Concerns about the safety of autonomous driving and the potential gradual replacement of traditional taxis by driverless ones have been raised following an accident involving a driverless ride-hailing car in central China's Hubei Province. Industry observers said the industry is still in a nascent phase and that more support needs to be rolled out to address challenges brought by the development of driverless ride-hailing vehicles.
According to media reports, a netizen posted a video on July 7 claiming that one of Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing platform Robotaxi's driverless ride-hailing cars had collided with a pedestrian on a street in Wuhan.
A representative from Baidu responded on Monday stating that there was only minor contact between the vehicle and a pedestrian evading a red light as the vehicle began to move forward. The company was the first to cooperate with the police to address the situation and accompanied the individual to the hospital for a full examination.
Autonomous driving technology can theoretically improve road safety by avoiding traffic violations through high-precision sensors and advanced algorithms. However, in practice, complex road conditions and traffic have placed high demands on the reaction speed and decision-making ability of intelligent driving systems, Zhang Xu, an Analyst from EnfoDesk, told the Global Time on Thursday.
Many challenges are actually caused by traffic violations by ordinary pedestrians and other human-driven vehicles, Zhang said calling on traffic management department to enhance the supervision and meanwhile, the development and testing of intelligent driving systems should also be strengthened to better adapt to real traffic environment.
At the same time, many local drivers in Wuhan have voiced their dissatisfaction over the potential gradual replacement of traditional taxis by driverless vehicles, according to media reports, as one of the drivers said Robotaxi offers a relatively lower price which would reduce the customer's budget for the taxi fare.
Industry observers said driverless ride-hailing cars will indeed have an impact on the traditional human operated ride-hailing and taxi industries because of relatively low operating cost and stable service performance, but this is a necessary step in upgrading of the industry.
With the development of technology and the maturity of the market, driverless ride-hailing cars will gradually replace traditional manned services, driving the entire transportation industry toward a more intelligent and automated direction, they said.
Beijing also plans to support the use of autonomous vehicles in urban transportation services, including urban public electric bus transportation, online ride-hailing, and car rental, according to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology on June 30.
Although driverless ride-hailing vehicles may reduce demand for traditional drivers, they will also create new employment opportunities, Zhang said. Maintenance and management of intelligent driving technology, data analysis and processing, development and operation of intelligent transportation systems, remote drivers, maintenance of autonomous vehicles and stations all require a large number of skilled workers, the analyst said.
Although the development of driverless ride-hailing vehicles faces challenges, with the support of policies and technological advancements, its future prospects are promising, industry observers noted.
The basic principle is that the government should formulate and strictly enforce necessary regulations to ensure the safety and compliance of driverless ride-hailing vehicles, and at the same time, efforts should be made to strengthen research and development support for the technology, and encourage enterprises to innovate and promote the application of technology.
Zhang put forward that the government should provide relevant employment training and transition support during the industry transition to help traditional drivers adapt to the new employment environment.
In response to the question of whether driverless ride-hailing cars have taken the jobs of drivers, a staff from transportation bureau in Wuhan responded that the taxi industry is relatively stable, and there are some online rumors, according to media reports on Wednesday.
Researchers from a Chinese top university highlighted the urgency of promoting life and death education, improving hospice care and reforming the funeral industry across China as they predicted that in the context of rapidly advancing population aging, the country will face a surge in population mortality.
Professor Zhang Zhen from the Institute of Population Research at Fudan University and Professor Li Qiang from Fudan Institute on Aging, Fudan University, published a paper on the topic in the latest issue of Population Research, a journal of China Population Association.
In the paper, the two scholars advocate for the promotion of education on life and death, guiding the public to develop a correct view of life and death, and creating a social atmosphere that respects life. Also, they urge the accelerated development of palliative care systems to improve the end-of-life quality for the elderly, ensuring that they can spend their final stage of life in comfort and dignity. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of strengthening medium to long-term planning for funeral services to ensure supply and demand balance, and to prevent issues such as unaffordable funerals and exorbitant burial plots from exacerbating social conflicts. Lastly, they recommend providing legal services for the protection of the rights of the elderly and for resolving inheritance disputes, in anticipation of potential legal cases that may arise in the coming decades.
In an exclusive reply to the Global Times, Professor Zhang especially addressed the significance of reforming the funeral industry and gave advices on the issue.
For example, the funeral industry should plan ahead and cope with the limited land resources in a timely manner. Government departments at all levels need to take a scientific approach and pay close attention to accurately predicting future death trends, according to another article provided by Zhang to the Global Times.
Also, the article, co-written by professors Zhang and Li, said the country should increase the proportion of public welfare cemeteries in cities. Citing the urban public welfare cemetery construction standards 2017 jointly issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Development and Reform Commission, the article said the proportion of public welfare graves for burial is only 40 percent, which does not adhere to the basic principles of public services.
