HEGEMONY CAN ONLY LEAD TO 'DEAD END'

President Xi Jinping reiterated on Friday China's unwavering commitment to follow a path of peaceful, open, cooperative and common development while warning that the pursuit of unilateralism, protectionism and extreme egoism will "lead to nowhere but a dead end".

Xi made the pledge in a speech delivered at a grand gathering in Beijing that commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers forces entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

The president warned that any means of blackmailing, blocking and extreme pressure will lead nowhere, and impulsive, egotistical actions and those seeking to be the hegemon, bully or boss of the world are doomed to fail.

While China will never seek hegemony or expansionism, the country will resolutely oppose hegemony and power politics, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

He said China will never tolerate any damage to the nation's sovereignty, security or development interests or allow anybody or any force to invade or separate the country's sacred territory.

"In case of such serious situations, Chinese people surely will respond with a head-on blow!" he said.

In the speech, Xi highlighted the great patriotism and revolutionary heroism of the CPV forces who−upholding banners of safeguarding peace and resisting aggression−fought an arduous and dauntless battle side by side with the people and armed forces of the DPRK and secured a great victory in the war.

The victory in the war resisted the invasion and aggression of imperialism, safeguarded the security of New China and the peaceful lives of the Chinese people, stabilized the situation of the Korean Peninsula and ensured the peace of Asia and the world, he said.

Over the past 70 years, the country has never forgotten its older generation of revolutionaries who attained immortal feats in upholding international justice and defending world peace and the newly established People's Republic of China, Xi said.

Neither has the country forgotten the sublime and heroic stories of CPV officers and soldiers and martyrs who died heroically during the war, he said.

Xi recounted the warfare, including the five battles fought by the CPV and its DPRK allies and multiple other successful offensives, during a time when there was significant gap in national strength between China and the United States.

"After strenuous battles, the Chinese and DPRK armed forces defeated an opponent that was armed to the teeth and broke the myth that the US military is invincible," Xi said.

He also quoted several remarks by the late revolutionary leaders in describing the significance of the war victory.

The great victory has declared to the world that "the ages are gone when Western aggressors need only to set up several cannons in an Eastern coast before forcibly occupying a country", Xi said, quoting the remarks of Peng Dehuai, the then commander-in-chief of CPV forces.

The country has let the world know that "the Chinese people are now united and are not to be trifled with. If they are provoked, nothing good will come of it," he said, quoting a statement made by late Chairman Mao Zedong.

The war thwarted more attempts by imperialist forces to invade New China and enabled the new government to obtain a stable footing, he said, adding that the Chinese people had cemented the nation's important position in Asian and international affairs and promoted the modernization of its national defense and military.

"The war again proved that justice shall prevail over power politics, and peaceful development is the irresistible trend of history," he said.

The president stressed that the spirit forged in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea must be carried forward from generation to generation.

RANGE OF RMB RISE TO REMAIN REASONABLE

China's robust economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has helped stabilize confidence in the country's foreign exchange market, and the value of the renminbi is expected to remain generally stable with fluctuations within a reasonable range, the country's foreign exchange regulator said on Friday.

The statement came as the renminbi has seen notable appreciation in the past few months. Economists said that the sound fundamentals of the Chinese economy will support the value of the Chinese currency and renminbi-denominated assets while Beijing's foreign exchange policy is expected to focus on maintaining stability with possibly greater tolerance for increased exchange rate flexibility.

Wang Chunying, deputy director and spokesperson for the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said the recent appreciation of the renminbi has been largely supported by the fundamentals of the domestic economy as China has effectively controlled the pandemic and the country's social and economic activities have been on a steady path of recovery.

"International organizations have forecast that China is likely to be the only major economy to have a positive GDP growth rate this year. Good prospects for the country's exports and increased holding of RMB-denominated assets by overseas investors have led to the appreciation of the currency," Wang said at a news conference in Beijing.

The renminbi's appreciation has been relatively mild and in line with the performance of other major international currencies, Wang said. The Chinese currency has appreciated by about 4.5 percent against the United States dollar this year. This compared with a 5.9 percent appreciation of the euro against the US dollar and the Japanese yen's 4.1 percent rise against the greenback, according to SAFE.

