Old Revolutionary Base Wins Its Battle on Poverty with Distinctive Industries

NATION: THE CARBON PROMISE P.28 | BUSINESS: CHINA’S ROLE IN GLOBAL GROWTH P.38

VOL.63 NO.46 NOVEMBER 12, 2020 WWW.BJREVIEW.COM

CELEBRATING VICTORY Zuoquan County’s rise to prosperity through local culture and resources RMB6.00 USD1.70 AUD3.00 GBP1.20 CAD2.60 CHF2.60 JPY188 邮发代号2-922·国内统一刊号：CN11-1576/G2

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EDITOR’S DESK BUSINESS 02 Partners in Poverty Reduction 36 The Fourth Growth Pole New strategy to address THIS WEEK imbalances in west China 40 Market Watch COVER STORY 16 On the Same Page CULTURE A media house’s hands-on work to 44 The Art of Reality support villagers Chinese documentaries 18 A Welcome Note win acclaim Tourism becomes a driver of 12 COVER STORY rural vitalization FORUM 20 Moving for Improving Cracking a Tough Nut 46 How Can China Cope With an Relocation for a better life Increasingly Aging Population? 21 Valley of Gold A county’s way out of poverty Afforestation means a new lifeline ESSAY 48 Stop Playing With Fire GOVERNANCE NATION U.S. arms sales to Taiwan 24 The Making of a New Blueprint a blatant provocation Key goals of 14th Five-Year Plan P.28 | Pillars of a Promise How China can meet its carbon WORLD 26 The Thought That Counts neutrality pledge Sheep diplomacy between China, Mongolia BUSINESS NATION P.38 | Restorative for Global Growth 30 A Bigger Playground Chinese economy’s role Efforts to develop sports and fitness in global recovery

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Cover Photo: Traditional handicraft figurines BUSINESS depict a folk song performance in Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province (CHEN JIAN) P.34 | An Accessible Market Expo brings cheer with new ©2020 Beijing Review, all rights reserved. opening-up measures

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MEDIA PARTNER BREAKING NEWS » SCAN ME » Using a QR code reader http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 1 EDITOR’S DESK

A News Weekly Magazine Published Since 1958

President: Li Yafang Associate Editors in Chief: Li Jianguo, Ding Zhitao Associate President: Yan Ying

Executive Editor: Yan Wei Associate Executive Editors: Zan Jifang, Liu Yunyun, Ding Ying Partners in Poverty Reduction Production Director: Yao Bin Editorial Administrators: Zeng Wenhui, Hou Beibei Assistant Executive Editor: Li Fangfang Commentator: Lan Xinzhen China’s model of poverty reduction includes mainly focuses on reducing poverty via Opinion/Culture Editor: Ding Ying a partnership assistance program in which a industrial development, relocating the Nation Editor: Wang Hairong poverty-stricken area is paired with more de- poor from inhospitable locations and train- Web Editor: Li Nan veloped places, government agencies, public ing the local officials and labor force. After Editorial Consultants: Sudeshna Sarkar, Madhusudan Chaubey Staff Reporters: Tang Yuankai, Wang Jun, Pan Xiaoqiao, Yuan Yuan, institutions and state-owned enterprises to 18 years of work, heartening progress has Wang Hairong, Ji Jing, Lu Yan, Wen Qing, Li Qing, Li Xiaoyang, assist it with their skills and resources. been achieved with Zuoquan officially Ma Miaomiao, Zhang Shasha, Tao Xing, Tao Zihui All the 592 key impoverished counties taken off the list of impoverished counties Visual Director: Pamela Tobey Photo Editor: Wang Xiang have designated partners. Altogether 310 in 2019. Photographer: Wei Yao agencies affiliated to the Communist Party The model reflects China’s political Art: Li Shigong of China Central Committee and the State and institutional advantages. Those ap- Design Director: Wang Yajuan Council have participated in such partnership pointed in temporary positions in poverty- Chief Designer: Cui Xiaodong Designer: Zhao Boyu assistance. stricken counties are skilled and promising Proofreading: Ma Xin The China International Publishing people who bring to poor areas new ideas,

Distribution Director: Hu Keqiang Group (CIPG) is one of the public institu- mindsets and skills. They also learn from Human Resources: Zhang Yajie tions incorporated in this model. Since the experience. They learn about the condi- Legal Counsel: Yue Cheng 2002, the veteran media house has part- tions in rural China, which provides food North America Bureau nered with Zuoquan, a county in Shanxi for the nation, and become more aware of Chief: Yu Shujun Province, north China, helping it shake off how they can contribute to nation-building. Tel/Fax: 1-201-792-0334 poverty through educational programs, Some of the temporary appointees decided E-mail: [email protected] special livelihood projects and funding in- not to go back to their cities after their Africa Bureau frastructure. tenure was over but to stay on to add their Chief Correspondent: Ni Yanshuo Tel: 27-71-6132053 CIPG sent 27 of its employees to strength to the last-mile battle. E-mail: [email protected] Zuoquan in 11 batches. There, they have The partnership assistance model has General Editorial Office served in various positions according to their taken more officials to the grassroots. Tel: 86-10-68996252 expertise. Their work varies from formulating They have better understood the real Fax: 86-10-68326628 targeted measures for economic and social conditions and improved their work style, English Edition development while keeping in mind the lo- which has improved the engagement Tel: 86-10-68996250 Advertising Department cal conditions, helping kickstart promising between the Party and the people and Tel: 86-10-68996280 projects, and explaining to the people the between the government and the people. E-mail: [email protected] policies created for their benefit and how It is a process of training for the trainers Distribution Department Tel: 86-10-68310644 they can avail of them. themselves and is a win-win way to shake E-mail: [email protected] The partnership assistance model off poverty. n

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2 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com THIS WEEK XINHUA

NATIONAL HEADCOUNT UNDERWAY Census takers register a family’s information in Qicun Town, Shandong Province in east China, on November 1, the day the seventh national census kicked off. This year, about 7 million workers are going from door to door to document demographic changes in the world’s most populous country. The census has been held every 10 years in China since 1990. The last one found the population had increased to 1.37 billion.

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 3 THIS WEEK SOCIETY XINHUA authorities announced on November 1. The Ministry of Water Resources and the National Development and Reform Commission officially announced full completion of the construction, saying it has met all design requirements, has a good overall performance, and fulfills the key roles of flood control, electricity generation, shipping and water- resource utilization. The Three Gorges project, which began construction in 1994, is a multi-functional water-control system, consisting of a high dam and 34 turbo-generators with a combined power generating capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts. The project has played a key role in flood control along the Yangtze River Basin. Since it first began operation until August this year, the dam held back 180 billion cubic meters of water during flood seasons. It has also reduced flood peaks by about 40 percent, greatly easing Fruit Time flood-control pressure in the middle A villager dries persimmon in Cixian, a county in Hebei Province in north China, on November 3. Dried persimmon, a and lower reaches of the Yangtze. popular treat known as shibing in Chinese, has become a distinctive local industry. This has been particularly important along the Jingjiang River, a section of the Yangtze that saw severe flooding in the past. Thanks to the strong govern- conference will have one main Religious Freedom ment support, the condition of forum, five sub-forums, and other The Islamic Association of Xinjiang mosques has improved. They now activities both online and offline. Great Wall Plan Uygur Autonomous Region in north- have running water, electricity, The World Internet Develop- Gansu Province in northwest China west China on November 3 released a heating and communications facili- ment Report 2020 and the China will initiate a conservation plan for report on freedom of religious belief ties. Roads to mosques have been Internet Development Report the Great Wall, according to the in the region. improved to make access easier, the 2020 will be released during the Gansu Provincial Administration of It said some anti-China forces report added. conference. Cultural Heritage. from the United States and other CAC Deputy Director Zhao Preparations for a national park Western countries had recently Internet Conference Zeliang said against the backdrop management system to protect the made fallacious statements that of the novel coronavirus disease Great Wall sections in Gansu are freedom of religious belief was The Seventh World Internet pandemic which has profoundly underway, Ma Yuping, director of the restricted in Xinjiang and mosques Conference will be held in the river changed the international situation, administration, said on November 1. were demolished. town of Wuzhen in the eastern prov- it is more important than ever to The Gansu section of the They are groundless claims that ince of Zhejiang on November 23- uphold the vision of a community Great Wall measures 3,654 km. have severely hurt the feelings of 24, the Cyberspace Administration of a shared future in cyberspace. The Jiayuguan Pass, located 6 km Muslims in Xinjiang and aroused indig- of China (CAC) said at a press Global cyberspace should be southwest of Jiayuguan City in nation and opposition, the report said. conference on November 2. developed in a more inclusive, bal- Gansu, makes it the Great Wall’s The right to freedom of religious The conference will be themed anced and win-win way. western end. Construction on the belief is fully guaranteed in Xinjiang “Digital empowerment to create a Jiayuguan Pass began in 1372 and and normal religious activities better future: jointly build a commu- was completed in 1540. It was listed are carried out in an orderly way. nity of shared future in cyberspace.” Three Gorges Project as a World Cultural Heritage Site by Muslims’ dietary habits, festivals, Focusing on artificial intel- The Three Gorges project, which UNESCO in 1987. wedding and funeral practices, ligence, cloud computing, big data, manages the Yangtze River’s water The plan involves emergency and other customs and rituals are 5G, the industrial Internet, cyber flow, has been officially certified as rescue and reinforcement of also respected. security and e-business, the complete and fully functioning, the the Great Wall itself as well as

4 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com THIS WEEK XINHUA maintenance and repair of flood have participated in the festival, with control and drainage facilities over 8,800 reading and cultural around the relic sites. activities held. At the planned national park, the Gansu section of the Great Wall will have three exhibition gardens. Sci-Tech Park They will display the ramming A sci-fi-based science and technol- technology in the construction of ogy industrial park will be built in the Great Wall in northwest China, a reclaimed steel plant in western the history of the ancient Silk Road, Beijing to boost the development of and the culture of the Great Wall. the sci-fi industry. Fu Xiaoming, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Shougang Reading Festival Construction Group Co., announced Shenzhen, the tech hub in south on November 1 that the company China, opened its annual month- will build a 160,000-square-meter long reading festival on November sci-fi city in the Shougang Industrial 3. More than 2,200 cultural activities Park in Beijing’s Shijingshan District have been lined up, including lectures, in 10 years. Fully Prepared book donations and celebrity recom- He made the announce- A logistics park in Longli, a county in Guizhou Province in southwest China, mendations for must-read books. ment at the China Science Fiction braces up on November 3 for the Double Eleven Shopping Festival, held on The Shenzhen Reading Month Conference, which opened in the November 11. has been held each November for industrial park that day. the past 20 years, causing UNESCO The sci-fi city will have centers for to name the city a global model for international communication, techno- the promotion of reading. This year’s logical empowerment and consumer It has moved production to the The minimum subsistence event is promoting the city’s devel- experience, as well as a public service coastal industrial zone of Caofeidian allowance in Tibet has been raised opment vitality and cultural charm. platform for graphic image rendering, in neighboring Hebei Province. to an annual amount of 4,713 yuan The CITIC Press Group, a copyright trading, and digital photog- ($693) per person in 2020, from Beijing-based publisher and guest raphy and production. 2,350 yuan ($354) in 2015, according of honor at the event, is holding over A sci-fi-themed amusement Tibet Subsidy to Yang. 50 cultural activities and inviting park is also expected to be set up in Tibet Autonomous Region in south- Konqung, 86, is one of the well-known authors to meet and the park by the end of 2021. west China has provided 114,000 recipients of the allowance. share their insights with readers in Shijingshan will establish special residents with minimum subsistence “I moved to an old people’s Shenzhen, according to Wang Bin, funds and roll out policies to sup- allowances in an effort to consoli- home in the city last year, and now the company chairman. port the development of the sci-fi date the region’s accomplishment in I receive an annual allowance from Since the festival was launched industry. poverty alleviation, reported Xinhua the government,” he said. “I have in 2000, reading has become a part Founded in 1919, steelmaker News Agency on October 29. nothing to worry about now.” of everyday life in the city, thanks Shougang has transformed its past The subsidized residents include Tibet has eradicated absolute to persistent government promo- production premises in Shijingshan senior citizens, the differently abled, poverty. By the end of 2019, tion and local people’s appetite for into a new capital landmark featur- and children in rural areas, according 628,000 people and 74 county- knowledge. ing winter sports events, fairs and to Yang Xiaorong, an official with the level areas had moved out of More than 160 million people exhibitions. Department of Civil Affairs of Tibet. poverty.

