Category: Foreign News

By Zhong Sheng

China’s national legislature passed the foreign investment law at the closing meeting of its annual session on March 15.

Foreign media described the approval as “extremely important” and the “largest highlight of the annual session of the national legislature”, believing that the decision has showcased China’s confidence to open its arms wider to the world, and its sincere hope for openness, mutual benefit and win-win results.

The approval is a display of China’s strong determination to further expand opening up. As it is said by a senior manager of a multinational corporation who took part in the discussion of the draft law and the solicitation of opinions, the unified foreign investment law represents a major step of China toward a deeper level of institutional opening-up.

A Financial Times report also pointed out that the law will soothe foreign businesses’ concerns, protect their legitimate rights in China and keep investment flowing into the country.

Some foreign scholars said that the Chinese market is getting more mature and interacting with the world better, saying that the Chinese economy is becoming more and more confident.

China has taken a slew of measures to facilitate opening up, such as jointly building the Belt and Road, establishing the pilot free trade zones (FTZs), promoting the establishment of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics, and holding the first China International Import Expo and preparing for the second one.

These efforts mark that China has embarked on a historic journey of opening-up, and is furthering reform and opening up in a comprehensive way. The new measures once again indicate that China will open wider to the world.

The approval the foreign investment law reflects China’s quickened steps toward pursuing high-quality development through reform. The law signifies a fundamental change in China’s management of foreign investment, said the Associated Press.

Chinese economy has transitioned from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development. Promoting and protecting foreign investment by enacting a national law is a natural step toward upgrading opening-up, and promoting high-quality economic development.

China witnessed expanding foreign investment since the reform and opening up, and remains the second largest destination of foreign capital in-flows.

The foreign investment law is a summary of China’s experiences in exploring a legal system for foreign investment over the past four decades and adapts to the demand for development in the new era.

Keeping pace with China’s opening steps, it is also a proactive move to grasp and follow the law of the development of history and time.

The approval provides the world with historic opportunities to board China’s express train of development. Investment environment is like the air, and only clean air can attract more investment.

According to the Doing Business 2019 report released by the World Bank, China moved up 32 spots to the 46th place in the Doing Business Rankings in 2018 compared with the last year.

With greater sincerity, China has attracted a batch of foreign enterprises, including Germany’s chemical producer BASF Group, British Telecom, Exxon Mobil Corporation, BMW, Tesla and Airbus.

It was voted again as the most promising place for business development by Japanese multinational manufacturers in a report by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

In January and February this year, 147.11 billion yuan of foreign investment was used by China, growing 5.5 percent. The performance was achieved following the hard-won 3-percent growth of foreign direct investment last year. The above figures indicate that China is still a hotbed for global investment and opportunities.

China, by developing on a high-quality basis and cooperating with the world for win-win results, is attracting worldwide attention, and the newly approved foreign investment law will only expand the focus.

For foreign companies, an open China is the largest attraction, said a manager of a multinational corporation.

The continuous introduction of new opening up measures is the reason for the confidence in China of the international community, and also the charm of the Chinese economy.

(Zhong Sheng, a homonym in Chinese for “voice of China”, is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)

Source: People’s Daily

By Wang Hailin from People’s Daily

China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) will resolutely crack down on waste smuggling as it initiates the Blue Sky 2019 special campaign this year, said Ni Yuefeng, head of the administration, during an interview at the Great Hall of the People on March 5.

Last year, the GAC carried out the most rigorous inspection on solid waste imports, and slashed such imports by 46.5 percent, Ni noted. In addition, the administration also strengthened follow-up supervision and inspections on the sources of the foreign waste.
The administration successfully blocked foreign waste last year, as 150,000 tons of unqualified solid waste was detected before they were loaded at the places of dispatch. Besides, the GAC also revoked business certificates of companies that have committed crimes and illegal conducts.
The ban on foreign trash imports is a clear signal of China’s continuous efforts to advance ecological progress.
In April 2017, a reform plan to improve management of solid waste imports was adopted by the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The plan was officially issued by the General Office of the State Council three months later, demanding a comprehensive ban on foreign waste imports and efforts to safeguard eco-environmental security and people’s health.
Last year, the GAC launched the Blue Sky 2018 campaign, carrying out 5 rounds of forceful and targeted missions to crack down on solid waste smuggling. The campaign achieved remarkable effects.
International cooperation is important for better anti-smuggling work. “If some countries act against smuggling while others don’t, then garbage smuggling will never be resolved,” Ni said.
Last year, 75 countries and regions took part in the joint action initiated by the GAC under the title of the Goddess of the Earth, enhancing their efforts to recycle, use and dispose of solid garbage.

