Seven Key Documents adopted at Reform Commission Meet; PLA Navy Celebrates its 74th Founding Anniversary
The 'Eye on China' newsletter features this week's most important developments on India-China relations, Chinese Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy, Economy and Tech, and the military!
Section A: India-China Relations
- Amit Kumar
India and China hold 18th round of military talks
On April 23, 2023, the Corps Commanders from the two sides held the 18th round of military talks at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The Hindu reported that the focus of the talks remained on disengagement from Demchok and Depsang Plains.
Summing up the developments since May 2020, the HT stated:
The India-China border row is set to enter its fourth year in early May. Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.
The Indian and Chinese armies have held 18 rounds of talks so far, but problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table.
The report further reads:
The talks come ahead of the Chinese defence minister’s upcoming visit to India for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting to be held in New Delhi on April 27-28, officials familiar with the development said on Sunday. There was no official statement on the LAC talks till the time this report was filed.
At their last meeting in December 2022, the two sides agreed to maintain “security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector” of the LAC. “The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest,” a statement said. That meeting took place just 11 days after several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a clash along LAC at Yangtse, located near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Comment: The meeting between the defence ministers of the two countries that is slated to take place this week on the sidelines of the SCO summit is unlikely to yield any substantial outcome (if at all the issue is discussed) given that nothing concrete came out of the 18th round of talks on either Depsang or Demchok. The LAC tension is entering its fourth year this month with no signs of de-escalation yet as more than 50,000 troops by each side remained stationed in Ladakh.
The recent developments relating to the border also do not infuse confidence that the Chinese are inclined towards an early resolution of the issue at hand. It includes their response to India’s reaction (mostly by the media) to the statement of the Bhutanese PM on the Bhutan-China border talks which perhaps acted as the immediate trigger for China’s decision to standardise the names of 11 places in Arunachal. As argued in our Takshashila position paper, India must be prepared for the long haul.
Arunachal’s Tawang district hosts top Buddhist leaders
In what is being seen as a strong message to China and a response to its attempts at taking the leadership of the Buddhist world, Tawang hosted about 600 top Buddhist delegates on April 18.
The conference was attended by delegates of revered Rinpoches, Geahes, Khenpos and scholars from all the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir (Paddar-Pangi), Sikkim, North Bengal (Darjeeling, Doors, Jaigaon and Kalimpong), Densa South Monastries and 35 delegates from various parts of Arunachal Pradesh like Tuting, Mechuka, Taksing and Anini and others.
Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the Buddhist culture, which thrives on the peaceful co-existence of every sentient being, should not only be preserved but also propagated.
Khandu said the state has a big chunk of the Buddhist population and "fortunately they have kept their culture and traditions safe with religious fervour". The main pillar on which Nalanda Buddhism stands is the principle of 'reasoning and analysis. This means we can even bring the teachings of Lord Buddha under the ambit of reasoning and analysis. This logic is based on science and perhaps Buddhism is the only religion that gives its followers this liberty," Khandu said.
Welcoming the delegates, the chief minister said Arunachal Pradesh is home to a mix of religious followers. "Arunachal Pradesh is not home only to Buddhism but to several religions, including those who follow their own indigenous faith. I believe that every religion and faith should flourish and exist peacefully. I am proud that we Arunachalis are doing just that," Khandu said.
He expressed gratitude to the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition (IHCNBT) for organising the one-day national conference on Nalanda Buddhist tradition on retracing the source in the footsteps of Acharyas: "from Nalanda to Himalaya and beyond".
Zemithang, as you might all know, is the last Indian border through which his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama entered India in 1959. Therefore, holding this conference here is significant," Khandu said.
While noting that Buddhism was expanding globally and witnessing an important resurgence in a few traditional areas, Khandu pushed for the need to make its presence more vibrant with roots connected to Nalanda Buddhism.
He insisted that those attending the conference, especially the youth, stay put for the three technical sessions scheduled for the day.
"We are blessed to receive his teachings based on ancient Nalanda tradition," CM Khandu said.
He added that great scholars of Nalanda University had developed Nalanda Buddhist traditions and, with time, they went to Tibet and propagated the faith through the great Nalanda gurus such as Acharya Santarakshita, and Nagarjuna, among others.
Section B: Chinese Domestic Politics
- Anushka Saxena
To begin with, on 18 April 2023, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Central Party Regulations Formulation Work Planning Outline (2023-2027)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Planning Outline"), and issued a notice requiring all regions and departments to combine the actual situation Conscientiously implement it.
As usual, the notice pointed out that the "Planning Outline" is guided by Xi Jinping's new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and conducts top-level design for the formulation of central party regulations in the next five years.
It further highlighted: The formulation and implementation of the "Planning Outline" will further promote the rule-based governance of the party, promote the high-quality development of intra-party laws and regulations, and ensure that the whole party maintains a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in terms of ideology, politics, and actions. The mission and tasks of the party in the new era and new journey are of great significance.
Moreover, the notice requires that party committees (and party groups) at all levels should thoroughly implement the decision-making arrangements of the Party Central Committee on the construction of intra-party regulations and systems as well as General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on governing the party according to regulations, further enhance the consciousness and firmness of governing the party according to regulations, and strengthen organizational leadership, implement work responsibilities, and ensure the implementation of the "Planning Outline".
Its forceful language instructs party cadres to ensure thorough implementation: “It is necessary to grasp the key to implementation, put the implementation of the party constitution and party rules in a more prominent position, pay close attention to the implementation of the party's internal laws and regulations with the “spirit of driving nails,” and promote the majority of party members and cadres to consciously respect the rules, learn the rules, observe the rules, and use the rules to ensure the implementation of the Planning Outline.”
Note: The “Spirit of Driving Nails” is a Chinese social philosophy which entails “working earnestly and bringing [an agenda] to fruition.” It is usually compared to “an attitude for working conscientiously, and sticking to the end with persistence and consistency.”
Moving on to the full text of the Planning Outline itself - it is divided into five parts:
First is “Persist in improving the "two safeguards" system to ensure the unity and unity of the whole party and the unity of action”
The six articles highlighted under this focus on safeguarding General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party, as well as safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and ‘centralized and unified leadership’ as the highest political principles and fundamental political rules of the Party-State.
It also instructs future formulation of "Regulations on the Implementation of the Party Central Committee's Major Decision-making and Deployment” to improve the implementation mechanism of the Party Central Committee's major decision-making arrangements.
