He Jiaolong, vice director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Autonomous Region [Xinhua]
Geopolitics
China presents a position paper for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, involved parties welcome the initiative
Proposal containing 12 points, calls for an end to Cold War mentality and unilateral sanctions; Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the document is consistent with Russia’s approach and Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said they value any initiative that truly aims at peace
Iraq, world’s third largest oil exporter (US$ 115.7 billion in 2022) will accept yuan in energy trade with China
The Middle Eastern country faces dollar shortages and currency devaluation from US central bank sanctions against Iran; in 2022, China — which is expected to increase its influence on global oil prices — imported 55.5 million tons of oil from Iraq, which is its third largest source
National Politics
China unveils plan to make strong breakthroughs in digital development by 2025 and be at the global forefront by 2035
The “Overall Design Plan for China’s Digital Construction” will seek to deepen the integration of digital technology and the real economy, and apply it in sectors such as agriculture, transportation, and energy, among others; China launched 887,000 5G bases last year, totaling 2.3 million, 60% of the global total
China upgrades international law studies seeking to cultivate a new generation of professionals by 2035 and to alleviate the severe shortage of experts in the field
The discipline was upgraded from second to first grade, which means it will have more resources, as well as more recognition and prestige for researchers and scholars in the field; the upgrade will also seek to bring legal education in line with the country’s political direction and away from Western views
Economy
China’s Central Bank transferred 1.13 trillion yuan (US$162 billion) in profits to the Ministry of Finance for the government to increase fiscal spending
The funds are mainly revenues generated by the country’s foreign exchange reserves in recent years; they have mainly been earmarked in tax refunds for companies and transfer payments from the central government to local governments
Government initiates pilot program to boost private investment in the real estate sector and help developers reduce debt, leverage ratios, and recover liquidity
This aims to mobilize private funds to acquire real estate assets that are unlikely to be sold in the short term; the funds must raise at least 30 million yuan (US$4.5 million) in the first round of paid-in capital funding
Agriculture and Environment
China will expand pilot project areas for genetically modified soy and corn, a move seen as a significant step towards legalizing GM crops
There are concerns in China about the unverified health risks of genetic modification technology, as well as the fact that it would make China dependent on the US, which controls much of the technology and its intellectual property; tests will only involve animal feed and not grain for human consumption
Brazil suspends beef exports to China due to a case of “mad cow”
The South American country was responsible for 41% of Chinese beef imports in 2022, some 1.105 million tons; although it is not known when trade will resume, the suspension would be temporary, generating an increase in prices and imports from countries such as Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, and New Zealand
People’s Life and Culture
Local public officials become online influencers to promote tourism in their regions
Some of them joined the trend of wearing ancient Chinese clothing in natural landscapes and others, in addition to tourism, promote local agricultural products; one of the most famous officials raised 100 million yuan (US$ 14.7 million) for local businesses in her live broadcasts
Schools across the country strengthen the application of digital technologies in education, incorporating virtual reality and robotics
An online educational platform launched in 2022 received more than one billion visitors from 200 countries and provides access to quality educational resources for rural schools and universities in western China; all schools in the country have internet access and 99.9% of them have 100 Mbps bandwidth
Students learn to program and assemble robots in Jinxi, Jiangxi province [People’s Daily/Deng Xingdong]
Dongsheng’s interventions and productions this week:
- Gisela Cernadas for ARG Medios: Chinese government boosts measures to stimulate consumption in the country
- Marco Fernandes with Li Jingjing: Why did Africa and Latin America choose China?
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