Source: Global Times/People’s Daily

The first batch of students majoring in crayfish studies at a vocational college have secured employment before their graduation, Gong Dingrong, deputy of the National People’s Congress and mayor of Qianjiang, Central China’s Hubei Province, told the Beijing Youth Daily on March 10 after reading the 2019 Government Work Report.

The Government Work Report said the country should focus on modern vocational education, which will help to boost employment and solve the shortage of high-skilled talents. One million students will be recruited to vocational colleges this year.

The two-year crayfish studies major was established in 2017, offering three courses of crayfish marketing, cooking and restaurant management. 

All the 130 students studying the major have been “ordered,” said Gong, adding that the “crayfish school” is a result of the development of related industries.

“No students from crayfish school can be unemployed,” said Gong. The school will expand its admissions scale and more majors will be set up.

Gong said that according to incomplete statistics, a total of 130,000 to 150,000 people are employed in crayfish-related industries in Qianjiang, which makes up half of the city’s jobs. 

In addition to academic education, the school has provided short-term training for more than 6,000 people. 

These people can enjoy an annual salary as high as 120,000 yuan ($18,000), and chefs with three years of working experience are paid 30,000 to 50,000 yuan monthly.

According to a report released by the China Society of Fisheries, China produced 1.12 million tons of crayfish in 2017, creating a gross output worth 268.5 billion yuan.

Source: People’s Daily app
Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 10 joined deliberation with deputies from Fujian Province at the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress, China’s national legislature.
“[We] should create a favorable development environment for innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity,” said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. 
China should seek momentum from reform and opening up, unleash to the maximum the whole society’s power for innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity, and keep improving the country’s influence and competitiveness in a world that is undergoing profound changes, Xi said.
Xi stressed creating favorable conditions for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and young people, and establishing an acceleration mechanism for high-tech companies.
He urged solid implementation of the policies and measures to encourage, guide and support the development of the private sector.

Fujian must leverage the combined strengths of the special economic zone, pilot free trade zone, comprehensive experimental zone and the core zone of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and keep exploring new approaches, Xi said.
Xi called for efforts to explore new ways for integrated development across the Taiwan Strait.
The two sides of the Taiwan Strait should enhance economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure connectivity, energy and resource exchanges, and shared industry standards, he said.
Cross-Strait cooperation and cultural exchanges should be strengthened, he added.
Xi stressed the importance of implementing the people-centered development concept in the work on Taiwan, urging efforts to benefit Taiwan compatriots in the same way as people on the mainland are served.
He encouraged listening to the voice of Taiwan compatriots and research on what other policies and measures can be introduced to bring them benefits.
Xi said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, and it is necessary to ensure that no one in the country’s old revolutionary base areas falls behind in the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
He called for adherence to targeted poverty alleviation and efforts to identify the root causes of poverty to enhance the effectiveness of anti-poverty measures.
More efforts should be put into coordinating economic development with ecological protection, Xi said.

Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Zhao Leji, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also joined deliberations with different delegations.
Li, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said formulating the foreign investment law is a major legislative task set by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core. Deliberating with the delegation from Jiangsu Province, Li said the legislation is conducive to creating a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and international, providing an even stronger legal guarantee for high-level opening up.
Deliberating with the delegation from Tibet Autonomous Region, Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, called for efforts to further maintain law and order, improve the quality of poverty alleviation work, guarantee stability and peace of the plateau region, and ensure that people of all ethnic groups live and work in contentment.
Wang Huning, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, underlined the overarching goal of social stability and enduring peace in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region when he joined the delegation from the region for deliberation. He required earnest efforts to safeguard and improve people’s wellbeing.
Joining the delegation from Hainan Province, Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called on efforts to accelerate developing the pilot free trade zone and explore building the free trade port with Chinese characteristics. He also demanded improving Party and state oversight systems to make sure various tasks are well implemented. 

