Choosing to operate in the Chinese market is not a risk, but an opportunity, said China's Foreign Ministry. China will only open its door wider to the outside world, a ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, in response to the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024, where some voices emerged urging for "de-risking" in economic and trade activities, while other voices calling for cooperation.

China welcomes foreign companies to continue to invest in China, and will continue to build a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, said Mao Ning, the ministry spokesperson during a media briefing.

As Chinese Premier Li Qiang pointed out at the opening ceremony of the WEF 2024, countries have very close economic linkages in today's world, which means their macroeconomic policies have more notable spillover effects, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

"In the face of global crises, fragmented and separate responses will only leave the world economy more fragile," Li said on Tuesday. 

Mao noted that China believes that only by fully respecting the laws of the international division of labor, unswervingly advancing liberalization and facilitation in trade and investment, tightening cooperation and making the pie of mutual benefit bigger, can the global economy truly serve the common interests of all parties.

"Countries around the world should step up dialogue and communication, take more coordinated and effective measures, firmly uphold the multilateral trading system, jointly improve global economic governance, and foster new drivers of global growth," Mao said.

As the second largest economy in the world, China's contribution to global economic growth has stayed at around 30 percent during recent years. China remains an important engine of global development, Mao said.

She noted that China is comprehensively advancing the Chinese-style modernization with high-quality development, which will continue to provide a strong driving force for global economic growth.

"China has a huge market and is in the stage of rapid release of market demand. In the context of insufficient global demand, the market is the scarcest resource. With its vast market room and ever-expanding depth, China is bound to play an important role in boosting global growth. China will unswervingly open up to the outside world to share its opportunities and achieve common development with other countries," Mao said.

According to the latest data released on Wednesday, China's consumption market continued to expand in 2023. Total retail sales of consumer goods stood at 47.1 trillion yuan ($6.6 trillion), up 7.2 percent year-on-year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported. 

The per capita consumption expenditure rose to 26,796 yuan, up 9.0 percent year-on-year. The national economy expanded by 5.2 percent from 2022, according to NBS.

Editor's Note:

As the year 2024 has just begun, how the world will develop this year and in the near future has captured the attention of people around the globe. At the "International Relations Forecast - Re-exploring the Inertia of History" conference held on Saturday in Beijing, organized by the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University, over 10 international relations experts shared their views on the prediction of future international relations between China, the US and other major countries and regions. This is the excerpt of the opinions of four scholars.

Yan Xuetong, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University:

Future forecasts of international relations should particularly consider the increasing trend of populism, especially in Western countries that proclaim liberalism. Over the past decade, the US has led the way in undermining liberalism, engaging in economic "decoupling," and disrupting the international norms established after the Cold War. Populism will have a mainstream impact on the foreign policies of major countries, with some European nations already beginning to follow this trend.

With the mainstream dominance of populism, the influence of constructivism and liberalism on international behavior is expected to decline significantly. Analyzing from a realist perspective, there will be an increasing trend of international cooperation turning into confrontation. It will become increasingly challenging for the world economy to develop positively, and the cooperation between China and the US in trade and economics may not see a continuous upward trend.

Furthermore, the current competition is shifting toward the area of technology. In future strategic competitions, not only between China and the US but also between China and Japan, China and Europe, and the US and Europe, the core focus will be on technology rather than ideology. Subsequently, national competition strategies will undergo changes, and in our predictions for the next 10 years, we must pay more attention to the impact of advancements in digital technology.

Diao Daming, professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China:

I believe that, regardless of the results of the 2024 US presidential election, the US will not change its strategic position in competition with China, and the strategic game between China and the US will persist. 

The US is expected to have mediocre economic performance in the next 10 years, accompanied by escalating domestic contradictions. By the 2040s, the demographic structure of the US will undergo a significant transformation into a state without a majority ethnic group, leading to the complete abandonment of the national creed of uniting the nation. This will usher in a prolonged adjustment phase.

Additionally, China's total economic output is projected to surpass that of the US before 2050, and the two countries will enter an intersecting phase in terms of data significance. After 2028, it is anticipated that China and the US will eventually enter a stage of stalemate, where cooperation and competition become the norm. The world will not witness a bipolar state. Instead, different power structures will emerge in different fields and on different issues.

Sun Chenghao, fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University:

If the Republican Party is in power, the US will adjust the focus of its competition with China. While emphasizing domestic demand, it will intensify the portrayal of the so-called China threat, combining internal difficulties in the US with competition against China. 

The Republicans may extend their reach into issues such as education, crime and technology, and the economic momentum toward "de-risk" may shift back toward "decoupling."

Second, the Republicans will differentiate themselves by adopting a tough stance. They may add new points of risk game against China, and extreme policy options against China could be used to appease right-wing conservatives internally. 

