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By The ICAS Team
U.S. government appeals judge’s ruling to block WeChat app store ban
By David Shepardson
Reuters, October 2
The U.S. Justice Department said it was appealing a judge’s decision to block the government from barring Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google from offering Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat for download in U.S. app stores. The government said it was appealing the Sept. 19 preliminary junction issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The injunction blocked the U.S. Commerce Department order, which would also bar other U.S. transactions with Tencent Holdings’ WeChat, potentially making the app unusable in the United States.
Shares in China’s biggest chipmaker fall after reports that it could lose access to US technology
By Sherisse Pham
CNN Business, September 28
Shares in SMIC, China’s biggest chipmaker, fell on Monday on fears that it could lose access to key US technology. The Financial Times reported this weekend that the US Commerce Department has sent a letter to companies warning of an ‘unacceptable risk’ that exports to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation could be used for military purposes. It’s not entirely clear whether that letter means that official restrictions on SMIC have gone into effect.
China unveils ‘strategic emerging industries’ plan in fresh push to get away from US technologies
By Frank Tang
South China Morning Post, September 24
Beijing has released an ambitious plan to boost the development of ‘strategic emerging industries’, from the buildout of 5G mobile networks to industrial robotics, in the latest move to counter Washington’s expanding technological embargo while elevating the national economy. In a joint circular released on Wednesday by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC); and various other Ministries, the country vows to build a complete strategic industrial system via state planning and state investments. While the plan did not mention the United States, it made clear that the plan was designed to help China avoid being ‘strangled’ by its dependence on imports for key technologies and components.
Chinese State Media Slams TikTok Deal as ‘Dirty’ and ‘Unpalatable’
By Laura He
CNN Business, September 23
The editorial boards of China Daily and the Global Times — two Chinese state-run publications — are urging Beijing to kill what they call a ‘dirty’ and ‘unpalatable’ deal intended to keep TikTok operating in the United States. The arrangement would give American companies at least some ownership in the short-form video app TikTok.
The ownership terms of the tentative TikTok deal have caused a lot of confusion. The initial announcement last weekend implied that ByteDance would continue to own a majority of TikTok going forward, but Trump has since indicated that investors Walmart and Oracle would ‘own the controlling interest.’ A person familiar with the deal said that a new US entity — TikTok Global — will be partially owned by ByteDance’s international and Chinese investors, but that ByteDance itself will hold zero percent of the company to be created by the deal to run the app outside of China. The extent to which Beijing still needs to review the deal is not entirely clear.
U.S. Charges Chinese Nationals in Cyberattacks on More Than 100 Companies
By Dustin Volz, Aruna Viswanatha and Kate O’Keeffe
The Wall Street Journal, September 16 [Paywall]
Federal prosecutors unsealed charges on Wednesday against five Chinese citizens that officials say appear linked to Chinese intelligence, accusing them of hacking more than 100 companies in the U.S. and overseas, including social-media firms, universities and telecommunications providers. The charges, laid out in three separate indictments, build on several other cases brought against accused Chinese hackers during the Trump administration, which has characterized Beijing’s cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property as a grave national and economic security threat.
Quad Ministers Agree to Meet Once a Year
By Yuki Fujita
Nikkei Asia, October 6
Foreign ministers from the Quad nations — the US, Japan, India and Australia — gathered Tuesday for their first in-person talks since September and agreed to hold regular meetings. The four countries’ top diplomats, who last met in New York, will seek to meet once a year. The Tokyo talks came during a shortened visit to Asia by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who told Nikkei he wants to formalize and potentially broaden the quadrilateral security dialogue.
Thousands of companies sue US over China tariffs
By Aime Williams
Financial Times, October 5 [Paywall]
More than 3,500 companies have filed lawsuits against the US government over its tariffs on China in recent weeks, demonstrating the extent of discontent in businesses over Donald Trump’s trade war. Lawyers say the companies, which include household brand names like Coca-Cola, Disney and Ford, alongside small US manufacturers, have created an unprecedented caseload over a short period of time after lodging their complaints with the New York-based International Trade Court.
