Premier says severe challenges ahead in China’s economy

 
 

 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a government work report at the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, March 5 (Greenpost) — Premier Li Keqiang admitted that China faced severe challenges caused by the growing pains of economic transformation, when delivering the government work report to the annual legislative session Tuesday.

“Looking back at the past year, we can see that our achievements did not come easily,” said Li at the opening meeting of the second annual session of the 13th National People’s Congress.

“An interlacing of old and new issues and a combination of cyclical and structural problems brought changes in what was a generally stable economic performance, some of which caused concern,” he continued.

Li said that China also faced a profound change in its external environment in 2018.

Setbacks in economic globalization, challenges to multilateralism, shocks in the international financial market, and especially the China-U.S. economic and trade frictions, had an adverse effect on the production and business operations of some companies as well as on market expectations, according to the premier.

Moreover, China was facing a complicated terrain of increasing dilemmas, with multiple targets to attain, such as ensuring stable growth and preventing risks, as well as multiple tasks to complete, like promoting economic and social development.

The country also had multiple relationships to handle, including that between short-term and long-term interests, while the difficulty of making policy choices and moving work forward increased markedly, Li said.

China’s foreign investment law to facilitate more foreign investment to China

BEIJING, March 11 (Greenpost) — China’s draft foreign investment law is well received among foreign investors, who believe it will further improve the country’s business environment.

A new draft of the law was submitted to China’s national legislative session for a third reading last week, and has been deliberated by lawmakers and discussed by political advisors over the past few days.

The draft aims to improve the transparency of foreign investment policies and ensures that foreign-invested enterprises participate in market competition on an equal basis.

Stephan Kothrade, president functions Asia Pacific of German chemicals giant BASF, said the company welcomes the draft law, with the belief that it will help effectively address issues foreign investors face in China.

“For foreign companies in China, I think everyone is waiting for the draft law to be passed, as the law will create a level playing field where everyone can participate,” said Harley Seyedin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.

With unified provisions for the entry, promotion, protection, and management of foreign investment, the law is “a new and fundamental law” for China’s foreign investment and an innovative improvement of China’s foreign investment legal system.

The draft stresses more investment promotion and protection than the three existing laws, a positive signal for foreign firms in China, said Ma Zheng, vice president of the China subsidiary of the agricultural commodities trader Cargill.

Ma believes the law would provide stronger legal guarantees for foreign investors and companies to safeguard their interests. “It’s going to make China’s business environment more open, equitable and transparent for foreign firms,” he said.

By the end of 2018, about 960,000 foreign-invested enterprises had been set up in China, with the accumulated foreign direct investment exceeding 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars.

China advanced to a global ranking of 46 in terms of ease of doing business last year, up from 78 in 2017, according to a World Bank Group report released last year.

“This shows the constant improvement in our business environment, and greater progress might be made this year,” said He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The new law will boost foreign investors’ confidence in China since their rights and interests will be legally protected, said Cai Hua, a national legislator and director of Wisely Law Office in Tianjin.

“A country with a relatively complete legal system will be an ideal destination for foreign investment,” Cai said.

“It will give more people confidence in China,” said Adam Dunnett, secretary general of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. “If you’re a foreign investor, and you’re going to read a law about China, probably the first one you’re going to read is the foreign investment law.”

汪洋在西藏代表团参加审议

北欧绿色邮报网报道(记者陈雪霏)–汪洋在西藏代表团参加审议。 在听取普布顿珠、格桑卓嘎、扎西江村等代表发言后,汪洋表示,完全赞成栗战书委员长所作的全国人大常委会工作报告。

汪洋充分肯定过去一年西藏各项事业发展成绩,指出西藏经济发展和社会稳定持续向好,但也要看到风险挑战。要深入学习贯彻习近平总书记关于西藏工作的重要论述,牢牢把握维护祖国统一、加强民族团结的着眼点和着力点,牢牢把握依法治藏、富民兴藏、长期建藏、凝聚人心、夯实基础的重要原则,居安思危、稳中求进,进一步巩固社会大局稳定好局面,进一步加强寺庙管理能力建设,进一步提高脱贫攻坚质量,确保雪域高原安定祥和、各族人民安居乐业。

两会报道:澳门代表团讨论审议两高报告

北欧绿色邮报网北欧中华网北京报道(记者陈雪霏)– 3月13日上午,澳门代表团在北京饭店举行全体会议,讨论审议最高人民法院和最高人民检察院报告。

高荣顺代表用了半个小时的时间盛赞两高报告。他说,他听取最高人民法院院长周强的报告以后,感觉很受鼓舞。通过报告可以看出,中国的治安变好了,安全了,人们夜间出行,走在大街上都不必担心,中国非常安全。

谈到最高人民检察院院长张军作的报告时,激动地说,“对于高检的报告,我不得不给他们点一个大大的赞。”

与此同时,他也建议,继续加强司法人员法官和检察官的培训,提高他们的待遇,让他们安心工作,否则,司法人员流失也很严重。

另外,针对执行难的问题,他建议审判和执行应该分开。执行应该从法院分离出来。

刘笑云代表说,她对两高报告印象深刻。尤其是在高检的报告中,提出了信访案件数量在下降,这主要是因为他们确定案件必须在一周内给与回应。这样案件处理的时间缩短了,效率就提高了,因此,这是好事。

她也建议更好地培训司法人员。一方面,案件处理快了,很好,但是否有冤假错案呢? 她也有些疑虑。 她同意高荣顺的建议,那就是要对司法人员进行培训,与时俱进,因为报告显示,刑事案件下降了,但是网络案件增加了。

她建议要多培训配演司法人才,能够跟上时代的步伐,应对新的犯罪类型。