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Presidents Meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talkswith his French counterpart， EmmanuelMacron， at the ?lysée Palace in Paris on theafternoon of May 6， 2024. In the picture，President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuanpose for a group photo with President EmmanuelMacron and his wife Brigitte Macron.As the world goes through transformationand turbulence not seen in a century， Chinaand France should uphold independenceand jointly prevent a "new Cold War" orbloc confrontation， President Xi said duringtheir talk. They should continue to understandeach other and jointly promote harmoniouscoexistence in a colorful world， Xisaid. President Macron noted that the twocountries enjoy a friendly relationship andproductive cooperation regarding not justcutting-edge technologies but also globalissues such as climate change and marinebiodiversity. During Xis visit， the two sidessigned many cooperation agreements，which again showcased the potential andprospects of France-China cooperation.

EXCHANGES

“China and South Korea are closeneighbors and should maintainfrequent exchanges. Over the past30 years since the establishmentof diplomatic relations， the overalldevelopment of bilateral relations hasbeen smooth and fruitful. In 2008，the two sides established a strategiccooperative partnership， placingeach other in a more importantposition in their respective diplomaticagendas. Through exchanges andcooperation， China and South Koreahave enjoyed mutual benefits andcommon development， contributingto regional peace and prosperity. Thisfully demonstrates that the developmentof China-South Korea relationsis in line with the trend of the timesand reflects the will of the people.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saidwhen holding talks with Cho Tae-yul，foreign minister of the Republic of Korea（ROK）， on May 13， 2024.

“China and Finlands heads ofstate have maintained closeexchanges， which have provideddirection for the development ofbilateral relations. China has alwaysviewed its relationship withFinland from a strategic and longtermperspective， hoping that bothsides adhere to the principles ofmutual respect and equality andcontinuously promote bilateralfriendship through dialogue andcooperation to jointly addresschallenges.”

Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li saidwhen he held the China-Finland politicalconsultation at the vice foreignministerial level with Jukka Salovaara，permanent state secretary at theMinistry for Foreign Affairs of Finland，on May 15， 2024

Xi Jinping Holds Trilateral Leaders Meeting with French President and European Commission President

On May 6， President Xi Jinping attended， upon invitation， a trilateral meeting of China， France，and the European Union （EU） with French President Emmanuel Macron and European CommissionPresident Ursula von der Leyen at the ?lysée Palace in Paris.

President Xi noted that China always views its relations with the EU from a strategic and longtermperspective. It regards Europe as an important dimension in its major-country diplomacywith Chinese characteristics and an important partner on its path toward Chinese modernization.It is hoped that China-France and China-EU relations would reinforce each other and thrivetogether.

President Xi said that as the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation，China and the EU， as two important forces， should continue to see each other as partners， staycommitted to dialogue and cooperation， deepen strategic communication， enhance strategic mutualtrust， build strategic consensus， carry out strategic coordination， work for steady and soundgrowth of China-EU ties， and continue making new contributions to world peace and development.

President Xi stressed that China-EU relations enjoy a strong endogenous driving force andbright prospects of development. This relationship does not target any third party， nor should itbe dependent on or dictated by any third party. It is hoped that the EU institutions will developthe right perception of China and adopt a positive China policy. The two sides should respecteach others core interests and major concerns， safeguard the political foundation of their relations，and uphold the basic norms of international relations.

President Macron said that France hopes to enhance dialogue and cooperation with Chinaand strengthen mutual trust and friendship between France and China and also between theEU and China. The EU refuses the logic of decoupling. It welcomes investment and cooperationby Chinese companies in Europe. The EU hopes to step up cooperation with China and jointlysafeguard the security and stability of value chains and supply chains in Europe. France wishesto work with China closely in addressing global challenges such as climate change and marinebiodiversity.

President von der Leyen noted that the EU and China enjoy a sound relationship and thatnext year will mark the 50th anniversary of their relations. The EU wishes to work with Chinain the spirit of mutual respect， seek common ground despite differences， enhance mutual trust，avoid misunderstandings， jointly uphold the international order based on international law， andpromote world peace， security， and prosperity.

