Xi Meets Leaders of Colombia & Chile - What Makes China 'Cool'? - New Guidelines on Use of Generative AI in Schools - State Council's 2025 Legislative Agenda
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily’s edition on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Page 1: The top stories on the page are around Xi Jinping’s meetings with the presidents of Colombia and Chile. The report on the meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric says that Xi told him that:
China and Chile should continue to enrich the contemporary connotation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, create a model of common development between China and Latin America and a model of South-South cooperation, and jointly promote the cause of peace and progress of mankind.
“Xi Jinping emphasised that China is willing to consolidate political mutual trust with Chile, adhere to mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and win-win results, strengthen exchanges of experience in state governance, firmly support each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns, and safeguard each other’s sovereignty, security and development interests. The two sides should implement the cooperation plan for jointly building BRI, deepen cooperation in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, industrial investment, infrastructure, green minerals and other fields, and cultivate new growth points such as astronomy, polar regions, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and digital economy. China supports more Chinese companies to invest and start businesses in Chile, and welcomes more high-quality Chilean products to enter the Chinese market. The two sides should strengthen mutual learning between civilizations, carry out exchanges in education, culture, media, youth, etc., facilitate personnel exchanges, and lay a good social and public opinion foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations. Currently, the international situation is turbulent and chaotic, and the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism are surging. This has caused a serious impact on the international economic and trade order. As firm defenders of multilateralism and free trade, China and Chile should enhance multilateral collaboration to safeguard the common interests of the Global South.”
Boric said that “China has become Chile's most important trading partner”. He said that Chile adheres to the one-China principle, wants to advance ties in trade, investment, AI and BRI-related work. He added that “waging a trade war leads nowhere.”
The two sides signed deals in fields such as economy, publishing, inspection and quarantine, media and think tanks.
The readout (English report) from Xi’s meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro says:
“The two sides should consolidate political mutual trust, enhance strategic communication and firmly keep to the development direction of bilateral relations. The two sides should take Colombia officially joining the big family of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as an opportunity to promote the quality improvement and upgrade of cooperation between the two countries. China is ready to import more high-quality products from Colombia, support Chinese enterprises in investing and doing business in Colombia, and participate in infrastructure development. The two sides can further expand cooperation in emerging fields such as wind energy, new energy vehicles, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, and jointly achieve green and low-carbon transformation. The two countries should make the celebration activities for the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations a success, strengthen cooperation in education, culture, tourism and other fields, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and consolidate the public foundation for friendship between the two countries.”
Xi ended by saying that “China is ready to work with Colombia and other LAC countries to continuously deepen and consolidate the building of the China-LAC community with a shared future and bring more benefits to the people of China and LAC countries.”
Petro talked about the need to boost cooperation “in areas such as trade, infrastructure, new energy and artificial intelligence, and improve people’s livelihood. Amid the current complex and volatile international landscape, the self-serving practices of certain countries are not beneficial to the world. All countries should unite to respond. Colombia is willing to cooperate closely with China to safeguard international fairness and justice and protect the common interests of developing countries.”
The visit saw the two sides sign a plan on promoting the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Next, there’s a consolidated report on Zhao Leji’s meetings with Carlos Hernandez, president of the Central American Parliament, and Miguel Gonzalez Patricio, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament.
Xinhua’s report on the first one says:
Zhao said that the “NPC of China is willing to enhance friendly exchange with the Central American Parliament, consolidate the political foundations of bilateral relations, promote practical cooperation, strengthen multilateral collaboration, and contribute to the joint building of a community with a shared future between China and the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Noting that upholding the one-China principle is the right thing to do, and that it is the trend of global opinion, Zhao expressed his belief that the Central American Parliament will continue to abide by the one-China principle and support China firmly in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The report on the second one says:
Zhao “said the NPC of China is willing to take the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum as an opportunity to deepen friendly relations with the Parlatino and promote the implementation of the results of the meeting. It is believed that the Parlatino will, as always, firmly abide by the one-China principle, Zhao said. He called on both sides to enhance political mutual trust, jointly create a favorable legal environment and public opinion foundation for high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and strengthen communication and cooperation in multilateral parliamentary organizations.”
Also, there’s a consolidated report on Wang Huning’s meetings with President Petro and Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy in the reports.
