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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
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Beijing reports two imported COVID cases from Switzerland (China Daily)
2020-11-10
Beijing reported two imported COVID-19 cases on Monday and no local, asymptomatic or suspected cases were reported on the same day, according to the city's health authority on Tuesday morning. One of the confirmed cases, a 22-year-old male, took flight CA864 from Switzerland to Beijing. After arriving in the capital on Nov 8 (Sunday), he received nucleic acid testing and the result came back positive on Nov 9 (Monday). He then was taken to Ditan Hospital for further medical treatment. The other case, a 45-year-old female, also took flight CA864 and received testing after arrival in Beijing on Sunday. Her test result was positive and she was confirmed as a COVID-19 patient on Monday. All close contacts and passengers on the same flight have been placed in centralized quarantine, and none have reported any symptoms so far. ^ top ^
Global pharma firms take CIIE pill for growth (China Daily)
2020-11-10
International pharmaceutical companies signed several agreements on extended research and development cooperation and new drug development with their Chinese partners at the ongoing third China International Import Expo to better contribute to a more innovative healthcare ecosystem in China. Novo Nordisk, the Denmarkbased biopharmaceutical company, inked an agreement on Saturday to set up a new entity for research and development, marketing, import and distribution of finished medicines. The new entity, Novo Nordisk (Shanghai) Pharma Trading Co Ltd, will be set up in the Lingang New Area, a section of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and have a total investment of 200 million yuan ($30 million). "China's continuously improving business environment, growing innovation ecosystem, and its stable policy environment gives us confidence in the future of the market," said Christine Zhou, senior vice-president and president for the China region for Novo Nordisk. According to Zhou, the country's dual circulation development pattern has inspired Novo Nordisk to further grow its research and development activities from China and for China. "With the help of the measures to deepen China's reform and opening-up such as the hosting of the CIIE, the company will work to grow its business and make changes in the diabetes and other chronic disease situations in the country," Zhou said. Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche was one of the first MNCs to have a strong research focus in China. Set up in 2004, the company's R&D center was the first to be established by a multinational pharmaceutical company in Shanghai. In October 2019, Roche upgraded the center into the Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, making it the company's third global R&D center following the one at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and the other in San Francisco, the United States. The new center is focused on the research and early development of innovative drugs for treating immunity, inflammation and anti-infectious diseases. It currently has about 150 scientists, with over 90 percent of them coming from China. By the end of August, 257 invention patent applications had been submitted based on inventions and creations from the center, and 144 had been granted in China, the US, the European Union, and Japan. In addition, nine molecules, the development of which involved the innovation center, have entered clinical trial phases. US-based Pfizer, which established the Pfizer (China) Research and Development Center in Shanghai in 2005, said the center is a key pivot in the company's global R&D network and the company will continue to prioritize China with increasingly core technologies and resources. Jessie Chen, general manager of the Pfizer (China) Research and Development Center, said the company hopes to step up collaborations with the industry. "We want to create a world-class biopharmaceutical R&D ecological environment in China, which is part of the shared global R&D community, and help the country's local clinical research go international," she said. The company's goal is for China to be involved in at least 80 percent of its global early-phase and key clinical research programs within three years and 80 percent of its programs to be submitted for approval in the country simultaneously and to be introduced to the market. Moreover, the company plans to gradually involve the country in more phase I and II clinical trials to assist Chinese medical workers to accumulate experience in this area. It will also make innovative drugs available to Chinese patients more quickly, the company said. The global phase III clinical trials of an innovative targeted drug to treat lung cancer, which was approved in the country last year, was led by a professor in Guangdong province and another in Hong Kong. The therapy was also approved in many other countries and regions with its clinical trial results. Boston Scientific established its first overseas R&D center in Shanghai a decade ago. A team of more than 70 local engineers has leveraged insights into the local market to roll out products that meet local patients' needs and international requirements. A star exhibit from the company at the CIIE, which avails of digital technologies to provide remote clinical support for physicians, was developed by the China R&D team. ^ top ^
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China, African countries need to build stronger community with shared future: Chinese FM (Xinhua)
2020-11-13
China and African countries need to strengthen solidarity and build a stronger community with a shared future, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday. Wang made the remarks at the reception celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Twenty years ago, Chinese and African leaders gathered in Beijing to inaugurate FOCAC. A new era was thus opened for China-Africa relations. Over the two decades, by acting along the prevailing trend of peace, development and cooperation, FOCAC has established itself as a pacesetter for cooperation with Africa, a champion of multilateralism, and a fine example of mutually beneficial cooperation, Wang noted. Wang put forward four propositions on how to make sure that China-Africa relations will seize the trend of the times and scale new heights, how to build on achievement and further upgrade and enhance China-Africa cooperation, and how to enable FOCAC to meet the challenges and achieve progress in creative ways. Wang called on China and African countries to strengthen solidarity and build a stronger community with a shared future, to tide over the current challenge together and build a China-Africa community of health for all, to pursue win-win cooperation to build a China-Africa community of development for all, and to embrace responsibilities and work toward a community with a shared future for mankind. Noting FOCAC is a valuable asset for China and Africa, Wang said the two sides must keep pace with the times to ensure that the Forum remains a shining example of China-Africa relations. China is ready to work with Africa to make good preparations on the arrangements and deliverables of the next FOCAC meeting scheduled to be held next year, Wang said, adding that China hopes the meeting will take the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership to a new height. ^ top ^
Xi Jinping tells Russia, Asian partners to oppose interference by 'external forces' (SCMP)
2020-11-12
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Asian partners and Russia to oppose interference by "external forces", taking a veiled swipe at the United States during an address to a regional security summit. Xi did not make direct mention of Washington in the speech, his first international comments since the US election a week ago, and delivered as officials in the Donald Trump administration step up pressure on Beijing. "The world is entering a period of turbulence and transformation. The international community now faces a major test with choices to be made between multilateralism and unilateralism, openness and seclusion, cooperation and confrontation," Xi said in remarks to state leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) online summit on Tuesday. Tensions between the US and China have risen during the Trump era, and Xi's speech featured several Chinese foreign policy buzzwords that Beijing uses to hit out at Washington. Xi called on SCO member states – China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – to "firmly oppose interference by external forces in the domestic affairs" of other members. He also warned against rising "unilateralism" in the world, a word Beijing frequently uses to bash Washington for backing out of treaties like the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal. And he called for the group to resist the proliferation of "political viruses", a term China has used for Washington's campaign to question Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump administration officials have stepped up pressure on China, even after major media outlets called last week's election in favour of Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has refused to concede defeat and vowed to contest the outcome. On Tuesday, Pompeo said the Trump administration was "not finished yet" with China, and in separate remarks said there would be a "smooth transition to a second Trump administration". The SCO meeting was held as local economies reel from the pandemic: member state Kyrgyzstan grapples with an uprising; and amid conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, both dialogue partners. A protracted border dispute also continues between India and China, and Tuesday's summit was the first multilateral meeting attended by both Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the conflict erupted in May. In his address, Modi said it was "unfortunate" that there were unnecessary attempts to bring bilateral issues into the SCO agenda, and he called on member states to respect "territorial integrity" and "sovereignty". "To further deepen connectivity network [within the SCO], it is necessary to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. In a joint statement released after the summit, the SCO member states pledged to oppose unilateral actions in international affairs and to promote non-interference in domestic affairs. Russian President Vladimir Putin also denounced "foreign pressure" during his address to the summit, and he condemned sanctions on Belarus imposed by Europe and the US after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko refused to step down following his disputed re-election in August. ^ top ^
China and EU set to improve global climate governance (China Daily)
2020-11-11
