China's National Immigration Administration announced on Wednesday the full implementation of a visa exemption policy for foreign tourist groups entering China on cruise ships from the country's coastal provinces and cities. The policy will take immediate effect.
This decision was made through consultation and coordination among the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the General Administration of Customs, and approved by the State Council, China's cabinet.
Starting from Wednesday, foreign tourist groups (consisting of two or more people) traveling by cruise ship and organized by domestic travel agencies can enter Chinese mainland without a visa as a whole group through the designated ports in 13 cities including Tianjin, Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, Shanghai, Lianyungang in East China's Jiangsu Province, Wenzhou and Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang Province, Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province, Beihai in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Haikou and Sanya in South China's Hainan Province, said the National Immigration Administration at a press conference on Wednesday.
Tourist groups ought to accompany the same cruise ship to the next port until the cruise ship leaves China, and their stay in China cannot exceed 15 days, with activities limited to the coastal provinces and Beijing, the administration said.
In order to support the development of cruise tourism, seven new cruise ports including Dalian, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beihai were added to the list of ports eligible for China's transit visa exemption policy, facilitating transit for overseas passengers traveling by cruise.
French businesses have expressed growing confidence in investment in the China market, as a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to France is set to strengthen bilateral ties and economic and trade cooperation.
French direct investment in China has been skyrocketing in recent months, highlighting the great attractiveness of the China market among French companies amid China's steady opening-up measures, experts said.
The state visit will bolster the confidence of both Chinese and French businesses to pursue win-win cooperation, they noted.
"President Xi's visit to France reinforces the potential for the two countries to open up a new future of collaboration on the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties," Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi, a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company, told the Global Times. "The two countries have opportunities to strengthen their bilateral relationship while also further collaborating to address global topics."
Hudson said that the company has seen a great expansion in the China market over the past several decades and will continue to expand in China, amid growing potential and the improving business environment.
"As one of the first multinational companies to enter China since its reform and opening-up more than 40 years ago, our footprint has grown significantly over the years as a result of openness and collaboration between our two countries," Hudson said.
"China staying focused on high-level opening-up and actively improving the environment for foreign investment incentivizes pharmaceutical innovation for patients in China and beyond."
Sanofi is hardly alone in expanding in the China market. In 2023, France was one of the fastest-growing sources of direct investment in China, with direct investment surging 77 percent year-on-year to $1.34 billion, according to China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).
L'Oreal Chairman Jean-Paul Agon also said that the company remains committed to the China market.
"I can assure you that we are more determined than ever to contribute, together, to the mutual development of our two countries. To this end, I believe it is essential to reiterate the imperative need for an ongoing dialogue between us," Agon said.
That trend has only intensified this year, with French direct investment in China surging 585.8 percent year-on-year in the first two months of this year, data from the MOFCOM showed.
A survey of French companies in China conducted by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China in 2023 showed that members' willingness to operate in China over the coming three years had increased, with 47 percent saying they planned to further invest in the Chinese market.
French companies are interested in cooperation with Chinese companies in a wide range of areas including pharmaceuticals and clean energy. During the fifth meeting of the China-France Business Council in April 2023, 36 Chinese and French businesses signed 18 cooperation agreements in the areas of green energy, innovation, aerospace and new energy.
"In China specifically, we are bolstering local innovation and investment by prioritizing early-stage [research and development], involving China in 90 percent of our global simultaneous projects," Hudson said.
The growing commitment of French companies to the China market is mainly due to China's continuous opening-up measures, efforts to improve the business environment for foreign companies, as well as China's steady economic recovery and its vast market potential, experts noted.
Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that the state visit will send a clear signal to French and European businesses that China remains committed to continuous opening-up in an all-round way.
"This will further strengthen the confidence of French businesses and investors in the China market," Cui told the Global Times on Monday, noting that remarkable growth in French direct investment in China in recent months has already showed growing confidence in China.
China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, was up 0.3 percent year-on-year in April, the National Bureau of Statistics unveiled on Saturday, adding more positive signs to the country's upbeat economy performance since the first quarter of the year.
Data showed clear signs that the consumption-driven recovery is being maintained from demand to production, laying the foundation for a strong recovery, analysts noted.
Dong Lijuan, statistician from the NBS, pointed out that continuous consumption recovery reversed the 1-percent drop in CPI from March on a monthly basis, and further expanded growth on an annual basis.
General food prices were down by 1 percent, narrowing by 2.2 percentage points from the reading in March. Prices of vegetables, meats, fruits and eggs declined due to sufficient supply, according to the NBS.
Non-food prices recorded a 0.3 percent increase, bouncing back from a 0.5-percent fall in March on monthly basis. Benefiting from holidays, non-food consumer prices, including flight tickets, vehicle rental, hotel and tourism products, reported a clear increase in prices.
