Indholdsfortegnelse for Vol.68/No.24 i Beijing Review

In May, Hunan Province adopted a three-year action plan for cutting back on salt and oil in people’s diets and formulating a new standard system for cooking Hunan cuisine, famous for its spicy taste. Previously, in March, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly released guidelines on food and nutrition development (2025-30). The guidelines propose capping the intake of salt, oil and sugar and popularizing portion control tools. The transformation of food consumption to be more nutrition-oriented is one of the major features of the Healthy China Initiative launched by the Chinese Government with a focus on disease prevention and health promotion. In the past, people tended to focus more on whether food was delicious and filling…

During this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth laid out an alarming vision for the future of the Asia-Pacific region, a vision that includes the same type of U.S. military encroachment and confrontation that has turned Europe, North Africa and the Middle East into devastated battlegrounds over the past two decades. Predicated on “deterring aggression by Communist China,” Hegseth laid out plans to further expand the presence of U.S. troops and military equipment in places closer to China’s borders than to America’s own shores. And while he spoke about Chinese “coercion,” it was Hegseth who would insist during his speech that nations across the Asia-Pacific region “do their part on defense,” including by diverting public funds to buy U.S. arms, repair U.S. military equipment and…

On the 45th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has announced China continues to lead the world in key metrics for intellectual property (IP) creation and protection. According to official figures for 2024, China remained the largest submitter of international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and industrial design applications under the Hague System, and public satisfaction with IP rights protection rose to 82.36 points, setting a new record. On June 3, 1980, China joined the Convention Establishing the WIPO, officially becoming a member of the organization. Over the past 45 years, China has not only built itself into an IP powerhouse, but also embarked on a path of IP development with Chinese characteristics. China regards innovation…

Windmills rotate gracefully, European-style buildings stand prominently and vast fields of wildly colored tulips extend to the horizon… Such a picturesque scene can not only be spotted in the Netherlands but also in Dafeng District, Yancheng City of Jiangsu Province in east China, at a place called—Holland Flower Park. Even on weekday mornings, tourists flock to the park in droves. According to data from the government of Dafeng, during this year’s May Day holiday (May 1-5) alone, the number of tourists exceeded 690,000. Behind the iconic tulips that brigthen up the park is Nicolaas Kaaijk, a Dutch horticulturist who has brought his homeland’s specialty to China. Born into a tulip-growing family in 1956, Kaaijk has nurtured a deep affection for tulips, the Dutch national flower, from a very young age.…

WINNER OF SCIENCE AWARD FOR WOMEN SCIENTISTS Wang Xiaoyun has been named one of the five laureates of the 2025 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science International Awards, UNESCO and the L’Oréal Foundation announced on May 26. Wang is recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to the field of cryptography and related mathematical problems. Her pioneering research led to the establishment of next-generation data integrity and security. These new standards are now widely implemented in bank cards, computer passwords and e-commerce systems. Along with Wang, Priscilla Baker from South Africa, Claudia Felser from Germany, Maria Teresa Dova from Argentina and Barbara Finlayson-Pitts from the United States have been awarded for their contributions in their respective fields and the inspiration they have given girls and women. The awards were established in 1998 to…

China’s private sector began to take off following the launch of its reform and opening-up policy in 1978. In the two decades before this pivotal policy was adopted, the private sector was almost non-existent due to the government’s emphasis on public ownership. Since 1978, the government has been committed to both consolidating and developing the public sector of the economy, and encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the private sector. In a recent interview with Beijing Review, Cui Lili, a research fellow with the Institute of Chinese Modernization Studies at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, shared her insights into the Chinese Government’s vision for the private sector. Beijing Review: What is President Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s private sector? What are his main goals for its development? Cui…

As an old Brazilian saying goes, we know our true friends when we face difficulties. Currently, Latin American countries are suffering a form of bullying from the U.S. Government, which is showing many sticks and no carrots. The relationship between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and China is subject to pressure and threats. In the face of blackmail from U.S. authorities, even Brazil, a country with relative weight in international relations, is finding it challenging to adopt a more assertive stance regarding its legitimate interests in its relations with China, such as joining the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) (The China-proposed BRI aims to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes—Ed.). Other countries in the Americas are being similarly bullied by Washington. For…

