Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol.63/No.28 i Beijing Review

On June 23, when the last satellite in the homegrown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) was successfully launched, completing the third-generation BDS network six months ahead of schedule, it was a milestone for many reasons. It means the world now has four global navigation networks, provided by the United States, Russia, the European Union and China, representing Asia. China’s BDS is more advanced vis-à-vis position accuracy, navigation timing, two-way messaging and providing all-time, all-weather services. More importantly, the BDS represents independent innovation and self-dependence, which are essential for safeguarding national security and socioeconomic development. The system can support finance, aviation, marine navigation, traffic management, agriculture and law enforcement. Going beyond domestic needs, it can also facilitate global emergency response and rescue operations. But most importantly, it opens the door to…

The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) had been applied to nearly 6.6 mln road operating vehicles including taxis, buses and trucks around China as well as more than 70,000 fishing vessels across the country. More than 10,000 fishermen had been rescued or received assistance after they used a BDS device to ask for help. More than 70% of mobile phones registered in China were compatible with BDS signals. Over 3,200 navigation facilities along rivers and more than 2,900 maritime navigation establishments employed BDS services. More than 400,000 portable terminals used by the police across the country had BDS-enabled positioning functions. More than 500,000 work at about 14,000 Chinese people domestic institutes and companies doing business related to the BDS and other satellite navigation and positioning services. More than 100 mln…

The author is a professor of law at the China University of Political Science and Law As of now, the U.S., unfortunately, is leading the world in novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections and fatalities, with its political, economic and social order having taken a hit. At the same time, some officials, groups and individuals in the country have filed lawsuits in domestic courts, demanding that China be held liable for the damage caused to the U.S. by COVID-19 and asking for huge compensations. On April 21, Missouri became the first U.S. state to sue the Chinese Government over its handling of the coronavirus situation, alleging China’s response led to its devastating economic losses. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri by Missouri…

In October 2019, Peng Hongqing set a new record in Liupanshui, a prefecture-level city in Guizhou Province in southwest China. The record was for the largest ever seizure of illegal methamphetamines (meth). Peng, 42, is the head of the anti-drug brigade of Liupanshui’s Liuzhi Special District Public Security Bureau. Having worked as a police officer for 21 years, he has dealt with many of the city’s drug crimes, fighting a battle of wits and courage against drug dealers. Peng and his team arrested five drug trafficking suspects during the October operation and seized 69.2 kg of crystal meth. Three months after that, he led his team to crack a case of interprovincial drug smuggling, seizing 33.9 kg of meth tablets. In June, he was commended as one of the outstanding…

The bustling coastal city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, south China, has a special place in the country’s economic development. This is where the first special economic zone was established in 1980. Now the industrial hub is poised for another signpost. The first personal bankruptcy regulations are to go on trial here this year, which may pave the way for other cities to follow suit. The seeds of the experiment were sown in 2010, two years after the global financial crisis. Before the catastrophe, Nanling, a village in Shenzhen, had been developing at a tremendous pace since reform and opening up began. But the crisis damaged the real economy and forced an increasing number of businesses to shut down, with their owners leaving the village. Zhang Yubiao, Secretary of the…

The author is an honorary research fellow with the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and a research fellow with the China Institute, Fudan University The Internet has changed the traditional pattern of politics. In China, it has increased people’s ability to make their voices heard. Chinese netizens have been vocal on the Internet since their emergence. In 2010, opinion leaders, mainly intellectuals and members of the media, launched the Onlookers Changing China campaign, paying attention to public affairs so that their collective gaze acted as a pressure tactic on those being watched. In 2011, when a bullet train accident in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province in east China, killed 40 and injured more than 170, many netizens questioned the reliability of high-speed railway technologies. The government responded by improving the…

The tensions between China and the U.S. in the past two years have spilled over into the educational realm. On June 1, certain groups of Chinese post-graduate students and post-doctoral researchers were banned from entering the U. S. on the allegation of acquiring “sensitive U.S. technologies and intellectual property,” in part to bolster the modernization and capability of the People’s Liberation Army, according to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The New York Times estimated that about 3,000 to 5,000 people, accounting for about 1 percent of the Chinese students studying in the U.S., would be affected. The new ban is stark political persecution and racial discrimination, which constitutes a grave violation of the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and researchers in the U.S., according to…

Guangzhou Dayun Motorcycle, a motorcycle maker based in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China, has attended the twice-yearly China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, for 30 years, but this year it was different. For the first time in its 63-year history, the 127th trade fair was not held on-site in Guangzhou due to the novel coronavirus epidemic but online from June 15 to 24 instead. As Wu Peiyuan, general manager of the international trade department of the company, told a press conference held in Guangzhou on June 21, domestic suspension of work earlier this year and the global pandemic spread affected the company’s overseas orders over the past months. However, the fair has brought new opportunities and boosted market confidence in the recovery of global…

China’s factory output and services sector continued to expand in June as a slew of supportive policies took effect, official data showed on June 30. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector ticked up to 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction. Wen Bin, chief analyst at China Minsheng Bank, attributed the growth to the positive trend in nationwide epidemic control, improvements in both supply and demand and counter-cyclical adjustment policies that are paying off. China has been walking a fine line in balancing epidemic control and economic recovery, with targeted measures to help firms safely restart their businesses. The PMI for 14 of the 21 surveyed manufacturing sectors…

CHINESE OLYMPIAN HEADS WTT COUNCIL Chinese table tennis chief Liu Guoliang has been tasked with promoting the sport on a global level with World Table Tennis (WTT) naming the former Olympic champion its new head. The WTT was set up by the International Table Tennis Federation in August 2019 to modernize its commercial business activities and help table tennis compete with top-profile sports. “Mr. Liu Guoliang is an extremely well-respected leader within the world table tennis community, with the perfect caliber and the richest of career achievements,” a WTT statement said. After a stellar playing career, in which he won the Olympic and World Championship golds, Liu has been head coach of the Chinese national team and president of the China Table Tennis Association. “Table tennis has enriched my life…

Wang Chang still shudders to recall the day his boat nearly sank in the tropical waters off Hainan Island in south China. On that day in April 2015, Wang left his home in Qionghai, a city known for its fishing industry, heading out into the open ocean in search of fish. In the middle of the sea, realizing his vessel was in danger, he activated an emergency call button on the boat, which is equipped with a communication system linked to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). The system is named after the Big Dipper constellation. It was this button that saved Wang’s life. When he pressed it, a signal was sent to the BDS information management platform at the port in Qionghai, and staff at the port immediately located…

After a long time, Li Li is going to bed early at night again but she is not happy with the healthy habit. Li is an exporter based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in south China, and till recently, would be discussing orders with clients in Europe late at night, given the time differences. However, her mobile phone has been silent these days as the sales have gone down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. “We still have some orders to complete but after that, if there are no new ones, we cannot survive for long,” she said ruefully. Li is not alone in her misery. In the second quarter of this year, global trade in goods would drop by 26.9 percent compared to the first quarter, according to a prediction…

China’s accession to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a done deal. The decision was approved at a legislative session of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on June 20, marking the completion of the domestic legal procedures necessary for the accession. China will formally become a state party to the ATT once approved by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Approved by vote at the 67th UN General Assembly in 2013 and coming into effect on December 24 the following year, the ATT is designed to regulate the international arms trade and to combat the illicit transfer and trafficking of conventional weapons. The pact aims to alleviate global and regional instability as well as humanitarian crises caused by the abuse of the arms trade. By June, the treaty had garnered…