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title: China&amp;#039;s Spring Festival goes global
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/China-s-Spring-Festival-goes-global-1AzSvb597UI/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/China-s-Spring-Festival-goes-global-1AzSvb597UI/img/ea463d8291e845f689f46bd5ff0acc0c/ea463d8291e845f689f46bd5ff0acc0c.png" alt="People celebrate Chinese New Year in Taizhou City, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, January 29, 2025. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>People celebrate Chinese New Year in Taizhou City, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, January 29, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">People celebrate Chinese New Year in Taizhou City, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, January 29, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Stephen Ndegwa, a special commentator for CGTN, is the executive director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. </em></p>
<p>The Chinese Spring Festival, also known as the Spring Festival, has a remarkable history spanning over 4,000 years. Originally an agrarian tradition marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, it has evolved into one of the most widely celebrated cultural events worldwide. Today, nearly one-fifth of the world's population celebrates the festival in different forms, with approximately 20 countries designating it as a legal holiday. Its global significance reflects its universal themes, cultural richness and adaptability to modern times.</p>
<p>Ancient texts such as Matteo Ricci's Notes on China vividly describe the Spring Festival's early practices. These included rituals to honor ancestors, ward off the mythical Nian beast and welcome a prosperous year. Traditional customs such as offering sacrifices, lighting lanterns and preparing feasts were deeply rooted in the rhythms of rural life and community. Over centuries, these customs have been preserved, modified and reimagined to suit the changing lifestyles of those who celebrate.</p>
<p>Modern technology and innovation have transformed the way the Spring Festival is celebrated, both in China and abroad. Fireworks, once the dominant spectacle, have been enhanced by dazzling drone light shows, while digital advancements have made traditional practices like giving red envelopes more accessible. Popular platforms such as WeChat now enable people to send virtual "hongbao" globally, fostering participation even in distant regions.</p>
<p>Globally, the Spring Festival has transcended its origins to become a multicultural phenomenon. Cities like Sydney and New York City host elaborate parades and fireworks displays, while countries like Canada and Indonesia integrate local traditions into the celebrations. In the Philippines, for example, the festival is celebrated alongside indigenous rituals, reflecting a blending of cultures that enhances its global appeal. Such adaptations ensure the festival is not just an imported event but a meaningful part of diverse cultural landscapes.</p>
<p>The festival's popularity outside China can be attributed to several factors. Its universal themes of family, renewal and hope resonate across cultures, making it accessible and relatable. Additionally, the Chinese diaspora has played a crucial role in sharing and sustaining these traditions in new environments. With about 60 million Chinese living overseas, communities worldwide have embraced the festival as a vibrant way to connect with their heritage and share it with others.</p>
<p>China's growing global influence has also been instrumental in spreading the Spring Festival. Initiatives like the "Happy Chinese New Year" campaign and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have introduced millions to Chinese traditions through cultural exchanges, performances and exhibitions. The Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) further amplifies these efforts, promoting the value of cultural diversity and mutual respect. For instance, Chinese embassies and cultural centers regularly organize events showcasing the festival's traditions, from zodiac animal symbolism to the art of paper-cutting and dumpling-making.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/China-s-Spring-Festival-goes-global-1AzSvb597UI/img/1f6af0c5d06f478db3be06bd5c6cf8b3/1f6af0c5d06f478db3be06bd5c6cf8b3.jpeg" alt="Tourists play in Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. January 28, 2025. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Tourists play in Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. January 28, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Tourists play in Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. January 28, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p>The adaptability of the Spring Festival has been key to its longevity and global relevance. While the core values of family, gratitude and renewal remain intact, the festival has embraced change, making it appealing to new generations. This balance between preservation and innovation highlights the importance of community involvement, education and formal documentation in safeguarding cultural heritage. China's approach, such as including traditional festivals in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, serves as a model for protecting and promoting traditions globally.</p>
<p>Moreover, the Spring Festival's evolution offers valuable lessons for other nations. Its ability to unite people across borders demonstrates the power of shared celebrations in fostering mutual understanding. By blending traditional narratives with contemporary forms of media, such as film, music and digital platforms, China has made the festival accessible to a global audience. The diaspora and international partnerships have further amplified its reach, creating opportunities for cultural exchange and collaboration.</p>
<p>The festival's global resonance also underscores the importance of cultural diplomacy in today's interconnected world. Through initiatives like the GCI, China emphasizes the significance of cultural heritage as a unifying force, celebrating diversity while promoting shared human values. This approach not only enriches the global cultural landscape but also strengthens relationships between nations, contributing to a more inclusive and harmonious world.</p>
<p>As the Spring Festival continues to grow in relevance, it serves as a shining example of how traditions can thrive in a modern context. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to adapt without losing its essence, offering a sense of continuity and connection in an ever-changing world. By embracing innovation and fostering inclusivity, the festival inspires people across cultures to celebrate their own heritage while appreciating the beauty of others.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the Spring Festival is more than just a Chinese tradition. It is a global celebration that bridges cultures, fosters unity, and enriches the shared human experience. As more countries integrate the festival into their cultural calendars, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of tradition, resilience and the universal values that bind us all.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/China-s-Spring-Festival-goes-global-1AzSvb597UI/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: America&amp;#039;s changing interest in immigration
hash: \�{�#��ue��ȸ
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/America-s-changing-interest-in-immigration-1AAmQhyYunm/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/America-s-changing-interest-in-immigration-1AAmQhyYunm/img/d7ff286125d54b33be0ce311f8e6c870/d7ff286125d54b33be0ce311f8e6c870.jpeg" alt="Migrants line up at the Chaparral checkpoint in Tijuana, Mexico, January 20, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Migrants line up at the Chaparral checkpoint in Tijuana, Mexico, January 20, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Migrants line up at the Chaparral checkpoint in Tijuana, Mexico, January 20, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>One set of poll numbers cannot capture the complexity of the U.S. immigration debate, but the data can offer a snapshot of a moment in time. Moreover, as we will see, numbers, although relevant, cannot explain the emotional reaction Americans have toward immigrants. The bitter reality is that men, women and children, most especially from Central American countries, hoping to enter the U.S., often will not find an open door and a warm welcome.</p>
<p>Although Americans say they understand and support the benefits of immigration, that enthusiasm is waning. Roughly 64 percent of U.S. citizens view immigration positively; they want to uphold the myth that the United States has always been a haven for the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free," words inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty. However, public support is declining. In 2020, 77 percent of Americans endorsed immigration, and that figure has steadily dropped – to 75 percent in 2021, to 70 percent in 2022, to 68 percent in 2023 and finally 64 percent last year.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Gallup, examining a different set of data, reported that support for immigration has cooled among Democrats, Republicans and independents. Gallup suggests that the ingrained idea that the federal government has failed to rein in illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border has increased frustration among voters. As we will see, economic uncertainty also plays a role.</p>
<p>As he ran for president last year, Donald Trump successfully tapped into the public's anger about the crisis, whether real or imagined, at the border. He promised the "largest deportation operation in history," rhetoric that played an important role in his electoral victory, particularly among swing voters who believed then-President Joe Biden had failed to address the crisis. Many of these voters shifted their support to Trump over Biden's running mate, then Vice President Kamala Harris.</p>
<p>Did Biden fail? According to an analysis by the British newspaper <em>The Independent</em>, Trump's policies led to roughly 1.2 million deportations while he was president from 2017 until 2021, whereas Biden was responsible for roughly 650,000 deportations. However, deportations are just one metric for evaluating border and national security. Other factors include the number of migrants apprehended while attempting to cross the border, those who voluntarily return home, and those denied entry during health crises.</p>
<p>Trump swiftly acted on his campaign promises. Within hours of being sworn in as president, he issued an executive order that declared an emergency at the border, a move that will send thousands of military personnel there to assist other federal agencies that try to stifle illegal crossings.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/America-s-changing-interest-in-immigration-1AAmQhyYunm/img/4062acd266f34ff3955787ef0355df8d/4062acd266f34ff3955787ef0355df8d.jpeg" alt="Migrants wait at the Chaparral checkpoint in Tijuana, Mexico, January 20, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Migrants wait at the Chaparral checkpoint in Tijuana, Mexico, January 20, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Migrants wait at the Chaparral checkpoint in Tijuana, Mexico, January 20, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently carried out raids in major cities such as Atlanta, Dallas and Miami. Even churches, traditionally considered safe havens for undocumented immigrants, faced a stern rebuke from Vice President James David Vance for allegedly failing to help the government. Additionally, a separate executive order ended birthright citizenship, a policy granting citizenship to any child born on American soil to non-citizen parents.</p>
<p>The American response to these tougher immigration measures? Broad approval – with growing support for Trump to consider even stronger policies that human rights organizations are certain to oppose.</p>
<p>Therein lies the rub about the complex nature of immigration. Data, whether they come from polls or databases, offer a clinical look at the issue, and such numbers often consider only a sliver of the debate. As a result, these numbers often miss the emotional and value-laden responses to the issue. Consider this one example to illustrate why Americans believe immigrants can be a problem: Although immigrants are far less likely to commit a crime, Americans believe just the opposite. Therefore, many state and national politicians play up this fear, knowing that significant pockets of the public will accept it and demand something be done in order to increase their safety. </p>
<p>One other element to the immigration issue needs to be recognized, and there is no nice way to say this: Too many Americans do not want the jobs that immigrants often take on. Most Americans do not want to toil under the hot sun picking fruits or vegetables. In fact, they disdain almost all jobs relating to food production and distribution. They prefer not to work in hotels tidying up rooms and hallways. They do not want to be caregivers to elderly men and women. But when fears about job security kick in, an entirely different narrative is heard. As unemployment numbers start to again creep up, immigrants are likely to feel the wrath of Americans worried that "they" are taking jobs from "me."</p>
<p>As 2025 unfolds in the U.S., fear is thumping logic. History reminds us that in such times, sound policies are tossed aside in favor of bold actions that provide "assurance" that something is being done. Asking whether that something is sound is neither wise nor likely to be considered.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-30/America-s-changing-interest-in-immigration-1AAmQhyYunm/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: The year of the Wood Snake
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/The-year-of-the-Wood-Snake-1AAdMNKcnRK/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/The-year-of-the-Wood-Snake-1AAdMNKcnRK/img/d3ee1677c00b45d2b1ab74716d4f0fd1/d3ee1677c00b45d2b1ab74716d4f0fd1.png" alt="Ditan Temple Fair, Beijing, capital of China, January 29, 2025. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Ditan Temple Fair, Beijing, capital of China, January 29, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Ditan Temple Fair, Beijing, capital of China, January 29, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Uwe Kräuter, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a German film producer, author and translator. He translated the Chinese classic drama "Teahouse" into German and got it published in Germany. 2025 is Kräuter's 51st year living in China. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Recently in December, I traveled from Beijing, where we live, to the city of Nanjing, which I like very much and where I have a number of friends, mostly artists. They are also painters, singers, dancers and journalists. On Christmas Eve, we went out walking in the streets and had dinner in an international restaurant. In the streets everywhere there were mostly young people, excited, enjoying themselves, going to restaurants, bars – Chinese and international ones – all in a very, very lively atmosphere.</p>
<p>That evening, I started remembering how it was when I came to China, indeed decades ago, me in my twenties and invited by a Chinese publishing house to work with them. At the time, Christmas was not on the minds of the people. Sure, they were polite, gave us foreign colleagues the impression that they understood us, didn't want us to feel lonely and kindly invited us for dinner or lunch, usually to their homes.</p>
<p>We foreigners at the time knew even less about the Spring Festival and the meaning of it than the usual Chinese knew about Christmas. Sure, we enjoy the holidays and travel around. But what is the Spring Festival about? Now we just need to open a computer to get useful or necessary information.</p>
<p>The Spring Festival is an annual event in China and also in Chinese communities around the world. It is China's oldest and most important festival, marking the new year on the Chinese calendar and representing people's desire for a new life, perhaps in new surroundings. Equal to the significance or importance of Christmas in our countries, Spring Festival is the most relevant holiday in China.</p>
<p>It takes place on different dates each year, but typically starts around late January, or early February and lasts until around the middle of February. This year 2025 the dates for the Spring Festival holiday are January 28 to February 4. The dates in that period will be characterized by lively and happy gatherings as well as close family meetings.</p>
<p>The festival is considered to date back to the early time of the Shang Dynasty around 3500 years ago and to honor the tradition of respect to ancestors and deities. Two features are considered important: One is seeing off the old year and welcoming the new; the other one is family reunion.</p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/The-year-of-the-Wood-Snake-1AAdMNKcnRK/img/59d75b88768e4d7a944bed64d19fb7e5/59d75b88768e4d7a944bed64d19fb7e5.jpeg" alt="People have a reunion meal at a restaurant in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, January 28, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>People have a reunion meal at a restaurant in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, January 28, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">People have a reunion meal at a restaurant in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, January 28, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>Family members who no longer live in their original home, city or village will – and this is considered very important – travel back to reunite with their relatives.</p>
<p>There is a tradition of buying new clothes prior to the beginning of the festival. Additionally, there is the habit of family elders giving money to the children in red envelopes. In recent years, young people as well as elder ones have started sending digital red packets.</p>
<p>During the days of the festival, people watch and are fascinated by the dances of huge, long dragons in streets and parks; they enjoy looking at fireworks, join parties, hear live music and happily walk in the streets where there are colorful, mostly red and golden lanterns everywhere.</p>
<p>This year is considered as the Year of the Snake, or more specifically, the Year of the Wood Snake. The Wood Snake represents wisdom, patience and mystery. It symbolizes personal growth and continuous renewal. The snake is admired for its strategic and introspective nature. This is complemented by wood as wood fosters growth, balance and the connection with nature. There is a belief that the combination of these energies will help create a year with both personal inner reflection and progress in life.</p>
<p>It is said that people born in the Year of the Snake are considered to be mysterious, intelligent, and charming as well as creatively gifted. At the same time, they are known for their sharp wit. Yet, they may also be secretive, cunning, and sometimes ruthless. They are particularly known for their strong will and determination.</p>
<p>Very recently, on December 4, 2024, UNESCO added China's Spring Festival to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition underscores the festival's enduring role as a cornerstone of cultural identity, uniting generations through rituals, symbolism and shared values. As the Wood Snake year unfolds, it invites a harmonious blend of introspection, growth and celebration – a testament to the timeless legacy of this cherished tradition.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/The-year-of-the-Wood-Snake-1AAdMNKcnRK/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Trump&amp;#039;s testing ground for his new Monroe Doctrine
hash: yf������s����
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/Trump-s-testing-ground-for-his-new-Monroe-Doctrine-1ABWJquyY24/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/Trump-s-testing-ground-for-his-new-Monroe-Doctrine-1ABWJquyY24/img/57d575ad80e34bf0a5685621fbcd64f8/57d575ad80e34bf0a5685621fbcd64f8.jpeg" alt="A cargo ship sails on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, August 28, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A cargo ship sails on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, August 28, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A cargo ship sails on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, August 28, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Yuan Sha, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is the</em> deputy director at the Department for Global Governance and International Organizations Studies, <em>China Institute of International Studies. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Since returning to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to "take back" the Panama Canal, alleging – falsely – that it is operated by China. The outlandish threat actually reveals Trump's hidden agenda to resurrect the infamous Monroe Doctrine, articulated in 1823 to curb Europe's expansion and promote America's commercial and security interests, as a pathway to achieve the "Golden Age of America."</p>
<p>As the new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins his first official trip abroad to Central America, including a stop in Panama, there is worldwide concern about Trump's end goal, what coercive tactics he might use, and whether he would succeed in bullying the region into giving him what he wants. These questions are critical in assessing the nature of Trump 2.0 foreign policy and its challenges to the international order.</p>
<p><strong>Trump's outlandish claims</strong></p>
<p>The Panama Canal is a key strategic waterway in Central America linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Up to 14,000 ships pass through the canal each year, accounting for around five percent of global maritime trade.</p>
<p>The U.S. used to control the canal from the early 20th century until the end of 1999, after which it handed over control of the canal to the Panama government in accordance with the treaties signed between the Carter administration and Panama in the 1970s. But now, eying the geostrategic importance of the canal, Trump wants to renege on the agreements and regain U.S. control of the canal. </p><p>To justify this, he has lambasted the canal being "foolishly given to Panama," accusing Panama of charging U.S. ships "exorbitant" fees to use the waterway. He is also falsely claiming that China is "operating the canal," and cites national security as the necessity for an American takeover.</p>
<p>Trump's assertion to "take back" the Panama Canal is effectively an infringement on Panama's sovereignty and goes against international law. Panama has owned and administered the canal since 1999. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has rejected Trump's claim as "nonsense," saying the canal "was not a gift" from the U.S.</p>
<p>Trump's claim about China is also outright disinformation. China undoubtedly is the second largest user of the canal, following the U.S., and a major investor in infrastructure in Panama as Panama is the first Latin American country to join the Belt and Road Initiative. But as the Panama government and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs have clarified, China does not participate in the management and operation of the canal and has never interfered in its affairs.</p>
<p>Trump's outlandish claims actually reflect his heightened concern over China's growing investment in Panama. As the Trump 2.0 administration is ready to escalate the "great power competition" with China around the globe, the Panama Canal, not surprisingly, has become a new flashpoint.</p>
<p><strong>What could Trump do?</strong></p>
<p>The question is how serious Trump's bombastic rhetoric to regain control of the canal is and what he might do to achieve that end.</p>
<p>Trump has hinted at taking it back by force. He could cite the 1977 Neutrality Treaty with Panama which stipulates that the U.S. shall remain permanently neutral, but it reserves the right to defend any threat to the canal's neutrality by using military force. This outright threat to use military force is regarded as bluff to exact concessions from Panama.</p>
<p>Trump is also likely to use tariffs as a coercive tool. He might repeat the successful maneuver in pressuring Colombia to accept the flights carrying Colombians deported from the U.S. by threatening to impose 25 percent tariff. Trump's goal is to force the Panama government to curb its engagements with China as well as regain U.S. control over Panama.</p>
<p>Trump has the support of the Republican-controlled Congress. Republican senators recently introduced a resolution, calling on the government of Panama to cut its political and economic ties with China and Chinese businesses. Republican representatives have also introduced a bill in the House to authorize the president to enter into negotiations to acquire the canal from Panama. These legislative moves will further empower Trump's brazen actions on this matter.</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/Trump-s-testing-ground-for-his-new-Monroe-Doctrine-1ABWJquyY24/img/299b9346ddb64edb9b9fa062b2d4d3d0/299b9346ddb64edb9b9fa062b2d4d3d0.jpeg" alt="In 1989, U.S. soldiers search pedestrians in Panama City, Panama. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>In 1989, U.S. soldiers search pedestrians in Panama City, Panama. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">In 1989, U.S. soldiers search pedestrians in Panama City, Panama. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><strong>Trump's new Monroe Doctrine</strong></p>
<p>Trump's bullying rhetoric on Panama has sent shockwaves across the world, revealing the administration's penchant to revive the Monroe Doctrine which once provided the pretext for prolonged U.S. military, diplomatic and economic interventions.</p>