Li Qiang Meets with Delegation of the China-Britain Business Council

On May 15， 2024， Premier Li Qiang ofthe State Council met with a delegation ofthe China-Britain Business Council （CBBC）led by CBBC Chair Sherard Cowper-Colesat the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Li congratulated the CBBC on its 70thanniversary and expressed appreciationfor the organizations commitment topromoting China-U.K. ties， its historic icebreakingrole for bilateral trade， and itsrole as a bridge of communication and dialogue between the two countries.

Li said that China attaches great importance to its relations with the U.K. and iswilling to enhance dialogue with the U.K. side， deepen cooperation， and respect eachothers core interests and major concerns so as to work for the sustained and steadydevelopment of ties along the right track.

Li expressed hope that the CBBC and the British business community will inheritand carry forward the ice-breaking spirit and act as the conveyor of China-U.K. friendship，the promoter of mutually beneficial cooperation， and the defender of stable andsmooth industrial and supply chains to continue contributing to the development ofChina-U.K. relations.

Cowper-Coles said the CBBC supports China in promoting reform and openingup， and pursuing high-quality development. The organization is willing to continue toplay a bridging role and make positive contributions to promoting the developmentof U.K.-China relations and deepening bilateral cooperation.

Wang Yi Co-Chairs Fifth Round of the Foreign Minister-Level China-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue with Pakistans Deputy Prime Minister

On May 15， 2024， Chinese ForeignMinister Wang Yi， also a member of thePolitical Bureau of the Communist Partyof China Central Committee， co-chairedthe fifth round of the Foreign Minister-Level China-Pakistan Strategic Dialoguewith Pakistans Deputy Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister Mohammad IshaqDar in Beijing.

Wang expressed Chinas willingnessto work with Pakistan to implement theimportant consensus of the two countries leaders， gather strength to promote theconstruction of an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor， andadvance the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a newstage of higher quality， greater security， and more sustainability， jointly acceleratingthe building of a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era.

Dar expressed Pakistans firm support for President Xi Jinpings proposal to builda community with a shared future for mankind， the Belt and Road cooperation， andthe three major global initiatives. Pakistan is willing to strengthen coordinationand cooperation with China in multilateral institutions and jointly address globalchallenges.

“It is yet another mistake for the U.S. to continuepoliticizing trade issues and further increasingtariffs on Chinese products. This will only significantlydrive up the cost of imported goods， inflictmore loss on American companies and consumers，and make the U.S. consumers pay even more. AsMoodys estimated， 92 percent of the cost for thetariff hikes falls on American consumers， and averageU.S. household expenditure increases by US$1，300 annually. The U.S.s protectionist measureswill further damage the security and stability ofthe global industrial and supply chains. We notedthat several European political leaders have saidthat as far as tariffs are concerned， it is a badidea to dismantle global trade.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin indicated at a regular press conference on May 15， 2024.

“China is gravely concerned over Israels plan tocarry out ground military operations in Rafah.We strongly call on Israel to listen to the overwhelmingappeal of the international community，stop attacking Rafah， and do everything possibleto avoid an even worse humanitarian catastrophein the Gaza Strip. It has been over 200 dayssince the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflictbroke out. The horrific humanitarian catastropheit has caused is testing the moral conscience ofhumanity. War and violence are not the way tofundamentally solve a problem. They will neverbring true security and will only deepen hatred.The international community must take action.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jianindicated at a regular press conferenceon May 7， 2024.

ECONOMY/SOCIETY

NEVs and Automobile Exports Maintain Rapid Growth in April

At a recent press conference onautomobile production and sales andeconomic performance， Liu Zheng， directorof the Industry Information Departmentof the China Association of AutomobileManufacturers， said that China maintainedits overall economic momentum in April，and the three major indices remained inthe expansion range.

Liu said that as manufacturing enterprisescontinue to accelerate production，and the market demand continues torecover， theres sustained confidence in recentmarket development among domesticenterprises.

Courier Sector Sees Surge in Parcel Handling

Chinas courier sector haswitnessed a surge in its deliveryvolume this year， signalinga booming consumer market，the State Post Bureau saidrecently.

The countrys couriercompanies have handled 50billion parcels as of April 29，a milestone mark which wasachieved 32 days earlier thanin 2023.

