china – भारतीय महासागर समाचार

Musk starts China trip to enhance ties amid US officials’ ‘overcapacity’ hype

Tesla CEO Elon Musk File Photo: Xinhua

Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on Sunday at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). Ren Hongbin, president of the CCPIT, met with Musk and engaged in discussions regarding future cooperation, according to China Media Group.

Despite so-called “overcapacity” hype by some US officials, companies like Tesla are eager to explore the Chinese market and engage in fierce competition with Chinese new energy enterprises.

Chinese analysts said Musk’s visit highlights the importance of the Chinese market to many American companies as they are enhancing ties, unlike politicians in Washington who always hype up anti-China rhetoric.

Musk is scheduled to engage with senior Chinese officials in Beijing to deliberate on the implementation strategy for Full Self-Driving technology in China which aims to enable autonomous driving mode on Tesla cars in China, reported Reuters.

FSD is available in countries including the US, but not in China, the BBC reported that the electric carmaker has previously taken steps to reassure Chinese authorities about the rollout of FSD in the country, including establishing a data center in Shanghai to process data about Chinese consumers in accordance with local laws.

The visit comes amid the largest auto show, or 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition is underway which is open through Thursday. Global players such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have signaled their entry into new-energy vehicles (NEVs) on a large scale, highlighting their confidence in the Chinese market. Tesla does not have a booth at the show and it last attended the event in 2021.

According to Indian media outlet, Musk has postponed his visit to India last week.

China is Tesla’s second largest market after the US. The Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, which started production in 2020, is Tesla’s largest production center in the world. “For Tesla, the Chinese market is indispensable,” domestic media outlet reported.

“It is good to see electric vehicles making progress in China. All cars will be electric in the future,” Musk said in a video posted on social media, Reuters reported on Sunday.

Amid the rapid development of the NEV industry in China, the penetration rate of passenger NEVs exceeded 50 percent in the first half of April, as reported by China Central Television on Sunday, outperforming traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

Musk’s last visit to China was in May 2023, when he met with leaders from several top Chinese officials in charge of foreign policy, industry and foreign trade. He also visited the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory and met with leaders from the Shanghai municipal government.

Global Times

Singer shows the world his talent at UN

Zhou performing at the Chinese Language Day event at the United Nations headquarters in New York on April 18. MINLU ZHANG/CHINA DAILY

At the conclusion of the United Nations Chinese Language Day, fans of singer Zhou Shen accompanied him from the conference room all the way to the elevator doors. The singer waved goodbye and said “thank you” to those who enjoy his music as he stepped into the elevator.

“What I feel very happy about is that there are many people behind me who support and love me,” Zhou told China Daily in an exclusive interview inside UN headquarters in New York. “I feel that they are with me on every stage I stand on. I also want to tell them that we can work together to realize the dreams we want to realize.”

News of Zhou singing at the UN went viral last week. The topic has garnered in excess of 180 million views, and more than 1.72 million posts included it on social media platform Sina Weibo.

UN Chinese Language Day usually falls on April 20, but this year it was held on April 18. It was rainy and cold in New York, with the temperature reaching a maximum of 11 C. Some of Zhou’s fans waited outside the UN the entire afternoon to see him.

Azerbaijani ambassador praises China’s stance on new-energy collaboration, hoping for strengthened ties to boost green transformation

Customs staff members check the first “Qilu” freight train running from Jiaozhou, east China’s Shandong province to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan in Jiaozhou, Jan. 31, 2021. A freight train carrying 100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers’ goods such as tires and air conditions left Jiaozhou on Sunday, marking the launch of “Qilu” freight train services from Jiaozhou to Baku. (Photo by Xie Hao/Xinhua)

Azerbaijan is fully ready to develop economic and trade relations with China without setting any ceiling or limit in terms of scope, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to China Bunyad Huseynov said in an exclusive interview with the Global Times, giving examples of the potential for deeper cooperation in the new-energy industry, where the two countries are highly complementary.

