More than Covid-19, the woes around China’s zero-Covid policy continues to make news in the country. Chinese leadership is trying everything it can to keep a positive narrative of its draconian policy, amid WHO Chief calling it ‘unsustainable’ and reports of President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm. This week, in Chinese Vignettes, we’ll cover China’s intensifying lockdown and other top stories making news in the country.&nbsp;

CHINA OVER THE WEEK&nbsp;

Intensifying lockdown in China&nbsp;

For weeks now, residents in more than 40 cities and provinces continue to be under lockdown. And this lockdown is only intensifying. While the Chinese leadership continues to deny claims of a lockdown in Beijing, the residents rush to buy food over lockdown fears.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It is unnecessary to hoard food… residents don’t need to worry, the city’s operations won’t be affected,” said Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing municipal government at a press briefing on Thursday.&nbsp;

Even pictures off empty streets portray the contrary narrative.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-has-xi-jinping-lost-the-plot-478218/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to a Bloomberg report, virtual fences have cut off cab access to Covid-hit districts. This is after reports of city’s parks, gyms and movie theaters being shut to halt the spread of the virus. Beijing’s eastern Chaoyang district, home to embassies and multinationals, instructed companies “providing services other than supporting residents’ livelihoods” to be shut until further notice, and new rounds of mass testing were ordered in the capital city.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The South China Morning Post reported that some residents have endured more than 20 days of lockdown Beijing’s most populous district of Chaoyang.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Meanwhile, China’s financial hub Shanghai, earlier this week, reportedly once again tightened its Covid-19 restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported a new lockdown rule, “if one person tests positive, the whole building isolates.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Shanghai officials also announced that it aims to bring the outbreak under control by May 20 achieving its “societal zero-Covid.” From May 16, the deputy mayor of Shanghai announced that the city would begin to re-open convenience stores and pharmacies, gradually reducing other restrictions in days to come and the return to ‘more normal’ life from June 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/shanghai-to-resume-normal-life-as-tough-covid-19-lockdown-set-to-end-on-june-1-479359">Also read |&nbsp;Shanghai to resume normal life as tough COVID-19 lockdown set to end on June 1</a>

China slams WHO Chief Dr. Tedros&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Tuesday, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) called China’s zero-Covid policy ‘not sustainable.’&nbsp;

“We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behavior of the virus and what&nbsp;we now anticipate in the future,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable … I think a shift would be very important,”&nbsp;he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Censors quickly scrubbed these comments off the Chinese internet, removing Weibo post on the United Nations account, reported the South China Morning Post.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Following which any search for the post was deemed to be illegal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Chinese government didn’t take Dr. Tedros’ criticism well, and hit out at WHO chief, calling his remarks “irresponsible.”&nbsp;

“We hope the relevant individual will make objective and reasonable views of China’s epidemic protocol and policy and try to get a better understanding of the facts and refrain from making irresponsible remarks,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing in Beijing.&nbsp;

Hu Xijing, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a Chinese government mouthpiece, wrote on his Weibo account that the WHO chief was jeopardising China’s fight against Covid.&nbsp;

&nbsp;“The WHO should consider what impact it has on China when they comment on China now. They should not jeopardise China’s effort to fight the pandemic from outside.” he wrote.&nbsp;

The same day, a study by&nbsp;Fudan University in Shanghai and Indiana University in the United States, and the US medical research agency National Institutes of Health&nbsp;said China could see more than 1.5 million deaths without Covid-19 controls.&nbsp;&nbsp;

‘Such an outbreak is projected to cause 112 million symptomatic cases, or 80 cases per 1,000 people, with 2.7 million of them requiring treatment in intensive care,’ reported the South China Morning Post.&nbsp;

Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen arrested under security law&nbsp;

This week, the news of&nbsp;90-year-old cardinal&nbsp;Joseph Zen’s arrest sent shockwaves the community. Hong Kong’s veteran Catholic church leader along with 3 others was detained by the police on Wednesday for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.&nbsp;

Zen, Former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng, singer Denise Ho and&nbsp;academic Hui Po-keung were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up in 2019 to provide assistance to those involved in anti-government protests.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Joseph Zen, a retired bishop has been a long-time advocate for Hong Kong’s democracy movement and religious freedom in mainland China.&nbsp;

CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE&nbsp;

Is President Xi suffering from a cerebral aneurysm?&nbsp;

Reports of Chinese President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm resurfaced this week. The media reports said that due to this medical problem, he had to be hospitalized at the end of 2021, and Xi preferred to be treated with traditional Chinese medicines rather than undergoing a surgery.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The reports when on to outline various incidents to back their claim. According to the reports, he had a noticeable limp in his gait during his visit to Italy in March 2019. In Shenzhen in October 2020, his delayed appearance, slow speech and coughing spree during an address to the public. And especially the fact that he avoided meeting foreign leaders since the outbreak of Covid-19 till the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February.&nbsp;

CHINESE SURVEILLANCE SHIP SPOTTED OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA&nbsp;

This week, according to the Australian government, a Chinese surveillance ship was spotted off the coast of Australia. The Department of Defence alleged that the&nbsp;Dongdiao Class Auxiliary Intelligence ship named Haiwangxing&nbsp;was currently headed east along the country’s north-west coast.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Friday that the ship had been tracking the western coastline for the past week.&nbsp;

“Its intent, of course, is to collect intelligence right along the coastline. It has been in close proximity to military and intelligence installations on the west coast of Australia,” Dutton was quoted as saying by the ABC.&nbsp;

“I think people understand the difficulty, the reality, of the Indo-Pacific at the moment, the acts of aggression from the Chinese leadership and from the Chinese government,”&nbsp;he added.&nbsp;

He further went on to point out that other Chinese vessels had been located off Australian waters in the past year during military exercises.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dutton’s statement comes a week before the country is set to hold its federal elections.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Countering these allegations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that his country&nbsp;“always abides by international law and international practice.”&nbsp;

When asked about Dutton’s comments he said, “The relevant Australian politician should look at the situation in an objective manner instead of making sensational remarks.”&nbsp;

More than Covid-19, the woes around China’s zero-Covid policy continues to make news in the country. Chinese leadership is trying everything it can to keep a positive narrative of its draconian policy, amid WHO Chief calling it ‘unsustainable’ and reports of President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm.

More than Covid-19, the woes around China’s zero-Covid policy continues to make news in the country. Chinese leadership is trying everything it can to keep a positive narrative of its draconian policy, amid WHO Chief calling it ‘unsustainable’ and reports of President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm. This week, in Chinese Vignettes, we’ll cover China’s intensifying lockdown and other top stories making news in the country. CHINA OVER THE WEEK Intensifying lockdown in China For weeks now, residents in more than 40 cities and provinces continue to be under lockdown. And this lockdown is only intensifying. While the Chinese leadership continues to deny claims of a lockdown in Beijing, the residents rush to buy food over lockdown fears. “It is unnecessary to hoard food… residents don’t need to worry, the city’s operations won’t be affected,” said Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing municipal government at a press briefing on Thursday. Even pictures off empty streets portray the contrary narrative. According to a Bloomberg report, virtual fences have cut off cab access to Covid-hit districts. This is after reports of city’s parks, gyms and movie theaters being shut to halt the spread of the virus. Beijing’s eastern Chaoyang district, home to embassies and multinationals, instructed companies “providing services other than supporting residents’ livelihoods” to be shut until further notice, and new rounds of mass testing were ordered in the capital city. The South China Morning Post reported that some residents have endured more than 20 days of lockdown Beijing’s most populous district of Chaoyang. Meanwhile, China’s financial hub Shanghai, earlier this week, reportedly once again tightened its Covid-19 restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported a new lockdown rule, “if one person tests positive, the whole building isolates.” Shanghai officials also announced that it aims to bring the outbreak under control by May 20 achieving its “societal zero-Covid.” From May 16, the deputy mayor of Shanghai announced that the city would begin to re-open convenience stores and pharmacies, gradually reducing other restrictions in days to come and the return to ‘more normal’ life from June 1. Also read | Shanghai to resume normal life as tough COVID-19 lockdown set to end on June 1 China slams WHO Chief Dr. Tedros On Tuesday, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) called China’s zero-Covid policy ‘not sustainable.’ “We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behavior of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus “We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable … I think a shift would be very important,” he added. Censors quickly scrubbed these comments off the Chinese internet, removing Weibo post on the United Nations account, reported the South China Morning Post. Following which any search for the post was deemed to be illegal. The Chinese government didn’t take Dr. Tedros’ criticism well, and hit out at WHO chief, calling his remarks “irresponsible.” “We hope the relevant individual will make objective and reasonable views of China’s epidemic protocol and policy and try to get a better understanding of the facts and refrain from making irresponsible remarks,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing in Beijing. Hu Xijing, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a Chinese government mouthpiece, wrote on his Weibo account that the WHO chief was jeopardising China’s fight against Covid. “The WHO should consider what impact it has on China when they comment on China now. They should not jeopardise China’s effort to fight the pandemic from outside.” he wrote. The same day, a study by Fudan University in Shanghai and Indiana University in the United States, and the US medical research agency National Institutes of Health said China could see more than 1.5 million deaths without Covid-19 controls. ‘Such an outbreak is projected to cause 112 million symptomatic cases, or 80 cases per 1,000 people, with 2.7 million of them requiring treatment in intensive care,’ reported the South China Morning Post. Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen arrested under security law This week, the news of 90-year-old cardinal Joseph Zen’s arrest sent shockwaves the community. Hong Kong’s veteran Catholic church leader along with 3 others was detained by the police on Wednesday for allegedly colluding with foreign forces. Zen, Former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng, singer Denise Ho and academic Hui Po-keung were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up in 2019 to provide assistance to those involved in anti-government protests. Joseph Zen, a retired bishop has been a long-time advocate for Hong Kong’s democracy movement and religious freedom in mainland China. CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE Is President Xi suffering from a cerebral aneurysm? Reports of Chinese President Xi Jinping suffering from a cerebral aneurysm resurfaced this week. The media reports said that due to this medical problem, he had to be hospitalized at the end of 2021, and Xi preferred to be treated with traditional Chinese medicines rather than undergoing a surgery. The reports when on to outline various incidents to back their claim. According to the reports, he had a noticeable limp in his gait during his visit to Italy in March 2019. In Shenzhen in October 2020, his delayed appearance, slow speech and coughing spree during an address to the public. And especially the fact that he avoided meeting foreign leaders since the outbreak of Covid-19 till the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February. CHINESE SURVEILLANCE SHIP SPOTTED OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA This week, according to the Australian government, a Chinese surveillance ship was spotted off the coast of Australia. The Department of Defence alleged that the Dongdiao Class Auxiliary Intelligence ship named Haiwangxing was currently headed east along the country’s north-west coast. Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Friday that the ship had been tracking the western coastline for the past week. “Its intent, of course, is to collect intelligence right along the coastline. It has been in close proximity to military and intelligence installations on the west coast of Australia,” Dutton was quoted as saying by the ABC. “I think people understand the difficulty, the reality, of the Indo-Pacific at the moment, the acts of aggression from the Chinese leadership and from the Chinese government,” he added. He further went on to point out that other Chinese vessels had been located off Australian waters in the past year during military exercises. Dutton’s statement comes a week before the country is set to hold its federal elections. Countering these allegations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that his country “always abides by international law and international practice.” When asked about Dutton’s comments he said, “The relevant Australian politician should look at the situation in an objective manner instead of making sensational remarks.”

Chinese vignettes | Beijing censors Xi’s friend Tedros after he calls China’s Zero-Covid not ‘sustainable’

After China’s financial hub Shanghai, its capital Beijing is staring at a harsh lockdown, and frustration and anger from its citizens in tow. Currently, at least 27 cities with more than 179 million people are under full or partial lockdown.

While China is showing few signs of loosening its stringent zero-Covid policies, its capital Beijing is beginning to shut down. And veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang passed away in a Covid-19 quarantine hotel in the city.

Meanwhile, in the international arena, Serbia is showing off new Chinese missiles, and the Australian Prime Minister has accused China of interference in foreign politics. Star Skier Eileen Gu’s retirement message gains a mixed response from Chinese netizens, some warm and some not too much. This week in Chinese Vignettes, we’ll cover all the top stories making news in China.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-has-chinas-zero-covid-strategy-failed-474763/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

China over the week

Rising Covid cases and China’s dwindling economy&nbsp;

China’s financial capital Shanghai and national capital Beijing power much of the country’s economy. But both are under lockdown. And these strict curbs along with the ongoing Ukraine crisis are taking a significant toll on the economy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“The COVID-19 and Ukraine crisis have led to increased risks and challenges. The complexity, severity, and uncertainty of China’s economic development environment have increased,” Politburo was quoted as saying.&nbsp;

In April, the damage from shutdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere was apparent in the first official data released over the weekend. ‘Both manufacturing and services activity plunged to their worst levels since February 2020’ imposed during the Wuhan lockdown last year, reported Bloomberg. The offshore yuan, too, weekend.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Bloomberg report added that the signs of strain on global supply chains showed ‘suppliers facing the longest delays in more than two years in delivering raw material to their manufacturing customers.’ The GDP in Covid locked-down Jilin dropped 7.9 per cent&nbsp;in the three-month period of January-to-March from a year ago.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/shanghai-hits-covid-milestone-beijing-still-wary-475178">Also read |&nbsp;Shanghai hits Covid milestone, Beijing still wary</a>

The data came a day after President Xi promised to meet China’s economic targets while sticking to the zero-Covid policy.&nbsp;

“Stabilising growth, employment and prices are facing new challenges. It is very important to do a good job in economic work and effectively protect and improve people’s livelihood,” the Politburo was quoted as saying.&nbsp;

"We will strengthen macroeconomic policy adjustments to stabilize the economy, and strive to achieve the expected economic and social development goals for the full year," the statement added.&nbsp;

President Xi also signaled an easing of its crackdown on the tech sector as a part of the economic relief package. On Tuesday, he chaired a meeting that announced a push to boost demand, ‘reinforcing Beijing's reliance on big-ticket projects to spur growth,’ said VOA News.&nbsp;

Quarantining in China&nbsp;&nbsp;

Forced quarantining in China as a part of the zero-Covid policy is taking a massive toll on people. The Covid rules in China demand that anyone who either infected or a close contact of someone who is must be sent to state-run quarantining facilities.&nbsp;

Many videos, pictures and reports have gone viral of the showing the unsanitary conditions, with clogged up toilets and overflowing dustbins.&nbsp;&nbsp;The elderly especially those suffering from underlying medical conditions are suffering the most.&nbsp;

A Shanghai resident told the BBC that her grandfather who&nbsp;suffers from diabetes and hypertension&nbsp;is bedridden and he heavily relies on caretakers.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-chinese-people-claim-quarantine-facilities-in-shanghai-have-insufficient-staff-shortage-of-food-468545">Watch | Shanghai residents claim quarantine facilities have insufficient staff, shortage of food</a>

"He just can't go to quarantine centers or hotels. The hygiene situation there is worrying. Old people can't adapt to such environments. How can he live there? ….&nbsp;It's just terrifying. The government has to give us a solution. [At the moment] they're just using old people's lives to achieve this goal of 'zero Covid'."&nbsp;BBC quoted the resident as saying.&nbsp;

This week, veteran actor Kenneth Tsang was found collapsed in his hotel room in Hong Kong where he had been undergoing quarantine after returning from Singapore. Tsang was 87, and had more than 230 acting credits including James Bond film Die Another Day.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

‘He had tested negative for Covid-19, had been vaccinated with three doses, and had no chronic illness,’ said the South China Morning Post.&nbsp;

Last week, Philippine Ambassador to China&nbsp;Jose Santiago Sta.&nbsp;Romana, 74,&nbsp;&nbsp;was also passed away while undergoing his mandatory quarantine.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to a Daily Mail report, a Chinese man sealed himself inside&nbsp;his car to quarantine because he thought that he had Covid.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, after Shenzhen, Guangzhou has become the second city to open a pet quarantine centre.

Star Skier Eileen Gu retires&nbsp;&nbsp;

This week, Chinese&nbsp;Winter Olympics&nbsp;superstar&nbsp;Eileen Gu&nbsp;announced her retirement over social media. "Thank you China for the unforgettable few months &amp; for the endless love,&nbsp;🖤" she said.&nbsp;

While she was showered with love, her farewell post on Weibo caused a stir. On one hand, many thanked her back, others accused her of ‘acting like a foreigner.’ Many questioned why she didn’t say “thank you motherland” or “thank you (my) country” like other Chinese athletes, reported CNN.&nbsp;

While one trending comment said,"&nbsp;"You're most welcome because you're one of us," another said, ”&nbsp;Ultimately, she thinks of herself as an American. She only joined China temporarily."&nbsp;

CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE&nbsp;

Serbia shows off new Chinese Missile&nbsp;

Over the weekend, Serbia showed off its new Chinese-made surface-to-air missiles and other military hardware. Earlier this month, China delivered its FK-3&nbsp;surface-to-air defense system, purchased by Belgrade in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Serbia is the only European country to operate the Chinese missile system and CH-92A drones.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/serbias-buys-chinese-missiles-europes-russian-connection-475416">Also see |&nbsp;Serbia buys Chinese missiles: Europe's Russian connection</a>

"We're going to significantly strengthen our fighter air force ... Serbia is a neutral country and Serbia must find solutions enabling it to preserve its sky and its state," said&nbsp;President Aleksandar Vucic&nbsp;on Saturday.&nbsp;

Australia accuses China of interfering in foreign politics&nbsp;

Australian PM Scott Morrison&nbsp;accused China of "form", or a record, on interference in foreign politics. The statement came after Home Minister Karen Andrews&nbsp;said ‘Beijing’s unveiling of a security deal with the nearby Solomon Islands was timed to influence an election,’ reported Reuters.&nbsp;

"We are very aware of the influence the Chinese government seeks to have in this country… There is form on foreign interference in Australia."&nbsp;said Morrison in his reply to a query about the statement by the Home Minister.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-has-a-record-of-interfering-in-foreign-politics-says-australias-prime-minister-scott-morrison-475152">Also read |&nbsp;China has a record of interfering in foreign politics, says Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison</a>

Earlier, Morrison also said that Australia is worried that Beijing will increase its military presence on the pacific nation of Solomon Islands, which is less than 2,000 km from Australian capital Canberra. He further added that "Any suggestion that the Chinese government doesn't seek to interfere in Australia, well, we didn't put that legislation in for no reason.”&nbsp;

Australia is set to vote on May 21.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Watch WION's live TV here:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

After China’s financial hub Shanghai, its capital Beijing is staring at a harsh lockdown, and frustration and anger from its citizens in tow. Currently, at least 27 cities with more than 179 million people are under full or partial lockdown.

