Indholdsfortegnelse for Vol.68/No.18 i Beijing Review

As a still developing country with a huge population, China has needed to overcome numerous challenges in the administration of its labor relations and social security over recent decades. Now, the accelerating emergence of new forms of employment is making the protection of labor rights a particularly and increasingly complex task. Labor relations in China first became increasingly complex and diverse during the development of the socialist market economy, which began in the late 1970s. This system aims to combine the efficiency often characteristic of a market economy with equity associated with socialism. Since then, the government has formulated several laws and regulations to safeguard labor relations. Systems related to the protection of labor rights have also been improved, including medical insurance, pension insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and…

In China-U.S. trade relations, there is one commodity that cannot be overlooked: soybeans. China is the world’s largest importer of soybeans. With China already supporting nearly 20 percent of the global population, China’s soybean imports increased from 293,900 tons in 1995 to 105 million tons in 2024, at a cost of around $52.7 billion, accounting for nearly 70 percent of its total grain import bill. The U.S., meanwhile, is one of the world’s leading soybean exporters. More than half of the soybeans grown in the U.S. are sold overseas, and for nearly two decades, China has been its largest foreign market. At their peak, U.S. soybeans made up nearly 40 percent of China’s total soybean imports. Soybeans are a prime example of the win-win cooperation between China and the U.S.…

Starting September 1, primary and secondary schools in Beijing will incorporate at least eight hours of AI education per academic year, according to an announcement from the Beijing Municipal Education Commission in March. The move emphasizes China’s push to dominate the AI sector by nurturing homegrown talent early. This initiative is about more than coding or robotics. China has long recognized AI as a core driver of economic transformation and the curriculum aims to cultivate a generation comfortable with AI-driven problem-solving, equipped to thrive in an innovation-driven digital economy. The country’s New Generation AI Development Plan, unveiled in 2017, set an ambitious target for China to become the world’s leading AI powerhouse by 2030. While much of the global hi-tech race has fixated on research breakthroughs, infrastructure development and industrial…

‘Most people can climb the stairs to enter society on their own, where-as some people cannot because of a disability. We are obliged to build ladders for those who need a helping hand.” This is the guiding principle of Zhang Huanxia, head of the Chenguang Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Service Center in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Having been committed to rehabilitation services for children with disabilities for over 20 years, Zhang has witnessed the rapid development of the field and is now looking at a brighter future for these children with extra help from society and government. She refers to her work as “a career that can change people’s destinies.” “Children receiving special education often require more time and energy from us compared with regular children. We’re not just helping them recover…

‘This is from the yellow app?” “Yes, the ‘gate’.” These cryptic exchanges have flooded TikTok comment sections lately, as American users secretly hunt for shopping tips on DHgate, China’s cross-border e-commerce platform, using “yellow app” as their code. Until recently, most mistook DHgate for a municipal portal in northwest China. By April 15 (Beijing time), DHgate had catapulted to second place on the free download chart of the Apple App Store in the U.S., trailing only ChatGPT. The ascent was meteoric: On April 11, it ranked outside the top 300. In just three days, it skyrocketed—reaching No.6 on April 13, No.3 on April 14, and directly to No.2 on April 15, where it remained at the time of writing. A video released on DHgate’s cross-border e-commerce official account reveals that…

Europe is experiencing a period of turmoil unseen since the end of the Cold War. The drastic changes in geopolitics, particularly a betrayal by a traditional ally and the consequent damages, are placing Europe in a position where its future is uncertain. As Europe gradually recognizes that the world order is evolving toward multipolarity, it should re-evaluate its international environment, carefully reassess its former allies and redefine its partnerships under the principle of opposing unilateralism and upholding multilateralism. China, which has maintained a coherent and consistent policy toward Europe and has been an active advocate for multilateralism, can serve as a reliable partner for Europe in exploring new pathways for development. Widening division Trump’s first presidency posed significant challenges for the Europe-U.S. consensus on rules. For this reason, Europe emphasized…

At the age of 5, Sun Chi was diagnosed with autism. From that moment, he and his family began a long journey of rehabilitation and intervention. His mother often reflects on the challenges they faced and how supportive the community in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, has been. Over the years, they have received help from many caring individuals and organizations, making a great difference in their lives. As society’s awareness of people with autism has grown, related policies have also improved, providing more resources and opportunities for families like theirs. Now, at 23, Sun has made remarkable progress. He can discuss work with his colleagues, dine out on his own and even take bus trips on weekends. His journey is a testament to resilience and the power of community support. Autism,…

