NATION: WATER CONSERVATIONРЕЛИЗ EFFORTS ПОДГОТОВИЛА P.30 ГРУППА "What's | BUSINESS: News" VK.COM/WSNWS LOCAL GOV’T BONDS A HIT P.38
VOL.62 NO.16 APRIL 18, 2019 WWW.BJREVIEW.COM
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VOL.62 NO.16 APRIL 18, 2019 CONTENTS
EDITOR’S DESK 02 Sharing Opportunities THIS WEEK COVER STORY WORLD 28 Undiminished in Value Peaceful principles celebrate 65th anniversary NATION 30 Saving Every Drop Multi-pronged approach to water conservation 32 From Poverty to Prosperity COVER STORY Inclusive development in Tibet | BUSINESS P.12 For the Public Good 38 The New Hot Cake Sale %HOWDQG5RDG,QLWLDWLYHGHOLYHUVWDQJLEOHEHQHĶWV People snap up new government bonds P.16 | In the Driver’s Seat 40 Market Watch Chinese automakers expand overseas presence CULTURE 44 Guarding a Legacy P.18 | Digital Route, Closer Ties Potala Palace documents protected E-commerce fuels cooperation along new Silk Road routes FORUM 46 Why Are More Single Women P.20 | Solution for Disputes Buying Their Own Apartments? Chinese wisdom helps in dispute settlement ESSAY | 48 1HWWLQJ7DOHQW'HßFLW)URP P.22 Belt and Road: The View From Sri Lanka Student Exchange With U.S. Ambassador shares his visions /HYHOLQJWKHHGXFDWLRQDOSOD\LQJĶHOG P.24 | Roads to the West Why some are blind to the win-win initiative
Cover Design: Wang Yajuan
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A News Weekly Magazine Published Since 1958
President: Li Yafang Vice President: Luo Xianyong Associate Editors in Chief: Li Jianguo, Ding Zhitao Sharing Opportunities Assistant President: Li Zhenzhou
Executive Editor: Yan Wei Since Chinese President Xi Jinping pro- each other: policies, infrastructure, trade, Associate Executive Editors: Zan Jifang, Liu Yunyun, Ding Ying posed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, ĶQDQFHDQGSHRSOHWRSHRSOHH[FKDQJHV Production Director: Yao Bin Editorial Administrators: Zeng Wenhui, Shi Bosen it has followed the golden rules of exten- In addition, China has actively worked Assistant Executive Editor: Li Fangfang sive consultation, joint contribution and to create synergy with modernization Commentator: Lan Xinzhen VKDUHGEHQHĶWVDORQJZLWKWKH6LON5RDG programs in other countries, such as Opinion/Culture Editor: Ding Ying World Editor: Yu Lintao Spirit of peace and cooperation, open- Kazakhstan’s new economic policy of Nation Editor: Zan Jifang ness and inclusiveness, mutual learning Nurly Zhol or Bright Path, Mongolia’s Business Editor: Deng Yaqing Web Editor: Li Nan DQGPXWXDOEHQHĶW7KHLQLWLDWLYHZKLFKLV Prairie Road Development initiative, Editorial Consultants: Rebeca Toledo, Craig Crowther, being recognized and accepted by more Russia’s transcontinental rail plan and Sudeshna Sarkar and more countries, is becoming a link to Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum. Staff Reporters: Tang Yuankai, Wang Jun, Pan Xiaoqiao, Yuan Yuan, Wang Hairong, Ji Jing, Lu Yan, Wen Qing, Li Qing, Li Xiaoyang, closer cooperation and common develop- The China railway express to Europe Ma Miaomiao, Zhang Shasha ment for China and other participating has created an important transport Visual Director: Pamela Tobey countries. network connecting sub-regions in Asia Photo Editor: Wang Xiang Photographer: Wei Yao To date, more than 150 countries and and linking China and Europe. The trade Art: Li Shigong international organizations have signed volume between China and other partici- Design Director: Wang Yajuan Chief Designer: Cui Xiaodong cooperation documents with China. pating countries reached $1.3 trillion in Designer: Zhao Boyu Moreover, during Xi’s visit to Italy in March, 2018, up 16.3 percent year on year, and Proofreading: Ma Xin, Hou Beibei WKHFRXQWU\EHFDPHWKHĶUVWPHPEHURI 3.7 percentage points higher than China’s Distribution Director: Hu Keqiang the Group of Seven to sign a memoran- foreign trade growth. Human Resources: Zhang Yajie dum of understanding on the initiative The Silk Road Fund, in which Marketing/PR Director: Pan Changqing Legal Counsel: Yue Cheng with China. China input $40 billion, and the Asian North America Bureau The Second Belt and Road Forum for Infrastructure Investment Bank have Chief: Yu Shujun International Cooperation will be held in helped to promote financing connectiv- Tel/Fax: 1-201-792-0334 Beijing in late April under the theme of ity. In the first two months of the year, E-mail: [email protected] Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Chinese companies increased investment Africa Bureau Brighter Shared Future. China will invite in 48 Belt and Road participating coun- Chief: Li Jianguo Tel: 27-71-6132053 other participating countries to share in tries, totaling $2.3 billion, up 7 percent E-mail: [email protected] its development opportunities. 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2 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEK XINHUA
FIRST IMAGE OF BLACK HOLE 7KHĶUVWHYHULPDJHRIDVXSHUPDVVLYHEODFNKROHDWWKHKHDUWRIWKHGLVWDQWJDOD[\0HVVLHULVXQYHLOHG during a press conference held by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory on April 10. The image, based on observations from the Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes created by international collaboration of over 200 scientists for years, was released during coordinated press conferences across the globe at 9:00 p.m., Beijing time. The landmark result offers scientists a new way to study the most distant and volatile objects in the XQLYHUVHDQGKHOSHGFRQĶUP$OEHUW(LQVWHLQoVWKHRU\RIJHQHUDOUHODWLYLW\
http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 3 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEK SOCIETY XINHUA support favored by most seniors and community-support and nursing homes growing fast, according to an industry report. To understand the country’s old-age care industry, analysts with the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute (QIRI) suggested investors remember the number “9073.” According to the QIRI report, the number offers investors a better clue of the general segmentation of China’s elderly care services, as 90 percent of seniors rely on family support, 7 percent on residential community-based care services and 3 percent on nursing homes. Citing statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, the report projected a huge market potential. As of the end of 2018, the total number of Chinese seniors (60 and above) reached 249.49 million, and it is expected to surpass 300 million in 2025. By the end of 2018, there were only 29,800 registered senior care +RPHó6PDUWó+RPH institutions with 3.98 million beds in the whole country. If 3 percent of A visitor tests a smart home system during the Seventh China Information Technology Expo in Shenzhen, south China’s seniors live in senior care institutions Guangdong Province, on April 9. in 2025, the total number of beds should surpass 9 million, the report said. Meanwhile, the country needs more products for the elderly. &KLQD$IULFDó7LHV attaches great importance to the Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, a professor According to a survey on urban and establishment of the China-Africa of political science and international rural seniors released in October Experts and scholars from Africa Institute. relations at the University of Abuja in lauded the great importance 2016, some 65.6 percent of seniors Recalling the joint decision by Nigeria, said the establishment of the used products specially designed for Chinese President Xi Jinping attaches the two sides to build a closer China- institute is an important step toward to China’s ties with the continent, the elderly. Among this consumer Africa community with a shared building a closer China-Africa group, 46.8 percent of them used saying a newly established institute future, Riruako said the new body community with a shared future and presbyopic glasses. will contribute greatly to the devel- will help increase people-to-people shows China’s sincerity and determi- False teeth, blood pressure opment of bilateral ties. exchanges and consolidate bilateral nation in improving communication monitors and walking sticks are used At the inauguration of the EQPPGEVKQPUCETQUUXCTKQWU³GNFU and understanding between the two by 27 percent, 14.2 percent and 9.3 China-Africa Institute on April 9, He expressed hope that the sides. percent of the senior population, Xi reiterated in a congratulatory institute will serve as a bridge for Silas Lwakabamba, Rwanda’s respectively. letter the time-honored friendship China-Africa dialogue and coopera- former Minister of Education, said Other popular products include between China and Africa and the tion and that with people-to-people the institute will help African think blood sugar monitors, massage INQDCNUKIPK³ECPEGQHVJGKTTGNCVKQPU exchanges increasing, more chances tanks deepen research on China’s equipment, wheelchairs, hearing- He urged the institute to draw on will be available for African students development and learn from China’s aids and adult diapers, said the academic resources from both sides, to pursue further education in China. experience, and enable China to bet- report. enhance mutual understanding and Nasser Bouchiba, President ter understand Africa. friendship, and provide ideas and of the Africa-China Cooperation advice for China-Africa cooperation. Association for Development, said he )LJKWLQJó'HVHUW Hoze Riruako, a political analyst believes that the institute will provide 2OG$JHó,QGXVWU\ Inner Mongolia Autonomous and lecturer in political science at a solid foundation for the theoretical Elderly Chinese citizens need better Region, lying at the forefront of the University of Namibia, said Xi research needed to boost ties. old-age care services, with family %JKPC«U³IJVCICKPUVFGUGTVK³ECVKQP
4 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEK XINHUA will afforest over 860,000 hectares Mobile phones have deeply in 2019, local authorities said on penetrated people’s lives, the news- April 9. paper said, noting that people clutch In recent years, Inner Mongolia at their phones almost whenever has completed an afforestation they are awake, even when they are project covering more than 666,700 with someone else. hectares every year, accounting for “Social media, taking pictures, one ninth of the national total. payment, navigation... The continu- The region’s afforestation efforts QWU´QYQHKPHQTOCVKQPKUNKMGDCKV will consolidate its role as an impor- DGKPIURTGCFCTQWPFC³UJVJCV tant ecological barrier protecting OCMGUVJG³UJVQQDWU[VQHQEWUQP north China, said Mu Yuan, Director one thing,” the newspaper read. of the regional forestry and grass- The newspaper cited an All- land bureau. China Women’s Federation report The region will also plant over 2 that 43 percent of the respondents million hectares of grass this year. said they use smartphones or The ecological restoration of tablet computers at family gather- major grasslands and the quality ings. The more frequently they use of afforestation have also been mobile devices before going to highlighted. Data shows that Inner bed, the lower their satisfaction rate Mongolia now has more than 26 of marriage. million hectares of forests. Its forest 3LFNLQJó7HD coverage rate has risen by 1.07 per- /DUJHó&LW\ó5HVLGHQF\ Foreign students pick tea leaves at a tea garden in Lushan, east China’s Jiangxi centage points to 22.1 percent from Province, on April 8. Fifty foreign students came to an ecological tea garden 21.03 percent in 2013. China will ease the requirements for in Lushan to experience traditional tea culture of China. Inner Mongolia is home to permanent residency in many large several large deserts such as Badain cities as part of its new urbanization Jaran, Tengger, Ulan Buh and push. Kubuqi. The reduced number of Restrictions on permanent resi- sandstorms in north China has been dence permits should be scrapped get such permits should be removed, JCUECWUGFNCTIGRQRWNCVKQP´QYU ETGFKVGFVQVCOKPIFGUGTVK³ECVKQP in cities with populations between 1 the document said. from rural to urban areas, only those over recent decades. million and 3 million, according to Previously, the country has registered with permanent residence a document outlining key urbaniza- already gradually abolished perma- permits are fully entitled to social tion tasks this year released by the nent residency restrictions in small welfare in their resident cities. 3KRQHó2EVHVVLRQ National Development and Reform and medium-sized cities and towns Basic public services should An article in People’s Daily said if Commission (NDRC), the country’s with populations below 1 million. be guaranteed for unregistered someone in a relationship spends top economic planner, on April 8. The NDRC document also permanent residents in cities, with too much time on his or her phone For cities with populations of 3 demanded cities with populations an increased supply of education and becomes estranged from and OKNNKQPVQOKNNKQPVJGSWCNK³EC above 5 million to improve their resources in cities where there are causes mental harm to their partner tions for such permits should be policies and drastically expand the a sizable number of children of VJCVECPPQYDGENCUUK³GFCUCHQTO “fully relaxed,” and the restrictions scale of permanent permits. migrant workers, according to the of domestic violence. for certain key groups of people to While fast urbanization in China NDRC document. XINHUA
,Qó)XOOó%ORRP 6QWTKUVUVCMGRJQVQUFWTKPIC´QYGTGZJKDKVKQPCVVJG5NGPFGT9GUV.CMG in Yangzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, on April 8. During the GZJKDKVKQPQXGT´QYGTUHGUVQQPGFVJGRCTM
http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 5 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEK ECONOMY
ECUGUKPXQNXKPI³PCPEKCNFKURWVGU into the country by individuals, in- 20 percent from the previous 25 per- )LQDQFLDOó&RXUW on the other hand, it needs to truly cluding food, medicines, textiles and cent, it said. The Shanghai Financial Court has RNC[VJGTQNGQH³PCPEKCNLWFIGD[ information technology products, The move was aimed at expand- accepted nearly 2,900 cases since its OCMKPIªITGCVLWFIOGPVU«QP³TUV the Customs Tariff Commission of ing imports and boosting domestic establishment in August 2018, with complex and typical cases, so as to the State Council announced on consumption, with tax rates lowered the total amount of claims surpass- stabilize market expectations and April 8. for many daily consumer goods, the ing 40 billion yuan ($6 billion). enhance the market order and rule,” Starting on April 9, the tax rate commission said. Xiao Kai, the court’s vice presi- Xiao said. on inbound articles included on the FGPVTGXGCNGFVJG³IWTGQP#RTKN William Blair, former judge in No.1 taxable item list, which includes ,QQRYDWLRQó%RRP at a symposium on globalization, charge of the London Commercial books, computers, food, furniture China is catching up with the U.S. in peaceful development of China Court of the High Court of England and medicines, will be reduced to 13 innovation, according to the indica- and major transnational litigation in and Wales, said at the symposium percent from the previous 15 percent, tors shown in a U.S. think tank report Shanghai. that the Shanghai Financial Court will the commission said in an online released on April 8. 6JGEQWTVKUVJGEQWPVT[«U³TUV make a very important contribution statement. During the past decade, China VQURGEKCNK\GKPJCPFNKPI³PCPEG DGECWUGKVKUCURGEKCNKUV³PCPEKCNEQWTV Some medicines that are cur- has been closing the gap with the U.S. related cases. “This will help contribute to rently subject to a 3-percent import rapidly and now even leads in some Xiao said the main types of ³PCPEKCNUVCDKNKV[CPFYKNNOCMG value-added tax rate, including anti- instances, says the report published cases accepted by the court were dis- %JKPGUG³PCPEKCNNCYDGVVGTWPFGT cancer drugs and medicines for rare by Information Technology and RWVGUKPXQNXKPIUGEWTKVKGU³PCPEKCN stood worldwide,” he said. diseases, will enjoy a favorable tax borrowing contracts, corporate bond rate. Innovation Foundation (ITIF). VTCFKPI³PCPEKCNNGCUGEQPVTCEVUCPF The tax rate on No.2 taxable In 2007, China’s investment business trust. /RZHUó7D[ó5DWHV items, including some sporting in R&D was 33 percent less than “On the one hand, the court China will lower the tax rates on a goods, textiles, electronic appliances that in the U.S. But by 2017, China needs to resolve a large number of range of goods brought or mailed and bicycles, will be lowered to JCFUKIPK³ECPVN[ENQUGFVJGICRD[ reaching 76 percent of U.S. levels and surpassing the EU, according to the report. Chinese government institutions XINHUA spent more on R&D as a share of GDP than the U.S., going from 84 percent of U.S. levels in 2007, to 119 percent in 2017. Chinese venture capital markets were extremely small in 2006, 3.7 percent of U.S. venture capital funding. But in 2016, venture capital ³TOUKP%JKPCRTQXKFGFJCNHCUOWEJ HWPFKPICUVJG³TOUFKFKPVJG75 China’s research universities scored just 9.5 percent of that of the U.S. in 2009, but closed the gap to 28 percent by 2018, based on the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. Also, China’s hi-tech manu- facturing value added grew from 30 percent in 2006 to 77 percent in 2016. If this growth rate were to continue, China would exceed the U.S. in hi-tech manufacturing value added by 2020. 2SWLPLVWLFó2XWORRN *UHHQHUó3DVWXUHV China’s small businesses are (CTOGTUYQTMKPCXGIGVCDNG³GNFKP/KNGUQWVJYGUV%JKPC«U;WPPCP2TQXKPEGQP#RTKN.QECNFKUVKPEVKXGXGIGVCDNGU cautiously optimistic amid the antici- have been sold widely across China, helping greatly improve farmers’ income. pated global economic downtrend
6 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEK XINHUA and a slowing global economy, popular form of advertisement for Changyong Rhee, director of the sellers on Alibaba’s e-commerce +/(«U#UKCCPF2CEK³E&GRCTVOGPV platforms Taobao and Tmall. But told Xinhua News Agency. the frequently updated videos are In its latest annual government often left unpatented due to a long work report, China set its 2019 GDP application process of 10 to 30 days, growth target at 6-6.5 percent. The facing increasing risks of being used world’s second largest economy by other sellers. also pledged to continue pursuing To curb the new type of piracy, high-quality development. Alibaba’s security lab has created The IMF’s medium-term forecast ¨³PIGTRTKPVU©HQTCNNQTKIKPCNXKFGQU sees a gradual slowdown in China “as on Taobao and Tmall based on internal rebalancing toward a private characteristics such as coding and consumption and services-based compression of each frame, said He economy continues and regulatory Yuan, a senior algorithm expert at tightening slows the accumulation of the lab. debt and associated vulnerabilities.” Businesses participating in the The latest WEO report projected project can upload their videos and a 6.1 percent growth rate for China in JCXG¨³PIGTRTKPVU©IGPGTCVGFCWVQ 7UDGHó)HDVW 2020, slightly down from the previ- matically, which are then compared against the database with hundreds A visitor tries out a new-energy car at the China International Investment and ous estimation of 6.2 percent. of millions of videos across the Trade Fair held in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, on April 8. platforms to determine if it is the More than 15,700 business delegates, including 2,566 from overseas, took )LJKWLQJó3LUDF\ original. part in the fair. China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba After being online for about a has created a project for “video month, more than 7,000 businesses ³PIGTRTKPVU©CVGEJPQNQI[VJCVIKXGU have signed up to participate in the each original video a unique online project. More than 1 million short KFGPVKV[VQ³IJVRKTCE[QPKVUG videos lasting 20 to 30 seconds can in 2019, China Daily reported on of tax reforms last year and plans to commerce platforms. be examined each day, according to April 10, citing an industry report. reduce the tax burdens and social in- Short videos have become a Alibaba. The result of the performance surance contributions of enterprises of small businesses on the Chinese by nearly 2 trillion yuan ($298 mainland elevated the survey aver- billion) this year.
