Foreign

As The Communist Party Of China (CPC) Marks Its 20th National Congress

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2022

By Austin Maho, Ph.D.

The most important political event in the Communist Party of China (CPC) calendar is taking place in Beijing China. Since 1977, the CPC has established an unbroken ritual of holding its National Congress every five years. This year’s Party Congress will be the 20th such gathering since the CPC’s founding in 1921.

The 20th Congress of the CPC brings together China’s most senior leaders at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to review the achievements of the CPC in the preceding five years and chart a way forward in years to come.

This year’s Congress offers an opportunity to consider the remarkable achievements of President Xi Jinping as leader of the CPC in the last 9 years. Central to any analysis of Xi Jinping’s contributions to the development of the CPC in particular and China in general is the body of work which is now generally known and referred to as “Xi’s Thought” which encapsulates his theoretical vision for the social, economic and political transformation of China.

It would be recalled that the 19th Party Congress saw ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ gaining prominence by becoming an integral part of the party charter and constitution.

The significance of this is that it establishes Xi as a central figure in the Chinese political firmament. He becomes the first Chinese leader since CPC founder Mao Zedong to get his contribution to the party’s philosophical postulations presented as a “thoughts”

To his credit, Xi Jinping has overseen a period of profound policy realignment and formulation which has seen to the remarkable growth of the Chinese economy in the last decade. A major policy reform in his first term was to purge the CPC of corruption and aimed for “national rejuvenation” and sustainable growth across board in both rural and urban China, by dealing a decisive blow against the dishonest dealings of both “tigers” and “flies”. Since the beginning of his second tenure he has shown consistency in the implementation of priorities outlined in the work report of the 19th Party Congress.

The report which was presented by Xi Jinping himself in the 19th congress of the CPC, highlighted the policy thrust of national rejuvenation to include achieving a decisive victory in, “Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” and transformation to achieve “socialist modernization” by 2035 and become “a great modern socialist country that is prosperous” by mid-century.

In February 2021, Xi announced the eradication of “extreme poverty” at all levels. According to him the task of building a “moderately prosperous society” was achieved and became the landmark achievement of the CPC in its 100th anniversary celebration. Fighting the poverty scourge was a central and directional policy of the Xi era. It is no wonder therefore that the material wellbeing of the Chinese people have significantly improved under Xi.

Having defeated poverty, the work report for the 20th CPC congress is likely to thus focus on vision 2035 and its priority areas. Vision 2035 is the next task and milestone for China to attain “socialist modernization” in line with Xi’s vision for the new Chinese era.

Evidently, China’s remarkable growth and development cannot be divorced from its political system, which has brought stability and growth to the nation of 1.4 billion people under the leadership of the CPC, the largest political party in the world. The Chinese model of socialism is unique because it has inbuilt Chinese characteristics. In broad terms it represents Marxist –Leninism, adapted to Chinese peculiarities. Furthermore, Xi Jinping’s thought represents this characteristic and aligns with those of Marxist-Leninism.

While not outrightly advocating the Chinese model, it must be emphasized that many underdeveloped and developing countries in the world share similar characteristics with China. China has experienced many of the hiccups being experienced by many African countries today. Under these circumstances there is a lot that can be learnt from the Chinese model in building an economic and political system that is unique and adaptable to peculiar political and economic challenges rather than aping prescriptive Western style democracy.

Staying true to its chosen path under the guidance of the CPC, China has become a global economic player that has achieved significant progress in its quest for economic emancipation for its citizens. In 30 years of reforms China has successfully lifted over 800 million people from poverty. These people are mostly based in the rural parts of China. The figure represents more than half of the poor population of China. These achievements can only be attributed to the Chinese model and adoption of communist principles with Chinese characteristics. Characteristics which are people centered with a strong political organization that recognizes democratic principles in its decision making process.