For most Chinese, the Qingming Festival—observed each early spring—is a time for revisiting the past, where families gather to honor deceased loved ones. However, for a small tribe of Chinese youths, this year’s Qingming Festival, which fell on April 4, was also the year’s busiest internship season, a time for charting a career path forward. Hailing from the China Civil Affairs University (CCAU), which was inaugurated in Beijing in 2024, these youngsters are the country’s first undergraduates majoring in modern funeral management. Pang Lin is one of the 150 students who enrolled in the program last year. Like many of her peers, her decision to pursue a college degree in funeral services met with fierce opposition from her family and friends, who would rather she endure the stress and stigma…

Stabilizing Job Market China will extend key unemployment insurance policies through 2025 to help companies retain jobs and support workers in enhancing their skills, authorities announced on April 22. The announcement was made through a circular, jointly issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, outlining measures to help enterprises maintain stable employment. Until the end of 2025, companies that do not lay off employees or minimize layoffs will continue to receive refunds of a certain percentage of unemployment insurance premiums paid in the previous year, according to the policy. To help workers improve their skills, the extended policy relaxes eligibility requirements and expands coverage for skills-upgrading subsidies. These measures also ensure continued provision of basic living allowances—including unemployment…

SHENZHOU-20 CREW Chinese astronauts Chen Dong (center), Chen Zhongrui (right) and Wang Jie entered orbit for the Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission on April 24. They will stay at China’s Tiangong space station for approximately six months. Prior to commanding this mission, Chen Dong was a member of the Shenzhou-11 (October-November 2016) mission and commander of the Shenzhou-14 mission (June-December 2022). He is the first among China’s second cohort of astronauts to carry out three spaceflight missions. Chen Zhongrui and Wang both come from the third cohort of astronauts and Shenzhou-20 is their first spaceflight mission. Before being selected for the space program, Chen Zhongrui was an air force pilot and Wang was an engineer at the China Academy of Space Technology of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. Retirement Concierges…

Earth Day is a reminder that our planet’s systems today are more affected by human behaviors than by natural processes. April 22 was the 56th Earth Day and this year’s theme, Our Power, Our Planet, stressed humanity’s responsibility toward and impact on the Earth. The Earth’s ecosystems form an inseparable whole and only a future in which humans live in harmony with nature can be a truly prosperous one. Everyone has a responsibility to protect the Earth and each of us has a duty to contribute to its sustainable development. On December 12, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping cited the ancient Chinese quote “the universe operates in silence, yet everything follows its course” while addressing the Climate Ambition Summit convened by the United Nations. In his speech, he stressed that…

This year is the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, and China, Russia and other countries have scheduled grand commemorative events. The aim of these activities is not to perpetuate hatred, but to remind people to learn from history and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past; it is to call on people to honor all those who laid down their lives and to cherish peace; it is all the more to oppose any attempt to falsify history, deny crimes of aggression and undermine peaceful development. For China, commemorating the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War can strengthen international cooperation in upholding the multilateral trading system, promoting economic globalization and safeguarding world peace and development. Additionally, it serves as a vehicle for carrying forward the spirit…

‘We were given their finest accommodations since we were the Americans who had just bombed Japan. The extra clothing was like cardboard but it was thick and warm. The beds were way too small, but they were a welcome sight to us.” These words were penned in a 1942 diary entry by Charles Ross Greening, an American pilot and one of the famed Doolittle Raiders. Later published in his memoir Not as Briefed, Greening’s account describes his experience in Quzhou, a city nestled in the western part of China’s Zhejiang Province. On April 18, 1942, in direct response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States launched the mission Doolittle Raid. Led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, 80 airmen took to the skies in B-25 bombers to strike…

Recently, residents of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, have called on the city’s mayor to ban electronic screens in schools and reinstate blackboards, arguing screen-based instruction and learning is causing eye fatigue and vision problems among students. Concerns about electronic screens are not new. Last year, parents in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, suggested reducing the amount of time elementary school students spend on electronic screens in the classroom. Additionally, starting this semester, an elementary school in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, has begun eliminating electronic screens from all classes every Friday morning, and teachers are prohibited from using courseware. While some parents are becoming more concerned about the use of screens, others argue their use is an unstoppable trend, as they can greatly enhance teaching efficiency. Moreover, the use of electronic screens does not necessarily…