Climate change is one of the most serious global challenges facing humankind. And although different countries have suffered to different extents the effects of climate change－such as forest fires, tsunami, droughts, cyclones, and melting glaciers and drying water bodies－the challenge can be overcome only through international cooperation, not by one country or a tiny group of countries. In this regard, China and the European Union have made some of the most ambitious commitments The communiqué released after the conclusion of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee in late October has vowed to promote green development, strengthen the sustainable development strategy, accelerate the building of a low-carbon economy, improve resource utilization and expedite the transformation of the energy system, in order to build an ecological civilization. Moreover, addressing the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in late September, President Xi Jinping said China's carbon emission will peak by 2030 and it will attain carbon neutrality by 2060, and thus make a huge contribution to the global fight against climate change. As for the EU, the bloc has exhibited its most progressive and ambitious side in combating climate change. In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her first "State of Union" speech since taking office on December 2020, said the EU will increase the 2030 target for emission reduction to 55 percent from the current 40 percent, which would put it on track for its climate neutrality goal and help it meet its Paris Agreement obligations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On the economic front, the EU has said green transition will be one of its two major focus areas during the post-pandemic period－the other being digital transition－with 37 percent of "Recovery Fund" to be spent directly on European Green Deal objectives. The world is facing a grave public health crisis, a serious economic crisis and a critical climate crisis, which are interconnected and can be addressed only if all countries work together. And low-carbon and sustainable development will not only add momentum to the post-pandemic economic recovery but also help resolve the contradictions of globalization-induced economic development and its negative effects on the environment and society as a whole. International organizations such as the International Energy Agency, International Renewable Energy Agency, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have urged countries and enterprises to seize the opportunity offered by green transition. If the policies of all major countries focus more on green development, the world economy will be able to tap the huge investment and employment potential. In fact, the EU is likely to push a series of economic and energy initiatives based on the European Green Deal framework so as to meet its long-term climate target. Von der Leyen listed several new green transformation plans in her speech, including European Hydrogen Valleys, new "European Bauhaus" and issuance of EU-level green bonds. That the architecture modernization plan "European Bauhaus" was released just a few days after Von der Leyen's speech shows the EU intends to widen and intensify its fight against climate change. Besides, the EU-China green development cooperation has huge potential. The two sides are the strongest upholders of the Paris Agreement and have made concerted efforts to fulfill their commitments. In September, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting via video link, and both sides vowed to make more efforts to deepen cooperation on climate change governance and establish a high-level dialogue mechanism on climate change. The two sides are also likely to intensify efforts to build a political consensus on climate change and deepen cooperation on new renewable energy technology, green finance and clean energy. Let's hope China-EU climate cooperation will inject more positive energy into the global fight against climate change and help build an environmentally friendly society. ^ top ^
China, GCC stress vaccine cooperation (Xinhua)
2020-11-10
Vaccine cooperation has become a highlight of anti-epidemic cooperation between China and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday. Wang made the remarks when attending the China-GCC ministerial meeting via video conference, adding that the world's first Phase III clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine, carried out by China with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, has progressed steadily and efficiently with 44,000 people vaccinated. China attaches great importance to and is willing to actively respond to the actual needs of the people in the region for vaccines, and takes concrete actions to promote the construction of a human health community with the GCC countries, Wang said. Stressing that China and GCC countries should adhere to multilateralism, Wang also said that China would continue to support GCC countries to maintain their political security and social stability, and follow the path of independent development. He said relevant countries should carry out post-epidemic economic reconstruction under the premise of effective prevention and control of the epidemic, restart negotiations on the China-GCC Free Trade Area, strengthen cooperation in data security, promote the joint construction of important Belt and Road projects, and intensify people-to-people exchanges. According to the ministers of GCC countries, China has become the largest exporter and importer of their countries. Noting that GCC countries firmly adhere to the one-China policy and are willing to work with China to co-build the Belt and Road in high quality, the ministers appreciated China's active and constructive role in regional issues, and is willing to promote relevant parties to resolve disputes through dialogue. ^ top ^
Beijing expects Canberra to make first move to repair relations, experts say (SCMP)
2020-11-10
Australian officials have not responded to China's clearest signal yet that Canberra was to blame for the rapid deterioration in bilateral ties between the two countries. While Australian officials called again for clarification of Chinese policies toward imports of Australian goods, observers suggested the comments on Friday by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that Beijing expected Canberra to take the initiative to improve relations. However, given strong anti-China sentiment in Australia at the moment, such moves are unlikely to come any time soon, they added. "I think the Chinese export bans may serve the purpose of reminding Australia that [China] is expecting to reset the relationship, but they certainly are not going to lead to a change right away … the best that Australia could do in this situation is to let the Chinese know that they have noted their concerns," said Hans Hendrischke, a Chinese business and management expert at the University of Sydney Business School. And with China's comments speaking out of its frustration with Australian attitudes, according to Hendrischke, equally Beijing should not expect a reset in relations immediately, especially given the changes set to take place in the United States government, he added. "There will be some rethinking of the US-China policy taking place. Australia will not be able to pre-empt these policies. In other words, China has to see the constraints under which Australia is operating and can't expect sudden changes," he said. At a press conference on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called on Canberra to "reflect" on how it had handled its trade relationship with China in the past when he was asked to elaborate on the proposed suspensions of seven categories of Australian imports. Wang said that since 2018, a number of Chinese investment projects have been rejected by Australia due to "ambiguous and unfounded 'national security concerns'." These included banning Chinese companies from helping to build the nation's new 5G network and putting restrictions on investments in infrastructure and agriculture. "Between China and Australia, which country is breaching the principles of a market economy and the bilateral free trade agreement? And which country is renegotiating its commitments, undermining cooperation and taking discriminatory measures? The facts are all too clear," Wang said. Australia's Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond directly to a request for comment in response to Wang's remarks, instead opting to point to recent comments made by trade minister Simon Birmingham. Birmingham himself also did not respond directly to Wang's comments, but maintained he had not received confirmation from Chinese authorities that any Australian imports had been banned from China. He said most shipments to China were still being processed over the weekend, but conceded there were delays in the customs clearance of lobsters. Birmingham said non-lobster seafood imports were being cleared and there were also "some positive signs in relation to the wine sector", while reinforcing Canberra's position that its wine industry was not being subsidised, as China has charged. Australia is facing an anti-dumping investigation into cheap wine sold in China launched in August. "We're seeing that there is movement at the border, if you like, in terms of goods still progressing. It's early days. We will keep a close and watchful eye on that," he said. Birmingham also repeated that China was still unwilling to have a dialogue at the ministerial level with regards to the trade issues. On Friday, the day the reported ban on the seven products was due to take effect, Australian minister of agriculture David Littleproud also urged for exporters to continue to look to other markets to sell their goods, including Vietnam. "My sense is that, at present, unless Australia makes a move to lower temperatures first, the unfriendliness will persist," said Dylan Loh, assistant professor in foreign policy at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. "Of course, Australian accusations regarding such unofficial economic 'sanctions' are not without reason. Chinese economic activities in the past regarding South Korea and the Philippines at various low points of their ties are instructive in that regard." The seven-month conflict between the two nations involving both trade and non-trade matters includes Australia's push for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus and claims of foreign interference by China, as well as China's trade actions over Australian barley, coal, cotton and beef. "Given the toxicity of the China debate in Australia – which the Morrison government has allowed to let run – there's very little political space that would allow it to get on the front foot in this. To do so would invite charges of Canberra acquiescing to Chinese pressure," said University of Sydney professor James Curran, who specialises in the history of Australian and American foreign relations. Last week, Australia charged an Australian man of Chinese heritage with a foreign interference offence, the first to occur under Australia's new national security laws passed in 2018. Both nations, though, could still find some relief at the World Trade Organization, said Australia's former consul-general to Hong Kong, Jocelyn Chey. Using an independent third party who both countries respected to arbitrate on trade matters could help disarm both nations without resorting to blame, she suggested. ^ top ^
China-India border talks may drag on during winter (Global Times)
2020-11-09
