As one of the oldest art schools in the world, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (RAFA) in Antwerp has constantly reinvented itself since it was founded in 1663. To promote the exchange of ideas and strive for greater creativity, RAFA established an exchange program with the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. This year marks RAFA's 360th anniversary. To celebrate this momentous occasion, RAFA and CAFA organized a unique project.
On November 2, the first collaboration between students from both schools materialized. For this project, students from the two schools exchanged artworks and, as a result, works by students of the RAFA were shown at the CAFA Art Museum until November 12. The works by CAFA students will be displayed at RAFA from November 30 to December 8. What makes this exchange even more profound is that all these magnificent works will be preserved in the archives of both schools, creating a lasting connection between the two institutions.
To support this great initiative, the Public Diplomacy Counsellor, Johan Van hove, attended the RAFA exhibition opening ceremony at CAFA and met its new president Lin Mao, several well-known professors from CAFA, the director of RAFA Johan Pas, and curators Peter Bosteels from Antwerp and Qiu Zhijie from Beijing. They discussed the development of cultural exchanges between both institutions and countries.
Art knows no borders; art does not have a nationality. It is a bridge that connects two countries. Through this incredible exchange between Antwerp and Beijing, it celebrates the diversity of human creativity and the countless possibilities of even more exceptional collaborations between China and Belgium in the years to come.
In the Chinese science-fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem," Wallfacer Bill Hines and his wife develop the Mental Seal as part of his Wallfacer Project plan. The Mental Seal can directly imprint thoughts and beliefs on people's brains based on the theory of "brain quantum layer activity."
The fictional plot is increasingly becoming a real-life possibility as the research and application of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) technology improves rapidly around the world, which not only leads to renewed hope for the treatment of many diseases, but also offers the first possibility of increased longevity of a healthy person's consciousness, and even immorality.
The rapid development of BCI technology and concerns over how it might change relationships and interactions between humans and machines has also prompted increased vigilance and caution among global authorities regarding opening the free market door to the technology as there has not yet been an approved invasive BCI product on the market globally.
Aside from practical concerns over the various complex fields involved, potential damage to the human brain, the risk of personal information leakage, as well as ethical controversies, questions haunting the development of BCIs also expand further to metaphysical considerations like: What do BCIs mean for humanity? Would BCIs take control of human beings' brains? Would immortality become possible with BCIs and would we be still human if our bodies are merged with computers?
Rapid advancement
The BCI system refers to the creation of a new information exchange pathway between the brain and external devices. On one hand, it converts brain signals into machine-readable signals to achieve effective mechanical control. On the other hand, it converts external device signals into brain-readable signals to directly interface with the brain. From a technical perspective, the implementation of a BCI device can be invasive or non-invasive.
Wuhan-based Nuracom, in an interview with the Global Times, stated that the company's micro-needle has high reliability and stability in both mechanical and electrical characteristics, making it suitable for neural signal recording and neuron stimulation.
On August 25, Nuracom's ultra-high-density implantable BCI system was recognized by a panel of 11 top experts in China in science and technology, including Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Zhao Jizong and Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Li Peigen. The expert group believes that the system is innovative, technologically advanced, has broad application prospects, is comparatively advanced in the on an international scale, and will promote the technological progress of China's brain-computer interfaces industry.
Nearly a month later, Neuralink, a BCI technology company founded by Elon Musk, announced that it had obtained approval from the reviewing independent institutional review board and their first hospital site was ready to begin recruitment for the first-in-human clinical trial for the company's fully-implantable, wireless BCI device.
Nuracom also said the company is conducting extensive preclinical research, including verification of product performance, safety and reliability tests, as well as extensive animal trials.
"We are collaborating with medical institutions to conduct in-depth research on relevant diseases, improve our products through these studies, and ultimately develop a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan to benefit patients. We have also conducted extensive preclinical research and actively laid out clinical trials and registration of medical devices, which will lead to the introduction of clinical diagnostic and treatment products to the market," the company said in a statement to the Global Times.
Neuralink's product implants electrodes one by one through a robotic insertion method and assembles them by soldering to an external device. The product also needs to transmit neural signals out to an external circuit board for A/D conversion before sending out digital signals.
By contrast, Nuracom's innovative on-site neural signal processing technology optimizes signal quality, improves signal decoding accuracy, and has stimulation precision. It can achieve a one-time implantation of 65,536-channel microneedles, solving the problems of the current single electrode implantation method, which is time-consuming and inefficient.
Nuracom said its BCI system not only has precise brainwave signal acquisition capabilities, but also enables reverse stimulation, providing researchers with more complex paradigms.
As leading companies enter the clinical stage, the BCI market is entering a critical period for market adoption. According to a report released by dongfangqb.com, a Chinese industry expert consulting service platform, the global BCI market was valued at $1.74 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $3.3 billion by 2027.
