Thousands of junior doctors in South Korea walked off the job last week, to protest against the government’s plan to raise the number of students admitted into medical schools.
The striking doctors-in-training have continued their labour action past the Thursday (Feb 29) deadline to report back to work, and now risk facing prosecution and suspension of their medical licence.
Why are junior doctors protesting?
Doctors, who are considered essential workers in South Korea, are restricted by law from striking.
But some 9,000 medical interns and residents - about 80 per cent of the trainee workforce - have been on strike since Feb 20, disrupting services at major hospitals, which have been forced to cancel surgeries and turn away some patients.
President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government wants to boost medical school admissions by 2,000 a year, from the current 3,058 to alleviate a shortage of doctors and a looming demographic crisis. The plan is meant to eventually add up to 10,000 doctors by 2035.
As the challenges stack up, the two sessions could provide indications of potential government action to come.
“Many are looking forward to stimulus packages for the economy. Reinvigoration of post-Covid recovery will be given importance,” NUS’ Dr Lim told CNA.
Still, another observer does not expect the economy to be singled out for special mention.
“If you focus too much on it to the detriment of other areas, it basically sends a signal that maybe the central authorities recognise that there are indeed problems in the economy,” said Dr Hoo.
“I don't think they would want to over hype all these risks, because by doing so it's sending negative market sentiment.”
DEVELOPING "NEW PRODUCTIVE FORCES"
Either way, analysts expect a fresh push for productivity and innovation to be made at the two sessions amid the economic troubles.
Specifically, the development of “new productive forces” or “xin zhi sheng chan li” in Chinese, which state media have termed “a recent catchphrase in China’s policy making”.
The phrase was first mentioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September last year, during an inspection and research trip in Northeast China.
“It basically means new industries to drive China's development … like high-end semiconductors, AI, big data, the next Internet,” Dr Hoo told CNA.
He linked it to China’s pursuit of self-reliance and high-quality development, pointing out how this can be seen as a response to external trends such as decoupling - or de-risking as it’s known in Western parlance.
Official data showed that annual foreign investment flows into China shrank for the first time in over a decade last year. Overseas companies invested 1.13 trillion yuan (US$157.1 billion) in China in 2023, an 8 per cent drop on-year.
The value of announced US and European greenfield investment into China dropped to less than US$20 billion in 2022, from a peak of US$120 billion in 2018, according to US-based research firm Rhodium Group.
Israel disputed the account provided by health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, which has been bombarded by Israeli forces for months in a war that began after the Palestinian militant group's deadly rampage in southern Israel on Oct 7.
An Israeli military official said two separate incidents had occurred as the convoy of trucks passed into northern Gaza from the south along the main coastal road.
In the first, he said aid trucks were surrounded by hundreds of people and, in the confusion, dozens were injured or killed, by being trampled or run over.
As the trucks left, he said, some of those who had rushed the convoy approached Israeli forces including a tank, which then opened fire.
"The soldiers fired warning shots in the air and then fired towards those who posed a threat and did not move away," he told journalists. "This is what we understand. We're continuing to review the circumstances."
He said he did not believe the death toll provided by the Palestinian authorities but provided no Israeli estimate, saying: "It was a limited response".
The first day of the legislative session on Tuesday will get more attention, when Premier Li Qiang will deliver his maiden government work report in front of nearly 3,000 National People’s Congress deputies.
Premier Li Qiang will deliver his first work report on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
Li will outline how the economy has performed in the past year, including the closely watched GDP growth rate, and set out the new growth target, policy agenda and budgets for the year ahead.
In the days that follow – it is not yet known how long the meetings will run for – the work report, budget and other bills in the legislative session will be deliberated and generally rubber-stamped.
Other events to watch will be the foreign minister’s press conference, President Xi Jinping’s speech to wrap up the event, and the premier’s news briefing after the closing ceremony.
GDP and the budget
The premier made an early and unexpected disclosure at the World Economic Forum in January when he revealed that China’s gross domestic product grew by 5.2 per cent in 2023 – the target was 5 per cent.