Spy community not postured to handle rising China threat, House Intel finds
By Martin Matishak
Politico, September 30
The U.S. intelligence community has failed to keep pace with the technological and political strides made by China over the last two decades, a lag that risks leaving policymakers permanently in the dark about a growing, strategic challenge to the country’s national security, according to a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee. Wednesday’s report is the result of a so-called ‘deep dive’ the House panel began last year into what it viewed as China’s troubling activities around the globe. A committee official said most of the recommendations for reform were aimed at the senior leadership level. [Redacted Executive Summary of the Report]
China’s Economic Rebound Picks Up Pace
By Jonathan Cheng
The Wall Street Journal, September 30
China’s economy gathered more steam in September as a rebound in global demand and the government’s supportive measures bolstered factory activity and helped push sentiment in the service sector to its highest level in nearly seven years. China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 51.5 in September, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, higher than both the 51.2 forecast by economists and August’s reading of 51.0.
China holds simultaneous military drills in four seas, again
By Reuters Staff
Reuters, September 28
China began five military exercises simultaneously along different parts of its coast on Monday, the second time in two months it will have such concurrent drills against a backdrop of rising regional tension. Two of the exercises are being held near the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea, one in the East China Sea, and one further north in the Bohai Sea, the Maritime Safety Administration said in notices on its website. In the southern part of the Yellow Sea, drills including live-fire exercises will be held from Monday to Wednesday
Malaysia will not follow US sanctions against 24 Chinese companies, says ambassador
The Star, September 26
Malaysian Ambassador to China Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin recently told the Global Times that Malaysia will not take sides and follow the US and impose sanctions on 24 Chinese companies the U.S accuses of advancing China’s militarization of the South China Sea. Abidin stressed that, since the country’s independence in 1957, its foreign policy stressed having good relations with all countries, and this continues today. He said Malaysia is not a ‘pawn’ in the bigger-power rivalry between China and the U.S.
U.S.-Australia-India-Japan Consultations (‘The Quad’)
Office of the Spokesperson
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China, September 25
Senior officials from the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan met virtually on September 25, for consultations on collective efforts to advance a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Among other initiatives, they explored ways to enhance coordination on counterterrorism, maritime security, cyber security, and regional connectivity, as well as quality infrastructure based upon international best practices, such as the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment.
Pompeo Warns U.S. Politicians to be Alert to Chinese ‘Influence and Espionage’
By Humeyra Pamuk
Reuters, September 23
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned U.S. politicians at the state and local level to be vigilant around Chinese diplomats who he said could be trying to woo them as part of Beijing’s propaganda and espionage campaign. Pompeo said the State Department was reviewing the activities of the U.S.-China Friendship Association and the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification over suspicions they are trying to influence U.S. schools, business groups and local politicians. The two groups are linked to China’s United Front Work Department, an organ of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, he said.
‘Know that when you are approached by a Chinese diplomat, it is likely not in the spirit of cooperation or friendship,’ Pompeo said, warning of the Chinese Communist Party’s ‘influence and espionage campaigns’ even at the municipal level.
As U.S. Views Of China Grow More Negative, Chinese Support For Their Government Rises
By Emily Feng
NPR, September 23
Polls show widespread distrust toward China is growing in the U.S. over how China initially handled its coronavirus outbreak and ongoing human rights abuses. At the same time, Chinese attitudes toward the U.S. are souring — while popular satisfaction with the Chinese state has grown since the central government quickly brought the pandemic under control through sometimes brutal methods.
US blacklist filled with companies working for China military
By Shunsuke Tabeta
Nikkei Asia, September 23
Eighteen of 24 companies recently blacklisted by the U.S. for what Washington says is their role in helping Beijing militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea have ties to the People’s Liberation Army, Nikkei research shows. Such military ties signal the PLA’s growing reliance on the private sector under President Xi Jinping’s push for ‘military-civil fusion’ and could prove a barrier to global expansion for Chinese private-sector companies at a time of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Japan’s new PM seen balancing US-China ties, despite calls for closer relations with Beijing
By Julian Ryall
South China Morning Post, September 22
Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga appears set to attempt his predecessor’s US-China balancing act when it comes to international relations, although Toshihiro Nikai, the administrative chief of Suga’s ruling party since 2016, has long been an advocate of building bridges with Beijing. By his own admission, Suga is not well versed in international relations and has confirmed that he will be leaning on his predecessor for advice and guidance. This means that Nikai’s ambitions for closer China-Japan ties are unlikely to be realised any time soon, according to Yoichi Shimada, an international-relations professor at Fukui Prefectural University.