Second is “Persist in improving the party's leadership laws and regulations to effectively ensure that the party takes control of the overall situation and coordinates all parties“
This instructs the party cadres that “We must uphold and strengthen the Party's leadership over all work, improve the Party's overall leadership system and coordinate all parties' leadership systems, adhere to the full implementation of the Party's leadership activities on the institutional track, improve leadership systems and mechanisms, innovate leadership methods and methods, and make the Party's leadership firm in implementing reform, development, stability, internal affairs, foreign affairs, national defense, and governance of the Party, the country, and the military to ensure that the Party remains the strong core of leadership for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
The four articles under this focus on ‘improving the system for the party to play a leading role in various organizations’, ‘improving the system of the party leading various undertakings’, ‘improving the system that implements the leadership of the party to the whole process of the performance of duties by the party and state institutions’, and ‘improving the system for improving the party's ability to govern and lead’.
Third is “Persist in improving the party's organizational regulations and systems to fully implement the party's organizational line in the new era“
This section argues that a strict organizational system is where the party's strengths and strengths lie.
It instructs: “It is necessary to implement the party's organizational line in the new era, focus on building a team of high-quality cadres who are worthy of the important task of national rejuvenation, strengthen the political and organizational functions of the party organization, and improve and maintain the party's centralized and unified organizational system, in order to uphold and strengthen the party's overall leadership, and provide a strong organizational guarantee to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
The six articles under this section discuss ‘improving the party's electoral system’, ‘improving the party's organizational system construction system’, ‘improving the system for enhancing the political and organizational functions of party organizations’, ‘improving the party's cadre work system’, ‘improving the party building system’, and ‘improving the party's talent work system’.
Fourth is “Persist in improving the party's self-construction laws and regulations and firmly promote the party's self-revolution“
This section argues that the “comprehensive and strict governance of the party is always on the road, and the party's self-revolution is always on the road.”
It instructs: “We must always remain sober and determined to solve the unique problems of a large party, implement the general requirements of party building in the new era, improve the system of comprehensive and strict party governance, and give full play to the construction of intra-party laws and regulations as a long-term strategy and fundamental basis for comprehensive and strict party governance.”
It adds: “We will improve the party's self-revolutionary system and normative system, establish rules and regulations to deal with the "four major tests" and overcome the "four kinds of dangers", and deeply promote the new great project of party building in the new era, so as to ensure that our party will always adhere to the original mission, which has always been the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Note: In his July 1 speech commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, former Chinese President Hu Jintao warned that the Party now faces internal challenges that are “more strenuous and pressing than at any point in the past.”
Hu said that the Party faces “four dangers” — lost vitality (精神懈怠), insufficient capacity (能力不足), alienation from the people (脱离群众) and rampant corruption (消极腐败). These are the dangers referenced in the abovementioned point of the ‘Planning Outline’.
The ‘Four Tests’ referenced above entail the following: (a) test of the CPC as the ruling party (b) test of reform and opening up (c) market economy test and (d) test in the external environment.
The seven articles under this section elaborate on ‘improving the party's publicity and education system’, ‘improving the democratic system within the party’, ‘improving the system of correcting formalism and bureaucracy’, ‘improving the system of opposing privileges’, ‘improving the party's discipline building system’, ‘improving the party's work error prevention and correction mechanism’, and ‘improving the integrated promotion of the system of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt’.
Fifth is “Persist in improving the party's supervision and protection laws and regulations to continue to inspire party members and cadres to use power impartially and start a business“
This section discusses that “to advance the party's self-revolution, we must insist on taking inner-party supervision as the leading role, and realize the organic unity and positive interaction between the party's self-supervision and people's supervision.”
It adds: “It is necessary to focus on strengthening responsibilities, standardizing the use of power, and encouraging and taking responsibility, constantly improving the party's supervision and protection laws and regulations, and forming an incentive and restraint mechanism in which power must be held accountable, responsibility must be assumed, power use must be supervised, and failures must be held accountable to ensure that the power conferred by the people is always used by the party to seek development for the cause and happiness for the people.”
The five articles under this section discuss ‘improving the party's unified leadership, comprehensive coverage, and authoritative and efficient supervision system’, ‘improving the accountability system’, ‘improving the party's discipline inspection system’, ‘improving the system of motivating cadres to take responsibility’, and ‘improving the operation guarantee system of party and government organs’.
Interested readers may refer to the complete text of the Outline here.
Then, on the afternoon of April 21 [China time], Xi Jinping chaired and delivered a speech at the first meeting of the 20th Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, marking the 45th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s ‘reform and opening up’, which began in 1978, as well as the 10th anniversary of the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which unanimously adopted the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the Reform.”
The Committee meeting deliberated and adopted seven new documents - the "Opinions on Strengthening the Status of the Main Body of Scientific and Technological Innovation of Enterprises,” "Opinions on Strengthening and Improving State-owned Economic Management to Strongly Support Chinese-style Modernization,” "Opinions on Promoting the Growth of Private Economic Development," "Working Rules of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reforms Commission,” “Working Rules of the Special Group of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission,” “Working Rules of the Office of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission,” and the “Main Points of the Work of the Central Comprehensive Deepening Reform Commission in 2023.”
Discussions during the meeting centered around some usual Party priorities:
Firstly, the meeting pointed out that “strengthening the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation is a key measure to deepen the reform of the scientific and technological system and promote the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.”
This would entail focusing on “for whom to innovate, who will innovate, what to innovate, and how to innovate,” focusing on system construction, and deploying the entire chain of technological innovation decision-making, R&D investment, scientific research organization, and achievement transformation as a whole.
It was also pointed out that “it is necessary to focus on the major needs of national strategies and industrial development, increase support for enterprise innovation, actively encourage and effectively guide private enterprises to participate in major national innovations, and promote enterprises to play a role in key core technological innovations and major original technological breakthroughs.”
Secondly, the meeting emphasized that “strengthening and improving the management of the state-owned economy must be based on the mission and functional positioning of the state-owned economy in the ‘new era’ and ‘new journey’, and from the strategic height of serving to build a new development pattern, promoting high-quality development, promoting common prosperity, and maintaining national security.”
The tenets under this include improving the economic security, quality structure, assets and enterprise management of the state-owned economy, deepening the reform of state-owned enterprises, focusing on making up for shortcomings, strengthening weaknesses, consolidating the bottom and promoting advantages [for them], and building an economy with top-level overall planning, clear rights and responsibilities, efficient operation, and strong supervision management system.
