Their remarks came after Kyodo News, citing a draft of Japan's annual foreign policy report on Thursday, revealed that Japan will emphasize the importance of boosting collaboration with the US and the Philippines to counter China's actions in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2024 said "China has been continuing and intensifying its attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force" and "military activities" in waters surrounding Japan, including the South and East China seas.

Such moves by China have put Japan in "the most severe and complex" security environment and should be addressed by collaborating with like-minded nations, not only its close security ally the US, but also the Philippines, Australia and South Korea, according to the draft obtained by Kyodo News.

In recent years, as tensions between China and Japan have escalated, Japan has upgraded its positioning of China in diplomatic blueprints as well as defense policy documents. Last year, Japan's diplomatic report identified China as the "greatest strategic challenge." 

This year, it continues a relatively tough stance and hawkish tone toward China, which is not conducive to overall stability or the healthy development of bilateral relations, and it will hinder economic and trade cooperation and mutual understanding among the people, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

In recent years, Japan has been actively pushing for constitutional amendments, with right-wing forces in Japan continuously creating justifications, such as exaggerating external threats and instilling in the public the idea that "Japan should become a normal country" with defense capabilities to protect itself, Da pointed out.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, criticized Japan for lacking autonomy in its strategic decisions and being dominated by the US in terms of security. 

"Objectively speaking, the Asia-Pacific region has enjoyed security and prosperity for decades, with Japan being a significant beneficiary. Japan should not engage in US-led efforts to split and militarize the region, as this would undoubtedly harm Japan's overall interests," Li said. 

Regarding trilateral cooperation, the US, Japan and the Philippines have been strengthening their security collaboration in recent years.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to meet with US President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on April 11 in Washington, the first-ever trilateral summit for the countries. They are expected to agree on deeper cooperation, Kyodo reported.

Unlike in the past when Japan relied more on its bilateral alliance with the US, it is now seeking to form multilateral alliances with partners such as the Philippines and Australia, indicating its desire to collectively contain China, Da said.

"Japan's cooperation with the Philippines and the US has evolved from bilateral to multilateral, with discussions on the possibility of joining the assertive military cooperation framework known as AUKUS, which consists of the US, UK and Australia," Da said. 

In the context of the China-Philippines territorial dispute, the US, Japan and the Philippines are attempting to pressure China through their alliance, but this approach is unlikely to yield the desired results, Li told the Global Times.

On the Taiwan question, the US is trying to escalate tensions to expedite the formation of an Asia-Pacific version of NATO, with Japan and the Philippines being key players manipulated by the US. This trilateral coordination will significantly worsen the security situation in West Pacific region, Li warned.

Da also predicted that the trilateral cooperation may become a fixed and normalized routine in the future, involving military exercises, island landing drills, joint maritime patrols with other countries and leveraging the Philippines' position in ASEAN to exert influence on other ASEAN countries.

Editor's Note:

The second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will open on March 5 and 4, respectively. The two sessions are a crucial window into China's whole-process people's democracy and will offer the world a window to observe the country's development and understand its policy direction for the following year.

Every year, China's top legislators and political advisors bring up the most concerning livelihood issues to the two sessions for discussion, so that the Chinese governments can have a deep understanding of the people's situation and demands and formulate corresponding policies that directly address the pain points.

In 2023, various departments of the Chinese State Council handled a total of 7,955 motions from NPC deputies and 4,525 proposals from members of the CPPCC National Committee, according to a press conference of the State Council Information Office on February 29.

In light of this, the Global Times has initiated a series of "understanding China through motions and proposals." This article, the first installment of the series, examines the significant livelihood issues that the two sessions have addressed in previous years. The second installment will compare the motions and proposals that have been adopted in a certain field with some new proposals this year, so that readers can gain insight into the new challenges in this field and have an overview of the society China will become in the future.
February 29 marks the 17th International Rare Disease Day.

The World Health Organization defines diseases with a prevalence of 0.065 percent to 0.1 percent of the total population as rare diseases.

As of the end of September 2023, around 780,000 cases of rare disease had been registered in China since the inception of a rare disease diagnosis and treatment service information system in 2019, according to the China Global Television Network.

To improve the diagnosis and treatment level of rare diseases and safeguard the health rights and interests of rare disease patients in the country, the Chinese National Health Commission, together with other four Chinese government departments, released the first catalog of rare diseases in 2018. Various localities in the country are implementing policies on medication, health insurance and research according to the catalog.

The catalog was revised in September 2023. It now contains 86 rare diseases of 17 medical specialties, including hematology, dermatology and pediatrics, according to the National Medical Products Administration.

In 2021, China also for the first time included a rare disease treatment in its National Reimbursement Drug List. These moves together benefited thousands of Chinese suffering from rare diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patient Zhang Jianuo and his parents.

SMA treatment Nusinersen was included in the NRDL in November 2021 for the first time, which cut the price of the treatment from 700,000 yuan ($97,266) per dose to 33,000 yuan per dose.

"Me and Jianuo's father cried when the news was announced. We are truly grateful to the country for showing us that our child has a chance to be saved and has hope," Zhang Jianuo's mother Li hui was quoted as saying by CCTV.

Chasing hope

When the first catalog of rare diseases was released in 2008, Ding Jie, who has served as a member of the CPPCC National Committee for 15 years since 2008 and participated in compiling the catalog, was one of the people most excited to hear the news.

Ding, former vice president of Peking University First Hospital, believed that this catalog was a milestone, and the joint release by five departments is a key demonstration that "the Chinese government is ready to face the rare disease problem," Ding said.

During the 15 years serving as a CPPCC member, Ding's focus has been almost entirely on rare diseases. She had reportedly offered proposals such as the establishment of a rare disease medical security system and regulations for the assistance of rare disease patients. In 2017, she once again suggested that rare diseases be included in the national medical insurance catalog, according to reports at the time by China National Radio.

When Ding first began her CPPCC journey, the public's attention to rare diseases was low. "At first, when I spoke at the conference, there were always people around me showing puzzled expressions. But in the past decade, the situation has changed. Whenever rare diseases are mentioned, the members are particularly concerned and want to contribute to solving the problem," she was quoted as saying in a report of the CPPCC Daily.

"In the past, it was 'I' suggesting, but in recent years it has become 'we,'" Ding was quoted as saying.

During the 2022 two sessions, the Chinese government included "strengthening research of rare diseases and better ensure the supply of medicines" in its yearly work report. This is an achievement thanks to previous efforts of NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members like Ding. It is also an encouragement to more political advisors to continue to fight for patients suffering from rare diseases in the future.

For example, this year, Sun Jie, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and deputy dean of the school of insurance at the University of International Business and Economics, will reportedly propose landmark legislation for rare disease drugs to ensure that patients have access to lifesaving medication.

With the increased awareness of rare disease, increased investment is being made available, and the medical needs of patients are becoming an increasing priority. It is imperative to clearly formulate or introduce a landmark law or special policy for rare disease drugs, and to systematically regulate research and development, Sun told chinatimes.net.