Li was seeking to boost confidence in the world’s second-largest economy after a choppy year of recovery from the pandemic that has seen property developers defaulting on debt, sluggish domestic consumption and weak overseas demand.
China also faces an ageing population and a shrinking workforce as a result of the notorious one-child policy from the late 1970s, and a low birth rate, even after the policy was relaxed in 2016.
The world’s second-largest economy has had a choppy year of recovery from the pandemic. Photo: AP
Analysts are expecting China to set a similar target growth rate of 5 per cent for the coming year. But which policy tools the government uses to achieve this – such as fiscal stimulus or structural reform – remains to be seen.
Neil Thomas, a Chinese politics fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Centre for China Analysis, said this year’s two sessions would be significant.
“China’s trajectory has never seemed more uncertain during the Xi era, so people inside and outside the country are looking to the leadership for reassurance that they understand China’s economic problems and know how to solve them,” he said.
The premier’s report is likely to talk about boosting “new productive forces” – a term used by the leadership to refer to home-grown innovations in technology and services that it believes could boost the economy and self-reliance.
Li will also hand down the budget. Annual financial reports are usually deliberated on the first day of the NPC and released later in the week.
Defence spending will be closely watched at a time when tensions are soaring over self-ruled Taiwan and the South China Sea. The People’s Liberation Army has stepped up its military activities in the region and the 2027 target to achieve its modernisation goals is not far off.
Analysts expect steady growth in the defence budget in line with economic growth and last year’s increase of 7.2 per cent.
What about Li?
Li will wrap up his first year as premier with a policy address and press conference that will give more insight into his role and style.
A tally of Li’s inspection trips and meetings found that his focus has been more on domestic issues than foreign affairs compared to his predecessor.
And Li’s say on economic affairs within the party-state system appears diminished compared with previous premiers, according to Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
That was especially the case after China’s cabinet amended its work rules to focus on the “implementation” of party decisions, Wu said, adding that Li’s role “is actually not comparable to his predecessors”.
He expects Li to deliver a shorter work report than previous premiers.
Foreign affairs
The focus of the two sessions is largely domestic, but the foreign minister’s briefing will set the tone for diplomacy.
Thomas from the Asia Society Policy Institute said Beijing could be expected to “avoid antagonism” ahead of key elections in the West.
He said the foreign minister was also likely to “emphasise stability” as Beijing seeks to improve the business confidence of foreign investors.
The briefing could also touch on relations with the US, which have improved since last year’s meetings that took place soon after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon.
Wang Yi could be replaced as foreign minister during the two sessions. Photo: AFP
There is also the matter of who will be the next foreign minister. Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, went back to the role in July after Qin Gang – who has been absent from public view since June – was abruptly dismissed from the job without explanation.
Liu Jianchao, head of the ruling Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, is seen as the leading contender to replace Wang and it could happen during the two sessions if Beijing opts for a high-profile announcement.
Military purge
There are other uncertainties, and announcements could be made during the legislative meeting.
The third plenary session of the Central Committee – the party’s biggest decision-making body – usually takes place in autumn, shedding light on the economic direction and key appointments ahead of the two sessions.
But it has not been held this year and observers suggest that could be because there are decisions pending over a purge of military officials and the foreign minister’s sacking.
Li Shangfu was removed as defence minister without explanation in October, and nine generals were ousted from the legislature in December. They were accused of “violations of discipline and law”, a euphemism for corruption.
Li Shangfu was removed as defence minister in October. Photo: EPA-EFE
Dong Jun has been named the new defence minister but he has yet to be appointed as a state councillor – a title usually also given to the foreign minister.
A “dismissals and appointments” bill was approved during a meeting of the NPC Standing Committee this week, but no further details were given, though it did confirm that Qin had resigned as a member of the legislature.
For now, Qin and Li Shangfu both remain full members of the Central Committee.
The agency is also looking into large language models that have led to an increase in “potency and proliferation of phishing scams”, said Ms Cheryl Tan, deputy director of sense-making and surveillance centre of expertise at HTX.
