The meeting proposed to use information technology to promote "services plus" and accelerate capacity building for outsourced services.

Service outsourcing is at the forefront of the development of a modern market economy. It means that enterprises will outsource certain links or processes in their production and management processes to specialist companies, thereby reducing costs, improving efficiency and giving full play to their respective advantages.

R&D, accounting, law, marketing, even maintenance can all be outsourced. Thanks to the fast development of the internet, it is now quite convenient for enterprises to find a company to provide the services they require.

Service outsourcing also helps raise the quality of the service sector. For a long time, Made in China has been supporting the stable growth of China's economy. However, Chinese manufacturing enterprises are at the low end of the global industrial chain and they do not get so much added value from the whole process.

With the prosperity of the service sector, there can be Services in China later, which can help Chinese enterprises claim a higher place in the global value chain.

As early as 2009, the State Council issued a list of exemplary cities in terms of service outsourcing, and there are now 31 cities on the list. Since 2014, the State Council has been constantly updating a guideline list on key service outsourcing sub-sectors, with further support to key sectors such as information technology and knowledge.

From their past evaluations, it can be seen that there is still an imbalance among different regions, with some of them having too simplified structures. The meeting has raised new guiding principles for service outsourcing.

That in turn requires regulatory departments to adopt new thinking. It is advisable for them to take a cautious attitude and allow service outsourcing industries to have their own space.

It is also advisable for various levels of government departments to outsource services, too, and help service companies to grow by purchasing their services. Especially in fields such as care for the aged, preschool education, and medical services, it is better to let enterprises and other social organizations grow.

As a comprehensive and fundamental set of legal standards for foreign investment activities, the new law provides unified provisions for the entry, promotion, protection and management of foreign investments.

It has been long in the making, but its implementation will put an end to the phenomenon of "letting firms in but not letting them do business" and address the concerns about forced technology transfers.

Rather than showing China's reluctance to embrace foreign players, the seemingly long time it has taken to enshrine what are now conventional rights and practices in developed countries in Chinese law reflects the prudent and progressive approach the country has taken to open up its markets and industries, and dock its institutional framework with the world.

Despite the pressures cast from outside on its so-called self-centered dealing with foreign enterprises, the country has maintained considerable strategic composure in adhering to the step-by-step route of opening-up and sought to strike a balance among different needs and interests.

In so doing, China has developed and the Chinese market has evolved to be the world's largest and fastest growing, creating great opportunities for foreign companies.

By the end of 2018, an accumulative total of 960,000 joint ventures had been founded accounting for $2.1 trillion of foreign capital, making China the largest actual user of foreign fund among developing countries for 27 consecutive years since 1992 according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

With China now advancing a new round of opening-up, it is expanding its market access to foreign investment by cutting its negative lists and putting more focus on establishing a law-based business environment that will ensure a more transparent and predictable environment to attract more foreign investment.

The law will regulate government behavior, and the authorities will also strengthen communication and coordination with foreign businesses to better protect their interests.

Fair competition is at the heart of a market economy, and impartial regulation is the safeguard for fair competition. The new law and accompanying regulations for its implementation mean the government will focus on establishing a law-based business environment that ensures that both domestic and foreign companies can thrive.

By creating a more open, transparent and fair business environment for foreign investments and better protecting their intellectual property, the law will give foreign companies greater confidence about investing in China and a greater sense of gain from doing so.

]]> 2020-01-05 14:37:13 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/05/content_37531136.htm THE YEAR 2020 MARKS THE 600TH ANNIVERSARY of the Palace Museum, which served as a palace for the Ming and Qing dynasty rulers. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang takes us through a brief tour of its 600-year history:

In 1406, Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), ordered the construction of a royal palace in Beijing, his new capital. Fourteen years later, the palace was ready.

After Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), abdicated in 1912 and moved out of the palace in 1925, the palace was opened to the public and came to be called the Palace Museum (Forbidden City).

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Palace Museum underwent repairs. Each brick of the museum, spread across 720,000 square meters, thus echoes the history of 600 years. Even a blink-and-you-miss red tile on the roof has been witness to major events.

The Palace Museum is like a history book, replete with both sweet and bitter pages. Every invasion left its indelible mark on it. In 1860, Beijing was occupied by the Anglo-French expeditionary army; in 1900, it was again occupied by the joint forces of eight imperialist countries.

The Palace Museum's biggest dome came crashing down in 1937, when it was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army. During the eight years it was occupied, there is historical evidence to show the Japanese army pillaged more than a ton of copper items from the palace to make bullets and cannons.

In the civil war that followed, Beijing was liberated, sparing the Palace Museum further damage.

Today, the Palace Museum is one of the busiest museums, and displays more than 1.8 million antiques, and receives some 17 million visitors every year.

]]> 2020-01-05 14:37:13 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/05/content_37531108.htm The violence on New Year's Day in Hong Kong sent a worrying signal that some radicals and rioters are still intent on taking the city's stability and prosperity hostage.

In an apparent preview of what the masked mob have in store for the special administrative region in 2020, they made a big scene on the international financial hub's main island on New Year's Day, clashing violently with police and vandalizing public facilities, shops, banks and even the outer wall of the High Court.

About 400 people were arrested for offenses including unlawful assembly and possession of offensive weapons after the rioters went on the rampage and attacked the police with gasoline bombs and bricks.

Since June, Hong Kong has witnessed frequent riots which have plunged the city into its most serious political and economic crisis for years.

The opposition camp's claim that the violence serves the pursuit of greater democracy does not hold water as it is both exclusive and subversive.

Not only are the radicals and rioters seeking to shake the foundations of governance in the SAR, they are also seeking a society made only in their image.

Since the district council elections last month, opposition district councilors have frequently appeared on the scene when any violence erupts, indulging the smash and burn of the blackshirts and smearing, even obstructing, the law enforcement efforts of the police. At least 17 opposition district councilors have reportedly been arrested for various crimes such as participating in illegal assembly or being involved in the street violence.

The months of unrest and chaos are taking their toll on the SAR. Its flagging economy, shuttered businesses and fears for personal safety are what the radical elements in Hong Kong have bestowed on their fellow residents in the name of democracy.

At no point have they offered any proposals to improve the SAR's fortunes and promote the wellbeing of local residents.

All they offer is violent affirmation of a self-created identity as privileged others and hypocritical rhetoric about the erosion of liberties when it is they that are denying to others the liberties that they claim to be upholding.

Over six months of escalating violence all the rioters have offered for the betterment of their hometown is brute force and ignorance, which as they have so readily demonstrated is a recipe for chaos.

To avoid Hong Kong enduring the pitiless routine of the rioters' self-indulgence in the year ahead, the SAR government must resolutely clamp down on their violence and bring every unlawful protester to book.

Hong Kong residents should also firmly rally around the SAR government and police, and join hands with them to safeguard their hometown.

]]> 2020-01-05 14:37:13 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/05/content_37531106.htm THREE ROCK CLIMBERS, who intentionally damaged a rock on Python Peak in the Sanqing mountain scenic area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jiangxi province, were ordered by a court to pay 6 million yuan ($861,373) for the ecological damage they caused. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

The ruling in the case was passed by the Intermediate People's Court of Shangrao in Jiangxi province, which also sentenced one of the rock climbers to one year in prison and another to a six-month probation for hammering 26 pitons into a rock on Python Peak.

The court ruling has been applauded by the public.

Located in the Mount Sanqing National Park, which is home to many animals and plants, and a famous Taoist sacred mountain, Python Peak is the world's highest natural python-shaped peak.

The damage the rock climbers inflicted on the mountain is irreparable, because it could affect the relic's structure and stability.

The Criminal Law states that those who intentionally destroy or damage historical sites will be sentenced up to five years in prison and fined.

But despite the media exposing some cases of people intentionally destroying cultural relics at historical sites, few offenders had been punished.

Which led many to believe that there's no price to be paid for damaging cultural relics.

So the Shangrao court ruling is a welcome change. That the offenders have been asked to issue a public apology shows that offenders will also be named and shamed.

And the amount of compensation the court has ordered the offenders to pay will deter potential offenders from damaging relics, and to better protect the environment and ecology.

]]> 2020-01-05 14:37:13 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/05/content_37531104.htm Editor's note: China's top legislature recently passed the revised version of the Securities Law, which takes effect on March 1. This is the second comprehensive amendment to the law since it came into force in 1999. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

The law was first revised in 2005, and work on the second amendment began in 2013. The amendment tones down the "privileges" in the Securities Law.

The existing law allows the top securities regulator, not market investors, to decide which "good" companies would be included on the registration list, which could lead to corruption.

The amended law, on the other hand, will treat the registration system as a cornerstone of a fair market, cancel the issuance examination committee and authorize the State Council, China's Cabinet, to promulgate stipulations on the specific scope of the securities issuance registration system.

The amended law shows China is determined to operate its securities market based on market rules and adhere to the "disclosure philosophy" established by the 1933 Securities Act of the United States. In the past, China's top regulator also emphasized the centrality of the information disclosure regulation, but the old securities issuance model failed to make investors believe "sunshine is the best preservative and street lamp the best police".

The amended law will also set the legal basis for China to expand the pilot registration-based system for initial public offerings in the A-share market and better implement the de-listing system in the securities market.

There have been increasing calls for the regulator to intensify the de-listing regulation to weed out underperforming companies, but under the existing issuance approval system, it is hard for the authorities to do so, as the companies are not listed based on market rules. With the enforcement of the amended Securities Law, this system is expected to change.

]]> 2020-01-05 14:37:13 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/05/content_37531086.htm Editor's Note: In his New Year's address, President Xi Jinping summarized China's main achievements in 2019. Seven experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Wang Yiqing, Liu Jianna, Yao Yuxin and Pan Yixuan. Excerpts follow:

The new fight will be against relative poverty

President Xi said that about 340 impoverished counties and more than 10 million people were lifted out of poverty in 2019, and China is expected to secure a decisive victory in eliminating absolute poverty in 2020. Which shows China is on its way to eliminating absolute poverty in 2020.

China's successful anti-poverty campaign is no doubt significant for the global fight against poverty. Yet, after eliminating abject poverty, China will focus on eradicating relative poverty and improving Chinese people's living standards. It will also take into consideration factors other than income in setting the "poverty line" and adopting a multi-pronged approach to end poverty.

Besides, China will transform the hyper-normal war against poverty into routine institutional arrangements, following which a series of measures such as strengthening of the social security net would be required to tackle the next daunting challenge.

Still, the authorities need to improve coordination between rural and urban areas in poverty-alleviation work to intensify the fight against poverty in cities by, for example, fixing an "urban poverty line". Indeed, China has to do a lot more to build on the success of the poverty-alleviation work and realize common prosperity.

It should ensure that the positive results are sustainable. For instance, it should take measures to prevent people lifted out of poverty from slipping back into poverty. In addition, a permanent and effective poverty-alleviation mechanism should be established to help poor people to increase their incomes.

More efficient tech investment

Xi cited a number of technological breakthroughs China made in 2019, including the landing of the lunar probe Chang'e 4 on the far side of the moon, the launching of Long March 5 Y3 rocket, and the commercial application of 5G technology. These achievements can be attributed to China's persistent efforts to build an innovation-driven economy based on scientific and technological research.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which upholds innovation-led development, China has boosted investment in technological innovation since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017 and made some significant progress in the area.

For decades, China lagged behind such high-tech powers as the United States and Japan. But now it is catching up with them, even leading the development of certain advanced technologies including 5G and big data. Looking ahead, the commercial application of 5G can further improve people's lives in 2020.

For sure, it will take time for some technologies to be applied commercially, while some scientific innovations may not yield the desired results given that all innovations come with unknown risks. But that does not mean we should reduce investment in scientific and technological research. The need is to take measures to ensure the investment is used efficiently, and all parties including research institutes, enterprises and the government collaborate to maximize the results.

BRI will boost co-development

The development of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative gathered pace in 2019. In April, China hosted the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which produced 283 results and a consensus on high-quality development.

Sixteen countries and international organizations signed Belt and Road cooperation documents in 2019, taking the total number of such documents to 199. More than 18,000 trains joined the China-Europe freight service that connects 110 cities on the Eurasian continent, and 409 new air routes were opened between countries along the Belt and Road routes.

The year 2019 also witnessed the progress of policy, infrastructure and funds connectivity, as well as people-to-people exchanges among the Belt and Road economies.

A new Belt and Road phase begins in 2020, in which deeper cooperation among and concrete efforts of economies will help propel high-quality development, and promote global cooperation on building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Foreign trade and opening-up in focus

Xi said reform and opening-up have continuously generated vigor for further development, and stressed that in 2019, "China continued to open its arms wide to embrace the world". To boost foreign trade, China set up another batch of pilot free trade zones, expanded the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and hosted the second China International Import Expo.

The newly added Lingang Special Area to the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone is part of China's policy to further open up the economy and strengthen the country's competitiveness in the global market. And the plan to establish six new free trade zones in the country shows FTZs will exercise more decision-making powers in terms of trade and investment liberalization, as well as administrative matters.

Besides, the second China International Import Expo demonstrated the country's resolve to fight trade protectionism, and safeguard free trade and economic globalization, so as to inject new vitality into the country's economy, and build a more open world economy.

All these measures indicate China's economy is strong enough to cope with the unexpected challenges that may arise during the further opening-up process, and Beijing is set to play an even bigger role in the global economy in the future.

'One country, two systems' ideal for HK governance

Compared with the previous year's speech, Xi this time dedicated more time to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. By reiterating what the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee said in October, Xi made it clear that "one country, two systems" is critical to the national governance system.

Given the months-long riots sparked by the now-shelved extradition amendment bill, Xi's address indicated that China might invest more energy in perfecting "one country, two systems" in 2020.

First, the SAR needs to accelerate legislation on national security as required by Article 23 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. But since the situation in Hong Kong is not conducive to promoting such legislation now, the SAR government should first restore social order in the city and thwart any efforts by external forces to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs.

Second, the SAR government also needs to strengthen its governance capacity and communication skills, while the central government should guide and supervise the SAR government to do a better job of governance, as prescribed in the Basic Law.

And third, to prevent outside forces from interfering in Hong Kong's affairs in the future, it is necessary to prepare countermeasures against external forces including the US and "pro-independence forces" in Taiwan that have been fueling the unrest in the SAR.

There is no point blaming "one country, two systems" for Hong Kong's ills, because despite certain problems in its implementation in Hong Kong, the governance mechanism has yielded remarkable results in the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Tax cut to benefit individual taxpayers

China cut taxes and fees by more than 2 trillion yuan ($287.22 billion) in 2019, and raised the individual income tax threshold. The large-scale tax cut promoted economic stability and raised the expectations of the market, thus laying a solid foundation for higher-quality development in 2020.

For example, the massive tax cut eased the burden of enterprises by reducing their cost of industrial upgrading. The raising of the personal income tax threshold has increased individual taxpayers disposable income, which in turn has boosted consumption. The higher personal income tax threshold also played a role in expanding the middle-income group and narrowing the income gap.

That some local governments are facing financial strains means 2020 could not see another massive tax reduction, and it's more important to fully implement the current policy of tax cut.

Plus, to strike the right balance between income and expenditure, local governments have to increase their fiscal revenues while preventing expenditure from increasing.

Apart from boosting economic growth in order to increase income, the local governments would do good to optimize the allocation of resources, activate idle assets and explore new growth engines. They should also reduce administrative expenditure by working out a more efficient spending structure.

Diplomacy bears rich fruits

With Solomon Islands and Kiribati being added to the list in 2019, China now has diplomatic relations with 180 countries. Which shows China's policy of nonalignment, peaceful development and inclusive partnership is ideal for deepening bilateral ties and boosting co-development.

In fact, China further strengthened its open and inclusive development policy in 2019.

One of the most important diplomatic achievements of China in 2019 was the "phase-one" trade deal with the United States, and so was the conclusion of the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Which, after it is signed this year, could boost regional trade, and thus promote multilateralism and economic globalization.

Still, the China-US trade talks will remain in the spotlight in 2020, with China becoming a favorite topic for the candidates campaigning for the US presidential election.

China's diplomacy yielded other results as well, such as the successful hosting of a series of regional and global conferences and expos, while Chinese leaders' visits to neighboring countries such as Russia, India and Vietnam helped deepen bilateral relations.

As for the Belt and Road Initiative, China took measures to ensure it continues to promote co-development with Central Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe, which earned it more global acknowledgement.

And despite multilateral cooperation suffering a blow in 2019, China will continue to take active part in global governance in order to promote free trade and globalization. It will also increase its contributions to global development through Belt and Road projects and urge all parties to help build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Which explains why New Delhi announced earlier this week that it would allow Chinese telecommunications equipment giant Huawei to take part in trials for the rollout of services for the next generation mobile networks in the huge Indian market despite the tar-and-feathering of the company by the United States.

"5G trials will be done with all vendors and operators," India's electronics and information minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday.

For India, Washington's claim that Huawei poses a serious national security threat is just too far-fetched, given the lack of any supportive evidence. And to ease New Delhi's espionage fear, Huawei has agreed to sign a "no backdoor policy" agreement with the Indian government, which allows the latter to ban the company from operating in the country if it is involved in any security breach.

India has been a long-time user of Huawei's equipment－in cell sites and other network infrastructure－and it certainly knows Huawei products provide value for money. According to Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel－one of the largest telecom operators in India that is involved in 5G trials－Huawei's 3G and 4G equipment have been superior to that of other vendors. In his words－"They are clearly leading edge."

And Huawei's excellent track record means there is certainly no need for India to shun its 5G equipment. Not to mention that excluding a major competitor in a nascent market tends to lead only to inferior technology and services being offered at much higher prices.

India has always been late in embracing the latest technology. After missing the 3G and 4G bus, the country cannot afford to miss the 5G bus as well by jumping on Washington's anti-Huawei bandwagon.

Huawei is the only company in the world that makes 5G handsets, 5G base stations, 5G optical fiber, and 5G core network hardware and software, and by giving it a fair trial, India will remain within catching range of countries such as the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea that have already started 5G trials and even commercial roll-out.

Time will prove that India has made a wise decision by paying no heed to Washington's scare stories and choosing to judge the facts for itself.

]]> 2020-01-05 14:37:13 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/04/content_37531254.htm The introduction of the Company Law in 2006 prompted Chinese companies to pay greater attention to corporate social responsibility, especially when it is related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Corporate social responsibility was further strengthened when the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges issued guidelines for companies to disclose their CSR performance, with large companies such as CNPC, Sinopec and the State Grid publishing their CSR reports. In fact, between 2006 and 2009, Chinese companies issued nearly 1,600 such reports.

Despite that, only a limited number of companies issued CSR reports because it was not mandatory to do so. More important, no penalties were imposed on the companies not issuing such reports. Also, there were wide variations in the quality of the published CSR reports and the frequencies of their publication. In addition, many of the companies targeted by the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges did not publish such reports, while many not obliged to do so issued them voluntarily.

ESG issues influenced by domestic factors

Both domestic and international factors have influenced companies to prepare their environmental, social and governance reports. Domestically, President Xi Jinping's emphasis on building an ecological civilization with Chinese characteristics was the main factor affecting the publication of such reports. The concept, first articulated in 2012, has received increasing importance over the years. As a result, despite economic growth remaining a national priority, it now has to be achieved without causing social and environmental damage.

But before that, many provincial governments continued to prioritize GDP growth over ESG considerations, which contributed to continued large investments in heavily polluting industries. For many provincial governments, genuine considerations of ESG requirements were an unnecessary distraction which contributed to lowering of their GDP growth rates. It seemed the central government's increasing focus on ESG issues was incompatible with many provincial governments' goal of achieving a high economic growth at any cost.

Local officials protected polluters in the past

Pan Yue, vice-minister of environmental protection from 2008 to 2015, has noted that many provincial governments openly protected their biggest corporate polluters. A retrospective analysis shows those companies whose chief executives were deputies to the National People's Congress or members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference generally published reasonably good CSR reports.

Increasing requirements of China's main trading partners on ESG issues, too, had a profound impact on Chinese businesses. For example, in 2003, the European Union issued two legislative directives that prompted many Chinese companies to improve their ESG performances, especially if they had business dealings with or in EU countries.

The two directives－one on electrical and electronic equipment waste, and the other on reduction of hazardous substances－mandated that any enterprise operating in or exporting products to EU countries must meet the directives' requirements. They also required supply chain activities in China to comply with the requirements. The net result has been that Chinese suppliers are meeting the ESG requirements of the EU, irrespective of whether or not their products are exported to EU countries.

Another impetus to improve ESG practices came from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Those Chinese mainland companies listed on the Honk Kong Stock Exchange were obliged to meet higher levels of ESG disclosures compared with those listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen stock exchanges. In 2018, the HKSE's guidelines for reporting on ESG issues entered its second phase, making it obligatory for companies to disclose their key ESG performance indicators. As a direct result of the stricter ESG requirements of the HKSE, the reporting of all mainland companies listed on the HKSE have been of a better quality.

Corporate philanthropy after Wenchuan quake

The Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12, 2008, had a profound impact on the CSR landscape. The earthquake－which killed 69,181 people, left 18,498 people missing and 374,171 injured, and destroyed more than 15 million homes, leaving 10 million people homeless－contributed to an outpouring of public appeal for companies to come to the aid of the victims. The result: companies contributed an estimated $1.5 billion for relief and rehabilitation of the quake victims.

The earthquake added philanthropy to CSR in China. Such was the impact of the Wenchuan earthquake that after a less-devastating quake in Sichuan in 2013, multinational companies such as Samsung and Apple contributed 60 million yuan ($8.61 million) and 50 million yuan respectively to the relief fund. Which showed businesses have an important role to play in disaster relief operations.

Another important factor contributing to the strengthening of ESG considerations is China's rapidly growing middle-income group. Members of this group are better educated, and more aware of global norms and developments compared with the earlier generations. They seek a better quality of life, safer products, improved services, and a cleaner and healthier environment. Therefore, they have become vociferous critics of irresponsible companies.

This, too, has compelled companies to improve their ESG practices. Add to that the fact the Chinese government has vowed to severely punish the errant companies by imposing significantly higher fines on them, even jailing their senior officials, and you will realize why Chinese companies have become more ESG-conscious.

Good progress on ESG front

China is a newcomer to CSR reporting compared with many Western countries. The Chinese public, in general, may not be very concerned about the companies' CSR performance. Perhaps that's why many Chinese companies still do not publish CSR reports of reasonably good quality.

A recent study indicates that between Jan 1 and Oct 31, 2018, companies released 1,676 CSR reports, up 8.5 percent year-onyear. However, despite the increase in the number of reports, the percentage of "good-quality" reports has declined.

Another interesting fact is that the listed companies that issue such reports are mostly State-owned. These companies often accord priority to national political issues such as poverty alleviation, pollution control and climate change. For example, in 2004, a major government priority was planting of billions of trees. So, many companies decided to focus on tree planting as part of their CSR practice.

Chinese companies are not forced to follow any political priorities, yet they do it voluntarily. But then the government has been encouraging companies to include social and environmental values in corporate activities in recent years. This is because companies can promote societal development by adopting enlightened policies, making strategic investments and holding regular dialogue with governments and the public, which would allow them to better understand and appreciate the requirements, expectations and aspirations of both the government and the public.

China's understating of companies' ESG requirements has undergone a sea change in the past decade. It is almost as dramatic as China's economic transformation. And the advances Chinese companies have made in ESG practices are likely to be even more dramatic in the next decade.

Asit K. Biswas is a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Glasgow and chairman of Water Management International Pte Ltd, Singapore. And Cecilia Tortajada is a senior research fellow at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

The impact of today's digital technologies on the labor market raises three questions. Will there be enough jobs for workers to do? Where will these jobs be? And will the compensation be high enough to avoid an increase in poverty and inequality?

Technological unemployment

The answer to the first question is unequivocal. Historical evidence shows that labor-replacing technological innovation does not lead to long-term changes in employment and unemployment rates in industrial countries. Keynes talked about "technological unemployment", and there is no doubt that in the 1920s and the subsequent Great Depression, one of the biggest causes of unemployment in Britain was the decline of coal and other industries in the face of competition from Germany and the US. Workers' skills and geographic location ruled out quickly redeploying them elsewhere in the economy. But that transitional episode eventually passed.

Fear of technological unemployment persists because it is rooted in uncertainty about new job creation. New machines' capabilities enable us to identify the jobs at risk, but not the jobs yet to emerge. We have to guess by comparing the capabilities of workers and machines, which often tilt the balance in favor of estimates of net job loss.

But we have abundant evidence of human ingenuity in creating new jobs. When Keynes wrote, the service sector in Britain and the US employed about 40 percent of workers. Employment sectors such as health and care and the broader travel and hospitality industries were relatively very small. Today each of those sectors employs more people than manufacturing. As former US president John F. Kennedy put it: "(I)f men have the talent to invent new machines that put men out of work, they have the talent to put those men back to work."

The challenge of new technologies

The challenge all new technologies pose is not that they create too few jobs, but rather that too few workers have the skills to fill them. Just as some jobs benefit from new technologies while others become obsolete, so, too, some skills become more valuable, while others are substitutable.

The automobile boosted the value of engineering skills and decreased the value of horse-breeding skills. Horse breeders had to learn new skills to maintain their incomes. A good sectoral transition for them would have been to the auto production or maintenance sectors. The sectoral bias of new technologies is a challenge that workers take on and eventually master, but not without objections, at least initially.

The jobs threatened in the early stages of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) were routine or relied on processing data. Moving big boxes in warehouses, or loading agricultural produce onto trucks, was easily mechanized. Data-processing jobs could be carried out by AI software; a search engine and a few key words could easily replace a paralegal who searches court records for relevant precedents.

These properties led to the polarization of employment, challenging workers to shift to jobs that were either complimentary to the new technologies, such as computer programming or robotics, or to jobs that could not be programmed, such as management consultancy or nursing care. These jobs were either more skilled and better paid than the routine jobs, or less skilled with lower pay, leading to the hollowing of the middle of the income distribution. In more recent times, improvements in AI render non-routine jobs vulnerable as well.

Flexible labor markets can better adapt to change

The sectoral employment transition is easier where the education system teaches a broad range of skills, rather than encouraging specialization from an early age, and where flexible labor markets have good retraining facilities. Access to finance also is essential in facilitating the transition, enabling startups in the new economy to hire some of the displaced workers.

At the Luohan Academy in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, we investigated the availability of finance through the digital platforms Alibaba and Ant Financial, which use the information in their big data sets in place of collateral to evaluate loan applications. We found that the platform economy makes credit accessible to many more people than the traditional banks can reach.

The third question, about inequality, is more difficult to address. Economics is good at providing unambiguous answers to questions about the efficiency of labor markets. The question of inequality, by contrast, is partly about political choices. The sectoral bias of new technologies means that inequality typically increases when they become available. Those who succeed in taking advantage of them receive rewards above the rest of the workforce.

Lower-skill workers' wages should be raised

The key question, however, should not be whether some people become very rich, but whether the wages of lower-skill people are sufficiently high to avoid poverty. This depends partly on company policy, as competition may not work to raise wages when companies grow very large in their local area. Companies in the digital era have a choice: They can use technology to substitute capital for labor and keep wages low, or use technology for the good of their workers with a view to longer-term profits. In the latter case, workers' well-being benefits more from the new technologies, not necessarily only through higher wages but also through better working and living conditions.

If the new technologies increase economic inequality, but do not increase poverty, some societies may decide not to do anything about it. Aversion to inequality is higher in European countries than in the United States, for example, and a variety of redistributive programs are in place to reduce it. With sufficient support, policies to offset rising inequality are not difficult to devise. The Scandinavian countries have long relied on high taxes to finance extensive social support programs.

Whatever society's attitude to inequality, the outcome to be avoided is poverty (or near-poverty) wages. A mandatory minimum wage or tax inducement to employers to raise low wages may be necessary. The point of technological innovation, after all, is not to give people reason to resist it.

The author is a winner of Nobel Prize for economics and Regius professor of Economics at the London School of Economics.

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Besides defying international laws, the airstrikes have contradicted what the US president claimed in the United Nations in September 2017－that sovereignty should be the guiding principle of affairs between nations. It has proven to be a sheer lie.

The US said the airstrikes were in response to the rocket attack that killed a US contractor last week. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed the US "has acted quickly, prudently, and decisively". The reality is that the US did act quickly but imprudently. The US airstrikes were also grossly disproportionate given the death of 25 Iraqis, not to mention the estimated 2.4 million Iraqis killed since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

On Tuesday, angry Iraqis protested outside the US embassy in Baghdad. They broke into the compound, throwing gasoline bombs and smashing windows, while US forces fired tear gas at the crowd.

Kata'ib Hezbollah had fought the US invading forces after 2003. But since 2014, the group, part of the Iraqi paramilitary forces, has been fighting against the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq.

The US has blamed Iran for the embassy siege. In a tweet on Tuesday, the US president said Iran "will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat". Esper ordered the deployment of 750 US troops to the Middle East. And some reports suggest that the US might tighten economic sanctions on Iran.

Existing US sanctions are already hurting the Iranian economy. In fact, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that renewed US sanctions have cost Iran $200 billion in foreign exchange income and investment, referring to the sanctions re-imposed after the US withdrew from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal in mid-2018.

In its late October report, Human Rights Watch said the US sanctions posed a serious threat to Iranians' right to health and access to essential medicines. Like Cuba and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran has not surrendered to the US' maximum pressure.

Britain, France and Germany, three of the six signatories to the Iran nuclear deal, have opposed the renewed US sanctions. They have also devised the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges mechanism to help European companies bypass the US sanctions.

In late November, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden said they are in the process of becoming shareholders of the instrument.

The growing tension between the US and Iran comes at a difficult time. DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday blamed the US for a lack of action in contrast to the measures the DPRK has taken to build confidence, including halting nuclear tests and shutting down a nuclear test facility. Kim said: "There is no ground for us to get unilaterally bound to the commitment any longer" and "the world will witness a new strategic weapon to be possessed by the DPRK in the near future."

The US has made no move to ease sanctions on the DPRK since the first summit between the leaders of the two countries in Singapore in June 2018. The US president is incapable of making such a decision given the divisive nature of US domestic politics. Perhaps the US' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has had a negative impact on the DPRK.

After all, who can really trust a superpower that relies excessively on its military and economic might to coerce and bully other countries into submission instead of resorting to diplomacy to resolve issues?

]]> 2020-01-03 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/03/content_37531100.htm The violence on New Year's Day in Hong Kong sent a worrying signal that some radicals and rioters are still intent on taking the city's stability and prosperity hostage.

In an apparent preview of what the masked mob have in store for the special administrative region in 2020, they made a big scene on the international financial hub's main island on New Year's Day, clashing violently with police and vandalizing public facilities, shops, banks and even the outer wall of the High Court.

About 400 people were arrested for offenses including unlawful assembly and possession of offensive weapons after the rioters went on the rampage and attacked the police with gasoline bombs and bricks.

Since June, Hong Kong has witnessed frequent riots which have plunged the city into its most serious political and economic crisis for years.

The opposition camp's claim that the violence serves the pursuit of greater democracy does not hold water as it is both exclusive and subversive.

Not only are the radicals and rioters seeking to shake the foundations of governance in the SAR, they are also seeking a society made only in their image.

Since the district council elections last month, opposition district councilors have frequently appeared on the scene when any violence erupts, indulging the smash and burn of the blackshirts and smearing, even obstructing, the law enforcement efforts of the police. At least 17 opposition district councilors have reportedly been arrested for various crimes such as participating in illegal assembly or being involved in the street violence.

The months of unrest and chaos are taking their toll on the SAR. Its flagging economy, shuttered businesses and fears for personal safety are what the radical elements in Hong Kong have bestowed on their fellow residents in the name of democracy.

At no point have they offered any proposals to improve the SAR's fortunes and promote the wellbeing of local residents.

All they offer is violent affirmation of a self-created identity as privileged others and hypocritical rhetoric about the erosion of liberties when it is they that are denying to others the liberties that they claim to be upholding.

Over six months of escalating violence all the rioters have offered for the betterment of their hometown is brute force and ignorance, which as they have so readily demonstrated is a recipe for chaos.

To avoid Hong Kong enduring the pitiless routine of the rioters' self-indulgence in the year ahead, the SAR government must resolutely clamp down on their violence and bring every unlawful protester to book.

Hong Kong residents should also firmly rally around the SAR government and police, and join hands with them to safeguard their hometown.

]]> 2020-01-03 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/03/content_37531107.htm Editor's note: China's top legislature recently passed the revised version of the Securities Law, which takes effect on March 1. This is the second comprehensive amendment to the law since it came into force in 1999. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

The law was first revised in 2005, and work on the second amendment began in 2013. The amendment tones down the "privileges" in the Securities Law.

The existing law allows the top securities regulator, not market investors, to decide which "good" companies would be included on the registration list, which could lead to corruption.

The amended law, on the other hand, will treat the registration system as a cornerstone of a fair market, cancel the issuance examination committee and authorize the State Council, China's Cabinet, to promulgate stipulations on the specific scope of the securities issuance registration system.

The amended law shows China is determined to operate its securities market based on market rules and adhere to the "disclosure philosophy" established by the 1933 Securities Act of the United States. In the past, China's top regulator also emphasized the centrality of the information disclosure regulation, but the old securities issuance model failed to make investors believe "sunshine is the best preservative and street lamp the best police".

The amended law will also set the legal basis for China to expand the pilot registration-based system for initial public offerings in the A-share market and better implement the de-listing system in the securities market.

There have been increasing calls for the regulator to intensify the de-listing regulation to weed out underperforming companies, but under the existing issuance approval system, it is hard for the authorities to do so, as the companies are not listed based on market rules. With the enforcement of the amended Securities Law, this system is expected to change.

]]> 2020-01-03 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2020-01/02/content_37530966.htm Even with the violent assault on the United States embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, for which he threatened Teheran with a "very big price" to pay, and even as the Pentagon acted swiftly to reinforce deployment in the region, US President Donald Trump indicated that the US will exercise restraint.

The US president said he wants peace as much as the Iranians do, and doesn't see a war with Iran happening.

While such restraint certainly is laudable and conducive to cooling things down a bit, it doesn't suffice for meaningful headway to be made in unraveling the present impasse in the region.

Tuesday's storming of the embassy compound no doubt marks "increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities," as US Defense Secretary Mark Esper observed. But deploying more troops alone can't address the troubles in Washington's face.

Unless the real lesson is learned and taken to heart, unless Washington gives more thought to non-military options, and engages local players in a more constructive manner, there is little chance it will easily emerge from being mired in the Middle East.

Even though an outright war between the US and Iran may be ruled out for now, what is widely seen as proxy wars between the two parties may drag on, weakening both and worsening security conditions throughout the region.

The Tuesday attack in itself is an example of the complicated and thorny nature of the troubles at Washington's hand.

The embassy breach was carried out by members of Hashd Shaabi, an umbrella group formed by Iraq's paramilitary Kata'ib Hezbollah and other Iraqi Shiite paramilitary groups, allegedly Iran-backed, who lost 25 comrades in US airstrikes on Sunday in Iraq and Syria.

Those strikes－the largest of their kind in recent years－were allegedly in retaliation for recent attacks on US targets in Iraq, which Washington blamed on Iran as the orchestrator, although the latter denied the charge.

While the strikes also invited angry responses from Iran and Syria, it is the response from Baghdad which makes things worse. Calling them "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty, the Iraqi government said it would reconsider relations with the US-led coalition.

As some US observers have pointed out, the strikes turned some of the Iraqi anger away from Iran toward the US, which will in turn undermine US influence as well as its position in dealing with Teheran.

If Iran does have a role here, the outrage seen on Tuesday again showed the US president's "maximum pressure" tactic is not working. Instead, it is simply creating more problems than it solves.

It should also be no surprise that it has been passed ahead of the island's election on Jan 11.

And it should come as no surprise should the bill have a chilling effect on the island's ties with the Chinese mainland.

The DPP said the legislation is aimed at combating efforts by Beijing to influence politics and the democratic process on the island, claiming that it will prevent illegal campaign contributions, the staging of political events, the spread of misinformation and other acts that could affect Taiwan's elections or the work of the government.

By doing so the DPP can kill two birds with one stone: using the bill as a tool to suppress the election campaigns of opposition parties such as the Kuomintang, People First Party and New Party; and closing the door on exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.

That being the case, how can the bill be providing greater guarantees for Taiwan's democracy, as Tsai claims?

Under the new legislation, anyone who receives funding, instructions or donations from "external forces" to mobilize public rallies, for election campaign activities, or lobbies government officials or lawmakers, or disrupts the social order could be jailed for up to five years and fined up to NT$10 million ($334,000).

With exchanges across the Straits having expanded to the extent they have now, it is too easy to claim exchanges are infiltration.

With no clear descriptions about its terms such as funding, donations and even instructions, there is enough reason to believe that the bill will likely be a basket, in which the ruling DPP can put whatever things it wants.

As a result, such worries hold water that a "white terror" could be created by the bill and those who get investment from the mainland could be jailed and so would be those who have close exchanges with the mainland.

As such, relations across the Straits will be seriously affected or even ruined since the island leader Tsai Ing-wen said in explicit terms on Wednesday that the island will not accept the "one country, two systems" political formula.

So this bill can also be understood as being part and parcel of Tsai's strategy to further sabotage ties across the Straits, which she believes will increase her chances of being reelected.

But one thing she should never forget is the fact that the further she and her DPP go on the road to secession from the mainland, the more likely it is that the mainland will take back the island by force.

When such a scenario turns out to be next to reality, she and her DPP will be deserted by the people on the island.

Any mention of the word "pneumonia" could trigger panic, as it brings back memories of the SARS(severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic that hit China and large parts of Asia in 2002-03.

Therefore, after a pneumonia outbreak was reported in Wuhan, people immediately started asking: "Is SARS back?"

No one can give a definite answer to that. People's Daily quoted medical experts as saying there is no empirical evidence to prove the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan is SARS. Nor did the local health authorities mention SARS in their news release.

But we can be sure about one thing－even if it is an epidemic, it can be controlled. Unlike in 2002-03, China now has a comprehensive emergency response mechanism in place.

Even in Wuhan, within 24 hours the local authorities identified the people who had been infected, where the epidemic originated, and who should be kept under observation. By Wednesday, the local market regulatory bureau had shut down a wholesale seafood market, believed to be the source of the virus.

The same sense of urgency was evident in Beijing in November when two people were diagnosed with plague. Within 24 hours, measures were taken to prevent the disease from spreading.

So every time an epidemic breaks out, the government can prevent people panicking by releasing timely information. In Wuhan, the local authorities were updating their micro blog accounts every few minutes, reflecting utmost transparency. And the more transparency there is, the less room for rumors and therefore panic to spread.

Let us hope the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan is controlled soon.

Sun, 55, is the son of a 95-year-old female patient who has been bedridden since suffering a stroke for years and lately slipped into a coma. Four days after the brutal attack, China passed a new law aimed at preventing violence against medical practitioners.

That such brutal attacks should be strongly condemned and the perpetrator brought to justice goes without saying. But the public also needs to think about some deep-rooted social challenges caused by the rising aging population as reflected in the bloody attack.

The elderly woman had been in the emergency ward for nearly 20 days because she couldn't be moved to a normal ward for want of a bed. Which meant the healthcare insurance system might not cover a large part of her medical bill. Sun's family said that was one of the reasons Sun and his family got into conflicts with the hospital. And unfortunately, the doctor became a victim of that conflict.

For years people have been complaining about how difficult it is to get a bed allotted in a hospital, especially in a major hospital. And the growing aging population is increasing the burden on the healthcare insurance system by consuming an increasing share of medical resources.

By the end of 2018, the number of people aged above 60 had reached 249 million, more than 17 percent of the total population. The figure is expected to increase to 255 million in 2020. Since a country with more than 10 percent of its population above 60 is termed an aging society, the seriousness of China's problem should be lost on no one.

The World Health Organization has issued an alert on the dramatically rising pace of aging population across the world. France had almost 150 years to adapt to the rise in aging population from 10 percent to 20 percent of the total, whereas China has to adapt to the change in slightly more than 20 years.

Some official statistics will help gauge the magnitude of China's aging population problem. In 2018, only 9.7 percent of the total working population needed hospitalization compared with 42.1 percent of the retirees. In 2018, the total income of the national medical insurance fund was about 2.13 trillion yuan ($305.90 billion) while the total expenditure was 1.78 trillion yuan. To strike a balance between the income and expenditure of the medical insurance fund, hospitals are assigned different medical insurance quotas. The hospitals are also evaluated on the basis of how frequently they assign a bed to a new patient.

Maybe that's why many hospitals are reluctant to allot a bed to a time-and fund-consuming patient who has a slim hope of recovery, because by allotting a bed to such a patient for a long duration, especially toward the end of the year, hospitals could lose part of their allotted medical insurance quota.

If Sun had been conscientious, he should have been grateful to the hospital and doctors for keeping his mother in the emergency ward instead of venting his anger on the innocent doctor.

Take the case of an 89-year-old woman in Guangzhou. She was forced to shift from one hospital to another in December after suffering a stroke and had to spend her last 44 days in four hospitals. The case indicates how urgently the authorities need to improve the healthcare system to deal with the rising aging population problem.

The aged women in Beijing and Guangzhou are just two of the 44 million aged people who are disabled or partly disabled after suffering a stroke or heart attack, or due to other medical conditions. In fact, Beijing Normal University's sociology department has said that the number of such partly disabled aged people will be between 68.52 million and 75.9 million in 2020, while that of totally disabled aged people will be between 5.99 million and 6.74 million.

The healthcare system and other elderly-care mechanisms are far from prepared to deal with the looming aging population challenge.

According to the China National Committee on Aging, in 2020 China will have 29 million people aged above 80. And the WHO has forecast that by 2050 China will have about 125 million people aged above 80. Also, in 2050 at least 100 million of the 480 million people aged above 60 will be partly or totally disabled due to various health conditions.

So apart from increasing investment in quality hospitals, the authorities should also build more public nursing facilities to ease the pressure on hospitals, provide more community services to support aged residents, and use technology to lower the cost of medical and elderly care.

The year 2019 ended on a bloody note for the healthcare and eldercare systems because of the stabbing incident, which shows that not only do our doctors and nurses need protection, but also that the eldercare system needs improvement. So let us take a solemn pledge that from 2020 we will respect and better protect medical practitioners, and do more to take better care for the elderly.

The author is a writer with China Daily.

China has already lifted out of poverty close to 800 million people－more than the total population of Latin America or the European Union－since the launch of reform and opening-up.

As President Xi Jinping said in his New Year's address:"2020 will be a year of milestone significance. We will finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realize the first centenary goal. 2020 will also be a year of decisive victory for the elimination of poverty."

That China's transformation has been driven by its political commitment and effective policy measures has been recognized by such international organizations as the United Nations, especially the UN Development Programme. The efforts of governments at all levels, from provinces and municipalities to counties and villages, to eradicate poverty have allowed the implementation of pilot projects to address local problems on the ground through a targeted poverty alleviation program and achieve unprecedented results.

No wonder the share of China's population living in absolute poverty dropped from 97.5 percent in 1978 to just 1.7 percent in 2019, while its per capita income increased 20-fold during the same period. In fact, China is the only country to have risen from the low to high category on the UNDP's human development index.

This fact found echo in President Xi's speech. "In 2019, we sweated and we toiled as we pressed ahead with concrete efforts for achievements. Thanks to our steady pursuit of high-quality development, China's GDP is expected to edge close to 100 trillion yuan (14.36 trillion) with the per capita figure reaching the level of $10,000."

China's success in fighting poverty can also be attributed to the leadership's resolve and the adequate allocation of financial and human resources to poverty-alleviation programs, as well as massive investments in infrastructure to connect remote, impoverished areas to the rest of the country, which have provided people with better access to services and markets and helped them improve their incomes and lives.

In 2019 alone, China allocated 126 billion yuan to poverty reduction programs. And since 2017, it has dispatched about 775,000 civil servants to impoverished villages to support local officials in implementing specific poverty-alleviating measures at the household level while monitoring and reviewing the progress at every step.

Besides, China's people-centric approach to reducing poverty aligns with the global vision of leaving no one behind enshrined in the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals－to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect the planet.

Yet China has to meet some challenges on its way to building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way. For instance, between 2000 and 2018, the incomes of the bottom 40 percent of the Chinese population grew at just half the rate of the wealthiest 1 percent. And climate change is likely to widen this inequality, because the poor are most vulnerable to its effects. Slower economic growth and a fast aging population could make the problem even more serious, especially because it is becoming increasingly challenging for the country's shrinking workforce to support growth and social security.

China has to realize that poverty has many dimensions－indeed, poverty is a multifaceted problem－to overcome complex and interconnected challenges in 2020 and beyond. As such, the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) should focus on reducing relative poverty and narrowing the wealth gap between rural and urban areas, as well as within cities and between generations and genders.

But as Xi said: "The bugle has sounded. United as one, we shall work harder. The greater the difficulties, the further we advance, strengthening our weak links even more and laying a more solid foundation to win the hard battle against poverty with determination, to lift all impoverished rural residents and counties out of poverty by current standards as scheduled."

And this should inspire other countries－perhaps to take a leaf out of China's "how-to-reduce-poverty" book－to intensify their fight against poverty in order to build a more equitable and balanced world for the betterment of the entire humankind.

The author is a writer with China Daily.

The best that economists can do is to assess vulnerability. Looking at imbalances in the real economy or financial markets gives a sense of the potential consequences of a major shock. It doesn't take much to spark corrections in vulnerable economies and markets. But a garden-variety correction is far different from a crisis. The severity of the shock and the degree of vulnerability matter: big shocks to highly vulnerable systems are a recipe for crisis.

In this vein, the source of vulnerability that I worry about the most is the overextended state of central banks' balance sheets. My concern stems from three reasons.

Many central banks' balance sheet stretched

First, central banks' balance sheets are undeniably stretched. Assets of major central banks－the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, and the Bank of Japan－collectively stood at $14.5 trillion in November 2019, which is down only slightly from the peak of about $15 trillion in early 2018 and more than 3.5 times the pre-global financial crisis level of $4 trillion. A similar conclusion comes from scaling assets by the size of their respective economies: Japan leads the way at 102 percent of nominal GDP, followed by the ECB at 39 percent, and the Fed at a mere 17 percent.

Second, the expansion of central banks' balance sheets is essentially a failed policy experiment. Yes, it was successful in putting a floor under collapsing markets over a decade ago, in the depths of the global financial crisis in late 2008 and early 2009. But it failed to achieve traction in sparking vigorous economic recovery.

Central banks believed that what worked during the crisis would work equally well during the recovery. That didn't happen. The combined nominal GDP of the United States, eurozone and Japan increased by $5.3 trillion from 2008 to 2018, or just more than half their central banks' combined balance sheet expansion of $10 trillion during the same period. The remaining $4.7 trillion is the functional equivalent of a massive liquidity injection that has been propping up asset markets over most of the post-crisis era.

Fed leads the way in upping the ante

Third, steeped in denial, central banks are once again upping the ante on balance sheet expansion as a means to stimulate flagging economic recoveries. The Fed's late 2018 pivot led the way, first reversing the planned normalization of its benchmark policy rate and then allowing its balance sheet to grow again (allegedly for reserve management purposes) following steady reductions from mid-2017 through August 2019.

Asset purchases remain at elevated levels for the Bank of Japan as a critical element of the "Abenomics" reflation campaign. And the recently installed ECB president, Christine Lagarde, the world's newest central banker, was quick to go on the record stressing that European monetary authorities will "turn (over) each and every stone"－which presumably includes the balance sheet.

So why is all this problematic? After all, in a low-inflation era, inflation-targeting central banks seemingly have nothing to fear about continuing to err on the side of extraordinary monetary accommodation, whether conventional (near zero-bound benchmark policy rates) or unconventional (balance-sheet expansion). The problem lies, in part, with the price-stability mandate itself－a longstanding, but now inappropriate, anchor for monetary policy. The mandate is woefully out of sync with chronically below-target inflation and growing risks to financial stability.

Weak real economies exacerbating problem

The potential instability of the US equity market is a case in point. According to the widely cited metrics of Robert Shiller, winner of Nobel Prize for economics, equity prices relative to cyclically adjusted long-term earnings currently are 53 percent above their post-1950 average and 21 percent above the post-crisis average since March 2009. Barring a major re-acceleration of economic and earnings growth or a new round of Fed balance sheet expansion, further sharp increases in US equity markets are unlikely. Conversely, another idiosyncratic shock－or a surprising re-acceleration of inflation and a related hike in interest rates－would raise the distinct possibility of a sharp correction in an overvalued US equity market.

The problem also lies in weak real economies that are far too close to their stall speed. The International Monetary Fund recently lowered its estimate for world GDP growth in 2019 to 3 percent－midway between the 40-year trend of 3.5 percent and the 2.5 percent threshold commonly associated with global recession. As 2019 has come to an end, real GDP growth in the US is tracking below 2 percent, and the 2020 growth forecast for both the eurozone and Japan is less than 1 percent.

In other words, the major developed economies are not only flirting with overvalued financial markets and still relying on a failed monetary-policy strategy, but also lack a growth cushion just when they may need it most.

Modi's 'Hindu agenda' worst form of populism

In such a vulnerable world, it would not take much to spark the crisis of 2020. Notwithstanding the risks of playing the fool's game, three "Ps" are at the top of my list of concerns: protectionism, populism and political dysfunction. An enduring tilt toward protectionism is particularly troubling, especially since the China-US trade war is yet to be resolved. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Hindu nation" crusade in that country could well be the most disturbing development in a global swing toward populism. And the great US impeachment saga takes Washington's political dysfunction further into uncharted territory.

Quite possibly, the spark will be something else－or maybe there won't be any shock at all. But the diagnosis of vulnerability needs to be taken seriously, especially because it can be validated from three perspectives－real economies, financial asset prices, and misguided monetary policy. Throw a shock into that mix and the crisis of 2020 will quickly be at hand.

The writer, a faculty member at Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, is the author of Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China.

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

After enduring sanctions for more than a decade, this is arguably the first time that the DPRK's top leader has acknowledged their effect, saying that the country "urgently needs an external environment favorable for economic construction".

The warnings Kim has issued this time－for example, to own new strategic weapons－should only be heard against this backdrop.

Although no parties should doubt its ability to deliver them, it should be understood that rather than fresh menace from Pyongyang, this stems not from its desire for new additions to its arsenal but from its desire to raise awareness of its pressing economic needs.

As Kim has vowed to divert attention to economic construction and make it a central task after wrapping up four visits to China in 10 months last year, were it not for some life-threatening difficulties caused by sanctions upon its national economic development, he would never have risked the world's condemnation, not to mention the possibility of providing the US with a new excuse to step up the sanctions.

With tens of big and small joint militarily drills being staged, which the US leader has promised to stop, the US' inaction in effect means that Washington is intent on continuously exerting external pressure on the DPRK's security while seeking to create internal tensions within the DPRK due to a faltering economy.

So after the US simply chose to ignore the year-end deadline Pyongyang had set for the restarting of their denuclearization negotiations, the DPRK has finally realized that the US is not going to hold true to its commitments.

The world should need no further evidence to realize that Pyongyang's "preemptive and crucial measures" to stop nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and dismantle its nuclear testing grounds have been exploited for three media-circus meetings, rather than any substantial actions by the US.

The realization that the US is not talking in good faith has spurred Pyongyang to make the difficult decision to resort to the self-inflicting arms building route again, which is actually contradictory to its economy-centered strategy.

Although the door for dialogue has not been closed, by declaring that the "scope and depth of bolstering our deterrent will be properly coordinated depending on the US' future attitude", Kim means that Pyongyang might only be willing to discuss arms control for the time being, rather than denuclearization, a worrying step backward for the denuclearization endeavors. This should be regarded as the US reaping what it has sown.

The economy faced downward pressure in the past two years because China stopped using credit expansion to stimulate the economy.

Although China's growth model is not linked to monetary expansion any more, the country has vigorously promoted supply-side structural reform to eliminate low-efficiency industries.

This has increased the downward pressure on the economy, but it also has helped China avoid a hard landing and improved the market environment, which in turn promote sustainable and healthy development.

As a large economy in transition, China must combine long-term and immediate goals while being prepared to deal with short-term problems.

In 2020, the country should speed up the establishment of a market clearing system and eliminate zombie enterprises, debt default and liquidation, and other thorny issues. Eliminating zombie enterprises could increase debt default cases, but it is necessary to strengthen the rule of law and avoid excessive government intervention when tackling debt default.

Also, China should continue to reduce financing costs for the real estate sector, expedite the financial sector's supply-side reform and further optimize money supply. And it should not use monetary policy as a means to stimulate economic growth, and solve the structural problems through reform.

The country should continue to build a long-term management and regulation mechanism to stabilize land and housing prices. Despite various regulations and several years of adjustments, housing prices remain high. As such, China should take measures to control housing prices.

From a middle-and long-term perspective, China is in a favorable position for further development, so it should continue to advance planned reform measures to achieve further success.

Wang Shuai, deputy chief of Shanghe county in Jinan, Shandong province, turns into a live streaming salesman to promote agricultural and other products online. His imitation of "best live streaming salesman" Li Jiaqi's style and tone while going about his business went viral on the internet recently.

A young man born after 1980, Wang holds a doctoral degree and is in charge of the county's commercial and trade work. He actively uses online e-commerce channels to promote local products. After observing Li Jiaqi's persuasive hosting skills, he began imitating him to sell the local products.

But behind Wang's innovative experiment are his colleagues at Shanghe county. Wang said he had no prior experience in live streaming. Shanghe county has piloted live streaming as a way to sell local products after seeing the positive impact of this new e-commerce channel.

According to Wang, total online sales of the county's agricultural and other products from January to November 2019 touched 540 million yuan ($77.5 million), a 13 percent growth year-on-year. Live streaming alone helped promote more than 10 million yuan in sales in the past years.

Internet has drastically changed traditional business models, and can help boost rural economies while benefiting local residents. The efforts made by local authorities to promote local specialties through e-commerce channels shows how officials on the ground are evolving with the times and transforming government functions to better serve local development. This is a positive example of improving local governance capacity.

As an important component of China's overall diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy has played a vital role in consolidating public support and laying a foundation for the development of state-to-state relations.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in late 2012, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy as part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, China's people-to-people diplomacy has seen further development by expanding and deepening exchanges with other countries' politicians, parliamentary groups, think tanks and media organizations.

China's track-two diplomacy, using bilateral and multilateral platforms, has increased the international community's understanding of and recognition for China's socio-economic system, and thus enhanced mutual understanding and trust between China and the rest of the world.

Over the past 70 years, people-to-people diplomacy has increasingly become an important channel for China to stabilize and deepen relations with other countries, strengthen people-to-people bond, promote cooperation and conduct dialogue on bilateral and multilateral levels, facilitating China's reform, opening-up and economic development, and strengthening its diplomacy.

