Source: People’s Daily

China and the Philippines have enjoyed sound development of cultural exchanges in recent years.

At the 39th Manila International Book Fair held this September, booths of Chinese books made their debut. Among them, the first and second volumes of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China” attracted a number of Philippine readers at the fair.

In addition, Chinese book corners have been established in many public libraries such as the National Library of the Philippines. They bring great satisfaction to Chinese-language learners in the country and opened a window for Philippine readers to know more about China.

China-Philippines education cooperation also made new progress. Chinese has been officially introduced as a foreign language to the curriculum system of Philippine public middle schools by the country’s Department of Education.

At present, 82 public middle schools in the Philippines offer Chinese-language courses, and China has trained 304 Chinese-language teachers for the Philippines, according to Zhang Shifang, chief of the Chinese Language Program of the Philippine Department of Education.

This year, 11,000 students from Philippine public middle schools have taken part in the Chinese Proficiency Test, China’s only standardized test of Chinese language proficiency for non-native speakers, Zhang noted.

“Chinese language teaching shows a vital momentum in Philippine mainstream society, and the Philippine Department of Education is looking forward to enhancing cooperation with China’s Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) in the training of local Chinese language teachers,” Zhang said.

Tourism cooperation has become a highlight after China and the Philippines embraced the turnabout of bilateral ties. In the first 7 months of 2018, 760,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines, up 40 percent from a year ago. The whole-year figure is expected to hit 1.5 million.

People-to-people exchanges between China and the Philippines have withstood the tests of disasters. China always lends a helping hand immediately after natural disasters occur in the Philippines.

The country actively assisted the infrastructure reconstruction of Marawi and promoted water system project in the Philippines’ rural region, supporting the Philippines to improve livelihood, reduce poverty and realize sustainable development with practical action.

Philippines-China relations are at best in recent years, said Sixto Benedicto，vice chairman of Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU). It is believed that through expansion of openness and communication, China and the Philippines can continue to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and consolidate public opinion basis, so as to become reliable cooperation partners for each other, he noted.

Dancers of Ballet Philippines perform in Beijing. The group visited Beijing and Shanghai this year, a return visit to the Philippine by the National Ballet of China two years ago. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

中菲文化交流硕果累累
来源：人民日报
近年来，中菲两国人文交流不断结出丰硕成果。今年9月举行的第三十九届马尼拉国际书展上，《习近平谈治国理政》第一卷和第二卷等主题类图书吸引了众多菲律宾读者，这是“中国图书展”在展会上首次亮相。同时，菲律宾国家图书馆等多地公共图书馆，相继建立中国图书角，极大满足了越来越多汉语学习者的需求，为菲律宾读者感知中国打开了一扇窗。

中菲两国教育合作也不断取得新进展。汉语已作为正式外语课程被菲律宾教育部纳入公立中学课程体系。菲律宾教育部汉语项目督导章石芳介绍，目前全菲已有82所公立中学开设了汉语课程，中方帮助培养在职汉语教师达304名，2018年参加汉语水平考试的菲律宾公立中学学生人数达到1.1万人，“汉语教学在菲律宾主流社会呈现出蓬勃发展的态势，菲律宾教育部期待和中国国家汉办/孔子学院总部在本土汉语师资培养等项目上进一步加强合作。”

中菲关系转圜以来，旅游合作成为一大亮点。2018年1月至7月，中国赴菲律宾旅游人数为76万人次，比2017年增加40%，全年游客总数有望突破150万人次。

中菲民间交往还体现在患难中的可贵友谊。每当菲律宾遭受自然灾害，中国人民总是在第一时间伸出援手。中方积极援助马拉维基础设施重建，推进菲农村饮水泵站等项目，用实际行动支持菲律宾提振民生、减贫助困、实现可持续发展。
“菲中关系正处在近年来的最好时期。”菲中了解协会副主席本纳迪克托对本报记者表示，“相信两国通过扩大开放交流，能够不断增进彼此了解与互信，夯实民意基础，做值得信赖的合作伙伴。”

今年，菲律宾芭蕾舞团访问北京和上海，这既是继2016年中国芭蕾舞剧《大红灯笼高高挂》在菲演出后的首次互访。图为菲律宾舞蹈演员在北京演出时的场景。（图片来源：新华社）

By Mark Caswell

British Airways has launched a bonus Avios promotion for Executive Club members looking to purchase or gift points this month.

