CPPCC's 75th Anniversary - State Council Discusses Retirement Age Reform-related Policies - C919 Lands in Lhasa - Zhong Sheng Lashes out at US Tariff Hike Proposal
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily’s edition on Friday, September 20, 2024.
Page 1: The top story on the page is an article marking the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPPCC.
It says that “practice has shown that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is a great achievement by the Communist Party of China in combining the Marxist-Leninist theories of the united front, party politics, and democratic political theory with the realities of China. It is a major innovation in the political system under which the CPC leads the democratic parties, non-affiliated individuals, mass organisations, and people from all ethnic groups and social sectors.” 实践表明，人民政协是中国共产党把马克思列宁主义统一战线理论、政党理论、民主政治理论同中国实际相结合的伟大成果，是中国共产党领导各民主党派、无党派人士、人民团体和各族各界人士在政治制度上进行的伟大创造.
Going ahead, the article calls to “take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the general outline for the work of the CPPCC, ensure the correct political direction of the development of the CPPCC’s cause, and consolidate the common ideological foundation for unity and struggle…thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on strengthening and improving the CPPCC's work, uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over the CPPCC, focus on the central tasks of the Party and the country in the new era and on the new journey, always plan and carry out work keeping in mind the overall situation of the work of the Party and the country, and constantly enhance the level of political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in state affairs.” 要把习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想作为统揽政协工作的总纲，确保人民政协事业发展的正确政治方向，夯实团结奋斗的共同思想根基。要深入学习贯彻习近平总书记关于加强和改进人民政协工作的重要思想，坚持和加强党对人民政协工作的全面领导，聚焦新时代新征程党和国家中心任务履职尽责，始终在党和国家工作大局下谋划和开展工作，提高政治协商、民主监督、参政议政水平.
The piece terms “consultative democracy” an “important form of whole-process people's democracy in practice” and a “unique advantage” of China’s “socialist democratic politics.” It also says that this system “plays a unique role in building consensus, optimising decision-making, coordinating relations, and maintaining stability, demonstrating great superiority and strong vitality.” 协商民主是实践全过程人民民主的重要形式，是党领导人民有效治理国家、保证人民当家作主的重要制度设计，中国共产党领导的多党合作和政治协商制度作为我国一项基本政治制度，是从中国土壤中生长出来的新型政党制度，在凝聚共识、优化决策、协调关系、维护稳定等方面发挥了独特作用，具有巨大的优越性和强大的生命力.
Linked to this is a long article talking about the development of the CPPCC’s work under Xi Jinping. I am not detailing this.
Moving on, there’s a report on a State Council meeting to mobilize efforts to carry out the reform of gradually raising the statutory retirement age. The report says that Li Qiang called for the “steady and orderly implementation” of this reform in order “to provide important support for advancing Chinese-style modernization.”
“Li Qiang pointed out that implementing the gradual reform of delaying the statutory retirement age is a major decision made by the Party Central Committee from the perspective of the overall situation of the Party and the country. It is an objective requirement to actively respond to population ageing and promote high-quality population development. It is a practical need to fully unleash the talent dividend and support Chinese-style modernization. It is also a significant measure to improve the social security system and better protect and improve people’s livelihoods. All regions and departments must raise their political awareness, align their thoughts and actions with the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, and work solidly to implement the reform, ensuring the achievement of the expected outcomes." 李强指出，实施渐进式延迟法定退休年龄改革，是党中央从党和国家事业全局出发作出的一项重大决策，是积极应对人口老龄化、促进人口高质量发展的客观要求，是充分释放人才红利、助力中国式现代化的现实需要，是健全社会保障体系、更好保障和改善民生的重大举措。各地区各部门要提高政治站位，把思想和行动统一到党中央的决策部署上来，扎实做好改革实施工作，确保实现预期效果.
Li added:
It is necessary to adhere to the principle of ‘voluntary participation and flexibility’ to implement the delayed retirement policy and ensure that the wishes of employees are truly reflected. It is necessary to accelerate the formulation and improvement of supporting policy measures. Policies that need to be directly linked to the reform plan should be introduced and implemented as early as possible. Policies that need to be adjusted due to changes in the statutory retirement age should be formulated and implemented as soon as possible after thorough evaluation. It is necessary to further increase policy support and work efforts to effectively address the real concerns of the people. We should take expanding employment as an important measure to support the advancement of reform, implement and improve employment policies for college graduates and other young people, and protect the rights and interests of workers. 要坚持按“自愿、弹性”原则执行好延迟退休政策，确保真实体现职工意愿。要抓紧制定完善配套政策举措，对需要与改革方案直接衔接的政策要尽可能早出台、早实施，对因法定退休年龄变化需要调整的政策要在充分评估后抓紧制定实施。要进一步加大政策支持和工作力度，有效解决群众的现实关切。把扩大就业作为支撑改革推进的重要举措来抓，落实和完善高校毕业生等青年就业政策，保障好劳动者权益.