As the world is at a crucial moment in the transition to green energy, the ambassador hopes to deepen cooperation with Chinese companies to achieve sustainable development and win-win outcomes.

Speaking at an investment promotion event held by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in China earlier this week, Huseynov said that China’s remarkable achievements in the field of new energy are well known, and highly complementary cooperation is already well underway.

Recently, Azerbaijan initiated a bidding process to build a new-energy vehicle (NEV) factory. Chinese automaker BYD won the bid and signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company and set up an electric bus production line in Azerbaijan, the ambassador said.

The country is planning to gradually replace fuel buses with electric ones in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Huseynov said, indicating possible cooperation.

“We are also in communication with Contemporary Amperex Technology – a Chinese lithium-ion battery company – regarding the construction of energy storage projects in Azerbaijan,” the envoy said.

The Embassy of Azerbaijan in China is also actively promoting the green transformation and strengthening cooperation with Chinese companies in this field, including replacing the embassy’s fuel vehicles with BYD’s NEVs, the Global Times learned from the embassy.

Chinese companies are also involved in the green energy transition as investors, builders and operators, including in the photovoltaic power sector, according to the embassy.

Closer cooperation in the green field can be foreseen as both countries are playing an increasingly important role in tackling climate change on the world stage.

This November, Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku.

In March, Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources and president-designate of the COP29 Mukhtar Babayev visited China along with a delegation. This was the first visit of the country’s COP team abroad, to understand China’s expectations from the climate change conference.

“I believe that both countries share a high degree of consensus on the green agenda,” Huseynov said.

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to China Bunyad Huseynov Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

China takes the lead in wind energy and solar, as well as electric vehicles, and is willing to share its achievements with other countries, which the ambassador said “demonstrates China’s open and win-win cooperation attitude.”

Azerbaijan hopes to play a role as a regional growth hub, and cooperating with the booming Chinese new-energy industry can help it achieve its own transformation, Chinese experts said.

“Azerbaijan does not want to remain solely in the fields of fossil energy and raw materials. It hopes to make achievements in the new manufacturing industry, and strengthening cooperation with Chinese companies in the field is a natural option to reach that goal,” Zhang Hong, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Deepening cooperation with Chinese enterprises can help Azerbaijan achieve its energy transformation faster and enhance its industrial innovation capabilities, meeting its needs for industrial modernization and development, Zhang said.

Azerbaijan is not alone. Countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia are also actively attracting Chinese NEV companies to invest in building factories in a bid to drive the development of their own NEV industry chains.

The positive moves of these regional countries are in stark contrast with the intensified protectionist actions taken by the US, experts said.

Asked for comments on the “overcapacity” narrative in new energy by some Western media outlets, the Azerbaijani ambassador said that China not only produces high-quality and affordable products but is also willing to share these achievements with the world.

“The world is at a crucial moment in the transition to green energy, and Chinese companies are collaborating with those from other countries with an open attitude to help them achieve this energy transformation,” Huseynov said, noting that “this initiative is worthy of praise.”

“Regardless of how certain media outlets may perceive it, I greatly appreciate China’s open and cooperative attitude,” Huseynov said

On a separate note, the ambassador highly commended the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, in which Azerbaijan has been one of the earliest and most active respondents and participants.

“The value of this global cooperation initiative lies in ‘building bridges rather than walls’,” Huseynov said, noting that this joint initiative “serves as a demonstration of the spirit of cooperation and openness, which is needed for global development at the current stage.”

China will continue to assist Asia-Pacific countries to rapidly develop their economies under BRI framework: experts

An electric multiple unit (EMU) machinist trainee tries the high-speed train simulator at Tegalluar High Speed Train Depot of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Bandung, Indonesia, on January 17, 2024. Photo: VCG

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently concluded his successful visit to three Asia-Pacific countries, displaying China’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with the region. As good friends and economic partners based on mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, China’s relations with regional countries are evolving and constantly reaching new heights.