Then, there’s a report on Cai Qi meeting a delegation led by Yangug Sodbaatar, general secretary of the Mongolian People's Party. Xinhua says:
Cai said that “China is willing to enhance exchanges and dialogues between the ruling parties with Mongolia, deepen strategic mutual trust, and promote practical cooperation in various fields. He called on both sides to expand friendly exchanges among the people, especially among the youth, strengthen mutual learning on party building, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice. Sodbaatar said that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Mongolia and China has become a model for relations among neighboring countries, adding that developing long-term good-neighborly friendship with China is a priority of Mongolia's diplomacy. Mongolia is willing to leverage the role of political parties to deepen mutual trust and alignment of development strategies between the two countries.”
Next, there’s a report on Ding Xuexiang speaking at the 2025 World Digital Education Conference in Wuhan. Ding said:
“China is accelerating the construction of an education power, and will continue to promote the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of education, establish and improve a modern digital education system that is more equitable, of higher quality, more intelligent, and serves lifelong learning for all people, so as to better bring into play the foundational and strategic supporting role of education in the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country.” 丁薛祥表示，中国政府高度重视发展数字教育。习近平主席强调，要深入实施国家教育数字化战略，建设学习型社会，推动各类型各层次人才竞相涌现。中国正在加快建设教育强国，将持续推进教育数字化转型、智能化升级，建立健全更加公平、更高质量、更具智慧、服务全民终身学习的现代数字教育体系，更好发挥教育在全面建设社会主义现代化国家中的基础性、战略性支撑作用.
Ding Xuexiang pointed out that digital technology is integrating into education at an unprecedented speed and in unprecedented ways. It is necessary to grasp the pulse of educational development in the intelligent era, deepen international cooperation in digital education, accelerate the implementation of the ‘Global Digital Compact’, and promote the realization of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. He put forward four suggestions:
First, work together to build a high-level international open cooperation system for digital education, strengthen communication on digital education strategies and policies among countries, promote all-round, wide-ranging and multi-level exchanges and cooperation, continue to expand the membership of the World Digital Education Alliance, and accelerate the formation of a new pattern of international cooperation in digital education.
Second, work together to promote the transformation and reform of education enabled by digital technology, open-source, open, and collaborative innovation research and development ecosystem, strengthen joint tackling of key common technologies in digital education, jointly develop large models specifically for the education field, and launch more digital education services and products that meet different needs.
Third, work together to promote the universal sharing of digital education results, promote the interconnection of digital infrastructure, improve the accessibility of digital education, help developing countries promote the digitalization of education, strengthen talent training and technical support, and bridge the gap in the development of digital education.
Fourth, work together to uphold the ethical and security guarantees of digital education, uphold the principle of technology for good, strengthen digital education governance, enhance the supervision of intelligent education products, tools, and services, and ensure the standardized and orderly development of digital education.
丁薛祥指出，数字技术正在以前所未有的速度和方式融入教育，要把握智能时代教育发展脉搏，深化数字教育国际合作，加快落实《全球数字契约》，推动实现联合国2030年可持续发展目标。他提出4点建议：一是携手构建高水平数字教育国际开放合作体系，加强各国数字教育战略和政策沟通，推动全方位、宽领域、多层次交流合作，持续扩大世界数字教育联盟成员规模，加快形成数字教育国际合作新格局。二是携手推进数字技术赋能教育转型变革，完善开源开放、协同创新的研发生态，加强数字教育共性技术联合攻关，共同开发教育领域专用大模型，推出更多满足不同需求的数字教育服务和产品。三是携手推动数字教育成果普惠共享，推进数字基础设施互联互通，提高数字教育可及性，帮助发展中国家推进教育数字化，加强人才培养和技术支持，弥合数字教育发展差距。四是携手夯实数字教育伦理安全保障，坚持科技向善，加强数字教育治理，强化智能教育产品、工具、服务监管，确保数字教育规范有序发展.
Page 2: There’s a report on the State Council’s legislative plan for 2025. The report says:
“The State Council Legislative Plan proposes that the overall requirement for the legislative work of the State Council in 2025 is: under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, fully implement the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee, deeply study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, profoundly understand the decisive significance of the two establishments, enhance the four consciousnesses, strengthen the four self-confidences, achieve the two safeguards, uphold the organic unity of the Party’s leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and the rule of law, coordinate the advancement of domestic rule of law and foreign-related rule of law, deepen reform in the legislative field, strengthen the review of government legislation, adhere to the concurrent advancement of legislation, amendment, repeal, and interpretation, strengthen legislation in key areas, emerging areas, and foreign-related areas, improve legislative quality, improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics with the Constitution at its core, and give full play to the guiding, driving, regulating, and guaranteeing role of the rule of law, so as to provide solid legal guarantees for promoting the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernisation.” 《国务院立法计划》提出，国务院2025年度立法工作的总体要求是，在以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚强领导下，坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，全面贯彻落实党的二十大和二十届二中、三中全会精神，深入学习贯彻习近平法治思想，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”，坚持党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一，统筹推进国内法治和涉外法治，深化立法领域改革，加强政府立法审查，坚持立改废释并举，加强重点领域、新兴领域、涉外领域立法，提高立法质量，完善以宪法为核心的中国特色社会主义法律体系，发挥好法治的引导、推动、规范和保障作用，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供坚实法治保障.
