Xi Unanimously Re-elected - Chen Xi on Selection Criteria for State Leaders - Wang Huning on 'Peaceful Reunification' - China Wants Tech Self-reliance & Open Cooperation
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily’s edition on Friday, March 10, 2023.
Page 1: At the top of the page is a brief report (English report) on Xi Jinping and King of Spain Felipe VI exchanging messages to mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties. Xi said that he wanted to “take the 50th anniversary as a new starting point to consolidate political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and enhance people-to-people bonding, so as to jointly write a new chapter of China-Spain friendly cooperation.”
Next, there’s a report on the responses from members of the PLA and PAP delegation to Xi’s comments during the meeting with them. There isn’t anything particularly noteworthy in there. They all basically talk about adhering to the key points that Xi made. His speech, they say, is the “fundamental guideline” for implementing the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and modernisation plan for the armed forces. On Page 2, there’s another similar report.
Next, there’s another feature piece on how deeply Xi Jinping is connected to and cares for the people. This is part of a series of such articles on the front page throughout the two sessions.
Once again, we are told that “the people’s well-being and the suffering of the masses are the constant concerns of General Secretary Xi Jinping.” This piece has some focus on the slogan the “seven haves” (七有). This refers to people’s access to child care, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social welfare assistance. It talks about Xi being engaged in poverty alleviation work, and reforms have also focussed on what matters to people.
It says: “Since the 18th Party Congress, the government has introduced more than 2,000 reform plans, covering various areas like clothing, food, housing, transportation, education, medical care, and pensions.” 老百姓关心什么、期盼什么,改革就要抓住什么、推进什么。党的十八大以来,我国出台2000多个改革方案,涉及衣、食、住、行、教育、医疗、养老等各个环节.
Next, a report informing that the presidium of the first session of the 14th NPC held its third meeting on the 9th. Xinhua English summarises the agenda well.
“At its third meeting on Thursday morning, the presidium decided that a list of candidates for president and vice president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and chairperson of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, as well as chairperson, vice chairpersons and secretary-general of the 14th NPC Standing Committee, would be sent to all NPC delegations for discussion and consultation. Entrusted by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chen Xi, head of the CPC Central Committee’s Organization Department, made explanations to the presidium about the candidates of members of state organs, including state leaders.”
Chen explained that Xi Jinping attaches “great importance to the recommendation of the new members of state institutions, especially the leaders of state institutions.” He says while conducting individual conversations and research on the candidates for the leadership of the 20th Central Committee, they got recommendations and relevant suggestions in face-to-face exchanges with leading comrades of the Party and the state, the leading comrades of the CPC at the provincial and ministerial levels, the military at theatre-level and above, and other members of the 19th CPC Central Committee on the relevant candidates for the new leadership of state institutions. 在对中共二十届中央领导机构人选进行个别谈话调研的同时,就新一届国家机构领导人员有关人选,面对面听取了党和国家领导同志、正省部级、军队战区级正职以上中共党员主要负责同志、其他中共十九届中央委员的推荐意见和有关建议.
He then outlined the criteria for candidate selection.
The Central Committee believes that the new leadership for state institutions must fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the four consciousnesses and four self-confidences and achieve the two safeguards; 中共中央认为,新一届国家机构领导人员人选的产生,要全面贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想,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”; must unswervingly follow the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, adhere to the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people as the masters of the country, and the rule of law; strengthen the work of the NPC, and unite and gather all forces.要坚定不移走中国特色社会主义政治发展道路,坚持党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一,加强全国人大的工作,团结凝聚各方面力量. Must adhere to the principle that the Party manages cadres, adhere to the principle of having both ability and political integrity, putting morality first, and appoint people from all parts of the country based on their merits, implement the standards of good cadres in the new era and the requirements of loyalty, cleanliness, and responsibility, and strictly control the candidates' political integrity, integrity and image. 要坚持党管干部原则,坚持德才兼备、以德为先、五湖四海、任人唯贤,落实新时代好干部标准和忠诚干净担当要求,严把人选政治关、廉洁关、形象关. In order to actively yet steadily promote the development of leading bodies, when it comes to the new nominees, one should mainly consider the candidate’s overall capabilities and conditions. This should not only be based on the candidate's moral quality, ability and consistent performance and on the candidate's qualifications, experience and representativeness, but also the work needs and structural requirements. 要积极稳妥推进领导班子建设,新提名人选,应主要考虑本人的素质和条件,既看人选的德才素质、能力和一贯表现,也看人选的资历、经历和代表性,同时还要考虑工作需要和结构要求. The candidates should include leading cadres from all sectors and representative individuals from specific sectors, as well as women and ethnic minority comrades. 人选中应有各方面的领导骨干,也应有特定方面的代表性人物,还应有女同志和少数民族同志.
