China news 28th June 2021
This week we read more about China’s electric vehicle (EV) expansion. We have a positive affirmation of the raison d’etre of the Chinese Communist Party from Professor Robert Kuhn. And finally we look at more criticism of the Hong Kong Government that, the writer believes, must do more to solve Hong Kong’s problems and rely less in the Mainland to do so.
China’s EV’s are 50% of global total EVs
The reporter learned from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers that, as of the end of May 2021, China has about 5.8 million electric vehicles (EV’s), accounting for about 50% of the global total of electric vehicles. Their rapid development is conducive to achieving the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
From January to May this year, the production and sales of EV’s in China were 967,000 and 950,000 respectively, a year-on-year increase of 2.2 times. Market penetration rate reached 8.7%, showing a strong growth momentum. At the same time, the environment for EV’s is becoming better. As of April this year, 65,000 charging stations, 644 replacement stations, and 1.87 million charging installations of various types have been built across the country, covering 176 cities and more than 50,000 kilometres have fast charging network on the highway.
Fu Bingfeng, executive vice president and secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that, despite the impact of Covid-19, China’s auto market remains stable. The stability of China’s auto market has also provided good business support for global auto companies.
In the next five to eight years, China will have even more fossil-fuelled vehicles phased out and replaced, which will push development of the EV market. The production and sales growth rate of electric vehicles is expected to remain above 40% in the next five years.
Source: finance.sina.com.cn.
Why the CCP is so successful
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, Robert Kuhn,the winner of the China Reform Friendship Medal, published an article on China Daily Network that the firm leadership of the Communist Party of China is the fundamental reason for China’s series of achievements. Especially in the fight against poverty and the fight against the epidemic, the outstanding mobilization and organization ability of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are worth study from other countries.
Professor Kuhn writes: “In early February 2020, when Wuhan was locked down due to the virus, I publicly stated in the Chinese and international media that I believe that China will definitely contain the epidemic. The reason why I have such confidence is not because I have any talent for prophecy, but because I have seen China’s success in poverty alleviation. This is something I have been paying attention to for many years. China has not only won the battle against poverty, but also won the battle against the epidemic. Obviously, there is a common reason behind the two, that is, the leadership and organizational skills of the CCP, which is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.
The leadership of the CCP, the determination at the highest level, and outstanding mobilization ability, have all been incisively and vividly demonstrated in the two tough battles against the epidemic and against poverty.
Village children collect firewood for cooking fuel, Tianlin County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
How was this possible?
First, the leadership of the CCP is not only concerned with issuing instructions and statements, but it also promotes implementation through its own organizational structure, that is, from the central to local provincial, municipal, county, township, and village party organizations.
Secondly, General Secretary Xi Jinping has set an example for members at all levels of the party. Almost every place he visited, he emphasized poverty alleviation, and asked party members to visit impoverished areas regularly and interact face-to-face with impoverished people. The General Secretary once said:
I have never heard leaders of other countries say this. Similarly, during the epidemic, when the general secretary visited various hospitals and talked with frontline medical staff, the whole country felt his determination to fight the epidemic.
Third, CCP’s ability to mobilize human and material resources, is strong. In order to contain the epidemic, China launched a nationwide mobilization unprecedented in global health history: Wuhan and its surrounding cities were locked, and tens of millions of people were restricted in movement; temperature monitoring was carried out from house to house; hundreds of millions of people delayed returning after the Spring Festival holiday to their townships; large state-owned enterprises and private enterprises participated in logistical support work; in the past, the “shared poverty alleviation” policy between eastern and western provinces and cities has also been borrowed. This has established shared assistance between other provinces and cities and the more severely affected cities in Hubei.
Since 2012, China’s targeted poverty alleviation has been successful, helping approximately 100 million people to escape extreme poverty, including millions of villagers who have relocated from remote mountain villages to newly built communities.
