The China Now program informs about this country's news, culture and technological advances. This episode features updates on United Nations, where China is the rotating president of the Security Council, Governor of California Gavin Newsom's weeklong trip to the Asian giant and other topics. The second segment includes China's latest technology launches and a talk from the Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed. teleSUR
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00:00 Hello, Televisión Inglés presents a new episode of China Now, a We Media production
00:13 that showcases the culture, technology and politics of the ASEAN.
00:16 In this first segment we have the latest news in the United Nations, where China has examined
00:22 its role as a rotating president of the United Nations Security Council, starting on November
00:26 the 1st.
00:27 Also, we have the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, ending his week-long trip to
00:32 China in Shanghai by launching a new climate partnership with the city and touring Tesla's
00:39 Shanghai Gigafactory.
00:40 And in diplomatic matters, the government of China and the government of Pakistan made
00:45 an agreement on a mutual visa exception.
00:49 Let's have a look.
00:51 China Current is a weekly news talk show from China to the world.
00:55 We cover viral news about China every week and also give you the newest updates on China's
01:00 cutting-edge technologies.
01:01 Let's get started.
01:02 Hi, welcome to China Current, I'm Chris.
01:14 Let's start this episode by updating you the latest events in the UN.
01:19 China has commenced its role as a rotating president of the United Nations Security Council,
01:23 starting from November 1st.
01:25 Ambassador Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, chaired the Council's
01:30 internal consultations, successfully passing the working plan for the month.
01:34 Zhang emphasized that the Israeli-Palestinian situation is the most important issue on the
01:39 agenda for this month's Security Council discussions.
01:42 He stressed the urgent need to promote a ceasefire, prevent further civilian casualties, avert
01:48 larger-scale humanitarian disaster, and prevent the escalation of the conflict.
01:53 As the president of the Security Council, China will respond to the international community's
01:57 call and work for relevant parties to promote responsible and meaningful collective action
02:03 by the Security Council.
02:05 The presidency of the Security Council rotates among the 15 member states on a monthly basis.
02:10 China last held the presidency in August 2022, and during the previous presidency of Brazil,
02:16 none of the draft resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were adopted.
02:22 The closest to success was a resolution drafted by Brazil, which received 12 votes in favor,
02:28 two abstentions, but was vetoed by the United States, citing the so-called "absence of
02:33 Israel's right to self-defense" in the text.
02:36 On the same day Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with the
02:41 Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abou Saidi, as scheduled, exchanging views on the
02:46 Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
02:48 Abou Saidi highly praised China's consistent call for restraint among all parties involved
02:53 in the conflict, its support for a ceasefire, and its vote in favor of the Arab-led resolution
02:58 at the UN General Assembly.
03:00 He expressed his expectation for China to play an important role as the president of
03:05 the Security Council this month.
03:07 Wang Yi stated that China supports the prompt convening of a more authoritative, inclusive,
03:13 and effective international conference to promote the Israeli-Palestinian issue's
03:17 return to the track of the two-state solution.
03:20 He emphasized that the root cause of the Palestinian issue lies in the failure to restore and safeguard
03:26 the legitimate rights and interests of the Palestinian people.
03:29 And a way to resolve this issue is by implementing the two-state solution.
03:34 Next up, Governor of California Gavin Newsom had just ended his week-long trip to China
03:39 in Shanghai on November 29th by launching a new climate partnership with the city and
03:44 touring Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory.
03:47 Starting from October 23rd, Newsom's extensive itinerary took him across various economic
03:52 powerhouses in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Hong Kong.
03:58 During his stay in China, Newsom held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vice President
04:04 Han Zheng, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
04:06 Newsom's visit to China has yielded significant progress in advancing climate action and cooperation,
04:12 promoting economic development and tourism, and strengthening cultural ties.
04:17 California holds prominence in terms of population, politics, economy, and culture.
04:22 It is home to the largest Chinese-American community in the United States and has long
04:27 served as a vital gateway for U.S.-China cooperation.
04:30 Many analysts believe that the outcome of Newsom's visit will serve as a model for
04:34 other U.S. states seeking to enhance their ties with China.