See the unseen

Similar to rare diseases, educational equality of children in remote and impoverished areas is also a focus of Chinese political advisors.

"It is such a good news for children in former underdeveloped revolutionary old areas, ethnic minority autonomous counties, and former key poverty-stricken counties in our province!" Li Xingling, a deputy to the 12nd and 13rd NPC, posted on her WeChat in April 2023, after South China's Guangdong Province released the special enrollment plan for key universities in 2023, relaxing admission requirements to cover more students in these areas, according to a report on the Guangdong provincial government's official website.

The special enrollment plan is one of the preferential policies in China to better promote educational equity and allow more rural students to enjoy high-quality higher education. Li was so happy as the move Guangdong made is an outcome after she submitted a motion during 2022 two sessions to call for adjustment to the plan in order to help more rural and impoverished students to be able to enroll in high ranking universities.

"Although I am no longer an NPC deputy [since 2023], I am still very happy to see my suggestions being adopted. I will continue to pay attention to this policy. In the future, I will continue to focus on my job, strengthen my responsibilities, and make efforts to promote the high-quality development of basic education in mountainous areas," Li was quoted as saying in the report.

Since being elected as an NPC deputy in 2013, Li has never stopped focusing on education. In 2013, she submitted a motion on providing subsidies to teachers in mountainous areas, and in 2015, she proposed increasing the per capita funding for high school students. From 2018 to 2021, she has put forward a total of 25 motions, with 13 of them related to education, according to a report of thepaper.cn in 2022.

Many rural teachers received subsidies after my motion was adopted, allowing them to teach in rural areas with more peace of mind and reducing talent drain, this is one of the happiest things that happened during my 10 years of service as an NPC deputy, Li told thepaper.cn.

Crucial pathways to problem solving

According to the press conference of the State Council Information Office on February 29, nearly 4,700 motions and proposals were adopted by a range of government departments, with over 2,000 related policies and measures being introduced, which greatly facilitated the resolution of a series of issues related to reform, development, and the urgent concerns of the people, leading to new achievements in promoting high-quality economic development and ensuring the well-being of the people, the office said.

"The two sessions play a powerful role in addressing people's most demanded livelihood issues," said Su Wei, a professor from the Party School of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee. Su has served as a CPPCC member in Chongqing for many years. "Besides my regular duties, I also participate in research and discussions organized by the NPC and CPPCC to investigate issues concerning people's livelihoods," he told the Global Times.

Su noted that because NPC deputies and CPPCC members usually come from different sectors such as healthcare and education, they can delve deeper into problems from their own professional experience, providing solutions to government departments. Therefore, the two sessions indeed play a unique and significant role in resolving medical and educational issues.

Motions and proposals during the two sessions are crucial pathways for addressing issues impacting people's livelihood, and they're becoming increasingly effective. First, it is because that governments are placing greater importance on proposals and motions put forward by CPPCC members and NPC deputies. Every year, during the two sessions, government departments are required to inform the NPC deputies, the CPPCC member as well as the public of the progress they've made in implementing motions and proposals of the previous year. Second, the quality of motions and proposals is improving, truly reflecting issues impacting everyday people. Furthermore, there are some reward mechanisms and regulations on NPC deputies and CPPCC members, which to some extent encourage them to brainstorm better ideas, according to Su.

Editor's Note:

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group conducted a fourth review of China's human rights situation in Geneva on January 23. During the review, representatives from 161 countries requested to speak - the highest number in history. Among them, more than 120 countries positively evaluated the progress of China's human rights developments.

The China Society for Human Rights Studies, a non-governmental organization (NGO), and several other Chinese NGOs attended the review and held some side events. Global Times reporter Fan Lingzhi followed the review in Geneva and witnessed how Chinese NGOs carry out exchanges with international scholars and their counterparts.
It was still dark and rainy in Geneva around 7 am on the morning of January 23. Representatives from Chinese NGOs had already lined up at the entrance of the Palais des Nations to attend the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China as observers. They had not yet adjusted to the time difference, but they were eager to participate in the review.

Room XX of the Palais des Nations is also known as the "Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room." It is used by the United Nations Human Rights Council on a regular basis and is easy to recognize.

The most distinctive feature of the room is the colorful giant dome created by contemporary artist Miquel Barceló. Some people interpret the dome as a reminder that the different shapes and colors of the protrusions represent different opinions and perspectives. Under the dome, representatives from different countries examine, discuss, and deal with human rights issues, which are closely related to all of humanity.

Since 2008, the UPR mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council has begun to conduct a rotating review of the human rights situation of all UN member states. China participated in the reviews in February 2009, October 2013, and November 2018.

On January 23, China participated in the fourth round of the UPR of the UN Human Rights Council. In the review that day, the progress of China's human rights cause was highly praised by more than 120 countries.

According to the procedures, China submitted a national human rights report before the review. During the review, the Chinese delegation first made a brief introduction, and then other countries were allowed to ask questions and make comments and suggestions in the interactive dialogue session. China responded to the questions raised during the interaction.

It was interesting to observe the speeches of the representatives of various countries on the spot as they reflected each country's understanding of the development of China's human rights and the connection between this development and their own countries.

For example, many developing countries mentioned that China has formulated and implemented the four-phase national human rights action plan, and the progress China has made in poverty alleviation, the social security system, and women's rights. The number of countries that can accurately articulate China's specific measures and legal provisions are many.

Although China's achievements in human rights development are quite impressive, there are always critics who ignore the facts. A few Western countries led by the US still try to put forward so-called "suggestions" based on false information about China's Xinjiang, Xizang, and Hong Kong regions.

According to the Global Times' observation, some countries only based their speeches on rumors hyped by some Western media outlets.

A small number of countries seemed afraid of missing any opportunity to "condemn" China, to the point of skipping over opening thanks and acknowledgements. Christoph Stückelberger, president of the Geneva Agape Foundation expressed his "shock" at this aggressive behavior when communicating with the China Society for Human Rights Studies and said: "This is unacceptable in diplomacy."

In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and head of the Chinese delegation for the review, strongly condemned the unfounded accusations and smears made by a few countries and said that utterances are not in line with the purpose and principles of the UPR.

A few countries, intent on using human rights to smear China, interfere in China's internal affairs, and suppress and contain China's development, which China firmly opposes.

"We hope that individual countries will stop politicizing human rights issues, and objectively and fairly evaluate the development of China's human rights developments, uphold the authority of the UPR and the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation, and inject positive energy into the development of the international human rights cause," said Chen.

"This round of reviews once again proves China's global influence and where the attention and expectation of the international community toward China is," Dai Ruijun, a member of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and a researcher at the Institute of International Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Compared with the review of other countries on the previous day, all seats in Room XX of government representatives, media outlets from various countries, and domestic and foreign NGOs were taken. Many people were unable to enter the venue due to the lack of seats.

During the review, most countries recognized the Chinese government's unremitting efforts to promote and protect human rights since the last review cycle, and put forward a large number of constructive suggestions for China to further improve the level of human rights protection.

