China

By Sabiu Abdullahi  

Xiaomi has secured the second position in Counterpoint Research’s global monthly sell-through volumes for August, surpassing Apple, which dropped to third place.

Samsung maintained its lead in the market.  

According to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi’s shipment figures remained steady in August, while Apple’s seasonal decline in shipments, ahead of the iPhone 16 series launch, contributed to its declining market share.  

A Counterpoint analyst noted, “Xiaomi has been growing rapidly in 2024 with 22% year-over-year growth in sales volume.”

The company’s success in the sub-$200 price range has been a significant factor, driven by the popularity of the Redmi 13 and Note 13 series devices in key markets such as India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.  

These devices have been instrumental in Xiaomi’s growth, and this soldiers the Chinese company’s position as a major player in the global smartphone market.  

The August sales figures demonstrate Xiaomi’s increasing influence and Apple’s pre-launch slowdown, setting the stage for intense competition in the smartphone market.

By Sabiu Abdullahi 

Xiaomi is reportedly working on a revolutionary button-less smartphone, codenamed Zhuque, which is expected to launch in the first half of next year.

According to sources, the phone’s standout feature will be its total lack of buttons, but it’s unclear what will replace them – possibly a combination of gesture controls, pressure-sensitive edges, or voice commands. 

The Zhuque will also boast an under-display selfie camera, a feature that has been attempted by Samsung with mixed results.

The phone will be powered by the upcoming Snapdragon 8+ Gen 4 SoC, an improved version of the 8 Gen 4 due to launch this October. 

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 4 will also be used in the Xiaomi 15S Pro, expected to launch between April and June 2025.

While the button-less design may be a bold move, it remains to be seen whether the Zhuque will be a success or a niche product, like the Meizu Zero. 

As one source noted, “Remember the Meizu Zero? Exactly.”

This suggests that the Zhuque may face similar challenges in gaining widespread adoption.

However, Xiaomi’s willingness to innovate and take risks may pay off in the competitive smartphone market.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, led a team to the Headquarters of Huawei in Shenzhen, China, on Thursday, May 9, 2024, to explore opportunities for the Nigeria Customs Service Trade Modernization Project.

The visit was part of the CGC’s official trip to China for the 6th Global AEO Conference, held in Shenzhen from May 8-10, 2024. 

During the visit, CGC Adeniyi stated, “We are delighted to associate with the Global Leader Technology Services through the Team of Trade Modernization.”

This follows the Nigeria Customs Service’s expression of interest in deploying Huawei’s latest products for its trade modernisation project during the Huawei Connect 2023 in Shanghai last October. 

The CGC urged Huawei’s leadership to sustain their digitalisation services to the NCS and sought their support to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service on its transformative journey.

Xujing Xu, Huawei’s Vice President of Smart Transportation, welcomed the delegation and expressed confidence that their collaboration will benefit all parties involved, noting that “the foundational work for this transformation is already underway.” 

The TMP Chairman, Saleh Ahmadu, praised Huawei for living up to expectations in delivering its mandate under the Trade Modernization Project Limited.

He appreciated the support of the CGC and his management team towards the success of the NCS Trade Modernization Project. 

The CGC and the Trade Modernization Project team also visited Lantan Port to witness the level of automation and technological solutions provided by Huawei and other tech partners.

Also, Huawei organised a training program on Trends and Digital Solutions for Customs officials and the Trade Modernization Project team, focusing on equipping officials with the necessary skills to navigate the digital landscape of modern trade.

A separate training on Business Management, themed “The Journey of Huawei’s Continuous Growth”, aimed to enhance the capacity of officials to manage trade facilitation in Nigeria.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) to enhance bilateral trade and economic growth. 

Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi, who led a management team to Shenzhen, China, on May 8, 2024, noted the significance of the partnership, stating, “The relationship will create a cooperative mechanism for NCS and the GACC to collaborate on supply chain security standards and enhance the economic stability of both nations.” 

CGC Adeniyi expressed optimism that the MoU will boost import-export operations and benefit Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.

He also showed the exponential rise in e-commerce development, saying, “We know a lot of Nigerian companies and SMEs take advantage of the opportunities aided through e-commerce.” 