Thirdly, the meeting served as a reality check for any overbearing optimism by reiterating that “supporting the development of the private economy is the consistent policy of the Party Central Committee.”
It was further highlighted that to promote the development and growth of the private economy, efforts must be made [by the party-state] to optimize the development environment of the private economy, remove institutional barriers that restrict private enterprises from participating in market competition fairly, guide private enterprises to find the right position in high-quality development, and through their own reform and development, compliance management, transformation and upgrading, and continuously improve the quality of development.
It was also pointed out that the CCP must necessarily, fully consider the characteristics of the private economy, improve policy implementation methods, strengthen policy coordination, promote precise and direct access to various preferential policies, and effectively solve the actual difficulties of enterprises.
Finally, instructions on furthering the agenda of comprehensively deepening reforms reiterated that “it is necessary to strengthen reform investigation and research, go to places and departments where contradictions and problems are concentrated, go deep into the grassroots, go to the masses, observe the facts, and dissect the sparrows.” Party cadres were also told to “use your brains more and work harder. It is necessary to intensify the implementation of reforms, improve the reform implementation mechanism that is coordinated from top to bottom, integrated with each other, and that is precise and efficient, and make greater efforts to do a good job in reform supervision and promote the implementation of reform measures to be effective.”
Note: Here, the instruction to party cadres is to “dissect the sparrows”. In September 1956, Mao Zedong made a speech on “Some experiences in our party’s history,” where he first talked about dissecting the sparrows, meaning to investigate and survey villages and the grassroots areas to assess their economic situation.
To understand the phrase better, please refer to this exact excerpt that explains what Mao wanted the cadres to do when he asked them to “dissect the sparrows”:
“If you are to win over the peasants and rely on them, you must conduct investigations in the rural areas. The method is to investigate one or more villages and spend a few weeks there to get a clear idea of the class forces, the economic situation, living conditions and so on, in the countryside. The principal leaders, such as the general secretary of the Party, should themselves undertake this work and get to know one or two villages; they should try to find the time, for it is well worth the effort. Though there are plenty of sparrows , it is not necessary to dissect every one of them; to dissect one or two is enough. When the general secretary of the Party has investigated one or two villages and knows what's what, he will be able to help his comrades to become acquainted with the villages and attach importance to dissecting one or two "sparrows"; true, they know something about the countryside, but their knowledge doesn't go very deep, and therefore the directives they issued do not quite fit the rural conditions. Likewise, the comrades in charge of the leading bodies of the Party at the central, provincial and county levels should themselves investigate one or two villages, or dissect one or two "sparrows ". This is called "anatomy".”
Interested readers may want to read through another internal document recently issued on 20 April by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, entitled "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Forest and Grassland Fire Prevention and Extinguishment Work under the New Situation".
It lists the work requirements, the ideological requirements, and the main objectives for those who will be working on preventing wildfires across Chinese grasslands and forest areas.
An extract of the ‘Opinions’ gives us an idea of the work objectives of any future policy surrounding this: “By 2025, the focus of forest and grassland fire prevention and control will be deepened to deepen source control and full-scale prevention of risks, the governance method will be further expanded to implement group prevention and group governance, and strict management in accordance with the law, and the infrastructure will be scientifically planned and continuously improved to increase quality and efficiency.”
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Section C: Economy and Tech
- Amit Kumar
Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform discusses the role of enterprises, the state-owned sector, and the private sector
Xi Jinping presided over the first meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform of the 20th CPC Central Committee presided on 22 April.
As also highlighted in brief in the ‘Domestic Politics’ section above, and as elaborated by a Xinhua report, a total of seven documents were discussed and approved at the meeting. Noteworthy among them included the ones relating to the Role of Enterprises in Innovation, Strengthening and Improving the Management of the State-Owned Sector to Support Chinese Modernization, and Promoting the Development of Private Economy.
On the Role of Enterprises in Innovation:
While emphasizing the “principal role of enterprises in innovation” the commission committed to deepening “reform of scientific and technological system” and to “realize higher level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology.” Xinhua reported the commission as noting:
It is important to apply systems thinking, focus on “for whom we should innovate, who should innovate, what and how we should innovate." Institution building should be the pivot to make holistic arrangements for decision-making on technological innovation, R&D investment, organizing scientific research, and the industrial application of scientific and technological advances.
Systematic arrangements should be made for the distribution of such key resources for innovation as policies, fund, projects, platforms and professional personnel. Innovations in terms of science and technology, industries, and institutions and mechanisms should be promoted in a coordinated way, so as to promote the establishment of an innovation system with enterprises playing a principal role and closer collaboration between industries, universities, and research institutes. Meeting the major needs of the country's strategic and industrial development should be the focus in order to beef up support for enterprises in innovation, actively encourage and effectively guide private enterprises to participate in major national innovations, and promote enterprises to play their role in making innovations in core technologies in key fields and achieving breakthroughs in major original technologies.
On State-Owned Economy
While stressing the need for strengthening and improving the management of the state-owned sector, the Commission noted the strategic importance of the sector in forging a new development pattern, advancing high-quality development, promoting common prosperity and safeguarding national security. Xinhua reported:
Efforts should be made to deepen reform of state-owned enterprises, and focus on addressing inadequacies, strengthening weak areas, consolidating fundamentals and giving full play to strengths, so as to build a management system of the state-owned sector that has top-level coordination, clear rights and responsibilities, efficient operation and powerful supervision.
On the development of the Private Sector:
The Commission noted that “supporting the development of the private sector is a long-term principle of the CPC Central Committee.” Xinhua further stated:
To support the growth and expansion of the private sector, work must be done to improve the environment for its development, remove the institutional obstacles that prevent private enterprises from fairly participating in market competition, and guide them to accurately identify their role in the process of high-quality development, so that private enterprises will be able to constantly improve the quality of their development by reforming themselves, complying with law and regulations and upgrading themselves. We should fully consider the characteristics of the private economy, improve the way policies are implemented and coordinated to provide private enterprises with precise and direct access to preferential policies and thereby effectively solve the practical difficulties of enterprises. We should put into practice the building of a cordial and clean relationship between government and business to guide and promote the healthy growth of personages in the private sector.
Lack of top talent plagues China’s capability in generative AI
China has identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a strategic sector where the government wants to boost domestic capability and self-sufficiency. However, the lack of top AI talent is hindering the Chinese AI industry’s efforts.