04:39 Next up, let's take a look at another diplomatic event.
04:41 On November 2nd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China has announced
04:46 that the agreement between the government of China and the government of Kazakhstan
04:50 on mutual visa exemption is set to take effect on November 10th, 2023.
04:56 Under this agreement, Chinese citizens holding regular passports for official business, ordinary
05:01 passports and travel documents, as well as Kazakhstani citizens holding ordinary passports
05:06 and return certificates, will be granted visa exemption privileges.
05:12 Visa exemption applies to various purposes, including entry, exit, or transit for private
05:17 affairs, business activities, tourism, medical visits, international transportation, and
05:22 transit.
05:23 Qualified individuals will be allowed a single stay of up to 30 days, commencing from the
05:27 date of entry.
05:28 Additionally, the accumulated duration of their stays within every 180-day period should
05:34 not exceed 90 days.
05:36 Next up, on October 31st, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft successfully
05:42 landed at the Dongfeng landing site.
05:45 Tikonauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao were in good physical condition.
05:50 The Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft was launched into orbit on May 30th, 2023 from the Jiuquan
05:56 Satellite Launch Center.
05:58 It then docked with the Tianhe core module to form an assembly.
06:01 The three Tikonauts stayed in orbit for 154 days, during which they carried out one extravehicular
06:07 activity and a fourth space lecture for the Chinese space station and coordinated the
06:12 completion of several cargo uploading tasks for the space station.
06:16 This was the first manned spacecraft mission since China's manned space program entered
06:20 the space station application and development stage.
06:23 With close cooperation between the Tikonauts crew and ground research personnel, they carried
06:28 out experiments in areas like ergonomics, aerospace medicine, life ecology, biotechnology,
06:34 material science, fluid physics and aerospace technology.
06:38 These marked an important step in the transition of China's manned space program from construction
06:43 to application and from input to output.
06:47 Netizens are feeling extremely proud and offering best wishes for the nation to accomplish even
06:52 greater achievements.
06:54 Next up, let's turn to Canada.
06:56 On October 30th, the Canadian government issued a ban on the use of the messaging app WeChat
07:02 on all government-issued mobile devices.
07:04 The ban takes effect immediately.
07:07 Canada's Treasury Board President Anit Anand claimed the move was part of a risk-based
07:12 approach to cybersecurity while providing no evidence of actual information leaks.
07:16 Anand asserted that on mobile devices, the data collection methods of WeChat enabled
07:21 significant access to device content.
07:23 In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated during a press conference
07:28 that WeChat is a social networking platform operated by a private enterprise.
07:33 The Canadian government's ban on Chinese companies under the pretext of safeguarding
07:37 data security without any solid evidence is a typical case of generalizing the concept
07:43 of national security, abusing state power, and unjustifiably suppressing specific companies
07:48 from a certain country.
07:50 China strongly opposes such actions.
07:53 This is not the first time the Canadian government has cited security risks in targeting foreign
07:58 apps.
07:59 In February, it banned TikTok from government devices, similarly claiming potential threats
08:04 to information security.
08:06 The impact on WeChat's business operations in Canada remains uncertain.
08:11 And next up, let's talk about Halloween.
08:13 Shanghai's Halloween celebration this year sparked debate online as young participants
08:18 gave the Western holiday a creative Chinese spin.
08:21 The costumes and impersonation marking Chinese cultural figures seen at events across the
08:26 city generated buzz for their unique take on the tradition.
08:30 Thousands of costume youth gathered in downtown Shanghai over the weekend for parties, contests,
08:35 and Halloween parade.
08:36 While the usual ghosts and ghouls were present, many chose to dress up as Chinese deities,
08:42 emperors, celebrities, brands, and internet memes.
08:45 The innovative costumes were a big hit on social media, where they ignited debate about
08:50 localizing Western holidays.
08:53 Some argued the lighthearted spoofs reflect the Chinese youth expressing their creativity,
08:57 but more conservative voices contended they show the lack of respect for traditional culture.
09:02 Regardless of the controversy, the zany Chinese-inspired costumes succeeded in creating buzz and attracted
09:08 far more attention than previous years.
