Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol.65/No.37 i Beijing Review

The 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), themed Cooperate for Better Development, Innovate for a Greener Future, took place in Beijing on August 31-September 5. In his congratulatory letter, President Xi Jinping said the CIFTIS is a crucial platform for China to wider open its doors, deepen cooperation and pioneer innovation, contributing to promoting the development of the global service industry and trade. China remains committed to pursuing high-quality development through high-level opening up, broadening market access in the service sector, and striving to establish a high-standard system for its internationalization. He stressed that China is ready to work with other countries to uphold real multilateralism, inclusiveness and winwin cooperation, and jointly promote an open and shared service economy to inject impetus into the recovery of the…

Digital technology was a highlight of the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing from August 31 to September 5. On the sidelines of the expo, attendees from all over the world voiced their opinions on the digital economy’s global development at a forum hosted by the Center for China and Globalization on September 2. Edited excerpts of their views follow: Siddharth Chatterjee UN Resident Coordinator in China The world economy is transforming in large part due to the rapid evolution and growing adoption of information and communications technologies. Although the pace of digital transformation varies, all countries are being affected. Digital technologies are a powerful enabler of development, allowing countries to accelerate economic growth and link citizens to services and jobs. In times of crisis, from…

China and Peru have developed close trade ties since their establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971. At the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services, held in Beijing from August 31 to September 5, Peru displayed its distinctive alpaca wool products among others such as coffee and quinoa. In an interview with Beijing Review reporter Li Xiaoyang, Luis Quesada, Peruvian Ambassador to China, commented on the trade ties between the two countries. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow: Beijing Review: How have China and Peru fostered their relationship? Luis Quesada: On November 2 last year, Peru and China commemorated the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. We have a diversity of bilateral mechanisms that reflect the excellent state of our comprehensive strategic partnership, and the free trade agreement (FTA),…

On September 5, the UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss prevailed in a two-month race to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and the next day she was formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland as the UK’s new prime minister. Her victory came as no surprise. Truss proved a favorite in the polls ever since the last two candidates were confirmed and she maintained a large lead over her rival—former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. A successor Judging from the policies they announced in the campaign, Truss and Sunak did not differ much in their governance philosophies, despite minor differences, as both declared they would reduce taxes and stabilize public expenditure, which were expected to curb inflation and boost the economy. But there were other factors at…

Soccer, carnival, reggae, tango, wine—these are the cultural symbols creating a mosaic of the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region in the minds of Chinese people. The physical distance between China and the LAC countries makes a visit from one to the other not an easy trip, but the distance has not deterred more frequent talks at higher levels over the past few years. On September 1-2, the Fifth Forum on China and LAC: Dialogues Between Civilizations took place in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. About 100 representatives from governments, international organizations, research institutes, media outlets and business circles attended the forum onsite or online, where they discussed a wide range of topics including China-LAC cooperation in business, green development, agriculture and high technology. Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province Fang Wei,…

When I moved to Beijing in 2015, what drew me toward China was a determination to understand the Belt and Road Initiative and the impact China’s experience and enhancing role in multilateralism can play globally. I am among the hundreds of thousands who have been inspired by China’s unprecedented growth and contributions to global governance and multilateralism. However, a few questions arise: How does the initiative create impact? What is happening, on the ground, to bring diverse perspectives together, and induce practical conversations? The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is one answer. This year, I had the privilege to attend the fair as a delegate of the Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) program, which is a professional development platform for young achievers jointly initiated by the Center…

NEW FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON The regular Chinese Foreign Ministry press conference got a new host on September 5 as Mao Ning made her debut as the ministry’s new spokesperson. Mao, born in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, in 1972, graduated with a master’s degree from China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. Mao took up the post as the 33rd Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson and deputy director general of the Information Department. Previously, Mao has served as deputy director general of the Department of Asian Affairs, director of the department’s Korean Peninsula Affairs Office and counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. “I will learn from my predecessors, work with my colleagues to present China’s foreign policy and diplomatic philosophy in a timely, accurate and comprehensive manner, and strive to enhance the…