The SCMP reports that “Chinese companies are scrambling for top talent in generative artificial intelligence (AI)” as it lacks skilled workforce “when compared to the US.” It states:
China’s demand for AI talent has surged threefold from five years ago, according to data compiled recently by Liepin, a Chinese recruitment platform. Roles involving pre-training models, conversational bots, and AI-generated content (AIGC) are in especially high demand.
As ChatGPT, the intelligent chatbot launched by US start-up OpenAI in November, takes the world by storm, the lack of top AI talent in China has become more apparent.
Among the nearly 1 million people in China who worked in AI jobs, just 0.1 percent held a doctorate, while the majority held master’s degrees or lower credentials, according to survey results published in October by the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security (CALSS), a government think tank.
That shortage could amount to as much as 300,000 workers across areas including AI chip research and development, machine learning, and natural language processing, among other subjects.
The scarcity is even more pronounced when it comes to top talent in China, which amounts to about a fifth of the numbers in the US, according to the “AI 2000” list curated by a Tsinghua University team in January 2022.
As of the end of 2021, China had 232 top research experts focusing on AI, ranking it the world’s No 2. The US had 1,146 top researchers, or more than 57 per cent of the world’s total.
However, when it comes to AI research publications, the report informs that China is a leader. It stated, “China produced more AI journal, conference and repository publications last year than anywhere else,” according to AI Index Report released by Stanford University in April. Yet, China “lags behind the US in large language and multimodal models, of which the US produced more than half of the world’s total last year. Large language models are the technological foundation that powers ChatGPT and similar technologies.”
China currently has 440 universities (nearly 35 percent of the country’s 1,270 universities), that have been authorised by the education ministry to offer AI courses.
China’s import of Australian coal surge
The SCMP reports that China’s Australian coal imports in March quadrupled from the previous month while thermal coal imports increased by 14 times in the same period amid the thawing of bilateral ties that began last year.
Beijing had lifted the unofficial trade barrier earlier this year following which Australia exported 284,989.5 tonnes of coking coal and 1.93 million tonnes of thermal coal to China in March, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs. China’s imports of coking coal and thermal coal increased by 72,982 tonnes and 134,254 tonnes respectively.
Before the unofficial ban, China’s import of coking coal and thermal coal stood at 4.36 million tonnes and 5.65 million tonnes respectively in March 2020.
China’s youth unemployment rate climbs to 19.6 percent in March
The SCMP reports that the jobless rate among those aged 16-24 climbed to 19.6 percent in March up from 18.1 percent in February, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), even as the overall unemployment rate dipped slightly to 5.3 percent. The national jobless rate was down 0.3 percent in March. The rate among people between 25-59 years stood at 4.3 percent, compared to 4.8 percent in February.
Foxconn slashes hourly wages for Chinese workers
Amidst growing efforts towards diversifying Apple’s supply chain away from China to India and Vietnam, Foxconn has slashed hourly wages to its Chinese workers in Shenzhen to below US$ 3 per hour.
The SCMP reports that Apple’s largest contract manufacturer, Foxconn Technology Group, “was offering rates of 19-20 yuan (US$2.76 to US$2.90) per hour this week for smartphone assembly line and component production roles,” which “was down from the same period last year, when Foxconn was offering 22 to 26 yuan for the same jobs.”
It further states:
The wage cuts come amid Apple’s effort to ramp up production in markets outside China as it seeks to diversify its supply chain after major disruptions last year in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, known as iPhone City for the Foxconn facilities that produce more of the smartphones than anywhere else in the world.
After worker protests over stringent Covid-19 restrictions and mass walkouts, Foxconn raised wages and bonuses to try to woo back some people who had left. The latest recruitment ad published by the Zhengzhou plant on Tuesday offered up to 2,500 yuan in subsidies to new hires, a fraction of the 6,500 yuan offered in April 2022.
Only about 70,000 workers are now at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant, less than half the designed capacity, according to a report from China Business News, a Shanghai-based newspaper. The article was later deleted.
Foxconn is reportedly planning to invest about US$700 million to build a new plant in India for local production. Reuters had reported last month that Foxconn had won an order to make AirPods in India and is looking to build a new factory in the country, the SCMP reported.
Comparing the current capacity of the two countries, the report stated that “While 85 per cent of all iPhones are currently assembled in China,” India assembles less than 5% of all the iPhones. However, “India-made devices were up 65 per cent last year.” India is expected “to assemble up to 50% of Apple’s iPhones by 2027,” according to Taiwan’s DigiTimes Research forecast in January, which “would put the scale of production on par with China.”
Vietnam has emerged as another contender in Apple’s effort to diversity its supply chain. In February this year, Foxconn “secured a new site in Vietnam..for US$62.5 million to meet its operational needs and expand production capacity.”
In August last year, “Foxconn had signed a US$300 million agreement with a Vietnamese developer to build a new factory in Bac Giang, where it already produces iPads and AirPods.”
In related news, Apple CEO Tim Cook’s visit to India was seen by many on Chinese netizens as the reaffirmation of Apple’s confidence in the Indian market and efforts to diversify its assembly line and manufacturing from China, reports SCMP.
40 major semiconductor projects worth US$74 billion underway in China’s Guangdong Province
Chinese Province Guangdong’s Vice Governor Wang Xi, at the annual China IC Manufacturing Conference on 18 April, informed that about “40 major semiconductor projects were under construction or being planned in the southern Chinese province, with the combined investments worth more than 500 billion yuan (US$74 billion).”
Guangdong is China’s major electronics manufacturing hub accounting for more than a third of country’s total semiconductor imports worth about 1 trillion yuan. Wang said, “Guangdong would build itself into a new semiconductor cluster similar to what has been developed in Beijing and Shanghai.”
An SCMP report said:
Guangdong’s chip industry development is part of Beijing’s national drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency, despite restrictions imposed by the US on China’s access to the most advanced chip technologies and production equipment.
Guangdong’s efforts in semiconductors are in line with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for self-reliance in core technologies, a goal he reiterated during his trip to the province last week.
The provincial capital of Guangzhou has invested 200 billion yuan in funding to help spur activity in semiconductors, renewable energy and other hi-tech fields. Separately, the traditional electronics and software hub of Shenzhen is trying to enhance its role in the chip value chain with incentives, including offering 10 million yuan a year in subsidies for local chip design firms to acquire the necessary IP cores for their research.
