Here are the reports on articles that I found worth reading in the People’s Daily on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
Page 1: A lot more on the page today about the eight-point central regulations. The lead article talks about the record of the Party in implementing the regulations under Xi Jinping. The first part of the article talks a bit about the history of the regulations; it also stresses the importance of the current education campaign.
The second part says that Xi has led by example in implementing these regulations. “During inspections, he has always traveled with a small entourage and adopted simple accommodations; on overseas visits, he has strictly adhered to foreign affairs regulations… General Secretary Xi Jinping has taken the lead in strictly implementing the Party’s eight-point central regulations and their implementation rules—without compromise or flexibility. Through concrete actions, he has demonstrated firm conviction and set a precedent, fostering an increasingly upright and positive social atmosphere.” 考察中一向轻车简从、住宿上简化安排、出访时严格执行外事规定……习近平总书记带头严格执行中央八项规定及其实施细则，不打折扣、不做变通，以实际行动彰显坚定信念，带动全社会新风正气不断充盈.
The piece also engages in some quality revisionism.
“After the Ludian earthquake in Yunnan, he traveled all the way to the epicenter canyon, walked into a yard full of ruins, and inquired about the casualties and disaster relief work; during the most difficult period of COVID-19 prevention and control, he flew to Wuhan to direct the fight against the epidemic; after Shanxi suffered a rare autumn flood, he braved the snow to come to Linfen city to inspect the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction…” 云南鲁甸地震后，一路颠簸来到震中峡谷，走进满是废墟的院子，询问地震伤亡、抗震救灾情况；新冠疫情防控最吃劲的阶段，飞赴武汉指挥抗疫；山西遭遇罕见秋汛后，冒雪来到临汾市，察看灾后恢复重建情况…
So why do I call this revisionism? Well, Xi’s visit to Wuhan during COVID came in March 2020. It was, in fact, Li Keqiang and Sun Chunlan who were in charge of coordinating the initial response. Li visited Wuhan in late January 2020. Likewise, Xi visited Linfen in January 2022, which is why he “braved the snow” although the floods were in the autumn. So it was months after the floods.
Anyway, towards the end, the article also says:
“Strengthening work style construction is a tough battle and a protracted war. Currently, the ‘society of personal relationships’ and ‘face culture’ are still deeply rooted habits; the inertia of certain ‘unspoken rules’ in official circles persists; in some places, treatment of formalism through ‘one-size-fits-all’ or ‘finding workarounds’ has triggered new problems; and the social and cultural soil that breeds bureaucratic unhealthy practices and corruption has not been fundamentally eradicated. Improving work style is a long and difficult road that still requires persistent effort.” 加强作风建设是一场攻坚战、持久战。当前，“人情社会”“面子文化”积习尚在，一些“官场潜规则”惯性仍存，一些地方整治形式主义“一刀切”“搞变通”引发新问题，滋生“四风”和腐败的社会文化土壤并未根除，改进作风道阻且长仍需久久为功.
Next, there’s a report on the progress of the education campaign around the 8-point central regulations. A brief timeline:
“On March 12, the Central Party-Building Leading Group held a meeting to study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and instructions on thoroughly implementing the 8-point central regulations and to launch the education campaign. The General Office of the CPC Central Committee then issued the ‘Notice on Carrying out the Learning and Education Campaign on the 8-point Central Regulations across the Entire Party’. In recent days, various regions and departments have deeply understood the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, continuously strengthened the four consciousnesses, enhanced the four confidences, and achieved the two safeguards. They have regarded carrying out in-depth study and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the eight-point central regulations as a major political task, strengthened research, planning, and organizational implementation, and promoted the orderly and effective advancement of learning and education.” 3月12日，中央党的建设工作领导小组召开会议，学习贯彻习近平总书记关于深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育的重要讲话和重要指示精神，研究部署学习教育工作。中共中央办公厅近日印发《关于在全党开展深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育的通知》（以下简称《通知》）。连日来，各地区各部门深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，不断增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，把开展深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育作为一项重大政治任务，加强研究谋划和组织实施，推动学习教育有序有效开展.
The next section of the article has some details of how the campaign is being implemented by the CCDI and NSC, the Central Propaganda Department, the Central and State Organs Work Committee, the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, and the Shandong Party Committee. The actions include theory learning and discussion classes, creation of special working groups, etc. The rest of the article is along similar lines, providing some inputs in terms of the actions taken at different levels and by different institutions within the system.
Next, there’s a report on Wang Huning meeting with Sardor Umurzakov, the advisor on special assignments to the president of Uzbekistan. Xinhua says:
Wang said that “China is willing to work with Uzbekistan to implement the consensus reached by their two heads of state, advance the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and push forward the construction of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future.”
Next, Zhao Leji met with Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Alexander Babakov. Xinhua reports:
Zhao “said that China stands ready to work with Russia to provide firm mutual support, deepen mutual political trust, expand practical cooperation, practice genuine multilateralism, and make the international order more just and equitable. China’s NPC is willing to work with the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to implement the important consensus reached between their two heads of state, strengthen communication and exchange, share experience in legislation and supervision, and provide a legal guarantee for bilateral cooperation.”