Autumn Tea A farmer picks tea leaves in Yingde, a city in Guangdong Province in south China, on November 3. Yingde, with 10,000 hectares of tea plantations, is known as the hometown of black tea. XINHUA

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 5 THIS WEEK ECONOMY

its total foreign trade volume, amid Deng said the efforts will stabi- 30 for invention and 10 for design, Trade Growth upgraded free trade area protocol lize regional production and supply had created 660 billion yuan ($98.7 Trade with the Association of and supply chain cooperation. chains, develop new growth modes billion) in sales revenue, 62.9 bil- Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) This year, China has made $10.7 and thus inject stronger impetus lion yuan ($9.4 billion) in profit, accounted for one seventh of billion of direct investment in ASEAN into the economic growth of the and 136.3 billion yuan ($20.4 bil- China’s total imports and exports in countries, up 76.6 percent. “The countries. lion) in exports, Lei Xiaoyun, a NIPA the first three quarters of the year, figures demonstrate the strong re- official, said at a press conference reaching $481.8 billion, Chinese silience and full potential of China- in Beijing. Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun ASEAN economic relations,” Deng Patent Benefits The China Patent Award, the said at the Third Jakarta Forum on said. Award-winning patents have gener- country’s top award in the field, November 2. With measures to contain the ated massive economic benefits, has been co-organized by NIPA “It grew 5.6 percent in the novel coronavirus disease epidemic boosting the high-quality develop- and the World Intellectual Property second quarter and 7.7 percent in the in place, China has established ment of intellectual property in Organization since 1989. third quarter, much faster than that “fast lanes” and “green lanes” China, the National Intellectual According to Lei, candidates for between China and other trading with Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Property Administration (NIPA) said this year’s awards reached a record- partners,” Deng said. Myanmar and Indonesia to facilitate on November 2. breaking 2,479. ASEAN became China’s largest the movement of personnel and As of the end of 2018, projects “Of the 766 award-winning trading partner in the first half of the resumed direct flights with several related to the 40 top winners of invention patents, 62 percent are in year, accounting for 14.7 percent of ASEAN countries. this year’s China Patent Award, strategic emerging industries, and 83 percent in patent-intensive sectors,” Lei said, adding that most award- winning patent projects involve key

XINHUA industries and core technologies. Stronger Web Firms China’s Internet and related sectors registered double-digit growth in business revenue in the first three quarters of the year, official data showed. Major Internet companies raked in 895.6 billion yuan ($134.7 billion) in the period, up 13.7 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The operating profit of the industry grew 13.6 percent year on year to 86.74 billion yuan ($13 billion). Its spending on research and development totaled 49.74 billion yuan ($7.48 billion), up 11.2 percent over the same period last year. MIIT statistics cover enterprises with annual revenue from Internet services of above 5 million yuan ($752,000) in the previous year. Smart Airports During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016- Project in Progress 20) period, industry-wide efforts Construction of a one-stop aircraft maintenance base at the Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan have been made to develop smart Province in south China, is in full swing on November 2. After completion, it will serve air companies from home airports, highlighting data sharing, and abroad. effective coordination and intelligent

6 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com THIS WEEK XINHUA According to the tender result, Region in southwest China totaled Chinese oil and gas giant CNOOC 130.8 billion yuan ($19.5 billion) in will purchase 65,000 tons of LNG the first three quarters of the year, to be delivered in March 2021 from up 6.3 percent year on year, local Aramco Trading Singapore. authorities said on October 29. On October 30, SHPGX’s online Seven emerging sectors em- international LNG trading system powered the region’s economy— launched purchase and sales tender plateau biology, tourism and culture, services for international traders. green industries, clean energy, mod- Sinopec and CNOOC an- ern services, border trade logistics, nounced purchase tenders through and the hi-tech and digital industry, the system on the same day, seeking according to the regional bureau to purchase overseas LNG to be of statistics and the Tibet survey delivered in the subsequent months. office under the National Bureau of A number of foreign gas sup- Statistics. pliers, including Total, Mitsui & Co., They achieved a value-added Glencore, RWE and Aramco Trading output of 28.9 billion yuan ($4.3 Singapore, were invited to participate billion) from January to September, in the tenders. with the hi-tech and digital industry SHPGX said it is mulling the surging 37 percent year on year establishment of a group purchas- and the plateau bio-industry up 31.6 Salt Harvest ing service for small and medium- percent. sized LNG buyers in accordance with The pharmaceuticals is an- Workers collect salt at a salt field in Qingdao, Shandong Province in east market demand. other pillar industry in the region. China, on November 4. Its value-added output soared 36.6 percent year on year in the first three Tibet’s Economy quarters, compared with a 7.1-percent The GDP of Tibet Autonomous growth of all major industries.

operations, Dong Zhiyi, deputy head upgrading the infrastructure of the Civil Aviation Administration system, and expanding opening up of China (CAAC), said at a confer- and cooperation. XINHUA ence in Xiamen, Fujian Province in The targets include bringing southeast China. The conference was the average power consumption of held on October 29-30. electric cars down to 12 kWh/100 km China has set up big databases and raising the proportion of NEVs to sustain industry operations and in new vehicle sales to 20 percent by put into use a range of new tech- 2025. nologies in fields such as airport By 2035, electric automobiles security management, flight man- are likely to become the mainstream agement and operations control at in the new vehicle market, while all airports, he said. vehicles used in public transportation will be electrified, according to the plan. NEV Plan Boasting the world’s most A development plan for China’s sizable inventory of NEVs, China ac- new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry counts for 55 percent of global NEV in 2021-35 said the country will sales. become an automotive powerhouse. The plan, released by the State Council on November 2, lists LNG Deal five strategic tasks—improving The Shanghai Petroleum and Poverty-Relief Initiative technology innovation capac- Natural Gas Exchange (SHPGX) ex- Shoppers select commodities at the China Western Consumption Poverty ity, building new-type industry ecuted its first international liquefied Alleviation Center in Chongqing, southwest China, on October 31. The ecosystems, advancing industrial natural gas (LNG) tender transaction 15,000-square-meter building has more than 40 pavilions, presenting integration and development, on November 2. products from impoverished areas.

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 7 THIS WEEKWORLD XINHUA

  TURKEY BRAZIL Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed Students and parents attend a building after a 6.9-magnitude preparation session at a school earthquake hit the western province in Sao Paulo on November 3. In-person of Izmir on October 31. The death toll secondary school classes resumed exceeded 110 in the city that day XINHUA

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JAPAN A traditional Chinese opera performance at the closing ceremony of the China Film Week of the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival in Tokyo on November 1

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AUSTRIA Police officers on duty in Vienna on November 3. The government declared a three-day national mourning after a terror attack that left at least four people and one perpetrator dead in the capital on November 2 XINHUA XINHUA XINHUA 

THAILAND A woman wearing a mask prays for peace and luck before setting afloat a water lantern in the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on October 31, the annual

Loy Krathong Festival 

UNITED STATES People watch a live broadcast of the presidential election ballot counting at Times Square in New York City on November 3 XINHUA http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 9 THIS WEEKPEOPLE & POINTS

 FATHER OF HYBRID RICE MAKES NEW BREAKTHROUGH Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice, and his team have set a new record with the yield of their third-generation hybrid rice variety reaching 911.7 kg per mu (about 667 square meters) in Lifesaving an experiment in Hunan Province, central China. Plus an early season rice yield of 619.06 kg, the same plot in Qingzhu Village, Hengnan Defibrillators County, produced 1,530.76 kg per mu in a year. The output is equivalent to 22.96 tons per hectare. Guancha.gmw.cn Last year, the same hybrid rice variety, Sanyou No.1, gave a single-cropping yield of 1,046.3 kg per mu from the same plot. October 28 Yuan said he wants to ensure the variety can promote greener and more sustainable development of China’s rice production with higher Beijing Subway has installed quality. automated external defibrillators The 90-year-old, who developed the world’s first hybrid rice in the (AEDs) at 22 stations on its Line 1970s, has set multiple world records in hybrid rice yields, making incalcu- 1, its oldest line, and at five more lable contribution to food security, both in China and elsewhere. His team is stations with large passenger still working on third-generation hybrid rice combinations and conducting flows on Line 4, according to studies for simplifying the cultivation with less use of fertilizers. Beijing MTR Corporation Limited. By the end of this year, 104 stations on seven subway lines in the city will have the devices. The machines will shops, hospitals, banks and railway stations be placed in prominent locations at the sta- waived the requirement for the elderly to A Helping Hand for tions, with appropriate signage and detailed show their health code. For seniors, staff service was provided. However, teaching them instructions for use. The Elderly to use smartphones is the best way to help The AEDs are portable, lifesaving de- them adapt to the information era. vices designed to treat people experiencing www.banyuetan.org The popularity of the smartphone a sudden cardiac arrest. They can help the classes indicates that the elderly are willing heart re-establish its normal beat by admin- October 29 to learn new things. But limited access has istering an electrical shock. People without Some universities in Nanjing, Jiangsu hampered their progress. Therefore, local a medical background can also use the Province in east China, have recently set up governments, public service organizations devices after training. They are an effective modules to teach elderly people how to use and smartphone companies should create tool for saving lives. smartphones. The classes include many ba- more opportunities for them to explore ad- According to a report released by sic applications, such as making e-payment, vanced technologies. the National Center for Cardiovascular online hospital appointment registration When this group becomes skilled at us- Diseases in 2016, every year about and using the health code. These classes are ing smartphones, the consumption potential 540,000 people die of sudden cardiac popular among seniors who face inconve- they would unleash would contribute to problems. But these devices can reduce niences in their daily life as they lag behind the dual-circulation development, where the tragedies. Therefore their distribution electronic product knowledge. domestic consumption and indigenous tech- in public places is a measure that will meet Considering the situation, during this nological development play an important year’s National Day holiday, October 1-8, role in driving China’s growth.

“The U.S. has repeatedly pitted “A new development blueprint is regional countries against one important not only for China but another, flexed its muscles and also for the whole world, as the instigated tensions. It is becoming the Chinese Government can usually biggest factor fueling militarization deliver on its development goals and the most dangerous factor once they are set out.” jeopardizing peace in the South Carl Fey, a professor of international business at Aalto University School of Business China Sea.” in Finland, on China’s 14th Five-Year Plan Xiao Qian, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, (2021-25) in a recent interview with in a statement on the embassy’s website Xinhua News Agency on October 31

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XINHUA Strengthening Information Security Beijing Youth Daily October 28 Over 90 percent of respondents have used face recognition, generally for e-payment, according to a report by the Personal Information Protection Task Force on Apps on face recognition application on October 13. However, the report says over 60 percent of people think the technology has been abused, while 30 percent faced problems, including violation of privacy and property loss. Risks usually happen in data storage and application. Unscrupulous companies can take advantage of science and technology and the market to collect and use private information excessively. Although China has strict regulation on those processes, personal information security is not guaranteed due to the lack of uniform industry standards. Therefore, the authorities should improve policies and regulations related to personal data protection with a standard for the industry. Technology developers and app operators can help relevant departments crack down on illegal actions. Governmental supervision is vital to enhance information security. An automated external defibrillator at the Xidan Station on Beijing Subway Line 4 on October 27 Companies should adhere to ethics in science and technology, ensuring their business operations are legal. During research and development, users’ privacy needs to be given the same importance as technological innovation. Also, people should strengthen their awareness of informa- with social endorsement. tion security protection and avoid behaviors that carry risks. Beijing Subway said training would be provided to the staff to use the devices. By December 2022, more than 80 percent  WORLD SAILING’S FIRST CHINESE PRESIDENT of the staff at Beijing’s subway stations will be trained to use them. But since a heart Li Quanhai has become World Sailing’s new president, the London-based global governing attack victim generally requires assistance body for the sport of sailing announced on November 1. within four minutes, the authorities have Li, 58, is the first Chinese to hold the office. His term will end in 2024. asked more people to learn how to use the He topped the election with 68 votes ahead of former president Kim AED to save lives with prompt action. Andersen of Denmark. In 2019, the State Council issued the Li, Director General of the National Olympic Sports Center, said he Healthy China Initiative that asks people to will work to make sailing more exciting, easier to participate in and a learn lifesaving techniques in emergencies, showcase of human power combined with the energy of nature. such as a heart attack or near-drowning. Li had previously served on World Sailing’s Board of Directors Therefore, the authorities should accelerate for eight years. Founded in 1907, World Sailing is recognized by the the progress of promoting defibrillator train- International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic ing in schools and communities. Committee. Its principle members are the national governing bodies for sailing around the world and more than 100 class associations with different types of boats.