age, with 74 percent of them stating Chan considered the govern- XINHUA that they grew in 2018, higher than ment’s announcement during this the survey average of 66 percent, year’s Two Sessions on increasing said Derek Chan, President of CPA VJGCXCKNCDKNKV[QH³PCPEGHQTUOCNN Australia North China Committee, businesses as a timely measure, adding that the positive conditions which will further improve small would continue in 2019. DWUKPGUUGU«CEEGUUVQ³PCPEG 6JG³PFKPIUHQNNQYGZVGPUKXG surveying of more than 3,600 small business operators in 10 markets, *URZWKó)RUHFDVW including Australia, China, Indonesia, The International Monetary Fund Malaysia and the Philippines. It was (IMF) revised the 2019 growth conducted by CPA Australia, one of projection for China on April 9, up the world’s largest accounting to 6.3 percent, 0.1 percentage points bodies. higher from its previous estimation The survey showed increasing in January, according to the newly EQUVUCTGQPGQHVJGOQUVUKIPK³ECPV released April 2019 World Economic barriers to small business on the Outlook (WEO). Chinese mainland, with over 33 6JGWRYCTFTGXKUKQPTG´GEVGF percent of the surveyed identifying it the combined impact of recent 3RZHULQJó3RZHU as a key challenge. developments in China-U.S. trade Staff members work at a photovoltaic power plant in Shijiazhuang, north To help ease companies’ talks, China’s stronger-than- China’s Hebei Province, on April 8. In recent years, the city has started using burden, China introduced a series GZRGEVGFGZRCPUKQPCT[³UECNRQNKE[ solar power, greatly accelerating the development of clean energy.
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http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 9 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEKPEOPLE & POINTS
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Shan Jixiang retired from his post as curator of the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, on April 8, according to an announcement from the museum. Smartphones Need During his tenure, Shan made multiple innovative attempts to bring the museum closer to ordi- nary people. Smarter Thinking For instance, the areas opened to the public increased from 52 percent in 2014 to 80 percent by the end of 2018. He also made great efforts to develop creative cultural products for the museum. In China Financial Weekly 2017, the sales of its extensive creative product lines reached 1.5 billion April 1 yuan ($223 million). According to data released by International Born in 1954, Shan majored in urban planning and graduated from Data Corporation (IDC), in 2018, global smart- Tsinghua University. Before becoming head of the Palace Museum in phone shipments totaled 1.4 billion units, 2012, he was director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. shrinking by 4.1 percent year on year. For Shan will be succeeded by Wang Xudong, who was formerly di- China, it was a 10-percent fall year on year. rector of the Dunhuang Academy China, a national comprehensive This decline was due to various factors, institution responsible for the conservation, management and research such as people buying fewer new phones. on the Mogao Grottoes located at Dunhuang, northwest China’s Gansu Thanks to innovation in technology, Province. VXFKDVHOHYDWLQJVHOĶHFDPHUDDQGUHYHUVH wireless charging, domestic mobile phones have acquired a formidable reputation and Catkin has been authorized for the work. popularity in the market, especially products Cultural Controversy Another company, China Cultural Tourism by leading enterprises. But they still have a The Beijing News and Creativity, also develops, promotes and sells long way to go. products for the historical site. It later claimed rights Research and development (R&D) April 8 related to the embroidered screen, forcing the and manufacture of smartphones are an The Summer Palace, an imperial garden in Beijing, Summer Palace to clarify the situation once again. integrated industry, and this includes the has launched a series of cosmetics in association While the success of any associated company software, semiconductor, camera and other with a national brand, Catkin. The lipsticks, whose will bring benefits to the Summer Palace, if there relevent industries. However, the supply packaging is inspired by an embroidered screen is any ensuing chaos, it will make consumers chain has failed to meet the needs of enter- artifact, were snapped up on an e-commerce plat- confused. prises and the market. The most direct and form, with 4,000 pieces sold within 24 hours. As the development of cultural creativity in effective way to increase companies’ share However, like the products released by the China is still in a phase of exploration, it is vital to in the market is to improve their R&D capa- Palace Museum, which was the imperial palace clarify the intellectual property rights, other rights bility and produce more services like mobile of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties and responsibilities of authorized enterprises and applications. (1368-1911), the Summer Palace cosmetics too historical sites. All manufacturers agree on this. They have sparked controversy. To improve the situation, the historical in- also agree that it is necessary to win the The first problem is copyright and authoriza- stitutions need patience. During the process of high-end market, which will bring in higher tion. Catkin was accused of doing unauthorized innovation, they not only need to coordinate with profits. However, selling cheap phones has business after the lipsticks were promoted on the relevant parties, but also ensure a more effective been the hallmark of Chinese smartphone e-commerce platform. It forced the Summer mechanism within the legal framework as soon as enterprises for a long time. So to make their Palace to explain that while it holds the copyright, possible.
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10 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS THIS WEEK
Fighting Fire Workers’ Daily April 4 $GHDGO\IRUHVWĶUHEURNHRXWLQ/LDQJVKDQ ¾ <281*ó,'2/ó352027(6ó<287+ó:(/)$5( SURĶWVJURZGRPHVWLFPRELOHSKRQHVQHHG Teenage singer Yi Yangqianxi shared his vision of promoting health among young to not only improve their hardware and people on April 8, citing his experiences working with the World Health Organization brand premium, but also create an ecosys- :+2 DWWKH$VLDDQG3DFLĶFVHVVLRQRIWKH81(FRQRPLFDQG6RFLDO&RXQFLO ´&KLQDóFDOOVóRQóWKHó9HQH]XHODQó ´/RFDOóJRYHUQPHQWVóVKRXOGóOLYHóXSó *RYHUQPHQWóDQGóWKHóRSSRVLWLRQóWRó WRóWKHLUóVXSHUYLVLRQóGXWLHVóDQGóWDNHó VHHNóDóSROLWLFDOóVROXWLRQóWKURXJKó HIIHFWLYHóSUHYHQWLYHóPHDVXUHVóWRó GLDORJXHóDQGóFRQVXOWDWLRQóZLWKLQóWKHó IXQGDPHQWDOO\óNHHSóVDIHW\óDFFLGHQWVó FRXQWU\·VóFRQVWLWXWLRQDOóDQGóOHJDOó IURPóKDSSHQLQJµ IUDPHZRUNµó &KLQHVHó6WDWHó&RXQFLORUóWang YongóDWóDóPHHWLQJó Ma Zhaoxuó&KLQD·Vó3HUPDQHQWó5HSUHVHQWDWLYHóWRóWKHó DKHDGóRIóWKHó&HQWUDOó*RYHUQPHQW·VóLQVSHFWLRQóWRXUó 8QLWHGó1DWLRQVóWHOOLQJóWKHó81ó6HFXULW\ó&RXQFLOóRQó$SULOó RQóSURYLQFLDOóJRYHUQPHQWV·óUROHóLQóSURGXFWLRQóVDIHW\óDQGó ILUHóFRQWUROóRQó$SULOó http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 11 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS ,Qó0D\óó&KLQDóKRVWHGóWKHó)LUVWó%HOWóDQGó5RDGó)RUXPóIRUó,QWHUQDWLRQDOó &RRSHUDWLRQó %5) ó7KHó6HFRQGó%5)óWRóEHóKHOGóLQó%HLMLQJóLQóODWHó$SULOóXQGHUóWKHó WKHPHó%HOWóDQGó5RDGó&RRSHUDWLRQ ó6KDSLQJóDó%ULJKWHUó6KDUHGó)XWXUHóLVóH[SHFWHGó WRóVHQGóDóPHVVDJHóRIóIXUWKHUóVWUHQJWKHQLQJóLQWHUQDWLRQDOóHFRQRPLFóFRRSHUDWLRQó SURPRWLQJóJOREDOóJURZWKóDQGóEXLOGLQJóDQóRSHQóJOREDOóHFRQRP\ó$KHDGóRIóWKHó HYHQWóBeijing ReviewóSUHVHQWVóDóFRYHUóVWRU\óSDFNDJHóLQFOXGLQJóH[SHUWV·ó REVHUYDWLRQVóDVóZHOOóDVóUHSRUWVóIURPóFRPSDQLHVóRQóWKHóJURXQGóWRóGHPRQVWUDWHó KRZóWKLVóLQLWLDWLYHóKDVóJDLQHGóWUDFWLRQóRYHUóWKHó\HDUV COVER STORY FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD The Belt and Road Initiative delivers shared benefits as vision turns into reality By Li Ziguo 12 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS The new runway of the Velana International Airport constructed by Beijing Urban Construction Group Co. Ltd. is seen in Male, the Maldives, on September 14, 2018 The author is deputy director of the Center for the Belt and Road Initiative, China Institute of International Studies participants in the Belt and Road Initiative ZLGHQV,WDO\EHFDPHWKHĶUVWPHPEHURIWKH Group of Seven to sign a memorandum of understanding on the initiative with China in March. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Italy is glad to seize this historic opportu- nity to join the Belt and Road Initiative, with its special geographical advantage in building connectivity. To date, China has signed 173 coopera- tion documents with 125 countries and 29 international organizations. According to Building the Belt and Road: Concept, Practice and China’s Contribution issued in May 2017, there were only 46 agreements with 39 countries and international organiza- tions at the time. Meanwhile, the Belt and Road vision has been incorporated into the documents of major international institu- tions including the UN, the Group of 20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Third-party market cooperation was put XINHUA IRUZDUGIRUWKHĶUVWWLPHE\&KLQDDQG)UDQFH in 2015. Using this concept, China aims to cooperate with developed countries to pro- hen the Belt and Road of the ancient Silk Road. With a view to en- mote the development of the Belt and Road Initiative was first put for- hancing both China’s development and its Initiative. Over the past years, many projects ward in 2013, few might cooperation with global partners, it focuses have been carried out in third-party markets, have imagined that it would RQFHPHQWLQJOLQNVLQĶYHNH\DUHDV SROLFLHV and tangible results have been achieved. encompass more than 150 LQIUDVWUXFWXUHWUDGHĶQDQFHDQGSHRSOHWR Japan, previously reluctant to participate countriesW and international organizations in people bonds. in the initiative, has changed its attitude and collaborative projects in a matter of years. begun to work together with China in third- The initiative, proposed by Chinese party markets. In October 2018, during the President Xi Jinping and consisting of the Policy coordination first forum on China-Japan third-party mar- Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st- The number of cooperation documents ket cooperation, a total of 52 agreements Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to boost signed between China and other countries with a combined value of $18 billion were connectivity along and beyond the routes has increased substantially as the circle of concluded by the two sides. These covered V V http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 13 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS fields such as infrastructure, finance, and Economic Union signed an agreement to cut Platform, launched by Chinese e-commerce logistics and information technology. The re- trade barriers and facilitate economic activi- giant Alibaba, is accelerating its construction. sults of third-party market cooperation have ties, representing a new stage of enhanced China and 75 other members of the World effectively responded to the doubts and cooperation. Trade Organization (WTO), including Japan, prejudices some countries have about the the United States, the European Union and initiative. Russia, released a joint statement in January, Various forms of the “China plus” model Connecting countries intending to initiate WTO negotiations on have been proposed, promoting bilateral and China has continued to work with relevant trade-related aspects of e-commerce. PXOWLODWHUDOFRRSHUDWLRQLQGLIIHUHQWĶHOGV,Q countries to create a transport infrastructure October 2018, China and 17 other countries network connecting the sub-regions in Asia Effective implementation announced the building of the Belt and Road and linking Asia, Africa and Europe to en- Production capacity cooperation under the energy partnership. A forum on international KDQFHFRQQHFWLYLW\DQGERRVWWKHHIĶFLHQF\ IUDPHZRUNRIWKH%HOWDQG5RDG,QLWLDWLYHĶWV commercial mediation for the Belt and of regional and sub-regional logistics. Over SDUWLFLSDWLQJFRXQWULHVoHFRQRPLFGLYHUVLĶFD- Road was held in the same month in Italy, the past two years, the Mombasa-Nairobi tion and modernization strategies. Industrial where a joint declaration was issued by 21 railway and the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway parks and the China-Kazakhstan model are institutions from 12 countries. In May 2018, have started commercial operations, while two representatives of this. China and member countries of the Eurasian the construction of the China-Laos railway, the Hungary-Serbia railway, the China- By the beginning this year, 82 industrial Thailand railway and the Jakarta-Bandung parks had been built by Chinese enterprises high-speed railway in Indonesia has begun. Moreover, the Moscow-Kazan high-speed Belt and Road Trade railway and transportation corridors between Total trade volume between China China and Russia have both emerged as &KLQD(XURSHó and other Belt and Road participating promising projects. Freight Trains countries reached Among all the projects, the China-Europe railway express is the most striking. In 2018, By the end of February, trips made by trips made by cargo trains traveling between China-Europe freight trains had totaled China and Europe totaled 6,363, a year-on- year increase of 73 percent. The number 14,000 of return trips from Europe to China was 2,690, an increase of 111 percent over 2017. 8.37 tln yuan Plenty of high-quality products from other ($1.25 tln) in 2018 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative enter the Chinese market this way. This accounted for The building of a Silk Road in the air be- tween Luxembourg and Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, is another 27.4% highlight. The role of this airborne Silk Road should not be underestimated. The total and reached volume of cargo handled at Zhengzhou’s of China’s total foreign trade airport reached 500,000 tons in 2017, of 50 which shipments to and from Luxembourg cities DFFRXQWHGIRUQHDUO\DWKLUGRQ ßLJKWV Growth in trade with other Belt and Road Achievements have been made in the participating countries in 2018 construction of free trade areas. On January 1, 2018, the free trade agreement (FTA) be- across Up Growth WZHHQ&KLQDDQG*HRUJLDWRRNHIIHFWWKHĶUVW 15 13.3% rate: of its kind since the Belt and Road Initiative European countries year on year 3.6 was proposed. Subsequently, China complet- percentage ed FTA negotiations with the Maldives and points Mauritius. The agreement with the Maldives Higher than the LVWKHĶUVWELODWHUDO)7$IRUWKHFRXQWU\ZKLOH growth of China’s 0DXULWLXVLVWKHĶUVW$IULFDQFRXQWU\WRVLJQ foreign trade an FTA with China. As of March 2019, China had signed 17 FTAs with 25 countries and regions, while nine more are under negotia- tions, involving more than 30 countries. 6RXUFH óGeneral Administration of Recent years have also witnessed the 6RXUFH óNational Development and Reform Customs; designed by Pamela Tobey ßRXULVKLQJRIQHZEXVLQHVVPRGHOVVXFKDV Commission; designed by Pamela Tobey e-commerce. The Electronic World Trade 14 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS XINHUA XINHUA Chinese and Laotian technicians at a steel structure processing plant of the China Railway No.5 Engineering Group’s China-Laos railway project division in Luang Namtha, Laos, on March 21 in 24 countries, with a total investment of with varying quality. China is making sig- exchange management policies in Belt and $30.45 billion. A total of 4,098 enterprises nificant policy shifts to ensure high-quality Road participating countries issued by the had been attracted to these parks. implementation. State Administration of Foreign Exchange a China-Kazakhstan cooperation in pro- The emphasis is on guidance for Chinese year later. These documents are designed to duction capacity is quite different, where enterprises. For example, in August 2017, help enterprises operating overseas become there are no geographical restrictions and the National Development and Reform better equipped to cope with uncertainties governments play an obvious guiding role. Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, in foreign markets. Intergovernmental discussions have brought the People’s Bank of China and the Ministry The reason why the initiative has grown about the establishment of funds and special of Foreign Affairs issued a joint circular to in popularity is that it focuses on devel- loans, enabling the projects to be carried provide further guidance and regulation on opment, the biggest concern for many out. In November 2018, the 15th discus- overseas investment, which drew a clear countries. This means it is in line with the sion on production capacity and investment line between the do’s and don’ts. Other strategic interests of these countries. In was held, during which 55 key projects were documents include a code of conduct on most participating countries, there is a large agreed upon with a total investment of private enterprises’ overseas investment development gap, and much remains to be about $27.4 billion. This model has been ap- and operation promulgated in January 2018, done regarding infrastructure and urban plied to other countries. For instance, China and guidelines on compliance management construction. With a full range of industries, and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of enterprises operating overseas issued strong capacity and high efficiency, China of understanding on key projects concern- in December the same year. These are in- can cooperate with them in a broad array of areas. In addition, given burgeoning coopera- ing capacity cooperation in February, which tended to guide enterprises to operate in tion between China and developed countries LGHQWLĶHGSURMHFWV compliance with laws and regulations. in third-party markets, an even stronger syn- In recent years, the Belt and Road Another focus is put on services to these ergy will be forged. Q Initiative has been facing critical questions by enterprises. Examples include the guidelines some countries. As the number of projects on taxation for enterprises going global is- carried out under the initiative increases, it sued by the State Taxation Administration Copyedited by Craig Crowther is a fact that they might be implemented in October 2017 and an overview of foreign Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 15 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS COVER STORY IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT Chinese cars make their mark on the global market By Zhang Shasha heng Mubao was driving his Tiggo 5, the crease year on year, according to the General model introduced by Chinese automaker Administration of Customs of China. They have SChery in 2013, in Moscow when he was become China’s name card to showcase the stopped by a traffic warden at a crossing. A progress made by its manufacturing industry. nervous Sheng quickly fished out his driving license, thinking he might have broken some Belt and Road impact UXOH%XWWRKLVDPD]HPHQWWKHSROLFHRIĶFHUoV According to Sheng, a cross-border freight train granite face split into a grin. Instead of writing service has made it possible for Chinese cars to out a ticket, he asked Sheng the name of his car be delivered to Russian cities such as Moscow, PRGHOLWVSULFHDQGĶQDOO\KLVSKRQHQXPEHU Yekaterinburg east of Moscow and Novosibirsk Several days later, the man actually called and in Siberia in 15 days. It was unthinkable in the bought the same model. past when they had to be shipped, taking 40-45 This was a shot in the arm for Sheng, who days. Sheng said direct rail transportation is also has been working for the Russian subsidiary of An assembly line of SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile in an industrial time- and cost-effective compared with trans- Chery since 2009, four years after the unit was park in Cikarang, Indonesia, on March 14 ferring cars from ports to inland showrooms by established. other means of transport. The route linking China and Russia is part modern railways, some have developed their Making global tracks of the China-Europe express freight rail network own car industries, and some have seen an Russia is one of the major markets of Chery. launched in 2011 under the Belt and Road end to their longstanding power shortages,” Tiggo 5 and other Chery models racing back Initiative. The trains connect Chinese cities Cars to be exported wait at the Port of Lianyungang, east China’s Jiangsu Province, on January 1, 2018 ponents are provided by British suppliers, which Just days after Chery’s team returned from busi- Li Shufu, President of Geely, told the me- helps increase local employment. More than ness negotiations in Baghdad, the capital city, dia in March that 2019 is a crucial year for the 1,000 jobs are expected to be created by the they learned the hotel where they had stayed automobile industry. Chinese companies must plant directly, and over 300 jobs at companies suffered from a chain attack, leaving nearly 100 integrate into the global industrial chain, coop- in the industrial chain, Yang added. people dead. erate with international partners and forge core According to the Society of Motor “The Chinese auto industry faces many competitiveness. He said Geely is well prepared Manufacturers and Traders, the British motor challenges to tap into the global market,” Gao to embrace the new opportunities. industry’s trade association, every time a car-re- Hesheng, Deputy General Manager of the “The global automobile industry faces great lated job is created in the UK, it produces three China Automotive Technology and Research opportunities for innovation in the 21st century. opportunities in the supply chain and beyond. Center, a research organization, said at a forum Carmakers will find it hard to battle it out on Chinese auto companies also provide cus- in Shanghai in November 2018. Gao said the their own. Only through cooperation with global tomers with customized products and services. challenges include fluctuating exchange rate, partners can they reach the height of technol- “In places like Saudi Arabia, the surface political turmoil, frequent trade barriers, ris- ogy. The Belt and Road Initiative provides us temperature is often as high as 70 degrees ing cost of production and increasing market with excellent opportunities,” Yang said. Chery Celsius. We adjust our products according to competition. is also ready, stressing localization in overseas local climate, road environment and consumer “Chinese auto enterprises are still at the markets. Its investment abroad has reached 20 personality,” a Chery spokesperson said. preliminary stage for overseas development billion yuan ($2.98 billion) supported by several with relatively small market share,” Yang told research centers to promote its brand, technol- Ready for challenges Beijing Review. To cope with the challenges, ogy and services. he said it’s essential to localize production but “During the past 10 years, I saw Chery trans- Along with the opportunities, there are chal- form itself from boosting sales with low prices to lenges too for Chinese automobile enterprises make distribution global. For this, local cultures, management, technology and brands have to grabbing market shares from brands from Japan venturing abroad. and the Republic of Korea with high-quality be considered carefully. In 2014, the Russian ruble devaluated products and services,” Sheng said. “I have also The purpose is more than selling more cars. drastically, causing many overseas carmakers witnessed Russian customers’ attitudes turning to withdraw from the market. Chery underwent It is to penetrate overseas markets. But in the from doubt to appreciation.” Q a hard time as well but stayed on to provide long run, without sufficient knowledge of the customers with after-sales services, which in- market, Chinese companies will be vulnerable creased its reputation in Russia. to trade and technical barriers and exchange Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar A year later, Iraq’s situation deteriorated. UDWHßXFWXDWLRQV COVER STORY DIGITAL ROUTE, CLOSER TIES &URVVERUGHUóHFRPPHUFHóSODWIRUPóERRVWVóWUDGHóEHWZHHQó%HOWóDQGó5RDGóSDUWLFLSDQWVóó By Li Xiaoyang or the Istanbul-based Omer Atici, a new in 2013, the Chinese Government be- %XW60(VDUHOLNHVKRDOVRIĶVKHVWKDWFDQ door of opportunities opened when he gan to promote a digital Silk Road of the become partners more easily. FUHFHLYHGKLVĶUVWRUGHURQ'+JDWHFRPD 21st century that would harness cutting- Based on that concept, the portal has a Beijing-headquartered e-commerce platform edge technologies like big data and cloud %%SODWIRUPFRPELQLQJRQOLQHDQGRIßLQH for business-to-business (B2B) sales, shortly computing to create a borderless digital businesses for SMEs and providing foreign after he started selling electric devices there in economy. The China-Turkey e-commerce trade services so that more enterprises can December 2018. Atici, among the first batch cooperation project on DHgate.com has participate in the global value chain. of Turkish sellers to join the online wholesale made interconnectivity based on the The platform also exports the cross- marketplace, became the first overseas seller Internet a reality. border e-commerce model. It had launched to receive an order even without an advertising “The China-Turkey project is only the training for over 10,000 entrepreneurs of campaign. start. DHgate.com’s win-win cooperation SMEs and individual sellers from more than “I never expected to get an order that has great potential for development,” FRXQWULHVDQGUHJLRQVE\WKHĶUVWKDOIRI soon or export my products so easily,” he Diane Wang, founder and CEO of DHgate. 2018. VDLGp,XVHGWRIRFXVRQWKHRIßLQHPDUNHW com, said. To better segue into overseas markets, in Turkey, but DHgate.com has made ex- In addition to its original role of helping DHgate.com has established digital trade porting possible.” Chinese small and medium-sized enterpris- centers (DTCs) to showcase products in Next he plans to expand his range of es (SMEs) go global, the portal is assisting countries such as the United States, Russia products into distinctive Turkish personal businesses in other Belt and Road partici- and Turkey and also opened brick-and- care and household products. pating countries to export their products. mortar stores and warehouses. Founded in 2004, DHgate.com is Cross-border trade is creating more jobs in Hamdi Karadas, a graduate from the leading one-stop trade and service these countries and developing sustainable Koç University in Istanbul, is working at platform, connecting micro, small and me- trade ties. '+JDWHFRPoV'7&LQ7XUNH\DVKLVĶUVWMRE dium-sized retailers from every corner of Cross-border e-commerce is expected to the world with high-quality manufacturers. Small is beautiful be a new business growth driver, he said, DH stands for Dunhuang, a city in Gansu adding that China has a remarkable edge in Province in northwest China that was a hub Wang once used a vivid metaphor to de- this sector. on the ancient Silk Road. The portal mar- scribe the business model of DHgate.com: DHgate.com plays a key role in promot- kets more than 22 million kinds of goods Conglomerates from different countries ing China-Turkey digital trade. A destination ranging from electronics to accessories are like elephants. They may accidentally and covers 222 countries and regions. collide with one another while interacting. on the ancient Silk Road, Turkey has devel- There are about 21 million registered COURTESY PHOTO buyers. The platform also provides services like RQOLQHSD\PHQWIDFLOLWLHVPDUNHWLQJĶQDQF- ing, customs clearance, logistics as well as tax and tariff payment. Apart from regions that have strong trade, like North America and Europe, it has stepped up efforts to promote digital trade among the countries that have participated in the Belt and Road Initiative. The China-proposed initiative, rooted in the ancient Silk Road, aims to complement the development strategies of participating countries by leveraging their comparative strengths. Four years after it was proposed Customers at a Digital Trade Center of DHgate.com in the United States 18 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS COURTESY PHOTO DHgate.com holds the APEC SME Cross-Border E-Commerce Summit in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, on March 25 oped closer ties with China since the two tial. According to Hou, it is promoting the quality and build up business credit. countries signed the first memorandum China-Turkey cooperation model in Peru, The past decade has seen China of understanding on e-commerce coop- Oman and Indonesia. It is also exploring become a frontrunner in cross-border eration in November 2015. According to more third-party partners such as SMEs in e-commerce. Last year, the Chinese the document, they will jointly improve the Republic of Korea. Adjustments need Government introduced a series of policies infrastructure to make cross-border to be made country-wise because in Peru, to promote the trade such as extending e-commerce more accessible to their SMEs for example, there are problems such as preferential tariff rates to more product and develop more complete business transportation glitches and high costs due categories. Data from the China-based ecosystems. to the long distance. Foreign trade services market consultancy iiMedia shows that This was the first time a foreign gov- such as customs clearance and logistics China’s cross-border e-commerce market ernment had supported DHgate.com’s are also improved. was worth 9.1 trillion yuan ($1.36 trillion) in cooperation project, making it a key While e-commerce is the new craze, 2018 and it is expected to reach 10.8 tril- mark of the major progress in China’s offline stores are being resurrected to lion yuan ($1.6 trillion) this year. cross-border e-commerce, Hou Yibing, complement the new model. Hou said According to Gu Xueming, President DHgate.com’s business development direc- DHgate.com is looking beyond online sales of the Chinese Academy of International tor for Turkey, told Beijing Review. “We will to explore new growth momentum. It is Trade and Economic Cooperation under try to attract more sellers from Turkey this building physical outlets overseas to in- the Ministry of Commerce, China’s cross- year, targeting to have at least 3,000 local troduce Chinese products and expand the border e-commerce has experienced explosive growth in recent years and is stores join DHgate.com,” he said. customer base. shifting from low-quality and extensive As of 2018, the China-Turkey e-com- The most prominent challenge in the production to high-quality and orderly merce cooperation project had trained course of going global stems from legal development. This has furthered domestic nearly 2,500 local SME owners and college and cultural differences during localization. supply-side structural reform and upgraded students and nearly 1,000 Turkish SMEs “You need a lot of time to understand local people’s consumption habits. In future had opened stores on DHgate.com. The SROLFLHVUHĶQH\RXUPRGHOWRVSHFLĶFSURM- total turnover of the Turkish businesses Belt and Road cooperation, high-quality ects and develop mutual trust with local cross-border e-commerce will play a more and the more than 22,000 Chinese SMEs buyers and sellers,” Hou said. involved topped $1 billion. important role. Q According to Wang, the global demand for products made in China will be strong Exploring new markets from a long-term perspective. But Chinese Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar DHgate.com is exploring growth poten- SMEs still need to improve their product Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 19 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS COVER STORY SOLUTION FOR DISPUTES Chinese mediation wisdom adopted in commercial dispute resolution for Belt and Road participants By Zhang Shasha fter being blacklisted by a seller on The Qianhai Court Mediation Office of ing to Shenzhen, was the mediator for WeChat, China’s largest multi-purpose International Commercial Mediation Center James’ case. She told Beijing Review that Amessaging and social media app, James, for the Belt and Road was launched in May apart from legal expertise and ample expe- a businessman from Nigeria in China who 2018 in coordination with the Beijing Retio rience, mediators have to take a 40-hour declined to give his full name, was unable to Legal and Commercial Service Center for online training and pass an exam before contact the seller and did not receive the goods the Belt and Road Initiative. The latter was UHFHLYLQJDFHUWLĶFDWHWRZRUNDWWKH%HLMLQJ he expected. established in October 2016, aimed at pro- center. He had purchased a batch of electronic viding solutions for commercial disputes After gathering basic information from components from the seller in Shenzhen, for Belt and Road participants. James, Shi called the seller. “The moment south China’s Guangdong Province, in To date, the Beijing center has signed he answered the phone, he poured out 2014. The goods were delivered in two cooperation agreements with several coun- his grievances,” Shi said. The seller told VHSDUDWHVKLSPHQWV$IWHUUHFHLYLQJWKHĶUVW tries, including France, the UK, Spain and her that the contract had been executed batch, he found some items were substan- Indonesia, to establish offline mediation properly, but James had spoken badly of dard. He contacted the seller to ask that he centers. Along with an online mediation his company on WeChat Moments, which replaced the bad ones and sent them to- platform, it can provide services for enter- damaged its reputation. Moreover, it was gether with the second batch, which would prises in 63 countries and 172 cities. By the hard to communicate with James and since total 2,000 pieces. However, the second end of 2018, a total of 179 cases had been they failed to reach an agreement, he batch of goods he received in 2015 did not accepted and heard, with 70 percent medi- blacklisted him. amount to that quantity. ated successfully, according to the Beijing “Cultural differences and language bar- Plagued by the case for three years, center. riers are two obstacles that prevent parties -DPHVĶQDOO\WXUQHGWRWKH6KHQ]KHQSROLFH from having effective communication, for help and they suggested he appeal to which can lead to misunderstandings and the court. The People’s Court of Shenzhen Cultural differences disputes,” Shi said. Qianhai Cooperation Zone introduced him Shi Meiyun, who lived in Hong Kong for Belt and Road participants, with vari- to their mediation center, where he found more than 20 years and worked in the ous cultural backgrounds and language a solution within three days. commerce and trade industry before mov- environments, are bound to have misun- COURTESY PHOTO A forum on international commercial mediation for the Belt and Road is held in Rome, Italy, on October 10, 2018 20 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS derstandings or disputes of various kinds COURTESY PHOTO during commercial activities. The disputes can take place under different scenarios ranging from international goods sales and deliveries to intellectual property rights in- fringements, Shi said. To cope with these issues, mediators can play a crucial role. “It is a challenge for mediators to grasp the point of com- munication,” she said. “Because at the beginning, the two parties are usually in confrontation mode and are very nervous in front of the mediator, making them cau- tious and even defensive when answering questions.” But language can bridge the gap and move the relationship closer, she added. Proficient