Core CPI, deducting for food and energy prices, was up 0.7 percent year-on-year last month, expanding 0.1 percentage point from March, according to the NBS.
Meanwhile, China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, dipped 2.5 percent year on year in April, narrowing by 0.3 percentage point from the drop in March. Dong noted that the country's industrial operation is keeping recovering, while some industries saw a seasonal drop in demand.
Other economic indicators also showed that the world's second-largest economy remains on a steady recovery trend.
China's trade in goods in the first fourth months of 2024 recorded an increase of 5.7 percent year-on-year to reach 13.81 trillion yuan ($1.91 trillion), data from China's General Administration of Customs showed on Thursday.
Notably, in April alone, China's imports and exports reached 3.64 trillion yuan, rising 8 percent year-on-year. Exports stood at 2.08 trillion yuan with a year-on-year growth of 5.1 percent, while imports surged by 12.2 percent year-on-year to reach 1.56 trillion yuan, thanks to improving overseas demand as well as strengthening domestic consumption demand.
Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the digital-real economies integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Saturday that data for China's foreign trade and domestic economic indicators were correlated, which all pointed to an encouraging link between demand and production.
"The current 0.3 percent growth in CPI is positive, while relatively moderate. It has shown a strong momentum for a further improvement in production, which also needs supports from policy and market players," Hu noted.
Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, pointed out that the nation's economy is still facing challenges, and needs more support to boost consumption and market investment.
Policymakers have vowed to further step up policy measures to further consolidate the recovery. A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee noted that the economy has secured a good start this year, and urged to front-load efforts to effectively put the established macro policies in place, and well implement a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, according to Xinhua.
Argentina's Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship, Diana Mondino, is set to visit China from Saturday to May 1 amid expectations of advancing currency swap line negotiations and fostering cooperation in various sectors, including new energy. Analysts noted that although China-Argentina bilateral relations entered "a running-in" period of adjustment after Javier Milei assumed the Argentine presidency late last year, Argentina's perception of China has become more pragmatic, recognizing the crucial importance of the relationship with China for its economic recovery.
In addition, at the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia Celinda Sosa Lunda and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru Javier González-Olaechea Franco will also visit China from April 28 to 30.
Observers said that in light of this year marking the 10th anniversary of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (China-CELAC Forum), China and countries in South America are expected to increase interactions, fostering deeper cooperation and providing momentum for regional and global development.
During the visits of the foreign ministers from Argentina, Bolivia and Peru in China, Wang Yi will hold talks with them respectively on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Friday.
While introducing Foreign Minister Mondino's visit to China, Wang Wenbin noted that this is her first visit to China since she took office. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership. China hopes that through this visit, the two countries will further enhance political mutual trust, offer broader prospects for our mutually beneficial cooperation, enrich the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership, and achieve common development and prosperity, the spokesperson said.
The currency swap deal will top the agenda of Mondino's delegation in China, as solving debt issues is a pressing issue for the Argentinian government, Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Argentina's Central Bank President Santiago Bausili and Finance Secretary Pablo Quirno will reportedly travel to China along with Foreign Minister Mondino. During the visit, they are expected to discuss the $18 billion currency swap agreement with Chinese monetary authorities.
Wang Youming noted that Mondino is also being joined by a large delegation of Argentine businesspeople, and the two sides will discuss economic cooperation, including exports of agricultural and livestock products and Chinese investments and engineering projects in Argentina. Lithium resource cooperation is also a key project in new energy cooperation between China and Argentina, said Wang Youming.
This round of interactions will help promote exchanges between China and Argentina, Wang Youming noted, adding that after Milei took office in Argentina, China-Argentina relations entered a period of adjustment. However, Argentina's perception of China has become more pragmatic, and it now recognizes the crucial importance of the relationship with China for economic recovery.
Some Western media also reported President Milei as taking "a softer tone" toward Beijing than he did as a candidate.
However, the Milei government's bid to align Argentina with the US may also bring some uncertainties to bilateral relations, analysts said, noting that Milei has withdrawn the country from its planned entry into the expanding BRICS and formally requested to join NATO as a global partner.
As Argentina's second-largest trading partner, the importance of China is self-evident, and the structural and long-term trade and investment between the two countries suggests that the partnership between them has a certain degree of flexibility, said analysts.
China is willing to engage in mutually beneficial economic cooperation with any partner country, they said, urging Argentina to engage in constructive discussions with China.
The visits of the foreign ministers from Argentina, Bolivia and Peru in the coming week coincide with a bustling period in China's diplomacy and also part of the series of exchanges between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries, Wang Youming said, noting that such interactions will peak in the second half of the year during the China-CELAC summit.
