《上海公报》发表45周年,中美联系已是“你中有我,我中有你” China, US forge interconnected ties 45 years after signing of Shanghai Communique

(引)双边贸易额超过5000亿美元,两国每天平均1.4万人次往来

人民日报记者张梦旭

2月28日,是中美《上海公报》发表45周年纪念日。45年前,美国总统尼克松访华实现“破冰之旅”,“那一周改变了世界”。中美两国1972年在上海发表的《中美联合公报》,也就是《上海公报》,为中美交往与合作铺下第一块基石。《上海公报》与1979年的《中美建交公报》、1982年的《八·一七公报》并称中美三个联合公报,成为中美关系发展的指导性文件。

 

如今,中美关系已成为世界上最重要的双边关系之一。中美两国关系的发展给两国人民带来实实在在的利益,中美双边贸易额、双向投资存量、人员往来等均创下历史新高。

 

现在的中美双边贸易额超过5000亿美元,去年中国对美投资超过500亿美元,两国每天平均1.4万人次的往来,每17分钟起降一个航班,中美省州之间已建立了超过40对友好省州和超过200对友好城市关系……这一组数据,是中美两国联系密切,“你中有我、我中有你”的有力佐证。

 

美国前商务部长、前驻华大使骆家辉对人民日报记者说,包括《上海公报》在内的中美三个联合公报是两国关系发展的基石和指导性文件,是美国对华关系的基础。在他担任驻华大使期间,中美依照这些原则妥善处理分歧,推动两国关系向前发展。

 

中国社会科学院美国问题专家陶文钊在接受人民日报记者采访时指出,《上海公报》开启了中美两国关系走向正常化的历史进程。在过去40多年中,中美关系的丰富实践印证了中美关系破冰、建交时确立的那些基本原则的正确性,尤其是美方对一个中国政策的阐述。同时,这些原则也在两国关系丰富多彩的实践中得到进一步的发展、充实和升华。有了过去40多年的经验,有了今天中国的壮大和繁荣,我们对中美关系的未来是有信心的。

 

正如中国国务委员杨洁篪在人民日报撰文指出的,中美关系已站在新的起点上。保持两国关系健康稳定发展,是时代赋予双方的重要使命,也是国际社会的殷切希望。双方应按照习近平主席同特朗普总统通话的精神,加强沟通,增进互信,聚焦合作,管控分歧,实现不冲突不对抗、相互尊重、合作共赢,推动新时期中美关系取得更大发展。

 

 

China, US forge interconnected ties 45 years after signing of Shanghai Communiqué

By Zhang Mengxu from People’s Daily

 

China and the US have forged a closer relationship with interwoven destinies 45 years after they signed the Shanghai Communiqué on February 28, 1972, a document ended 23 years of diplomatic estrangement between the two countries.

 

Forty-five years ago, then US President Richard Nixon started an “ice-breaking trip” to China, which was dubbed by himself as “the week that changed the world”.

 

On the last day of his visit, both nations issued the Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, or the Shanghai Communiqué, laying the first cornerstone for bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

 

Shanghai Communiqué, along with the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations issued in 1978 and August 17 communiqué issued in 1982, constituted the guideline document governing bilateral ties.

 

Up till now, China-US relationship has become one of the most important bilateral ties in the world, whose rapid development has brought tangible benefits to both peoples.

 

Both countries hit a record high in terms of bilateral trade, the stock of two-way investment and personal exchanges.

 

Data showed that the current China-US trade has exceeded 500 billion dollars, while China invested over 50 billion dollars in the US last year. About 14,000 people traveled between China and the US each day, and a flight would take off or land every 17 minutes.

 

Over 40 pair of sister provinces/states and more than 200 pair of sister cities have been established between both nations. They are proven to be the best evidence of their inter-connected interests.

The Shanghai Communiqué and other two documents represent not only the ballast and guideline for development of bilateral ties, but also the principles the US follows when dealing with its ties with China, Gary Locke, former US ambassador to China and former US Secretary of Commerce told the People’s Daily.

He added that based on these principles, both countries handled their differences appropriately during his tenure and their relationship was moved forward as a result.

 

It was the Shanghai Communiqué that opened the door to normalization of bilateral ties, Tao Wenzhao, researcher with the Institute of American Studies under Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said in an interview.

 

The four-decade-long course has proven that the basic principles both countries clarified when they established diplomatic relations are right, especially the one-China principle, the expert pointed out.

 

Those principles have been enriched by the diplomatic contacts in the past years as well, Tao furthered, adding that the 40-year-long experience and China’s development and prosperity gave China the faith for a promising relationship with the US.

 

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, in a signed article published on the People’s Daily, commented that China-US ties have come to a new starting point.

 

A healthy and steady development of China-US ties is not only the requirement of the times, but also the expectation of the world, the top diplomat said.

 

China and the U.S. should, by following through on the spirit of the phone conversation between both heads of state, enhance communication and mutual trust, focus on cooperation, manage disputes, avoid conflicts and confrontations, show respect to each other and seek win-win cooperation, so as to push bilateral ties for greater progress in the new era,” Yang stressed in the article.

 

Pic:

US citizens sent off panda “Bao Bao” at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on February 21, 2017. (Photo by Gao Shi from People’s Daily)

“一带一路”成中国“两会”热词

人民日报记者 姜  波

随着中国“两会”的即将召开,“一带一路”成为国际社会关注两会的重点。巴基斯坦驻华大使马苏德·哈立德日前称,“和大多数国际观察家一样,我热切关注两会的各项议程,尤其是经济和互联互通领域的。”他希望看到今年两会推动 “一带一路”建设的提速。

 

 

“一带一路”(英文:The Belt and Road,缩写B&R)是“丝绸之路经济带”和“21世纪海上丝绸之路”的简称,是中国国家主席习近平于2013年倡议的一个跨越时空的战略构想,强调相关各国要打造互利共赢的“利益共同体”和共同发展繁荣的“命运共同体”。该区域范围横跨三大洲,发端于中国,贯通中亚、东南亚、南亚、西亚乃至欧洲部分区域,沿线包括66个国家和地区。

 

普华永道香港企业融资部主管西蒙·布克表示,自中国倡议以来,“一带一路”区域内项目的投资金额一直处于上升趋势,复合年增长率(英文简写为:CAGR)达到33%。去年,“一带一路”沿线国家及地区的GDP平均增长率为4.6%,超过了新兴市场经济体3.6%的平均增速。

