Nigeria Times

By Wang Junling

Starting from Jan. 1, 2025, provisional import tariffs, lower than the most-favored-nation rates, have been applied to 935 Chinese commodities as part of an annual tariff adjustment plan recently issued by the Customs Tariff Commission of China’s State Council.

Experts said thatlower provisional tariffs have been implemented for some raw materials, drugs, equipment, and components. Besides, China has adjusted the import tariff rates and items on certain goods in an effort to boost imports of high-quality products, expand Chinese domestic demand, advance high-level opening up, and promote high-quality development.

The tariff adjustments were implemented in three aspects. First, to foster new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation, cycloolefin polymers, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, and automatic transmissions for special-purpose vehicles such as fire trucks and repair vehicles can enjoy lower import tariffs.

Second, to enhance people’s well-being,China has cut tariffs on sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, viral vectors for CAR-T tumor therapy, and nickel-titanium alloy wires for surgical implants.

Third, to promote green and low-carbon development, ethane and some recycled copper and aluminium raw materials also see their import tariffs reduced.

According to Fan Min, deputy head of the information and market department of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, ethane, cycloolefin polymers, and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers are important basic materials for China’s petrochemical industry. The tariff cuts can promote the application of green and low-carbon manufacturing processes and drive the development of high-tech, and high-performance products in downstream industries, Fan added.

Demonstrating China’s commitment to high-level opening up

The tariff adjustments also demonstrate China’s sense of responsibility as a major trading nation under the current international economic situation.

In 2025, China will continue to offer zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines to the 43 least developed countries (LDCs) with which it has diplomatic relations in a bid to support their development and foster mutual benefits.

At the same time, China will continue to apply preferential tariff rates to certain products from Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar in accordance with the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement and its exchange of notes with ASEAN member states.

“Starting Dec. 1, 2024, China has given all the LDCs with which it has diplomatic relations zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. In 2025, China will continue to implement this unilateral opening-up policy,” said Cui Fan, professor with the University of International Business and Economics.

At the same time, conventional tariff rateswill be applied to certain products from 34 countries and regions under 24 free trade and preferential trade arrangements in 2025, up from 30 countries and regions under 20 free trade and preferential trade arrangements as compared to the 2024 tariff adjustment plan. These changes signify an expanding “circle of friends” in China’s foreign trade, Cui noted.

As the first annual tariff adjustment plan after the adoption of the law on customs duties, this plan represents China’s commitment to steadily expanding institutional opening up, unilaterally opening its doors wider to LDCs, and expandingthe globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas. It also demonstrates China’s proactive efforts to promote high-quality development via high-standard opening up, said Cui.

“China has adopted a flexible and targeted approach in tariff adjustment. It has reduced provisional import tariffs on key equipment and components, drugs, medical equipment, and energy products. Besides, the country has also adjusted or eliminated import tariffs on products for which it has a certain level of production capacity and competitiveness,” said Gao Lingyun, a researcher with the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Gao noted that these adjustment measures are contributing to China’s efforts to expand opening up and promote industrial upgrading.

Supporting measures keep unfolding in different regions

Relevant departments in China have introduced a range of supporting measures. For instance, on Dec. 29, 2024, China’s General Administration of Customs announced a new round of 16 measures to promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and boost imports of high-quality products.

One measure involves working with local governments to push forward the pilot program for a “white list” of imported materials for biopharmaceuticalsresearch and development in the region to support regional synergy.

Another measure is to set up a pilot program in Yiwu, east China’s Zhejiang province, for a positive list management system of imported daily consumer goods.

Additionally, a collaborative mechanism is underway to facilitate grain imports in the region, which will link entry ports, transit ports, and destination customs to enable information sharing, mutual assistance in law enforcement, and mutual recognition of results.

Experts noted that as China continuously expands voluntary opening up and creates more favorable conditions for high-quality imported products, more and moreforeign market players are expected to benefit from its growing import demand.

By Gu Chun, Liu Junguo, People’s Daily

In the tranquil winter of Huangyangjian village, Zhanmao neighborhood, Putuo district, Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang province, the aroma of roasted rice wafts through the air at the “Rabbit Market.”

Everything at the market exudes the unique charm, such as traditional mud stoves, clay teapots and bamboo chairs commonly found in the countryside.

The “Rabbit Market” was launched by local resident Xia Ziyu in 2022 upon her return home from working out-of-town. The market specializes in discovering, enhancing, and selling local farm produce.

“Guanyin rice is a specialty of Zhoushan. We have adopted rice roasting technique from Yunnan province to make tea with it,” Xia said, while skillfully stirring the rice, attracting many tourists.

Currently, Xia’s team consists of 21 people, mainly engaged in the commercialization of agricultural products and brand development, and supporting 200 pioneers in rural specialty products in livestream commerce. Last year, Xia was honored as a national young pioneer for rural vitalization.

In Zhejiangprovince, tens of thousands of agricultural innovators have ventured into villages and become a significant driving force for comprehensive rural vitalization.

