Chinese-style Modernisation - Foreign Trade Data - Xi's Governance of China - Education & Health Changes - Joint Construction of BRI
Here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy in the Thursday, September 8, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily.
Page 1: There are three stories about letters being sent. First, Xi Jinping’s letter (English report) to William Samoei Ruto on his election as Kenyan president. Second, Xi’s message (English report) to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Brazil's 200th anniversary of independence. Third, Li Keqiang’s message (English report) to Liz Truss to congratulate her on taking office as British prime minister.
The other top story on the page is a long feature article arguing for the promotion of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation via Chinese-style modernisation.” The story begins with Xi’s visit to Shantou in October 2020. It says that he went to a museum housing Sun Yat-sen’s 建国方略, and he thought about how Sun had a vision for China’s revitalisation. He stood there and thought about China’s development and how today “China’s modernisation has far exceeded Sun Yat-sen’s original vision. It is only us from the Communist Party of China who have realised it,” Xi said. 如今，高铁飞驰领先世界，公路纵横遍布城乡，世界大港十之有七，中国的现代化程度已远远超出孙中山当初的设想. “只有我们中国共产党人实现了。”习近平总书记感慨地说.
China’s modernisation path has been even more magnificent…Looking back at history and the world, General Secretary Xi Jinping was full of confidence and foresight. ‘There is no one-size-fits-all modernisation model or one-size-fits-all modernisation standard in the world. All nations that have successfully developed and revitalised are nations that have found a path that suits their own reality. The modernisation we are advancing is the socialist modernisation led by the Communist Party of China’.” 筚路蓝缕、栉风沐雨，中国的现代化之路更显壮阔。回望历史、放眼世界，习近平总书记的思考充满了自信与远见。“世界上既不存在定于一尊的现代化模式，也不存在放之四海而皆准的现代化标准。”“一切成功发展振兴的民族，都是找到了适合自己实际的道路的民族。”“我们推进的现代化，是中国共产党领导的社会主义现代化”.
The piece then talks about how Chinese-style modernisation enriches human civilisation with new forms of civilisation, i.e., political, ecological, etc. The second section of the article begins to talk about the policy orientation under Xi Jinping. It references reform and opening up, the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, strict Party governance, law-based governance and the goals of 2035 and 2049.
The next section talks about economic development and building a moderately prosperous society. After that, it talks about the shift to the new development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing. It also talks about Xi’s personal engagement in the development initiatives.
“Guided by the new development concept, China’s economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and overall national strength have reached a new level, and its GDP has exceeded 100 trillion yuan. China’s economy has embarked on a path of higher quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable and safer development.” 在新发展理念引领下，我国经济实力、科技实力、综合国力跃上新台阶，国内生产总值突破一百万亿元大关，我国经济迈上更高质量、更有效率、更加公平、更可持续、更为安全的发展之路.
The piece talks about poverty alleviation and Xi’s personal engagement with that effort. The next section talks about the “two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability,” which it says are “rare in the world.” It talks about how Chinese-style modernisation is a modernisation of a huge population. It adds: “In the face of unprecedented difficulties in human history, General Secretary Xi Jinping has provided an answer - adhering to a people-centred development philosophy.” 面对人类历史上前所未有的难题，习近平总书记给出了答案——坚持以人民为中心的发展思想.
It adds that Chinese-style modernisation is one of common prosperity. “Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Looking at the process of western modernisation, the gap between the rich and the poor has become an insurmountable stubborn malaise, and in recent years, the situation has been getting worse. China has always stressed that ‘the development we seek is for the benefit of the people, and the prosperity we seek is for the common prosperity of all the people’.” 共同富裕是中国特色社会主义的本质要求。纵观西方现代化进程，贫富分化是难以克服的顽疾，近年来还有愈演愈烈的趋势。中国始终强调，“我们追求的发展是造福人民的发展，我们追求的富裕是全体人民共同富裕”.