This volume surge demonstratesthe continuedrecovery momentum of theChinese economy， the bureausaid， highlighting the vitalrole of the courier sector infacilitating the flow of farmproduce and balancing regionaldevelopment.

Over 100 million parcelsflow in and out of the rural areaseach day， thanks to couriercompanies continued effortsto innovate service modes，expand investments in coldchain， and optimize transportationroutes， the bureau said.

Since the beginning of thisyear， the sector has also beenactively exploring ways to developnew quality productiveforces by promoting industrialinnovation and acceleratingthe application of unmannedwarehouses， unmanned vehicles，drones and other equipmentto improve businessefficiency.

Exports Become More Specialized and Innovative

Based on Chinas exportperformance during the firstquarter of this year， three areas –complete sets of equipment， intelligentproducts， and low-carbon，energy-saving products – havethe big potential for sustainedgrowth， according to Li Xingqian，director general of the Departmentof Foreign Trade of ChinasMinistry of Commerce.

Chinas export products arebeing developed to be “specializedand more innovative，” he said.

The international demandfor intelligent products hasincreased， among which suchproducts as robots （sweepingrobots， swimming pool cleaningrobots， and lawn mowing robots，etc.） are highly liked by consumers.Customs data shows that thegrowth rate of Chinas industrialrobot export reached 86.4 percentin 2023.

China also has a solid foundationfor exporting complete setsof equipment. Its automobile andequipment manufacturing industrieshave gathered the innovationresults of the entire industrialchain.

Against this background， traditionallabor-intensive productsstill have competitive advantages.During the first quarter， Chinaslabor-intensive product exports，such as textiles and clothing，plastic products， and furnitureand its components， increased by9.1 percent.

China Sees 141 mln Cross-Border Travels in Q1

Chinas National ImmigrationAdministration （NIA）announced recently thatborder ports had processedover 141 million inbound andoutbound trips during the firstquarter of this year.

This marks a year-on-yearincrease of over 117 percent，the administration said in astatement.

Among these cross-bordertrips， over 69.54 million weremade by Chinese mainlandresidents and more than59.11 million were made byresidents from Hong Kong，Macao， and Taiwan.

The number also includedover 13 million trips madeby foreign nationals， a 305percent increase compared tothe same period in 2023.

Moreover， the NIA has handled7.35 million cross-bordertrips made by transport vehicles，including planes， trains，ships， and motor vehicles.

The NIA said that itlaunched a series of entry andexit policies during the firstquarter， streamlining policiesregarding regional visa-freeentry， visa-free transit， andport visas. During this period，it issued around 466，000 visadocuments for foreign nationalsand granted over 1.98million foreign travelers visafreeentry， up by 118.8 percentand 266.1 percent respectively.

China Ranks Second in Number of “Unicorns”

Led mainly by artificial intelligence，semiconductors， and newenergy， China saw the emergence of56 new unicorns in 2023， followingthe United States 70， according toa global unicorn index released inApril. The Global Unicorn Index 2024is a ranking of the worlds start-upsfounded after 2000 that are worth atleast US $1 billion and not yet listedon a public exchange.

There is a total of 1，453 suchunicorn enterprises in the world， sittingat a total market value of US $4.6trillion. China alone has 340 unicornenterprises， ranking second worldwide，while the United States takesfirst place with a total of 703. Chinasunicorn enterprises are mainly in thesectors of artificial intelligence， semiconductors，and new energy， accordingto the report.

The world has minted one unicornevery two days over the past year totake the total of known “unicorns” inthe world to a new record， accordingto a report by the GuangzhoubasedHurun Research Institute.Artificial Intelligence has becomeone of the fastest-growing sectors in2023. In China， one-year-old BeijingbasedMoonshot AI and two-year-oldShanghai-based MiniMax are leadingthe way for ChatGPT-like products，according to the index.

ByteDance， based in Beijing，has been the world's most valuable“unicorns” for three consecutiveyears， running with a value of US $220billion， the index indicated.

China Joins PPH Improvement Initiative

The China National Intellectual Property Administration（CNIPA） announced that it will join thePatent Prosecution Highway （PPH） ImprovementInitiative， which involves cooperation between theworlds five leading IP offices， namely China， theUnited States， Europe， Japan， and the Republic ofKorea.