 

 

“‘一带一路’还在多方面惠及世界。”中国商务部研究院区域经济合作研究中心主任张建平在接受人民日报记者采访时说,当前,“一带一路”在推动沿线国家基础设施改善的基础上,双向贸易、投资的合作发展成为其重要落脚点。”

 

 

根据商务部数据,2016年,中国与“一带一路”沿线国家的进出口总额约9184亿美元,增长0.6%。中国企业已经在“一带一路”沿线20多个国家建设了56个经贸合作区,累计投资超过185亿美元,为东道国创造了近11亿美元的税收和18万个就业岗位。

 

 

“一带一路”还将在今年5月成为国际社会焦点。届时,“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛将于5月14日至15日在北京举行。

 

 

 

“The Belt and Road” to dominate agendas of China’s “two sessions”

 

By Jiang Bo from People’s Daily

 

 

China’s Belt and Road initiative is attracting more world attention as annual sessions of National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), also referred to as the “two sessions,” are just around the corner.

 

Pakistani Ambassador to China Masood Khalid said he hopes the meetings will cover agendas on  accelerating the construction of the routes.

 

“Like most international observers, I would follow each agenda during the two sessions, especially the ones related to the fields of economy and connectivity,” he added.

 

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road initiative refers to building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The visionary strategic plan is aimed at building involved countries into a community of common interests and shared destiny featuring mutual benefit and common prosperity.

Encompassing 66 countries and regions in three continents, the routes begin from China and run through Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and even some parts of Europe.

The investment amount of projects across the Belt and Road region has been growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33 percent since China put forward the initiative in 2013, said Simon Burke, head of the financing department at PwC Hong Kong.

 

Last year, the average GDP growth of the region was 4.6 percent, outnumbering the average 3.6-percent-growth of emerging markets, he added.

 

“More than that, the Belt and Road initiative benefits the world in so many ways,” Zhang Jianping, head of the Research Center for Regional Economic Cooperation under China’s Ministry of Commerce told the People’s Daily.

 

He further added that the initiative focuses on not only infrastructure construction of the countries along the routes, but also their bilateral trade and two-way investment.

 

Data released by the Ministry of Commerce shows that China’s combined imports and exports with countries along the routes topped 918.4 billion dollars in 2016, up 0.6 percent from 2015.

 

Chinese businesses helped build 56 economic and trade cooperation zones in about 20 countries along the Belt and Road with a combined investment surpassing 18.5 billion dollars, generating nearly 1.1 billion dollars in tax revenue and about 180,000 jobs in those countries.

 

Besides this important political event, the international cooperation summit forum on the “Belt and Road” initiative to be held on May 14 to 15 will bring around round of “Belt and Road” fever.

 

 

 

中国处置“僵尸企业”,推进供给侧结构性改革

(引)2016年,10家经营困难的央企集团整体减亏50%

人民日报记者 宦翔

 

2月28日,在中央财经领导小组第十五次会议上,中国国家主席习近平指出,深入推进去产能,要抓住处置“僵尸企业”这个“牛鼻子”。

 

“僵尸企业”,是指已停产、半停产、连年亏损、资不抵债,主要靠政府补贴和银行续贷维持经营的企业。处置“僵尸企业”成为国企供给侧结构性改革的主攻方向。

 

受国际金融危机的深层次影响,国际市场持续低迷,中国国内需求增速趋缓,部分产业供过于求的矛盾日显,传统制造业产能普遍过剩。2015年,中国政府把“去产能”列为2016年五大结构性改革任务之首。

 

“‘僵尸企业’不退出,产能过剩矛盾就不能根本化解,结构调整和转型升级就难以实现。只有退出,才能前进。”工业和信息化部副部长冯飞说。

 

针对“僵尸企业”消耗资源、不断制造亏损的现状,中国国务院国有资产监督管理委员会(简称“国资委”)紧紧盯住负债率较高的企业,采取负债率、负债规模双重管控的新举措,守住了不发生重大风险的底线。此外,国有企业也通过精细管理、流程再造和技术创新,想方设法降低生产成本。2016年,国有控股工业企业每百元主营业务收入中的成本降至82.55元,比上年下降0.61元,为2012年以来的最低水平。

 

2016年,国资委完成了398户“僵尸企业”和特困企业处置治理任务。10家经营困难的央企集团,卸下了包袱,整体实现减亏50%,其中,中铝等8家央企集团一举摘掉了亏损的帽子。同时,全国1.86万户国有控股工业企业利润总额由降转增,创造了2012年以来的最高增速。

 

中国最高法院2月公布的数据显示, 2016年共受理5665件破产案,比前一年增加了54%。其中约3600件案件获审结,85%已审结案件导致了破产清算。英国《金融时报》认为,2016年中国破产案件激增,说明中国政府在处理“僵尸企业”、减少过剩产能方面取得了进展。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China declares determination to eliminate‘zombie companies’

By Huan Xiang from People’s Daily

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated on Tuesday the central government’s determination to weed out “zombie companies” that have been holding back economic reforms, in a bid to move forward its plan to reduce excess industrial capacity.

 

Xi made the comment at a meeting of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economic Affairs, while describing those companies as “bull’s nose.”

 

“Zombie company” refers to a company that needs bailouts to operate, or an indebted company that is able to repay the interest on its debt but not the principal. Such companies usually depend on banks or governmental subsidies for their continued existence, effectively putting them on never-ending life support.

 

China has listed handling “zombie companies” as a main task of its supply-side structural reform for state-owned enterprises.

 

China’s domestic demand experienced a slower growth in recent years along with the gloomy global market after the financial crisis, resulting in an increasingly severe oversupply and prevalent overcapacity in the traditional manufacturing industry.

 

In 2015, the Chinese government set cutting excessive industrial capacity the most important task of its 2016 structural reform.

 

“Industrial overcapacity will not be thoroughly resolved, and economic restructuring will not be realized unless zombie companies are closed,” said Feng Fei, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology. “We can only make progress after we shut down enough zombie companies.”

 

In order to weed out those “zombie companies,” the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), the top state-owned assets administrator, has kept a closer eye on those firms with higher deficits in both debt-to-asset ratios and amount, in hopes of preventing big risks and saving resources.

 

The centrally-administered corporations also tried hard to reduce costs by improving management, redesigning their work process and innovating technologies.

