Nigeria Times

By Wang Guan, Ouyang Jie, People’s Daily

China has rolled out a new round of upgrades to its departure tax refund policy, delivering a more seamless, hassle-free shopping experience for foreign visitors. 

As of July 1, key measures under the country’s “Departure Tax Refund 2.0” initiative, including a fully paperless refund process and random inspections for low-value tax refund claims, have officially taken effect, further streamlining tax refund procedures and enhancing the overall shopping experience for overseas visitors.

At the departure tax refund counter in Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport on July 1, Romanian traveler David completed all refund formalities within minutes by simply presenting a QR code for departure tax refund.

“Previously, I had to keep paper invoices and tax refund forms throughout my trip. They took time to issue, and I was always worried about losing them,” he said.

During his latest stay in Beijing this time, David purchased a wristwatch. At the departure tax refund store, he scanned a QR code to generate an electronic tax refund form. Upon departure, he simply presented the same QR code for customs verification at the airport. Throughout the entire process, a single QR code handled everything, making the procedure both convenient and hassle-free.

Previously, overseas travelers often worried about losing tax refund forms, misplacing receipts or forgetting to obtain the required customs stamp. Under the new system, travelers only need to scan a QR code using their mobile phone browser after entering China and submit their identity information once. They will then receive a personal QR code for departure tax refund that can be used nationwide.

The QR code can be scanned at any participating tax refund store or departure port across the country. Travelers can also use it to access electronic tax refund forms, electronic invoices and real-time updates on their refund applications, making the entire process fully digital, transparent and traceable.

The paperless system has also transformed operations for participating retailers. 

“During peak travel seasons, customers often had to queue just to obtain paper tax refund forms,” said a staff member at a Lawson tax refund store in Beijing Capital International Airport. 

“Now we simply scan customers’ QR codes through the online system to collect identity information electronically, automatically generate the electronic refund application and send it directly to customers’ phones. No manual filling, no printing, no waiting around. Shoppers spend far less time queuing, and we no longer need to install extra printing equipment,” the staff member explained.

Another major policy upgrade is the introduction of a random inspection system for low-value tax refund claims.

On the morning of July 1, several international travelers were waiting in an orderly manner at a departure tax refund service point at Futian Port in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong province. Yang Liqin, a traveler from China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region who frequently commutes between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, completed his tax refund smoothly after purchasing a smart gimbal camera. He received a refund of about 530 yuan ($77.98).

“I wasn’t picked for an on-site inspection today, so the entire process only took a few minutes,” Yang said. “The new policy makes it even easier for us to buy high-quality Chinese products.”

Under the new policy, effective July 1, tax refund claims involving purchases worth less than 10,000 yuan are subject to physical inspection only on a random basis. Refund claims of 10,000 yuan or more continue to undergo mandatory physical inspection item by item.

“The random inspection system applies a risk-based approach to optimize tax refund procedures,” explained Sun Yiming, deputy head of the baggage supervision section under the postal and express supervision division of Shenzhen Customs. 

“Most tourists claiming relatively small refunds no longer need to wait in line for physical inspection just to receive refunds worth a few hundred or even a few dozen yuan. Those not selected can proceed quickly to the next step, while dedicated staff assist travelers selected for inspection, ensuring an orderly and efficient process that significantly improves the tax refund experience,” Sun told People’s Daily.

These policy upgrades have made shopping in China far more appealing to overseas visitors.

After visiting popular attractions in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning province, Russian tourist Marina was drawn to a wide variety of locally made products, including gift boxes of sea cucumbers, handcrafted mother-of-pearl shell carvings and spotted seal plush toys.

“The refund process was very straightforward, and the money was credited immediately,” she said. “Now I’d like to buy more cultural and creative products as gifts for my family and friends.”