The Chinese market for BCI devices is expected to have a significant amplification effect when combined with specific use cases. It is estimated that by 2040, the market size of BCI devices in China will reach 56 billion yuan ($7.66 billion), with a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent.
Among them, the research-grade device market is estimated to be 1.5 billion yuan, and the consumer-grade device market is estimated to be 54.5 billion yuan. The report predicts that the market for BCI devices in China could be valued at hundreds of billions in the future.
Broad potentials
The development of BCI technology has a history of nearly a century since the invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in 1924. Before Neuralink's technology debuted in the arena of public discourse in August 2020, multiple international teams had already conducted research on the application of BCIs, most of it in clinical medicine.
In 1978, American biomedical scientist William Dobelle implanted an array of 68 electrodes into the visual cortex of a blind patient, allowing the patient to perceive grayscale modulated dot matrix images within a limited field of view by connecting a camera.
In the 21st century, with the overall scientific and technological advancement, BCI technology has seen rapid growth. In 1998, American scientists implanted a BCI device into the brain of a patient who suffered a brainstem stroke, enabling the patient to control a computer cursor. In 2014, Juliano Pinto, a 28-year-old quadriplegic man, controlled an exoskeleton through a brain-computer interface and kicked the first ball of the World Cup opening ceremony in Brazil, marking a milestone in the development of brain-computer interface technology.
On August 23 this year, a new study was published in Nature demonstrating that BCIs can help restore speech for people who have lost the ability due to paralysis. The clinical trial participant - who can no longer use the muscles of her lips, tongue, larynx, and jaws to enunciate units of sound clearly - was able to generate 62 words per minute on a computer screen simply by attempting to speak. This is more than three times as fast as the previous record for assisted communication using implanted BCI devices and an approach toward the roughly 160-word-per-minute rate of natural conversation among English speakers.
BCIs technology is also used in research for the treatment of various psychological and neurological disorders. In 1997, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first deep brain stimulation (DBS) device for the treatment of essential tremor. In 2002, the device was approved for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, the treatment of dystonia in 2003, and the treatment of epilepsy in 2018.
A switch between heaven and hell
The DBS technology is also the research foundation for the clinical research project on the use of BCI technology for treatment-resistant depression at the Ruijin Hospital, affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
The principle of DBS involves implanting electrodes into specific neural circuits in the brain to regulate corresponding neural clusters through electrical stimulation for therapeutic purposes. However, in previous experiments in the use of DBS for the treatment of depression, once the surgery was completed and the electrodes were implanted in the patient's brain, the parameters of electrical stimulation could only be adjusted externally, and the signals of brain activity could not be transmitted outwards.
In other words, the communication between the brain and the machine was one-way, explained Sun Bomin, director of the Functional Neurosurgery Center at Ruijin Hospital and initiator of the clinical study of the use of BCI treatment for treatment-resistant depression, to the Global Times.
Research conducted at the Ruijin Hospital integrates BCI devices into DBS technology, which not only allows for external parameter adjustment but also enables continuous collection and export of deep brain activity data from patients, achieving true bidirectional information exchange. These data will help doctors to study the pathogenesis of depression and improve the effectiveness of precise stimulation for patients, Sun said. According to Sun, he and his team have made unprecedented discoveries in this clinical trial: The energy of a slow-wave frequency band in the gamma wave range in the brain is positively correlated with the symptoms of depressed patients, known as "biomarkers." This means that the patient's "good state" and "bad state" can be quantified into different waveforms. In future research, based on the performance of these "biomarkers," researchers can provide corresponding stimulation to patients to maintain a "good state", thereby achieving the desired therapeutic effect.
Data shows that using BCI technology to regulate the brain can lead to an average improvement of over 60 percent in postoperative depression symptoms, according to a report the hospital released in April.
For Wu Xiaotian, one of the volunteers in Sun's team's project, the device researchers put in his right chest is like a switch that can transport him from a "hell of depression" to a "heaven of happiness."
The device is connected to two electrodes, extending from the device to behind the ears, and then from the back of the brain to the front of the brain, passing through the nerve nuclei at the front of the brain. When the device sends electric currents and stimulates the nerves, the symptoms of depression are eased or made to disappear.
Every morning when I turn on the device, I feel like I am freed from the prison of depression, Wu said.
Some people have expressed concern that BCIs might become something akin to "spiritual opium" for these patients as they rely on the device for emotional regulation and quotidian function.
Sun dispelled such worry, explaining that "we implant BCIs in these patients to control their brains in order to cure their diseases. These recipients are patients who need such treatment. We would not implant these devices in healthy people, so there is no reason to worry."