 

In 2016, the cost for per-hundred-yuan turnover of the principal activities of the state-owned industrial enterprises dropped to 82.55 yuan, 0.61 yuan less than the previous year, and a record low since 2012 as well.

 

In the same year, SASAC disposed of 398 “zombie companies” and other firms surviving on bailouts. Ten struggling state-owned businesses achieved a 50 percent reduction in losses after their bold downsizing helped relieve the burden from loss-making “zombie” subsidiaries, and eight of them, including the country’s largest smelter, Chalco, even returned to profit after years of losses.

 

At the same time, the total profits of 18,600 government-controlled industrial businesses were the highest since 2012.

 

According to data released by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) in February, Chinese courts accepted 5,665 bankruptcy cases in 2016, an increase of 54 percent from the previous year. About 3,600 of them were resolved, with 85 percent of the resolved cases resulting in liquidation.

 

“Bankruptcy cases surged in China last year, indicating growing economic stress as well as progress in the ruling Communist Party’s efforts to use the country’s courts to deal with indebted ‘zombie’ companies and reduce industrial overcapacity,” the Financial Times said in a recent article.

 

中国出重拳打消腐败分子外逃幻想China ramps up overseas hunt of fugitive officials

(引)从90多个国家和地区追回外逃人员2566人,追赃86.4亿元人民币

人民日报记者  林雪丹

2月10日,在中央反腐败协调小组国际追逃追赃工作办公室的统筹协调下,经湖北省追逃办多方努力,“百名红通人员”第六十七号王诚建从美国回国投案自首。这是“天网行动”开展以来到案的第三十八名“红通人员”。

 

截至2016年底,中国已先后从90多个国家和地区追回外逃人员2566人,追回赃款86亿元人民币。今年在开展“天网2017”行动的同时,还将全面加强防逃工作,抓紧构建不敢逃、不能逃的机制,打消腐败分子外逃幻想,切断其外逃后路。

 

2014年,中国正式设立中央反腐败协调小组国际追逃追赃工作办公室,统筹协调国际追逃追赃工作。2015年3月,该办公室决定正式启动“天网行动”,加大国际追逃追赃力度。与此同时,公安部全力推进“猎狐行动”,追捕境外在逃经济犯罪嫌疑人,并设立户籍举报制度严查双重国籍,打击“裸官”腐败。

 

目前,中国已经和48个国家签署了引渡条约,包括法国、西班牙、意大利等。中国参与了包括联合国、亚太经合组织、二十国集团和金砖国家在内的15个全球和区域反腐败多边机制。2016年中国担任二十国集团反腐败工作组主席,推动取得了多项重要成果。

 

China ramps up overseas hunt of fugitive officials

By Lin Xuedan from People’s Daily

 

Another Chinese corruption suspect who had fled overseas returned to China to turn herself in recently, another victory after China ramped up its international manhunt of fugitive corrupt officials.

 

Wang Chengjian, a former shipping finance executive in Shanghai, fled to the US in May 2005 after being accused of joint embezzlement.

 

She was number 67 of China’s 100 most-wanted fugitives listed in an Interpol “red notice” and the 38th to return since the country launched its “Sky Net” campaign in April 2015.

 

By the end of 2016, 2,566 fugitives had been extradited or repatriated from over 90 countries and regions, with assets worth about 8.6 billion yuan ($1.25 billion) recovered.

 

The latest return of Wang is inseparable from the efforts made by the Fugitive Repatriation and Asset Recovery Office of the Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group, a disciplinary watchdog established in 2014.

 

The “Sky Net” campaign was launched by the office in March 2015 to reinforce the overseas hunt for fugitive officials.

 

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) started another campaign codenamed “Fox Hunt” to capture suspected economic criminals. The ministry has also established the household registration system to investigate dual citizenship in a bid to crack down on corruption of “naked officials.”

 

So far, China has inked extradition treaties with 48 countries including France, Spain and Italy, and engaged in 15 multilateral anti-graft mechanisms including the UN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Group of Twenty (G20) and the BRICS grouping.

 

China chaired the Anti-Corruption Working Group of the G20 in 2016, and a series of significant achievements have been accomplished under China’s leadership.

 

While continuing the “Sky Net” campaign in 2017, China will improve its mechanisms and tighten the management, leaving corrupt officials nowhere to hide or flee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese public boycott Lotte over land swap deal for THAAD deployment

By Wan Yu from People’s Daily

Lotte Group, ROK’s fifth-largest conglomerate, is now sitting in mounting anger from Chinese consumers after it agreed on a land swap deal to enable an early deployment of the US-backed missile shield system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). Some Chinese public have launched boycott campaigns against the products made by Lotte on social media platforms.

The swap, which gives the ROK defense ministry the Lotte Skyhill Country Club in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, for the deployment of the THAAD system, paves way for a speedy installation of the system by late June at the earliest.

A Global Times survey showed that 95.3 percent Chinese customers back a sanction against Lotte for the land deal.

“If Lotte has one reason to support its country’s decision, then we have every reason to boycott the company,” a netizen told the People’s Daily via microblog account.

Some net users have even sort out a list of the products the retail operator sold in China, calling for their off-shelf from domestic e-commerce platforms like “JD.com” and “tmall.com”. The suggestion received more than 3,000 likes in two hours, and other ROK-made products were implicated as well.

The TV plays are another victim of ROK government’s tough stance on THAAD deployment.

Some translation teams for Korean TV plays have stopped their work, and more TV plays and programs have been pulled off shelf by video websites.

In addition, more Chinese tourists canceled their ROK trips, or gave up plans to buy ROK-made cars, phones or daily necessities.

“We are firmly opposed to and strongly dissatisfied with the fact that ignoring China’s interests and concerns, the ROK insisted on working with the US to accelerate the deployment process,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang reiterated China’s stance at the regular press conference Tuesday.

 

“China is firm in its resolve to oppose the deployment of THAAD in the ROK and will resolutely take necessary actions to safeguard its own security interests,” he said.

China strongly urges relevant parties to take China’s interests and concerns seriously, stop the deployment process and not to go further down that wrong path, he stressed, adding that China has twice lodged solemn representations with the ROK for the latest developments.

 

China welcomes foreign companies investing in the country and will always respect and protect their rights and interests, but their operation should be in compliance with laws and regulations, said Geng.

