Nigeria Times

By Carlos Aquino

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has made remarkable achievements, becoming the world’s second largest economy, the largest trading nation, as well as a major trading partner for over 120 countries and regions. It is an important engine driving global growth. Its success is inspiring many developing countries.
Over the recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has made important remarks on common prosperity for multiple times, stressing common prosperity is an essential requirement for socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Since the country began the reform and opening-up in 1978, it has maintained long-term economic growth. It has won the battle against extreme poverty and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled the last year. These achievements all laid a solid foundation for the country to realize common prosperity for all.
In a 2019 visit to southwest China’s Yunnan province, I saw how the people there were living and working in peace and contentment. I was deeply impressed by the paired assistance mechanism adopted by primary-level CPC members there, which connected impoverished families to better educational, employment and medical resources. They were making concrete efforts to improve the wellbeing of the people.
China’s endeavors to promote common prosperity are shedding light on every country. At present, the world is seeing huge income gaps. Polarization between the rich and the poor has triggered social divide, economic polarization and rising populism in some countries. What’s more, low-income groups have been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under such a background, every country needs to work for common prosperity and realize social harmony. In the global context, we must narrow the development gap between developed countries and developing countries and strive for fairer and more sustainable development.
China is playing a prominent role in coping with global challenges. The country has lifted more than 700 million impoverished rural people out of poverty, setting a good example for many developing countries in terms of fighting poverty. Through technology transfer to other developing countries, China is actively contributing to common development, which fully demonstrates the country’s sense of responsibility.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by President Xi has built a platform of win-win cooperation and common development for all participating countries. By building modern railways, ports, airports and other infrastructure facilities, China has significantly facilitated the flow of commodities and personnel, and enhanced its economic competitiveness. Every country should learn from this experience.
Many developing countries see an urgent need to upgrade infrastructure. They enjoy huge a potential in cooperating with China.
So far, China has signed over 200 Belt and Road cooperation documents with more than 140 countries and 30 international organizations, which fully mirrors the attraction of the BRI.
Peru and China signed a memorandum of understanding on Belt and Road cooperation in April 2019. The two countries enjoy economic complementarity and a huge potential in connectivity cooperation. They have constantly enhanced cooperation under the BRI framework.
Peru is the second largest investment destination of China in Latin America. China’s investment has forcefully driven Peru’s economic and social development, bringing tangible benefits to Peruvians.
At present, Chinese companies such as COSCO Shipping Ports are constructing the Chancay terminal to the north of Peru’s capital Lima. This major terminal is expected to become an important transport and logistics hub on the coast of the South Pacific and largely facilitate Peru’s foreign trade.
China not only drives global growth, but also promotes global governance. It is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs. Under the current international circumstances, the world needs China to keep reviving the global economy and play the role of a major country in maintaining multilateralism, as well as opposing unilateralism and hegemonism.

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

China has decided to launch its domestic procedure to ratify the UN Firearms Protocol, announced the country at the generaldebate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24.

The UN Firearms Protocol is one of the important protocols of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as an important international legal document regarding the control of small arms and light weapons.

China’s decision fully indicated the country’s firm determination to implement the Global Security Initiative and safeguard international and regional peace, and mirrored the country’s sense of responsibility in safeguarding true multilateralism and commitment to enhancing global security governance.

The abuse of guns is becoming an increasingly serious problem across the world. Illegal manufacturing and smuggling of firearms has not only killed massive civilians, but also encouraged armed conflicts, terrorism and transnational organized crime. It directly concerns the social stability and safety of all countries.

African and Latin American countries, long troubled with the abuse of guns, are calling for the international community to enhance gun control.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once said disarmament of conventional weapons could “save lives,” and a substantial reduction inillicit financial arms flows is taken as a benchmark in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With a high sense of mission and responsibility, China has always put guns and explosives under strict control and has been cracking down on related crimes. The Chinese government addresses both the symptoms and root causes and implements multifaceted measures. It adopts a “zero tolerance” attitude toward crimes related to guns and explosives. Besides, the Chinese people also play an important role in eliminating the threats from guns and explosives.

Thanks to the country’s ceaseless efforts, China has made remarkable achievements in gun control, becoming one of the safest countries in the world that sees the lowest rate of gun-related crimes.

China firmly opposes the illegal manufacturing and trafficking of guns and actively supports the multilateral process of the control of small arms and light weapons. The country always acts responsibly in arms exports. It fulfills international obligations and never sells its arms to non-state actors.

China faithfully follows the UN Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons.

It takes an active part in the activities combating illegal trafficking of guns launched by the World Customs Organization and the International Criminal Police Organization, and is providing assistance to the best of its capacity for Africa regarding the latter’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative.

At present, the abuse of guns is still a serious problem troubling the world, and firearms control is in a critical “rise-or-fall” stage. Every country should clarify responsibilities, enhance domestic gun control and expand international coordination and cooperation.

For a long time, the U.S. has maintained the world’s largest holder of privately owned firearms and been deeply troubled by domestic gun violence. It is also one of the largest sources of gun trafficking. The country refuses to join the UN Firearms Protocol or other international documents of firearms control and has withdrawn from the Arms Trade Treaty, which has seriously impacted the multilateral efforts made by the international society to control conventional weapons.

