FOCUS

Letting offKongming Lanterns for Anniversary Celebration

People in Jinghong,southwest China’s Yunnan Province make wishes for the future by releasing Kongming lanterns to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and the 1385th New Year of the Dai calendar on April 13, 2023.

Camping Downtown An urban camping event is held on the north square of the Bund Financial Center in Shanghai on April 15, 2023,

Painting in a Photo An artist is painting pear trees that are in full bloom in Dongli Village, Zhuyu Town,Wanyuan City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province on April 1, 2023.

Traditions on lce Little girls dressed up in Tang Dynasty costumes are performing at a figure skating exhibition match in Jiulongpo District, southwest China’s Chongqing on April 16, 2023.

Running with PassionThousands of runners participating in the 2023 Huai’an Marathon and Grand Canal Marathon Series (Huai’an) in Huai’an, east China’s Jiangsu Province on April 9, 2023.

EXCHANGES

“The troop withdrawal by the U.S.does not mean that it could shirk offits responsibility, nor does the White House report on the U.S.withdrawal from Afghanistan mean that the U.S.can draw a line under its shameful acts in Afghanistan.The U.S.should not sit back and ignore the current plight of the Afghan people, and the Afghan people’s hard-earned money forcibly seized by the U.S.must be returned as soon as possible.We hope the U.S.will truly draw a lesson from what happened in Afghanistan,and change its wrong course at an early date.The U.S.should not judge or interfere in other countries’systems based on Western standards, nor should it attempt to reset military forces in Afghanistan and the region, still less supporting and employing terrorism.”

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said when giving a briefing to the press after the Second lnformal Meeting on Afghanistan Between Foreign Ministers of China, Russia,Pakistan, and lran on April 13, 2023.

“China and the U.K., as permanent members of the UN Security Council,uphold multilateralism, support free trade, and share a wide range of common interests in such fields as economy, finance, sustainable development, and climate change.We hope that the two sides will strengthen policy exchanges, focus on mutually beneficial cooperation,properly handle differences, and promote the steady development of bilateral relations.”Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks when meeting with Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign,Commonwealth and Development Office of the U.K.Philip Robert Barton on April 10, 2023.

Chinese and Brazilian Presidents Hold Talks

On April 14, 2023, President Xi Jinping held talks with Brazilian President Lula da Silva during his recent state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

President Xi pointed out that as comprehensive strategic partners, China and Brazil share extensive common interests.China always views and develops relations with Brazil from a strategic and long-term perspective, and views the relationship as a high priority on its diplomatic agenda.China will work with Brazil to create a new future for their relations in the new era, deliver greater benefits to the two peoples,and play an important and positive role for peace, stability, and prosperity in their regions and around the world.

President Xi noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between China and Brazil, and the two countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year.China is now promoting high-quality development and high-standard opening-up, and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.This will unlock new opportunities for Brazil and other countries around the world.

President Xi called on the two sides to maintain regular strategic communication and increase experience sharing on national governance.China welcomes more high-quality products from Brazil into its market.China will actively explore greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Brazil’s reindustrialization strategy.Both sides need to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year to carry out more people-topeople exchanges, and cultivate stronger public support for Sino-Brazilian friendship.

President Xi said that facing global changes of a magnitude unseen in a century, China and Brazil are resolved to stand on the right side of history, practice true multilateralism, advocate the common values of humanity, work for a more just and equitable international governance system, truly safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international justice and equity, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

President Lula said that China is an indispensable force in global politics, economy and trade, science and technology, and plays a vital role in promoting world peace and development.Brazil is committed to building closer relations with China from the strategic perspective of shaping a just and equitable international order.Brazil’s legislature and society share this strong desire for building strong, multifaceted relations with China.He believed deeper and greater cooperation with China would contribute to Brazil’s reindustrialization, help address poverty and other issues, and deliver benefits to the people.

Wang Yi Meets with Japanese Foreign Minister

On April 2, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi met with visiting Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi in Beijing.

Wang Yi said that currently China-Japan relations have maintained an overall stability, but are still faced with various disturbances and interference from time to time.The fundamental cause is that some forces in Japan deliberately follow the erroneous China policy of the United States, and cooperate with the United States to smear China and make provocations on issues concerning China’s core interests.Such moves are strategically short-sighted,politically wrong, and even diplomatically unwise.

He pointed out that China has maintained the continuity and stability in its Japan policy, and stands ready to work with Japan to take the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship as an opportunity to draw lessons from history and build a China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of the new era on the basis of the four political documents between China and Japan.

Wang Yi expressed the hope that Japan will recommit itself to the original aspiration of signing the treaty, review the spirit of the treaty, abide by the principles of the treaty,get rid of the zero-sum mentality, and translate into concrete actions the important common understanding that the two countries are cooperative partners posing no threat to each other, so as to jointly improve and develop China-Japan relations.