People should not only admit that China has made unprecedented achievements in controlling the epidemic and fighting poverty, but also that there is a causal relationship between the overall leadership of the CCP and these achievements.
What contributed to China’s development miracle? Consider these eight points:
- People work hard to improve family life and the destiny of the country.
- The system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CCP has promoted political stability and encouraged economic freedom.
- Multi-level party leadership system of provinces, cities, counties, townships, and villages is effective
- The CCP cares about and listens to public opinion
- Giving priority to promoting economic and social development
- Have long-term, medium, and short-term policies, and continue to monitor and adjust them
- Before any policy is issued on a large scale, a small-scale pilot program must be carried out in advance
- Have the courage to admit and correct mistakes.
The above eight points are extremely important. China’s principles are very clear: formulate precise poverty alleviation strategies in accordance with local conditions, have a specialized agency to implement these measures, and conduct independent third-party supervision and acceptance of the effectiveness.
The key to achieving poverty alleviation in any country lies in its leaders. Therefore, the first criterion is that the country’s senior leaders must make a firm commitment to poverty alleviation. Senior Chinese leaders set an example and raised poverty alleviation to the top priority.
This top-level commitment is also the experience that China provides to the world”.
Source: oversea.huanqiu.com.
Hong Kong Government needs to solve Hong Kong’s problems
On Wednesday (16th), Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, delivered a speech recently stating that Hong Kong should contribute to the Chinese Dream. However, how to make contributions, and what Hong Kong needs to contribute to the Chinese Dream, is exactly the direction that officials should think about before immersing themselves in work.
To contribute to the Chinese Dream, you need to solve your own problems first.
There are a lot of problems in Hong Kong society. Instead of talking about contributing to the Chinese Dream, Carrie Lam should solve Hong Kong’s long-standing social and people’s livelihood problems in a down-to-earth manner, so that people in a city can live and work in peace and contentment without relying on the mainland to solve problems.
The government still focuses too much on maintaining political stability through the law, while ignoring the pain of people’s livelihood. As we pointed out recently, Carrie Lam said that she would put an end to wavering on the issue of national security. However, officials pretend to be deaf and dumb on real livelihood issues such as land, housing, hospitals, and medical care. Uneven efforts on political and people’s livelihood issues have not only led to the aggravation of real social problems, but also planted hidden dangers in long-term governance.
The Chinese dream requires two systems to shine.
The current role of Hong Kong as a contributor is not outstanding. In the past, the Hong Kong government erroneously held the mentality that the ‘river does not violate the well water’, and it is separated from the mainland. In the past two years, officials have focused on the development of “one country, two systems” but only on the concept of “one country,” and only emphasized that “one country” seeks common ground.
This is true, but they cannot ignore the parts that contribute to the success of the “two systems.” For example, in the face of the new guidelines for film censorship, the authorities must avoid eliminating more sensitive subjects or content. These often reflect the unique cultural of Hong Kong under the two systems. Another example is the June 4th anniversary that has just passed. In the past two years, gatherings have been restricted due to epidemic prevention. But after the epidemic, can Hong Kong people mourn things that the mainland may not agree with? The degree of political tolerance in Hong Kong depends on whether the advantages of the two systems can be fully realized.
After the anti-amendment turmoil, the central government has acted vigorously. However, Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” cannot require the central government to give pointers to everything. The SAR government cannot just passively accept it without the intention to actively provide a new perspective. The SAR government should become the definition and interpreter of “one country, two systems”. It should explain to the central government how to balance the two systems so that Hong Kong can provide unique contributions that are different from other mainland cities.
When the Hong Kong government responds to social dissatisfaction and incomprehension, it should also look at the people’s livelihood issues and its understanding of one country, two systems. Only in this way can it alleviate social splits, reduce governance difficulties, and properly display Hong Kong’s strengths.
When Hong Kong is a good Hong Kong, it is already contributing to the Chinese dream.
Source: hk01.com.
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