in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, Shi possesses strong advantages for reaching effective communication. For example, she said when dealing with Hong Kong-related cases, speaking Cantonese makes it much easier to break the ice. Currently, there are 235 mediators like Shi with various cultural backgrounds recruited Shi Meiyun (center), a mediator with the Beijing Retio Legal and Commercial Service Center for the Belt and Road Initiative, by the Beijing center to serve Belt and Road receives a Nigerian businessman at a mediation center in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, on August 27, 2018 participants. Another challenge for mediators is how feature complex proceedings and a hidden On October 10, 2018, a joint declara- to persuade the parties to settle disputes risk of poor implementation, increasing the tion was issued by 21 institutions from 12 through mediation, which is much more costs of dispute resolution,” Wang Li, head countries at a forum on international com- flexible, efficient, timesaving and cost-ef- of the Beijing center, told Beijing Review. mercial mediation for the Belt and Road, fective than judicial proceedings, she said. “International commercial disputes held in Rome, Italy, which promoted the are different from civil disputes,” she said. formulation of principles for international Chinese wisdom “Rapidly evolving market opportunities do commercial mediation. not allow them to choose a long cycle or Moreover, the United Nations James made a wise decision by agreeing Commission on International Trade Law to solve the problem through mediation, possibly an ineffective way to resolve the situation.” (UNCITRAL) has been committed to ad- Shi said. As a foreigner, he would have had vancing the formation and implementation to get his evidence authenticated by his In addition, if a dispute is to be settled through courts, information related to the of mediation principles. As a member country’s embassy if he had wanted to sue country of UNCITRAL, China participated in the seller. However, proceedings can take two parties will be disclosed through public court proceedings or judicial decisions, the formulation of the Singapore Mediation up to a year and a great deal of money Convention, which is expected to be must be spent on authentication and trans- whereas international commercial dispute resolution keeps the information confi- signed on August 1, and will facilitate the lation services. enforcement of international settlement During mediation, Shi spent just 15 dential, which is conducive to protecting business secrets, she added. agreements arising from mediation. minutes talking with the seller to reach an Shi quoted two Chinese sayings to The ancient manner of resolving dis- agreement to send James the components emphasize the significance of mediation: SXWHVDQGFRQßLFWVLQ:HVWHUQFLYLOL]DWLRQV as required. The case was brought to a “Harmony is most precious” and “Harmony considered dueling a fair method, whereas close within three days after the seller de- brings wealth.” If mediation is given a major Oriental civilization pursued harmony. livered the goods. role in international commercial dispute Thus, today, Oriental wisdom as manifested $SDUWIURPRIßLQHPHGLDWLRQWKHRQOLQH resolution, trade and investment among mediating center is also a highlight of the in dispute resolution lies in mediation, Belt and Road participants will be boosted Wang said. Beijing center where applicants from dif- and developed in a healthy way. Q ferent parts of the world can adopt a video She added that the best way to resolve mediating system and use e-signatures. disputes during the development of the “The traditional way of international Belt and Road is through mediation, which commercial dispute resolution mainly has become one of the most popular alter- Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo consists of litigation and arbitration, which natives for dispute resolution. Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 21 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS COVER STORY BELT AND ROAD: THE VIEW FROM SRI LANKA 7KHó6HFRQGó%HOWóDQGó5RDGó)RUXPóIRUó,QWHUQDWLRQDOóó &RRSHUDWLRQó %5) óZLOOóEHóKHOGóDWóWKHóHQGóRIó$SULOóLQó%HLMLQJó 6LQFHóWKHóLQLWLDWLRQóRIóWKHó%HOWóDQGó5RDGó,QLWLDWLYHóó 6ULó/DQNDóKDVóEHHQóDQóDFWLYHóSDUWLFLSDQWóDQGóFRQGXFWHGó PXOWLSOHóFRRSHUDWLRQóSURJUDPVóZLWKó&KLQDó7KHóó UHODWLRQVKLSóKDVóEHHQóODEHOHGóDVóDó´GHEWóWUDSµóE\óVRPHóó EXWóKRZóGRHVó6ULó/DQNDóLWVHOIóHYDOXDWHóWKHóELODWHUDOóWLHV"óó 2Qó$SULOóóKarunasena Kodituwakkuó6ULó/DQNDQóó $PEDVVDGRUóWRó&KLQDóVKDUHGóKLVóYLHZóRQóWKHVHóTXHVWLRQVó ZLWKóBeijing ReviewóUHSRUWHUó:HQó4LQJó7KHóIROORZLQJóLVóDQóó HGLWHGóH[FHUSWóRIóWKHóLQWHUYLHZ Beijing Review: How do you assess prog- for 99 years. China Merchants Port Holdings Lanka is a kind of friendly gesture. China ex- ress made in the Belt and Road Initiative and Sri Lanka Ports Authority established tended the hand of friendship to Sri Lanka, since the First BRF was held in 2017? a joint venture to manage the port for 99 instead of setting a “debt trap.” Therefore, The Second BRF will be held this April, years. On behalf of the government of Sri we do not accept this claim. what is your expectation of the second Lanka, the Ports Authority owns 30 per- Due to poor management, the port forum? cent and China Merchants Port Holdings GLGQRWJHQHUDWHVXIĶFLHQWLQFRPHWRSD\ Karunasena Kodituwakku: Sri Lankan owns 70 percent of the company. And if Sri the loan back. To make it a viable busi- Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at- Lanka wants to buy out China’s share, we ness to generate income instead of asking tended the First BRF in 2017. It provided a can negotiate with China Merchants Port the public taxpayers to pay it back, the Sri good understanding of the foundations of Holdings. Lankan Government made the decision to the project. As the second forum, it will no set a joint company with China to operate doubt be a success. It’s not giving the port to another 'HVSLWHVRPHPLQXVWKHĶUVWVWDJHRI country for 99 years but a friendly kind of the port together. the Belt of Road Initiative was successful. business arrangement. It is a very flexible China, as the second largest economy As we entered the second stage, minus in form of cooperation. Both parties mutually in the world, has become a world fac- WKHĶUVWVWDJHFDQEHFRUUHFWHG EHQHĶWIURPLW tory and the biggest exporter. So Chinese It is true that some people called it a shipping has become the busiest in the In 2017, Sri Lanka leased Hambantota “debt trap” set up by China and Sri Lanka is world with ports like Shanghai, Ningbo, Port to China for 99 years. It has been a victim. It is not correct. “Trap” has to be Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. suggested that China lured Sri Lanka fixed by somebody. But every loan, every The business collaboration with China into a “debt trap” and damaged Sri cent we obtained from China was given to means we are inviting Chinese shipping Lanka’s sovereignty, while others think us on our request. Sri Lanka was not forced into the ports of Sri Lanka. Chinese enterprises can help create to take these loans. When Sri Lanka made Therefore, it is a kind of business more jobs and promote the local econ- a request for a development project, we venture. We are very hopeful and very omy. What is your assessment of the considered concessional loans and China optimistic that this project will generate situation on the ground in Sri Lanka? responded positively. VXIĶFLHQWLQFRPHWRSD\EDFNWKHGHEWDQG Basically, the port was not leased to China Therefore, China giving loans to Sri create more jobs and opportunities. It will 22 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS The construction site at Colombo Port XINHUA in Sri Lanka on November 26, 2017 be a win-win situation for both countries. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Sri Lanka established diplomatic ties in 1957. What is your assessment of the relationship since then? It is true we officially established embas- sies in each other’s country in 1957, but our relations actually commenced in 1950. Sri Lanka recognized the PRC in January 1950 and accepted the one-China policy. The two countries signed a trade agreement in 1952. During the last 69 years, relations between Sri Lanka and China have been cordial and friendly. There were no bilateral disputes at all. We are working closely with each other at multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Lanka. Is the Sri Lankan Government from China or other countries, we will be Movement. planning any policies to attract more always prepared to adjust things. Chinese tourists? Economic ties between China and Sri China is the second most important source A conference for dialogue among Asian Lanka have become increasingly close of tourists for Sri Lanka. The tourism indus- civilizations will be held in Beijing in in recent years and China has increased try is an important pillar for the economic May. Under the theme of exchanges and investment in Sri Lanka continually. development of Sri Lanka. mutual learning and a community with a How can the two countries further deep- shared future, it aims to build a platform en economic ties? We will continually promote Sri Lanka as a destination for Chinese tourists. We ex- for common development. What role do Under the framework of the Belt and Road you think the conference will play? Initiative, China has heavily invested in Sri SHFWWKLVĶJXUHWRUHDFKWKLV\HDU and very soon to be 500,000. Sri Lanka was It is a very good platform created by China Lanka’s infrastructure, including highways, to conduct a dialogue among Asian coun- seaports and railroads. Most of the invest- fortunate to receive more than 2 million tourists in 2018. We hope to continue to tries of different civilizations. China has a ments are concessional loans, and some history of more than 5,000 years and this of them are foreign direct investment, like promote the popularity of Sri Lanka among Chinese tourists, which is not only condu- conference gives us the opportunity to be- Colombo’s port city, which is under con- come closer. struction at the moment. cive to bilateral economic cooperation but can help promote the friendship between There are more than 40 countries in It has changed the landscape of Sri Asia and each of them has its own history. our two countries. Tourism will become an Lanka significantly. For example, our lon- Cultural ties are very important part of hu- important part of our public diplomacy. gest highway, the southern highway, runs man relations. This conference is a very Our target is to attract 5 million tourists nearly 250 km, of which three fourths were positive thing as it pro- constructed by Chinese companies, and E\DQGZHKRSHDWOHDVWRQHĶIWKRI vides an opportunity will help Colombo become a global city, that, namely 1 million of them, will come for all Asian nations which not only caters to requirements of IURP&KLQD:HDOUHDG\KDYHDYHU\ßH[LEOH to work together as a our country but also the development of visa but we would like to lift possible barri- family. Q the entire region. It is a very significant ers to make it easier for people to apply. landmark in the relationship between our In addition, we are planning to intro- two countries. duce mobile payment systems such as WeChat Pay to make it more convenient. Scan here to watch video Over 260,000 Chinese tourists visited We also plan to publish more materials and Sri Lanka in 2017 and China became the information in Chinese. If there are any Copyedited by Craig Crowther Comments to [email protected] second largest source of tourists to Sri constraints or difficulties facing tourists http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 23 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS COVER STORY ROADS TO THE WEST Geopolitical spectacles make it impossible to see the solutions %\ó+HOJDó=HSS/D5RXFKHó imperialism, with Chinese imperialism and The aim of Chinese policy is to cre- lure participating countries into a “debt ate a new paradigm in strategic relations, The author is the trap.” They also noted that China is built whereby geopolitics is overcome through founder of the on an authoritarian system and that there win-win cooperation, where international Schiller Institute would be a competition of systems be- politics stops being a zero-sum game but headquartered in tween the “liberal, open and social market instead where harmony prevails. Washington, D.C. economy” and the “state-controlled econ- In this way, China is operating on the omy of China.” basis of Confucian philosophy, namely the Ironically, it was the same neoliberal idea that there can be only peace if there critics who enthusiastically welcomed or the last several years or so, Western is a harmonious development of all. But it China into the World Trade Organization media and mainstream politicians also carries out the principles of the Treaty in 2001, sure that China would adopt the have chosen to largely ignore the Belt of the Peace of Westphalia, that all policy F Western model of democracy and neolib- for peace must be in the interest of others. and Road Initiative, which Chinese President eral economics. Xi Jinping proposed in 2013. The initiative, con- Convinced of their own political and sisting of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the cultural superiority, these circles thought it EU cooperation VW&HQWXU\0DULWLPH6LON5RDGHIĶFLHQWO\DG to be a waste of their precious time to pay The Silk Road spirit has also caught on in dresses the infrastructure needs of developing attention to such revolutionary concepts as an increasing number of European nations, countries, which the West simply pretended not a community with a shared future for hu- some of which have signed official docu- to exist. manity, presented by Xi and other Chinese ments with China to cooperate under the But, at a certain point it dawned on leaders in hundreds of conferences and Belt and Road Initiative. EU member states the Western establishment that China was international gatherings to political leaders from East, Central and South Europe, and not only building an enormous amount of from all over the world. also individual cities and regions in other railway lines, ports, bridges, power plants Looking through their geopolitical parts of the continent have found it in their and industrial parks in Asia, Africa and even spectacles and hearing through their colo- best interest to work with China to build in parts of Europe, but that the prospect of nial headsets, they completely dismissed new or modernize existing infrastructure, poverty alleviation offered by China instilled the conception that China could be serious for which the EU’s austerity policy has pro- an unprecedented spirit of optimism. in presenting a new model of international vided no funding mechanism. relations, one that would put the concept Ports like Piraeus, Trieste, Duisburg, China’s vision of the one humanity ahead of narrow na- Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Sines have China impressed the world by lifting more tional interest. The reality that the future realized unprecedented economic oppor- than 700 million people out of poverty of existence depends on shaping a new era tunities to become hubs for the Eurasian over the last 40 years, constructing the based on the common interest of human- land rail lines, which connected 56 Chinese world’s best high-speed train network and ity has escaped the proponents of the old cities with 49 European cities in 2018. They becoming a leading space nation. It has collapsing world order. also have the potential to become centers now offered to share this experience with Anybody who looks at the totality of for the trade routes of the 21st-Century countries which were heretofore relegated Chinese policy and to what China has Maritime Silk Road. to be the “Third World.” achieved in terms of poverty alleviation can From the standpoint of universal histo- Leaders of these countries suddenly only come to the conclusion that China ry, this growing integration of infrastructure demanded to be treated equally by the means what it says. as the precondition of industrial and West, rather than simply the recipients of development aid, which would mostly van- ish in the pockets of non-governmental The aim of Chinese policy is to create a new organizations. paradigm in strategic relations, whereby In an obvious coordinated fashion, many leading think tanks on both sides JHRSROLWLFVóLVóRYHUFRPHóWKURXJKóZLQZLQó of the Atlantic produced lengthy studies based around a foreseeable theme. They cooperation, where international politics stops cited that the motivation for the Belt and Road Initiative was an ill-natured attempt EHLQJóDó]HURVXPóJDPHóEXWóLQVWHDGóZKHUHó by China to replace the “rules-based system,” actually the Anglo-American harmony prevails 24 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS XINHUA A freight train departs from a railway station in Dudelange, Luxembourg, for Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on April 4 agricultural development for all is both ob- their privileges to the “liberal system of industrialization of the African continent. vious and organic. Western democracy,” which increased the 7KH&KLQHVHHQJLQHHULQJĶUP3RZHU&KLQD But it has already irked the forces in gap between the rich and the poor beyond and the Italian firm Bonifica have already Europe of the old neoliberal paradigm, who the pain barrier for more and more people, signed a memorandum of understanding would rather accuse China of disuniting cannot overcome their geopolitical point for the realization of the biggest infra- Europe, as if this needed to be, rather than of view. But there is an increasing chorus structure program in Africa, the Transaqua UHßHFWLQJRQWKHHIIHFWVRIWKHLURZQSROL- of people, such as chief of the IFO Institute, Project, a canal system