Developing countries have recognized China's contributions to amplifying the voice and influence of developing countries in the UN human rights mechanism and promotion of the healthy development of the UN human rights mechanism.
Wider friend circle

The Global Times found that during the UPR, anti-China forces from the US and other Western countries had also stepped up efforts in causing trouble inside and outside the venue. Within such a contest, Chinese NGOs played a unique role in safeguarding national interests and their own legitimate rights and interests.

Strengthening exchanges with people from all walks of life in the international community was the most important work of Chinese NGOs while in Geneva. The UN Human Rights Council's Practical Guide for NGO Participants clearly stipulates that NGOs with consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can hold side events on issues related to the work of the Human Rights Council.

Before and after China participated in the fourth round of the UPR, many organizations and institutions, including the China Society for Human Rights Studies, held side events on various themes, including Human Rights and Chinese Modernization. They deeply discussed the development of human rights and global human rights governance, effectively overshadowing the harassment and noise from the anti-China forces.

More than 50 experts, scholars, representatives of social organizations, and media representatives from China and abroad attended the side event on Chinese modernization and human rights protection held by the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

Seven Chinese scholars from universities and research institutions such as Nankai University, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Jinan University, Central South University, and Xinjiang University introduced the development of China's human rights development from different perspectives.

The Chinese people have every reason to be proud of their country. In the interactive session of the side event, Peter Hediger, a Swiss sinologist, historian, and international security policy expert, noted that he was deeply impressed by the achievements of China's human rights development.

The Swiss expert also mentioned the famous saying "When the Great Way is practiced, the world is for the public" from the "Liyun" chapter of the "Book of Rites," a Chinese classic, and said this reflects the sense of responsibility possessed by the ancients of China.

Hediger believes that the reason why the US is trying to contain China is influenced by the notion of the US being the only superpower while ignoring the realities of the new era, where multilateralism is the only way to solve global problems.

At the side event, some foreign guests also had in-depth discussions with Chinese scholars on specific academic issues.

For example, some scholars were interested in the changes in the English translation of Xizang. Xiao Wu, a member of the delegation of the China Society for Human Rights Studies and an associate professor of the Human Rights Research Institute of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, answered from the perspectives of history and international naming norms.
"Academic exchanges can help dispel many misunderstandings, and professional discussions can help to free views of preconceived political prejudices," Zheng Ruohan, vice president of the Yige Social Development Promotion Center in Chongqing, who also participated in the side event, told the Global Times.

Zheng noted that China's international human rights exchanges are increasingly focused on dialogue and are not afraid of inquiry.

Outside the conference venues in the Palais des Nations, making more connections was also an important task for Chinese NGOs.

The Global Times learned that during China's participation in the fourth round of the UPR, the China Society for Human Rights Studies also paid visits to many social organizations and relevant universities and academic institutions. Communication, cooperation, and equal consultation have always been the move and expectation in the international human rights field.

Relentless efforts

In the Palais des Nations, some Western countries were quick to apportion blame, but on the street a few hundred meters away, the human rights problems in front of them did not seem to attract much attention. Beggers who asked for handouts outside the hallowed venue were promptly ignored.

"I didn't see so many beggars when I came to Switzerland a few years ago, but this time I can see them at the door of every shopping mall. I was surprised," Chang Jian, director of the Human Rights Research Center at Nankai University, told the Global Times.

Although some Western countries have different social perceptions of begging than China, it is, after all a matter of people's basic right to survival. Moreover, most of these beggars seem to be refugees from other countries who are fleeing war, said the expert.

"These wars are inextricably linked to the US and other Western countries. On the one hand, they make the people of these countries homeless and relentlessly trample on their human rights. On the other hand, they slander the stability and harmony of China's Xinjiang as 'genocide.' This highlights the politicization, weaponization, and double standards of the West on human rights issues, which causes great damage to the healthy development of the global human rights cause," said Chang.

In Zheng Ruohan's view, solving the problem of poverty first requires political determination and political consensus. In fact, in many Western countries, there are also many advocacy groups that try to attract attention to and solve the problem of poverty through advocacy means.

However, due to the high cost of lobbying, it is difficult for these economically disadvantaged groups to truly achieve their goals in the short term. In contrast, the Chinese government can integrate social interests and better represent and express the interests of the poor, said Zheng.

Carrying out international human rights exchanges and letting more countries understand and agree with China's view on human rights cannot be achieved overnight.

Language, culture, values, international rules… These are all issues that need to be addressed in international human rights exchanges. The more difficult the road of exploration, the more Chinese NGOs should go out with an open and confident attitude to participate in the UN multilateral mechanism. This has become the consensus of many scholars of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

Positive changes can only be achieved by working hard for a long time. At a side event, Suolang Zhuoma, an assistant researcher from the China Tibetology Research Center, introduced the inheritance and protection of traditional culture to the guests in fluent English. Her speech impressed many guests.

"Coffee is my favorite thing in life. I like to try every new flavor myself, rather than following other people's suggestions, because different people have different tastes. Speaking of this, I want to say that Xizang is like a cup of coffee. You have to try it yourself and experience it yourself. This means that only by coming to Xizang and seeing it with your own eyes can you have an objective and correct understanding of Xizang and its culture," said the expert.

A short video of Suolang Zhuoma's speech also became a hot search topic on the Internet.

Chang Jian believes that as an NGO, when participating in international human rights exchanges, it is not only necessary to be familiar with the UN's human rights discourse, but also to be good at using more vivid language.

The expert noted that in recent years, Chinese NGOs have been increasingly active in participating in the UN Human Rights Council meetings. They not only actively strive to speak at the meetings, but also hold side events to discuss how to promote the development of human rights in China and the world. The topics and contents of their speeches are becoming more and more specific, and the forums are becoming more and more vivid.

In the face of the major opportunities and challenges brought about by a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, innovation has become a topic of particular concern for all countries as it is a key factor in pushing forward a country's continued development.

In September 2023, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released the "Global Innovation Index (GII) Report 2023." The report showed that China, Turkey, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia are the middle-income economies that have made the most headway in innovation over the last decade. Among them, China is the only one that ranked among the top 30.

"China is far ahead in global innovation performance; it is close to the top 10 of the GII ranking and still the sole middle-income economy within the GII top 30," Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, head of the section of Economics and Statistics Division, and co-editor of The GII at the WIPO, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.

A close look at the GII reports revealed that since the first release of the GII report in 2007, China's overall ranking has shown a steady upward trend. In this year's ranking, China ranks 12th, having climbed 31 spots from its lowest ranking in previous years (43rd in 2010). The report also specially mentioned that China is the only middle-income economy among the top 30, followed by Japan in the 13th place.

Steady progress in innovation

Data in the GII report showed that in 2023, China ranked first globally in six specific indicators, including the proportion of creative goods export in total trade volume, domestic market scale, labor productivity growth rate, PISA scales in reading, math, and science, the ratio of trademarks by origin to GDP, and the ratio of utility models by origin applications to GDP.

