Part I : The Chronology (I) Major Events

August 2

NancyPelosi,speakeroftheU.S.HouseofRepresentatives pays a visit to Taiwan.

August 4

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducts joint exercises around Taiwan Island at an unprecedented scale.

August 5

China announces eight countermeasures in response to Pelosi's Taiwan visit, including canceling 2 Talks and 1 meeting, and suspending 4 cooperations and 1 talk.1

August 13

Estonia and Latvia have withdrawn from cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEEC Cooperation)

August 14

Several regions in China are witnessing the strongest heat wave in six decades since 1961. It is also predicted the long-lasting heat wave will become a "new normal" in the future due to aggravating global warming.

August 15

The Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit731 of theJapaneseImperialArmyin Harbin revealed a roll of a Japanese chemical warfare unit which contains the real names and personal information of 414 members of Unit 516.

August 16

(1)A total of 17 Chinese government departments jointly released a guideline on support policies in order to create a fertility-friendly society and encourage families to have more children, as the country faces growing pressure from falling birth rates.

(2)China'sscientificresearch vessel Yuan Wang 5 arrived at the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka.

1 For more details, see: Global Times. (2022, Aug 5). “China announces eight countermeasures in response to Pelosi’s Taiwan island visit”. Retrieved fromhttps://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202208/1272295.shtml

August 24

(1)Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea.

(2)China continues to ease its visa restrictions for foreigners after the suspension due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 27 China and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on supply chains and agreed to further strengthen economic cooperation in a virtual ministerial meeting, namely, “the 17th South Korea-China Meeting on Economic Cooperation”.

August 29 Chinese police have arrested 234 suspects linked to one of the country's biggest-ever banking scandals, which triggered rare mass protests in Henan.

August 31

China sent Army, Navy and Air force units under the ChinesePeople'sLiberationArmy (PLA)NorthernTheater Command, with more than 2,000 troops, to participate in the military drills Vostok 2022 (East 2022) exercise at the Sergeyevsky training ground in Russia.

September 5

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Luding county in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

September 8

The US Department of Defense moved to halt deliveries of F-35 stealth jets after a Chinese rare-earth component was discovered in the aircraft.

September 10 ChinesePresidentXiJinpingsentacongratulatorymessage to King Charles III on his accession to the British throne.

September 14 ChinesePresidentXiJinpingarrivedinUzbekistantopayastate visit and attended the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai CooperationOrganization(SCO). This is hisfirsttripabroadsincetheCOVID-19pandemic.

September 15 Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.2

September 16 The first case of monkeypox disease was reported in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

September 20 State Councilor & Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in New York.

September 21 China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

September 22 China's ex-minister of justice Fu Zhenghua was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes worth more than 117 million yuan ($16.5 million) and bending the law for personal gains, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Changchun in Northeast China's Jilin Province. After the expiration of two years' reprieve for his death sentence, the sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment, with no possibility of commutation or parole, according to the court ruling.3

September 23

Sun Lijun, former Chinese vice minister of public security, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking more than 646 million yuan of bribes, manipulating the stock market, and illegally possessing firearms, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Changchun in NortheastChina'sJilinProvince.Aftertheexpirationof the two-years reprieve, the sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment, with no possibility of commutation or parole, according to the court ruling.4

2 For more details, see: Wang Qi (2022, Sep 15). “Xi, Putin meet at SCO summit, forging closer ties amid US-caused world turbulence”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1275348.shtml

3 Formoredetails,see: GlobalTimes.(2022,Sep22).“China’sex-ministerofjusticesentencedtodeathwithtwo-year reprievefortakingbribesworth117millionyuan”.Retrievedfromhttps://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1275845.shtml

4 For more details, see: Global Times. (2022, Sep 22). “China’s ex-vice minister of public security sentenced to death with two-year reprieve”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1275951.shtml

September 29 Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

October 8

China slammed a recent report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which claimed that China is attempting to "spread false narratives and suppress information on a range of topics" in the Solomon Islands.

October 13 Beijing authorities removed rare banners of political protests from an overpass in the Chinese capital.5

October 16

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened at 10 am on October 16 at the Great Hall of the Peoplein Beijing,and willconcludeon October 22, lasting seven days.6

October 22 A resolution on the revised Constitution of the Communist Party of China (CPC) agreed to add statements on the Party's self-reform.