The objective of this initiative is to establish amore predictable examination cycle. Accordingto the CNIPA， it will this year strive for an averageduration of three months from the grant of a PPHrequest to issuance of a first office action. Similarly，it will aim for an average response time from examinerto applicant of no more than three months.

PPH is a fast track linking patent examinationduties of different countries or regions， allowingpatent examination authorities to share theirwork to speed up patent examination. Since theinitiation of the first PPH pilot program in November2011， the CNIPA has built PPH ties with patentexamination authorities of 32 countries or regions.

The five members of the initiative are the worldsfive leading IP offices， known as the IP5. Togetherthey handle about 80 percent of the worlds patentapplications. The IP5 was set up to improve theefficiency of the examination process for patentsworldwide.

Performance Market Set New Record in 2023

The revenues of Chinas performance artsmarket reached RMB 73.99 billion in 2023， hitting arecord high， according to the China Association ofPerforming Arts.

Driven by policy incentives and consumerdemand， Chinas performance arts market acceleratedits development in 2023， presentingdynamic trends in breaking traditional patternsand expanding development space， according tothe association. In 2023， many high-quality performancesgained significant popularity， boosting culturalconfidence in the stage arts centered aroundChinese narratives， said Liu Kezhi， president of theassociation， at the opening ceremony of a nationalperforming arts trade fair in Tianjin in April. A seriesof works centered on traditional culture， suchas the musical Qiang Jin Jiu （Bring in the Wine ）and the stage play Journey to the West ， performedexceptionally well.

More Financial Support for Green Development

According to a document jointlyreleased by several government departmentsincluding the Peoples Bank ofChina （PBOC）， China will build a worldleadingfinancial support system for greendevelopment in the next five years. It willalso make policies more coordinated，effective， and mature by 2035， with betterresource allocation， risk management， andmarket pricing.

China is set to formulate and introduceunified carbon accountingstandards for financial institutions andpromote institutions and financing entitiesto make environmental informationdisclosure. Efforts will be made to graduallyexpand the scope of trading entitiessuitable for the development of Chinascarbon market， increase credit supportfor green development and low-carbontransformation in energy， industry，transportation， construction， and otherfields， and support eligible enterprises tolist at home and abroad for financing orrefinancing.

The guidelines also put forward measuresto improve laws and regulations，enhance green finance assessment andevaluation mechanisms， enrich relevantmonetary policy tools， and deepen regionalreform of green finance.

The PBOC said work will be doneto incorporate climate change-relatedrisks into the macro-prudential policyframework， and to encourage financialinstitutions to improve their risk-controlsystems and corporate governanceframeworks accordingly.

CULTURE

China NCPA Chorus Concert for Childrens Day

Date： May 31-June 2， 2024

Venue： National Center for the Performing Arts

Established on December 8， 2009，the China NCPA Chorus is the residentchorus of the National Center for thePerforming Arts （NCPA）. Since its establishment，it has participated in more than50 operas by NCPA. The chorus has alsoplanned and performed in many largescalevocal works and themed concerts，including Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.It has appeared in more than 40 publicbenefit events every year to help popularizethe performing art， so as to satiatethe people's evolving aesthetic tastes.

Daniel Barenboim and West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

Date： June 21-23， 2024

Venue： National Center for the Performing Arts

Conductor Daniel Barenboim wasborn in Buenos Aires in 1942. Ever sincehis conducting debut in 1967 in Londonwith the Philharmonia Orchestra， Barenboimhas been in great demand withleading orchestras around the world. In2000， the Staatskapelle Berlin appointedhim chief conductor for life. Between 2011and 2014， he was music director of theTeatro alla Scala in Milan. Barenboim isthe recipient of numerous awards andhas published a number of books.

Chinese Book Center （Spain） Is Unveiled in Madrid

The Chinese Book Center（Spain） was inaugurated duringthe “I Read China” Chinese-Spanish Knowledge-SharingSalon in Madrid， capital of Spain，on May 3.

