China
Crisis in Ladakh strengthens US–India relations against China
Author: Vinay Kaura, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice
The face-off between Indian and Chinese forces has become uglier with the recent deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers. It is the first such incident in over four decades and likely to change India’s perception of China decisively. US President Donald Trump initially offered to mediate to help resolve the border crisis threatening peace in the broader Himalayan region. Trump knew the two would reject his mediatory proposal. But his decision to make it should be understood within the context of his ‘free and open’ Indo-Pacific vision, US strategic rivalry with China, and his diplomatic aim to nudge India towards a more confrontational position vis-a-vis China.
The increasingly robust US pushback against China involves characterising China as the pre-eminent threat to global peace and stability in the 21st century. To deter China’s rising ambitions, the United States has championed the revival of a robust Quadrilateral Alliance (the Quad) of ‘like-minded’ democratic powers — the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
Ties between India and the United States continue to grow despite facing some obstacles in their relations. There has been a significant expansion of security cooperation between New Delhi and Washington. Trade between the two over the last two decades has jumped from US$16 billion to US$142 billion. But trade tensions have also risen since Trump took office in 2017, particularly over tariffs, foreign investment limitations, intellectual property rights, medical devices, e-commerce and data localisation, and the cap on H-1B visas for Indian professionals.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aware of the challenges of depending on the United States, particularly given the potential for a change in US external posture with a change in administration. These uncertain dynamics have injected a dose of caution into India’s strategic behaviour and its relations with the United States.
India’s Indo-Pacific vision is less muscular and more diplomatically nuanced than that of the United States. In his keynote speech at the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue, Modi projected India as a trans-continental ‘pivot state’ that believes in freedom of navigation across international waters, thus embracing the Indo-Pacific and India’s emergence as a global power. He also praised India’s long tradition of strategic autonomy by highlighting India’s ability to navigate geopolitical fault lines, demonstrated by simultaneously mentioning the ‘extraordinary breadth’ of India–US relations and the ‘maturity and wisdom’ of India–China relations.
India continues to walk this tightrope in dealing with China more gently than the United States. Its rejection of Trump’s offer to mediate underscores New Delhi’s strategic engagement with Beijing and its preference to use established diplomatic channels to peacefully resolve the standoff.
Notably though, Modi and Trump seem to share a common belief of China having hostile intentions. Modi himself has never expressed such a belief in public but his party members have, suggesting that his government considers China a challenge. India has shown greater caution about compromising its economic engagement with China than the United States has with its trade war.
But the United States has not given up on its efforts to make India a committed ally in countering China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper expressed his commitment to India’s leadership across the Indo-Pacific region. This increasingly visible public support is a US attempt to cast the India–China border tensions as an integral part of China’s revisionist behaviour across the Indo-Pacific.
Multiple recent confrontations at different locations in eastern Ladakh along the disputed India–China boundary clearly indicate a pattern in Beijing’s behaviour and some prior planning. Chinese President Xi Jinping has adopted an increasingly confrontational approach toward India, marking a new low for arguably India’s most important regional relationship.
And Chinese military deployment along the Line of Actual Control has been far greater than what was witnessed during the 2017 Doklam standoff. As India struggles to respond appropriately, Trump has seized the opportunity to secure a more robust commitment from India regarding its role in the Quad.
Areas of tensions and divergence between India and China — boundary disputes, the…
China
Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China?
Chinese social media influencers have recently claimed that prominent Chinese-born Australian journalist Vicky Xu had posted a message saying she planned to return to China.
There is no evidence for this. The source did not provide evidence to support the claim, and Xu herself later confirmed to AFCL that she has no such plans.
Currently working as an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI, Xu has previously written for both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or ABC, and The New York Times.
A Chinese language netizen on X initially claimed on March 31 that the changing geopolitical relations between Sydney and Beijing had caused Xu to become an expendable asset and that she had posted a message expressing a strong desire to return to China. An illegible, blurred photo of the supposed message accompanied the post.
This claim was retweeted by a widely followed influencer on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo one day later, who additionally commented that Xu was a “traitor” who had been abandoned by Australian media.