“For those unwilling to focus on “Chinese companies remain the containment, like the U.S., the long top-paying customers for UK shadow of COVID-19 speaks volumes intellectual properties (IPs). for the ever-present perils of a Additionally, having spent the last double-dip recession. The contrast 20 years developing and protecting with China’s self-sustaining recovery their own IPs, Chinese companies are couldn’t be more striking.” now among the world’s largest Stephen Roach, former Chairman of Morgan patent applicants.” Stanley Asia, in an article for New Zealand’s Ting Zhang, Co-Vice Chair of the UK-China Tech financial news website Interest.co.nz Forum, in an article on the website of British on October 27 newspaper The Independent on November 2 http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 11 COVER STORY he county of Zuoquan in Shanxi Province in north China has gone through two transforma- tions in the recent century. Originally called Liaoxian, its Tname was changed to Zuoquan in 1942 to commemorate General Zuo Quan of the Eighth Route Army, who lost his life there that year in the War of Resistance Against CRACKING A Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The second transformation took place last year when the inland county, which had grappled with poverty for over two decades due to its limited natural resources, was officially declared poverty free. One reason for the poverty was the TOUGH NUT lack of arable land and growing wrong crops. Only 8 percent of the mountainous Old revolutionary base wins its battle on poverty county is suitable for cultivation; the rest is largely covered by mountains and water. with distinctive industries By Ji Jing The farmers mostly planted corn since it 12 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com CHEN JIAN

A bird’s-eye view of Zuoquan, a county in Shanxi Province in north China, on October 22 was a traditional crop and they didn’t want Of the 129 villages in the county regis- saplings and fertilizer. Then plantation on to experiment with new ones and take tered as poor, Lianbi was the poorest, with the mountains began. The drive inspired risks. But corn fetched little money and no enterprises or mines. The mountains some of the elderly villagers. Guo Fulan, a was also laborious. Back then, farmers did made it difficult to grow crops, nor could farmer then in his 60s, decided to join in not realize that walnut, also a local prod- cattle be raised on the slopes as they had the work. uct, had better prospects. little vegetation. The young people in the “It’s difficult for people of my age to village mostly went elsewhere to seek find work,” Guo Fulan said. “Since the vil- Suited to the soil a living, with only the elderly remaining lage has found a new way of making a Zuoquan has a long history of walnut behind. living, I want to be part of it too.” planting. The earliest walnut trees in the In 2012, Guo Yinglin was the secretary The local government provided fi- county grew in the wild more than 500 of the Communist Party of China village nancial support to build roads in the years ago. The high altitude and consider- branch. He decided to start walnut cultiva- mountains and the dogged perseverance able difference between day and night tion on the mountains. “There are only finally resulted in a 200-hectare walnut temperatures result in walnuts with plump 120 hectares of arable land, but there are plantation with around 81,000 trees. kernels, rich in protein, fat and oil. Also, 1,000 hectares of mountains,” he told the Today, the base pays over 500,000 yuan they are thin shelled and easy to crack. villagers. “We need to make good use of ($74,900) in total each year to over 100 Based on these considerations, even- these mountains if we want to prosper.” individuals from Lianbi as well as neighbor- tually in 2012, the county authorities Providentially, a company had arrived in ing villages. decided to develop Zuoquan as a walnut the village to prospect for natural gas and “In the past, I made very little money plantation base, growing varieties that the money it paid as yearly rent, 340,000 from growing corn and it was labor-inten- would be hardy and drought-resistant. yuan ($50,932), was used to buy walnut sive. Now I work at the walnut tree base s s http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 13 and can make nearly 20,000 yuan ($2,996) a year,” Guo Fulan said. “I don’t need to bother with buying seeds and fertilizer or selling the nuts.” Currently, the entire county has 24,000 hectares of walnut plantations with an annual output of 15 million kg, worth 300 million yuan ($45 million). Emerging from seclusion In Lianbi, farmers are growing organic herbs and grains, which are sold both in Shanxi and other provinces and have helped over 400 households. Guo, the Party chief, said in the past it took at least two days to go to the nearest township, though it was only 10 km away, since there were no roads. Now with the new roads and transport, it takes only 10 minutes. With better roads, transport and pen- etration of mobile phones and the Internet, the once secluded village has opened up and also got to see the outside world. The technology-savvy farmers are selling their products such as millet online. Though the village stepped out of poverty in 2016, Guo, the Party chief, was still not satisfied. After the mountains were planted with walnut trees and grain crops, he came up with the idea of developing stable and sustainable industries. Zuoquan had applied for a photovoltaic (PV) project to develop the PV industry in impoverished villages as another targeted way of poverty alleviation. Lianbi also decided to develop a PV industry. In 2017, the Jiayao PV Power Generation Co. Ltd. decided to build a solar power station in the village. After construc- Liu Yanzhong, a villager in Lichang, Zuoquan, at the duck farm where he works, on October 20 tion was completed in October 2018, it was connected to solar panels in 96 villages. Last year, the station generated 50 million and rural revitalization drive and feels more center has been built for the elderly, where kilowatts. motivated in his work and life. people above 65 are provided with three Besides the income from the rent paid Liu Aijun, who lives in Lichang, another free meals a day. by the company and the money paid to village in Zuoquan, is also a beneficiary the owners of the solar panels, the proj- of the solar power project. He took a Harnessing the sun ect also generates jobs for villagers. They loan from the local rural credit coopera- There are three kinds of solar power work as maintenance staff, clearing weeds tive, which was given to him interest free stations in Zuoquan. One is built and oper- in summer and sweeping snow in winter. under a special poverty alleviation policy. ated by professional companies. There is The village earns nearly 1 million yuan Combining it with his savings, he installed only one such station in the county. The ($149,800) a year from solar power genera- solar panels on his house roof. They are second type is power stations run by the tion. In 2019, its per-capita annual income connected to a power station and fetch village collective with the profits distrib- rose to 9,600 yuan ($1,438). him around 7,000 yuan ($1,049) a year. uted among villages. There are over 30 Dou Haobin, deputy general manager Liu said he will be able to pay off his such stations. The third is the rooftop so- of the company, is a Lianbi man. After grad- loan by the end of the year. In the mean- lar panels whose profits go directly to the uation, he had gone to work outside the time, he has bought six cows with the owners. village but on learning a solar power station money earned from his new venture and As the local government allows arable was going to come up there, the me- now has another income-generating busi- and barren land, forests, collectively owned chanical and electrical engineering major ness lined up. rural construction land and homesteads decided to return home. He said it was the Song Xianglin, Director of the Lichang to be rented out to enterprises to develop correct decision because he witnessed the Villagers’ Committee, said the money industries, Lianbi is signing contracts transformation of his hometown thanks earned from the power station is used to with cooperatives. The Longxin Farmers’ to the targeted poverty alleviation efforts improve village infrastructure. A daycare Cooperative both buys grain from farmers 14 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com CHEN JIAN

Apple orchards use drip irrigation in Shangwu, a village in Zuoquan, on October 21. The irrigation system was funded by the China International Publishing Group CHEN JIAN CHEN JIAN

Guo Yinglin, Secretary of the Communist Party of China branch of Lianbi, a village in Zuoquan, on October 21 CHEN JIAN at a slightly higher price than the market rate and rents land and hires the farmers to grow crops for a salary. Cooperatives are part of a strategic campaign to improve farmers’ incomes and the environment at the same time. In many villages they are involved in afforestation, hiring locals to plant trees. The planting is organized during the slack farming season when farmers used to be idle. Now they can work in this period to make more money. Such innovative contracts have seen the idle land in Lianbi and other villages fully utilized. When the trees and herbs are in flower, the once barren mountains come alive with colors. n

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Comments to [email protected] Solar panels in Lichang Village, Zuoquan County http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 15 MA LI

Wen Huixian checks vegetables in a greenhouse in Zuoquan, Shanxi Province in north China, on October 22

COVER STORY ON THE SAME PAGE Veteran publishing house’s hands-on participation shows broad base of poverty alleviation drive By Ma Li

en Huixian, Deputy Mayor of alleviation drive. industries and promote their products Zuoquan County in Shanxi Province, The drive to end poverty across the outside. Wnorth China, has been a busy man. country by 2020 has seen a wide spectrum The county had the potential to devel- He has not only visited poor villages in the of participants, including staff members op fruit orchards, especially apple orchards. county, coordinating poverty alleviation sent by government departments, state- However, the farmers lacked money to projects, but also traveled to trade fairs to owned enterprises and social organizations. buy fertilizers and improve irrigation. In market local specialty products. The CIPG has been one of the sup- December 2019, a farmers’ cooperative Over the past two years, the three ani- porters of the campaign. It has assisted from the village of Shangwu asked Wen for mal breeding projects and four planting in education for children and training for help. projects he led have brought a stable in- county officials, promoted local industries After an on-site investigation, Wen as- come to more than 1,200 poor households and funded solar panels for clean energy. A certained that fertilizers and drip irrigation in the county. special CIPG fund has been established for could improve farmers’ earnings by 30 per- Wen was sent to Zuoquan to work projects. cent. He obtained funds from the CIPG for temporarily as a deputy county mayor the cooperative in under six months and by China Pictorial, a monthly magazine Hands-on participation the result proved his judgment correct. By of the Beijing-based China International For Wen, going to work in Shanxi was a October, the cooperative’s apple orchards Publishing Group (CIPG). Since 2002, the homecoming since he was born there. had produced nearly 40 percent more publishing group has been sending its Zuoquan, an old revolutionary base, had compared with the previous year. employees to the impoverished county a population of over 49,000 poor people. Another village, Tianmen, had abun- for hands-on participation in the poverty One of Wen’s tasks was to develop local dant forests, perfect for raising chickens. 16 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com COURTESY PHOTO MA LI

Li Jin (left) visits a rural family in Zuoquan. The family relocated to a new home Wang Peng (left) with an elderly villager in Zuoquan on October 22 subsidized by the government

However, the farmers lacked funds to 400 people. Many young people had left Wang said this year the villagers improve and expand poultry farming. the village to look for greener pastures also planted 2 hectares of apricots, With Wen’s help, they received funding elsewhere. which will benefit 30 poor households. from the county government as well as a Wang’s work in the village includes im- When Wang’s tenure in the village ends in matching contribution from CIPG’s spe- proving the life of village elders, especially December, another CIPG staff will take his cial fund for poverty alleviation, with the those left behind by their younger family place. “This will be continued to ensure pooled sum amounting to 600,000 yuan members who work in cities. A daytime long-term effects of the poverty allevia- ($89,702). care center was established in 2014 to tion work and further improve villagers’ In two years, Wen had visited almost provide three free daily meals to people conditions even after absolute poverty is all the 129 impoverished villages in the over 65. Almost 45 elderly villagers dine in eliminated,” Wang said. county, helping to develop traditional ag- the center regularly. Also, every year, the Many more CIPG employees like Wang ricultural and animal husbandry industries elderly are given free clothing and enter- and Wen have taken part, first-hand, in the based on local conditions. Seven projects tainment activities are organized for them. national initiative. Li Jin from China.org.cn, were started under his watch, funded by The village provides 160,000 yuan an online media outlet under CIPG, went to over 1.7 million yuan ($254,000) from the ($23,922) annually to cover the center’s work in Liaoyang Town in the county a few CIPG poverty alleviation fund. expenses. months before her wedding after persuad- Two of the projects, raising ducks in For many villagers, raising ducks is ing both her and her husband’s families. Lichang Village and planting cherry in a major means of livelihood but initially, A city girl, Li found it challenging at first Shangkou Village, have become signature many ducklings died in winter as the due to her unfamiliarity with the rural envi- ones for poverty alleviation in Zuoquan, duck sheds had no heating. Today, three ronment and the poverty alleviation work, Wen said. modern and automated duck sheds with which for her includes explaining to the In April 2019, Zuoquan was officially de- heating have been built. Machines do impoverished villagers the preferential poli- clared to have shaken off poverty. However, most of the work there, including feed- cies available to provide them with benefits though Wen’s two-year tenure ended this ing the birds and cleaning the sheds. A and how to access them. year, instead of returning to Beijing, he has duck breeder can earn around 7,000 yuan Gradually, she has adapted to the new chosen to stay on till the end of the year, ($1,046) a month, which is more than environment. “The work has enriched my the deadline for the elimination of poverty, what many villagers working outside as life and experience,” she said. n to help strengthen the results. migrant labor make. Nearly 2.08 million yuan ($310,995) Going deeper has been invested in building the duck In May 2018, Wang Peng from CIPG’s gen- sheds, including 730,000 yuan ($109,147) eral editorial office was assigned to support from the CIPG and 840,000 yuan ($12,538) poverty alleviation work in Lichang, a vil- raised through micro bank loans. The local Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar lage in the same county with fewer than government paid the rest. Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 17 COVER STORY A WELCOME NOTE Folk song contests, fruit picking and birdwatching are innovative ways to boost village tourism By Hu Fan

ith the National Day holiday in have been converted into homestays and October showing a remarkable surge two into restaurants. A reception center for Win domestic travels, a sign of the tourists has come up and the streets have revival of the tourism industry, Zhao Xia is been beautified. A training center has just looking forward to having lots of guests at been built where people from other parts of her homestay. the county come to attend sessions. Zhao’s old house in Zecheng, a village Zhao’s homestay opened earlier this year in Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province in and she is optimistic about its prospects, north China, has recently been refurbished, considering the efforts of the local govern- the homestay while her husband works sea- funded mostly by the local government. ment to transform the village into a tourist sonally in a factory in Taiyuan, capital city of Two rooms have been modified into guest resort. the province. rooms and the kitchen and toilet have been In the past, she and her husband used The village has carried out the ambitious renovated. to depend on the meager income from the plan initiated by the county in 2017 to de- It’s part of the drive to develop tourism in crops they grew on their barren land on the velop ecology- and culture-oriented tourism the village. So far, 37 of the 400-odd houses hills. Now she can earn money by running for rural revitalization. HU FAN

Zhao Xia at her homestay in Zecheng, a village in Zuoquan County, The grand finale of the second Zuoquan Folk contest in Zhaojiazhuang Village on August 24 Shanxi Province in north China, on October 22 18 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com Longquan Forest Park in Zuoquan in 2017

opportunities for the locals. By policy, at least 60 percent of the individuals working on the project have to be locals from poor households, according to Hou Xiuying, Director of Zuoquan’s Bureau of Water Resources. “They earn a minimum monthly salary of 3,500 yuan ($524),” she told Beijing Review. Cultural booster Among the brand-building measures for local tourism, Zuoquan Folk, a folk song contest, is a highlight. Thanks to a singing tradition that dates back to ancient times, the county has developed a unique school of singing with a repertoire of around 20,000 folk songs. The folk song contest was started in 2019 to leverage that resource and boost tourism. Singers from all over the world are invited to