Section D: Foreign Policy Watch
- Kingshuk Saha
Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu visits Russia
Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu, at the invitation of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, was on a state visit to Russia from 16 to 19 April.
The CGTN Reports: Chinese State Councillor and Defense Minister Li Shangfu held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Tuesday, said the Chinese Defense Ministry. The two sides reaffirmed their firm support for each other in safeguarding core interests and resolutely opposed interference in internal affairs by external forces. The two sides agreed to fully implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, continue close high-level communication, improve the mechanism of interaction between the two militaries, expand cooperation between the theatre of operations, military branches and colleges, and make new contributions to promoting high-quality development of China-Russia relations, maintaining world and regional security and stability, and serving to build a community of human destiny.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator said, “By expanding cooperation between theatres, military services and academies, the meeting between Li and Shoigu has elevated the two countries' military cooperation. Cooperation between theatres means that the two militaries could jointly tackle emergencies in a particular direction, while cooperation between military services means that the armies, navies and air forces of the two countries could share their experiences and enhance their capabilities.”
The Moscow Times Reports: Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu on Sunday hailed ties with Moscow during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. "We have very strong ties. They surpass the military-political alliances of the Cold War era... They are very stable," he said in translated remarks broadcast on Russian TV.
He added that Russia-China ties have "already entered a new era. "This is my first overseas visit since taking over as China's defence minister. I specifically chose Russia for this to emphasize the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral ties," Li said. In the meeting also attended by Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin welcomed military cooperation between Russia and China. “We are also working actively through the military departments, regularly exchange useful information, cooperate in the field of military-technical cooperation, conduct joint exercises," Putin said. "This is, undoubtedly, another important area that strengthens the exclusively trusting, strategic nature of our relations," he added.
Yang Jin, a Russian affairs specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “There was a tradition of new Chinese defence ministers choosing Russia as their first overseas stop and this trip showed that Sino-Russian relations were solid and unaffected by changes in the international environment. The cooperation was helpful to maintain global stability and was needed because of the situation not only in Europe but also in the Asia-Pacific region”.
The visit of Defence Minister Li Shangfu to Russia shows the deepening of strategic ties between China and Russia as the Western world is increasingly trying to isolate them.
China hit out at the joint communiqué of G7 foreign ministers meeting
The Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers, after three days of meeting at Karuizawa in central Japan, issued a joint statement that called upon China to adhere to principles of the U.N. Charter and abstain from threats or the use of force have rattled China and led to a sharp response from China.
The CHINADAILY Reports: With the majority of it dedicated to coordinating their actions to help the United States safeguard its hegemony, the joint communique issued on Tuesday upon the conclusion of the three-day G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Karuizawa, Japan, points to the fact that the club of the richest economies is allowing itself to be "Nato-lized" by Washington as a geopolitical tool of the US.
It adds: Despite the great lengths they have gone to hide the sword sheathed in a scabbard decorated with partner-competitor-rival motifs, China was listed as one of the 11 "pressing global challenges", along with the Ukraine crisis and nuclear issues of Iran and the Korean Peninsula, clearly demonstrates the US-led club's true intent. That many China-related issues are included in the joint statement — including the Taiwan question, the maritime disputes in the South China Sea, alleged "human rights issues" in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, cyberspace governance and trade frictions — only serves to give the impression that the document was drafted by Washington and Tokyo together before it was toned down by the rest. All this being said, and given the growing aggressiveness of the increasingly "Natolized" G7, it begs the question, which countries are the ones not acting following their obligations under international laws?
Opposing the conclusions of the G7 foreign ministers’ meet, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “Regardless of China’s strong position and existing facts, the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs and maliciously smeared and discredited China. The communiqué reflects the group’s arrogance, prejudice and deliberate desire to block and contain China. We deplore and reject this and have made a strong démarche to the host Japan. As a responsible major country, China firmly acts on the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law and is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind. We once again urge G7 to reflect on their problems and discard the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices”.
Zoon Ahmed Khan, a research fellow at Tsinghua University commented, “From the standpoint of the US and its allies collectively launching a China-containment policy, Macron has been described as tone-deaf, defiant, and dangerous; whereas an emerging voice within the Global South, and even moderate voices within Europe, believe that the West is involved in the Taiwan issue would pose a security threat, stoke polarisation, and exacerbate challenges between Asia and Europe.”
Through G7 Joint Statement the Western world wants to show a united front against China’s aggressive postures however as the recent China visit by President Macron shows each country is driven by its interest and it wouldn’t be easy for the US to contain China unilaterally.
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo visits China
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo Bonassa at the invitation of Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang was on a state visit to China from 16 to 20 April.
Sun Yanfeng, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said, “The two sides are expected to conduct in-depth exchanges on bringing convenience to bilateral trade as well as on expanding cooperation in investment, technology and other sectors.”
The SCPM Reports: The foreign minister of Uruguay, Francisco Bustillo, hailed the decades-old relationship with China as he continued a five-day visit aimed at deepening bilateral ties and taking forward negotiations on a potential free-trade deal. The visit by Bustillo, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, comes as China seeks to foster closer ties with South America amid growing geopolitical tensions with the United States, which often considers the region to be its “backyard”.
It adds: Coming close on the heels of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s trip to China last week, Bustillo’s visit also raises hopes of closing the gap on a separate free-trade deal with the Southern Common Market, or Mercosur – which apart from Uruguay has Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay as full members. China is Uruguay’s No 1 trading partner, and the largest buyer of its beef, soybean and wool. Two-way trade last year grew 14.9 per cent to hit US$7.44 billion, according to data from China’s customs. Of this, imports from Uruguay totalled US$4.46 billion – an annual increase of 23 per cent.
On Tuesday Qin Gang held talks with Bustillo in Beijing. Qin said, “This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uruguay. The bilateral relations between the two countries have entered a stage of mature and stable development. The two sides should further consolidate political mutual trust and deepen practical cooperation, continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, and take China-Uruguay strategic partnership to a new level”.
Bonasso was reported as responding: “Uruguay attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to closer cooperation in the economy, trade and other fields. Uruguay is paying high attention to the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, and considers them to be important contributions to world peace and human development. Uruguay will continue to play a positive role in promoting Latin America-China relations”
The visit by Uruguayan Foreign Minister Bonassa after the visit of Brazilian President Lula to China shows the deepening of China’s ties with Latin American countries. As China’s relations are worsening with the Western world, it is forging new partnerships in Latin America and Africa.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister Visits China
Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith, at the invitation of Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, was on a state visit to China from 16 to 18 April.
