Xi congratulates To Lam on election as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee

To advance the modernization and industrialization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and facilitate its going global, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) on Wednesday released a three-year campaign to further standardize TCM so as to better serve the high-quality development of the industry.

The initiative, announced by the NATCM on Wednesday, deployed 20 detailed tasks and 25 area-oriented missions, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The initiative adopts a demand-oriented perspective, formulating 20 guidelines governing health interventions for key groups, including the elderly, children and teenagers, and strengthening the TCM standards in key areas to meet the people’s health needs in the new era.

Meanwhile, the plan calls for finalizing the establishment of 30 international and 180 domestic TCM standards.

It calls for the acceleration of integration between TCM standards and artificial intelligence, and conducting of experimental projects like digitizing standards.

NATCM suggests that information on TCM standards should be made available for the public through various means like publishing manuals, which will guarantee the implementation of TCM.

Xinhua quoted an NATCM official as saying that driving the high-quality development of TCM standardization contributes to the efforts in delivering safe, effective and convenient services to the people, benefiting the academic progress, and boosting TCM exchanges and cooperation of TCM with foreign countries.

TCM standards are the prerequisite for going global, and the international standardization of TCM will make a significant contribution to resolving problems  currently hold back TCM’s development overseas, according to an expert renowned in TCM field.

The dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, professor Feng Yibin, emphasized that despite the fact that the TCM research is now more readily available, quality control and standardization remain crucial for TCM to be broadly recognized by both local and international markets, according to the 21st Century Economic Report.

A total of 196 nations and regions have started using TCM, according to NATCM statistics, and more than 40 foreign governments, regional authorities, and international organizations have signed specific TCM cooperation agreements with China, China Central Television (CCTV) reported in May.

TCM has now become an essential field of cooperation between China and mechanisms such as ASEAN, the European Union, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the CCTV report noted.

Ten industry standards and 77 nationally approved standards for TCM have been developed by China to date. In addition, 112 international standards for TCM have been released by the Technical Committee on Chinese Medicine of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), according to Xinhua.

These standards represent that the framework of the standard system tailored for the development of TCM in China has been fundamentally established, NATCM said.

The Badain Jaran Desert in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase II) were included in UNESCO's World Heritage List on Friday during the ongoing 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, India, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Friday.

Currently, China boasts 15 Natural World Heritage sites and four mixed (cultural and natural) heritage sites, maintaining top position globally in a nation's total number of Natural World Heritage sites.

The "Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes" is the first desert in China nominated for the World Heritage List. The desert, located in the northern part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in North China, covers an area of 44,300 square kilometers and is the third-largest desert in China. Its northwestern part, over 10,000 square kilometers, remains untouched by human presence.

While most deserts are known as forbidden zones due to water scarcity, the Badain Jaran Desert is a wonderland where sand dunes and lakes coexist. The towering sand dunes and diverse desert lakes are the two highlights of this nomination.

The Badain Jaran Desert, featuring its unique, rare and magnificent tall sand dunes, as well as countless colorful inter-dune lakes, is an outstanding example of the ongoing evolution of desert landscapes and landforms in temperate and hyper-arid climates. It is also one of the desert landscapes with rare natural beauty on a global scale, according to the World Heritage Committee.

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019 and is located in Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu Province. The second phase of the project includes multiple conservation areas in Shanghai, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning and other provinces and cities.

The sanctuaries, located in the world's largest intertidal wetland, serve as a crucial habitat for migratory birds along the East Asia-Australasia flyway. This migration route extends from Siberia and Alaska through East, Southeast and South Asia, all the way to Oceania, crossing 22 countries. It is the most diverse and highest concentration of endangered species among migration routes globally, providing essential breeding, resting and wintering grounds for tens of millions of waterfowl.

The migratory bird sanctuaries in China have unique ecological functions. Their tidal flats are critically important for the conservation of migratory birds worldwide, providing survival support for the vast majority of bird species, including 45 threatened species. As a whole, the sanctuaries make an irreplaceable contribution to the conservation of migratory waterbirds in the East Asia-Australasia Flyway (EAAF). The EAAF is one of the world's most important flyways and one of the regions with the highest concentration of endangered species and the most fragile ecosystems. The successful inclusion of this heritage site marks a milestone for the protection of globally significant human heritage, according to the World Heritage Committee.

