Beijing Review - Vol 66no 48 2023

OPINION: THE GREAT CPI DEBATE P.26 | FEATURES: BITING INTO THE SNACK MARKET P.
34
VOL.66 NO.48 NOVEMBER 30, 2023 WWW.BJREVIEW.COM
THE FACTOR
What makes the injiang Pilot FTZ appealing?
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CONTENTS
EDITOR’S DESK 21 Time to Cease Fire 30 Legislation for Collaboration
02 Xinjiang Pilot FTZ A diplomatic solution for the Strengthening laws on foreign affairs
Middle East 32 The Way to Space
THIS WEEK
22 Standing the Test of Time The growth of private aerospace
COVER STORY China and Argentina: ties built 34 Small Cities, Big Appetites
12 A Port of Call on mutual needs The boom of the snack economy
Small border city turns big 24 In Sum: The Xi-Biden 36 History and Modernization
trade player Summit Xi’an is becoming a global sci-tech hub
16 Land of Opportunity Leaders’ talks spark cautious
38 A Tough Time
Xinjiang, from remote corner optimism
A college major in the arts no longer a ticket
to core area 25 Green Shoots on the to employment
Horizon
40 Hats Off!
OPINION Charting a course to improve
Stitch by stitch, the dreams of a women’s knitting
20 For Lasting Peace and China-U.S. relations
collective come true
Sustainable Security 26 The CPI Debate: Does
42 Studying After Work
President Xi Jinping addresses Sentiment Match Reality?
More youth embrace part-time learning
BRICS on Palestinian-Israeli Deciphering China’s alleged
FRQÁLFW GHÁDWLRQULVN CULTURE
46 A Romantic Tale From a Remote Town
FEATURES A literary classic adapted for the stage
COVER PHOTO: A container terminal in
Alashankou, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous 28 Setting Sails Anew
Region, on November 4 (CNSPHOTO)
Xi and Biden meet in California EXPAT’S EYE
48 In Sync
©2023 Beijing Review, all rights reserved.
Harmonious unity, the essence of Hehe culture
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MEDIA PARTNER %5($.,1*1(:66&$10(8VLQJD45FRGHUHDGHU

Please recycle
EDITOR’S DESK
Xinjiang Pilot FTZ
A News Weekly Magazine Though located in China’s hinterland, international trade, modern logistics,
Published Since 1958 Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region advanced manufacturing, textile and
President: Li Yafang is becoming a new frontier of opening garment industries as well as emerg-
Editor in Chief: Li Jianguo
Associate Editor in Chief: Liu Yunyun up. The China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free ing industries such as biomedicine,
Associate President: Gao Dingbo
7UDGH=RQH )7= ZDVRIÀFLDOO\LQDX- new energy, new materials, software
Executive Editor: Yan Wei
Production Director: Yao Bin gurated on November 1, making it the and information technology services.
Editor: Wang Hairong
Researcher: Lan Xinzhen
QG)7=LQ&KLQDDQGWKHÀUVWLQWKH The Kashgar subzone will focus on
Editorial Consultants: Elsbeth van Paridon, G.P. Wilson country’s northwestern border regions. labor-intensive industries such as deep
Reporters: Ji Jing, Kang Caiqi, Li Qing, Li Wenhan, Li Xiaoyang,
Liang Xiao, Lu Yan, Ma Miaomiao, Pan Xiaoqiao, Peng Jiawei, Covering an area of 1.66 million processing of agricultural products and
Tao Xing, Tao Zihui, Wang Jun, Wang Ruohan, Yuan Yuan,
Zhang Shasha, Zhang Yage square km, about one sixth of China’s assembly lines for electronic products.
Visual Director: Pamela Tobey total land area, Xinjiang borders The Khorgas subzone will prioritize
Photographer: Wei Yao
Art: Li Shigong eight countries—Mongolia, Russia, cross-border logistics, cross-border
Design Director: Wang Yajuan
Chief Designer: Cui Xiaodong Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, WRXULVPÀQDQFLDOVHUYLFHVH[KLELWLRQV
Designer and proofreader: Zhao Boyu
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It has and other modern services industries.
Editorial Administrator: Zeng Wenhui
Planning Director: Xu Bei a larger land area, a larger number of The plan has outlined detailed
Deputy Planning Director: Li Nan neighboring countries and a longer land measures in 25 areas. These include
World News Director: Ding Ying
World News Deputy Director: Li Fangfang border than any other provincial-level promoting trade facilitation and
Director of Digital Media: Yu Shujun
Director of Strategic Research: Zan Jifang administrative region in China. Home strengthening economic and trade co-
Deputy Director of Strategic Research: Lu Ling
to all 56 of the country’s ethnic groups, operation with neighboring countries.
Administration: Zhang Yajie
International Cooperation: Sun Xuan the autonomous region has a population Xinjiang’s geographic location makes
Legal Counsel: Yue Cheng of 25.8 million, of whom 11.6 million it a hub along the New Eurasian Land
North America Bureau (New York City)
Chief: Yu Shujun
belong to the Uygur ethnic minority. Bridge, an international passageway
Executive Assistant: Zhao Wei According to a plan issued by the linking the Pacific and the Atlantic
Tel/Fax: 1-201-792-0334
E-mail: [email protected] Central Government, the Xinjiang Pilot and one of the economic corridors
Latin America Bureau (Mexico City)
Chief: Lin Yeqing
FTZ will be given greater autonomy in of the Belt and Road Initiative, a
Tel: 52-55-55127271 carrying out reforms and encouraged to China-proposed initiative that aims to
Fax: 52-55-55332027
E-mail: [email protected] cultivate industries unique to the region. strengthen connectivity along and be-
3HUX2IßFH /LPD
Chief: Meng Kexin The pilot FTZ has three subzones— yond the ancient Silk Road routes.
Tel: 0051-959212702 in Urumqi, Kashgar and Khorgas, also The Xinjiang FTZ is poised to
E-mail: [email protected]
*HQHUDO(GLWRULDO2IßFH
known as Horgos. Urumqi is the capital serve as a bridgehead for China’s west-
Tel: 86-10-68996252 city of Xinjiang, while Kashgar and ward opening up, help build a China-
Fax: 86-10-68326628
Editorial Desk Khorgas are both border cities. Central Asia free trade area and cement
Tel: 86-10-68996250
Partnerships The Urumqi subzone will focus on the bond between Asia and Europe. BR
Tel: 86-10-68995807
E-mail: [email protected]
Distribution
Tel: 86-10-68310644
E-mail: [email protected] CHINA......RMB6.00 U.S.A.......USD1.70
AUSTRALIA......AUD3.00 UK......GBP1.20
Published every Thursday by
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2 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 30, 2023 http://www.bjreview.com

THIS WEEK
XINHUA
HOME AT LAST
Chinese honor guards receive coffins containing the remains of Chinese People’s Volunteers soldiers during a
handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport, the Republic of Korea (ROK), on November 23.
China and the ROK jointly held a ceremony at the airport to hand over the remains and belongings of 25
Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean War (1950-53).
&KLQHVHKRQRUJXDUGVWKHQHVFRUWHGWKHFRIÀQVWRD&KLQHVH3HRSOH·V/LEHUDWLRQ$UP\$LU)RUFHDLUFUDIWZKLFK
carried the fallen heroes back to their homeland.
http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 3

THIS WEEK SOCIETY
XINHUA
promote the coordinated devel-
opment of the Beijing-Tianjin-
Hebei region, Xiongan was
designed as a major recipient of
HWPEVKQPUQH´QCFGFHTQO$GKLKPI
that are not essential to its role
CU%JKPC«UECRKVCNCPFVQGZRNQTG
a new model of development in
densely populated areas.
Buzzwords of the
Year
%CPFKFCVGUHQT%JKPC«U
buzzwords have been released,
with Chinese characters and
GZRTGUUKQPUHQTTGLWXGPCVKQP
prosperity, the Belt and Road
Initiative and the Asian Games
on the shortlist, Xinhua reported
QP0QXGODGT
The list also includes
Chinese words for turmoil, crisis,
A Great Photo Op VJG2CNGUVKPG+UTCGNEQP´KEVCPF

China-United States relations.
6JG&KPIFQPIRQ9KPF2QYGT2JQVQXQNVCKE2TQLGEVKP5JKSKCP&KUVTKEV6QPITGP%KV[)WK\JQW2TQXKPEG The list was compiled
southwest China on November 16. With a combined power generation capacity of 100.1 Megawatts, the VJTQWIJCEQODKPCVKQPQHGZRGTV
project was successfully connected to the grid. The county has stepped up the use of green energy by recommendations and big data
taking advantage of its high altitude. analysis, and includes characters
CPFGZRTGUUKQPUTGNCVGFVQDQVJ
China and the world.
The buzzword selection is
Homegrown Daocheng Yading Airport in
Sichuan Province, the AVIC said.
hospitals, began construction
of a new branch in Xiongan
an annual event that aims to
Helicopter These plateau airports in New Area in neighboring Hebei
represent domestic and interna-
tional changes through a single
%JKPC«UKPFGRGPFGPVN[FGXGNQRGF southwest China are located at 2TQXKPEGQP0QXGODGT Chinese character or phrase.
AC313A large civil helicopter has altitudes of about 1,600 meters, Located in the Rongdong Now in its 18th consecutive
UWEEGUUHWNN[EQORNGVGFVJG³TUV 3,300 meters and 4,400 meters, area, the new branch covers year, the event invites the public
TQWPFQHRNCVGCW´KIJVVGUVUCE- respectively. an area of 7.64 hectares and to nominate candidate charac-
cording to the Aviation Industry 6JKUTQWPFQH´KIJVVGUVU will have 1,000 beds, accord- ters and phrases and vote for the
Corporation of China (AVIC), XGTK³GFVJG#%#JGNKEQRVGT«U ing to the Xiongan New Area shortlisted ones. The result will
Xinhua News Agency reported on ´KIJVRGTHQTOCPEGCPFSWCNKV[ Management Committee. Wang DGCPPQWPEGFQP&GEGODGT
0QXGODGT on plateaus, as well as the adapt- Jun, Director of Peking University 6JKU[GCT«UDW\\YQTF
The AC313A has successfully ability of its major systems, the 2GQRNG«U*QURKVCNUCKFVJG selection is a joint effort by the
EQORNGVGFCUGTKGUQH´KIJVVGUVU AVIC said. Xiongan branch will serve as National Language Resources
at a range of plateau airports. Developed by the AVIC, the a national medical center and Monitoring and Research Center,
The move paves the way for air- AC313A is a large 13-ton civil contribute to the coordinated the Commercial Press and
YQTVJKPGUU´KIJVVGUVUUCKF#8+% multi-purpose helicopter with a development of medical and Xinhuanet.
VJGEQWPVT[«UNGCFKPICKTETCHV single main and tail rotor. It took healthcare services in the Beijing-
VQVJGUMKGUHQTKVUOCKFGP´KIJV
manufacturer.
6JG³TUVTQWPFQH´KIJV on May 17 last year.
Tianjin-Hebei region.
%JKPCKP#RTKNCP-
Giant Panda
tests took place at Anshun nounced plans to establish the Conservation
Huangguoshu Airport in Guizhou Hospital Branch Xiongan New Area, which is locat- The National Center for Giant
Province, Ninglang Luguhu 2GMKPI7PKXGTUKV[2GQRNG«U ed about 100 km from Beijing. Panda Conservation and
Airport in Yunnan Province and *QURKVCNQPGQH$GKLKPI«UVQR As an important step to Research, a world-class
THIS WEEK
XINHUA
platform for giant panda research currently accounts for about 4
EQQRGTCVKQPCPFGZEJCPIGYCU RGTEGPVQHVJGEQWPVT[«UVQVCN
inaugurated on November 17 industrial output, according to
in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan the ministry.
Province in southwest China. 6JGKPFWUVT[«UKPXGUVOGPVKP
The center integrates research and development (R&D)
the resources of the China has continued to grow, with the
Conservation and Research CXGTCIGCPPWCN4&GZRGPFK-
Center for the Giant Panda and VWTGGZEGGFKPIRGTEGPVQXGT
the Chengdu Research Base of the past three years.
Giant Panda Breeding, bringing As a result, the industry has
together outstanding giant made some progress in develop-
panda research teams from all ing innovative drugs and high-
over the country. GPFGSWKROGPVVJGOKPKUVT[UCKF
According to the National
Forestry and Grassland
adding that China now ranks
second in the world in the num-
2QóWKHó)DVWó7UDFN
Administration, the center ber of new drugs under research. The construction site of the Louwan Grand Bridge on the
has established an academic China will speed up the %JQPISKPI-WPOKPIJKIJURGGFTCKNYC[KP%JQPISKPI/WPKEKRCNKV[
committee on giant panda construction of a modern phar- UQWVJYGUV%JKPCQP0QXGODGT6JGMOTCKNYC[YJKEJ
conservation and a national maceutical industry system and EQPPGEVU%JQPISKPICPF-WPOKPIKP;WPPCP2TQXKPEGKPUQWVJYGUV
innovation alliance. In the improve supply security, said Jin China, has a design speed of 350 km per hour and is an important
future, the center will build a Zhuanglong, Minister of Industry RCTVQHVJGTCKNYC[EQTTKFQTNKPMKPI$GKLKPICPF-WPOKPI
key laboratory for giant pandas and Information Technology.
and promote the establishment Multinational companies will
of similar laboratories for other be encouraged to set up R&D
endangered animals. 6JG³NOVKVNGFThe Elephant ,WPG5KPEGVJGPVJG[JCXG
centers and innovative drug
Odyssey , follows the improbable continued their journey south,
production bases in China, while
Pharmaceutical domestic pharmaceutical compa-
journey of the wandering Asian
elephants in Yunnan, which cap-
arriving safely back at the
reserve.
Industry PKGUYKNNDGGPEQWTCIGFVQGZRNQTG
tivated viewers around the world The documentary is being
overseas markets, Jin added.
China now has more than 10,000 and brought them to global produced by IMAX Corporation,
major pharmaceutical industrial OQXKGUETGGPUHQTVJG³TUVVKOG Beach House Pictures and the
GPVGTRTKUGUCPFVJGEQWPVT[«UCDKN- 'RFXPHQWDU\ó)LOP +P/CTEJVJG China Review Studio of the
ity to ensure medical supply has #FQEWOGPVCT[³NORTQLGEV elephants left a forest nature China Center for International
improved, the Ministry of Industry chronicling the epic adventure reserve in Xishuangbanna Dai Communication Development.
and Information Technology said of a herd of wild Asian elephants Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan It is scheduled for release in
on November 17. was launched at a ceremony Province, and trekked about IMAX theaters and commercial
The industrial output of main Yunnan Province, southwest 500 km north to the provincial cinemas worldwide upon
jor pharmaceutical companies China, on November 16. ECRKVCNQH-WPOKPICTTKXKPIKP EQORNGVKQPKP
XINHUA
&KLOG)ULHQGO\
A mother does handicrafts with her child at Shangwei Village,
a child-friendly art village, in Longhua District of Shenzhen,
Guangdong Province in south China, on November 19. Since
KUUWKPI%JKPC«U³TUVIWKFGNKPGQPETGCVKPICEJKNFHTKGPFN[EKV[
eight years ago, the city has rolled out a series of measures to
spearhead construction toward the goal.

