Xinhua News Agency

Mexican president dismisses U.S. travel advisories

Published on March 14, 2023

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday dismissed U.S. State Department travel advisories that recommend Americans avoid vacationing in Mexico.

“Mexico is safer than the United States,” Lopez Obrador told reporters at his daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City.

“There is no problem whatsoever for traveling safely through Mexico,” he added.

According to the president, Mexico is safe and there are increasingly more Americans who have come to reside in the country in recent years.

The U.S. State Department has issued travel advisories for Mexican destinations, including “do not travel” warnings for several states marred by drug violence.

The advisories are part of “a campaign” against Mexico, mainly by “conservative” U.S. politicians who disagree with Mexico’s current reformist agenda, said Lopez Obrador.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was to meet Monday with Mexican consuls in Washington to report on the measures the government is taking against crime and drug trafficking, he said.

China launches new remote sensing satellite

Published on March 13, 2023

News

China successfully sent a new remote sensing satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located in the country’s northwest region, on Monday.

The remote sensing satellite was launched at 12:02 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-2C carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit successfully.

The launch was the 466th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

Chinese-style democracy at the 2023 “two sessions”

Published on March 10, 2023

China

by Robert Lawrence Kuhn

The 2023 National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s highest body of state power, looks back to review and report, while looking ahead to formulate and implement. Although this is an annual event, it has special significance this year, setting in motion policies and programs of the 20th CPC National Congress, which provides the blueprint for the next few decades. The grand vision, as President Xi Jinping states, is “building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.”

Essential is China’s commitment to enhance its form of democracy, which it calls the “Whole-Process People’s Democracy.” China’s democracy is no verbal mirage: it is one of the six aspirational adjectives that President Xi Jinping proposes to describe China’s goal of great rejuvenation. Democracy in the Party-led system involves various feedback and interactive mechanisms, especially people’s congresses at various levels, and it also entails ensuring adequate standards of living for all Chinese citizens.

A primary view of Chinese-style democracy is through the formal processes of the people’s congresses, culminating with the NPC. Empowered to enact laws, the NPC as a whole meets every March, but its various committees, especially its Standing Committee, meet throughout the year to plan and prepare various pieces of legislation that set the political agenda for the year.

Deputies of people’s congresses are elected according to the Chinese system, which is always under the leadership of the Party, of course. As of 2022, there were more than 2.6 million deputies to China’s five levels of people’s congress: state, provincial, municipal, county and township, with all deputies of congresses at the level of county and township elected directly by voters.

The election of NPC deputies is called the basic premise for the people to be the masters of the country, to exercise state power and manage state affairs. It is the first link in the whole chain of people’s democracy throughout the whole process.

Candidates for deputies recommended jointly by more than ten voters have the same legal status as candidates recommended by various parties and people’s organizations, according to the Electoral Law of the National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses. It may surprise some that the Party promotes competitive elections so that voters and representatives have more choices; Party-led committees are responsible to vet or verify qualifications of candidates and deputies before and after elections.

To facilitate fair voting, election funds for people’s congresses at all levels are provided by the state treasury; secret ballots ensure free choice of voters; and behaviors that undermine elections are punished severely.

Supervision by voters over deputies can take various forms, such as listening to deputies’ reports, making criticisms, offering opinions and suggestions, and even by recalling deputies.

The election of NPC deputies must adapt to the times. The ratio of rural and urban representatives has shifted from 8:1 in 1953 to 1:1 today, ensuring equality between urban and rural areas. Adjustments are made to ensure an appropriate number of representatives from all regions, ethnic groups, social strata, industrial sectors, and government and military services.

For almost a decade, I have been focusing on understanding China’s concern for its poorest citizens, and how, especially under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, the CPC has prioritized its overarching commitment to enhancing the standards of living — to improve the livelihood — of all sectors of the country’s vast and diverse population, especially through the CPC’s “targeted poverty alleviation campaign.”

As an example of the absence of understanding, when a rather sophisticated American watched a documentary I presented and wrote on China’s poverty alleviation campaign, he remarked, “I didn’t realize China’s leadership cared at all for its poor.”

That documentary, “Voices from the Frontline: China’s War on Poverty,” showed how the CPC’s five levels of local organization (provincial, municipal, county, township, village) carried out directives of the leadership. The documentary opens with my stating, “To President Xi Jinping, ending poverty is his most important task,” and the documentary concludes by quoting President Xi making the remarkable statement, “I have spent more energy on poverty alleviation than on anything else.” To my knowledge, no other national leader has made such a commitment, and such a declaration, to alleviate poverty.

When historians of the future write the chronicles of our times, a feature story may well be China’s targeted poverty alleviation.