In the next paragraph, Chen details the procedure. He says that the Central Committee kept the above in mind in proposing the candidates. For non-CCP candidates, it listened to the opinions of the United Front Work Department, the leaders of the democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. The candidates were then inspected, including disciplinary investigations. The second plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated and approved a list of proposed candidates.
The presidium then decided to submit a draft resolution on the revision to the Legislation Law to a plenary session for a vote and send a draft resolution on the plan on reforming the State Council institutions to all NPC delegations for deliberation. Then the fourth meeting was held on Thursday. It then decided by voting the final list of candidates for president and vice president of the PRC, chairperson of the Central Military Commission of PRC, as well as chairperson, vice chairpersons, and secretary-general of the 14th NPC Standing Committee.
And today, we have seen those votes take place, which, dare I say, is a vivid example of whole-process democracy, which results in such fantastic unanimity.
Xi Jinping was unanimously elected president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the PRC.
After his election, Xi made a public pledge of allegiance to the Constitution.
Han Zheng has been elected as the PRC’s Vice President for the next five years
Zhao Leji has been elected chairman of the 14th NPCSC
Here’s the list membership of the 14th NPCSC Council of Chairpersons
The Party and state institutional reform plan was approved
Page 3: There are a bunch of reports on two sessions meetings, which offer little insight. The only one I am covering is Wang Huning’s engagement with the Taiwan delegation.
Wang said:
“Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward a series of important concepts and major policy proposals on Taiwan work, forming an overall strategy for the Party to solve the Taiwan issue in the new era. We have further grasped the strategic initiative to realise the complete reunification of the motherland. We must fully implement the spirit of the 20th Party Congress, adhere to the overall strategy of the Party to solve the Taiwan issue in the new era, adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and promote the development of cross-strait relations in the right direction. We must unswervingly strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, unswervingly promote cross-strait exchanges, cooperation, and integrated development, unswervingly oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatism and foreign interference, unswervingly unite Taiwan compatriots to work together for national rejuvenation, and jointly create the glorious cause of complete reunification of the motherland and great national rejuvenation.” 在听取颜珂、邹振球、陈云英等代表发言后,王沪宁表示,党的十八大以来,习近平总书记就对台工作提出一系列重要理念、重大政策主张,形成新时代党解决台湾问题的总体方略,我们进一步掌握了实现祖国完全统一的战略主动。要全面贯彻党的二十大精神,坚持贯彻新时代党解决台湾问题的总体方略,坚持一个中国原则和“九二共识”,推动两岸关系朝着正确方向发展。要坚定不移争取和平统一前景,坚定不移促进两岸交流合作、融合发展,坚定不移反对“台独”分裂和外来干涉,坚定不移团结台湾同胞携手致力民族复兴,共同创造祖国完全统一、民族伟大复兴的光荣伟业.
Page 4: There’s a commentary under the byline 和音. It says that during the two sessions, one of the key focus areas for the international community has been the discussion on scientific and technological innovation. It adds that amid the policy of “unilateralism and protectionism pursued by a small number of countries, China is committed to carrying out scientific and technological innovation cooperation with other countries while constantly improving its scientific and technological innovation capacity. This has won widespread praise.” 今年中国两会期间,科技创新是国际社会关注的重要议题之一。在国际科技合作面临少数国家单边主义、保护主义冲击和挑战的背景下,中国在不断提高科技创新能力的同时,致力于同各国开展科技创新合作,赢得广泛赞誉.