"The GII rankings are compiled based on about 80 indicators which can be gleaned from the country profiles. The indicators are structured around innovation input and innovation output dimensions and cover fields such as human capital, research and development, venture capital, high-tech manufacturing, and patents, but also rank intangible assets and creative goods and services," Wunsch-Vincent explained.

A special excerpt from the GII also showed that the world's five biggest science and technology (S&T) clusters are now located in East Asia, with China emerging as the country with the greatest number of clusters as Tokyo-Yokohama leads as the biggest S&T cluster.

"The emergence of Chinese top science and technology clusters does not come as a surprise with all the science and innovation activity that has propelled China forward in the GII. It is impressive nonetheless - some of the top-ranked cities or regions are obvious leaders such as around Beijing or Shanghai," Wunsch-Vincent noted to the Global Times.

"In addition, there are many cities or clusters emerging, which are new and not that well-known yet as science and technology hubs around the world. In that sense, the ranking also allows the rest of the world to better understand the geography and potential of innovation in China," he said.

Feng Xingke, secretary general of the World Financial Forum and director of the Center for BRICS and Global Governance, told the Global Times that this reflects the shifting of the global center of technological activities to the East, with East Asia leading global technological innovation.

"The increase in the number of Chinese technology clusters is mainly due to China's continuous strengthening of regional technological innovation development strategies in recent years, forming an ecological system for technological innovation with central coordination, local healthy competition, and mutual development," Feng said.

Analysts generally believe that China has made remarkable achievements in the fields of new energy, high-speed rail, modern information, new materials, and artificial intelligence, and related new industries and products have shown strong growth momentum.

Feng pointed out that one important reason for China's innovation progress lies in the strong support from the government.

In recent years, the Chinese government has invested a large amount of funds in major scientific and technological innovation research and development, and has provided a favorable policy and business environment for scientific and technological innovation, strengthened the team of scientific and technological innovation talents, and laid a solid foundation for technological innovation progress, he said.

In a previous interview with the Global Times, Manuel C. Menendez, founder and CEO of MCM Group Holdings, hailed the great achievements that China has made over the last decade.

He noted that in addition to the country's policy, it is necessary to give credit to Chinese entrepreneurs and China's ability to take a policy and make it work step by step.

According to Wunsch-Vincent, an important reason for China to progress rapidly is that China has "prioritized innovation and science and technology policy as a means to achieve economic growth and development for many decades now. It has consistently increased its innovation expenditures and has built an impressive innovation ecosystem."

"I also believe that China has a dynamic start-up scene with abundant young and highly skilled human capital. These factors have helped China achieve the rise that the GII describes, and to stand out among other middle-income economies," he noted.

China has a long tradition of placing high emphasis on innovation and the capability to turn applications into industrial development. China is also sharing its outcomes from scientific development with other regions of the world, which experts pointed out will help facilitate global development.

For example, in November 2023, China hosted the first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. China has signed intergovernmental science and technology cooperation agreements with more than 80 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partners, jointly building a comprehensive, multi-level, and wide-ranging science and technology cooperation pattern, Xinhua reported.

"China's growth - both economic and also innovation-wise - is significant both for the world and the wider region. China has made notable strides in innovation in fields such as information technology, health, electric vehicles and batteries with commercialized products, and nanotechnology or other deep science fields," Wunsch-Vincent said.

However, several experts also noted to the Global Times that such innovation in China also faces increasing challenges as some people in the West actively call for so-called "technological decoupling" from China.

"China should establish an open international cooperation mechanism for scientific and technological innovation and clearly oppose 'technological decoupling.' It is necessary to build a systematic, multi-level, comprehensive, and targeted international strategy for scientific and technological innovation cooperation," Feng told the Global Times.

"China should continue to strengthen innovation cooperation with the US, deepen scientific and technological cooperation with Russia, make good use of European scientific and technological innovation resources, seize opportunities for innovation cooperation with Japan and South Korea, and actively participate in the formulation of international regulations for emerging technologies," Feng said.

Middle-income economies full of development potential

The GII, launched in 2007 and is now in its 16th edition, takes the pulse of innovation by tracking the most recent global innovation trends and benchmarking about 130 countries worldwide and the top 100 science and technology clusters on their innovation performance.

With the theme "Innovation in the Face of Uncertainty," the GII 2023 report used the average of the input and output sub-indices to track the global state of innovation. The highlight is that innovation investments showed mixed performance in 2022 within a context of many challenges and a downturn in innovation finance, Wunsch-Vincent said.

According to Wunsch-Vincent, in 2023, global scientific publications, research and development (R&D), venture capital (VC) deals, and patents continued to increase more than ever. However, growth rates were lower than the exceptional increases seen in 2021. In addition, the value of VC investment declined and international patent filings stagnated in 2022. In particular, reflecting a deteriorating climate for risk finance, the value of VC investments declined sharply in 2022 from an exceptionally high level in 2021. And the VC volumes declined by over 30 percent in 2023 relative to 2022, and are expected to be only half of the amount invested in the VC boom year of 2021.

Wu Jinxi, Director of the Strategic Emerging Industries Research Center at the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that in the face of global issues such as rising R&D costs and slowing patent growth, the efficiency of scientific research and innovation system should be improved first, and scientific research resources should be allocated reasonably, "putting money where it matters most."

Despite downward pressure on the global economy, countries should not reduce investment in scientific research, he said.

However, many experts and analysts from various countries also see the current situation of opportunities and challenges coexisting. The 2023 GII report shows that the innovation performance of middle-income economies as a whole is quite remarkable. In the last decade, China has become the fastest-growing middle-income economy on the GII rankings along with Turkey, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Iran.

A total of 21 economies, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, are rated by the report as "exceeding expectations" in terms of their innovation performance relative to their level of economic development. India, Moldova, and Vietnam have outperformed expectations for 13 consecutive years.

According to Feng, the reason behind these economies' performance exceeding expectations is mainly the world governance pattern of globalization and multilateralism. In the context of the new round of scientific and technological revolution, the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and the development of emerging industries have provided a historic opportunity for developing economies to catch up with developed economies in new areas, he noted.

Compared with Western countries using technological monopoly advantages to contain developing countries and emerging economies, China is more willing to share innovative technologies through technology transfer or joint development said Liang Zhihua, president of Southeast Asia Social Science Research Center.

Liang believes that with the export and sharing of China's scientific and technological innovation, the digital transformation of middle-income and emerging economies, including Malaysia, will further be propelled.

Wunsch-Vincent noted that the GII report is a "tool for action" regarding innovation policy for governments around the world. A survey carried out by WIPO in 2022 showed that 70 percent of WIPO member states were using the GII to improve innovation ecosystems and metrics, as well as being a benchmark for national innovation policies or economic strategies.

In Feng's view, middle-income economies have the corresponding economic strength, scientific and technological foundation, and late-comer advantages, and have the opportunity to become a new engine of global innovation, but this is not an inevitable result.

"Only by balancing the relationship between the government and the market, formulating sound industrial and financial policies, building a market-oriented, legalized, and internationalized business environment, and stimulating the motivation and vitality of enterprises to innovate through market mechanisms can middle-income economies be expected to become the main force of innovation," he said.