THIS WEEK ECONOMY
Capital Cooperation funds replicate the performance
CPFEQORQUKVKQPQHC³PCPEKCN
MasterCard is the second
overseas bank card clearing
During the January-October
RGTKQF%JKPCGZRQTVGF
6JG5JCPIJCK5VQEM'ZEJCPIG OCTMGVKPFGZ'6(UCTGDCUMGVUQH institution to enter the Chinese commercial vehicles, jumping
(SSE) and the Dubai Financial assets that are traded like securi- OCTMGV+PVJG2$% RGTEGPVQXGTQPG[GCTGCTNKGT
Market (DFM) announced the ties. They can be bought and approved an application by
signing of a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) on
UQNFQPCPQRGPGZEJCPIGLWUV #OGTKECP'ZRTGUU«%JKPGUGLQKPV Shipbuilding
like regular stocks. venture to conduct such business
0QXGODGTVQUVTGPIVJGP in the country. Expansion
EQQRGTCVKQPCPFGZEJCPIGU
between the capital markets. %DQNó&DUGó&OHDULQJ The PBC said it would pro- China has maintained its top po-
mote work on bank card clearing sition in the global shipbuilding
The partnership facilitates 6JG2GQRNG«U$CPMQH%JKPC
market access in an orderly OCTMGVKPVJG³TUVOQPVJUQH
VJGGZEJCPIGQHMPQYNGFIGGZ- 2$% VJGEQWPVT[«UEGPVTCNDCPM
announced on November 19 manner, while improving the YKVJUVTQPIITQYVJKPDQVJ
pertise and information between
that it and the National Financial regulatory system to balance output and new orders, according
the SSE and the DFM and aims to
Regulatory Administration development and security. to the China Association of the
GPJCPEGGH³EKGPE[CPFVTCPURCT-
have approved an application National Shipbuilding Industry.
ency in both markets, the SSE
said. D[/CUVGT%CTF«U%JKPGUGLQKPV Vehicle Sales 6JGEQWPVT[«UUJKR-
The SSE and the DFM will venture to conduct bank card Nationwide commercial vehicle building output climbed
LQKPVN[GZRNQTGFGXGNQRKPI'5) clearing operations in the sales soared 19.8 percent year on RGTEGPV[GCTQP[GCTVQ
(Environmental, Social and country. Clearing in the banking year to about 3.3 million units in 34.56 million deadweight
Governance) and sustainability- system is the process of settling VJG³TUVOQPVJUQHVJKU[GCT tons (DWTs), used to de-
linked products and focus on transactions between banks. industry data showed. scribe the total weight in met-
products relevant to both mar- MasterCard NUCC 5RGEK³ECNN[UCNGUQHVTWEMU ric tons a ship can safely carry,
kets, according to the MoU. Information Technology rose 19.5 percent year on year during the January-October pe-
Both sides will facilitate joint (Beijing) Co. Ltd., a joint venture VQOKNNKQPWPKVUCEEQTFKPI riod, accounting for 49.7 percent
product development, such as in- of MasterCard and NetsUnion to the China Association of QHVJGYQTNF«UVQVCN³IWTGUHTQO
FGZCPFGZEJCPIGVTCFGFHWPFU Clearing Corp. (NUCC), could Automobile Manufacturers. the association showed.
(ETFs), introduce companies authorize its member institutions Some 389,000 buses were New orders surged 63.3
and issuers to the advantages of to issue MasterCard branded sold in the same period, surging percent year on year to 61.06
each market, and provide them renminbi bank cards in China, RGTEGPVHTQOVJGUCOG million DWTs, taking up 67 per-
CEEGUUVQDGVVGTUGTXKEGU+PFGZ the PBC said. period last year. EGPVQHVJGYQTNF«UVQVCNFWTKPI
NUMBERS
Fixed Assets Investment Growth in China
7 (% y.o.y.)
6
5.8
5.5
5.3 5.1 5.1
5 4.7
4.0
4
3.8
3.4
3.2 3.1 2.9
3
0
JAN-OCT JAN-NOV JAN-DEC JAN-FEB JAN-MAR JAN-APR JAN-MAY JAN-JUN JAN-JUL JAN-AUG JAN-SEP JAN-OCT
2022 2023

THIS WEEK
the period.
The volume of orders on
billion), down 9.4 percent year
on year.
Intelligent shows that as of late August,
%JKPC«UQRGPTQCFVGUVKPIQH+%8U
hand, orders that have been 5RGEK³ECNN[(&+KPOCPW- Connected Vehicles JCFGZEGGFGFMO
RNCEGFDWVPQV[GV³NNGFQT facturing rose 1.9 percent year China will test market access for
completed for the industry, stood QP[GCTVQDKNNKQP[WCP intelligent connected vehicles 1RQ)LQDQFLDOó2',
CVOKNNKQP&96UCUQHNCVG DKNNKQP YKVJVJCVKPJK (ICVs) and allow them on the %JKPC«UPQP³PCPEKCNQWVDQWPF
1EVQDGTWRRGTEGPVHTQOQPG tech manufacturing logging an road, authorities announced. direct investment (ODI) increased
year earlier and accounting for increase of 9.5 percent. The authorities will select RGTEGPV[GCTQP[GCTVQ
RGTEGPVQHVJGYQTNF«UVQVCN FDI from Canada, the United UQOG+%8OQFGNUGSWKRRGFYKVJ DKNNKQP[WCP DKNNKQP KPVJG
6JGEQWPVT[«UUJKRDWKNFGTU -KPIFQOCPF(TCPEGUWTIGF automated driving functions that ³TUVOQPVJUQHVJG[GCTQH-
GZRQTVGFCEQODKPGFDKN- 110.3, 94.6 and 90 percent, can be mass-produced to give ³EKCNFCVCUJQYGF
NKQPYQTVJQHUJKRUKPVJG³TUV respectively, the data showed. them market access and test the In U.S. dollar terms, the ODI
OQPVJUWRRGTEGPVHTQOVJG China has reiterated the selected vehicles on designated went up 11 percent from a year
same period last year, according EQWPVT[«UEQOOKVOGPVVQOCTMGV roads, according to a recent earlier, according to the Ministry
to the association. opening up and its efforts to circular issued by four ministries, of Commerce.
GPUWTGCNGXGNRNC[KPI³GNFHQT including the Ministry of Industry 6JGPQP³PCPEKCN1&+KP
)RUHLJQó)LUPV foreign investors. and Information Technology countries participating in the Belt
A total of 41,947 new foreign- FDI in China is subject to a and the Ministry of Transport. and Road Initiative, proposed
invested companies were PGICVKXGNKUVYJKEJURGEK³GUVJG 6JGRKNQVRTQITCOKUGZ- by China 10 years ago aiming
established in China during the areas out of bounds for foreign pected to promote innovative to boost connectivity along and
³TUVOQPVJUQHVJG[GCTFCVC investors. The country will ICVs, ensure safe operation and beyond the ancient Silk Road
from the Ministry of Commerce shorten its negative list for for- integrate the automobile indus- routes, came in at 181.69 billion
showed. eign investment in a reasonable try with other sectors such as new [WCP DKNNKQP FWTKPIVJG
6JG³IWTGOCTMGFCRGT- manner and scrap all restrictions GPGTI[CTVK³EKCNKPVGNNKIGPEGCPF ,CPWCT[1EVQDGTRGTKQFWR
cent increase from the same for foreign investors entering the communications. percent year on year.
period a year earlier. manufacturing industry, Li Chao, The program follows earlier The turnover of contracted
During the period, paid-in a spokesperson for the National open road tests for the research projects overseas grew 8.3 per-
foreign direct investment (FDI) Development and Reform and development of ICVs, which cent year on year to 856.88
in the Chinese mainland came Commission, said at a press proved that some models could DKNNKQP[WCP DKNNKQP VJG
KPCVDKNNKQP[WCP conference on November 16. DGOCUURTQFWEGF1H³EKCNFCVC ministry said.
Fixed Assets Investment Growth in China by Sector Fixed Assets Investment Growth in China by Region
January-October (% y.o.y.) January-October (% y.o.y.)
10 8
9.0 Primary industry:
Agriculture,
forestry, animal
8 husbandry and 6
ĶVKHU\ 4.9
6 4
Secondary
industry: Mining,
4 manufacturing, 2
construction, and
electricity, thermal,
fuel gas and water
2 production and 0
0.4 supply -0.1 -0.5
0 -2
Tertiary industry:
Services
-2 -1.3 -4 -3.5
Primary industry Secondary industry Tertiary industry East China Central China West China Northeast China
(Source: National Bureau of Statistics)

THIS WEEK WORLD
XINHUA
BANGLADESH LEBANON
Dengue patients receive treatment 0RXUQHUVFDUU\WKHFRIĶQVRIWKHWZR
at a hospital in Dhaka on November Al-Mayadeen TV journalists killed in an
20. The total number of cases in the Israeli air strike on November 21. The
country’s worst dengue outbreak funeral procession is shown in front of
ever, has risen to 301,225, including the station’s headquarters in Beirut on
1,549 deaths, since January this year November 22
XINHUA
INDONESIA
+RXVHVDUHßRRGHGDIWHUKHDY\UDLQVLQ
Aceh Barat District, Aceh Province,
on November 22
XINHUA

THIS WEEK
XINHUA
¼
)5$1&(ó
&KHIVVHUYHXSWKHLUĶQHVWDPXVHERXFKHVDWWKH/$
LISTE 2024 World Restaurant Ranking presentation at
the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris
on November 20
XINHUA
¼
EGYPT
People visit Tutankhamun—The
Immersive Exhibition at the Grand
Egyptian Museum in Giza on
November 20. The exhibition about
the ancient Egyptian King Tut, as he
is colloquially known, had opened at
the museum earlier in the day
ISRAEL
Pictures of Israeli and international
hostages held in the Gaza Strip are
displayed in Jerusalem’s Old City on
November 7. On November 22, Israel
DQG+DPDVFRQĶUPHGWKHLU
agreement to a proposal for a
WHPSRUDU\FHDVHĶUHLQ*D]D,Q
exchange for Hamas releasing
hostages, the Israeli side agreed to
release Palestinian prisoners and
allow more humanitarian aid into the
XINHUA
besieged enclave
THIS WEEK PEOPLE & POINTS
¾ LITERATURE PRIZE WINNER
Novelist Yang Zhijun received the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of the coun-
try’s most prestigious literary accolades, on November 19.
Yang won the prize for his novel Xueshan Dadi, or The Snow Mountain and
the Homeland, which features the lives of ethnic minorities living on grasslands
in Qinghai Province. Born in Xining, Qinghai, located on the Qinghai-Xizang
3ODWHDXLQ<DQJKDVEHHQKDLOHGDV&KLQD·VÀQHVWWHOOHURIVWRULHVDERXWWKH
highlands, known as the Third Pole.
The Mao Dun Literature Prize, named after one of China’s
PRVWLQÁXHQWLDOPRGHUQDXWKRUV0DR'XQ LVKRVWHG
by the China Writers Association and awarded every four years.
Since its inception in 1981, 53 works have been honored. This
year, five works, including Yang’s, were selected for the prize
The Land of Renewed

from among Chinese novels published from 2019 to 2022.
Abundance
Tanghulu on Trend to address rising concerns over the
snack’s high sugar content, tanghulu
Oriental Outlook
November 16
Global Times franchises have opted for a thinner
Nicknamed the Land of Abundance,
November 16 layer of sugar. These franchises have
Sichuan, a southwestern province in the
Tanghulu is a traditional fruit snack also combined tanghulu with a wide
upper reaches of the Yangtze River, has
typically made of fruits coated in a range of Korean delicacies. Hawthorn
long been one of the country’s most im-
clear, crystalized sugar shell. Over the berries, strawberries, grapes and other
portant agricultural hubs.
past year, this classic street food hailing regular options have been swapped
During the Warring States Period
from north China has become one of the for tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) and
(475-221 B.C.), locals constructed the
trendiest desserts among young people yakgwa (a deep-fried biscuit made with
Dujiangyan irrigation system, which cap-
in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Data honey and ginger).
WXUHVWKHWRUUHQWLDOÁRZRIWKH0LQMLDQJ
show that, as of October, the number of It remains unclear as to whether this
River, a tributary of the Yangtze River,
tanghulu shops in the ROK had increased fad will last. But the tanghulu craze does
turning the gently graded Chengdu Plain
tenfold within a year. speak to a larger trend that sees Chinese
into fertile farmland. During the War of
Part of the reason why tanghulu food, as well as other forms of Chinese
Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
has become a hit is its successful ad- culture, extend its fame to other parts of
(1931-45), the province served as a major
aptation to Korean tastes. In an effort the world.
“China is steadily expanding institutional “You can establish confidence and

opening up in the financial sector, and VHOIUHOLDQFHóDQGóGLVFLSOLQHóWKURXJKó
IRUHLJQóEDQNVóDUHóLQFUHDVLQJóWKHóSDFHóDWó wushu practice and then you can
which they access a variety of financial EXLOGóXSóWKHóSDVVLRQóRIó\RXUóRZQµ
PDUNHWVóLQó&KLQDµ Audrey MeeksóDó86óPDUWLDOóDUWVóDWKOHWHóGXULQJóWKHó
Zhang Xiaoleió&KLQDó&KLHIóRIó6WDQGDUGó&KDUWHUHGóVSHDNLQJó WKó:RUOGó:XVKXó&KDPSLRQVKLSVóZKLFKóWRRNóSODFHó
DERXWóWKHóH[SDQVLRQóRIóWKHó8.EDVHGóPXOWLQDWLRQDOóEDQN·Vó LQó7H[DVóRQó1RYHPEHUó
business in China in recent years, in an interview
with Xinhua News Agency

THIS WEEK
lifeline for grain production, regularly School Stampede emergency training. In fact, these are
common issues that any Chinese school
supplying agricultural products to food- Guangzhou Daily may encounter.
deprived war zones. November 16 On November 14, the Ministry of
However, the Land of Abundance On November 13, a deadly stampede oc- Education issued a notice on piloting
now faces a great challenge, as the re- curred while students were rushing to the emergency training programs in 1,000
gion’s rapid urbanization not only means bathroom during break time at a middle more schools. First initiated in 201
less farmland, but also alters the pattern of school in Wuzhi County, Henan Province. schools across China in January 2022,
local food production. With the changing According to an announcement by the this program aims to raise safety aware-
dietary habits of urbanites, which have led local government, one student was killed ness among school staff and students by
to a shift in consumer demand, farmers DQGÀYHRWKHUVZHUHLQMXUHG$IXOOLQYHV- incorporating emergency preparedness
are moving away from traditional grain tigation into the incident is underway. courses and workshops into the curricu-
production to the cultivation of fruits, veg- This tragic incident has renewed lum. In the near future, it will continue to
HWDEOHVDQGRWKHUPRUHSURÀWDEOHFURSV public concerns over the many risks and expand to more academic institutions.
To address these critical changes, hazards lurking in the school environ- The program encourages schools at
Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, has taken ment. Apart from the school’s incredibly all educational levels to implement safety
the lead in building a highly industrialized short break periods, factors that might training, so that students can build up the
agricultural sector. Drones, large-capacity have led to the stampede include im- VNLOOVDQGFRQÀGHQFHUHTXLUHGIRUGHDOLQJ
tractor sprayers, highly automated ma- proper risk management and a lack of with emergencies.
chines and other smart facilities have all
been applied to facilitate the mechaniza- ¾ NEW ADB VICE PRESIDENT
tion of the entire grain production process, 6HQLRUÀQDQFHRIÀFLDOYang Yingming has been appointed by the Asian Development
including seeding, fertilizing, weeding, Bank (ADB) as its vice president (South, Central, and West Asia). He will be respon-
harvesting and transportation. sible for the management of the ADB’s operations in these regions for the next three
Local agriculture has also used urban- years.
ization to its own advantage by turning Yang has over 30 years of experience in economic development, working in
farmland into attractions. One such exam- ÀHOGVLQFOXGLQJRSHUDWLRQVDQGSROLF\PDNLQJ+HKDVKHOGOHDGHUVKLSSRVLWLRQVLQWKH
ple is the Tianfu Agricultural Expo Park. Ministry of Finance and currently heads its Department of International
Covering an area of 113 square km, the Economic Relations.
park combines farmland and greenhouses He has served as executive director for China at the World Bank
with trade fairs, tourist accommodation and the ADB, as well as the country’s authorized negotiator for creat-
and high streets where boutiques and res- ing the New Development Bank, a multilateral development bank
taurants are clustered. It showcases a new established by the founding members of the BRICS group of emerging
form of agriculture: agritainment. economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—in 2015.
“Global companies who want to stay “Observing without disturbing

at the cutting edge of technological DQGóVDIHJXDUGLQJóZLWKRXWóRYHU
innovation need to be in China for intervention—we see this as the
SURGXFLQJóVHOOLQJóDQGóLQQRYDWLQJó greatest respect humans can
Otherwise, they just can’t maintain VKRZóWRóWKHóHOYHVóRIóQDWXUHµ
WKHLUóJOREDOóFRPSHWLWLYHQHVVµ Shan Kai, a senior engineer at the Yellow River Delta
Simon Lacey, head of digital trade and geopolitics at National Nature Reserve in Dongying, Shandong
WKHó:RUOGó(FRQRPLFó)RUXPóLQóDóUHFHQWóLQWHUYLHZó Province, in a recent interview with Xinhua
with China Daily