Yoshimasa Hayashi said that the two countries enjoy tremendous potential for cooperation in a wide range of fields, while at the same time face some issues that need to be tackled.He said that Japan is ready to work with China to implement the important common understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries, build constructive and stable Japan-China relations, and realize win-win and all-win outcomes.

Chinese and German Foreign Ministers Co-Chair Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy and Security

On April 14, 2023, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock co-chaired the sixth round of China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy and Security in Beijing.Qin Gang said that China and Germany are partners,not rivals, and the two sides should develop their relations independently.China is ready to work with Germany to carry out all-round exchanges and advance cooperation across the board.

Qin said that the two countries should uphold the vision of a human community with a shared future, jointly defend multilateralism and the basic norms governing international relations based on the United Nations Charter, strengthen coordination within multilateral frameworks, and join hands to tackle global challenges.China and Germany have the responsibility and capability to be the guardians and propellers of globalization,and the two sides should oppose decoupling or severing industrial and supply chains.

Qin also expressed his hope that Germany will view China’s investment in Germany from a long-term and global perspective, and provide a fair, open, and non-discriminatory market environment for Chinese enterprises.

Baerbock said China is a major economy in the world and the most important trading partner of Germany.Germany develops its relations with China independently and looks forward to an early resumption of bilateral exchanges and dialogue in various fields.

“Practical cooperation between China and Germany is based on voluntary business choices and is mutually beneficial.The German side knows full well the details of COSCO’s acquisition of the stake in the Port of Hamburg.We hope that Germany will not politicize normal business cooperation or make it an issue about ideologies and security.There should be no man-made barriers for such cooperation.We once again urge Germany to view the practical cooperation between the two countries from an objective and rational perspective, and provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin indicated at a regular press conference on April 13, 2023.

“The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and lran announced the resumption of diplomatic ties and signed a joint statement.Both noted that they will continue to advance the process to improve bilateral relations in accordance with the roadmap and timeline identified in their Beijing talks in March and thanked China for its important role in facilitating the talks.China welcomes and applauds the continued steps Saudi Arabia and lran have taken to improve their relations.We will continue to be a mediator, support both sides in building trust, dispelling misgivings and realizing good neighborliness, and contribute China’s wisdom and strength to promoting security,stability, and development in the Middle East.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on April 6, 2023.

ECONOMY/SOCIETY

China’s Computing Power Second Largest in the World

The total scale of China’s computing power ranks second in the world with an annual growth rate of nearly 30 percent.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as of the end of last year, China’s total computing power reached 180 EFLOPS (180 quintillion floating-point operations a second), with a total data storage capacity of over 1,000 EB, and the scale of the core computing power industry reached RMB 1.8 trillion.

According to the ministry, China has made significant progress in computing power and greatly improved its comprehensive capacity in this area.Currently, the industry is pursuing intelligent, agile, green, low-carbon, safe, and reliable development.

China’s Green Transformation Accelerating

To enhance the level of energy security, efforts must be made to maintain coal’s key role as a “ballast,”expand oil and gas reserves exploration, and increase the storage and production of these two resources.Zhang Jianhua, director of the National Energy Administration, explained China’s energy resource plan at a press conference held on April 12.

The country also aims to enhance the capability of non-fossil energy alternativeness to form a diversified clean energy supply system that includes wind, light, water, biology, nuclear, and hydrogen.It is also essential to increase the efficiency of coal-fired machines.At the same time, efforts will be made to enhance the transformation and upgrading of distribution networks to support a high proportion of electricity from new energy sources on the grid.

The National Energy Administration released on the same day a guideline on energy work in 2023 detailing more specific goals:the total national energy production will reach about 4.75 billion tonnes of standard coal, and the energy self-sufficiency rate will rise steadily.Installed generation capacity will reach about 2.79 billion kilowatts, the total electricity generated about 9.36 trillion kilowatt-hours, and west-to-east transmission capacity about 310 million kilowatts.

RMB 113.55 Billion

ln the first quarter of this year, railroad fixed-asset investment nationwide reached RMB 113.55 billion, with an increase of 6.6 percent year-onyear.Efforts have been made to speed up the construction of a modern railroad infrastructure system.

Sports Industry Shows New Potential

According to China’s 14th Five-Year Plan for sports development, the value of China’s sports industry is expected to hit RMB 5 trillion by 2025, with the added value accounting for 2 percent of the country’s GDP.By 2025, the total scale of residents’sporting activitydriven consumption is expected to exceed RMB 2.8 trillion, and more than eight million people are estimated to be employed in the industry.

A report released recently by PricewaterhouseCoopers mentions that China’s sports market will maintain an annual growth rate of at least 5.2 percent in the next three to five years.

