Innehållsförteckning för Vol.66/No.26 från Beijing Review

Thirty years ago, delegates at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, Austria, overcame differences and adopted the landmark Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. While affirming the equality of all human rights, the document reiterates the right to development is an inalienable right and stronger international cooperation is a must. The Forum on Global Human Rights Governance was held in Beijing on June 14-15 with the theme Equality, Cooperation and Development: the 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and Global Human Rights Governance. In a congratulatory letter to the forum, President Xi Jinping said China is ready to work with the rest of the world to act on the principles enshrined in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, push for greater equity, justice,…

On the evening of June 15, a soccer friendly between Argentina and Australia took place at the newly rebuilt Workers’ Stadium in the Sanlitun commercial area just east of central Beijing. Exorbitant ticket prices of 580-4,800 yuan ($81-670) did not deter fans. The stadium was packed with spectators eagerly awaiting the match. Outside the stadium, cheering crowds were clamoring for a glimpse of superstar Lionel Messi. Beijing police even warned the public of scammers trying to cash in on the “Messi mania” that had gripped the city since the soccer star’s arrival on June 10. These “manic scenes” are not uncommon in China. In 2019, tickets for the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) China Games in Shanghai and Shenzhen sold for as low as 350 yuan ($49) and as high…

A man was walking along a street one day when a happy-looking young girl went by him skipping and jumping along to a rhythm. Swayed by her happiness, the man couldn’t help imitating her and began skipping ahead. At that moment, the middle-aged man looked as joyful as a child. The seconds-long short video is loved by many Internet users. While most viewers just watched the video for fun, one viewer, Qiu Jinpeng, recorded the touching moment with his paintbrush. Whenever he discovers a heartwarming short video, Qiu paints the scenes that impress him the most, and, with the consent of the video’s producers, posts these artworks on social media platforms, namely, Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu. “It’s like a pictorial video review that incorporates my feelings and understandings of the…

For Marcela Arias Moncada, her recent trip to Beijing created many memorable moments. As Minister Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Honduras to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, this was her first time visiting China. Her arrival coincided with that of Honduran President Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento, who paid a historic state visit to China less than three months after the two countries forged diplomatic ties. “We are very much excited as to what this bilateral cooperation will mean for us in the future, especially in terms of understanding development as a human right,” Arias Moncada told Beijing Review during the Forum on Global Human Rights Governance in Beijing on June 14 and 15. “We have emphasized standards changing according to each nation’s circumstances and…

As part of the persistent criticism of China on human rights, recently, it is entirely normal in Western politics and media to hear China referred to as “aggressive,” “belligerent” and “expansionist.” Such accusations, coming from the U.S., a country that has been at war for 228 out of its 247 years of existence, is nothing if not ironic. At this moment, there are nearly 1,000 U.S. troops in Syria, in violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty; the U.S. continues to be involved in the disastrous war in Yemen, which has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis; in relation to the crisis in Ukraine, the U.S.’ policy from the start—indeed, before the start—has been to pour fuel onto the fire and to provoke conflict. In recent memory, the U.S. has…

He Ran, who was born and raised in Hejiayan Village in Youyang, a Tujia and Miao autonomous county in Chongqing Municipality, was once reluctant to stay in her hometown. “It was a bit dirty and disorganized, and there weren’t many good jobs for me,” the 24-year-old told Beijing Review. But now, as the manager of a local cafe and guesthouse in Hejiayan, she has decided to settle down there and work for the betterment of the village. The change in her decision came with the transformation of Hejiayan. In recent years, local authorities and villagers have worked to turn the old and backward village into a place that combines rural scenery with ethnic features and modern infrastructure, benefiting locals and attracting visitors nationwide. Countryside CEO After graduating from a junior…

New Medical Journal Pediatric Discovery, an English-language pediatric academic journal, was launched in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, on June 1. Published by China’s national clinical research center for child health and development, the peer-reviewed journal has an online open-access format. It offers a platform for researchers and professionals to exchange observations, studies and findings. Chen Yaolong, co-editor in chief of the journal and executive director of the Institute of Health Data Science at Lanzhou University in northwest China’s Gansu Province, said Pediatric Discovery will be an international pediatric journal that focuses on the health of children in China. He Tongchuan, another coeditor in chief and director of the Molecular Oncology Laboratory at the University of Chicago, the U.S., said that the journal will explore major scientific issues that may…

GATES DONATES TO BEIJING HEALTH INSTITUTE The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $50 million over the next five years to support the Beijing-based Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI) in its efforts to improve health outcomes worldwide through lifesaving therapies for infectious diseases. The announcement was made during a recent trip by Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft and cochair of the foundation, to China. The GHDDI is a nonprofit institution established in 2016 as the country’s first public-private partnership on innovative research between the Beijing Municipal Government, Tsinghua University and the Gates Foundation. Chinese President Xi Jinping met Gates on June 16, hailing him and the foundation for their long-term work to promote poverty reduction, health, development and philanthropy around the world. Professional Nurses Needed for Aged Care…

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of last year’s Group of 20 meeting, there was a moment of cautious optimism. Both sides signaled a desire to take constructive steps forward to help mend and stabilize ties. Both committed to moving ahead with a number of high-level meetings, including a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Indeed, after former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s provocative and destabilizing visit to China’s Taiwan region, on top of nearly two years of Biden mounting efforts to encircle and suppress China with yet more containment policies, many believed the Xi-Biden meeting indicated China-U.S. relations had reached a critical and much needed turning point. They were wrong. Before assessing Blinken’s recent visit to…

At the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French Government, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the two countries from June 18 to 23. This was also his first foreign trip since taking office as Chinese premier in March. In Germany, Li hosted the seventh China-Germany intergovernmental consultation, attended the 11th China-Germany Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum and had in-depth exchanges with representatives from the economic communities of both China and Germany. In France, he attended the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, and had detailed talks with the French side on strengthening exchange and cooperation across a range of fields, as the two countries will celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2024. His visit came after Macron’s trip to…

As night falls and lights are turned on, soccer teams from local villages stage fierce competitions at a stadium in Rongjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province. The players might be salespeople or couriers during the day, but at night, they become shining stars. This is the Village Super League (VSL), known as Cun Chao in Chinese. Between May and July this year, 20 teams from Rongjiang County are participating in the VSL tournament on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Divided into two groups, the teams compete in round-robin matches and knockout stages, with the final scheduled for July 29. The players come from a wide range of professions, including shop owners, drivers, carpenters, and construction workers. They also come from many ethnic groups including Miao,…

As a Chinese Costa Rican huayi, a term commonly used to describe a person of Chinese ancestry born outside China, I have always had a deep appreciation for my cultural heritage. Studying a master’s degree in China was an opportunity for me to reconnect with my cultural roots. It was a chance to visit the country and culture that my parents and ancestors called home. I was both excited and nervous about navigating a place that was so different from my home country. Before my arrival, I had no idea how much this experience would change my life. Growing up in an immigrant Chinese family in Costa Rica gave me a solid foundation in Chinese culture and history. However, it was only after experiencing China firsthand that I began to…