Chinese-style modernisation coordinates material and spiritual civilisation; it is modernisation in which man and nature exist in harmony; and it is modernisation based on the path of peaceful development.
“Unlike some Western countries, which violently plundered colonies and furthered their own modernisation at the expense of other countries’ backwardness, Chinese-style modernisation emphasises mutual benefit and win-win results with other countries in the world, promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and strives to contribute to human peace and development.” 与一些西方国家暴力掠夺殖民地、以其他国家落后为代价发展自身的现代化不同，中国式现代化强调同世界各国互利共赢，推动构建人类命运共同体，努力为人类和平与发展作出贡献. The piece references BRI to make the point.
Towards the end, the piece talks about the second centennial goal and says that: the blueprint has been drawn and the goal is ahead. We must run with the baton belonging to our generation in the historical process of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” 蓝图已经绘就，目标就在前方。我们要在实现中华民族伟大复兴的历史进程中跑好属于我们这代人的这一棒.
To do this, the article calls for uniting everyone in to a “hard piece of steel” and argues that “on the way forward, we should deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the four consciousness and four self-confidences, achieve the two safeguards, consciously be a firm believer and faithful practitioner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and resolutely implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the deployments and arrangements of the Party Central Committee in all our work.” 前进道路上，我们要深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，自觉做习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的坚定信仰者、忠实实践者，在各项工作中坚决贯彻落实习近平总书记重要指示精神和党中央决策部署.
Next, there’s a brief report on the publication of multilingual versions of Xi Jinping's discourses on respecting and protecting human rights. There are four versions: Chinese-Russian, Chinese-French, Chinese-Spanish and Chinese-Japanese.
Next, today’s story leading up to the 20th Party Congress is about the pursuit of innovation, with the Central Committee placing scientific and technological innovation at the core of the overall national development. Again, there’s no real data point to report in the piece — just folks reaffirming the key point that they will focus on the objectives outlined by the Central Committee.
Finally, a report from the Ministry of Education’s press conference; here is an English report on this. Some data from it
The total number of full-time teachers in China grew 26% from 14.629 million in 2012 to 18.44 million in 2021.
The number of primary school teachers with a bachelor's degree or above increased from 32.6% a decade ago to 70.3% last year.
To improve the quality of teachers, the central government has invested 5.3 billion yuan (about $764.1 million) in the implementation of the plan to improve the quality of vocational college teachers and established 100 national teacher training bases and 102 enterprise practice bases.
The number of supervisors for postgraduate students grew from 229,000 in 2012 to 424,000 in 2021, while supervisors for PhD candidates increased from 69,000 to 132,000.
The central government has allocated more than 25 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in extra subsidies to 1.3 million teachers in rural areas and another 26 billion yuan was invested by the central government in building dormitories for 830,000 rural teachers.
A special program has helped recruit 1.03 million teachers to rural schools in central and western regions, and another program has rehired 221,000 retired teachers to teach in rural and underdeveloped regions.
Cai Changhua, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, said since the 18th CPC National Congress, national government expenditure on education has accounted for more than 4 percent of GDP for 10 consecutive years.
Page 2: There’s a report based on the press conference by the National Health Commission on the changes in the country over the past decade. Key data points:
The report says that life expectancy in China has increased to 78.2 years from 74.8 years in the decade.
The subsidy standard for per capita basic public health services has been raised to 84 yuan.
There is greater provision of health services for patients with key diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis, and key groups such as children aged 0-6, pregnant women, and the elderly over 65.
The health literacy rate has increased to 25.4%, and the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical exercise has reached 37.2%.
The three-level network of medical and health services covering urban and rural areas has been continuously improved, and 90% of households can reach the nearest medical point within 15 minutes.
The number of varieties on the National Essential Medicines List has increased to 685.
The number of people participating in basic medical insurance exceeded 1.36 billion, and the proportion of people’s personal health expenditure as part of the total health expenditure has dropped to 27.7%.
