China Daily - 14 March 2024.pdf

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1、THURSDAY,March 14, RMB2Xi Jinping the reformerBy XINHUAChinese leader Xi Jinping has sounded the clarion call for reform during the countrys annual key political season,dispelling con-cerns about whether Chinas reform is“stagnating”,or its economy is“losing steam”.“We must plan major moves to deepen

2、 reform to inject strong impetus into promoting high-quality development and advanc-ing Chinese modernization,”President Xi said at the annual ses-sions of Chinas top legislature and top political advisory body,or the“two sessions”,which wrapped up on Monday.Since Xi took the top office more than a

3、decade ago,China has entered a“new era”.The countrys economic strength has grown,and its international influence has continued to rise.Reform is the hallmark of this era.In the face of a myriad of challenges,China is now in a critical period for accelerating reform.Reform will not stop,opening-up wi

4、ll not ceaseXi is regarded as another out-standing reformer in the country after Deng Xiaoping.The two leaders faced the same mission to modernize China,but against strikingly different backdrops.When Deng launched the reform and opening-up drive in the late 1970s,Chinas per capita GDP was only abou

5、t$200.His push for reforms started almost from scratch.In 2012,when Xi was elected general secretary of the Commu-nist Party of China Central Com-mittee,China had become the worlds second-largest economy,with a per capita GDP of over$6,000.But growth was shifting gears and many advantages,including

6、the once-low labor costs,had started to diminish.Instead of resting on the laurels of his predecessors,Xi was committed to carrying on the reform,and he knew how hard it would be.“The easy part of the job has been done to the satisfaction of all.What is left are tough bones that are hard to chew,”he

7、 said.Over the past decade,more than 2,000 reform measures have been rolled out,enabling the country to eliminate extreme poverty,promote integrated urban-rural development,fight corruption,support businesses,boost innovation,and push forward a“green revolution”.With the reform measures,the Chinese

8、economy has not only sus-tained robust growth but also more than doubled since 2012,cementing the countrys global status as a major growth contributor.People read at the China-themed section of the London Book Fair,which opened on Tuesday at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London,United Kingdom.Aro

9、und 50 Chinese publishers are showcasing more than 3,200 titles at this years book event,which is scheduled to run through Thursday.OUYANG KAIYU/CHINA NEWS SERVICEReading about ChinaMore policies set to back property sectorBy LIU ZHIHUA and LIU ZIZHENGChina is expected to roll out more policies to s

10、upport the financing of real estate developers while improving the effects of policy implementation,amid increased efforts to improve their liquidity,thereby boosting the healthy devel-opment of the real estate industry,experts said on Wednesday.They made the remarks as the share prices of Chinese p

11、roperty developer China Vanke Co declined 3.1 percent on the Shenzhen bourse and 3.49 percent on the Hong Kong bourse at the close of trading on Wednesday.The slump in Vankes stocks came after rating agency Moodys Ratings on Monday downgraded the developers credit rating from Baa3 to Ba1,junk territ

12、ory.Experts said they believe China will continue to defuse property sector risks in a steady and orderly manner with market-oriented measures,after the authorities recently issued a series of policies to support real estate in terms of both supply and demand.“Chinas housing market is expected to en

13、d its three-year downturn and gradually pick up in the second half of this year,with real estate risks and their spillover effects effectively controlled,”said Wang Qing,chief macroeconomic analyst at Golden Credit Rating International.Wang added that ample policy space remains for China to reduce h

14、ome purchase restrictions and lower mortgage rates.“The country will likely not only continue to cut the over-five-year loan prime rate,a benchmark inter-est rate commercial banks use for long-term lending,but also lower the floor on mortgage rates for first-time and second-time homebuyers,”he said,

15、adding that this will be a key move in terms of improving market confidence and ensuring the soft landing of the property market.Chinas central bank lowered the five-year loan prime rate by 25 basis points to 3.95 percent on Feb 20,the biggest cut in recent years.For most homebuyers who have a long-

16、term mortgage,the LPR cut will directly reduce their repayment costs.Together with the accelerated deployment of the coordination mechanism for urban real estate financing,the financial situation of housing companies,especially pri-vate ones,will be greatly improved in the short term and their timel

17、y delivery of property projects can be further ensured,Wang said.According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Develop-ment,a total of 276 cities in 31 pro-vincial-level regions across China had established real estate financ-ing coordination mechanisms as of the end of last month.In addition