To President Xi, China could not have achieved its goal of becoming a moderately prosperous society in 2020 if any of its citizens had remained in extreme poverty.

Although China declared the eradication of all extreme poverty at the end of 2020, relative poverty remained a major problem, with large disparities between urban and rural, coastal and inland areas. Thus, as 2021 began, President Xi without hesitation or much time to celebrate or rest transitioned from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization. Moreover, later in the year, Xi prioritized “common prosperity” as an overarching policy guideline for China to achieve a fully modernized socialist country by mid-century, 2049, the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

While common prosperity covers diverse policies, its unalloyed purpose is to improve the lives of rural citizens, farmers and workers, including migrant workers.

China rightly celebrated the success of its poverty alleviation campaign, which had brought about 100 million of the intractably poor out of extreme poverty. For China to achieve The Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, eliminating extreme poverty was necessary — but it was not sufficient. China must continue to fight poverty by reducing the still-substantial relative poverty and close the still-excessive wealth gap, primarily between rural and urban areas.

Enhancing rural standards of living exemplifies China’s long-range vision to the years 2035 and 2050 to become a fully modernized, socialist nation, which is defined by those six aspirational adjectives: prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful. Actualizing these adjectives depends on the success of rural revitalization. Without the revitalization of the countryside, there can be no social stability, no national prosperity, no national rejuvenation.

While grand visions are formulated by central leadership, they must be implemented by local, grassroots officials who implement the programs — officials whose challenges include being constantly on the road, little rest, low welfare, minimum opportunities for promotion — plus to-be-expected complaints from villagers below and not-infrequent pressures from officials above. That’s why new policies promote the care of grassroots officials: easing their burdens by fighting pointless formalities, reducing the number of meetings, providing incentives for serving the people including salary guarantees and opportunities for career advancement.

Grassroots problems impeding the building of a prosperous countryside also include the quality of rural industries, infrastructure, public services, civilized culture, ecology and governance. Moreover, senior officials warn against promoting benefit-induced indolence, requiring officials to promote low-income people’s “will” and “intellect” to improve their own lives.

It has become a meaningful tradition in China that the first document issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council each year, dubbed the “No. 1 Central Document” (indicating policy priority), concerns modernizing agriculture, building rural areas, and improving the lives of farmers. Document No. 1 exemplifies China’s concern for its poorest citizens.

This year, 2023, Document No. 1 again emphasizes how to advance the modernization of three rural work categories: agriculture, rural areas, farmers. The Document stabilizes production and ensures the supply of grain and other critical agricultural products; enhances the construction of agricultural infrastructure; increases support for agricultural science, technology and equipment; consolidates the achievements of poverty alleviation goals and expands the process; and promotes high-quality development of rural industries.

Looking back and looking forward is always the framework for annual NPC sessions, but this year, it is a milestone on China’s intended march to great rejuvenation. In doing so, it heralds a new slate of government leaders — premier, vice premiers, ministers — charged with the Herculean task of making it real.

Their challenges, domestic and international, are no state secret.

It is a grand vision. But a tall order.

Editor’s note: Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a public intellectual and international corporate strategist, won the China Reform Friendship Medal (2018). He is also chairman of the Kuhn Foundation.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Sri Lanka Guardian or our news syndicator Xinhua News Agency.

Xi Jinping unanimously elected Chinese president, PRC CMC chairman

Published on March 10, 2023

News

Xi Jinping, newly elected president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, made a public pledge of allegiance to the Constitution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday.

How China brings prosperity, stability to world

Published on March 9, 2023

China

China will always keep in mind the interests of the world, take an active part in global governance and contribute more to world peace, development and human progress, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual sessions of China’s top legislature and political advisory body.

As the second-largest economy and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China’s foreign policy draws much global attention. And the ongoing “two sessions” provide a window.

Observers in many countries said that with an independent foreign policy of peace and a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up, China has always contributed to world peace and development.

FOR WORLD PEACE

“Peaceful development as emblematic of China’s international cooperation has seen Beijing welcomed in many countries around the world,” said Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.

Currently, a myriad of factors, including geopolitical conflicts, bloc confrontation and terrorism, are posing challenges to global peace and stability. The world pays more attention to China’s insights into how to stave off security dilemmas and achieve lasting peace.

“China’s commitment to peace is historic since the appearance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence,” said Eduardo Regalado, senior researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

China has always been for peace and dialogue. As a major contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China has sent more than 50,000 personnel on peacekeeping missions over the last three decades.

“We are very grateful to Chinese peacekeepers. They offer us the most realistic help when we face the hardest time,” a resident of Mali’s Gao region told Xinhua.

Last month, China released The Global Security Initiative (GSI) Concept Paper, demonstrating the country’s responsibility to safeguard world peace and its resolve to defend global security.