<p>In fact, Trump wanted to resuscitate the doctrine in his first administration itself. In September 2018, he declared in the United Nations General Assembly, "It has been the formal policy of our country since President Monroe that we reject the interference of foreign nations in this hemisphere and in our own affairs." He also expressed his admiration for President Theodore Roosevelt, who seized the Panama Canal and added the famous "Roosevelt Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the U.S. had the right to intervene in Latin American domestic affairs.</p>
<p>The Trump 2.0 administration seems to be all out to revive this doctrine, along with the bluster to force Denmark to sell Greenland to the U.S., make Canada the 51st state of the U.S., and change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." Trump has also made startling proclamations in his inaugural address such as the U.S. needs to "expand our territory" and "carry our flag into new and beautiful horizons." He has made no secret of his intention to reinstate U.S. control over the Western Hemisphere.</p>
<p>However, the Monroe Doctrine is dead and anachronistic and Trump's bullying has already triggered pushbacks. Panama has made a formal complaint to the United Nations, emphasizing that the UN Charter precludes "the threat or use of force" against territorial integrity. Denmark, Canada and Mexico have also rejected Trump's outrageous claims.</p>
<p>But it is disconcerting that with a unified Congress, a loyal cabinet and the strong Make America Great Again movement, as well as the obsession with competition with China, Trump might face little constraint in practicing an expansionist foreign policy agenda. This is bound to cause more tensions in the region and beyond, eventually disrupting the international order.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Unmasking the forces behind &amp;#039;Xizang independence&amp;#039;
hash: �^�D��uF ��'7]�
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-01/Unmasking-the-forces-behind-Xizang-Independence--1AC3tiwJjVe/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-01/Unmasking-the-forces-behind-Xizang-Independence--1AC3tiwJjVe/img/bc8dbbdccb29485ebb6b387bcf3b7134/bc8dbbdccb29485ebb6b387bcf3b7134.png" alt="Unmasking the forces behind 'Xizang independence'" layout="responsive"></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.</em></p>
<p>The English-language film <em>Four Rivers, Six Ranges</em>, directed by Shenpenn Khymsar, fabricates a story about the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" rebel organization escorting the 14th Dalai Lama into exile in India. However, evidence reveals that from its inception to its demise, the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" group was supported by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the U.S. to oppose the abolition of serfdom, assist the Dalai Lama's escape and promote "Xizang independence."</p>
<p>The film misrepresents the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" as a legitimate armed force representing Xizang, tasked with safeguarding the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. In reality, the group was an illegal faction created by serf-owning aristocrats who sought to protect the feudal serfdom system and resist its abolition. During the 1950s, armed uprisings in Xizang and neighboring regions received substantial CIA support. During the Cold War, the world was basically divided into two major ideological camps: the socialist bloc led by the Soviet Union, and the capitalist bloc led by the United States. In its efforts to contain communism and curb the People's Republic of China's rise, the U.S. saw the Dalai Lama's group as a useful tool to destabilize China's southwestern region. Supporting separatist movements in Xizang was part of Washington's broader strategy to weaken socialist countries by fomenting internal unrest and undermining their sovereignty.</p>
<p>Emerging between 1956 and 1959 in the Kangba region of southwestern China's Sichuan Province, the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" insurgent group was organized by feudal elites who sought to undermine reforms and defend their privileged positions. They mobilized uninformed individuals to join their cause under the guise of preserving tradition and religious freedom.</p>
<p>The U.S. aided the rebellion not only through extensive training but also by providing arms, logistical support and strategic counsel. In 1958, the CIA operatives airdropped weapons and supplies on multiple occasions, with some materials being smuggled in as ordinary goods, further cementing foreign interference to support the rebel group.</p>
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<div data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-01/Unmasking-the-forces-behind-Xizang-Independence--1AC3tiwJjVe/img/5e4cd85190d74c9f8f87e7d098559fb6/5e4cd85190d74c9f8f87e7d098559fb6.png" alt="CFP " layout="responsive">
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<p>One of the U.S.'s key conspiracies to support the Xizang rebellion was orchestrating the Dalai Lama's escape to use him for anti-China activities on the international stage. On the eve of Xizang's peaceful liberation, the U.S. sought to create discord between the Dalai Lama and the Central Government. In early 1951, after the Dalai Lama arrived in Yadong, Xizang, the U.S. made every effort to lure him away. Following his escape with foreign assistance, the Dalai Lama proclaimed the creation of a so-called "State of Tibet," establishing a puppet government, parliament and constitution and building rebellion bases along China's borders, which later triggered continued armed confrontations.</p>
<p>Under the pretext of protecting Tibetan Buddhism, the "Four Rivers and Six Ranges" insurgent faction was primarily concerned with defending the interests of the serf-owning aristocracy and perpetuating the serfdom system.This group played a significant role in facilitating the Dalai Lama's escape, ensuring the success of his flight.</p>
<p>From the 1970s to the early 1980s, as China's international presence expanded and geopolitical landscapes evolved, the Dalai Lama and his followers found their support waning, becoming what some termed "Cold War orphans." In response, the Dalai Lama shifted strategies, adopting a more deceptive approach such as the "middle way" and promoting "non-violence." In a gesture of goodwill, the Central Government allowed the Dalai Lama's relatives and representatives to visit Xizang and witness firsthand the government's policies. Yet, these visits were exploited by the Dalai Lama's group to fuel separatism, instigate unrest and create disturbances.</p>
<p>In 1987, during a visit to the West, the Dalai Lama publicly introduced his "middle way" as a route to Xizang's "independence." This proposal included demands to deny Xizang's status as part of China, create a fictional "Greater Tibet," demand "high-degree autonomy" equivalent to independence, withdrawal of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) from this imagined region and the expulsion of Han Chinese residents. Each of these demands pointed to a clear separatist agenda.</p>
<p>The Dalai Lama and his followers fixated on achieving "Xizang independence" and restoring the feudal serfdom system with misguided hopes for Western support, have found themselves trapped in a relentless cycle of failure. Lacking popular support and substantial strength, the group survives on minimal financial aid and symbolic honors bestowed by foreign forces. This cycle, however, is now approaching its inevitable end.</p>
<p>Since Xizang's peaceful liberation and the replacement of the feudal serfdom system with socialism, the region has entered a period of rapid development within the broader context of the Chinese nation. The standard of living for the people of Xizang has vastly improved, with stronger and closer ties to the rest of China. This historical trend is irreversible and no reactionary force — be it the Dalai Lama's group or any other — can alter this path. People across all ethnic groups now have a clearer understanding of the separatist nature of the Dalai Lama's efforts. Whether the Dalai Lama persists in advocating for "Xizang independence" or shifts his focus from the global stage to covert activities, the separatist pursuit of his group will undoubtedly fail.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a> <em>on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.) </em></p>
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link:
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title: AI&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;Sputnik moment&amp;#039;? Competition makes technology grow, not bans
hash: �lτ\J6���ǅ8�=
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/AI-s-Sputnik-moment-Competition-makes-technology-grow-not-bans-1ADuEHu5fH2/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/AI-s-Sputnik-moment-Competition-makes-technology-grow-not-bans-1ADuEHu5fH2/img/da4538b71e9e4870b429734d9466fd14/da4538b71e9e4870b429734d9466fd14.png" alt="The DeepSeek website on a laptop screen in London, the United Kingdom, January 29, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The DeepSeek website on a laptop screen in London, the United Kingdom, January 29, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The DeepSeek website on a laptop screen in London, the United Kingdom, January 29, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Jessica Durdu, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a foreign affairs specialist and PhD candidate in international relations at China Foreign Affairs University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>In recent months, the technology sector has witnessed a significant shift with politicians talking more about securitized core technological developments than engineers. First the Huawei case and then TikTok proved the one-sided U.S. targeting of basically anything Chinese.</p>
<p>The U.S. ban on TikTok – currently on hold – has failed to prevent American users from flocking to other Chinese-developed applications. When TikTok's fate hung in balance, another Chinese app, RedNote, surged in popularity, quickly becoming a preferred alternative for content creation and sharing.</p>
<p>This trend underscores a critical paradox: While American consumers choose Chinese tech for its superior performance, the U.S. government continues to frame successful Chinese technology companies as existential threats rather than as competitors in a globalized market. </p>
<p>Now the discussions are driven by the breakthroughs from Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek. The new development not only highlights China's growing AI capabilities but also raises questions about the effectiveness and fairness of U.S. sanctions aimed at restricting China's technological advancement.</p>
<p>If history is any indication, restrictive measures rarely curb innovation; instead, they force it to evolve in unexpected ways. The emergence of the new AI model is a testament to that.</p>
<p>One of the most remarkable AI developments of 2025 has been the launch of DeepSeek-R1, an open-source reasoning language model that rivals OpenAI's ChatGPT models. DeepSeek-R1 has achieved performance on par with OpenAI's o1 in complex tasks such as mathematics, coding and logical reasoning.</p>
<p>What makes this model even more disruptive is its cost efficiency. It is reportedly 20 to 50 times cheaper to operate than its American counterpart, significantly lowering barriers to AI adoption worldwide, especially for underdeveloped or developing countries.</p>
<p>The impact was immediate. Following its launch, DeepSeek's chatbot application became the most downloaded app on Apple's App Store, outpacing all competitors. This, in turn, triggered a historic reaction in financial markets.</p>
<p>Tech stocks, particularly those of AI hardware providers such as Nvidia, experienced a sharp 17 percent sell-off, with Nvidia losing an astonishing $600 billion in market value in a single day. Many in the industry have called this event "AI's Sputnik moment."</p>
<p>What makes this development even more striking is that it happened despite the stringent U.S. chip sanctions on China, designed to slow down China's AI progress by cutting off access to high-end semiconductor technology. However, rather than stalling innovation, these restrictions have incentivized Chinese companies to develop alternative, cost-effective solutions. The case of DeepSeek-R1 suggests that not only is China successfully adapting, but it may be redefining the efficiency paradigm in AI development altogether.</p>
<p>The U.S. has long positioned itself as the champion of free markets, open competition and laissez-faire economics. Yet, recent actions suggest a stronger shift towards protectionism that doesn't help the situation. The fundamental question arises: Will the U.S. sanction any foreign company that outperforms its American counterparts rather than foster domestic innovation? If so, how does that align with the principles of an open economy? In a true free market system, competition should drive innovation, not government-imposed barriers.</p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/AI-s-Sputnik-moment-Competition-makes-technology-grow-not-bans-1ADuEHu5fH2/img/8cd6c58543b643fd9042a6cd9a136475/8cd6c58543b643fd9042a6cd9a136475.jpeg" alt="Visitors stand at the base of the Washington Monument on a rainy morning with the dome of the Capitol in the distance in Washington D.C., the U.S., March 5, 2024. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Visitors stand at the base of the Washington Monument on a rainy morning with the dome of the Capitol in the distance in Washington D.C., the U.S., March 5, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Visitors stand at the base of the Washington Monument on a rainy morning with the dome of the Capitol in the distance in Washington D.C., the U.S., March 5, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p>History offers an interesting contrast. In the early 20th century, the automobile industry was revolutionized by the American company Ford. Before Henry Ford introduced the Model T, German manufacturers were at the forefront of automobile production. However, Ford's innovation in mass production made cars more affordable and widely accessible in the 1900s, ultimately positioning the U.S. as a leader in the automotive sector at that time.</p>
<p>But no country imposed sanctions to prevent Ford from producing cheaper and better vehicles, no country saw Ford cars as a national security threat. Germans did not try to ban any Ford car. Instead, competitors had to adapt, innovate and improve their own manufacturing processes. The result: The entire industry advanced, benefiting consumers and economies worldwide.</p>
<p>Fast forward to 2025, we find ourselves in a paradoxical situation. Instead of embracing competition, the U.S. is attempting to stifle it through sanctions and restrictions. Have we reached a point where geopolitical rivalry takes precedence over technological progress and market competition?</p>
<p>The rapid advancements in AI technology should serve as a wake-up call for the global community. AI has the potential to transform industries, economies and societies, but only if it is developed collaboratively rather than used as a tool for geopolitical maneuvering.</p>
<p>That is also why Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized the need for global AI governance, proposing the United Nations establish a global AI governance body and to ensure that AI development is inclusive and beneficial to all, leaving nobody behind.</p>
<p>The logic behind this proposal is clear: Technology should not be monopolized by any one nation. Instead, it should be shared, regulated and advanced collectively to prevent disparities in access and innovation.</p>
<p>The success of DeepSeek and RedNote should not be viewed as a threat to the U.S. technology sector or to national security; rather, it should serve as motivation to innovate. If the U.S. is concerned about losing its competitive edge, the solution is not to impose restrictions but to encourage American engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs to develop superior technology.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, technology evolves through competition, not isolation. If a company produces a better, cheaper and more efficient AI model, it is natural that consumers will choose it – regardless of its country of origin. The role of policymakers should be to create an environment where innovation flourishes, rather than artificially maintain dominance through protectionist measures.</p>
<p>The world stands at a critical juncture. Will we embrace competition and progress, or will we allow political considerations to hinder technological advancement? The answer will shape the future of AI, not just for one nation, but for humanity as a whole.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: The rise of ice and snow economy: New engine of China&amp;#039;s consumption
hash: E�������nnf#
guid:
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content:
<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/The-rise-of-ice-and-snow-economy-New-engine-of-China-s-consumption-1ADrx1DzMOI/img/ae3de2cee4424ec5a953d7b01f1d4881/ae3de2cee4424ec5a953d7b01f1d4881.png" alt="An aerial drone photo of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a unique winter tourist and cultural festival, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, December 21, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>An aerial drone photo of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a unique winter tourist and cultural festival, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, December 21, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">An aerial drone photo of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a unique winter tourist and cultural festival, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, December 21, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Zhou Lijun, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is the director of the National Sports Industry Research Base of Zhejiang University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>China's snow and ice economy is a comprehensive economic system driven by multiple industries. In recent years, with the improvement of the national living standard and greater health consciousness, the sector has emerged rapidly, becoming an important engine for regional economic development.</p>
<p>This booming development reflects new trends in the consumer sector. People's pursuit of health and a quality life is becoming increasingly evident. Ice and snow sports can both strengthen the body and bring people closer to nature, aligning with their aspirations for a healthy lifestyle. Hence the demand for personalized, diverse and experiential consumption has significantly increased. Sports like skiing and ice skating satisfy people's desire for novelty and unique experiences, while also stimulating consumer vitality.</p>
<p>It is foreseeable that as the popularity of ice and snow sports continues to rise, the ice and snow economy will release greater consumption potential, injecting new momentum into economic development.</p>
<p>According to a research report on the development of China's ice and snow industry, the value of the sector surged from 270 billion Chinese yuan (about $37.6 billion) in 2015 to 970 billion yuan (about $135 billion) in 2024. In 2025, it is expected to reach 1 trillion yuan (about $0.14 trillion) . This growth is primarily driven by the popularity of ice and snow sports and the rise of ice and snow tourism.</p>
<p>In recent years, the government has introduced several policies to support the development of the industry, setting the goal of reaching 1.2 trillion yuan (about $0.17 trillion) by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan (about $0.21 trillion) by 2030. The rapid development of the ice and snow economy is inseparable from the dual drive of policy support, which provides a favorable development environment, and market demand, which brings significant potential.</p>
<p>The impact of the snow and ice economy can be seen in several areas:</p>
<p>It has seen the popularity of ice and snow sports soar with the number of people participating in them already reaching 313 million. This number is expected to exceed 400 million by 2025.</p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/The-rise-of-ice-and-snow-economy-New-engine-of-China-s-consumption-1ADrx1DzMOI/img/08a07d5bee2045a080130a883a8d7887/08a07d5bee2045a080130a883a8d7887.png" alt="Skiers enjoy themselves at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, November 23, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Skiers enjoy themselves at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, November 23, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Skiers enjoy themselves at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, November 23, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>The ice and snow equipment manufacturing industry has also grown. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the number of ice and snow equipment manufacturing companies tripled from about 300 in 2015 to 900 in 2023, with sales revenue growing from less than 5 billion yuan (about $0.7 billion) to 22 billion yuan (about $3.06 billion). The market size for skiing equipment reached 15 billion yuan (about $2.09 billion) in 2023 and is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan (about $2.78 billion) by 2025.</p>
<p>New snowmaking technologies and intelligent skiing equipment have expanded the operating range of ski resorts and enhanced user experience and safety, giving the industry new vitality.</p>
<p>More and more ice and snow events and activities are being organized, increasing the influence of ice and snow sports and driving the development of related industries. During the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, ice and snow tourism revenue increased by more than 30 percent year on year. At the same time, ice and snow carnivals, ice and snow festivals and other events across the country attracted a large number of visitors, promoting the the ice and snow economy.</p>
<p>The ice and snow tourism market continues to heat up, boosting associated industries such as hotels, catering and transportation. A report by the China Tourism Academy projects that during the 2024-2025 winter season, 520 million ice and snow leisure tourism trips will be made, with tourism revenue expected to exceed 630 billion yuan (about $87.62 billion).</p>
<p>Technological innovations will continue to add momentum to the industry. The introduction of virtual reality technology and intelligent human-machine interfaces will break the geographical and climate limitations of ice and snow sports, enabling year-round activities. Moreover, innovations in smart skiing equipment, automated venues and other technologies will significantly enhance the user experience and safety, infusing new vitality into the economy.</p>
<p>Last but not the least, through collaboration with internationally renowned ice and snow brands, Chinese companies can jointly explore the global market. By hosting international ice and snow events and activities, China will enhance the international influence of its ice and snow economy and contribute "Chinese strength" to the global ice and snow economy.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Trade wars have no winners
hash: ���wb]��59͟�i�
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/Trade-wars-have-no-winners-1AF7e6Ap6Tu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/Trade-wars-have-no-winners-1AF7e6Ap6Tu/img/d84476650def42a3bca036e9b3186675/d84476650def42a3bca036e9b3186675.png" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C., the U.S., January 31, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C., the U.S., January 31, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C., the U.S., January 31, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Stephen Ndegwa, a special commentator for CGTN, is the executive director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. </em></p>
<p>In a volatile escalation of economic rhetoric, U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed 10 percent tariff on Chinese-made goods and 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, starting February 1. This announcement, framed within the accusation that China is facilitating the distribution of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, in Mexico and Canada, has reignited global concerns about fresh trade wars and their far-reaching consequences.</p>
<p>Trump's clubbing China with "abuser" countries underscores his administration's aggressive trade posture. However, amidst this fiery rhetoric, China's stand, already articulated by Foreign Ministry spokesperson on February 2, is a sobering reminder of the futility of trade wars.</p>
<p>"The U.S. imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the U.S. using the fentanyl issue as an excuse. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it. We will take necessary countermeasures to firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests," Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated. </p>
<p>China's assertion that tariff wars produce no winners is rooted in economic interdependence, a defining feature of the modern global economy. The U.S. and China, despite their ongoing trade disputes, remain each other's critical trading partners. Disrupting this balance with tariffs will have ripple effects on global trade, leaving businesses, consumers and governments scrambling to adapt.</p>
<p>For American manufacturers reliant on Chinese components, a 10 percent tariff translates to higher production costs. These costs are likely to be passed on to consumers, eroding purchasing power and fueling inflation, potentially jeopardizing their access to one of the world's largest consumer markets.</p>
<p>While Trump touts tariffs as a means of addressing trade imbalances and protecting American jobs, the broader consequences reveal a different story. Far from bolstering the economy, protectionist policies have stifled innovation, disrupted global supply chains, and increased costs for American businesses and consumers alike.</p>