After China’s financial hub Shanghai, its capital Beijing is staring at a harsh lockdown, and frustration and anger from its citizens in tow. Currently, at least 27 cities with more than 179 million people are under full or partial lockdown. While China is showing few signs of loosening its stringent zero-Covid policies, its capital Beijing is beginning to shut down. And veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang passed away in a Covid-19 quarantine hotel in the city. Meanwhile, in the international arena, Serbia is showing off new Chinese missiles, and the Australian Prime Minister has accused China of interference in foreign politics. Star Skier Eileen Gu’s retirement message gains a mixed response from Chinese netizens, some warm and some not too much. This week in Chinese Vignettes, we’ll cover all the top stories making news in China. China over the week Rising Covid cases and China’s dwindling economy China’s financial capital Shanghai and national capital Beijing power much of the country’s economy. But both are under lockdown. And these strict curbs along with the ongoing Ukraine crisis are taking a significant toll on the economy. “The COVID-19 and Ukraine crisis have led to increased risks and challenges. The complexity, severity, and uncertainty of China’s economic development environment have increased,” Politburo was quoted as saying. In April, the damage from shutdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere was apparent in the first official data released over the weekend. ‘Both manufacturing and services activity plunged to their worst levels since February 2020’ imposed during the Wuhan lockdown last year, reported Bloomberg. The offshore yuan, too, weekend. The Bloomberg report added that the signs of strain on global supply chains showed ‘suppliers facing the longest delays in more than two years in delivering raw material to their manufacturing customers.’ The GDP in Covid locked-down Jilin dropped 7.9 per cent in the three-month period of January-to-March from a year ago. Also read | Shanghai hits Covid milestone, Beijing still wary The data came a day after President Xi promised to meet China’s economic targets while sticking to the zero-Covid policy. “Stabilising growth, employment and prices are facing new challenges. It is very important to do a good job in economic work and effectively protect and improve people’s livelihood,” the Politburo was quoted as saying. "We will strengthen macroeconomic policy adjustments to stabilize the economy, and strive to achieve the expected economic and social development goals for the full year," the statement added. President Xi also signaled an easing of its crackdown on the tech sector as a part of the economic relief package. On Tuesday, he chaired a meeting that announced a push to boost demand, ‘reinforcing Beijing's reliance on big-ticket projects to spur growth,’ said VOA News. Quarantining in China Forced quarantining in China as a part of the zero-Covid policy is taking a massive toll on people. The Covid rules in China demand that anyone who either infected or a close contact of someone who is must be sent to state-run quarantining facilities. Many videos, pictures and reports have gone viral of the showing the unsanitary conditions, with clogged up toilets and overflowing dustbins. The elderly especially those suffering from underlying medical conditions are suffering the most. A Shanghai resident told the BBC that her grandfather who suffers from diabetes and hypertension is bedridden and he heavily relies on caretakers. Watch | Shanghai residents claim quarantine facilities have insufficient staff, shortage of food "He just can't go to quarantine centers or hotels. The hygiene situation there is worrying. Old people can't adapt to such environments. How can he live there? …. It's just terrifying. The government has to give us a solution. [At the moment] they're just using old people's lives to achieve this goal of 'zero Covid'." BBC quoted the resident as saying. This week, veteran actor Kenneth Tsang was found collapsed in his hotel room in Hong Kong where he had been undergoing quarantine after returning from Singapore. Tsang was 87, and had more than 230 acting credits including James Bond film Die Another Day. ‘He had tested negative for Covid-19, had been vaccinated with three doses, and had no chronic illness,’ said the South China Morning Post. Last week, Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, 74, was also passed away while undergoing his mandatory quarantine. According to a Daily Mail report, a Chinese man sealed himself inside his car to quarantine because he thought that he had Covid. Meanwhile, after Shenzhen, Guangzhou has become the second city to open a pet quarantine centre. Star Skier Eileen Gu retires This week, Chinese Winter Olympics superstar Eileen Gu announced her retirement over social media. "Thank you China for the unforgettable few months & for the endless love, 🖤" she said. While she was showered with love, her farewell post on Weibo caused a stir. On one hand, many thanked her back, others accused her of ‘acting like a foreigner.’ Many questioned why she didn’t say “thank you motherland” or “thank you (my) country” like other Chinese athletes, reported CNN. While one trending comment said," "You're most welcome because you're one of us," another said, ” Ultimately, she thinks of herself as an American. She only joined China temporarily." CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE Serbia shows off new Chinese Missile Over the weekend, Serbia showed off its new Chinese-made surface-to-air missiles and other military hardware. Earlier this month, China delivered its FK-3 surface-to-air defense system, purchased by Belgrade in 2019. Serbia is the only European country to operate the Chinese missile system and CH-92A drones. Also see | Serbia buys Chinese missiles: Europe's Russian connection "We're going to significantly strengthen our fighter air force ... Serbia is a neutral country and Serbia must find solutions enabling it to preserve its sky and its state," said President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday. Australia accuses China of interfering in foreign politics Australian PM Scott Morrison accused China of "form", or a record, on interference in foreign politics. The statement came after Home Minister Karen Andrews said ‘Beijing’s unveiling of a security deal with the nearby Solomon Islands was timed to influence an election,’ reported Reuters. "We are very aware of the influence the Chinese government seeks to have in this country… There is form on foreign interference in Australia." said Morrison in his reply to a query about the statement by the Home Minister. Also read | China has a record of interfering in foreign politics, says Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison Earlier, Morrison also said that Australia is worried that Beijing will increase its military presence on the pacific nation of Solomon Islands, which is less than 2,000 km from Australian capital Canberra. He further added that "Any suggestion that the Chinese government doesn't seek to interfere in Australia, well, we didn't put that legislation in for no reason.” Australia is set to vote on May 21. Watch WION's live TV here:

Chinese vignettes | As COVID-19 reaches the capital, China is focused on reviving its economy

It’s day 29, China’s financial hub Shanghai continues to battle the country’s worst ever Covid-outbreak fuelled by Omicron. They continue to witness food and medicine shortages and heavy social media censorship. Frustration is mounting among millions of residents as the promise of easing lockdown remains yet to be fulfilled.

The city officials via social media have ruled out any possibility of immediate easing of restrictions. There is much frenzy on the diplomatic front too. China has signed a security pact with the Solomon Island, and this move has caused panic in Washington and Canberra. This week, in Chinese Vignettes we cover all the top stories making news in China.

China over the week

Covid Cases in Shanghai &nbsp;

China’s financial capital Shanghai has reported a total of 138 Covid-related deaths this week as it continues to battle its worst Covid outbreak. The city is also reporting an increase in symptomatic infections this week.&nbsp;

Even after more than three weeks in strict lockdown, the city of 26 million continues to live in uncertainty. All possible measures are being taken to not only curb the virus but also the public display of frustration related to the lockdown as authorities continue to censor social media.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/covid-woes-continue-in-shanghai-over-21000-cases-reported-in-24-hours-473381/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On Saturday, pictures of Shanghai authorities erecting mesh barriers outside some residential buildings went viral, sparking fresh outcry over the nearly month-long lockdown.&nbsp;

The posts show white hazmat suit-clad workers sealing the entrances of these buildings. &nbsp;

“This is so disrespectful of the rights of the people inside, using metal barriers to enclose them like domestic animals,” says a Chinese netizen on social media platform Weibo.&nbsp;

While other videos show residents complaining about the lack of food and other essentials. A six-minute video titled “The Voice of April”, containing a montage of voices recorded over the course of the 28-day lockdown became a victim of censorship.&nbsp;

All direct references to the video were taken down by Weibo, however some comments have managed to evade it.&nbsp;

"I can only say that if you don't even want to listen to just a small amount of real voices, then it is really hopeless," said one.&nbsp;

While another mentioning Dr. Li Wenliang said "Dr. Li, after two years nothing has changed, we still can't open our mouths, still can't speak." Dr. Li Wenliang passed away two years ago; he was one of the doctors who was reprimanded by the Chinese authorities for sharing “false” information about this infectious disease in late 2019. &nbsp;

Adding to the woes was a horrifying video of big green bags stuffed with cats and dogs. &nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-bags-full-of-cats-and-dogs-seen-in-china-as-authorities-kill-pets-of-covid-positive-owners-472239">Watch: Bags full of cats and dogs seen in China as authorities kill pets of COVID positive owners</a>

"People are committing suicide from their balconies and pets from people getting tested positive for #Covid are being collected to be killed and slaughtered in #Shanghai / #China This is pure evil!" said the caption accompanying the video on Twitter. &nbsp;

Furthermore, city residents were also ordered to ‘throw away food they received from the government after complaints about quality issues,’ according to Bloomberg. Some neighborhoods allegedly received ‘moldy braised duck and meatballs or issues with the packaging of food.’&nbsp;

On Thursday, the hashtag calling for probe was trending on Weibo after residents complained of stomachaches and diarrhoea after eating food they’d received on Wednesday. &nbsp;

This week, the Global Times reported that three officials of a funeral home in Shanghai had been punished for ‘refusing to provide funeral service with the excuse of epidemic prevention,’ taking the total number to at least 15.&nbsp;

On the other hand, the country’s capital Beijing has also kicked off a three-day mass testing as it reported 41 cases triggering panic buying.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-takes-down-viral-video-showing-impact-of-prolonged-covid-19-lockdown-on-shanghais-residents-473243">Also read |&nbsp;China takes down viral video showing impact of prolonged COVID-19 lockdown on Shanghai's residents</a>

&nbsp;China signs two important treaties&nbsp;

This week, China signed two treaties. One on the domestic front and one on the international. &nbsp;

At home, it ratified the much talked about treaties on forced labour amid rising criticism over its treatment of Uyghur minority group. &nbsp;

On Wednesday, China’s top legislative body decided to sign onto the Forced Labor Convention of 1930 and Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957, according to website of the National People’s Congress.&nbsp;

&nbsp;The alleged ill-treatment of Uyghurs has also been a point of contention between China and the West.&nbsp;

Last year, US&nbsp;President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports of good from Xinjiang. China’s deal with the European Union was also paused after sanctions were imposed last year.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-an-eye-on-china-taiwan-is-developing-new-advanced-missiles-drones-472956">Also read |&nbsp;With an eye on China, Taiwan is developing new advanced missiles, drones</a>

Beijing has always dismissed these claims and repeatedly called it “the biggest lie of the century.” On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “those U. researchers’ conclusions are nothing but ill-intentioned smears against China.”&nbsp;

Treaty no. 2 which China signed this week was a security pact with the Solomon Islands.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Beijing confirmed that it has signed the pact which would allow them to dock warships in the Pacific Islands.

&nbsp; &nbsp;Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed that Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Solomon Islands counterpart, Jeremiah Manele had “officially signed the inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation between the two countries the other day.”&nbsp;

Neither of the nations published the details of the pact, but a draft which had circulated online in March alarmed the U.S. and Australia and drew objections from them.&nbsp;

For Washington and Canberra by allowing Beijing to dock military ships in Solomon Islands it could use the forces ‘to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and major projects,’ said the Wall Street Journal.&nbsp;

On Monday, before the signing of the document between the Solomon Islands and China, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that “such an agreement could increase destabilization within the Solomon Islands and will set a concerning precedent for the wider Pacific Island region.”&nbsp;

While Wang Wenbin suggested in his daily press conference that U.S. had neglected the Pacific archipelago. And the agreement relates to cooperation in maintaining social order, protecting citizens and property, providing humanitarian assistance, and boosting the national security of the pacific nation. &nbsp;

While Wang Wenbin clarified that the agreement “doesn’t target any third party”, Australia, which is one of the closest neighbours of the Islands also expressed deep disappointment. &nbsp;

“We are concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed, noting its potential to undermine stability in our region,” said Marise Payne, Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, and Zed Seselja, minister for the Pacific, in a joint statement. And that Australia was seeking further clarity on the matter.&nbsp;

China in world reportage

Taiwan TV Station mistakenly reports Chinese Attack&nbsp;

This week, Chinese Television Systems, a Taiwan government-backed news channel mistakenly reported a Chinese attack in Taipei.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, the channel ran the news in the ticker at the bottom of the screen that military ships and critical infrastructure near the capital had been struck by Chinese missiles. &nbsp;

The alerts included messages such as "a war could break out", a major train station in Taipei being set fire by "Chinese agents" and Taiwan's president declaring a state of emergency,’ reported Reuters. And items ‘such as “on the brink of war”, “vessel explodes in Taipei harbour, facilities and ships destroyed”, and “New Taipei City hit by PLA ground force missiles”, ’ reported the South China Morning Post.

The station issued an on-air apology, "Citizens, please don't be overly panicked. We hereby clarify the information and apologise," said the anchor during the 10 a.m. bulletin. And clarified that the alerts were meant for a drill with the Fire Department and had been mistakenly displayed due to a technical error.

This mistake has cost two senior managers their jobs, reported the South China Morning Post. &nbsp;

It’s day 29, China’s financial hub Shanghai continues to battle the country’s worst ever Covid-outbreak fuelled by Omicron. They continue to witness food and medicine shortages and heavy social media censorship.

It’s day 29, China’s financial hub Shanghai continues to battle the country’s worst ever Covid-outbreak fuelled by Omicron. They continue to witness food and medicine shortages and heavy social media censorship. Frustration is mounting among millions of residents as the promise of easing lockdown remains yet to be fulfilled. The city officials via social media have ruled out any possibility of immediate easing of restrictions. There is much frenzy on the diplomatic front too. China has signed a security pact with the Solomon Island, and this move has caused panic in Washington and Canberra. This week, in Chinese Vignettes we cover all the top stories making news in China. China over the week Covid Cases in Shanghai China’s financial capital Shanghai has reported a total of 138 Covid-related deaths this week as it continues to battle its worst Covid outbreak. The city is also reporting an increase in symptomatic infections this week. Even after more than three weeks in strict lockdown, the city of 26 million continues to live in uncertainty. All possible measures are being taken to not only curb the virus but also the public display of frustration related to the lockdown as authorities continue to censor social media. On Saturday, pictures of Shanghai authorities erecting mesh barriers outside some residential buildings went viral, sparking fresh outcry over the nearly month-long lockdown. The posts show white hazmat suit-clad workers sealing the entrances of these buildings. “This is so disrespectful of the rights of the people inside, using metal barriers to enclose them like domestic animals,” says a Chinese netizen on social media platform Weibo. While other videos show residents complaining about the lack of food and other essentials. A six-minute video titled “The Voice of April”, containing a montage of voices recorded over the course of the 28-day lockdown became a victim of censorship. All direct references to the video were taken down by Weibo, however some comments have managed to evade it. "I can only say that if you don't even want to listen to just a small amount of real voices, then it is really hopeless," said one. While another mentioning Dr. Li Wenliang said "Dr. Li, after two years nothing has changed, we still can't open our mouths, still can't speak." Dr. Li Wenliang passed away two years ago; he was one of the doctors who was reprimanded by the Chinese authorities for sharing “false” information about this infectious disease in late 2019. Adding to the woes was a horrifying video of big green bags stuffed with cats and dogs. Watch: Bags full of cats and dogs seen in China as authorities kill pets of COVID positive owners "People are committing suicide from their balconies and pets from people getting tested positive for #Covid are being collected to be killed and slaughtered in #Shanghai / #China This is pure evil!" said the caption accompanying the video on Twitter. Furthermore, city residents were also ordered to ‘throw away food they received from the government after complaints about quality issues,’ according to Bloomberg. Some neighborhoods allegedly received ‘moldy braised duck and meatballs or issues with the packaging of food.’ On Thursday, the hashtag calling for probe was trending on Weibo after residents complained of stomachaches and diarrhoea after eating food they’d received on Wednesday. This week, the Global Times reported that three officials of a funeral home in Shanghai had been punished for ‘refusing to provide funeral service with the excuse of epidemic prevention,’ taking the total number to at least 15. On the other hand, the country’s capital Beijing has also kicked off a three-day mass testing as it reported 41 cases triggering panic buying. Also read | China takes down viral video showing impact of prolonged COVID-19 lockdown on Shanghai's residents China signs two important treaties This week, China signed two treaties. One on the domestic front and one on the international. At home, it ratified the much talked about treaties on forced labour amid rising criticism over its treatment of Uyghur minority group. On Wednesday, China’s top legislative body decided to sign onto the Forced Labor Convention of 1930 and Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957, according to website of the National People’s Congress. The alleged ill-treatment of Uyghurs has also been a point of contention between China and the West. Last year, US President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports of good from Xinjiang. China’s deal with the European Union was also paused after sanctions were imposed last year. Also read | With an eye on China, Taiwan is developing new advanced missiles, drones Beijing has always dismissed these claims and repeatedly called it “the biggest lie of the century.” On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “those U. researchers’ conclusions are nothing but ill-intentioned smears against China.” Treaty no. 2 which China signed this week was a security pact with the Solomon Islands. On Tuesday, Beijing confirmed that it has signed the pact which would allow them to dock warships in the Pacific Islands. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed that Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Solomon Islands counterpart, Jeremiah Manele had “officially signed the inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation between the two countries the other day.” Neither of the nations published the details of the pact, but a draft which had circulated online in March alarmed the U.S. and Australia and drew objections from them. For Washington and Canberra by allowing Beijing to dock military ships in Solomon Islands it could use the forces ‘to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and major projects,’ said the Wall Street Journal. On Monday, before the signing of the document between the Solomon Islands and China, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that “such an agreement could increase destabilization within the Solomon Islands and will set a concerning precedent for the wider Pacific Island region.” While Wang Wenbin suggested in his daily press conference that U.S. had neglected the Pacific archipelago. And the agreement relates to cooperation in maintaining social order, protecting citizens and property, providing humanitarian assistance, and boosting the national security of the pacific nation. While Wang Wenbin clarified that the agreement “doesn’t target any third party”, Australia, which is one of the closest neighbours of the Islands also expressed deep disappointment. “We are concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed, noting its potential to undermine stability in our region,” said Marise Payne, Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, and Zed Seselja, minister for the Pacific, in a joint statement. And that Australia was seeking further clarity on the matter. China in world reportage Taiwan TV Station mistakenly reports Chinese Attack This week, Chinese Television Systems, a Taiwan government-backed news channel mistakenly reported a Chinese attack in Taipei. On Wednesday, the channel ran the news in the ticker at the bottom of the screen that military ships and critical infrastructure near the capital had been struck by Chinese missiles. The alerts included messages such as "a war could break out", a major train station in Taipei being set fire by "Chinese agents" and Taiwan's president declaring a state of emergency,’ reported Reuters. And items ‘such as “on the brink of war”, “vessel explodes in Taipei harbour, facilities and ships destroyed”, and “New Taipei City hit by PLA ground force missiles”, ’ reported the South China Morning Post. The station issued an on-air apology, "Citizens, please don't be overly panicked. We hereby clarify the information and apologise," said the anchor during the 10 a.m. bulletin. And clarified that the alerts were meant for a drill with the Fire Department and had been mistakenly displayed due to a technical error. This mistake has cost two senior managers their jobs, reported the South China Morning Post.