18、,the number of property projects that are eligible for financing sup-port had reached about 6,000,the ministry said.Wang Xingping,senior analyst of corporates at Fitch Bohua,said that financing support from the policy side is relatively strong.However,actual execution of policies is not up to the ma

19、rk,and the key to resolving financing diffi-culties still lies in the effective implementation of related policies,she said.As for Vanke,some Chinese media have reported market spec-ulation that a group of commer-cial banks are raising money in loans to assist its repayment of maturing bonds.Vanke,h

20、owever,did not comment on the reports.Lou Feipeng,a researcher at the Postal Savings Bank of China,said that strong policy support in terms of developers financing will help reduce the liquidity stress on them.In addition,Vanke has opti-mized its regional and manage-ment structures to enhance operat

21、ional efficiency,and it suc-cessfully repaid a substantial debt as scheduled on Monday.That will help alleviate market concerns about its liquidity and boost investor confidence,Lou said.Chai Hua in Hong Kong contributed to this story.Contact the writers at Healthy lifestyles urged as nations obesit

22、y rates climbBy WANG XIAOYUWith obesity rates in China climbing fast,especially among youngsters,experts have called for improving awareness about healthy lifestyles and strengthen-ing treatment of the disease.Worldwide,the obesity rates for adults more than doubled between 1990 and 2022,and quadrup

23、led among children and adolescents,according to new study results released by the medical journal The Lancet.The total number of people living with obesity has sur-passed 1 billion globally,according to the Lancets analysis,released ahead of World Obesity Day,which fell on March 4.The growing burden

24、 of obesity has deeply affected China,as the proportion of female adults con-sidered obese jumped around fourfold,while the proportion of male adults who are obese surged elevenfold.In 2022,the rate stood at 7.8 percent for Chinese women and 8.9 percent for Chinese men,according to the study.Obesity

25、 is more prominent among younger people in China.The countrys obesity rate for girls increased from 0.6 percent in 1990 to 7.7 percent in 2022,and rose from 1.3 percent to 15.2 percent in 2022 for boys,the study found.“It is very concerning that the epidemic of obesity that was evi-dent among adults

26、 in much of the world in 1990 is now mirrored in school-aged children and adoles-cents,”said Majid Ezzati,a profes-sor at Imperial College London and the studys corresponding author.“It is vital we significantly improve the availability and affordability of healthy,nutritious foods,”he added.Tedros

27、Adhanom Ghebreyesus,director general of the World Health Organization,said,“This new study highlights the impor-tance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood through diet,physical activity and adequate care,as needed.”While poor diet,lack of physical activity and genetics all

28、 play a role in obesity,the National Health Commission,Chinas top health authority,said earlier this year that unbalanced diet and eating habits,as well as inappropriate infant feeding practices,are fundamental factors leading to the condition.Hu Jiajin,a professor at Chinese Medical Universitys Ins

29、titute of Health Sciences,said that diet,workout habits and other lifestyle choices are closely linked to the risk of obesity.For children,weight gain during their mothers pregnancy,regular-ly skipping breakfast,excessive intake of sweet foods and drinks,lack of physical activities and insufficient

30、sleep can all add to the risk of becoming obese,he said.“It is important to pool and coordinate resources from all sec-tors of society to tackle obesity,”Hu said.Wang Yishu,deputy director of Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospitals internal medicine department and a top political adviser,said that while publ

31、ic awareness of managing weight is growing,more efforts are needed to improve and formulate uniform protocols for diagnosis and treat-ment of obesity.“I suggested setting up a national-level clinical diagnosis and treatment committee target-ing obesity and gathering sporad-ic obesity-related guideli

32、nes into a standard protocol,”Wang said in an interview with China Central Television during this years recently concluded two sessions the annual gatherings in Bei-jing of Chinas top legislative and political advisory bodies.She added that hospitals should build multidisciplinary centers covering t

33、he fields of nutrition,exercise psychology and drug use for obesity,just like the diabetes centers found in many regions.Scientist calls for observing sun from its polar orbit By ZHAO LEIYang Mengfei,a distinguished spacecraft scientist and national political adviser,has called for government suppor

