Information request: Canada approves military visit from PLA; A crown corporation that takes on China directly
More middle powers were featured in People's Daily this week
Dear China watchers, I hope you have had a relaxing holiday and thank you for your continued support and patience. For those who are reading the MiddlePowers for the first time, I’m glad you are here.
Before I get into our world roundup today, I’d like to share an excellent essay by
on China‘s soft power. Often missing in most commentary on Xi is (what I call) the “emperor complex”. The party leader is often obsessed with the idea of moulding the way people think about them and the regime, just like the emperors in feudalist China. As if control alone is not enough, the ruler is often bent on taming the population psychologically. Hundreds of years ago, emperors used Confucianism, a sophisticated ideological system that helped to control Chinese people for centuries. While in Xi’s case, the target has expanded to the whole wide world. In his essay, Tuvia dissects how Chinese intellectuals are obliged to act as a part of the regime’s cultural export back in the Ming dynasty as well as in the 21 century under the leadership of Xi Jinping.I hope you enjoy reading as you slowly ease back into reality.
This is a community for all China watchers in the middle powers. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write to me directly. (I’m happy to share my hotpot recipe with you as well)
In our first issue of 2023, I’m going to brief you on what I found in the information requests to the Canadian government before getting into some translation from People’s Daily, in relation to the middle powers, of course.
A “secret” note regarding the approval of a military visit from the People’s Liberation Army
Behind the scene of a crown corporation that takes on China directly
We filed the first request in October when there was a lot of buzz around Beijing’s employment of ex-pilots from the west. (If that doesn’t ring a bell, check out this earlier issue from us.) Interestingly, I found that in 2019, the PLA requested a visit to the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), which Ottawa allowed. This happened when the bilateral relations between the two countries were quite icy due to the Meng Wanzhou saga.
The document prepared by the assistant deputy minister is heavily redacted. All we know is the defence department approved the visit and said that it is “consistent” with the overall objectives for the military-to-military engagement both nations agreed on.
(I’m going to send the complete response in the group chat for all subscribers)
The second information request spun out of an article we listed back in November. Some of our readers seemed interested in the story about a crown corporation called Saskatchewan Research Council and its recent rare earth facility which was set to compete directly in a market that China has dominated for decades.
The information request we filed gives us a little bit more information on what the Canadian government has in its vision for this project.
The word China appeared four times in the document. The informational briefing note gives us a glimpse of what Canada is doing to secure its edge amid supply chain disruptions and a more aggressive China. I hope our readers in other middle powers could also learn something from it.
A few takeaways from this redacted confidential briefing note prepared for the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne.
The Canadian government is interested in Rare Earth Elements because it values the materials in at least three areas: a low-carb economy, defence and EV industries.
Ottawa recognizes China’s dominance in the market, especially Manufacturing permanent magnets is the single largest and most important end use for REEs, accounting for 43 percent of demand in 2021. China currently produces 80 percent of the world's total permanent magnets and has dominated the REE subsector since the 1980s (61 percent of global mine production in 2021).
The facility received $51M in funding from the province last year. By 2024, the facility is supposed to be the first in Canada with the capacity to process and separate REEs.
They are not planning to do it alone. The SRC is seeking to source preconcentrated REE feedstock from around the world.
Note this lofty goal the government outlined: The province of Saskatchewan has significant midstream REE potential, and with could become a significant North American technology and expertise hub for REE processing, separation, and permanent magnet manufacturing, vital to Canada's net-zero transition.
(For the full note, check out our subscriber-only group chat on Substack)
Worth-noting middle power headlines from People’s Daily
This week’s People’s Daily featured more middle powers from the middle east and southeast Asia. Countries including Singapore, Iraq and the Philippines were mentioned more than once. We will update them more frequently going forward but for now, let’s take a look at some highlights from the party this week.
“为双方企业创造更大发展机遇”
阿联酋沙迦大学教授阿卜杜勒表示，迪拜是中东地区的贸易枢纽，致力于为国际贸易往来提供高质量基础设施与服务。本届展会的成功举办，体现出阿中贸易合作的日益深化。
“本届展会是在迪拜世界贸易中心举办的一次重要活动，为中国企业与当地采购商搭建起沟通桥梁。”迪拜世界贸易中心执行副总裁马希尔·朱尔法表示，“我们希望今后能举办更多类似活动，吸引更多中国企业和参展商来到迪拜。这些合作不仅有助于促进阿中双边贸易发展，也能为阿中友好关系发展增添更多动能。”
"Create opportunities for companies in both countries"
Abdul, a professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, said that Dubai is a trade hub in the Middle East and is committed to providing high-quality infrastructure and services. The successful holding of this exhibition reflects the deepening of Arab-China trade cooperation.
"This exhibition is an important event held in Dubai World Trade Center, which builds a communication bridge between Chinese companies and local buyers." Maher Jurfa, executive vice president of Dubai World Trade Center, said, "We hope to hold more events in the future. More similar activities will attract more Chinese companies and exhibitors to Dubai. These cooperations will not only help promote the development of bilateral trade but also add more momentum to the development of friendly relations between the UAE and China.”
“菲中农业合作再上新台阶” | "Agricultural cooperation between the Philippines and China reaches new level"
2022年底，由中国政府出资、中工国际工程股份有限公司（以下简称“中工国际”）承建的奇科河灌溉工程项目正式竣工。该项目将为“北部粮仓”主产区约8700公顷土地提供长期稳定的灌溉水源，惠及当地5000多家农户。菲律宾国家灌溉局执行局长爱德华多·古伦表示：“菲中在农业灌溉领域的合作将造福更多菲律宾民众。”
At the end of 2022, the Chico River Irrigation Project funded by the Chinese government and undertaken by CAMCE Engineering Co., Ltd. will be officially completed. The project will provide long-term and stable irrigation water for about 8,700 hectares of land in the main production area of "Northern Granary", benefiting more than 5,000 local farmers. Eduardo Gullen, executive director of the National Irrigation Bureau of the Philippines, said: "The cooperation between the Philippines and China in the field of agricultural irrigation will benefit more Filipino people."
菲律宾太平洋经济合作全国委员会主席安东尼奥·巴西利奥对本报记者表示，菲中都是发展中国家和农业大国，农业合作是菲中合作的重要组成部分。“奇科河灌溉工程项目是实实在在的民生项目，将擦亮当地‘北部粮仓’的招牌，改善当地的经济社会发展状况。随着两国关系的日益紧密，菲中农业合作再上新台阶。”巴西利奥说。
To better promote the development of the green economy, the Singapore government is committed to building a green financial center. In 2021, the Singapore government and the financial industry will jointly launch green trade financing standards. In 2022, a green bond framework will be introduced to issue the first government green bond. Singapore plans to issue green bonds totalling up to S$35 billion by 2030 to finance green infrastructure projects in the public sector. Gan Jinyong, Singapore's Minister of Trade and Industry, said that incorporating sustainable development into national and corporate development plans is the core of Singapore's long-term competitiveness.
If you enjoy reading the newsletter, please take a few seconds to share with others and support our work.