Editor's Note:

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that claimed at least 137 lives in Gansu and Qinghai provinces has struck the nerves of the Chinese people over the past week. How do the survivors recall the life-and-death moment? How difficult were the rescue operations carried out in the cold winter night at -15 C? How did they manage to keep going during those golden rescue hours?

In this piece, we give a retrospective of the life-saving race that took place in the first 48 hours in harsh winter conditions by sharing the on-the-spot accounts of survivors of the earthquake and the subsequent mudslides in Jishishan county - the epicenter of the Gansu earthquake - as well as the stories of the soldiers involved in the rescue efforts.

This story is a part of the Global Times' "Witness to history" series, which features first-hand accounts from witnesses who were at the forefront of historic moments. From scholars, politicians and diplomats to ordinary citizens, their authentic reflections on the impact of historical moments help reveal a sound future for humanity through the solid forward steps taken in the past and the present.
A bustling Lanzhou beef noodle soup stall was busy distributing noodles for free to the survivors beside a temporary resettlement camp for earthquake victims in Jintian village in Northwest China's Qinghai Province. With the steaming soup came gradually relaxed faces and unfolding smiles as the warmth comforted bellies and hearts in a temperature approaching -15 C. With the heat curling up, it was probably one of the warmest moments among people's memories from the disaster area.

Not far away, four excavators worked non-stop together to dig through 3- to 4-meter thick mud. Underneath, there were still two households and nine missing villagers.

When Global Times reporters visited Jintian village on Wednesday morning, there were still thick layers of mud, about three to four meters deep, throughout the village. The mud was super soft and one could easily sink in and get stuck if they stumbled into it.

Thrilling moments

On Monday evening, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Jishishan county, Northwest China's Gansu Province, affecting neighboring Minhe county in Qinghai. Jintian village in Minhe saw an unprecedented mudslide triggered by the earthquake, which caused a rupture in a canal on the northern side of the village. The houses of 36 households, totaling 177 villagers, were destroyed by surging mud from underground.

Li Xi (pseudonym), a rescue worker who was waiting in line, was warmly handed a bowl of beef noodles by a survivor from the village, who asked him to eat first. Li smiled shyly, waved his hand in the negative. Despite working all night, he still wasn't able to help Yang Zhongcai, a villager, find his buried family members.

Thirteen people, including a pregnant woman, went missing. Yang's 100-year-old mother, 2-year-old grandson, and two other relatives were among them.
Yang returned to the scene to provide more detailed instructions to the rescue workers about the exact location of the incident. The 75-year-old elderly man had not slept a wink all night and had been returning to the scene every a few hours to check if there was any news about his missing relatives.

"This was the most powerful earthquake I had experienced," Yang told the Global Times on Wednesday. At midnight on Monday night, he suddenly felt a strong shaking, as cups and teapots on the table fell one after another.

"I quickly woke up my wife and pulled her to run into the yard. We didn't even have time to put on shoes or socks, just grabbed a coat. While running, I shouted for my mother and grandson who live in the neighboring yard. We had only run a few meters when our house collapsed, it only took about five minutes."

"Then I saw mud flowing toward us. I was scared and wanted to go through the small path in the middle of the yard to find my mother and grandson, but the mud quickly caught up from behind and swept over us. We had to immediately run to higher ground. The mud quickly submerged the ground floor of my mother's house," Yang recalled with wet eyes.

The dirt from the night before still clung to his trouser leg.

Earthquakes are quite unfamiliar to local people. The last time Jishishan county experienced such a devastating earthquake was in 1936.

The lack of awareness and experience in earthquake response, especially in extremely cold weather, may be one of the reasons for the severe damage caused by the earthquake.

Yang said that he burst into tears when he saw the rescue team arrive at the scene in about just two hours.

"On that most helpless freezing night, seeing these young rescue officers and soldiers - some were not even wearing thick clothing - appear here overnight to help us find our loved ones, I felt truly grateful. I know they came to help us at the fastest speed, risking their lives," said Yang.

Li Xi was one of the young rescue soldiers who arrived in Jintian village for reinforcement early Tuesday morning.

"After we arrived, we found that the search and rescue here were very difficult. We couldn't step on the mud, so we had to build boards to make a path. This was what we called an 'initial lifeline'," Li told the Global Times.

He said one of the biggest challenges was working in the freezing cold. "It was very difficult to work at night in such cold temperatures, but we maintained 24-hour non-stop rescue. Every two hours, a group of people would rotate in and out."

Each group had three firefighters, one responsible for close observation of the excavator, one responsible for maintaining vigilance on the side, and one mobile personnel. "A layer of ice would form on the surface of the mud at night, but it was still flowing and soft underneath. If you didn't watch your step, it was easy to sink in. In this situation, we needed to be extra careful," Li said.

The lows in Gansu at night reached -15 C. Global Times reporters' hands were almost numb with the cold after less than 10 minutes, but there was no sign of stopping search and rescue on the scene when they visited Jintian village on Tuesday midnight.

The Global Times learned from a rescue team that low temperature environments can cause stiffness and muscle contractions, which greatly hinders flexibility. At the same time, it can also reduce the power supply and even cause some communication devices and rescue equipment to malfunction. Moreover, there was still snow and ice on most of the roads in the villages, which made it difficult for the rescue vehicles to travel. But these difficulties did not stop the lifeline.

Li Kai, a commander from a battalion in the PLA Western Theater Command participating in the post-disaster rescue mission, told the Global Times that after completing search and rescue efforts on Tuesday, his battalion returned to the homes of affected people to help them move furniture, livestock, and other belongings to help minimize their economic losses.

When Global Times reporters visited a temporary shelter for victims in the earthquake-hit village of Dahe in Jishishan county on Tuesday night, almost 130 tents with electricity and heating had been erected.

Local government workers were preparing hot food, free drinks and instant noodles for the victims. Supplies and rations from all over the country were being transported here constantly.

Some children were playing games inside the tents. Although the aftershocks are still uncertain, every light in the resettlement site was illuminating people's expectations for the future and the yearning for a warm home.

Full-wing supports

Rescue personnel used sonar, drones, and other equipment to carry out geological surveys during the rescue efforts. They used excavators, bulldozers, and other large machinery to quickly clear away the mud. Rescue dogs were also brought in to help.

The Global Times reporters on the scene witnessed the use of a number of high-tech equipment in disaster relief efforts, including Y-20 military aircraft used to transport large-scale rescue vehicles and the "Wing Loong" unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used for emergency telecommunication support and disaster reconnaissance tasks. Currently, the public communication network in the affected areas has been largely restored to normal.
When the Global Times reporters left the scene on Wednesday night, the excavators were still roaring, and non-stop search and rescue efforts remained the first principle of China's response to earthquake disasters. The rescue officers and soldiers were putting in all their efforts to ensure the success of this life-saving relay.

Gansu's emergency management bureau said on Thursday that the province's earthquake relief work has achieved a phased victory, and now the local government is focusing on saving the injured, the resettlement of victims and cleaning debris from across earthquake-stricken areas.