Agricultural innovators, or farming entrepreneurs, are individuals below the age of 45 who take charge as leaders or stakeholders of farmer cooperatives, agricultural enterprises, family farms, or other agricultural production and operation entities.

The village of Taipingshan in Shangyu district, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province boasts a long history.In 2022, Shangyu native Chen Liefeng, who was running a business in Shanghai, visited the village for the first time and discovered its beautiful scenery, but noticed the absence of agritainment and rural guesthouses.

After researching ancient books, he found that the village has a long history of producing Polygonatum, also known as Solomon’s seal. Chen then signed a cooperation agreement with Taipingshan village and became afarming entrepreneur there. The village contributed its unused forest resources as equity, accounting for 60 percent.

Unlike artificially cultivated Polygonatum, the Polygonatum in Taipingshan is grown using a “natural growth” method, where villagers scatter the seeds in the high mountain forests without using pesticides or fertilizers, allowing them to grow naturally in the wild.

Currently, there are more than 450,000 plants thriving after Polygonatum seeds were sown on over 1,000 mu (667 hectares) of mountain forests in the village.

“We are not pursuing temporary ‘internet fame.’ We sowthe seeds on hundreds of mu of land each year. When they become high-quality Polygonatum, we will achieve sustainable harvesting, which will be the long-term wealth of the village,” Chen said confidently.

With the development of the Polygonatum industry, the number of visitors and tourists has been increasing, and the village now boasts rural guesthouses, tea houses, and dining establishments.

Zhejiang province has launched a project to nurture 100,000 agricultural innovators, providing support in terms of funding, land, technology, and more.

In 2024, Zhejiang has initiated the construction of 100 modern farming entrepreneurparks and 500 bases for the common development of farming entrepreneur, offering a one-stop service including project incubation and skills enhancement, and promoting an entrepreneurship mechanism involving experts, farming entrepreneur teams and farmers.

“With the government’s support, we have successfully established a bamboo weaving workshop. In collaboration with schools, we are actively promoting intangible cultural heritage on campuses. Additionally, we have set up display counters at airports and five-star hotels, leading to a surge in orders,” said Ye Shangjie, a bamboo weaving inheritor born in the 1990s, in an intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall in Xijiang ancient village in Yizhou district, Ningbo.

Rural vitalization hinges on talent. Zhejiang province has set a target to cultivate 100,000  agricultural innovators,by 2025 who will help 1 million farmers increase their income. The province has already nurtured 300 outstanding rural talents, 4,600 leaders in rural industrial vitalization, 81,000 agricultural innovators, and 275,000 “new farmers.” This robust and dynamic rural talent pool is vital in driving comprehensive rural vitalization.

By Chen Junyi, People’s Daily

The Shui script is the unique traditional writing system used by the people of the Shui ethnic group in southwest China’s Guizhou province to keep records of their astronomy, calendar, meteorology, folklore, and religion, just like ancient China’s bronze and oracle bone inscriptions.

It serves as an encyclopedia for the Shui people and is hailed as a “living fossil” of pictographic writing. Even today, this traditional writing system still plays an important role in the Shui people’s social life. In 2006, it was listed as China’s national intangible cultural heritage.

The Shui script has been passed down for thousands of years and is primarily preserved in handwritten manuscripts. Due to the limited number of characters, it is common for characters to have multiple pronunciations and meanings, which require specialized scholars to interpret these polyphonic and polysemic words based on the context.

The scholars must be well-versed in Shui customs and uphold Shui moral principles toeffectively preside over local customs activities and provide guidance for important events such as weddings and funerals.

Yang Shengzhao is a 70-year-old Shui script scholar. He startedstudying Shui writing with the help of his elders when he was 14. Now, he has become a representative inheritor of China’sprovincial-level intangible cultural heritage.

According to Yang, the customs associated with the Shui script consist of two parts.The first part is the handwritten copies that have been passed down through generations, which he refers to as the “hardware.”The second part involves the contents such as essentials, rituals, and blessings that have been orally transmitted over time, which he calls the “software.”

“The second part represents a significant 70 percent of the Shui script customs,” Yang said.

The Duan Festival is the most important event of China’s Shui ethnic group, much like the Spring Festival is for the Han Chinese. The celebration typically occurs from late August to early October of the Chinese lunar calendar, with the precise timing determined by the Shui calendar.

The ancestral worship ceremony is an important ritual during the Duan Festival, during which a Shui script scholar often recites a passage to pray for blessings from ancestors.

“Thisoral passage is not recorded in the handwritten copies of the Shui script, but it follows a predetermined procedure and rhythmand must not be improvised,” Yang said. He believes that these orally transmitted contents are crucial in the customs of the Shui script, yet they are facing the risk of being lost.

After retiring from his position as a primary school teacher in 2015, Yang devoted himself wholeheartedly to the inheritance and preservation of the Shui script. He initiated Shui script courses at local schools, welcoming anyone interested in the Shui script to join. So far, the number of students has exceeded 100.

