The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy formation, including a Type 075 amphibious assault ship, is set to visit Hong Kong on Thursday.
It will be the first Hong Kong call by a PLA Navy amphibious assault ship, and military expert Song Zhongping said that the visit is an important opportunity of national defense and patriotic education.
With the approval of the Central Military Commission and according to an annual work plan, a formation consisting of the PLA Navy's Hainan and Changsha is scheduled to visit Hong Kong from November 21-25 and host a series of open-door events for Hong Kong and Macao compatriots, according to a statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The goal of the events is to showcase the achievements of national defense and military development in the new era, and display the PLA's firm determination and strong capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty and security, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.
Stressing the significance of national defense and patriotic education highlighted by the visit, Song told the Global Times on Tuesday that Hong Kong is an international city that occasionally hosts port calls by warships from foreign countries, including US aircraft carriers in the past. He said that with the constant development of the Chinese military, the visit by advanced PLA Navy equipment will contribute to Hong Kong residents' national identity.
In July 2017, the PLA Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, among other warships, visited Hong Kong and opened to the public, the PLA's official website 81.cn reported at the time.
Song, who boarded the Liaoning at that occasion, said that many people applied to board the carrier, and the crowd waved Chinese national flags in their hands.
The two warships to visit Hong Kong this time are very representative of the PLA Navy's rapid development in recent years, according to Song.
The Hainan is the PLA Navy's first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, and the Changsha is a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, according to previous reports by China Central Television (CCTV).
This marks the first visit of a PLA Navy amphibious assault ship to Hong Kong since the Hainan was launched in September 2019 and commissioned into the PLA Navy in April 2021.
Capable of carrying a large number of helicopters on its flight deck, amphibious assault ship is a genre of large warship only second to aircraft carrier, while the Type 052D is the latest version in China's Type 052 destroyer series, Song noted.
The PLA Navy displayed Z-20J shipborne utility helicopters and Z-8C shipborne transport helicopters at the Airshow China 2024, which just wrapped up on Sunday in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province.
Military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that these two types of helicopters can carry marines and conduct airborne amphibious assault missions from Type 075 amphibious assault ships and Type 071 dock landing ships.
The helicopters can fly over obstacles on the beach, and land directly behind the enemy defense lines, Zhang said.
China has offered full visa-free access to 25 countries, signing mutual visa-free agreements with six countries, including Singapore, Thailand and Kazakhstan, Tong Xuejun, an official from Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday at a press conference. The official also said the ministry will continue to launch visa facilitation initiatives to create more convenience for Chinese and foreign business people.
Tong added that the country has implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for 29 countries, including France and Germany. So far, China has established visa-free agreements for various passports with 157 countries and regions, he said.
Tong made the remarks following China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday rolling out nine measures to support foreign trade, including advancing the signing of visa-free agreements with more countries, expanding the scope of countries eligible for China's unilateral visa-free policy in an orderly way, broadening areas where the transit visa-free policy applies, and extending the allowable stay duration.
During the press conference, Tong said that so far this year, the ministry has reached arrangements with Brazil, Australia and other countries for the mutual issuance of five-year and 10-year multiple-entry visas. It also issued five-year multiple-entry visas to people from Central and Eastern Europe and other countries, and five-year multiple-entry visas to business people from the Mekong River countries.
The ministry also participated in the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme, which facilitates the travel of Chinese and foreign business people in the Asia-Pacific region, the official added.
Moreover, the ministry rolled out a new version of the Chinese visa application form, with 34 percent of items optimized and simplified. Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have completely abolished the visa appointment system and further expanded the scope of fingerprint-free access. In addition, it also reduced visa fees by 25 percent of the current rates.
According to official data, in the third quarter of this year, China saw 8.19 million trips made by foreign visitors, an increase of 48.8 percent year-on-year, according to official data. Among them, about 4.89 million trips were made with visa exemptions, up 78.6 percent year-on-year, Tong said.
The Foreign Ministry will create more convenience for the exchanges between Chinese and foreign people, especially business people, in order to serve high-quality development and high-level opening-up, the official noted.
In addition to exhibiting aviation, aerospace, and land equipment, the ongoing Airshow China 2024 also gives a glimpse into China's naval and maritime equipment, including a large unmanned vessel and a surface drone group.
The Orca unmanned stealth combat vessel debuted at the second exhibition area of Airshow China. Its trimaran design provides high speed, stability and an expanded deck area despite its limited displacement.