China cranks up tensions in Taiwan Strait as US diplomat visits Taipei
By Kathrin Hille and Christian Shepherd
Financial Times, September 18 [Paywall]
China sharply escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait on Friday, approaching Taiwan with multiple jets at three different locations just as the country’s president was about to receive a senior US government official. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence said the People’s Liberation Army Air Force crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the country’s air defence buffer zone with two H-6 bombers and 16 fighters.
Cambodia, China, Challenge US over Sanctions on Chinese Firm
By Sopheng Cheang
Associated Press, September 16
Cambodia and China have rejected U.S. allegations that a Chinese state-owned company was guilty of human rights abuses and corruption in its acquisition of land in Cambodia. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Tuesday sanctions on China’s Union Development Group Co. Ltd. for its activities in Cambodia, charging that the company ‘forced Cambodians from their land and devastated the environment, hurting the livelihoods of local communities, all under the guise of converting Cambodia into a regional logistics hub and tourist destination.’
W.T.O. Says American Tariffs on China Broke Global Trade Rules
By Ana Swanson
The New York Times, September 15
A World Trade Organization panel found that the U.S. violated international trade rules by imposing tariffs on China in 2018 in the middle of President Trump’s trade war. The panel of trade experts sided with a complaint filed by China that argues how Mr. Trump’s tariffs violated several global rules, including a provision that requires all W.T.O. members to offer equal tariff rates among the body’s trading partners.
US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad Stepping down Following Trump Campaign Ask
By David Culver, Ben Westcott, Kylie Atwood and Kaitlan Collins
CNN, September 15
It was revealed that US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, who had announced he is leaving his post, left in part because President Donald Trump urged the former governor of Iowa to come back and help him campaign. Because Branstad always intended to serve only one term, his departure was expected, but as of a few weeks ago, Branstad was planning to remain in Beijing until after the election.
Will China Upgrade Its Destroyers With ‘Carrier Killer’ Missiles?
By Liu Zhen
South China Morning Post, September 12
China’s Type 055 guided-missile destroyers have the potential to be refitted with ‘aircraft carrier killer’ missiles but the weapons would have to be lighter and smaller than existing land-based technology, observers said. The assessment comes as the military nears the end of another phase in its massive naval expansion programme.
U.S. Businesses in China Not Heeding Trump’s Call to Return Home
By Bruce Einhorn
Bloomberg, September 9
President Donald Trump says American companies should leave China and return home. A new survey of U.S. businesses in the country shows most aren’t interested in taking him up on the offer. Only about 4% of the more than 200 manufacturers surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said they will shift any production to the U.S., according to a report released Wednesday. More than 75% said they don’t intend to move production out of China, while 14% said they will shift some operations to other countries and 7% planned on relocating domestically and overseas.
China’s Vision for a New World Order: Implications for the United States
By Nadège Rolland
The National Bureau of Asian Research, October 2
“For over a year, the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) carefully studied both Chinese official statements and scholarly writings envisioning a future China-led world order. Through the additional examination of seven case studies across countries and functional domains, NBR then attempted to identify the main features of Beijing’s preferred arrangements as they have already appeared. Drawing on our research, we have identified four key takeaways along with four implications and policy options for U.S. leaders.”
An Answer to Aggression: How to Push Back Against Beijing
By Aaron L. Friedburg
Foreign Affairs, September/October 2020 [Paywall]
“The Chinese Communist Party’s initial mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent attempts to exploit the crisis have produced enduring problems for the rest of the world. But the CCP’s behavior has also helped clarify the threat that China poses to the security, prosperity, and well-being of other countries. Public opinion polls show that over 60 percent of Americans of both political parties now hold a negative view of Beijing’s leadership and intentions, and similar attitudes can be found across the democratic world. This heightened awareness of a shared danger creates an opportunity for the United States and its allies to formulate a new and more effective strategy for dealing with China.”
Weaponizing the Belt and Road Initiative
By Daniel R. Russel and Blake H. Berger
The Asia Society Policy Institute, September 2020
“The Asia Society Policy Institute’s – Weaponizing the Belt and Road Initiative – examines key BRI projects in the Indo-Pacific and explores relevant Chinese doctrine, the involvement of the People’s Liberation Army with BRI, and assesses the potential military and geostrategic advantages to China from BRI ports and other projects.”