By Xu Qing and Zhang Jinruo from People’s Daily
E-commerce is helping Chinese farmers improve their income, and the Chinese online shopping site Taobao under e-commerce giant Alibaba has set a great example in this regard by helping farmers build unique brands of agricultural products.
Shen Zhubing, a farmer who has 0.33 hectare of millet land in Huai’an county, north China’s Hebei Province, told People’s Daily that he is now able to sell his millet even without stepping out of his house.
Shen comes from Disanbao township, one of the poorest regions in Huai’an county, a national-level impoverished county at the junction of Shanxi, Hebei and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. People in the township had very few sources of income, and they were not gaining much.
Yet the Disanbao township is an ideal place for growing millets. In recent years, a millet planting base has been built in the village thanks to the support from Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
At the base, villagers can get fine varieties and learn planting techniques. The millets produced there are in high quality and has become a well-known product in nearby regions.
However, it was rarely known outside of the county. Most of the corps were sold to dealers who then distributed them to out-of-town processing factories. Such mode was not able to ensure stable income of the farmers.
Fortunately, the situation has been changed thanks to a grain processing plant recently established in the county. The plant carries out intensive processing of the millets purchased from the farmers, and then sells them online under registered trademarks.
Indeed, it was not an easy job for local cadres to run an online store as e-commerce was still novel to them. However, they have made great efforts to straighten things out.
They set up a strict standard in raw material selection and processing regulation, entrusted a third-party testing agency for heavy metal and pesticide residue detection to ensure quality.
In addition, they helped design the packaging logo, established a work group with staffs from e-commerce company to finalize promotion materials, and edit image and video advertisement. Besides, they also participated in the selection of logistics companies and the building of after-sale service.
The millet product finally hit the online market of Taobao on December 9 last year. Ms He Zhenli, the first secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Disanbao village made video promotion for the processed millet product.
The store happened to open during an online shopping festival of Taobao, thanks to which it sold more than 12,000 kilograms of millets in a very short period of time. Many local households benefited from it.
The millet product later created skyrocketed sales and received high reputation, which can attributed to the core value and the major highlight of the product – being natural and organic.
After the initial success, the county began planning future development. From this year, Disanbao village will improve the planting methods, and strive to standardize planting areas, varieties, specifications, raw-material acquisition, processing, and brand management.
It will also apply for certificate of green and organic food, as well as geographical indication for agricultural products as soon as possible.
Based on the experience in the promotion of the millet product, the innovative business model is now reaching more fields of the county. Now, strawberries and melon seeds produced in the county have also been put onto the shelves.
Wu Zhanqiang, secretary of the CPC branch of Huai’an county, told People’s Daily that their ultimate goal is to standardize and expand agricultural production, and build brands for agricultural products through e-commerce, so as to improve added value and have the farmers enjoy the dividends of development.

By Meng Xianglin from People’s Daily

China plans to provide more meteorological service for international community and enhance the capability of global observation and forecast in the future, said Liu Yaming, head of China Meteorological Administration.

The country will employ new technologies, including big data, to further improve smart and targeted international meteorological services for users at any time in any place, Liu said in an interview after the second plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8.

Eight Chinese satellites from the Fengyun series in orbits are sharing data and information to the country and the world, Liu added.

To serve Belt and Road countries, China fine-tuned the position of one Fengyun satellite, enabling the Fengyun series satellites to acquire meteorological data of Belt and Road countries in a wider coverage, according to the NPC deputy.

She added that the satellites could provide these countries with encrypted monitoring according to their needs if they were hit by natural disasters.

China is faced with complicated and ever-changing climate scenarios against the backdrop of global climate change, Liu introduced. Affected by El Nino, regions in the southern parts of China have seen increased rainfalls since the beginning of this year.

She also said that based on current findings, it is predicted that the northern parts of China are likely to see fewer precipitations and higher incidences of droughts while the southern parts of China, including the areas around the Huai River and Yangtze River will see more precipitations.

