Li Qiang's France Visit - Auto Sector Data - Wang Huning Underscores Party's Religious Work - GCI & Human Rights - New 'Civilized China' 文明中国 Campaign
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People's Daily's edition on Thursday, June 22, 2023.
Page 1: Today’s is the holiday edition and therefore much more brief. Let’s begin with Premier Li Qiang’s visit to France. Upon his arrival in Paris, Li said that:
“In April this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron reached a series of strategic consensuses, outlining a beautiful blueprint for China-France comprehensive strategic partnership and pointing out the direction for China-France cooperation at bilateral, China-Europe and global levels…The premier said China is ready to work with France to expand two-way opening-up, build more resilient industrial and supply chains between China and France and between China and Europe, deepen people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development, so as to inject new impetus into the sustained, sound and steady growth of China-France relations, and inject more confidence and strength into world peace, stability and development. China is ready to work with France to turn the blueprint for the development of China-France relations drawn up by the two countries' heads of state into working plans and reality.”
During this visit Li will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, hold talks with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, and meet with French Senate President Gerard Larche.
Two interesting engagements that Li has had so far. First, “on Wednesday afternoon, the Chinese premier paid a visit to the innovation hub of Schneider Electric in Paris. He listened to the introduction by Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman and CEO of the firm, on the French firm and its cooperation with China. He was also given a tour of such representative products as smart robots and the ‘open automation’ platform, and video-linked to the Group's Normandy factory to learn about the company's future development plans. Li said he hoped that the company would deepen its development in the Chinese market and continue to innovate on cooperation models.”
Another Xinhua report, which is not in PD today, informs that Li attended a dinner with the Chinese and French business communities. French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and more than 100 representatives from the business communities of the two countries attended the event. Li made some noteworthy comments here:
On globalisation and bloc confrontation: Li said interdependence is an inevitable result of economic globalization, and the sound political mutual trust between China and France enables the two countries to see stability, certainty, and common development opportunities in their interdependence, rather than risks…Li expressed admiration for the French government's opposition to bloc confrontations, decoupling as well as severing industrial and supply chains. It is hoped that Chinese and French entrepreneurs will firmly support economic globalization, take action for open and win-win cooperation, and jointly maintain the stability and resilience of the industrial and supply chains between China and France and between China and Europe.
On innovation: Li said that in recent years, China-France technological exchanges in medicine, new energy batteries, semiconductors and other fields have produced many innovative achievements. He added that looking ahead, the two sides still boast great potential for cooperation in areas including high-end manufacturing, modern services, green transformation and digital economy.
On China’s business environment: “Li said China will unswervingly deepen reform, expand opening up, and further ease market access in the modern service sector and others. China will steadily promote institutional opening up that covers rules, regulations, management and standards, said Li, adding that China will step up intellectual property rights protection, foster a market-oriented, world-class business environment governed by a sound legal framework, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign companies in China in accordance with the law. Li hopes that the French side will keep its market open, and build a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies. Li welcomed French enterprises to actively participate in the China International Import Expo to further explore the Chinese market.”
While we are talking about China-Europe ties, two other news developments are worth highlighting. First, do check out this thread by SCMP’s Finbarr Bermingham on the EU’s 11th sanctions package against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Reporting had suggested that 8 Chinese companies were likely to be on the list. Reuters reports that three of them, registered in Hong Kong, are now suspected of being Russian-owned. The five remaining Chinese entities have not been included in the sanctions package.
If you recall, in late May, I covered Ambassador Fu Cong’s interview with Bruno Maçães, Foreign Affairs Correspondent of the New Statesman. He had then said:
“First, let me say when it comes to Chinese exports to Russia, China has not provided any military equipment to Russia, and China has exercised extreme caution when it comes to dual-use items. At the same time, China maintains normal economic relations and cooperation with Russia. So these normal economic cooperation and activities should not be interfered with, and it should not be the reason for any coercive measures from any side, either from the US or from the European side…When it comes to these companies, let me be very clear: if the European side imposes sanctions on Chinese companies without providing us with any solid evidence to show that these companies are engaged with activities that may circumvent or that have circumvented the EU sanctions on Russia, then we certainly will retaliate. Because, as a government, we have the obligation and duty to safeguard the legitimate interests of our companies. But let me also emphasize that we want to resolve this issue in a cooperative way. I understand this 11th round of sanctions is aimed mainly at preventing circumvention. If the EU side has evidence that Chinese companies are engaged in such activities, please show us the evidence.”
Second, the EU Chamber of Commerce in China has just come out with its latest Business Confidence survey, and it does not look great.