VCG take part in it. To host the event, a theater has been built as its permanent venue. Delicately designed and located among high rocks, the many historical and cultural sites. Ecological appeal theater has become a landmark that attracts To improve accessibility, the county Zuoquan has rich resources for developing tourists as well. started building a road network in 2018. So tourism. Located on the west side of the At the final of the second Zuoquan Folk Taihang Mountains, one of China’s most far, 168 km of main roads and branches have contest in August, the finalists were chosen important mountain ranges, it offers breath- been paved or renovated, which connect from around 100 folk singers from seven taking views and a cool summer. It also has over 280 tourist sites. countries. The judges were among China’s An afforestation project has been carried top folk song stars. out to plant trees with golden leaves along Apart from the Zuoquan Folk contest, XING LANFU the roads, creating a scenic belt known as the county also holds monthly folk song the Golden Valley. The villagers already get contests to discover local talents. One hunan income from the project by renting their dred singers discovered in the contests have land and working as gardeners. been hired as tour guides, who added color Agriculture is also being redirected to to the sightseeing with folk songs. boost tourism. For example, fruit and vegeta- The contests and other measures for ble gardens have been designed to provide attracting tourists have already taken ef- tourists with both sightseeing and fruit- fect. So far, about 1,500 people across the picking experiences. county have made an average extra income As one of the few counties in Shanxi of around 2,200 yuan ($330) per year from that have rich water resources, Zuoquan operating homestays and other sites for ex- is also developing tourism along the rivers periencing rural living. running through it. A project has been car- In Zecheng, the effect is not as immedi- ried out to reinforce and beautify the banks ate. So for now, Zhao’s homestay depends of the Qingzhang River, a major river run- on the trainees who come to the village to ning through the county, and clear its bed attend courses. But she remains confident of silt. about the future as the village is changing Zhaojiazhuang Village is a direct benefi- for the better. n ciary of the project. Located by a tributary of the Qingzhang, the village is famous as a bird habitat and attracts about 20,000 bird lovers each year. The 500-meter stretch of the river near the village has been spruced up. Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar In addition, the project has brought job Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 19 COVER STORY in-law working in the city, she had to strug- gle with the cattle. But now the animals have been handed over to a farmers’ cooperative and fetch a handsome extra income. As the poverty alleviation campaign in MOVING FOR the county accelerated, over 4,500 impoverished people from 32 villages had been relocated by the end of 2018, according to Ju Weirong, Director of the Poverty Alleviation Office of Zuoquan. Bai Yanfang lives next door to Zhou. In IMPROVING the past, her four-member family struggled to live on the sparse income from her husband’s salary as a government employee and Relocation paves way for a better life By Ma Li the little plot of land they had in the mountains, where they grew corn and potato. hou Xinfang considers 2017 to be a hospitals. But the new resettlement site, built Bai said they worried what would happen year of “earth-shaking change” for her in 2003, is more centrally situated. if someone fell ill as they had no savings to Zfamily. It was the year the family moved “In the past, we had to get water pay for medical expenses. “We would hope from their remote village in Zuoquan County, from faraway places, but now we get that one day we too could live like people in Shanxi Province in north China, to a more water by turning on the tap,” Zhou said. cities do. That in winter the children would hospitable area. From a draughty, adobe “My grandson had to walk an hour to have warm classrooms without freezing.” house they relocated to a modern apart- school, but now we have a kindergar- The relocation in 2007 brought good luck ment with all the amenities they had lacked ten and primary school nearby; and it for Bai’s family. Her son got a good job in before. takes 10 minutes to go to the hospital.” Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north The old village, hidden in the mountains, The icing on the cake is the extra stable in- China, married and is now a proud father lacked running water, transport, schools and come. With her husband, son and daughter- with two children. Her daughter got married CHEN JIAN

A beaming Bai Yanfang with her granddaughter at her new house in Donggou Village in Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province in north China, on October 20 20 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com from the new house in October and to top it all, Bai’s husband’s salary has been raised. COVER STORY Also, they have medical insurance. Last year, the per-capita income of Donggou, the village where they have relocated, was 8,600 yuan ($1,287). This year, despite the novel coronavirus epidemic, it has crossed 10,000 yuan ($1,497), Wang Zhiming, Secretary of the Communist Party VALLEY OF GOLD of China Donggou Village Branch, said. To ensure the villagers’ livelihood after Afforestation sows seeds of prosperity in wasteland relocation, various programs have been started. The villagers grow walnuts, a special- By Ma Miaomiao ty of the county, and multiple crops. Cattle raising is also a major household business. A CHEN JIAN waxberry industry is being developed with an investment of 2 million yuan ($299,585). Farmers are organized into cooperatives, which have greater investment capacity and find it easier to get bank loans. According to a Xinhua News Agency report in July, more than 90 percent of poor villages in China have set up farmers’ cooperatives, which play an important role in the poverty alleviation efforts. Over 682,000 such cooperatives have helped nearly 22 million people shake off poverty. The Donggou cooperative has raised funds from its members for the waxberry- growing project and undertaken to distribute its profit among them in proportion to their contributions. In 2019 and 2020, the cooperative distributed 36,000 yuan ($5,393) each year among its members, Wang said. The county government allocated 17.7 A farmer picks chrysanthemum in the Golden Valley in Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province in north China, on October 21 million yuan ($2.7 million) in 2018-19 to establish solar power industries in 32 villages. he Golden Valley is a dazzling 48-km belt Longquan is one of the main seedling This year, the county has invested 8.6 million in Zuoquan County in Shanxi Province, bases, covering 15 villages. According to Ju yuan ($1.3 million) to develop an animal hus- north China, named so after its variety Xiaohua, Secretary of the Communist Party of bandry industry that uses organic feed for T of trees with bright yellow leaves that look like China Longquan Township Committee, the the animals. gold. They include the fast-growing Siberian area, due to its high altitude, suffers from long “In order to ensure people have an elm, the Chinese scholar tree that is used in periods of frost, making agriculture difficult. So adequate income after their relocation, we herbal medicine, and the evergreen golden many farmers simply abandoned their land. have also created some public service jobs,” euonymus. The adult trees were planted along The project has rented the abandoned Ju said. They include working as cleaners, the belt since the beginning of this year as part land from the farmers, which has boosted the security guards and landscapers. of the afforestation drive that has now created a income of more than 200 households in five With the help of these industries, uniquely enchanting scenery to boost the local villages. The bases have pavilions, platforms Donggou became poverty-free in 2017. tourism industry. to view the surrounding scenery, and trails for The entire county was officially declared out According to Zheng Rui, an official from sightseers. of poverty last year. However, that doesn’t the forestry bureau of Zuoquan, afforestation In addition, orchards have been created in mean the end of the mission. “We have to in- has been carried out in wasteland, on barren adjacent areas for agricultural tourism. Tourists novate continuously to consolidate the hard- mountain slopes, and in ravines for ecological can admire peach and apricot blossoms in spring, won results,” Ju said. restoration. The afforestation project, covering and pick apples, grapes and cherries in the har- The next step, according to Wang, is to over 65 hectares, has been implemented by 27 vest season. There are more scenic spots nearby, develop agritourism in the village with home- poverty alleviation afforestation cooperatives. such as the Longquan Forest Park. stays and developing more industries with Afforestation contributes to poverty allevia- Wen Huixian, deputy head of Zuoquan, said special characteristics. n tion by producing timber and generating jobs. the Golden Valley provides jobs for more than Feng Yanqing, 55, is a migrant worker from 1,400 villagers, creating an average per-capita Longquan, a township in Zuoquan. He works income of about 6,000 yuan ($902.5). n as a forest guard to prevent illegal felling of Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar trees and encroachment. He earns 3,000 yuan Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Comments to [email protected] ($451.3) a month from the job. Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 21 22 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 23 GOVERNANCE The Making of A New Blueprint CPC puts people first in outlining development goals for the next five years and beyond By Wang Hairong

s China will soon become a moderately 25) and the long-range objectives through the New priorities prosperous society, what does it plan to year 2035. do beyond that? The question was ad- The meeting stressed the overall leader- An outstanding feature of the proposals is A that they address the principal contradiction dressed at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th ship of the Party. During the 14th Five-Year Central Committee of the Communist Party of Plan period and beyond, China’s development facing Chinese society and put forward a China (CPC) held in Beijing on October 26-29, will face an extremely complex international series of strategic and innovative measures, when the Party leadership mapped a new blue- situation, with risks and challenges, Jiang Wang said. According to the report to the print for the coming five years and set goals for Jinquan, Director of the Policy Research Office 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, the another decade thereafter. of the CPC Central Committee, said. Hence, it principle contradiction is between unbal- In recent four decades or so, the CPC is more important to uphold and strengthen anced and inadequate development and the Central Committee usually held five to seven the Party’s overall leadership, he said. people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. plenary sessions during the five-year interlude between two CPC national congresses, including one focusing on proposals for the next five- year plan for national economic and social development. This year’s plenary session was historic. It was held at a time when China is going to enter a new development stage in the process of national rejuvenation, Wang Xiaohui, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at a press conference on October 30. Meanwhile, the world is undergoing radical changes, such as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and growing anti-globalization trends, he added. The next five-year plan will be the first after China achieves its first centenary goal, that is, to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the CPC cel- ebrates its centenary in 2021. It will also mark the beginning of a period when the country will strive to realize basic national modernization by 2035 and then its second centenary goal of becoming a modern socialist country by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic of China. By the middle of this century, the country will become a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful society. The most important outcome of the plenary session was the adoption of the proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021- 24 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com GOVERNANCE

In the document, the CPC Central importance of following a dual circulation the income gap between urban and rural Committee redefines the Four-Pronged development pattern, where the domestic residents gradually narrowed; and the middle- Comprehensive Strategy, a guiding principle and foreign markets boost each other, with income group increased from more than 100 for national governance introduced in 2014, the domestic market as the mainstay. It is a million in 2010 to more than 400 million in as making comprehensive moves to build a strategic choice to raise the level of China’s 2019. modern socialist country in an all-round way, economic development, as well as to forge In response to the impact of COVID-19, deepen reform, advance the law-based gov- new advantages in global economic coop- the government has taken measures to ernance, and strengthen Party self-discipline. eration and competition, President Xi Jinping, increase income and expand consumption, Previously, the first of the four components also General Secretary of the CPC Central leading to their gradual recovery of growth, was to complete building a moderately pros- Committee, said in an explanatory speech on Ning said. perous society in all respects. the proposals. The country will build a sound education Understanding the new development Promoting high-quality development, system and promote mass cultural activi- stage, concept and pattern is important deepening supply-side structural reform, and ties, and push forward the national fitness to understand the proposals, Han Wenxiu, pursuing scientific and technological self-reli- campaign and the Healthy China initiative, Deputy Director of the Office of the Central ance are also essential to the modernization he said. The national fitness campaign pro- Commission for Financial and Economic drive. motes development of both recreational and Affairs, said. To forestall and defuse various kinds competitive sports and the Healthy China The goals to be achieved by 2035 have of risks and proactively address challenges initiative is focused on disease prevention, been set, such as enhancing comprehensive brought by external changes, Xi said China chronic disease management and high- national strength and increasing per-capita needs to focus on taking care of its own af- quality treatment. GDP to the level of moderately developed fairs and improving development quality. Strategies to cope with population aging countries. There are three things that are particu- will be implemented, and a fair, uniform and The new development concept, namely larly important: reform, opening up and sustainable multi-level social security system promoting innovative, coordinated, green, innovation, according to Han. covering all people will be established, he said. open and inclusive development, is stressed, Wang Zhigang, Minister of Science and and so is safe development. Technology, said the country will strengthen Inclusive process In addition, the document underlines the independent innovation capabilities on one The CPC central leadership gives great impor- hand, and on the other hand, it will learn tance to the proposals, which were formulated from other nations’ experiences and share its under the leadership of Xi. XINHUA own scientific achievements. Related research started at the end of 2019, Han said. People first A drafting group headed by Xi was set up The main objectives of China’s economic and in March. From late July to late September, Xi social development during the 14th Five-Year hosted symposiums to hear the opinions of en- Plan period are to make new achievements in trepreneurs, economists, scientists, community- economic development, take new steps in re- level representatives, and experts in such fields form and opening up, enhance social etiquette as education, culture, health and sports. and civility, further promote ecological progress The general public and various social sec- and improve people’s livelihood and the effi- tors were also encouraged to make comments ciency of national governance, according to the and suggestions. From August 16 to 29, opin- proposals. ions were solicited on the Internet and netizens Key measures for improving the quality of left more than 1 million messages. life have been raised. In particular, common The drafting group studied the comments prosperity of society will be achieved by 2035. and suggestions sent, holding discussions and Common prosperity is the shared aspiration revising the proposals many times. of the people and the fundamental purpose of The proposals were drafted in light of economic and social development, Xi said. the domestic and international situation and Ning Jizhe, Vice Minister of the National the Party’s original mission of striving for the Development and Reform Commission, said in rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the the next five years, the government will further happiness of the people, and in adherence to boost employment and improve employment the people-centered development philosophy, support for vulnerable groups, increase the Han said. income of urban and rural residents through The document will serve as a guide for ac- multiple channels, and keep residents’ income tion on economic and social development in A press conference on growth basically synchronized with economic the next five years and beyond, he said. n the outcomes of the Fifth expansion. Plenary Session of the 19th In the past few years, Chinese residents’ Central Committee of the income has continued to grow. From 2016 Communist Party of China takes place in Beijing to 2019, their annual per-capita disposable Copyedited by Madhusudan Chaubey on October 30 income increased by 6.5 percent on average; Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 25 WORLD XINHUA

n October 22, a ceremony was held to hand over the first 4,000 of the O30,000 sheep gifted by Mongolia to China at the border region of Zamiin-Uud- Erlian. They entered China eight months after Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga announced the measure to help China fight the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic during his visit to Beijing in February. Following the visit, the two countries agreed to have the delivery after the epidemic receded and the sheep gained weight in autumn. During the ceremony, Tumen Tegshjargal, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Mongolian President, said, “It is an event that expresses the warmth of the Mongolian people to the Chinese people and brings a positive atmosphere to the relations between the two peoples.” Chai Wenrui, Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, responded, saying “Chinese people will not forget this friendship of the Mongolian people. China and Mongolia have a long history of friendly neighbors linked by waters and mountains. The fact that we have understood and helped each other in our fight against the disease reflects the deep idea of the Mongolian old proverb that the lives and spirits of neighbors are the same.” The donated sheep were collected from herders in three eastern and southern provinces of Mongolia—Khentii, Sukhbaatar and Dornogobi, and received thorough veteri- nary examinations. Officials said that by the middle of November, the delivery would be concluded. Sheep diplomacy During his visit in February, Battulga was warmly welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping as the first foreign head of state to visit China since COVID-19 hit the A freight train departs from Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province in east China, for Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, on June 8 country. The visit and the gift of sheep was reminiscent of ancient traditions and expressed the Mongolian people’s support to the Chinese people to overcome hardship. The gift expresses special considerations and friendship. Traditionally, for Mongolians the sheep is the first choice The Thought for giving gifts, implying sincerity and en- thusiasm. Also, mutton is the best food for enhancing immunity and they hope that the Chinese can overcome the epidemic as soon as possible. Mongolians say, “A needle in need is of That Counts greater use than a camel in prosperity” as it implies “adversity reveals the quality of The gift of 30,000 sheep opens a new door in friendship.” In response to the remarks made by Battulga during his visit, Xi also quoted an- Mongolia-China relations By Sarangua Tumur cient Chinese proverbs. He said, “If you have 26 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com WORLD XINHUA