09:11 It seems Shanghai's unique brand of Halloween is here to stay.
09:15 Whether it represents cultural integration or just youthful irreverence depends on who
09:19 you ask.
09:21 Next up, let's turn to economy.
09:22 The Central Financial World Conference was held in Beijing from October 30th to 31st.
09:28 The conference emphasized that finance is the lifeblood of the national economy and
09:32 an important part of the country's core competitiveness.
09:36 It underscored the need to accelerate the construction of the financial powerhouse,
09:40 comprehensively strengthen financial supervision, improve the financial system, optimize financial
09:45 services, and prevent and resolve risks.
09:49 The conference also stressed the unwavering commitment to the path of financial development
09:53 with Chinese characteristics.
09:55 It aims to promote high-quality development of China's finance, providing strong support
10:00 for the comprehensive advancement of building a powerful country with Chinese modernization
10:05 and great rejuvenation of the nation.
10:08 Next up, on national security.
10:10 On October 31st, the Chinese Minister of State Security announced a widespread crackdown
10:16 on illegal foreign weather monitor activities that posed risk to national security.
10:21 State security officials said over 10 foreign weather equipment vendors were investigated
10:26 and over 3,000 foreign-linked weather stations inspected nationwide.
10:31 Hundreds of unauthorized weather sites were found to be illicitly transmitting real-time
10:36 data abroad.
10:38 Experts said meteorological information could expose military and state secrets.
10:42 The foreign-operated sensors, if located near airbases, missile launch sites, and other
10:47 sensitive facilities, may review activities through changes in atmospheric patterns.
10:53 Authorities reminded that all weather monitoring in China must adhere to domestic security
10:57 protocols.
10:58 The campaign serves as a warning to unauthorized data transfer that infringes on national interests.
11:04 Netizens support relevant authorities' crackdown actions, and Chinese netizens believe national
11:09 security must be firmly defended.
11:12 Last but not least, starting from November 1st, the autonomous region of Guangxi will
11:16 include certain treatment-related assisted reproductive services, such as egg retrieval
11:22 procedures, within the payment scope of basic medical insurance and work injury insurance
11:26 funds.
11:27 With this move, Guangxi has achieved a breakthrough in insurance reimbursement for assisted reproductive
11:33 medical services.
11:35 Women who meet the criteria can now get reimbursed for in vitro fertilization procedures.
11:40 China is experiencing a significant demographic shift, with its population aging rapidly.
11:46 Due to a combination of one-child policy, which was in effect from 1979 to 2015, and
11:51 increasing life expectancy, the proportion of elderly people is rising.
11:56 As of 2021, the group accounted for nearly 20% of the population and is projected to
12:01 reach one-third by 2050.
12:04 The demographic shift poses challenges on multiple fronts.
12:08 The shrinking workforce could dampen economic growth, while the rising number of retirees
12:12 puts pressure on the pension system and healthcare resources.
12:16 But that's all for today.
12:17 Thank you for watching this episode of China Currents.
12:19 If you have any thoughts and comments about our show, please reach us at the email address
12:23 below.
12:24 I'm Chris, and looking forward to hearing from you, and see you next time.
12:27 We'll take a short break, but we'll be right back.
12:35 Stay with us.
12:43 Welcome back to China Now.
12:56 In this second segment, we have Thirst Hall, with some tech innovations and announcements
13:01 happening in China last week, just as unveiling the scientific roots of traditional Chinese
13:07 medicine and unlocking and adding the power of vitamin C in the spinal cord.
13:13 Meanwhile, in Thinkers Forum, we have Senator Hussein Zayed Shirtman, Senate Defense Committee
13:20 and Pakistan-China Institute, talking about how he's focusing on the role of the BRI,
13:26 the Belt and Road Initiative, and Pakistan-China relations.
13:30 Also in Thinkers Forum, Boris Tadik, the former president of Serbia, gave a speech at the
13:37 Technomatic Forum of Things, a time exchange of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International
13:43 Cooperation, where he expressed that stable initiatives, visionary initiatives, are crucial
13:48 and important for the peace and development for the world in the future.
