China
China slams plan for Taiwan president to meet US House Speaker
China on Tuesday reacted angrily to an announcement that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in California, saying the meeting will “further damage” China-U.S. relations.
On Monday, despite warnings from Beijing, McCarthy’s office announced that the Speaker will “host a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library” in Simi Valley on Wednesday.
It will be the first ever meeting between a Taiwan president and a U.S. House Speaker in the United States.
Tsai is currently in Belize on an official visit to Taiwan’s two remaining allies in Central America that also took her to Guatemala. The third ally in the region – Honduras – has just broken ties with Taipei, switching allegiance to Beijing.
The Taiwanese president will make a transit in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei. A similar stopover was made in New York last week.
The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles said in a statement that the Tsai-McCarthy meeting will “greatly hurt the national feelings” of the Chinese people and is “not conducive to regional peace, security nor stability,” according to news reports.
China considers Taiwan one of its provinces and has repeatedly warned against what Beijing sees as a “separatist campaign” by the current Taiwan government, assisted by “external forces.”
When asked about the meeting that China labeled a “provocation” and whether it would retaliate with military action, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing “will take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
She did not elaborate on the measures.
‘Absurd and unreasonable’
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday morning said that over the previous 24 hours, 20 Chinese aircraft and three warships were detected in areas around the island.
Nine of the aircraft crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait which serves as the de facto boundary between Taiwan and China’s mainland.
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry hit back on Tuesday, saying that Taiwan has never been part of nor ruled by China. This is “an objective fact that is clearly recognized internationally,” it said.
The ministry added that China’s reaction to Tsai Ing-wen’s trip has “become increasingly absurd and unreasonable.”
Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country, it said, and “has the right to independently choose to communicate and develop relations with other countries in the world.”
The meeting between Taiwan’s president and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives was reportedly relocated from Taiwan to California due to concerns about China’s retaliation.
When then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August last year, China staged a week-long military exercise around the island.
The change of venue is seen by some analysts as a tension-reducing measure.
Meanwhile, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is in China on a visit criticized by the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Ma, who is a member of the opposition Kuomintang party, met with Chinese officials and called on both sides “to do everything possible to avoid war,” Chinese media reported.
Edited by Mike Firn.
Read the rest of this article here >>> China slams plan for Taiwan president to meet US House Speaker
China
Balancing China’s labour migration through education
Abstract
The 2020 Chinese census showed a 69.7% increase in domestic migrant numbers, leading to concerns about regional economic disparities and the impact of skilled labor migration on underdeveloped regions.
Yongjie Xiong, a scholar at the Central University of Finance and Economics, discusses the findings of the 2020 Chinese census, which revealed a 69.7% increase in domestic migrant numbers compared to 2010 data. This significant influx of people has sparked debates about the Chinese government’s approach to managing large-scale labor migration.
The shifting landscape of China’s migrant worker demographics reflects changes in employment sectors and educational attainment. Notably, a higher percentage of newer generations of migrant workers are involved in the manufacturing sector, indicating a shift away from sectors like construction. Additionally, the newer cohort of migrants is better educated, which has implications for labor dynamics in urban environments.
These changes in labor demographics could exacerbate regional economic disparities and impact technological developments in various regions. The depletion of skilled labor in underdeveloped areas could hinder growth and affect the technological decisions of firms, ultimately widening the economic gap between cities.
As regions grapple with the challenges and opportunities presented by labor mobility, examining the impact of these changes on the economy and society is crucial for informing future policy decisions.
China
Annual Confirmation for China IIT Special Additional Deductions to Commence on December 1st
Starting December 1, 2023, the confirmation process for annual individual income tax (IIT) special additional deductions begins in China. All individuals, including expatriates, should determine eligibility and confirm the information before the end of the month to avoid difficulties in tax savings.
Starting on December 1, 2023, the confirmation process for annual individual income tax (IIT) special additional deductions begins. All individuals, including expatriates working in China, are advised to determine their eligibility for relevant special additional deductions. If eligible, individuals should promptly confirm the special additional deduction information through designated channels before the end of the month. Failing to confirm the IIT special additional deduction information may result in unnecessary difficulties in tax savings for the following year.
In 2019, China introduced special additional deductions for specific expenditures. According to the amended IIT Law, the taxable income amount of a resident individual in China shall be the balance after deducting the standard deduction (RMB 60,000 per year), as well as special deductions (social insurance and housing fund contributions), special additional deductions, and other deductions determined pursuant to the law, from the income amount of each tax year.
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’s top diplomat visits Vietnam ahead of likely Xi trip
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected in Vietnam Friday, paving the way for a possible visit by President Xi Jinping this month.
Wang will co-chair the 15th session of the Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee, an annual event, with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Chinese foreign minister will have talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son and greet Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong.
Xi – who is also the Chinese Communist Party General Secretary – was originally expected to visit Hanoi in October or November for talks with his counterpart Trong, who was in Beijing last year. Instead, Xi traveled to San Francisco for November’s APEC summit and a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. His Vietnam visit is now expected to take place from Dec. 14-16.
Since Trong’s 2022 China trip Vietnam has elevated its relations with the U.S. to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” putting it on a par with China, along with India, Russia and South Korea. This week Vietnam also conferred its top partnership ranking on Japan during a visit to Tokyo by its president Vo Van Thuong.
Courting Vietnam
Improved relations with Vietnam are likely to help the U.S. and Japan diversify supply chains and reduce their reliance on a politically and economically turbulent China. That in turn seems to have prompted Beijing to seek even stronger ties with Hanoi.
Carl Thayer, a Vietnam analyst and emeritus professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra, said when Xi visits Hanoi he will likely want to discuss the same issues with Trong that U.S. President Joe Biden raised with the Vietnamese leader during their September meeting:
“[I]mproving the efficiency and stability of bilateral supply chains, creating better conditions for Chinese businesses to invest and operate in Vietnam, enhancing cooperation in e-commerce and the digital economy, increased science and technology joint research, education and training exchanges, … green development and climate change response, public health cooperation, protection of water resources along the Lancang-Mekong River, cross-border tourism and cultural exchanges, and coordination on international issues.”
China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade rising 5.5% last year to US$175.5 billion, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.
China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao also visited Vietnam this week pledging to deepen trading ties and open the Chinese market to more agricultural imports.
Despite an improving trade relationship, Vietnam and China have clashed frequently over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Hoang Viet, an expert on the issue, told Radio Free Asia that Beijing is likely to tone down its rhetoric, in order to avoid souring top level relations.
“In anticipation of Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam, China may exercise maximum restraint to create a more moderate atmosphere,” he said.
Despite their differences in the South China Sea, China and Vietnam have been holding joint patrols between their navies and coast guards in the Gulf of Tonkin in November and December.
Beijing and Hanoi said the patrols aimed “to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen mutual trust between the two countries, as well as further promote mutual understanding between the two militaries.”
Edited by Elaine Chan and Taejun Kang.
RFA Vietnamese contributed to this story.
Read the rest of this article here >>> China’s top diplomat visits Vietnam ahead of likely Xi trip
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