Officially designated as the JARI-USV-A large unmanned combat vessel, the Orca measures 58 meters in length, 23 meters in beam width, and 4 meters in depth, has a full displacement of 420 tons, a maximum speed of 40 knots, and a range of 4,000 nautical miles, according to data released by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited.
The Global Times learned that the Orca prioritizes stealth capabilities. It is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station at its bow, which can be stowed under the deck when needed to maintain a streamlined surface.
The bridge of the unmanned ship has a four-unit vertical launch system for missiles, and which can be expanded to 12 units if required, according to a scale model of the Orca, which is displayed at the airshow in addition to the genuine vessel.
It is also equipped with several phased array radars to enhance its detection capabilities for both aerial and maritime targets.
In addition, the Orca has a flight deck at its stern that can host unmanned helicopters enabling various missions, such as anti-submarine warfare and patrol operations.
Another Chinese exhibitor, Yunzhou Tech, displayed a surface drone formation at the airshow, as four of its unmanned boats showcased impressive maneuverability in water-based operations.
In a demonstration session, the four unmanned boats shifted between formations like side-by-side, straight-line, and S-shape, as they demonstrated their ability to assault floating targets and intercept fast-moving surface targets.
All the surface drones displayed are mass-produced models, the Global Times learned from Yunzhou Tech. The demonstrations showed daily mission scenarios of marine police and maritime safety administrations, and reflected the surface drone formation's capability to collaborate. This level of collaboration is notably challenging, as the unmanned boats need to adjust movement and navigation based on environmental factors like wind, waves, and currents before developing plans to jointly complete mission objectives.
The captain, surnamed Hong, of the Tachinman 88, a Taiwan fishing vessel, which was legally seized by the Fujian Coast Guard on July 2, returned to Taiwan island on Friday after being punished in accordance with the law, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.
The Tachinman 88 was seized for violating Fisheries Law and other relevant regulations by conducting operations in the prohibited fishing zone during the fishing moratorium period, and the bottom trawl it used was much smaller than the minimum mesh size stipulated by relevant departments, according to Chen.
The Fujian Coast Guard carried out law enforcement actions in accordance with the law, and relevant departments handled the case in accordance with regulations, effectively maintaining the order of fishery production, marine fishery resources, and ecological environment in the relevant sea areas, Chen said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, China's path and system, and China's development right are four red lines for China, which must not be challenged or crossed.
In his meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi also said that the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques are the political foundation of China-US relations.
These are the most important guardrails and safety nets for China-US relations, he said, adding that it is important not to challenge red lines and paramount principles.
Xi said that contradictions and differences between two major countries like China and the United States are unavoidable, but one side should not undermine the core interests of the other, let alone seek conflict or confrontation.
China and Britain should uphold their strategic partnership and open up new prospects for China-UK relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Leaders' Summit.
Noting that the year 2024 will end in less than two months, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to push forward with various work, especially the economic work, in an effective and solid manner, so as to deliver on the economic and social development goals for the whole year.
The remarks were made during his inspection tour to Central China's Hubei Province from November 4 to 6.
Xi has also stressed all-out efforts to strive to achieve the annual economic and social development goals multiple times since a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on September 26, in his recent inspection tours to East China's Fujian and Anhui provinces, as well as at the study session for senior provincial and ministerial-level officials.
How's the current situation?
"The confidence in achieving the annual economic goal of around 5 percent is strengthening," Chinese officials from the National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) made the judgment at a press briefing in mid-October to release the third-quarter GDP data.
The confidence stems from a set of recently released economic data, which points to the economy's stabilizing fundamentals and recovery in business activities.
In October, China's manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 50.1, marking a return to the expansion territory, setting off a good opening for the fourth-quarter economy.
Though the GDP growth rate in year-on-year term was 4.6 percent in the third quarter, slowing down from the 4.7 percent recorded in the second quarter and 5.3 percent in the first quarter, in terms of quarter-on-quarter basis, China's economy grew 0.9 percent in the third quarter, maintaining positive expansion for nine consecutive quarters.
Sheng Laiyun, deputy head of the NBS, said that the 4.8-percent growth rate in the first three quarters came as a hard-won result, and lays a solid foundation for achieving the annual economic goal.
A number of foreign institutions have raised their forecasts for Chinese economy after the NBS released third-quarter GDP data. For example, Goldman Sachs, in a research note in October, revised China's 2024 GDP forecast from 4.7 percent to 4.9 percent. Zhu Haibin, chief China economist at JP Morgan, also noted that China's economic growth dynamics has showed a moderate rebound by the end of the third quarter, with domestic activity indicators in September generally beating market expectations.
