Ding Xuexiang on Employment Challenges - Wang Yi Meets Jake Sullivan - Pushing Back Against the 'Rules-based Order' - US 'Obstructing Mideast's Tide of Reconciliation' Song Tao Meets KMT Vice Chair
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily’s edition on Friday, May 12, 2023.
Page 1: At the top of the page is a brief report on Xi Jinping writing a letter to DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, expressing condolences over the heavy rains in the country, leading to casualties.
Another top story is Xi’s letter responding to a PLAN submarine crew (English report), “urging them to continuously improve their ability to fulfill missions and tasks, and strive to become an elite force with overall competency.” The report informs that in 2013, Xi had visited the submarine crew. The report says that in his letter, Xi called on them “to make greater contributions to achieve the goals set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army in 2027.”
Next, there’s a long feature on Xi’s three trips to Xiong’an New Area over the years. I didn’t find this particularly interesting. And there’s a report on the enthusiastic responses to Xi’s speech during his recent visit to Xiong’an New Area. While on the issue of Xiong’an, I listened to this Sinica podcast episode with Andrew Stokols on the way to work today. Highly recommend it.
Moving on, there’s a report with comments from Ding Xuexiang during a teleconference discussing youth employment and entrepreneurship. Ding said that this is an issue that the “Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance” to.
“It is necessary to closely combine the study and implementation of the thematic education campaign on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and do a good job of employment and entrepreneurship of college graduates, effectively translate the results of learning and research into practical actions, and do this important work well to ensure satisfactory results for the Party and the people.” 要把学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想主题教育同做好高校毕业生就业创业工作紧密结合起来，切实把学习、调研成果转化为实际行动，扎实做好这项重要工作，确保取得让党和人民满意的成效.
He emphasised that the “employment first policy must be fully implemented, and relevant policies and measures to stabilise employment must be implemented promptly, with emphasis on precision and practical results.” He called for developing “market-oriented employment channels” and implementing a package of policies including “social insurance subsidies, employment subsidies, vocational training subsidies” in order to “stimulate the enthusiasm of enterprises to employ people.” “For graduates who are willing to start businesses, implement the policy of entrepreneurship guarantee loans and interest discounts.” He added that it is important to “ensure that the number of college graduates hired by central enterprises and state-owned enterprises is not less than last year.” He further called for opening up positions for college graduates to be hired at grassroots levels, by offering various preferential policies. He called for supporting graduates to work in urban and rural communities. 丁薛祥强调，要全面落实就业优先政策，有关稳就业政策措施要抓紧实施，讲求精准、讲求实效。大力开拓市场化就业渠道，一揽子兑现社会保险补贴、吸纳就业补贴、职业培训补贴等政策，激发企业用人积极性。对有创业意愿的毕业生，落实好创业担保贷款及贴息政策。用足用好各类政策性岗位，稳住各级各类事业单位招聘规模，确保央企国企接收高校毕业生人数不低于去年。实施好基层就业项目，稳定扩大“特岗计划”、“三支一扶”、“西部计划”等招募规模，落实各类优惠政策。引导高校毕业生到城乡社区就业，结合实际进一步完善城乡社区就业的政策保障.
He called for greater support for families that have escaped poverty, low-income families, zero-employment families, families with individuals who have disabilities and other groups of graduates facing difficulties. He talked about the need to crack down on false recruitment and other illegal acts and to prevent and correct employment discrimination. 加强对脱贫家庭、低保家庭、零就业家庭、残疾等困难毕业生群体的兜底帮扶，各高校要落实帮扶责任制，毕业生户籍地、常住地、学籍地政府部门要协同配合。依法规范市场招聘秩序，严厉打击虚假招聘等违法行为，防范、纠正就业歧视。注重缓解就业结构性矛盾，引导高校调整优化学科专业.
Just a reminder about why all this matters: In Q1, the surveyed unemployment rate for the 16-24 age-group was 19.6 percent.
Page 2: There’s a report informing that China’s yuan-denominated loans rose by 718.8 billion yuan ($104.02 billion) in April, an increase of 64.9 billion yuan year-on-year. The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, climbed 12.4 percent year-on-year to 280.85 trillion yuan at the end of April. The growth rate was 0.3 percentage points lower than it was at the end of March, but 1.9 percentage points higher than at the end of April last year.