October 23

XiJinpingwaselectedgeneralsecretaryofthe20thCentral Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), for a historicthird term as China'sleader,at the committee's first plenary session.7

October 25

Shanghai is the first city in China to provide a new type of Covid-19 vaccine for booster shots that is inhaled rather than administered via injection.

October 26

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden both sent a congratulatory message to the annual Gala Dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations.

5 For more details, see: Reuters (2022). “Political protest banners removed in Beijing”. Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2413846/political-protest-banners-removed-in-beijing

6 For more details, see: Global Times. (2022). “20th CPC National Congress: Global Times Special Report”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/special-coverage/20th-CPC-National-Congress.html

7 Formoredetailsaboutthepolitburoandthecentralcommittee,see: SCMP Graphics and SCMP China desk (2022, Oct 23). “The 20th Politburo”. Retrieved from https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/news/china/article/3195576/20thpolitburo-standing-committee/

October 27

China's Ministry of National Defense urged Japan to honor its political commitments, refrain from interfering in the Taiwan question, and stop playing up the so-called China military threat.

October 30

The revision of the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests ofWomenwas passedbytheStandingCommittee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) during its 37th session, and it will come into effect on January 1, 2023.8

November 1

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is embarking on his first official visit to China since taking office.

November 2

(1)SamiaSuluhuHassan,PresidentoftheUnitedRepublic of Tanzania, kicked off her three-day visitto China.

(2)The Chinese central government will set up a preparatory office for the establishment of an international court of mediation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).9

November 3

The Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit was hosted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority held between November1-3as asignalthatHongKongisbackinbusiness after recently lifting some of the COVID-19 restrictions. “Notably, the Chinese mainland attempts to revitalize the international atmosphere for foreign investments in Hong Kong again and pull its economy out of recession after the domestic political turbulence and the Zero-COVID policy. Although some western media mentioned the economic downturn of the HKSAR, many Chinese presses insisted on its steady status as the global financial hub.” – Compiler10

8 For more details, see: Zhu Haoning. (2022, Oct 30). “Revision of law on protection of women passed, stresses gender equality, dignity”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202210/1278327.shtml

9 For more details, see: Global Times. (2022, Nov 2). “Chinese central govt to set up preparatory office for intl court of mediation in HK”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202211/1278518.shtml

10 For more details, see: Chen Qingqing and Xie Jun. (2022, Nov 3). “HK summit attracts Wall Street titans, financial elites, ‘showing confidence in HK as hub under One Country, Two Systems’”. Retrieved from

November 4 Chinese President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholzon the latter’s official visitto China in Beijing.

November 7 China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled "Jointly Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace" to introduce China's vision of internet development andgovernancein the new era and its actions.

November 10 The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee met to hear a report on the COVID-19 response, and discussed and arranged 20 measures for further optimizing epidemic prevention and control work. The meeting said that antiCOVID-19 measures should not be relaxed, but a "onesize-fits-all" approach and local governments taking excessive policy steps should be avoided.11

“It can be said that China is one country that has a strict Zero-COVID-19 policy. For many years, this rigorous implementation not only affected social activities, especially the Chinese people's behaviors, but had also a vast impact on the Chinese economyone of the bases of the Chinese Communist Party's legitimacy. Therefore, I believe we can see new approaches for managing COVID-19 modifying the Zero-COVID-19policy from CCP soon.” - Compiler

November 14

(1)Hong Kong Government demands full investigation after the 2019 protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” was played at the men's final match between Hong Kong and South Korea of the second leg of the AsianRugbySevenSeriesinsteadofChina’snational anthem.

(2)China voted against a resolution at the United https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202211/1278608.shtml and Cindy Sui. (2022, Nov 4). “Hong Kong Hopes Summit of Business Leaders Signals Comeback as Financial Hub”. Retrieved from https://www.voanews.com/a/hong-konghopes-summit-of-business-leaders-signals-comeback-as-financial-hub/6819917.html

11 For more details, see: Global Times. (2022, Nov 11). “China's central leadership calls for optimized COVID response,precisemeasuresamiddynamic-zeropolicy”.Retrievedfromhttps://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202211/1279278.shtml

November 24

Nations General Assembly (UNGA) calling for Russia to be accountable for the alleged invasion of Ukraine and suggesting that Russia pay reparations for the loss during the military invasion.