There are still some underdeveloped areas for the country’s sports industry.With favorable factors such as digital technology and public demand, sectors such as sports technology and sports marketing will have the opportunity to achieve higher growth rates in the future, and emerging sports such as skiing have more potential.

Greener China in 2022

The National Afforestation Commission recently released a report on progress in China’s greening programs in 2022.It shows that last year the country created 1.2 million hectares of man-made forest, protected 172 million hectares of natural forest, conducted aerial tree seeding covering 170,000 hectares of land,closed 1.04 million hectares of mountains for forest growth, and rehabilitated 1.42 million hectares of degraded forests.China also planted grass in 1.2 million hectares, upgraded 2.01 million hectares of grassland, and continued to provide subsidies for turning marginal farmland into forest and grassland.In addition to this,it treated soil erosion in 63,000 square kilometers, improved the eco-environment in 496 river basins, and established desertification control demonstration sites in seven provinces (autonomous regions).

As a result of these efforts, the total areas of forest and grassland in China have increased to 231 million hectares and 265 million hectares respectively.

Last year the output value of China’s industries related with forest and grassland reached RMB 8.37 trillion, and its imports and exports of forestry products hit US$191 billion.By the end of 2022,the country’s balance of green loans amounted to RMB 22.03 trillion.

Identified Obstacles in Rural Consumption

China Consumers Association recently released a report on its 2022 survey about the country’s rural consumption environment,which received the score of 75.35.Launched in last September, the survey received 3,670 responses from 824 villages.

Digital technology is now in wide use among China’s rural population.As many as 78.5 percent of the respondents used 4G or 5G services, and 80.2 percent gave positive feedback on Internet access.Nearly half of rural residents (45.5 percent)chose e-payment for offline purchases, and more than 90 percent of rural stores supported payment by mobile phones.

The survey disclosed some issues that impede consumers’spending in the countryside.They include weakness in the rural delivery and logistic systems, prevalence of shoddy and fake products, less varieties in commodity supply, and poor after-sale services.

RMB 347.6 Trillion

China maintained its position as the world's largest logistics market for the seventh consecutive year in 2022,industry data showed.Total revenue of the country's logistics sector came in at RMB 12.7 trillion last year, and social logistics expanded to RMB 347.6 trillion, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.China's top 50 logistics companies raked in about RMB 2 trillion in revenue last year, the federation noted, saying that a batch of internationally competitive enterprises have started to emerge in the market.

“Double Reduction”Remains a Priority

The “double reduction”policy, aimed to reduce the afterschool tutoring and homework burden on students, will continue to be the top priority in education supervision this year, said a notice issued by the education supervision office of the State Council.

The notice stated that a joint supervision mechanism between the state, provincial, prefectural, and county levels will be adopted to strengthen the regulating of after-school tutoring institutions, prevent misbehavior that harms public interest, and promote a sound education system and the all-round and healthy development of students.

Based on the progress made over the past two years,local authorities need to adopt new methods to make the“double reduction”supervision more effective and achieve better results in reducing the academic burden placed on students.The supervision will focus on hidden academic tutoring, substandard nonacademic tutoring, management of tuition fees for courses, art exams, and tutoring with foreign teachers.

State and provincial education supervisors will conduct spot inspections of cities and counties with slow progress and excessive complaints.The names of those cities and counties will be made public, the notice said.

CULTURE

The Spring in Yangjialing

NCPA & Beijing Dance Academy

Date: April 29-May 2, 2023

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

The musicalThe Spring in Yangjialingis inspired by Yan’an wood carving prints.These prints from the Yan’an period captured many important events andturning points of modern Chinese history from the artists’perspectives.The plot is set in a period when Chinese youth with progressive ideas went to Yan’an and devoted themselves to the revolution.These young people transformed for the better in terms of ideology and spirit, and their art work ushered in the spring of Chinese litera-ture and art.The people-oriented literary and artistic creation has become a call to travel through time and space,and continues to shine brightly.

Looking West to Chang’an

Date: April 26-May 3, 2023

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Looking West to Chang’anis a five-act satire comedy authored by the Chinese writer Lao She on the basis of “the first pol№cal fraud case of the New China”in 1956.The comedy tells an absurd and thought-provoking story.With duplicitous trickery, leading role Li Wancheng forges his personal details and CV to get official posts.People place trust in him with credul☆and help him garner fame and fortune.Some victims even help the deceiver get married.At some point, a few vigilant officials become aware of his deception, the public secur☆ organ investigates and cracks the case.The whole drama demonstrates strong irony and practical significance.

Longquan Celadon Exhibition Opens in Brussels

The opening ceremony of the “Longquan City Celadon Art”exhibition was held on April 3 at the Chinese Cultural Center in Brussels, with 55 works made by Chinese artists on display.