The article said authorities should ensure public welfare funeral services and strictly regulate commercial services. Basic funeral services only include services such as body transport, storage, cremation, and ash placement, while cemetery service fees usually account for over 50 percent. In addition to other optional commercial projects, funeral costs burden the families of the deceased.
Therefore, the authorities should first improve the level of basic funeral services and consider incorporating projects such as expensive ash boxes into basic services to prevent commercial institutions from seeking excessive profits and causing negative social impacts.
The article suggested the authorities to increase financial subsidies and funding for rural funeral reform, include funeral reform funds for poverty alleviation in the budget, and strictly monitor and regulate the allocation of funds. Under the premise of government financial investment, various methods can be used to raise funds, such as using incentives to subsidize investments, the article noted.
In addition, the article said the country should utilize the advantages of new media to vigorously promote and advocate for green burials. For example, green burial methods such as sea burials, tree burials, flower burials, and ice burials should be exempted of basic service fees and provided with economic rewards. Particularly for those who choose to scatter ashes at sea or elsewhere without retaining them, greater incentives should be provided.
Since 2012, China has witnessed an extraordinary economic transition, with historic achievements in all aspects of the economy from its size to quality. Such an unparalleled feat does not just happen, especially during a tumultuous period in the global geo-economic landscape and a tough phase in China's economic transformation and upgrading process. It was Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era that guided the country in overcoming various risks and challenges, and in keeping the China economic miracle alive.
As China embarked on the quest to become a great modern socialist country amid global changes unseen in a century, Xi's economic thought has been and will continue to be the guiding principle for development in China for years to come, and have great significance for the world. What is Xi's economic thought? What does it mean for China and the world?
To answer these questions, the Global Times has launched this special coverage on Xi's major economic speeches and policies, and how they are put into practice to boost development in China and around the world. This year's two sessions - China's annual legislative and political consultative sessions - officially concluded on Monday, after national lawmakers and political advisers spent a week or so, on mapping the country's social and economic development blueprint for 2024 and beyond.
Often described as one of the most important political events, the two sessions, during which a slew of development goals are determined, offer a critical window for the world to view the latest economic trends and policy priorities in the world's second-largest economy.
More importantly, Chinese President Xi Jinping's agenda and major speeches during the two sessions provide the most crucial insights into the development path of the Chinese economy.
During this year's two sessions, Xi participated in three deliberations or group discussions with national lawmakers and political advisers, during which he also delivered important speeches. And a key theme emerged from these meetings and speeches: The Chinese top leader has put new quality productive forces front and center in China's economic agenda in 2024 and for many years to come.
As a relatively new concept that was first put forward by Xi during an inspection tour of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in September 2023, new quality productive forces has become a key phrase in China's political lexicon in recent months. Xi's emphasis on the phrase further highlighted its significance in China's economic policymaking and China's future development paths, as officials across the country have and will continue to roll out measures to boost innovation and generate new productive forces.
China's pursuit of new quality productive forces, which place the main focus on innovation and technological self-reliance, comes as China's economy faces a profound transformation from old growth drivers to sustainable ones, and as the global geo-economic situation has grown increasingly complex - characterized by the US' relentless technological crackdowns and growing protectionism. Therefore, developing new quality productive forces is critical for China's sustainable, high-quality development, Chinese lawmakers, political advisers, and economists said.
Top leader's focus at two sessions
During each year's two sessions, Xi often visits and holds meetings with national lawmakers and political advisors, and delivers major speeches on key national issues. This year, the Chinese president made three such visits, in line with the number made during the two sessions in 2023.
On the afternoon of March 5, Xi participated in a deliberation with fellow lawmakers from East China's Jiangsu Province during the second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.
Xi called for focusing on high-quality development as a top priority, urging efforts to step up innovation, foster emerging industries, adopt forward-thinking plans to develop future-oriented industries, and improve the modernized industrial system. He stressed the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The top leader also made remarks about developing new quality productive forces or related issues such as technological innovation at the other two such deliberations he participated in.
On March 6, Xi participated in a joint group meeting during the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body. Xi called on political advisors and all people in the science and technology sector to strengthen basic research and apply basic research, strive to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and create new drivers to develop new quality productive forces.
Then on March 7, Xi attended a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force at the second session of the NPC. He stressed deepening reform to comprehensively enhance strategic capabilities in emerging areas. He also said that China's drive to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces has provided rare opportunities for the development of strategic capabilities in emerging areas.
The successive remarks about the new quality productive forces on three different occasions accentuated the top leader's focus on the issue and its importance in China's economic development, not just this year but in the years to come, national lawmakers, political advisers, and experts said. "The concept offers guidance for our country to take advantage of the historical opportunity of a new round of technological upgrade and aims to develop strategic emerging industries and future industries," Guo said.
Developing new quality productive forces is a decisive step in the economy's high-quality development course, Guo Guoping, an NPC deputy and a vice director of the Key Laboratory of Quantum Information of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times.