COVER STORY
A PORT OF CALL
Old Xinjiang border pass gets a contemporary restyling By Ji Jing
rucker Guo Rui was With the rapid development of China’s automobile come faster to go through customs,”
waiting for cus- industry, overseas demand for Chinese cars is grow- Guo said, adding that in October, he
toms clearance at ing. To facilitate the export of domestic cars, Khorgas had transported about 20 truckloads
the highway port in &XVWRPVKDVVLPSOLÀHGUHODWHGFOHDUDQFHSURFHGXUHV of cars, five to eight vehicles at a
Khorgas, also known Since October 4, more than 5,000 cars have been time.
as Horgos, in Xinjiang Uygur exported to Central Asian countries through the high- As of November 3, more than
Autonomous Region in northwest way port. Domestic new-energy vehicles of Li Auto, 100,000 cars had been exported
China. That was on November 7, BYD and Geely are proving particularly popular in through the Khorgas Highway Port
when he was transporting domesti- Central Asia and Russia. this year, up 177.3 percent year on
cally made cars to Kazakhstan. “By booking customs clearance online, it has be- year, according to port data.
used by traders traveling along the
ancient Silk Road. As a border pass,
it dates back more than 140 years.
Today, it is one of China’s closest
overland ports to Central Asia and
Europe.
The Belt and Road Initiative,
proposed by China 10 years ago
with the aim of strengthening con-
nectivity along and beyond the
ancient Silk Road routes, has given
the old port a modern makeover.
Since the first China-Europe
freight train passed through
Khorgas Railway Port in 2016, the
number of such trains has increased
from fewer than 700 to more than
7,000 last year, according to port
data. Eighteen railway lines pass
through the port to 18 countries,
including Germany, Poland and
Belgium, carrying more than 200
categories of cargo.
The exported products include
electronic products, clothes and
cars. Goods imported through the
port include agricultural products
and food.
Accumulating assets
Today, the border city’s increas-
ingly convenient transportation and
geographic location have attracted
many people and businesses to ac-
cumulate wealth.
Truck driver Salamat Abdilda
makes seven to eight trips a month
between his home in Almaty,
Kazakhstan’s most populous city,
XINHUA
and Khorgas.
Upon learning five years ago
Khorgas Railway Port in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on November 8
that there would be a fortune to be
Gu Haifeng, general manager Gu said the cars can pass through customs the made in freight hauling, he began
of Khorgas Asia Europe Supply same day they are declared to customs—a very swift transporting clothing and daily ne-
Chain Co. Ltd., where Guo works, process. cessities from Khorgas to his city.
told Beijing Review that he moved “In the beginning, I had to stay
to the city from his home province A pivotal port in Khorgas for 10 days to load goods
of Zhejiang in east China to set up In Mongolian, Khorgas means a place where camels and clear customs. Now, this only
the company in April, taking into pass, and in the Kazak language, it means a place takes me two to three days,” Abdilda
account Khorgas’ geographical lo- where wealth is accumulated. The area is home to a told Beijing Review. He earns 30,000
cation and opening-up policy. number of ethnic groups. It was once a busy passage yuan ($4,203) to 40,000 yuan
V
V

($5,604) a month transporting goods
and has used the income to buy a car
and build a new house.
Russian food processing com-
pany Golden Katyusha set up shop
in the city in 2016. The company
has been included in the city’s
comprehensive bonded zone since
the zone’s establishment in 2020,
EHFRPLQJWKHÀUVWIRUHLJQFRPSDQ\
in the zone. The zone is a specially
designated area under the supervi-
sion of Chinese customs and enjoys
favorable tax policies. For instance,
imported infrastructure materials
and equipment are exempt from im-
port duties and other related taxes.
The company imports raw ma-
terials such as flour and rapeseed Automobiles wait to be exported at the Khorgas Highway Port in Xinjiang on September 6
oil from Novosibirsk, Russia, and
processes them into noodles, cook- Citizens of China and Kazakhstan do not need a visa Budding opportunities
ing oil and biscuits. to enter the center and can go in with a valid ID, such as China approved setting up the
Russian wheat flour and rape- a passport. Each person can purchase up to 8,000 yuan China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade
seed oil are cheaper and known ($1,121) in duty-free goods per day at the center. Zone (FTZ) in a circular issued by
for their high quality, and are very Hu and her family used to run a supermarket
the State Council, China’s cabinet,
popular with Chinese consumers, chain in Italy, and in 2016 she noticed that some
on October 31. The FTZ, the first
Iurii Basargin, the company’s gen- young Chinese were buying their products to sell to
in China’s northwestern border re-
eral manager, told Beijing Review. consumers in China.
gions, officially started operations
The relatively short distance Realizing that China had a burgeoning market for
on November 1.
between Novosibirsk and Khorgas imported products, she returned to China to sell im-
FTZs in China are a type of spe-
and efficient customs procedures ported products.
cial economic zone. Goods can be
allow these materials to arrive in Favorable tax policies and an advantageous geo-
imported, processed, manufactured
the zone within two days. This, graphic location were what attracted Hu to Khorgas
and exported without direct cus-
combined with the favorable tax LQWKHÀUVWSODFH,QVKHRSHQHGDVWRUHRIPRUH
than 4,000 square meters in the center. toms intervention.
SROLFLHVPDNHV%DVDUJLQFRQÀGHQW
about doing business in the city. The products she selected from Italy, France and Each FTZ in China has a spe-
Hu Chunmei, who is from Spain were transported to a warehouse in Germany FLÀFLQGXVWULDODQGHFRQRPLFIRFXV
Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province before being shipped to China. with a different set of incentives
in east China, runs a duty-free Hu told Xinjiang Daily that in the beginning the designed to achieve its objectives.
shop selling imported cosmetics, goods were transported by air, costing more than 10 FTZ incentives and regulations are
jewelry and clothes at the China- yuan ($1.4) per kg. Maritime transport cost less but aligned with the ongoing policy pri-
Kazakhstan Khorgas International took too long. Some food products would have ex- orities of the Chinese Government.
Border Cooperation Center in pired by the time they arrived. Khorgas is one of the three ar-
.KRUJDVWKHÀUVWFURVVERUGHUHFR- As the number of China-Europe freight trains eas included in the Xinjiang Pilot
nomic cooperation center between has increased in recent years, she has had her prod- FTZ. According to the circular, the
China and other countries estab- ucts shipped by train, which takes a maximum of FTZ, composed of parts of Urumqi
lished in 2012. two weeks and is much less expensive than air (the regional capital), Khorgas and
The center covers an area of 5.6 transport. Kashgar (another border city), cov-
square km, including 3.43 square The products Hu sells have expanded from sham- ers a total area of 179.66 square km
km in China and 2.17 square km in poos, body wash and skincare products to Russian and will focus on emerging indus-
Kazakhstan. candies and camel milk powder from Kazakhstan. tries, labor-intensive industries and
XINHUA
XINHUA
Research Institute under the
Xinjiang Academy of Social
Sciences, told Chinanews.com that
the Xinjiang Pilot FTZ is “a great
opportunity for the autonomous re-
gion.” The move will help expand
the depth and scope of Xinjiang’s
opening up and, more importantly,
will promote employment, increase
incomes and improve local people’s
livelihoods.
Wang said Xinjiang needs to
learn from other FTZs in China and
the world to improve its manage-
ment efficiency, convenience of
customs procedures, tax system and
market environment.
In the meantime, Xinjiang
Tourists pose for pictures at the China-Kazakhstan Khorgas International Border Cooperation should improve its own economic
Center on November 8
strength based on its unique lo-
JI JING
cal advantages and participate in
all kinds of regional free trade
agreements to generate more trade
opportunities.
Zhu Hongjian, an official with
the management committee of the
Khorgas Comprehensive Bonded
Zone, told Beijing Review that the
FTZ will play a great role in facili-
tating trade, as well as in financial
and personnel exchanges.
Yu Chengzhong, Chairman of
Jin Yi Group, an agricultural prod-
ucts trade company in Khorgas,
told Beijing Review that the FTZ
is expected to boost its trade
with Central Asia and Russia, as
more convenient and faster trade
means a fresher taste of fruits and
vegetables.
“In Khorgas, we can feel the
country opening up wider, and there
A duty-free shop at the China-Kazakhstan Khorgas International Border Cooperation Center on are increasingly better policies and
November 8 more opportunities for businesses,”
Yu said. BR
the modern service industry. ,QWKHQH[WWKUHHWRÀYH\HDUVWKH]RQHZLOOVHH (Reporting from Xinjiang Uygur
The circular called for efforts significant progress in terms of business environ- Autonomous Region)
to transform the zone into a dem- ment, convenient investment and trade, as well as
onstration model of high-quality clusters of advantageous industries with shared re-
development for the country’s cen- sources and effective management coordination. Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Wang Hongli, Deputy Director of the Economics Comments to [email protected]
tral and western regions.
COVER STORY
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY
Border city in northwest China thrives under Belt and Road Initiative By Ji Jing
W
hen He Haiyan, a Alashankou became a city in 2012. Since China ed onto a train that meets Chinese
52-year-old business- proposed the Belt and Road Initiative 10 years ago, standards.
woman in Alashankou, aiming to strengthen connectivity along and beyond Strong winds often interfere
DOVRNQRZQDVWKH$ODWDZ3DVVÀUVW the ancient Silk Road routes, Alashankou has capi- with the loading and unloading
arrived here in 1998 from Yulin talized on the favorable policies of the initiative to process. So, in 2008, Alashankou
in Shaanxi Province in northwest become a major hub connecting China with Central built an indoor workshop. The
China to sell fruit at a local night Asia and Europe. workshop covers an area of 19,700
market, she was horrified by the Since the China-Europe freight train service square meters, the size of three soc-
vast, desolate Gobi Desert. began in 2011, the number of such trains passing FHUÀHOGVDQGWKHODUJHVWRILWVNLQG
Alashankou, in Xinjiang Uygur through the port has increased from 17 annually ini- in Asia.
Autonomous Region, had little tially to over 6,000 currently. It can unload six to eight trains
infrastructure at that time, she re- Last year, China-Europe freight trains carried a day. However, with the increas-
called. It had only a meteorological 25.3 million tons of cargo in total. Moreover, these ing number of China-Europe
station and a railway station that trains connect more than 20 provinces, autonomous freight trains, the workshop can no
was being built. regions and municipalities in China with 21 countries longer meet the demand. In March,
Located on the China- in the world. construction began on a new work-
Kazakhstan border between two Although the city has no agricultural or mineral shop that will greatly improve the
mountains, it is known for its strong resources, the port economy enabled the city to station’s unloading capacity and
winds all year round. achieve a GDP of 11 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) last further increase the amount of
She told Beijing Review year, ranking it among the top cities in the country in cargo moving through the port. The
inside her shop, which sells im- terms of per-capita GDP—given its small population new workshop will go into opera-
ported products such as Russian of 17,000. GDP matters because it measures the size tion by the end of this year.
chocolate, that she never had any and health of an economy. The China-Europe freight
intention of putting down roots in trains have brought new develop-
Alashankou. All she wanted to do Booming industries ment opportunities to the city.
was make enough money to take Improvements in port infrastructure have made it Taking advantage of Alashankou’s
back to her hometown and leave easier to move cargo. At an indoor transshipment geographical location, the
the place behind. warehouse operated by Alashankou Railway Station, Alashankou Comprehensive
%XWQRZ\HDUVDIWHUVKHÀUVW four giant gantry cranes lift containers from an in- Bonded Zone (CBZ), established
arrived, things have changed a lot coming freight train and transfer them to the other in 2011, focuses on developing
in the place. So has her mind. train in the workshop. industries such as deep processing
The machines can complete the transfer of con- of imported agricultural products
A fast-growing city tainers from one train to another in about one hour. and export-oriented equipment
Despite its harsh natural conditions, Guo Hua, deputy director of the workshop, told manufacturing.
Alashankou does have geographical Beijing Review that because China and Kazakhstan The zone has attracted more
advantages. It is only 12 km from have different railway standards, the latter’s tracks than 800 enterprises, including
the port of Dostyk in Kazakhstan. are 85 mm wider than China’s. As a result, out- industry leaders such as CITIC
Compared with other ports in bound freight trains stop at Dostyk port and have Group, China National Nuclear
Xinjiang, it is nearly 1,000 km their cargo loaded onto a local train, and inbound Corp. and China Minmetals.
closer to Europe. trains stop at Alashankou to have their cargo load- Companies set up within the
XINHUA
online retailer Amazon,

KDYHVHWXSRIÀFHVDWWKH
center.
The goods shipped
abroad through
Alashankou include toys,
clothes and electronics
from the Yangtze River
and Pearl River delta
regions in east and south
China respectively. The
goods are transported
to the zone by highway
and exported to countries
such as France, Germany
and the United Kingdom.
In the first half of
the year, cross-border e-
commerce companies
at Alashankou exported
14.31 million parcels,
which were worth 1.66
The Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Alashankou on November 5 billion yuan ($231 mil-
lion), up 10.7 percent
Alashankou CBZ—a specially products are sold across China. year on year.
designated area under the supervi- Eying the geographical position of Alashankou But not only are Chinese
sion of China’s customs authority as well as its favorable tax policies, Zheng Jiahong, products being sold abroad, for-
that spans 10.9 square km—enjoy who had been active in the pipeline industry for eign products are brought into
favorable taxation policies. more than 20 years, came to Alashankou from China, with some being sold at
Jinshahe Group, a private Shandong Province in east China with a team of local shops in Alashankou as
agro-processing enterprise pro- more than 20 to set up Xinbo Oil & Gas Pipeline well, such as those in the shop
ducing flour and noodles, set Co. Ltd. in 2020. of the businesswoman sur-
up Alashankou Jinshahe Flour The steel pipelines produced by the company named He, mentioned at the
Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in the zone are used for transmitting petroleum, natural gas and beginning.
in 2018. water and are sold not only in China, but also to sev- She has witnessed the de-
Yin Feihong, head of the com- eral Central Asian countries. velopment of the city, not only
pany, told Beijing Review that the Zheng told Beijing Review that it saves costs, economically but also socially. She
group chose to set up the company and amps up efficiency, to transport the pipelines told Beijing Review that as more
there because of Alashankou’s from Alashankou to Central Asia. trees have been planted in the city
proximity to Kazakhstan. The lat- Zhou Shanzheng, the company’s deputy gen- in recent years, there have been
ter is one of the world’s top wheat HUDOPDQDJHUVDLGKHLVFRQÀGHQWDERXWWKH&HQWUDO fewer high winds, and the city’s
exporters, and its wheat is known Asian market. For example, this year, the company infrastructure, such as schools and
for its high gluten strength and nu- signed a contract to deliver 15,000 tons of steel hospitals, has also improved. She
tritional value. pipeline to Uzbekistan. added that she has grown accus-
Yin told Beijing Review that And then there are the new businesses that have tomed to living here and no longer
once the wheat enters the zone, it is sprung up in Alashankou, such as cross-border e- has any desire to leave. BR
not subject to import duties, which commerce. In 2020, the city established a cross- (Reporting from Xinjiang Uygur
reduces his company’s costs. Now border e-commerce sorting and customs clearance Autonomous Region)
his company can produce 400 tons center in its CBZ, which occupies 28,000 square
of noodles a day at full capacity, meters. More than 20 e-commerce companies, in- Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
and its more than 30 categories of cluding Chinese tech giant Alibaba and American Comments to [email protected]

OPINION MIDDLE EAST
For Lasting Peace and
Sustainable Security
XINHUA
Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the extraordinary joint
meeting of BRICS leaders and leaders of invited BRICS members
on the situation in the Middle East with particular reference to Gaza
on November 21. The following is the full text of his remarks:
This is our first summit since the expansion The root cause of the Palestinian-
of BRICS. Before I speak about the issue of Israeli situation is the fact that the
our discussion, I wish to extend a warm wel- right of the Palestinian people to
come to leaders of new BRICS members and statehood, their right to existence,
express my thanks to President Ramaphosa and their right of return have long
and the South African Government for your been ignored. I have emphasized
efforts that have made our meeting possible. on many occasions that the only
Given the current circumstances, it is very viable way to break the cycle of
timely and very important that we meet and 3DOHVWLQLDQ,VUDHOLFRQÁLFWOLHVLQWKH
speak up for justice and for peace on the two-state solution, in the restoration
Palestinian-Israeli issue. of the legitimate national rights of Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the
The conflict in Gaza is raging on into its Palestine, and in the establishment extraordinary joint meeting of BRICS leaders
and leaders of invited BRICS members on the
second month. China is gravely concerned that of an independent State of Palestine. situation in the Middle East with particular
the conflict is causing enormous civilian ca- There can be no sustainable peace reference to Gaza on November 21
sualties and a humanitarian disaster, and tends and security in the Middle East with-
to expand and spill over. China believes that out a just solution to the question will provide more supplies and assistance ac-
the following is urgent and imperative: First, of Palestine. China calls for early cording to the needs of the people in Gaza. At
the parties to the conflict must end hostilities convening of an international peace the UN Security Council, China has acted in its
and achieve a ceasefire immediately, stop all conference that is more authorita- capacity as president to facilitate the adoption
violence and attacks against civilians, release tive to build international consensus of the resolution, which calls for extended hu-
civilians held captive, and act to prevent loss for peace and work toward an early manitarian pauses and corridors, the protection
of more lives and spare people from more solution to the question of Palestine of civilians, and the provision of humanitarian
miseries. Second, humanitarian corridors must that is comprehensive, just and assistance.
be kept secure and unimpeded, and more hu- sustainable. The BRICS cooperation mechanism is an
manitarian assistance should be provided to the Since the outbreak of the latest important platform for emerging markets and
population in Gaza. The collective punishment Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China developing countries to strengthen solidar-
of people in Gaza in the form of forced trans- has been working actively to pro- ity and cooperation and safeguard common
fer or water, electricity and fuel deprivation mote peace talks and a ceasefire. interests. Our meeting today to coordinate
must stop. Third, the international community China has provided humanitarian positions and actions on the Palestinian-Israeli
must act with practical measures to prevent assistance to help ease the humani- FRQÁLFWPDUNVDJRRGVWDUWIRUJUHDWHU%5,&6
the conflict from spilling over and endanger- tarian plight in Gaza. This includes cooperation following its enlargement. China
ing stability in the Middle East as a whole. $2 million of emergency humani- FRPPHQGV6RXWK$IULFDIRULWVVLJQLÀFDQWFRQ-
China supports the resolution adopted at the tarian assistance provided through tribution as BRICS chair to advancing BRICS
emergency special session of the UN General the Palestinian National Authority development. As Russia will take over the
Assembly on October 27. The UN Security and UN agencies, and emergency BRICS chairmanship next year, China stands
Council under China’s presidency has adopted humanitarian supplies worth 15 ready to work with other members to jointly
Resolution 2712. All the parties must act to million yuan ($2.1 million), such support Russia’s work as the chair and usher in
deliver on these resolutions through concrete as food and medicine, to the Gaza a new era for BRICS cooperation. BR
measures on the ground. Strip with the help of Egypt. China (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
3$&,),&ó',$/2*8( OPINION
Time to Cease Fire