These countries, along with other nations in the Global South, hold a positive outlook on China's market, investment, and development. Collaboration between China and these countries has the potential to propel regional economic development and act as a catalyst for global economic growth, said the expert.
Their battle has been going on for decades. Now, another round of fighting has begun.
Two weeks ago, family members of 18 Chinese victims of the "comfort women" system filed a lawsuit with the Shanxi Provincial High People's Court in North China, demanding an apology and compensation over the Japanese military's atrocities against civilian Chinese women during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
This is the first time that these women have filed a lawsuit in China. In Japan, there have been nearly 30 lawsuits filed, the first of which was filed nearly 32 years ago. All of the lawsuits resulted in a disappointing outcome for the victims and their families.
This is a battle in the courtroom, but much more than that. After these atrocities have been ignored for years, the victims are crying out to be heard. After decades of pain and struggle, they are calling for the tarnished dignity and honor of their loved ones to be restored, and for Chinese law to be upheld.
All of the 18 "comfort women" victims in this case have already passed away. The victims' names were Zhao Runmei, Liu Mianhuan, Zhang Xiantu, Wang Gaihe, Yang Xihe, Hou Qiaoliang, Wan Aihua, Chen Lintao, Hou Dongtao, Gao Yine, Yang Shizhen, Zhou Xixiang, Yin Yulin, Nan Erpu, Zhao Cunni, Zhang Gaixiang, Guo Xicui and Li Xiumei.
Decades of fighting
The seventy-two-year-old Zhang Shuangbing has devoted half of his life to fighting for the rights of "comfort women" victims. Zhang hails from Yangquan, Shanxi, a city that witnessed many key battles during the War. At the same time, it also bore the brunt of numerous wars, with women forced into sexual slavery being a significant part of it.
In 1982, when Zhang was a rural teacher, he once learned that a woman in his village had been a "comfort women" victim, thus sparking a decades-long journey of investigation. He discovered that some of the victims had lost their ability to work, living their whole lives without income. Many were unable to bear children and ended up alone. Most of these victims had passed away during the war years and the decades that followed, with only a few still alive.
After encouraging and supporting these victims to speak out about their ordeal, Zhang managed to gather testimonies from 172 individuals, totaling hundreds of thousands of words. In 1992, he wrote and submitted the first complaint against the Japanese government regarding the sexual abuse by the Japanese army in China, which led to a 15-year transnational lawsuit.
During the legal process, 16 former victims were led by Zhang to Japan to testify in court. However, in 2007, the Japanese Supreme Court issued a final ruling rejecting their lawsuit.
Although the lawsuit in Japan ended in defeat, it still holds significant importance in terms of the awareness of the "comfort women" issue gained worldwide, analysts told the Global Times. While the Japanese high court ruled that the government was not obligated to compensate, it did acknowledge the existence of the atrocities.
With little hope of a court victory in Japan, the resolution of the "comfort women" issue seems to have stalled, a huge setback for the brave victims and Zhang. As more victims passed away, Zhang recalled to the Global Times how some of them, on their deathbeds, held his hand and urged him to restore their dignity.
2021 brought a new ray of hope when a Seoul court ordered the Japanese government to compensate each "comfort woman" with 100 million Korean won ($72,490). The successful predecessor gave inspiration and hope to Zhang and the families of the victims - if the Japanese court refuses to give a fair judgment, can we seek help from the domestic judicial system? He then approached lawyers Jia Fangyi and Guo Chengxi, proposing the possibility of filing a lawsuit in China.
The demands of these victims are very simple, Zhang told the Global Times. They just need an apology and financial compensation from the Japanese government. A new battling round
After careful consideration, the lawyers answered with a resounding yes, they would be able to file a lawsuit in China. In the complaint drafted by the legal team, the plaintiffs are the family members of 18 "comfort women" victims. Some of them participated in the lawsuits filed in Japan.
The main reasons for the Japanese court's rejection of the ruling at that time were primarily two points: the San Francisco Treaty and the China-Japan Joint Statement. However, both of these documents only stipulate compensation between nations, and do not specify compensation for civilians harmed during the war. These are two different legal systems, so the Japanese court's rejection was not based on reasonable legal grounds, Jia told the Global Times. "Law is the most fundamental rationality of humanity," Jia said. "We are filing this lawsuit today because the then-Japanese government caused immense harm to Chinese civilians during the war, especially to the human rights of women civilians, but justice has never been served."
Actually, "comfort women" is a term used by perpetrators, referring to women who were subjected to continuous human rights violations by the Japanese military during wartime, he said. "This issue has long been a pain in the hearts of every Chinese, and Japan has never sincerely apologized or compensated for it."