Effectively strengthen old-age security and services, effectively implement policies to raise basic pensions for urban and rural residents and retirees, and enhance the coordination and adjustment of pension insurance at the national level. Expand local childcare services and reduce the burden of childbirth, upbringing, and education. 切实强化养老保障和服务，落实好提高城乡居民和退休人员基本养老金政策，加大养老保险全国统筹调剂力度。增加就近就便的托育服务，降低生育养育教育负担。
Next, there’s a report on Zhao Leji meeting with a delegation led by Kim Tae-nyeon, president of the Republic of Korea-China Parliamentarians’ Union. Xinhua says:
Zhao “said that the sound and steady development of the relations between China and ROK serves the common interests of both countries and is conducive to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity. Zhao said the two sides should adhere to good neighborliness and friendship, follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and push for sound and steady development of China-ROK relations. He called on the two sides to strengthen mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, jointly maintain the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, promote people-to-people exchanges, carry out more activities conducive to enhancing friendship between the two countries, and lay public support for the long-term development of China-ROK relations. The NPC of China is willing to continue to carry out various forms of dialogue and exchanges with the ROK National Assembly to promote the development of bilateral relations…”
Finally, there’s a report on Han Zheng attending the opening ceremony of the Commemoration of the International Day of Peace 2024 in Jinan. Xinhua says:
“Han noted that in the face of unprecedented global challenges, China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for humankind, along with the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, has injected confidence and momentum into advancing world peace, development and common prosperity. He called on all parties to follow the right direction of the historical trend and work together to build a strong synergy toward creating a community with a shared future for humankind. He also urged joint efforts to implement the three major global initiatives, pursue common development, adhere to peaceful coexistence, and foster exchanges and mutual learning. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and an important member of the ‘Global South’, China will actively promote an orderly, multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, Han said, noting that China will work with other countries to promote peace and development and build a better world.”
Page 3: There’s a report on Wang Yi’s schedule for his visit to the US to attend the UNGA. Wang will attend:
the UN Summit of the Future
the general debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly
events hosted by China, like events to promote the Global Development Initiative and enhance international cooperation on AI
Security Council High Level Open Debate, the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting and the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting
Also on the page is a brief report on Vice Premier Liu Guozhong meeting with visiting Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Bakyt Torobayev. Nothing particularly of note is said in the report.
Page 7: There’s a report on the launch of the 59th and 60th satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. These are the second batch of Medium Earth Orbit satellites after the completion of the BeiDou 3 Navigation Satellite System in 2020.
Another report informs that the C919 jet landed in Lhasa for the first time. This is part of the testing for the jet’s adaptability to ultra high-altitude airports and routes. China Daily has a detailed report. It says:
“the C919 plane will carry out research and development test flights of key systems for high-altitude operations, including environmental-control system, avionics and power units, as the company prepares the plane to meet the operational needs of ultra high-altitude routes and the R&D of the plateau variant in the future, COMAC said. So far, the C919, comparable with the narrow-body Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 series, has netted more than 1,000 orders from home and abroad.”
It adds: “Meanwhile, China’s first home developed regional passenger jet, the ARJ21, is close to finishing its month-long ultra high-altitude demonstration flights around the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau that will fully assess the adaptability of the model for ultra high-altitude airports and routes. The C919 and the ARJ21 gathered in Lhasa on Thursday. Since Aug 21, the ARJ21 aircraft started its demonstration flights around the plateau, using Chengdu, Sichuan province; Xining, Qinghai province; and Lhasa as operational bases. So far, the ARJ21 plane has completed flight tests on 25 routes for a combined total of 62 flight hours, covering 11 ultra high-altitude airports in China. In particular, the jet has flown to the world's highest civil airport four times, and fully verified its adaptability to ultra high-altitude operations.”
Also on the page is a report on the issuance of new technical standards for electric bicycles. This was issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology together with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Fire and Rescue Administration. The draft is open to public comments.