In recent years, China has continuously strengthened the protection of Natural World Heritage sites and mixed heritage sites. Relying on the construction of national parks, nature reserves and scenic areas within the natural protection system, China has been steadily establishing and improving protection management systems and achieving effective protection and sustainable use of heritage sites.

China's World Heritage sites, which encompass outstanding values of natural beauty, geological features and biological ecology, have become a model for ecological civilization and the construction of a beautiful China. They increasingly highlight China's firm commitment and exceptional contributions to global biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and participation in global environmental governance.

Moving forward, China will seize the opportunity to comprehensively advance the construction of a nature protection system centered on national parks. This will further improve the protection and management of natural heritage sites, support the building of a beautiful China, continue to fulfill international conventions, strengthen international cooperation, share China's successful experiences, and promote global ecological civilization and cultural exchanges. In doing so, China will contribute its experience and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China urges the US to correct unjust harassment and repatriation of Chinese citizens entering the US and China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, Chinese Foreign Ministry said in response to the Washington Post’s recent special report on the unwarranted harassment, interrogation and repatriation of Chinese students and scholars by US border officials which grabbed headlines. 

The Washington Post recently published a special report of interviews with six Chinese students and two visiting scholars who were unreasonably harassed, interrogated, and deported upon their arrivals at the US airports, detailing the experiences of some individuals, which have attracted attention domestically in the US.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in response during a Wednesday briefing that China has repeatedly expressed its firm stance on the unwarranted harassment, interrogation, and deportation of Chinese citizens by the US, especially students and scholars.

The US’ frequent discriminatory, political, and selective law enforcement measures against Chinese students seriously violate their legitimate rights and interests, and disrupt normal personnel exchanges between the two countries. The practice contradicts the US' stated support for and facilitation of cultural exchanges between the two nations and runs counter to the shared desire of the people from both countries to engage in friendly exchanges. 

We urge the US to carefully listen to the voices from all sectors of both countries, stop poisoning the public sentiment that affects bilateral relations, correct the wrongful practices of unjustified harassment, interrogation and deportation of Chinese citizens, thoroughly investigate the relevant cases, give the victims a fair explanation, Lin said, noting that China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens. 

Sales of iPhones in the Chinese market posted a double-digit year-on-year decline in the first six weeks of 2024. Analysts said the US tech company is struggling in the competition with rising Chinese rivals.

According to market research organization Counterpoint Research, iPhone's sales in the Chinese market declined by 24 percent in the first six weeks of 2024, and it ranked No.4 behind three Chinese brands - Vivo, Huawei and Honor.

Counterpoint said that the fall was due to stiff competition in the high-end market from a resurgent Huawei, while Apple was squeezed in the middle market by brands such as Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi.

In Apple's official store on Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall, the price of the latest iPhone 15 with 128G storage reached 4,999 yuan ($694.37), much cheaper than the price of 5,999 yuan at the official website of Apple, a move seen as to attract more Chinese consumers on the online channel.

Apple had a roughly 13 percent year-on-year decline in sales in the greater China region in the first quarter of 2024 fiscal year that ended December 30, 2023. Quarterly earnings rose 2 percent year-on-year to $119.6 billion, according to the company's results released on February 1.

Represented by the sudden launch of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro series, various Chinese Android-oriented smartphones showed largely-upgraded performance and production capacity, Liu Dingding, a veteran industry observer, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Liu noted that the price advantage and approximate quality of domestic brands compared with iPhones affect consumers' decisions.

Counterpoint said that although the iPhone 15 is a great device, it has no significant upgrades from the previous version, so consumers feel fine holding on to older-generation iPhones for now.

In January, a total of 31.78 million cell phones were shipped in China, up 68.1 percent year-on-year, and 82.6 percent were domestic brands, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, indicating strong growth momentum of Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Search and rescue efforts are drawing to a close in the aftermath of the devastating 6.2-magnitude Jishishan earthquake. The focus is now shifting to the treatment of the injured, resettlement, and debris removal across earthquake-stricken areas, emergency management authorities in Northwest China's Gansu Province said at Thursday morning's press briefing.

