"Nothing To See Here," Says CCP on Evergrande; United Russia Cruises To Victory But Fractures Communist Alliance In Process
Plus Delta reaches China, and the Russia Blames Ukraine for European Energy Shortage
Russian Federation
#1: The Russian People Reaffirm Their Faith In United Russia
Pro-Government
From September 17-19, Russians voted for their Duma representatives for the first time since 2016. Polls showed United Russia, the incumbent party of President Putin, led by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, dipping to 30% support, their lowest ever, but the final vote gave United Russia just shy of a majority of the popular vote and a 2/3 majority of seats. Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Election Commission, lauded the “unexpectedly high” turnout of 51.7%, as reported in Lenta.ru, owned by oligarch Vladimir Potanin’s Interros mining conglomerate. United Russia supporters supposedly flooded social media driving the boost in votes on the final days, according to Izvestiya, REN TV, and Channel 5, all part of National Media Group, owned by Putin ally Yuri Kovalchuk. Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia’s leading newspaper and part of the partially state-owned energy conglomerate ESN, called the victory “absolutely deafening.”
The normally pliant Communist Party, which increased its number of seats but fell short of polls’ prediction, railed against the results. Party leader Gennady Zyuganov accused the authorities of “steal[ing] votes” and that the election was proof of “an increase in support for left-wing patriotic sentiments,” as reported on the Communist Party website. Moskovsky Komsomolets, owned by Pavel Gusev, the chair of the Public Council of the Ministry of Defense, reported that Roskomnadzor, the state censor, threatened to block that website after calls for protests. The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party fared worse, losing seats and vote share, but denounced only privileges extended to subject republics in its post-election statement.
Opposition
Opposition papers alleged widespread fraud, pointing to the disparity between United Russia’s poll numbers and final vote tally, as well as servers in Moscow and St. Petersburg going dark with Communist candidates in the lead only to reappear later with United Russia dominating. Daria Despudina, a Moscow councilwoman with the liberal Yabloko party, denounced the electronic voting system supposedly responsible for the discrepancy in Ekho Moskvy, part of state energy giant Gazprom but editorially independent. Western media, such as Voice of America and BBC, focused on the clamp down against anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.
#2: School Shooting in Perm
Pro-Government
A shooter killed six and injured 47 more at the main university in Perm, a city of one million near the Urals, on September 21. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the state would provide payments to the victims, as reported in Moscow 24, a TV channel owned by the City of Moscow, and Channel One, Russia’s most popular TV channel and a joint property of the Ministry of Economic Development, National Media Group, and TASS. TV Zvezda, part of the Ministry of Defense, offered a minute by minute breakdown of the tragedy. The shooter, Timur Bekmansurov, said he doesn’t remember the incident according to Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Opposition
Voice of America tied the event to mass shootings in Kazan, Tatarstan in May and in Kerch, occupied Crimea in 2018. Though Russia has suffered earlier from hostage situations at schools perpetrated by separatists, lone wolf shootings like these are a more recent phenomenon. Meduza, a dissident paper based in Lithuania, reported on the suicide of the lead investigator in the case due to “family problems”.
#3: Russia Stands up to Western Demands to Control Gas Supply
Pro-Government
With an energy shortage threatening Europe, the United States and EU requested that Russia increase its supply of natural gas. TV Zvezda quoted presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov who claimed Russia couldn’t supply more gas because Europe hadn’t yet bought enough. Vzglyad, owned by the government-aligned Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Studies, accused the United States of encouraging Russia to violate existing contracts and blamed the shortage on Ukraine. REN TV blamed the shortage on American intransigence over the completion of Nord-Stream II.
Opposition
Crimea Realities, part of Radio Liberty, referred to Gazprom’s dealings as “blackmail.” The BBC pointed to an accident at a Gazprom plant earlier this to explain the shortfall.
People’s Republic of China
#1: Evergrande Group Risks Default
Pro-Government
The Evergrande Group, China’s second largest property developer and the most valuable real estate company in the world, risks default with outside observers worried about contagion spreading through Chinese markets. Despite significant international coverage, government sources devoted little attention to the unfolding crisis. The Global Times, the tabloid of the Central Committee, offered an overview of the crisis portraying the risk as limited to a handful of investors in a piece reprinted by Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Network. The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee, offered assurance that the company’s “financing is full and effective.”
Opposition
Voice of America Chinese and Catonese published 145 articles on Evergrande last week and Radio Free Asia published 223, more than all Chinese government outlets combined. RFA warned about the potential of a “Domino Effect” while VOA reported on Beijing pushing for localities to “weather the storm.” BBC published another 37 articles on the group, speculating that the “rules had changed” for Chinese businesses.
#2: CCP Clamps Down on Corrupt Businessmen
Pro-Government
Where government sources ignored Evergrande, they highlighted decisive action in the investigations into two celebrity businessmen: Chen Geng, founder of the conglomerate HNA Group, and Ye Fei, a popular finance personality who provided public stock tips. Chengdu Commercial Daily, part of the Sichuan Provincial Committee, resurfaced a quote from Ye calling on supporters to “give praise to the China Securities Regulatory Commission,” the body that ordered his arrest. Shenzhen Hong Kong, part of the Shenzhen Provincial Committee, framed Ye’s actions as part of larger “collusion” among brokers and stock manipulators. Qingdao News, part of Shandong Provincial Committee, and China.com, part of the State Council Information Office, both assured investors that HNA Group was not as risk following “coercive measures” against Chen.
Opposition
RFA reported that Chen will lose all his shares in HNA, which is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.
#3: Delta Strain Detected in Harbin
Pro-Government
An outbreak of COVID in Harbin in Northeast China was confirmed to be the Delta Strain as reported in Huanqiu, part of the State Council Information Office, CCTV, the national state broadcaster, and People’s Daily. Beijing Daily lauded the efforts of the Harbin Municipal Committee to control the outbreak and trace the 1,300 people who had close contact with those infected. Huanqiu provided the neighborhoods where each new case was discovered.
Opposition
Voice of America reported on a similar outbreak in Xiamen. RFA questioned both the decision and motives behind the decision to provide children under 12 with the SinoPharm vaccine.