One important focus of Wang’s trip was the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China’s cooperation with Indonesia, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea under the BRI platform has yielded fruitful results.

In Indonesia, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway has become the first high-speed railroad in Southeast Asia, delivering tangible benefits to local development and improving livelihoods of many Indonesians.

In Cambodia, highways constructed with Chinese aid and industrial parks built by Chinese companies have become important drivers of local economic development.

As the first Pacific island country to sign a memorandum of understanding and cooperation with China under the BRI, Papua New Guinea has become China’s largest trading partner, investment destination, and engineering contracting market in Pacific island countries.

Unlike the US’ past efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, often attached with political strings and hardly bearing any substantive results, China’s cooperation and assistance to the countries in the region are based on principles of mutual respect, equality, and win-win, without imposition of any political conditions, experts said.

As the BRI celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, embarking on a new journey of high-quality development, experts said that China’s cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries will continue to focus on helping regional countries achieve sustainable development and improve locals’ livelihood. This includes enhancing cooperation in emerging areas such as green development and digitalization.

Friends and partners

During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang’s recent visit, important exchange meetings with regional countries were held, including the Fourth Meeting of the China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism co-chaired by Wang and Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinator for cooperation with China and coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment, as well as the Seventh Meeting of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, co-chaired by Wang and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol.

High-level interactions provided clearer direction for future cooperation under the BRI between China and the three countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, while describing Wang’s visits, used a common description when referring to the three countries as “good friends and good partners” based on the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and shared development.

That characterization is fair and fitting, given the well-known friendly relations between these three countries and China, experts said, noting that the joint construction of the BRI serves as an accelerator for the continuous growth and enhancement of friendly cooperation between China and the regional countries.

The tangible results under the joint initiative are evident for all to see.

Last week, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway marked its sixth month of operation with a total of 2.56 million passengers being transported. Since its official operation around mid-October, the railway has operated a total of 7,050 rides with a mileage of over 1.26 million kilometers, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing data provided by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese state-owned firms that constructs and runs the HSR.

In the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, a landmark project under the BRI in southwestern Cambodia, changes have taken place with the participation of Chinese companies. Over the past decade, the economic zone, a joint venture between Chinese and Cambodian companies, has drawn more than 175 companies from countries including China, Europe, the US, Southeast Asia and other regions to settle there, creating more than 30,000 local jobs.

Papua New Guinea, the largest Pacific Island country, was the first country to sign a memorandum of understanding and cooperation plan in the region for jointly building the BRI.

The Juncao and Upland Rice Project has been implemented in Papua New Guinea for over 20 years, benefiting more than 40,000 local people. The country’s Prime Minister James Marape referred to Juncao technology as a “gift from China to the world,” with Juncao now known locally as the “grass of happiness” and “grass of prosperity.”

China and Papua New Guinea are engaging in negotiations to reach a free trade agreement, and the talks are expected to be completed by June, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Chen noted that this illustrates that China’s cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries is genuinely based on mutual benefit, using strong economic ties to drive overall cooperation and improve local economies and living standards.

China’s foreign minister’s trip to the Asia-Pacific is of landmark significance as the current relations between China and the regional countries have continued to improve and have reached a very important moment, Zhao Gancheng, a research fellow from the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Against the background of a volatile international landscape, China continues to adhere to multilateralism and inclusive growth in the region, despite the protectionism and egoism of the US, Zhao said.

China’s cooperation with the countries differs significantly from that of the US-led West, which often prioritizes its own strategic objectives before local interests, Chen said.

Stark contrast

While the US pledges in the Asia-Pacific often fails to materialize, resulting in empty promises and broad disappointment, China’s cooperation under the BRI in the region is in stark contrast – Chinese involvement directly improves education, healthcare, employment and more in the region, Chen said.

During Wang’s visit in Indonesia, he referenced public expectations to expand bilateral cooperation in three key directions – digital economy, green development, and improvement of people’s livelihood, under the framework of the BRI.