Those buying Avios by 2359 GMT on November 25 will receive between 20 per cent and 45 per cent bonus points depending on the number of Avios purchased.

Members buying between 1,000 and 15,000 Avios will receive a 20 per cent bonus, while those purchasing between 20,000 and 35,000 will receive a 30 per cent bonus.

Members buying between 40,000 and 90,000 Avios will receive a 35 per cent bonus, and finally those purchasing between 100,000 and 200,000 Avios will get a bonus of 45 per cent.

Earlier this week the carrier also released 50,000 extra Club World seats for reward redemptions.

The extra seats are available to book until December 2 and cover a variety of routes to and from London, including New York, Dubai and Johannesburg.

By Tom Finn

The pound rallied as much as half a percent on Friday as British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would pursue her Brexit plan after resignations in her government sent sterling tumbling.

The currency rose to a day’s high of $1.2834, up half a percent on the day, as May struck a defiant tone on Friday and vowed to take Britain out of the European Union next March as planned.

Against a stronger euro, the pound traded up 0.1 percent at 88.58 pence after suffering its biggest daily decline on Thursday since October 2016.

By People’s Daily

China hopes that positive results could be yielded from the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting in terms of building open economy, pushing all-round cooperation, deepening partnership and planning for the post-2020 vision, senior officials told a press briefing hosted by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will, based on the big development picture of the whole world and Asia-Pacific region, elaborate on China’s stand and proposition when he attends the 26th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting upon invitation from Nov. 17 to 18 at Papua New Guinea’s capital city of Port Moresby, said Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun.

Xi will also set cooperation direction, consolidate partnership, deepen pragmatic cooperation and address common challenges, so as to push Asia-Pacific cooperation for healthy and stable development, Zhang added.

Under the theme “Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future”, the leaders will exchange views, pool consensus, and issue leaders’ declaration on topics including regional economic integration, digital economy, connectivity, as well as sustainable and inclusive growth, the assistant minister noted.

On the economic and trade front, Assistant Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said at the press briefing that the APEC meeting is expected to push for economic and trade connectivity in an all-round manner.

It will strive for new progress in building Asia-Pacific Model E-Port Network, push for key achievements from global value chain cooperation and finish the preliminary establishment of the APEC Trade in Value Added (TiVA) Database, he expounded.

Li added that the meeting is also projected to deepen cooperation on regional economic integration, push for the building of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), and make economic and trade preparation for post-2020 vision.

China will declare its support to shape the post-2020 vision, as well as its stand to continue promoting regional liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, said Li, adding that the country will also encourage the meeting to send positive signals on multilateral trading system.

Photo taken on Nov. 10, 2018 shows the aerial view of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings will run from Nov. 12 to 18 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

中方期待APEC会议取得积极成果

中国外交部13日举行中外媒体吹风会。中国外交部部长助理张军和中国商务部部长助理李成钢介绍中国国家主席习近平出席亚太经合组织(APEC)第二十六次领导人非正式会议有关情况，并回答记者提问。

张军表示，APEC第二十六次领导人非正式会议将于11月17日至18日在莫尔兹比港举行。习近平主席将应邀出席会议。习近平主席将结合当前世界和亚太发展大势，深入阐述中方立场主张，把握合作方向，巩固伙伴关系，深化务实合作，应对共同挑战，推动亚太合作健康、稳定发展。