The piece then praises developments in China’s space program and quantum computing, using references from foreign media outlets to point to the advancement of science and technology in China. It then says:
“In the new era, China is committed to putting scientific and technological innovation at the core of the country’s overall development. It is committed to the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics. It attaches greater importance to scientific and technological innovation, promoting it with greater policy intensity than ever before.”
Useful data next:
“China's total social R&D expenditure increased from 1 trillion yuan in 2012 to 3.09 trillion yuan in 2022. R&D investment intensity increased from 1.91% of GDP to 2.55% of GDP. The total number of R&D personnel in the country increased from 3.25 million person-years in 2012 to more than 6 million person-years in 2022. China's ranking of Global Innovation Index rose from the 34th position in 2012 to the 11th position in 2022. The country’s ranking has been steadily improving for 10 consecutive years.” 新时代中国坚持把科技创新摆在国家发展全局的核心位置,坚持走中国特色自主创新道路,对科技创新重视程度之高、政策密度之大、推动力度之强前所未有。中国全社会研发经费支出从2012年的1万亿元增加到2022年的3.09万亿元,研发投入强度从1.91%提升到2.55%,研发人员总量从2012年的325万人年提高到2022年预计超过600万人年。中国的全球创新指数排名从2012年的第三十四位上升至2022年的第十一位,连续10年稳步提升,位居中高收入经济体之首.
The next paragraph says that “accelerating the realisation of self-reliance and self-improvement in high-level science and technology is the only way to promote high-quality development.” It adds: “Education, science and technology and talents are the basic and strategic supports for building a socialist modern country in an all-round way. China will adhere to the principle that science and technology are the primary productive forces, talents are the primary resources and innovation is the primary driving force, and carry out the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, strengthening the country through talents and promoting innovation-driven development.” 教育、科技、人才是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的基础性、战略性支撑。中国将坚持科技是第一生产力、人才是第一资源、创新是第一动力,深入实施科教兴国战略、人才强国战略、创新驱动发展战略。
And now we get to the good part:
“Open cooperation is the inevitable logic of scientific and technological progress and productivity development. To solve the problem of common development, mankind needs international cooperation and open sharing more than ever before. No country can become an independent innovation centre, or enjoy the innovation results exclusively. The push by individual countries to ‘decouple and break the chain’ with China will not stop the pace of China’s scientific and technological innovation, but will only strengthen China’s determination and ability to achieve a high level of scientific and technological self-sufficiency. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corporation, recently said bluntly that U.S. efforts to stop China from developing chips are futile. China is actively sharing its achievements in science and technology development with all parties, paying particular attention to applying its scientific and technological innovations to address climate change, energy, environment, agriculture, health and other areas of concern to the well-being of all mankind, which has not only enhanced China's own innovation capabilities, but also allowed more Chinese scientific and technological innovations to benefit the world. Bambang Suryono, chairman of Indonesian think tank Asia Innovation Study Center, has said that deepening scientific and technological exchanges with China and introducing more innovative scientific and technological products from China will greatly enhance the scientific and technological level of developing countries and help them narrow the gap with developed countries.” 开放合作是科技进步和生产力发展的必然逻辑。人类要破解共同发展难题,比以往任何时候都更需要国际合作和开放共享。没有一个国家可以成为独立的创新中心,或独享创新成果。个别国家强推对华“脱钩断链”,阻挡不了中国科技创新的步伐,只会增强中国实现高水平科技自立自强的决心和能力。美国微软公司创始人比尔·盖茨近日直言,美国试图阻止中国研发芯片的努力是徒劳的。中国积极与各方共享科技发展成就,尤其重视将科技创新成果运用于应对气候变化、能源、环境、农业、健康等关乎全人类福祉的领域,既提升了中国自身的创新能力,也让更多中国科技创新成果惠及世界。印度尼西亚智库亚洲创新研究中心主席班邦·苏尔约诺表示,深化与中国的科技交流,引进更多的中国创新科技产品,将大大提升广大发展中国家的科技水平,有利于发展中国家缩小与发达国家的科技实力差距.