Due to the poor performance of the U.S. in gun control, numerous U.S.-made guns have been exported illegally and have triggered serious social problems in the neighboring countries of the U.S. International society is looking forward to responsible measures of the U.S. on gun control.

The dream of building a peaceful and safe world free from gun violence is shared by people around the world. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible memberof the international society, China would like to use its domestic procedure to ratify the UN Firearms Protocol as an opportunityto work with other countriesto achieve positive outcomes in international firearms control.

Countries that are hugely influential in global security should show their political will and take concrete actions, so as to make positive contributions to eliminating the abuse of guns.

By XingXue, People’s Daily

Cameron Patterson, a young man from the UK, had just joined the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University when he receivedthis interview from People’s Daily.
“Affirmed and encouraged by President Xi Jinping, I have always been working hard at my Chinese studies and actively participating inthe UK-China cooperation on culture, people-to-people exchanges and education,” Patterson told People’s Daily in affluent Chinese.
The man, who names himself “Kang Ke” in Chinese, said he hopes to serve as a bridge between the British and the Chinese people.
Oct. 22, 2015, is an unforgettable day for Patterson, who was a 20-year-old then.
On that day, Chinese President XiJinping, on his state visit to the UK, attended the opening ceremony of the UK Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms Annual Conference.
At the opening ceremony, Patterson, as the European Champion inthe 2015 Chinese Bridge language competition for foreign college students, recited a poem authored by the Chinese President in 1990 in memory of Jiao Yulu, a long-deceased revolutionary icon of China.
Today, the British young man still remembers every detail of the scenes seven years ago – the fully packed conference hall and the excitement of attending students and faculty.
“I was very excited and too nervous to even raise my head and look at President Xi when I recited, but I somehow felt he was watching me with a smile on his face,” Patterson recalled.
“Ten thousand miles away, your soul has flown; the rivers, mountains and land yearn for your return. The people mourn the loss of a caring official, tears flooding under the empress trees you planted,” Patterson recited emotionally with clear pronunciation and great intonation, and left the stage to prolonged applause.
Xi praised Patterson, “His Mandarin is very good, better than many in my delegation, and he recites the poem better than I could.”
Encouraged by the Chinese President, Patterson noted down Xi’s comments and posted them on the microblogging site Weibo. He wrote in Chinese, “My recitation today went well. I was very happy to hear President Xi’s praise.”
At the opening ceremony, President Xi stressed that language is the key to understanding a nation and that Confucius Institutes serve as an important platform to help the world understandChina, Patterson remembered. Xi also pointed out that the way of thinking and lifestyles in China and the UK were experiencing wonderful “chemistry” triggered by the interaction between the essences of the two cultures.
“President Xi’s remarks inspired me so much. As a former student and a teacher today of the Confucius Institute, I’m extremely honored to be able to contribute to UK-China cultural and people-to-people exchanges,” Patterson said.
Patterson has a special bond with China. He came to China at the age of nine with his parents and didn’t goback home until he finished middle school In China’s Shanxi, Shandong, Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces, he went to the same schools asChinese children, where he gained a profound understanding of Chinese society through a number of touching stories aboutthe endeavors of the Chinese people.
“When I was in middle school in China, my classmates and I were assigned a task by our teacher that required us to learn the stories of Jiao Yulu. I consulted many materials about him and was deeply touched by his love for the people, his hard work, his truth-seeking spirit, and his selfless dedication,” Patterson noted.
He said he had a deeper understanding of Xi’scarefor the people when he recited the Chinese President’s poem about the revolutionary icon at the opening ceremony. “Only those who always bear in mind the people can write a poem like that,” Patterson told People’s Daily.
Civilizations have become richer and more colorful throughexchanges and mutual learning. Patterson said that Xi would always stress the significance of people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations when he visits other countries. Only with exchanges, can people-to-people bonds be established and civilizations learn from each other for common development.
“I was told by many British beginners in learning Chinese that they had a great feeling of being close to China when they recited the poem of Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Again in Chinese for the first time, when they wrote their Chinese names with an ink brush for the first time, and when they talked to their friends in Chinese for the first time,” Patterson said.
“I will present the profound Chinese culture and its aesthetic conception to more British students and introduce China’s development to more people inthe classes of the Confucius Institute, and become an envoy of the friendship between the UK and China.” he said.

After constant efforts to push forward innovation-driven development, China has made visible progress in industrial upgrading, with new growth drivers emerging and new business forms flourishing, a recent report showed.

In 2021, the industrial output of major high-tech manufacturers made up 15.1 percent of the total value-added industrial output, 5.7 percentage points higher than that in 2012, according to a new report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The output of new energy vehicles last year was 28.2 times higher than that of 2014, while industrial robot output was 12.5 times higher than the 2014 figure, the report said.

China’s services sector has an improving structure. In 2021, the added value of information transmission, software and information technology services accounted for 7.2 percent of the added value of the services sector, up 2.5 percentage points from 2012.

