Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 61/No. 29 i Beijing Review

The United States violated World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and pulled the trigger on a 25-percent tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports on July 6, launching the largest trade war in economic history. In a bid to uphold its core national interests and the interests of its people, China had to take necessary countermeasures by imposing tariffs on selected U.S. imports. Recently, the United States has provoked a trade war by imposing tariffs on imports from many economies including China, Canada and the European Union. It seems that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s strong backing of protectionism intends to challenge economic globalization all by itself. Since the United States is the largest economy in the world and the leader of the global economic system where the…

The U.S. imposition of additional 25-percent tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products has ignited the largest trade war in economic history, blatantly violates WTO rules and represents the typical actions of a trade bully. The excuse for the tariffs is the Section 301 investigation, which mainly targets technology transfer and intellectual property (IP). In a report released on June 21, the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy leveled ungrounded accusations at China for forcing the transfer of technology, violating IP rights and “stealing U.S. technology.” The report, full of assumptions and fanciful evidence, represents U.S. hegemony in technology. From trade bully to technology hegemon, the U.S. is determined to unilaterally destroy the rules of international trade and sabotage the global value chain. The rest of the world…

After U.S. President Donald Trump instigated a trade war that launched 25-percent tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese products on July 6, the Chinese Government immediately retaliated with tit-for-tat duties on U.S. goods. Faced with this epic standoff between two giants across the Pacific, international observers have been left wondering why Trump is so bent on waging a war against his country’s most important trading partner and asking what the potential international and domestic results of this conflict could be. Economic world war For Trump, this is a Holy War in which the U.S. working class must fight for its fair share and a just battle to punish “thieving countries” which have stolen U.S. intellectual property and gained an extra advantage in the global market via unfair means. As…

An ongoing exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx (1818-1883) is held at the National Museum of China. Titled The Power of Truth, the exhibition kicked off on May 5 and will run through August 5. The three exhibition halls feature Marx’s life, Sinicized Marxism and Marxism-themed contemporary art. Dozens of artifacts, including books, documents, letters and photos, which help visitors understand how a young scholar evolved into one of the 20th century’s greatest phi-losophers, are on display. A collection of 24 pieces of artwork created by veteran Chinese painters is also on display, offering an insight into Marx’s life and his influence on China.…

FUGITIVE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE Xu Chaofan, former head of the Kaiping Sub-branch of Bank of China in south China’s Guangdong Province, has been returned to China from the United States to face trial on charges of embezzlement and corruption, according to the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on July 11. Two billion yuan ($300 million) were also recovered. “The successful repatriation is considered an important achievement in Sino-U.S. anti-corruption law enforcement cooperation,” the CCDI said in a statement. “He is the first corruption fugitive repatriated from abroad since the National Supervisory Commission was set up [in March].” Xu was accused of corruption and the embezzlement of $485 million in bank funds. He fled to the United States in 2001 and Interpol issued a red notice…

Although there are many causes triggering the trade disputes between China and the United States, the main reason is still the huge and chronic U.S. trade deficit with China, which has long vexed the U.S. government. The United States believes that its extraordinarily large trade deficit with China is unfair. Over the past two decades, successive U.S. ad-ministrations have raised and emphasized this issue. Under the slogans of “America First” and “fair trade,” current President Donald Trump sees the trade deficit as the number one problem regarding economic and trade relations with China, and has demanded a substantial cut of the U.S. trade deficit with China. A clear understanding of the U.S. trade deficit with China will not only help fundamentally alleviate the trade disputes between the two countries, but…

This is a big year for South Africa and BRICS. The country assumed the role of BRICS chair on January 1 and will remain in this position until the end of 2018. In addition, the year represents a milestone as the 10th BRICS Summit will be hosted in Johannesburg on July 25-27, which will be preceded by numerous sectorial BRICS min-isterial events and meetings. South Africa regards BRICS as a catalyst to its core foreign policy priorities, such as promoting African Union (AU) agendas and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, advocating for global governance reforms, and embodying South-South coop-eration and solidarity in a spirit of mutually beneficial collaboration. From a global South perspective, BRICS is one of the foremost world mechanisms born in the post-World War II and Bretton…

($1=6.6 yuan) 16.8 mln Qualified trademarks registered by China as of the end of June 7.1 tln yuan Total output value of China’s forestry industry in 2017 10.8 mln Barrels of U.S. crude oil produced per day in 2018 as forecasted by the U.S. Information Administration, up from 9.4 million barrels per day in 2017 9,000 Trips made by China-Europe freight trains by the end of June 40 mln tons Steel and iron capacity to be cut in north China’s Hebei Province over the next three years 29.22% Year-on-year growth of online retail sales in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in 2017 $761.40 mln Philippines’ exports to the Chinese mainland in May, up by 8.9 percent year on year and making the Chinese mainland its third largest export market 10…

In blaming other countries for U.S. economic woes, the administration of President Donald Trump has ignited a trade war with the United States’ major trading partners, including China, South Korea, Japan and the European Union. Are tariffs on international trade really the answer to domestic issues in the United States? How will the events in the coming weeks and months affect global economic growth, technological progress and the future of globalization? And who will be the real victims of the trade war? In an attempt to answer and gain perspective on these questions, Beijing Review has invited several Chinese and international experts to provide their own detailed analyses and points of view. Their responses constitute this week’s cover story. Under the banner of “America First,” U.S. President Donald Trump has…

On July 6, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a series of punitive and counterproductive tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods and products. In response, China applied reciprocal tariffs on $34 billion worth of U.S. goods. These moves come on top of U.S. tariffs already imposed on Chinese steel, aluminum, washing machines and solar panels. While the aggregate amount of trade affected has been moderate relative to both nations’ economies, it is a very troubling sign that Trump felt the need to engage in some of the most protectionist import duties since the Smoot-Hawley tariffs of the early 1930s, which had a devastating effect on the global economy and transformed a deepening economic crisis into a full-blown calamity. And to add to the misery, Trump has threatened to levy…

At the meeting, the two sides signed three documents: the Beijing Declaration; the implementation of the plan for CASCF events in 2018-20; and an action declaration for joint implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, presenting a clear, systematic and complete blueprint for the development of China-Arab states relations in the near future. • The Beijing Declaration expounds on the contents of the China-Arab States strategic partnership; reaffirms support for each other’s core and major interests; summarizes shared proposals on such international and regional issues as the Palestinian issue, counter-terrorism and UN Security Council reform; and defines the direction for the development of China-Arab states relations and joint cooperation. • The implementation of the plan for CASCF events in 2018-20 stipulates new projects and new measures for cooperation in nearly…

Forty-five-year-old An Gang has seldom shed a tear while watching films, but China’s recent blockbuster Dying to Survive brought tears to his eyes on July 5. The film is about a medication dealer who smuggles unlicensed leukemia medicine from India to provide for poor patients who cannot afford more expensive, officially licensed versions in China. The protagonist, Cheng Yong, first became involved in the illegal trade to earn quick money to support his family, and quit the busi-ness after making a decent amount. However, following the death of one of his friends due to a lack of affordable drugs, he later resumes the operation. “My heart hurt when I saw Lu Shouyi, the dying leukemia patient, peeling an orange to thank the protagonist,” An told Beijing Review. “The scene reminded…