Innehållsförteckning för Vol.67/No.18 från Beijing Review

When international travelers began arriving in China in early 2023 following a three-year COVID-19 hiatus, many may have found that routine daily tasks posed challenges. Because they were more at ease with cash and credit cards and were unfamiliar with Chinese apps, they experienced difficulties performing tasks such as paying with QR codes and booking museum tickets online. But China is making efforts to address the inconveniences international visitors may face during their stay. The new initiatives are making travel around China, and within its cities, simpler and more convenient. Alipay and Weixin Pay, China’s two major digital payment services, now allow users to link international credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard. This feature makes it possible for visitors to make mobile payments in a similar way to locals. At…

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng on April 19 visited the Fairbank Center for China Studies at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he had an in-depth discussion on China-U.S. relations with experts and scholars. The following edited excerpts of his views are taken from the official website of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.: To know the real China, one needs to have a comprehensive understanding of China’s history and culture, the character of the Chinese civilization and the essence of key Chinese concepts. That enables one to know where China is coming from and where it is headed. Chinese culture provides many insights for successfully navigating the “Thucydides Trap.” (The Thucydides Trap is an international relations concept where the rise of a new power instills fear…

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?” “We children in Palestine do not grow up.” This snippet comes from a conversation between a reporter and a child in the wartorn Palestinian enclave that is the Gaza Strip in 2023. Even today, the agonies of war are very much alive, haunting countless innocents in their nightmares. “To serve not war and annihilation, but peace and reconciliation.” This is part of a quote by German-Swiss poet and Nobel Laureate Hermann Hesse (1877-1962). On January 18, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping used this quote in a keynote speech titled Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, in which he called on the international community to build a world…

‘The Switzerland-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force 10 years ago and it became gradually more important as China reduced its tariffs in accordance with a schedule that—for most tariff lines—extended over 10 years,” said Swiss Ambassador to China Jürg Burri at a gathering celebrating and reflecting on the agreement’s impact. More than 120 diplomats, academics, experts and businesspeople working in the field of bilateral foreign trade attended the gathering in Beijing on April 16. Over the past 10 years, the FTA has benefited exporters from both countries, but there is still room for improvement, according to an evaluation report launched at a panel discussion during the event. A milestone Negotiations of the FTA between China and Switzerland began in 2011, and it was signed on July 6, 2013.…

In early March, a couple in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, grabbed social media headlines by hosting a wedding that only cost 5,000 yuan ($690)—a number well below the average cost of weddings in China. According to market consultancy iiMedia Research, 40.4 percent of newlyweds in China spent between 50,000 to 100,000 yuan ($6,901 to $13,801) on their weddings in 2022, while 33.7 percent allocated a budget of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan ($13,801 to $27,602) for their nuptial celebrations. The couple in Jiaxing took a minimalist approach to their big day by foregoing elements typically associated with weddings in China today. Instead of hiring a professional wedding emcee to lead the proceedings, they hosted the wedding themselves. During the ceremony, they shared their love story and thoughts on marriage with the family…

A group of people under the age of 30 sit in a coffee house in Beijing’s Dongcheng District on April 16, reflecting on their freshly concluded Social Impact Week (SIW). “It’s been an amazing week!” “The Great Wall is one of my favorite places.” “It’s great getting to know so many excellent Shapers here.” “I still want to visit the Palace Museum.” “The payment system in China is still difficult for (non-resident) foreigners to use.” These people, known as “Shapers,” are members of the Global Shapers Community, a network of young people aged between 18 and 30 working together to address local, regional and global challenges. Born out of the World Economic Forum, the Global Shapers Community has more than 14,000 members worldwide, spanning 517 city-based hubs across 150 countries.…

The recent confrontation between Iran and Israel marks an escalation in an already unstable region, signaling a potentially dangerous trajectory in Middle Eastern geopolitics. On April 13, Iran launched drone and missile strikes against Israeli targets, a reprisal for an Israeli assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria approximately three weeks earlier. After the retaliation, Israel’s TV channel Keshet 12 quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack. And things did escalate. In the early hours of April 19, the Israeli military launched a strike on Iran. According to Iranian officials, the attack targeted a military air base near Isfahan, a central city in Iran, with simultaneous explosions reported in Iraq and Syria. This tit-for-tat pattern underscores a troubling continuity in the…