New quality productive forces refers to innovation-led, advanced productivity that is freed from traditional economic growth mode and productivity development paths, is high-tech, high efficiency and high quality, and is in line with the new development philosophy, Xi said during a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in February, stressing that developing new quality productive forces is an endogenous requirement and a pivot of high-quality development. From concept to action
Thanks to the top leader's focus, while the concept of new quality productive forces has only been around for a few months, it has been rising rapidly in China's political and social lexicon and has become a buzzword across the country. More importantly, it has already been put into action in China's economic policymaking.
The Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023, which set top economic policy priorities for 2024, also heightened the development of new quality productive forces. New quality productive forces also became the subject of the first group study session held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee this year, according to Xinhua.
This year's Government Work Report also highlighted efforts to develop new quality productive forces. According to the report, China will strive to modernize its industrial system and develop new quality productive forces at a faster pace. It also said that China will step up research on disruptive and frontier technologies, and will launch an AI Plus initiative.
The top leader's emphasis on new quality productive forces was echoed throughout the two sessions, where lawmakers and political advisers enthusiastically talked about the concept and vowed to make great efforts in developing new quality development.
Shan Zenghai, an NPC deputy and chief engineer of Chinese construction equipment giant Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), who participated in the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation on March 5, said he was inspired by the top leader's remarks on new quality productive forces.
"The encouragement from top leadership greatly boosted our confidence in sticking to innovation-driven growth, bolstering the real economy and promoting high-quality development," Shan told the Global Times.
Zhou Bin, another NPC deputy from Yancheng, Jiangsu, who also attended the deliberation, told the Global Times that Xi's important remarks on new quality productive forces have offered scientific guidance for opening up new development tracks and shaping new development momentum.
Many officials vowed to take concrete actions to develop new quality development forces. Wu Qingwen, an NPC deputy and mayor of Suzhou, Jiangsu, said the city has the foundation, the condition, and the responsibility to take a lead in developing new quality productive forces, vowing to step up scientific and technological (sci-tech) innovation and bolster the city's high-end equipment, biomedicine, new energy industries among others, and create "new engines" such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Solid progress, great potential
When it comes to sci-tech innovation and the development of new growth drivers, China has already made great strides, thanks to the focus and support from the top leadership, national lawmakers, political advisers, and experts said.
Despite various challenges, including the US' relentless crackdown campaign, China has already become an innovation power. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Thursday, China remained the leader in international patent applications, followed by the US, Japan, South Korea, and Germany.
At the end of 2023, the number of high-value invention patents held on the Chinese mainland had exceeded 1.66 million, an increase of 25.7 percent year-on-year, and the number of effective high-value invention patents acquired in strategic emerging industries had reached 1.17 million, accounting for 70 percent of the total, according to Xinhua.
Also highlighting the steady progress in and importance of forming new growth drivers is the fact that the shift in China's three most popular exports. In the past, the three most popular items China exported were clothes, furniture, and home alliances, which were relatively low-value and labor-intensive; however, new-energy vehicles, solar batteries, and lithium-ion batteries have become China's tech-intensive and green "new three," with a combined export value of 1.06 trillion yuan ($150 billion) in 2023, jumping 29.9 percent year-on-year.
Moving forward, the development of new quality productive forces has great potential in China, as its huge marketplace ensures full testing, application, and evolution of new technologies and new business models, Xu Jiuping, a professor at Sichuan University and a member of the National Committee of the 14th CPPCC, told the Global Times, pointing to the support of national innovation policies.
Underscoring such policy support, the central government has pledged to allocate 370.8 billion yuan ($51.51 billion) for science and technology in 2024, an increase of 10 percent, with a focus on basic research, applied basic research, and national strategic tasks in science and technology, according to the budget adopted at the two sessions.
Over the past few days, many ethnic communities across China have been engaging in vibrant celebrations of the March 3 Festival, also known as the Shangsi Festival. Celebrated across China, the festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals with roots in ancient sacrificial rituals.
Held on the third day of the third month of the traditional Chinese calendar, it falls on Thursday this year. Over time, the festival has evolved into a grand occasion integrating sacrifices, entertainment, and social activities.
During this festival, various regions engage in colorful customs, ranging from traditional sacrificial ceremonies to diverse folk entertainments. Different ethnic groups bring their unique customs and traditions to the tapestry of this nationwide celebration.
In South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the festival is akin to the Spring Festival, teeming with traditional activities like throwing embroidered balls, singing mountain songs and making merry over drinks. The region this year is also enjoying a four-day holiday starting from Thursday, the regional government announced in March.
It is an important occasion for singing in an antiphonal (call-and-answer) style to find love, to worship one's ancestors and pray for a good harvest. It is observed by many of the region's ethnic groups including the Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong and Mulam.
Listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, the March 3 Festival usually ushers in a tourist high season with its showcasing of colorful ethnic diversity.
Many schools in Guangxi held different celebrations for children to experience the traditional rituals and games of the festival.
On Tuesday, the Rong'an County Experimental Primary School in Liuzhou city of Guangxi held an event that featured bamboo pole dancing, ethnic unity dances, and mountain song duets, enriching the students' and teachers' experience of ethnic culture.
