Innehållsförteckning för Vol.68/No.50 från Beijing Review

Since becoming general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2012, Xi Jinping has given top priority to the rule of law. In improving China’s legal systems and rigorously exercising law-based governance, he has put forward a series of new ideas, new thinking and new strategies as guides to action, giving shape to Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. Five years ago, the Central Conference on Law-Based Governance proposed Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law for the first time and elaborated on it with the following 11 points: • upholding overall Party leadership in law-based governance; • upholding a people-centered approach; • upholding the rule of law under socialism with Chinese characteristics; • upholding Constitution-based governance and exercise of state power; • upholding…

ACTRESS SHINES ON MULTIPLE FRONTS On December 1, Song Jia won the Best Actress award at the inaugural Singapore International Chinese Film Golden Lion Awards for her performance in Her Story, a female-driven comedy that premiered in 2024. This victory adds to Song’s growing collection of accolades. Earlier, on November 15, she won the Best Actress award at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards for her role in the same movie, which tells the story of a resilient single mother. Despite being newly established, the Singapore golden lion awards featured a prestigious jury including veteran Hong Kong actor and moviemaker Donnie Yen, making Song’s win a meaningful international recognition. The 45-year-old actress is also well known for her portrayal of Zhang Guimei, a female principal dedicated to helping girls in poverty-stricken…

Crossing the vast Pacific, the youth of China and Australia are writing a new chapter in the future of bilateral relations through face-to-face exchanges. In late November, nearly 40 young representatives from China and Australia gathered at the 15th Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) in Guangzhou, capital of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, to engage in discussions on the theme Building Resilience in Uncertainty. Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian and Australian Ambassador to China Scott Dewar separately delivered video speeches, encouraging the youth of both countries to play an active role in people-to-people diplomacy and contribute to the development of China-Australia friendship and practical cooperation. The event was held at a crucial time when China-Australia relations are recovering after experiencing setbacks. As both ambassadors mentioned, China’s development is an…

U.S. immigration policy appears to be undergoing a major shift. On November 27, President Donald Trump announced on social media that he would indefinitely suspend immigration from “third world countries.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Government has also begun reviewing asylum, refugee and green card cases approved in recent years. If reviews uncover so-called “risks,” “incomplete information” or anything deemed “contrary to U.S. interests,” those affected could have their status revoked or even face deportation proceedings. Immigration has been a central focus for Trump across both of his terms. During his first term, he began construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and in 2017 issued the “Muslim ban” restricting citizens from certain Islamic countries from entering the U.S. In his second term, Trump signed multiple executive orders related to immigration…

One day before their scheduled return to Earth, the three astronauts aboard China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft noticed something unusual along the edge of a viewport: a small, triangular mark resembling a paint smudge. The crew immediately documented the flaw, photographing it from multiple angles under different lighting conditions, while the space station’s robotic arm cameras captured additional external images. Once the pictures reached the ground, engineers urgently analyzed the damage. It was later identified as a penetrating crack. According to Jia Shijin, chief designer of the manned spacecraft system, with the China Academy of Space Technology, the crack was likely caused by space debris no larger than a millimeter, traveling at extremely high speed. “The probability of a spacecraft being hit by debris is already very low,” Jia told Xinhua News…

Average Life Expectancy China’s average life expectancy reached 79 years in 2024, according to a report released on December 2 by the National Health Commission. China’s 2024 health statistics bulletin highlighted continued improvements in both maternal and child health, with maternal deaths falling to 14.3 per 100,000 and infant deaths dropping to 4 per 1,000. China’s healthcare resources continued to grow steadily. By the end of 2024, the country had 1,093,551 medical and health institutions, an increase of 22,766 from the previous year. The number of health professionals reached 13.02 million, 531,000 more than in 2023. The report also revealed that China’s medical institutions had handled 10.15 billion patient visits in 2024, an increase of 600 million from the previous year, reflecting both expanded service capacity and improved efficiency. Progress,…

The publication of the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China in July represents a significant milestone in the international dissemination of contemporary Chinese political thought. For foreign audiences seeking to understand the internal logic, strategic priorities and normative worldview of the world’s second largest economy, the volume provides an indispensable primary source. At a time when Western commentary on China is frequently shaped by misperception, selective narratives or geopolitical anxieties, returning to the original texts is not merely useful—it is essential. This book offers a direct window into the governing philosophy that has guided China through a period of profound transformation, global uncertainty and institutional reform. Why important Volume V brings together 91 speeches and written statements delivered by President Xi Jinping between May 2022 and December…

As China welcomes more global creators and influencers, new perspectives are emerging beyond familiar narratives. To better understand this shift, Beijing Review reporter Li Wenhan spoke with Molombo Thillot, Cultural Director and media correspondent for the American Communist Party, during his first visit to China. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow: Beijing Review: You are an artist and a media correspondent for the American Communist Party. How do you balance creative work with political activism? Molombo Thillot: From the outside, it might look contradictory—being an artist while also working in a political movement. But for Black people in the U.S., and for the Black radical tradition, it’s normal. Historically, our artists, thinkers and organizers were often the same people. Look at the Panthers: Some of the most recognized figures in…

