On Chinese Media

Xinmin Weekly

Issue No. 42， 2015

Golden Era of China-U.K. Relations

As Queen Elizabeth II and President Xi Jinping waved to welcoming crowds from the glittering Diamond Jubilee State Coach， China-U.K. ties appropriately entered a “golden era.”

The Chinese presidents latest visit reconfirmed that the U.K. now needs China， whose GDP is triple-to-quadruple its own， more than ever before. The Financial Times said Xis visit was the “most important diplomatic visit to Britain in several years，”and would “recalibrate the U.K.s great-power relations.”

This so-called “super state visit” yielded impressive outcomes– economic and trade deals worth a record ？40 billion. Notable among them is China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holdings coinvestment and one-third stake in the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear plant， the first nuclear power project in the U.K. for 20 years or more.

President Xi said that， in the fields of sports， education， tourism， film and TV， the essence of Chinese and British cultures

has produced a fantastic “chemical reaction” in their respective peoples ways of thinking and lifestyle.

Unlike China-U.S. ties， which are comparatively prudent and nuanced， the China-U.K. amity is forthright and salient. China and the U.K. discussed for weeks an appropriate definition for current bilateral ties， according to the Financial Times. China first described 2015 as a “big year” for ties. U.K. officials then countered with a “golden year.” By the time PM David Cameron spoke to Premier Li Keqiang over the phone， however， he had upgraded the term to “golden era.”

South Reviews

Issue No. 23， 2015

The Search for Momentum towards Economic Growth

The recently announced twochild policy is hailed as a fresh stimulus to the Chinese economy. Although a population increase might be a burden for social and economic development during certain periods of history， it is now a much needed resource. A large population is indeed one of the factors that have buttressed Chinas strong economic growth over past years.

Decent growth remains critical to the Chinese economy. Healthy development of businesses and innovation provide a sustainable drive towards economic growth， but are premised on the liberalization of production factors. In this regard metabolizing excess capacity is imperative.

The Internet is perceived as adding impetus to Chinas economic restructuring by opening up new space for growth. But IT technologies lead only to changes in the patterns of profit distribution， and not to the institution itself.endprint

Advocates of the “new supplyside economics” believe that institutional supply will be the main dynamic of Chinas economic growth. Over the past century the Chinese people have constantly sought economic systems appropriate to national conditions， and encountered numerous ups and downs in the process. Now the worlds second largest economy， China must decide exactly which economic institutions and modes it should embrace in the new era.

Oriental Outlook

Issue No. 40， 2015

Build Sponge Cities

From 2007 to the first half of 2013， more than 360 Chinese cities were hit by floods. Meanwhile， half of Chinas 657 cities experienced water shortages， some to a severe extent， according to UN-Habitat data.

This paradox is attributable to the large extent of surfacing of urban land – in asphalt， cement， marble， and glazed tiles. Excessive development has thus destroyed forests， grasslands， lakes， and wetlands– the city “sponges” that store rainwater and regulate local climate. According to a Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development official， prior to urban development there was a 70-80 percent groundwater infiltration in northern China， so replenishing local bodies of water and feeding the ecosystem， while the remaining 20-30 percent drained. These percentages have now reversed.

Last year the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development published a technological manual on building sponge cities. Construction of a low-impact system to collect rainwater prevents floods and forms a reservoir for the benefit of residents during times of drought. The ultimate aim is to restore resilience to urban land.

Economy & Nation Weekly

Issue No. 22， 2015

CPC Meeting Shapes Chinas Future

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee on October 26-29 set the guidelines for advancing socialist modernization and deepening reforms under the new historical conditions.

In view of unprecedented and complex circumstances， both domestically and internationally， China must adopt new development notions and approaches to planning its future. The recently released CPC proposals for the 13th Five-year Plan set the strategies and targets for Chinas development over the coming years. Priority items include reforms to state-owned enterprise （SOE）， to the financial sector， and to the taxation system.

According to the proposals， Chinas main tasks over the next five years will be to maintain medium-to-high growth， transform the economic growth pattern， and optimize the industrial structure， all of which entail reform to SOEs. The Fifth Plenary Session vowed to improve the management system of various kinds of state assets.endprint

On September 13 the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued a guideline on deepening SOE reforms. This signifies finalization of the top-level design of the reform and its acceleration. The reforms will have positive impact on the businesses involved， and also on the future of the Chinese economy.

Minsheng Weekly

Issue No. 19， 2015

E-business Vitalizes Rural Economy

Thanks to the development of IT technologies and the logistics sector， E-business is booming on the rural market. This has stimulated industrial restructuring in the countryside， so creating jobs， and expanding and better satisfying rural demands. It has moreover facilitated rural residentsconsumption， and also their sales of agricultural products.

On September 10， cun. taobao.com， tailor-made for rural customers， began operations in 21 provinces （including autonomous regions and municipalities of a similar level）. The Alibaba Group， Chinas leading e-commerce player， plans to build 1，000 county-level service centers and 100，000 village-level service outlets in the coming three to five years， with a total investment of RMB 10 billion. These facilities， according to cun.taobao General Manager Sun Lijun， will be combined with the groups other services such as online banking to build a smart countryside.endprint