Zhong Sheng on NATO's 'Strategic Concept' - Guo Shengkun on Political Construction - Yangtze River Inspection - Lancang-Mekong FMs Meet - 'Three No-Corruptions' - Yang Jiechi in Mozambique
Here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy in the Tuesday, July 5, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily.
Page 1: The lead story is about Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter to the ‘Global Development: Common Mission and Contributions’ Think Tank & Media Forum being held in Beijing. Xinhua English reports:
“Currently, the world is affected by the combined impacts of major changes and a raging pandemic, the global economic recovery is fragile, and there is a widening North-South gap, Xi said. ‘As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, promoting development has become a major topic facing humanity,’ Xi said. ‘Therefore, China proposes the Global Development Initiative.’ China stands ready to work with other countries in upholding the people-centered approach, and pursuing inclusiveness and benefits for all, innovation-driven development and harmony between human and nature, Xi said. The country is also willing to push for putting development front and center on the international agenda, accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and promote a stronger, greener and healthier global development, he said.”
At the top of the page, there’s a brief report about the publication of Xi’s speech in Hong Kong.
Next, there’s a report providing an update on the water conservancy projects that are currently underway in China. It says that in the first five months of the year, 10,644 new projects were started, with an investment scale of 414.4 billion yuan. In the first five months, the country has invested 606.1 billion yuan in water conservancy projects, an increase of 155.4 billion yuan or 34.5% over the same period last year; completed investment was at 310.8 billion yuan, an increase of 109 billion yuan or 54% over the same period last year. Water conservancy project construction employed a total of 1.03 million people — 770,000 of them migrant workers.
Finally, a report about Li Zhanshu’s comments about efforts to focus on the environmental restoration of the Yangtze River, during an inspection tour in Hubei Province. Xinhua reports:
“Tasked with examining the local implementation of the Yangtze River conservation law, the inspection team of the NPC Standing Committee led by Li carried out inspections in the cities of Yichang, Jingzhou and Wuhan, and held symposiums to hear local work in implementing the law as well as relevant suggestions. Li called for efforts to highlight the systematic conservation and restoration of the whole eco-system of the Yangtze River, and to construct an ecological security architecture featuring harmonious relations between various water bodies, high-quality water resources, and biodiversity. The results of the inspections demonstrate that remarkable achievements have been made, Li added. Li also underlined unrelenting institutional and legal efforts to protect the Yangtze River, and urged efforts to accelerate the building of coordination mechanisms, improve the legal system on the matter and ensure the sound implementation of duties prescribed by the law.”
PD says that the inspection team conducted inspections at industrial parks, the Three Gorges Dam area, terminals, lakes, and ecological restoration sites. In the PD report, Li is quoted as saying that “General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the protection of the Yangtze River and has made important instructions on many occasions, emphasising the need to protect the Yangtze River in accordance with the law. It is necessary to thoroughly implement Xi Jinping’s thought on ecological civilisation, focus on the restoration and protection of the entire Yangtze River ecosystem…” 栗战书指出，习近平总书记高度重视长江保护，多次作出重要指示，强调要依法保护长江。要深入贯彻习近平生态文明思想，着眼整个长江生态系统修复、保护、恢复，构建以长江干支流为经脉、以山水林田湖草沙冰为有机整体，江湖关系和谐、流域水质优良、生态流量充足、水土保持有效、生物种类多样的生态安全格局.
Li talks about the problems of overfishing, illegal logging, excessive reclamation and exploitation, “the blind and disorderly development” along the river banks, pollution from factories, etc.
