True or false: Iceland's former president says he is impressed with Xi Jinping
Plus, China stories seen in Arab media leading up to party congress
Dear China watchers, in this week’s roundup, we take a closer look at Chinese state media amid the run-up to the 20th National Congress, with a middle-power twist, of course. And we spotted some fake news involving Iceland.
But first, one big China-U.S. story: The implications of Biden’s jaw-dropping restrictions on tech exports to China last Friday continue to dominate western media this week. The new U.S. ban blocked Chinese companies from buying advanced chip-making equipment or employing American citizens without a license. At least three major American chip companies have reportedly started to pull back staff from China or paused service to Chinese customers.
Now let’s zoom in on middle powers. This week we take a look at:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s nuanced stance on China was lauded by Chinese state media. At a business conference on Tuesday, Scholz singled out China as an example of a country with which Germany should maintain business relations.
Chinese state media outlets have published fabricated quotes of a former Iceland president who attended a book launch this week in Reykjavik. The book, written by Xi Jinping, is named "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" and features a collection of his speeches, interviews and thoughts (whatever that means).
Beijing’s Australian envoy seems to be singing a new tone in his recent interview with local media. The ambassador indicated somewhat brazenly the financial benefits of ending the countries’ trade dispute.
One Canadian province is drafting new guardrails on university research collaboration with China. The report won’t be public for national security concerns.
We also dive into how China has been featured in Arab media this week, featuring Saudi outlet Al Arabiya and Qatari outlet The New Arab. *Hint: The CCP was praised like no tomorrow.
The New Arab’s China correspondent explains what the fuss surrounding the 20th CCP congress is all about.
Al Arabiya takes readers to the early 1900s when a youth movement changed China’s future.
Germany
German Chancellor Scholz: "Decoupling" from China is completely wrong —Cankaoxiaoxi
What you need to know: The German government is receiving strong pushback from the private sector on its latest attempt to reduce dependency on China. The proposal to curb investment in Chinese businesses has been shelved. Scholz is also planning his first China trip as Germany’s leader around November 3-4 as he seeks better ties with Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s front page of the People’s Daily featured a statement celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Germany diplomatic relations.
据德国《法兰克福汇报》网站10月11日报道，德国总理奥拉夫·朔尔茨11日向中国释放了积极的信号。朔尔茨在德国机械设备制造业联合会于柏林组织的会议上表示反对所谓的“脱钩”。“‘脱钩’是完全错误的道路，”这位德国社民党政治家表示，“当务之急——或者说转折时期对我们的要求——不是‘脱钩’，而是聪明的政治与经济多样化。”
According to a report published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Oct. 11, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave China a positive signal that day. Scholz expressed his opposition to the so-called "decoupling" at a conference organized by the German machinery and equipment industry federation in Berlin. "'Decoupling is the completely wrong path," said the SPD [Social Democratic Party of Germany] politician. "The imperative - or what this turning point demands of us - is not 'decoupling', but smart political and economic diversification."
德国机械设备制造业联合会主席卡尔·霍伊斯根也支持这一观点。霍伊斯根认为，中国是机械制造企业不可或缺的市场，但也是一个越来越强大的竞争对手。
另据德国《世界报》网站10月11日报道，德国机械制造商希望与中国保持密切的贸易往来。对于这一德国旗舰产业而言，中国是仅次于美国的第二大海外市场。德国机械制造商目前也获得了大力支持：德国总理朔尔茨和欧盟委员会执行副主席东布罗夫斯基斯都在柏林机械工程峰会上反对德国和欧洲企业与中国市场“脱钩”。
Karl Heusgen, president of the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association, also supports this view. Hausgen believes that China is an indispensable market for machinery manufacturing companies, but it is also an increasingly powerful competitor.
According to a report from German newspaper Die Welt, German machinery manufacturers hope to maintain close trade relations with China. For the German flagship industry, China is the second largest overseas market next to the U.S.. German machinery manufacturers are also currently receiving strong support: Scholz and European Commission Executive Vice President Dombrovskis both opposed the "decoupling" of German and European companies from the Chinese market at the Mechanical Engineering Summit in Berlin.
The bottom line: Compared to his predecessor, Scholz took office with a much tougher stance on China. However, it seems that pushback from the business sector and China’s ambivalent ties with Russia have led the new leader to a more realistic approach.
Also interesting: A Xinhua article said China overtook Germany as the world's second-largest vehicle exporter, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Iceland
The Icelandic edition of the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" launched in Reykjavik — People’s Daily
What you need to know: The news article was featured on the front page of People’s Daily. Variations of the story were also published by Xinhua and the Chinese embassy in Iceland. All the articles claim that former president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said he was “greatly impressed” with Mr. Xi and that the translations of his works were “like a dialogue between China and the world” at a launch in Reykjavik. However, in an interview with an Icelandic publication, Grimsson rebuffed the reports, saying the descriptions were untrue. For what it’s worth, here’s what People’s Daily said.