Cybersecurity firms CNA spoke to have also adopted AI to defend against increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.
An example is the analysis of behaviour patterns to detect anomalies that can indicate potential attacks, said Mr Johan Fantenberg, a Principal Solutions Architect APJ at Ping Identity.
Another cybersecurity firm, Infoblox, also makes use of AI to help security teams detect threats.
“On an average day, security teams could look at anywhere from 500,000 to a million security reports, varying from false positives to serious threats,” said Mr Paul Wilcox, Vice President of Infoblox Asia Pacific and Japan.
Infoblox uses AI-driven analytics to help distil the number to a much more manageable figure, allowing security teams to concentrate their attention on these.
AI in cybersecurity is “increasingly critical” to protecting online systems, said cybersecurity firm Fortinet. If used correctly, AI systems can be trained to detect threats automatically, identify new strands of malware and protect sensitive data, it added.
“However, organisations also need to be aware that cyber criminals adjust their methods to resist new AI cybersecurity tools,” said Fortinet in an article on its website.
While some governments in the region are establishing rules to deal with the potential misuse of AI, these may not be enough to deter criminals, Mr Wilcox from Infoblox noted.
“Proactive early detection for crime prevention is far more effective than responding to cyber threats only when it happens,” he added.
Still, having AI rules is still better than none, analysts pointed out, highlighting a regional guide on AI governance and ethics that was launched this month.
Despite being voluntary, the guidelines by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are likely to be influential on organisations as well as policymakers, pointed out Mr Benjamin Wong, a lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law.
Mr Wong added that the endorsement of the AI guidelines by ASEAN member states shows that governments are aware of the risks, and are aligned on principles including transparency, security, privacy and data governance.
Analysts say the government's hardline stance may play well for them ahead of legislative elections set for Apr 10.
"If the government were to back down now, they would perceive it as a major setback ahead of the upcoming general elections," Kim Jae-heon, the secretary general of an NGO advocating free medical care, told AFP.
But doctors "believe that stepping back at this point would result in their own disadvantage. It seems the current standoff will continue for a while".
Proponents of the reform say doctors are mainly concerned the changes could erode their salaries and social status. The government says South Korea has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios among developed countries.
Polling shows up to 75 percent of the public support the reforms, and President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has taken a hard line on the striking doctors, has seen his approval ratings tick up.
Kim Sung-ju, head of the Korean Cancer Patients Rights Council, told AFP that patients' lives were being held "hostage".
"If the entire system comes to a halt simply because (junior doctors) have left, it truly highlights the shortage of doctors," he said.
"It is astonishing that they are... using patients' lives as leverage to further their own interests."
The mass work stoppage resulted in the cancellation and postponement of surgeries, chemotherapy and C-sections, with the government raising its public health alert to the highest level.
Kim Tae-hyeon, the head of the Korean ALS Association, said the striking doctors were "worse than organised criminals."
"In hospice wards and intensive care units, (patients) are struggling to stay alive," he added.
KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian appeal court on Wednesday (Feb 28) reinstated charges of abuse of power against opposition leader and former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, state news agency Bernama reported.
A Kuala Lumpur high court had thrown out the four charges and acquitted Muhyiddin in August, ruling those had not detailed his alleged offences. Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, had pleaded not guilty and had called the charges politically motivated.
However, a three-member Court of Appeal bench on Wednesday unanimously ruled that the case against Muhyiddin be returned to a sessions court for further action, Bernama reported. The court found the charges were unambiguous and there was no necessity to give further details on the alleged offences.
Muhyiddin's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.
The former premier and his party have faced graft investigations since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's coalition come to power in November 2022.
Muhyiddin, who leads Malaysia's conservative, Malay-centric opposition bloc, is also charged with two counts of money laundering and has been accused of receiving bribes worth RM232.5 million (US$48.77 million), which he has denied.
Muhyiddin has accused Anwar of orchestrating a political vendetta, which the premier has rejected.