张军指出，这次会议主题为“把握包容性机遇，拥抱数字化未来”。各方将围绕区域经济一体化、数字经济、互联互通、可持续和包容增长等议题交换看法、凝聚共识，并发表领导人宣言。中方希望会议在构建开放型经济，推进各领域合作，深化伙伴关系和规划2020年后合作愿景等方面取得积极成果。

李成钢表示，今年APEC会议有望取得以下经贸成果：第一，全方位推动经贸互联互通。一是推动亚太示范电子口岸网络建设取得新进展；二是全球价值链合作取得重要成果，基本建成APEC贸易增加值数据库。第二，深化区域经济一体化合作进程，推动亚太自贸区发展。第三，为2020年后合作愿景贡献经贸要素。中方将在本次会议中表明对制订2020年后合作愿景的支持和持续推进区域贸易投资自由化便利化的立场。此外，中方还将推动会议发出支持多边贸易体制的积极信号。

By People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visits to Brunei and the Philippines were of milestone significance to upgrade China’s ties with the two countries in the new era, a senior official told a press briefing hosted by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

His trip this time, lasting from Nov. 18 to 21, was not only Xi’s first visit to the two countries, but also the first visit to the two countries by a Chinese President in 13 years, Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said.

Xi’s upcoming state visit to Brunei was a realization of historic mutual visits between the two heads of state in a short time span, Kong said, adding that this year marked the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic cooperative partnership between the pair of friendly neighbors.

During the visit, the two leaders would make an overall planning on where bilateral relations would go in the next step, he said.

Kong added that both sides were expected to publish a joint statement to intensify their joint construction of the Belt and Road as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

China and the Philippines were now increasingly uplifting their mutual political trust and moving in full swing to recover their cooperation, said Kong, stressing that the Philippines was a friendly neighbor and important partner of China.

The two countries will continue to deal with the South China Sea issue through dialogue and consultation and support each other on regional and multilateral occasions, according to the vice minister.

Leaders of the two countries would draw out new strategic plans on future bilateral relationship, comprehensively bolster pragmatic cooperation in all fields, and exchange in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern, he added.

A joint statement is going to be announced as the two sides are preparing cooperation documents on trade, infrastructure, and cultural exchanges, according to Kong.

中国国家元首时隔13年再次往访文莱和菲律宾

中国国家主席习近平将于11月18日至21日对文莱、菲律宾进行国事访问。中国外交部13日举行中外媒体吹风会，中国外交部副部长孔铉佑介绍习近平对文莱和菲律宾进行国事访问的有关情况，并回答记者提问。

孔铉佑表示，此系习近平主席对文莱和菲律宾的首访，也是中国国家元首时隔13年再次往访，对新时期提升中文、中菲关系具有里程碑意义。中文是友好近邻，今年是中文建立战略合作关系5周年。习近平主席此次对文莱国事访问，将实现两国元首短期内历史性互访，共同为中文关系下步发展作出顶层设计。双方拟在此访期间发表联合声明，两国有关部门正在商谈涉及共建“一带一路”、人文交往等领域合作文件。

孔铉佑表示，菲律宾是中国的友好近邻和重要伙伴。当前，双方政治互信不断提升，各领域合作全面恢复发展，继续通过对话协商妥善处理南海问题，在区域和多边层面彼此支持。两国领导人将就中菲关系发展作出新的战略规划，全面提升各领域务实合作，并就共同关心的国际地区问题深入交换意见。双方拟在此访期间发表联合声明，两国有关部门正在商谈涉及经贸、基础设施建设、人文等多项合作文件。

In pics: Chinese-built school in Papua New Guinea to help 3,000 local students go back to school

By Du Mingming, Liu Qing, Liu Ning

The China-PNG friendship school, Butuka Academy, is located in Port Moresby South of Papua New Guinea. The campus construction was completed in August, marking the first development aid project undertaken by Port Moresby’s friendship city in China, Shenzhen, contracted to China Construction Steel Structure Corp. Ltd. The school is big enough to help 3,000 local students get back into the classroom.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has resigned from Prime Minister Theresa May’s government in opposition to the draft deal she has agreed for leaving the European Union.