This year, meteorological departments will do more on monitoring, consultation and early warning to better serve national economic construction and protect people’s interests, she pledged.

By Zhang Jinruo from People’s Daily
Puqian Bridge – China’s first cross-sea bridge that spans a geological fault line

Crossing over the Puqian Bay in the northeastern part of China’s Hainan province, Puqian Bridge is built over seismic faults, with the highest level of seismic resistance fortification and the highest level of designed wind speed in China. It is the first large-span bridge of China that crosses over a geological fault line.

Stretching 3.8 kilometers, the bridge has a designed speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

Raffles City Chongqing – world’s first horizontal skyscraper

The world’s first “horizontal skyscraper” is about to be completed in China’s Chongqing municipality, as a huge rooftop corridor is being constructed on a group of skyscrapers. Stretching over 300 meters, the enormous glass-walled structure connects four buildings of the eight-unit skyscraper cluster at the 60th floor, turning the architectural complex into a three-dimensional “sail”.
What astonishes people’s eyes is more than the magnificent appearance. The building has the world’s highest sky bridge linking the most number of towers. The rest four skyscrapers of the architectural complex are also connected by smaller sky bridges, which enable people to walk through all of the eight buildings without going to the ground floor.
“Chinese workers have nearly completed a 2.7-billion-pound mega commercial complex with an incredible ‘horizontal skyscraper’ almost 1,000 ft across the top.” Daily Mail wowed the landmark in an article.

“Deep Pit Hotel”- the lowest-lying hotel in the world
Built inside the deep pit of an abandoned quarry, InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, also known as the Deep Pit Hotel, extends over 80 meters down under the ground level. It has 2 floors above the ground, 17 under the ground and 2 under the water.
The National Geographic called it a “world’s architecture miracle”. CNN commented that the world’s lowest luxury hotel has injected new ideas to global architects, and the recycling renovation has made it more attractive.

4. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge: World’s longest cross-sea bridge
As the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge boasts super high performance in multiple areas, such as road design, service duration, anti-impact and seismic resistance, as well as flood and wind resistance.
By linking Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Zhuhai and Macao Special Administrative Region, the bridge has brought closer the three places. It has cut the average time of driving from Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macao to just 30 minutes, down from the previous 5 hours.
The bridge was described by The Guardian as one of the “seven wonders in the modern world.” It has created many of the world’s “firsts” and “bests”.

By Zhu Yueying from People’s Daily

China will take a string of measures to promote stable and higher quality growth of foreign trade this year, said Zhong Shan, China’s Minister of Commerce at a press conference for the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) on March 9.
The minister hailed China’s trade performance in 2018 as the country expanded the scale and improved quality of foreign trade despite complicated situations, uncertainties and instability.
China’s total exports and imports hit a historical high of $4.62 trillion last year, reporting an increment of over $510 billion from a year ago.
The performance further consolidated China’s position as the world’s largest trading country and accelerated its transformation to a trader of quality, added Zhong.
He told the press conference that the Ministry of Commerce would follow the requirements raised by this year’s government work report to seek stable, better-structured imports and exports.
The country will make efforts to stabilize foreign trade growth and market, Zhong noted, elaborating that a raft of central policies and measures in export credit insurance, financing and trade facilitation will be implemented to reduce burdens and improve efficiency for foreign trade companies.
He added that efforts will also be stepped up in improving business environment for market entities, including state-owned enterprises, foreign companies and private firms, to shore up confidence and stimulate vitality.
China will promote international cooperation via the Belt and Road Initiative and optimize the layout of the international market as market is crucial for trade growth, Zhong noted, adding that it will explore emerging trade markets while building on traditional ones.
The ministry will encourage exports of high-tech, high-quality and high-value-added products to improve their competitiveness in the global value chain, Zhong said.

He praised China’s efforts in this regard by citing an example of the auto industry. Five years ago, the China-manufactured passenger vehicles, especially the small models, were exported at low prices and small quantities, but thanks to thehardwork, some makers have earned high reputation and quality awards from the international community.
Besides, the minister stressed that imports will be expanded in scale and optimized in structure to meet domestic demands.
Zhong also vowed that the ministry will support enterprises’ innovation in technologies, systems and management, and encourage development of new trade businesses and models, so as to boost market competitiveness and facilitate China’s transformation from a trader of quantity to a trader of quality.
Innovation is the primary propeller of development, as well as a source of power for foreign trade progress, he explained.

