Innehållsförteckning för Vol.68/No.4 från Beijing Review

In 2024, China’s high-speed railway network made two major achievements. First, its total length reached 48,000 km, maintaining first position globally. Second, a train prototype capable of reaching a test speed of 450 km per hour was unveiled and will be put into commercial operation this year, ushering in a new era of high-speed railway at 450 km per hour, an increase from 350 km. With the world’s fastest trains and the largest network, China’s high-speed railway showcases the advanced technologies used in its construction. Ensuring the safe and stable operation of the high-speed railway network requires technologies in the areas of materials, telecommunications, signaling, design and operation management, in all of which China excels globally. Breakthroughs in China’s high-speed railway technologies benefit the international community. As the Belt and…

Donald Trump was sworn into office for a second time in Washington, D.C., on January 20 (local time). Nearly all analysts’ predictions regarding the results of the U.S. presidential election two months ago were incorrect. Even those who anticipated a victory for Trump expected the margin to be extremely narrow. But, in contrast to the two previous elections, Trump’s share of the vote increased across almost the entire country, winning all the swing states and making traditionally Republican states even more Republican, shifting some competitive states to a more Republican stance, and transforming traditionally Democratic states into more competitive “purple” states. He garnered support from nearly all social groups, including people of different races and demographics. Despite his opponents’ claims of numerous moral failings, many educated Americans still voted for…

Less than two weeks before his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, Donald Trump took advantage of the wide-ranging news conference following the Congress certifying his victory in the 2024 presidential election to declare: “I am back.” During the conference at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on January 7, Trump said he would not rule out using military or economic action to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. This controversy has drawn widespread opposition from European leaders and fueled concerns about Trump’s motivations, as well as the future of transatlantic relations. Not for sale “We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said at the news conference, adding he would consider imposing tariffs on Denmark “at a very high level” if it resisted his offer to…

While a highly mobile working population has been the norm in China for decades, gaps have persisted in workers’ access to social security when they’re working away from home. Gaps also remain in what have become the world’s most powerful industrial and supply chains, meaning those workers may not find their favorite products on the shelves of every city. Problems like these are diminishing, but remain as obstacles to tackle as the Central Government works to build a unified national market. To break down the barriers between markets in different regions, promote the free flow of resources on a national scale and stimulate market vitality and social creativity, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planner, issued guidelines for building a unified national market on January 7.…

Caught up in the whirlwind of careers and family life, Zhang Ran and Jiang Lingling, both in their early 30s and working in Beijing, found their girls’ talk moments becoming increasingly rare. It had been months since their last catch-up. When they finally found time to meet, Jiang’s eyes were immediately drawn to the two crystal bracelets on Zhang’s wrist, a trend that has recently taken over social media. One of the bracelets Zhang wore was a string of golden rutilated quartz spheres, adorned with a honey amber and a piece of sandalwood, while the other was a string of simple, elegant white crystal spheres. “Crystals are known for their high-frequency energy properties. As human physical and mental struggles often stem from low-frequency vibrations, the stable high frequencies of crystals…

‘If I could get another chance, I would still choose to major in Sinology in college,” said Peter Tichauer, who first learned Chinese in 1980 at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Since then, he has forged a deep bond with China. In 1984, Tichauer had the opportunity to study at Peking University as an exchange student for one year. The stay was short, but it was enough to spark his interest in working in China in the future. Not immediately landing an opportunity to work in China, Tichauer found related work at home. His first job after graduation was to coordinate scientific and technological cooperation with China in the German Ministry of Science and Technology. In 1995, he joined the Berlin OWC publishing house as an editor. After the publishing…

U.S. ONLINE INFLUENCER TO APPEAR ON NEW YEAR GALA U.S. influencer Evan Kail announced on social platform X that he has received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched television show broadcast on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which falls on January 28 this year. Kail gained a large fan base in China after donating a collection of World War II (1939-45) photographs to the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago in November 2022. Kail owns a pawn shop in Minneapolis and is also an experienced social media influencer with a considerable following on YouTube, X and TikTok. He frequently creates short videos to share his life and the stories behind his collectibles. The collection he donated was provided by a client of his shop and includes over 30 rare…

Warwick Powell, an adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia and senior fellow at Taihe Institute in Beijing, China, spoke with Liu Yunyun, Associate Editor in Chief of Beijing Review. During their conversation, they explored Sino-U.S. relations and discussed potential pathways for rebuilding trust and improving ties during newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. Powell also addressed Australia’s role in navigating the complex dynamics between China and the United States. Edited excerpts from the interview follow: Beijing Review: During Donald Trump’s first presidential term (2017-21), China and the U.S. experienced diplomatic tensions. What do you believe are the main lessons learned from that period? Warwick Powell: The key lesson from that experience is the importance of understanding the root causes of concerns on both sides. When…

A groundbreaking achievement was made in the central Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on December 30, 2024. The 22-km Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, part of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, was successfully completed, connecting the region’s northern and southern areas via a direct route running through the mountain range. The project took six years to complete. Thousands of workers, enduring the harsh conditions of Tianshan at altitudes over 3,000 meters, including fierce winds and heavy snow, worked to carve through the mountains and complete the tunnel. Once operational later this year, the tunnel will cut travel time across the mountains from about three hours to just 20 minutes, bringing benefits to the economic and social development of both northern and southern Xinjiang. A road for the people The Tianshan Mountain Range,…

The year 2025 holds a special place in the history of Chinese cinema. One hundred and twenty years ago, Dingjun Mountain, a cinematic adaptation of a classic Peking Opera, came out and was later remembered as the first Chinese film ever made. For Chinese filmmakers, however, the year arrived not with exciting promise, but rather hefty uncertainty. According to data released by the China Film Administration on January 1, the country’s total box office revenue in 2024 plummeted by 23 percent to just 42.5 billion yuan ($6 billion)—the lowest since 2015 and 34 percent down on the numbers of 2019, a record year for the Chinese box office before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In the eyes of Wang Hongwei, Vice President of the China Film Directors’ Guild and a renowned…

Consumers will receive a 15-percent subsidy on digital products such as mobile phones, tablets and smart watches, according to a recent announcement from the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance. This is the first time digital products have been included in the country’s consumer goods trade-in program. Under the new policy, buyers can receive a maximum subsidy of 500 yuan ($68) for any single item in the three categories this year, provided its selling price is below 6,000 yuan ($818). Many believe this subsidy will further boost digital product sales, particularly in the smartphone market, where demand remains strong. In the first 11 months of 2024, 280 million mobile phones were shipped in China. This represented a year-on-year increase of 12 percent, with 5G phones accounting…