ASIA NOW: China – Portrait of a nation at 70 + more

October 1, 2019 Contributor 0 Comment Asian Insider Sept 30: Portrait of a nation at 70

At 70, the People’s Republic of China is robust and raring to go. Sure, Beijing is contending with a slowing economy, a trade-and-tech war with the US and restive regions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. But big policy missteps have been rare. And President Xi Jinping is already focussed on the next mission: to make China a “moderately prosperous society” by 2021, and a “fully developed, rich and powerful nation” by 2049.

Flashback: If the past is any guide, odds are that China will meet the upcoming targets. To grasp the amazing transformation of China over the last seven decades, hear, for instance, from Madam Wang Jing. Barred from attending university and hard pressed to find a job because she happened to be at the wrong end of things when the Communist Party swept into power in 1949 and later during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, she still managed to land on her feet. “My dream (then) was to own a bicycle,” the 73-year-old told ST in an interview, recounting the tumultuous past. She has since successfully swopped her two-wheeled Flying Pigeon for an Audi sport utility vehicle.

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The 2 big challenges: President Xi’s promise of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” is contingent on adept handling of two vexing issues. Unification with Taiwan, viewed by the mainland as a renegade province, is looking ever more elusive. And many Hong Kongers are saying the autonomy promised to them has not been delivered. Will China hold fast to the “one country, two systems” framework?

HONG KONG ON THE EDGE

“Very, very dangerous,” is how police in Hong Kong are describing pro-democracy protests expected tomorrow (Oct 1) to mark the 70th anniversary of communist China’s founding. Superintendent John Tse did not mince words as he told reporters: “Core rioters are increasing their violence. The depth and breadth of their violence and plans show that they are increasingly resorting to terrorism.”

As tensions spiral, China has reportedly assembled its largest-ever active force of People’s Liberation Army troops and other anti-riot personnel and equipment in Hong Kong. Reuters quoted foreign envoys and security analysts as saying China has quietly more than doubled the deployment of mainland security forces in Hong Kong.

The city is on the edge. Its metro stations and roads re-opened on Monday after a chaotic weekend that saw police fire water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters. An Indonesian journalist was shot in the face by a Hong Kong police officer and has demanded to know why she was targeted despite being in full press gear. Ms Veby Mega Indah, a 39-year-old associate editor with Suara Hong Kong News, says her right eye was injured by a projectile during Sunday’s protests and she needed three stitches near her eyebrow. It is unclear whether she had been struck by a beanbag round or a rubber bullet.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam, facing the brunt of the protesters’ ire, made a last-minute decision to mark the People’s Republic anniversary in Beijing. Was she summoned to Beijing due to the escalation in the violence on the weekend? It remains unclear but security has been stepped up around the Convention Centre where the Oct 1 ceremony is due to take place. Roads were closed and riot police were on guard.

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WHY JOKO MAY WANT AN EARLIER SWEARING-IN

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is reportedly asking for the swearing-in ceremony of his second term in office to be moved forward by a day to October 19, reports ST’s Indonesia Correspondent Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja. The change was sought for practical reasons, according to one version of events. The original date falls on a Sunday, when people might want to tend to their personal life, so it would make sense to move it to Saturday. But others think traditional beliefs may be the real reason. In the Javanese culture, the number 9 represents “Paripurna” meaning complete and perfect. The new date would, therefore, be better received, says Mr Wasisto Raharjo Jati, a political analyst. It would be seen as auspicious not only for Mr Joko but also for the predominantly Javanese population.

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INDIA’S ANXIETY OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

After a drive to root out illegal immigrants in the north-eastern state of Assam put 1.9 million people on the way to being rendered stateless, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) promise of a similar nationwide drive to verify citizenship is causing unease and even panic, reports ST’s India Bureau Chief Nirmala Ganapathy. In West Bengal, the populous eastern state bordering Assam, people have been queueing up at government and municipal offices to amend mistakes in documents, and collect birth certificates and other documents.

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AUSTRALIAN CEOS TO THE RESCUE, GOVT NOT AMUSED

Among the tens of thousands of marchers at a climate strike in Sydney two weeks ago was an unassuming figure in a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap. It was Mr Mike Cannon-Brookes, one of the richest people in Australia.The 39-year-old co-founder of technology giant Atlassian, who is worth an estimated US$8.4 billion, was joined by co-workers who were allowed to join the strike as part of the paid week of volunteer leave they get each year. He is not the only company leader in Australia to take a public stance on political and social causes beyond his firm’s core commercial activities. National carrier Qantas was a strong supporter of legalising same-sex marriage. Mining giant BHP has been pushing for customers who use its coal to also reduce their emissions. But Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has hit back, launching a scathing attack on company leaders, accusing them of ignoring their obligations to shareholders and employees, reports ST’s Jonathan Pearlman.

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IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Haze relief: Forest fires that have been raging through parts of Sumatra island and in Kalimantan on the Indonesian portion of Borneo island will end soon with the arrival of the rainy season, says Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency. Indonesia has spent months battling forest fires, often caused by slash-and-burn farming practices, as an El Nino weather pattern intensifies the annual dry season and fires create a choking haze across the region.

But water crisis persists: The water crisis in Johor has worsened, with at least 275,000 people having to face water rationing, despite heavy downpours. Parts of Kota Tinggi, Penggerang and Mersing will be the latest to be affected due to the falling water levels in the dams and water treatment plants in the area.

A model’s murder: Thai police investigating a model’s unexplained death were hunting for more suspects in a case that has captivated the country and sparked rare outrage over the treatment of women in a poorly understood sector of the entertainment industry. The body of model-for-hire Thitima Noraphanpiphat was found in the lobby of a Bangkok apartment block on Sept 17, hours after she attended a party where she was paid to serve drinks. Police are working to press charges against anyone tied to the “scandal” that has made page 1 headlines in Thailand.

Achtung, chief: It rarely happens that Germany’s captains of industry get a telling-off. But, in a business reception last week, Wolfgang Schäuble, long-time minister of finance and currently president of parliament, accused industry captains of complacency and plain laziness. He also complained about their lack of social engagement and loss of moral compass. “Zero point zero” of state money for new technologies has been retrieved by German companies, he added. The rant adds to fears that the German growth model has run its course, reports ST’s Global Affairs Correspondent Markus Ziener.

Bhagyashree Garekar

Deputy Foreign Editor

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