Meanwhile, local hospitals have received a total of 784 injured people, and health authorities are currently providing psychological counseling for those impacted by the disaster.

More than 500 specialists and technicians have been dispatched to the area to survey the damage to residential areas and facilities, conduct emergency assessments of building structures, and carry out urgent repairs.

As of Thursday, the water and gas supply in Jishishan county, the epicenter of the earthquake, had resumed.

Signs of life resuming and the return of vitality are gradually emerging. Survivors are helping each other in the aftermath of the earthquake, with the full support and great efforts of the whole country.

Prinat Apirat, Consul General of Thailand in Shanghai, recently attended the opening ceremony and related activities of the 2023 China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province.

Following this, the Consul General Apirat, together with embassy and consulate representatives, met with, Yiwu City Mayor Ye Bangrui, and the Yiwu Municipal Government made arrangements for Apirat to visit the China Yiwu International Trade City, which is the largest wholesale market of small commodities in the world. 

Apirat also visited Yiwu Port, which is a land port with an efficient online customs clearance system and is seamlessly connected with Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang Province, which has been the world's largest port in terms of cargo throughput for 14 consecutive years.

During this visit, the Consulate General of Thailand in Shanghai also promoted future opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to participate in the China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair, and encouraging Yiwu to use Thailand as a regional distribution base.

In a video message to the Opening Ceremony of the Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance 2023 held on Wednesday in South China's Hainan Province, China's top diplomat Wang Yi reiterated China's commitment to settling disputes and disagreements through dialogue and consultation while warning against maritime bloc confrontations. 

"Disputes over maritime territory and rights and interests that are left from history should be resolved through friendly consultation between the parties directly concerned. Bloc confrontation and zero-sum games at sea must be firmly rejected," said Wang, Chinese Foreign Minister and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. 

Wang said China would continue to work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), agree on a Code of Conduct (COC) at an early date, and foster a peaceful and secure order in the South China Sea. 

The remarks came amid some disturbing changes in the South China Sea, including the notably frequent provocations from the Philippines against China in the region since August. The increasing provocations have led to growing concerns about potential "violent crashes between China and the Philippines" among experts and officials who closely follow related issues.

In the latest provocative move, the Japanese government promised to give five ships to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to boost its maritime security capability, as the two countries - two of the US' closest allies in Asia - are working with the US to help enhance Manila's security capabilities, according to Reuters.

Apart from the Philippines, Vietnam is also stepping up its land reclamation in the South China Sea. The country has been building a reef in the Nansha Islands and expanded its reclaimed area in the region more than four times in less than a year, according to media reports.

Although frictions, disputes, and claims of conflict have always existed in the South China Sea, some incidents are inevitable. However, it is surprising that these incidents have occurred so frequently in the context of the overall good relations between China and the Philippines, as noted by some experts. 

They pointed out that the current tense situation in Ren'ai Reef has largely been caused by the overt or covert intervention of the US, calling on the Philippines to come back to bilateral dialogue to seek peaceful resolution to disputes rather than blindly following a third party's footsteps to target China as an enemy and risk aggravating the situation. 

Increasing provocations

The Philippines started the recent wave of provocation over China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea on August 5, when two Philippine transport ships escorted by two Philippine coast guard ships illegally trespassed into waters off China's Ren'ai Reef of the Nansha Islands, forcing the China Coast Guard (CCG) to take lawful, necessary measures, including issuing a warning with water cannons, to block the Philippine vessels that were carrying illegal building materials.

The aim of the trespassing ships was to reinforce a Philippine warship that was illegally grounded on Ren'ai Reef in 1999. At the time, China lodged solemn representations and the Philippines promised several times to tow away the grounded vessel.

Now, 24 years has passed, and the Philippines not only has not towed away the warship, but is attempting to repair and reinforce it now that it is on the verge of disintegration, so the Philippines can occupy China's Ren'ai Reef permanently.

On August 22, the Philippines made another attempt to send illegal building materials to Ren'ai Reef, again sending two transport ships and two coast guard ships, which were again restricted by the CCG.

After the CCG restricted a third attempt by Philippine transport and coast guard ships to reinforce the illegally grounded warship on Ren'ai Reef on September 8, the Philippines switched to Huangyan Island on September 22 to divert China's attention from Ren'ai Reef and increase its bargaining chips.

Following yet another attempt to reinforce its grounded warship on Ren'ai Reef on October 4, which was also restricted by the CCG, the Philippines returned to Huangyan Island on October 10, when a Philippine navy gunboat intruded into waters off the Chinese island despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side.

The Philippine gunboat was expelled by the CCG through professional, lawful measures.

It marked the first event since the start of the Philippines' recent provocations since August that the Philippine side deployed a naval vessel to stir up trouble, which analysts said was a sign of escalation of tensions from a paramilitary level to a military level.

The Philippines then claimed that a Chinese naval vessel had shadowed a Philippine warship on October 15 near Zhongye Island, another Chinese island in the Nansha Islands, to disrupt a resupply mission. 

The tensions around Ren'ai Reef again escalated on October 22, when the Philippines hyped collision events in its latest attempt to send vessels to the reef.

In the latest provocation by the Philippines, a Philippine navy corvette illegally trespassed into waters off China's Huangyan Island on October 30.

Instead of the CCG, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command organized naval and aviation forces, tracked and monitored, verbally warned, and then blocked and restricted the Philippine warship in accordance with the law.

With the involvement of military ships from both sides, observers warned of potential violent clashes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. 

China will not step back when it comes to safeguarding national security and territory, a military expert told the Global Times on condition of anonymity, while for the Philippines, the US will not allow it to retreat. 

US shadow

The US is without doubt the biggest negative element that is affecting the peaceful and stable situation of the South China Sea, Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times. 

The overall situation in the South China Sea remains stable and controllable. The second round of text review consultations on the COC have been completed as planned and the third round of review has been officially initiated. At the bilateral level, China and relevant countries such as the Philippines have established emergency communication hotlines between their foreign ministries and have conducted productive dialogue, laying the foundation for the stabilization and improvement of the situation in the region. However, at the same time, there have been some disturbing changes, including increasing military presence by some external countries and bloc confrontation targeting China led by the US, Wu pointed out.

In a recent event, two sorties by a vessel-borne helicopter from the Canadian Navy's frigate HMCS Ottawa with unknown intentions approached China's territorial airspace above the Xisha Islands, and despite the PLA naval and aviation forces' lawful identification, verification and repeated verbal warnings, the Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond, but also took provocative maneuvers including flying at a very low altitude, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said in a press release on Saturday.

It marks a third provocation from the Canadian military over the past month. In mid-October, a Canadian CP-140 reconnaissance aircraft illegally entered China's airspace over Chiwei Islet, approached China's eastern coast and entered the Taiwan Straits for close-in reconnaissance, forcing the PLA Air Force to take lawful management and control measures.