As the BRI is entering a new phase of high-quality development, new opportunities in green economy and digital economy are emerging as countries pursue sustainable development. The extent of Belt and Road cooperation in Asia-Pacific will undoubtedly be expanded to include new frontiers like clean renewable energies and electric vehicles and more, which also signify new quality productive forces in the coming wave of high-quality development, Chen said.

What needs to be tackled next, according to Zhao, is to complete cooperation projects that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, China’s cooperation with regional countries will always be kept as open and transparent and lead to more tangible results for local residents.

“Infrastructure development have been and will continue to be an important part of the BRI cooperation in building quality roads, bridges, railways and other crucial infrastructure,” Zhao said. The economic partnership will only get closer and stronger, he added.

Blinken should fasten the ‘first button’ before landing in China: Global Times editorial

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards his plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on April 23, 2024, on his way to Beijing. Photo: VCG

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China from April 24 to 26. Before his departure, the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a preview to the media with more than 3,000 words and introduced the relevant information of this visit. China has expressed “welcome” to Blinken’s visit, and this attitude has not changed. At the same time, China gave a detailed explanation of the five major goals it focuses on for this visit, including establishing the right perception, strengthening dialogue, effectively managing differences, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly shouldering responsibilities as major countries. China maintains flexibility in developing relations with the US, while also upholding seriousness on issues concerning China’s core interests.

China’s press briefing is timely for the public and the US side to correctly understand the significance and role of this interaction. As an important event for China and the US to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco last year, China, while expressing its welcome to Blinken’s visit, also puts forward its expectations and views on the goals to be achieved by this trip. It takes about 20 hours to fly from Washington to Shanghai, which is enough time for Blinken and his team to look at the list carefully, so as to establish a correct understanding and button the “first button” before landing in China.

From the current trends in US public opinion, it is more evident how targeted this briefing from the Chinese side is. Just before Blinken’s visit to China, the US media continued to play the trick of “exerting pressure to demand concessions.” On the one hand, American media cited anonymous sources claiming that the US is drafting sanctions that could cut some Chinese banks off the global financial system, purportedly to increase “diplomatic leverage” for Blinken’s visit. On the other hand, the US State Department’s 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices continued to spread lies about Xinjiang, falsely accusing China of engaging in so-called “ethnic genocide” and stating that Blinken would “raise human rights at the highest levels and in the clearest way.” The US attempts to spread misconceptions and misperceptions about China through its hegemony in certain circles. To be honest, this approach has been overused and is greatly discounted if relied upon repeatedly.

During the meeting between the heads of state of China and the US in San Francisco last year, President Xi Jinping proposed the “five pillars” to support the “San Francisco Vision” of China-US relations, with “jointly developing a right perception” occupying the foremost position. China focuses on five major goals for Blinken’s visit, with “establishing a right perception” still ranking first. Why does China-US relations continue to experience fluctuations, causing the international community to remain concerned? Why does the US side turn a normal visit into what seems like an “ultimatum”? The fundamental reason is that the US side has yet to establish a correct perception of China. If this issue is not resolved, it is like walking at night blindfolded and it will easily lead to mistakes and even danger.

As everyone knows, the so-called “ethnic genocide” in Xinjiang is an outright “lie of the century,” which has been debunked extensively worldwide. Even under the carefully crafted little iron curtain by Western media, the voices of justice exposing this lie are growing louder. Nevertheless, this “lie of the century” repeatedly appears in the so-called annual human rights report of the US State Department. Apart from raising doubts about the quality of the report, it also makes people see more clearly the true intentions of certain forces in the US to interfere in China’s internal affairs and suppress Chinese industries.