bringing water from cies. Unlike in China, there is no plan within a Munich-based research institution, and the tributaries of the Congo River to refill the EU to alleviate poverty. other members of the European Economic /DNH&KDGDQGEHQHĶWWKHGHYHORSPHQWRI Nonetheless, the heavy artillery of black Advisory Group, who think that the fear of many neighboring countries. propaganda against China was launched Chinese investment in Europe is exagger- The only realistic way for the presently just before Xi’s state visit to Italy in March ated and that it is in Europe’s interest to divided Europe to unify again will be to coop- and the signing of a memorandum of un- attract more Chinese investment, not less. erate with China. Not only through win-win derstanding on the Belt and Road Initiative. Many middle-level entrepreneurs in cooperation and in the joint development of Unprecedented falsehoods and threats Germany also think that European coun- third-party markets, but by bringing the rich were uttered, accusing China of pulling tries must cooperate with the Belt and heritage of European classical culture to the Italy, a G7 country and founding member Road Initiative. concert of nations. If European nations re- of the EU, away from the United States and Italy, on the other hand, has the connect to their own cultural traditions, they stating that Italy would have no economic potential to become the model for coop- don’t have to worry about China, instead we benefit from such cooperation and would eration under the framework of the Belt will have a dialogue of the best humanity has produced. Q suffer damage to its international image. and Road Initiative. Former Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Giulio Tremonti cited Italy as the door to the heart of An alternative idea Europe and said it could be the driver of Copyedited by Craig Crowther It is obvious that some circles, who owe Chinese-European cooperation in the Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 25 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS SPECIAL REPORT WORKING TOGETHER, DEVELOPING TOGETHER Niyaz studied in China and now works as greatly from the cooperation; families that new models and mechanisms in transna- the assistant manager of the business plan- were previously struggling to make ends tional operation. ning department at CNPC International meet can now afford to buy cars. (Turkmenistan), the biggest gas company CNPC International (Turkmenistan) is one overseas of the energy giant China National of many CNPC overseas projects under the Strategic cooperation Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), in his home Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century In CNPC’s five strategic oil and gas coop- country of Turkmenistan. Since he started at Maritime Silk Road Initiative —known as the eration zones, the ones in Central Asia, the company in 2008, Niyaz has grown from Belt and Road Initiative—proposed by Chinese the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region a layman to an expert, who has been chosen President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative aims consist of Belt and Road participating coun- as the company’s outstanding employee nine to enhance connectivity along and beyond the tries. The equity oil and gas output in these times. routes of the ancient Silk Road. three zones accounts for three fourths of “I’m proud to be a CNPC employee,” Energy cooperation is an important en- CNPC’s entire overseas equity oil and gas he said, noting that since natural gas coop- gine of the Belt and Road Initiative. With over yield. Among the four strategic oil and gas eration between China and Turkmenistan two decades of transnational operational corridors, the ones in the northwest and began, his country’s capital Ashkhabad has experience, CNPC has become a pioneer of northeast are part of the Silk Road Economic become increasingly beautiful with new the initiative. In turn, the initiative offers new Belt, while the China-Myanmar pipelines in buildings, roads and parks. Lebap Region, in opportunities for more overseas oil and gas the southwest are part of the 21st-Century northeast Turkmenistan, is also benefiting cooperation and helps the company explore Maritime Silk Road. In the three major oil and A natural gas processing plant of the CNPC International (Turkmenistan) 26 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS SPECIAL REPORT participant of benchmark crude trade in the $VLD3DFLĶFUHJLRQWKHRLODQGJDVRSHUDWLRQ center in Singapore has become a link be- tween the East and the West. Cultural exchanges Jiang Ning, a manager at Yamal LNG in Russia, is in charge of the management of core process module construction and is the first CNPC joint venture manager stationed in the Arctic. The LNG project cannot function without a pool of global professionals, and it is Jiang’s duty to coordinate among them. “My job is to ensure that problems are properly solved so that all work progresses according to schedule,” he said. There are no weekends while working at the site. Even walking is hard for Jiang and his colleagues because they have to dress in thick layers to keep warm outside, where temperatures can drop below minus 40 de- &13&VWDIIPHPEHUVWHVWHTXLSPHQWDWDQRLOĶHOGLQ2PDQ grees Celsius. But Jiang has no complaints. For him, the ultimate goal is to enrich his ex- perience and improve his ability by learning from working on large international projects JDVRSHUDWLRQFHQWHUVWKH$VLD3DFLĶFFHQWHU breaking world records. As the largest oil and like Yamal LNG, which combines the man- is playing an increasingly important role in gas cooperation project between the two agement concepts of world-class companies global oil and gas trade. countries, the Yamal LNG project has pro- and the features of CNPC. CNPC pursues all-win cooperation in moted the diversification of China’s natural CNPC has also gained recognition in Central Asia, where it started projects in gas import and helped the country lower air Central Asia. On July 12, 2018, then Prime 1997. Its operation involves exploration and pollutant emissions. Minister of Kazakhstan Bakhytzhan Abdiruly development of oil and gas, pipeline con- China and countries in the Middle East Sagintayev visited the Third Oil and Gas struction and operation, technical services, enjoyed a long history of friendly exchanges Disposal Plant of CNPC-AktobeMunaiGas. RLOUHĶQLQJDQGPDUNHWLQJDQGWKHIRUPLQJ through the ancient Silk Road. As one of the With an investment of $1.2 billion, the plant of a complete business chain. The annual most vibrant regions with huge development is a role model of environmental protection. oil and gas output is nearly 40 million tons. potential, the Middle East is the key high-end It provides households in Aktobe with 1 CNPC has set the goal of building Central international market. billion cubic meters of clean natural gas an- Asia as a core oil and gas cooperation area In recent years, CNPC’s investment busi- nually for prices far lower than cost. for the Belt and Road Initiative. ness has made major breakthroughs in the CNPC has opened a window for un- With the fast development of the initia- Middle East. It gained success in the con- derstanding and cultural exchanges. Mira Shunshaliyeva heads the Administration tive, energy cooperation between China and struction and operation of joint oil and gas Department of CNPC International Russia has made great headway. Since 2014, projects in Iraq, Iran and Oman, among oth- (Kazakhstan) Ltd. Her WeChat Moments are CNPC has accelerated its energy cooperation ers. The current annual output of oil and gas ĶOOHGZLWK&KLQHVHHOHPHQWVVXFKDVVWXG\ with Russia, which has yielded remarkable has exceeded 30 million tons in the region. It ing the Analects of Confucius, practicing results. After the signing of a series of ma- is also the region where CNPC’s engineering calligraphy and learning to cook Chinese jor agreements, such as one on the long- technology and construction business has dishes. She developed an interest in China term supply of crude oil and another on the realized sizable “going out” in a real sense. and learned the Chinese language in college. construction of the China-Russia east-route Now there are 14 CNPC petroleum engineer- As an employee of CNPC, she was sent to natural gas pipeline, the bilateral energy co- ing technology service sub-companies in the the China University of Petroleum for train- operation has accelerated. Middle East. CNPC gives full play to its inte- ing. “I often tell my Kazakh colleagues about In particular, the Yamal liquefied natu- gration strategy in the region and has gained Chinese culture to help them better under- ral gas (LNG) project, the first extra-large worldwide recognition. stand their Chinese counterparts,” Mira said. overseas project for China since the Belt In the Asia-Pacific region, CNPC CNPC International (Turkmenistan) and Road Initiative was proposed, is being International Indonesia has become the also organizes employees from China SUDLVHGDVDßDJVKLSSURMHFWRI&KLQD5XVVLD seventh largest petroleum company locally and Turkmenistan to learn each other’s cooperation. and has contributed to energy security in languages and customs. Local staff have op- On July 19, 2018, the first shipment of Southeast Asia. After going into operation, portunities to go to China for further studies. gas from the Yamal LNG project arrived in the China-Myanmar pipelines opened en- “I hope that the CNPC China- China, beginning a new chapter in the Polar ergy channels for southwest China, drove Turkmenistan natural gas project will be Silk Road. The second and third lines of the Myanmar’s economic and social develop- the world’s best, and will be admired by all,” project were put into operation in 2018, ment and benefited the people. As a main Niyaz said. http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 27 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS WORLD Undiminished in Value On their 65th anniversary, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence remain relevant By Su Hao & Su Anchao ince it was founded in 1949, the People’s China believes in harmony without uni- the international consensus that this area Republic of China (PRC) has been seeking formity, peace among all nations and non- is Syrian territory occupied by Israel but Sto build a fair and equitable international aggression. The inclusive Chinese culture also adds turbulence in the Middle East. economic and political order. For that, in 1953, therefore advocates harmonious coexis- The international community needs to China proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful tence with other countries. In the Chinese prevent armed conflicts by safeguarding Coexistence, which have been acknowledged view, the world means unity in diversity. territorial sovereignty. by the rest of the world as the basis for interna- This cultural tradition is significant for es- Moreover, countries should observe tional relations. tablishing norms for international relations the principle of mutual non-aggression This year marks the 65th anniversary of today. in efforts to maintain world peace and WKHĶYHSULQFLSOHVWKDWKDYHZLWKVWRRGWKH 7KHNH\HOHPHQWVRIWKHĶYHSULQFLSOHV stability. At the beginning of 2019, a fresh Cold War and the turbulent period which mutual benefit and coexistence, demon- PLOLWDU\FRQßLFWHUXSWHGEHWZHHQ,QGLDDQG followed. In the 21st century, they have be- strate Asian countries’ new expectations Pakistan, as India claimed that Pakistan come more vital to preserve the stability of for international relations and the principle should be responsible for a terrorist attack the international order and promote peace of international rule of law that gives coun- within Indian-controlled Kashmir. The pro- and development. tries rights, obligations and responsibilities. WUDFWHGFRQßLFWKDVKHLJKWHQHGWKHWHQVLRQ Mutual respect for sovereignty and ter- in the region. The genesis ritorial integrity is a precondition of bilateral Disagreements and disputes between relations, and mutual non-aggression and After the PRC was founded, other newly countries should be resolved through dia- non-interference in each other’s internal independent countries such as India and logue and not the use or threat of force. affairs guarantee that. Equality and mu- Myanmar, then called Burma, although Security should be a common and univer- tual benefit are the direct results of this following a social system different from sal concern with all countries championing and peaceful coexistence is the general China’s, did not want to follow the West common, comprehensive, cooperative and principle, which indicate coexistence and and regard China as an enemy. Instead, sustainable security, and respecting and common prosperity are achievable in a di- they hoped to engage in trade and develop ensuring one another’s security. verse world. bilateral relations with China. Countries should maintain non-inter- To create a sound environment for ference in other countries’ internal affairs, development, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai The current scenario which is increasingly becoming the basic propounded the Five Principles of Peaceful The world is undergoing major changes principle of international relations. The Coexistence during his meeting with a unprecedented in a century. On the one social system and development road cho- delegation from India in December 1953. hand, developing countries have risen in sen by every country based on their own The five principles are mutual respect for groups with their interdependency deep- circumstances must be respected. One sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual ening and the new tide of globalization country should not subvert other legiti- non-aggression, non-interference in each continues to surge. PDWHDXWKRULWLHVIRULWVRZQVHOĶVKJDLQV other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual On the other hand, international society A political crisis recently broke out EHQHĶWDQGSHDFHIXOFRH[LVWHQFH has entered a turbulent period, character- in Venezuela. Some countries openly in- In April 1954, the five principles were ized by challenges and contradictions, an tervene in the oil-rich country’s internal written into the preface to the Agreement increasing gap between developed and de- situation by supporting the opposition on Trade and Intercourse Between the veloping countries, and regional conflicts. leader and forcing the legitimate president Tibet Region of China and India as a guide- Some major Western countries are pursu- to step down. This interference will not line for bilateral relations. ing hegemony and power politics, and anti- only fail to resolve Venezuela’s internal During Zhou’s visits to India and globalization and populism are on the rise. problems but exacerbate regional tensions. Myanmar in 1954, China issued joint state- Peace still eludes the world. Equality and mutual benefit are the ments with the two countries, affirming Against this background, a fair and ra- basis of friendly cooperation. In an increas- their commitment to following the five tional new international relationship has to ingly unbalanced world facing a widening principles among themselves as well as EHEXLOWDPRQJFRXQWULHVIROORZLQJWKHĶYH gap between the North and the South, with other countries in the world. principles for peace and development. countries should strengthen economic co- 7KHĶYHSULQFLSOHVKDYHFKDQJHGSRZHU Countries should respect each other’s operation on the basis of equality to reap politics based on the perception that sovereignty and territorial integrity, the mutual benefit and win-win results. They strong nations can dominate weak ones most basic core principle. However, the U.S. should jointly develop an open world econ- and provided a new direction to build an arbitrary recognition of Israel’s sovereignty omy and fight trade protectionism in all international society. over the Golan Heights not only violates forms to promote common development. 28 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS WORLD XINHUA Diplomats from China, India and Myanmar visit a photo exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the initiation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in New Delhi, India, on June 11, 2014 The development of a diverse world in 2013, China hopes to achieve equal co- KROGVWKHĶYHSULQFLSOHVVHHNVMXVWLFHDQG relies on peaceful coexistence. Western ordination and interconnection with other opposes hegemony and interference in powers have long tried to transform the participating countries so that they can others’ internal affairs. It promotes talks to world and impose their own social models achieve common prosperity. resolve international conflicts and seeks on other countries. They have incited “color At the commemoration of the 60th an- peaceful settlements on the basis of equal- revolutions” in many developing countries niversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful ity and respect. and stirred instability in some regions. Coexistence in June 2014, Xi reiterated that For example, in the recent conflict Countries should respect others’ differenc- China will uphold sovereign equality, com- between India and Pakistan, China called es and interests while pursuing their own mon security and common development. on the two countries to fully respect each and advancing interests common to all. It will promote win-win cooperation, cham- other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity pion inclusiveness and mutual learning as and seek a peaceful settlement to prevent well as uphold fairness and justice, which the situation from escalating. Promoter and observant ZLOOHQULFKWKHĶYHSULQFLSOHV Moreover, China has established special Although China has developed rapidly over Xi also emphasized that “hegemony or envoys for the Middle East and Africa for the past 40 years since the reform and militarism is simply not in the genes of the the resolution of burning regional issues opening-up policy was implemented and Chinese.” “China neither interferes in other DQGLPSOHPHQWLQJWKHĶYHSULQFLSOHV LWVLQWHUQDWLRQDOVWDWXVKDVLPSURYHGVLJQLĶ countries’ internal affairs nor imposes its China has maintained and promoted cantly, it has stayed on the path of peaceful will on others,” he said. “It will never seek the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence development. hegemony no matter how strong it may for 65 years. Today, as it is committed to After the 18th National Congress of the become.” developing new-type international relations Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, In his report to the 19th CPC National and building a community with a shared China has followed the Five Principles of Congress in 2017, Xi said, “China remains future for humanity, the spirit of the five Peaceful Coexistence more pragmatically. firm in its commitment to strengthening principles remains as relevant as ever. Q It is guided by the principle of amity, sin- friendship and cooperation with other FHULW\PXWXDOEHQHĶWDQGLQFOXVLYHQHVVLQ countries on the basis of the Five Principles GHHSHQLQJPXWXDOO\EHQHĶFLDOFRRSHUDWLRQ of Peaceful Coexistence, and to forging a Su Hao is a professor at the Diplomacy Department with its neighbors and seeks to ensure new form of international relations featur- of China Foreign Affairs University and Su Anchao is a greater gains for others through its own ing mutual respect, fairness, justice and PhD student at the university development. With the Belt and Road win-win cooperation.” Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Comments to [email protected] Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping In the international arena, China up- http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 29 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS NATION Saving Every Drop &KLQDóKDVóDGRSWHGóDóPXOWLSURQJHGóDSSURDFKóWRóFRQVHUYHóZDWHUóUHVRXUFHV By Wang Hairong y simply changing a water tap you can saving model, said Xu Wenhai, Director of the inces as well as Inner Mongolia Autonomous save 50 percent of water. This is a water- 1DWLRQDO:DWHU&RQVHUYDWLRQ2IĶFH8QGHUWKH Region. Bsaving tip shared by Wei Shanzhong, Vice program, enterprises and water-using organiza- Water resources are distributed unevenly Minister of Water Resources, at a press confer- tions sign contracts where enterprises offer in China, with more in the south and less in the ence held in Beijing to commemorate World water-saving solutions to water users, recover- north. North China is one of the areas where Water Day on March 22. ing costs and making a profit by sharing the water shortage is most serious, especially in the “The structure of the faucet is not compli- EHQHĶWVIURPZDWHUVDYLQJ Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region. cated. A simple device is added to it, so water “This is a multi-win model,” Xu said. For “With a population of 168 million, north UHOHDVHGIURPWKHIDXFHWLVĶOOHGZLWKDLUFUHDW instance, universities can save water costs with- China has had only 4 percent of the country’s ing bubbles. When you use the water, you feel out directly investing any money, and hence total water resources on average for many the flow as almost the same, but in fact, it is it takes no financial risk; water-saving service years,” Wei said. PXFKVPDOOHU7KHDPRXQWRIZDWHUßRZLQJRXW enterprises can give full play to their technologi- In fact, China in general lacks fresh water. of the tap is less than half of the amount out of FDODQGĶQDQFLDODGYDQWDJHVDQGFXOWLYDWHQHZ “China has managed to feed 20 percent of a regular tap during the same time period,” he economic growth points; while at the same the world’s population with 6 percent the explained. time, water resources can be saved, which is an world’s freshwater resources and 9 percent of Because of the bubbles, “when you wash important contribution to society. arable land,” said Yang Derui, Director of the your hands, you won’t splash water on yourself Department of Water Resources Management or on the ground,” he added. of the Ministry of Water Resources. This water-saving faucet is being used at Water scarcity In north China, to meet the growing water Hebei University of Engineering in Handan City, The contract water-saving program was piloted need from rapid agricultural and industrial de- north China’s Hebei Province, where a contract at the university because it is located in water- velopment, a large amount of groundwater has water-saving program is being piloted. scarce north China, which includes Beijing and been extracted since the 1970s, resulting in the The program adopts a market-based water- Tianjin municipalities, Hebei and Shanxi prov- reduction of surface water. XINHUA )DUPHUVLQ=RXSLQJ&RXQW\RIHDVW&KLQDoV6KDQGRQJ3URYLQFHFKHFNWKHDXWRPDWLFVSULQNOHUHTXLSPHQWLQWKHĶHOGZKLFKKDVEHHQLQVWDOOHGWRLPSURYHLUULJDWLRQHIĶFLHQF\ on May 14, 2018 30 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS NATION XINHUA “Every year, about 5.5 billion cubic meters are extracted in north China, with 3.47 billion cubic meters drawn out of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei,” Wei said. Estimates showed that the accumulated total of groundwater overexploited in north China is about 180 billion cubic meters, af- fecting an 180,000-square km area, Wei said. “In some places, the groundwater level has dropped remarkably. Some areas have taken GHHSSUHVVXUL]HGZDWHUDQGKLJKßXRULQHZDWHU which can harm human health and the ecologi- cal environment,” Wei said. In recent years, water-saving measures have been taken and the efficiency of water utilization has been improved. “Compared to 2012, water consumption per 10,000 yuan ($1,490) of the GDP and in- dustrial value added in 2017 decreased by 30 percent and 32.9 percent, respectively,” Wei said. During this period, the effective utiliza- tion coefficient of farmland irrigation water Primary students in Fushan District, Yantai City of east China’s Shandong Province, draw a picture to increase increased from 0.516 to 0.548, he added. awareness of water conservation on March 22 service station said that excessive water use led between the mega Chinese petrochemical Broad measures WRDVLJQLĶFDQWGHFOLQHLQWKHJURXQGZDWHUOHYHO company SINOPEC and the Saudi Arabian com- The country has taken comprehensive mea- and the deterioration of water quality. pany SABIC. sures to conserve water resources. For example, In order to change this situation, Barunbieli According to the company, it has followed Wei said that in the agriculture sector, the crop started to control total agricultural water use a sustainable development management con- planting structure has been adjusted and high- by allocating water use quota and distributing cept since 2011 to meet the annual targets set efficiency water-saving irrigation has been water rights to households, he said. by SABIC in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, promoted. In the industrial sphere, advanced The town has also adjusted its planting energy and water consumption, and waste technologies and equipment have been adopt- structure and encourages the planting of discharge. ed to increase the reuse rate of industrial waste water-saving crops such as lavender, rose, seed To reduce the use of fresh water as much water and cut total water consumption. Urban as possible, SSTPC uses treated municipal water supply networks have been upgraded melon, Chinese medicinal herbs and millet. The planting area for high water-consuming crops waste water and desalinated seawater. Large to reduce water leakage rates and household water storage tanks and water treatment facili- water-saving devices have been promoted. has been reduced, while the high-quality forest and fruit industry as well as the leisure garden ties have been placed on the company’s site to According to Wei, water-saving programs treat industrial waste water, domestic sewage have been implemented in public spaces, in industry have been developed, farmland has been improved, and many electrical wells shut and rainwater. The company slashed the pro- government institutions and universities, and in portion of fresh water used in production from water-consuming service industries. The use of down, he said. After two cattle breeding bases began 70 percent to 28 percent during the period of unconventional water sources, such as rainwa- 2011-15. ter and seawater has also been promoted. construction in a neighboring town in 2017, the farmers in Barunbieli started to shift from Similar water-saving measures have Agriculture consumes the largest share of been introduced into SINOPEC Shanghai water, accounting for 62.3 percent of total wa- planting silage maize to planting feed maize. This crop structural adjustment alone can save Petrochemical Company. From 2017 to 2018, ter consumption in China in 2017. Meanwhile, the share of recycled water used in the com- the proportion of water consumed by industrial 2 million cubic meters of water annually, Chen said. pany’s production process was increased from sector was 21.1 percent and domestic con- 20 percent to nearly 50 percent. sumption was 13.9 percent, according to a In addition to water saving in agriculture, there is great potential to save water and re- 7KHHIĶFLHQF\RIZDWHUUHVRXUFHXWLOL]DWLRQ report released by the Center for Forecasting in China has been continuously improving in duce waste water discharge in industries, Wei Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in recent years, Wei said, adding that currently, the said. January. QDWLRQDODYHUDJHHIĶFLHQF\LVFORVHWRWKHZRUOG He told the media that an enterprise lo- He Zirong is a planter in Barunbieli Town, average; yet there is still a considerable gap cated in an industrial park in Beijing is using Alashan Left Banner, Alashan League of Inner when compared to the world’s advanced level. recycled water in the production process of Mongolia Autonomous Region. He has been He said that in the future, China will earnestly cellphone screens. “Not a single cubic meter using drip irrigation technology for large-scale follow good water-saving practices and take millet cultivation for more than three years. He of fresh water has been used. All of the water comprehensive measures to resolutely curb told Inner Mongolia Daily that after replacing used is reclaimed, and nonetheless it is able to the waste of water. Q WKHßRRGLUULJDWLRQPHWKRGZLWKGULSLUULJDWLRQ produce high-end products,” Wei said. on the sandy land, irrigation water consumption Using no fresh water in production has been nearly halved. is also the goal of SINOPEC SABIC Tianjin Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo Chen Baofeng, head of the town’s water Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (SSTPC), a joint venture Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 31 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS NATION Villagers on March 27 participate in horse racing in Nyingchi, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region to celebrate the 60th anniversary of democratic reform in Tibet ill last year, Dorjee, a shepherd liv- ing in Shuanghu County, Tibet TAutonomous Region in southwest China, could see his young son only every one or two months because the boy had From Poverty been sent away for his education. Their hut was halfway up a mountain and the nearest school was 22 km away. But things changed last year when the local government built 315 new houses in Shuanghu County to relocate poverty- stricken families living in the inhospitable To Prosperity terrain. The houses were given to the fami- lies free and the Dorjee family was one of WKHEHQHĶFLDULHV Their new house is less than 1 km from the New policies bring changes in Tibet By Li Nan boy’s school and the 11-year-old can go there walking. “Seeing my son and his educational progress every day brings me the utmost hap- piness,” Dorjee told Beijing Review. 32 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS NATION LU JINCHAO Poverty Relief in Tibet Autonomous Region Since 2013, about In 2018, Tibet launched In 2019, Tibet aims to lift the remaining poverty-stricken population of 710,000 people 707 150,000 have been raised market-oriented people from poverty business initiatives out of poverty to help alleviate poverty All 19 The poverty headcount poor counties ratio fell from below Trained 35.2% to 6% 36,000 poverty-stricken will be removed from the poverty list, farmers and herders and absolute poverty will be basically 2012 2018 to help alleviate poverty eliminated across the region 6RXUFHV óDemocratic Reform in Tibet—Sixty Years On and the 2019 work report of the Government of Tibet Autonomous Region ódesigned by Pamela Tobey ó join the local animal husbandry coopera- Government of Tibet Autonomous Region tive. From herding and milking sheep, they tabled at the Second Session of the 11th got a year-end bonus last year, making People’s Congress of the region on January their per-capita annual income surge to 10, some 14.49 billion yuan ($2.16 billion) 12,900 yuan ($1,921), 1,450 yuan ($216) was spent on relocating about 218,000 higher than the per-capita disposable in- people in 2018. come of rural residents in the autonomous region. Creating new industries In addition, after moving to his new The Central Government aims to create house, Dorjee got two new jobs as village reasonable prosperity for all its poverty- New home, new jobs cleaner and grocer, which will bring in more stricken areas and lift the remaining 16.6 money. “After the relocation, our lives have The relocation has also brought a lucrative million poor population out of poverty by been greatly improved. Food, clothing and income. Eight years ago, Dorjee made a liv- 2020. Tibet is more ambitious. The autono- transportation are more accessible. I have mous region aims to eliminate its regional ing by raising sheep. The family’s per-capita found my feet in the new village,” Dorjee annual income was about 1,000 yuan poverty by the end of 2019. said. “We will stick to the strictest poverty- ($149), far below the national poverty line The relocation program is one of the of 2,300-yuan ($338) income annually. relief evaluation mechanism to ensure that ĶYHPDMRUWDUJHWHGPHDVXUHVWDNHQE\WKH the remaining poverty-stricken population To pull such families out of poverty, the lo- Central Government to end poverty. The of 150,000 people get rid of poverty, all 19 cal government has taken multiple measures, other four are boosting the economy to poor counties are removed from the poverty including encouraging them to join local coop- provide more jobs, providing jobs related to list, and absolute poverty basically eliminated eratives and offering them new jobs. ecological protection, improving people’s across the region,” Qizhala, Chairman of From 2011, every member of Dorjee’s education and social security. According Tibet Autonomous Region, said while deliver- family started to get an annual compensa- to the Central Government’s action plan is- ing the work report on January 10. tion for protecting meadows by not grazing sued in November 2015, nearly 10 million It’s not an easy task, especially for their herds there. The amount rose to 5,500 poor people will be moved out of remote Shuanghu, where 21.9 percent of the yuan ($819) in 2016. Dorjee and his wife mountainous areas, high-altitude plateaus, population lives under the poverty line. also get an annual salary of 7,000 yuan deserts, earthquake zones and other places The county is located in the heart of the ($1,042) for working as meadow rangers. with a fragile environment by 2020. Changtang National Nature Reserve on the In January 2018, they were encouraged to According to the work report of the Tibetan Plateau. With an average altitude of V V http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 33 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS NATION 5,000 meters, it is the highest county in the world. Founded in November 2012, it’s also China’s youngest county. Due to its high altitude and extreme weather, it is scarcely populated and known as “no man’s land.” 7KHUDULĶHGDLUDQGODFNRIIDFLOLWLHVVXFKDV electricity, water and transportation, pre- vent local residents from being better-off. “The quality of life for Shuanghu’s residents, compared with those in other poverty-stricken counties, is the lowest in China. To win the battle against poverty, we should pay more attention to the poorest places,” Liang Nanyu, Executive Vice Mayor of Shuanghu, told Beijing Review. Liang was sent by China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) to the county to help the develop- ment of the place. Since 1994, developed municipalities and provinces have been partnering with counties and cities in Tibet to assist the region. The drive is known as partnership assistance. In 2002, major state-owned enterprises also joined in. With the CNPC’s help, the Shuanghu Government is brainstorming to provide more jobs and boost the economy. One way is to pro- cess eggs of shrimps found in saltwater lakes, like the Kyêbxang Co Lake in Shuanghu. The eggs are widely used as “formula milk” for baby ĶVKDQGVKULPSVLQDTXDFXOWXUH In 2018, brine shrimps eggs from the lake fetched 21 million yuan ($3.13 million). Sixty percent of the money went to the fishermen. “It’s the main source of Shuanghu’s revenue and local residents’ income. It’s known as the ‘purse’ of Shuanghu,” Liang said. To create more jobs, 13.8 million yuan ($2.06 million) was invested to build a process- ing factory, which is expected to be completed in July. “Finished brine shrimp egg products will EHDYDLODEOHWKHQDGGLQJWRWKHSURĶWVq/LDQJ The Dorjee family in their new Tibetan-style house built by the Shuanghu Government on April 2 said. Every resident in Shuanghu is expected to get an average additional