Page 2: A report about Hu Chunhua’s visit to Tibet from July 1 to 4. Hu visited the counties of Basu, Luolong, and Bianba in Chamdo City; Jiali County in Nagqu City, and Mozhugongka County of Lhasa City. Xinhua says that Hu stressed efforts to consolidate poverty alleviation achievements and push forward rural revitalisation on all fronts to ensure that people do not return to poverty in large numbers. The report adds:
“In Tibet, Hu learned about the employment and income of people who had risen out of poverty, agricultural development with local features, rural infrastructure construction and public services in the region. Consolidating poverty alleviation outcomes should be a priority for areas having been lifted out of poverty, said Hu, calling for continuous efforts to increase people's incomes by developing modern agriculture and animal husbandry, boosting the processing and circulation of agricultural products, and developing rural tourism, among others. Hu also underlined efforts to advance rural revitalisation, enhance rural infrastructure construction, boost public services, and keep improving the production and living conditions of farmers and herdsmen. Work should be done to keep promoting the development of ethnic minority areas, and encourage all ethnic groups to work together in pursuit of common development and prosperity, he said.”
Next, there’s a report on Guo Shengkun’s comments during a special seminar on strengthening political construction for leading political and legal affairs cadres on July 4. Guo emphasised the importance of adhering to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s thought on the rule of law, fully implement the spirit of the 19th Party Congress and all its plenaries, deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the four consciousnesses, strengthen the four self-confidences, and achieve the two safeguards, carry forward the great spirit of party building, thoroughly implement the general requirements of party building in the new era, take the party's political construction as the guide, promote the all-round and in-depth development of strictly administering the party and the police, and greet the 20th victory of the party with a high-spirited attitude and practical actions to maintain security and stability.” 中共中央政治局委员、中央政法委书记郭声琨4日在政法领导干部加强政治建设专题研讨班开班式上强调，要坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入学习贯彻习近平法治思想，全面贯彻党的十九大和十九届历次全会精神，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”，弘扬伟大建党精神，深入落实新时代党的建设总要求，以党的政治建设为统领，推动全面从严管党治警向纵深发展，以昂扬向上的奋斗姿态和维护安全稳定的实际行动，迎接党的二十大胜利召开.
He added that “we must deeply understand the theoretical, historical and practical logic of the Two Establishments, always take the two safeguards as the highest political principle, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the fundamental guide, and take the implementation of the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee as the yardstick to test and ensure loyalty, purity and reliability.” 郭声琨要求，要深刻认识“两个确立”的理论逻辑、历史逻辑、实践逻辑，始终把“两个维护”作为最高政治原则，把习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想作为根本遵循，把贯彻落实党中央决策部署作为检验标尺，确保忠诚纯洁可靠.
Further, he said: “We should be good at grasping the overall situation politically, looking at problems, focusing on preventing and defusing risks, and ensuring national political security and social stability. It is necessary to promote the Party’s political construction in a coordinated manner, consolidate and deepen the achievements of the education and rectification of the political and legal team throughout the country, thoroughly eliminate pernicious influences, further build political loyalty, consolidate political foundation, conserve political ecology and improve political ability, and provide a fundamental guarantee for the high-quality development of political and legal work in the new era. It is necessary to strengthen organisational leadership, refine practical measures, and ensure that the political construction of the party in political and legal organs has achieved practical results.” 要善于从政治上把握大局、看问题，着力防范化解风险，确保国家政治安全和社会大局稳定。要统筹推进党的政治建设，巩固深化全国政法队伍教育整顿成果，全面彻底肃清流毒影响，进一步筑牢政治忠诚、夯实政治根基、涵养政治生态、提高政治能力，为新时代政法工作高质量发展提供根本保证。要加强组织领导，细化实化工作措施，确保政法机关党的政治建设取得实效。
Page 3: The full joint statement following the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' meeting is published on the page today. The document talks about the challenges related to COVID-19. It says that the global economic recovery has been sluggish, and the momentum of development and cooperation has weakened. There is a growing “peace deficit, security deficit, trust deficit and governance deficit.” “Global systemic risks are constantly accumulating, and the global governance system is facing unprecedented challenges.” They agreed that they should “jointly safeguard regional food security, energy security, financial security, ecological security, public health security and supply chain security.”