冰岛前总统奥拉维尔·拉格纳·格里姆松出席活动并致辞，格里姆松在致辞中回顾了他与习近平主席交往的故事，称通过两人的直接接触，他对习近平主席的治国理政理念留下深刻印象。格里姆松对《习近平谈治国理政》第一卷冰岛文版的问世表示欢迎。他说，《习近平谈治国理政》不同语种版本的出版发行就像是中国与全世界进行的一场对话，该书的冰岛文版本将进一步促进中冰两国和两国人民间的相互理解和友好交往，而读懂中国对当今乃至未来世界发展都至关重要。
Former Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson attended the event and delivered a speech. In his speech, Grimsson recounted his interactions with President Xi Jinping, saying that through the direct contact between the two, he was deeply impressed by President Xi Jinping's philosophy of governing the country. Grimsson welcomed the publication of the Icelandic edition of the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China". He said that the publication of the book in different languages is like a dialogue between China and the world, and the Icelandic version of the book will further promote mutual understanding between China and Iceland and the two peoples and friendly exchanges. And understanding China is crucial to the development of the world today and in the future.
The bottom line: In the Icelandic article, Grimsson recounted in detail what his speech actually touched on.
"What I did at this ceremony was that I described my meeting with Xi Jinping fourteen years ago, four years before he became president," he said.
During that meeting, Grimsson said they mainly discussed global warming and what the Chinese could learn from Icelanders in the field of sustainability and the fight against climate change.
Australia
China’s ambassador frustrated by slow progress in repairing bilateral relationship
What you need to know: Beijing’s top diplomat Xiao Qian named tensions over Taiwan and the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang as the two major barriers to resetting China-Australia relations. He argued that ending the trade dispute between the two countries would help Australia pull through a global recession and give the government enough revenue to fund the stage-three tax cuts. He also proposed high-level talks with no preconditions to narrow differences on regional security, human rights and trade ties worth $245 billion.
The bottom line: Qian’s comments come ahead of a series of global summits next month which he says offer a chance for both countries to “move towards each other” after a difficult few years.
Canada
A provincial government is rewriting rules to safeguard university research with China
What you need to know: The Alberta government, which has a freeze on new partnerships between its universities and China, is hiring a former Canadian diplomat to draft new rules for all foreign collaborations involving the province’s postsecondary institutions.
The province assigned Gordon Houlden to come up with recommendations by early 2023. Houlden has been posted to Beijing and Hong Kong and served as the executive director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute think tank.
The bottom line: Alberta’s four major research universities are currently banned from signing new agreements with China for participation in study or research programs that are potentially related to national and economic security. The prohibition applies primarily to doctoral and post-doctoral research.
The Arab world
Congresses of the Communist Party … China’s Policy Making Kitchen — The New Arab
What you need to know: The CCP’s 20th congress is making headlines in Arab media this week. The article, published in The New Arab, features interviews with two Chinese scholars who explain why the party’s congresses have been historic turning points for the country.
About The New Arab: It’s a new-ish but influential publication founded in 2014. They do original reporting and sometimes run opinion pieces. It has over seven million followers on its Arabic-language Twitter and Facebook pages combined. Headquartered in London, the newspaper publishes in both Arabic and English. The media outlet is part of the Qatari enterprise Fadaat Media Group, one of the largest media networks in the Arab world. The founder, Azmi Bishara, is a Qatar-based Palestinian and exiled Israelian dissident.
About the author: Ali Abo Mrehil is a Palestinian journalist and poet based in Beijing with bylines in Aljazeera. He regularly writes for the New Arab about China.
ومن المتوقع على نطاق واسع أن يؤمّن الرئيس الصيني الحالي شي جين بينغ، من خلال المؤتمر، فترة رئاسية ثالثة، مخالفة للمعايير والبروتوكول الحزبي المتّبع منذ عقود، مما قد يعزز مكانته باعتباره أقوى حاكم في البلاد منذ عهد الزعيم الراحل ماو تسي تونغ.
It is widely expected that China's current president, Xi Jinping, will secure, through the congress, a third term, contrary to decades-old standards and party protocol. It would cement his position as the country's most powerful ruler since the era of the late leader Mao Zedong.
After pointing out Xi Jinping’s widely anticipated third term, the article lists three previous CCP conferences that marked milestones in China: 1956, 1969 and 1977.
ولعل أبرز المؤتمرات التي كانت علامة فارقة في تاريخ الصين الحديث، ذلك الذي عُقد في سبتمبر/أيلول عام 1956، والذي شهد إقرار الخطة الخمسية الثانية التي تستهدف تحويل البلاد من الزراعة إلى الصناعة، وهي خطة تُعرف أيضاً باسم "القفزة الكبرى إلى الإمام"، والتي تسبّبت في كارثة إنسانية (مجاعة) أودت بحياة نحو 30 مليون شخص.
Perhaps the most notable conference in China's modern history was the one held in September 1956, which saw the adoption of the Second Five-Year Plan aimed at the industrialization of the country and moving away from the agriculture sector. It’s also known as the "Great Leap Forward", which caused a humanitarian catastrophe (famine) that killed some 30 million people.