Phased progress has been achieved in earthquake relief work, a local official said at the briefing. The death toll caused by the devastating earthquake that rattled Northwest China Monday night had reached 137 as of Thursday - 115 in Gansu Province and 22 in Qinghai Province.

As of 6 am on Thursday, the housing authorities have organized engineering and technical experts to complete the preliminary inspection and assessment of kindergartens, schools, and hospitals in Jishishan county. The emergency assessment of all houses in 19 villages in two towns, which were the most severely affected, has been completed. Water and gas supplies in the county have been restored to normal, while heating has basically restored. The damaged pipe network is being repaired to restore normal heating in the county as soon as possible, according to an official at the press briefing.

Various regions across China, including North China's Tianjin, South China's Guangdong Province, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, East China's Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang provinces have provided disaster relief funds and extended assistance in terms of medical care, emergency rescue operations, and essential supplies, according to the briefing.

Meanwhile, some regions have organized professional rescue, aviation rescue, and emergency communication support teams to provide assistance to the earthquake-stricken areas in personnel search and rescue, geological disaster inspection, aviation emergency rescue, and medical care services.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, Gansu provincial housing and urban-rural authorities established an earthquake relief command headquarters, and initiated a Level II emergency earthquake response. The ministry has dispatched personnel to the affected areas to provide guidance for disaster relief, according to the local officials.

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

Meanwhile, local hospitals have received a total of 784 injured people, and the health authorities are currently conducting psychological counseling for those impacted by the disaster. In addition to all county and village medical institutions operating normally, 19 more medical treatment points and a mobile hospital have been established to meet the medical needs of the people in the disaster-stricken areas.

The COP28 Presidency, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) launched a joint report today on the sidelines of the Pre-COP event in Abu Dhabi, titled “Tripling Renewable Power and Doubling Energy Efficiency by 2030: Crucial Steps Towards 1.5°C".

The report provides actionable policy recommendations for governments and the private sector on how to increase global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 GW while also doubling annual average energy efficiency improvements in the target period. This falls under the COP28 Presidency’s Action Agenda objective of fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition to keep 1.5°C within reach.

The report was launched on the sidelines of Pre-COP, a meeting held in Abu Dhabi a month ahead of COP28 for countries to lay the groundwork for negotiations at the global climate summit. The report aims to help guide parties on the key enablers required to meet the energy targets.

Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President, said in the report, “Tripling the deployment of renewable power generation and doubling energy efficiency are amongst the most important levers to cut greenhouse gas emissions. I am now calling on everyone to come together, commit to common targets, and take comprehensive domestic and international action, as outlined in this report, to make our ambitions a reality.”

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera added, “Our mission is as clear as it is urgent: We need concerted action to triple renewable power capacity by 2030. This includes urgently addressing deeply entrenched systemic barriers across infrastructure, policy and institutional capacities stemming from the fossil-fuel era. IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, which provides the analytical foundation of this report, warns that the energy transition is dangerously off-track, demanding immediate, radical collective action. This report outlines actions governments must prioritise to fast-track the global energy transition and keep 1.5°C alive.”

Bruce Douglas, Global Renewables Alliance CEO, said, “Tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency is the most impactful commitment policymakers can make to combating climate change. These steps will deliver cleaner electricity systems, open up access to affordable energy and deliver clean green jobs for millions of people. The rapid upscaling of renewable energy will require policymakers to work hand-in-hand with industry and civil society to urgently implement the enabling actions in this report - infrastructure and system operation; policy and regulation; and supply chains, skills, and capacities. Critically, these areas must be reinforced by low-cost financing and international collaboration. Working together to secure a liveable future for all.”

The report, which draws extensively on the analysis presented in IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023: 1.5°C pathway, divides the key enablers into five sections, covering:

- Infrastructure and system operation: power grids, energy storage, end-use electrification, sector coupling and infrastructure planning, demand-side management.

- Policy and regulation: improving energy efficiency, market incentives and fiscal policy, power market design and regulation, streamlining permitting, reducing negative impacts, maximising social and environmental benefits.