Chinese vignettes | Covid-19 continues to rock Shanghai as it reports 138 deaths this week

Horrifying videos of Shanghai residents screaming from their windows over stringent lockdown have been doing rounds on Twitter-like Weibo. Chinese netizens are now exposing the torture and grief behind China’s zero-Covid policy.

Covid rules-related pushback has also brought a wave of arrests and detentions. And amid the Covid-induced disruption of supply chains and the war in Ukraine, prices of commodities are also increasing. This week, in Chinese Vignettes we cover all the top stories making news in China.

Rising Covid Cases and Growing Frustration &nbsp;

China’s largest city Shanghai sees no respite in Covid-19 cases as it enters the third week of lockdown. It continues to set daily records not just in asymptomatic cases, but also the symptomatic cases have increased manifolds. On Saturday, Shanghai reported a record of 3,590 symptomatic cases.

During the week, many horrifying videos of residents screaming from the windows emerged on social media. And the situation in Shanghai is so disquieting that even official Chinese government propaganda machines such as Global Times have started highlighting the public discontent. &nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-shanghai-reports-3-covid-deaths-amid-recent-lockdown-471812/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On Friday, the state-run Global Times reported, “Current difficulties of Shanghai exposed that the city's lack of preparation for the Omicron outbreak, policy flip-flops, loopholes in community management and a "lower-guard" mentality among officials due to fatigue in fighting the epidemic.”

“Problems exposed by Shanghai are also the problems needed to be tackled by other parts of China when the country has to stick to its dynamic zero-COVID strategy amid Omicron, but the strategy needs to be more specific and scientific,” it added.

Additionally, the Covid-rule backlash by residents has also brought a wave of arrests and detentions. In March, according to a Reuters report, the police registered more than 600 cases and 150 confirmed arrests as reported on Weibo, compared to 59 cases and 26 arrests in January.

This week, while Shanghai has allowed some residents to step outside their homes, and resumed some production at important manufacturing sites after a 16-day citywide lockdown, President Xi Jinping during a recent trip said that the country must stick to its zero-Covid policy approach and “prevention and control work cannot be relaxed.” &nbsp;

US authorises 'voluntary departure'&nbsp;of staff from Shanghai &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The US&nbsp;State Department on Monday, according to a statement on its website “ordered” the departure of all non-emergency consulate employees and their families to leave Shanghai "due to a surge in Covid-19 cases and the impact of restrictions related to (China's) response." &nbsp;

China’s “zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 severely impacts travel and access to public services,” the travel advisory said. &nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-authorises-voluntary-departure-of-non-essential-personnel-from-shanghai-469507">Also read |&nbsp;US authorises 'voluntary departure' of non-essential personnel from Shanghai</a>

The notice came just days after the department had authorised the “voluntary departure” of staff, adding that Americans should “reconsider travel” to China due to its “arbitrary enforcement of local laws and Covid-19 related restrictions” including "the risk of parents and children being separated."

Beijing was quick to lash out at Washington for issuing the advisory and ordering its consulate staff to leave the city of 26 million, accusing the United States of “weaponizing” the issue. 
&nbsp; 
Inflation in China

Earlier this week, business leaders warned that the ongoing lockdown in China’s financial hub could disrupt the country’s economy. &nbsp;

On Monday, according to data released, China’s consumer prices saw a slight rise last month amid public concerns over food shortages, noted the South China Morning Post. &nbsp;

The price of essential food commodities such as flour, edible vegetable oil, fresh vegetables and eggs slightly rose as they were “affected by the rise in international prices of wheat, corn and soybeans and the domestic [coronavirus] outbreaks,” reported the South China Morning Post quoting a senior NBS statistician Dong Lijuan. &nbsp;

While the price of fresh fruits and aquatic products saw a much bigger increase of 4.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively. &nbsp;

The auto industry on the other hand reported a plunge of 11.7 per cent&nbsp;in car sales as many automakers had to suspend production in their Shanghai and Jilin factories including Tesla and Volkswagen.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chinas-gdp-expands-48-in-q1-beats-all-forecast-471780/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer and auto segment, said on the social media platform WeChat that "If Shanghai continues being unable to resume work and production, from May, all tech and industrial players involving the Shanghai supply chain will completely shut down, especially the auto industry!" &nbsp;

However, after having received the go-ahead from the officials on Sunday, Tesla and other carmakers are preparing to resume production at their Shanghai plant on April 18th.

&nbsp;Diplomatic Buzz in Taiwan

There was a diplomatic buzz in Taiwan as it welcomed officials from the United States and Sweden this week. &nbsp;

First to arrive were the Swedish parliament delegation who landed on April 10th for a five-day visit to enhance the bilateral relationship between Sweden and Taiwan. &nbsp;

Before the visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan claimed in a Facebook post that the Swedish delegation had been pressured by the Chinese embassy in Sweden to cancel the trip, but this only strengthened their will to visit Taipei. "We hope the visit will strengthen friendly ties between Taiwan, Sweden, and the EU," reported Taiwan News quoting the ministry.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-puts-pressure-on-nations-to-not-recognise-taiwan-as-a-country-foreign-minister-joseph-wu-tells-wion-336966">Also read |&nbsp;China puts pressure on nations to not recognise Taiwan as a country: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells WION</a>

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen warmly welcomed the group, and in a virtual meeting said that she hopes to promote deeper exchanges with the European Union and build a democratic alliance. Calling Taiwan and Sweden like-minded partners, she added “in the face of the continuing expansion of authoritarianism, democratic partners around the globe must unite to defend their way of life.”

“It’s our duty to stand with Taiwan and defend its freedom and its democratic values by all means,” said Boriana Aberg, head of the Swedish-Taiwanese parliamentarian friendship group, noting the constant threats and provocations by Beijing towards Taipei in the last few weeks as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Next to touchdown in Taipei were the US officials. A delegation of six high-ranking US lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Friday. Sen. Lindsey Graham who led the delegation tweeted that the people of Taiwan are “great allies of the United States” and called Taiwan “a beacon of freedom in a troubled region.” &nbsp;

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the delegation would “exchange views with our officials on various issues of importance to Taiwan-U.S. relations.” &nbsp;

During a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Graham said that China will pay a heavy price for bullying Taiwan.

“Here is my promise to you and the Taiwanese people: We are going to start making China pay a greater price for what they are doing all over the world... the support for Putin must come with a price. The never-ending cyberattack on your economy and people by the Communist Chinese needs to come with a price,” he said

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian denounced the visit, saying “China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the US&nbsp;and Taiwan.”

“Relevant US&nbsp;lawmakers should abide by the one-China policy upheld by the US&nbsp;government. The US&nbsp;should … stop official contacts with Taiwan, and avoid going further down the dangerous path.... we will continue to take strong measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.

As the visit by the US&nbsp;lawmakers was underway, China’s military also announced that it had conducted multi-force “joint patrol readiness combat” drills in and around Taiwan and the East China Sea on Friday. &nbsp;

“This operation is conducted targeting the recent wrong signals the US sent on the Taiwan question... the wicked tactics of the US are useless and dangerous. Those who play with fire will burn themselves.” the PLA command said in the statement. &nbsp;

The announcement was made while the US lawmakers were holding a press conference in Taipei. &nbsp;

Meanwhile, this week, Taiwan also issued its first war survival handbook on civil defence amid rising threats from China. According to Reuters, the book gives people ‘survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia's invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China's pressure.’

The handbook details include ‘how to find bomb shelters via smartphone apps, and water and food supplies, as well as offers tips for preparing emergency first-aid kits,’ to enable safety preparedness, reported Reuters.

"(We) are providing information on how Taiwanese should react in a military crisis and possible disasters to come," said Liu Tai-yi, an official of the All-out Defence Mobilisation unit, during a news conference. 
&nbsp;

Horrifying videos of Shanghai residents screaming from their windows over stringent lockdown have been doing rounds on Twitter-like Weibo. Chinese netizens are now exposing the torture and grief behind China’s zero-Covid policy.

Horrifying videos of Shanghai residents screaming from their windows over stringent lockdown have been doing rounds on Twitter-like Weibo. Chinese netizens are now exposing the torture and grief behind China’s zero-Covid policy. Covid rules-related pushback has also brought a wave of arrests and detentions. And amid the Covid-induced disruption of supply chains and the war in Ukraine, prices of commodities are also increasing. This week, in Chinese Vignettes we cover all the top stories making news in China. Rising Covid Cases and Growing Frustration China’s largest city Shanghai sees no respite in Covid-19 cases as it enters the third week of lockdown. It continues to set daily records not just in asymptomatic cases, but also the symptomatic cases have increased manifolds. On Saturday, Shanghai reported a record of 3,590 symptomatic cases. During the week, many horrifying videos of residents screaming from the windows emerged on social media. And the situation in Shanghai is so disquieting that even official Chinese government propaganda machines such as Global Times have started highlighting the public discontent. On Friday, the state-run Global Times reported, “Current difficulties of Shanghai exposed that the city's lack of preparation for the Omicron outbreak, policy flip-flops, loopholes in community management and a "lower-guard" mentality among officials due to fatigue in fighting the epidemic.” “Problems exposed by Shanghai are also the problems needed to be tackled by other parts of China when the country has to stick to its dynamic zero-COVID strategy amid Omicron, but the strategy needs to be more specific and scientific,” it added. Additionally, the Covid-rule backlash by residents has also brought a wave of arrests and detentions. In March, according to a Reuters report, the police registered more than 600 cases and 150 confirmed arrests as reported on Weibo, compared to 59 cases and 26 arrests in January. This week, while Shanghai has allowed some residents to step outside their homes, and resumed some production at important manufacturing sites after a 16-day citywide lockdown, President Xi Jinping during a recent trip said that the country must stick to its zero-Covid policy approach and “prevention and control work cannot be relaxed.” US authorises 'voluntary departure' of staff from Shanghai The US State Department on Monday, according to a statement on its website “ordered” the departure of all non-emergency consulate employees and their families to leave Shanghai "due to a surge in Covid-19 cases and the impact of restrictions related to (China's) response." China’s “zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 severely impacts travel and access to public services,” the travel advisory said. Also read | US authorises 'voluntary departure' of non-essential personnel from Shanghai The notice came just days after the department had authorised the “voluntary departure” of staff, adding that Americans should “reconsider travel” to China due to its “arbitrary enforcement of local laws and Covid-19 related restrictions” including "the risk of parents and children being separated." Beijing was quick to lash out at Washington for issuing the advisory and ordering its consulate staff to leave the city of 26 million, accusing the United States of “weaponizing” the issue. Inflation in China Earlier this week, business leaders warned that the ongoing lockdown in China’s financial hub could disrupt the country’s economy. On Monday, according to data released, China’s consumer prices saw a slight rise last month amid public concerns over food shortages, noted the South China Morning Post. The price of essential food commodities such as flour, edible vegetable oil, fresh vegetables and eggs slightly rose as they were “affected by the rise in international prices of wheat, corn and soybeans and the domestic [coronavirus] outbreaks,” reported the South China Morning Post quoting a senior NBS statistician Dong Lijuan. While the price of fresh fruits and aquatic products saw a much bigger increase of 4.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively. The auto industry on the other hand reported a plunge of 11.7 per cent in car sales as many automakers had to suspend production in their Shanghai and Jilin factories including Tesla and Volkswagen. Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer and auto segment, said on the social media platform WeChat that "If Shanghai continues being unable to resume work and production, from May, all tech and industrial players involving the Shanghai supply chain will completely shut down, especially the auto industry!" However, after having received the go-ahead from the officials on Sunday, Tesla and other carmakers are preparing to resume production at their Shanghai plant on April 18th. Diplomatic Buzz in Taiwan There was a diplomatic buzz in Taiwan as it welcomed officials from the United States and Sweden this week. First to arrive were the Swedish parliament delegation who landed on April 10th for a five-day visit to enhance the bilateral relationship between Sweden and Taiwan. Before the visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan claimed in a Facebook post that the Swedish delegation had been pressured by the Chinese embassy in Sweden to cancel the trip, but this only strengthened their will to visit Taipei. "We hope the visit will strengthen friendly ties between Taiwan, Sweden, and the EU," reported Taiwan News quoting the ministry. Also read | China puts pressure on nations to not recognise Taiwan as a country: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells WION Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen warmly welcomed the group, and in a virtual meeting said that she hopes to promote deeper exchanges with the European Union and build a democratic alliance. Calling Taiwan and Sweden like-minded partners, she added “in the face of the continuing expansion of authoritarianism, democratic partners around the globe must unite to defend their way of life.” “It’s our duty to stand with Taiwan and defend its freedom and its democratic values by all means,” said Boriana Aberg, head of the Swedish-Taiwanese parliamentarian friendship group, noting the constant threats and provocations by Beijing towards Taipei in the last few weeks as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Next to touchdown in Taipei were the US officials. A delegation of six high-ranking US lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Friday. Sen. Lindsey Graham who led the delegation tweeted that the people of Taiwan are “great allies of the United States” and called Taiwan “a beacon of freedom in a troubled region.” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the delegation would “exchange views with our officials on various issues of importance to Taiwan-U.S. relations.” During a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Graham said that China will pay a heavy price for bullying Taiwan. “Here is my promise to you and the Taiwanese people: We are going to start making China pay a greater price for what they are doing all over the world... the support for Putin must come with a price. The never-ending cyberattack on your economy and people by the Communist Chinese needs to come with a price,” he said The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian denounced the visit, saying “China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan.” “Relevant US lawmakers should abide by the one-China policy upheld by the US government. The US should … stop official contacts with Taiwan, and avoid going further down the dangerous path.... we will continue to take strong measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added. As the visit by the US lawmakers was underway, China’s military also announced that it had conducted multi-force “joint patrol readiness combat” drills in and around Taiwan and the East China Sea on Friday. “This operation is conducted targeting the recent wrong signals the US sent on the Taiwan question... the wicked tactics of the US are useless and dangerous. Those who play with fire will burn themselves.” the PLA command said in the statement. The announcement was made while the US lawmakers were holding a press conference in Taipei. Meanwhile, this week, Taiwan also issued its first war survival handbook on civil defence amid rising threats from China. According to Reuters, the book gives people ‘survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia's invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China's pressure.’ The handbook details include ‘how to find bomb shelters via smartphone apps, and water and food supplies, as well as offers tips for preparing emergency first-aid kits,’ to enable safety preparedness, reported Reuters. "(We) are providing information on how Taiwanese should react in a military crisis and possible disasters to come," said Liu Tai-yi, an official of the All-out Defence Mobilisation unit, during a news conference.

Chinese vignettes | Covid cases are soaring in China, so is its inflation

Images of pets beaten to death, and stories of the elderly being denied basic medical care are clouding the Chinese internet, even as netizens debate Beijing’s “dynamic zero-Covid” policy.