In a speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to mark the end of extreme poverty and honour the frontline fighters in the monumental accomplishment on 25th Febuary 2021, Xi Jinping noted: “No country has been able to lift hundreds of millions of peoples out of poverty in such short time.” For China, it was a miracle that not only reduced poverty in China but cut global poverty by more than half. The role of the CPC in this monumental accomplishment is central which President Xi Jingping noted, provided the “political and organizational guarantee in the long and arduous struggle against poverty”.

The “organizational guarantee” of political parties is sacrosanct, this is a lesson African political parties must learn from the CPC towards the ultimate objective of “working for the people’s wellbeing” as Xi noted at the world political parties’ Summit on July 6, 2021.

The Communist Party of China under Xi Jinping is a people centered political party. This has been the driving force to the Communist Party’s longevity and accomplishment. The CPC has demonstrated its determination to support developing countries to grow their economies and lift their people out of poverty.

In the views of Professor Georg T Yu, “China has established enduring relationships on all continents and with numerous partners both major and minor”. However, “no other continent can rival the extent, the intensity, the speed and the impact of China’s relations in Africa”. In a similar vein, a 2017 report by Mckinsey and Company with the title: “How Africa and China are engaging and how the partnership would evolve, “ notes that in a mere two decades China has become Africa’s largest economic partner across trade, investment, infrastructure financing, and, there is no country with such depth and breadth of engagement in Africa” the report noted.

The two principle platforms of engagement apart from the traditional bilateral cooperation between China and individual African nations has been the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ also known as the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) or OBOR, One Belt One Road.

FOCAC is a multilateral mechanism of partnership which came into being in October 2000. Twenty two years after, it has become a major landmark in the growing Sino/Africa relationship and one of the world’s most visible and effective multilateral platforms for international collaboration and development.

FOCAC has come to represent the new world order for multilateralism and cooperation. In twenty two years it has become the rallying point for developing countries and South-South cooperation. It represents a shift in Western-backed global institutions that have only served the interests of big powers.

As noted by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the September 2018 meeting, FOCAC has become an important mechanism for collective dialogue and practical cooperation between China and African countries, a model of South-South cooperation and a banner of international cooperation between China and Africa. FOCAC for African countries has come to, “represent the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and the values of friendship, justice and shared interests”.

It is instructive that the 8th Ministerial Conference of FOCAC which took place in Dakar Senegal in November 2021 had as its theme: “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era”.

In line with the “Dakar Action Plan 2022 to 2024”, China/Africa relationship is expected to enjoy high-level political exchanges and experience sharing on governance; support for African countries to independently chose their paths to economic and political emancipation.

The Dakar Action Plan means that the two sides work “to create synergy between the China/Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, the Long-Range Goals for 2035 of China, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union, thus drawing a long-term blueprint for China/Africa practical cooperation”.

Also on the table includes bilateral and multilateral political dialogues such as the China/Africa political parties theoretical seminar, that would deepen experience sharing and mutual learning on state governance. These are opportunities that African political parties must take advantage of in the overall interest of the people of Africa and in line with China/Africa cooperation.

Be that as it may, China has not directly sought to impose its will on African countries and has stayed true to its policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of African countries.

We live in a diverse world; consequently the ways and means of achieving democracy should reflect this diversity as no single yardstick should be applied in judging democracy.

African political parties must reflect this diversity. African political parties must uphold the universal principle of democracy which underscores, participation, rule of law, equity, justice and fairness to achieve their core mandate which should be hinged on people’s wellbeing, happiness and security. Great efforts should be made towards collaboration and consensus building and promoting common values of humanity and building a community with a shared future.

As the largest developing country in the world, China must continue to assist Africa by sharing development strategies and experiences. African political parties must evolve the developmental philosophies needed to domesticate these ideas and processes to root out underdevelopment from the continent.

However, China/Africa cooperation must be wary of the antics of some Western nations and its attempt to define and take ownership of the abiding principles of democracy, for democracy belongs to no one neither is it painted in the colors of any nation’s flag.

