Russia Disarray Creates a Moment of Uncertainty in China; Exclusive: Who Is Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Guoqing?
Russian diplomat flies to Beijing as Putin faces heat at home; S.Korea Foreign Minister Says to Boost Dialog With China
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Exclusive: Who Is Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Guoqing?
Zhang Guoqing was born in Henan in 1964 into conditions of destitution beyond common comprehension. In 1981, he entered the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (now Changchun University of Science and Technology) in the department of Electronic Engineering. Upon his undergraduate graduation in 1985, Zhang was admitted to the East China Engineering College (renamed Nanjing University of Science and Technology in 1993), from where Deputy Prime Minister Liu Guozhong, introduced earlier, had graduated. Zhang pursued a master's degree in Industrial Foreign Trade in the Department of Management Engineering.
After completing his master's degree, Zhang joined the China Northern Industrial Corporation, a defense industry enterprise, starting from the most basic level. Through his individual efforts, he opened up the Middle East market, especially Iran. By 1998, the 34-year-old Zhang had already taken up the post of Party Secretary of the Northern Industrial Corporation.
In 1999, with the reform of the national defense industry system and corporate restructuring, the China Northern Industrial Corporation was put under the newly established China Ordnance Industry Group Corporation, and Zhang Guoqing became the Deputy General Manager of the new company, while continuing to serve as the Party Secretary of the China Northern Industrial Corporation.
By 2011, Zhang had been the General Manager of the China Ordnance Industry Group for three years. Under his leadership, the Group became the first in the defense industry to surpass the 300 billion revenue threshold, earning Zhang the moniker "Young Marshal of Aerospace".
At the end of 2012, at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, with Xi Jinping succeeding as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Zhang was elected as a member of the Central Committee. Shortly thereafter, Zhang left the defense industry to enter politics, setting his career on a fast track. In April 2013, Zhang was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee in Chongqing, a city with many defense industry enterprises, and became the mayor of Chongqing in January 2017.
A year later, Zhang was transferred to another directly-administered municipality, Tianjin, to serve as its mayor. In September 2020, Zhang was transferred to the industrial powerhouse province of Liaoning, serving as its Party Secretary, becoming the youngest provincial Party Secretary at the time. By the end of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022, Zhang had served as mayor of two directly-administered municipalities and Party Secretary of a major industrial province in less than a decade.
This trajectory was the result of Xi Jinping's determined promotion and cultivation. In late August 2022, two months before the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping personally inspected Liaoning Province, providing strong support to Zhang Guoqing who accompanied him throughout, marking Xi's last inspection of a local province before the Congress.
Given Zhang's experience, he is familiar with the defense industry market in Iran and the Middle East and has also served as the Party Secretary of the industrial powerhouse province of Liaoning. We may venture to speculate that at a time when Russia is mired in a war stalemate and facing sanctions from the West, its influence in several Central Asian countries bordering Xinjiang has significantly decreased.
Now that Russia is in a predicament, starting from Xinjiang and establishing links with several Central Asian countries would provide direct access to Iran and the entire Middle East region that Zhang Guoqing is familiar with. This could be an area where Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Guoqing could make significant contributions.
It can also be anticipated that Russia, caught in a stalemate, may transfer its advanced defense technology and resources to China at a very low cost, particularly via the Northeast, and especially via Liaoning, a major industrial province familiar to Zhang. Meanwhile, Northeast China could become a production and supply base for essential goods for Russia. If these two conjectures come to fruition, Zhang Guoqing's role would be crucial, and both Xinjiang and Northeast China would face significant development opportunities.
Russia Disarray Creates a Moment of Uncertainty in China
WSJ
A mutiny in Russia has raised concerns in Beijing about the destabilizing effects of the Ukraine invasion on its close partnership with Russia. The mutiny, led by the Wagner paramilitary group, was eventually called off, but it remains a significant challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule and has created uncertainty for Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China has portrayed its bond with Russia as a counter to US influence and has emphasized its strong personal relationship with Putin. Chinese state media provided limited coverage of the mutiny, but it became a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms. Chinese users expressed bewilderment and concern about the potential impact of political turmoil in Russia on China. The alliance between China and Russia is rooted in their shared opposition to the US and its allies and their growing economic ties. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strained its relations with the West and caused economic repercussions. The mutiny has added to the uncertainty surrounding Putin's government and Russia's political stability, with potential implications for China's interests.