There is also an electoral buzz in Hong Kong as the current Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, has decided that she won’t seek a second term. Meanwhile, Taiwan is gearing up to welcome US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.&nbsp;Chinese Vignettes&nbsp;brings you all the stories making news in China. &nbsp;

China over the week

Rising COVID-19 Cases

China’s continuous and steady commitment to its zero-Covid policy is reaping no benefits, rather it is hurting its economy. On Sunday, Shanghai reported 24,944 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total in the current wave to more than 179,000.

More than 26 million people have been under lockdown in China’s financial hub Shanghai, as what began as an eight-day lockdown to be observed in two phases, has been extended indefinitely. The citizens are overwhelmed. Under the latest lockdown, Shanghai residents are not permitted to leave their homes for any reason other than to be tested for COVID-19, and are dependent on the officials for food and basic necessities. &nbsp;

While the Chinese authorities are trying their best to limit the blow of the Shanghai lockdown by giving tax rebate and other incentives and exemptions, the residents are feeling the strain. Moreover, the shutdown has also jolted the global financial markets who have already been on edge due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. &nbsp;

This stringent zero-Covid policy is also experiencing pushback from residents who are running out of food. The city officials who are responsible for providing the residents with the basic necessities have also admitted that they are facing “difficulties.”

Public anger is also triggered by other drastic measures such as the separation of children from their parents if they test positive for the virus. The authorities later responded by permitting the parents to accompany their wards. However, according to a&nbsp;Reuters&nbsp;report, there are complaints of children separated from their guardians who tested negative. &nbsp;

Additionally, mandatory quarantining in a government facility even for patients whose condition is mild or asymptomatic have caused angst, especially as the quarantine facilities are crowded and have sub-par conditions. &nbsp;

Chinese President Xi’s zero-Covid policy has also broken down those who once supported it, with some saying that Beijing’s cure is worse than the disease itself.

“In this country, it’s not the virus that scares us, but the chaotic anti-Covid measures that have caused risks to the well-being of the elderly, the children and companion animals. I now realize we can only rely on ourselves -- not the government -- to protect our own families,” said&nbsp;Bloomberg&nbsp;quoting a resident.

While another said that she no longer knows the city, the only thing which comes to her mind is to protect her dogs. This comes as Chinese social media is full of images and videos of authorities beating dogs to death. &nbsp;

Another video of an older man went viral on social media, who was heard saying “Really shame on you. Treat us like animals. In other countries, you can’t even treat a cat or a dog like this. There is no humanity left.” The video was later deleted.

On Monday, the centre sent thousands of medics from across the country including the military to carry out the testing and help the embattled local health workers in Shanghai.

The centre fears that the pushback by residents in China could inspire other cities currently under lockdown to fight these measures.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“There is the risk of a slow-burn discontent if lockdown measures spread across China. And if its virus strategy goes out of control and heavily affects its economy, this will not look good as Xi attempts a third term. At that point, Xi will have no choice but to ramp up his nationalism agenda,” reported&nbsp;Bloomberg&nbsp;quoting Chen Shih-Min, an associate political science professor at National Taiwan University.

Electoral buzz in Hong Kong

While the city of nearly 8 million is still batting Covid, it is also gearing up for elections this May. Earlier this week, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam announced that she will not be seeking a second term. Her current term, which ends on June 30, will conclude her 42-year career in government service. &nbsp;

There was also a buzz on social media after the announcement. Some said it was ‘great news”, others said “let’s celebrate!”. While some also pointed out that "Anyone is better than Carrie Lam because she brings bad luck." &nbsp;

The city’s current No. 2 John Lee Ka-chiu resigned from his post of chief secretary following Lam’s announcement, as he emerged as the ‘only’ contender for the post, as Beijing gave their ‘approval’. On Saturday, he announced his bid to run for the top job. &nbsp;

64-year-old John Lee began his career as a police officer, later he turned to politics, and has served as Secretary for Security, Under Secretary for Security, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Chief Secretary for Administration in the Hong Kong government.

‘He has secured enough nominations to run as the only hopeful in next month’s leadership race with Beijing’s blessing,’ said the&nbsp;South China Morning Post. And ‘he promised a ‘new chapter of “pragmatic” and “result-oriented” leadership’ for Hong Kong.’ And Lee hopes to start “a new chapter for Hong Kong together.”

&nbsp;According to reports, for his leadership campaign, Lee will be aided by an “all-encompassing” team. His 16-member campaign team is led by pro-Beijing heavyweight Tam Yiu-chung. The team consists of people from diverse backgrounds such as policy think tanks, finance, social welfare, education and law, as he tries to win public support.

“We hope to strive for community support for Lee and to raise people’s understanding of his policies by reaching out to the community,” said Tam speaking to the&nbsp;South China Morning Post. “But due to the constraints of the social-distancing rules, we’ll have to study how we can achieve that.”

Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan – a red line?

US house speaker Nancy Pelosi was reportedly due to visit Taiwan as part of her tour to Asia, a first by someone in more than two decades. However, China was not happy not it. &nbsp;

&nbsp;"If the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives knowingly commits a sneaky visit to Taiwan, it will be a malicious provocation to China’s sovereignty, gross interference in its internal affairs and an extremely dangerous political signal to the outside world,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Even the Chinese embassy in the United States said, “In the past few days, Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang and the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. have lodged stern representations with the U.S. Congress and government on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reported visit to Taiwan, and stated China’s solemn position, urging the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiques, and to cancel Speaker Pelosi’s plan to visit Taiwan.”

However, after testing positive for Covid-19 she had to postpone it, said her deputy communications director in a tweet on Thursday, leaving many to wonder about when her trip is rescheduled.

On this, while wishing a quick recovery for Pelosi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that she should "not postpone a visit, but cancel it immediately".

On Friday, Chinese state media trolled Pelosi, state broadcaster&nbsp;CCTV’s social media account started the hashtag “Cure your covid sickness first” that trended China’s Twitter equivalent&nbsp;Weibo.

Taiwan, on the other hand, not only wished her a ‘speedy recovery’ but also thanked the speaker for being a ‘good friend to Taiwan’. Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, “welcomed the show of U.S. support given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised concern that China may follow through on its oft-repeated threat to take control of the democratic island by force,” reported&nbsp;Bloomberg.

&nbsp;

China in world reportage

Arms race with US &nbsp;

This week, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States – or the AUKUS, agreed to cooperate on hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities. &nbsp;

“We … committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defence innovation,” said the leaders of the 3 countries – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Adding that they were delighted with the progress of the ‘programme for the conventionally armed submarines for Australia, and the allies would co-operate in other areas too,’ reported&nbsp;Aljazeera.

“These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities... As our work progresses on these and other critical defence and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners,” they said

Meanwhile, according to reports, ‘the first U.S. hypersonic weapon has been a setback to more than a year under a new timeline which was to be delivered by Sept. 30. The lawmakers protested the delay, as Pentagon is lagging behind in a new technology that ‘Russia has already used in Ukraine and China has demonstrated in a space launch,’ reported&nbsp;Bloomberg.

Last month, while Russia debuted the missile in its attack on Ukraine, China hit a demonstration target on Earth with a weapon in orbit in July. &nbsp;

According to a&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;report, Beijing has "accelerated" its nuclear weapons programme due to threats posed by the US. And according to another report, China has also delivered HQ-22 surface-to-air missile systems to Russian ally Serbia. Early Saturday, six Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport planes landed in Belgrade to deliver the ‘sophisticated Chinese anti-aircraft system.’

UN General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council

On Thursday, China voted against suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council. The resolution came as, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Russia should be removed from the council, following the reports of mass killings in Bucha, where the Ukrainian officials have accused the Russian troops of committing war crimes.

"Russia's participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce... And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is time the UN General Assembly vote to remove them," she said. &nbsp;

Voting against the resolution, China Ambassador Zhang Jun, at the UN General Assembly said, “China’s basic position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and unequivocal. We always believe that all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected, and that international disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

“Any action by the UN and the relevant parties should give priority to regional peace and stability and the universal security of all parties, and should play a positive role for de-escalation and diplomatic solutions. Regrettably, the draft resolution submitted to this emergency special session for vote has not undergone full consultations within the whole membership. Nor does it take full consideration the history and complexity of the current crisis. It does not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security, or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts. These are not in line with China’s consistent positions. Therefore, we had no choice but to abstain in the voting,” he added. &nbsp;

(The author is an Assistant Researcher at WION TV) &nbsp;

Images of pets beaten to death, and stories of the elderly being denied basic medical care are clouding the Chinese internet, even as netizens debate Beijing’s “dynamic zero-Covid” policy.

Images of pets beaten to death, and stories of the elderly being denied basic medical care are clouding the Chinese internet, even as netizens debate Beijing’s “dynamic zero-Covid” policy. There is also an electoral buzz in Hong Kong as the current Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, has decided that she won’t seek a second term. Meanwhile, Taiwan is gearing up to welcome US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Chinese Vignettes brings you all the stories making news in China. China over the week Rising COVID-19 Cases China’s continuous and steady commitment to its zero-Covid policy is reaping no benefits, rather it is hurting its economy. On Sunday, Shanghai reported 24,944 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total in the current wave to more than 179,000. More than 26 million people have been under lockdown in China’s financial hub Shanghai, as what began as an eight-day lockdown to be observed in two phases, has been extended indefinitely. The citizens are overwhelmed. Under the latest lockdown, Shanghai residents are not permitted to leave their homes for any reason other than to be tested for COVID-19, and are dependent on the officials for food and basic necessities. While the Chinese authorities are trying their best to limit the blow of the Shanghai lockdown by giving tax rebate and other incentives and exemptions, the residents are feeling the strain. Moreover, the shutdown has also jolted the global financial markets who have already been on edge due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This stringent zero-Covid policy is also experiencing pushback from residents who are running out of food. The city officials who are responsible for providing the residents with the basic necessities have also admitted that they are facing “difficulties.” Public anger is also triggered by other drastic measures such as the separation of children from their parents if they test positive for the virus. The authorities later responded by permitting the parents to accompany their wards. However, according to a Reuters report, there are complaints of children separated from their guardians who tested negative. Additionally, mandatory quarantining in a government facility even for patients whose condition is mild or asymptomatic have caused angst, especially as the quarantine facilities are crowded and have sub-par conditions. Chinese President Xi’s zero-Covid policy has also broken down those who once supported it, with some saying that Beijing’s cure is worse than the disease itself. “In this country, it’s not the virus that scares us, but the chaotic anti-Covid measures that have caused risks to the well-being of the elderly, the children and companion animals. I now realize we can only rely on ourselves -- not the government -- to protect our own families,” said Bloomberg quoting a resident. While another said that she no longer knows the city, the only thing which comes to her mind is to protect her dogs. This comes as Chinese social media is full of images and videos of authorities beating dogs to death. Another video of an older man went viral on social media, who was heard saying “Really shame on you. Treat us like animals. In other countries, you can’t even treat a cat or a dog like this. There is no humanity left.” The video was later deleted. On Monday, the centre sent thousands of medics from across the country including the military to carry out the testing and help the embattled local health workers in Shanghai. The centre fears that the pushback by residents in China could inspire other cities currently under lockdown to fight these measures. “There is the risk of a slow-burn discontent if lockdown measures spread across China. And if its virus strategy goes out of control and heavily affects its economy, this will not look good as Xi attempts a third term. At that point, Xi will have no choice but to ramp up his nationalism agenda,” reported Bloomberg quoting Chen Shih-Min, an associate political science professor at National Taiwan University. Electoral buzz in Hong Kong While the city of nearly 8 million is still batting Covid, it is also gearing up for elections this May. Earlier this week, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam announced that she will not be seeking a second term. Her current term, which ends on June 30, will conclude her 42-year career in government service. There was also a buzz on social media after the announcement. Some said it was ‘great news”, others said “let’s celebrate!”. While some also pointed out that "Anyone is better than Carrie Lam because she brings bad luck." The city’s current No. 2 John Lee Ka-chiu resigned from his post of chief secretary following Lam’s announcement, as he emerged as the ‘only’ contender for the post, as Beijing gave their ‘approval’. On Saturday, he announced his bid to run for the top job. 64-year-old John Lee began his career as a police officer, later he turned to politics, and has served as Secretary for Security, Under Secretary for Security, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Chief Secretary for Administration in the Hong Kong government. ‘He has secured enough nominations to run as the only hopeful in next month’s leadership race with Beijing’s blessing,’ said the South China Morning Post. And ‘he promised a ‘new chapter of “pragmatic” and “result-oriented” leadership’ for Hong Kong.’ And Lee hopes to start “a new chapter for Hong Kong together.” According to reports, for his leadership campaign, Lee will be aided by an “all-encompassing” team. His 16-member campaign team is led by pro-Beijing heavyweight Tam Yiu-chung. The team consists of people from diverse backgrounds such as policy think tanks, finance, social welfare, education and law, as he tries to win public support. “We hope to strive for community support for Lee and to raise people’s understanding of his policies by reaching out to the community,” said Tam speaking to the South China Morning Post. “But due to the constraints of the social-distancing rules, we’ll have to study how we can achieve that.” Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan – a red line? US house speaker Nancy Pelosi was reportedly due to visit Taiwan as part of her tour to Asia, a first by someone in more than two decades. However, China was not happy not it. "If the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives knowingly commits a sneaky visit to Taiwan, it will be a malicious provocation to China’s sovereignty, gross interference in its internal affairs and an extremely dangerous political signal to the outside world,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Even the Chinese embassy in the United States said, “In the past few days, Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang and the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. have lodged stern representations with the U.S. Congress and government on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reported visit to Taiwan, and stated China’s solemn position, urging the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiques, and to cancel Speaker Pelosi’s plan to visit Taiwan.” However, after testing positive for Covid-19 she had to postpone it, said her deputy communications director in a tweet on Thursday, leaving many to wonder about when her trip is rescheduled. On this, while wishing a quick recovery for Pelosi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that she should "not postpone a visit, but cancel it immediately". On Friday, Chinese state media trolled Pelosi, state broadcaster CCTV’s social media account started the hashtag “Cure your covid sickness first” that trended China’s Twitter equivalent Weibo. Taiwan, on the other hand, not only wished her a ‘speedy recovery’ but also thanked the speaker for being a ‘good friend to Taiwan’. Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, “welcomed the show of U.S. support given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised concern that China may follow through on its oft-repeated threat to take control of the democratic island by force,” reported Bloomberg. China in world reportage Arms race with US This week, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States – or the AUKUS, agreed to cooperate on hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities. “We … committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defence innovation,” said the leaders of the 3 countries – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a joint statement on Tuesday. Adding that they were delighted with the progress of the ‘programme for the conventionally armed submarines for Australia, and the allies would co-operate in other areas too,’ reported Aljazeera. “These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities... As our work progresses on these and other critical defence and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners,” they said Meanwhile, according to reports, ‘the first U.S. hypersonic weapon has been a setback to more than a year under a new timeline which was to be delivered by Sept. 30. The lawmakers protested the delay, as Pentagon is lagging behind in a new technology that ‘Russia has already used in Ukraine and China has demonstrated in a space launch,’ reported Bloomberg. Last month, while Russia debuted the missile in its attack on Ukraine, China hit a demonstration target on Earth with a weapon in orbit in July. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Beijing has "accelerated" its nuclear weapons programme due to threats posed by the US. And according to another report, China has also delivered HQ-22 surface-to-air missile systems to Russian ally Serbia. Early Saturday, six Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport planes landed in Belgrade to deliver the ‘sophisticated Chinese anti-aircraft system.’ UN General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council On Thursday, China voted against suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council. The resolution came as, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Russia should be removed from the council, following the reports of mass killings in Bucha, where the Ukrainian officials have accused the Russian troops of committing war crimes. "Russia's participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce... And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is time the UN General Assembly vote to remove them," she said. Voting against the resolution, China Ambassador Zhang Jun, at the UN General Assembly said, “China’s basic position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and unequivocal. We always believe that all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected, and that international disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.” “Any action by the UN and the relevant parties should give priority to regional peace and stability and the universal security of all parties, and should play a positive role for de-escalation and diplomatic solutions. Regrettably, the draft resolution submitted to this emergency special session for vote has not undergone full consultations within the whole membership. Nor does it take full consideration the history and complexity of the current crisis. It does not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security, or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts. These are not in line with China’s consistent positions. Therefore, we had no choice but to abstain in the voting,” he added. (The author is an Assistant Researcher at WION TV)

Chinese vignettes | Beijing’s unwavering commitment to its zero-Covid policy is only hurting China

Rising Covid Cases and Shanghai Lockdown Early this week, China locked down its most populous city of Shanghai. China’s cosmopolitan financial capital was shut down in two phases, for four days each.

