Indholdsfortegnelse for Vol.68/No.46 i Beijing Review

In 1978, China embarked on a path toward greater openness and connectivity with the international community, undertaking economic reform, promoting two-way trade and inviting foreign investment. The successful implementation of these first changes and those in subsequent stages of China’s reform and opening-up process has brought China more than 40 years of rapid modernization, increasing prosperity and closer ties across the world. Now, as the details of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) are being finalized, China is preparing to enter a new stage of international openness. In its recommendations for the formulation of the plan, issued on October 23, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China called for the promotion of high-standard opening up and the creation of new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation. Specifically, the recommendations advocate…

PHYSICIST CARRIES HISTORIC TORCH On November 2 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, physicist Xue Qikun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, set off on the historic cross-boundary torch relay for China’s 15th National Games. It was the first-ever cross-boundary relay in the event’s history, carrying the flame to Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. The 15th National Games are being held from November 9 to 21 in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Xue, winner of the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, China’s top science honor, for 2023, has dedicated his career to fundamental research in materials physics. At Tsinghua University, he led a team that first observed the quantum anomalous Hall effect in 2012, a major breakthrough. He has been president of Southern University of Science and…

We envision a world of peace, cooperation and integration. However, this vision faces growing threats as right-wing movements around the world incite discrimination, promote division and view the world through the lens of deep inequality. In the economic field, wealth has become increasingly concentrated. In some cases, this concentration is not within national governments, but rather in multinational corporations whose power surpasses that of many states. This presents a major challenge for the Global South: to democratize not only political governance but also economic governance. Without economic sovereignty, true political independence is impossible. Moreover, the digital divide remains stark. New information, communication and digital technologies have widened the gap between the Global North and South, while also deepening inequality within countries. What the Global South truly aspires to is a…

American attitudes toward China are undergoing a remarkable change. According to results from the 2025 Chicago Council Survey, released by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) in October, most Americans now support cooperative relations with China—a clear break from the “great power competition” framework that has dominated U.S. foreign policy in recent years. For years, U.S. foreign policy toward China—under both the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations—has focused on competition, containment and economic decoupling. Thesurveyfindsthat53percentof Americans now say the U.S. should adopt a policy of cooperation and engagement with China, up significantly from 40 percent in 2024. The change is largely driven by Democrats and Independents. Two thirds of Democrats (66 percent) now favor cooperation over containment, a 19-point increase from 2024. By contrast, only 33 percent of…

According to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s net foreign direct investment (FDI) turned negative in August, recording an outflow of $616 million. Net FDI refers to the gross inflows into India minus the funds remitted abroad by foreign companies through repatriation or disinvestment, as well as Indian companies’ outward investments. The rare decline reveals a sobering reality behind the glittering labels of “the world’s fastest-growing economy,” “the most populous nation” and “India’s Gilded Age”—that capital is quietly flowing out of the country. The withdrawal of foreign investment is no accident. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, India’s net FDI plunged by more than 96.5 percent to just $353 million compared with $10.1 billion in the previous fiscal year, according to the RBI. By May 2025, net…

Eight days, seven cities—a whirlwind tour that defined actor Zheng Guolin’s work schedule during the National Day holiday a month ago. From October 1 to 8, he maintained a relentless pace, not just logging miles but also switching between roles. One moment, he was a regal emperor commanding the historic grounds of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province in northwest China; the next, a mystical martial artist in a white robe, engaging tourists in friendly martial arts demonstrations in Anji, coastal Zhejiang Province. Since earlier this year, Zheng has been a frequent presence in non-player character (NPC) performances at scenic spots nationwide. His established recognition from numerous television roles gives him a head start with audiences. In parks, he often plays the classic characters he has portrayed on the screen. “At first, I…

The 30th UN Climate Change Conference takes place in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21. This year is the 10th anniversary of the milestone Paris Agreement, as well as the deadline for all countries to submit their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), making the conference a crucial juncture in addressing global climate change. The Paris Agreement, a pact reached by nearly 200 nations in 2015, aims to keep the rise in global average temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and, if possible, below 1.5 degrees Celsius. In a video address to the UN Climate Summit on September 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China’s new round of NDCs: China will, by 2035, reduce economywide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10 percent from peak levels, striving to…