The CGTN Reports: Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Monday met with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith in Beijing, and the two sides agreed to strengthen practical cooperation and promote coordinated development. Qin said the meeting between the two heads of state last November had drawn a grand blueprint for promoting the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future. China and Laos are standing at a new historical point and bilateral relations are facing new development opportunities.
He further said that China will cooperate with Laos to transfer the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two parties and the two countries into substantial cooperation results, adding that China supports Laos to develop steadily, improve people's livelihood and play a more important role in international and regional levels.
For his part, Saleumxay said Laos attaches great importance to Laos-China relations and is willing to implement the consensus, operate the Laos-China Railway well, deepen cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, energy and mining and travel, and solidly advance the building of Laos-China community with a shared future. Statistics from the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism show that since the China-Laos Railway opened on December 2021, it has activated the Lao tourism economy, as 85 per cent of tourists from Vientiane to Luang Prabang have chosen to take the train.
Reportedly, both sides agreed to maintain high-level mutual visits and close personnel exchanges, continue to support each other's core interests and take the lead in implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative in the cooperation between the two countries. Both sides also agreed to promote the development of future relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home together, and the connectivity of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and the Belt and Road Initiative to elevate China-ASEAN cooperation level. Both sides resolutely oppose external forces interfering in regional affairs by using issues such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, human rights and water resources.
Xu Liping, Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences commented on the meeting, “There is no doubt that the opening of such a cross-border service will play a positive role in promoting the connectivity of the whole region, enhancing confidence in regional cooperation and promoting the integration of the ASEAN mechanism.”
Laos has always had a close relationship with China and its economic dependence on China further reinforce the relations. For China, Laos is a key ally in Southeast Asia.
Gabonese President Visits China
Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was on a state visit to China from 18-21 April.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “ Gabon is an important country in Central Africa. China and Gabon enjoy a traditional friendship. Since our two countries established diplomatic ties nearly 50 years ago, with the care of generations of leaders on both sides, China and Gabon have cemented and grown our relations, and firmly supported each other on issues that bear on the core interests and major concerns of each side. In recent years, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, engaged in fruitful practical cooperation and worked closely with each other in international and regional affairs. President Ali Bongo Ondimba will be the first African head of state to be received by President Xi Jinping since his re-election as Chinese President. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will hold a welcome ceremony and a welcome banquet for President Ali Bongo. The two heads of state will hold talks and jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji will meet with President Ali Bongo respectively. We are confident that this visit will provide new impetus for the comprehensive and deep-going growth of China-Gabon relations, and generate new outcomes in the friendly cooperation between the two countries.”
The SCPM Reports: China will help Gabon to diversify its oil-dependent economy and build a green “belt and road” strategy to make the Central African nation a model for cooperation in addressing climate change. The announcement by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday came after he met Gabon’s visiting president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Under the agreement, China will help build key infrastructure and encourage Chinese investment in Gabon’s forestry, fishery, digital economy and industrial estates. China will “support Gabon in realising economic diversification and industrial upgrading”, Xi said as the two countries agreed to upgrade relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership – the highest level of bilateral relations for China.
He Wenping, senior research fellow of the African Studies Section at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, “In 2023, Chinese diplomacy is marching with full speed ahead. From Xi's state visit to Russia to receiving leaders of France, the EU, ASEAN countries and Brazil, these diplomatic activities reflect China's strategies in the continents of Europe, Asia and Latin America. The latest visit of President Bongo is not only reflecting the China-Gabon relations but also representing the high-level strategic ties between China and Africa."
The visit by Gabonese President Ondimba to China highlights China’s diplomatic outreach to Africa. China through its belt and road has made deep economic inroads in Africa.
Section E: Military Developments in China
- Anushka Saxena
This week, the China-US-Taiwan saga continues as military posturing by both China and the US in the Taiwan Straits, as well as the surrounding regions, diversifies and intensifies.
To begin with, on the morning of Sunday, 16 April 2023, China launched a Long March-4B rocket to place a new meteorological satellite in space. People’s Daily reported: “The rocket blasted off at 9:36 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and soon sent the Fengyun-307 satellite into its preset orbit. The satellite will provide services for weather forecasting, disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change response and ecological conservation.”
Various media platforms reported: “Maritime authorities in China’s eastern Fujian province this week banned ships from an area north of Taiwan from 9:00 am (0100 GMT) to 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) on Sunday due to “possible falling rocket wreckage”.”
Global Times quoted the warning issued by the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration: “Rocket debris may end up in an area of sea to the northeast of the island of Taiwan on Sunday between 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, according to a navigational warning notice issued by the Maritime Safety Administration of East China's Fujian Province released on Thursday.”
Reports add that “Taiwan’s transport ministry said that Beijing had also planned to prohibit aircraft from entering the zone — crisscrossed by a number of international routes — for around half an hour from 9:30 am, though Chinese authorities later criticized the claim as inaccurate.”
We had covered this in the previous edition of ‘Eye on China’, wherein we discussed Wang Wenbin’s comments detailing the false nature of claims that China had imposed a “no-fly zone” around Taiwan.
Then, on 16 April itself, the Public Affairs Department of the US Navy 7th Fleet released a statement saying:
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit April 16 (local time) through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law. The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State. Milius’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.
It invoked an obvious angry reaction from the Chinese PLA Navy, with Colonel Shi Yi, a Chinese military spokesman, saying on Monday (17 April) that troops in the area “remain on a high level of alert at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.”
He also reiterated in his statement that the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius sailed through the Taiwan Strait and “publicly sensationalized its passage,” in response to which, “troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command monitored the vessel and maintained vigilance throughout the whole course.”
China has objected to the US’s ‘freedom of navigation’ operations in the Taiwan Straits multiple times before even as the US Navy 7th fleet continues to deploy guided-missile destroyers apparently “in accordance with international law.”
The dissonance in position occurs because the waters China claims as territorial, the US projects as “high-seas, beyond the coastal waters of any nation,” in an obvious hit out at China.
Then, on 17 April, the Shandong Maritime Safety Agency issued a navigation warning stating that "major military activities" would be conducted in the Yellow Sea from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday (April 18). It stated that navigation in the designated area during this time period would be prohibited but did not specify what military activities would be carried out.
