Four New Dimensions of Chinese-style Modernisation - Lashing out at Japanese 'Historical Revisionism' - China's First Liquid Hydrogen Engine Test Successful

Here are the key reports and articles from the People’s Daily’s edition on Monday, March 30, 2026.

Page 1: There’s a report informing that the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development’s National Innovation Index Report 2025 ranks China 9th in the world. In 2024, China was ranked 10th. Two interesting points from the report are that:

• China’s national innovation index score is 67.2 points, with the growth rate of major indicators being higher than that of developed countries.

• China’s innovation capability is close to that of developed countries with a per capita GDP of around $50,000.

Also on the page there’s a report informing that Party Committees at different institutions have held study sessions as part of the campaign to study Xi’s thoughts around establishing and practicing a correct view of achievements. The interesting bit about the report is the mention of key financial institutions, such as ICBC, CCB, Bank of China and China Life Insurance Group, which are engaged in this study campaign.

Next, there’s a long Ren Zhongping article talking about the inevitability of China’s success through “the theory of Chinese-style modernisation.” It says:

“Chinese-style modernisation is a socialist modernisation led by the Communist Party of China. It is a major achievement of our Party leading the people in long-term exploration and practice. It is the broad road to building a strong nation and the great rejuvenation of the nation. It has blazed a new path for humanity toward modernisation and has created a new form of human civilisation. This is the conclusion of history, and even more so the illumination of practice.” 中国式现代化是中国共产党领导的社会主义现代化，是我们党领导人民长期探索和实践的重大成果，是强国建设、民族复兴的康庄大道，开辟的是人类迈向现代化的新道路，开创的是人类文明新形态。这是历史的结论，更是实践的昭示.

It later adds:

“At the 20th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarised and elaborated in depth the theory of Chinese-style modernisation. This is the latest achievement of scientific socialism, a major innovation in the theory and practice of modernisation in the world, and carries milestone significance in the history of human civilisation. ‘Completing the economic and social development goals and tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan requires addressing a more complex environment and resolving more deep-seated contradictions.’ ‘We must put in the work of studying new situations and solving new problems, and drawing lessons from experience.’ At this year’s Two Sessions, the General Secretary planned with foresight from the strategic height of the overall situation of Chinese-style modernisation. The theory of Chinese-style modernisation is systematic, comprehensive, and profoundly rich. We need to study it deeply and understand well the power of its truth and the mighty force it has unleashed in practice.

It thoroughly elaborates the new development philosophy to address the problem of unbalanced and insufficient development; creatively proposes the theory of new-quality productive forces to address the issue of driving forces for high-quality and sustainable development; puts forward the improvement of a new type of whole-of-nation system under socialist market economy conditions to address ‘chokepoint’ problems and better leverage institutional advantages; and makes the strategic decision to build a new development pattern to address issues of development security and stability… Understanding and grasping these ‘four new’ dimensions allows for a deeper appreciation of why the theory of Chinese-style modernisation works, and a better understanding of why China will certainly succeed.”

习近平总书记在党的二十大报告中概括提出并深入阐述中国式现代化理论，这是科学社会主义的最新成果，是对世界现代化理论和实践的重大创新，在人类文明史上具有里程碑意义。“完成‘十五五’经济社会发展目标任务，需要应对更加复杂的环境、解决更多深层次矛盾”“要在研究新情况、解决新问题上下功夫、出经验”，今年全国两会上，总书记从中国式现代化全局的战略高度谋深虑远。中国式现代化理论系统完备、博大精深，需要我们深学细悟其真理力量和在实践中焕发出来的伟力。深入阐述新发展理念，解决发展不平衡不充分问题；创造性提出新质生产力理论，解决推动高质量、可持续发展的动能问题；提出健全社会主义市场经济条件下新型举国体制，解决“卡脖子”问题、更好发挥制度优势；作出构建新发展格局的战略决策，解决发展安全性、稳定性的问题……从这“四个新”的维度进行理解和把握，可以更深领会中国式现代化理论为什么行，更好领悟为什么中国一定能成功.

