1) Xi Jinping issued important instructions on drug-control work, emphasizing the need to steadfastly implement the policy of stringent drug prohibition, wage a people’s war against drugs, and continuously achieve new successes in this endeavor. During an inspection tour in Beijing, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan stressed the importance of rigorously implementing the “four early” measures to resolutely prevent the spread of the epidemic. The State Council has approved Hebei Province’s proposal to adjust certain administrative divisions within Xingtai City, including the abolishment of Xingtai County.
2) The final satellite for the BeiDou-3 global navigation constellation was successfully launched yesterday, marking the completion of the constellation deployment and ensuring that China is no longer dependent on others in yet another critical domain. According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 6.6 million commercial road vehicles nationwide are now equipped with the BeiDou system.
3) [Rule of Law] The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission publicly disclosed six typical cases of violations of the spirit of the CPC Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation. The Supreme People’s Court released the Top Ten Typical Cases of Drug (Drug-Related) Crimes in 2020: over the past five years, the average annual rate of severe penalties in drug-related criminal cases has been 22.37%. Dai Guanghui, Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the CPC Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee, is under investigation. Xiao Yunhan, Vice President of the Nanjing Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is undergoing disciplinary review and investigation. Zhang Bincheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of China Shannxi Nuclear Industry Group Corporation, is under investigation. Xu Hongguang, former Director of the Inner Mongolia Prison Administration, is under investigation. Hebei police have cracked down across provinces on a “black payment” platform involved in cases totaling more than RMB 5 billion. Two doctors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Henan Province were slashed; the suspect, Yin Moumou, has been placed under criminal detention by public security organs on suspicion of intentional homicide, and a criminal case has been filed for investigation. A man was detained for three days for spreading the rumor that “a car owner in Xiaogan died of COVID-19 but did not move his vehicle.” Dare to fabricate lies about the police? In the defamation case involving young actress Yang Zi, the defendant was fined RMB 100,000 for falsifying police evidence.
4) On the 23rd, the National Health Commission reported that on the 22nd, 31 provinces and cities recorded 22 new confirmed cases, including 9 imported cases (7 in Gansu, 1 in Jiangsu, and 1 in Shaanxi) and 13 locally transmitted cases, all in Beijing; no new deaths were reported; 2 new suspected cases were reported, both local (both in Beijing); and 7 new asymptomatic infections were reported (5 of which were imported).
5) Another high-risk area has been added in Beijing: Yongding Road Subdistrict in Haidian District has been designated a high-risk area, bringing the total to five. Beijing’s epidemic prevention and control efforts remain at the most critical and challenging stage. The city continues to enforce strict outbound travel controls: during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Beijing residents are advised to travel with caution, and personnel from medium- and high-risk subdistricts and townships, as well as those associated with the Xinfadi market, are prohibited from leaving the city.
6) Zhong Nanshan: It is expected that the COVID-19 pandemic will persist this winter and next spring, but a large-scale outbreak like the first wave is unlikely. Deputy Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention: The onset of illness among individuals exposed at Beijing’s Xinfadi market has now entered its final stage.
7) The first phase of the navigation channel improvement project for the southern channel of the Yangtze River Estuary has been completed and put into operation. The 196-meter-high main pier of the Jinyanghe Super Bridge in Sichuan Province has been topped out, making it the bridge with the world’s tallest rigid-frame pier.
8) [Military] The first batch of border defense units across the armed forces has completed power grid construction.
9) [Hong Kong and Macao] Relevant central authorities held 12 symposiums in Hong Kong to solicit opinions on the National Security Law for Hong Kong. Carrie Lam stated that the legal basis of the National Security Law for Hong Kong is clear and leaves no room for ambiguity. The Student Union of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology refused to remove “Hong Kong independence” posters, prompting the university to take action by removing them and issuing a stern warning. Hong Kong has successfully issued RMB 10 billion in central bank bills, which were enthusiastically subscribed to by overseas investors.
10) [Taiwan] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to a U.S. think tank’s acceptance of funding from the Taiwan authorities and its publication of articles advocating U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, stating that relevant U.S. think tanks should conduct impartial and objective research and voice more rational opinions. Kuomintang Chairman Jiang Qichen claims that the 1992 Consensus is a thing of the past, drawing criticism from Lien Chan, Ma Ying-jeou, and Hung Hsiu-chu. In the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election, the Kuomintang announced it has nominated city councilor Li Meizhen to challenge Chen Chi-mai. Meanwhile, amid calls for “renaming” the Diaoyu Islands, the Taiwan authorities have remained silent, while “Representative to Japan” Hsieh Chang-ting has been criticized for “constantly speaking on behalf of Japan.”