Justice needs to prevail, he noted, and a legal ruling is one way to make it happen. "Otherwise, this issue will continue to harm the Chinese people."
Adjudicating cases of civilian harm in war and promoting compensation based on domestic law is currently an attempt being made by legal communities around the world, and the judgment in South Korea regarding a similar issue is a good example, the lawyers told the Global Times.
Compared to the judgments of international courts, the judgments of sovereign states actually have coercive force, Jia explained. At the same time, in a place where the violation actually occurred, experts of different fields are more likely to come together to collectively participate in the case, ensuring a wise, rational and legitimate resolution.
The lawyers also hope that this attempt will establish a precedent for China to use its own legal system and domestic laws to resolve compensation issues in cases where foreign governments violate the personal rights of Chinese citizens.
From Japan's recent official actions, it is also evident that the Japanese government has never reflected on this matter and it does not have a consistent attitude toward it, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Due to the established fact of atrocities and the weak defense of innocence put forth by the Japanese side, Da believes it is likely that the plaintiffs will win the case. However, the execution of the judgment and the implementation of compensation may pose another challenge due to the involvement of foreign governments and so many years having passed.
As the former director of the Center for Intelligence and National Security Studies in the Philippines, Rommel C. Banlaoi, the Chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism Research, has a deep understanding of Philippine foreign policy and US-Philippine defense cooperation. He was assigned to help advise the president on security matters in 2022, as a deputy national security adviser, but his connections with China were questioned as posing a "security risk" to the Philippines. His nomination was later revoked, local media reported. His experience has seen the Philippine government shift from neutrality to a bias toward the US in diplomacy and defense.
Recently, Banlaoi (Banlaoi) expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current diplomatic and military policies of the Philippines in an interview with Global Times (GT) reporters Hu Yuwei, Fan Wei and Zou Zhidong in Manila. In his view, the diplomatic policy pursued by the current Philippine government and its confrontational measures in the South China Sea not only loses important trading partners like China, but also risks marginalizing the Philippines in the ASEAN. GT: Since the current Philippine government took office, the South China Sea issue has once again become a focal point in China-Philippines relations and the Philippine government has taken a series of measures that have gradually worsened the situation. How do you evaluate the direction of China-Philippines relations over the last year and a half?
Banlaoi: It is a pity that under the presidency of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, the relationship between the Philippines and China has gone so bad because of the issue of the South China Sea.
And also, because of the decision of the current government to increase American military presence in the Philippines, I am dismayed that the Philippines is not balancing the relationship between China and the US, but is exerting more pro-Americanism in foreign policy. The current Marcos administration is creating a lot of difficulties for the improvement and strengthening of Philippines-China relationship.
I consider those unilateral actions by the Philippine government as being counterproductive for the peaceful settlement of disputes with China. In fact, the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) discourages all parties from conducting such kinds of unilateral activities that are hostile to other parties. I don't consider those kinds of unilateral actions from our government to be beneficial to the peaceful settlement of disputes.
So, what we need is to provide a conducive environment for peaceful negotiations. And the only way to have a peaceful and conducive environment for negotiations is to improve the friendly relationship between the two countries, as if there is no friendship, there's no mutual understanding.
GT: We have seen from news reports that the Philippine government has a plan to recruit fisherfolk militias to further confront China in the South China Sea. Will this further militarize the South China Sea? Is this a part of US-Philippines military cooperation?
Banlaoi: I think it's part of the advice given by the US to pursue such an action, especially in the context of what they call an "offensive transparency strategy" in the South China Sea. What we need now is to sustain the process of direct negotiation, to sustain the process of direct consultation and direct dialogue to manage our differences.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte has initiated the bilateral consultative mechanism [with China] in the South China Sea and it has achieved a lot of gains. For example, in 2017, they formed several working groups to promote joint fishery cooperation. That's what we need in the area. We need fishery cooperation. They also decided to cooperate politically and in security, which would promote marine environmental protection, marine environmental research, search and rescue operations, as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
But these efforts have not been sustained under the current government. What we need is to take stock of what we achieved in the past and pursue these achievements and move on to improve our relationship.
So, from the golden age of our relationship, to the current rock bottom of our relationship, I feel bad about that because our countries have enjoyed a fruitful, friendly relationship for a long while. We need that kind of relationship again and the key is to well manage our differences.
If you increase maritime militias in the South China Sea, you are in fact increasing the risk of violence. Let the fisherman be fishermen. If we want to protect our interests in the area, I think that needs all maritime authorities to negotiate an arrangement on how to maintain peace and maritime security in the area.