People-to-people diplomacy is an important outcome of the CPC's efforts to lead the Chinese people in exploring new diplomatic theories and practices. China has established and strengthened win-win cooperation with other countries using official diplomacy. On the other hand, it has also strengthened people-to-people diplomacy, by deepening people-to-people communication and exchanges with other countries.

China is now in its best period of development. In the face of profound changes, and unprecedented opportunities and challenges, there is a need to give full play to people-to-people diplomacy in order to deepen China's relationships with other countries and promote international cooperation.

First, people-to-people diplomacy should be used to enhance other countries' support for China's efforts to build a new type of international relations. As President Xi Jinping said, nongovernmental diplomacy should make pioneering and innovative efforts to conduct friendly people-to-people exchanges in various fields through multiple channels and at various levels. China should also make full use of its flexible, diversified, and wide-ranging people-to-people diplomacy to mobilize and unite all forces to enhance mutual communication and understanding, deepen mutual trust, and consolidate friendship with other countries.

Second, people-to-people diplomacy should defend and promote China's national interests. China is committed to following the path of peaceful development, and safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests. So its people's diplomacy should be aimed at safeguarding not only China's national interests but also public interests.

Also, in the course of promoting people-to-people diplomacy, China should make full use of its unique strengths and resources, find innovative ways and means to safeguard national interests, and develop the expertise needed to defeat the forces that undermine its national interests.

Third, people-to-people diplomacy should be used to promote China's national image. Traditional Chinese culture, and economic development, and the enterprising course of reform and opening-up have all helped China make achievements rarely seen in the world. People-to-people diplomacy should use these as valuable resources to disseminate China's message in a language understandable and acceptable to foreign friends, so the world can better understand China. And by so doing, people-to-people diplomacy can present China's image as a responsible major country, and enhance China's international status and influence.

And fourth, it is imperative that people-to-people diplomacy play a role in multilateral forums to promote China's proposals to address regional and global issues while fostering the idea that China's development and prosperity－and the Chinese Dream of realizing national rejuvenation－is in the interest of the people across the world. With a global and long-term strategic vision and the goal of better serving the Chinese people as well as those in the rest the world, China's people-to-people diplomacy should work to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Remarks from Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chief secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, over the weekend offer a sober perspective, and some hope.

While warning of tough tests and challenges in 2020 in a blog post, Cheung also wrote that "Hong Kong has a deep foundation and competitive system. If it can grasp opportunities, stop the violence and restore social order as soon as possible, it can surely be back on the right track for rebirth."

Official forecasts show Hong Kong's GDP was down 2.9 percent year-on-year, the biggest contraction in a decade. But as Cheung has rightly pointed out, Hong Kong still has a lot of unique advantages. Not to mention that the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area also presents new opportunities for Hong Kong to take advantage of.

The increasing support being extended to the SAR government and the police by Hong Kong residents may help to bring an end to the social disruptions and promote the restoring of order as Hong Kong society is showing a strong desire to emerge from the chaos.

Yet, judging from protesters' violence before and even after Christmas in various shopping districts and the fact that more protests planned for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in an attempt to disrupt festivities and shopping in the Asian financial hub, there is still a lot of work to be done to bring calm back to the city.

Vigorous law enforcement is the key for Hong Kong to bring an end to the rioting. Both the SAR government and the police need to firmly demonstrate their resolve to end the violence by bringing all rioters to justice.

The future of Hong Kong lies in the hands of Hong Kong people. We believe the majority of Hong Kong people want an end to violence and a return to order and stability.

It is hoped the goodwill of this majority will prevail in Hong Kong in 2020 so that the city can enjoy its much-needed rebirth at an early date.

At his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the recent eighth China-Japan-Republic of Korea leaders' meeting, President Xi Jinping said Beijing and Tokyo need to advance bilateral ties to a higher level for the benefit of the two peoples. Abe, on his part, said Japan attaches great importance to Xi's visit to Japan, scheduled for the spring of 2020, and will further promote cooperation with China in the fields of trade, tourism, culture and sports.

The fact that Sino-Japanese relations were warming up was evident much before the recent tripartite meeting－when Abe conveyed his best wishes to the Chinese people on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Feb 2019 and the Tokyo Tower was bathed in red light for the first time for Spring Festival.

Besides, Vice-President Wang Qishan attended the new Japanese Emperor Naruhito's coronation ceremony in October, which demonstrated the two countries' sincerity to improve relationship.

As Xi has stressed, China and Japan share more and more common interests and concerns, and should continue to make joint efforts to improve bilateral ties so as to meet the requirements of the new era and promote world peace and stability.

Economic cooperation between the two countries has also improved. A special train of China-Europe Railway Express carried goods－such as liquid crystal display panels, cameras and auto parts worth more than $17 million－produced by Japanese enterprises operating in China in December 2018.

The arrangement was elevated to a higher level in 2019, and a batch of goods from Yokohama that arrived at Xiamen port in Fujian province was transported to Duisburg in Germany through the China-Europe Railway Express in April. Major Japanese logistics companies including Nisshin Logistics Co, NYK Logistics and Sagawa Express Co have also started providing logistics services through China's railways, setting an example for other Japanese enterprises to make use of the Belt and Road Initiative to improve their connection with the European market.

Moreover, during his visit to Japan in May 2018, Premier Li Keqiang reached a consensus with Abe on third-market cooperation. China and Japan have also signed a memorandum on business cooperation in third countries, and during Abe's visit to China in October 2018, the two sides started 52 programs. And by the end of April 2019, positive progress had been made in more than 20 of those programs.

Also, Japan Bank for International Cooperation has supported China's investment as well as participated in infrastructure and other projects along the Belt and Road routes in Central Asia.

The two sides are also cooperating on regional and global economic issues. For example, the 15 members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, except India, recently concluded the negotiations on the text of an agreement, which is expected to be signed in 2020. This is one of the most important achievements of Sino-Japanese economic diplomacy.

China and Japan have made huge progress in people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation, too. Japan held the "China Festival in 2019", which concluded in November. Mutual visits reached 12 million person-times in 2018 thanks to the more than 1,400 direct flights between the two countries. And the figures are expected to increase in 2019.

Overall, China-Japan relations greatly improved in 2019 in areas such as high-level exchanges, mutual trust, economic cooperation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Which have laid a solid foundation for deepening Sino-Japanese cooperation, and President Xi's visit to Japan, scheduled for early 2020, is expected to further boost bilateral relations and strengthen mutual trust.

Xi's overseas visits helped China strengthen pragmatic cooperation with many countries and regions, starting from Europe, where China reached a consensus on protecting multilateralism and deepening bilateral cooperation with Italy, Monaco and France. Beijing and Rome also signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly promote the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. China is set to deepen cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Nepal, too, under the Belt and Road framework.

Xi's visits to neighboring countries also deepened mutual political trust while strengthening strategic coordination in the field of communication, which could help China safeguard its national security and further stabilize the regional situation.

The president's visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in June not only reinforced the partnership between Beijing and Pyongyang but also demonstrated China's determination to resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Xi's meeting with leaders of many countries and regions, including the United States, Russia, France, India, Brazil and South Africa, helped deepen coordination at multiple levels to maintain peace across the world, boost global economic growth, safeguard regional and global security and promote fair global governance.

Xi's overseas visits helped increase mutual understanding between China and other economies, including those in the Mediterranean, South Asia and Latin America. At his meetings with foreign leaders and while attending international conferences, Xi emphasized that China is committed to safeguarding globalization, promoting multilateralism and win-win cooperation, and opposing unilateralism and protectionism. He also made it clear that China will continue to take active part in global governance.

To boost the global economy, China will strive to synchronize the Belt and Road Initiative with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and improve the use of the South-South cooperation assistance fund and China-UN Peace and Development Trust Fund, in order to create more development opportunities for developing countries.

Furthermore, China has agreed to advance high-quality development in tandem with the other BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa), triggering a new round of industrial revolution featuring biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

To reform the global governance system and make it fairer and more representative in these fast-changing times, China needs to make intensified efforts to promote global collaboration in the fields of economy, security and environmental protection.

In accordance with the theme of peace and development, Xi has proposed establishing a new type of major-country relationship and building a community with a shared future for mankind. The reflections of a community with a shared future could be earlier seen even in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China-Africa relations and China-Latin America relations, but Xi has given it a distinctive shape and character marked by openness and inclusiveness, innovation-driven development, better connectivity, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

As Xi has said, China's stances and proposals have helped the international community better understand the country, and promoted interactions between China and other countries, which in turn have helped to defuse tensions across the world. And, as expected, increased peaceful interactions will create more opportunities for co-development.

Moreover, China is taking measures to further open up its economy to not only promote its own development but also fulfill its obligations as a responsible power, and continue to make special contributions to the world economy and global governance.

Yet there is still the year-end deadline the DPRK's top leader set for Washington on denuclearization talks.

Hopefully, despite the tough words and actions－the DPRK carried out two "important tests" at a satellite launching ground earlier this month, and the US has recently sent more surveillance aircraft to the peninsula－both sides will remain restrained and not do anything that might blow the chance for a diplomatic solution.

As White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Sunday, "channels of communication" between the two countries are still open. More important, the DPRK has so far restrained itself from lifting a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, which is considered a red line it must not cross if any denuclearization hope is to survive.

Which may give cause for optimism that it was DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un applying pressure on Washington when he called for his military and diplomats to prepare unspecified "offensive measures" to protect the country's security and sovereignty during a key meeting on Sunday. Especially, as his proclaimed focus on the country's economy may also serve as a proof that the possibility of a return to the old path of nuclear adventurism is slim.

Kim "stressed the need to reasonably straighten the country's economic work system and order" while seeking a "decisive" increase in agricultural production and improving science, education and public health standards, according to the state news agency KCNA. Attaining these goals would be out of the question if a nuclear confrontation re-emerges.

But that does not mean Washington should continue to press ahead with all the sanctions and pressure it is already applying against Pyongyang without making any substantial moves to address the latter's existential concerns.

The US may insist the DPRK is not doing enough in denuclearization, but there remains a discrepancy in understanding about how that process should unfold. The hard-handed method adopted by the US has only deepened distrust, and compounded the DPRK's fears that it will get nothing in return for abandoning nuclear capability.

Thus to solve the stalemate, China and Russia proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution earlier this month that would lift some sanctions so as to restart the stalled denuclearization talks.

The US should consider giving the proposal a chance. After all, keeping the peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula going caters to its interests as well.

This reform will significantly improve the quality of statistical data which will in turn promote the country's development.

The tiered GDP accounting system being followed now was introduced in 1985. Under it, the NBS calculated national GDP and provincial-level departments calculated GDP in their regions.

As China's economy has grown to become the world's second largest, its economic data are now of great consequence to the international market.

But the quality of data is sometimes suspect given that the provincial GDP is sometimes exaggerated.

When China enters a stage of high-quality development, if its data do not objectively reflect the scale, structure and speed of the economy both at the national and provincial level, it will be difficult to correctly analyze the macroeconomic situation.

Unless backed by high-quality data, it will be difficult to ensure the country's high-quality economic development.

The exaggeration of local GDP is to a large extent the result of the GDP-centered performance assessment mechanism.

To produce better-looking GDP figures, local officials used to sometimes intervene in the GDP calculation work. Sometimes even market players overstate or understate performance data for their own benefits.

It is for these reasons that the authorities have advanced a unified national economic data accounting system.

According to a reform program worked out in June 2017, the NBS will oversee local GDP calculation work. Also, those violating the process will be held accountable.

Given that scientific collection of statistical data can serve high-quality development, the country should vigorously develop the data sector in this era of big data.

After last Tuesday's bloody attack, many social media users have been ranting online, even calling bystanders at the scene of crime "cold-blooded" or "coward" for not trying to stop the attacker, who was armed with a knife.

But the bouquets laid at the hospital's emergency ward to mourn the doctor's death are proof that the majority of people have their heart at the right place. Every flower is like a message of condolence for the doctor and a note of condemnation for the attacker.

There was a time when after a doctor was attacked, certain media outlets would share tragic stories about the attackers, helping them win the "sympathy" of the public, many of whom would then be convinced the attack was in reaction to questionable treatment at the hands of the doctor.

But the deluge of bouquets and notes from the public this time is proof of a consensus emerging: Whatever the excuse, no one has the right to attack a doctor or a nurse. The "aggrieved" can register their complaints through proper channels, including legal ones. Under no condition should one wield a knife or a stick, be it against doctors, nurses or any member of society.

The flowers also erase the "coward" slur hurled by social media users on the "bystanders".

The public has rightly condemned the attacker, Sun Wenbin, but mere condemnation is not enough. The accused has been arrested and one hopes he receives the punishment he deserve so as to prevent similar attacks.

China's first intelligent high-speed railway linking Beijing with Zhangjiakou started operations exactly 110 years after the country's first independently built railway linked the two cities.

On Monday, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed train crossed a milestone in automated railway development, running at 350 kilometers per hour. The 174-kilometer high-speed railway track links Beijing with Zhangjiakou, both host cities of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The major transportation project for the Winter Games will reduce travel time between the two cities from more than three hours to just 47 minutes. By providing such rapid and convenient hi-tech transportation for the athletes and spectators during the Games, the railway will showcase China's remarkable achievements in railway construction to the world.

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway is an important part of the railway network linking Beijing with Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province. Its operation, apart from improving China's overall railway network, is of great significance to the integrative development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Hebei, especially its northwestern area, lags far behind Beijing and Tianjin in terms of economic development. Zhangjiakou and its surrounding areas have potential for tourism and agriculture industry development that can be expedited by the high-speed railway, as it will reduce the transportation cost and time.

Incorporating Hebei's northwestern area into the "one hour transportation circle" around the capital will help extend Beijing's economic drive to the northwestern Hebei.

Apart from helping promote tourism and leisure industries there, the reduced transportation time will also boost the construction of the Winter Olympics-related industry in Zhangjiakou and surrounding areas.

It is a shame that some of the allegations spouted by some US politicians to demonize Huawei and the Chinese government have conveniently found their way into the remarks of the new chief of the executive body of the European Union.

It is also a pity that more than 30 years after the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, a multinational corporation that has established leadership advantages in the latest generation of telecom technology is still subject to such baseless suspicions that gain sustenance from the exploitation of ideological differences.

Indeed, it is always necessary for the administrative authorities to prioritize data safety, given the threats of the know-how gap between technology companies and the public. But that kind of vigilance, when it is materialized into workable access rules and supervisory mechanisms, must be based on professionalism and should be applied to all bidders alike, not on political bias that singles out a particular party.

If it is founded on suppositions, not facts, the vigilance will incur debts on other fronts, including the authority's credibility.

In saying that, it is not yet known whether Leyen has wholeheartedly bought the unwarranted fears about Huawei that Washington has been painstakingly peddling, or if she is seeking to ease some internal pressure within the commission.

But there are concerns that Leyen's baseless skepticism is part of a worrisome trend that the body she chairs is being carried away by Washington's low schemes to strangle Huawei－which include the political abduction of the company's chief financial officer.

Given its broad common interests with China and the bright prospects for cooperation between them, the European Union has no reason to jump into the same boat with the US in the latter's attempt to contain Huawei, which will not only slow down the EU's entry into the 5G era, but also cast a shadow over Sino-EU relations.

The commission should bear in mind that some of its members have never ceased cooperation with the company in the upgrading of their telecom networks and have never encountered any security concerns.

In light of the US administration's routine eavesdropping on its own citizens and other nationals, including some EU leaders, and some US information companies' so-so records in leaking users' data, it is interesting that no US companies vying to take part in the EU's new telecom network construction have been singled out as a threat.

If as Leyen urges, the political system of the countries where the suppliers of the technology and products are from must be considered on security grounds, rather than the technology and products themselves, economic globalization will slip into a technology Cold War that will leave no parties unscathed.

Today, Asia is home to three of the world's top four economic powers (in purchasing power parity terms): China, India and Japan. The region's combined GDP exceeds that of the United States and of the European Union.

The US is no longer even the most globalized power; that title now goes to China. Already a larger trading partner to more countries than the US, China is signing more free trade agreements as well, including potentially the largest in history, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The US, by contrast, has abandoned or is abandoning FTAs such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has kept alive without the US with a new name: Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. And the US' share of global trade continues to shrink.

The world order has not kept pace with these shifting economic dynamics. On the contrary, the US dollar remains the predominant currency for settling international trade. The US and the EU retain control of the two leading global economic organizations: the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. And the United Nations Security Council－the only body that can issue binding decisions for the UN's 193 member states－is dominated by just a few, largely declining powers.

In theory, the easiest of these incongruities to address should be the inadequate influence of emerging powers such as China in the IMF and the World Bank. After all, the US and Europe have already acknowledged－including in the 2006 and 2007 G20 communiqués－that "the selection of senior management of the IMF and World Bank should be based on merit", ensuring "broad representation of all member countries".

Yet the anachronistic "gentlemen's agreement" that has kept an American at the head of the World Bank and a European leading the IMF has proved stubbornly resilient. In 2007, Dominique Strauss-Kahn became IMF managing director, succeeded by another French citizen, Christine Lagarde, in 2011.

Six years later, Lagarde declared that the IMF could be based in Beijing by 2027, if growth trends continue and are reflected in the IMF's voting structure. After all, she noted, the IMF's bylaws call for the institution's head office to be located in the largest member economy.

Yet when Lagarde resigned from her post this year to become president of the European Central Bank, it was another European who took her place: Bulgarian economist Kristalina Georgieva. Likewise, the World Bank presidency passed from Robert Zoellick to Jim Yong Kim in 2012, and then to David Malpass this year. Future historians will marvel at the imprudence of the old powers' shameless refusal to share control of global institutions.

And yet the IMF and the World Bank are not the only institutions that need reform. The UN Security Council, too, needs to be reformed. If the Security Council's composition is not updated, the body could lose its credibility and moral authority.

To avert such an outcome, perhaps the Security Council could adopt a 7-7-7 formula. The first seven countries/economies would be permanent members, each representing a different region. The second seven would be semi-permanent members, a rotating selection of 28 countries, based on population and GNP. The remaining 160 countries would rotate into the remaining seven seats.

The most difficult incongruity to resolve will be that between the US' declining leadership and its currency's role as the leading international reserve currency. Today, more than 40 percent of cross-border payments and 90 percent of foreign exchange trading is settled in US dollars. This reflects decades of trust: the US had deep markets, strong institutions－including efficient courts and an independent central bank－and it did not use the dollar as a tool to advance its own interests.

But, since 2017, the US administration has been aggressively undermining the international community's trust in the dollar. The White House has pressured the US Federal Reserve to lower interest rates in order to deliver short-term economic growth. In fact, the White House has weaponized the dollar, labeling China a "currency manipulator" and instructing the US Treasury to put more countries－including close Asian and European allies－under surveillance.

The US administration's actions have raised the hackles not only of traditional adversaries (Russia leads a new de-dollarization trend), but also of key allies. Jean-Claude Juncker, the former European Commission president, has pledged that the euro would become an "active instrument" of EU sovereignty. It is also telling that France, Germany, and the United Kingdom－in collaboration with China and Russia－have created the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges to bypass US sanctions on Iran.

But, in a sense, the US administration has done the world a favor by making undeniable what was already obvious. If world leaders do not start addressing the contradictions plaguing the world order soon, the likely result is crisis－and even more dangerous contradictions.

The writer, a professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, is the author of Has the West Lost It?

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

The United States has long prided itself on being a "beacon" of democracy, asserting that all Americans enjoy the rights to participate in public affairs, to vote, and to supervise the government. But the reality is that the US is bitterly divided politically and deeply divided socially, and large numbers of Americans are excluded from the political process. Money politics is the main reason for this. Money politics deprives American people of their democratic rights, suppresses the expression of the real wishes of voters and produces political inequality.

I. Money permeates American politics

Elections are meant to express the will of the electorate, set policy direction and select qualified leaders. But money politics distorts public opinion, making elections a show just for the rich. Fundraising is an entry requirement for candidates at all levels of elections. Between 2000 and 2012, the amount spent by the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates increased rapidly from $700 million in 2004 to $1 billion in 2008 and $2 billion in 2012. The 2016 elections in the US, including presidential and congressional elections, cost a total of $6.6 billion, the most expensive political elections in the US history. The cost of midterm elections has also been rising very fast. The four mid-term elections between 2002 and 2014 cost $2.18 billion, $2.85 billion, $3.63 billion and $3.84 billion respectively, and the cost further skyrocketed to $5.2 billion in 2018. In the 2018 midterm elections, the average cost of winning a Senate seat was $19.4 million, and the average cost of winning a House of Representatives seat was more than $1.5 million. The high cost greatly raises the threshold for running for a seat, ruling out the possibility for the vast majority of people. Only a few with the ability to raise large amounts of campaign funds can participate in the political races. This has certainly created a breeding ground for rich people and interest groups to cash in on candidates.

In addition to publicly registered election funds, large amounts of secret funds and "dark money" are also injected into American election campaigns. The NBC reported in 2018 that the US Treasury Department announced it would no longer require most nonprofit agencies to report the sources of their donations, significantly reducing the transparency of election funding. The amount of "dark money" in the 2010 mid-term elections was $16 million, and it had increased to $53 million in 2014. In 2018, the "dark money" spent by outside groups other than candidates ballooned to $98 million. More than 40 percent of the TV ads aired by outside groups to influence congressional elections were funded by secret donors.

II. Money politics is the inevitable outcome of American capitalism

The US has devised an elaborate political system and electoral system that screens candidates and voters to ensure that those who satisfy the rich are elected. While the wealthy can use campaign finance to select qualified political agents to become candidates and win elections, lacking money it is hard for representatives of the poor to become candidates. Under this system, the rich participate in politics through elections to guarantee their economic interests, while political figures get involved in elections with the help of money. In order to maintain their dominant positions in the allocation of national public resources, the rich have a strong incentive to actively get involved in politics, seeking spokesmen at all levels of government. The activities of interest groups vividly illustrate the connotations of money politics. The first amendment to the US Constitution is the supreme legal basis for the legitimate existence and activities of interest groups. The unique US political system, such as the separation of federal and state powers, and the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers, provides a wide scope for interest groups to exert pressure on all levels of government and influence American politics. Interest groups have been deeply embedded in Congress and the judicial system, as well as political parties and government.

Lobbying is an important tool of money politics. As a unique political phenomenon, lobbying corruption is a chronic disease inherent in the American political system. According to several US laws, interest groups are allowed to be formed to compete to influence congressional legislation and government decisions. Interest groups hire lobbyists to lobby members of Congress and their aides to influence the enactment and amendment of bills, and pursue their own interests. Over the past more than 40 years, the American lobbying industry has grown at an explosive rate. In 1971, there were only 175 registered lobbyists in the US, but the figure increased to 2,500 in 1981 and 13,700 in 2009. That means there are more than two dozen lobbyists surrounding each member of the Senate and House of Representatives. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 2,000 lobbying firms in Washington and interest groups' spending on lobbyists has soared from $1.44 billion in 1998 to $3.33 billion in 2011, a 131 percent increase over the past 14 years.

In the late 19th century, money politics in the US became a "pork-barrel" system, through which the winning party usually allocated official positions to those who contributed to the election, mainly the party's main figures and campaign funders. The "pork-barrel" system resulted in the spread of political corruption and low administrative efficiency. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the US has tried to impose some restrictions on political donations, but failed.

III. Consequences of money politics

Money politics deprives ordinary American people of their political rights. The US often boasts of its "one-man, one-vote" democracy, but the voting rights of low-income Americans are severely restricted. According to US News& World Report, from 2010 to 2015, 21 US states passed laws restricting voting rights, and 14 states implemented measures restricting the exercise of voting rights in the 2016 presidential election. These laws and measures have mainly prevented the poor from registering to vote. Newsweek reported on Nov 21, 2017, that hundreds of thousands of Americans were denied the right to vote because of poverty. Nine US states have passed legislation denying the right to vote to anyone who fails to pay attorney fees or court fines. In Alabama alone, more than 100,000 people, or about 3 percent of the state's electorate, have been removed from the voter list. That has led to lower voter turnout in US elections. In the 2014 mid-term election, the average voter turnout in the US was just 37 percent, the lowest since the 1940s.

Meanwhile, government positions are reserved for the rich and the upper class. According to American political practice, the candidate who wins the presidential election usually awards some government positions to those who have made contributions to the election victory. Every president appoints a number of donors as ambassadors. After the 2000 presidential election, a third of the new posts in the US government went to friends, relatives and donors of the victorious candidate. Of the 556"super fund-raisers" who supported the winning president in the 2008 presidential election, a third were given cabinet posts or became advisers, and nearly 80 percent of those who raised more than $500,000 were given key positions.

Money politics overtly channels interests to the rich. One consequence of political donations is that a few rich people have more influence than the vast majority of American people, causing the government to make policies that benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. The rich capture politicians with campaign contributions, making them legislate on their behalf.

It is known to all that the Republican administration that took office in 2017 was a government that represents the rich. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by the US Congress in 2017 is not a universal tax cut, but a tax cut for the rich and big businesses and a tax increase for the poor. On the one hand, the rate at which wealthy families pay income tax was slashed from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, a decline of 4.6 percentage points; on the other hand, the poorest families have seen their income tax rates rise from 10 percent to 12 percent. The act has caused the poorest families to suffer while the richest families have gained greatly. A Gallup poll at the end of 2017 showed that 56 percent of Americans opposed the tax reform bill, compared with 29 percent who supported it.

Money politics makes it harder to solve pressing political and social problems. In the US, the proliferation of guns and gun violence is a major political and social problem that has troubled society for many years. In 2017, the most recent year for which complete data is available, 39,773 people died from gun-related injuries in the US. This figure includes gun murders, misuse and gun suicides. Most of these casualties could have been avoided if guns had been strictly controlled. But anti-gun control interest groups have successfully disrupted gun control efforts by intervening in elections and lobbying. These interest groups make substantial political contributions to US presidential and congressional elections, donating $113 million through the Political Action Committee between 2010 and 2018 alone. Because of the huge amount of funds they have provided, anti-gun control interest groups in the US have achieved a great success.

The US has long touted itself as a "role model" for democracy and human rights that should be emulated by the whole world. But the pervasive, deep-rooted money politics has laid bare its lie once and for all.

 

 

 

The first is the struggle between nationalism and global governance. Whenever the world order tilts toward nationalism, globalization will suffer setbacks, and political and economic turbulence will increase. Yet there are no signs that nationalism, supported by variant forms of populism, even racism, is receding in the world. As such, the rule-based multilateral system faces a threat, not least because the United States has pulled out of the multilateral Iran nuclear deal and Paris Agreement, abandoned the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, paralyzed the World Trade Organization dispute settlement system, and weakened global and regional institutions.

Next year, the world would be focused on Brexit and the US presidential election to gauge the nationalist sentiment and a possible shift in the world order. But since developing countries seek to establish a fair and representative global governance system, they will try to resolve the security, trade, investment, finance, and technology issues by working together at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

The second struggle is for economic priority. Due to the severe side effects of the measures taken to cope with the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, the accumulative distribution gap has widened to an unprecedented level, with state finance being at the center of this storm. US politicians have offered to solve the problem by, for instance, increasing taxes on the rich, granting universal basic income, breaking monopolistic technology companies, and providing universal healthcare. And while Brazil has passed new laws to reform its pension system, France faces protests against its attempt to do so.

So, more research into the effective use of resources in education, healthcare, infrastructure, poverty relief and national defense must be conducted to find the best way to use state finance as a facilitator of inclusive growth.

The third struggle is between cutting-edge technology and security. The development of 5G technology, artificial intelligence and robotics potentially pose a threat to national security, individual privacy, and job security. However, global responses to these challenges have been fragmented, contradictory and ineffective.

Without China and the US working together to set standards and boundaries for the use of technology, the world faces the unwelcome prospect of mutually exclusive technology blocs. The lack of progress in digital technology governance will worsen the security dilemma and ultimately suffocate innovation. That is why Huawei has made the "no backdoor" pledge, and European Union member states and countries such as Canada are leading the charge to make rules to ensure safety, transparency, and accountability in the use of advanced technology.

Moreover, since digital technology will account for one-fourth of global GDP, a huge number of workers across countries will need job retraining, especially because the mismatch in the job markets is already serious.

The fourth struggle is environmental. Time magazine's person of the year Greta Thunberg may be controversial, but the increasing frequency of climate calamities is real and alarming. That this year's UN climate change conference in Madrid accomplished little has only added to the urgency of the task.

The last struggle is between truth and misinformation. The flow of information is crucial for the proper functioning of any government, society or economy. But the distortion of information is polarizing societies and antagonizing states.

On one level, the rise of social media has widened the sources of information but also led to manufacturing and sharing of highly biased "news". On another level, new media have created a "gray zone" for information warfare between states. Domestic and international political disputes are increasingly taking the form of fake news in which truth is distorted to fulfill personal, party or state interests.

Given the level and speed of at which misinformation spreads, policymakers are forced to make instinctive decisions because they don't have enough time to make rational and calculated decisions. Nowadays, things can easily escalate, be resolved or forgotten depending on the new tools and skills politicians and states can use. Yet the best way to address this problem remains good education for citizens based on independent and critical thinking.

The author is a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

When many try to establish a connection between the case and the undesirable relationship between medical workers and patients, it is indeed necessary to make it clear that this case has nothing to do with this relationship. It is a criminal case, in which the murderer's distorted understanding of how his 95-year-old bed-ridden mother should be treated has driven him to extremes.

Some have claimed that a law on the promotion of the medical system and healthcare, which was adopted by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Saturday, will extend protection to medical workers, and the law is indeed necessary for the protection of the lawful rights and interests of medical workers. But it is too naïve to claim the law will effectively protect medical workers from being verbally and physically abused simply because the law stipulates that no individuals or organizations are allowed to put medical workers' personal safety in harm's way and violate their personal dignity.

When some are talking about how security measures should be strengthened to protect doctors or nurses from being physically attacked, we would say that it is too costly to hire bodyguards for doctors. How many security guards are enough? And even with many security guards, such extreme cases of violence will not necessarily be averted.

It is indeed necessary for medical workers to brainstorm on such extreme incidences and work out some specific ways to identify those patients or their relatives who may possibly vent their dissatisfaction with medical workers in an extreme manner. If such people could be identified in advance, relevant departments could intervene to preempt any serious altercation.

Of course, a desirable environment should be established for the development of a harmonious relationship between medical workers and patients.

Among other things, it is necessary to prevent the spreading of malicious rumors on social media about how some medical workers are exploiting patients by prescribing them expensive medicines or making them receive unnecessary medical checks. Such rumors erode the trust between medical workers and patients, and contribute to the deterioration of relations between the two parties.

In addition, education is necessary for people to have correct knowledge and understanding about health and death so that the majority of people will come to realize that it is a fact of life that some diseases are incurable. Then they will come to know that medical workers should be held in reverence as long as they have done their best to contribute to the health of their patients and strived their utmost to save lives.

Just like it is being heralded by mainstream media at home, this came in the first place as a precious confidence booster.

After all, the space industry has been one of the few domestic industries that boasts a proud history of continuous, relatively independent and impressively fruitful progress for the past decades.

The success of the Friday night launch was a timely addition to that proud record, and a fresh footnote for the tenacity and vitality it has demonstrated through internal political and economic vicissitudes and external constraints. That was especially true after the July 2017 failure of its second launch.

What we have all witnessed on Friday was the start of the next chapter in that glorious legend contributed collectively by the countless scientific and technological workers in the space industry. Something that carries very special weight at a time when Chinese high-technology industries face threats of outside suppression.

The space industry's stories of success, along with its difficult fumbling in moments of darkness, are a fitting reply to the rising doubts about indigenous research and development.

To many, the Long March 5 was precisely that answer－"we can do it".

The Long March 5's real, more substantial significance, however, lies in the fact that it represents technological breakthroughs that may usher in a brand-new stage in China's space explorations.

Prior to it, the most capable Chinese carrier rocket, the Long March 2-F, could only deliver a payload of 8.6 tons to a low-Earth orbit, an obvious constraint to many of the country's ambitious next-step space activities. The new rocket has more than doubled that capacity, allowing for more daring missions into deep space.

The Long March 5's future missions reportedly include enabling China's fifth and most sophisticated lunar expedition, as well as placing parts of the country's manned space station into orbit.

Almost equally impressive on Friday was the Shijian 20 experimental satellite the rocket carried. It is not only the largest and heaviest homemade satellite, but it is based on a new-generation satellite platform that is expected to be one of the country's core satellite platforms for the next two decades.

The space industry's present success is decades of persistent down-to-earth efforts paying off. It should serve as a constant reminder of the fundamental significance of indigenous research and development.

Although the findings of the investigative report of the website have not yet been verified, and neither the US nor the think tanks involved have responded, the view that US politicians with an ideological distaste for China feel no qualms about building charges upon "highly dubious studies" for their own ends is given credence by the fact that even Peter Navarro, a senior trade advisor to the White House, uses an imaginary expert he calls "Ron Vara" to support his hawkish views on China.

The Grayzone points out the claim that China has detained millions of ethnic Uygurs in its Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is repeated as fact with "little scrutiny" applied. It concludes that "while this extraordinary claim is treated as unassailable in the West", and was used to promote the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act" passed by the US House of Representatives earlier this month, it is, in fact, based on "a serious deficiency of data".

In this case, the distortions of the counter-terrorism efforts in Xinjiang are being exploited by secessionists and extremists. They and the US politicians who are eager to drive a wedge between Xinjiang and the rest of China are scratching each other's backs.

Those who really care about the well-being of Uygurs would not turn a blind eye to the fact that Xinjiang boasts a high safety level and economic growth today and the Uygur population has expanded about six times in 70 years, nearly twice the rate of growth of the national population, and their average income has increased 200 times.

Instead those using Xinjiang as means to put pressure on Beijing are leaving no stones unturned in their attempts to roil the region's hard-earned tranquility and stability.

And not to put too fine a point on it, it is the collusion between the West and the extremist and secessionist forces in Xinjiang that has forced China to continuously innovate its policies to combat extremism, secessionism and terrorism in the region, and devise ways to prevent the Uygurs, particularly those living in the remote and isolated places, who are poorly educated, from being brainwashed into becoming "holy warriors".

The protests have not arisen out of nowhere. Due to slowing global growth and uncertainties over world trade, many economies in Latin America, the Middle East, even in the West are struggling to maintain reasonable growth. And the widening wealth gap, increasing corruption, rising prices and other political and socioeconomic maladies in those economies are fueling the social and political unrest.

An increase of 30 peso (4 US cents) on subway tickets in Santiago, capital of Chile, in early October led to massive protests and rioting, which forced Chile to cancel the APEC meeting scheduled to be held there.

Almost all countries, be they in the West or East, North or South, have faced social unrest. In the Middle East, countries highly dependent on oil such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq are drowned in public protests as oil alone can no longer sustain their economies and provide people employment, education and healthcare.

In Latin America, the wealth gap has further widened, and governments cannot meet the needs of the people. Which have led to socioeconomic crises in many Latin American countries, opening the way for foreign intervention, with the United States always ready to seize such opportunities.

In this age of information and economic globalization, violent street protests are highly contagious. Anti-government forces in one country can be influenced by violent protesters in another country and launch similar destructive movements.

For instance, protesters in Catalonia distributed a "guideline" to action－copying the tactics used by rioters in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region－which teaches fellow demonstrators how to protect themselves against water cannons and tear gas, send and receive encrypted messages on their mobile phones, and lay siege to and damage airports, subways and other vital communication links. Masked rioters in Catalonia, copying the actions of the rioters in Hong Kong, have set public facilities on fire and attacked police officers. Compared with large-scale protests in the past such as Occupy Wall Street in the US and the "Arab Spring" in the Middle East, violent protests today have become more contagious and organized. They spread like an epidemic.

The outbreak of radical protests worldwide can be attributed to the use of social media and instant messaging. Exacerbating the problem are the outdated social media management and control methods of governments. Young protesters gather rapidly, commit violence selectively and pull out quickly using social media apps. They believe that by damaging public facilities and attacking police officers, they can attract widespread attention.

The US' inaction on and indifference to some serious global issues are also to blame for the radicalization of protests worldwide. The US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has undermined the West's fight against climate change, which is one of the reasons for the violent protests. The US has also resorted to double standard on violent protests, and instigated the social unrest and "color revolution" in certain places.

If the violent protesters come under the influence of terrorists and extremists, they can create a socio-political crisis worldwide. So the international community needs to work together and make concerted efforts to appropriately deal with the rioters and restore the social order.

The author is a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

There is little doubt that the 996 system is untenable; it violates China's Labor Law, which stipulates that the working schedule should not exceed eight hours a day or 44 hours a week, and that overtime should not exceed three hours a day and 36 hours a month, and that too with the workers' consent. And more importantly, if employees agree to work overtime, employers have to pay them more than the normal rate for per hour of work.

A society that promotes an illegal practice such as 996 cannot be considered healthy. That's why it is disturbing to hear some leading entrepreneurs voicing support for, even justifying the implementation of such an anti-labor practice. The verbal tricks that these entrepreneurs adopt are in reality a surreptitious and unscrupulous attempt to replace the legal working schedule with the 996 system, and force the workers to work overtime without extra pay.

Any entrepreneur who strives to achieve higher goals is worthy of praise. But if the entrepreneur chooses an illegal path such as the 996 system to achieve those goals, he/she should be pulled up for breaking the law.

To fulfill their own interests, some entrepreneurs appear ready to even violate workers' rights and the Labor Law. Worse, some enterprises that want to lay off workers but are unwilling to pay them rightful compensation use the 996 system as a tool to force employees to voluntarily resign due to unbearable work pressure, which seriously undermines the employees' legal rights and interests.

As the rule of law in China strengthens, young workers have become more conscious about safeguarding their legal rights and interests compared with their predecessors. For instance, on March 27, a program titled "996.ICU" produced by Chinese IT professionals was posted on global software platform GitHub exposing some internet companies' illegal practices, and gave a call to boycott the 996 system which, apart from violating the Labor Law, also damages employees' health.

The program evoked widespread public discussion, leading to the exposure of many tragedies in workplaces such as sudden deaths of workers due to overwork.

Those enterprises forcing their employees to work overtime without pay should abide by the law and stop the unhealthy practice. They should know that the 996 system will not solve their productivity and other problems, and help their enterprises to develop faster and earn them more profits. Instead, it will undermine workers' creativity and productivity, and give their companies a bad name.

As the country changes its economic model from quantitative growth to innovation-driven higher-level, sustainable development, the enterprises should abandon the untenable growth model based on the 996 system and aim for sustainable and qualitative development.

That 996 has become a buzzword shows that workers, rather society as a whole, have become increasingly aware about social equality and legal rights of individuals. If the 996 system is a social disease, public opinion is playing a vital role in curing it, so as to build healthier employer-employee relations.

The author is a writer with China Daily.

The rapidly changing global situation poses new challenges to national security. With some major countries hankering for more power, non-state actors such as international organizations, multinational companies, civil society, religious groups and power brokers have become increasingly active in global affairs.

On the security front, mainly non-traditional and quite often cross-border issues such as the flow of refugees from crisis-hit areas together with the rapid development of social media networks, pose the main challenge.

The refugee crisis many European Union member states face today can be attributed to the prolonged political, religious and humanitarian crises plaguing the Middle East. The chaotic socio-political situation and the mishandling of the refugee issue in and beyond the Middle East have also created new challenges for China, including the threat of terrorists and separatists in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The Catalonian separatists' protest in Spain, riding on the "Hong Kong protesters' wave", as an article in The Wall Street Journal said, is another example of the repercussion of such a crisis. The difference ironically lies in the contrasting stances the West has taken on the protests in Hong Kong and Catalonia. Some Western politicians and media outlets supported the rioters in Hong Kong, claiming they were fighting for "freedom and democracy". By contrast, the protests in Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia have attracted neither as extensive media coverage as Hong Kong nor support from Western politicians.

Given the double standard practiced by some Western politicians and media, China has no choice but to strengthen its security mechanism by improving its national governance system and governance capacity.

Moreover, the ongoing disputes between China and the United States also demand that Beijing review its national security situation in a more holistic manner. Washington has been repeatedly alleging, for example, through its National Security Strategy report and senior officials' comments, that China poses a threat to not only US leadership but also America's national security and prosperity.

Strategic competition and confrontation with China, therefore, has become a new form of "political correctness" in the US. So China has no choice but to take the US allegations as a warning to strengthen its security mechanism, which faces "multilayered challenges" at both the national and external levels.

China advocates a security concept that comprises integration, cooperation and sustainability, and has no place for Cold War mentality and zero-sum game. But given the rapidly changing global situation, China needs to address the multilayered challenges facing national security on a priority basis.

First, national security cannot be separated from economic development. The conflicts and wars in the Middle East and their repercussions across borders, for example, show that poverty and lack of development are the main causes of regional instability and crisis.

Second, prevention and better governance (including strengthening the national security mechanism) are very important. It is in this regard that the communiqué of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee emphasized that the people should be made more aware about national security.

Third, national security issues must be addressed using both domestic and international laws. The rioters in Hong Kong have abused their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. In this regard, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that "the rights being dealt with" shall be subject to law and restrictions "necessary to protect national security, public order, or the rights and freedoms of others".

This means those violating the provisions of the UDHR should be held accountable, which can be done only by strengthening the national governance system and governance capacity.

Jin Kai is an associate professor at the Institute of International Studies,Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences and a visiting fellow at the Grandview Institution. And Tian Shichen is vicepresident of and a senior research fellow at the Grandview Institution. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Used to seeing hundreds of people on factory floors, I ask Du whether it's the day off for most of his employees. He gives me a puzzling look. This is everyone. How come? Because almost every process here is automated.

I count only about 12 people on the factory floor full of machines and equipment ready to be shipped out.

'Factory of factories'

This is a new China, the "world's factory of factories". The shift from basic to advanced manufacturing is a natural economic progression, but it is happening much faster in China than in any other country. The Chinese leadership believes artificial intelligence (AI) will shape the future of global security and commerce, and therefore has decided to lead the AI sector. In fact, since 2017, China has been leading in investment and research output in AI. It was also the world leader in filing AI patents last year, which speaks volumes of its efforts to better protect intellectual property rights.

And Du's factory reflects both the opportunities (optimal industrial productivity) and perils (rethinking the value and reshaping human labor) offered by AI in the new era.

After taking a tour of the factory, Du and I talk about the future of manufacturing and the challenges in selling and servicing machinery around the world. Du's main expertise is rubber-and tire-making machinery. He has sold his machines to Yemen, Egypt, Bangladesh and Cote d'Ivoire.

What about Tanzania? He tells me something I already know－that Tanzanians import all types of tires. And Du's machinery can make almost all the tire brands Tanzania imports.

Fast development of technology

A short drive later, we arrive at a busy, noisy factory. The storage halls are full of tires of different types and sizes. About 10 million tires were shipped to Nigeria last year from this town alone.

We move to the factory floor. I ask a silly question: Are these your machines too? Du gets animated, leaps on to one of the machines and points to his company logo on it. The machines, I get to know, were built about seven years ago. They are no longer made today because technology is improving so fast that a "new generation" of machines emerges every few years.

Such factories have been driving the manufacturing boom in China, which accounts for more than 32 percent of the world's industrial output. Almost all the popular goods－from Christmas decorations to election campaign materials－sold in Africa's markets and streets come from these factories. But with people such as Du making newer, cleaner and AI-driven machinery, and Chinese people's income levels increasing, such factories seem to be disappearing.

In China, almost every business, Du's included, has to survive fierce competition. Therefore, exploring business overseas comes naturally to Chinese businesses. Du wants to take advantage of the government's initiatives, especially the Belt and Road Initiative, to chart the waters beyond the shores of Qingdao. Businesses such as Du's may be small cogs in the giant Belt and Road wheel, but it is these small cogs that are putting the China Inc stamp across the world map.

From Qingdao, I decide to visit rural China－to a place where there are no airports or high-speed train links－to get a sense of real China. I choose to travel to Yuncheng county, about 500 kilometers west of Qingdao, and visit a traditional Chinese martial arts (kung fu) school and understand the philosophy behind it.

I arrive at Yuncheng late in the evening. Yet I am welcomed enthusiastically by a group of people at the martial arts school, led by a young man who speaks impeccable English. I later learn that he has earned his MBA degree from a US university. He is part of about 400,000 Chinese youths who return home every year after completing their education abroad, especially in the United States and Europe.

We are ushered into a traditional Chinese house and guided straight to the dining room. During dinner, as we discuss kung fu, its history and philosophy, and its disciplining effect on the practitioner, an elderly man bursts into the dining room. Everyone at the table stands up out of respect.

He is Fan Qingbin, father of the young MBA. And he is the kung fu master who runs the school with about 4,000 students－all living on the campus and receiving primary and secondary education with focus on martial arts. Fan not only commands respect but is also charismatic. We get along very well, but it is difficult to follow everything Fan says not only because he speaks rapidly without pausing for translation, but also because my translator is too engrossed listening to his "monologue" to bother translating it for me in detail.

Source of strength and progress

The next day, Fan organizes a martial arts show for me. With the discipline of the performers on full display, I realize why kung fu practitioners excel in almost all aspects of life. The same hard work, perseverance, self-control, wisdom, humility and responsibility that are needed to become a kung fu master have gone into making China the second-largest economy in the world. Also, China is the largest source of imports for 65 countries, and has realized basic industrialization in just 40 years while other countries needed a century or more to achieve that.

It is here that Africa comes in. Almost every major economy has its own plan for Africa. Perhaps Africa can do better by having its own plan for China. It could start by focusing on fields such as agriculture and tourism. For instance, in 2017, China imported $110 billion worth of farm products from across the world, of which only $2.7 billion were from Africa with 23 percent of that being just tobacco from Zimbabwe. And of the 150 million Chinese who traveled abroad in 2018, less than 1 million visited Africa. Surely, African countries can take measures to improve these figures.

As my journey in the country comes to an end, I have realized that to better understand China, I need to add to my existing knowledge about the country.

I met many people during my visit to China but chose to tell the stories of Du and Fan probably because of the deep connection I made with them. And, sometimes, human connections are what we need to remain humble, and resolutely increase our understanding of societies so that we can engage in the common pursuit of a shared destiny.

The author is a politician from Tanzania. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

For Beijing, Pompeo's remarks are an insult, because they suggest not only that China is a country with "arbitrary enforcement" of laws, where legal justice and procedures can be easily twisted at will for political gain, but also that the country will be frightened into submission when faced with highhandedness of the world's sole superpower.

During a phone call with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Monday, Pompeo stressed that his country is sticking with Canada in fighting what he called China's "coercive detentions of Canadian citizens".

"The United States stands with Canada in calling on Beijing for the immediate release of the two men and rejects the use of these unjustified detentions to coerce Canada," he said, according to a statement from the US State Department.

The two Canadians in the spotlight are former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor－both were detained in December 2018 by the Chinese government on "suspicion of engaging in activities that endanger national security".

While the detentions came nine days after Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant, Beijing has denied any links between the two incidents, insisting that China is a country with rule of law and will crack down on criminal acts that severely undermine its national security. Pompeo is being too wishful and naïve if he really believes his words would have any bearing on how Beijing makes its judicial system function, or even handles its bilateral relations with Canada.

Sino-Canadian relations are experiencing their lowest point in decades after Ottawa arrested Meng at the request of the US a year ago. While both the US and Canada have tried hard to establish the case as a good example of Ottawa standing up for the rule of law, aided by a system of justice independent of political interference, people with any basic geopolitical knowledge are aware that the charges against Meng are politically motivated. The US president once even said in an interview that he "would certainly intervene" in the case if it would help secure a trade deal with China.

If Pompeo really wanted to help Canada repair its ruptured ties with China, he would have kept his mouth shut and let the two countries find a way to resolve their differences in ways acceptable to both. The overbearing manner he has adopted will only backfire.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530572.htm After failing to get a law approved in October that would target so-called proxies of the Communist Party of China, the "anti-infiltration bill" that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen is trying to press the island's legislature to pass by Dec 31, although it does not openly single out the Chinese mainland, is undoubtedly another scheme hatched by her Democratic Progressive Party for its secessionist ends.

The coarsely-composed bill consists of 12 short articles, which probably intentionally and vaguely targets "external hostile forces" and "sources of infiltration" for punishment by unspecified law enforcers.

The law to be is therefore intended as a foolproof means for the administrative authority, the Tsai administration for the time being, to abuse its power as a wholesaler of writs to any parties it labels as infiltrators or their accomplices on security grounds.

If the bill, as ill as it is, is endorsed as a law, all individuals and parties engaging in normal exchanges across the Straits will technically become suspected targets of its enforcement.

Which means not only the 5 million Taiwan tourists traveling to the mainland each year, and the more than 1 million Taiwan businesspeople and students who work or study on the mainland, plus their families and friends, but also those who have contacts with the mainland can be arbitrarily put in the crosshairs of the Tsai administration, making it easy for it to silence opponents.

That explains why the bill has invited strong opposition from all sectors of Taiwan society, which are well aware that anything serving the hardcore secessionists will automatically do a disservice to the broad interests of the island.

That Tsai is intent on pushing through the bill in such a hurry, in defiance of the public opposition, shows she knows that if the last window of opportunity before the island's leadership election in January is missed, the DPP might never have another chance to introduce such a bill, and with the law in place, the DPP will be able to further stir up populism to help it garner more support.

If the cross-Straits exchanges continue to deepen and expand again, it will only be a matter of time before Tsai and her like-minded forces have to admit to the disappearing of any social foundation on which to build their cause.

In fact, even if it manages to push the bill into law, if the Tsai administration dares to take advantage of it to blockade interactions across the Straits, it will only worsen cross-Straits ties and accelerate the abandoning of the DPP and its cause by the Taiwan people.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530551.htm On a recent drive back to Brussels after covering the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, I made a detour to Verdun, a small French city. It was a bloody battlefield where more than half a million German and French soldiers died and many more were injured in 1916 during World War I.

I have seen several World War I fields of battle during my first year in Europe. It's hard to imagine that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, triggered a war that killed 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians.

The European Union is a great project because, among other things, it makes such hostilities among member states much less likely. It is fantastic to travel within the Schengen area because there is no passport control. National borders seem to have almost disappeared.

The EU is entering a critical moment with the impending Brexit, rising populism and migration, not to mention global challenges such as climate change, unilateralism, protectionism and nuclear proliferation.

With a new leadership just taking office, the EU has a unique role to play in tackling global challenges, given that its traditional ally, the United States, is on the opposite side of many of these issues.

Unlike the US, however, China is increasingly aligning with the EU in upholding multilateralism, safeguarding international rules and norms, abiding by the Paris Agreement and Iran nuclear deal, and opposing trade wars, to name just a few.

True, there are differences between China and the EU, but they are nothing new. Both sides have managed them relatively well and continued to expand their cooperation in almost every field in the last four decades, including holding human rights dialogue, which entered its 37th round this year.

That the EU is China's largest trade partner and China is the EU's second-largest trade partner is a strong testimony to their cooperation. And European companies, such as Airbus, Volkswagen, Siemens and Nestle, have booming businesses in China.

But the China-EU relationship goes way beyond trade and investment. The number of Chinese tourists to Europe and Chinese students pursuing graduate studies in European universities is expected to grow rapidly. Also, there are already 600 flights per week between China and EU cities.

China has learned a great deal from Europe over the past four decades in science, technology, management, education and governance. And learning from Europe and the rest of the world will continue to benefit China's modernization drive.

However, just like many outstanding issues between EU member states in Eastern and Western Europe, some differences between China and the EU will likely persist for some time. Both sides should have patience, and use dialogue and consultation to narrow, if not resolve, those differences. Being obsessed with and continuing to exaggerate the differences would mean wasting the huge opportunities for win-win cooperation that is beneficial for both Chinese and Europeans.

Concluding a bilateral comprehensive investment agreement in 2020, as pledged by leaders of both sides, will inject fresh momentum into the relationship. In Brussels 10 days ago, Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that the negotiation on a bilateral free trade agreement start immediately, a goodwill gesture that the EU should respond positively to.

The EU is expecting more market access to China. For the same reason, China expects the EU's foreign investment screening and other regulatory regimes to not discriminate against Chinese investors and companies such as Huawei.

The last thing the EU needs in dealing with China is adopting zero-sum policies and taking a confrontational stance that hawks in Washington have exhibited while also trying to influence the EU's decision-making. And the EU knows deeper cooperation with China has mutually beneficial outcomes.

The author is chief of China Daily EU Bureau based in Brussels.

The draft civil code proposes a 30-day cooling-off period. During this period, either party can withdraw the divorce application from the marriage registration office.

The proposed regulation has triggered widespread public criticism.

Some people said it would hamper citizens' freedom in a marriage and increase unnecessary costs on both citizens as well as the authorities.

More importantly, this regulation could seriously undermine the rights, interests and even security of the parties concerned in a divorce application, since some extreme situations do not lend themselves to the so-called cooling-off period before divorce.

During the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress' review of the draft civil code on Dec 24, NPC Standing Committee deputy Li Yuefeng pointed out there should be a distinguishing mechanism before applying the so-called cooling off period in a divorce case, because it would be inappropriate in cases involving bigamy, domestic violence or desertion.

The intention behind the new regulation is to curb divorces on impulse and maintain stability in society, given the ever-increasing divorce rates in China.

But as a basic regulation that greatly impacts every citizen, lawmakers should consider pros and cons, in order to maximize its positive influence on society while avoiding violation of an individual's legal rights.

Divorce is a significant decision that can drastically impact an individual's life. One cannot groundlessly assume all divorce applications are impulsive decisions. That's why not all divorce applications should be eligible for the so-called cooling-off period.

For instance, if there's domestic violence or one of the parties indulges in gambling, a cooling-off period, which remarkably delays the divorce process, could cause serious psychological, physical and/or economical damage to the affected party.

Lawmakers should think twice about the applicable situations of cooling-off period before divorce to eliminate its negative influence.

And people should also think about the meaning of marriage calmly before getting married, and be responsible for their own decision.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530567.htm A LATEST SURVEY has found that 34 percent of grade 1 pupils in Beijing have myopia, a condition that a professional ophthalmologist said was "irreversible". China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Myopia is a condition in which the axis of the eyeball gets lengthened from improper reading or other habits involving the eye.

The eye is a highly delicate organ linked to blood vessels, nerves and small muscles. And there is no technology to mend deformed eyeball. Even a laser surgery, which grants nearsighted people normal, clear sights, does it by mending the cornea; the eyeball is not touched.

In a nutshell, technology is still far from "curing" or "reversing" myopia. But surprisingly, few in China knew about this and there was a discussion on the topic to create awareness about it on social networks on Wednesday.

Which shows a lack of basic scientific knowledge among the public.