- Supply chain, skills, and capacities: building resilient supply chains, education, training, and capacity-building.

- Scaling-up public and private finance.

- Enhancing international collaboration.

The collaboration between the COP28 Presidency, IRENA, and the GRA reflects the growing global consensus on achieving these targets. Ahead of COP28, the Presidency and the European Commission are calling for countries to support the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, with Champion countries already committed to supporting these global targets.

An unprecedented anti-corruption storm is currently sweeping through the field of medicine in China.

Over the last three weeks, intensive inspections have been launched in medical institutions nationwide, with tip-offs from the public and industry-related personnel increasing on social media platforms, and numerous reports of fallen officials have emerged one after another… So far, at least 20 provincial disciplinary authorities have spoken out against corruption present in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, while at least 176 hospital heads have been probed - more than double the number in 2022 - during the "most vigorous" crackdown ever seen in the healthcare industry.

Initiated by the National Health Commission (NHC), along with nine other departments, in late July, the systematic anti-corruption campaign has impressed many with its top-down rapidity, fierce momentum, and strong determination.

Why is the current anti-corruption campaign in the medical industry necessary and urgent? What are the deep-rooted problems that are a cause of distress for the public? From the bribery of pharmaceutical companies to the unaffordability of treatment for ordinary patients, how were medical costs gradually inflated? What are the blind spots within the industry and hidden means through which ill-gotten gains are laundered in this profitable industry chain?

Industry insiders, clinicians, and medical representatives reached by the Global Times pointed out that medical corruption in China has led to the exploitation of the healthcare system, ultimately causing harm to ordinary people and damaging the reputation of the national healthcare service delivery. In order to address the issue of difficulties in accessing medical services amid an aging society, large-scale anti-corruption efforts and systematic reforms are deemed necessary.

Meanwhile, many grassroots doctors and experts stressed that the actions of a corrupt few do not represent the vast majority of diligent and dedicated frontline healthcare professionals. The achievements of China's healthcare reforms in recent years cannot be erased or negated by a few cases of corruption.
Shock and awe

China's top anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, or the CCDI, published an article on July 28, targeting opaque collaborations, bribery of officials in public hospitals, and the misuse of prescriptions for personal profit among other illegal practices.

The NHC held a press conference on Tuesday, reiterated six key areas of focus for rectification during this campaign, which include crackdown on medical institutions engaging in "kickback sales" of drugs and devices, as well as the improper use of medical insurance funds, stressing that the pharmaceutical field is the "main battleground" for safeguarding the health of the people.

Compared with previous efforts, the current round of anti-graft campaigns involves the participation of more governmental agencies, which is more far-reaching and affecting more high-powered individuals in the medical sector, pharmaceutical firms, and relevant associations, Xu Yucai, a veteran in medical reform, told the Global Times.

Rough estimates show that at least 30 "deans," "directors," and "Party chiefs" in the medical system have been investigated across various levels in hospitals over the last three weeks, and about half of them have retired. More violators are being pressured to voluntarily surrender.

A number of regions, including Beijing, Inner Mongolia, and Sichuan, have made reporting hotlines available to the public. A wave of complaints has since been received from several places and some of the country's well-known hospitals.

Insiders told the Global Times that guidelines on discipline in hospitals have intensified, as relevant inspections of key heads of department are increasing.

Amid the campaign, a slew of cancellations of medical conferences and events sponsored by pharmaceutical companies have been witnessed, which is evidence of a deterrence effect.

"Currently, the [domestic medical representatives] industry is basically in a vigilant state," a medical representative told the Global Times on condition of anonymity. "Both domestic and foreign-funded pharmaceutical companies are generally freezing their contacts with hospital and officials, and some have migrated their businesses online exclusively or are more discreet, as many in the industry are now cautious and apprehensive."

The medical representative noted that workshops and training programs in the medical sector have been largely canceled as these platforms have been found to have become a convert channel for bribery and kickbacks.

Chain of medical corruption

High medical spending has long been one of "three burdens" - along with housing and education - for Chinese citizens. In an aging society, the cost burden of managing chronic conditions plagues many senior citizens, and is a source of public complaint.