The statement also says that the LMC countries “will continue to adhere to the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.” Point number 5 says that:
“The ministers reiterated that under the Lancang-Mekong cooperation framework, all countries will, in a spirit of friendship and solidarity, respect the UN Charter and international law, and work together to maintain and promote peace, stability and sustainable development in the Lancang-Mekong region. All parties agreed to enhance mutual trust, align national development strategies, deepen practical cooperation, and jointly address challenges.” 部长们重申，在澜湄合作框架下，各国将本着友好和团结的精神，尊重《联合国宪章》和国际法，共同致力于维护和促进澜湄地区的和平、稳定和可持续发展。各方一致同意增进互信，对接国家发展战略，深化务实合作，共同应对挑战.
Point number 10 talks about strengthening cooperation regaridng non-traditional security issues to address common regional challenges, including but not limited to drug trafficking, terrorism, cybercrimes, human trafficking, smuggling of firearms and ammunition, hazardous waste and e-waste trafficking, cross-border gambling and telecommunications fraud and other transnational crimes.
Point 12 says: “The ministers agreed to cooperate on increasing economic resilience and promoting key elements of post-pandemic economic recovery, including but not limited to connectivity, trade, digital economy, finance, development financing, production capacity, supply chain resilience, and cross-border economic cooperation in areas such as intra-regional investment, green finance, cross-border trade facilitation, and alignment of rules and regulations, encourage the acceleration of the joint construction of innovation corridors, and jointly build the Lancang-Mekong economic development belt.” 十二、外长们同意在增加经济韧性、促进疫后经济复苏的关键要素等方面开展合作，包括但不限于互联互通、贸易、数字经济、金融、发展筹资、产能、供应链韧性、跨境经济、区域内投资、绿色金融、跨境贸易便利化、规章制度对接等领域合作，鼓励加快共建创新走廊，共同建设澜湄流域经济发展带。部长们支持探索扩大经济外交对话的可能性，以此作为澜湄公共和私营部门进一步交流意见和信息的平台.
Point 13 says: “The foreign ministers praised the pragmatic achievements of the Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation. China successfully held the 2nd Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum, and the six countries jointly adopted the ‘Beijing Initiative of the 2nd Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum’, which further consolidated the consensus on river basin cooperation. The website of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Information Sharing Platform is running smoothly, continuously sharing the annual hydrological data of the Lancang River, and helping member countries to further improve their ability to cope with floods and droughts.” 十三、外长们赞扬澜湄水资源合作取得的务实成果。中方成功举办第二届澜湄水资源合作论坛，六国共同通过了《第二届澜湄水资源合作论坛北京倡议》，进一步凝聚了流域合作共识。澜湄水资源合作信息共享平台网站平稳运行，持续分享澜沧江全年水文数据，帮助成员国进一步提高应对洪旱灾害能力.
The document talks about people-to-people cooperation, talent development, tourism, civil aviation cooperation, exchanges and cooperation in forest resource protection and endangered wildlife protection, strengthening capacity building in addressing climate change, biodiversity conservation, clean energy transition and sustainable infrastructure, agricultural cooperation, etc.
Also on the page is a report with Wang Yi’s comments.
Wang pitched the GDI and GSI, saying that he wants to leverage the LMC to “work together to build a high-quality Belt and Road demonstration zone, a pilot zone for the GDI, and an experimental zone for GSI.” 共同致力于打造高质量共建“一带一路”示范区、全球发展倡议先行区、全球安全倡议实验区，构建更加强韧的澜湄流域经济发展带，建设更为紧密的澜湄国家命运共同体.
Wang further talked about China’s engagement with LMC countries:
China provided over 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and dispatched medical expert teams to the Mekong countries, and helped the countries establish COVID-19 nucleic acid testing labs and mobile cabin hospitals.
He talked about the operation of the China-Laos Railway in early December; the rehabilitation and expansion of Cambodia's National Road No. 11, the new terminal at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International Airport and the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. The Kyaukpyu deep-sea port project in Myanmar has started its environmental assessment, social assessment, and geological survey and feasibility study.