“Chinese market and consumers will determine whether a foreign company is successful in China,” Geng added at last.

Pics:

The ROK public are protesting against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in front of the Lotte headquarters in Seoul, the ROK. (Photo by Ma Fei from People’s Daily)

中国民众对在韩部署“萨德”表示强烈不满

人民日报记者  万  宇

2月28日,韩国乐天集团同韩国防部正式签署“萨德”换地协议,同意把星州高尔夫球场地皮转让给国防部用于部署“萨德”反导系统。此举引发了中国国内民众的强烈不满。在一些社交媒体上,有中国网民自觉发起抵制乐天产品的活动。环球时报网络调查称,95.3%的受访者认为有必要对提供“萨德”部署用地的乐天集团进行制裁。

有网民在人民日报的法人微博下留言说“乐天支持自己国家也是应该的,那么我们抵制乐天也是应该的”。有网友还整理出了乐天集团在华出售的产品名单,呼吁“天猫和京东下架乐天食品”。该消息在短短两小时内得到了3000多个赞。其他的韩国商品也成为抵制的对象。

 

韩国影视剧在中国拥有广大粉丝群体,但韩国政府执意配合美国部署“萨德”反导系统的做法,引起了这些人的不满。一些韩国影视剧中文翻译团队自发停止工作。一些转播韩国影视节目的网站也下架了全部韩剧。另外,近期很多中国游客取消了赴韩旅游的行程。从不少中国网民发帖和留言可以看出,因“萨德”问题而不再赴韩国旅游,不再购买韩国汽车、手机和生活用品,有可能成为越来越多中国民众的共识和行动。

 中国外交部发言人耿爽在28日的外交部例行记者会上再次申明了中国政府的立场,“我们对韩方罔顾中方利益关切,执意配合美方加紧推进‘萨德’反导系统部署进程表示坚决反对和强烈不满”。中方反对在韩部署“萨德”系统的意志是坚定的,将坚决采取必要措施维护自身安全利益。 “我们强烈敦促有关方面正视中方利益和关切,停止相关部署进程,不要在错误道路上越走越远。中方已经就有关最新事态两次向韩方提出了严正交涉。”

耿爽说,中方欢迎外国企业来华投资兴业并始终尊重和保护外国企业在华的合法权益。同时中方也强调,有关企业在华经营必须合法合规。外国企业在华经营成功与否,要由中国市场和中国消费者决定。

Picture1

在韩国乐天总部反对部署“萨德”的韩国民众。人民日报记者 马菲摄

 

 

 

 

Chinese public boycott Lotte over land swap deal for THAAD deployment

 

By Wan Yu from People’s Daily

 

Lotte Group, ROK’s fifth-largest conglomerate, is now sitting in mounting anger from Chinese consumers after it agreed on a land swap deal to enable an early deployment of the US-backed missile shield system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). Some Chinese public have launched boycott campaigns against the products made by Lotte on social media platforms.

 

The swap, which gives the ROK defense ministry the Lotte Skyhill Country Club in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, for the deployment of the THAAD system, paves way for a speedy installation of the system by late June at the earliest.

 

A Global Times survey showed that 95.3 percent Chinese customers back a sanction against Lotte for the land deal.

 

“If Lotte has one reason to support its country’s decision, then we have every reason to boycott the company,” a netizen told the People’s Daily via microblog account.

 

Some net users have even sort out a list of the products the retail operator sold in China, calling for their off-shelf from domestic e-commerce platforms like “JD.com” and “tmall.com”. The suggestion received more than 3,000 likes in two hours, and other ROK-made products were implicated as well.

 

The TV plays are another victim of ROK government’s tough stance on THAAD deployment.

 

Some translation teams for Korean TV plays have stopped their work, and more TV plays and programs have been pulled off shelf by video websites.

 

In addition, more Chinese tourists canceled their ROK trips, or gave up plans to buy ROK-made cars, phones or daily necessities.

 

“We are firmly opposed to and strongly dissatisfied with the fact that ignoring China’s interests and concerns, the ROK insisted on working with the US to accelerate the deployment process,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang reiterated China’s stance at the regular press conference Tuesday.

 

“China is firm in its resolve to oppose the deployment of THAAD in the ROK and will resolutely take necessary actions to safeguard its own security interests,” he said.

 

China strongly urges relevant parties to take China’s interests and concerns seriously, stop the deployment process and not to go further down that wrong path, he stressed, adding that China has twice lodged solemn representations with the ROK for the latest developments.

 

China welcomes foreign companies investing in the country and will always respect and protect their rights and interests, but their operation should be in compliance with laws and regulations, said Geng.

 

“Chinese market and consumers will determine whether a foreign company is successful in China,” Geng added at last.

 

Pics:

 

The ROK public are protesting against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in front of the Lotte headquarters in Seoul, the ROK. (Photo by Ma Fei from People’s Daily)

China’s bike-sharing industry braces for explosive growth

By Qiang Wei from People’s Daily

STOCKHOLM, March6(Greenpost)–China’s bike-sharing industry has embraced an explosive growth since last year. Data showed that by the end of last year, millions of bikes offered by over 20 bike-sharing companies have expanded their service to nearly 19 million users.

Picture1

The bike-sharing service enables users to find, unlock and pay to rent the bicycles through a smartphone app. Mobike and Ofo are among the two largest of a growing crop of private bike-sharing operators.

 

Ofo, the company behind the yellow two-wheelers, announced on 1st March that it has raised 3.1 billion yuan ($450 million) in a fresh round of funding. It not only represents the largest single deal in terms of fund raised by a bike-sharing firm, but also swells the firm to the industry’s richest unicorn, a start-up company valued at over 1 billion dollars.

 

Public bike is not a fresh thing. Many Chinese cities have launched public bikes previously to meet the citizens’ demands for the “last mile” of public transportation, but congested public space and complicated procedures restrained the pace of such efforts.

 

Unlike the services provided by local governments, users of the newly emerging shared bikes like Orange-hued Mobike can find and pay for bicycles via a smartphone app and then leave them wherever they want. The location of the bike will be recorded by the data platforms, so that the next users can find one easily.

 

The economical and convenient service also responds to China’s call for green, energy-saving transportation, attracting a host of fans due to its convenience and low price.

 

These bikes, a combination of sharing-economy, high-technology and market demands, also provide the outside world a glimpse into China’s huge potential in sharing economy.