“European companies have already shifted some investments overseas: 11% of respondents—the same number that said they were considering shifting existing investments from China a year ago—report they have done so; and a tenth of respondents have already relocated, or plan to relocate, their Asia headquarters (HQs) away from the country. It is not just European companies that are diversifying their investments. Almost four in ten (38%) have witnessed Chinese customers and/or suppliers shift investments out of China as well. With business running on cycles, these investments will likely not return any time soon. Faced with growing risks and a more volatile operating environment (a record-high 64% of respondents reported that doing business in China become more difficult in 2022), European companies are still reassessing how many eggs to keep in their China basket. While few are leaving the country altogether, there is a 13 percentage point (pp) year-on-year (y-o-y) decrease in the proportion of respondents that rank the market as a top-three destination for future investments (55%, the lowest figure on record). In addition, more than half (53%, +15pp y-o-y) of respondents have no plans to expand their China operations in 2023. Long-standing challenges persist and continue to weigh on business confidence. Market access and regulatory barriers remain widespread, with 62% of respondents (+20pp y-o-y) reporting having missed business opportunities in 2022 as a result. Marginal progress was made in some areas, including in the number that reported a level playing field between foreign and Chinese enterprises (+7pp y-o-y). However, backwards steps were taken elsewhere: there were increases in the number that reported both experiencing market closing (+5pp) and being compelled to transfer technology (+3pp) compared to the 2022 survey. Politics also continues to impact business. Nearly six out of 10 (59%, +9pp y-o-y) respondents reported that the business environment in China became more politicised over the past 12 months, and over a quarter (26%) have faced challenges stemming from consumer demands becoming politicised.”
In Global Times, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, says that the EU Chamber’s report “is not so much a response to China's business environment and policies, but rather a response to the fact that EU's tightening investment and economic and trade policies in the name of ‘de-risking’…European companies investing in China are actually subject to more constraints and restrictions from the European side rather than the Chinese side.”
Moving on, new data shows that from January to May, China’s total automobile production and sales were 10.687 million and 10.617 million units respectively, both showing an 11.1% year-on-year increase. The numbers for production and sales in May were 2.333 million and 2.382 million units respectively, with a month-on-month growth of 9.4% and 10.3% and a year-on-year growth of 21.1% and 27.9%.
The cumulative sales of passenger vehicles reached 9.001 million units, with a year-on-year growth of 10.7%. The production and sales of commercial vehicles reached 1.625 million and 1.616 million units respectively, with a year-on-year growth of 14.2% and 13.7% respectively.
From January to May, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 3.005 million and 2.94 million units respectively, with a year-on-year growth of 45.1% and 46.8%. The market share reached 27.7%.
The market share of Chinese brand passenger vehicles continued to increase, with a cumulative sales of 4.781 million units in the first five months, a year-on-year growth of 22.7%, and a market share of 53.1%, an increase of 5.2 percentage points.
From January to May, automobile exports reached 1.758 million units, a year-on-year increase of 81.5%. Among them, passenger vehicle exports reached 1.467 million units, a year-on-year increase of 96.6%; commercial vehicle exports reached 291,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 30.9%; NEV exports reached 457,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 times.
Finally, there’s a report on Wang Huning’s remarks at a conference hosted by the UFWD on studying the “important remarks on religious work by Xi Jinping.” Wang said that it is necessary to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 20th Party Congress. He also called for adhering to the Party’s centralised and unified leadership of religious work, and its basic policy on religious work, and doing a good job in the Party's religious work in the new era with a high sense of responsibility and sense of mission.”
He added that “Xi Jinping’s important expositions on religious work cover the Party's basic stand and viewpoint on understanding religious issues, the basic principles for dealing with religious issues, and the basic methods and measures for doing religious work well. They profoundly answer major theoretical and practical questions, such as how to understand religion, how to deal with religious issues and how to do the Party's religious work well in the new era. These are ideological guidelines and work guidelines that must be grasped to do a good job in the party's religious work in the new era.” 王沪宁表示，习近平总书记关于宗教工作的重要论述，涵盖党认识宗教问题的基本立场、基本观点，处理宗教问题的基本方针、基本原则，做好宗教工作的基本方法、基本举措，深刻回答了新时代怎样认识宗教、怎样处理宗教问题、怎样做好党的宗教工作等重大理论和实践问题，是做好新时代党的宗教工作必须掌握的思想指引和工作遵循.
