People's Daily - October 20, 2025

Ensure decisive progress in achieving socialist modernization.

By: 新华社记者

History is writing a new chapter.

From October 20 to 23, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) will be held in Beijing (北京). The meeting will review the "Suggestions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》), outlining a blueprint for China's development in the next five years.

From 2021 to 2025, the "14th Five-Year Plan" period is the first five years for China to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society, achieve the first centenary goal, and then take advantage of the situation to embark on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and march towards the second centenary goal. With concerted efforts and overcoming difficulties, China's economic and social development has made new pioneering progress, breakthrough changes, and historic achievements.

From 2026 to 2030, focusing on comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a critical period for laying the foundation and fully exerting efforts to basically realize socialist modernization.

A consistent theme, an unwavering original aspiration, and a relay of struggle.

The new journey of the "15th Five-Year Plan" is about to begin. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党中央) with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core will unite and lead the entire party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to strive for the comprehensive construction of a strong socialist modern country and the realization of the second centenary goal. It will surely ensure decisive progress in basically realizing socialist modernization and create a new situation in Chinese-style modernization.

Navigating the Direction: Steering Overall Development to Create New Historical Achievements

As the "14th Five-Year Plan" draws to a close, the construction of the "two networks" has attracted particular attention:

One is the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, with the completion rate of the "6 axes, 7 corridors, and 8 channels" main framework exceeding 90%;

The other is the national water network, with a coverage rate expected to reach 80.3% by the end of 2025.

Governing a large country requires a solid foundation. Water networks and road networks, spanning thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, connecting the benefits of all directions, and meeting the needs of the people, are all major events related to modernization.

In 2021, the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan," while leading the Chinese people to strive towards the first centenary goal, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) has already set his sights on the second centenary goal.

In May of that year, in Nanyang (南阳), Henan (河南), the General Secretary conducted a special investigation on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (南水北调): "The construction of the water network will be another century-long picture scroll for the Chinese nation in the history of water management"; in July, in Nyingchi (林芝), Tibet (西藏), the General Secretary visited the Nyingchi Railway Station (林芝火车站), an important hub of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway (川藏铁路), to learn about the overall plan of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the construction and operation of the Lhasa-Nyingchi section, requiring "the construction of this landmark project in the process of achieving the second centenary goal."

The "14th Five-Year Plan" period is the first five years for China to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society and then take advantage of the situation to strive for the realization of the second centenary goal. It is a critical period for China to seize rare opportunities, withstand various challenges, and expand new space for development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) emphasized: "Ensure a good start and a good step for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country."

Over the past five years, a magnificent picture scroll of beautiful mountains and rivers and prosperous times has been painted and gradually unfolded.

This journey inspires progress: China's total economic volume has successively crossed the thresholds of 110 trillion yuan, 120 trillion yuan, and 130 trillion yuan, and is expected to reach about 140 trillion yuan by the end of 2025, with an average annual growth of 5.5%. The per capita GDP has exceeded 13,000 US dollars for two consecutive years, and China's average annual contribution rate to world economic growth has remained at about 30%...

This era is surging with innovative vitality: the 102 major projects determined in the "14th Five-Year Plan" are progressing smoothly, China has stood on one innovation high ground after another for "major country weapons," the intensity of R&D investment has increased to 2.69%, and it has become the first country in the world with more than 4 million domestic valid invention patents...

This picture depicts a beautiful China: "Greening" the most in the world, with the forest coverage rate increasing to more than 25%; the proportion of days with good air quality in cities at the prefecture level and above is stable at about 87%; the main streams of the Yangtze River (长江) and Yellow River (黄河) have reached the second-class water quality standards; the installed capacity of new energy power generation has historically exceeded thermal power, and the world's largest clean power generation system has been built...

This answer sheet is permeated with people's well-being: more than 12 million new urban jobs are created every year, the average life expectancy has increased to 79 years, the world's largest education system, social security system, and medical and health system have been built, the coordinated development of urban and rural areas has made significant progress, and the common prosperity of all people is moving forward step by step...

Over the past five years, hundreds of millions of people have worked hard, and the world has witnessed one highlight moment after another in China in the new era:

A grand celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), declaring the comprehensive construction of a moderately prosperous society; the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大), making strategic arrangements for comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization; the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届三中全会), planning further comprehensive deepening of reforms; celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China; commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War...

"Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a great cause unprecedented in history. Aspirations and challenges inspire us to seize the day and never slacken our efforts." General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平总书记) words are affectionate and heroic.

This is five years of guiding the way forward with scientific theory.

On October 29, 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的十九届五中全会) reviewed and approved the "Suggestions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035" (《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划和二〇三五年远景目标的建议》).

Standing at the historical intersection of the "two centenary goals," this plenary session took into account the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the 2035 long-range goals, outlining the logical main line for China's economic and social development in the future:

"The economic and social development during the '14th Five-Year Plan' period should take promoting high-quality development as the theme," "Accurately grasp the new stage of development, thoroughly implement the new development concept, and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern."

In October 2022, the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大) clearly stated: "High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country."

The innovative breakthroughs in theory and practice are stirring on the new journey of the new era.

High-quality development requires new productivity theory to guide it. In 2023, during his inspection in various localities, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) first proposed new quality productive forces, and subsequently made systematic expositions and major deployments on multiple occasions, profoundly answering major theoretical and practical questions such as "what is new quality productive forces, why should we develop new quality productive forces, and how should we develop new quality productive forces."

Over the past five years, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) has profoundly expounded a series of major theoretical and practical issues of Chinese-style modernization, providing fundamental guidance for economic and social development.

Deeply practice the concept that green mountains and clear waters are golden mountains and silver mountains, and promote the green transformation of economic and social development;

Empower economic and social development with culture, with humanities and economy complementing each other and values coexisting;

Coordinate development and security, and further consolidate the security foundation of food, energy, industry, national defense, etc.;

Promote the common prosperity of all people, from theoretical improvement to demonstration exploration, and gradually turn dreams into reality...

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想) is constantly enriched and developed in the magnificent practice of hundreds of millions of people, inspiring the deepest and most powerful force for forging ahead on a new journey.

This is five years of leading high-quality development with a grand blueprint.

On October 9 this year, the headquarters of China Huaneng (中国华能) and China Sinochem (中国中化) officially moved to Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区).

In May 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) went to Hebei Xiong'an New Area (河北雄安新区) for the third time to inspect the new city, which "has entered the stage of large-scale construction and undertaking the relocation of Beijing's non-capital functions," and earnestly instructed: "We must not be impetuous, nor can we wait and rely on others. We must work hard and persevere."

From "a piece of land" to "a map" to "a city," the future city bearing the millennium plan is striding forward.

Draw a blueprint to the end, and do it one after another.

"Our understanding of time is based on centuries and millennia," "For urgent matters, we must act immediately and seize the opportunity, and we must not be slow and procrastinate. For long-term tasks, we must maintain strategic focus and patience, adhere to drawing a blueprint to the end, and persevere."

The grasp of fast and slow, and the belief in time, carry the historical responsibility and era responsibility of the Chinese Communists.

Rolling the goals and tasks of the Five-Year Plan into the annual plan, various macroeconomic policies work together, dynamic monitoring, mid-term evaluation, summary evaluation... The "14th Five-Year Plan" carries the national development orientation, strategic focus, and policy measures for five or even fifteen years, and it is necessary to ensure the implementation of phased goals and tasks.

Over the past five years, special symposiums have been held many times focusing on regional development strategies, the strategic direction has been consistent, and policy deployments have kept pace with the times; adhering to the core position of innovation in the overall situation of China's modernization construction, focusing on high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement for a long time; unswervingly comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, and constantly expanding the breadth and depth... Once you see it, you must seize it and never let go, and grasp it to the end and achieve results.

Foreign media published articles pointing out that among the main indicators of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the 2035 long-range goals formulated by China five years ago, many indicators have progressed in line with or even exceeded expectations.

This is five years of responding to changes and opening up new situations in the face of wind and rain challenges.

Strengthening export controls on rare earth-related items, implementing export controls on superhard materials and other related items, and collecting special port service fees for ships to the United States... Recently, in response to US pressure, China has introduced a series of measures.

Talk, the door is open; fight, we will accompany you to the end. Some observers pointed out that China's more calm and resilient response demonstrates a more solid foundation and stronger strength.

There must be key choices at critical moments. Over the past five years, facing various risks, challenges, and uncertainties, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党中央) with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has steered the course at critical junctures time and time again, leading the giant ship of China through stormy waves.

In the face of the sudden century-long epidemic, making scientific decisions in accordance with the times and situations, giving full play to the institutional advantages of socialism's ability to concentrate its efforts on major tasks, and effectively coordinating epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development;

In the face of the constantly escalating external suppression and containment, concentrating efforts on doing our own things well, and insisting on placing the development of the country and the nation on the basis of our own strength;

In the face of the difficulties and confusions encountered in the development of the private economy, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) attended a symposium on private enterprises and delivered an important speech, profoundly expounding a series of fundamental and directional issues concerning the development of the private economy;

In response to the risk of returning to poverty, we will not relax our efforts to consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation, and we will firmly guard the bottom line of preventing large-scale return to poverty for a long time...

In the second and third quarters of 2024, the growth rate of China's main economic indicators declined, market expectations weakened, and worries at home and abroad spread.

On September 26 of that year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) deployed a package of incremental policies, which was hailed as "a milestone move in macroeconomic regulation."

Since the beginning of this year, macroeconomic policies have continued to exert efforts and increase efforts in a timely manner, playing a "combination punch" of policies; vigorously boosting consumption and improving investment efficiency, and expanding domestic demand in all directions; comprehensively promoting the construction of a unified national market, and comprehensively rectifying "involutionary" competition... China's economy grew by 5.3% year-on-year in the first half of the year, continuing the trend of steady improvement.

Looking back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," facing one major challenge after another, China has withstood the pressure and withstood the test, and Chinese-style modernization has taken a big step forward.

Seizing the Opportunity: Scientifically Planning the "15th Five-Year Plan" for Economic and Social Development

First time among the top ten in the global innovation index! Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou (深圳—香港—广州) jumped to the top of the global innovation cluster list!

The "2025 Global Innovation Index Report" recently released by the World Intellectual Property Organization gave China a bright "score."

"This progress reflects that the combination of China's strategic investment in science and technology, scientific research and development, and entrepreneurial ecosystem is achieving concrete results in various fields," foreign media commented.

"The most essential feature of building a new development pattern is to achieve a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement," "We must recognize this issue from the height of whether we can survive and develop, and comprehensively strengthen the deployment of scientific and technological innovation." In January 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) pointed out profoundly at the special seminar for leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的十九届五中全会).

Over the past five years, China has taken scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement as the strategic support for national development, and comprehensively shaped new advantages for development.

In April 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) came to Shanghai's (上海) "Model Speed Space" (模速空间) large model innovation ecological community to conduct research, focusing on scientific and technological innovation again.

At the subsequent symposium on the economic and social development of some provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the General Secretary emphasized "adapting to changes in the situation, grasping strategic priorities, and scientifically planning the economic and social development during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period."

Grasp contemporary China with solid research, and view the reality of the country with strategic thinking. The Five-Year Plan connects the past, present, and future, anchoring the coordinates, main axis, and direction for the development of a large country.

In October 2022, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大) was held in Beijing (北京).

"From now on, the central task of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups across the country to comprehensively build a strong socialist modern country, achieve the second centenary goal, and comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization."

On the new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, China will basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 through the efforts of the "14th Five-Year Plan," "15th Five-Year Plan," and "16th Five-Year Plan," realizing the first step of the "two-step" strategic arrangement.

The "15th Five-Year Plan" is a critical five years that connects the past and the future, and it is also the first Five-Year Plan that the Party Central Committee has started to formulate after embarking on a new journey.

In the new critical journey, China's development environment faces profound and complex changes, strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexist, and uncertain and unpredictable factors increase.

Thinking about the present and planning for the future, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党中央) with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core profoundly grasps the laws of historical development, scientifically examines the times and trends, crises and opportunities on the road of development, and plans the course of the giant ship of China during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

"We must accurately grasp the phased requirements of the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, focus on the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, closely focus on the goal of basically realizing socialist modernization, and reasonably determine the goals and tasks and propose ideas and measures in one field after another." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) diagnosed and oriented.

From the detailed questions and deep thinking in the inspection and research to the profound expositions at important meetings, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平总书记) coordinated the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the major changes unseen in a century in the world, and put forward a series of clear requirements focusing on reform, development, and stability, laying out the development of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

On July 30 this year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) held a meeting and decided to convene the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) in Beijing (北京) in October this year.

Less than two months later, the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) held on September 29 put forward the requirements for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period: "We must adhere to the Party's overall leadership," "Adhere to the people first," "Adhere to high-quality development," "Adhere to comprehensively deepening reform and expanding high-level opening up," "Adhere to the combination of an effective market and a capable government," "Adhere to coordinating development and security."

This is a summary and refinement of existing practices, and it is also an enlightenment and guidance for future development, pointing out the fundamental guidelines for China's economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and even longer.

Those who observe the situation are wise, and those who control the situation win.
Responding to complex changes in the external environment, "we must prospectively grasp the impact of the development and changes in the international situation on our country, and adjust and optimize the economic layout in accordance with the trend";

Facing a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, "we must place the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions in a more prominent strategic position";

In response to the new expectations of the people, it is necessary to "take benefiting the people as the fundamental value orientation, adhere to guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood in development, and steadily promote common prosperity";

Planning the country as a whole, each region "must accurately position itself in the overall national situation and strengthen planning coordination";

…………

A series of strategic guidelines profoundly grasp the characteristics of the times and the laws of development, laying a solid foundation for Chinese-style modernization in planning for the long term.

The people are the creators of history.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly pointed out: "Good policies and development plans should conform to the people's will and meet the people's needs and expectations, coming from the masses and going to the masses."

In the preparation of the "15th Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly given important instructions, emphasizing "the need to adhere to scientific decision-making, democratic decision-making, and law-based decision-making, and to unify top-level design with consulting the people," and "to extensively and deeply understand public sentiment, listen to public voices, gather public wisdom, and unite the powerful synergy to promote Chinese-style modernization."

"Build a high-quality artificial intelligence talent exchange platform," "optimize the policy of enrolling children of migrant workers in nearby schools," "promote traditional culture into campuses"... During the online solicitation of opinions for the "15th Five-Year Plan" from May 20 to June 20 this year, a large number of netizens actively participated, and a total of more than 3.11 million suggestions were received, providing valuable reference for the preparation of the "15th Five-Year Plan."

Some foreign media published articles saying that China's "15th Five-Year Plan" widely listens to public opinion, and "the combination of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) and actively listening to the demands of the people has proven to be a major advantage of the Chinese political system."

Those who are united in purpose will prevail. On the new journey, by fully stimulating and uniting the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, Chinese-style modernization will have the most reliable, deepest, and most lasting source of strength.

Planning in accordance with the situation and taking advantage of the trend.

"We must closely focus on the central task of the Party in the new era and on the new journey, plan and implement the goals, tasks, and strategic measures of the '15th Five-Year Plan,' and ensure that decisive progress is made in basically realizing socialist modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) said with determination and confidence.

Forge Ahead and Promote Chinese-Style Modernization to Go Steady and Far

On the coast of the South China Sea, the wind is strong and the tide is surging.

On December 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) will usher in an important historical moment - the full island will be closed for operation.

On December 18, 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party (党的十一届三中全会) opened a new historical period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization. Choosing this day to start the closed operation further declares to the world China's firm determination and confidence in deepening reform and opening up.

Observing the situation and setting the anchor, moving forward against the wind.

"15th Five-Year Plan," in the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, in the era landscape of the accelerated evolution of the world's unprecedented changes in a century, what kind of five years will it be?

In the new five years, the road of reform will become wider and wider.

On July 18, 2024, the Twentieth Third Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee (党的二十届三中全会) deliberated and approved the "Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization," and the clarion call for further comprehensively deepening reform in the new era and on the new journey resounded throughout China.

"By the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2029, the reform tasks proposed in this decision will be completed" - more than 300 reform measures will be completed within the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, continuously enhancing the development momentum and social vitality for Chinese-style modernization.

Chinese-style modernization is constantly advancing in reform and opening up, and it will surely open up broad prospects in reform and opening up.

On July 1, 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) presided over the Sixth Meeting of the Central Finance and Economics Commission (中央财经委员会第六次会议) to study the in-depth promotion of the construction of a unified national market and put forward the basic requirements of "five unifications and one opening":

Unify the basic market system, unify market infrastructure, unify the scale of government behavior, unify market supervision and law enforcement, unify the market of factor resources, and continue to expand domestic and foreign opening up.

Each basic requirement points to a better handling of the relationship between the government and the market, and will leverage deeper reforms, continuously cultivate and stimulate the advantages and potential of the ultra-large-scale market, and build a solid foundation for coping with changes and opening up new situations on the new journey.

"Practice has proved that medium- and long-term development plans can not only give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, but also better play the role of the government." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) attaches great importance to the role of the Five-Year Plan in better handling the relationship between the government and the market.

Through the preparation and implementation of the "15th Five-Year Plan," China will better play the role of an effective market and a promising government, improve the efficiency of resource allocation with an effective market, and make up for market failures with a promising government.

In the new five years, the power of innovation will be unstoppable.

Accurately grasp the new development stage, thoroughly implement the new development concept, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, and focus on promoting high-quality development - a main line profoundly shapes the entire process and all fields of China's economic and social development.

On July 7 this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) came to Shanxi Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. (山西阳泉阀门股份有限公司) for investigation and research.

In the production workshop, the General Secretary stopped to watch from time to time, learned in detail about the production and sales of products, and profoundly pointed out: "The real economy cannot be lost, and the traditional industries in the real economy cannot be lost. We must achieve transformation and upgrading through technological innovation."

"Placed in a more prominent strategic position," General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) high regard for developing new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions demonstrates the profound thinking of the navigator of the new era on high-quality development and the accurate grasp of the general trend of development and the trend of the times.

In the five years of hard work, China has its own independently developed high-performance chips and operating systems, artificial intelligence large models that empower thousands of industries, robots that greatly improve production efficiency, and the annual production of new energy vehicles has exceeded 10 million, and the development of drones, high-speed rail, and quantum technology is globally leading...

"Take technological innovation as the lead and the real economy as the foundation," "aim at the forefront of world science and technology, continue to work hard on strengthening basic research and improving original innovation capabilities, and seize the opportunity to tackle key core technologies and cutting-edge technologies," "coordinate the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent"...

Accumulating momentum, accumulating momentum, and planning momentum, facing the "15th Five-Year Plan," taking the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions as the starting point will drive industrial upgrading and system reform, and inject surging momentum into high-quality development.

In the new five years, the foundation of people's livelihood will continue to be consolidated.

From January 1, 2025, China will issue subsidies to infants and young children under the age of 3 who meet the requirements of laws and regulations. Childcare subsidies will be issued annually until the age of 3.

This is the first large-scale, universal, and direct cash subsidy for people's livelihood security issued to the masses since the founding of New China, which is based on the deep consideration of "investing in people" and the value orientation of "people first."

The new chapter of development is written in abundant materials and prosperous people, and thousands of homes are brightly lit.

Five years ago, the Party's plenary session document put forward important requirements for "common prosperity for all the people" for the first time; in the main indicators of the "14th Five-Year Plan," the category of people's well-being exceeded 1/3...

How to effectively make up for the shortcomings of public services? How to effectively solve the urgent and difficult problems of the people? How to steadily promote common prosperity?

Planning the development of the "15th Five-Year Plan" will make the achievements of modernization construction more and more fairly benefit all the people.

In the new five years, the foundation of confidence will become more and more firm.

The evolution of the century-old changes is accelerating, and the opportunities and challenges are unprecedented. Resolutely do our own thing well, and resolutely expand high-level opening up to the outside world; take multiple measures to stabilize employment, stabilize enterprises, stabilize the market, and stabilize expectations, and effectively stabilize the fundamentals of the economy; pay more attention to coordinating development and security, and guarantee the new development pattern with a new security pattern...

China's economic foundation is stable, has many advantages, is resilient, and has great potential. The supporting conditions and basic trends for long-term improvement have not changed. The advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, the advantages of the super-large-scale market, the advantages of the complete industrial system, and the advantages of abundant human resources are more prominent.

Chinese-style modernization has goals, plans, and strategies, and it will definitely be achieved.

The journey is vast, and the blueprint is re-laid. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) as the core, hundreds of millions of people have shown unprecedented historical initiative and historical creative spirit, united and worked hard, and will surely write a more magnificent chapter of Chinese-style modernization.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 19 (Reporter Zhao Chao (赵超), An Bei (安蓓), Xie Xiyao (谢希瑶), Wei Yukun (魏玉坤), Wang Yuxiao (王雨萧)))

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Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to Cheng Li-wen on Election as Kuomintang Chairman

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 19th. Xi Jinping (习近平), General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, sent a congratulatory message to Cheng Li-wen (郑丽文) on October 19th, congratulating her on her election as Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (中国国民党). He pointed out that over the years, the two parties have adhered to the "1992 Consensus" and opposed "Taiwan independence" on a common political basis, promoted cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, strived to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and enhanced the kinship and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait, with positive results. At present, the world is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is **势不可挡** (shì bù kě dǎng - "momentum cannot be stopped," irresistible). It is hoped that the two parties will adhere to the common political foundation, unite the vast number of Taiwan (台湾) compatriots, enhance their ambition, confidence, and strength as Chinese people, deepen exchanges and cooperation, promote common development, advance national reunification, firmly safeguard the common home of the Chinese nation, safeguard the fundamental interests of compatriots on both sides of the strait, and work together to create a better future for the Chinese nation.

On the same day, the newly elected Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (中国国民党), Cheng Li-wen (郑丽文), replied to General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), expressing her gratitude. She said that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait reached a consensus in 1992, each expressing adherence to the one-China principle in oral form. On the common political basis of adhering to the "1992 Consensus" and opposing "Taiwan independence," the two parties have promoted the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and achieved many historic achievements. Both sides of the strait are descendants of Yan and Huang (炎黄子孙) and belong to the Chinese nation. The two parties should, on the existing basis, strengthen cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, seek the greatest well-being for the people on both sides of the strait, and open up a grand future for the rejuvenation of the nation.

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Xi Jinping Sends Condolence Message to Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on the Passing of Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 19th. On October 19th, Chinese President Xi Jinping (习近平) sent a message of condolence to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru (石破茂) on the passing of former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (村山富市), expressing his condolences on the passing of Tomiichi Murayama (村山富市) and extending his sympathies to his family.

Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that Mr. Murayama (村山先生) was a Japanese politician with a sense of justice and an old friend of the Chinese people, who had long been committed to the cause of Sino-Japanese friendship. In 1995, as the then-Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Murayama (村山先生) issued a formal statement on historical issues, acknowledging and deeply reflecting on the history of Japan's war of aggression and colonial rule, and apologizing to the victimized countries. The spirit of the "Murayama Statement" should be adhered to. It is hoped that the Japanese side will meet the Chinese side halfway, 以史为鉴、面向未来 (yǐ shǐ wéi jiàn, miàn xiàng wèi lái - "take history as a mirror, face the future," learn from history to guide future actions), safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations, and work together to comprehensively promote the development of Sino-Japanese strategic and mutually beneficial relations.

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Sustained Efforts Transform "APEC Blue" into "Beijing Blue" (General Secretary's Concern, Tangible Results)

By: 本报记者 程 龙 潘俊强

Editor's Note: What is said must be done; this is a distinct characteristic of the Communist Party of China's governance.

"When something is said, there must be a response when it lands. We need to see how well it is implemented." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly emphasized that solid work leads to national prosperity and that implementation must be firmly grasped. In the closing year of the "14th Five-Year Plan," people have seen that beautiful blueprints have been refined into construction plans and transformed into real-life scenes, with "every matter having a resolution and every task receiving a response." Moving towards the next five years, it is necessary to plan and implement the "15th Five-Year Plan" goals and tasks well, and to "grasp implementation with a nail-driving spirit," ensuring that decisive progress is made in basically achieving socialist modernization.

Starting today, this newspaper will launch the column "General Secretary's Concerns: Echoes of Implementation" to showcase the vivid practices of various regions and departments in solidly promoting the implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions, record the new changes in various industries and the sense of gain of the broad masses, and gather strength for the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to forge ahead into the "15th Five-Year Plan."

"Some people say that the blue sky in Beijing (北京) now is 'APEC Blue,' beautiful and short-lived, and it will be gone after this period. I hope and believe that through unremitting efforts, APEC Blue can be maintained."

——November 10, 2014, President Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized at the welcoming banquet of the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

In previous years, whenever people saw a bright blue sky, they couldn't wait to take photos and share them. "Now it's commonplace, so we don't share them much anymore," said a Beijing (北京) citizen who used to be enthusiastic about sharing blue sky photos.

What efforts were made to go from "surprise" to "habit"?

The time goes back to February 2014, when Beijing (北京) was hit by smog, and the air pollution index "exploded" for days. When General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) inspected work in Beijing (北京), he clearly demanded: "For megacities like Beijing (北京), environmental governance is a systematic project that must be firmly grasped as a major practical matter for people's livelihood. Air pollution prevention and control is one of the most prominent problems facing Beijing's (北京) development."

In that same year, just after the beginning of winter, the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting was held in Beijing (北京), and the blue sky in Beijing (北京) was surprisingly beautiful. The term "APEC Blue" spread rapidly online and was also kept in mind by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平).

At the welcoming banquet, the General Secretary solemnly responded: "Some people say that the blue sky in Beijing (北京) now is 'APEC Blue,' beautiful and short-lived, and it will be gone after this period. I hope and believe that through unremitting efforts, APEC Blue can be maintained." "We are making every effort to control pollution with unprecedented intensity. I hope that Beijing (北京) and even the whole of China can have blue skies forever."

The same goal was mentioned on two important occasions. A tough battle to defend the blue sky began.

Beijing (北京) won this battle with "embroidered skills": PM2.5 source analysis, implementation of "coal-to-electricity" and "coal-to-gas," rectification of "scattered, disorderly, and polluting" enterprises, elimination of old vehicles... Each measure was precisely implemented. An integrated "sensing network" of air, space, and ground captured air pollutant concentrations in real time; atmospheric mobile monitoring vehicles monitored back and forth, and the pollution situation of the city's road network was fully captured.

Persistent efforts will surely be rewarded. "APEC Blue" has finally become the lasting "Beijing Blue (北京蓝)."

"In the past, we had to check the weather forecast before taking a walk. Now, when we open the curtains, we can often see the clear blue sky, and we feel particularly comfortable," said Mr. Zhang, who lives in Beijing's (北京) Dongcheng District (东城区).

From each playing their own tune to a symphony orchestra, this is not a battle of one city or region.

During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the joint prevention and control mechanism for air pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (京津冀) region and the surrounding "2+26" transmission channel cities was fully launched; in 2023, it was adjusted to "2+36" cities to further address the shortcomings in air pollution prevention and control.

Looking at the whole country, China has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, cumulatively eliminating 1 billion tons of outdated coal production capacity, 300 million tons of steel production capacity, and 400 million tons of cement production capacity, and increasing the proportion of new energy buses to more than 80%...

The determination and intensity are unprecedented, and the results are obvious to all. Since 2013, the number of heavily polluted days across the country has decreased by more than 90%; in 2024, the average concentration of PM2.5 in cities at the prefecture level and above will drop to 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, maintaining stability and meeting standards for five consecutive years.

The changes are directly reflected in a set of photos: Wang Ruchun (王汝春), a "sky photographer" in Shijiazhuang (石家庄) City, Hebei (河北) Province, has been taking photos of the same sky every day for 11 years, recording more than 4,000 photos. The name of the album has been changed from "Tracking Smog" to "Tracking Blue Sky."

Under the blue sky is a profound green transformation. In the new era, China has become the country with the fastest improvement in air quality in the world.

In 2020, China clearly proposed to strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. "Dual carbon" is the key word of this transformation. China is striving to reduce carbon emissions in development and achieve higher-quality development in carbon reduction. Some foreign scholars have commented that this "has important global significance."

The same blue sky connects the common destiny of mankind.

Signing memorandums of understanding on South-South cooperation to address climate change with more than 40 developing countries, providing 60% of the world's wind power equipment and 70% of photovoltaic module equipment... China is promoting international cooperation on climate change, and the results are visible and tangible.

On September 24, China announced a new round of nationally determined contributions at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, proposing that "a climate-resilient society will be basically built by 2035," demonstrating the responsibility of a major country. The persistent battle to defend the blue sky contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to promoting global ecological civilization construction.

At the 2024 National People's Congress, when talking about the details of the Beijing APEC meeting again, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) said firmly: "The weather was very good those few days. At that time, someone asked, is this 'APEC Blue' sustainable? I answered them that this is not a temporary blue sky, and it will be a permanent blue in a few years."

In 2024, the average PM2.5 concentration in Beijing (北京) is 30.5 micrograms per cubic meter, a decrease of 65.9% compared to 2013. Today, "blue sky has become the norm."

"I did not break my promise when I announced 'APEC Blue' to the world at the Beijing (北京) APEC meeting. I have achieved it." At this year's Central Urban Work Conference, the weight of the General Secretary's words is self-evident.

Blue sky has become the norm. This is an annotation of China's green development and a wealth shared globally.

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Leading the Future: What Did China Get Right?

By: 任仲平

(I)

At every critical historical juncture, the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) has always been able to scientifically grasp the historical orientation and changes in the situation, formulate correct political strategies and tactics, and guide the Chinese people to overcome countless risks and challenges, always staying at the forefront of the times.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party was held in Beijing (北京) from October 20 to 23 to study and formulate recommendations for the "15th Five-Year Plan," aiming to make top-level designs and strategic blueprints for the next five years of development and promote major breakthroughs in strategic tasks related to the overall situation of Chinese-style modernization.

"In the midst of a world of centennial changes, China provides stability and certainty." Understanding this important assertion by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), the Five-Year Plan is a unique perspective. Scientifically formulating and successively implementing the Five-Year Plan is an important way for our Party to govern the country and is an important "code" for understanding Chinese-style modernization.

Modernization embodies the Chinese nation's long-cherished aspirations and expectations. Since its establishment, all the struggles the Party has led the people in have been for the purpose of national rejuvenation. From the "First Five-Year Plan" to the "14th Five-Year Plan," the consistent theme has been to build our country into a socialist modern country, and although we have encountered various unexpected difficulties and setbacks, our will and determination have never wavered.

"Chinese-style modernization not only changes China's own development, but also changes the modernization process of the developing world," according to Martin Jacques, a well-known British scholar. Many scholars at home and abroad believe that China's Five-Year Plan is a model of long-term strategic planning, and this "long-termism" makes an innovative contribution to global development theory, becoming a key to understanding China's development path and the evolution of its global role.

In today's world of intertwined changes and chaos, why do people "see the future and see confidence in China"?

From a global perspective, Chinese-style modernization has solved at least two "impossible" problems.

-- It has completed the industrialization process that took Western developed countries hundreds of years in just a few decades, writing a new chapter in the dual miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability in the new era. This is an unprecedented creation in the history of human modernization.

-- It has lifted nearly 100 million rural poor people out of poverty in eight years, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty, and is committed to leading more than 1.4 billion people to modernization together. This is an unprecedented feat in the history of human social development.

These two "unprecedented" achievements have global significance, profoundly demonstrating that "our modernization is not only the most difficult, but also the greatest."

Turning the "impossible" into "definitely possible," why can China do it?

Charting the course and steering the ship. Both strategically planning and tactically focusing efforts. On September 26, 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, decisively deploying a package of incremental policies, which was hailed as "a milestone move in macro-control." During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Party Central Committee led hundreds of millions of people to fight battle after battle and overcome obstacle after obstacle, and the pace of Chinese-style modernization has been solid.

Ideological guidance. Profoundly answering the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times, and timely and scientifically answering new questions of the times. Deeply expounding the new development concept, making strategic decisions to build a new development pattern, and creatively proposing the theory of new quality productive forces... The theory of Chinese-style modernization reflects the direction of China's modernization development and is a major innovation in the theory and practice of world modernization.

Advancing in the logic of historical progress and developing in the trend of the times. It is precisely because of the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era that our Party has always grasped the laws of development and mastered the historical initiative.

Leading the future, what has China done right?

The great practice of promoting high-quality development, high-quality life, high-efficiency governance, and high-level openness in the new era contains vivid and profound answers.

(II)

Adhering to high-quality development is the unyielding principle of the new era, "responding to various uncertainties with the certainty of high-quality development," laying a solid material and technological foundation for promoting Chinese-style modernization. China has become a stable anchor for world economic growth and a leader in global green development.

"By 2035, China's net greenhouse gas emissions across the economy will be 7%-10% lower than the peak, and we will strive to do better. The proportion of non-fossil energy consumption in total energy consumption will reach more than 30%... A climate-adaptive society will be basically built." At the United Nations Climate Change Summit not long ago, President Xi Jinping (习近平) announced China's new round of nationally determined contributions.

Compared with the requirements of the Paris Agreement and reflecting the greatest efforts, the goal promised by China demonstrates its responsibility as a major country in addressing climate change.

**一诺千钧，言出必行** (yī nuò qiān jūn, yán chū bì xíng - "a promise is worth a thousand pounds, one's word must be kept," a promise carries immense weight and must be fulfilled). Where does the confidence come from?

It stems from high-quality development driven by the new development concept and supported by new quality productive forces, possessing strong momentum and a green foundation.

Green and low-carbon transformation is the trend of the times. Taking green and low-carbon development as the fundamental solution to ecological and environmental problems, China has embarked on a new path of modernization in which humans and nature coexist in harmony.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "We must take the road of scientific and technological innovation, implement the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education, promote the development of new quality productive forces, so that our country can always maintain the role of a pioneer in the tide of modern economy."

New quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces, which play a decisive role in promoting innovation in development methods.

From the annual production of new energy vehicles exceeding 13 million, to collecting the "three pearls on the crown" of the shipbuilding industry, to the number of national-level green factories reaching 6,430... During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with technological innovation leading industrial innovation and accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, the "green content" and "gold content" of China's economy have been improved simultaneously, and high-quality development has accumulated momentum and is full of power.

The recently released "2025 Global Innovation Index Report" shows that China has entered the top ten for the first time. Today's China adheres to the core position of innovation in the overall situation of modernization construction, with the total amount of human resources, the total amount of scientific and technological human resources, and the total number of R&D personnel ranking first in the world, becoming an innovation "source" and a "catalyst" for the accelerated landing of new technologies, realizing the leap from "world factory" to "global innovation center."

At the same time, China's ecological civilization construction has achieved world-renowned achievements, becoming a significant symbol of the great achievements and changes in the new era, making the distinctive feature of Chinese-style modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature more prominent.

As of September 18 this year, the cumulative transaction volume of allowances in the national carbon emission trading market reached 714 million tons; as of the end of August, the cumulative transaction volume in the national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market was 2.7061 million tons. These two markets are complementary and connected through a carbon offset mechanism, jointly forming China's complete carbon market system, realizing full coverage of emission reduction entities.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, guided by the "dual carbon" goals, and promoting carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth in a coordinated manner, China has built the world's largest renewable energy system and new energy industry chain, becoming one of the countries with the fastest reduction in energy consumption intensity in the world. International people exclaimed: "Vigorously developing green technologies and promoting sustainable economic development through green transformation, China is becoming a model of global sustainable development."

Adhering to the path of ecological priority and green development, China has "achieved a major transformation from a participant in global environmental governance to a leader," setting a new civilization benchmark for human modernization.

This year's two coordinates provide an important observation dimension --

One is the 20th anniversary of the concept that **绿水青山就是金山银山** (lǜ shuǐ qīng shān jiù shì jīn shān yín shān - "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," protecting the environment leads to economic benefits). Today, the "Two Mountains" concept has become the cornerstone of China's ecological civilization construction and has also illuminated a beacon of wisdom for global green development.

"China has integrated the 'Two Mountains' concept into all fields of ecological civilization construction, providing a convincing operational plan in terms of development methods." Andrew Schwartz, vice president of the American Institute of Ecological Civilization, believes that "this concept powerfully guides us towards a more sustainable and equitable future."

The other is the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. China adheres to carrying out green international cooperation, empowering world modernization with a modernization in which humans and nature coexist in harmony.

In Saudi Arabia, the Al Shuaiba photovoltaic power station built by Chinese enterprises sends clean electricity to thousands of households; in Africa, solar panels produced in China light up rural Zimbabwe... With continuous technological innovation and a complete production and supply chain system, China's green production capacity reduces the cost of global green transformation and makes important contributions to the global response to climate change.

Planning development from the height of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, leading the development of new quality productive forces with scientific and technological innovation, and supporting high-quality development with high-level protection, promoting the effective improvement of quality and the reasonable growth of quantity in green transformation, this is the key to China's leading the future.

(III)

Adhering to the people-centered development ideology, closely combining high-quality development with a high-quality life, and gathering tremendous strength for promoting Chinese-style modernization. China has the world's most growing ultra-large-scale market, and even more so, the most reliable, deepest, and most lasting source of strength.

Yushu (玉树), Qinghai (青海). In August this year, a special football match was held here -- a match between the Qingchao Star United Team and the Brazilian Galaxy Football United Team. Before the game, intangible cultural heritage dancers danced gracefully, and Khampa children galloped on horseback; after the game, foreign players went to the city's market to drink coffee, eat pizza, and dance samba and guozhuang together.

Both traditional and modern, both local and international, through the new Yushu (玉树), the world sees "a different China."

From large shopping malls to vegetable markets, one QR code can solve everything; hotel curtains are automatically sensed, equipment is voice-controlled, and there are robots delivering meals... The popularity of "China tours" continues to rise, and many foreign friends who travel to China are deeply impressed by China's "sense of technology" and "sense of the future."

Keenly grasping the historic changes in the main social contradictions in our country, organically unifying the solution of high-quality development problems with meeting the people's new expectations for a high-quality life, and creatively turning the process of solving the main social contradictions into a process of tapping development potential and enhancing development momentum. This is the creation of the Chinese Communists in the new era.

"The people's happiness and well-being is the ultimate goal of promoting high-quality development" "Closely combine high-quality development with meeting the people's needs for a better life"... General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important expositions reflect our Party's deepening understanding of the "three major laws" and demonstrate the consistency of adhering to the struggle for lofty ideals and seeking the interests of the broadest masses of the people.

Cities are important carriers for promoting high-quality development and creating a high-quality life.

Shanghai (上海), an important window for Chinese-style modernization. "Leaving the best resources to the people," Xuhui Riverside (徐汇滨江), old factories have become art galleries and green spaces; on both sides of the Huangpu River (黄浦江), the riverside space has become a "living room and stage" shared by citizens. Practicing the people's city concept, building a multi-level rental housing supply system of "one bed, one room, one apartment" to help more new citizens and young people realize their dream of settling down.

The Central Urban Work Conference was held twice in 10 years, from "one respect, five coordinations" to "one optimization, six constructions," from "taking a path of urban development with Chinese characteristics" to "taking a new path of urban modernization with Chinese characteristics"... China's urban development has achieved historic achievements, moving towards the goal of innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and intelligent modern people's cities.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the central government issued approximately 159.4 billion yuan in subsidies to support the renovation of old urban communities; issued approximately 60 billion yuan in subsidies to promote the construction of sponge cities, driving a total investment of 160 billion yuan... Taking the promotion of urban renewal as an important starting point and accelerating the connotative development of cities, the purpose is to "make it more convenient, comfortable, and better for the people to live in cities."

The most arduous and onerous tasks are still in the countryside, and the broadest and deepest foundation is still in the countryside.

The "Thousand Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousand Villages Renovation" Project (千万工程), a rural sample of Chinese-style modernization. On the land of Zhejiang (浙江), more than 20 years of continuous efforts have created thousands of beautiful villages, benefiting thousands of farmers, and the three articles of "strengthening cities," "revitalizing villages," and "integration" have been coordinated and advanced.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, from consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation, to connecting and promoting the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside, to solidly promoting coordinated regional development and integrated urban-rural development, the picture of "strong agriculture, beautiful countryside, and rich farmers" is constantly being drawn. Data show that the per capita disposable income of rural residents in poverty-stricken counties has increased by an average of 7.8% per year, which is higher than the average income growth rate of farmers nationwide; the ratio of urban and rural residents' income has decreased from 2.56:1 in 2020 to 2.34:1 in 2024.

It is necessary to enrich both the pockets and the minds.

From the popularity of Village Super League (村超) and Village Gala (村晚), to the "out-of-circle" success of Jiangsu Super League (苏超) and Zhejiang Basketball Association (浙BA), the spiritual and cultural needs of the people are soaring. From the vigorous growth of Ningxia (宁夏) Xiji (西吉) literature's "crops," to the blooming of amateur writers such as security guards and couriers in Dongguan (东莞), Guangdong (广东), the mass literature and art of the new era are flourishing, and the spiritual outlook of hundreds of millions of people has been renewed.

High-quality demand drives high-quality supply, and high-quality supply creates high-quality demand. A magnificent picture of development and people's livelihood is unfolding on the land of China.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the average annual contribution rate of consumption to economic growth reached about 60%. The Chinese economy has released continuous momentum, vitality, and resilience, and is accelerating the formation of a higher-level dynamic balance. With more than 1.4 billion people and more than 400 million middle-income groups, from survival-oriented to development-oriented and enjoyment-oriented, people's needs are diversified, multi-layered, and multi-faceted. This is the advantage and potential of our country's ultra-large-scale market.

The people's hearts are the greatest politics, containing a powerful driving force for creating history. The "2025 Edelman Trust Barometer" released in March this year shows that the Chinese people's trust in the government continues to lead the world, and the overall optimism about the future also ranks first in the world.

A two-way rush between a high-quality life and high-quality development. Today, the Chinese people's yearning for a better life is constantly becoming a reality, and under the leadership of the Party, they are writing the great history of China's development in the new era with full confidence.

"We must adhere to the people-first concept and highlight the people-oriented nature of modernization" "Let modernization better respond to the people's demands and multi-level needs in all aspects." This is the source of strength for China's leading the future.

(IV)

Adhering to the overall planning of development and security, "promoting the benign interaction between high-efficiency governance and high-quality development and high-level security," providing a strong guarantee for Chinese-style modernization to move forward steadily and far. China has become "one of the safest countries in the world recognized by the world" while achieving "an extraordinary economic transformation in human history."

"We have established the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reforms as improving and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities, focusing on consolidating the foundation, giving play to advantages, making up for shortcomings, and strengthening weaknesses, and continuously consolidating and developing the significant advantages of our country's socialist system and improving institutional competitiveness."

In July this year, the fifth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" was published and distributed. In-depth study of this important work can better understand the mysteries of "China's governance."

Some international people believe that "China's governance model can better provide stability, prosperity, and freedom for the people." Practice tells us that China's realization of social harmony and stability and long-term national stability and security depends on the system and on our superb ability in national governance. Since the new era, a systematic, complete, scientific, standardized, and effective institutional system has gradually matured and taken shape, and institutional advantages have been better transformed into national governance effectiveness.

The rule of law consolidates the foundation, stabilizes expectations, and benefits the long term.
On May 20 this year, the Law on Promoting the Private Economy officially came into effect, writing the adherence to the "two unwavering commitments" into law for the first time, clarifying the legal status of the private economy for the first time, which foreign media hailed as "a milestone."

More than 20 years ago, Xi Jinping (习近平), then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, scientifically expounded the theory of the "Sweet Potato Economy," profoundly pointing out that "we must jump out of Zhejiang (浙江) to develop Zhejiang, and while vigorously introducing various factors, we must reach out to other provinces and countries, and use external resources and external markets to achieve greater development."

From the "Sweet Potato Economy" theory leading the way to the Law on Promoting the Private Economy escorting it, China's private economy has continued to grow and strengthen, with registered private enterprises accounting for more than 90% of the total number of enterprises nationwide. The growth history of the vital force in advancing Chinese-style modernization reflects the progress of the construction of the rule of law in China.

The market is the most scarce resource, and the rule of law is the best business environment. Implementing the Foreign Investment Law stimulates foreign investment enthusiasm; issuing the "Regulations on Fair Competition Review" strengthens rigid constraints... Deepening the construction of a unified national market, the rule of law creates a strong magnetic field to attract global resources and factors.

Building the foundation of the rule of law, exercising the power of the rule of law, and accumulating the momentum of the rule of law provide an important guarantee for Chinese-style modernization.

The people's calls are answered by the government. The "15th Five-Year Plan" (十五五) preparation work launched an online solicitation of opinions, receiving more than 3.11 million suggestions from netizens, vividly interpreting the whole-process people's democracy as "the broadest, most genuine, and most effective." Improving the institutional system of whole-process people's democracy, improving the working mechanism for absorbing public opinion and gathering public wisdom, uniting the strengthening of top-level design and adhering to seeking advice from the people, and uniting the strengthening of top-level design and adhering to seeking advice from the people, we will gather a strong synergy to promote Chinese-style modernization.

Governing the country and ensuring its stability depend on the grassroots. From Beijing (北京) exploring and forming experiences and practices such as "responding to appeals immediately," to Tongcheng, Anhui (安徽桐城), promoting the "New Era Six-Foot Lane Work Method"... Adhering to and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" (枫桥经验) in the new era, improving the social governance system of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing, consolidating the foundation of social harmony and stability, and advancing the construction of a safe China to a higher level.

Digital intelligence empowers efficient governance. Chongqing (重庆), equipped with a "digital brain," has "one map control" of city-wide event hidden danger risks, and city governance achieves "second-level response"; Shanghai (上海), promoting the construction of digital courts, has full-process supervision of "one case," radiating to the professional trial of "one type of case," extending to the collaborative governance of "one area problem"... Replacing manpower with computing power, increasing efficiency with intelligence, and the construction of digital China promotes smarter and more precise governance.

Standing at the forefront of the digital age, China actively shares digital governance experience and promotes the inclusive plan for artificial intelligence capacity building. In September this year, China announced that it will set up a "Special Fund for Digital Capacity Building" under the Global Development Fund in the next five years to support the "Digital South" brand of the Global Development Initiative. At a time when individual superpowers are "leaving the group," China's "open source modernization" is injecting new impetus into underdeveloped countries.

"The West always tries to explain China's rapid development in the past 40 years with 'miracles,' but ignores the systematic design behind it. Long-term vision, pragmatic innovation, this is the wisdom that China brings to the world." Julio Ceballos, a Spanish writer who lived in China for 18 years, recorded his thoughts on China's governance in his book.

Today, the "Chinese path" is becoming wider and wider, the "Chinese governance" is showing more superiority, and the "Chinese theory" is radiating a strong moral force.

"Adhering to the concept of systems, we must take into account the overall situation and implement dialectical policies, and properly handle major relationships such as economy and society, government and market, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, development and security." This is a powerful guarantee for China to lead the future.

(V)

Adhering to expanding high-level opening up to the outside world, unswervingly following the path of peaceful development, and expanding greater development space for Chinese-style modernization. China leads the era trend of global common opening up and is pinned with "lasting hope for the future."

On September 5, 2024, President Xi Jinping (习近平) solemnly announced at the opening ceremony of the Beijing (北京) Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation: granting 100% tariff-free treatment to products from all least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, including 33 African countries. In June this year, China announced that it would expand zero tariffs to 53 African countries with diplomatic relations.

Today, South African wine, Nigerian cocoa beans, Algerian olive oil... these commodities from Africa are crossing the ocean at lower costs and approaching Chinese consumers. China takes the initiative to unilaterally expand market opening, becoming the first major developing country and major world economy to implement this measure, with the aim of promoting the Chinese market to become a major opportunity for Africa.

Opening up is a distinct symbol of Chinese-style modernization. Promoting reform and development through opening up is an important magic weapon for China's continuous achievement of new achievements. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" (十四五) period, despite the high winds and waves of external challenges, and the rampant "decoupling and breaking chains" and "small yard high walls," China has always adhered to high-level opening up to the outside world, and constantly provided new opportunities for the world with China's new development.

This is a vivid interpretation of "to go with China is to go with opportunities, to believe in China is to believe in tomorrow, and to invest in China is to invest in the future." Data shows that China has attracted more than 100 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investment for 15 consecutive years. As of July this year, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's actual use of foreign investment totaled 714.87 billion U.S. dollars, and a total of 235,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established, an increase of 32,000 compared with the "13th Five-Year Plan" (十三五) period. Foreign-invested enterprises contribute 1/3 of China's import and export volume, 1/4 of its industrial added value, and 1/7 of its tax revenue, creating more than 30 million jobs.

Some foreign media bluntly stated: "Giving up the Chinese market is equivalent to giving up the growth ticket for the next 10 years." Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said: "China advocates open trade and firmly believes in the contribution of trade and investment to development, which is a very important model for development in the 20th and 21st centuries."

This is a powerful practice of "China's door to opening up will not be closed, it will only open wider and wider." During this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, national border inspection agencies guaranteed a total of 751,000 inbound foreigners, of which 535,000 entered under the visa-free policy, an increase of 19.8% and 46.8% respectively compared with the same period last year. At present, China has implemented a 240-hour transit visa-free policy for 55 countries including the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, from continuously reducing the negative list for foreign investment access and completely "clearing" access restrictions in the manufacturing sector, to implementing the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" with high quality; from 22 free trade pilot zones constructing a "goose array" covering the east, west, north, and south, to the Hainan (海南) Free Trade Port entering the sprint stage for full island customs closure operation... China's breadth, intensity, and depth of opening up continue to increase.

From November 5 to 10 this year, the 8th China International Import Expo will be held in Shanghai (上海). This national-level expo "is a major decision made by China to promote a new round of high-level opening up to the outside world, and a major measure for China to take the initiative to open its market to the world."

With open and win-win as its distinct characteristics, China's economic ship is forging ahead, becoming a model of global inclusive development.

This is the courageous commitment to "make greater contributions to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind." High-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" gathers the peaceful development dreams of more than 150 countries, becoming the international cooperation platform with the widest scope and largest scale in the world today, allowing Laos (老挝) to change from a "landlocked country" to a "land-linked country," giving Southeast Asia (东南亚) high-speed railways, giving the Maldives (马尔代夫) its first cross-sea bridge, and giving sub-Saharan Africa (撒哈拉以南非洲地区) its first tower molten salt solar thermal power station...

At the SCO Tianjin (天津) Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed a global governance initiative aimed at promoting countries to work together to build a more just and reasonable global governance system. This is another important international public product contributed by China to the world in the new era, following the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.

With the world in mind, we achieve ourselves and benefit others.

From the "historical answer" of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to the "era answer" of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) takes making new and greater contributions to mankind as its mission, seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, as well as seeking progress for mankind and seeking common ground for the world. Chinese-style modernization does not pursue self-improvement alone, but adheres to solidarity and common prosperity.

Taking the people's heart as our heart, and taking the world's interests as our interests. Today's China firmly stands on the right side of history, on the side of fairness and justice, and has become a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a maintainer of international order, and a provider of public goods.

"Chinese-style modernization is a modernization that follows the path of peaceful development. China will always be a force for peace, stability, and progress in the world." This is the popular aspiration for China to lead the future.

(VI)

"The future of mankind depends largely on China," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

From being placed "outside of world history" to leading the trend of world development, Chinese-style modernization has opened up a new road for mankind to move towards modernization and created a new form of human civilization with the broad road of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable! The noble cause of human peace and development will surely be victorious!" General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) solemnly declared.

Having traveled through thousands of mountains and rivers, we still need to wade through mountains and rivers.

This is the historical coordinate of the journey of dreams -

There are only 10 years left to basically achieve the goal of modernization, and only more than 20 years left to fully build a strong socialist modern country. Time waits for no one, urging people to forge ahead.

This is the mobilization order for forging ahead -

Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a great cause unprecedented in history. We must "plan and implement the goals, tasks, and strategic measures of the '15th Five-Year Plan' well, and ensure that decisive progress is made in basically achieving socialist modernization."

The road is as smooth as a whetstone, and the trend is like a tide. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, we will fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, maintain strategic focus, enhance the confidence to win, and stimulate the spirit of striving for every minute and never slackening. The future must belong to us! Victory must belong to us!

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A Family Embraces a Smart New Life (A Glimpse of Development in the 14th Five-Year Plan)

By: 本报记者 王崟欣

Highlights

From 2020 to 2024, the average annual growth of residents' service consumption expenditure was 9.6%.

In Minhang District (闵行区), Shanghai (上海), Tao Duoduo (陶多多) and her husband finally have a small home of their own.

For the new house decoration, all the home appliances were carefully selected by the couple—smart air conditioners, smart door locks, smart toilets, robot vacuum cleaners, integrated cooking centers... There is only one standard: "Intelligentization, freeing hands whenever possible!"

Tao Duoduo gets off work at around 6 p.m. On the way home from the company, while waiting for the traffic light, she takes out her mobile phone and checks the status of her puppy through the home camera: "The little guy is already spinning around at the door." Tao Duoduo smiles, and her pace becomes even lighter.

There are many express deliveries piled up at the door. Picking up the deliveries, Tao Duoduo no longer needs to fumble around to free her hands to find the key to open the door. She swipes her face in front of the door lock—with a "click," the door opens, and the puppy excitedly pounces on her. In the kitchen, the integrated cooking center has already steamed corn and egg custard according to the operation on the mobile phone. After a busy day, she is really a little hungry. After taking a shower, Tao Duoduo throws the dirty clothes into the washing machine and turns on the video software on her mobile phone, watching the latest variety show while eating.