“I cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal with the EU,” Raab tweeted.

“Above all, I cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made to the country in our manifesto at the last election,” he said in a copy of a letter addressed to May, which he posted alongside his tweet.

On Wednesday, May secured the backing of her cabinet for the withdrawal agreement, which spells out the terms of Britain’s departure from the EU, as well as an outline declaration on the future relationship.

“This is, at its heart, a matter of public trust,” Raab said.

Without a transitional agreement in place, EU laws would no longer apply in Britain after March 29, 2019, likely triggering chaos and economic pain in both Britain and the EU

By Feng Hua, People’s Daily

A series of important economic data was released in October. China’s economy performed within an appropriate range, growing 6.7 percent in the first three quarters of 2018. It maintained stable and safe, laying a solid foundation for reaching the target annual growth of around 6.5 percent.

Such data indicated the basis for China’s economic stability, and also suggested the

country’s growing potential despite the obvious changes of extgrowthnvironment.

Therefore, the analysis of ecthe onomic data calls for not only looking into the short-term ups and downs, but also accurately grasping the momentum of medium and long-term economic development. It would be easy to see the resilience and potential of the Chinese economy by taking into consideration both the current situation and future trend.

The resilience and potential rest with consumption upgrading and structural optimization. In the first three quarters, consumption contributed 78 percent to China’s economic growth, up 14 percentage points from a year ago.

China’s total consumption is still enlarging, and consumption structure upgrading. During the National Day holiday, the sales volume of retail and catering enterprises across the country has reached 1.4 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year daily sales growth of 9.5 percent.

The sales volume of washer dryer combos, water purifiers, air conditioners with purifier options, and smart toilet seat covers doubled and even tripled compared with that in the same period last year.

Traditional consumption of food, clothing and daily necessities has been upgraded, and the consumers now focus more on quality-, customization-, and experience-oriented consumption. They are positive changes brought by China’s consumption upgrading.

The resilience and potential of the Chinese economy come from market vitality and innovation. Starting from this October, a rise of disposable income will be seen on the payrolls of many people, as the country has raised the minimum threshold for personal income tax from 3,500 yuan (about $510) to 5,000 yuan per month.

More pleasantly, China is planning to add more deductible items from taxable personal incomes. Besides, the country is also releasing the signal to slash taxes and fees and stabilize market expectations, in order to stimulate market vitality.

From January to September, the growth rate of fixed-asset investment was 5.4 percent, putting an end to the continuous growth decline since the start of this year. A big part of the growth came from the manufacturing industry, for which the country implemented tax reduction policies and relaxed financing restrictions.

The latest statistics indicates that China’s total research and development investment last year increased by 12.3 percent year-on-year and reached a new high. It can be expected that the subsequent series of reductions on taxes and fees will give enterprises a larger room for innovation and development.

The resilience and potential are also rooted in the strong willpower of China. Over the past four decades, China has firmly stuck to its goals no matter how the world or the market changed. In this October, a set of reform measures were launched to cheer on poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

China observed the Fifth National Poverty Relief Day on Oct. 17. By that day, 85 poverty-stricken counties were lifted out of poverty. The country’s rural impoverished population dropped by 68.53 million in the past five years, and the poverty reduction rate reached 70 percent.

This year marks the first anniversary of the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. China now stands at a new starting point of developing agriculture, rural areas and farmers, with rural reforms deepened across the board, modernization of agriculture and rural areas accelerated, weakness improved and the solid foundation cemented.

