https://www.scmp.com/rss/517585/feed “Two Sessions” refers to China's annual parliamentary meetings, where the two main political bodies of China - the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - reveal plans for China's policies involving the economy, military, trade, diplomacy, the environment and more. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, and even though more stimulus packages are expected to be unveiled at the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Willa Wu Willa Wu Hong Kong’s leader has met local deputies of the country’s top legislature ahead of Beijing’s annual key political gathering, at which representatives will raise proposals aimed at boosting the city’s economy through tapping national development. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with the 36 deputies of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the government headquarters, days before the annual “two sessions” get under way next week in Beijing. During the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3300423/hong-kongs-npc-deputies-converge-ahead-two-sessions-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3300423/hong-kongs-npc-deputies-converge-ahead-two-sessions-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:56:07 +0000 China’s top legislature will begin its annual parliamentary meeting on March 5 next year – a session that will be closely watched by investors as Beijing will announce its growth target and decide on ways to stimulate the country’s stalled economy. The start date of the third annual session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing was announced by the NPC Standing Committee on Wednesday. On the same day, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3292227/china-sets-dates-two-sessions-investors-await-2025-economic-growth-target?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3292227/china-sets-dates-two-sessions-investors-await-2025-economic-growth-target?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:13:11 +0000 Mainland China added more than 237,000 new companies involved in artificial intelligence (AI) during the first half of this year, according to corporate database platform Qichacha, taking the total to 1.67 million amid Beijing’s efforts to foster the technology’s development. Of that total, more than 1.48 million – almost 90 per cent – were set up after 2017, when the State Council, the country’s cabinet, published the Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan that outlined a goal... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3273400/chinas-ai-related-companies-total-167-million-first-half-amid-chatgpt-frenzy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3273400/chinas-ai-related-companies-total-167-million-first-half-amid-chatgpt-frenzy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:00:17 +0000 Beijing’s top man in Hong Kong will brief city officials and lawmakers on the “spirit” of the country’s annual parliamentary meetings in a closed-door seminar on Tuesday, the Post has learned. Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, is expected to provide key takeaways from the “two sessions” of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which ended on March 11. Chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3257766/beijings-top-man-hong-kong-brief-officials-lawmakers-spirit-chinas-two-sessions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3257766/beijings-top-man-hong-kong-brief-officials-lawmakers-spirit-chinas-two-sessions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:43:05 +0000 The main takeaway from the recently concluded “two sessions” in Beijing is that China is intent on achieving dominance and technological parity (if not leadership) in a wide range of industries. The Chinese leadership clearly believes that boosting investments in what it calls “new productive forces” is how China will achieve growth of around 5 per cent in 2024 and beyond. But is this strategy the correct one for China? And is it desirable for other countries, especially developing ones that are... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3256422/chinas-drive-industrial-dominance-likely-hurt-developing-countries-and-itself?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3256422/chinas-drive-industrial-dominance-likely-hurt-developing-countries-and-itself?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2024 03:00:25 +0000 The “two sessions” held annually in Beijing, which for this year concluded last week, have captured global attention because of the interconnection between China’s economic recovery and the growth of the world economy. With an ambitious 5 per cent growth target set for 2024, the Chinese government faces significant challenges, as acknowledged by Premier Li Qiang during the National People’s Congress meeting. While China’s GDP growth of 5.2 per cent last year is commendable, ordinary citizens... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255483/chinas-focus-hi-tech-advanced-sectors-could-hold-key-revival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255483/chinas-focus-hi-tech-advanced-sectors-could-hold-key-revival?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2024 21:30:18 +0000 Premier Li Qiang has declared an ambitious economic target of around 5 per cent growth for China this year. While this presents a challenge, it is not insurmountable. As the US devises strategies to lessen its dependence on China, Beijing must increase its self-reliance. At this critical juncture, the Chinese government should implement a substantial stimulus plan to boost consumption, fortify hi-tech production and augment exports. In the US, with Nikki Haley’s withdrawal from the race to be... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3255432/china-needs-bigger-wave-stimulus-boost-spending-and-exports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3255432/china-needs-bigger-wave-stimulus-boost-spending-and-exports?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2024 08:30:08 +0000 In China’s annual parliamentary meetings, developing “new quality productive forces” topped the agenda. A twist on Marxist theorisation, new quality productive forces simply mean new drivers of economic – and defence – growth, powered by frontier technologies. Such new forces can span from infotech, biotech, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, new energy and new materials, to deep space, deep ocean and deep mind. The strategy appears to have three objectives: foreign technology... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3255248/why-chinas-plan-new-productive-forces-should-make-west-sit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3255248/why-chinas-plan-new-productive-forces-should-make-west-sit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Mar 2024 01:30:10 +0000 China is falling short of matching the United States in artificial intelligence (AI) advances because the nation’s efforts are “littered with many essential challenges in theory and technologies”, according to a recent slide presentation made to Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Those difficulties were pointed out to Li during his recent inspection tour of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), a private non-profit organisation founded in 2018 that is engaged in AI research and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3255545/china-said-fall-short-matching-us-advances-ai-owing-many-challenges-theory-and-technologies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3255545/china-said-fall-short-matching-us-advances-ai-owing-many-challenges-theory-and-technologies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:00:15 +0000 China concluded its most important annual gathering of political leaders on Monday, capping the high-level meetings with the approval of amendments to a law that effectively tightens Communist Party control of the State Council, China’s cabinet. On the economic front, the country’s leaders pledged to take a multipronged approach in tackling the country’s unemployment situation. The country seeks to move up the value chain, provide additional support for private firms and improve training to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3260435/two-sessions-concludes-article-23-advances-tiktok-china-vanke-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3260435/two-sessions-concludes-article-23-advances-tiktok-china-vanke-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:22:51 +0000 What do the outcomes from the “two sessions”, China’s highest political meetings, mean for the US-China science and technology rivalry? After all, this area is the new battleground and the defining point of US-China relations in the 21st century. Can the meetings help China escape the “middle technology trap” and leapfrog towards tech supremacy, if it is not already there? Since the tech war launched by former US president Donald Trump and amplified by his successor Joe Biden, China seems to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3255120/china-must-face-its-weaknesses-escape-middle-technology-trap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3255120/china-must-face-its-weaknesses-escape-middle-technology-trap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 21:30:21 +0000 President Xi Jinping has called for a more concerted effort to transform scientific research into marketable products – one major bottleneck in the advancement of China’s technological capabilities – and singled out two of the country’s provinces as places which should be leading the charge for tech innovation and national growth. He made the remarks in a discussion with delegates during this year’s parliamentary gatherings, known as the “two sessions”, last week. The details were only made... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3255261/chinas-xi-jinping-wants-market-ready-research-and-names-provinces-should-be-taking-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3255261/chinas-xi-jinping-wants-market-ready-research-and-names-provinces-should-be-taking-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:11:51 +0000 When Chinese leaders announced a 5 per cent growth target on March 5, they probably didn’t expect to have to defend it. Global asset managers complained that more “forceful” steps are needed to boost growth and combat deflation. And disappointment was felt in some Asian markets that had hoped for a more vigorous response. The figure of around 5 per cent isn’t the problem. It’s that neither President Xi Jinping nor Premier Li Qiang appear to have an urgent plan to achieve it. No large-scale... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255100/why-chinas-5-cent-gdp-target-has-failed-reassure-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255100/why-chinas-5-cent-gdp-target-has-failed-reassure-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:30:12 +0000 Beijing should be more forthcoming about China’s economic statistics and release data more often to enhance transparency to reflect the dimensions and diversity of the world’s second-largest economy and address investor concerns, a government adviser has urged. “For the sake of the stable, long-term development of capital markets, we need richer sources of statistics and information,” said Yang Chengzhang, the chief economist with top brokerage firm Shenwan Hongyuan Securities. Yang is also a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3255092/chinas-economic-data-needs-be-richer-boost-transparency-investor-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3255092/chinas-economic-data-needs-be-richer-boost-transparency-investor-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 23:00:11 +0000 As the annual National People’s Congress session closed this week, delegates put the final touches on changes that signalled the strengthening of Communist Party control over government and financial institutions. In the face of challenges at home and abroad, the legislature passed a law requiring Premier Li Qiang’s State Council, or cabinet, to adhere to the party’s ideology, leadership and instructions. The amendment to the Organic Law of 1982 made it clear the State Council will take a back... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255146/chinas-challenges-ahead-will-test-strengthening-party-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255146/chinas-challenges-ahead-will-test-strengthening-party-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:41:27 +0000 It may not roll off the tongue but “new quality productive forces”, or xinzhishengchanli, was the buzzword at the weeklong gathering of lawmakers and political advisers that wrapped up on Monday in Beijing. According to the cabinet’s information office, the term describes a departure from the traditional growth engines of the economy towards innovative and sustainable development. Under this banner, the government vowed to redouble efforts to support new industries such as electric vehicles, new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3255133/can-china-let-its-young-tech-innovators-boldly-go-where-no-one-has-gone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3255133/can-china-let-its-young-tech-innovators-boldly-go-where-no-one-has-gone?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:39:16 +0000 China’s ‘two sessions’ ended Monday with National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji reading out resolutions approved after a week of meetings. The highlight of the final day was passage of amendments to the Organic Law of the State Council, which gives the Chinese Communist Party tighter control over China’s cabinet. Not coincidentally, the cabinet chief, Premier Li Qiang, did not hold a press conference to mark the closing of the meeting of China’s highest legislative... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3260434/two-sessions-party-control-and-new-quality-productive-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3260434/two-sessions-party-control-and-new-quality-productive-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 10:15:35 +0000 Jacques van Wersch,Haining Gao Jacques van Wersch,Haining Gao \ https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3261174/two-sessions-numbers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3261174/two-sessions-numbers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:37:24 +0000 The legislature on Monday passed a revised law giving the Communist Party more control over the State Council, China’s cabinet – a move experts say marks an end to any separation of power between the party and state. On the final day of the annual legislative session in Beijing, lawmakers approved the amended Organic Law of the State Council with 2,883 votes in favour, eight against and nine abstaining. The law now states that the cabinet must uphold the party’s leadership, “implement decisions”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254986/china-all-about-partys-leadership-it-gets-more-control-over-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254986/china-all-about-partys-leadership-it-gets-more-control-over-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:30:12 +0000 The new buzzword in China’s politics is “new quality productive forces”. First used by President Xi Jinping last September, the cryptic phrase is now on every official’s lips, seemingly becoming the answer to China’s economic troubles. Unfortunately, few outside the establishment understand what it means. Some have dismissed it as a wordplay to mask Beijing’s inadequacies to revive its growth trajectory. History will tell whether the Chinese leadership can succeed in creating these forces, but... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254844/what-does-xis-hi-tech-push-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254844/what-does-xis-hi-tech-push-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 01:30:10 +0000 China’s northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region would prioritise addressing the “hollowing out” of its border areas amid population concerns that could hinder its economic development and add to security risks. “Inner Mongolia … has more than 4,000km (2,485 miles) of borderline, shouldering a major political responsibility in safeguarding national security and border peace,” said Wang Lixia, chairman of the autonomous region, according to the Shanghai-based The Paper on Sunday. “This year, we... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254964/chinas-inner-mongolia-seeks-avoid-economic-security-impact-hollowing-out-amid-population-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254964/chinas-inner-mongolia-seeks-avoid-economic-security-impact-hollowing-out-amid-population-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:24 +0000 The “two sessions”, the annual meetings of China’s top legislative and political advisory bodies, concluded on Monday without the much-anticipated press conference hosted by the country’s premier, discontinuing a customary practice that was established in the early 1990s. According to the official explanation, the press conference at the close of this year’s National People’s Congress (NPC) was cancelled because there was already sufficient information from lawmakers, ministers and policy... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254965/why-i-miss-chinese-premiers-annual-press-conference-close-countrys-two-sessions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254965/why-i-miss-chinese-premiers-annual-press-conference-close-countrys-two-sessions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 23:00:14 +0000 Beijing has acknowledged that the way Chinese scientists go about conducting research – often finding themselves over-encumbered by arduous red tape and becoming obsessed with recognition as they compete for funding – is impeding progress in the nation’s push for “productive forces” that drive innovation and tech self-sufficiency. And government advisers have renewed long-standing calls for reforms to reduce burdens in academia, meet the needs of scientists and recruit fresh minds into research... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3254984/chinese-scientists-warn-crippling-red-tape-restrictions-risk-balking-beijings-bid-create-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3254984/chinese-scientists-warn-crippling-red-tape-restrictions-risk-balking-beijings-bid-create-new?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 14:00:18 +0000 Mounting US trade sanctions and domestic software that is lagging behind American-made technology pose the biggest threats to China’s cybersecurity, according to the chairman of one of the country’s leading cybersecurity companies. In an interview with Shanghai news outlet The Paper on Sunday, Qi Xiangdong, the chairman of Beijing-based cybersecurity firm Qi An Xin (QAX), said the manufacture of cybersecurity products depended on high-end chips and software, and “supply disruptions of these... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254960/two-sessions-2024-us-trade-sanctions-software-gap-taking-toll-chinas-cybersecurity-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254960/two-sessions-2024-us-trade-sanctions-software-gap-taking-toll-chinas-cybersecurity-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 09:29:14 +0000 The head of Hong Kong’s securities regulator has proposed lowering the investment barrier for mainland Chinese traders to lift stock market turnover and boost sentiment. The minimum asset requirement for investing in Hong Kong equities via the southbound leg of the Stock Connect programme should be lowered to 100,000 yuan (US$13,900) from 500,000 yuan, according to one of the two submissions by Tim Lui, chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), to the National People’s Congress... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3254940/hong-kongs-top-market-watchdog-proposes-slashing-china-investment-threshold-cross-border-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3254940/hong-kongs-top-market-watchdog-proposes-slashing-china-investment-threshold-cross-border-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:00:13 +0000 Artificial intelligence (AI) was a key topic discussed by the business and political elite attending China’s annual legislative gathering last week, as the country seeks to leverage ChatGPT-like technology to drive economic growth while maintaining strict regulatory control. Technology and academic delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) tabled multiple suggestions to advance AI, from the pooling of algorithm training... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3254851/two-sessions-2024-chinas-lawmakers-call-more-ai-development-catch-us-while-keeping-it-under?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3254851/two-sessions-2024-chinas-lawmakers-call-more-ai-development-catch-us-while-keeping-it-under?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 01:00:23 +0000 Wang Qishan’s phone was ringing, and the news was grim. When Wang, then vice-premier of China, answered an emergency call from US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in 2008 – the year the global economy was upended by the subprime mortgage crisis – he was preparing for an investment fair in the southern city of Xiamen. Wang, known even then for his hands-on experience defusing fiscal troubles, had planned to use the fair to assure overseas investors of the speed with which China was embracing... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254841/chinas-two-sessions-2024-new-mandate-party-control-push-central-bank-beyond-ordinary-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254841/chinas-two-sessions-2024-new-mandate-party-control-push-central-bank-beyond-ordinary-role?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 22:00:30 +0000 China will consider legal protection for employees who have to stay online after office hours, a form of “invisible overtime” that the supreme court says warrants compensation. Lyu Guoquan, head of the general office of China’s trade union federation, proposed to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) last week that the country create a legal definition and compensation framework for “working overtime online”. Lyu told China National Radio on Sunday that the proposal had... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254867/china-considers-making-bosses-pay-workers-online-invisible-overtime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254867/china-considers-making-bosses-pay-workers-online-invisible-overtime?