China and India have cemented agreements achieved in previous rounds of talks in the latest commander level meeting on Friday, with both sides vowing to ensure their frontline troops "exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation." Future talks will be arranged soon, indicating the two sides are prepared to prolong the row through the coming winter and even longer, according to an official media release by China's Ministry of National Defense on Sunday. Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain dialogues and communications through military and diplomatic channels, and push for the settlement of other outstanding issues, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, said the release. The wording in the eighth round of talks - "China and India also agreed to have another round of meetings soon" - seems to be keeping the door to a peaceful solution open. "The agreement of maintaining dialogues and communications itself shows that neither India nor China desires an escalation of the issue, and that both are trying to prevent disagreements from developing into conflicts," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times. The recent enhancement of India-US ties have definitely weighed on the China-India talks, said Qian, adding that the signing of Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation during the recent 2+2 India-US ministerial dialogue, which promoted the quasi military alliance between India and the US and the building of QUAD, an informal security grouping of the US, Japan, Australia and India, would surely encourage the Indian side to act tougher during talks. However, similar to the seventh round of such talks between senior commanders in mid-October, the latest round conducted in early November failed to bring about concrete progress in forming a disengagement plan, which Chinese observers called the "main point" of this series of military channel communications. Since their sixth round of talks in late September, China and India had announced a slew of decisions including not sending more troops to the frontline, refraining from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoiding any actions that may further complicate matters, Times of India reported. Chinese analysts pointed out that the outcomes of the seventh and eighth rounds of talks indicated the two sides have entered a stalemate over the disengagement solution, despite other agreements being reached in a generally positive atmosphere, adding that it was the Indian side to blame for this situation. Indian's reluctance to retreat from the Chinese side of the LAC and to end their aggression near the south bank of the Pangong Tso Lake, which they dared to regard as a "trophy of war" in the border friction, led to the failure in addressing the row, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday. Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, also expressed disappointment over the latest round of talks, saying that an insincere India had misused the military talks as a setting for shameless bargaining. According to the Times of India, India maintained that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the flash points, while nearly 50,000 Indian Army troops are currently deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations. China deployed an equal number of troops, the report claims, citing official sources. With winter already setting in, the region has now been hit by extreme cold. The China and India border stand-off will become a war of patience and a test of both sides' logistical support capabilities. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has an overwhelming superiority over the Indian army if there is ever a winter war, observers said. Chinese soldiers on border patrol have been given new equipment and suits, including glare-reducing lenses, multifunctional kettles and cold protective suits, to protect them from the extreme weather, the PLA Daily reported. According to the report, a total of 15 kinds of equipment and suits were supplied to meet the requirements of patrolling in temperatures ranging from - 40 C to -30 C. And compared with China's indigenous and sufficient supply of winter gear, India has to rely on foreign suppliers, acquiring extreme cold gear sets from the US. Whether such imported gear would meet the challenge of the harsh cold of the region remains a question, Song noted, suggesting that the PLA is better prepared and more capable when it comes to winter supplies. The PLA's weapons also beat the Indian army's in terms of extreme cold resistance capability, Song added. Considering this gap in capabilities, it would be not surprising if the Indian army choose to disengage in the winter time and return when the cold abates, as it is increasingly clear that the border issue with China has become a routine card to play whenever domestic tensions emerge in India, observers said. ^ top ^
Joe Biden: a new president-elect for the US, yet an 'old friend' for Chinese (Global Times)
2020-11-09
For some Chinese people, US president-elect Joe Biden maybe a new face and an unfamiliar name they have taken notice of only because of his hard-fought campaign to win the presidency over outgoing President Donald Trump. But many more have remembered him for being the visiting US vice president who dined on noodles in an unassuming Beijing eatery in 2011. As soon as US media outlets projected that Biden had won the race for the White House on Saturday US time - in the wee hours of Sunday morning in China - his name has been trending on Chinese social media platforms, with most netizens speculating what his policy priorities might be. In what has become known as "noodle diplomacy," Yao's Chao Gan, the family-run restaurant he visited, went viral again. […] But not every Chinese liked Biden's down-to-earth move at the time, which some observers thought was cheap as it had clear purpose to touch Chinese people, who were not familiar with American-style democracy. Observers noted that such a trick will not wash with Chinese people any longer. After Biden's presidency was called by media, Chinese analysts also warned that it will not change the overall direction of Washington's China policy. Regardless of who resides in the White House, the US will to some extent maintain its current approach toward China. "We should not put too much expectation on Biden, because to contain and confront China is a strategic consensus between the two parties of the US," Jin Canrong, associate dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday. The victory of Biden, who "represents the pro-establishment camp of the US," would make some voices within China harbor the illusion of a US policy reversal, Jin said, but China should "keep vigilant and stick to the right path of strengthening self-reliance." Some netizens also referred to Biden as an "old friend," as his visit to China, including watching a basketball match, bringing his Chinese-learning granddaughter to China and visiting suffering people from then earthquake-stricken Sichuan Province, have left a positive imprint in some people's memories. Yet many visitors to the restaurant said they have no idea who Biden is. Only an elderly Beijing resident who was passing by said he is familiar with the name, as he knew Biden had visited the restaurant when he was US vice president. But when asked to comment on the election, he told the Global Times: "I don't care. It is US affairs." Some enthusiastic Chinese netizens also dug into Biden's history of battling adversity. He overcame a stammer, lost his beloved first wife and a daughter in a car crash and later his son Beau to cancer, and failed at two previous attempts to become president, but finally claimed the crown at the senior age of 78, which is being hailed by many netizens as "inspiring." "Close to the people is Biden's personable approach, which helps him win favor from the public," Zhang Tengjun, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday, giving the example of him taking a knee as an anti-racist gesture which became popular during the Black Lives Matter protests. Yet Chinese people's attention and enthusiasm is only temporary, as the bumpy road of China-US relation has taught them a hard lesson that the US' antagonistic policies toward China will not stop, no matter who the president is. Echoing Zhang, many netizens expressed the same view. "The US already views China as an enemy as China is rising so fast that it threatens their role as world leader, so no matter who the president is, he (or she) will be hard on China. We need to rely only on ourselves, and quicken the pace of our development," said one netizen. "Maybe Biden's victory benefits Yao's Chao Gan more than the trend of China-US relations. As Chinese people, we need to discard our illusions," said another netizen. ^ top ^
Chinese FM meets ASEAN diplomatic envoys (Xinhua)
2020-11-08
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with diplomatic envoys of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries on Sunday in Beijing. Wang said that China and ASEAN should strengthen their confidence and solidarity to make joint efforts to inject more positive energy into regional stability and prosperity. China is willing to continue working with ASEAN countries to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. The two sides should firmly uphold multilateralism and free trade, sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as scheduled, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea area, said the foreign minister. The envoys of the 10 ASEAN countries commented positively on the development of ASEAN-China relations in various fields, and expressed their hope to better align development strategies with China, advance consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the region. ^ top ^
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Xi inspects east China's Jiangsu Province (Xinhua)
2020-11-12
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday arrived in east China's Jiangsu Province for inspection. The inspection tour came after Xi attended a grand gathering to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the development and opening-up of Shanghai's Pudong. In the afternoon, Xi first went to a riverside district in the city of Nantong, where he inspected local efforts in improving the overall environment along the shoreline of the Yangtze River, as well as the enforcement of fishing ban policies. Xi then went to Nantong Museum, where he watched exhibits introducing Zhang Jian, a Chinese industrialist and educator in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The museum, founded by Zhang in 1905, is the first public museum founded by Chinese. Xi learned about Zhang's deeds in developing China's domestic industries, education and public welfare undertakings. ^ top ^
CPPCC members' suggestions needed for preparing 14th Five-Year Plan (China Daily)
2020-11-11