As the CPC holds its 20th National Congress, there are expectations by African countries against the background of changing global realities.

Since the last Congress in 2017, the world has changed significantly, a consequence of Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic disruption that came with it. The disease has challenged global health and relationships. It has exposed global fault lines and has laid bare the hypocrisy of nations. At a time the world should have embraced multilateralism and solidarity, some countries have fallen short of expectation. Unilateralism and nationalism became a counterforce to multilateralism.

The breakthrough in vaccine production only accentuated global fault-lines and led to vaccine nationalism and inequalities. The economic meltdown occasioned by the fall in global commodity prices meant African countries were worst hit by the spiraling effect of the pandemic.

The 20th National Congress of the CPC is auspicious as it would provide China the opportunity to continue to build on its cooperation with African nations in the spirit of South-South cooperation.

The Congress offers immense opportunities to recalibrate China /African cooperation along the tested lines of mutualism, win- win and a shared future. Africa needs more assistance to combat the pandemic, more trade and investment. The Congress therefore offers opportunities for new vistas, new agendas and blueprint for the development of the continent.

In May 2021, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a reception commemorating Africa Day in Beijing emphasized that enhancing unity and cooperation with Africa has always been high on China’s diplomatic agenda. China-Africa relations he said, has “reached a new starting point.”

The “starting point” in China/Africa relations is working cooperatively and collaboratively. As the 20th Congress of the CPC is set to take place, African countries and political parties expect more collaboration and consultation between China and Africa.

African countries expect more activities on the Belt and Road Initiative and implementation of the action plan of FOCAC, for the development of physical infrastructure in the continent.

African countries also expect more collaboration especially in the areas of trade and investment. African countries want to see practical cooperation in the pursuit of common development and incorporation of Africa into China’s agenda 2035 , China’s new development paradigm and Xi’s vision for the new era.

Africa seeks more synergy and exchanges on the political front between political parties in Africa and the CPC.

Africa also desires to see more efforts towards Cushioning the effects of COVID-19, promoting multilateralism and promoting the ideas of a multilateral world through the instrumentality of the United Nations.

China continues to prove to the rest of the world that its unique blend of communism with Chinese characteristics works. China is certainly not a Communist gulag as some people would want us to believe. China has over the years evolved a process were decisions are reached through the consensus of elected representatives, demonstrating China’s democratic credentials which is people centered.

President Xi Jinping people centered thoughts is at the core of modern China and the driving force that led to the realization of its first millennia goal of building a moderately prosperous society, and propelling China towards its second goal of building a modern socialist country.

African countries from all ramifications have a positive disposition towards the achievements of the CPC in the last decade. African political parties must continue in the task of building a high level China/African community with a shared future and implement a people centric approach in the development of political party ideology.

African countries are upbeat and hopeful of a positive outcome of the 20th National Congress in line with China/African relationship built on the principles of win-win and a shared future.

Dr. Austin Maho is a media scholar, a media teacher, a political activist and public affairs commentator. He is the publisher and Editor-in Chief of Daybreak Nigeria, a Nigeria Newspaper and Red Dragon Magazine. He is a member of the Nigeria Guild of Editors and several national and international organization.

Foreign

Expressway service station in Shandong achieves carbon neutrality

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2024

Online Editor

By Li Rui, People’s Daily

A man surnamed Lin, driving a new energy vehicle, was on his way from Jinan to his hometown Weifang, both in east China’s Shandong province. As the battery of his vehicle ran low, he pulled up in a service station along the Qingdao–Yinchuan Expressway.

Experience told him that a service station was a place where drivers and passengers could refuel vehicles, use the bathroom, grab a drink of water and have a meal. However, he found this service station a little bit different.

The Jinan East service station was a key carbon-zero station built by Shandong Hi-Speed Company Limited. It was put into operation on July 26, 2019. During China’s just-concluded National Day holiday, the service station received an average of 13,000 vehicles and 44,000 people on a daily basis.