INNOVATION-DRIVEN EFFORTS

What is behind these stellar figures is China’s perseverance in promoting scientific and technological innovation.

In 2021, China invested 2.8 trillion yuan (about 393.2 billion U.S. dollars) in research and development (R&D), up by 1.7 times from 2012. The share of R&D expenditure in GDP stood at 2.44 percent, nearing the average level of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

At the end of 2021, the country had a total of 330,000 high-tech enterprises and 4,762 “little giant” companies, representatives of China’s small and medium-sized enterprises that specialize in niche markets and are endowed with cutting-edge technologies and great potential.

The number of authorized patents registered an average annual growth of 15.5 percent during the past 10 years.

The government has also pooled efforts to optimize mechanisms to smoothen the financing channels for technology firms. The country launched the sci-tech innovation board in 2019 and the Beijing Stock Exchange in 2021, tilting financing more in favor of innovation-powered firms.

Official data showed that 46 of the around 2,200 Chinese listed firms in emerging industries are valued at over 100 billion yuan each, up from zero 10 years ago.

BURGEONING NEW ECONOMY

Changes in the Chinese economy gained momentum after the country switched gear to new growth drivers.

Over the last decade, China has been promoting deep integration between the digital economy and the real economy. As a result, cashless transactions have become ubiquitous in daily life.

Online shopping has become a bright spot in China’s consumer market, as the online retail sales of physical goods exceeded 10.8 trillion yuan in 2021, accounting for 24.5 percent of the total retail sales of consumer goods, said the report.

Driven by the record-setting sales volume of online retail, China’s courier sector handled 108.3 billion parcels in 2021, surging by 18 times in the 2012-2021 period, reinforcing China’s top status in the world in terms of express delivery volume.

The report also highlighted the booming digital economy. The added value of core industries in the digital economy accounted for 7.8 percent of GDP in 2020 and the size of China’s digital economy ranked second globally.

Maya, the world first cloned arctic wolf, meets the public in Harbin Polarland, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 28, 2022, along with two other Arctic wolves.
Maya, the world first cloned arctic wolf, meets the public in Harbin Polarland, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 28, 2022, along with the wolf’s surrogate mother, a beagle.
Maya, the world first cloned arctic wolf and surrogate mother, a beagle, eat together in Harbin Polarland, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 28, 2022, along with the wolf’s surrogate mother, a beagle.
Visitors view Maya, the world first cloned arctic wolf in Harbin Polarland in Harbin Polarland, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 28, 2022.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers across the country are busy with the autumn harvest. Good harvests put big smiles on farmers’ faces, while the heartening harvest scenes signal high-quality development of the country’s agricultural sector.

On Sept. 23, the Autumn Equinox this year, the fifth Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival was observed nationwide.

In the city of Changde, central China’s Hunan Province, children approached the podium one by one to express their findings on improper behaviors in daily life.

“Casual littering degrades the beauty of our home,” said one. “It is impolite to discuss other people’s private business,” offered another.

The activity, conducted by the Little Raindrop Youth Social Work Service Center, aims to enhance children’s sense of involvement in the management of the local community.

Among the participants was 10-year-old Yueyue, who had seen people littering and walking their dogs without leashes, and decided to share her thoughts with others.

During the girl’s speech, she categorized the improper acts of people in her community, pondered the problems and explained her proposals in detail.

Most of the participants in the “children’s council” are “left-behind” children or disadvantaged children, according to Chen Xu, the project director of the Little Raindrop Youth Social Work Service Center.

“We hope that, by encouraging them to participate in community governance, they will learn to actively express their ideas and needs, and be more confident,” Chen said.

In Libaixi Village, 13-year-old Chengcheng discovered the phenomenon of numerous speeding vehicles, especially at times when kids were going to school. “Will this pose a risk to the safety of students going to school?” he asked.

In response, Zhu Jianxi, Party chief of Libaixi Village, called for the installation of crosswalks near the school, and for the adjacent open area to be used as a parking place for parents, allowing them to pick up their children more safely.

“It’s clear that the issues raised by Chengcheng are real, and his recommendations are sound. The many perspectives of the youth can be used to build a better village environment,” said Zhu, adding that once the children’s ideas have been implemented, they will be invited to monitor their success.

“We want to enable children to actively voice their views and needs,” said Chen.

So far, Changde’s “children’s council” had held 24 meetings, with a total of 360 children taking part.

“We plan on making Changde a more enjoyable and friendly place for children to live in,” Chen added.

On the topic of environmental protection, some children have suggested designing and making a booklet to encourage protection of the environment and collecting interesting slogans with prizes.

“Every youngster and adult should be involved in creating a platform for equal discourse and communication among children, with the ultimate goal of constructing a child-friendly society,” said Chen.

In 2021, China’s National Development and Reform Commission and 22 other departments issued a guidance document on promoting the construction of child-friendly cities. It proposed that, by 2025, 100 pilot child-friendly cities should be built across the country in a bid to improve children’s living environments, as well as taking their rights into consideration during policy development, among other proposals.

“I suddenly feel like I can also make a difference to my community,” said An Ran, a 10-year-old participant in the “children’s council.”