Back in the 1990s, as medical services moved toward market compliance, the government reduced investment and hospitals began to sell drugs at a mark-up to make up for shortfalls in public funding. At the same time, competition intensified among pharmaceutical companies, while corruption spaces grew gradually.

The culture of kickbacks or bribery among hospital officials and pharmaceutical enterprises across many regions in China has been a long-standing open secret.

Medical corruption may occur in the entire process, from listing, bidding, procurement, to usage and payment. Every stage involves relevant departments, hospital management personnel, clinicians, and pharmacists, Xu said.

In this chain, medical representatives are those who "thread the needle," and the senior hospital officials are the key figures who can determine the clinical usage and the quantity purchase of products from the bid winner, according to Xu.

The expert said that some kickbacks are hard to investigate as they could be disguised as sponsorship or invitations to medical conferences.

Xu, also the former deputy head of the health commission in Shanyang county, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, told the Global Times that in recent years, as previous anti-corruption moves have sealed off the traditional benefit delivery pipeline between pharmaceutical companies and medical personnel, some poorly scrutinized medical associations have turned to "academic activities" as a disguise to transfer the benefits. Bribes are thus laundered through so-called training or consultancy fees.

A doctor from a certain top-tier hospital once disclosed to the media that some academic conferences typically offer ordinary doctors a fee of 1,200 yuan ($165) per hour for lectures, 1,800 yuan for experts, and 3,000 yuan for top-level experts.

Additionally, the procurement of large medical equipment is another hotbed of corruption. In case of illegality disclosed in recent years, inappropriate high-priced medical equipments are commonly seen. In May, China's anti-corruption body exposed a hospital chief in Southwest China's Yunnan Province for receiving 16 million yuan in bribes for buying a medical accelerator worth 15 million yuan.

A practitioner surnamed Tao from the Shanghai disease control and prevention system told the Global Times that the selection of self-funded vaccines has also become a means of making money in some grassroots disease control centers.

"County-level disease control centers are allowed to select vaccines from different manufacturers on the provincial whitelist. Currently, this process lacks standard rules, and the head of the county center holds the principle decision-making power in that regard," said Tao.
Intense move for retoring confidence

To address this issue, the Chinese government has implemented several measures to crack down on corruption in the medical industry. One such initiative was the establishment of the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) in 2018, which oversees the country's healthcare system and is responsible for regulating medical expenses and combating fraud.

Xu recalled that obvious efforts have been made in medical reform since the establishment of the NHSA. The centralized pharmaceutical procurement system launched in China in 2018, for example, has reduced the prices of certain drugs, by pooling the demands of member cities and granting contracts to manufacturers with the lowest bids. These policies have played a great role in eliminating kickbacks and price manipulation.

Additionally, the government has encouraged the use of electronic payment systems to reduce cash transactions, which were often used to facilitate bribery, Xu said.

The programs have successfully reduced medical costs for patients and have, so far, helped save about 300 billion yuan in medical insurance costs and patient expenditure, the Xinhua News Agency reported in July 2022.

Furthermore, the Chinese government has strengthened its enforcement actions against corrupt practices in the medical field. Numerous high-profile cases have been investigated and prosecuted, leading to the arrest and punishment of doctors, hospital administrators, and pharmaceutical company executives involved in bribery and embezzlement.

With deepened medical and healthcare system reform, China's public healthcare system withstood the tests of the H7N9 bird flu, the Middle East respiratory syndrome, and COVID-19, as well as natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods over the last decade.

The era when pharmaceutical representatives freely prowled outpatient clinics and hospital wards is long gone. Instead, signs warning that "Pharmaceutical representatives are prohibited from entering" are now posted throughout healthcare facilities.

"Over the last decade, China hasn't remitted in its anti-corruption efforts, but corruption remains increasingly pervasive and hidden. This is why a fundamental system rebuilding and resolute crackdown are imperative as medical corruption undermines the credibility of the healthcare system and erodes social trust," Xu said.