Political advisers should make suggestions and build consensus in society for the country's formulation and implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), said Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body. Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark at the closing of a three-day meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing. The meeting was themed on studying the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which adopted the Party leadership's proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. Wang called on making full use of the political advisory body's talent pool to deepen research on major theoretical and practical issues for mapping-out the plan. He said political advisers should study and grasp the essence of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and focus on important features of Chinese-style modernization, including the large size of the population, common prosperity, harmony between material and spiritual civilization, harmony between humans and nature, and the path of peaceful development. ^ top ^
President Xi emphasizes multilateralism, joint efforts among SCO countries amid COVID-19 (Global Times)
2020-11-10
China's top leader emphasized that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries should adhere to multilateralism amid the COVID-19 pandemic, shedding light on the joint efforts needed to safeguard the international order, suggesting that China will actively consider the COVID-19 vaccine needs of SCO member countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO on Tuesday, emphasizing joint efforts in fighting COVID-19, global governance on international and regional affairs, and the extension of the SCO working mechanism. The leaders of the SCO members, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and India, were scheduled to exchange views on Tuesday in order to further strengthen cooperation within the SCO framework in the context of the pandemic and major international and regional issues. Neighborly friendships will surpass beggar-thy-neighbor relations; mutually beneficial cooperation will replace zero-sum games, and multilateralism will surely defeat unilateralism, Xi said. When faced with the COVID-19 pandemic that has been profoundly affected the world, Xi urged to enhance cooperation in fields such as monitoring COVID-19 and scientific research. China also proposed a hotline connection between SCO members and will prioritize the vaccine needs of member countries, Xi said. He also emphasized that SCO countries must firmly support relevant countries to smoothly advance major domestic political agendas in accordance with law; maintain political security and social stability, and resolutely oppose external forces interfering in the internal affairs of member states under any pretext. Chinese analysts said the SCO will have a new role to play in a world which is experiencing profound changes; that is, help fight the second wave of COVID-19 and boost the region's post-pandemic recovery. It will also provide a multilateral platform for member states to mediate their long-standing disputes and deescalate border tensions, fight local terrorism, separatism and religious extremism while prevent foreign intervention that tries to meddle in member states' internal affairs. The virtual meeting was hosted by Russia, which holds the rotating SCO presidency this year. The Chinese president also noted that China's development can't advance without the world, and for its prosperity, the world also needs the participation of China. With its "dual circulation" policy, China will firmly push forward high-level opening-up policies that are mutually beneficial. ^ top ^
China 'Very Likely' to Avoid Winter Coronavirus Outbreak, CDC Official Says (Caixin)
2020-11-10
China "will very likely prevent" a new spate of coronavirus infections this winter if it continues its current policies, a top public health official has said. "If we uphold the strict disease control measures we have now, then a second wave, namely a widespread outbreak during the fall and winter, may not necessarily happen in our country," Feng Zijian, the deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an exclusive interview with Caixin. The coronavirus situation in China was "very safe overall," he added. Despite recording a smattering of isolated Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, China has avoided the kind of resurgent outbreaks seen in the United States and Europe. To control the spread of the virus, the Asian nation continues to restrict inbound travel, impose mandatory quarantines on arrival, and order targeted lockdowns and mass testing initiatives in response to local flare-ups. Rising caseloads across the northern hemisphere reflect both the increased transmission of respiratory diseases in winter and an easing of pandemic restrictions such as the reopening of schools and workplaces, Feng said, adding that the rebounds increase the risk of so-called "imported" infections in China. But the country's existing disease controls have proved "extremely effective" at stopping the transmission of Covid-19 among the general population, he said, noting that so far this winter China had also recorded lower-than-normal rates of other respiratory and contact-borne ailments like flu, measles, rubella and foot-and-mouth disease compared with the equivalent period last year. Despite spiraling Covid-19 infection rates, many countries have not witnessed hospitalizations and deaths on the same scale as earlier this year, a trend Feng mainly attributed to "our accumulation of experience of treating this disease and more orderly medical services." "Although there is still no precise cure, the overall quality of care is improving," he said. But he warned against complacency in fighting the pandemic, saying China should continue to encourage people to wear masks in public places and impose targeted lockdowns when outbreaks occur in order to reduce "population mixing." The judicious use of nucleic acid testing has also been "extremely important" in finding people with asymptomatic or mild Covid-19, Feng said. Since controlling the worst of its outbreak in the spring, China has used partial or short-term shutdowns in Beijing and other cities to tamp down local hotspots. More recently, the country has moved to tackle a string of infections among cargo workers in major cities like Shanghai, Tianjin and Dalian, some of whom are thought to have contracted the virus from contaminated frozen-food packaging. The Chinese mainland logged 22 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, down from 33 a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission. All of Tuesday's new infections were imported except one: the cargo worker in Shanghai. The additions brought the mainland's total caseload to 86,267. The death toll remained unchanged at 4,634. ^ top ^
Political advisors urged to contribute to China's development plan (Xinhua)
2020-11-09
China's political advisors on Monday were urged to make suggestions to the formulation of China's development plan at a session held by the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. Premier Li Keqiang made a report by invitation at the session, which focused on studying and following the spirit of the fifth plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. During the past five years, the country has coped with challenges and risks and made significant achievements on economic and social development, said Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Li noted that China would soon realize its targets of poverty alleviation, marking a decisive result on its path to finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In particular, China has achieved major strategic achievements this year in containing COVID-19 epidemic, Li said. The country has also managed to secure hundreds of millions of market entities, ensure stable employment, meet people's basic needs, and swing back to positive growth among the first in the world, Li said. Li stressed that China is still in a period of important strategic opportunity for development, urging strong confidence in the development and full preparation for various difficulties and challenges ahead. Li called for efforts to implement the proposals by the CPC Central Committee for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives through the Year 2035. At the session, Li also answered questions put forward by political advisors in terms of poverty alleviation, support for basic research, population aging, biomass energy development, and medical and health investment, among others. Li expressed his hope that political advisors will contribute their wisdom to the formulation of the nation's development plan. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the opening of the session. Addressing the session, Wang said the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee made strategic decisions on embarking on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist country. CPPCC organs and political advisors should make active moves in making suggestions and building consensus for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan, Wang said, calling on them to contribute to a good start in fully building a modern socialist country and national rejuvenation. ^ top ^
Xi Jinping's message to Chinese journalists (Xinhua)
2020-11-09
Nov. 8 marks China's Journalists' Day. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has on many occasions expressed his expectations for journalists. The following are some highlights of the quotes: -- Journalists should be encouraged to better communicate the Party's ideas and policies to the public, record the changes of the times, promote social progress, and uphold fairness and justice. -- Those working on public communication should absorb new learning, get to know new areas, broaden their horizons, improve their comprehensive skills, and conduct more field research. They should have the will to get down to the grassroots, and improve their ability to observe clearly, to think profoundly and to write powerfully. -- The results of the information revolution should be used to build an integrated all-media communication framework at a faster rate. -- We should improve foreign-oriented communication through trying methods with new concepts, domains and expressions that are understood by both China and the rest of the world, telling the true story of our country and making our voice heard. ^ top ^
CPC launches inspections to find loopholes (China Daily)
2020-11-07
The Communist Party of China has launched a new round of inspections to spot key problems and loopholes in law-based governance in eight regions. According to a statement made public on Wednesday by the Office of the Commission for Overall Law-based Governance of the CPC Central Committee, the inspection will focus on leading officials' work to promote the rule of law and on the construction of lawbased governments. The statement said eight supervision teams had been sent to Shanghai, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hainan and Qinghai, and the Inner Mongolia and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regions. The inspections will focus on evaluating whether key Party and government officials have executed the rule of law and are fulfilling their roles in building law-based governance, it said. The teams will learn about local situations through various means including listening to reports, interviewing individuals and conducting questionnaires and undercover investigations. Lawyers and journalists have been invited to join the inspections, the statement said. Headed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, the commission was established in 2018. It aims to study and settle major issues concerning law-based governance and establish a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics. While meeting with senior officials on Wednesday, Wan Chun, head of the supervision team in Heilongjiang and a senior official of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said team members will go to the grassroots level and look for problems in law-based governance, local media reported on Wednesday evening. Wan said the inspection aims to help local Party committees and governments push forward law-based governance and better collaborate on building a society based on the rule of law. Supervision teams from the office inspected eight other provinces last year. Although positive results had been achieved in law-based governance, there was still a gap between people's expectations and job execution by provincial Party committees and governments, the office said in a statement released in April. The office also said in April that it had given feedback regarding problems found during last year's inspections and had urged local authorities to draft plans to solve the issues mentioned and ensure they were dealt with within three months. Details of the issues and loopholes the teams found in law-based governance have not been published. ^ top ^
