China’s latest economic stats and Kerry in Beijing

Here’s what else you need to know about China today:

Top story: China’s GDP grew by 6.3% in the second quarter of 2023, but youth unemployment hits record high.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in China. He arrived yesterday and stays until July 19 in a bid to revive stalled climate talks after a year-long hiatus, as China battles another summer of extreme weather that has caused widespread destruction and a number of deaths across the country.

Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xiè Zhènhuá 解振华, who have spoken with one another for over two decades, kicked off their rounds of talks today on a warm note: Both referred to the other as “old friend.”

Even warmer, however, was the temperature at Sanbao township in Xinjiang’s Turpan Depression in China’s arid northwest, which endured temperatures of more than 52ºC (126ºF) on Sunday, state media reported, setting a record for a country that was battling minus 50ºC weather just six months ago.

China and Russia are deepening military cooperation with a series of joint naval drills, as Beijing shows no signs of backing away from its tacit support of Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine.

A Chinese naval flotilla set sail yesterday to rendezvous with Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan for exercises aimed at “safeguarding the safety of strategic maritime routes,” the Chinese Defense Ministry stated. Less than a week ago on July 11, Russian naval vessels departed from a military port in Wusong, having completed a seven-day “friendly” visit to Shanghai.

China said India should “not let specific issues define the overall relationship” during a meeting on Friday (in Chinese) between China’s top diplomat Wáng Yì 王毅 and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Jakarta.

India has previously stated that its relationship with China “cannot be normal” until there is peace along their disputed border, the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

A Chinese naval hospital ship arrived in Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, on July 15 for a seven-day “goodwill visit” to provide humanitarian medical services to locals, the Chinese military said in a statement.

Known as the “Peace Ark,” the vessel is the first institutionalized ocean-going hospital ship independently designed and built by China. It will also pay visits to Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste — the first time a Chinese naval vessel will visit Kiribati and Solomon Islands — as China courts Pacific Island nations amid an ongoing battle for influence with the U.S.

Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te (赖清德 Lài Qīngdé) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will stop in the U.S. next month on his way to South America, in a visit that will likely stoke brewing tensions with Beijing just months before the island’s presidential election.

Lai, 63, is one of the top three candidates in Taiwan’s 2024 election, along with the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜 Hóu Yǒuyí) and Ko Wen-je (柯文哲 Kē Wénzhé) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). Last week, Lai stated that Taiwanese presidents should be allowed to step foot in the White House, but also separately stressed that he “will support the cross-strait status quo” and his “top priorities remain pragmatism and consistency” in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on July 4. Beijing registered disapproval of Lai’s plans at the Foreign Ministry’s daily press conference today.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry last week reported that 16 Chinese warships and 15 aircraft were spotted in waters around Taiwan in a 24-hour period late last week,  in what analysts said was the latest sign of an intimidation, which CNN called a record high.

Chinese state media: Xinhua News Agency today leads with a very short piece on Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 meeting with former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing (English, Chinese).

The Party paper the People’s Daily’s top story focuses on China quest — led by Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 of course — to build an “ecological civilization,” and to realize the “harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature,” which is linked to another Xi catchphrase, “Chinese-style modernization.”

Another article on the front page touts the success of a project to divert water from the Han River to the Wei River, which will supply the city of Xi’an.