13:52 Let's see.
13:53 Hi, I'm Lisa, and this is Threshold in China.
14:00 Today, we are going to share some exciting tech innovations and announcements that happened
14:04 in China last week.
14:12 Just as the US government is imposing new restrictions on the sale of advanced GPUs
14:17 to China, aiming to hinder its development in AI, researchers from Tsinghua University
14:23 have achieved a surprising breakthrough.
14:26 They have developed an all-analog photo-electronic chip that promises to revolutionize high-speed
14:33 vision tasks.
14:34 The chip, Axel, combines electronic and light computing to achieve unprecedented energy
14:39 efficiency and computing speed for vision-related processes, overtaking the current high-performance
14:45 AI chips in these critical areas.
14:49 Traditional digital computing units have long been limited by energy consumption and computing
14:54 speed when handling vision tasks.
14:57 Tasks such as image recognition for autonomous driving, robotics, medical diagnosis, and
15:02 wearable devices require high-resolution imaging, precise classification, and ultra-low latency.
15:09 Now, by integrating diffractive optical analog computing, OAC, and electronic analog computing,
15:17 EAC, in a single chip, Axel achieved remarkable energy efficiency and computing speed.
15:23 OAC is a method that manipulates the properties of light to perform computations such as its
15:29 intensity through diffraction.
15:31 EAC is another approach that uses electronic components to perform calculations in a way
15:37 that mimics continuous physical quantities.
15:40 These electronic signals vary in strength and can represent a range of values that is
15:44 beyond zero and one.
15:46 Both methods offer advantages for specific calculations and contribute to developing
15:51 high-speed vision tasks.
15:53 The chip, developed by Chinese semiconductor manufacturing international corporation SMIC,
15:59 achieved a computing speed of 4.6 petaflops in lab tests, with over 99% of the computations
16:05 performed optically, and this is 3,000 times faster than the Vita's A100.
16:11 Remarkably, it also uses 4 million less energy, so this ultra-low power consumption contributes
16:18 to easing heat generation issues.
16:20 Meanwhile, the A100 is subject to trade restrictions imposed by the US, so it cannot be exported
16:28 to China.
16:29 This breakthrough by the Tsinghua team holds profound significance as it integrates other
16:34 high-performance computing techniques with existing electronic information systems.
16:39 Researchers demonstrated that although the new chip cannot immediately replace those
16:43 used in devices such as computers or smartphones, it may soon be used in wearable devices, electronic
16:50 cars, or smart factories and help boost China's competitiveness in mass application of artificial
16:56 intelligence.
16:57 For decades, traditional Chinese medicine has been themed through the lens of skepticism,
17:08 often classified as pseudoscience.
17:10 But now, researchers have discovered that the principles of traditional Chinese medicine
17:15 is not that different when compared to contemporary medicine.
17:19 In this study, researchers conducted a network mapping proteins associated with various symptoms
17:25 and the target proteins of chemicals found in Chinese herbs.
17:30 Target proteins are proteins in the human body that the chemicals in a particular Chinese
17:34 herb can affect or interact with.
17:37 When you have a symptom, what you can find in your body is a cluster of protein that
17:41 can cause this discomfort.
17:43 The team found that the closer the herb's target protein is to the cluster of protein,
17:48 the more likely the herb is able to treat the symptom based on overlap.
17:53 For example, the Chinese herb Stellaria root is used to treat fevers.
17:58 The researchers found that its target proteins are located near proteins associated with
18:03 fever regulations and inflammation.
18:06 So, Stellaria root may work by influencing these fever-related processes.
18:12 By analyzing this protein network, the research team showed that herbs prescribed in traditional
18:17 Chinese medicine tend to have target proteins near the protein linked to the patient's symptoms.
18:24 This proximity pattern is highly similar to a modern drug-disease relationship, but traditional
18:29 Chinese medicine figured this out some 3,000 years ago.
18:33 The team validated the network using medical records from over 1,900 liver cirrhosis patients.
18:41 While individual herbs have been scientifically studied before, this is the first research
18:47 substantiating traditional Chinese medicine as a complete system.