By Liang Xiao
A
joint delegation of the Arab League time regional rivals Saudi Arabia rangement concerning the future and destiny
and the Organization of Islamic and Iran achieved reconciliation of Palestine must be based on the consent
Cooperation (OIC), comprising in March and restored diplomatic of the Palestinian people and accommodate
foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, relations the following month. the legitimate concerns of countries in the
Egypt, Indonesia and Palestine and secretary In May, a poll conducted for region.
general of the OIC, arrived in Beijing on Saudi Arabia-based newspaper After all, even the groups most support-
1RYHPEHU7KLVZDVWKHÀUVWVWRSRIWKH Arab News by British pollster ive of Israel cannot deny the reality that Gaza
Islamic world’s global mediation trip on the YouGov found that the majority is a de facto “open-air concentration camp.”
3DOHVWLQLDQ,VUDHOLFRQÁLFW of Palestinian respondents (80 In despair, rising up to resist seems to be one
During talks with Wang Yi, member of percent) welcome China as a po- of the few options available to those who live
the Political Bureau of the Communist Party WHQWLDOSHDFHEURNHULQWKHFRQÁLFW in Gaza.
of China (CPC) Central Committee and with Israel, with the U.S. seen as $OWKRXJKWKH86RIÀFLDOVWDQFHLVFU\V-
Chinese Foreign Minister, the delegation ex- the least trusted mediator. tal clear, no one can deny that the role of the
pressed concerns regarding the large number China has been calling for country in resolving the Palestinian question
of civilian casualties and continued humani- peace and continues to provide remains crucial. The U.S. is Israel’s most
tarian disasters in the Gaza Strip. Foreign emergency humanitarian sup- important ally and one of the few countries
ministers of these countries requested the plies to civilians in Gaza. Its top that can influence the Benjamin Netanyahu
international community take responsible envoy to the United Nations, administration’s foreign policy. If the U.S.
action as soon as possible to promote an im- Zhang Jun, called on the inter- can persuade Israel to deal with the crisis in
PHGLDWHFHDVHÀUHDQGFHVVDWLRQRIKRVWLOLWLHV national community to increase a rational and restrained manner, and at the
and said they look forward to closer coor- efforts in advancing the political same time encourage Western society to play
dination with China to restart the peace talk prospects of the two-state solu- a more active role in resolving the Palestinian
process. tion of the Palestinian question on question together with China, Brazil, South
At the time the delegation of Arab- November 23. The two-state Africa and other developing countries, it
Islamic foreign ministers visited China, the resolution, the establishment of will make large contributions to a permanent
death toll on both sides had exceeded 15,500, an independent Palestinian state FHDVHÀUH
of which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip ac- with full sovereignty based on A tiny piece of good news is that in the
counted for the majority with more than the 1967 borders and with East early morning of November 22, the Israeli
14,000 deaths, including 5,840 children. Jerusalem as its capital, has been Government and Hamas agreed to uphold
Beijing is the starting point of the del- the goal of the international com- a brief ceasefire in Gaza to allow for the
egation’s “journey of peace,” not only munity for decades, dating back release of 50 hostages captured during
because China is the rotating chair of the to the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Hamas’s assault in October on Israel and the
UN Security Council in November, but also Many nations consent this is the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners held in
because of the Islamic world’s increasing RQO\ZD\RXWRIWKHFRQÁLFW,QDG- Israel.
confidence in China’s role in international dition to supporting this solution, This conflict has lasted for nearly 80
affairs. Through China’s mediation, long- China emphasizes that any ar- years and the blood feud of several genera-
tions cannot be erased in the short term, but
at least a temporary ceasefire has given the
world a hope for peace. BR
China emphasizes that any arrangement
concerning the future and destiny of Palestine
must be based on the consent of the Palestinian
people and accommodate the legitimate Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
concerns of countries in the region Comments to [email protected]

OPINION &+,1$$5*(17,1$
Standing the Test of Time
By Guo Cunhai
XINHUA
rgentina is the farthest country from
China in the world, about 20,000
km whether you go west or east.
And throughout history, this distance had
hindered communication and trade.
But the development of transportation in
recent decades and the mutual desire to con-
nect have brought down these barriers, in a
concept referred to as la distancia que nos
une (the distance that unites us).
For over 50 years, China-Argentina rela-
tions have withstood the test of global shifts
and maintained health and stability. Their
enduring friendship, characterized by mutual
trust and common growth, is a testament to
their pragmatic, needs-based relationship.
This pragmatic approach has been funda-
mental, forming the bedrock of their bilateral
An exhibitor shows a ham made in Marcos Paz, Argentina, at the Third China
WLHV$VKLVWRU\WHVWLÀHVWRWKHVWUHQJWKRIWKLV International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 8, 2020
relationship, let us revisit some key moments
WKDWKDYHGHÀQHG&KLQD$UJHQWLQDUHODWLRQV critical time demonstrated a strong then Chinese President Hu Jintao and then
pragmatic spirit. Argentine President Néstor Kirchner in June
Major moments On the one hand, Argentina, and November of 2004 yielded fruitful results,
8QGHUWKHLQÁXHQFHRI&KLOHWKHÀUVW6RXWK which had long suffered from including a strategic partnership of the two
American country to establish diplomatic hegemonism, also sought indepen- countries, Argentina’s recognition of China’s
relations with China in 1970, the Argentine dence and autonomy and rejected market economy status, and agreements to car-
Government took the initiative for talks with external interference. ry out cooperation in infrastructure, housing,
China in the early 1970s. On the other, the country, mired HQHUJ\DJULFXOWXUHDQGRWKHUÀHOGVSURSHOOLQJ
After six months of negotiations, China in debt crisis in the 1980s, urgently economic ties forward.
and Argentina reached an agreement to es- needed to get out of its economic The year 2014 was another milestone, with
tablish diplomatic ties on February 19, 1972. predicament and hoped to further President Xi Jinping visiting Argentina in July.
This need of pragmatic cooperation has run strengthen cooperation with China, President Xi met with then President
through every stage of the relationship’s de- especially in the economic field. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and they
velopment since. The political trust and understand- decided to elevate the China-Argentina
The year 1990 marked a second pivotal ing between China and Argentina strategic partnership to a comprehensive
moment. undoubtedly provided an important strategic partnership, which means that
In the midst of U.S. sanctions against guarantee for this vision. the partnership covers a wider range, from
China, Argentina’s then newly elected After China joined the World politics, economy and trade to security,
President Carlos Menem, adhering to a policy Trade Organization in December humanities and international and regional
of non-interference, extended support to 2001, its “going global” strat- affairs, demonstrating a higher level of
China. His brother, then provisional Senate egy found resonance with recognition between the two sides. The ele-
President Eduardo Menem, visited China, and Argentina’s need for capital and vation adapted to the reality of the long-term
subsequent reciprocal state visits underscored foreign cooperation after the lat- development of both countries. In addi-
a pragmatic bond between the two countries. WHU·VÀQDQFLDOFULVLV tion, they signed significant economic and
Argentina’s understanding and support at this The exchange of visits between investment agreements, setting a precedent
OPINION
for future relations and cooperation. sharply critical of China on the cated by other major powers.
7KHÀIWKPRPHQWXQGRXEWHGO\RFFXUUHGLQ campaign trail, stating that, if In the political realm, China and
2022. That year marked the 50th anniversary he were to be elected, he would Argentina share mutual interests in core
of the establishment of diplomatic relations isolate Argentina’s relations with national concerns, including sovereignty.
between China and Argentina, as well as China. Argentina seeks China’s backing in the
the China-Argentina Year of Friendship and However, I believe the China- dispute over the Malvinas Islands, also
Cooperation. Argentina relationship will once known as the Falklands, while China needs
$UJHQWLQDUHDIÀUPHGLWVLQGHSHQGHQWIRU- again withstand the test. Argentina’s adherence to the one-China
eign policy as President Alberto Fernández The bond between the two principle and firm support of China’s po-
opposed the politicization of the Beijing 2022 countries has already reached a sitions on issues concerning the Taiwan
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. point where it cannot be severed region. These shared interests have nar-
President Fernández attended the opening cer- by subjective will, nor is it ob- rowed the distance between the two nations,
emony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter jectively possible to do so. The fostering mutual support on bilateral and
Games. China and Argentina signed a series China-Argentina relationship ben- multilateral stages.
of documents for further cooperation, includ- HÀWVERWKZKHQXQLWHGEXWKDUPV Economically speaking, complementarity
ing a memorandum of understanding on the both when divided. fuels the steady growth of China-Argentina
Belt and Road Initiative, a China-proposed Moreover, taking sides is not cooperation. From a modest $6 million in
initiative aiming to boost connectivity along in Argentina’s best interest, as it trade at the onset of their diplomatic rela-
and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. could potentially harm its sover- WLRQVKLSLQWUDGHÀJXUHVKDGVRDUHGWR
Argentina was the 21st country in Latin eignty. For Argentina, a middle $21.37 billion as of late 2022.
$PHULFDDQGWKHÀUVWPDMRU/DWLQ$PHULFDQ power amid great power competi- Since early May this year, Argentina has
country, to join the initiative. tion, a diversified and balanced begun settling imports from China in ren-
Reflecting on the past five decades of diplomatic approach is essential minbi, signifying deepening economic ties.
China-Argentina relations reveals a consistent to preserve its independence and :LWKDVLJQLÀFDQWSRUWLRQRI$UJHQWLQD·V
thread of pragmatism, nurturing and driving maximize national interests. key exports—80 percent of Argentina’s beef
their sustained progress. The political and economic exports, 88 percent of soybean exports and
intertwinement of China and 20 percent of seafood exports—are sold to
Common interests Argentina has created a de facto China. China has now become Argentina’s
Javier Milei was elected president of community with a shared future, second largest global trading partner, its
Argentina on November 19. Milei proved a connection unlikely to be repli- largest export destination for agricultural
products and its third largest source of
investment.
XINHUA
Differences like trade frictions do exist,

but as the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping
once advised, such problems should be ad-
dressed through further development of both
economies. Addressing these challenges re-
quires deeper mutual understanding.
Misunderstandings, often stemming
from a lack of knowledge about China’s his-
tory and culture, can lead to misplaced fears
like the “China threat” theory. While politi-
cal and economic ties have grown, cultural
exchange lags, requiring more effort and
commitment from individuals, communities
and institutions. BR
The author is director of the Center for Argentine Studies, Institute of

Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Participants from Argentina visit the 134th Session of the China Import and Export Fair Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to [email protected]
in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on October 15
OPINION &+,1$86
In Sum: The Xi-Biden Summit
By Harvey Dzodin
T
he summit between Chinese President Talks and Military Maritime on Climate Change is underway in Dubai, the
Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Consultative Agreement meetings United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to
Biden at Filoli Estate, a country house between the two countries. 'HFHPEHU+RUULÀFDQGRIWHQXQSUHFHGHQW-
approximately 40 km south of San Francisco, As the San Francisco summit ed weather disasters are evidence that global
California, on November 15 has been charac- proved, in-person communica- warming is leading to more extreme weather
terized as one of low expectations that were tion, even very straightforward events, causing more death and destruction.
fully met. While it is impossible to predict communication, is far preferable UN Secretary General António Guterres re-
the course of the Sino-American relationship to objectifying the other side and cently said, “The era of global warming is
beyond January 20, 2025, or the next U.S. assuming worst-case scenarios in over; the era of global boiling has arrived. The
presidential inauguration, the meeting was im- the absence of facts and ongoing air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable.
SRUWDQWLQVHWWLQJDÁRRUIRUUHODWLRQVWKDWKDYH feedback. $QGWKHOHYHORIIRVVLOIXHOSURÀWVDQGFOLPDWH
been festering and deteriorating for years, and The resumption of direct change inaction is unacceptable.”
in identifying concrete issues for urgent con- communication and face-to- Although artificial intelligence (AI) has
sultation and action while the current Biden face meetings between the two been with us since 1956, generative AI, such
DGPLQLVWUDWLRQLVLQRIÀFH militaries will be conducive to the as ChatGPT, is a new phenomenon. But like
The most concrete outcome of the leaders’ resolution of actual and potential ÀUH$,FDQEHXVHGDVDWRROIRUJRRGRUDVD
summit was the resumption of multi-level co- military situations. weapon for destruction.
operation in several areas that had previously Another important outcome Some reports anticipated that the Xi-Biden
been suspended due to bilateral estrangement. was the renewal of previous bilat- summit would include some sort of jointly
Some of this suspended cooperation dates eral cooperation to combat global agreed ban on the use of AI in the decision to
back to Donald Trump’s presidency. Other de- LOOLFLWGUXJSURGXFWLRQDQGWUDIÀFN- deploy nuclear and other weapons systems,
ferred forms of collaboration are more recent, ing, particularly that of synthetic given AI is still riddled with imperfections.
mostly following then U.S. House Speaker opiates such as fentanyl. China and Yet the only mention of AI in the readouts
Nancy Pelosi’s ill-advised and ill-conceived the U.S. had been actively working was to continue talking about the need to ad-
visit to China’s Taiwan region in August 2022. together to combat this plague, but dress “the risks of advanced AI systems and
Pelosi’s trip violated the Shanghai cooperation had fallen victim to the improve AI safety through China-U.S. gov-
Communiqué (a diplomatic document signed deterioration of bilateral relations. ernment talks.”
by both countries and issued in 1972) and all As agreed at the summit, a work- This is obviously a first step and I hope
subsequent U.S.-China agreements that have ing group was established to ensure that the world’s two leading countries in terms
defined the bilateral relationship for half a ongoing communication and law of AI research and technology will show lead-
century. enforcement coordination on coun- ership that goes beyond defense issues to the
The most important agreement reached ternarcotics issues. existential issues that AI poses.
during the Xi-Biden summit was the resump- Climate change was also on Predicting the future 14 months in advance
tion of military-to-military communication, the summit agenda, and became is a fool’s errand. But looking at the positive
most especially direct telephone commu- another area where Xi and Biden results of the bilateral summit, as well as the
nication between Chinese and U.S. theater pledged more bilateral cooperation. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
commanders. This agreement also includes the The 28th Conference of the Parties Economic Leaders’ Meeting and related ac-
resumption of Defense Policy Coordination to the UN Framework Convention tivities, which took place in San Francisco in
mid-November, I continue to be cautiously
optimistic in the near term. BR
The most concrete outcome of the leaders’
summit was the resumption of multi-level The author is a senior fellow with the Center for China and
cooperation in several areas that had previously Globalization in Beijing
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
been suspended due to bilateral estrangement Comments to [email protected]