“How long does it take for a vehicle to get 200 kilometers of range with this ultra-fast charging pole?” Lin asked a staff member of the service station.

“One second for one kilometer of range,” the staff member replied, pointing to an advertising board above that said “Get Fully Charged over a Cup of Coffee.”

Being skeptical about it, Lin scanned a QR code on the charging pole with his phone. Then, he unwound outside his car and went to get a cup of hot water. When he came back, he found his car fully charged.

The power level of the charging pole Lin used was 600 kW, and there were also charging poles of different models and power levels available for users to choose from at the service station.

The Jinan East service station covers an area of 300 mu, or 20 hectares. With so many charging poles in service, it consumes about 6,000 kWh of electricity each day. Where does such a huge load of electricity come from?

On the canopy, rows of solar panels were neatly paved. They were a part of a renewable energy utilization system – a 3.2 MW solar farm built on side slopes of the expressway, parking lot canopies and rooftops. The system also comes with a 3.2 MWh power storage facility.

At present, the service station generates an average of over 10,000 kWh of electricity on a daily basis, far exceeding its daily power consumption volume. This saves 1,200 tons of standard coal per year. The service station also transmits extra electricity to the power grid through safe and efficient means.

At noon, the fragrance of food was floating in the corridors of the crowded comprehensive building of the service station. As one of the busiest service stations in Shandong province, the Jinan East service station welcomes over 10 million passengers each year. How does it manage the wastewater generated by such a huge crowd?

In the “backyard” of the service station, there were two white bungalows at the corner of a tree lawn. Inside them, sewage treatment facilities were running, processing wastewater and pumping it back to the water tanks, which would be used for irrigation and floor washing.

The treatment system for waste and pollutant resources successfully addresses the challenges of the huge variation between water usage peaks and lows, as well as significant greenhouse gas emissions from sewage, effectively recycling and reusing treated water.

“In the past, diesel vehicles were used for service area operations and cleaning, but now they have been replaced with electric vehicles. The catering businesses have also undergone electrification upgrades for their gas stoves, replacing them with clean energy sources wherever possible,” a staff member said.

Carbon emissions are invisible and intangible. How are they measured?

Shandong Hi-Speed Company Limited has independently developed a smart energy management system, which builds a digital twin of the station and displays all relevant data on a screen, including daily electricity generation, charging station power, peak electricity generation periods, air conditioning usage and more.

It is learned that this zero-carbon smart energy management system collects data of all indirect carbon emission sources such as photovoltaics, energy storage, micro grids, lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and wastewater treatment. It can automatically calculate, make decisions, and intelligently control equipment.

For example, if the air conditioning is set at 26 degrees Celsius indoors, the system can automatically shut down some air conditioners when the temperature falls below this threshold, refining energy management and enabling intelligent equipment control.

According to real-time monitoring by the system, the service station emits an average of 2,060.97 tons of carbon dioxide per year. By planting over 19,000 square meters of greenery, the service station offsets greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently, the forestry area of the service station covers 67,000 square meters, or about 33 percent of the station’s total area. Through forestry carbon sequestration, the system helps reduce an annual average of 3,410.1 tons of carbon dioxide, with a forestry carbon sequestration volume of 53.4 tons of carbon dioxide, realizing “zero-carbon” operations. The service station now has the capability for sustainable carbon neutrality.

“So far, China has built nearly 4,000 pairs of expressway service stations. If we can promote zero-carbon experiences in more service stations, it would be of great significance,” said Zhou Pengfei, deputy director of the energy and environment department of Shandong Hi-Speed Company Limited.

Foreign

Qinling Mountains better safeguarded with comprehensive digital platform

Published

9 hours ago

October 16, 2024

Online Editor

By Zhang Tie, Zhang Danhua, People’s Daily

The Qinling Mountains in northwest China’s Shaanxi province are a natural boundary between China’s north and south in terms of geology, climate, biodiversity, water systems, and soil types.