Some basic truths about our bodies should be common knowledge but in reality it is not so, myopia being a glaring example.

Ignorance about basic truths related to myopia has two major side effects. In the absence of basic knowledge, many people don't know how to deal with it.

For example, it should be common knowledge that the only way to correct myopic vision is to wear glasses, but many people still do eye exercises in the hope of curing myopia.

The reality is that eye exercises can only help the eye muscles relax, but can do nothing to reverse myopia.

Second, certain illegal companies make use of such lack of awareness to dupe people.

Many people spend money on expensive products such as magnet therapy bed, duped into believing that it can cure almost every disease, while in reality, all the bed does is just helping people relax, without curing anything.

Had people gained more scientific knowledge, they could have saved their money and resources and channeled their energies toward preventing diseases in the correct way. It is time to take the first step by disseminating more knowledge among the people.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530569.htm Preparing to travel home to South Africa for Christmas is an unnerving experience for many reasons. But surprisingly, Cathay Pacific is now the most affordable airline to use on a student's budget.

Yet we know Cathay ticket prices are low compared with other airlines because travelers, for some time, have been avoiding Hong Kong not least because the airport was closed for one whole day in August, leaving many passengers stranded. Even more worrying is the thought of having to spend a night in the city in case the connecting flight from Beijing is delayed. Staying the night in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, once a looked-forward to experience in what was then a peaceful city, would mean venturing into an environment considered unsafe these days.

But many may ask why someone from an African country would feel afraid in Hong Kong. It is precisely because I come from an African country that I am afraid, afraid for myself, afraid for the people of Hong Kong and the city's future. Like most developing countries in the world, we in South Africa have seen the direct interference by the West, especially by the United States, in our domestic affairs.

From Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chile and Nicaragua to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, to give just a few examples, the US has intervened in the internal affairs of a long list of countries. Its modus operandi has been similar: acquire allies among the locals, fund them, cause mayhem, intervene through force if need be and leave a trail of destruction.

What is happening in Hong Kong today has happened in so many other places across the globe. Some Hong Kong residents believe they have allies in the US and the West, but they couldn't be more wrong. All the US and many other Western countries care about is their own interests. The US' support for some in Hong Kong is not aimed at promoting democracy, as it claims; it is simply to weaken the SAR's economy and it seems to be succeeding in its efforts.

A recent report in The New York Times, for instance, said that during the Golden Week National Day holiday alone, the occupancy rate in Hong Kong hotels dropped from 90 percent last year to just above 60 percent this year. Sales in the shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui have fallen by 90 percent, while overall retail sales have dipped by a quarter. And all this is largely because the majority of tourists coming from the Chinese mainland, nearly two-thirds of the total, have stayed away from the SAR.

Many Western politicians and media outlets have claimed the violent demonstrators are fighting for democracy. But contrary to their claim, democracy has never been under threat in the more than 22 years since Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland. Had that been the case, so many opposition candidates would not have won in the recent District Council elections.

One cannot break the law, cause chaos and mayhem and still be called "pro-democracy". Respect for rule of law is what makes a person democratic. Yet Western media outlets didn't hesitate before labeling the rioters and marauding university students "pro-democracy".

South Africa is said to have one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, because it guarantees socio-economic rights to each and every individual. Yet the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights can do little to improve the lives of nearly half the country's population that lives in poverty. The sooner Hong Kong residents realize the importance of safeguarding their economy, built after generations of hard work the sooner will Hong Kong regain its economic vibrancy.

But if Hong Kong residents continue to ignore the needs of their economy and society, the city could lose its advantages as an international financial, logistics and freight hub, and might be overtaken by cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

More important, when the real socioeconomic consequences of the protests finally become clear, Hong Kong residents will find that they can only turn to compatriots on the mainland for help, because US vested interest groups only know how to stoke trouble, cause destruction and stand and watch.

The author, a South African national, is a PhD candidate in international relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

On Christmas Eve, violence returned to the streets of Hong Kong as large groups of masked black-shirted rioters assaulted police officers and passers-by, vandalizing shops and restaurants in various popular shopping districts. And the mob violence and vandalism continued on Christmas Day as the rioters thronged shopping malls again.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed her indignation at the behavior of the rioters on Christmas Eve, saying many people as well as tourists coming to Hong Kong were disappointed that their festive celebrations had been ruined by "a group of reckless and selfish rioters".

"Such illegal acts have not only dampened the festive mood but also adversely affected local businesses," she said in a Facebook post.

Indeed, many Hong Kong residents have looked elsewhere for some festive cheer. In a reversal of the usual trend, there was a surge in the number of people heading to neighboring Shenzhen on Christmas Day.

It seems that since the demonstrations broke out in June, hardly a holiday or weekend has passed in the SAR without some kind of violent disturbance. But unlike the picture being painted by many Western media outlets, which seek to portray the majority of Hong Kong residents backing the rioters, the city is being held hostage by a minority of reckless and selfish rioters, mostly young people.

Contrary to Western media reports of overwhelming condemnation for the police for what they claim is the use of excessive force, there was a 70 percent increase in the number of applicants to be auxiliary police officers from June to November.

Some of the young masked blackshirts in Hong Kong have obviously lost their sense of direction: They are ruining both the prosperity and the future of their own homeland by staging mob violence again and again.

In pursuit of the hollow and, despite their claims to the contrary, valueless political agenda they are trying to advance in Hong Kong, they are exposing the ugliest face of street politics which denies democracy and freedom of speech to those who do not agree with their views.

Disapproval for some social values does not compose the boundary of freedom of speech. In contrast, the boundary they are seeking to establish by means of violent intimidation is an attack on freedom and democracy.

What happened in the past two days is a clear reminder that putting an end to the violence and chaos, and restoring social order is still the most important task for the SAR.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530607.htm A year and a half since the start of the China-US trade war and after months of negotiations, the two sides have finally reached an agreement on a phase-one trade deal, which is expected to be signed next month.

There are at least two popular views on the future of China-US trade and economic relations. The first is that China-US trade conflicts will ease from here for mutual benefit. And the other is that the phase-one deal is only a temporary ceasefire in the Sino-US trade war, and a new round of trade war will intensify to full-scale confrontation after the US presidential election in November 2020.

Both views are biased and lack understanding of the essence of the China-US trade war and related factors. To understand and predict the direction of the Sino-US trade war, it is necessary to analyze its causes. The immediate cause of the trade war was the misgivings and panic that China's rise created in the United States and other Western economies.

According to some projections, while China's economic growth over the past two decades has been two to three times higher than that of the US, the Chinese economy is expected to surpass the US economy by 2030, even 2025.

Historically, existing powers have always tried to check the rise of emerging powers. But this time, unlike the rise of Spain, Britain or the US, the rising power is a "non-Western" country with an economic system different from the West. Although private enterprises have grown and market economy has taken shape in China after four decades of reform and opening-up, in many Western economists' eyes, many Chinese enterprises still have a strong "government gene".

So long as China's economy was relatively small and closed, the West lived with China's different system. However, this tolerance apparently exhausted when Chinese companies－and large amounts of Chinese goods－started "going global" and competing with Western high-tech companies.

The West has strict definitions and regulations for fair competition. In Western markets, any enterprise found to have market power, or special advantage from vertical domination or government subsidy would be denied market access or excluded from the market. That's the logic of US resistance to Chinese products: if large amounts of Chinese goods or Chinese enterprises enter the market for competition, the resistance will be inevitable. This kind of defense comes not only from the upper echelons but also multiple levels of market participants. The differences between Chinese and US systems determine that the China-US trade war is unlikely to ease in the short term. In other words, the economic and trade conflict between China and the US will continue to a considerable extent at various levels.

But will the China-US trade conflict intensify again? It's possible, but not likely. Washington, which was waging a trade war, is becoming increasingly aware that the calculations about the Chinese economy overtaking the US economy in the short term are unreliable. China's economy has begun to shift from a period of high growth to a period of sustainable, higher-level development, which is evident in its growth rates-14.23 percent in 2007, 10.62 percent in 2010, 7.29 percent in 2014, 6.6 percent in 2018 and 6 percent in the third quarter of 2019.

Furthermore, since it may have to resume its deleverage policies to avoid financial risks, China's economic growth could slow down further in the next three to five years. On the other hand, the US economy continues to expand even after a decade of growth, breaking the pattern of five-year growth periods in the business cycle. And its unemployment rate has remained below 4 percent in recent years with low inflation.

Since 1950, the US has experienced periods of low inflation and low unemployment, but never as long as it does now. And the fact that the US now boasts full employment means it is using all available labor resources to drive its growth.

China is right in defining its status as the largest developing country. The calculation that China will overtake the US on the economic front is premised on old statistics of the US boom cycle and the average of China's high growth period. It's time to review and revise these empirical data. With these revisions, China may fail to catch up with the US for a longer period of time－a scenario that could weaken the West's defensive mind.

As China's reform deepens and the US becomes more resilient to different systems, the Chinese economy will need a longer period to overtake the US economy, which would provide enough time to develop a compatible model for the two countries to coexist peacefully. As such, there is not much legitimacy in the argument that the China-US trade war will intensify.

The author is a professor of economics at the University of Maryland. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

According to a recent Wuhan University report, machines and robots will replace nearly 5 percent of workers in China in the next five years. The percentage of businesses using robots has risen from about 12 percent in 2008 to 37 percent in 2017.

Mechanization freeing people is a socioeconomic development reality. Free from heavy and hard work, it will let them enjoy the benefits of science and technology.

In rural areas, such mechanization will help usher in urbanization. Overall, mechanization of agriculture has kept pace with urbanization.

A recent Chinese Academy of Social Sciences report said China's urbanization rate exceeded 60 percent in 2019, which, judging by international standards, means China has transformed from a rural to an urban society. What the country needs now is to build more smart cities.

Although it remains to be seen whether smart cities can help absorb the huge influx of people from rural areas, one thing is clear, big cities have to first address such challenges as food safety, traffic congestion, and water and energy shortages.

The gradual replacement of humans by robots will also help China cope with the declining birthrate. With a dwindling working-age population, many jobs can be taken over by robots. Robots can also care for the elderly.

However, attention should be paid to the ethical dilemma of using robots and the possible harm they could cause to society as a whole.

For example, what should be done if robots harm people? We should be prepared to address such problems.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530575.htm After failing to get a law approved in October that would target so-called proxies of the Communist Party of China, the "anti-infiltration bill" that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen is trying to press the island's legislature to pass by Dec 31, although it does not openly single out the Chinese mainland, is undoubtedly another scheme hatched by her Democratic Progressive Party for its secessionist ends.

The coarsely-composed bill consists of 12 short articles, which probably intentionally and vaguely targets "external hostile forces" and "sources of infiltration" for punishment by unspecified law enforcers.

The law to be is therefore intended as a foolproof means for the administrative authority, the Tsai administration for the time being, to abuse its power as a wholesaler of writs to any parties it labels as infiltrators or their accomplices on security grounds.

If the bill, as ill as it is, is endorsed as a law, all individuals and parties engaging in normal exchanges across the Straits will technically become suspected targets of its enforcement.

Which means not only the 5 million Taiwan tourists traveling to the mainland each year, and the more than 1 million Taiwan businesspeople and students who work or study on the mainland, plus their families and friends, but also those who have contacts with the mainland can be arbitrarily put in the crosshairs of the Tsai administration, making it easy for it to silence opponents.

That explains why the bill has invited strong opposition from all sectors of Taiwan society, which are well aware that anything serving the hardcore secessionists will automatically do a disservice to the broad interests of the island.

That Tsai is intent on pushing through the bill in such a hurry, in defiance of the public opposition, shows she knows that if the last window of opportunity before the island's leadership election in January is missed, the DPP might never have another chance to introduce such a bill, and with the law in place, the DPP will be able to further stir up populism to help it garner more support.

If the cross-Straits exchanges continue to deepen and expand again, it will only be a matter of time before Tsai and her like-minded forces have to admit to the disappearing of any social foundation on which to build their cause.

In fact, even if it manages to push the bill into law, if the Tsai administration dares to take advantage of it to blockade interactions across the Straits, it will only worsen cross-Straits ties and accelerate the abandoning of the DPP and its cause by the Taiwan people.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/27/content_37530574.htm Perhaps he was overeager to impress his Canadian counterpart with his good-heartedness to help, or just completely ignorant about how diplomacy actually works, but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's demand that China release two detained Canadians is at best presumptuous, worse manipulative.

For Beijing, Pompeo's remarks are an insult, because they suggest not only that China is a country with "arbitrary enforcement" of laws, where legal justice and procedures can be easily twisted at will for political gain, but also that the country will be frightened into submission when faced with highhandedness of the world's sole superpower.

During a phone call with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Monday, Pompeo stressed that his country is sticking with Canada in fighting what he called China's "coercive detentions of Canadian citizens".

"The United States stands with Canada in calling on Beijing for the immediate release of the two men and rejects the use of these unjustified detentions to coerce Canada," he said, according to a statement from the US State Department.

The two Canadians in the spotlight are former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor－both were detained in December 2018 by the Chinese government on "suspicion of engaging in activities that endanger national security".

While the detentions came nine days after Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant, Beijing has denied any links between the two incidents, insisting that China is a country with rule of law and will crack down on criminal acts that severely undermine its national security. Pompeo is being too wishful and naïve if he really believes his words would have any bearing on how Beijing makes its judicial system function, or even handles its bilateral relations with Canada.

Sino-Canadian relations are experiencing their lowest point in decades after Ottawa arrested Meng at the request of the US a year ago. While both the US and Canada have tried hard to establish the case as a good example of Ottawa standing up for the rule of law, aided by a system of justice independent of political interference, people with any basic geopolitical knowledge are aware that the charges against Meng are politically motivated. The US president once even said in an interview that he "would certainly intervene" in the case if it would help secure a trade deal with China.

If Pompeo really wanted to help Canada repair its ruptured ties with China, he would have kept his mouth shut and let the two countries find a way to resolve their differences in ways acceptable to both. The overbearing manner he has adopted will only backfire.

]]> 2019-12-27 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530367.htm Although it is not yet known what the "bloody Christmas Day" promised by some radical demonstrators in Hong Kong will be, one thing is certain, the "Silent Night" anti-government gatherings in the city on Christmas Eve were anything but calm.

As darkness fell on Tuesday, the protests once again turned ugly. In shopping malls, where the demonstrators claimed they hoped to spread the message that they are fighting for "freedom" and "the city's future" to the shopping crowds, the message they delivered was once again simply vandalism and violence.

But thanks to the quick response of the police, the flames of violence in various spots were swiftly extinguished. This is the first unrest the special administrative region has experienced after several weeks of relative calm, and also the first provocation the anti-government forces have staged since the Chinese leader reiterated China's resolve to resist foreign interference in a speech marking the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland on Friday.

There is no sign of the protesters renouncing violence and they remain steadfast in their adherence to the so-called five demands. But the sporadic unrest this time indicates that after raging in the city for more than six months, the protests have become merely a pastime for some of the city's youths. As evidenced by some of the supplementary demands they have made in addition to the five, such as their chants for the airport to turn on the air-conditioning during their occupation in summer, and that they be left to lie in bed rather than block roads as planned one winter morning because it was too cold, 16 C to be precise.

Credit for the persistence of the rioters－comfortable temperatures permitting－should go to the backstage foreign forces, who have taken advantage of the protests against proposed amendments to the SAR's extradition bill to trigger an explosion of hormonal self-importance that the Western media are happy to misportray as political activism.

Ironically, enshrouding their actions in claims they are in noble pursuit of freedom, democracy and human rights, the protesters have sought to quell any dissenting voices through violent intimidation. Those daring to question their actions or the validity of their "five demands" are identified as enemies of the people, and face immediate threats to their safety. In this way the brainchild of a few is supposedly the issue of all.

Despite the protesters' claims to the contrary, it is not the principle of "one country, two systems" that should be held accountable for the difficulties Hong Kong faces, but the fact that the principle has not been well-implemented in Hong Kong. Its education has been particularly lacking in this regard.

Although low-intensity violence might continue into next year, those holding high the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack will become increasingly lonely as more residents give them the cold shoulder perceiving their intention to pawn the city's future for their own indulgence.

]]> 2019-12-26 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530368.htm Despite rising global economic uncertainties, the recent Central Economic Work Conference said that thanks to its sound economy and sustainable growth, the Chinese mainland will continue to support Hong Kong's economic development. The CEWC also urged the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to take measures to consolidate its status as an international financial center.

The mainland, the conference said, will accord priority to "economic stability" in 2020, and take steps to ensure reasonable growth in terms of both quality and quantity. Which means even against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties, the mainland will maintain steady growth and, thanks to its nearly 1.4 billion population and huge demand, continue to be the largest and most reliable source of support for Hong Kong's development.

According to the CEWC, the central government will expedite its regional development plan, give full play to the comparative advantages of different regions, advance the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, accelerate financial system reform and improve the basic system of its capital market. This also indicates the direction of the SAR's development and the sort of changes it should make in its development policies next year.

The construction of the Greater Bay Area will not only pave the way for a new round of reform and opening-up leading to higher-level development, but also promote national rejuvenation. Therefore, the integration of the Greater Bay Area, especially the integration of some cities in Guangdong province neighboring Hong Kong, has become one of the important goals to achieve.

In the Greater Bay Area construction, if Hong Kong uses its advantages in international finance and scientific and technological research to the optimum level, and boosts its manufacturing capacity, it can get aboard the country's "high-speed" development train. Which in turn will help Hong Kong's economic transformation and enable it to offset the losses it suffered due to the months-long violent demonstrations.

In particular, in the field of life science, the SAR can leverage the mainland's medical market and the booming industrial development to attract more mainland enterprises to enlist on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and thus consolidate its status as the world's second-largest capital-raising center for life science stocks.

By doing so, Hong Kong will attract bigger global institutional investors to invest in the SAR, prompting more foreign analysts to study its life science stocks. Which will attract still more potential overseas life science enterprises to list in Hong Kong, and will help promote the sustainable development of Hong Kong's new economic ecosystem and facilitate its economic transformation.

The CEWC also said the mainland will accelerate the financial system reform and improve the basic system of its capital market next year, which, together with the intensified efforts of some mainland cities neighboring the Hong Kong SAR to develop regional financial markets, financial services and products, will spur the SAR's development.

As one of the world's three major financial centers, Hong Kong should take advantage of the mainland's efforts to reform its financial system and improve the basic system of its capital market to seize new opportunities and fortify its status as a global financial hub and the launching pad for mainland financial companies and investors "going global".

Given the accelerated efforts being made by its neighboring cities on the mainland to promote its financial industry, Hong Kong should meet the challenges and make continuous efforts to give full play to its systemic advantages and highly efficient market.

Hong Kong has all that it needs to strengthen its asset management, insurance and other financial services, attract more capital and enterprises, especially international capital and enterprises, to consolidate its status as one of the world's top financial centers and thus promote its economic development in the new era.

The author is dean of the Hainan University Belt and Road Research Institute. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

The draft of the Basic Medical Treatment and Health Promotion Law has been submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for its fourth review and it suggests that public places be equipped with necessary first-aid equipment.

The need for such first-aid facilities has gained currency and captured public imagination after actor Gao Yixiang died of a sudden cardiac arrest during the shooting of a game TV show last month.

A first-aid equipment called automated external defibrillator (AED) is crucial for saving the life of a patient suffering from a sudden acute myocardial infarction. But in China the availability of such equipment in public places is far from adequate.

According to a report, 394 AEDs exist for every 100,000 residents in Japan and 317 for every 100,000 residents in the United States. The figure is just 0.2 when it comes to the Chinese mainland.

Regulations to equip public places with first-aid equipment are conducive to help those who suffer from a sudden ailment and to safeguard people's health. Such people-oriented social progress has won widespread public praise.

But ensuring that a good law is implemented properly is just as important. First-aid equipment like an AED is very expensive, and who should pay for it is a question that needs to be addressed first. The authorities should clarify how they can ensure availability of first-aid equipment at all public places, and make periodical plans to fulfill it step by step.

What should also be improved is the public's consciousness and skills in administering first aid. Most people don't know how to administer first aid.

The most they can do during an emergency is to call 120. In such circumstances the golden rescue period is of little use even if first-aid equipment is readily available.

The authorities should therefore popularize first aid knowledge and encourage medical staff and people to receive first-aid training and actively participate in administering first-aid at a public place as the law stipulates, and the ordinary citizens should also acquire and master first-aid administering skills to help people in need.

]]> 2019-12-26 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530372.htm FAMILY MEMBERS OF a patient assaulted Yang Wen, a female doctor at the General Hospital of CAAC in Beijing on Tuesday, seriously injuring her in the neck. Early on Wednesday, Yang succumbed to her injuries. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

What took place at the hospital was not an isolated case. In 2018, there had been at least 29 such attacks on doctors or nurses and some deaths too. The figure is much less for 2019, but the brutality of the latest case shows we cannot breathe easy, because the death of even a single doctor means no doctor is safe.

When a doctor is killed, it also puts many other lives, including those of patients who were looking up to the doctor to cure them, at risk. And it could even damage the trust that exists between patients and doctors. Fearing possible consequences, doctors might not want to take risks when treating critical patients.

One wonders what kind of mentality makes one attack doctors. After all, doctors and patients should be like comrades in arms on a battlefield, fighting a common enemy called disease. But in reality we often see patients or their family members vent their anger on doctors who were, often, just trying to save the patients' lives.

The provocation could vary from case to case but if we analyze carefully we would notice that in most cases the patients had fatal diseases and their relatives expected the doctors to save him/her. And on being told that the doctors could not do much, they became desperate and vented their anger on the doctors.

It was loss of hope that prompted patients or their families to lose control. This is more often the case when the patients spend a lot of money and energy to reach hospitals in order to consult doctors. They then peg too much hope on the doctors.

Had there been a counseling mechanism for patients, some of the cases of assaults on doctors might have been prevented. It is advisable that hospitals arrange for more professionals to counsel patients suffering from critical diseases.

That is not to say that there can be any excuse for those who assault doctors. Violence is violence and anybody who assaults a doctor should be punished. On Wednesday, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association strongly condemned the violence, mourned Yang's death and called for joint efforts to protect doctors and nurses.

It is time society echoed that call.

]]> 2019-12-26 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530346.htm Editor's note: A court in Yongxing county in Hunan province recently ruled that a rural inhabitant who was badly injured in a road accident can get 70,000 yuan ($10,024) as disability compensation, more than the 20,000 yuan that was being given under the earlier standard. Beijing News comments:

This is not the first time a "same life has the same price" principle has been followed. In recent years, a unified compensation standard for personal injuries has been piloted in Anhui, Shaanxi, Henan and some other provinces. Which means the principle of "different prices for the same life" may soon become a thing of the past.

The earlier "different prices for the same life" formula was the outcome of a Supreme People's Court ruling in 2004 on the applicable law in personal injury cases. According to the interpretation, the compensation for casualties was decided based on per capita disposable income of urban residents or per capita net income of rural residents. And the income was decided on the basis of hukou, or household registration, of the victims.

The reason for this differential compensation criterion was due to the differences between urban and rural areas, and it was appropriate for the judiciary to take the different deduced incomes between rural and urban residents into consideration when deciding compensation.

The judicial interpretation was also based on the deep-rooted urban-rural divide in Chinese society. But the roots of this rural-urban divide got eroded thanks to the large-scale suspension of hukou, especially the removal in 2014 of the difference between agricultural and non-agricultural hukou.

Compensation, or "life price" as it is called, is a kind of psychological solace or material compensation given to victim or his or her relatives. Therefore, at the legal or systemic level, the country should not classify it into different grades. The calculation of such compensation on the basis of urban or rural identity is a kind of prejudice.

The country has adopted a unified compensation standard for different people, such as the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers, and the National Compensation Law. So, it is high time that a unified compensation practice is adopted nationwide, and not just implemented on a trial basis.

]]> 2019-12-26 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530387.htm If the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka was a tentative move toward improving the strained China-Japan relationship, the latter's just-concluded visit to China to attend the China-Japan-Republic of Korea leaders' meeting, ahead of which he again met with Xi, indicates greater shared interest in reorienting the two countries' sometimes volatile ties.

China would have loved to get further engagement from Japan on the Belt and Road Initiative, and greater cooperation on technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence. It would also have been a huge plus for Japan had the discussions yielded specific outcomes.

But it seems that we will have to wait until the Chinese leader's planned visit to Japan, scheduled for April, for that kind of bumper harvest. Not just because both parties will want to deliver something that is at once both symbolic and substantial from that meeting, but the political atmosphere has always been a critical factor outweighing any immediate gains in this particular relationship.

Judging from his talks with both President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, Abe's visit was indeed more about course-setting, if not path-finding.

Xi and Abe agreed in Osaka to build China-Japan relations in accordance with the needs of the new era. They have apparently achieved broader and deeper consensus on how bilateral ties should be approached.

"To plan for and manage China-Japan relations in the new era, we first need to ascertain strategic consensus," Xi told Abe during their Monday meeting in Beijing. Approaching bilateral ties from a global perspective, based on mutual respect and aimed at win-win outcomes should be a "common strategic guidance" and "foundation" for the kind of relations they envision together, according to Xi.

Abe, during an interview with China Global Television Network prior to his China visit, also emphasized the need to "ascertain strategic consensus, maintain a correct direction, and promote relations between the two countries to always keep proceeding on a correct track".

Both Xi and Abe portrayed the present global context of bilateral ties as "changes not seen in 100 years", both highlighted the significance of a "correct track" for bilateral ties, both stressed the two countries' responsibilities for the region and world, and both pledged to "properly handle significant, sensitive issues".

Such unusual convergence in their rhetoric shows the two countries' leaders have found greater common ground at the strategic level. Which boils down to the two parties seeing each other as partners rather than threats, and seeking to turn competition into coordination.

All the vows, though, must face the test of the lingering historical and territorial disputes, which require political wisdom from both sides to address.

]]> 2019-12-26 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530330.htm Editor's Note: The US Commerce Department is finalizing a set of rules, according to media reports, to limit exports of sophisticated technology including quantum computing and 3D printing to China. What will be the impact of these rules on China? Will they lead to a "technology cold war"? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

China should strengthen key technology sectors

If the export of sophisticated technology threatens the national or industrial security of the exporting country, such a ban would make sense. But the fact is that, a lack of a clear set of standards on violation of national, industrial or cyber security has given countries a rather large room to devise protectionist trade policies. Worse, such bans run counter to the basic principles of free trade.

Most US and Chinese enterprises hope to integrate with and help develop the global industrial chain despite the United States administration's efforts to do just the opposite.

And the fact that the White House has sought to politicize economic issues essentially means it is harming US companies' interests.

In the short to medium term, Chinese enterprises could suffer due to the US' policy to limit high-tech exports. But in the long run, Chinese companies would be driven to develop core technologies and promote technological innovation to offset the US policy's impact.

But despite the White House openly resorting to protectionism, especially to thwart China's technological progress, it would be a wild stretch of imagination to expect a "technology cold war" between the two sides.

Many Chinese people believe the country should further open up its economy in the face of the US' non-cooperation or intensify research and development to replace US technologies with its own. But that is no answer to how China should manage the current situation.

The answer lies in gaining irreplaceable advantages in major links of key industries, rather than setting up an industrial chain independent of the US. For instance, Japan's integrated circuit industry suffered a huge blow in the 1990s, but the US could not disintegrate itself from Japan's supply chain because Japan made the most sophisticated integrated circuit materials and equipment in the world.

As such, China should attach greater importance to industries related to national and industrial security, people's livelihoods and vital interests including information and communications technology and medical apparatus and instruments.

Jia Bei, a research fellow on industrial economics

If implemented, new rules will harm US companies

That the US is finalizing rules to curb high-tech exports exposes its Cold War mentality. Not being content with urging a number of countries to take measures to restrict China's rise, for example, through the Wassenaar Arrangement, the US is preparing to introduce specific bans directly aimed at China. Such bans, however, do not conform to global economic rules and, equally importantly, would not contribute to US enterprises' well-being.

How can the US continue to play the leading role in the field of technology if it deliberately severs ties with a major power? Also, such rules would prompt China to more actively promote innovation to develop high-tech products in order to lessen its dependence on the US and other Western economies for sophisticated technology.

And if China loses its development momentum for a lack of high-tech products, it would mean reduced mutually beneficial cooperation with and fewer development opportunities for the US. Either way the US stands to lose.

Thanks to the development of high-end manufacturing and consumption, and industrial upgrading, China presents a number of business opportunities that the US could lose due to its self-defeating policies.

To those who believe that only cooperation can benefit both sides, suffice it to say the US doesn't want to cooperate with China and, instead, has been threatening to impose higher tariffs on Chinese products and impose export and/or import bans. Which runs contrary to the spirit of cooperation on an equal footing and for mutual benefits.

As for now, China should focus on innovation and making technological breakthroughs while continuing to seek cooperation with the US on an equal footing.

Bai Ming, deputy director of the international market research institute under the China Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Which is why the latest attempt to smear China has garnered so much media coverage in countries that cannot wait to point an accusing finger at what they view as an evil empire.

Despite it lacking all the basic elements of a good news story, namely accuracy, objectivity and fairness, a report by The Sunday Times that a 6-year-old girl had found a note in a Christmas card she bought in a store of the British supermarket giant Tesco that reads "We are foreign prisoners in Shanghai Qingpu Prison China. Forced to work against our will" has been taken at face value.

The Chinese response has been quick. The Foreign Ministry spokesman has dismissed the whole story as "a farce" because, as he said, Shanghai's Qingpu prison "does not have this issue of foreign prisoners being forced to work". And Tesco's Chinese supplier, Zhejiang Yunguang Printing Factory, has also rejected the forced labor allegation as "completely fabricated". Judgment has already been passed even before a trial starts. Tesco immediately suspended the Chinese supplier before launching an investigation, even though its spokesperson said the supplier was independently audited as recently as last month and no evidence was found to suggest they had broken its rule banning the use of prison labor.

Anyone with the basic ability to reason and judge can tell how shaky the allegations are. If just a few lines jotted on a Christmas card are effective to unveil a big secrecy about foreigners behind the bars of Chinese prisons, then all those foreign consulates stationed in China must be failing in their duties. Aren't they supposed to ensure convicted citizens of their home countries get fair treatment and are afforded the rights guaranteed under Chinese law where forced labor is forbidden? Or does that mean all the international treaties China has signed with foreign countries on judicial assistance are being trashed by law-defying Chinese officials without even being noticed by their foreign counterparts?

Given that the note was directed to Peter Humphrey, the writer of The Sunday Times story, a big question mark hangs over the neutrality of the story. The Briton, a former journalist and corporate fraud investigator, served two years for trafficking personal data in the same prison as mentioned in the card.

But that question mark has been readily ignored by those with an axe to grind against China.

]]> 2019-12-26 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/26/content_37530386.htm Spring Festival travel rush refers to the 40-day travel peak when people in big cities travel to their hometowns to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with their families and travel back to the cities to rejoin work. During the travel rush airports, railway and bus stations, and highways are chock-a-block.

Yet of late some people working in cities have not been traveling to their hometowns for Spring Festival. Instead, they call their parents and/or children from their villages and towns to join them in the cities during Lunar New Year. The journeys such parents and children make in the opposite direction during Spring Festival is called the reverse Spring Festival travel rush.

Actually, reverse Spring Festival travel rush is not a recent phenomenon; it was first noticed soon after the launch of reform and opening-up in the late 1970s. But this year, it attracted the attention of governments, the railways, transport companies and other sections of society. In fact, in the recently issued opinions on managing the 2020 Spring Festival travel rush, central government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission have encouraged the reverse Spring Festival travel rush, by suggesting relevant authorities offer discounts on ticket prices, to reduce the pressure on the transportation system.

Given China's aging population, and fast-paced urbanization and industrialization, the reverse travel phenomenon would have a significant impact on the transport system.

In general, the reverse travel phenomenon can be attributed to urbanization, development of the transportation network and diversification of Spring Festival celebrations.

First, thanks to urbanization, a large number of people in small towns, villages and smaller cities have relocated to metropolises that have good public and recreational facilities, and better living conditions and development opportunities. And since the disposable income of urban residents in China is now 39,251 yuan ($5,612), according to National Bureau of Statistics data for 2018, a certain percentage of those people can now afford to call their parents and/or children to the big cities to celebrate Lunar New Year, or even stay for a longer time.

Second, the development of the transportation system, too, has contributed to the trend of reverse Spring Festival travel rush. For example, by the end of last year, the length of China's high-speed railway had increased to 29,000 kilometers－and is expected to reach 35,000 km in 2020.

Besides, China has 235 civil aviation airports with a passenger throughput of 1.27 billion. China has also greatly developed its highways. But it is the rapid development of high-speed railway that has made travel faster, safer, and more affordable and convenient.

As mentioned above, the reverse travel phenomenon can also be attributed to diversification of Spring Festival celebrations. With their living standards continuing to improve, people have devised unconventional ways to enjoy their holidays, traveling abroad or within the country, and advancing or postponing Lunar New Year celebrations to avoid the peak travel rush. Also, more and more elderly people are choosing to celebrate Spring Festival with their children or kin in big cities, and thus promoting the reverse travel trend.

On a more fundamental level, the reverse travel phenomenon suggests urban culture and lifestyle are replacing rural culture and lifestyle. But since people will continue to flock to the cities to work or study, the traditional Spring Festival travel rush will continue to be the dominant trend, but the reverse travel phenomenon will increase too.

To promote the reverse Spring Festival travel rush, the government should encourage young people to live in large and medium-sized cities by, for instance, offering the favorable house purchase policies. The China State Railway Group, on its part, should offer discounts on train fares to those traveling in the opposite direction during Spring Festival. And publicity should be strengthened to inform potential passengers about the benefits of traveling in the opposite direction during the Spring Festival travel rush.

The author is a professor of transport economics at the School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

China, Japan, ROK should protect multilateralism

China, Japan and the ROK have decided to strengthen regional coordination to overcome the effects of the global economic slowdown, and growing unilateralism and protectionism, and curb regional security risks, particularly rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

But despite the three countries together accounting for one-fifth of global gross domestic product and having complementary economic structures, the negotiations for the proposed China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement have been prolonged because of the security alliance Japan and the ROK have with the United States, disagreements on trade standards, and concerns over "imbalanced bilateral benefits". In fact, by the end of last month, they had held 16 rounds of negotiations.

Stable bilateral relations are a prerequisite for an FTA. The fact that China and Japan, and China and the ROK have improved bilateral ties shows they are determined to promote free trade and economic globalization. And after Japan eased the curbs on export of semiconductor parts to the ROK on Friday, Japan-ROK relations, too, are likely to improve since reaching a low owing to the historical disputes between the two sides.

Since multilateral meetings have acted as buffer zones for Tokyo-Seoul talks after bilateral disputes intensified, the tripartite meeting in Chengdu, to a certain extent, will improve Japan-ROK ties and bring the FTA negotiations back to the normal track.

The need for a larger markets has prompted the three countries to attach more importance to a "3+ X" (China-Japan-ROK plus a fourth party) mechanism. With the participation of a fourth party, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the ROK can add new vigor to regional cooperation. A fourth party can also help the three countries to better coordinate their competitive trade elements.

Also, the three countries are pushing for signing of the Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership next year, which means Japan is no longer mulling withdrawing from the RCEP following India.

Instead, Japan is expected to persuade India to rejoin the regional trade mechanism.

Which augurs well for regional economic integration and stability.

Ongoing talks bring a fresh start to three-way cooperation

Discussions on a China-Japan-ROK cooperation mechanism started 20 years ago. But the fact that Japan and the ROK have a security alliance with the US and share the US' wariness over a rising China, as well as the recent Tokyo-Seoul disputes have affected the smooth flow of tripartite talks.

Although it is impossible for any meeting to achieve a breakthrough overnight, the fact that the three sides have been exploring ways to establish a trilateral cooperation mechanism and promote multilateralism is in itself a precious outcome.

The US' unilateral and protectionist measures are threatening to distort the global industrial and value chains, and therefore have prompted China, Japan and the ROK to establish a tripartite cooperation mechanism in order to safeguard multilateralism and promote free trade, and build a fair global governance mechanism.

Seoul seems especially eager to promote the trilateral talks so it can tide over the effects of a sluggish domestic economy, its trade frictions with Japan, and the huge cost of stationing US troops on ROK soil.

Economic cooperation, political trust and security cooperation are important factors for maintaining stable relations among China, Japan and the ROK, with economic cooperation being the key, because it can help promote mutual political trust and security cooperation.

Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul have to strengthen cooperation also to cope with security risks on the Korean Peninsula. Japan and the ROK may not necessarily support the joint proposal of China and Russia that the UN Security Council partly lift the sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to break the deadlock in the US-DPRK talks. But they most probably will mediate between Washington and Pyongyang once tensions on the peninsula escalate.

And since bilateral talks in the denuclearization issue can hit a roadblock if either party is unhappy, China, Japan and the ROK should make joint efforts to revive the Six-Party Talks and take the peninsula peace process forward and ultimately resolve the peninsula nuclear issue.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/25/content_37530179.htm Mesut Ozil is the poster boy of the moment for critics of Beijing's policies in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which is a pity because he has muddied the waters with his own poor grasp of geopolitics and thus made things worse for the people he ostensibly cares about.

It's true that the Arsenal midfielder's Twitter post touches on humanitarian concern for Uygurs in China's northwest region of Xinjiang. But as Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, the German-Turkish soccer player should visit Xinjiang and see for himself.

By wrapping his message in the "flag of East Turkestan", Ozil has scored an own goal, greatly undermining his reputation as a smart, mercurial player. Indeed, his emotional, unconsidered tweet risks damaging the very cause he claims to espouse by putting separatism on a par with social justice.

In today's world, East Turkestan has come to mean a breakaway independent region with the "blue flag" as its standard. This is the flag being waved by Mesut Ozil and other proponents of pan-Turkism that would like to see partly Muslim Xinjiang taken out of China's orbit and united culturally, if not politically, with Turkey.

East Turkestan is a virtual state, alive only in the minds of identity-intoxicated dreamers, mostly in the Uygur diaspora, but that's not to say it's not a provocation. China is within its right to be concerned about the "East Turkestan Liberation Organization" and the "Gray Wolves", both founded in Turkey. And China has produced evidence of the terrorist acts committed by the separatists in Xinjiang.

The United States' position, recently reiterated and made clear by the highly partisan US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is an odd one, especially because the US leads the world in combating Islamist terrorism, real and imagined, and it is still waging war on Islamic nations.

Since Sept 11, 2001, China has been generally supportive of US efforts to root out terrorism wherever the US claims to find it. But US policy is full of double standard. A month after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, I attended a US embassy briefing in Beijing. When I asked the US spokesman why the US continued to support Islamic separatists in China, he said, "it's different".

And that has pretty much been the US line ever since. Anti-Beijing supporters of separatism who lean toward the US are given a free pass. It's a reaffirmation of a consistent flaw in US foreign policy－hypocrisy. One need only consider the brutal US-backed Contras who ravaged Nicaragua to grasp that bitter irony that one man's terrorist is indeed another man's freedom fighter.

Where the former German soccer star Ozil really trips up as a booster for the "Uygur cause" is in his flag-waving support for pan-Turkism. This is a toxic creed in the same way that pan-Germanism is, and Ozil, being a German citizen of Turkish descent, should know better.

In China, the reaction to his invocation of free East Turkistan was predictably fierce. Soccer matches have been yanked off the air, Ozil soccer shirts burned, and Ozil's likeness is getting airbrushed out of video games.

If Ozil cared a little more about democratic politics, he wouldn't have foolishly wrapped his message in the flag of a separatist group that wants to carve a big chunk out of China.

If Ozil knew a little more about Turkish history, the land of his grandparents, he might take pause at the shocking "movement", in which pan-Turkism instigated ethnic cleansing and racial "purifying" that all but wiped from the map the ethnic Armenian neighbors of his Turk ancestors. Armenia longs for the world's condemnation on this massacre which is denied by Turkey.

Finally, he might face the hard-to-stomach reality that today's Kurds did much to defeat the Islamic State group while Turkey played dumb, looking the other way.

He might also take note that the Kurds, using similar reasoning to his, lay claim to large parts of his beloved Turkey, and if they had their way, an independent Kurdistan would be carved out of the Anatolian land.

Ozil is not alone. His one-sided thought process aligns rather well with the US administration's view of the world. To President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a buddy and the Kurds deserve to be betrayed and left dangling. Along with the implicit support of the US, Ozil can look forward to partisan support in journalistic quarters where the anti-China agenda trumps balanced reporting.

The West excoriated the Chinese media for criticizing Ozil without saying clearly why he was being treated as an anathema. But Western accounts have big narrative holes, too. Whether by omission or commission, or just bad editing, the Western media left out Ozil's naked embrace of the incendiary "blue flag" of separatist East Turkestan from most reports on the topic.

If a soccer player had used the platform of fame to advocate secessionism and independence of a US state using the Confederate flag as backdrop, he or she would have deservedly been hit with a red card. But when it comes to China, which has recently become a popular piñata for US politicians looking to smack hard without taking too close a look at the facts, the bashing has already begun.

The author is a media researcher covering Asian politics.The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Xu Zaozao, a 31-year-old single woman, recently sued the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital for refusing to freeze her eggs on the ground that she is not married.

According to the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation issued by the National Health Commission in 2003, assisted reproductive technologies, which include freezing of eggs, are denied to single women because of a family planning policy.

China's population and family planning policies have greatly changed in recent years to cope with changing national population situations and social issues such as low fertility rate and an aging society, but the restrictions imposed on single women's reproductive rights have not been changed accordingly.

According to law, reproductive right is a legal right every citizen enjoys, irrespective of marital status.

Moreover, the existing regulations do not prohibit single men from preserving their sperms in sperm banks. It is therefore unreasonable to make a distinction when it comes to a woman's right to preserve her eggs.

With continuous social development and rising education levels, the age at which women can give birth has been delayed to ensure their self-improvement and enable them to meet their life and career goals.

Freezing of eggs is a modern way to ensure women can become mothers at a later date. This method will also help improve the fertility rate.

It is the legal right of citizens like Xu to safeguard their rights. And it is glad to see her case trigger wide public discussion, as this might go a long way to further protect a single woman's right to fertility and gender equality.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/25/content_37530196.htm China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking to Chinese media on Monday, said that the renewed tensions between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are mainly due to Washington failing to address the legitimate and reasonable concerns of Pyongyang and not effectively implementing the consensus reached in Singapore.

China welcomed and supported the summit between DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in June last year, with Wang hailing the meeting as an opportunity for the two countries, which had been antagonistic toward each other for more than half a century, to make history by sitting down together and agreeing to substantive steps to realize the establishment of a peace mechanism for the Korean Peninsula.

With Washington having agreed to make joint efforts with Pyongyang to build a lasting and stable peace regime, it is natural that Wang should express China's disappointment at its failure to honor that agreement since it has resulted in the previously promising dialogue with Pyongyang becoming a war of words in which their words are once again of war.

The two leaders have met each other three times since their first groundbreaking meeting in Singapore. Their second summit in Hanoi collapsed at the start of this year, and although Trump took a historic step into the DPRK, which seemed to suggest the US had something up its sleeve, the interpersonal rapport between them, if not staged, has not translated into mutual trust between the two countries.

The two sides' most recent contact, a painful, yet fruitless, 8.5-hour closed door meeting in Stockholm in early October, prompted different views of its worth－Pyongyang said it broke up, and Washington said it was a good dialogue－showing just how far apart the two sides still are because the US has not made any substantial moves in response to the DPRK's denuclearization steps.

If the US continues to talk of its hopes of a political solution while persisting with sanctions and maintaining its security threat targeting the DPRK, it is doing nothing but backpedaling on the Singapore consensus.

The window of opportunity for productive dialogue is closing as whatever rapport there was between Washington and Pyongyang is rapidly disappearing. So the US should take practical measures to implement the Singapore consensus as soon as possible.

The proposal China and Russia have put forward to the United Nations Security Council for the lifting of some sanctions on the DPRK not only reflects the urgency of Pyongyang's needs, but also that the tensions are already on a hair trigger.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/25/content_37530209.htm For the first time in the history of the People's Republic of China, a complete civil code is expected to be introduced to govern legal disputes other than those involving crimes. This is undoubtedly a milestone in the development of China's rule of law.

The importance of having a complete civil code cannot be overstated. However wealthy a country is or however comprehensive its national strength is, a lack of protection of basic civil rights and private rights of every individual citizen constitutes an Achilles heel for its social foundation.

That explains why the draft of a civil code to be deliberated at a bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee this week is being greeted as a major step forward for the modernization of China's governance.

Importance has been attached to the compiling of the civil code to provide a stable legal framework for resolving disputes since not long after the People's Republic of China was founded. And China has bits of one, such as laws on inheritance, contracts and property. But there are gaps and inconsistencies. The compilation of a unified code was launched four times, in 1954, 1962, 1979 and 2001, but a complete code never came to fruition for various reasons.

To compile a complete civil code that meets the needs of the times is obviously no easy task. As a result, the process that is now coming to fruition has proceeded piecemeal since the middle of the last decade, with the initial step, the general provisions of the civil code, completed and adopted at the fifth session of the 12th NPC in 2017.

Preliminary deliberation of the six other sections on property, contracts, personality rights, marriage and family, inheritance, and torts was done at the fifth session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee in 2018, which marked the second step of the process.

Public opinions were then extensively solicited from people in different walks of life, and suggestions from different government departments were also taken into consideration. Fact-finding missions were also conducted for the fixing of specific articles before the draft civil code was completed.

Now the draft is being deliberated by lawmakers at the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee being held from Monday to Saturday. Hopefully their deliberations will lead to draft code being delivered to the annual session of the NPC in March. It should then not be far for Chinese people to have recourse to the law to protect their rights in any civil dispute.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/25/content_37530210.htm THIRTEEN PEOPLE WERE KILLED on Dec 4 in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Liuyang, Hunan province, but when reporting to higher authorities, certain local officials and factory managers put the casualty figure at seven. The lie was later exposed by probe teams. On Monday, the Work Safety Committee of the State Council, China's Cabinet, briefed local authorities on the issue. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Why did the officials join hands with factory managers in fudging death figures? To minimize responsibilities.

According to domestic safety regulations, local authorities are responsible for inspecting safety measures in factories that produce dangerous substances such as explosives, and help the latter plug loopholes if any. In the event of an accident in which people are killed, the officials and factory managers should be held accountable.

So, in the above case, some local officials not only failed in their duty to take work safety measures and protect workers' lives, but also attempted to cover up their failure by joining hands with the factory managers to hide the casualty figure.

That is denying the people their rights even after their deaths. Most, if not all, of them were workers who toiled hard to ensure the firecracker unit made profits. And their deaths have much to do with the lack of safety measures at the workplace. But when they died, the officials tried to even deny their existence.

How did the officials and factory managers face the families of the dead? Did they not feel ashamed?

A probe is mandatory after any fatal accident, as it can reveal what caused it and what can be done to prevent a repeat of the same. But when the number of deaths is not reported correctly, it might fail to attract the desired attention.

As a result, the probe may not be carried out with the right amount of seriousness and the problems that caused the deaths might never be found out and dealt with. It will also not be wrong to say that hiding the actual number of deaths might lead to more casualties and deaths in the future.

Thankfully that will not happen in this case, as the actual number of deaths and details of who tried to fudge the casualty figure have emerged. By Monday evening, 10 suspects had been detained, four taken in for further disciplinary probe and three removed from office for grave wrongdoings.

It is time officials across the nation learn a lesson from that.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/25/content_37530174.htm Editor's Note: Six toll stations on highways linking Tianjin with other cities recently switched to the electronic toll collection system and stopped annual collection of tolls, upsetting drivers who have not enrolled in the ETC program. Guangming Daily comments:

The electronic toll collection system has caused serious traffic congestion at the toll stations, as many vehicles have not enlisted in the ETC program. Some video clips posted on social media showed vehicles making U-turns and leaving the toll stations, while toll station staff guided other vehicles to an area nearby to apply for enrolling in the program. "Without enrolling in the ETC program, you can't get on the highway," many drivers were told.

A Ministry of Transport official said this practice was wrong, stressing that his department has made it clear that at least one manual toll collection lane should be kept open on all highways where the ETC system has been introduced.

In theory, ETC has obvious advantages, as it ensures smooth entry, less congestion, and lower operating costs. It is key to eliminating toll stations on highways and facilitating high-speed travel.

Some developed countries introduced a similar toll collection system in the mid-1980s. But in China, the ETC system has gained prominence in recent years. The authorities are pressing for more than 90 percent of vehicles on highways to use the device by the end of 2019.

It is because of such pressing goals that some regions are insisting that it be mandatory for drivers taking the expressways to enroll in the ETC program.

True, the manual toll collection lanes have longer queues, but the flow of traffic in the ETC lanes is not smooth either, because many drivers are guided to a designated place to enlist in the program and link their ETC card to their credit card or any other payment medium.

Also, the experience of those who already have ETC cards shows that even after switching to the new system it is necessary to make one or several trips before it starts working smoothly.

It is the public's right to choose which system they want to use on the highway. It cannot be forcibly introduced by the administration. Any decision the relevant departments take should ensure that it does not limit the number of options before drivers on highways, even if the intention is to make driving a more convenient experience.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/25/content_37530177.htm The Chinese movies released in 2019 have highlighted some potential growth areas and created new opportunities for the film industry. In fact, after years of rapid growth, a new development model is developing in the Chinese movie industry.

First, ticket sales in Chinese cinemas have been increasing. China's box office is expected to reach 65 billion yuan ($9.27 billion) this year. And despite the "cold winter" in the Chinese film industry, box office collections exceeded the total revenue for last year (60.7 billion yuan) on Dec 13. Which means the number of Chinese moviegoers is growing steadily, and films have become a regular source of entertainment for people in third-, fourth-and fifth-tier cities, even remote areas.

Also, the middle-income group's rising demand for entertainment will boost the Chinese film industry, and youths' intense interest in films will help maintain the robust market. In fact, the tastes of these two groups will largely shape the future of China's movie industry.

Although the film market is not growing as fast as it did a few years ago, it is expected to maintain a stable growth rate. And a stable box office revenue will help the film industry to explore new themes and subjects and present them in more creative ways to the audience.

Second, many made-in-China blockbusters were widely welcomed by the market. These technically sound and well-made films may stimulate more classics, leading to a new wave of high-quality films. Eight of the top 10 moneymakers this year have been domestic films, with Ne Zha, an animated fairytale with modern narrative, leading the pack with box office of 4.97 billion yuan ($710 million). The movie tells the story of a mythological figure Ne Zha with unique powers who is recruited to fight demons and save a community that fears him.

The Wandering Earth, a pioneering and successful sci-fi movie made in China, was released during the Spring Festival and earned 4.65 billion yuan ($650 million) at the box office. And My People, My Country, a patriotic film released to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, became a hit big thanks to word of mouth.

By looking at historic moments such as Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland in 1997, and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games through the eyes of ordinary people, My People, My Country resonates with Chinese people's sense of patriotism. Indeed, the torrent of domestic blockbusters indicates a brighter future for the Chinese film industry and better quality films.

Third, the movies released in 2019 also suggest Chinese film would be more diverse in terms of themes in the future. The Wandering Earth shows Chinese directors, too, can make high-quality sci-fi films. Ne Zha has revived the Chinese animation industry. The Captain, based on the true story of Sichuan Airlines pilot Liu Chuanjian making an emergency landing after the windshield of his aircraft broke on takeoff, was a successful attempt at making a disaster movie full of human elements. And Bugle from Gutian is an apt example of an offbeat yet successful film.

A growing number of young talents are entering the film industry, which is good for the future of Chinese films. Still, the Chinese movie industry faces a variety of challenges. Given the transforming economic development model and the bubbles that have formed in some sectors, especially since some capital has left the film industry due to rising uncertainties over returns, some film companies are finding it difficult to continue operations. Plus, shoddy movies continue to plague the market.

Yet the Chinese film industry in 2019 showed new vitality and prepared the groundwork for even better movies to be made in the future, which in turn will further boost the industry's growth.

The author is a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University.The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Li said the three countries have also agreed to jointly push for the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a mega trade pact for the Asia-Pacific region, as scheduled in 2020 and will work together to accelerate the China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

All this will not only pave the way for all-win cooperation among the three countries geared toward the future but also contribute to regional development and help beef up regional and even global confidence in cooperation, free trade and multilateralism.

Being robust locomotives of growth for Asia and the world at large, China, Japan and the ROK, which account for 24 percent of the world economy and boast tightly bound supply chains, have been major trading partners and investors in each other's countries, with the trilateral trade exceeding $720 billion last year.

The three countries' commitment to achieving common development through cooperation and resolving differences through dialogue will lead to fruitful trilateral cooperation and help deepen the economic integration of the region against the threats of protectionism and isolationism.

As active participants in regional cooperation, their pledge to promote inclusive development in the region through the "China-Japan-ROK plus X" model will help expand their collaboration in fourth-or even fifth-party markets, bringing benefits to more economies.

Chengdu also witnessed the first meeting between Abe and Moon in 15 months, sending a clear signal to the outside world that the two countries are now ready to look beyond their skirmishes over trade and focus on the larger picture of regional cooperation.

Given that China, Japan and the ROK are stakeholders in peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, whether the Chengdu meeting would realize a common stance has also drawn much international attention.

The three countries' commitment to dialogue to resolve the nuclear issue on the peninsula will undoubtedly contribute to the desirable momentum of a political settlement of the issue.

Although neighbors, China, Japan and the ROK have different social and political backgrounds, remain entangled in historical and territorial disputes, and their relations are influenced by the relationship between China and the United States.

Yet as long as they continue to deepen mutual trust, properly handle their differences and together face the challenges ahead, there are bright prospects for this trilateral cooperation mechanism as it enters its third decade.

]]> 2019-12-25 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/24/content_37530123.htm China and Russia have proposed that the United Nations Security Council ease some of the sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea－such as lifting the ban on exporting statues, seafood and textiles, and withdrawing restrictions on infrastructure projects－to "break the deadlock" in the talks between the US and the DPRK.

Stephen Biegun, US special envoy for the DPRK, just concluded a four-day visit to East Asia during which he visited the Republic of Korea, Japan and China, underscoring the seriousness with which the United States is taking the unfolding "December Crisis" on the Korean Peninsula.

Yet over the past couple of weeks, relations between the US and the DPRK have taken a sharp turn. Immediately after the conclusion of the Washington-Pyongyang talks in Stockholm in October, the DPRK declared them as a failure, saying the US had not come to the negotiating table with a sincere and constructive plan. After that, the DPRK has made a series of high-intensity diplomatic moves against the US.