The report then makes 7 points:
“First, in promoting high-quality development and building a high-level socialist market economy system, it lists legislative items such as the draft National Development Planning Law, the draft Financial Law, and the draft revision of the Bidding Law.
Second, in strengthening the self-construction of the government and deepening the promotion of law-based governance, it includes the formulation of regulations on government data sharing and the revision of regulations on the procedures for formulating administrative regulations.
Third, in terms of implementing the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education and building a socialist cultural power, the draft revision of the Trademark Law and the formulation of the National Reading Promotion Regulations are listed.
Fourth, in terms of improving people’s livelihood and improving people’s quality of life, the draft of the Social Assistance Law, the draft of the Medical Security Law, and the draft revision of the Road Traffic Safety Law are listed.
Fifth, in terms of promoting green development and promoting harmonious coexistence between man and nature, the draft revision of the Water Law, the formulation of the Ecological Environment Monitoring Regulations, and the revision of the Nature Reserve Regulations are listed.
Sixth, in terms of improving the national security legal system and building a Safe China at a higher level, the draft revision of the Food Safety Law and the draft revision of the Prison Law are listed.
Seventh, in terms of strengthening the construction of foreign-related rule of law and improving the foreign-related legal and regulatory system, the draft revision of the Foreign Trade Law is listed, along with the provisions for the formulation and implementation of the ‘Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People’s Republic of China’ and the regulations on commercial mediation.
At the same time, the State Council Legislative Plan also made general arrangements for legislative projects that are urgently needed to further comprehensively deepen reform, accelerate the transformation of government functions, safeguard national security, strengthen foreign-related rule of law, and promote national defense and military construction.” 一是在推动高质量发展、构建高水平社会主义市场经济体制方面，列明国家发展规划法草案、金融法草案、招标投标法修订草案等；二是在加强政府自身建设、深入推进依法行政方面，制定政务数据共享条例，修订行政法规制定程序条例等；三是在实施科教兴国战略、建设社会主义文化强国方面，列明商标法修订草案，制定全民阅读促进条例等；四是在增进民生福祉、提高人民生活品质方面，列明社会救助法草案、医疗保障法草案、道路交通安全法修订草案等；五是在推动绿色发展、促进人与自然和谐共生方面，列明水法修订草案，制定生态环境监测条例、修订自然保护区条例等；六是在健全国家安全法治体系、建设更高水平平安中国方面，列明食品安全法修正草案、监狱法修订草案等；七是在加强涉外法治建设、完善涉外法律法规体系方面，列明对外贸易法修订草案，制定实施《中华人民共和国反外国制裁法》的规定、商事调解条例等。同时，《国务院立法计划》还对进一步全面深化改革、加快政府职能转变、维护国家安全、加强涉外法治急需的立法项目和推进国防军队建设等立法项目，作了概括性安排.
Next, there’s a report confirming that China’s Commerce Ministry has temporarily suspended Unreliable Entity List measures against 17 US entities. This comes after the joint statement issued after the China-US economic and trade talks in Geneva. Global Times’ report says:
“The Unreliable Entity List Working Mechanism included 17 US entities in the Unreliable Entity List on April 4 and 9, 2025, prohibiting the above-mentioned companies from engaging in import and export activities related to China, as well as making new investments in China, a spokesperson for the ministry said in a post on Wednesday.
To implement the consensus reached at the China-US high-level economic and trade talks, China will suspend the measures announced on April 4 (Unreliable Entity List Working Mechanism [2025] No. 7) for 90 days and will also suspend the measures announced on April 9 (Unreliable Entity List Working Mechanism [2025] No. 8), the spokesperson said.
In accordance with the provisions of the Unreliable Entity List regulations, domestic companies may apply to conduct transactions with the aforementioned entities. The Unreliable Entity List Working Mechanism will review such applications in accordance with the law and approve those that meet the required conditions, the spokesperson said.”