(1)Many provinces across China have started recruiting civil servants for departments and institutions under the provincial governments for the 2023 intake with obvious expansions as seen in the recruitment of fresh graduates this year, a latest move to cope with college graduates' unemployment in recent years, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

(2)A fire broke out in an apartment building in Urumqi, the longest lockdown city and the capital of the Xinjiangregion,killingat least 10 people.Thevideos of this situation had widely spread on social media.

November 27

(1)In Taiwan's local elections, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won just five of 21 city- and county-levelraces and the China-friendlyopposition Kuomintang(KMT)wonmayoralseatsinfourof six special municipal districts, including the capital Taipei.PresidentTsai Ing-wenresignsas head of the DPP to take responsibility for the losses.

(2)TheBBCsaidoneofitsjournalistsinChinahadbeen arrestedand beatenby policewhilecoveringprotests against the country’s zero-Covid policy.

November 28

(1)There were many protests against the country's zeroCovid policy, using blank sheets of paper as the symbols of their discontent on social media, on streets, and at top universities. The fire in Urumqi was the catalyst for these public angers against COVID-19 lockdown measures. The rallies erupted nationwide, especially in major cities like Xi'an,

Chongqing, Nanjing, and Shanghai.12

Many experts analyzed this nationwide movementasthelargestprotestsincethe1989 student-led demonstrations. These movements also shaked the legitimacy of CCP and Xi Jinping’s political status. – Compiler

(2)British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the socalled“golden era”of relations with Chinawas over, saying that Beijing’s systemic challenge to Britain’s interests and values was growing more acute.

November 30 Chinese former president and the third-generation Chinese paramount leader Jiang Zemin passed away due to leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at the age of 96.

December 1 Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting President of the European Council Charles Michel in Beijing.

December 2 Several major Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Chengdu and Guangzhou, started to remove COVID testing requirements on public transportation and outdoor public venues.

December 7

(1)Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia from December 7 to December 10.

(2)The second part of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Montreal, Canada, between December 7-19 with China as chair. (The first part of the COP15 was held in 2021 in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, while the second part was

12 For more details, see: James Palmer. (2022, Nov 28). “Will China’s Protests Survive? : A nationwide movementofthisscalehasnopost-1989precedent.”.Retrieved fromhttps://foreignpolicy.com/2022/11/28/chinaprotests-beijing-ccp-xi-jinping-urumqi/ postponed and relocated to Canada due to the country’s grave COVID-19 situation, with China retaining the presidency of the conference.)

December 12 China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the visit of Koichi Hagiuda, a senior official of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to Taiwan and his meetingwithTsaiIng-wen andtheDemocraticProgressive Party authorities.

December 14

China's NationalHealth Commission admitted that the true scale of coronavirus infections in the country is now impossible to track, with officials warning cases are rising rapidly after the removal of COVID testing requirements.

December 19

Xiao Yaqing, former Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), has been expelled from the Party and removed from his post for disciplinary and duty violations.

December 21

ThenaviesoftheChineseandRussianarmedforcesheldthe Joint Sea 2022 military exercise in the waters east of the coastlinestretchingfromZhoushantoTaizhou,EastChina’s Zhejiang Province from December 21 to December 27.13 “The location for joint drills was in the East China Sea, not far from Taiwan and Japan’s Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures. This year, many Chinese politico-military drills were conducted near Taiwan and Japan, as a result of the visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan and China-Japan disputes on maritime sovereignty. Therefore, these joint naval exercises could be seen as the Chinese emphasis on Taiwan, namely, One China Policy and its territorial claims on the East China Sea.14” – Compiler

13 For more details, see: Liu Xuanzun. (2022, Dec 20). “China, Russia to hold joint naval drill in East China Sea, displaying capability amid US, Japanese provocations.”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202212/1282265.shtml

14 Some interesting editorial from a Japanese author’s view related to this topic, see: Takahashi Kosuke. (2022, Nov 3). “China’s Navy Sets Record Pace for Intrusions Into Japan’s Territorial Sea.” Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2022/11/chinas-navy-sets-record-pace-for-intrusions-into-japans-territorial-sea/

December 23

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Chief Executive of the Macao Ho Iat Seng during their annual duty report trip to Beijing. During the meeting, Xi Jinping asserted the importance of the One Country, Two Systems policy for sustaining prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao.

December 25

China's National Health Commission (NHC) announced that it will stop publishing daily COVID-19 case data and the duty will hand over to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China's CDC).

December 26 The Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) issued a notice announcing the downgrading of coronavirus infections management to Class B from January 8, 2023, thus resuming people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries.