“Through the GSI, China commits itself to bringing about security through political dialogue and peaceful negotiation, as well as resolving conflicts through development,” said Keith Bennett, a long-term China specialist and vice chair of Britain’s 48 Group Club.

Earlier last month, China released a paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, emphasizing that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the crisis.

“China believes in a ‘Let’s grow together’ policy, a policy of peace, equality and friendship,” said Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

If such a policy becomes popular worldwide, it would end unhealthy competition and deadly wars, Manafi said.

FOR COMMON PROSPERITY

In China’s view, development holds the key to fixing many of the world’s daunting problems. Over the years, the country has been committed to joining hands with the rest of the world to spur common growth.

Amadou Diop, a Senegalese expert on China, has visited many Chinese cities where he saw firsthand China’s achievements in poverty reduction and green development.

“China offers a great opportunity for the rest of the world to commit together towards a community with a shared future and common prosperity,” Diop said. “Chinese modernization and high-quality development will continue to inspire the world, including Senegal.”

Meanwhile, China has promoted common development through infrastructure connectivity in the past decade by advancing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The BRI has attracted more than three-quarters of the world’s countries and 32 international organizations. Over the past decade, the initiative has galvanized nearly one trillion dollars of investment, established more than 3,000 cooperation projects, created 420,000 local jobs and helped lift almost 40 million people out of poverty.

“African countries, including Nigeria, have benefited greatly from win-win cooperation with China … Infrastructure projects covering roads, railways, ports and airports built by Chinese enterprises have strengthened the interconnection within the African continent and promoted the integration process,” said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria.

“Only a few years ago, Africa was described as a continent without hope. Today we speak of the African common market,” he said.

African countries are hopeful for the Chinese government’s commitment to continue opening up and high-quality BRI cooperation because it means more cooperation opportunities between China and Africa, Onunaiju said.

In addition to the BRI, China on its path towards modernization has been sharing opportunities with the world through the China International Import Expo, establishing pilot zones for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation, bringing into force the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and applying for membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

China’s proposals for common development illustrate a solid understanding of global issues and a focus on collective progress, said Farhad Javanbakht Kheirabadi, a China scholar at Shahid Beheshti University in Iran.

FOR A SHARED FUTURE

In the face of rapid changes rarely seen in a century, China has always championed multilateralism with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, promoting democracy in international relations and making global governance fairer and more equitable.

“Unilateralism and willfully wielding the baton of hegemony are important reasons for the persistent geopolitical tensions in the world today,” said Ang Teck Sin, a political commentator in Singapore.

“Only when countries develop a healthy partnership can they achieve sound interactions, which will promote cooperation and development and serve the well-being of the people,” Ang added.

As a major country, China believes that the correct way out of international crises lies in strengthening unity and cooperation under the banner of multilateralism, said Abu Bakr al-Deeb, advisor to the Cairo-based Arab Center for Research and Studies.

China’s vision is “based on the desire for broad, inclusive international cooperation,” said Oleg Timofeev, associate professor with the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.

The notion aims to facilitate interactions among countries with different civilizations and cultures, different socio-economic systems and different paths of development, he said.

Hailing that the idea has won increasing support in many countries over the past 10 years, Timofeev said it has injected stability into international affairs.

China’s economic momentum injects vitality across the globe

Published on March 8, 2023

China

by Sergio Gomez

China’s 2023 economic growth target of around 5 percent unveiled at the ongoing “two sessions” certainly gave a fillip to the world.

As the announcement was made, I couldn’t help but recall the scenes I witnessed in the port city of Tianjin some time ago.

At Tianjin airport, planes would intermittently roar and accelerate, taking off into the vast sky. China’s economic engine appears to be doing the same, powering ahead after vanquishing COVID-19.

As the world’s second-largest economy, China’s annual growth target exerts a significant global impact, with the target coinciding with the recent projection from Moody’s Investors Service.

Since the end of last year, many international organizations have continuously raised their growth projections for China’s economy. From the concrete data for the first two months, the signal of a strong rebound is even more significant. Foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 14.5 percent year on year in January, while the purchasing managers’ index for China’s manufacturing sector came in at 52.6 in February, maintaining expansion for two straight months.

Airports and railway stations serve as important vantage points for witnessing local economic and social progress, no matter where you are. Just two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Tianjin Binhai International Airport, over 100 km away from Beijing. My goal was to get a glimpse of how the transportation industry is performing after China’s adjustment and optimization of its COVID prevention and control policies.

Tianjin is an important port city and foreign trade port in north China. The city is home to over 13 million residents, more than the entire population of Cuba. In addition to expressways, there is also an intercity railway linking the two megacities of Beijing and Tianjin, with a maximum speed of 350 kph.