Key Findings:
A Multi-Purpose Platform; Benign, Win-Win Cooperation; Civil-Military Fusion; ‘First Civilian, Later Military’; Extraterrestrial BRI; ‘Strategic Strongpoints’; Platforms for Leverage; Facilitating a Favorable Environment; Disadvantaging Competitors; Sphere of Influence; Not a Foregone Conclusion; Opportunity to Compete
As U.S.-Taiwan Ties Flourish, China’s Discontent Grows
By J. Michael Cole
World Politics Review, September 28
“Recent Chinese military maneuvers were a stark reminder that the Taiwan Strait remains one of the world’s most dangerous flash points…Since withdrawing its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in 1979, Washington has relied upon the Taiwan Relations Act to govern its unofficial ties with Taipei. To avoid undermining relations with Beijing, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, the U.S. has maintained a so-called ‘One China’ policy, acknowledging Beijing’s contention that the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government of China.”
What UN Needs is a Cease-Fire Inside its own Security Council
By Thalif Deem
Inter Press Service, September 24
“With more than 20,000 civilians killed last year in conflicts in 10 countries — including Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a ‘global cease-fire’: a proposal which failed to generate a positive response since he first announced it last March.”
“But with the UN’s most powerful body remaining deadlocked– and facing a bloodless confrontation between two major powers– the United Nations now seems to be in need of a ‘political cease-fire’ at its very doorstep: inside its own 15-member Security Council (UNSC). On the opening day of the annual high-level debate in the General Assembly September 22, the US and China, two veto-armed members, battled it out with accusations and counter-accusations.”
The China Economic Risk Matrix
By Logan Wright, Lauren Gloudeman and Daniel H. Rosen
Center for Strategic & International Studies, September 21
“The China Economic Risk Matrix is the combination of indicators of financial vulnerability that threaten to overwhelm Beijing’s policy tools to manage them, along with a novel, China-specific financial stress indicator. Building on the earlier CSIS volume, Credit and Credibility, this report explores the specific conditions and markets in which changes in government credibility can have a significant impact on systemic stability in China. …China’s financial system becomes most vulnerable when Beijing’s credibility erodes and implicit guarantees on assets are suddenly questioned. In some cases, credibility weakens during attempts to reform China’s system, while other events may force Beijing to react to rising credit risks and defaults.” [Full Report]
Instead of targeting TikTok and WeChat, the US should work on an alternative to China’s digital silk road
By Sam Olsen
South China Morning Post, September 15
“Amid the US-led Western clampdown on Chinese technology firms like Huawei and ByteDance, which owns the TikTok app so popular with teenagers, it is easy to overlook the fact that Chinese technological ambitions abroad aren’t limited to the exploits of a handful of companies. Instead, they are part of a wider programme dubbed the ‘digital silk road’, a subset of the more widely known Belt and Road Initiative.”
In Defense of Diplomacy With China
By James Green
ChinaFile, September 10
“Washington has become frothy with talk of a new cold war with China as competition intensifies between the two countries’ ideological systems: liberal democracy vs. authoritarian statism. As evidence of this new reality, commentators and political leaders point to Beijing’s increased aggressiveness at home and abroad—recently over the coronavirus outbreak, government backing of telecom giant Huawei, new national security legislation for Hong Kong, and repression of Uighurs. Specific repugnant actions and confrontational policies, so the logic goes, underscore the true nature of the Chinese regime.”
United States Air Force Arctic Strategy: Perspectives and Insights
Event by Wilson Center Polar Center, October 5
WEBCAST: China’s Coercive Environmentalism
Event by Wilson Center, October 2
Online Book Event: The Emperor’s New Road: China and the Project of the Century
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, September 29
Under Beijing’s Shadow: Southeast Asia’s China Challenge
Event by Young China Watcher, September 29
Online Event: The Geopolitical Significance of Tibet in the Context of India, China and the U.S.
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, September 28
China’s Vision for a New World Order: In Theory and Practice
Event by the National Bureau of Asian Research, September 23
Online Event: The China Economic Risk Matrix: Pinpointing the Dangers in China’s Financial System
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, September 22
YCW DC: A Conversation on the 2020 China Military Power Report
Event by Young China Watcher, September 22
Inaugural China Lecture: US-China Relations in a Post-Covid-19 World | Yasheng Huang, MIT
Event by Northeastern Center for Emerging Markets
China Aerospace Studies Institute Conference 2020 – PRC Space
Event by the Air University, September 17
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, September 17
Online Event: Tenth Annual South China Sea Conference, Session Three
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, September 14
Webcast – The Modern Politics of Mulan
Event by the Wilson Center, September 11
China’s Maritime Strategy: Political and Economic Driving Forces
Event by Young China Watchers, October 8
Online Event: Tenth Annual South China Sea Conference, Session Four
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, October 9
Great Power and Great Responsibility in U.S. Arms Transfers
Event by Stimson Center, October 13
Online Event: Mapping the Future of U.S. China Policy: Survey Results and Analysis
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, October 13
Virtual Event: Behind the Great Wall of Secrecy: China’s Nuclear Buildup
Event by the Heritage Foundation, October 13
Online Event: “Invisible China: How the Urban-Rural Divide Threatens China’s Rise”: A Book Talk
Event by Center for Strategic & International Studies, October 14
China and Southeast Asia: Balanced and Centered?