Behind this extreme phenomenon is a deeper issue: some of the differences between China and the US stem from either America’s fundamental misunderstanding of China’s true situation or deliberately portraying China as a rival of the US and distorting perceptions of China for the purpose of containing China. In recent years, the US’ misperceptions of China have led to severe difficulties in bilateral relations, a point that China has repeatedly emphasized to the US. However, US diplomacy tends to prioritize discussing issues from its own interests, adopting a so-called “pragmatic” approach. Combined with a style of acting that suggests “the US sets the standard for perception,” this approach often leads to self-righteous and absurd arguments regarding China’s perceptions, putting pressure on bilateral relations.

A three-day trip is not a short visit. It is able to cover extensive and in-depth discussions on a wide range of issues. China-US relations should stabilize and improve, moving forward on a path of stability, health, and sustainability. In this regard, there is ample room for imagination and cooperation for both countries. At the same time, China has its own interests to uphold, principles to defend, and bottom lines to maintain. Hopefully the US side remains sufficiently clear-minded and avoids any misjudgments.

Unfair treatment

China sees increasingly fierce NEV competition for market leaders

Consumers browse NEVs at a car fair in Shanghai on March 23, 2024. Photo: VCG

Competition in China’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry has intensified as local and international brands rush to announce price cuts and release new models to seek more market share.

Industry analysts said that the fierce competition comes amid the transition of China’s NEV sector from a period of a large number of investments to a mature market, and the entire market will be further concentrated on a couple of leading firms.

Rather than hyping “overcapacity” in China’s NEV sector to contain China’s high-tech development, Western politicians and media outlets should acclaim China’s contribution to the world because the country’s advantages such as continuous innovation, complete industrial chains and full competition have made NEVs cheaper and more popular around the world.

On Monday, Chinese automaker Li Auto announced price cuts of about 5 percent on four of its models and the company said it would refund the difference to owners who bought those models earlier this year.

The move came one day after US automaker Tesla on Sunday trimmed the price of its Model 3 from 245,900 yuan ($34,630) to 231,900 yuan. It now offers the Model Y from 249,900 yuan onward, compared with 263,900 yuan previously, according to the company’s China website.

So far in April, more than 10 NEV brands have reportedly announced price cuts or other promotional activities.

“In the first quarter [of 2024], the number of car models that had price cuts exceeded 60 percent of the number in all of 2023, most of which were NEV models such as all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids,” Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told the Global Times on Monday.

This will be a key year for NEV makers to gain a firm footing in China’s auto market, so competition will be extremely fierce, Cui said.

However, he said that Chinese NEV makers will likely have more scope to make a profit this year due to price declines in raw materials like lithium carbonate and economies of scale amid the rapid development of the market.

China’s NEV market is undergoing a structural adjustment from a period when companies made a large number of investments to a mature market, and thus competition has become extremely fierce, Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, told the Global Times on Monday.

However, this does not mean there is “overcapacity” in China’s NEV sector, and the US vehemently hyping “overcapacity” in the Chinese sector is a political trick to build “a small yard, high fence” around the high-tech sector, Cao said.

“Washington is petty and small-minded,” Cao said. In the 1980s, US companies produced a lot of products like computers and digital devices in China. At that time, the US didn’t blame China for “overcapacity.”

Seeing that China’s industrial chain is climbing from the lower end to the middle and high end today, the US has started to crack down on China by breaking market economy rules, he said.

Washington’s attempt to outcompete China is not benign competition, but vicious competition, in which the US sets traps for the competitor at every turn, according to Cao. He urged the US to maintain an open and cooperative attitude toward China so as to jointly contribute to global technology advance.

China’s vehicle market got off to a good start in the first quarter of 2024, with production and sales each exceeding 6.6 million units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The market share of NEVs remained above 30 percent, the data showed.

With the approach of the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition on Thursday, domestic automakers have been intensively releasing new models, which are expected to drive up domestic sales in the second quarter.

After a hiatus of four years, the exhibition will see the global debuts of 117 models, including 30 from multinational producers. Exhibitors include international brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, and new car brands like Nio, Xpeng and Xiaomi, according to the official website of the exhibition.