The dishwasher is washing dishes in the kitchen, the washing machine is washing clothes on the balcony, and the robot vacuum cleaner is sweeping the floor in front of her... Tao Duoduo enjoys this time: "Housework becomes easier, and happiness is full."

During the half year of decoration, in order to buy her favorite home appliances, she and her husband ran to various shopping malls every weekend. They did their homework online and looked at the real objects offline. What functions do the products have? Are they smart enough to use? This is what they care about most, and it is also the question that many young families ask the most. More and more consumers, like them, are willing to buy new products with relatively higher prices.

"Smart homes save time and bring a better life." Tao Duoduo frankly said, "After work and on weekends, it is not easy to relax, and I really don't want to be trapped in housework." With the time saved, Tao Duoduo started a side business and regularly goes to the gym to exercise. What follows is a healthier body and a more positive life state.

The good experience of smart homes has also prompted the couple to replace their car with a new one. Tao Duoduo exclaimed that it is "too good" to replace the traditional fuel car with a new energy one—if there is any problem, call the voice assistant to get the answer; for difficult parking spaces, automatic parking is better than her own...

The consumption experience of this small family is a microcosm. Data from the State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局) shows that in the first three quarters of this year, the sales growth of smart home products was relatively fast. For example, the sales revenue of the service consumption robot manufacturing industry, such as robot vacuum cleaners, increased by 75% year-on-year; and the sales of new energy vehicles increased by 30.1% year-on-year.

Changes in consumption not only occur in hardware. "In the past, I thought membership was expensive, and I would not open it if I could, but now I open as many as I can." Tao Duoduo counted, there are video memberships on more than one platform, making it easier to follow dramas; music platform memberships bring a better experience; listening to audiobooks in leisure time helps to increase knowledge; and shopping software memberships really save money... Tao Duoduo's smart toilet was bought online after comparing prices from various sources during the decoration. With membership discounts and consumer coupons, she saved a lot of money. Customized travel, monthly gym packages, insuring the puppy... The proportion of service consumption in this small family's expenditure is getting higher and higher.

"Today's products are increasingly understanding consumers, and my consumption concept is also synchronized with the development of the times. Intelligent products, experiential consumption... These achievements of social development and progress have changed daily life," said Tao Duoduo.

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The biggest change is the shift in consumption habits.

By: 陶多多

Looking back at the consumption bills of the past few years, the biggest change is not how much was spent, but the change in consumption concepts.

In my student days, I was reluctant to get a membership, but now information services have become a fixed monthly expense; I am more willing to invest money in experiential consumption such as travel, performances, food, and sports and fitness; when buying home appliances, I am more inclined to pay for intelligence; I am more rational and focused on knowledge payment.

The biggest shift in consumption concept is towards new energy vehicles. Previously, I took a wait-and-see attitude, worrying about its range, safety, and residual value; now, after personally experiencing the advantages of new energy vehicles in terms of usage cost, driving experience, and intelligence, I can't help but recommend others to try them. Good products can really reshape perceptions.

Although I am willing to pay for intelligence, service, and experience, current consumption is more rational and streamlined, making money spent more "worth it." Within my capabilities, I want to live a quality life and also ensure that things are "expensive" for a reason.

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Huge potential in service consumption (Expert commentary)

By: 洪 勇

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with the renewal of service consumption scenarios and the activation of service consumption potential, residents' service consumption expenditure achieved rapid growth. From 2020 to 2024, residents' service consumption expenditure increased by an average of 9.6% per year.

Service consumption is linked to the economy on one end and people's livelihoods on the other. Expanding service consumption is an important means to vigorously boost consumption and comprehensively expand domestic demand. It is also an inherent requirement to improve people's well-being and meet their needs for a better life.

With the continuous release of market potential, the continuous upgrading of consumption structure, and the continuous acceleration of industrial development, there is broad space for expanding service consumption. China has the world's largest middle-income group, with a large market space and good growth potential, especially in the fields of elderly care, childcare, and medical health. At the same time, the acceleration of new urbanization and the citizenization of more agricultural transfer populations have driven new consumption demands for education and training, cultural entertainment, and residential services. The accelerated application of new technologies such as mobile payment, the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality in the service sector has also injected new vitality into expanding service consumption.

(The author is Wang Ke (王珂), Associate Researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (商务部研究院). This article was compiled based on an interview by a reporter from this newspaper.)

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A Reform Brings New Changes to Medical Care (Livelihood Stories from the "14th Five-Year Plan")

By: 本报记者 田先进

Highlights

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the direct settlement rate for cross-provincial hospitalization reached approximately 90%.

In the evening, a restaurant in Wanzhi District, Wuhu City (芜湖市), Anhui Province (安徽省), welcomes its peak customer flow. In the kitchen, Wu Keyun (吴可云), the restaurant operator and chef, is busy preparing dishes, with one delicious stir-fry after another coming out of the wok.

Despite the hard work, Wu Keyun is increasingly motivated: "My daughter's health is constantly improving, so I need to work even harder."

Several years ago, Wu Keyun's family's peaceful life was disrupted when their daughter, Xiao Rui (小蕊) (pseudonym), was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. After careful consideration, the couple decided to have Xiao Rui receive systematic treatment at Nanjing Children's Hospital (南京市儿童医院) in Jiangsu Province (江苏省).

Wu Keyun is unable to leave his restaurant, so his wife, Wang Zhongyun (王忠云), mainly takes their daughter to Nanjing (南京). "At first, we went once a week. After the condition was brought under control, we gradually reduced the frequency to once every two weeks, once a month, and then once every three months, with each treatment lasting 3 to 5 days," Wang Zhongyun said. Each time, after completing the hospitalization procedures, she had to rush back home to take care of her younger son, and then pick up her daughter after the treatment was over.

"It's quite tiring to seek medical treatment in another place, and reimbursement is also inconvenient," Wang Zhongyun recalled. Each time after being discharged from the hospital, they had to pay the full amount first, bring back the invoice, discharge summary, and other materials, and then have the child's father run the reimbursement process. Sometimes, when they were too busy, Wu Keyun would only go for reimbursement once every three or four months, with the longest interval being 11 months.

In addition to being time-consuming, laborious, and having complicated procedures, the delayed reimbursement of money also increased the burden on the patient's family. "After all the materials and procedures are completed, it takes more than ten days for the reimbursement funds to be credited to the card," Wang Zhongyun said. The family's source of income relies on running the restaurant, and fortunately, they had some savings. During the period of greatest expenditure, they gritted their teeth and got through it.

"Wu Keyun's family's situation is still relatively good. Some patients with chronic diseases have to come for reimbursement every time they see a doctor, otherwise the financial pressure for the next visit will be very high," Song Sen (宋森), deputy director of the Wanzhi District Branch of the Wuhu City Medical Security Management Service Center (芜湖市医疗保障管理服务中心湾沚区分中心), told reporters.

The turning point occurred in 2022. The "Notice on Further Improving the Direct Settlement of Basic Medical Insurance for Cross-Provincial Outpatient Services" was issued, formulating unified national standards and clarifying the "prior registration, selection of designated institutions, and medical treatment with code and card" management service process for cross-provincial medical treatment.

"The doctor told me that according to the policy of direct settlement for cross-provincial medical treatment, I can apply for cross-provincial medical treatment registration, and then I can directly settle the bill when I go to Nanjing for treatment, which saves a lot of trouble." Hearing the news, Wang Zhongyun was very happy and quickly took the doctor's referral form and related materials to apply at the offline window.

"Simply put, after completing the cross-provincial medical treatment registration, Xiao Rui can directly swipe her medical insurance card or present her medical insurance code to settle the bill when she is hospitalized or receives outpatient treatment at a designated hospital in Nanjing. She doesn't need to pay the full amount first and then return to Wuhu (芜湖) for reimbursement, and the reimbursement ratio is also higher than when she is not registered," Song Sen explained. Now, patients can directly register on their mobile phones in a few minutes without having to go to the offline window.

Xiao Rui's condition has been well controlled, and she only needs to go to the hospital for regular check-ups. "We will face everything more positively and optimistically, and life will definitely become happier and happier," Wang Zhongyun said.

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Good policies bring warmth to people's hearts.

By: 王忠云

As parents, our greatest concerns are the health and safety of our children. Our daughter's illness was a significant blow to our small family. However, with the care of relatives, friends, and doctors, our child has fought tenaciously against the illness, and her condition is steadily improving.

We are the most direct beneficiaries of medical insurance reform—direct cross-provincial settlement of medical expenses makes seeing a doctor more convenient and reduces financial pressure, truly and genuinely helping patient families.

Good policies warm people's hearts. With the improvement of medical technology, I believe my daughter will receive even better treatment.

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The People's Appraisal Is Both Praise and Encouragement (Editor's Notes)

By: 祁嘉润

"Good policies warm people's hearts." Wang Zhongyun's (王忠云) words are both praise and encouragement. Direct settlement of cross-provincial medical expenses – ordinary people find it difficult to understand the strict and complex operational logic behind it, but the masses truly feel the convenience it brings. Without advance payments and reduced errands, it effectively alleviates the burden of medical treatment. Such policies that truly solve the urgent needs and concerns of the masses are good policies.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, cross-provincial direct settlement of outpatient chronic and special diseases went from zero to ten types; the direct settlement rate for cross-provincial hospitalization reached about 90%; cross-provincial direct settlement of medical treatment in different places has cumulatively reduced the advance payments of insured people by 590 billion yuan... More convincing than data are the praises from countless ordinary people like Wang Zhongyun (王忠云). This heavy sense of gain felt by the masses is the greatest value of the policy.

Development is for the people. Looking ahead to the "15th Five-Year Plan," focusing on the difficulties in the process of medical treatment for the masses, continuously improving various measures based on needs, and striving to use an increasingly sound medical insurance system to build a stronger and stronger health barrier for the masses.

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Ensure decisive progress in achieving socialist modernization.

By: 新华社记者

History is writing a new chapter.

From October 20th to 23rd, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing (北京). The meeting will review the "Suggestions of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," outlining a blueprint for China's development in the next five years.

From 2021 to 2025, the "14th Five-Year Plan" period is the first five years for China to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society, achieve the first centenary goal, and then take advantage of the situation to start a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and march towards the second centenary goal. With concerted efforts and overcoming difficulties, China's economic and social development has achieved new groundbreaking progress, breakthrough changes, and historic achievements.

From 2026 to 2030, focusing on comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a crucial period for consolidating the foundation and fully exerting efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization.

A consistent theme, an unwavering original aspiration, and a relay of struggles.

The new journey of the "15th Five-Year Plan" is about to begin. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core will unite and lead the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to strive for the comprehensive construction of a strong socialist modern country and the realization of the second centenary goal, and will surely ensure decisive progress in basically achieving socialist modernization and create a new situation in Chinese-style modernization.

Navigating and Orienting: Steering Overall Development to Create New Historical Achievements

As the "14th Five-Year Plan" draws to a close, the construction of the "two networks" has attracted particular attention:

One is the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, with the completion rate of the "6 axes, 7 corridors, and 8 channels" main framework exceeding 90%;

The other is the national water network, with a coverage rate expected to reach 80.3% by the end of 2025.

Governing a large country requires a solid foundation. Water networks and road networks, spanning thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, connecting the benefits of all directions, and meeting the needs of the people, are all major events related to modernization.

In 2021, the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan," while leading the Chinese people to strive towards the first centenary goal, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has already set his sights on the second centenary goal.

In May of that year, in Nanyang (南阳), Henan (河南), the General Secretary conducted a special investigation on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project: "The construction of the water network will be another century-long picture scroll for the Chinese nation in the history of water management"; in July, in Nyingchi (林芝), Tibet (西藏), the General Secretary visited the Nyingchi Railway Station (林芝火车站), an important hub of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway (川藏铁路), to learn about the overall plan of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the construction and operation of the Lhasa-Nyingchi section, requiring "the construction of this landmark project in the process of achieving the second centenary goal."

The "14th Five-Year Plan" period is the first five years for China to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society and then take advantage of the situation to strive for the realization of the second centenary goal. It is a crucial period for China to seize rare opportunities, withstand various challenges, and expand new space for development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Ensure a good start and a good step for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country."

Over the past five years, a magnificent picture scroll of beautiful mountains and rivers and prosperous times has been painted and slowly unfolded.

This journey inspires progress: China's total economic volume has successively crossed the thresholds of 110 trillion yuan, 120 trillion yuan, and 130 trillion yuan, and is expected to reach about 140 trillion yuan by the end of 2025, with an average annual growth of 5.5%. The per capita GDP has exceeded 13,000 US dollars for two consecutive years, and China's average annual contribution to world economic growth has remained at about 30%...

This era is surging with innovative vitality: The 102 major projects determined in the "14th Five-Year Plan" are progressing smoothly, and China has stood on one innovation high ground after another for "major country weapons." The intensity of R&D investment has increased to 2.69%, making it the first country in the world to have more than 4 million domestic valid invention patents...

This picture depicts a beautiful China: "Greening" the most in the world, with the forest coverage rate increasing to more than 25%; the proportion of days with good air quality in cities at the prefecture level and above is stable at about 87%; the main streams of the Yangtze River (长江) and Yellow River (黄河) have reached the second-class water quality standards; the installed capacity of new energy power generation has historically exceeded thermal power, and the world's largest clean power generation system has been built...

This answer sheet is permeated with people's well-being: More than 12 million new urban jobs are created every year, the average life expectancy has increased to 79 years, the world's largest education system, social security system, and medical and health system have been built, the coordinated development of urban and rural areas has made significant progress, and the common prosperity of all people is advancing step by step...

Over the past five years, hundreds of millions of people have worked hard, and the world has witnessed one highlight moment after another in China in the new era:

A grand celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), declaring the comprehensive completion of a moderately prosperous society; the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大), making strategic arrangements for comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization; the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届三中全会), planning further comprehensive deepening of reforms; celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China; solemnly commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War...

"Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a great cause unprecedented in history. Aspirations and challenges inspire us to seize the day and never slacken our efforts." General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) words are affectionate and heroic.

This is five years of guiding the way forward with scientific theory.

On October 29, 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的十九届五中全会) reviewed and approved the "Suggestions of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035."

Standing at the historical intersection of the "two centenary goals," this plenary session took into account the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the 2035 long-range goals, outlining the logical main line for China's future economic and social development:

"The theme of economic and social development during the '14th Five-Year Plan' period should be to promote high-quality development," "Accurately grasp the new stage of development, thoroughly implement the new development concept, and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern."

In October 2022, the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大) clearly stated: "High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country."

The innovative breakthroughs in theory and practice are stirring on the new journey of the new era.

High-quality development requires new productivity theories to guide it. In 2023, during his inspection in various localities, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) first proposed new quality productive forces, and since then made systematic expositions and major deployments on multiple occasions, profoundly answering major theoretical and practical questions such as "what is new quality productive forces, why develop new quality productive forces, and how to develop new quality productive forces."

Over the past five years, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has profoundly expounded a series of major theoretical and practical issues of Chinese-style modernization, providing fundamental guidance for economic and social development.

Deeply practice the concept that green waters and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, and promote the green transformation of economic and social development;

Empower economic and social development with culture, with humanities and economy complementing each other and values coexisting;

Coordinate development and security, and further consolidate the security foundation of food, energy, industry, national defense, etc.;

Promote the common prosperity of all people, from theoretical improvement to demonstration exploration, and gradually turn dreams into reality...

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is constantly enriched and developed in the magnificent practice of hundreds of millions of people, inspiring the deepest and most powerful force for forging ahead on a new journey.

This is five years of leading high-quality development with a grand blueprint.

On October 9 this year, the headquarters of China Huaneng (中国华能) and China Sinochem (中国中化) officially moved to Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区).

In May 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) went to Xiong'an New Area (雄安新区), Hebei (河北), for the third time to inspect the new city, which "has entered the stage of large-scale construction and undertaking the relocation of Beijing's non-capital functions." He earnestly instructed: "We must not be impetuous, nor can we wait and rely on others. We must work hard and persevere."

From "a piece of land" to "a map" to "a city," the future city bearing the millennium plan is striding forward.

Draw a blueprint to the end, and do it one after another.

"Our understanding of time is calculated in centuries and millennia," "For urgent matters, we must act immediately and seize the opportunity, and we must not be slow and procrastinate. For long-term tasks, we must maintain strategic focus and patience, adhere to drawing a blueprint to the end, and persevere."

The grasp of fast and slow, and the belief in time, carry the historical responsibility and era responsibility of Chinese Communists.

Rolling the goals and tasks of the five-year plan into the annual plan, various macro policies work together, dynamic monitoring, mid-term evaluation, summary evaluation... The "14th Five-Year Plan" carries the national development orientation, strategic focus, and policy measures for five or even fifteen years, and it is necessary to ensure the implementation of phased goals and tasks.

Over the past five years, special symposiums have been held many times focusing on regional development strategies, with consistent strategic direction and policy deployment keeping pace with the times; adhering to the core position of innovation in the overall situation of China's modernization construction, focusing on high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement for a long time; unswervingly comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, and constantly expanding the breadth and depth... Once you see it, you must seize it and never let go, and grasp it to the end to achieve results.

Foreign media published articles pointing out that among the main indicators of China's "14th Five-Year Plan" and the 2035 long-range goals formulated five years ago, many indicators have progressed in line with or even exceeded expectations.

This is five years of responding to changes and opening up new situations in the face of storms and challenges.

Strengthening export control of rare earth-related items, implementing export control of superhard materials and other related items, and collecting special port service fees for ships to the United States... Recently, China has introduced a series of measures in response to US pressure.

Talk, the door is open; fight, accompany to the end. Some observers pointed out that China's more calm and resilient response demonstrates a more solid foundation and stronger strength.

There must be key choices at critical moments. Over the past five years, facing various risks, challenges, and uncertainties, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has steered the course at critical junctures time and time again, leading the giant ship of China through turbulent waves.

In the face of the sudden century-long epidemic, making timely and scientific decisions, giving full play to the institutional advantages of socialism's ability to concentrate efforts on major tasks, and effectively coordinating epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development;

In the face of the constantly escalating external suppression and containment, concentrating efforts on doing our own things well, and insisting on placing the development of the country and the nation on the basis of our own strength;

In the face of the difficulties and confusions encountered in the development of the private economy, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) attended a symposium on private enterprises and delivered an important speech, profoundly clarifying a series of fundamental and directional issues concerning the development of the private economy;

In response to the risk of returning to poverty, we will unremittingly consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and firmly hold the bottom line of preventing large-scale return to poverty for a long time...

In the second and third quarters of 2024, the growth rate of China's main economic indicators declined, market expectations weakened, and worries at home and abroad spread to some extent.

On September 26 of that year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) deployed a package of incremental policies, which was hailed as "a milestone in macro-control."

Since the beginning of this year, macro policies have continued to exert efforts and increase efforts in a timely manner, playing a "combination punch" of policies; vigorously boosting consumption and improving investment efficiency, and expanding domestic demand in all directions; comprehensively promoting the construction of a unified national market, and comprehensively rectifying "involutionary" competition... China's economy grew by 5.3% year-on-year in the first half of the year, continuing the trend of steady improvement.

Looking back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," facing one major challenge after another, China has withstood the pressure and withstood the test, and Chinese-style modernization has taken a big step forward.

Seizing the Opportunity: Scientifically Planning the "15th Five-Year Plan" for Economic and Social Development

First time among the top ten in the Global Innovation Index! Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou (深圳—香港—广州) jumped to the top of the global innovation cluster list!

The "2025 Global Innovation Index Report" recently released by the World Intellectual Property Organization gave China a bright "score."

"This progress reflects that the combination of China's strategic investment in science and technology, scientific research and development, and entrepreneurial ecosystem is achieving concrete results in various fields," foreign media commented.

"The most essential feature of building a new development pattern is to achieve a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement," "We must recognize this issue from the height of whether we can survive and develop, and comprehensively strengthen the deployment of scientific and technological innovation." In January 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out profoundly at the special seminar for leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的十九届五中全会).

Over the past five years, China has taken scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement as the strategic support for national development, and comprehensively shaped new advantages for development.

In April 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) came to Shanghai's (上海) "Model Speed Space" large model innovation ecological community to conduct research, once again focusing on scientific and technological innovation.

At the subsequent symposium on economic and social development in some provinces, autonomous regions, and cities during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the General Secretary emphasized "adapting to changes in the situation, grasping strategic priorities, and scientifically planning the economic and social development during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period."

Grasp contemporary China with solid research, and view the reality of the country with strategic thinking. The five-year plan connects the past, present, and future, anchoring the coordinates, main axis, and direction for the development of a large country.

In October 2022, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (党的二十大) was held in Beijing (北京).

"From now on, the central task of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups across the country to comprehensively build a strong socialist modern country, achieve the second centenary goal, and comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization."

On the new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, China will strive to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035 through the efforts of the "14th Five-Year Plan," "15th Five-Year Plan," and "16th Five-Year Plan," realizing the first step of the "two-step" strategic arrangement.

The "15th Five-Year Plan" is a crucial five years that connects the past and the future, and it is also the first five-year plan that the Party Central Committee has begun to formulate after embarking on a new journey.

On this new key journey, China's development environment faces profound and complex changes, with strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexisting, and more uncertain and unpredictable factors.

Thinking about the present and planning for the future, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core profoundly grasps the laws of historical development, scientifically examines the times and trends, crises and opportunities on the road of development, and plans the course of the giant ship of China during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

"We must accurately grasp the phased requirements of the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, focus on the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, closely focus on the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization, and reasonably determine the goals and tasks and propose ideas and measures in one field after another," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) diagnosed and oriented.

From detailed questions and deep thinking in inspections and research to profound expositions at important meetings, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) coordinated the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the major changes unseen in a century in the world, and put forward a series of clear requirements focusing on reform, development, and stability, laying out the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

On July 30 this year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) held a meeting and decided to hold the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) in Beijing (北京) in October this year.

Less than two months later, the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (中共中央政治局) held on September 29 put forward the requirements for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period: "We must adhere to the Party's overall leadership," "Adhere to the people first," "Adhere to high-quality development," "Adhere to comprehensively deepening reform and expanding high-level opening up," "Adhere to the combination of an effective market and a capable government," "Adhere to coordinating development and security."

This is a summary and refinement of existing practices, and it is also an enlightenment and guidance for future development, pointing out the fundamental guidelines for China's economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and even longer.

Those who observe the situation are wise, and those who control the situation win.
To cope with the complex changes in the external environment, "we must prospectively grasp the impact of the development and changes in the international situation on our country, and adjust and optimize the economic layout in accordance with the trend";

In the face of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, "we must place the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions in a more prominent strategic position";

In response to the new expectations of the people, it is necessary to "take benefiting the people as the fundamental value orientation, adhere to guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood in development, and steadily promote common prosperity";

To plan the country as a whole, each region "must accurately position itself in the overall national situation and strengthen planning coordination";

…………

A series of strategic guidelines profoundly grasp the characteristics of the times and the laws of development, and lay a solid foundation for Chinese-style modernization in planning for the long term.

The people are the creators of history.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) profoundly pointed out: "Good guidelines, policies and development plans should conform to the people's will and meet the people's needs and expectations, coming from the masses and going to the masses."

In the preparation of the "15th Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly given important instructions, emphasizing that "we must adhere to scientific decision-making, democratic decision-making, and law-based decision-making, and unite top-level design with seeking advice from the people," and "extensively and deeply understand public sentiment, listen to public voices, gather public wisdom, and unite the powerful force for promoting Chinese-style modernization."

"Build a foreign exchange platform for high-quality artificial intelligence talents," "optimize the policy of enrolling children of migrant workers in nearby schools," "promote traditional culture into campuses"... In the online solicitation of opinions for the preparation of the "15th Five-Year Plan" carried out from May 20 to June 20 this year, the majority of netizens actively participated, and a total of more than 3.11 million suggestions were received, providing valuable references for the preparation of the "15th Five-Year Plan."

Some foreign media published articles saying that China's "15th Five-Year Plan" preparation widely listens to public opinion, "The combination of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) and actively listening to the demands of the people has proven to be a major advantage of China's political system."

Those who are united in purpose will win. On the new journey, by fully stimulating and uniting the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, Chinese-style modernization will have the most reliable, deepest, and most lasting source of power.

Seize the opportunity and ride the momentum.

"We must closely focus on the central task of the Party in the new era and new journey, plan and implement the goals, tasks, and strategic measures of the '15th Five-Year Plan,' and ensure that decisive progress is made in basically realizing socialist modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) said with determination and confidence.

Forge Ahead and Promote Chinese-Style Modernization to Go Steady and Far

On the coast of the South China Sea (南海), the wind is strong and the tide is surging.

On December 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自由贸易港) will usher in an important historical moment - the full island customs closure operation.

On December 18, 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的十一届三中全会) opened a new historical period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization. Choosing this day to start the customs closure operation further declares to the world China's firm determination and confidence in deepening reform and opening up.

Observe the situation and set the anchor, and move forward against the wind.

"15th Five-Year Plan," in the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation (中华民族), in the era of accelerating evolution of the world's unprecedented changes in a century, what kind of five years will it be?

In the new five years, the road of reform will become wider and wider.

On July 18, 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届三中全会) deliberated and approved the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization," and the clarion call for further comprehensively deepening reform in the new era and new journey resounded throughout the land of China.

"By the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国) in 2029, the reform tasks proposed in this decision will be completed" - more than 300 reform measures will be fully completed within the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, continuously enhancing the development momentum and social vitality for Chinese-style modernization.

Chinese-style modernization is constantly advancing in reform and opening up, and it will surely open up broad prospects in reform and opening up.

On July 1, 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) presided over the sixth meeting of the Central Finance and Economics Commission (中央财经委员会第六次会议) to study the in-depth promotion of the construction of a unified national market and put forward the basic requirements of "five unifications and one opening":

Unify the basic market system, unify market infrastructure, unify the scale of government behavior, unify market supervision and law enforcement, unify the market of factor resources, and continue to expand domestic and foreign opening up.

Each basic requirement points to a better handling of the relationship between the government and the market, which will leverage deeper reforms, continuously cultivate and stimulate the advantages and potential of the ultra-large-scale market, and build a solid foundation for coping with changes and opening up new situations on the new journey.

"Practice has proved that the medium- and long-term development plan can not only give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, but also better play the role of the government." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) attaches great importance to the role of the five-year plan in better handling the relationship between the government and the market.

Through the preparation and implementation of the "15th Five-Year Plan," China will better play the role of an effective market and a promising government, improve the efficiency of resource allocation with an effective market, and make up for market failures with a promising government.

In the new five years, the power of innovation will be unstoppable.

Accurately grasp the new development stage, thoroughly implement the new development concept, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, and focus on promoting high-quality development - a main line profoundly shapes the entire process and various fields of China's economic and social development.

On July 7 this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) came to Shanxi Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. (山西阳泉阀门股份有限公司) to inspect and research.

In the production workshop, the General Secretary stopped to watch from time to time, learned in detail about the production and sales of products, and profoundly pointed out: "The real economy cannot be lost, and the traditional industries in the real economy cannot be lost. We must achieve transformation and upgrading through scientific and technological innovation."

"Placed in a more prominent strategic position," General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) high regard for developing new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions demonstrates the profound thinking of the navigator of the new era on high-quality development and the accurate grasp of the general trend of development and the trend of the times.

In the five years of hard work, China has its own independently developed high-performance chips and operating systems, artificial intelligence large models that empower thousands of industries, robots that greatly improve production efficiency, and the annual output of new energy vehicles has exceeded 10 million, and the development of drones, high-speed rail, and quantum technology is globally leading...

"Take technological innovation as the lead and the real economy as the foundation," "aim at the forefront of world science and technology, continue to work hard on strengthening basic research and improving original innovation capabilities, and seize the key core technologies and cutting-edge technologies," "coordinate the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent"...

Accumulating momentum, accumulating momentum, and planning momentum, facing the "15th Five-Year Plan," taking the development of new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions as a starting point will drive industrial upgrading and system reform, and inject surging momentum into high-quality development.

In the new five years, the foundation of people's livelihood will continue to be consolidated.

From January 1, 2025, China will issue subsidies to infants and young children under the age of 3 who meet the provisions of laws and regulations for childbirth. Childcare subsidies will be issued annually until the age of 3.

This is the first large-scale, universal, and direct cash subsidy for people's livelihood security issued to the masses since the founding of New China (新中国), which is based on the deep consideration of "investing in people" and the value of "people first."

The new chapter of development is written in abundance and prosperity, and in the lights of thousands of homes.

Five years ago, the important requirement of "common prosperity for all people" was put forward for the first time in the documents of the Party's plenary session; in the main indicators of the "14th Five-Year Plan," the category of people's well-being exceeded 1/3...

How to effectively make up for the shortcomings of public services? How to effectively solve the urgent difficulties and anxieties of the people? How to steadily promote common prosperity?

Planning the development of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the achievements of modernization will benefit all people more and more fairly.

In the new five years, the foundation of confidence will become more and more firm.

The evolution of the century-old changes is accelerating, and the opportunities and challenges are unprecedented. Resolutely do our own things well, and unswervingly expand high-level opening up to the outside world; take multiple measures to stabilize employment, stabilize enterprises, stabilize the market, and stabilize expectations, and effectively stabilize the fundamentals of the economy; pay more attention to coordinating development and security, and guarantee the new development pattern with a new security pattern...

China's economic foundation is stable, has many advantages, is resilient, and has great potential. The supporting conditions and basic trends for long-term improvement have not changed. The advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, the advantages of the ultra-large-scale market, the advantages of the complete industrial system, and the advantages of abundant human resources are more prominent.

Chinese-style modernization has goals, plans, and strategies, and it will surely be realized.

The journey is vast, and the blueprint is re-expanded. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) as the core, hundreds of millions of people have burst out with unprecedented historical initiative and historical creative spirit, uniting their minds and efforts, and forging ahead in unity, and will surely write a more magnificent chapter of Chinese-style modernization.

(Xinhua News Agency (新华社), Beijing (北京), October 19, reporters Zhao Chao (赵超), An Bei (安蓓), Xie Xiyao (谢希瑶), Wei Yukun (魏玉坤), Wang Yuxiao (王雨萧))

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"Open China Brings Huge Opportunities for World Economic Development" (International Figures View China's "14th Five-Year Plan" Achievements)

This year marks the final year of the "14th Five-Year Plan." Over the past five years, China has achieved new pioneering progress, breakthrough changes, and historic achievements in its economic and social development, from realizing the first centenary goal to embarking on a new journey towards the second centenary goal, and from building a moderately prosperous society in all respects to promoting common prosperity for all the people. International figures interviewed by this newspaper stated that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's economic aggregate continuously crossed multiple thresholds, and China's sustained high-quality economic development has made positive contributions to global economic recovery and growth, becoming the most stable, reliable, and active force in world economic development.

"The Chinese economy contains strong resilience and lasting vitality"

Firmly ranking as the world's largest manufacturing country, with the output of more than 200 major industrial products ranking first in the world, having built the largest number of 5G base stations in the world, and possessing the world's largest research and development team... During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's economic aggregate continuously crossed the thresholds of 110 trillion yuan, 120 trillion yuan, and 130 trillion yuan, and is expected to reach about 140 trillion yuan this year. These "firsts," "mosts," and "largests" demonstrate that China's economic and social development is accelerating the realization of a huge transformation from quantitative change to qualitative change, from low-end to mid-to-high-end, and from a follower to a leader. Facing the severe changes in the international environment and other multiple difficulties and challenges, the Chinese economy has maintained a stable and progressive development trend, and has achieved outstanding achievements in fields such as scientific and technological innovation, demonstrating strong vitality and resilience.

"In the past few years, China's economic aggregate has continued to grow, which is extremely rare in the context of the current global economic uncertainty." Marcos Pires (马科斯·皮雷斯), Director of the Institute of Economics and International Studies at São Paulo State University in Brazil, said, "During the '14th Five-Year Plan' period, China's economic increment is expected to exceed 35 trillion yuan. China's economy is not only large in scale, but also has sufficient development momentum, and has achieved remarkable achievements in improving development quality and optimizing industrial structure, playing an important role in global economic recovery and growth."

"China has been a major contributor to global economic growth in recent years, and the Chinese economy contains strong resilience and lasting vitality." Alexey Kulynch (阿列克谢·库利尼奇), Associate Professor at the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia, said that facing a complex and severe international trade environment, the Chinese economy has maintained a positive trend of steady growth. One of the key factors for China to achieve high-quality development is to adhere to innovation-driven development. At present, the scale of China's emerging industries continues to expand, and fields such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, high-tech manufacturing, and new energy industries are accelerating their development, promoting China to become an important manufacturing and technological power, and the driving force of innovative development is constantly enhanced.

Klaus Heinrich Raditio (克劳斯·海因里希·拉迪蒂奥), a scholar at Driyarkara School of Philosophy in Indonesia, said that as the world's largest manufacturing country, China's competitiveness and innovation in high-end manufacturing such as new energy vehicles and smart hardware manufacturing are constantly increasing, making important contributions to regional and global economic development. China continues to promote the construction of a new development pattern, better combining the advantages of the domestic market and international cooperation opportunities, and further releasing economic vitality.

Rapid growth in service consumption, with trendy toy economy and digital technology driving new consumption... Gadiija Brown (加迪贾·布朗), Special Economic Advisor to the Vice President of South Africa, noted that in the past four years, the average contribution rate of final consumption expenditure to China's economic growth reached 56.2%, an increase of 8.6 percentage points compared with the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, and new products, new business forms, and new models in the consumption field are emerging one after another. Brown said that at present, expanding domestic demand plays a more important role in China's economic growth. Through special actions to boost consumption, consumers are willing to buy higher-quality products and services, "which not only promotes the development of retail, digital services and other industries, but also brings more opportunities to trade and investment partners."

"Laying a solid foundation for social stability and long-term development"

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has built the world's largest education system, social security system, and medical and health system; the consolidation rate of compulsory education and the participation rate of basic old-age insurance and basic medical insurance are both above 95%; the newly added operating mileage of high-speed railways exceeds 10,000 kilometers; fresh products can be delivered from the fields to residents' tables "on the same day" or "the next day"... These great achievements show that the results of China's economic development and technological progress are being truly transformed into the people's sense of gain and happiness.

From Beijing (北京) to Shanghai (上海), it only takes more than 4 hours to arrive by high-speed rail. Haider Rubai (海德尔·鲁拜伊), Chairman of the Iraqi-Chinese Friendship Association, told reporters about his experience of visiting China not long ago: "The journey was very pleasant, and I saw the beautiful scenery of China from cities to villages. I found that China's economic development and the improvement of people's livelihood are mutually reinforcing. Large-scale infrastructure construction has changed the daily lives of the people, allowing them to truly enjoy the fruits of development." He also noted that the average life expectancy of Chinese people has reached 79 years old, "This achievement is due to the improvement of China's public health system, the improvement of medical standards, and the comprehensive development of the economy and society."

"Since 2016, I have traveled to China twice every year, witnessing China's development and changes in the past 10 years." Stéphane Parizot (斯特凡·帕里佐), a French expert on international issues, was particularly impressed by his visit to Chengdu (成都), Sichuan (四川). "Chengdu has full of economic development momentum, and is famous for its food and culture, and is becoming an important tourism and exchange center in China and even the world." He believes that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's urban construction has made great progress, especially the improvement of the environment and the substantial improvement of medical security levels, and the public security also satisfies the people.

Pires said that China's investment and reform in education, medical care, health and other aspects, the improvement of education coverage, the expansion of the medical service system, and the expansion of social security coverage have significantly improved the quality of people's lives, especially the progress in the construction of the medical system and elderly care services, "laying a solid foundation for social stability and long-term development."

"China's high-speed rail has created remarkable achievements that have attracted worldwide attention." Anonh Drattana (阿农德), Deputy General Manager of Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd., said that China's high-speed rail network not only improves transportation efficiency, but also accelerates the urbanization process and promotes the flow of resources and economic development. "China's logistics industry is highly developed, promoting the development of e-commerce and other industries." Anonh said that the development of China's transportation industry also provides development experience for other countries.

"The result of the unremitting efforts of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government"

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's contribution to world economic growth has remained at around 30%. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has become a road to common prosperity for the world, the "circle of friends" for unilateral visa-free entry has expanded to 47 countries, "China tours" and "China shopping" continue to heat up, and cultural "new three items" such as online dramas, online literature, and online games are increasingly influential overseas... China vigorously promotes independent opening-up and unilateral opening-up, and its international influence and appeal have significantly increased. More and more countries are learning from China's solutions and China's experience.

Kulynch said that in the context of many challenges facing world economic recovery and multilateral cooperation, China adheres to high-level opening-up to the outside world, steadily expands institutional opening-up in rules, regulations, management, standards, etc., shares super-large market opportunities with various countries, and promotes the construction of an open world economy. "The international community is full of confidence in China's development prospects and expects China's high-quality economic development to inject more new impetus into the sustainable development of the world economy."

"China's rich natural and cultural resources, modern urban landscape, and local specialties are loved by Thai tourists." Li Renliang (李仁良), Associate Professor at the National Institute of Development Administration in Thailand, said that Thailand and China mutually exempted visas in March last year, which greatly promoted personnel exchanges between the two countries. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has reduced the negative list for foreign investment access twice, and continued to relax foreign investment access restrictions in agriculture, service industries and other fields, which shows China's firm determination to promote investment liberalization and facilitation and promote global opening-up and cooperation.

Ahmed Talabik (艾哈迈德·塔拉比克), a columnist for the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, said that from 2021 to May this year, foreign direct investment in China totaled 4.7 trillion yuan, exceeding the total amount during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, which fully proves the strong attractiveness of the Chinese market. "An open China brings huge opportunities for world economic development. Foreign-funded enterprises have not only obtained generous returns in China, but also made important contributions to China's economic growth, and promoted the stability and development of global industrial and supply chains," Talabik said.

"China's development practice shows that the road to modernization is not just a 'single model', and Chinese-style modernization has gained widespread support from the Global South." Brown said, "The improvement of China's international influence and appeal is the result of the unremitting efforts of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) and the Chinese government (中国政府), and it is also the international community's widespread recognition of China's development achievements. China deeply participates in global governance, actively advocates mutual benefit and win-win results, provides valuable stability for world economic development, and also expands the space for cooperation between South Africa and China in science and technology, medical care, digital economy and other fields."

(Reported on October 19 from Beijing (北京), Rio de Janeiro (里约热内卢), Moscow (莫斯科), Jakarta (雅加达), Johannesburg (约翰内斯堡), Dubai (迪拜), Paris (巴黎), Bangkok (曼谷), and Cairo (开罗) by reporters Li Xinyi (李欣怡), Chen Yiming (陈一鸣), Xiao Xinxin (肖新新), Cao Shiyun (曹师韵), Zheng Xiang (郑翔), Guan Kejiang (管克江), Shang Kaiyuan (尚凯元), Yang Yi (杨一), and Huang Peizhao (黄培昭))

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Writing a New Chapter in the Global Development of Women's Cause (International Forum)

By: 玛丽娜·拉古什

The Global Women's Summit held in Beijing (北京) has written a new chapter in the global women's cause, injecting new impetus into promoting global gender equality and the comprehensive development of women, and contributing new strength to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women of the United Nations was held in Beijing (北京). The conference adopted the "Beijing Declaration" (北京宣言) and the "Platform for Action" (行动纲领), which became a milestone in the development of the global women's cause. Over the past 30 years, China's women's cause has made remarkable achievements. We can learn about the relevant situation through the white paper "China's Practice and Achievements in Promoting the Comprehensive Development of Women in the New Era" recently released by China. This is inseparable from President Xi Jinping's (习近平) emphasis on and support for the women's cause: he has attended the National Women's Congress of China three times in a row, and has made a series of important expositions on related work on various occasions, charting the roadmap for the development of China's women's cause.

Specifically, China has built a legal system based on the Constitution, with the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests as the main body, including more than 100 laws and regulations, providing continuous and improved legal protection for women's rights and interests. The All-China Women's Federation (中华全国妇女联合会) has been actively carrying out activities for a long time, playing an important role in promoting the development of the women's cause. At present, Chinese women are playing an important role in national and social activities. During my many visits to China, I met many female deputies to the National People's Congress (人大代表) and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (政协委员). They are leaders in different industries and actively contribute their wisdom and strength to national construction and social development. It is worth mentioning that statistics show that the proportion of female graduate students in China has exceeded that of men, and women's right to higher education has been effectively guaranteed, injecting new vitality into China's continuous strengthening of its competitive advantage in many cutting-edge technology fields. At present, women account for more than half of the entrepreneurs in China's Internet field, and women account for about one-third of new business forms such as digital trade, e-commerce, and live broadcasting. Last year, more than 14,000 women obtained vocational skill level certificates as artificial intelligence trainers.

What is even more impressive is that China is actively promoting the development of the global women's cause and helping more countries achieve common progress in the women's cause. At present, China has carried out friendly exchanges with women's organizations and institutions in more than 140 countries around the world. China holds women's conferences within the cooperation frameworks of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (亚太经合组织), the Group of Twenty (二十国集团), BRICS (金砖国家), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (上海合作组织), deeply participates in women's field cooperation under relevant mechanisms, focusing on issues such as poverty reduction and development, employment and entrepreneurship, and education empowerment, and is committed to sharing its rich experience in achieving the relevant goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China has also made joint statements on promoting and protecting women's rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council (联合国人权理事会) on many occasions, promoted the adoption of relevant resolutions, and cooperated with relevant United Nations organizations and specialized agencies to share China's experience in promoting women's development, injecting new impetus into the development of the global women's cause.

What cannot be forgotten is that about 10% of women worldwide still live in extreme poverty, and more than 600 million women and girls are deeply mired in conflict and war. The important public goods such as the Global Governance Initiative proposed by China will create a more peaceful, secure, and sustainable development environment for women to emerge from the shadows. President Xi Jinping (习近平) recently announced a series of pragmatic measures, including a donation of US$10 million to UN Women over the next five years. I hope that these measures will help all parties move towards the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind and jointly create a better future for mankind.

(The author is the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia)

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Understanding and trust are the foundation.

By: 本报记者 刘 赫

Not long ago, Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a German automotive economics expert and director of the Center Automotive Research (CAR) at the University of Duisburg-Essen, experienced autonomous taxi services in Wuhan (武汉), Hubei Province. "The driving process was smooth and seamless, like sitting on a flying carpet, full of a sense of the future." Dudenhöffer said in an exclusive interview with this reporter, this experience made him look at China's intelligent vehicle industry with new eyes.

During this visit to China, Dudenhöffer visited Hubei (湖北), Guangdong (广东) and other places, experiencing the latest achievements of China's intelligent travel and high-tech enterprises. He said that the technical strength of China's autonomous driving companies is "amazing." Whether it is traffic light recognition or smooth driving under complex road conditions, it demonstrates China's advantages in the field of autonomous driving.

In Shenzhen (深圳), Dudenhöffer visited the headquarters of Huawei (华为). "This is a unique company that impressed me deeply." He said that in the process of in-depth exchanges with Huawei employees, he could feel Huawei's pragmatic and open corporate culture and work atmosphere. In his opinion, the innovative spirit and forward-looking layout shown by Chinese technology companies are important forces driving the rapid rise of related industries.

Dudenhöffer has repeatedly stated in public in recent years that China's automotive industry is at the forefront of the world, leading the transformation of the global automotive industry. "China has the world's largest automobile market and is vigorously promoting the development of the electric vehicle industry, which is very admirable." He said, "China's proposal of the 'dual carbon' goal, and the transformation to electric vehicles is a reflection of keeping this commitment."

Dudenhöffer emphasized that China's breakthrough in the power battery industry has global significance. "CATL (宁德时代), BYD (比亚迪), Guoxuan High-tech (国轩高科) and other companies have become world-leading battery suppliers with innovation and large-scale development. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other German car companies are working closely with them to enhance the competitiveness of their electric vehicles."

"With the synergistic development of lidar, semiconductors and artificial intelligence, China is building a complete ecological chain of intelligent vehicles." Dudenhöffer admitted, "The super brain of the future automotive industry will come from China."

A report by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) pointed out that Chinese cars perform well in several EU car safety tests, with mature battery technology, reasonable cruising range and excellent manufacturing quality. "The success of China's automotive industry is due to establishing a long-term strategy and adhering to 'long-termism'." Dudenhöffer said, "This is exactly what Germany and the EU should learn from." He pointed out that Chinese companies can provide European companies with technical support in batteries, autonomous driving, etc., and European companies can provide Chinese companies with experience in improving chassis performance, "European and Chinese companies can integrate their respective advantages to achieve greater results, which is a wise choice."

Dudenhöffer said that China continues to release positive signals in terms of visa-free policies and market opening, creating convenient conditions for European companies to expand the Chinese market, "This will bring more cooperation opportunities." He bluntly said, "In the current complex international environment, working with Chinese counterparts will be a huge advantage for the European automotive industry." He believes that "there is no 'magic formula' for international cooperation, understanding and trust are the foundation. Strengthening cooperation between Europe and China will pave a 'golden road' for the development of the automotive industry."

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Tie Ning Attends Opening Ceremony of Seminar for African Women Parliamentarians

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 19th. Tie Ning (铁凝), Vice Chairperson of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the Seminar for African Women Parliamentarians held by the National People's Congress in Beijing (北京) on the 19th. She stated that President Xi Jinping's (习近平) keynote speech at the Global Women's Summit, proposing China's (中国) proposals to accelerate the new process of women's comprehensive development, has aroused enthusiastic response. China (中国) is willing to work with all parties to implement the results of the Global Women's Summit and the Beijing (北京) Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation from the perspective of legislative bodies, strengthen friendly exchanges between legislative bodies, enhance exchanges of experience in governance, improve the legal guarantee of women's rights and interests, and work together to build a community of common destiny for mankind.

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Providing impetus for the development of global free zones

By: 本报记者 董泽扬

As the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) is about to officially launch full island customs clearance operations, the 11th World Free Zones Organization (世界自由区组织) Annual International Conference & Exhibition was recently held at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center (海南国际会展中心), with industry representatives and experts from over 70 countries and regions participating. Participating guests believe that free zones are powerful engines for economic growth, industrial diversification, and sustainable development. As an important gateway for China's opening up, the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) fully demonstrates its development potential as a modern free zone.

This is the first time the conference has been held in China. The theme of the conference is "Free Zones: Gateways to Global Prosperity, Trade and Sustainable Innovation." World Free Zones Organization (世界自由区组织) Chairman Mohammed Alzarooni (穆罕默德·阿扎鲁尼) said that as China's free trade port, Hainan (海南) has demonstrated to the world the importance of institutional innovation, green economy, digital transformation, and global cooperation. Holding the conference here is of special significance for promoting global free zone cooperation and exchange.

"Free zones are transforming from 'promoters of trade' to 'builders of more resilient architectures.' Modern free zones are more like ecosystems where financial, logistics, and other factors flow freely," said James Zhan (詹晓宁), Chairman of the Executive Committee of the World Investment Conference.

In the promotional video played before the opening ceremony, the economic development and opening-up achievements of the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) were presented one by one. In the opening promotion before the thematic forum, green and low-carbon initiatives, duty-free shopping malls, cross-border e-commerce, and other projects were showcased in turn. At the conference, introductions to the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) were ubiquitous, not only attracting participating guests to take photos and check in but also becoming a "primer" for exploring cooperation opportunities.

Martin Ibarra (马丁·伊巴拉), President of Araujo & Ibarra International Business Consulting (阿劳霍·伊巴拉国际商务咨询公司) in Colombia, said that he came to China in the 1980s to investigate how special economic zones, including Shenzhen (深圳), promoted trade cooperation through incentives. At this conference, he gained an in-depth understanding of Hainan's (海南) achievements in green energy development, data center construction, and other aspects, and looks forward to reaching cooperation in related fields in the future.

Jochen Knecht (约亨·克内希特), CEO of Dubai International Free Zone Authority (迪拜国际自由区管理局) in the United Arab Emirates, said: "We very much welcome investment from China. Hainan (海南) is also attracting foreign investment through institutional opening-up. We hope that we can have in-depth exchanges in establishing international partnerships and creating a stable business environment."

The conference achieved a number of cooperation results. Representatives from free zones in Angola, Argentina, and other countries, together with representatives from Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) parks such as Haikou Fuxing City Internet Information Industry Park (海口复兴城互联网信息产业园), jointly signed a memorandum of understanding to promote cross-border data flow cooperation. The World Trade Centers Association (世界贸易中心协会) plans to introduce more international brands to Hainan (海南) to further build a global distribution center for high-end consumer brands.

At the closing ceremony of the conference, the World Free Zones Organization (世界自由区组织) issued the *Hainan Declaration on Special Economic Zones in the 21st Century* (二十一世纪经济特区海南宣言), proposing to systematically sort out and share the experience of China's special economic zone construction and to conduct joint research on the integration of special economic zones into global trade agreements. "The conference allowed participating guests to further understand the construction experience of the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港), provided assistance for the development of global free zones, promoted and strengthened the connections between various free zones, and enhanced the international influence of the Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港)," said Chi Fulin (迟福林), President of the China (Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute (中国（海南）改革发展研究院).

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Photo Report

The first phase of the 138th Canton Fair closed on October 19th. This Canton Fair established a service robot zone, introducing dozens of industry-leading companies, focusing on the frontier of service robots, covering humanoid robots, exoskeleton robots, spherical inspection robots, photovoltaic cleaning robots, education robots and other categories, with both technical foresight and mature commercial applicability, attracting many global business organizations and leading buyers to visit and negotiate. The picture shows visitors taking photos with humanoid robots in the service robot zone of the 138th Canton Fair on October 15th.

Xinhua News Agency Reporter Lu Hanxin (卢汉欣) photo

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The International Conference on Zhu Xi Thought and Dialogue among Civilizations & The 4th Kaoting Forum Held

Nanning, October 19th (Reported by Liu Xiaoyu (刘晓宇)) On October 18th, the Zhu Xi (朱熹) Thought and Global Civilization Dialogue Conference and the 4th Kaoting Forum, co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), the International Confucian Association (国际儒学联合会), and the People's Government of Fujian Province (福建省人民政府), was held in Nanping City (南平市), Fujian Province (福建省). With the theme of "Promoting the contemporary value of Zhu Xi (朱熹) culture and promoting mutual learning and coexistence of global civilizations," the conference set up four major themed activities: the opening ceremony and keynote reports, the parallel sub-forums of the 4th Kaoting Forum, the themed round-table salon, and the "Academy Culture" academic investigation and collection of folk customs and dissemination, aiming to promote in-depth exchanges between scholars from different disciplines, generations, and cultural backgrounds.

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Sustained Efforts Transform "APEC Blue" into "Beijing Blue" (General Secretary's Concern, Tangible Results)

By: 本报记者 程 龙 潘俊强

Editor's Note: What is said must be done; this is a distinct style of governance of the Communist Party of China.

"When something is said, we must hear the echo of its implementation and see how well it is being carried out." General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly emphasized the importance of practical work to build the country and the need to vigorously implement policies. In the closing year of the "14th Five-Year Plan," people have seen that beautiful blueprints have been refined into construction plans and transformed into real-life scenes, with "every matter being settled and every issue receiving a response." Moving towards the next five years, it is necessary to plan and implement the "15th Five-Year Plan" goals and tasks well, and "grasp implementation with a nail-nailing spirit," ensuring that decisive progress is made in basically achieving socialist modernization.

Starting today, this newspaper will launch the column "General Secretary's Concerns: Echoes of Implementation" to showcase the vivid practices of various regions and departments in earnestly promoting the implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important instructions, record the new changes in various industries and the sense of gain of the broad masses, and gather strength for the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to forge ahead into the "15th Five-Year Plan."

"Some people say that the blue sky in Beijing (北京) now is 'APEC Blue,' beautiful and short-lived, and it will be gone after this period. I hope and believe that through unremitting efforts, 'APEC Blue' can be maintained."

——November 10, 2014, President Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized at the welcome banquet of the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

In previous years, people couldn't wait to take photos and share them whenever they saw a clear blue sky. "Now it's commonplace, so we don't share them much anymore," said a Beijing (北京) citizen who used to be enthusiastic about sharing blue sky photos.

What efforts were made to go from "surprise" to "habit"?

Time goes back to February 2014, when Beijing (北京) suffered from smog, and the air pollution index "exploded" for days. When General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) inspected work in Beijing (北京), he clearly demanded: "For megacities like Beijing (北京), environmental governance is a systematic project that must be firmly grasped as a major practical matter for people's livelihood. Air pollution prevention and control is one of the most prominent problems facing Beijing's (北京) development."

In the same year, just after the beginning of winter, the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting was held in Beijing (北京), and the blue sky in Beijing (北京) was surprisingly beautiful. The term "APEC Blue" spread rapidly online and was also kept in mind by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平).

At the welcome banquet, the General Secretary solemnly responded: "Some people say that the blue sky in Beijing (北京) now is 'APEC Blue,' beautiful and short-lived, and it will be gone after this period. I hope and believe that through unremitting efforts, 'APEC Blue' can be maintained." "We are making every effort to control pollution with unprecedented intensity. I hope that Beijing (北京) and even the whole of China can have blue skies forever."