Event by the Stimson Center, October 14
U.S. Strategy in the Asian Century: Empowering Allies and Partners
Event by the Stimson Center, October 15
Assessing China Policy from City Halls, Governor’s Mansions, and Capital Hill
Event by Brookings Institution, October 15
China’s New Authoritarian Ideology
Event by the Cato Institute, October 16
September 22, 2020
It is my profound honor to address the United Nations General Assembly.
Seventy-five years after the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations, we are once again engaged in a great global struggle. We have waged a fierce battle against the invisible enemy — the China virus — which has claimed countless lives in 188 countries.
In the United States, we launched the most aggressive mobilization since the Second World War. We rapidly produced a record supply of ventilators, creating a surplus that allowed us to share them with friends and partners all around the globe. We pioneered life-saving treatments, reducing our fatality rate 85 percent since April.
Thanks to our efforts, three vaccines are in the final stage of clinical trials. We are mass-producing them in advance so they can be delivered immediately upon arrival. We will distribute a vaccine, we will defeat the virus, we will end the pandemic, and we will enter a new era of unprecedented prosperity, cooperation, and peace.
As we pursue this bright future, we must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China.
In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world. China condemned my travel ban on their country, even as they cancelled domestic flights and locked citizens in their homes. The Chinese government and the World Health Organization — which is virtually controlled by China — falsely declared that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Later, they falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease.
The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions.
In addition, every year, China dumps millions and millions of tons of plastic and trash into the oceans, overfishes other countries’ waters, destroys vast swaths of coral reef, and emits more toxic mercury into the atmosphere than any country anywhere in the world. China’s carbon emissions are nearly twice what the U.S. has, and it’s rising fast. By contrast, after I withdrew from the one-sided Paris Climate Accord, last year America reduced its carbon emissions by more than any country in the agreement.
Those who attack America’s exceptional environmental record while ignoring China’s rampant pollution are not interested in the environment. They only want to punish America, and I will not stand for it.
If the United Nations is to be an effective organization, it must focus on the real problems of the world. This includes terrorism, the oppression of women, forced labor, drug trafficking, human and sex trafficking, religious persecution, and the ethnic cleansing of religious minorities. America will always be a leader in human rights. My administration is advancing religious liberty, opportunity for women, the decriminalization of homosexuality, combatting human trafficking, and protecting unborn children.
We also know that American prosperity is the bedrock of freedom and security all over the world. In three short years, we built the greatest economy in history, and we are quickly doing it again. Our military has increased substantially in size. We spent $2.5 trillion over the last four years on our military. We have the most powerful military anywhere in the world, and it’s not even close.
We stood up to decades of China’s trade abuses. We revitalized the NATO Alliance, where other countries are now paying a much more fair share. We forged historic partnerships with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to stop human smuggling. We are standing with the people of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela in their righteous struggle for freedom.[…]
For decades, the same tired voices proposed the same failed solutions, pursuing global ambitions at the expense of their own people. But only when you take care of your own citizens will you find a true basis for cooperation. As President, I have rejected the failed approaches of the past, and I am proudly putting America first, just as you should be putting your countries first. That’s okay — that’s what you should be doing.
I am supremely confident that next year, when we gather in person, we will be in the midst of one of the greatest years in our history — and frankly, hopefully, in the history of the world.
Thank you. God bless you all. God bless America. And God bless the United Nations.
[…] We humans are battling COVID-19, a virus that has ravaged the world and has kept resurging. In this fight, we have witnessed the efforts of governments, dedication of medical workers, exploration of scientists, and perseverance of the public. People of different countries have come together. With courage, resolve and compassion which lit the dark hour, we have confronted the disaster head on. The virus will be defeated. Humanity will win this battle!
