What’s China have to do with Maldives? – China’s latest political and current affairs news

Here is some news from far outside Beijing, where Donald Trump will arrive on November 8 for a state visit (see coverage of that on The China Project today, and also from October 31, November 2, November 3, and November 6):

• Many Pakistanis became outraged when they learned that a Chinese citizen in their country had received a national ID card, when some muslim refugees from neighboring Afghanistan are still waiting on theirs. The Economic Times reports that Pakistan’s Interior Minister scrambled to clarify that both of the man’s parents were naturalized Pakistani citizens, but the incident could signal an underappreciated undercurrent of anxiety over China’s enormous investment and influence in the country.
• Maldives and Sri Lanka are attracting coordinated interest from India and the U.S. because of Chinese influence and ISIS threats, according to the Times of India. Without going into specifics, the Times of India says that “China’s financing mechanisms mean that it could be controlling large areas of Maldives fairly soon,” and noted that China is a “world leader in land reclamation,” an important area of development for the climate change-threatened island nation.
• The Times of India says that “India and US are also teaming up to monitor returning ISIS fighters into Maldives,” because the small nation of 400,000 has “sent almost 400 ISIS fighters to Syria and Iraq.”
• In Sri Lanka, the U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz visited last week “without a murmur from India,” contrasting with years past when India would object to such a maneuver. The Times of India’s report ends by stating, “India’s policies in the Indian Ocean region are undergoing a sea change.”
• A visit to a border region of India and China by India’s Defense Minister, which occurred on October 8 and was hailed as a “goodwill gesture,” received a rebuke from China’s Foreign Ministry a full month later, India Today reports. In response to questions from Indian media at a press conference, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the visit had been “not conducive to peace.”

• Trump
  Rights groups urge Trump to address China’s human rights violations / VOA
  Tweeter-in-chief ready to confront China’s ‘great firewall’ / AP
  “Spoiler alert: The American president will get his way. Multiple officials familiar with the procedures in place but unauthorized to discuss them publicly said the president will, in fact, be able to tweet in China.”
  Trump’s China trip a big deal for US firms but worries linger / SCMP
  A toned-down Trump prods China, Russia to do more to combat North Korean nuclear threat / Politico
  Trump to give major North Korea speech, then press China to do more / Reuters
  China has a plan that could hand Trump a win on the deficit / Bloomberg
• Hong Kong
  Their sons sought a more democratic Hong Kong, and got prison / NYT (paywall)
  Stories of heartbreak, pride, and a yawning generation gap from the parents of Hong Kong’s democracy activists.
  China’s new non-party liaison chief aims to boost support from Hong Kong business groups / SCMP
• North Korea
  10 North Koreans detained in China; ‘we fear the worst,’ activist says / NYT (paywall)
  Exclusive: China curbs tourism to North Korea ahead of Trump visit / Reuters
• Choppy waters in the South China Sea
  Philippines starts construction near China’s manmade islands in disputed waters / Reuters
• Wang Qishan
  China’s former top graft-buster warns of plots to seize power / Reuters
  Potential next act for trusted Xi adviser / Axios
  “It’s believed that Wang could become an international special envoy — a role that might include U.S.-China relations.”