The report has some interesting points:
In 2023, there were 738 enterprises above a designated size in the power-assisted bicycle manufacturing industry, including electric bicycles, with an annual output of 42.28 million units, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%
Electric bicycles caused 18,000 fires in 2021, and the number increased to 25,000 in 2023, with an average annual growth of about 20%.
The draft focuses on the enhancement of fire-retardant features of e-bikes, calling for stricter flame resistance requirements for non-metallic materials to be used in electric bicycles. It also calls for limiting the use of plastic components.
The draft also proposes additional features such as real-time communication and Beidou satellite positioning so as to ensure e-bike’s safety through dynamic monitoring.
The top designed speed of e-bikes capped at 25 km per hour. The draft also relaxes the vehicle weight limit for lead-acid battery models from 55 kilograms to 63 kilograms
Page 14: There’s a Zhong Sheng commentary on the recent announcement by USTR following a statutory four-year review process on tariffs on Chinese imports. The USTR report said that:
“The Trade Representative is proposing modifying the actions by adding or increasing section 301 tariffs for certain products in strategic sectors. Many of the sectors are targeted by China for dominance or are sectors where the U.S. has recently made significant investments. These include:
Battery parts (non-lithium-ion batteries)
Electric vehicles
Facemasks
Lithium-ion electrical vehicle batteries
Lithium-ion non-electrical vehicle batteries
Medical gloves
Natural graphite
Other critical minerals
Permanent magnets
Semiconductors
Ship to shore cranes
Solar cells (whether or not assembled into modules)
Steel and aluminum products
Syringes and needles”
The Zhong Sheng commentary argues that “the United States has politicized, instrumentalized, and weaponized economic and trade issues, and has insisted on imposing tariffs, which is protectionism that goes against the trend of the times. The United States should immediately correct its wrong practices and cancel all tariffs imposed on China.”
It argues that section 301 tariffs are unpopular within the US. “The Office of the United States Trade Representative previously solicited public opinions on the results of the tariff review, and the majority of opinions opposed the imposition of tariffs or requested the expansion of tariff exemptions…Faced with many opinions opposing the imposition of tariffs, the Office of the United States Trade Representative postponed the announcement of new tariff measures on China twice, saying that it would continue to ‘review public opinions’. But facts have proved that the US government did not respect the opinions of the people, and insisted on raising the 301 tariffs on China out of domestic political compulsions. The US approach cannot achieve its declared goals; rather it will only backfire and weaken the competitiveness of American industries.” 美国政府无视本国民意诉求执意加征关税，不得人心。美国贸易代表办公室此前就关税复审结果征求公众意见，多数意见反对加征关税或要求扩大关税豁免范围...面对众多反对加征关税的意见，美国贸易代表办公室两度推迟宣布对华新加征关税措施，称将继续“审阅公众意见”。但事实证明，美国政府并没有尊重民众意见，而是一味出于国内政治需要，执意提高对华301关税。美方做法不可能实现其宣称的目标，只会反噬自身，削弱本国产业竞争力.
The author adds:
American tariff increases distort market rules and seriously damage the interests of the American people. The long list of tariff increases meets the needs of some US politicians to show strength to China, but it pushes up the prices of imported goods, with consumers bearing the cost of tariff increases. As per Moody’s estimates, US consumers bear 92% of the cost of tariff increases on China, and American families spend an additional $1,300 each year. Outdated protectionist policies are also not conducive to protecting the interests of American workers. According to statistics from the US-based Tax Foundation, the tariff increase on China has not only failed to solve the employment problem of American workers, but has led to the loss of 142,000 jobs in the United States. US medical equipment importers and others believe that the imposition of tariffs on medical products, such as syringes, will affect doctors’ access to high-quality tools and have a serious impact on American newborns and other vulnerable groups. 美方加征关税扭曲市场规则，严重损害美国民众利益。长长的加税清单满足了美国一些政客对华示强的需要，却推高了美国进口商品价格，让消费者承担了加征关税的成本。据穆迪公司推算，美国消费者承担了加征对华关税92%的成本，美国家庭每年因此增加开支1300美元。过时的保护主义政策也不利于保护美国工人的利益。据美国税务基金会统计，对华加征关税不但没有解决美国工人就业问题，反而导致美国流失14.2万个工作岗位。美国医疗设备进口商等认为，对注射器等医疗产品加征关税将影响医生获取优质工具，对美国新生儿和其他脆弱群体造成严重影响.