Innehållsförteckning för Vol.67/No.11 från Beijing Review

This year, China aims to achieve a GDP growth rate of around 5 percent, create over 12 million new urban jobs, and ensure personal income growth keeps pace with economic growth. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council, unveiled the goals in the Report on the Work of the Government, which he delivered at the opening meeting of the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, on March 5. The report details the government’s work throughout 2023 and outlines the plan for the country’s economic and social development in 2024. According to the report, work this year will focus on stability and progress. This year’s targets take into account the current domestic and international conditions, and find alignments between the nation’s needs and its potential. The…

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on March 7 answered questions from the media on the sidelines of the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature. Edited excerpts of his remarks on selected topics follow: China-U.S. The China-U.S. relationship is critical to the wellbeing of the two peoples, and to the future of humanity and the world. No matter how the international landscape evolves, China always keeps its U.S. policy stable and consistent, and always handles the relationship with a sense of responsibility for history, for the people and for the world. Our position is the three principles proposed by President Xi Jinping—mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. They are…

On February 29, the Joe Biden administration directed the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate what it claimed was a “potential national security threat” posed by Chinese-made smart cars. Almost concurrently, Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, introduced an alarmist hypothetical during an interview with MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell, asking Mitchell and viewers to “imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese-connected vehicles on American roads that could be immediately and simultaneously disabled by somebody in Beijing.” She also likened Chinese cars to “iPhones on wheels,” because “these vehicles are connected to the internet. They collect huge amounts of sensitive data on the drivers…” Perhaps the U.S. media grasped the essence of the issue better than Raimondo did. In virtually all written reports, the “iPhones” from Raimondo’s discourse…

Yang Yang, Chairman of the China Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, lost her hearing at 4. This year, as a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, Yang put forward a proposal on inclusive education of children with disabilities. Specifically, her proposal suggests more children with hearing problems should be learning in mainstream classrooms. Yang has benefited from inclusive education, though she faced many difficulties. For instance, she initially had trouble understanding the teacher during class but later she gradually developed the ability to lip-read, which has helped her a lot in her life. Nowadays, most students with hearing impairment receive inclusive education in regular schools, Yang told Beijing Review. “The number of schools…

REGULATOR VOWS TO IMPROVE CAPITAL MARKET Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country’s top securities watchdog, vowed that the agency will work with all stakeholders to jointly nurture a sound capital market and first-class business environment. Wu made the pledge at a press conference during the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, in Beijing on March 6. In his first public appearance before the media since he took office in early February, Wu said the CSRC will guide listed firms to improve transparency, focus on core businesses, and maintain stable operations to ensure better returns for investors. Wu, 59, worked in multiple departments of the CSRC in the early years of his career. He became a district mayor in Shanghai…

On March 6, when participating in a deliberation with fellow lawmakers from Jiangsu Province in east China, who were attending the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, in Beijing, President Xi Jinping stressed developing new quality productive forces amid the country’s accelerated efforts to foster new growth drivers and promote high-quality development. Earlier at the opening meeting the NPC session on March 5, Premier Li Qiang said the country will strive to modernize the industrial system and develop new quality productive forces at a faster pace. The concept of new quality productive forces was first proposed by Xi during his September 2023 visit to Heilongjiang, China’s northeasternmost province. At a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central…

On April 30, 2021, during the 29th group study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee, President Xi Jinping quoted the ancient proverb “Plants, trees and forests are a nation’s wealth” to underscore the importance of maintaining harmony between humanity and nature. The text has its origins in the ancient Chinese political and philosophical text Guan Zi written by philosopher and statesman Guan Zhong some 2,700 years ago. It expresses the idea that a good ecological environment has both economic and social value in its own right. China has exerted significant efforts to advance an ecological civilization, recognizing its vital role in sustaining the development of the nation. The belief that “green is gold” is a widespread consensus among the country’s population, reflecting…

