Xi Meets Veterans - Li Qiang's 'New Productive Forces' Focus in Shaanxi - China's Energy Mix - China-Russia Ties
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People's Daily’s edition on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
Page 1: The lead story today is about Xi Jinping attending a gala held by the CMC for retired military officers in Beijing. The key point of the report:
“The veteran comrades unanimously vowed to unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core; adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military; deeply understand the decisive significance of the ‘two establishments’; strengthen the four consciousnesses and four self-confidences; achieve ‘two safeguards’; implement the Chairman Responsibility System of the CMC…make new contributions to advancing the comprehensive construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through the promotion of the Chinese-style modernization.” 老同志们一致表示，要更加紧密地团结在以习近平同志为核心的党中央周围，坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻习近平强军思想，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”，贯彻军委主席负责制，坚定信心，振奋精神，团结奋进，为打好实现建军一百年奋斗目标攻坚战，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业作出新的贡献.
Zhang Youxia, He Weidong, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin were in attendance, as per the report.
Second, there’s a report on Xi’s speech to 42 foreign ambassadors to China. He received the credentials during a ceremony in Beijing. The report has three points that Xi made:
Xi said China is willing to deepen friendship and expand mutually beneficial cooperation with people of other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and to push forward bilateral relations. It is hoped that ambassadors will have a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China and serve to strengthen the bond of cooperation and build a bridge of communication for bilateral relations.
The mission and objective of Chinese modernization are to enable the over 1.4 billion Chinese people to live a better life. For the world, this means a broader market and unprecedented development opportunities, which will inject strong impetus into the modernization of countries around the world.
The world today is not peaceful. With the future of mankind and the well-being of its people in mind, China, as always, endeavours to contribute its wisdom and solutions to the cause of peace and development of mankind, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and work together to build a better world.
Third, there’s a brief report on Xi congratulating Azali Assoumani on his re-election as president of Comoros. Fourth, there’s a report informing that 20 foreign publishing houses signed a memorandum with China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration to publish the fourth volume of Governance of China in their respective countries.
Moving on from Xi, there’s a report on Li Qiang’s visit to Shaanxi, where he talked about the need to accelerate the cultivation of new productive forces. The visits to different enterprises are worth noting:
Li first went to Xianyang Rainbow Display Devices Co. Ltd. Li emphasised that “in order to gain a firm foothold amid the fierce market competition, manufacturing enterprises must be willing to spend money on R&D investment, and hoped that enterprises would strive to form their own characteristics and advantages in technology and achieve leapfrog development while catching up with global leaders.”
Then, visiting a smart braking manufacturer, Li said that the company should “grasp the new development trend of the commercial automobile industry, actively apply digital intelligence technology and green technology, accelerate transformation and upgrading, and create new competitive advantages.”
The next stop was the Western Superconducting Technologies Co., Ltd. He basically had a positive appraisal of the company.
After this, he went to Xi'an Yisiwei Material Technology Co., Ltd. There, the focus was on R&D and manufacturing of silicon wafers. Li encouraged the company to focus on cutting-edge technology areas and urged it to address key core technology challenges.
After this, Li went to Xi'an ASN Technology Group Co.,Ltd., which manufactures UAVs. He called for stronger efforts to research and develop new technologies and products and better tap the economic potential of the low-altitude airspace.
Finally, he visited Xi'an Jiaotong University, where he emphasised the importance of building the university-enterprise joint innovation platform and promoting the integration among industrial, academic, and research circles.
Next, there’s a report on Han Zheng meeting with President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Dennis Francis. Xinhua says:
“China advocates an equal, orderly, multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, and it encourages all countries to work together to meet challenges and achieve common prosperity, (Han) added. Noting that 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN, Han said China is willing to enhance cooperation with the UN and join hands with all sides to work for a more just and reasonable global governance system under the guidance of the concept of building a community of shared future for humanity.”
On Page 3, there’s a report (English report) on Wang Yi’s meeting with Francis. Interesting to note this report:
“Noting that the UN is scheduled to hold the Summit of the Future in September, Wang said China hopes the summit will devise practical solutions to current global issues. UNGA Resolution 2758 has been observed by the UN and its specialized agencies since its adoption, Wang said. ‘China applauds the support of the UN and its specialized agencies for the one-China principle, and opposes all remarks and actions that are inconsistent with the resolution,’ he added. Francis said the UN always abides by the one-China principle. He said the UN appreciates China's long-term support for multilateralism and the work of the UN, and thinks highly of China's important initiatives and propositions.”