We, as a global community, are learning to move beyond a legacy where a single worldview has long dominated. To resolve conflicts, we must return to the universal first principles of dignity, respect and coexistence. The way forward is to build frameworks that are rooted in universal rights while also being considerate of local values and traditions, allowing diverse systems to truly harmonize. Imagine human rights not as a single melody, but as a symphony of dignity. Each culture is a unique instrument. The goal is not for one to dominate, but to create a symphony where all can harmonize. The conductor’s role—a role for bodies like the United Nations—is not to dictate every note, but to ensure mutual respect and a shared rhythm. This idea finds resonance across cultures,…

When Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, painted Europe’s green transition as a success story on October 22, the reality on the ground told a different story. The continent’s auto industry—once a pillar of European industrial strength—has sounded an unusually loud, unified alarm: The legally binding route to eliminate internal-combustion vehicles by 2035 is “no longer feasible” in today’s geopolitical and economic context. That admission, put forward in a letter signed by the presidents of the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) and European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), should be treated as a red flag rather than a bureaucratic briefing note. Three separate, reinforcing failures explain why the 2035 timetable is now at risk: demand economics, infrastructure and grids and industrial supply chains.…

During a dance therapy class at Nanjing Normal University of Special Education (NNUSE), Liu Shanshan, Director of the Dance Therapy Teaching and Research Office, posed a question: “Can you describe your current physical and mental state in one word or sentence?” She then guided students through gentle movements designed to promote physical relaxation. Dance therapy is one of the 29 new additions to the Ministry of Education’s catalogue of undergraduate majors for general colleges and universities, updated in April. NNUSE is the first to launch the program, with its first cohort of students currently studying there. Originating in Europe and the United States in the 1940s, dance therapy was initially employed in the rehabilitation of war veterans, including those with schizophrenia. The discipline entered China in the 1990s and has…

Recently, the Spring Airlines official website listed the job requirements for new female cabin crew, stating the age limit as 25-40 and referring to them as kongsao rather than the conventional kongjie. Kong comes from the Chinese word for aviation (hangkong), while jie means elder sister and sao means elder brother’s wife. The Shanghai-based airline stressed the change of addresses was made to avoid suggesting applicants should be unmarried and child‑free but there is no difference in the job description. The objective, it said, is to optimize cabin service for passengers because kongsao can be more experienced in taking care of children. It also noted it initiated its first kongsao recruitment in October 2010 and subsequently released several recruitment notices seeking kongsao. While the change in term is not new,…

With this year being the 70th anniversary of the founding of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the State Council Information Office in September released a white paper—CPC (Communist Party of China) Guidelines for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era: Practice and Achievements. It introduces the core principles and successful practices of the CPC’s governance of Xinjiang as well as associated data related to the region’s development. In a recent interview with Beijing Review, Liang Yuchun, a professor at the Xinjiang Normal University College of Marxism and Dean of the university’s Institute for Advanced Study of Ethnicity and Society, shared his views on the highlights of the white paper and the reason why today’s Xinjiang is experiencing the best period of development in its history. Edited excerpts of the interview follow: Beijing Review:…

In 2024, China imported 520 million durians. This figure was cited during the 2025 Hehe Culture Forum, held from October 31 to November 2 in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. Chang Bo, President of China International Communications Group, mentioned the figure in his remarks at the opening ceremony. What appears to be a routine consumption statistic holds a deeper meaning. “This reflects not only the remarkable resilience of China’s economy but, more importantly, demonstrates how China has injected strong stability into global development amid worldwide economic stagnation,” Chang said. The Chinese market has seen a remarkable influx of Southeast Asian fruits under the vibrant China-ASEAN partnership, with the two sides as each other’s largest trading partner. This fruitful exchange illustrates the win-win cooperation championed by Hehe Culture. Hehe is a phrase formed…

A vibrant thread of young Chinese shoppers, chatting excitedly, snaked past luxury boutiques and coffee shops. At the head of the queue, nestled in a prime corner of Beijing’s China World Mall, stood the reason for their patience: a pastel-colored pop-up store for Jellycat, the British plush toy brand. Among those in line was Liu Zhaoyuan, a 24-year-old graphic designer, who had taken an afternoon off work specifically for this visit. “I’ve become a big fan of Jellycat since I graduated from college and have collected eight different Jellycat toys, including the chips from its London edition and the strawberry milkshake and cheesecake from its New York City edition,” Liu told Beijing Review. “I just can’t turn down the combination of a cute toy and the joy of owning something…