income of 3,990 yuan ($594) per year. ism to alleviate poverty and trained 36,000 ond turning point came. Phuser got married Brine shrimp egg is rich in eicosapen- poverty-stricken farmers and herders. and settled down in his wife’s village. He bought taenoic acid (EPA), a fatty acid that can Phuser was born into a farmer’s fam- a truck to transport goods and as the infrastruc- lower the risk of heart diseases and appar- ily in Migdo Village, Qamdo City, Tibet, in ture of Nyingchi, the new city he had moved to, ently regulate blood fat and sugar as well as 1959, the year when democratic reform in improved, Phuser’s business thrived. With the prevent insomnia. So the local government Tibet abolished theocracy and serfdom. money he started other businesses, including is seeking to team up with big pharmaceu- Before democratic reform, his family had renting excavators and selling Tibetan herbs. tical companies to turn it into a health food little to eat. After 1959, thanks to rural land re- “Thanks to the government’s preferential product. “Processing the eggs will create form, the family of eight received 1.67 hectares policies, roads and bridges were built in Tibet. a reliable and long-term route out of pov- of farmland. But they were still not out of the Our life is getting better,” Phuser said. erty,” Liang said. woods. “Before the 1980s, we lived in a run- He is not alone. Over the past 60 years, down house. Passersby could see what we were once impoverished Tibet has developed into Fruits of rural vitalization doing inside. And there was no electricity or tap a region with a booming economy, a well- Last year, Tibet launched over 700 business water,” Phuser told Beijing Review. protected environment and social progress. initiatives for projects including growing In 1983, five years after the beginning of In 1993, Phuser was elected secretary of fruits, breeding pigs and developing tour- the country’s reform and opening up, the sec- the Dengkar Village branch of the Communist 34 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS NATION ZHANG WEI ZHANG WEI The Dorjee family is relocated from their old hut (up) halfway up a mountain to a new residency in Shuanghu County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, at the end of 2018 Party of China, and since then has led a poverty compensation, vocational education and population was reduced by 180,000. alleviation project. The village had a weak eco- training, has broadened the channels for “This year marks the 70th anniversary nomic base and the villagers gathered herbs farmers and herders to increase their in- of the founding of the People’s Republic and sold them for money. The farming industry come. Seizing the opportunity offered by of China and is a key year to achieve the had not reached an industrial scale and pro- the construction of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, goal of building a moderately prosperous vided only limited income for the villagers. the village introduced sand factories from society in all respects,” Qizhala, the re- Phuser began fundraising to improve the other parts of China, providing jobs for gional Chairman, said. To achieve the goal infrastructure. In 2016, the village received an locals. in 2019, the region is combining poverty investment of 650,000 yuan ($97,015), which Phuser said the village is expected to be alleviation with rural vitalization, developing was used to improve the soil of 40 hectares lifted out of poverty by the end of this year. businesses and creating jobs. Relocation and develop commercial forests. A new fruit Poverty alleviation work in the entire projects are expected to be completed and base was built as well with the harvest expected autonomous region has made progress. In infrastructure construction accelerated as in five years. In addition, 1.64 million yuan 2018, the region allotted 16.73 billion yuan well as public services improved. Q ($244,138) was spent to construct 41 km of ($2.5 billion) to support rural development new roads. and 2,100 villages and 25 counties were Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar and Craig Crowther The village, through measures such as removed from the poverty list. The poor Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 35 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS BUSINESS The New Hot Cake Sale Individual investors scramble to buy local government bonds as they become widely available at commercial banks By Wang Jun he Ministry of Finance (MOF) has ap- million), were grabbed by buyers within 10 by the People’s Bank of China, the central bank. proved the sale of local government minutes, and another 100 million yuan’s worth, While the wealth management products Tbonds directly to individuals as well as issued by Beijing, were gone within two days. issued by commercial banks require a mini- small and medium-sized institutional investors Before, local government bonds were sold mum purchase of 10,000 yuan ($1,488), the at commercial bank counters, triggering mas- only on the interbank market and only finan- local government bonds can be bought only for sive investor enthusiasm. cial institutions could invest in them. Though 100 yuan, which has attracted more individual Following the reform, Zhejiang Province changes were made in November 2018, al- investors, an ICBC sales manager, who declined and Ningbo City issued the bonds on March 25, lowing individual investors to buy them on the to be named, told The Economic Observer followed by Sichuan, Shaanxi and Shandong interbank market, the high threshold was a newspaper. provinces as well as Beijing Municipality, becom- deterrent. The stable return on the bonds also contrib- LQJWKHĶUVWSODFHVWRSLORWWKHLVVXDQFHRIRYHU uted to their brisk sale, the sales manager said. the-counter local government bonds. The repayment of the capital and the interest By April 3, several banks announced the Lower threshold payment are incorporated in the budgets of the ĶUVWEDWFKRIORFDOJRYHUQPHQWERQGVKDGEHHQ With the reform, the minimum investment local governments. snapped up entirely. needed to buy local government bonds at All the six local government bonds issued The Industrial and Commercial Bank of commercial bank counters is 100 yuan ($14.88). this time got the highest credit rating, AAA, China (ICBC) said its quota of the bonds is- Individual investors no longer have to meet any indicating they have very low risk levels. The sued by Ningbo, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shaanxi, minimum financial asset requirement to buy. interest rate on them is around 3 percent. It is Shandong and Beijing, worth 1.77 billion yuan Only risk evaluation is needed. higher than the interest on time deposits—a ($263.39 million), had sold out. Indeed, its quota The 2018 relaxation stipulated that to sum of money deposited for a specific period of the bonds issued by Ningbo, Zhejiang and invest in local government bonds on the in- and earning interest—but lower than the inter- Beijing sold out on the same day they were terbank market, an individual investor needed est rate on savings bonds issued by the Central made available. to have an annual income of at least 500,000 Government. The Industrial Bank announced it had yuan ($74,405) and personal financial assets According to the MOF, the coupon rate sold 200 million yuan ($29.76 million) of local worth at least 3 million yuan ($446,429). They or yield for the bond issued by Ningbo is 3.04 government bonds. Of them, bonds issued also needed at least two years of experience in percent for a three-year term. The money gen- by Zhejiang, totaling 100 million yuan ($14.88 securities investment, according to regulations erated from the bond sale will be used to buy land. The coupon rate for the bonds issued by CNSPHOTO =KHMLDQJIRUDĶYH\HDUSHULRGLVSHUFHQW The money raised will be used to renovate shantytowns. The current benchmark interest rate for three-year time deposits is 2.75 percent, and the interest rate for three-year savings bonds issued in March 2019 is 4 percent, according to the central bank. The PBC has no benchmark LQWHUHVWUDWHVWLSXODWLRQIRUĶYH\HDUWLPHGHSRV its, while the interest rate for five-year savings bonds is 4.27 percent. Benefits and risks The MOF said by buying local government bonds, investors can enjoy a stable income from the interest and at the same time support the economic development of their hometowns. They can sell the bonds back to commercial banks at any time or pledge them for loans, so the liquidity of the bonds is high. “Issuing local government bonds via coun- ters of commercial banks will further diversify A client buys local government bonds at a bank in Jinan, east China’s Shandong Province, on March 28 the channels for issuing local government 38 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS BUSINESS High-rise buildings dot the skyline of a former XINHUA shantytown (above) in Nanchang, east China’s Jiangxi Province, in April 2017 after its renovation bonds, enlarge the group of investors, and bet- ter satisfy the investment demand of individuals and small and medium-sized institutional inves- tors,” the MOF said. Li Peijia, a senior researcher with the Institute of International Finance at the Bank of China, said expanding the channels through which local governments can issue bonds will provide individuals a new investment outlet that has low risks and medium returns. It will also diversify the structure of investors. “At present, the commercial bank counter market is still small and separated from the securities exchanges and interbank market. This will affect the liquidity of local government ERQGVDQGWKHJHQHUDOHIĶFLHQF\RIWKHHQWLUH bond market,” Li told the 21st Century Business Herald newspaper. “The market of commercial bank counters should be enlarged.” However, experts have warned of some risks as well. Zhao Xijun, Deputy Dean of the School of Finance at Renmin University of China, said treasury bonds have the lowest risks because they are guaranteed by state credit. But with the ongoing reform to divide administrative pow- ers between the Central Government and local governments, the credits of central and local governments may be separated in the future. So investors should not completely depend on the Central Government to ensure the safety of local government bonds. Dong Ximiao, deputy head of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, said while local government bonds generally carry low risk, they are not bank deposits or treasury bonds. So defaulting on them can’t be ruled out in the future. In an interview with The Economic Observer, Dong suggested that investors pay attention to the fiscal capacity of the local governments issuing the bonds and the use of funds and then take a calculated risk. Central and local government debt amounted to 33.35 trillion yuan ($4.97 trillion) at the end of 2018, representing 37 percent of China’s GDP, according to Finance Minister Liu Kun. The ratio is lower than the 60-percent limit set by the European Union and that of other major market economies and emerging markets. Of this, local government debt totaled 18.39 trillion yuan ($2.74 trillion). Overall, local governments’ debt risks are under control, Liu said at a press conference in early March. Q Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 39 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS BUSINESS MARKET WATCH Corporate Tax Cuts Inspire Entrepreneurs XINHUA Local tax bureau staff explain tax cuts to representatives of a technology company in Hang- zhou, Zhejiang Province, on April 1 pany lower VAT expenditure by 3.7 billion yuan ($551 million) this year, according to Chen. “The BOE Technology Group will put WKHWD[FXWGLYLGHQGLQWRVFLHQWLĶF5 'DQG make a greater contribution to the coun- try’s strategic emerging industries,” said Chen. Increased R&D investment will boost SURGXFWLRQHIĶFLHQF\DQGSURĶWDELOLW\$IWHU forming a virtuous circle, enterprises could contribute more to the country’s tax in- come, according to Zhuang Dan, President of Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Joint Stock Co. Ltd. ActBlue Co. Ltd., an environmen- tally friendly technology enterprise founded in 2009, will save over 7 million yuan ($1.04 million) in 2019 after the hinese entrepreneurs from all walks this year’s tax cuts will amount to 111 mil- implementation of lower VAT rates on of life are feeling upbeat following the lion yuan ($16.5 million). “This will enable April 1, while reducing social insurance Cgovernment’s sustained efforts to XVWRLQYHVWPRUHLQVFLHQWLĶFUHVHDUFKDQG costs by 820,000 yuan ($122,111) when lower the corporate burden. development (R&D), promoting the enter- the new policy goes into effect on May 1. “The implementation of larger-scale prise’s competence,” said Hu Chengzhong, However, ActBlue Chairman Liu Yi tax and fee cuts help improve enterprise Chairman of the Board of Directors and wants more. profits, alleviate capital pressure, and CEO of the company, which operates “China’s environmental protection solidify our confidence in business devel- in electrical, energy, mining and other industry is still in its early stages and prefer- opment,” said Dai Jishuang, Chairman of industries. ential tax policies are needed for industrial the Shenyang Blower Works Group Corp., at “A universal tax cut will significantly development. Despite the government’s a symposium hosted by the State Taxation ease the tax burden of companies in existing efforts in this respect, we need Administration in April. purchasing fixed assets like machinery more,” said Liu. Following colossal tax and fee cuts of equipment, resulting in more room for in- The major target of such tax cuts in around 1.3 trillion yuan ($194 billion) in vestment,” said Bai Jingming, Vice President 2019 are small and micro companies, 2018, China will further reduce the tax bur- of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences. which provide the majority of jobs, accord- den and the social insurance contributions The massive corporate tax cuts this ing to Bai, showing a clear pro-employment of enterprises by nearly 2 trillion yuan ($298 year showcased the Central Government’s policy stance. billion) in 2019. efforts to inject more energy into eco- Policymakers attach great importance On April 1, the country started to re- nomic development and to make sure to employment because it is an area that duce the value-added tax (VAT) rate of PDUNHWHQWLWLHVUHFHLYHEHQHĶWVZKLFKZLOO directly affects everyday life and deter- 16 percent for manufacturing and other help stabilize market expectations of the mines the health and prospects of the industries to 13 percent. Starting from May economy, according to Bai. economy. 1, the government will also cut the share of Bai believes the move will unleash the China’s economy, the second largest in enterprise contributions to urban workers’ potential in innovation and boost the na- the world, expanded 6.6 percent to exceed basic old-age insurance from 20 percent to tion’s high-quality development. 90 trillion yuan ($13 trillion) in 2018. The 16 percent. “The nationwide tax cut policy is a growth target for 2019 was set at 6-6.5 The new VAT is set to save 23.11 mil- guarantee of innovation-driven develop- percent. Q lion yuan ($3.44 million) for the Shenyang ment,” said Chen Yanshun, Chairman of Blower Works Group Corp. in 2019, accord- the Executive Committee and CEO of BOE This is an edited excerpt of an article by Xinhua News Agency Copyedited by Craig Crowther ing to Dai. Technology Group Co. Ltd. Comments to [email protected] For China Delixi Holding Group Co. Ltd., The tax cut policy will help the com- 40 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS MARKET WATCH BUSINESS NUMBERS ($1=6.7 yuan) Industrial Enterprises’ Profit and Growth by Business Type $3.1 tln January-February $101.6 bln China’s foreign exchange 3URßW (bln yuan) Growth (y.o.y.) Quota of China’s reserves at the end of 600 A B C D dollar-denominated March, an increase of 0.3 0 4XDOLĶHG)RUHLJQ percent from the end of 493.69 Institutional Investor 500 February -5 program in March, up -5.8% from $101.45 billion a 400 -10 month earlier 300 -15 -13.5% 110.2 222.37 -14.5% 188.95 China’s e-commerce 200 177.37 -20 Logistics Index in March, A State-holding enterprises 900 yuan B Shareholding corporations improving 1.2 points from 100 -25 A record high share Foreign-, Hong Kong-, -24.2% C a month earlier with rising Macao- and Taiwan-funded price of Kweichow household consumption 0 -30 D Privately owned Moutai, China’s leading DQGORJLVWLFVHIĶFLHQF\ A B C D liquor brand, on April 8, Industrial Enterprises’ Profit by Sector bringing its total January-February (bln yuan) capitalization to surpass 1 trillion yuan 149.8 bln yuan Revenues of China’s Internet companies in the 70.15 568.19 69.67 ĶUVWWZRPRQWKVRI Mining Manufacturing Electricity, thermal, fuel gas and water production and supply 57.2% up 10 percent year on China’s Warehouse year Profit Changes for Major Industrial Sectors and Storage Index in January-February (y.o.y.) March, jumping 10.1 Electricity, heat production and supply 4.2% percentage points from Non-metal mineral product a month earlier as manufacturing 3.1% economic activity 260% General equipment manufacturing 0.8% increases http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 41 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS CULTURE Guarding a Legacy Priceless ancient documents at the Potala Palace to get new lease of life By Ji Jing n a hall of the Potala Palace, a treasure trove project for preventive protection, repair, protec- Pattra means leaf in Sanskrit and the text, of Tibetan history and culture in Lhasa, tion through digitalization and display of the carved on leaves with bamboo or iron styluses, Icapital of Tibet Autonomous Region in documents. The project will also inventorize the is mostly in Sanskrit. Apart from Buddhist