The event, along with policies to support trade-ins, will be a catalyst for domestic car spending, Cui said, expressing positive projections for China’s auto market in the second quarter.

China expects more economic, sci-tech cooperation with San Francisco, Breed visit sends positive signs for bilateral exchanges

A group of 24 US students from Lincoln Middle School and Steilacoom Historical School in Washington set off from San Francisco to begin their trip to China, on March 16, 2024. Photo: IC

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Thursday met with visiting Mayor of San Francisco London Breed, expressing hopes that the mayor’s visit will further boost economic and sci-tech cooperation between the two sides, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Observers said that Breed’s visit has sent a positive signal for promoting local and non-governmental exchanges between China and the US, following the visit of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to China, and they hoped that the momentum would be further extended.

Recalling it was in San Francisco that the historic China-US summit took place in November 2023, Han said that the US city has a longstanding bond with China and has been at the forefront of California and the US in terms of exchanges with China.

Han said he hoped that Breed’s visit will further promote bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, science and technology; create highlights in jointly meeting climate change challenges; increase personnel and cultural exchanges; enhance the friendship between the two peoples, and promote the sound and steady development of China-US relations.

Breed said that her visit aims to implement the important consensus reached at the San Francisco summit and promote the development of bilateral relations through local and non-governmental exchanges.

San Francisco will continue to strengthen personnel exchanges and practical cooperation with China in various fields, Breed said.

Exchanges at local and non-governmental levels will be conducive to maintaining bilateral ties under a situation in which high-level communication between the two countries is not going smoothly, Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Gao said that local exchanges mainly involve personnel and cultural exchanges, and economic and trade cooperation, as both sides have made efforts to bolster cooperation.

Breed’s visit and interactions with local officials and representatives showed the city’s willingness to advance cooperation with China, demonstrating complementarity and the need for bilateral cooperation, and showcasing a positive significance despite some double-faced practices implemented by the US, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Both Gao and Li highlighted the consolidating cooperation between China and the US at the local level, as these mechanisms have been progressing against the backdrop of some issues that may be affected by geopolitical factors.

Before heading to Beijing, Breed visited Guangzhou and Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong Province. Mayors from Guangzhou and Shenzhen highlighted the cooperation potential between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the San Francisco Bay Area, due to their rapid economic development and innovative vitality, during their meetings with Breed.

Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong said that Shenzhen is willing to strengthen cooperation with San Francisco in fields including economic and trade exchanges, technological innovation and emerging industries.

Breed said that she hoped to step up cooperation with Shenzhen in artificial intelligence, new-energy vehicles, sports and tourism while deepening exchanges between young people from the two cities.

When meeting Breed on Tuesday, Guangzhou’s Mayor Sun Zhiyang said that the city aims to further strengthen practical exchanges and bilateral cooperation in fields such as the low-carbon economy.

Despite the US crackdown on China’s high-tech sector, observers said that Breed’s visits to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, China’s major tech hubs, showed that the US still seeks to promote cooperation in related fields with China at the local level.

Cooperation between China and the US will form a rational, win-win situation despite issues that may appear in economic and trade exchanges, which will actually help sort out some of the problems, Li noted.

Local-level cooperation between the two countries has broad potential with new opportunities benefiting both sides, Li said.

Breed is visiting China from April 14 to Sunday. During her stay in China, she will celebrate the 45th anniversary of sister city status for San Francisco and Shanghai, the mayor’s office said in response to a Global Times email inquiry.

“I am honored to be invited to travel to China and meet with leaders in business, innovation and government to cultivate economic opportunities and strengthen ties between San Francisco and cities across the region,” Breed was quoted as saying.