With the steady rollout of the departure tax refund policy, the number of tax-refund stores nationwide keeps expanding alongside a richer range of goods. Diverse merchandise delivers a more satisfying shopping experience for international visitors, and streamlined tax refund services also bring businesses a stable flow of foreign shoppers.

“Our customer traffic has doubled since we became an ‘instant tax refund’ store in April,” said the manager of an Adidas Originals store at a mall in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality. Sales through the instant tax refund program now account for about six percent of the store’s total revenue.

Since the beginning of this year, Chongqing has continued upgrading its departure tax refund services, adding 73 participating stores and bringing the citywide total to 363.

“We have also established centralized ‘instant tax refund’ service points in major shopping districts popular with international visitors, including Jiefangbei, Chaotianmen, Guanyinqiao and the MixC,” said Li Lin, deputy director of the export tax refund service and administration bureau of Chongqing’s tax bureau. 

“In addition, Chongqing is participating in pilot programs with several provinces to enable mutual recognition of instant tax refunds across different regions. Going forward, we will continue to expand the number of participating merchants, enrich the range of featured products and create more convenient tax refund scenarios for overseas visitors,” Li added.

By Guo Ziyun, People’s Daily

On the occasion of the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), German Marxist scholar, China researcher and writer Michael Geiger spoke with People’s Daily in an exclusive interview, sharing his insights into China’s achievements and the experience of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Having studied China for nearly two decades, Geiger siad the country’s exploration of a new path of social development has provided him with profound intellectual inspiration. As a Marxist scholar, he believes China’s practices offer important insights into the evolution of Marxist theory and its application in contemporary society.

Geiger noted that in The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels stated that after the proletariat takes power, it should creat conditions for the development of new forces of productivity. Yet finding a viable path toward this goal has remained a major challenge throughout history 

In his view, the CPC has, through efficient and forceful development measures, rapidly advanced social productive forces. Today, China is at the forefront of the world in fields such as new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence. This practice fully demonstrates that the socialist path is sound and viable, and it is also prompting the global academic community to re-examine the theoretical connotations of Marxism.

Geiger also brought together a group of German experts and scholars to publish the book Chinas Jahrhundert (Chinese Century). He noted that international academia has long sought to understand the underlying drivers of China’s development achievements, stressing unambiguously that the fundamental reason for China’s remarkable progress lies in the leadership of the CPC.

For years, bashing China has become a mainstream for certain Western media outlets, driven by their lingering fear of the famous specter — the specter of communism haunting Europe. Geiger argues that researchers bear the duty to present a well-rounded, objective account of China and the CPC to Western audiences. Publishing Chinas Jahrhundert was precisely meant to supply diverse alternative perspectives for global readers.

From Geiger’s perspective, conventional Western mindsets often limit their understanding of China’s development trajectory. China, he said, is a vast nation boasting a long history and rapid development, China is an intricate, diverse entity. Yet some Western narratives tend to focus disproportionately on challenges encountered during its growth while overlooking its broader accomplishments.

He believes that Western societies place strong emphasis on individual subjectivity, whereas China emphasizes coordination between the individual and the collective, and between personal interests and the public good. This difference in values, he argued, can sometimes lead to misunderstandings about the logic behind China’s social progress.

When talking about the practical outcomes of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, Geiger noted that Marxism acts as a catalyst for social transformation. The innovative practice of sinicizing and modernizing Marxism has immensely enriched the theory and injected new vitality into it.

The key to China’s success lies in a more profound understanding of Marxism. Several decades ago, it was widely considered difficult to reconcile a planned economy and a market economy could be integrated. Yet China broke through established frameworks and achieved major breakthroughs in areas such as ownership reform. It can be said that China’s practice truly conforms to the fundamental essence of Marxism.

People often discuss the high level of public support for the CPC. Geiger stated that such a level of support is something that political parties in some Western countries “would not even dare to dream of,” fully demonstrating that the CPC has, to a large extent, responded to the practical needs of the people. 