Overall, "stability" and "progress" remain the main themes of the Chinese economy. On one hand, the foundation underpinning China's stable economic growth is solidifying now, as four major macroeconomic indexes - growth, employment, inflation, and the balance of international payments - indicate that the economy is generally stable with steady progress, and provide a solid foundation for China's macro economy to maintain resilient growth, Chinese economists said.
On the other hand, the dynamics for economic progress are strengthening, as exemplified by investment in high-tech industries and high-tech manufacturing industries, where the growth rate of value-added significantly outpaced the overall level. The more an industry is characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, the more favorable its development trend.
Confidence from reform
The third-quarter GDP report also highlighted efforts in economic system reform. And a bunch of measures have been carried out in recent months to benefit livelihoods, boost consumption and stabilize the housing market.
At the end of October, China has implemented a financial policy that benefits 150 million residents and reduces existing housing mortgage payments by 150 billion yuan ($20.73 billion) a year. Simultaneously, the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, also reformed and improved a mechanism that allows borrowers to negotiate with banks independently and adjust housing mortgage rates dynamically.
Chinese policymakers also introduced a package of incremental policies since late September, which bears both immediate results and long-term ramifications. Dong Yu, executive vice dean of the China Institute for Development Planning at Tsinghua University, compared the measures to "a milestone move in macroeconomic adjustments." The stock policies and incremental policies include not only counter-cyclical measures for macroeconomic adjustment, but also those aimed at deepening reforms to improve the quality of medium- and long-term development. As such, these policies will drive the building of a high-level socialist market economy and help advance Chinese modernization.
As China further advances comprehensive deepening of reforms, it is important to note that economic system reform could be the "key leverage point" that has the effect of "pulling one hair and the whole body is affected."
In the system reform of economic fields, China is accelerating the implementation of major national strategies and the development of security capabilities in key areas, while supporting large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-in policies for consumer goods with robust measures. Meanwhile, the legislative process for law on private sector promotion is underway, and the opening-up of the capital market is further gaining steam.
It is palpable that China has been adhering to the unity of reform and the rule of law, the dialectical unity of abolishing the old and establishing the new, as well as coordinating the process of reform and opening-up, so as to make the combined effect of "policy boost" and "reform gaining momentum" strong and effective.
The series of reform efforts are also injecting new impetus into China's development. And it is believed that the solid reform results will make the country more capable of achieving its annual economic and social development goals.
The rapid growth of Futian district in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province offers a vivid example in this regard.
The district is one of the earliest developed districts in Shenzhen. In its early stage of development, Futian faced problems such as limited space and rising costs. However, it overcame those bottlenecks by focusing on developing new quality productive forces, and such reform has spurred the growth of new economy. In the past three years, the number of "little giants" in the district has increased by more than eight times, and the district's GDP per unit area now is over four times the Shenzhen average. In October, Apple's application research lab, with an investment exceeding 1 billion yuan, was completed and began operations in Futian.
According to a communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of CPC, China will improve the institutions and mechanisms for fostering new quality productive forces in line with local conditions. It is expected that the implementation of a package of incremental policies will accelerate the expansion of new quality productive forces.
There are plenty of rooms for China to develop new quality productive forces, especially taking into account the country's technological innovation and an ultra-large market with the greatest growth potential.
On November 5, the first day of the China International Import Expo, purchaser Shanghai Nuoyin Electromechanical Technology Co signed the first purchase contract of the expo worth $50 million. The contract covers such areas as semiconductors and automotives, once again highlighting the allure of China's market with sheer size.
Chinese officials have indicated that in addition to the current measures, they're also studying and preparing new incremental policies. "As the effects of these policies continue to materialize, the economy for the year will show a trajectory of high growth early on, moderate growth in the middle, and an upward trend toward the end," said Huang Hanquan, director of the China Academy of Macroeconomic Research.
Confidence from firms
In September, China's value-added industrial output rebounded for the first time after four consecutive months of decline. In October, both the year-on-year and month-on-month sales of commercial housing achieved growth, showing a positive trend of stabilization in the property market after a period of decline.
Those sets of data underscored the overall stepped-up expansion of production and business activity, with more positive factors accumulating.
From the perspective of enterprises, more Chinese companies have been witnessing a jump in orders. For example, a batch of intelligent, flexible production lines has just been put into operation at the production base of Shenzhen JLC Technology Group Co in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province. Liang Dongbing, the head of the base, said that the rapid development of artificial intelligence has brought in a large number of orders, and putting the new production lines into service will ensure reliable product delivery.