It takes about 30 minutes to reach downtown Tianjin from the Beijing South Railway Station. I departed during the evening rush hour on a workday. Once I boarded the Beijing subway toward the railway station, I instantly regretted my decision as there were an overwhelming amount of people.

After this year’s Spring Festival, the usual hustle and bustle returned to Beijing. For the public, the allure of big cities never seems to fade, and with the economy making a rapid recovery, there are now more job opportunities available.

My visit to Tianjin airport the following day only served to reinforce my initial impression. The waiting hall was teeming with people and there were long queues at the check-in counters. I espied a lovely couple holding their adorable granddaughter excitedly waiting to embark on their first-ever flight for a vacation.

As I waited in the baggage claim area, I had the pleasure of encountering a friendly local named Wang Yan. He shared with me how convenient the direct flight to Thailand was, as he had just returned from a delightful holiday with his mother.

The vitality of the transport sector stands as a prime example of China’s robust economic recovery. During the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, the flow of people traveling around the country resulted in a staggering 4.7 billion trips.

To achieve this year’s growth target, China needs to give greater play to consumption. Priority will be given to the recovery and expansion of consumption, according to a government work report submitted Sunday to the national legislature for deliberation.

The report also called for fostering rural industries with local features to create more channels for increasing rural incomes.

The content of the report has great relevance for ordinary Chinese. I can vividly recall my visit to Jinping Village in the city of Longnan in Gansu Province. The remote mountainous village in western China was once plagued by poverty and a lack of progress. However, under the guidance of the local government, the villagers have turned their fortunes around by planting olive trees.

One villager, in particular, named Jia Yongxiang, stands out in my memory. In the past, he struggled to make ends meet despite his tireless efforts throughout the year. Now, he has built a three-story villa in the village and owns two apartments in the city, exemplifying the transformation the village has undergone.

Such stories are a common occurrence in the vast expanse of China. Over the past decade, the country has created the world’s largest and most dynamic middle-income group, with over 400 million people. Thanks to the implementation of effective policies for poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, the per capita disposable income of rural residents has continued to grow at a faster pace than that of urban residents. In the next 15 years, China’s middle-income group is expected to exceed 800 million, further driving the development of an enormous market.

The resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy are fortified by the comprehensive industrial system, the stable and secure supply chain, and the efficient and interconnected infrastructure network. At the same time, China continues to promote high-standard opening up and the effective integration of domestic and international markets and resources.

The balmy breeze of China’s economic revival has already traversed the Pacific. Chilean cherries remain a popular gift for Chinese people visiting friends and relatives during the Spring Festival holiday. I shared this discovery on my social media account. Hearteningly, numerous netizens informed me that all members of the industry have reaped the benefits of this surge in demand.

In Chile, located nearly 20,000 km away from China, the cherry planting area has increased by about four times since 2011, and around 90 percent of the output is exported to China. Industry data from Chile shows that, despite the impact of the epidemic, the export value of Chilean cherries to China grew by 8 percent in 2022.

From fruit farmers in Chile to beaches in Thailand, and from luxury stores in Paris to multinational companies, the entire world is experiencing the positive ripple effects of China’s economic recovery.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, China’s economy has kicked off the Year of the Rabbit with a bounce worthy of its sprightly zodiac avatar, raising the probability of stronger global growth this year.

Over the past five years, China’s GDP registered an annual average growth rate of more than 5 percent, beating the global average. In the past decade, the country’s GDP doubled, cementing its position as the biggest contributor to global growth.

China has set a growth target of around 5 percent for the current year, thus confirming the predictions of many economists who had foreseen a general improvement in the Chinese economy in 2023.

The “two sessions” have emitted signals of a robust economic rebound, which is a welcome sight for a world grappling with inflation and recession. In such a climate, the vitality of China is needed now more than ever.

Xi calls for guiding healthy, high-quality development of private sector

Published on March 8, 2023

Diplomacy

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited on Monday afternoon national political advisors from the China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA) and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), who are attending the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Xi participated in their joint panel discussion and heard their comments and suggestions. He stressed that the CPC Central Committee always stays committed to unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector of the economy, and at the same time unswervingly encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector of the economy. The non-public sector’s status and functions in the country’s economic and social development have not changed, the principle and policies to unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the sector have not changed, and the principle and policies to provide a sound environment and more opportunities to the sector have not changed. The CPC Central Committee has always considered private enterprises and private entrepreneurs as being in our ranks. Efforts should be made to guide private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to understand the principles and policies of the CPC Central Committee, and boost their confidence and unburden them of their worries, so that they can ambitiously pursue development, and therefore the healthy, high-quality development of the private sector can be achieved.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8, Xi, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, extended holiday greetings and best wishes to female deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC), female members of the CPPCC National Committee, and female staff of the two sessions. Greetings and best wishes were also extended to women from all ethnic groups and sectors of society on the Chinese mainland, to female compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, in Taiwan, and overseas.