&+,1$86 OPINION
of “ambitious pragmatism” and encourage all
Green Shoots types and levels of exchange. In this respect,

the need for people-to-people diplomacy is
as important as the meetings of high-ranking
On the Horizon RIÀFLDOV8OWLPDWHO\DOOKDYHWKHVDPHDLP

to rebuild and improve China-U.S. relations.
Xi and Biden both demonstrated that
By Jon Taylor they have hope in the future of China-U.S.
relations and where its success and vitality
T
he November 15 meeting between soybeans are significant because will ultimately lie: with mutual respect, with
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. they demonstrate a commitment people-to-people exchanges, with youth and
President Joe Biden before the start to continue to find areas of con- educational exchanges, with cultural ex-
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation sensus. The discussion on the changes, and with every interaction between
(APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San SRWHQWLDOULVNVIURPDUWLÀFLDOLQWHO- Chinese and American localities.
Francisco, California, was their first face- ligence will become increasingly Efforts by both nations are gradually
to-face communication since the Group of important as both nations continue placing the Sino-American relationship back
20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, one year ago. to pursue its research and applica- on track. The key will be to maintain the
Given the decline in relations between the tions in a host of areas. Combined momentum from the San Francisco meeting
two nations, expectations for the meeting with their discussion on nuclear in promoting greater mutual understanding,
were, not surprisingly, relatively modest. arms control, setting ground manage differences, strengthen cooperation
Xi and Biden talked for over four hours and rules and developing regularized and share the responsibilities of major pow-
agreed to talk more. In and of itself, that alone mechanisms for discussion will ers. This vision builds a hopeful future for
can rightly be viewed as a success. be critical going forward to avoid China and the U.S. and promotes a stable and
The two leaders more than accomplished potential disaster. positive cycle in bilateral relations.
the goal of initiating a restoration of respect- Additionally, Xi’s statement But let’s also be realistic. The next year,
ful high-level dialogue between China and that there is a need to increase with a presidential election looming in the U.S.,
the U.S. While there were, as expected, dif- direct flights between China and is not going to make revitalizing the relationship
ferences of opinion on a range of issues, the the U.S., advance tourism, sub- easy. One major factor in the decline in Sino-
meeting resulted in commitments to improve stantially strengthen educational American relations is a consequence of political
cooperation in several important areas. Three cooperation and exchanges, ex- division within the U.S. As a result, it should
notable agreements were announced during the pand subnational exchanges, and come as no surprise that China will likely be a
meeting: restarting cooperation on controlling encourage greater people-to-peo- major issue in the election.
the synthetic opioid fentanyl, resuming direct ple interaction will have a long- There will not be many opportunities for
[high-level] military-to-military communica- term positive impact in improving a meeting between Xi and Biden once the
tion, and setting up expert exchanges on risks China-U.S. relations. U.S. enters the election year. Hence, the San
DQGVDIHW\LVVXHVLQDUWLÀFLDOLQWHOOLJHQFH As Professor Chen Dongxiao, Francisco meeting was profoundly impor-
The meeting between Xi and Biden was, President of the Shanghai tant because it could set the tone for stable
ultimately, a hopeful first step. For the first Institutes for International Studies, China-U.S. relations in the near future.
time in a while, I’m feeling cautiously optimis- has said, China and the United Restoring trust in the Sino-American re-
tic about the willingness of both sides to repair States must uphold the principle lationship will require work on both sides. I’m
and stabilize one of the world’s most important FRQÀGHQWWKDWZHFDQ,W·VWLPHWRJHWVHULRXV
bilateral relationships. The last year of decid- and get to work placing the world’s most im-
edly prickly relations that we experienced may The next year, portant bilateral relationship on a more stable
ÀQDOO\KRSHIXOO\EHFRPLQJWRDFORVH footing. BR
But that said, one good meeting between
with a presidential
heads of state does not equal a complete re- election looming in
set in relations. It’s going to take some hard the United States, is
work on both sides to improve things.
The resumption of military-to-military
not going to make The author is a professor of political science and chair of the Political
Science and Geography Department at the University of Texas in
communication as well as the pre-meeting revitalizing the San Antonio

agreements on climate change, fentanyl and relationship easy Comments to [email protected]

OPINION )$&7ó&+(&.
The CPI Debate:
Does Sentiment Match Reality?
By Lan Xinzhen
W
hether China will experience tend to be more stable than food prices
deflation is becoming a hot largely due to long business cycles.
topic in the Western media. However, fluctuations in food prices have
Specifically, the media discussion arose a larger impact on the CPI, especially in
after the National Bureau of Statistics terms of seasonality.
announced on November 15 that the con- At the beginning of the year, the pric-
sumer price index (CPI), which measures es of items such as fruits, vegetables and
the change in prices paid by consumers, eggs rose sharply, but in September and
declined 0.2 percent in October from a October, newly harvested grains, fruits
year earlier and 0.1 percent from the pre- and vegetables began to flood the mar-
vious month. kets, which subsequently led to a swift
Deflation is largely the result of drop in their prices.
reduced consumer purchasing power, However, it is a premature judg- Meanwhile, non-food prices remained
which can lead to a downturn in the over- ment to say that the Chinese relatively stable. These prices increased
all economy. A typical example is the economy is facing deflation 0.7 percent in October year on year, the
Japanese economy, which has been in a based on three months’ worth same as in September.
downward spiral for about three decades. of CPI figures alone. Consumer China’s core CPI—excluding food
According to Western economics, a sus- prices in China are the result and energy—is still rising, up 0.6 percent
tained three-month decline in the CPI of a number of factors and are year on year in October. From January to
signals the arrival of deflation. subject to several influences. October, the CPI rose 0.4 percent year on
China’s CPI for August was up 0.1 The CPI in China is divided year, with the core CPI up by 0.7 percent.
percent from the same period last year into two categories: food and Moreover, money supply has continued
and up 0.3 percent from July; the figure non-food. Food items include to increase, and the market presents ad-
for September was identical to the same grains, edible oil, vegetables, equate liquidity.
period last year and up 0.2 percent from meat, aquatic products, eggs, Therefore deflation is unlikely to hit
August. dairy products and fruits. Food the Chinese economy. However, this does
All in all, whether it’s year on year items account for 20 percent of not mean that we can turn a blind eye to
or month on month, the CPI figures for the CPI, and non-food items ac- the many problems plaguing the Chinese
August, September and October have count for about 80 percent. economy today, such as rising external
indeed been trending down, which justi- Despite their high weight uncertainty and weak domestic demand.
fies worrying about deflation in China. of 80 percent, non-food prices The Chinese Government is now focusing
on boosting consumer confidence, which
will likely stabilize, and even accelerate,
the CPI. BR
China’s core CPI—excluding food and
energy—is still rising, up 0.6 percent year
on year in October. Moreover, money
supply has continued to increase, and the
market presents adequate liquidity Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

)($785(6 &+,1$86
Setting Sails Anew

Candid, in-depth talks between heads of state a sign of increasing stability
By Li Wenhan
A
fter a meeting between Chinese President “The extent to which these issues can be resolved remains uncertain,” Wu
Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden at noted.
Filoli Estate, a country house outside San What’s the way out? President Xi has said more than once the foundation of
Francisco, California, on November 15, Biden took China-U.S. relations is laid by the two peoples. During a welcome dinner held by
out his phone to show a photo to the Chinese leader. friendly organizations in the U.S. on November 15, Xi emphasized that “the door
The image captured a man posing in front of the of China-U.S. relations was opened by our peoples… The stories of China-U.S.
iconic Golden Gate Bridge. relations are written by our peoples… and the future of China-U.S. relations will
“I know,” Xi said with a smile. “It’s me 38 years be created by our peoples.”
ago.”
“You haven’t changed a bit,” Biden quipped, Climate matters
drawing a burst of laughter from the gathered crowd A joint statement to combat climate crisis was released prior to the Xi-Biden sum-
of staff and fellow officials. The two stepped into mit. “It demonstrates that climate change management represents one of the areas
the banquet hall together amid relaxed ambience. of potential progress for cooperation,” Zhang Zhongxiang, Founding Dean and
These moments were just a few examples of the Distinguished University Professor at Tianjin University’s Ma Yinchu School of
personal diplomacy exhibited during the eagerly Economics and Director of the China Academy of Energy, Environmental and
awaited meeting between the two leaders. Industrial Economics, told Beijing Review.
The summit in the lead-up to the 30th Asia- The statement, titled Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Address the Climate Crisis, came out following meetings between China’s
Leaders’ Meeting came amid both sides’ efforts Special Envoy on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua and his U.S. counterpart
to “stabilize bilateral relations,” according to Wu John Kerry in Beijing from July 16 to 19 and at Sunnylands, California,
Xinbo, Dean of the Institute of International Studies from November 4 to 7. It covers energy transition, methane and other non-
of Fudan University in Shanghai and Director of the carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions, circular economy and resource
university’s Center for American Studies. HIÀFLHQF\VXEQDWLRQDOFRRSHUDWLRQWKHWK&RQIHUHQFHRIWKH3DUWLHVWRWKH
With the resumption of visits and meetings be- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) and more. The
WZHHQKLJKUDQNLQJRIÀFLDOVRIERWKFRXQWULHVVLQFH
June, and the four-hour, in-person meeting between
the two leaders, “it is safe to say that China-U.S.
relations are presently in a stable phase, at least for
the time being,” Wu told Beijing Review. “The next
question revolves around the sustainability of the
stability and its potential duration.”
For the bilateral relations to progress, it is essen-
WLDOWRDGGUHVVVSHFLÀFLVVXHVWKDWKDYHEHHQVRXUFHV
of concern in the bilateral relationship, according
to Wu. These include, for example, the Taiwan
question. It remains uncertain whether the United
States will effectively translate its commitments
into actions. Additionally, challenges persist in eco-
nomic and trade issues, such as the additional tariffs
imposed by the U.S. on Chinese imports, as well as
Washington’s export restrictions on advanced tech- Thick clouds engulf the Golden
Gate Bridge in San Francisco,
nology to China and its unwarranted sanctions on the United States, on October 17
Chinese companies.
)($785(6
COP28 is underway in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to Speaking at the economic leaders’ meeting
December 12. in San Francisco on November 17, Xi called on
According to the statement, the two countries will include all greenhouse APEC members to stay committed to innovation-
gases including methane in their next round of national climate plans. In driven, open, green and inclusive development and
November, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment released an action work together for another “golden 30 years” of the
plan to control methane emissions in “key areas” to “actively address global region.
climate change.” Earlier, in the written speech delivered at
The first global stocktake is one of the most important topics at COP28, the APEC CEO summit on November 16, Xi
providing an overall assessment of the progress of the 2015 Paris Agreement on pointed out that openness and inclusiveness are
climate change, Zhang continued. It is a vital opportunity for the parties to the UN the defining feature of Asia-Pacific cooperation.
)UDPHZRUN&RQYHQWLRQRQ&OLPDWH&KDQJHWRUHÁHFWRQDPELWLRQLPSOHPHQWD- “Development in our region has been achieved not
tion and cooperation, in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of containing global through provoking antagonism and confrontation,
warming well below 2 degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit temperature pursuing a beggar-thy-neighbor policy, or erecting
increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. high fences around a small yard, but by staying
The statement states that China and the U.S. “are aware of the important role open and inclusive and drawing on each other’s
they play in terms of both national responses and working together cooperatively strengths,” Xi said.
to address the goals of the Paris Agreement and promote multilateralism.” According to data from China’s Ministry of
“This is the basis of the success of COP28,” Zhang said. Commerce, eight out of China’s top 10 trading
China is serious about its climate change efforts and plans to scale up clean partners are APEC members, and China is the
energy, Kerry said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on largest trading partner for 13 APEC economies. In
November 10. He also said he felt hopeful about prospects for a major interna- 2022, other APEC economies accounted for 86.6
tional climate change conference. percent of China’s total paid-in foreign capital.
Among China’s top 10 sources of foreign invest-
Path for common prosperity PHQWÀYHDUH$3(&PHPEHUV
Both China and the United States share close economic ties with other Asia- “Economies in the region have different his-
3DFLÀFHFRQRPLHVDQGWKHLPSURYHPHQWRIWKHLUUHODWLRQVLQMHFWVDVWURQJERRVW tories and cultures and are in different stages of
into regional cooperation. development. Forcing uniformity will not advance
The leaders of the 21 APEC economies jointly reached the 2023 APEC cooperation in the region; seeking common ground
Leaders’ Golden Gate Declaration on November 17, which reaffirmed their while shelving differences is the right way for-
commitments to enhancing regional economic resilience, sustainability, con- ward,” Xi said in the speech.
nectivity, innovation and inclusivity, and to collectively addressing urgent Xi called on regional economies to follow the
challenges such as the climate crisis. right norms “to maintain Asia-Pacific prosper-
ity and stability through dialogue and partnership
XINHUA
rather than confrontation and alliance. The region

cannot and should not be an arena for geopolitical
rivalry, still less should it be plunged into a new
cold war or camp-based confrontation.”
This year, China’s economy has been steadily
recovering and turning for the better. Its growth
rate is among the highest among major econo-
mies of the world. And solid gains have been
made in its pursuit of high-quality development.
China remains the most powerful engine of global
growth, and will generate one third of global
growth this year. “Just as some leaders of the busi-
ness community have said, China has become a
synonym of the best investment destination, and
the ‘next China’ is still China,” Xi concluded. BR
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson


)($785(6 GOVERNANCE
Legislation for Collaboration

Progress in China’s rule of law on foreign affairs By Li Xiaoyang
M
eerzat Omuralieva, a 31-year-old wom- on Foreign Relations are major highlights this year. As of early November, 299
an from Kyrgyzstan, runs a jewelry laws had taken effect in China, including 53 relating to foreign affairs and more
business in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, than 150 containing foreign-affairs clauses.
which is home to the world’s largest small com- To improve laws concerning safeguarding national sovereignty, secu-
modities market and has embraced merchants from rity and development interests, the Standing Committee of the 14th National
around the globe. Omuralieva first began working People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, passed the Foreign Relations Law
as a volunteer on the city’s mediation committee for in June, further improving China’s tool kit for combating foreign interference
disputes relating to foreign trade and transactions and long-arm jurisdiction. The law, which came into effect on July 1, centers
when she was studying at college in Yiwu in 2017. on facilitating exchange and enhancing communication and cooperation. In its
Now, the committee has employed her as a full-time general principles, the law stipulates that China adheres to opening up for mu-
mediator. WXDOEHQHÀW
As the annual number of overseas business- On September 1, the Law on Foreign State Immunity was passed by the top
people flowing into Yiwu has regularly exceeded legislature. The law, which will take effect on January 1, 2024, affirms that a
550,000 in previous years, the demand for media- foreign state and its property enjoy immunity in China, and stipulates exceptional
tion on commercial and customs-related disputes cases under which Chinese courts can exercise jurisdiction, such as commercial
has been growing. As early as 2013, the municipal disputes and personal injury.
government established the mediation committee “The law has adjusted China’s previous stance of absolute state immunity
for international disputes. DQGDXWKRUL]HGFRXUWVLQ&KLQDWRKHDUODZVXLWVDJDLQVWIRUHLJQVWDWHV,WÀOOVLQWKH
Over the past decade, the committee has handled JDSLQ&KLQD·VUXOHRIODZUHODWHGWRIRUHLJQDIIDLUVZKLFKLVDVLJQLÀFDQWPRYHµ
over 1,200 disputes involving people from other Huang said.
countries, resolving 96 percent of them. Today, it According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the law protects the le-
has 13 mediators from 12 countries. gitimate rights and interests of concerned parties, which will boost China’s high-
The committee is one example of China’s ef- level opening up and improve the domestic business environment.
forts to improve the legal system related to foreign China is also furthering the revision of the Arbitration Law. Huang suggested
affairs, Huang Jin, head of the Chinese Society of the amendment be aligned with the Model Law on International Commercial
International Law, told Beijing Review. China has
COURTESY PHOTO
seen progress in legislation, law enforcement, the rule
of law and the delivery of justice in recent years.
Huang made the remarks at the Fourth
Symposium of the International Communication of
China’s Rule of Law, held at China University of
Political Science and Law in Beijing on November
19. A blue book compiled by the university on
the development of China’s rule of law involving
foreign affairs was also released during the sympo-
sium.
“China has attached increasing importance to
the rule of law related to foreign affairs and seeks to
play a bigger role in safeguarding it,” Huang said.
Notable progress
According to Huang, the formulation of the Law on
The Fourth Symposium of the International Communication of China’s Rule
Foreign State Immunity, the amendment to the Civil of Law in session at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing
Procedure Law and the implementation of the Law on November 19
)($785(6
Arbitration formulated by the United Nations Commission on International Trade for over 250,000 patents in China, according to the
Law. China National Intellectual Property Administration.
According to the blue book, China has cooperated with other countries on
law enforcement for maritime security, intellectual property rights (IPR) and anti- More cooperation
monopoly. With the launch of the anti-foreign sanctions law, export control law In 2020, China’s coffee chain Luckin Coffee Inc.,
and foreign investment law, China will be able to better manage challenges from which had listed its shares for trading on the Nasdaq
the complex international landscape, contribute to upholding global peace and stock market in the United States, revealed account-
improve its international competitiveness. ing fraud by its employees, leading to credit doubts
China has also strengthened its global judiciary partnerships and improved of Chinese enterprises listed overseas. The China
legal services relating to foreign affairs. Since its establishment in late 2019, the Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) worked
Belt and Road International Lawyers Association, a China-initiated international with U.S. securities counterparts to audit several
organization focusing on providing legal services, has built itself into a platform Chinese enterprises listed on U.S. stock exchanges,
for legal service cooperation between countries and regions. It has over 2,600 reaching agreements that avoided a massive delisting
group and individual members from 54 countries and regions. RIWKHFRPSDQLHV/XFNLQZDVODWHUÀQHGPLOOLRQ
The association has provided services for major Belt and Road projects, by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
which are built to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road $IWHUDFRPSDQ\UHVKXIÁHWKHEUDQGLVQRZ&KLQD·V
routes, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the China-Thailand top coffee chain.
Railway and the national power grid in Laos. According to the CSRC, this global auditing co-
China’s IPR protection laws and regulations have also further taken effect. operation is conducive to building a more predictable
Last year, China joined two major treaties of the World Intellectual Property international regulatory environment and protecting
Organization, developing IPR cooperation with over 80 countries and regions. lawful rights of global investors. Such cooperation
According to the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People’s Court will further the development of a sustainable coopera-
of China, which was established in 2019, it has handled over 1,200 cases involv- tion mechanism.
ing foreign affairs over the past four years, of which over 800 were concluded. As Huang noted, China also needs to improve
The parties in approximately 4 percent of these cases were both from other global cooperation on training professionals to pro-
countries. vide better legal services, and strengthen enforcement
Earlier this year, CIRCUTOR, a Spanish electronic equipment company, of the rule of law involving foreign affairs. There are
found its name copied by a company registered in Shanghai. After CIRCUTOR still shortcomings in law enforcement on cross-border
reported the infringement to the local market regulation bureau in Shanghai, the economic exchanges and trade in China, especially
FRPSDQ\LQIULQJLQJWKH,35ZDVÀQHGDQGUHTXLUHGWRFKDQJHLWVQDPH on imports and exports of goods and tariffs.
China’s IPR protection efforts are gaining it increasing credit. Over the past The blue book said that Chinese authorities need
decade, over 110 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative applied to improve laws and regulations on foreign trade
and investment to support the operations of foreign-
invested companies and open up domestic market,
XINHUA
and further align with international economic and

trade rules.
In early November, the National Development
and Reform Commission pledged to revise or re-
peal laws and regulations inconsistent with China’s
Foreign Investment Law and regulations on improv-
ing the business environment.
“China should also integrate laws involving
domestic and foreign affairs. While ensuring the
legitimate rights of overseas businesses operating
in China, it also needs to enhance legal support
for Chinese enterprises to expand internation-
ally,” Huang said. BR
International merchants select goods at the 2023 China Yiwu Imported Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Commodities Fair in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, on October 21 Comments to [email protected]

