China is nowadays in the news because of its economic development and politics, as leaders of China with imperialistic attitudes are not in good relations with neighbours. It is pertinent to mention that not only India but China also has 17 territorial disputes with its neighbours, on land and sea. China has disputes with Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Tibet (The Print, July 15, 2020). Also, China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang. The country has been facing unemployment and corruption issues. In this regard, based on South China Morning Post, July 26, 2023, a few points are presented for the benefit of readers.
“China’s youth unemployment rate for the 16-24 age group rose to a record 21.3 percent in June, with the overall economy struggling with its post-coronavirus recovery and private businesses struggling for confidence”. According to China’s statistics department in January (2023), the national average annual income was 36,883 yuan (US$ 5,098). “The employment situation this year (2023) is becoming increasingly pessimistic. It is so hard to find a job,” said Deng, who is one of a record 11.58 million graduates entering China’s workforce this year (2023). Regarding corruption issues from the newspaper, as mentioned already, I am quoting a few lines, “In September 2021, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) released a joint document with other party and state agencies that outlined a plan to set up a black list of people offering bribes. In a report released in February 2022, the Communist Party’s top disciplinary watchdog said that anti-corruption agencies detained 5,006 people in 2021 for bribery, transferring 2,822 cases to prosecutors for further action.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, the ninth Criminal Law Amendment, which was passed in 2015, increased penalties for bribery”.
Anyway, I visited China and interacted with many people and observed the common people of China were friendly towards Indians. Anyway, when I visited Tiananmen Square, I was upset because I read in the newspaper about the incident. For the benefit of readers, the Tiananmen Square protests, known as the June Fourth Incident, may be highlighted (wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square). The student-led demonstrations were held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in 1989. The protests started on April 15, 1989, and continued until June 4, 1989. The Government troops of China carried out a crackdown on the demonstrators around the city and the Square in what is often referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Anyway, from different news sources, it is evident that corruption has penetrated China, and unemployment is also a great issue in the country.
Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad
Comments