Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 60/No. 11 i Beijing Review

SYRIA A band plays amid the rubble of a ruined Roman theater in Palmyra on March 4 after government forces retook the ancient city from the “Islamic State” extremist group NORTH KOREA North Korea fires four ballistic missiles from an unknown launch site on March 8, despite a UN ban on the country’s use of ballistic missile technology GHANA Dancers perform during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule in Accra on March 6 SOUTH KOREA Special Prosecutor Park Young Soo speaks at a press conference in Seoul on March 6. An independent counsel team, who wrapped up their investigation on February 28, had identified Park Geun Hye as an accomplice in a corruption scandal. Park was ousted as president on March 10 after the…

China’s diplomacy since the 18th CPC National Congress Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese diplomats have risen to challenges and broken new ground under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. We have accomplished a great deal and opened a new chapter in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Let me try to sum it up with three keywords: The first keyword is vision. General Secretary Xi has grasped the trend of the times and the course of history and put forward a series of new ideas and new thinking. For example, he has called for building partnerships that replace confrontation with dialogue and alliance with partnership. Then we can build a new type of international…

Comments to zanjifang@bjreview.com Little did Han Han realize his new film Duckweed would thrust him into the maelstrom of a nationwide controversy, especially among young women, before it premiered on January 28, the Chinese Lunar New Year Day. The theme song, released before the premiere, lit up social media placing the famous writer, car racer and film director in hot water. At the heart of the criticism was a complaint from Xu Xin, a 20-year-old actress who accused Han of discriminating against women in the song’s lyrics. “When young boys hear the song they will be influenced and will very probably discriminate against women,” Xu said. Before marrying me, you must know this: Every day, you must get up earlier than I, sleep later than I; you must cook good…

Peacekeepers Honored General Commander Pu Yi of the 15th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon, and Brigadier General Pierre Liot de Nortbecourt, Chief of Staff of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, salute each other at a medal-awarding ceremony in south Lebanon on March 8. All the 410 members of the Chinese contingent were awarded the UN Peace Medal of Honor for their excellent performance on duty. Elderly Care Plan China is targeting a multi-pillar, fairer and more sustainable social security system by 2020 to better meet the needs of the elderly, according to a plan released by the State Council, China’s cabinet, on March 6. It has set goals to ensure 90 percent residents are covered by basic old-age insurance and that basic medical insurance cover stays above 95 percent.…

Comments to linan@bjreview.com During his 16-year career as a steel worker in Handan, north China’s Hebei Province, Yuan Haixin never imagined that he would later become a nanomaterial production inspector. After the steel mill where he was working was shut down due to poor performance, Yuan was given a chance to work on a production line for the Yinlong Group’s Wu’an New Energy Industrial Park (WNEIP). Two thirds of WNEIP’s 4,000 employees are laid-off workers from nearby closed steel mills. The industrial park has become a sign of Hebei’s growing manufacturing industry. “Value-added output from equipment manufacturing—outpacing that of the steelmaking industry for the first time—became the No.1 pillar industry of Hebei in 2016,” said Zhao Kezhi, Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).…

Wanda Tie-Up With UnionPay Dalian Wanda Group Co., one of China’s largest business conglomerates, signed a strategic partnership with China UnionPay on March 2 as it speeds up efforts to integrate its offline and online resources. According to the agreement, Wanda and its partner merchants will accept UnionPay QuickPass, a mobile payment service, and the two parties will jointly develop a UnionPay cardholder service system and applications that will be available at Wanda’s wide-ranging properties, including shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets and theme parks. They will also jointly expand customer service channels, carry out marketing campaigns, and explore value-added services for consumers both at home and in overseas regions. “The strategic cooperation with Wanda will explore new formats for commercial-financial integration and boost consumption upgrading,” said Ge Huayong, Chairman of…

At the opening of this year’s session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) on March 5, Premier Li Keqiang delivered the Report on the Work of the Government to some 2,900 national legislators, joined by members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The report reviews the work done in 2016 and outlines plans for this year. Beijing Review reporters Lan Xinzhen, Cui Xiaoqin, Bai Shi, Li Nan and Ma Li spoke to NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members to hear their suggestions on how to achieve the national development targets. Edited excerpts follow: Li Yining, CPPCC National Committee member and renowned economist: The government work report sets [this year’s] GDP growth target at around 6.5 percent, adding that we will strive to…

Comments to liuyunyun@bjreview.com Back in April 2007 at the very first Democratic presidential primary debate of the 2008 U.S. general election, an up-and-coming Illinois Senator was questioned on the United States’ most important allies around the world. After speaking briefly on Europe and the Middle East, he said, “We also have to look east, because increasingly the center of gravity in this world is shifting to Asia. Japan has been an outstanding ally of ours for many years, but obviously China is rising, and it’s not going away. They’re neither our enemy nor our friend. They’re competitors.” The senator would go on to defeat party favorite Hillary Clinton in the primaries before sweeping to victory over Republican rival John McCain. Barack H. Obama made no secret of his intention to…

Policy support is highly necessary for the initial development of new-energy vehicles (NEVs), but if the industry is unable to harness powerful growth engines itself as soon as possible, it is uncertain whether the industry is worthwhile of support. To maintain sustainable and sound development, the NEV industry must go from being policy-led to being market-driven, which requires NEVs to be affordable, easy to use and safe. The fast growth of China’s NEV market in recent years from a small initial base number is mainly because the central and local governments have provided subsidies and supporting policies—most notably limiting the purchase of gasoline vehicles in some cities. At present 70 percent of NEV sales are reportedly made in the cities limiting purchase of gasoline cars. But according to the latest…