The sheep donated by Mongolia enter China on October 22 received a drop of beneficence from other Byambakhand said the visit was a “soft animals or 174,000 tons of meat annually. people, you should return to them a fountain power policy success for Mongolia in win- However, due to Mongolia’s underdevel- of beneficence.” ning over the hearts and minds of the oped animal hygiene system and China’s Both sides called the meeting at Chinese.” customs regulations, China imports only the time of a nationwide fight against frozen horse meat and a small amount of COVID-19 in China proof that the compre- Opportunity for trade heat-processed beef from Mongolia. hensive strategic partnership between the Currently, China buys almost 90 percent of In 2019, Mongolia exported 58,000 tons two countries had reached a new height Mongolia’s exports, mostly coal and copper. of meat, of which 30,300 tons went to China. and said it demonstrated ideal coopera- So the spread of COVID-19 in China posed It set a goal of exporting 7 million tons of tion between neighboring countries to the particular challenges to Mongolia. During meat to more than 15 countries in 2020, but world. that difficult time, the export of commodities due to the pandemic, food exports were sus- The Chinese also expressed their appre- to China, Mongolia’s main source of revenue, pended in the first half of the year. ciation. The hashtag #Mongolian President was severely disrupted. Mongolia has identified agriculture as Donates 30,000 Sheep to China received Mongolia has had to prevent the virus one of the pillars of its economic develop- more than 100 million views on the Chinese from spreading within its territory while ment and aims to become a “food exporter.” social media platform Weibo. keeping its economy afloat. After Battulga’s It is keen to take advantage of China’s Experts say the “sheep diplomacy” has visit, coal transportation resumed with ad- opening-up policies and increase exports to helped solidify the comprehensive strategic ditional precautionary measures. its southern neighbor. partnership between the two countries, China and Mongolia plan to lift bilateral The fact that Mongolia successfully de- improve political and economic relations, trade to $10 billion this year. Trade be- livered live sheep to China for the first time and deepen mutual understanding between tween them reached $8.9 billion in 2019, indicates the potential for further supply of mut- Chinese and Mongolian people. accounting for 64.4 percent of Mongolia’s ton to China and other meat. n Dashdorj Bayarkhuu, an international af- total imports and exports, according to the fairs expert and former Mongolian diplomat, Mongolian National Statistics Office. considered Battulga’s visit as a “diplomatic In the coming years, Mongolia aims to victory for a small state” and a “smart move increase exports to China—primarily its to promote Mongolia’s positive image to the livestock. According to a census conducted Chinese people.” in 2019, livestock animals in Mongolia The author is a Mongolian freelancer for China Focus, where this article was first published Another Mongolian independent in- totaled 70.9 million. The country has the ternational affair researcher Luguusharav potential to export 6 to 7 million livestock Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 27 NATION XINHUA Researchers collect data at the Saihanba National Forest Park, the world’s largest man-made forest, in Chengde, Hebei Province, on July 12, 2017

Pillars of a Promise Measures beefed up for carbon emission reduction By Wen Qing

or years, spring was known as the sand- Central Committee in October laid down several both the area and speed of afforestation. From storm season in Beijing, when dust and new goals for sustainable development. The 2000 to 2018, the global forest area decreased Fsand whipped up from the Gobi desert vision for 2035 includes promoting greener by 170,000 square km, while China’s forest area in the north by high winds enveloped the city, production methods and a green lifestyle in all increased by 450,000 square km. blotting out sunlight and forcing people to stay sectors of society. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the indoors. But in recent times, the menace has atmosphere is the result of excess emissions of receded with an afforestation project started in An undervalued role greenhouse gases unabsorbed by terrestrial and 1978 beginning to produce results. The sequestration effect of carbon sinks in marine ecosystems. Though the ecosystems A Great Green Wall has been built under the northeast and southwest China has been contribute greatly to carbon neutrality, there is Three-North Shelter Forest Program, a project underestimated due to rapid afforestation, still uncertainty regarding how to quantitatively to create strips of forests in north, northwest according to an article published in the British evaluate it. and northeast China to curb desert expansion science magazine Nature on October 28. It The latest research, involving forestry and control sandstorm. Today, it is the largest notes that between 2010 and 2016, land bio- records and satellite remote-sensing mea- man-made forest on earth. sphere carbon sinks in China absorbed about surements of vegetation, indicates that the Besides breaking wind and halting the en- 45 percent of the country’s estimated carbon underestimated forest carbon sinks of China croaching desert, the afforestation campaign dioxide emissions from domestic human activi- will provide a strong scientific basis for China’s has also created another intangible benefit— ties during that period. carbon neutral accounting. carbon sequestration. By reducing the amount Carbon sinks are natural systems, mostly “China is one of the major emitters of of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the forests forests, water bodies and the soil, which ab- carbon dioxide in the world, but it is extremely have contributed to the global battle against sorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and uncertain how much of it is absorbed by for- climate change. store it. Rapid afforestation in Heilongjiang ests,” Wang Jing, a co-author of the article, said. The afforestation drive is one of the pillars and Jilin provinces in northeast China, Yunnan The new study examines how much carbon based on which President Xi Jinping made the and Guizhou provinces in the southwest and dioxide is absorbed by all the new trees during commitment at the General Debate of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the their growth. 75th Session of the UN General Assembly on south has enlarged the country’s carbon ab- September 22 that China would peak its carbon sorbing capacity. The article states that taken Carbon neutrality dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve car- together, these areas account for over 35 per- Carbon neutrality or at least reduction in bon neutrality before 2060. cent of China’s entire land carbon sinks. emissions has become critical due to the green- To lend further support to the pledge, a Though China is currently the largest emit- house gases’ impact on the global climate. key meeting of the Communist Party of China ter of carbon dioxide, it has also led the world in Besides rising global temperature, extreme

28 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com NATION weather events have also been occurring with For example, after years of emission reduc- carbon trading market is also important for increasing frequency, posing a greater threat to tion, the developed EU countries aim to be reaching the goal of carbon neutrality, accord- human existence. carbon-neutral by 2050. The largest economy, ing to Wang. Technically, carbon neutrality This year, south China suffered severe the U.S., has so far not set any such goal. can be achieved even if there are emissions. floods unseen in three decades while the U.S. President Donald Trump has even described cli- Globally, countries can neutralize their emis- faced one of its most active hurricane seasons mate change as a hoax and pulled the U.S. out sions by buying carbon credits from other on its southern and eastern coasts and record of the Paris Agreement on controlling global countries that have less emission. Domestically, wildfires in its western states. warming. firms must either reduce their emissions or Carbon neutrality, or zero carbon dioxide “The afforestation activities will play a role buy credits from those that produce fewer emission, is a very ambitious target as most de- in achieving that [carbon-neutral] target,” Liu Yi, emissions. veloped countries have a 50-70-year timetable another co-author of the article, said. “China’s carbon market will evolve from to realize the state after their emissions peak. Accelerating the development of a national regional pilot programs to a national trading scheme and expand from a single sector to multiple industries,” Li Gao, head of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s climate change China’s Green Efforts office, said on October 28, indicating China Total Hectares of Hectares of plans to launch a nationwide emission trading Afforestation Grasslands Treated Forestland scheme in the next five years. However, “a massive change in energy pro- (Mln) (Mln hectares) (Mln) duction and also the growth of sustainable land 7.36 9.0 8 7.07 7.07 carbon sinks” are essential for carbon neutrality, 6.79 6.66 8.52 Liu said. 7 6.32 8.5 8.31 8.37 8.30 Reducing the use of fossil fuels, and im- 6 8.0 7.73 proving the development of clean energy and 5 the carbon trading market mechanism are 4 3.15 7.5 three main approaches, Wang Ruibin, an associ- 3 ate research fellow with the China Institute of 7.0 International Studies, told Beijing Review. 2 6.5 China, the largest consumer of coal, has 1 painstakingly reduced its coal consumption in 0 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2018 2019 6.0 recent years. Coal’s share in total energy con- Degraded Grasslands sumption dropped from 70.2 percent in 2011 National grasslands planted and 5.5 to 57.7 percent in 2019. treated improved As for renewable energy, China has taken Forest 0 22.96% 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 a lead and is now the world’s largest producer, Coverage Rate exporter and installer of solar panels, wind tur- (2019) (Source: National Forestry and Grassland bines, batteries and electric vehicles. From 2011 Administration; designed by Pamela Tobey) to 2019, the percentage of renewable energy in its energy mix increased from 13 percent to 23.4 percent. To further increase the share of renew- Energy Mix of China ables, some technical issues have to be Coal Oil Gas Hydro, wind and nuclear power resolved, according to Wang Ruibin. For example, wind power suffers from fluctuations 2010 69.2% 17.4% 4.0% 9.4% in generation, which depends on the strength of the wind. Short-term power variations 2011 70.2% 16.8% 4.6% 8.4% can cause voltage fluctuations in the power grid, ultimately damaging sensitive electrical 2012 68.5% 17.0% 4.8% 9.7% equipment. 2013 67.4% 17.1% 5.3% 10.2% Recycling solar panels is another issue to address. The International Renewable Energy 2014 65.6% 17.4% 5.7% 11.3% Agency estimates that by 2050, up to 78 million tons of solar panels will have reached 2015 63.7% 18.3% 5.9% 12.1% the end of their life. If not properly disposed 2016 62.0% 18.3% 6.2% 13.3% of, they will cause an environmental hazard. So going forward, Wang Ruibin’s sugges- 2017 60.4% 18.8% 7.2% 13.6% tion is that research and development as well as technological international cooperation be 2018 59.0% 18.9% 8.0% 14.1% enhanced. n 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Note: Totals may not add to (Source: National Bureau of Statistics; Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar 100 percent because of rounding. designed by Pamela Tobey) Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 29 NATION A Bigger Playground More facilities come up to improve fitness By Lu Yan

n the past, football fan Zhang Chengyuan facilities convenient for people to use. people to engage in physical exercises. In had to cycle quite a distance to the near- Issued one year after Beijing won the bid a bid to promote students’ health and en- Iest football field from his home. But since for hosting the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, courage them to strengthen their body, the the construction of a football field in his some documents promote winter sports on Education Department of Yunnan Province neighborhood in Chaoyang District in Beijing a large scale and the construction of such in southwest China issued a plan in October three years ago, it takes him only 10 minutes facilities. to raise the full score in physical education in to go kick a ball around. In August 2019, the State Council re- the senior high school entrance examination This football field used to be undevel- leased the Outline for Building a Leading from 50 to 100 points, equal to that of major oped land littered with the neighborhood’s Sports Nation, which set the goal to develop subjects such as Chinese, mathematics and waste. “Every time I walked past this area China into a strong sports country by the English. before the renovation, I just couldn’t stand year 2050. In the past, when the high school en- the sight of it and would walk faster, whereas Nowadays, people in China engage in a trance examination was looming, it was now it has become one of my favorite places wide range of physical exercises. Some 35 common practice for a number of schools in the community,” Zhang told China Sports percent of the population took part in sports to cancel their physical education classes for Daily. regularly, wrote Gou Zhongwen, head of the students to take classes in the three major In 2017, a local sports bureau, the sub- GASC, in an article published in 2019. That subjects instead. district office and a property developer joined percentage translates to 4.7 million people, Zhang Chunhua, Deputy Director of the forces to add free sports and recreational exceeding the target set in the 13th Five- Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, facilities for residents including the football Year Plan on the sports industry. said the province’s decision addresses the field, a basketball court, several table tennis In the outline issued in 2019, the gov- fact that an increasing number of students rooms, as well as chess and card rooms. ernment set the goal to raise regular public today suffer from shortsightedness, obesity In recent years, China has been pro- participation in sports to above 45 percent and other physical and mental health issues, moting a nationwide fitness campaign and by 2035 and have 92 percent of the people as a result of heavy school workloads. building sports facilities. “Building sports meet the national physical fitness standards “The purpose of the reform is to boost facilities in residential areas ensures that resi- by then. the students’ well-rounded development and dents can do sports without having to travel Not only the sports and health authori- alleviate their coursework pressure,” Zhang far, thus they are willing and glad to build up ties but also education authorities are urging Chunhua said. The reform will be launched their strength,” Li Jianming, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC), said at a press conference in XINHUA October. “The campaign aims to promote people’s health and enrich their lives.” Policy push To enhance people’s fitness and health and boost the development of the sports industry, China has implemented a number of policies, especially in the recent five years. In July 2016, the GASC published the 13th Five-Year Plan for the sports industry. The plan sets the goal to increase the number of people regularly doing physical exercises to 435 million and the value added of China’s sports industry to 1 percent of GDP by 2020. The National Fitness Program (2016- 20) and the Healthy China Outline (2030) were also issued that year. These documents encourage people to incorporate regular physical activities into their routines. They also call for the construction of public sports Residents exercise in a residential community’s fitness area in Tianjin, north China, on October 27 30 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com NATION XINHUA