The sections that follow essentially elaborate these four points with examples.

Page 2: There’s a report on the release of China’s first industry standard for embodied AI. CGTN’s report informs:

“The standard, jointly drafted by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology and more than 40 institutions, establishes a unified benchmarking and testing framework for embodied AI systems. It signals that the field is moving into a new phase where performance can be assessed against clear, consistent criteria. The standard focuses on core AI technologies and evaluation methodologies, while defining system architectures and capability requirements. It is set to take effect on June 1, 2026. The release follows an earlier move by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which in February published a standard system framework for humanoid robots and embodied intelligence. Together, these efforts reflect a broader push to establish technical foundations and industry norms for embodied AI.”

Page 3: There’s an article by Zhou Yongsheng from the Institute for International Organization Studies, Jilin International Studies University. Zhou criticises the Japanese right wing for re-writing history, calling it dangerous.

“Japan’s right wing continuously creates ‘zones of ambiguity’ in historical perception. Year after year, politicians offer ritual tributes called masakaki at Yasukuni Shrine; history textbooks downplay or even glorify the history of aggression; senior government officials openly deny the forced conscription of ‘comfort women’. This series of practices in essence constitutes a challenge to the post-war international order, causing the norms of post-war international law to suffer continuous erosion. Within Japan, historical revisionism runs rampant, leading to serious problems in the historical understanding of the younger generation. A poll released by the NHK shows that the degree of ambiguity in understanding World War II history among Japanese people under 30 is significantly higher than that of the older generation. 日本右翼在历史认知上不断制造“模糊空间”：政要年复一年地向靖国神社献上名为“真榊”的祭品，历史教科书淡化甚至美化侵略历史，重要政府官员公然否认强征“慰安妇”。这一系列做法，实质上构成了对战后国际秩序的挑战，令战后国际法准则不断遭遇侵蚀。在日本国内，历史修正主义大行其道，导致年轻一代的历史认知出现严重问题。日本广播协会公布的民调显示，30岁以下日本民众对二战历史的认知模糊程度显著高于老一辈.

Unlike Germany, which through legislation established the public denial or defense of the Nazi Holocaust as a serious criminal offence, Japanese historical revisionism attempts to subvert established historical events through methods such as selective use of historical materials and reconstruction of causal relationships. For example, regarding the Tokyo Trials, it emphasises that they were ‘the one-sided justice of the victors’; regarding the Nanjing Massacre, it questions ‘number of deaths’. Japan’s right wing also deliberately emphasises the ‘suffering’ Japan endured during the American firebombing of Tokyo; the ‘wronged souls’ killed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the ‘abuse suffered’ by Kwantung Army prisoners of war in the frozen wastelands of Siberia; and soldiers who languished in hunger amid the tropical jungles of Pacific islands. By fabricating this ‘victimhood’ narrative, Japan’s right wing has diluted the guilt of Japanese militarism as the ‘perpetrator’ of war. 不同于德国通过立法把公开否认或辩护纳粹大屠杀行为确立为严重的刑事犯罪，日本历史修正主义通过选择性使用史料、重构因果关系等手段，企图对已形成共识的历史事件进行颠覆性诠释。例如，对东京审判，强调其为“胜利者的片面正义”；对南京大屠杀，质疑“死亡数字”。日本右翼刻意强调的还有，日本在美军东京大轰炸中的“惨状”，广岛、长崎原子弹爆炸下的“冤魂”，关东军战俘在西伯利亚苦寒之地“遭遇的虐待”，以及在太平洋岛屿热带丛林中苦熬饥饿的士兵等。通过制造这种“受害者”叙事，日本右翼淡化了日本军国主义作为战争“加害者”的罪责.