<p>China, on the other hand, has consistently positioned itself as a proponent of free trade and multilateralism, leveraging multilateral institutions to address global challenges. For example, it is an active participant in World Trade Organization affairs and has spearheaded initiatives such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest free trade agreement, which came into effect in January 2022.</p>
<p>The risks of Trump's tariff threats extend beyond China-U.S. relations. Canada and Mexico, America's top trading partners, have already signaled their readiness to retaliate. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned of counter-tariffs "worth billions of dollars," while Mexico has emphasized its commitment to safeguarding its national interests. Similarly, the European Union, which Trump accused of treating the U.S. "very, very badly," is unlikely to stand idle in the face of protectionist measures.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/Trade-wars-have-no-winners-1AF7e6Ap6Tu/img/fd95b4d8b2e0451682dfa31d3b959055/fd95b4d8b2e0451682dfa31d3b959055.png" alt="The U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., U.S., January 29, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., U.S., January 29, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., U.S., January 29, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<div readability="71.378181818182" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>Such retaliatory actions risk undermining global economic stability at a time when the world is grappling with pressing challenges. From climate change to post-pandemic recovery, the international community needs collaboration, not conflict. As the International Monetary Fund has repeatedly warned, escalating trade tensions could shave 0.8 percent off global GDP by 2025 – a loss equivalent to $700 billion annually.</p>
<p>The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson's statement is an economic truth borne out by history. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which raised U.S. import duties to ostensibly protect American farmers and industries from foreign competition, actually exacerbated the Great Depression by triggering a wave of retaliatory tariffs and caused global trade to collapse.</p>
<p>More recently, the U.S.-China trade war too demonstrates the futility of such measures. Despite billions in tariffs, the U.S. trade deficit with China persists while American consumers bear the brunt of higher prices.</p>
<p>Rather than doubling down on tariffs, the U.S. should seek constructive solutions that address the underlying causes of trade imbalances. This includes investing in domestic industries, strengthening worker protection and enhancing competitiveness through innovation and education. Engaging with China in areas of mutual interest, such as climate change and global health, would also pave the way for a more cooperative relationship.</p>
<p>China's approach to trade disputes offers a valuable lesson. Collaboration yields better outcomes than confrontation. By emphasizing multilateralism and win-win solutions, China has positioned itself as a stabilizing force in an uncertain world. For the U.S., adopting a similar approach would not only mitigate economic risks but also strengthen its global reputation. Ultimately, the U.S. must prioritize dialogue and cooperation with China over unilateral actions and economic brinkmanship. The stakes are too high for both nations and the global economy.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/Trade-wars-have-no-winners-1AF7e6Ap6Tu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Tariff storm looms over global economy
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/-Tariff-storm-looms-over-global-economy-1ABSI0X80PS/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/-Tariff-storm-looms-over-global-economy-1ABSI0X80PS/img/fe63e5a271a649d395ecc1e928704af0/fe63e5a271a649d395ecc1e928704af0.jpeg" alt=" Tariff storm looms over global economy" layout="responsive"></div>
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<p>The U.S. government has announced slapping a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports. With Donald Trump in the White House, tariffs have always been used as an economic weapon against other countries, including America's close allies like Canada and the EU. Now, as another tariff storm looms over the world, when will the global economy get back on its feet?</p>
<p><em>(To submit cartoons and share story ideas or feedback on our </em><a href="https://www.cgtn.com/opinions-cartoon.html"><em>cartoon page</em></a><em>, please contact us at<strong> cartoon_opinions@cgtn.com</strong>)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-02/-Tariff-storm-looms-over-global-economy-1ABSI0X80PS/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Boomerang effect of tariffs
hash: s<�����4����L�i
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Boomerang-effect-of-tariffs-1ABTw3gjmdW/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Boomerang-effect-of-tariffs-1ABTw3gjmdW/img/b1c006c1bb32410899a19f6e0cfd92d9/b1c006c1bb32410899a19f6e0cfd92d9.jpeg" alt="Boomerang effect of tariffs" layout="responsive"></div>
<div readability="41.94262295082" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>The United States has once again weaponized its tariff policy. However, these tariffs are likely to backfire. With trade costs rising, business costs will escalate too, and American consumers will have to bear the brunt. Higher goods prices will lead to escalating inflation, ultimately undermining economic growth. The boomerang effect of tariffs is no joke.</p>
<p><em>(To submit cartoons and share story ideas or feedback on our </em><a href="https://www.cgtn.com/opinions-cartoon.html"><em>cartoon page</em></a><em>, please contact us at<strong> cartoon_opinions@cgtn.com</strong>)</em></p>
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Boomerang-effect-of-tariffs-1ABTw3gjmdW/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Expert: Trump essentially sold the tariffs to the American people
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Expert-Trump-essentially-sold-the-tariffs-to-the-American-people-1AIwmobiLok/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="479597" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Expert-Trump-essentially-sold-the-tariffs-to-the-American-people-1AIwmobiLok/video/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Expert-Trump-essentially-sold-the-tariffs-to-the-American-people-1AIwmobiLok/video/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca.jpg" data-title="Expert: Trump essentially sold the tariffs to the American people" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Expert-Trump-essentially-sold-the-tariffs-to-the-American-people-1AIwmobiLok/video/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="479597" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Expert-Trump-essentially-sold-the-tariffs-to-the-American-people-1AIwmobiLok/video/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>02:01</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Expert-Trump-essentially-sold-the-tariffs-to-the-American-people-1AIwmobiLok/video/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca/wu_1ij7sbfg8a7fmk9n3n18a91hpca.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently utilized the "tariff card." Alejandro Reyes, a scholar at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, has observed that tariffs essentially attack American consumers rather than "penalizing" the intended countries. Reyes emphasized that Trump views tariff as a crucial foreign policy tool. "What happens after him? He probably doesn't care all that much," he said.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
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title: Analysis: New Trump tariffs on China more of a &amp;#039;symbolic&amp;#039; move
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guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
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<div data-width="1290" data-height="726" data-ratio="1290:726" data-news-id="479685" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/video/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/video/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka.jpg" data-title="Analysis: New Trump tariffs on China more of a 'symbolic' move" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1290" data-height="726" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/video/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="479685" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/video/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoCULTURE_VIDEO_DIGITAL_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>08:06</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/video/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka/wu_1ij8fl79tk6j1p4gpd1hg2k9ka.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>He Zhiguo, the James Irvin Miller Professor of Finance at Stanford University, said in an interview with CGTN's Global Business that the Trump administration's decision to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese exports to the US has had only a minimal effect on actual prices, viewing it primarily as a symbolic gesture. However, he cautioned that this latest round of tariffs could lead to volatility in China's financial markets following the Spring Festival holiday.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-04/Analysis-New-Trump-tariffs-on-China-more-of-a-symbolic-move-1AITCom9Dyg/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: China-Kyrgyzstan relations: A new era of strategic partnership
hash: ���w>�=!4pSFTo
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-06/China-Kyrgyzstan-relations-A-new-era-of-strategic-partnership-1ALAholG288/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-06/China-Kyrgyzstan-relations-A-new-era-of-strategic-partnership-1ALAholG288/img/c15086a8a1b34738be21edf1a3be7dc9/c15086a8a1b34738be21edf1a3be7dc9.png" alt="CFP" layout="responsive">
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Djoomart Otorbaev, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, a professor of the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, a member of Nizami Ganjavi International Center, and the author of "Central Asia's Economic Rebirth in the Shadow of the New Great Game." The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov is undertaking a state visit to China from February 4 to 7. During their talks, a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era between the two countries was signed. President Xi said bilateral relations have achieved leapfrog development in recent years and have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era.</p>
<p>In his statement, President Xi stressed that both sides should continue to think innovatively and emphasize the importance of the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China is prepared to expand its economic, trade and investment collaboration, import more high-quality products from Kyrgyzstan and support more Chinese enterprises investing and establishing businesses in Kyrgyzstan.</p>
<p>Xi particularly highlighted that the two sides should persist in improving connectivity, construct the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway to a high standard and quality, simultaneously promote the modernization of existing ports, open more passenger and cargo routes and provide better conditions for the movement of people and goods between the two countries.</p>
<p>For his part, President Japarov remarked that Kyrgyzstan is eager to collaborate with China to implement the high-quality BRI, develop the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, referred to as the "Steel Silk Road" and enhance cooperation in industry, investment, trade, transportation, e-commerce and education, among others.</p>
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<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-06/China-Kyrgyzstan-relations-A-new-era-of-strategic-partnership-1ALAholG288/img/2a914649268e47cd8dbef04747a705f3/2a914649268e47cd8dbef04747a705f3.jpeg" alt="Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, February 5, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, February 5, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, February 5, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>Both Presidents endorsed enhancing cooperation within the China-Central Asia mechanism and consolidating and strengthening the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.</p>
<p>It should be emphasized that in 2024, the trade turnover between the two countries reached a record high of $22.71 billion, even exceeding the country's GDP, which amounted to $17.24 billion in the same year.</p>
<p>During the meeting, both presidents paid special attention to the interconnectivity of their countries' transport and the enhancement of logistics links. In this regard, it is essential to elaborate on the review of existing projects in more detail.</p>
<p>In his interview with the Xinhua News Agency ahead of his visit, President Japarov specifically focused on constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which began at the end of last year.</p>
<p>Implementing the project will accelerate the country's economic development and strengthen its role as a transit hub on the Eurasian continent. The project will also ensure the development of the internal regions of Kyrgyzstan; the new infrastructure will accelerate the development of trade, tourism and industry and improve transport accessibility in hard-to-reach areas. In addition, thousands of jobs will be created at all stages of the construction and operation of the railway.</p>
<p>The planned railway line will be 486 kilometers long, of which 311.75 km will pass through Kyrgyzstan. In total, it is intended to build 18 railway stations, 81 bridges with a total length of 26.1 km and 41 tunnels with a total length of 120.39 km. The length of bridges and tunnels will be 146.49 km or 47 percent of the length of the section of the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The construction of the railway is planned to last about six years.</p>
<p>The annual volume of cargo transportation along the new corridor is expected to be up to 15 million tons. The distance between China and Europe will be reduced by approximately 900 km. It will also be possible to organize regular passenger transportation.</p>
<p>The new railway corridor will become the southern branch of the Eurasian continental bridge. It will open access to Southeast and West Asian markets and the Middle East, including Turkey and the European Union. Implementing the railway construction will strengthen the interaction between East and West and the historical spirit of the great Silk Road will be revived.</p>
<p>President Japarov also noted that this spring, Chinese specialists will complete the construction of a unique 433 km high-mountain highway which will connect Kyrgyzstan's northern and southern regions, significantly reducing travel time.</p>
<p>China and Kyrgyzstan are ancient neighbors. With no access to the sea and lacking the "privilege" of being at odds with anyone, the people of  Kyrgyzstan have long learned to build and cherish warm relations with everyone, particularly its neighbors.</p>
<p>History has unfolded so that its southern neighbor has grown rapidly, becoming the world's second-largest economy and developing at an unprecedented pace and, most importantly, expresses a readiness for harmonious cooperation. Having a powerful neighbor as a sincere and kind friend is an excellent gift from fate and history, and such friendships should be strengthened.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Tariffs as a solution to the fentanyl crisis? A misguided approach
hash: S �)I;� ���O
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-12/Tariffs-as-a-solution-to-the-fentanyl-crisis-A-misguided-approach-1AVTxiRq7tu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-12/Tariffs-as-a-solution-to-the-fentanyl-crisis-A-misguided-approach-1AVTxiRq7tu/img/be58c2eeb53b42119337f97124f759a9/be58c2eeb53b42119337f97124f759a9.png" alt="A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 7, 2024. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 7, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 7, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Zhou Mi, a special commentator for CGTN, is deputy executive director of and research fellow at the Institute of American and Oceania Study, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. The article was first published by International Business Daily. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>As Donald Trump begins his new term as U.S. President, he has made resolving the fentanyl crisis a top priority, reflecting his administration's concern over the rampant abuse of fentanyl and other opioids in the United States. The Chinese people, having suffered from the devastation of opium addiction in the 19th century, are well aware of the dangers of widespread drug dependence. However, is America's fentanyl crisis truly the result of U.S.-China trade relations? Are tariffs the right tool to solve this public health disaster?</p>
<p>The root causes of the fentanyl crisis lie in policy failures, regulatory loopholes and deep-seated social and cultural factors within the United States. Statistics show that while the U.S. accounts for just 5 percent of the world's population, it consumes 80 percent of the global supply of opioids, making it both the largest producer and consumer of fentanyl-based pharmaceuticals. Overprescription and misuse of opioid medications remain rampant in the American pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, which are the primary beneficiaries, with lax regulations allowing illegal production and distribution to flourish. The massive profits from illicit sales have drawn criminal organizations into the trade, while inadequate law enforcement in certain regions has further fueled the epidemic. According to a recent executive order from the Trump administration, opioid-related deaths claim approximately 200 American lives each day. Meanwhile, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that from April 2023 to April 2024, more than 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to drug overdoses. </p>
<p>The scourge of narcotics in the 19th-century China is precisely why the country now has some of the strictest and most thoroughly enforced drug policies in the world. During Donald Trump's first term, China and the U.S. engaged in active cooperation on fentanyl-related issues. As a responsible major country, China made it clear that the root cause of the fentanyl crisis lies within the U.S. itself. Nonetheless, in 2019, China took the unprecedented step of implementing a class-wide regulation on all fentanyl-related substances, becoming the first country in the world to do so. Following this milestone, China adopted a series of effective measures to combat fentanyl-related trafficking. Since the implementation of class-wide controls, China has not received any reports from the U.S. of fentanyl-related substances being seized from China. However, the U.S. failed to reciprocate this cooperation. In May 2020, during Trump's first term, the U.S. Department of Commerce placed the Forensic Identification Center of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China on its "Entity List," restricting its access to American technology and equipment. This unilateral move not only undermined the foundation of U.S.-China anti-drug cooperation but also exposed the lack of genuine commitment from the U.S. to tackling the fentanyl crisis through international collaboration. </p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-12/Tariffs-as-a-solution-to-the-fentanyl-crisis-A-misguided-approach-1AVTxiRq7tu/img/0370c29269a44a4f9d84d967bfb91a6b/0370c29269a44a4f9d84d967bfb91a6b.png" alt="A homeless person is seen in San Francisco, California, U.S., November, 2023. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A homeless person is seen in San Francisco, California, U.S., November, 2023. /VCG</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A homeless person is seen in San Francisco, California, U.S., November, 2023. /VCG</p>
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<p>Now, the U.S. has once again accused China of inadequate fentanyl and precursor chemical controls, claiming that exports from China have worsened the American opioid crisis. These allegations are entirely baseless. Rather than adopting a responsible, cooperative approach, the U.S. has resorted to unilateralism, announcing a 10 percent tariff increase on all Chinese imports in addition to existing tariffs. This reaction is akin to prescribing the wrong medicine for a critical illness – it is harmful to others while offering no benefit to oneself. Such measures will only disrupt global supply chains.</p>
<p>As a transaction cost in international trade, tariffs serve as a mechanism for redistributing economic benefits among different parties. Lower tariffs facilitate cross-border trade, allowing businesses to optimize resource allocation on a broader scale. Conversely, higher tariffs enable importing governments to extract revenue from international transactions, introducing trade costs and uncertainties into global supply chains. As the world's largest exporter of goods, China provides a stable supply of industrial products, intermediate goods and consumer goods, ensuring market stability, high living standards for American consumers and competitiveness for American businesses. However, the tariff hikes imposed by the Trump administration will significantly increase the complexity and costs of imports for U.S. suppliers, further exacerbating inflationary pressures that have remained persistently high in recent years. </p>
<p>Since the end of World War II, lowering tariffs has been a global consensus, including in the United States. From the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) to the World Trade Organization (WTO), along with numerous free trade agreements, each round of tariff reductions has been a hard-fought achievement. However, tariff increases and protectionist policies tend to fuel nationalist sentiment, giving policymakers a short-term sense of satisfaction by flexing their muscles and appearing "tough" on trade. This dangerous illusion of success often drowns out opposition from importers and affected stakeholders, while also masking the economic pain felt by the public due to rising inflation. Over the past eight years, there do not appear to be domestic alternatives in the U.S. to Chinese imports, including apparel, footwear, machinery and electronics. As a result, American businesses and consumers have had no choice but to continue importing these goods at higher costs, ultimately bearing the financial burden of protectionist trade policies.</p>
<p>On February 2, 2025, in response to the U.S. announcement of a 10 percent tariff increase on Chinese imports, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce emphasized that China hopes the U.S. will take an unbiased and rational approach to addressing its domestic fentanyl crisis, rather than resorting to tariff threats against other countries. In an announcement on February 4, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of China also stated that the U.S. actions seriously violate WTO rules. The commission further stressed that such measures do nothing to resolve America's own issues but instead damage U.S.-China economic and trade cooperation. The Trump administration must recognize that economic globalization is an irreversible trend. No country, including the U.S., can achieve complete self-sufficiency, and international trade networks based on comparative advantage will continue to evolve and accelerate with technological advancements. </p>
<p>The fentanyl crisis within the U.S. borders cannot be solved by shifting blame to other countries. A genuine solution requires domestic reforms – the U.S. must address its own ailments with the right approach by taking comprehensive internal action. When it comes to cross-border supply chains, relevant parties should engage in dialogue and consultation, share accurate information, distinguish between facts and misinformation and take coordinated actions within a legal, compliant and rational framework. True progress can only be made through cooperation, not confrontation.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
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title: Trump opening door to more global economic uncertainty
hash: �e�uF���h�H��w�
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-12/Trump-opening-door-to-more-global-economic-uncertainty-1AW6u0dTwEU/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-12/Trump-opening-door-to-more-global-economic-uncertainty-1AW6u0dTwEU/img/3d5ebcad33f44e1b8b70ee4e69ef9543/3d5ebcad33f44e1b8b70ee4e69ef9543.png" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump hold a proclamation regarding steel imports as he speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick watches, the U.S., February 10, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump hold a proclamation regarding steel imports as he speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick watches, the U.S., February 10, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. President Donald Trump hold a proclamation regarding steel imports as he speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick watches, the U.S., February 10, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>The evidence is clear: Tariffs are not a sound economic policy. Yet, Donald Trump persists, convinced that implementing them is wise. Perhaps he thinks they will not hurt the American consumer as much as economists warn they will. Perhaps he remains confident tariffs are a great negotiation tactic. Perhaps he doubts they will spread anxiety among international trade partners.</p>
<p>Regardless, Trump is at it again. On Monday, he followed through with another barrage of tariffs, announcing that steel and aluminum imports, no matter the country of origin, will face a 25 percent tariff. The tariffs will kick in on March 12, meaning there is precious little time for a diplomatic solution. Calling his decision "a big deal" because it would "make America rich again," Trump believes heightened tariffs will increase domestic production of steel and aluminum and will, therefore, be good for American workers. However, doubts persist over whether the U.S. will ever return to its past glory with these metals.</p>