Likewise, foreign enterprises have also been scaling up investment in the Chinese market. Germany-based Mercedes-Benz Group recently announced plans to jointly invest over 14 billion yuan in China with its Chinese partners. Analysts said that the increase in investment by German companies shows their long-term confidence in the Chinese economy. As the market economy also equates to an economy of expectations and confidence, it is believed that the economy will gain momentum when businesses are confident. With supportive policies in place, more and more companies are accelerating their transformation, which is set to further unleash growth potential.
Chinese officials have stressed that "confidence in achieving the annual economic goal of around 5 percent is strengthening." But confidence doesn't come from the sky. It is nurtured through hard work, grows through striving, and rises through resilience. What should we do to boost confidence? As the saying goes: Prioritize action and stand as one.
The article was originally published on the front page of the People's Daily on November 12, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a signed article published Thursday in Peruvian media outlet El Peruano that during his visit, he and President Dina Boluarte will attend the inauguration ceremony of Chancay Port via video. The article titled China-Peru Friendship: Setting Sail Toward an Even Brighter Future was released as Xi is traveling to Peru for the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima and a state visit to the Latin American country.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim in Beijing on Thursday, calling on the two sides to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties to promote and enrich the China-Malaysia community with a shared future.
Noting that China and Malaysia are good neighbors, good friends and good partners, Xi said the two countries have maintained close interactions and exchanges at all levels and advanced mutually beneficial cooperation with high quality on all fronts since Anwar's first China visit in March last year after taking office as prime minister, delivering tangible benefits to the two peoples, according to Xinhua News Agency.
China and Malaysia are both at crucial stages of national development and rejuvenation, Xi said. "The two sides should take the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the China-Malaysia Year of Friendship as an opportunity to work together for a more concrete China-Malaysia community with a shared future, to help each other achieve their development goals, and to make new and greater contributions to regional prosperity and stability," said Xi.
Chinese experts said that China-Malaysia relations have played a pioneering and exemplary role in regional cooperation. The relationship between the two countries has transcended the bilateral sphere, and there is still plenty of room for cooperation and common interests between the two sides in the economic and trade fields, as well as in regional and international affairs.
Anwar previously visited China in March and September 2023, making this trip his third visit to China in two years.
Anwar's itinerary in Beijing on Thursday also included a stop at Peking University, where he delivered a public lecture, Anwar wrote in his X account. He also visited the Huawei Executive Briefing Center on Thursday.
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the Year of China-Malaysia Friendship, with leaders on both sides having frequent interactions.
In September, President Xi held talks with Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar in Beijing, pledging to work with Malaysia to bring the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future to a new level. Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Malaysia's King and Prime Minister Anwar in June during his visit to Malaysia.
The close interactions between the two countries not only have a solid historical foundation, but also a strong impetus from practical cooperation, and friendly people-to-people exchanges, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
China-Malaysia relations have played a pioneering and exemplary role in China's cooperation with regional countries, said Xu, adding that some China-ASEAN cooperation started with China-Malaysia cooperation.
In December 1997, China attended the first China-ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. Malaysia will take up the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025.
Anwar attended the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, where he held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang as well as Chinese investors, industry leaders, and representatives from China's state-run companies.
As an important member of the Global South, Malaysia upholds the concept of development, free trade and multilateralism, which are highly consistent with China's position and views, Xu said.
The relationship between China and Malaysia has transcended the bilateral level, and there is much room for cooperation between the two countries in regional and global affairs, Xu said, "Both China and Malaysia uphold multilateralism and oppose decoupling."
Malaysia has played a positive role in cooperating with China in maintaining regional peace, stability, and development," said Shen Shishun, director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation at the China Institute of International Studies.
"Countries in the Global South have the ability to make independent judgments and the right to exercise their own foreign policy, choosing positions that are just and in line with the interests of their peoples," Shen said.
At a university event on November 1, Anwar said that he had directly rejected US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's call to stop building friendly relations with Russia on the sidelines of the 19th East Asia Summit in October. Anwar responded to the US by saying, "That's your issue; don't instruct us. We are an independent, sovereign country; we make decisions for our people and our nation."
According to Xu, Anwar's visit is also an opportunity to further promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation to new heights.
China has been Malaysia's top trading partner for 15 straight years since 2009. Malaysia's total trade with China in 2023 amounted to 680 billion yuan ($95.47 billion), accounting for 17.1 percent of Malaysia's total trade with the entire world, according to Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition to the traditional trade in agricultural products between the two countries, there are considerable complementarities between the two sides in emerging areas such as e-commerce, digital economy and green economy, Xu said, "There is also enormous room for cooperation between the two sides in the field of high-tech."
