Innehållsförteckning för Vol.68/No.28 från Beijing Review

On June 23-30, a dynamic group of young innovators from around the world converged in China for the third edition of the Future Close-Up (FCU) program—an initiative launched in 2023 through a partnership between China International Communications Group Center for the Americas (publisher of Beijing Review) and tech leader Tencent’s Marketing and Public Relations Department. Their mission? To experience firsthand how China is shaping tomorrow’s technological and cultural landscape. Sixteen representatives—entrepreneurs, scientists, scholars and digital influencers from 14 countries and regions, including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Australia and Brazil—embarked on an immersive journey through the Greater Bay Area (GBA), a flourishing city cluster in south China. With a population of more than 80 million, the GBA covers an area of 56,000 square km, about three times that of the…

Beijing Review: This year is AmCham Shanghai’s 110th anniversary. How has the chamber evolved alongside China-U.S. trade relations over the decades? Eric Zheng: In 1915, 45 American businessmen gathered at the Palace Hotel—now known as the Peace Hotel—on the Bund, then the heart of Shanghai’s foreign business community, and decided to establish the American Chamber of Commerce. It was the third AmCham overseas, after Paris and Manila—a decision that was not all that surprising given the growing number of U.S. businesspeople that were based in Shanghai back then. Even in the early 20th century, a host of U.S. firms, such as Citibank and American Express, were already quite active in the city. In those early years, the chamber served as a network that allowed businesspeople to socialize with one another.…

Over the past six months, multiple global consulting firms have quietly issued optimistic assessments of China’s rising influence. This only came to the Chinese public’s attention in late June, when an article published in newspaper People’s Daily spotlighted the country’s growing soft power, bringing these overlooked reports into the national conversation. The Global Soft Power Index 2025, released in February by UK-based consultancy Brand Finance, based on a year-long survey of 170,000 respondents from all 193 United Nations member states, evaluates countries’ performance across 55 soft power metrics. The U.S. retained the top spot with a score of 79.5 (out of 100), while China, with 72.8, surpassed the UK for the first time to claim second place globally—a sharp rise from eighth place in 2021. In April, Ipsos—a global research…

When marathons and cycling have become “old hat” and no longer scratch the itch, outdoor enthusiasts are turning to Spartan races—grueling obstacle courses reborn from ancient Greece’s Spartan military training traditions. These taxing races stretch from 5 km to 50 km, demanding athletes conquer between 21 and 60 brutal obstacles. Wu Ye, a 32-year-old multisport enthusiast from Beijing whose passions include cycling, skiing and marathon running, faced his first Spartan challenge this May, spurred on by his cycling buddies. “Most of my cycling crew had already tried it,” he told Beijing Evening News. “I also wanted to experience it.” It was a 10-km ordeal requiring him to tackle 25 obstacles. “Running 10 km is routine for me,” he said. “But those 25 obstacles stopped me cold—some seemed insurmountable.” What unnerved…

Song Yan, Deputy Director of the Nanjing Museum Administration has devoted more than three decades to connecting children and youth with the treasures of China’s past. She is also a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, from Jiangsu Province’s capital of Nanjing—the ancient capital of six dynasties. From her early days as a junior curator at Chaotian Palace in Nanjing in 1989, to her current role as both a veteran cultural steward and national lawmaker, Song has helped transform museums into an exciting part of public life. Booming museums Song believes that the long-term vitality of museums depends on quality, especially in exhibit design and presentation. “Our exhibitions are now much more people-centered,” she explained. “When preparing an exhibition, we ask: What does the audience…

NEW PARTY CHIEF OF XINJIANG The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has appointed Chen Xiaojiang as the new secretary of the CPC Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, replacing Ma Xingrui. Born in 1962, Chen was executive deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee since 2022. Previously, he held leading posts in multiple Party and government agencies, including director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, deputy director of the National Supervisory Commission and deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Chen had some 16 years’ experience working in media since he became an editor at China Electric Power News in 1984. He was appointed editor in chief of China Water Recourses News in 1995, and president of the industry…