In the first three quarters, China's commercial banks saw a surplus of $76.2 billion in the settlement of foreign exchange. The country has seen a net capital inflow since the second quarter, reversing a deficit of $26 billion in the first quarter. China's foreign exchange reserve also saw a slight increase, rising to $3.14 trillion by the end of September, according to SAFE.

Economists said that the market may see more mild appreciation of the Chinese currency in the future given China's stable economic recovery and the policymakers' willingness to maintain a normal monetary policy as long as possible.

NATION TO BOLSTER SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING

COVID-19 research published in Chinese scientific journals has played a key role in the nation's fight against the disease, but the nation's overall scientific publishing industry still needs more talent, resources and international cooperation to be competitive on the world stage, Chinese experts have said.

Last month, President Xi Jinping said China will need to create first-class academic journals and academic platforms. This was the first time Xi highlighted these subjects in his speeches, which showcased the significance of these topics for the country.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese scientists have contributed greatly to the treasure trove of knowledge about the illness by publishing their insights at home and abroad, said Zhang Boli, president of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As of August, one of the world's premier medical journals, the Lancet, had published 188 papers on COVID-19, 41 of which were written by Chinese authors, said Yang Wei, former director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. These papers from China accounted for 9,600 out of the 11,000 citations of all the COVID-19 papers published by the journal at the time, he added.

In journals published domestically, such as the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, scientists shared their knowledge on how TCM could be used to help alleviate COVID-19 symptoms and improve rates of successful treatment, especially for severely ill patients, Zhang said.

For example, Zhang said they discovered that using ginseng could help improve a severely ill patient's blood oxygen level. Xuebijing, a TCM compound injection, was found to be a safer alternative to steroids to quell a cytokine storm, a potentially fatal condition in which the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the infection and healthy cells indiscriminately.

TCM practitioners also proposed studying the rate at which mild cases were turning into serious cases as a key clinical indicator. This advice was later accepted by the World Health Organization and doctors worldwide, Zhang said.

However, Zhang said it typically takes months for a study to be published in foreign journals. Moreover, foreign publishers are often reluctant to accept and publish manuscripts on TCM, meaning the global scientific community is less familiar with related research topics, he said.

"This is why China needs to create its own world-class academic journals to get our knowledge out," he said, adding that China's scientific publishing industry will need to enhance their global outreach and collaboration.

Lyu Zhaoping, member of the Leading Party Members' Group of the China Association for Science and Technology, said scientific journals are crucial for sharing scientific thoughts and discoveries that are instrumental in spearheading scientific development and passing down knowledge to future generations.

By 2035, China aims to become a global front-runner in scientific publishing with its own world-class scientific journals and publishers, according to a document issued by the association along with other government ministries last year.

FM SLAMS WASHINGTON'S RECENT OUTBURST

Recent accusations by the United States against China represent an attack on developing countries and constitute an attempt to deprive emerging economies of their right to pursue development, said State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Wang made the comment in his phone conversations with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen and Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nasser Bourita on Thursday.

In talks with the Bangladeshi diplomat, Wang said Washington's groundless accusations against China are typical unilateral bullying behavior, according to a release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry early on Friday.

All developing countries should join hands to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests and champion international fairness and justice, he added.

When speaking to the Moroccan minister, Wang also responded to some US political figures' recent attempts to smear and stigmatize China as well as Washington's coercing of other countries to take sides.

Wang said such moves are among the most shameful actions in contemporary international politics and have fully displayed the US character of preferring unilateral bullying and selfishness.

The US fails to undertake its due international obligations while attempting to deprive developing countries of their legitimate right to seek advances, Wang said.

In this sense, supporting China means supporting multilateralism, the basic norms of international relations, the common interests of emerging market economies as well as international fairness and justice, he added.

Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China, said some political figures in the US frequently try to promote the concept of waging a new cold war against China.

"It is not only China, but also many countries that believe such a new cold war will not serve the interests of the world and will hamper China's development," he said.