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| Beijing |
Innovation drives high-quality growth of Beijing's tech hub (Xinhua)
2020-11-09
High-tech companies in Beijing's Zhongguancun, better known as China's Silicon Valley, are spearheading innovation as the country continues to advance high-quality development. Founded in 2014, Chinese cloud computing platform EasyStack is one of the leading innovators in Zhongguancun Science Park, a national demonstration area for independent innovation. Over the last six years, the company has seen steep growth from a small team of nine to a professional cloud product and service provider with around 400 employees. It was not easy to start from scratch, said Chen Xilun, founder and CEO of EasyStack. The company built up its reputation in the industry by contributing codes to core projects worldwide in its early days, and has more than once made it to the top 10 core code contribution lists, according to Chen. It is now providing cloud computing solutions to governments and key sectors including finance, telecommunication and energy both at home and abroad. Chen thinks independent innovation is behind the company's success. "Cloud computing is the engine of digitalization," said Chen, adding that the company has been committed to independent research and development with a global perspective. "Only with core technology can we have core competence." China's central authorities have reiterated the core position innovation occupies in the country's march toward modernization in a recently released blueprint for development through 2035. Technological self-sufficiency should be a strategic pillar of the country's development, they say. "What our company does echoes with the country's call for innovation-driven development," said Chen, promising to step up independent research and development to become a world-class cloud computing company based on an open-source ecosystem. Sugon, a leading company in the field of server, storage, cloud computing and big data in China, holds the patent for an advanced immersion cooled server. Because of the use of liquid cooling technology, the server is energy efficient compared with traditional ones, said Ren Jingyang, senior vice president of Sugon. "We've never hesitated in pursuing innovation," he added. Ren said there has been rising confidence among enterprises as the environment for business, innovation and investment in the country kept improving during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period. Looking forward to the next five years, Ren said the emphasis on innovation by the central authorities is uplifting. The company will remain determined in walking down the path of technological self-reliance, concentrating on key research and development projects and increasing resource investment to contribute to high-quality economic growth, he added. Digital building platform provider Glodon is transforming the traditional construction industry by delivering products and services covering the entire life cycle of construction projects. By adopting digital workflows, the platform helps improve the efficiency of project cost calculation as well as construction. "Take the use of steel bars for example. Digitalizing the process of cutting, processing and installation can result in more efficient use of raw materials and reduction of waste and pollution," said Chen Xiaofeng, assistant president of Glodon. Since its founding in Beijing in 1998, the company has placed a high value on technological innovation. It has invested nearly 30 percent of its annual revenue in research and development over the past five years, Chen said. In the future, Chen added, the company is ready to contribute more to high-quality development of China's construction industry by making innovation the main driver of growth. In Zhongguancun Science Park, the beat of innovation never ceases. "In the next step, we are going to focus on the main tasks of transformation and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, and accelerate our progress toward a leading science park and innovator in the world," said Zhai Lixin, director of the management committee of Zhongguancun. ^ top ^
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| Shanghai |
Xi attends celebration of 30th anniversary of Pudong's development, opening-up (Xinhua)
2020-11-12
President Xi Jinping on Thursday attended a grand gathering to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the development and opening-up of Shanghai's Pudong. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech at the event. Efforts should be made to make Pudong a pioneer of reform and opening-up at a higher level and a vanguard in fully building a modern socialist country, Xi said. Pudong should also strive to become an example that highlights the Chinese people's confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said. Three decades ago, the CPC leadership stressed taking Pudong's development and opening-up as a lead to further open up cities along the Yangtze River and building Shanghai into an international economic, financial and trade center as soon as possible to drive new economic leaps in the Yangtze River Delta and the entire Yangtze River Basin, Xi said. The achievements of Pudong over the past 30 years offer the most telling evidence of the strength of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and are a vivid demonstration of the country's reform, opening-up and socialist modernization, Xi noted. The coming 30 years, from now to the middle of the 21st century, will be a time for China to build a great modern socialist country, Xi stressed, calling on Pudong to play new roles and accomplish new missions in the new march. All-out efforts should be made to make the innovation engine stronger and explore new horizons of independent innovation, Xi said. He urged the achievement of major innovations in basic science and technology and major breakthroughs in key and core technologies. He also called for speeding up the creation of world-class industrial clusters in sectors including integrated circuits, bio-medicine and artificial intelligence. Xi stressed strengthening the synergy in advancing reform and activating new impetus for high-quality development, as well as focusing on reform moves that play a fundamental role and act as engines of progress. He also called for a coordinated approach in promoting reforms in key areas and links and the creation of a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized. Xi stressed creating new advantages in global cooperation and competition, as well as advancing opening-up, with institutional guarantees in the areas of management, standards, rules and norms. Pudong should give better play to the role of the Lingang area of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and speed up the joint building of a global shipping hub together with the Yangtze River Delta region, Xi said. Efforts should also be made to strengthen the capability of mobilizing global resources and serve the establishment of the new development pattern, enhance the global influence on mobilizing factors including fund, information, technology, talent and goods, Xi said. The president also urged Pudong to establish an international financial-asset trading platform, develop a higher-level headquarters economy and build itself into an important hub of global industrial, supply and value chains. Xi called for modernizing urban governance, opening up new prospects for urban construction of, for and by the people, and exploring a megacity development path that reflects Chinese features and the characteristics of the times, while highlighting the advantages of China's socialist system. Efforts should be made to build cities into beautiful homes where people and nature coexist in harmony, Xi noted. Noting that Shanghai is the birthplace of the CPC, Xi stressed passing on the traditions of revolution and acting on the party's original aspiration and missions. On Thursday morning, Xi also visited an exhibition featuring Pudong's development and opening-up over the past three decades under the guidance of national strategies. ^ top ^
Expo holds out hope of bright days ahead (China Daily)
2020-11-09
China's promise to further open its markets is giving a fillip to the world economy, hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes as the third China International Import Expo is being held in Shanghai. In an address to the expo on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to remain steadfast in further opening up, announcing an array of new measures for expanding all-round opening up. Talat Shabbir, director of the China-Pakistan Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, said a key message of Xi's speech was that China aims to be "a market for the world". "Xi highlighted that during the next decade China would import goods worth more than $22 trillion from across the world. It is an important message because in a world hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, more trade will fuel global economic growth and recovery. "CIIE is an important platform for countries such as Pakistan to connect with Chinese businesses and firms." The expo, which ends on Tuesday, highlights China's demand for quality goods and services, Shabbir said. "Pakistani businesses can benefit by linking up with Chinese companies and businesses to meet demands of Chinese businesses as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative that is gearing up for industrialization in Pakistan," he said. Lau Kiat Boon, founder of the Singaporean tea company Fort Sanctuary, said he was encouraged by Xi's remarks to the expo and was thrilled to hear that "China will keep improving its business environment". "For us, China is a market full of potential, and a better business environment will be the medium that connects our premium products to consumers going through consumption upgrade in China," said Lau, whose company is attending the expo for the second time. "As President Xi said, CIIE 2020 is a vivid example of China's willingness to share its market opportunities with the world. We value this opportunity to rebuild connections with the global business community. We are confident that the CIIE will be a springboard for us to boost the implementation of our international business expansion plans." ^ top ^