Coordinates for ‘military activities’ by the MSA | Made by Anushka Saxena
Some analysts believe that the exercises were announced in retaliation to the Communiqué issued at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Japan on 17 April, in which, the Ministers affirmed the following in China’s context:
“We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarization activities in the region.”
Please refer to this interesting Twitter Thread on the matter.
The official Weibo account of Chinese broadcaster CCTV’s military news, on 22 April (Saturday), reported on future activities in the Yellow Sea: “According to the website of the China Maritime Safety Administration, the Dalian Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning. From 16:00 on April 23 to 16:00 on the 30th, military missions in the northern part of the Yellow Sea in the Bohai Strait are prohibited.”
Then, on the morning of 18 April, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense announced that 12 PLA Air Force military aircraft and four PLAN vessels were tracked around Taiwan from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday. Of the aircraft, four had entered the southwest sector of Taiwan's air defense identification zone.
Taiwan News reported: “Aircraft tracked in the ADIZ included one Shaanxi Y-8 Reconnaissance (RECCE) tactical reconnaissance plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) plane, and two Guizhou WZ-7 Soaring Dragon RECCE unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The Y-8 aircraft was detected in the southwest corner of the ADIZ, while the UAVs were tracked to the northeast of the Dongsha Islands.”
Amidst the growing tensions surrounding Chinese aggression within Taiwan, the island has apparently announced that it will buy as many as 400 land-launched Harpoon missiles intended to repel a potential Chinese invasion, completing a deal that Congress approved in 2020, according to a trade group’s leader and people familiar with the issue.
Taiwan has previously purchased ship-launched versions of the Harpoon, which is made by Boeing Co. Now, a contract with Boeing issued on Taiwan’s behalf by the US Naval Air Systems Command marks a first for the mobile, land-launched version, according to Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council.
Three other people familiar with the deal, including an industry official, confirmed the contract is for Taiwan.
The Pentagon announced the $1.7 billion contract with Boeing on April 7 but made no mention of Taiwan as the purchaser.
Beijing criticized the deal on Tuesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin saying at a regular press briefing that it would “undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests.”
Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said at a briefing in Taipei that he wouldn’t comment on the details of the sale. Taiwan was confident it can be completed on schedule, he said.
Then, two new major pieces of equipment have been inducted into the PLA this week:
Firstly, according to a video published by the Chinese Ministry of Defense on 19 April, the 71st Air Defense Brigade of the 71st Group Army of the PLA Eastern Theatre Command has received new military equipment including an improved version of the CS/SA5 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (SPAAG) based on new 8x8 armored vehicle developed and designed by the Chinese company NORINCO (China North Industries Group Corporation Limited).
Screengrab from the Chinese MOD Video via Army Recognition Photos attached to the press release show that the newly delivered vehicles are a type of truck-mounted anti-aircraft system integrated with a rotary cannon, a set of missile launchers, a radar system and a set of smoke dischargers, all on a wheeled vehicle.
This type of self-propelled anti-aircraft system, which is similar to a naval close-in weapon system but runs on land, has been observed in service with other PLA Army units since 2022, including a combined arms brigade affiliated with the 75th Group Army and the Xizang Military Command, according to official media reports.
Its rotary gun has six 25-millimeter-caliber barrels. Combined with the four FN-16/HY-6B air defense missiles on the turret, the system can cover an air defense radius of three to four kilometers against helicopters, cruise missiles, loitering munitions and low-flying drones, Shanghai-based news website eastday.com reported at the time.
In addition to its primary anti-aircraft role, the CS/SA5 can also serve as a ground support weapon, engaging lightly armored vehicles and infantry targets with its 35mm cannon.
In tandem, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Monday that the new self-propelled anti-aircraft system can be used in mobile air defense, meaning that it can provide air defense to troops on the move rather than staying in a fixed position.
This flexibility makes it a valuable asset for modern armies that require a versatile and mobile air defense system.
Other elements of the SPAAG include:
The main armament of the CS/SA5, which consists of a 6-barrel 30mm Gatling gun capable of firing a variety of ammunition types, including armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds. On each side of the turret are also mounted two FN-6A Man-portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS). The cannon has a high rate of fire, enabling it to engage multiple targets quickly and effectively;
Special radar and sensors (detection radar located at the rear and day/night thermal tracking site sights at the front), using which it can target drones that are difficult to spot and come in large numbers or in a swarm, and choose to use a gun or missile based on the situation; and
computerized tracking and firing control systems.
Secondly, on 21 April, Global Times reported that the PLA Navy recently commissioned the Xianyang, the eighth Type 055M 10,000-ton-class large destroyer, and that all eight warships in this class have now entered service with the PLA Navy.
Having just entered service, the Type 055 large destroyer Xianyang (Hull No. 108) recently embarked from a naval base of PLA Southern Theater Command for a combat training mission, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Friday, just in time for the 74th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy on 23 April.
Since the commissioning of the first Type 055 large destroyer in January 2020, the PLA Navy now operates eight warships in this class, namely the Nanchang, the Lhasa, the Anshan, the Wuxi, the Dalian, the Yan'an, the Zunyi and the Xianyang.
As per an expert for GT, four of these vessels are in service with the PLA North Sea Fleet, and the other four are in service with the PLA South Sea Fleet.
Some features of the Xianyang are as follows:
The Type 055 large destroyer is a large platform that can carry significant amounts of equipment and stay at the sea for longer periods compared with the previous generation of destroyers. It can also sail faster thanks to its combined gas and gas propulsion system, said Liu Shenghai, head of the mechanical and electrical department on the Yan'an, CCTV reported.
Observers said that a Type 055 has a displacement of more than 12,000 tons, is equipped with a 112-cell missile vertical launch system and is endowed with the capability to gain strong situational awareness.
The 130-millimeter-caliber naval gun, a large missile carrying capacity, the integrated radio frequency system and the anti-submarine weapons system of the Type 055 give the warship outstanding comprehensive combat capabilities, CCTV quoted sailors on the Type 055 as saying.
Over the past three years, Type 055s have participated in distant sea training in regions like the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea, the Philippine Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea. They have also been parts of the PLA Navy's aircraft carrier groups, observers said.
Just before this, near the end of March 2023, the Type 055 large destroyer Wuxi achieved operational capability after completing a full-course acceptance test, becoming the fourth combat-ready 10,000-ton class destroyer of the PLA North Sea Fleet.