The DPRK has criticized the US' procrastination tactics, saying it will make a political decision at the end of the year. Besides, DPRK leader Kim Jongun twice climbed up Mount Baekdusan on horseback, signaling the DPRK is trying to seek a new path. The DPRK is also putting "extreme pressure" on the US in a bid to force it to make concessions, but to no avail.

During the NATO summit in the United Kingdom earlier this month, US President Donald Trump made two points about the DPRK's repeated short-range missile tests－that the US has a strong military and is unwilling to use it, but that it would use it if necessary.

Judging by the war of words, US-DPRK relations seem to have returned to where they were two years ago. Trump and Kim Jongun have been working hard to maintain their "personal friendship" which is the most significant legacy of their meeting in Singapore in June last year. But since the personal relations between Kim Jong-un and Trump are no longer the same as they were immediately after the Singapore summit, the situation on the Korean Peninsula could further worsen.

The DPRK wants to break the deadlock in bilateral ties by putting "extreme pressure" on the US. But after the Kim-Trump summit in Singapore, the two sides' diplomatic-level consultations have not been able to achieve a breakthrough－for example, the DPRK taking denuclearization measures in exchange for lifting of some sanctions. After the second summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February ended in failure, the Stockholm talks, too, didn't make any progress, dealing another blow to Washington-Pyongyang relations.

The DPRK believes that its denuclearization efforts, such as the freezing of nuclear and longrange missile tests and the razing of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, have not evoked corresponding response from the US. After the summit in Singapore, though, Trump adopted a kind of "strategic patience", different from his predecessor Barack Obama, at the cost of reducing the scale of or canceling US-ROK military exercises, in exchange for the DPRK freezing nuclear and long-range missile tests.

The Trump administration has responded with silence to more than a dozen short-ranged missile tests conducted by the DPRK, saying they do not violate the UN resolutions or the Singapore Joint Statement. The US did not respond to the DPRK's demands to lift some of the sanctions either, leading to a "stalemate" that seemingly favors the US.

After June last year, the situation on the Korean Peninsula changed as all concerned parties hoped to see a political and diplomatic settlement of the nuclear issue thanks to the new momentum of dialogue and consultation.

Peace and stability on the peninsula are in the interest of not only US-DPRK relations, but also the region and the rest of the world.

And the purpose of the draft resolution submitted to the UN by China and Russia is to create the right conditions for fruitful negotiations and consultations between the US and the DPRK and bring together all parties to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue to find a solution, and therefore prevent the "December Crisis" from escalating.

The author is deputy dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Jilin University. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Macao is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and China's richest city, with its per capita GDP of $82,600(in 2018) being the second-highest in the world. Since the implementation of the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), Macao's economy has grown rapidly, its people's livelihoods have improved significantly, and its development has exceeded expectations. Which show the SAR government has made fruitful use of the 13th Five-Year Plan.

In fact, Macao's stability and prosperity can be attributed to the wholehearted support of the central government.

The after effects of the 1997 Asia financial crisis and 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes epidemic brought Macao's economy to a temporary standstill. To ease the pressure on Macao, the central government implemented a series of policy measures, including the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and the opening of "free travel" for residents of some Chinese mainland cities to Macao, which helped the SAR's economy to arrest the downturn, and move toward recovery and then growth.

In the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) and 13th Five-Year Plan, the central government described Macao as a "world center for tourism and leisure" and a "service platform for business cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries", giving the SAR a unique position and function in overall national reform, opening-up and economic development in the new era.

In the recent past, the central government has drawn up a development plan to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, making Macao one of the four central cities of the area, and issued 2 billion yuan ($285.44 million) worth of government bonds in Macao to boost the development of Macao's financial market. Such measures, needless to say, have created unprecedented development opportunities for Macao.

In the two decades since its return to China, Macao has tied its future to that of the motherland, overcoming various crises and passing several tests. Which shows patriotism is the cornerstone of Macao's development under the "one country, two systems" framework.

As early as January 2009, Macao's Legislative Council passed a law on safeguarding national security and implemented local legislation on national security based on Article 23 of the Macao Basic Law. Ever since, Macao's economic growth has accelerated, demonstrating that only by firmly safeguarding national security can Macao continue its stable social and economic development.

In addition, the SAR government has strengthened patriotic education in schools and colleges, and the concepts of "love for the motherland and love for Macao" and "one country, two systems" have become the core values of Macao society.

In September 2016, the SAR government implemented its five-year development plan (2016-20), laying out a strategy to coordinate its development with the country's 13th Five-Year Plan, participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, build a platform for business cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and integrate itself into the regional cooperation mechanism.

Seizing the opportunity of jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, various entities in Macao have established close economic and trade relations with Portuguese-speaking and ASEAN countries, built extensive contacts with overseas Chinese communities and helped expand the mainland's markets along the Belt and Road routes.

Moreover, one of the priorities of the SAR government has been to upgrade the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. In November 2018, it set up a working committee for coordinating its participation in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Since the Greater Bay Area plan was announced, Macao, by making use of its unique advantages in the region, has forged an upgraded version of cooperation model with the mainland. And Macao compatriots from all walks of life have actively participated in the Greater Bay Area's construction, expanding the space for Macao's industrial development and voluntarily integrating Macao's development into overall national development.

Macao's exchanges and cooperation with the mainland have gone far beyond the original economic scope in some other important areas as well. And if Macao wants to achieve long-term development, it should further integrate its development into the country's overall development. An important reason for Macao's rapid economic and social development in the past 20 years is its success in seizing the opportunities presented by the country's development and implementing the "one country, two systems" principle.

As a vital node of the Belt and Road Initiative and given its unique advantages, Macao can act as an important window for China to further open up to the outside world. Macao will continue to play an important role in the national strategy so long as it gives full play to its own advantages, and integrates its development into the country's overall development.

The author is a research fellow at the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and World Affairs, the Communication University of China. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's respective meetings with the Japanese and ROK leaders on Monday, as well as earlier statements from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, show that Beijing attaches great significance to the trilateral cooperation mechanism, which first emerged on the sidelines of the "10+3", or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus China, Japan and the ROK, meetings in 1999, and hopes the 20th anniversary Chengdu meeting will be a launchpad for an "upgraded edition" of it.

While all the rest of the outcomes remain to be seen, the leaders will reportedly issue a joint statement on the "top-layer design" to guide the three-party relationship in a "new era". Symbolic considerations aside, the meeting offers a precious opportunity for the three countries to compare notes on some of their thorniest immediate concerns, sort out the discords that have marred their relations and coordinate stances on pressing issues such as their long-gestating free trade agreement and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Since it was initiated in 2012, 16 rounds of negotiations have been conducted for the China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement. The conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership negotiations has added new impetus to the process, as well as a growing consensus on the need to upgrade trilateral collaboration.

Given the enormous potential of trilateral economic cooperation, all have a lot to gain from maintaining and expanding a platform of joint development endeavors. Though an ultimate FTA may take longer and more in-depth engagement, pragmatic "3+1" endeavors, or the three countries jointly pursuing cooperation with third parties, as they agreed upon last year, would be a realistic and promising option for the moment.

Meanwhile, although the "Christmas gift" the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has promised his US counterpart is yet to be unwrapped, its delivery, born of frustration and disappointment, will certainly further raise the tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.

The bitter DPRK-US relationship has never been a matter of concern for just the two parties, it has always been a practical threat to regional security, particularly that of Pyongyang's three next-door neighbors. No matter how one defines their trilateral partnership, defusing the tensions between the DPRK and the US is an outstanding imperative for all three.

Then there comes the Japan-ROK impasse. Whether from the perspective of Japan-ROK relations, or from that of trilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Abe and President Moon should take advantage of the Chengdu event to maneuver a badly needed thaw in the unseemly stalemate that is lose-lose for both.

Yet how far the three countries can go together probably rests on to what extent they are able to sidestep the known stumbling blocks of their disputes over historical and territorial issues as well as manage the outsider interference that will seek to derail any cooperation initiatives the three parties agree on.

There is no denying that 2019 has been a bruising year for many Chinese companies, with private companies bearing the brunt of the blows. Not least because of the difficulties they face in securing funding and approval for projects because some officials still harbor a bias against them.

This has made it imperative that the country's top leaders make it unequivocally clear that support for the growth of the private sector is not an expediency to weather the country through economic woes, but a national policy to build sustained prosperity that must be followed through in the future.

The argument that "the private sector has accomplished its historical mission and should leave the stage" is irrational and runs counter to the experience of China's 40 years of reform and opening-up.

As the most dynamic and resilient force driving the country's economic growth, the private sector does not need preferential government treatment, but it does require an environment where the rule of law is enforced, private property ownership is protected, and the market, rather than administrative interference, plays a decisive role in the allocation of resources.

During the past year, procurators have sought to strengthen the legal guarantee for the rights and interests of private enterprises. But it is encouraging that the top leadership has again shown its determination to promote and support the smooth development of the private sector.

Private companies will receive the same treatment as their State-owned peers in terms of accessing markets and obtaining loans from State-owned banks. And China's market in sectors previously monopolized by State-owned companies, such as oil, telecom and power, will be opened wider to private competitors.

Such moves are imperative given the increasingly indispensable role that the private sector plays－it now contributes to more than 60 percent of China's GDP, over half of its tax revenues, and accounts for more than 80 percent of the urban employment, as well as driving much of China's technological innovation.

But words of assurance alone will not be enough. Policy consistency and enforcement are needed to guarantee a business-friendly environment for private enterprises and ensure the vitality of the private sector is fully unleashed for the good of the national economy.

Several central government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission recently issued a guidance to cushion the Spring Festival travel rush in 2020. It said the State-owned railways will promote preferential ticket prices on unpopular routes to tackle the Spring Festival travel rush.

China witnesses a massive flow of people rushing home for Spring Festival, easily the largest human migration in the world. The rush poses increasing pressure on the transport system, and many people face difficulties getting a ticket back home every year.

Because of rapid urbanization and the difficulties people face in getting a ticket to their hometowns and again back to their workplaces, in recent years, the concept of Spring Festival family reunions has undergone a reverse trend. Therefore, an increasing number of people who live and work in urban areas now invite their parents over instead of visiting their hometowns.

According to online travel service provider Ctrip.com, in 2019, the demand for flight tickets to major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Tianjin increased 40 percent year-on-year during Spring Festival. Also there was a 42 percent year-on-year rise in the number of passengers who were aged above 50.

This reverse rush has lessened the original one-way rush and this is a win-win situation both for society and individuals. This trend will not only ease transportation pressure during the Spring Festival travel season but also save people's time and money.

This is the first time that the government is officially encouraging this trend by providing preferential ticket prices too.

The aviation industry has already noticed this trend and is promoting a win-win reverse travel trend through low flight ticket prices. To promote this win-win trend, more comprehensive public service policies should be launched, such as expanding the preferential ticket system to other means of transport.

Also, some urban scenic spots should encourage migrant workers to stay in the cities and enjoy Spring Festival there.

According to a Beijing News report, the enterprises in charge of the reclamation sites, having a total landfill area of more than 100 mu (1,500 hectares), contact waste production enterprises across China through WeChat or other social media forums.

The waste generators are "customers" as they have to pay to get rid of the waste, which is of use to the reclamation authorities. The "customer" pays 2,000 yuan ($285.17) to get rid of a truck of ordinary waste and as high as 50,000 yuan for a truckload of chemical waste. The "customer" also hires trucks to transport the waste or household garbage to the designated reclamation area, where reclamation authorities unload it and dump it in the landfill.

Once covered with soil about two meters deep, the reclaimed land looks like any other land, but hidden a few meters underneath are large volumes of plastic, paper residue, household garbage and even liquid waste of unknown nature. The unloading and filling up takes place under the cover of darkness.

The report said that at least 1,000 truckloads of waste weighing more than 10,000 metric tons was found dumped under one of the three reclamation sites.

According to State regulation, reclamation refers to measures taken to make land damaged by production or construction activities, or natural disasters, available for use again. It usually involves filling up of pits and leveling, but the use of heavy metal pollutants or other toxic substances for the purpose of filling is clearly prohibited.

The State law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste has a full article dealing with disposal of hazardous wastes. It stipulates that enterprises engaged in the collection, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes should first apply for an operation license, and the inter-provincial transfer of hazardous wastes has to be approved by the environmental departments in both provinces.

The law says that even general solid waste should not be used as backfilling material for reclamation projects. Reclamation should basically involve soil and vegetation, and the use of no waste should be permitted in principle. If hazardous waste is used, it should be treated like a crime according to environmental laws.

The authorities should immediately take action and launch a probe into the Shandong case, impose severe penalties on the enterprises and individuals involved and, if necessary, bring them to justice.

Dozens of others on their "missing" posts are criminal suspects under investigation or convicted criminals sentenced to prison for crimes related to terrorism.

With China implementing effective measures to combat secessionism, extremism and terrorism in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Uygur secessionists and their Western backers are trying their best to undermine China's efforts by portraying them as State oppression of Muslims.

The government's response to their notices detailing the true circumstances of those alleged to be "missing" shows the manipulative and exploitative nature of the campaign aimed at discrediting the government's anti-extremism measures, which includes claims that millions of Uygurs have been herded into internment camps where they are subject to forced disappearance, torture, physical abuse, and prolonged detention without trial.

By seeking to portray the education and training centers the government has established as concentration camps, the Uygur secessionists and their sponsors are showing how low they are willing to stoop to sully the image of the government's initiative to prevent Uygurs from falling prey to extremist ideology.

They fail to mention that there have been no terrorist attacks in the region since the government launched its initiative. Or that thanks to the government's efforts to improve the region's infrastructure and raise people's living standards, for the first time in history, no Uygur people are living in abject poverty.

It is under the instigation of the United States that the Uygur secessionist movement that had fallen silent for a while has suddenly found its voice again. The US government is not only sponsoring, in all sorts of ways, most of the Uygur separatist organizations, but also actively offering a host of public relations services, involving think tanks, media and nongovernmental organizations, to help amplify the secessionists' voices.

All the pressure these external forces are trying to exert on China will only serve to consolidate the country's resolve to boost the region's development and maintain its stability, which has been and will continue to be the best counterstrike against the false accusations leveled against the country.

The judgment delivered by the Yunnan High People's Court on Monday contained two parts. First, it said it was wrong to change the death penalty given to Sun in 1998 to 20 years in prison. Second, it sentenced Sun to 25 years in prison for continuing to commit crimes even after his release in 2010. The two sentences when read together mean Sun gets the death sentence.

The court said that the original death sentence on Sun in 1998 was correct, which means he deserved death 21 years ago. In other words, justice was done 21 years late.

What caused that delay? What made a criminal who should have received capital punishment 21 years ago survive for so long? What was the force that halted justice for 21 years?

It is corruption.

According to the press release issued by the local courts and anti-corruption agencies, Sun's mother, who was a policewoman, and his stepfather, a local official, had engaged in some dirty dealing that helped Sun get a lighter penalty than he deserved.

As many as 19 local officials were found guilty in the case on Monday. Among them, Sun's mother was sentenced to 20 years in prison and his stepfather to 19 years.

Sun's case underlines the need to root out corruption before striking at criminal gangs. It is these corrupt officials who protect gangsters and even bail them out. Only when corruption is controlled will gangsters be brought to book.

Justice was delivered in this case thanks to an ongoing drive to root out corruption and wipe out criminal gangs. A central inspection group in Yunnan sniffed a rat in the case sometime in April. A month later the case was listed as a major one.

It is difficult to figure out how Sun's mother and stepfather abused power to bail him out, but that's no longer important. It is more important to plug the loopholes and strengthen anti-corruption measures so that there are no repeats like Sun's case.

Since China is the world's second-largest economy and a responsible power, it has not only been diligently working to boost its economic and social development but also sharing more global responsibilities and making concerted efforts to promote globalization and protect the multilateral trading system.

The world is experiencing unprecedented changes and facing both challenges and opportunities. To meet these challenges and cash in on the opportunities, all countries need to think beyond traditional international relations.

The remarkable global changes have been brought about by decentralization resulting from innovation in technology－the driving force of globalization－which in turn is weakening the United States, rather the West as a whole. The emergence of new technology, such as blockchain, the internet of things and artificial intelligence, has had a huge impact on the core as well as the periphery of the modern world order. More important, the technological and digital revolution has helped some non-Western powers to become leaders in quite a few technology fields, dealing a blow to the US.

As China stands out among the emerging economies with its independent and complete industrial system, it has become a main target of US attacks, particularly in 5G technology in which China leads the international field.

The US, unable to digest the fact that China has stolen a march over it in many high-tech fields, is trying to change the current international order to suit its interests, and pushing developing and emerging countries to the periphery.

But globalization is an irreversible trend and the world is no longer locked in a bipolar contest. Also, China is not only opposed to the US' designs but also refuses to build a camp against the US.

No wonder China has been taking measures to make the existing world order more inclusive and representative. In this regard, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and its sincere efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind are ideal for helping build a fair and just world order.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, 137 economies and 30 international organizations had signed 197 Belt and Road cooperation documents with China by the end of October. And as the world's second-largest economy and the largest developing country, China has the potential to connect the industrial and value chains of developed countries and developing countries.

The Chinese concept of civilization of harmony is the idea behind China's proposal of building a community with a shared future for mankind in which the fair and inclusive use of innovation will ensure all countries enjoy the fruits of development.

Also, different from the West's policy of distinguishing between individuals, communities and countries, Chinese culture strengthens the common interests of individuals and nations. And China is willing to share with other countries its economic development model and traditional Chinese concepts of self-improvement.

In addition to providing public goods, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China is also committed to modernizing its national governance system and governance capacity with Chinese characteristics, and shouldering more responsibilities to further contribute to world peace, security, prosperity and inclusiveness.

The author is a Jean Monnet Chair Professor at Renmin University of China. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

But while he was right to urge Washington to solve the problem of Meng, chief financial officer of Huawei, he was wrong to equate Meng's detention with that of the two Canadians, who have both been detained for suspected espionage.

China's detaining of the two Canadians is unrelated to both Ottawa's political kidnapping of Meng and the Sino-US trade talks. The two are being held for separate crimes endangering national security and their cases are being handled in accordance with the State Security Law.

Providing an update on their situation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Friday that the investigations into the activities of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have now ended and their cases are proceeding to trial.

After claiming to have spent practically every day trying to make China understand they must free the two Canadians, Trudeau should have awakened to the fact that it will be the courts who will decide whether, or to what extent, the evidence collected by the investigators is enough to substantiate the charges, and the handling of the case is immune to any external pressure and interference, including from Ottawa and Washington.

The reason that the Canadian prime minister is suffering an irrepressible urge to link their detentions with that of Meng is no doubt out of a sense of guilt that he has given the nod to Meng being used as a political hostage as part of the US administration's bid to exert "maximum pressure" on China.

Asserting that the Canadian judicial system is "independent" while linking Meng's case to those of Kovrig and Spavor and calling on the US not to sign a trade deal until the two Canadians are released merely serves to highlight the goodneighborly shenanigans behind Meng's detention.

With both Beijing and Washington expressing their optimism that a deal is in the works, Trudeau now feels that the US has left him high and dry and taking the rap for the kidnapping of Meng.

In fact, China has exercised considerable restraint, if not understanding of the young Canadian leader's situation. It has not taken any countermeasures, because it still believes the issue can be settled if Ottawa shakes itself free of Washington's manipulations.

If Trudeau could show as much political wisdom and strength of will as his father, he would not be stuck on the horns of his dilemma.

In a recent speech, President Xi Jinping spoke of the importance of agricultural and countryside development and the improvement of farmers' sense of well-being. And his speech highlights the focus of work related to agriculture in 2020, which will decide whether the country can successfully realize a moderately prosperous society in all respects next year.

The meeting prioritized the battle against poverty and the need for consistent poverty alleviation efforts to prevent people from slipping back into poverty.

Governments on various levels should try to pool resources, enhance support and take targeted measures to strengthen the weak links in the work on agriculture, rural areas and rural people.

Given the development gap between the rural and urban areas, resources should be used to boost the development of rural infrastructure and water conservation projects, and improve the rural living environment, education, medical services, social security, cultural activities and ecological environment.

As the conference emphasized, efforts must be made to ensure grain production is kept stable and pig farming must be restored as quickly as possible to increase the supply. Modern agricultural facilities and cold chain logistics facilities for the storage and preservation of produce need to be increased.

The conference also highlighted that encouraging skilled workers to return to the countryside to set up businesses would be beneficial to maintain stable employment.

To this end, related departments and local governments must shoulder their responsibilities and sustain farmers' enthusiasm for grain production. And the development of grassroots Communist Party of China organizations must also be improved, so that they can assume their due roles to ensure that the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is achieved on time.

And Article 12 of the Basic Law says the "Hong Kong SAR shall be a local administrative region of the People's Republic of China, which shall enjoy a high degree of autonomy and come directly under the Central People's Government".

In the 22 years since its return to China, Hong Kong has overcome a series of difficulties and challenges, and made great social, economic and cultural achievements thanks to the support of the central government. The extension of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong highspeed railway to Hong Kong and the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge have laid a solid foundation for the SAR's integration into the country's overall development plan.

Besides, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, once complete, will provide an effective institutional guarantee for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. Besides, the SAR government should seize the development opportunity offered by the Belt and Road Initiative to promote international and regional cooperation and integrative development.

But 2019 has also been unusually chaotic for Hong Kong. Since June radicals have launched violent protests in the SAR, and violence has continued even after the SAR government withdrew the bill to amend the extradition law, which originally triggered the protests.

During the past six months, some demonstrators have disrupted traffic, burned vehicles, occupied university campuses, attacked police officers and government buildings including the Legislative Council building, even set a man opposed to their views on fire. By so doing, they have not only undermined Hong Kong's economy and social order but also the "one-country, two systems".

In addition, foreign forces, led by the United States, have fuelled demonstrations by supporting the radicals, in order to fulfill their own narrow political goals. For instance, on Nov 27, the US administration passed the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act despite the Chinese government's strong objections. That the interference of foreign countries in Hong Kong, and therefore China's internal affairs, have increased uncertainties over the SAR's future goes without saying.

Nevertheless, the violent demonstrators in Hong Kong show the city has much to improve in terms of policymaking and administration. And the central government should reflect on how to orderly promote a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" framework.

In 2020, curbing violence and restoring the social order should be the top priority for Hong Kong, for which the SAR government has to take more resolute measures to end the mayhem and punish the perpetrators of violence according to law. To restore the social order, the Hong Kong government also has to make efforts next year to narrow the differences between different opinion holders in society.

If the rule of law is the most effective measure for Hong Kong to end the violence and restore the social order, improving Hong Kong residents' livelihoods and promoting their social and economic development, and creating more development opportunities for the city's youngsters are key to easing the social contradictions and bringing closer a divided society.

To achieve that goal, Hong Kong has to explore new orientations, new spaces and a new momentum to sustain a healthy rate of economic development. If Hong Kong can seize the opportunities offered by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and integrates its development with that of the entire country, it could fully play its regional and international role, and use its advantages in the financial, logistics and service sectors to boost mutually beneficial cooperation and propel the sustainable growth of both itself and the rest of the country.

The author is a researcher at the Center for Basic Laws of Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of Shenzhen University. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

The worldwide interest in the news conference highlights not only Putin's personal influence, but also Russia's important role in the world.

Putin presented his views on Russia's relations with all major players, including the United States, the European Union, China and Japan, as well as other regional hot issues, particularly those in the Middle East and Asia.

Russia seems good at multi-tasking and maximizing its national interests. And it is believed to have been one of the few winners in the Syria crisis, as not only have its political and economic interests expanded, it has also ended the dominant influence of the US in the region.

The news conference signals that Russia, with its independent diplomatic policy and pragmatic handling of complicated issues, aims to be one of the poles in a multipolar world. It seeks opportunities in its game with the US, pursues cooperation in its coexistence with the European Union, aims to expand energy, security and economic relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Japan and India, and develop cooperation with Africa, the Southeast Asia and Latin America.

And looking eastward, Moscow has enough reasons to step up its economic, trade, energy and strategic cooperation with Beijing, as both Russia and China are important forces to promote a multipolar world, and safeguard global stability.

It should not be forgotten that Russia is still under sanctions of the West, and its need to diversify its economic structure, improve people's livelihoods and upgrade its industries is no less urgent than before.

It is good to see that France and Germany have started reflecting on their Russia policies, partially thanks to the US administration's belief in "America first", which means Russia's relations with the EU might further thaw next year, which will bring more opportunities for Russia.

The legislation, which the US leader signed into effect on Friday, provides for sanctions against individuals and companies involved with the vessels laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

Although imposing sanctions against companies participating in the building of the nearly $11 billion pipeline will not stop it becoming a reality, as it is near completion, they do serve to expose how presumptuous and unreasonable the US can be.

The US lawmakers are worried that the pipeline, which would likely double the delivery of Russian natural gas to Germany, would give Russia dangerous leverage over the US' European allies and make it even more uneconomical for European allies to purchase liquefied natural gas from the US.

While such concerns may be understandable, they do not constitute a legal foundation for the US to interfere in a normal business deal.

There is no problem for US natural gas suppliers to compete with its Russian counterparts for a share of the European market and elsewhere in the rest of the world.

But its European allies as sovereign states can decide on their own from which countries they purchase the energy they need, and they are obviously going to purchase natural gas from Russia rather than from the US because of the cost savings.

There is no international law or any legal documents between the US and its European allies requiring that a European country as an ally of the US must have permission from the latter before they reach a deal with any third country for the supply of natural gas.

But for US lawmakers, the dominant status of the US as the sole superpower can never be challenged, which is the sole benchmark for them to decide whether to wield the weapon of sanctions.

In other words, the US resorts to extraterritorial sanctions as they reflect the way US lawmakers and the US administration look at the world and the principle by which they believe the world should be governed.

Yet the more the US tries to ride roughshod over other countries, the more isolated it will become from the rest of the world. The US hegemony will prove to be its own undoing.

Macao has seen its economy grow at an explosive pace over the past two decades, with its GDP increasing nearly eightfold. And although the SAR's economic growth slowed down slightly in 2013 and 2014, it has recovered gradually to reach almost its peak.

Since its return to China in 1999, Macao has built a welfare society, as its residents now enjoy a wide range of social welfare benefits, including birth allowance, funeral allowance, marriage allowance and sickness allowance as well as free medical treatment. They also get other benefits such as unemployment benefits, and employers are rewarded for hiring the unemployed.

The 2019 administration report presented by Macao's chief executive states the welfare benefits enjoyed by residents include provident fund and a cash-sharing plan, such as 10,000 patacas ($1,245) for every permanent resident and 6,000 patacas for every non-permanent resident, which very few, if any, places offer.

The welfare benefits for students, too, are generous; for example, all students can apply for allowances such as study allowance when they enter college, and a special allowance to study in Guangdong province. In addition, on retirement Macao residents can avail of pension and a cash-sharing plan worth 73,000 patacas a year, with aged people living a carefree life in the SAR.

Macao is a welfare society in the real sense of the term, and very few societies in the world can be compared with it. And the SAR government can fund such a comprehensive social security program thanks to the wealth of Macao society as a whole.

Also, since its return to China, Macao has been doing an excellent job of integrating with the mainland thanks to the role of patriotic associations and the media. Another important reason for the integration is Macao's demographics. About 40 percent of the SAR's residents were born in Macao after 1980, while about 50 percent were born on the mainland, factors that have contributed a lot to Macao's integration with the mainland.

Since 1999 Macao's higher education has realized leapfrog development. For example, last year Macao had 5,100 high school graduates, 90 percent of whom earned the chance to enter college with more than 1,200 of those enrolling in mainland universities. It is such developments that have promoted Macao's social integration with the mainland.

Macao's higher education sector has also made some remarkable academic achievements. Take the University of Macau for example. It is a relatively small university with the total number of teachers and students being only about 10,000. However, the academic achievements of the university over the past few years are basically the same as that of Sun Yat-Sen University and Wuhan University, both being among the top mainland universities. For a relatively small university like the University of Macau, such an achievement is rather remarkable.

All the achievements of Macao are, to a large extent, related to its huge wealth, which mainly comes from its booming gambling industry. And it is this monopoly of the gambling industry in Macao that could lead to some economic and social consequences that deserve serious attention.

In recent years, the SAR government has been promoting industrial diversification, but the results have not been as good as expected because of Macao's over-reliance on the gambling industry for revenue. Which could become problematic for Macao's economy if the gambling industry encounters troubles.

In economics and political science, "resource curse" refers to a region's huge economic resources that undermine its motivation for reform and innovation. This is something Macao should be particularly wary of.

At a time when industrial profits and government revenues flow in easily, innovation, political reform and balanced social development need particular attention. For example, Macao's almost 100 percent employment rate is the envy of the world. But the almost total employment rate may weaken young people's desire for entrepreneurship and professionalism. Which would make them less competitive in times of crises.

As such, Macao should make greater efforts to diversify its economy in order to avoid setbacks in the future.

The author is director of the Department of Sociology, University of Macau. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.

In his speech on the occasion, President Xi Jinping crystallized Macao's exemplary development over the past 20 years thanks to "Macao characteristics", the SAR's institutional confidence, and ever-strengthening sense of duty toward and consolidation of the social and political foundation of the "one country, two systems" principle. Which gives an idea about the importance of the principle in integrating Macao's development into the overall development of the country, promoting the rule of law, protecting people's rights, and cultivating national identity by forging social unity.

Xi's four proposals for Macao under a new chief executive is pertinent to not only Macao, but also the rest of the country, particularly the Hong Kong SAR, which has been rocked by anti-government riots since July.

As Xi said, the "one country, two systems" principle must be manifested in policies by keeping abreast of the times in order to modernize the governance system and capacity; innovations, focus on improved governance and foresight should guide the SAR's development to integrate with the overall national development plan including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative; development must be people-centric to ensure it meets their needs and enhances their sense of well-being; and social governance should be inclusive and give full play to the role of patriotism in uniting society.

Extending wholehearted support of the central leadership to both Macao and Hong Kong and hoping the two SARs would pursue innovations in their respective development models, Xi emphasized yet again that China's "resolve to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests is as solid as a rock".

In particular, Hong Kong residents have plenty to learn from Macao's example in this regard. Macao's remarkable growth in the past two decades－its per capita GDP now is the second-highest in the world, and nearly twice that of Hong Kong－clearly shows the "one country, two systems" principle is not only feasible, but also workable. And it has won people's hearts by laying the path for the SARs' brighter future. But for that, the two SARs, especially Hong Kong, have to safeguard their interests as part of the country's overall interests and thwart foreign instigations.

]]> 2019-12-22 14:19:23 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/22/content_37529830.htm Of late, the Chinese media have turned the spotlight on a woman named Li Ziqi, hailing her for doing an excellent job of "telling China's story to the world". Li seems to have become an unofficial cultural ambassador showcasing China's history and culture.

Li, 29, lives with her grandma in a small village of Mianyang, a remote, mountainous area in Sichuan province. She has been posting videos of her daily life on social media platforms since March 2016 to connect to the world.

Her popularity online can be gauged from these figures: on You-Tube, Li's "channel" has more than 7.61 million subscribers, and the figure is growing daily. On Sina Weibo, one of China's most popular social media platforms, she has more than 21.5 million fans. And each of her 104 YouTube posts has been viewed between 2 million and over 40 million times.

Technically, the fine quality of her cinematographic output is the most eye-catching feature. The stunning scenery of Li's village, her elegant yet confident way of getting jobs done, and the relaxing background music are all appealing to viewers. No wonder many are drawn to her videos which seem like a combination of "Top Chef+ Project Runway + HGTV+ National Geography+ History Channel".

Culturally, what touches the heart of Li's followers is the universal language of love, inner peace, caring for the family and love for nature. Many viewers find inspiration from Li's posts. Others, tired of their technology-driven fast-paced urban life, find solace in her simple and tranquil life.

Ironically, Li has not been as well received at home as overseas. Some critics question whether she alone filmed and edited her early posts. A few even accuse her of showcasing the "backwardness" of China to foreigners, while some contend that her presentation of rural China is surreal and imaginary. And recently, a debate has started on whether or not Li is "exporting" Chinese culture abroad.

But the fact that Li single-handedly produced her early works has been documented and publicized. And she cannot be blamed for having a small crew now that her filming and editing work has increased.

As for "exporting culture", Li has never claimed the responsibility of spreading Chinese culture to the world. What she does instead is merely recording and presenting her lifestyle to make a living.

Moreover, much like "propaganda", "cultural exportation" carries a certain derogatory meaning in the Chinese language. But if the term is taken to mean diffusing a nation's ancient wisdom and cultural products to entertain and inspire others, what is wrong with Li engaging in such activities? After all, people across the world have been partaking in such activities－for instance when watching a Hollywood movie with a can of Coca-Cola in hand.

Li's popularity also makes us reflect on what should be an effective way of "telling China's story" to the world and changing the stereotype image of China depicted in some Western media. Finding "the right stories" might be the first step of good storytelling. The love of life and family, and living in harmony with nature are universal themes transcending cultural barriers and national boundaries. Even a great story needs a good medium and technique to be told well. Taking advantage of modern technology, both public and private actors can portray China's rich culture and rapid growth in various ways.

More important, transparency is necessary to prevent misperceptions about and intended demonization of China by the Western media, since the lack of information could prompt some biased media outlets to fabricate stories and give the wrong picture of China to the world.

The author is an associate professor at China Foreign Affairs University and a Fulbright visiting scholar at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Truly speaking, impeachment is part of US domestic politics. However, since the US is a self-proclaimed "model democracy" and always tries to lecture other countries, the ongoing political drama gives the world a glimpse of the true color of US democracy.

Trump has become the third US president to be impeached, and divided the Congress with the Democrats opposed to him and the Republicans, who control the Senate, vowing to defeat the Democrats' design to have him removed from office.

Ironically, the Democrats' move has raised Trump's public rating to a new high. No wonder House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not decided when and if she would send the impeachment articles to the Senate. She knows that it is almost impossible to get the articles passed by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Why have the Democrats made a move that would divide the American public?

This is more of an ugly political farce leading up to the presidential election. By defending Biden, the Democrats hope to increase his chances of defeating Trump in next year's presidential election. The strategy is to charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of investigation by the Congress into the Trump-Ukraine scandal.

However, any such investigation will potentially benefit the incumbent president.

The US president allegedly adopted the most controversial of approaches to seek "favor" from his Ukrainian counterpart, even withholding US arms sale to Ukraine, according to some, until Kiev launched a probe against the Bidens. It is because of this reckless move that he is facing one of the toughest challenges of his presidency.

Between delivering justice to Biden and ensuring Trump does not benefit from the case, the Democrats have started a fierce partisan flight, which shows the characteristics of US democracy.

This may raise a moral question on Trump's presidency, especially when the Democrats are acting to defend the US Constitution, but does not necessarily mean the Democrats will succeed in removing Trump from office.

The world is watching the US pierce itself and divide its public into two distinct political camps in the name of protecting democracy.

The author is a professor at and former executive dean of the Institute of International Studies, Fudan University. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.

First-tier cities, which have traditionally attracted youths thanks to their abundant resources and opportunities, have in recent years shown a reverse trend, from rapid population growth to outflow of population.

According to the recently issued Blue Book of Population in Beijing, the capital's non-resident population declined by 1.84 percent in 2016, 1.63 percent in 2017 and 3.74 percent in 2018.

A report issued by JD Digits Research Institute this year, on China's internal population migration and urbanization in 2018, says the rate of population outflow from the four first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen touched 1.13 percent, 0.95 percent, 1.05 percent and 2.56 percent, respectively.

The population outflow from Beijing and Shanghai has been necessitated by their plan to control their population size and to ensure the coordinated development of the population and better environmental protection for the cities' sustainable development. Shenzhen's population outflow has to do with industrial transfer among cities. For instance, the outflow of information technology professionals from Shenzhen is closely related to the transfer of Huawei's research wing from Shenzhen to Dongguan, Guangdong province.

Where the outflowing population goes on leaving the first-tier cities is also a question of public concern. According to the report, many of the migrating people rebuild their career and lives in surrounding second-tier cities.

Shanghai is the first-preference city for those leaving Beijing. Apart from Shanghai, many former Beijing residents have moved to Tianjin or nearby cities in Hebei province. Similarly, apart from Beijing, many of those leaving Shanghai shifted to second-or third-tier cities in the Yangtze River Delta region such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nantong and Hefei. And apart from Beijing, a majority of those leaving Shenzhen and Guangzhou have moved to nearby cities in Guangdong province such as Dongguan, Foshan, Maoming and Huizhou.

Nationwide, there's a trend showing people moving from first-tier to second- or even third-tier cities. Which is an indicator of positive development of China's major city clusters. With the integrative development of major domestic regions such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city cluster, Yangtze River Delta city cluster and Pearl River Delta city cluster, second- and third-tier cities are developing rapidly and attracting more and more talents thanks to the multiple advantages they enjoy such as convenient transport facility, comparatively low housing prices and good living environment.

In a nutshell, the population flow is a win-win result for not only the first-but also the second-and third-tier cities, because it not only reduces the urban problems first-tier cities face, but also promotes the development of entire city clusters.

]]> 2019-12-22 14:19:23 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/22/content_37529727.htm After the United States House of Representatives passed it last week, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act received Senate approval on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump has already declared that he will sign it as soon as it goes through the Congress, praising it last week on Twitter for including all of his priorities.

That the NDAA has received overwhelming, bicameral endorsement in a Congress that is severely divided is telling proof that national security is a rare topic that can rally the broadest consensus among the US political elites these days.

They are dramatically divided on various other subjects, from Medicare to taxation to immigration. But they demonstrate unprecedented unanimity on such issues as alleged "threats" from China and Russia.

In spite of objections citing the country's "skyrocketing" national debt, the NDAA increases defense spending by about 2.8 percent, or $20 billion. Behind it is obviously a deep sense of insecurity stemming from the belief that the US is losing its military "over-match".

The record-setting $738 billion defense policy bill is certainly a daunting sum. But the figure in itself doesn't matter that much, even without the increase. Because the US military has always far outspent any other counterpart.

Rather than the numerical increment in defense spending, the 2020 NDAA stands out because it adds a brand-new branch to the world's most powerful military－the US Space Force.

The creation of the new force, the first in six decades, means the US military is officially expanding its war fighting domain.

Defining space as a theater of war is against the international community's longstanding call for international cooperation on the peaceful exploration and use of space, and it inevitably constitutes threats to the security of other countries.

But decision-makers in Washington seem convinced that this is the only way to maintain their country's military superiority over the rest of the world.

This is understandable considering the US' global leadership rests heavily on its unrivaled military prowess. For too long, US strategic thinking has been dominated by the idea that its military must be far ahead of the rest of the world, and capable of simultaneously fighting multiple wars and winning them.

Allowing any other countries, especially non-allies, to catch up is unacceptable.

Inaugurating the Space Force certainly will give the US military added advantages over its perceived rivals, and help cement existing ones in traditional realms.

But it will also trigger a new round of military competition, ushering in a new arms race.

The move to weaponize space－the commonwealth of all humanity－is deeply worrying. The international community should stand as one to oppose the US turning outer space into a potential battlefield and, as China urges, work together to establish a legal framework for outer space arms control.

Liu will serve as honorary chairman, senior adviser and a member of the board's strategy committee, thus contributing in a different way to the company, said a statement Lenovo issued the same day.

In the 1980s, Liu, widely viewed as a godfather-like entrepreneur, used to sell electronic watches and roller skates at a stall outside the Institute of Computer Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and peddled his business dream.

Over the next four decades, the young man who used to ride a bicycle on the streets of Beijing's technological hub of Zhongguancun, went on to build a national brand and the first Chinese tech company to complete the acquisition of a global computer giant.

Over the past 35 years, under Liu's leadership, Lenovo has built a number of listed companies, including Legend Holdings and Lenovo Group, which, together with Lenovo's continuous investment, helped set up the Lenovo business empire.

Liu has always been seen as the "eldest brother" of Chinese entrepreneurs, as generation after generation of entrepreneurs have emerged over the past decades.

But coexisting with the honors are controversies, from the 1994 dispute with Lenovo's chief engineer Ni Guangnan, over Lenovo's business direction and commercial model to endless debates within Lenovo in the ensuing years.

This made Liu, who wanted to retire several times, to bounce back again and again, making great efforts to turn the tide. People have increasingly realized that Liu is irreplaceable, either for Lenovo in transition or for China's business community as a whole.

If we look back at Liu's career as a corporate decision-maker, we will admire his classic viewpoints on management methodology in areas such as team-building, strategy-setting and team-leading. These three factors still decide whether an enterprise can continue to prosper. With his retirement, Liu will pass on these tasks to his successor.

There is always hope in challenges. When economic transformation and upgrading puts enterprises in the vortex of currents, for entrepreneurs, whoever can see farther into the future will lead his or her enterprise to success. What an enterprise needs is not only the experience of older-generation entrepreneurs, but also that of new-generation of entrepreneurs who are bold enough to emancipate minds, take risks and face up to the challenges. Spiritual inheritance seems to be more important than the inheritance of a business empire.

"There is no successful enterprise, there is only an enterprise of the times," as Zhang Ruimin, another representative of Chinese entrepreneurs and president of the Haier Group, put it.

Any objective and impartial observer would conclude that contention over the Russian draft and another competing draft resolution proposed by Belgium, Germany and Kuwait was largely technical. After all, the vote itself was clear evidence that members of the UN Security Council care about the humanitarian issue in Syria and want to extend a helping hand.

Yet as both resolutions failed to be approved by the Security Council, the top US diplomat wrongly pinned the blame on China and Russia, and even went further to say China and Russia have blood on their hands and their actions are "shameful".

Pompeo's alarmist rhetoric is neither based on truth nor on reason. And his country having waged more than many large or small-scale wars in the wake of World War II, Pompeo really is not in a position to criticize others.

There is no need to look back any further than the past two decades to gauge how much suffering the US wars have brought to people in various countries. According to a CNN report last week, more than 38,000 civilians have been killed in the US war in Afghanistan since 2001.

Moderate estimates show the number of civilians killed in the US war in Iraq had exceeded 100,000 by the time of US withdrawal in 2011. As for Syria, statistics show that from August 2014 to May 2019, the international coalition led by the US launched more than 34,500 airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, killing over 1,300 civilians.

As such, Pompeo should reflect on which country has blood on its hands and not ignore the blood-stained statistics created by his own country while falsely accusing China and Russia of blocking humanitarian aid to Syria.

China supports the active work of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other international humanitarian agencies. It has also provided Syria with food, medicine, education, training, public services and other assistance through multilateral and bilateral channels.

But China insists the humanitarian operation must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as the recipient country. It is the US that needs to reflect on how much it has done and is doing for the well-being of the Syrian people.

Since 1978, China has lifted more than 750 million people out of poverty, accounting for four-fifths of all people lifted out of extreme poverty globally over the last four decades.

The share of its population living in absolute poverty has dropped from 97.5 percent in 1978, to just 1.7 percent today, according to the national poverty line, while per capita income has increased 20-fold. China is also the only country to have progressed from the low to high category on the United Nations Development Programme's human development index since its introduction in 1990.

China's transformation is the result of continued political commitment and effective policy measures since the launching of reform and opening-up, and the efforts of governments at all levels－from provinces to villages－to eradicate poverty. This allowed the government to selectively conduct pilot projects, addressing local problems on the ground through a targeted poverty alleviation approach－and taking successes to scale.

Poverty reduction work intensified

The allocation of adequate financial and human resources, too, has been essential to China's poverty reduction. Massive investments in infrastructure have connected remote, impoverished regions to the rest of the country, giving people better access to services, markets and other opportunities to build better lives.

In 2019 alone, the central government invested 126 billion yuan ($18 billion) in poverty reduction. Since 2017, about 775,000 civil servants were dispatched to all registered impoverished villages to support local authorities in carrying out a set of specific measures to reduce poverty at the individual household level and monitor progress every step of the way.

China's focus on a people-centered approach that looks at enhancing people's capabilities and opportunities also aligns with the global vision of leaving no one behind, encompassed in the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030－to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect the planet.

Many challenges still to overcome

However, despite China's significant progress in poverty reduction, challenges remain. Indeed, according to the UNDP's recently released 2019 Human Development Report, global development efforts are not reaching the most vulnerable, leading to widening inequalities across the world.

In China, between 2000 and 2018, incomes of the bottom 40 percent grew at just half the rate of the wealthiest 1 percent. Climate change will only exacerbate this inequality, as the poor are most vulnerable to its effects. Slower economic growth and a rapidly aging population are also adding increasing strains. China faces demographic headwinds from a shrinking workforce to support growth and social security, including for its growing number of elderly people.

To address this new set of complex and interconnected challenges in 2020 and beyond, it is important to recognize that poverty has many dimensions besides income. China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) should therefore focus on reducing relative poverty, while addressing inequalities between rural and urban areas as well as within cities, and between generations and genders.

High-quality education crucial for workforce

In addition, the same technological revolution that has turned the country into a global innovation hub has also left many with uncertain prospects for their livelihoods, with wide-reaching implications for the future of work and social security systems. Increased access to high-quality education will be essential to prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow, so that artificial intelligence and automation can support, rather than undermine, human development.

As China continues its journey toward a prosperous society, having already reached upper-middle income country status, measures for income poverty should evolve with it to reflect improving living standards and rising costs of living. The World Bank sets the poverty line for lower and upper middle-income countries at $3.20 and $5.50 per day respectively, compared with China's national poverty level of 2,995 yuan per year.

Moving forward, the UNDP stands ready to assist China in devising the policies and systems to support its continued efforts to fight poverty and inequality, while addressing emerging challenges. With China becoming a major source of development financing in other countries, we can also support it in sharing lessons from its targeted approach to poverty reduction with the world, through our global network.

Addressing new challenges to achieve SDGs

As Beijing celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China this year, it has many achievements to look back on, at home and abroad. This year also marks 40 years of the UNDP in China, as a partner in development. And poverty alleviation has been central to our cooperation with China, and we have seen firsthand how far it has come.

Yet this is no time to rest on our laurels. We must move forward with the same resolve, ingenuity, and cooperative spirit of the last 40 years and apply it to the next generation of challenges. With effective collective action, poverty in all its forms can be eliminated, and the SDGs can become a reality for everyone, everywhere.

The author is UNDP resident representative in China.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

It is a pity that other local governments still appear apathetic about introducing such a reform that is entailed by the urgent need to boost the population so as to cushion the influences of a fast aging society.

The central government has allowed all couples to have two children since October 2015, which has not brought about a sharp rise of new births. The high costs of raising children and lack of quality public services mean that many couples are unwilling to have another child.

The contradictory behavior between the central and local governments when it comes to the implementation of the still lingering family planning policy－that the central government has exhausted every means to increase new births, while some local governments are punishing the policy violators dogmatically－should have driven home the urgency for the nation's top legislature to press local lawmakers to weed out outdated regulations.

According to the law, local governments can still punish the violators of the family planning policy, for example if a couple give birth to their third child when the first two are healthy, and sometimes the punishment can bankrupt a family or make the couple jobless overnight.

Penetrating through all levels of governments, the family planning system has functioned for nearly four decades. It has resisted being consigned to history, because the fines are a source of revenue for local governments. And this influence is evident in the protracted process of reforming the policy.

At this time, when the birth rate is too low, the practice of severe punishment, expulsion and collection of the social support fee should be ended. In this regard, in the context of the overall adjustment of the national population and family planning policy, the timely amendment of local regulations by Guangzhou is worthy of attention.

This major decision, which among other things would strengthen socialism with Chinese characteristics while maintaining its vitality, will help China better manage the core issues.

So how will the national governance system evolve and modernize?

The core characteristic and biggest advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Party, which the Fourth Plenary Session's decision has further strengthened. But the Party's leadership will be strengthened to improve scientific, democratic and law-based governance, rather than for concentration of power.

Scientific governance requires comprehensive decision-making and implementation mechanisms, strong research and investigation as well as scientific appraisal systems, and risk evaluation and management mechanisms for major decisions. Democratic governance refers to the democratic process of the Party's governance system, among which the most important is to uphold democratic centralism, and strengthen communication with the people by seeking their opinions. And law-based governance means the Party's leadership must be based on rule of law, and the Party should manage its and the State's affairs according to the Party's laws and regulations, and the country's Constitution.

The Fourth Plenary Session also emphasized the need to expedite the construction of a comprehensive legal system that guarantees legal supervision, and efficient enforcement of laws and rules, so as to provide the basic institutional guarantee for the modernization of governance capacity.

By laying emphasis on joint advancement of law-based governance, law-based exercise of State power and law-based administration of government, and adoption of a holistic approach to strengthen the rule of law in the country, government and society, and taking a well-conceived approach to the legislation process to ensure laws are strictly enforced, justice is delivered, and everybody follows the law, the Fourth Plenary Session has provided the basis for the implementation and practice of improving law-based governance. The idea is to ensure law-based governance that is reflected in every aspect of social life.

The Fourth Plenary Session also said the system of institutions through which the people run the country and develop socialist democracy should be improved following international and domestic trends.

The fundamental political system of the people's congresses, too, would be improved, and the system of multi-party cooperation and consultation optimized. Also, the patriotic united front in the new era would be expanded, the system of regional autonomy perfected, and the grassroots self-governance system made more efficient.

Furthermore, new technologies including information and communications technologies such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, internet of things and blockchain will be continuously employed to improve the national governance system.

Modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity is the common responsibility of the Party, government and society. It is also an important way to guarantee the security of the country, maintain social stability, increase people's happiness, and uphold and improve socialism with Chinese characteristics. But this must be carried out under the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee and after taking immediate and long-term factors into consideration to guarantee the overall improvement of the whole system.

The author is a professor in the Department of Literature and History, Party School of the Central Committee of CPC. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Of all sexual violation crimes, those against children are the most repulsive. In these cases, the victims are weaker and more vulnerable. And the crime leaves permanent scars on the victim's body and soul.

Reports show that some people who have suffered sexual abuse in their childhood get nightmares even when they reach 60 or 70.

That's why the judge's latest statement, showing zero tolerance for perpetrators of such heinous crimes, won great applause from the public on social networking sites.

Anybody guilty of sexually molesting children deserves no pardon and no excuse offered by the convict should hold any water or make the perpetrator eligible for a lighter sentence.

The judge's statement is indication of the court's strong determination to fight vicious crimes and protect children. Its strong determination to punish convicts severely will likely deter potential criminals from committing such crimes.

The huge number of child molestation cases, 4,159, is also indicative of the huge challenges that lie ahead of the judiciary.

In his statement, the judge also cited a case in which the convict received the death penalty for having raped and killed a girl. The strong punishment of a death penalty should deter other potential criminals from committing such crimes.

There are those who will argue that the death penalty is too harsh a punishment for such a crime. That it is inhuman too.

But were the judiciary to pardon such evildoers, it would not deliver justice to the innocent victims of such inhuman crimes. Only a harsh penalty can prevent such vicious crimes from being committed again, apart from also saving precious lives. A strict rule, in such cases, is not a bad thing after all.

 

 

]]> 2019-12-20 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/20/content_37529748.htm Premier Li Keqiang will host Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in in China's southwestern city of Chengdu on Tuesday for the eighth China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting.

An important platform for the three countries to coordinate their stances on regional issues, the trilateral meeting will hopefully prove to be a Christmas gift for regional cooperation and security.

Accelerating negotiations for a trilateral free trade deal is expected to top the leaders' agenda.

For the three countries, signing a trilateral FTA would help deepen the integration of their industrial chains and give full play to the complementarity of their industries. But signaling their resolve to sign a trilateral FTA agreement at an early date would also be a significant confidence builder for greater regional integration at a time when India is holding off on joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Given the large number of developing countries in Asia and the acute problem of uneven and inadequate development the region faces, they can also discuss ways that trilateral cooperation can be extended and explored in fields in which the three countries have many successful experiences and know-how to share with other countries.

And given that they account for approximately 20 percent of the world's GDP and 17.5 percent of global trade, promoting trilateral cooperation and harnessing their complementarity would not only be a shot in the arm for greater regional integration but also further consolidate trade liberalization and multilateralism in the face of rising protectionism and unilateralism.

Important regional issues are also expected to feature in the meeting. Given that China, Japan and the ROK are important stakeholders in the peace and stability in Northeast Asia, they can jointly contribute to stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula through communication and coordination.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have flared up of late as nuclear talks between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have stalled after the February summit in Hanoi between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un.

The US has rejected the DPRK's demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a step-by-step denuclearization, and working-level discussions in Sweden in October broke down in acrimony, with the DPRK calling the talks "sickening".

The recent series of missile tests conducted by the DPRK, although they did not violate the UN Security Council resolution, sent a warning to Washington, and showed Pyongyang's increasing displeasure at Washington maintaining its "old stance and attitude".

Under such circumstances, it is good to learn that China, Japan and the ROK will look to "have a constructive effect on achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula" at next week's meeting.

Despite the stop-start nature of their relations, due to their differing views on territorial and wartime history issues, China, Japan and the ROK have successfully advanced cooperation in a wide range of areas.

By renewing their countries' commitments to strengthening ties and focusing on areas where they can deepen their practical cooperation, the three leaders can show next week that their countries are willing to keep their eyes on the bigger picture.

]]> 2019-12-20 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529560.htm The looming year-end deadline Pyongyang has set for new proposals from Washington to revive the denuclearization talks and Monday's joint proposal by China and Russia that some sanctions be lifted on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to enhance the livelihoods of the civilian population, perhaps explains Washington's sudden newfound urgency to "maintain international unity" on the issue.

Ironically, as it is Washington that has made no tangible concessions to advance the progress of the detente between the US and the DPRK－much to Pyongyang's annoyance, since it has taken actions to demonstrate its good faith－the US State Department said that the US remains committed to diplomacy, but it "cannot do this alone".

With China and Russia taking the initiative to give fresh impetus to the momentum of denuclearization, and in so doing showing the US stance for what it is－all take, no give－that US special representative for the DPRK, Stephen Biegun, made an impromptu change to his itinerary while in Japan is hopefully a positive sign that Washington is prepared to re-engage with the issue rather than persist with the folly of its complacency.

Biegun, who was scheduled to visit only Seoul and Tokyo, will be in Beijing on Thursday and Friday, and it is to be hoped that he shows that Washington recognizes that rather than trying to pull the rug from under its feet, Beijing and Moscow have acted in good faith to set the stage for a political resolution to the issue at a critical and sensitive moment.

The current situation should not be regarded as just another spike in the timeline of tensions between the US and the DPRK, during which sanctions have never ceased taking their toll on the DPRK's fragile economy. The plight confronting the DPRK now is accumulative, not a temporary difficulty.

In other words, the proposal, the first of its kind Beijing and Moscow have submitted to the UN Security Council, drives home their shared judgment of the seriousness of the situation.