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| Guangdong |
Courts in Shenzhen granted authority to better protect IPR (China Daily)
2020-11-10
Courts in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, are being encouraged with a set of new judicial measures to protect new-type intellectual property rights in an innovative manner. The measures, which took effect Monday, are meant to help build the city into a demonstration area for socialism with Chinese characteristics by rule of law. They are written by the Supreme People's Court into a guideline, showing its determination to create a sound and international business environment in Shenzhen by strengthening IP protection. In a speech delivered at a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone last month, President Xi Jinping urged the city to develop into a pilot zone for socialism with Chinese characteristics and set an example for cities of a modernized socialist nation. According to the guideline, courts in Shenzhen, which have seen a boom in IP-related disputes in recent years, are allowed to explore ways to safeguard IP rights in some new sectors, including artificial intelligence, life sciences technology and internet information, to further serve the city's innovation-driven strategy and development, said Yang Wanming, vice-president of the top court. The guideline, which consists of 33 articles, is a legal step to implement the central leadership's instructions on promoting reforms and opening-up in the Shenzhen in the new era, he said. "We hope the guideline will provide legal support for the city to better protect innovations and help it build the demonstration area," Yang said. Guangdong resolved about one-third of the country's IP-related cases over the past few years, said Gong Jiali, president of the Guangdong High People's Court. Gong added that the provincial court had heard 165,000 IP cases from January to October, of which 60,000 were filed in Shenzhen. The courts in Shenzhen have devised a few rules on dealing with cases relating to new and crucial technologies－including those related to biomedical and high-end manufacturing－to protect innovations, Gong said. Punishments for IP violators have also been intensified since last year. "The amount of compensation in patent cases solved by the province's courts since 2019, for example, has risen by about 1.5 times, and compensation in more than 20 cases each exceeded 10 million yuan ($1.52 million)," he said. To improve the business environment, courts in Shenzhen have also safeguarded legitimate rights of entrepreneurs and strengthened efforts in the battle against financial crimes, Gong said. "In recent years, 20 private entrepreneurs have been found not guilty after judicial review, while more than 5,500 disputes on disturbing market order, including those involving illegal funding and contract fraud, have been concluded since last year," he added. ^ top ^
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| Tibet |
Xi stresses building high-quality Sichuan-Tibet Railway (Xinhua)
2020-11-08
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged efforts to advance the construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway project with high quality. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the instruction ahead of the beginning of the construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway's Ya'an-Nyingchi section on Sunday. Xi identified the project as a major measure in facilitating the Party's general plan for governing Tibet in the new era, and stressed the project's important role in safeguarding national unity, promoting ethnic solidarity and consolidating stability in border areas. The project would significantly contribute to the economic and social development of the western region, especially in Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region, said Xi. Underlining the complex geological and climatic conditions, as well as fragile ecological environment along the project line, the president called for leveraging the Chinese socialist system's advantage of concentrating resources to get things done to accomplish this historic task, which is arduous but glorious. The construction should be carried out in a scientific, safe and eco-friendly way, Xi added. Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also emphasized prioritizing the safety, reliability and quality of the project, and called for coordinated efforts in promoting construction, epidemic prevention and people's well-being. Joining a video conference streamed in three locations to mark the start of the Ya'an-Nyingchi section's construction, Vice Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed Xi's instruction and announced the beginning of the project. With a designed speed from 120 to 200 km per hour, the 1,011-km section between Ya'an in Sichuan and NyingChi in Tibet is the third part of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, which will be carried out by the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. The project's Chengdu-Ya'an section became operational in December 2018, and the construction of the Lhasa-Nyingchi section started in June 2015. ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Hong Kong Disqualifies Four 'Disloyal' Opposition Legislators (Caixin)
2020-11-12
Hong Kong has disqualified four opposition lawmakers after China's national legislature passed a resolution Wednesday to unseat "disloyal" members of the special administrative region's Legislative Council. The Hong Kong government announced that four pan-democrat lawmakers — Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung — have been stripped of their Legislative Council membership with immediate effect. The announcement came on the heels of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), the top decision-making body of China's national legislature, passing a resolution the same day on the disqualification rules for lawmakers in the semi-autonomous city. The resolution said that any legislators who promote or support the independence of the Hong Kong special administrative region (HKSAR), refuse to acknowledge China's sovereignty over Hong Kong, ask external forces to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs, or commit other acts that threaten national security should be disqualified. The NPCSC said the disqualification rules were based on several related laws, including the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, and the Hong Kong National Security Law enacted in late June. Article 104 of the Basic Law provides that members of the Legislative Council must "swear to uphold the Basic Law of the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and swear allegiance to the HKSAR of the PRC." The resolution said the rules are also applicable to future legislators and Legislative Council candidates. The previously planned September election of the council has been suspended until next year, while the current session has been extended. In Hong Kong, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said during a press conference: "If we allow them to stay in the legislature, it's obviously inconsistent with the Basic Law Article 104. To solve this problem, we asked the NPCSC to help." Lam said that her government will seek Legislative Council approval to incorporate the NPCSC's decision into local legislation and the council's oath-taking requirements. She clarified that legislators deploying certain parliamentary tactics, such as filibustering and calling for quorums, will not be seen as meeting the requirements under the resolution. ^ top ^
HK has unique role in 'dual-circulation' plan (China Daily)
2020-11-09
Hong Kong, the gateway to the Chinese mainland, is poised to play a unique role in the nation's "dual-circulation" economic mode, the city's top officials and business leaders said on Sunday, a day after the city's leader concluded her five-day visit to the mainland to garner support for the city's hard-hammered economy. That objective has been mapped out for Hong Kong in proposals for the central government's latest five-year plan, with the city tasked to bolster this "gateway" role through interaction with other countries and regions, and mainland cities. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said in a China Central Television interview that Hong Kong could give full play to its unique edge as gateway when it becomes involved in this new economic pattern. The dual-circulation model, which takes the domestic market as the mainstay while allowing domestic and foreign markets boost each other, is a strategy floated by China's top leadership amid increasing unilateralism and protectionism in global trade. During her support-canvassing visit to Beijing, followed by meeting top officials in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Lam met with central government ministries in charge of technology, commerce, aviation, health, development and securities regulation. Lam said the central government has pledged full support for Hong Kong's involvement in the nation's development plan. Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, vice-president of the Hong Kong Chinese Importers' and Exporters' Association, said the "one country, two systems" principle has bestowed unique strengths on the city, such as zero to low tariffs on goods imported by the Chinese mainland and freely convertible Hong Kong dollars. "The city is well positioned as a 'super-connector' between the mainland and the rest of the world," Wong said. Citing a report published by Census and Statistics Department in June 2020, Wong pointed out that Hong Kong's total merchandise exports to Chinese mainland in 2019 account for 55.4 percent. "This is evidence that Hong Kong can count on the nation's domestic market to revitalize our economy," he said. Wong added that with the preferential policies backed by the central government, he envisioned that cross-border e-commerce possesses immense potential for Hong Kong companies in the mainland's domestic market. Hong Kong's exhibitors are pinning their hopes on the mainland market, and Hong Kong's longstanding edge in financial services has earned the heart of many mainland enterprises. A record 240 Hong Kong exhibitors－20 percent more than last year－signed up for this year's CIIE in Shanghai. Participating in the expo, Juliet Zhou, general manager of accounting firm Roger Kam& Co, recalled her busy week meeting many coming from Shandong, Hubei, Zhejiang and even Shaanxi for their consulting services. "They are particularly interested in global trade, e-commerce, as well as patent registration," Zhou said. "Some of them even bought office space in the city and are ready to come to Hong Kong once the travel restriction is lifted." Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po thinks Hong Kong has a strong presence in five key aspects－facilitating further renminbi internationalization, contributing in financial risk management, serving as an international capital raising platform for mainland enterprises, a safe haven for investment and a green financial center in the Bay Area. Eyeing China's paradigm shift in its domestic market, Lam will depart for Macao on Monday afternoon for the opening ceremony of the First Conference of the International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of the Boao Forum for Asia, where she will deliver a speech. ^ top ^