Beyond controversies
Although Sun is seemingly clear on the aim of his research, concerns over how BCI technology might change relationships and interactions between humans and machines has prompted increased vigilance among global authorities.
It may still be too early for human beings to be able to answer questions above as it very likely would take years, even decades, before a mature implantable BCI product is available on the market, and an understanding of and discussions around the issue are also improving accordingly.
But human beings still have to seize the current opportunity to get current decisions right, experts have warned. Only as people deal with these concerns step by step, will we be able to approach a controllable future.
The impact caused by [technology] depends on its application scenarios. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the priority application areas of brain-machine interface technology that can have a beneficial impact on humans and focus on in-depth research and application, said scientists from Nuracom when asked about how to address ethical controversies surrounding brain-machine interface technology.
We believe that within the framework of law and ethics, brain-machine interfaces technology, in its application process, can reduce negative impacts and ultimately benefit humanity and society, the scientists stressed.
Some experts have urged that it is necessary to establish a sound ethical framework and moral guidelines for the behavior of brain-machine interfaces developers and users in practice, ensuring the legality and morality of the technology.
Some countries have been making such moves. In 2021, Chile became the first country to have enumerated specific brain-related rights in its constitution, establishing the rights to personal identity, free will, and mental privacy.
The 2021 yearly global cybersecurity report released by the Chinese public security authority also highlighted legal regulation of some rapidly advancing technologies such as quantum computing and BCIs.
Germany has shown a growing interest in strengthening economic ties with Southeast Asia. It is crucial that this cooperation is based on mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, rather than being driven by political agendas that could lead to a split of supply and industrial chains connected to China.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with leaders of Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand last week, a development that some German media outlets claimed represents the German government's aim to diversify trade relations in Asia and become less dependent on China.
For instance, the Chinese website of German publication Deutsche Welle published an article on Friday headlined "Scholz's speed dates: Looking for Southeast Asian partners to replace China?"
While topics like Southeast Asia replacing China may be attention-grabbing, given some Western politicians' pursuit of so-called de-risking, it is irresponsible to play up such a topic when it lacks much practical basis.
Anyone who is familiar with China-Germany trade data will understand how far-fetched the topic is. Despite various geopolitical headwinds in recent years, China remains Germany's most important trading partner, and bilateral trade far exceeds Germany's trade with the three Southeast Asian countries.
In 2023, Germany's trade in goods with the three Southeast Asian countries totaled a mere 38 billion euros ($41.4 billion), while bilateral trade between China and Germany reached 299 billion euros in 2022 and 253 billion in 2023.
The Asian industrial chain is a complete one, with all countries in the region depending on each other and promoting each other's development. China and Southeast Asia have long shared a mutually beneficial relationship, and both sides are willing to push economic and trade cooperation to a higher level. With the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, industrial chains in China and ASEAN are expected to be further integrated.
It is true that in recent years, with rising labor costs in China, some labor-intensive manufacturing industries have shifted to some Southeast Asian countries, but many of those shifts are the results of China's industrial chains being extended due to various factors.
The rise of Chinese exports of intermediate products and machinery equipment to ASEAN demonstrates the extension of industrial chains. The shift is in line with the general direction of accelerating industrial upgrading and transformation in China, and it also contributes to the prosperous development of Southeast Asia. It helps Chinese companies by reducing the pressure of rising domestic labor costs and growing trade protectionism against China.
The China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Free Trade Area (CAFTA) took effect many years ago and contributed greatly to the liberalization and facilitation of trade among the 11 countries that signed it.
China still aims to upgrade the liberalization of trade and investment with ASEAN and is trying to work with ASEAN to conclude negotiations for version 3.0 of the CAFTA as soon as possible, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Apparently, ASEAN is in the process of trade integration and mutual development with various countries and regions. ASEAN's deepening trade cooperation with any country will only bring more cooperation potential for China, instead of substituting for it.
For instance, Germany - which has not signed a free trade agreement with China - could enjoy market dividends in China through some Southeast Asian countries, while China could make use of its partnership with ASEAN countries when it comes to entering the EU market.
During the rise of Asian economies, the emphasis should always be on how to expand the space for cooperation and promote integration, instead of pursuing narrow-minded replacement, which will only lead to vicious competition and more conflict. No country can completely replace another in the global industrial chain.
It is a positive development if Germany is genuinely committed to enhancing cooperation with Southeast Asian countries. This collaboration can act as a stepping stone, rather than a replacement, for Germany's partnership with China, potentially opening up more opportunities and prospects for the prosperity and development of Asia. It would be self-defeating if one aims at driving a wedge between China and ASEAN.
China is actively taking measures to stabilize its real estate market, the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) said on Wednesday, as it emphasized the need to promote a virtuous cycle between the financial sector and the housing market.