<p>If such tariffs are supposed to make America rich again, they will definitely make Americans poor again. Consider this example: The average car price could go up by $2,000, meaning new car purchases, already inching close to $50,000, could easily exceed that amount. Needless to say, auto industry leaders are concerned about how the tariffs will negatively impact supply chains, the delivery of steel and of course, cost.  </p>
<p>Moreover, if such tariffs aim to make America rich again, they will definitely damage multiple nations and America's already tattered image around the world.</p>
<p>The American Iron and Steel Institute recently reported that Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Vietnam, in that order, exported the most steel in 2024 to the U.S. Meanwhile, the Aluminum Association noted that last year the U.S. imported almost two-thirds of its aluminum from Canada and then exported approximately $2 billion in aluminum-related products to that country. Trump's decision drew an immediate rebuke from Canada, where suppliers are worried that an onslaught of canceled orders will lead to an oversupply of the metals.</p>
<p>However, the Washington Post argues that China is the real target of the latest tariffs because it exports the most steel around the world and might be dumping steel at prices that U.S. producers cannot meet. No one should be surprised that Trump wants to pin blame where it does not belong. Remember, his voice is the loudest in Washington arguing that China is not a reputable actor on the global stage. People with a deeper appreciation of the global situation know better, but they lack the megaphone that belongs to the president of the United States.</p>
<p>The five countries, excluding China, highlighted above deserve more attention. Canada and South Korea are longstanding American allies, while Brazil, Mexico and Vietnam are home to three of the largest Global South economies. Trump risks drawing the ire of all five nations, not to mention others affected by his plan, with his brashness. There is a legitimate belief that the affected nations and others will gravitate toward China, a nation determined not to use tariffs as a strategy. For instance, keep in mind that last year, China announced zero-tariff treatment for more than three-dozen countries with which it enjoys diplomatic relations, a move designed to boost the economic health of those nations and China. The move was seen as especially helpful to many African nations.</p>
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<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-12/Trump-opening-door-to-more-global-economic-uncertainty-1AW6u0dTwEU/img/33b7faaaca324b49a98c9c91b0270b13/33b7faaaca324b49a98c9c91b0270b13.jpeg" alt="In an aerial view, shipping containers are organized at the Houston Port of Authority in Texas, the U.S., February 10, 2025. /CFP " layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>In an aerial view, shipping containers are organized at the Houston Port of Authority in Texas, the U.S., February 10, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">In an aerial view, shipping containers are organized at the Houston Port of Authority in Texas, the U.S., February 10, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p>Economists and other experts agree that Trump's tariff wars fly in the face of conventional wisdom. One analyst recently told CNBC, a U.S.-based cable network that focuses on business, that tariffs "are a tax on imported goods," meaning that U.S. businesses and consumers end up paying for them primarily through higher prices. The Peterson Institute for International Economics warned American families that they should expect to fork over $1200 if the previous battery of tariffs Trump has promised are realized. That figure does not include costs associated with this week's sanctions involving Brazil, South Korea and Vietnam.</p>
<p>Projecting the long-term responses to what the president is planning is sure to end up in failure, but the short-term reactions are clear. At the risk of bluntness, it goes like this: "Slap new tariffs on us, and we will slap new ones on you." A second implication: dissatisfaction at the World Trade Organization, which has a standing policy that member nations will not alter any arranged tariffs between each other.</p>
<p>Trump's stubbornness is well known. He has never shown hesitation to do what he wants and when he wants, even if it means he or a member of his staff has to walk back something he has said. A level-headed approach would serve the U.S. and the world well at this point. Higher prices benefit no one. Questions about supply chains harm stock markets and business plans. Doubts about an ally risk adding strain to everything from people-to-people exchanges to military alliances.</p>
<p>Poland's prime minister has said that Trump's use of tariffs is "totally unnecessary and stupid." Nothing more needs to be said.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
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title: Asian Winter Games provides a new chapter for Harbin&amp;#039;s development
hash: _0��٣܌<�O���
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Asian-Winter-Games-provides-a-new-chapter-for-Harbin-s-development-1AYRNOhryRG/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Asian-Winter-Games-provides-a-new-chapter-for-Harbin-s-development-1AYRNOhryRG/img/01a5fac6553245548a0674c0dad94810/01a5fac6553245548a0674c0dad94810.png" alt="Tourists have fun at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, February 9, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Tourists have fun at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, February 9, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Tourists have fun at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, February 9, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Zhou Zhengqing, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an associate professor at Department of Physical Education under Peking University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>From February 7 to 14, 2025, Harbin successfully hosted the ninth Asian Winter Games (AWG). As Asia's largest and most comprehensive winter sports event, this year's AWG brought together over 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions, setting a new record for participation, and highlighting the rapid growth of winter sports across Asia. Notably, this was the second time Harbin hosted the AWG – the first being in 1996 – making it the first Chinese city to achieve this distinction.</p>
<p>For Harbin, the AWG was more than just a grand international sporting event. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in urban development. As the key venue for snow sports, the Yabuli Ski Resort experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity. Since January 2025, visitor numbers at the resort increased by 20 percent year-on-year, reflecting a growing enthusiasm for winter sports across all age groups – from young children to elderly individuals. The lively interplay of sporting passion and festive New Year celebrations showcased the broad appeal of Harbin's winter tourism.</p>
<p>More importantly, this rise in winter sports participation translated into tangible economic benefits. During the 2025 Spring Festival, Harbin welcomed 12.15 million visitors, a 20.4 percent increase from the previous year. The number of international visitors saw a staggering 144.7 percent year-on-year jump, while total tourism spending reached 19.15 billion yuan. These figures illustrate how Harbin is successfully turning its "cold resources" into a thriving "hot economy."</p>
<p>In preparation for the AWG, Harbin undertook a sweeping upgrade to its transportation infrastructure, vastly enhancing both capacity and service quality. The Harbin Taiping International Airport was expanded to add multiple new international routes, aiming for an annual passenger throughput of 38 million. Meanwhile, newly constructed subway lines and an expanded highway network have improved urban mobility substantially. The upgraded high-speed rail system has further strengthened the connectivity between Heilongjiang Province and major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. These developments ensured the seamless operation of the AWG and laid a solid foundation for Harbin's deeper integration into the national and global economy.</p>
<p>The successful hosting of the AWG has not only enhanced Harbin's city image and global reputation but also solidified its standing as a premier international hub for winter sports. In 2024, Harbin captured worldwide attention as a winter tourism hotspot, with record-breaking visitor numbers and viral social media buzz.</p>
<p>The wide coverage of Harbin by international media outlets, such as Reuters, significantly increased the city's global visibility. Building on this momentum, Harbin used the AWG in 2025 as a platform to further promote cultural and sports exchanges, strengthening ties with countries around the world.</p>
<p>For example, Harbin has established sister-city relationships with key winter cities, including Asahikawa and Niigata in Japan, Minneapolis in the United States and Edmonton in Canada. Through regular cultural exchange programs, economic forums and trade meetings, Harbin has deepened cross-regional cooperation and expanded its international partnership network.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, Harbin is set to capitalize on the legacy of the AWG to further boost its ice and snow economy. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, has been expanded to a massive one million square meters, with AWG-themed elements incorporated into 42 national and three regional landmark displays. This fusion of winter tourism and the AWG fosters a mutually reinforcing dynamic between the Games and Harbin's broader tourism industry.</p>
<p>In addition, historic landmarks such as Central Street and the Chinese baroque-style historical and cultural block have undergone extensive renovations, allowing them to better showcase Harbin's deep historical and cultural heritage as China's premier winter city.</p>
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<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Asian-Winter-Games-provides-a-new-chapter-for-Harbin-s-development-1AYRNOhryRG/img/5eae9e801a7849509aa7a0fe907b4140/5eae9e801a7849509aa7a0fe907b4140.png" alt="Tourists pose with mascots of the ninth Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, January 8, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Tourists pose with mascots of the ninth Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, January 8, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Tourists pose with mascots of the ninth Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, January 8, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>Beyond infrastructure improvements, the city has also introduced a series of new initiatives in tourism market regulation, transportation services and visitor experience management. These efforts aim to enhance the full spectrum of tourism – accommodation, dining, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment – ensuring a seamless and high-quality experience for visitors.</p>
<p>Building on the international visibility gained through the AWG, Harbin plans to host more high-profile global sporting events, further strengthening its reputation as a world-class winter sports destination. The economic ripple effects of the Games have created a powerful synergy between winter sports enthusiasm and tourism growth, driving sustained economic benefits.</p>
<p>The success of the AWG has also given rise to new industry trends, including the concept of "off-season ice and snow tourism." Harbin Ice-Snow World and the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo have launched year-round ice and snow experiences, allowing visitors to enjoy winter-themed attractions even in summer. Meanwhile, the Hot Snow Miracle, the largest indoor ski resort, now provides an all-season skiing experience.</p>
<p>This push for year-round winter experiences is in line with China's broader strategy of expanding winter sports participation beyond traditional northern regions. As part of the initiative to "extend winter sports southward, westward, and eastward," cities in southern provinces like Shanghai and Guangdong have been investing heavily in indoor ice and snow facilities.</p>
<p>Harbin has played a key role in this expansion by supplying a highly skilled workforce of winter sports professionals. It has become common for Harbin's ski instructors, snowmaking engineers and ice sports coaches to work seasonally in different regions. This growing talent exchange has been driving the popularization of winter sports while significantly contributing to the nationwide goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports.</p>
<p>Beyond winter tourism and sports, Harbin has also expanded its cross-regional cooperation with innovation-driven cities such as Shenzhen, thereby strengthening its capabilities in technological innovation and industrial development. By fostering cooperation in key sectors such as biopharmaceuticals and information technology, Harbin has successfully attracted a wave of high-tech companies that are accelerating the growth of emerging industries.</p>
<p>Backed by the major strategy of the revitalization of northeast China, Harbin is now at a pivotal moment of unprecedented opportunity. The rise of the ice and snow economy, continuous upgrades in infrastructure, strengthened international exchange and the advancement of technological innovation have all become powerful drivers of Harbin's future development.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Asian-Winter-Games-provides-a-new-chapter-for-Harbin-s-development-1AYRNOhryRG/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Lithuania&amp;#039;s bet against China does not serve its own interests
hash: *�¥ #O�q�m�G�
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Lithuania-s-bet-against-China-does-not-serve-its-own-interests-1AYTlChGDQc/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Lithuania-s-bet-against-China-does-not-serve-its-own-interests-1AYTlChGDQc/img/165ddb706148444cbf8d321a309e93b4/165ddb706148444cbf8d321a309e93b4.png" alt="National flags of China and Lithuania. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>National flags of China and Lithuania. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">National flags of China and Lithuania. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, CGTN, Global Times, China Daily, etc. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Lithuania has been known for its fine amber, the "Lithuanian gold." In recent years, it has repeatedly made international headlines for something different: going against the international consensus on its own long-standing commitment to the one-China principle.</p>
<p><strong>Sovereignty is non-negotiable</strong></p>
<p>China and Lithuania enjoyed good relations after the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1991. But the relationship soured when Lithuania suddenly decided to allow China's Taiwan region to open a de facto embassy in the country under the name of "Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania" in 2021 and then opened a so-called Lithuanian Trade Representative Office in Taiwan the next year.</p>
<p>These moves, effectively creating the impression that Taiwan is not part of China, have breached the one-China principle Lithuania committed itself to when entering into diplomatic ties with China and flagrantly violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.</p>
<p>Sovereignty is non-negotiable. China responded by downgrading its diplomatic ties with Lithuania to the level of charge d'affaires level, as the political foundation for diplomatic relations at the full ambassadorial level had been seriously damaged.</p>
<p>Ample historical records show that Taiwan has been part of China's territory since ancient times, and the Chinese central government was already exercising jurisdiction over the island as early as the mid-12th century.</p>
<p>Due to the civil war in China in the late 1940s and the interference of external forces, the two sides across the Taiwan Straits have been in a state of protracted political confrontation. But Taiwan's status as part of the Chinese territory has never changed, nor have the sovereignty and territory of China ever been divided.</p>
<p>When the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 2758 in 1971, restoring all China's rights at the UN to the People's Republic of China and recognizing its government's representatives as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN, the one-China principle was reaffirmed. This principle is the basis of China's diplomatic relations with over 180 countries, including Lithuania, and has been widely accepted as a basic norm governing international relations and a prevailing consensus of the international community.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Lithuania-s-bet-against-China-does-not-serve-its-own-interests-1AYTlChGDQc/img/dddf24fb6a3c49889bf3a98f92cb78ad/dddf24fb6a3c49889bf3a98f92cb78ad.jpeg" alt="A view of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, July 11, 2023. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, July 11, 2023. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, July 11, 2023. /CFP</p>
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<div readability="85.495416208287" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">There's the rub</p>
<p>What motivated Vilnius to deviate from its long-held one-China principle? Some Lithuanian scholars were very straightforward: "It was done to open doors for Lithuania in the Pentagon and the White House."</p>
<p>It is unclear whether those doors were actually opened. But the damage to ordinary people's interests was real. As political relations went south, so did economic ties, as businesses sought to avoid political risks. Lithuanian National Bank's statistics reveal that Lithuania's diplomatic rift with China potentially cut its GDP growth by 0.1 to 0.5 percent in 2022 and 0.3 to 1.3 percent in 2023. </p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">People's interests should come first</p>
<p>The people's interests should be at the heart of a country's diplomacy. Not the political agenda of another country.</p>
<p>A study presented by the Eastern Europe Studies Center shows that the general public of Lithuania would prefer friendly and pragmatic ties with China – 63.3 percent of Lithuanians surveyed believe that their country should not interfere in China's internal affairs and almost half see China as a profitable market, while only 22.7 percent believe support for Taiwan brings some economic benefits.</p>
<p>In fact, the Chinese and Lithuanian people have always enjoyed warm friendship. Lithuanians fleeing the horrors of war in Europe in the 20th century found peace and a second home in China's northeastern city of Harbin, building a Lithuanian community there and bringing their own culture to the city.</p>
<p>A most delicious example is the Harbin red sausage, made the Lithuanian way and enormously popular with the locals. Economic partnerships between Chinese and Lithuanians had also been vibrant and fruitful, until a few politicians turned their back on China. It is the will and wish of the two peoples to see bilateral ties return to normal.</p>
<p>Lithuania's political moves were not without domestic criticism. Many, including some senior political figures, see the opening of the "Taiwanese office" as a mistake and urge normalizing ties with China. More recently, the Speaker of Lithuania's Seimas Saulius Skvernelis expressed the belief that Lithuania should restore diplomatic ties with China to the ambassadorial level and follow the same position it had been following before.</p>
<p>While China's policy toward Lithuania is consistent and clear-cut, there have been flip-flops and self-contradictions in Lithuania's China policy. It is incumbent on Lithuania to take concrete actions to undo the damage and put bilateral relations back on track.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Lithuania-s-bet-against-China-does-not-serve-its-own-interests-1AYTlChGDQc/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Trump lies about &amp;#039;fair&amp;#039; and &amp;#039;balanced&amp;#039; trade
hash: D��*�]���Lo���R
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Trump-lies-about-fair-and-balanced-trade-1AZdIcTUBvW/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Trump-lies-about-fair-and-balanced-trade-1AZdIcTUBvW/img/b1910bc6ebc143d1938cb2d7b480e9d4/b1910bc6ebc143d1938cb2d7b480e9d4.jpeg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. President Donald Trump. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.</em></p>
<p>Under the guise of restoring "fair" and "balanced" trade, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memo on Thursday instructing his team to investigate plans for new reciprocal tariffs on every country taxing U.S. imports. "I think our country is going to be flooded with jobs," Trump said after signing the memo.</p>
<p>The Trump administration has long regarded tariffs as the master key to revive the U.S. economy. But reality bites.</p>
<p>To begin with, tariffs, instead of creating jobs as Trump is expecting, could generate layoffs. Competitive prices of imported goods mean that American manufacturers will have to pay more for raw materials and parts needed for production before products are fully assembled.</p>
<p>"The supply chains involve shipping parts back and forth over the border five times, six times, seven times… If every time a part crosses the Canadian border it gets taxed at 25 percent, that will add up really quickly," said Christopher Conlon, a professor of economics at New York University. He warned about costly supply chain workarounds, using Trump's tariffs on Canada as an example.</p>
<p>Soaring costs along the supply chains could also force American manufacturers to scale back production. This will inevitably result in fewer shifts and thus higher risks of jobs cuts. In addition, rising production costs will be transferred to retailers and eventually to ordinary American consumers. This is already happening as the U.S. struggles with its inflation.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Trump-lies-about-fair-and-balanced-trade-1AZdIcTUBvW/img/f1996b14c9c74f16be271d481f199d13/f1996b14c9c74f16be271d481f199d13.jpeg" alt="Shoppers at a supermarket in Foster City, California, May 15, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Shoppers at a supermarket in Foster City, California, May 15, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Shoppers at a supermarket in Foster City, California, May 15, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>The total direct cost of import taxes on Chinese, Mexican and Canadian goods represent an extra tax of more than $1,200 per year for a typical American household, CNN quoted Peterson Institute as saying, and reciprocal tariffs could add to that amount. Soaring costs would inevitably result in weakened sales, and ultimately contribute to production slowdown – a synonym to layoffs.</p>
<p>"More than 550,000 workers at car dealerships representing international brands risk losing their jobs if the industry falters due to the tariffs," the American International Automobile Dealers Association said in a statement. And small businesses are particularly vulnerable, with 37 percent believing tariffs will have a negative impact, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.</p>
<p>And don't forget retaliatory measures from targeted countries. For American companies relying on overseas markets for survival, retaliatory tariffs may cripple their production capacity. This would put American jobs at risk, contrary to Trump's unrealistic wish of creating more jobs. According to U.S.-based think tank Tax Foundation in a report released this week, the retaliatory tariffs will "reduce full-time employment by 27,000 full-time equivalent jobs."</p>
<p>Tariffs will "have the effect of depressing U.S. economic growth, contributing to a higher rate of inflation, and those effects will be worse if the other countries retaliate in kind," according to The Guardian, quoting Marcus Noland, executive vice-president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.</p>
<p>Apart from self-inflicted harm to U.S. interests, Trump's reciprocal tariffs also threaten to undermine the rules-based international trading system. Threats of tariffs result in rising distrust in international cooperation and thus cause more uncertainties in the global business environment.</p>
<p>"A reciprocal tariff system would mark a sea change in how the U.S. approaches trade, and would erode one of the fundamental tenets of the global trading system that the U.S. shaped after the Second World War," Bloomberg said in an article.</p>
<p>Open trade has repeatedly turned out to be a key driver of global economic growth. Reciprocal tariffs, by contrast, increase unnecessary costs and slow down trade volumes. Instead of being a master key to solve American problems, tariffs act as a drag not only on the U.S. but also on global growth. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable. These countries rely on exports for income and reciprocal tariffs will them hit hard.</p>
<p>The Trump administration should be clear about the harmful impact of these tariffs. But Trump still has the gall to brag about the necessity of tariffs to protect so-called "fair" and "balanced" trade. As a businessman-turned-politician, Trump's repeated tariffs threats may be part of his efforts to trigger talks with other countries. After all, Trump, since his first term in office, has demonstrated to the world his unrivalled skills in bargaining for the best.</p>