On November 24, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) launched an international science program for research on burning plasma and released its research plan for the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST), also known as an “artificial sun.” BEST, a compact fusion experiment device under construction in Hefei, Anhui Province, is designed to demonstrate actual “burning” of deuterium-tritium plasma, a fuel mixture composed of two isotopes of hydrogen. With the core objective of achieving power generation through controlled compact nuclear fusion, the construction of BEST is planned to be completed by 2027, after which a commercial nuclear fusion power plant will be built by 2050. At that time, China will completely revamp its energy mix and offer the technology as a Chinese solution for global sustainable development. Currently, the main…

With the vigorous growth of the newenergy vehicle (NEV) industry, China has emerged as a global leader in both power battery production and consumption. Based on estimated battery lifespans, China is on the cusp of a significant phase of power battery retirement. State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) statistics indicate that in 2024, China’s retired power batteries amounted to approximately 400,000 tons, with recycling volumes exceeding 300,000 tons, representing a market size of over 48 billion yuan ($6.8 billion). Xu Guangjian, a public policy professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy of Renmin University of China, explained to People’s Daily that waste power battery recycling and utilization primarily follow two models: resource recovery through the extraction of valuable raw materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel, and secondary applications…

‘Hello, this is your captain speaking. We are now flying over Chengdu, China…” The voice gently nudged me awake. Through the window, a meticulously planned city unfolded below—clean, green and serene. Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) gleamed like a vast, modern sculpture. At an altitude of more than 10,000 meters, my new life was beginning. I come from Balochistan, where silence often speaks of absence—of opportunity, infrastructure, light. Stepping into TFU, I encountered order: bright signboards, clean floors and people moving with calm purpose. My first Didi—a leading online ridehailing service—ride was in a sleek electric car. The cheerful driver chatted warmly in Chinese. I smiled and replied with my few phrases. It was a confusing yet joyful start. Using Baidu Maps, I realized how much I had to learn.…

After a two-year hiatus, French President Emmanuel Macron returned to China for a state visit from December 3 to 5, with stops in both Beijing and Chengdu. At a time when profound, generation-defining shifts in the global landscape are unfolding, the world economy is straining to regain momentum and geopolitical realignments are gathering speed, this highlevel engagement between China and France, both permanent members of the UN Security Council and major powers that prize strategic autonomy, carries weight well beyond the bilateral relationship. Macron’s trip is not just about reaffirming and deepening a comprehensive strategic partnership; it is a deliberate attempt to use the relative stability of China-France ties to counterbalance mounting global uncertainty. By honoring his promise to return to China, Macron is signaling a shared expectation in both…

For more than a century, agriculture has been a pillar of the U.S. economy, feeding domestic consumers and supplying global markets. It is a story of remarkable efficiency, in which less than 2 percent of the population feeds the nation and generates significant export income. Soybeans have become one of the stars of U.S. farm exports, with China emerging as the dominant buyer over the last decade. But this success is sadly coming to an end, disrupted by Washington’s trade war with China—a conflict that has exposed structural weaknesses in U.S. agriculture, empowered competitors and accelerated America’s self-inflicted decline in competitiveness. This decline mirrors parallel issues in American manufacturing and finance, rooted in a lack of rational, sustainable goals and policies. In 2018, under the first Donald Trump administration, the…

In November, track-laying began for the Wenling-Yuhuan section of the Hangzhou-Taizhou high-speed railway in Zhejiang Province—China’s first high-speed rail line controlled by private capital, which became operational in 2022. Both Wenling and Yuhuan are county-level cities administered by the prefecture-level Taizhou City, and Hangzhou is capital of Zhejiang. The Hangzhou-Taizhou line is among China’s first group of high-speed railway projects funded by a public-private partnership (PPP), with 51 percent of its shares held by a consortium of eight private enterprises and the rest by the state-owned China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. and the local provincial and municipal governments. The construction of its 266.9-km original section began in 2017 and the track-laying work was completed in June 2021. China has mainly relied on government investment for railway construction, especially high-speed…

This year’s animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 was the world’s highest-grossing animated film of all time. But few people know this hit movie was produced in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, which is famous for giant pandas. The core creative team of the Ne Zha series, Chengdu Cococartoon Animation Film and Television Co. Ltd. (Cococartoon), is located in Tianfu Long Island Digital Cultural and Creative Park (Tianfu Park) in Chengdu’s Hi-Tech Zone. Also located at the park are more than 60 other companies specializing in digital cultural and creative industries, forming an industrial cluster. High-tech prowess In 2019, Jiaokeli Animation Studio was upgraded from a small animation team into Cococartoon, a large-scale animation company capable of creating animated films. In the same year, the Tianfu Park was opened.…