中国经济的韧性与潜能

人民日报-冯 华

10月份，一系列重要经济数据密集发布。中国经济增长在前三季度取得6.7%的好成绩，继续稳定运行在合理区间，保持了总体平稳、稳中有进的发展态势，为全年实现6.5%左右的增长目标打下了坚实基础。

在外部环境发生明显变化的情况下，经济数据让人们看到了中国经济“稳”的基础，而透过这些数据，更能看到中国经济“进”的本质。因此，对经济数据的分析不仅要看短期升降之“形”，更要准确把握数字背后酝酿的经济中长期向好之“势”。察“形”辨“势”，就不难感受到中国经济的韧性与潜能。

这份韧性与潜能，蕴藏于消费升级和结构优化中。今年前三季度，消费对中国经济增长的贡献达到78%，比上年同期提高14个百分点。多维度看消费，消费总量仍在扩大，消费结构持续升级。“十一”长假，全国零售和餐饮企业实现销售额约1.4万亿元，日均销售额比去年同期增长9.5%，洗干一体机、净水器、健康空调、智能马桶盖销量同比增长1—2倍。吃穿用等传统消费提质升级，品质化、个性化、体验式消费引领潮流，展现出我国消费升级带来的积极变化。

这份韧性与潜能，来源于市场活力与创新动力。10月份，不少人惊喜地发现，工资单上已经有了不小的获得感，而个税专项扣除的“第二波”红包又在紧锣密鼓推出。不仅是个税，更多减税降费、稳定市场预期的信号也在释放，激发市场主体更多活力。1—9月固定资产投资增速5.4%，结束了今年以来的持续下跌，其中制造业投资增速是重要支撑力量，而这主要得益于减税政策的逐步落地以及放宽对制造业融资方面的限制。最新数据显示，我国去年研发投入总量同比增长12.3%，再创新高，可以期待，后续的一系列减税降费“红包”将给企业创新发展以更大的空间。

这份韧性与潜能，更植根于我们自身的定力之中。40年一路走来，不管外界如何变幻、市场如何跌宕，我们始终坚守既定目标。10月，各项改革紧锣密鼓推出，脱贫攻坚、乡村振兴战略在重要时间节点上再次加油鼓劲。在第五个国家扶贫日到来之际，85个贫困县脱贫摘帽，5年多时间全国农村贫困人口累计脱贫6853万人，减贫幅度达70%左右；乡村振兴战略实施一周年，农村改革全面深化，农业农村现代化加快推进，短板正在补齐，基础越夯越实，我国“三农”发展站上新起点。

By People’s Daily

China is the most optimistic country in the world, with over 91.4 percent of its citizens believing their country is advancing towards a better society in the next decade, according to a report released by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on November 12.

The report was based on a global survey of 50 counties to examine how well societies are meeting the demands of the people, how citizens feel about their countries’ progress and how countries’ development matches citizens’ vision of society.

The survey showed that respondents in the emerging markets of Asia and Africa were more content with their countries’ governance compared with the people in the OECD region. More than 70 percent of respondents in China, Indonesia and Vietnam believe that their country is moving towards a better society, while the number in the US is 38 percent, and Germany and Italy 12 percent.

The report also indicated that developing countries are embracing science and technology for better development. India and China are strongly competitive in such areas as artificial intelligence and digitalization, and leapfrog innovation is helping Africans overcome infrastructure constraints.

Moreover, healthcare is found to be citizens’ priorities, followed by social protection, access to education, public order, transport infrastructure and the environment.