34、t for the research and development of a satellite capable of observing the sun from a solar polar orbit.“The sun is the very star that created all life on Earth and has the biggest effect on humans.At the same time,solar activi-ties are the root of many cosmic hazards that can disrupt human activiti

35、es such as com-munications,power supply,air traffic and spacecraft opera-tions,”said Yang,a senior researcher at the China Acade-my of Space Technology and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Space powers such as the United States,Europe and Japan have launched more than 70 spacecraft

36、dedicated to solar observation.China has also deployed its first solar observation satellite.“However,all these satellites have observed the sun from the plane of the ecliptic,and so have only observed its equatorial regions in detail.In other words,no spacecraft has ever reached a solar polar orbit

37、,”Yang said.“If we could place a satellite in a solar polar orbit,it would pro-vide data to our scientists to help them better understand the ori-gins of the solar magnetic activity cycle and high-speed solar wind,which have a great impact on human activities.”Yang said Chinese researchers have had

38、the idea of satellite observation in the solar polar orbit for many years,but it has so far just remained on paper.“The country now has the sol-id scientific,technological and engineering foundations need-ed for sending a satellite to a solar polar orbit.So I suggest that the government start the sp

39、acecrafts design work and list the solar comprehensive explo-ration project as a key State pro-gram,”said Yang,who is also a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese Peo-ples Political Consultative Con-ference,the countrys top political advisory body.He made the remarks on the sidelines

40、of the annual session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee,which concluded in Beijing on Sunday.China launched its first space-based solar telescope the Chi-nese H-Alpha Solar Explorer,or Xihe(the sun goddess in ancient Chinese mythology)in October 2021,aiming to use the spacecraft as a solar imagin

41、g spectrometer as well as a test bed for cutting-edge satellite technologies.Since its orbital deployment,the spacecraft has carried out spectral scanning and imaging of the suns H-Alpha waveband and has recorded the dynamics of solar activities in the stars photosphere and chromosphere.The data has

42、 enabled scien-tists around the world to exten-sively advance their research of the sun and the solar system,according to the China National Space Administration.A Spanish vessel with humanitarian food aid for conflict-ravaged Gaza berths on Tuesday at the port of Larnaca in Cyprus.The charity ship,

43、with 200 metric tons of humanitarian food aid collected by United States charity World Central Kitchen,set sail on Tuesday,aiming to pioneer a“maritime corridor”.The vessel is expected to arrive in Gaza in two to three days.AFP See story,page 10Aid heading to GazaA member of the Asia News Network?一?

44、:CN 11-0091?准?:ISSN 0253-9543?:1-3 2024 China DailyAll Rights ReservedVol.44 No.13675See page 2Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra starts debut UK tour Life,p18INSIDEModern takeNew tech cuts cost as traditional craft makes comeback LIFE,PAGE 16More stoppagesStrikes by German train drivers,flight crews add t

45、o disruptionWORLD,PAGE 12Growth target within grasp,says economistBUSINESS,PAGE 13CHINADAILYCHINA2|Thursday,March 14,2024CHINA DAILY From page 1China is currently at a critical juncture,where Xi is leading the country to realize the ambitious“Chinese modernization,”while being confronted with major

46、chal-lenges,such as downward economic pressure following the COVID-19 pandemic,rising protectionism and suppression from Western nations,and risks associated with the real estate sector,local government debts,and some small and medium-sized financial institutions.Xi reiterated the significance of re

47、form at a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Cen-tral Committee earlier this year.Weeks later,at the“two sessions,”he stressed deepening reforms in vari-ous sectors“to remove the barriers obstructing the development of new quality productive forces.”The crucial role of reform was

48、 also highlighted in this years gov-ernment work report.It devoted a section to deepening reform,with a focus on improve-ments to systems underpinning the socialist market economy,such as property rights protection,market access,fair competition,and social credit.“Ultimately,high-quality devel-opmen

49、t depends on reform,”it wrote.Looking back,Xis commitment to reform has been consistent.When he was not even 16,he was sent to Liangjiahe village in Shaanxi province to do farm labor.There,he experienced hunger.Deng initiated reforms,believing that China could not remain poor.Xis aspiration at that

50、time was to ensure that his fel-low villagers could have enough to eat.Like Deng,Xis drive for reform also stems from the peoples aspira-tion for a better life.The reform measures he implemented in Liang-jiahe,including introducing biogas,establishing a blacksmith shop and opening a store selling da