The same goal was mentioned on two important occasions. A tough battle to defend the blue sky was launched.

Beijing (北京) won this battle with "embroidered skills": PM2.5 source analysis, implementation of "coal-to-electricity" and "coal-to-gas," rectification of "scattered, disorderly, and polluting" enterprises, elimination of old vehicles... Each measure was precisely targeted. An integrated air-space-ground "sensing network" captures air pollutant concentrations in real time; mobile atmospheric monitoring vehicles monitor back and forth, and the pollution situation of the city's road network is fully captured.

Persistent efforts will surely be rewarded. "APEC Blue" has finally become a lasting "Beijing Blue (北京蓝)."

"In the past, we had to check the weather forecast before taking a walk. Now, when we open the curtains, we can often see the clear blue sky, which makes us feel particularly comfortable," said Mr. Zhang (张先生), who lives in Beijing's (北京) Dongcheng District (东城区).

From each playing their own tune to a symphony orchestra, this is not a battle of one city or one region.

During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the joint prevention and control mechanism for atmospheric pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (京津冀) region and the surrounding "2+26" transmission channel cities was fully launched; in 2023, it was adjusted to "2+36" cities to further address the shortcomings in atmospheric pollution prevention and control.

Looking at the whole country, China has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, cumulatively eliminated 1 billion tons of outdated coal production capacity, 300 million tons of steel production capacity, and 400 million tons of cement production capacity, and increased the proportion of new energy buses to more than 80%...

The determination and intensity are unprecedented, and the results are obvious to all. Since 2013, the number of heavily polluted days across the country has decreased by more than 90%; in 2024, the average concentration of PM2.5 in cities at the prefecture level and above will drop to 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, maintaining a stable standard for five consecutive years.

The changes are directly reflected in a set of photos: Wang Ruchun (王汝春), a "sky photographer" in Shijiazhuang City (石家庄市), Hebei Province (河北), has been taking photos of the same sky every day for 11 years, recording more than 4,000 photos. The album name has been changed from "Tracking Smog" to "Tracking Blue Sky."

Under the blue sky is a profound green transformation. In the new era, China has become the country with the fastest improvement in air quality in the world.

In 2020, China clearly proposed the goal of striving to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. "Dual carbon" is the key word of this transformation. China is working hard to reduce carbon emissions in development and achieve higher-quality development in carbon reduction. Some foreign scholars have commented that this is "of great global significance."

The same blue sky connects the common destiny of mankind.

Signing memorandums of understanding on South-South cooperation to address climate change with more than 40 developing countries, providing 60% of the world's wind power equipment and 70% of photovoltaic module equipment... China promotes international cooperation on climate change, and the results are visible and tangible.

On September 24, China announced a new round of nationally determined contributions at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, proposing that "a climate-adaptive society will be basically built by 2035," demonstrating the responsibility of a major country. The persistent battle to defend the blue sky contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to promoting global ecological civilization construction.

At the 2024 National People's Congress, when talking about the details of the Beijing (北京) APEC meeting again, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) said firmly: "The weather was very good those days. At that time, someone asked, is this 'APEC Blue' sustainable? I answered them that this is not a short-lived blue sky, and it will be a permanent blue in a few years."

In 2024, the average PM2.5 concentration in Beijing (北京) is 30.5 micrograms per cubic meter, a decrease of 65.9% compared to 2013. Today, "blue sky has become the norm."

"I did not break my promise when I announced 'APEC Blue' to the world at the Beijing (北京) APEC meeting. I have achieved it." At this year's Central Urban Work Conference, the weight of the General Secretary's words is self-evident.

Blue sky has become the norm, which is a footnote to China's green development and a wealth shared globally.

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This railway brings us hope and the future.

By: 本报记者 黄培昭

At 7:40 a.m., accompanied by a long whistle, the first train of the day on the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway slowly pulled out of the Lebu Station on the outskirts of Addis Ababa (亚的斯亚贝巴), the capital of Ethiopia. The scenery outside the window unfolded like a scroll, with acacia trees constantly flashing past.

Inside the clean and bright carriage, passenger Tesfaye and his wife Maria, along with their 5-year-old son, sat together, their faces filled with happy smiles. "In the past, traveling by car was bumpy and unbearable, and unsafe, and traffic jams were commonplace," Tesfaye told the reporter of this newspaper. "Now, traveling by train is comfortable and punctual, and we no longer have to worry about the safety of the journey."

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway not only changed the lives of ordinary people, but also witnessed the growth of countless people and the realization of their dreams.

Aifa Soboka, 36, is the driver of this train, his expression focused and proud. "It was Chinese teachers who taught me how to drive a train." Soboka was one of the first students to go to Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College (郑州铁路职业技术学院) in China for training, and this learning opportunity brought new hope to his life. "The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is a road of dreams." Local employee Tadesse exclaimed, "This railway brings us hope and the future."

Yang Anwei (杨岸巍), head of technical services for the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, said in an interview with this reporter that the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is the first transnational electrified railway to implement the "China Standard" across the entire industrial chain overseas. According to the contract, Chinese companies provide the owner with 6 years of railway operation and maintenance services. "During these 6 years, the Chinese side has completed the training and certification of 2,840 local employees." Said Song Zhengang (宋振刚), Minister of Capacity Building Department of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway Operation and Maintenance Project Company.

More than an hour later, the train smoothly stopped at the Bishoftu Station, where Station Master Mamo and Deputy Station Master and Passenger Transport Director Daxi (达曦) were waiting on the platform.

Daxi and her husband are both employees of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway system. "Without the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, we wouldn't have everything we have now." Daxi and her husband both went to Tianjin (天津) in China for training and learning. "It is this railway that has closely linked us together and allowed us to live a happy and fulfilling life."

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First Edition Editors: Yang Xu, Zhang Shuaizhen, Zhang Yujie; Second Edition Editors: Yin Xinyu, Qi Jiarun, Guo Xueyan; Third Edition Editors: Han Xiaoming, Jiang Bo, Li Anqi; Fourth Edition Editors: Yuan Zhenxi, Bai Zhiyu, Zhang Xueyan

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A Civic Education Class Witnesses Students' New Growth (Cultural Imprints of the "14th Five-Year Plan")

By: 本报记者 乔 栋 曹继炜

The snowy mountains remain as before, the grass color fades to green, yaks migrate to the "winter nest" in the valley, and smoke rises from the tents.

During the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, Nidong Lamu (尼东拉毛), a senior high school student at Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School, returned home to Jiangritang Township (江日堂乡), Banma County (班玛县), Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (果洛藏族自治州), Qinghai Province (青海省). After the holiday, she presented this photo she took at the school's ideological and political class on "The New Era, New Hometown."

The changes in her hometown are happening every day. Compared to two years ago, Nidong Lamu's horizons have greatly expanded: "This time I went back, I saw that the yaks in my hometown had centralized sheds and fodder in winter, so they are no longer afraid of freezing or starving. In the past, people compared who had more yaks, but now they compare who has stronger yaks."

On June 18 last year, at Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School, Nidong Lamu showed General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) a painting: a herder sitting on a Tibetan carpet, butter tea and Qula (曲拉) placed on the table, and a TV playing a program. Outside the felt tent, a drone chases cattle and sheep.

The scene in the picture has become a reality. Nidong Lamu's uncle, Xiangqiu (相求), has learned to use drones for grazing. When the drone chases to the mountainside, the cattle herd gathers back to the nest.

After sharing these, Nidong Lamu's topic shifted from "New Hometown" to "New Era": "I deeply feel the greatness of the motherland. It is the Party's care, East-West cooperation, and good policies of counterpart support that allow us to enjoy high-quality educational resources."

Shanghai (上海), Xining (西宁), and Guoluo (果洛), one school connects the ties of three places. In 2019, Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School was officially completed, with Tibetan students accounting for more than 97%. Over the past six years, hundreds of Shanghai teachers have successively taught here, spreading advanced educational concepts to children from the sources of the Three Rivers and Mount Amnye Machen (阿尼玛卿山).

Aid-Qinghai teacher Xiao Feixue (肖飞雪) said in her classroom summary: "The ecology is more beautiful, and life is happier. What the students perceive is the vivid practice of 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.' Today, the students shared the new changes in their hometowns, which gave us a deeper understanding and comprehension of the great motherland, the Chinese nation, and Chinese culture."

The ideological and political course on "Strengthening the Awareness of the Chinese National Community" is a brand of the permanent ideological and political courses at Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School. Teachers constantly enrich the course content in combination with Qinghai's provincial conditions and student characteristics, and the "New Era, New Hometown" ideological and political course is one of them.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the symposium for teachers of ideological and political theory courses in schools that to promote the reform and innovation of ideological and political theory courses, it is necessary to continuously enhance the ideological, theoretical, affinity, and pertinence of ideological and political courses.

In the view of Chang Tu (常途), the principal of Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School, pertinence is an important focus of the reform and innovation of ideological and political courses, and it is necessary to teach according to needs and adapt to students. It is necessary to accurately combine what the children in pastoral areas "need" with what the ideological and political courses "teach." It is necessary to grasp "attention" and enrich the forms and experiences of ideological and political courses, freeing them from fixed classrooms.

Teaching according to needs. Xihai Town (西海镇), Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (海北藏族自治州), where the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" spirit was nurtured, recently welcomed the children of Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School. The First Branch of Factory 221 (221厂一分厂), the Atomic City Memorial Hall (原子城纪念馆), and the Golden and Silver Beach Grassland (金银滩草原) resonate naturally with the children in pastoral areas. The students couldn't help but burst into tears when listening to the situational Party lesson "The Spirit of 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' Will Shine Forever."

Adapting to students. Thirty students from Guoluo Xining Nationalities Middle School who love music recently took the stage for a music ideological and political class themed "Shanghai and Qinghai Unite to Build the Chinese Dream." "The essence of the music ideological and political class is a practice answer sheet written with melody. We organized and designed three chapters: 'Cultural Integration,' 'National Unity,' and 'Youth Responsibility.' The children enhanced their cultural identity and stimulated their patriotic feelings in the melody of the songs," said Hu Jun (胡骏), an aid-Qinghai teacher.

Nidong Lamu, who will participate in the college entrance examination next year, is very confident. Her wish is to return to the pastoral area to become a Chinese teacher and "tell more children about the new changes in the new era and the wonderful world."

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Ideological and political education: A warm "circle" (Editor's Note)

By: 张雪妍

"In the past, we compared whose family had more yaks; now, we compare whose family's yaks are stronger." Ni Donglamo's (尼东拉毛) simple words reveal the changes in her hometown.

From centralized breeding to drone grazing, these specific and subtle life scenes, these small but significant changes happening around us, are becoming the most vivid teaching materials for ideological and political courses. While feeling the tremendous changes in their hometown, the students are also sensing the pulse of the new era and experiencing the development and prosperity of the motherland.

What is even more touching is Ni Donglamo's (尼东拉毛) choice. She will take the college entrance examination next year and leave the mountains; but she still wants to return to the mountains: to return to the pastoral area as a Chinese language teacher. She is not only learning in ideological and political courses, but also using her own actions to interpret the effectiveness of ideological and political education.

In the end, the ideological and political course completed a warm "circle." This "circle" connects the past and the future, links individuals and the era, and allows the seeds of cultivating morality and nurturing people to take root, sprout, and thrive in the plateau pastoral areas.

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Thoroughly Study and Implement the Spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Keynote Speech at the Global Women's Summit and Promote the High-Quality Development of Women's Work in the New Era and on the New Journey

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 19th (北京). On October 19th, the All-China Women's Federation (全国妇联) system held a video conference to study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) keynote speech at the Global Women's Summit. State Councilor and President of the All-China Women's Federation, Shen Yiqin (谌贻琴), attended and delivered a speech, emphasizing that studying, publicizing, and implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) keynote speech should be regarded as a major political task of women's work nationwide. She urged everyone to take responsibility, strive for practical results, and promote the high-quality development of women's work in the new era and on the new journey.

Shen Yiqin (谌贻琴) pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) keynote speech has a lofty vision, profound thoughts, and a broad perspective, with significant political, theoretical, historical, practical, and global significance, injecting strong impetus into the development of the global women's cause. The successful holding of the Global Women's Summit vividly depicted a brand-new picture for the development of the global women's cause with Chinese proposals, and powerfully declared the firm belief in accelerating the realization of gender equality through united action, setting a new milestone in the development of the global women's cause.

Shen Yiqin (谌贻琴) emphasized the need to widely and deeply study, vigorously publicize and explain, and resolutely implement the spirit of the speech, create a favorable environment to promote the comprehensive development of women, build a broad platform to empower women to engage in high-quality development, improve the governance structure to protect the legitimate rights and interests of women, implement pragmatic measures to lead the development of the global women's cause, and make due contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind (人类命运共同体).

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"Red Star Over China: From Great Victory to Great Rejuvenation" Online Theme Promotion Held

This newspaper Yan'an (延安) October 19th dispatch (Reporter Jin Xin (金歆)) To thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech at the meeting commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the spirit of a series of important instructions on Yan'an (延安), the "Red Star Over China: From Great Victory to Great Rejuvenation" online theme publicity activity, jointly sponsored by the Central Cyberspace Administration of China (中央网信办), the Central Party History and Literature Research Institute (中央党史和文献研究院), Xinhua News Agency (新华社), and the Cyberspace Administration of the Shaanxi (陕西) Provincial Party Committee (陕西省委网信委), was held in Yan'an (延安), Shaanxi (陕西) on October 18.

The event was divided into chapters such as "The Voice of Victory," "Pagoda Monument," and "Magnificent Yan'an (延安)." Actors, university teachers, grassroots workers, village-based cadres, and others relived the moving scenes of progressive youths rushing to Yan'an (延安) and uniting to resist Japan through recitations, narrations, and scene performances, telling the story of the colorful and ever-changing development of Yan'an (延安), and showing the moving picture of the sons and daughters of Yan'an (延安) in the new era dedicating themselves to the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation.

According to reports, 2026 will be the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March. The "Red Star Over China" online theme publicity activity will enter Jiangxi (江西). At the event site, the event logo was handed over, and the scene performance "Ten Send-Offs to the Red Army" was staged.

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The Second "Reliving the Long March" Trekking Event for Youth in the New Era Begins

Yan'an (延安) report on October 19th (Reporter Jia Fengfeng (贾丰丰)) On October 19th, the launching ceremony of the second "Retracing the Long March" hiking event for young people in the new era was held in the Central Red Army Long March Victory Memorial Garden Square in Wuqi County (吴起县), Yan'an City (延安市), Shaanxi (陕西). This event aims to showcase the construction and protection achievements of the Long March National Cultural Park, inspire young people in the new era to carry forward the spirit of the Long March, continue the red bloodline, and embark on a new Long March in the new era.

At the launching ceremony, more than 300 people, including descendants of veteran Red Army soldiers, young people from all walks of life, and representatives of university students, jointly visited the Central Red Army Long March Victory Memorial Hall and the construction and protection achievement exhibition of the Long March National Cultural Park. They relived the history of the Long March and felt the original aspiration of the Red Army through precious cultural relics and vivid exhibitions.

In addition, the online "Cloud Long March" interactive quiz mini-program was launched simultaneously, attracting more young people to learn about the history of the Long March and promote the spirit of the Long March.

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Leading the Future: What Did China Get Right?

By: 任仲平

Every time at a crucial historical juncture, the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) is always able to scientifically grasp the historical orientation and changes in the situation, formulate correct political strategies and tactics, and guide the Chinese people to overcome countless risks and challenges and always stay at the forefront of the times.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party was held in Beijing (北京) from October 20 to 23 to study and formulate recommendations for the "15th Five-Year Plan," aiming to make top-level designs and strategic plans for the next five years of development and promote major breakthroughs in strategic tasks related to the overall situation of Chinese-style modernization.

"In the midst of a world of centennial changes, China (中国) provides stability and certainty." Understanding this important conclusion of General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), the Five-Year Plan is a unique perspective. Scientifically formulating and successively implementing the Five-Year Plan is an important way for our party to govern the country and is an important "code" for understanding Chinese-style modernization.

Modernization embodies the long-cherished wish and expectation of the Chinese nation (中华民族). Since its establishment, all the struggles the Party has led the people in have been for the purpose of national rejuvenation. From the "First Five-Year Plan" to the "14th Five-Year Plan," the consistent theme has been to build our country into a socialist modern country, and although we have encountered various unexpected difficulties and setbacks, our will and determination have never wavered.

"Chinese-style modernization not only changes China's (中国) own development, but it also changes the modernization process of the developing world," said Martin Jacques, a well-known British scholar. Many scholars at home and abroad have said that China's (中国) Five-Year Plan is a model of long-term strategic planning, and this "long-termism" makes an innovative contribution to global development theory and has become a key to understanding China's (中国) development path and the evolution of its global role.

In today's world of intertwined changes and chaos, why do people "see the future and see confidence in China (中国)?"

From a global perspective, Chinese-style modernization has solved at least two "impossible" problems.

-- It has completed the industrialized course that developed Western countries have taken for hundreds of years in a few decades, and has written a new chapter in the two major miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability in the new era. This is an unprecedented creation in the history of human modernization.

-- It has lifted nearly 100 million rural poor people out of poverty in eight years, historically solved the problem of absolute poverty, and is committed to enabling more than 1.4 billion people to move towards modernization together. This is an unprecedented feat in the history of human social development.

These two "unprecedented" events have global significance, profoundly indicating that "our modernization is not only the most difficult, but also the greatest."

Turning the "impossible" into "certainly possible," why can China (中国) do it?

Navigation and leadership. We not only make strategic plans from a strategic perspective, but also make precise efforts on a tactical level. On September 26, 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and decisively deployed a package of incremental policies, which was hailed as "a milestone move in macroeconomic regulation." During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Party Central Committee led hundreds of millions of people to fight battle after battle and overcome obstacle after obstacle, and the pace of Chinese-style modernization was solid.

Ideological guidance. Deeply answering the questions of China (中国), the world, the people, and the times, and answering new questions of the times in a timely and scientific manner. In-depth elaboration of the new development concept, making strategic decisions to build a new development pattern, and creatively proposing the theory of new quality productive forces... The theory of Chinese-style modernization reflects the direction of China's (中国) modernization and is a major innovation in the theory and practice of world modernization.

Moving forward in the logic of historical progress and developing in the trend of the development of the times. It is precisely because of the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era that our Party has always grasped the laws of development and mastered the initiative in history.

Leading the future, what has China (中国) done right?

The great practice of promoting high-quality development, high-quality life, high-efficiency governance, and high-level opening up in the new era contains vivid and profound answers.

(II)

Adhering to high-quality development is the **硬道理** (yìng dào lǐ - "hard truth," an irrefutable principle) of the new era, and "responding to various uncertainties with the certainty of high-quality development" lays a solid material and technological foundation for promoting Chinese-style modernization. China (中国) has become a stable anchor for world economic growth and a leader in global green development.

"By 2035, China's (中国) total economy-wide greenhouse gas net emissions will be 7%-10% lower than the peak, and we will strive to do better. The proportion of non-fossil energy consumption in total energy consumption will reach more than 30%... A climate-adaptive society will be basically built." Not long ago, at the United Nations Climate Change Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) announced China's (中国) new round of nationally determined contributions.

In line with the requirements of the *Paris Agreement* and reflecting the greatest efforts, China's (中国) commitment demonstrates its responsibility as a major country in addressing climate change.

A promise is worth a thousand pounds, and what is said must be done. Where does the confidence come from?

It stems from high-quality development with a strong impetus and a green background, guided by the new development concept and supported by new quality productive forces.

Green and low-carbon transformation is the trend of the times. Taking green and low-carbon development as the fundamental solution to ecological and environmental problems, China (中国) has embarked on a new path of modernization in which man and nature coexist in harmony.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) stressed: "We must take the road of scientific and technological innovation, implement the strategy of revitalizing the country through science and education, and promote the development of new quality productive forces so that our country can always maintain the role of a pioneer in the tide of the modern economy."

New quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces, which play a decisive role in promoting innovation in development methods.

From the annual output of new energy vehicles exceeding 13 million to the collection of the "three pearls on the crown" of the shipbuilding industry, and then to the 6,430 national-level green factories... During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with scientific and technological innovation leading industrial innovation and accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, the "green content" and "gold content" of China's (中国) economy have been improved simultaneously, and high-quality development has accumulated momentum and is full of power.

The recently released *Global Innovation Index Report 2025* shows that China (中国) has entered the top ten for the first time. Today's China (中国) adheres to the core position of innovation in the overall situation of modernization, and its total talent resources, total scientific and technological human resources, and total number of R&D personnel rank first in the world, becoming an innovation "source" and a "catalyst" for the accelerated landing of new technologies, realizing the leap from "world factory" to "global innovation center."

At the same time, China's (中国) ecological civilization construction has made world-renowned achievements, becoming a prominent symbol of the great achievements and changes in the new era, making the distinctive feature of Chinese-style modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature more prominent.

As of September 18 this year, the cumulative transaction volume of allowances in the national carbon emission rights trading market reached 714 million tons; as of the end of August, the cumulative transaction volume in the national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market was 2.7061 million tons. These two markets are complementary and connected through a carbon offset mechanism, jointly forming China's (中国) complete carbon market system, realizing full coverage of emission reduction entities.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, guided by the "dual carbon" goal, and coordinating the promotion of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth, China (中国) has built the world's largest renewable energy system and new energy industry chain, becoming one of the countries with the fastest reduction in global energy consumption intensity. International people exclaimed: "Vigorously developing green technologies and promoting sustainable economic development through green transformation, China (中国) is becoming a model of global sustainable development."

Adhering to the path of ecological priority and green development, China (中国) has "achieved a major transformation from a participant in global environmental governance to a leader," setting a new benchmark for human modernization.

This year's two coordinates provide an important observation dimension -

One is the 20th anniversary of the concept that **绿水青山就是金山银山** (lǜ shuǐ qīng shān jiù shì jīn shān yín shān - "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," environmental protection is essential for economic prosperity). Today, the "two mountains" concept has become the cornerstone of China's (中国) ecological civilization construction and has also illuminated a beacon of wisdom for global green development.

"China (中国) has integrated the 'two mountains' concept into all fields of ecological civilization construction, providing a convincing operational plan in terms of development methods." Andrew Schwartz, vice president of the American Institute of Ecological Civilization, believes that "this concept powerfully guides us towards a more sustainable and equitable future."

The other is the 10th anniversary of the conclusion of the *Paris Agreement*. China (中国) adheres to carrying out green international cooperation and empowers world modernization with a modernization in which man and nature coexist in harmony.

In Saudi Arabia (沙特), the Al Shuaiba photovoltaic power station built by Chinese enterprises sends clean electricity to thousands of households; in Africa (非洲), solar panels produced in China (中国) light up rural Zimbabwe (津巴布韦)... With continuous technological innovation and a sound production and supply chain system, China's (中国) green production capacity reduces the cost of global green transformation and makes an important contribution to the global response to climate change.

Planning development from the height of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, leading the development of new quality productive forces with scientific and technological innovation, and supporting high-quality development with high-level protection are the keys to China's (中国) leading the future.

(III)

Adhering to the people-centered development ideology, closely combining high-quality development with a high-quality life, and gathering a powerful force for promoting Chinese-style modernization. China (中国) has the world's most growing ultra-large-scale market and the most reliable, deepest, and most lasting source of power.

Yushu (玉树), Qinghai (青海). In August this year, a special football match was held here - the Qingchao Star United Team against the Brazilian Galaxy Football United Team. Before the game, intangible cultural heritage dancers danced gracefully, and the Khampa (康巴) children galloped on horseback; after the game, foreign players went to the city market to drink coffee, eat pizza, and dance samba and guozhuang together.

Both traditional and modern, both local and international, through the new Yushu (玉树), the world sees "a different China (中国)."

From large shopping malls to farmers' markets, one QR code can solve everything; hotel curtains are automatically sensed, equipment can be controlled by voice, and there are robots delivering meals... The popularity of "China (中国) tours" continues to rise, and many foreign friends who come to China (中国) for tourism are deeply impressed by China's (中国) "sense of technology" and "sense of the future."

Keenly grasping the historical changes in the main social contradictions in our country, organically unifying the solution of high-quality development problems with meeting the people's new expectations for a high-quality life, and creatively turning the process of solving the main social contradictions into a process of tapping development potential and enhancing development momentum. This is the original creation of the Chinese Communists in the new era.

"The people's happiness and well-being is the ultimate goal of promoting high-quality development" and "closely combining high-quality development with meeting the people's needs for a better life"... General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important expositions reflect our Party's deepening understanding of the "three major laws" and demonstrate the consistency of adhering to the struggle for lofty ideals and seeking the interests of the broadest masses of the people.

Cities are important carriers for promoting high-quality development and creating a high-quality life.

Shanghai (上海) is an important window for Chinese-style modernization. "Leaving the best resources to the people," Xuhui Riverside (徐汇滨江), old factories have become art galleries and green spaces; on both sides of the Huangpu River (黄浦江), the riverside space has become a "living room and stage" shared by citizens. Practicing the people's city concept and building a multi-level rental housing supply system of "one bed, one room, and one apartment" will enable more new citizens and young people to realize their dream of settling down.

The Central Urban Work Conference has been held twice in 10 years, from "one respect and five coordinations" to "one optimization and six constructions," from "taking a path of urban development with Chinese characteristics" to "taking a new path of urban modernization with Chinese characteristics"... China's (中国) urban development has made historic achievements and is moving towards the goal of modern people's cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and intelligent.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the central government issued approximately 159.4 billion yuan in subsidies to support the renovation of old urban communities; it issued approximately 60 billion yuan in subsidies to promote the construction of sponge cities, driving a total investment of 160 billion yuan... Taking the promotion of urban renewal as an important starting point and accelerating the connotative development of cities, the purpose is to "make it more convenient, comfortable, and better for the people to live in cities."

The most arduous and onerous tasks are still in the countryside, and the broadest and deepest foundation is still in the countryside.

The "Thousand Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousand Villages Renovation" Project (千万工程), a rural sample of Chinese-style modernization. On the land of Zhejiang (浙江), more than 20 years of continuous efforts have created thousands of beautiful villages, benefited thousands of farmers, and coordinated the progress of the three articles of "strengthening cities," "revitalizing villages," and "integration."

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, from consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation to connecting and promoting the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside, and then to solidly promoting coordinated regional development and integrated urban-rural development, the picture of "strong agriculture, beautiful countryside, and rich farmers" is constantly being drawn. Data show that the per capita disposable income of rural residents in poverty-stricken counties has increased by an average of 7.8% per year, which is higher than the average income growth rate of farmers nationwide; the ratio of urban and rural residents' income has decreased from 2.56:1 in 2020 to 2.34:1 in 2024.

It is necessary to enrich both the pockets and the minds.

From the popularity of Village Super League (村超) and Village Gala (村晚) to the "going out of the circle" of Su Chao (苏超) and Zhejiang BA (浙BA), the spiritual and cultural needs of the people are rising. From the vigorous growth of Xiji (西吉) literature in Ningxia (宁夏) to the blooming of amateur writers such as security guards and couriers in Dongguan (东莞), Guangdong (广东), the mass literature and art in the new era is flourishing, and the spiritual outlook of hundreds of millions of people has been renewed.

High-quality demand drives high-quality supply, and high-quality supply creates high-quality demand. A magnificent picture of development and people's livelihood is unfolding on the land of China (神州).

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the average annual contribution rate of consumption to economic growth reached about 60%. China's (中国) economy has released sustained momentum, vitality, and resilience, and is accelerating the formation of a higher-level dynamic balance. With more than 1.4 billion people and more than 400 million middle-income groups, from survival-oriented to development-oriented and enjoyment-oriented, people's needs are diversified, multi-layered, and multi-faceted. This is where the advantages and potential of our country's ultra-large-scale market lie.

The people's hearts are the greatest politics, containing a powerful driving force for creating history. The *2025 Edelman Trust Barometer* released in March this year shows that the Chinese people's trust in the government continues to lead the world, and their overall optimism about the future also ranks first in the world.

A high-quality life and high-quality development are moving towards each other. Today, the Chinese people's yearning for a better life is constantly becoming a reality, and under the leadership of the Party, they are writing the great history of China's (中国) development in the new era with full confidence.

"We must adhere to the people-first concept and highlight the people-oriented nature of modernization" and "make modernization better respond to the people's demands and multi-level needs in all aspects." This is the source of strength for China (中国) to lead the future.

(IV)

Adhering to the coordination of development and security, and "promoting the virtuous interaction between high-efficiency governance and high-quality development and high-level security" provides a strong guarantee for Chinese-style modernization to move forward steadily and far. China (中国) has become "one of the safest countries in the world recognized by the world" while achieving "an extraordinary economic transformation in human history."

"We have established the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform as improving and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, focusing on consolidating the foundation, giving play to advantages, making up for shortcomings, and strengthening weaknesses, and continuously consolidating and developing the significant advantages of our country's socialist system and improving institutional competitiveness."

In July this year, the fifth volume of *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China* (习近平谈治国理政) was published and distributed. In-depth study of this important work can better understand the mystery of "China's (中国) governance."

Some international people believe that "China's (中国) governance model can better provide people with stability, prosperity, and freedom." Practice tells us that China (中国) has achieved social harmony and stability and long-term peace and stability of the country by relying on the system and our superb ability in national governance. Since the new era, a systematic, complete, scientific, standardized, and effective institutional system has gradually matured and taken shape, and institutional advantages have been better transformed into the effectiveness of national governance.

The rule of law consolidates the foundation, stabilizes expectations, and benefits the long term.
On May 20th of this year, the Law on Promoting the Private Economy officially came into effect, enshrining the adherence to the "two unwavering commitments" for the first time in law, clarifying the legal status of the private economy for the first time, which foreign media hailed as "a milestone."

More than 20 years ago, Xi Jinping (习近平), then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, scientifically expounded the theory of the "Sweet Potato Economy," profoundly pointing out that "we must jump out of Zhejiang (浙江) to develop Zhejiang, and while vigorously introducing various factors, we must go outside the province and abroad, using external resources and external markets to achieve greater development."

From the guidance of the "Sweet Potato Economy" theory to the protection of the Law on Promoting the Private Economy, China's private economy has continued to grow and strengthen, with registered private enterprises accounting for more than 90% of the total number of enterprises nationwide. The growth history of the vital force in advancing Chinese-style modernization reflects the construction process of the rule of law in China.

The market is the most scarce resource, and the rule of law is the best business environment. The implementation of the Foreign Investment Law stimulates foreign investment enthusiasm; the promulgation of the "Regulations on Fair Competition Review" strengthens rigid constraints... Deepening the construction of a unified national market, the rule of law creates a strong magnetic field to attract global resources and factors.

Building the foundation of the rule of law, exercising the power of the rule of law, and accumulating the momentum of the rule of law provide an important guarantee for Chinese-style modernization.

The people's demands are met by the government. The "15th Five-Year Plan" preparation work launched an online solicitation of opinions, receiving more than 3.11 million suggestions from netizens, vividly interpreting the whole-process people's democracy as "the most extensive, most genuine, and most effective." Improving the institutional system of whole-process people's democracy, improving the working mechanism for absorbing public opinion and gathering public wisdom, combining strengthening top-level design and adhering to seeking advice from the people, and uniting the powerful synergy to promote Chinese-style modernization.

Governing the country and ensuring its stability depend on the grassroots level. From Beijing's exploration and formation of experiences and practices such as "responding to appeals immediately," to Tongcheng (桐城), Anhui (安徽) promoting the "New Era Six-Foot Lane Work Method"... Adhering to and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" of the new era, improving the social governance system of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing, consolidating the foundation of social harmony and stability, and advancing the construction of a safe China to a higher level.

Digital intelligence empowers efficient governance. Chongqing (重庆), equipped with a "digital brain," has "one map control" of the city's event hidden danger risks, and urban governance achieves "second-level response"; Shanghai (上海), promoting the construction of digital courts, has full-process supervision of "one case," radiating to the specialized trial of "one type of case," extending to the collaborative governance of "one area problem"... Replacing manpower with computing power, increasing efficiency with intelligence, and the construction of digital China promotes smarter and more precise governance.

Standing at the forefront of the digital age, China actively shares digital governance experience and promotes the Inclusive Plan for Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building. In September of this year, China announced that it will establish a "Special Fund for Digital Capacity Building" under the Global Development Fund in the next five years to support the "Digital South" brand of the Global Development Initiative. At a time when individual superpowers are "leaving the group," China's "open-source modernization" is injecting new impetus into less developed countries.

"The West always tries to explain China's rapid development over the past 40 years with 'miracles,' but ignores the systemic design behind it. Long-term vision, pragmatism, and innovation are the wisdom that China brings to the world." Julio Ceballos, a Spanish writer who lived in China for 18 years, recorded his thoughts on Chinese governance in his book.

Today, the "Chinese path" is becoming wider and wider, the "Chinese governance" is showing more superiority, and the "Chinese theory" is radiating a strong moral force.

"Adhering to the concept of systems, we must take into account the overall situation, implement dialectical policies, and properly handle major relationships such as economy and society, government and market, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, and development and security." This is a powerful guarantee for China to lead the future.

(V)

Adhering to expanding high-level opening up to the outside world and unswervingly following the path of peaceful development will expand greater development space for Chinese-style modernization. China, leading the global trend of common opening up, is pinned with "lasting hope for the future."

On September 5, 2024, President Xi Jinping (习近平) solemnly announced at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation: granting 100% tariff-free treatment to products from the 33 least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, including 33 African countries. In June of this year, China announced that it would expand zero tariffs to 53 African countries with diplomatic relations.

Today, South African wine, Nigerian cocoa beans, Algerian olive oil... these goods from Africa are crossing the ocean at lower costs and approaching Chinese consumers. China takes the initiative to unilaterally expand market opening, becoming the first major developing country and major world economy to implement this measure, with the aim of promoting the Chinese market to become a major opportunity for Africa.

Opening up is a distinct symbol of Chinese-style modernization. Promoting reform and development through opening up is an important magic weapon for China's continuous achievement of new achievements. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, despite the high winds and waves of external challenges, and the rampant "decoupling and breaking chains" and "small yard and high walls," China has always adhered to high-level opening up to the outside world and continuously provided new opportunities for the world with China's new development.

This is a vivid interpretation of "to go with China is to go with opportunities, to believe in China is to believe in tomorrow, and to invest in China is to invest in the future." Data shows that China has attracted more than 100 billion US dollars in foreign investment for 15 consecutive years. As of July this year, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's actual use of foreign investment totaled 714.87 billion US dollars, and a total of 235,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established, an increase of 32,000 compared with the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. Foreign-invested enterprises contribute 1/3 of China's total import and export volume, 1/4 of its industrial added value, and 1/7 of its tax revenue, creating more than 30 million jobs.

Some foreign media bluntly stated: "Giving up the Chinese market is equivalent to giving up the growth ticket for the next 10 years." Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said: "China advocates open trade and firmly believes in the contribution of trade and investment to development, which is a very important model for development in the 20th and 21st centuries."

This is a powerful practice of "China's door to opening up will not be closed, it will only open wider and wider." During this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, national border inspection agencies jointly guaranteed 751,000 inbound foreigners, of which 535,000 entered under visa-free policies, an increase of 19.8% and 46.8% respectively compared with the same period last year. At present, China has implemented a 240-hour transit visa-free policy for 55 countries including the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, from the continuous reduction of the negative list for foreign investment access and the complete "clearing" of access restrictions in the manufacturing sector, to the high-quality implementation of the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement"; from the 22 free trade pilot zones constructing a "goose array" covering the east, west, north, and south, to the Hainan (海南) Free Trade Port entering the sprint stage for full island customs closure operations... China's breadth, intensity, and depth of opening up continue to increase.

From November 5th to 10th this year, the 8th China International Import Expo will be held in Shanghai (上海). This national-level expo "is a major decision made by China to promote a new round of high-level opening up to the outside world, and a major measure for China to take the initiative to open its market to the world."

With open and win-win as its distinct characteristics, China's economic ship is forging ahead, becoming a model of global inclusive development.

This is the courageous commitment to "make greater contributions to promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind." The high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" gathers the peaceful development dreams of more than 150 countries, becoming the most extensive and largest international cooperation platform in the world today, allowing Laos (老挝) to change from a "landlocked country" to a "land-linked country," giving Southeast Asia (东南亚) high-speed railways, giving the Maldives (马尔代夫) its first cross-sea bridge, and giving sub-Saharan Africa (撒哈拉以南非洲地区) its first tower-type molten salt solar thermal power plant...

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin (天津) Summit, President Xi Jinping (习近平) proposed the Global Governance Initiative, which aims to promote countries to work together to build a more just and reasonable global governance system. This is another important international public product contributed by China to the world in the new era, following the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.

With the world in mind, achieving oneself and benefiting others.

From the "historical answer" of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to the "era answer" of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Communist Party of China takes making new and greater contributions to mankind as its mission, seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, as well as seeking progress for mankind and great harmony for the world. Chinese-style modernization does not pursue self-interest, but insists on solidarity and harmony.

Taking the people's heart as one's own and taking the world's interests as one's own. Today's China firmly stands on the right side of history and on the side of fairness and justice, becoming a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a maintainer of international order, and a provider of public goods.

"Chinese-style modernization is a modernization that follows the path of peaceful development. China will always be a force for world peace, stability, and progress." This is the popular support for China to lead the future.

(VI)

"The future of humanity depends largely on China," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

From being outside "world history" to leading the trend of world development, Chinese-style modernization has opened up a new road for mankind to move towards modernization and created a new form of human civilization with the broad road of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable! The noble cause of human peace and development will surely be victorious!" General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) solemnly declared.

Having traveled through thousands of mountains and rivers, we still need to wade through mountains and rivers.

This is the historical coordinate of the dream-seeking journey -

There are only 10 years left to basically achieve the goal of modernization, and only more than 20 years left to fully build a strong socialist modern country. Time waits for no one, inspiring people to forge ahead.

This is a mobilization order to forge ahead -

Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a great cause unprecedented in history. We must "plan and implement the goals, tasks, and strategic measures of the '15th Five-Year Plan' to ensure that decisive progress is made in basically achieving socialist modernization."

The road is as smooth as a whetstone, and the trend is like a tide. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, maintain strategic focus, enhance the confidence to win, and inspire the spirit of seizing the day and never slacking off. The future must belong to us! Victory must belong to us!

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Finding Confidence in "How Many Years" (Commentator's Observation)

By: 李洪兴

"How many years has it been since I last rode a green-skinned train?!" Recently, while traveling on a high-speed train, the uncle next to me exclaimed this.

This sentence contains both the question of "how many years exactly?" and the exclamation of "it's been many years." Some say that speed reshapes the economy and tracks connect the future. High-speed rail, to a large extent, is changing people's spatial and temporal concepts of planning life and developing plans, outlining a new context for development.

Looking at real life, the phenomenon of not encountering a certain situation for "how many years" is more than just about travel. Returning home, how many years has it been since we walked on roads that were "muddy on rainy days and dusty on sunny days"? Going out shopping, how many years has it been since we heard the reminder "remember to bring your wallet"? When people unconsciously exclaim, as long as they think a little, it is not difficult to realize that they are sharing the fruits of modernization. The invisible changes in life are due to the great strides forward in development.

Regarding the reality of development, we may have long been accustomed to its ever-changing appearance. Often, new things and new business forms emerge from time to time, quickly integrating into life and into daily routines. Many people are promoters and creators of this "newness." When foreign friends exclaim that "all dreams can come true in China," and when foreign dignitaries praise "you are doing a great job," they witness and experience China's extraordinary pace of development. Whether participants or observers, their common feeling shows that development is the key to realizing people's happiness, and people's happy life is the "most important thing for the country."

In fact, "how many years" is the trajectory spun out by the pointer of time. Every "tick" of the clock accumulates the struggle of "how many things." Observing the leaps in life and the leaps in development in the coordinate system of time and practice allows us to better understand the value orientation of Chinese-style modernization.

Looking at the past 10-plus years of the new era, facility upgrades, technological advancements, service improvements, green transformation, rule of law protection... one project after another is implemented, and one reform after another is tackled, all of which effectively improve people's livelihoods. Experiencing many extraordinary things and overcoming many difficulties, people in a striving China and a confident China have not only touched happiness but are also gradually reaching a better future.

Looking at the past 70-plus years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the thriving scene cannot help but make people sigh that "the right path in the world is full of vicissitudes" (人间正道是沧桑). Along the way, we have not been destroyed by natural disasters, defeated by economic difficulties, or overwhelmed by external pressures. The more mature, more united, and more confident Chinese people use diligence and wisdom to paint a picture of happiness, always maintaining the lofty ambition to fight against nature and change the world.

Further extending the timeline, although the Chinese nation has experienced hardships, it has never given up its dream of building a dream. Seeking up and down, forging ahead, it is precisely because our Party has always adhered to its original intention of seeking happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation that more than 1.4 billion people have entered a comprehensive well-off society and are moving towards common prosperity without leaving anyone behind. All struggles, all sacrifices, and all creations are bringing us closer and closer to the dream of rejuvenation.

Why can we succeed? How can we continue to succeed? As Tibetan masses said: "Only by following the right person and finding the right path can we have a bright future." The "person" here is the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), and the "path" here is the Chinese-style modernization path opened up by the Party in uniting and leading the people. The longer the time span and the more practical innovations, the more deeply we can understand that "without the Communist Party of China, there would be no new China, and there would be no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

What is the backbone? What is the stabilizing force? Whether it is engaging in revolution, construction, or reform, the Chinese wisdom to overcome risks and challenges and the Chinese strength to meet the stormy waves are concentrated in the Party's strong leadership. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "Maintain strategic focus and enhance development confidence." It is precisely because we have the Party's leadership as the greatest advantage that we can better win the initiative in development with strategic initiative and enhance our stamina and resilience in self-confidence and self-reliance. Looking from the present to the past and looking forward to the future, with such determination and confidence, we can do what we are doing in a down-to-earth manner.

Not long ago, a foreign dignitary said in an interview before attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (上合组织) Tianjin Summit that he realized during his first visit to China more than 30 years ago that "this country has a promising future." Time and practice have proved that China's development has great potential and vitality. The sailing China will surely take advantage of the situation and sail towards a more magnificent future.

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Bulk-Purchased Drugs: Competing on Quality is Key to Protecting Health (People's Commentary)

By: 孙秀艳

The national centralized drug procurement is not a simple "group buying" price cut, but rather using public purchasing power to exchange for fairer and higher-quality health services.

The anti-involution rules, by eliminating inefficient production capacity and optimizing resource allocation, will force companies to shift towards innovative drug research and development, process upgrades, and quality improvement.

The eleventh batch of national centralized drug procurement will be opened for bidding soon. Not long ago, the National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医保局) clarified that this centralized procurement will follow the principles of "stabilizing clinical practice, ensuring quality, preventing bid-rigging, and opposing involution." Among them, the optimization of the "anchor point" selection for price difference control and the avoidance of simply choosing the lowest bid are new rules that directly address the problem of involution in the generic drug field.

As an important part of the reform in the field of medical security, the national centralized drug procurement has been carried out in 10 batches over the past 7 years, with a cumulative successful procurement of 435 drugs. Centralized procurement effectively reduces the inflated prices of drugs by compressing intermediate links, changes the industry ecology of "sales with kickbacks," and significantly reduces the burden of medication for patients.

It should also be noted that in previous centralized procurement bidding, a few companies, in order to seize the market, did not hesitate to offer excessively low prices to "卷" (juǎn - "involve," compete intensely) their peers. This irrational competition not only distorts the market order but also lays hidden dangers for quality and supply. Some companies even experienced supply disruptions and production stoppages after winning the bid, which not only tarnished the reputation of the centralized procurement system but also affected the medication safety and stability of the majority of patients. More importantly, if companies believe that centralized procurement only focuses on "the lowest price," it may inhibit innovation incentives—although centralized procurement itself does not involve new drugs, if corporate profits are compressed to the limit, where will the funds for developing new drugs and improving processes come from?

The anti-involution rules of the eleventh batch of centralized procurement are a precise response to these problems. In this centralized procurement, companies with ultra-low bids are required to provide cost calculation data and make a commitment to bid no lower than the cost, to prevent involution and irrational bidding. The relevant adjustments are not intended to raise drug prices, but to find a balance between "reducing the burden" and "ensuring quality."

Only by focusing on quality can we protect health. It must be seen that the national centralized drug procurement is not a simple "group buying" price cut, but rather using public purchasing power to exchange for fairer and higher-quality health services. From the patient's perspective, people want to reduce the burden of medication, but they also want to obtain satisfactory therapeutic effects. The iteration of drug centralized procurement rules is precisely to serve the goal of solving the problem of "expensive medical treatment" and achieving "safe medication," and to serve the original intention of medical insurance reform to protect people's health.

Centralized procurement is connected to the medication needs of the masses on one end and the development of the pharmaceutical industry on the other. From the industry's perspective, anti-involution is the key to promoting high-quality development of the pharmaceutical industry. China has a large number of small-scale pharmaceutical companies, and their overall innovation capabilities are relatively insufficient. Many companies have long relied on generic drugs to "make quick money." In recent years, although the proportion of R&D investment in pharmaceutical companies' revenue has increased significantly, it is mainly concentrated in leading innovative drug companies, and the overall innovation capabilities of the industry still need to be improved. The anti-involution rules, by eliminating inefficient production capacity and optimizing resource allocation, will force companies to shift towards innovative drug research and development, process upgrades, and quality improvement.

Implementing anti-involution rules is conducive to improving the level of refined management of drug centralized procurement. However, in the case of generic drugs with as many as a dozen or dozens of companies participating in the competition, it may be difficult to achieve the ideal anti-involution effect by simply limiting measures to optimizing the downstream procurement环节 (huán jié - "link," segment). To ensure that the quality of centralized procurement drugs is excellent and the supply is stable, more precise efforts and the joint efforts of upstream and downstream departments are needed.

On the one hand, the whole-cycle quality supervision should be strengthened. Centralized procurement is not a "one-time purchase." After winning the bid, dynamic spot checks should still be strengthened, and the entire chain of drug raw materials, production processes, and clinical efficacy should be monitored. On the other hand, we may consider improving the incentive compatibility mechanism. For example, policy support should be given to companies with excellent product quality, so that companies can shift from "passively controlling costs" to "actively improving quality."

More importantly, the concept of health priority should run through the entire policy. To allow more people to benefit from the dividends of centralized procurement, whether it is rule design or execution details, we should listen more to the voices of doctors and patients. For example, when determining the procurement volume, we should not only consider the magnitude of drug price reductions, but also evaluate clinical needs and patient compliance; in quality evaluation, we can introduce clinical and other research data to let the therapeutic effect speak for itself.

Practicing, exploring, and improving at the same time is an effective method for doing many things well. It is believed that with the continuous improvement of the rules, drug centralized procurement will not only better protect people's health, but also continuously inject strong impetus into the development of related industries, and promote all people to enjoy more efficient, safer, and more accessible pharmaceutical products and services.

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Photo Report

Not long ago, the 2025 National的和美乡村 Basketball Tournament ("Village BA") Finals kicked off in Taipan Village (台盘村), Taijiang County (台江县), Guizhou (贵州). Sixteen representative teams from 14 provinces, including Beijing (北京) and Liaoning (辽宁), gathered in the Miao (苗) village to engage in fierce competition. Outside the arena, the "Village BA" grand market was bustling, with agricultural specialties, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and more attracting many tourists. The integrated development of agriculture, culture, sports, and tourism promotes the better transformation of "event traffic" into "development increment."

This is precisely:

The Miao (苗) mountains sing joyfully as drums and horns urge,
Striving on the field with thunderous momentum.
One ball turns and prospers all industries,
With united hearts and broad roads, the village becomes even more beautiful.

Xu Zhiwen (徐之文)

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National Teams Can Also Be "Managed at the Provincial Level" (Micro View)

By: 李嘉岳

Can National Teams Also Be "Run by Provinces"? The recently issued "Administrative Measures (Trial Implementation) for Cooperative Establishment of National High-Level Sports Teams" adds a new type of national team: "Entrusted Management." In March of this year, the General Administration of Sport of China (国家体育总局) has designated cricket and squash as pilot projects, entrusting the sports bureaus of Zhejiang (浙江) and Sichuan (四川) respectively to manage the national teams.

Previously, the construction of national teams was mostly centered on the various project centers. After implementing "Entrusted Management" for projects with low domestic popularity, weak development foundations, or long-term stagnation without breakthroughs, the market development, establishment, and bidding for and hosting of international events for national teams can be handed over to local authorities. The relevant sports project centers and associations are responsible for supervision and guidance, which helps enhance the participation, sense of honor, and responsibility of provincial sports administrative departments in Olympic preparations.

Entrusting the construction of national teams to local authorities is conducive to promoting the deep integration of project development and local characteristic resources, forming a differentiated development path of "one policy per province, one model per team." For example, in recent years, Zhejiang (浙江) has deepened the integration of cricket projects with physical education, gradually building a "one-stop" talent training system from primary school to university, and has also built the largest dedicated cricket stadium in China. After being entrusted to manage the national cricket team, Zhejiang (浙江) will select more cross-sport athletes to enrich the cricket training team and enhance the project's competitiveness. Adapting to local conditions, integrating resources from various parties, and strengthening training and competition support will help improve the effectiveness of Olympic preparations and enhance competitive sports strength.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "We must accelerate the pace of sports reform and innovation and update sports concepts." From encouraging provincial and municipal tennis teams (sports schools) to explore professional club models, to holding the first National Youth Three Major Ball Games, to signing agreements with relevant local authorities to jointly build national Olympic reserve talent echelons... In recent years, innovative measures in the field of competitive sports have been introduced one after another, and the concept of running sports with an open door has become a consensus and has produced positive results.

For example, the Yexiang Tennis Club in Langfang (廊坊), Hebei (河北), where "Backpack Boy" Wang Fa (王发) belongs, has closely cooperated with the local tennis association in recent years to cultivate professional sports talents: the tennis association provides free venues, food, and accommodation, the club assists in building teams and coaching staff, and the two parties jointly carry out project promotion activities and jointly raise funds for players to participate in competitions. Another example is Jiangxi (江西), which, by integrating physical education resources and making full use of school venues, has established more than 20 fencing training centers throughout the province, with more than 2,000 fencing athletes, and the project has made significant progress. Practice has proven that efforts to explore a cooperative model led by the government and with the joint participation of society and the market, and to build an open, inclusive, and dynamic talent training system, will make the foundation of competitive sports development more solid and the driving force more sufficient.

Orderly opening up high-quality competitive sports resources is a key measure to stimulate industry vitality. However, the more mechanisms are broadened, the more attention should be paid to fairness and strengthened supervision. In the past, the Chinese Football Association (中国足协) did not separate "management, operation, and supervision" of professional leagues, acting as both referee and athlete, with excessive concentration of power and lack of checks and balances, leading to a series of problems in professional leagues. Currently, the "separation of management and operation" reform being promoted in the football field is intended to separate the ownership and operating rights of professional leagues, and to separate the regulatory rights and operating rights, clarifying the rights, responsibilities, and interests of the Football Association, the Football Federation, etc., to prevent work from being "overstepping" or "missing." Only by building a governance system with clear responsibilities and effective supervision can we ensure the full participation of various entities and ultimately promote the sustainable development of competitive sports.

Achieving the best results in the history of the Winter Olympics at the Beijing (北京) Winter Olympics, and creating the best results in overseas participation at the Paris (巴黎) Olympics, the fact that China (中国) has become a strong Olympic country fully demonstrates that new breakthroughs are conceived in reform, and new hopes rise in reform. Facing the future, adhering to seeking a way out through reform, solving problems, and promoting development, actively promoting the construction of a more open, more dynamic, more sustainable, and higher-level competitive sports governance system, the results of reform will surely be transformed into a powerful force for building a strong sports country.

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Popular science should "catch up" with scientific and technological innovation.

By: 裴 桐

The Nanjing Science and Technology Museum,焕新升级后的, welcomed over 10,000 visitors per day during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, delivering an impressive performance.

Why is the Nanjing Science and Technology Museum so popular? The Gomoku (Five in a Row) robot that plays against children in the museum is technically supported by Nanjing Estun Automation Co., Ltd. (南京埃斯顿自动化股份有限公司), a science and technology innovation enterprise. The holographic light and shadow show that brings cultural relics "to life" relies on new products developed by Nanjing Dasqi Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (南京达斯琪数字科技有限公司). The Nanjing Science and Technology Museum is building a new "museum-enterprise-research" collaborative model, carrying out close cooperation with local enterprises, and directly "moving" cutting-edge achievements in fields such as artificial intelligence and holographic display into the exhibition hall, allowing scientific and technological innovation to empower popular science. Zhang Zhiqiang (张志强), the curator of the museum, said that Nanjing has a large number of high-tech enterprises and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, which is a "rich mine" of popular science resources.

Today, scientific and technological innovation is advancing with unprecedented breadth, depth, and speed. Breaking down the barriers between cutting-edge technology and public awareness, and consolidating the foundation for building an innovative country, science and technology museums shoulder an important responsibility. However, some venues have static exhibitions with significantly outdated results. Even new exhibitions, due to a lack of in-depth analysis of application scenarios, fail to transform professional knowledge into perceptible and knowable experiences, making it difficult to stimulate the interest and thinking of young people. Introducing the latest achievements from laboratories and production lines into exhibition spaces helps respond to the public's keen expectations for cutting-edge technology.