Parents play football with their children during a physical education class at a primary school in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in southwest China, on September 22 from this fall semester. factory buildings, warehouses and unused From 2015 to 2018, the value added of Liu Xinping, the mother of a middle land are being transformed into sports areas. the sports service industry increased by 34.2 school student in Shenyang, Liaoning For example, in Haizhu District in Guangzhou, percent on average annually. Liu said a vari- Province in northeast China, likes the idea capital city of Guangdong Province in south ety of new businesses are emerging, such as of more sports for students. “My son will not China, a piece of unused land gave way to an sports tourism, sports culture and creativity, only become healthier through doing sports, indoor swimming pool. The number of sports sports advertising, sports media and sports but also grow his teamwork ability through fields increased from 4,982 in 1949 to about exhibitions. group games like football or basketball. It’s 3.1 million in 2019, Gou said. Large sports venues have sprouted up to like killing two birds with one stone,” Liu told meet the needs of the booming industry. The Beijing Review. Booming industry government encourages opening such venues As more people get into sports, more In 2015, together with his friends, Luo Da, a to the public at low or no cost, and will improve sports facilities are needed. In 2016, postgraduate student majoring in sociology at subsidy policies to that end. the National Development and Reform Beijing Sport University, started a WeChat ac- This is stated in a document released by Commission and the GASC released a plan count that posted news and other information the State Council this October, with opinions on on popularizing public sports, which stated about the sports industry. In five years, their strengthening the construction of fitness facili- that the sports facilities available were not in WeChat platform has grown into a startup ties and promoting sports for all. line with people’s demand. company called Ecosports which provides Li said the utilization of large sports ven- The plan set specific targets to resolve sports media and industry services and has an ues should be maximized when there’s no these problems. For instance, it stated that annual revenue of more than 10 million yuan large competition taking place. Nationwide by 2020, the per-capita sports area should ($1.5 million). community-based sports events and ac- reach 1.8 square meters. The coverage rate “The sports industry is a sunrise industry, tivities are encouraged to be held in such of primary-level sports and fitness facilities and as part of the industry, I have a sense of venues or small and medium-sized local should be increased. There should be half of mission for its future development,” Luo told venues. “Such events and activities are more a football field per 10,000 people. Old resi- Xinhua News Agency. inclusive in terms of participants and the dential areas must renovate and construct A document issued in 2014 by the State range of sports,” Li said. small venues and facilities that can support Council to develop the sports industry and pro- “In its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) single or multiple fitness activities such as mote sports consumption, also known as the period, China will further push forward the ball games, martial arts, gymnastics and No.46 Document, set the industry onto a fast optimization and upgrading of the sports in- swimming. track. The momentum has continued into the dustrial structure, and encourage innovation, Such reforms are funded by the Central 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period. making sports a pillar industry of the national Government, the Public Welfare Fund of Liu Fumin, Director of the Department of economy,” Liu said. In October, the GASC an- China Sports Lottery, local government funds Sports Economics of the GASC, said that dur- nounced that 1,000 sports-themed parks will plus donations from individuals, enterprises ing the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the growth be built in the next five years. n and other social forces. rate of the value added of the sports industry is And progress is well underway. Over much higher than that of the GDP. “This shows 5,700 projects subsidized by the Central a huge market potential and room for develop- Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon Government have been carried out. Many old ment,” he said. Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 31 WORLD

32 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com WORLD

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 33 BUSINESS XINHUA

The trade in services exhibition area of the Third China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 3 standard free trade agreements with more countries, and will work with related countries to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and build a community with a shared future for humanity. Notwithstanding COVID-19, China’s pace An Accessible of opening up has not been hindered but quickened. The items on the national negative list for foreign investment have been cut from 40 to 33 and the number of pilot FTZs has increased from 18 to 21. With the Foreign Investment Law taking Market effect on January 1, foreign investors’ interests have better protection. Trail-blazing Shanghai import expo continues Growing appeal to cement global trade links At a time when the pandemic has added more uncertainties and challenges to the global economy, convening the import resident Xi Jinping gave another shot in up, growing foreign trade innovatively, expo offline as scheduled shows China’s the arm to the China International Import improving business environment, and major strategic achievements in contain- PExpo (CIIE), a major platform he had deepening bilateral, multilateral and re- ing COVID-19 as well as its economic initiated to bolster global trade, by announc- gional cooperation. resilience. ing a fresh round of opening-up measures on He said China will continue to leverage China is the first major economy to re- November 4. the pioneering role of pilot free trade zones turn to growth from the economic fallout of “Our aim is to turn the China market into a (FTZs) and free trade ports in steering open- the COVID-19 epidemic with its economy ex- market for the world, a market shared by all, and a ing up, introduce a negative list for cross- panding 0.7 percent year on year in the first market accessible to all,” Xi said while delivering a border service trade and open still wider nine months. keynote speech via video link at the opening cer- in areas like the digital economy and the In the same period, its foreign trade of emony of the Third CIIE. The expo was convened Internet. goods totaled 23.12 trillion yuan ($3.46 tril- as scheduled following China’s successful contain- The catalog of technologies prohibited lion), up 0.7 percent year on year, and paid-in ment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). or restricted from import will be shortened, foreign investment rose 5.2 percent from a foreign-related legal framework will be more year earlier. Stronger impetus open and transparent, and intellectual prop- Multinational companies have gravitated To achieve such an aim, Xi stressed erty protection will be strengthened, Xi said. toward the weeklong expo as a vote of confi- nurturing new pacesetters of opening He said China stands ready to sign high- dence in the Chinese economy, with a lot of 34 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com BUSINESS

them becoming regulars at the annual event. goods import is estimated to top $22 trillion deals for one-year purchases of goods and Up to 70 percent of the world’s top 500 in the coming decade. services. companies that participated in the first two Cecilia Qi, Vice President and General expos were seen this year, and the average Trade propeller Manager of Pharma and Vaccines, GSK China, exhibition area for the world’s top 500 com- The expo is the world’s first import expo held said the CIIE provides China with a platform panies and industry leaders increased by 14 at the national level, an innovation in the his- to embrace openness and showcase innova- percent year on year. tory of global trade. tive results, and also brings opportunities This year’s expo is believed to be one of Since its debut, the platform for interna- for mutual benefits and inclusiveness to the the largest events across the world in 2020. tional procurement, investment promotion, world. “China will be probably one of the only cultural exchange, and open cooperation has The CIIE has generated a “spillover ef- countries in the world where the market evolved into an international public good. fect” that keeps accelerating the reception of will be still growing,” Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of The inaugural expo in 2018 drew more many innovative products in China, she said. L’Oreal, said, adding that the conglomerate’s than 3,600 exhibitors from 172 countries, Jerry Zhang, Executive Vice Chairman sales on the Chinese mainland grew by 30 regions and international organizations, and and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (China) percent in the second quarter. attracted more than 400,000 buyers, who Limited, said, “China is transforming from a large trading country to a trading power- Agon said L’Oreal is improving its per- agreed on some $57.83 billion of intended house, and has become an important engine formance in e-commerce in the rest of the deals in six days. of economic globalization and a stabilizing world thanks to what it has learned in China. The second expo was attended by factor in international trade.” n With a total population of 1.4 billion and a exhibitors from a total of 181 countries, re- middle-income group that exceeds 400 mil- gions and international organizations, and lion, China has a tremendously huge market attracted more than 3,800 enterprises who This is an edited version of a Xinhua News Agency report that is the most promising in the world. Its reached $71.13 billion worth of tentative Comments to [email protected] XINHUA

The Third CIIE opens in Shanghai on November 4 http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 35 BUSINESS

The Fourth Growth Pole Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle gets underway to accelerate development of western region By Wang Jun

he assembly line of Chengdu became a provincial-level municipality in Huachuan Electric Parts Co. in 1997. The Chengdu-Chongqing area has an TChengdu, Sichuan Province in south- aggregate population of 120 million and its west China, presents a busy sight with GDP reached 7 trillion yuan ($1.04 trillion) in robotic arms and intelligent devices oper- 2019. Chongqing. In the north, a train route leads ating in tandem with human workers to It serves as a junction of the Belt and to Central Asia and Europe; in the south assemble various sophisticated components Road Initiative and the Yangtze River is the New International Land-Sea Trade into alternators. Economic Belt, another integrated develop- Corridor to Southeast Asian countries. On The five-decade-old firm, a leading ment blueprint for nine provinces, including both the east and west run transportation manufacturer of electrical parts for the Sichuan, and two municipalities, including routes to South Asia and other Northeast auto industry, is anticipating even better business thanks to a new national strat- XINHUA egy announced in January, the Chengdu- Chongqing economic circle. The city cluster around Chengdu and Chongqing is a new growth driver for coordinated regional development as well as opening up west China. It is a win-win for Huachuan as the auto industry is a focus in the fast-growing economic circle. The two places will pool in their strengths to develop an auto industry cluster. According to Wan Bin, Executive Deputy General Manager of Huachuan, already over 20 percent of the company’s suppliers are from Chongqing. “Chengdu and Chongqing are adjacent and have convenient transport connections, which not only improve ef- ficiency but also save costs for us. Products delivered from our workshop will be on the assembly lines of automobile plants in Chongqing the next day,” Wan told People’s Daily. Chongqing is about 270 km southeast of Chengdu. Previously part of Sichuan, it The workshop of an automotive electronics company in Chongqing on March 10 36 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com BUSINESS XINHUA

Chinese territory,” Yao said. A leading force for the development of the western region, a junction between the east and the west, and linking the north and the south, the Chengdu-Chongqing area can receive industrial transfers from the coastal provinces, thus stimulating domestic demand in the region, he added. “Building the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle into an important growth pole and a new source of vitality will help address challenges and uncertainties in and outside China and consolidate national strategic security,” Tang said. Competition to coordination Chengdu and Chongqing have similar development levels and industries. With the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, the two cities’ pillar industries will move from A Chengdu-Chongqing competition to coordination. High-Speed Railway train “The overlapping of the two cities’ in- on July 22 dustries is also the foundation for them to cooperate and achieve integration,” Asian countries, respectively. Faculty of Social Sciences of Chongqing Zheng Bei, head of the Sichuan Provincial The master plan for the Chengdu- University, told Outlook Weekly that the Development and Reform Commission, told Chongqing economic circle was reviewed at Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle is People’s Daily. a meeting of Communist Party of China lead- intended to be the fourth growth pole of For instance, earlier this year Chongqing ers in mid-October. The meeting proposed to China. The strategy will address the problem and Sichuan signed a memorandum of build the Chengdu-Chongqing area into an of unbalanced and inadequate regional understanding on port and logistics coop- important economic hub of nationwide in- development and drive high-quality devel- eration and a one-stop service cooperation fluence, a center for science and technology opment in the entire country. agreement on international trade. Their innovation, a new spearhead for reform and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, and transport authorities have also signed an opening up, and a location for a high-quality Chongqing already have a sound economic agreement on integrated development of lifestyle, Xinhua News Agency reported. foundation. In 2019, they accounted for transport services. 33.25 percent of the total GDP of the Zheng said the cooperation between New source of vitality western region. In the first three quarters Chengdu and Chongqing will be intensi- China’s eastern coastal region has led the this year, they achieved GDP growth of fied to establish industrial and value chains economic boom since reform and opening 2.6 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, of global influence. In the future, they will up started in 1978, thanks to its three power- despite the impacts of the novel coronavi- strengthen infrastructure connectivity, in- house economic circles: the Beijing-Tianjin- rus disease, ranking among the top in the dustrial coordination and sharing of public Hebei region in the north, the Yangtze River country, according to the Outlook Weekly services. Economic Belt that consist of several central report. He also said the two cities will improve and eastern provinces and Shanghai, and the “Though the coronavirus does not re- the quality and level of urbanization and con- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay sult in an end of interconnection among tinue to upgrade urban infrastructure and Area in the south. different countries, a trend of countries in- public services. More attention will be paid to According to official statistics, the three creasingly relying on their domestic markets raising the primary-level capacity of gover- circles contribute 38 percent to the coun- has already started,” Tang Jiqiang, founder nance, and making the region better able to try’s total GDP and house 18 percent of the and chief researcher of SWUFE Institution, a support the concentration of industries and population though they account for only 2.8 think tank, told Economic Information Daily. population. Rural-to-urban migration will be percent of the total land area. In contrast, “While the Yangtze River Delta is con- facilitated to advance economic restructur- the western region, covering 71 percent of sidered the center of China’s economic ing and improve people’s wellbeing. n the territory, accounts for just 20 percent of and trade cooperation with foreign coun- the national economy. Therefore it needs a tries, the Chengdu-Chongqing area is sure powerful engine to pull it forward. to play an important role in fostering the Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Yao Shujie, Deputy Director of the inherent growth momentum within the Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 37 BUSINESS OPINION Restorative for Global Growth Why China’s early work resumption means hope for world economy By Han Liqun