– Facing the virus, we should put people and life first. We should mobilize all resources to make a science-based and targeted response. No case should be missed and no patient should be left untreated. The spread of the virus must be contained.
– Facing the virus, we should enhance solidarity and get this through together. We should follow the guidance of science, give full play to the leading role of the World Health Organization, and launch a joint international response to beat this pandemic. Any attempt of politicizing the issue or stigmatization must be rejected.
– Facing the virus, we should adopt comprehensive and long-term control measures. We should reopen businesses and schools in an orderly way, so as to create jobs, boost the economy, and restore economic and social order and vitality. The major economies need to step up macro policy coordination. We should not only restart our own economies, but also contribute to global recovery.
– Facing the virus, we should show concern for and accommodate the need of developing countries, especially African countries. The international community needs to take timely and robust measures in such fields as debt relief and international assistance, ensure the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and help these countries overcome their difficulties.
Seventy-five years ago, China made historic contributions to winning the World Anti-Fascist War and supported the founding of the United Nations. Today, with the same sense of responsibility, China is actively involved in the international fight against COVID-19, contributing its share to upholding global public health security. Going forward, we will continue to share our epidemic control practices as well as diagnostics and therapeutics with other countries, provide support and assistance to countries in need, ensure stable global anti-epidemic supply chains, and actively participate in the global research on tracing the source and transmission routes of the virus. At the moment, several COVID-19 vaccines developed by China are in Phase III clinical trials. When their development is completed and they are available for use, these vaccines will be made a global public good, and they will be provided to other developing countries on a priority basis. China will honor its commitment of providing US$2 billion of international assistance over two years, further international cooperation in such fields as agriculture, poverty reduction, education, women and children, and climate change, and support other countries in restoring economic and social development.
The history of development of human society is a history of our struggles against all challenges and difficulties and our victories over them. At present, the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic as it goes through profound changes never seen in a century. Yet, peace and development remain the underlying trend of the times, and people everywhere crave even more strongly for peace, development and win-win cooperation. COVID-19 will not be the last crisis to confront humanity, so we must join hands and be prepared to meet even more global challenges.
First, COVID-19 reminds us that we are living in an interconnected global village with a common stake. […] This is why we should embrace the vision of a community with a shared future in which everyone is bound together. We should reject attempts to build blocs to keep others out and oppose a zero-sum approach. We should see each other as members of the same big family, pursue win-win cooperation, and rise above ideological disputes and do not fall into the trap of “clash of civilizations”. More importantly, we should respect a country’s independent choice of development path and model.
Second, COVID-19 reminds us that economic globalization is an indisputable reality and a historical trend. […] We should not dodge the challenges of economic globalization. Instead, we must face up to major issues such as the wealth gap and the development divide. […] We should pursue open and inclusive development, remain committed to building an open world economy, and uphold the multilateral trading regime with the World Trade Organization as the cornerstone. We should say no to unilateralism and protectionism, and work to ensure the stable and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains.
Third, COVID-19 reminds us that humankind should launch a green revolution and move faster to create a green way of development and life, preserve the environment and make Mother Earth a better place for all. […] China will scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by adopting more vigorous policies and measures. We aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. We call on all countries to pursue innovative, coordinated, green and open development for all, seize the historic opportunities presented by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, achieve a green recovery of the world economy in the post-COVID era and thus create a powerful force driving sustainable development.
Fourth, COVID-19 reminds us that the global governance system calls for reform and improvement. […] It is natural for countries to have differences. What’s important is to address them through dialogue and consultation. Countries may engage in competition, but such competition should be positive and healthy in nature. When in competition, countries should not breach the moral standard and should comply with international norms. In particular, major countries should act like major countries. They should provide more global public goods, take up their due responsibilities and live up to people’s expectations.
China is the largest developing country in the world, a country that is committed to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development. We will never seek hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence. We have no intention to fight either a Cold War or a hot war with any country. We will continue to narrow differences and resolve disputes with others through dialogue and negotiation. We do not seek to develop only ourselves or engage in a zero-sum game. We will not pursue development behind closed doors. Rather, we aim to foster, over time, a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. This will create more space for China’s economic development and add impetus to global economic recovery and growth.
China will continue to work as a builder of global peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order.
The Institute for China-America Studies is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to strengthening the understanding of U.S.-China relations through expert analysis and practical policy solutions.
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