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| Macau |
Macao hosts int'l forum on science, technology, innovation (Xinhua)
2020-11-11
The first conference of the International Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (ISTIF) of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) opened in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday, with about 1,000 delegates from 18 countries and regions joining the event. At the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Ho Hau Wah read a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivered a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony. Vice chairman of BFA Zhou Xiaochuan said at the opening ceremony that the beginning of 21st century witnessed the fourth industrial revolution featured by artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, 5G, quantum technology and life sciences. He said the accelerated technological iteration and industrial transformation, and deepening connectivity and digital transformation have profoundly changed and shaped the world's development pattern. Zhou added that when facing the challenge of the outbreak and continuous spread of COVID-19, mankind needs more than ever to rely on science and technology as a key to overcome the pandemic, and to rely on scientific and technological innovation as the fundamental driving force to promote economic recovery and achieve green, inclusive and sustainable development. In his speech, Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said the SAR government will continue to improve the system and mechanism for scientific and technological innovation, and the mechanism for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. It will also encourage and assist enterprises to actively apply advanced technologies for transformation and upgrading. He added that the world is experiencing great changes unseen in a hundred years, which is further accelerated by the pandemic. In response to the new situation, China had proposed a new "dual circulation" development pattern, where domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay. For Macao, this new pattern was not only an opportunity and an advantage, but also a responsibility and a duty, the chief executive said. Chairman of BFA Ban Ki-moon, Ho Hau Wah, the BFA board member and the former president of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Xiaoming, and director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR Fu Ziying, also delivered speeches in person or via video. The ambassador of Algeria to China, along with diplomatic delegates of the Philippines, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and other BFA's founding members in China, participated at the opening ceremony. The conference was jointly hosted by the BFA and the Macao SAR government with a theme of "Innovation Empowers Sustainable Development." The conference has arranged a series of sessions and events on three key phrases, including Impetus for Innovation, Innovation and Life, and Cooperation on Innovation. About 100 heavyweight speakers and nearly 1,000 delegates from 18 countries and regions will share their views during the three-day forum. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
China urges U.S. to stop official exchanges, contacts with Taiwan: spokesperson (Xinhua)
2020-11-12
China urged the United States to stop all forms of official exchanges and contacts with Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked for comment on a planned economic dialogue to be held between the United States and Taiwan. "We urge the United States to adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop all forms of official exchanges and contacts with Taiwan, and stop elevating its relationship with Taiwan in any substantive way," Wang said. The United States should prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues and send no misleading signals to the Taiwan separatist forces, so as to avoid serious damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said. No one and no attempt will succeed in sabotaging the relations between the mainland and Taiwan, Wang added. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
Strong China Rebound on Horizon as Consumption Revives, Banks Say (Caixin)
2020-11-13
China's economic growth is expected to rebound to a record high next year as public consumption and businesses recover from the pandemic, analysts at leading investment banks said. American investment bank Goldman Sachs projects China's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2021 will reach 7.5%, mainly bolstered by a revival of domestic consumption in the post-pandemic era, according to a report released Thursday. The forecast, matching one by UBS Group, calls for the highest annual growth for China in seven years. China International Capital Corp. (CICC), one of China's largest investment banks, made a more bullish prediction that the world's second-largest economy would grow at 9% next year, partly reflecting the low basis this year. CICC expects China's economy to expand 2.1% in 2020, slightly more than Goldman Sachs's 2% projection. China is set to be the only major economy to grow this year after bringing the pandemic under control. Goldman Sachs predicted that the U.S. economy would shrink 3.5% and the Eurozone 7.2%. Top Chinese officials have shown confidence in the country returning to positive growth this year. China's GDP grew 0.7% year-on-year over the first three quarters, back in positive territory after being dragged down 6.8% in the first quarter at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to government data. Third-quarter growth accelerated to 4.9% from a year ago. While the 2020 recovery is mainly powered by government spending and investment, the China economy will be driven by household consumption in 2021, Goldman Sachs said in the report. Residents' spending on services will revive next year as pandemic control measures gradually phase out. Rising household savings during the pandemic and recovery of the job market will also benefit domestic consumption, the bank said. Although some of the spending rise represents consumption demand delayed by the pandemic, there is no indication that the general consumption rebound in China is driven by short-term pent-up demand, based on recent economic and industry data, said Shan Hui, chief China economist at Goldman Sachs. China's household consumption is expected to expand 13% year-on-year in 2021, compared with a 4% decline this year, Goldman Sachs said. Government consumption expenditure will rise 9% and investment spending 5.4% next year, up from this year's 5% and 3%, the bank said. CICC also projects domestic consumption to become the major engine of China's economic recovery next year, with other positive factors including restored business spending, technology upgrades and supportive policies for the new-energy vehicle industry. China's internal growth momentum will improve in 2021 reflecting reviving supply and consumption, as well as lagging effects from 2020 stimulus policies, said Peng Wensheng, chief economist at CICC. Goldman Sachs forecast that China will gradually exit from pandemic-era stimulus policies next year with monetary policy returning to normal, echoing the central bank's vows to normalize monetary policy. The central government is likely to cut next year's budget deficit to 3% of GDP from this year's 3.6% and further tighten controls on the property market, the bank said. The central bank's new rules on online microlending released last week sparked concerns that tightening regulations on consumer loans would suppress consumption. But Goldman Sachs's Shan said the policy was made based on regulators' assessment of economic conditions. China's consumption recovery has mainly benefited from rising incomes and a reviving job market, not easy access to credit, Shan said. ^ top ^
Double "11" shopping spree redoubled in scale to embrace both domestic and international markets (People's Daily)
2020-11-12
Chinese shoppers have spent big over the Singles' Day shopping festival, showing the country's strong economic recovery following the COVID-19 epidemic. Sales on Alibaba's e-commerce platform Tmall exceeded 372.3 billion yuan (56.29 billion U.S. dollars) between Nov. 1 and 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 11. At the shopping peak, 583,000 orders were made in a single second on Tmall, setting a new online shopping record. To cater to growing demand from Chinese consumers, Tmall launched this year's shopping festival early, with the first discount period running from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 in addition to the normal full-day sales on Nov. 11. More than 800 million shoppers, 250,000 brands and 5 million merchants have participated in this year's shopping spree, according to Tmall. E-commerce giant JD.com also scored big in the shopping extravaganza, with sales topping 243.1 billion yuan (35.76 billion U.S. dollars) between Nov. 1 and 2:26 p.m. of Nov. 11. Notably, sales of JD's fast-delivery grocery business soared a staggering 50 fold compared with the same period last year, while its sales of 5G smartphones spiked 11 folds. Moreover, sales of imported products for new mothers and babies on JD doubled year on year and mobile phones offering optimal gaming experience grew by 160 percent. Weng Yi, a researcher with Chinese think tank Cathay Institute for Public Affairs, said this year's Singles' Day shopping spree could serve as a barometer for China's consumption, as the government pursues a "dual circulation" development pattern, where domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay. "With overseas purchases hampered by the pandemic, the Singles' Day shopping carnival has offered an optimal opportunity for Chinese consumers to buy overseas products, and may significantly boost sales for global brands and merchants," Weng said. In response to strong domestic demand for quality products, Tmall Global, Alibaba's cross-border e-commerce arm, has imported a huge variety of products from over 100 overseas farms, ranches, and wineries, including 1,000 tonnes of milk from Uruguay, 2.6 million bottles of French wine, and 2 tonnes of cubilose from Malaysia. About 25,000 overseas businesses from more than 220 countries and regions have participated in this year's shopping spree on Tmall. Many of them seek to revive their sagging businesses amid the pandemic by tapping into the huge Chinese market. "We have found that an increasing number of overseas brands chose to enter the Chinese market by opening their first store on Tmall Global," said Liu Peng, president of Tmall Import and Export. Tmall Global has also cooperated with 25 professional quality-control institutes to ensure that all imported goods are traceable all the way to their production and distribution processes. […] "Consumption is currently the largest driving force of the Chinese economy," said Zhong Hongjun, an economist with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. "Meanwhile, e-commerce companies are acting as stabilizers and boosters as the Chinese economy recovers from the impact of the epidemic." Driven in part by the epidemic, online retail has witnessed a period of fast growth this year. China's online retail sales reached over 8 trillion yuan (about 1.19 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters, up 9.7 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). "The Singles' Day shopping festival is not simply an online shopping event. It is an important part of the internal circulation of the Chinese economy," Zhong added. The festival has not only prompted e-commerce companies to better adapt to market trends, but also created enormous job opportunities, which could in turn spur consumption, said Zhong. ^ top ^