Popular science is not a static display of knowledge, but a dynamic presentation of innovative achievements; it is not a one-way knowledge transfer, but a multi-party interactive co-creation. To shorten the "time difference" between popular science and scientific and technological innovation, research institutions and enterprises should bring continuously updated exhibits to popular science venues, allowing popular science venues to continuously open up channels for the public to perceive the application of cutting-edge technology. Creating a virtuous cycle of co-frequency resonance and two-way empowerment will better realize the synchronous advancement of scientific research exploration, industrial application, and public popular science, creating a strong atmosphere of scientific and technological innovation in the whole society.

Scientific and technological innovation and popular science are the two wings for achieving innovative development. As the tide of innovation surges forward, popular science work can only "catch up" with the times and "catch up" with the people's growing knowledge needs by breaking down walls. This requires not only popular science venues to actively seek change, but also relevant departments to provide policy support and guidance services, unblocking mechanism bottlenecks and resource barriers, so that popular science and innovation can go hand in hand.

(Excerpted and compiled from *Nanjing Daily* (《南京日报》), original title: "Deeply Explore the 'Rich Mine' of High-Tech Enterprises, Let Popular Science 'Catch Up' with Scientific and Technological Innovation")

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Learn "what is right," and also learn "what is beautiful" (The Chinese Path, the Chinese Dream: Youth Shouldering Responsibility for Chinese-style Modernization 21)

By: 赵佳洁

What comes to mind when you think of art class?

In traditional impressions, it might be a corner of the curriculum easily overlooked, a "marginal class" squeezed out by core subjects. Today, as the "five aspects of education" – moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor – become increasingly ingrained, aesthetic education is no longer a decorative accessory but is gradually becoming a "necessity" of modern education. Aesthetic education plays a crucial role in nourishing life, shaping personality, and inspiring wisdom. In my classroom, art is a vivid practice for children to record their lives with paintbrushes, and also a window for them to understand themselves.

What is education? In my opinion, it is not only about teaching children to know "right or wrong," but also about helping them recognize "beautiful or not." At the beginning of my career, I was actually a Chinese language teacher, but I became connected with art because I liked painting, and occasionally took on related courses. At first, I simply regarded art as an extension of interest, a carrier for children to enjoy happy times. But as I delved deeper into teaching, I increasingly discovered that aesthetic education is by no means a technique on paper, but a daily cultivation rooted in life. The rhythm of literature and poetry is beauty, the logic of philosophical speculation is beauty, and the laws of mathematical formulas are also beauty. Beauty is everywhere and is also extremely important.

Once, I accidentally saw a portrait of a doctor in my social media feed. The lines and colors were good, but I always felt that it lacked a touching core – the benevolence and dedication behind the profession. This made me think deeply that art is not only visual pleasure, but also inner touch, emotional resonance, and spiritual sublimation. With a deeper aesthetic perception and understanding, children will have a richer spiritual world, see a more distant world, and thus build a more solid foundation for growth. It was this idea that made me determined to switch to a full-time art teacher, to be a guide for children, leading them to discover beauty, feel beauty, and create beauty. In order to make up for the ability gap, I would go to Xining City (西宁市) in Qinghai Province (青海省) for further study whenever I had free time these years. The accumulated train tickets are too many to hold in one hand.

The Qilian County (祁连县), Qinghai Province (青海省) where I teach is located in the hinterland of the Qilian Mountains (祁连山). The beautiful landscape and colorful folk culture are natural aesthetic education treasures. I don't limit the classroom to the classroom, but often take students outdoors, guiding them to observe with their eyes, feel with their hearts, and then use paintbrushes to depict the local customs and climate of their hometown. Gradually, the children began to re-examine the familiar world with an aesthetic eye, discovering unique charm and poetry in the ordinary.

Nianzhiduoje's (念智多杰) "The Moon Rises" freezes the enthusiastic bonfire party on the horse racing field into a moving picture of national unity; Zhao Lin's (赵霖) "Happy New Year Scene" depicts traditional customs such as twisting the Yangko dance and beating gongs and drums in detail... A student told me that they used to think that everywhere they went was about the same, but after learning to paint, they realized that there were so many different details hidden here. Art not only vividly shows the unique charm of the hometown, but also guides children to understand their own culture, express their own culture, and love their own culture in painting.

What surprised me even more is that art breaks through the boundaries of time and space and generations, conveying warmth and encouragement that goes straight to the heart. In May of this year, staff from the Iron Man Wang Jinxi (王进喜) Memorial Hall contacted the school, hoping to collect a picture book "Iron Man Wang Jinxi" created by a student in the class. I asked this 9-year-old Tu ethnic (土族) girl why she wanted to draw the story of the Iron Man. Her answer was simple and sincere: "I accidentally broke my hand, and it hurt a lot. Later, I thought of Wang Jinxi being injured by a drill pipe, but still enduring the pain to jump into the mud, and I felt that he was really an iron man! I also want to learn from him!" The child's words moved me. More than 2,000 kilometers apart, decades apart, but this spirit of the Iron Man was "relayed" by a child through the medium of painting.

The so-called teaching and learning from each other, the process of guiding students, often opens up new horizons for me and takes me to appreciate different scenery. Once, I assigned the painting topic of "Finding Cattle and Sheep." In my mind, the picture should be of herdsmen climbing high and looking far, pulling flatbed carts everywhere to find them. But in the children's paintings, there were modern scenes of drones patrolling. The sharp contrast also inspired me to think: art is rooted in the earth, and art also needs to be more sensitive to the pulse of the times and reflect the vivid changes in life.

To cultivate people with beauty and culture. At the beginning of this year, with the support of the County Education Bureau, we launched a high school and primary school integrated aesthetic education immersion activity, which attracted 2/3 of the students in the county to sign up to participate. From this, we can also see the popularity of aesthetic education. In the future, I will continue to cultivate art education, so that the seeds carrying rich culture and artistic sentiments will take root and sprout in the hearts of more children, helping them grow into "dream chasers" with rich spirits and all-round development.

(The author is an art teacher at the Qilian County (祁连县) Youth Activity Center in Qinghai Province (青海省). This report was compiled and edited by Cao Jiwei (曹继炜), a reporter from this newspaper.)

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Editor in Charge for This Edition: Chen Ling, Shi Ling, Chang Jin

This edition's email: rmrbbpl@peopledaily.cn (Please indicate the column name when submitting articles)

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Looking Back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," Remembering the General Secretary's Words

New achievements have been made in economic development, new steps have been taken in reform and opening up, the level of social civilization has been raised to a new level, new progress has been made in ecological civilization construction, people's well-being has reached a new level, and the effectiveness of national governance has been improved to a new level...

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to work together with one heart and one mind, and to forge ahead with determination. On the magnificent journey of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, they have created new historical achievements with new great struggles.

Standing at the intersection of another five years, looking back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," our reporters went deep into the grassroots to interview cadres and the masses, relived the General Secretary's earnest entrustment, and recorded the new achievements and new changes made by various regions and departments under the guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

--Editor

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We must firmly safeguard the foundation of the real economy.

By: 本报记者 李心萍 郑智文

In a word, it pointed out the direction.

"It is necessary to firmly hold the foundation of the real economy, and coordinate the transformation of traditional industries, the expansion of advantageous industries, and the cultivation of new quality productive forces." In February of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out profoundly when listening to the work report of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee and the Jilin Provincial Government.

Jilin City (吉林市), Jilin Province (吉林省), is a city that prospered due to industry. During the "First Five-Year Plan" period, 7 and a half of the 156 key projects of New China were located in Jilin City (吉林市).

Here, the first bag of fertilizer, the first barrel of dye, and the first furnace of calcium carbide in New China were produced. However, like other old industrial bases, Jilin City (吉林市) once faced development problems due to its heavy industrial structure and weak competitiveness.

"The General Secretary's words pointed out the direction for Jilin City's (吉林市) development plan." Hu Bin (胡斌), Secretary of the Jilin City (吉林市) Party Committee, said, "With the real economy as the foundation, strengthening cluster cultivation, providing precise services to enterprises, and highlighting innovation-driven development, Jilin City's (吉林市) high-quality development is steadily moving forward."

Strengthening strengths to consolidate the leading position of advantageous industries.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Jilin Petrochemical (中石油吉林石化) launched a transformation and upgrading project with a total investment of 33.9 billion yuan, carrying out a deep transformation of "refining to chemicals, chemicals to materials, and materials to medium and high-end" on 166 hectares of land. On-site office work helps enterprises overcome difficulties, and a special working class is formed to operate with a map. Jilin City (吉林市) is making every effort to ensure that the project is put into production on schedule.

In August of this year, the core unit of the Jilin Petrochemical (吉林石化) transformation and upgrading project, the 1.2 million tons/year ethylene unit, was successfully started at one time, and Jilin Petrochemical's (吉林石化) ethylene production capacity ranks among the advanced in the country.

Promoting transformation to allow old trees to sprout new buds.

The transformation and upgrading of traditional industries can also develop new quality productive forces. "As an old industrial base, Jilin City (吉林市) has a large proportion of traditional industries and a large number of old enterprises. Helping old enterprises rejuvenate is crucial to the development of Jilin City (吉林市)," said Hu Bin (胡斌).

Jilin Jianlong Steel Co., Ltd. (吉林建龙钢铁有限责任公司) is a key enterprise in the city's metallurgical industry. In recent years, the steel industry has been undergoing a transition from "incremental development" to "decremental development and stock optimization." Facing challenges, how should Jianlong Steel (建龙钢铁) respond?

Organizing experts to conduct on-site consultations and providing financial support for intelligent transformation and digital upgrades to help find a breakthrough path for digital transformation and intelligent upgrades.

Stepping into the Jianlong Steel (建龙钢铁) production workshop, robots, unmanned vehicles and other intelligent equipment cooperate in an orderly manner, and the central control hall monitors various data in real time, increasing the enterprise's hot rolling efficiency by 17.1%.

Cultivating new opportunities to open up emerging industries.

While consolidating the existing stock, Jilin City (吉林市) also firmly grasps the "bull nose" of independent innovation, working hard to expand increments, extend the industrial chain, and increase added value to cultivate new growth points.

Jilin City (吉林市) is focusing on sorting out two lists: a list of convertible scientific and technological achievements and a list of enterprise needs. Holding docking meetings and conducting online and offline negotiations simultaneously, Jilin City (吉林市) has achieved the local transformation of 206 scientific and technological achievements this year, and the transaction volume of technology contracts has increased by 22.9% year-on-year.

At the end of September, the first Urban Low-Altitude Transportation International Conference was held in Jilin City (吉林市). During the period, the booth of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group (吉林化纤集团) attracted much attention, and many companies came to discuss carbon fiber cooperation matters. "We have passed the carbon fiber material-end supply access of many low-altitude economy companies, and the product market has been further broadened," said Wang Hong (王宏), Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group (吉林化纤集团).

The real economy is the foundation of a country's economy, the fundamental source of wealth creation, and an important pillar of national strength. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," China's industrial added value has increased from 31.3 trillion yuan to 40.5 trillion yuan. The overall scale of manufacturing has ranked first in the world for many years, and the construction of a manufacturing power is making steady progress.

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Comprehensively Deepening Reform as the Fundamental Driving Force for Advancing Chinese-style Modernization

By: 本报记者 屈信明 刘新吾 张云河

In April 2023, presided over the first meeting of the 20th Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms

This year is the closing year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and also an important year for further comprehensively deepening reforms.

In April 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized when presiding over the first meeting of the 20th Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms: "To achieve the goals and tasks of the new era and new journey, we must take comprehensively deepening reforms as the fundamental driving force for advancing Chinese-style modernization, and as an important means to stabilize the overall situation, respond to changes, and create new prospects." In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China closely focused on advancing Chinese-style modernization and outlined strategic measures for further comprehensively deepening reforms.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平), during his inspections in various localities, repeatedly gave important instructions on the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region: "We must jointly build the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region and implement a number of major transportation infrastructure projects," "Vigorously promote the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region, promote the development and opening up of areas along the route, and deeply integrate into the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road'..."

In the process of construction, reform stories continue to happen, directly addressing the bottlenecks and difficulties in development.

"Customs clearance is now more convenient." At Xiaonan'ya Station in Jiangjin District (江津区) of Chongqing (重庆), a batch of new energy vehicles "ride" a railway special train to Qinzhou Port (钦州港) in Guangxi (广西), and then "take a boat" to Egypt. Ren Yanhai (任燕海), the head of a freight forwarding company, said that in the past, transporting a batch of new energy vehicles required the urgent transfer of a large number of transport vehicles, which were assembled and then inspected, resulting in high costs and difficulties.

Reform should be problem-oriented. Yao Yang (姚阳), the chief of the Second Monitoring Section of Xiyong Customs (西永海关), introduced that last year, the regulatory model reform of "separate delivery and centralized declaration, one bill for multiple vehicles" was implemented, allowing one transport vehicle to transport vehicles in and out of the comprehensive bonded zone multiple times, alleviating the difficulty of vehicle transfer for enterprises.

"The company's overseas business is becoming more and more prosperous, and we also realize more deeply that 'comprehensively deepening reforms should be taken as the fundamental driving force for advancing Chinese-style modernization,' which is a 高瞻远瞩 (gāo zhān yuǎn zhǔ - "stand high see far," to have great foresight)." said Ren Yanhai (任燕海).

"This batch of cars can be put on the ship quickly after getting off the train," said Yin Caiwei (印才伟), assistant general manager of COSCO SHIPPING Logistics Co., Ltd. (中远海运物流有限公司) in Guangxi (广西). Qinzhou Port (钦州港) Wharf and the railway freight yard were once separated by a fence. With the advancement of the integrated reform of railway-sea combined transport, the isolation fence was removed, the transportation route of container trucks and the inspection process were optimized, and the cost of transporting each container truck can be saved by about 150 yuan.

Li Kaishan (李凯善), deputy general manager of Beibu Gulf Port Co., Ltd. (北部湾港股份有限公司), said that in addition to opening up physical separation, virtual barriers are also being dismantled at an accelerated pace. Local customs, railways, and ports have established a joint dispatch center for integrated railway-sea combined transport to exchange railway yard storage data and train departure data in a timely manner to improve service efficiency.

Since the opening of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region, the container throughput of Beibu Gulf Port (北部湾港) (this port) has increased by an average of 22% annually, and the channel logistics network covers more than 120 countries and regions. Various factors flow reasonably and gather efficiently, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is increasingly becoming an important link to smooth the dual circulation.

The logistics relay is "accelerating," which is backed by the determination and action of reform. Solving one problem after another, the effectiveness of reform is constantly transformed into development effectiveness.

"Riding the tide of reform and opening up and forging ahead, Chinese-style modernization will surely open up broader prospects in reform and opening up." In today's China, reform has shifted from local exploration and breaking through to systematic integration and comprehensive deepening. Many fields have achieved historic changes, systematic restructuring, and overall reconstruction. Further comprehensively deepening reforms and unswervingly expanding high-level opening up will inject more impetus and vitality into Chinese-style modernization, and will continue to inject strong momentum into the global economy.

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Safeguard the precious legacy left to us by our predecessors.

By: 本报记者 康 岩 马睿姗

In the early morning at 5 a.m., the ancient city of Pingyao (平遥) in Shanxi (山西) had not yet fully awakened. In the Pingyao Donghu Vinegar Workshop (平遥东湖老醋坊) on South Street (南大街), the vinegar-making masters, with their hands covered in calluses, skillfully and nimbly manipulated the vinegar mash to brew handmade vinegar. This lingering fragrance of vinegar has transformed into a vibrant cultural calling card of the ancient city, attracting visitors from all directions to savor its profound heritage. Tourists lined up early in the morning to "eat vinegar," becoming a unique scene in the ancient city.

On the eve of the Spring Festival in January 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) visited the ancient city of Pingyao (平遥) for inspection, emphasizing the need to "safeguard the precious wealth left to us by our predecessors." The General Secretary visited Pingyao Beef Shop (平遥牛肉店), Tuiguang Lacquerware Shop (推光漆器店), and Donghu Vinegar Workshop (东湖老醋坊) to learn about the protection and utilization of local cultural heritage and the development of characteristic businesses. He also purchased Pingyao beef (平遥牛肉), dumpling vinegar, and other New Year goods, and participated in the fermentation and stirring of aged vinegar.

Recalling General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest instructions, Guo Junlu (郭俊陆), the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Shanxi aged vinegar brewing techniques, said: "We must safeguard the precious wealth of our predecessors, be inheritors of outstanding traditional culture, and carry forward and promote the traditional cultural industry with national characteristics to the world."

Vinegar brewing has a history of thousands of years in Shanxi (山西). Donghu aged vinegar (东湖老醋) is one of the "time-honored brands." "The fumigation process we inherit has a history of hundreds of years. Now we are exploring the culture of aged vinegar and expanding our business," said Guo Junlu (郭俊陆).

The Pingyao Tuiguang Lacquerware Decoration Technique (平遥推光漆器髹饰技艺) is a famous lacquerware craft in China and was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Li Rui (李瑞), an enthusiast of intangible cultural heritage, has promoted this technique through creative expression. The intangible cultural heritage research society he founded mainly promotes Pingyao Tuiguang Lacquerware (平遥推光漆器) themed research courses, which are very popular among children from all over the country. The innovative model of "intangible cultural heritage + research" allows the ancient techniques to be inherited in the children's personal experience and move towards a broader world.

In the land of Sanjin (三晋), "intangible cultural heritage + tourism" has become a highlight of the integration of culture and tourism. At present, 4A-level and above tourist attractions in the province have introduced a variety of intangible cultural heritage projects in stages or regularly. Intangible cultural heritage projects such as aged vinegar, Taigu cake (太谷饼), and woodblock New Year pictures rely on various scenic spots to shine.

The inheritance and development of traditional intangible cultural heritage is at a historical juncture where adherence to principles and innovation converge. It must both safeguard the cultural roots containing thousands of years of wisdom and keep pace with the times to constantly rejuvenate.

Promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism development is a main theme of cultural and tourism development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The two-way empowerment of "shaping tourism with culture and highlighting culture with tourism" cultivates new momentum and shapes new advantages for the cultural and tourism industry. Excellent traditional Chinese culture is illuminating the spiritual lives of the masses: traveling to northern Shaanxi (陕北) to watch Yangko dances, going to Guizhou (贵州) to listen to the Dong ethnic group's grand songs, and going to Zigong (自贡) in Sichuan (四川) to enjoy lantern festivals... On the journey across the vast land, excellent traditional Chinese culture is loved and inherited by more and more people.

When the precipitated cultural genes are activated by the times, the "addition" combination bursts out with a "multiplication" effect, and the precious wealth left to us by our predecessors will surely stand the test of time and remain new.

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Solidly Advance Integrated Protection and Systematic Governance of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Farmland, Lakes, Grasslands, and Deserts

By: 本报记者 何宇澈 赵景锋

In June 2023, a symposium was held on strengthening comprehensive desertification prevention and control and promoting key ecological projects such as the "Three-North" project.

The Kuye River (窟野河), a first-class tributary of the Yellow River (黄河), originates in Ordos (鄂尔多斯), Inner Mongolia (内蒙古), and joins the Yellow River (黄河) in Yulin (榆林), Shaanxi (陕西). Strolling along the Kuye River (窟野河), the sparkling water reflects the sky, with ruddy shelducks chasing food or leisurely resting, creating a picturesque scene.

In March 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out during the National People's Congress (全国两会) that "we must coordinate the systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand, and add the word 'sand' here." In June 2023, at the symposium on strengthening comprehensive desertification prevention and control and promoting key ecological projects such as the "Three-North" project, the General Secretary emphasized: "We must adhere to the concept of systems and steadily promote the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand."

"By deeply studying and understanding the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, we have found the direction for watershed governance," said Zhang Yong (张勇), Director of the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Water Resources Bureau of Kangbashi District (康巴什区), Ordos City (鄂尔多斯市).

This 242-kilometer-long river flows through deserts and loess hilly gully areas. The ecological environment of the basin is fragile, and it was once the Yellow River (黄河) tributary with the highest sediment content. Systematic governance has brought tremendous and profound changes to the Kuye River (窟野河).

"In earlier years, the main focus was on solving flood control problems," Zhang Yong (张勇) introduced. Building dikes, constructing reservoirs, and deploying silt dams... a series of water conservancy projects stored and absorbed rainwater and intercepted sediment entering the Yellow River (黄河), gradually stabilizing the surging river water. "Floods have indeed decreased, but the water quality is very turbid, and the banks are bare," said Hu He (呼和), a local resident.

Without planting trees, the sand cannot be fixed; when it is windy and rainy, the sand on the banks runs into the river. In the past, the approach was to "treat water by water," ignoring the governance of desertified land. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Ordos (鄂尔多斯) focused on the construction of beautiful rivers and lakes, shifting the governance of the Kuye River (窟野河) from "fighting alone" to "systematic advancement," and comprehensively carrying out desertified land governance, returning farmland to forests, and other work.

"Watershed governance involves multiple departments such as water conservancy, forestry and grassland, agriculture, and natural resources. There are overlapping areas. Only by adhering to the concept of systems can we govern the Kuye River (窟野河) well," Zhang Yong (张勇) introduced. The root cause of the high sediment content of the Kuye River (窟野河) is sparse vegetation on the banks and severe land desertification. "It's like cooking; only when the dough is well-leavened can the steamed buns be fragrant."

Continuing along the Kuye River (窟野河), a lush green park comes into view. "This area was once desertified land. Under the guidance of the concept of systems, we divided it into many small watersheds. Led by the water conservancy department, multiple departments jointly formulated a watershed governance plan, integrating river management, desert and barren mountain greening, and agricultural production," Zhang Yong (张勇) said.

Planting suitable perennial plants and aquatic plants, and carrying out greening and replanting on exposed slopes and sandy land... After governance, the average annual sediment transport of the Kuye River (窟野河) has been greatly reduced. "The ecology is better, and many migratory birds and fish that were not seen before have appeared," said Hu He (呼和).

The new look of the Kuye River (窟野河) is a microcosm of the new progress made in China's ecological civilization construction during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. Upstream and downstream, main streams and tributaries, left and right banks; sand control, water control, mountain control... Across the land of China, a systematic governance practice based on the concept of integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand is constantly painting an ecological picture of green mountains and clear waters in our country.

Adhering to the concept of systems, doing a good job in top-level design, and starting from the integrity of the ecosystem, the ideas are consistent.

Adhering to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand, and unswervingly following the path of ecological priority and green development will inject strong impetus into comprehensively promoting the construction of a beautiful China and accelerating the promotion of modernization in which humans and nature coexist in harmony.

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"Making ensuring residents' secure housing and stable employment the top priority"

By: 本报记者 宋静思 梁 楠

In February 2024, on the eve of the Spring Festival, visit Tianjin (天津) to visit and慰问 grassroots cadres and the masses.

"The people's affairs are the most important, and they must be handled well."

On the eve of the 2024 Spring Festival, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) went to Tianjin (天津) to visit and慰问 grassroots cadres and the masses. As soon as he got off the train, he came to the Sixth Bu Village (第六埠村) in Xinkou Town (辛口镇), Xiqing District (西青区).

During the inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Taking ensuring that residents live and work in peace and contentment as the top priority, gradually expanding the supply of basic public services, safeguarding the bottom line of people's livelihood, and allowing the people to continuously have new gains."

"A good living environment and stable work are the expectations of our people." Hao Qingshui (郝庆水), Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Village Committee of the Sixth Bu Village (第六埠村), felt this deeply.

In the past two years, the Sixth Bu Village (第六埠村) has continued to promote the construction of "Beautiful Pastoral Areas, Beautiful Villages, and Beautiful Courtyards," and the village environment has been significantly improved.

"In the past, as soon as winter came, some villagers complained that the heating temperature in their houses was low. Last year, we jointly renovated the heating pipe network with the heating department, and the villagers lived warmly." Hao Qingshui (郝庆水) said.

Citizens and tourists come in, and special products are sold out. In July last year, the village built the city's first "Wealth Creation Workshop," using e-commerce to promote local agricultural products to various places. More than a year after the workshop was built, sales exceeded 800,000 yuan.

Letting the people live in houses and live in peace is what General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) always has in mind. During his inspection in Shanghai (上海), the General Secretary went to the rental housing community to visit new citizens and asked if the rent was expensive; in Zhujiagou Village (祝家沟村), Suizhong County (绥中县), Liaoning (辽宁), the General Secretary learned in detail whether the subsidies for rebuilding houses were in place and what the main sources of income for the villagers were.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the country built and raised more than 11 million sets (rooms) of various types of affordable housing and resettlement housing for urban villages and urban dilapidated housing renovation, benefiting more than 30 million people, and the housing conditions of the people have been further improved. The country has cumulatively renovated more than 240,000 old urban communities, benefiting 110 million residents, and the quality of the urban living environment has been further improved.

A set of detailed data has witnessed the transformation of thousands of households from "having a place to live" to "living in a suitable place," and also reflects the determination and efforts of the Party and the government to "make everyone smile more and feel warmer."

Employment is a family matter, but also a national matter. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) attaches great importance to employment work, emphasizing that "promoting high-quality and full employment is the new positioning and new mission of employment work in the new era and new journey."

In March of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) asked during his inspection of Zhaoxing Dong Village (肇兴侗寨) in Liping County (黎平县), Guizhou (贵州): "Are there still many villagers working outside?" Learning that most of the more than 5,000 people in the village were employed at their doorsteps, the General Secretary happily said: "This phenomenon is very gratifying."

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China formulated implementation plans to increase job creation and expand capacity, and support key groups to find employment and start businesses; increased financial support for enterprises to stabilize and expand employment, and increased the maximum credit line for small and micro enterprises to 50 million yuan; expanded the scope of one-time job expansion subsidy policies... A series of policies have enabled China to maintain more than 12 million new urban jobs every year, providing a solid support for continuous improvement of people's livelihood.

Looking back on the "14th Five-Year Plan," the people's yearning for a better life is being supported by solid people's livelihood policies and written by hundreds of millions of struggle stories, converging into the warm background color of Chinese-style modernization.

(Reporter Jin Bo (靳博) of this newspaper participated in the writing)

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Promoting the Building of a Chinese National Community

By: 本报记者 刘博通

September 2025: Listening to the Work Report of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区) Party Committee and Government

Strengthening the sense of community of the Chinese nation is the main theme of the Party's work on ethnic affairs in the new era, and also the main theme of various tasks in ethnic regions.

In the golden autumn season, a Baijia Banquet (百家宴) in Guyuan Lane Community (固原巷社区), Tianshan District (天山区), Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市), Xinjiang (新疆), officially began. People of all ethnic groups greeted each other, showcasing their signature dishes, and the banquet was filled with the aroma of delicious food and laughter. On the stage, instrumental bands, dance troupes, and Peking Opera classes took turns performing, and the wonderful programs won rounds of applause.

In September of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) led a central delegation to Xinjiang (新疆) to attend the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区). On September 24, when listening to the work report of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区) Party Committee and Government, the General Secretary emphasized: "Focus closely on strengthening the sense of community of the Chinese nation and promoting the construction of the Chinese national community."

"The General Secretary's earnest words encourage us residents of all ethnic groups to be as closely united as pomegranate seeds," said Zhang Yaowen (张耀文), Secretary of the Party General Branch of Guyuan Lane Community (固原巷社区). The community has established several volunteer service teams, including the Pomegranate Seed Propaganda Team and the Love Assistance Medical Team, striving to promote closer exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups, and working together to build a common and beautiful home.

Extensive exchanges, interactions, and integration are important ways to promote the construction of the Chinese national community. Actively building embedded social structures and community environments, and carrying out activities such as "Ethnic Unity as One Family"... North and south of the Tianshan Mountains (天山), everyone lives in close proximity and develops harmoniously. In close interactions, countless stories of unity are being written.

Walking into the Tokzak Township Central Primary School (托克扎克镇中心小学) in Shufu County (疏附县), Xinjiang (新疆), the classrooms are spacious and bright, and the teaching facilities are complete.

The sound of reading fills the teaching building, the lion dance moves on the playground, and the characteristic musical instruments and clear singing of various ethnic groups resonate together in the music club... Patiguli Yasen (帕提姑丽·亚森), Principal of Tokzak Township Central Primary School (托克扎克镇中心小学), introduced that the national common language and writing education and teaching are continuously strengthened, and many children have also transformed into "little teachers," leading their elders at home to learn together.

A number of key cultural and museum venues, such as the Xinjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and the Western Regions Protectorate Museum, have been built and opened. The common spiritual home of the Chinese nation is accelerating its construction, providing strong spiritual and cultural support for promoting the construction of the Chinese national community.

To strengthen the sense of community of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to guide people of all ethnic groups to firmly establish the common concept of sharing weal and woe, sharing honor and disgrace, sharing life and death, and sharing destiny. Building a better home together is inseparable from the unity and joint efforts of people of all ethnic groups, and the consolidation and development of the cause of ethnic unity and progress is also inseparable from the concerted efforts and contributions of all Chinese sons and daughters.

Over more than half a century, Burumahan Maurdoto (布茹玛汗·毛勒朵) from Wuqia County (乌恰县), Xinjiang (新疆), has been guarding the border for the country on the border line with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters, and has carved more than 100,000 "China Stones" with her hands.

"This land has nurtured us, and we have a responsibility to protect her and protect the peace of the motherland's border." Burumahan Maurdoto (布茹玛汗·毛勒朵) is now an enthusiastic commentator. She tells visitors the story of border guarding and introduces the tremendous changes in her hometown. Under her influence, more and more local young people have joined the ranks of border guards, guarding their common home with practical actions.

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Editor in Charge for This Edition: Yang Xu, Zhang Shuaizhen, Zhao Zheng, Luan Xinyi, Zhang Yujie

This edition's data source: National Bureau of Statistics (国家统计局), etc.

Layout design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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Looking Back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," Remembering the General Secretary's Words

New achievements have been made in economic development, new steps have been taken in reform and opening up, the level of social civilization has been raised to a new level, new progress has been made in ecological civilization construction, people's well-being has reached a new level, and the effectiveness of national governance has been improved to a new level...

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to work together with one heart and one mind, and to forge ahead with determination. On the magnificent journey of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, they have created new historical achievements with new great struggles.

Standing at the intersection of another five years, looking back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," our reporters went deep into the grassroots to interview cadres and the masses, relive the General Secretary's earnest entrustment, and record the new achievements and new changes made by various regions and departments under the guidance of Xi Jinping (习近平) Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

--Editor

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We must firmly safeguard the foundation of the real economy.

By: 本报记者 李心萍 郑智文

In a word, it pointed out the direction.

"We must firmly hold the foundation of the real economy, and promote the transformation of traditional industries, the expansion of advantageous industries, and the cultivation of new quality productive forces in a coordinated manner." In February of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out profoundly when listening to the work report of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee and the Jilin Provincial Government.

Jilin City (吉林市), Jilin Province (吉林省), is a city that prospered due to industry. During the "First Five-Year Plan" period, seven and a half of the 156 key projects of New China were located in Jilin City (吉林市).

Here, the first bag of chemical fertilizer, the first barrel of dye, and the first furnace of calcium carbide in New China were produced. However, like other old industrial bases, Jilin City (吉林市) once faced development problems due to its heavy industrial structure and weak competitiveness.

"The General Secretary's words pointed out the direction for Jilin City's (吉林市) development plan." Hu Bin (胡斌), Secretary of the Jilin City (吉林市) Party Committee, said, "Taking the real economy as the foundation, strengthening cluster cultivation, providing precise services to enterprises, and highlighting innovation-driven development, Jilin City's (吉林市) high-quality development is steadily moving forward."

Strengthening strengths to consolidate the leading position of advantageous industries.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Jilin Petrochemical (中石油吉林石化) launched a transformation and upgrading project with a total investment of 33.9 billion yuan, carrying out a deep transformation of "refining to chemicals, chemicals to materials, and materials to medium and high-end" on 166 hectares of land. On-site office work helps enterprises to overcome difficulties, and a special working class is formed to operate with charts and maps. Jilin City (吉林市) is making every effort to ensure that the project is put into production on schedule.

In August of this year, the core unit of the Jilin Petrochemical (吉林石化) transformation and upgrading project, the 1.2 million tons/year ethylene unit, was successfully started at one time, and Jilin Petrochemical's (吉林石化) ethylene production capacity ranked among the advanced ranks in the country.

Promoting transformation to rejuvenate old trees.

The transformation and upgrading of traditional industries can also develop new quality productive forces. "As an old industrial base, Jilin City (吉林市) has a large proportion of traditional industries and a large number of old enterprises. Helping old enterprises to rejuvenate is very important for the development of Jilin City (吉林市)," said Hu Bin (胡斌).

Jilin Jianlong Steel Co., Ltd. (吉林建龙钢铁有限责任公司) is a key enterprise in the city's metallurgical industry. In recent years, the steel industry has been undergoing a transition from "incremental development" to "decremental development and stock optimization." Facing the challenges, how should Jianlong Steel (建龙钢铁) respond?

Organizing experts to conduct on-site consultations and providing financial support for intelligent transformation and digital upgrades to help find a breakthrough path for digital transformation and intelligent upgrades.

Stepping into the Jianlong Steel (建龙钢铁) production workshop, robots, unmanned vehicles and other intelligent equipment cooperate in an orderly manner, and the central control hall monitors various data in real time, and the enterprise's hot rolling efficiency is increased by 17.1%.

Cultivating new opportunities to open up emerging industries.

While consolidating the existing stock, Jilin City (吉林市) also firmly grasps the "bull nose" of independent innovation, and makes efforts to expand the increment, extend the industrial chain, and increase the added value to cultivate new growth points.

Jilin City (吉林市) is focusing on sorting out two lists: a list of convertible scientific and technological achievements and a list of enterprise needs. Holding docking meetings and conducting online and offline negotiations simultaneously, since the beginning of this year, Jilin City (吉林市) has achieved the local transformation of 206 scientific and technological achievements, and the transaction volume of technology contracts has increased by 22.9% year-on-year.

At the end of September, the first Urban Low-Altitude Transportation International Conference was held in Jilin City (吉林市). During this period, the booth of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group (吉林化纤集团) attracted much attention, and many companies came to negotiate carbon fiber cooperation matters. "We have passed the carbon fiber material-end supply access of many low-altitude economy enterprises, and the product market has been further broadened," said Wang Hong (王宏), Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Jilin Chemical Fiber Group (吉林化纤集团).

The real economy is the foundation of a country's economy, the fundamental source of wealth creation, and an important pillar of national strength. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," China's industrial added value has increased from 31.3 trillion yuan to 40.5 trillion yuan. The overall scale of manufacturing has been the world's first for many years, and the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse is making steady progress.

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Comprehensively Deepening Reform as the Fundamental Driving Force for Advancing Chinese-style Modernization

By: 本报记者 屈信明 刘新吾 张云河

In April 2023, presided over the first meeting of the 20th Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms

This year is the closing year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and also an important year for further comprehensively deepening reforms.

In April 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized when he presided over the first meeting of the 20th Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms: "To achieve the goals and tasks of the new era and new journey, we must take comprehensively deepening reforms as the fundamental driving force for advancing Chinese-style modernization, and as an important means to stabilize the overall situation, respond to changes, and create new prospects." In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China closely focused on advancing Chinese-style modernization and outlined strategic measures for further comprehensively deepening reforms.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) made important instructions on the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China during his inspection tours of local areas: "We must jointly build the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China and implement a number of major transportation infrastructure projects," "Vigorously promote the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China, promote the development and opening up of areas along the route, and deeply integrate into the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road'..."

In the process of construction, reform stories continue to happen, directly addressing the bottlenecks and difficulties of development.

"Customs clearance is now more convenient." At Xiaonan'ya Station in Jiangjin District, Chongqing (重庆江津区小南垭站), a batch of new energy vehicles "ride" a railway special train to Qinzhou Port, Guangxi (广西钦州港), and then "take a boat" to Egypt. Ren Yanhai (任燕海), the head of a freight forwarding company, said that in the past, transporting a batch of new energy vehicles required urgently transferring a large number of transport vehicles, collecting them before accepting inspection, which was costly and difficult.

Reform should be problem-oriented. Yao Yang (姚阳), the chief of the Second Monitoring Section of Xiyong Customs (西永海关), introduced that last year, the regulatory model reform of "separate delivery and centralized declaration, one bill for multiple vehicles" was implemented, allowing a transport vehicle to transport vehicles in and out of the comprehensive bonded zone multiple times, alleviating the difficulty of vehicle transfer for enterprises.

"The company's overseas business is becoming more and more prosperous, and we also realize more and more that 'comprehensively deepening reforms should be taken as the fundamental driving force for advancing Chinese-style modernization' is a visionary statement," said Ren Yanhai (任燕海).

"This batch of cars can be put on the ship quickly after getting off the train," said Yin Caiwei (印才伟), assistant general manager of COSCO Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. in Guangxi (广西中远海运物流有限公司). Qinzhou Port (钦州港) Wharf and the railway freight yard were once separated by a fence. With the advancement of the integrated reform of railway-sea intermodal transport, the isolation fence was removed, the collection card transportation route and inspection process were optimized, and the cost of transporting each collection card can be saved by about 150 yuan.

Li Kaishan (李凯善), deputy general manager of Beibu Gulf Port Co., Ltd. (北部湾港股份有限公司), said that in addition to opening up physical separation, virtual barriers are also being dismantled at an accelerated pace. The local customs, railway, and port established a joint dispatch center for integrated railway-sea intermodal transport to exchange railway yard storage data and train departure data in a timely manner to improve service efficiency.

Since the opening of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China, the container throughput of Beibu Gulf Port (北部湾港) (this port) has increased by an average of 22% annually, and the channel logistics network covers more than 120 countries and regions. Various factors flow reasonably and gather efficiently, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is increasingly becoming an important link to smooth the dual circulation.

Logistics relay "accelerates running," behind which is the determination and action of reform. Solving one problem after another, the effectiveness of reform is continuously transformed into development effectiveness.

"Riding the tide of reform and opening up and forging ahead, Chinese-style modernization will surely open up broader prospects in reform and opening up." In today's China, reform has shifted from local exploration, breaking through to systematic integration and comprehensive deepening. Many fields have achieved historic changes, systematic restructuring, and overall reconstruction. Further comprehensively deepening reforms and unswervingly expanding high-level opening up will inject more impetus and vitality into Chinese-style modernization, and will continue to inject strong momentum into the global economy.

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Safeguard the precious legacy left to us by our predecessors.

By: 本报记者 康 岩 马睿姗

In the early morning at 5 o'clock, the ancient city of Pingyao (平遥) in Shanxi (山西) had not yet fully awakened. In the Pingyao Donghu Vinegar Workshop (平遥东湖老醋坊) on South Street (南大街), the vinegar-making masters, with their hands full of calluses, deftly picked up the vinegar mash, their movements skilled and agile, to brew handmade vinegar. This lingering aroma of vinegar has transformed into a vibrant cultural calling card of the ancient city, attracting visitors from all directions to savor its profound heritage. Tourists lined up early in the morning to "eat vinegar," becoming a unique scene in the ancient city.

On the eve of the Spring Festival in January 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) visited the ancient city of Pingyao (平遥) to conduct research, emphasizing the need to "protect the precious wealth left to us by our predecessors." The General Secretary walked into Pingyao Beef (平遥牛肉) shops, Tuiguang Lacquerware (推光漆器) shops, and Donghu Vinegar Workshop (东湖老醋坊) to learn about the protection and utilization of local cultural heritage and the development of characteristic businesses. He also purchased New Year's goods such as Pingyao Beef (平遥牛肉) and dumpling vinegar, and participated in the fermentation and raking of aged vinegar.

Recalling General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) earnest instructions, Guo Junlu (郭俊陆), the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Shanxi aged vinegar brewing techniques, said: "We must protect the precious wealth of our predecessors, be inheritors of outstanding traditional culture, and promote and carry forward the traditional cultural industry with national characteristics to the world."

Vinegar making has a history of thousands of years in Shanxi (山西). Donghu aged vinegar (东湖老醋) is one of the "time-honored brands." "The steaming process we inherit has a history of hundreds of years. Now we are exploring the culture of aged vinegar and expanding our business," said Guo Junlu (郭俊陆).

The Pingyao Tuiguang Lacquerware (平遥推光漆器) decoration technique is a famous lacquerware craft in China and was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Li Rui (李瑞), an intangible cultural heritage enthusiast, has promoted this technique through creative expression. The intangible cultural heritage research institute he founded mainly promotes Pingyao Tuiguang Lacquerware (平遥推光漆器) themed research courses, which are very popular among children from all over the country. The innovative model of "intangible cultural heritage + research" allows the ancient techniques to be inherited in the children's personal experiences and move towards a broader world.

In the land of Sanjin (三晋), "intangible cultural heritage + tourism" has become a highlight of the integration of culture and tourism. At present, 4A-level and above tourist attractions in the province have introduced a variety of intangible cultural heritage projects in stages or on a regular basis. Intangible cultural heritage projects such as aged vinegar, Taigu biscuits (太谷饼), and woodblock New Year pictures rely on various scenic spots to shine.

The inheritance and development of traditional intangible cultural heritage is at a historical juncture where preservation and innovation converge. It must both protect the cultural roots containing thousands of years of wisdom and keep pace with the times and constantly rejuvenate.

Promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism development is a main theme of cultural and tourism development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The two-way empowerment of "using culture to shape tourism and using tourism to highlight culture" cultivates new momentum and shapes new advantages for the cultural and tourism industry. Excellent traditional Chinese culture is illuminating the spiritual lives of the masses: traveling to northern Shaanxi (陕北) to watch Yangko dances, going to Guizhou (贵州) to listen to Dong ethnic group grand songs, and going to Zigong (自贡) in Sichuan (四川) to enjoy lantern festivals... On the journey across the vast land, excellent traditional Chinese culture is loved and inherited by more and more people.

When the precipitated cultural genes are activated by the times, and a "multiplication" effect bursts out with an "addition" combination, the precious wealth left to us by our predecessors will surely stand the test of time and remain new.

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Solidly Advance Integrated Protection and Systematic Governance of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Fields, Lakes, Grasslands, and Deserts

By: 本报记者 何宇澈 赵景锋

In June 2023, a symposium was held on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting key ecological projects such as the "Three-North" project.

The Kuye River (窟野河), a first-class tributary of the Yellow River (黄河), originates in Ordos (鄂尔多斯), Inner Mongolia (内蒙古), and flows into the Yellow River (黄河) in Yulin (榆林), Shaanxi (陕西). Strolling along the Kuye River (窟野河), on the sparkling water surface, ruddy shelducks chase and forage, or leisurely rest, complementing the clear sky and blue water.

In March 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out during the National People's Congress (全国两会) that: "We must coordinate the systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands, and add the word 'sand' here." In June 2023, at the symposium on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting key ecological projects such as the "Three-North" project, the General Secretary emphasized: "We must adhere to the concept of systems and steadily promote the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand."

"By deeply studying and understanding the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, we have found the direction of watershed management," said Zhang Yong (张勇), Director of the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Water Resources Bureau of Kangbashi District (康巴什区), Ordos City (鄂尔多斯市).

This 242-kilometer-long river flows through deserts and loess hilly gully areas, where the ecological environment of the basin is fragile. It was once the Yellow River (黄河) tributary with the highest sediment content. Systematic management has brought tremendous and profound changes to the Kuye River (窟野河).

"In earlier years, the main focus was on solving flood control problems," Zhang Yong (张勇) introduced. Building dikes, reservoirs, and silt dams... a series of water conservancy projects store and absorb rainwater, intercept sediment flowing into the Yellow River (黄河), and the rushing river water gradually becomes stable. "There are indeed fewer floods, but the water quality is very turbid, and the banks are bare," said Hu He (呼和), a local resident.

If trees are not planted, the sand cannot be fixed; when it is windy and rainy, the sand on the shore runs into the river. In the past, water was treated in isolation, ignoring the management of desertified land. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Ordos (鄂尔多斯) focused on the construction of beautiful rivers and lakes, transforming the Kuye River (窟野河) management from "fighting alone" to "systematic advancement," and comprehensively carrying out desertified land management, returning farmland to forest, and other work.

"Watershed management involves multiple departments such as water conservancy, forestry and grassland, agriculture, and natural resources. There are overlapping areas. Only by adhering to the concept of systems can we manage the Kuye River (窟野河) well," Zhang Yong (张勇) introduced. The root cause of the high sediment content of the Kuye River (窟野河) is sparse vegetation on the banks and severe land desertification. "It's like cooking. Only when the dough is well-leavened can the steamed buns be fragrant."

Continuing along the Kuye River (窟野河), a lush green park comes into view. "This area used to be desertified land. Under the guidance of the concept of systems, we divided it into many small watersheds. The water conservancy department took the lead, and multiple departments jointly formulated a watershed management plan, integrating river management, sand land and barren hill afforestation, and agricultural production," said Zhang Yong (张勇).

Planting suitable perennial plants and aquatic plants, and carrying out greening and replanting on exposed slopes and sandy land... After management, the average annual sediment transport of the Kuye River (窟野河) has been greatly reduced. "With the improved ecology, many migratory birds and fish that were not seen before have appeared," said Hu He (呼和).

The new look of the Kuye River (窟野河) is a microcosm of the new progress made in China's ecological civilization construction during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. Upstream and downstream, main streams and tributaries, left and right banks; sand control, water management, mountain management... Across the land of China, a systematic management practice based on the concept of integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand is constantly painting an ecological picture of green mountains and clear waters in China.

Adhering to the concept of systems, doing a good job in top-level design, and starting from the integrity of the ecosystem, the ideas are consistent.

Adhering to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sand, and unswervingly following the path of ecological priority and green development, will surely inject strong impetus into comprehensively promoting the construction of a beautiful China and accelerating the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

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"Making ensuring residents' secure housing and stable employment the top priority"

By: 本报记者 宋静思 梁 楠

In February 2024, on the eve of the Spring Festival, visit Tianjin (天津) to visit and extend greetings to grassroots cadres and the masses.

"The affairs of the common people are the most important, and they must be handled well."

On the eve of the 2024 Spring Festival, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) went to Tianjin (天津) to visit and extend greetings to grassroots cadres and the masses. As soon as he got off the train, he came to the Sixth Bu Village (第六埠村) in Xinkou Town (辛口镇), Xiqing District (西青区).

During the inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized: "Taking ensuring that residents live and work in peace and contentment as the top priority, gradually expanding the supply of basic public services, securing the bottom line of people's livelihood, and allowing the people to continuously have new gains."

"A good living environment and stable work are the expectations of our common people." Hao Qingshui (郝庆水), Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Village Committee of Sixth Bu Village (第六埠村), felt this deeply.

In the past two years, Sixth Bu Village (第六埠村) has continued to promote the construction of "Beautiful Pastoral Areas, Beautiful Villages, and Beautiful Courtyards," and the village environment has been significantly improved.

"In the past, as soon as winter came, some villagers reported that the heating temperature in their houses was low. Last year, we jointly renovated the heating pipe network with the heating department, and the villagers lived warmly," said Hao Qingshui (郝庆水).

Citizens and tourists come in, and special products are sold out. In July last year, the village built the city's first "Wealth Creation Workshop," using e-commerce to promote local agricultural products to various places. More than a year after the workshop was built, sales exceeded 800,000 yuan.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) is always concerned about ensuring that the people have housing and live in peace. During his inspection in Shanghai (上海), the General Secretary went to the rental housing community to visit new citizens and asked whether the rent was expensive; in Zhujiagou Village (祝家沟村), Suizhong County (绥中县), Liaoning (辽宁), the General Secretary carefully learned whether the subsidies for rebuilding houses were in place and what the main sources of income for the villagers were.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, more than 11 million sets (rooms) of various types of affordable housing and resettlement housing for urban villages and urban dilapidated housing renovation were built and raised nationwide, benefiting more than 30 million people, and the housing conditions of the people were further improved. More than 240,000 old urban communities have been renovated nationwide, benefiting 110 million residents, and the quality of the urban living environment has been further improved.

A series of detailed data witnessed the transformation of thousands of households from "having a place to live" to "living in a suitable place," and also reflected the determination and efforts of the Party and the government to "make everyone smile more and feel warmer."

Employment is a matter of family affairs, but also a matter of the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) attaches great importance to employment work and emphasizes that "promoting high-quality and full employment is the new positioning and new mission of employment work in the new era and new journey."

In March of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) asked during his inspection in Zhaoxing Dong Village (肇兴侗寨), Liping County (黎平县), Guizhou (贵州): "Are there still many villagers working outside?" Learning that most of the more than 5,000 people in the village were employed at their doorsteps, the General Secretary said happily: "This phenomenon is very gratifying."

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China formulated implementation plans to increase job creation and expansion, and support employment and entrepreneurship for key groups; increased financial support for enterprises to stabilize and expand employment, and increased the maximum credit line for small and micro enterprises to 50 million yuan; expanded the scope of one-time job expansion subsidy policies... A series of policies have stabilized the number of new urban jobs in China at more than 12 million per year, providing a solid support for continuous improvement of people's livelihood.

Looking back on the "14th Five-Year Plan," the people's yearning for a better life is being supported by solid livelihood policies and written by hundreds of millions of striving stories, converging into the warm background color of Chinese-style modernization.

(Reporter Jin Bo (靳博) of this newspaper participated in writing)

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Promoting the Building of a Chinese National Community

By: 本报记者 刘博通

September 2025: Listening to the Work Report of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区) Party Committee and Government

Strengthening the sense of community of the Chinese nation is the main theme of the Party's work on ethnic affairs in the new era, and also the main theme of various tasks in ethnic regions.

In the golden autumn season, a Baijia Banquet in Guyuan Lane Community, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区固原巷社区), Xinjiang (新疆), officially began. People of all ethnic groups greeted each other, showcasing their specialties, and the banquet was filled with the aroma of delicious food and laughter. On the stage, music teams, dance teams, and Peking Opera troupes took turns performing, and the wonderful programs won rounds of applause.

In September of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) led a central delegation to Xinjiang (新疆) to attend the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区). On September 24, when listening to the work report of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区) Party Committee and Government, the General Secretary emphasized: "Closely focus on strengthening the sense of community of the Chinese nation and promoting the construction of the Chinese national community."

"The General Secretary's earnest words encourage our residents of all ethnic groups to be as closely united as pomegranate seeds," said Zhang Yaowen (张耀文), Secretary of the Party General Branch of Guyuan Lane Community. The community has established several volunteer service teams, such as the Pomegranate Seed Propaganda Team and the Love Assistance Medical Team, striving to promote closer exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups, and working together to build a common and beautiful home.

Extensive exchanges, interactions, and integration are important ways to promote the construction of the Chinese national community. Actively building embedded social structures and community environments, and carrying out activities such as "Ethnic Unity as One Family"... North and south of the Tianshan Mountains (天山), everyone lives in close proximity and develops harmoniously. In close interactions, countless stories of unity are being written.

Walking into the Central Primary School of Tokzak Township, Shufu County (疏附县托克扎克镇中心小学), Xinjiang (新疆), the classrooms are spacious and bright, and the teaching facilities are complete.

The sound of reading fills the teaching building, the lion dance moves on the playground, and the unique musical instruments and clear singing of various ethnic groups echo in the music club... Patiguli Yasen (帕提姑丽·亚森), the principal of Tokzak Township Central Primary School, introduced that the national common language and writing education and teaching have been continuously strengthened, and many children have also transformed into "little teachers," leading their elders at home to learn together.

A number of key cultural and museum venues, such as the Xinjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum (新疆非遗馆) and the Western Regions Protectorate Museum (西域都护府博物馆), have been built and opened. The common spiritual home of the Chinese nation is accelerating its construction, providing strong spiritual and cultural support for promoting the construction of the Chinese national community.

To strengthen the sense of community of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to guide people of all ethnic groups to firmly establish the common concept of sharing weal and woe, sharing honor and disgrace, sharing life and death, and sharing destiny. Building a beautiful home together cannot be separated from the unity and joint efforts of people of all ethnic groups, and the consolidation and development of the cause of ethnic unity and progress cannot be separated from the concerted efforts of all Chinese sons and daughters, adding bricks and tiles.

Over more than half a century, Burumahan Maurd (布茹玛汗·毛勒朵) of Wuqia County (乌恰县), Xinjiang (新疆), has guarded the border for the country on the border line with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters, and carved more than 100,000 "China Stones" with her hands.

"This land has nurtured us, and we have a responsibility to protect her and protect the peace of the motherland's border." Burumahan Maurd (布茹玛汗·毛勒朵) is now an enthusiastic commentator. She tells visitors the story of border guarding and introduces the tremendous changes in her hometown. Under her influence, more and more local young people have joined the ranks of border guards, guarding their common home with practical actions.

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Editor in Charge for This Edition: Yang Xu, Zhang Shuaizhen, Zhao Zheng, Luan Xinyi, Zhang Yujie

This edition's data source: National Bureau of Statistics (国家统计局), etc.