In the Liwan district in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, the Renwei ancestral temple hosted events on Thursday in which villagers participated in parades, prayer ceremonies, lion dances, and community banquets, continuing the mutual support and traditional folk culture among local clans. Participants in traditional Chinese costumes, including Hanfu, roamed through the square, offering fresh flowers and herbs to passersby, reenacting ancient purification rituals.
The She ethnic group's March 3 Festival is among the most representative cultural events, which is also included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage. A recent celebration in East China's Fujian Province cleverly integrated ethnic unity celebrations with cultural tourism and trade.
On Wednesday evening, a themed gala performance took place at the Wufu Cultural Park in Fuan city in Fujian, featuring dancers in traditional attire from various ethnic groups. They moved gracefully to the lively rhythm, harmoniously presenting the captivating scene of a Chinese phoenix spreading its wings and dancing elegantly.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday. Wang called on the two countries to further enhance and develop their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership during the meeting. Ahead of Dar's visit, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal (Iqbal) kicked off a visit to Beijing on May 8. Iqbal's visit is the first high-level visit of a Pakistani official to China since the new government came to power in March. At a press conference on May 9 at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing, Prof. Iqbal shared his opinions on the relationship and cooperation between China and Pakistan with Global Times reporters Leng Shumei and Xie Wenting (GT). He also shared the new government's expectations for the construction of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). GT: Your visit is the first high-level of a Pakistani official to China under the new government. What is the significance and key objectives of your visit?
Iqbal: It is my great privilege to visit China after the new government was voted into office. This is the first high-level visit to be followed by a visit by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Then, hopefully very soon the Prime Minister of Pakistan is also likely to visit China.
Pakistan and China have enjoyed a unique relationship and diplomatic history. This is a relationship which is always moved in an upward trajectory. This has never seen any autumn. There has always been spring in this relationship. Every season, the garden of friendship between Pakistan and China has blossomed with new colorful flowers of cooperation and understanding between the people of Pakistan and China and the two ironclad brother countries.
The significance of my visit is that this is a new government after the elections. This is our first engagement with the Chinese leadership at a senior level. In this engagement, we are trying to crystallize and define the parameters of the phase two of the CPEC, on which the Chinese side had indicated its willingness to move forward and Pakistan is also very committed to moving forward. We have discussed some high-priority projects that can be immediately started to give a jump start to kick off the second phase of the CPEC.
We hope that during my visit, with discussions with Chinese leadership, we will be able to work out a road map to implement the second phase of CPEC with the same spirit and momentum, with which we were able to complete the first phase, which had a very big impact on Pakistan.
GT: How has the CPEC benefited Pakistan in the first phase and how does Pakistan plan to enhance cooperation with China in the second phase of the CPEC under the new government?
Iqbal: In 2013, when we kicked off the CPEC, Pakistan was facing severe energy shortages of up to 16 hours per day. And Pakistan's economy and security situation had many challenges. We can never forget that at that time China displayed its trust and confidence in the economy and the people of Pakistan and started a $46 billion project to help Pakistan overcome its difficulties between 2013 and 2018.
Within five years, we were able to harness over $25 billion worth of projects, which helped us establish new power projects of up to 8,000-megawatt capacity, upgrade our logistics and construct new motorways to improve connectivity between Pakistan and China.
Recently we celebrated a decade of the CPEC and we can take a lot of pride in the decade of the CPEC. The CPEC has helped Pakistan transform its energy sector infrastructure sectors and also created over 2 million jobs. It has helped Pakistan acquire new technology as thousands of Pakistani engineers and workers were trained in these projects. It has helped to connect several parts of the country so that the fruits of development can be shared across various regions of Pakistan.
As to how to broaden cooperation from phase one to phase two, particularly, what is important now for us is three aspects. One is the agricultural sector. How do we expand our cooperation to bring new technology into the agricultural sector to enhance productivity of Pakistan? Second is how do we enhance industrial cooperation? Particularly, there is a strong case for relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan where labor costs in China have increased and Pakistan offers a very attractive environment for relocation to the CPEC that we are setting up. And that will also help us to transform from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy, which is one of the key future goals.
In this industrialization, we also want to focus on exports: How to have an export-led growth in Pakistan. So, there will also be more cooperation at the level of exports to help Pakistan develop its exports and special economic zones.
The third area is technology because China has leadership and many new fourth-generation industrial revolution technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), which is a very important new platform for the future economies and digital economies. So, Pakistan is also preparing its national action plan for the adoption of AI. We will also benefit greatly in this area from China.
Lastly, we also want to expand educational and technical exchange programs. I think close to 27,000 [Pakistani] students are studying in China; China has become a major destination for Pakistani students for higher education and we would like this cooperation to further expand and also to have greater partnership or twinning arrangements between Pakistani universities and Chinese universities so that they can undertake joint research in the areas of cooperation, particularly like agriculture, industrial cooperation, and export development of Pakistan. GT: In March, there was terrorist attack that led to the deaths of Chinese nationals. What measures will Pakistan take to protect the safety of Chinese people and projects in your country?