18:51 It provides evidence that this ancient practice may have scientific molecular mechanisms,
18:57 much like modern pharmacology.
19:00 In 2015, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Tu Youyou, a Chinese
19:05 chemist who discovered a malaria drug derived from a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine.
19:12 The researchers hope that work will lead to further study and potential new drug discoveries
19:16 inspired by traditional Chinese medicine.
19:19 Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science have revealed how vitamin C protects the spinal
19:30 cord from aging in primates like monkeys and humans.
19:35 To explain their findings, let's imagine the spinal cord as the body's main electrical cable.
19:40 It sends signals that stir everything from movement to sensation.
19:44 As we age, this cable can wear down and leads to slower communication between the brain
19:49 and the body's nerve and less function.
19:53 So what caused the cable to wear down?
19:55 The researchers pinpointed motor neurons as the most aging-sensitive cells.
20:00 They mapped out the monkey's spinal landscape using single-cell sequencing and highlighted
20:05 a new class of microgolia growing around the aged motor neurons.
20:11 These cells produce CHIT1 protein, which accumulates like rust, hindering motor neurons with the
20:17 SMAD signal.
20:19 Levels of this spinal rust also increased in aged monkeys and humans.
20:24 Because the spinal cord controls muscles in our body, these insights may explain multi-system aging.
20:31 Most importantly, the scientists found vitamin C can help to clear out this aging rust.
20:38 It protects motor neurons from CHIT1's wear and tear.
20:42 Taking vitamin C supplements for three years robustly reversed aging traits in aged monkeys'
20:47 motor neurons.
20:48 Likewise, in lab dishes, vitamin C also shielded human motor neurons from CHIT1's damage.
20:54 Targeting CHIT1 could yield new treatments for deteriorating conditions like ALS.
21:00 Research efforts are ongoing to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop potential treatments.
21:05 [Music]
21:11 How do carbohydrates fit into a healthy diet?
21:14 Central Cells University in China carried out a research that links the amount of carbs
21:19 we eat to a protein called clotho, known for its connection to aging and health.
21:25 They used data from over 10,000 American adults and discovered that too few or too many carbs
21:31 are tied to lower clotho levels.
21:34 While moderate carbohydrates show the highest protein levels.
21:38 The optical range for carbohydrate intake was found to be between 48.92% and 56.2% of
21:45 the total energy intake.
21:47 Shanghai Jiao Tong University also carried out a research on a special type of carb known
21:53 as the enter-resistant starch, RS.
21:57 It is found in cold potatoes, rice, beans, and whole grains.
22:01 It is unique because it bypasses digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the
22:06 large intestine, serving as fuel for gut bacteria and produce compounds that help regulate metabolism
22:12 and reduce liver fat.
22:15 Researchers discovered that RS can effectively reduce liver fat in patients with non-alcoholic
22:20 fatty liver disease by modifying their microbiome.
22:24 NAFLD affects a staggering number of people worldwide with no approved pharmacological
22:29 treatments available.
22:31 In a 4-month clinical trial, individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were given
22:36 RS.
22:37 The reduction in liver fat was independent of weight loss, meaning that even without
22:42 shedding pounds, the participants benefited from RS consumption.
22:46 Food rich in resistant starch can be easily introduced in everyday meals.
22:51 These findings emphasize the significance of a balanced diet in promoting a healthy
22:56 condition and underscore the potential of everyday food choices in disease prevention
23:01 and management.
23:02 And that is all for today's Threshold.
23:04 We hope you like this new section on science and technology in China.
23:08 And as usual, we welcome your feedback and thoughts.
23:15 Greetings from Islamabad, Pakistan.
23:16 Ladies and gentlemen, it's a great pleasure for me.
23:17 And it's also my special pleasure to be focusing on the role of the BRI, the Belt and Road
23:28 Initiative and Pakistan-China relations, which have been a pivotal segment of BRI in the
23:36 context of the theme of the conference, focusing on the next decade, China and the changing
23:43 global landscape.
23:44 Ladies and gentlemen, the coming decade is a turbulent decade, but it is also a transformative
23:56 decade.