The CPC adheres to the principle of “from the masses, to the masses.” For instance, three million Party members have long worked on the front lines of poverty reduction. They have gone deep into the poorest regions, understood the real difficulties faced by every household, and sought concrete solutions. This reflects the close ties between the CPC and the people.

Against the backdrop of mounting global turbulence and defeatist arguments like the “inevitability of war”, Geiger holds that China has blazed a path distinct from the conventional logic of major- country rivalry.

A major country with global influence does not need to rely on expansion or confrontation to safeguard its interests. China always upholds clear principled bottom lines while exercising patience and restraint, a stance consistent with the ancient Chinese philosophical notion of “holding the middle ground to achieve harmony.”

True political wisdom lies not in picking sides crudely between confrontation and compromise, but in striking a proper balance between defending one’s own interests and fostering long-term global stability.

Speaking about China’s developmental wisdom of pairing top-level design with “crossing the river by feeling the stones” in comprehensively deepening reform, Geiger expressed strong recognition of this governance philosophy.

He believes that socialist modernization has no ready experience or standard answers; progress can only be achieved through practical exploration, repeated verification, and continuous adjustment. Trial and error, trade-offs and adjustments in development are all normal parts of the exploration process, and this pragmatic exploratory attitude toward development is extremely valuable.

Geiger pointed out that China has overcome countless difficulties and “crossed many rivers.” While new challenges will inevitably emerge, he believes the CPC has already demonstrated through 105 years of practice that it is fully capable of adapting to changing circumstances and continuing moving forward.

By Han Xin, People’s Daily

Five-year plans stand as a distinctive strength of China’s governance system. 

31 provincial-level regions across the Chinese mainland have recently released their outlines of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). These development blueprints not only translate the country’s top-level design into concrete actions, but also reflect each region’s own exploration of development paths suited to its circumstances.

Viewed from multiple angles, these local plans offer a deeper understanding of the internal logic underpinning China’s economic growth and resilience.

One striking feature is the systematic approach to balancing the whole and its parts. A comparison of the plans across regions shows that, despite their different geographic conditions and resource endowments, all provinces have identified their strategic roles and development directions within the framework of the country’s overall development strategy.

Take target setting as an example. In line with the national goal of achieving both qualitative improvements and reasonable quantitative growth in economy, the vast majority of provincial-level regions have announced average annual GDP growth targets for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Building on this, some of them have also introduced additional indicators tailored to local conditions, such as coordinated urban-rural and regional development and industrial transformation. 

Likewise, while the national plan places building a modern industrial system at the top of its major strategic priorities, all 31 provincial plans have formulated targeted measures and differentiated tasks based on their own strengths and circumstances.

This model delivers full alignment across all government levels with a unified policy rhythm, while enabling each region to leverage its strengths and fulfill its respective responsibilities. It is precisely this synergy that fuels China’s sustained economic momentum.

Another notable feature is a reasonable balance between competing for opportunities and pursuing differentiated development. A cross-provincial comparison reveals both an eagerness to seize emerging opportunities and a pragmatic determination to capitalize on local advantages while avoiding disadvantages. Across the country, regions are making clear-eyed assessments of their strengths and weaknesses and pursuing development selectively and strategically.

As a strategic technology shaping the future, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a new frontier of industrial competition. Faced with this vast blue ocean of opportunity, regions across China are actively positioning themselves while emphasizing complementary strengths.

The eastern region, leveraging its first-mover advantages, is climbing toward the technological frontier. Beijing strives to boost its capacity for original innovation powered by AI. Zhejiang province aims to hit 1.2 trillion yuan ($176.75 billion) in annual revenue from core AI industrial enterprises above designated size by 2030.

Meanwhile, the central and western regions are tapping into their resource advantages and exploring new depths. Guizhou province focuses on computing infrastructure, accelerating the development of the Guizhou hub center for the national integrated computing power network. Qinghai  province capitalizes on its abundant wind and solar resources, aiming to build a demonstration zone for coordinated development of green power and computing capacity.