Layout design: Shen Yiling (沈亦伶)

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The Fundamental Principles for Promoting High-Quality Development of Civil Affairs in the New Era and on the New Journey

By: 中共中央党史和文献研究院

Civil affairs work is connected to people's livelihoods and hearts. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has strengthened the Party's leadership over civil affairs work from a strategic and overall perspective, adhered to a people-centered approach, reformed and innovated, overcome difficulties, and promoted the continuous and healthy development of civil affairs, effectively serving the overall situation of reform, development, and stability. The recently published "Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discourses on Civil Affairs Work" (《习近平关于民政工作论述摘编》) (hereinafter referred to as "Excerpts") is divided into 6 topics and includes 224 excerpts of important discourses by General Secretary Xi Jinping. Earnest study of these important discourses is of great significance for deepening the reform and innovation of civil affairs work, focusing on promoting the implementation of the national strategy for actively responding to population aging, focusing on improving the level of social assistance, social welfare, social affairs, and social governance, and making due contributions to comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization.

I. Adhering to the Overall Situation, Deeply Explaining the Important Position, Fundamental Stance, and Functional Orientation of Civil Affairs Work

If our Party is to consolidate its ruling position and accomplish its ruling mission, it must always take realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people as the starting point and end result of all its work, and strive to enable the people to live a better life. Civil affairs work plays an important role in guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods. The first and second topics of the "Excerpts" systematically reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping's profound thinking on the important position, fundamental stance, and functional orientation of civil affairs work.

It clearly puts forward that "Chinese-style modernization puts people's livelihood first," clarifying the important position of civil affairs work in the overall work of the Party and the country. Continuously improving people's living standards on the basis of economic development is the fundamental purpose of all work of the Party and the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is not a "numbers game" or a "speed game," but a real goal. While maintaining economic growth, it is more important to implement the people-centered development thought, think what the masses think, be anxious about what the masses are anxious about, and solve the problems of the masses, and continuously make new progress in education, employment, medical care, elderly care, and housing. In March 2019, in the decisive stage of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, General Secretary Xi Jinping made important instructions on civil affairs work, requiring civil affairs departments at all levels to strengthen Party building, adhere to reform and innovation, focus on poverty alleviation, focus on special groups, focus on the concerns of the masses, and better perform their duties such as basic livelihood security, grassroots social governance, and basic social services, so as to make new contributions to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and building a socialist modern country in all respects. The civil affairs system conscientiously implemented the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, earnestly performed its duties, and made new progress in various tasks, effectively serving the overall work of the Party and the country. The 20th National Congress of the Party clearly put forward the mission of comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization in the new era and new journey. The happiness and well-being of the people is the ultimate goal of promoting high-quality development and comprehensively building a socialist modern country. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that whether the road to modernization can ultimately be successful and stable depends on whether it adheres to a people-centered approach. Modernization should not only look at the indicators and data on paper, but also at the happiness and well-being of the people. Focusing on the central task of the Party in the new era and new journey, in October 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again made important instructions on civil affairs work, emphasizing that "Chinese-style modernization puts people's livelihood first," requiring civil affairs departments at all levels to adhere to the Party's leadership, strengthen Party building, deepen reform and innovation, and actively and proactively do good things, practical things, and solve difficult problems for the people, so as to make due contributions to comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses profoundly expound that civil affairs work must always bear in mind the "big picture of the country" (国之大者), focus on the center, serve the overall situation, and assume the new mission and new tasks of the times, fully demonstrating the important position of civil affairs work in the overall work of the Party and the country and in the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

It clearly puts forward that "civil affairs work is connected to people's livelihoods and hearts," clarifying the fundamental stance of civil affairs work. The people are the Party's greatest confidence in governance and the deepest foundation for the Party's governance. Civil affairs work is connected to people's livelihoods and hearts. By solving the livelihood problems that the people are most concerned about, our Party will have the greatest confidence in governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the people's yearning for a better life is our goal. It is in this sense that people's livelihood and people's hearts are the greatest politics. This also marks the major political significance, theoretical significance, and practical significance of civil affairs work in the new era. Civil affairs work is a "Bodhisattva" cause, shining with the brilliance of humanity, demonstrating the conscience of society, and adhering to the bottom line of morality. To do a good job in civil affairs work, we must adhere to the people-centered development thought, with a Bodhisattva heart, with a heart of great love and a heart of love for the people. Civil affairs work must always be people-centered, we must stand firm on the people's position, think about problems, make decisions, and do things from the perspective of the masses, understand the opinions and requirements, criticisms and suggestions of the masses through various channels, and earnestly solve the worries of the people, relieve the grievances of the people, and warm the hearts of the people, so that the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security is more substantial, more secure, and more sustainable; we must always adhere to "taking the people's heart as our own" (以百姓心为心), listen to the voices of the people, draw on the wisdom of the people, and take realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people as the starting point and end result of all our work, so that the fruits of development benefit all the people more and more fairly; we must always adhere to the fact that the satisfaction of the masses is the value orientation and fundamental standard for our Party to do all its work well, and take the opinions of the masses as the best yardstick to measure the gains and losses of our work, so that the cause of the Party and the people always reflects the will of the masses and can stand the test of practice, the people, and history. Civil affairs work must always be people-centered, starting from the most concerned, most direct, and most realistic interests of the people, adhere to the working ideas of "adhering to the bottom line, highlighting key points, improving the system, and guiding expectations" (坚守底线、突出重点、完善制度、引导预期), and take measures that are more targeted, have a wider coverage, have a more direct effect, and have a more obvious effect, and concentrate efforts to do a good job in basic and bottom-line livelihood construction. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that the people-centered development thought is not an abstract or mysterious concept, and cannot only stay on the lips or stop at the ideological level. The promises made by Party committees and governments at all levels to the people in the process of livelihood construction must be fulfilled, and must be done well, so that everything is implemented and everything is responded to, so that the masses can see changes and get benefits.

It clearly puts forward "strengthening inclusive, basic, and bottom-line livelihood construction," clarifying the functional orientation of civil affairs work. Civil affairs work is the bottom-line and basic work of social construction. In October 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping made important instructions on civil affairs work, emphasizing that it is necessary to adhere to a people-centered approach and strengthen inclusive, basic, and bottom-line livelihood construction. Regarding inclusive livelihood construction, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that our great development achievements are created by the people and should be shared by the people. We must coordinate employment, income distribution, education, social security, medical care, housing, elderly care, childcare, and other aspects of work, pay more attention to tilting towards rural areas, grassroots areas, and underdeveloped areas, tilting towards people in difficulty, promoting social fairness and justice, and allowing the fruits of development to benefit all the people more and more fairly. We must promote the formation of a mechanism for equalizing basic public services between urban and rural areas, and in accordance with the requirements of everyone's participation, everyone's efforts, and everyone's enjoyment, we must pay attention to equal opportunities and focus on guaranteeing basic livelihoods. Regarding basic livelihood construction, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must gradually improve people's living standards in accordance with economic development and financial resources, and the government should mainly guarantee the basics, not make too many or too high promises, and guide and encourage the broad masses of the people to improve their lives through hard work and wealth creation, and the government cannot take care of everything. We must coordinate needs and possibilities, and base the guarantee and improvement of people's livelihoods on economic development and sustainable financial resources, both doing our best and acting according to our capabilities, doing those things that can be done under realistic conditions, and allowing the masses to get tangible and visible benefits. We must promote the extension of public resources to the grassroots level, to rural areas, and to vulnerable groups, and seize the most concerned, most direct, and most realistic interests of the people, and seize the groups that need the most care. Regarding bottom-line livelihood construction, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that in terms of policies to improve people's livelihoods, we must grasp a principle, that is, to do more work to help those in need and less work to add icing on the cake 锦上添花 (jǐn shàng tiān huā - "add flowers to brocade," to make something that is already good even better), and proceed from the basic national conditions of the primary stage of socialism, focus on the bottom line, guarantee the basic lives of the masses, and guarantee basic public services. We must coordinate the urban and rural assistance system, implement the linkage mechanism between social assistance and guarantee standards and price levels, strengthen the coordinated connection between rural minimum living security and urban and rural residents' pension insurance, five guarantees of support, and other social assistance systems, and weave a tight safety net for the basic lives of people in difficulty.

II. Focusing on "Two Efforts," Deeply Explaining the Major Tasks of Civil Affairs Work

In the new era and new journey, civil affairs work shoulders new missions and new tasks. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that civil affairs departments at all levels should focus on promoting the implementation of the national strategy for actively responding to population aging, and focus on improving the level of social assistance, social welfare, social affairs, and social governance. "Two Efforts" is the task requirement put forward for civil affairs work from the overall height of promoting Chinese-style modernization. The third and fourth topics of the "Excerpts" focus on reflecting General Secretary Xi Jinping's relevant important discourses.

(I) Focus on promoting the implementation of the national strategy for actively responding to population aging. Our Party has always attached great importance to the work of aging. The 19th and 20th National Congresses of the Party have made strategic deployments for actively responding to population aging and developing the elderly care cause and the elderly care industry. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on the work of aging are rich in content and profound in thought, and the "Excerpts" systematically reflect this.

Meeting the diverse needs of the huge number of elderly people and properly solving the social problems brought about by population aging is a matter of the overall national development and the well-being of the people. Population aging is a global problem, and its impact on human society is profound and lasting. China is one of the countries with a relatively high degree of population aging in the world, with the largest number of elderly people, the fastest aging rate, and the heaviest task of responding to population aging. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to implement a national strategy to actively respond to population aging.

Focus on enhancing the ideological concept of actively responding to population aging throughout society, and integrate the concept of active aging and healthy aging into the entire process of economic and social development. Facing population aging, we must not only see the challenges, but also see the opportunities. China has a large number of elderly people, and the development space for the elderly service cause and industry is very broad. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to strive to tap the vitality and opportunities that population aging brings to national development, focus on developing the elderly service industry and the aging industry, vigorously develop the silver economy, and cultivate new growth points in the aging industry. The elderly are a valuable asset of the Party and the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to focus on giving play to the active role of the elderly, giving play to the elderly's experience advantages and prestige advantages in resolving social contradictions and maintaining social stability, and giving play to the elderly's role in passing on experience and helping young people. It is necessary to create conditions for the elderly to play a role, guide the elderly to maintain a healthy mentality and enterprising spirit of 老骥伏枥 (lǎo jì fú lì - "an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1,000 li," an old person still has high aspirations), play a positive energy, and make new contributions.

Adhere to the working policy of the Party committee's leadership, the government's dominance, social participation, and national action in the work of aging. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to improve the aging work mechanism of unified leadership by the Party committee, administration by the government in accordance with the law, close cooperation between departments, active participation of mass organizations, and coordinated linkage between top and bottom, left and right, and form a large pattern of aging work. It is necessary to carry out national conditions education on population aging and education on aging policies and regulations throughout society, and guide the whole society to enhance the awareness of acceptance, respect, and helping the elderly and the awareness of self-esteem, self-reliance, and self-improvement of the elderly.

Adapt to the requirements of the times and innovate the ideas of aging work. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, significant achievements have been made in responding to population aging. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to adapt to the requirements of the times and innovate ideas, promote the transformation of aging work to proactive response, to coordinated coordination, to strengthening people's life-cycle pension preparation, and to simultaneously paying attention to the material and cultural needs of the elderly and comprehensively improving the quality of life of the elderly. These "four transformations" profoundly expound the new concepts and new ideas of China's response to population aging in the new era.

Improve and improve the aging work system. In May 2021, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee presided over by General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed to "improve the multi-level pension security system." In October 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping specially made instructions on the work of aging, emphasizing the need to improve and improve the aging work system, strengthen the allocation of grassroots forces, and accelerate the improvement of the social security system, the elderly service system, and the health support system. At present, we are in an important strategic opportunity period for vigorously promoting the high-quality development of the elderly care cause, and we must further improve the multi-level pension security system, accelerate the development of a multi-level and multi-pillar pension insurance system, strengthen the second and third pillar pension insurance, and improve the funding and benefit adjustment mechanism of basic medical insurance; promote the construction of a basic elderly service system, improve the basic elderly service list system, and establish an elderly service system that coordinates home-based communities and institutions and combines medical care, health care, and recuperation; scientifically plan and comprehensively respond to provide continuous health management services and medical services for the elderly.

(II) Focus on improving the level of social assistance, social welfare, social affairs, and social governance. Social assistance, social welfare, social affairs, and social governance cover all aspects of civil affairs business and are the basic content of civil affairs work. The fourth topic of the "Excerpts" is specially divided into four subheadings, focusing on reflecting General Secretary Xi Jinping's relevant important discourses.

Regarding improving the hierarchical and classified social assistance system. As an important part of the social security system, the social assistance system is related to the basic life and clothing and warmth of people in difficulty, and is a bottom-line and basic institutional arrangement to guarantee basic livelihoods, promote social fairness, and maintain social stability, and it is also a concentrated embodiment of our Party's fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Party proposed to coordinate the urban and rural social assistance system and improve the minimum living security system; improve the social assistance, social welfare, charitable cause, and preferential treatment and resettlement systems. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Party took "improving the hierarchical and classified social assistance system" as one of the major measures to enhance people's well-being and improve people's quality of life. The "Excerpts" reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping's relevant important discourses from two aspects: First, it clearly proposes to form a new pattern of social assistance. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to deepen the reform of the social assistance system and form a social assistance pattern that takes basic living assistance, special social assistance, and emergency social assistance as the main body, supplemented by social forces' participation, covering comprehensively, hierarchically and classified, and comprehensively and efficiently. Second, it clearly proposes to establish a unified monitoring and classified assistance mechanism to keep the bottom line of people's livelihood secure. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen assistance to low-income people, focus on unemployed people, flexible employment people, low-income marginal people, and objects of monitoring to prevent returning to poverty, and strengthen the connection between basic living assistance and special assistance systems such as education, medical care, housing, and employment. It is necessary to take precise measures according to the characteristics and needs of people in extreme difficulty, issue various assistance funds on time and in full, strengthen temporary assistance, and ensure that the bottom is secured, the bottom is secured accurately, and the bottom is secured well.
Regarding paying more attention to precise assistance for specific groups with special difficulties. No issue concerning the people is too trivial, and every matter involving them is always a concern. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that we should pay extra attention, care, and concern to all kinds of people in difficulty, always keep their safety and well-being in mind, care about their hardships, and do everything possible to help them solve their problems. We must find ways to help them solve practical problems for the specific difficulties faced by specific groups. Regarding doing a good job in the work of the "three left-behind" personnel, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that it is necessary to make up for the shortcomings in rural social welfare and strengthen the care and love for special and vulnerable groups such as the rural elderly, children, and "three left-behind" personnel. It is necessary to promptly improve relevant policies and measures, improve the care service system for rural left-behind children, left-behind women, and left-behind elderly, and implement effective services around basic living security, education, employment, health, and ideological emotions. Regarding protecting the legitimate rights and interests of children, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) requested that party committees and governments at all levels and all sectors of society earnestly do all work related to the development of children's undertakings, care for and help children from families in difficulty, especially orphans and disabled children, so that all children can feel the warmth of the Party and the government and have a happy and beautiful childhood. We must resolutely prevent and crack down on words and deeds that harm the rights and interests of children and undermine their physical and mental health. Regarding doing a good job in the work of people with disabilities, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that we must attach great importance to the work of people with disabilities, and all construction undertakings must include the cause of people with disabilities, further improve the social security system and care service system for people with disabilities, effectively protect the equal rights and interests of people with disabilities, continuously improve the quality of public services for people with disabilities, and actively create a good atmosphere and environment in which the whole society understands, respects, cares for, and helps people with disabilities, and promote the comprehensive development of the cause of people with disabilities.

Regarding better fulfilling the basic social service responsibilities. Social affairs work faces thousands of households and is an important aspect of strengthening basic people's livelihood security and doing a good job in basic social services. The "Excerpts" centrally reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) relevant important expositions. In response to the prevalence of unhealthy tendencies in some rural areas, such as extravagance and comparison in weddings and funerals, sky-high bride prices that make people "unable to afford to marry," and numerous kinds of gift money that make people "unable to repay," the most prominent feature of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) relevant expositions is to adhere to both short-term and long-term solutions. On the one hand, it is necessary to popularize scientific knowledge, promote the transformation of customs and habits in rural areas, eliminate outdated customs and bad habits such as high bride prices, comparison of human relations, extravagant burials and meager support, and extravagance and waste, oppose superstitious activities, and promote the formation of civilized rural customs, good family traditions, and simple folk customs; it is necessary to give play to the positive role of the Red and White Affairs Council and village rules and regulations to restrain villagers from comparing and showing off their wealth and extravagant waste, promote wedding customs reform, and guide the establishment of a civilized new style of diligence and thrift. On the other hand, it is necessary to attach importance to family education and family style, actively cultivate a new type of marriage and childbearing culture, and strengthen the guidance of young people's views on marriage and love, childbearing, and family. In addition, the "Excerpts" also reflect the relevant expositions on the work of administrative division names. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that it is necessary to strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over the work of administrative divisions, do a good job in overall planning, and avoid blind disorder; China's county settings have a history of thousands of years, and many counties have deep historical origins and are important symbols of Chinese civilization, so we must have a cautious attitude and not arbitrarily abolish them. In response to the phenomenon of some places being keen on changing old place names, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that it is necessary to improve the historical and cultural protection and inheritance system, and things like arbitrarily changing old place names must never be done again.

Regarding supporting the healthy development of charitable undertakings and strengthening the regulation and guidance of various social organizations. Charitable undertakings are an important part of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, play a special role in eliminating poverty, achieving common prosperity, and promoting social harmony, and are an important force in the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities. The "Excerpts" systematically present General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important expositions on charitable undertakings. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that it is necessary to support the healthy development of charitable undertakings, study and learn from the successful practices of other countries, innovate China's charitable undertaking system, give play to the role of the third distribution, and guide and support enterprises and social groups with willingness and ability to actively participate in public welfare and charitable undertakings. Whether they are state-owned enterprises or private enterprises, they must shoulder the social responsibility of promoting common prosperity, inherit and carry forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, and actively participate in and run social public welfare and charitable undertakings. It is necessary to strengthen the standardized management of public welfare and charitable undertakings, improve tax preferential policies, and encourage high-income people and enterprises to give back more to society. Charitable organizations and the Red Cross Society should operate efficiently, enhance transparency, take the initiative to accept supervision, and ensure that every love and kindness is implemented in a timely manner. At present, emerging fields are developing rapidly, new economic organizations and new social organizations are emerging in large numbers, and the scale of new employment groups is continuously expanding. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that some things cannot be managed or managed well by the government, and the masses can be allowed to implement self-management and self-service in accordance with the law, while also strengthening the regulation and guidance of various social organizations. It is necessary to adapt to the profound changes in the economy and society, explore strengthening the Party building work of new economic organizations, new social organizations, and new employment groups, and expand the Party's appeal, cohesion, and influence in emerging fields. It is necessary to improve the social governance system of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing, give play to the role of social organizations, realize the benign interaction between government governance and social adjustment and resident autonomy, and build a social governance community where everyone is responsible, everyone fulfills their responsibilities, and everyone enjoys.

Third, focusing on reform and innovation, profoundly expounding the source of power for civil affairs work.

Promoting the high-quality development of civil affairs undertakings and deepening the reform and innovation of civil affairs work are the fundamental driving forces. The fifth special topic of the "Excerpts" centrally reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important expositions on deepening the reform and innovation of civil affairs work.

Only reformers advance, only innovators are strong, and only reformers and innovators win. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has united and led the whole Party, the whole army, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, with great historical initiative, great political courage, and a strong sense of responsibility, breaking through the shackles of ideological concepts, breaking through the solidified barriers of interests, daring to break into the deep-water zone, daring to **啃硬骨头** (kěn yìng gǔ tou - "gnaw hard bones," to tackle tough problems), daring to wade through dangerous shoals, and resolutely eliminating the drawbacks of various systems and mechanisms, realizing the transformation of reform from local exploration, breaking through and breaking through to systematic integration and comprehensive deepening. The comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era insists on promoting social fairness and justice and increasing people's well-being as the starting point and foothold; at the same time, it closely focuses on better guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood and promoting social fairness and justice to deepen the reform of the social system, providing more reliable and sufficient guarantees for the broad masses of the people.

Profoundly grasp the correct direction of civil affairs work reform in the new era. Reform is meaningful only for the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that the more reform deepens, the more attention should be paid to balancing social interests, and the more development moves forward, the more it should be reflected in the improvement of people's lives. Grasping reform and promoting development are ultimately for the purpose of allowing the people to live a better life. If it cannot bring tangible benefits to the people and cannot create a more fair social environment, reform will lose its meaning and cannot be sustained. We must plan and promote reform from the overall interests, fundamental interests, and long-term interests of the people, find the focus and breakthrough point of reform from the urgent difficulties and anxieties of the people, introduce more reform measures that are urgently needed by the people and desired by the people, and do more practical things that benefit the people, warm the people's hearts, and conform to the people's will, so that reform can enable the people to have more sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Profoundly grasp the important content of civil affairs work reform in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that to do a good job in people's livelihood, we must highlight the problem orientation, closely focus on solving the bottlenecks and shortcomings that restrict the construction of a new development pattern and promote high-quality development, and strengthen institutional research on a series of major issues such as promoting common prosperity and increasing people's well-being, especially in response to the new problems brought to the field of people's livelihood by changes in China's demand structure and social structure, while implementing existing policies well, we must accurately identify outstanding problems and their root causes and propose effective countermeasures. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has put forward a series of clear instructions and requirements on accelerating the promotion of institutional and mechanism innovation in the field of people's livelihood. In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a comprehensive deployment on focusing on improving the quality of people's lives and improving the system of guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood on the new journey, and established "adhering to the people-centered approach" as one of the major principles that must be implemented to further comprehensively deepen reform. In October 2024, in his important instructions on civil affairs work, General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) required civil affairs departments at all levels to deepen reform and innovation, and clearly proposed that civil affairs work should improve the policy and system system, the service guarantee system, the supervision and management system, and the social participation system, and put forward important requirements for improving the level of social assistance, social welfare, social affairs, and social governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) instructions and requirements have pointed out the direction of thinking and provided fundamental guidelines for further deepening reform in the field of civil affairs.

Profoundly grasp the basic requirements of civil affairs work reform in the new era. Reform is a gradual process, and it is impossible to achieve it overnight and solve all problems at once. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed that guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood should adhere to both doing our best and acting according to our capabilities. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China once again emphasized that we must adhere to guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood in development. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly emphasized that we must adhere to economic development with guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood as the starting point and foothold. To promote the high-quality development of the field of people's livelihood, we must use reform methods and innovative thinking to solve problems in development, and we must not be eager for success, aim too high, or raise the tone too high, but we must be realistic, base the improvement of social security levels on the basis of sustainable economic and financial growth, not deviate from reality, transcend stages, proceed from reality in everything, and steadily advance, accumulating small victories into big victories.

Fourth, focusing on cultural cultivation, profoundly expounding the cultural connotation of civil affairs work.

A nation without spiritual strength is difficult to stand on its own, and a cause without cultural support is difficult to sustain for a long time. Civil affairs work embodies the inheritance of civilization and has distinct cultural characteristics, and promoting the high-quality development of civil affairs undertakings is also inseparable from the nourishment and support of culture. The sixth special topic of the "Excerpts" focuses on the cultivation of civil affairs culture, profoundly expounding the cultural heritage, cultural symbols, and cultural values of civil affairs work, providing a strong spiritual force and rich moral nourishment for doing a good job in civil affairs work.

Cultivate the profound cultural heritage of civil affairs work in the new era in inheriting and carrying forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture. The Chinese nation has cultivated and formed unique ideological concepts and moral norms in its long-term practice, including ideas such as advocating benevolence, valuing the people, adhering to integrity, emphasizing dialectics, advocating harmony, and seeking great unity, as well as traditional virtues such as self-improvement, dedication to work, helping the upright and suppressing the evil, helping the poor and relieving difficulties, acting bravely for justice, and filial piety and love for the elderly. Such ideas and concepts, whether in the past or now, have their distinct national characteristics and their timeless value. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) attaches great importance to the important role of culture in civil affairs work, emphasizing the need to actively disseminate the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, convey the concepts of respecting the elderly and loving the young, equality between men and women, harmony between husband and wife, diligence and thrift in managing the family, and unity among neighbors, advocate the concepts of loyalty, responsibility, affection, learning, and public welfare, and promote people to improve their spiritual realm and cultivate civilized customs in the process of seeking happiness for their families, sending warmth to others, and making contributions to society.

Build distinct cultural symbols of civil affairs work in the new era by deeply exploring traditional virtues. Respecting and caring for the elderly is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and loving and helping the elderly is the common responsibility of the whole society. We must incorporate the promotion of filial piety and respect for the elderly into the publicity and education of socialist core values and build a culture of filial piety and respect for the elderly with national characteristics and characteristics of the times. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out that the Chinese nation has attached importance to family and affection since ancient times. Family harmony brings prosperity to all undertakings, family happiness, respecting the elderly and loving the young, virtuous wives and good mothers, husband and wife teaching their children, diligence and thrift in managing the family, etc., all reflect this concept of the Chinese people. No matter how much the times change, no matter how much the pattern of life changes, we must attach importance to family construction, pay attention to family, pay attention to family education, pay attention to family style, closely combine the cultivation and promotion of socialist core values, carry forward the traditional family virtues of the Chinese nation, promote family harmony, promote the love between relatives, promote the healthy growth of the next generation, and promote the elderly to be supported, so that thousands of families become an important cornerstone for national development, national progress, and social harmony. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that we should adhere to carrying forward the virtues of working together in the same boat and helping each other, and create a strong atmosphere in the whole society of helping the poor and relieving difficulties. In the process of modernization, we must guide people to pay attention to cultivating morality, maintaining conscience, and enhancing love, and provide care and help to all those who need help.

Condense the value consensus of civil affairs work in the new era in promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized that excellent traditional Chinese culture has become the gene of the Chinese nation, rooted in the hearts of the Chinese people, and subtly affects the Chinese people's way of thinking and behavior. We must earnestly draw on the ideological essence and moral essence of excellent traditional Chinese culture, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture, unify the inheritance and promotion of excellent traditional Chinese culture with the cultivation and practice of socialist core values, make excellent traditional Chinese culture an important source for cultivating socialist core values, and strive to promote the formation of ideological concepts, spiritual outlook, civilized customs, and behavioral norms that meet the requirements of the new era. We must vigorously promote patriotism throughout society, cultivate and practice socialist core values, promote the spirit of patriotism, collectivism, and socialism, advocate the unity of loving the family and loving the country, and let everyone and every family contribute to the big family of the Chinese nation. We must combine the cultivation and practice of socialist core values, promote the spirit of humanity, fraternity, and dedication throughout society, promote the rural customs and folk customs of being kind to neighbors, helping each other, and being honest and courteous, promote positive energy, and lead the new trend.

What the people expect is what the government is directed to. General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important expositions on civil affairs work profoundly expound the directional, fundamental, overall, and strategic issues concerning the long-term development of civil affairs undertakings, are an important part of Xi Jinping's (习近平) thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and provide fundamental guidelines and inject strong impetus for promoting the high-quality development of civil affairs undertakings in the new era and on the new journey. We must combine the study of the "Excerpts," deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important expositions on civil affairs work, further profoundly understand the decisive significance of the "two establishments," resolutely achieve the "two safeguards," firmly stand on the people's position, always adhere to reform and innovation, unite our hearts and minds, forge ahead with determination, and strive to continue writing a new chapter in the high-quality development of civil affairs undertakings.

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A Concert Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Performed in Beijing

This newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on October 19th (Reporter Yuan Quan (袁泉)) To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region (西藏自治区), the large-scale themed concert "How Can I Not Sing – Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region (西藏自治区)" was guided by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (中国文学艺术界联合会) and the Chinese Musicians Association (中国音乐家协会), sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China (中共西藏自治区委员会宣传部) and the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Tibet Autonomous Region (西藏自治区文化和旅游厅), and undertaken by Tibet Performing Arts Co., Ltd. (西藏演艺有限公司). It was staged at the Beijing Comedy Theatre (北京喜剧院) on the evening of October 17th.

The entire concert, through the joint performance of three generations of artists (old, middle-aged, and young) and representatives of cadres aiding Tibet, used songs to connect Tibet's (西藏) past, present, and future, praising Tibet's (西藏) 60 years of tremendous changes and new era, and expressing the love of people of all ethnic groups for the motherland and their happy lives. The Wuxi Symphony Orchestra (无锡交响乐团) and the Central Conservatory of Music Choir (中央音乐学院合唱团) were responsible for the concert's performance and chorus, presenting an artistic event that condensed deep affection and showcased brilliance.

Artistic innovation was one of the highlights of the concert. The duet "Jasmine and Gesang" interpreted the exchange and symbiosis of ethnic cultures; in the instrumental performance "'Flying Strings Stepping on Spring' and 'Horse Racing'," the erhu player Chen Jun (陈军) and the Zh念qin player Cuomu (措姆) collided with artistic sparks. A series of newly created works, such as "Clouds in the Blue Sky" and "Grimm Village in a Fairytale," showcased a socialist new Tibet (西藏) that blends tradition and modernity.

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The 10th World Mazu Culture Forum to be held in Putian, Fujian

This newspaper's Beijing (北京) dispatch on October 19th (People's Daily reporter Li Wei (李唯一)): On October 19th, the press conference for the 10th World Mazu Culture Forum was held in the People's Network Original Intention Reporting Hall of the People's Daily New Media Building. Reporters learned from the press conference that the 10th World Mazu Culture Forum will be held in Putian (莆田), Fujian (福建) from October 31st to November 2nd, and will for the first time set up 11 domestic and foreign sub-venues, covering Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, and Africa.

According to reports, Mazu culture is an important part of outstanding Chinese traditional culture. The 10th World Mazu Culture Forum is not only an international cultural event, but also a vivid practice of implementing the central government's deployment, promoting cross-strait integration, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations.

The World Mazu Culture Forum is a transnational (regional) comprehensive cultural forum, first held in 2016. The 10th World Mazu Culture Forum closely adheres to the permanent general theme of "Great Love and Peace · Mutual Learning among Civilizations," and has determined the annual theme of "Shared Destiny · Harmonious Coexistence," co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (文化和旅游部), the Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部), the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), the Macao Special Administrative Region Government (澳门特别行政区政府), and the People's Government of Fujian Province (福建省人民政府). The 27th Meizhou Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival will also be held simultaneously during the forum.

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Better Coordinate High-Quality Development and High-Level Security (In-depth Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era - Experts Discuss Studying Volume I of "Xi Jinping's Economic Thought")

By: 李 非 黄 婧

In today's era, development interests and security interests are intricately intertwined. How to properly handle the relationship between development and security is a common challenge faced by all countries in the world. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) has attached great importance to development and security, repeatedly emphasizing the need to coordinate high-quality development and high-level security. Many important expositions have been included in the first volume of "Xi Jinping's Economic Anthology" (《习近平经济文选》). For example, "On Building a New Development Pattern" points out: "This plenary session of the Central Committee made strategic arrangements for coordinating development and security, which is of great guiding significance for better promoting China's economic and social development in a complex environment"; "Chinese-style Modernization Must Rely on Scientific and Technological Modernization" points out: "Adhere to innovation-led development, firmly establish the concept of grasping innovation is grasping development, and planning innovation is planning the future, and lead high-quality development and ensure high-level security with scientific and technological innovation"; and so on. The Political Bureau of the CPC (中共中央政治局) Central Committee meeting held on August 29 emphasized: "Firmly adhere to the bottom line that development cannot be at the expense of security" and "Better coordinate high-quality development and high-level security." On the new journey of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, we must deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, resolutely implement the deployment requirements of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, promote high-level security with high-quality development, ensure high-quality development with high-level security, and continue to write new chapters in the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.

Better coordinating high-quality development and high-level security has profound theoretical logic, historical logic, and practical logic.

The deepening from "development" to "high-quality development" and the expansion from "security" to "high-level security" are both consistent and evolving with the times. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out: "We must bear in mind that high-quality development is the hard truth of the new era, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development concept, and implement strategic tasks such as accelerating the construction of a modern economic system, promoting high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, coordinating the promotion of deep-level reforms and high-level opening up, and coordinating high-quality development and high-level security, and improve the assessment and evaluation system for promoting high-quality development, and lay a solid foundation for promoting high-quality development." Coordinating high-quality development and high-level security is a major strategic thought put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) based on the actual development of China in the new era and new journey. It is an important part of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想) and a major principle of our party's governance.

From a theoretical logic perspective, coordinating high-quality development and high-level security is one of the important achievements of the Party's theoretical innovation in the new era. Security is the prerequisite for development. Without security and stability, nothing can be discussed. Development is the guarantee of security, and it is the foundation and key to solving all problems in China. Not developing is the greatest insecurity. Development and security are two wings of a body and two wheels of a drive. The two are mutually conditional and dialectically unified. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), the Party Central Committee (党中央) with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core has placed development and security in important positions, and proposed new arguments, new measures, and new requirements such as "coordinating the two major events of development and security" and "further establishing the concept that development is the hard truth and security is also the hard truth, and consciously unifying development and security in work, planning together, deploying as a whole, and promoting each other," which further enriches and develops the overall national security concept. Coordinating high-quality development and high-level security requires not only being good at using the achievements of development to consolidate the strength foundation of national security, but also being good at shaping a safe environment conducive to economic and social development. This fully reflects the worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism and is a major theoretical innovation based on the combination of the basic principles of Marxism and the specific realities of China.

From a historical logic perspective, coordinating high-quality development and high-level security is a profound summary of the historical experience of the rise and fall of great powers. Whether development and security can be well coordinated is related to the rise and fall of the country and the direction of history. Our Party was born at a time when the country was facing internal and external troubles and the nation was in distress, and it has a profound understanding of the importance of development and security. After the founding of New China (新中国), our Party has always adhered to correctly handling the relationship between development and security, from proposing the principle of adhering to safety first at the beginning of the founding of New China (新中国), to proposing "development is the hard truth" and "correctly handling the relationship between reform, development, and stability" after the reform and opening up, to proposing the major principle of "coordinating development and security" in the new era and requiring "we must adhere to the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security, promote high-level security with high-quality development, and ensure high-quality development with high-level security, and development and security must be dynamically balanced and mutually reinforcing," which are all valuable experiences accumulated by our Party through hardships and unremitting struggle. History tells us that only by coordinating the "primary task" of development and the "top priority" of security can we consolidate the foundation of governing the country and strengthening the country, enhance the confidence to overcome difficulties, and promote the giant ship of China to brave the wind and waves and move forward steadily and far.

From a practical logic perspective, coordinating high-quality development and high-level security is an inherent requirement for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a socialist modern country, and national security is an important foundation for the steady and long-term progress of Chinese-style modernization. At present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and China is in a critical period of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The various risks and challenges facing economic and social development are becoming more complex, and the task of safeguarding national security is becoming more arduous. Coordinating high-quality development and high-level security is not only a major measure to cope with the profound and complex changes in the international and domestic environment, but also an inherent requirement for implementing the overall national security concept, which can provide important material guarantees and security guarantees for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党) proposed "guaranteeing a new development pattern with a new security pattern" and made important deployments. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee (二十届三中全会) proposed "realizing the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security" and made important deployments, which must be implemented in depth, detail, and in place. On the new journey, we must maintain strategic focus, strategic confidence, and strategic patience, firmly promote the direction of high-quality development without wavering, grasp the consolidation of the foundation of high-level security without relaxation, and ensure that China's socialist modernization cause moves forward steadily and far.

Comprehensively, accurately, and fully implement the new development concept, and promote high-level security with high-quality development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in "Economic Work Should Adapt to the New Normal of Economic Development": "Development is the primary task of the Party in governing and rejuvenating the country, and it is the foundation and key to solving all problems in our country"; at the Fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, he pointed out: "Development is the greatest security." High-quality development is the hard truth of the new era. Only by firmly grasping the hard truth of high-quality development, comprehensively, accurately, and fully implementing the new development concept, and promoting economic development to a higher quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and safer development path, can we consolidate the strength foundation and technological support of national security, enhance the country's comprehensive strength, enhance the ability to resist risks, and firmly grasp the destiny of China's development and progress in our own hands.

Enhance innovation as the primary driving force and focus on accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system. Innovation is the primary driving force for leading development and the strategic support for building a modern industrial system. Based on the foundation of the real economy, continue to do a good job in the big article of innovation, coordinate and promote the integrated reform of the education, science and technology, and talent system and mechanism, lead industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation, and actively cultivate and develop new quality productive forces, so as to continuously enhance the ability to cope with external shocks. The high-quality development of manufacturing is the top priority of China's high-quality economic development. Building a strong socialist modern country and developing and strengthening the real economy cannot be separated from the high-quality development of manufacturing. Actively promote new industrialization, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging industries, plan ahead and build future industries, and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system supported by advanced manufacturing, which can further enhance the resilience and security level of China's industrial chain and supply chain. At present, it is particularly necessary to promote the innovative development of the industrial chain and create an autonomous, controllable, advanced, and efficient digital, intelligent, and green industrial chain and supply chain.

Focus on coordination as an important feature and focus on promoting integrated urban-rural and coordinated regional development. Coordination is both a means of development and a goal of development, as well as a standard and measure for evaluating development. To play a good game of chess across the country, coordinated development is the key to victory. By making up for shortcomings, tapping development potential, and enhancing development momentum, it will help solve the problem of unbalanced and insufficient development. Coordinated regional development is an important support for Chinese-style modernization, focusing on synergistic linkage across the entire region to narrow regional disparities. To this end, it is necessary to implement in depth the regional coordinated development strategy, the regional major strategy, and the main functional area strategy, and build a regional economic layout and a territorial spatial system with complementary advantages and high-quality development. Adhering to integrated urban-rural development and shaping a good development ecology by narrowing the urban-rural gap is an inevitable choice for building a new development pattern, promoting high-quality development, and promoting common prosperity in the new era and new journey. To this end, it is necessary to actively coordinate new industrialization, new urbanization, and comprehensive rural revitalization, and accelerate the formation of a new type of urban-rural relationship in which industry promotes agriculture, urban and rural areas complement each other, develop in a coordinated manner, and prosper together. Correctly handling the relationship between efficiency and fairness and narrowing the income gap are the priorities of ensuring and improving people's livelihoods in development. This requires making the "cake" bigger and better through the joint efforts of the people of the whole country, and then cutting and distributing the "cake" well through reasonable institutional arrangements, focusing on expanding the scale of the middle-income group, promoting the equalization of basic public services, and promoting the common prosperity of the people's spiritual life. These measures will inject strong impetus into China's development, promote development in a more balanced, coordinated, and inclusive direction, and help us cope with various risks and challenges more calmly and effectively.

Grasp green as a universal form and focus on promoting the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Adhering to green development is a profound revolution in the concept of development, abandoning the old model of "polluting first and then treating," realizing the coordinated progress of economic development and ecological environmental protection, and creating a sustainable space for survival and development for future generations. Establishing and improving a green, low-carbon, and circular development economic system and promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development are the fundamental solutions to China's ecological and environmental problems. To this end, it is necessary to firmly establish and practice the concept that green waters and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority and green development, coordinate industrial structure adjustment, pollution control, ecological protection, and climate change response, synergistically promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth, and accelerate the formation of green production methods and lifestyles. This will further enrich the green background of high-quality development. At the same time, improve the national ecological security legal system, strategic system, policy system, and response management system, and enhance the national ecological security risk assessment, monitoring and early warning, emergency response, and disposal capabilities, and further consolidate the ecological security foundation for building a beautiful China.

Follow the path of opening up as an inevitable choice and focus on improving the quality and level of international circulation. Opening up is a distinct symbol of Chinese-style modernization. Facing an increasingly complex and severe external environment, China's door to opening up will only open wider and wider. It is necessary to unswervingly promote high-level opening up, steadily expand institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management, standards, etc., implement the free trade pilot zone upgrade strategy, promote the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road," and deepen the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, forming a wider range, wider field, and deeper level of opening up. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that the more open development is, the more important it is to grasp the relationship between opening up and security, weave a tight and solid safety net for opening up, and ensure the dynamic maintenance of national security in an open environment. This requires us to further enhance the demand traction of the domestic great cycle and cope with the uncertainty of the external environment with the certainty of our own development; at the same time, improve the mechanisms for countering sanctions, countering interference, and countering "long-arm jurisdiction," safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens and legal persons overseas, and improve the mechanism for participating in global security governance.

Focus on sharing as the fundamental purpose and focus on promoting solid progress in the common prosperity of all people. Shared development reflects the requirement of gradually realizing common prosperity, and its essence is to adhere to the people-centered development thought. Taking the enhancement of people's well-being and the promotion of people's all-round development as the starting point and foothold of development, making up for shortcomings in people's livelihoods and promoting social fairness and justice in development, and continuing to work hard on ensuring that children are nurtured, students are educated, workers are employed, the sick receive medical care, the elderly are cared for, residents are housed, and the vulnerable are assisted, is not only conducive to promoting common prosperity, enhancing human capital, and thus improving total factor productivity, and consolidating the dynamic foundation of high-quality development; it is also conducive to stimulating the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the people, creating a harmonious and stable social environment, and forming a joint force for promoting development. To this end, it is necessary to place the promotion of common prosperity for all people in a more important position, accelerate the exploration of effective paths to broaden the channels for those who get rich first to help those who get rich later, and build an institutional system for coordinating and supporting primary distribution, redistribution, and tertiary distribution, regulate the wealth accumulation mechanism, and make the fruits of development benefit all people more and more fairly.

Unswervingly implement the overall national security concept and ensure high-quality development with high-level security.

Without high-level security, high-quality development is out of the question, and the fruits of development may be lost. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in "Explanation on the 'Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms'": "National security and social stability are the prerequisites for reform and development. Only with national security and social stability can reform and development be continuously promoted"; at the seminar for leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial levels to study and implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, he pointed out: "The premise of promoting innovative development, coordinated development, green development, open development, and shared development is national security and social stability." To implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's (习近平) important speech, we must unswervingly implement the overall national security concept, improve the national security system, enhance the ability to safeguard security, promote the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security with high-efficiency governance, and guarantee a new development pattern with a new security pattern.

Focus on the construction of the whole system and continue to improve the national security system. The national security system is the concentrated embodiment of the national security system and its implementation capabilities. The fundamental solution to ensuring national security lies in improving the national security system. To this end, it is necessary to strengthen the national security work coordination mechanism, improve the security保障system in key areas and the important special coordination and command system, and accelerate the construction of a full-domain联动, three-dimensional and efficient national security protection system; improve the national security legal system, with the National Security Law as the guide, and promote the establishment, revision, abolition, interpretation, and compilation of laws and regulations related to national security in key areas in a planned and step-by-step manner; improve the national security strategic system, promote the integrated integration of strategic layout in various security fields, the integrated integration of strategic resources, and the integrated application of strategic forces, and enhance the guidance, overallness, and operability of the national security strategy; improve the national security policy system, pay more attention to synergy and efficiency, the rule of law thinking, technological empowerment, and the grassroots foundation, and strengthen the policy system construction in terms of material, technology, equipment, and talent for safeguarding national security; improve the national security risk monitoring and early warning system, promote the effective connection of various links of risk monitoring, assessment, early warning, and disposal, and promote the transformation of national security risk governance from ex-post response and passive response to ex-ante early warning and rapid response. This will promote the organic connection, systematic integration,联动efficiency, and formation of systematic synergy and combat effectiveness in all aspects of the national security system construction.
Focus on all-round coordination to enhance the ability to safeguard national security. Safeguarding national security is an all-encompassing task. Only by building a complete, scientific, standardized, and effectively operating national security system while strengthening national security capacity building can we better safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Adhering to the principle of people's security as the purpose, political security as the foundation, economic security as the basis, military, technological, cultural, and social security as the guarantee, and promoting international security as the support, coordinating external and internal security, territorial and national security, traditional and non-traditional security, and our own security and common security, we will continuously consolidate the grassroots foundation of national security and social stability. At the same time, we must improve our ability to prevent and resolve major risks, strengthen source prevention, process control, and emergency management, strictly prevent systemic security risks, and severely crack down on the infiltration, sabotage, subversion, and secession activities of hostile forces. No one is an "outsider" in safeguarding national security; everyone is a guardian and responsible person. Enriching and improving the national security education support system, and widely carrying out various forms of publicity and education activities to enhance the national security awareness and literacy of all people, will help to further consolidate the people's defense line for national security and gather the mighty force for safeguarding national security.

Focus on full-field supervision to improve the level of public safety governance. Public safety is an important part of national security, connecting economic and social development on one end and thousands of households on the other. Only by adhering to the principle of safety first and prevention first, establishing a comprehensive safety and emergency framework, and breaking the traditional public safety governance model of departmental segmentation, departmental independence, and local fragmentation, can we continuously improve the public safety system and fully maintain and shape public safety. Work safety is a major issue concerning the safety of people's lives and property. Always putting work safety in the first place, improving the risk investigation, rectification, and accountability mechanism for work safety, and strengthening safety supervision in key industries and key areas, can continuously improve the level of work safety. Food and drug safety is related to everyone's health and life safety. Effectively strengthening food and drug safety supervision, using the most rigorous standards, the strictest supervision, the most severe punishments, and the most serious accountability, strictly controlling every line of defense from farmland to table and from laboratory to hospital, can ensure the people's "safety on the tip of the tongue" and drug safety. At the same time, we must more consciously handle the relationship between man and nature, correctly handle the relationship between disaster prevention, disaster relief, and economic and social development, and coordinate flood control and drought relief, forest fire prevention and control, geological disaster and meteorological disaster prevention, as well as network security, artificial intelligence security, and other work, to comprehensively improve the ability to prevent and reduce disasters, provide disaster relief, and handle major emergencies.

Focus on full-chain governance to comprehensively improve the effectiveness of social governance. Improving the social governance system is an important task for promoting the modernization of the national security system and security capabilities. A scientific and reasonable social governance system can make national security work more effective. Strengthening and innovating social governance helps to maintain social harmony and stability and ensure national stability and prosperity and people's peace and contentment. Adhering to the leadership of the Party, improving the urban and rural grassroots governance system that combines autonomy, rule of law, and rule of virtue under the leadership of Party organizations, and improving the social governance system of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing, helps to promote the benign interaction between government governance and social adjustment and resident autonomy, and create a modern society that is both full of vitality and has good order. Adhering to and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era, inheriting and carrying forward the fine tradition of "going down to the grassroots in four aspects" (四下基层), strengthening and improving people's petition work, and improving the ability of urban social governance, helps to resolve contradictions and disputes at the grassroots level and in the bud in a timely manner. At the same time, we must strengthen the overall prevention and control of social security, promote the normalization of the fight against organized crime and evil, and severely crack down on illegal and criminal activities that the masses strongly reflect, such as telecommunications fraud, illegal fundraising, pornography, gambling, drugs, and infringement of the rights and interests of women and children. Developing and strengthening the forces of mass prevention and mass governance, and building a social governance community where everyone is responsible, everyone fulfills their responsibilities, and everyone benefits.

Comprehensively improve the ability and level of coordination, and form a good pattern of mutual promotion between high-quality development and high-level security.

Xi Jinping (习近平) pointed out in "Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Strong Country and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation with Chinese-style Modernization": "Coordinate development and security, implement the overall national security concept, improve the national security system, enhance the ability to safeguard national security, and firmly safeguard national political power security, system security, ideological security, and security in key areas." On the road ahead, we will inevitably encounter various predictable and unpredictable risks and challenges, difficulties and obstacles, and even stormy waves, and the connection between development and security is increasingly strengthened. We must adhere to the equal emphasis on development and security, better coordinate high-quality development and high-level security, achieve mutual support and deep integration between the two, make development achievements promising and security risks controllable, and form a good pattern of mutual promotion between high-quality development and high-level security. The key is to grasp the following aspects.

Adhere to the Party's comprehensive leadership. The Party's leadership is the fundamental foundation and lifeline for China's political stability, economic development, national unity, and social stability. We must give full play to the Party's leading core role in commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, take the Party's banner as the banner, the Party's direction as the direction, and the Party's will as the will, understand the laws, clarify the direction, learn the methods, and increase wisdom from the Party's scientific theories, better coordinate high-quality development and high-level security, and provide a strong guarantee for maintaining national security and social stability.

Adhere to the people-centered approach. Continuously meeting the people's aspirations for a better life is the value orientation for better coordinating high-quality development and high-level security. We must adhere to taking the people's interests as the fundamental starting point and end point, put the safety of the people's lives first, firmly hold the bottom line that development cannot be at the expense of safety, adhere to guaranteeing and improving people's livelihood in development, and make the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security more substantial, more guaranteed, and more sustainable.

Adhere to the concept of systems. Better coordinating high-quality development and high-level security involves all aspects of economic and social development, and we must use systematic science, systematic thinking, and systematic methods to study and solve problems. We must correctly handle the relationship between high-quality development and high-level security, grasp the relationship between the overall situation and the local situation, the present and the long-term, the macro and the micro, the main contradictions and the secondary contradictions, and the special and the general, strengthen forward-looking thinking, overall planning, strategic layout, and overall promotion, and strive to achieve the unity of development quality, structure, scale, speed, efficiency, and safety.

Adhere to using the thinking and methods of the rule of law. The rule of law is the basic way to govern the country and administer state affairs, and it is an important guarantee for better coordinating high-quality development and high-level security. We must give full play to the guaranteeing role of the rule of law in consolidating the foundation, stabilizing expectations, and benefiting the long term, carry out work with the concept, thinking, procedures, and methods of the rule of law, better coordinate high-quality development and high-level security on the track of the rule of law, comprehensively promote scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial justice, and universal law-abiding, and promote the modernization of the national security system and capabilities.

Adhere to carrying forward the spirit of struggle. Building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation will never be easy, and we must rely on tenacious struggle to open up new horizons for the development of our cause. We must strengthen the cultivation of the spirit and ability to struggle, have a clear-cut stand and dare to struggle, be enterprising and good at struggling, grasp the laws in the changing situation, seek advantages and avoid disadvantages in the chaotic situation, strive for the initiative in the struggle, dare to overcome all foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges on the road ahead, and effectively implement all reform, development, and stability work.

(Author's affiliation: Xiamen University (厦门大学))

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Building a Science and Technology Finance System Adapted to Scientific and Technological Innovation (In-Depth Thinking)

By: 张成虎 高睿凯

Science and technology are the foundation of a strong nation, and finance is a crucial core competitiveness of the country. Science and technology finance is an important support for promoting the two-way promotion of science and technology and finance. General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) called for "deeply grasping the political and people-oriented nature of financial work" at the Central Financial Work Conference, and emphasized at the opening ceremony of the seminar for leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level on promoting high-quality financial development that "we must adhere to the idea of viewing the economy and finance as a unified whole, conscientiously implement the decisions and deployments of the Central Financial Work Conference, and coordinate the promotion of high-quality economic and financial development, so as to make new and greater contributions to comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization." This clarifies the direction of financial development in the new era and points out the way forward for science and technology finance to better serve national strategies. The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed: "Construct a science and technology financial system that is compatible with scientific and technological innovation, and strengthen financial support for major national science and technology tasks and science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises." Faced with the new situation in which the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are intertwined, only by constructing a science and technology financial system that is compatible with scientific and technological innovation can we inject strong impetus into achieving high-level self-reliance in science and technology and provide a more solid strategic support for advancing and expanding Chinese-style modernization.

Currently, China is comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. Scientific and technological innovation, as the primary driving force, plays an important supporting role in enhancing the country's core competitiveness and initiative in development. It is necessary to see that scientific and technological innovation is often accompanied by high complexity, high risk, and long cycles. Without strong financial support, it is difficult to complete the leap from basic research to the transformation of results and then to industrialization. Finance is not only an important tool for allocating resources and dispersing risks, but also an important link for promoting the deep integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, and capital chain. In China, financial services for scientific and technological innovation do not exist in isolation, but are incorporated into the overall design of the national governance system. Under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, the allocation of financial resources must be closely integrated with the needs of economic and social development to ensure that science and technology finance always focuses on serving national strategies, serving the real economy, and serving the improvement of people's livelihoods. Especially in major scientific and technological breakthroughs and the cultivation of cutting-edge industries, finance must not only solve the problem of capital supply, but also achieve a deep connection with industrial policies and science and technology policies at the strategic level.

This fully reflects the organic unity of the political and people-oriented nature of China's science and technology finance, and determines the basic direction of China's construction of a science and technology financial system that is compatible with scientific and technological innovation, which is fundamentally different from the Western financial development that is purely dominated by market logic and capital logic, and excessively pursues short-term profits. The science and technology financial system that we want to build that is compatible with scientific and technological innovation highlights the political and people-oriented nature of finance, and takes meeting major national strategic needs and improving people's well-being as important goals. In terms of institutional design, it not only attaches importance to the market-oriented return of financial capital to ensure the sustainable investment of capital, but also emphasizes the institutional guarantee of publicness, so that science and technology finance can cover high-risk and long-cycle fields such as hard technology and original innovation, and play the role of "patient capital." Constructing a science and technology financial system that is compatible with scientific and technological innovation can, on the one hand, provide stable and long-term sources of funds for scientific and technological innovation by strengthening the functional positioning of policy-based financial institutions, developing a multi-level capital market, and strengthening the coordination between finance and finance. On the other hand, it can guide social capital to flow to hard technology, key technologies, and original innovation by reasonably setting up risk-sharing mechanisms, and enhance the country's independent innovation capabilities. The organic combination and dialectical unity between the two enable China's science and technology financial system to provide institutional guarantees for the formation of sustainable business models and the promotion of overall social progress, thereby truly realizing the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements and the common improvement of social value.