Reuters’ report helps put some of this in context.
“Chinese banks extended 718.8 billion yuan ($103.99 billion) in new yuan loans in April, less than a fifth of March's tally and just over half of the amount expected by analysts, data from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) showed on Thursday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast new yuan loans would fall to 1.4 trillion yuan in April, versus 3.89 trillion yuan in March, though the total was higher than 645.4 billion yuan a year earlier when the economy was rocked by COVID lockdowns. "China's credit data came in well below estimates, reinforcing the concerns over the sustainability of a post-COVID recovery," said Zhou Hao, economist at Guotai Junan International. ‘Both aggregate financing and new loans were only half of the market expectations, suggesting that the first wave of post-COVID recovery has more or less faded’.”
“Household loans, mostly mortgages, contracted by 241.1 billion yuan in April, compared with 1.24 trillion yuan in March, while corporate loans slid to 683.9 billion yuan last month from 2.7 trillion yuan in March. "The weakness of lending to households – primarily mortgages – tallies with daily data suggesting that the recovery in property sales has at least partially reversed," Capital Economics said in a note to clients. "The implication is that credit demand is faltering, which suggests we shouldn’t have high hopes for domestic demand later in the year. Broad M2 money supply grew 12.4% in April from a year earlier, central bank data showed, falling short of the Reuters poll estimate of 12.5%. M2 rose 12.7% in March. Outstanding yuan loans grew 11.8% in April from a year earlier compared with 11.8% growth the previous month. Analysts had predicted 12% growth.”
Next, there’s a report with comments from the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission Chen Wenqing, during a ceremony commending 33 collectives and 10 individuals as political and legal affairs role models in the new era. Chen “stressed the need to adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, firmly support the Two Establishments resolutely achieve the two safeguards, vigorously promote the excellent spiritual quality of political and legal models, go ahead and set an example in forging the political and legal iron army in the new era, and faithfully perform the duties and missions entrusted by the Party and the people.” 他强调，要坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，坚定拥护“两个确立”、坚决做到“两个维护”，深入学习、大力弘扬政法楷模的优秀精神品质，在锻造新时代政法铁军中走在前、作表率，忠诚履行好党和人民赋予的职责使命.
He then called on political and legal affairs cadres to closely study and implement Xi’s thought thematic education campaign, “take the commended models as examples, learn to carry forward the political character loyal to the Party, the mission of serving the overall situation, the value pursuit of abiding by the rule of law, and the feelings of being public servants for the people…” 党委政法委干部要紧密结合学习贯彻新时代中国特色社会主义思想主题教育，以受到表彰的楷模为榜样，学习弘扬对党忠诚的政治品格、服务大局的使命担当、恪守法治的价值追求、心系人民的公仆情怀，奋力谱写新时代新征程政法工作新篇章，努力为强国建设、民族复兴作出新的更大贡献.
Page 3: There’s a brief report (English report) on Wang Yi’s meeting with US NSA Jake Sullivan. The report says that the two sides held “candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive discussions on bilateral ties.” Four key points in the Chinese readout of the talks:
The two sides held discussions on removing obstacles in China-U.S. relations and stabilizing the relationship from deterioration.
Wang fully expounded China's solemn position on the Taiwan question.
The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine and other international and regional issues of common interest.
Both sides agreed to continue to make good use of this strategic communication channel.
The US readout says:
“The two sides had candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on key issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and cross-Strait issues, among other topics. This meeting was part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition. The two sides agreed to maintain this important strategic channel of communication to advance these objectives, building on the engagement between President Biden and President Xi in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022.”