In order to promote maritime safety in the South China Sea, we need cooperation not competition. The China Coast Guard has demonstrated that it can be involved in the rescue of Filipino fishermen. We have mutual interest and we need to talk about them, instead of the differences.
GT: Is it possible that this militia plan in the Philippines has received financial support from the US, or some other form of support?
Banlaoi: That's possible. They have a way of offering such kinds of support to the Philippines. For example, as a result of the current Philippine President's decision to be closer to the US, the US decided to provide more military assistance funding to the Philippines and the Philippine military can use these funds to train anybody to protect our interests in the South China Sea.
In the past, the US has assisted the Philippines, the Philippine military, and the Philippine militia to fight against terrorism, to fight against Al Qaeda, and to fight against ISIS. They have done that in the past. The US has that kind of track record in supporting our military and our militias in their fight against threats. So, it's possible. GT: Are these aggressive measures taken by the Philippine government controversial domestically in the Philippines?
Banlaoi: There are people opposing those decisions and I am one of them. I have expressed my opposition against increased American military presence in the Philippines because it is a military rising.
It increases the risks of the Philippines getting involved in an armed conflict that is not beneficial to Philippine national interests. And I hope when that situation comes, China will exercise more patience.
We don't want to take sides between the US and China, but we will side with our interests. Due to the decision by the current president to be closer to the US, we are becoming isolated from the ASEAN.
Many ASEAN member states do not like what we are doing because it is running counter to the principle of the ASEAN of promoting the region as a zone of peace, freedom, and neutrality. The Philippines is no longer neutral because the Philippines has decided to become part of the American strategy in the pacific. The way we handle things is with an American approach, not the ASEAN approach.
GT: What sorts of efforts can we make to restore China-Philippines relationship?
Banlaoi: There are more opportunities coming up to improve the relationship. We will be having a midterm election in 2025. I hope we will be able to elect the right leaders who can better understand the relationship between the Philippines and China and the relationship between the Philippines and the US. We hope to elect leaders in 2025 like senators and congressmen that will have a better understanding of geopolitics and the importance of a friendly Philippines-China relationship.
In my understanding, China has no problem with the Philippines having a good relationship with the US. But the only concern that China has is not to have this relationship used against it. And I admire the foreign policy of former president Duterte, because he initiated the process of decolonization from the US; he even said that he would like to separate from the US, and I think that's the right step. The Philippines cannot be a truly proud, independent nation if we continue to rely on the US.
Our current government is heavily reliant on the US to advance our position in the South China Sea and that kind of reliance is truly hurting Philippines-China relations and is making it difficult to settle our disputes in the South China Sea.
GT: During our days in the Philippines, we hardly felt any hostility from the locals toward Chinese people due to the South China Sea dispute. In contrast, local newspapers were sensationalizing the dispute. Do you think the Filipino people really believe the media's narrative? What are the issues that they truly care about?
Banlaoi: This issue on the South China Sea is only found in the papers in the Philippines that are dominated by Western narratives. But if you go around the country, you'll see that the common people care more about peace in the South China Sea. They don't want war.
They care more about fighting inflation and economic hardship. They care more about making commodities more affordable to them. They care more about having jobs. They care more about having good transportation. We need trains, roads, and bridges that China can provide, and we need more trade with China. It's a pity that many of the narratives in the media are controlled by this Western narrative of anti-China sentiment.
But if you really look around the country, the conflict in South China Sea is the least of their worries. The only thing that they care about is for the fishermen not to lose their livelihoods.
That's why I feel bad that the Philippine government canceled Philippine participation in the projects of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). And I traveled around and learned that the railways and bridges will no longer be built. They feel bad about it. Ordinary people here care more about economic development.
We want peace and common development with China and don't want a war with China.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday warned of "small cliques" and called for joint efforts to preserve hard-won peace in the South China Sea during his visit to Indonesia.
The call represents the consensus of most countries in the region, analysts said, warning that if the Philippines continues on the wrong path of following the US' strategy, it will be isolated in Southeast Asia and risk burning itself by the fire it started.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto on Thursday.
Widodo and Wang expressed their desire for regional peace and stability and repeated calls for a de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza, the Jakarta Post reported Thursday.
Wang, during the meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, said the two sides are highly vigilant against the formation of various "small cliques" in the region, and oppose any attempts by certain groups to create camp confrontation. We shall cherish and maintain the hard-won peace and stability in the region, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
China is willing to continue working with other ASEAN members to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, accelerate the negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and turn the South China Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation.
Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday that Wang's remarks in Indonesia represent the consensus and sincere hope of most countries in the region for peace and stability, amid the US' continuous attempts to reshape regional geopolitics against China with the Philippines as an auxiliary, Xu said.