On September 3, the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opened its doors to the public in Beijing. Themed Cooperate for Better Development, Innovate for a Greener Future, this year’s CIFTIS featured a wide assortment of hi-tech elements. In recent years, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and other digital technologies have penetrated all aspects of production, circulation and consumption, empowering trade in services. At the fair, visitors got to immerse themselves in these advanced products that can transform traditional industries and help them embrace the future. Comments to weiyao@cicgamericas.com…

China and Brazil will each see events of national significance in October. China will convene the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), during which the new Party leadership will be elected and Brazil’s presidential election will deliver a new national president. The two countries are both major emerging economies and members of the BRICS grouping. Since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1974, bilateral relations have gone along a sound and stable path, with their mutually beneficial cooperation producing strong results. China is Brazil’s largest trading partner and imports huge amounts of Brazilian agricultural products and iron ore. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has assisted Brazil to contain the virus by providing pandemic-related materials and supplies. Investment from China and bilateral trade…

The presumption of innocence is a common legal principle in the West, stating the prosecution must prove guilt and the accused party is considered innocent until proven otherwise. Yet when it comes to the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, many Western governments, led by the U.S., seemingly have turned this longstanding belief into the “presumption of guilt.” Based on their own historical experiences involving colonial expansion, religious suppression and authoritarian threats, their narrative infers the Communist Party of China (CPC) has engaged in “genocide,” “forced labor” and “religious persecution” targeting the region’s Uygur residents. This type of Xinjiang narrative must be confusing to the vast majority of ordinary Western people who don’t know all that much about China in general, let alone about any of its…

On August 1, the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), headquartered in Shanghai, announced that the single-aisle C919 passenger jet it manufactured had undergone all the test flights necessary for obtaining a national airworthiness certificate. The jet is China’s first self-developed trunk jetliner. The progress has been fast-tracked by the Yangtze River Delta integrated development strategy, which fosters close cooperation in the region that comprises Shanghai as well as Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. A civil aviation industrial chain has been formed in the region. Aramid fiber honeycomb—an extremely lightweight, high strength, non-metallic honeycomb produced by Advanced Composite Technology Materials Co. Ltd. in Shanghai is used to make the baggage hold and ceiling of the plane. Hefei Jianghang Aircraft Equipment Co. Ltd. in Hefei, Anhui, produced the oxygen system for…

We are amid a great transition that challenges our deepest assumptions. The world economy is decoupling as the West tries to isolate two of the world’s largest political communities. The global system is said to be reverting to multipolarity. Multipolarity alone is not new. Before World War II it existed between European empires. What is new, and terrifying to certain quarters, welcomed in others, isn’t the end of unipolarity per se, but of hierarchy, between “the West” (that has never been more unipolarly dominated by one of its number), and the 80 percent of the world’s population subjugated over centuries within a racial hierarchy supposedly ordained by nature. That hierarchy was not toppled by the fall of European empires. After the war it was consolidated under the new management of…

The current U.S. leadership is so shortsighted they don’t even consider the long-term consequences of their irresponsible policies. In an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Wall Street Week last year, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers warned the U.S. “was suffering from the least responsible macroeconomic policy in four decades.” Yet the U.S. administration continued its massive cash printing and subsidies. The CHIPS and Science Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 9 included $52.7 billion to be invested in semiconductor companies, intended to revive U.S. chip manufacturing as the country’s global share of chip production fell from 37 percent to a mere 12 percent. Such a huge amount of money flowing into one industry brings a sense of déjà vu. Former President Barack Obama’s administration had a case…

On September 7, Cineworld, the world’s second largest cinema chain, filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States. This debt-laden enterprise is just one of many gigantic multinationals struggling for survival as the global film industry enters a prolonged winter season in which unwelcome forces—the COVID-19 pandemic and streaming services like Netflix—have battered traditional cinemas for years. Against this gloomy global backdrop, this summer was a season of thawing for China’s domestic film market. According to a recent report released by leading ticketing service agency Maoyan, domestic box office revenue from June 1 to August 31 was 9.13 billion yuan ($1.3 billion). That’s up 23.8 percent from 2021 and 150 percent from 2020. For the first time since COVID-19 hit, the highest daily ticket sales rose above 100 million yuan…