In 2021, trade between China and the Mekong countries reached 398 billion U.S. dollars, up 23 percent year-on-year. In the first five months of this year, trade between the two sides witnessed a 16-percent growth.
In 2021, China's imports from the Mekong countries reached 17.4 billion dollars, up nearly 33 percent year-on-year.
The China-aided national stadium project in Cambodia has been inaugurated; the lighting project supported by China in the Lao capital Vientiane has been completed; the China-sponsored maintenance and renovation project of the national stadium in Myanmar has also been handed over; and notable progress has been made in the China-built rural water supply project in Vietnam.
Wang Yi also talked about the six measures in the next phase of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.
First, an action plan on LMC agricultural programs, which will roll out 100 agricultural technology promotion projects for the Mekong countries, train 1,000 agricultural bellwethers, and develop 10,000 hectares of demonstration farmland.
Second, a plan on LMC water resources to strengthen hydrological information sharing, accelerate the development of photovoltaic water pumping irrigation, and provide safety checks for 20 reservoirs and dams, among others.
Third, a cooperation plan on LMC digital economy to set up cloud computing innovation centers, promote digital TV research and development demonstration, develop modern information technology systems.
Fourth, an LMC space cooperation plan to jointly develop earth observation satellites and carry out cooperation in space breeding. China welcomes cooperation by the five Mekong countries on the International Lunar Research Station.
Fifth, an LMC talent plan to provide 2,000 academic scholarships and 2,000 training opportunities for the Mekong countries, and build a training base for water resources personnel.
Sixth, an LMC public health cooperation plan to continue providing COVID-19 vaccines based on the needs of the Mekong countries, and engaging in drug R&D.
Although it’s not in PD, Wang Yi also met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son. Xinhua reports that “during the meeting, the two foreign ministers also exchanged views on the South China Sea issue, agreeing to take the opportunity of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea this year to move forward the process of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, adhere to the consensus reached between the leaderships, handle differences properly and boost maritime cooperation.”
Next, there’s a report informing us about a conversation between ILD chief Li Jianchao and Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. There are no details on what they talked about. Also, there’s a report about Yang Jiechi’s visit to Mozambique. Yang met with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi. Xinhua reports:
“In recent years, under the guidance of the two heads of state, China-Mozambique relations have developed in an all-round way. China firmly supports Mozambique in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and in safeguarding national security and stability, said Yang. China is ready to conduct all-round exchanges with Mozambique, further deepen political mutual trust, support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, and actively build the Belt and Road Initiative, Yang said. China will push for more achievements in bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture and energy. China is ready to continue to support Mozambique in its fight against natural disasters and COVID-19 and further carry out cultural exchanges, said Yang. Yang said both China and Mozambique are developing countries that adhere to independent development. China congratulates Mozambique on its successful election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, supports Mozambique in playing a constructive role in maintaining international peace and security, supports solving African problems in an African way, and is willing to make greater contributions to the stability, prosperity and development of Africa and the world together with Mozambique.”
Next, there’s a report on Zhao Lijian’s comments on the BRICS agenda this year. He said that:
“China will continue to advance the BRICS agenda this year as planned. In the latter half of the year, we plan to hold about 80 meetings and other events. In July for instance, we will hold important ministerial meetings in such fields as communications, anti-corruption, labor and employment, and activities in various sectors and at various levels including intellectual property, think tanks, and media. China looks forward to working hand in hand with fellow BRICS countries to act on the outcomes and common understandings reached at the Summit, further consolidate the BRICS strategic partnership, deepen practical cooperation across the board, constantly strengthen institution building, and inject strong impetus into high-quality BRICS development.”
Page 4: A report from the BRICS think tank forum, where Huang Kunming read out Xi’s letter, which was covered on the front page.