Also, there’s a report on Wang Huning meeting with a delegation led by Wellars Gasamagera, secretary general of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Xinhua says:
Gasamagera said: “Rwanda adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen the exchange of experience with China on party and state governance, achieve common development, jointly implement the three major global initiatives and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.”
Finally, there’s a report on Zhao Leji meeting with Colombian Congress President Iván Name Vásquez and President of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Andrés David Calle Aguas. Xinhua says:
“China appreciates Colombia's long-term adherence to the one-China principle and is willing to deepen practical cooperation in various fields. It is hoped that the two sides will work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity and advocate for an equal, orderly, multipolar world and for economic globalization that is inclusive and beneficial to all, Zhao said. The legislatures of the two countries should play their roles in creating a sound legal environment for strengthened trade and investment cooperation and expanded personnel exchanges, he added. Name and Calle said that Colombia adheres firmly to the one-China principle. Colombia hopes to learn from China's development experience, strengthen exchanges between legislative bodies, and promote dynamic and friendly relations between the two countries.”
Page 2: There’s a report on the data provided by China Electricity Council. It says that as of 2023,
The full installed power generation capacity was 2.92 billion kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 13.9%.
The per capita installed power generation capacity exceeded 2 kW/person for the first time in 2023 after exceeding 1 kW/person at the end of 2014.
The proportion of coal-fired power installed capacity dropped to 39.9%, falling below 40% for the first time. The first time the proportion of coal-fired power installed capacity dropped below 50% was at the end of 2020.
The total installed capacity of grid-connected wind power and solar power reached 1.05 billion kilowatts in 2023, accounting for 36% of the total installed capacity, a year-on-year increase of 6.4 percentage points. In this, the scale of grid-connected solar power installed capacity increased from 390 million kilowatts at the end of 2022 to 610 million kilowatts at the end of 2023.
In 2023, investment in solar power, wind power, nuclear power, thermal power and hydropower increased by 38.7%, 27.5%, 20.8%, 15% and 13.7%, respectively, year-on-year.
From the perspective of power generation, coal-fired power generation accounted for nearly 60% of the total power generation in 2023, and coal-fired power remained the main power supply in China, effectively making up for the decline in hydropower output in the year.
The CEC Report predicts that in 2024, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy power generation will exceed the installed capacity of coal power for the first time, accounting for about 40% of the total installed capacity.
先看装机，全国并网风电和太阳能发电合计装机规模从2022年底的7.6亿千瓦，连续突破8亿千瓦、9亿千瓦、10亿千瓦大关，于2023年底达到10.5亿千瓦，占总装机容量比重为36%，同比提高6.4个百分点。其中，并网太阳能发电装机规模从2022年底的3.9亿千瓦，提高到2023年底的6.1亿千瓦。再看投资，2023年，重点调查企业电源完成投资同比增长30.1%，其中非化石能源发电投资同比增长31.5%，占电源投资的比重达89.2%。太阳能发电、风电、核电、火电、水电投资同比分别增长38.7%、27.5%、20.8%、15%和13.7%。不过，从发电量看，2023年煤电发电量占总发电量比重接近六成，煤电仍是当前我国电力供应的主力电源，有效弥补了当年水电出力下降。2023年，年初主要水库蓄水不足以及上半年降水持续偏少，导致上半年规模以上电厂水电发电量同比下降22.9%。《报告》预计，2024年新能源发电累计装机规模将首次超过煤电装机，占总装机容量比重上升至40%左右.
Page 3: There is a report (Xinhua report) on the inauguration of the China-US Counternarcotics Working Group. Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong met with a US delegation led by Deputy Assistant to the US President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Jen Daskal in Beijing.
Xinhua says:
Wang “expressed the hope that the two sides will take the important consensus of the heads of state meeting as the fundamental principle, mutual respect as the way of getting along with each other, and equality and mutual benefits as the basic principle, carry out practical drug control cooperation, properly address each other's concerns, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, and inject more positive energy into the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.”
The US readout says:
“The two sides emphasized the need to coordinate on law enforcement actions; address the misuse of precursor chemicals, pill presses, and related equipment to manufacture illicit drugs; target the illicit financing of transnational criminal organization networks; and engage in multilateral fora. The delegations further discussed the importance of regular sharing of information to ensure a common understanding of the dynamic illicit threat posed by synthetic drugs.”
Finally, there’s an article by Zhang Hanhui, China’s ambassador to Russia.
