China
Xi demands respect at the US–China virtual summit
Author: Olivia Cheung, SOAS University of London
On 15 November 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden held their first virtual meeting. According to the White House’s readout, Biden told Xi that the two countries should establish ‘common sense guardrails to ensure that US–China competition does not veer into conflict and to keep lines of communication open’. Judging from the press release published by Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, which is over six times the length of the White House’s readout, the precondition for any ‘common sense guardrails’ appears to be that Washington must treat China with ‘respect’.
Treating China with respect is the first of the three principles that Xi mentioned to Biden during their meeting. The other two were peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. This means that China not only wants the United States to not criticise or subvert its one-party system. It wants the United States to go a step further: to recognise, in words and in deeds, that China’s one-party system is morally on par with, if not superior to, a liberal democratic form of government.
That would mean Beijing wants Washington to accept that if there are elements of the rules-based international order that the Chinese leadership deems incompatible with its domestic political system, it is legitimate for China to diverge from them. For example, the rules-based international order defines human rights as inalienable individual rights; but China’s political system subordinates human rights to an absolute interpretation of national sovereignty and state (implying regime) security. There is little scope for Xi to respond to the criticisms against the Chinese government’s human rights performance with the sort of changes that Washington would like to see. China under Xi has become more adept at using international platforms, especially those in which it has the upper hand, like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the South-South Human Rights Forum, to show that its state-centric notion of human rights already enjoys widespread acceptance.
In another telling example of what putting China’s domestic political system above the rules-based international order looks like, Biden complained to Xi that China’s trade and economic practices are unfair to US workers and industries. The unfairness Biden alluded to originates in China’s top-heavy, party-led and state-centric economic system that makes use of national industrial policies, including massive subsidies and preferential policies, to groom state-owned enterprises and domestic private companies as globally competitive ‘national champions’. This distorts the playing field for foreign companies in China, and, as Chinese companies increasingly expand their global footprints, for companies outside China too.
But in Xi’s view, China’s top-heavy economic system is a part of its political system, where the Chinese Communist Party ‘superintends the whole situation and coordinates all sides’, mobilising resources from state and private sectors alike to achieve the strategic national goal of making China strong. This implies, in Xi’s view, that respecting China’s political system requires the United States to respect that China should not be held to account to the rules and norms of a free market economy, even if it is discriminatory toward non-Chinese companies.
Xi’s requirement for Biden to exercise self-restraint in relation to Taiwan should also be read in light of his expectation that the United States should treat China with respect. Xi told Biden that the way China pursues its core interests is utterly ‘defensive’. By implication, this includes China’s repeated military intimidation over Taiwan, which China sees as a part of its ‘sacred territory’.
The Xinhua press release states that Biden supports the ‘one China’ policy and opposes Taiwan’s independence. But it conspicuously leaves out any reference to the relevant statement, directed at China’s intimidation over Taiwan, in the White House’s readout: ‘the US opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait’. In lieu of it, the Xinhua release states that Xi warned Biden to ‘handle the relevant issues’ surrounding China’s sovereignty with ‘prudence’. This conveys Xi’s expectation of Biden to distance the United States from Taiwan diplomatically and militarily.
Besides respecting what China deems as its domestic affairs, Xi made it clear that…
China
New Report from Dezan Shira & Associates: China Takes the Lead in Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024
China has been the world’s largest manufacturer for 14 years, producing one-third of global manufacturing output. In the Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024, China ranks highest among eight emerging countries in the region. Challenges for these countries include global demand disparities affecting industrial output and export orders.
Known as the “World’s Factory”, China has held the title of the world’s largest manufacturer for 14 consecutive years, starting from 2010. Its factories churn out approximately one-third of the global manufacturing output, a testament to its industrial might and capacity.
China’s dominant role as the world’s sole manufacturing power is reaffirmed in Dezan Shira & Associates’ Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024 report (“EAMI 2024”), in which China secures the top spot among eight emerging countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The other seven economies are India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
The EAMI 2024 aims to assess the potential of these eight economies, navigate the risks, and pinpoint specific factors affecting the manufacturing landscape.
In this article, we delve into the key findings of the EAMI 2024 report and navigate China’s advantages and disadvantages in the manufacturing sector, placing them within the Asia-Pacific comparative context.
Emerging Asia countries face various challenges, especially in the current phase of increased volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). One notable challenge is the impact of global demand disparities on the manufacturing sector, affecting industrial output and export orders.
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
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.
- New Report from Dezan Shira & Associates: China Takes the Lead in Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024
- Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China?
- Guide for Foreign Residents: Obtaining a Certificate of No Criminal Record in China
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- China deepens engagement with new Indonesian president as top diplomat visits Jakarta
- New Publication: A Guide for Foreign Investors on Navigating China’s New Company Law