China’s population has been in decline. In 2022, the country recorded the first drop in its population in about six decades. At the end of 2023, China’s population was 1.40967 billion, a decrease of 2.08 million over 2022, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Although China has adjusted its family planning policy to encourage couples to have three children, the downward trend has yet to be reversed. In previous decades, China’s society and economy have benefited from a demographic dividend, whereby the declining birth rate has increased the ratio of working-age people to their dependents. However, as these working-age people reach retirement age, the continued low birth rate is seeing proportionally fewer young people replacing them in the workforce, decreasing the proportion of working-age people within…

In 1999, Shi Qianping founded JHF Technology Group Co. Ltd., a hi-tech industrial printer enterprise. During the 1990s, with limited technological support, Chinese brands predominantly occupied the mid-to-low-end printer market, while the high-end segment was dominated by imports. It was during this time that Shi hatched an ambitious plan—to create the world’s best industrial printer. With an unwavering dedication to research and innovation, JHF Inkjet printers have become global frontrunners. The company’s products are now sold in numerous countries, and its collaborative efforts in researching and producing top-quality industrial printers have solidified its influential global footprint. Apart from his success as an entrepreneur, Shi is also a returned overseas Chinese from the United States. This unique status provides him with a profound understanding of both overseas cultures and markets. Leveraging…

Tea in China is a symbol of hospitality, elegance and craftsmanship that has been honed over centuries. Born into a family of tea enthusiasts, Zhang Chi was introduced to the beverage and all that it entails in China at a very young age. However, unlike older generations of her family, who upheld traditional Chinese tea culture, Zhang prefers modern tea beverages, such as fruit tea and milk tea. She describes herself as “a true witness of the contemporary tea beverage industry in China.” One of the most significant changes this “witness” has observed in recent years is the trend toward healthier products. “A few years ago, the streets near my college were lined with stores offering cheap tea beverages—about 8 yuan ($1.1) a cup, or even cheaper,” Zhang told Beijing…

In a recent interview with Beijing Review, Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Communications Group (CICG) and a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, shared his views on promoting better understanding between China and the rest of the world in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Edited excerpts of the interview follow: Beijing Review: How do you view the role of cultural exchange and people-to-people interaction in promoting mutual understanding? Du Zhanyuan: The Chinese civilization has been renowned for its openness and inclusivity since ancient times. Achievements from the Arab and Western worlds, such as astronomy and calendars, intersected with China’s cultural symbols like tea, silk and porcelain on the Silk Road. The introduction of Buddhism from ancient India to China…

Every year, Ye Tanglin and his team from the Capital University of Economics and Business spend four months conducting field research in Beijing and its neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province. This academic year, Ye had begun his work well before the term got underway, carefully planning a packed research schedule. Serving as the executive deputy director of the research project on the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also known as Jing-Jin-Ji, Ye is among the pioneering members initiating this project at the university in 2007. “We serve as a think tank, offering insights and recommendations for national strategies and the advancement of regional development,” he told Xinhua News Agency. The project aims to explore the potential for integrated development within this tri-region area. This initiative took on greater…

China’s most significant annual political event, known as the Two Sessions, commenced in Beijing on March 4, bringing together thousands of deputies to the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, and members of the 14th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, the top political advisory body, from all corners of the country. The NPC is elected for a term of five years and convenes once a year, usually in March, in Beijing. NPC deputies hold part-time positions and many are ordinary citizens representing diverse professions and regions. During the NPC session, deputies engage in reviewing numerous reports, including the government work report. On March 5, a group of female representatives of China’s diverse ethnic minorities, standing outside the Great Hall of the People where the…

In the annals of history, China stands as a venerable testament to the enduring spirit of civilization, a cradle that has nurtured the growth of diverse cultures for over 5,000 years. Beyond being a hub for trade, this ancient land has been a melting pot of ideas, where the ebb and flow of cultural exchange have woven a rich tapestry that continues to shape the nation’s identity. At the heart of China’s historical legacy lies a remarkable openness to embrace and assimilate new thoughts. The echoes of this trait resonate through time, manifesting in the acceptance and integration of Buddhism and Islam into the Chinese societal fabric. Buddhism, originating in ancient India, found its way to China during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). The tranquility of Buddhist principles harmonized…