That the negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been showy dramas on the US side rather than attempts to make real breakthroughs, explains why Biegun's wishful invitation in Seoul on Monday that DPRK officials come to meet him, received a cold shoulder. The US' lack of care for the DPRK's core concerns makes the atmosphere now even worse than that before the two sides' painful but fruitless Stockholm dialogue on Oct 5.

If Washington continues to refuse to take concrete actions to show it is genuine in seeking a rapprochement with Pyongyang, the window of opportunity for talks will close.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529559.htm SPRING BUDS PROJECT, a charity project aimed at imparting education to girls from impoverished households, ran into controversy online after donors found that many of the beneficiaries were boys. Charity organizations should not violate donors's trust, and randomly change the purpose of donation. China Daily's Wang Yiqing comments:

The Spring Buds Project is implemented by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund to help female dropouts from impoverished regions continue their studies, claims the Fund's official website.

In the face of doubts raised by the public about the way the donation was distributed, the fund admitted that 453 out of the 1,267 beneficiaries in its ongoing program are boys, as also 47 out of the 100 beneficiaries in another program.

The fund claimed that a majority of the project's beneficiaries were girls, and the boys who received the donations were all from impoverished families.

But the donors are not happy. They criticized the fund for ignoring their right to know how the funds were actually used and for failing to help girls, the idea that made them pitch in.

The Spring Buds Project was established in 1989, when many girls were unable to receive education because of poverty and poor consciousness about gender equality in society, especially in the rural areas.

According to the fourth national census in 1989, 4.8 million children aged 7 to 14 had dropped out of schools because of poverty, and 83 percent of them were girls.

Many of those who donate to the project want to help girls who are deprived of education because of their families' preference for sons, and poverty. Through this project, donors want to wipe out this inequity between genders, but the way the fund was utilized defeats the purpose.

A basic principle of charity is that a specific donation should be utilized for a specific purpose, as desired by, or indicated to, the donor.

If there are some boys from impoverished families who, too, need help, the fund should inform the donors beforehand, rather than independently divert the funds. Charity organizations should pay great attention to procedural justice and be responsible to the donors.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529606.htm The election for the next leader of Taiwan on Jan 11 will, to a large extent, determine the political climate on the island and cross-Straits relations in the next four years. Given the trade disputes between China and the United States, and the fact that the Taiwan authorities have willingly become a tool in US hands, the significance of the election cannot be overstated.

With less than a month to go for the election, the contest between the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and Kuomintang candidates has intensified. The current island leader Tsai Ingwen's performance on the economic, social and political fronts has been poor by any standards－as evident in the stagnant economy, worsening cross-Straits ties and shrinking space for international activities－doesn't bode well for her party. And the DPP's crushing defeat in the local elections last year reflects Taiwan residents' strong discontent with the Tsai administration.

To cover up Tsai's poor governance, the "pro-independence" DPP has been making desperate efforts to shift the focus to the "ideological" confrontation with the Chinese mainland by claiming to uphold "sovereignty" and "national security" of the island.

The DPP is playing the "mainland-meddling-in-polls" card again to lead the Taiwan residents astray and get their votes. First, the Tsai authorities will try to gain popular support by further intensifying cross-Straits tensions. Since the local elections last year, the Tsai administration has been manufacturing fake news accusing the mainland of funding some candidates.

Similarly, by playing the "mainland-meddling" card this time, the Tsai administration is trying to instill in Taiwan residents a sense of fear and hatred toward the mainland, in order to get their support and win the Jan 11 election. Besides, the DPP has claimed that the"26 measures" Beijing has implemented to, among things, accord equal treatment to Taiwan compatriots, are evidence of the mainland meddling in the island's election.

The fact is, that being aware of the political sensitivity of the Taiwan election, Beijing has always kept a distance from it. Still, the Tsai authorities have been alleging that Beijing poses a threat to the island. Which is a lie that has long been exposed.

Second, by manufacturing fake news about Beijing meddling in the island's election, the DPP has been trying to further restrict cross-Straits exchanges. And in the name of "defending Taiwan against the mainland", the Tsai administration has been raising cross-Straits tensions during its election campaign.

The Taiwan administration has introduced and revised a torrent of laws and regulations aimed at further damaging cross-Straits exchanges and is building a "fence against the mainland's infiltration", sparking a wave of protests on the island. Tsai and the DPP have been manufacturing fake news about Beijing interfering in Taiwan election to create favorable conditions to pass an "anti-infiltration law" in the future.

And third, the Tsai administration has been blaming the mainland for all its ills with the aim of helping the US to strengthen its Indo-Pacific strategy to contain Beijing's rise. Since identifying Beijing as its chief strategic rival, Washington has taken many measures to contain it's rise, from launching a trade war to creating trouble in the South China Sea to interfering in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

And in all this, the United States has been using Taiwan, with the not-so-tacit support of the Tsai administration, against the mainland. For instance, without any evidence, the American Institute in Taiwan has claimed that the mainland is influencing Taiwan politics including meddling in the island's election. This prompted the Tsai authorities to initiate a dialogue with the US that led to the two sides launching cybersecurity exercises.

Actually, it is the US that is meddling in the Taiwan election. As the chairman of Taipei Forum Foundation Su Chi said, the US is more deeply involved in Taiwan election as its executive branches, Congress and think tanks have all voiced support for Tsai.

Washington wants Tsai to continue playing the role of a pawn on the geopolitical chessboard of the US to contain Beijing's rise.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529605.htm DOMESTIC TV AND VIDEO WEBSITE iqiyi.com invited so much criticism over its plan allowing VIP members to watch six episodes of a new TV drama in advance by paying an additional 50 yuan ($7.1) that the TV show had to be rolled back. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

If one looks back at the issue, there was nothing earth-shatteringly unfair about iqiyi.com's policy－those who pay more get better services. It is only natural for different kinds of members, VIP or otherwise, to enjoy services to different extents. Why are the people so angry then?

Some argue that customers in China are still not accustomed to the idea of paying for digital content. But the argument is ridiculous given that more and more people have been buying memberships and paying for photos and music protected by copyright.

Then why this discontent?

The true reason lies in information inequality. As the technology is wholly controlled by the company, many people fear that a VIP-ranking system might curb the legal rights of ordinary users, and encourage people to pay more for better services. They fear more and more TV dramas would be turned into "VIP only". Or maybe, some interesting dramas would be labeled "for super VIPs only".

The same happened with Xunlei, a download accelerating software. It was initially available for free, but later introduced VIP membership policies for "faster speed" once it got a stranglehold on the market. Ordinary members now say that the download speed for ordinary users became so slow that everyone had to pay for VIP membership. And once they did that, the downloading speed for VIP members dropped, too, and everybody had to pay more to become SVIP members.

Even Apple has been accused of intentionally slowing down computing speed for old versions of iPhones via its iOS update in order to encourage people to buy new iPhones.

It is these things that ordinary customers dislike. It is fair for those who pay more to get better services, but unfair if that's done at the cost of ordinary users. After all, something "better" for VIP members often means something bad or even worse for ordinary members.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529583.htm Editor's Note: The average age of China's labor force rose from 32.2 in 1985 to 37.8 in 2017, says a report released by the Center for Human Capital and Labor Economics at the Central University of Finance and Economics. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

Human capital is a source of technological innovation and economic growth, an important driver of sustainable economic and social development and an important guarantee to reduce poverty and inequality.

The rising education level of China's labor force over the past years has improved the quality of its human capital, but the urban-rural divide is still serious. Furthermore, China is also facing an ever-growing aging population pressure, with the average age of the labor force as high as 37.8. That means, after entering the stage of high-quality development, China's economy is facing the double challenge of improving both the education level and average age of its labor force.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had 249 million people aged 60 or above by the end of 2018, accounting for 17.9 percent of the total population, and the number is expected to cross 300 million by 2025, 34.8 percent of the total population, making China one of the world's most aging countries. That the education level of China's labor force cannot meet its innovation-driven development model in the future highlights the need to strengthen the education and training of the labor force to provide high-quality manpower for China's high-quality development.

The report of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China said China will increase educational inputs to build an army of knowledge-based, skilled and innovative workers. Given that the current urban-rural educational divide, the country should promote the integrated development of urban-rural compulsory education and attach greater importance to rural compulsory education. As the 19th Party Congress put forward the popularization of high school education, the country should implement the policy as soon as possible. It should also carry out large-scale vocational skill training, improve its vocational education and training system, and deepen the integration of industry and education, and cooperation between schools and enterprises.

To solve the labor shortage problem and improve the quality of labor force, the country should also speed up the integration of migrant workers in the cities they work in, and establish a social safety net that guarantees their basic needs in employment, education, medical care and old-age care to lay a human capital foundation for high-quality development.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529576.htm The United States has become accustomed to its hegemony in global affairs, and this shapes its way of thinking and acting. Indeed, it puts its hegemony above anything else. And that end justifies any means no matter how debased it may be.

To this end, international laws, rules for free trade and human rights principles are all tools it is willing to use to maintain its status.

That is why Huawei is in its crosshairs. Having developed the most advanced technology and equipment for 5G networks, the Chinese telecommunications giant poses a threat not to national security but to the US' long-established tech supremacy.

But the US government is going too far in its efforts to put Huawei out of business. The State Department has reportedly asked telecom carriers and chipmakers to sign up to a set of principles which would in effect exclude Huawei, and possibly other Chinese companies, from the US market.

It could not be any clearer that the US government has no concern for competition laws and fairness in its attempts to curb the rise of Chinese technology companies, Huawei in particular.

It was reported that a separate proposal by the US Commerce Department would give the commerce secretary the power to block imports of any sensitive technology from a country dubbed a "foreign adversary". Little wonder some business leaders warn that such rules could slow down large swathes of the global technology trade.

And little wonder that US technology companies are concerned that they would have been the targets of a backlash if they had come together to act against a global competitor by following the US administration's request to stop sourcing supplies from some Chinese companies.

The way the US is trying to exclude Huawei from its domestic market and even drive it out of the global market will disrupt the global supply chain and slow down the global trade in technologies. And of course, it will hurt the development of its own technology sector as well.

5G is a product of global high-tech cooperation. The global industrial, supply and value chains are highly intertwined in this area, and it is highly irresponsible of the US administration to deliberately try and cut them, as it is damaging to the rulesbased global order and multilateral economic and scientific cooperation.

The attacks on Huawei and other Chinese technology companies by the US administration are nothing but political protectionism. This is a dangerous trend that the international community should oppose, as not to do so would encourage the US to turn a business issue into a political one or even a security one whenever it feels its preeminent position in technology is being challenged.

National security is a common concern of all countries. Fabricating suspicions about another country's company just because it is the industry leader does a dangerous disservice to cybersecurity which can only be preserved with joint efforts in an open and transparent manner on the basis of trust.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529575.htm China Global Television Network recently released a documentary film on fighting terrorism in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Northwest China, which registered close to 200,000 views on YouTube, a US video-sharing platform. Many of the comments accompanying the "likes" are telling.

One viewer, named Jean Ou, posted a comment, saying it can be assumed that news channels such as CNN and BBC, when viewing this documentary, would simply state: "I can't see, I can't see, I can't see!"

Indeed, one big problem which China faces is being misunderstood by the outside world. Still, the foreign media are often to blame for that, as they do a poor and/or prejudiced job of presenting China to the rest of the world. Xinjiang is just one example which shows how the Western media fail, rather refuse, to give a truthful account of China to the global audience.

That's why it's a pity that YouTube has now banned the video.

Here is a more recent example of how most of the Western media outlets function.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country held events throughout the day on Oct 1 in Beijing which were telecast live. But some Western media outlets focused only on specific events while putting special emphasis on their own messages.

The New York Times published a report titled "Tanks, missiles and no pigeons: China to celebrate 70th birthday of the People's Republic". The report highlighted the events only to emphasize the military threat China poses to other countries. The journalist apparently filed the report too soon, because toward the end of the Oct 1 celebrations, China did release 70,000 pigeons.

Many domestic media outlets, however, reported in detail how the pigeons were loaned from pigeon keepers across Beijing, how all of them returned home safely and that each of them was rewarded for participating in the Oct 1 festivities with a commemorative leg band. Such facts are integral to the National Day celebrations and demonstrate the sense of patriotism inherent in every Chinese national.

The military parade was meant to display China's defense capability, but the Western media, thanks to its prejudice, used it to paint an aggressive and menacing picture of China's military. No Western media outlet bothered to even mention that China follows a defensive defense policy, and that capability and intention are two totally different things.

Chinese people take much more pride in the fact that the country's economic achievements in the past four decades have raised their living standards to a relatively high level. And they are proud of the country's military capability, because it can now defend itself against any aggressors. After all, Chinese people have unpleasant memories of colonial and imperial powers inflicting bloody wounds on the country in the 19th century, and Japanese troops committing atrocities in China before and during World War II.

But Western media outlets seem totally disinterested in these facts. Such stereotypical thinking prompts them to arrive at quick conclusions based on their prejudiced views. Some sharp observers have already pointed out that, if the Western media outlets had covered the Oct 1 events live, a biased commentator would have continuously generated all kinds of negativity while the whole country was celebrating National Day. For example, after the 70,000 balloons were released toward the end of the morning events, a Western media commentator would have "pointed out" how the balloons would cause pollution and turn into waste after they burst, not realizing that organizers in China nowadays make sure such balloons are made of eco-friendly, degradable materials.

The events gave some other environmental messages, too. The 24,000 square meters of red carpet used for the event, for example, was made from recycled materials. And more than 400,000 used water bottles were recycled.

Recent years have seen China making big strides in environmental protection and promoting an eco-friendly, "recycling economy". In fact, by 2020, China's recycling business is expected to reach 3 trillion yuan per year ($428.86 billion).

Poor understanding, misperception and prejudice are, of course, common in cross-cultural exchanges and reporting. Political scientist Robert Jervis' cognitive theory is illuminating in this regard. In Perception and Misperception in International Politics, Jervis says people are inclined to see what they anticipate. Cognitive theory is built around the premise that a person's thoughts control his or her actions and personality. As such, people tend to interpret received information according to their thought-frame, and they are attentive only to those messages or views that fit their pre-set frame of mind. That is how biases are formed.

Very few foreign journalists are actually objective when reporting about China, although their job is to disseminate true information. And it is due to this lack of objectivity that they cannot understand Chinese politics and society.

The Oct 1 pageantry highlighted many aspects of China and Chinese society. Yet foreign journalists focused only on the military parade. The moral of the two stories－the Xinjiang documentary and the coverage of National Day celebrations－is that the Western media should make some real efforts to understand China better and see it for what it is, rather than judge it based on its biased views.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529565.htm If you switch on the mobile phone of a youngster from Macao, you can see it contains similar, if not the same, apps (or their international versions) that their counterparts on the Chinese mainland use. In August, when I took a group of teenagers from the Macao Special Administrative Region on a "tour" of gaming giant Tencent's office, I found many of them had already downloaded King of Glory－one of the most popular mobile games of Tencent－on their phones.

Enthusiastically, the teenagers invited me to team up for a game, saying they had accounts for both the international and domestic versions. Apart from playing the most common online games, some Macao youngsters also watch mainland TV series on domestic video-streaming websites and, like their mainland counterparts, follow mainland stars.

By contrast, most youngsters in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region prefer to download Western apps on their cell phones, and neither play mainland online games nor follow mainland celebrities. Actually, very few Hong Kong teenagers know much about mainland celebrities.

This gives an idea why youths in Macao and Hong Kong think differently about the motherland even two decades after the two regions returned to China under the "one country, two systems" framework. Also, Hong Kong and Macao introduced national education in their school syllabus roughly at the same time－2008. Yet on the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, the results of the program in the two SARs could not be more different.

The success of national education in Macao is not just about school textbooks, it is also about collective cultural experience in all sectors of society including the entertainment industry. Which means cultural experience plays as important a role as education in building a bond between youths in the SARs and on the mainland. It is impossible to have cultural and identity resonance if people from the SARs and the motherland don't read the same books, don't see the same movies or don't play the same games.

Unlike the past, the mainland has become a leader in many fields of technology－for example, it is a global leader in 5G technology, and leads Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in digital technology. Given its leading position in certain technology fields, the mainland should make greater efforts to produce more cultural products that would give the same cultural experience to compatriots on the mainland and in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

According to the current copyright rules, mainland products such as videos, music and games are unavailable in the two SARs and Taiwan. In fact, some Macao residents have sought my help to watch My People, My Country, a patriotic movie released on the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

Popular culture can serve as a communication bridge connecting Hong Kong and Macao with the motherland. So in line with "one country, two systems", the authorities should reform the copyright rules to enable people in the two SARs enjoy the fruits of the mainland's achievements in the digital and cultural industries, which in turn will help build a common cultural landscape.

Moreover, civil society groups can also play a role in promoting cultural exchanges in accordance with "Macao people governing Macao" under the "one country, two systems" framework.

In this regard, the National Conditions Education Association (Macao), founded in 2009, has been doing a good job by organizing knowledge contests about the country once a year for students from primary schools to colleges, and rewarding the winners with tours to the mainland so the youngsters can better understand the motherland's history and geography through firsthand experience, and by traveling through the country and tasting different mainland cuisines.

As such, on the 20th anniversary of its reunification with the motherland, Macao can say it has made many achievements by implementing the national education program.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/19/content_37529561.htm Protests have erupted nationwide in India as people express their opposition to a new citizenship law that critics fear could disenfranchise millions of Muslims in the country. Police fired tear gas at protesters in New Delhi on Tuesday, and in the northeastern state of Assam, the epicenter of the demonstrations, at least six people have reportedly died and more than 100 people have been injured in clashes.

The Citizenship Amendment Act, which fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from neighboring countries, aims to rid India of "infiltrators", according to New Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as being "1,000 percent correct".

But critics of the government said that it could further marginalize the country's 200 million Muslims. They've pointed to the fact that the earlier citizenship list finalized in Assam left off 1.9 million people, a lot of them Muslims, who now, unable to claim citizenship, face possible statelessness, detention camps and even deportation, amid reports that India is building detention centers for the tens of thousands of people who the courts are expected to ultimately determine have entered the country illegally.

The issue has even drawn international attention, with the UN human rights office expressing concerns that the act "would appear to undermine the commitment to equality before the law enshrined in India's constitution".

Yet surprisingly, there has so far been little, if not no response at all from the self-claimed human rights guardians in the West in regard to what is happening in Assam. The reluctance to even give New Delhi a rap on the wrist over an issue that they would readily be decrying as being against human rights if it was happening elsewhere reveals once again the West's double standard.

Just imagine how fiercely they would have responded if a similar law targeting a specific ethnic or religious group were passed in China. The vocational training centers the government has built in Xinjiang－aimed at teaching ethnic Uygur people Mandarin and job skills as part of the efforts to eliminate terrorism and extremism－have already been subject to vilification by some in the West who label them detention camps and part of China's "repression of Muslims".

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday again criticized China for "its gross human rights violations perpetrated against Uygurs and other religious faiths" as he came out in support of Arsenal player Mesut Özil, who last week in social media posts called Uygurs "warriors who resist persecution".

But then, in the eyes of the West, India remains the world's largest democracy and shares the same values with the West. China, on the other hand, is an "undemocratic" country and therefore anything it does is fair target for defamation and denigration.

]]> 2019-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529469.htm Speaking at a weekly news briefing on Tuesday, Hong Kong's chief secretary, Matthew Cheung, said he was disappointed with Sunday's rioting after a period of relative calm. All those who wish an end to the violence and a return to social stability in the special administrative region will have felt the same.

After a two-week lull, the police were forced to use tear gas on Sunday night when rioters stormed shopping centers, set fires, blocked roads and smashed traffic lights, igniting worries that their campaign of violence will continue.

The police said on Monday that students accounted for more than half of the people arrested during Sunday's violent incidents.

Worse, three people arrested for testing explosives on Saturday were charged with two offenses including the manufacture of explosives on Monday, showing how perverted and dangerous the thinking of some of the rioters has become.

This was not the first incident involving an improvised explosive device and the Hong Kong police have seized toxic chemicals and explosive materials in multiple places throughout the city in the past few weeks, highlighting that it is not just the odd one or two who have developed bloodlust.

In fact, the rioters in Hong Kong have repeatedly demonstrated how cold-blooded they can be in the vanity of their trumped up cause, having frequently put residents and visitors' lives at risk with both reckless and calculated acts of vandalism targeting public transport. Not to mention their vicious attacks on members of the public who have had the courage to criticize their actions and their relentless persecution of the police.

Those within and without the SAR who are supporting the rioters out of a misguided sense of loyalty to the values the rioters claim to be blazonly upholding should take a long hard look at the callous disregard the rioters are showing to those values in the abandoning of their civil duties.

The violent lawbreaking in Hong Kong seriously tramples on social order and thus the rights of those in Hong Kong who abide by the law. With the central leadership extending its firm support to Hong Kong's chief executive on Monday, another of the protesters' conceits has been given short shrift.

And its reiteration of its unswerving determination to protect national sovereignty, security and development interests, and implement the "one country, two systems" policy and oppose any external forces interfering in Hong Kong's affairs shows that no matter how long the rioters persist with their campaign of violence, it will be to no effect.

Hong Kong has experienced trials and tribulations in the past, each time it has emerged stronger. It will do so this time too, despite the best efforts of those hoping to exploit young people's naivety for their own ends.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529471.htm Reviewing the country's economic performance in 2019 and analyzing the economic situations at home and abroad, the Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded last week, gave an indication of China's macroeconomic policies and development priorities for 2020.

Despite the challenges brought about by the fast-changing economic situations at home and abroad, the top leadership reached a consensus at the conference that China will prioritize "stability" in order to improve people's livelihoods, promote flexibility in monetary policy, strengthen countercyclical policy regulation, control the pace of financial deleveraging and maintain a healthy financial environment.

An analysis of the CEWC reports since 2014 shows that, despite China facing growing downward economic pressure and global economic prospects being uncertain, the country's monetary policy in 2020 will remain moderately loose. The wordings of the CEWC reports for both 2014 and 2018 were similar to this year's, and the central bank took steps to increase liquidity in 2015 and 2019. On the other hand, since the CEWC reports from 2015 to 2017 didn't contain such wordings, China adopted a moderately tight monetary policy in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Judging by this, we might witness a trajectory of "declining interest rates" in 2020.

However, this year's CEWC report for the first time proposes "scientific and steady countercyclical adjustment of macro policies", which suggests that, unlike 2014, interest rate cuts in 2020 are unlikely to bring in a flood of liquidity. Although the 2018 CEWC report had also mentioned strengthening countercyclical adjustment, this year's report puts special emphasis on strengthening countercyclical adjustment which, while making monetary policy management more difficult, will reduce market expectations of an excessively loose monetary policy to prevent the formation of new bubbles in the property sector.

This year's CEWC report mentions the task of preventing financial risks as the third of the "three major battles". Instead of "structural deleveraging" as last year, this year's report uses different wording, stressing the priority is to keep "the macro leverage ratio basically stable". This change of wording shows that after addressing the problems of some small banks in 2019, the authorities are even more confident of overcoming risks in the financial sector.

The CEWC report proposes to change the direction of large, medium-sized and small banks, rural credit cooperatives and other financial institutions, emphasizing that large banks should continue to play the role of the "lead goose" in inclusive finance; small and medium-sized banks should mainly serve enterprises, special industries and local residents; and rural credit cooperatives must better serve the agriculture sector, farmers and rural areas.

This reflects the overall planning for the establishment of a financial system in which different types of banks will offer different types of services. Which means the focus of financial work in 2020 will be more on serving the real economy, and therefore enterprises can expect a friendlier financial environment next year.

Also, for the first time, this year's CEWC report highlights the "advantages of the superlarge market and the potential of domestic demand", saying China will tap into the potential of domestic demand, develop core technologies, further open up the economy and take proactive part in global governance.

Over the past 40 years, China has been both a huge labor market and a rich source of resources. But with the development of its economy and increase in its economic aggregate, China no longer enjoys absolute advantage in terms of costs of labor and natural resources, and some of the industries it dominated in the past have gradually shifted to other countries.

No wonder this year's CEWC report accords the most space to high-quality economic development, emphasizing the importance of making scientific and technological achievements, supporting the development of strategic industries, creating a batch of globally competitive advanced manufacturing clusters and extending producer services to the high-end value chain. Which shows the top leadership is determined to further boost the domestic market, and create space for consumption to play its due role in high-quality economic development.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529422.htm Although many had predicted that CNS Shandong, the first domestically built aircraft carrier would enter service after it finished its sea trials in October, its commissioning, as China's first combat-ready aircraft carrier, is still striking the heartstrings of some.

Although it remains unknown where its home port will be, that Sanya, the southernmost port overseeing the South China Sea, was host to the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday has signaled that, with the second aircraft carrier in hand, China will have more cards to play in the waters where trouble is continually being stirred up by Western powers.

However, its practical significance should not be exaggerated. Although an upgrade on China's first aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning, the 60,000-ton Shandong, which is easily distinguishable by its old-fashioned ski jump, cannot be regarded as a first-class aircraft carrier by any standard, be it design or technologies. And being conventionally powered its range and combat effectiveness are limited.

Yet despite this, it does have some import. Not least in demonstrating China's resolve to modernize its navy and its ability to quickly build up its learning curve. The ship undoubtedly serves as a link, in terms of engineering, between the Liaoning and the country's future nuclear-powered aircraft carriers that will use electromagnetic equipment to launch aircraft.

As arguably the youngest navy aiming to elbow into the world's first-class navy club, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy－which has developed from being a fleet of sampans and fishing boats on its establishment on April 23, 1949, in the Yangtze River－has become an indispensable force safeguarding the country's sovereignty and core interests, and a strategic support for the country to be transformed into a strong maritime country.

Given the Chinese navy's increasingly active role in participating in humanitarian assistance tasks, international escort missions and global peacekeeping missions, its enhanced capabilities will ensure it is better able to fulfill its missions, help the government better undertake its international responsibilities, and maintain world peace and stability. Even when China has more advanced aircraft carriers, which will only be a matter of time, they will only serve as a deterrent, helping China to better live up to its long-term tenet that all disputes are best settled by political means, not war.

There are those who view China's naval modernization as a threat, but although that modernization is unprecedented in its scale and speed, it is simply attaching long-overdue importance to managing its territorial waters and seeking to safeguard its growing overseas interests. The commissioning of the Shandong does not pose a threat to another country; instead it will help China to properly handle maritime and air situations, and resolutely respond to security threats, infringements and provocations on the sea, and help safeguard maritime peace, stability and order.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529430.htm The Macao and Hong Kong special administrative regions have maintained fruitful interactions and mutually beneficial cooperation under the "one country, two systems" framework thanks to their highly complementary industries.

Even in the years before Macao's reunification with the motherland in 1999, Macao and Hong Kong were like "twin cities". A number of Macao residents went to Hong Kong to study and work since Hong Kong's economy was booming.

The two cities have always helped each other and cooperated for mutual progress. In the 20 years since its return to China, Macao's economy has developed rapidly and, thanks to the turn in fortune, many Hong Kong residents now work and live in Macao.

The ties between the two SARs have become increasingly stronger. In particular, after the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Macao and Hong Kong have established closer cooperation, which has created more space and made it more convenient for Macao to achieve diversified economic development in the long run.

The next 10 to 20 years will see Macao-Hong Kong cooperation further blossom and yield more mutual benefits. And the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will make the two SARs' achievements long lasting and more significant.

More important, Hong Kong could use Macao's economic development, and integration with the Chinese mainland as an example to work out its future development plan. For instance, Macao residents have a strong sense of identity as Chinese, which has played an important role in connecting Macao's development with, for example, that of Guangdong province, and incorporating Macao into the national and regional development plans, while giving the institutional advantage of "one country, two systems" full play.

Looking ahead, the Macao and Hong Kong SARs could focus on strengthening financial cooperation and joint exploration with Latin American countries.

In fact, according to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development plan, Macao is expected to develop as an offshore yuan clearing and settlement center for Portuguese-speaking countries. And Hong Kong, the largest offshore yuan center, has a lot of experiences which Macao can learn or draw inspiration from.

The two SARs could even make joint efforts to attract more enterprises from Portuguese-speaking countries to list in Hong Kong and enrich the structure of the listed companies in Hong Kong.

Besides, flush with funds and a big appetite for risks, Macao is an ideal city for developing innovative financial services. As a traditional and mainstream international financial center, Hong Kong has a complete system of investment channels and categories, but it lacks innovative financial products and services. Which make Macao and Hong Kong an ideal pair to jointly explore innovate financial tools and technologies, even innovative financial services including service modes. This will not only facilitate the development of Macao's economy, but also enhance the status of Hong Kong as an international financial center.

Speaking of strengthening cooperation with Latin American markets, Macao has a lot in common with Portuguese-speaking countries due to its history. And based on their cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao and Hong Kong could progress further and strengthen cooperation with Spanish-speaking countries, too.

Given Hong Kong's experience as an international financial and logistics hub, and Macao's advantage in the Portuguese language, the two SARs can expand their trading, business and financial cooperation with Spanish-and Portuguese-speaking economies and act as powerful offshore yuan centers to boost their economic development, as well as strengthen the mainland's collaboration with Spanish-and Portuguese-speaking economies.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529436.htm The bipartisan "Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019", which passed the United States House of Representatives on Monday, is a fresh attempt by the US to officially, thoroughly elbow Chinese telecommunications leaders Huawei and ZTE out of the US market.

Considering the political atmosphere on Capitol Hill, and Washington's desire for bargaining chips to use in its trade war with China, the probability is high that the act will get Senate approval and presidential endorsement.

Once enacted, the act will mean Huawei and ZTE, as well as their subsidiaries and affiliated entities, will lose their footholds in the US market.

Despite the conspicuous absence of solid evidence supporting the US' insistence on a "security risk" heuristic, and Huawei's steadfast stance of innocence, the act officially defines Chinese 5G telecom leaders as a "national security risk" and outlaws their presence in US networks.

Beijing has vehemently condemned Washington's attempts to suppress Huawei and Chinese 5G leadership.

But the act sends a clear message that Washington is intent on playing whack-a-mole with any Chinese companies that raise their heads as industry leaders. Responding to Beijing's reminder that excluding Huawei would put telecom operators in rural America in dire financial conditions, the act installs a reimbursement program to finance removal and replacement of "suspect equipment".

Besides effectively sweeping Chinese telecom equipment out of the US market, the act will also cause chain reactions whose extent and repercussions remain hard to foretell. While the verbal abuse of Huawei and Chinese 5G technology has brewed conspicuous unease among the US' allies and partners, the impact of the US legislation is aimed at cementing a tech wall.

Most countries may agree with Beijing that all countries are obliged to provide a fair, just and nondiscriminatory business environment. But some allies and partners, those depending on Washington for security guarantees in particular, may have to think twice when pressed to exclude Huawei.

The exclusion Washington zealously seeks in pursuit of its own tech preeminence will end up creating a "technological divide", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi just warned at the 14th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Madrid.

China's opposition against what Wang called a "technology blockade and digital hegemony" has the moral support of many countries. But at this point moral support will not suffice to prevent the impending closing of a technology iron curtain.

Emerging technologies can give new impetus to common development and provide fresh opportunities for all countries, but only if there are non-discriminatory business environments that foster fair competition and research environments that encourage cooperation.

Allowing a technology cold war to come into being serves the interests of no country.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529437.htm Editor's Note: The just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference said the country will push for the disposal of zombie enterprises in 2020 and combine the task with the formation of a unified, open, competitive and orderly goods and factor market and the establishment of a sound market exit mechanism. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

As early as the end of 2018, the National Development and Reform Commission and 10 other State departments jointly issued a notice urging local governments at various levels to regularly dispose of the debt-plagued "zombie" enterprises and said the work, in principle, should be done before the end of 2020 as part of the country's goal of supply-side structural reform.

According to a State document on deepening the reform of State-owned enterprises issued in 2015, the reform of SOEs should achieve decisive results in some important areas by 2020. To a large extent, dealing with zombie enterprises remains one of the hardest nuts to crack for SOEs reform.

These enterprises have partially or fully stopped production, have suffered losses for years, are already insolvent, and mainly rely on government subsidies and bank loans to linger on.

And they are mostly SOEs or some large private enterprises, and because of their large size they play a big role in absorbing local employment. Local governments usually offer them fiscal subsidies in the fear that their closures will give rise to large-scale unemployment.

The most fundamental reason for the formation of zombie enterprises is government intervention in the market.

The zombie enterprises are mainly in the steel, coal, power, metallurgy, real estate and oil processing sectors, which have been largely affected by the government's policy regulations.

When the country's economy is weak, the government usually works out some stimulus measures, leading to a huge increase in demand for upstream industries. But when the economy shows signs of overheating, the government suspends subsidies, exposing the zombie enterprises.

These enterprises are the products of market distortion and the improper protection they get from local governments continues to increase the harm they can cause to the economy. Thus their disposal must be free from the interference of local governments.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529447.htm THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION HAS RESPONDED TO two recent incidents of college teachers sexually harassing students by saying it has a "zero tolerance" policy toward such teachers. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

Teaching is a noble profession; teachers play a great role in inheriting human civilization. So teachers' professional ethics should be higher than that in many other professions.

Though sexual harassment cases are on the rise in colleges, most students are afraid to report it to higher authorities.

One should take into account the power equation between teachers and students. The harassers tend to threaten the victims with their academic powers. The victims are thus blackmailed into offering sexual favors. They give in to sexual harassment because teachers threaten to not let them pass if they complain to anybody.

Sometimes, when the victims report against the offending teachers, the latter seek refuge under the excuse of "romantic relationship" in a bid to change the nature of the incidents.

Existing regulations on teachers' professional ethics prohibit them from having improper relationships with their students. But the description of "improper relationship" is so vague that the so-called "romantic relationship" excuse always comes to the aid of the wrongdoers.

To say the least, even if the romantic relationship is not "improper", it may give rise to doubts about academic fairness and undermine other students' interests in studies because of perceived or real bias.

That is the reason why in many foreign colleges, teachers have been prohibited from having romantic relationships with their students if a power or interest relationship exists between them.

Education authorities in China should consider issuing more strict regulations on the relationship between students and teachers to create a healthy campus environment and safeguard the students' legitimate rights and interests.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529421.htm ACCORDING TO a freshly released national sport consumption tendency report, about 400 million people regularly participated in sports events in 2019, while 100 million others joined workout clubs or bought sporting equipment but did nothing more. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Which sporting equipment is the best investment proposal? Treadmill, because you will hardly use it after buying it and can label it as "brand-new" on secondhand sale websites even two years later.

This is a popular joke at a time #"100 million people pretend to do sport" is trending on domestic social networks, with many people sharing photos of dust gathering on their "brand-new" unused treadmills or gym membership cards.

But the fact that 400 million people, or 28 percent of the national population, regularly take part in exercises shows how serious the people are about health. And the 100 million people who prepare for some sporting activity but do no more should be encouraged.

Some young people refrain from engaging in sporting activity because they are exhausted after spending hours at work and then commuting back home.

And many equate "sports" with just going to the gym, thanks to the success of commercialism. But look around you. There are elderly people engaging in light exercises, such as square dancing, at parks. It is time the young learn something from their elderly counterparts. One does not need to join a gym for exercises－a half hour's walk in the park is enough.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/18/content_37529473.htm Disappointment seems to have become the norm, rather than exception, of the UN Climate Change Conference, and Madrid has been no exception.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said as much when he echoed the mood of many after the conclusion of the conference on Sunday: "I am disappointed with the results of COP25(25th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis. But we must not give up, and I will not give up."

Indeed, "not give up" has to be the spirit with which we fight climate change. But it seems this spirit is exhibited only by those who want to save the planet and ensure a better future for the next generations, not by those who can actually make this happen.

That the longest-ever climate change conference in history could deliver possibly the lamest outcome, and that too after deleting almost everything the big countries were opposed to from the final draft and deferring probably all vital decisions, including the most important one－framing rules to establish a new carbon market under the Paris climate accord－speaks volumes of the mockery the rich countries have made of the fight against climate change.

Like Guterres, environmental activists and civil society groups, which for long have become major stakeholders in the climate talks, expressed their extreme disappointment mixed with anger at the results of the conference.

And for good reason, many civil society members and environmental activists blamed the United States for the weak outcome. The US withdrew from the Paris accord in June 2017 and will cease to be a delegate to the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC from November 2020. Yet it continued to use the age-old tricks at Madrid to get its way. As ActionAid's global lead on climate change Harjeet Singh said, the US "came here in bad faith, acting only to protect" US companies' interests "and those of the polluting industries that caused climate emergency".

The effects of climate change were evident throughout the world this year, as they have been over the last few years, with increased ferocity. Unprecedented heat waves, wildfires, droughts interspersed with unseasonal downpours and flash floods, devastating superstorms, violent snowstorms, melting glaciers and intense cold waves have been warning the world about what lies in store in the future. But big companies, even governments, instead of heeding this warning, continue business as usual, because that is the best way to make more money. What they tend, rather prefer, to forget is money can help address the problem of climate change, but it itself is not the solution to the problem.

The Madrid meeting was also expected to direct all economies to intensify their climate actions given that recent studies show the world has failed to do enough to prevent climate change from causing greater harm to the world.

Some countries, particularly small island states that are most vulnerable to climate change, demanded that all economies update their climate action plans by next year to reflect the new reality, saying the present sorry state of affairs was the result of developed economies not meeting their targets in the pre-2020 period.

But the final agreement only included a call seeking "the urgency of enhanced ambition" by all economies without any agreement on updating the developed economies' climate action plans by 2020.

Which means the next climate change conference faces the almost impossible task of completing all the unfinished work of the 2019 conference before the transition of the international climate regime from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the 2015 Paris Agreement. But since studies show the international community has to do much more than what the Paris accord mandates, economies have to increase their commitments, which is almost impossible given the present attitude of most of the economies.

The outcome of the conference in Madrid has put the UN system under extreme pressure. With the goal to keep the average global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial level, the Madrid conference was scheduled to decide the extent to which the national pledges could be raised. But it failed to do so.

As long as development means continuous expansion of production and consumption, we cannot expect anything to change, because rising consumption doesn't mean ensuring the well-being of the people but pampering to the greed of the haves.

Unless there is a paradigm shift in the definition and execution of economic development, we cannot tackle climate change in the true sense.

And as Guterres warned in Madrid on Thursday, failure to tackle climate change could result in economic disaster, and unrestrained climate change would allow only the "survival of the richest".

The fact that Guterres was forced to say what the rest of the world has known for years shows that we indeed are facing a bleak future.

]]> 2019-12-18 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529275.htm ON FRIDAY, CENTRAL CHINA'S WUHAN UNIVERSITY announced its decision to expel 92 international students for various reasons. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Some of the students were expelled for having failed to register within the stipulated time, some for being absent from various activities without submitting leave applications and some for failing in their academic courses. Given the circumstances, Wuhan University has done its best to avoid a scenario in which the international students perform poorly in the exams.

Reports say the university had warned the students in question almost a year ago regarding their shortcomings and even tried to contact them. But when its repeated efforts made no difference, they were forced to expel the students.

And the university applied equal yardsticks, irrespective of the influence some of the students have. A female student from Ukraine, who has participated in many TV programs, was expelled because she applied for a PhD program but could not finish her dissertation.

The university has also addressed rumors that Chinese colleges treat international students like "supernationals", leaving domestic students feeling they are treated unfairly. By strictly enforcing the disciplinary measures for the overseas students, the university has shown that it treats all its students equally. The case is also an example of how rules are taken seriously in Chinese universities－all violators face their due penalty irrespective of nationality.

Such strict regulations are also a good move for overseas students who are diligent. Otherwise, even one idle foreign student can give the entire foreign students group a bad name by leaving a bad impression on potential employers.

And such an impression could cast a cloud on the prospects of overseas students who actually work hard. Such strict and fair enforcement of the rules will also ensure that those overseas students who work hard will not have to pay for the indiscipline of others.

 

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529277.htm In the two decades since it reunified with the motherland, Macao has undergone drastic changes in terms of fiscal revenue, economic growth, total GDP as well as per capita GDP.

Before Macao returned to China, it saw four consecutive years of negative economic growth. But since its reunification with the motherland, the Macao Special Administrative Region has seen its GDP increase from $6.5 billion in 1999 to $54.54 billion in 2018 and its per capita GDP jump from $15,000 to $83,000. Also, Macao has seen its GDP grow at an average annual rate of 13 percent, with its revenue increasing more than 10 times, and unemployment rate declining to 1.8 percent in 2018.

In 2018 Macao's per capita GDP was the highest in Asia and the third-highest in the world, while its residents' average life expectancy was the second-highest among all economies. More important, Macao is a good example of the success of "one country, two systems".

And as one of the four central cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area plan, Macao not only is expected to play an important role as an engine of growth of the area, but also has got an opportunity to strengthen and diversify its economy.

According to the Greater Bay Area's plan, the SAR is set to develop into a global tourism and leisure center, as well as an economic and trade cooperation platform between the Chinese mainland and Portuguese-speaking countries. So Macao has to give full play to its advantages, including its role as a bridge connecting the mainland with Portuguese-speaking countries, to facilitate the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Macao should also establish a special offshore yuan center, especially to explore business opportunities in Portuguese-speaking countries, and develop as a business-cum-leisure tourism center, an international convention and exhibition hub, and a global dialogue platform.

Macao is regarded by the World Trade organization as one of the most open economies for trade and investment thanks partly to its free port, low tax rate and close connection with Portuguese-speaking countries. With the completion of infrastructure construction in the Greater Bay Area such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the SAR's custom clearance system has become even more efficient. In the future therefore Macao should develop an integrated "business-cum-leisure" industrial chain along with Hong Kong to expedite the construction of the Greater Bay Area business backend market.

Macao's "business-cum-leisure" industrial chain should integrate the advantages of Hong Kong as an international financial center, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao belt as a scientific and technological innovation corridor and the high-end equipment manufacturing industry of the Pearl River Delta region to jointly establish an international derivative industrial circle for the Greater Bay Area.

The Macao SAR should also play its due role in helping integrate its convention and exhibition sector with the Pearl River Delta region's industrial clusters.

As the world's leading casino hub before the rise of Macao, Las Vegas promoted the convention and exhibition sector to achieve diversified industrial development. As a result, the revenue of the exhibition industry has exceeded that of the gaming industry in Las Vegas.

Actually, in recent years, the Macao SAR government has also taken important measures to transform the city into a regional exhibition center. And the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, being one of the most dynamic city clusters in the world, will create huge opportunities for Macao to develop its exhibition sector. Compared with Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region, the convention and exhibition sector in Macao can enjoy the advantage of relatively low operation cost but high internationalization exposure.

Moreover, the SAR should enhance interaction with international organizations to build a platform for China to participate in global governance, by using its free port to advantage in order to attract more global organizations to set up branches in the city, which will further enhance cooperation and communication between China and international organizations.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529278.htm Growing global economic uncertainties have added fuel to the "China infiltrating Australia" and "China threat" fallacies in Australia. Despite these facts, after winning the general election in May, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party has made efforts to mend Sino-Australian relations, which have been deteriorating since 2017 because of the Liberal Party hyping up the "China threat" fallacy to garner popular support.

To improve Sino-Australian relations, the Morrison government established the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations replacing the 40-year-old Australia-China Council. Also, China and Australia reached a consensus to repair bilateral ties and protect mutual interests at a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Morrison on the sidelines of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Cooperation conference in Thailand on Nov 3.

Still, Sino-Australian relations are likely to suffer setbacks in the future given the Australia-United States security alliance and the US' interference in regional and other countries' internal affairs, the trade frictions between Beijing and Washington, and rising populism in many economies.

Beijing-Canberra relations have already suffered a serious blow this year due to allegations that China was spying on Australia using Chinese students as tools and interfering in Australian politics and elections.

Although the Australian government has not cited any specific target of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization-led anti-espionage operation it launched on Dec 2 and the parliamentary inquiry it started on Dec 5 into potential foreign interference through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WeChat, it is widely believed they are driven by concerns over "Chinese infiltration".

In trying to strike a balance between its close security ally, the US, and one of its biggest trading partners, China, Australia has increased its vigilance against China to a level not seen even in the US. As its limited market and to some extent stagnant economy, Australia is more likely to be worried about its economic dependence on a rising China. That the US-Australia alliance plays a big role in fueling that worry goes without saying.

Moreover, the ethnic bias among many Australians, along with rising numbers of overseas Chinese students and businesspeople, and Chinese-Australians' increasing voice in the country's politics have fueled doubts about China's increasing influence in the region. In fact, some Australian conservative politicians have used the imaginary threat of China and Chinese interference in Australian politics to accumulate popular votes.

All this has had a huge impact on Sino-Australian relations, especially bilateral trade. For example, a report jointly prepared by KPMG and the University of Sydney says that "Chinese investment in Australia declined by 37.6 percent from $10 billion in 2017 to $6.2 billion in 2018" and "the rate of decline has accelerated since 2017".

So, against the backdrop of geopolitics outweighing trade relations, it might be difficult for Canberra to strike the right diplomatic balance between its ties with Washington and Beijing in the near future. If the imbalance increases, it will make Australia less flexible in terms of diplomacy.

If Canberra is sincere about improving relations with China, it should make more concrete efforts in that direction. China, on its part, will continue to work for peaceful development in order to protect mutual interests and produce mutual benefits.

And if Australia does not mix geopolitical and territorial conflicts with bilateral ties, and promotes its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, the two sides can explore common grounds to establish win-win cooperation for mutual benefits.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529297.htm THE JUST-CONCLUDED CENTRAL Economic Work Conference pointed out that the basic trend of steady and long-term improvement of China's economy has not changed. The resilience and potential of the Chinese economy will help it overcome any risks and challenges ahead. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

 

China should realize that it still is in a critical period of transforming the growth model, optimizing economic structure and transforming growth drivers in the face of mounting downward pressures. Simultaneously, the world economy, too, is undergoing adjustments because of a prolonged slowdown, while sources and risks of global turbulence are on the ascendant.

Not losing focus is essential for China to cope with the complicated situations at home and abroad. China's huge market and potential for great domestic demand will be crucial for maintaining its economic stability and improving people's well-being. In fact, in the first three quarters of 2019, domestic demand proved to be the real ballast for China's economy, contributing as much as 80.3 percent to its economic growth.

The domestic market will remain its biggest strength even in 2020. And as China's economy undergoes a critical period of consumption upgrading, consumption will play a fundamental role in economic development. China's nearly 1.4 billion population and a more than 400 million middle-income group, together with the robust momentum of consumption upgrading, will accelerate the pace of the country's industrial upgrading and become a powerful engine for the economy's steady progress next year.

During the Singles' Day shopping festival this year, Tmall alone raked in 268.4 billion yuan ($38.4 billion), setting a new e-commerce single-day sales record.

To tap the huge potential of domestic demand and further boost consumption, China needs to work hard to strengthen its weak areas. As the Central Economic Work Conference emphasized, the country needs to work toward improving people's livelihoods, promote the steady growth of consumption, increase effective investment and unleash the potential of domestic market demand.

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529276.htm Lawmakers in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition are drafting a bill that requires "untrustworthy" 5G equipment vendors be kicked out from "core as well as peripheral networks". The bill, though short of naming names, is believed to be tailored to exclude the Chinese company Huawei because it defines "untrustworthy" suppliers as the ones at "risk of state influence".

The ambivalence in the wording makes it much easier for the politically motivated lawmakers to readily point fingers at Huawei as a tool of the Chinese government and ban it outright－just give a dog a bad name and hang it. "You don't just need technical certainty－you need the suppliers to be politically trustworthy, too," Norbert Rottgen, an MP from Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and one of the initiators of the bill, reportedly said, revealing the ideological underpinnings for the attacks on what they regard as China's technological point man.

Those in Germany who are intent on blocking Chinese telecommunications equipment giant Huawei's access to the country's 5G market have always parroted Washington's claim that the company represents a national security threat. Yet, like Washington, they have not produced any evidence that Huawei, which has supplied equipment to all of Germany's telecom operators for their existing networks, poses a security risk to the country.

Thus the bill, which goes beyond previous calls to ban only Huawei from the more sensitive core network, would set a very bad example of politics taking precedence over business if passed, and would inevitably deal a heavy blow to the economic and trade partnership between China and Germany that has been built on pragmatism over the past four decades despite the political differences between the two countries. Not to mention that banning Huawei would dramatically delay Germany's 5G rollout and make it more costly.

All this notwithstanding, by politicizing the 5G issue, those Washington heeding politicians also risk poisoning their own country's business relations with China.

Responsible leaders from both countries must do their utmost to prevent that worst-case scenario from materializing.

German lawmakers and those in other European countries should bear in mind that China and Europe are partners not rivals, and their relations feature more consensuses than divergences. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference following a meeting with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on the sidelines of the 14th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting, in Madrid on Sunday, there is no historical grievance or geopolitical contradiction between China and Europe, let alone any conflict of fundamental interests.

Europe should not allow Huawei to become a lightning rod just to divert Washington's bullying tendencies.

  2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529329.htm Editor's Note: A WeChat account, Langji Qinggan, that promised to make pick-up artists out of men, has been shut down after readers complained to WeChat authorities that it was teaching notorious, emotional manipulation tricks that propagate unhealthy views about love, and instigating crimes, which should be seriously dealt with to safeguard citizens, especially women's rights and interests. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

 

The infamous skills of a pick-up artist that originated in the United States were unknown to the public until very recently. A pick-up artist refers to a man who has acquired the skill of communicating with women, with the intention of making their acquaintance and appearing attractive to them, so as to develop an intimate relationship. But in reality it is a way of teaching men how to brainwash and emotionally manipulate women with the intention of having sex with them. Some men even use the trick to defraud women of their money.

Some training organizations promise to help males "become attractive" to the opposite sex, but what they actually do is to teach them tricks to play with women's emotions, seriously hurt their feelings, endanger their physical and psychological health and even cause some tragedies. Such organizations also target men, particularly those who feel they are not good at communicating with women and want to improve their personal attractiveness and find true love. But after paying a huge amount to receive the training, what they actually learn are tricks that end up destroying a potentially healthy relationship.

The pick-up artists regard women as a target of their love interest and hurt them for their selfish desires. This is against social morals, and spreads very unhealthy views about love. Some pick-up artists training organizations are even suspected of instigating crime. But despite the harm it causes to individuals and society, there are no specific laws to regulate such behavior and it is also difficult for those who have been affected to obtain any evidence against their tormentors to be able to safeguard their rights and interests.

But as more and more female victims of pick-up artists open up about their ordeal on social media, the public and judicial organizations, too, are waking up to the dangers pick-up artists pose.

On May 9, Jiangsu internet police announced it was detaining a violator, surnamed Xu, for five days for training a course which had pornographic content and involved fraud. The police not only shut down his website and WeChat group, but also fined him 50,000 yuan ($7,149.94).

As such training challenges social morals and undermines citizens, particularly women's legal rights and interests, society as a whole should come together to curb the spread of pick-up artists and restore the healthy social environment.

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529330.htm Ahead of his meeting with Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in Beijing on Monday, President Xi Jinping said that Hong Kong was enduring the most complex and difficult situation since its return to the motherland.

Expressing his hope that Hong Kong would return to the right path and restore unity, he said the central authorities would continue to extend their unwavering support to the HKSAR government and police in their efforts to uphold the law.

Lam, who is in the national capital on her annual duty visit to brief State leaders about the current economic, social and political situation in the SAR, was praised by Xi for holding fast to the principle of "one country, two systems", and for showing courage and a sense of responsibility during an "extraordinary time" for Hong Kong.

There can be no doubt the challenges facing the city are unprecedented in both scale and ferocity, and that they are being exacerbated by outside forces and the Western media. A study by the independent US media watchdog, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, for example, shows that US news media have routinely glossed over the details of the Hong Kong riots and rarely used negative language when reporting on the violence of the rioters, while consistently doing so when describing the police response.

But there can also be no doubt that what the radical elements and their backers are trying to engineer is a mission impossible. The young people who have chosen to follow their lead may think this is a gamble of a lifetime that is fun and exciting, but they should harbor no illusions that they are playing a dangerous game. The nation is steadfast in its resolve to safeguard the nation's integrity.

For those participating in marches because of livelihood grievances, that Xi highlighted the deep research Lam's government has done to identify the root causes of Hong Kong residents' concerns, indicates the central authorities' confidence that the concrete measures being implemented will effectively respond to their needs.

But the fact that the passenger throughput at Hong Kong airport has fallen to the lowest level since the onset of the financial crisis shows how urgent it is for Hong Kong to put an end to the violence and restore social stability for the resumption of healthy economic activity.

The violence may continue for some time, but Xi's remarks show the central authorities are confident the HKSAR government will prevail in the battle to restore order. And the reason is simple: Lam's government has the full support of the central authorities and the nation as guarantee for Hong Kong's peaceful and prosperous future.

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529345.htm The robust growth in China's industrial and retail sectors has defied expectations, with the uptick in industrial activity and spending indicating the effectiveness of government policies aimed at supporting domestic demand.

According to statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday, the industrial sector grew by 6.2 percent last month, up 1.5 percentage points from October, while the retail sector grew by 8.0 percent, an increase of 0.8 percentage points on the month before.

Given the mounting external uncertainties associated with the trade war with the United States, and the internal challenges arising from the domestic transition to higher quality growth, the positive growth momentum is commendable, and can be credited to the government's resolute efforts to keep the economy on track.

Although the infrastructure and property sectors' growth remained lackluster in November－which would have been taken as a telling sign of the decline of the economy in previous years when investment was one of the most important drivers of growth－this is a result of the government's policy choices and its determination to refrain from resorting to quantitative easing stimulus measures, which would hurt the economy and embolden the governments of various levels to invade the market and create distortions.

True, the traditional year-end consumption spree has inevitably provided a boost for industrial growth and retail sales. Nonetheless, along with other positive signs, including the stable 2.4 percent growth in foreign trade over the past 11 months, the upbeat data demonstrate that the fundamentals of the economy remain healthy and are evolving on the right track in a predictable way.

The annual Central Economic Work Conference held in Beijing last week made clear that China will keep its economic policies stable to help achieve its target range for growth and upgrade its industries and consumption.

And with the development of the service industry, including education, childcare, elderly care, healthcare, culture and tourism, to be accelerated next year and people's spending power to be strengthened, domestic consumption will be able to better play its role of underpinning the economy.

At the same time, with China and the United States announcing on Friday they had agreed on the text to a phase one trade deal, which if realized would cool their 17-month trade war and ease the external pressure, the economic situation is expected to be more conducive to governments at all levels to adopt a comprehensive and holistic economic approach and advance the regional development strategies aimed at fostering new driving forces for higher-quality development.

The resilience of the economy and the clearheaded forward-looking helmsmanship demonstrated at last week's top economic work meeting suggest any pessimism about the performance of the Chinese economy next year will once again prove ill-considered.