23:57 Let's see what some of the world leaders have focused on recently in their statements.
24:06 President Xi Jinping has said that we are witnessing once in a century changes which
24:13 are unique.
24:14 President Putin has termed it as the most dangerous decade.
24:22 President Biden has said this is the most decisive decade.
24:29 And the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, in his recent article which he wrote in the
24:34 American publication Foreign Affairs, said that we are witnessing epochal, tectonic changes
24:42 in the world.
24:45 And perhaps one of the most important statements regarding the transformation in the global
24:51 landscape was made by the President of France, Monsieur Macron, who said last year, and I
25:01 quote, "300 years of Western hegemony is coming to an end.
25:10 And that is the crux of the change where we see the global balance of power shifting from
25:21 the West to the East.
25:24 The 21st century is said to be the Asian century.
25:29 And we are seeing the peaceful development and the peaceful rise of China."
25:35 And if I may say so, also we are witnessing the decline of the West.
25:43 The West, in my view, includes Europe and the United States of America.
25:50 So this is the global landscape, the changing global scenario.
25:56 And on that, we focus on the Belt and Road Initiative, which was celebrating 10 years
26:02 launched by President Xi Jinping as the most important development and diplomatic initiative
26:09 of the 21st century, which now includes over 140 countries, so many organizations.
26:19 And we are very proud of the fact in Pakistan that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,
26:25 the CPEC, is the pivot, is the pillar, is the success story of BRI in the last 10 years,
26:36 generating 85,000 jobs, promoting unity in Pakistan through development, people-centered
26:45 development in different provinces of the Federation of Pakistan, empowering women,
26:52 giving hope to the youth, giving employment to the poor, and developing Pakistan forward
27:02 in energy, in infrastructure, in agriculture, in industry, in education.
27:12 And we feel that China's investment of approximately $26 billion in the CPEC, the China-Pakistan
27:20 Economic Corridor, has been very important.
27:23 We have a new port in the Arabian Sea, the Gwadar Port, which is building up connectivity.
27:32 And we have closer connections developing with Central Asian republics who seek an outlet
27:38 to the sea through the BRI.
27:41 And the BRI is not a one-off initiative.
27:45 It has been supported, it has been supplemented by the Global Development Initiative launched
27:52 by President Xi Jinping, the Global Security Initiative.
27:57 And now, last March, and I was one of those who was witness to that, on 16th of March,
28:04 when at the high-level meeting organized by the Communist Party of China, of political
28:09 parties, President Xi Jinping announced the Global Civilization Initiative.
28:15 All of these, what do they need?
28:18 A world view based on equality, based on diversity, based on inclusivity, connecting cultures,
28:32 commerce, continents, countries, civilizations.
28:39 That is what is needed by global humanity as we come out of the pandemic, as we are
28:51 facing challenges like climate change, which are collective challenges requiring a common
29:00 approach, not an approach based on conflict or confrontation.
29:06 Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing two divergent world views, values, and perhaps
29:16 way of looking at the system.
29:20 China's march towards modernization, promoting globalization, is based on, rooted in its
29:30 strategic culture, what I call its strategic culture, its history, whether it's the Silk
29:38 Road, which was the first instance of globalization through commerce and culture 2,000 years ago,
29:44 whether it's the Great Wall, which was protective and defensive against foreign aggression,
29:50 whether it's the Long March, in which the People's Liberation Army survived and surmounted,
29:58 and shows China's patience, persistence, and perseverance, or whether it's the century
30:04 of humiliation, which China faced after 1840, the Opium War, foreign domination, foreign
30:15 control, and China then decided that never again would they allow any compromise on its
30:21 dignity, unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.
30:26 And these are values which are common to us in the global South.
30:31 But we are very concerned at the world today, because there are two different views, two
30:38 different perspectives.
30:39 China is talking of modernization and marching forward on that platform.
30:47 The West, especially the United States, is talking of militarization of international
30:51 relations, whether it's Asian NATO, whether it's the new Camp David, where they involve
30:57 Japan and South Korea, whether it's the Quad, whether it's AUKUS, they're building a new
31:04 infrastructure.