Comment: Clearly, there are now tentative steps to resume dialogue at different levels. For instance, recall that the report on Qin Gang’s meeting with Ambassador Burns had ended with this “Qin expressed the hope that Ambassador Burns will have more contacts, more exchanges and more reflection in China, and make constructive efforts to serve as a bridge between China and the United States.” Yesterday, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with the US Ambassador. Global Times reported that “Wang and Burns exchanged views on economic and trade relations between China and the US, as well as economic and trade issues of respective concern.” One has to wait and see how this dialogue process develops. It’s worth keeping in mind that fundamental and structural challenges persist. For instance, the Financial Times reports:
“China has told the US there is little chance of a meeting between the countries’ defence ministers at a security forum in Singapore due to a dispute over sanctions, the latest obstacle to top-level dialogue between the two powers. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin wants to meet Li Shangfu, China’s new defence minister, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore in June. However, arranging such a meeting is fraught with difficulty because Li was placed under sanctions by the US in 2018 in relation to Chinese imports of Russian arms when he was serving as a general. The US has told China that the sanctions do not prevent Austin from meeting Li in a third country. But several people said it would be almost impossible for China to agree to a meeting while they remain in place. Li became defence minister in March. There was no prospect of the Biden administration removing the sanctions, some of the people said. The White House declined to comment.”
An expression of these differences can also be found in the 寰宇平 commentary in the paper today. It argues that
“Recently, in order to build momentum for the upcoming G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, some people in the United States have stepped up their advocacy of maintaining the so-called ‘rules-based international order.’ This rhetoric is not new. The so-called ‘rules-based international order’ is actually a cover that the United States is using more and more frequently when it draws up camps internationally and seeks to put pressure on other countries. The United States is trying to impose its own will and standards on others, and replace generally accepted international laws with its own ‘family rules and regulations’ that it has created within a small circle of allies. The essence of this is hegemonism and power politics. The international community has long recognised how harmful this is. 近来，美国一些人为了给即将在日本广岛举行的七国集团峰会造势，升高了鼓吹所谓维护“基于规则的国际秩序”的调门。这套话术并不新鲜，所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”实际上是美国在国际上强划阵营、向别国施压时越来越频繁使用的幌子。美国试图把自己的意志和标准强加于人，用自身在盟友小圈子里打造的“家法帮规”取代国际社会普遍接受的国际法则，其实质是霸权主义和强权政治，国际社会对其危害性早有认识.
The first section of the article says that after WWII, “for more than 70 years, the international community has recognised that there is only one system in the world, that is, the international system with the UN as its core; there is only one order, that is, the international order based on international law; there is only one set of rules, that is, the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The so-called ‘rules-based international order’ that the US is referring to has nothing to do with the international order recognized by the international community. There is no such statement in the Charter of the United Nations, and there is no such concept in the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. The ‘rules-based international order’ has not been recognized by the international community, and at most, it only circulates in a small circle comprising the US and some of its allies. So far, the ‘rules-based international order’ has not been accurately defined. The answers of the US are full of arbitrariness and selectivity on key issues, such as who makes the rules, what kind of rules, how to abide by the rules, and what kind of order to maintain. People around the world have pointed out that what American politicians call a ‘rules-based international order’ can neither be found in the international law formed after World War II, nor does it have any specific connotation. Rather, it is just a ‘vague phrase’. 70多年来，国际社会公认，世界只有一个体系，就是以联合国为核心的国际体系；只有一个秩序，就是以国际法为基础的国际秩序；只有一套规则，就是以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为基础的国际关系基本准则。美国所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”与国际社会公认的国际秩序没有丝毫关系。联合国宪章里没有这个说法，联大和安理会决议里也没有这个概念。“基于规则的国际秩序”没有得到国际社会的认可，至多只是在美国及其部分盟友组成的小圈子中流通。“基于规则的国际秩序”迄今也没有准确定义，关于谁制定规则、制定什么样的规则、如何遵守规则、维护什么样的秩序等关键问题，美国的回答充满了随意性和选择性。国际人士指出，美国政客口中“基于规则的国际秩序”，既不能在二战后形成的国际法中找到身影，也没有任何具体内涵，不过是一个“模糊的名词”。
The US has fashioned the idea of the so-called ‘rule-based international order’ with the purpose of interpreting and applying international law at will and monopolising the right to define international rules and international order. The less specific the ‘order’ and ‘rules’, the greater the discretion of the US. Any behaviour of any country that impinges on the hegemonic interests of the US can be labelled as ‘violating rules’ and ‘disrupting order’. American columnist Peter Beinart pointed out that ‘since the ‘rules-based order’ is never adequately defined, America’s claim to uphold it can never be disproved.’ 美国包装出所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”，目的是随意解释和适用国际法，垄断国际规则、国际秩序的定义权。“秩序”“规则”越不具体，美国的自由裁量权就越大。任何国家的任何行为只要触及了美国的霸权利益，都可以被贴上“违反规则”“破坏秩序”的标签。美国专栏作家彼得·贝纳特指出，正因为“基于规则的国际秩序”从未得到充分定义，“美国维护这一秩序的主张，也永远无法被证伪”.