With nationwide property industry meetings, China is pushing to promote the country's challenged housing market.
During the NFRA's meeting on Wednesday, the administration stressed the need to implement city-level real estate financing coordination mechanisms and enhance the efficiency of the new white list mechanism, to meet the financing needs of real estate enterprises.
It is part of the administration's latest effort to support the housing market. Li Yunze, head of the NFRA, told reporters on Monday that the administration will continue to aid the economy's recovery and improvement, which will include reducing the interest rates on existing first-home loans to reduce buyers' interest expenses.
In another move, the Shanghai Real Estate Trade Association held a meeting attended by major property developers.
The meeting, held on March 7, saw participation by 11 companies, including China Poly Group, China Resources, China Railway Construction Corp and Shanghai Baohua Group. According to the association's WeChat account, attending companies reached a consensus that Shanghai's real estate market is still undergoing adjustments and participants called for more policy adjustments.
The real estate market often sees a surge in March and April. However, such trends are not evident this year, indicating ongoing adjustments in the market, Hui Jianqiang, a veteran industry analyst, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Despite an increase in inquiries after the Spring Festival holidays, Shanghai's real estate companies reported low transactions.
Companies have put forth several policy suggestions, calling for improvements in purchase restrictions, land auctions and refining the supervision of pre-sale funds.
In a bid to revitalize the real estate sector, discussions similar to those in Shanghai have taken place across various regions, including Heze in East China's Shandong Province, Hefei in East China's Anhui Province and Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province.
Recent measures in first-tier cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen - have relaxed purchase restrictions, but these are seen more as a loosening of earlier constraints rather than incentives to boost the market, resulting in limited effects, Hui explained.
Despite downward pressure, there are signs of stabilization in China's real estate market. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed a 0.3 percent month-on-month decrease in new home prices in first-tier cities in January, narrowing 0.1 percentage point from December.
The future of real estate sales in first-tier cities heavily relies on policy easing to stimulate the market, Hui stated. He believes that further relaxation of policies could attract external capital to Shanghai's real estate market, potentially outperforming last year's performance.
Local homebuyers in Shanghai are adopting a wait-and-see approach, a resident surnamed Zhang told the Global Times that the market has stabilized but there's no sign of a rapid upturn anytime soon.
Prices for secondhand homes have returned to levels seen in 2019 and 2020, while new home prices are influenced by purchase policies.
"My colleagues from outside Shanghai who have yet to buy a home remain on the sidelines… and do not feel rushed to make a purchase," Zhang added.
Since 2012, China has witnessed an extraordinary economic transition, with historic achievements in all aspects of the economy from its size to quality. Such an unparalleled feat does not just happen, especially during a tumultuous period in the global geo-economic landscape and a tough phase in China's economic transformation and upgrading process. It was Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era that guided the country in overcoming various risks and challenges, and in keeping the China economic miracle alive.
As China embarked on the quest to become a great modern socialist country amid global changes unseen in a century, Xi's economic thought has been and will continue to be the guiding principle for development in China for years to come, and have great significance for the world. What is Xi's economic thought? What does it mean for China and the world?
To answer these questions, the Global Times has launched this special coverage on Xi's major economic speeches and policies, and how they are put into practice to boost development in China and around the world. This year's two sessions - China's annual legislative and political consultative sessions - officially concluded on Monday, after national lawmakers and political advisers spent a week or so, on mapping the country's social and economic development blueprint for 2024 and beyond.
Often described as one of the most important political events, the two sessions, during which a slew of development goals are determined, offer a critical window for the world to view the latest economic trends and policy priorities in the world's second-largest economy.
More importantly, Chinese President Xi Jinping's agenda and major speeches during the two sessions provide the most crucial insights into the development path of the Chinese economy.
During this year's two sessions, Xi participated in three deliberations or group discussions with national lawmakers and political advisers, during which he also delivered important speeches. And a key theme emerged from these meetings and speeches: The Chinese top leader has put new quality productive forces front and center in China's economic agenda in 2024 and for many years to come.
As a relatively new concept that was first put forward by Xi during an inspection tour of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in September 2023, new quality productive forces has become a key phrase in China's political lexicon in recent months. Xi's emphasis on the phrase further highlighted its significance in China's economic policymaking and China's future development paths, as officials across the country have and will continue to roll out measures to boost innovation and generate new productive forces.
China's pursuit of new quality productive forces, which place the main focus on innovation and technological self-reliance, comes as China's economy faces a profound transformation from old growth drivers to sustainable ones, and as the global geo-economic situation has grown increasingly complex - characterized by the US' relentless technological crackdowns and growing protectionism. Therefore, developing new quality productive forces is critical for China's sustainable, high-quality development, Chinese lawmakers, political advisers, and economists said.
