Xinjiang is no longer remote, said President Xi Jinping during his unprecedented visit to the region in eight years. India and China are holding the 16th round of military level talks. Chinese writers’ novels are being censored. The great geopolitical game in the Pacific goes on. Chinascope tells you about the stories from China that changed our world this week.
China over the week
Xinjiang sits at the crossroads of Asia and Europe and has remained far-flung in the Chinese geographical imaginary. But Xi feels confident with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) progress in the sinicisation of Xinjiang.
“Xinjiang is no longer a remote area but a core area and a hub area. You are doing something of historical significance and have achieved good results,” said Xi in Urumqi. During the visit, the President was seen interacting with people during a highly choreographed interactive session that involved residents dancing to local tunes. Xi’s tour included visits to Urumqi, Shihezi, and Turpan.
“Over the past five years, as the main force in Xinjiang’s fight against terrorism and stability, the Xinjiang public security organs have always kept in mind the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and important instructions on Xinjiang work, fully and accurately implemented the party’s Xinjiang governance strategy in the new era, and firmly held back the general principles of social stability and long-term stability,” said Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.
“We will more firmly establish the ‘people-centered’ development concept, adhere to and develop the ‘Fengqiao Experience’ in the new era, start with small matters and small cases that concern the vital interests of the masses, and earnestly put all public security work at the heart of the masses,” said a police official at the Urumqi Public Security Bureau.
The Public Security Bureau is critical to Beijing’s Xinjiang policy, which includes internment camps for alleged ‘terrorists’.
Open-source investigations and individuals’ testimonies have revealed the existence of internment camps in Xinjiang where the Uyghur ethnic minority has been incarcerated in large numbers. The estimates suggest that as many as one million Uyghurs are in internment camps. Beijing calls the camps ‘reeducation centres’.
In Urumqi, Xi met with the top military leadership of the Xinjiang Military District and members of the Western Theatre Command during an event. The officers of the former have been directly involved in the border stand-off in Ladakh.
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Qi Fabao, regimental commander in the People’s Liberation Army, who had survived the 2020 Galwan clash, was present at the leadership event. Ever since his recovery from the head injury he suffered during the clash, Qi has become a media personality and was given the honour of carrying the Olympic torch during the winter games earlier this year.
Chinese writer Miffy Gu thought she was on her way to finishing her novel until she was told that her access to the word processing software was suspended as the document contained “forbidden content”.
“I had written more than a million words, and now, I couldn’t open it,” said Gu in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
The censorship of Gu’s draft novel has sparked a debate on Chinese website Sina Weibo.
China’s proposed security agreement with Pacific nations didn’t come to fruition due to concerns about Beijing’s hidden geopolitical agenda. But Beijing hasn’t yet given up.
On Thursday, Liu Jianchao, head of the International Liaison Department of the CCP, spoke to the leaders of the Pacific Island countries during the second China-Pacific Island Countries Political Leadership Dialogue. Liu tried to promote the Belt and Road Initiative during the session.
“The CCP is willing to work with political parties in Pacific Island countries to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning on country governance, promote pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and build a closer China-Pacific Island countries community with a shared future,” said Liu during the video conference.
On Sunday, Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, gave his first interview since inking the security pact with China.
“Let me assure you all again, there is no military base nor any other military facility or institutions in the agreement. And I think that’s a very important point that we continue to reiterate to the family in the region,” said Sogavare, trying to reassure the Australians. “If there is any gap, we will not allow our country to go down the drain. If there is a gap, we will call on support from China. But we’ve made it very clear to the Australians, and many times when we have this conversation with them, that they are a partner of choice. When it comes to security issues in the region, we will call on them first,” Sogavare added.
The geopolitical game is unfolding in the Pacific every day.
On Wednesday, the Fijian police removed two Chinese defence attaches from the Pacific Island Forum meeting where US Vice President Kamala Harris was speaking.
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China in world news
In 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama abdicated from political life to make way for democratic reforms within the exiled Tibetan government. Since then, the leader has commented on Tibet’s autonomy and China on very few occasions.
“Some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist and reactionary and always criticise me. But now, more Chinese are realising that the Dalai Lama is not seeking independence and only wishing China [to give] meaningful autonomy [to Tibet] and [ensure] preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture,” he said during his visit to Ladakh.
India’s telecom sector continued to use networking hardware made by Chinese vendors despite warnings by the Narendra Modi government. Now, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has tightened the restrictions to ensure the operators use equipment from trusted sources.
“With effect from 15 June 2021, the licensee shall only connect trusted products in its network, and also seek permission from designated authority for upgradation or expansion of existing network utilising the telecommunication equipment not designated as trusted products,” said the telecom department.
The announcement will close the loophole that has allowed the telecom operators to procure Chinese networking equipment for expansion purposes. The government’s latest decision appears to be to restrict the use of Huawei and ZTE networking equipment in the 5G rollout.
India and China initiated the 16th round of commander-level talks at the Chushul meeting point at 9:30 am on Sunday, according to sources. They talks are likely to continue late into the night.
In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that is said to include discussions about their boundary dispute. But the details of the MOU have been kept away from the public eye.
Now, Bhutan’s foreign minister Tandi Dorji has spoken about relations with China in an exclusive interview with The Hindu. “India’s interests on the Doklam tri-junction will not be harmed or ‘compromised’ by the agreement between Bhutan and China,” he said.
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Experts this week
Liu Zongyi, senior fellow and secretary general of the South Asia and China Center, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, wrote, “Premadasa and the United People’s Forces played an important role in the massive protests on July 9. It is worth noting that Premadasa has always displayed a pro-American and pro-Indian image. Before the protests, he may also have connections with the United States and India. The US ambassador to Sri Lanka spoke publicly before the demonstrations, asking the military and police to give protesters space to express themselves freely.”
The author is a columnist and a freelance journalist, currently pursuing an MSc in international politics with focus on China from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He was previously a China media journalist at the BBC World Service. He tweets @aadilbrar. Views are personal.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)