Malaria has been eliminated, the goal of Hepatitis B control has been achieved, and the AIDS epidemic has been effectively controlled. The premature mortality rate of chronic diseases is lower than the global average.
A risk assessment system for public health emergencies has been established. A total of 59 national health emergency teams in 4 categories have been established nationwide.
Since 2012, the central government has supported the construction of 36,700 TCM centres. As of the end of 2020, 85.38% of community health service centres and 80.14% of township health centres across the country have set up TCM centres.
By the end of 2020, there were 0.66 general practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine per 10,000 residents
82.4% of community health service stations and 58.92% of village clinics were equipped with at least one TCM doctor
A total of 32 provincial-level bases and more than 1,820 county-level bases have been established for the promotion of TCM appropriate technologies
Page 3: Today, we have the second piece in the new BRI series. This one again talks about the “openness and inclusiveness” of BRI cooperation or that BRI is a “is a sunny road for everyone to move forward together, hand-in-hand, not a private path of one party.” 9年来的实践充分证明，“一带一路”是大家携手前进的阳光大道，不是某一方的私家小路.
“China’s promotion of BRI will not repeat the old format of geopolitical games, but will create a new model of win-win cooperation; instead of forming small groups that destabilise, it will build a big family of harmonious coexistence. At a time when some countries are practising unilateralism and protectionism and trying to create a ‘small circle/cliques’ that divides economic engagement, the openness and inclusiveness embodied in the joint construction of BRI is invaluable.” 中国推进“一带一路”建设不会重复地缘博弈的老套路，而将开创合作共赢的新模式；不会形成破坏稳定的小集团，而将建设和谐共存的大家庭。在个别国家大搞单边主义和保护主义、试图打造割裂经济联系的“小圈子”之际，共建“一带一路”所体现的开放包容胸怀弥足珍贵.
The piece says that joint construction of BRI reflects the wisdom of moving forward hand in hand and the responsibility of seeking common development.
There’s also a report on the foreign ministry’s spokesperson thanking Russia and other countries for expressing condolences in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake. This is basically from yesterday’s MoFA press briefing.
Finally, there’s a report based on the recent Fourth Forum of Science, Technology and Innovation of China-Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States. More than 20 leading science officials from the regions participated in the online meeting. During the forum, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with relevant scientific and technological departments of Latin American and Caribbean countries to accelerate the construction of the China-Latin America Sustainable Food Innovation Centre. Representatives from the Latin American side expressed their willingness to continue to deepen cooperation in areas such as clean energy, digital technology, agricultural science and technology, and satellite communications. China’s Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang spoke at the meeting.
Page 4: There’s another new series of 仲音 commentaries. This series will be about the concept of Chinese-style modernisation. It quotes Xi as having said that:
“‘On the basis of long-term exploration and practice since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially since reform and opening up, and through theoretical and practical breakthroughs made since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have successfully promoted and expanded Chinese-style modernization’.” This unprecedented, great initiative has solved many difficult problems of human social development, provided a brand-new choice for countries and nations in the world that wish to accelerate development while maintaining their independence, and offered a Chinese solution to mankind's search for a better social system.” 习近平总书记强调：“在新中国成立特别是改革开放以来的长期探索和实践基础上，经过党的十八大以来在理论和实践上的创新突破，我们成功推进和拓展了中国式现代化。”前无古人的伟大创举，破解了人类社会发展的诸多难题，给世界上那些既希望加快发展又希望保持自身独立性的国家和民族提供了全新选择，为人类对更好社会制度的探索提供了中国方案.
