Innehållsförteckning för Vol.68/No.39 från Beijing Review

China has outlined a three-step timeline for its AI development in a recently issued Central Government guideline: By 2027, the penetration rate of AI technology should reach 70 percent, with the core industries of the intelligent economy expanding rapidly; by 2030, the penetration rate should surpass 90 percent, making AI a central growth engine of the economy; and by 2035, China should have entered a mature stage of intelligent economic and social development. The guideline, released on August 26 with a focus on deepening the implementation of the AI Plus initiative, also identifies six priority areas for integrated AI development: science and technology, industry, consumption, public welfare, governance and global cooperation. The impact of AI on economic development, social progress and the international political and economic landscape is evolving rapidly.…

The United States, Europe and China have all made progress in important aspects of AI governance: The EU has put into force its Artificial Intelligence Act, the U.S. administration has issued executive orders on AI, and China, too, has established its own AI laws and regulations. These advances were made according to each actor’s own criteria and governance models. For its part, it is important to highlight the Shanghai Declaration on Global AI Governance, produced on July 4, 2024, within the framework of the World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance. The Shanghai Declaration and the recent United Nations resolution on AI capacity-building are very important because they express the concerns of developing countries and aim to reduce the gap between the Global South and the Global…

Beijing Review: How do you assess the role of CIFIT as a platform for international investment and cooperation? And how would you evaluate the city of Xiamen as its host? Harley Seyedin: I know the CIFIT very well, and I’ve watched its growth alongside China’s growth—especially in Fujian Province and the city of Xiamen. Xiamen is known as the “Paris of the Orient,” but I think it’s even better. It’s a beautiful, ancient city, home to the very first foreign consulate in China, which has been preserved wonderfully. The CIFIT is a very important part of the growth of China. We’ve been bringing delegations of different sizes to the fair for more than 20 years. The fair represents two types of opportunities: investment into China and investment into other countries.…

On September 13, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced it had launched an anti-discrimination investigation into U.S. measures targeting China’s integrated circuit (IC) sector. In recent years, the United States has implemented a series of prohibitions and restrictions against China’s IC sector, including export control measures. These protectionist practices are suspected of discriminating against China and constitute the suppression of China’s hi-tech industries such as advanced computing chips and AI. These actions not only undermine China’s development interests but also seriously disrupt the stability of the global semiconductor industrial and supply chains. China firmly opposes such practices. The investigation was launched in accordance with Articles 7, 16 and 37 of China’s Foreign Trade Law, and China may take corresponding measures against the U.S. based on the investigation’s findings, said a…

NEW HEAD OF THE NATIONAL ETHNIC AFFAIRS COMMISSION Senior official Chen Ruifeng has recently been appointed head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, an agency tasked with coordinating relations between China’s ethnic groups and promoting solidarity among them. Chen, 59, has held several posts including secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) committees of Suizhou, Hubei Province, and Xining, Qinghai Province. Before this latest appointment, he was deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and head of the National Religious Affairs Administration. Chen is an alternate member of the incumbent 20th CPC Central Committee. There are 56 ethnic groups in China with the Han people making up 91 percent of the total population. The other 55 ethnic groups are collectively known as ethnic…

As China moves forward with the introduction of the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) it is encountering criticism from Washington that it aims to change the international system merely to suit itself. This raises the question of whether China should be labeled a “revisionist state” or whether it’s pursuing a more inclusive and equitable global order, one that upholds the spirit and principles of key institutions in the existing global governance system, including the United Nations. The GGI focuses on the direction, principles and pathways for reforming the global governance system. China has offered repeatedly to work hand in hand with other states to reform the elements of the global governance system that have failed to live up to the world’s needs and expectations. It has done so in response to…

The fundamental compact between a government and its citizens hinges on a foundational promise: The state will ensure the safety and security of its people. Citizens entrust their freedoms and resources to the government in exchange for this essential protection. However, in the United States, this fundamental obligation has been broken, forcing a fearful population, who might otherwise be opposed to gun control, to buy them for their personal and family safety. While the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, it was written at a time when the 13 Colonies had just achieved independence and were surrounded by threats domestically and internationally. Civilian militias were essential in the American reality of that time, both for personal and national security. Times change, and the America…

In steelmaking, what once relied on the seasoned eye of a master is now handled by smart systems that read flame color and brightness to guide inputs with precision. In sugarcane fields, robots take care of planting, spraying and harvesting while spotting weeds to cut pesticide use. A legal large model can translate laws from all 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a fruit-focused large model offers features such as evaluating when durians are ripe, helping more ASEAN produce reach the Chinese market. These advances were among the highlights of the AI for All: China-ASEAN—also known as the AI Super League, a competition for cutting-edge technologies transforming everyday industries. Since its launch in July in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the event has attracted…