Those who joined Xi in the visit and the discussion included Wang Huning, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and presides over the meetings of the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, and Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, also members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

During the joint panel discussion, CPPCC members Zeng Yuqun, Xie Dong, Liu Zhendong, Chen Xiaoping, Xie Ru and Sun Dongsheng made remarks regarding topics on developing a globally competitive new energy industry, providing financial support for scientific and technological innovation, creating a better environment for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting the high-quality development of platform economy, advancing the revitalization of rural industries, and how to give full play to the strengths and vitality of the private sector.

Xi made an important speech after listening carefully to the members. He said he was pleased to visit and have discussions with national political advisors from the CNDCA and the ACFIC. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, he extended sincere greetings to those who were present, to members of the CNDCA and the ACFIC and individuals from the non-public sector of the economy, and to all CPPCC members.

Xi stressed that the year 2022 was an extremely crucial year of great importance in the history of the CPC and the country. Faced with high winds and choppy waters in the international environment and multiple greater-than-expected factors at home, with all the Chinese people meeting difficulties head-on and striving in unity, we secured some accomplishments of major significance and far-reaching influence, resulting in substantial achievements in advancing the cause of the Party and the country.

The CPC successfully convened its 20th National Congress, drawing an ambitious blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects. We overcame difficulties and challenges including the COVID-19 epidemic, and safely and successfully hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics as scheduled. We dynamically optimized and adjusted the measures and policies for COVID-19 prevention and control, securing a smooth transition within a relatively short period of time. As a result, China’s mortality rate of COVID-19 has been kept at the lowest level globally. We have scored a major and decisive victory in our response to COVID-19. We fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts and focused on fostering a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. While the global inflation reached a new high in over four decades, consumer prices in China remained stable in general. China’s economic growth for the whole year was 3 percent, which is quite high among major economies in the world. All these achievements did not come easily.

Xi pointed out that the past five years since the 19th CPC National Congress have been truly momentous and extraordinary. The external environment for China’s development has changed drastically, with uncertainties and unexpected factors increasing remarkably. In particular, Western countries headed by the United States have contained, encircled and suppressed China in an all-round way, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to China’s development. At the same time, China has also faced various difficulties such as the resurging COVID-19 epidemic and the mounting downward pressure facing the domestic economy.

Adhering to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, we have met obstacles and difficulties head on and responded to them calmly, remained unswayed by fallacies, not cowed by pressure or hardships. China’s GDP registered an annual growth rate of 5.2 percent over the past five years. We won the critical battle against poverty as scheduled and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus attaining the First Centenary Goal, achieving impressive advances in the cause of the Party and the country, and taking China on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects. The achievements of the past five years should be attributed to the concerted efforts of the whole Party and the Chinese people, as well as to the contribution of the CPPCC members.

Xi stressed that, in the face of profound and complex changes in the international and domestic environment, we must remain calm, maintain firm resolve, pursue progress while ensuring stability, demonstrate enterprise in our work, unite as one, and have the courage to carry on our fight. To remain calm and maintain firm resolve means to keep a cool head in observing the profound changes in the international landscape, and calmly respond to various risks and challenges. We should accurately identify, soundly respond to, and actively steer changes, and timely optimize and adjust our strategies and policies. At the same time, we should maintain firm strategic resolve, stay tenacious, never be afraid of any risks, and move forward firmly toward the established strategic plans. To sustain progress while ensuring stability and demonstrate enterprise in our work means to maintain stability in our general direction, principles and polices, as well as strategic plans. On the basis of securing our foundation and position, we must forge ahead vigorously, move forward as fast as possible and strive for the best possible results.

We should unite as one and have the courage to carry on our fight as we draw our strengths from unity. Over the years, we have encountered various risks, challenges and battles one after another, and have overcome every one of them with all the people striving in unity and fighting tenaciously. In the near future, we will only face more and increasingly serious risks and challenges. Only when all the people work together with one heart and one mind, unite as one, and have the courage and ability to carry out our fight, will we continue to win new and greater victories.

Xi pointed out that the private sector is an important force for our Party to maintain its long-term governance and to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups to realize the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. We always regard private enterprises and private entrepreneurs as being in our ranks, giving them support when they are in difficulties and offering them guidance when they are uncertain about what to do. We should improve the development environment for private enterprises, remove the institutional obstacles that prevent them from fairly participating in market competition, and safeguard the property rights of private enterprises and the rights and the interests of private entrepreneurs according to law. We should substantiate the requirement that state-owned enterprises and their private counterparts should be treated equally through institutional arrangements and legal guarantee to encourage and support the development of the private sector and growth of private enterprises, and boost market expectations and confidence.