If the US really wants to maintain the international order, it doesn't need to advocate for the so-called ‘rules-based international order’; it only needs to uphold the international system with the UN as the core and the international order based on international law. The US should pay its arrears of dues and peacekeeping assessments to the UN as soon as possible, ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women as soon as possible, stop exclusively blocking the negotiation of the verification protocol of the Biological Weapons Convention, stop refusing to implement the judgements of the International Court of Justice, and stop violating the rules of the World Trade Organization time and again ... For the longest time, the US has been self-centred; it complies with international rules when they suit its interests and abandons them when they don't; it enters international institutions when they suit the US and exits when they don’t, thereby undermining the international order in the name of maintaining international order. Its real intention is to set up a set of American-style ‘family laws and regulations’ apart from the existing recognized international system and international order to serve its own hegemonic interests. 美国如果真心想维护国际秩序，完全不必费力鼓吹所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”，只需把维护以联合国为核心的国际体系、以国际法为基础的国际秩序落到实处。美国应尽快把拖欠联合国的会费以及维和摊款欠款缴清，尽快批准联合国《儿童权利公约》和《消除对妇女一切形式歧视公约》，停止独家阻挡联合国《禁止生物武器公约》核查议定书谈判，停止拒不执行国际法院的判决，停止一而再、再而三违反世界贸易组织规则……美国长期以来唯我独尊，对国际规则合则用、不合则弃，对国际组织合则进入、不合则退出，打着维护国际秩序之名行破坏国际秩序之实，真实意图就是在现有公认的国际体系、国际秩序之外另搞一套美式“家法帮规”，服务自身霸权利益.
The second part of the article doubles down on the argument that the idea of the rules-based international order is rooted in American hegemony. In this section, the article quotes work done by Paul Poast, from the University of Chicago. It says that Poast has shown that the phrase the “rules-based international order began to emerge in the 1990s and was increasingly used by the US government after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. The US sells a rules-based international order that is basically in sync with the continuous expansion of US hegemony after the Cold War.” 据美国芝加哥大学学者保罗·波斯特的研究，“基于规则的国际秩序”从20世纪90年代开始出现，2003年美国入侵伊拉克后越来越多地被美国政府使用。美国贩卖“基于规则的国际秩序”，与冷战后美国霸权不断扩张同步.
The next paragraph says that while the phrase rules-based international order includes terms like ‘rules’ and ‘order’, there is an inherent double standard. The US’ fight against violent extremism and terrorist forces is termed as counter-terrorism, but this becomes a human rights issue when it comes to other countries. What is necessary in the United States is an ‘assault on/infringement of democracy and freedom’ in other countries; similarly, supporting international exchanges is a matter of course for the US, but it becomes ‘propaganda infiltration’ when other countries do so...this double standard is exactly what the American historian Alfred McCoy said: ‘You must abide by international laws unless you are America’.” 美国所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”虽然顶着“规则”“秩序”之名，但常常有两副面孔、两套标准。同样是打击极端暴恐势力，在美国是反恐，在其他国家就成了人权问题；同样是维护国家安全，在美国是必要之举，在其他国家就成了“侵犯民主自由”；同样是支持国际交流，在美国天经地义，在其他国家就成了“搞宣传渗透”……这种双重标准正应了美国历史学家阿尔弗雷德·麦科伊的话：“必须遵守国际法，除非你是美国.”