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 15:00:12 +0000 China will direct much of its growing defence budget to combat readiness as challenges persist at home and abroad, according to the country’s military. In a statement issued on Saturday during the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), PLA delegation spokesman Wu Qian was quoted as saying that the goal was to “comprehensively improve strategic capacity to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests”. “The instability and uncertainty of the security situation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254845/china-spend-growing-defence-budget-combat-readiness-and-preparation-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254845/china-spend-growing-defence-budget-combat-readiness-and-preparation-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 14:00:11 +0000 Hundreds of members of China’s finance sector were charged with professional crimes such as insider trading last year under renewed efforts to improve monitoring, according to the top prosecutor’s office. In an article published on its website on Sunday, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) said more than 340 people in the sector were charged with corruption or dereliction of duty in 2023, a year-on-year increase of nearly 35 per cent. Prosecutors worked on “preventing and defusing economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254860/more-340-corruption-net-chinas-top-prosecutors-double-down-tackling-financial-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254860/more-340-corruption-net-chinas-top-prosecutors-double-down-tackling-financial-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 13:04:45 +0000 Hong Kong’s finance chief has described Beijing’s annual growth target of about 5 per cent as “not easy, but an achievable goal” that will help to support the development of the city’s own economy. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also wrote in his weekly blog on Sunday that the country’s goal of “opening its door wider” to the world would benefit Hong Kong, as the city could capitalise on international exhibitions in mainland China and promote its own tourism and conference events as package... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3254835/hong-kongs-paul-chan-says-beijings-5-annual-growth-target-not-easy-achievable-and-offers-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3254835/hong-kongs-paul-chan-says-beijings-5-annual-growth-target-not-easy-achievable-and-offers-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 05:54:44 +0000 Beijing will strive to stabilise China’s property market in the midst of a debt crisis and “systemic risks”, while allowing some troubled real estate developers to go bankrupt or be restructured, the country’s housing minister said on Saturday. On the sidelines of the National People’s Congress, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister Ni Hong pointed to further problems ahead as the country struggles to contain the deepening property sector crisis, among other economic woes. “The task of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254809/china-ready-let-some-troubled-property-firms-go-bust-housing-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254809/china-ready-let-some-troubled-property-firms-go-bust-housing-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 02:00:14 +0000 With the premier’s presence scaled down, China’s biggest political gathering of the year is focused on President Xi Jinping’s push for home-grown technology. Xi spoke at length about promoting “new quality productive forces” – a reference to Beijing’s ambitious plan to upgrade the economy with domestic technology – during panel discussions with the delegation from Jiangsu province at the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Tuesday. The next day, Xi joined a panel discussion... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254801/xi-jinpings-hi-tech-push-steals-spotlight-chinas-two-sessions-li-qiang-scales-back-presence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254801/xi-jinpings-hi-tech-push-steals-spotlight-chinas-two-sessions-li-qiang-scales-back-presence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:16 +0000 China is now the world’s largest automotive and electric vehicle (EV) market. Sales of electric cars made in the country also account for about 60 per cent of the global total. Behind the industry boom is the Chinese government’s long-term commitment to industrial self-reliance and sustainability. But with policies favouring EV carmakers about to expire, fierce competition has put pressure on their profitability. Chinese carmakers seeking overseas opportunities face rapidly changing markets,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254708/how-chinas-electric-vehicle-industry-charged-ahead-dominate-global-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254708/how-chinas-electric-vehicle-industry-charged-ahead-dominate-global-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 13:00:19 +0000 Faced with a pressing shortage of highly-skilled talent, China needs to bolster the income level and social standing of its skilled workers, delegates at the ongoing “two sessions” have proposed, amid efforts to move up the industrial value chain. “High-skilled workers … play an indispensable role in driving the country’s technological innovation and realising the transformation of scientific and technological achievements,” said National People’s Congress (NPC) deputy Chen Dawei, according to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3254675/china-jobs-push-raise-incomes-social-standing-indispensable-skilled-workers-two-sessions-amid-hi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3254675/china-jobs-push-raise-incomes-social-standing-indispensable-skilled-workers-two-sessions-amid-hi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 13:00:13 +0000 China is planning a multipronged approach to tackle unemployment and move up the industrial value chain, including more support for private firms and training more people for the fast-emerging hi-tech sector. On the sidelines of the “two sessions” in Beijing on Saturday, Human Resources and Social Security Minister Wang Xiaoping said Beijing aimed to train more people in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to