It is necessary to give full play to the important role of private enterprises in stabilizing employment and boosting income, take more effective measures to support the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed individuals, and support the platform companies to play an active role in creating jobs, expanding consumption and competing in the global market. Work should be done to fully establish a cordial and clean relationship between government and businesses, and resolve concerns and difficulties for private companies and private entrepreneurs, so that they could be given a free hand and concentrate on development with no worries. It is also necessary to strengthen theoretical and political guidance, help private companies and private entrepreneurs properly perceive the Party Central Committee’s principles and policies of unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector, unswervingly encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector, as well as promoting the healthy growth of the non-public sector of the economy and encouraging those working in this sector to achieve success, so that they can let go of misgivings, be unburdened and develop with courage.

Xi stressed that the pursuit of high-quality development places higher requirements on the private sector. Private enterprises should put into practice the new development philosophy, thoroughly understand the shortcomings existing in and challenges faced by the private sector, so that they can transform their growth model, adjust industrial structure and shift to new growth drivers, stick to the main business, strengthen their industries and consciously take the path of high-quality development. Those who have the ability and the conditions should strengthen self-dependent innovation to play a greater role in promoting sci-tech self-reliance and strength and the application of sci-tech achievements.

Efforts should be made to unleash the vitality of private investment, and encourage and attract more private capital to take part in the development of major projects and programs in key industrial and supply chains, enabling such capital to make a greater contribution to fostering a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. Work should be done to regulate and guide the sound development of all types of capital in accordance with law, and effectively prevent and defuse systematic financial risks, with the goal of creating an environment for enterprises under all forms of ownership to compete equally and grow together.

Xi pointed out that Chinese modernization is meant to realize common prosperity for all Chinese people. Both state-owned enterprises and their private counterparts are important forces for promoting common prosperity. Both should take their social responsibilities in this regard. He called on private entrepreneurs to strengthen their sentiment and concern for the country and the people, and consciously apply people-centered development philosophy, and have a strong sense of responsibility and mission to help others get rich and promote common prosperity.

Xi said that private enterprises should strive to build harmonious internal labor relations and foster an employees’ community with shared interest, making sure that the achievements of private enterprises’ development can equally benefit all staff members. He underlined the requirement that private enterprises and private entrepreneurs should adhere to the bottom line that their business operations must be in compliance with law and regulations, carry forward the fine spirit of entrepreneurship, and act as patriotic and dedicated role models who always abide by law in business operations, actively start up businesses while seeking innovation, and repay the society. Private enterprises and private entrepreneurs are called on to pass on and further develop traditional Chinese virtues, actively join in and initiate social charities, being responsible, righteous and benevolent while being wealthy.

Shi Taifeng, He Lifeng, Hao Mingjin, Gao Yunlong and others were present.

Eurozone wages to continue to grow as prices remain high, says Spanish economist

Published on March 7, 2023

Interviews

Eurozone wages will keep growing as long as prices remain high, said Raul Ramos, full professor in Applied Economics at the University of Barcelona.

“We all expect prices to stop going up, but while the situation is still far from returning to normal, it’s to be expected that salaries will continue to grow,” Ramos told Xinhua in an interview on Monday, after experts from U.S. bank J.P. Morgan predicted the highest salary rises in 30 years in the eurozone during the first quarter of this year.

In February, the influential financial services group said the wage growth in the eurozone could be as high as 4.5 percent in the first quarter of 2023, the highest figure seen since the first quarter of 1993, exactly three decades ago.

“There are pressures on prices that we haven’t seen since the adoption of the euro, and so salaries are recovering some of the purchasing power they have lost in the past year or so,” the professor explained.

While highlighting the relationship between the high inflation across Europe and rising wages, he rules out the development of a so-called wage-price spiral, in which high prices boost wage rises which in turn fuel higher prices.

“In Spain’s case, many companies are now in the process of negotiating wages, and what we expect is that wages will be set thinking more about how prices will rise during this year rather than how they went up last year,” he explained.

Although the phenomenon of rising wages can be seen across the eurozone, the professor pointed out that each country has its own system for negotiating wages, which is done in Spain by sector via collective bargaining.

“The type of wage negotiations we can expect will be over a long time period so that workers will not lose out, nor will too much strain be put on companies that still haven’t completely recovered from the pandemic and affect them negatively,” said Ramos.

There is still no concrete data on salary increases in Spain, but the recruitment consultancy Michael Page recently predicted that wages in Spain are set to rise by an average of 3.5 percent in 2023.