<p>Whatever motives lie behind Trump's reciprocal tariffs, protectionism is a dead end. Removing trade barriers and creating more favorable conditions for open trade should instead be the primary consideration for Trump as the President of the world's largest economy.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/Trump-lies-about-fair-and-balanced-trade-1AZdIcTUBvW/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: &amp;#039;Thanks&amp;#039; to America, the BBC now has to face the facts
hash: #�L~�1��y597
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content:
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<div data-width="1080" data-height="1920" data-ratio="1080:1920" data-news-id="482336" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/-Thanks-to-America-the-BBC-now-has-to-face-the-facts-1AZeZjptb5m/video/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/-Thanks-to-America-the-BBC-now-has-to-face-the-facts-1AZeZjptb5m/video/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m.jpg" data-title="'Thanks' to America, the BBC now has to face the facts" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1080" data-height="1920" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/-Thanks-to-America-the-BBC-now-has-to-face-the-facts-1AZeZjptb5m/video/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="482336" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/-Thanks-to-America-the-BBC-now-has-to-face-the-facts-1AZeZjptb5m/video/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>04:54</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/-Thanks-to-America-the-BBC-now-has-to-face-the-facts-1AZeZjptb5m/video/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m/wu_1ik1rpf2s133bi8911rq1b631c23m.jpg" alt></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.</em></p>
<p>Would you believe that the BBC has become a "sycophant" of China? Recently, the BBC published a video story, claiming that China's system gives it the advantage to turn itself into a leader in many high-tech areas. It caused quite a stir among netizens as they were caught off guard by the sudden shift in the BBC's tone and narrative. Does the BBC suddenly have a guilty conscience? Or is there something else at work here? Here we break it down.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-14/-Thanks-to-America-the-BBC-now-has-to-face-the-facts-1AZeZjptb5m/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: U.S.-Philippines alignment in the South China Sea is a risky gamble
hash: ��3\�� Ul`s�z,
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-16/U-S-Philippines-alignment-in-the-South-China-Sea-is-a-risky-gamble-1B2wbG7oDmw/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-16/U-S-Philippines-alignment-in-the-South-China-Sea-is-a-risky-gamble-1B2wbG7oDmw/img/77f474c709c34a28830a9a91207e5c0f/77f474c709c34a28830a9a91207e5c0f.png" alt="The China Coast Guard (CCG) 3502 fleet conducting formation training in waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao, May 17, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The China Coast Guard (CCG) 3502 fleet conducting formation training in waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao, May 17, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The China Coast Guard (CCG) 3502 fleet conducting formation training in waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao, May 17, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Jessica Durdu, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a foreign affairs specialist and PhD candidate in international relations at China Foreign Affairs University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>At the 61st Munich Security Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo again placed the South China Sea (SCS) dispute at the center of geopolitical discussions.</p>
<p>Rubio's statement about strengthening the U.S.-Philippines alliance to counter "China's destabilizing actions" raises important questions about Washington's motivations in the region. Is the U.S. truly invested in ensuring regional stability, or is it following a long-standing strategic playbook, using regional allies to contain rising powers while avoiding direct entanglement in conflicts of its own making? This question gains further significance when examined through the broader lens of U.S. foreign policy patterns in other regions and historical precedents of great power rivalries.</p>
<p>From a broader strategic perspective, the U.S.'s motivations for encouraging the Philippines' assertiveness in the SCS extend beyond regional security. The concept of security is not universal. It differs based on history, geopolitical priorities and national interests.</p>
<p>For the U.S., security is deeply tied to maintaining its global primacy, preventing any single power from challenging its hegemony. This framework aligns with what Allison describes as the Thucydides Trap, i.e. the idea that an established power feels compelled to counter a rising challenger to preserve the existing global order.</p>
<p>Washington views SCS as a critical pressure point to weaken China's influence in the Asia-Pacific. By provoking tensions, the U.S. aims to destabilize the region, making it harder for China access to trade routes and natural resources. Regional waters have become a chessboard where U.S. influence is maintained not necessarily to protect smaller nations but to safeguard their strategic interests. The SCS serves as a key corridor for China's trade and disrupting this flow could slow China's economic growth.</p>
<p>The contested waters are believed to hold significant natural resources that the U.S., in collaboration with its regional allies, seeks to access and potentially control. The strategic location of the Philippines offers Washington a vantage point to monitor Chinese activities, particularly in the broader Asia-Pacific.</p>
<p>For the Philippines, security means protecting its territory, economic interests and sovereignty. While aligning with the U.S. may seem beneficial, history shows that smaller countries often become tools in U.S. strategies, as seen in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ukraine, initially backed by the U.S., now faces military and economic vulnerabilities, highlighting that U.S. support doesn't guarantee long-term stability or prosperity for its allies.</p>
<p>For more than half a century, the U.S. concentrated its military and strategic efforts on the Middle East. With its withdrawal from that region, Washington has recalibrated its focus toward the Asia-Pacific, identifying it as the new theater for global power competition. By shifting its resources and diplomatic attention to Asia, the U.S. aims to slow China's rise and protect its own dominance in global affairs.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-16/U-S-Philippines-alignment-in-the-South-China-Sea-is-a-risky-gamble-1B2wbG7oDmw/img/063c98102e8347069122ed9472718ac4/063c98102e8347069122ed9472718ac4.jpeg" alt="A view of the Pentagon in Arlington, the United States, January 27, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the Pentagon in Arlington, the United States, January 27, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the Pentagon in Arlington, the United States, January 27, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p>The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, expanded in 2023, provides the U.S. access to additional Philippine military bases, some of which are strategically positioned near the Taiwan Straits. By intensifying military cooperation, the U.S. is ensuring that the Philippines remains a frontline state in its regional maneuvering.</p>
<p>Washington's military alliances often come with limited commitment. Without U.S. involvement, both the Philippines and China have expressed a preference for resolving disputes through diplomacy. However, Washington's coercive diplomacy ensures that the SCS remains a military rather than a diplomatic issue. In doing so, the U.S. risks escalating tensions rather than fostering stability. Manila should also consider the potential economic costs of military posturing. Increased militarization may deter foreign investors, disrupt maritime commerce and inject uncertainty into the Philippines' long-term economic development.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the Philippines risks straining ties with ASEAN, which prioritizes peaceful dialogue and a unified stance on the SCS. Relying too heavily on U.S. security guarantees might be seen as diverging from this collective approach. Economically, China, the Philippines' top trading partner with over $50 billion in trade in 2023, has invested significantly through the Belt and Road Initiative, notably in Manila's infrastructure. Thus, rising military tensions could jeopardize these economic gains, potentially hindering future development.</p>
<p>China's diplomatic posture has consistently emphasized peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and shared development. While maritime disputes persist, China has repeatedly called for bilateral dialogue with the Philippines to address these issues through non-military mechanisms. Collaborative efforts, such as the establishment of joint oil and gas exploration initiatives, have demonstrated the potential for constructive engagement that benefits both countries' people. However, the United States' insistence on framing the SCS as a theater of military rivalry complicates these diplomatic efforts.</p>
<p>While Washington's "Indo-Pacific" strategy relies on coalition-building to counter China, recent history – from Ukraine to the Middle East – demonstrates the perils of depending too heavily on U.S. assurances. The alternative is to follow a path already tested in other regions, where local actors pay the price for broader geopolitical ambitions. By carefully reassessing its strategic calculus, Manila can avoid becoming another instrument in Washington's geopolitical contest while safeguarding its own national security within the evolving global order.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-16/U-S-Philippines-alignment-in-the-South-China-Sea-is-a-risky-gamble-1B2wbG7oDmw/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: China&amp;#039;s Greater Bay Area: From regional synergy to global prominence
hash: �!޿{�`#} ݵ1�
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-Greater-Bay-Area-From-regional-synergy-to-global-prominence-1B5IQVi73K8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-Greater-Bay-Area-From-regional-synergy-to-global-prominence-1B5IQVi73K8/img/a6905d202d60495a95f6163388077f9d/a6905d202d60495a95f6163388077f9d.png" alt="The Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center under construction in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, December 27, 2023. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center under construction in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, December 27, 2023. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center under construction in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, December 27, 2023. /Xinhua</p>
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<div readability="101" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Liu Chunsheng, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Beijing-based Central University of Finance and Economics. The article reflects the author's opinion and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>February 18 marks the sixth anniversary of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Over the past six years, this region, which occupies less than 0.6 percent of the national land area, has generated over 11 percent of the country's total economic output. Its economic output has jumped from 10.8 trillion Chinese yuan ($1.49 trillion) to 14 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent. As a result, the GBA has overtaken the Tokyo Bay Area to become the world's largest bay area.</p>
<p>This achievement not only highlights a new milestone in China's regional economic development but also underscores the institutional advantages of collaborative innovation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the framework of "One Country, Two Systems."</p>
<p>When the Outline Development Plan was released in 2018, the GBA's economic aggregate was 10.8 trillion yuan. By 2023, this figure surpassed 14 trillion yuan, marking a growth of 3.2 trillion yuan over five years. This remarkable expansion can be attributed to the strong driving forces of core cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In 2023, Shenzhen's GDP reached 3.46 trillion yuan, ranking third in the country, Guangzhou secured the fourth spot with 3.04 trillion yuan. Dongguan and Foshan have also joined the "trillion-yuan club," forming a robust "five-city linkage" economic network with Hong Kong.</p>
<p>The GBA has evolved from the traditional "front shop, back factory" model to a global value chain system characterized by the dynamic roles of "Hong Kong service + Shenzhen innovation + Pearl River Delta manufacturing." The Pearl River Delta now focuses on eight trillion-yuan industrial clusters, including new-generation electronic information and smart home appliances.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Macao a continue to drive the region's modernization through services such as finance and law, creating a complementary pattern. Hong Kong's cross-border financial and legal services offer critical international support to the industrial chain, enhancing the GBA's global competitiveness.</p>
<p>Over the past six years, monumental infrastructure projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link have been completed, enabling the major cities in the GBA to achieve "one-hour living circle." In addition, the GBA's airport cluster boasts an annual passenger throughput capacity exceeding 280 million and the port cluster handles 85 million 20-foot equivalent units of container throughput, with routes that span major global trading ports.</p>
<p>The region has also made significant strides in market integration. Initiatives like the "Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect" and "cross-border financial connect," along with the establishment of 183 "Greater Bay Area Standards," have enhanced cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Platforms like Hengqin, Qianhai and Nansha have introduced innovative models, such as "Hengqin research and development + Zhuhai manufacturing," leveraging institutional innovation to create experimental fields for greater openness.</p>
</div>
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-Greater-Bay-Area-From-regional-synergy-to-global-prominence-1B5IQVi73K8/img/c7c21985d31a43948e5f15d5818340b2/c7c21985d31a43948e5f15d5818340b2.png" alt="A view of the Hengqin International Financial Center in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, November 4, 2023. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the Hengqin International Financial Center in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, November 4, 2023. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the Hengqin International Financial Center in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, November 4, 2023. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>The GBA is home to 75,000 national-level high-tech enterprises, with industry giants such as Huawei, Tencent and BYD leading the global competition. The "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" technology cluster has maintained its position as the second-largest in the world for four consecutive years. A prime example of the region's technological prowess is Chinese automaker GAC Aion, whose self-developed magazine battery 2.0 technology has significantly improved the endurance of new energy vehicles. This achievement reflects the broader trend of manufacturing industry upgrades within the GBA, positioning the region as a global leader in innovation and advanced technology.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, the GBA must further solidify its role as a key "dual circulation" hub by promoting cross-border data flow and mutual recognition of talent qualifications and enhancing the level of Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. Relying on its growing carbon trading market and hydrogen energy industry cluster, the region can build a "dual carbon" demonstration zone. Guangzhou and Foshan have launched the world's largest hydrogen energy industrial base, which could connect with Hong Kong and Macao's green financial resources in the future.</p>
<p>The GBA is also increasing its share of China's exports to member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and can further expand its presence in the ASEAN market through cross-border e-commerce and digital trade. By integrating Hong Kong's international finance center with Shenzhen's venture capital system, new opportunities such as RMB internationalization and digital asset trading can be explored.</p>
<p>Moreover, the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone will help attract world's top scientific research institutions, fostering a robust innovation chain of basic research, application transformation and global market access.</p>
<p>The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA has effectively transcended administrative boundaries through institutional innovation, reshaped the industrial landscape with scientific and technological advancements and linked the global market with openness and inclusiveness. Its success not only provides a model for more regional coordination but also demonstrates the practical path of Chinese path to modernization to the world.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-Greater-Bay-Area-From-regional-synergy-to-global-prominence-1B5IQVi73K8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Private economy propels China&amp;#039;s momentous economic growth
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Private-economy-propels-China-s-momentous-economic-growth-1B5NL1R3r56/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Private-economy-propels-China-s-momentous-economic-growth-1B5NL1R3r56/img/dde76565abce4dc5b22074c6889487a9/dde76565abce4dc5b22074c6889487a9.png" alt="Workers work on an assembly line at a plant of Xiaomi in Beijing, capital of China, March 25, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Workers work on an assembly line at a plant of Xiaomi in Beijing, capital of China, March 25, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Workers work on an assembly line at a plant of Xiaomi in Beijing, capital of China, March 25, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Djoomart Otorbaev, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, a professor of the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, a member of Nizami Ganjavi International Center, and the author of "Central Asia's Economic Rebirth in the Shadow of the New Great Game." The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Despite the challenging domestic and international environment, China's economy successfully achieved its growth target of 5 percent last year. It was positive news for both domestic growth and consumption and the global economy since the world's second-largest economy continues to be an international driver, contributing approximately 30 percent to global growth.</p>
<p>The most important feature of China's economic governance model, characterized by its rapid response and adaptation to the changing economic landscape, was again evident. In response to the negative economic news in the middle of last year, the government swiftly introduced a series of critical economic stimulus measures. These measures included lowering lending rates, bank reserve ratios and a substantial fiscal package of 10 trillion yuan ($1.38 trillion) to address local government debt problems.</p>
<p>Last year, the authorities announced the introduction of an even more proactive fiscal and moderately accommodative monetary policy. These policies were expected to enhance unconventional counter-cyclical adjustments and stimulate domestic demand. The Ministry of Finance stated that in 2025, the country would considerably increase its fiscal deficit and issue more government bonds, including super-long treasury bonds and special local government bonds.</p>
<p>Although 2025 has long been anticipated to be a challenging year, its first month has brought significant, albeit expected, negative news. The Trump administration has imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on all Chinese imports. The country will find it increasingly difficult to sustain its exports in a more stringent environment. While Chinese exporters have long concentrated on emerging markets, ensuring the same level of demand as that of North America and Europe will not be easy.</p>
<p>It is well known that the country aims to maintain economic growth at approximately 5 percent this year. Beijing must take bold measures to enhance support for the private sector, deregulate the economy and strengthen engagement with emerging markets to achieve this objective.</p>
<p>The private sector, which serves as the backbone of China's economic development, accounts for over half of tax revenue, 60 percent of GDP and roughly 80 percent of the workforce and will play a crucial role in further stimulating the economy.</p>
<p>Considering this year's new and more complex realities, China is taking suitable measures to encourage the growth of private enterprises. On February 17, a special symposium on private enterprises was held to support private businesses. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the meeting and delivered a speech after hearing from representatives of those enterprises.</p>
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<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Private-economy-propels-China-s-momentous-economic-growth-1B5NL1R3r56/img/8c75562952fd459caaf86e1cf410b272/8c75562952fd459caaf86e1cf410b272.jpeg" alt="Wang Xingxing, CEO of Hangzhou Yushu Technology Co., Ltd. speaks at a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing, February 17, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Wang Xingxing, CEO of Hangzhou Yushu Technology Co., Ltd. speaks at a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing, February 17, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Wang Xingxing, CEO of Hangzhou Yushu Technology Co., Ltd. speaks at a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing, February 17, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p>The symposium, the first of its kind hosted since 2018, takes place amid the complexities of global emerging economic challenges, including heightened geopolitical tensions and regulatory overreach against some of the country's corporate giants.</p>
<p>President Xi informed China's leading entrepreneurs that the government's core principles and policies for developing the private economy would be consistently upheld and implemented. "They cannot and will not be changed," he stated. He emphasized that the current difficulties and challenges facing the private sector are partial and temporary rather than holistic and long-term, and "they can be overcome."  He also mentioned that this is an opportune moment for private enterprises and entrepreneurs to showcase their talents and significantly contribute to the country's development.</p>
<p>The symposium emerged when the artificial intelligence (AI) platform Deep Seek revolutionized and sparked investor speculation about the potential for AI to enhance China's entire tech sector, leading to calls for an upward revaluation of Chinese assets. The Hang Seng Tech Index, which measures 30 of the largest technology companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has risen by 24 percent since the beginning of the year.</p>
<p>Attaining self-sufficiency in semiconductors and aiming for the country to leverage AI to stimulate economic development is vital for China. Chip export controls imposed by Washington understandably impede China's initiatives. Consequently, China requires capable and dynamic tech companies to compete technologically with the U.S.</p>
<p>What is certain is that the symposium communicates a clear message of support for private sector entrepreneurs at the highest level, which will inspire much-needed spirit and optimism for renewed growth in China, particularly in its tech sector. Those who understand the complexities of Chinese policy might deduce that this communication could act as an even more significant moral stimulus than fiscal or monetary support. The meeting with such a distinctive composition could signify a crucial turning point for China's tech sector and leading global companies following years of regulatory overhang.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Private-economy-propels-China-s-momentous-economic-growth-1B5NL1R3r56/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Davos Insights: China-U.S. outlook in the Trump 2.0 era
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="483408" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/video/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/video/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb.jpg" data-title="Davos Insights: China-U.S. outlook in the Trump 2.0 era" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/video/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483408" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/video/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_B_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>04:36</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/video/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb/wu_1ikce10j95o31hl11oc057k14s0olb.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>Where are China-U.S. relations headed under Trump 2.0? Answers to this and other hot-button questions were explored at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. How can China and the U.S. strike a balance in steering their economies amid a shifting global landscape? How will the two economic giants navigate a world in flux? Hear CGTN host Tian Wei's insights from the scene in Davos.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Davos-Insights-China-U-S-outlook-in-the-Trump-2-0-era-1B64FEHFqc8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: What&amp;#039;s behind &amp;#039;TikTok refugees&amp;#039; flocking to Chinese app RedNote?