经济学人智库报告：中国受访者对国家未来最乐观

英国经济学人智库12日发布全球调查报告，通过对全球50个国家的公民进行调查，剖析当今社会如何满足公民需求，公民如何看待国家进步以及这种进步与公民理想的社会愿景之间的关系。

调查发现，与经合组织国家相比，亚非新兴经济体公民对国家治理更为满意。中国、印度尼西亚和越南七成以上的公民认为国家正在变得更好，而美国、德国和意大利持这一看法的公民分别为38％、12％和12％。其中中国受访者对国家未来最乐观，有91.4％的中国受访者认为中国将在未来10年继续进步，朝着建设更加美好的社会前进。

报告表明，许多发展中国家正在拥抱科技实现发展，印度和中国在人工智能和数字化等领域具备优势，跨越式创新正在帮助非洲人民克服基础设施的制约。医疗是各国公民最关心的问题，其次是社会保障、教育、公共秩序、交通及环境等。

（来源：人民日报）

World leaders, including Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, gathered under driving rain in Paris on Sunday to lead global commemorations marking 100 years since the end of World War I, at a time of growing nationalism and diplomatic tensions.
Around 70 leaders, among whom were US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin marked the centenary of the 1918 Armistice in the French capital at 11am local time (1000 GMT).
After church bells rang out across France, the leaders sat together at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe for a memorial that included classical music and the reading aloud of letters by WWI soldiers.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a near 20-minute speech that called on his fellow leaders not to forget the lessons of the past and the hopes of people worldwide for peace.
“Ruining this hope with a fascination for withdrawal, violence or domination would be a mistake for which future generations would rightly find us responsible,” Macron told them.
He added: “Let us build our hopes rather than playing our fears against each other.”
The service concluded with the bugle call that was played at 11am on November 11, 1918 to signal the end of fighting on the Western Front.
Ceremonies in New Zealand, Australia, India, Hong Kong and Myanmar began a day of memorial events around the world for a conflict that involved millions of troops from colonised countries in Asia and Africa.
The leaders of Commonwealth nations — whose forces were deployed under British command 100 years ago — also sounded a message of peace and hope for the world in the new century.
“This was a war in which India was not directly involved yet our soldiers fought world over, just for the cause of peace,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
“For our tomorrows, they gave their today,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told people gathered at a ceremony in Canberra.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and Prince Charles, standing in for Queen Elizabeth, attended a separate remembrance event in London where thousands of well-wishers also paid their respects to fallen soldiers.
Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who on Saturday poignantly visited the forest clearing in northeastern France where the Armistice was signed, had signalled beforehand that they intended to use the Paris ceremony to warn about the modern-day danger of nationalism.
“This day is not just about remembering, but should be about a call to action,” Merkel said on Saturday.
Merkel will give the opening address alongside UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at a peace conference in Paris following the memorial service on the Champs-Elysees.
The Paris Peace Forum, conceived by Macron, is intended to highlight the importance of international institutions in helping resolve conflicts, avert wars and spread prosperity.
“The aim of the forum is to show that there are lots of forces in the international system — states, NGOs, foundations, intellectuals, companies — who believe we need a world of rules, an open world and a multilateral world,” chief organiser Justin Vaisse told AFP.
Despite the show of unity at the Arc de Triomphe, tensions lurk beneath the surface.
Trump, whose hardline nationalism has badly shaken the Western alliance, arrived in Paris on Friday criticising host Macron for being “insulting”.
The “America First” leader, who faced criticism on Saturday for cancelling a trip to an American cemetery because of rainy weather, will snub the Peace Forum.
Other attendees of the memorial service and Forum included Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau and Israel’s Benyamin Netanyahu, as well as Putin.
Sunday’s ceremony was deliberately international and cross-cultural.
The French-born Chinese-American cellist Yo-yo Ma, West African singer Angelique Kidjo and a European youth orchestra with a Russian conductor all performed. police were on duty to ensure maximum security in a city repeatedly targeted by jihadists since 2015.
Despite these measures, a protester from the radical feminist group Femen managed to jump over a barricade and got within metres of Trump’s motorcade as he made his way up the Champs-Elysees.
She was hauled away by security along with two others who were stopped on the edge of the famous avenue.
About 70 current-day nations were involved in WWI, which had six empires and colonial powers at its heart: Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
Around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during the fighting and more than double that number wounded.
Between five and 10 million civilians are estimated to have been killed. NAN