Being a wheeler-dealer will isolate the Philippines, its former president Rodrigo Duterte said in a recent exclusive interview with the Global Times, adding that if the Philippines identifies itself with America, "then everything becomes blurry with our relations with China and the rest of the ASEAN countries."
For the Philippines, using the South China Sea as a bargaining chip to introduce an external major power and rashly getting involved in major power competition brings the risk of burning itself, Xu warned.
"US will not die for us," Duterte noted.
The US and the Philippines have been enhancing military ties, with the latest move being the deployment of the Typhon (Mid-Range Capability) missile system. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday advised the Philippines to recognize the US' true intention and not pull the US' chestnuts out of the fire at the cost of the Philippines' security interests.
Xu said that as the biggest country in the ASEAN, Indonesia has been playing a constructive role in mediation and accelerating related negotiations. It is hoped that through communication between China and Indonesia, China and ASEAN can consolidate consensus and join hands to prevent a further escalation of tensions.
Analysts stressed the importance of an independent and neutral ASEAN, saying that the current tension, with US' support for the Philippines against China, has the potential to compel certain ASEAN member states to take sides, to the detriment of the broader well-being of the region.
According to a published schedule, Wang will chair a session of the China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism on Friday before traveling to Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.
As Indonesia has just held general elections and is in a transition period, Xu expected the high-level meeting to facilitate the stable and sound development of China-Indonesia relations and continue to make fruitful progress under the new administration.
President-elect Prabowo made a China visit from March 31 to April 2, shortly after his win in the elections, marking the high level of mutual political trust, according to observers.
China and Indonesia, the country where "the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" was initiated, have seen maritime cooperation and joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative as new growth poles in addition to traditional political, economic and trade, and cultural exchanges, Xu said.
Citing flagship cooperation projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, Xu said the bilateral relationship has set a cooperation model for the region and named sectors including infrastructure connectivity, new energy and digital economy as cooperation areas of great potential.
After China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center released a report disclosing the false narrative of Volt Typhoon – a hacker group labeled by US and its Five Eyes allies as “China-sponsored” actor, the US Embassy in China and Microsoft which were reached out by the Global Times for comment gave no response as of press time.
Relevant US departments are urged to respond to the technical investigation report released by the China, and the US should understand that China's cybersecurity defense technology is becoming increasingly capable of finding falsehood and countering attacks, and the US should refrain from arbitrarily fabricating evidence to frame China, analysts said.
China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, National Engineering Laboratory for Computer Virus Prevention Technology and 360 Digital Security Group conducted an investigation on a joint cybersecurity advisory released by the Five Eyes in May 2023 and a Microsoft report which claimed they had discovered cluster of activity of interest associated with a "China state-sponsored cyber actor," known as Volt Typhoon, and these activities "affected networks across US critical infrastructure sectors." The investigation by the Chinese side found that Volt Typhoon has more correlation with ransomware group or other cybercriminals.
Multiple cybersecurity authorities in the US have been pushing a "China-sponsored" Volt Typhoon false narrative just for seeking more budgets from the US Congress. Meanwhile, Microsoft and other US cybersecurity companies also want more big contracts from US cybersecurity authorities, according to the investigation report.
The Global Times has reached out to the US Embassy in China and Microsoft for comment on the latest report, but has received no response as of press time. No US agencies mentioned in the report has responded.
Volt Typhoon hacker group is a ransomware cybercriminal organization without state or regional support background, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Monday commenting on the investigation report.
Li noted that various signs indicate that US intelligence community and cybersecurity companies are colluding to fabricate so-called evidence and spread false information that the Chinese government supports cyberattacks against the US, in order to seek congressional budget appropriations and government contracts.
Volt Typhoon allegation has been hyped by the US since last year and again recently, the Chinese side has produced a reliable technical investigation report proving that this is indeed a complete false narrative targeting China. It is necessary for relevant US departments to respond to these claims, Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy of Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.
Zhuo said that in recent years, the US government has been engaging in competition with China and various US departments take US’ national strategy as a business opportunity to profit from, which has led to a collusion between government and business in the anti-China "industrial chain." In order to vie for executive power, budget, and economic benefits, relevant departments and companies have spared no effort to fabricate evidence, endorsing any issue with the label of "Chinese threat."
In reality, various US departments tacitly understand the production of false narratives related to China, and they are well aware that these false narratives are untenable and cannot withstand scrutiny, Zhuo said.
Zhuo noted that some interest groups in the US should understand that in recent years, China's cybersecurity defense technology has rapidly advanced. Not only does it increasingly have the ability to prove itself against the US accusations, but it also has defensive and counterattack capabilities against cyberattacks from the US.