Rising Covid Cases and Shanghai Lockdown Early this week, China locked down its most populous city of Shanghai. China’s cosmopolitan financial capital was shut down in two phases, for four days each. Shanghai has reported more than 35,000 cases since March 1, registering more cases in four weeks than it has in the last two years. The sudden lockdown which kicked in hours after an announcement was made on March 27, left the residents of Shanghai in a flurry. To make it worst, the officials even admitted that they were “insufficiently prepared” for the latest outbreak. The lockdown has caused desperation and panic among those with chronic medical conditions. Earlier reports have indicated that many of them have been denied health care due to a shift in priority to Covid patients. On Weibo, a topic about an elderly person who dies of asthma after ambulances allegedly refused to take him to a hospital in Shanghai has garnered more than a 55milion views and 23,000 posts on Thursday itself, reported Bloomberg. The residents of the city also scrambled to stock up as the lockdown for the eastern half of the city was announced. According to the South China Morning Post, many had to rely on group chats and shared online documents to source food and other daily needs. Due to the sudden lockdown, many residents have even been quarantined in their offices to keep businesses running. According to a Bloomberg report, lockdowns in China could cost at least USD 46 billion or 3.1 per cent of GDP a month. On Tuesday, the local authorities offered a 140-billion-yuan (USD 22 billion) tax rebate, incentives and exemptions to help businesses survive the phased lockdown. “We take an open attitude towards policymaking, and will adjust our policies to better cater to the demands of the virus-hit companies,” said Ruan Qing, the deputy of the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission. The country follows a strict zero-Covid policy, previously cities and provinces have been shut even due to mere 22 cases. Currently, around 71 million in China are either in lockdown or about to face one, according to Bloomberg. And due to its tough Covid measures, China is also witnessing growing public unhappiness. The residents of Shanghai are revolting against the lockdown. Earlier this week, Tencent Holdings Ltd. removed two videos of protests in Shanghai from their WeChat social media platform. Moreover, an article highlighting the mounting human cost of the Covid-zero policy was also deleted from the platform. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is also witnessing a surge in cases. It is estimated that up to 2,000 children under the age of 10 have been admitted to the hospital due to Covid-19 in the last 2 months, and even the parents have not been allowed to stay with them. In one instance, A 32-year-old mother was left “crying and hysterical” after she was separated from her 11-month-old daughter, and despite her pleas, the authorities denied the parents permission to stay in the hospital premises. “I had a bit of a breakdown. This is so inhumane. I cannot leave her. She is 11 months old. I’ve never left her. It’s so traumatic for us,” the mother said, according to the South China Morning Post. The mother further said that the hospital authorities told them the matter would be escalated to the police if they did not leave the premises. Russian FM Sergei Lavrov’s visit to China The Chinese officials have also been busy this week with many foreign visits. It hosted the third meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, and on the sidelines also held discussions with these countries individually. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was present too, his first visit to China since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Wednesday, he met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Tunxi, where he had a “thorough exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine” and called the Western sanctions “counterproductive,” reported the South China Morning Post. Wang also reiterated China’s stand in the conflict of peace talks and supported Moscow and others’ efforts to prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Third meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries After his visit to Afghanistan, on Thursday (March 31st), Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries. The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers or senior representatives of seven countries, namely China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. And Foreign Ministers of Indonesia and Qatar had been invited as “guests.” The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres virtually-delivered remarks and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the meeting. At the end of the two-day meeting, a joint statement issued said it “noted the importance to achieve national reconciliation in Afghanistan through dialogue and negotiation, and to establish a broad-based and inclusive political structure, adopt moderate and sound domestic and foreign policies, and grow friendly relations with all countries, especially its neighbours”. Further, it “Noted the importance of taking necessary continuing steps in Afghanistan on ensuring women’s rights and children’s education, among others, and called for further actions to be taken to improve people’s livelihood, safeguard the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including ethnic groups, women and children.” This comes as the Taliban reversed its promise to allow female students to be sent to school until a decision over uniforms for them had been made in accordance with “Sharia law and Afghan tradition.” Beijing said it would deepen three-way cooperation with Kabul and Islamabad. “Under the current circumstances, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan should restart the trilateral cooperation mechanism and advance cooperation in the three areas of politics, development and security based on the principles of mutual respect, equal-footed consultation and mutual benefit,” said Wang Yi, following his talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Acting Foreign Minister of Taliban government Amir Khan Muttaqi. China-EU Summit On Friday, top diplomats from the European Union virtually met with China’s leaders to discuss and address urgent matters including the Ukraine issue, the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. The European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. On the war in Ukraine, Mr Xi called on the EU and China "to prevent spillovers of the crisis." “China and the EU share extensive common interests and a solid foundation for cooperation, and that only through cooperation and coordination can the two sides resolve problems and rise to challenges,” Xi said, as quoted by the Foreign Ministry read-out. For Michel, “The EU’s top priority is to stop the war and protect the Ukrainian people. In times of crisis, dialogue is needed more than ever. That’s why the EU and China focused on what can be done to end this war as soon as possible.” “We call on China to help end this war,” he tweeted. “China cannot turn a blind eye to Russia’s violation of international law.” Von der Leyen spoke on similar lines, “There must be respect for international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. China, as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, has a special responsibility,” she tweeted. However, warned Beijing not to interfere in EU’s sanctions on Russia, and added that their support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine "would lead to major reputational damage" for China in Europe. China in world reportage This week, two long-time allies the Philippines and the United States gathered thousands of soldiers for the largest-ever joint military drills. The 12-day took off on Monday and has nearly 9,000 Filipino and American soldiers has participating in it. At the opening ceremony in Manila, the Philippine military chief General Andres Centino said the war games reflected the “deepening alliance” between the two nations. For US Major General Jay Bargeron, the “friendship and trust” between the armed forces of the two countries would allow them to “succeed together across the entire spectrum of military operations”. As the two countries announced the drills, a Beijing-based think tank released a report which stated that the “US held more than 100 large-scale military exercises near China last year,” according to Global Times. According to analysts, a major reason behind the “extensive drills with new tactics is that the US is aiming to contain China but is faced with the rapid development of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and the US military is worried that its traditional instruments of war are becoming obsolete facing the PLA," reported Global Times. On the eve of the “largest-ever drills”, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) tweeted an incident that had occurred on March 2, according to it, “one close distance manoeuvring incident involving a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel during its maritime patrol.” China, in turn, on March 30, aired footage of ‘day-and-night drills by the People’s Liberation Army along the coasts of the East China and South China seas’, on Chinese state television, according to the South China Morning Post. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden released USD 5.8 trillion budget proposal on Monday. The proposal was aimed at tackling ‘America’s security and economic concerns.’ In an address, Biden said, “The world has changed.” He added, that the US is “once again facing increased competition from other nation-states – China and Russia – which are going to require investments to make things like space and cyber and other advanced capabilities, including hypersonics”. The US Senate also passed ‘its version’ of the long-stalled China Competition Bill. The bill, as reported by Bloomberg, aims “to jump-start innovation and bring key industries back to the U.S. amid a global supply chain crunch.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin at his regular press conference on Tuesday said, that the bill “hyped up the China threat theory.” “The U.S. should work to uphold the stability of global industrial supply chains, including in the semiconductor industry, instead of making issues out of China and seeing China as an imaginary enemy,” he added. In other news, according to the Swiss Re Institute report, China suffered the world’s second-worst losses from floods in 2021. China’s economic losses from flood-related events last year stood at USD 25 billion. The majority, about USD 19 billion was attributed to extreme rainstorms in Henan province last July. (The author is an Assistant Researcher at WION TV)

Chinese vignettes | China is steadily making gains overseas. At home, it struggles to fight Covid

The week began with a devastating news, China witnessed one of its worst air disasters in nearly three decades. A Chinese Eastern Boeing 737-800 with&nbsp;more than 130 people on board crashed in a mountainous area. Many major&nbsp;Chinese cities and provinces continue to battle surge in Covid cases.

Overseas, too, China has been engaged in diplomacy. This week, from NATO accusing Beijing of politically helping Moscow, to Chinese FM Wang Yi’s tour of South Asia, we look at the big stories from China.

China Eastern Airlines plane crash

On Monday, condolences poured from around the globe, when a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 123 passengers and 9 crew onboard,&nbsp; crashed&nbsp;in&nbsp;mountains&nbsp;in&nbsp;Southern&nbsp;China.&nbsp;Flight MU5735&nbsp;was flying&nbsp;to&nbsp;Guangzhou from Kunming when&nbsp;it&nbsp;lost contact&nbsp;above the city of&nbsp;Wuzhou,&nbsp;around 210 km&nbsp;from the destination.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Chinese&nbsp;President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked”&nbsp;and ordered for&nbsp;an immediate&nbsp;investigation&nbsp;into the matter. The&nbsp;plane&nbsp;nosedived from&nbsp;an&nbsp;altitude of 29,100 feet&nbsp;to&nbsp;9,075 feet&nbsp;in&nbsp;two minutes&nbsp;and 15 seconds, reported state media&nbsp;CGTN.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;airlines expressed “its deep condolences for the passengers&nbsp;and crew members who died&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;plane&nbsp;crash.”&nbsp;

According&nbsp;to Zhu Tao,&nbsp;an official&nbsp;with&nbsp;China’s Civil&nbsp;Aviation&nbsp;Administration, “Air traffic controllers tried multiple times&nbsp;to&nbsp;reach pilots of doomed&nbsp;China&nbsp;Eastern Flight 5735&nbsp;after&nbsp;it&nbsp;began&nbsp;its deadly dive on Monday but received no response.” reported&nbsp;Bloomberg.&nbsp;

Both the black boxes have been found&nbsp;and sent for examination. On Friday, state broadcaster CCTV confirmed that&nbsp;all 132 on board were dead.&nbsp;&nbsp;

While there&nbsp;are many theories&nbsp;about the cause of the&nbsp;crash, Chinese&nbsp;newspaper&nbsp;the&nbsp;China&nbsp;Daily&nbsp;busted many&nbsp;rumours&nbsp;and urged people not&nbsp;to&nbsp;believe easily.&nbsp;

China&nbsp;in&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine conflict&nbsp;

On Wednesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg accused China of politically backing Russia&nbsp;as&nbsp;it&nbsp;continues&nbsp;to&nbsp;attack Ukraine.&nbsp;And warned Beijing&nbsp;against providing&nbsp;any material support.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“China&nbsp;has provided Russia&nbsp;with&nbsp;political support,&nbsp;including by spreading blatant lies&nbsp;and misinformation,&nbsp;and&nbsp;allies&nbsp;are concerned that&nbsp;China&nbsp;could provide material support for the Russia&nbsp;invasion,” he said,&nbsp;ahead of&nbsp;an urgent NATO summit on Thursday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Stoltenberg further&nbsp;said that he expected&nbsp;that&nbsp;world leaders&nbsp;will “call on&nbsp;China&nbsp;to&nbsp;live up&nbsp;to&nbsp;its&nbsp;responsibilities&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;member of the UN Security Council”&nbsp;and&nbsp;China&nbsp;must&nbsp;“refrain from supporting Russia”,&nbsp;instead&nbsp;it&nbsp;should “join the rest of the world&nbsp;in&nbsp;calling for&nbsp;an immediate, peaceful end&nbsp;to&nbsp;this war.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

China&nbsp;fired back&nbsp;and&nbsp;called the claims “disinformation”.&nbsp;China&nbsp;also called out US’ ‘smear’ campaign&nbsp;as&nbsp;Washington&nbsp;accused Beijing of having prior knowledge of Russia’s&nbsp;invasion of Ukraine.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, at the UN Security Council (UNSC),&nbsp;China&nbsp;voted&nbsp;in&nbsp;favour&nbsp;of the Russian Resolution, stating UNSC should play&nbsp;its role&nbsp;in&nbsp;the humanitarian crisis&nbsp;in&nbsp;Ukraine.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We&nbsp;advocate that the Security Council should fulfil&nbsp;its primary responsibility for the maintenance of&nbsp;international peace&nbsp;and security,&nbsp;and play&nbsp;its due role&nbsp;in&nbsp;the humanitarian issue of Ukraine,” said&nbsp;Zhang Jun, the Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of&nbsp;China&nbsp;to&nbsp;the United Nations.&nbsp;

He further went on&nbsp;to&nbsp;present Beijing’s six-point&nbsp;initiative&nbsp;and clarified&nbsp;to&nbsp;the UNSC members that the vote&nbsp;in&nbsp;favour was a “call&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;international community&nbsp;to&nbsp;prioritise the humanitarian situation&nbsp;in&nbsp;Ukraine,”&nbsp;and “protect the safety of civilians, especially women, children&nbsp;and other vulnerable groups,&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;facilitate the personnel evacuation&nbsp;and humanitarian relief operations.”&nbsp;

Wang Yi’s&nbsp;tour of South&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;&nbsp;

This week,&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;Foreign Minister&nbsp;and State&nbsp;Councilor Wang Yi embarked on&nbsp;a&nbsp;tour of South&nbsp;Asia. His&nbsp;itinerary&nbsp;included Pakistan,&nbsp;Afghanistan,&nbsp;India,&nbsp;and Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Wang Yi&nbsp;attended the gathering of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)&nbsp;in&nbsp;Islamabad,&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;special guest.&nbsp;In&nbsp;his speech, he reiterated&nbsp;China’s stand of support for Russia&nbsp;and Ukraine peace talks&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;ceasefire.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We need&nbsp;to&nbsp;prevent humanitarian disasters&nbsp;and prevent the spillover of the Ukrainian crisis from&nbsp;affecting or harming the legitimate rights&nbsp;and&nbsp;interests of other regions&nbsp;and countries,” he said.&nbsp;

Wang Yi&nbsp;also said that Beijing’s close ties&nbsp;with&nbsp;the Muslim world&nbsp;are based on respect&nbsp;and mutual cooperation,&nbsp;and&nbsp;China&nbsp;has been&nbsp;investing over $400 billion&nbsp;in&nbsp;nearly 600 projects&nbsp;across 54 Muslim countries under the Belt&nbsp;and Road&nbsp;Initiative.&nbsp;

In&nbsp;Pakistan, Wang&nbsp;also met&nbsp;with&nbsp;Prime Minister Imran Khan&nbsp;and discussed plans&nbsp;to&nbsp;extend the&nbsp;China-Pakistan Economic Corridor&nbsp;to&nbsp;Afghanistan.&nbsp;And&nbsp;criticised&nbsp;the West’s handling of&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;with&nbsp;Pakistan’s&nbsp;Chief of&nbsp;Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa.&nbsp;

Next,&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;FM Wang Yi travelled&nbsp;to&nbsp;Kabul, where he held talks&nbsp;with&nbsp;Taliban Foreign Minister&nbsp;Amir Khan Muttaqi. He focused on “political, economic&nbsp;and transit issues”,&nbsp;including education, trade, mining sector&nbsp;as&nbsp;well&nbsp;as&nbsp;BRI projects&nbsp;in&nbsp;Afghanistan. Later this month,&nbsp;China&nbsp;plans&nbsp;to&nbsp;host&nbsp;a&nbsp;meeting of&nbsp;Afghanistan’s&nbsp;neighbours.&nbsp;

On Thursday,&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;MFA spokesperson Wang Wenbin said,&nbsp;“As&nbsp;Afghanistan's&nbsp;neighbour,&nbsp;China&nbsp;stands ready&nbsp;to&nbsp;leverage&nbsp;its strength&nbsp;and contribute&nbsp;to&nbsp;the country’s lasting stability&nbsp;and security.&nbsp;With&nbsp;regard&nbsp;to&nbsp;your question&nbsp;about the specifics, we will release&nbsp;information&nbsp;in&nbsp;due course.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Friday, Wang Yi reached Nepal for&nbsp;a&nbsp;three-day visit.&nbsp;According&nbsp;to&nbsp;reports, the visit is&nbsp;a&nbsp;chance for the two countries&nbsp;to&nbsp;make&nbsp;amends. The visit&nbsp;comes&nbsp;in&nbsp;the backdrop of Kathmandu ratifying the&nbsp;Millennium Challenge Corporation compact,&nbsp;a&nbsp;setback for Beijing.&nbsp;The USD 500 million grant is&nbsp;a&nbsp;part of developmental&nbsp;assistance from Washington&nbsp;to&nbsp;the Himalayan nation.&nbsp;

The visit is&nbsp;also&nbsp;an&nbsp;opportunity&nbsp;for&nbsp;China&nbsp;to&nbsp;bring on track the development of projects under BRI&nbsp;in&nbsp;Nepal. The two nations have signed nine deals, however none on BRI.&nbsp;

Before reaching Nepal, the&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;official made&nbsp;a&nbsp;surprise stopover&nbsp;in&nbsp;India. Thursday night, he reached the capital city of New Delhi.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wang Yi’s visit&nbsp;to&nbsp;India&nbsp;and OIC controversy&nbsp;

On Friday, Wang Yi met&nbsp;with&nbsp;India’s&nbsp;National Security&nbsp;Advisor&nbsp;Ajit Doval&nbsp;and&nbsp;External&nbsp;Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The officials of the two nations discussed the way forward&nbsp;to&nbsp;resolve the two-year-old military stand-off&nbsp;at the Line of&nbsp;Actual Control.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The two countries stayed completely silent on the high-level visit,&nbsp;a&nbsp;first between the two sides since the standoff&nbsp;in&nbsp;2020.&nbsp;According&nbsp;to&nbsp;reports, they were waiting for each other&nbsp;to&nbsp;make the&nbsp;announcement, but&nbsp;India shelved the idea&nbsp;after Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s statement&nbsp;at the OIC meet on Tuesday.&nbsp;

At the OIC meet, Wang Yi made&nbsp;a&nbsp;reference&nbsp;to&nbsp;the Union Territory of Jammu&nbsp;and Kashmir. He said, “On Kashmir, we have heard&nbsp;again&nbsp;today the calls of many of our Islamic friends.&nbsp;And&nbsp;China&nbsp;shares the same hope.” While the statement was open ended,&nbsp;it&nbsp;‘effectively offered support&nbsp;to&nbsp;all that was spoken on Jammu&nbsp;and Kashmir by the OIC foreign ministers,’ said the&nbsp;Hindustan Times.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Indian government fired back&nbsp;and reminded Wang Yi that&nbsp;as&nbsp;India doesn’t make&nbsp;any “public judgment” regarding&nbsp;internal matters of&nbsp;China,&nbsp;it&nbsp;shouldn’t either.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We reject the uncalled reference&nbsp;to&nbsp;India by the&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;foreign minister Wang Yi during his speech&nbsp;at the opening ceremony,” said&nbsp;Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of&nbsp;India’s External&nbsp;Affairs Ministry.&nbsp;