Next, there’s an article under the byline 李斌 Li Bin, talking about the 三不腐 three no-corruptions, i.e, that officials “do not dare to be, are not able to be engage in corruption, and do not want to be corrupt.” This was highlighted at the 40th study session of the Politburo recently. The author says that the 三不腐 are an “organic whole” that are “interdependent and mutually reinforcing” and must be “planned, deployed, and implemented simultaneously.” Severe punishment should lead to deterrence, but there must also be an institutional cage that regulates the exercise of power. Along with this, the education of party spirit should be strengthened and ideological awareness should be improved. 不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐是相互依存、相互促进的有机整体，必须同步谋划、同步部署、同步实施。在严厉惩治、形成震慑的同时，扎牢制度笼子、规范权力运行，加强党性教育、提高思想觉悟。
The author argues that only by “connecting, coordinating, and integrating the three can the overall effect be enhanced, and the comprehensive effect of purifying the Party’s atmosphere and political ecology can be stimulated.” “不敢”是前提，“不能”是关键，“不想”是根本，三者只有相互衔接、统筹联动、系统集成，才能增强总体效果，激发净化党内风气、净化政治生态的综合效应.
Page 7: A report telling us that since the 18th Party Congress to now, the national penetration rate of Putonghua has increased from 70% to 80.72%, the proportion of literate people using standard Chinese characters has exceeded 95%, and the illiteracy rate has dropped to 2.67%.
Over the past 10 years, more than 10 million people have been trained in the national common language and writing for key groups such as teachers, young and middle-aged workers, grass-roots cadres, and language workers; the central government has provided special support to 986 teams of more than 11,000 college students, leading to hundreds of thousands of college students going to the front-lines in order to popularise the language in central and western regions and engage in voluntary service. 10年来，面向教师、青壮年劳动力、基层干部、语言文字工作者等重点人群，实施国家通用语言文字培训逾千万人次；中央财政专项支持986支团队1.1万余名大学生，带动数十万高校大学生深入中西部推普一线，开展推普志愿服务.
Also: “By the end of 2021, 10 specialised UN agencies, such as UNESCO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Tourism Organization, have adopted Chinese as the official language, more than 180 countries and regions have carried out Chinese education, and 76 countries have incorporated Chinese into their national education systems. The number of people learning Chinese in foreign countries exceeds 25 million, and the cumulative number of people learning and using Chinese is nearly 200 million.” 截至2021年底，联合国教科文组织、联合国粮食及农业组织、世界旅游组织等10个联合国下属专门机构将中文作为官方语言，180多个国家和地区开展中文教育，76个国家将中文纳入国民教育体系。外国正在学习中文人数超2500万，累计学习和使用中文人数近2亿.
Page 17: Two pieces to note on the international page. First, the lead story is the third in an ongoing series, criticising the US. This one talks about the American military’s use of “cluster bombs, depleted uranium bombs, chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction” since WWII and the continued impact of the use of these weapons and unexploded ordinance.
The other piece is a Zhong Sheng commentary talking about the recent NATO summit. It says that “NATO should immediately cease its groundless accusations and provocative remarks against China, abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and the outdated concept of zero-sum games, and abandon its dangerous actions of disrupting Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
The article says that “the recently concluded NATO summit issued the so-called new ‘strategic concept’ document, wantonly distorting China's domestic and foreign policies, claiming that China poses a challenge to NATO's interests, security and values, and NATO will jointly respond to China’s ‘systemic challenges’. NATO has fabricated and disseminated China-related lies and tried its best to exaggerate the ‘China challenge’, which is the result of the organisation’s constant fomenting of Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice. It is a weak effort by the United States to seek excuses to push NATO to extend its tentacles to the Asia-Pacific region. NATO’s actions incite confrontation and threaten global security; countries in the region and the international community should maintain a high level of vigilance against this.” 日前结束的北约峰会出台所谓新“战略概念”文件，大肆歪曲中国内外政策，声称中国对北约利益、安全和价值观造成挑战，北约将共同应对中国“系统性挑战”。北约制造并散布涉华谎言，极力渲染“中国挑战”，是该组织冷战思维不断发酵、意识形态偏见持续膨胀的惯性使然，是美国企图为推动北约将触角伸到亚太寻找借口的拙劣表演。北约的行为鼓动对抗对立、威胁全球安全，地区国家和国际社会必须对此高度警惕.
