{"id":50845,"date":"2020-06-11T14:49:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T18:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/?p=50845"},"modified":"2020-06-11T15:34:59","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T19:34:59","slug":"beijing-dispatch-12-two-sessions-wrap-up-and-the-push-for-getting-canadians-back-to-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/ccbc-insights\/beijing-dispatch-12-two-sessions-wrap-up-and-the-push-for-getting-canadians-back-to-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Beijing Dispatch #12 \u2013 Two Sessions (\u4e24\u4f1a) Wrap-Up and the Push for Getting Canadians Back to China"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section fb_built=\u00a0\u00bb1″ fullwidth=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bbon|on|off\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ background_image=\u00a0\u00bbhttps:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/education-header.jpg\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb||75px|\u00a0\u00bb z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_vertical_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_blur_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb40px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_spread_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title author=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb comments=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb featured_image=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb text_color=\u00a0\u00bblight\u00a0\u00bb disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bboff|off|\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ background_size=\u00a0\u00bbinitial\u00a0\u00bb background_position=\u00a0\u00bbtop_left\u00a0\u00bb background_repeat=\u00a0\u00bbrepeat\u00a0\u00bb text_orientation=\u00a0\u00bbcenter\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb50px|||\u00a0\u00bb][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][et_pb_fullwidth_code _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″]<\/p>\n
By Noah Fraser<\/font><\/a> – Managing Director, China<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/center><\/div>\n[\/et_pb_fullwidth_code][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\u00a0\u00bb1″ fullwidth=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bb||on\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ background_image=\u00a0\u00bbhttps:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/education-header.jpg\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb||75px|\u00a0\u00bb z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_vertical_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_blur_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb40px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_spread_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title author=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb comments=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb featured_image=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb text_color=\u00a0\u00bblight\u00a0\u00bb disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bboff|off|\u00a0\u00bb admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbFullwidth Post Title – mobile \u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb3.23.3″ title_font_size=\u00a0\u00bb18px\u00a0\u00bb background_size=\u00a0\u00bbinitial\u00a0\u00bb background_position=\u00a0\u00bbtop_left\u00a0\u00bb background_repeat=\u00a0\u00bbrepeat\u00a0\u00bb text_orientation=\u00a0\u00bbcenter\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb50px|||\u00a0\u00bb title_font_size_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0\u00bb title_font_size_phone=\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0\u00bb title_font_size_last_edited=\u00a0\u00bbon|tablet\u00a0\u00bb z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″ title_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb title_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb title_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb meta_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb meta_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb meta_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_vertical_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_blur_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb40px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_spread_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][et_pb_fullwidth_code _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″]\n
By Noah Fraser<\/font><\/a> – Managing Director, China<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/center><\/div>\n[\/et_pb_fullwidth_code][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\u00a0\u00bb1″ _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ background_color=\u00a0\u00bbrgba(58,88,114,0.12)\u00a0\u00bb z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_vertical_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_blur_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb40px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_spread_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″ z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_vertical_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_blur_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb40px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_spread_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb collapsed=\u00a0\u00bboff\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb4_4″ _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb3.0.47″ custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb|||\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding__hover=\u00a0\u00bb|||\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_text admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbArticle\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.4.7″ width=\u00a0\u00bb90%\u00a0\u00bb module_alignment=\u00a0\u00bbcenter\u00a0\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00a0\u00bb0″ z_index_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb1px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_vertical_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_blur_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb40px\u00a0\u00bb box_shadow_spread_tablet=\u00a0\u00bb0px\u00a0\u00bb]\n