Yu Tao， vice president of ChinaInternational CommunicationsGroup （CICG）， and Xu Shaogang，dean of Academic Affairs of theAcademy of Chinese Culture，delivered speeches by video duringthe event. He Yong， ministercounselor of the Chinese Embassyin Spain， and Javier Ramos， rectorof the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos（URJC） in Spain， attended theevent and delivered speeches aswell. Over 80 Chinese and Spanishrepresentatives were presentat the event.

Focusing on the theme of “IRead China，” each speaker sharedtheir insights on the book of ChineseKeywords： Civilization andValues as well as other publicationsfrom China including theChina Today magazine.

Yu Tao highlighted the longhistory of people-to-people engagement between China andSpain and the solid foundationfor bilateral cultural exchanges ithas laid. Recognizing the broadvision， active thinking， and innovativeideas that young people ofboth countries share， he hopesthey will maintain an openand inclusive mindset， focuson hands-on experience， andparticipate in in-depth culturalexchange activities.

Javier Ramos expressed hisgratitude to CICG for establishingthe Chinese Book Centerin Spain. He believes that themulti-language book series ofChinese Keywords is an indispensableresource for helpingteachers and students in Spainunderstand China. URJC looksforward to maintaining closeworking relationships withChinese universities and thinktanks， aiming to further deepenpeople-to-people and culturalexchanges.

The Chinese Book Center（Spain） is the 13th Chinesebook center established byCICG overseas. The inauguraldonation of 500 books includesuch topics as Chinas presentnational condition， traditionalculture， economy， and society，aiming to portray an authentic，multi-faceted， and comprehensiveimage of China.

The book shared in thisevent， Chinese Keywords： Civilizationand Values ， introducesvarious aspects about Chineseculture and tells stories of theChinese civilization throughconcise explanations of 80 keywords.

Visitors in Belgrade try Chinese Calligraphy at Culture Salon

The China Cultural Center in Belgrade，Serbia， held Lanting ChineseCalligraphy Culture Salon on April 11.

Officials from the Serbian Ministryof Culture， Ministry of Education，and other guests attended the eventand wrote some Chinese calligraphy.

Wang Yanliang， director of theChina Cultural Center in Belgrade，introduced fourth-century Chinesecalligrapher Wang Xizhis artisticachievements， as well as the historyof Lanting Xu （Preface to the PoemsComposed at the Orchid Pavilion） byWang Xizhi， which is often regardedas the first masterpiece of runningscript.

To allow more Serbian people toexperience the beauty of Chinesecalligraphy and its profound culturalconnotations， the China CulturalCenter in Belgrade held a calligraphyclass in April.

Kites Connect People in China and France

On April 20， people fromover 25 countries and regionsthronged to a beach in Franceto fill up the sky with kites ofall shapes and sizes.

China made a wonderfulappearance as the first-everguest of honor country at the37th International Kite Festivalin Berck-sur-Mer.

A number of cultural activitiesassociated with China tookplace at the festival， includinga gigantic dragon-headed centipedekite-flying performanceat the opening ceremony，workshops for kite-makingtechniques by artisans fromWeifang， known as Chinas kitecapital， as well as performancesand activities ranging fromlion dances to martial arts.There were also performancesof traditional Chinese instrumentsand tea ceremonies.

Yan Zhenquan， ministercounselor of the ChineseEmbassy in France， JacquesBillant， prefect of Pas-de-Calais，and Liu Hongge， director of the China Cultural Center in Paris，attended the cereomony anddelivered speeches.

Liu highlighted how thekite is a key image representingthe friendship betweenChina and France. In 1958， thetwo countries produced a filmtitled Fengzheng （The Kite），the first color childrens filmmade by the Peoples Republicof China， and the first Chinese-foreign co-production.The film follows the adventuresand friendship betweenChinese and French childrencreated by a kite.

“As the organizer of theguest of honor country activities，the China Cultural Centerin Paris continues to leveragethe image of kites， using themas a medium to tell storiesabout kite culture in Chinaand France， foster mutual understandingbetween peoples，and contribute to the successof the China-France Year ofCulture and Tourism，” Liu said.

The International Kite Festivalin Berck-sur-Mer is thelargest and most influentialkite-themed event in France.Visitors can not only observea wide variety of kites in eithertraditional or modern styles，but also have the chance totake part in kite-making workshops，art performances， andother activities.