The next paragraph praises China’s “independent foreign policy of peace”. It says that “China has never initiated a war, invaded an inch of other countries’ territory, interfered in other countries’ internal affairs, exported ideology, and engaged in ‘long-arm jurisdiction’, unilateral sanctions and economic coercion. China has always maintained the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. China adheres to the path of peaceful development…” and basically how it has been a model international actor, if there ever were one. “The ever-growing China, in fact, brings to the world a great opportunity for peaceful development, not a ‘systemic challenge’ as imagined by NATO. NATO is disregarding the facts, confusing black and white, and deliberately smearing China; but this cannot change the facts and the positive views of the international community about China.” 中国坚持独立自主的和平外交政策，始终是世界和平发展的正能量。中国从未主动挑起过一场战争，从未侵略过别国一寸土地，从不干涉别国内政，从不输出意识形态，更没有搞过“长臂管辖”、单边制裁和经济胁迫。中国始终维护以联合国为核心的国际体系、以国际法为基础的国际秩序、以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为基础的国际关系基本准则。中国坚持走和平发展道路，推动构建人类命运共同体，推进高质量共建“一带一路”，提出并践行全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议，为国际社会解决和平发展等重大问题提供了大量公共产品。不断发展壮大的中国为世界带来的是和平发展的大好机遇，绝不是北约臆想出来的“系统性挑战”。北约罔顾事实、颠倒黑白，刻意抹黑中国，改变不了事实真相，也改变不了国际社会对中国的积极看法.
The next paragraph basically blames the US for NATO’s strategic concept document referring to China for the first time. “The current US administration has inherited the erroneous policies of the previous administration, continued to regard China as a ‘strategic competitor’, and formed cliques everywhere to contain and suppress China. This NATO summit not only escalated and exaggerated the ‘China challenge’ but also deliberately invited some Asia-Pacific allies of the United States to participate in the meeting. Since NATO has positioned China as a ‘systemic challenge’, China has to pay close attention to this and coordinate its response. China will resolutely and forcefully fight back against any act that violates its legitimate interests. China’s determination to safeguard its own sovereignty, security, and development interests is firm. America’s attempt to encourage its allies on this is futile.” 本届美国政府继承上届政府的错误做法，继续将中国视为“战略竞争对手”，到处拉帮结派遏制打压中国。本次北约峰会不仅升级渲染“中国挑战”，还特意拉拢美国的一些亚太盟友参会，正是美国为围堵中国而推进北约亚太化、亚太北约化的战略图谋。既然北约将中国定位为“系统性挑战”，那中国也不得不高度关注，统筹应对。对侵犯中国正当利益的任何行径，中国都将坚决有力回击。中国维护自身主权、安全、发展利益的决心坚定不移，美国试图拉上几个盟友壮胆纯属枉费心机.
The next paragraph says that NATO has “never stopped artificially creating ‘enemies’.” This, it says, is what has “truly posed a ‘systemic challenge’ to global security and stability.” It blames NATO’s eastward expansion for the Ukraine war; and it says that “every time NATO engages in external expansion and incites wars, it is under the bright banner of ‘consolidating democracy’ or ‘extending stability and promoting common values’. Today, NATO’s attempt to disrupt the Asia-Pacific region is packaged as maintaining the ‘international order’ and defending ‘values’. This is simply the same old trick…北约每一次对外搞扩张、生战乱，都打着“巩固民主”“延伸稳定、推进共同价值观”等光鲜旗号。如今，北约将其搅乱亚太的图谋包装为维护“国际秩序”、捍卫“价值观”，纯属故伎重施.