This is the edition of the China, middle land newsletter. Do you want to receive it every Friday in your email? Sign up below.
A high-level political adviser in China suggested that the country pass a law punishing any person or institution that “violates the responsibility [chinesa] in promoting reunification” with Taiwan.
The speech took place during the Two Sessions, China’s most important legislative event.
According to the South China Morning Post, Zhang Lianqi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), stated that the current situation is developing towards a scenario where reunification could take place “legally, in a peaceful or not”.
Such a law would complement a similar one, passed in 2005. At the time, the text stipulated that Beijing could take the island by force if necessary, especially in the event of a unilateral declaration of independence.
Taiwan, by the way, seems to be in the spotlight at this year’s Two Sessions.
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang gave a long speech on Saturday (5), in which he criticized the parallels drawn by analysts and the press between Ukraine and Taiwan;
- He said Beijing would not accept “US incentives” for Taiwanese independence and that any move in that direction would have “serious consequences” for Americans.
why it matters: the reasons for the conflict between Moscow and Kiev may be completely different from the historical confusion between Taiwan and China, but the world will certainly be paying attention to how Beijing relates to the island from now on.
- A weak West in defending Ukraine would show the Chinese that the US and allies are not serious when they say they could militarily defend Taiwan;
- A firm response from Washington to Moscow, however, would not make the Chinese give up the territory, but would warn of the consequences for economic growth and prosperity in the long term.
what also matters
China is reportedly refusing to supply parts for Russian aircraft after Boeing and Airbus stopped shipping components to Moscow.
In an interview with Interfax, an official responsible for the maintenance of Russian planes said the country received denials from Chinese suppliers when trying to map options.
Pressured by sanctions, Russia is not self-sufficient in producing these parts. Without them, civil planes may stop operating for safety reasons. With access to the American and Canadian market closed and without China, Rosaviatsia (anac’s equivalent) would be trying to turn to Turkey and India to keep aviation going.
Beijing has not commented on the report so far.
The Supreme People’s Court of China (equivalent to our STF) has defended that serious crimes involving “cruel treatment” of women, children and the elderly be punished with a death sentence.
According to court chief Zhou Qiang, capital punishment must be applied “consistently against crimes that seriously violate public security” or that “violate the legal and moral line.”
The statement is likely a reaction to the huge controversy surrounding a woman trafficked in Jiangsu province in February.
A video posted online shows the victim with no teeth and thin clothes, chained by a neck in a shed. Netizens discovered that she had been sold by her family at a young age, but local police played down the case, leading to fury on social media.
Keep an eye
Approved for emergency use since last month, the pill developed by Pfizer for the home treatment of Covid may be close to reaching the Chinese market. State-owned company Meheco Corp has announced that it has been authorized to supply the drug throughout 2022 to patients in the country. Initially, only people at high risk for the disease will receive the pills: the elderly, patients with kidney problems, chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases, diabetics and immunosuppressed patients.
why it matters: using vaccines considered ineffective to prevent cases against Covid, China has been struggling to find viable options to the current strategy of zero cases. With the omicron variant, government officials seem inclined to gradually loosen tolerance for small outbreaks of the disease. To that end, having a relatively inexpensive treatment that works at home and prevents hospitalization will be vital when the country decides to live with the virus.
to go deep
- Anyone logging into Chinese social media at this point might believe that the majority of Chinese are supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine. The South China Morning Post shows in this report, however, that voices against the conflict may be being censored. (porous paywall, in English)
- The so-called non-fungible tokens (or NFTs) are revolutionizing the art market by digitizing a common habit among collectors: the purchase of exclusivity over a work. This Sixth Tone article looks at this trend in China through the lens of the country’s biggest artist of its kind, Song Ting. (free, in English)
- Last year, China embarked on a major education reform aimed at leveling competition and easing pressure on students in an increasingly competitive environment. SupChina highlights one of the consequences of the new policy: teachers are increasingly stressed and overworked (free, in English)