meet the demand from the hi-tech industries of the future. “China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254806/china-targets-hi-tech-and-private-sectors-drive-job-creation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254806/china-targets-hi-tech-and-private-sectors-drive-job-creation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 12:37:20 +0000 China’s reputation as the “factory of the world” is taking on new and unwelcome implications for embattled Western and Japanese competitors who see their positions being eroded in areas extending from car production to green products. Recent decisions taken by the National People’s Congress endorsing earlier ones by the Politburo and emphasising the development of “new productive forces” in China can only exacerbate these fears and phobias. They imply that China’s economic presence will become... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3254577/chinas-rise-worlds-green-factory-has-put-west-back-foot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3254577/chinas-rise-worlds-green-factory-has-put-west-back-foot?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 09:30:12 +0000 A top Chinese general has vowed to crack down on what he called “fake combat capabilities” in the military, which experts say is likely related to weapons procurement – the focus of corruption investigations. General He Weidong, the second-ranked vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a discussion with a People’s Liberation Army delegation on Tuesday, according to minutes from the meeting made available to media. The discussion was part of the ongoing “two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254722/chinese-general-calls-crackdown-fake-combat-capabilities-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254722/chinese-general-calls-crackdown-fake-combat-capabilities-military?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 23:00:24 +0000 A senior Chinese diplomat has said that the country is now a major player on the world stage and can no longer be “hiding its capacities and biding its time”, a diplomatic approach proposed by former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Lu Shaye, the ambassador to France, said: “When we were relatively poor and backward, Western countries looked down upon us in dealing with us. Now, they basically look at us as equals, and in some cases even look up to us. “A big country should act like a big... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254743/chinas-two-sessions-2024-country-should-ditch-deng-xiaopings-approach-hiding-its-capacities-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254743/chinas-two-sessions-2024-country-should-ditch-deng-xiaopings-approach-hiding-its-capacities-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:00:15 +0000 A southern Chinese city is banking on a combination of AI, greater computing power and greater consumption to drive economic development and put the region at the forefront of technology. On the sidelines of the National People’s Congress on Thursday, Zhuhai mayor Huang Zhihao said his city was applying general and AI computing to urban infrastructure as part of its bigger plan to turn itself into a “digital city”. Huang told a panel discussion of NPC deputies from Guangdong province that... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254744/ai-computing-power-consumers-zhuhais-formula-spur-economic-and-tech-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254744/ai-computing-power-consumers-zhuhais-formula-spur-economic-and-tech-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 13:30:11 +0000 China’s diplomats in the Middle East are looking at ways to respond to the “big challenge” in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks on shipping, a senior diplomat has said. The Yemeni rebel group has been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Liao Liqiang, the ambassador to Egypt, was speaking at a panel discussion on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254719/chinas-two-sessions-2024-red-sea-crisis-big-challenge-beijing-says-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254719/chinas-two-sessions-2024-red-sea-crisis-big-challenge-beijing-says-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 13:00:23 +0000 President Xi Jinping has called on the Chinese military to step up hi-tech integration of the armed forces, a drive that observers say will be vital to joint operations. At a meeting of military deputies to the top legislature on Thursday, Xi said the People’s Liberation Army should “comprehensively improve strategic capabilities in emerging areas”. He said that among these key areas were deployments in space, cybersecurity defences and artificial intelligence applications. Xi also ordered the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254735/chinas-xi-jinping-issues-hi-tech-military-call-push-integrated-armed-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254735/chinas-xi-jinping-issues-hi-tech-military-call-push-integrated-armed-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 12:01:21 +0000 The decision-making body of the Chinese legislature has pledged to this year advance revision of its defence education law, which mandates public awareness and education in support of the military. Zhao Leji, the chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), delivered the committee work report on Friday during the annual meeting of the congress. He highlighted the revision of the National Defence Education Law as one of the legislative tasks of the year, with the aim of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254694/two-sessions-2024-chinas-revision-defence-education-law-aimed-promoting-patriotism-and-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3254694/two-sessions-2024-chinas-revision-defence-education-law-aimed-promoting-patriotism-and-support?