hash: �L�� SL�_h�Y�c��
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="483410" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/video/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/video/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck.jpg" data-title="What's behind 'TikTok refugees' flocking to Chinese app RedNote?" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/video/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483410" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/video/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_B_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>02:24</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/video/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck/wu_1ikcdtc6q7487gb1jlh1lg13kjjck.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>"TikTok refugees" rebel against the U.S. government's proposed ban by flocking to Chinese App RedNote. In an interesting turn of events, this has led to a surge in American and Chinese users interacting with each other, some sharing their life stories and some even asking for help with their homework. What could all this mean? CGTN's Tian Wei is joined by some TikTok users for their insights.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/What-s-behind-TikTok-refugees-flocking-to-Chinese-app-RedNote--1B651u2PCRa/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Universal Film Appeal: Can "Ne Zha 2" Draw Global Audiences?
hash: �@ ��9w}�4�2n>�
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="483412" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/video/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/video/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj.jpeg" data-title="Universal Film Appeal: Can" ne zha draw global data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/video/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483412" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/video/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj.jpeg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_B_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>02:29</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/video/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj/wu_1ikcdpsq41o00smm19tn8atdvqecj.jpeg" alt></div>
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<p>As "Ne Zha 2" breaks several box office records, can the film's crossover appeal draw global audiences? Herr Production CEO Ray Chen believes the film's special effects and fight scenes are the attraction for North American viewers, without a full grasp of the movie's deeper themes. For his part, Capital Normal University Professor David Moser says cultural differences hardly matter as long as the film conveys relatable sentiments and universal values. A great film straddles cultural divides while managing to strike a chord with audiences worldwide.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/Universal-Film-Appeal-Can-Ne-Zha-2-Draw-Global-Audiences--1B65bTqHPMI/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: China&amp;#039;s response to U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods
hash: 9H�_f��� 'wR���
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-response-to-U-S-tariffs-on-Chinese-goods-1B65nGRjflS/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="483415" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-response-to-U-S-tariffs-on-Chinese-goods-1B65nGRjflS/video/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-response-to-U-S-tariffs-on-Chinese-goods-1B65nGRjflS/video/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa.jpg" data-title="China's response to U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-response-to-U-S-tariffs-on-Chinese-goods-1B65nGRjflS/video/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483415" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-18/China-s-response-to-U-S-tariffs-on-Chinese-goods-1B65nGRjflS/video/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa/wu_1ikcdgp9v8c312hne5vnc7sfqa.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_B_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>29:05</p>
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<p>U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday to impose a 10 percent tariff on all Chinese imports under the pretext of fentanyl control efforts. China firmly opposes the new tariffs, which violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. It also calls on the U.S. to instead work on steady, sound and sustainable China-U.S. relations, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said. China also has taken countermeasures, such as filing a complaint with the WTO. So, what's the nature of the latest tariff disputes? How could major powers like China and the U.S. steer ties toward global economic stability?</p>
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title: U.S. ditching G20 meetings adds to global confusion about its aims
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/U-S-ditching-G20-meetings-adds-to-global-confusion-about-its-aims-1B7OM4sgHra/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/U-S-ditching-G20-meetings-adds-to-global-confusion-about-its-aims-1B7OM4sgHra/img/3abe99450cdf4f6aa7a1610ab68cb06e/3abe99450cdf4f6aa7a1610ab68cb06e.png" alt="Marco Rubio speaks to the press following a unanimous confirmation vote to be Secretary of State in the Senate in Washington, D.C., United States, January 20, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Marco Rubio speaks to the press following a unanimous confirmation vote to be Secretary of State in the Senate in Washington, D.C., United States, January 20, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Marco Rubio speaks to the press following a unanimous confirmation vote to be Secretary of State in the Senate in Washington, D.C., United States, January 20, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States is roughly one-month old, but some clear themes are already developing. One that is vexing to world leaders, especially those from the West, is whether the U.S. remains committed to the current global order. If it is not, the resulting decline in global prestige will be deeply felt.</p>
<p>One of the earliest hints that Trump's presidency might include pulling back from America's international commitments occurred when Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would not attend the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting that will take place in South Africa. America's absence from this important international meeting will have negative ramifications for U.S.-South African relations , as well as its influence over global discussions on the Global South, climate change and international trade.</p>
<p>Rubio defended the decision, stating, "South Africa is doing very bad things." President Trump quickly followed Rubio's announcement with an executive order cutting financial assistance to the country. In addition, the president offered resettlement in the U.S. to "Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored, race-based discrimination."</p>
<p>Taken together, these messages harken back to a time when the U.S. often dictated terms to developing world, whether they were allies or adversaries. Trump appears eager to revive a blunt diplomatic approach that disregards how policies will be received globally.</p>
<p>In contrast, China's frequently stated pledge of mutual respect stands in stark opposition.</p>
<p>On one hand, the White House is placing unnecessary strain on its bilateral relationship with South Africa. That country's decision last year to ask the International Court of Justice to sanction Israel Gaza crisis partially explains Trump's ire. Trump's unwavering support for Israel is well known, but his retaliatory measures suggest a lack of diplomatic tact.</p>
<p>Additionally, Trump appears especially incensed by new South African land laws designed to redress the nation's apartheid history. He views them in the simplest of terms – whites are having their land taken away. However, the reality is far more complex, a nuance Trump seems unwilling to acknowledge.</p>
<p>So, while U.S.-South Africa relations may deteriorate, more immediate attention is focused on how Rubio's absence from the G20 meetings could reshape the international landscape.</p>
<p>The U.S. has historically engaged in complex global issues, but Trump is pulling America away from such responsibilities. His "America First" philosophy follows a transactional framework: Deals are made primarily to benefit the U.S. Furthermore, "America First" disrupts global agreements; Trump has shown no hesitation in dismantling U.S. commitments to trade, climate action, global health, and more.</p>
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<div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/U-S-ditching-G20-meetings-adds-to-global-confusion-about-its-aims-1B7OM4sgHra/img/b23910b0a530471288a4cd538656457c/b23910b0a530471288a4cd538656457c.jpeg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order, including the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, in Washington, D.C., United States, January 20, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="18.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order, including the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, in Washington, D.C., United States, January 20, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order, including the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, in Washington, D.C., United States, January 20, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p>As a result, global leaders viewing the G20 meetings are reaching an uncomfortable conclusion: The U.S. does not want to be involved in discussions or decisions shaping global affairs. And that means Washington loses any credibility when it complains about the outcomes of the South African summit.</p>
<p>Another crucial aspect should not be overlooked: The symbolism of the U.S. skipping a major meeting in the Global South sends a negative message. This region – home to 88 percent of the world's population – will take note as South Africa, a prominent member, is deliberately sidelined by Washington.</p>
<p>The frustration will be further compounded by the fact that the African Union joined the G20 just two years ago. While it may be an overstatement to expect major celebrations this year, the absence of a U.S. delegation will not go unnoticed. In contrast, China, the world's second-largest economy, will be fully engaged, reinforcing its growing stature in the Global South and the G20. This will likely translate into both intangible and tangible benefits.</p>
<p>The global economy remains in flux. The Chief Economist of the World Bank Indermit Gill noted late last year, "What's happening is that we've seen a step down in terms of growth from the first decade of this millennium to the second to the third." One of his concerns is that slowing growth will stress lower- and middle-income nations already burdened by debt stemming from loans taken earlier this century. The U.S. might have solutions, but instead, it offers nothing. The only clear message from Washington is that the rest of the world is merely an obstacle to its quest to "make America great again."</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Striving for Artificial General Intelligence: The rise of Chinese AI
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<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Striving-for-Artificial-General-Intelligence-The-rise-of-Chinese-AI-1B8RgxlQ6ti/img/9c8cac94b9064969959435f4dbf10f14/9c8cac94b9064969959435f4dbf10f14.png" alt="The operating room of Sigma Geography, a geographic sciences multi-modal Large Language Model (LLM), in Beijing, capital of China, September 19, 2024. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The operating room of Sigma Geography, a geographic sciences multi-modal Large Language Model (LLM), in Beijing, capital of China, September 19, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The operating room of Sigma Geography, a geographic sciences multi-modal Large Language Model (LLM), in Beijing, capital of China, September 19, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Belunn Se, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a senior industry observer based in Shenzhen, China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>On Tuesday, Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, officially launched its latest Grok 3 model with a live demonstration. xAI claims that Grok 3 is currently "the smartest AI on Earth," a statement that has sparked widespread attention. As artificial intelligence technology advances at breakneck speed, global tech companies are significantly increasing their investments in AI, launching innovative products and technologies.</p>
<p>This not only pushes the boundaries of AI applications but also intensifies internal competition within the industry. From OpenAI and DeepMind to emerging technologies like Claude, Gemini and Grok 3, rapid AI iterations have become the new norm in the industry.</p>
<p>Amid the global race for AI dominance, China's AI technology continues to meet challenges while achieving breakthroughs. A notable example is DeepSeek. Since its release of the V3 and R1 models on January 26, DeepSeek's AI assistant has gained significant attention both domestically and internationally, quickly rising to the top of app store download charts across 140 markets worldwide. This breakthrough not only showcases China's innovative strength in AI but also has a profound impact on the global AI industry.</p>
<p>Tech companies worldwide are driving AI boundaries through technological innovation and resource investment, shaping the future of technology. As market demand continues to grow, AI is penetrating more industries, transforming various aspects of society.</p>
<p>Chinese AI excels through algorithm engineering innovation, commercial path innovation and technical independence. Facing U.S. technology blockades and global competition, DeepSeek has significantly improved AI inference efficiency through open-source Large Language Model (LLM) technologies and distillation techniques, accelerating AI democratization and promoting global AI innovation.</p>
<p>At the same time, DeepSeek's founder Liang Wenfeng pointed out that "the V2 model has no overseas returns; it's all domestic." This statement not only reflects confidence in China's domestic AI capabilities but also underscores the nation's commitment to independent innovation. Through open-source and technological breakthroughs, DeepSeek has accelerated the development of China's AI ecosystem while contributing to global AI progress.</p>
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<p>While advancing LLM technology, Chinese AI companies are also actively exploring innovative vertical applications. For example, ByteDance's Doubao has pioneered a new commercial AI frontier through Chinese voice interaction and emotional design. Its speech model, powered by end-to-end voice interaction technology, greatly enhances voice expressiveness and control, offering a user experience that surpasses current mainstream technologies like GPT-4. In consumer fields like education and entertainment, Doubao's success marks a step toward AI companies meeting local market demands, gradually achieving breakthroughs in the C-end market.</p>
<p>Despite that, AI technology competition is intensifying globally, and multiple forces are driving China's AI development. The U.S. government's tech blockade policy, particularly the restrictions on chip supplies brought in by the Trump administration, has had a profound impact on the global AI industry. This policy directly affected the construction of computing infrastructure for Chinese AI companies, pushing them to accelerate independent research and development, promoting the adoption of domestic alternatives.</p>
<p>Take NVIDIA as an example. Its leadership in the global AI industry is no accident. By continually investing in GPU clusters and distributed training, NVIDIA solidified its market position. Meanwhile, the U.S. has also invested $500 billion through its Stargate project to build AI infrastructure, further strengthening its global advantage. That, to some extent, has prompted Chinese companies to face challenges head-on in their pursuit of technological self-reliance and innovation.</p>
<p>Additionally, China's strengths in research investment, talent cultivation and industry chain integration are significant. Close cooperation between universities, research institutions and enterprises accelerates the commercialization of technological breakthroughs.</p>
<p>The active capital markets have provided abundant funding for startups, further stimulating innovation. Moreover, the vast domestic market demand, driven by the transformation of manufacturing and the growing need for intelligent consumer goods, has paved the way for rapid technological deployment.</p>
<p>The future of AI is full of possibilities. On the path to artificial general intelligence (AGI), LLMs have become a necessary step and are beginning to show the early forms of AGI.</p>
<p>However, achieving AGI is not effortless. Google's DeepMind team has divided AI development into six major stages. Currently, AI models in specific areas, like AlphaFold and AlphaZero, have demonstrated capabilities that surpass human performance. But from the perspective of general AI, current technologies still have a long way to go before full maturity.</p>
<p>Chinese companies like DeepSeek are actively participating in the global AI innovation wave, with the goal of being at the forefront of technology and driving the progress of the global ecosystem. China is not only well-prepared for the arrival of AGI commercialization, but also contributes Chinese wisdom and strength to global technological development. By continuing to strengthen independent innovation, especially in core AI technologies such as algorithms, chips and data processing, China is able to reduce its reliance on external technologies. Meanwhile, deepening international cooperation, particularly in areas such as global AI governance and ethical standards, will allow China to actively participate in, and lead, rulemaking, demonstrating the responsibility of a major global power.</p>
<p>Moreover, by fully utilizing its vast market advantages and data resources, China can promote AI applications in sectors such as healthcare, education and transportation. Increasing the cultivation and introduction of AI talent and building a multi-tiered talent system will provide strong support for AI development. With policy guidance, capital support and industry collaboration, China is poised to take a leading position in global AI competition.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: U.S. approach to Ukraine peace talk sparks controversy and uncertainty
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/U-S-approach-to-Ukraine-peace-talk-sparks-controversy-and-uncertainty-1B97jOCrIcw/img/6b4fe9a83f1c475683d531b91b066d73/6b4fe9a83f1c475683d531b91b066d73.png" alt="File photo of smoke rising in the sky in Kiev, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>File photo of smoke rising in the sky in Kiev, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">File photo of smoke rising in the sky in Kiev, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Freddie Reidy, a special commentator for CGTN, is a freelance writer based in London, specializing in international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Although the first dialogue about Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia between the United States and the Russian delegations "went well," it has sparked consternation in Ukraine and more widely across the European alliance at their exclusion. What therefore are the prospects for a lasting peace?</p>
<p>On the campaign trail, U.S. President Donald Trump had long touted that he could resolve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours. It is of little surprise therefore that the president had instructed his interlocutors Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to act with haste.</p>
<p>Trump has long felt that foreign interventions and "forever wars" are a drain on U.S. resources and an unnecessary loss of life. We see this belief being followed through in respect to conflicts in Gaza too. To fully realize the ambitions of his "America First" doctrine, the consolidation of U.S. manufacturing and the securing and potential expansion of U.S. borders requires these issues to be resolved. Trump is in his second term and is a man in a hurry with one eye on legacy. Resolving the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts would be an enormous feat and prize.</p>
<p>Where the rubber of lofty intentions hits the hard road of reality, though, is that to realize these aims in respect to Ukraine, the president intends on embarking a bilateral approach reminiscent of the Yalta Conference at the conclusion of the Second World War which redrew the post-war map.</p>
<p>The consequence of this approach has meant that President Trump has assumed the mantle of negotiator for the Ukrainian side, and for the wider European sphere while excluding those parties from negotiations.</p>
<p>European leaders, already shocked by being – in their eyes – chided by Vance, who proclaimed the greatest threat to European security was "the enemy within" quickly assembled in Paris for a security conference to assess how to respond. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that "We cannot recognize any things or agreements about us without us. And we will not recognize such agreements."</p>
<p>The U.S. did, somewhat, reduce the scope of the talks held in Saudi Arabia with Rubio indicating that "The talks marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done" rather than that they were the beginning of a settlement negotiation.</p>
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<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/U-S-approach-to-Ukraine-peace-talk-sparks-controversy-and-uncertainty-1B97jOCrIcw/img/232978866f5f4198b356be83c29e79e5/232978866f5f4198b356be83c29e79e5.jpeg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with journalists on board Air Force One on route from Miami, Florida, to the White House in Washington, D.C., February 19, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with journalists on board Air Force One on route from Miami, Florida, to the White House in Washington, D.C., February 19, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with journalists on board Air Force One on route from Miami, Florida, to the White House in Washington, D.C., February 19, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p>Meanwhile, Russia's position is that more needs to be done about what they see as the root cause of the conflict, but it is hard to see that Trump's exclusion of Ukraine from the talks will put both sides on the road to reconciliation. Likely irked by President Trump quoting a widely reported piece of misinformation which claimed the Ukraine preisdent's polling numbers indicated 4 percent approval, the Ukrainian leader was compelled to tell a press conference on Wednesday that "with respect, President Trump is living in a disinformation space."</p>
<p>The U.S. president responded in a lamentable pedestrian way accusing Zelenskyy of being a “dictator” for not holding elections, despite all Ukrainian politicians voting to retain martial law until wars end ahead of elections.</p>
<p>Trump continued his invective by stating that Zelenskyy "was only good at playing Joe Biden like a fiddle."</p>
<p>Despite this invective, Trump's administration appears keen that the European powers take a leading role in enforcing a Ukrainian settlement despite having limited input into the legal settlement.</p>
<p>The Russian delegation was at pains to state that Ukraine would have an integral role in future negotiations but with early forays into the debate regarding enforcement, such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's willingness to commit peace-keeping troops to Ukraine meeting early stumbling blocks, it is evident that the road to peace will be a long one.</p>
<p>Beyond this wave of uncertainty though, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the talks were "a welcome first step." For all that was made of the unity of Ukraine's supporters, it is the case that little to no progress has been made in terms of finding an "exit ramp."</p>
<p>The new administration may afford a new pretext for peace talks, but the Trump administration must reconcile the competing ambitions of a Europe-led (and enforced) peace. U.S. brinkmanship may be supremely efficient in the short-term, but nations will soon adapt to new norms and the bonus of collective belief will once again be spread.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Exclusive with Pakistan&amp;#039;s President Asif Ali Zardari
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="483974" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Exclusive-with-Pakistan-s-President-Asif-Ali-Zardari-1B9hyTPc1JC/video/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Exclusive-with-Pakistan-s-President-Asif-Ali-Zardari-1B9hyTPc1JC/video/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc.jpg" data-title="Exclusive with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Exclusive-with-Pakistan-s-President-Asif-Ali-Zardari-1B9hyTPc1JC/video/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="483974" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Exclusive-with-Pakistan-s-President-Asif-Ali-Zardari-1B9hyTPc1JC/video/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_A_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>25:16</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Exclusive-with-Pakistan-s-President-Asif-Ali-Zardari-1B9hyTPc1JC/video/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc/wu_1ik4skpnpvgg1gnf6a52ec1itpc.jpg" alt></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's Note:</strong></em> China and Pakistan are ironclad friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners. The enduring traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, forged by the elder generation of leaders of the two countries, has been described by Chinese President Xi Jinping as "the invaluable treasure of the two countries and two peoples." In this edition of Leaders Talk, CMG's Zou Yun sat down with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari during his state visit to China from Feb. 4 to 8. Zardari says Pakistan is willing to learn from China's successful experience and advance high-quality development and cooperation in various fields.</p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Exclusive-with-Pakistan-s-President-Asif-Ali-Zardari-1B9hyTPc1JC/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Trump&amp;#039;s Ukraine gamble: Unraveling U.S. alliances