“Matters related&nbsp;to&nbsp;the Union Territory of Jammu &amp; Kashmir&nbsp;are entirely the&nbsp;internal&nbsp;affairs of&nbsp;India. Other countries,&nbsp;including&nbsp;China, have no locus standi&nbsp;to&nbsp;comment. They should note that&nbsp;India refrains from public judgement of their&nbsp;internal issues,” he&nbsp;added.&nbsp;

Despite the ‘unannounced’&nbsp;arrival, the visit&nbsp;took place rather smoothly. Wang Yi proposed&nbsp;a&nbsp;three-point&nbsp;approach. First, he stressed on&nbsp;China&nbsp;and&nbsp;India’s long history,&nbsp;and urged the two sides&nbsp;to&nbsp;view ‘bilateral relations&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;long-term vision’ He&nbsp;added, "China&nbsp;and&nbsp;India do not pose&nbsp;a&nbsp;threat&nbsp;to&nbsp;each other, but provide opportunities for each other's development",&nbsp;according&nbsp;to&nbsp;the MFA press release.&nbsp;

Next, he urged that the two nations “should view each other's development&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;win-win mindset,”&nbsp;and lastly, they must “participate&nbsp;in&nbsp;multilateral processes&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;cooperative&nbsp;attitude.”&nbsp;

China-Sri Lanka&nbsp;

The island nation of Sri Lanka is reeling under one of&nbsp;its worst financial&nbsp;meltdowns. Despite huge foreign&nbsp;investment from&nbsp;China,&nbsp;its forex is depleting. This week, Colombo has sought&nbsp;a&nbsp;fresh loan&nbsp;and buyer’s credit from Beijing for USD 2.5 billion.&nbsp;And&nbsp;China&nbsp;is considering the&nbsp;request.&nbsp;

China&nbsp;has been&nbsp;accused of debt-trapping countries on multiple occasions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Qi&nbsp;Zhenhong,&nbsp;Ambassador of the People's Republic of&nbsp;China&nbsp;to&nbsp;Sri Lanka, clarified that Beijing’s&nbsp;assistance is being extended on “competitive terms”,&nbsp;adding that&nbsp;China&nbsp;would “never take&nbsp;advantage of Sri Lanka” while helping&nbsp;a&nbsp;country&nbsp;in&nbsp;need, said&nbsp;The Hindu.&nbsp;

Continuous rise&nbsp;in&nbsp;COVID-19 cases&nbsp;

China&nbsp;continues&nbsp;to&nbsp;battle one of&nbsp;its worst&nbsp;outbreaks&nbsp;of COVID-19, primarily driven by the highly&nbsp;infectious Omicron variant. On Friday,&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;health officials called the situation “severe&nbsp;and complex”.&nbsp;

Since March 1, the&nbsp;China&nbsp;mainland has recorded more than 56,000 Covid-19 cases,&nbsp;according&nbsp;to&nbsp;national health officials. While Hong Kong has recorded more than&nbsp;a&nbsp;million.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This week, the city of Shanghai, particularly saw&nbsp;a&nbsp;sharp rise&nbsp;in&nbsp;cases,&nbsp;with&nbsp;as&nbsp;many&nbsp;as&nbsp;2000 new&nbsp;asymptomatic cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The city came under strain&nbsp;as&nbsp;cases rose, but the&nbsp;authorities had no plans&nbsp;to&nbsp;impose&nbsp;any&nbsp;immediate lockdown due&nbsp;to&nbsp;its ‘important role&nbsp;in&nbsp;the national&nbsp;and global economy, making decisions on lockdown won't be easy.’&nbsp;

"Shanghai is&nbsp;a&nbsp;city that not only covers the Shanghai people themselves, but&nbsp;also plays&nbsp;an important role&nbsp;in&nbsp;the national economic&nbsp;and social development,&nbsp;and even has&nbsp;an impact on the global economy," said&nbsp;CGTN&nbsp;quoting Wu Fan,&nbsp;a&nbsp;medical expert.&nbsp;

On March 28, however,&nbsp;at 5 am, the&nbsp;authorities locked down the city of 25 million.&nbsp;According&nbsp;to&nbsp;reports, the city will lockdown&nbsp;in&nbsp;two phases&nbsp;to&nbsp;conduct mass testing. Currently, the&nbsp;areas east of the Huangpu River&nbsp;are under lockdown,&nbsp;and&nbsp;after four days, the other half of the city,&nbsp;in&nbsp;the west, will be under lockdown for four days.

Other cities&nbsp;too,&nbsp;continue&nbsp;to&nbsp;follow&nbsp;a&nbsp;strict ‘zero-Covid ‘policy, more than 20 cities&nbsp;and provinces have imposed travel bans&nbsp;and lockdowns since this wave began.&nbsp;This policy&nbsp;has been facing&nbsp;backlash. Students&nbsp;at Sichuan University&nbsp;in&nbsp;the Chengdu, capital of southwestern&nbsp;China's Sichuan province, said ‘they were effectively banned from leaving the campus&nbsp;almost two weeks&nbsp;after the city lifted restrictions,’ reported the&nbsp;South&nbsp;China&nbsp;Morning Post.&nbsp;

(The&nbsp;author is&nbsp;an&nbsp;Assistant Researcher&nbsp;at WION TV)

The week began with a devastating news, China witnessed one of its worst air disasters in nearly three decades. A Chinese Eastern Boeing 737-800 with more than 130 people on board crashed in a mountainous area.

The week began with a devastating news, China witnessed one of its worst air disasters in nearly three decades. A Chinese Eastern Boeing 737-800 with more than 130 people on board crashed in a mountainous area. Many major Chinese cities and provinces continue to battle surge in Covid cases. Overseas, too, China has been engaged in diplomacy. This week, from NATO accusing Beijing of politically helping Moscow, to Chinese FM Wang Yi’s tour of South Asia, we look at the big stories from China. China Eastern Airlines plane crash On Monday, condolences poured from around the globe, when a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 123 passengers and 9 crew onboard, crashed in mountains in Southern China. Flight MU5735 was flying to Guangzhou from Kunming when it lost contact above the city of Wuzhou, around 210 km from the destination. Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked” and ordered for an immediate investigation into the matter. The plane nosedived from an altitude of 29,100 feet to 9,075 feet in two minutes and 15 seconds, reported state media CGTN. The airlines expressed “its deep condolences for the passengers and crew members who died in the plane crash.” According to Zhu Tao, an official with China’s Civil Aviation Administration, “Air traffic controllers tried multiple times to reach pilots of doomed China Eastern Flight 5735 after it began its deadly dive on Monday but received no response.” reported Bloomberg. Both the black boxes have been found and sent for examination. On Friday, state broadcaster CCTV confirmed that all 132 on board were dead. While there are many theories about the cause of the crash, Chinese newspaper the China Daily busted many rumours and urged people not to believe easily. China in Russia-Ukraine conflict On Wednesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg accused China of politically backing Russia as it continues to attack Ukraine. And warned Beijing against providing any material support. “China has provided Russia with political support, including by spreading blatant lies and misinformation, and allies are concerned that China could provide material support for the Russia invasion,” he said, ahead of an urgent NATO summit on Thursday. Stoltenberg further said that he expected that world leaders will “call on China to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council” and China must “refrain from supporting Russia”, instead it should “join the rest of the world in calling for an immediate, peaceful end to this war.” China fired back and called the claims “disinformation”. China also called out US’ ‘smear’ campaign as Washington accused Beijing of having prior knowledge of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Wednesday, at the UN Security Council (UNSC), China voted in favour of the Russian Resolution, stating UNSC should play its role in the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. “We advocate that the Security Council should fulfil its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and play its due role in the humanitarian issue of Ukraine,” said Zhang Jun, the Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations. He further went on to present Beijing’s six-point initiative and clarified to the UNSC members that the vote in favour was a “call to the international community to prioritise the humanitarian situation in Ukraine,” and “protect the safety of civilians, especially women, children and other vulnerable groups, and to facilitate the personnel evacuation and humanitarian relief operations.” Wang Yi’s tour of South Asia This week, Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi embarked on a tour of South Asia. His itinerary included Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Nepal. On Tuesday, Wang Yi attended the gathering of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, as a special guest. In his speech, he reiterated China’s stand of support for Russia and Ukraine peace talks and a ceasefire. “We need to prevent humanitarian disasters and prevent the spillover of the Ukrainian crisis from affecting or harming the legitimate rights and interests of other regions and countries,” he said. Wang Yi also said that Beijing’s close ties with the Muslim world are based on respect and mutual cooperation, and China has been investing over $400 billion in nearly 600 projects across 54 Muslim countries under the Belt and Road Initiative. In Pakistan, Wang also met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and discussed plans to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan. And criticised the West’s handling of Afghanistan with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa. Next, Chinese FM Wang Yi travelled to Kabul, where he held talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. He focused on “political, economic and transit issues”, including education, trade, mining sector as well as BRI projects in Afghanistan. Later this month, China plans to host a meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbours. On Thursday, Chinese MFA spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “As Afghanistan's neighbour, China stands ready to leverage its strength and contribute to the country’s lasting stability and security. With regard to your question about the specifics, we will release information in due course.” On Friday, Wang Yi reached Nepal for a three-day visit. According to reports, the visit is a chance for the two countries to make amends. The visit comes in the backdrop of Kathmandu ratifying the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, a setback for Beijing. The USD 500 million grant is a part of developmental assistance from Washington to the Himalayan nation. The visit is also an opportunity for China to bring on track the development of projects under BRI in Nepal. The two nations have signed nine deals, however none on BRI. Before reaching Nepal, the Chinese official made a surprise stopover in India. Thursday night, he reached the capital city of New Delhi. Wang Yi’s visit to India and OIC controversy On Friday, Wang Yi met with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The officials of the two nations discussed the way forward to resolve the two-year-old military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control. The two countries stayed completely silent on the high-level visit, a first between the two sides since the standoff in 2020. According to reports, they were waiting for each other to make the announcement, but India shelved the idea after Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s statement at the OIC meet on Tuesday. At the OIC meet, Wang Yi made a reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.” While the statement was open ended, it ‘effectively offered support to all that was spoken on Jammu and Kashmir by the OIC foreign ministers,’ said the Hindustan Times. The Indian government fired back and reminded Wang Yi that as India doesn’t make any “public judgment” regarding internal matters of China, it shouldn’t either. “We reject the uncalled reference to India by the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi during his speech at the opening ceremony,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India’s External Affairs Ministry. “Matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India. Other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgement of their internal issues,” he added. Despite the ‘unannounced’ arrival, the visit took place rather smoothly. Wang Yi proposed a three-point approach. First, he stressed on China and India’s long history, and urged the two sides to view ‘bilateral relations with a long-term vision’ He added, "China and India do not pose a threat to each other, but provide opportunities for each other's development", according to the MFA press release. Next, he urged that the two nations “should view each other's development with a win-win mindset,” and lastly, they must “participate in multilateral processes with a cooperative attitude.” China-Sri Lanka The island nation of Sri Lanka is reeling under one of its worst financial meltdowns. Despite huge foreign investment from China, its forex is depleting. This week, Colombo has sought a fresh loan and buyer’s credit from Beijing for USD 2.5 billion. And China is considering the request. China has been accused of debt-trapping countries on multiple occasions. Qi Zhenhong, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Sri Lanka, clarified that Beijing’s assistance is being extended on “competitive terms”, adding that China would “never take advantage of Sri Lanka” while helping a country in need, said The Hindu. Continuous rise in COVID-19 cases China continues to battle one of its worst outbreaks of COVID-19, primarily driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant. On Friday, Chinese health officials called the situation “severe and complex”. Since March 1, the China mainland has recorded more than 56,000 Covid-19 cases, according to national health officials. While Hong Kong has recorded more than a million. This week, the city of Shanghai, particularly saw a sharp rise in cases, with as many as 2000 new asymptomatic cases. The city came under strain as cases rose, but the authorities had no plans to impose any immediate lockdown due to its ‘important role in the national and global economy, making decisions on lockdown won't be easy.’ "Shanghai is a city that not only covers the Shanghai people themselves, but also plays an important role in the national economic and social development, and even has an impact on the global economy," said CGTN quoting Wu Fan, a medical expert. On March 28, however, at 5 am, the authorities locked down the city of 25 million. According to reports, the city will lockdown in two phases to conduct mass testing. Currently, the areas east of the Huangpu River are under lockdown, and after four days, the other half of the city, in the west, will be under lockdown for four days. Other cities too, continue to follow a strict ‘zero-Covid ‘policy, more than 20 cities and provinces have imposed travel bans and lockdowns since this wave began. This policy has been facing backlash. Students at Sichuan University in the Chengdu, capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province, said ‘they were effectively banned from leaving the campus almost two weeks after the city lifted restrictions,’ reported the South China Morning Post. (The author is an Assistant Researcher at WION TV)

Chinese vignettes | Woes continue in  China as it comes to reality with a fatal plane crash

“May our country enjoy prosperity and our people live in peace and harmony!”, said Xi Jinping in his 2022 new year address. Three months into the year, it has been anything but that. 2022 was supposed to be a perfect year for Xi as he is expected to step into a third term at the end of his 10-year tenure this year. Instead, he is dealing with a dual crisis – China’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 at home, and overseas, fear of possible Western sanction or its repercussion of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

CHINA OVER THE WEEK

Rise in Covid Cases

China is witnessing a major surge in Covid cases since the Wuhan outbreak in 2020. According to data reported, the daily rise in cases in China, world’s most populous country, had mostly remained in double digits. However, things have changed drastically in the last month. Now, the daily count is over a thousand, and on Saturday, the country reported its first two Covid-related deaths in more than a year.

As the cases rise in China, so do the curbs and restrictions.&nbsp;

China which is following a strict ‘zero-Covid’ policy has kept most of its citizens under heavy lockdown. Last week, Shenzhen – a city of 17.5 million is China's southern tech powerhouse, went into a six-day lockdown on Sunday after massive surge in Covid-19 cases. The restrictions have also widened to other cities and provinces like Jilin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Some restrictions, however, have now been partially eased, after President Xi stressed the need to "minimise the impact" of Covid-induced lockdowns on the nation's economy. In Shenzhen and other major cities and provinces work has resumed, factory operations, as well as public transport.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hong Kong, which is still considering a lockdown, is suffering immensely. The government in Hong Kong is struggling to contain the city’s worst Covid outbreak ever. The highly transmissible&nbsp;Omicron variant is tearing through densely populated Hong Kong.&nbsp;Tens of thousands of cases are being reported each day, and deaths, too, have surged.

Officially, the city of Hong Kong has only just reported more than a million cases since the outbreak began in December, 96 per cent have come since February 9.&nbsp;&nbsp;But researchers at the University of Hong Kong estimate that almost half of the population, about 3.6 million, have contracted the virus in this outbreak, and the total will be more than 4.5 million cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just in a few weeks, the city has gone from 'zero-Covid' to having the world's highest death rate. &nbsp;

That's not all, Hong Kong is also witnessing an exodus. Covid and the strict measures to contain the virus, is driving out many of its residents. The city has witnessed more than 70,000 departures last month, and more than 50,000 in first half of March, according to data from the Immigration Department.&nbsp;&nbsp;

China-US-Russia-Ukraine

While China is dealing with a large outbreak of Covid-19 at home, overseas, it is dealing with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As the war enters its fourth week, there is no ending in sight, at least in the near future.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Almost every day, world leaders are discussing ways to end the conflict. Chinese officials have been particularly busy this week. Earlier this week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese foreign policy head Yang Jiechi in Rome. For seven hours, Yang and Sullivan discussed a range of tensions the two countries had, however, focused extensively on Ukraine. &nbsp;

According to US officials, Washington warned that Beijing that is could face serious consequences if it&nbsp;‘significant consequences’&nbsp;backs Moscow in the war. Their meeting came at a time when multiple US media reports alleged that Russia had asked China for military equipment. However, China and Russia were quick to dismiss the allegations, calling them untrue. &nbsp;

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki indicated that if Beijing was to help Moscow, US would initiate punitive measure, which would be further carried out in coordination with allies. She said, “It’s less about changing their mind (about the nature of their relationship with Russia) and more about making clear with them what the consequences would be should they take additional actions to support this invasion.” &nbsp;

According to a Chinese read-out of the meeting, Yang warned the United States not to 'mischaracterize' Beijing’s stand on the war, which has been much debated in the West amid China’s refusal so far to condemn the invasion.

“Yang Jiechi stressed that China firmly opposes any words or deeds that spread false information, distort or smear China’s position,” said the South China Morning Post quoting a state media report.

Later, Kyiv Independent also reported that China had requested talks between Europe and Russia to "set up a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework." &nbsp;

However, what came as a surprise was a phone call, on Friday, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. This was the first time the two leaders have spoken on the phone since the beginning of the conflict.

The surprise bilateral phone call was announced as Russia Foreign Minister Sergeĭ Lavrov, reportedly, was halfway to Beijing when his planed made a u-turn back to Moscow. &nbsp;

According to the White House, in the two-hour call, Biden raised concerns of China possibly aiding Russia, and reiterated “the implications and consequences” China would face if it “provides material support to Russia”.