Later it adds:
“General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out: ‘Our Party has led the people to not only create the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, which are rare in the world, but also to successfully take the path of Chinese-style modernisation and create a new form of human civilisation’. From being divided and scattered to a high degree of unity and national solidarity, from being poor and weak to being well-off and prosperous, from being passive and bullied to being independent and self-confident, each of the miracles today shine through the annals of history, irrefutably proving that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the path to create a better life for the people and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” 习近平总书记深刻指出：“我们党领导人民不仅创造了世所罕见的经济快速发展和社会长期稳定两大奇迹，而且成功走出了中国式现代化道路，创造了人类文明新形态。”从四分五裂、一盘散沙到高度统一、民族团结，从积贫积弱、一穷二白到全面小康、繁荣富强，从被动挨打、饱受欺凌到独立自主、坚定自信，一个个彪炳史册的人间奇迹无可辩驳地证明：中国特色社会主义道路是创造人民美好生活、实现中华民族伟大复兴的康庄大道.
Next, it says:
“The path determines destiny. Any country or a nation can achieve its development goals only if it finds a path that suits its conditions. It has been more than 200 years since the emergence of ‘modernisation’ in the middle of the 18th century. So far, more than 30 countries and around 1 billion people have entered the ranks being developed, with their path becoming the only path for different peoples, regions and countries to move towards civilisation. When Western countries became the first to board the modernisation train and when the Western powers opened the door to the ‘rest of the world’ with their powerful ships and cannons, the myth that ‘modernisation is Westernisation’ began to loom large all over the world. However, history has repeatedly proved that no nation or country can achieve strength and revitalisation by relying on external forces, copying foreign models, and following the footsteps of others. If they do so, they will either suffer failure or become vassals of others. The path of socialist modernisation pioneered by China has brought scientific socialism to life in China, putting an end to the ‘end of history’ and revealing new possibilities with regard to modernisation, giving more countries the confidence and courage to explore their own independent paths to modernisation, learning from their realities.” 道路决定命运。一个国家，一个民族，只有找到适合自己条件的道路，才能实现自己的发展目标。“现代化”从18世纪中叶出现以来，已经有200多年，迄今让30多个国家、约10亿人步入发达国家的行列，成为不同民族、不同地区、不同国家走向文明的必由之路。而当西方国家率先登上现代化列车，当西方列强用坚船利炮打开“其余世界”的大门，所谓“现代化就是西方化”的迷思，就开始笼罩在地球上空。然而历史反复证明，没有一个民族、一个国家可以通过依赖外部力量、照搬外国模式、跟在他人后面亦步亦趋实现强大和振兴。那样做的结果，不是必然遭遇失败，就是必然成为他人的附庸。中国开创的社会主义现代化道路，让科学社会主义在中国焕发勃勃生机，在终结了“历史终结论”的同时，展现了实现现代化的全新可能，给了更多国家自主探索现代化道路以信心勇气和现实借鉴。
Page 7: Two stories to note. First, a report (related English report) informing that the China Enterprise Confederation (CEC) and China Enterprise Directors Association (CEDA) on Tuesday published the list of China's top 500 companies in 2021, with the threshold for entry reaching 44.625 billion yuan in business revenue in fiscal 2021. The report found that:
“Total revenues of the top 500 companies in 2021 exceeded the 100-trillion-yuan mark for the first time, reaching 102.48 trillion yuan, up 14.08 percent from the previous year, the biggest increase in nearly a decade. The total operating revenue of China's top 500 companies in 2021 made up 97.74 percent of that of US' top 500, while their assets accounted for 106.46 percent of US' top 500.”
Second, a report on foreign trade this year. It says that:
From January to August, exports and imports up 10.1 percent year on year. In the first eight months of this year, the country's total imports and exports rose to 27.3 trillion yuan ($3.91 trillion).
Exports grew 14.2 percent year on year to 15.48 trillion yuan and imports increased by 5.2 percent to 11.82 trillion yuan. Meanwhile, China's trade surplus jumped 58.2 percent to 3.66 trillion yuan, official data showed.