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Trump-s-Ukraine-gamble-Unraveling-U-S-alliances-1B9pWEcAlFu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Trump-s-Ukraine-gamble-Unraveling-U-S-alliances-1B9pWEcAlFu/img/b05d318cfa4b4caeab0c944ad85f090d/b05d318cfa4b4caeab0c944ad85f090d.png" alt="This combination of pictures shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump (R). The U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a " dictator without on february stepping up his attacks as tensions soar between kyiv and washington. layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>This combination of pictures shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump (R). The U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator without elections" on February 19, 2025, stepping up his attacks as tensions soar between Kyiv and Washington. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">This combination of pictures shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump (R). The U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator without elections" on February 19, 2025, stepping up his attacks as tensions soar between Kyiv and Washington. /CFP</p>
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<div readability="69" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p><em><strong>Editor's note</strong>: Yasir Masood (PhD) is a Pakistani political and security analyst, broadcast journalist and strategic communication expert providing international relations insights for global media and think tanks. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Since taking office, Donald Trump's foreign policy has deviated from traditional diplomatic norms, straining relationships with key allies, particularly in Europe. His "America First" doctrine prioritizes unilateral action and transactional deals over multilateral cooperation, weakening Western unity and raising doubts about the U.S.'s commitment to collective security and democratic values.</p>
<p>One of the most striking examples of this shift is Trump's stance on Ukraine. While past administrations strongly backed Kyiv, Trump's skepticism toward U.S. involvement has alarmed allies. His public denouncement of President Zelensky as a "dictator" and claim that Ukraine "started the war" starkly contrast with long-standing U.S. policy.</p>
<p>Beyond Ukraine, Trump's overtures to Moscow and exclusion of European allies from key U.S.-Russia talks have heightened concerns about the reliability of American security commitments. European leaders, increasingly skeptical of U.S. leadership, are advocating for greater "strategic autonomy" and boosting defense spending. Trump's repeated criticism of NATO and questioning of Article 5 have further strained transatlantic trust, fueling broader concerns about the weakening of Western unity.</p>
<p>This erosion of alliances extends beyond Europe, contributing to the broader decline of multilateral institutions. By prioritizing strongmen and transactional deals over international norms, Trump's foreign policy has accelerated the erosion of the post-war global order. As multilateral institutions struggle, global challenges such as climate change and trade disputes remain largely unaddressed. With the U.S. stepping back from its role as a guarantor of stability, global distrust has intensified, highlighting the need for more inclusive frameworks to tackle these crises.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Trump-s-Ukraine-gamble-Unraveling-U-S-alliances-1B9pWEcAlFu/img/28e96bf407a54a619c3788faec77e29e/28e96bf407a54a619c3788faec77e29e.png" alt="U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on February 17, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on February 17, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on February 17, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<div readability="85.862332001453" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>This transactional approach has not only deepened the transatlantic rift but also sidelined long-term strategic alliances in favor of short-term, self-serving deals. A striking example of this shift is his attempt to purchase Greenland, despite Denmark's objections, reducing international relations to isolated transactions rather than fostering broader global cooperation. This departure from traditional diplomatic practices, which prioritized stability and multilateral engagement, has sparked concerns about the future of U.S. global leadership, particularly in regions where American influence was once unquestioned.</p>
<p>Alongside his foreign policy, Trump's domestic political landscape has shaped global perceptions of the U.S. His approval ratings, which fluctuate with partisan divides, reflect the challenges of his leadership. While he enjoys strong support within the Republican Party, broader public opinion remains volatile. Although his approval rose during the early months of his second term, recent surveys, such as a Reuters/Ipsos poll from January 2025, show a decline, with approval at 45 percent and disapproval at 46 percent. This volatility underscores both his domestic challenges and the complexities of his international standing.</p>
<p>This domestic instability intertwines with global shifts. Sir Alex Younger, former head of MI6, noted the transition from a rules-based order to a "strongman" system, where global powers increasingly engage in transactional deals based on power dynamics. Under Trump, this shift has weakened the international systems that long supported U.S. leadership, diminishing the role of multilateral institutions and collective decision-making in favor of erratic, personalized diplomacy.</p>
<p>Despite the decline in his approval ratings, there are signs of stabilization in Trump's public support. A February 2025 SurveyUSA poll showed that 51 percent of Americans approved of his performance. However, this mixed result highlights deep divisions within the electorate. Controversial proposals, such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico or ending birthright citizenship, have further polarized the nation, leaving Trump with a solid base but limited appeal among independents and moderates.</p>
<p>In conclusion, Donald Trump's presidency is redefining U.S. foreign policy and domestic politics, weakening traditional alliances and altering global power dynamics. As the U.S. faces unprecedented geopolitical and internal challenges, its global leadership will hinge on how effectively it navigates these evolving dynamics.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at</em> <a href="mailto:opinions@cgtn.com"><em>opinions@cgtn.com</em></a><em>. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-20/Trump-s-Ukraine-gamble-Unraveling-U-S-alliances-1B9pWEcAlFu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Shaking the tech world: Is DeepSeek a "Sputnik moment"?
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="484804" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Shaking-the-tech-world-Is-DeepSeek-a-Sputnik-moment--1Bfs7rV6Foc/video/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Shaking-the-tech-world-Is-DeepSeek-a-Sputnik-moment--1Bfs7rV6Foc/video/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4.jpg" data-title="Shaking the tech world: Is DeepSeek a" sputnik data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Shaking-the-tech-world-Is-DeepSeek-a-Sputnik-moment--1Bfs7rV6Foc/video/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484804" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Shaking-the-tech-world-Is-DeepSeek-a-Sputnik-moment--1Bfs7rV6Foc/video/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_A_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>29:05</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Shaking-the-tech-world-Is-DeepSeek-a-Sputnik-moment--1Bfs7rV6Foc/video/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4/wu_1ikqvrnjdu5a1m2nkd01crb1snu4b4.jpg" alt></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's Note:</strong></em> The AI community has been abuzz with excitement over DeepSeek-R1, a new open-source model developed by a Chinese startup. Its competitiveness in the global AI race took the world by surprise as it outperforms other models at a much lower cost. How powerful is this reasoning model? Why has DeepSeek shaken up the tech world so dramatically? In this edition of <em>The Hub</em>, Wang Guan talks to Angela Li, chair of the China Development Forum at the LSE Students' Union, to Thorsten Jelinek, Europe director and senior fellow at the Taihe Institute, to Andy Mok, senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, and to Gai Keke, professor at the School of Cyberspace Science &amp; Technology at the Beijing Institute of Technology, to discuss if DeepSeek's rise has brought a "Sputnik moment" and how it has challenged Western-centric perceptions while shattering U.S. preconceptions about China's homegrown innovation.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Shaking-the-tech-world-Is-DeepSeek-a-Sputnik-moment--1Bfs7rV6Foc/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Chinese multilateralism and the irony of American containment
hash: un�kf�ͩ�C�U��fl
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div data-sanitized-class="cmsVideo cg-pic-big3">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="484803" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/video/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/video/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa.jpg" data-title="Chinese multilateralism and the irony of American containment" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/video/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484803" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/video/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_A_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>03:32</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/video/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa/wu_1ikqvgrholmjktqjar1lv416rqa.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>In the face of global upheaval marked by power struggles, discourse battles, technological blockades, and tariff barriers, China has consistently overcome containment efforts and advanced amidst waves of unilateralism. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently urged at the UN Security Council, nations should "open a new era for multilateralism, and make global governance more fair and equitable," reflecting China's global-minded leadership. This confidence and composure stem from self-reliance, a shared destiny perspective, and the Eastern philosophy of "harmony without uniformity, steady progress over time."</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Chinese-multilateralism-and-the-irony-of-American-containment-1BfqXAs74uA/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Exclusive with IOC President Thomas Bach
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guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div data-sanitized-class="cmsVideo cg-pic-big3">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="484807" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.png" data-title="Exclusive with IOC President Thomas Bach" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484807" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_A_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>29:08</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.png" alt></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's Note:</strong></em> In the past 12 years, China hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the Chengdu World University Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games and this month, Asian Winter Games Harbin, showcasing China's contribution to the Olympic movement and its role on the international stage. How can China and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deepen and strengthen cooperation going forward? In this edition of Leaders Talk, CMG's Zou Yun sat down with Thomas Bach, the 9th IOC President.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-IOC-President-Thomas-Bach-1BftpmcqzYY/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Exclusive with Ioc President Thomas Bach
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="484795" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-Ioc-President-Thomas-Bach-1BfosMJ5tok/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-Ioc-President-Thomas-Bach-1BfosMJ5tok/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.png" data-title="Exclusive with Ioc President Thomas Bach" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-Ioc-President-Thomas-Bach-1BfosMJ5tok/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="484795" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-Ioc-President-Thomas-Bach-1BfosMJ5tok/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.png" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_A_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>29:08</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-Ioc-President-Thomas-Bach-1BfosMJ5tok/video/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k/wu_1ikqti6l52qsg36gulu0fp7q1k.png" alt></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's Note:</strong></em> In the past 12 years, China hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the Chengdu World University Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games and this month, Asian Winter Games Harbin, showcasing China's contribution to the Olympic movement and its role on the international stage. How can China and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deepen and strengthen cooperation going forward? In this edition of Leaders Talk, CMG's Zou Yun sat down with Thomas Bach, the 9th IOC President.</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Exclusive-with-Ioc-President-Thomas-Bach-1BfosMJ5tok/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Will Trump succeed in making his legacy that of a peacemaker?
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Will-Trump-succeed-in-making-his-legacy-that-of-a-peacemaker--1Bfnj7lKuY0/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Will-Trump-succeed-in-making-his-legacy-that-of-a-peacemaker--1Bfnj7lKuY0/img/dec7fced3a1946638f95064cdcb71255/dec7fced3a1946638f95064cdcb71255.png" alt="The then GOP candidate (and the current U.S. President) Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, the U.S., September 27, 2024. /AP" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The then GOP candidate (and the current U.S. President) Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, the U.S., September 27, 2024. /AP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The then GOP candidate (and the current U.S. President) Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, the U.S., September 27, 2024. /AP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>William Jones, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a former Washington bureau chief for EIR News Service and a non-resident fellow of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump's firm commitment to end the conflict in Ukraine, which he reiterated repeatedly during his presidential campaign, has been particularly unsettling to U.S. allies in Europe, as well as to many establishment figures in the U.S., many of whom wished to continue the conflict until Russia was "defeated."</p>
<p>It is also clear that if the U.S. under a Trump administration abandons its war effort in Ukraine, it could not be continued even with continued support from Europe. But Trump was determined to end the conflict entirely and establish peace in the region.</p>
<p>The recent telephone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and the subsequent meeting between top U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have set off something of a firestorm in European capitals.</p>
<p>French President Emmanuel Macron called a meeting of the EU nations in Paris on February 17 to discuss the matter, but no consensus was achieved, with many of the European leaders prepared to follow the U.S. lead in moving toward a negotiated solution of the conflict.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Will-Trump-succeed-in-making-his-legacy-that-of-a-peacemaker--1Bfnj7lKuY0/img/22a2c85cf0ba487fa473b82d1a9c76df/22a2c85cf0ba487fa473b82d1a9c76df.png" alt="File photo of smoke rising in the sky above Kiev, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>File photo of smoke rising in the sky above Kiev, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">File photo of smoke rising in the sky above Kiev, Ukraine, February 27, 2022. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>With the phone call, the attempt by the West to "isolate" Russia has been effectively thwarted. If European nations were to continue the conflict independently, as had been urged by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they could risk provoking the wrath of the U.S. president. This mirrors Zelenskyy's ownaction when he treated U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rather brusquely during his visit to Kiev on February 12.</p>
<p>Comments by Trump about the need for elections in Ukraine have also raised the question as to whether the U.S. would even consider Zelenskyy a suitable counterpart in peace negotiations. This is particularly relevant given that his presidential term, according to the Ukrainian constitution, has expired, and Ukraine, now under declared martial law, has not held elections to elect a new leader.</p>
<p>While Trump will not completely abandon U.S. global military commitments, he is determined to significantly reduce spending on them and aims to avoid U.S. military involvement in conflict zones that do not directly affect U.S. interests.</p>
<p>Since his reelection, he has said that he would like to see his legacy as president as that of a peacemaker. Yet putting on his hat as a businessman, he also hopes to "retrieve" some of the billions that had been expended on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He has, therefore, demanded that Ukraine turn over some of its precious raw materials, a deal which Zelenskyy proposed and accepted, and then backed out of when Bessent went to Kiev to seal the deal.</p>
<p>Both the U.S. and Russia are willing to move in the direction of a negotiated settlement; but Zelenskyy may continue to drag his feet if he can maintain European backing. That backing, however, is beginning to wane and Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be going to Washington this week probably in a "last ditch" attempt to keep some military presence in Ukraine, possibly under the guise of "peacekeepers."</p>
<p>There are also fears in certain quarters that Trump's draw-down of U.S. troops in Europe could simply imply increased deployments in the Asia-Pacific region, which has clearly become the prime focus of Trump's economic policy.</p>
<p>And there are those in the Trump administration who will never view China as other than a "rival." The rhetoric on this in Congress and in much of the mainstream media is almost interminable. Yet, it is unlikely that Trump would desire any non-peaceful conflict with China as his major means of dealing with this issue is on the economic front, although he views China as a tough "competitor." And yet his flagrant use of tariffs, or threats of tariffs, might also create conditions that can push antagonisms on to a different plane.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: IPAC&amp;#039;s attempt to distort UNGA Resolution 2758 bound to fail
hash: %cl���2�� 1J
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/IPAC-s-attempt-to-distort-UNGA-Resolution-2758-bound-to-fail-1BfIMLiUyly/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="6.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/IPAC-s-attempt-to-distort-UNGA-Resolution-2758-bound-to-fail-1BfIMLiUyly/img/2bddcc25de2f4ad69be3093b204b7dd7/2bddcc25de2f4ad69be3093b204b7dd7.png" alt="A file photo of Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan region. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="9.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A file photo of Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan region. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A file photo of Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan region. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Yi Xin is a Beijing-based international affairs commentator. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Resolution 2758, restoring the lawful seat of the government of the People's Republic of China in the UN and reaffirming the one-China principle which has been widely upheld by the international community ever since.</p>
<p>Recently, a "model resolution on UNGA Resolution 2758" has attempted to overturn it. This is the work of a self-styled Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), colluding with the Taiwan authorities led by Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which sees "Taiwan independence" as its primary mission. And some anti-China politicians are seeking to "pass the resolution."</p>
<p>These politically motivated maneuvers, with no factual or legal basis, only expose the despicable nature of the Lai's authorities and anti-China politicians like IPAC members. The "model resolution" is nothing but a collection of distortions of UNGA Resolution 2758, which are highlighted by three fallacies as follows.</p>
<p><strong>Fallacy 1: "UNGA Resolution 2758 did not endorse the one China principle as international consensus."</strong></p>
<p>The truth is, at the very core, Resolution 2758 addresses there presentation of China in the UN under the one-China principle and is premised on Taiwan being part of China, which is affirmed by its recognition that "the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China."</p>
<p>Throughout the consultations on Resolution 2758, the talk that "Taiwan's status has yet to be determined" never had support in the General Assembly. Proposals by certain countries about "dual representation" intended to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" in the UN were all rejected and viewed as" illegal and clearly inconsistent with reality, justice and the principles of the UN Charter." Other proposals suggesting that Taiwan's status was "undetermined" failed as well. International practices since the adoption of Resolution 2758 also represent a universal consensus: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.</p>
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<div readability="7" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/IPAC-s-attempt-to-distort-UNGA-Resolution-2758-bound-to-fail-1BfIMLiUyly/img/262b4027931b487db4a86689428bbbb7/262b4027931b487db4a86689428bbbb7.jpeg" alt="File photo of the United Nations building, New York, U.S. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="11" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>File photo of the United Nations building, New York, U.S. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">File photo of the United Nations building, New York, U.S. /CFP</p>
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<p><strong>Fallacy 2: "Resolution 2758 did not call for Taiwan's exclusion from international organizations."</strong></p>
<p>As mentioned above, Taiwan's status of being part of China and not a sovereign country is manifested in Resolution 2758. Legal opinions issued by the UN Office of Legal Affairs clearly state that since the adoption of the Resolution, "the United Nations considers 'Taiwan' as a province of China with no separate status."</p>
<p>According to the UN Charter and relevant legal instruments of the UN, only sovereign countries and international organizations can apply to participate in the work of the UN system as members, permanent observers or observers. In the same spirit, other intergovernmental organizations and treaty bodies only grant membership to UN members, or limit participation to sovereign states as well.</p>
<p>Therefore, Taiwan is in no position to apply for UN membership, remain in the UN by any means, or join any international organization reserved for sovereign states; and no country or international organization should greenlight Taiwan's participation, as a sovereign entity, in any such intergovernmental organizations or treaty bodies. Doing so constitutes a violation of Resolution 2758 and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.</p>
<p><strong>Fallacy 3: "Resolution 2758 has no bearing on the sovereign choices of other countries with respect to their relationships with Taiwan."</strong></p>
<p>As indicated by Resolution 2758, the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair. This is an issue that bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For any country having diplomatic relations with China, the one-China principle is the political foundation of such a relationship, as is explicitly reflected in the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations. Developing "diplomatic or official ties with Taiwan" thereby goes against its obligations under international law and its own commitment.</p>
<p>The UN Charter establishes the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference. In line with these fundamental rules, no country should develop "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan, including those that currently maintain "diplomatic ties" with it.</p>