Top leader's focus at two sessions
During each year's two sessions, Xi often visits and holds meetings with national lawmakers and political advisors, and delivers major speeches on key national issues. This year, the Chinese president made three such visits, in line with the number made during the two sessions in 2023.
On the afternoon of March 5, Xi participated in a deliberation with fellow lawmakers from East China's Jiangsu Province during the second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.
Xi called for focusing on high-quality development as a top priority, urging efforts to step up innovation, foster emerging industries, adopt forward-thinking plans to develop future-oriented industries, and improve the modernized industrial system. He stressed the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The top leader also made remarks about developing new quality productive forces or related issues such as technological innovation at the other two such deliberations he participated in.
On March 6, Xi participated in a joint group meeting during the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body. Xi called on political advisors and all people in the science and technology sector to strengthen basic research and apply basic research, strive to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and create new drivers to develop new quality productive forces.
Then on March 7, Xi attended a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force at the second session of the NPC. He stressed deepening reform to comprehensively enhance strategic capabilities in emerging areas. He also said that China's drive to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces has provided rare opportunities for the development of strategic capabilities in emerging areas.
The successive remarks about the new quality productive forces on three different occasions accentuated the top leader's focus on the issue and its importance in China's economic development, not just this year but in the years to come, national lawmakers, political advisers, and experts said. "The concept offers guidance for our country to take advantage of the historical opportunity of a new round of technological upgrade and aims to develop strategic emerging industries and future industries," Guo said.
Developing new quality productive forces is a decisive step in the economy's high-quality development course, Guo Guoping, an NPC deputy and a vice director of the Key Laboratory of Quantum Information of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times.
New quality productive forces refers to innovation-led, advanced productivity that is freed from traditional economic growth mode and productivity development paths, is high-tech, high efficiency and high quality, and is in line with the new development philosophy, Xi said during a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in February, stressing that developing new quality productive forces is an endogenous requirement and a pivot of high-quality development. From concept to action
Thanks to the top leader's focus, while the concept of new quality productive forces has only been around for a few months, it has been rising rapidly in China's political and social lexicon and has become a buzzword across the country. More importantly, it has already been put into action in China's economic policymaking.
The Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023, which set top economic policy priorities for 2024, also heightened the development of new quality productive forces. New quality productive forces also became the subject of the first group study session held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee this year, according to Xinhua.
This year's Government Work Report also highlighted efforts to develop new quality productive forces. According to the report, China will strive to modernize its industrial system and develop new quality productive forces at a faster pace. It also said that China will step up research on disruptive and frontier technologies, and will launch an AI Plus initiative.
The top leader's emphasis on new quality productive forces was echoed throughout the two sessions, where lawmakers and political advisers enthusiastically talked about the concept and vowed to make great efforts in developing new quality development.
Shan Zenghai, an NPC deputy and chief engineer of Chinese construction equipment giant Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), who participated in the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation on March 5, said he was inspired by the top leader's remarks on new quality productive forces.
"The encouragement from top leadership greatly boosted our confidence in sticking to innovation-driven growth, bolstering the real economy and promoting high-quality development," Shan told the Global Times.
Zhou Bin, another NPC deputy from Yancheng, Jiangsu, who also attended the deliberation, told the Global Times that Xi's important remarks on new quality productive forces have offered scientific guidance for opening up new development tracks and shaping new development momentum.
Many officials vowed to take concrete actions to develop new quality development forces. Wu Qingwen, an NPC deputy and mayor of Suzhou, Jiangsu, said the city has the foundation, the condition, and the responsibility to take a lead in developing new quality productive forces, vowing to step up scientific and technological (sci-tech) innovation and bolster the city's high-end equipment, biomedicine, new energy industries among others, and create "new engines" such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Solid progress, great potential
When it comes to sci-tech innovation and the development of new growth drivers, China has already made great strides, thanks to the focus and support from the top leadership, national lawmakers, political advisers, and experts said.
Despite various challenges, including the US' relentless crackdown campaign, China has already become an innovation power. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Thursday, China remained the leader in international patent applications, followed by the US, Japan, South Korea, and Germany.
At the end of 2023, the number of high-value invention patents held on the Chinese mainland had exceeded 1.66 million, an increase of 25.7 percent year-on-year, and the number of effective high-value invention patents acquired in strategic emerging industries had reached 1.17 million, accounting for 70 percent of the total, according to Xinhua.
Also highlighting the steady progress in and importance of forming new growth drivers is the fact that the shift in China's three most popular exports. In the past, the three most popular items China exported were clothes, furniture, and home alliances, which were relatively low-value and labor-intensive; however, new-energy vehicles, solar batteries, and lithium-ion batteries have become China's tech-intensive and green "new three," with a combined export value of 1.06 trillion yuan ($150 billion) in 2023, jumping 29.9 percent year-on-year.
