President Xi Jinping and Chancellor Olaf Scholz meet at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, 4 November 2022 [Xinhua/Yao Dawei]
Dear readers,
This week, Marco Fernandes went to the TVT’s program Bom para Todos and talked about the potentials and challenges of the economic relationship between Brazil and China, in face of the new Lula administration. He was also interviewed on the program Giro das Onze, of Brasil 247, about possible Sino-Brazilian cooperation in the BRICS, in the reform of the global financial system and on environmental issues (in Portuguese). Finally, he participated in the seminar “China on the New Journey and the World”, organized by the China Media Group, where he stressed that other countries could learn from China’s experiences in fighting extreme poverty and restoring the environment.
Gisela Cernadas talked about the meeting between Olaf Scholz and Xi Jinping in her weekly participation in Barricada TV from Argentina (in Spanish).
– Dongsheng Editorial Collective
Geopolitics
Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits Xi Jinping with an “elite group” of 12 German business executives, signaling openness to dialogue
China is Germany’s largest trading partner and bilateral trade between the countries reached a record US$ 240 billion in 2021; in September, BASF started building a US$ 10.2 billion chemical plant, representing the largest German investment in China in history
China celebrates renowned biologist’s decision to leave lifetime professorship at Princeton to return to launch medical research institution
Government hopes Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation will become globally famous by mid-century; structural biologist Yan Ning attributes her success to favorable environment for research and innovation and access to funding, and advocates its expansion to young scientists
China advances cooperation with Singapore, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Pakistan in high-level meetings after the CPC Congress
Singapore and China have reached 19 agreements, China-Tanzania relations will be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership, and Xi and the Pakistani Prime Minister recently agreed to move forward on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity; among the areas of common ground in recent dialogues are green finance and the digital economy
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, 02.11.2022
National Politics
Government plans to turn Zhejiang’s Jiashan into a model county for inequality reduction, seeking to expand the middle class to 82% by 2025
Currently, about 35% of China’s population is middle-income (vs. 70% in several EU countries, 55.9% US) and urban income is 2.57 times higher than in rural areas; the plan includes increasing R&D spending to 4%, attracting foreign investment, and deepening the role of rural cooperatives
Government introduces stricter rules for commercial endorsements made by celebrities and urges them to promote socialist values
New rules prohibit artists and influencers from advertising certain products – including private education, tobacco products, or false endorsements – through their social networks, TV, streaming, or interviews, while also banning companies from hiring celebrities who have engaged in illegal or morally reprehensible behavior, in a bid to reform social values and youth culture
Economy
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in China grows 15.6% and exceeds 1 trillion yuan (US$ 140.4 billion) between January and September, despite international tensions
To attract more investments, the Chinese government expands by 19% the items in the catalog of industries (up to 1,474) where FDI will have favorable policies by 2023; until September, FDI in high-tech manufacturing and services has already increased 48.6% and 27.9% respectively inter-annually, with new areas including green energy and rural revitalization as well as sports, health and vocational education
Number of small loan companies in China fell by 400 (6.2%) in the first three quarters of the year due to new restrictions and tougher competition
After a record 8,951 small lenders (2015), China began regulating the online finance industry in 2017, including small loans, due to violations and to avoid financial risks. As of September, China had 6,054 small lenders, with a total loan balance of 907.6 billion yuan (US$ 124.2 billion)
Agriculture and Environment
Rural supply and marketing cooperatives re-emerge as part of rural revitalization and poverty alleviation program
There are 37,652 cooperatives across China, up 5,187 from 2019, which help promote rural products and connect producers to cities with nearly 400,000 outlets nationwide; in the first-half of 2022, total sales rose 19.1% to 2.94 trillion yuan (US$ 400 billion), thanks in part to e-commerce
Seven Chinese cities to be certified as “international wetland cities” for their efforts to protect wetlands
172 countries in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) recognize 43 such cities, 13 in China, which plans to incorporate 11 million hectares of wetlands into the national park system, covering 10% of the country’s land area; the government allocated 16.9 million yuan (US$ 2.5 billion) in the last decade to wetland conservation
People’s Life and Culture
The government announces an “Integrated Communities Development Plan” to increase access to public services at the community level
New communities will be constructed with canteens, clinics, kindergartens, and other essential facilities, incorporating technologies that facilitate daily life; the goal is to connect communities in a “15-minute circle of life” as 70% of Chinese people are expected to live in residential communities by 2035
First community canteen for elders in Shanghai [People’s Daily]
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