31:05 They are building barriers through sanctions, through tariffs, through protectionism.
31:14 China is building bridges of connectivity, whether it is the rapprochement between Iran
31:21 and Saudi Arabia, whether it's the recent summit at BRICS in Johannesburg, which I attended,
31:28 especially the seminar on global governance and people-to-people contacts.
31:34 And then China is talking of connectivity and cooperation.
31:39 And while the West, even the G7, and especially the United States, are talking of confrontation,
31:48 conflict and containment.
31:50 Ladies and gentlemen, we in Pakistan reject any notion of a new world war, reject any
31:58 notion of containment.
32:00 These are irrelevant, outmoded concepts in the 21st century.
32:05 The 21st century is about connectivity, about peace, about cooperation, and about building
32:12 a better tomorrow with no overlords and no underdogs.
32:28 We are living in a totally unpredictable world.
32:34 Why I'm saying this, a very simple example.
32:38 Only one day before what happened in Israel and the atrocities committed by Hamas and
32:47 after that by Israeli state, no one was able to predict that event and what happened.
32:57 No one in global community.
33:00 In United Nations, where we were in September, this year in every global arena and think
33:10 tanks, no one was even mentioning what is going to be in Israel.
33:15 The question is, what is going to surprise us tomorrow?
33:20 Which kind of horrible events and development are going to affect all of us tomorrow and
33:25 after tomorrow?
33:27 In that context, stable initiatives, visionary initiatives are crucially important for the
33:35 peace and development of the world in the future.
33:38 In that context, especially initiative Belt and Road is one of the very few in global
33:46 arena in past few decades that is helping to everyone.
33:53 Not only China, but every single country which is on that direction.
33:57 Let's remind ourselves about current situation in global arena.
34:05 War in Ukraine is only outcome of the different wars that happened in past few years.
34:16 Before that we had a war in Iraq, war in Syria, war in Libya.
34:21 And this is crystal clear that new world orders are going to be outcome of the consequences
34:26 of that wars.
34:29 Different conflicting zones and different wars that are going to happen in some regions.
34:37 This is crystal clear that new world order that we need right now are going to be once
34:43 again outcome of the balance of the power.
34:48 And this is crystal clear that even new world order that has to be established for the generations
34:55 that are coming are going to be faced with many, many problems and many, many difficulties.
35:02 Why?
35:03 Because we have a policy of double standards which is existing for decades and years in
35:09 the multilateral institutions unfortunately and specifically that double standards policy
35:15 is in fact the leading idea among the big powers for decades.
35:23 If we have double standards we cannot talk about principles that are foundation of the
35:28 world orders and that has to be foundation of the world nowadays and that has to be foundation
35:38 of our common relations and bilateral and multilateral relations.
35:44 The policy of double standards is destroying the world nowadays.
35:48 We have to be focused on that policy of standards that has to be implemented in the global arena
35:59 in a very efficient and very principled way.
36:03 Dear friends, we have a new situation which is also outcome not only of the war but also
36:12 of the fast and extremely specific development of China and some other countries.
36:20 China has been saving world during the economic crisis.
36:24 Chinese economy which was unbelievable, 10 and 12 percent growth was a saving world because
36:33 China was a driving force of global economy.
36:36 Can you imagine the world nowadays without such impact of China in global arena?
36:43 At the same time reforms that China has been implementing from the end of the 1970s until
36:48 today has been also crucially important regarding stability of the world nowadays.
36:53 I'm always mentioning, can you imagine that China didn't create fantastic process in terms
37:01 of eradication from the poverty of more than 800 million people?
37:06 Can you imagine the world nowadays with the threat of migrations that are coming from
37:10 China?
37:12 China is nowadays a developed country, not developed enough but really stable and developed
37:18 country.
37:19 But can you imagine the world nowadays with 800 million people that are deeply anchored
37:24 in the poverty, Chinese people that are creating specific threats in terms of migration to
37:32 the Western world?
37:35 China with its own reforms also was saving the world nowadays and this is why China deserves
37:45 respect and support in the global community today.
37:51 In that respect I'm taking into consideration idea of the Belt and Road Initiative.