 

PwC’s projections show that five key sharing sectors—travel, car sharing, finance, staffing, and music and video streaming—have the potential to increase global revenues to around 335 billion dollars by 2025, over 20 times higher than the number in 2016.

 

The latest report released by McKinsey & Company on China’s sharing economy revealed that shared transportation is gaining wide popularity in the Chinese market, while office space and technology sharing is rising.

 

So far, China’s sharing economy is applied in transportation, office space, skills and finance, while segment fields including car-hailing, bike-sharing, car-sharing and apartment-renting are growing in a faster pace.

Picture2

Shared bikes are lined up outside a subway entrance in CBD in Beijing. (Photo by Qiang Wei from People’s Daily)

 

共享自行车在中国迎来爆发式增长

(副题)用手机找车、解锁、付费,几乎可以在任何地方停车

北欧绿色邮报网报道(主编陈雪霏)–据人民日报记者 强薇报道

 在中国,若是你还不知道什么是“共享单车”,恐怕你已经落伍了。

以摩拜(mobike)、ofo等为代表的共享单车去年开始在中国迎来了爆发式增长。找车、解锁、付费,手机全能搞定,随时随地用车还车,方便、快捷、便宜。有数据显示,截至去年底,我国共享单车企业超过20家,车辆数量达几百万辆,用户总数接近1900万人。

Picture1 Picture23月1日,共享单车平台ofo宣布完成D轮4.5亿美元(约合人民币31亿元)融资,创下了共享单车行业单笔最高融资纪录,同时成为了行业估值最高的独角兽公司(估值10亿美元以上且创办时间相对较短的公司)。

在中国的大多数城市,“最后一公里”的公共交通末端需求普遍存在。此前,不少城市发展了公共自行车,但受制于车桩限制、办理手续复杂等问题,使用起来并不那么方便。而新出现的共享单车普遍拥有“无桩”“定位”“扫码即用”这几个特点。以摩拜单车为例,因为不用停车桩,单车几乎可以停在任何地方,用户通过手机app查找离自己最近的单车,扫一下单车上的二维码就可以解锁。到达目的地后上锁付款,平台也能够自动记录下单车的地理位置,方便下一位用户找车。大而言之,共享单车契合了绿色出行、节能减排的倡导;小而言之,共享单车价格实惠,用车方便,所以吸引了众多粉丝。

这些共享单车可谓是共享经济、高科技与现实需求碰撞出的火花。通过这些“小红车”“小黄车”,人们也看到了共享经济的强大实力。据普华永道会计师事务所预测,到2025年,全球共享经济市场规模将达到3350亿美元,较2016年增长逾20倍。

国际知名管理咨询公司麦肯锡最新报告显示,中国的共享经济中,共享出行正快速普及,而共享空间和共享技能方兴未艾。目前中国共享经济已涵盖了共享出行、共享空间、共享技能、共享金融等多个领域,网约车、共享单车、汽车分时租赁、公寓短租等多个细分领域发展较快。

Picture2图片说明:在北京CBD核心区,成排的共享单车摆放在地铁站旁。

人民日报记者  强薇摄

 

 

 

China’s bike-sharing industry braces for explosive growth

By Qiang Wei from People’s Daily

 

China’s bike-sharing industry has embraced an explosive growth since last year. Data showed that by the end of last year, millions of bikes offered by over 20 bike-sharing companies have expanded their service to nearly 19 million users.

 

The bike-sharing service enables users to find, unlock and pay to rent the bicycles through a smartphone app. Mobike and Ofo are among the two largest of a growing crop of private bike-sharing operators.

 

Ofo, the company behind the yellow two-wheelers, announced on 1st March that it has raised 3.1 billion yuan ($450 million) in a fresh round of funding. It not only represents the largest single deal in terms of fund raised by a bike-sharing firm, but also swells the firm to the industry’s richest unicorn, a start-up company valued at over 1 billion dollars.

 

Public bike is not a fresh thing. Many Chinese cities have launched public bikes previously to meet the citizens’ demands for the “last mile” of public transportation, but congested public space and complicated procedures restrained the pace of such efforts.

 

Unlike the services provided by local governments, users of the newly emerging shared bikes like Orange-hued Mobike can find and pay for bicycles via a smartphone app and then leave them wherever they want. The location of the bike will be recorded by the data platforms, so that the next users can find one easily.

 

The economical and convenient service also responds to China’s call for green, energy-saving transportation, attracting a host of fans due to its convenience and low price.

 

These bikes, a combination of sharing-economy, high-technology and market demands, also provide the outside world a glimpse into China’s huge potential in sharing economy.

 

PwC’s projections show that five key sharing sectors—travel, car sharing, finance, staffing, and music and video streaming—have the potential to increase global revenues to around 335 billion dollars by 2025, over 20 times higher than the number in 2016.

 

The latest report released by McKinsey & Company on China’s sharing economy revealed that shared transportation is gaining wide popularity in the Chinese market, while office space and technology sharing is rising.

 

So far, China’s sharing economy is applied in transportation, office space, skills and finance, while segment fields including car-hailing, bike-sharing, car-sharing and apartment-renting are growing in a faster pace.

 

Shared bikes are lined up outside a subway entrance in CBD in Beijing. (Photo by Qiang Wei from People’s Daily)

China’s poverty eradication among the greatest human rights achievements: expert

By Zhang Mengxu from People’s Daily

STOCKHOLM, March 6(Greenpost)– China’s poverty eradication is among the greatest human rights achievements, experts pointed out, dismissing voices smearing China’s human rights record at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Picture1

Villagers from Guang’an, Sichuan province hold a housewarming banquet after they were relocated to new houses before the Spring Festival this year. (Photo by People’s Daily)

Discriminatory words concerning China’s human rights record are heard in almost every human rights session of the UN. It is believed some organizations and individuals with ulterior motives always turn a blind eye to China’s human rights progress, but make a judgment via blinkers.

 

However, over the past years, China has made great achievements in human rights undertakings. For instance, food and clothing are no longer a problem for the 1.3 billion Chinese people. Over the past three decades, over 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global poverty reduction. China is the first country to have realized the Millennium Development Goal of halving its poor population.

 

At present, 770 million Chinese are employed and nine-year compulsory education has achieved universal coverage. Rights of 230 million senior residents and 85 million handicapped people are well protected, and the basic life of over 60 million low-income residents in urban and rural areas is supported by the government.

