China calls for ceasefire in Myanmar
Politics & Current Affairs
Top politics and current affairs news for March 7, 2017. Part of the daily The China Project news roundup "China: U.S. and South Korea to ‘bear consequences’ of missile deployment."
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China calls for ceasefire after Myanmar border region clashes / Reuters
Following the fighting yesterday in the Chinese-speaking Kokang region of Myanmar that left 30 dead, China has called for a ceasefire and announced that it is providing humanitarian aid for those fleeing the violence. Kokang is a part of northeastern Myanmar that borders Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The largely ethnically Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) organized the attacks on government outposts in the city of Laukkai in response to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s efforts at peace talks. The border region has seen significant ethnic violence in the past; for instance, in 2015, the MNDAA was involved in much larger clashes that led to tens of thousands of refugees flooding across the border to China. -
Real economy, SOEs crucial for development of NE province: Xi / Xinhua
Northeastern Liaoning Province had a rough year in 2016. As the core of an economic rust belt that depends heavily on steel production and other basic industrial outputs seeing less demand, it was the only Chinese province to dip into a recession in the last year. Further amplifying its recent problems were an election fraud scandal and the admission that the regional government had faked economic data. Today, Xinhua reported on a meeting during which President Xi Jinping discussed how to restart Liaoning’s economy. A primary emphasis in the discussion was on how state-owned enterprises can become more innovative and link up new and old technology.
- Taiwanese universities may be self-censoring political discussion to attract Chinese students – the number of students coming from the mainland is up 4,000% since 2007 / Quartz
- Calls for Chinese judges and Chinese-language judgements following conviction of 7 police officers / Hong Kong Free Press
- China’s brightest journalists argue they’re not brainwashed, but maintaining an orderly society / Quartz
- First cruises, now flights… China plans to fly tourists to disputed South China Sea islands – see also a report from half a year ago on ‘conflict tourism’ / SCMP