To construct a science and technology financial system that is compatible with scientific and technological innovation, efforts can be made in the following aspects. Promote the coordinated linkage, organic combination, and deep connection between finance and finance, establish a cross-departmental coordination mechanism, promote the precise division of labor and mutual cooperation among relevant departments such as finance, finance, and industry, and form a joint force to serve scientific and technological innovation; improve incentive and risk compensation mechanisms, promote the normalization of innovative policies such as investment-loan linkage and risk sharing, give play to the role of financial funds, and drive more social capital into the field of scientific and technological innovation. Improve the multi-level capital market system, focusing on increasing the proportion of direct financing; innovate financial instruments to provide precise support for science and technology innovation enterprises at different stages; improve the exit mechanism for venture capital and private equity investment, and encourage long-term capital such as insurance funds and pension funds to enter the technology field, forming a full-cycle financial support chain. Build a science and technology financial information sharing platform to promote data interconnection between the government, scientific research institutes, financial institutions, and enterprises. Through information sharing and credit enhancement, reduce the risk costs of financial institutions, increase service enthusiasm, and promote the accelerated transformation of scientific and technological resources into new quality productivity.

(Author's affiliation: School of Economics and Finance, Xi'an Jiaotong University (西安交通大学))

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Don't Let Intern Rights Protection Become a "Blind Spot" (Jin Tai Perspective)

By: 本报记者 向子丰 胡笑源

Job internships are an important link connecting school education and professional life. Higher education institutions, vocational schools, and the like have practical courses and internship periods, and graduation requires completion of the internship. At the same time, in order to better achieve employment, many students also choose to intern in their spare time.

Recently, many readers and netizens have reported that in some non-practical teaching internships independently found by students, problems such as unclear agreements, unpaid overtime, and lack of guidance have caused great distress to interns due to the lack of clear regulations on the labor rights and interests of interns. In the prevalent internship "anxiety," gray industrial chains such as paid internships and paid internal referrals have formed, placing the protection of the rights and interests of some interns in a "blind spot."

Many students report that internship agreements are unequal, internship benefits are low, and there is a lack of internship guidance.

"I once interned at an accounting firm with a high reputation in the industry." Jia (贾), a student majoring in accounting at a university in Beijing (北京), told reporters that this one-month internship was mainly responsible for assisting in the completion of annual audit projects for large enterprises, and the other party promised to issue an internship certificate as long as the internship was completed on schedule.

However, less than a month into the internship, the person in charge of the unit notified Jia (贾) that "the leader requires all interns to end their internships this week" and refused to issue an internship certificate on the grounds that "the time is too short, and the personnel department cannot stamp it." Jia (贾) was very helpless about this: "Before I received the temporary notice, I was still arranged for next week's tasks as usual, and it didn't seem like I was fired for poor performance." Afterwards, although it was difficult for Jia (贾) to find another internship unit for a while, the company only offered to compensate one day's internship salary as a solution.

In 2021, the Ministry of Education (教育部) and other eight departments jointly issued the "Provisions on the Management of Student Internships in Vocational Schools," which clearly requires that on-the-job internships in vocational schools must sign a unified tripartite agreement with a model text attached. However, there is currently no national model agreement or mandatory management regulations for internship activities in non-vocational schools. The labor rights protection of interns like Jia (贾) largely depends on the self-discipline of the internship unit.

The reporter found in the internship agreement signed between Jia (贾) and the internship unit that the agreement has a total of 13 clauses, most of which are restrictive requirements of the internship unit on the interns, but lack key information involving the rights and interests of workers, such as remuneration standards and payment methods, work content and duration, safety responsibilities and insurance purchase, and there are problems of unequal rights and responsibilities between the two parties. For example, although it stipulates that "the unit may issue an internship certificate based on the intern's work performance" and stipulates that "no certificate will be issued if the intern leaves the job for personal reasons," it does not stipulate how to deal with the internship unit unilaterally terminating the internship in advance.

Without a standard contract regulation, the labor remuneration of interns mostly relies on the agreement between the two parties, and the phenomenon of low salary, no salary, and unpaid overtime is more common. Jia (贾) told reporters: "My internship salary is 120 yuan a day. On the first day of the internship, I was asked to work overtime until the early hours of the morning, but there was no overtime pay."

For interns who have signed a tripartite agreement normally, some companies maliciously deduct interns' wages due to the lack of clear legal regulations. Shen (沈), an intern from Kunming (昆明) City, Yunnan (云南) Province, interned at a semiconductor display company in Guangzhou (广州) and signed a tripartite agreement. The company's salary calculation method was equal pay for equal work. Shen (沈) was trained in the company for 4 days and officially worked for 11 days. The working environment made him feel very stressed and he was really uncomfortable. Shen (沈) informed the company in advance that he wanted to end the internship, but the company refused to process it, and Shen (沈) could only end the internship on his own. "The company's internship instructor said that no wages would be paid for leaving on your own, and as a result, no wages were paid. I worked for more than 10 days for nothing," Shen (沈) said helplessly.

In the tripartite agreement signed by Shen (沈), although there are relevant agreements on internship time and internship remuneration, there is a lack of corresponding agreements on how to pay for ending the internship in advance. In the case that the company refused to pay wages, Shen (沈) had to complain to the labor department before finally recovering the internship wages.

In addition, many interns reported that the job description when recruiting interns did not match the actual work content, and there was a lack of systematic internship training and dedicated guidance. "It is said to be a business assistant, but the actual work is printing documents, running errands, reimbursement, and booking conference rooms, which has nothing to do with specific business." "Some formal employees hand over things they don't want to do to interns, and let interns 'take the blame' for their own work mistakes." "There is an operating system that I don't know, and when I ask the teaching teacher, he ignores me." "It is said to be an internship, but in fact I didn't learn anything in 3 months." Such comments are common on social platforms commonly used by young people.

Internship applications also require internship experience, and the threshold for internships is getting higher and higher, forming gray industries such as paid internships.

Although many internship jobs have low income, even lower than expenses, and there are conflicts between work and academic pressure, many students still actively strive for internships.

On the one hand, this is the requirement of school practical education. For example, many schools set up professional practice courses at the time of graduation, requiring 3 to 6 months of internship experience to get credits. For some vocational colleges, the student's on-the-job internship time is generally 6 months, which needs to be included in the talent training program and a tripartite agreement needs to be signed.

On the other hand, employment pressure is indirectly transmitted to the internship stage. Many students believe that rich internship experience can increase employment opportunities. Xue (薛), who just started graduate school in September this year, already has 6 internship experiences. He frankly said that the most important thing when looking for an internship is the reputation of the unit, followed by whether he is interested in the work content, "basically I don't consider the salary." This mentality is quite common among the students interviewed.

Internship competition is fierce, and the threshold for employers is also correspondingly increased, and even "having relevant internship experience" has become the default requirement for many internship recruitments.

The reporter saw on an internship recruitment software that many positions clearly marked "those with internship experience are preferred." The human resources management负责人 of a beauty e-commerce company told reporters that the company mainly looks at professional matching when recruiting interns. As long as the major is related to media, it is fine, but they need to master skills such as editing and shooting, "more emphasis is placed on practical experience than academic qualifications." The human resources management负责人 of another listed artificial intelligence enterprise told reporters that research and development positions require academic qualifications, but sales and other positions pay more attention to actual work ability. Employers are more inclined to choose interns who can get started quickly and have a certain understanding of the industry. The more internship experience, the easier it is to find an internship.

Interns who aim to be hired full-time have less bargaining power with the internship unit. Interns usually put in more effort. Some people are forced to extend their internship period in order to be hired full-time, ranging from 3 months to 1 to 2 years. Some companies use interns as formal employees, but the salary is very different. Chen (陈), who graduated this year, once interned at a law firm. The internship salary is relatively high, 6,600 yuan per month, but the workload of interns is the same as that of practicing lawyers, while the salary of junior lawyers can reach 25,000 yuan per month. "We usually have to go to work with the lawyers and work overtime with them at night. Some lawyers will let interns leave early, but many students will voluntarily work overtime until the early hours of the morning in order to be retained in the future," Chen (陈) said. One week, his billable hours exceeded 50 hours, which was still the customer unit price reported to the client, and the actual working hours were even longer. In the eyes of the client, he was a formal lawyer, not an intern.

There are also many units that recruit interns with the bait of being hired full-time. Xie (谢), who has interned in software development at several Internet companies, told reporters, "Some companies are just temporarily short of people to 'do odd jobs'. When recruiting interns, they first say that they can be hired full-time, but in fact there are no full-time positions. After the interns have interned for a few months and ask for full-time positions, they will reject them for various reasons."

The increasingly fierce internship competition has also formed a gray industry. Several students interviewed told reporters that they can obtain "internal referrals" through paid forms on some social platforms, "as long as you pay, you can get an internship qualification in a famous enterprise without an interview." In this regard, the reporter searched for keywords such as "internship internal referral" on a social platform and found a large number of internal referral posts released by intermediaries, many of which were clearly marked with prices.

The reporter contacted an intermediary organization as a student who was looking for an internship. The other party said that the price ranged from 3,000 to 15,000 yuan depending on the position and project, and could "pay a deposit of 1,000 yuan first, and the admission notice will be issued on the same day, and the balance will be paid later." When the reporter asked whether they could provide a certificate after the internship, the other party promised "definitely can get a stamped internship certificate." During the communication, the intermediary constantly emphasized the key role of internship experience in job hunting, claiming that "companies mainly look at academic qualifications and internship experience when screening resumes," and even said that "internship experience is more important than academic qualifications," rendering anxiety as a promotional tactic.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (人力资源社会保障部), the Ministry of Education (教育部), and the Ministry of Finance (财政部) clearly required in the "Notice on Doing a Good Job in the Employment of College Graduates and Other Young People in 2025" to "crack down on illegal activities such as training loans, paid internships, and false recruitment in accordance with the law." However, these clearly marked internal referral services still frequently appear on social platforms, and have also formed gray industries including paid resume modification and paid job application letter writing.

Clarify the legal attributes of the internship relationship, and the government, schools, and enterprises should cooperate to form a long-term mechanism.

In the interview, the reporter learned that most internship units sign "internship agreements" with interns. What is the nature of this agreement?

Chen Zhijie (陈志杰), a lawyer at Guangdong Junxin Jinglun Junhou Law Firm (广东君信经纶君厚律师事务所), said that because students are mainly subject to the management of school teaching during their studies and internships, and the internship is based on the premise of completing their studies, there is no personal affiliation with the internship unit. Therefore, the relationship established between students and internship units during the internship period is a labor service relationship, not a labor relationship. The "internship agreement" is mainly protected by the Civil Code rather than the Labor Law. "The current law has not yet made detailed provisions on students' internship duration, subsidies, income, etc. Because students do not have the labor subject qualification of workers stipulated by labor laws, they cannot purchase social insurance, and their welfare benefits and personal safety protection during the internship period are weak," Chen Zhijie (陈志杰) said.

At the same time, some companies will reduce the company's employment risks and costs by recruiting interns. "Companies recruit interns mainly based on two considerations: one is talent reserve and selection, observing students' abilities and attitudes through internships to provide a reference for formal recruitment; the other is to reduce labor costs. Interns' salary and benefits are usually low, and some employers may reduce labor costs such as wages and social security by recruiting a large number of interns," said Chen Lifan (陈力凡), associate professor at the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China (中国人民大学).

"The issue of protecting the rights and interests of interns deserves attention." Chen Lifan (陈力凡) believes that interns have weak bargaining power and insufficient awareness of rights protection, and some companies may take advantage of this "blind spot" to compress labor costs.

For students who independently find internships, if disputes occur with the internship unit, Chen Zhijie (陈志杰) suggests that they can report to the school where they are located, and the school will come forward to coordinate, or they can report to the labor supervision department, trade union, mediation committee, labor arbitration institution, court and other relevant departments in the place where the internship unit is located to protect their rights and interests in a timely manner.

The protection of the labor rights and interests of interns can start from the essence of the internship and refer to the relevant regulations on the management of internships in vocational schools. "Internships arranged by the school belong to the practical teaching link and should be included in the talent training program. Students can be organized to visit and experience enterprises to form job cognition, as well as on-the-job internships and top-job internships. However, the daily internship time should not exceed 8 hours, and the school and the enterprise should each assign a dedicated person to provide full guidance, and the remuneration should not be less than 80% of the wage standard of the same position or the local minimum wage, and at the same time, purchase internship liability insurance for students, etc.," said Zhu Lei (祝磊), secretary of the Party Committee of Changsha Vocational and Technical College (长沙职业技术学院).

"Protecting the rights and interests of interns is not only the responsibility of one party, but requires the cooperation of the government, schools, and enterprises to form an institutionalized and normalized long-term mechanism." Chen Lifan (陈力凡) suggested that the legal attributes of the internship relationship, the minimum remuneration standard, the upper limit of working hours, and the responsibility for work-related injury protection should be further clarified to avoid unclear rights and responsibilities caused by the "gray area." At the same time, the labor supervision department should include the protection of the rights and interests of interns in the scope of routine inspections, and set up convenient complaint channels and reporting platforms to reduce the cost of rights protection for interns. For schools, in addition to providing employment guidance and teaching students to establish correct employment concepts, they should also popularize relevant laws and regulations in a timely manner to provide more support for students' internship and employment.

"Colleges and universities often establish long-term cooperation mechanisms with many institutions. Choosing internship units recommended by the school can not only reduce risks, but also obtain more guidance and support. Students should give priority to choosing official cooperation with the school and institutions with good reputation, and actively consult the opinions of tutors and career development centers. At the same time, they can also use the alumni network to understand the real situation of the target industry and target institutions," Zhu Lei (祝磊) suggested.

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Cracked Slope Protection Wall Repaired (Feedback)

By: 人民网记者 罗 娜

On September 22, the "Letters to the Editor" section of this newspaper published "Protective Slope Wall Shows Multiple Cracks Less Than Two Years After Construction," reporting that a 120-meter protective slope wall in Liusi Town (流泗镇), Hukou County (湖口县), Jiangxi (江西) Province, had developed multiple cracks less than two years after completion.

"On the day the report was published, we invited an appraiser to assess the cracks in the project," said Liao Hui (廖辉), Secretary of the Party Branch and Director of the Village Committee of Changlong Village (长垅村), Liusi Town (流泗镇), Hukou County (湖口县), told reporters. The assessment concluded that rainwater impact and mountain compression had caused cracks in some of the masonry retaining walls.

On September 26, Changlong Village (长垅村) began repairing and reinforcing the protective slope wall. "We hired a construction team to repair the more than 70 meters of protective slope wall that had cracks," said Liao Hui (廖辉).

The reporter learned that the repair of the protective slope wall was completed on October 10 (see photo).

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Damage to Images of Exemplary Figures Impairs Public Service Advertising Function (Local News)

I recently visited the Yanling National Flower Expo Garden in Yanling County (鄢陵县), Xuchang City (许昌市), Henan Province (河南省). In the "Acts of Courage and Righteousness" square in the western part of the park, I found that many of the public service announcement boards featuring individuals who performed acts of courage and righteousness, along with their related introductions, were severely damaged. Not only was the content difficult to discern, but also the photos of some individuals were almost completely peeled off (see picture). These types of public service announcement boards are a window for commending the advanced, promoting righteousness, and advocating civilization. They should not be presented in this condition. I hope that the relevant departments will replace them in a timely manner.

Mr. Xing (邢先生), Yanling County (鄢陵县), Henan Province (河南省)

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Vigorously Promote "Bamboo Instead of Plastic" (Suggestion)

It takes hundreds of years for a plastic straw to naturally degrade. If replaced with a bamboo straw, it would not only be gentle, natural, lightweight, and durable, but also completely degrade within a few months after being discarded. I suggest vigorously promoting "bamboo instead of plastic."

Bamboo is a commonly used green resource in China. Bamboo chopsticks, bamboo cutting boards, etc., are not only environmentally friendly but also have natural antibacterial properties. Moreover, after research and development, their application prospects are even broader. In addition to common bamboo tableware, food packaging and home building materials can also use bamboo. For example, the bamboo fiberboard developed by Nanjing Forestry University (南京林业大学) has the advantages of rapid degradation and strong load-bearing capacity, and is becoming a "green new choice" for many enterprises.

"Bamboo instead of plastic" is not just a change in lifestyle, but also can drive the development of a green industry. The annual output value of China's bamboo industry has exceeded 400 billion yuan. Innovative technologies such as bamboo winding pipes and bamboo-based capacitors enable bamboo to achieve a circular utilization of "resource-product-renewable resource." Taking Jiangsu (江苏) as an example, it is estimated that by 2027, bamboo processing enterprises will achieve 100% utilization of waste, driving a 50% increase in output value. "Bamboo instead of plastic" has great potential.

Liu Guohua (刘国华), Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu Province (江苏).

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"Learn Now, Pay Later" in Name Only, Actually "Learn Now, Owe Later" (People's Concerns)

By: 本报记者 赵 兵

"They said 'learn first, pay later, learn and earn,' but you can't earn any money at all." "I only took a few classes, but when I wanted to withdraw, I was saddled with a debt of 6,000 yuan." Recently, many readers have reported that some training institutions use "earn tuition through part-time jobs" as bait, but the so-called "learn first, pay later" is actually "learn first, owe later."

Some time ago, college student Xiao Li (小李) reported on the "People's Complaint" section of People's Daily Online (人民网) that after seeing the "Tuition 500, earn 3000 per month" "free design part-time job" advertisement on the school's intranet, he learned that the course involved learning and doing part-time work first, and then paying tuition after earning money, so he signed up for the course. However, after studying for a period of time and completing two design orders, the training institution made excuses not to pay labor fees, and Xiao Li (小李) realized that he had been deceived.

Many courses are not of satisfactory quality. A reader reported that after signing up for a 9,000 yuan painting training course, they found that the so-called "live class" was only held once a week and used for grading homework, while the regular classes were all pre-recorded, and there was no teacher teaching online at all.

The reporter contacted a video editing training institution as a student and stated that they had "zero experience" in this area. The customer service staff replied, "There is nothing you can't learn. The teacher will provide remote 'one-on-one' teaching, and you can watch it on your phone in a few minutes." In fact, video editing requires a lot of practical operation to master. The customer service staff's logic of equating "watching" with "learning" is unconvincing.

In response, Zhang Guangming (张光明) (pseudonym), who used to work for a training institution in Guangzhou (广州市), Guangdong (广东), told reporters: "Those cases that promote 'learn first, pay later' and earn money while learning through part-time jobs are mostly fake. I have never seen a student actually receive a business order." Regarding the poor course effectiveness reported by many students and the request for refunds and withdrawals, he frankly said, "Those courses are all pre-recorded, there is no interaction between teachers and students, and students withdrawing from courses is a common occurrence."

When students request to terminate training midway through the course, some institutions will present the contract and require students to pay 10% of the liquidated damages and the fees for the courses that have already been opened. For example, some students have studied less than 5% of the total number of courses, but are required to pay the full course fee of 5,000 yuan because the course has been "unlocked."

In the students' view, "paid courses" should be the actual learning time; while the training institutions said that the courses are automatically "unlocked and opened" to students according to the time schedule. If they want to give up learning, students need to actively apply for suspension to prevent deductions. "This is like watching a paid video. If you leave your seat and stop watching, the video is still playing automatically, which will generate fees, and you need to apply to the system to terminate it," Zhang Guangming (张光明) explained. However, many training institutions do not provide clear explanations and reminders to consumers at the beginning of the contract.

In response, Huang Yinxu (黄尹旭), a professor at the Renmin University of China Law School (中国人民大学法学院), said that institutions setting vague clauses and high liquidated damages, increasing students' responsibilities, and restricting students' rights, meet the circumstances of invalid standard clauses, and students can apply to the judicial department to determine that the relevant clauses are invalid. "Institutions falsely promise guaranteed learning and part-time order taking, but cannot fulfill them, which is deliberately providing false information. According to Article 148 of the Civil Code (民法典), the parties have the right to request the revocation of the contract," Huang Yinxu (黄尹旭) added.

Some training institutions package the payment method, concealing the nature of installment loans, calling it "learn first, pay later," but in essence, students pay tuition through loans, which is still "pay first, learn later." Industry insiders revealed that some training institutions have reached cooperation with third-party loan platforms, and the loan platform can charge 30% of the tuition fees. However, the training institutions deliberately conceal key information, causing students to incur loans without knowing the truth.

At the same time, when consumers defend their rights, they find it difficult. Ms. Zhao (赵女士) from Zhuhai (珠海), Guangdong (广东), signed up for a course at a training institution. After studying for a period of time, she found that the course content was too simple. When she requested termination, she found that the company that signed the course contract with her, the company that handled the loan, and the company that negotiated the withdrawal were actually three different companies, which led to Ms. Zhao (赵女士) not being properly handled when she complained to the relevant departments.

Cui Xibin (崔西彬), a lawyer at Beijing Lantai Law Firm (北京市兰台律师事务所), analyzed that the reason why consumers have difficulty defending their rights is first because of information asymmetry. Most consumers do not know that they are signing financial loan contracts; second, it is difficult to provide evidence. Consumers often cannot provide direct evidence that training institutions deliberately conceal loan information; third, the litigation cycle is long, the procedures are complicated, and the cost of defending rights is high, which further discourages consumers' enthusiasm for defending their rights. Some institutions also evade legal responsibility by frequently changing the main body of the company or canceling the company.

Huang Yinxu (黄尹旭) believes that the "learn first, pay later" problem of training institutions exposes regulatory loopholes. It is recommended that relevant departments conduct qualification review and risk assessment of institutions engaged in education finance business to ensure their legal and compliant operation; strengthen the review of education and training advertisements, especially those involving loans and income commitments, to prevent misleading publicity. Cui Xibin (崔西彬) suggested, "Further strengthen information sharing between relevant departments and promote the establishment of a joint law enforcement mechanism, so as to effectively curb financial violations and fraud in the field of education and training."

(Liu Zhangye (刘张烨) participated in writing)

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Seeking Submissions

The People's Daily "Letters from Readers" page and the People's Daily Online "Leaders' Message Board" are jointly conducting a collection of urgent and difficult problems and concerns of the masses. Readers are welcome to provide clues and suggestions.

Email: rmrbdzlx@126.com

dzlx@peopledaily.cn

Mobile terminal: People's Daily App "Exposure Platform"

People's Daily Online "Leaders' Message Board" App

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How to Interpret Key Financial Data Changes in the First Three Quarters (Highlighting High-Quality Development: Reading the Numbers)

By: 本报记者 吴秋余

The People's Bank of China (中国人民银行) recently released financial statistics showing that in the first three quarters of this year, China's RMB loans increased by 14.75 trillion yuan, and the growth rates of broad money and social financing scale remained at a high level, creating a suitable monetary and financial environment for the economic recovery. How should we view the changes in the main financial data in the first three quarters? What kind of financial support has the real economy received? The reporter conducted an interview.

——Editor

Has the credit demand of enterprises been met?

Key industries such as equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing maintain high prosperity.

"Without any collateral, the 2 million yuan loan arrived in just 5 days, solving our urgent need," said Wang Pu (王璞), head of Shenzhen Gaotie Industrial Co., Ltd. (深圳市皋铁实业有限公司) in Guangdong Province (广东省).

Shenzhen (深圳) has a large number of small and micro enterprises, and supporting the development of small and micro enterprises is a must-answer question for financial institutions to do a good job in inclusive finance. After learning about the financing needs of Gaotie Industrial Co., Ltd. (深圳市皋铁实业有限公司), the Bao'an District (宝安区) working group in Shenzhen (深圳市) relied on the coordination mechanism to support the financing of small and micro enterprises, and linked up with the Bao'an District (宝安区) branch of Postal Savings Bank (邮储银行) to launch a special docking, giving full play to the advantages of the "Credit e-Loan" digital inclusive financial product, and completing the approval and issuance of 2 million yuan of pure credit loans through the entire online process, effectively enhancing the company's market development momentum.

Since the beginning of this year, China's loan scale has maintained reasonable growth, the credit structure has continued to optimize, and credit has strongly supported the high-quality development of the real economy.

Data released by the People's Bank of China (中国人民银行) shows that as of the end of September, the outstanding balance of RMB loans was 270.39 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%; the stock of social financing scale was 437.08 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.7%, 0.7 percentage points higher than the same period last year; in the first three quarters, the cumulative increase in the scale of social financing was 30.09 trillion yuan, an increase of 4.42 trillion yuan year-on-year.

From a structural point of view, at the end of September, the balance of inclusive small and micro loans was 36.09 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.2%, and the balance of medium and long-term loans for manufacturing was 15.02 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.2%.

"The expansion of key industries in September and the implementation of interest subsidy policies for consumer loans have created favorable conditions for credit growth," said Dong Ximiao (董希淼), deputy director of the Shanghai Finance and Development Laboratory (上海金融与发展实验室) and chief researcher of Zhaolian (招联).

Data shows that corporate loans maintained good growth in the first three quarters. Key industries such as equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing maintain high prosperity, and corporate financing needs are effectively released. A branch of a state-owned bank said that since the beginning of this year, manufacturing loans have accounted for more than half of the bank's corporate loans, most of which are medium and long-term manufacturing loans, which can effectively match the long-term needs of manufacturing enterprises for technological upgrades and provide stable credit funds to support the development of the industry.

Recently, Jiangsu (江苏), Guangdong (广东), Guangxi (广西) and other places announced the completion of the first batch of new policy-based financial instrument funds, mainly invested in urban renewal, transportation, water affairs, logistics, environmental protection and other fields, helping to alleviate the problem of insufficient capital for major projects in key areas, and also driving the growth of related supporting credit funds.

At the same time, residents' credit demand has rebounded. In September, the interest subsidy policy for personal consumer loans and the interest subsidy policy for service industry business entities began to be implemented, and the decline in interest costs further released the demand for consumer loans. Cities such as Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海), and Shenzhen (深圳) have adjusted their housing purchase restriction policies, driving a slight increase in transaction volume in the real estate market. In September, the transaction area of commercial housing in 30 large and medium-sized cities increased by about 7% year-on-year, and the demand for personal housing loans rebounded accordingly.

Has the financing cost decreased?

Loan interest rates continue to remain at a low level, and the supply of credit resources is generally abundant.

Since the beginning of this year, with the orderly advancement of the pilot work of clearly indicating the comprehensive financing cost of enterprise loans, banks have used "loan information sheets" to uniformly indicate various financing costs, promoting the comprehensive financing cost of enterprise loans to be more open and transparent, protecting the right to know of financial consumers, and promoting the reduction of financing costs for small and medium-sized enterprises.

A biological technology company in Guangdong (广东) needed to finance 9.9 million yuan due to increased orders. By jointly filling out the "loan information sheet" with the bank, the company learned that there were no other fees for the loan except for the 2.7% interest rate. The registration fee and evaluation fee for mortgage registration totaling nearly 3,000 yuan have been actively borne by the bank, and the company has truly felt the policy dividend of financial fee reduction and profit concession.

A cable company in Jiangsu (江苏) applied for an 8 million yuan inclusive loan from a local bank. By filling out the "loan information sheet", the bank learned that the company had a number of patents and could enjoy interest subsidy policies. Therefore, it communicated with the company to apply for a special credit product, which is expected to save the company 100,000 yuan in financing costs each year.

Data shows that China's loan interest rates continue to remain at a low level. In September, the weighted average interest rate of newly issued corporate loans (in local and foreign currencies) was about 3.1%, about 40 basis points lower than the same period last year; the weighted average interest rate of newly issued personal housing loans (in local and foreign currencies) was about 3.1%, about 25 basis points lower than the same period last year.

"Since the beginning of this year, loan interest rates have continued to be at a low level, indicating that the supply of credit resources is generally abundant, and the financing needs of the real economy are relatively high," said Dong Ximiao (董希淼).

In August of this year, the Ministry of Finance (财政部), the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部) and other 9 departments issued the "Implementation Plan for the Loan Interest Subsidy Policy for Service Industry Business Entities", which clearly stated that financial subsidies would be given to loans for service industry business entities in 8 types of consumption fields that meet the conditions.

As one of the 21 handling banks for this interest subsidy policy, Ping An Bank (平安银行) guided its branches to formulate interest subsidy plans that comply with local policies. According to preliminary estimates, as of the end of September, the interest subsidy scale for eligible customers of the entire bank was about 70 million yuan. In addition, Ping An Bank (平安银行) actively responded to the national call to reduce the operating costs of small and micro enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households. In the third quarter of this year, the bank's payment fee reduction amount was 66.093 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11%; the number of profit-making businesses was 8.11 million, a year-on-year increase of 13%.

"The moderately loose monetary policy continues to exert efforts, and the effects of a package of monetary policies such as RRR cuts and interest rate cuts continue to appear. RMB loans maintain a high growth rate, and loan interest rates are running at a low level," said Lou Feipeng (娄飞鹏), a researcher at China Postal Savings Bank (中国邮政储蓄银行). The current internal and external environment is showing a trend of stabilization and improvement, and more positive changes have occurred in corporate operations, residents' consumption, and import and export.

How will policies be implemented in the next stage?

Continue to give play to the guiding and driving role of structural monetary policy tools.

Since the beginning of this year, China's main economic indicators have performed well, new quality productive forces have developed actively, reform and opening up have continued to deepen, risks in key areas have been effectively prevented and resolved, and the bottom-line guarantee for people's livelihood has been further strengthened. China's economy has shown strong vitality and resilience.

Data shows that as of the end of September, China's broad money (M2) balance was 335.38 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.4%; the narrow money (M1) balance was 113.15 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%; and the currency in circulation (M0) balance was 13.58 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.5%. The net cash投放 in the first three quarters was 761.9 billion yuan.

Lou Feipeng (娄飞鹏) analyzed that since the beginning of this year, the scissors difference between M1 and M2 has narrowed significantly, reflecting positive signals such as the increase in the activity of enterprise production and operation and the recovery of personal investment and consumption demand.

"In recent years, the People's Bank of China (中国人民银行) has continuously cut RRR and interest rates, and in May of this year, it introduced a package of policies such as RRR cuts and interest rate cuts, and the financial support for the real economy has continued to increase," said Dong Ximiao (董希淼). Structural monetary policy tools have achieved full coverage of the "five major articles" in the financial field. In the future, they can continue to play a guiding and driving role, provide policy support and incentive guidance, and enhance the ability and willingness of financial institutions to support key areas. At the same time, it is also necessary to give play to the synergistic effect of monetary credit policies and fiscal interest subsidies, risk compensation and other measures, and continuously enhance the effectiveness of financial support for key areas.

"In the fourth quarter, the moderately loose monetary policy will still maintain strong support for the real economy, and fiscal policy is also actively exerting efforts. The effects of a series of policy measures such as promoting consumption and benefiting people's livelihood that were introduced earlier will continue to gradually appear," said Wen Bin (温彬), chief economist of China Minsheng Bank (中国民生银行). While monetary policy continues to exert efforts, the intensity of industrial policies has also increased recently, which continues to form support for investment and supports the economy to maintain a trend of recovery and improvement. In the medium and long term, China's economic structure transformation and industrial upgrading are steadily advancing, the supply and demand relationship of the real economy is expected to be more balanced, and the economic cycle will be smoother, which will help the economy to move steadily and far in the long term.

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Both domestic and foreign trade are equally important; walking on two legs is more stable.

By: 本报记者 洪秋婷 李 刚

Fill in the information, scan the QR code, and receive the information sheet. Wang Hongbin (王洪斌), an operations staff member at Alibaba South China Technology Co., Ltd. (阿里巴巴华南技术有限公司), has already received several exhibitors. "They all plan to settle in Taobao (淘宝). Our participation in the Canton Fair (广交会) domestic and foreign trade matchmaking event is to directly face the domestic customer base and attract more customers."

Zhang Jianzhi (张见芝), a merchant from Guangdong (广东), told reporters that his factory specializes in exporting men's clothing, with markets mainly in Europe, Australia, and South America. "We believe that domestic and foreign trade are equally important, and it is more stable to walk on two legs. There is great pressure to switch to the domestic market. Coming to this matchmaking event, we hope to use this opportunity to find a platform that can help us clear the blockages in the subsequent consumer end."

The Canton Fair (广交会) is an important platform to help integrate domestic and foreign trade and serve the domestic and international dual circulation. On October 16, the 138th Canton Fair (第138届广交会) Foreign Trade Excellent Products to Expand Domestic Sales Matchmaking Event was launched in the Canton Fair Hall (广交会堂) Conference Hall, with 80 domestic buyers and trade service providers participating on-site. The event invited authoritative experts to interpret domestic trade policies, financial, insurance and other institutions to provide professional services, and representatives from supermarket department stores, e-commerce platforms and other channels to share suggestions to better support enterprises to expand markets and obtain orders.

"The purpose of setting up the Foreign Trade Excellent Products to Expand Domestic Sales Matchmaking Event for the first time in this Canton Fair (广交会) is to better provide a buffer for enterprises with the ultra-large-scale domestic market, promote the two-way empowerment of export and domestic sales, and better improve the ability of enterprises to utilize global resources," said Chang Hui (常晖), a second-level inspector of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce (商务部对外贸易司).

In order to improve the efficiency of negotiations, this matchmaking event specifically set up 3 centralized matchmaking sessions, 2 trading group special matchmaking sessions, and 4 buyer demand release activities.

"Foreign trade excellent products have certain competitiveness in terms of quality and value, but the difficulty lies in opening up sales channels. Foreign trade enterprises do not have enough understanding of the ecology of domestic e-commerce and consumer preferences, and cost control is more difficult." Xu Xiaomei (徐晓玫), Vice President of Jingxi Business Department of JD Retail (京东零售京喜事业部), introduced that JD.com (京东) uses big data advantages to provide personalized marketing strategies for foreign trade factories, help them understand domestic market trends and needs as soon as possible, and at the same time set up a foreign trade excellent products zone in JD.com (京东) to provide exclusive marketing scenarios and increase the sales of foreign trade products.

In response to the problems of capital turnover pressure reflected by foreign trade enterprises, "We have built an export-to-domestic sales zone on the online mobile banking end to provide enterprises with financial supporting services and inclusive financial products," said Tong Zhijun (童志军), member of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Guangdong Branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Co., Ltd. (中国工商银行股份有限公司广东省分行).

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The number of inbound and outbound passengers in the third quarter reached 178 million.

Beijing, October 19th (Reported by Qi Yukun (亓玉昆) from this newspaper) – This reporter learned from the National Immigration Administration (国家移民管理局) that in the third quarter, national immigration management agencies cumulatively inspected 178 million inbound and outbound personnel trips, an increase of 12.9% year-on-year; among them, 89.372 million trips were made by mainland residents, 68.731 million trips were made by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, an increase of 13.8% and 6.2% year-on-year respectively; 20.134 million trips were made by foreigners, an increase of 22.3% year-on-year, of which 7.246 million trips were made by foreigners entering visa-free, accounting for 72.2% of inbound foreigners, an increase of 48.3% year-on-year.

A cumulative total of 9.904 million inbound and outbound means of transportation were inspected (flights, trains, ships, vehicles), an increase of 17.5% year-on-year; among them, 260,000 flights, 27,000 train trips, 114,000 ship voyages, and 9.503 million motor vehicle trips, an increase of 10.2%, 4.6%, 2.9%, and 18% year-on-year respectively. A total of 5.695 million ordinary passports were issued, 28.117 million endorsements (items) were issued for mainland (大陆) residents traveling to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 583,000 Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Residents were issued; 584,000 visas and certificates were issued to foreigners.

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Nearly 70% of the nation's autumn grain harvest completed.

The latest agricultural situation dispatch from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (农业农村部) shows that nearly 70% of the national autumn grain harvest has been completed. By crop, more than 70% of medium-season rice, more than 60% of corn, and more than 80% of soybeans have been harvested. By region, more than 80% in the Southwest, more than 70% in the Northwest, more than 70% in the Huanghuaihai area, 65% in the Northeast and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and nearly 30% in South China have been harvested. The picture shows farmers in Wulongkou Town (五龙口镇), Jiyuan City (济源市), Henan Province (河南省) putting newly harvested corn on racks to dry on October 19.

Miao Qiu (苗秋) photographed (Xinhua News Agency (新华社) issued)

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2025 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair Opens

This newspaper Nanchang (南昌) October 19th (Reporter Wang Dan (王丹)) The 2025 China Jingdezhen (景德镇) International Ceramic Fair opened recently in the Taobo City (陶博城) of Jingdezhen City (景德镇市), Jiangxi Province (江西省). More than 1,000 domestic and foreign buyers and well-known brands from more than 30 countries participated in the exhibition. During the exhibition, three special events will be held: "World Mayors Dialogue · Jingdezhen and 2025 Jingdezhen Forum", Industry Investment Promotion Conference, and Multinational Procurement Fair.

The current Ceramic Fair is hosted by the China National Light Industry Council (中国轻工业联合会), and the exhibition period lasts from October 18th to 22nd. The total exhibition area reaches 140,000 square meters, and eight special exhibition areas comprehensively present the ceramic ecology from traditional famous porcelain to modern design, and from local boutiques to international brands.

This Ceramic Fair adheres to the integrated development of trade, investment, and culture, and innovatively launched the "1819 Ceramic Carnival", which deeply integrates ceramic culture with urban life, and promotes the Ceramic Fair to a higher level.

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This edition's editors: Wu Yan, Lü Zhongzheng, Han Chunyao

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Unfold a Global Canvas of Art, Build a Platform for Cultural Exchange

By: 本报记者 曹玲娟

October 17th marked the opening of the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. Over the course of more than a month, it will host over 500 performances and exhibitions, totaling more than 1,200 events. This arts festival attracts high-quality performing arts resources from around the world, bringing together renowned Chinese and foreign masterpieces on the Shanghai stage. The arts festival enriches the cultural lives of the people, allowing citizens to appreciate the talent of famous artists and groups right at their doorsteps. The China Shanghai International Arts Festival has become an important platform for cultural exchange between China and foreign countries, vividly demonstrating the colorfulness of culture through exchange.

——Editor

Restoring the ancient charm of the Forbidden City's "Old Stage," and "reproducing" the elegance of the Forbidden City with the soft sounds of Kunqu Opera... On the evening of October 17th, "Taihe Zheng Yin - A Collection of Kunqu Opera from the Forbidden City" (Season 1), produced by the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe and the Palace Museum (故宫博物院), premiered at the Shanghai Grand Theatre (上海大剧院), kicking off the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (文化和旅游部) and organized by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government (上海市人民政府), has attracted over 800 art groups and 66,000 artists from more than 80 countries and regions since its inception in 1999. It has directly reached over 80 million Chinese and foreign audiences, and has become an important platform for cultural and artistic exchange between China and foreign countries.

Masterpieces Gather, Attracting High-Quality Performing Arts Resources from Around the World

The 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival will be held from October 17th to November 27th. Over the course of more than a month, it will host over 500 performances and exhibitions, totaling more than 1,200 events.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Stuttgart Ballet, and other world-renowned groups are coming as scheduled; the drama "White Deer Plain (白鹿原)," the concert "China of Poetry," Pina Bausch's 1978 revival of "Contact Zone: Echo 1978," and other renowned Chinese and foreign masterpieces are gathering on the Shanghai stage...

The mature festival organization mechanism, rich platform levels, and solid audience base make the China Shanghai International Arts Festival a huge attraction for high-quality performing arts resources from around the world. At this year's festival, overseas projects account for about 60% of the 129 performances on the main stage, and the premiere rate in Shanghai exceeds 90%.

The opening and closing performances, one Chinese and one foreign, feature Kunqu Opera "Taihe Zheng Yin - A Collection of Kunqu Opera from the Forbidden City" (Season 1) and a concert by Daniele Gatti and the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, creating a dialogue between Chinese and Western cultures across space.

"We hope that the Kunqu Opera we bring will showcase the enduring artistic charm of Chinese culture at the 'major port' of international performing arts at the festival," said Gu Haohao (谷好好), head of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe (上海昆剧团).

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Berliner Ensemble, and other international renowned groups will bring exciting programs such as the "Complete Collection Series" and "Shanghai Exclusive," creating a "new highland" for performing arts with global resources.

The main stage performances have "gold" content and even more "new" content. International conductor Valery Gergiev will join the Mariinsky Orchestra to complete the performance of the complete Mahler symphonies in 5 days. The Bavarian State Opera will bring a 6-day opera carnival with its entire team.

"White Deer Plain (白鹿原)" and other 5 major dramas performed by the Shaanxi People's Art Theater in Shanghai, the final season of the stage play "Blossoms (繁花)," the Pingtan "Vegetable and Meat Wonton," the ballet "Lily," and other Shanghai-produced dramas, the national opera "Tong Xin Jie (同心结)," the dance drama "Wang Yangming (王阳明)," and other original works, are either rooted in outstanding traditional Chinese culture or based on real life, presenting a new atmosphere of literary and artistic competition.

This year's arts festival continues to set up sub-venues in Jiangsu (江苏), Zhejiang (浙江), Anhui (安徽), and other places, and also holds the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural Week, presenting 7 performances of 14 shows, including the large-scale new Cantonese opera "Shuang Xiu Yuan (双绣缘)" by the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Theater, as well as exhibitions, intangible cultural heritage displays, art education, and other activities to deepen cultural exchange and cooperation.

Li Ming (李明), Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee of the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival and President of the Arts Festival Center, said that the Arts Festival adheres to content as king. "The gold content, influence, goodwill, and attractiveness of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival platform are constantly being mentioned on the international stage, and the supply of high-quality programs is fundamental."

Cultural Benefits for the People, Art Performances Embedded in Urban Public Spaces

Adhering to the purpose of "an art festival for the people," the Arts Festival strives to practice the concept of "people's city," promote the "overflow" of high-quality performing arts resources, link the whole city and the whole region, and create an "artistic magnetic field" with art in the whole city.

The Guangdong lion dance and Puning Yingge, national intangible cultural heritage projects, appeared in a commercial complex positioned as "youth power"; the French opera "Romeo and Juliet" entered the Sinan Mansion (思南公馆), a century-old building; the Zhangjiajie (International) Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai International Puppet Art Week's "Magnolia Award" performed on Nanjing Road (南京路), the "No. 1 Commercial Street in China"...

This is a snapshot of the "Art Sky" benefit activities of this year's Arts Festival. Art coexists with business districts and resonates with the city - "Art Sky" continues to innovate performance forms, creating a "theater without walls," embedding art resources into public spaces of all sizes throughout the city, allowing citizens to see the style of famous artists and groups at their doorsteps.

On the evening of October 16th, at the Shanghai Huangpu District Urban Lawn Music Plaza, the "Yi Hai Qin Feng" performance used international artistic language to interpret national intangible cultural heritage, playing the ancient charm of the Three Qin Dynasties. With the official opening of the 2025 Shanghai Urban Lawn Concert "Autumn Charm," 19 artist teams from 30 countries and regions will gather on the green lawn in front of the Shanghai Concert Hall, bringing 16 performances of opera, symphony, jazz, and national music, etc., and citizens can "make free reservations and enter with tickets."

During this year's Arts Festival, the "Art Sky" benefit activities will launch a total of 60 shows and more than 90 events in major public spaces in Shanghai, with nearly 2,000 artists from more than 30 countries and regions actively taking the stage, making the color of a better life more full.

Huangpu District highlights the theme of music, Putuo District focuses on parent-child programs, Qingpu District holds a waterfront music festival, and the Arts Festival also joins hands with Jing'an District to hold an outdoor symphony concert at the outdoor fountain pool square of the Shanghai Exhibition Center for the third consecutive year, creating a cultural and tourism integration brand project.

Carefully draw a "new picture" of social aesthetic education sharing. The art education section of the Arts Festival will hold 33 art education activities with more than 80 events, and realize the organic linkage of resource aggregation, talent cultivation and international exchange through brand activities such as "student theater viewing and exhibition group," "art entering campus," and "youth drama exhibition," and build a high-quality aesthetic education platform.

Expand the "new field" of cultural consumption benefiting the people. This year's Arts Festival will issue more than 6,000 half-price benefit tickets, effectively lowering the threshold for citizens to participate and enhancing the people's sense of cultural gain and happiness.

Breaking the Circle and Integrating, Transforming Art Traffic into Consumption Increment

The Arts Festival explores the integration of "art +" from the content, scene, and experience, attracting global audiences to "cross mountains and rivers and rush to Shanghai because of love."

The cultural and tourism industry has become an important part of improved consumption. Jin Lei (金雷), Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism (上海市文化和旅游局), introduced that, focusing on "transforming art traffic into consumption increment," this year's Arts Festival deepens the integration and innovation of "cultural tourism + hundreds of industries, hundreds of industries + cultural tourism," and launches a series of new ideas for the linkage of cultural tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions.

Activate consumption momentum with "premiere and first show." Shanghai is not only a gathering place for global performing arts essence, but also an important stage for the Asian premiere and Chinese debut of international top art groups. This enriches the high-quality cultural supply for citizens and becomes a traffic entry to attract consumption.

Extend consumption scenarios with the "ticket stub economy." Jointly launch "performance + tourism" and "information + discount" services with leading Internet platforms, and launch attractive "combined punches" for food, accommodation, travel and consumption to realize the integration of "fireworks and poetry" in urban life. Link with the China International Import Expo (进博会), the Shanghai Tourism Festival, etc., and attract audiences from home and abroad to "come from near and far" through "festival linkage" and "performance exhibition joint tickets" to immerse themselves in the golden autumn artistic concentration of this city.

Promote consumption transformation with the "cultural tourism economy." The Arts Festival jointly with leading Internet platforms to provide a one-stop cultural tourism package of "performance ticket + hotel + scenic spot"; jointly with Shanghai Railway Station to create a branch venue special train to realize the mutual delivery of passenger sources between Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region; cooperate with Air China to promote "aviation + entertainment" three-dimensional marketing, and the consumption effect of "going to a city for a festival" is becoming increasingly prominent.

The Arts Festival also links exhibition brands to create a literary and artistic lifestyle paradigm. At urban landmarks such as the Shanghai Art Museum (上海美术馆), the Liu Haisu Art Museum (刘海粟美术馆), the Shanghai Haipai Art Museum (上海海派艺术馆), and the Shanghai Exhibition Center (上海展览中心), exhibitions such as the Guangdong Art Centennial Exhibition and the 18th Shanghai Youth Art Exhibition are held to make "watching art exhibitions, visiting cultural expositions, and enjoying good dramas" the quality choice for Shanghai cultural tourism.

Activating the deep-seated driving force for the integrated development of cultural tourism, commerce, sports and exhibitions also nurtures a vibrant art creation ecology. The Arts Festival's "Young Artists Support Program" consists of a new art committee composed of 21 artists from 7 countries and regions, and has attracted 226 works from 19 countries and regions to apply, and will launch 9 stage and visual art works, and will set up a technology integration category for the first time to interpret the artistic exploration of young artists breaking boundaries. The Arts Festival's new brand "ARTRA Self-Defined Art" focuses on new audiences, new fields and new futures, and will launch a series of integrated creations.

In the performances that blend ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign cultures, feel the breadth and depth of Chinese culture and the style of the times, and witness the prosperity of the literary and artistic "hundred gardens." Look forward to the China Shanghai International Arts Festival staging more exciting events.

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The Art of Flow, the Connected Yangtze River Delta

By: 本报记者 曹玲娟

The 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival's first branch venue special train – the G8981 Fuxing (复兴) bullet train – departed from Shanghai South Railway Station (上海南站), kicking off this year's Yangtze River Delta (长三角) region's deepening of cultural and tourism coordinated development, with the Arts Festival as a link.

As a national-level arts festival, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival continuously enhances its platform function of "serving the Yangtze River Delta and radiating throughout China," leveraging its resource advantages to strengthen regional cultural and artistic cooperation and exchanges, and create a "cultural model" of two-way engagement between brother provinces and cities.

Flowing art, interconnected Yangtze River Delta. The event brings together the cultural tourism and railway system forces of Shanghai (上海), Wuxi (无锡) in Jiangsu (江苏), Hefei (合肥) in Anhui (安徽), and Nanxun (南浔) in Zhejiang (浙江), allowing for better convergence of cultural exchange and tourism consumption in the Yangtze River Delta through the form of "special train + arts festival." Ms. Wang, one of the first passengers on the special train, shared her experience: "I bought a package ticket this time, so I can go to Wuxi to see a performance and visit Taihu Lake (太湖) along the way."

The Arts Festival has consistently delivered high-quality domestic and international performing arts resources, illuminating branch venues and allowing audiences in the Yangtze River Delta to enjoy international-level artistic feasts at their doorsteps. This year's Arts Festival continues to set up branch venues in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, empowering the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta with high-quality performing arts resources.

White walls and black tiles, green water and ancient bridges. On the evening of October 11th, the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival Zhejiang Nanxun Branch Venue – the 2025 Nanxun International Parent-Child Culture and Arts Season – kicked off. "I specifically brought my child here this year, I didn't expect such a lively arts festival hidden in the ancient town!" said Ms. Wang from Hangzhou (杭州), Zhejiang. This year's Nanxun Arts Season features projects such as the "Lawn Art Tour Live" and the "Ancient Town Parade Carnival," bringing participatory immersive art experiences to parent-child families.

The "Lawn Art Tour Live" breaks the boundaries of traditional theaters, transforming the lawn by the canal into a space for outdoor art performances and interactions. The sound of a jazz musician's trumpet, accompanied by the gentle evening breeze of the canal, permeates people's hearts... Here, art is a joyful experience that the whole family can participate in.

The "Ancient Town Parade Carnival" creates "one scene per step, one art per scene." Representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage lead distinctive performance formations, interacting closely with the audience; international artist teams shuttle through the streets and alleys along the water, encountering passing tourists unexpectedly; on the awning boats, actors sing Jiangnan (江南) tunes...

"In the past, international performances that could only be seen in Shanghai and Beijing can now be enjoyed at our doorstep," said Ms. Wu, a local resident of Nanxun. The Arts Season has made her hometown an "art check-in destination," and she plans to watch all the performances with her parents and children.

The Arts Festival also invites works from various regions to perform in Shanghai. Zhejiang's dance drama "Eastern Great Port (东方大港)," Yue Opera (瓯剧) "Zhang Xie, the Top Scholar (张协状元)," Anhui's Huangmei Opera (黄梅戏) "Huizhou Past (徽州往事)," Lu Opera (庐剧) "Iron-Faced and Impartial (铁面无私)," Jiangsu's Xiju Opera (锡剧) "The Road of Juansheng (涓生之路)," etc., "flow" from the branch venues to Shanghai, further promoting regional cultural cooperation.

On October 18th, "Its Mandate is Renewal – A Century of Guangdong Art Exhibition" opened at the Shanghai Art Museum (上海美术馆). From dialogues between Eastern and Western art to the innovation of the Lingnan School of Painting (岭南画派), the accumulation and achievements of Guangdong (广东) art over the past century are presented to the audience. The exhibition will also hold a lecture hall featuring famous Lingnan cultural and artistic figures and set up a Lingnan intangible cultural heritage experience area, showcasing Lingnan cultural life in multiple dimensions.

The exhibition is part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区) Culture Week of the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. Through stage performance showcases, art exhibitions, intangible cultural heritage displays, international performing arts transactions, and other diverse content, the Culture Week presents the diverse charm of the Greater Bay Area culture and deepens the cultural interaction between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region.

Original stage dramas from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao are showcased, covering multiple art forms such as dance dramas, Cantonese operas, acrobatics dramas, and spoken dramas, jointly outlining the integration and innovation of literature and art in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The dance drama "Yingge (英歌)" integrates intangible cultural heritage into modern stage art, telling a moving story about national sentiment and growth; the large-scale newly compiled historical Cantonese opera "Double Embroidered Fate (双绣缘)" integrates Cantonese opera and Guang embroidery, two intangible cultural heritages; the spoken drama "Um Speakable (唔讲得)" stars Hong Kong actress Yip Tong (叶童); "Carmina Burana" is presented jointly by the Hong Kong Ballet and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The Macao multimedia puppet show "The Hamster of the Bugs" constructs a colorful and fun stage world.

Guo Miaoyu (郭妙瑜), Director of the Performing Arts Development Division of the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau (澳门文化局), introduced that last year, the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau launched a local performance commissioning program, selecting a number of Macao's original cultural and artistic masterpieces. Several works will go to Shanghai to participate in promotion activities, presenting Macao's excellent performing arts strength.

The Culture Week will also bring lion dances, Yingge dances, and other intangible cultural heritages with Lingnan characteristics to Shanghai's exhibition halls, business districts, aesthetic education spaces, etc., to interact closely with Shanghai citizens.

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"In Shanghai, you can see the future of performing arts."

By: 朱 柚

On October 18th, the Yingge dance and lion dance performances, blending modern performance styles with traditional cultural characteristics, kicked off the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival's International Performing Arts Fair and International Dialogue.

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which has joined the ranks of world-class arts festivals, has seen an increasingly significant "global art scene" aggregation effect. This year's fair attracted approximately 500 professional institutions and 2,000 industry representatives from around the world to gather on the banks of the Huangpu River (黄浦江), jointly embarking on the "dual bridge of time and space" built by the arts festival for the international performing arts industry.

Spatially, it promotes the dual circulation of cultural and performing arts resources at home and abroad.