Representing Vice Minister Sun Yuning, Mr. Wang Lingjun of the General Administration of Customs signed the MoU on behalf of China and praised

CGC Adeniyi’s vision for the partnership, stating that it will create opportunities for Nigeria and China to collaborate on a wide range of economic issues and trade facilitation. 

The CGC appreciated the interest shown by China in signing the MoU and acknowledged the significant trade volume between the two nations, saying, “China is making the biggest trade in Nigeria, and the basic context of International Trade is ‘your export is our import’.” 

This development is expected to strengthen trade relations between Nigeria and China, promoting economic growth and cooperation between the two nations.

By Sabiu Abdullahi 

Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Abdullahi, a lecturer in the Department of Nigerian Languages and Linguistics at Bayero University Kano, has arrived in Beijing with his family, his close associate, Dr. Muhsin Ibrahim, posted on his Facebook handle.

Dr. Abdullahi is set to contribute to the global academic landscape by teaching Hausa to Chinese students at Beijing Foreign Language University (BFSU). 

This collaboration marks a unique opportunity for cultural immersion and linguistic exchange between Nigeria and China. 

Dr. Abdullahi’s expertise in Nigerian languages, particularly Hausa, is expected to enrich the linguistic diversity at BFSU, one of China’s premier institutions for language studies. 

The initiative is part of BFSU’s ongoing efforts to broaden its language curriculum, offering students exposure to languages beyond the traditional offerings. 

Dr. Abdullahi’s presence is anticipated to foster a deeper understanding of Nigerian culture and language among Chinese students, promoting cross-cultural dialogue.

As the academic semester commences, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Abdullahi is poised to become a cultural ambassador, bridging the gap between Nigeria and China through the universal language of education.

By Dr Shamsuddeen Sani

It is easy for the narrative about Uyghur Muslims of China to draw your attention due to the fierce East-West political drama about them. Before now, I had no clue of the profound complexity inherent in the history of Islam in Muslim northwest China.

Jonathan N. Lipman skilfully avoids the more sensitive politico-religious aspects, as he aptly puts it, making it not a book about the history of the Muslims in northwest China but a comprehensive account of the history of Muslims living in northwest China.

This book offers a critical analysis of the origins of Islam in northwest China, the evolution of Muslim identity and culture in the region, and their intricate connections within the broader context of greater China. This examination spans six comprehensive chapters and incorporates both pre and postmodern contextual perspectives.

Following an elaborate introduction that combines geography and ethnography in northwest China, Lipman offers an extensive overview that spans nearly a millennium, encompassing the entire cultural landscape of China. He achieves this by positioning Muslims as unique elements within the familiar historical context of China from the Tang dynasty through the Ming dynasty.

After the Qing conquest of the 1640s, he investigated specific solidarities among Chinese Muslims and their leaders. Additionally, he examines the development of Sufism in northwestern China and the integral role played by the Shuyuks and Tariqa in the region’s social fabric. By the mid-18th century, as the book highlights, Sufi orders had already ignited a significant drive towards political activism, community cohesion, and horizontal competition.

Coming to the early 19th century, Lipman looks into the era marked by the transition from the Qing Empire to the Chinese nation-state. He explores the intricate processes of change, driven by internal factors and influences originating from Europe, America, and the Muslim world, which swept across the outskirts of China. These forces compelled individuals to make decisions under unfamiliar and challenging circumstances. The book took a tangent to meticulously analyse four key Sino-Muslim figures who embarked on distinct yet equally complex journeys towards finding common ground with a modernised China.

This book is not an easy read, given the unfamiliar names one must remember, but it is worth every minute of your time.

Dr Shamsuddeen Sani wrote from Kano, Nigeria.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has emerged winner at the Huawei ICT Competition for the 2022-2023 Global Final held in Shenzhen, China.  

The management of Huawei disclosed on their website that the competition was the first to be held physically since 2019, and about 80 universities worldwide participated.

“Today, the Huawei ICT Competition 2022-2023 Global Final concluded in Shenzhen, drawing to a close the seventh instalment of this competition. The first to be held in person since 2019, the event’s culmination was a competition between finalists in 146 teams from 36 countries. Before the Final, more than 120,000 students from more than 2000 universities in 74 countries and regions around the world took part in the ICT Competition,” the statement reads.