Following the publication of an ASPI article in 2021 which exposed forced labor conditions in Xinjiang co-authored by Xu, the journalist was labeled “morally bankrupt” and “anti-China” by the Chinese state owned media outlet Global Times and subjected to an influx of threatening messages and digital abuse, eventually forcing her to temporarily close several of her social media accounts.
AFCL found that neither Xu’s active X nor LinkedIn account has any mention of her supposed return to China, and received the following response from Xu herself about the rumor:
“I can confirm that I don’t have plans to go back to China. I think if I do go back I’ll most definitely be detained or imprisoned – so the only career I’ll be having is probably going to be prison labor or something like that, which wouldn’t be ideal.”
Neither a keyword search nor reverse image search on the photo attached to the original X post turned up any text from Xu supporting the netizens’ claims.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Malcolm Foster.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Read the rest of this article here >>> Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China?
China
Guide for Foreign Residents: Obtaining a Certificate of No Criminal Record in China
Foreign residents in China can request a criminal record check from their local security bureau. This certificate may be required for visa applications or job opportunities. Requirements and procedures vary by city. In Shanghai, foreigners must have lived there for 180 days with a valid visa to obtain the certificate.
Foreign residents living in China can request a criminal record check from the local security bureau in the city in which they have lived for at least 180 days. Certificates of no criminal record may be required for people leaving China, or those who are starting a new position in China and applying for a new visa or residence permit. Taking Shanghai as an example, we outline the requirements for obtaining a China criminal record check.
Securing a Certificate of No Criminal Record, often referred to as a criminal record or criminal background check, is a crucial step for various employment opportunities, as well as visa applications and residency permits in China. Nevertheless, navigating the process can be a daunting task due to bureaucratic procedures and language barriers.
In this article, we use Shanghai as an example to explore the essential information and steps required to successfully obtain a no-criminal record check. Requirements and procedures may differ in other cities and counties in China.
Note that foreigners who are not currently living in China and need a criminal record check to apply for a Chinese visa must obtain the certificate from their country of residence or nationality, and have it notarized by a Chinese embassy or consulate in that country.
Foreigners who have a valid residence permit and have lived in Shanghai for at least 180 days can request a criminal record check in the city. This means that the applicant will also need to currently have a work, study, or other form of visa or stay permit that allows them to live in China long-term.
If a foreigner has lived in another part of China and is planning to or has recently moved to Shanghai, they will need to request a criminal record check in the place where they previously spent at least 180 days.
There are two steps to obtaining a criminal record certificate in Shanghai: requesting the criminal record check from the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and getting the resulting Certificate of No Criminal Record notarized by an authorized notary agency.
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
China
China Unveils Plan to Upgrade Industrial Equipment
China unveiled a comprehensive action plan for upgrading industrial equipment, with a focus on driving technological innovation and economic growth. The plan, released on April 9, 2024, aims to enhance competitiveness and sustainability within the manufacturing sector through extensive investment and regulatory support.
China announced an ambitious action plan for industrial equipment upgrading, which aims to drive technological innovation and economic growth through extensive investment and regulatory support.
On April 9, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and six other departments jointly released a notice introducing the Implementation Plan for Promoting Equipment Renewal in the Industrial Sector (hereafter referred to as the “action plan”).
Finalized earlier on March 23, 2024, this comprehensive action plan addresses critical issues related to technological innovation and economic development. It reflects China’s proactive stance in enhancing competitiveness and sustainability within its manufacturing sector. The initiative underscores the recognition of industrial equipment upgrading as a top policy priority.
The scope of China’s action plan to upgrade industrial equipment in manufacturing, is extensive, covering various aspects such as:
In line with China’s ambitious goals for industrial modernization and sustainable development, the action plan outlines several key objectives aimed at driving substantial advancements in the industrial sector by 2027.
These objectives encompass a wide range of areas, from increasing investment to enhancing digitalization and promoting innovation, including:
The objectives and key actions proposed in the action plan are summarized below.
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
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