 

Prior to the founding of PRC in 1949, China’s per capita life expectancy was only 35, and for now the number has been raised to 76. China is hailed by the UN as having the best record of improving life expectancy during the past three decades.

 

Tom Zwart, director of the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research, ranked China’s record of poverty relief among the greatest human rights achievements of all time.  He didn’t hesitate to show his anger towards false speeches belittling China’s progress.

 

“I sincerely congratulate on the remarkable success of the CPC and Chinese government in eradicating poverty,” added Zwart, also a human rights professor with Utrecht University.

 

China has been actively engaged in international human rights cooperation based on the spirit of equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit, so as to push forward with a just and objective international human rights system.

 

In 2016, China was elected to the UN Human Rights Council by 180 votes, becoming one of a few countries which have sat in the Council for four times.

 

China has joined 26 international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and five other core human rights covenants. It also shoulders its international human rights responsibilities by accepting multiple human rights reviews.

 

In addition, China has held human rights dialogues and exchanges with almost 40 countries, launched technical cooperation on human rights with UN agencies, injecting great energy into global human rights governance.

 

Zamir Akram, chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development at the United Nations Human Rights Council, commented that China is the only social and economic entity that has ever achieved such a rapid development.

 

“Over 700 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty in such a short period,” he hailed, adding that the country also has offered big amount of aid to other developing countries.

国际人权专家称中国减贫为“最伟大的人权发展成就”

北欧绿色邮报网报道(主编陈雪霏)

人民日报记者 张梦旭

Picture1中国农历新年前夕,四川省广安市某村15户贫困户集体住进新房。图为搬迁户自办宴席进行庆祝。图片来源:人民日报

联合国人权理事会第三十四次会议2月27日在瑞士日内瓦开幕。每逢联合国人权外交季,国际上总会有一些别有用心的组织和个人,无视中国人权进步成绩,戴着有色眼镜看待中国,抹黑中国人权现状。

中国人权状况到底怎么样?这要用事实说话。当今的中国已经走出一条适合国情的中国特色人权发展道路,取得巨大成就。中国解决了13亿多人民的温饱问题,减少了7亿多贫困人口,占全球减贫人口总数的70%以上,率先实现贫困人口减半的千年发展目标,为人类减贫事业作出了巨大贡献。中国为7.7亿人提供就业,实现9年义务教育全覆盖,关爱2.3亿老年人和8500万残疾人,保障6000多万城乡低保人口的基本生活,人均预期寿命从1949年的35岁提高到现在的76岁多,被联合国誉为“过去30年间发展最快的国家”。

荷兰人权研究所所长、荷兰乌特勒支大学法学教授汤姆·茨瓦特对一些贬低中国人权成就的不实言论感到非常的愤慨,他将中国在减贫方面取得的巨大成功,称之为人类历史上最伟大的人权发展成就。他说:“我衷心祝贺中国共产党和中国政府在减贫方面取得的巨大成功。”

中国始终秉持平等互信、包容互鉴、合作共赢的精神,全面深入参与国际人权合作,推动建立公正、合理的国际人权体系。2016年中国以180票的高票第四次当选联合国人权理事会成员,成为为数不多的四次当选的国家,充分体现了国际社会对中国人权事业发展的肯定。中国加入包括《经济、社会和文化权利国际公约》等6项核心人权公约在内的26项国际人权公约,认真履行国际人权义务,多次接受国别人权审查和人权公约履约审议。中国同近40个国家举行人权对话与交流,同联合国人权机构开展建设性合作,为国际人权治理注入了动力。

正如联合国人权理事会发展权工作组主席扎米尔·阿克拉姆所说:“没有任何一个社会或经济体像中国这样实现了这么快的发展,在这么短的时间内就实现了7亿多人口脱贫,中国还为其他发展中国家提供了大量发展援助,这都是非常伟大的成就。”

 

 

China’s poverty eradication among the greatest human rights achievements: expert

By Zhang Mengxu from People’s Daily

 

China’s poverty eradication is among the greatest human rights achievements, experts pointed out, dismissing voices smearing China’s human rights record at the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Discriminatory words concerning China’s human rights record are heard in almost every human rights session of the UN. It is believed some organizations and individuals with ulterior motives always turn a blind eye to China’s human rights progress, but make a judgment via blinkers.

 

However, over the past years, China has made great achievements in human rights undertakings. For instance, food and clothing are no longer a problem for the 1.3 billion Chinese people. Over the past three decades, over 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global poverty reduction. China is the first country to have realized the Millennium Development Goal of halving its poor population.

 

At present, 770 million Chinese are employed and nine-year compulsory education has achieved universal coverage. Rights of 230 million senior residents and 85 million handicapped people are well protected, and the basic life of over 60 million low-income residents in urban and rural areas is supported by the government.

 

Prior to the founding of PRC in 1949, China’s per capita life expectancy was only 35, and for now the number has been raised to 76. China is hailed by the UN as having the best record of improving life expectancy during the past three decades.

 

Tom Zwart, director of the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research, ranked China’s record of poverty relief among the greatest human rights achievements of all time.  He didn’t hesitate to show his anger towards false speeches belittling China’s progress.

 

“I sincerely congratulate on the remarkable success of the CPC and Chinese government in eradicating poverty,” added Zwart, also a human rights professor with Utrecht University.

 

China has been actively engaged in international human rights cooperation based on the spirit of equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit, so as to push forward with a just and objective international human rights system.

 

In 2016, China was elected to the UN Human Rights Council by 180 votes, becoming one of a few countries which have sat in the Council for four times.

 

China has joined 26 international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and five other core human rights covenants. It also shoulders its international human rights responsibilities by accepting multiple human rights reviews.

 

In addition, China has held human rights dialogues and exchanges with almost 40 countries, launched technical cooperation on human rights with UN agencies, injecting great energy into global human rights governance.

 

Zamir Akram, chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development at the United Nations Human Rights Council, commented that China is the only social and economic entity that has ever achieved such a rapid development.

 

“Over 700 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty in such a short period,” he hailed, adding that the country also has offered big amount of aid to other developing countries.