Using Chinese-made ships as targets for military exercises is a ridiculous stunt by Philippines: Global Times editorial

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The “Balikatan” or “shoulder-to-shoulder” military drills between the Philippines and the US haven’t even started, but a clumsy political performance has taken the stage ahead of time. The Philippine military first publicly announced that in the “sinking exercise” segment, the retired Philippine Navy replenishment tanker “BRP Lake Caliraya” would be selected as the target. This ship was originally manufactured in China and was used by Philippine enterprises as a civilian oil tanker. It is the Philippines’ only “Chinese-made naval asset.” The Philippine military also firmly stated that this decision was “not intentional” and does not signify any specific country. It also stated that this joint military exercise is not targeting any foreign country, including China. It is a ludicrous performance by Manila.

The “BRP Lake Caliraya,” formerly “MT Lapu-Lapu,” was an oil tanker built by a Chinese shipyard for the Philippine National Oil Company, and was also a witness to previous cooperation between China and the Philippines. It was later converted by the Philippine Navy into its first-ever replenishment ship. The Philippine side is preparing to use it as a target in a simulated “enemy ship” scenario, showing clear provocative intent. However, they are attempting to cover it up and refuse to acknowledge it, making the farcical claim that it is “not intentional.” This approach of trying to have it both ways has turned Manila into a joke in the region and is an example of its opportunistic behavior in the entire South China Sea issue.

It must be pointed out that the nature of this “shoulder-to-shoulder” military exercise is extremely negative. Not only will the scale exceed that of previous years, but the US and the Philippines will also conduct exercises for the first time in disputed areas beyond 12 nautical miles from Philippine territorial waters. The Philippine Coast Guard will deploy six vessels for this exercise for the first time. Additionally, the navies of the Philippines, the US, and France will conduct trilateral joint patrols for the first time. Compared to the staged nature of the “sinking exercise,” the several “firsts” touted by the US and the Philippines pose a substantive threat to regional stability, which should lead regional countries to maintain high vigilance.

In particular, the US is currently making arbitrary demands from the Philippines. The US previously hinted at deploying mid-range missile systems in the “Indo-Pacific region,” making it the first time since the end of the Cold War. An article from Singapore-based newspaper Lianhe Zaobao said that external observers have been guessing where the US would deploy the system, as well as “which country would be willing to risk directly offending China,” and most commentaries guessed it would be deployed in Guam, or even in Japan – “no one thought it would be the Philippines.” Manila seems open to all American allies, even signing new defense cooperation agreements with the EU and the UK. Japan, Canada, and France are also in line to sign the visiting forces agreement with the Philippines. The country has now become a “broken window” in the region and even feels complacent about it. Some foreign media commented that Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. is feeding the Philippines a bitter pill coated in sugar. Of course, it is not a bitter pill; it is poison.

Since taking office, Marcos Jr. has not made much progress in the country’s economic and social governance, nor has he prioritized addressing the urgent issues of hunger, poverty, drugs, and crime in the Philippines. The latest domestic polls in the Philippines show that Marcos Jr.’s national approval rating and trust in his administration have significantly dropped by 13 and 16 percentage points, respectively, with voices in the House of Representatives calling for his resignation. Marcos Jr. may be hoping to gain some face and support by stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and attracting American support in the realm of diplomacy. However, this approach is not beneficial for Manila in the short or long term. China is the Philippines’ largest trading partner, and the power gap between the two countries is evident. What is Manila really after through its repeated provocations?

Perhaps Marcos Jr. is fantasizing about exchanging economic investments with the US by cooperating with it in its competition with China. But, the problem is that the US has been the Philippines’ most important ally for the past few decades. If the US really wanted to help the Philippines, would it have waited until today? During the recent US-Japan-Philippines summit, Manila expressed hope that the US and Japan would invest $100 billion in the Philippines. To outsiders, it seems like the Philippines is demanding support from the US against China, but what it received was a vague promise of “stimulating $100 billion in investment” from the US and Japan. Just from this one detail, it is clear that the Philippines cannot possibly obtain the benefits it desires by cooperating with Washington, let alone solve its increasingly serious domestic development issues.

The current situation in the South China Sea is generally stable, but the US and the Philippines are constantly causing trouble, trying to drag down and consume China. China will never fall for it.