However, while the shocking and heart-wrenching phenomenon of corruption in medical industry has aroused the indignation and condemnation of the Chinese people, a growing sentiment among the public, which is stigmatizing the entire healthcare industry and fostering a collective resentment toward medical professionals, has gone viral on the internet.

Observers and medical practitioners clarified that the recent highly publicized crackdowns do not imply widespread corruption within the healthcare system.

They stressed that corrupt individuals within the healthcare system are still a minority, and many conscientious and judicious healthcare workers also detest various forms of medical corruption.

A front-line doctor in East China's Shandong Province told the Global Times on Sunday that the vast majority of grassroots doctors are far from corrupt, as most of them, especially young doctors, always follow the principle of curing disease and saving lives first.

Clinical doctors from top-tier hospitals in China are sharing their schedules on social media, with some claiming that they work 12 hours a day and have to work overtime voluntarily at weekends, resulting in a total work duration of 80-100 hours per week.

Some clinicians are also facing pressure from research. "For those unfortunate projects that did not receive research funding, doctors have to bear the expenses of animal experiments, reagents, consumables, and labor costs. Many people even pay out of their own salaries to support research projects," said Dr. Chen Yu, an attending physician at a large top-tier hospital in Shanghai, as cited by financial media outlet Yicai.

"To fundamentally solve the problem, other supporting measures are still needed, such as raising the prices of medical services, so that medical staff and medical institutions can receive reasonable remuneration and see their true value reflected," Cai Jiangnan, an economics scholar, also executive chairman of the CHIP Academy, told the Global Times.

Cai also suggested establishing a fair system of pharmaceutical production and distribution, and improving China's ability to conduct research and manufacture innovate drugs.

Medical anti-corruption may cause "growing pains" in the short term, but it will bring long-term wellbeing and win the hearts of the people, Cai said.

At the end of 2019, I accompanied an American and German media delegation to the offices of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Although it was only for one day, this brief encounter gave me a deeper understanding of this company.

In May of the following year, when Washington imposed a severe embargo to cut off the supply of high-end chips to Huawei, the Americans had actually done something stupid. In doing so, they were pushing the Chinese company to develop its own chips more quickly.

How did Huawei get to where it is today? During that visit, American and German media colleagues didn't seem to care about that question. Instead, they repeated queries about Huawei's relationship with the Chinese government and what level of technology the company had reached. After Huawei's mobile phones broke through the limitations of 5G chip technology, I've been thinking: If Washington could start to understand this Chinese tech giant from a spiritual level rather than just speculating on Huawei's technology and relationship with the government, perhaps it wouldn't have made that decision to embargo the company.

However, the Americans will not view this Chinese company in this way because what they despise most in their bones is the spirit of the Chinese people.

Washington has never considered giving China's rise and the development of made-in-China equal status. They feel threatened by the competition and believe that China is still copying or following US technology. As long as the containment of critical technologies is in place, the US believes it can stay ahead of the competition. This traditional view about the Chinese is full of ideological bias and causes Washington to underestimate Huawei's capabilities. So much so that some US experts were anxious and even shocked to learn that the Chinese company's new mobile phones used homegrown chips.

I remember during that visit, Huawei Chairman Liang Hua, after briefly introducing his company's development, suggested foreign journalists read about the 32-year long history of the company. Fortunately, I was given a book on Huawei's history, and learned about the company's development process and the struggles of many Huawei employees worldwide.

It was revealed that in 2009, when Huawei had more than 100,000 employees, about 1,400 of them were flying somewhere every day. A middle manager from Huawei said that whenever there are plane crashes or disappearances, he prays that no employees from his company were involved. 

Any Chinese individual who visits Huawei's offices will likely feel a strong sense of spirituality through the company's products and technologies. Behind Huawei's widely talked about "wolf culture" lies not a barbaric struggle but a set of modern enterprise payment systems closely linked with the norms of a market economy. The company, which has thrived in China's economic system, has a business model that fully harnesses the spirit of entrepreneurship and the pursuit of wealth, characteristics often associated with the Chinese people.