 

Pic:

Villagers from Guang’an, Sichuan province hold a housewarming banquet after they were relocated to new houses before the Spring Festival this year. (Photo by People’s Daily)

 

 

 

 

China accelerates reform to boost senior service industry

By Li Ning from People’s Daily

Stockholm, March. 6(Greenpost)–By further streamlining administration and delegating power, strengthening supervision and improving the service level, China will mobilize social forces to participate in the development of elderly care industry, lower the institutional cost for entrepreneurship and create a fair development environment, according to a policy paper released by relevant Chinese authorities recently.

Picture1

On Oct. 8, 2016, the day before China’s traditional Double Ninth Festival when people show respect to the elderly, resident troops made dumplings and watched shows with senior citizens at a nursing home in Qingdao, Shandong province. (Photo by People’s Daily)

The Notice on Accelerating the Reform on the Entry, Supervision and Service Level of the Senior Service Industry was released by thirteen departments, including Ministry of Civil Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Land and Resources and National Elderly Work Committee Office.

Now entering into an aging society, China has huge demands for the elderly nursing industry. In 2015, the number of senior aged over 60 in China reached 220 million, accounting for 16.1 percent of the total population.

The quality of the industry concerns over 200 million senior citizens, especially the over 40 million incapacitated or semi- incapacitated elderly.

However, the sheer quantity and quality of China’s senior service supply still fall short of the increasing demand for the industry. China is now still headache with inaccessibility of urban and rural public facilities, as well as insufficient supply of senior products.

Other than a livelihood project involving the welfare of billions of people, the senior service industry is also a rising business with great potential.

At the end of last year, the Chinese State Council released a guideline on widening the access of the senior service market and improving the quality of senior service, requiring the service to orient towards community, rural areas as well as incapacitated and semi-incapacitated senior citizens.

Nursing care resources should be further expanded and the development of small-sized and professional chain service agencies should be vigorously supported, read the guideline.

To address the short boards in senior service, the guideline also pointed out that for community senior service, China will speed up the construction of a comprehensive service information platform and provide such home service as meal assistance, cleaning assistance, walking aid, bathing assistance and medical assistance.

Small-sized community nursing homes are encouraged to meet the needs of senior citizens within close proximity as well.

 

中国已处于老龄化社会 2.2亿60岁以上老人

北欧绿色邮报网报道(主编陈雪霏)据人民日报记者 李宁报道,中国民政部、发展和改革委员会、公安部、财政部、国土资源部、全国老龄工作委员会办公室等13个部门日前联合印发《关于加快推进养老服务业放管服改革的通知》,通过加大简政放权力度,强化监管能力,提高服务水平,进一步调动社会力量参与养老服务业发展的积极性,降低创业准入的制度性成本,营造公平规范的发展环境。

Picture1

2016年10月8日,中国传统节日“重阳节”前一天,山东省青岛市一家养老服务中心里,驻地军人与老人一起包饺子、看大戏。人民视觉.

中国已处于老龄化社会,对养老服务需求巨大。2015年全国60岁及以上老人达到2.2亿,占总人口16.1%。养老服务质量关系2亿多老年人口,特别是4000多万失能半失能老年人的晚年幸福。然而,与日益增长的养老服务需求相比,中国养老服务供给总量和质量依然严重不足,城乡公共设施不适合问题突出,老年产品生产和供应落后等问题普遍存在。

养老服务业既是涉及亿万群众福祉的民生事业,也是具有巨大发展潜力的朝阳产业。去年底,中国国务院印发了《关于全面放开养老服务市场提升养老服务质量的若干意见》,提出:养老向居家社区服务倾斜,向农村倾斜,向失能、半失能老年人倾斜。进一步扩大护理型服务资源,大力培育发展小型化、连锁化、专业化服务机构。

针对当前存在的养老服务短板,《意见》还提出,在居家社区养老服务方面,将加快建设社区综合服务信息平台,提供助餐、助洁、助行、助浴、助医等上门服务。鼓励建设小型社区养老院,满足老年人就近养老需求。

2016年10月8日,中国传统节日“重阳节”前一天,山东省青岛市一家养老服务中心里,驻地军人与老人一起包饺子、看大戏。人民视觉

 

 

 

China accelerates reform to boost senior service industry

By Li Ning from People’s Daily

By further streamlining administration and delegating power, strengthening supervision and improving the service level, China will mobilize social forces to participate in the development of elderly care industry, lower the institutional cost for entrepreneurship and create a fair development environment, according to a policy paper released by relevant Chinese authorities recently.

 

The Notice on Accelerating the Reform on the Entry, Supervision and Service Level of the Senior Service Industry was released by thirteen departments, including Ministry of Civil Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Land and Resources and National Elderly Work Committee Office.

 

Now entering into an aging society, China has huge demands for the elderly nursing industry. In 2015, the number of senior aged over 60 in China reached 220 million, accounting for 16.1 percent of the total population.

 

The quality of the industry concerns over 200 million senior citizens, especially the over 40 million incapacitated or semi- incapacitated elderly.

 

However, the sheer quantity and quality of China’s senior service supply still fall short of the increasing demand for the industry. China is now still headache with inaccessibility of urban and rural public facilities, as well as insufficient supply of senior products.

 

Other than a livelihood project involving the welfare of billions of people, the senior service industry is also a rising business with great potential.

 

At the end of last year, the Chinese State Council released a guideline on widening the access of the senior service market and improving the quality of senior service, requiring the service to orient towards community, rural areas as well as incapacitated and semi-incapacitated senior citizens.

 

Nursing care resources should be further expanded and the development of small-sized and professional chain service agencies should be vigorously supported, read the guideline.

 

To address the short boards in senior service, the guideline also pointed out that for community senior service, China will speed up the construction of a comprehensive service information platform and provide such home service as meal assistance, cleaning assistance, walking aid, bathing assistance and medical assistance.

 

Small-sized community nursing homes are encouraged to meet the needs of senior citizens within close proximity as well.