Third, the continuity of communication channels between China and the US will face uncertainties. Cooperation between China and the US may find it difficult to gain more impetus at the federal level, and the positive forces of communication may sink more to the local and civilian levels.

She Gangzheng, associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University:

I personally believe that the behaviors of smaller countries, including those in the Middle East, will be significantly influenced by the competition among major powers. However, in the context of the technological competition in this digital age, the actions of these smaller countries will, in turn, serve as a strategic hedge, influencing and constraining major powers.

In the future, even if there is a considerable power disparity between countries, it may not necessarily translate into a corresponding disparity in terms of power. The mainstream viewpoint currently suggests that as the pressure from the competition between China and the US intensifies, the pressure on smaller countries to take sides will also increase, and their room for choice will diminish. However, I believe this follows a cold war logic and not the logic of the digital age. In the future, the space for these smaller countries to take sides may remain unchanged or even expand.

Chinese premier says China adheres to opening-up policy no matter how world situation changes

Continuing a tradition that has lasted for 34 years, China's foreign minister has once again chosen Africa as the first foreign visit destination for the new year, and this time the visit will cover two countries in North Africa - Egypt and Tunisia - and two in West Africa - Togo, and Cote d'Ivoire - per the announcement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's first overseas trip in 2024 will take place between January 13 to 18 at the invitation of the four African countries, Mao Ning, the spokesperson, said on Thursday. 

After his visit to Africa, Wang will visit Brazil and Jamaica from January 18 to 22, Mao said. 

Experts said this year's visit to the four countries highlighted China's heightened attention to the security situation in North Africa against the background of a potential spillover of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as China's willingness to cooperate with African countries despite its level of development. 

Mao noted that Wang's visit has carried on a fine tradition that has been kept for the past 34 years. The trip aims to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Leaders' Dialogue, and coordinate with African countries on a new session of FOCAC to be held this year. 

At last year's FOCAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed three new cooperation initiatives to support Africa's industrialization, agricultural modernization, and talent development, which received an enthusiastic response from his African counterparts, Mao said.

The tradition of the Chinese Foreign Minister's annual first trip to Africa has highlighted China's emphasis on consolidating friendship with Africa. The relationship sets an example of what can truly be called "the establishment of a community with a shared future," Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

For the North Africa leg, the visit to Egypt highlights China's welcoming gesture to its officially joining the BRICS family.  BRICS inducted five new countries in January and they are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia.

Choosing to visit North Africa also reflects China's heightened concern over the security situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea, Song said. 

As tensions in the region continue to grow, it has threatened the safe passage of an important lifeline for the international economy, and risks a conflict spillover. "The current situation is extremely dangerous from both a political and economic perspective," Song said. "At such a point, Wang's arrival brings the hope of coordinating relations among regional powers, trying to resolve conflicts and restore stability to the world economy and politics."

For West Africa, there were several instances of turmoil and conflicts last year, including military coups. And compared to other regions in Africa, West Africa faces more severe development challenges, so Wang's visit to this region highlighted China's emphasis on security and stability in the continent, experts said. 

Cote d'Ivoire has relatively higher development levels in the continent, while Togo ranks as among one of the poorest countries in Africa, reflecting China's overall focus on Africa's development, Song noted. 

Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, said China-Latin America relations have steadily progressed in the past few years, with a significant increase in trade volume, thanks to the structural advantage of a mutually beneficial economic complementarity. 

Despite recent political changes in Latin America, with at least five general elections coming up this year including in Mexico and Uruguay, there will be little impact on China-Latin America relations whichever ruling party wins, whether left-wing or right-wing, Wang Youming told the Global Times on Thursday. This is because as an important trading partner, China plays a crucial role in helping them overcome economic challenges.

China successfully sent on Tuesday a new-generation X-ray observatory satellite, the Einstein Probe (EP), into orbit to monitor flashes in the night sky and observe mysterious transient phenomena in the universe. The satellite will help reveal more about this violent and little-known side of the cosmos and help advance people’s understanding of tumultuous cosmic events. 

The satellite lifted off atop a Long March-2C rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province at 3:03 pm, China’s National Space Science Center (NSSC) of Chinese Academy of Science announced on its website. 

According to the NSSC, the EP is a scientific satellite among the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science (II), a series scientific satellites program implemented by China since 2011 following the successful launches of scientific satellites such as Wukong and Mozi satellites. 

The Einstein Probe Space Science Satellite serves as a cosmic explosion catcher, capable of precisely capturing more distant and fainter transient sources and eruptive celestial bodies. It explores X-ray signals from sources of gravitational waves and holds important scientific significance in studying the formation, evolution and mergers of dense celestial objects such as stars, black holes and neutron stars.