Beijing’s account of the call said that Xi criticised the harsh economic punishment US and its allies have imposed on Russia in response to the invasion. &nbsp;

“Sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions would only make the people suffer. If further escalated, they could trigger serious crises in global economy and trade, finance, energy, food, and industrial and supply chains, crippling the already languishing world economy and causing irrevocable losses,” the ministry quoted President Xi as saying.

Further, Xi asked Biden for a “cool-headed and rational” approach, and stressed that “the Ukraine crisis is not something we want to see.” Instead, “The pressing priority is to keep the dialogue and negotiation going, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and cease hostilities as soon as possible.” And for this to happen, the two nations, “must shoulder our share of international responsibilities and work for world peace and tranquillity.”

On the path of diplomacy, China which, earlier this month, showed interest to extend a hand of friendship to India after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference on the side-lines of annual Chinese Parliament session. The Foreign Minister, himself, is likely to visit India this month, according to multiple reports. &nbsp;

If the proposed visit does go ahead, it will be the first by a senior Chinese leader to India since the two nations have been locked in a dragging standoff in eastern Ladakh in May 2020. The two leaders will also get an opportunity to exchange views on the crisis in Ukraine.

Last year, in July, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held a bilateral on the side-lines of another SCO meeting in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe to discuss the border row. And again, they met in Dushanbe in September.

Meanwhile, according to Taiwan News, two Chinese nationals have been caught for allegedly trying to smuggle two infants from Ukraine to Romania. On Monday, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine discovered that the two Chinese nationals did not have any identifying documents for the two infants, and were immediately arrested. &nbsp;

CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE

The world’s largest crude exporter, Saudi Arabia, is in talks with Beijing to price its Chinese oil sales in Yuan instead of US Dollars. &nbsp;The two nations which have been in talks off and on for six years over yuan-priced contracts have accelerated the negotiations. China purchases more than 25 per cent of the oil Saudi Arabia exports, and if the oil is to be priced in yuan, the sales will boost the standing of the Chinese currency. &nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;According to&nbsp;Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia has also extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Riyadh. The kingdom which has grown increasingly unhappy with the Washington, is looking to deepen its ties Beijing.

This comes amid reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, had declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden. &nbsp;

“There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” said a U.S. official of the planned discussion between the Saudi Prince Mohammed and Mr. Biden. “It was part of turning on the spigot [of Saudi oil],” reported the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal.

While the two nations are looking to deepen their ties, some Asian and Oceanian nations have ramped up its purchase of military equipment as they become ‘increasingly wary of China’s growing regional ambition’, said the&nbsp;South China Morning Post.

The report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on Monday showed that the top 6 out of 10 arm importers in the last five years were nations situated in Asia and Oceania. &nbsp;

Meanwhile, in some sports related reportage, Guanyu Zhou, became China’s first full-time Formula One driver. At just 22, Zhou suited up to race for the team Alfa Romeo on Sunday in Bahrain.

“May our country enjoy prosperity and our people live in peace and harmony!”, said Xi Jinping in his 2022 new year address. Three months into the year, it has been anything but that.

“May our country enjoy prosperity and our people live in peace and harmony!”, said Xi Jinping in his 2022 new year address. Three months into the year, it has been anything but that. 2022 was supposed to be a perfect year for Xi as he is expected to step into a third term at the end of his 10-year tenure this year. Instead, he is dealing with a dual crisis – China’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 at home, and overseas, fear of possible Western sanction or its repercussion of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. CHINA OVER THE WEEK Rise in Covid Cases China is witnessing a major surge in Covid cases since the Wuhan outbreak in 2020. According to data reported, the daily rise in cases in China, world’s most populous country, had mostly remained in double digits. However, things have changed drastically in the last month. Now, the daily count is over a thousand, and on Saturday, the country reported its first two Covid-related deaths in more than a year. As the cases rise in China, so do the curbs and restrictions. China which is following a strict ‘zero-Covid’ policy has kept most of its citizens under heavy lockdown. Last week, Shenzhen – a city of 17.5 million is China's southern tech powerhouse, went into a six-day lockdown on Sunday after massive surge in Covid-19 cases. The restrictions have also widened to other cities and provinces like Jilin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Some restrictions, however, have now been partially eased, after President Xi stressed the need to "minimise the impact" of Covid-induced lockdowns on the nation's economy. In Shenzhen and other major cities and provinces work has resumed, factory operations, as well as public transport. Hong Kong, which is still considering a lockdown, is suffering immensely. The government in Hong Kong is struggling to contain the city’s worst Covid outbreak ever. The highly transmissible Omicron variant is tearing through densely populated Hong Kong. Tens of thousands of cases are being reported each day, and deaths, too, have surged. Officially, the city of Hong Kong has only just reported more than a million cases since the outbreak began in December, 96 per cent have come since February 9. But researchers at the University of Hong Kong estimate that almost half of the population, about 3.6 million, have contracted the virus in this outbreak, and the total will be more than 4.5 million cases. Just in a few weeks, the city has gone from 'zero-Covid' to having the world's highest death rate. That's not all, Hong Kong is also witnessing an exodus. Covid and the strict measures to contain the virus, is driving out many of its residents. The city has witnessed more than 70,000 departures last month, and more than 50,000 in first half of March, according to data from the Immigration Department. China-US-Russia-Ukraine While China is dealing with a large outbreak of Covid-19 at home, overseas, it is dealing with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As the war enters its fourth week, there is no ending in sight, at least in the near future. Almost every day, world leaders are discussing ways to end the conflict. Chinese officials have been particularly busy this week. Earlier this week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese foreign policy head Yang Jiechi in Rome. For seven hours, Yang and Sullivan discussed a range of tensions the two countries had, however, focused extensively on Ukraine. According to US officials, Washington warned that Beijing that is could face serious consequences if it ‘significant consequences’ backs Moscow in the war. Their meeting came at a time when multiple US media reports alleged that Russia had asked China for military equipment. However, China and Russia were quick to dismiss the allegations, calling them untrue. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki indicated that if Beijing was to help Moscow, US would initiate punitive measure, which would be further carried out in coordination with allies. She said, “It’s less about changing their mind (about the nature of their relationship with Russia) and more about making clear with them what the consequences would be should they take additional actions to support this invasion.” According to a Chinese read-out of the meeting, Yang warned the United States not to 'mischaracterize' Beijing’s stand on the war, which has been much debated in the West amid China’s refusal so far to condemn the invasion. “Yang Jiechi stressed that China firmly opposes any words or deeds that spread false information, distort or smear China’s position,” said the South China Morning Post quoting a state media report. Later, Kyiv Independent also reported that China had requested talks between Europe and Russia to "set up a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework." However, what came as a surprise was a phone call, on Friday, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. This was the first time the two leaders have spoken on the phone since the beginning of the conflict. The surprise bilateral phone call was announced as Russia Foreign Minister Sergeĭ Lavrov, reportedly, was halfway to Beijing when his planed made a u-turn back to Moscow. According to the White House, in the two-hour call, Biden raised concerns of China possibly aiding Russia, and reiterated “the implications and consequences” China would face if it “provides material support to Russia”. Beijing’s account of the call said that Xi criticised the harsh economic punishment US and its allies have imposed on Russia in response to the invasion. “Sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions would only make the people suffer. If further escalated, they could trigger serious crises in global economy and trade, finance, energy, food, and industrial and supply chains, crippling the already languishing world economy and causing irrevocable losses,” the ministry quoted President Xi as saying. Further, Xi asked Biden for a “cool-headed and rational” approach, and stressed that “the Ukraine crisis is not something we want to see.” Instead, “The pressing priority is to keep the dialogue and negotiation going, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and cease hostilities as soon as possible.” And for this to happen, the two nations, “must shoulder our share of international responsibilities and work for world peace and tranquillity.” On the path of diplomacy, China which, earlier this month, showed interest to extend a hand of friendship to India after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference on the side-lines of annual Chinese Parliament session. The Foreign Minister, himself, is likely to visit India this month, according to multiple reports. If the proposed visit does go ahead, it will be the first by a senior Chinese leader to India since the two nations have been locked in a dragging standoff in eastern Ladakh in May 2020. The two leaders will also get an opportunity to exchange views on the crisis in Ukraine. Last year, in July, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held a bilateral on the side-lines of another SCO meeting in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe to discuss the border row. And again, they met in Dushanbe in September. Meanwhile, according to Taiwan News, two Chinese nationals have been caught for allegedly trying to smuggle two infants from Ukraine to Romania. On Monday, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine discovered that the two Chinese nationals did not have any identifying documents for the two infants, and were immediately arrested. CHINA IN WORLD REPORTAGE The world’s largest crude exporter, Saudi Arabia, is in talks with Beijing to price its Chinese oil sales in Yuan instead of US Dollars. The two nations which have been in talks off and on for six years over yuan-priced contracts have accelerated the negotiations. China purchases more than 25 per cent of the oil Saudi Arabia exports, and if the oil is to be priced in yuan, the sales will boost the standing of the Chinese currency. According to Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia has also extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Riyadh. The kingdom which has grown increasingly unhappy with the Washington, is looking to deepen its ties Beijing. This comes amid reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, had declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden. “There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” said a U.S. official of the planned discussion between the Saudi Prince Mohammed and Mr. Biden. “It was part of turning on the spigot [of Saudi oil],” reported the Wall Street Journal. While the two nations are looking to deepen their ties, some Asian and Oceanian nations have ramped up its purchase of military equipment as they become ‘increasingly wary of China’s growing regional ambition’, said the South China Morning Post. The report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on Monday showed that the top 6 out of 10 arm importers in the last five years were nations situated in Asia and Oceania. Meanwhile, in some sports related reportage, Guanyu Zhou, became China’s first full-time Formula One driver. At just 22, Zhou suited up to race for the team Alfa Romeo on Sunday in Bahrain.

Chinese vignettes | China's two battles: To avoid Western sanctions & surging COVID-19 cases

Much is happening in China, domestically as well as internationally. While China tries to settle its own differences with neighbour India, Western lawmakers have called on China to play mediator in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as it entered its third week. 
&nbsp; 
China over the week 
&nbsp; 
India and China have had a history of highs and lows. The bilateral relations reached rock bottom, when in 2020 the armies of both sides engaged in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley. Following the deadly clash, both sides gradually enhanced their manpower by deploying more soldiers as well as heavy armaments. 
&nbsp; 
On Monday, addressing his press conference on the sidelines of their annual meeting of parliament, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi acknowledged that the two countries had ‘suffered some setbacks’ and called for managing the border differences through consultation as the ‘situation does not serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples.’ 
&nbsp; 
The minister added that ‘some forces’ have always tried to stir up conflict between the neighbours. However, the two countries, which account for one-third of humanity, can control their destiny and achieve their goals ‘only by staying independent.’ 
&nbsp; 
On Friday, India and China met for the 15th round of high-level military talks to "move forward", narrow their differences and find a reasonable solution to the stalled issues. A joint statement released by the two countries stated that they carried forward their discussions from the previous round held on January 12. While the atmosphere was positive, the meeting, which lasted for 13 hours, failed to achieve any immediate breakthrough. But hope to resolve the issues at the earliest.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
That's not it for China. The country has found itself embroiled in the ongoing war in the West.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
China chooses to maintain a diplomatic distance from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the stance to 'not step in' does not sit well with the European lawmakers who have identified Beijing as a potential peacemaker in the conflict, given the close ties between President Xi and President Putin. 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;"We [Europeans] cannot be the mediators, that is clear … and it cannot be the US either. Who else? It has to be China, I trust in that," said the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell, after his phone call with Wang Yi. 
&nbsp; 
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said that he had been assured that "China is interested in stopping this war, Chinese diplomacy has sufficient tools to make a difference, and we count that it is already involved."&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
President Xi during his call with French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz made it clear that Beijing has been critical of Western sanctions against Russia. According to reports, China is considering purchasing or increasing stakes in Russian energy and other companies, such as Gazprom, to secure its imports, despite its pledge to maintain normal trade relations with Russia. While its ties with Russia remain ‘rock solid,’ it urges ‘maximum restraint’ to avoid a large-scale humanitarian disaster.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
China in world reportage 
&nbsp; 
Tensions are once again running high between China and the US, with the former accusing the latter of going to ‘great lengths’ to engage in constant competition between the two countries. According to the South China Morning Post, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to send to his desk a legislation intended to strengthen its competitiveness against China. 
&nbsp; 
Beijing, also added, that Washington’s repeated interference in China’s internal matters will only undermine the relations between the two countries, and consequently, such immature moves will only lead to the disruption of international peace and stability. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Additionally, China has also blamed the United States for instigating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Beijing reiterated that Washington had failed to consider Moscow’s ‘legitimate’ security concerns of NATO’s continuous eastward expansion.

At his press conference on Monday, Chinese FM Wang Yi accused an unspecified ‘major power’ of still having a ‘Cold War mentality’ and seeking to maintain its position as a hegemon. And made it clear that China opposes any form of bullying by major powers,and is committed to pushing international governance to achieve greater equality. 
 
(The author is an Assistant Researcher at WION TV)

Much is happening in China, domestically as well as internationally. While China tries to settle its own differences with neighbour India, Western lawmakers have called on China to play mediator in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as it entered its third week.

Much is happening in China, domestically as well as internationally. While China tries to settle its own differences with neighbour India, Western lawmakers have called on China to play mediator in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as it entered its third week. China over the week India and China have had a history of highs and lows. The bilateral relations reached rock bottom, when in 2020 the armies of both sides engaged in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley. Following the deadly clash, both sides gradually enhanced their manpower by deploying more soldiers as well as heavy armaments. On Monday, addressing his press conference on the sidelines of their annual meeting of parliament, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi acknowledged that the two countries had ‘suffered some setbacks’ and called for managing the border differences through consultation as the ‘situation does not serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples.’ The minister added that ‘some forces’ have always tried to stir up conflict between the neighbours. However, the two countries, which account for one-third of humanity, can control their destiny and achieve their goals ‘only by staying independent.’ On Friday, India and China met for the 15th round of high-level military talks to "move forward", narrow their differences and find a reasonable solution to the stalled issues. A joint statement released by the two countries stated that they carried forward their discussions from the previous round held on January 12. While the atmosphere was positive, the meeting, which lasted for 13 hours, failed to achieve any immediate breakthrough. But hope to resolve the issues at the earliest. That's not it for China. The country has found itself embroiled in the ongoing war in the West. China chooses to maintain a diplomatic distance from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the stance to 'not step in' does not sit well with the European lawmakers who have identified Beijing as a potential peacemaker in the conflict, given the close ties between President Xi and President Putin. "We [Europeans] cannot be the mediators, that is clear … and it cannot be the US either. Who else? It has to be China, I trust in that," said the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell, after his phone call with Wang Yi. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said that he had been assured that "China is interested in stopping this war, Chinese diplomacy has sufficient tools to make a difference, and we count that it is already involved." President Xi during his call with French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz made it clear that Beijing has been critical of Western sanctions against Russia. According to reports, China is considering purchasing or increasing stakes in Russian energy and other companies, such as Gazprom, to secure its imports, despite its pledge to maintain normal trade relations with Russia. While its ties with Russia remain ‘rock solid,’ it urges ‘maximum restraint’ to avoid a large-scale humanitarian disaster. China in world reportage Tensions are once again running high between China and the US, with the former accusing the latter of going to ‘great lengths’ to engage in constant competition between the two countries. According to the South China Morning Post, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to send to his desk a legislation intended to strengthen its competitiveness against China. Beijing, also added, that Washington’s repeated interference in China’s internal matters will only undermine the relations between the two countries, and consequently, such immature moves will only lead to the disruption of international peace and stability. Additionally, China has also blamed the United States for instigating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Beijing reiterated that Washington had failed to consider Moscow’s ‘legitimate’ security concerns of NATO’s continuous eastward expansion. At his press conference on Monday, Chinese FM Wang Yi accused an unspecified ‘major power’ of still having a ‘Cold War mentality’ and seeking to maintain its position as a hegemon. And made it clear that China opposes any form of bullying by major powers,and is committed to pushing international governance to achieve greater equality. (The author is an Assistant Researcher at WION TV)

Chinese Vignettes—China, India should be partners, not rivals, says Chinese FM

Fireworks exploded all over Beijing and its infamous "Bird’s Nest" Stadium again as the 24th Winter Olympics kicked off on February 4, making Beijing the first city to host both a summer and Winter Olympics.

After a rapturous welcome was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the solemn ceremony directed by legendary Chinese film director Zhang Yimou was intricately planned. As the ceremony progressed, one couldn’t help but notice a political reference in each element.

Not to forget, even before the games began, the Chinese had already politicised the sporting event, something they had urged the west to not do. In the buildup to the ceremony, China’s chosen torchbearer for the games’ Torch Relay was a People's Liberation Army’s regimental commander who was involved in the deadly border skirmish with Indian troops on the countries’ Himalayan border. With this, while India joined the many other countries diplomatically boycotting the games, it did not deter China’s spirit.

On the February 4, the ceremony began at 8:00 pm local time with an overarching theme of "One World, One Family".

The elegantly choreographed presentation used a snowflake to carry forward this theme. It was a reference to renowned Chinese poet Li Bai’s description of snowflakes "as big as a mattress,", reiterating the idea that "they’re all different but together they form one family."

From the start to the end, this narrative of "One China" was pushed throughout the ceremony. Right from the start, representatives from all 56 ethnic groups in China, including the Uyghur, stood in unison as they passed an unfurled Chinese flag from hand to hand before it was hoisted.

What followed next was a treat for the eyes.