This method of ‘partial denial and overall deconstruction’ causes the truth of history to be diluted, amid endless debate and controversy, into ‘disputes of viewpoints’, ‘disputes of opinions’, and ‘disputes over specific issues’. In doing so, it achieves the objective of historical revisionists: to eliminate any macro-level, accurate stance or reflection regarding the historical facts of World War II, leaving only trivial, peripheral disputes concerning specific historical events, thereby creating the impression that the constraints imposed on Japan by the post-war international community seem to have ‘wronged’ Japan, and are ‘unreasonable shackles’ imposed by the victors on the defeated. 这种“部分否定、整体解构”的手法，使历史的真相，在无尽的辩论和争议中被稀释为“观点之争”“看法之争”“具体问题之争”。如此，便达到了历史修正主义者的目的：没有对二战史实宏观的、正确的态度与反思，只有关于一些具体历史事件琐碎、枝节问题的争议，进而营造出二战后国际社会对日本的制约似乎是“冤枉”了日本，是战胜者强加给战败者的“不合理枷锁”.

The current Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi is precisely a holder of such right-wing historical views. She has publicly denied historical facts such as the Nanjing Massacre, the forced recruitment of ‘comfort women’ and labourers; expressed dissatisfaction with the Kono Statement on the ‘comfort women’ issue and the Murayama Statement on the history of aggression; and even described Japan’s invasion of China after the Mukden Incident as a ‘war of self-defense’. Since 2014, she has visited the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined, more than 10 times. Earlier this year, after winning the House of Representatives election, Sanae Takaichi hastily made absurd remarks regarding her visit to Yasukuni Shrine, stating that she was ‘working to improve such an environment’. This indicates that Japan’s right wing is eager to build momentum to break through the constraints of the post-war system and seek ‘remilitarisation’. 现任日本首相高市早苗正是日本右翼史观持有者。她曾公开否认南京大屠杀、强征“慰安妇”和劳工等历史事实，对日本就“慰安妇”问题道歉的“河野谈话”和就侵略历史道歉的“村山谈话”表达不满，甚至把九一八事变后日本的侵华行径说成是“自卫战争”。自2014年以来，她参拜供奉有甲级战犯的靖国神社超过10次。今年早些时候，在赢得众议院选举后，高市早苗就参拜靖国神社迫不及待抛出荒谬言论，称“为了完善那样的环境，正在努力”。这表明，日本右翼正急于为突破战后体制限制、谋求“再军事化”造势.

The Japanese right wing’s reconstruction of history is extremely dangerous. If left unchecked, this dangerous practice will inevitably deeply intervene in the real world and impact Asia’s peace and stability. History does not permit false reconstruction. Only by correctly viewing history can Japan create the future. 日本右翼对历史的重构十分危险。若不加阻击，这种危险做法必将深度介入现实世界，冲击亚洲的和平稳定。历史不容虚假重构。日本只有正确看待历史，才能开创未来.

Page 6: There’s a report on the success of China’s first liquid hydrogen engine. Global Times’ English report says that:

“The first liquid hydrogen engine, independently developed by a research and development institute of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), has successfully completed full ground-tests. It marks China’s first liquid hydrogen engine to meet megawatt-level full-performance standards, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Sunday. Developed by the AECC Hunan Aviation Powerplant Research Institute in Zhuzhou, Central China’s Hunan province, the turboprop conducted ignition and performance adjustment tests under ground test conditions. During the tests, all indicators of the engine and the liquid hydrogen transport system were normal, and the engine operated stably under full conditions. Liquid hydrogen’s high energy density and zero emissions make it a promising solution for aviation decarbonization. The successful test of the liquid hydrogen turboprop engine demonstrates technical feasibility, marking a breakthrough in key technologies for liquid hydrogen turbine power in China. It lays a solid foundation for transitioning liquid hydrogen turbine power from the experimental stage to engineering applications, according to the report. In the next step, liquid hydrogen aviation engine technology is expected to be first applied in scenarios such as unmanned aerial logistics and regional aviation, and later gradually extended to mainline aviation. The technology could help support the development of a trillion-yuan industrial chain spanning green hydrogen production, hydrogen liquefaction, cryogenic storage and transport, and refueling infrastructure. It would also drive collaborative innovation in high-end equipment manufacturing and new materials, and fostering strong momentum where breakthroughs in advanced aviation technology lead the development of strategic emerging industries, it said.”