The U.S.-initiated trade war against China, now in its eighth year, has taken a new turn. On May 29, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the suspension of exports to China of critical U.S. technologies including those related to jet engines used in the latter’s domestically produced C919 passenger jet—the only in-service engine currently powering the aircraft. Many American elites see the move as an attempt to curb China’s progress in aviation and preserve the U.S. edge in technological competition. The C919 passenger jet, developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), is positioned as a competitor to the U.S.’ Boeing 737 and Europe’s Airbus A320. It completed its maiden commercial flight in 2023. Priced at 653 million yuan (approximately $90 million) per unit, the C919 offers a remarkable…

Ancient traditions continue to shape modern consumer behavior and mindsets in China. The Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which fell on May 31 to June 2 this year, provides a great example. Over two millennia ago, ancient Chinese people cast glutinous rice dumplings (zongzi) into rivers to prevent aquatic creatures from eating the body of Qu Yuan, the revered poet-patriot of the Warring States Period (475–221 B.C.) who drowned himself in the Miluo River in despair after learning that the capital of his motherland had been captured by enemy troops. Since then, elaborate dragon boat races have been held on rivers to commemorate him, while households hang bundled mugwort on their doorways—a practice believed to ward off epidemics, and repel insects as well as malevolent forces. Today, to celebrate the festival,…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 28 that the Donald Trump administration will “aggressively” revoke visas for Chinese students as part of its ongoing efforts to limit the number of international students allowed to study in the United States. This decision followed Rubio’s directive to U.S. embassies worldwide to halt the issuance of new student visas. Additionally, the White House has accused some of America’s top universities of endorsing pro-Palestinian movements and harboring anti-Semitic sentiments, leading to the freezing of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and the deportation of students, alongside the revocation of thousands of visas. An Institute of International Education report indicates that over 1.1 million international students were enrolled in U.S. higher education for the 2023-24 academic year. Many U.S. universities depend…

In a move reshaping the contours of global cooperation, the inaugural summit of China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has emerged as an important moment for the Global South. Against a volatile international landscape and sluggish global growth, the establishment of the trilateral summit creates a platform for exchange and a mechanism for cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on May 27 while addressing the event. The summit was not only a milestone in Asian regional cooperation but also a declaration of the Global South’s joint response to instability, Du Lan, Deputy Director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told Beijing Review. By unleashing economic complementarity, deepening strategic synergy and safeguarding…

Through two relocations since moving to Guangzhou—capital of Guangdong Province in south China—Zhang Baibai has curated an entire home’s worth of furniture, each piece handcrafted by her. She and her husband arrived in the city in 2022 as renters, later purchasing their own apartment. Initially driven by necessity, Zhang turned to furniture-making as a thrift measure. “We were saving for our home and refused to sink money into temporary furnishings,” she told Guangzhou’s Yangcheng Evening News. But how to economize while cultivating a truly livable space? The solution came when she stumbled upon online DIY furniture tutorials. Inspired, she bought some Paulownia wood boards, which, prized for being lightweight and affordable, are perfect for solo projects. She also learned wood painting to finish the pieces. “Most of the furniture I…

Nujiang, a mountainous region in Yunnan Province, has undergone rapid change in recent years. Once one of China’s poorest areas, it is now a place where modern homes and infrastructure sit alongside centuries-old traditions. The local ethnic groups, including the Lisu, Nu and Dulong, also spelt Derung, have embraced new opportunities while holding on to their cultural roots. The government’s efforts to improve living standards have been significant. Large-scale poverty alleviation projects have relocated thousands of people from remote villages to towns with better facilities, schools and health care. Roads that once took days to travel now take minutes. Vocational training and education have opened doors for younger generations. Today, new roads crisscross the mountains, connecting remote villages to towns, and the Internet reaches homes that once lacked electricity. The…