clas- southwest China, a 7-meter high book shelf is documents, recording their exact number and sics, they include literature, art, philosophy, stacked with priceless ancient documents, in- content. The government has allotted 300 million medicine and astrological treatises and throw cluding one written in the 17th century. yuan ($44.8 million) for the work, the administra- light on the culture and history of South and Documents are part of the amazing collec- tion office of the palace recently announced. Central Asia. Experts estimate it is the largest tions in the palace and have survived hundreds collection of pattra-leaf scriptures worldwide. of years. In recent years, they became better To protect these invaluable relics, the palace SURWHFWHGDVWKHSDODFHXSJUDGHGLWVĶUHĶJKW Leaves from history built a warehouse equipped with surveillance ing facilities. However, dust, mice and natural The documents include Buddhist scriptures cameras in 2009 exclusively to store them. aging still remain grave problems that need to and books on medicine, history and drama In recent years, efforts have been stepped be addressed urgently. written in multiple languages such as Mandarin, up to preserving the documents as part of the Now there’s good news for conservationists Tibetan, Manchu, Mongolian and Sanskrit. cultural heritage protection drive worldwide. and culture lovers. Over the next 10 years, the One of the most precious documents is the However, despite the progress in the work, the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage will run a pattra-leaf scriptures. administration office has finished registering 44 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS CULTURE XINHUA XINHUA A monk takes stock of ancient documents at the Potala Palace on November 15, 2018 XINHUA silver to conduct 111 repairs. The second major renovation took place in 2002 when over 200 million yuan ($29.8 million) was spent to repair 29 main buildings and 35 attached ones, a task that took seven years. Every year, Potala Palace staff paint the exterior, including the walls, doors and windows. The task takes two months and must be complete before Buddha’s Descent Day, when pilgrims swarm into the pal- ace and pray for Buddha’s descent from heaven on the 22nd day of the ninth month in Tibetan calendar. The painting practice has lasted over 300 years. “The Potala Palace is like an elderly man who needs tender care,” Tashi Phuntsok, deputy director of the repair department of the SDODFHoVDGPLQLVWUDWLRQRIĶFHWROG;LQKXD1HZV A panoramic view of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region in Agency. southwest China, on November 15, 2018 The repair department has a team of 65 Workers paint the Potala Palace on October 28, 2016 including seasoned masons, carpenters, brick- layers and tailors. “Daily maintenance is an important way only 60 percent of the documents due to their century when Lhasa became the political, to … prevent more serious damage,” Phuntsok vast number and the fact that they are kept in religious, cultural and economic center of said. different areas of the palace. Tibet and the Fifth Dalai Lama, the head of Currently there are over 400 workers at the Although some of the documents have the local Tibetan Government, decided to re- administration office. Over the past five years, been published, the content of many remains build the Potala Palace in 1645. It became an WKHRIĶFHKDVUHJLVWHUHGRYHUFDWHJRULHVRI undivulged. The project will utilize modern important venue where he lived, carried out artifacts, recording their age, provenance and technology, like digitalization, to allow visitors to religious activities and dealt with administra- dimensions in both Tibetan and Mandarin. By explore their scanned versions. tive affairs. the end of 2018, over 40,000 Buddha statues, The palace has been expanded several 2,000 thangkas, traditional Tibetan paintings times since then and listed as a UNESCO World on silk, cotton or paper, and other artifacts had A pearl on roof of the world Heritage Site in December 1994. The main been digitally recorded. Q Located on the 3,700-meter-high Red Mountain building is 115.7 meters high. in the heart of Lhasa, the Potala Palace was It went through the first major renovation originally built in the seventh century by Tibetan in 1989 when the Central Government spent King Songtsen Gampo (617-650). over 53 million yuan ($14.13 million, at then Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar It remained unchanged till the mid-17th exchange rate) and a huge amount of gold and Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 45 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS FORUM Why Are More Single Women Buying Their Own Apartments? n recent years, more and more single wom- DUHEHFRPLQJPRUHĶQDQFLDOO\FDSDEOHDQGLQ have higher self-esteem. en are buying their own apartments. China’s dependent, and their attitude toward marriage As women’s incomes rise, their concept of Ilargest property listing website Ke.com ana- is changing. With a place of their own, they will marriage is changing subtly. They are beginning lyzed second-hand apartment sales in 12 big feel more secure and enjoy a more equal status to value their own personal space. They are also cities for several years and found 47.9 percent in marriage. basing marital happiness on independence. of the recent buyers are women, the highest However, the skeptics think owning an With an asset backstop like an apartment, proportion in the past seven years. In 2014, the apartment doesn’t necessarily mean indepen- women are also freer to marry for love. Equal ĶJXUHZDVSHUFHQW dence for women. They think it’s a ploy by real status in marriage gives them equal power in Of these women, 74.2 percent said they estate developers to persuade more people decision-making, adding to the security and GLGQRWUHFHLYHDQ\ĶQDQFLDOVXSSRUWIURPWKHLU to buy apartments. A large number of single stability of the marriage. partners, 45.2 percent were helped out by their women still depend on their parents, not earn- Yan Yunxia (www.xhby.net): Why is there parents, and only 29 percent bought their prop- LQJHQRXJKWREHVHOIVXIĶFLHQW so much hype about single women rushing erties on their own. to buy their own apartments? It stems from a The rising trend of single women buying deep-rooted discrimination against women. For their apartments is now a much-discussed Reflection of change many years, buying an apartment was seen as topic, especially on some online real estate Pan Helin (The Beijing News): Due to eco- a man’s responsibility, and women had to be platforms. Some believe it’s a sign that women nomic and social developments, women are taken care of. becoming increasingly more independent, both The fact that more women are buying their ĶQDQFLDOO\DQGVRFLDOO\0RUHDQGPRUH&KLQHVH own apartments implies an increase in their women are choosing to buy apartments when income, although there is still a gap between they are still single. This is a reflection of the the earnings of female and male professionals. Dear Readers, change taking place in their and their families’ Besides, a growing number of females have be- values, which in turn is impacting society. gun to realize the importance of independence Forum is a A direct result of this is that a lot of property and their own value. They refuse to be subservi- column that developers are adjusting their sale policies to ent to men. woo women as they play a bigger role in house A striking change is taking place in women’s provides a space purchasing. According to traditional Chinese attitude toward marriage. Once people thought for varying thinking, houses are crucial to marriage. that if a man owned a house and a car, it would While men are still the majority of house be a happy marriage. Today, when more wom- perspectives on buyers, why is it that women are increasingly en are buying their own apartments, they are contemporary playing a bigger role in this regard? The main liberating themselves from this kind of thinking Chinese society. reason is to cope with volatility and other risks in about marriage. marriage. Women have a greater sense of secu- Is it ok to equate women purchasing apart- We invite you to rity when they have an apartment of their own. ments with independence? Real independence submit personal According to statistics from the Ministry does not depend on material things. Besides, al- of Civil Affairs, in 2018, there were 10.1 million though many single women have bought their viewpoints on past newly married couples while the number of own apartments without depending on any and current topics divorced couples hit 3.8 million, and counting. PDOHSDUWQHUVRPHKDGĶQDQFLDOVXSSRUWIURP (in either English In the face of this harsh reality, a lot of women their families. In this sense, it’s wrong to equate have to face up to questions like who will pro- SXUFKDVLQJDQDSDUWPHQWZLWKVHOIVXIĶFLHQF\,I or Chinese). vide the down payment on the apartment, who this becomes a stereotype, it would be unfair to [email protected] will be responsible for paying the monthly install- women who have not bought their own places. ments, and how the assets, especially property, The phenomenon of single women buying Please provide your name will be divided if there is a divorce. apartments can be interpreted from different and address along with In general, women depend more on mar- aspects but the subject should not be abused. your comments riage and their family than men. If they have a It should also not be hyped for commercial pur- house of their own, they’ll feel more secure and poses. Buying a house should never become 46 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS FORUM LI SHIGONG WKHĶQDOJRDORUVRPHWKLQJWRVKRZRIIDVWKHUH Today, if asked to choose between love market is stabilizing in 2019. At this moment, are more important things to strive for. and material comforts, what will women say? A there is this talk about single women flocking rising number of single women’s answer will be: to buy their apartments. It seems to imply that Ready for love “I have already provided the material comforts even women are rushing to buy houses; so men myself.” They are free to say this because they or families, why don’t you also join the rush? Are Caijingxiansheng (baijiahao.baidu.com): have an apartment of their own. you less capable then these single women? Who pays more attention to creature comforts? Today, it is rare for single women to give Worse still, it divides single women into two Women, mostly. Traditionally, it was thought up the men they want to marry because they groups: those who buy houses and those who that women’s consumption was focused on have no place to live in after getting married. don’t. Will that eventually make society think things like branded garments, cosmetics and In big cities, it’s common for even young men that single women must buy their own houses? other daily commodities. However, today’s sin- not to be able to afford a house. If a couple buy Another question is, how many of these gle women constitute the bulk of (second-hand) DKRXVHZKHQERWKSDUWQHUVDUHĶQDQFLDOO\FD single women have bought their apartment property purchasers in China, particularly in big pable, their married life will be much easier. without any financial support from their fami- cities. Compared with women of the previous Deng Haijian (www.youth.cn): If they have lies? Or how many single women or men can generation, today’s young women have higher their own apartments, women who feel inse- afford China’s eye-popping housing prices? ĶQDQFLDODZDUHQHVVDQGVHQVH cure socially will feel more secure. If they don’t Whether they buy a house or not, people go A larger proportion of women have their get married, they will still have a roof over their on with their lives. Everyone should live within own business or career and are no less capable head. If they marry, their apartments will ensure their financial capability. It’s not worthwhile than their male colleagues. So their income is them equal status in marital life. Therefore, to buying a house beyond one’s means and then rising. Traditionally, a lot of restrictions, both tacit a large extent, a house is insurance for single groaning under the huge financial burden for and implied, prevented women from taking up women’s future happiness. the rest of one’s life. some jobs, including well-paid ones. However, However, this phenomenon is not worth For single women who have not bought an today, more women are bravely challenging praising to the skies. Buying an apartment does apartment or are planning to purchase one, my stereotyped social concepts and the restrictions not necessarily mean financial independence advice is, don’t be swayed by the property ads. imposed on them. They are now working in and those who do not buy a house should not Instead, listen to your own heart. Q previously male-dominated areas like techno- be written off. logical research and high-level business. This, in The topic seems to have been hyped un- Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar turn, has boosted their income. necessarily. We all know that China’s property http://www.bjreview.com APRIL 18, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 47 РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS ESSAY Netting Talent Deficit From Student Exchange With U.S. By Liu Yunyun ath is the foundation of everything. The cent. Most likely, each of them has contributed a huge deficit compared to the United States Chinese know this too well and have in their own way to the advancement of science in terms of the exchange of international stu- Mdominated international math competi- and engineering research and development in dents, as the number of U.S. students in China tions for years. WKHPRVWVFLHQWLĶFDOO\DGYDQFHGFRXQWU\LQWKH was only about 12,000 in 2018. So when the news came that U.S. high world. Moreover, Chinese students contributed school students had won the first prize for a Education is also an underreported trade $12 billion to the U.S. economy in tuition, room second consecutive year at the Romanian sector. Normally in international trade, money and board and other expenses. That is equiva- Master of Mathematics 2019, it was no laughing flows into a country while products flow out. lent to the United States selling 3 billion Big matter. But in this case, the product—education— Macs, 15 million iPhone X handsets, 300,000 The dream team’s head coach, Po-Shen never leaves the country. Ford Explorers, or 120 Boeing 737 aircraft. Loh, speaks fluent Chinese, while the names U.S. universities, with their advanced Chinese students have also helped create of the three U.S. gold medalists suggest that technologies and research capabilities, have 150,000 U.S. jobs, according to estimation of two of them may be descendants of Chinese attracted millions of international students. the U.S. Association of International Educators. immigrants. According to the 2018 Open Doors Report, This is partly why when the U.S. Govern- This reality has sounded an alarm in the during the 2017-18 school year, more than ment was reportedly going to reduce the math-loving country: China may be “exporting” 360,000 Chinese students studied in U.S. higher number of visas for international students, our very talented people overseas, causing an education institutions, the largest number Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow LQDGYHUWHQWpWDOHQWGHĶFLWqRQRXUVLGH among all countries. FKRVH&KLQDIRUKLVĶUVWRYHUVHDVYLVLWDIWHUWDN The Science & Engineering Indicators 2018, Some top-performing Chinese students LQJRIĶFH+HVDLGPDLQWDLQLQJDQGGHHSHQLQJ issued by the U.S. National Science Foundation, stay on in the United States, eventually causing exchanges and cooperation between the two showed that in 2015, the proportion of China- DWDOHQWGHĶFLWIRU&KLQD countries’ education and cultural institutions is born science and engineering doctorate holders The Denver Post reported in 2017 that edu- crucial to promoting U.S.-China relations in the long run. living in the United States was the highest cation was the seventh largest export industry When these students come back to China, among all countries—accounting for 26.1 per- for the United States. China is actually running they not only bring back better English and refreshing knowledge on various subjects, they also continue living a U.S. lifestyle: drinking International Students: China and the U.S. Starbucks coffee during tea break, teaching (Number of students by school year) their kids to play baseball and listening to U.S. 400,000 pop music. Many countries agree that international Chinese students studying in the U.S. students and scholars are one of their greatest foreign policy assets, helping them to stay in touch with future foreign leaders and business 300,000 tycoons. Rick Dunham, Co-Director of the Global Business Journalism program at Tsinghua University, told Beijing Review that China has many more youths with an understanding of 200,000 the United States than U.S. youth who have an understanding of China. China needs a lot more young people who have a better understanding of China across the Pacific Ocean. Chinese higher education institu- 100,000 tions should work to retain the most talented Chinese students at home while attracting more students from the United States, not only for the U.S. students studying in China purpose of closing the “talent deficit” gap, but also as an investment in a new generation of leaders 0 who will know China better. 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 It is imperative that they do this now. Q 6RXUFH ó2018 Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange; Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo designed by Pamela Tobey ó Comments to [email protected] 48 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 18, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS