President Xi Jinping Attends Video Summit with French,German Leaders

President Xi Jinping Attends Video Summit with French， German Leaders

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing on April 16.

Xi said China has included carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in its overall plan for ecological conservation， and promoted the development of a green and low-carbon circular economy in an all-round way.

Xi said China will adhere to the principles of equity， common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities， promote the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC） and the Paris Agreement， and actively develop SouthSouth cooperation on climate change.

China will expand high-level opening-up and create a fair， just， and nondiscriminatory business environment for foreign-invested enterprises， including French and German companies， he said.

Macron said that France is willing to work with China to promote the further progress of France-China and Europe-China economic relations.

Merkel said that it is extremely important for Germany， France， and China to strengthen cooperation in tackling climate change. Germany values the opportunities that the implementation of Chinas 14th Five-Year Plan brings to Germany-China and Europe-China cooperation， and is willing to deepen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with China.

The three leaders agreed that it is necessary to uphold multilateralism， fully implement the Paris Agreement， and jointly build a fair， reasonable， cooperative， and win-win global climate governance system， and promote this summit to achieve positive， balanced， and pragmatic results.

Premier Li Keqiang Holds Virtual Dialogue with U.S. Business Leaders

On April 13， 2021， Premier Li Keqiang attended a virtual dialogue with U.S. business leaders in Beijing. Board chairmen and CEOs from the US-China Business Council and over 20 U.S. multinational companies attended the dialogue. Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the Paulson Institute Henry Paulson chaired the dialogue.

Li said that China welcomes the active participation of companies from the United States and around the world in its reform and opening-up， as well as its modernization process. He called upon the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and uphold the principles of non-conflict， non-confrontation， mutual respect， and win-win cooperation， respecting each others core interests and major concerns， enhancing dialogue and communication， expanding practical cooperation， and properly handling differences.

Noting that trade between the two countries in 2020 increased despite multiple challenges， Li said this indicates that there are objective conditions and opportunities for cooperation between the two sides.

Li also indicated that China will further open up， work towards creating a market-based and law-governed business environment that meets international standards， and promote reforms to delegate power， streamline administration， and optimize government services， ensuring a level playing field for domestic and foreign enterprises.

Participants from the U.S. side said that the U.S. business community supports the increasing mutual trust between the two sides through communication， enhancing their coordination and cooperation in areas including epidemic prevention and control， climate change， sustainable development and innovation， and resuming people-to-people exchanges as soon as possible.

Wang Yi Attends Reception Celebrating the Fifth Anniversary of the LMC

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi， on April 13， 2021， attended and addressed the reception celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation （LMC）.

Wang said that the LMC mechanism had brought about tangible benefits to the people of all LMC countries. The six LMC countries have helped each other in the fight against COVID-19， and supported over 500 projects in such fields as education， health， women， and poverty alleviation， and delivered concrete services to that end. They joined hands to combat the challenges of floods and droughts， climate change and non-traditional security threats， and strongly maintained regional peace and stability. Wang stressed that the six LMC countries should adhere to the spirit of partnership to jointly seek ways for promoting further development.

Myanmar Ambassador to China U Myo Thant Pe， whose country is the co-chair of the LMC， gave a speech on behalf of the envoys of the LMC countries. He spoke highly of the results of the LMC mechanism， appreciated Chinas role and support in promoting the LMC， and said all LMC countries are willing to work closely with China to strengthen the LMC mechanism， deepen practical cooperation， and bring more benefits to the people.

China Advanced Space Cooperation in 2020

China actively promoted international space cooperation in 2020， offering satellite exports and launches， cooperative research and application services to the rest of the world， according to a recent report on Chinas aerospace industry.

By the end of last year， 51 Chinese rockets had launched 59 foreign commercial satellites into space， as per the 2020 Blue Book of China Aerospace Science and Technology. In January and November， Chinas Long March rockets took 12 commercial remote sensing satellites developed by Argentinas Satellogic into orbit. The company has an agreement with the China Great Wall Industry Cooperation on plans to launch 90 satellites on Long March rockets. In December， Ethiopia launched its second Chinesebacked satellite from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south Chinas Hainan Province. The preliminary design of the satellite was done in Ethiopia， while a joint Ethiopian-Chinese engineering team completed the technical and detailed design.

The report stated that it set a new precedent of international aid on climate change. At the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015， the Chinese government pledged to provide satellite television for 10，000 African villages.

Sharp Fall in Drug-Related Crimes

China saw big drops in the number of drug-related crimes， confiscated drugs， and new drug users detected last year， an indication that the countrys drug problem is easing， a Ministry of Public Security spokeswoman said recently.

In 2020， police cracked 64，000 drug-related cases （down 22.9 percent year-on-year）， arrested 92，000 criminal suspects （down 18.6 percent）， nabbed 427，000 drug users （down 30.8 percent）， and seized 55 metric tons of drugs （down 14.8 percent）. And the number of newly discovered drug users under the age of 35 decreased by 31.5 percent year-on-year. A campaign on anti-drug information logged the participation of 89 million students last year and drew the attention of tens of millions more across the nation.

The figures show that the countrys anti-drug fight has been effective， Zhang Ming， a spokeswoman for the ministry， said during a news conference.

Chinese Students Continue Going Abroad for Study

The Center for China and Globalization and Institute of Development Studies under Southwestern University of Finance and Economics jointly recently released the Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Students Studying Abroad 2020-21. It shows a steady increase in the number of Chinese students going abroad despite the impact of COVID-19 and a greater diversity in their destinations.

The U.S. remains the top choice for Chinese students， and the number preferring the U.S. has maintained an upward trend for the past 15 years. However， the pace of growth is slowing down， and an inflection point is predicted for the 2020-21 academic year， as more Chinese students are turning their sights to countries and regions with a more hospitable environment and favorable visa policies. In comparison the percentages of students going to Japan， Singapore， and New Zealand are rising.