central province of Hubei where infections The Fifth Plenary Session of the were first reported in China. 19th Communist Party of China Central The author is a researcher In March, when the situation began to be Committee in October rolled out the frame- with the Institute of World brought under control, work and production work of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) Political Studies, China resumed in monitored phases with areas and the new plan will further put the econo- Institutes of Contemporary where the epidemic was less serious taking my back on track. International Relations the lead. Therefore, COVID-19 is not likely to pro- In May, the disease was mainly under duce substantial impact on the long-term control across the country. The following growth of the economy. The situation is simi- months have been devoted to fostering eco- lar to that in 2003, when China was hit by the hina’s economic recovery is stronger nomic growth. The government overcame severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). than expected, predicted to grow by the pressure of economic stagnation during Although the economy was hugely affected C1.9 percent in 2020, according to the the epidemic control period and made every by SARS, the impact lasted no more than five latest World Economic Outlook report re- effort to facilitate production resumption. months. And the annual economic growth leased by the International Monetary Fund Despite the suddenness and seriousness in that year exceeded 9 percent. From 2003 (IMF) on October 13. of the epidemic, the Chinese economy suf- to 2011, the average yearly GDP growth rate Compared with the earlier IMF report fered less than two months of shock. Some surpassed 10 percent. in June, this forecast on China’s economic regions maintained growth even in that performance is up by 0.9 percentage point, period. Wuhan lifted the shutdown on April 8, World scenario indicating accelerating recovery and a which means its economy was in suspension Currently, many economies are facing a growth rate for the entire year might be for less than three months. resurgence of the pandemic, and some of higher than the IMF prediction. Earthquakes, floods and epidemics are them hit new records in daily new COVID-19 The IMF has also assessed that the world exogenous shocks to the economic system cases. That means we might live with the economy is showing a positive tendency, and normally do not cause a structural shock virus for a long time. A pessimistic outlook is and revised the recession rate from its earlier if they are not prolonged. The economy will that the pandemic may continue until 2022 4.9-percent estimate to 4.4 percent. But ac- rebound to normal rapidly after a disaster; or even longer. cording to its projection, most developed sometimes it bounces back even more In this scenario, the repercussion of and emerging economies will still be in re- rapidly. COVID-19 on the world economy will turn cession, with China the only major economy China’s GDP neared 100 trillion yuan into long-term hindrance. For example, if a to register growth. ($14.54 trillion) in 2019. It boasts a strong large number of enterprises go bankrupt and production capacity and a market with high a large workforce withdraws from the labor Policy priorities potential thanks to its 1.4-billion popula- market, productivity would contract and the The key to the Chinese economy taking the tion whose purchasing power is growing. economic cycle would be directly changed lead in recovery and maintaining its upward Considering its economic vitality and resil- long-term. trend is taking the right policy priorities at ience, the impact of COVID-19 will be mild Some countries have adopted mas- the different stages of the novel coronavirus from a long-term view. sive relief measures and continued to push disease (COVID-19). In other words, the contraction of China’s up their capital markets, which sustained Since the virus hit in January, the gov- economy during the epidemic would be very their prosperity statistics-wise but actually ernment spent three months on epidemic small when viewed as an average in the next exacerbated capital mismatch and hurt the control and prevention with the most strin- 12 or 24 months. The negative growth in the economy structurally. gent measures. They included implementing first quarter has been completely offset in The pandemic has hampered the strict quarantine rules countrywide, tem- the second and third quarters, and the first movement of people and goods, the once porarily suspending economic operations, three quarters totally achieved a growth of booming aviation industry has been dev- and shutting down Wuhan, capital city of the 0.7 percent. astated, and the global industrial chain and 38 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com BUSINESS XINHUA

launch new opening-up measures and it will have both a higher rate of return and lower risks. Increasing investment in the Chinese market will help promote a more optimal allocation of resources around the world and rectify the mismatch caused by the pandemic. China’s economic resumption is benefit- ing four types of countries. For countries exporting resources, resumption of the Chinese economy has enhanced the global demand for commodities and prompted the recovery of commodity prices. In the first nine months of 2020, China’s iron ore, oil and rubber imports increased respectively by 10 percent,12 percent, and 14 percent year on year. A newly opened shopping street in Shanghai bustles with buyers on October 19 China imports a large amount of technol-

XINHUA ogy and services, which will help technology- and service-exporting countries. Hi-tech companies with negative growth will return to profitability. Otherwise, many enterprises might be unable to maintain investment in research and development due to declining profits. The third type is capital exporters since China will provide investment opportunities for global capital with a higher return rate. Countries hit hard by the pandemic will see their demands for medical supplies met. China is a major producer of such supplies. With COVID-19 under control at home, its domestic demand for them has decreased. This along with production recovery means a decrease in the prices of personal protection equipment and other medical supplies. China is also playing its part in global public health cooperation to fight against the pandemic, which is significant for promoting world economic growth. The Chinese Government’s most important principle in COVID-19 prevention and control has been to put people first. Only when people’s safety is ensured can economic growth be resumed. Masks on display at the Guangzhou International Medical Protective Supplies Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China, on June 10 If economic growth is prioritized over people’s safety, it will benefit only some regional production network may have to be crucial to the growth of the international people and groups. The Chinese principle reconstituted. As the economies of various community. When the pandemic fades out, holds good for the global community with a countries perform differently, changes in market confidence will gradually return and shared future as well. n the economic strength may also accelerate people will look for new investment op- changes in the global economic landscape. portunities. The Chinese market will boost So from an objective point of view, global investment expectations then as it Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar the Chinese economy’s return to track is was the first to recover and continue to Comments to [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 39 BUSINESS MARKET WATCH

Key Projects Boost Prosperity Over Past Five Years XINHUA s policymakers outlined the development roadmap for the next five years, Aa look at China’s key projects over the past half decade may offer a hint at why the country has made tremendous advancement in economic and social development. During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, China implemented 165 major projects, highlighting progress in technological advancement, infrastructure development as well as social and cultural improvement. These initiatives helped drive economic growth and brought tangible benefits to the people. The last satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System was launched in June, marking the completion of the de- ployment of China’s own global navigation satellite system. As one of the four global navigation satellite systems in the world, BeiDou provides users with a range of services, including global short-message communication, basic navigation and international search-and- rescue assistance. “BeiDou serves not only China but also the world,” Wang Wenbin, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said. The project is one example of scientific endeavors China has made in the past years to meet its development needs as well as to The last satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System takes off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center contribute to the benefit of humanity. in Sichuan Province, southwest China, on June 23 Other major achievements include the Tiangong-2 space lab, Jiaolong deep- 2019. Hailed as the new gateway to China, those most in need, involving initiatives in sea manned submersible and 500-meter the new airport has seen the total passenger poverty alleviation and vitalization of rural Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), throughput exceed 10 million a year after it areas. and the launch of dark matter probe satellite began functioning. In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Wukong and the quantum science satellite By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan pe- in the northwest, 22.6 billion yuan ($3.38 Micius. riod, the country’s rail lines in operation will billion) has been invested to improve rural In October 2018, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- have reached 146,000 km, with high-speed power facilities. Macao Bridge, the world’s longest cross- rail lines totaling 38,000 km, topping the By the end of September, newly con- sea bridge, opened. The 55-km-long bridge world. structed or rebuilt rural roads had totaled connects China’s southern province of At a recent State Council meeting on 1.39 million km as part of efforts to vitalize Guangdong with its two special administra- the formulation of the new five-year plan, the countryside. The number is expected to tive regions of Hong Kong and Macao. Premier Li Keqiang called for efforts to start exceed 1.4 million km by the year-end. n In addition, China has completed several a new batch of projects for development, in- infrastructure projects that connect people novation and people’s wellbeing, particularly and facilitate opening up. in the fields of education, public health, as The Beijing Daxing International Airport, well as elderly and child care. This is an edited version of an article published by Xinhua for instance, was built in less than five years Over the past five years, China has also News Agency and officially opened on September 25, implemented a number of projects to help Comments to [email protected] 40 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com MARKET WATCH BUSINESS

NUMBERS ($1=6.7 yuan)

China’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index China’s Non-Manufacturing PMI (PMI) 55 60 Over 50 = Expansion 55.2 55.9 56.2 54.4 53.5 54.1 53.6 54.4 54.2 Under 50 = Contraction 55 52.8 52.3 53.2 52.0 51.5 51.4 50.8 50.9 51.1 51.0 50 50.2 50.2 50.6 50.0 45 50 49.3 40

35 29.6 30 45 25

0 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT 2019 2020 40 China’s Comprehensive PMI 60 54.2 54.5 55.1 55.3 55 53.7 53.4 53.0 53.0 53.4 53.4 54.1 35.7 52.0 35 50 45

35 30 30 28.9

0 0 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT 2019 2020 2019 2020 (Source: National Bureau of Statistics)

The services trade volume of Hainan China’s tax and fee cuts totaled 2.09 Ningbo Zhoushan Port, China’s Province in south China reached trillion yuan in the first three quarters busiest port in the eastern province this year. Of this, of Zhejiang, saw its container 2.49 billion throughput in sea-rail transport 1.37 trillion increase 22.9 percent year on year yuan in September, up in the first 10 months of the year, 31.43 percent year on year. The yuan was credited to the emerging sectors in service trade, measures to support economic topping 812,000 which include insurance, finance, development amid novel coronavirus TEUs. The service links the port by telecommunications and business, all disease containment. railway with parts of China and other registered positive growth in the first countries.

three quarters of the year. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)

http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 41 42 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 43 CULTURE The Art of Reality New stream of well-crafted Chinese documentaries wins applause at home and overseas By Li Qing

hen I close my eyes, The Firsts in Life, aired in January, has been was delayed due to the novel coronavirus dis- I see green wind. viewed over 500 million times in China. The ease (COVID-19) epidemic. W Its touch turns the woods green, number indicates the public has accepted The epidemic also became an important gilds my calf gold, documentaries, a genre not as popular as films topic of documentaries. For instance, COVID-19: kisses the white walls of the house, and serials. Battling the Devil, produced by Bilibili, a video- dyes dad’s corns yellow. In recent years, the domestic documentary sharing platform, and China Intercontinental But I won’t tell the secret why the wind changes industry has produced many well-crafted works Communication Center, is about the efforts by color. with significant social influence. They have people from all walks of life to battle the virus, This is the first poem written by Shi Yingsuo, become a new highlight in the development of embodying the country’s united response to a 12-year-old in Yunnan Province, southwest China’s film and television industry. the epidemic. China. Last year, Shi became a first grader at With this year being the deadline for eradi- the Mangshui Middle School in a remote town A family album cating absolute poverty, poverty alleviation is in the province. The school has a compulsory Wunier, a documentary director, describes the also another predominant theme. poetry class. Like Shi, its students are mostly genre as an audiovisual source of information: “Documentaries are like the family album left-behind children—children of migrant work- “They are easier to understand than books, so of a country,” Chen Xiaoqing, creator of the hit ers who have been left home in the care of more people are willing to watch documentaries.” food documentary series Flavorful Origins and A grandparents, other relatives or even on their He attributed the progress of the industry Bite of China, told Time magazine. own while their parents work elsewhere. to the diverse topics covered by documentaries. These children are more sensitive than oth- “We can tell stories about China’s profound his- A new height ers of the same age. Lacking parental presence, tory, the 56 ethnic groups, various customs and According to a report on the development they tend to be introverts but in their poems, traditions, and characteristics of different areas,” of the Chinese documentary industry by they can give free rein to their emotions, he told Beijing Review. the Documentary Center of Beijing Normal dreams and thoughts of their parents. His latest work is a documentary about the University, in 2019, the industry had an invest- Shi’s encounter with poetry was recorded development of ice sports in Inner Mongolia ment of 5.04 billion yuan ($710 million) as in The Firsts in Life, a 12-episode documen- Autonomous Region in north China. Its release documentary production capacity in China tary series produced by CCTV.com and SMG

Documentary Center. The episode is titled Love, COURTESY PHOTO Sorrow and Dreams in Poems. “I liked the story. It was the first time I saw a video about left-behind children from such a perspective. Their poems not only express their feelings about growing up but also take us into their world,” a netizen said on entertainment reviewing platform Douban, where the documentary has been given 9.2 out of 10. The 12 episodes are on 12 groups, including people with Alzheimer’s, the differently abled, and migrant workers. Their experiences cover 12 firsts that resonate with almost every- one, related to birth, employment and farewell. One common element is the tenacity and optimism of the Chinese they show and pay tribute to. Zhang Hao, executive producer of the series, told Beijing Review the team spent almost three years in preparation. After they decided on the 12 stories, they began to build connections with the protagonists, camping in the places where the latter lived. The left-behind children were the most challenging group. It took over a year to gain their trust. Wunier works on a documentary on the ancient Silk Road in Qinghai Province, northwest China, on June 12, 2019 44 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com CULTURE COURTESY PHOTO