“The strategic guidance of the two heads of state and the close high-level exchanges between the two sides have injected strong impetus into the all-round development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. In 2023, President Xi Jinping chose Russia for his first overseas visit, and President Putin attended the third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum. The two heads of state had candid and in-depth exchanges around bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern, reaching broad consensus and charting the course for the navigation and blueprint of China-Russia relations. Under the joint leadership of the two heads of state, mutual political trust has further deepened, strategic cooperation has become closer, and mutually beneficial cooperation has continuously achieved new results.” 两国元首的战略引领和双方密切的高层交往，为中俄新时代全面战略协作伙伴关系全方位发展注入强劲动力。2023年，习近平主席首次出访选择了俄罗斯，普京总统出席第三届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛，两国元首围绕双边关系和共同关心的重大国际地区问题坦诚深入交流，达成广泛共识，为中俄关系领航定向、擘画蓝图。在两国元首共同引领下，双方政治互信进一步深化，战略协作愈加紧密，互利合作不断取得新成果.
“In the face of a complex international situation, China and Russia, as responsible global powers, have always maintained strategic determination and sobriety, and supported each other on issues involving each other’s core interests. China supports the Russian people in taking the path of national rejuvenation of their own choice and safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. Russia firmly adheres to the one-China policy, firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and has spoken out on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. The two countries have maintained close strategic coordination and cooperation, defended multilateralism, and contributed to maintaining global strategic stability.” 面对纷繁复杂的国际形势，中俄作为负责任的世界大国，始终保持战略定力和清醒，在涉及彼此核心利益的问题上相互支持。中方支持俄罗斯人民走自主选择的民族复兴道路，维护国家主权、安全、发展利益。俄方坚定奉行一个中国政策，坚定支持中国维护国家主权和领土完整，在涉台湾、新疆、西藏、香港等问题上多次仗义执言。两国密切战略协调与配合，捍卫多边主义，为维护全球战略稳定作出贡献.
“On the international stage, both China and Russia are committed to promoting an equal and orderly world multi-polarization and firmly stand at the forefront of the trend of the times to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Russia highly values and actively participates in China's GDI, GSI and GCI. China and Russia support the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS cooperation mechanism, promote in-depth and practical cooperation between the joint construction of BRI and the EEU, promote the unity and self-improvement of countries in the Global South, and inject positive energy into building a more just and reasonable international order.” 在国际舞台上，中俄都致力于推动平等有序的世界多极化，坚定立于构建人类命运共同体的时代潮头。俄方高度评价并积极参与中方提出的全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议、全球文明倡议。中俄支持上海合作组织和金砖合作机制实现扩员，推动共建“一带一路”倡议同欧亚经济联盟对接合作走深走实，促进全球南方国家联合自强，为构建更加公平合理的国际秩序注入正能量.
“China and Russia share extensive common interests, and mutually beneficial cooperation has continued to gain momentum. In 2023, China and Russia exceeded the trade goals set by the two heads of state ahead of schedule, with the annual trade volume exceeding $240 billion. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. It is Russia's largest source of imports of mechanical and electrical products, and Russia's largest export destination for beef and seafood. China-Russia cooperation on large projects in the fields of energy, aerospace, science and technology has been steadily advancing, and trade settlement and logistics channels have become smoother and more convenient. The practical cooperation between the two countries is basically stable, highly valuable and highly complementary, and provides solid support and strong boost for each other's development and revitalization.” 中俄拥有广泛的共同利益，互利合作热度持续高涨。2023年，中俄提前超额完成两国元首提出的贸易目标，全年贸易额超过2400亿美元。中国连续14年稳居俄罗斯第一大贸易伙伴国地位，是俄罗斯第一大机电产品进口来源国、第一大牛肉和海产品出口目的国。中俄在能源、航空航天、科技等领域大项目合作稳步推进，贸易结算、物流通道更加顺畅便捷。两国务实合作基本盘稳、含金量高、互补性强，是彼此发展振兴道路上的坚实支撑和强劲助力。
The next paragraph is on culture and people-to-people ties, before he ends the article with a brief point saying that ties have strong political guidance, surging development momentum and a solid public opinion foundation.
Page 6: The Central Party School, the Organisation Department and the SASAC jointly conducted training sessions for Party members and cadres of central enterprises on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, with the aim to promote comprehensive training for individuals at all levels of central enterprises. From November 6, 2023, to January 25, 2024, five sessions of executive training courses for s were held. Members of the leadership teams of central enterprise groups and secondary enterprises participated in the training. 近期，中央组织部、中央党校（国家行政学院）、国务院国资委联合开展习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想中央企业党员干部轮训，推进中央企业各级党员干部全覆盖培训。2023年11月6日至2024年1月25日，5期中央企业高管研修班举办，中央企业集团及二级企业领导班子成员参加培训.