This combination of healthy competition and differentiated, complementary development has become a vital source of China’s drive toward higher-quality growth and innovation.　

A third characteristic is the coordinated approach to fostering the new while upgrading the old. Looking across planning documents from different periods, from the 14th Five-Year Plan to the 15th Five-Year Plan, one finds a consistent problem-oriented approach and continuity in development thinking.

To foster and expand new growth drivers, Guizhou has adopted a pragmatic path in nurturing emerging industries. Rather than rushing to phase out traditional sectors, the province draws on its regional strengths to build a solid big data industry first — ranging from developing “China’s data valley” to rolling out a “data elements multiplier effect” initiative. It then applies digital technologies to empower the real economy, enabling a more seamless transition for traditional industries.

Shanxi province’s efforts to advance the energy transition provide another example. While harnessing its wind and solar resources and vigorously developing clean energy, the province is also committed to making better use of its coal resources. The two energy tracks complement and reinforce one another, achieving coordinated development.

China’s approach to economic development is therefore characterized by adapting measures to local conditions, combining scientific foresight and bold experimentation with steady, incremental progress. 

By promoting the new while upgrading the old, and by ensuring that the new is established before the old is phased out, China has built the resilience that underpins its long-term economic stability and sustained growth.

By Han Zhongnan

What stuns the world about China’s manufacturing sector today is more than just its lightning-fast response speed — it is its unmatched knack for turning cutting-edge creative concepts into tangible, market-ready products.

Recently, hit products keep emerging one after another out of Yiwu, known as the “World’s Supermarket” in east China’s Zhejiang province. It keenly captures market trends from social media, develops derivative goods, expands product lines, and turns viral online sensations into sustainable long-tail business opportunities. Keen on global trends, consumer sentiments and daily life demands, Yiwu caters to shoppers worldwide with lightning-fast responsiveness.

Chinese manufacturing has honed its capability to deliver tailor-made products with lightning-fast responses. Backed by complete industrial and supply chains, a rising number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now operate highly flexible production lines. They can swiftly fill market voids while realizing on-demand manufacturing and immediate shipment.

Thanks to a “small orders, quick response” model, manufacturers can revise a design one day and roll out samples the next. Production can be flexibly adjusted to meet exact orders, whether clients need five pieces or a hundred.

This adaptive manufacturing prowess stretches far beyond everyday consumer goods.

Even shipping containers have left one-size-fits-all standardisation behind, entering an era of fully bespoke engineering. Specialized refrigerated containers with precise temperature control have been developed for transporting premium fruits. Data center containers have been designed to accommodate server racks and other heavy equipment. 

Containers destined for challenging environments, including the high-salinity coastal regions, the frigid north, and deserts marked by extreme heat and dust, feature enhanced corrosion resistance, cold tolerance, thermal insulation, and dust protection.

China’s legendary manufacturing speed does not come from individual factories racing alone; it signals the full-scale upgrade of an integrated industrial ecosystem. 

The experimentation and accumulated expertise of countless enterprises, generations of craftspeople’s dedication to refining details, and sustained government investment and targeted policies in areas such as logistics infrastructure and the business environment have together underpinned a highly efficient industrial system. 

Within this system, closer coordination across supply chains, integration between domestic and international markets, and the convergence of online and offline channels have continuously strengthened the capacity for rapid response and proactive innovation. And that is precisely where the resilience of the Chinese economy lies.

This resilience is, above all, a form of systemic capability. Across the supply chain, even a single screw or a particular coating is often produced by highly specialized SMEs that have spent years mastering their niche. 

When these countless “single-product champions” SMEs interconnect, their collective expertise builds the robust, all-inclusive industrial and supply chain backbone that defines Chinese manufacturing.