Beijing Review: Can you share some impressions of China? How did you initially become interested in Marxism? What has your visit to China taught you about the country’s governance practices? Carlos L. Garrido: It’s my first time in China, and I must say the experience has completely exceeded my expectations. This reality starkly contrasts with the narratives typically presented by U.S. media. The American media often misrepresents China, creating a distorted image. If more Americans could visit and witness firsthand the reality of Chinese society, they’d quickly realize those media narratives are baseless propaganda. My engagement with Marxism began through personal reflection triggered by real-life events and philosophical inquiries. Growing up in the U.S., I observed stark contrasts: enormous skyscrapers with many empty rooms alongside streets filled with homeless individuals.…

Chinese authorities have issued a series of measures to regulate online identity authentication services. These measures, due to take effect on July 15, will promote the development of public services for cyberspace identity authentication to safeguard trusted digital identities and citizens’ personal information. This move supports the healthy and orderly growth of the digital economy. With the Internet’s widespread adoption and the digital economy’s rapid expansion, online connectivity has become deeply embedded in all facets of society. People typically maintain multiple online accounts that collectively form their digital identities. When these identities are verified against real personal information, they become what’s known as “trusted digital identities.” Recognizing their importance, many nations have implemented trusted digital identity strategies, creating national authentication systems to protect citizens’ identity data. China’s recently enacted measures…

Arelentless heatwave has gripped Beijing since early June, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit). The hot weather compelled Wang Shining, a Beijing resident, to take refuge elsewhere. She packed her bags and together with her husband traveled to the Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei Province for some much-needed respite. “I just couldn’t take the outdoor heat anymore—but I also don’t want to stay cooped up indoors with the air conditioning on all day either,” Wang told Beijing Review. “Now, at the resort, even daytime outings are bearable. We’ll stay here for a week.” Built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Chengde Mountain Resort served as a seasonal retreat for China’s imperial family, located 180 km northeast of Beijing. Its cooler climate—thanks to a higher elevation and…

During a media briefing in the lead-up to the 13th World Peace Forum in Beijing on June 26, Yan Xuetong, Honorary Dean of the Institute of International Relations at Beijing-based Tsinghua University, delivered a lecture titled “Trump and the International Order.” Analyzing flashpoints such as the Israel-Iran conflict, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Gaza crisis, Yan mapped the shifting international landscape and projected its potential futures. Yan argued that amid the trend of counter-globalization, global instability and uncertainty have all risen, and military conflicts are becoming more frequent. In economic terms, global industrial chains are undergoing restructuring, with long chains facing increasing risk of fragmentation, and new chains to become shorter, involving fewer countries. Yan has said on multiple occasions that the current global order is characterized by counter-globalization, a…

For Iranian businessman Behzad Nouri, his first trip to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, one of northwest China’s top summer vacation destinations, wasn’t about sightseeing. It was about forging business ties at the 2025 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo held in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, on June 26-30. Nouri has been doing business in China for several years and is based in Hangzhou, the country’s e-commerce hub in the eastern province of Zhejiang. “The products we provide can be sold in bulk or retail,” Nouri told Beijing Review. “This expo allows us to share what we have in Iran—our culture, our quality—and build connections that transcend commerce.” Coming to connect At the expo, global merchants gathered to showcase their products and visions, reaffirming Xinjiang’s central role in the Silk Road…

The Grand Canal, the world’s longest artificial waterway, is the epitome of China’s cultural heritage. This year sees the 40th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Heritage Convention and the beginning of the second decade since the Grand Canal’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2014. Public commitment to the preservation of this canal, the first segments of which were dug in the fifth century B.C., now thrives along its 1,800-km span. From Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south, stories of the canal’s protection and utilization abound, with one of its liveliest chapters unfolding in Gongshu District, Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, east China. Memory and innovation “Grain transport was one of the Grand Canal’s paramount functions, especially during the Yuan, Ming and Qing…

Starting June 28, passengers on Chinese domestic flights face stricter power bank regulations. The Civil Aviation Administration of China now bans power banks without valid 3C certification (China’s mandatory safety standard) or those recalled for safety defects—a move triggered by rising incidents of lithium-ion battery fires and smoke emissions mid-flight. The policy has already led to confiscated power banks piling up at airports, leaving passengers to board without them. Even though airports offer storage options, many still question the abrupt nature of the regulation. While the emphasis on safety-first standards is widely supported, critics question the implementation process and argue that the cost of industry compliance shouldn’t fall entirely on consumers. Qu Jing (Jimu News): While some brands have initiated recalls of faulty power banks, many courier services refuse to…