)($785(6 PRIVATE SECTOR
The Way to Space

Private firms make strides in commercial spaceflight By Li Qing
B Constant efforts
eijing Interstellar Glory Space
Technology, also known as iSpace, com- &KLQDVSHFLÀFDOO\HQFRXUDJHGSULYDWHHQWHUSULVHVWR
SOHWHGDYHUWLFDOWDNHRIIDQGODQGLQJÁLJKW GHYHORSFRPPHUFLDOVSDFHÁLJKWLQDQRXWOLQHLQ
test for its reusable rocket Hyperbola-2 (SQX- Since then, domestic commercial spaceflight
2Y) on November 2, marking a new milestone for has been growing at a rapid rate of 20 percent every
China’s aerospace.
year, with products and services ranging from rocket
The 17-meter-tall demonstration rocket, de-
launches, satellite research and development, as well
signed to test the company’s reusable carrier rocket
as satellite applications, according to market consul-
technology, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite
tancy iiMedia Research. The company estimated that
Launch Center in Gansu Province, northwest
the market will reach 2.34 trillion yuan ($326 billion)
China. It was propelled by a methane-liquid oxy-
in 2024.
gen engine that is widely recognized as the most
Established in 2016, iSpace became China’s
suitable propulsion system for reusable rockets
first private company to launch a satellite into orbit &KLQDoVĶUVWFRPPHUFLDO
because it creates less pollution and delivers better
safety outcomes at a lower cost.
when debuting its Hyperbola-1 rocket at the Jiuquan aerospace launch site
Satellite Launch Center in 2019. However, its up- is under construction
The rocket stage left the ground reaching an in Wenchang, Hainan
graded versions experienced failures in 2021 and
altitude of 178.42 meters. After more than 50 sec- Province, on May 12
2022.
onds, it made a smooth landing at the target site at
“This stimulated us to work hard to improve our
a speed of 0.025 meters per second.
capabilities and improve the launch vehicle,” Qin
The test verified technologies related to
methane-liquid oxygen power, aerodynamic said, adding the company successfully launched
force, navigation, guidance and other aspects, Qin a new commercial rocket this April. Since the
Liuyue, deputy manager of the rocket startup, said company’s establishment, iSpace has given equal im-
at the 2023 Aviation & Aerospace Daxing Forum portance to solid rockets and liquid rockets, the two
on November 16. Beijing’s Daxing District is main categories of rocket engines.
home to the capital’s commercial aerospace indus- Liquid rockets with reused technology are the
try base, making it a perfect place to host such a trend of domestic commercial rockets as they can
platform for industry communication. reduce the cost of each launch, which can better serve
The rocket is currently undergoing a compre- the construction of satellite constellations, Qin said.
hensive inspection and retesting, and is expected China submitted its application to the
to go through the next launch test at the end of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in
November and to reach an altitude of nearly 400 September 2020 with plans to construct two low-
meters, Qin said. Earth orbit constellations totaling 12,992 satellites.
“The success of the Hyperbola-2 rocket test The projects, dominated by state-owned enterprises,
marks a breakthrough in reusable launch vehicle reveal the country’s determination to catch up with
application by China’s commercial aerospace in- commercial networks like SpaceX’s Starlink and
dustry. It also encourages the country’s aerospace OneWeb satellites.
industry to catch up with the world’s most ad- Different from traditional mobile communica-
vanced level in this regard,” he continued. tion means that rely on ground base stations, these
Private aerospace companies like iSpace are satellite networks break through limitations caused
racing to explore space by developing low-cost by complicated landscapes and provide high-
carrier rockets and satellite broadband and have throughput and low-delay online communication
become an important engine for China’s aerospace signals.
industry progress. ITU stipulates that the right to use satellite fre-
)($785(6
XINHUA
Province, said in an interview with Securities Times
that the secret behind the booming development of
the private commercial space industry is the support
of China’s aerospace industry, which has been ad-
vancing for 60 years.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” he said.
“The country’s decades of exploration based on
traditional aerospace have accumulated experience
and technologies that are now taking the lead in the
world, cultivating many high-quality profession-
als, and built a mature industrial chain, which are
necessities for the survival of the commercial space
industry.”
According to a report by Futurespace, the first
commercial space industry service platform in
China, in April, the number of commercial space
enterprises registered and effectively operating in
China had reached 433 as of late 2022.
Responding to the great demands from private
enterprises, China’s first commercial spacecraft
quencies and orbital resources follows a “first-come, first-served” principle that launch site is in the final stages of construction in
results in a “first-come, forever-served” situation, Jin Zhonghe, a professor of Wenchang, Hainan Province. Construction began in
aerospace engineering at the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Zhejiang 2022 and the site will be put into use in 2024.
University, told Chutian Metropolis Daily. Dong Chenghua from the administration bureau
“Satellite Internet, as a technology-and-capital intensive industry, requires our of the Wenchang International Aerospace City told
country to increase our efforts and speed up infrastructure construction in the initial Global Times that the commercial launch site will
stage of the global space economy,” he said. “Commercial space enterprises should commence high-frequency launch missions in 2025.
also play a role in the competition.” Local governments have released a variety of
For instance, Guodian Gaoke, a satellite operator in Beijing, has deployed 21 policies to support private aerospace, Liu said.
satellites since 2018 for its project to collect data for the Internet of Things in low- For example, a plan unveiled on November 20
Earth orbit. The company plans to have a constellation of 38 satellites in orbit by by the Shanghai Municipal Government focuses on
next year, which will allow it to work with ground base stations to serve 16 func- developing industries engaged in satellite manufac-
tions, including intelligent agriculture and petroleum pipeline management. turing, launching, ground system equipment, spatial
Liu Baiqi, founder of private rocket developer Galactic Energy, told Securities information applications and services, to strengthen
Times many ongoing constellation constructions featuring remote sensing, com- the integrated development of satellite communica-
munication, navigational or meteorological monitoring satellites have released great tions, navigation and remote-sensing technologies.
potential for the commercial aerospace industry. The city will build a full-coverage industrial chain
The demands of and changes within the market will stimulate innovation and that includes rockets, satellites, ground stations and
the upgrade of products, technologies and competitiveness, Zhong Shan, a mem- terminals.
ber of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of “We have received strong support from the
Aerospace, said at the forum in Daxing. JRYHUQPHQWRQLQIUDVWUXFWXUHDQGVFLHQWLÀFUHVHDUFK
“In this way, we can continue to promote the development of the commercial projects,” Zhang Jingru, Public Affairs Manager at
aerospace industry in a virtuous cycle involving market development, product itera- LandSpace, a Beijing-headquartered private rocket
tion, demand satisfaction and technological innovation,” he said. enterprise, told Securities Times. Zhang added pri-
vate companies should further increase their strength
Backbones to withstand the rigors of the market. BR
“Consecutive successful launches by domestic private players in recent years
have proved their steadily growing capabilities, showing they are quickly catch-
ing up with state-owned players, which have a longstanding advantage,” Huang
Zhicheng, an expert in aerospace science and technology, told Global Times. Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Huo Liang, CEO of Deep Blue Aerospace located in Nantong in Jiangsu
)($785(6 BUSINESS
Small Cities, Big Appetites

How businesses are adapting their logic for small city markets in China
By Zhang Shasha
ZHANG SHASHA
mid the urban tapestry of many small cit-
ies across China, a striking sign commands
attention, accompanied by bright window
walls that offer a glimpse of neatly arranged shelves.
Within, an assortment of snacks in every conceiv-
able color beckons, enticing onlookers to step inside
and explore the wonders.
By day, it seamlessly integrates into the rhythm
RIDORFDOPDUNHWDQGWKHÁRZLQJFXUUHQWVRIWUDIÀF
Yet, as night falls, it emerges as the street’s noctur-
nal luminary—a beacon of vivid hues and the last to
fold its shutters, bestowing the city with a colorful
delight at night.
Right now, this is a delight exclusive to residents
of small cities.
“A friend of mine who returned from Beijing
found these snack shops novel, mentioning she Snack lovers explore the aisles at a snack store in Baotou, Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region, on November 4
hasn’t seen these kinds of stores there, but there’s
one every few blocks here,” 30-year-old Wang Yan, surpassing 2,000 stores. Currently, it is continuing a nationwide expansion strate-
who lives in Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous gy at a rate of 200 new stores per month. It aims to open more than 16,000 stores
Region, told Beijing Review. “I even jokingly asked by 2026, covering thousands of counties and small towns.
her if she envied me.” Yummy Snack is not the only one of its kind. In 2021, snack shop chain
Adjacent to Wang’s residence is a newly opened Busy For You caught the attention of top-tier investors like HongShan, Gaorong
Yummy Snack store. Wang said the clean and lu- Capital, GenBridge Capital and Maxceed. With a financing of 240 million
minous decor of the store, distinct from surrounding yuan ($33.6 million), it registered rapid growth and swiftly became a top brand.
establishments, beckons people inside. The selec- Starting in Hunan Province, Busy For You was operating over 2,000 stores
tion of snacks is extensive, ranging from renowned nationwide by the end of 2022, generating a sales revenue of 6.45 billion yuan
brands to unbranded bulk snacks, all with decent ($902.5 million) in the same year.
quality, and perhaps most importantly, offered at
affordable prices. “From my observations, most of Affordable delight
the prices are cheaper than those in supermarkets. What makes these snack shop chains so popular? According to Wen Zhihong, a
People seldom leave the stores empty-handed,” VSHFLDOLVWLQWKHFKDLQVWRUHLQGXVWU\DQG&(2RI%HLMLQJEDVHGFRQVXOWLQJÀUP
Wang said. The experience is akin to online shop- Hehong Consulting, affordability and professional service are the key factors.
SLQJZLWKWKHMR\RILQVWDQWJUDWLÀFDWLRQ In small cities, the primary venues for snack purchases are supermarkets and
This is the recently burgeoning trend of snack individually operated food stores, which are not as professional as chain stores in
shop chains that have gained popularity in China’s terms of scale, variety of products, and in-store ambiance. And it’s hard for them
small cities. to offer prices lower than those in chain stores, Wen told Beijing Review.
According to its official website, Yummy Their ability to maintain such low prices is primarily attributable to their
Snack’s first store was established in Chengdu, ODUJHVFDOHSURFXUHPHQWUHÀQHGPDQDJHPHQWDQGEUDQGLQÁXHQFHVDLG3DQ-XQ
Sichuan Province, in 2021. As of August 2023, a global product strategy advisor with Bain & Co. management consultancy.
the brand had expanded its presence nationwide, Through large-scale procurement strategies, the chain stores can not only
)($785(6
collaborate directly with large suppliers, reducing intermediary steps, but also In terms of the number of stores, Mixue
gain greater bargaining power, thereby lowering costs. By utilizing automated Bingcheng has already become the world’s
equipment, it’s possible to reduce labor and operational costs. Establishing a fifth largest chain store, alongside the likes of
distinctive brand image and reputation enables them to draw in more consum- McDonald’s, Subway, Starbucks and KFC. It’s re-
HUVXOWLPDWHO\ERRVWLQJVDOHVWRFRPSHQVDWHIRUORZSURÀWPDUJLQV3DQWROG ported that its annual revenue in the overseas market
Beijing Review. exceeded 1 billion yuan ($139.8 million) in 2022.
Wen added that a higher degree of leisureliness in small cities also con- Employing a similar strategy of budget-
tributes to the popularity. He said people in small cities have more time to go friendly pricing and a concentration on lower-end
VKRSSLQJRIÁLQH0RUHRYHUWKHOLPLWHGSUHVHQFHDQGORZSHQHWUDWLRQRIQDWLRQ- markets, the snack shop chains are referred to as
ally popular snack brands, such as Three Squirrels and Bestore, in small cities the “Mixue Bingcheng” of the snack world.
provides opportunities for those chain stores as well. In recent years, there has been a growing focus
The involvement of capital has also made snack shop chains a sought- on China’s lower-end markets. From domestic
after business. There is a gradual awareness of the market potential within the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo to the inter-
snack industry. According to iiMedia Research, the market scale of China’s national retail giant Starbucks, all eyes are on
snack industry is continuing to grow, reaching 1.17 trillion yuan ($162.9 bil- tapping into the vast opportunities presented by
lion) in 2022. It is expected to reach 1.24 trillion yuan ($173.1 billion) by 2027. these emerging markets. In its recently disclosed
Meanwhile, China’s per-capita snack consumption is approximately one third 2025 strategic vision, the Starbucks China head-
of Japan’s and one sixth of the United States’, indicating vast potential for quarters explicitly stated that their focus will
development. extend beyond the 300-plus city-level markets to
Consequently, as more players rapidly enter the scene, these chain stores include nearly 3,000 county-level markets.
are undergoing a phenomenal expansion in small cities throughout China. With less competition pressure, and lower
According to Huatai Securities, as of June, the total number of these snack shop rents and staff costs, entrepreneurs have more
chains nationwide had exceeded 16,000, showing an annual growth rate of over room for development in the lower-end markets.
100 percent in both 2021 and 2022. Crucially, lower-end markets are characterized by
substantial populations, pointing to immense mar-
Aiming big? ket potential that remains largely untapped, Pan
The rapid expansion of these snack stores reminds people of Mixue said.
Bingcheng, a Chinese chain of stores selling fresh ice cream and tea. “With the advancement of economic develop-
Despite its affordable pricing and focus on the lower-end markets, Mixue ment and urbanization, the ascent of lower-end
Bingcheng not only competes effortlessly with other premium tea shops but markets is inevitable,” he said.
has also expanded its storefronts across China’s regions and into international But whether these snack stores can seize the
markets. opportunities in the lower-end market and become
another Mixue Bingcheng remains to be observed.
CNSPHOTO
Wen expressed his optimism about the prospects

of the snack shop chains, highlighting that their
high cost-effectiveness inherently aligns with the
fundamental logic of development in the retail
sector. The essence behind the evolution and it-
eration of the retail industry is, in fact, an ongoing
pursuit of high cost-effectiveness.
Pan said despite opportunities such as huge mar-
ket potential, increasing consumer demand and low
operation costs, the stores also face challenges like
PRUHFRPSHWLWLRQLQVXIÀFLHQWFRQVXPHUSXUFKDVLQJ
power, and product homogeneity.
They need to focus on differentiated manage-
ment, improve product quality and strengthen
brand building, he suggested. BR
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

A Mixue Bingcheng store in Huaian, Jiangsu Province Comments to [email protected]

