Concrete actions on Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration
Politics & Current Affairs
Top politics and current affairs news for February 24, 2017. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "A whirlwind set to shake up Chinaโs banks."
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Travel card provides convenience for local commutersย / China Daily
โBeijing-Tianjin-Hebei integrationโ (ไบฌๆดฅๅไธไฝๅ jฤซng jฤซn jรฌ yฤซtวhuร ), or the collective development of Chinaโs two largest northeastern cities together with the province that surrounds them, has been a goal of the central government for years. In 2016, the Peopleโs Daily putย โJing-Jin-Jiโ โ as the planned supercity area of 130 million people is called in Chinese โ on a year-end listย of President Xi Jinpingโs favorite phrases. However, with the exception of some road and railway construction, the plans have largely been rhetoric since being announced. Today, the China Daily notes that โa new travel card will enable passengers to use all metro systems throughout Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province by the end of this year.โ This may become the first concrete step that allows residents of all three zones to feel part of a larger geo-economic zone. Also today, Xinhua published a reportย (in Chinese) that highlights President Xiโs emphasis of Jing-Jin-Jiโs important place in Chinaโs most recent five-year development plan. See hereย for a 2015 New York Times story and video (paywalled) by Ian Johnson describing the ambitious plans. -
China and North Korea reveal sudden, and deep, cracks in their friendshipย / NYT (paywall)
The New York Times reports that the long-held โfacadeโ of friendly China-North Korea relations is cracking, to the point that some Chinese analysts have said that recent weeks have marked the relationshipโs โlowest point since the founding of the North as a separate country after World War II.โ The separate events of China ceasing coal importsย from the rogue nation and the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-unโs half brother, who was assumed to be under the protectionย of China, were already significant strains on relations between the two countries. Divisions were laid clear, however, when North Koreaโs state media directed โsome of the most damning insults in its playbookโ toward China, such as that the country is โdancing to the tune of the U.S.โ Soon after the unusual breach of media protocol between the two countries, the further revelation that North Korean assassins may have used a rare, outlawed chemical weapon in their mission has likely further dimmed Chinese leadersโ view of North Korea.
- Chinaโs North Korea problemย – further analysis on what the assassination of Kim Jong-nam means for China / The New Yorker
- Former Guangdong vice governor stands trial for graftย / China Daily
- Chinese factory in Myanmar ransacked by hundreds of angry workersย / SCMP
- The Philippines pivots to Chinaย / The Economist (paywall)
- Chinaโs premier urges poultry markets to shut as bird flu fears growย / Reuters