Moving forward, the development of new quality productive forces has great potential in China, as its huge marketplace ensures full testing, application, and evolution of new technologies and new business models, Xu Jiuping, a professor at Sichuan University and a member of the National Committee of the 14th CPPCC, told the Global Times, pointing to the support of national innovation policies.
Underscoring such policy support, the central government has pledged to allocate 370.8 billion yuan ($51.51 billion) for science and technology in 2024, an increase of 10 percent, with a focus on basic research, applied basic research, and national strategic tasks in science and technology, according to the budget adopted at the two sessions.
Liu Donghao, the founder of Guizhou Big Data Protection Engineering Security Research Center, died on March 5, the company confirmed through their WeChat account on Saturday.
Liu also served as the secretary-general of the board and the CEO of Big Data Protection Engineering Security Research Center (Guizhou) Co.
The center was established in November 2017, and was a collaborative project initiated by the Guiyang city government and Alibaba Group, focusing on advanced research and development in data security, aiming to pioneer new governance models and industrial practices.
Since 2017, Guizhou has been actively exploring and practicing data security measures. The establishment of the center was a significant step in this endeavor.
Against the backdrop, the center was tasked with conducting Data Security Capability Maturity Model (DSMM) pilot compliance assessments and fostering the data security industry, in line with Guizhou Province's adoption of the national standard cooperation model for DSMM, CRI Online reported in May of 2023.
The center led by Liu, has developed a comprehensive system called DSMM for assessing data security capabilities across industries, which can identify weaknesses and offer strategic solutions through consultation, certification, and training. By focusing on prevention and addressing existing issues, it aims to enhance overall industry security and risk management.
In 2021, the center introduced a pioneering data security governance framework and industry development system based on DSMM principles, national standards, regulations, and assessment methods. This initiative, centered the DSMM national standard, shapes data security governance practices in Guizhou.
Liu stated that the "Guizhou practice" has now been widely implemented across China, setting a model for cities and provinces such as Sichuan, Tianjin, Jiangsu and Chongqing, spanning industries of telecommunications, taxation, government affairs, and manufacturing. This initiative effectively exports the DSMM national standard, driving the industrialization and scaling of national data security standards.
Guizhou has become one of the regions with the largest number of ultra-large data centers in the world, and the growth rate of digital economy has ranked first in China for several years in a row.
The province's growth rate of digital economy has ranked first among Chinese provinces for seven consecutive years, with its added value accounting for about 37 percent of last year's GDP, according to Guizhou Daily.
The provincial government vowed to focus on AI to develop new quality productive forces, aiming to build an internationally competitive computing base in 2024, Jing Yaping, director of the Guizhou Big Data Development Administration said during this year`s National People's Congress, according to chinanews.com.cn.
China's merchandise trade in the first two months of 2024 hit a record high of 6.61 trillion yuan ($918.3 billion), up 8.7 percent year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced on Thursday, beating forecasts and signaling a good start to the new year.
Experts said that exports had gained growth momentum, thanks to expanding demand and rising product competitiveness. In the longer term, China's foreign trade will show stable and positive expansion, supporting the GDP growth target of about 5 percent.
Exports in the first two months rose 10.3 percent to 3.75 trillion yuan, and imports were up 6.7 percent to 2.86 trillion yuan.
"Foreign trade saw a better-than-expected performance in the January-February period, mirroring the resilience of the country's economy with expanding domestic and external demand," Tian Yun, an economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.
ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totaling 993.24 billion yuan, up 8.1 percent year-on-year and accounting for 15 percent of China's total trade.
The EU was China's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of 832.39 billion yuan, down by 1.3 percent. The US was No.3, with trade up 3.7 percent to 707.7 billion yuan.
In the first two months, trade with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries reached 3.13 trillion yuan, up 9 percent.
Zhou Maohua, an economist from China Everbright Bank, said on Thursday that the record trade figures reflected the recovery of overseas demand, the optimization of the export structure and a boom in new export drivers.
Electromechanical products accounted for nearly 60 percent of Chinese exports, with automatic data processing equipment, integrated circuits and automobiles showing significant growth, the GAC said.
Exports of automatic data processing equipment reached 195.45 billion yuan, up 7.3 percent, while exports of integrated circuits soared 28.6 percent and those of vehicles increased 15.8 percent.
"The figures mirrored China's continuous industrial upgrading and showed that the competitiveness of its high-tech products and equipment manufacturing industry in the world was increasing," Tian noted.
Conditions were also favorable for trade by private enterprises. Their total trade stood at 3.61 trillion yuan, up 17.7 percent, accounting for 54.6 percent of the total - an increase of 4.2 percentage points from the same period last year.
