanted slogans in front of the Central Bank in Zhengzhou province. One of the protestors said: “We came today and wanted to get our savings back, because I have elderly people and children at home, and the inability to withdraw savings has seriously affected my life.” The protestors are victims of a bank scam who are now unable to withdraw their deposits from six local banks as the head of the bank’s parent company had run away with the money. Soon after the protests, the police arrested members of a criminal gang for their involvement in the scam. The police said: “We came today and wanted to get our savings back, because I have elderly people and children at home, and the inability to withdraw savings has seriously affected my life.” (“Chinese bank depositors face police in angry protest,” The Asahi Shimbun, 11 July 2022; “China detains alleged bank fraud 'gang' after rare mass protests,” The Strait Times, 11 July 2022)
Heatwaves: China National Observatory issues an orange alert
On 11 July, China’s National Observatory issues an orange alert for parts of Shaanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan, as well as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as temperatures rose above normal temperatures due to a heatwave hitting the country. The centre has warned that the temperatures may rise above 40 degrees celsius in some parts of the country. Orange is the second most severe in China’s four tier colour-coded weather warning system. (“China issues orange alert for high temperatures,” The Strait Times, 11 July 2022)
Tech sector: State Administration for Market Regulation fines Alibaba and Tencent
On 10 July, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced fines on Alibaba, Tencent, and a number of other tech companies in the country. The tech giants have been fined for failing to comply with the anti-monopoly rules on transactions. According to the market regulator’s recent notice, 28 deals violated the rules out of which five involved Alibaba and Tencent was involved in 12 deals. As per the latest law, each case can issue a fine of 5,00,000 yuan. (“China regulator fines Alibaba, Tencent for disclosure violations,” The Strait Times, 10 July 2022)
TECHNOLOGY
Space: China initiates a naming ceremony for its newest solar observatory
On 11 July, CGTN reported that the Chinese Academy of Science had set up a global name collection for its newest solar observatory which is expected to be launched in October 2022. The new observatory weighs 888 kilograms and comprises of a half tonne precursor ‘Xihe’ and a Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE) which was launched in October 2021 to observe the violent and sudden physical processes behind solar flares. The new Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory is aimed at studying the relationship between the solar magnetic fields, solar flares and the coronal mass ejections. The observatory comprises of three payloads on a single platform for the first time: the Full disk vector MagnetoGraph (FMG), the Lyman-α Solar Telescope (LST) and the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI). It is built to circle the earth once in 90 minutes in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 720 kilometers. China has enabled a QR code through which participants can drop in their suggestion for the new observatory. The top ten names will receive an awarded souvenir while the winner may be given the chance to visit the launch site during the liftoff. (“China launches global naming event for its newest solar observatory,” CGTN, 11 July 2022)