Then, there’s a report on Han Zheng meeting with Italy’s Senate President Ignazio La Russa. Xinhua reports:
“Han said that last year, the two countries’ leaders held successful meetings and reached important consensus, pointing out the direction for the development of China-Italy relations. Noting that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Han said China is ready to work with Italy to develop a more mature, stable, open and mutually beneficial relationship with a strategic and long-term perspective, to bring more benefits to the two peoples. China is willing to deepen cooperation with Italy in such fields as economy, trade, tourism, culture, education and sports, and push for more tangible results, Han added.”
Meanwhile, Ding Xuexiang visited Hainan for an inspection tour. Some key points that he made are:
Supporting Hainan to gradually explore and steadily advance the construction of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics is a major strategic decision made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. 丁薛祥表示，支持海南逐步探索、稳步推进中国特色自由贸易港建设，是以习近平同志为核心的党中央作出的重大战略决策. Ding visited an information facility of social management, airport and harbour ports to learn about the work in preparation for the independent customs operation of the free trade port. Ding said the independent customs operation will be launched this year, calling for efforts to ensure a smooth, orderly and successful operation.
Ding visited the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site to investigate the planning, construction, and operation management of the launch site. He held discussions with enterprises and listened to their opinions and suggestions. He pointed out that commercial aerospace development has broad prospects. It is necessary to fully leverage the advantages of the new-type nationwide system, accelerate breakthrough of key core technologies, strengthen integrated innovation and scientific and technological achievement transformation and application, and push forward to elevate commercial aerospace capabilities while driving down costs. It is also essential to strengthen risk prevention and control throughout the entire process, ensuring high-level security guarantees for the high-quality development of commercial spaceflight. 丁薛祥走进海南商业航天发射场，调研发射场规划建设和运行管理情况，与企业座谈，听取意见建议。丁薛祥指出，商业航天发展前景广阔，要充分发挥新型举国体制优势，加快关键核心技术攻关，强化集成创新和科技成果转化应用，推动商业航天能力提上去、成本降下来。加强全流程风险防控，以高水平安全保障商业航天高质量发展.
Page 2: There’s a report on Zhang Gouqing’s inspection of platform companies. Zhang visited several companies engaged in food delivery, online retail, live-streaming e-commerce, and transportation services.
Zhang “encouraged enterprises to balance economic value and social value, and better serve high-quality development and high-quality life. He stated that the platform economy is conducive to improving society-wide resource allocation efficiency and developing new quality productive forces. Platform enterprises are the key carriers of the platform economy, with strong social attributes and spillover effects. They should play a leading and driving role in promoting innovation, expanding consumption, and stabilizing employment, strengthen protection of rights for small and medium merchants and new employment form employees, practically safeguard consumers’ legitimate rights and interests, and improve the sense of gain and satisfaction for all platform participants. It is necessary to accelerate improvement of platform rules, algorithms, charging, live-streaming e-commerce and other related laws and regulations, promote openness and fairness of rules, guide algorithms towards goodness/to be ethical and beneficial to society (算法向上向善), ensure reasonable and transparent charges, and standardise live-streaming e-commerce in an orderly manner. It is necessary to resolutely rectify the problems of ‘involution-style’ competition with low quality and low prices, unreasonable delivery time limits, unreasonable charges and commissions, and severely crack down on counterfeiting, false propaganda, fictitious discounts, false price comparisons, and traffic speculation, constructing a good ecosystem for healthy platform economic development.” 张国清先后来到外卖送餐、网络零售、直播电商、交通出行等平台企业，详细了解企业商业模式、技术创新、合规经营等情况，鼓励企业坚持经济价值和社会价值并重，更好为高质量发展和高品质生活服务。他表示，平台经济有利于提高全社会资源配置效率、发展新质生产力。平台企业是平台经济的关键载体，具有很强的社会属性和溢出效应，要发挥在促创新、扩消费、稳就业等方面的引领带动作用，加强中小商户和新就业形态劳动者权益保障，切实维护消费者合法权益，提高平台参与各方的获得感、满意度。要加快完善平台规则、算法、收费、直播电商等相关法律法规，推动规则公开公平、算法向上向善、收费合理透明、直播电商规范有序。要坚决整治低质低价“内卷式”竞争、不合理设置配送时限、不合理收费抽佣等问题，严厉打击假冒伪劣、虚假宣传、虚构优惠、虚假比价、流量炒作等行为，构建平台经济健康发展的良好生态.