)($785(6 CITY
History and Modernization

Xi’an becomes a magnet for international sci-tech professionals
By Ma Miaomiao
P
ramod Kumar Gupta from Nepal now works route is very close to his mother’s hometown in Germany. Nowadays, 17 China-
for CCCC First Highway Consultants Co. Europe freight train routes connect Xi’an with 45 countries and regions in Central
Ltd., a highway planning and design insti- Asia and Europe.
tute in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province in northwest China. In the eyes of Abdul Ghani Razaqpur, a world-renowned Canadian scholar in
Having been in China for almost 25 years, he said engineering and now a professor at the Tianjin-based Nankai University, “it is the
the city has been the scene of his college graduation, combination of history with modernization that makes the city (Xi’an) unique.”
marriage and career. Razaqpur, who also attended the conference, added that the miracle of the
Recalling his memory of Xi’an when he first Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) reminds him of
arrived and comparing it with the city’s current Chinese people’s determination to complete large or important projects in spite of
development, Gupta described the changes as “tre- GLIÀFXOWLHV
mendous.” For example, his alma mater, Chang’an
University, is located near the Giant Wild Goose Innovation hub
3DJRGDZKLFKZDVÀUVWEXLOWRYHU\HDUVDJR Flora Gaetani, an Italian professor of the Polytechnic University of Milan, came
during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). “The area used to Xi’an for a joint teaching program with Xi’an Jiaotong University one year
to be the outskirts of Xi’an in 1999 and now is a ago. She has been impressed by the city’s historical aspects, particularly the in-
landmark site showcasing the hustle and bustle of tricate patterns and textures found in its ancient architecture. At the same time,
the city,” he said. *DHWDQLVDLGWKHPRGHUQDQGHIÀFLHQWPRGHVRIWUDQVSRUWDWLRQLQ;L·DQPDNHVLWD
Xi’an, once called Chang’an, served as the capi- favorable place for her to live and work.
tal of several imperial dynasties for more than 1,100 Cherishing its profound history, Xi’an now is also an international hub with
years and has long been a hub of East-West cultural UDSLGVFLHQWLÀFDQGWHFKQRORJLFDOLQQRYDWLRQ*XSWDVDLG
exchange and mutual learning. The city was also the His comment was echoed by Rasha Khalil, a Syrian scholar working at
starting point of the original Silk Road, which later Sichuan International Studies University in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
expanded into a network of East-West trade routes “While deeply rooted in history, the city is also modern and rapidly developing.
linking Europe with Asia. ,WKDVVHHQVLJQLÀFDQWHFRQRPLFJURZWKDQGXUEDQL]DWLRQLQUHFHQWGHFDGHVZLWK
In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a booming technology and education sector,” she said on the sidelines of the
the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century conference.
Maritime Silk Road, constituting the Belt and Road On November 3, at the 2023 Global Key and Core Technology Conference,
Initiative (BRI), which aims to boost connectivity LONGi Green Energy Technology Co. Ltd., a Xi’an-headquartered photovoltaic
along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. JLDQWDQQRXQFHGWKDWWKHHIÀFLHQF\RILWVSURSULHWDU\FU\VWDOOLQHVLOLFRQSHURYVNLWH
Adrien Oger Peulvast, a French railway signal tandem cells reached 33.9 percent, setting a new global record, according to the
expert based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in east ODWHVWFHUWLÀFDWLRQUHSRUWIURPWKH1DWLRQDO5HQHZDEOH(QHUJ\/DERUDWRU\RIWKH
China, said the initiative is great for connecting peo- United States.
ple and goods. “And for us, it’s a way to share safety Key and core technology refers to advanced cutting-edge original technolo-
in the transportation by adopting same standards gies, encompassing artificial intelligence, aerospace, bio-technology, photonic
and technologies. It’s also a way to share experi- chips, information technology, new materials, alternative (new) energy and intel-
ences between China and European countries,” he ligent manufacturing.
said. Peulvast was among the international partici- “Xi’an’s output of new-energy vehicles accounts for more than 11 percent
pants in the 2023 Global Key and Core Technology of the national total, its semiconductor industry ranks fourth in the country,
Conference in Xi’an in early November. and locally manufactured memory chips and single-crystalline photovoltaic
Peulvast told Beijing Review that he attaches a cells have the largest market share worldwide,” Fang Hongwei, member of
special emotion to China-Europe freight trains, a the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi
ÁDJVKLSSURMHFWXQGHUWKH%5,DVWKHWHUPLQXVRID Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Xi’an Municipal Committee,
)($785(6
ZHANG WEI
fundamental research with applied technologies.
“These elements have laid the groundwork for
China to become a global center of sci-tech innova-
tion in the future,” he said while in Xi’an for the
conference.
Piotr Breitkopf is a researcher at the French
National Center for Scientific Research and a
visiting professor at Northwestern Polytechnical
University (NPU) in Xi’an. His collaboration with
research teams at NPU dates back 20 years, and he
has been instrumental in establishing cooperative
platforms and international research centers that fur-
ther collaboration.
&RRSHUDWLRQDWDSHUVRQDOOHYHOLVEHQHÀFLDOEXW
having an organized framework may allow multiple
The 2023 Global Key and Core Technology Conference opens in Xi’an, Shaanxi parties to come together effectively, Breitkopf said.
Province, on November 3 For instance, international conferences and seminars
can play an important role in gathering professionals
ZHANG WEI
from diverse backgrounds and places.
“Science is international and there is no good
science going on without international cooperation.
This is not a local event, but something where a lot
of people work together,” Helmut Kettenmann, a
German professor at the faculty of life and health
sciences at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced
Technology in the southern province of Guangdong,
said at a foreign experts symposium on the sidelines
of the conference. “It is crucial for people from dif-
ferent countries and regions to engage in dialogue
and provide feedback,” he added.
An employee of Chinese home appliance maker Konka Group talks with his “Xi’an has been working to create an attrac-
Italian counterpart in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on October 31 tive and accommodating environment that allows
overseas professionals to unleash their potential
said at the conference. with comprehensive services, and to increase what
The conference, which also unveiled the city’s major sci-tech breakthroughs, we like to call the ‘Xi’an magnet’ for international
LVYLWDOIRUUHVHDUFKHUV7KH\FDQÀQGHOHPHQWVWKHUHWKDWZLOOKHOSWKHPPRYH scientists,” Lou Wenxiao, Deputy Director of Xi’an
forward in their research and activities, according to Razaqpur. Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, said at
;L·DQLVDÀQHH[DPSOHRI6KDDQ[L·VVFLWHFKDGYDQFHPHQW2YHUWKHSDVW the conference.
three years, the province has seen an average annual increase of 31.8 percent in Additionally, as part of its efforts to promote
technology contract transactions, 40.6 percent in the number of technological JOREDOVFLHQWLÀFDQGWHFKQRORJLFDOH[FKDQJH;L·DQ
small and medium-sized enterprises, and 40.3 percent in the number of hi-tech has established 154 international sci-tech coopera-
enterprises. From January to September this year, the number of newly regis- tive bases and set up six overseas sci-tech working
tered technological startups in the province reached 17,254, 8 percent more than stations in countries including Singapore and
the total for 2022, Wang Xiao, Executive Vice Governor of Shaanxi, told the Germany, Lou added.
conference. The city will become a fertile ground for in-
ternational cooperation and exchange because it
Cooperation holds the key possesses vast resources and potential, according to
According to Ukrainian geo-physicist and radio-physicist Leonid Feoktistovich Peulvast. BR
Chernogor, who currently works at the College of Electronics and Information at
Qingdao University in the eastern province of Shandong, China has experienced Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
rapid development in cutting-edge research and the integration of advanced
)($785(6 EDUCATION
A Tough Time
Majors in arts and humanities struggle to stand out in a bleak job market
By Zhang Yage
K
athy Wang is a second-year graduate stu- subjects included), history, management and art.
dent in computer science. Having loved A report published by Zhaopin.com, one of
languages for more than 10 years and China’s leading online recruitment platforms, re-
studied them for four years as an undergraduate, the vealed the difference in the job market for majors
now 26-year-old decided two years ago to further in arts and humanities, and science. In 2022, the
KHUHGXFDWLRQLQDFRPSOHWHO\GLIIHUHQWÀHOGWRLP- job contract signing rate for surveyed science and
prove her job prospects. engineering graduates was 29.5 percent and 17.3
“Of course, it is not enough to learn three percent, respectively, while that of majors in arts
languages nowadays; you have to learn a fourth lan- and humanities was 12.4 percent.
guage—computer language,” Wang laughed. In stark contrast to the latter’s complaints of
Wang described herself as “natural with lan- “no ideal jobs” and “low salaries,” science majors
guage.” She passed levels 4 and 6 of the College are well-fed and well-off. According to a report
English Test, a national standardized English pro- published by Mycos, a third-party consulting
ficiency test for college students administered by agency focusing on education, the average month-
the Ministry of Education (MOE), with satisfac- ly salary of computer science majors is currently
tory grades. She scored in the top 20 percent in her 6,863 yuan ($959.5); science majors relevant to
own major, Japanese, and can speak some basic electronic science and technology, automation
College students swarm
Korean. DQGDUWLÀFLDOLQWHOOLJHQFHKDYHDFKLHYHGDWOHDVWD a job fair in Nanchang,
“I entered college with a real passion and te- 19-percent increase in starting salary compared to Jiangxi Province,
nacity for language. I was good at English in high ÀYH\HDUVDJR on October 23, 2021
school, and I was always interested in Japanese And the National Bureau of Statistics reported
anime and pop music from the Republic of Korea. that the chemical industry and mechanics are now
I only majored in Japanese, but I actually worked DPRQJWKHWRSÀYHPDMRUVZLWKWKHIDVWHVWVDODU\
hard to study the three languages,” she said. “But increase.
when I graduated, I was faced with unsatisfactory Faced with the uninviting situation for those
job offers—offering much lower salaries than those holding degrees in arts and humanities, many
of my high school classmates who had majored in students are looking for ways to add some science
computer science. So I took a gap year to apply for background by double majoring, taking electives,
a master’s in the latter.” switching majors, and, as in Wang’s case, choos-
And Wang’s not alone in this regard. ing another major to continue their studies.
In March, the hashtag “majors in arts and In response, several universities have opened
humanities transferring to computer science is up new programs for students. Zhejiang University,
becoming a trend” ranked seventh in the trending one of the top 10 universities in China, recently an-
topics list on Weibo, China’s popular microblog- nounced a double bachelor’s degree program that
ging platform, with recent art graduates sharing their combines arts and humainties with science sub-
feelings online. jects. Students will receive a bachelor’s degree in
arts and humanities and a bachelor’s degree in sci-
No vacancy? ence. In the brochure, this program is said to “meet
$FFRUGLQJWRWKHRIÀFLDOZHEVLWHRIWKH02(´DUWV the needs of enterprises” and “cultivate students’
and humanities” is a broad category in China that knowledge and skills in many promising fields,”
covers eight disciplines, including philosophy, featuring courses such as business English, busi-
economics, law, education, literature (language ness management, regressive analysis and Python
)($785(6
programming language fundamentals. tra classes and interned in the field for more than
Some parents are anxious to push their children to embark on such “com- 10 months,” Wang said. “But when it comes to
bined majors.” “I tried to persuade my child to take on a second major, but she recruitment, things are different. The tech com-
just won’t take my advice,” 47-year-old Lin Na, whose daughter’s major is panies they applied to are diploma-oriented, not
sociology, told Beijing Review. giving them the chance to prove their computa-
“I’m worried that she might not be able to land a job and right now, she tional skills. Their resumes, filled with practical
still has two years to complete a science major. If she realizes she won’t be experience, didn’t even get them past the first
DEOHWRÀQGHPSOR\PHQWLQKHUODVW\HDUDWXQLYHUVLW\LWZLOOEHWRRODWHµ selection round.”
As a result, they are currently both pursuing mas-
To the rescue ter’s degrees in computer science—with Wang.
“Although employment issues are basically related to the economy, we also need
to think about the current education system,” said Chen Zhiwen, Editor in Chief of A dying breed?
Eol.cn, a comprehensive education website, at a conference on the enrollment and With the declining employment rate of arts and
employment of college students and graduates. “Like supply-side structural reform humanities graduates, many universities have be-
in the economy, there should also be supply-side reform in education,” Chen added. gun to gradually reduce the enrollment of related
Universities are being asked to take on more responsibility. A survey of stu- programs, or even discontinue offering underper-
dents majoring in arts and humanities conducted by Fuzhou University found that forming degrees.
only 25.11 percent of respondents had a “fairly clear plan” for their future career Earlier this year, the MOE released a docu-
development. ment to revoke 925 undergraduate majors from
“My school could have done more,” an employee of Chinese tech giant 333 universities nationwide, including arts majors
Tencent who preferred to be known only by his surname Zhou, and who majored like public management, information management
in human resources in college, told Beijing Review. “I took the career plan train- and systems, marketing, social work, administra-
ing course in my third year of college. It was a one-semester course, and I only tive management, Japanese and education.
learned theory—nothing practical, no resources. I wouldn’t call this systematic But some experts believe that these majors
training. Next thing I knew, I was six months away from graduation and my should be adjusted rather than abolished just be-
teacher was pushing me every day to get a job.” cause of the current employment situation.
Companies are also called on to provide more opportunities for arts major Yu Wanli, a professor of history at the School
students who have science skills. “I have two friends who gained extracurricular of Humanities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
experience in computer science as undergraduates. They won awards, took ex- believes that the fundamental reason of the em-
ployment problem is not “too many enrollments”
XINHUA
or “too many majors” in arts and humanities sub-

jects. “Instead, it is about how to properly teach
and study these majors,” Yu said.
Zhao Ziyi, a sophomore in Arabic at Beijing
Foreign Studies University, the No.1 language
university in China, told Beijing Review that he
does not regret his choice of major. “I’m interning
at China Global Television Network. I translate
subtitles for documentaries; it takes me about
three days per episode,” he said. “I have always
been a big fan of language learning, even though
VWXG\LQJDODQJXDJHLVQRORQJHUDVSURÀWDEOHDVLW
was 10 years ago.”
Zhao added that he is willing to learn how to
produce promotional documentaries if translat-
ing doesn’t get him a good job. But he will not
abandon his major. BR


)($785(6 WOMEN
Hats Off!
A group of small-town knitters create a world of art By Yuan Yuan
I
t all started with a little white lie... An artist addition to higher pay, the “French company” also gave her complete freedom
created a character named Xiaofang and titled to design the hats. To facilitate communication and financial transactions,
it “a hat supplier for a French company.” Yin also learned how to use a smartphone, making video calls and receiving
The artist, a sculptor called Hu Yinping, in- money transfers on Weixin, China’s ubiquitous superapp.
vented this intermediary “person” to create more In 2016, Yin completed more than 100 hats in a variety of designs, and Hu
income for her mother, who made very little mon- hosted a small exposition for the accessories in Beijing.
ey knitting hats, but refused to accept any money As an artist who had attended exhibitions both in China and overseas, Hu
coming directly from her daughter. eventually took the items to Paris for exhibition. The “French company” had
This all happened after a visit from Beijing to made its way to France—at last.
her hometown, a small town in Sichuan Province
in southwest China in 2015. During that trip, Hu, Connections
born in 1983, learned that her mother, Yin Sanjie, Most of the knitted hats were green because Hu offered more green yarn than
had been working hard knitting woolen hats but other colors. “Knitting is hard work, green is at least better for the eyes,” the
earned just very little from a local buyer. sculptor explained.
Yin told Hu that almost all the women in town <LQKDGVRPHFRQFHUQVDWÀUVWEHFDXVHLQ&KLQHVH´ZHDULQJDJUHHQKDWµ
were doing the same thing, either full time or part means a person is being betrayed by their spouse or partner. This taunt makes
time. Silk reeling used to be a local pillar industry, green the least popular color for hats in China. But since these hats were for a
but since the late 1990s, many workers, mostly “French company,” Hu told her mother that the green hat’s meaning in China
women, had been laid off from local silk reeling
companies. Knitting hats, as little as it could earn,
became a stable source of income as hat buyers
would come and pay.
“My mother would complete two large bags of
hats a year and still struggle to make ends meet,”
Hu told Beijing Review. “I didn’t think that was
worth it.”
And so, that same year, Hu, holding a master’s
degree in sculpture from Beijing’s prestigious
Central Academy of Fine Arts but feeling slightly
adrift in the capital city, had found a new purpose.
She would help her mother turn yarn into yield.
Tale turns truth