The section adds: The so-called rules-based international order is a tool used by the US to win over allies and create camp confrontation. The US is obsessed with containing and suppressing its chosen ‘imaginary enemy’, and all countries it defines as ‘competitors’ are labelled as so-called ‘rule breakers’ and ‘order subverters’ without exception…” 所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”还是美国拉拢盟友、制造阵营对立的工具。美国执迷于遏制打压其选定的“假想敌”，但凡被其定义为“竞争对手”的国家，无一例外都被贴上了所谓“规则破坏者”“秩序颠覆者”的标签。美国频繁以“基于规则的国际秩序”之名在世界上生乱，让国际社会看得越来越清楚：在所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”包装之下，藏着一颗美国利益至上的霸权之心；美国以所谓“基于规则的国际秩序”为幌子，拉帮结派搞集团政治，才是当前国际秩序稳定面临的主要威胁.
The final section says that the US must realise that the world does not need a “values alliance”; rather “what it needs is mutual respect among countries with different ideologies, values and levels of development, and real unity and cooperation on the basis of observing the UN Charter and international law to jointly meet global challenges. At present, the international community’s call for justice and against hegemony is growing stronger. This is fully reflected by the increasing awareness of the importance of maintaining strategic autonomy among developing countries, their more active voice in maintaining international order, their emphasis on returning to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and their advocacy of maintaining true multilateralism.” 美国应尽早认清，世界不需要由一个国家发号施令，也不需要“价值观同盟”，需要的是不同意识形态、不同价值观、不同发展水平的国家相互尊重，在遵守联合国宪章和国际法的基础上实现真正的团结合作，共同应对全球性挑战。当前，国际社会要公道、不要霸道的呼声更加强烈。广大发展中国家战略自主意识不断提升，在维护国际秩序问题上更加积极主动发声，强调回归联合国宪章宗旨和原则，主张维护真正的多边主义，就充分反映了这一点.
It argues that China is a “defender of the international order” and the US narrative of labelling it as a “challenger” of the order has not impacted the “objective judgement of the international community.”
“At present, the balance of international power is undergoing profound changes, and the international system and international order are undergoing profound adjustments. Opposing the hegemonic behaviour of ‘might is right’, transcending the old thinking of camp opposition, jointly safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and adhering to the golden rules of state-to-state exchanges such as sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are not only China's ideas, but also the common aspirations of the overwhelming majority of members of the international community. Only by fully recognizing this point can one really play a constructive role in maintaining the stability of the international order.” 当前，国际力量对比深刻演变，国际体系和国际秩序深度调整。反对“强权即公理”的霸权行径，超越阵营对立的陈旧思维，共同维护联合国宪章宗旨和原则，坚守主权平等、不干涉内政等国与国交往的黄金法则，这不仅是中国的主张，也是国际社会绝大多数成员的共同诉求。只有充分认识到这一点，才能真正为维护国际秩序稳定发挥建设性作用。
Next, there’s a brief report (English report) on comments by Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong during the Pakistan-hosted Islamabad Security Dialogue 2023. Wang pitched for GSI. He said that “China is ready to work with all parties to uphold mutual respect, fairness and justice, win-win cooperation and a holistic approach, so as to make Asia more peaceful, secure and prosperous.”
Next, there’s a report on Qin Gang’s meeting with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna. I’ll do a brief on all the key reports.
First, Xinhua reported:
“During French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart have agreed to take the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties as an opportunity to resume exchanges and cooperation across the board in such areas as culture, education, science and technology, so as to lift the bilateral relationship to a new level, Qin said. He called on the two sides to follow through on the consensus reached by the two heads of state, make good use of the high-level people-to-people exchange mechanism, further deepen people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and enhance mutual understanding between their people. Qin suggested the two sides focus on promoting cooperation in such fields as sports, education, language, and science and innovation, and tourism. Facing the changes and turbulence in the international landscape, the two countries should also help remove barriers and bias between different cultures and civilizations; that's President Xi's original intention of proposing the Global Civilization Initiative, Qin added.”
“As next year will mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to be held, Colonna said, her country is ready to work with China to plan celebrations for the anniversary, and push for greater development of bilateral cooperation in tourism, sports and other fields. France and China, both boasting a long history and a splendid culture, should strengthen cultural exchanges, including cooperating on aspects such as cultural heritage, cultural tourism, education and language, she added.”