“We must deeply understand the importance of putting the people first, uniting and consolidating the social foundation of the Party's governance by better uniting religious believers and upholding their interests. We must deeply understand the importance of self-confidence and self-reliance, and promote the continuous progress of the Sinicization of religions in our country. It is necessary to deeply grasp the principle of adhering to integrity and innovation, and promote the continuous development of religious work theory and practice. It is necessary to deeply grasp the problem orientation and effectively prevent and resolve hidden risks in the religious field. We must profoundly grasp and adhere to the concept of the system and always do a good job in religious work with the concept of guidance. We should deeply understand the importance of having a global perspective and telling China's religious stories well on the international stage.” 要深刻把握坚持人民至上，更好团结信教群众、夯实党执政的社会基础。要深刻把握坚持自信自立，推动我国宗教中国化工作不断取得新进展。要深刻把握坚持守正创新，推动宗教工作理论和实践不断发展。要深刻把握坚持问题导向，有效防范化解宗教领域风险隐患。要深刻把握坚持系统观念，始终以导的理念做好宗教工作。要深刻把握坚持胸怀天下，在国际上讲好中国宗教故事.
Page 2: First, Defense Minister Li Shangfu met with Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defense Force in Beijing. Xinhua says:
“Li said the Chinese side is willing to join hands with the South African military in deepening strategic communication, improve the construction of mechanisms, and jointly address common security challenges to advance deeper and more solid exchanges and cooperation between the militaries. Maphwanya said the SANDF is willing to continue to deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation in various fields with the Chinese side, improve the relationship between the militaries, and jointly contribute to building a fairer, safer and better world.”
Second, there’s a report on He Lifeng meeting with Singapore's Temasek Chairman Lim Boon Heng. Xinhua reports, He said that “since the beginning of the year, China has adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability and faithfully implemented the new development philosophy, and the economy has recovered and turned for the better. He said a bumper summer harvest of grains is likely. China's manufacturing industry has been growing steadily, and the service industry is picking up relatively fast. He said investment, consumption, and export played their role in a coordinated way, employment and commodity prices are kept generally stable, and solid headway is being made in high-quality development.”
Finally, there’s a commentary on GCI and human rights. It says:
“At present, global human rights governance is facing severe challenges. Some countries think they are perfect ‘ideal states’/utopia on human rights issues, always want to act as ‘instructors’ who dictate to other countries, indulge in politicising and instrumentalizing human rights issues, engage in double standards, and even interfere in other countries' internal affairs under the banner of so-called ‘universal human rights’ and ‘human rights above sovereignty’. These antagonistic practices are obstacles to the development of international human rights cause. To improve global human rights governance, it is imperative to establish the correct view of human rights, conduct dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, expand consensus, reduce differences, learn from each other and make common progress.” 当前，全球人权治理面临严峻挑战。一些国家自认为在人权问题上是十全十美的“理想国”，总想当对别国颐指气使的“教师爷”，沉迷于把人权问题政治化、工具化，大搞双重标准，甚至打着所谓“普世人权”“人权高于主权”等旗号大肆干涉他国内政。这些对抗性做法是国际人权事业发展的障碍。完善全球人权治理，当务之急是树立正确的人权观，在相互尊重、平等相待的基础上开展对话和合作，扩大共识、减少分歧，相互借鉴、共同进步。
It adds that GCI “will help to clarify the fog in the field of global human rights governance and earnestly respect the development path of human rights in all countries.” This is because GCI “advocates understanding different civilizations' value connotations with a broad mind, not imposing one’s own values and models on others, and not engaging in ideological confrontation. This is conducive to promoting the establishment of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and tolerance in the field of global human rights governance, abandoning the wrong practice of politicising and instrumentalizing human rights issues, and promoting the development of global human rights governance in a more fair, just, reasonable and inclusive direction.” 将人权文明置于人类文明的宽广视野中，践行全球文明倡议，有助于厘清全球人权治理领域的迷雾，切实做到尊重各国人权发展道路...全球文明倡议倡导以宽广胸怀理解不同文明对价值内涵的认识，不将自己的价值观和模式强加于人，不搞意识形态对抗，有利于推动在全球人权治理领域树立平等、互鉴、对话、包容理念，摒弃将人权问题政治化、工具化的错误做法，推动全球人权治理朝着更加公平公正合理包容的方向发展.