For Paola Cortellesi, the director of Italian film There’s Still Tomorrow that clinched Best Picture at the Second Golden Panda Awards, the recognition is a powerful reminder: “Cinema has the power to connect us beyond borders, languages and cultures.” The film, which dominated Italy’s box office in 2023, tells the story of Delia, a working-class housewife suffering from domestic violence in post-war Italy during the 1940s. Her awakening begins after gaining the right to vote in the 1946 Italian institutional referendum. This work about an Italian woman’s plight 78 years ago earned a high score of 9.4/10 on Douban, a major Chinese review platform. It has resonated deeply with Chinese audiences. One review reads: “Escape is good, but change is better. After today, there’s still tomorrow.” At the Second Golden…

On September 10, entrepreneur and influencer Luo Yonghao said in a post on popular microblogging platform Weibo that nearly all dishes at Xibei, a renowned restaurant chain serving northwest Chinese cuisine, are pre-made. Xibei first denied the claim, but later issued a public apology, promising to do its best to shift central kitchen processes back to on-site preparation. The extensive public engagement in this debate reflects consumers’ growing concern about the expansion of the pre-made meal industry. The dispute between Luo and Xibei resonated widely precisely because it highlights a key point of confusion among consumers: how to distinguish pre-made dishes, and how to avoid being misled by pre-made items presented as freshly cooked food—all while trying to maintain a healthy diet. Ding Jing (News.cn): Consumers doubt the safety, nutrition…

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge had facilitated over 90 million passenger trips and handled over 18.68 million vehicles since its inauguration in October 2018, according to the bridge’s border inspection station on September 16. The crossing has drastically reduced travel time between Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Zhuhai in Guangdong Province from three hours to just 30 minutes. The bridge has experienced robust growth in traffic, with passenger volume reaching 27 million in 2024. This year has already seen 21.2 million passengers, a 19-percent year-on-year increase. Moreover, annual trips are projected to surpass 30 million for the first time by year-end. The expansion of individual travel plans from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions has significantly boosted tourism across the bridge. Since…

At the Third Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) International Conference in Hefei, Anhui province, on September 5, Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, revealed plans for the country to conduct a kinetic impact demonstration mission targeting an asteroid. The mission, which will follow a “fly-by, impact and follow-up fly-by” model, will use AI to help execute the operation. This is a major step forward in space exploration—but it also opens up a new debate: What happens when AI starts making decisions in outer space? AI promises to boost efficiency in space missions, but it also brings new legal questions into focus: Who should be held responsible if something goes wrong? Who owns the data generated in space? And are…

Beijing Review: What are your comments on China’s environmental protection achievements? Siddharth Chatterjee: I think on all counts China must be commended for what it has done in dealing with nature. Look at Beijing, not just too long ago, about 20 to 25 years ago, it was one of the most polluted cities in the world leading to all forms of major human health challenges. Decades of determined efforts by the government, by communities and other stakeholders, have shown that cleaner air is within reach, as highlighted in the UN report and a review of 20 years of air pollution control in Beijing. And today its skies are clear with high air quality. And there are three reasons for this change. First, there was strong political will to make this…

The White House lowered its flag to half-staff on September 10 after a shooting claimed the life of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist who was fatally shot while speaking at an outdoor debate at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, the U.S., earlier that day. For many, the lowering of the flag, now a kind of shorthand for national grief, felt like a ritual repeated far too often as a result of fire-arm deaths, which have long been a fixture of American life. Following Kirk’s death, four mass shootings happened in the U.S. within four days. As of September 15, there had been 305 mass shootings in the country this year alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group established in 2013 to track gun-related violence. A…

On September 10, David Ingram, a tourist from Australia, purchased a souvenir at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing and received an instant refund of the value-added tax in yuan. During this year’s CIFTIS, which took place in the Chinese capital on September 10-14, multiple merchants offered “buy-and-refund” services for tax-free goods. “I really like Chinese cultural and creative products but, in the past, I could only process tax refunds at the airport, which was quite inconvenient,” Ingram said. “Now, I can complete the refund before going to the airport, which feels very convenient and greatly enhances my travel experience in China.” Additionally, international visitors have found it is easier to travel to and in China. During border inspection, travelers can achieve swift clearance via…