December 27

Zhilian Zhaopin, Chinese job-hunting platform, released the results of the survey indicating that Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen were the top three most attractive cities for people born after 1995. Young generations also prefer work-life balance, innovative environment, and growth of entertainment industries in the cities.

December 30

Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the US, was appointed as the new Chinese foreign minister, according to a decision made by the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

“Qin became one of the youngest foreign ministers in the historyof the PRC. His promotion couldbe the CCP's implicit signal to seek a way for the reconciliation with the US after the relentless trade wars between the two hegemonies.” – Compiler

(II) Highlights of China-Southeast Asian Relations

August 2

China aids Timor-Leste in building a digital television system.

August 5

In a joint communique of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers'Meeting released on August 5, 2022, the ASEAN foreign ministers said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would be a key contributor to the region's recovery strategy.

August 7

At the 2022 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum, government and media officials, representatives of think tanksand expertsfrom Chinaand ASEANcountries highly valued the role of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) andcalledforjointeffortstoaddressnegativeelementsthat threaten peace and development.

August 14

(1)Falcon Strike 2022, the fifth edition of the ChinaThailand annual air force joint drills, kicked off in Thailand's Udon Thani Wing 23 of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF).

(2)The Department of Transportation (DOTr) of the Philippines had agreed with the Chinese Embassy in Manilatorestartnegotiationsformajortransportation projects in the country.

September 16

The19thChina-ASEANExpo is held inNanning,Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and concludes on September 19, 2022.15

September 27 A jointemergency exerciseaimedat respondingto security incidents on China-Laos Railway was held in the Lao capital of Vientiane.

15 Formoredetails,see:ZhuWenqianandShiRuipeng.(2022,Sep16).“19thChina-ASEANExpounderwayin Nanning”.Retrievedfromhttps://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202209/16/WS6323dd22a310fd2b29e78097.html

October 1

TheChinese-investedPhnomPenh-SihanoukvilleExpressway inCambodiawasopenedtothepublicforamonth'strialusefor free to attract motorists driving on the first-everexpressway in theSoutheastAsian nation.

October 30

At the invitation of Chinese president Xi Jinping, Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), visited China from October 30 - November 2.

November 1

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng kicked off his two-day visit to Singapore and will co-chair with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat several in-person meetings held for the first time in three years.

November 3

The hospital ship Peace Ark of the Chinese People's LiberationArmy(PLA)NavysetoutforavisittoIndonesia to provide medical services to the locals there.

November 8

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 25th ChinaASEAN Summit, the 25th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit which were held in Cambodia from November 8 to November 13.

November 14

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the G20 summit which was held in Bali, Indonesia from November 14 to November 17.

November 16

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo inspected via video link the inauguration of trial operation for the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway (HSR), the first high-speed rail line in Southeast Asia.

November 17

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 29th AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Summit which was held in Bangkok, Thailand from November 17 to November 19.

November 23

The 9th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (the 9th ADMM-Plus),underthetheme"SolidarityforHarmonized Security'', was held in Cambodia. Defense ministers from ASEAN and its dialogue partners, including China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, Australia and the US attended the meeting.

November 29

Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, paid a three-day visit from November 29 to December 1 at theinvitationofChinesePresidentXiJinping.Thetwosides issued a joint statement in which, they agreed to strengthen defense and security cooperation, maintain high-level communication between defense officials at all levels, and jointly safeguard regional peace. In addition, they called on all parties to continue to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and reach consensus on a code of conduct at an early date.

December 7

The Type 071E landing platform dock (LDP) China built forThailandrecentlycompleteditsseatrial.Theagreement for China to build this LDP for Thailand's navy was signed in Beijing in 2019, marking the first time China has exported a LDP.

December 21

The UN Security Council's first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years was passed. It demanded an end to violence and the junta to free all political detainees. The 15-member Security Council passed it with 12 yes votes and three abstentions from China, India and Russia. China's ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Zhang Jun explained that there is no quick-fix solution to the Myanmar issue and UNSC should respect the ASEAN Way.16

16 Formoredetails, see: Global Times. (2022,Dec22).“ChinaurgescautionasUNSecurityCounciladopts first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years”. Retrieved from https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202212/1282402.shtml

December 22

ThePhilippinesmilitaryboostedtheirpresenceintheSouth China Sea in response to China's reclamation of more land in the Spratly Islands.