Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 60/No. 12 i Beijing Review

SOUTH KOREA Demonstrators against ousted leader Park Geun Hye attend the last candlelight rally at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 11 SYRIA Wreckage on display after explosives targeting Shiite visitors were set off in Damascus on March 11. At least 40 people were killed and 100 others wounded during the attack IRAQ Civilians wait to be evacuated from Mosul on March 14. Government forces continued their push in west Mosul that day, with large numbers of civilians fleeing from the battle UNITED STATES Times Square, New York City, on March 14. A snowstorm hit the northeastern region of the country from March 13 to 14 BRITAIN The Union Jack flies in front of Big Ben in central London on March 14. The British House of Lords passed the Brexit…

Beijing Review: What has been the progress in targeted poverty alleviation efforts in Tibet? Qizhala: In 2016, the poverty alleviation programs were based on developing competitive industries, relocating people living in inhospitable areas, and improving education in accordance with the Central Government’s strategy. Compensating those affected by ecological conservation efforts and guaranteeing basic living standards for people unable to work were also factored in. We saw to it that precise aid targets were identified, locally specific programs were adopted and the use of funds was optimized. We also shored up weak links. Apart from strengthening leadership, improving supporting measures, increasing investment and implementing a responsibility system, we focused on developing competitive industries since they are essential to addressing poverty. We don’t rely solely on favorable state policies and financial support…

Comments to zanjifang@bjreview.com Chinese and African cultures, despite their apparent differences, are very similar and it is this that ignites people’s curiosity and makes them interested in knowing more about one another. Observing this at a China-Africa cultural exchange event held in Beijing on March 12 as a tribute to International Women’s Day, celebrated worldwide on March 8, Dolana Msimang, South African Ambassador to China, told the audience which included African diplomats, government officials and other distinguished guests, “It makes us reach out to each other across oceans and barriers.” The event, held at Minzu University of China, was sponsored by the university and Beijing Review, and was organized by ChinAfrica, a monthly magazine. “It is important to embrace the theme of this event, which is about integration and culture,” Msimang…

Comments to jijing@bjreview.com It was the ninth time that Turandot, the gripping story set in China of a misandristic yet beautiful princess who caused the death of her suitors, was put on in Beijing. Yet tickets for Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s last opera, staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) from February 15 to 19, sold out days in advance. The first Western opera to be produced by the NCPA after its inception in 2007, Turandot stagings sold an estimated 60,000 tickets on the first eight rounds since 2008. In the latest round of staging, over 12,000 tickets were snapped up. Though regarded as one of Puccini’s grandest works, the plot of Turandot, however, was colored by foreigners’ ignorance of China and presented the nation in a…

Seasonal Migration Herdsmen guide their sheep to spring pastures from their winter habitat in Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on March 9. Civil Code Preamble The National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, has passed the General Provisions of the Civil Law, the opening chapter of a civil code to be enacted in 2020. The General Provisions were adopted at the closing meeting of the annual session of the NPC on March 15 and will take effect on October 1. Compiling a civil code, a decision made by the central leadership in 2014, was deemed a “must-do” to promote China’s rule of law and modernize state governance. It was also a crucial move to build China into a moderately prosperous society by 2020. The code is being…

Comments to liuyunyun@bjreview.com China and the United States—respectively the largest developing and developed nation—are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. They hence wield considerable global influence. The appropriate handling of bilateral relations between the world’s two largest economies, therefore, could bring benefits both to them and to the world as a whole. Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump have so far had two telephone conversations since Trump’s election in November 2016. In the latest one, Xi commended Trump for agreeing to expand China-U.S. cooperation, thus fostering constructive bilateral relations which are beneficial to their countries and to the international community as a whole. Trump, meanwhile, confirmed that the U.S. Government adheres to the one-China policy. The two heads of state promised to maintain close…

Comments to lanxinzhen@bjreview.com The United States released on March 1 its 2017 Trade Policy Agenda and 2016 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program. The document says China’s entry into the World Trade Organiz ation (WTO) has undermined U.S. economic benefits, and the United States will reduce its dependence on the WTO trade dispute settlement mechanism by shifting from multilateral to bilateral mechanisms. Astonishingly, this is from a country that was once a major proponent of globalization. The United States has not only turned to trade protectionism, but has also pointed its sword at China. The truth about China In the WTO Has the United States really suffered from China’s entry into the WTO? No. As China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson Sun…

Inflation Eases China’s consumer inflation eased sharply in February after price distortions created by the festival season faded, leaving the central bank with leeway on interest rate policy. The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, advanced 0.8 percent year on year in February, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on March 9. It was well below market expectation of 1.7 percent, and substantially lower than the growth of 2.5 percent in January. On a monthly basis, the CPI declined 0.2 percent. The NBS attributed the weakening CPI to sharply lowering food prices, which fell 4.3 percent in February. Food prices surged 27 percent in January driven by the festival shopping spree. “As the travel season has ended, the number of tourists declined in February, bringing down…

Comments to linan@bjreview.com Lhachung makes nearly 5,000 yuan ($722.6) a month. The rural weaver from southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region amasses an earning that is 532 yuan ($77) higher than what the nation’s urban residents earned on an average per month in 2015, a far cry from the days when her family struggled under the poverty line and subsisted on relief funds. Once a housewife without any means of income, Lhachung attributes the change to the establishment of a weaving cooperative close to her house in Khamshong, a town in Xigatze, 263 km southwest of Lhasa, capital city of the autonomous region. The cooperative was founded under Namdrol, a 30-year-old Yadexihe expert, with the help of the local government in 2013. Yadexihe is a fabric made of the wool of…

In 2016, profits of China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) grew by 6.7 percent following two years of negative growth. The growth is the highest since 2012, and profit sources have also changed significantly. Revenue from the electronic device, electrical equipment and pharmaceutical industries are rising at a remarkable pace, and a better profit structure is being formed. According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), SOEs’ monthly profits had been dropping since October 2014. After two years of stagnation, 2016’s success has become an important indicator of SOEs’ ability to withstand economic difficulties and reforms. There are three main aspects to consider regarding the recovery of profitability. To start with, it bolsters motives for accelerating SOE reforms. In recent years SOEs have been facing more challenges due to sluggish…