Washington aims to shift blame over thorny domestic issues, bolstering unity within its borders and securing its hegemony on the global stage, the academic added.

Xu Yicong, a researcher at the China Foundation for International Studies and a former ambassador to Cuba, said US politicians' recent aggressive and coercive words and actions have given rise to unilateralism, uncertainty and instability, thus posing "a dire threat to global peace and development".

It is clear that many people bear great resentment against such policy patterns by Washington, Xu said.

SAFETY TOP PRIORITY AT UPCOMING CIIE

With the third China International Import Expo set to begin in less than two weeks, organizers have beefed up preventive measures to ensure the safety of the event amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participant Yeow Shuan, a businessman from New Zealand, arrived in Shanghai on Sunday, much earlier than the expo's running time from Nov 5 to 10.

According to the plan for COVID-19 prevention and control during the CIIE, which was issued by the Shanghai municipal government on Oct 12, all expo participants from overseas are required to submit health declarations, undergo temperature checks and tests as well as submit to 14-day quarantines at designated facilities.

For those who don't exhibit symptoms, two COVID-19 tests will be conducted on the fifth and 12th day of their quarantines, and participants will be able to attend the expo only if the two results are negative.

Domestic participants and expo staff and workers are also subject to testing. Health workers from Minhang district have set up a testing zone at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the expo venue, and began testing on Wednesday.

The testing area is able to serve 4,000 to 5,000 people daily and return results on the same day, said the district health commission.

All those entering the expo venue for the first time need to present negative test results conducted within the past seven days, according to the plan.

Apart from participants, organizers will also boost inspection of exhibits, with a special focus on foods and beverages.

Zhang Zhunmin, a senior counsel with the municipal administration for market regulation, told The Paper that all imported frozen foods, as well as packaging and processing facilities, will be subject to COVID-19 testing.

On the logistics side, transport vehicles and food storage facilities will get fully sterilized as well, Zhang said.

CIIE officials said that sampling of uncooked fresh and raw foods, a popular activity in the expo's food and agricultural product exhibition in previous years, will not be allowed this year.

During the expo, mask wearing is mandatory for all attendees, and traffic controls will be enforced when necessary to ensure the number of people in the venue does not exceed 30 percent of its designed capacity.

The municipal health commission in September issued a guideline for epidemic prevention and control for all 1,151 hotels involved in the CIIE event.

The guideline requires hotel workers to complete a 14-day period of self-monitoring of body temperature prior to the expo, and wear masks and gloves when on duty.

OVER 500,000 REGISTERED FOR CIIE

More than 500,000 people have registered for the third China International Import Expo, news portal Jiemian reported on Friday.

The issuance of passes, which can be reused, is coming to an end and is expected to finish at the end of this month, said Lu Zhou, assistant to the general manager of the Security Department of the third CIIE.

On-site services, including pass lost reporting and reissuing, have also started on Friday to facilitate participants' entry to CIIE venues.

The pass issuance work for the 3rd CIIE is more environmentally friendly, transparent and reliable compared with previous CIIEs, Lu said.

To hold a green CIIE reflecting environmental protection and make it more efficient and convenient, participants' passes can be reused for future events starting from 2020, with an indication at the bottom of the pass saying it is valid from 2020 to 2022.

Participants holding the reusable pass only need to activate it online during the registration period of the next CIIEs.

An official WeChat account was also opened to provide self-checking services for CIIE pass processing. The WeChat account can also provide latest information on the CIIE, according to Lu.

Furthermore, this CIIE will also carry out integrated services for temperature measurement and verification at the entrances and exits of the venue for COVID-19 pandemic control. The information of participants on the pass will be automatically matched with their body temperature so they can get in and out of each pavilion efficiently with safety guaranteed.

The second CIIE attracted visitors from 181 countries, regions and international organizations. More than 500,000 buyers attended the expo, along with over 3,800 companies including 288 Fortune 500 firms. About $71.13 billion worth of tentative deals were reached for one-year purchases of goods and services last year.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Never mistake motion for action. - Ernest Hemingway