Another report on the page informs that China has also suspended export control measures that added 28 American entities to its export control list in announcements on April 4 and April 9 for 90 days. If export operators need to export dual-use items to the aforementioned 28 entities, they should apply to the ministry in accordance with relevant regulations.
Page 3: There’s a consolidated report on Wang Yi’s meeting with Latin American foreign ministers and the Sudanese foreign minister Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig, who is the outgoing ambassador to China. I am only covering the readout from the meeting with Siddig. Xinhua says:
Wang “called on both sides to implement the important consensus reached between their two heads of state, promote continuous fruitful results in their bilateral relations, and bring benefits to their two peoples. He said that China supports Sudan firmly in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and supports Sudan in achieving peace, stability and development at an early date. China will continue to provide humanitarian assistance within its own capacity, Wang added. Siddig said that Sudan regards China as its most important partner and a trustworthy friend, prioritizes cooperation with China, and will continue to support China firmly in safeguarding its core interests. As the new foreign minister, he will continue to spare no effort to promote the development of the Sudan-China strategic partnership, and will work collaboratively to implement a series of important global initiatives proposed by China.”
Also, there’s a report on the opening of the China-Vietnam international road transport route. Global Times’ English report says:
“On Wednesday morning, a fleet of trucks carrying electronic components, fresh vegetables, and daily goods departed simultaneously from Nanning, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province to Hanoi, Vietnam. It marks the first time Chinese cargo vehicles entered Vietnam’s interior areas under the Greater Mekong Subregion Cross-Border Transport Facilitating Agreement (GMS-CBTA). The two transport routes connect China to Hanoi via the Hekou and Youyiguan border ports, according to Xinhua. The direct transport adopts a "single-container, single-vehicle" model—ensuring goods remain in the same container and on the same truck throughout the journey—fully leveraging the advantages of road freight such as point-to-point delivery, high efficiency, and low cargo turnover. Compared to traditional methods, each truck saves about one day in transit and cuts costs by 800 to 1,000 yuan ($110 to 140). The improved efficiency marks further progress in facilitating China-Vietnam cross-border road transport, according to Xinhua.”
Page 4: There’s an article talking about what makes China “cool”? This is an interesting piece because it talks about openness, making the point at home, but also makes the case for leveraging foreigners to tell China’s story and shape the narrative. Think about the IShowSpeed visit to China from a few weeks ago. Likewise, there are several Indian bloggers who function from China too.
Anyway, the piece begins from the comments of sinologist Robert Chard at the Wuyi Forum in March. The article says that:
“For a period of time, ‘cool’ often referred to elements of Western culture. But now, using ‘cool’ to describe China is simply because ‘looking East’ has become a trend that cannot be ignored.” 一段时间来，“酷”多指西方文化元素。如今用“酷”来说中国，只因“向东看”已成为不可忽视的趋势。
It adds:
“‘It looks like a nanny van from the future’, a foreign blogger genuinely praised Chinese new energy vehicles. ‘If China waters us, we will bloom.’ A fair and open large market is seen by foreign investors as a ‘green oasis of certainty and a hot land for investment and entrepreneurship.’ ‘Wukong’ used to often be translated as Monkey King, but in Black Myth: Wukong, the term Wukong is used directly, an attempt to build a Chinese discourse and narrative system, highlighting cultural subjectivity. In each wave, one can see the surging tide. ‘Cool China’ originates from modern style and civilization accumulation, which undoubtedly enriches the connotation and extension of ‘cool’.” “它看起来像一台来自未来的保姆车”，外国博主真情实感为中国新能源汽车“打call”。“中国浇浇水，我们会开花”，公平开放的大市场，被外资视为“确定性的绿洲和投资兴业的热土”。“悟空”曾常被译为MonkeyKing，而在《黑神话：悟空》中，则直接使用“Wukong”，构建中国话语和中国叙事体系的尝试，高扬着文化主体性。一朵朵浪花里，照见了浪潮的奔涌。“酷中国”，源于现代风采，也在于文明积淀，而这也无疑丰富着“酷”的内涵与外延.