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming said at the ceremony that the exhibition will help the Belgian public to appreciate the cultural heritage and exquisite craftsmanship of Longquan Celadon.It will also boost ties between the two countries, he said.

Longquan Celadon porcelain is known for its elegant colors, especially jade green and light blue.

It is one of the most characteristic Chinese goods,historically exported via the land and sea “Silk Roads,”Cao said.

“Celadon”is the hero of a famous French play,Astree.When the porcelain was first shipped to Europe in the late 16th century, the local people compared the color of the glaze to that of Celadon’s clothing.Since then, Longquan porcelain has been called Celadon.

The 55 works on display at the exhibition in Brussels include a flask called“Song’s Charm,”an imitation of the classical objects from the Southern Song Dynasty; a statue of the God of Literature; a Lucky Rabbit; a vase with a Silk Road motif, and a pot for washing brushes.

In 2009, the traditional firing technology of Longquan Celadon was listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.The exhibition is a testament to the heritage and development of Chinese craftsmen’s celadon skills, and also expresses the aesthetic tastes and aspirations for a better life of the Chinese people,said Cao.

ON CHINESE MEDIA

Consolidating China-Russian Cooperation amid Changing Circumstances

World Affairs

Issue 7, 2023

China and Russia are the largest neighbors of each other and comprehensive strategic partners.In recent years, cooperation between the two countries in areas such as economy,trade, energy, technology, and transportation has made significant progress.They have also maintained close communica-tion on a series of major international and regional issues.At present, the changes unseen in a century have led to new opportun№es and challenges in the development of China-Russia relations.Facing new changes, it is necessary to promote more pragmatic exchanges with creative thinking.

Chinese-French Art Exhibition a “Bon Moment”of Exchanges Between Two Cultures

In theBook of Fan Shengzhi,the oldest agriculture book written around first century B.C., Fan Shengzhi, the author and agronomist, said that “the essence of cultivation is to catch up with the right moment…After the start of spring, as the land thaws, thechienergy rises from the Earth and begins to flow, and the soil loosens for the first time.”

The message of anticipation,unity of people and Earth delivered in the book has inspired a cross-cultural exhibition, Bon Moment, at the Red Brick Art Museum in Beijing where the works of 13 Chinese and French contemporary artists are on display to exchange views on shared topics, including the relation between humanity and Earth, the unknown, loneliness,and death.

The exhibition was unveiled to open at the 17th edition of Festival Croisements by visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, who later toured Bon Moment and several other exhibitions at the museum.

This year, Festival Croisements, a full-fledged crosscultural program in China, will include some 65 shows, performances, and events held in more than 20 cities across the country,running from April to July.

The Red Brick Art Museum has been showing contemporary works of French artists and those living in France to introduce their home audience to the forefront of the French art scene.Its founder Yan Shijie was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Orders of Arts and Letters) by the French government in 2019, at the opening of the 14th Festival Croisements.

Terracotta Warriors Exhibition Opens in Spain

On March 28, the Archaeological Museum of Alicante opened a unique exhibition of China’s renowned Terracotta Warriors, known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

The exhibition, titled “The Legend of China’s Qin and Han Dynasties,”will remain open to the public until January 28,2024, and showcases more than 120 pieces from nine Chinese museums.

The exhibition is divided into three galleries showcasing the history of the unification of China by Emperor Qinshihuang, his tomb, and the mysterious Terracotta Warriors.The museum uses advanced technology to create an immersive exhibition space using light, music, and scent.

Curator of the exhibition Marcos Martinon-Torres, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Cambridge, said the exhibition would provide an “unforgettable experience”for visitors.

The exhibition is part of a series of activities for the China-Spain Year of Culture and Tourism.Apart from the 10 life-size Terracotta Warriors and horses, it also features gold and silver, bronze,pottery, and jade cultural relics.

At the opening ceremony,Carlos Mazon, president of the Alicante provincial council, called the exhibition“a historic moment.”He said his province “will become a cultural center in Europe over the next 10 months,because it is the first time that the Chinese Terracotta Warriors have been exhibited abroad since the (COVID-19)pandemic.”

Local people and visitors from all over the world will have “a unique opportunity to appreciate the beauty of these archaeological achievements in one of the best museums in Europe,”he added.

The Rise of ChatGPT

Insight China Issue 9, 2023

ChatGPT, the AI-powered chat robot, has become the fastest-growing consumer application.In China many teams have emerged attempting to explore new terrains of AI content generation.The Internet giants have a clearer goal: to achieve localization and par-ticipate in global competition at a high level.

Millennia-Old Grottos

China Newsweek Issue 12, 2023

In China, relics of the grottos are the most ¤pical proof of the intersection and fusion of civilizations.They display the integration of Eastern and Western civilizations, and the process of how alien cultures blend with local arts.