In the first eight months, the total value of trade with ASEAN was 4.09 trillion yuan, an increase of 14%; the total value of trade with the EU was 3.75 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.5%; the value of Sino-US trade was 3.35 trillion yuan, an increase of 10.1%.
During the same period, China’s total trade with BRI countries was 8.77 trillion yuan, an increase of 20.2%.
In the first eight months, foreign trade of private enterprises was 13.68 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.9%, accounting for 50.1% of China's total foreign trade value, an increase of 2.1 percentage points over the same period last year.
In the first 8 months, China’s export of mechanical and electrical products was 8.75 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.8%, accounting for 56.5% of the total export value.
In the same period, the export of labour-intensive products was 2.81 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.1%, accounting for 18.1%.
Page 9: On the theory page, there’s another long article talking about the fourth book in the Governance of China series of books. It says that the book “profound summary and scientific grasp of the Party’s historical experience.”
It adds that “among the 21 topics in the book, the first one is ‘mastering the historical initiative and better adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era’; other topics and related articles also reflect in-depth thinking and incisive elaboration on grasping and applying the Party’s historical experience from different aspects. It is very important for us to carefully study the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and to deeply understand the important expositions of of General Secretary Xi Jinping, so that we can better grasp and apply the historical experience of the Party’s century-long struggle, view clearly why we were able to succeed in the past and understand how we can continue to succeed in the future, so that we can more firmly and consciously implement our original mission on the new journey and better adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.” 《习近平谈治国理政》第四卷，自始至终贯穿着对党的历史经验的深刻总结和科学把握。全书21个专题中，打头的就是“掌握历史主动，在新时代更好坚持和发展中国特色社会主义”；其他各个专题和相关文章，也都从不同方面体现了对把握和运用党的历史经验的深入思考和精辟阐述。认真学习《习近平谈治国理政》第四卷，深入领会习近平总书记有关重要论述，对于我们更好把握和运用党的百年奋斗历史经验，看清楚过去我们为什么能够成功、弄明白未来我们怎样才能继续成功，从而在新的征程上更加坚定自觉地践行初心使命，在新时代更好坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，具有十分重要的意义.
– Sigh, if only my book had such marketing :)
The first section basically talks about history being the best textbook. There’s a quote from Mao on the importance of doing better by clarifying the historical path taken and from Deng about learning from the experience of mistakes and failures. It adds that “at important historical moments and junctures, our Party must review history, sum up experience, and draw wisdom and strength for progress from history.” 每当重要历史时刻和重大关头，我们党都要回顾历史、总结经验，从历史中汲取前进的智慧和力量.
“Since the 18th Party Congress, wherever he has travelled, General Secretary Xi Jinping has paid tribute to revolutionary shrines, red old sites, and revolutionary memorial sites of great historical significance to the Party. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally planned and deployed the study and learning of Party history and made a series of important expositions. He personally presided over the drafting of the Party’s third historical resolution, which comprehensively summarises the Party’s major achievements and historical experience. This resolution is of great practical significance and far-reaching historical significance in order to ensure the further unification of thought, will, and action, and to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in the country to win a new great victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.” 党的十八大以来，习近平总书记每到一个地方考察，都要瞻仰对党具有重大历史意义的革命圣地、红色旧址、革命历史纪念场所。在党成立一百周年之际，习近平总书记亲自谋划部署党史学习教育并作出一系列重要论述，亲自主持党的第三个历史决议起草工作，全面总结党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验，对推动全党进一步统一思想、统一意志、统一行动，团结带领全国各族人民夺取新时代中国特色社会主义新的伟大胜利，具有重大现实意义和深远历史意义.
It adds that the fourth volume of Xi’s book informs that “the more comprehensive the understanding of the historical process, the more profound the grasp of the laws of history, the richer the Party's historical wisdom, the more active the mastery of the future.”