Another report on their talks has Qin saying:
“The two sides should keep close high-level exchanges, expand exchanges at all levels and continuously explore new areas of cooperation. Both sides should open markets wider to each other and build a more resilient China-France supply chain. The two sides should strengthen cooperation in international affairs and join hands to meet global challenges. China’s resolve to promote high-quality development and high-standard opening up is unwavering, and China stands ready to work with France and other countries to make the pie of cooperation bigger and share development opportunities. Qin Gang said that China has always regarded Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner, consistently and unequivocally supported Europe in strengthening its strategic autonomy and playing an active role in the international arena, and advocates that the China-Europe relationship is not targeted at any third party, nor is it subjugated to or controlled by any third party. China, France and the EU should pursue win-win cooperation by expanding two-way opening up and build a more stable China-EU supply chain partnership of mutual trust.”
As per this readout, Colonna said “that the two sides fully restart cooperation mechanisms in various fields and strengthen cooperation in such areas as climate change, biodiversity and energy transition. France attaches importance to its economic relations with China, believing that such relations are interdependent, mutually beneficial as well as complementary, open and transparent. France does not engage in bloc confrontation and holds that all countries should live in harmony and achieve common development. Noting that China plays an important role in the world’s peace and stability, Colonna said France is willing to strengthen communication with China on Ukraine and other major international and regional issues to seek more common ground.
The readout adds: “Qin Gang briefed on China’s position and work on the Ukraine issue, stressing that the ‘four points’ about what must be done proposed by President Xi Jinping are the starting point for China to view and handle the Ukraine crisis. China is committed to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, keeps communication with all parties, and will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.”
During the visit, Qin also inaugurated the Maison de la Chine (House of China) of the International University Campus in Paris.
Page 4: A report on a new plan by the Ministry of Education on supporting mental health education at schools, colleges and universities. Xinhua English has the brief details:
“China’s Ministry of Education and 16 other authorities have jointly issued an action plan on enhancing mental health education at schools, colleges and universities. According to the three-year action plan, vocational schools should incorporate mental health education in their curriculums while colleges and universities should make mental health courses compulsory for students. It also requires primary, middle and high schools to educate students about mental health. By 2025, 95 percent of schools, colleges and universities in China are expected to have full-time or part-time mental health counselors, according to the plan. It states that each college or university should have at least two mental health counselors and each primary, middle or high school should have at least one.” — Comment: I wonder if this is something that came up owing to deliberations during the pandemic. This is quite a positive development.
Page 6: A report informing that by the end of 2022, China had a total of 5.2 million registered nurses. That means that there are around 3.7 registered nurses per 1,000 people. The country’s doctor-nurse ratio was 1:1.18.
Another report informs that Song Tao, who heads the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with Sean Lien, vice chair of the KMT in Xi'an.
“Song Tao said that General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. The resolution of the Taiwan issue is the Chinese people’s own business, and should be decided by the Chinese people themselves. We must adhere to the ‘1992 Consensus’, oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities and external interference, maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, advance the great cause of national reunification, seek the well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait, and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. History and the people will never forget all Taiwan compatriots who have contributed to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. Sean Lien said that both sides across the Taiwan Strait should adhere to the ‘1992 Consensus’, oppose ‘Taiwan independence’, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, and benefit compatriots on both sides.” 宋涛表示，习近平总书记指出，台湾是中国的台湾。解决台湾问题是中国人自己的事，要由中国人来决定。我们要坚持“九二共识”、反对“台独”分裂行径和外部势力干涉，维护台海和平稳定，推动两岸关系和平发展，推进祖国统一大业，为两岸同胞谋福祉，为中华民族谋复兴。对所有为两岸关系和平发展作出贡献的台湾同胞，历史和人民不会忘记。连胜文转达连战对习近平总书记的诚挚问候，表示两岸应坚持“九二共识”、反对“台独”，加强交流合作，维护台海和平，造福两岸同胞。
Page 7: A report on a commendation meeting for the promotion and popularisation of the national common language and characters that was held in Beijing. It says that “as of 2020, the national Putonghua penetration rate reached 80.72%; the proportion of literate population using standard Chinese characters exceeded 95%; and the illiteracy rate dropped to 2.67%, creating a successful example of promoting the common language and script in a unified multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country.” 截至2020年底，全国普通话普及率达到80.72%，识字人口使用规范汉字比例超过95%，文盲率下降至2.67%，创造了统一的多民族多语言国家推广通用语言文字的成功典范.