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:00:34 +0000 Our Daily Pulse format on Fridays pivots from focusing on a single topic to summarising stories related to China that mattered over the past week as well as peering ahead seven days. This week, the lion’s share of things that matter have taken place near Tiananmen Square, including at the Great Hall of the People, where China’s legislators and government advisers kicked off their “two sessions” on Monday. Premier Li Qiang set a target GDP growth rate of around 5 per cent in his maiden work... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3260433/two-sessions-article-23-tiktok-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3260433/two-sessions-article-23-tiktok-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:15:23 +0000 A high-profile Peking University professor has raised concerns over “overly stringent” restrictions on Chinese academics and retired officials who wish to take part in international events or speak to foreign media and diplomats. In a proposal to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top advisory body, Jia Qingguo said allowing more non-governmental foreign exchanges could help boost China’s image. Jia made the proposal this week during the CPPCC’s annual... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254641/two-sessions-2024-china-urged-ease-overseas-travel-and-media-rules-academics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254641/two-sessions-2024-china-urged-ease-overseas-travel-and-media-rules-academics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:00:21 +0000 On March 5, Premier Li Qiang laid out the country’s principal targets for economic development in the government’s work report. These explicitly articulated objectives underscore Beijing’s dedication to maintaining robust growth, emphasising stable employment, price stabilisation, improving public welfare and the cultivation of the low-carbon sector as critical for China’s economic landscape in 2024. Two of Li’s statements deserve special attention: the mention of growth in personal income in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3254345/focus-industrial-policy-holds-great-promise-and-risk-chinas-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3254345/focus-industrial-policy-holds-great-promise-and-risk-chinas-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:30:16 +0000 Construction of the world’s largest particle collider could begin in China in three years, although it must still win government approval and secure funding, a leading scientist said. The 36 billion yuan (US$5 billion) Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), also known as a Higgs factory, will take about 10 years to build and become the next global centre of particle physics, according to Wang Yifang, director of the Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing. By accelerating electrons and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3254604/two-sessions-2024-chinas-construction-worlds-largest-particle-collider-may-start-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3254604/two-sessions-2024-chinas-construction-worlds-largest-particle-collider-may-start-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:00:16 +0000 China should address an urgent need for infrastructure construction in a strategically important part of its southwestern Tibet autonomous region – seen as a “bridgehead” to South Asia – to enhance national security and mineral exploration, according to the head of one of its largest aluminium producers. “As a base for China’s mineral resources reserve, [Ngari prefecture] is an important transport and logistics hub in the western part of the country,” said Chinese People’s Political Consultative... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254550/chinas-south-asia-bridgehead-needs-urgent-infrastructure-boost-aid-security-mineral-exploration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3254550/chinas-south-asia-bridgehead-needs-urgent-infrastructure-boost-aid-security-mineral-exploration?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 04:00:22 +0000 China has again sought to portray itself as a responsible world power in its rivalry with the United States, and pledged to champion the Global South. The latest effort came from top diplomat Wang Yi during a carefully choreographed press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress on Thursday. He said Beijing’s diplomatic priorities this year were to “maintain stable relations with major powers, join hands with its neighbouring countries for progress, and strive for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254576/china-plays-unifying-theme-among-global-south-its-not-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254576/china-plays-unifying-theme-among-global-south-its-not-america?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2024 22:01:25 +0000 Today, China joins the world in celebrating International Women’s Day. Mao Zedong once famously said that women hold up half the sky. According to World Bank data, China’s female labour force participation rate of more than 61 per cent is higher than many developed economies. Chinese women work alongside men and contribute in almost every domain and at almost every level. All of China reaps the benefits of this participation and representation. Unfortunately, one glaring exception is arguably... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254393/china-will-only-benefit-welcoming-women-high-level-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254393/china-will-only-benefit-welcoming-women-high-level-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2024 21:30:17 +0000