News

Choosing Cooperation

March 19， Beijing： Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People. During the talk， President Xi Jinping called for improved high-level exchanges and careful handling of sensitive issues between China and the United States， while stressing that cooperation is the only correct choice for both countries. Xi also extended an invitation for President Trump to visit China.

Tillerson said President Trump places a “very high value on the communications that have already occurred”between the two presidents and looks forward to “better understanding and a future visit.” He agreed that the U.S. side is ready to develop relations with China based on the principles of no conflict， no confrontation， mutual respect and win-win cooperation. It was Tillerson’s first visit to China since he took office in February.

Confident in 6.5 Percent Growth

Cangzhou， Hebei Province： Robots work on the production line of a Hyundai welding workshop. On March 5， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered the Report on the Work of the Government at the Fifth Session of the 12th National People’s Congress. In this report， China set the projected 2017 goal of “GDP growth of around 6.5 percent， or higher if possible in practice，” the lowest target in a quarter of a century. The move shows a resolve to value quality over fast growth.

The expected target aligns with both economics and reality， Li said， adding that it will help stabilize market expectations and facilitate the country’s structural adjustments. “An important reason for stressing the need to maintain steady growth is to ensure employment and improve people’s lives，” Premier Li remarked. “Considering our sound economic fundamentals and the capacity they bring to job creation， this target is attainable with hard work.”

Cherry Blossom Campus

March 14， Wuhan， Hubei Province： Tourists enjoy cherry blossoms at Wuhan University. The university opened online ticketing for blossom-watching this year on March 13. Tickets for the next two days sold out on the first day they were offered as well.

Wuhan University， with a history of more than 120 years， is famed as one of the most beautiful universities in China， largely due to its annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The prime blooming season is the week around March 20. The first cherry trees on campus were introduced from Japan. Over the time， more cherry trees were introduced through other channels and replenished， so the number of trees has increased to more than 1，000， with four botanical species and more than a dozen subspecies.

Clean Energy in China

March 15， Changxing County， Zhejiang Province： Eleven wind turbines of the Huadian Hongshan Wind Power Plant have officially been put into operation and hooked up to the local power grid. As the largest lowspeed wind power plant in northern Zhejiang Province， the power plant eliminates 40 kilotons of standard coal burning and cuts emissions of smoke， carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide by 7，000 tons， 154 kilotons and 6，000 tons respectively every year. In fact， China’s coal consumption has dropped for three consecutive years. In 2016， coal accounted for 62 percent of total energy consumption， the lowest level since 1990， a sign of progress for the broader effort to develop the non-fossil fuel sector.

As pledged in the Paris Agreement of the United Nations climate talks， China will reduce its emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent from 2005 levels and increase its percentage of non-fossil fuel energy consumption to approximately 20 percent.