"Growth in exports led to an increase in domestic production, while the increase in imports reflected strong domestic demand, both of which will help drive the country's GDP growth in the first quarter this year," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
The Government Work Report, delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday at the opening meeting of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress, set a GDP growth target of about 5 percent for 2024.
The government vowed to work to steadily increase the volume and raise the quality of foreign trade, with efforts including supporting businesses in diversifying their overseas markets and increasing new growth drivers for foreign trade, including trade in intermediate goods and green trade.
Tian noted that boosted by support policies, foreign trade will maintain moderately positive growth throughout the whole year with an expansion of 3-5 percent.
"China's foreign trade is expected to hit a record high this year, contributing more to the realization of the country's GDP growth target," Tian said.
Fostering artificial intelligence (AI) literacy is a long-term endeavor that involves cultivating students’ interest and ability from a young age. A deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC) suggested on Monday the country integrate AI literacy education into the nine-year compulsory education curriculum, introduce a general AI course, and incorporate relevant content into primary and secondary school activities.
AI stands as a new driver of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Accelerating the development of a new generation of AI is a strategic issue that will determine whether China can seize the opportunities presented by AI innovation, said Lei Jun, CEO of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi and a deputy to the NPC.
Looking at the long-term trends, there is a growing demand across industries for talent skilled in basic AI. However, based on the current practical technological level of generative AI in China, there is a clear shortfall of the talent, Lei said.
The shortage of AI talent with a diverse skill set is even more acute. Strengthening talent cultivation in the field of AI will be a key factor in the continued upgrading of China’s industries, he added.
“Therefore, I am for promoting AI literacy education included in the compulsory education system,” he said.
During primary and secondary schooling, students are at a critical period of cognitive development. They are most active and sensitive in their thinking and are most receptive to new things, Lei said.
From fundamental principles to practical applications, it is crucial to comprehensively ignite the interest of primary and secondary school students, cultivate their cognitive and applied abilities in AI, he noted.
It is also recommended to strongly promote the establishment of AI-related majors in Chinese universities, Lei said.
Currently, 498 universities in China offer undergraduate programs in AI, and 209 universities have registered or applied for undergraduate programs in “Intelligent Science and Technology.” However, the numbers represent a relatively low proportion in the backdrop of more than 3,000 universities in China, Lei said.
He also suggested that large technology companies and educational institutions could help cultivate talent specializing in the practical application of AI.
In recent years, many enterprises have emerged as key drivers in the development of AI technology. These companies possess vast data and computing resources, as well as application scenarios. However, there is a severe shortage of high-level AI training capabilities in the talent market.
AI is one of the hot topics discussed by NPC deputies at this year’s two sessions which offers the world a window to observe the country’s development this year.
Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the second session of the 14th NPC, said at a press conference on Monday that legislation related to technological innovation will be advanced, with a particular emphasis on delving into crucial cutting-edge fields like AI and biotechnology.
China’s AI industry is experiencing rapid growth, with the core industry reaching a scale of 500 billion yuan ($69.46 billion). The number of AI enterprises has exceeded 4,300, and innovative achievements continue to emerge, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The latest revision of the Law on Guarding State Secrets has unsurprisingly triggered a new round of Western media hype about concerns over China's investment environment, but such slander is just a distortion of the actual situation. China's efforts to improve its laws and regulations to safeguard national security will not be in conflict with its push to promote further opening-up, and an updated legal system could even play a more active role in providing a safer environment for foreign investment.
Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday voted to adopt a revised Law on Guarding State Secrets. A report by the Voice of America Chinese edition on Thursday said that the revision of China's Law on Guarding State Secrets will exacerbate a chilling effect, posing major operational challenges for foreign businesses in China, while The Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday that the revision has encompassed sensitive information that did not previously fall under its scope, which in turn "potentially adds to foreign businesses' concerns over the risks of operating in the country," and "adds a potentially broad new category of restricted information."
According to the National Administration of State Secrets Protection, the aim of the revision this time is to further strengthen the protection of state secrets so as to maximize the rational use of information sources and to better protect China's core interests and national security.
But this does not mean that the law will interfere with normal business activities, nor does it mean that it will discriminate against or put new restrictions on foreign investment. As long as foreign businesses in China are operating normally according to law, there is no need for them to worry about triggering such restrictions.
Any foreign business operating in China needs to abide by Chinese laws and regulations, including the Law on Guarding State Secrets. This is not an excessive request, but a basic principle that applies to any country. Only those with ulterior motives will be concerned about the potential impact, and they are the ones the revision is meant to deter from harming the interests of the country and its people.