Iqbal: There are enemies of the CPEC; enemies of Pakistan-China friendship, who are trying to stop the progress of the CPEC. The recent unfortunate terrorist incidents were sponsored by such elements who want to create obstacles in the way of the CPEC's progress.
First of all, I offer my condolences to the families of those Chinese workers who were targets of this terrorist action; the whole Pakistani nation is in mourning. We consider Chinese engineers and workers in Pakistan as our special guests. They are working for the development of Pakistan. So, no Pakistani ever can even dream of causing any harm to any Chinese person on Pakistani soil. These incidents are sponsored from across the border.
I want to assure you that we have taken further measures to enhance security for Chinese people in Pakistan. On the projects where there are large numbers of Chinese workers, we have also tried to minimize their land travel from project sites. We will moving them either by helicopters to give them added security, or we shall also now enhance the security in terms of the support of paramilitary forces, and the police and also strengthen the protocols of securities.
And the message for those who want to put obstacles in the path of our friendship through such dirty tricks is very clear that such attacks cannot stop the progress of the CPEC. It cannot stop the progress of the BRI. It cannot stop progress of friendship between the ironclad brothers Pakistan and China.
GT: What is your comment on the so-called "debt trap" narrative over the BRI?
Iqbal: Pakistan has benefited from financing by China. The whole disinformation about whether the CPEC or the BRI are debt traps has nothing grounding in reality. As a matter of fact, the CPEC has benefited Pakistan's economy immensely.
GT: The capacity of the new energy vehicles (NEVs) is still far from meeting market demand especially in developing countries. How will Pakistan cooperate with China to develop NEVs in the future?
Iqbal: NEVs are China's strength. China is the leader now in electric vehicles. So, we are seeking to transform our transportation sector with the help of China because we also have set up goals to have a greater share in our transport for electric vehicles to reduce pollution in our cities.
During my visit, I'm meeting some Chinese companies, which are interested in setting up plants in Pakistan to manufacture new-energy automobile buses. And, particularly our interest is to have buses that will clear pollution from our cities, which are electric buses. This will be a priority item for us for the future.
GT: When will the visit of the Pakistani Prime Minister take place and what will the highlights of the visit be?
Iqbal: You have to wait for the final declaration at the time of the visit, but I can only say that we are hopeful that this will be a very productive visit because this is not an ordinary visit. This is a visit by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to Pakistan's best and the dearest country that is the most reliable friend. This is happening at a time when the new government has come in and it is dedicated to taking on the CPEC's second phase with full commitment and full momentum. So, there will be happy outcomes from the visit.
Chinese experts on Saturday urged Canadian politicians to maintain strategic sobriety and insist on an independent economic policy following media reports saying that Canada is considering whether to impose new tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), even though US tariff hikes on Chinese EVs have been criticized for disrupting market competition and global industrial chains.
Experts said if Canada has plans to follow suit in announcing additional tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, bowing to trade protectionism will only backfire on Canadian companies and consumers, taking a toll on the country's business environment.
Trade Minister of Canada Mary Ng said in an interview that Canada is looking at whether it needs to raise tariffs on Chinese-made EVs after the US announced major new levies on them, according to a report by Bloomberg.com on Saturday.
"We are looking at this very carefully and we have an open dialogue with our American partners," Ng said.
The US on Tuesday announced new tariff rates on several Chinese products, including a major hike in levies on Chinese EVs, which has been seen as protectionism that violates WTO rules.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China has always opposed violating WTO rules and unilaterally imposing tariffs. "China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," Wang said.
China's Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday also urged the US to immediately cancel the additional tariffs on Chinese products and vowed to take resolute measures to defend its rights over US' announcement to increase tariffs on Chinese products.
Canada should avoid following the US in imposing protectionist tariffs to escalate the tension and further disrupt the global industrial and supply chains, Gao Lingyun, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Chinese analysts said Canada's actions toward China in recent years have been shadowing American practices, but blindly following Washington's footsteps is not conducive to the development of the Canadian economy and China-Canada economic relations.
Ng made the remark in an attempt to show a stance in line with its ally against Chinese EVs, Gao said, adding that Canada should consider its own interests instead of considering abandoning mutually-beneficial cooperation and acting as cannon fodder to serve the US' strategy of suppressing China's EV industry.
If Canada raises tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, it will damage its international reputation for abusing protectionism and violating of WTO rules, but such a move won't stop the rise of relevant Chinese industries, due to their small share in the Canadian market, Gao said.
"Even if Canada takes any measures to restrict import of Chinese EVs, it will cause limited impact to China's EV sector because there are barely Chinese-made EVs in the Canadian market," said Gao, adding that Ng's statement was more political motivated with little economic significance.