The EP satellite employs the time-domain astronomy in the soft X-ray band to conduct high-sensitivity real-time dynamic sky surveys, in a bid to systematically discover high-energy transient and variable celestial objects, monitor the activity of already known celestial bodies and explore their natural and physical processes. 

With the new X-ray detection technology inspired by the functioning of a lobster eye, the EP weighs1.45 tons and it’s as large as a full-size SUV. It is shaped like a lotus in full bloom and features 12 petals and two stamens. 
The “petals” are actually 12 modules consisting of wide-field X-ray telescopes, while the two “stamens” consist of two modules of follow-up X-ray telescopes. 

With these instruments, the EP can conduct wild-field surveys while accurately capturing distant and faint high-energy transient sources in the universe, as well as capturing transient unknown phenomena. It issues alerts to guide ground-based and other astronomical facilities for subsequent observations. 

The satellite is designed to last 5 years.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang encouraged Chinese research fellows to achieve greater breakthroughs in technology and research for core technologies, and contribute more to China's technological self-reliance and self-improvement, during his inspection to Central China’s Hubei Province from Tuesday to Wednesday, China Media Group reported. 

Li made the remarks when visiting the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing at Wuhan University. Li urged the research fellows to vigorously promote multi-scenario applications, and gather and integrate more innovative resources. 

While in Wuhan, Li visited companies including Yangtze Memory Technologies Co and HGTECH to observe production lines while learning about the development of flash memory chip and laser industries.

Li stressed the need for enterprises to further play the role of being the main drivers for scientific and technological innovation, improve the mechanism of collaborative innovation of industries, universities and research institutes, and implement more precise support policies to transform scientific research achievements into real productivity.

Li also visited the Gezhouba Dam in Yichang. He urged enterprises to continue promoting scientific and technological innovation while prioritizing ecological and green development when visiting Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co. 

China is bolstering and advancing scientific and innovative development. 

According to a readout of the annual Central Economic Work Conference following its conclusion in December, "sci-tech innovation should lead the development of a modern industrial system," the Xinhua News Agency reported.

For major public health emergencies that result in more than five deaths or critical cases, provincial health authorities must report to China's top health authority within two hours upon receiving the report, according to new medical emergency regulations released by the National Health Commission (NHC) on Monday.

The NHC released the trial regulation to clarify the mechanisms and processes for emergency medical responses to sudden incidents, and to standardize and efficiently carry out emergency medical rescues in order to avoid and reduce casualties and ensure people's safety and health.

When the casualty situation is not clear, the situation should be reported first, with specific casualties submitted later. Health administrative authorities below the provincial level can directly report to the NHC, while copying the higher-level health authorities. The NHC should promptly report to the State Council upon receiving the report, according to the regulation.

The drafting of the trial regulation was based on relevant emergency, medical laws, regulations and contingency plans, including the Emergency Response Law of the People's Republic of China, Basic Healthcare and Health Promotion Law and the national emergency response plan for public health emergencies, said the NHC.

The trial medical emergency regulation was released in a timely manner, providing clear guidance and assistance to medical institutions in dealing with sudden health emergencies, Lu Hongzhou, head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

For example, based on the Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases and other relevant laws and regulations, infectious disease patients should be promptly transferred to designated medical institutions for treatment, Lu said.

The trial regulation standardizes the system of medical emergency information discovery and reporting, as well as the entire process of medical emergency disposal. It clarifies the work responsibilities of relevant departments and institutions.

The health authorities will establish a system for retroactive investigation and accountability in order to strengthen inspection and guidance and improve the timeliness and accuracy of reporting. For those units that report late, omit, lie, or conceal information, they shall be resolutely held accountable in line with relevant regulations.

It also clarifies the standards for on-site medical emergency disposal, injury classification, treatment of the injured and other facets. It stipulates the management of medical emergency teams and base construction, the establishment of a medical emergency expert database, the formulation of medical emergency plans, the reserve of medical supplies, training and drills and other areas as well.

The US and the UK's support for anti-China rioters exposed their ill intention to destabilize the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at Friday's regular press briefing, in response to the latest remarks by US and UK politicians regarding the issuing of arrest warrants for five fugitives that have fled the HKSAR to overseas.

China strongly deplores and firmly opposes certain countries' flagrant slandering against the national security law for Hong Kong and interference in the rule of law in the HKSAR, and the issuing of arrest warrants for the five fugitives is in line with international law and common practice, said Mao.

The National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force said on Thursday that the police have put on the wanted list five individuals who have fled overseas and are suspected of having committed offences under the national security law for Hong Kong.

The five are Cheng Man-kit, Hui Wing-ting, Joey Siu, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da, according to the HKSAR.

The HKSAR government also on Friday strongly opposed and condemned certain countries' remarks on the issuing of arrest warrants for the five individuals.