It\u2019s been a hectic few weeks here in Beijing. The Two Sessions wrapped up, Chinese domestic travel restarted, and schools have largely reopened for all ages. Some of our Canadian diplomats and their families are even beginning to return after several months back in Canada. A new Hong Kong-related National Security Bill was released, Hainan was announced as a new free trade port pilot, and US-China relations have never been more questionable. COVID-19 challenges and social unrest continue to rock North America domestically. A major topic du jour among the expatriate community, however, continues to be the very contentious question of when the Chinese border will reopen to foreign nationals who want to get back to their homes, jobs and lives here in China. More on that below, but for now, I\u2019d like to share some takeaways from the Two Sessions parliamentary proceedings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Two Sessions had been lauded by many as a key indicator of China\u2019s return to normal, after having been delayed by over 11 weeks post-COVID-19 outbreak. As I have previously maintained, there are generally no major surprises during this annual showpiece, but this year was unique by virtue of the effects of the virus, global trade uncertainty and much more. The main things most people will remember from the 2020 Two Sessions will certainly be the announcement of the abandonment of setting a GDP growth target for the first time and the national security bill on Hong Kong. Economic flexibility is a huge theme here, as China relieves some pressure from local officials to achieve high growth rates, and shifts spending from infrastructure projects that make up traditional baskets of spending to \u201cnew infrastructure\u201d \u2013 projects like 5G, new-energy vehicles, renewables and other high-tech sector investment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Furthermore, China did not abandon its 10-year priorities of doubling GDP growth and eliminating poverty\u2013 though this is not terribly surprising, given that by some measures, those goals had already been met or are very near completion. In my read of Premier Li\u2019s \u201cWork Report\u201d and the professional analysis out there, employment is everything. Social stability is critical, and a high jobless rate is tinder for unrest \u2013 watch for lots of spending and programming in this area. Canadian firms operating in China would be wise to highlight any new hiring, especially of college graduates. An enlightening infographic I came across described word frequency within the report \u2013 a strong indicator of tone and focus. The top four words by repetition, from least to most used were \u201cemployment\u201d (39 occurrences), \u201csteady\u201d (41), \u201cdevelopment\u201d (71), and the most used word by far, \u201censure,\u201d was employed by the Premier 85 times. For more on this fascinating and often misunderstood segment of China, I highly encourage our members to tune into next week\u2019s CCBC Practical Tools Webinar Series, where we will be joined by the partners and founders of Plenum China, for a crash course on Chinese elite politics, the Lianghui results, and some discussion on next year\u2019s Five-Year Plan<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a key document for Canadian executives in China.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For all of our Canadian nationals still stranded around the world seeking to return to China, my heartfelt thoughts go out to you. Over the last couple of weeks since my last post on this topic, I\u2019ve received communications from dozens of Canadian individuals and families who are in dire straits \u2013 financially and emotionally \u2013 having been separated from their families, jobs, and much more, sometimes for months on end. These are deeply affecting stories of parents being separated from very young children, sick elderly parents who can\u2019t be attended to, and loss of employment and business ventures, among so many more. At the time of this writing, the complexity and onerous nature of re-entering (or leaving) China has made it near impossible for many foreign passport holders to come or go if they are outside the country, but we are seeing the establishment of some clarity \u2013 a welcome change. We at CCBC have had some success in pushing applications for special, single-entry visas for a very select few, and this challenge is one that we continue to experience every day as we navigate these files. If you are among this group of waylaid Canadians, please join myself and my colleague Edward Dai<\/a> next week on a web session<\/a> for some general information on what is required for readmittance, the realities of various national \u201cfast lanes\u201d being opened up, case study examples, and what we might expect for the near future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also of note, in support of the Canadian community and to provide a collective voice to the Chinese government, CCBC worked with our partners in the Canadian Chambers in Guangzhou and Shanghai to issue a letter outlining our position on allowing Canadian residents of China to return home as quickly as possible, while ensuring that domestic safety and public interest is maintained. Should you be interested in reading this letter, addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and delivered with assistance from the Embassy of Canada in China, please click here<\/a>, to review this particular element of our advocacy work. While we do not presume that this correspondence will be game-changing at the outset, we feel it is extremely important that the Ministry is made aware of our position and intentions. Furthermore, some observations I made in the Globe and Mail (along with appearances from some members dealing with the stresses of being stuck) can be found in this article<\/a>, published on June 9.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On a very positive note for our Canadians and friends of Canada in the local and expat community, I\u2019m thrilled to (finally!) be able to announce the date for our upcoming Canada Day festivities in Beijing<\/strong>. On Friday, July 3<\/strong>, we\u2019ll be hosting an intimate, rooftop<\/strong> summer garden party and BBQ<\/strong> on the outdoor patio of the China World Summit Wing hotel in Beijing\u2019s CBD. Joined by our special guest Ambassador Dominic Barton<\/strong>, we\u2019re looking forward to an evening of great food, signature Canadian cocktails, music and networking among friends after a very long period of quiet here in the imperial capital. Please save the date and contact me quickly<\/a> if you\u2019d like to join us as a sponsor or corporate table holder for Canada\u2019s 153rd<\/sup> birthday.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\u00a0\u00bb1″ disabled_on=\u00a0\u00bbon|on|on\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb3.22″ disabled=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb3.25″ background_size=\u00a0\u00bbinitial\u00a0\u00bb background_position=\u00a0\u00bbtop_left\u00a0\u00bb background_repeat=\u00a0\u00bbrepeat\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb4_4″ _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb3.0.47″ custom_padding=\u00a0\u00bb|||\u00a0\u00bb custom_padding__hover=\u00a0\u00bb|||\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=\u00a0\u00bbon\u00a0\u00bb prev_text=\u00a0\u00bbPrevious Past Event\u00a0\u00bb next_text=\u00a0\u00bbNext Past Event\u00a0\u00bb admin_label=\u00a0\u00bbPast Event Navigation\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.0.9″][\/et_pb_post_nav][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a hectic few weeks here in Beijing. The Two Sessions wrapped up, Chinese domestic travel restarted, and schools have largely reopened for all ages. Some of our Canadian diplomats and their families are even beginning to return after several months back in Canada. A new Hong Kong-related National Security Bill was released, Hainan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1485,"featured_media":50857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ccbc-insights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1485"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50845"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50860,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50845\/revisions\/50860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calendar.ccbc.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}