Villagers planting trees in a desert area of Minqin County, Gansu province [Color China Photo]
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Geopolitics
Confucius Institute designated a “foreign mission” by US State Department, escalating restrictions imposed on Chinese institutions
Though similar to government-funded Alliance Française and Goethe Institut, the Chinese cultural and language exchange organization will be forced to declare assets and staff information in its 75 US-based centers out of 480 worldwide
White House underestimates soundness of President Xi’s economic policy and its confrontational strategy with China misguided, says The Economist
With increased state efficiency, greater public-private sector integration and strategic technological investment, the country shows enormous resilience; the West should prioritize cooperation in its diplomacy with China
Despite the US boycott, most African countries are set to adopt Huawei’s 5G technology, including South Africa, Kenya and Uganda
Cheaper and more efficient than Nokia or Ericsson, the tech company already serves 70% of the continent’s 4G network in 40 countries, providing better technology, price and service
Most valuable company on the continent, South African Naspers owns 31% of Chinese Tencent (WeChat) and may be hit by offensive from Washington
In 2001, the African internet group acquired 46.5% of the then Chinese startup for US $32 million; in 2018, its shares were valued at US $175 billion
National Politics
Amidst Washington’s heightened attacks, Xi Jinping publishes 2015 Politburo speech defending Marxism’s relevance and its centrality to socialism with Chinese characteristics
People-centered development is the guiding Marxist principle in Chinese economic policy, reconciling public ownership as the basis of the economy and role of the state in supporting and guiding the private sector
China reduced its poverty rate (US $3.2 per capita/day) from 99.7% in 1978 to 4.7% in 2018, but inequality has increased
Along with economic growth, the government mobilized its institutional mechanisms and people towards eliminating absolute poverty by 2020, but Gini index rose from 0.28 (1980s) to 0.41 (2015)
President Xi calls China’s food waste “shocking and distressing” and launches “clean plate” campaign to mobilize Chinese people and government
2015 research estimated that food wasted in just four major cities could feed 30-50 million people, while FAO estimates that ⅓ of the world’s food goes to waste
Economy
According to Forbes magazine, China surpasses US in having the most Fortune Global 500 companies with 133 and 121, respectively
With no companies on the list in 1990, China now has 3 of top 10 companies – Sinopec, State Grid and China National Petroleum, behind Walmart’s lead – and 5 of 7 largest internet companies
Manufacturing industry grew for the fourth consecutive month with 4.8% year-on-year increase, while domestic consumption down 1.1%
For the first time since the pandemic, commodity sales rose (0.2%) and reached US $460 billion but despite recovery in consumption, forecasts are still conservative
Science and Technology
Chinese electronics manufacturer Luxshare quintupled revenues in five years (US $8.9 billion) and surpassed Taiwanese giant Foxconn in market capitalization (US $53,8 vs 37 billion)
Directed by ex-factory worker Grace Wang, the company starts producing iPhones next year and is set to break Taiwan’s hegemony in the sector in the coming years
Agriculture and Environment
After 15 years of “Clear waters, green mountains” policy, China becomes global leader in reforestation since 2000, creating a quarter of world’s new green areas
Pollution-reduction investment quadrupled since 2005 (US $137.7 billion in 2017), and environmental restoration of areas heavily affected by economic development in recent decades has advanced
CGTN, 15.08.2020 (watch the 7 minute video about the theme)
Sino-Mozambican agricultural cooperation project achieves record-breaking rice yields (10 tons/ha) with objective to increase food security and sustainable agricultural development
Led by agronomist of peasant background He Changyong, project produced local rice variety with six-fold average yield and trained over 600 participants in animal husbandry, agricultural processing and veterinary medicine
Health
Psychological assistance team working in Wuhan since the lockdown organized treatments and courses for basic post-disaster mental healthcare
Led by psychologist Li Zhengkui, psychotherapists developed a 7-day online course – based on WHO recommendations – that trained 250,000 medical workers and was expanded to 800 other institutions nationwide
People’s Life and Culture
Report on 2019 cultural consumption trends saw growth in new online media industries that have since been accelerated and diversified by the pandemic
Driven by the internet, big data, AI and virtual reality, 2019 saw increase in livestreaming/e-commerce (32%), online films (49%) and gaming (7.7%)
According to survey, few LGBTQ workers are openly out of the closet (7.4%) and many experience workplace harassment (32.5%), a trend aggravated by lack of diversity policies in Chinese companies
LGBTQ-inclusive diversity policies in public sector and state-owned enterprises still fall behind private and foreign-invested counterparts
Kindergarten children in Weifang, Shandong province, being taught to “clear your plate” in 2013 [VCG]