Next, on 18 April, Washington Post, as part of its analyses of the ‘Discord Leak’ (a leak of highly classified US Pentagon documents on a Discord server by Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira), released a report on one of the leaked documents that claims that China has now operationalized its first WZ-8 Drone Unit in Anhui province.
A secret document from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which has not previously been reported, shows the Chinese military is making technological advances that could help it target American warships around Taiwan and military bases in the region.
Image of the Leaked document showing WZ-8 at the airbase in Liuan, potential flight paths for the drone, potential speeds various drone types, including the WZ-8 can reach, and what the body of the drone is made of. Upon closer inspection of the image, WZ-8 ground activities could be seen in the Liuan airbase with an airframe parked inside an aircraft shelter as well as another one being towed on the runway. | Via WaPo The document features satellite imagery dated Aug. 9 [2022] that shows two WZ-8 rocket-propelled reconnaissance drones at an air base in eastern China, about 350 miles inland from Shanghai. The drones are a cutting-edge surveillance system that could help China gather real-time mapping data to inform strategy or carry out missile strikes in a future conflict.
The assessment says the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had “almost certainly” established its first unmanned aerial vehicle unit at the base, which falls under the Eastern Theater Command, the branch of the Chinese military responsible for enforcing Beijing’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan.
Capable of reaching the speed of Mach 3 and an altitude of 100,000 ft (30km), the WZ-8 is unlike any other drones in the current Chinese Air Force inventory. It is a drone aimed to provide “Penetrating ISR” capability against time-sensitive targets. In other words, it was designed to take advantage of its high-speed and high-altitude performance to try to evade interception from air defense missiles and fighters, make a recce run through the area where the targets of interest are located and survey them with its onboard Synthetic Aperture Radar and Electro-Optical Sensor Packages in a limited time window.
The document listed out several potential WZ-8 landing airfields, including the Zhangzhou Airfield, Huian Airfield, Fuzhou Yixu Airfield and Dashuipo Airfield. After the recce run, both the drone and the bomber would land at the same airfield in order to ferry the drone back to Liuan Airfield, its home base.
In addition to the projected ISR mission profile against the targets of interest within the west coast of South Korea and Taiwan that the document depicted, the WZ-8 might also be used to confirm the position of another time-sensitive target, the US Carrier Strike Group. The high-speed, high-altitude drone might be used to complement the existing Chinese Kill Chain by plotting its location and help coordinate other units to form an anti-ship raid against it.
WZ-8 | Via Naval News
Beijing introduced the WZ-8 drones in 2019 when two of the jet-black aircraft were paraded past Tiananmen Square during celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Communist Party-run People’s Republic of China. Few analysts considered the drones fully operational at the time.
Now, as satellite intelligence has propped up images of these super/hyper-sonic drones being stored at the Liuan/ Lu’an Airbase in Anhui, debate surrounding the re-opening and expansion of the airbase are also making the rounds.
Finally, some news excerpts from the celebration of the 74th founding anniversary of the PLA Navy:
Global Times reports: “In addition to opening many naval bases along China's coastal regions to the public, China celebrated the 74th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on Sunday [23 April] by releasing updates on its major naval development programs, including the trial progress of its third aircraft carrier Fujian, a plan to build more carriers and develop more new-type warplanes, as well as the commissioning of a 10,000 ton-class large destroyer.”
From Saturday to Monday, the Navy set up 62 naval barracks in 22 cities across the country, including Qingdao, Dalian, Shanghai, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, and Haikou. Opening activities were held, and the Navy's main battleships in active service were displayed at multiple military ports (of which some were revealed to the public for the first time). For example:
In Qingdao, in East China's Shangdong Province, at one of the main event sites, the Type 052D destroyer Kaifeng, the Type 054A frigate Daqing, the comprehensive replenishment ship Kekexilihu and the comprehensive submarine rescue ship Hongzehu are open for the public to visit.
On April 22, citizens visited the Kaifeng Ship at No. 3 Wharf of Qingdao Port in Shandong Province. This is the first time that the Kaifeng Ship has been opened to the public.
On April 22 itself, in Yantai, Shandong Province, citizens visited the Yantai ship of the Navy. Officers and soldiers on board the Navy Yantai ship introduced the ship's weapons and equipment to citizens.
Chinese citizens visiting the Kaifeng Ship at No. 3 Wharf of Qingdao Port in Shandong Province | Via ChinaDaily Then, 46 naval attachés stationed in China or defense attachés in charge of naval affairs from 41 countries including France, the United States, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil were invited to visit Qingdao, Shandong.
Reportedly, South African defense attaché to China, Busby, said that the visit to the open ships has left him with much more to say, and he looks forward to more opportunities to communicate with the Chinese navy.
Then, on Sunday morning, the military attaché group visited Tsingtao Beer Museum and Qingdao Hisense R&D Center successively; in the afternoon, they visited the Naval Submarine Academy, visited the library, student dormitories, multiple training simulation system laboratories and teaching equipment, and learned about the teaching situation of the college, subsequently conducting a discussion with the students.
The big event from Saturday night was that the power test and mooring test of China's third aircraft carrier, Fujian, were carried out smoothly, and the PLAN is now entering its ‘three-carrier-era’.
According to a DongWang report, as the Fujian ship enters service, the new carrier-based aircraft supporting it will gradually unveil its mystery.
The take-off method of electromagnetic catapult determines that Fujian can carry various new types of carrier-based aircraft such as fixed-wing carrier-based drones, heavy-duty carrier-based fighter jets, and fixed-wing carrier-based early warning aircraft.
The report also adds that “the outside world pays attention to these new models. Moreover, due to the vast ocean area of China, the three aircraft carriers Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian cannot meet the demand, so new aircraft carriers will continue to be built in the future.”
To read more on developments concerning Chinese military forces, please refer to :
Other sets of reports in the series on US leaked documents that say Taiwan is ill-prepared for a war with China, and cannot thwart Chinese air attack: SCMP; WaPo
Spacebattles (a more informal channel for public discussions)
Eye on China is a weekly newsletter curated by the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at The Takshashila Institution, a public policy think-tank based out of Bengaluru, India.
Contributors :
India-China Relations: Amit Kumar
Chinese Domestic Politics: Anushka Saxena
Economy and Tech: Amit Kumar
Foreign Policy Watch: Kingshuk Saha
Military Developments in China: Anushka Saxena