Such resilience stems from years of steady accumulation. Better business environments and fruitful innovation can only be advanced through down-to-earth efforts to solve practical problems.

Instances abound: securing a rail container slot for a trader, negotiating unified export criteria for umbrellas, or launching training programs to address shortages of translators in less commonly spoken languages.

By removing successive operational bottlenecks and accommodating unexpected market demands, China can foster an efficient, agile innovation ecosystem and sustain long-term competitiveness.

By pursuing excellence in every niche sector, refining every link in the service chain, and proactively evolving with every shift in market trends, the gold-lettered brand of “Made in China” continues to shine ever brighter amid the tides of global economic change. 

By Wang Yunshan, People’s Daily

China recently released a plan for building a new energy system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). According to the plan, China aims to basically establish a clean, low-carbon, secure and efficient new energy system by 2030. 

Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration, outlined four key features China’s energy sector will boast after five years of development.

First, it will be more secure and resilient. The country’s total energy production capacity is expected to reach 5.8 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, with steadily improving self-sufficiency and more diversified and controllable energy imports.

Second, it will feature a far-better-balanced energy mix. Renewable energy sources are targeted to exceed 50 percent of the country’s installed power generation capacity, becoming the dominant form. Concurrently, non-fossil energy is projected to generate 50 percent of total electricity, taking the lead as China’s main power source.

Third, the energy system will undergo profound transformation. China will accelerate the construction of robust, resilient, green, low-carbon, integrated, intelligent, and efficient new energy infrastructure. This transformation includes establishing a fundamentally new type of power system.

Fourth, it will become more innovation-driven. The modernization of the industrial chain will advance significantly, and market and pricing mechanisms suited to the new energy system will become more mature.

The plan addresses significant challenges: ongoing geopolitical conflicts disrupting global oil/gas supply chains internationally, and domestically, the rapid integration of wind and solar power creating hurdles for grid stability.

Wang noted that China’s energy demand will continue to grow during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. China will always prepare for worst-case scenarios and apply systems thinking, and always place energy security at the top of its agenda.

To this end, China will focus on three priorities: further developing and expanding reserves of fossil energy resources, substantially increasing the supply of non-fossil energy, and broadening international energy cooperation.

Investment in major energy projects and emerging business models is expected to maintain steady growth during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, with total investment projected to exceed 20 trillion yuan ($2.94 trillion).

According to Wang, these projects fall into three broad categories.

The first category aims to strengthen energy security and mainly includes projects involving oil and gas, coal, supporting power sources, and coal-to-oil and coal-to-gas conversion. Investment in these areas is expected to continue rising steadily.

The second category focuses on advancing the green and low-carbon transition. China will roll out a 10-year action plan to double non-fossil energy output. Investment in the power grid during the 15th Five-Year Plan period is expected to be more than 30 percent higher than during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

The third category is intended to foster new quality productive forces. China will develop a number of green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol production bases; expand scenarios for direct green power supply to multiple users; and promote new industries and business models such as new energy storage, integrated energy services, virtual power plants, and the coordinated development of computing power and electricity resources.

According to Du Zhongming, director general of the Department of Electricity of the National Energy Administration, fixed-asset investment in China’s power grid is expected to exceed 5 trillion yuan($737.4 billion) during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, with efforts focused on building a new-type power grid around three priorities.

First, upgrade the new architecture of the power grid. During the period, China plans to put into operation 15 new ultra-high-voltage direct-current transmission corridors dedicated to green electricity, increasing west-to-east power transmission capacity to more than 420 million kilowatts.

Second, make breakthroughs in core new technologies. China will accelerate the application of technologies such as grid-forming systems and long-duration energy storage, while implementing an “AI + power grid” initiative.

Third, provide better and more efficient services. Efforts will be made to continue optimizing grid connection and power transmission services for new energy projects and significantly enhance the system’s ability to regulate and balance supply and demand.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China’s annual increase in electricity consumption is expected to reach around 600 billion kilowatt-hours.