Hu decided to buy the hats from her mother at a
higher price. Convinced that her mother would re-
fuse her pay, she invented a French company that
“purchases knitted hats from China.”
She asked a friend to play the part of the
company’s manager, Xiaofang. The dynamic
duo contacted Hu’s mother, offering to provide
KHUZLWKEHWWHUTXDOLW\ZRRO\DUQDQGEX\WKHÀQ-
ished hats at a higher price. And so the “Xiaofang
Project” was born.
Yin happily accepted the new job, as in
)($785(6
doesn’t apply to other countries. DOOPDGHLWLQWRWKHÀQDOSURGXFWV
In the project’s earliest stages, when a few visi- Hu continued to give them more themes and
tors to the exhibitions wanted to buy the hats, Hu encouraged them to let their imagination run wild.
didn’t sell them, because she considered the hats to The women knitted colorful art patterns of as-
be bearers of her mother’s time and memories of sorted shapes and shades, such as different cacti in
that year. ÁRZHUSRWVDVZHOODVFDVWOHVDQGFDUV
But the requests did lead her to contemplate The group chose one among them to be in
involving more of her hometown’s knitting women charge of calculating the quantity and setting the
LQWKHSURMHFWDQGÀQGLQJDPDUNHWIRUWKHLUKDWV price for each product based on several criteria in-
She learned about St. Patrick’s Day, the famous cluding size and the complexity of the skills. A large
Irish cultural holiday that sees people in the streets work with skillful patterns can bring the knitter tens
decked out in green from head to toe, and success- of thousands of yuan (thousands of U.S. dollars).
fully got orders of green hats from the festival. “We don’t set quota for them,” Hu said. “They can
As a result, more women joined the project and pick up the yarn any time they want to knit.”
began working on the “green hat” orders. These works have been included in the proj-
When the knitting group was shown a picture ect’s subsequent exhibitions, the most recent of
of people wearing their handmade hats at the St. which took place at the Paris Internationale art
Patrick’s Day parade in the Irish capital of Dublin, fair this fall. It was the third time the Xiaofang
they were thrilled to have such a connection with a Project’s products were on display in France.
foreign country they had never been to. “Our exhibition in France has aroused great
interest,” Hu said. “An aging population group
The Xiaofang Global Accessories to art with the ability to work is a common issue for
Universe Bank exhibition As the hats began to appear at more and more many countries dealing with [rapid] aging. We
opens in a Nanjing events, Hu began to explore other possibilities for
shopping mall hope to help initiate similar projects in France and
on October 1 wool yarn products. “I used to feel that art is not introduce such working methods there.”
something that ‘happens’ in a small place like my So far, “Hu Xiaofang” has become a registered
hometown,” Hu said. Before this project, her con- trademark in both China and France. Last year, it
COURTESY PHOTO
nection to the town was a once-a-year visit during PDGHSURÀWIRUWKHÀUVWWLPHVLQFHLWVIRXQGDWLRQ

the Spring Festival, China’s biggest annual holi- However… The more than 50 knitting women in-
day and a time for family reunion. But the yarn volved in the project still don’t know the real story.
had become a bridge of connection. Hu goes to great lengths to keep Xiaofang’s secret,
In early 2017, Hu and “her friend Xiaofang” especially from her mother, just in case knowing
rented two small shops in the town and turned the truth would make her mother feel pressured.
the space into a knitting women’s club. Here, the So when a documentary crew went to her
women can pick up yarn, knit and socialize. hometown in 2017 to capture the project’s story
Hu came up with several design ideas, and the and people on camera, they also had to pretend to
NQLWWLQJFROOHFWLYHIROORZHGXS%HLQJFRQÀQHGWR be part of the French company.
a small town doesn’t stop the women from coming At the time of writing, Hu was hosting a new
up with interesting ideas, and Hu said what she did exhibition in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in east
was “just help the group ‘knit out’ their ideas.” China. Unlike the previous exhibitions in galler-
A woolen bikini was her first attempt at cre- ies, this one was set inside a shopping mall. Called
ative expansion. It was an idea Hu’d had on a Xiaofang Global Universe Bank, it featured knit-
beach in Europe. She fabricated a bikini contest ted gadgets, including miniature cars, oil paintings
on a French beach and asked the women to knit and toy machinery.
bikinis for it. “Most women in the small town “It is a wonderful world where everything is
had never even been to a beach,” she said. From made of wool yarn,” Hu said. BR
skillset to mindset, the bikini project really put the
women to the test. However, in the end, Hu was
amazed by the creativity in the finished pieces.
Highways, big radishes, watermelon slices, lady- Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
bugs... these patterns not usually seen on bikinis Comments to [email protected]

)($785(6 GEN Z
Studying After Work

Off-duty wage earners invest in themselves by taking classes By Lu Yan
F
or 75 minutes every Tuesday and open, leaving most unable to secure a place.
Thursday nights, Xu Lingzi takes an The trend has spread nationwide. Similar programs for eager-to-learn
acting class to pursue her dream of be- QLQHWRÀYHUVKDYHHPHUJHGLQVHYHUDOFLWLHVODXQFKHGE\ERWKSXEOLFLQ-
coming an actor, leaving behind her day-time stitutions and companies. One of these, the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural
job at a company in Chongqing. Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, offers around 70 classes free of
Although acting had been her dream since charge, with the most popular being the makeup lessons.
she was young, Xu chose architectural design as “These after-work classes are meeting the diverse needs of young
her major at university and entered the corporate people,” said Wang Chao, founder of the after-work class program that Xu
world upon graduation. Her passion for act- attends at Cooperation Units (CU), a youth community in Chongqing.
ing was reignited in September when she heard Some people, like Xu, want to pick up the hobby they developed as a
about the acting classes by accident. child but never had the opportunity to learn systematically; some wish to
Xu said that in addition to gaining acting learn a skill that makes them more competitive in the job market; some
VNLOOVWKHFODVVHVDOVRKHOSKHUWRUHÁHFWRQKHU want to relax and have something to do rather than being glued to short
life and to understand herself more fully. “There videos on their smartphone screen; others want to expand their social
was one time that the acting coach noticed that circle and meet more people sharing the same interests.
I was wandering around on stage not knowing The CU program, which began in late October, has grown quickly. In a
what to do. It made me realize that I was not month, the 27 courses it provides have attracted more than 200 students in
decisive in my real life, which caused a waste total. Each 1-hour class costs students just 50 yuan ($7), of which 35 yuan
of precious time. It was in that moment that I ($5) goes to the instructor and 15 yuan ($2) goes toward the program’s
learned I needed to make a change,” Xu told RSHUDWLQJFRVWV´&XUUHQWO\WKHSURJUDPLVQRWSURÀWDEOHEXW,KRSHLQWKH
Beijing Review. future it can be, so that it can be viable in the long term,” Wang told Beijing
Xu is one of an increasing number of young Review.
people who are opting to enrich their after-work So far, the courses include acting, calligraphy, ukulele and
lives by taking night or weekend classes.
XINHUA
Popular review app Meituan Dianping re-
vealed in mid-October that during the period
beginning at the start of the year, the search vol-
ume for the term “night classes” on the platform
had increased by 980 percent year on year, and
the number of reviews of night classes had in-
creased by 226 percent year on year.
Redefining learning
Earlier this year, an evening art school
initiated by Shanghai Mass Art Center, a cul-
tural institution established by the Shanghai
Municipal Government in 2016, went viral
online. The school provides long-term art
services to residents aged between 18 and 55,
offering a diverse range of inexpensive class-
es, including dance, music, lifestyle, fashion
and traditional culture. The classes are very A lecture on Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Du Fu at a bookstore in Chengdu,
popular and book out as soon as booking is Sichuan Province, in February 2022
)($785(6
photography, and the most popular class is a lecture series on The Book Going online
of Changes, an ancient Chinese book of divination and a source of As the number of online learning platforms grows,
Confucianism and Taoism. In the near future, more classes including so do the options available to aspiring students.
facial yoga and short video planning will be added according to the inter- For example, MOOCs, or massive open online
ests of attendees. FRXUVHVÀUVWLQWURGXFHGLQ&DQDGDLQEHJDQ
The CU instructors all work there part time and are professionals who gaining increasing popularity in China in 2013.
VWDQGRXWLQWKHLUUHVSHFWLYHÀHOGV´,GRQ·WWKLQNDQ\RIWKHWHDFKHUVKHUH By late 2022, 370 million people had registered to
are joining the program for money,” said Zhou Afen, an acting coach at CU take more than 61,900 MOOCs in China.
who also runs her own acting studio. “In my case, I’d like to promote the On NetEase Open Courses app, launched by
performing arts among the wider public.” Internet technology company NetEase in 2010,
“Acting can help people to learn more about themselves and gain an in- users can watch videos of courses taught by re-
creased sense of purpose in life,” Zhou added. nowned professors from prestigious universities
Wang hopes the program will change people’s traditional concept worldwide.
of education and schools, as well as teachers and students. “Learning The government is also providing support for
is far beyond gaining knowledge on campus; rather, it can happen any- the development of online courses. Since 2022,
where at any time. We need to break the boundaries and pass on the China’s Ministry of Education has implemented
untapped knowledge possessed by anyone, not just ‘the teachers,’ to the national education digitalization strategic
people who are willing to learn. In this sense, anyone can be a teacher action, which promotes the open sharing of edu-
cation resources and the application of advanced
or a student.”
technologies in the process.
Ideally, such programs should be available in all residential communi-
0DQ\LQGLYLGXDOVIURPDZLGHYDULHW\RIÀHOGV
ties across the country, helping to create a society in which people enjoy
also share their ideas and knowledge on popular
learning, Wang added.
video-sharing platforms like BiliBili and Douyin,
Young people aren’t attending after-work courses to earn an academic
the Chinese version of TikTok.
FHUWLÀFDWHRUWRDFKLHYHTXLFNVXFFHVVDQGLQVWDQWEHQHÀWV7KLVPDNHVWKHP In particular, BiliBili has a Knowledge
less anxious and allows them to enjoy themselves more during the learning Section dedicated to serving this purpose. The
process, according to Zhang Huajun, an associate professor of pedagogy at company revealed in late October that in the
Beijing Normal University. past year, 243 million people used the platform
“The classes can provide a space for them to achieve self-healing and to gain skills or knowledge, 5.5 times the num-
self-adjustment, and bring more possibilities into their lives,” she told na- ber of college students in China. Among them,
tional newspaper Guangming Daily. 72 percent were born in the 2000s and this de-
mographic group was also the main audience
COURTESY PHOTO
of videos related to science and technology.

BiliBili said the most trending science and tech-
nology topic on the platform is large language
models, which include ChatGPT developed by
U.S. company OpenAI and ERNIE Bot launched
by Chinese tech giant Baidu. So far this year, 3.3
million videos on the topic have been uploaded
to the platform.
“When we break through the constraints
of time and space, as well as the definition of
WHDFKHUVDQGVWXGHQWVHGXFDWLRQKDVLQÀQLWHSRV-
sibilities,” Wang concluded. BR
An after-work acting class run by Cooperation Units, a youth community Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
in Chongqing Municipality, in November
CULTURE
A Romantic Tale From

A Remote Town
A
drama adapted from Border 1934 and set in a rural area of Hunan used in ancient times to mark the hours
Town, a modern Chinese lit- Province, on the border with Chongqing of the day. The theater often invites play-
erary masterpiece, by Israeli Municipality, it tells the moving story wrights and artists from other countries to
director Ruth Connell was staged of a girl raised by her grandfather, who perform for Chinese drama lovers. BR
at the Drum Tower West Theater in operates a river ferry. (Text and photos by Wei Yao)
Beijing on November 19. Border Town The Drum Tower West Theater is lo-
is a novel by renowned author Shen cated in the vicinity of the Drum and Bell Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Congwen (1902-88). First published in Towers in central Beijing, which were Comments to [email protected]

CULTURE
1

1. Central staging, in which the acting area is completely surrounded by the audience,
is used at the Drum Tower West Theater in Beijing for Border Town to establish rapport
between viewers and actors
2. An actor narrates the story for the audience. Most actors play several roles in the
performance while also serving as narrators. Director Ruth Connell describes this as
“story-telling theater”
3. Ropes are used in the performance to show how the ferryboat in the story is pulled
back and forth across the river
4. The actress playing Cuicui, the lead role in Border TownJLYHVDEULHĶQJRQWKH
background of the drama before the show
4 3

EXPAT’S EYE
value in ancient China. The Book of
In Sync Changes, a Confucian classic, emphasizes

the unity of nature and humanity. Taoism,
DOVRNQRZQDV'DRLVPDQRWKHULQÁXHQWLDO
ancient Chinese school of thought, asserts
By Ehsan Doostmohammadi that the Dao (path) follows nature. In
other words, human beings should follow
XINHUA
the patterns of nature and live in harmony
with nature.
zDoctrine of the mean. Hehe cul-
ture is also reflected in the doctrine of
the mean, which holds that when deal-
ing with interpersonal relationships,
one should grasp an appropriate degree,
avoid extremes and maintain balance.
A moderate approach should be ad-
opted when dealing with conflicts, and
compromise and cooperation should be
sought.
z Pursuit of peace. Peace is the
basis for human survival and develop-
ment. Hehe culture emphasizes that
humans should abandon violence, war
and conflict, and pursue peace and se-
Young participants read out the Hehe World Initiative at the Global Forum on Hehe Culture
in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, on November 7. The initiative calls for promoting harmony curity. It calls for resolving disputes
and cooperation, and building a better world and differences through dialogue, con-
sultation and reconciliation to achieve
C
hinese is a logographic lan- in his work Zhejiang, China: A New peaceful coexistence. At the same time,
guage. Chinese characters not Vision for Development as follows: it believes everyone should respect the
only contain different mean- “Our ancestors created an incomparable rights and dignity of others and should
ings, but also have profound historical culture, a quintessential part of which not discriminate or exclude.
and cultural connotations as carriers is Hehe culture.” The book is a collec- z Tolerance and inclusiveness.
of time-honored Chinese civilization. tion of essays Xi wrote for a column Hehe culture attaches great importance
Among these characters, he (harmony) in the local newspaper Zhejiang Daily to cultural integration and exchange, re-
deeply influences the Chinese people. between February 2003 and March spects the differences and characteristics
From the culinary art of the “harmonized 2007, when he served as secretary of of different cultures, and advocates mul-
taste of food cooked in a cauldron” to the Communist Party of China Zhejiang ticulturalism. The inherent openness of
the view that “harmony in the family Provincial Committee. Hehe culture contributes to understanding
leads to prosperity in all undertak- Harmonious unity is the core of the between cultures.
ings” and the community philosophy Hehe culture. The term Hehe consists of Traditional Chinese philosophical
of “working together to overcome dif- two different characters with the same concepts, such as Hehe, contain rich wis-
ficulties,” harmony has penetrated the pronunciation, with the first covering dom that deserves in-depth studies. By
intellectual world and daily life of the many meanings such as harmony and rediscovering this wisdom and adapting it
Chinese people, and has become an atti- peace and the second indicating conver- to today’s world, we can better meet the
tude toward life that the Chinese always gence, unity and collaboration. challenges of modern society and create a
adhere to and an ideal goal they con- Hehe culture is about harmonious co- better future. BR
stantly pursue. existence between humanity and nature
Hehe culture, or harmonious unity and the balanced development of human-
culture, is one of the essential features kind and nature. Its key messages are: The author is an Iranian researcher with Southwest University
in Chongqing
of China’s traditional culture. President zHarmony between nature and Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
humanity. Harmony was the highest Comments to [email protected]
Xi Jinping once summarized this culture
In addition to Beijing Review,
Review, CICG Americas
publishes China Hoy,
Hoy, a monthly publication
launched in 1960, aiming to bridge the gap
between China and the Spanish-speaking
world—particularly Latin American countries.
Website: www.chinahoy.com.cn

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8 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 30, 2023 http://www.bjreview.com

The Land of Renewed

“China is steadily expanding institutional “You can establish confidence and

10 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 30, 2023 http://www.bjreview.com

“Global companies who want to stay “Observing without disturbing

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http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 13

online retailer Amazon,

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Time to Cease Fire

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 21

Differences like trade frictions do exist,

The author is director of the Center for Argentine Studies, Institute of

24 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 30, 2023 http://www.bjreview.com

Green Shoots types and levels of exchange. In this respect,

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communication as well as the pre-meeting revitalizing the San Antonio

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 25

26 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 30, 2023 http://www.bjreview.com

Setting Sails Anew

rather than confrontation and alliance. The region

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 29

Legislation for Collaboration

and further align with international economic and

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The Way to Space

Small Cities, Big Appetites

Wen expressed his optimism about the prospects

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 35

History and Modernization

or “too many majors” in arts and humanities sub-

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 39

Tale turns truth

nection to the town was a once-a-year visit during PDGHSURÀWIRUWKHÀUVWWLPHVLQFHLWVIRXQGDWLRQ

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 30, 2023 BEIJING REVIEW 41

Studying After Work

of videos related to science and technology.

A Romantic Tale From

46 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 30, 2023 http://www.bjreview.com

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In Sync Changes, a Confucian classic, emphasizes

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