Chairman Mao Zedong wrote in a poem that nothing is impossible if you have a willing heart. While the Americans may be able to restrict the supply of chips, they cannot suppress the determination of Huawei employees and the Chinese people's spirit to fight for a happier life. Spirit is certainly not everything, but without it, nothing is possible. Made-in-China has come so far that it is inseparable from the traditional spirit of struggle that the Chinese people have, and this spirit is closely related to the concepts of the Chinese people's treatment of work, family and children's education.

Reform and opening-up have provided abundant opportunities for the Chinese people to pursue their dream of poverty alleviation and enrichment. This has also been their source of motivation to pursue wealth, which has been nurtured by the history of Chinese culture and the survival and development of the Chinese people. Any assessment or prediction of China's economy divorced from this point is bound to be misinterpreted and misjudged. By the same token, as long as China's future reform and opening-up revolves around how to continue to unleash this vitality, it will undoubtedly be able to walk out of a new path of modernization.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton never agree on much. But there is one topic they are in curious agreement over: the dropping of charges for the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and his return to Australia.   

The indictment comprises 18 charges, 17 concocted (there is no other word) from the brew that is the US Espionage Act of 1917, risks earning Assange a prison sentence as long as 175 years.

In an effort to convince Washington to drop its ongoing legal proceedings against Assange, who currently awaits extradition to the US in London's Belmarsh Prison, a delegation of Australian politicians has been mobilized.  

The delegation of Australian parliamentarians heading to Washington on September 20 is unusually eclectic. From the outside, they seem a glorious rambling tumble of the country's views. They are doing so as part of what they see as an educating mission ahead of Albanese's October visit to the US capital. 

The delegates are promising slightly different approaches with a similar theme. Senator David Shoebridge wishes to make the case that Assange was an inspiring truth teller about US war crimes. His accompanying college, former Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, however, wishes to focus on essentials: Assange committed no alleged offence as a US national. 

In Shoebridge's words, the delegates will also remind US lawmakers "that one of their closest allies sees the treatment of Julian Assange as a key indicator on the health of the bilateral relationship."

Australia is an excellent friend of the US and it's not unreasonable to request to ask the US to cease this extradition attempt on Mr Assange, said independent MP Monique Ryan earlier September. The WikiLeaks founder was "a journalist; he should not be prosecuted for crimes against journalism."

What should be expected when the delegation commences its round of information sessions?  For one, there is nothing to say that those in Congress, the State Department, and the Department of Justice will not give their own serving of teaching to the delegation. The narrative of Assange in Freedom Land is of a kindergarten rosy-simplicity: he soiled US national security by revealing secrets; he endangered confidential sources; he propagandised for open government, a Svengali hoping to seduce the intelligence community into the cause of open government. 

The fact that this visit is taking place ahead of the Albanese visit can be seen in a few ways.  A generous reading is that the prime minister will arrive to an audience aware about the concerns of Australian voters, the vox populi conveyed through representatives across the political spectrum.  

A less charitable interpretation is that Albanese is short of options and short of influence in the corridors of Washington. An ally so servile, so compliant, and so accommodating - one need only sees the AUKUS agreement and its designation of Australia as a forward US military base to monitor and target China - is an ally whose opinions can be ignored. 

The latter view is hard to ignore given the almost snorting dismissal of Australian concerns for Assange at the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations held between the two countries toward the end of July. These were the words of Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong: "[W]e have made clear our view that Mr Assange's case has dragged for too long, and our desire it be brought to a conclusion, and we've said that publicly and you would anticipate that that reflects also the positive we articulate in private."  

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proved less than receptive. Assange had been "charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country. The actions that he has alleged to have committed risked very serious harm to our national security, to the benefit of our adversaries, and put named sources at grave risk - grave risk - of physical harm, and grave risk of detention."

A recent, dressed-up rumor disseminated by the US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy is that a plea deal is in the offing. Former British diplomat Craig Murray has dismissed its credibility. His reasoning is sound enough. US undertakings in this regard are manifold and shallow; they mean little in the context of international law and practice. Sadly, where Albanese is concerned, there is a sense that these efforts are all ultimately conditioned by a process that is out of his, and Australia's hands. Impotent, an ally all too willing to give and all too reluctant to demand, Australia remains the most valuable of abused friend.