The unique geographic environment creates abundant moisture, and the rugged terrain harbors rich plant and animal resources, earning the Qinling Mountains the nickname “China’s Central Park” and establishing them as a crucial ecological barrier for the country.

In recent years, ecological protection and restoration of the Qinling Mountains has maintained a priority of Shaanxi province.

“There appears to be waste dumping in the east of Liyuanpo village in Shijing neighborhood,” an alert popped up on the screen of a digital comprehensive monitoring platform for the Qinling Mountains of Huyi district of Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province.

Staff member Zhao Na immediately contacted Mao Juan, a local grid officer: “Drones have captured footage, and AI analysis has detected unauthorized dumping.”

In less than an hour, Mao arrived at Liyuanpo village. Upon investigation, she learned that a villager had been renovating his house and had dumped construction waste by the roadside.

She promptly took photos for evidence, uploaded them from her phone, and informed the neighborhood office. After the area was cleared by the following morning, Mao revisited the site, verified the cleanup, and uploaded the update to the platform.

The ecological protection area of the Qinling Mountains covers six districts and counties in Xi’an, accounting for about 55 percent of the city’s total area. The rapid handling of issues like this is a result of an integrated ecological monitoring and protection system for the Qinling Mountains.

The system includes satellites that provide periodic remote sensing images, drones that conduct routine patrol flights, cameras offering real-time monitoring, and 1,240 dedicated grid officers carrying out inspections.

“With this system, countless ‘eyes’ help us protect every ridge and valley of the Qinling Mountains,” said Lei Bo, director of the technology and grid management department of the Xi’an municipal bureau of Qinling ecological environment protection.

From January to August this year, the platform autonomously identified and processed 2,480 cases involving unauthorized construction and dumping. Most cases were resolved within one to three days.

In recent years, Xi’an has continuously improved the systems and mechanisms for regular and long-term protection of the Qinling Mountains. The approach combines human surveillance with technology-based monitoring, and grid-based management with networked coordination, making protection efforts more targeted and intelligent.

Now, the entire landscape can be visualized on a single map, which shows forests, rivers, buildings, and mineral distributions, creates a digital model of the Qinling Mountains.

Each village has its own grid, with at least one grid officer, which forms a four-tiered management system from the municipal level down to villages.

Municipal- and district-level platforms, as well as several industry-specific platforms have been integrated, enabling information sharing and seamless data exchange to form a unified digital supervision system for the Qinling Mountains.

“We can detect even the smallest fire, down to a single lighter, thanks to the integration of thermal, smoke, and light sensors,” said Hua Yiping, director of the Qinling ecological protection and comprehensive law enforcement bureau of Huyi district. The digital monitoring platform now extends to multiple applications, including forest fire prevention, flood control, water quality monitoring, and geological disaster monitoring.

Currently, the populations of wild plants and animals in the Qinling Mountains are steadily increasing, with 99.3 percent of the Qinling area within Shaanxi province now rated as having an excellent ecological environment.

“In the future, we will continue to enhance the automation, intelligence, and precision of Qinling’s protection measures. We aim to refine our monitoring systems and ensure thorough, dynamic inspections and remediation,” said Li Bo, deputy director of the Xi’an municipal bureau of Qinling ecological environment protection.

Foreign

SWChina’s Guizhou builds itself into computing power base serving whole country

Published

14 hours ago

October 16, 2024

Online Editor

By Chen Junyi

At the Gui’an Supercomputing Center, which is located in Guiyang, southwest China’s Guizhou province, over 600 servers are running at full speed, supplying constant computing power to cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Wuhan, creating a vibrant ambiance with constant hum of cooling fans and flickering indicator lights.