On November 1, the Canadian Navy's HMCS Ottawa frigate made a transit through the Taiwan Straits together with the US Navy's USS Rafael Peralta destroyer, while the PLA handled the event in accordance with the law and regulations.

Since 2021, the US has also been building small cliques with relevant countries in or outside the South China Sea, such as the Quad Security Dialogue between the US, Japan, India, and Australia, and the trilateral cooperation between the US, Japan, and South Korea, as well as the AUKUS alliance between the US, the UK and Australia. 

In May this year, the US and the Philippines signed the Bilateral Defense Guidelines. In September, the navies of the two countries launched their first joint patrol in the South China Sea. 

The US is attempting to use the joint patrol as a lever to build a mechanism for coordination among the US, the Philippines, Japan and Australia in the South China Sea. These US-led cliques all regard China as an imaginary enemy, according to Wu.

The essence of the disputes over the South China Sea is the disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime jurisdictional claims among various claimants. While China has been actively seeking and promoting a maritime cooperative mechanism to solve the disputes, the US' partiality and connivance to some claimants has encouraged provocative actions. These claimants do this to enhance their own interests and create a "fait accompli" before the COC is launched, Wu explained.  

Such actions hinder the implementation of practical cooperation under the forum of the DOC, Wu noted, and he predicted consultation on the COC would enter a "deep water area" in the third round of the review.  

Back to direct talks

The second round of text review for the COC was completed in July during the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The ministers agreed during the meeting to complete the COC negotiations before fall 2026, according to the Associated Press.

But the previous two rounds of review did not address core issues such as geographical scope, island construction, oil and gas extraction, and implementation mechanisms. As the negotiations enter the third round, the divergences, the conflicts and the dilemmas of all parties will gradually surface, Wu pointed out. One need not go into the details to imagine how challenging it will be for 11 countries to reach a consensus on these issues, he said.

The Philippines and Vietnam may want the COC to be launched as late as possible so that they can boost their negotiating position with the support of the US. But is the US a reliable backer for these countries? Observers hesitate on this question and have called on relevant countries to put more emphasis on direct talks rather than reliance on the intervention of a third party.

Obviously, the US is the biggest external factor in the South China Sea. It is widely believed in China that the US is behind almost all of the provocations in the South China Sea. But this is only part of the US' strategy to contain China. Another strong concern of the US is to avoid being dragged into conflict merely over land features in the South China Sea, Yang Li, executive director of the Institute for China-Europe Studies, said at a round-table meeting jointly organized by Malaysia-based think tank East West Bridge and Chinese think tank Global Governance Institution (GGI).  

Some observers slammed current Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr for abandoning his predecessor's more friendly policy toward China. Instead, he has focused more on enhancing ties with the US to promote the development of his country's military capabilities. By doing this, Marcos Jr is hoping to consolidate domestic support. In addition, by constantly provoking troubles with China in the South China Sea, he also wants to test how strong the US-Philippines alliance is, observers said.

In the past six to seven years, the South China Sea dispute between the two countries has been well managed. Relevant bilateral mechanisms have been put in place and have been progressing as planned. However, the current situation between the two countries is continuously escalating. This is because the development of these events is not a simple repetition of what happened 10 years ago, but rather a significant change and deterioration in the environment. 

Geopolitical tensions around the world are intensifying, and the strategic competition between China and the US is escalating. In this unfriendly environment, any incident between China and the Philippines will face greater risks. Compared with 10 years ago, today's events are more prone to spiraling out of control. Therefore, both China and the Philippines must demonstrate greater political will, employ more political wisdom, and allocate more resources to address these disputes and differences, experts said at the round-table meeting. 

Eighteen days have passed since Israel launched its bombardment offensive against the besieged Gaza Strip, following a deadly attack on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. The conflict had killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, about 40 percent of which were children, and about 1,400 Israelis as of Monday, according to media reports.

Many countries, including China, have openly called on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and immediately end hostilities, to protect civilians and avoid further loss of life.

While the US, in sharp contrast, is actively transporting more lethal weapons to Israel, demonstrating conspicuous support for its "close ally," as it has done in many previous bloody conflicts in the region.

The US is also the sole vote against a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that would have condemned Hamas' attack on Israel while calling for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza, with 12 members voting in favor and Russia and the UK abstaining.

US President Joe Biden visited Israel on October 18, "putting himself in harm's way to show that he stands squarely with the country," according to US media sources. Before his arrival, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Israel "has the right to defend itself," when announcing Biden's Israel visit.

The US' unsurprising one-sided support, including its military aid, will likely escalate the already fraught situation between Israel and Hamas, and reduce the likelihood of peace talks between the two sides in the near future. That may lead to further catastrophic loss of life, warned some experts in international relations and Middle East affairs reached by the Global Times.
Heightened tensions

Despite footage of innocent children killed in airstrikes causing a global outcry, the US is sending more arms and ammunition to Israel, intensifying the running gun battle on the ground.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced over the weekend that Washington is sending multiple military ships and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, "as a show of force to its closest ally in the region," Al Jazeera reported.

"I have directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to begin moving to the Eastern Mediterranean…the Eisenhower CSG will join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived earlier this week," read a statement by Austin published on the US Department of Defense website, on October 14. Previously, the US Air Force had announced the deployment of F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons to the region.

Increased US force posturing signals the country's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security," said the statement.

As Israel has an absolute military advantage over Hamas, the US' military support for Israel is more of a political tool for the Biden administration to demonstrate its allyship to Israel and its domestic politicians, analyzed Chinese observers.

It is in the US' domestic interests to militarily aid Israel, said Li Weijian, a research fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. "Supporting Israel is politically correct in the US, a country with more than 6 million people of Jewish heritage, many of whom make up the core of the US' political and public opinion power, with positions in major government departments and media outlets," Li told the Global Times.

"Biden has announced his reelection bid for 2024 presidential elections. Aiding Israel at this moment can bring him more domestic support," Li said.

Biden is counting on successfully brokering the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations to boost his performance in the Middle East before the presidential elections in 2024, said Niu Xinchun, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing.

However, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas "may not only sink the deal, but also likely to deal a heavy blow to Biden's performance in the election," Niu told the Global Times.

After the conflict broke out, some lawmakers in the US urged Biden to communicate that Israel's response to Hamas' attack must limit harm to civilians and adhere to international law. "We write to express our concerns regarding the unfolding humanitarian situation in Gaza," read the letter to Biden and Blinken, signed by 55 lawmakers.

The letter listed five requests to the Biden administration, including putting pressure on Israel to adhere to international law and helping set up a humanitarian corridor, reported The Hill on October 13.

The US' one-sided military aid has only served to heightened tensions. Worse still, due to the lack of supervision, US aid to Israel is not transparent enough and is suspected of abetting war crimes, warned observers.

There has been one US politician who caused great controversy due to his Israeli military background.

Brian Mast, a member of the US Congress, with a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reportedly arrived to work on October 13 in the uniform of the Israeli military. "As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel," he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that morning.

