World Today China Plus

China and Arab states have wrapped up a major forum in Beijing in a sign of deepening cooperation.
What factors are driving the deepening ties between China and Arab states? How can they work together towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, as well as a more equitable, multipolar world order?
Host Zhao Ying is joined by Zhang Chuchu, Deputy Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Fudan University; Steven Wright, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Mher Sahakyan, Director of "China-Eurasia" Council for Political and Strategic Research, Armenia; and Timothy Niblock, Emeritus Professor of Middle East Politics, Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.

① Xi Jinping has proposed five cooperation frameworks to step up the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future. What is drawing the two sides closer? (00:51)
② Liu Jianchao, a senior official of the Communist Party of China, is on a visit to Japan, with resuming ruling party talks being at stake. (14:20)
③ We look at possible central issues at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. (25:27)
④ Why does Thailand aim to become a BRICS member? (35:42)
⑤ Will the ruling ANC fail to win majority in South Africa’s election? (44:15)

① In a recent session of senior CPC officials, Xi Jinping stressed youth employment and said that full employment is a priority goal for social and economic development. What are the opportunities and challenges in China’s job market? (00:50)
② We take a look at a new report released by the Chinese government on human rights violations in the US in 2023. (14:40)
③ We explore why the US is not in a leading position in the EV sector. (24:44)
④ A former intelligence chief will lead a right-wing coalition in Netherlands. What could be the new government’s policy directions? (34:51)
⑤ We look at Haiti’s political process where its transitional council has tapped a former prime minister to lead the country again. (42:06)

① Member states of the World Health Organization have decided not to invite Taiwan to the organization's annual assembly in Geneva. Who is politicizing a health issue to advance their own agenda? (00:54)
② A decade after China launched the first phase of its semiconductor investment fund, the investment vehicle is now officially into its third phase. We discuss China’s goals on semiconductor. (13:02)
③ What was behind the rise in China's industrial profit in April? (24:57)
④ Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is in China to mark a decade of strategic partnership. (33:49)
⑤ The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Rafah after a deadly Israeli airstrike killed 45 Palestinians sheltering in a refugee camp. Are there still means to rein in Israel? (45:16)

① Leaders of China, South Korea, and Japan meet for their first trilateral talks in more than four years. We explore the signals from this move? (00:49)
② Emmanuel Macron is in Germany for the first state visit to the country by a French president in 24 years. What are the issues where Paris and Berlin don’t really see eye to eye? And what can they agree on? (13:44)
③ China is to host a major China-Arab cooperation forum this week. What are the issues expected to be the central topics for discussion during the meeting? (24:48)
④ The International Court of Justice, an arm of the UN, has ordered Israel to suspend its military campaign in Rafah. How might the rulings affect the war in Gaza? (35:01)
⑤ Nvidia, powered by AI boom, has reported soaring revenue and profits. (42:41)

A Chinese mainland spokesperson said that Lai Ching-te's speech upon assuming the role of the Taiwan region's new leader has sent a dangerous signal regarding "Taiwan independence."
Chen Binhua with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai's speech stubbornly followed the "Taiwan independence" position, advocated separatism, incited cross-Strait confrontation, and sought independence by relying on foreign support and by force.
What provocations did Lai Ching-te make? What does Taiwan's future hold under his leadership? Host Liu Kun is joined by Professor Qu Qiang, Fellow of Belt and Road Research Center at Minzu University of China; Dr. Liu Kuangyu, Researcher at Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Josef Mahoney, Professor of Politics with East China Normal University.