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/17/content_37529299.htm This year is crucial to China's higher-level opening-up, symbolized among other things by the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. That China, amid rising trade protectionism, hosted the second China International Import Expo which attracted more than 180 countries, regions and international organizations, and over 3,800 global enterprises shows it is not only committed to further opening up its economy but also increasing imports to meet Chinese people's ever-growing need for a better life and boost global trade.

It also reflects China's shift from being the "world's factory" to becoming the "world's market", which is an important milestone in China's high-quality economic development and higher-level opening-up.

At the second CIIE in Shanghai last month, President Xi Jinping called on all countries to prioritize the common good of humanity and outlined China's future opening-up policies, emphasizing that, "We must all put the common good of humanity first rather than place one's own interest above the common interest of all." Which makes China's trade and policy clear: the country supports the multilateral trading system, and promotes trade liberalization despite rising protectionism in some economies, in order to build an open world economy.

Among the other measures for expanding opening-up, China has released the plan to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a guideline in August supporting Shenzhen in building a demonstration pilot zone for socialism with Chinese characteristics with the aim of deepening reform and expanding opening-up, which in turn will facilitate the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Moreover, the annual Central Economic Work Conference last week reviewed China's economic work in 2019 and outlined key tasks for 2020. While stating that the new concepts of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development should be unswervingly put into practice to promote high-quality economic development, the CEWC stressed that, to expand opening-up, market access should be loosened, and pre-establishment national treatment and the negative list fully implemented so as to protect the legitimate interests of foreign companies in China, especially their intellectual property rights.

The conference also called for greater efforts to increase imports and exports, push for a more diversified export market, and cut institutional costs for imports with the aim of promoting free trade and safeguarding the multilateral trading system.

In fact, China has loosened market access to a large extent and has been implementing pre-establishment national treatment and the negative list.

All these policies and measures provide institutional support to China's high-quality economic development.

In terms of further opening-up at the regional level, China has established several pilot free trade zones in Heilongjiang, Hebei, Jiangsu and Yunnan provinces, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and the new Lingang special area in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone with the aim of boosting free and fair trade as part of higher-level opening-up.

China has also launched 12 new opening-up measures in the financial sector this year. It has not only made market access to the banking, securities and insurance sectors easier for foreign investors, but also reduced the requirements for foreign financial companies in terms of asset size, year of registration in China and shareholding ratio. As a result, the world's top three credit card companies and credit rating firms have entered the Chinese market.

Also, the launch of the science and technology innovation board, the pilot program for registration-based IPO system and Shanghai-London Stock Connect has further enhanced the internationalization of China's capital market, which apart from expanding opening-up have also propelled supply-side structural reform in China's financial sector.

Besides, the Foreign Investment Law, which comes into force on Jan 1, is aimed at attracting more foreign investment and better protecting foreign investors' interests, and therefore demonstrates China's commitment to higher-level, all-round opening-up.

China's higher-level opening up is reflected in the drastic improvement in the domestic business environment, too. While last year China ranked 46th among 190 economies in the World Bank's Doing Business Report in terms of business environment, this year it has jumped to the 31st position. And in the Government Work Report issued in March, China announced it would reduce taxes and fees worth 2 trillion yuan ($284.3 billion), and the Ministry of Commerce vowed to launch a series of measures to promote cross-border trade.

As such, these measures and policies will benefit not only China but also neighboring countries as well as the economies along the Belt and Road routes, which in turn will promote China's higher-level, all-round opening-up.

And the fact that, at a time when protectionism is rising in many economies, China is promoting higher-level, all-round opening-up by boosting infrastructure construction, improving connectivity and strengthening policy and legal support demonstrates that it is honoring its promise of promoting domestic reform as well as helping build an open world economy.

 

 

]]> 2019-12-17 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529225.htm ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION, more than 200 million workers are exposed to various types of occupational diseases. Gmw.cn comments:

 

Considering that the total number of workers in China was 776 million in 2018, 200 million workers is almost 25 percent of the total. The situation might be much worse because in reality there are some minor diseases that are not included in the list of occupational diseases.

A key cause of the high percentage of occupational diseases is the lack of professional protection of workers. For the past four decades, China has made tremendous progress in all sectors of the economy. However, the protection of workers has failed to keep pace.

Many employers fail to protect their employees effectively and their health and safety training regimes are lax. And many companies simply do not pay much attention to employees' health and safety in order to get higher profits. Some companies even refuse to sign contracts with their workers or buy occupational diseases insurance for them, which means their employees cannot get any help when diagnosed with an occupational disease.

A proper supervision system is needed. Currently the domestic occupational disease catalogue includes 132 kinds of diseases, divided into 10 categories.

Yet that catalogue is less comprehensive than those of developed countries, and its updating is not fast enough to catch up with the growing number of occupational diseases. In recent years, with the country's economic transformation and upgrading, new materials and new technologies have been widely used, new occupations and labor methods have been continuously produced, and the hazards of occupational diseases have become more diverse and complicated.

Also the 132 kinds of listed occupational diseases often fail to cover their targeted groups. For example, pneumoconiosis is a major industrial disease harming Chinese workers, and the number of people having pneumoconiosis accounts for 90 percent of all reported occupational disease patients. It is time to target this specific disease.

In order to realize that, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring of enterprises so that they will improve the working conditions for their workers, improve the relevant supervision system as soon as possible to ensure that all workers are included in the occupational disease inspection system, and to speed up the construction of occupational health examination institutions to ensure full coverage of occupational health examinations.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529232.htm On his way to the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Spain, during a visit to Slovenia, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi again defended China's cooperation with Central and Eastern European nations, reiterating its goodwill nature and praising it as a beneficial complement to China-EU relations.

But that may not suffice to alleviate the worries Wang and his entourage are set to encounter at the Asia-Europe event in Madrid. It will take patience and persuasion on their part to convince their EU counterparts of the innocent intentions behind the growing Chinese presence in Europe, particularly its eastern parts.

But as Wang pointed out, China-CEE cooperation, or "17+1", which convenes China, 16 CEE countries and Greece, is not divisive in nature, it is an outcome of mutual needs and voluntary partnership. The EU should rest assured that the China-CEE platform is conducive to its well-being as it narrows the development gaps among its own member states.

Thanks in part to the internal unbalanced development levels and the EU's inability to offer development assistance to its less-developed central and eastern members, China and the CEE countries have found precious opportunities in what each side has to offer the other.

The two sides' economic needs are mutually complementary. Their markets have great potential for each other. And their cooperation may open up a significant gateway linking Asia and Europe. Ideological and geopolitical factors aside, this is an invaluable economic thoroughfare that would benefit the entire Eurasian continent.

Unfortunately it is precisely ideological and geopolitical considerations that are creating obstacles for such an otherwise promising partnership. Neutral as it may be from the perspective of the cross-Atlantic alliance, NATO's latest mention of "challenges" from a rising China is read widely as a sign of North American and Western European suspicion, if not distortion, of China's intentions. And for all the clarifications Beijing has offered, Europeans remain divided over what a growing Chinese presence means to them. While some harbor suspicions about the Chinese government's defense and promotion of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, for instance, Beijing is pushing it as a touchstone of mutual trust. National security, in Beijing's eyes, is but a fig leaf for a plot to contain China.

Chinese investments and relationships in the CEE countries and Greece represent its commitment to long-term engagement with them as key parts of the Belt and Road Initiative. Rather than letting ideological differences breed suspicion, the EU should look at the "17+1" cooperation without prejudice. In doing so, it would appreciate that the cooperation is beneficial to the EU as a whole and helps materialize the EU vision and strategy for connecting Europe with Asia.

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529240.htm The rolling out of 5G services has triggered a wave of competition across the world and, more importantly, triggered a race to develop 6G.

An official Chinese research team on 6G was established last month. And developed economies such as the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and some European countries have started devising research and development plans for 6G, as the telecommunications sector has always been a hotspot for competition.

5G technology aims to create a comprehensive perceptual sensory system in which information and tools can be easily accessed. On the other hand, 6G will help build a perceptual nervous system integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and wireless cognition, which can give intelligent responses.

Compared with 5G technology, 6G will have lower latency, higher speed and more bandwidth. And this advanced technology will help connect the real world with the virtual digital world. It will also make product design, R&D and experiments significantly more efficient and greatly reduce their costs while making it possible to produce digital products in the physical world through high-tech including 3D printing. Which, along with the seamless connection and intelligent coupling of the physical and digital worlds, will lead to a thorough reconstruction of the division of labor and societal cooperation.

In terms of economic development, 3G fostered e-commerce while 4G boosted e-commerce and mobile payment. 5G infrastructure building and application marked the beginning of Chinese enterprises' intelligent manufacturing and provided the basis for the sector's rapid development. Similarly, wireless cognition technology associated with 6G technology, once it matures, will further boost the development of the digital economy.

In digital economy, intelligence based on big data will become the real impetus for innovation, and 6G networks not only will be highways for transmitting data, but will also much more seamlessly integrate edge and core computing as part of a combined communications/computation infrastructure framework. Which will provide many potential advantages as 6G technology becomes operational, including access to AI capabilities.

Digital economy based on 6G will become the determining factor of a country's competitiveness in the future. And 6G technology with wireless cognition as its major characteristic will become the pivotal, core technology and main driver of the digital economy.

6G is expected to support 1 terabyte per second speeds, an unprecedented level of capacity and latency, which will extend the performance of 5G applications aside from expanding the scope of capabilities in support of increasingly new and innovative applications across the realms of wireless cognition, sensing and imaging.

China remained a passive player in the field of advanced technology before 4G services were rolled out, mainly following the United States and European countries and had not set standards for telecom technology. But by developing 4G technology at the same time as the developed economies, China became a big player in the field and contributed to the rule-making process. That China's 4G network is the most advanced and pervasive in the world has also helped the rapid development of mobile payment in the country.

Starting with 5G, the Chinese telecom industry, thanks to its extensive R&D input, has taken the lead in standardizing and manufacturing 5G telecom equipment. And now that the US and European countries lag behind China in 5G technology development, they want to drag China down using non-competitive means such as restricting the development of Chinese companies such as Huawei, and by launching R&D in 6G before China in order to cash in on the advantage they enjoy in the millimeter wave industrial chain.

The competition in 6G will start with the setting of standards, which will determine the level of R&D needed for the launch of the technology and thus decide the market share of the emerging industry. As far as R&D in 5G technology is concerned, China enjoys two advantages. First, it is a global leader in the telecom sector and has a solid reserve of talents. And second, it has a relatively complete industrial chain that covers R&D, design, manufacturing and application, and is home to leading 5G equipment maker Huawei.

Recent history shows whoever leads the telecom technology sector sets the standards for telecom products and services and plays a bigger role in the industry's future development. And since 6G technology will become the engine of a new round of economic development, the Chinese government, enterprises and research organizations should strengthen cooperation to succeed in the competition to develop 6G.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

 

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529193.htm Rapid technological transformation will be a key feature of economies well into the future. At the national, regional and global levels, frontier technologies are offering promising new opportunities, as well as prompting new policy challenges.

Technological innovation has long boosted economic performance, improved efficiency, and expedited economic globalization, transforming human society in the process. But as the defining issue of our time, the digital revolution demands renewed policy cooperation at all levels of governance. After all, the latest wave of technological change is especially broad, and it is coming fast. It is fundamentally altering how goods, services and ideas are exchanged. And as rapidly declining costs make digital technologies even more affordable and accessible, they will continue to transform people's lives and livelihoods.

And yet there is a danger that these gains will not reach the world's poorest people. An estimated 3 billion people could still not have access to the internet by 2023, and many more will have little or no opportunity to reap the benefits of digital technologies. Which means there should be no delay in addressing the problem of digital exclusion.

Fortunately, the Pathways for Prosperity Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development, which I co-chair with Melinda Gates, former Microsoft general manager, has shown developing countries can still harness the new wave of frontier technologies for the benefit of all. Digital technologies have unlocked new routes to prosperity through agriculture, manufacturing, trade in services, the linking of informal and formal sectors, and domestic interconnectivity. Low-and middle-income countries around the world now have the chance to build new industries, deliver better services, and improve peoples' lives.

But digital technologies can also entrench existing forms of exclusion, disrupt livelihoods, and provide new tools for the powerful to abuse and exploit the weak. Developing countries, in particular, are starting from a difficult position, because they are already grappling with the challenges of low human capital, ineffective institutions, and a difficult business environment. Still, policymakers must not allow themselves to be paralyzed in the face of change. Rather than becoming passive observers of the technology revolution, they must take control of their countries' economic futures.

All developing countries and emerging economies should be able to capture at least some of the new opportunities on offer. As the commission has shown, governments have several policy options to achieve more inclusive growth. But technology alone will not guarantee success. Policymakers must also consider local contexts and conditions, so they can create social, political and economic ecosystems in which technology creates jobs and drives inclusive growth.

To compete globally, all countries need to prepare themselves for new and upcoming technologies, by maximizing inclusiveness and guiding markets toward the right types of innovation. Governments should start by realizing the challenge is not just about "digital policy". Rather, it calls for a "whole-of-economy"－indeed, a "most-of-society"－approach. And since inclusion is the key to success, support for marginalized groups will need to be built into the policy process from the outset. To that end, national governments should start planning for digital readiness in four areas: infrastructure, human capital, policy and regulation, and finance. These are the technical pillars of the future economy.

At the same time, regional-level policymakers－particularly in the Asia-Pacific region－need to start building momentum on policy cooperation, which will be necessary for harnessing frontier technologies for the greater good. And at the global level, cross-border issues related to frontier technologies will need to be addressed multilaterally.

That means multilateral organizations themselves should be developing an antenna for identifying new technological and developmental challenges. It is already clear that more must be done to mitigate technological disruptions to employment, boost investment in human capital, and ensure fair taxation in the new digital economy.

We should not underestimate the power of multilateralism. For decades, countries have been coming together in global forums to safeguard public goods and pursue common prosperity. Yet the existing architecture for multilateralism will need to be adapted to reflect the changing needs. To capture the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution, we also will need to strengthen public-private partnerships and make our economies more efficient and flexible. With the world's population projected to reach 10 billion by mid-century, global governance will become even more complex than it is today.

For its part, Indonesia recognizes the need for policies to manage the new digital economy. In addition to addressing the impact of technological disruption and ensuring fair taxation, the key will be to put people at the center of the agenda. Beyond furnishing workers with the right skills, we must create a digital world where all people have a voice, and where those who are not benefiting from change have the support they need.

As is usually the case, the challenge we face is also an opportunity. Digital and frontier technologies have enormous potential to improve government administration and the delivery of public services. It is time for a new kind of conversation, one that involves governments, business leaders, innovators, civil society and citizens alike. For developing countries, the task is clear: we must ride the wave of technological change, rather than wait for it to crash down on us.

The author is finance minister of Indonesia and former chair of the World Bank Group's Development Committee.

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

 

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529224.htm The new round of scientific and technological revolution has triggered drastic changes in production modes, industrial organizations and structures, and played a significant role in determining global industrial transformation patterns while greatly influencing trade and the international division of labor.

However, due to its sensitivity to external environment, scientific and technological innovation needs a suitable institutional setup to promote development. As such, the scientific and technological system should adapt to the new changes. For that, however, the authorities need to establish better coordination among government departments, and set up a sound innovation governance system to boost scientific and technological development.

In the seven decades since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government has continuously reformed the scientific and technological system and promoted innovation. But to promote comprehensive industrial transformation, the authorities have to further improve the existing scientific and technological system.

China's innovation program faces some problems. For example, there is a lack of coordination among different innovation-promotion organizations, and the market and intellectual property rights protection mechanisms are not foolproof, which is not conducive to promoting comprehensive industrial transformation.

The traditional management system should be compatible with the new industrial revolution. Since the traditional industrial system follows the top-down bureaucratic model, the new industrial revolution is focused more on creativity, equality, collaboration and opening-up, which could be a challenge for the innovation system.

Although the selective industrial policy is beneficial to developing economies trying to catch up with the developed countries, in the new age of industrial transformation, if a country sticks to the traditional policy paradigm, it could stunt the development of emerging technologies and industries. Therefore, it is important for the government to explore a scientific and technological system that could boost China's innovation capacity.

In order to avail of the opportunities offered by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and realize industrial transformation, as well as face the challenge of global competition, the authorities should further reform the scientific and technological system and build a strong innovation governance system.

To begin with, they need to strike the right balance between the government and the market. And to sharpen China's competitive edge, the authorities should allow the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation in order to promote innovation. But when it comes to strategically sensitive sectors, which concern national security and public interests, the authorities should integrate the government's institutional advantages to enhance the country's strategic scientific and technological power.

While strengthening coordination among different government departments and policies, the authorities should also combine science and technology policies with industrial, trade and financial policies to boost innovation. In particular, the government should deregulate emerging industries and create a flexible market environment to encourage enterprises to accelerate innovation.

Besides, the government should optimize research and development activities. By improving basic R&D, it can help researchers to focus more on fundamental scientific research which would facilitate more in-depth research in specific scientific fields. The government should also encourage enterprises to conduct basic research in applied sciences, so that the result of scientific research can be applied to industry and thus boost innovation and the production of innovative products.

The authorities also need to establish a management and evaluation system that will promote the cultivation of talents in the science and technology field, and improve the overall efficiency of the innovation promotion system.

Furthermore, the government needs to boost the innovation capacity of core technology fields, and strengthen innovation cooperation with other countries. As a responsible major power, China should take measures for the globalization of innovation, and contribute Chinese wisdom to international cooperation in innovation.

The author is a researcher at the Institutes of Science and Development, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529209.htm Editor's note: Li Ziqi, a short video blogger specializing in traditional Chinese cooking and handicrafts, has gained worldwide popularity. Xinhuanet.com comments:

 

Li has about 20 million followers on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, plus 7 million followers on overseas social media networks. Many foreigners say they have got to know traditional Chinese food culture via her channel.

It is the spirit of craftsmanship behind her works that make Li's video clips attractive. She strictly follows the authentic traditional steps and procedures in making traditional Chinese food and handicrafts, such as peach flower wine and silk, and goes to great lengths to ensure her videos are accurate. Sometimes she spends several months producing one of her videos.

Li has been inheriting traditional Chinese culture in a rather creative way. A closer look at her videos will show that they are never with any "analysis" that makes people feel bored. They just show audiences each and every detail of traditional Chinese culture, so that the latter knows how Chinese live their beautiful and elegant lives. It is that universal appeal that makes her works so appealing. Thanks to Li's efforts, many intangible cultural heritages that only existed in memories and written records now appear before our eyes.

Via her short videos, Li presents the image of a beautiful and friendly China.

With the growth of the Chinese economy, people overseas are showing more interest in traditional Chinese culture. Li has shown how to satisfy that interest in a good way, namely showing the best parts of traditional Chinese culture with her heart.

To effectively present the beauty of Chinese culture to the world, we need more Li Ziqi.

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529210.htm MESUT OZIL, a German football player of Turkish origin, stirred up trouble after posting on several social media accounts a "poem" that advocates separatism in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

 

According to the translation of Chinese media outlets, Ozil openly supports jihad in Xinjiang. Let's see what those who he supports have done to this region that's home to people of multiple ethnicities.

Two documentaries released by China Global Television Network about the fight against terrorism in Xinjiang best explain this. Through their lenses, people can see how the terrorists in Xinjiang attack passersby with knives and sticks.

How they teach a 6-year-old to kill with a gun.

How they drove a truck with bombs into groups of people, and then detonated it.

How they stopped cars on a road and killed the people inside one by one.

These attacks are by any definition terrorist attacks, and their perpetrators are enemies to all peace-loving people of this world.

The evil deeds of terrorists in Xinjiang are no secret to the world, and by every standard they should be defined as evil. As early as 2012, the so-called Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement, which has planned the majority of the above-mentioned terrorist attacks, was officially recognized by the United Nations as a terrorist group.

Perhaps Ozil has been brainwashed by certain Western media outlets into believing that terrorists harming Xinjiang are "freedom fighters". Perhaps he chooses to side with the terrorists even though he knows the bloody crimes they have committed in Xinjiang.

In the former case, certain Western media outlets should be ashamed of their bad ethical standards, while in the latter case, Ozil himself should be ashamed for supporting the terrorists. Within hours, Ozil received such a backlash from angry Chinese that the person handling his official account had to close the comments.

Perhaps to avoid drowning in the anger of the Chinese people, Arsenal Football Club where Ozil serves quickly issued a statement via micro blog, saying that Ozil's words are purely his own and the club insists it is not involved in politics.

In its latest response, the Chinese Football Association also said that Ozil's words hurt the feelings of the Chinese and are unacceptable.

There is no official penalty for Ozil, but he will likely lose his Chinese fans.

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529211.htm The fact that the UN climate change conference, known as COP25, is still yet to finish, two days after its scheduled closing date, shows how hard it is for all countries to look beyond their own immediate interests for a pragmatic action plan to save the world from the fatal threat of extreme weather conditions.

There is no time left for the international community to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the warnings by scientists about the havoc climate change will wreak.

The continuous rise in global temperatures in the past decades, which has resulted in the much higher frequency of extreme weather events around the world, should be enough for the international community to be convinced about how urgent it is for all countries to take immediate action.

The whole world is waiting, hoping that the negotiations in Madrid will deliver a feasible solution, by which all countries, big or small, rich or poor, do whatever they can to cut greenhouse emissions in a concrete manner to implement the Paris agreement to the letter.

However, it is likely that the world will be disappointed again. Whether poor countries will be supported both in funds and technology by developed countries is still a hard nut to crack. What they view as intransigence on the part of some richer nations remains to be overcome. And the call by the European Union and a coalition of developing countries for others to come forward with more ambitious plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions will be hard to materialize.

Research published during the talks found that emissions have risen by 4 percent since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, and cuts of more than 7 percent a year will be needed in the next decade to avoid dangerous levels of heating.

Whatever the result of the negotiations from this conference, China will continue to attach importance to whatever it can do to cut carbon emissions. Its annual report on policies and actions to address climate change published by the end of November shows that its carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000 yuan ($1,420) of GDP decreased 45.8 percent since 2005, which is equivalent to a reduction of 5.26 billion tons. It means that China has realized its 2020 target of reducing carbon emissions ahead of schedule.

China has raised the share of non-fossil fuels in its energy mix to 14.3 percent, on track to meet its target for 2020. The volume of its forest stock volume rose by 1.7 billion cubic meters, which is more than four times its 2020 target.

With concrete actions, China is demonstrating its determination to fight against climate change.

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/16/content_37529212.htm Despite the lull in violence on the streets, the Hong Kong police have seized large amounts of dangerous weapons and materials from young rioters and from schools. These include, among other things, improvised explosive devices, modified air rifles, and toxic and corrosive chemicals.

On Friday, a 13-year-old girl who burned a national flag on Sept 21 was ordered to undergo group counseling and put on probation for a year by a Hong Kong court. And on the same day, the police detained five young people, who are suspected of being involved in the death of a 70-year-old street sweeper last month, who died after being hit on the head by a brick.

Statistics show nearly half of the 6,000 or so people detained over the past six months for violence and illegal assemblies are students, and almost 1,000 of them are under 16 years old. Why are so many young people in the special administrative region willing to commit violent acts?

The thousands of bail applications the court has received from detainees have been filled with all sorts of naive reasons why they should be released－ranging from preparing for exams to sticking to personal travel plans, demonstrating that they simply do not realize the seriousness of their deeds, and have no comprehension of the legal consequences.

Their lack of awareness about the law and what constitutes civil behavior is in sharp contrast with the profound knowledge they profess to have of democracy, freedom and human rights. This should shame their teachers. Instead, many teachers have condoned and encouraged the violence.

Before 1997, there were only five so-called patriotic middle schools in Hong Kong, which stressed teaching Chinese culture, language and history. They did not receive government funding and their graduates were not allowed to work for the government.

The situation has not changed much today. Education aimed at promoting national pride is still portrayed as brainwashing, while well-compiled textbooks have fostered a latent anti-Beijing bias that has been unleashed and exploited by the instigators and orchestrators of the violence.

No wonder many compare the city's current education system to a government-funded assembly line churning out generations of angry anti-Beijing youths, for whom critical thinking is synonymous with China-bashing. No wonder many teachers in the city－who are products of the assembly line themselves－feel assured about and boldly endorse their campuses being turned into arsenals and training camps for the rioters.

That more than 30 teachers have been investigated on suspicion of violating professional ethics by the Hong Kong Education Bureau over the past six months represents only a tip of an iceberg.

But one thing all these shapers of young minds have in common is that they will never tell their students that the prerequisite for freedom of expression is critical thinking not assertions of their indoctrination.

 

]]> 2019-12-16 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/14/content_37529138.htm Thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides, China and the United States agreed on the text of a phase-one trade deal based on the principle of equality and mutual respect.

The agreement will have a positive impact on global trade, investment and the financial market, and marks a constructive step toward resolving the bilateral trade dispute, especially as the US president said "phase-two" talks would start soon.

Earlier reports of a deal were welcomed by the global market, as proved by the rally on Wall Street that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging 220 points, or 0.8 percent, on Thursday, while the yuan jumped to a four-and-a-half-month high against the US dollar and Chinese stocks staged a rally on Friday.

The rally on Wall Street continued on Friday morning (US Eastern Time) after the two sides agreed to negotiate on specific arrangement of signing the phase-one trade deal.

In return for suspending tariffs on $160 billion of Chinese imports set to kick in on Sunday, Washington wants Beijing to purchase more US farm products, increase US companies' access to the Chinese market and tighten intellectual property rights protection.

Indeed, by withdrawing the impending tariffs and gradually reducing the existing tariffs, the US will help improve overall China-US relations, trade relations in particular. And as expected, a deal will benefit not only China and the US, but also the rest of the world, and stabilize the international market.

By easing the trade war, which has forced the global manufacturing sector into decline, the deal will promote the stable recovery of the global economy.

Beijing has always advocated and practiced principled cooperation, and time and again stressed that only negotiations on an equal level, not tariffs, can resolve the trade dispute. Now that the US, too, has realized this, bilateral and multilateral trade and economic exchanges are expected to get a shot in the arm.

It is good to see positive signs on the other side of the negotiations table, especially since it means the US has at last taken China's requirements－that tariffs be adjusted according to the progress of the talks－seriously.

That the deal also includes the protection of Chinese companies in their dealings with the US is a positive sign that they can solve their differences.

This positive momentum needs to be carried forward, so future negotiations can resolve all the trade disputes between the two sides and end the trade war.

The world expected to see a phase-one deal, not least because it will help halt the costly trade war, and pave the way for the final solution.

]]> 2019-12-14 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528944.htm Editor's Note: A Hong Kong police officer who was slashed on the neck while on duty on Oct 13 was interviewed by Beijing News on Tuesday. The officer, who has served in the Hong Kong police force for over two decades, is one of the hundreds of police officers who have been injured in the 6 months of unrest. The following are excerpts of the interview:

My veins and a set of nerves were cut, but fortunately no arteries were severed. One of the functions of the severed nerves is to operate the right vocal cord, and although they are now reattached, the right vocal cord is still useless. My family members have always been very supportive of my work, but because of this incident, they are really worried about my safety and they advised me to do paperwork after I return to duty.

The man who slashed my neck has been arrested on suspicion of "intent to murder". He is 18 years old and was studying in a middle school in the New Territories. Police found a suicide note at his home.

I think my injury was only an isolated incident and I don't believe Hong Kong will become more violent in the future. I don't hate the man who injured me, but I don't understand why he did it. I hope everyone can stop violence so that Hong Kong can return to what it was like before. I hope all Hong Kong residents express their concerns in a peaceful and rational manner.

I think there was a lot of freedom to live in Hong Kong before the unrest began, but all this is being taken away. Because of the demonstrations and unrest, our traffic is disrupted and people's freedom has been deprived by the demonstrators. Before the unrest erupted, people could go wherever they wanted, and if there was someone who wanted to open a business, he or she would not be influenced by anyone else regardless of his or her political stance.

It is people's freedom to express their opinions, but it does not mean they have the right to express their concerns using force. As a Hong Kong resident, I don't want to see so much violence in this city. Any kind of violence, no matter what the cause, should not be allowed.

For law enforcement over the past six months, my colleagues have kept restraint, using only tear gas even in the face of demonstrators who threw gasoline bombs, bricks, and sometimes even used bows and arrows. Whether residents support the police or not, the police have to do their job as they are supposed to do.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528946.htm In the long interims between each round of trade talks between China and the United States, although both sides would occasionally signal that the negotiations were still alive, it has often been the case that no news is good news.

But, for better or worse, there will be news this weekend, as the US administration has to decide whether to allow the hike of tariffs on the remaining $160 billion worth of imports from China to kick-in on Sunday. Unless action is taken to halt them, they will automatically come into effect.

The administration has been laying the groundwork for putting them on ice, so at the moment at least, it seems that the phase one deal is still alive. China on its part has been trying to fortify the prospects for its finalization.

That China's imports of US soybeans from September to November are already 13 times that of the same period last year shows Beijing's willingness to keep its side of the proposed bargain.

Yet, considering there is no lack of China hawks like White House trade adviser Peter Navarro among the top brains surrounding the US leader, there is bound to be resistance to any move to stop the tariffs from coming into effect. Navarro is shameless in his efforts to stigmatize China.

To support his fabrications about China he has even gone so far as to create a fictional alter ego called "Ron Vara", an anagram of his last name, to support his unsubstantiated and misinformed China-bashing.

But the two countries have locked their horns in a trade war for more than one and a half years; the US leader should brush aside Navarros' fictions and concentrate on the facts.

If the additional tariffs on all the remaining Chinese imports are activated on Sunday, China will have no choice but to retaliate with its own batch of tariffs on US goods that are due to take effect that day.

US anti-tariff campaign group Tariffs Hurt the Heartland estimates that US consumers and businesses have paid an additional $42 billion from February 2018 to October as a result of the US-initiated trade war. While Trade Partnership Worldwide, LLC, an international consulting firm, predicts that with new tariffs 1 percent would be shaved off the US GDP.

The intensified frictions would also scupper the phase one deal, and probably put an end to the trade bargaining.

Halting the impending tariffs, and progressively canceling the existing tariffs in line with progress of the talks, is the way to set the table so the two sides put the ink on a deal.

To replace the former negotiations on a broad deal with more realistic step-by-step talks on phased deals is itself already a hard-won result that has come at a huge cost. If the phase one deal is allowed to die on the vine, all that hard-earned progress will have been for nothing.

What happens during the trade war will determine the future, not the trade war itself.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528954.htm THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT has issued a judicial interpretation on dealing with cases involving agreements signed between administrative authorities and citizens, legal persons or other organizations, which stipulates the legal liability that administrative organizations bear. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

This judicial interpretation aims to solve the problem of a government failing to fulfill an agreement. According to the judicial interpretation, administrative authorities will be held legally responsible for breaking the agreements using the excuse of a change of local government leading officials. Any losses suffered by enterprises and investors in the event of an administrative authority breaking an agreement are to be compensated according to law.

According to the Supreme People's Court, the judicial interpretation aims to ensure administrative organizations fulfill their policy promises and carry out any administrative agreements they sign.

The judicial interpretation is expected to solve the difficulty that market players face when there is a dispute with administrative authorities over breach of contract. Local authorities have sometimes failed to fulfill the commitments they made for investment, housing demolition or land acquisition purposes. But it is difficult for the citizens, legal persons or other organizations to safeguard their legal rights and interests when the agreement involves any administrative authorities. Such cases not only undermine market players' rights and interests, they also damage the local market environment. In addition, they have a negative impact on the image of local governments.

The legal environment is a significant part of the business environment. The new judicial interpretation requires administrative organizations to abide by the laws and regulations the same as any other market player has to. Local authorities are urged to make reasonable and long-term policy according to the laws and regulations, which will further promote administrative efficiency in local areas.

Government authorities being held responsible for failing to fulfill agreements is therefore conducive to improving the business environment, promoting responsible governance and enhancing the integrity of local governments.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528958.htm ON THURSDAY, Peking University announced its decision to fire Feng Renjie, a teacher who was reported by his girlfriend as having sexual relationships with several female students. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

The claims that Feng took advantage of his position to seduce students remind us of another case exposed a few days ago.

On Monday, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics fired its associate professor Qian Fengsheng who is alleged to have molested a female student in his car.

There is at least one lesson to be drawn from the two cases, namely that power of academic staff, such as professors, is power too, and must be regulated.

When it comes to "power", most people associate the word with officials. However, the fact is that professors in colleges have power over the students they teach.

A professor has the power to decide how much work one student has to do in the class and how many points he or she gets in the course. Further, the professor can decide for whom to write a recommendation letter, and whom to introduce to a good intern position.

Both Feng and Qian have already been fired for abusing their power. But the two cases show that the regulations need to be strengthened on the one hand, to deter professors from abusing their power and take advantage of students, and on the other hand to deter students from seeking to gain an advantage by offering sexual favors.

Also, the campuses should open hotlines for students, so the students who feel they have not got justice from university authorities can report what happended to the police.

In certain universities with strict disciplines, some professors, in order to avoid any possible doubt about their reputation, even avoid being in a room alone with a student of the other gender. That might be a little inconvenient, but at least it stops anything untoward happening.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528959.htm The tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded on Thursday, has shed light on the direction of China's economic policymaking next year and mapped out policies to pursue high-quality development against domestic and external headwinds.

As the conference statement said, the country has achieved the hard-won task of "sustainable and healthy" economic development despite "growing risks and challenges".

But the increasingly turbulent global economic and trade landscape and the downward pressure on the economy mean policymakers face more daunting tasks in the year ahead as they strive to keep economic growth within a reasonable range, create jobs and improve people's livelihoods.

Yet, despite the headwinds it has encountered, China may still achieve GDP growth of more than 6 percent this year, meaning it is set to outperform most, if not all, of the other major economies, a simple fact that speaks volumes about the resilience of the Chinese economy.

Such resilience and the strengths of its governance system mean the country is confident it will be able to achieve its objective of doubling GDP per capita from the 2010 level and fully establish an all-round moderately prosperous society by the end of next year.

The doom-mongers are destined to be disappointed if they continue to predict a hard landing for the Chinese economy, ignoring what China has achieved and the leadership and institutional advantages it has that will ensure the country has a strong foundation for the start of its 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021.

For Chinese policymakers, their priority next year will be "stabilization", as the country is still transforming its development mode and optimizing the economic structure to realize the shift from capital accumulation-led growth to innovation-driven growth. This requires proactive and result-oriented approaches be taken to deepen reform and opening-up.

Some in the West hold the view that China's economic success cannot be sustained and it has already sown the seeds of its imminent collapse.

But over the past four decades, especially during the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and the 2008-09 global financial crisis, Chinese regulators have accumulated rich expertise in macroeconomic regulation and managed to prevent the economy from being derailed by both domestic and external challenges.

Today, the situation may be more complicated than ever. But the long-term upward trajectory of the economy has not changed. China is capable of coping with the many challenges it faces, and holding itself on course to realize its goal of national rejuvenation.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528960.htm The US-triggered trade war has hurt China's exports, increased uncertainty and dampened business investment in 2019. We (at UBS Investment Bank) think this negative impact will persist next year even with a likely "phase one" trade deal between China and the United States.

Against such headwinds, we expect the Chinese government to continue easing macro policies to support growth. With a modest fiscal expansion focused on infrastructure spending and slightly easier monetary policy, we see China's growth stabilizing in 2020, with employment and consumption both resilient, and inflation not a lasting concern.

Our base case forecast assumes that the US and China will agree on a "phase one" deal. Even so, most if not all tariff hikes will likely remain and there is a risk of further escalation. US restrictions on technology exports to China, too, are likely to remain, if not tightened further. As a result, we expect China's exports to the US to continue to decline due to higher tariffs, and exports to the rest of the world to weaken because of slower global growth and increasing uncertainty. Declining exports and rising uncertainty, due to the trade war, will also likely keep corporate investment subdued.

Indeed, a UBS Evidence Lab survey of Chinese chief financial officers found that an increasing number of manufacturing companies have cut or plan to cut capital expenditure. We estimate that higher US tariffs and restrictions have had more than 100 basis points drag on China's GDP growth in 2019 and will have at least another 60 basis points drag in 2020.

Under such circumstances, will China announce a stimulus package? Should it?

There has been extensive debate on the subject in China. For us, the answers are clear. Of course, China will implement stimulus policies. Maintaining a "reasonable" growth rate is considered key to maintaining economic and social stability, and it has always been a top priority for the government. In fact, the Chinese government has eased policies since this summer, relaxing restrictions on financing for infrastructure projects, lowering interest rates at the margin, and improving the business environment for private and service sector companies.

Going into 2020, we expect the government to expand broad fiscal deficit by about 0.5 percent of GDP including an increase in new special local government bonds to at least 3 trillion yuan ($430 billion) to help boost infrastructure investment in a bid to ensure a 6-8 percent growth. In addition, we expect a modest monetary easing in 2020, with a 100 basis-point cut in banks reserve requirement ratios and a 10-15 basis-point medium-term lending facility rate cut, which should help the broad total social financing credit growth to reach 11.5 percent.

However, we do not expect a big stimulus package nor see 6 percent growth as a magic number. While the government wants to keep growth from slowing sharply, it also realizes that containing financial system risk and preventing a big property bubble are also important. Given China's already high debt/GDP ratio and housing prices, we believe the government will refrain from enacting a big credit-fueled stimulus package or stimulating the property sector.

And since the US-China trade war seems likely to last longer, Chinese policymakers may also want to keep some policy reserves for the future.

Therefore, we do not think the government will strive to achieve 6 percent growth in 2020 at all costs. If the US makes good its threat to raise tariffs on more Chinese goods on Dec 15 and brings stronger headwinds for the economy, we think the Chinese government can accept a sub-6 percent growth in 2020. But if the US suspends the tariff hike, the expected modest policy easing should get growth close to 6 percent.

Despite the expected slowdown in 2020, we do not foresee a significant drop in China's consumption growth. Ongoing structural transformation, including a gradual move toward services, and more automation in the manufacturing and export sectors, means the negative effects of higher tariffs and weaker exports have had only moderate impact on the labor market. We expect more job losses in 2020 as recent tariffs take a toll on exports and growth, and yet we see China creating more than 10 million urban jobs next year. As a result, unemployment rate might rise only modestly in 2020.

Moreover, given the largely resilient labor market, recent income tax cuts, and the government's initiative to support the service sector and small and medium-sized enterprises, we see consumption slowing only modestly next year. In particular, car sales could stabilize and become less of a drag on the economy, and spending on services including healthcare and tourism may increase more than average.

And facing the increasing deglobalization forces, we expect China to further open up its markets, including the financial market, to attract more foreign investment. We also expect China to deepen reform, including State-owned enterprises reform and hukou (housing registration) reform, enhanced intellectual property rights protection and higher spending on technology, in order to foster innovation in the long run. We also expect the yuan's exchange rate to stay relatively stable, and inflation to decelerate after the Lunar New Year in January.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528961.htm The year 2020 marks the closing year of a decade-long endeavor for China, as the country's leadership has pledged to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects by 2020, a year before the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China. To achieve that goal, China needs to double real GDP from the 2010 level by next year－and therefore requires a minimum growth of 6.1-6.2 percent in both 2019 and 2020.

Despite external and domestic challenges, China's 10-year goal appears within reach. The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Dec 6 reaffirmed the commitment, and called on the government to keep economic growth within a reasonable range by properly using counter-cyclical tools.

We (at Standard Chartered Bank) think the government will set the 2020 growth target around 6 percent, providing policy support for a slightly higher growth rate. While GDP growth rates up to 2018 are likely to be revised based on the latest economic census, we believe the upward revisions will be marginal and insufficient to meaningfully lower the 2020 growth target.

Govt realizes structural downward pressure

Compared with the growth target of 6.0-6.5 percent set for 2019, a lower target would suggest the government recognizes the structural downtrend of the economy and does not want to over-stimulate it, especially because of an already high leverage ratio and the need to reserve policy space in its long-term competition with the United States. Still, to stabilize employment and build some cushion for achieving the 10-year goal, the government might err on the higher side of 6 percent.

The US-triggered trade war and the property sector are sources of downward pressure on China's economy. If a "phase one" deal at the Sino-US trade talks preempts new US tariffs and includes some rollback of existing tariffs, we estimate the existing tariffs will trim China's 2020 growth by 0.3 percentage points. In a worse-case scenario where all announced US tariffs are fully implemented, China's growth could reduce by up to 0.6 percentage points next year.

Yet despite restrictive housing policies curtailing property developers' appetite to acquire land and launch new projects, which bodes ill for property investment next year, we see some positive factors, including policy support and cyclical tailwinds, which would help contain the risk of a sharp downturn. Therefore, we forecast 6.1 percent growth for 2020, above market consensus.

Proactive fiscal policy has been doing the heavy lifting this year. While the official budget only shows a deficit of 2.8 percent of GDP, the broadly defined budget deficit, which covers both the general public budget and the government funds budget, has been increased to 6.5 percent of GDP this year from 4.7 percent last year. Data so far suggest the budget will be fully implemented, delivering fiscal stimulus of 1.8 percent of GDP. Fiscal stimulus, in fact, has played an important role in offsetting the fallout from China's deleveraging measures last year and higher US tariffs this year.

We also expect the government to keep the broadly defined budget deficit around 6.5 percent of GDP in 2020. The official budget, however, may only show a deficit of 3 percent of GDP, observing the implicit ceiling of 3 percent.

Shift from tax cuts to spending

The mix of fiscal support, however, may shift from tax cuts to spending, as it tends to have a higher fiscal multiplier. And as the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee emphasized the need to strengthen infrastructure construction, both central and local government bond issuance quotas will likely be raised to finance the deficit.

The authorities have shown a preference for maintaining a conventional monetary policy for as long as possible. Recent statements by senior People's Bank of China's officials suggest deep skepticism over the utility and sustainability of quantitative easing and negative interest rates, tools that have been commonly used in major advanced economies. As such, China is unlikely to engage in aggressive monetary easing due to concerns over the already elevated debt level and the diminishing effects of policy loosening on activity in the real economy.

Accommodative monetary policy expected next year

We expect monetary policy to be accommodative in 2020. Both the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) and medium-term lending facility (MLF) rate are likely to be cut, and the central bank might keep monetary and total social financing growth slightly above nominal GDP growth next year. To achieve that, it will have to cut the RRR to raise the money multiplier, as its balance sheet has not been expanded for a while.

We forecast three RRR cuts of 50 basis points each, or an equivalent liquidity injection through a targeted RRR cut or central bank lending, in the first three quarters of 2020 to accommodate government bond issuance and to prevent a crowding-out of the private sector. In addition, to facilitate a decline in the average lending rate, the central bank may cut the MLF rate by 10 basis points each in the first and second quarters, with pass-through to the seven-day reverse repo rate and loan prime rate.

Next year will be a year of soft but stabilizing growth for the global economy in our view. And we forecast global growth at 3.3 percent for 2020, slightly higher than our 3.1 percent estimate for 2019.

Industrial inventory likely to bottom out

In China, infrastructure investment may pick up further, supported by fiscal spending, faster project approvals and the lowering of the project capital requirement. The industrial inventory cycle appears close to bottoming out, curbing downside risks to manufacturing investment. And historical data suggest there is an inventory cycle that lasts three to four years, and it has been three and a half years since the last bottoming out of the cycle.

Besides, car sales may become less of a drag on retail sales next year, due to recent policies to encourage car purchases. Automobile sales dropped 9.7 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months of 2019 because of the expiration of the tax benefit, slower home sales, and restrictive purchase policies in large cities. But since the base effect has waned in recent months, sales growth has become less negative－so sales could further pick up next year.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528977.htm The decision by Telefonica Deutschland on Wednesday to pick Nokia of Finland and China's Huawei to build its 5G network flies in the face of the entreaties of the United States, which has tried hard to dissuade its European allies from joining hands with China's Huawei in building their 5G networks, even threatening its allies it would not share intelligence with them.

Cooperation with the network vendors would be subject to both receiving the necessary certification in Germany, Telefonica Deutschland said in a statement.

Although Germany has yet to finalize security rules governing equipment suppliers, this decision, given Huawei's position as the leading supplier of the most advanced equipment for 5G networks, should have been anticipated.

Despite increasing pressure from the US, Germany maintains that it will not exclude any individual company or actor from the bidding process for 5G equipment.

It is not that Telefonica Deutschland has not heard the US claims that Huawei poses a security threat and so it should be excluded from critical network infrastructure. It is because the US has never provided any evidence that Huawei's equipment poses a threat to its national security. The entire world knows what the US is trying to achieve by doing whatever it can to strangle the development of the Chinese company.

It just cannot accept the reality that Huawei's development as the leading supplier of the world's most advanced equipment for 5G networks poses a threat to its hegemony as the leading technology power.

Nor can it accept the fact that Huawei is a company from China, which the US now considers to be a strategic rival, and one that has the potential of overtaking it as a leading power.

It is therefore out of consideration for geopolitics that the US cannot accept the rise of Huawei as a telecommunications technology giant. It simply cannot accept the rise of China as a technology superpower.

National security is anything but a real reason for the US to exclude an increasing number of Chinese companies from its own market.

It should not be hard for its European allies to see what the US is up to. The US' unreasonable requirement that they not use Huawei equipment in their 5G networks constitutes an interference in these countries' internal affairs as they are perfectly capable of deciding on their own whether or not Huawei poses a security threat.

On the question of Huawei, the US is inviting humiliation.

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/13/content_37528992.htm The 30,000 participants to the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid are mostly enthusiastic climate campaigners, from 16-year-old Swedish girl Greta Thunberg who inspired a massive student climate movement to 77-year-old former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg who said that he would ensure the United States rejoins the Paris Agreement if he wins the presidential race next year.

They are attending the 13-day conference which aims to "raise ambition" and set out a plan through which countries will make new climate pledges before the end of next year.

But the outcome of the conference, called COP25, is likely to be disappointing when it is concludes on Friday, because countries are unlikely to show the ambition urged by scientists and young climate activists.

It will be a betrayal of the warning in a recent report signed by 11,000 scientists from 153 countries, a betrayal of the outcry by Carlon Zackhras, a teenager from the Marshall Islands who talked on Monday about his government's plan to "elevate" the islands to avoid being submerged by the rising ocean, and a betrayal of the millions of schoolchildren led by Thunberg who believe that adults are negotiating away their future.

Young activists are playing a vital role in the global fight against climate change today. So it's no surprise that Time magazine on Wednesday named Thunberg "Person of the Year", a title she very well deserves.

The US' withdrawal from the Paris accord has greatly weakened the global momentum in the fight against climate change in the past years. The US is by far the largest historical emitter in the world, followed by the European Union. And the US' per capita emission is still more than twice that of China's.

The trade wars triggered by the US have also made things worse by distracting attention, weakening trust among nations and slowing down the economic growth of many countries, all of which are bad for the world to combat climate change.

On the other hand, developing countries want to shoulder common but differentiated responsibilities, because the developed countries are responsible for most of the historical emissions. If this is not respected, many developing countries will be denied the opportunity to develop their economies and lift their people out of poverty.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for further investment from rich countries and support for poor nations to make the changes needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impact of global warming.

As a journalist, I have to say that major news channels and newspapers are still ignoring or giving minimal coverage to COP25 despite the "climate emergency" declared by scientists and governments.

Some major cable news networks have covered campus shootings 24x7 and spent hours covering protests. But they didn't give live coverage to Guterres when he urged world leaders to act during his opening speech at COP25 on Dec 2, or when leading climate scientists warned of a disaster if the world did nothing and instead continued to release more carbon emissions.

That is why fake news like "climate change is a Chinese hoax" still seems to have a market in some places despite scientific evidence to the contrary.

I didn't get to ask Thunberg my question on Monday. So here is the question. What would the younger generations do if they find on Friday that their desperate calls are not heeded by government leaders and their future is further endangered due to a lack of strong political will on the part of politicians?

]]> 2019-12-13 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528838.htm For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the general election on Thursday is the only way to end the long-drawn Brexit deadlock. If his Conservative Party wins the election, Johnson would try to complete the Brexit process within weeks.

Johnson has already announced his plans for the first 100 days in office should he win the election. And not surprisingly, topping his agenda is his plan to pass the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to ensure the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union by Jan 31.

Johnson has said that by the end of next month, the UK "will have got Brexit done, and you will find, what will happen is the parliamentary agony will be over, the political agony will be over and the misery and tedium and procrastination that (has) been going on will be over".

For people in the UK and those in the rest of the world, Brexit has become a farce, not least because the Brexit process has lingered for more than three years.

Before Thursday's election was called, Britons in general had lost confidence in Johnson's government. In fact, many are still worried about the possibility of no-deal Brexit. As hard-core Euro-skeptics joined Johnson in the Cabinet, the potential risk of a no-deal Brexit and eventual suspension of Parliament raised grave doubts among UK citizens over Brexit's goal.

Given the complicated legislative procedure and the previous Brexit deadline of Oct 31, Parliament passed the Letwin Amendment put forward by Oliver Letwin, a rebel Tory MP, on Oct 20. Which triggered the Benn Act that forced Johnson to seek a new Brexit deadline, which now is fixed for Jan 31.

Although the 2016 referendum was in favor of Brexit, the Labour Party, Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats now insist Britain stay within the EU.

Moreover, according to leaked documents, British officials have warned about Johnson's agreement with Brussels over the arrangements to be put in place in Northern Ireland once the UK leaves the EU. The complex agreement on trade and economic ties between Northern Ireland and Britain requires a series of tariff and border inspection plans to be implemented. But the document cautions that there is not enough time to install all the operational systems needed to implement the renegotiated Northern Ireland elements in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by the end of this month.

The document also cautions that some versions of the Brexit deal in Northern Ireland "could lead to a domestic judicial review" that could see the government's deal being challenged in court.

Yet the EU attitude toward Brexit has been pragmatic. On the one hand, it demonstrated that it has run out of patience. On the other hand, it has taken measures to ensure neither side suffers, and has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline on the basis of the situation on the ground.

Therefore, Brussels not only aims to safeguard the interests of EU member states, especially Ireland, but has also warned other EU countries to avoid sinking into a UK-like situation. The EU also wants to avoid suffering any collateral damage brought about by the bickering of British parties.

That the UK, despite being a pioneer of representative democracy, has not been able to complete the Brexit process even after more than three years shows Western democracy is neither as representative nor as efficient as is claimed. It is therefore fair to say that Western democracy, which Francis Fukuyama in his End of History and the Last Man claimed to be the best political system in history, could still do with some improvement.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528837.htm Editor's Note: Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that China's consumer price index rose 4.5 percent year-on-year in November. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

The 4.5 percent CPI growth is at a very high level, mainly driven by the rise in pork prices, which has been triggered by the sharp reduction in supply, which cannot be eliminated in the short term due to the growth cycle of swine.

Compared with a big CPI increase, however, the November producer price index fell 1.4 percent year-on-year, showing increased economic downturn pressures, which has prompted some to argue that the authorities should take stimulation measures to ensure economic growth does not slip below 6 percent.

Due to the lack of demand, the industrial sector faces deflation pressure. However, food, other consumer goods and services, when facing upward prices pressure, are quite sensitive to monetary policy; thus any expectations of a loose monetary policy can easily lead to their prices increasing even higher, which, if it happens, will cause consumption to further shrink and suppliers to further raise prices. That means turning to a loose monetary policy for economic stimulation under the current situation may cause stagflation.

After a long period of stimulus policies, what China now faces are mainly structural and institutional problems, so excessive use of monetary policy to stimulate economic growth will only exacerbate structural imbalances and solidify the distortions. The solution to structural problems usually is not achieved by adopting a loose monetary policy to maintain comfortable growth, but instead by taking measures aimed at advancing difficult reforms.

The different running tracks of the CPI and PPI in China reflect the unbalanced distribution of the country's financial resources. So, if a loose monetary policy is adopted to continuously inject "blood" into the market, that may further push up the CPI.

Different from deflation, which only affects some groups, inflation will weigh on all, especially the vast number of middle-and low-income people.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528826.htm The Hong Kong police are engaged in a tough battle; they face not only the gas bombs, blades, arrows, corrosive chemicals and bricks hurled head-on, but also the harsh words of those behind them who should be offering them support－the media, the courts and now even the advisers to their watchdog.

The members of the Independent Expert Panel hired to advise the Independent Police Complaints Commission decided to quit on Wednesday, citing concerns that the commission is not qualified to fulfill its duties.

The move comes just over a month after the panel issued a report claiming there was "a shortfall" in the IPCC's powers, capacity and independent investigative capability compared with the scale of events. But wasn't that the reason they were hired as advisers? Aren't they supposed to make up that shortfall and help the IPCC to improve its performance?

Giving the panel leeway, one might generously say, as Anthony Neoh, the IPCC's head, has diplomatically done, that the panel does "not understand Hong Kong's situation". How can one excuse them for their failure to do what they were hired to do, when the panel members have used rulers they brought with them from their home countries to measure the scale of what is happening in the special administrative region? After all, in which of their countries are there large-scale foreign-backed violent secessionist campaigns?

A more objective view would be that all the panel has done is hit and run.

Which, given its members were former police supervisors from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and a British specialist on crowd behavior, is perhaps not that surprising.

Whatever their motives, their words have simply served the agenda of the anti-government forces, and their overseas inciters, who have been keen to shape civil discontent into a "color revolution". The excessive enthusiasm they have demonstrated over the panel's withdrawal has driven home the point how eager they are to welcome any parties willing to splash dirty water on the police and the SAR government, particularly at this moment when Hong Kong society is showing a disinclination to follow their lead.

In other words, their evaluation of the Hong Kong police is largely based on their out-of-context judgments, instead of the actual needs and the practical situations of Hong Kong, where the police, using riot-control techniques they learned from the West, are trying to protect and serve law and order in the city.

While the foreign backers of the opposition camp and their media mouthpieces decry the Hong Kong police for excessive use of force, their outrage is counterfeit. They wholeheartedly support the police in their efforts to uphold law and order when the rioting is in a Western country while condemning any actions by the police in Hong Kong. But such double talk is all part of the West's arsenal of dirty tricks.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528825.htm It is more than 12 months since Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Chinese citizen Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States, and Canadian nationals Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China. Although both sides defend the arrests as justified law enforcement, there are distinct differences.

In a Monday statement marking the one-year anniversary of the two Canadian citizens' arrest, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne claimed Kovrig and Spavor were being "arbitrarily detained" in China.

In an angry retort, the Chinese embassy in Canada said that what Canada and the US have done in the case of Meng "counts as arbitrary detention".

Given the nature of the cases－Meng is being held for extradition proceedings on fraud charges, while the two Canadians are under arrest for crimes against Chinese national security, and are being held and investigated in strict accordance with law－it is clear which side is doing the arbitrary detaining.

And that has been reinforced by the latest development, in which Canadian lawmakers on Tuesday approved the creation of a special committee charged with examining relations with China.