The article ends by saying: “China will adhere to the strategy of innovation-driven development, promote the high-quality development of the economy through high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, strive to enhance the openness, trust and cooperation of international scientific and technological community, and make new and greater contributions to the progress of human civilisation with more major original innovations and key core technological breakthroughs.” 科技创新是人类社会发展进步的强大动力。中国将坚持创新驱动发展战略,以高水平科技自立自强推动中国经济高质量发展,努力增进国际科技界开放、信任、合作,以更多重大原始创新和关键核心技术突破为人类文明进步作出新的更大贡献.
A couple of other reports to note. First, there’s a report on the new Chinese ambassador to Austria presenting credentials to president Van der Bellen.
Second, a report on the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Andreas Norlén, meeting with the Chinese ambassador, Cui Aimin. PD reports Norlén said that he “expects companies from Sweden and China to continue to expand cooperation.” He also hoped “that the two sides will continue to strengthen exchanges between the legislative bodies and look forward to the recovery of the number of Chinese tourists to Sweden.”
Page 14: On the theory page today, the lead article is by the Policy Research Office of the NDRC. The crux of the article is that China’s management of the economy while containing COVID-19 over the past three years has attracted global appreciation.
But that aside, this is a really interesting read, particularly the first section which outlines a view on what’s happening in the world. The second section then lists China’s achievements, before the final section reiterates the call to adhere to Party leadership, put people first, and pursue open cooperation with the world.
The first section makes the case that the pandemic hit the global economy hard. The world economy has generally slowed down. As per the IMF, the world economy grew by -3.1 percent, 6.0 percent and 3.2 percent from 2020 to 2022, respectively, and will only expand by 2.7 percent in 2023.
Global inflation remains stubbornly high. As a result of large-scale easing policies, the balance sheets of the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan rose from $4.2 trillion, 4.7 trillion euros and 573.7 trillion yen respectively before the epidemic to $8.9 trillion, 8.8 trillion euros and 742.2 trillion yen, resulting in excessive liquidity and increasing global inflationary pressure. In addition, the pandemic has severely impacted the world economic cycle, and the Ukraine crisis has intensified the global energy and food supply shortage. According to IMF data, the global inflation rate was 3.2 percent, 4.7 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively, from 2020 to 2022, and is expected to remain at a relatively high level of 6.5 percent in 2023. 全球通胀水平居高难下。由于实施大规模宽松政策,美联储、欧洲央行、日本银行资产负债表规模分别由疫情前的4.2万亿美元、4.7万亿欧元、573.7万亿日元大幅攀升至8.9万亿美元、8.8万亿欧元、742.2万亿日元,导致流动性泛滥,加大全球通胀压力。此外,疫情严重冲击世界经济循环,加之乌克兰危机等,加剧了全球能源、粮食供应紧张的情况。IMF数据显示,2020—2022年,全球通胀水平分别为3.2%、4.7%和8.8%,预计2023年仍将处于6.5%的较高水平.
“Global fiscal and financial risks continue to accumulate. Massive fiscal stimulus has pushed up debt levels, which stood at 343 per cent of global GDP by the third quarter of 2022, according to the Institute of International Finance. As interest rates rise further, global debt pressures will intensify….Since 2022, the US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates eight times in a row by a total of 450 basis points, global liquidity has gradually tightened, and non-US dollar currencies have sharply depreciated. Sovereign debt of some emerging markets is rising, and economic and financial risks are growing. 全球财政金融风险持续累积。大规模财政刺激政策推高债务水平,国际金融协会(IIF)数据显示,截至2022年三季度,全球债务规模达全球GDP的343%。随着利率水平进一步上行,全球债务压力将进一步加大...2022年以来,美联储连续8次加息共450个基点,全球流动性逐步收紧,非美元货币一度出现大幅贬值。部分新兴市场国家主权债务攀升,经济金融风险加大.