More than half of Japanese companies plan to expand or maintain investment in China in 2024, according to a survey by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China that was released on Tuesday, underscoring their confidence in the China market, driven by improved business conditions and policy support.
The survey showed that Japanese firms recognize the pivotal role of the China market in their global strategy and are keen to capitalize on the opportunities presented by China's high-quality development, despite external uncertainties stemming from intensified US actions targeting China, analysts said.
The survey received 1,741 responses, primarily from the manufacturing sector. The survey was conducted from March 18 to April 12 to grasp the situation of Japanese companies in China and understand the changing market environment. Among the surveyed companies, 56 percent said that they would increase or maintain their investment in China this year.
At Tuesday's press conference, Tetsuro Homma, chairman of the chamber, said that two or three decades after entering the China market, many Japanese companies in China still recognize the importance of the market.
While striving to secure their respective market positions and profit areas, they are adopting new measures including more investments for the future, the chamber head said.
The main reasons that Japanese firms plan to invest more include the need to launch new projects, establish factories and production lines, increase orders, and strengthen their research and development (R&D) capabilities, according to the survey.
Even for companies that plan to reduce overall investment, there is a consensus to ramp up investment in R&D and talent development, the chamber said. China's continued improvement in the business environment has spurred enthusiasm for investment among Japanese companies, as reflected in this report.
The survey found that 57 percent of the companies said that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the business environment in the first quarter of this year, a three-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter, marking an improvement for three consecutive quarters.
The surveyed companies also said that some of the Japanese firms had excellent communication and a good relationship with Chinese local governments. Cities receiving high praise included North China's Tianjin, Shanghai, and Foshan, South China's Guangdong Province.
Additionally, 75 percent of surveyed enterprises reported receiving treatment in terms of policy perspectives that was equal to that of domestic enterprises, marking a two-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter.
Moreover, 52 percent of the surveyed enterprises indicated that China is their most important market or one of the most important markets, marking a one-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter.
Many Japanese enterprises expressed a desire to resume visa-free arrangements to facilitate personnel exchanges and expand business opportunities, according to the chamber.
"Japanese companies are voting with their feet when it comes to the future. China remains their most important market and Japanese companies are actively adjusting their strategies to minimize external risks while maximizing development opportunities in the China market and capitalizing on China's high-quality development," Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The Chinese government's continuous enhancement of the business climate for foreign investment and its further opening-up has drawn investment from foreign companies, including those from Japan.
These companies are being rational in assessing and valuing their cooperation needs and interests with China, their major market, the Chinese expert said.
In a recent interview with the Global Times, Homma said that China's GDP is four times that of Japan's, with a population of 1.4 billion. "Japanese companies cannot and should not ignore the importance of the Chinese market in their global strategy," he said.
As 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations, exchanges in core sectors such as aerospace, nuclear energy and trade have already realized fruitful achievements, while the development of emerging fields such as new energy and the digital economy are likely to become new growth engines for propelling bilateral cooperation, French enterprises and Chinese experts said.
Observers also highlighted France's relatively independent policy toward China and China's vast market potential as major advantages in consolidating bilateral exchanges.
Unlike some other European countries, whose economic policies have been strongly influenced by the US, France has a strong level of independence with its policy toward China, as it highly values the world's second-largest economy as a major market and production base for French enterprises, Sun Yanhong, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.
In addition, the strong cultural confidence of the two sides and deep people-to-people and cultural exchanges have made China-France relations more stable than in the case of some other European countries, said Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University.
France is China's third-largest trading partner in the EU while China remains France's fourth-largest global trading partner. In the first quarter of 2024, bilateral trade totaled 127.22 billion yuan ($17.99 billion), according to data from China's General Administration of Customs. From 2019 to 2023, China's trade with France grew 5.9 percent annually.
Specifically, France is China's largest source of agricultural imports from the EU with a total import value of 10 billion yuan and increases in products such as dairy, pork and wine during the first quarter.
China remains a crucial supplier of a wide range of consumer goods for France, as exports of home appliances to France grew 30.6 percent year-on-year while exports of toys increased by 28 percent, official data showed.
Besides the consolidated cooperation in traditional fields, experts expect the rapid development of emerging industries will likely create new growth points to further advance bilateral cooperation.
Sun sees cooperation potential in industries related to the digital economy and green transformation, as Europe has been involved in these sectors, with both advantages and shortcomings that can be made up through collaborating with China.
France has relatively insufficient production capacity, and it has a talent gap in research and development in new energy. China can provide corresponding help and the two countries have complementarity in the sector, Sun said, adding that the green transformation will offer more opportunities for both sides to explore new potential in sectors like agriculture.
French enterprises are also upbeat about continuously deepening cooperation with their Chinese counterparts in emerging sectors with confidence and positive outlook amid the celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France.
"We honor our role in supporting China's strong economic growth and green transition as one of the first multinational environmental services companies in the market," Sabrina Soussan, chairman and CEO of SUEZ, told the Global Times in a recent interview, adding that China remains a key market and strategic partner for the company.