Page 15: An interesting Zhong Sheng article, criticising the US’ Middle East policy. The first paragraph argues that the US displeasure with regard to Syria being admitted to the Arab League and its announcement that it would it “extend the unilateral sanctions against Syria for another year starting from May 11” is a product of its “hegemonic nature” and that it has sought to “provoke division and confrontation” in the Middle East in order “to profit from it.”
The piece argues that “Syria's return to the Arab League family after 12 years is an important measure for Arab countries to strengthen their unity and self-improvement. The international community believes that this is another milestone development in the process of reconciliation in the Middle East following the Saudi-Iran dialogue in Beijing, which is conducive to promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, accelerating the development and revitalisation of the Arab world, and meeting the long-term interests of Arab countries. However, this good news that ‘excited’ the people of Syria and the people of the Middle East made the US very unhappy. Some American politicians asserted that it is a serious strategic mistake to allow Syria to return to the Arab League. They also said that the US will not promote the normalisation of relations with Syria, nor does it want its allies to do so. This is another attempt by the US to blatantly obstruct the ‘tide of reconciliation’ in the Middle East after expressing its ‘disappointment’ at the turnaround in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The words and deeds of the US go against the trend of history. The countries in the Middle East have a strong will to independently seek peace and development, and they also have the ability to do so.” 叙利亚时隔12年重返阿盟大家庭，这是阿拉伯国家加强团结自强的重要举措。国际社会认为，这是继沙伊北京对话后，中东和解进程的又一里程碑事件，有利于促进中东地区和平稳定，有利于阿拉伯世界加快发展振兴，符合阿拉伯国家长远利益。但这个让叙利亚人民和中东国家人民“感到振奋”的好消息，却让美方大为不快。美国一些政客放言，让叙利亚重返阿盟“是一个严重的战略错误”，并称美国不会推进与叙利亚关系的正常化，也不希望美国的盟友这么做。这是美方此前对沙伊关系转圜表达“失望”后，再次试图公然阻碍中东地区出现的“和解潮”。美方言行违逆历史潮流。中东国家有独立自主谋和平、谋发展的强烈意愿，也有这样的能力.
The next paragraph makes the point that the US is to blame for the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The following paragraph attacks the US’ “illegal unilateral sanctions on Syria.” And then says that “Now, when Syria has returned to the Arab League and Arab countries have agreed to ‘help Syria out of the crisis’, the US has insisted on extending the illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria. This fully demonstrates that the US is not ready to remove its hegemonic hand from Syria; it fully demonstrates how hypocritical the US’ claim of safeguarding human rights is, and fully exposes that the US puts its hegemony above other countries’ sovereignty and human rights.” 如今，在叙利亚重返阿盟、阿拉伯国家同意“帮助叙利亚摆脱危机”的情况下，美方执意延长对叙非法单边制裁，充分表明美方并不准备从叙利亚移开其霸权之手，充分证明美方所谓在国际上维护人权的说法有多么虚伪，充分暴露美方将自身霸权置于别国主权、人权之上.
The final paragraph calls on the US to “put aside its geopolitical calculations and selfish interests in maintaining hegemony” and “immediately lift all illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria, immediately end its illegal military presence and looting practices in Syria, stop creating an man-made humanitarian disaster, effectively abide by the principles of the UN Charter and the norms of international law, effectively respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of other countries, and return real human rights, wealth, freedom and dignity to the Syrian people.” 叙利亚的未来必须掌握在叙利亚人民手中。美方应放下地缘政治算计和维护霸权的私利，立即解除对叙利亚的所有非法单边制裁，立即结束在叙非法驻军和掠夺行径，停止人为制造人道主义灾难，切实遵守联合国宪章宗旨原则和国际法准则，切实尊重别国主权独立和领土完整，还叙利亚人民以真正的人权、财富、自由和尊严。