Russian diplomat flies to Beijing as Putin faces heat at home
Reuters
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko visited Beijing for talks with China on "international" issues. The meeting, held on Sunday, discussed Sino-Russian relations as well as "international and regional issues of common concern". It is unclear whether Rudenko's visit to China was in response to the rebellion by Russian mercenaries challenging President Putin's power. China has not publicly commented on the rebellion, but a prominent Chinese military expert stated that China would support Russia while stressing non-interference in its internal affairs. Chinese media has refrained from commenting on the rebellion, but many Chinese citizens have expressed support for Putin on social media. The rebellion has been closely followed by Chinese media, and the state-controlled Global Times criticized Western media for hyping up the rebellion and attempting to undermine Russian social unity
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Says to Boost Dialog With China: Yonhap
Bloomberg
South Korea's Foreign Minister, Park Jin, has stated that the country will continue to strengthen its strategic dialogue with China amid worsening relations. Park emphasized that South Korea has no reason to hate China and wants to build a healthy and mature relationship based on mutual respect and benefits. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since South Korea criticized China for making comments about Taiwan. Park also expressed support for China's role in resolving North Korea's nuclear problem.
China Dragon Boat Festival tourism trips above pre-COVID levels -ministry
Reuters
During China's Dragon Boat Festival, trips for tourism increased by 32.3% compared to the previous year, reaching an estimated 106 million. This is also 12.8% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019. However, overall travel during the holiday was still down 22.8% from 2019. Revenue from domestic tourism trips during the festival rose by 44.5% on a year-on-year basis, recovering to 94.9% of the 2019 level. The rebound in tourism during this festival was smaller compared to the May Day holiday. Trips across China's borders also increased compared to the previous year but were still just 64.6% of the 2019 level.
Australian PM visit to China to be locked in at ‘appropriate time’
South China Morning Post
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that he will set a date for a visit to China at an "appropriate time" as he emphasizes the importance of bilateral trade and expresses concerns about an Australian journalist detained in Beijing. Talks are underway regarding the visit, as Australia's Labour government seeks to end unofficial Chinese bans and tariffs placed on Australian products in 2020 during a low point in diplomatic relations. Albanese did not comment on whether detained Australians would be released prior to his visit but called for the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who has been detained in Beijing since September 2020. Albanese stressed the importance of trade between the two nations and advocated for the removal of any impediments to trade.
Alibaba Cloud’s founder looking forward to supporting Paris Olympics 2024
South China Morning Post
Alibaba Cloud will provide next-generation broadcasting, logistics planning and sensorless tracking services for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The event will give the Chinese tech company an opportunity to showcase its cloud-based technologies to the world at a time when geopolitical tensions between China and the West are putting its tech companies under greater scrutiny. Alibaba Cloud won the exclusive deal to become the International Olympic Committee’s official cloud services partner after beating Amazon Web Services in 2017. The deal will run until 2028 at the Los Angeles Olympics.
China targets weakest link in Washington-Tokyo-Seoul triad
Nikkei Asia
China is trying to drive a wedge between South Korea and the US and Japan amid a political rift in Seoul, according to South Korean pundits. China has aligned itself with the opposition Democratic Party of Korea to influence public sentiment and prevent the three countries from forming closer ties, they say. The move comes after an internal dispute between China and South Korea over comments made by China’s ambassador to Seoul, Xing Haiming, about South Korea’s foreign policy. South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Xing and expressed “strong regret” over his remarks. China’s foreign ministry, in turn, criticised Seoul for its reaction to Xing’s comments as “inappropriate”. The move is seen as an attempt by China to disrupt South Korea’s security cooperation with Japan and the US, and to prevent a potential alliance between South Korea, Japan and the US against China.
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