Soussan highlighted significant partnerships signed in the presence of the two countries' leaders, and these projects aimed at transforming waste into renewable energy and pioneering electric vehicle battery recycling. These are critical for China's green transition. "I believe that by collaborating with local partners, we leverage our combined strengths to significantly advance China's green and low-carbon transition," Soussan said.
A think tank report titled "China-EU Cooperation on Environment and Climate: Progress and Prospects" was released globally on Friday. Noting green as the distinctive color of China-EU cooperation, the report said this cooperation not only enriches and develops the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, but also directly advances the environmental governance, trade and investment of both sides, benefiting the entire world.
Amid China's efforts to bolster high-quality opening-up, observers said that China will remain a hot destination for investment from Europe, backed up by supportive measures, while suggesting more targeted measures for further expanding cooperation.
For instance, new areas could be explored when it comes to expanding market access, such as developing the economy targeting the elderly, which France and Europe have much experience in, Cui told the Global Times on Sunday.
In the first two months of 2024, France's actual investment in China increased by 585.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from China's Ministry of Commerce.
China and France released on Monday Paris time a joint declaration on artificial intelligence (AI) and global governance during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to France, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Experts said that the joint declaration will pave the way for practical cooperation, and serve as a model for enhancing AI exchanges and partnerships between China and other European countries.
Signing the declaration is also seen as a challenge to US dominance in the field of AI, highlighting the limitations of hegemonic ambitions in the fast-evolving AI landscape. The era of the US attempting to assert AI global dominance is deemed unsustainable, experts said.
The declaration noted that President Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron firmly believe in the importance of continued dialogue to provide lasting solutions to global challenges. One of the highlights of the declaration is that China and France are committed to taking effective measures to address risks associated with this technology.
Both countries are also on the same page about the basic rules for AI governance. They agreed to take into account the flexibility required for the rapid development of technology, while providing necessary protection for personal data, the rights of users and the rights of users whose work is used by AI. They also committed to promoting secure, reliable and trustworthy AI systems, adhering to the principle of "AI for good."
Zeng Yi, a professor of AI at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and also an expert of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Body on AI who participated in the formation of the declaration, told the Global Times on Tuesday that this consensus reflects the alignment of both parties on issues including ethics, safety, security and the governance of AI at a fundamental level, laying the foundation for pragmatic and in-depth cooperation between the two countries in the field of AI governance.
Cooperation between China and France can drive collaboration in the field of AI between China and Europe as a whole, Liu Wei, director of the human-machine interaction and cognitive engineering laboratory at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Liu Wei said both sides have great potential in working together on research into the development and application of AI technology, as well as laws and regulations.
Liu Baocheng, director of the Center for International Business Ethics of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times that both sides have significant complementary relationships in this field. Also, China's rapid development of new quality productive forces presents an opportunity for France to participate in China's development.
The next step will involve greater participation by research institutions and businesses to ensure the true implementation of the declaration Liu Baocheng noted.
Through closer AI governance cooperation, both sides can systematically share more solutions to address risks, such as privacy breaches and the lack of an effective ethical AI security framework, thereby minimizing and avoiding common risks and challenges facing all of humanity, Zeng said.
Another keyword mentioned in the declaration is "cooperation." It said that international cooperation in AI governance will rely on work conducted at the UN level, and China and France will help strengthen the network capabilities of all countries, especially developing countries, to address network threats related to AI development and bridge the digital divide among developing countries.
The joint declaration between China and France conveyed an image of responsible major powers to the world, presenting an overall approach to global AI governance, Liu Baocheng said.
Zeng said the declaration is in line with China's Global AI Governance Initiative, and the signing of the declaration is also one of the representative efforts China has made at the specific implementation level as a responsible AI power, after having proposed the initiative.
Regarding the idea of China-France cooperation to counter the "AI hegemony" of the US, Liu Baocheng said that in the field of AI, the US has been seeking to dominate the global rules system. However, the reality is that each country has its own strengths, and the hegemonic mind-set of the US is unlikely to be realistically delivered. The attempt by the US to rule the world with AI is a thing that is not sustainable, he noted.
A track-laying machine made a rumbling sound as concrete sleepers are placed on the roadbed. Two-hundred-meter-long rails extend and fall steadily onto the sleepers through a mix of manual labor and high-tech machinery.
This has become a common scene during track-laying construction on the Hungarian section of the Hungary-Serbia railway, the flagship cooperative project under China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Here, extended railway lines are connecting scattered cities into an accessible and dynamic network, linking Hungary and Serbia, two Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries ever closer together.
Engaged in a wide range of fields such as transportation, high-end manufacturing and mining, Chinese companies have been actively promoting economic development in the regional countries. The companies bring with them advanced technology, high-tech equipment, modern management concept, and integrate them to better meet local development needs, contributing to the economic growth and improvement of the people's livelihood there.