From China’s attitude in the past few months, it can be seen that we have left room and flexibility for the Philippines on the South China Sea issue, in the hope that the current disputes can be resolved through communication, negotiation, and dialogue. However, whether it is at Ren’ai Jiao, Huangyan Dao, or other reefs and islands, the Philippines is still acting unilaterally. We hope that the Philippines will not allow the “spiritual victory” of sinking target ships to make them too excited, leading to the illusion that they can take on real ships. China’s restraint is not unlimited, and if the Philippines and external forces cross the bottom line and red line of peace and stability in the South China Sea, China will definitely take action when necessary, which is something the Philippines cannot afford.

Chinese modernization more than Shanghai’s impressive skyscrapers, dazzling nightscapes

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Strolling along the banks of the Suzhou River in Shanghai, I felt the city’s pulse. It had been over a decade since my last visit here.

The recently popular TV drama
Blossoms Shanghai has reminded the Chinese people of the era during which China rose rapidly, depicting how ordinary Chinese people made their fortunes and rapidly propelled this city into the forefront of global metropolises within a few decades.

New apartment buildings have risen along the riverbank, and old ones have been refurbished. Residents play by the river with their children. The river flows quietly, no longer emitting the sour stench it did over 20 years ago.

The lifestyle that Shanghainese enjoy today is undoubtedly what many Chinese have long aspired to achieve. For anyone seeking a more authentic understanding of China, trying to grasp why China has chosen its unique path of modernization, Shanghai serves as a crucial window.

However, there is more to China than just Shanghai. Also, it cannot be compared to global cities like New York or London. This tendency to compare today’s Shanghai with metropolitans in developed capitalist countries often inadvertently becomes a reference point for the West and the world in observing China.

My thoughts drift to the remote southwestern frontier of Ximeng in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, an obscure border county now revitalized with aid from Shanghai. Last spring, I visited the small county and saw many villages transformed with new housing funded by the Shanghai government and businesses. Villagers began earning stable incomes by processing local specialties and growing coffee and other crops, improving their living conditions.

When foreigners think of China, Shanghai’s prosperity often comes to mind. Few think of places like Ximeng, and even fewer know about the connection between Shanghai and Ximeng. In fact, such connections form an indispensable part of the most authentic face of China. They witness China’s leap from poverty to poverty alleviation and reflect the unevenness of China’s development. More importantly, they illustrate how building common prosperity has become the soul of the nation and society.

Chinese modernization is not only about impressive skyscrapers and dazzling nightscapes in cities like Shanghai. It’s also about raising the living standards of every corner and every ordinary person, no matter how remote their location. Reducing living standards disparities between regions as well as urban and rural areas is one of the key tasks of achieving common prosperity.

Imagine if children in Ximeng could enjoy the same educational resources as those in Shanghai, if their parents had the same healthcare when sick and if they too had stable pensions after retirement.

To achieve all of this, China needs supportive policies, resource allocation, infrastructure development, balanced growth in education and healthcare, and a comprehensive and fair national social security system. Numerous examples show that ensuring a basic life that upholds human dignity motivates more people to create wealth.

As a leader, Shanghai needs stable development to provide resources for fairer national distribution. Building on this foundation of national stability, it can also ensure basic welfare and employment arrangements for relatively poor regions, allowing every resident to truly enjoy the benefits of economic development.

Contemporary Western views of China still exhibit significant misalignments. These views are based on a basic understanding of China’s progress, particularly in achieving goals and the crucial role of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.

China does not aspire to become a “superpower” like the US. Just like Chinese martial arts focusing on “internal strength,” by enhancing its “internal skills,” China will ultimately become a major country where 1.4 billion citizens enjoy a fairer, more stable and more prosperous life, serving as a stable anchor for global peace and development.

The author is a senior editor with People’s Daily, and currently a senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China. [email protected]. Follow him on X @dinggangchina