Aided by a dazzling series of LED lights, the ceremony began with a celebration of the Chinese New Year spring festival. While the computerised graphics played a major role in the ceremony, one couldn’t help but notice a lack of celebrity performers among the some 3000 who participated, contrary to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics opening ceremony, which featured an array of artists, both Chinese and international, such as Sarah Brightman and Jackie Chan. So what changed?

Well, the simple answer is China. Or more specifically, its leadership.

Since the 2008 Olympics games, China has not only grown from a developing nation to full-fledged world power. it has also seen a shift in the country’s culture. Back in 2008, ahead of the Olympics, Beijing lifted its ban on YouTube and also loosened restrictions on foreign journalists as a sign of goodwill.

As a result, when Xi Jinping took power, observers expected China to continue to move toward greater liberties and eventually become more like Western democracies.

Boy, they couldn’t have been more wrong.

Fourteen years later, China portrays a radically different image. Under a strongman’s rule with an unending term, it has seen a rise in fervent nationalism with a crackdown on anyone who tries to distort this ideology.

So the decision to only use ordinary citizens, most of them teenagers, perfectly coincided with two things. First, was its crackdown on celebrities. Exactly a year ago, the China Association of Performing Arts, run by the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, released a set of "professional norms that performers should consciously abide by" in order to "establish a good professional image for the performer,", or I might say for Xi. Since then, many have run afoul of the government.

And second, with most of the performers being teenagers, the idea was in line with Mr. Xi’s message at the Chinese Communist Party’s centennial last year, which emphasised the importance of youth to carry the nation (and, of course, Chinese communism) into the future.

As the ceremony progressed, Mr. Xi’s blatant propaganda attempt to portray "one China" as a place where everyone lives together peacefully and happily, only intensified. The communist regime's decision to pick an athlete with an Uyghur identity to help light the Olympic flame was a direct retort to the West's criticism, which has often accused China of committing genocide against the Muslim minority in the country’s Xinjiang region.

While Mr. Xi’s China seems to think it can control everything. There is one thing it cannot do- emotions.

As the parade of nations began, most of the athletes showed excitement as they walked across the stadium. The Jamaican contingent danced a little, the French contingent greeted all the performers, and even the contingent from the United States, which diplomatically boycotted the games, seemed thrilled when they entered the arena.

However, there was one tiny contingent that entered with no hint of excitement. And that belonged to "Chinese Taipei". The contingent, made up of three, merely walked across the stadium.

The team, who neither marched under the name of "Taiwan" nor with the traditional "Taiwanese flag", was set to boycott the ceremony, but had to attend it because they were "notified" by the International Olympic Committee that "it was required to cooperate in sending personnel to attend the opening and closing ceremonies."

The intention of skipping the ceremony was over the nation’s name. You see, the games are happening at a time when the relationship between China and Taiwan is at its lowest. In the past year, China has made repeated incursions in Taiwan’s airspace, with the latest one on January 24.

So, the self-governing island feared that China would use the games as a linguistic opportunity to assert its sovereignty over it.

The dispute centres around the name of the delegation in the local language. The Taiwanese delegation is officially referred to as "Zhonghua Taipei". Yet, many officials in mainland China often refer to the delegation as "Zhongguo Taipei". Zhongguo is the Chinese name for China; thus implying that Taiwan and its athletes represent China.

While the announcers of the ceremony stuck with the official name. Many Chinese viewers, watching the ceremony on China’s state broadcaster CCTV, however, claimed that they heard the announcers call the delegation "Zhongguo Taipei" or "Taipei, China".

This wasn’t all.

China has also been accused by South Korean leaders of "stealing" their culture after a female performer who represented one of the 56 ethnic groups in China during the ceremony was seen wearing a Hanbok, a traditional Korean outfit. The leaders of South Korea viewed this act of appropriating the tradition of a sovereign state as "rude".

All in all the opening ceremony was an interesting spectacle to watch. One can only eagerly wait to see if China once again pushes the Olympic motto of "Faster, higher, stronger - together" at the closing ceremony. For now, let the games begin!

Fireworks exploded all over Beijing and its infamous "Bird’s Nest" Stadium again as the 24th Winter Olympics kicked off on February 4, making Beijing the first city to host both a summer and Winter Olympics.

Fireworks exploded all over Beijing and its infamous "Bird’s Nest" Stadium again as the 24th Winter Olympics kicked off on February 4, making Beijing the first city to host both a summer and Winter Olympics. After a rapturous welcome was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the solemn ceremony directed by legendary Chinese film director Zhang Yimou was intricately planned. As the ceremony progressed, one couldn’t help but notice a political reference in each element. Not to forget, even before the games began, the Chinese had already politicised the sporting event, something they had urged the west to not do. In the buildup to the ceremony, China’s chosen torchbearer for the games’ Torch Relay was a People's Liberation Army’s regimental commander who was involved in the deadly border skirmish with Indian troops on the countries’ Himalayan border. With this, while India joined the many other countries diplomatically boycotting the games, it did not deter China’s spirit. On the February 4, the ceremony began at 8:00 pm local time with an overarching theme of "One World, One Family". The elegantly choreographed presentation used a snowflake to carry forward this theme. It was a reference to renowned Chinese poet Li Bai’s description of snowflakes "as big as a mattress,", reiterating the idea that "they’re all different but together they form one family." From the start to the end, this narrative of "One China" was pushed throughout the ceremony. Right from the start, representatives from all 56 ethnic groups in China, including the Uyghur, stood in unison as they passed an unfurled Chinese flag from hand to hand before it was hoisted. What followed next was a treat for the eyes. Aided by a dazzling series of LED lights, the ceremony began with a celebration of the Chinese New Year spring festival. While the computerised graphics played a major role in the ceremony, one couldn’t help but notice a lack of celebrity performers among the some 3000 who participated, contrary to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics opening ceremony, which featured an array of artists, both Chinese and international, such as Sarah Brightman and Jackie Chan. So what changed? Well, the simple answer is China. Or more specifically, its leadership. Since the 2008 Olympics games, China has not only grown from a developing nation to full-fledged world power. it has also seen a shift in the country’s culture. Back in 2008, ahead of the Olympics, Beijing lifted its ban on YouTube and also loosened restrictions on foreign journalists as a sign of goodwill. As a result, when Xi Jinping took power, observers expected China to continue to move toward greater liberties and eventually become more like Western democracies. Boy, they couldn’t have been more wrong. Fourteen years later, China portrays a radically different image. Under a strongman’s rule with an unending term, it has seen a rise in fervent nationalism with a crackdown on anyone who tries to distort this ideology. So the decision to only use ordinary citizens, most of them teenagers, perfectly coincided with two things. First, was its crackdown on celebrities. Exactly a year ago, the China Association of Performing Arts, run by the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, released a set of "professional norms that performers should consciously abide by" in order to "establish a good professional image for the performer,", or I might say for Xi. Since then, many have run afoul of the government. And second, with most of the performers being teenagers, the idea was in line with Mr. Xi’s message at the Chinese Communist Party’s centennial last year, which emphasised the importance of youth to carry the nation (and, of course, Chinese communism) into the future. As the ceremony progressed, Mr. Xi’s blatant propaganda attempt to portray "one China" as a place where everyone lives together peacefully and happily, only intensified. The communist regime's decision to pick an athlete with an Uyghur identity to help light the Olympic flame was a direct retort to the West's criticism, which has often accused China of committing genocide against the Muslim minority in the country’s Xinjiang region. While Mr. Xi’s China seems to think it can control everything. There is one thing it cannot do- emotions. As the parade of nations began, most of the athletes showed excitement as they walked across the stadium. The Jamaican contingent danced a little, the French contingent greeted all the performers, and even the contingent from the United States, which diplomatically boycotted the games, seemed thrilled when they entered the arena. However, there was one tiny contingent that entered with no hint of excitement. And that belonged to "Chinese Taipei". The contingent, made up of three, merely walked across the stadium. The team, who neither marched under the name of "Taiwan" nor with the traditional "Taiwanese flag", was set to boycott the ceremony, but had to attend it because they were "notified" by the International Olympic Committee that "it was required to cooperate in sending personnel to attend the opening and closing ceremonies." The intention of skipping the ceremony was over the nation’s name. You see, the games are happening at a time when the relationship between China and Taiwan is at its lowest. In the past year, China has made repeated incursions in Taiwan’s airspace, with the latest one on January 24. So, the self-governing island feared that China would use the games as a linguistic opportunity to assert its sovereignty over it. The dispute centres around the name of the delegation in the local language. The Taiwanese delegation is officially referred to as "Zhonghua Taipei". Yet, many officials in mainland China often refer to the delegation as "Zhongguo Taipei". Zhongguo is the Chinese name for China; thus implying that Taiwan and its athletes represent China. While the announcers of the ceremony stuck with the official name. Many Chinese viewers, watching the ceremony on China’s state broadcaster CCTV, however, claimed that they heard the announcers call the delegation "Zhongguo Taipei" or "Taipei, China". This wasn’t all. China has also been accused by South Korean leaders of "stealing" their culture after a female performer who represented one of the 56 ethnic groups in China during the ceremony was seen wearing a Hanbok, a traditional Korean outfit. The leaders of South Korea viewed this act of appropriating the tradition of a sovereign state as "rude". All in all the opening ceremony was an interesting spectacle to watch. One can only eagerly wait to see if China once again pushes the Olympic motto of "Faster, higher, stronger - together" at the closing ceremony. For now, let the games begin!

As the opening ceremony kicked off the Winter Olympics, China ticked 'almost' all the boxes 

In 2015, cheers broke across China when the International Olympics announced that China will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, making Beijing the first city to host both Summer and Winter Games.

It was truly a milestone in China’s efforts to be seen as a world power, and another validation of its growing influence as it continued to challenge the West.

China’s President Xi Jinping, made a vow to deliver on a series of extraordinary promises he made to woo the Olympic delegates. "The Chinese people will deliver a wonderful, extraordinary, and remarkable Winter Olympics for the world," said Mr. Xi at the Olympics committee meeting in Malaysia.

Then came the coronavirus. And the boycotts.

Over the last year, the lead up to the games has been clouded by a string of controversies. With the diplomatic boycotts over human rights, particularly towards its Uyghur Muslim community in the country’s Xinjiang region, and the #MeToo case of the Tennis Star Peng Shuai against the former Chinese Premier Zhang Gaoli. Its crackdown on dissent by jailing or restricting social media access of human rights activists, and the imposition of the draconian "zero-COVID policy".

As the games are all set to begin next week, China has managed to maneuverer its way through obstacles. It has called the US-led diplomatic boycotts a "self-directed political farce", and condemned the ‘politicization’ of the games, calling it a "grave distortion of the spirit of the Olympic Charter."

In a recent phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has demanded the US to end its "interference". Wang has also accused the US of continuously putting "forward wrong words and actions toward China, causing new conflicts in relations between the two countries."&nbsp;

While these controversies were not enough, it seems like Chinese President Xi Jinping’s moment of glory may be stolen by not one, but two global security crisis.&nbsp;

And both of them happen to involve China’s allies.

While Mr. Xi had hoped to be the talking point with less than a week to go for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Russia and North Korea have managed to capture the world’s attention. While one is gathering thousands of troops on the border of its neighbouring country, the other is fuelling up tensions with one missile test after another.

Let’s rewind to a week ago, when Beijing and Moscow, placed a "hold" on United States' effort at the United Nations to impose sanctions on five North Koreans in the backdrop of missile launches, even though Pyongyang had already done four missile tests by then.

While the nations have often had each other’s back on a global stage, the same cannot be said for the present situation.

China’s generosity from North Korea, in return, has not only been met with the continuation of missile tests but also its decision to skip the Winter Olympics, following a series of diplomatic boycotts from the West. In a hand delivered-letter, North Korea said that it could not take part in the Olympics due to the hostile forces’ moves and the worldwide pandemic," but it "would fully support the Chinese comrades in all their work to hold a splendid and wonderful Olympic festival," as quoted by The New York Times.

However, this does not seem to be the case. With its sixth missile test on Jan. 27, and with recent pictures of North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un visiting a munitions factory, it shows that Pyongyang is not going to stop&nbsp;with showcasing its arsenal anytime soon. Seems that N.Korea probably does not attach the same importance as China to the "UN Olympic Truce resolution." The resolution which calls upon&nbsp;countries to observe a truce, that is,&nbsp;to&nbsp;build 'a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal',&nbsp;"from seven days before the start of the Olympic Games until seven days after the end of the Paralympic Games."

On the other hand, it seems neither does Russia.

While Xi is preparing to have a smooth start to the Olympic Games, his "old friend" Russian President Vladimir Putin has been busy ramping up his efforts to possibly invade Ukraine, even though they have repeatedly dismissed the claim. As we approach closer to the opening ceremony of the Games, the situation on the Ukrainian border is only intensifying, with Russia launching military drills near the border.&nbsp;

While, the recent so called&nbsp;"Normandy talks",&nbsp;a meeting between the German, French, Russian, and Ukrainian officials,&nbsp;may have been&nbsp;a step towards defusing the situation brewing between Russia and Ukraine, with the former agreeing&nbsp;to meet again in Berlin in two weeks. One can never be too sure with Russia.

And this is not the first time that Moscow has tried to steal Beijing’s limelight. Back in 2008, Russia’s war with Georgia erupted on the same day as the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics prompting Putin to fly home.

Putin has said he will join Xi at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb 4. Will it be a Deja Vu moment? Well, that needs to be seen.

The coming few days is not only critical for China as it is marred by a string of controversies regarding the 2022 Winter Olympics but will also show if Mr. Xi’s clout among its allies is dimming.

In 2015, cheers broke across China when the International Olympics announced that China will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, making Beijing the first city to host both Summer and Winter Games.

In 2015, cheers broke across China when the International Olympics announced that China will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, making Beijing the first city to host both Summer and Winter Games. It was truly a milestone in China’s efforts to be seen as a world power, and another validation of its growing influence as it continued to challenge the West. China’s President Xi Jinping, made a vow to deliver on a series of extraordinary promises he made to woo the Olympic delegates. "The Chinese people will deliver a wonderful, extraordinary, and remarkable Winter Olympics for the world," said Mr. Xi at the Olympics committee meeting in Malaysia. Then came the coronavirus. And the boycotts. Over the last year, the lead up to the games has been clouded by a string of controversies. With the diplomatic boycotts over human rights, particularly towards its Uyghur Muslim community in the country’s Xinjiang region, and the #MeToo case of the Tennis Star Peng Shuai against the former Chinese Premier Zhang Gaoli. Its crackdown on dissent by jailing or restricting social media access of human rights activists, and the imposition of the draconian "zero-COVID policy". As the games are all set to begin next week, China has managed to maneuverer its way through obstacles. It has called the US-led diplomatic boycotts a "self-directed political farce", and condemned the ‘politicization’ of the games, calling it a "grave distortion of the spirit of the Olympic Charter." In a recent phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has demanded the US to end its "interference". Wang has also accused the US of continuously putting "forward wrong words and actions toward China, causing new conflicts in relations between the two countries." While these controversies were not enough, it seems like Chinese President Xi Jinping’s moment of glory may be stolen by not one, but two global security crisis. And both of them happen to involve China’s allies. While Mr. Xi had hoped to be the talking point with less than a week to go for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Russia and North Korea have managed to capture the world’s attention. While one is gathering thousands of troops on the border of its neighbouring country, the other is fuelling up tensions with one missile test after another. Let’s rewind to a week ago, when Beijing and Moscow, placed a "hold" on United States' effort at the United Nations to impose sanctions on five North Koreans in the backdrop of missile launches, even though Pyongyang had already done four missile tests by then. While the nations have often had each other’s back on a global stage, the same cannot be said for the present situation. China’s generosity from North Korea, in return, has not only been met with the continuation of missile tests but also its decision to skip the Winter Olympics, following a series of diplomatic boycotts from the West. In a hand delivered-letter, North Korea said that it could not take part in the Olympics due to the hostile forces’ moves and the worldwide pandemic," but it "would fully support the Chinese comrades in all their work to hold a splendid and wonderful Olympic festival," as quoted by The New York Times. However, this does not seem to be the case. With its sixth missile test on Jan. 27, and with recent pictures of North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un visiting a munitions factory, it shows that Pyongyang is not going to stop with showcasing its arsenal anytime soon. Seems that N.Korea probably does not attach the same importance as China to the "UN Olympic Truce resolution." The resolution which calls upon countries to observe a truce, that is, to build 'a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal', "from seven days before the start of the Olympic Games until seven days after the end of the Paralympic Games." On the other hand, it seems neither does Russia. While Xi is preparing to have a smooth start to the Olympic Games, his "old friend" Russian President Vladimir Putin has been busy ramping up his efforts to possibly invade Ukraine, even though they have repeatedly dismissed the claim. As we approach closer to the opening ceremony of the Games, the situation on the Ukrainian border is only intensifying, with Russia launching military drills near the border. While, the recent so called "Normandy talks", a meeting between the German, French, Russian, and Ukrainian officials, may have been a step towards defusing the situation brewing between Russia and Ukraine, with the former agreeing to meet again in Berlin in two weeks. One can never be too sure with Russia. And this is not the first time that Moscow has tried to steal Beijing’s limelight. Back in 2008, Russia’s war with Georgia erupted on the same day as the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics prompting Putin to fly home. Putin has said he will join Xi at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb 4. Will it be a Deja Vu moment? Well, that needs to be seen. The coming few days is not only critical for China as it is marred by a string of controversies regarding the 2022 Winter Olympics but will also show if Mr. Xi’s clout among its allies is dimming.

Is China’s clout among its allies dimming?

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Ashima Singh

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