Instead of repairing the damaged ties, the idea is to redress the current government's "failure" to stand up against China.

The Conservatives, who are behind the new committee, not only want to scrap their country's investment in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, but also oppose allowing Huawei into their country's 5G network.

These politicians apparently fail to understand that it is the Canadian government's failure to stand up to its neighbor that has created the situation leading to Monday's angry exchange. By caving in to US demands that it help suffocate Huawei, the Canadian government has been willing to play with the letter of the law to appease its domineering neighbor at a time when the two countries have been wrangling over a trade deal along with Mexico.

An amended Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement was signed on Tuesday. And speaking at the signing ceremony, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the agreement was reached after a sometimes long and arduous negotiation process. No doubt Canada doing the US' bidding with regard to Huawei has helped get it over the line.

Although Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, frustrated over Washington's determination to strangle his company, just extended an olive branch to Canada with an offer to move US-based research and development facilities there.

If the political weather turns foul with the newly conceived committee, Ren very likely will have to reconsider that offer. Then the loss certainly will not just be Huawei's.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528824.htm After the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August, the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US and Russia－which requires both countries to cut their deployed strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550－is the only agreement restricting the size of the world's two largest nuclear arsenals.

Russia recently expressed its willingness to extend the treaty－by up to five years－by the end of this year with no preconditions. But the US has shown little enthusiasm to do the same. Which has put the fate of the treaty at risk.

Ironically, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Washington on Tuesday, said, "there is real risk that there is a reduction in strategic stability just staying right where we are". Although that remark was in support of the US stance that China should also be part of a wider nuclear weapons control discussion.

It is not the first time Washington has tried to link New START negotiations with China's participation, a doubtful move that China has firmly opposed. Since by suggesting that China's limited nuclear capacity poses a threat to global strategic stability, and thus must be contained, the US is trying to mislead the public as it pursues absolute security supremacy.

The nuclear strategy released by the current US administration revealed the extent to which the US is relying on a nuclear weapons advantage to maintain its position as the world's sole superpower, Not only has it expanded the circumstances under which the US might consider the use of nuclear weapons, including in response to so-called "non-nuclear strategic threats", it also calls for the development of new, more usable nuclear weapons capabilities.

China, on the other hand, guided by a defensive national defense policy, has never engaged in any form of arms race, and it maintains its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security. The fact that China has only around 290 nuclear warheads, compared with 6,490 for Russia and 6,185 for the US, speaks for itself. It is also the only country with nuclear weapons that has unequivocally committed itself to no first use and to not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against states that do not have nuclear weapons.

As the country with the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, the US should first fulfill its responsibility for nuclear disarmament by responding to Russia's appeal for extending the New START, rather than making China's participation a precondition for it to do so.

Only after the US substantially reduces its gigantic nuclear arsenal and changes its "fire and fury" insistence on nuclear weapons can favorable conditions be created for other nuclear weapons states to join multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528841.htm You can have your banana and eat it too－for just $120,000.

Well, if you think a banana is not worth that amount, you are not alone.

But the fact that a banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in the United States is no fake news. The duct-taped banana artwork, titled Comedian, was sold from Emmanuel Perrotin's gallery, which has branches in New York and Asian cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, last week.

The artwork by Maurizio Cattelan was presented by Galerie Perrotin, a contemporary art gallery founded in Paris in 1990 which has had a long association with the Italian artist. The gallery, in fact, said more editions of the artwork have been selling, and Perrotin and Cattelan have agreed to increase the price to $150,000 after the second edition was sold and the third was delivered to a museum.

Bananas are "a symbol of global trade, a double entendre, as well as a classic device for humor", Perrotin said before the sales. Cattelan has the artistic gift of turning normal objects into "vehicles of both delight and critique", he said.

But will the bananas stay fresh forever, or will they start to rot after some time? Neither Cattelan nor the gallery has any answer to that. The answer, instead, was provided by a New-York performance artist, David Datuna, who ate one of the bananas in the artwork in front of a convention full of art lovers on Saturday. All of $120,000 down the ….

And what did Perrotin Gallery spokesman Lucien Terras said? Datuna did not "destroy" the artwork because "the banana is the idea".

Time was when a work of art conveyed a totally different meaning. It initiated a philosophical dialogue. For instance, take the famous pipe Belgian artist Rene Magritte painted in 1929, which questions the authority of both images and words. Magritte added a whole new dimension to his surrealist masterpiece, The Treachery of Images, by painting below the image of the pipe, "This is not a pipe", and triggered a debate, which continues to this day. The same sort of debate that centers on Spanish artist Diego Velasquez's 17th century magnum opus Las Meninas (The Ladiesin-Waiting), which shows a large room in the palace of King Philip IV of Spain, creates an uncertain relationship between the viewer and the viewed, and raises questions about illusion and reality.

These masterpieces enrich our knowledge, prompt us to delve into the depths of what we have accepted as human perception and expressions of language, and give a better idea of the world of semantics. No wonder The Treachery of Images is cited as an example of meta-message conveyed through paralanguage. As Polish-American scholar said, "The word is not the thing" and "The map is not the territory".

Describing his experience vis-à-vis his painting, Magritte said: "How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture 'This is a pipe', I'd have been lying!"

Indeed, he would have been lying!

Or, take Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi's Newton After Blake, which follows William Blake's 1795 print in illustrating how Isaac Newton's equation changed our view of the world to being one determined by mathematics. The sculpture shows Newton sitting on geometric blocks, rather than rock as in Blake's print, with a mechanized body held together with bolts at the joints. By doing away with the associations of nature in Blake's print, Paolozzi presents us an image of utmost concentration to the world of science and mathematics.

And what does the duct-taped banana convey, except making us go bananas? Trending news on the internet? A Facebook and Twitter sensation? Or simply a way to draw our attention from the real problems of the world?

One cannot deny that humans, once in a while, do need to take their minds off the mind-numbing issues plaguing our planet. But good music or a good book can do the job better, apart from adding to our knowledge and enriching our experience.

True, Perrotin said the "banana is a symbol of global trade... as well as a classic device for humor". But where is the humor in paying $120,000 for a banana? And who can afford to do so? The stinking rich eager to see their names in lights!

Time to forget one-banana problem and stop wondering at the commercial market of art that resembles more and more like a banana republic with each passing auction. And return to the real issues, which if addressed, will make society a better place.

Time to learn from Velasquez, and distinguish between reality and illusion.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528853.htm GEORGE CHURCH, a leading professor of genetics at Harvard University, is planning to create a dating app that can match users based on their genetic compatibility. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

This is how it works: Two people considering going on a date take out their smartphones first and check each other's genetic table to see whether there are any undesirable genes that cannot be determined from outward appearance. Genetic deficiencies that might lead to diseases in offspring will be screened out first. Heart disease? No. Immune deficiency? No. Hemophilia? No.

Then comes the turn of harmless appearance characteristics. Eye color, height preference, curly or straight hair. In the end, only those with the genes that promise the users a perfect child will date.

It sounds terrible. If the app becomes a reality, it could split people into different camps based on the genes they carry.

Some might argue that even now people are not wholly equal to each other－there are the rich and the poor to begin with. However, one can always struggle to improve one's quality of life. Genes, on the other hand, are fixed, with no hope of changing at least in the foreseeable future.

Church didn't have this divisive goal in mind. In an interview, he said he hopes to let people know the genetic deficiencies in their mating partners so as to minimize the chances of giving birth to children with congenital diseases.

But he will not be able to stop the above-mentioned scenario.

The problem is not so much with genetic technology, which can help people detect possible diseases before birth, and possibly even cure them through gene editing. But it would be a mistake to let everybody know of each other's genetic information and make choices on that basis. The law is clear on the diseases the carriers of which should not marry, while hospitals have medical standards on what kind of potential hereditary diseases warrant abortion. Beyond that a person's genetic information should remain his/her own secret and not be made public without his/her consent.

That in turn calls for legislation. Gene sequencing is becoming increasingly popular with many people choosing to know their genes better. It is reaching a stage when it becomes urgent for the law to protect such information and avoid possible leaks.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528823.htm THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY recently imposed a four-year ban on Russia for doping violations. As a result, Russia cannot participate in international sports events. While anti-doping regulation is important to ensure fair competition in sports, innocent athletes' legal rights and interests should also be protected. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

In recent years, Russia's athletes have frequently been exposed for doping violations and severely punished by WADA. But the approval of WADA's latest and severest anti-doping punishment means Russia could be out of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo and 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

In addition, for the next four years, Russia will be banned from hosting any international sports event. Russian athletes can still participate in international sports events, but they can do so only in an individual capacity and not represent their country. And when they win medals, the Russian national flag will not be raised and the Russian national anthem will not be played.

In its statement issued on Dec 9, WADA said Russia had detracted from clean sports for far too long. Russian authorities admitted there were serious problems in Russia's sports circles, but they also insisted that any doping punishment should be imposed on individuals rather than the entire country, and Russian athletes who have not violated anti-doping requirements should not be painted with the same brush.

Every sports participant is unanimous in the view that anti-doping rules are a great leveler, required to ensure fairness in competitions. And those found violating international anti-doping rules should be punished according to international anti-doping regulations, because they not only defile the purity and fairness of sports events, but also undermine the legal rights of other athletes who abide by the principles of fair competition.

Russia now has 21 days to appeal against WADA's verdict in the Court for Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and it has already announced it will do so. As the arbitration investigation could take a long time, it is not clear when the final verdict on WADA's four-year ban on Russia will be known.

Referring to the WADA decision, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a recent news conference that China pays great attention to anti-doping regulation and has a zero-tolerance policy toward doping. But she also spoke of the need to do away with the tendency of politicizing sports, and stressed protecting the legal rights and interests of innocent athletes is also necessary for fairness in sports.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/12/content_37528840.htm China's economic growth has been slowing quarter by quarter in 2019, but it has generally remained stable. In fact, the overall growth rate has been within the expected target of 6 percent to 6.5 percent the government set at the beginning of the year.

For an economy of more than $10 trillion, it is not easy to maintain such a growth rate at a time when unilateralism and trade protectionism have been rising in many economies. Although external and cyclical factors have contributed to China's slowing growth rate, domestic institutional and structural factors are the main reasons for the slowdown.

The US-China trade war is not likely to be resolved in the short term, while external risks and uncertainties, which are beyond China's control, might increase. Therefore, China should depend on its own plans and efforts to maintain economic stability and sustainability, and address the issues of imbalance and inadequacy in its economic development.

In the face of external shocks, cyclical risks and domestic structural problems, it is important that China adopt some counter-cyclical policies. At the same time, it should also ensure that such policies are in line with the general direction of market-oriented reform and higher-quality opening-up. It should fix the inefficient systems and economic structure through reform and promote economic transformation through all-round opening-up, in order to improve the institutional environment and produce enough dividends to ensure sustainable growth.

To maintain sustainable economic growth, China should use more countercyclical policies through fiscal, monetary, macro-prudential and industrial policy tools, apart from adopting a proactive fiscal policy to help private enterprises boost their output and revenue, and improve people's well-being. To this end, China should implement the tax-cut and fee-reduction policy while increasing government spending to stimulate and boost efficient investment and endogenous consumption. And it should maintain a sound yet relatively loose monetary policy, supplemented by macro-prudential policies, lowering of the reserve requirement ratio and interest rate, if and when needed.

There is also a need to advance institutional and market-oriented structural reforms based on the principle of fair competition and ownership. Besides, China should take measures to ensure State-owned enterprises, and private and foreign-funded companies engage in market competition on an equal basis in order to end the distorted resource distribution system and break the SOEs' monopoly in certain sectors. By so doing, China will allow the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation.

But that is not to say SOEs or selective industrial policies are unnecessary. Every country needs SOEs and suitable industrial policies, especially in sectors that are closely related to people's livelihood and national security, and those that provide public goods.

Still, to maintain sustainable growth, China needs to devise a timetable and road map for further opening-up and intensifying domestic reform, so as to neutralize the threat posed by rising anti-globalization and protectionism in some economies.

Recently, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission abolished the previous restrictions on the shareholding ratio and business scope of foreign entities in the financial sector, extending national treatment to foreign capital. The move will lead to better and fairer competition between domestic and foreign capital.

In the future, higher-level opening-up should be extended to the telecommunications, education, healthcare and eldercare sectors to form a unified and open modern market system with orderly competition.

Opening-up in the new era should focus on not only the flow of goods and factors, but also institutional opening-up in terms of rules and agendas so that China can conduct negotiations on bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements in an all-round way, safeguard its interests, and help work out better global trade rules.

Competition among countries is in essence competition of systems, institutions, technologies, talents, resources and powers of discourse, with institutional competition being the most fundamental. And a good competitive system helps promote technological progress, cultivate talents, better allocate resources and enhance discourse power.

In short, China needs to use counter-cyclical policy regulation tools, including fiscal, monetary and macro-prudential policies and a moderate amount of industrial policies to timely cope with the complex internal and external situations and promote steady growth. Counter-cyclical regulations, after all, are aimed at laying the foundation and creating conditions for further deepening structural reform. And the stimulation and strengthening of economic development and endogenous power still lie in providing the basic institutional environment for market-oriented reform.

However, China needs time to build a modern and mature market system, for which it has to shift focus from industrial policies to competition policies. But only through orderly market-oriented reform can China build a modern economic system.

]]> 2019-12-12 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528560.htm ON MONDAY, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics announced that associate professor Qian Fengsheng had been fired following its investigation into a female student's allegation of sexual assault. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Qian's case surfaced on Friday when the student posted on her social media account that Qian lured her into his SUV and inappropriately touched her. The university responded within two hours, saying it had registered the complaint and launched an investigation. The outcome of its probe was announced on Monday. Qian was dismissed and the university has asked the higher education authorities to withdraw his teaching qualification.

The university did the right thing, responding to the complaint right away. A teacher sexually harassing a student has the potential to tarnish a university's reputation, and any delay in response would only trigger suspicions that the university was protecting its faculty member.

The timely response from the university helped it avert a major crisis. Also, nobody can accuse it of protecting someone suspected of committing an offense.

However, that might not be the end of the case.

The student posted screenshots of her WeChat conversations with Qian after the incident that suggest he has violated the criminal code. In that case, the law will hold Qian responsible for his indecent behavior.

The case also tells us something about the society we live in. It reminds us that campuses, the temples of learning that we believe to be clean and sacred, are no ivory towers immune from the devil that lurks in human minds.

Qian allegedly enticed the student into the SUV where he committed the alleged offense. The student had no reason to doubt him; she followed him because she trusted him as a teacher.

The power professors wield over students is a power that deserves to be regulated by university discipline and the law alike. The rule of law must extend to all sections of society, without leaving any areas exposed. Only with the rule of law will those who are weaker be protected, and those in power be regulated.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528619.htm Editor's Note: At a recent news conference, a top official from the Ministry of Commerce said China needs to strengthen the overall coordination among various departments to promote high-quality trade development. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

China is now faced with difficulties and challenges in the development of its foreign trade, and the situation may become more severe next year. The country needs to increase its confidence and turn external pressure into a powerful driving force for deepening reform and opening-up.

High-quality trade is an important part of high-quality economic development. After the launch of the reform and opening-up policy 40 years ago, China became the largest exporter of goods in 2009, the largest trader of goods in 2013 and registered a total trade volume of $4.62 trillion in 2018.

The leapfrog development of foreign trade has made positive contributions to China's economic and social development, and played an important role in promoting economic development worldwide.

However, compared with some other countries, China's foreign trade still lags behind in terms of its industrial foundation and innovation, and the capacity for international economic and trade rules-making, and its supporting role for high-quality economic development is yet to be strengthened. In recent years, China's manufacturing industry has achieved a certain degree of technological transformation and upgrading, and the proportion of technologically sophisticated products in exports has been increasing and its status in the global value chain has been gradually rising.

However, the competitiveness of a considerable portion of China's export products is still low in terms of technology and easy to be substituted. To promote the high-quality development of foreign trade, the country needs to improve the competitiveness and irreplaceability of its products and industries in the international market and division of labor, and seize the opportunities created by the restructuring of the global value chain and the reshaping of industrial division of labor to promote Chinese industries to move up the value chain.

At present, destabilizing factors and uncertainties in the world economy are on the rise, and risks and challenges at home and abroad are increasing, putting downward pressure on China's economy. This highlights the need for China to accelerate the cultivation of new competitive advantages in foreign trade.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528561.htm In a fast-changing world and against the rising trend of protectionism and unilateralism, the commitment of China and the European Union to enhance cooperation and safeguard multilateralism not only serves the common interests of both sides but also those of the world.

This was the positive message delivered by President Xi Jinping and President of the European Council Charles Michel when they talked by phone on Monday.

Congratulating Michel on assuming the presidency of the body that sets the EU's political direction and priorities, Xi said the stable development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership caters to the two sides' common interests.

As a country that views its relations with the world's largest trading bloc with strategic significance, China will maintain policy continuity and stability in its interaction with the EU. It believes its development represents an opportunity for the bloc rather than presenting a challenge.

Xi stressed that China and the EU are not rivals in a zero-sum game. Instead, they are resolute champions of multilateralism and free trade.

Beijing and Brussels have stood together as two important and indispensable forces defending the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at the core, and helped the world counter the undertow of unilateralism and protectionism that has dragged on global trade and world economic growth.

The EU has everything to gain from maintaining consistent and forward-looking policies toward China and working with China to promote sound and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.

It should not cave in to the pressure from the United States, which wants it to follow its lead on issues such as 5G.

As long as the two partners continue to deepen mutual understanding, strengthen communication and meet each other half way, bilateral cooperation will have broad prospects. Apart from quickening their steps in reaching a bilateral investment agreement, Beijing and Brussels can also expand the scope of their cooperation by aligning the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU strategy for Eurasian connectivity.

On the international level, the two sides can jointly work for the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and push forward WTO reform in a direction that benefits all parties.

By strengthening their communication, coordination and cooperation, China and the EU will not only ensure the stable development of their own partnership, they can also bring more stability, certainty and positive energy to the world.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528562.htm Hong Kong police said on Monday night that they had defused two "complete, fully functional" nail bombs discovered in the grounds of a school by a janitor.

Containing a total of 10 kilograms of powerful explosives and nails, and designed to be set off using a mobile phone, the bombs were "ready to be used" and had only one function, "to kill and to maim people", senior bomb disposal officer Alick McWhirter told reporters.

With the police still conducting an investigation, it is too early to point a finger at the anti-government forces as being responsible for the bombs.

Yet, as the unrest that has plagued the city enters its seventh month, the bombs should sound the alarm that there are some in the city who have relinquished their conscience and who, for whatever purpose, are willing to use the unrest as an opportunity to create a bloody spectacle.

After more than half a year's fruitless struggle, the signs suggest that there are some in the opposition camp who are intent on "stirring all in the pan" by resorting to an act of violence that targets both civilians and law enforcers. These are not the first bombs found by the police, and the weapons the police have seized so far are likely only the tip of an iceberg.

The police recently raided two radical organizations on the anti-government side－namely "Dragon Butchers" and "V Squad"－seizing large numbers of lethal weapons after learning their members planned giving Hong Kong the seasonal gift of a "gory Christmas Day".

All Hong Kong residents should be aware that some conscienceless individuals intent on fishing in the troubled waters have already made up their minds to step back from the crowds so they can put both police officers and civilians－including children－in their crosshairs.

Undoubtedly, Hong Kong has come to a crucial crossroad, and deciding which path to take should not be in question for any in Hong Kong not reveling in violence for violence's sake. That includes those somnolent young disrupters, who canceled their campaign to paralyze the city's traffic on Monday morning because it was too cold -16 C to be exact.

For such creature-comfort-loving would-be "revolutionaries", the unrest is clearly a game, which they participate in as the mood takes them. They should be aware that some are willing to take the game a lot more seriously and are raising the stakes they are willing to play for. Terrorist acts are as indiscriminate as their fundamental purpose is, not just to kill, but shock. Those thinking they will be somehow spared because they are on the "same side" could find themselves in for a rude awakening.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528563.htm Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward "Eddie" Gallagher is a man of many sins. According to military prosecutors in the United States, Gallagher is responsible for brutally stabbing and murdering a teenage so-called Islamic State fighter, using his sniper rifle on ordinary Iraqis, and boasting about racking up his "kills" to others.

To top it all off, Gallagher is also guilty of taking a triumphant photograph of himself with the young alleged IS fighter whom he had killed. Gallagher was tried and convicted by a military court earlier this year, and was to be deprived of his rank and booted out of the US Navy SEALs.

The US president could not tolerate this. Despite having been told by top military and defense officials that he should leave the issue alone and allow the navy to handle what happened to Gallagher, he decided to intervene and reverse war criminal Gallagher's demotion. This angered the US Navy secretary, who incidentally was made to step down.

The story is important because it can easily be considered a metaphor for how American power is likely to operate in the next decade.

First, it is of course not "news" that the US, either via its armed forces or through other officials, cares little for the lives of brown and black people in places such as Pakistan or Afghanistan or Iraq. The massive death toll in the Iraq and Afghan wars, the crushing depravity of Abu Ghraib, and the torture carried out on suspected terrorists at the CIA black sites are only the incidents that we know of. Others in greater numbers may also have taken place, their perpetrators never caught and their victims never avenged. In simple terms, the exercise of American power in the past two decades has been brash and brutish.

And yet those years before the current president took office represent the ones in which there were still limits to American power. In the past decades, the US, as the liberal democratic giant of the world, tried, at least in name, to toe the line of the rule of law and enforce human rights principles. Many, or even most, times it failed, but it did appear to try.

Human rights reports were regularly issued by the US State Department, and officials routinely weighed the records of every country. In sum, US foreign policy at least tried to pay some sort of lip service to human rights and fair play.

The next decade is going to be different. The US may be making an exit from expensive ground wars, but the use of its special forces to carry out missions such as the killing of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are all examples of what American warfare will look like in the future.

Condoning the deeds of a man such as Gallagher further suggests that the US civilian leadership, particularly if the presidency stays with the Republicans, is going to be completely unfettered in the mayhem it inflicts on enemies, real or imagined. The US president pardoned Gallagher because he has little patience for the rules and procedures that are supposed to ensure how US soldiers exercise their power.

In the US leadership's simple and murderous world, might makes right－and the US has plenty of might. With this world view, the US leader is likely to provide carte blanche to any and all exercises of US power, regardless of whether or not they are humane. The weakening of liberal limits on the exercise of power that began under former US president George W. Bush will now lead to complete evisceration under the incumbent president. The future of the US is likely to be illiberal. The restoration of the rank of a man who did not fight fairly and the commander-in-chief's disregard for the lives of non-white peoples is likely to be a fixture of US foreign policy in the future.

Already, the US has set about eliminating foreign aid to non-Christian states. US aid to Gaza and the West Bank has been indefinitely discontinued; already disbursed aid to Iraq has been left without proper administrators. The liberal constraints that would have functioned as a buffer against overt discrimination against aid-recipient countries based on their religion are no longer regarded as such.

The cumulative impact of these developments requires Pakistan to be very vigilant of the kind of help it accepts from the US in the near future. Despite the criticism offered by US officials vis-à-vis the debt burden incurred by Pakistan in the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Pakistan should continue to diversify its options and relationships with emerging superpowers.

With such uncertainty as the basis of US foreign policy, the most prudent path would be to maintain a safe distance. If not, Pakistan may end up being like one of the victims of Gallagher's killing sprees－nameless and powerless, and chased by a monster.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528579.htm Were it not for Washington obstructing the appointment of new judges, the de facto supreme court for world trade would not have stopped functioning on Wednesday. Although the paralysis of the appellate body of the World Trade Organization is what the United States has sought, it will prove to be its undoing.

The appellate body is supposed to have seven judges, and three are needed to hear an appeal. But new judges have been unable to be named to replace those whose terms expired as presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump have blocked any new appointments. As a result their number had dwindled to three. With the terms of two ending on Tuesday, the appellate body can no longer function as it has only one judge.

The WTO's lower court, the dispute settlement body, can still hear cases. But its rulings are essentially meaningless since the loser can appeal to the no longer functioning higher court.

It is not that the US wants a jungle law for world trade. It simply wants a global trading system that favors it. In recent years, the WTO appellate body has ruled time and again that the US has been behaving badly, that its time-honored tools, such as countervailing duties on countries accused of flooding the US market and harming US manufacturers, are illegal－the US has not been happy.

As the world's sole superpower, the US always believes that it can maintain its dominance by riding roughshod over the concerns and interests of other countries as it did in the past.

What it has forgotten is the fact that the world is not what it was, and neither is the landscape of world trade. The emerging economies have a growing share of the world economy, so their voices must be heard and their concerns fairly addressed.

Letting the "lights go out" at the appellate body is delivering what is "no doubt the most severe blow to the multilateral trading system since its establishment", Zhang Xiangchen, China's ambassador to the WTO, said.

But while the US may gain some immediate benefit in its trade battles with other countries, in the long run, what it is doing will only harm itself.

With efforts underway to establish an ersatz appellate body to arbitrate future trade disputes, it is evident that other countries are opposed to economic nationalism favored by the US.

Having heeded the lessons of Smoot-Hawley tariffs and the destructive policies implemented in those times, they want fair, rules-based economic relationships, not relationships determined by how much clout an economy has.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528602.htm IN 2014, Zhejiang province launched a pilot program to seal the criminal records of juveniles. By 2016, it had enabled 145 offenders to enter college. The provincial people's procuratorate along with 12 other provincial level departments have now issued a document officially rolling out the system throughout the province, which has triggered wide public concern and discussion. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

The sealing of their criminal records gives juvenile offenders a chance to return to society. According to the document, local courts, procuratorates, public security organs and judiciary organs should seal the criminal records of juveniles under 18 years of age if they have been sentenced to less than five years of imprisonment. Also, the public security organ should issue a certificate that these offenders have no criminal record once they return to society after their release from jail. Relevant authorities, such as the education department and civil affairs department, should not append the relevant legal documents to the juveniles' personal files.

Although praised by some as offering young offenders a second chance, others have raised doubts about the move, fearing such a provision will make juveniles indulge in criminal behavior once they realize they won't fall on the wrong side of the law as long as they are under 18 years of age.

Such concerns are unfounded.

The system was established after the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China was revised in 2012. The idea is to help juveniles who have had a brush with the law successfully return to society. In 2012, Weixian County People's Court in Henan province successfully piloted the sealing of the criminal record of juveniles sentenced to less than five years in prison. And several provinces and regions, including Zhejiang and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have since implemented this system.

Besides, the juvenile criminal record seal system has taken note of the public's concern. The seal on the criminal records of juveniles is not inviolable. Under specific circumstances, the judicial authorities can still refer to the records. Besides, the system only applies to juveniles committing minor crimes. Juveniles who commit serious crimes endangering public security are not eligible to have their criminal records sealed. In addition, the criminal record seal can be reopened if the juveniles commit another crime.

Juvenile offenders deserve a second chance to return to society. This provision to seal records will benefit not only the offenders themselves, but also ensure social harmony, which should be promoted nationwide.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528605.htm Russia, according to media reports, may establish a unit of robot soldiers by 2025, outlining a vision of artificial intelligence-driven warfare in the future. The application of AI has been a focus of Russia's military modernization. Way back in 2017, at a meeting with students in Yaroslavl, Russian President Vladimir Putin said artificial intelligence is "not only the future of Russia but that of all mankind" as well, adding that, "there are colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now".

Russia reportedly plans to devise a framework for the military unit of robots in 2020, and complete the scientific research, design and tests, and put robotic combat units into service in 2025.

Russian military and research organizations have set sights on making robots able to independently participate in combat missions. In recent years, Russia has tested robotic machines in real battlefields, especially in Syria. It has also tested armaments such as the Platform-M, a remote-controlled robotic unit on a crawler, armed with grenade launchers and Kalashnikov rifles, and Uran-9 unmanned combat ground vehicles, making good progress in military robotics. The other big developments include autonomous vehicles, joint human-robot units, and command systems for multiple robotic operations.

The United States, a military superpower, foresaw the growing application of cutting-edge technology, including AI, to warfare. Washington's Third Offset Strategy, which seeks to outmaneuver adversaries primarily through using technology, is aimed at ensuring the US remains the biggest player in using AI in warfare and pursuing next-generation technology to boost its military advantage in relation to other countries.

The US has conducted a series of research and development programs for AI military personnel, robots and autonomous equipment and unmanned warfare－in other words, an intelligent combat system. Unmanned ground vehicles, the shape-shifting robot ChemBot, and the quadruped robot BigDog have already brought science fiction to life.

On Feb 12, the US outlined its first AI strategy, including establishing a Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. With the development of technology, an increasing number of robotic and other AI armaments will make their way to and become a leading feature on the battlefield in the future. There could be unmanned armored units, unmanned fleets, special robotic units, space robotic units and unmanned combined forces.

In the process, should weak AI eventually develop into strong AI, the competition in AI technology will further intensify tensions among countries.

Besides, the increasing application of AI to defense systems and combat platforms can cause changes in various warfare elements both in combat and command, while combat ideas will continue to change thanks to technologies such as the "distributed killing" system and the "combat cloud". And defeating the enemy will rely more on intelligent technology advantage and the capability to paralyze the enemy's operations instead of gaining information advantage and the ability to attack and annihilate enemy personnel.

Given such earthshaking developments, China has been making great efforts to expedite its high-tech military development, and it will work to apply intelligent technology to not only armaments but also to military theories.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/11/content_37528607.htm Against the background of medium-and long-term economic structural adjustments, China's economic growth is likely to decline next year, too, but considering the economy's resilience and capability for short-cycle policy regulation and hedging, the economic slowdown will be manageable.

From a short-term perspective, China's trade surplus is on the wane hence its contribution to economic growth is weakening. Rising populism in some developed economies, the slowing of global trade growth and the prolonged trade disputes between Beijing and Washington will add to the downturn pressure on China's exports and industrial chain, which could further weaken the contribution of trade surplus to economic growth.

And from a medium-and long-term perspective, China's economy is undergoing some major structural adjustments, with the percentage of fixed asset investment declining in GDP, and the investment-driven growth model of the past giving way to a new, innovation-led development model.

Therefore, China should look for the "common denominator" of short-and long-term policies when weighing policy choices, namely promoting capital market reform and further opening up the economy. Given the rising short-term employment pressure and long-term industrial structural adjustment, capital market reform and opening-up will not increase inflation; instead, it will help the country's medium-and long-term transformation.

Although the United States-triggered trade war, if prolonged, could pose a challenge to China's economy, from a medium-and long-term perspective, China's current economic woes can be mainly attributed to domestic factors, such as the unsustainable growth model of the past, an excessively high leverage ratio and unfledged marketization. To fundamentally overcome these dilemmas and solve the internal problems, as well as improve the external trade and economic environment, China needs to further deepen reform and opening-up.

Despite the economic transformation putting downward pressure on the economy this year, China remains committed to accelerating opening-up and marketization reforms, including formulating a series of measures, promoting financial openness, and adopting a tax exemption policy for China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the complete abolition of Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor programs.

In addition to short-term counter-cyclical regulation policies, the government also attaches great importance to medium-and long-term structural reform policies so that it can find the greatest common denominator in the policies and use it to advantage. On Nov 7, the State Council, China's Cabinet, announced the lifting of more operational restrictions on foreign banks, securities companies, fund management firms and other financial institutions, paving the way for them to play a bigger role in the Chinese market.

As for external policy options, China needs to make greater efforts to promote regional integration to cushion the blow of the trade disputes with the US. Over the past two decades, China has become a "systemically important node" in the global trade network, so it is very important that it further strengthens economic and trade integration with neighboring countries.

China can learn from the experiences of Germany and Japan, two countries that faced similar trade frictions in the 1980s. After the 1980s, the trade surplus to GDP ratio of Japan continued to decline while that of Germany continued to rise. The reason: Since Japan's trade surplus depended heavily on the US at the time, it lacked a buffer that would have provided it ample protection after the eruption of a trade row with the US.

On the other hand, Germany's trade surplus was mainly with other European Union countries, while its trade surplus with the US was much lower than Japan's. So a drastic decline in Japan's trade surplus with the US led to a corresponding decline in its total trade surplus. By contrast, Germany successfully offset the impact of a declining trade surplus with the US by building a bigger trade surplus with other EU states.

China has become an important player in the global trade network, and its increasingly closer economic and trade ties with other Asian economies is enough to help build a "defense front" to offset the possible impact of the Sino-US trade disputes.

Aside from trade, the influence of China's capital on Asian economies, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is approaching that of the developed economies. For example, China nearly caught up with Japan and the EU in terms of foreign direct investment volume in ASEAN countries in the 2015-18 period. The US used to be ASEAN's biggest source of FDI, but China has also been catching up fast with it in recent years.

And if 2018, during which the US saw a significant return on capital due to tax cuts, is excluded, China's FDI scale was close to that of the US from 2015 to 2017.

]]> 2019-12-11 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528408.htm Although the hardcore anti-government forces billed Sunday's march in Hong Kong as "the last chance" for the special administrative region government to swallow their demands, it is unlikely that many, including themselves, think the government will concede to the implied threat of more unrest.

In their parlance, it seems that it was only their forbearance that ensured the rally was peaceful. But in fact, they had no choice but to yield to the common will of the majority of those taking part in it. The ordinary residents who participated in the rally were easy to spot. Being law-abiding citizens they have no fear of the police and dressed normally unlike the black-clad mask-wearers who were out to cause trouble.

Although most of those who participated in the rally went home in the evening, those die-hard rioters could not wait to start barricading the roads, preparing for a standoff with the police. However, they soon abandoned their efforts due to a lack of numbers and the absence of the heady atmosphere necessary to fuel their adrenaline.

No wonder passers-by knitted their brows on encountering sporadic acts of vandalism and arson.

Among the targets of which, ironically, was the High Court of Hong Kong. It was firebombed for the first time shortly after it denied some bail applications from detained rioters late last month. Until then, the rioters had been able to deem the court to be the home of allies due to the leniency shown to their lawbreaking by the judges.

The rally was therefore more like the "last chance" Hong Kong residents granted to the rioters to reflect how much damage their violence is doing to the city.

The radicals have cunningly condensed the different appeals into the sound bite of "five demands, not one less", but this has converged people's longing for the government to help them with practical needs such as housing with the unlawful demands of the radicals making it seem as if all speak with one voice.

But the rioting is nothing but secessionist sentiment fueled by the United States at a critical moment in its confrontation with China. It has hijacked a wave of civil protests in Hong Kong to put pressure on Beijing.

The rioters and ordinary Hong Kong residents taking part in the rally are fundamentally divided in their appeals, which is manifested in the miscellaneous flags, including the Stars and Stripes, the Union Jack, and even the secessionist banners reading "liberate Hong Kong" held aloft by the radicals participating in the rally.

With the widening gap between the "five-demanders" and other residents, the peace, although described as fragile, has lasted since two weeks prior to the local elections, that is almost a month. The rioters might still be hellbent on putting up a desperate fight at the call of their backstage manipulators but their campaign has already been exposed as an unholy bargain between different political interests, none of which care what happens to Hong Kong.

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528410.htm Editor's Note: The United States and Iran, two bitterly opposed countries, made a rare prisoner swap in Switzerland on Saturday, Teheran freeing Chinese-American researcher Wang Xiyue who had been held since 2016, in exchange for the release of Iranian scientist Masoud Soleimani who had been held by the US for more than a year. Beijing News comments:

 

This is the latest conciliatory move between the two arch foes since the US unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement on May 9 last year, especially after its aircraft carrier strike groups entered the Persian Gulf in May and November in a show of force.

Compared with the Soleimani case, the Wang case has attracted more attention. This is not only because of Wang's Chinese-American identity, but also because the two cases have a significant difference in transmission power. Wang is a doctoral student in the department of history at Princeton University who went to Iran in 2016 for his doctoral dissertation related to Iran, and was arrested while leaving Iran in August of the same year on the charge of "attempting to collect highly classified articles for British and US academic institutions". In 2017, Wang was sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage. Soleimani is an Iranian stem-cell researcher who was arrested in Chicago last October after he made a trip to the US to complete his research on treating stroke patients. The US accused Soleimani of delivering a shipment of recombinant protein, worth $8,000, to Iran in 2016 through two students who returned from the US, which it said violated US trade sanctions. Soleimani was in custody for more than a year without being indicted.

The return of detained US citizens abroad has been one of US President Donald Trump's diplomatic appeals for years, and that the exchange came in the run-up to the US presidential elections is proof that Trump is seeking to fulfill his commitments. For Iran, the prisoner swap can temporarily ease relations with the US allowing it to focus on domestic affairs and laying out channels for its oil exports.

But it is early to say the latest prisoner swap marks the warming of US-Iran relations, given that the larger-scale prisoner swap in 2016 did not improve bilateral ties, but made it more difficult to ease bilateral tensions.

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528411.htm After China Global Television Network, the national broadcaster, aired multiple documentaries providing graphic accounts of terrorist attacks in and related to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, including never-before-available details, it is disheartening that the Western media should greet them by uncharacteristically falling into collective silence.

There had been the general feeling that no critic of the Chinese government's Xinjiang policies could continue to malign them in the face of the bloody truth.

But it seems that underestimates the willingness of the Western media to weave a false narrative around Xinjiang.

Nonetheless, the State Council Information Office remains undaunted in its efforts to show the true picture of the harm terrorism and extremism were doing in the region prior to the implementation of the government's de-extremism measures.

It convened a news conference on Monday, in which three local officials defended the de-extremist education program by detailing the impressive local development achievements that have been made over the past three years since the policy was introduced.

As the officials, two of them Uygurs, confirmed, from 1990 to the end of 2016, thousands of terrorist attacks occurred in Xinjiang, resulting in the deaths of many innocent civilians as well as hundreds of police officers.

The acts of terror in Xinjiang culminated in the massacre in Urumqi on July 5, 2009, while an October 2013 attack in Beijing and another in March 2014 in Kunming, Yunnan province, spread fear outside the autonomous region. People across China wondered what had gone wrong, and what could be done.

The Chinese government's answer was decisive. Alongside resolute anti-terror responses, a large-scale de-extremism campaign was launched.

As the officials highlighted, such endeavors have paid off. There has been no report of a terrorist incident over the past three years; extremist infiltration has been effectively curtailed and security conditions in the region have improved conspicuously.

Extremist thinking is widely identified as a close relative of terrorism, being the trigger for terrorist attacks. Yet the changes the Chinese government has brought about in Xinjiang in a bid to eliminate extremism are lambasted in the West as human rights violations.

Such allegations, once again highlight the double standard of the West.

As the officials said, practice has proven that the establishment of vocational education and training centers is a useful move to explore measures for counter-terrorism and deradicalization, there is no reason for the Western media to blur the lines of what is right and wrong because of their ideological biases.

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528412.htm DE LA RUE, a century-old company that prints banknotes for the United Kingdom, has scrapped dividend payments. There are many actual reasons for De La Rue's woes, but e-payments as an emerging trend might drive the final nail in its coffin, as it is expected that eventually they will consign paper money to the dustbin of history. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

As the news spread on China's social networking sites, the comments were not so much about the actual causes of De La Rue's crisis, but worries about the future of the money printing industry. "Will all money printing factories perish?" was trending big among the hottest comments.

How popular e-payments have become, particularly in China. In fact, in any modern Chinese city today, one can go through a year without ever touching a banknote.

Vendors are paid by scanning their QR codes. Even temples hidden deep in the mountains affix QR codes to their donation boxes so that worshippers can donate money by electronic transfer.

Some readers even joked that thefts might become a thing of the past, as thieves will hardly find any cash in the pockets they pick.

E-payments are winning the competition with traditional paper banknotes in every aspect of life and it is only a matter of time before e-money fully replaces paper money. To quote a popular saying online, the days of banknotes are numbered.

China is a leader in this emerging global trend. According to data from the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, 82.39 percent of adults made e-payments electronically by the end of 2018. Even in rural areas, e-payment use was more than 70 percent of the adult population.

Data show that there were more than 1 billion smartphones in China by the end of 2018, while 847 million people had access to mobile internet. From the most populous cities in the eastern coastal provinces to the vast stretches in the western regions, people everywhere can make payments electronically.

Behind that achievement is China's constant endeavor to improve its infrastructure. After all, universal access to the internet requires universal usage of electricity, construction of base stations everywhere, and universal education to reduce illiteracy to an extremely low level.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528409.htm ON DEC 2, four students from Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, were diagnosed with brucellosis, a bacterial infection that causes chronic lifetime health problems. Five days later, the number of persons infected with brucellosis had risen to 96. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

 

Brucellosis, classified by China's Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases as a Class B infectious disease, is a disease that spreads from infected animals or unpasteurized animal products to humans. It cannot be transmitted from person to person; direct contact with animals or eating contaminated animal products is the only way a person can be infected.

The institute immediately set up an inspection team, shut down its laboratories and sent 317 researchers and students for medical tests.

According to media reports, laboratory rats are the likely source of the infection. Several students at the institute confirmed in media reports that the institute's foot-and-mouth disease prevention and control team, to which the first four infected students belong, had found their lab rats to be infected with brucellosis at the end of November.

This large-scale infection incident is of major public concern and raises several questions, the most important being whether it has something to do with loopholes in the health and safety procedures at the institute.

Media reports said a vaccine for brucellosis is available, but in this case, apparently, the researchers and students had not been vaccinated in advance.

Some students with experience of having worked in biological laboratories said laboratory rats are generally purchased by students of the research teams and they seldom conduct tests, before research, to check if the rats are infected.

Some students at the institute even said that implementation of laboratory risk prevention measures was not very strict, and students sometimes conducted experiments taking only the basic precaution of wearing a white lab coat and gloves.

The National Health Committee and Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which are involved in the investigation into the incident, must conduct a thorough probe and make the results public. If the incident is really the result of lax protection awareness, the relevant authorities should learn a lesson from this incident and better implement laboratory risk prevention measures to safeguard researchers and students' health and safety.

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528439.htm In yet another show of its disgruntlement, if not outright anger, over a perceived lack of sincerity by Washington on the Korean Peninsula denuclearization process, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced on Sunday that it carried out a "very important test" at a long-range rocket launch site aimed at "changing the strategic position" of the DPRK.

The test was the latest in a series of short-range missile and other weapon launches Pyongyang has conducted in recent months, all for the purpose of alerting Washington that their diplomatic rapprochement needed life support. That process, started in June 2018 with face-to-face talks between DPRK top leader Kim Jongun and US President Donald Trump－the first of their kind, which were followed by two more meetings between them－yielded a lot of media attention but no progress toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The increasingly restless stance Pyongyang has taken can be attributed to a deep sense of betrayal it has felt. Since the DPRK stopped its nuclear and long-range missile tests and started dismantling a rocket engine-testing stand and other facilities in 2018, it has not gained much in return from the United States except a lot of empty talk of helping it release its "tremendous "economic potential.

The economic sanctions imposed on it remain in place, and the military exercises between the US and the Republic of Korea continue, albeit on a smaller scale. The sense of insecurity felt by the DPRK has been heightened by occasional US talk of possible "military action", as Trump again threatened during the NATO summit in the United Kingdom last week.

The US has demanded greater evidence that the DPRK is prepared to reduce its nuclear arsenal, something that is becoming impossible now, especially after the trust that has been built between them is fast waning. The DPRK seems ready to further push the envelope on the nuclear issue if the US continues to drag its feet on easing the DPRK's existential concerns. Pyongyang has set Washington a Dec 31 deadline to do something tangible to restart the stalled talks.

Yet it is still too early to predict an end to the nuclear détente despite the recent provocative moves made by the DPRK. After all, the country still observes a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. That Pyongyang stopped short of saying what the latest test included indicates it still leaves some leeway for resumption of dialogue with Washington.

The US should carefully heed the signal sent by the DPRK and restart its engagement with it to keep the hopes of denuclearization alive.

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528451.htm A long analysis I wrote about "the Uygur issue" earlier this year will be soon published as a book. For some time now, I have been warning that the West, the United States in particular, is helping radicalize the Uygurs both in and outside China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

I have also mapped the movement of the Uygur radicals through countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, from where they are injected into brutal war zones such as Idlib in Syria. I have worked with Syrian commanders in the Idlib area, and spoke at length with the internally displaced Syrian people－victims of brutal terrorist attacks, and got my information from them.

The Uygur people have their own religious beliefs and culture, and most of them are very decent people. The "problem" is that the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi is located on the main arm of the Belt and Road Initiative, an optimistic global project aimed at connecting billions of people along the route. The Belt and Road projects aim to improve connectivity and thus boost trade and economic exchanges along the two routes, which will help pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

But Washington wants to maintain the status quo so it can continue to dominate the world. And to achieve that, it has been provoking and smearing China using all means, including the Hong Kong, South China Sea and Uygur issues, and the Taiwan question. To fulfill its goal, the US has also been encouraging some Uygurs to turn into "rebels", or more precisely, terrorists.

Some Western, especially US politicians, hope that the hardened, well-trained "Uyghur jihadi fighters" will eventually return home to Xinjiang and fight for the "independence" of the region from China, and therefore sabotage the Belt and Road Initiative.

This, they believe, is like killing two birds with one stone－China would suffer a heavy sociopolitical blow and the Belt and Road Initiative would be disrupted.

No wonder the Chinese government is alarmed at the trap laid by the West: If China does nothing, its territorial integrity will face the threat of dangerous terrorists, and if it indeed takes measures to protect itself, it will face vehement attacks by some Western media and politicians.

Obviously, the bill on Xinjiang that the US House of Representatives passed last week, which directly interferes in China's internal affairs and is part of the Washington's game plan, is one of the greatest exercises in hypocrisy and intimidation. Let us not forget the incumbent US administration has been treating Muslims with utmost derision. In 2017, Washington issued an executive order banning people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen (all Muslim majority states) from entering the US.

The US has arbitrarily carried out air strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries on the pretext of weeding out terrorists, and without worrying about killing innocent civilians. And yet it claims China has built "concentration camps" in Xinjiang.

China's position is clear. What the West describes as camps are actually vocational training centers where people learn job skills and the Chinese language so they can lead a gainful life and avoid falling prey to "terrorist and religious extremist" ideologies.

As the self-proclaimed "judge, jury and executioner" of the world, the US has hundreds of high-security prisons, which are scattered across the country. Throwing suspects into jails is big (privatized) business in the US.Thousands of people have been put behind bars in the US without any charges framed against them.

How can the US with one of the highest numbers of prisoners on Earth (on per capita basis) dare to preach anyone about justice? And what is the true purpose of such preaching?

The answer is easy: The US' determination to not share with any country the power to influence the rest of the world and its unwillingness to compete with another country on the basis of ideas and goodwill.

All this has to stop－rather will stop－soon, not least because this policy of Washington has already turned so many people's lives into a living hell.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528452.htm China's goals for 2020, first proposed in the report of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2002, are: four times the GDP of 2000, significantly enhanced overall national strength and international competitiveness, and basically realizing industrialization.

Zeng Peiyan, then minister of State Development Planning Commission, gave three quantitative indicators in 2002: by 2020, China's per capita GDP would cross $3,000, roughly equivalent to the average level of middle-income countries; the urbanization rate would exceed 50 percent; and the proportion of employment in agriculture would drop from 50 percent of the total in 2000 to about 30 percent.

These quantitative targets were surpassed by 2018. That year China's GDP(calculated according to 2010 constant price) was 4.84 times that of 2000, with an average annual growth rate of 9.2 percent－and per capita GDP reached $7,287(based on 2010 constant price), with an annual growth rate of 8.7 percent. Measured in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP, 2011 international dollar), China's per capita GDP had reached 16,187 international dollars, exceeding the world's average of 15,941 international dollars (PPP, 2011 international dollar).

Furthermore, the urbanization rate reached 60 percent, and the share of the agriculture sector in total employment fell to 26.1 percent. According to US Central Intelligence Agency data, in 2018 China's GDP(PPP) ranked 105 among 228 countries and regions, thus becoming part of the top 46.1 percent in the world.

Despite these figures, many so-called foreign experts continue to suggest that China's total GDP is overestimated.

But the fact is that, according to Fourth National Economic Census data, the revised GDP is even higher, by 2.1 percent, of which the added value of the tertiary industry registered a nearly 2 trillion yuan ($284.50 billion) increase, equivalent to an increase of 0.39 percent of the world GDP(PPP). Consequently, China's per capita GDP for 2018 has been adjusted to 16,527 international dollars, that is, 29.7 percent that of the US.

According to our projection, China's total GDP in 2020 is expected to be 5.45 times that of 2000, with an average annual growth rate of 8.8 percent. GDP (PPP, 2011 international dollar) will rise to 25.98 trillion international dollars. Calculated according to the statistical method of PPP, in 2000 China's GDP was only 36.3 percent that of the US, but in 2020 it will rise to 137 percent. Also, China's per capita GDP will reach 18,622 international dollar (PPP, 2011 international dollar), 5.05 times that in 2000, with an average annual growth rate of 8.4 percent and per capita GDP jumping from 8.1 percent that of the US in 2000 to 32.0 percent in 2020.

And in terms of per capita GDP(PPP), China will occupy the 94th position among 228 countries and regions, thus becoming part of the top 41.2 percent in the world.

What is remarkable is that China has transformed from the world's largest poor country into the world's largest all-round moderately prosperous society (quanmian xiaokang) in the least number of years.

The World Bank measures poverty based on three factors: a lowest-income poverty line of $1.90 per day, a lower-middle income line of $3.20 per day, and an upper-middle income line of $5.50 per day. According to these criteria, in 2015 China's poverty incidence rate was 0.7 percent, 7.0 percent, and 27.2 percent respectively. By 2020, these figures will drop to 0 percent, 3 percent, and below 10 percent respectively.

Which means China will finally bid farewell to absolute poverty in 2020－a major achievement in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

In the first two decades of the 21st century, China has developed rapidly from a low-income economy to a lower-middle-income economy and then to a higher-middle-income economy. It now accounts for 52.4 percent of the total population (2.65 billion) of higher-middle-income countries. And in the future when it becomes a high-income economy, it will more than double the total population (currently 1.21 billion) of high-income countries.

China's development has a huge spillover effect on the rest of the world, which is especially reflected in its contribution to global poverty reduction. According to the lowest international poverty line ($1.90 a day), in 1981 China's poverty-stricken population was 884 million. By 2015, the figure had been reduced to 9.62 million, with China's share in the global impoverished population shrinking from 46.5 percent to 1.32 percent, and the incidence of poverty dropping from 88.3 percent to 0.70 percent. This means, in total, China accounted for 74.4 percent of the global poverty reduction.

Measured against the second international poverty line ($3.20 a day), in 1990 China's poverty-stricken population was 1.02 billion. By 2015, the figure had declined to 96.22 million, reducing China's share in the world total from 35.3 percent to 5.0 percent, and the incidence of poverty from 90.0 percent to 7.0 percent. By that measure, China's contribution to global poverty reduction was 94.1 percent.

According to the third international poverty line ($5.50 per day), China's poverty-stricken population was 1.12 billion in 1990. By 2015, the figure had dropped to 374 million, with China's share in the world total declining from 31.5 percent to 10.9 percent and the incidence of poverty falling from 98.3 percent to 27.2 percent. Which means China's contribution to global poverty reduction was overwhelming.

As can be seen from its remarkable contribution rates, China's success in poverty alleviation and economic development is also the success of the global poverty reduction efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/10/content_37528435.htm Macao faces a tough development problem: how to shift its economy's reliance from the gaming industry and diversify its economic activity. The Macao Special Administrative Region has to shift its reliance from the gaming industry in order to nurture the financial and technology sectors to ensure long-term economic development.

Macao has a very high per capita GDP, ranking among the top five economies, mainly thanks to its highly lucrative gaming industry. In fact, the ratio of the gaming industry in the SAR's total economy is almost half, while it contributes about 90 percent of Macao's fiscal revenue. This means the SAR should improve its economic structure to deal with possible economic fluctuations.

To preempt economic damage, the SAR has to strengthen its economic resilience by diversifying its industries, such as cultivating new industries including the convention and exhibition sector, cultural innovation industry and traditional Chinese medicine. All these industries, except for convention and exhibition sector, have very low output at present, especially when compared with the gaming industry, whose daily income is about 800 million yuan ($113.72 million).

The goal of the SAR government is to promote industrial development for optimizing and upgrading its industrial structure.

Perhaps Macao should promote industrial transformation by cultivating a sound financial sector first, and then focus on other industries. Three key areas－finance lease, wealth management and Sino-Portuguese yuan clearing－have great potential, and can help develop the local financial industry, considering their overall volume is still comparatively small. For example, the ratio of Sino-Portuguese yuan clearing business in Macao is less than 0.5 percent of the total.

Recent news reports that Macao would build a securities exchange drew widespread public attention, with the Monetary Authority of Macao saying that it is studying the feasibility of establishing such an exchange. But in terms of regional financial cooperation, Macao should develop differently from the Hong Kong SAR, by focusing on technological innovation.

How should Macao, the world's biggest gambling hub in terms of volume, choose its path of technological innovation?

Since Macao's urban development is similar to other Asian cities such as Seoul and Taipei, it could learn from their experiences. And these cities' experiences suggest Macao develop its financial sector to achieve technological innovation and diversified development.

However, when it comes to vital factors such as business environment and capital market that are closely related to finance, Macao's market is not mature enough. Plus, Macao's weak capital market also restrains its technological innovation capacity. No wonder it has not made much headway in technological innovation.

Compared with the economies of Chinese mainland cities, Macao's economy is unique. Its urban scale is small and economic structural diversity low, though its urbanization level is high. Which means Macao has to take multiple measures to achieve urban transformation.

As a small city, Macao should use capital to fuel technological innovation. It should also have a government department dedicated to technological innovation. Maybe it's time for the Macao government to establish a green technological innovation bureau to promote urban transition.

For starters, perhaps sand-box tests such as blockchain research or financial technology development may be conducive to boosting the transition and development of a relatively small economy such as Macao.

 

]]> 2019-12-10 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528200.htm If some in the West still have doubts about the United States' double standard on terrorism when it comes to China's fight against terrorism and extremism in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the two videos released by China Global TV Network show how absurd, ridiculous and outrageous the US' Uygur Act of 2019 is.

The videos show how violent and heartless the terrorists were when they attacked with knives innocent residents of different ethnic groups on the streets and how terrorists were brainwashed to launch suicide-bomb attacks in crowded markets. In one of the videos, a Uygur woman tells how she lost one of her legs in such an attack when she was shopping with her mother.

Thousands of terrorist attacks took place in Xinjiang from 1990 to 2016, according to related statistics, and the videos show how the East Turkestan Islamic Movement trained even women and children to launch such attacks and how a boy, who was only 6 years old, was taught to use a gun by his father.

Should the central government and local government have looked on without doing anything when residents in Xinjiang were at risk from a terrorist attack?