“Human rights are historical, concrete and practical. Each country has its own national conditions, with differences in historical culture, social systems, and levels of economic and social development. Therefore, we must and can only proceed from our own reality and people's needs to explore our own path of human rights development. We must adhere to the combination of the universality of human rights with the realities of all countries and respect the path of human rights development independently chosen by all countries. In the practice of promoting the development of human rights, China has combined the Marxist view of human rights with the concrete reality of China and the excellent Chinese traditional culture, summed up the successful experience of the CPC in uniting and leading the people to respect and protect human rights, and learned from the achievements of outstanding human civilization to embark on a path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its national conditions. China has always respected the development path of human rights of other countries, and opposed empty talk about human rights divorced from social and political conditions and historical and cultural traditions, along with hegemonism and bullying in the name of human rights.” 人权是历史的、具体的、现实的，各国国情不同，历史文化、社会制度、经济社会发展水平存在差异，必须也只能从本国实际和人民需求出发，探索适合自己的人权发展道路。必须坚持人权普遍性与各国实际相结合，尊重各国自主选择的人权发展道路。中国在推进人权事业发展的实践中，把马克思主义人权观同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合，总结中国共产党团结带领人民尊重和保障人权的成功经验，借鉴人类优秀文明成果，走出了一条顺应时代潮流、适合本国国情的人权发展道路。中国始终尊重他国人权发展道路，反对脱离社会政治条件和历史文化传统空谈人权，反对以人权之名行霸权霸道霸凌之实。
“For a long time, China has actively carried out human rights dialogue and cooperation, established human rights dialogue or consultation mechanisms with more than 20 countries and regional organisations, closely cooperated with multilateral human rights institutions such as the UNHCR and OHCHR, actively set up exchange platforms such as the Beijing Human Rights Forum and the South-South Human Rights Forum, actively shared experiences in the development of human rights, and promoted the inclusion of important concepts such as building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind, promoting human rights development and promoting win-win cooperation in the field of human rights in relevant resolutions, enriching the international human rights discourse system. China always upholds fairness and justice and is committed to promoting the democratisation of the human rights governance system. China supports developing countries in safeguarding their own interests, and has repeatedly made joint speeches on behalf of countries with similar views at the United Nations Human Rights Council, exposing and criticizing human rights violations by some western countries, and resolutely opposing arbitrary actions such as blockades and sanctions against other countries.长期以来，中国积极开展人权对话交流和合作，同20多个国家和地区组织建立人权对话或磋商机制，密切与联合国人权理事会、人权高专办等多边人权机构合作，积极搭建“北京人权论坛”“南南人权论坛”等交流平台，积极分享人权事业发展的经验，推动将构建人类命运共同体、发展促进人权、在人权领域促进合作共赢等重要理念写入有关决议，丰富了国际人权话语体系。中国始终秉持公平正义，致力于推进人权治理体系民主化。中国支持发展中国家维护自身利益，多次代表观点相近国家在联合国人权理事会上作共同发言，揭批一些西方国家侵犯人权问题，坚决反对动辄对他国采取封锁、制裁等霸凌行径。
Page 3: There’s a report on the publication of the “China Good People List” (中国好人榜) for 2023 being held in Luoyang, Henan Province. A total of 150 people and groups were honoured for having been helpful to others, brave, honest and trustworthy, dedicated, and filial to the elderly and those around them.
Another report informs that the Central Propaganda Department and the Central Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction held the launch ceremony for the ‘Civilized China’ themed interviews and reporting campaign.
The campaign focuses on comprehensively implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 20th Party Congress. It aims to earnestly study and implement the important speeches and instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on cultural inheritance and development at the recent symposium, as well as the congratulatory letter for the first Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength. The campaign will entail conducting in-depth on-site interviews and research at the grassroots level, fully reporting on the new practices and highlights of how the innovative theories of the Party have entered ordinary people's lives. It will also focus on showcasing the new atmosphere and achievements of advanced role models rooted at the grassroots level and making contributions on the frontlines, and tell the story of cultural civilization in the new era vividly and in a three-dimensional manner. The campaign will entail producing media outputs such as interviews, live broadcasts, journalistic notes, picture series and short videos, and other multimedia products. The campaign will go on through till the end of November. “文明中国”主题采访报道围绕全面贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想和党的二十大精神，认真学习贯彻习近平总书记文化传承发展座谈会重要讲话精神和致首届文化强国建设高峰论坛贺信重要指示精神，将深入基层点位开展行进式调研式采访，充分报道党的创新理论“飞入寻常百姓家”的新做法新亮点，集中反映先进典型人物扎根基层、一线建功的新气象新作为，大力展现城乡人民群众新生活新面貌，生动立体讲好新时代文化文明故事。此次采访报道将推出主题访谈、骑行直播、记者手记、采风图集、系列短视频等融媒体产品，采取“线下实地采访+线上云发布”方式，首站在北京市进行，分三批走向各省（区、市），开展持续报道至11月底.