Maryam Jimoh Olalade, Haruna Anas, Ahmad Abdullahi and Elayo Aliyu Isah represented the institution that won the prize.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

India is soon to overtake China as the world’s most populated country, according to the United Nations Population Division.

John Wilmoth, the director of the UN Population Division, stated this at a press conference held on Monday at the UN’s New York headquarters.

Wilmoth asserted that the fertility rates in the two countries were the primary cause of this trend, stating that China and India together made up more than one-third of the world’s eight billion people.

Wilmoth was quoted as saying, “By the end of April, India’s population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people, with projections indicating further growth for several decades more.

“That’s slightly higher than China’s global record of 1.4 billion in 2022.

“China’s population reached its peak size in 2022 and has begun to decline.

“Projections indicate that the size of the Chinese population could drop below one billion before the end of the century.”

By Muhammad Muzdaleefa

Being a student of diplomatic history, I have been following the poverty eradication campaign in China for years. It is a shame that Western media have decided to bash it as Chinese propaganda instead of looking at the take away lessons that can be applied globally with necessary adjustments for sustainable growth and development.

The way China has been going through this issue is very methodical and practical. They have a clear standard of living which they are working hard to ensure it is universally achieved. In other words, they create a world where everyone has a smooth path to realize their dreams and ensure no one is left behind. This is very different from the competitive capitalist system practiced in the West where everyone is obsessed with being ahead of the other.

The Chinese have used very simple ideas. These include the following;

1. Housing – The Chinese model is ensuring everyone has adequate and decent housing. Those with poor housing have had their houses reconstructed or relocated to new houses.
2. Income – The Chinese have ensured everyone has a sustained income source that elevates them above the poverty line. This has been through implementation of various income generating projects based on local needs and environment.

In one example, some farmlands where farming was ecologically harmful were turned into a forest. The former farmers were then employed as forest guards. Another example is where some villages were helped to establish solar power plants from which they earn incomes.

3. Education – The Chinese model states that education is the best way to stop transmission of generational poverty. As a result they have implemented a system which has resulted in zero school dropout cases. Some 8 million youths who had dropped out of school at various levels have been taken through vocational training.
4. Health – Unhealthy people can’t fight poverty. They are people who are consigned to poverty due to treatable health issues. China has worked to ensure affordable healthcare in order to ensure that no person falls back to poverty dues to illness. The response of the Chinese government sequel to the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic was admired throughout the world.

To achieve the above the following foundational issues are critical;

1. Household targeted poverty eradication – a census of poor people was conducted which identified every household defined as poor. This bottom up approach is key because you cannot eradicate poverty until every household has been lifted from poverty. The household is the epicentre of poverty.
2. Planning and involving people – after the poor are identified, detailed planning is undertaken and the people are involved in coming up with solutions to eradicate poverty.
3. Clear goals – the officials are expected to come up with practical goals and realistic timelines. In one case where officials had set lofty and unrealistic targets President Xi Jinping emphasized that for the battle against poverty to be won there should be no procrastination or impatience.
4. Measurement and independent evaluation – countries that claim to have eradicated poverty have to apply for removal from a list of countries that still have people living in poverty. Such an application is followed by independent verification. Evaluators are sent to verify the claims and they are supposed to visit each household without being accompanied by the village officials. Countries that fail to pass the evaluation have to continue with poverty eradication work.

In conclusion, eradicating poverty is not rocket science. Simple, practical and realistic steps are needed. Most importantly, a visionary, selfless and committed leadership must be in place for this to work effectively. 2023 is a good opportunity for Nigerians to elect capable, dependable and reliable leaders that will not only address the critical needs of Nigerians but will put the country on the path of sustainable growth and development for the contemporary generation and posterity.

By Ibrahim Mukhtar 

A Nigeria-based Chinese woman accepted the religion of Islam at the palace of the Emir of Machina in Yobe State. 

The woman who was at the palace with her fiancé explained that no one forced her to accept the religion—she wanted Islam on her own conviction. 

After she took the Kalimatu al-Shahada from His Highness, the Emir of Machina, she was asked to choose the name she wanted.

The Daily Reality learned that she chose “Fatima” based on the advice given to her by her fiancé. 

Fatima was observed to have been happy and relaxed alongside all those with her in the Emir’s palace.