Only Four of China's Hundreds of Online Microlenders Meet New Requirements (Caixin)
2020-11-09
New draft rules governing China's booming online microlending industry are expected to deal a heavy blow to the sector, forcing out the vast majority of companies by introducing stricter capital requirements. Financial regulators on Nov. 2 issued draft rules that would impose more restrictions on previously lightly regulated online microlending. If enacted as drafted, online microlenders who do business across provincial lines will need to set aside a minimum of 5 billion yuan ($758.3 million) in registered capital. China has hundreds of online microlenders with interprovincial operations, but only four of them currently meet that minimum, according to public business records. The draft rules are a response to concerns that the sector's rapid growth may pose a threat to financial stability. They are also part of the reason one of China's largest microlenders, Ant Group Co. Ltd., was forced on Nov. 3 to suspend its would-be record-breaking $34.5 billion listing just two days before it was scheduled. But the draft rules target more than just Ant Group: There are more than 200 online microlenders with interprovincial operations, many associated with internet and tech giants including social media giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., online search titan Baidu Inc., ride-sharing specialist Didi Chuxing Inc. and smartphone-maker Xiaomi Corp. Of the four online microlenders that can meet the capital requirement, two are operated by internet giants: Ant Group's Chongqing Ant Small and Micro Loan Co. Ltd. — which runs consumer loan platform Huabei — and Baidu's Chongqing Duxiaoman Small Loan Co. Ltd. They have registered capital of 12 billion yuan and 7 billion yuan, respectively. The other two are Chongqing Suning Small Loan Co. Ltd. and Zhongxin (Heilongjiang) Internet Microfinance Co. Ltd., which have registered capital of 6 billion yuan and 5 billion yuan, respectively. Most other players lag far behind the requirement. Tencent's online microfinance firm, for example, has only 2.5 billion yuan of registered capital. Ji Shaofeng, an expert on small loans, estimated in a recent commentary that no more than 20 of China's licensed online microlenders will likely be able to stump up 5 billion yuan of registered capital within a year. The draft would give companies a three-year transition period to comply with the rules. The registered capital requirement is not the only thorny new restriction, either. The draft regulations would also tighten oversight of joint loans, a common form of online microlending business where microlending companies team up with other financial institutions to lend money and share profits. Under the draft, microlenders must put up at least 30% of any joint loan, forcing them to bring billions of yuan onto their balance sheets. Caixin previously reported that some microlenders contribute as little as 1% of joint loans. Wang Yifeng, an analyst with Everbright Securities Co. Ltd., said some online microlenders may scale back joint loan business as a result and rely more on intermediary business. As an intermediary, they would not lend money out themselves but instead serve purely as a platform to match lenders with borrowers. The intermediary business is less lucrative than joint loans, as microlenders would only be able to earn profits by charging financial institutions service fees. Such a transformation would likely curb microlenders' profits in the short term, multiple analysts said. The draft rules were viewed by many as a response to an Oct. 24 speech by Jack Ma, the actual controller of Ant Group, criticizing regulators for hampering innovation in the name of controlling risk. Before the suspension of Ant Group's listing, financial watchdogs on Nov. 2 called Ma and other company executives at Ant Group for a "regulatory interview." The latest meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Committee on Oct. 31 chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He also included remarks that many saw as a veiled response to the speech. Officials at the meeting said it is necessary to properly balance financial development, stability and security. Regulators should treat companies that conduct the same type of financial activity equally, they said. ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
For remembrance and peace (China Daily)
2020-11-12
A war documentary captures the bravery of generations past, Wang Ru reports. Seventy years ago, Chen Zengji sent a letter to his family, writing that he would return home soon. However, they did not receive any more letters from the Chinese People's Volunteers soldier after that. In 1953, they were informed by a relative, who also served as a soldier in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), that he had died and was buried on the battlefield as a CPV soldier. Upon hearing news of his death, his younger brother Chen Hushan followed in his footsteps and became a CPV soldier in 1956. Chen Hushan then went to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that same year to help with relief efforts. Last year, the then 82-year-old Chen Hushan, finally reunited with his older brother, whose remains were placed in a box covered in China's red five-star flag. Since 2014, China has flown the remains of 716 anonymous CPV soldiers back home. With the help of DNA technology, researchers identified the remains of Chen Zengji and contacted his family members, allowing Chen Hushan to meet his brother once more. The Chen brothers' story is featured in a six-episode documentary For the Peace, produced by the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, National Radio and Television Administration and China Media Group, about the war. It aired on CCTV-1 in October, and will soon be aired on more channels in future. Viewers can also watch it on streaming sites Youku, Souhu and Mango TV. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
Mongolia announces five-day strict lockdown nationwide (Montsame)
2020-11-12
Deputy Prime Minister Ya. Sodbaatar yesterday evening, November 11, reported that the Government has decided to announce a five-day heightened state of readiness for disaster protection nationwide, for the first time in Mongolia. Assessing the risks of COVID-19 spread and based on the World Health Organization and the National Security Council's recommendations and Mongolian experts' suggestions, the Government considered it necessary to call a five-day lockdown to be in effect between 6:00 am of November 12 and 6:00 am of November 17. In other words, it will be strict lockdown or 'Tier 2' of heightened state of readiness, stressed Mr. Sodbaatar. Noting that experts consider the professional organizations can curb the spread during this lockdown period, he advised citizens to stay home following to the infection control regime, and organizations and businesses to operate online as much as possible. During this strict restriction, only essential services including food stores and supermarkets, gas stations, hospitals, pharmacies, power stations, communications and media, and funeral services, will operate normally. ^ top ^
President attends Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit (Montsame)
2020-11-11
A summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) took place on November 10 as a video conference. The President of Mongolia Kh. Battulga attended the video conference and delivered a speech. In his speech, the President said, "Mongolia pays special attention to making progress and advancement with the SCO member and observer countries, particularly our neighbors Russia and China, on certain issues including natural gas pipelines, railways, and road transport." "Regardless of the difficulties during this pandemic, we are about to complete over 800 km railway construction within a short period of time. Moreover, a study on constructing a 1,000 km irrigation pipeline to the Gobi desert, which is being affected by desertification rapidly due to climate change, has completed. The construction work will start soon." The President expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the project on building a pipeline to supply natural gas from Russia to China through the Mongolian territory. "Advancing projects on highways, central, eastern and western railways corridors, important components of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, will link East Asia and Central Asia markets and deepen SCO framework cooperation," emphasized the President. ^ top ^
President holds online meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister (Montsame)
2020-11-09
At the beginning of the online meeting, President Kh. Battulga and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban exchanged heartfelt greetings on the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations. Mr. Battulga expressed his satisfaction that the issues discussed during his meetings with Mr. Viktor Orban in 2017 and 2018 are becoming actual works, and the renovation work of Biocombinat, an important joint project between the two countries, is coming into the stage of implementation this year. During the online meeting, they exchanged views on the situations around the pandemic and bilateral cooperation and relations in the sectors of politics, economy, agriculture, culture, education and water, and discussed opportunities to deepen and enrich existing partnerships with new content. Mr. Battulga stressed the importance of intensifying bilateral economic cooperation. Specifically, the sides exchanged views on hydropower plant construction in 10 aimags, collaboration in agricultural sector, and water management. Mongolia has a vast territory and small population, but the water problem in the Gobi region caused by rapidly increasing desertification due to climate change is becoming the biggest concern, mentioned the President. Hungarian experts conducted a detailed study on water in Mongolia between 1970 and 1980. The President said he is pleased that the Hungarian government is continuing its scholarship program enabling over 200 Mongolian students to study in Hungary every year. He expressed willingness to train the scholarship students in agriculture and water fields and future specialists, who will work at the Biocombinat. ^ top ^
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Embassy of Switzerland
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The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
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