As China continues its transition to higher-quality economic development, it is increasing its reliance on new quality productive forces, those driven by innovation and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to lifting traditional industries to a higher-end, smarter and greener level, the concept of new quality productive forces calls for fostering new industries such as bio-manufacturing and commercial spaceflight, advancing the digital economy and integrating digital technologies into the real economy. While development of AI in the West began in the 1950s, China did not begin conducting its own AI research until the end of the 1970s, with the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence established in 1981. Despite its later start, China’s AI research is among the most advanced in the world in some areas. China now…

Every year, ruddy shelducks, a migratory bird species, take a break from their northbound journey in Xiaotanzi, a village on the bank of the Yellow River in Jungar Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Over the past few years, the local government has been taking numerous measures aimed at protecting the 238-km Jungar Banner section of the river, most notably controlling desertification and industrial wastewater, as well as introducing the river chief system, where local government heads are placed in charge of protecting the bodies of water within their jurisdictions. As a result of these measures, the water quality of the Yellow River has greatly improved and local residents are enjoying a better living environment. Making wastewater reusable Rich in minerals, Jungar Banner is a key industrial heartland in…

There was a time when business leaders tended to come up with ideas and make big decisions from behind the scenes, but those days may be coming to an end. In the era of information and technology, these leaders are increasingly placing themselves front and center on screen, using the trendiest and most innovative methods to connect with consumers and build brand image. Liu Qiangdong, founder and CEO of JD.com (JD), an e-commerce and logistics giant, also known as Richard Liu, is a case in point. On April 16, a digital avatar of Liu appeared as host in two livestreaming sessions on the company’s platform selling daily groceries and electronics devices. In one of the livestreams, targeted at sports fans looking forward to the UEFA Euro 2024 soccer tournament in…

SHENZHOU-18 CREW Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu (center), Li Cong (right) and Li Guangsu set out on a new crewed spaceflight mission on April 25, with Ye as commander. On that day, the Shenzhou-18 spaceship was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. The three astronauts will perform in-orbit space science and application tests and experiments, as well as multiple space walks during their six-month stay in the country’s space station. Ye was a crew member of the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022. Born in Sichuan Province in 1980, he was once an air force pilot. Li Cong and Li Guangsu are both newcomers to space. During the mission, the astronauts will carry out the country’s first in-orbit aquatic ecological research project, aiming to make…

The world economy is experiencing what the World Bank calls “the slowest half-decade of GDP growth in 30 years.” As some of China’s key growth catalysts weaken against this backdrop, a few stakeholders in the Western economy have become defeatist and pessimistic. Some believe that China will soon get caught in the “middle-income trap” or even experience the “Japanization” of its economy, characterized by low growth and deflation. Yet, a more subtle and nuanced look at China’s economic aggregates and indicators will lead us to a different conclusion. Taking a step back for a new vista is crucial to gain greater clarity of the whole landscape. When we do this, it becomes clear to us that China’s development is just entering a more mature phase. The pessimism about the Chinese…

According to the ancient Greek version of the world map from the fifth century B.C., the outermost layer of the world was ocean, and in the center of the ocean was one large continent. In the middle of the continent, there was the Mediterranean Sea. This continent was divided into three parts: Europa, Asia and Libya, which are now known as Europe, Asia and Africa. Ancient Greeks believed the farthest west was the vast Atlantic Ocean, while the Pamir Plateau was considered the eastern end of the world. As for the European hinterland to the north, it was described as a harsh and barren land, while the south, Africa, had the endless Sahara Desert. From this perspective, Greece does seem to be at the center of the world. The ancient…

U.S. President Joe Biden and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a “new era” in the two countries’ alliance in Washington, D.C., on April 10. A joint statement released by the White House after their two-hour meeting unveiled plans for military cooperation, with provocative rhetoric including narratives that challenge China’s sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. The meeting and the statement triggered a stern response from China. “Despite China’s serious concerns, the U.S. and Japan attacked and smeared China on the Taiwan question and maritime issues, grossly interfered in China’s domestic affairs and violated the basic norms in international relations. China deplores and opposes it, and has made serious démarches to relevant parties,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing in…

One Saturday in April, Ai Xiao, a 28-year-old Beijing professional, did something she had rarely done previously: going by herself to a park near her apartment and lying on the grass. “It seemed a bit weird since most of the people there were with their families, and not many of them were lying down,” Ai told Beijing Review. However, she quickly forgot the awkwardness, being soothed by the warm, bright sunshine, the sound of birds chirping, the wind moving through the trees, and the fresh, sweet smell of grass. Lying on the grass, she felt an immediate coziness and sense of wellbeing. This joyful experience entered Ai’s life through a research finding that recently went viral on Chinese social media: spending just 20 minutes in an urban park helps to…