What’s more, the Spanish government announced on Jan. 31 that the minimum wage in the country will rise by 8 percent, to 1,080 euros (1,154 U.S. dollars) per month, which has a retroactive effect from Jan. 1.

“Raising the minimum wage may not seem the best idea because it can fuel inflation, but it’s also a way to help the lowest-paid workers to maintain their purchasing power. I lean towards it being the right decision at this time when there are no great difficulties in the growth of employment,” said the professor.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has raised its forecast for Spain’s economic growth this year from 1 to 1.4 percent.

Overall, the professor declares himself relatively optimistic for the rest of the year, but he also stresses that the emergence of unforeseen circumstances that could radically change the economic outlook in Europe and Spain cannot be ruled out.

“If we succeed in getting inflation under control and people can overcome their fear of continuing to lose purchasing power because wages cannot match the same rhythm, I don’t think the situation has to be bad, although I do think that a lot will depend on how interest rates develop and how that affects the level of debt of families,” he concluded.

China, India promise to improve bilateral relations

Published on March 3, 2023

China/India

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar here on Thursday, with both sides vowing to improve bilateral ties.

The duo held the meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held from Wednesday to Thursday.

Qin said during the meeting that as neighboring countries and major emerging economies, China and India have far more common interests than differences.

The development and revitalization of China and India display the strength of developing countries, which will change the future of one-third of the world’s population, the future of Asia and even the whole world, Qin noted.

The two sides, said Qin, should view their bilateral relations in the context of the once-in-a-century changes in the world, understand bilateral cooperation from the perspective of their respective national rejuvenation, and be partners on the path to modernization.

He said the two sides should implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, maintain dialogue and properly resolve disputes, and promote the improvement of bilateral relations and the steady moving forward of the relations.

The boundary issue should be put in the proper place in bilateral relations, Qin said, adding that the situation on the borders should be brought under normalized management as soon as possible.

China is willing to speed up the resumption of exchanges and cooperation with India in various fields, resume direct flights at the earliest date and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, said the Chinese foreign minister.

He said China and India have shared interests in many areas including safeguarding the rights and interests of developing countries, promoting South-South cooperation, and addressing global challenges such as climate change.

China supports the Indian side in fulfilling its presidency of the G20 and is ready to strengthen communication and cooperation to safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice, so as to inject stability and positive energy into the world, Qin said.

Jaishankar said for his part that India and China are both great ancient civilizations and important partners of each other. Thus the two countries have and can continue to achieve positive results in areas such as economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The Indian side, Jaishankar said, agrees that bilateral relations should be understood and improved from a historical perspective and strategic height, and more cooperation platforms should be established to promote India-China relations along the right track.

Jaishankar said the current situation on the borders is gradually stabilizing, and both sides should work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

He expressed gratitude for China’s support for India’s presidency of the G20, and willingness to maintain communication and coordination in multilateral affairs.

Why China’s position paper on Ukraine crisis annoyed some countries?

Published on March 3, 2023

Diplomacy/Interviews

To push forward the political settlement of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released last month a paper stating Beijing’s position on the issue.

In the paper, China put forward a 12-point proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine by addressing both the symptoms and the root causes of the crisis, and reiterated the necessity to end the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.

The peace proposal, since being offered, has been welcomed by many countries of the international community. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, hailed the position paper as “an important contribution.”

Yet some Western politicians turned a cold shoulder to the proposal, accusing China of being biased and dismissed the contents of the document as nothing new.

These claims have been refuted by experts and scholars in many countries, who believe the proposal demonstrated China’s commitment to objectivity and fairness as well as its role as a responsible major country in times of grave global challenges.

They argued that in the ever worsening conflict, it is the United States and its NATO allies that cling to the Cold War mentality and have kept on fueling the crisis for their own benefits.

CHINA’S UKRAINE PEACE PROPOSAL IMPARTIAL AND VIABLE

Ali El-Hefny, secretary general of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, also a former Egyptian ambassador to China, said the Chinese paper reflects a policy and a clear vision on international relations that China has always adopted.

It’s a respectful and responsible position of a country with a big presence in the international arena, whether economically or politically, he said.

The paper is built on the necessity of giving up everything provocative, avoiding imposing sanctions and stopping providing Ukraine with all types of arms, which would in the end expand and prolong the war, the secretary general said.

Saeb Rawashdeh, a political analyst at the Jordan Press Foundation, said that on the first anniversary of the escalation of the crisis, China released the document expounding its position on the issue, hoping to promote an early resolution of the crisis through peaceful dialogue.

China’s stance is in line with the universal expectations of peace-loving people around the world, he said.