This year's International Performing Arts Fair exhibition hall attracted over a hundred performing arts institutions from countries such as Germany, Italy, and Spain to set up self-recommendation booths. On the opening day, nine project cooperation agreements were signed on-site: the China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center signed cooperation agreements with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival (粤港澳大湾区文化艺术节), China Arts and Entertainment Group (中演演出院线), Pina Bausch (皮娜·鲍什) Wuppertal Dance Theater, and other art institutions, to "bring in" excellent works while helping to promote high-quality works "going out."

The Arts Festival also specially set up a joint exhibition area for cultural institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区), and held a special promotion conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, allowing the Yangtze River Delta (长三角) and the Greater Bay Area to resonate at the same frequency, and accelerating the pace of outstanding cultural resources from the Greater Bay Area "going overseas."

David Baile, CEO of the International Society for the Performing Arts, who served as one of the jury members for this year's video promotion conference, said with emotion: "The Arts Festival has built an efficient bridge for industrial cooperation in the global performing arts industry."

In terms of time, explore new paths for the development of the current and future world performing arts ecology.

This year's International Dialogue section of the Arts Festival, focusing on the theme of "Intelligent Manufacturing New Paradigm, Jointly Shaping a New Ecology," held 11 professional dialogues including keynote dialogues, group matchmaking exchange meetings, AI+N workshops, children's drama professional platform seminars and workshops, producer dialogues, and legal practice salons, constructing a feast of ideas connecting technology, humanities, and industry.

"A new pattern of performing arts ecology in which science and art promote each other is slowly unfolding before my eyes." Jan Briers, Chairman of the European Festivals Association, which has established contact with the China Shanghai International Arts Festival for 20 years, participated in this year's keynote dialogue as a guest. He said, "In Shanghai, you can see the future of performing arts."

During the International Performing Arts Fair and International Dialogue, the 5th Silk Road International Arts Festival Alliance Annual Meeting was held simultaneously. As of now, the Silk Road International Arts Festival Alliance members have covered 52 countries and regions, with a total of 196 institutions, and its international influence continues to increase. This year's annual meeting invited more than 40 member institutions to participate in exchanges, and the "Silk Road International Arts Festival Alliance Achievement Report (2017-2025)" was released at the meeting.

"The China Shanghai International Arts Festival is not only a 'garden' where world literature and art gather, but also uses innovative concepts and inclusive values to build a bridge for exchange, cooperation, and mutual learning for the performing arts circles at home and abroad, leading the global performing arts ecology to continuously develop," said Li Ming (李明), Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival Organizing Committee and President of the Arts Festival Center.

It is worth mentioning that the new model of cultural tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibition linkage being explored by the Arts Festival has aroused strong interest from many heads of international performing arts institutions. During the International Performing Arts Fair, the participating guests visited the Shanghai Concert Hall (上海音乐厅), Pudong Art Museum (浦东美术馆), and Shanghai West Bund (上海西岸) Urban Tourism and Leisure Block for on-site visits. Gugen Taner, General Manager of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts in Turkey, said with emotion, "The warmth of art, the pulse of technology, and the prosperity of commerce are so perfectly integrated in one block."

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Editor in charge of this edition: Zhi Chunli, Guan Xuanyue, Dong Yingxue

Layout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

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PICC's cumulative payout expenditure exceeded 1.7 trillion yuan in the past five years, with remarkable achievements in multiple fields.

Since the "14th Five-Year Plan", the People's Insurance Group of China Co., Ltd. (中国人保) (hereinafter referred to as "PICG") has consolidated its own operating strength with the remarkable achievements of "five new aspects", and has played a "leading goose" role in serving national strategies, ensuring people's livelihood needs, and preventing and controlling financial risks. In 2024, PICG achieved original insurance premium income of 693 billion yuan, an increase of 24% compared with 2020; net profit attributable to the parent company was 42.9 billion yuan, an increase of 114% compared with 2020. As of the end of June 2025, PICG's total assets under management exceeded 4 trillion yuan, and total assets were 1.9 trillion yuan.

New Leap in Guarantee Function

PICG has researched and formulated more than 10 specific implementation action plans, such as doing a good job in the "five major articles" of finance and developing "seven major insurances", focusing on 50 aspects and proposing more than 180 strategic service measures. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it has cumulatively undertaken insurance liability of 121.04 trillion yuan and cumulative compensation expenditure of 1.7814 trillion yuan; the average daily compensation amount was 1.1 billion yuan, an increase of 32% compared with the "13th Five-Year Plan" period.

Solidly play the role of the insurance industry's economic shock absorber to serve and guarantee the development of new quality productive forces. PICG has built a full life cycle technology insurance product system covering 13 major categories and more than 200 products, took the lead in establishing the China Integrated Circuit Co-insurance Consortium and the Beijing Commercial Aerospace Insurance Co-insurance Consortium, launched "Kehui Insurance" for technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, and also launched the first domestic automotive chip exclusive insurance product "Qiangxin Insurance", implemented the first national pilot comprehensive insurance, patent-intensive product liability insurance, patent/trademark overseas layout cost loss insurance, and issued the first national batch of major science and technology tackling insurance and low-altitude economy exclusive insurance, building a protection network for the entire process of scientific and technological innovation activities such as scientific and technological research and development, pilot testing, achievement transformation, and industrialization promotion.

Solidly play the role of the insurance industry's social stabilizer and weave a tight "safety net" for disaster prevention and mitigation. PICG has implemented the first national multi-disaster factor, multi-year, multi-level comprehensive catastrophe insurance in Hebei (河北), and local catastrophe insurance covers 127 prefecture-level cities in 23 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government), guaranteeing a population of 440 million people, ensuring that compensation is paid when it should be, quickly when it can be, and reasonably in advance.

Solidly play the role of patient capital and actively serve the real economy. PICG supports scientific and technological innovation and the construction of a modern industrial system by establishing private equity funds and science and technology innovation funds in Beijing (北京), Shanghai (上海), Wuhan (武汉), Hubei (湖北), Hefei (合肥), Anhui (安徽), and other places, focusing on investment in cutting-edge industries such as new energy, semiconductors, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, with the scale of investment assets exceeding 1.7 trillion yuan, an increase of 56% compared with the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan".

New Steps in High-Quality Development

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, PICG unswervingly promoted high-quality development, improved performance through structural optimization, value upgrading, and professional in-depth cultivation, and refined operation and management.

Adhere to seeking progress while maintaining stability and focus on the development of the main business. The premium income of PICC Property and Casualty Insurance (人保财险), a core business of PICG, exceeded 500 billion yuan, ranking among the top in Asia. In the life insurance sector, the premium income of PICC Life (人保寿险) exceeded 100 billion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 14.5% in the first half of 2025, the fastest growth rate in the same period in nearly 9 years; PICC Health (人保健康) achieved premium income of 48.7 billion yuan, continuing to maintain its leading position among professional health insurance companies.

Adhere to value and efficiency as the center and focus on operating performance. In the field of property insurance, promote the continuous optimization of the business structure, stabilize traditional auto insurance and policy-based business, vigorously develop commercial non-auto insurance and other innovative businesses, with an average comprehensive cost ratio of 98.3% in the past 4 years; the comprehensive cost ratio in the first half of 2025 was 94.8%, a new low in the same period in 10 years. In the field of life insurance, focus on value creation and efficiency improvement, stabilize the scale of traditional products, increase resource investment in long-term care, chronic disease management, tax-advantaged health insurance, and health and elderly care ecological services, with a compound growth rate of 91% in new business value in the past 3 years.

Focus on improving momentum and focus on reform and innovation. PICG has solidly promoted the "six reforms" of deepening corporate governance reform, group strategic control mechanism reform, empowering grassroots development mechanism reform, customer resource sharing mechanism reform, digital reform, and cadre and personnel system reform. Optimize the company's organizational design with functionality as the guidance, reform and improve the income level of sales personnel, carry out customer resource sharing pilots, and conduct in-depth research and demonstration on the construction of a full-chain system of cadre and personnel work such as the group's position system, tenure age, and exchange postings. Promote enterprise architecture management, accelerate the construction of a number of digital "no regrets" projects, reserve more than 150 general AI capabilities, and effectively enhance the company's adaptability to economic and social development.

New Improvements in Key Areas of Service

Focusing on major national strategies and weak links in people's livelihood, PICG has achieved comprehensive leading development in the fields of green insurance, inclusive insurance, and digital insurance.

In terms of green insurance, provide insurance protection and financial support in the fields of green energy, green technology, ecological protection, and climate change, issue new businesses such as the first national photovoltaic power sales credit compensation insurance and energy storage system long-term quality and efficiency guarantee insurance, build the first "carbon neutral outlet" in the insurance industry, and the MSCI ESG rating results of the international authoritative index agency have jumped from BB in 2020 to AA in 2025, and were listed on the 2025 "Fortune" China ESG Influence List. Strategically deploy new energy vehicle insurance, with a market share of about 35%; promote the overseas expansion of new energy vehicle insurance, landing in Hong Kong (香港), China and Thailand (泰国), marking a new breakthrough in the independent innovation and technology export capabilities of China's insurance industry.

In terms of inclusive insurance, continuously expand insurance supply in the fields of "three rural areas", new citizens, small and micro enterprises, and special occupational groups. In 2024, it provided agricultural risk protection of 2.1 trillion yuan for 55.42 million farmers, the insured area of ​​full cost insurance and planting income insurance for the three major staple foods was 320 million mu, served 18 million new citizens, the participation rate of the occupational injury protection pilot project for new employment forms was 86%, the participation rate of the long-term care insurance pilot project exceeded 65%, and the policy-based health insurance projects such as critical illness insurance, long-term care insurance, and outpatient chronic disease insurance covered more than 1 billion people, and the "Huimin Insurance" project covered nearly 150 million people in 220 prefecture-level cities, and the online car-hailing driver pension plan covered 129 cities.

In terms of digital insurance, innovate service digital economy insurance supply, actively develop new business forms such as platform economy and sharing economy insurance, launch generative artificial intelligence production content infringement liability insurance and computing power industry chain insurance combination products, release network security insurance risk pricing models, and contribute to China's digital economy leading the world.

New Breakthroughs in Insurance Business Models

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, PICG insisted on taking serving the people, serving the real economy, and serving social stability as the starting point and foothold for transformation and development, and actively built a new business model of "insurance + service + technology".

In the field of property insurance, build a "insurance + risk reduction service + technology" business model, promote risk reduction service innovation, build and upgrade the Wuxiangyun platform, establish a risk engineer team, create a full-process risk reduction service value chain, shift from "post-accident" compensation to "pre-accident" prevention and early warning, "mid-accident" rapid response, and "post-accident" accurate claims settlement, the coverage rate of risk reduction service customers in the corporate business field exceeded 30%, and in 2024, key areas provided 1.61 million risk reduction services, provided 14.64 million weather warnings, more than 190,000 IoT warnings, and discovered 1.11 million risk hazards.

In the field of life insurance, extend and expand the value chain of insurance services, strengthen the construction of the elderly care service ecosystem, build a rich "Warm Heart Suiyue" service network, covering 50 elderly care institutions in 14 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government); innovatively launch an integrated service model of "inclusive insurance + special needs trust + service system", enrich the "Caring for Stars" and "Caring for Families" product systems, and provide all-round services such as family asset allocation and children's entrustment planning.

In the field of health insurance, continuously improve the integration of health insurance and health management, create a high-quality service resource integration network of medical, elderly care, pharmaceutical, and nursing care, with 2,352 cooperative physical examination institutions and 280 rehabilitation and nursing institutions, 5,971 cooperative hospitals that realize one-stop claims settlement, 225,000 pharmacies, and 1,678 special drug pharmacies, and has cumulatively built 63 enterprise joint medical rooms and 31 health management centers across the country, launched 760 standardized health management products, and carried out health management services for 8.15 million people in 2024, an increase of 116% compared with 2020.

New Achievements in Financial Risk Prevention and Control

In the face of complex external situations, PICG consciously puts risk prevention and control in an important position, strengthens bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking, effectively prevents and responds to possible new changes in key incremental risks and stock risks, improves the ability to respond to various extreme situations and traverse cycles, and guarantees high-quality development with a high level of security.

The risk prevention and control system has been effectively improved. Formulate and implement a comprehensive risk management upgrade action plan, strengthen system construction with various regulatory ratings as the starting point, strengthen the overall coordination role of the Risk Compliance Committee, optimize mechanisms such as risk classification and concentration management, strengthen the development and application of case prevention models, promote the intelligent risk control platform, and improve the level of risk compliance from the management mechanism.

Major risks have been effectively resolved. Smoothly respond to the maturity payment of bank insurance dividend insurance, strengthen liability cost control, and the cost of liability funds continues to decline. Strengthen technology security risk prevention and control, and the localization rate has been significantly improved.

The leading role of compliant operation has been effectively enhanced. Take the lead in leading the industry's compliant operation, actively promote and resolutely implement the "reporting and acting in accordance with" auto insurance and bank insurance, take the lead in promoting industry self-discipline in the fields of agricultural insurance and corporate business, promote standardized market competition, and create a standardized, orderly, and stable operating industry development ecology.

In the new era and new journey, PICG will more accurately and pragmatically implement the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments on financial work, deepen the construction of a world-class insurance financial group, pay more attention to playing the "leading goose" role of large state-owned insurance groups, better play the role of the insurance industry's economic shock absorber and social stabilizer, continuously meet the people's needs for a better life, and act as a new force in serving the real economy and a ballast stone in maintaining financial stability, and continuously contribute to promoting Chinese-style modernization.

Data source: People's Insurance Group of China Co., Ltd. (中国人民保险集团股份有限公司)

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"Presenting a Multi-Dimensional and Rich China to Global Readers" (First Report)

By: 本报记者 徐 馨

From October 15th to 19th, the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair was held at the Frankfurt Exhibition Center in Germany. More than 4,000 publishers from over 100 countries and regions participated, attracting more than 200,000 professionals and visitors. Founded in 1949, the Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the world's largest publishing industry exhibitions. This year's book fair coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. 65 Chinese publishing houses participated with more than 5,000 titles and 6,500 books, with foreign language versions accounting for more than 1/3. During the book fair, Chinese and foreign publishing houses jointly held nearly 60 cultural exchange activities, covering new book releases, copyright signings, academic seminars, art exhibitions and other forms.

In the Chinese exhibition area, the Chinese and foreign language versions of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" Volumes I to V and "Selected Works of Xi Jinping" Volumes I and II were neatly placed in prominent positions, attracting many readers to stop and browse. Some local readers even gave explanations to their companions. Many readers told reporters that the publication of the English version of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" Volume V will help them to more deeply understand China's path, system and philosophy, and provide reference and inspiration for the development and construction of other countries.

"China has made remarkable development achievements, and the series of works 'Xi Jinping: The Governance of China' interprets the successful path of China's governance." David Ferguson, honorary English editor of Foreign Languages Press, who has been involved in the translation and editing of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" since 2014, said, "China has found a pair of shoes that fit, and wearing them, it can go steadily and far. These shoes will not be imposed on others, but the wisdom of making shoes is worth sharing with the world. All countries can draw useful lessons from China's development practice." Wang Weimeng, the foreign dean of the Confucius Institute in Frankfurt, said that she is often asked where to start if she wants to truly understand China. "The miracle created by China is unique, and many Germans want to know how China did it. Reading these important works helps to find the answer and better understand China's governance philosophy."

The high-quality Chinese books exhibited at this year's book fair have diverse themes and rich content. Focusing on the theme of contemporary China's development practice, China Social Sciences Press and publishing institutions such as the British Taylor & Francis Publishing Group held the launch ceremony of four English versions of new books, including "New Quality Productivity" and "The Chinese Path and its Original Meaning". Some excellent translated books, such as the Spanish version of "The Wisdom of Taoism: The Wisdom of Lao Tzu" and the German version of "Research on Tao Yuanming", show the charm of Chinese traditional philosophical thought. Chinese local culture and regional culture books have also attracted attention for their profound historical heritage and regional characteristics. The well-selected and beautifully printed "Siming Wenku" is often browsed by foreign exhibitors and audiences. According to Ningbo Publishing House, the "Siming Wenku" has collected a total of 342 kinds of documents, covering the literature of Ningbo's past dynasties, including classics, history, philosophy, and collections, and is a comprehensive collection of Ningbo's historical documents. During the book fair, the "Siming Wenku" was collected by the Frankfurt University Library.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The launch ceremony of "Medical Human Experiments Conducted by the Japanese Biological Warfare Unit in China from 1932 to 1945" (Chinese and English version), written by Till Bärnighausen, Director of the Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, Germany, was held during the book fair. Through academic analysis of historical documents preserved in Japan, the United States, Germany and other countries, the book reveals the history of human experiments conducted by the Japanese biological warfare unit during World War II. Related themed books such as "Memory of the World Register - Nanjing Massacre Archives" (《世界记忆名录——南京大屠杀档案》), "Chinese Archives of Germ Warfare and Health and Epidemic Prevention" (《中国藏细菌战与卫生防疫档案》), and "China in Images: Original Images of the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region Collected by Anna Louise Strong" (《影像中国：安娜·路易斯·斯特朗藏晋察冀边区影像原件》) allow the archives to speak and the historical facts to speak. At the new book launch and multilingual version signing ceremony of the English version of "A New History of World War II", Huang Yiyang (黄昳扬), Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt, said: "Remembering history, safeguarding the truth, and adhering to the correct view of history are our common responsibility and mission." Mandy Kay, Publishing Director of Pas International Publishing Company in the United Kingdom, said: "This book re-examines World War II from a global perspective, incorporating the Eastern battlefield, especially the role of China, into the core narrative, breaking through the traditional Western-centric perspective."

The book fair also held a dialogue event on "How Chinese Young Writers Are Seen by the World". Liu Zichao (刘子超), a post-80s young writer who has published many documentary travel works, and Marc Hermann, a German sinologist who translated Liu Cixin's (刘慈欣) works, exchanged ideas with readers from various countries. "Dunhuang Meets the Louvre" (《敦煌遇见卢浮宫》), written by Chinese young curator Luo Yier (罗依尔), is witty and humorous, and the launch of its foreign language version allows more people to appreciate the beauty of Dunhuang. Activities such as the German version of "Mount Everest Conch" (《珠峰海螺》) published by People's Literature Publishing House and the global copyright promotion conference of "My Geometric Life: The Autobiography of Shing-Tung Yau" (《我的几何人生：丘成桐自传》) published by Yilin Press, allow more readers to learn about the works of contemporary Chinese writers.

Tang Enping (汤恩平), Executive Vice President and Head of Springer Nature Books and winner of the China Special Book Award, said after visiting the Chinese exhibition area of the Frankfurt Book Fair that the books in the Chinese exhibition area have diverse information and high-quality content, allowing readers from various countries to have a deeper understanding of the development process of contemporary China and its excellent traditional culture.

"I have been paying attention to China for a long time, and I have learned about China's achievements in various fields by reading relevant Chinese books and deepened my understanding of the Chinese path." Shida, President of Albania's Fan Noli Publishing House, said, "The rich and diverse Chinese books show a three-dimensional and rich China to global readers."

(Reported from Frankfurt, Germany on October 19th by this newspaper)

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A Silent Beacon (Global Perspective)

By: 沈小晓

In the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, brothers Salah and Abdullah Sassul have opened a roadside book stall, attempting to bring solace to the community amidst the destruction and suffering of war.

The brothers, in their early twenties, grew up in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Like many Gazans living here, their families fled from other parts of Palestine (巴勒斯坦) earlier. Even amidst the flames of war and ruins, the brothers, who have loved reading since childhood, have never extinguished this enthusiasm and desire.

In April of this year, the brothers set up a small book stall in the refugee camp, naming it "Read Your Book." On a makeshift wooden board, rows of Arabic and English novels, poetry, philosophy, and other books are neatly arranged. In a life of turmoil, they maintain their business by accepting donations, exchanging books, and taking out their own collections. Palestinian novelist and scholar Hassan Katraawi described the small book stall this way: "Books occupy a place in the ruins. The enemy destroys us from the outside, and we build ourselves from the inside."

"We try to open every day, depending on the security situation that day," Salah said, adding that they opened the book stall in the hope of "reviving reading in a place where even basic living is difficult to guarantee." Despite the stall being small and simple, and difficult to maintain, they have turned this small stall into a valuable cultural space for the community, attracting people from nearby.

Eighteen-year-old Roa Samir is one of them. "The war has made books rare. You don't know what books you can read, just like you don't know where the next bomb will fall." This young woman, who loves to read, told the reporter that in April last year, the building where her family lived was bombed, and many of her relatives died in the war. Under the rubble of broken walls, she felt that her dreams were buried. She and her family had to continue moving. "The suffering that did not destroy us made us more resilient." Samir opened an online bookstore during the conflict, but later the books were sold out, and she could not get new books, so she had to close the store.

"Books are silent lighthouses. When I read, I feel like I am escaping from darkness and loneliness and moving towards the light." Samir said that she is very grateful for the existence of the small book stall. Books comfort the soul and inspire people in suffering to embrace a future that transcends reality. "Reading is our weapon. Buildings are destroyed, lives are lost, but words will not die. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will continue to open a bookstore."

Bookstore owner Mansour has the same dedication to reading. In the basement of a bombed-out building in southern Gaza, the Samir Mansour Bookstore is considered a paradise for book lovers. In the 2021 conflict, the bookstore was razed to the ground. In 2022, the bookstore was rebuilt and reopened. Mansour added 400,000 multilingual books to the store, covering children's stories, science, philosophy, art, history, fiction, poetry, and more. In October 2023, the bookstore was damaged again by an air strike. Now, the bookstore has been reborn again. Although the scale is smaller than before, Mansour is still persevering, lighting the lonely lamp that guards knowledge.

Mansour said that although his personal fate is unknown, his dream of providing knowledge to the community and cultivating a generation of readers will never stop. The bookstore, accompanied by explosions, has been rebuilt after two destructions, proving that civilization is more powerful than war.

Shelling destroys homes, but reading provides Gazans with another time and space outside of the broken reality. Books are the lonely islands that guard their spirits and the shields that resist forgetting. There, the light of civilization will shine for a long time, as well as a nation's undying belief in the future.

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IMF Raises Global Growth Forecast, Emphasizes World Economy Remains Fragile

This newspaper Washington (华盛顿) October 19th (Reporter Li Zhiwei (李志伟)) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (世界银行) Annual Meetings concluded on the 18th in Washington (华盛顿), the capital of the United States (美国). During the meetings, the IMF released its latest "World Economic Outlook Report," projecting a 3.2% growth for the world economy in 2025, an upward revision of 0.2 percentage points from the July forecast; and a 3.1% growth in 2026, unchanged from the July forecast. The IMF noted that the upward revision was due to factors such as importers stockpiling goods in advance due to U.S. (美国) tariff policies and the efforts of most countries to maintain the openness and stability of the global trading system, while emphasizing that the world economy remains fragile, and tariff shocks are further weakening the prospects for global economic growth.

The report revised the economic growth rate for emerging markets and developing economies this year upward by 0.1 percentage points to 4.2% compared to the July forecast, while also revising the economic growth rate for developed economies this year upward by 0.1 percentage points to 1.6%.

The report believes that the Asia-Pacific region will remain the main engine of global growth, contributing approximately 60% to global growth this year and next. Srinivas (斯里尼瓦桑), Director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, stated that Asian economies have the opportunity to benefit from shifting to a growth model based on domestic demand. With strengthened regional integration, overall economic growth in Asia will accelerate in the medium term, with some economies, especially those that are more open and closely linked to global supply chains, benefiting more. The report also noted the growth opportunities brought about by the rapid development of artificial intelligence, estimating that artificial intelligence will boost world economic growth by 0.1% to 0.8% annually.

The report also pointed out that global economic growth remains sluggish, trade policy uncertainty is inhibiting consumption and investment, and public debt is high and continuing to rise, while increased defense spending, population aging, and rising interest rates are placing additional pressure on public finances. It is projected that by 2029, the global public debt will exceed 100% of global gross domestic product.

The IMF urged economies to commit to ensuring debt sustainability, eliminating trade policy uncertainty, and strengthening cooperation to reduce trade and investment barriers, while increasing efforts to carry out structural reforms, including promoting labor mobility and strengthening digital economy investment, to boost economic growth prospects.

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Venezuela Strengthens Response to U.S. Military Threat

By: 本报记者 陈海琪

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (马杜罗) recently stated that Venezuela resists the coup planned by the US Central Intelligence Agency (中央情报局), and that the Latin American region "does not welcome or need" this behavior, and strongly criticized it. Maduro (马杜罗) also recently called on the country's indigenous people to join the militia organization and form indigenous militia brigades at the "Day of Indigenous Resistance" commemoration, in order to cope with the threat posed by the US strengthening its military deployment in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela. According to local media reports, the Venezuelan government is continuing to promote the unity of domestic political and social forces, promote the systematic construction of local defense forces, and form a defense pattern of “全民皆兵” (quán mín jiē bīng - "all people are soldiers," a national defense strategy that mobilizes the entire population).

Recently, the relationship between Venezuela and the United States has continued to be tense. US President Donald Trump (特朗普) recently stated that he has authorized the US Central Intelligence Agency (中央情报局) to conduct secret operations in Venezuela. The US confirmed on October 17 that the US military recently attacked a "drug-carrying submarine" in the Caribbean Sea. According to reports, this is at least the sixth time since September that the United States has taken military action against "drug trafficking ships" in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. Previously, the United States offered a reward of 50 million US dollars for the arrest of Maduro (马杜罗) on the grounds of "suspected of transporting drugs to the United States through criminal organizations," and then deployed multiple warships in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela on the grounds of "combating Latin American drug cartels." The New York Times (《纽约时报》) reported that Washington has decided to "close all diplomatic contact channels with Venezuela," and the relationship between the two countries has further fallen into a deadlock.

In response to the US accusations, the Venezuelan government strongly refuted them, pointing out that the US's so-called "anti-drug" operation is actually an excuse to interfere in Latin American affairs and promote regional military expansion. The Venezuelan government stated that the US actions in the Caribbean Sea not only violate Venezuelan sovereignty, but also seriously undermine the basic principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations (《联合国宪章》), posing a direct threat to regional peace. Maduro (马杜罗) recently announced the launch of the "Independence 200" military exercise in the northern coastal states of La Guaira (拉瓜伊拉州) and Carabobo (卡拉沃沃州), demonstrating the strategic concept of "the whole people defending the motherland." Venezuelan Defense Minister López (洛佩斯) strongly condemned the US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea as a "re-enactment of old colonialism," reflecting the hegemonic thinking of the United States attempting to use force to deter sovereign countries. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Gil (希尔) stated on social media that the Venezuelan government has formally sent a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council (联合国安理会) requesting an emergency meeting to discuss the US military threat to Venezuela and the regional security risks it may cause.

Assistant Secretary-General Jenča (延恰) of the United Nations (联合国) in charge of European, Central Asian and American affairs, reported at a recent open meeting of the Security Council that the United Nations (联合国) is closely monitoring the dynamics of US-Venezuela relations, and called on both parties to maintain maximum restraint and resolve differences through peaceful and constructive dialogue to avoid further deterioration of the situation. The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (美洲玻利瓦尔联盟) recently issued a statement strongly condemning US fighter jets for "illegally invading" airspace near Venezuela, believing that this is a "blatant violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and international law."

Regarding the new US defense layout in Latin America, Bolivian President Arce (阿尔塞) stated that this is tantamount to a new variant of the "Monroe Doctrine," "this is a resurgence of neo-colonialism." Brazilian President Lula (卢拉) stated that the world has learned the lessons of serious humanitarian disasters caused by military intervention in other regions, and Latin America must avoid repeating the same mistakes. Cuban Foreign Minister Rodríguez (罗德里格斯) stated that the "gunpowder smell" in the Caribbean Sea is getting stronger, and the US is conducting unusually intensive sea and air deployments under the pretext of combating crime and drug trafficking, "no one believes this rhetoric." He listed the US military's missile tests, interception of fishing boats and unmarked ships, and the use of lethal force against civilians, saying that they not only violate international law, but also shake regional peace and security.

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Nanjing Pukou Economic Development Zone: Exploring the Path to Domestic Production of Integrated Circuits

Integrated circuits are the foundation for the development of the information industry. Since the beginning of this year, the Nanjing Pukou Economic Development Zone (南京浦口经济开发区) has actively implemented the "One Park, One Breakthrough" reform task of Nanjing (南京). It explores the path of integrated circuit localization through technological innovation to promote domestic substitution, attracting new investments to make up for shortcomings, and deepening reforms to optimize the environment.

Promoting Technological Iteration

The Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区) focuses on key areas such as hard technology, key core technologies, and domestic substitution in the field of integrated circuits. It takes the localization of core technologies in the chip industry as a key direction, accelerating the construction of an independent and controllable industrial ecosystem.

The Huatian Technology (华天科技) series of projects has a total investment of more than 30 billion yuan and has established various advanced packaging lines in the Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区), with a focus on increasing its 2.5D/3D packaging business. Under the leadership of the Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区), Huatian Technology (华天科技) and Southeast University (东南大学) jointly established the Core-Grain Integrated Localization Collaborative Innovation Center, and jointly formed an innovation consortium with multiple companies to break through multiple technologies and achieve domestic substitution.

Hongtai Semiconductor (宏泰半导体) has successively launched MS8000 and MS8800 testing equipment, which can meet the needs of AI chips, computing power chips, industrial control, and other fields, effectively filling the gap in domestic technology in the high-end testing field.

Making Up for Industrial Shortcomings

Strengthening and supplementing the chain is the only way for industrial development. The Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区) uses targeted "supplementation" by attracting large investments, building an independent and controllable complete closed loop that supports each other.

Xinao Technology (芯爱科技), as the first company in China to mass-produce 5G and FCBGA high-end substrates, has become an upstream supplier of Huatian Technology (华天科技) and Xinde Semiconductor (芯德半导体). The Yunji Core Probe Card (云极芯探针卡) project, which landed in 2024, will fill the gap in domestic high-end chip testing equipment consumables after mass production. Zhongyin Microelectronics (中茵微电子), which was established less than 5 years ago, has completed 5 rounds of financing with its independently developed enterprise-level chip design technology platform, and can provide one-stop services such as high-end SoC solutions and advanced process ASIC design.

Building an Innovative Ecosystem

The development of the integrated circuit industry requires the synergy of capital, talent, and technology, and even more so the support of a good innovation ecosystem. Xinde Semiconductor (芯德半导体) recently completed its fifth round of financing in five years, receiving approximately 400 million yuan for high-end packaging and testing technology research and development and production. The Jiangsu Nanjing Advanced Manufacturing Industry Special Mother Fund (江苏南京先进制造产业专项母基金), with a total scale of 5 billion yuan, has settled in the Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区), focusing on supporting fields such as chip manufacturing. The park has also built a fund matrix covering all aspects of "fundraising, investment, management, and exit" to provide financial security for enterprises.

In terms of industrial carrying capacity, the Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区) has invested more than 3 billion yuan to build supporting facilities such as dual-circuit gas and electricity supply and electronic-grade sewage treatment plants. Guided by the integration of industry, city, and port, it has established an integrated circuit industry chamber of commerce and continues to absorb high-quality member companies. At the same time, it has established the Nanjing Integrated Circuit Industry Intellectual Property Alliance (南京集成电路产业知识产权联盟) to carry out special activities, and relies on data intelligence platforms to optimize intellectual property services. It also works with professional institutions to develop new ITO standard material technologies to solve the calibration problems of four-probe resistivity testers for companies such as Xinde Semiconductor (芯德半导体).

In the future, the Pukou Economic Development Zone (浦口经济开发区) will focus on the packaging and testing field of the integrated circuit industry, anchoring the "three hundreds" plan of gathering a hundred chain companies, breaking through 10 billion yuan in output value, and gathering a hundred talents, and sprinting to cultivate a local listed company, attract a 10 billion-level project, build a national-level platform, and break through an international standard "four ones" project goal, accelerate the signing and implementation of domestic substitution projects under discussion, achieve production and effectiveness, and strengthen industrial resilience in the integrated circuit domestic substitution campaign.

Data source: Nanjing Pukou Economic Development Zone (南京浦口经济开发区)

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This section edited by: Zou Zhipeng, Zhang Huizhong, Chu Jun

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Wuliangye Wins EFQM Global Award (7 Diamonds)

China's, the world's, Wuliangye (五粮液)

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An Observation on Chinese-style Modernization by a Spaniard

By: 胡里奥·塞瓦略斯

Not long ago, Julio Ceballos, a Spanish business consultant and writer, launched his Spanish monograph "The璇玑图 (Xuánjī Tú)". Based on his 18 years of observation and reflection on working and living in China, the book deeply analyzes China's development path and experience from the perspective of a firsthand participant, and positively evaluates China's planning of its development path on a time scale of decades. The book has attracted widespread attention in Western society since its publication. This newspaper invited Ceballos to write a manuscript on the book to share with readers.

Why write the book?

China is not an unsolvable mystery, but a vivid puzzle.

In the 21st century international arena, China is one of the most important participants. China plays a key role in global economic development, technological innovation, and addressing climate change. Understanding how China interacts with the world is not only to satisfy the needs of knowledge exploration, but also a compulsory course for predicting the future direction of the world.

The two characters "璇玑 (Xuánjī)" originate from the instrument used by ancient Chinese astronomers to observe the movement of stars. Just as ancient stargazers used celestial phenomena to calibrate the direction of decision-making, Europe today also needs to recalibrate its own strategic compass. "璇玑图 (Xuánjī Tú)" is a palindrome poem created by Su Hui (苏蕙), a talented woman from the Northern and Southern Dynasties of China. This image is very meaningful: there are multiple methods to deal with global challenges, and China's development practice proves that there is more than one path to modernization. My new book "The璇玑图 (Xuánjī Tú)" focuses on the positioning and choices of China, Chinese companies, and Chinese people in the complex global landscape.

One of the most important inspirations China has given me is that development is not a series of impromptu impulses, but a path on a time scale of decades. In Europe, the political vision is often limited by the election cycle, and government changes often lead to the difficulty of continuing many projects. In China, I see a continuity that transcends time—long-term goals remain unchanged, and actions to advance the goals never stop.

I have worked and lived in China for 18 years. This experience has taught me to observe China's development with a focused and unbiased eye, not only paying attention to the appearance, but also striving to understand the reasons and values behind it. This experience has also made me realize that China is not a homogeneous whole, nor is it an unsolvable mystery, but a vivid puzzle—tradition and innovation coexist, pragmatism and ambition go hand in hand, and strategic patience and execution efficiency are equally prominent.

The book "The璇玑图 (Xuánjī Tú)" is not intended to be a detailed portrait or a final guide. It is more like an invitation to understand the experiences I have learned in China that are valuable to any society through specific experiences, such as how to conduct long-term planning, how to invest in people, how to promote innovation with clear goals, and how to cultivate collective resilience. This is neither blind praise nor an idealized comparison, but an honest attempt to build a bridge between Europe and China. Because in this increasingly interdependent world, the real challenge lies in how to understand each other and move forward hand in hand.

Strategic Patience

Sustainable development is not a sprint, but a marathon

If there is anything that can define China's way of looking at development, it must be long-term planning. For Europeans who are accustomed to measuring political agendas in four- or five-year terms and judging business decisions by quarterly financial reports, it is shocking to recognize a country that makes 20-year, 30-year, 50-year, or even 100-year visions. This long-term vision and mentality are ubiquitous in China, not only reflected in the decisions of governments at all levels, but also clearly felt in local offices, small and micro enterprises, and rural cooperatives.

The first time I realized this was in the office of a local official in a fourth-tier city in Sichuan (四川). The office was simply furnished, and a huge regional planning map was hung on the wall, with different colors marking the scope of agricultural areas, residential areas, logistics infrastructure, and ecological corridors.

The official was gentle and spoke slowly, pointing to the map and explaining to me: The plan made in 2005 did not see obvious benefits at the time, but 20 years later, this plan is helping the local area form a more diversified economic model, a more livable living environment, and a more efficient transportation network. "Our job is not to rush to 'compete for the first place', but to pave the way for future generations so that they can run at the right time." These words reminded me that sustainable development is not a sprint, but a marathon; planning is not rigid, but institutional wisdom.

During the conversation, another sentence of his has remained unforgettable to me: "Our job is to plant trees that we may not be able to sit in the shade of." This sentence condenses the continuity thinking I have seen in China—people work for the future, even if they cannot see this future with their own eyes, they are still willing to lay the foundation for future generations.

This spirit of "laying out in advance" has an institutionalized carrier—the "Five-Year Plan." In China, the "Five-Year Plan" is like a "hinge" connecting grand strategies—each plan inherits the development achievements of the previous stage, modifies and optimizes according to the actual situation, and opens the door for the next stage of development.

The example I saw in a county in Shandong (山东) is very typical. Initially, the county planned to build a rural road to connect several agricultural villages with the nearest city. Later, the road was widened to connect the newly built industrial park. Later, it was connected to the expressway leading to the largest port in the province. What originally seemed like an insignificant project has gradually become a strategic hub for regional trade over time.

In Europe, a change of government may lead to the stagnation or substantial adjustment of projects under construction. In China, although there will be adjustments in development priorities, the core policies remain stable, which makes major investments meaningful and implemented in the long term.

Behind this continuity is a cadre promotion system oriented to experience, performance, and results. To manage an important city, officials must undergo multi-position training and accept strict tests of execution. In Europe, political leaders are often elected based on personal charm, speaking ability, or media exposure. In China, the core of the assessment is tangible results. Officials must prove that they have efficient execution, strategic vision, and comprehensive management capabilities before being promoted.

Selecting talents is not elitism, but a responsibility. In China, politics is a profession that requires the accumulation of merits, qualifications, experience, and professional training. I call it "performance-oriented governance." This is a continuation of the traditional Chinese concept of "appointing people on their merits"—in every position, officials' performance will be carefully examined to determine whether they are suitable for greater responsibilities. Of course, this model cannot eliminate all problems—no system can, but it establishes a logic: resume and political achievements are far more important than media exposure.

I saw a very vivid example in a suburb of a city in inland China: a straight and wide asphalt road has been built, and the surrounding area is still empty, and the street lights have not yet been connected. Later, I learned that the local area is planning to build an industrial science and technology park to move heavily polluting enterprises out of the city center and release land resources to build parks and residential areas. To develop, we must first build roads, which is to avoid disorder and chaos in future growth.

This long-term thinking does not mean that China is developing slowly. On the contrary, once the conditions are ripe, China's execution efficiency is amazing. High-speed rail lines and industrial parks are built in just a few months, precisely because the preliminary planning has completely solved the problems of "why to do it" and "how to do it."

Education and Innovation

Governance is not only about managing the present, but also about planning the future

When I first came to China 20 years ago, I had curiosity and respect in my heart. Before that, I had learned a lot about China, but I soon discovered that nothing can replace personal experience—whether it is the details of daily life, the logic of business dealings, or the cultural characteristics that can only be perceived when you are in it. Over the years, I have witnessed China change at a speed that Europeans cannot imagine. The small cities of the past have risen into metropolises connected by high-speed rail, and the once dusty villages are now selling agricultural products thousands of miles away through digital services; those start-ups that started from simple workshops are now leading in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and renewable energy.

The most important thing China has taught me is that education is the most valuable investment. Education is not only a right, but also a requirement for survival. In the past five years, China has ranked first in the world in the number of high-level scientific and technological talents. In 2024, China's total social R&D investment exceeded the average level of EU countries, and the total number of R&D personnel ranked first in the world. This is by no means accidental, but the result of a national strategic choice. Science education, technical training, and a diligent and studious cultural atmosphere together constitute the pillar of China's competitiveness.

In Shenzhen (深圳), Guangdong (广东), I met a young female artificial intelligence engineer who started learning robotics-related courses at the age of 11. Like most Chinese families, her family puts education as the top priority. This learning concept rooted in tradition has cultivated a group of citizens who are adaptable, resilient, and always pursue progress and continuous improvement.

Even after such a rapid social transformation, reading still plays the role of "spiritual anchor" and "cognitive compass" in Chinese society. I have been to the crowded public library in Hangzhou (杭州), Zhejiang (浙江), and I have also visited the 24-hour bookstore in Beijing (北京), and I have also seen cases where digital platforms promote daily reading for urban and rural residents. In China, reading is not only a cultural habit, but also a knowledge reserve, a competitive advantage—it shapes citizens who are more informed and more comprehensive in order to cope with an unpredictable world. In Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu (江苏), a taxi driver told me that he spends at least 60 minutes reading on his mobile phone every night: "This can not only better understand the world, but also more effectively educate children." He said that for Chinese people, reading is not a luxury, but an investment in the future.

China's development process has proven to the world that whoever can seize the opportunity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution can win the initiative in the development of the 21st century. From mobile payment to smart cities, from face recognition to intelligent robots, innovation in China is not only scientific research practice in the laboratory, but also integrated into all aspects of daily life.

A few years ago, I saw in a remote village in Sichuan (四川) that local farmers were already accustomed to using electronic payments to sell vegetables. The popularization of digital technology in every corner of China is by no means accidental, but the result of the country's promotion of a comprehensive digital strategy. The core secret lies in: actively encouraging applications, helping people develop habits, synchronously building infrastructure, and promoting the early popularization of technology. China's digital transformation is not the promotion of a fashionable lifestyle, but the solid implementation of a national strategy.

From attaching importance to education to increasing investment in science and technology, China is building a future-oriented governance model—which not only integrates strong institutional guarantees and advanced technical tools, but also contains deep humanistic care. Taking artificial intelligence as an example, China is actively building an ethical governance framework to ensure that technological development benefits the broadest group of people and bridges the digital divide. In Jinan (济南), Shandong (山东), a researcher once explained to me an important point of view: to make artificial intelligence truly benefit everyone, it cannot completely rely on the market, but must have clear institutional rules, clear social goals, and a long-term strategic vision. In China, governance is not only about managing the present, but also about planning the future.

Resilience and Unity

The resilience of not giving up, working together, and working hard is an important part of the Chinese spirit

China's way of enhancing people's identification with Chinese culture has left me with a very deep impression. Whether through education inheritance, film dissemination, food culture, or daily rituals, Chinese culture presents not only "memories of the past", but also "expectations for the future". This cultural pride and value identity explain "where China comes from" and "who China is now", and become a powerful force for uniting society.

Over the past 20 years, I have witnessed China face many challenges such as natural disasters, public health emergencies, and profound economic transformations. What impressed me was that in the face of difficulties, China can always quickly integrate resources and maintain a collective consciousness and team spirit of consistent goals and coordinated actions. Unlike some countries that regard unity as a "temporary and impromptu response", in China, cohesion and common values are social resources that already exist and can be quickly activated once the situation requires it.

Common values can always show extraordinary resilience. China continues to transform the resilience to cope with challenges into the driving force for progress—this is not only the result of public policy, but also a collective mentality deeply rooted in society. The resilience of not giving up, working together, and working hard is an important part of the Chinese spirit, demonstrating the Chinese nation's tenacious will and spirit of unity and cooperation in the face of difficulties and challenges.

In today's world where global crises occur frequently and countries are increasingly interconnected, social cohesion, like technology and infrastructure, has important strategic significance. China has long recognized this: helping each other can not only reduce the impact of crises, but also accelerate the recovery process. Europe also has a rich tradition of community cooperation, but in many regions, this tradition is being weakened by increasing individualism and social divisions. From the financial crisis to public health emergencies, practice has repeatedly proven that when social cohesion is weak, the recovery process becomes slow and uneven. China's experience inspires us that cultivating resilience is not a temporary measure, but requires continuous cooperation in daily life.

From an international perspective, this experience opens up broad space for EU-China exchanges. Both sides have unique community traditions and resilience-building models, and have significant complementarity. If we can find a fit between the two visions, it will not only benefit both the EU and China, but also provide valuable reference for the world that urgently needs to work together to meet challenges.

At the same time, it needs to be seen that China's resilience is by no means passive endurance, but also contains the wisdom of taking the initiative: even in adversity, it can keenly capture opportunities. This thinking integrates survival instinct and strategic vision, and the goal is to develop on a more solid new foundation, while always maintaining a clear sense of purpose. No society can completely avoid crises, but it can prepare in advance and respond calmly. The construction of social cohesion and resilience cannot be achieved overnight, and requires continuous investment in trust cultivation, public education, and cooperation mechanism construction. China's development path has not been smooth sailing, but its experience shows that when these key elements are available, the society's resilience will be multiplied. In today's world, this is undoubtedly an important inspiration worth thinking about.

It is on this basis that new cooperation opportunities are emerging. If Europe and China can cooperate on the premise of respecting differences and maintaining characteristics, and share experiences in resilience building, social cohesion, and community collaboration, they can build a bridge of understanding that transcends the current situation. This is not the pursuit of "homogenization", but the adherence to mutual respect and the recognition that "there is more than one path to the same goal." Jointly building a more resilient society can not only resist risks and challenges, but also transform crises into the driving force for progress.

In the current global landscape affected by tense atmosphere and divisive tendencies, cooperation around resilience, social cohesion, and public interests is expected to become fertile ground for constructive dialogue. China's practice inspires Europe that crises are not only threats, but can also become catalysts for innovation and progress—just as the Chinese word "危机 (wēijī)" for "crisis" contains both "danger" and "opportunity". European traditions also remind us that multiculturalism and organized solidarity are powerful forces for maintaining stability and promoting development. At the intersection of these two visions lies huge potential for mutual learning and common benefit.
One equation, multiple solutions. China's experience tells us: modernization has no fixed formula. Every civilization can, based on its own unique and irreplaceable advantages, explore a development path suitable for itself in the organic integration of political governance, education popularization, innovation-driven development, social cohesion, and spiritual values.

(Author is a Spanish business consultant and writer, translated by Yan Huan (颜欢), reporter of this newspaper)

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This section edited by: Hou Lulu, Han Shuo

Layout design: Cai Huawei (蔡华伟)

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A Single Leaf Enriches a Community (In-depth Observation: Doing a Good Job in the "Five Major Articles" of Finance)

By: 本报记者 吴秋余

Green development is the underlying color of high-quality development. Developing green finance is an inevitable requirement for practicing Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought (习近平生态文明思想) and building a beautiful China.

As the birthplace of the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" (绿水青山就是金山银山), Anji County (安吉县), Huzhou City (湖州市), Zhejiang Province (浙江省) is located within the first batch of national-level green finance reform and innovation pilot zones. Guided by the concept of green development, financial institutions here are accelerating the pace of product and service innovation, increasing support for ecological protection and green industries, and allowing financial "living water" to continuously nourish lucid waters and lush mountains.

A green loan that invigorates the economy of one area and enriches the lives of its people is a vivid portrayal of China's green finance development.

Old Sheng's "Willingness" -

"Two Mountains White Tea Loan" Helps the Green and Environmentally Friendly Development of the Tea Industry

"The tea praised by Tea Sage Lu Yu (陆羽) in 'The Classic of Tea' as being from the Huzhou (湖州) area grows here. The tea planted on the tea mountain on the right is Anji White Tea (安吉白茶), which has achieved the success story of 'a leaf enriching the lives of the people'," tour guide Xiao Jin (小金) enthusiastically introduced to tourists on the Xitiaoxi (西苕溪) tourism route in Anji (安吉), Zhejiang (浙江).

In the eyes of Sheng Shiwei (盛时卫), a tea farmer in Huangdu Village (黄杜村), Xilong Township (溪龙乡), managing the tea garden well not only improves the environment, but the biggest benefit is that the quality of the tea is higher. "The biggest change in our family last year was the use of organic fertilizer in the tea garden," said Sheng Shiwei (盛时卫).

From the cheap and low-cost inorganic fertilizers of the past to green and environmentally friendly organic fertilizers, Old Sheng's (老盛) willingness to invest has not only led to improved tea quality and higher prices, but also effectively protected the soil and significantly improved the ecological environment.

"Excessive and frequent use of chemical fertilizers will result in low soil organic matter content, poor structure, and imbalanced soil nutrients, especially the use of potash and ammonium nitrogen fertilizers, which will destroy the soil aggregate structure, affect microbial activity, and lead to soil compaction," said Sheng Shiwei (盛时卫). Nowadays, everyone's awareness of environmental protection has increased, and they are more willing to pay for high-quality products and a good environment.

However, moving from relying on experience to scientific tea cultivation means an increase in costs, and it is necessary to be willing to invest. "Using organic fertilizer costs 300 yuan more per mu of tea mountain, and the Rural Commercial Bank helped in a timely manner, lending me 200,000 yuan for the 'Two Mountains White Tea Loan'," said Sheng Shiwei (盛时卫).

The "Two Mountains White Tea Loan" that Old Sheng (老盛) mentioned is a credit product tailored for Anji White Tea (安吉白茶) farmers by Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行), under the Zhejiang Rural Credit Union (浙江农商联合银行). By clarifying green standards and implementing interest rate preferences, it achieves precise allocation of green credit. "We not only see the economic value of tea, but also have long-term considerations, hoping to guide tea farmers and tea enterprises to protect the environment," Tao Chengbin (陶成斌), Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行), told reporters.

Sheng Shiwei (盛时卫) used all the money he borrowed to buy organic fertilizer. After mining, the freshness of the leaves sprouted neatly, the tenderness was maintained, and the yield increased significantly. When brewed, it had a fragrant aroma and a sweet taste. The original price of 600 yuan per jin was increased to 700 yuan by merchants, increasing income by more than 100,000 yuan per year.

This year, Sheng Shiwei (盛时卫) is preparing for a major undertaking. He plans to expand the tea factory and move towards the deep processing of the tea industry chain. When facing a shortage of funds, Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行) added another 800,000 yuan "Green Factory Loan" for him.

Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行) is also very "willing" to provide such green loans. "When designing the 'Green Factory Loan', we incorporated environmental protection into the access factors, and implemented differentiated loan interest rate pricing based on the green star rating. A five-star 'Green Factory' can reduce the original interest rate by 30 basis points," said Jiang Jingwen (蒋静雯), General Manager of the Green Finance Department of Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行).

Since last year, Zhejiang Rural Credit Union (浙江农商联合银行) has guided the banks and cooperatives within the system to fully practice the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" (绿水青山就是金山银山), taking the big article on green finance as an important starting point for serving the national "dual carbon" strategy and promoting high-quality economic development, and actively supporting the development of the green economy, especially for the capital needs, production cycles, and capital recovery of inclusive entities in green production, green transformation, and green services, and other industrial characteristics, to build differentiated green inclusive product adaptation solutions.

Innovation in green finance is still ongoing.

At the beginning of this year, Zhejiang's (浙江) first "Value Impact (VEP) Climate Loan" landed in Anji (安吉), with China Construction Bank Zhejiang Huzhou Anji Branch (中国建设银行浙江湖州安吉支行) granting a credit of 2.1 million yuan to Anji Fengshang Yi White Tea Co., Ltd. (安吉凤尚奕白茶业有限公司) in Xilong Township (溪龙乡).

This is a new type of financial product that closely links loan conditions, interest rates, terms, and other elements with the green development of enterprises, and was jointly initiated by the Anji County Meteorological Bureau (安吉县气象局), the County Financial Development Service Center (县金融发展服务中心), the Economic and Information Bureau (经济和信息化局), and the Anji Regulatory Branch of the National Financial Regulatory Administration (国家金融监督管理总局安吉监管支局). "'Climate Loan' aims to provide financial support for enterprises while guiding them to focus on high-quality and sustainable development, actively respond to climate change, and help the county's economy achieve green transformation," said Yin Hao (尹浩), Deputy Director of the Anji County Meteorological Bureau (安吉县气象局).

A leaf enriches the lives of the people. In 2024, with the support of green finance, the planting area of Anji White Tea (安吉白茶) reached 200,600 mu, with more than 17,000 planting households, and the output value of the entire industry chain reached 6.845 billion yuan, and it has been shortlisted in the top ten national tea regional brand values for 15 consecutive years.

Not only that, financial institutions also support the local construction of tea expo parks through green loans, creating an ecological agricultural cultural tourism resort complex integrating Anji White Tea (安吉白茶) production, tea technology research and development, tea technology promotion, tea brand display, and tea culture communication.

At present, Anji White Tea (安吉白茶) has realized the extension from simple tea planting to tea deep processing and then to tea culture leisure, forming a good trend of integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.

Xiao Cheng's (小程) "Accident" -

"Ecological Restoration Loan" Opens Up the Path for the Transformation of Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains into Invaluable Assets

A cup of coffee, paired with a heart-shaped lake, multiple "photo-worthy" spots... Situated in the beautiful scenery of the "Deep Blue Plan" in Hongmiao Village (红庙村), Meixi Town (梅溪镇), Anji (安吉), it is hard to imagine that this was an abandoned mine pit five years ago.

Ecological tourism is another "golden business card" of Anji (安吉). Although there are no scenic spots and historical sites here, it attracts tourists from all over the world with its beautiful environment. In 2024, Anji County (安吉县) received 34.021 million tourists, with a total tourism revenue of 47.56 billion yuan, ranking first among the top 100 counties in China in terms of comprehensive tourism strength for consecutive years.

In recent years, with the emergence of new consumer groups, Anji (安吉) has laid out a good economy in good scenery, and new cultural tourism formats such as "coffee +" and "camping +" have emerged continuously between lucid waters and lush mountains. A new round of ecological restoration and transformation has also risen, and the "Deep Blue Plan" is one of them.