A still from an episode of The Firsts in Life featuring Shi Yingsuo, a 12-year-old student in a remote town in Yunnan Province, southwest China reached a new height. documentaries. Today, they also undertake Speaking for China In recent years, the government’s support intellectual property research and development Documentaries have become an important and better connection with the markets have of new stories to build brands and attract more channel for the international community to invigorated the Chinese documentary industry, viewers.” understand Chinese society, Zhu Lexian, deputy Zhang said. “As the industry integrates into the Advanced technologies have also promot- director of documentary content management market, more and more outstanding young ed the progress of domestic documentaries. at Tencent Video, told Southern Metropolis talents with inspiration and passion are joining Immersive, interactive and other new varieties Daily. Tencent is the producer of Flavorful the industry. Their contributions have led to sig- have enriched traditional documentaries, she Origins, the first documentary produced by a nificant progress in the subjects and varieties of added. Chinese team for Netflix. documentaries.” Though Chinese documentary makers still Chen wants to help the world better under- More creative forces are now involved in need more experience in some production stand China and the Chinese through food. The documentary direction and production, which aspects, such as special effects, Zhang said an series spotlighted the Chaoshan cuisine in the once used to be dominated by the state and excellent documentary is not just about hi-tech. coastal province of Guangdong in south China, was dependent on television stations, he said. “It’s not an assembly line product with a uni- followed by the fresh, fragrant Yunnan Province Internet platforms have played a significant role form standard,” he said. “They are the fruits of spices in southwest China. The third season, set in this. Major Internet platforms are seeking to unique and beautiful thoughts, the rich cultural in Gansu Province in northwest China, will debut develop the domestic documentary industry heritage of a country and the passion of the on Netflix soon. and the media’s attention to the industry has documentary makers.” The documentary has been broadcast in increased. However, although the domestic docu- over 190 countries and regions on the platform The report says new media platforms are mentaries are getting better and of higher with subtitles in 20 languages. reshaping China’s documentary industry, usher- quality, most cannot make as much money as To create more documentaries that will taste ing in a new era of vigorous development. There films, TV dramas and variety shows do, Wunier success in the international market, their creators is a rapid growth of new media companies said. It usually takes three to five years to finish need to adhere to reality, Liu Changying, a pro- in the documentary market. More and more a documentary. The production cycle restrains ducer with China Global Television Network, said documentaries are broadcast on the Internet, investment and the lack of investment makes in a forum during the Beijing Documentary Week even only on Internet media. the work more difficult for producers. in September. “Real people and their stories reso- This progress is inseparable from the pro- “There are many people who are passion- nate with all people regardless of nationalities.” n duction companies’ efforts, Li Xiaowei, chief ate about creating an excellent documentary. production supervisor of The Firsts in Life, told How to help them achieve the balance between Beijing Review. “They have dispelled our stereo- art and profit is a problem the industry needs to Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar Comments to [email protected] type of them being involved only in producing solve in the future,” he said. http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 45 FORUM

How Can China Cope With an Increasingly Aging Population?

ccording to a recent release by the for so many years. Children of these fami- homes find it hard to operate, depending on Ministry of Civil Affairs, the number lies, who are now groaning under heavy razor-thin profits, while others charge much Aof people over the age of 60 in China housing debts and huge expenditures for more than ordinary people can afford. is set to surpass 300 million during the pe- their own children’s education, have no Moreover, China’s healthcare system riod of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021- siblings to share the burden of caring for is struggling to meet the demand of a 25), indicating that China will fall into the aging parents. In most cases, these people moderately aging society. The aged have a category of a moderately aging society. As a often work far away from their parents, and huge demand for health resources and this consequence of the one child policy, China’s are thus unable to directly participate in unbalanced distribution of health resources, population growth is currently slowing, and their care. So a well-developed social safety combined with a disproportionate con- the elderly are making up an increasing net for the elderly is particularly important. centration of quality resources in big cities proportion of the population. At the same Nevertheless, China’s national pension further exacerbates the difficulties faced by time, government statistics indicate China’s funds may not be sufficient to support so the elderly in living a comfortable life in their working-age population has been shrinking many elderly people and offer all of them a later years. since 2012. comfortable life. Statistics show that when more than In five to 10 years’ time, the parents of For this reason, finding sufficient funding 17.5 percent of the population requires aged those born in the 1980s will gradually pass to support the pension system is an urgent care support, the impact of demographic the threshold of 70, and an increasing num- issue. Worse still, a shrinking working-age changes on the country’s economic growth ber of elderly people requiring extra nursing population means lower productivity and less will become negative. According to data and care will be a tough test for the country. social wealth, in addition to overstretching from the National Bureau of Statistics, this An aging society also means increasing the healthcare system and related services. figure reached 17.8 percent in China in burdens on families, especially when urban On the other hand, some argue that an 2019. Therefore, it is urgent to prepare to families were allowed to have only one child aging society may boost the silver economy, cushion the future negative impact of an thus adding to overall economic develop- aging population. We must take advantage ment. Others suggest technological progress of opportunities created by technological in- may help to fill the labor gap caused by the novation to upgrade services and industries Dear Readers, loss of working-age people. relating to aged care. It is also necessary to continue reforming the social security Forum is a column A safer safety net system, so that the elderly may be more that provides a Yang Ge (www.legaldaily.com.cn): An ag- comprehensively covered by the safety net. ing society is a test of the country’s public Last but not least, a friendly social environ- space for varying finance and social safety net. In 2016, several ment that respects and cares for the elderly perspectives on provinces reported that their social security is as important as these systems. contemporary funds, or pension funds, were in overdraft. To cope with the aging population is by The problem was temporarily solved thanks no means as simple as merely supporting Chinese society. to nationwide coordination and with the help the elderly. It is a serious issue closely linked We invite you to of other insurance products. However, under to national economic management, social the pressure of the economic downturn, development, cultural heritage and even the submit personal pension funds may again fall into overdraft nation’s long-term prosperity. viewpoints on past during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Chi Fulin (www.sohu.com): Changes and current topics An aging population will also test the happening in China’s demographic structure social welfare and healthcare systems, as are bringing a series of deep structural con- (in either English well as community services. As an increas- flicts and challenges. The problem facing us or Chinese). ing number of parents of only children pass now is how to effectively cope with these the threshold of 60 or even 70, the demand challenges and provide a decent safety net for social services for the elderly is certain to to the elderly at a time when China is still [email protected] rise. working hard to grow its economy. Community care for the elderly in China Actually, accelerated aging implies Please provide your name is lagging behind and unable to supplement huge potential for the silver economy, and address along with or support home-based care for the aged. which is expected to become an important your comments Many existing aged care facilities are un- driving force for China’s economic growth. professional and unlicensed. Some nursing However, there is currently a shortage of 46 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com FORUM

LI SHIGONG development, but also cultural issues relating to human civilization. The accelerated pace of aging poses a tough task for China, a country currently struggling in a critical transition period. China has to deepen its structural reforms so as to better cope with emerging problems in the new era. While China has experience from its own successful development in the past four decades, it must also look to the rest of the world for experience and examples. In particular, it must absorb successful experiences from countries that are doing a good job of coping with an aging population, so as to enrich its own ideas and policies. Meanwhile, given China’s own national condition, we also need to turn to Chinese culture and tradition for solutions. Without making full use of China’s own ancient culture on ways to care for the elderly, the problem of aging is difficult to solve. Chinese culture requires society to respect and be kind to the elderly. Thus, to support the elderly is not simply a question of offering them enough food and clothes, it’s also about satisfying their demands in other aspects. We need to identify a proper way to coordinate their demands with the overall social environment and economic development. The government can help to develop social enterprises that are both public welfare-oriented and commercial, which offer healthcare services and entertainment, to the elderly. Public culture and educational institutions should also open to the elderly, providing them with continuous education and cultural activities. At the same time, more social organizations need to be set up to fill the gap not filled by the government and enterprises, so that the demands of the elderly can be adequately met. On the whole, the market mechanism needs to play a bigger role in products and services designed for the el- vitality and spur economic growth, tax and the future than today. derly, as well as issues with quality and the fee reductions for businesses are neces- The pace at which the Chinese society range of products available. For example, sary, including lowering pension premiums. is aging in tandem with China’s social and currently, China requires at least 10 million However, accelerated aging demands ever- economic reforms, so the solution depends nursing staff to assist the elderly in their increasing expenditures for caring for elderly on policy improvement and continuous daily life, but the actual number of available by both the government and the private reforms. Meanwhile, aging is a global is- nursing staff is less than 1 million. If senior sector. sue, so despite some unique features and citizens’ upgraded and expanded demand To resolve the structural conflicts, the national conditions, some problems are is successfully transformed into a promis- answer lies in structural reforms. China needs common to all. China can learn from other ing industry, then the problem is likely to new policies and industries to lessen the im- countries after comparing its own condi- be effectively solved. pact of massive aging among its population. tions with them to solve the aging problem Demographic structural changes are effectively. n also causing a dilemma. When the Chinese A common problem society is under the pressure of acceler- Cai Wu (www.ce.cn): Aging is an inevitable ated aging of its population, the flexibility tendency of the world’s population. The prob- of its macroeconomic policies is squeezed. lem of aging and of appropriate responses Copyedited by Garth Wilson For example, in order to stimulate market to it concerns not only social and economic http://www.bjreview.com NOVEMBER 12, 2020 BEIJING REVIEW 47 ESSAY

Stop Playing With Fire By Lan Xinzhen

he United States’ October 21 announcement Chinese tech companies, limiting the number of of three arms sale deals with Taiwan, together Chinese students allowed to attend U.S. universities, Tworth over $1.8 billion, has stirred up strong limiting the Chinese media’s press activities in the U.S., sentiments in China. While expressing its objection to and curbing cultural and people-to-people exchang- the deal, the Chinese Government announced sanc- es. It has also built up a clique of anti-China nations. tions against individuals, firms and entities involved in Arms sales to Taiwan serve as part of this policy. the arms sales, including Boeing. The announcement In carrying out these activities, however, the of these three deals was followed by the announce- United States does not intend to spark direct con- ment of a fourth on October 27: sales to Taiwan of flict or a war with China, but is instead attempting Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems worth approxi- to identify the best means to sap China’s capacity mately $2.4 billion. This frequency of arms sales to to compete. This intention can be seen by piecing Taiwan is sure to push China-U.S. relations further on together the United States’ recent behavior relating a downward spiral. The United to Taiwan, including the visit of Alex Azar, U.S. Health That Taiwan is part of China is a fact rec- and Human Services Secretary, to Taiwan in early ognized by the international community, States does not August, and the latest round of arms sales to Taiwan. including the United States. For historical rea- The United States is like a child that is fond of playing sons, the reunification is yet to take place. The intend to spark with fire. But it too will be hurt if this fire goes out of one-China principle and the three China-U.S. direct conflict control. Joint Communiqués constitute the foundation of The Taiwan authorities and some public figures China-U.S. diplomatic relations, and also of normal or a war in Taiwan believe that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan will exchanges between the two countries. U.S. arms help to meet Taiwan’s demand for strategic de- sales to Taiwan violate this principle, violate the three with China, but fense. This is another form of playing with fire. The communiqués, and will also instigate secession- is instead Taiwan authorities take it for granted that purchasing ist activities carried out by “Taiwan independence” arms from the U.S. will make the U.S. a backstop in separatist forces. By selling arms to Taiwan, the U.S. attempting to Taiwan’s confrontation with the mainland. However, is interfering in China’s internal affairs. The Chinese this is just wishful thinking. The U.S. will not act as Government will not remain idle and do nothing. It identify the best Taiwan hopes, but will only continue to use Taiwan will carry out actions to safeguard national sovereign- means to sap as a pawn to curtail China’s development. In the case ty and dignity. of a cross-Straits war, the U.S. will definitely refuse to Why does the United States continue selling China’s capacity become directly involved, as direct involvement does arms to Taiwan? It cites the Taiwan Relations Act as not suit U.S. national interests. an excuse, arguing that it is trying to fulfill its com- to compete The Chinese Government is still exercising re- mitment to Taiwan’s security and to showcase the straint, urging the U.S. to stick to the one-China policy government’s prioritization of strengthening Taiwan’s and the three joint communiqués, to stop arms sales defense capabilities. to Taiwan, cancel all arms sale plans and sever mili- However, its true intention: provocation intended tary ties with the island. to interfere in China’s internal affairs through Taiwan This round of arms sales in particular focuses on as a means to contain China’s continuing develop- offensive weaponry, conceivably fueling the ambi- ment. It is also likely that these acts were part of a tions of “Taiwan independence” separatists. The High strategy calculated to win votes for the Donald Trump Mobility Artillery Rocket System, Standoff Land Attack presidency. Missile-Expanded Response and Harpoon missiles are The United States sees China’s continued rise as all capable of reaching the coastal cities on China’s becoming a strategic rival, and this has spurred its ef- mainland. If separatists’ misjudgment leads to reck- forts to derail Chinese development in multiple areas. less moves, whatever the United States chooses to Under the Obama administration, the United States do, it will inevitably damage its own interests. n frequently sent naval vessels to the South China Sea in the name of free navigation. In 2016, we saw the farce of the so-called South China Sea Arbitration. After Trump took office, the United States triggered a trade war by increasing tariffs on Chinese commodi- Copyedited by Garth Wilson ties. The U.S. is also using state power to suppress Comments to [email protected] 48 BEIJING REVIEW NOVEMBER 12, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com