37:59 Belt and Road Initiative is a very specific and very unique aspect of multilateralism,
38:08 specifically in the situation when United Nations are losing credibility and United
38:13 Nations are not able anymore like it was in the future, in the past, to be crucial global
38:20 multilateral institution.
38:22 In that respect we need more multilateral initiatives that are going to help United
38:28 Nations to take over once again credibility and to be a leading institution in the world
38:35 in terms of multilateralism.
38:38 In one article I was writing about the Chinese way of modernization and let me emphasize
38:46 once again what I thought as a main contribution to modernization in the world nowadays.
38:53 In the context of the Western modernization is always in the focus only how to create
38:59 new wealth and new technical improvement.
39:03 But Chinese way of modernization from my point of view is more harmonization.
39:09 Harmonization is specifically very important for the world today.
39:15 Without harmonization we are going to be focused with more tensions and more conflicts in the
39:19 future.
39:20 I specifically see Belt and Road initiatives in the context of harmonization.
39:28 Many people are criticizing China because of Belt and Road initiative, because China
39:32 is offering the loans to the poor countries and China is bringing those countries a very
39:39 difficult debt crisis.
39:41 I totally disagree with that.
39:44 China has a great opportunity to create tremendous change in the global arena by harmonizing
39:51 international relations.
39:53 But China cannot do that without harmonization of its own economy and its own society.
40:00 This is why China has a huge responsibility nowadays.
40:04 China is hope.
40:06 We've been living in the world where the United States in the Western world was a hope.
40:11 Today China is hope.
40:14 In that respect harmonization that has to be in the focus of Chinese reforms in the
40:19 future is a crucial important.
40:22 Harmonization in terms of green economy, harmonization in terms of education, harmonization in terms
40:27 of international relations with other countries, harmonization has to be foundation of the
40:33 Belt and Road initiative.
40:36 Harmonization in international relations.
40:39 Without such approach we are going to be faced with more atrocities and more conflicts in
40:44 the future.
40:45 In that respect I really appreciate and really respect what is Chinese contribution to the
40:51 global arena and global politics nowadays.
40:55 I just wanted to underline once again specifically issue of modernization which is a great chance
41:05 not only for China but also for the whole world.
41:10 Dear friends, in that respect I have to mention something which is specifically characterizing
41:16 the Chinese initiatives in the world nowadays.
41:23 Belt and Road initiatives was pointed out and launched in 2013.
41:29 This year on G20 was pointed out idea of the global corridor, new global corridor by United
41:40 States, India, Saudi Arabia, Emirates and European Union countries.
41:46 This is idea that is coming ten years after Belt and Road initiative, ten years later.
41:54 Very interesting.
41:56 Last year in European Union that was pointed out idea to help eastern economies with a
42:02 significant financial help, huge financial help.
42:07 But that is coming ten years after Chinese impact in eastern countries that created tremendous
42:15 success in building infrastructure and creating new potentials for eastern countries.
42:22 It means that western world is coming ten years later after China in many, many aspects
42:28 and initiatives in the world, which is not very healthy for global economy and global
42:36 relations nowadays.
42:37 But in that respect we have to understand China has a really, really specific, specific
42:43 responsibility in the global arena, having in mind initiatives and the actions that China
42:50 is taking into the account and that China is triggering and that initiatives are also
42:58 very, very important regarding development in many, many different countries.
43:03 And I'm finishing my thoughts with a kind of suggestion for my Chinese friends.
43:10 This is ten years after idea of Belt and Road was launched in the international arena.
43:18 I think that China has to be very careful with the impacts of Belt and Road initiative.
43:27 China has to take into the consideration all negative impacts, not only positive impacts,
43:33 to learn from mistakes and to make corrections.
43:37 If Chinese government, Chinese leadership are going to make a kind of corrections, I
43:44 think that Belt and Road initiative can be one of the most significant historical achievement
43:50 in global arena.
43:51 Thank you very much for your attention.
43:55 And this was another episode of China Now, a show that opens a window to the present
43:58 and the future of the action giant.
44:00 Hope you enjoyed it.
44:01 See you next time.
44:01 [MUSIC]