自主研发芯片,中国企业冲上手机科技制高点

北欧绿色邮报网报道(主编陈雪霏)– 据人民日报记者刘宁宁 李潇报道,2月28日,中国小米公司正式对外发布了首款自主研发的智能手机芯片,成为继苹果、三星、华为之后全球第四家自己设计处理器的智能手机制造商。

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小米CEO兼创始人雷军在当天的发布会上说:“芯片是手机科技的制高点,小米要成为伟大的公司,必须要掌握核心技术。”雷军在发布会上向外界展示了“澎湃S1”芯片。据悉,这个指甲盖大小的芯片,研发耗资10亿元人民币以上。

 

中国是手机制造大国,全球近七成的手机由中国制造,但其中只有5%是使用中国自主研发的芯片。作为智能手机的“心脏”,手机芯片的设计创新是研发过程的重中之重。手机厂商的产品开发和市场运营,很大程度上受制于芯片,甚至要拿到芯片才能设计新手机,这就使手机厂商常常陷于被动,同时也使其设计对于用户和市场需求来说总是滞后的。因此,中国手机厂商近年来加大对于核心技术的自主研发和创新,从根本上提升“中国制造”的品质和影响力,为企业转型升级明确了方向。

 

2012年,华为成功推出首款商业化手机芯片海思K3V2,此后华为的“麒麟”系列不断升级优化,如今已经跻身全球芯片研发第一阵营。去年,华为发布了千元新品荣耀畅玩5C,搭载其自主研制的麒麟650芯片,实现了高端芯片与千元机芯片共享平台,用户体验也更加流畅。

 

对此,人民日报3月1日发表题为《让“中国芯”澎湃创新潮》的署名评论,认为芯片研发就是一场长跑,三五年是个小周期,产品迭代面临着风险和难关,但对创新发展而言,起步就是进步,“芯”星之火可以燎原。以芯片研发为代表的自主创新,犹如新的发动机,给企业提供了充沛动能,也为制造业转型升级指出了方向。(来源:人民日报)

 

Chinese smartphone company climbs technology ladder with self-developed chip

By Liu Ningning and Li Xiao

STOCKHOLM,March 6(Greenpost)– Xiaomi, one of China’s leading smartphone manufacturers, released its first independently developed smartphone chip on Tuesday, making it the fourth cellphone company in the world that can independently develop processor after Apple, Samsung and Huawei.

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Pengpai S1, the fingernail-sized chip, cost Xiaomi over 1 billion yuan ($145 million) in research and development. “Chip is the apex level of cellphone technology. To become a great company, Xiaomi must master the core technology,” Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi said on the release conference.

China is a big smartphone manufacturer. Nearly 70 percent of the cellphones around the world are produced by China, but only 5 percent of these phones are equipped with chips independently developed by China.

The innovation of chips, as the heart of smartphones, is the top priority during the R&D process.

But for the manufacturers, their product development and market plans were often affected by the chips, and a new cellphone line even cannot be designed until the chip is delivered. The passive manufacturers found that the chips they offered always fell behind the needs of customers and the market.

After Chinese cellphone companies stepped up self-development and innovation in the core technology in recent years, they have fundamentally improved the quality and influence of “Made in China” and charted the course for enterprise transformation.

In 2012, Huawei successfully launched its first commercial cellphone chip Haisi K3V2 and the Kirin series afterwards underwent constant upgrade. Now, the company is among the frontline of chip development across the globe.

Last year, Huawei released the 1,000-yuan Honor 5C, which carries its own Kirin 650 chipset, building a sharing platform between high-end chipset and 1,000-yuan cellphones chipset and offering better customer experiences.

The People’s Daily, in a signed article under the title “Let Chinese Chips Make New Waves” on March 1, defined chip development as a marathon, saying that product iteration always faces challenges and risks. However, a sparkle of innovation can lead to a wild fire.

“Independent innovation, represented by chip development, adds sufficient horsepower to enterprises like a brand-new engine while pointing out the direction of the transformation of the manufacturing industry,” the paper added.

(People’s Daily)

Chinese ‘Taobao villages’ create more than 840,000 job opportunities

By Du Yifei from People’s Daily     Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson from Green Post.

STOCKHOLM, March6(Greenpost)–Thanks to the rapid development of China’s e-commerce industry, over 1,000 “Taobao villages” across the country are turning poor communities into huge online retail hubs, creating more than 840,000 job opportunities.

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Villagers of Wantou Village, Boxing county in east China’s Shandong Province make crafts. The banner on the wall reads “Welcome to join Taobao”. (Photo by official website of Boxing county)

These villages are so-named because at least 10 percent of the population living in these rural communities makes its living by selling products online—mostly on Taobao.com, the Alibaba-owned consumer-to-consumer marketplace. The e-commerce annual turnover of each village is no less than 10 million yuan.

By selling crafts online from their hometown of Wantou Village, Boxing county in east China’s Shandong Province, villagers made online sales of over 300 million yuan ($43.5 million) last year.

Similarly, villagers of the Shuanglongqiao Village in Nanchong, southwest China’s Sichuan province, have allured flocks of tourists, including foreigners, to stay and experience the star-level accommodation at their houses, via e-commerce platforms.

These villages offer a glimpse into how e-commerce industry spurs the rural economic growth and the farmers’ benefits.

Online retail sales of China’s farm produce are estimated at 220 billion yuan ($32 billion) in 2016, up over 46 percent over the previous year, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The latest figures from Aliresearch showed that there were 1,311 Taobao villages across China, and over 840,000 jobs were created by the clusters.

Experts said that popularity of Internet and improvement of rural infrastructure have to some extent removed the bottlenecks restraining their information communication and logistics. The market potential and demands of the central and western part of China, especially those remote areas, was leveraged as a result.

They added that rural areas have been constrained by labor outflow, poor infrastructure, low incomes and lack of competitive advantages, while an e-commerce development will help optimize market environment, upgrade industrial structure and absorb more labors.

The profitability of e-commerce has attracted a rising number of rural residents to return home, according to statistics. Thanks to the development of e-commerce, about 12 million people left for brighter futures have come back to build up the local economy.

The development of e-commerce, as experts believe, can be attributed to favorable policies and the rising market demand.

The recently-released first policy statement from the central authorities for 2017, usually an indicator of policy priorities, emphasized the importance of supply-side structural reform in the agricultural sector, urging the development of e-commerce industry in rural areas.

At the same time, e-commerce and traditional businesses have cast their eyes to the rural areas. So far, Alilbaba has expanded its services to over 23,000 villages nationwide.

Days earlier, a strategic cooperation agreement to boost rural e-commerce was inked by Sichuan province, Alibaba Group and Ant Financial Services Group, the mobile payment affiliate of Alibaba.

Alibaba CEO Jack Ma said that his company hopes to offer a training on e-commerce and Taobao villages to those county officials of the province, explaining that their rising awareness to develop e-commerce will guarantee the business success of the province.