The police issued arrest warrants of these five individuals according to the law, which is necessary and legitimate, said Mao. The national security laws of other countries including the US and the UK also have extraterritorial effect. These five individuals, under the pretext of "democracy" and "human rights," have engaged in activities that undermine China's national security, Mao said.

The Commissioner's Office of Chinese Foreign Ministry in HKSAR also expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition on Friday. The spokesperson from the Commissioner's Office said that the extraterritorial application of the national security law for Hong Kong is fully in line with the principles of international law and common practice, and is a necessary and justified measure to ensure Hong Kong's long-term stability and order.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Implementation Rules for Amending the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took effect on Friday.

"The amendments are technical in nature and the scope of the proposed amendments is extremely narrow: it only aims at making clear provisions in respect of the validity period of freezing notice, without changing the basis or principle for issuing such notice," said a spokesperson from HKSAR on Friday.

The amendments can make sure that the freeze notice of property related to offenses under the national security law for Hong Kong remains valid until the legal proceedings conclude, according to the HKSAR.

Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan supports the revision of the implementation rules. The lawmaker told the Global Times on Friday that it can "effectively combat serious crimes that endanger national security."

Anti-China figures are still using various means to deny and evade their crimes that endanger national security. The anti-China forces in the US and the West are eager to continue stirring up trouble and messing up Hong Kong, the lawmaker emphasized.

Authorities are launching a direct strike against anti-China elements and those who disrupt Hong Kong, by pursuing the criminal acts of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his peers in accordance with the law and freezing their assets. They have brought this upon themselves and HKSAR is obligated to handle it in accordance with the law, Quat said.

It is necessary to uphold the rule of law in governing HKSAR, using legal means to maintain stability and uphold social justice, the lawmaker said.

Mao, the foreign ministry spokesperson, reiterated that Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no interference from any external forces. China maintains firm resolve in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests. Relevant countries should respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in HKSAR and stop interfering in China's internal affairs, she said.

The US-led joint patrol in the Red Sea following Houthi militia attacks against ships heading toward Israel shows that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza is not only affecting the whole region, but also the international community. Chinese analysts pointed out that the root cause of the trade route problem is the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and only a sustainable cease-fire and allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza via land and sea routes can solve the problem in the Red Sea. 

China will pay close attention to the situation, and Chinese naval vessels that conduct UN authorized anti-piracy missions in the region will keep performing their duty, analysts said, adding that China will stick to the priority of realizing a cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza, rather than joining the US to conduct any military operations without UN authorization to escalate the crisis in Gaza. 

The US and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday in Bahrain, the AP reported.

The UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined, Austin said. Some of those countries will conduct joint patrols while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthi militia attacked two commercial ships in the Red Sea with naval drones on Monday. The recent attacks have caused concerns about the impact on the passage of oil, grain and other goods on what is an important global trade route, and have pushed up the cost of insuring and shipping goods through the Red Sea, Reuters reported.

The Shanghai-based news website The Paper reported on Tuesday that following other international shipping companies including Denmark's Maersk and France's CMA, Chinese shipping giants like COSCO and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) also suspended transport through the Red Sea.

Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the trade route via the Red Sea is truly important for China as it connects Europe, Asia and Africa, so China will pay close attention to the situation.

"However, although China has naval vessels in the region, their mission is about anti-piracy, rather than intervening in regional issues and other countries' internal affairs. Only a solution to the ongoing crisis in Gaza can effectively solve the problem in the Red Sea," Ma said. 

On December 9, Al Jazeera reported that the armed group in Yemen claimed that "it will target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports."

"If Gaza does not receive the food and medicines it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces," the group's spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the "Houthis are specifically targeting Israel, so it's unlikely it will attack Chinese vessels. China doesn't need to be too worried about the situation and the Chinese warships in the region will stick to their plan."

"China will keep making efforts to realize a sustainable cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian aid to get into the Gaza Strip. This is the real priority that needs to be done," Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwest University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

If Washington and its allies want to solve the Red Sea problem, they should play a responsible role in the UN Security Council to pass a cease-fire resolution and to put concrete efforts into improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which would be more effective than sending warships to conduct joint patrols, experts said. 

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains severe. According to Reuters on Tuesday, Israeli missiles and air strikes on the Rafah area in southern Gaza struck three houses killing at least 20 Palestinians, Gaza health officials said on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have crammed into Rafah on Gaza's border with Egypt to escape Israeli bombardments.

The lack of unity in the UN that is mainly caused by the US is another key reason why the situation is far from easing. The UN Security Council delayed until Tuesday morning a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza to allow for urgently needed aid deliveries to a massive number of civilians as members intensified negotiations to try to avoid another veto by the US, the AP reported.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Tuesday that "the UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions with an overwhelming majority. We hope the US will listen to the voice of the international community, stop single-handedly blocking Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate cease-fire and prevent an even larger humanitarian catastrophe."