Apart from this, Zhang talked about market supervision. He said that “improving the governance capacity in the field of market supervision is an inevitable requirement and a strong guarantee for high-quality development. It is necessary to persist in routine oversight with strict enforcement in daily management and continuously enhance regular regulatory capabilities. It is essential to focus on the issues that impact the masses on product quality, standards, safety, etc., strengthen source governance, and improve long-term mechanisms. Especially in regard to food safety, it is essential to adhere to the ‘four stricts’, implement further requirements for strengthening food safety whole-chain supervision, enhance supervisory synergy across production, transportation, storage, and sales links, and guard the bottom line of safety. It is essential to comprehensively promote legal supervision, credit supervision, and intelligent supervision, rapidly establish a penetrative supervision platform that runs vertically and horizontally, enhance the capability to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner, continuously improve market supervision effectiveness, and better and more powerfully safeguard the interests of the masses.” 张国清强调，提升市场监管领域治理能力是高质量发展的必然要求和有力保障。要坚持抓在日常、严在平时，持续提升常态化监管能力。要聚焦产品质量、标准、安全等方面群众反映强烈的问题，强化源头治理，健全长效机制。尤其针对食品安全，要坚持“四个最严”，落实进一步强化食品安全全链条监管要求，增强产运储销各环节监管合力，守牢安全底线。要一体推进法治监管、信用监管、智慧监管，加快建立贯穿上下、联通左右的穿透式监管平台，增强及时发现问题、及时解决问题的能力，持续提升市场监管效能，更好更有力维护群众利益.
Second, there’s a report on Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong’s remarks at a mobilisation and deployment meeting for the special action to regulate enterprise-related law enforcement. Wang said that the “special action must be carried out solidly, focusing on eradicating prominent issues in enterprise-related law enforcement, improving an enforceable, inspectable, and traceable law enforcement supervision system, continuously optimising a law-based business environment, and better serving high-quality development.”
Page 3: There’s a report on Wang Yi’s meeting with Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel. Xinhua reports:
Wang “said that China and Portugal have a good tradition of mutual respect and support, and the two sides have properly settled the Macao issue with political wisdom, setting a good example of resolving issues left over from history through friendly consultation. Last year, China and Portugal jointly celebrated the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. Leaders of the two countries exchanged congratulatory messages and spoke highly of the successful development of bilateral relations, said Wang. Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU), Wang said that China is ready to work with Portugal to build a more stable, fruitful and dynamic China-Portugal relationship and make China and Europe strategic partners of mutual trust and achievements. Wang also said that Chinese-style modernization is one of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, which will provide greater opportunities for Portugal and other countries in the world. The two sides should actively expand cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, continue to give play to Macao’s role as a bridge, and push for greater development of bilateral relations.”
The PD report adds that: “Wang Yi pointed out that China attaches great importance to the unique role played by Portugal in the EU and on the international stage, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with Portugal. China regards Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world and is willing to promote the healthy development of China-EU relations.” 王毅指出，中国高度重视葡萄牙在欧盟及国际舞台上发挥的独特作用，愿同葡方加强协作。中方视欧洲为多极世界中的重要一极，愿推动中欧关系健康发展.
As per Xinhua, “Rangel said that he was glad to see the success of the practice of ‘one country, two systems’ in Macao. Portugal attaches great importance to Portugal-China relations and firmly adheres to the one-China policy. The Portuguese foreign minister said that Chinese investment has played an important role in Portugal’s economic and social development. Portugal welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of economy, trade, energy, health, finance, infrastructure and green transformation.”
Page 11: There’s a report informing that the newly-revised ‘Regulations on Creating a Model Zone for Ethnic Unity and Progress in the Tibet Autonomous Region’ was passed at the 14th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th People’s Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region on January 15, 2025, and formally went into effect on March 1.
“This marks the first revision of the regulations since they were implemented on May 1, 2020. The revised regulations consist of 7 chapters and 50 articles, providing specific guidelines on responsibilities and duties, social collaboration, propaganda and education, as well as safeguards and supervision. The revision focuses on stipulating that the creation of model areas should focus on promoting the ‘eight aspects’ of the construction of the Chinese nation community, clarifying the measures to promote the normalisation of propaganda and education on the awareness of the Chinese nation community, etc., which is conducive to improving the local ethnic legal system and promoting the modernisation of the ethnic affairs governance system and governance capabilities.” 这是该条例自2020年5月1日施行以来的首次修订，新修订的条例共7章50条，从职责任务、社会协同、宣传教育、保障监督等方面进行了具体规范。修订重点体现在规定了模范区创建要着力推进中华民族共同体建设“8个方面”重点任务，明确了推进铸牢中华民族共同体意识宣传教育常态化的举措等方面内容，有利于健全完善地方性民族法规体系，推进民族事务治理体系和治理能力现代化.
The timely revisions to the regulations are meant to codify the latest theoretical achievements and practical innovations into law, ensuring that wherever the Party’s ethnic theories and practices develop, legal safeguards for ethnic governance follow accordingly,” said Danzeng Lunzhu, chairman of the Ethnic, Religious, Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the 12th People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region. “适时修订条例就是把最新理论成果和实践创新经验以法规形式固定下来，确保党的民族理论和实践创新发展到哪里、民族法治保障就跟进到哪里。”西藏自治区第十二届人民代表大会民族宗教外事侨务委员会主任委员旦增伦珠说.