cting the outlook of China-US bilateral relations, saying that the two economies became deeply integrated over the past 40 years despite some headwinds.
“In the next four decades, China and the US can further promote mutual understanding while properly handling differences,” he said.
January marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplo
matic relations. Bilateral trade grew from less than $2.5 billion 40 years ago to more tha
n $630 billion in 2018. Over the same period, two-way investment rose from practically nil to more than $240 billion.
Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai said at a recent event that China an
d the US need to develop even stronger ties in the future despite some differences.
“We need to develop an even stronger relationship on the basis of coordination, cooperation and stability” between the two countries, Cui said.
He said it was important for the two sides to have a much better mutual understand
ing on each other’s intentions and policies and identify common ground to stabilize the relationship.
China’s exports to the US climbed 1.9 percent year-on-year to 252.11 billion yuan ($37.21 billion) last month, according to official figures. During the peri
od, foreign direct investment from the US into the Chinese mainland recorded a 124.6 percent year-on-year growth.
Austria’s technology ministry has called on Europe to form a joint position on whether or not to allow Chinese firm Huawei to equip 5G for next-generation mobile networks. This consideration co
mes amid the US-hyped security concerns over Huawei and Washington’s relentless efforts to thwart the 5G efforts of this leading tech company.
5G
will be one of the most critical components of the digital economy and society, not only in China but also Europe. Europe has taken significant ste
ps to lead global developments toward this strategic technology. To reposition itself as a leader in world affairs including the field of technology, Europe h
as no reason to reject cooperation with Huawei which has developed the most advanced 5G technology, disregarding u
nwarranted US claims.
Europe is caught in the middle. While the continent treads carefully between China an
d the US, what is at stake is its own interests. As China tries to offer a cooperative approach, Europe, a longtime US ally, is hesi
ant to accept. The Belt and RoadInitiative proposed by China presents tremendous opportunities in terms of trade and g
rowth, while skepticism lingers in Europe about the geopolitical ambition the initiative may harbor.
Ob
servers believe that the funds allocated by the EU will fall way short of what is really needed. The EU will allocate funding for this project in its ne
xt multiannual budget, which will stretch from 2021 to 2027, but can Europe afford to wait till then to walk out of its current plight?
hs have helped both sides to better understand each other’s concerns and fostered greater mutual trust.
That the feel-good atmosphere that has prevailed since the January discussions in Washington has been mai
ntained by this round of talks was evident as the negotiations are to continue in the US capital next week. This welcome dev
elopment was confirmed by Xi, who said he hoped the discussions would carry forward the positive momentum as i
t conformed to the interests of both countries to strengthen their cooperation.
Although it is probably too hasty to interpret from this that a deal is imminent given s
ome of the US demands, it is to be hoped that the just-concluded negotiations have laid the groundwork for
next week’s discussions to establish a framework for a resolution to the trade dispute, so that a meeting between Xi and T
rump, which is regarded as necessary to finalize any deal, can be scheduled for this purpose as soon as possible.
New progress on the outstanding difficult issues is imperative as the trade frictions have not been good for either country, despite claims to the contrary.
that the negotiations have been progressing “very well” and he might reportedly even let the March 1 deadline “slide for a little while” — have been taken as portents that progress is being made and a positive result may well be on the way.
Especially as White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has raised the possibility of Trump meeting with Pres
ident Xi Jinping at the US president’s personal retreat at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, sometime in March — The White Ho
use has previously said the two leaders would have to meet to strike the final bargain.
The market never lies, as the saying goes. Let’s hope that’s true, because the stock market has already
cast a vote of confidence in China and the US being able to reach a deal. The bench mark S
hanghai Composite Index has rebounded more than 10 percent, and the Dow Jones industrial average, more than 15
percent, from their lows in December when Sino-US trade tensions were running high.
It is apt that melting snow symbolizes a new beginning, as positive progress in the talks would m
ean a convergence of expectations for bilateral relations and help ensure the Sino-US relationship has a s
olid foundation of mutual trust and good momentum for positive interaction at the start of its fifth decade.
The Beijing Film Academy is investigating actor Zhai Tianlin, who has been the target of plagiarism allegations, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.
The academy organized an investigative team to look into Zhai’s case and has zero tolerance for academic misconduct, the newspaper said, citing the academy.
Zhai, 32, has a PhD from the academy and is a postdoctoral candidate at Peking University. He
found himself in hot water on social media recently after a Sina Weibo blogger accused him of plagiarism last week.
Zhai, who is said to have the highest academic qualificat
ions in China’s entertainment industry, has frequently flaunted his academic achievements in his
social media posts, which have detailed the difficulties he said he had while working on his papers.
He raised a flurry of chatter online in August when he said in a live video appearan
ce that he did not know what the China National Knowledge Infrastructure was. CNKI is the largest a
nd most widely used online academic library in China for university students writing theses and dissertations.