“As the visa-free policy drives an increasing number of people to travel in China, and as the topic of ‘learning Chinese’ on TikTok has been played billions of times, the world’s interest in understanding and getting closer to China is growing by the day, but there is still a long way to go to overcome prejudice and misinterpretation and break stereotypes. In cross-cultural communication, there is a concept called ‘cultural discount’. For example, the theme of ‘rebelling against fate and self-awakening’ in ‘Nezha 2’ resonates universally, but symbols like the Wind Fire Wheels and Golden Cudgel naturally form barriers to understanding. This illustrates from one aspect that integrating China and foreign countries is an arduous task, and also a difficult problem that Chinese culture must face when going out. ‘Prejudices in people’s hearts are a mountain’, but the mountain is not insurmountable. Today, in telling China’s story well and spreading China’s voice well, there are many favorable conditions. Consider two recent news items: In January this year, an American user posted a photo with his daughter on Xiaohongshu, greeting everyone, and received over 10,000 comments. Later, he became friends with a Shanghai family who had posted a similar photo. In March, the two families met in Shanghai and spent unforgettable time together. This mutual approach of two families from China and the US evoked a sigh: ‘This is what the world should be like’. A blogger nicknamed ‘Hyperthyroid Brother’ started his journey in China, with each outdoor livestream attracting millions of netizens. Without ‘editing’ or ‘filters’, netizens from around the world can genuinely and directly appreciate China’s development speed and customs through his lens. The judgment of the people is the sunshine that eliminates prejudice. The fusion of hearts is the power that breaks barriers. And real-life scenarios and interactions are the most vivid content and the most lively material. When more warm and deep Chinese stories ‘resonate’ with the world, the Chinese voice will naturally spread louder and further. Today’s China has magnificent mountains and rivers, friendly people, rejuvenated culture, and flowing creativity. As a foreign friend said, ‘China is like a book of wisdom, with opportunities written on every page.’ Such a ‘very cool’ China is firmly embracing the world with an open attitude, and will certainly create more excellent stories of exchange, mutual learning, harmony, and coexistence between civilizations.” 当免签政策带动越来越多的人入境旅游，当TikTok上“学中文”的话题播放量达几十亿次，世界对了解中国、走近中国的兴趣与日俱增，但要超越偏见误读、打破刻板印象，仍有很长的路要走。跨文化传播中，有个“文化折扣”的概念。比如，《哪吒2》“反抗命运、自我觉醒”的主题引起普遍共鸣，但诸如风火轮、金箍棒等意象，也形成天然的理解困境。这从一个侧面说明，融通中外是一项艰巨的任务，也是中国文化走出去必须面对的难题。“人心中的成见是一座大山”，但大山并非不可翻越。如今，讲好中国故事、传播好中国声音，有诸多有利条件。联想到近期的两则新闻：今年1月，一名美国用户在小红书上发布了一张与女儿的合照，向大家问好，收到1万多条评论。此后，他和晒照的一个上海家庭成了朋友。3月，两个家庭在上海会面，共度难忘时光。中美两个家庭的双向奔赴，令人感慨：“这才是世界该有的样子。”一名绰号“甲亢哥”的博主开启中国行，每场户外直播吸引数百万网友观看。没有“剪辑”“滤镜”，全球各地的网友透过他的镜头，真实直观领略中国的发展速度、风土人情。人民的判断，是消除偏见的阳光。人心的交融，是打破隔阂的力量。而真实的生活场景和互动，就是最生动的内容、最鲜活的素材。当更多有温度、有深度的中国故事与世界“共情共振”，中国声音自然能传得更响更远。今日之中国，山河壮丽、人民友好，文化焕新、创造涌流，正如一位外国友人所说，“中国像一本智慧之书，每一页都写满机遇。”这样“非常酷”的中国，正坚定地以开放的姿态拥抱世界，也必将创造更多交流互鉴、和合共生的文明佳话.
Also on the page, there’s a report (English report) informing that China has launched a Long March-2D rocket on Wednesday, sending 12 satellites into orbit as the first batch of the ‘Three-Body Computing Constellation’. The mission, led by Zhejiang Lab, marks a major step in China’s space-based computing, aiming to build a network of thousands of satellites with a total computing power of 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS). The constellation will enable real-time in-orbit data processing to boost AI development in space.
Page 6: There’s a report on the Ministry of Education issuing two key documents:
The document on Generative AI is really interesting. One of my colleagues is working on a translated summary of the guideline on generative AI. It’s really interesting providing different scenarios in which Generative AI must be used by students, teachers and administrators.
Page 11: There’s a report on the spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Chen Binhua lashing out at Lai Ching-te as the “destroyer of cross-strait peace”. One of the annoyances for Chen was the removal of the term ‘Han Chinese’ from the Executive Yuan’s website categorising them within “the rest of the population”. Chen lashed out: “The people in the DPP administration who did this, especially those who belong to the so-called 'rest of the population', how can they face their ancestors?”