Here, Abo Mrehil is likely referring to the Great Famine, which happened as a result of the Great Leap Forward (although the plan was launched in 1958, not 1956.)
Worth noting: CCP officials have pushed narratives in Arab media brushing CCP's role in the famine under the rug.
In an opinion piece published in Kuwaiti newspaper AlAnba, Beijing’s envoy Zhang Jianwei claimed the CCP “reached a historic solution to the problem of extreme poverty that has plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years.” The article had no mention of the famine or the plan that caused it.
The article ended with a barrage of praises for the party’s achievements.
ما أضفى هذا الاهتمام الشعبي والرسمي، هو الظروف التي أحاطت بنشأة الحزب حين كانت البلاد مرتعاً للغزاة، قبل أن يأتي الشيوعيون لينقذوا البلاد من براثن الاستعمار. وتابع: إن التضحيات التي قدّمها قادة الحزب بدءاً من مسيرة الجيش الأحمر عام 1934، مروراً بدحر المستعمر الياباني عام 1945، وطرد الكومنتانغ وإعلان الدولة عام 1949، جميعها كانت عوامل ساهمت في إضفاء شيء من القداسة على مؤتمرات الحزب
The attention the congress is receiving from officials and the general public is attributed to the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the party—when the country was prey for invaders before the communists saved it from the clutches of colonialism. The sacrifices made by the party leaders—from the march of the Red Army in 1934, the defeat of Japanese colonialism in 1945 to the expulsion of Kuomintang and the declaration of state in 1949—were all factors that made the party congresses akin to a sacred event.
The Arab world
Today in history, A riot that changed China’s future — Al Arabiya
What you need to know: The article breaks down the history of the May Fourth Movement (五四运动), describing it as the movement “that laid the foundations of modern China and changed the future of the country.”
Al Arabiya is the Saudi media conglomerate MBC’s flagship news channel. The channel has a digital publication with the same name and is one of the most-followed news outlets in the Gulf region. Al Arabiya has ties to the Saudi Royal family and is known for promoting the government’s agenda.
What stood out: The article puts the spotlight on the youthfulness of the May Fourth Movement, focusing on the student-led demonstrations against relinquishing the Shandong peninsula.
إلى ذلك، طالب هؤلاء المثقفون، الذين تواجد ضمنهم عدد هام من الطلاب، بوضع حد للأفكار التقليدية القديمة الراسخة بالمجتمع الصيني منذ قرون وتعويضها بأخرى ذات توجهات غربية.
To that end, these intellectuals, including a significant number of students, demanded an end to the old traditional ideas that have been entrenched in Chinese society for centuries and replaced by Western-oriented ones.
Also interesting: The article paints the protesters as heroes fighting against colonialism and enraged at the Chinese government for bowing down to the west.
It includes some details such as the attack on properties of the Chinese minister of communication and the Japanese ambassador to China, the number of workers who went on strike, and the number of students who were arrested. The author goes on to mention how the protests pressured the Chinese government to fire three ministers.
لاحقاً، روّجت حركة الرابع من مايو لأفكارها بين الصينيين اعتماداً على اللقاءات الجماعية، التي حضرها كثيرون، والحملات التوعوية والمنشورات الدعائية بالصحف. وقد ساهم ذلك في تسريع عملية تخلي كثير من الصينيين عن الموروث الثقافي القديم وتحرر المرأة الصينية التي حصلت بالسنوات التالية على مزيد من الحقوق. وعلى الرغم من فشلها في منع عملية استيلاء اليابان على إقليم شاندونغ، شجعت حركة 4 مايو الحزب القومي الصيني على تهذيب أفكاره وساهمت عام 1921 في نشأة الحزب الشيوعي الصيني الذي تزعّمه فيما بعد ماو تسي تونغ
Later, the May Fourth Movement promoted its ideas among Chinese people through widely-attended group meetings, awareness campaigns and newspaper publications. This has accelerated the process of many Chinese abandoning ancient cultural heritage and emancipating Chinese women, who in the following years have gained more rights. Despite failing to prevent Japan's takeover of Shandong, the May Fourth Movement encouraged the Chinese Nationalist Party[Kuomintang] to refine its ideas and in 1921 contributed to the emergence of the Chinese Communist Party, later led by Mao Zedong.
Worth noting: The author seems to be pushing the idea that the May Fourth Movement, and by association the CCP, “emancipated” women and modernized society. Middle East watchers know that this narrative hits close to home for people in the Gulf region, especially Saudi Arabia. Over the past few years, the Saudi royal family has taken steps towards breaking away from conservative traditions by giving women more rights, including the right to drive and a relaxing of the male guardianship laws, as well as investing in tourism and “entertainment villages” with sports arenas, theme parks, movie cinemas, and arts venues. However, while these changes occur, Saudi Arabia is cracking down on political dissent and has detained tens of dissidents, from Muslim clerics to journalists, writers and activists. For a piece that appears to promote the CCP as an ally, the choice to highlight the triumph of youth activists doesn’t make sense.