The second section says that Xi has “adhered to the position, viewpoint and method of historical materialism, and applied the materialistic view of history to the understanding and grasping Party history, innovatively putting forward the major assertion that one must ‘establish a correct view of Party history’. This clearly answers a series of directional, fundamental, and principle questions, such as how to learn Party history, how to understand Party history, and how to use Party history.” 党的十八大以来，习近平总书记坚持历史唯物主义立场、观点、方法，并将唯物史观运用于对党的历史的认识与把握，创新性地提出“树立正确党史观”的重大论断，鲜明回答了怎么学党史、怎么看党史、怎么用党史等一系列方向性、根本性、原则性问题.
It adds that the fourth volume reveals “that in order for a country to become prosperous and strong and for a nation to rejuvenate, it must advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times. Only by adhering to and applying the materialist view of history and approaching Party history from the correct perspective can we eliminate all kinds of noise and interference, consolidating the common ideological basis for the unity and struggle of the whole Party and the whole people; only then can we continue to deepen our understanding of the law of Communist Party rule, the law of socialist construction, the law of human social development, and open up new horizons for the development of the Party and the people. We must firmly establish a materialistic view of history and the correct view of Party history, the suffering and glorious past, the ever-changing present, the bright and grand future, stay in course along the right direction amid the clouds of turbulence, and create a great historical cause that belongs to our generation.” 《习近平谈治国理政》第四卷启示我们，国家要富强、民族要振兴，就必须在历史前进的逻辑中前进、在时代发展的潮流中发展。只有坚持和运用唯物史观，用正确党史观对待党的历史，才能排除各种杂音噪音干扰，巩固全党全国人民团结奋斗的共同思想基础；才能不断深化对共产党执政规律、社会主义建设规律、人类社会发展规律的认识，开辟党和人民事业发展新境界。我们要牢固树立唯物史观和正确党史观，把苦难辉煌的过去、日新月异的现在、光明宏大的未来贯通起来，在乱云飞渡中把牢正确方向，开创属于我们这一代人的历史伟业.
The next section talks about the 10 persistences from the third history resolution. The final section calls for firmly defending the Two Establishments and resolutely achieving the two safeguards. It calls for basing China’s development on the new development stage, implementing new development concept, building a new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development. It calls for boosting the spirit and ability for struggle; and to turn the blade inward and be brave in self-revolution.
Page 12: A report informing that Shen Deyong, a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, has been expelled from the CPC and dismissed from public office over severe violations of Party discipline and laws. Xinhua reported:
“Shen's activities have gravely breached Party discipline and constituted significant violations of duty-related laws. Shen is also suspected of the criminal offense of accepting bribes. In line with Party regulations and laws, a decision was made to expel Shen from the Party, remove him from public office, terminate his qualification as a delegate to the 19th CPC National Congress, and confiscate his illicit gains. Shen's case will be referred to the procuratorate for criminal investigation and prosecution.”
Another report informing us that in the first half of 2022, the national discipline inspection and supervision system has filed nearly 1,200 cases against discipline inspection and supervision cadres, and punished more than 1,100 people.
Page 17: The lead report draws from polling in the US around Americans’ concerns about crime and violence in the US. In a nutshell, the piece argues:
“In recent years, the social security situation in the United States has continued to deteriorate, and the public’s sense of security has continued to decline. Some experts have pointed out that the deteriorating social security in the United States has institutional roots. The American media believes that the US government has turned a blind eye to the root causes of racial discrimination, weak economic development, and the increasingly high medical and financial pressures that people face, and has completely ignored the fundamental reasons behind the proliferation of violent crimes.” 近年来，美国的社会治安形势不断恶化，民众安全感持续下降。有专家指出，美国社会治安每况愈下存在制度根源。美国媒体认为，美国政府对种族歧视、经济发展乏力、民众日益沉重的医疗财务压力等根本原因视而不见，完全忽视了导致暴力犯罪泛滥的根本症结.
Of course, a key reason behind all of this is because the system puts the interests of capital over those of the people, the piece claims.