“Studying the Shui script might not bring immediate economic benefits, but currently, there are few successors to carry on the tradition. Without creative ways of inheritance, it would soon vanish,” said Yang.

Yang also joins the protection and utilization programs initiated by the local government. In November 2022, “Shui Character Documents, Guizhou Province” was included inthe UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the PacificRegional Register, marking a historic achievement as the first of its kind for the province.

During the application process, Yang recorded the oral contents of the Shui script and recited and translated its texts, contributing tothe improvement of the application documents.

Because there are few written texts and the Shui script does not directly align with the everyday spoken language of the Shui people, teaching Shui writing cannot follow the same methods used for teaching Chinese.

“To save the Shui writing system, it requires a certain amount of financial support to annotate the script with international phonetic symbols, translate orallytransmitted materials into Chinese, and record them into videos and audio,” Yang noted. He believes that transforming the “software” of the Shui script into a tangible “hardware” is crucial for ensuring its continuity.

Promoting the Shui writing system to the world is also an aspiration of the Shui people. In 2014, at the 63rd meeting of the International Organization for Standardization, the Chinese delegation submitted a proposal on the international coding of the Chinese Shui script. Over the years, a local expert group has been continuously improving the application documents.

“If the application is approved, the Shui script will gain an ‘identity card’ globally, allowing the written manuscripts to be disseminated electronically across different parts of the world, thereby promoting our culture even further,” said Yang.

By He Yin, People’s Daily

“On the new journey of Chinese modernization, everyone is a key actor, every effort counts, and every ray of light shines,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in his 2025 New Year message.

When delivering the New Year message, Xi reviewed the extraordinary journey completed by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the past year, pooling the powerful collective force of all Chinese people striving in unity.

His message demonstrated to the world China’s firm determination and confidence in building itself into a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.

The year 2024 was a crucial year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid down in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). In the face of challenges posed by evolving dynamics at home and abroad, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to respond calmly with a full range of policies, made solid gains in pursuing high-quality development, and successfully accomplished the main targets and tasks of economic and social development for the year. China’s GDP in 2024 is expected to pass 130 trillion yuan ($17.81 trillion) mark, as the country takes new solid stridesin advancing Chinese modernization.

An article published on the website of Kenyan newspaper The Standardsaid that China’s development story is “one of transformation and determination.”

The recently published results of China’sfifth national economic census showed that as the world’s second-largest economy, China’s average contribution to global economic growth has remained around 30 percent for the past five years, making it the largest driving force behind world economic growth.

Promoting green and innovation-driven development

Over the past year, China has made solid progress in green development and sci-tech innovation, continuously writing a new chapter of high-quality development.

Green and low-carbon development has been further enhanced in China, unfolding a more beautiful country.China has also fostered new quality productive forces in light of actual conditions.New business sectors, forms and models have kept emerging.

The Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China and the second-largest drifting desert in the world, has been completely encircled with a sand-blocking green belt stretching over 3,000 kilometers. Besides, China’s annual production of new energy vehicles has surpassed 10 million milestone for the first time.

A recent report by the Financial Times pointed out that electric vehicles are expected to outsell cars with internal combustion engines in China for the first time in 2025 in a historic inflection point.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2024 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China has moved up to the 11th place in the ranking of the world’s most innovative economies, making it one of the fastest risers over the past decade.

Putting people’s well-being front and center

“Of all the jobs in front of us, the most important is to ensure a happy life for our people,” Xi said in his 2025 New Yearmessage.

Everywhere in China, people in all fields – workers, builders and entrepreneurs, among others – are working hard to fulfill their dreams, enjoying enriching lives.

This vibrant scene fully demonstrates that China has followed a people-centered approach, insisting that development is for the people, reliant on the people, and that its fruits should be shared by the people, which is the precondition for the country to have the right view of development and modernization and build the great momentum of its march forward in the new era.

“China’sjourney of modernization is not just about material wealth; it is deeply rooted in a people-centered philosophy. The fruits of Chinese modernization have been transformed into tangible improvements in the quality of life for ordinary citizens,” as reported by Bangladesh’s Weekly Blitz.

Greeting 2025 with hope and confidence

“We will march forward in great strides to advance reform and opening up as the trend of our times. We will surely embrace even broader prospects in pursuing Chinese modernization in the course of reform and opening up,”said Xi.

At its Third Plenary Session, the 20th CPC Central Committee sounded a clarion call for further deepening all-round reform.

The year 2025 will see the conclusion of China’s14th Five-Year Plan.China will adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while maintaining stability, fully and faithfully implement the new development philosophy on all fronts, and accelerate the building of a new development paradigm.

It will implement more proactive and effective policies, pursue high-quality development as a top priority, promote greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and maintain sound momentum in economic and social development. The country will fulfill the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan with high quality, and lay a solid foundation for getting the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) off to a good start.

As the years turn and new chapters unfold, China will remain confident,continue to grow in the wind and rain, and get stronger through hard times as always. With unwavering determination, China will forge a new path of harmony and prosperity, making more contributions to world peace and development.