By Shang Kaiyuan from People’s Daily

Chinese official promised on March 9 that the country is ready to accelerate the negotiations progress on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the trade agreement between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

In the government work report delivered at the second session of 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), China includes trade and investment liberalization and facilitation into its prior missions for 2019, and also lists the two agreements as sub-tasks.

It reveals the importance Chinese government attaches to the two pacts, as well as its support for progress from the negotiations, Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session.

Describing RCEP as an agreement of great significance, Wang said that putting the negotiations high on their agendas, the 16 members envision to reach a comprehensive, high-quality, mutually beneficial and modern free trade agreement.

They represent 48 percent of the entire global population and contribute to around 30 percent of the world’s GDP and trade, he added.

At a summit on RCEP held in Singapore last November, participating leaders of the members agreed to keep up with their efforts so as to clinch the deal at an early date, in a belief that talks on the pact have reached the final stage.

China supports the ASEAN’s leading role in the talks, and hopes Thailand, as this year’s rotating chair, could push the RCEP negotiations for further progress, Wang said.

He said China will hold a subsequent meeting this July, when over 700 representatives from other 15 members will come to China and discuss on technical issues including entry permits for commodities, services and investment.

China is making active efforts for a consensus on the three agendas among all sides, Wang said.

He expounded that consensus has been reached on seven of the 15 chapters under the agreement, and China will work on consultations on the unfinished ones among involved sides.

China, Japan and the ROK aim to reach a free trade agreement with unique value, Wang said, describing it as a “RCEP+” version as the three sides expect more favorable policies than RCEP pact in accession permits of goods, services and investment.

After the delegates from the three countries met in Beijing last December, they will hold three meetings this year to speed up the talks, said the vice minister, adding that the next round of consultations will start soon in Japan.

China looks forward to, together with Japan and the ROK, work on an early conclusion of the negotiations, in order to facilitate regional economy integration, free trade and investment, he said.

RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 member states of the ASEAN and the six Asia-Pacific states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements – Australia, China, India, Japan, the ROK and New Zealand.

By Ma Jun and Liu Xuanzun
Source: Global Times/People’s Daily

The 40-ton class heavy helicopter, jointly developed by China and Russia, is expected to be delivered by 2032, said Wu Ximing, a Chinese political advisor and chief designer of helicopters for the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

“Russia is more experienced in the transmission system when it comes to 40-ton class helicopters, as Russia’s Mi-26 is of the 56-ton class. Our goal in the cooperation is to learn from Russia’s strong points and close the gap,” Wu said at a Thursday（March 7）press conference featuring Chinese legislators and political advisors in the field of aviation.

Wu said that China lacks experience in technologies related to the transmission system.

Russia’s state corporation Rostec is set to sign “the contract of the century” with China on the helicopter “in the coming two months” after four years’ talks on the project, Russia’s Tass news agency quoted Viktor Kladov, a Rostec representative, as saying in February.

As a strategic cooperation project between the two countries, China has now reached agreements with Russia in technology, management and business-related fields, Wu said.

Under the contract, at least 200 heavy helicopters will be built in China, Kladov said in 2017, Russia’s state TV channel RT reported then.

China is responsible for the helicopter’s design and production and Russia would be acting as a technical partner, Kladov said.

The heavy helicopter, dubbed Advanced Heavy Lift, would have a weight-lift capability of 15 tons, a range of 630 kilometers and a top speed of 300 kilometers an hour, RT reported.

A heavy helicopter can usually be used to airlift heavy cargo and vehicles without the need of an airfield. For military use, a heavy helicopter can transport troops, armored vehicles, artillery and rockets. For civilian use, it can lift heavy engineering vehicles to sites where normal transportation routes could not reach in case of a natural disaster, military observers said.

China will have a complete helicopter family covering from 500-kilogram class to 40-ton class, to satisfy all kinds of needs, Wu said.