“We will act on the guidance of boosting computing power with electricity and driving power industry development via computing demand,” said Wang. “We will coordinate energy resource allocation and computing infrastructure construction to advance the synergy between computing and power systems on multiple fronts.”

By Niu Ruifei, People’s Daily

This summer, brutal heatwaves have engulfed Europe, smashing temperature records nationwide. France registered its highest temperature since 1947, while the UK issued its first-ever red alert for extreme heat. The World Health Organization confirmed over 1,300 heat-related fatalities in just one week.

Cooling appliances have rapidly shifted from optional household items to everyday necessities. As demand skyrockets, Chinese fans and portable air conditioning units have become Europeans’ top pick to escape sweltering temperatures.

In Belgium, Chinese-made cooling appliances have virtually sold out in some brick-and-mortar stores, while many products on major online platforms were also listed as out of stock. Media reports indicate that similar scenes are playing out across other European countries.

Behind the sales boom lies the most authentic response from consumers and a simple truth once again brought into focus: China-Europe economic and trade cooperation is fundamentally mutually beneficial, and the root causes of Europe’s industrial challenges do not lie in China.

In recent years, some voices in Europe have attributed the continent’s lack of competitiveness to external competition. The European Union has rolled out a string of industrial protectionist policies, seeking to shore up domestic supply chains by erecting trade barriers. Yet the current heatwave-driven consumption boom has offered a vivid rebuttal to this narrative.

Europe’s insufficient supply of cooling equipment mainly roots in lagging local industrial layout and sluggish product iteration, leaving domestic offerings ill-matched against construction scenarios and people’s everyday needs. When local manufacturers cannot meet market demand, affordable Chinese products designed around real consumer needs naturally become the preferred alternative.

Chinese cooling appliances have become runaway bestsellers across Europe, thanks to sharp market insights and robust smart manufacturing strength.

Europe is home to a large stock of aging buildings that are difficult to retrofit. Conventional air conditioners involve cumbersome installation, while portable units tend to be noisy and energy-inefficient.

In response to these pain points, Chinese appliance makers have introduced split portable air conditioners that require no installation, generate less noise, and offer high energy efficiency, delivering comfortable cooling without the need to modify existing buildings. 

These products have always been out of stock in France, Belgium and other European nations, underscoring their remarkable popularity.

A single cooling appliance is, in fact, a microcosm of deeply integrated global industrial chains. From research and component production to final assembly and cross-border distribution, the international success of Chinese products brings together industrial strengths from many countries and reflects the achievements of globalization and international division of labor.

The resilience of China-Europe economic and trade cooperation has remained undiminished over decades. Both sides possess distinct strengths in areas such as high-end manufacturing, new energy, household appliances, and digital economy, and their industrial structures have become deeply intertwined. This cooperative ecosystem, formed through market law, cannot be easily shaken by policy disruptions in individual sectors.

The market is the fairest judge. Consumers’ purchasing decisions carry far more weight than official policies or protectionist rhetoric. Man-made trade barriers and attempts to sever industrial chains run counter to the law of economic globalization and will ultimately lead to missed opportunities for transformation and undermine people’s well-being.

In the long run, China and Europe have highly compatible development goals. Europe is pushing forward green, digital, and artificial intelligence-driven transitions, while China is fostering new quality productive forces and expanding high-standard opening up. The two sides enjoy broad prospects for cooperation in areas such as green home appliances, new energy, and intelligent equipment.

Joint cultivation of open innovation ecosystems and deepened industrial complementarities remains fundamental to sustaining shared economic dynamism while building collective resilience against transnational risks.

The heatwave will eventually subside, but the lessons left by the market will become ever clearer: trade protectionism offers no way forward, while openness and cooperation remain the right path. Barriers that run counter to market principles cannot stop the fundamental forces of supply and demand, nor can they stand in the way of consumers’ choices.