The emergence of new technologies and applications such as big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence is accelerating a new technological revolution, creating high demand for laws to support China's independent innovation and development of relevant technologies. This is why the newly revised law has significantly increased technology-related content, adding several provisions that demonstrate a focus on protecting confidential technology innovation and technology security.
Against the background of some Western countries abusing national security excuses to impose unilateral sanctions on Chinese technology companies and suppress China's technological development, it is entirely justified for China to take appropriate measures to ensure its interests in scientific and technological development.
There is no contradiction between this reasonable demand and China's attitude of encouraging foreign investment. Anyone who has basic knowledge of China's opening-up policy would not believe Western media outlets' slander that claims Chinese policies are complicating its investment environment with additional legal risks.
When meeting with a US Chamber of Commerce delegation in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang made it clear that China will open its door even wider to the outside world, continue to foster a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, and provide more support and convenience for US companies and those from other countries to invest and do business in China.
China has been committed to expanding its opening-up to attract foreign investment in recent years, with its huge market and enormous potential luring an increasing number of foreign businesses to invest.
During this process, China has also worked on improving relevant laws and regulations, with an eye to ensuring a safer and steady market environment. This is because an up-to-date legal system is part of the efforts to open its market further. These measures aimed at ensuring the fair operation of the investment environment are conducive to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of foreign companies and providing a stable law-based business environment.
It's hoped that more foreign businesses will recognize and share the development opportunities of the Chinese market, rather than falling for groundless slander.
In recent years, the China Construction Bank has implemented the decisions and plans of the central government, continuously increasing the supply of financial services in the field of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, contributing to the rural revitalization with its financial strength.
In order to better address the contradiction between the supply and demand of rural finance, CCB has taken the lead in the industry to set up a rural revitalization finance department, viewing rural revitalization as a new core field.
Focusing on the main position of rural workers, the bank has launched innovations in rural financial infrastructure, product structure, service mode, credit management process, risk control and other modules to realize the goal of universal benefits and activate rural resources to help farmers increase their income, so that finance can become an important force in the development of the agriculture, rural areas and farmers.
As of the end of December 2023, the balance of CCB's agriculture-related loans amounted to 3.82 trillion yuan, an increase of more than 800 billion yuan from the beginning of 2023, at a growth rate of 27 percent.
Process facilitation "When I expanded my farmhouse, I spent more than 100,000 yuan. At that time, I got a loan from CCB with just a simple process on my mobile," said Sheng Hongqun, a villager of Hongda village of Ankang city, Northwest Shaanxi Province, who was very satisfied with the financial services provided by CCB.
"In addition to favorable interest rates, the bank provides convenient financial services. A lot of business can be solved at the touch of a finger. If it can't be address by cellphone, the business manager can provide door-to-door services," he noted.
The service offered by the CCB is one of the innovative products to break through the difficulties and blockages of financial services to the rural areas, and it is a key product of the CCB to serve farmers and promote rural revitalization.
The Cailiang community of Ankang has set up a financial service point with products from the CCB. In addition to basic financial services such as deposit and withdrawal, money transfer and remittance, the service point can also provide social security and medical insurance, agricultural subsidies, payment of living expenses and other livelihood services.
Improving financial literacy In addition to weaving a network of financial services through its products, CCB is also committed to changing the financial concepts and awareness of farmers, proactively approaching farmers to enhance their financial literacy.
The CCB branch in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, together with local authorities, has explored a new way of financial service for rural revitalization - the "financial deputy village head" model.
That is to say, the local government appoints college students or village officials as "financial deputy village head" to interpret government policies to farmers and disseminate financial knowledge, in a bid to better help authorities with the governance of the financial and credit environment in villages, provide feedback on the financial needs of farmers and herdsmen, and construct a bridge for grass-roots finance.
The "financial deputy village head" is an innovative model that synchronizes the expansion of financial business with the development of rural talent. Through the organic interaction between capital, talent and industries, it provides multiple elemental support for the enhancement of sustainable capacity of the rural areas, and it is an effective and easy-to-replicate innovative model.
So far, the model has gone out to North China's Hebei Province and East China's Shandong Province.
China has ramped up financial support for rural revitalization. According to financial service guidelines for rural revitalization released by the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, by 2035, the country will promote the establishment of a modern rural financial system that is multi-level, wide-coverage, sustainable, appropriately competitive, orderly and innovative, and with controlled risks.
China unveiled its "No.1 central document" for 2024 on February 3, outlining the priorities for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization this year. As the first policy statement released by China's central authorities each year, the document is seen as an indicator for current and future policy priorities.
On China's new journey in the new era, the focus should be on promoting rural revitalization across the board while carrying forward work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, the document noted.
A people-centered development philosophy should be upheld to deliver tangible benefits to the people and to make substantial progress, according to the document.