According to US-based news site Grayzone, Mast previously served in the US military in Afghanistan. He volunteered as a bomb disposal specialist for the Israeli army during its 2014 assault on the Gaza Strip. The assault resulted in the death of 2,202 Palestinians, including 526 children.

"Is it appropriate that someone who has served in a foreign military be allowed to return to the United States and serve on such a sensitive government committee, earning a security clearance along the way?" asked Grayzone.
US 'always be there'

When speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken promised that the US will "always be there" for Israel, the BBC reported on October 12.

Blinken was not mistaken in his assertion. The US indeed has always been there for Israel for more than 70 years, constantly providing the country with weapons, allowing it to maintain the most powerful militaries in the Middle East, and complementing it with advanced surveillance and weapons.

According to a report published by the Congressional ReAccording to a report published by the Congressional Research Service under the US Congress on March 1, 2023, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II. To date, the US has provided Israel with $158 billion in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding.

In 2016, the US and Israeli governments signed their third 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on military aid, under which the US pledged to provide $38 billion in military aid ($33 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants plus $5 billion in missile defense appropriations) to Israel, according to the report.

In addition to the $3.8 billion yearly aid as per the MOU, the US also added $98.58 million this year in funding for other cooperative defense and nondefense programs, read the report.

Almost all US bilateral aid to Israel so far has been in the form of military assistance, with some observers noting that the aid is, in fact, a subsidy to the US military industry.

To date, Israel has purchased 50 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in three separate contracts, funded with US assistance, and has received a total of 36. For the fiscal year 2023, the US Congress authorized $520 million for joint US-Israel defense programs (including $500 million for missile defense).

According to the BBC, $1.6 billion of US military aid to Israel since 2011 was for the country's Iron Dome short-range anti-rocket, anti-mortar, and anti-artillery system (intercept range of 2.5 to 43 miles). Developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and originally produced in Israel, the system was first tested in 2011.

As a US pawn in the Middle East, Israel serves the US' geographical and defense industry interests. Their decades of special partnership have a historical background known to the whole world, said Li weijian.

Nonetheless, the US continued to support Israel while avoiding the question of Palestinian statehood. "Such a partiality is very unreasonable," Li said.

"The Israel-Palestine conflict will never be resolved without a solution to the question of Palestinian statehood," Li said. "It's Palestine's right to found a state, and the US should not [have a hand] in it."

But the US' goal maybe is never to help achieve a resolution to any conflict, not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but every other conflict in the world such as that between Russia and Ukraine.

The US' response to conflicts is always to escalate the violence instead of encouraging peace. This is because war brings losses and pains to most countries and regions in the world, but the US is one of the few that can exploit the conflict for sickening profits.

Take a look at the performance of US defense stocks this week. The nearly 9 percent rise in Lockheed Martin's stock on Monday was the biggest for the largest US defense contractor on a non-earnings day since March 2020. Northrop Grumman shares also had their best day since 2020.

On a recent earnings call, executives of US defense giant Lockheed Martin highlighted the Israel and Ukraine conflicts "as potential drivers for increased revenue in the coming years," according to a CNN article on October 18.

The US' military support policy to Israel, as well as to other countries or regions, is always out of realistic consideration and aimed to serve the US' own global strategic needs, experts pointed out.

Instead of contributing to the maintenance of world peace, the US has continued to fuel the escalation and continuation of various conflicts so as to bring fortunes to its military-industrial complex, but it comes at the expense of people's lives. But the approach of relying on wars to get enough orders is dangerous to the world. The world cannot afford to allow them to continue making profits from misfortunes in other countries and regions, experts noted.

The Chinese-built Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway, a section of Hungary-Serbia Railway, a benchmark infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), marked its 2nd anniversary on Tuesday.

The railway has transported over 6.83 million people between Serbia's two largest cities since its operation in 2022, which greatly facilitated travel in the region and has become a significant project of international railway cooperation, China Railway said in a press release sent to the Global Times.

The Belgrade-Novi Sad section marks the first time that China-developed train control system and technology were imported to Europe.

A large range of Chinese technology and equipment, such as wireless communication systems, were also used in the railway. The Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the railway is more than 54 percent made-in-China, according to the company.

China Railway said that the construction of the section between Novi Sad and Subotica - another part of Hungary-Serbia Railway - is picking up speed, and will be ready for operation at the end of 2024.

According to the company, the north-south high-speed railway is a double-track electrified railway with a total length of 341.7 kilometers, including 183.1 kilometers in Serbia, with a designed maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour, and 158.6 kilometers in Hungary, with a designed maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour.

It is a major project to forge high-quality BRI cooperation among China, Hungary and Serbia, a flagship project of the cooperation between China-Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.

To date, the majority of CEE countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the BRI with China.
Since 2012, the trade volume between China and CEE countries expanded by 8.1 percent year on year, and bilateral investment has neared $20 billion to date, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.

China's cyberspace regulator will conduct a special campaign to crack down on the behavior of discrediting companies and entrepreneurs, the latest move aimed at better serving China's private economy. 

The campaign will focus on rectifying the spread of false and untrue information related to enterprises, deliberately spreading rumors to discredit enterprises and entrepreneurs, and extorting enterprises in the name of "public opinion supervision," according to a notice published by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Friday.

The regulator also urges website platforms to strengthen the review and management of enterprise-related information, and promptly remind relevant account entities to strictly abide by laws and regulations.

The campaign is in line with China's efforts to boost the development of its private economy. China has long attached great importance to the private sector, encouraging it to play a bigger role in stabilizing growth, market insiders said. 

China should lift some institutional obstacles to further optimize the investment environment for the country's private sector in order to stimulate market vitality for investment, while ensuring domestic firms feel safe investing funds, Yin Yanlin, deputy director of the General Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission told the Global Times in an earlier interview. 

The work report of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, last week pledged to accelerate the formation of a law aimed at promoting the development of the private sector, sending a strong signal of lawmakers' commitment to making continuous improvements in the business environment.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed the private investment in fixed assets slipped 0.4 percent in 2023 from the previous year.

The campaign launched by CAC also highlighted that it will regulate content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) on the internet. 

The work specifically includes the identification of AI-generated content, optimization of the business network environment, rectification of the confusion around enterprise-related infringement on private information, cracking down on illegal internet news and information services, as well as rectification of false and vulgar livestreaming content.

In terms of AI, the cyberspace regulatoe urged website platforms to mark AI-generated information and tag fictional content, as well as handle illegal accounts that use generative or synthetic algorithm technology to create rumors and marketing hype.

This year, AI-related industries in China are expected to see significant development, in which the application of generative AI technology is a particular focus, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow from the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"This means it is necessary to improve regulatory policies to ensure the responsible use of AI technologies and protect data privacy," Wang said.
An interim regulation on the management of generative AI services went into effect in August 2023. The CAC said that the move was aimed at promoting the sound development of generative AI and its standard applications, safeguarding national security and social public interests, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, legal entities and organizations.

China's first comprehensive AI regulation, named Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services, covers an array of measures aimed at enhancing generative AI technology while establishing basic norms for providers of generative AI services.