Relying on its dominance in media and technology to vilify China and undermine international cybersecurity is no longer sustainable for the US, said Zhuo.
April 15, 2024 marks the ninth National Security Education Day. Global Times reporters observed that the cases disclosed around this year's National Security Education Day involve a broader scope and are more targeted compared to previous years, with methods also becoming more covert.
Beyond traditional areas, emerging fields related to national economy and people's livelihoods, future development, energy, food, and meteorology have also become key targets for foreign spy agencies.
Some security experts told the Global Times that the competition among major powers has unfolded across multiple dimensions. Counter-espionage and safeguarding of national security are not only the responsibilities of national security agencies but also the duty of the general public. Citizens need to continuously learn legal knowledge, enhance their awareness of security, and collectively build a safety net to protect national interests.
From food to energy: targeting key areas
"Grains are the lifeline of the people and a treasure of the nation." Food security is crucial to the national economy and people's livelihoods and is an important component of national security. However, in recent years, foreign spy agencies have continuously intensified their infiltration into China's food sector, blatantly stealing core scientific research intelligence, and significantly harming the rice seed industry's core competitiveness and food security.
The Global Times learned that in response to this prominent threat, national security agencies took the initiative to crack down on a series of espionage cases from 2022 to 2023. They legally investigated and reviewed nearly a hundred individuals involved, dealt with 11 key enterprises, and held related personnel criminally responsible.
A man surnamed Zhu, born in 1964, and formerly the general manager of a national agricultural science and technology company, was found by national security agencies to have established a "cooperative" relationship with foreign spy agencies. To gain personal economic benefits, Zhu unconditionally accepted requests from these agencies. Under the guise of "cooperative breeding," he illegally sold five types of parent rice seeds to them, receiving payments well above the normal selling price.
Zhu repeatedly told his associates that selling seeds abroad was illegal and could lead to imprisonment so it must be kept secret, indicating he was fully aware of the nature of his actions and had clear malicious intent.
To further expand his "business," Zhu founded an agricultural technology company and began selling high-quality parent rice seeds abroad in large quantities. In January 2024, the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in East China's Anhui Province sentenced Zhu to one year and six months in prison for "providing intelligence to foreign entities illegally."
Furthermore, national security agencies also administered administrative penalties to the other 17 individuals involved and conducted thorough investigations into the enterprises involved. They further found out that some domestic seed industry companies had been illegally selling various high-quality seed sources abroad for a long time, effectively eliminating major security risks in China's food sector.
With the global energy transition, key minerals have become a new field of strategic competition among major global powers. Rare-earth elements, known as "industrial vitamins," play an irreplaceable role in many key areas, and foreign forces have intensified efforts to pry into China's rare earth industry.
In March 2023, national security agencies cracked a case where a foreign non-ferrous metal company illegally collected and stole national secrets from China's rare earth sector, taking compulsory measures against individuals surnamed Ye and surnamed Cheng in line with the law.
A woman surnamed Ye, born in 1977 of Chinese nationality, was a member of the Shanghai subsidiary of a foreign non-ferrous metal company. A man surnamed Cheng, born in 1975, was formerly the deputy general manager of a domestic rare earth company.
Investigations found that Ye met Cheng through business cooperation in 2017. Foreign employees of her company instructed Ye to offer money to Cheng in exchange for information such as rare earth storage details and directive plans. Knowing it was forbidden to disclose such information, Cheng still sent details of China's rare earth storage for seeking personal gain, including types, quantities, and prices, to Ye, receiving a large amount of compensation.
The state secrets protection department identified seven items of confidential-level state secrets in the information Cheng provided abroad. The facts of the case were clear, and the evidence was solid, with the suspects admitting to their crimes.
In November 2023, the Nanchang Intermediate People's Court in East China's Jiangxi Province sentenced Ye to 11 years in prison for the crime of being bought off by oversea forces and illegally providing state secrets, deprived her of political rights for two years, and confiscated personal property worth 500,000 yuan ($69,09).
Cheng was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison for illegally providing state secrets and bribery. He was also deprived of political rights for 2 years, fined 100,000 yuan and had his personal property worth 900,000 yuan confiscated.
Li Wei, a researcher and security expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that the competition in the international community is becoming increasingly fierce.
The competition among major powers is no longer limited to traditional military and diplomatic fields but is unfolding across multiple dimensions. Food security is the foundation of national security, and rare earths and other key minerals are strategic resources for developing new quality productive forces. It is essential to thoroughly combat the theft by foreign intelligence agencies and resolutely defend national security interests, the expert said.