Some Western countries have consistently failed to play a constructive role in easing the tensions of the Ukraine crisis. Instead, they have continuously imposed sanctions on Russia while arming Ukraine, fueling the crisis, Rawashdeh said.

The motive is to weaken Russia and Ukraine and to benefit from the conflict. This is a typical Cold War mentality, and the real victims are the people of the two countries, who have suffered from the trauma of the crisis, he said.

The high inflation and food shortages resulting from the Ukraine conflict continue to bite. The world will become more turbulent and unstable if the West keeps instigating, he added.

Richard Grenell, former U.S. ambassador to Germany, noted in an article on news website California Globe that China offered “a conceivable starting point” to end the conflict whereas “veteran State Department employees were furious that a year has gone by without a U.S. plan for a peaceful solution.”

The White House is thinking “morning, noon, and night” about how to give Ukraine more military aid, he wrote.

To date, the United States has provided many rounds of aid to Ukraine and allied nations, totaling some 113 billion U.S. dollars. Washington and its allies have already committed nearly 700 tanks and thousands of armored vehicles and 1,000 artillery systems, among other aid to Ukraine.

Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said it seems that Western countries are more interested in maintaining the conflict than pushing for a ceasefire and opening negotiations for a political solution.

Meanwhile, China’s approach allows the world to see a viable solution and that will be supported by countries valuing common good for the whole world, he added.

WESTERN HEGEMONIC SCHEME KNOWN TO ALL

For many observers, the reasons why politicians in some Western countries felt displeased with China’s peace proposal are quite obvious.

Lewis Ndichu, a researcher at Nairobi-based think tank Africa Policy Institute, said The West has been used to realizing “peace” through intervening by providing warfare equipment, intelligence and sending air combat forces, all these will lead to a devastating arms race.

Seeing China playing an increasingly greater role on the world stage, the West is not happy, said Ndichu.

Ang Teck Sin, a political commentator in Singapore, told Xinhua that both Russia and Ukraine suffered heavy casualties and economic losses, but Uncle Sam, who pursues hegemonism and power politics, has seen a rare opportunity to continue to lead NATO and further intensify bloc confrontation.

Washington is actually expanding business for the military-industrial complex, he said. The more volatile the world is and the larger the market will be, and the more resources the military-industrial complex will get to develop more sophisticated weapons, thus creating more conflicts, he noted.

This is a terrible vicious circle. Unfortunately, it is the world that pays for America’s ambitions, the commentator said.

When the United States and its allies are arming Ukraine to the teeth, it is countries like China that have to come forward to remind all as to what is at stake, said Rabia Akhtar, director of the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore in Pakistan.

Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, said the attitude of the United States toward China on the Ukrainian issue is self-contradictory. On the one hand, the United States and its allies question and attack China’s relations with Russia, on the other they ask China to use that relationship to play the role they expect in the crisis.

Slovenian sociologist Tomaz Mastnak said the Russia-Ukraine conflict had been provoked, instigated and prolonged by the United States. At least in the short term, the United States is the only country that has benefited from this conflict.

The impact of the conflict on Europe is disastrous. The European economy is being dealt a heavy blow to, and first and foremost, Germany, the European economic engine, is facing “deindustrialization,” Mastnak said.

In his opinion, this situation in Europe is not collateral damage caused by conflict, but one of the goals of the conflict provoked by the United States. It is going to make Europe economically insignificant.

CHINA’S POSITION WIDELY ACCLAIMED

As the world is facing such a prolonged conflict as well as overlapping food and energy crises, China’s proposal, which insists on promoting peace talks, has been widely applauded.

China’s recent initiative to solve the Ukraine crisis politically is very timely and quite helpful, and it is completely in accordance with the UN rules, said Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

Bambang Suryono, chairman of the Indonesian think tank Asian Innovation Research Center, said the position paper is constructive, necessary and timely.

British political commentator Carlos Martinez said China’s position paper is a powerful contribution to the project of building peace in Europe. While not taking sides, it highlights the crucial elements required for the Ukraine crisis to be brought to a conclusion.

The position paper is closely related to The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper released by China on Feb. 21, as both papers are firmly grounded in international law and the principles of the UN Charter. Both reflect a profound desire for peace and global prosperity; for a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

Both papers reflect a clear understanding that peace and prosperity require a reorientation of international relations toward multilateralism, cooperation, non-interference, respect for sovereignty and respect for diversity; that hegemonism and Cold War mentality are driving humanity toward a very dangerous future, Martinez emphasized.

Christine Bierre, editor-in-chief of French newspaper New Solidarity, said China’s Global Security Initiative allows people to get to the root causes of the great turmoil and conflicts in the world.

China’s Global Security Initiative and its position paper can have a very positive role in the Ukrainian conflict, he added.

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