Yes, according to the logic of those on Capitol Hill, who choose to misinterpret China's fight against terrorism and extremism as ethnic repression and China's education centers as internment camps.

Since the US suffered a terrorist attack in 2001, it has launched one war after another in other countries.

After the Iraq War was launched by the US, frequent suicide bomb attacks happened in Iraq and other countries, killing tens of thousands of people, yet those on Capitol Hill never said anything ill of the war.

Millions of Syrians have lost their homes and become refugees because of the war supported by the US that has lasted for eight years and is still going on in Syria, why didn't those on Capitol Hill rise up to condemn the US government for causing a humanitarian crisis?

The Islamic State would not have risen up without the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Al-Qaida would not have expanded as fast as it did had the US not got involved in Afghanistan.

It is the US that should reflect on its counterterrorism strategy and on its double standard in the fight against terrorism.

China has done a good job in its fight against terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang. Its de-extremism education has not only helped prevent a lot of young people from being radicalized, but also helped them land jobs and start a new life.

That not a single terrorist attack has taken place in three years since 2016 verifies the effectiveness of China's anti-terrorism efforts. The world owes China a salute for what it has achieved in this regard.

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528218.htm HUNAN, SHANDONG AND SICHUAN PROVINCES AND CHONGQING have banned the peer-to-peer online loan business, and it is believed the other provincial-level regions will follow suit. Guangming Daily comments:

 

The P2P online loan industry was once seen as an important innovation of internet finance, and it won great support from local governments. At that time, the supporters of the industry believed the efficiency of the internet would bridge the information gap between the supply and the demand sides and the invisible hand of market would naturally ensure the healthy growth of the emerging industry.

But they ignored the fact that no matter how much digital technology the industry adopts, it is essentially a business that pursues the maximization of profits.

All stakeholders in the business believe that it will be winner take all in the game, so all parties pin their hopes upon monopolizing the market, their competition has been derailed from the right track. Which means in an ill-supervised market, the competition is no longer based on efficiency and innovation, but instead on empty promises of exorbitant returns for investors.

Many investors wished to take a free ride in the easy money era without knowing that the industry was actually creating little added value especially after the competition in the industry became fierce. No wonder many investors failed to realize how unsustainable the business model was until many P2P loan companies went bankrupt, disappearing with their investment.

That one after another provincial-level governments are changing their attitude toward the innovation they once endorsed, along with the long queue of people appealing to the government to help them get their money back, has demonstrated the extent to which their original support had fostered the distorted growth of the industry, and misled people's investment decisions.

The governments of various levels have to learn a lesson from the collapse of the P2P loan industry. As the last defenders of market order, they should always keep a cool head, and not be carried away by fairytales about cutting-edge technologies fabricated by hotheaded speculators.

Otherwise, the government's creditability, market order and the public interests will also be at stake once the fairytales come to nothing.

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528219.htm Editor's note: The National Bureau of Statistics has disclosed parts of the results of its fourth national economic census, which show that the service sector has become the No 1 contributor to the economic growth and the job market. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

 

International experience shows that as the service sector accounts for an increasingly larger proportion of an economy, the overall economic growth speed often slows, which might deteriorate into a recession if industry does not become stronger as it downsizes, and the service sector does not pick up efficiency along with its expansion.

In other words, China has come to the crossroad where a country either becomes a developed one or falls into the so-called middle income trap.

The development of the education, training and science and technology research, which are important components of the service sector, directly influences the quality of the working population. But their significance is often ignored by policymakers, as they are invariably more money consuming, and less effective than consumption in boosting growth in the short term.

Yet the input in these, if well used, is the most worthwhile investment in the future, as it will help fill the gap between China's ambition to lead the next round of the technology revolution, and its actual manufacturing capacity to industrialize new technologies, and reduce its deficit in trade of services that largely comes from its purchase of know-how from overseas.

China should pay more attention to boosting its education, training and research sectors.

It urgently needs to reform the talent assessment mechanism in its institutes and universities, which has largely remained unchanged for decades, so that researchers can divert more attention from pursuing the number of theses published each year to seeking breakthroughs in their fields.

The current system makes the chief editors of academic journals powerful tune setters and the prey of bribers, as their personal preferences directly decide the performance of researchers.

The country must also further strengthen its intellectual property rights protection so as to stimulate the enterprises' enthusiasm to cultivate their own research talent pools, which remains the short slab for most Chinese companies.

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528220.htm When it comes to the outlook for emerging markets in 2020, the bottom line is maddeningly simple: "It's complicated." There are a number of reasons for this.

For starters, we are living in extraordinary times, owing to the unpredictable personality of the US President Donald Trump. One can only begin to imagine what steps he will take to improve his re-election chances next year. Will he engage in even more saber rattling, threatening, say, additional tariffs against China or military action against Iran? Or will he focus on keeping financial conditions accommodative in order to ward off a slowdown or recession just before the election?

There are no obvious answers to such questions. Indeed, a friend recently told me that he is closing down his macro hedge fund because the ratio of noise to signal in the Trump era is just too high. Even if one adjusts for the frequency of Trump's outbursts and repeated contradictions, it is impossible to predict where he will land on any given day.

Consider what happened during the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, in August. The US leader claimed he had received calls from China seeking a new round of negotiations to resolve the trade war. But, according to unnamed sources quoted in the US media, it was untrue, and merely an attempt by Trump to prevent stock markets from falling. Which tells us a lot about where his priorities lie. Meanwhile, the United States seems closer to striking a partial trade deal with China at the ongoing trade talks (whether it will is anyone's guess).

A second complication for the 2020 outlook is monetary policy. What path is the US Federal Reserve likely to take, and what will it mean for the US dollar? These two related issues tend to have a disproportionate influence on developing and emerging markets, particularly those with a lot of dollar-denominated debt.

If the Fed continues easing its monetary policy as expected, and if the dollar stops rising, emerging markets will have less to worry about. But if the Fed suddenly starts tightening－for example, if inflation finally picks up－developing and emerging markets would fare poorly, as would the rest of the global economy, given the cyclical weakness that has prevailed for most of 2019.

Against this backdrop, one also must consider the underlying structural use of the dollar. Traditionally, the dollar's role in the global economy has been conflated with its price performance against other currencies. But these are now becoming two separate issues, owing to the US leaser's profligate use of the dollar as a weapon in his various foreign-policy battles. Other countries have taken note of the threat posed by Washington's "exorbitant privilege", and are now looking for ways to address it.

Russia, for example, has dramatically reduced its US Treasury holdings, and the Europeans have created a payment mechanism for bypassing US sanctions on Iran. Unlike many others, I have long attributed the dollar's dominance to the reluctance of Europe (specifically Germany before the introduction of the euro) and China to allow their own currencies to play a bigger role in the global economy. But I would not be surprised if 2019 becomes the year when these players' attitudes change.

A third issue, of course, is China. The Chinese economy faces a big complication. In 2020, China's real (inflation-adjusted) GDP growth will likely dip below 6 percent. This will be a major disappointment to all who have grown dependent on a growth rate closer to 7 percent, and it will be a marginal net drag for many others.

But that is the glass-half-empty view. For those of us who remain focused on China's longer-term growth path, 2020 will likely be the start of a decade during which the country achieves average annual growth of about 5.5 percent. Indeed, Chinese policymakers cannot expect much more than that, given China's aging labor force. More to the point, as long as Chinese consumers continue to contribute a growing share of overall GDP, pessimism about China's prospects will be unwarranted.

A final issue for so-called emerging markets will be their equity market valuations. As matters stand, emerging-market equities are generally inexpensive－and, by some measures, quite attractive-relative to equity and bond markets globally. If Trump decides to play nice, the Fed remains a benign influence, and China stabilizes its annual growth rate just below 6 percent, emerging-market equities could do rather well in 2020.

To be sure, those are major contingencies to consider, and emerging-market countries have plenty of specific challenges of their own. But I would not be too surprised if investors' on-and-off love affair with Sub-Saharan Africa heats up again. Several of those countries are showing signs of positive structural improvement. Investors would do well to keep an eye on them in the coming year.

The author, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and a former UK Treasury Minister, is chair of Chatham House.

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528221.htm As 2020 approaches, US tariffs on Chinese goods have reached levels not seen since the US Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which played a key role in exacerbating the Great Depression. A key complaint of US President Donald Trump is China's failure to respect intellectual property rights. Trump and his trade advisers regularly accuse China of stealing US inventions, designs and other forms of IP without compensation, and many media outlets repeat these allegations as a matter of course.

There was a time when one could walk down a street in Vietnam, India or Mexico and easily find pirated foreign movies and music on DVDs and CDs. Now that everything is digital, pirating has become less visible to tourists, even though it is probably no less rampant than before. Still, IPR protection is weaker in developing countries than in advanced nations. The question, then, is whether China's IPR record is better or worse than what one would expect for its income level.

For systematic data on such questions, we examine countries' outbound royalty and license fee payments to foreign patent, copyright and other IP holders, which is included in the balance of payment data compiled by the International Monetary Fund.

These data reveal that a country's income level and IP payments are tightly linked, with a clear positive linear relationship (when both are measured in logarithm). On average, a 1 percent increase in per capita income is associated with a 1.85 percent increase in per capita IP payments. The implication is that as a country grows richer－and as its economy becomes more technologically sophisticated and capital intensive－its IPR protection regime tends to strengthen. In the 19th century, for instance, the United States was accused of violating British IPR.

If Chinese companies were systematically using foreign IP without compensation to a greater extent than other countries at a comparable income level, China's IP payments would be low for its income level. Yet when we created a time series for China's per capita IP payments between 1997 and 2017, we found that this was not the case. Before China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, its IP payments were below the international average for countries at a comparable income level. But every year since its accession to the WTO, its IP payments have exceeded that average.

China's rapidly increasing IP payments have tracked its overall growth rate. In 2000, the last year before it joined the WTO, its total IP payment to foreign entities was just $1.3 billion; by 2017, it had grown to $28.7 billion, implying a 20 percent average annual growth rate. In comparison, the median annual growth rate of IP payments across all countries during the same period was just 9.5 percent. China's IP payments have been growing at a significantly faster annual rate than that of France (7.9 percent), the Republic of Korea (6.5 percent), and Mexico (-1.9 percent). India, with a population comparable in size to China's, has experienced a comparable rate of growth in IP payments; but its total IP payment, at $6.5 billion in 2017, was just 22 percent of China's.

Another way to gauge the effectiveness of China's IPR protection is to look at where multinational companies locate their operations. Multinationals are not stupid. They are not inclined to enter markets where their IP will be expropriated on a massive scale. In 2018, with the trade war already well underway, China was the top destination for foreign direct investment among all developing countries (as was the case in each of the previous 10 years). In fact, among all countries, only the US attracted more FDI.

Some could say that, compared to the US and other high-income countries, China is not doing enough to protect IPR. Its IP regime could certainly be made stronger, and its per capita IP payments could be increased. But one could also say that China is doing exactly what is expected of a country at its income level. Indeed, its IP payments have long exceeded the international average. And as it becomes richer, the record suggests that its IP regime will grow stronger.

A final question is whether an agreement can be reached between China and other countries over IP. One key factor will be the pace of innovation within China. Chinese enterprises have made massive investments in research and development, and they are quickly increasing their own innovative output. The number of patents registered by Chinese enterprises is growing exponentially. Even if one does not trust official Chines e figures, a similar trend can be found in US patents granted to Chinese companies.

The accelerating pace of innovation within China should improve the prospects for cooperation on this issue. Whereas stronger IPR used to mean higher rents for foreign companies, now those same protections will benefit Chinese companies, too.

China's IP regime is far from perfect. But available evidence casts serious doubt on the claim that IP expropriation is unusually rampant in China. Once the US can put the problem in proper perspective, greater cooperation with China in this area will look more promising. Which, in the end, will benefit both sides far more than a tit-for-tat escalation of tariffs.

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

 

 

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528235.htm In 2020, the world will mark the 75th anniversary of the liberal international order. Most agree that this framework－comprising the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other multilateral institutions－needs to be updated to address the challenges of climate change, widening inequality and slowing economic growth. But world-level reform will not be possible without first building more cohesive and sustainable societies.

One way of doing that is through "assemblies of citizens" of the kind pioneered by Ireland and other countries.

This year, several crucial international institutions once again showed they were ill-equipped to meet today's challenges. The European Union remains paralyzed thanks to the United Kingdom's torturous Brexit process. The US administration has sidelined the World Trade Organization by blocking appointees to the WTO's dispute-settlement body. And the UN suffered a major setback when Chile announced it could not host this year's UN Climate Change Conference.

These examples suggest that our ability to marshal collective responses to major challenges is under threat. But reforming any one multilateral institution will not fix the problem if its member states－and the communities they represent－remain divided along political, social and economic lines.

After all, the Brexit crisis is not about EU decision-making in Brussels; it is about polarization in the UK. The WTO's crisis stems from the gridlock in Washington, and disagreement among member states over how to update the rules of trade. And the last-minute cancellation of the climate conference was a consequence of social unrest in Chile, not a lack of enthusiasm among international leaders.

Rather than focusing on the pinnacle of the global-governance pyramid, we should be tending to the fractures in its base. And yet, in many countries around the world, divisions among voters have made it increasingly difficult for political leaders to implement reforms. Voters are increasingly polarized, and politicians who try to find common ground are often punished at the ballot box.

Ireland offers a promising model for escaping this catch-22. For decades, abortion was political kryptonite for Irish policymakers. But then Ireland tried a sociopolitical experiment that is fit for our age of division: it convened a citizens' assembly to devise abortion legislation that a broad base of voters could support.

The Irish assembly selected 99 citizens (and one chairperson) at random to convene a body that was "broadly representative of society as reflected in the census, including age, gender, social class, regional spread". As such, it achieved a much wider diversity of views than one finds in the established political system.

But the assembly also followed rules that were designed to foster unity. As in many parliaments, members had an equal opportunity to speak, and all deliberations were public. And from the start, members also pledged to respect each other's viewpoints, and to sit at the same table as those with whom they disagreed.

The public closely followed the proceedings of citizens' assembly, creating a unique sense of broad-based political participation. People cared deeply about the topic being discussed, but they also learned to appreciate the views held by those on the other side of the table or TV. Ultimately, the assembly issued recommendations, including legalizing abortion, which were then put to the public in the form of a referendum. Many of its proposals are now law.

If we want to overcome political divisions elsewhere in the world, we should champion this citizen-assembly model. By design, deliberative gatherings of ordinary citizens－whose primary task is to reach agreement, rather than get re-elected－can bypass political antagonism and move toward pragmatic solutions to specific issues. Although they cannot replace democratically elected legislatures, they should supplement them when needed.

Similar "stakeholder" approaches have helped elected leaders confront major challenges in other cases. In France, the "yellow vest "protesters (gilets jaunes) this year softened their tone once President Emmanuel Macron organized a "Grand Debate" for citizens to engage directly in town hall-style meetings across the country. In Belgium, a recent gathering of stakeholders in Antwerp produced a resolution to settle disagreements over a major infrastructure project after decades of inaction. And in Gdansk, Poland, a citizen assembly achieved what Tin Gazivoda of the Open Society Initiative for Europe described as "binding changes in city policy on flood mitigation, air pollution, civic engagement, and the treatment of LGBT people".

Once our societies have become more united around at least some common ground, it will be easier to create momentum toward solving international problems. When people are satisfied and optimistic about the direction of their life at home, they are more willing to take on the larger challenges that they share with people elsewhere in the world. Here, too, we should apply some of the same principles: international governance should reflect the diversity of international society, not just elites or other select groups.

This, then, is my wish for 2020: That we mend national-and local-level divisions through citizens' assemblies, and that we bring the same stakeholder approach to our international institutions. We must move quickly if we are to solve the major challenges of our time, from climate change and rising inequality to slowing growth and new concentrations of power－all of which threaten the well-being of citizens everywhere.

The author is founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Project Syndicate

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

 

 

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528236.htm If you want to go fast, walk alone; if you want to go farther, walk together. This well-known piece of advice should be heeded by the United States and applied to the Iranian nuclear deal.

Aside from the US, which has unilaterally withdrawn from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iranian nuclear deal, all the other parties to the deal still support its effective and full implementation, as shown by the joint commission meeting held in Vienna, Austria, on Friday, which was attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran.

During the meeting, the relevant parties pledged their determination to pursue all efforts to preserve the agreement, which sends an unmistakable message to the international community that the nuclear deal still plays an important role in the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

That message should also prompt the US to reflect on its withdrawal from the deal, as that decision has not only dented international efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue peacefully, it has also sparked a new round of tensions between Washington and Teheran and further exacerbated conflicts in the Gulf region.

Since the withdrawal of the US, the other relevant parties have tried hard to maintain the Iranian nuclear deal. Apart from Europe and Iran's efforts to sidestep US sanctions, it is noteworthy that China and Russia have stepped up diplomacy and mediation so as to create conditions conducive to a political settlement of the issue.

China appreciates Russia's efforts in promoting the Fordow nuclear facility reconstruction project and the Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges introduced by the European Union so European companies can continue to trade with Iran.

As a country strongly committed to keeping the Iranian nuclear deal intact, China hopes the US will heed the calls of the international community and abandon its unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction.

The US is not only imposing maximum pressure on Iran, but also wantonly sanctioning and threatening to sanction other responsible parties that implement the deal. This unilateral practice has severely compromised the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal, escalated the crisis and aggravated the regional situation.

Washington should respect the fact that 15 consecutive times, the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified Iran's compliance with the commitments it made under the nuclear deal and stop exerting extreme pressure on Iran so as to avoid pushing the current volatile situation out of control.

For peace and stability in the Middle East, the US needs to recognize the importance and effectiveness of the Iranian nuclear deal and give its support to it.

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528237.htm Coming the day before the city marks six months of the unrest, Sunday's rally in Hong Kong was billed by its organizer as the "last chance" for the special administrative region government to accede to the demands of the opposition camp.

It was the first time the Civil Human Rights Front had been granted permission to hold a rally since Aug 18 after what it claimed was a million-strong assembly degenerated into a riot.

But instead of demonstrating support for the threat of further disruption, Sunday's march served to show how much the opposition camp has become detached from the general public, as the number of participants was fewer than the organizer boasted of beforehand.

Many residents in Hong Kong are fed up with the violence and disruption that have plagued the city for months. The record turnout for the district council elections showed they want to express their views peacefully.

Authorities have repeatedly banned major rallies in recent months citing the risk of the escalating violence of hardcore protesters. And the depths to which some radical elements are prepared to sink was revealed before Sunday's rally, when the police displayed a firearm and other weapons seized in overnight raids in which 11 people were arrested. Apparently they were prepared to hijack Sunday's rally by staging a shooting incident for which the police would be blamed for any injuries or fatalities.

The downsizing of the rally indicates that an increasing number of residents have realized that the violence and vandalism by the rioters, which often seem to be just for the hell of it, serve only the interests of the anti-Beijing cliques and their overseas backers, not the interests of Hong Kong.

That the SAR's economic data deteriorated significantly the third quarter has brought home to many the reality that the opposition camp is willing to offer the city as a sacrificial lamb to Washington's anti-Beijing schemes.

There is a growing realization in Hong Kong that there are some who are willing to use Hong Kong and its youths as pawns in their games. These people blinded by prejudice are willing to see what was one of the world's freest and most orderly societies be taken over by the rule of mob in pursuit of their objectives.

That a peaceful, law-abiding society could descend into such chaos so quickly is because of the unholy alliance of manipulators whose only stake in Hong Kong is how they can use it to cause trouble for Beijing. The SAR government must remain steadfast in upholding the rule of law and demonstrate to residents its resolve to defend their interests and never to succumb to violence.

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/09/content_37528251.htm A CHINA CENTRAL TELEVISION report exposed the polluting practices of the gold mining industry in Songxian county, Central China's Henan province, which has been discharging waste water directly into the Yihe River, a branch of the Yellow River. Beijing News comments:

 

The pollution of the river is so serious that it has turned the Yihe River into a lifeless drainage ditch that flows into the nation's mother river.

The water and soil contamination is highly toxic as it is mainly residual cyanide, a highly dangerous chemical that is used in extracting and cleaning gold, and often found in the wastes of the gold mining industry.

All the laws and rules customized for the treatment of such hazardous industrial wastes seem to exist only in name in the county, and local residents' complaints have all fallen on the deaf ears of the supervisory departments.

Worse, the mining factories in the county are located near the Luhun Reservoir, a source of drinking water for neighboring Luoyang city, home to 6.8 million people.

These factories have their acid fog absorbing towers, and sewage treatment works, and other standard configurations stipulated by the law. But media reports indicate these facilities have been left unused for a long time, allegedly for the purpose of reducing production costs, and all environmental influence assessment reports－which are a must before the authority gives the green light for their operation－issued by local environmental protection bureaus for these factories show they have the ability to make sure their discharges meet the requirements of relevant national standards.

Records also show that these factories have received fines, but these have been so low as to be just symbolic.

All the aforementioned signs indicate the law enforcers and environmental protection watchdogs in the county have taken the wrong side when making their choice between protecting the environment and protecting the polluters.

It seems the local government, which has not yet responded to the media report, still excludes the environmental costs from its calculations of local economic growth.

A thorough investigation is needed. Anyone who gave a green light to the pollution should have to pay a high price for it.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-09 00:00:00 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528168.htm Editor's note: The US House of Representatives passed a bill on alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Tuesday. The so-called Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 threatens to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and toughen the US stance on the "Uygur issue". Three experts share their views on the US bill with China Daily's Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

 

US will harm itself by using double standard

The passage of the bill by the House has once again exposed the US' double standard on anti-terrorism and human rights issues. The United States hosts such masterminds of the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement" as Rebiya Kadeer even though the US state and treasury departments have listed the ETIM as a terrorist organization.

Over the past few years, the Xinjiang regional government has sought to eliminate the factors conducive to the spread of terrorism and extremism through innovative measures such as vocational training centers aimed at helping improve people's livelihoods. Which has helped maintain the stability of the region and expedited its economic development.

Indeed, a number of officials at international organizations including several United Nations' organizations and different countries' ambassadors to China have visited Xinjiang and lauded the achievements made by the region in fighting terrorism and safeguarding human rights.

Yet some US congressmen have rushed to make an issue out of nothing. In the 40 years since China and the US established diplomatic relations, the US has never been this eager to smear China's reputation with one human rights bill after another.

But the superpower has not, and will not, succeed in its stratagem to pressure or shame China. The US' hysterical moves have only exposed its lack of confidence in its deceitful designs.

Ironically, the US is most sensitive to other countries' interfering in its internal affairs. For example, allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election sparked debates in the US that are still continuing, and the alleged Donald Trump-Ukraine scandal has triggered a political storm in the US. Despite that, the US never shies away from interfering in other countries' internal affairs.

China will not succumb to any US ploy, as facts demonstrate the rightfulness of its Xinjiang policy. The US is only wasting its time and energy, and hurting its own international image by targeting China while ignoring its valuable contribution to the fight against terrorism. China will continue to implement all effective and just measures despite the US' attempt to interfere in its internal affairs.

Time for US politicians to shed old prejudices

It is almost certain that the US bill will become law just like the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 because the US president will not risk opposing the Congress, and the US continues to pretend to stand for human rights protection despite evidence to the contrary.

The most fundamental problem of US congressmen is that without knowing anything about Xinjiang or its residents, they are commenting on the situation there, and have decided to judge China based on assumptions, imagination and, worse, prejudice. The "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act" is not only another brazen attempt to interfere in China's internal affairs, but also an exhibition of US arrogance and double standard.

How come the US sees the recent attack on London Bridge as an "act of terror" while it describes the rioters in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region who attacked innocent people and set a man on fire as "peaceful protesters"? For the US, politics clearly takes precedence over human rights.

The US has expedited its attack on China on the pretext of defending Chinese people's human rights, because it sees China as a strategic competitor and uses human rights as a convenient excuse to target China and occupy the moral high ground. Besides, as self-proclaimed and self-righteous human rights defenders, some US politicians have become accustomed to seeing other countries through the lens of prejudice.

The US' practice of viewing its own values and standards of human rights as the only right sets of values and rights and forcing them on other countries will increase conflicts with other countries and therefore impede the long-term promotion of human rights across the globe. More alarmingly, the passage of the bill on Xinjiang could encourage terrorists and separatists to intensify their extremist activities in a bid to split the region from China.

But China today is much more secure than most countries including the US. It's no longer the country that some US congressmen imagine it to be. That's why it welcomes everyone to visit Xinjiang and see for themselves the great achievements the region has made.

US should clean its own yard first

The US bill on Xinjiang comes as no surprise because the US launched a smear campaign a year ago to tarnish China's reputation. It created the Uygur human rights issue to build pressure on China and meddle in China's internal affairs.

The White Paper on Xinjiang's Vocational Training Centers released by the Chinese government, which systematically explained the practical meaning, legal basis, training content, operation model and main achievements of the centers as part of China's anti-terrorism measures, has been ignored by the US on purpose. Instead, US media outlets and politicians have fabricated numerous pieces of fake news to damage China's image in the international community.

The three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism were responsible for thousands of criminal acts from 1990 to 2016, and trampled on innocent peoples' rights to life, health and development. Xinjiang has not only taken strict measures against the three evil forces, but also laid equal emphasis on preventing terrorism. It has established the vocational training centers as a way of combating terrorism through education, and to decontaminate the soil that breeds terrorism and extremism. Which is not repression and internment of people, as described by the Western media.

A team of more than 1,000 people, comprising ambassadors to China, UN officials, journalists, representatives of various social organizations and religious groups from more than 90 countries and regions, have visited Xinjiang's vocational training centers since late last year. They have recognized and praised the tangible results Xinjiang's anti-terrorism measures have produced, which can be an example for other countries combating terrorism to follow.

US politicians have forgotten their own human rights crimes. For instance, a large number of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay detention camp have been detained without any trial for years. Despite not being convicted, they don't know whether they will ever be released. According to an article in Los Angeles Times, a Pakistani national mistaken to be an extremist has been held prisoner and tortured at Guantanamo for 14 years. Therefore, the US would do well to clean its own backyard before attacking other countries.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

 

 

 

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528167.htm The punitive tariffs announced by the United States against imports from Brazil, Argentina and France on Monday are nothing but the latest display of its unilateral, protectionist and bullying trade policy and practice.

US President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday morning that he would slap tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and Argentina because the two countries "have been presiding over a massive devaluation of their currencies". The two largest South American economies had been exempted from US tariffs last year.

Just like the US' false accusation in August that China manipulates its currency, its allegation against Brazil and Argentina has not been supported by facts. The two currencies have been depreciating due to the poor economic performance of the two countries. In fact, both governments have tried to prop up their currencies.

By imposing punitive tariffs on Brazil and Argentina, the US will inflict more damage on the two economies and thus weaken their currencies further. Wonder what Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro must be feeling; after all, he is widely regarded as a "friend" of the US president.

As for Argentine president-elect Alberto Fernandez, the timing of the tariffs could not have been worse, as he takes office on Tuesday amid serious economic challenges.

However, many believe the US tariffs are less to do with currency devaluation and more to do with Brazil and Argentina boosting their soybean exports to China at a time when US soybean exports to China have dropped drastically owing to the Washington-triggered trade war.

How can the US blame other countries for the trade disruption that its own reckless policy has caused?

If, like China, Brazil and Argentina also had a surplus with the US in trade, the White House might have accused them, too, of taking billions of dollars out of the US and once again revealed its ignorance about international trade.

The US Trade Representative Office also announced punitive tariffs of up to 100 percent on French products such as wine and cheese in retaliation to France levying "digital service tax" on certain US products, which has affected American technology giants such as Google and Facebook.

While these tariffs, to be imposed under the outdated Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974, won't be implemented until the end of public hearings on Jan 31, it is a dramatic escalation of the tariff war between the trans-Atlantic allies after the US announced tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of European Union goods in October in response to the EU giving subsidies to Airbus.

The EU is a customs union, so a US tariff war against France is a tariff war against the EU. Accordingly, the EU has vowed to fight back.

The US move, as a Chinese saying goes, is to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey", because several other countries including the United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, Spain and Turkey are also considering introducing digital service tax.

The US administration has no patience or appetite for multilateral organizations. And since the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has already started negotiations on a global treaty on digital tax, the White House seems determined to go its own way.

The US has done the same with the World Trade Organization by blocking the appointment of new judges to the Appellate Body. As a result, the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism will cease to function on Wednesday.

The latest US tariff war against Argentina, Brazil and France demands that the international community more strongly oppose the US' disruptive trade policy and behavior.

The author is chief of china daily eu bureau based in brussels.

 

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528098.htm CHINESE STUDENTS RANKED FIRST in the OECD's PISA tests last year, which shows China's basic education has improved. However, education resources still need to be better balanced nationwide. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

According to the results of OECD's Program for International Student Assessment in 2018, in three core academic subjects, reading, science and mathematics, the average score of 15-year-old Chinese students from four cities and regions ranked first among 79 countries.

The PISA tests, which are held every three years, examines what students know in the three core subjects and what they can do with what they know, providing a comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of students' learning outcomes. The 2018 PISA tested about 600,000 15-year-old students in total from 79 high- and middle-income countries globally. The Chinese students were from Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

Chinese students' test results show China's advantage in basic education and Chinese students' strong competitiveness among the young students all over the world. In particular, the result reflects the rapid progress of China's basic education over the past three years.

Chinese students from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces participated in the PISA tests three years ago, but their performance was disappointing. Chinese students' average scores in mathematics and science in 2015 ranked sixth and tenth respectively, and it was much lower for reading.

The pleasing 2018 PISA result shows quality education that aims to improve the all-around competence of Chinese students, in particular their independent thinking and ability to use what they learn to solve problems, has made great achievements in recent years.

But we should also be aware that the PISA result doesn't reflect the whole picture of China's basic education, because the students being tested are all from developed regions in China that have high education standards. The quality of education varies in China among various regions. In some less-developed remote regions, basic education lags far behind that of the major cities. Quality and balanced education is a cause that we should make unremitting efforts for.

Meanwhile, we should also notice that the 2018 PISA result reflects some of the problems and difficulties Chinese students face, such as heavy schoolwork level and less satisfaction compared with students from other countries. In the future, we should make up for the loopholes in compulsory education to improve the overall level of China's basic education.

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528087.htm ON THURSDAY, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake hit Tangshan city, North China's Hebei province, which, fortunately, has not caused any casualty or loss of property. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

When the news broke that there had been an earthquake in Tangshan, many people said they felt panic at first, and hurried to find out more. It was not until they learned that the quake was a relatively minor one that had not caused any loss of life and property that they relaxed.

That shared feeling is because of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Tangshan in the early hours of July 28, 1976, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.

There have been voices asking whether Chinese people are too sensitive to the issue, but the losses and casualties of the Tangshan earthquake in 1976 and the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 are carved deep in the nation's common memory.

Earthquakes are caused by disruptions in geological structures deep underground and there is no way to prevent them. Further, it is still not possible to accurately predict when an earthquake will happen. The only thing that can be done is to make good emergency preparations so as to minimize casualties and losses when there is a quake.

In 1997, the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, passed the Law on Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Alleviation, which stressed the roles of different departments in the common efforts. In 2008, after the Wenchuan earthquake, the law was amended in light of the lessons learned.

Now, as the law requires, there is a nationwide emergency network and disaster alleviation system that is expected to minimize casualties and losses in case of earthquakes. More important, people are more aware of what to do in the event of an earthquake. It is to be hoped the next time there is major earthquake, the loss of life will be less.

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528086.htm Editor's Note: The Ministry of Finance published a draft document of the consumption tax law on Tuesday soliciting public opinions. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

According to the newly released consumption tax law draft, the current tax framework, tax burden level, and consumption tax rates on cigarettes and alcohol remain unchanged from the existing Provisional Regulations on Consumption Tax.

Under the general trend of emphasizing the rule of law and the legalization of taxation, the replacement of an administrative regulation by a law aims to implement the principle that the top legislature is responsible for taxation legislation to determine tax rates and tax items.

According to the draft document, the State Council, China's Cabinet, can carry out a pilot reform of the consumption tax and adjust tax items, tax rates and the procedures for tax collection, and submit the pilot plan to the top legislature for the record. That means the current consumption tax law still does not realize the complete legalization of taxation that should be exclusively determined by the top legislature.

This is to some extent related to China's current consumption tax imposition and management conditions, thus leaving certain space for making improvements in this direction.

Not long ago, the State Council issued a reform plan for adjusting the income division between the central and local governments after the implementation of larger-scale tax cuts, proposing to steadily transfer the collection of some consumption taxes to local governments, to expand local revenue sources and guide local governments to improve the consumption environment.

However, as the taxes on tobacco, alcohol and oil, which account for the vast majority of the whole consumption tax revenues, have not been shared between the central and local governments, the current consumption taxes are unable to become a main source of local revenues.

This requires the central government to accelerate reform and include more consumption tax items in local governments' lists. The country should make greater efforts to accelerate the reform of consumption tax to create more mature condition for its legislation.

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528074.htm Innocent as most people in the city might be, Hong Kong society as a whole is paying a heavy price for the months-long social unrest that has sent the special administrative region's economy on a downward spiral.

Official figures released by the SAR government the other day were the latest evidence confirming not only an unpalatable recession but also a deteriorating fiscal situation for the government.

The economy contracted 2.9 percent in the third quarter from the same period last year, the first year-on-year decline in 10 years, and SAR Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po warned on Monday that the government was facing a budget shortfall for the first time in 15 years because of the poor economic situation.

These are the results of the double whammy that has hit the city over the past year, particularly since June. The prolonged Sino-US trade dispute has had a negative impact on exports and investment, while the unrest has dealt a fatal blow to many other aspects of the SAR's economic activity, including consumption, tourism and investment.

Retail sales suffered a record 24.3 percent year-on-year decline in October, the fourth month of double-digit decline. Exports of goods were down 7.1 percent in the third quarter, while exports of services fell by 13.8 percent, the biggest drop since the second quarter of 2003. Overall investment expenditure plunged 16.3 percent, and home prices retreated by 5 percent in October from May.

Inbound tourism has been especially hard-hit by the violent protests. Visitors, particularly those from the Chinese mainland, have been deterred by the animosity of the radical protesters. As a result, reports of workers in the hospitality sector being forced to take non-voluntary leave are no longer considered big news.

Other sectors have not fared any better. Small and medium-sized enterprises have proved particularly vulnerable, with quite a few having gone out of business while many more are struggling on the verge of bankruptcy.

To the comfort of Hong Kong people, the unemployment rate has remained relatively low. But economists are warning that it is just a matter of time before it will start rising rapidly, as the full impact of the violent protests on jobs will emerge in a few months. Indeed, some economists and business leaders have forecast a wave of layoffs after the Lunar New Year holiday in January.

The SAR's economy is arguably in the worst shape it has been in for years. It is on track to slide into the worst recession in decades unless the social unrest stops and order and peace are restored.

Should the violent disturbances continue, tough times lie ahead for Hong Kong residents－both the innocent and those responsible for the unrest.

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528069.htm Editor's Note: China's international counter-terrorism research team published a report on Thursday revealing the United States' double standard in the fight against terrorism and how it has caused humanitarian disasters the world over. Following is the full text of the report:

 

Terrorism is the common enemy of human society and has become the most serious security threat to all countries.

Terrorism and extremism have spread across the world, causing major disasters. Rough estimates show there were 1,127 terrorist attacks worldwide in 2018 alone, in which more than 13,000 people were killed.

The terrorist groups once active in the Middle East had recruited about 250,000 people from more than 100 countries around the world. After those terrorist outfits were defeated or disintegrated, the remaining terrorists have fled the areas of conflict and crossed into other countries, and now pose a serious threat to Middle East states, and other countries. Given that no country is immune from the threat of terrorism and extremism, uniting to fight terrorism is not only a necessity for but also the responsibility of the international community.

With the goal of devising a strategy to combat terrorism through cooperation among all countries and building a united international counter-terrorism front, the United Nations has formulated a series of legal documents, including the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, with the aim to stop terrorist activities. These documents provide an important international legal basis for countries to conduct counter-terrorism operations.

Serious threat to global peace and security

The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy emphasizes that member states "consistently, unequivocally and strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security". The document also says implementation measures should be formulated based on the four pillars of eradicating the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, preventing and combating terrorism, building states' capacity and strengthening the UN's role to fight terrorism, and respecting human rights and the rule of law in the fight against terrorism.

In recent years, the global campaign against terrorism has made important achievements, but the world is far from winning the final victory. The real threat posed by terrorists has not been effectively eliminated; in fact, it is gaining momentum in quite a few regions.

According to available data, the number of armed violence and other terrorist activities increased from 18,987 in 2015 to 24,202 in 2016, up 25 percent year-on-year and a tenfold increase from a decade ago. The international community has recognized that relying on the use of forceful counterterrorism measures alone is not enough to prevent the spread of terrorism, so a comprehensive approach should be adopted, including some "soft" preventative means, to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

The role of preventative work should be given full play in the fight against terrorism, by making continuous efforts to eliminate the factors that breed terrorism, such as poverty, lack of proper education and unemployment, in order to root out terrorism while respecting human rights and rule of law.

'War on terror' cannot be won using duplicity

The fundamental reason why it is so difficult to achieve the final victory in the global fight against terrorism is that some countries use double standard when it comes to combating terrorism. They use anti-terrorism measures as a political tool to serve their own interests and as an excuse to interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

These countries' double standard is mainly manifested in two aspects. First, such countries' criteria to identify terrorist outfits and combat terrorism are based on their self-interests. They often use less-considerate means to judge whether an outfit is a terrorist organization, and even provide shelter and support for terrorists from some countries and regions. And second, they criticize other countries' anti-terrorism measures, and stretch their long-arm of so-called domestic jurisdiction to interfere in other countries' internal affairs on the pretext of "protecting human rights" and "religious freedom".

Also, in the name of fighting terrorism, a certain country has conducted mass surveillance on its own people, and used lame excuses to justify the humanitarian disasters it has caused in other countries by indiscriminately killing innocent people and persecuting religious groups, thereby creating the soil that breeds terrorism.

US policies guided by Cold War mentality

Since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, terrorists have caused huge harm to societies across the world. Many therefore expected the United States to work with the international community to condemn and combat terrorism in all its forms, and strengthen the global cooperation in the fight against terrorism. But given its Cold War mentality and hegemonic practice, the US has used double standard in its fight against terrorism, demonstrating bias not only in identifying terrorist groups and fighting terrorists, but also adopting an ambiguous approach toward terrorists operating in some countries and even acting as their behind-the-scene commander and largest financial supporter.

Instead of taking an objective stance and condemning terrorist attacks in countries that are not its allies, the US has been criticizing their counter-terrorism measures, and human rights and religious freedom records to give them a bad name. And instead of repenting for the humanitarian disasters it has caused through its "war on terror" and its blatant abuse of international law to spy on people both in the US and abroad, the US, drunk on its power, has always projected itself as the "protector of democracy" and "defender of human rights".

Rampant criminal acts of 'East Turkestan' terrorists

At the beginning of this century, some fanatical separatists and religious extremists in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region fabricated a set of "ideological and theoretical system" seeking "independence of East Turkestan", and further politicized the term "East Turkestan". Which led to the formation of an extremist force in Xinjiang under the banner of the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement". For a long time, the ETIM had been engaged in separatist activities thanks in no small part to the encouragement and support from some outside forces. The "East Turkestan" terrorists killed innocent people, attacked government facilities and police officers, and destroyed public property in an attempt to split the country and establish an "East Turkestan" state.

Since the late 1990s, the "East Turkestan" forces at home and abroad have indiscriminately used violence to propel their separatist activities and draw the attention of the rest of the world.

But in recent years, these separatists have been trying to whitewash their heinous crimes by changing their tactics and indulging in anti-China activities in the name of safeguarding "democracy", "human rights" and "freedom". In 2004, the "East Turkestan" forces even cobbled together the "World Uyghur Congress" outside China, where they placed their secessionist proposal.

Rebiya Kadeer, former "chairman" of WUC, has been indicted by China's judiciary for tax evasion and undermining State security, and Dolqun Isa, its current "chairman", has been declared a terrorist by the Chinese government. Isa, in fact, was once the subject of an Interpol red notice. Using human rights and religious freedom as cover, the ETIM disseminated extremist doctrines, fuelled ethnic hatred, and incited terrorists to carry out attacks against Chinese facilities and nationals outside China.

US supports separatist forces in Xinjiang

The ETIM forces were behind the deadly July 5, 2009, incident in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang. The ETIM doesn't enjoy any support among the people in Xinjiang and can only pander to anti-China forces outside the country, though it can engage in anti-China activities in the US at will.

For a long time, the US administration has been offering both covert and overt support to separatist forces in Xinjiang. It allowed them to hold WUC activities, and has made every effort to promote Kadeer as a "human rights fighter" and is striving to get her some awards.

Some US politicians have even met Kadeer and Isa, and expressed their concern over the "human rights conditions of Uyghurs". Also, the US administration has covertly supported some NGOs such as the National Endowment for Democracy to provide funding for the WUC, and called upon scholars from think tanks to conduct research on the so-called Xinjiang issue, so as to give the separatists advice on how to manipulate the WUC to contain China.

US tried to free ETIM terrorists

The ETIM is one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. It was designated a terrorist organization by the UN Security Council on Sept 11, 2002. The same year, the US state and treasury departments added the ETIM to their list of terrorist organizations with close ties with al-Qaida. Yet when it came to dealing with "East Turkestan" terrorists, the US described a group of suspected ETIM terrorists from Xinjiang captured during the war in Afghanistan as "non-combatants" and tried to free them.

Since 2006, the US has transferred some terrorist suspects to different countries. In 2008, the Washington rejected Beijing's request to repatriate 17 ETIM terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to China. In 2009, the US handed over four ETIM terrorists to Bermuda (a British Overseas Territory) disregarding China's objections. And in 2014, it handed over to Slovakia three ETIM terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo.

Indifferent to terrorist attacks in China

On June 26, 2013, a group of 17 terrorists attacked the local police station and government office in Shanshan county, Xinjiang, vandalized shops and other establishments, and slashed police officers and innocent people with knives. The death toll in the mayhem was 24. And what did the US that claims to be the leader in the fight against terrorism do? It called the terrorist attack "the beginning of China's democracy movement". In his remarks, a spokesperson for the US State Department even criticized China's ethnic and religious policies.

On Oct 28, 2013, three terrorists carrying 31 barrels of gasoline, 20 cigarette lighters, five knives and many other weapons drove a jeep into the sidewalk on the east side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, rammed tourists and pedestrians and set the gasoline on fire, killing two people and injuring more than 40. Still, the US refused to call the incident a terrorist attack, with CNN even expressing sympathy for the terrorists.

In its 2013 national counter-terrorism report, the US State Department said the Chinese government had not provided detailed evidence for verification of terrorists and terrorist outfits by third parties, which is important because different countries have different views on terrorism.

And on March 1, 2014, a group of masked thugs slashed innocent people at a railway station in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, killing 31 people and injuring 141. It was one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks in China. Yet in its official micro blog, the US embassy in China described it as an "act of violence" and dismissed the killings as "senseless". Two days after China expressed serious displeasure, a US government spokesman acknowledged the attack as an "act of terror".

US shelters terrorists from some regions

In 2005, Luis Posada Carriles, a terrorist who was behind the bombing of a Cuban civil aviation plane and an explosion in a tourist hotel in Havana, which killed more than 70 people, and made an assassination attempt on Cuban leader Fidel Castro, sneaked into the US.

The Venezuelan government sent a note to the US administration requesting that Posada Carriles be arrested and extradited to Venezuela in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty. The Cuban government, too, urged the US to bring Posada Carriles to justice. In response to these legitimate demands, the US authorities first refused to comment, then denied having any knowledge about Posada Carriles's whereabouts, and even said that reports saying he was hiding in the US were "fabricated". But Posada Carriles's lawyer confirmed that he was hiding in Florida and had applied to the US government for political asylum.

Besides, in 2014, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem publicly accused the US of adopting double standard in the fight against terrorism, saying Washington was providing funds, weapons and training for so-called moderate Syrian groups, which would encourage violence and terrorism, prolong the Syrian crisis and undermine the basis for a political solution.

US violates the basic rights of the people

According to The Guardian and The Washington Post, the US National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation devised a secret program codenamed "PRISM" to "fight terrorism" in 2007, by directly accessing the central servers of nine US internet companies, and mining data to gather intelligence. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and Apple were among the nine companies that participated in the highly classified project, which has never been made public. By accessing the central server of an internet company, intelligence analysts can get direct access to users' audio, video, cable and connection details, and track all their moves and those of their contacts, which is a serious violation of people's right to privacy.

In 2017, the US issued an executive order aimed at preventing citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya, all Muslim majority states, from entering the US. Many media outlets and civil groups called the order the US' "entry ban on Muslims". Washington's practice of linking terrorism to some specific countries, regions and religious groups has provoked opposition from people and groups both in and outside the US.

Washington has created grave humanitarian disasters

On Oct 7, 2001, the US launched the "war on terror", by leading NATO forces to invade Afghanistan. The US-led war against Afghanistan in the name of combating terrorism has resulted in 18 years of chaos and turbulence. Close to two decades of war has left the Afghan people impoverished, with 54.1 percent of them living below the poverty line.

According to a UN report, nearly 4,000 Afghan civilians were killed in various conflicts in 2018, the highest death toll in a year since 2009, with about 24 percent of the casualties attributed to military air strikes launched by the US and other NATO member states. In 2018 alone, the US military conducted more than 6,800 air strikes in Afghanistan, the most in the past six years. The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated this year, and peace is still far away for the Afghan people.

In 2003, the US unilaterally invaded Iraq on trumped-up charges that the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein possessed "weapons of mass destruction" and covertly supports terrorism. The US wars against Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of combating terrorism have left tens of thousands of civilians dead and millions of others homeless. Researchers at Brown University in the US say that since the launch of the "war on terror", the US military has caused 480,000 deaths.

Continuous creation of new terrorist forces

The US has always used double standard in the fight against terrorism. It has launched military strikes against countries that "don't fall in line". On the other hand, it connives with and secretly supports terrorists in certain countries.

After 9/11, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden became the US' No 1 enemy in the "war on terror". Ironically, the US had a role to play in the formation of al-Qaeda during the fag end of the Cold War. That the Islamic State grew rapidly in Syria and Iraq can also be attributed to the US' hegemonic foreign policy of invading Iraq and triggering the Syrian civil war, which has changed the political landscape of the Middle East and created nothing but human suffering, which in turn has given birth to new terrorist outfits such as the Islamic State group.

Indiscriminate attacks in cities and killing innocent people are tactics used by terrorist outfits to recruit new members in order to unleash more violence. And by conniving with certain terrorist forces, the US is encouraging the terrorists to unleash more violence on innocent people.

The bloody attacks and the loss of innumerable lives are a reminder that terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. It should be dealt with resolutely and without using any double standard. The use of double standard to identify terrorist organizations or fight terrorism will only lead to self-shackling and bring great harm to the international community.

 

 

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528067.htm Ever since the Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer was targeted by Washington as a national security threat, the fate of Huawei in the United States seems to have been determined.

On the grounds that it is a national security threat, Washington has basically shut Huawei out of the US market, banning government agencies from buying its equipment and services, and imposing a technology embargo on it by forcing major technology giants to freeze their supplies to the Chinese company.

It tightened the screw again last month, with a US Federal Communications Commission ban that prevents carriers in rural areas from buying its equipment using federal funds.

In response, Huawei announced on Thursday that it will petition a US appeals court to overturn the ban which it deems to be "unlawful".

The company certainly knows that it has little if no chance at all of winning any legal battle against the ban in the United States.

It has previously filed lawsuits against Washington's ban, but to no avail. As Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said, Washington's only excuse for the ban is that Huawei is a Chinese company.

He was just stating the plain truth. In terms of what Huawei has been experiencing in the US, protectionism is an understatement. The blatant government intervention in free market competition tramples on the very principles the US has long trumpeted, and lays bare its hegemonism in its ugliest form.

Indeed, in order to dent China's edge in technology such as Huawei's 5G dominance, Washington will not hesitate to go to the extreme, using whatever means it deems necessary including lies.

US President Donald Trump harped on the same old tune of a Huawei threat during a NATO meeting in England on Wednesday, saying "I do think it's a security risk, it's a security danger", as he tried to dissuade the US' European allies from embracing Huawei.

The US' push to strangle Huawei is nothing but a global witch hunt. It is sad that other countries seem unable or unwilling to subdue Washington's high-handedness, even after the United Kingdom government, Germany's Federal Office for Information Security and the European Commission have all failed to find any backdoor in Huawei as the US has claimed.

Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecom company, said on Wednesday it has put all deals to buy 5G network equipment on hold as it awaits a government decision over whether to bar Huawei on security grounds.

The US is trying to erect a technological iron curtain. Before toeing its line against Huawei, other countries should consider if they want that as it will hamper the world's technological advancement, and in the end jeopardize their own interests.

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/08/content_37528066.htm Whenever China and the United States in the past one and a half years have rolled out their economic statistics for the previous month, they are taken as indicators of how much damage they are inflicting on one another with their trade blows.

Although the US administration has tried to deny its economy is being hurt, the data for November suggest that its boasts of the US enjoying robust economic health ring somewhat hollow.

The US jobs market, which has been touted by the administration as the strongest part of the economy, is weaker than thought, and the growth of its service sector has slowed more than anticipated. Which, combined with the contraction of manufacturing activity for the fourth month in a row, and construction layout declining for the second consecutive month, paints a much less rosy picture than the one the administration has been trying to paint.

Which is why the US president's claim on Tuesday that he would be happy to wait until the end of next year to finalize a deal with China after the elections is being taken with a pinch of salt by some, who regard it as a show of punch drunk bravado to woo voters.

China has been steadfast in saying that the talks should be conducted on an equal footing and with mutual respect. It has repeatedly said, neither side will emerge unscathed from the trade war. The data back that up.

With the US still threatening that new tariffs on Chinese imports will take effect on Dec 15, the US will be putting money where its mouth is. But as it no doubt knows, its attempt to tighten the squeeze will also make it bleed. So whether it will wield such a double-edged sword and for how long remain open to question.

Certainly, the phase one deal that it has been touting would be more likely to materialize if it rolled back tariffs rather than imposed more, as Beijing has made clear.

That Washington continues to regard tariffs as leverage against other countries－France, Brazil and Argentina became new targets this week－is the key reason why after 17 months of negotiations that even a mini interim deal is still experiencing a difficult labor.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross speaking to the media on Tuesday said very few other presidents would be willing to "put up with the stresses and strains" of negotiating with China, perhaps unintentionally reinforcing the fact that the US is feeling the heat more than it cares to admit.

And the gloomy economic indicators for the US mean that Washington is just as motivated as it claims Beijing is to get something agreed sooner rather than later.

]]> 2019-12-08 09:58:42 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2019-12/07/content_37528156.htm Drinking cups, plastic bottles, flip-flops, plastic bags, strings. No, these are not items for a beach party. They are a list of the trash found in the stomach of a dead sperm whale that washed ashore in eastern Indonesia on Monday. The whale had consumed a frightful collection of plastic trash, including 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, plastic bottles, two flip-flops and a bag with more than 1,000 pieces of string, which weighed an alarming 6 kilograms.

Sperm whales are found in all the oceans. Yet the Endangered Species Act lists them as endangered, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act considers them "depleted". And sperm whales mostly feed on giant squid, supplemented with octopus, fish, shrimp and crab. So what was 6 kg of plastic trash doing in the dead whale's stomach?

Available data suggest there are about 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste in the oceans, with about 269,000 tons floating on the surface and about 4 billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer littering the deep seas. A 2015 study found that 192 coastal countries together add about 8.5 million tons of plastic trash to the oceans every year.

Get an idea how the plastic waste ended up in the sperm whale's stomach?

In the last 15 years, the world has produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century. Since it takes between 500 and 1,000 years for plastic to degrade, the first piece of plastic we produced still exists somewhere in some form.

We throw away 50 percent of the plastic after using it just once, and the plastic we throw away every year is enough to encircle the Earth four times. And we recover only 5 percent of the plastic we produce. Worse, 80 percent of pollution enters the oceans from land, and plastic comprises about 90 percent of all trash floating in the oceans with billions of kilograms of plastic floating in gyres making up about 40 percent of the oceans' surface.

How do they affect marine life? Well, plastic kills an estimated 1 million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals ever year.

And as empirical studies show, pollution in the oceans exacerbates climate change. The impact of climate change on the only planet we can call home is becoming increasingly and painfully clear with each passing day. Frequent droughts and floods, devastating cyclones, increasingly warm weather alternated by freezing temperatures, unseasonal downpours which are destroying standing crops, wildfires, melting glaciers, rising seas and extinction of species.

A recent study reveals another striking impact of climate change on life on Earth: birds are shrinking in size and their wingspans are lengthening.

A research team led by the University of Michigan studied more than 70,000 dead birds belonging to 52 different species recovered from the streets of Chicago by Field Museum personnel and volunteers, especially by Dave Millard, a collections manager emeritus of the museum who has collected over 100,000 dead birds from 1978 to 2016. The migrating birds die after colliding with tall buildings. For the record, a mindboggling 600 million birds die every year in the US alone after colliding with tall buildings.

The researchers made multiple body measurements of each dead bird to identify trends in body size and shape, and found significant declines in the body size of 49 species－especially, the length of the tarsus, or lower leg bone, shrank by 2.4 percent and the wingspan increased by a mean of 1.3 percent. The species that showed the fastest declines in tarsus length also showed the most rapid gains in wingspan.

The smaller the bird, the more difficult it is to migrate long distances, due to reduced metabolic efficiency. And since a longer wingspan can improve flight efficiency, nature may be helping the shrinking birds to do just that.

The researchers said the shrinking body size of birds and other species is a natural response to global warming. Among animal species, individuals tend to become smaller in warmer parts of their range－a pattern known as Bergmann's rule－because a larger body size helps an animal in cold places to stay warm, and a smaller body holds less heat.

Dead whales, diminishing marine life, shrinking birds, denuding forests, vanishing species, increasing emissions and rising temperatures and more are being discussed by delegates to the Dec 2-13 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid in order to prevent the planet from spiraling toward a point of no return. Nations have to present new plans in accordance with their Nationally Determined Contributions to restrict global temperature rise to below 1.5 C. And since Madrid is the last climate conference before that happens, clear rules have to be framed so the measures signed in the Paris Agreement can come into force.

All these efforts, however, will come to naught if the world sticks to business as usual.

Climate change is real and man-made and no efforts of skeptics to distract public attention can change this fact. And the sooner the rich and the powerful accept this, the better it would be for the Earth and the billions of lesser mortals like us.

But will they? That's a trillion-dollar question.

The Author Is A Senior Editor With China Daily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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