"I hope more people can see this beauty." As a native of Anji (安吉), Cheng Shuoqin (程铄钦), a post-90s agricultural entrepreneur, has a special love for the beautiful scenery here. He decisively quit his job as a primary school teacher and, together with several local college student entrepreneurs, transformed this mine pit into the "Deep Blue Plan" coffee shop.

"Who would go to such a remote place to drink a cup of coffee?" At first, the villagers were full of incomprehension and felt that the mine pit, which had been abandoned for more than 10 years, had no transformation value.

Compared with people's incomprehension, the bigger problem was funding. According to the estimation of the Meixi Town Government (梅溪镇政府), it would cost nearly 50 million yuan just to recover all the mining rights of the mine pit and clarify the property rights, plus the later safety management, development and utilization, there was a huge funding gap. Cheng Shuoqin (程铄钦) hoped to get a loan from the bank, but an abandoned mine pit was difficult to meet the financing needs under the traditional credit model.

"At that time, the project had no collateral, and there were differences of opinion within the bank. Many people were full of concerns about the future development of the 'Deep Blue Plan'," said Cao Zhizhong (曹治中), President of Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行).

From a traditional point of view, the "Deep Blue Plan" is difficult to meet the credit requirements of financial institutions, but from the perspective of green development, the ecological value of the "Deep Blue Plan" is in line with the support direction of green finance and is also the real value of the project.

With the support of national green finance policies, Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行) broke through the restrictions of the traditional financing model and independently launched the "Ecological Restoration Loan" to provide comprehensive financial services of "financing + intelligence" for mine ecological restoration and other projects. On the one hand, based on ecological protection and environmental governance, it granted a credit of 7 million yuan to the Hongmiao Economic Cooperative (红庙经济合作社); on the other hand, supported by the operation of characteristic industries, it granted a credit of 10 million yuan to Zhejiang Shenlan Tourism Development Co., Ltd. (浙江深蓝旅游发展有限公司), founded by Cheng Shuoqin (程铄钦). At the same time, the Anji County Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (农业银行安吉县支行) also provided financial support through "Huinong E Loan".

Cao Zhizhong (曹治中) told reporters that the design idea of the "Ecological Restoration Loan" is to take regional comprehensive development as the carrier, integrate ecological environment management projects with poor profitability with related industries with better profitability, nurture lucid waters and lush mountains, and transform them into invaluable assets.

Micro-transformation and fine improvement, retaining industrial heritage and building new viewing platforms, with the support of green finance, a "Deep Blue Plan" scenic spot built on the basis of a mine pit quickly became popular online.

Today, the "Deep Blue Plan" has become a well-known internet celebrity check-in point in the Yangtze River Delta region, selling up to 8,818 cups of coffee a day, driving more than 100 local villagers to re-employment, and increasing the annual collective operating income of Hongmiao Village (红庙村) by more than 1 million yuan. "At first, I just thought that the good scenery should not be wasted. I didn't expect that it would unexpectedly bring so much popularity and income to the village," said Cheng Shuoqin (程铄钦).

The "Ecological Restoration Loan" solves the funding problems for the restoration and management and infrastructure construction of abandoned mines, forming a "growth-style" ecological comprehensive management model. "Now we see that the road of innovative development of green finance has unlimited potential, and we will firmly continue to move forward," said Cao Zhizhong (曹治中). As of the end of September 2025, the bank has helped the county repair and renovate 14 abandoned mine pits and old factory buildings, and has invested more than 60 million yuan in "Ecological Restoration Loans".

Green finance has given Xiao Cheng (小程) the confidence to move forward. At the end of last year, Cheng Shuoqin (程铄钦), who "can't stay idle", started a second venture, the 2.0 version of the "Deep Blue Plan" - "Deep Blue Park" was launched, "We are preparing to artistically transform an abandoned garbage dump into a tourism gathering place with more than 10 types of business formats, including forest theaters and youth bookstores."

Protect lucid waters and lush mountains, and hold invaluable assets. Under the guidance of the "Two Mountains" concept, Anji (安吉) has accelerated the pace of green finance development. In March last year, the country's first transaction of water and soil conservation ecological product value transformation was signed in Zhangcun Town (章村镇), Anji County (安吉县). "Enterprises have to pay more than 30 million yuan to obtain the watershed management rights, and also invest in restoration funds, which is a lot of pressure," recalled Zhu Chaojie (朱超杰), a customer manager at Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行). At that time, the bank launched the "Water Rights Loan", based on the ecological value of 320 million yuan in the watershed, and granted a credit of 10 million yuan to the enterprise, "which is equivalent to letting 'lucid waters' be used as collateral".

Behind this green loan is a sophisticated "ecological accounting system" support. In March 2024, Anji (安吉) released the "Research Report on the Accounting of Water and Soil Conservation Ecological Product Value", which set a "price" for the county's 38 small watersheds - a total value of 3.32 billion yuan.

With the support of green finance, Anji County (安吉县) has accelerated the opening up of the path for the transformation of lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets, innovatively practiced the value transformation mechanism of water and soil conservation ecological products, and realized the organic connection of consolidating one side of water and soil, promoting the development of one side, and enriching the people of one side.

Guo Fu's (国富) "Surprise" -

"Two Mountains Green Coins" Make the Incentive Measures for Ecological Civilization Construction Visible and Tangible

Strolling through Yucun (余村), Anji (安吉), Zhejiang (浙江), bamboo forests sway, streams gurgle, and everywhere you look is a strong green color.

Rooftop photovoltaic power generation, paperless office operations, "carbon neutral" education center... In the Yucun Green Branch of Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行余村绿色支行), everything reveals "green". This is the country's first "carbon neutral" outlet operated by a local legal person bank itself. The rooftop here can generate 68,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy every year, of which 25,000 kilowatt-hours of surplus electricity is connected to the grid, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30 tons in total.

"In addition to promoting green construction of outlets to a high standard, we also integrate the concept of green and low-carbon into all aspects of daily work," said Chen Yubin (陈煜斌), the head of the branch. "The branch advocates employees to carry out low-carbon office work, garbage classification, and also implements a carpooling system to encourage low-carbon travel."

Mu Guofu (牟国富), a villager in Yucun (余村) who was handling business here, showed off the "Two Mountains Green Coins" in his mobile bank and told everyone about his loan experience.

After the beginning of spring this year, Mu Guofu (牟国富) planned to renovate the homestay he operated into a boutique homestay, so he went to the Yucun Green Branch of Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行余村绿色支行) to apply for a loan. After calculation, Mu Guofu (牟国富) only had a credit loan limit of 400,000 yuan, which was 100,000 yuan short of solving the funding problem.

Under the reminder of the branch's customer manager, Mu Guofu (牟国富) checked the "Two Mountains Green Coins" in his account and found that his usual green travel, garbage classification, green payment and other green and low-carbon behaviors had accumulated more than 1,000 "Two Mountains Green Coins". With these "Two Mountains Green Coins", Mu Guofu (牟国富) successfully exchanged for financial services such as loan credit enhancement and interest rate discounts, "Not only was the amount sufficient, but the interest rate was also much lower."

Today, the renovated homestay has been completely renewed. "Our environment here is beautiful. Tourists like to enjoy the natural scenery and taste the local dishes. Now the renovated homestay facilities are more complete, and there are also swimming pools and cafes next to it. Orders have been scheduled until the end of October," Lao Mu (老牟) is full of confidence in the future.

As early as 2019, Anji Rural Commercial Bank (安吉农商银行) launched the "Two Mountains Green Coins" system, which collects climate environment carbon emission reduction data related to residents' daily lives, converts them into green behavior points according to corresponding rules, and gives residents value-added financial, people's livelihood sharing, rights and interests exchange and other scenario services.

Not only can it be used when taking out a loan, but "Two Mountains Green Coins" can also be used as money. In a supermarket in Anji County (安吉县), Ms. Chen (陈女士), a resident, scanned the payment code with her mobile phone after buying vegetables, "It deducted 5 'Two Mountains Green Coins'. If you accumulate more at ordinary times, you can save a lot of money."

At present, there are 250,000 people in Anji County (安吉县) who have "Two Mountains Green Coins", and the value of accumulated exchanges for discounts and gifts exceeds 3 million yuan, and green concepts and actions have become a trend. "Through the transformation of 'Two Mountains Green Coins', we turn intangible production and living behaviors into tangible green points, and use incentive measures that the people can see and touch to help promote ecological civilization construction," said Tao Chengbin (陶成斌).

From concept to practice, Anji's (安吉) green finance innovation is being promoted on a larger scale.

Last year, Zhejiang Rural Credit Union (浙江农商联合银行) issued the "Five-Year Action Plan for Green Finance Development (2024-2028)", organized green finance actions within the entire system, and specially developed three exclusive green inclusive credit products, "Lvhuitong" (绿惠通), "Lvzhuantong" (绿转通), and "Lvquantong" (绿权通), innovatively launched a series of carbon finance and carbon emission reduction loans, and achieved multiple carbon finance "zero" breakthroughs in the entire system.

Data shows that in the past 10 years, the average annual growth rate of green loans in Zhejiang (浙江) has reached 28.81%, which is 16.05 percentage points higher than the growth rate of various loans in the same period. In the first half of this year, Zhejiang's (浙江) cumulative carbon emission reduction loans issued 79.12 billion yuan, driving carbon emission reduction of about 11.458 million tons, and transformation loans for the textile industry and agriculture exceeded 7 billion yuan. The pilot experience of biodiversity finance has attracted international attention.

Where financial pens fall, green is lush. From protecting lucid waters and lush mountains to making invaluable assets bigger, the story of financial assistance to green development is constantly being staged, and the continuous flow of financial living water injects strong impetus into green and low-carbon development, drawing a beautiful ecological picture of China.

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Using Financial Means to "Loan" Momentum to Green Development (Reporter's Notes)

By: 王 观

From large-scale project financing supporting the construction of photovoltaic power stations and wind farms, to special green bonds assisting industrial enterprises in energy-saving renovations, and then to new energy vehicle loans and green building housing credit for individual consumers, green finance connects the "grand strategy" of industrial structure transformation on one end and the "grand chapter" of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature on the other, becoming an important financial force in promoting high-quality economic and social development. Data released by the People's Bank of China (中国人民银行) shows that as of the end of the second quarter of this year, the balance of green loans in domestic and foreign currencies in China reached 42.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.4% compared with the beginning of the year, indicating a good momentum for the development of green finance.

Green finance: "green" is the standard and direction, and "finance" is the means and support. To make good use of the hand of finance, it is necessary to continuously promote the expansion and efficiency of the "toolbox" and continuously improve the "green content" of financial services. At the beginning of this year, the "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of Green Finance in the Banking and Insurance Industries" was issued. Whether it is supporting banking institutions to carry out services such as energy efficiency credit, green credit asset securitization, and green supply chain financing, or carrying out mortgage financing business for carbon emission rights and sewage rights, each and every item reflects the firm determination to promote the development of green finance through institutional innovation.

For financial institutions, they should implement policies according to local conditions, timing, and industry, and continuously promote the innovation of green financial products and services. Especially in addition to launching standardized products, they should strengthen the creation of product tools that match the characteristics of local industrial development, pay timely attention to the actual needs of different types of customers, achieve 量体裁衣 (liáng tǐ cái yī - "measure body cut clothes," tailor-made), and further enhance the adaptability of green financial services. Green finance focuses on supporting green projects and emerging technologies that sometimes require large upfront investments and have long payback periods. Traditional credit models are difficult to accurately price, and the risk structure is more complex. Financial institutions should strengthen due diligence in lending and investment, and comprehensively identify and understand the environmental, social, and governance risks and impacts of projects.

Developing green finance is not only an incremental business for the financial system, but also a profound transformation of the development mode. At present, it is necessary to further provide reasonable and necessary financial support for industries and projects with carbon emission reduction benefits, and for the low-carbon transformation of high-emission or difficult-to-reduce emission areas. The necessity of studying and developing transition finance is becoming increasingly prominent. Promoting the effective connection between transition finance and green finance is an inherent requirement for enhancing green finance's service to the transformation and upgrading of the real economy. In the future, attention should be paid to summarizing and refining effective practices and beneficial models for the development of green finance, and applying them to the design of transition finance policies and tools. At the same time, by improving the standard system, strengthening carbon accounting and environmental information disclosure requirements, and optimizing incentive and constraint mechanisms, we will further strengthen the top-level design of financial support for green and low-carbon development, so that green development momentum will be stronger and the transformation will be more comprehensive and systematic.

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Editor in Charge of This Edition: Qu Xinming

Layout Design: Wang Zhepeng (汪哲平)

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Innovative Answers Highlight the Advantages of the New Type of National System (Science and Technology Perspective)

General Secretary Xi Jinping (习近平) emphasized, "Give full play to the advantages of the new national system and accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance."

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping (习近平) at its core, with the full utilization of the advantages of the new national system and the joint efforts of the entire society, China's scientific and technological undertakings have achieved historic achievements and undergone historic changes, with technological innovation writing a brilliant answer sheet. Anchored to the strategic goal of building a strong country in science and technology by 2035, facing major national needs, and through the coordinated efforts of government and market forces, and by gathering and integrating national strategic scientific and technological forces and social resources to jointly overcome major scientific and technological problems, China is making steady and powerful strides towards high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.

The surging momentum of innovation in China provides a solid support for the construction of Chinese-style modernization.

——Editor

Strategic Science and Technology Continues to Grow

By Liu Shiyao (刘诗瑶), reporter of this newspaper

Against the backdrop of a beautiful blue and white Earth, astronaut Wang Jie (王杰) of the Shenzhou-20 (神舟二十号) crew, wearing an extravehicular suit, successfully carried out an extravehicular mission with the cooperation and support of the space station's robotic arm and ground researchers.

A touch of bright red from the five-star red flag has been added to the vast space. Such scenes have often appeared in the past five years.

In the past five years, the China Space Station has achieved complete localization of products, complete localization of raw materials, and 100% independent control of key core components. Hundreds of space science experiments have been carried out in orbit, and space science achievements have emerged.

Another scene is also widely praised. On June 7 last year, two gray-haired academicians met in the office building of the China Academy of Space Technology (航天科技集团五院). They were Qi Faren (戚发轫), the first chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, and Ye Peijian (叶培建), the chief designer and commander of the Chang'e-1 (嫦娥一号) satellite. The two held a photo transmitted back from the far side of the moon and were very interested in the "中" (zhong) character pattern left by the Chang'e-6 (嫦娥六号) probe on the far side of the moon, and they had a pleasant conversation.

In 2020, Chang'e-5 (嫦娥五号) collected 1731 grams of lunar samples from the near side of the moon and returned to Earth. In 2024, Chang'e-6 (嫦娥六号) brought back humanity's first 1935.3 grams of precious lunar soil from the far side of the moon. The latest research results on lunar soil samples have been published successively, and human understanding of the moon is constantly being refreshed.

Strengthen national strategic scientific and technological forces, improve the new national system, bravely climb new peaks in world aerospace technology, and embark on a new journey to achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.

Generations of aerospace personnel have relied on their own efforts and independent innovation to allow "Tiangong" (天宫) to travel, "Chang'e" (嫦娥) to dance, and "Beidou" (北斗) to shine. Hundreds of thousands of scientific researchers have worked together to lift up the Chinese people's own space home. Hu Hao (胡浩), chief designer of the Chang'e-5 (嫦娥五号) and Chang'e-6 (嫦娥六号) missions, said with emotion: "Without the traditional advantages of socialism in concentrating efforts to accomplish great things, and without the support of the new national system, China's lunar exploration project could not have achieved such great achievements."

In the past five years, the advantages of China's new national system have been fully demonstrated, national strategic scientific and technological forces have continued to grow, the construction of the national laboratory system has been steadily advanced, the scientific research capabilities of national scientific research institutions and high-level research universities have been continuously improved, leading technology enterprises have accelerated their cultivation and growth, major scientific and technological achievements have accelerated their emergence, and scientific and technological innovation achievements have benefited the general public.

Original Achievements Continue to Emerge

By Xu Jing (徐靖), reporter of this newspaper

In the morning, as usual, Huang Yao (黄耀) came to the control hall of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) located on Science Island in Hefei (合肥), Anhui (安徽), and after completing routine tests, began to prepare for the day's experiment.

Huang Yao (黄耀) is an associate researcher at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院等离子体物理研究所). After graduating with a doctorate in 2017, he devoted himself to the EAST project, engaged in plasma parameter inversion and control.

In January of this year, EAST achieved 1066 seconds of high-confinement mode plasma operation at 100 million degrees Celsius, which not only created a new world record, but also marked a major leap in China's fusion energy research from basic science to engineering practice. Among them, there was the effort of Huang Yao's (黄耀) team.

"During the experiment, the plasma is in an unstable state. The longer the operation time, the easier it is for various measurement signals to have errors, and the easier it is for unexpected situations to occur, which requires precise, stable, and reliable control," Huang Yao (黄耀) said.

The word "control" seems simple, but EAST is extremely complex, affecting the whole body with one move, and requires a high degree of caution. "For example, during the operation of the device, it is necessary to calculate relevant parameters based on hundreds of measurement signals," Huang Yao (黄耀) said. "To achieve simultaneous control, it is necessary to complete the coordinated operation of dozens of controlled subsystems. The final complete closed-loop control needs to be completed within hundreds of microseconds at the fastest."

Huang Yao's (黄耀) team overcame a large number of technical problems and finally realized the independent research and development of the device operation control system during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. "Our control system is more superior in performance and has been widely recognized worldwide, and has changed from a 'technology importer' to a 'technology exporter'," Huang Yao (黄耀) said.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's scientific and technological resource allocation continued to be optimized and integrated, and original and leading scientific and technological breakthroughs were continuously strengthened. In 2024, the total R&D expenditure of the whole society exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan, ranking second in the world; in 2025, China's ranking in the global innovation index jumped to tenth for the first time, an increase of 4 places compared with 2020, maintaining a leading position among global middle-income economies; high-quality scientific and technological supply is accelerating from the laboratory to the production line.

Enterprise Innovation Has Been Significantly Improved

By Gu Yekai (谷业凯), reporter of this newspaper

The feeding machine puts the raw materials into the kiln, heats them to above 1650 degrees Celsius, and the molten glass flows into the forming tin bath after clarification and homogenization, and is precisely thinned and formed... At the end of last year, the world's first 8.6-generation OLED (organic light-emitting diode) glass substrate was successfully launched in Bengbu (蚌埠), Anhui (安徽), and China successfully developed high-generation OLED ultra-thin float glass substrate technology and pioneered the localization of products. The China Building Materials Glass New Material Research Institute Group Co., Ltd. (中建材玻璃新材料研究院集团有限公司) led and completed the research and development of this technology.

Five years ago, China's 8th generation and above glass substrates were completely dependent on foreign manufacturers. "Foreign countries are competing to develop glass substrates necessary for OLED displays. As a leading enterprise in the industry, we must catch up and even surpass them," said Peng Shou (彭寿), academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院) and chief scientist of China National Building Material Group (中国建材集团).

Building a glass substrate for display panels requires not only transparency but also a sufficiently large size. However, making the substrate glass large and thin is extremely difficult. For example, to achieve ultra-cleanliness, it is necessary to eliminate defects below 10 microns on a glass surface of nearly 6 square meters. "This is equivalent to removing dust the size of rapeseed on a standard football field," said Zhu Mingliu (朱明柳), an engineer at China Building Materials Glass New Material Research Institute Group Co., Ltd. (中建材玻璃新材料研究院集团有限公司).

The team accelerated independent innovation and overcame a series of key technologies, enabling China's display glass technology to move from 6th generation following, 8.5 generation running in parallel, to 8.6 generation leading. "Since the '14th Five-Year Plan', the main position of enterprise innovation has been continuously strengthened, forming a deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application of the technological innovation system," Peng Shou (彭寿) said with deep feeling.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China focused on improving the technological innovation capabilities of enterprises and promoting the accelerated integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. In 2024, China's enterprise R&D investment accounted for more than 77%; the number of domestic enterprises with valid invention patents reached 524,000, and the valid invention patents they owned accounted for 74.4% of the total number of domestic valid invention patents, an increase of 6.1 percentage points compared with the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan".

Innovation Vitality Has Been Effectively Stimulated

By Li Junqiang (李君强), reporter of this newspaper

Late at night, the lights in the laboratory were still on, and Liu Xiuyun (刘秀云), deputy director of the School of Medicine and dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Science at Tianjin University (天津大学), was debugging instruments. As the chief scientist of the National Key R&D Program project, she led the team to focus on the field of brain-computer interface for neurological critical care, providing new diagnostic and treatment technologies for neurological critical care brain diseases.

"In 2021, when I first returned to China, I was just an ordinary teacher without any 'hats' or titles, but the school treated us equally, solving all kinds of living needs for us, and also provided a considerable amount of scientific research start-up funding," Liu Xiuyun (刘秀云) recalled.

Liu Xiuyun's (刘秀云) personal feeling is that there are fewer burdens outside of scientific research. "In the past, it might take several days to fill out forms and run for stamps, but now from application to approval to reimbursement, it is basically done online, and it can be completed in 1 to 2 days, and the team can put more energy into scientific research," Liu Xiuyun (刘秀云) said.

In addition to reducing the burden, there is more support. Liu Xiuyun (刘秀云) said with emotion, "At that time, the school helped me build a scientific research team, equipped laboratories and experimental instruments and other related facilities for teachers in need, and different departments such as the Scientific Research Institute and the Academic Affairs Office cooperated to meet the different needs of each scientific researcher, which was very difficult."

The relevant person in charge of Tianjin University (天津大学) introduced that the school selects outstanding young teachers under the age of 35 whose research directions can lead the future development of disciplines and have greater development potential to be promoted to senior professional and technical positions, and establishes follow-up training programs to create good conditions for carrying out high-level free exploration and non-consensus innovative research.

Adhere to talent as the first resource and maximize the vitality of talent innovation and creation. Simplifying report approval, removing red tape, and special actions to reduce the burden of scientific research are continuously promoted; "breaking the four onlys" and "establishing new standards" are carried out simultaneously, paying more attention to actual performance and contribution; scientific research projects such as "revealing the list and taking command" and "horse racing system" are more flexible, encouraging young talents to take the lead and shoulder heavy responsibilities... During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, reform measures were steadily implemented, and a large number of young talents emerged and innovative achievements were outstanding.

Data shows that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the proportion of people under the age of 45 participating in the National Key R&D Program exceeded 80%, the proportion of those serving as project leaders was 43.3%, 80% of the projects of the National Natural Science Foundation (国家自然科学基金) were undertaken by young people under the age of 45, and the talent team for basic research continued to grow.

Innovation Mechanisms Are Accelerating Improvement

By You Yi (游仪), reporter of this newspaper

Going out for inspections, on-site investigations, online discussions... Recently, Yu Heng (余恒) has been very busy. In April of this year, at the signing ceremony of the first batch of "two-way revealing the list and taking command" projects in Sichuan Province (四川省), Xinteng Shuzhi Network Technology Co., Ltd. (新腾数致网络科技有限公司) revealed the list and signed a contract with the Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (中国农业科学院都市农业研究所). As the company's vice president, Yu Heng (余恒) led the team to quickly invest in the "application and industrialization of plant factory crop breeding accelerator project."

"We are an agricultural technology enterprise and have been working hard to find new technologies to promote industrial upgrading. After careful understanding, we are very interested in the achievements of the Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (中国农业科学院都市农业研究所) and want to strive for it," Yu Heng (余恒) said. After seeing the list released by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (四川省科技厅), he investigated the potential commercial value and development prospects of the scientific research achievements, and spent nearly 2 months comprehensively evaluating and decided to reveal the list and try.

As the list issuer, the Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (中国农业科学院都市农业研究所) also put forward certain requirements for the field and industrial scale of the list-revealing enterprises. After expert evaluation, both parties had the willingness to cooperate and the strength to transform, promoting the signing of cooperation and realizing the precise connection between application scenarios and enterprise needs.

"Focusing on the needs of the industry to determine the list and issue the list, adhering to the market-oriented revealing the list and determining the commander, the goal of the 'two-way revealing the list and taking command' mechanism is to allow market demand to directly 'dialogue' with scientific research breakthroughs," said Nie Dong (聂东), director of the Achievement Transfer and Transformation Service Department of the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Science and Technology Bureau (四川天府新区科技局). This innovative model promotes the effective connection between technology supply and industrial demand, improves the collaborative mechanism of government, industry, academia, research, and application, and promotes the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. It is understood that in 2024, Sichuan Province (四川省) explored and implemented the "two-way revealing the list and taking command" mechanism for enterprises to find technology and achievements to find the market, and has released 3 batches of 180 lists, with 129 projects revealed, and the total investment in the projects reached 3.171 billion yuan.

In the past 5 years, the scientific and technological system and mechanism reform that combines breaking and establishing has activated the "pool of spring water" of innovation. The transaction volume of national technology contracts has maintained double-digit growth for many years in a row, reaching 6.8 trillion yuan in 2024, and more and more scientific and technological achievements are rushing from the "laboratory" to the "production line".

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China's Science and Technology: Vigorous Vitality

By: 谷业凯

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's (中国) science and technology undertakings achieved historic accomplishments and underwent historic transformations.

In 2024, total social R&D investment exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan, a 48% increase compared to 2020. The added value of high-tech manufacturing above designated size increased by 42% compared to the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan"; the added value of the "three new" economy accounted for 18% of GDP. As of the end of June this year, the number of valid domestic invention patents reached 5.01 million...

Over the past 5 years, the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee (党中央) over science and technology work has been further strengthened, and the advantages of the new national system have been fully demonstrated. The construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces has been accelerated, the innovation strength of enterprises has been steadily improved, new quality productive forces have gradually grown and strengthened in practice, and the strong driving force for high-quality development has become increasingly apparent.

Over the past 5 years, the decisive role of the market in the allocation of scientific and technological resources has been further strengthened, the role of the government has been better brought into play, the degree of organization of basic research has been improved, the joint force for tackling key and core technologies has been continuously formed, and the basic pattern of "one chessboard" for national science and technology work has been accelerated.

Currently, China's (中国) innovative forces are gathering momentum. By giving full play to the advantages of the new national system and proactively innovating, China (中国) will stride forward on the path of Chinese-style modernization, and a vibrant China (中国) will create more miracles.

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Editor in Charge for This Section: Liu Shiyao

Layout Design: Zhang Danfeng (张丹峰)

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A Steel Nail in the Forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains (Seeking)

By: 艾 平

This is a sharp steel nail that pierced the vast forest of the Greater Khingan Mountains (大兴安岭) and was hammered into a Scotch pine.

I had always wanted to see this steel nail, which was related to the stories my teacher Xiao Zengwu (肖增伍) told me many years ago. However, everything seemed so out of reach—a distance of more than 80 years in time, and a geographical distance that required taking a train from Beijing (北京) to Manggui Town (满归镇) in Hulunbuir (呼伦贝尔), Inner Mongolia (内蒙古), and then driving into the mountains along the Aba River (阿巴河).

Finally, I set off for this purpose, driving through the primeval forest. The road was as thin as a gossamer thread, the forest so dense that it was impenetrable, and the people and the car seemed to be trapped in a large green basin. Where was the scene that Teacher Xiao (肖) described? It was as if nothing had ever existed. Let alone the tree with the steel nail, I couldn't even find that bare playground. The forest was like a sea, with Scotch pines, birches, and larches of all sizes, and countless Labrador teas, rhododendrons, and cranberries, which had been evolving for nearly a century, and whose formations had changed countless times. The tree with the steel nail could no longer appear in the solitary state that Teacher Xiao (肖) had described. The playground that had been created by felling trees had also become a secondary forest.

With the guidance of a friend, I finally arrived at my destination—the site of the "Kwantung Army Qilin Training Camp" (关东军栖林训练营) located on the bank of the Aba River (阿巴河), and I also found the Scotch pine with the steel nail. The steel nail was not rusty at all, and it had not fallen into the soil due to the cracks in the trunk. It remained on the trunk of the tree, with a faint cold light still visible.

This steel nail witnessed the aggression and resistance that had occurred on this land.

After the September 18th Incident (九一八事变), the Japanese army invaded Northeast China (东北), extended its claws into the northern primeval forest area of the Greater Khingan Mountains (大兴安岭), openly occupied the vast forest as its own, and carried out various oppressions and exploitations against the Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters. They cut off the commercial ties between the Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters and the outside world, forced purchases and sales, and used small things like matches and bullet casings to forcibly exchange for the furs that the hunters had worked so hard to obtain...

In 1940, the Japanese invaders established this training camp on the north bank of the Aba River (阿巴河), confiscated the guns of the Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters, interrupted their hunting production, and detained their rations, imprisoning them here in a concentrated manner, carrying out enslavement education and military training, teaching them Japanese, teaching them fighting, and instilling in them the idea of ​​loyalty to the Japanese Emperor, with the aim of making them cannon fodder to resist the anti-Japanese forces.

The elderly, weak, women, and children of the Ewenki (鄂温克) people who were left in the mountains and forests suffered from hunger and cold, and many diseases began to spread. According to records, more than 200 people died during this period. By the end of World War II in 1945, the number of Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters living in the northern primeval forest area of the Greater Khingan Mountains (大兴安岭) was much smaller than before.

This was a desperate situation. In those days, the invaders forced the Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters to cut down the trees on one side of the cliff and build a wooden log barracks 23 meters long and 7 meters wide against the mountain. A flat area was cleared to make a playground, and only this Scotch pine was left on the playground. Behind the camp were high mountains and forests, and in front was a terrifying abyss, at the bottom of which was the turbulent Aba River (阿巴河). Even in the sweltering heat, the flowing water could freeze people to death. Moreover, Japanese soldiers with live ammunition and menacing wolves guarded the area, making it as difficult as **登天** (dēng tiān - "ascend to heaven," extremely difficult) for anyone imprisoned to escape.

My friend told me that the steel nail nailed to the Scotch pine was produced in Japan during World War II and was used to tie up wolves and to bind and torture Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters who dared to resist.

At this moment, the great forest was lush, tranquil and serene. Stepping on the thick layer of humus, although I felt the remaining flatness under my feet, I could not see any exposed soil. The great forest on the back mountain bears pine cones every year, which take root and sprout when they fall to the ground. The wind also helps, restoring this place to a secondary forest densely covered with small trees. I was walking through the dense bushes, and before I knew it, I reached the boundary of the former playground, which was the edge of the cliff on the north bank of the Aba River (阿巴河)—just half a step away from falling into the turbulent river.

Turning around and leaving the large Scotch pine with the steel nail, I walked into the wooden log barracks that had been scorched by artillery fire. I had seen such houses at Tolstoy's Yasnaya Polyana (雅斯纳亚·波良纳) estate and in Hailar (海拉尔) in my youth, and they had once given me beautiful reveries. Today, this old wooden log house in front of me is more like a scar in the great forest.

Wooden log houses are the crystallization of the wisdom of forest dwellers in the north of the earth. People take materials locally, select large round logs of the same thickness at both ends, make them with hand knives and axes, use mortise and tenon structures to build the main walls of the house, and fill the gaps between the round logs with moss to keep warm. Wooden log houses have a grand appearance, spacious interiors, and are warm in winter and cool in summer. However, this row of remaining wooden log houses is different. The windows are short and the space is cramped, which is obviously intentional. The house has lost its original color and is dark and gloomy. Looking back ten or twenty meters, this scene is like a pencil illustration from a Turgenev novel.

Through Gu Xinjun's (古新军) documentary literary works and Gong Yu's (龚宇) works, I learned about the stories of this land and the end of this training camp.

At that time, the imprisoned Ewenki (鄂温克) reindeer herding tribesmen, although far away in the deep mountains, also knew of the existence of anti-Japanese forces, and they looked forward to the moment of escaping from the sea of ​​suffering in the prison-like training camp. The invaders' eyes were constantly watching, and if the hunters disobeyed orders in the slightest, they would immediately be tied to the large tree with steel nails and beaten and tortured. Because they could no longer endure the Japanese invaders' torture, a young hunter suddenly walked towards the cliff during training and jumped into the turbulent Aba River (阿巴河). The Aba River (阿巴河) sent him to the Ergun River (额尔古纳河), and the Ergun River (额尔古纳河) sent him to the distant sea, and the hatred remained on the cliff, in the hearts of those Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters who endured their tears and watched him go away.

The emotion of resistance grew silently and fiercely. The news that "the anti-fascist decisive battle is about to begin" spread like wildfire in the training camp at some point. The hunters discussed escape plans in low voices in corners that the Japanese soldiers could not notice, waiting for the opportunity to arrive. Finally, a violent explosion sounded in the deep mountains and forests, and then the camp was ablaze with fire, most of the wooden log houses were blown up, and the Japanese soldiers were in chaos. The prepared Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters rushed out of the camp. The mountains were close at hand, and they quickly went up the mountain in the chaos and disappeared into the forest. After a difficult trek, the hunters returned to the Ewenki (鄂温克) camp and met Kunde Ivan (昆德伊万), the leader of the local Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters.

The opportunity to avenge their hatred had arrived. Kunde Ivan (昆德伊万) decided to lead the Ewenki (鄂温克) people to attack immediately, assist in the anti-Japanese war, and intercept the fleeing Japanese invaders. He carried his hunting gun on his back, held a large knife for splitting mountains and opening roads, and with a wave of his arm, the hunters took out their stored bullets without saying a word and quickly gathered together, leading their strongest reindeer. The women prepared dried meat, rye bread, and deep blessings for their husbands and sons... A team of hunters, carrying hunting guns that were originally aimed at birds and beasts, and leading reindeer that were good at climbing mountains and crossing ridges, marched towards the anti-aggression battlefield.

They crossed forests and long rivers to reach the banks of the Ayasuke River (艾雅苏克河). There was a hidden path here, the "Ewenki Trail" (鄂温克小道) passed down by word of mouth among the local people. They calculated that the Japanese army would have to pass through this place when they retreated. Their eyes hid under the leaves, and their ears searched for every movement like lynxes. Time passed quietly. Suddenly, the hunters heard the sound of branches being crushed and the sound of Japanese soldiers talking, as well as the sound of horses neighing.

Sophisticated guns and cannons seemed to be the winning ticket in the hands of the invaders, but not necessarily. Rampaging in other people's homes, neither a reindeer nor a small bird would submit, and every plant and tree would become an assistant in resistance. The Japanese soldiers' horses sank step by step in the forest where fallen trees lay horizontally and vertically, and their eyes were blocked by the dense forest and the sky full of horseflies, and they could not see what the terrain was a few meters away, so they had to use the weapons in their hands to intimidate and grab an Ewenki (鄂温克) person to lead them out of the mountains.

The Japanese army's team was getting closer. Unexpectedly, the person walking in front was actually an Ewenki (鄂温克) person, leading a group of reindeer! Kunde Ivan (昆德伊万) shouted at the Ewenki (鄂温克) person: "Lie down!" Then, with one shot, he shot down the Japanese soldiers walking in front. The Japanese soldiers who intended to fight back shot randomly, but they did not know which forest was ambushing the attackers.

After a fierce battle, this group of Japanese soldiers who had tortured the Ewenki (鄂温克) hunters in the training camp a few days ago died in the Greater Khingan Mountains (大兴安岭)...

More than 80 years have passed. Today, this place belongs to a part of the northern primeval forest area of the Greater Khingan Mountains (大兴安岭), which is sparsely populated, with its original ecology, and is a paradise for all kinds of creatures.

I think that the steel nail that traveled across the ocean and remained in the past 80 years will one day fall down with the old Scotch pine in the evolution of all things in nature, and the row of dilapidated wooden log barracks will also turn into soil. The earth accepts all the past and turns all the thrilling events into fragrant and fertile fields. And my narration at this moment is for the memory to last forever.

**前事不忘，后事之师** (qián shì bù wàng, hòu shì zhī shī - "past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future," learning from history is crucial for future success).

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Weighing Shortcomings (Jin Tai Reflections)

By: 邱学武

Only things that are bought and sold in the world are weighed on scales to measure their weight and measured with bushels to determine their volume. Things that can be traded are mostly items that people need and like. "Shortcomings" are people's faults, avoided, annoyed by, and discarded, for fear of being too late. Who would buy them? Why even weigh them?

People are not sages, who can be without fault? But if humanity is to progress and society is to develop, it must constantly overcome shortcomings. The prerequisite for overcoming shortcomings is to face them squarely. Without putting shortcomings on a scale to see their weight, it is difficult to have a clear and accurate understanding, which in turn affects the correction of shortcomings. Therefore, shortcomings really need to be weighed carefully.

In social life, it is difficult for people to successfully trade if they only "estimate the pile" with the naked eye. Even if the transaction is completed, one party may feel that they have suffered a loss. Using weights and measures that are recognized by both parties for precise quantification can relatively complete the transaction more happily. It is difficult to quantify people's shortcomings and problems, but it is not impossible. For example, Emperor Wanli (万历皇帝) of the Ming Dynasty, it can be said that he "neglected court affairs for various reasons," or it can be said that he "did not attend court for thirty years." Doesn't the latter statement quantify the extent of this matter?

Some leading cadres in life talk endlessly about achievements, like warehouses full of grain; when talking about problems and shortcomings, they only scratch the surface, generalizing vaguely: so-and-so's work is not recognized in place, the measures are not effective, the results are not significant, and there is still room for improvement, and so on. In short, when facing shortcomings and problems, they use vague language instead of "weighing" quantification. The masses are very disgusted with this kind of phenomenon.

Weighing shortcomings, so that they are clearly presented with a certain quantity and degree, has important reference value for evaluating a person, a leading group, and the development of a cause, and cannot be ambiguous. Is it accepting a banquet once, or accepting a banquet 20 times; is it arranging a job for 1 relative, or sneaking in 10 relatives through the back door? Not only is there a difference in quantity and degree, but "quantitative change leads to qualitative change," and sometimes the nature will also change. It is not appropriate or allowed to downplay the big and lighten the heavy; it is even more serious to exaggerate the small and make the light heavy, exaggerate the facts, raise things to the level of principle without limit, damage unity, and create division. We must be realistic, quantify accurately, and be appropriate when dealing with shortcomings and problems.

Whether or not one dares to weigh one's own shortcomings shows one's ability to recognize the harm of mistakes. If one can discover one's own shortcomings and weigh the weight of the shortcomings, it is possible to solve and overcome them as early as possible and avoid major "rollovers." Chen Sheng (陈胜) and Li Zicheng (李自成) are historical examples. They did not pay attention to discovering and weighing their own shortcomings, and after achieving temporary victory, they gradually moved towards failure. In a sense, they were defeated by their own shortcomings. There are also positive examples. Ximen Bao (西门豹) in the Warring States period found that he was impatient and prone to making mistakes, so he adopted the method of wearing leather (韦) (cooked cowhide) to remind himself to be gentle and slow at all times. Dong Anyu (董安于) in the Spring and Autumn period believed that he was too slow, so he wore a string (佩弦) to remind himself to be nervous. They clearly realized their own problems, so they could improve in a targeted manner.

If the roof leaks above, it is known below. Relying on oneself alone is not enough. One should also ask others to help weigh the shortcomings, not only "rejoice at being told of one's faults" (闻过则喜 (wén guò zé xǐ - "rejoice at being told of one's faults," happy to accept criticism)), but also know how many "faults" there are. The setting up of remonstrance officials in ancient China and listening to advice is a wisdom that has lasted for thousands of years.

In today's practice of development and construction, adhering to problem orientation and daring to let shortcomings and problems "go on the scale" one by one is undoubtedly a good trend that is worth paying attention to and advocating. Only by truly grasping and implementing, treating both the symptoms and the root causes, and making persistent efforts can we make the cause of individuals and even the country to a higher level.

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Poplars of Akto (Encountering)

By: 陈蔚文

Poplars are found throughout Xinjiang (新疆), including Akto (阿克陶) on the eastern edge of the Pamir Plateau. In September, poplars stand in rows and patches along village roads, highways, and even under snow-capped mountains. The weather is dry, and the leaves on the poplar tips turn white, looking like flowers from a distance.

On this land, it's natural to think of Mao Dun's (茅盾) "Ode to the Poplar." Those "towering, unyielding" white poplars also grow in Akto (阿克陶). As the car travels on the plateau, the continuous giant stone peaks stand like giant gods. In the vast天地, the feelings that arise are so similar to what Mao Dun (茅盾) wrote back then—"majestic" and "great." The poplars outside the window either stand in rows or in groups of three or five, their leaves rustling in the scorching wind. Their existence gives life to the desolate land. Poplars have well-developed root systems, extremely strong soil-fixing abilities, and are drought-resistant, high-temperature resistant, and saline-alkali tolerant, making them Xinjiang's (新疆) well-deserved "chosen tree" and an important oasis ecological barrier.

On the way to Muji Township (木吉乡) in Akto County (阿克陶县) to see the volcano, I met a simple and honest young man: Xiao Ren (小任), a cadre from Muji Township (木吉乡). Xiao Ren (小任) is from Gansu (甘肃) and went to university in Sichuan (四川). After graduating, he passed the civil service exam and came to the Muji Township (木吉乡) government. Last year, he married a local Kyrgyz (柯尔克孜族) herder's daughter and settled down. When Xiao Ren (小任) spoke of his newlywed wife, his eyes filled with a smile, and he happily pulled up wedding photos taken in Yunnan (云南) from his phone. In the photos, both of them are smiling brightly.

"Have your parents been to Akto (阿克陶)?" "Yes, they think it's pretty good here." Xiao Ren (小任) said that he also came from a rural village and knows the weight of grassroots work. Take Akto (阿克陶) for example. In earlier years, there were still many villagers living deep in the mountains, living in sheds and herding cattle and sheep for a living. Crossing mountains was the norm, and they knew nothing about the world outside the mountains. Later, when the relocation policy for poverty alleviation was introduced, thousands of herders successively moved out of the remote and high-altitude mountains. Some of them continued to herd for others, some did handicrafts, and some engaged in planting or individual businesses.

The plateau ultraviolet rays tanned Xiao Ren's (小任) face black and red. There was a kind of determination in his expression, a determination to establish a deep connection with this land. Akto (阿克陶), he will raise his children here, carry out his work, and he will take root like the poplars by the roadside.

Lombardy poplars, white poplars, bitter poplars, dense-leaved poplars, and the most well-known Euphrates poplars are all equally rugged and beautiful, equally silent and tenacious. Once they stand on this land, they strive to sink their roots deep, grow branches and leaves, and resist sand and dust. Euphrates poplars are especially so; they can live for more than 100 years. Every poplar tree that grows here has the opportunity to meet the land. They cannot choose which direction the wind blows from or where the seeds fall, but once they fall, they take root there and plant their fate in the soil. So it is with trees, and so it is with people.

On the morning of leaving Akto (阿克陶), I saw a patch of yellow trees outside the window, pulsating with the brightness of autumn. I took a picture with my phone as a memory of Akto (阿克陶), along with the snow-capped mountains, rivers, Gobi oases, and the people I met along the way. As the car drove out of the county seat, the poplars along both sides of the highway flashed by. At that moment, it suddenly dawned on me—that patch of golden yellow outside the window was white poplars!

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"Che Dan Bu Ye Flies to the Sky" (Duoweizhai)

By: 陈银健

My cousin called me on video, saying she had pre-ordered 10 jin of Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) for me for next year's Spring Festival. After a brief surprise, I immediately recalled the scene of returning to my hometown for the Spring Festival this year. As the Spring Festival approached, when I rushed back to Nanjing (南京) for the New Year, my relatives and friends in my hometown prepared a pile of local specialties for me, such as water buffalo meat, drunken crabs, Longxiang taro (龙香芋), scallions, and rapeseed oil. I said, "I don't need any of these. If you really want to express your feelings, help me buy three to five jin of Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页)." My younger brother responded, "Where can you buy it at this time? The Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) during the Spring Festival was pre-ordered as early as the beginning of October." I wondered, "Is it that popular?" My brother said, "It's rare for you to come back. You don't know how famous Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) is now." It seems that my cousin, who was present at the time, took these words to heart.

Bu Ye (卜页), in some places, is also called Bai Ye (百页), Qian Zhang (千张), or Dou Fu Pi (豆腐皮). My hometown is located in the hinterland of the Lixiahe (里下河) area, with crisscrossing rivers and fertile soil. The villagers always hate to waste even a little bit of land. Every season, they make full use of the edges and corners of the riverbanks, ditches, and field ridges to plant soybeans. During the harvest season, they put the dried soybeans into sacks for storage. When guests come to the house, they use the soybeans to exchange for tofu and Bu Ye (卜页) at the tofu workshop to cook dishes for the guests. Tofu and Bu Ye (卜页) are a "universal match" for many dishes. "If there is not enough food, tofu will make up for it," these are the words that my parents often said, and I am still deeply impressed.

Che Dan (车担) was once the name of a small village. In those years, the water network in the Lixiahe (里下河) area was crisscrossing, and transportation was extremely inconvenient. Except for the town where it was located, almost no one knew that there was a Che Dan Village (车担村) on earth. After the reform and opening up, Che Dan Village (车担村) was merged into a larger village. If Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) hadn't been famous far and wide, the village name of Che Dan (车担) might have been forgotten by the villagers long ago. According to records, Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) has a history of more than 100 years. It is made by hand using iron pots to boil the pulp, firewood to cook slowly, and brine to solidify, after more than 10 processes such as "soaking, grinding, filtering, boiling, brining, pouring, squeezing, and peeling." The finished Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页), from a distance, is golden in color and has silk-like patterns. Close to it, you can smell a faint fragrance of soybeans. Take a bite, it is delicate, tough, and chewy. In the early 1980s, when I was in a remote area, I read a piece of news in the Xinhua Daily (新华日报) entitled "Che Dan Bu Ye Flies to the Sky (车担卜页飞上天)." A4-sized Bu Ye (卜页) can be made from at least eighteen or nine sheets per jin of soybeans, and up to 25 sheets can be made. People describe it as "thin as paper," "soft as silk," and "strong in toughness." In this way, it is somewhat appropriate for Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) to "fly to the sky."

Wang Fujian (王福江), an elderly man in his sixties, has inherited the craft of making Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) from his ancestors. Today, the transportation in his hometown has undergone earth-shaking changes. Wang Fujian (王福江) no longer has to carry heavy tofu burdens and sell them from village to village like his predecessors. He told me that the Bu Ye (卜页) made from a hundred or so jin of soybeans every day is sold out without leaving his house, and the supply falls short of demand. Even neighbors have to pre-order, and during festivals, he makes it non-stop from morning to night.

A remote small village located deep in the Lixiahe (里下河) area, even the village name has long disappeared. Why can it become famous far and wide with an ordinary bean product? A teacher told me that it is no coincidence that Che Dan Bu Ye (车担卜页) has become a widely known brand. This is the power of perseverance. There is a saying circulating in my hometown: "There are three hardships in the world: sailing, blacksmithing, and grinding tofu." The hardship of grinding tofu lies in getting up early. Every day, you have to get up at two or three in the morning to push the stone mill and grind soybean milk. From selecting soybeans to making tofu Bu Ye (卜页), it is all physical work, and the profit is meager. Without determination and perseverance, it is impossible to persist. Three generations of grandparents have done this thing and done it well. Such perseverance is really not easy. In Wang Fujian's (王福江) words, "In the past, it was to work to make a living, but now it is to meet everyone's needs. Everyone's recognition is my greatest wealth!" This is also the secret of "Che Dan Bu Ye Flies to the Sky (车担卜页飞上天)!"

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Photo Report

Oil painting "Small Scene of Reed Pond," by Jiang Ping (江平), collection of the National Art Museum of China (中国美术馆).

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Qianling Mountain

By: 干海兵

The Qianling Mountain (黔灵山) is visible from the window.

　　Guiyang (贵阳), the city's towering bun of hair,

　　like surging pine waves.

　　The lake water at the park entrance is half-hidden.

　　Yunyan (云岩)'s winding fireworks.

　　There are two or three clever monkeys,

　　seven or eight egrets.

　　Where the city sounds are gentle and restrained, one can advance or retreat,

　　is a bowl reflecting time,

　　of shimmering spring water.

　　The city is in the mountains, with the 拔节 (bá jié - "shooting up," growing rapidly like bamboo).

　　The steel bones of the era.

　　The mountain is in the city, where neon lights rise and fall,

　　clouds roll and unroll.

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The Two Rivers in My Heart

By: 黄璋尊

Looking down from my home's balcony, I can see the tall and wide flood control embankment, and beyond the embankment is the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) with its alternating yellow and green waters.

Thinking about it, I really have a connection with rivers in this life. After graduating from university, I traveled all over Guangxi (广西) for work, and lived briefly in many places where rivers flowed, such as Nanning (南宁) where the Yong River (邕江) flows, Guilin (桂林) where the Li River (漓江) flows, Liuzhou (柳州) where the Liu River (柳江) flows, and Hechi (河池) where the Jincheng River (金城江) flows... It wasn't until the 1970s that I settled in Wuzhou (梧州), living by the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) for half a century. I always remember two rivers in my heart: one is the Han River (韩江) in my hometown of Chaozhou (潮州), which is connected to my bloodline; the other is the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) in Wuzhou (梧州), my second hometown, which I face every day as a confidant.

People in my hometown of Chaozhou (潮州) have a saying: "Go out and see the Han River (韩江) lying across." When I was a child, the Han River (韩江) "lay across" in front of my house. It was my playmate, and I often swam and played in the river with my friends. When I grew up, the Han River (韩江) was my pier, and I repeatedly left my hometown and returned by boat. The Han River (韩江) water is thick, and the river breeze is always mixed with a slightly fishy but familiar smell. In ancient times, the Han River (韩江) was called Exi (恶溪) (a homophone for Crocodile Creek), because many giant crocodiles haunted this river, harming the local people, hence the name. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that Han Yu (韩愈) governed the crocodiles here, and Exi (恶溪) was no longer evil. People renamed it Han River (韩江) to commemorate him. Almost all the children here are familiar with Han Yu's (韩愈) "Sacrificial Crocodile Text" (《祭鳄鱼文》). Although the great writer Han Yu's (韩愈) connection with Chaozhou (潮州) was only a short eight months, he brought a profound impact to this small city, especially in education. Plowing in good weather and reading in rainy weather became the traditional concept of the people here. When I was a child, my family was poor, and my illiterate mother gritted her teeth to support my studies until I was admitted to university. In my memory, my mother and I were under the same kerosene lamp, she weaving cloth and I reading. Seeing me being playful and not studying, my mother used Han Yu's (韩愈) story to educate me. The stories were all she had heard, and I only realized when I grew up that many of those stories were fabricated about Han Yu (韩愈) by later generations. Perhaps in my mother's heart, Han Yu (韩愈) was equal to cultural knowledge, just as Han Yu (韩愈) was equal to the Han River (韩江).

Wuzhou (梧州) is my second hometown. Wuzhou (梧州) is very similar to Chaozhou (潮州), both cities are surrounded by mountains and water. The Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) is the confluence of the Gui River (桂江) and the Xun River (浔江). The Gui River (桂江) water is clear, as green as jade; the Xun River (浔江) water is turbid, as yellow as amber. One clear and one turbid, distinctly different yet inseparable, hence the beautiful name "Yanyang" (鸳鸯, Mandarin Duck). The Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) has witnessed me from youth to middle age to old age, witnessing the hustle and bustle, loss and gain of my life. Whenever I encounter something troubling or difficult to solve, I go for a walk along the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江), walking and confiding to the river, the sound of the waves under my feet rustling, like responding to the questions in my heart.

Once, I got a promotion opportunity, but it meant leaving my beloved newspaper supplement editing job. This was an important life choice. I love literature, and whenever I see a good article, my heart is filled with incomparable fulfillment. In many years of editing work, I never experienced "aesthetic fatigue" with good manuscripts. Should I continue to "make wedding clothes for others" or embark on a career path with 春风得意马蹄疾 (chūn fēng dé yì mǎ tí jí - "riding on the horse with the wind," to be successful in one's career)? These two thoughts in my mind were like the two rivers, one clear and one turbid, pushing and shoving in front of me. Standing in the "Yuanjiang Spring Flood" (鸳江春泛) pavilion, looking into the distance, I remembered that in the late 1980s, the National Middle School Student Literary Society held a meeting in Wuzhou (梧州). I connected and invited several great writers to give lectures to the children. The children's expressions of excitement because of literature filled me with happiness. I have never forgotten that feeling of happiness. When the manuscripts I edited resonated with readers, and when some unknown authors gradually became known because of frequent publication of their works, I could feel that sense of happiness. Pursuing this sense of happiness, I worked as a supplement editor until I retired.

If the Han River (韩江) flows in my emotions, then the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) gallops in my reality. The fishing lights on the river, the voices of people at the pier, along with the Cantonese opera tunes floating from under the big banyan tree on the shore, all make up my most solid daily life. The Han River (韩江) shines with waves at the source of my memory, and the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江) sings night songs by my bedside in reality. Every night, when the city lights dim and the scenery on both sides falls into darkness, only the river flows silently in the moonlight. How similar, I can't even tell whether the river under my feet is the Han River (韩江) or the Yanyang River (鸳鸯江). I seem to hear the sound of another river echoing it from the invisible distance.

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This edition's editor: Ma Yong

This edition's email: dadi@peopledaily.cn

　　We welcome submissions from our readers. Submissions must be original and submitted for the first time, and not submitted to multiple publications (**一稿多投** (yī gǎo duō tóu - "one manuscript multiple submissions," submitting the same manuscript to multiple publications)).

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