As one of the eight major hubs of China’s national integrated computing power network, Guizhou is actively pursuing the integrated development of data storage and computing, with a particular focus on intelligent computing.

It aims to enhance the capacity in computing power supply, effectively match the supply and demand of computing power within the province and elsewhere, and better utilize computing power and localize the computing industry, so as to establish a support base serving the whole country.

Guizhou launched its plans to develop data centers ten years ago. It boasts numerous natural advantages for developing the computing industry, such as safe geological conditions, reliable power supply, and low average temperatures. China’s three telecommunication operators, namely China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom, have all set up data centers here, making it the first province in China to host data centers of all the three.

After a decade of development, Guizhou is currently home to 47 data centers, either under construction or in operation, including 25 super-large and large data centers, most of which are located in the Gui’an New Area.

The Gui’an New Area is known for its flat terrain and an annual average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. The region enjoys 99.5 percent of days with good air quality throughout the year, thereby serving as a natural air conditioner and oxygen bar.

The power usage effectiveness (PUE)of data centers in the region, a metric for energy efficiency, is lower than 1.2, which is at the forefront of all green data centers across the country. It is also one of the areas in China where data centers boast the lowest energy consumption and the longest equipment lifespan.

“As the carrier of computing power, data centers are equipped to support high-performance application scenarios by leveraging advanced computational capabilities and large-scale data processing power through the use of various hardware components such as servers and graphics cards,” said Peng Benqian, head of the Gui’an Supercomputing Center and director of the technology research and development department of Gui’an New Area Science and Technology Innovation Industries Development Co., Ltd., the company that runs the center.

In the past, most data centers in Guizhou were primarily focused on storage. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), Guizhou is advancing intelligent computing, which forms the basis of AI development. The data centers are rapidly transforming from mere “storage centers” to integrated “storage and computing ones.”

The Gui’an Supercomputing Center, the first of its kind in Guizhou, was put into operation at the end of 2020. “We have more than 600 servers, and the peak computing power has reached 130 petaflops,” Peng said.

“It would take nearly 600 years to create special effects rendering for a 3D animated film with a regular computer. However, the whole process can be completed within 3 months at our center,” he said.

In addition to locally built computing power centers, top internet companies such as Huawei, Tencent, and NetEase have established superlarge computing centers and intelligent computing centers in Guizhou. Besides, many banks have set up their financial data centers in the province.

Guizhou has become one of the regions in China with the strongest intelligent computing capabilities. By the end of July 2024, its computing power had reached 40.55 Eflops (a measurement unit used to determine a computer’s speed), with intelligent computing power amounting to 37.578 Eflops, accounting for over 90 percent.

Just like other commodities, computing power cannot be on a perfect supply-demand balance. Idle computing resources will enter a public computing resource pool and be scheduled by the Guizhou branch of China’s national integrated computing power network to efficiently connect the resource side and the demand side.

The transmission and trading of computing power rely on network infrastructure. Guizhou has established direct connections with 38 cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.The computing power can meet the huge demand of the “East data, west computing”project, a key part of China’s digital infrastructure which aims to coordinate the computing capabilities of the country’s eastern regions, where the need for computing is high, with inland western regions like Guizhou, where abundant renewable resources are optimal for building data centers, according to Zhang Jie, head of the business department of Gui’an New Area Data Service Technology Co., Ltd.

Meanwhile, Guizhou is leveraging its computing power to drive industrial development and extend the industrial chain. With the support of computing power, many local companies have begun to explore new opportunities.

Guizhou Tuzhi Information Technology Co., Ltd. is a technology company specializing in geospatial big data application and development and a professional provider of real-time spatial-temporal information services integrating air, space, and ground data. With over 8 years of experience, the company has witnessed the evolution of Guizhou’s big data industry.

“The ecosystem of the big data industry in Guizhou is getting better and better, with refined computing power support, industry applications and data transactions. We have seen increasing productivity and expanding business scope,” Huang said.