Stealing meteorological data, threatening military security Notably, foreign institutions have illegally intensified their collection of China's meteorological data. Since 2023, national security agencies, in cooperation with meteorological and state secrets protection departments, have carried out nationwide special management of foreign-related meteorological detection, investigating more than ten foreign meteorological equipment agents, inspecting over 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations, and identifying hundreds of illegal foreign-related meteorological detection sites transmitting meteorological data abroad in real time. These sites are widely distributed across more than 20 provinces in the country, posing risks to national security.
Sources revealed that some of these illegal foreign-related meteorological detection sites receive direct funding from foreign governments. Some observation points are located near military units, military-industrial enterprises, and other sensitive areas, conducting altitude ratifying and GPS positioning. Others are situated in major grain-producing areas, analyzing the growth of crops and grain yield. Some even transmitted data in real-time to foreign official meteorological organizations over long periods, at high frequencies, and from multiple locations, serving foreign homeland security and meteorological monitoring.
The related equipment is small, easy to install and difficult to detect. It is also capable of automatically collecting and transmitting data online in real time. These foreign-related meteorological detection activities have not applied for administrative permission for foreign-related meteorological detection with the meteorological authorities, nor have they submitted meteorological data to them.
The transmission of meteorological data abroad without the approval of Chinese meteorological authorities violates regulations such as the management measures for foreign-related meteorological detection and data and the Data Security Law.
National security agencies, in conjunction with meteorological and state secrets protection departments, have investigated and handled these illegal activities, promptly blocking the illegal transfer of meteorological data overseas.
"Meteorological data is extremely important for every country," Li told the Global Times. "Using a country's meteorological data can predict the future development trends of the sectors such as agriculture in the country."
An anonymous security expert told the Global Times that the strategic value of meteorological data in military operations is evident from the historical anecdote of "borrowing arrows with thatched boats." Once a country's meteorological and hydrological characteristics are leaked, it poses a potential threat to its military security.
Foreign forces long target Chinese individuals Beyond expanding espionage scope and intensifying theft efforts, the inherent tactics of foreign intelligence agencies continue.
In recent years, foreign anti-China hostile forces have extensively used the internet and other channels to carry out ideological "psychological warfare" on domestic individuals, distorting and hyping domestic hot issues, and attacking and slandering China's political system. A few inexperienced young students, swayed and misled, have fallen into traps. These victims have been coerced into participating in hostile activities, becoming "pawns" of foreign anti-China hostile forces.
The Global Times learned that national security agencies have recently successfully cracked a typical case where a student from a domestic university was lured by a foreign anti-China party into participating in its activities. The security agencies effectively dealt with subversion activities of these foreign anti-China forces and timely eliminated security risks.
National security agencies found that a student from a domestic university surnamed Song, driven by curiosity, signed up online to become a volunteer for a certain foreign anti-China party, receiving the party's manifesto and instructions from its core members on participating in anti-China activities and fundraising. Song also frequently visited foreign anti-China websites and provided these sites with negative imagery about China.
In July 2023, based on meticulous investigation and evidence gathering, national security agencies lawfully conducted an administrative inquiry with Song. According to the relevant provisions of China's Counter-Espionage Law, Song was warned and received the administrative penalty. After Song was criticized and educated, he expressed sincere regret for his actions and promised not to engage in similar activities in the future.
It is the legal duty of every citizen to consciously safeguard national security. Intentionally obstructing the lawful execution of tasks by national security agencies will result in legal liability. Recently, national security agencies administered administrative penalties to a Chinese employee of a foreign institution in China for intentionally obstructing the lawful execution of tasks by national security agencies.
The Global Times learned that during the lawful interrogation by national security agencies, a Chinese employee of a foreign institution in China surnamed Fu refused to go to the designated location for questioning, spread information about being interviewed by national security agencies to unrelated individuals, and coordinated with foreign personnel to interfere with the enforcement of national security agencies, intentionally obstructing the lawful execution of their tasks.
Law enforcement officers from the national security agencies recorded evidence of Fu's intentional obstruction of law enforcement with cameras and, according to the relevant provisions of the Counter-Espionage Law, lawfully administered an administrative detention of 15 days.
"Foreign forces attempt to 'cast a long line to catch a big fish,' scouting for personnel within and outside the country that can be used by them, posing a serious threat to our national security," said Li, the expert.
Counter-espionage and safeguarding national security are not only the responsibilities of national security agencies but also the duty of the general public to protect their own interests. Citizens need to continuously learn legal knowledge, enhance their security awareness, and collectively build a "safety net" to protect national interests, he said.
The expert also believes that relevant departments can strengthen regular education in primary and secondary schools, and universities to enhance the public's national security awareness. Meanwhile, the public should also actively cooperate with related work of national security agencies, solidifying the people's defense line for national security.