As the BRI now enters its second golden decade, this week's state visits by China's top leader chart the course for cooperation between China and the two CEE countries in their respective pursuit of high-quality development.
A number of Chinese companies rooted in Serbia and Hungary for many years have recently shared with the Global Times how they have achieved win-win cooperation and development under the BRI framework. The companies are looking forward to embracing new opportunities for high-quality development in the two countries.
Promotion of synergy
Along a section of the Hungary-Serbia railway in Hungary, which is been built by a Chinese company, track laying work is progressing smoothly. Since the job officially commenced at the end of May last year, about 70 percent of track laying work within the section has been completed, with the overall project completion rate exceeding 55 percent, the Global Times learned from China Railway Hungary-Serbia Railway Project Management Department, the Chinese company participating in the construction of the Hungarian section of the railway project.
By the time of its completion, the regional transportation network will be significantly improved, providing greater convenience for both passengers and cargo delivery across the CEE economies.
The Hungary-Serbia railway could well illustrate how China's BRI projects can help promote the regional economic synergy.
At a heavy equipment manufacturing plant in Ruma, Serbia, excavators and haulage vehicles were seen navigate through the site, accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of welding, cutting, and hammering. Amid this activity, workers diligently carry out tasks such as reinforcing steel bars and pouring foundation concrete, ensuring an organized and efficient work flow.
China Construction First Group has participated in the construction of the new factory project. With a keen focus on meeting the deadline, they aim to complete the prefabricated components during the second half of 2024. Once finished, this facility, owned by the Chinese company Haitian Group, will serve as a pivotal manufacturing hub for equipment like injection molding machines in the European region, the Global Times learned from China Construction First Group.
Chen Shuai, deputy general manager of the Fifth Construction Co, China Construction First Group, told the Global Times that the company is seizing the opportunity presented by the successful execution of the factory project in Serbia, to facilitate the expansion of China's industrial manufacturing capacity overseas.
As the bilateral strategic partnership relations deepen, Chen holds strong expectations for further tapping into the potential for deeper cooperation for Chinese companies in Serbia.
Specifically, they will ramp up efforts to capitalize on the burgeoning development of infrastructure in Serbia, participating in projects spanning roads, bridges, tunnels, and renewable energy production, among other industrial lines, Chen said.
Serbia Zijin Copper DOO in Bor, Serbia, a joint venture between China's Zijin Mining Group and Serbia, sets a good example of how the BRI prompts greater synergy in the regional development. By the end of 2023, the copper mine project in Bor had amassed investments totaling $2.498 billion, nearly double the promised investment of $1.26 billion in 2018, the company told the Global Times.
With a cumulative copper production of 356,000 tons and gold production of 9.8 tons, the project contributed nearly $500 million in taxes and fees and made a social contribution of $850 million, according to the company. Also, it created over 9,000 jobs. In 2023, the company achieved export revenues of around $720 million, significantly promoting the mutual development of stakeholders in Serbia.
Looking ahead, the company plans to add $1.2 billion in new investments in the next three years. The goal is to increase copper production of the copper mine in Bor from currently 120,000 tons per year to 220,000 tons per year by 2030, the company said.
High-quality growth
As the BRI embarks on its new journey after10 years of golden development, more possibilities will emerge in the cooperation between China and the regional countries.
The meetings between the top leaders of China and the regional countries this week have set the tone for deepening the bilateral ties while pushing the cooperation toward high-quality development.
In the joint statement signed on Wednesday between China and Serbia, both sides vowed to take the opportunity of entering a new stage of high-quality development in the joint construction of the BRI. They aim to deepen and expand cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, technology innovation, digitalization, and telecommunications.
Meanwhile, China and Hungary are also expected to sign multiple cooperation agreements following the important meetings between leaders of the two countries, injecting new momentum into the development of bilateral relations.
In a recent interview with the Global Times, Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Gong Tao said that, in the future, both sides will continue to promote high-quality joint construction of the BRI, focusing on key areas such as digital economy, green development, and information technology.
During recent years, China has actively promoted cooperation with the CEE countries under the BRI. This initiative has yielded tangible benefits for the region, effectively enhancing connectivity between China, Eastern Europe, and the broader European region, Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday, describing China-CEE cooperation as a role model for cross-regional collaboration.
Despite the marked progress, economic development in CEE is still encountering some challenges, including poverty reduction, and how to achieve faster economic modernization in the region, according to Song.
Song emphasized that amid the pursuit of high-quality cooperation and partnership, China will remain committed to further supporting CEE countries in integrating them into the global value chain.
Specifically, Song said that enhancing mutual investment programs, including on setting up joint investment funds, would incentivize more local enterprises in CEE to participate in the BRI.
The countries in the region are eager to draw from China's successful developmental experiences. Therefore, both sides may intensify efforts to collaborate on a series of training programs and exchanges, facilitating mutual learning and development in the future, Song said.
"The commitment aims to foster closer economic and trade ties between China and the CEE economies, assisting the region to better tackle its corresponding challenges in the future," Song said.