“The challenges facing economic globalisation have increased. The global economic downturn has affected global aggregate demand, disrupted international traffic and logistics, and significantly reduced global trade and investment. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), global trade volume grew by -5.2%, 9.7% and 3.5% respectively from 2020 to 2022, with a three-year average growth rate of only 2.5%. All parties are attaching greater importance to maintaining the security and stability of industrial and supply chains. The pattern of global industrial and supply chains is being adjusted and restructured, and trends of localization and regionalization are becoming increasingly evident. In particular, certain countries, out of political considerations, have taken the opportunity to strengthen unilateralism and protectionism, politicised and ideologicalized economic and trade cooperation, engaged in ideological confrontation, camp confrontation, and zero-sum games, seriously affecting the efficiency of the world economy.” 经济全球化面临的挑战加大。世界经济下行影响全球总需求,国际人流物流受到疫情严重阻断,全球贸易投资大幅下行。世界贸易组织(WTO)数据显示,2020—2022年全球贸易量增速分别为-5.2%、9.7%、3.5%,三年平均增速仅为2.5%。各方普遍更加重视维护产业链供应链安全稳定,全球产业链供应链格局调整重构,本土化、区域化特征日趋明显。特别是个别国家出于政治因素考虑,借机强化单边主义、保护主义,将经贸合作政治化和意识形态化,大搞意识形态对立、阵营对立、零和博弈,严重影响世界经济运行效率.
The second section then talks about how China has responded to the situation over the past three years. It obviously offers a glowing assessment. It says that from 2020 to 2022, China's GDP grew at an average annual rate of 4.5%, one of the highest among the G20 economies and much higher than that of major economies such as the US (1.7%), the EU (1.1%) and Japan (-0.4%). This figure is also 2.4 percentage points higher than that of the world economy, 3.4 percentage points higher than that of developed economies and 1.7 percentage points higher than that of emerging economies. Over the past three years, China’s GDP has increased by about $3.5 trillion, accounting for more than a quarter of the global economic growth. China has been a major stabiliser and source of growth for the world economy.” 2020—2022年,我国GDP年均增速达4.5%,是二十国集团(G20)中年均增速最高的经济体之一,增速大幅高于美国(1.7%)、欧盟(1.1%)、日本(-0.4%)等主要经济体,较世界经济、发达经济体、新兴经济体的年均增速分别高出2.4、3.4、1.7个百分点。三年间,我国GDP增量约3.5万亿美元,占全球经济增量比重超过1/4,是世界经济恢复增长的主要稳定器和动力源.
The next paragraph mentions achievements related to poverty alleviation, grain output, employment and stability in supply and prices of commodities. “From 2020 to 2022, China’s average annual inflation rate has been around 1.8%, which is among the lowest for G20 economies far below the global average of 5.5%, and significantly lower than the United States (4.6%) and the European Union (4.2%), and the UK (4.1%).” 2020—2022年,我国年均物价上涨率为1.8%,为G20中物价涨幅最低经济体之一,远低于全球5.5%的平均水平,也显著低于美国(4.6%)、欧盟(4.2%)、英国(4.1%)的通胀水平.
The next paragraph discusses opening up. It refers to goods import and export exceeding 40 trillion yuan last year, 1.2 trillion yuan of foreign investment coming into China last year - the highest for any country, more than 200 BRI cooperation documents had been signed with 150 countries and 32 international organisations, major progress had been made in the construction of flagship projects such as the China-Thailand Railway, Budapest-Belgrade Railway and Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway.
The next paragraph talks about innovation achievements and the final one discusses green transformation.
