Behind the lowest GDP target since 1991 lies the recognition that the growth model on which China built its rise has lost most of its momentum. Technology is replacing real estate as the driving sector. Behind the new Five-Year Plan lies a geopolitical map, with military spending still growing by 7 per cent. Xi Jinping's purges have left many empty seats among the delegates.
No statement has come from Xi Jinping yet, while the condemnation of the attack on Iran has been entrusted to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who spoke today with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar. The evacuation of Chinese citizens from Tehran has been completed, with 200 choosing to stay. Trump's trip to China (31 March-2 April) is still on the agenda, for now, matching the "four weeks" the US leader gave yesterday as the timeframe for war.
The attacks launched by Israel and the United States on the eve of Purim and Iran's retaliation against US bases in the region have already claimed the life of one Asian immigrant, a Pakistani national working in Abu Dhabi. In India, the opposition has criticised Modi, who has just returned from Israel. Indonesia’s Prabowo (who promised soldiers for Gaza) offers to mediate. China ponders the repercussions.
The holiday season ended with a 40 per cent decline, an eight-year low despite the all-time record of four million screenings. Many theatres were left empty, especially in smaller cities, due to high ticket prices, competition from short videos and online series, and a saturation of patriotic productions. Meanwhile in Japan, the country’s movie industry was experiencing an exceptional boom.
Just as Indian Prime Minister Modi was visiting Israel, a report from the Jewish People Policy Institute highlights the growing hostility toward Jews in the media and universities of the People's Republic of China. It criticises the Netanyahu government for its lack of a coherent, long-term political strategy vis-à-vis Beijing.
The Fujian Police Department has patented an artificial intelligence-based system that seeks to detect “potential mass incidents” at an early stage, based on cross-referencing data from acoustic sensors, surveillance cameras, and official reports. For the China Digital Project, this is the latest technological frontier of the "Fengqiao Experience”, the Maoist model for managing social order.