“The results of pollution prevention and control have been further consolidated and expanded. In 2022, the average number of days with excellent air quality in 339 cities at prefecture level and above increased by 4.5 percentage points compared with 2019, and the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decreased by 19.4% compared with 2019. The green and low-carbon energy transformation has been further promoted. By the end of 2022, the installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.2 billion kilowatts, and the installed capacity of hydropower, wind power, solar power generation and biomass power generation ranked first in the world. The green industrial system has developed rapidly, and the new energy industry is leading the world, providing more than 70% of photovoltaic modules for the world. The production and sales scale of new energy vehicles has remained the first in the world for 8 consecutive years.” 污染防治成果进一步巩固拓展,2022年全国339个地级及以上城市平均空气质量优良天数比例较2019年提高4.5个百分点,细颗粒物(PM2.5)平均浓度较2019年下降19.4%。能源绿色低碳转型深入推进,截至2022年底可再生能源装机突破12亿千瓦,水电、风电、太阳能发电、生物质发电装机均居世界首位。绿色产业体系快速发展,新能源产业全球领先,为全球提供超过70%的光伏组件,新能源汽车产销规模连续8年保持全球第一.
Other Stories outside the paper:
“China’s government on Thursday criticized the Netherlands for joining Washington in blocking Chinese access to technology to manufacture advanced processor chips on security and human rights grounds. A Dutch minister told lawmakers Wednesday that exports of equipment that uses ultraviolet light to etch circuits on chips would be restricted on security grounds. ASML of the Netherlands is the only global supplier. Industry experts say a lack of access to ASML's most advanced technology is a serious handicap for China's efforts to develop its own chip industry. Washington in October blocked Chinese access to U.S. tools to make advanced chips that it said might be used in weapons or in equipment for the ruling Communist Party's surveillance apparatus. The Biden administration is lobbying European and Asian allies to tighten their own controls. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman complained that “an individual country,” a reference to the United States, was trying to “safeguard its own hegemony” by abusing national security as an excuse to “deprive China of its right to development.” “We firmly oppose the Netherlands’s interference and restriction with administrative means of normal economic and trade exchanges between Chinese and Dutch enterprises,” said the spokeswoman, Mao Ning. “We have made complaints to the Dutch side.” Mao appealed to the Netherlands to “safeguard the stability of the international industrial and supply chain.”
“Cash-strapped local governments in China artificially boosted their revenues last year by selling swaths of land to their own investment vehicles, an official think-tank said, raising concerns about the extent of their financial woes. More than half of the Rmb 2.2tn ($316bn) in residential property plot sales by local Chinese authorities in 2022 were made to local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), according to a report published last week by the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences, which warned some transactions “might be fake”. The report suggested local governments had overstated their revenue after LGFVs, which are responsible for financing infrastructure construction, stepped in as the biggest land buyer. “Local authorities have a strong incentive to sell assets at inflated prices or have LGFVs purchase land to artificially prop up fiscal revenue,” the think-tank said. Land sales are a crucial source of revenue for China’s local governments, which are responsible for everything from roads to healthcare and education but whose budgets have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and a property market crisis. The report, and that LGFVs have helped prop up land sales, suggests the financial challenges facing local governments are more dire than even official statistics indicate.”
China's annual consumer inflation slowed to the lowest rate in a year in February as consumers remained cautious despite the abandonment of strong pandemic controls late in 2022.
“China’s new-home prices were stable in February compared with January, ending seven consecutive months of declines as government measures to shore up the struggling real estate sector showed signs of taking effect. The average price of new homes in 100 major cities remained unchanged at 16,174 yuan ($2,322) per square meter last month, improving from a 0.02% decline in January, according to data in a March 1 report from China Index Holdings Ltd., a property consultant. New-home prices in first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai continued to climb slightly month-on-month, while prices in smaller second-tier cities such as Chengdu and Changsha ended their recent declines and rose 0.01%. Average prices of existing homes in the 100 cities dropped 0.01% in February, easing from a 0.11% decline the previous month.”
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Finally, a shout out to the always excellent Ling Li. There was a fair amount of reporting on the Party and state institutional reform including a reform of the public security apparatus. She was rather clear that this would not happen.