<p>To sum up, when it comes to Taiwan's status, the basic facts, as outlined by the one-China principle, are crystal clear. They are endorsed by UNGA Resolution 2758 and solidly grounded in a number of international legal documents, including the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The one-China principle is also recognized by most countries as well as international and regional organizations.</p>
<p>No political maneuvers and lies will change history and facts, the international community's commitment to the one-China principle, or the trend toward China's unification. IPAC's attempt to distort UNGA Resolution 2758 is bound to fail.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
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title: Institutional reform stands out in China&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;No. 1 central document&amp;#039;
hash: ��U�x9V ��2�Y=*
guid:
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content:
<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Institutional-reform-stands-out-in-China-s-No-1-central-document--1BfPN0ZPuZa/img/ebf84741285e42899f67855d03801424/ebf84741285e42899f67855d03801424.jpeg" alt="Farmers dry peppers in Bozhou, east China's Anhui Province, August 21, 2024. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Farmers dry peppers in Bozhou, east China's Anhui Province, August 21, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Farmers dry peppers in Bozhou, east China's Anhui Province, August 21, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Zheng Linyi, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an associate research fellow at the China Academy for Rural Development (CARD), of the School of Public Affairs under Zhejiang University. Ji Chen, a special commentator for CGTN, is a professor at the CARD. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>On February 23, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council jointly issued the 22nd "No. 1 Central Document" of China, entitled "Opinions on Further Deepening Rural Reforms to Solidly Promote the Comprehensive Revitalization of Rural Areas." In this document, "reform" stands out as the most prominent feature, being mentioned 14 times. The term "mechanism" related to reform is mentioned 27 times, "system" is mentioned three times, "policy" is mentioned 11 times and "institution" is mentioned 14 times. This demonstrates the determination of the Party and the state to accelerate the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas and also points to the main directions of agricultural and rural modernization.</p>
<p>China's reform and opening-up is a crucial institutional tool that has enabled the Party and the people to make achievements in keeping pace with the times. Since the implementation of reform and opening-up, especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Central Committee of the CPC has attached great significance to the work related to agriculture, rural areas and rural residents, that are also known as the "three rural issues." It has led and promoted the modernization of agriculture and rural areas in the new era, and historic achievements have been made in the fields of agriculture and rural areas.</p>
<p>According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, between 2012 and 2024, the total grain output rose from 1,179.1 billion jin (589.55 billion kilograms) to 1,413 billion jin, remaining stable above 1,300 billion jin for 10 consecutive years. The per capita disposable income of rural residents increased from 7,917 Chinese yuan ($1091.85) to 23,119 yuan.</p>
<p>However, confronted with the complex international and domestic situations, China's development is facing a growing number of uncertain and unpredictable factors. The more we tackle risks and challenges, the more imperative it is to solidify the foundation of the work related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people.</p>
<p>With our sights firmly set on the objectives of comprehensively revitalizing rural areas and building a strong agricultural nation, we must persist in advancing rural reforms. We should spare no effort to boost agricultural efficiency, empower rural areas and increase farmers' earnings, thus providing fundamental support for the promotion of Chinese modernization.</p>
<p>Firstly, it is essential to firmly safeguard the two bottom lines, which are ensuring national food security and preventing large-scale relapse into poverty. This is crucial for bolstering the fundamental foundation of the work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and for ensuring that all reform undertakings progress steadily and favorably.</p>
<p>On the one hand, we should refine the policy system supporting grain production, optimize the coordination mechanism between agricultural product trade and production, establish a diversified food supply system and improve the long-term mechanism for saving grains and other food items. In doing so, we can continuously enhance our capacity to ensure and stabilize the supply of grains and other crucial agricultural products.</p>
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<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-24/Institutional-reform-stands-out-in-China-s-No-1-central-document--1BfPN0ZPuZa/img/2e823f77d98d4e6a8fe6b8cddc84e1cf/2e823f77d98d4e6a8fe6b8cddc84e1cf.jpeg" alt="Farmers load freshly harvested wheat into trucks in Ruyang County, Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 21, 2024. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Farmers load freshly harvested wheat into trucks in Ruyang County, Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 21, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Farmers load freshly harvested wheat into trucks in Ruyang County, Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 21, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p>On the other hand, we need to comprehensively establish a mechanism for preventing rural areas from reverting to poverty and a stratified and categorized assistance system for low-income populations and less-developed regions. Additionally, we should improve the long-term management mechanism for the assets formed through state investment in poverty alleviation efforts. By doing this, we can sustainably consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively integrate them with rural revitalization.</p>
<p>Secondly, it is imperative to thoroughly implement the three major actions of rural development, rural construction and rural governance, so as to promote the comprehensive upgrading of agriculture, the all-round progress of rural areas and the holistic development of farmers, and continuously propel the modernization of agriculture and rural areas to new levels.</p>
<p>In particular, we should focus on enriching the people through developing rural industries. By improving the mechanism for integrating farmers into agricultural development, we can diversify the income channels for farmers and continuously create more opportunities for them to pursue development and prosperity in their local areas or nearby.</p>
<p>Furthermore, we must pay close attention to people's livelihood undertakings. We should comprehensively plan the urban-rural layout within the county, improve rural infrastructure and public services and strengthen the governance of the rural ecological environment. This will enable rural areas to meet the conditions for modern production and living.</p>
<p>Apart from that, we need to enhance grass-roots innovation. Strengthening the construction of grass-roots Party organizations and the cultivation of a civilized rural culture, we should continue to transform social traditions and customs and to lighten the burden on the grass-roots level. Moreover, it's necessary to deeply promote the transformation of rural customs and maintain rural stability. By making every effort to enhance the level of sound governance in rural areas, we can ensure that rural society remains stable, prosperous, dynamic, harmonious and orderly.</p>
<p>Last but not least, it is essential to implement a well-coordinated strategy integrating "people, land and capital." We should improve the institutional mechanisms for ensuring the supply of essential factors and optimizing their allocation in order to provide strong support for further deepening rural reforms and steadily propel the cause of rural revitalization to achieve sustainable and stable development.</p>
<p>We should synergistically promote the professionalization of farmers and their integration into urban areas. Regarding the revitalization and utilization of rural land resources, we should consolidate and improve the basic rural management system, stabilize and improve the rural land contract relationship. Moreover, to address the rural capital outflow and insufficient capital issues, we should prioritize and ensure adequate investment from the public budget in the agricultural and rural sectors. </p>
<p>Practice knows no bounds as does reform. Rural reform in China is always ongoing. Facing Chinese modernization, we need to further deepen rural reforms, steadily promote the all-round revitalization of rural areas and strive to make substantial progress towards the goal of building a strong agricultural nation.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Xi-Putin phone talks restate the importance of global peace
hash: �)���SFm�����
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-25/Xi-Putin-phone-talks-restate-the-importance-of-global-peace-1BhNezRbb9e/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-25/Xi-Putin-phone-talks-restate-the-importance-of-global-peace-1BhNezRbb9e/img/12b0c2961a6244c7be0a20680f42551b/12b0c2961a6244c7be0a20680f42551b.png" alt="File photo of national flags of China and Russia. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>File photo of national flags of China and Russia. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">File photo of national flags of China and Russia. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Seymur Mammadov, a special commentator for CGTN, is the director of the international expert club EurAsiaAz. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to official reports, the discussion primarily focused on bilateral relations. On the same day, the UN Security Council adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution calling for a swift end to the conflict and urging a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine. The resolution received 10 votes in favor, including the U.S., China, and Russia. However, how the situation will unfold remains uncertain as these events are just beginning to assert its influence.</p>
<p>During the conversation, the Russian president outlined to Beijing the main outcomes of recent Russian-American contacts, as well as Moscow's fundamental stance on the Ukrainian crisis. Putin emphasized that Russia aims to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and achieve a sustainable and long-term peaceful resolution.</p>
<p>Xi, in turn, recalled that shortly after the escalation of the conflict in 2022, China presented its fundamental principles for a settlement, including four points about what must be done to address the crisis. China's stance of peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis has been consistent. For example, in September 2023, China, together with Brazil and other Global South countries, initiated the creation of the Group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis. In May 2023, China put forward a 12-point proposal in a paper which comprehensively and systematically explains its basic position and propositions.</p>
<p>However, in the West, Beijing's peace initiatives are met with skepticism, with accusations that China is seeking to prolong the war for economic gain. The truth is that the primary beneficiary of the conflict has been the United States. Washington continues to reap dividends from the confrontation while maneuvering between Kyiv and Moscow to secure the most favorable conditions.</p>
<p>Over the past few years, instigated by the U.S., the EU has pushed its relations with Russia to the brink. Now, while disregarding European interests and even Ukraine's position, the U.S. has engaged in direct talks with Russia. Some European politicians are already advocating for measures to counterbalance U.S. influence – a move unlikely to sit well with the Trump administration. Tensions could escalate further if the U.S. President Donald Trump fails to secure his desired outcomes from Europe.</p>
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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-25/Xi-Putin-phone-talks-restate-the-importance-of-global-peace-1BhNezRbb9e/img/073f87469d5345b7821c99143cea204a/073f87469d5345b7821c99143cea204a.png" alt="Delegations from Russia and the U.S. meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025. /AP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Delegations from Russia and the U.S. meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025. /AP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Delegations from Russia and the U.S. meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 18, 2025. /AP</p>
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<p>Unlike the U.S. and Europe, China has never intervened in the Ukrainian settlement process and has had no direct involvement in it. Beijing has not supplied weapons to either side, imposed sanctions, or sought to advance its geopolitical interests through the conflict; it maintains strategic neutrality, emphasizing diplomacy and economic initiatives.</p>
<p>China's platform is a blank slate on which a new peace initiative could begin – one free from the influence of external players, hidden agendas and political calculations. Beijing consistently advocates dialogue and compromise, proposing settlement approaches based on international law and principles that uphold state sovereignty and territorial integrity. In this context, China holds a unique advantage – its peace efforts are not accompanied by suspicions of self-interest or attempts to impose its own agenda.</p>
<p>Most importantly, China remains the one of only a few major powers that expects nothing from Ukraine – Beijing does not seek economic control over the country and does not use the conflict as a tool for global leverage. While the Western countries view Ukraine as a battleground for their strategic interests, China remains one of the few influential players whose initiatives can be perceived with trust and without concerns over hidden motives.</p>
<p>If the international community is genuinely interested in achieving lasting peace, it must not underestimate China's role. Beijing not only provides an alternative approach but also has the capacity to bring other Global South nations into the process, establishing the foundation for a truly multilateral negotiation framework – one in which the key participants are not opposing blocs, but countries committed to stability and the restoration of global balance.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
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title: China&amp;#039;s new agricultural code and the breed of new farmers
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="485636" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/China-s-new-agricultural-code-and-the-breed-of-new-farmers-1Bjj17QRSrC/video/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/China-s-new-agricultural-code-and-the-breed-of-new-farmers-1Bjj17QRSrC/video/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v.jpg" data-title="China's new agricultural code and the breed of new farmers" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/China-s-new-agricultural-code-and-the-breed-of-new-farmers-1Bjj17QRSrC/video/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="485636" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/China-s-new-agricultural-code-and-the-breed-of-new-farmers-1Bjj17QRSrC/video/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_A_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>29:08</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/China-s-new-agricultural-code-and-the-breed-of-new-farmers-1Bjj17QRSrC/video/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v/wu_1iku7tbr3g7513to63n1on1431a5v.jpg" alt></div>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's Note:</strong></em> As China unveils its "No.1 central document" for 2025, it outlines the priorities for further deepening rural reforms and taking solid steps in advancing all-around rural revitalization, guaranteeing grain security, preventing the re-emergence of extreme poverty and promoting smart agriculture. How is China faring on these questions? What new trends have emerged? In this edition of The Hub, Wang Guan talks to Zhao Bing, representative &amp; country director of the World Food Program China Office, to discuss China's market-based approach to agriculture and how China's experience is being replicated in developing countries. The team also goes to the countryside to talk to China's new breed of farmers who focus on organic food, direct marketing, smart agriculture and new technology, in line with China's concept of "ecological civilization."</p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-26/China-s-new-agricultural-code-and-the-breed-of-new-farmers-1Bjj17QRSrC/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: How can China&amp;#039;s 2025 agenda overcome Western doubts?
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content:
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="485838" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-can-China-s-2025-agenda-overcome-Western-doubts--1BkzPUYDflC/video/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-can-China-s-2025-agenda-overcome-Western-doubts--1BkzPUYDflC/video/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g.jpg" data-title="How can China's 2025 agenda overcome Western doubts?" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-can-China-s-2025-agenda-overcome-Western-doubts--1BkzPUYDflC/video/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-newsid="485838" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-can-China-s-2025-agenda-overcome-Western-doubts--1BkzPUYDflC/video/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g.jpg" data-is4k="false" data-sanitized-id="c_videoGENERAL_NEWS_checkvideo0Play-myOverlay" data-sanitized-class="click-to-play-overlay J_player_container_main">


<p>36:29</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-can-China-s-2025-agenda-overcome-Western-doubts--1BkzPUYDflC/video/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g/wu_1il2v8t7in2j1e61psn14e1713g.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>China's annual Two Sessions provide a window into the country's policy direction, governance model, and long-term vision. As the world anticipates this year's agendas, discussions are already heating up on key issues: China's economic trajectory, its governance system, and its leadership in global green development. While China prepares to outline its future course, Western narratives continue to distort the reality – claiming that China's economy is faltering, dismissing its governance model as rigid and undemocratic, and even accusing its green transition of "overcapacity." But what is the truth? How does China's approach compare to the West's, and what does it mean for the Global South?</p>
<p>Tune in to this special episode of Global South Voices as host Mushahid Hussain Sayed, co-chair of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, explores these pressing issues with experts from around the world. This edition also features a special address by K. P. Sharma Oli, prime minister of Nepal, sharing his insights on these crucial topics.</p>
<p>Guests in this edition of Global South Voices are Fred M'memb, president of the Socialist Party Zambia; Jose Ricardo, professor at the University of Sao Paulo; Arnaud Bertrand, entrepreneur &amp; sinologist and Mohammed Saqib, convener of the Center of Geoeconomics for the Global South (COGGS).</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
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title: What the West can learn from Xinjiang: A story beyond the narrative
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content:
<div><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/What-the-West-can-learn-from-Xinjiang-A-story-beyond-the-narrative-1BmeP0AFEoo/img/65669abbb984428eaba2c42f601c5ebf/65669abbb984428eaba2c42f601c5ebf-1280.jpeg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><div readability="145">
<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Ali Al-Assam, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is founder and chairman of the Mushtarek Project and co-editor of the Friends of Socialist China. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Industry, UK. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>For years, Xinjiang has been at the center of a global political storm. Western media and governments have painted a picture of oppression, forced labor, and cultural erasure, often without verifiable evidence. The United States, UK, Canada, and the European Union have imposed sanctions, banned imports, and accused China of human rights violations, including claims as severe as genocide. Yet, few in the West have sought to understand Xinjiang beyond these allegations.</p>
<p>The reality on the ground is strikingly different. Those who have visited Xinjiang describe not a dystopian landscape of repression but a region of remarkable development, technological advancement, and cultural vibrancy. Xinjiang is not just a geopolitical talking point – it is a living, breathing example of how economic progress, technological innovation, and cultural diversity can coexist in a modern society. What lessons, then, can the West learn from Xinjiang's successes?</p>
<p><strong>A personal perspective</strong></p>
<p>I traveled to Xinjiang in June 2024 and learned to love it and its people for two profound reasons. First, as part of socialist China, where so much has been achieved for the people over the last few decades, Xinjiang stands as a testament to development and progress.  </p>
<p>Second, Xinjiang is a region deeply connected to my own heritage. Visiting cities such as Kashgar, Urumqi, and Turpan, and stepping into their historical mosques, I felt a deep sense of familiarity, as if I were back in Baghdad, where I was born, or Damascus, Beirut and Cairo, where I spent a good portion of my life. The cultural coexistence and harmony in Xinjiang have existed for thousands of years, and the Communist Party of China has only strengthened this diversity.</p>
<p><strong>A powerhouse of technological innovation</strong></p>
<p>Xinjiang has emerged as a leader in clean energy, robotics, transport, and manufacturing. The region is home to some of the largest solar and wind farms in the world, making it a cornerstone of China's transition to renewable energy.  </p>
<p>Xinjiang has installed over 20 GW of wind energy capacity and is rapidly expanding its solar power infrastructure, including the world's largest 5 GW solar farm near Urumqi. High-tech industries, from big data and cloud computing to robotics and AI-driven agriculture, are flourishing.  </p>
<p>Xinjiang is also a leader in smart farming, with over 90 percent of its agriculture mechanized, integrating automated irrigation, drone technology, and AI-powered crop management.</p>
<p>These advancements challenge the Western narrative of forced labor and economic backwardness. If Xinjiang's fields are filled with automated harvesting machines and drones, where, then, is the evidence of the so-called "slave labor" that Western critics frequently cite? Rather than engaging in ideological battles, the West should focus on what it can learn from Xinjiang's advances in technological integration and sustainable agriculture.</p>
<p><strong>Cultural harmony, not cultural suppression</strong></p>
<p>Xinjiang is home to 13 officially recognized ethnic groups, including Uygurs, Kazakhs, Hui, and Tajiks, who have lived together for centuries. The Chinese government has invested in preserving and promoting this cultural diversity. The translation of the Quran into Mandarin, Uygur-language newspapers, and the protection of mosques and religious practices counter the simplistic Western narrative of religious repression.</p>
<p>In a world where cultural diversity often becomes a source of division, Xinjiang offers a different model – one of integration rather than assimilation. The government has implemented policies that seek to unify people under a common national identity while celebrating their cultural distinctions. Western nations, many of which are struggling with racial tensions and social fragmentation, could benefit from studying how scientific Marxism and economic development have been used in Xinjiang as tools for social cohesion.</p>
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<p><strong>A global trade hub in the making</strong></p>
<p>Xinjiang's strategic importance extends far beyond China's borders. The region is a key node in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), serving as a gateway between China and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Cities like Kashgar and Urumqi are rapidly transforming into trade and logistics hubs, connecting markets and facilitating economic growth along the ancient Silk Road routes. In November 2023, the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone was officially launched, a strategically significant move in further promoting trade between this northwestern frontier region and the rest of the world.</p>
<p>Rather than viewing the BRI as a threat, Western economies should see it as an opportunity. The integration of Xinjiang into global trade networks presents possibilities for cooperation rather than confrontation. With infrastructure projects stretching across continents, the BRI has the potential to reshape global trade, and ignoring this reality only isolates the West from new economic opportunities.</p>
<p><strong>Reframing the narrative</strong></p>
<p>If Western governments and media are truly invested in human rights, development, and global progress, then their engagement with Xinjiang should not be rooted in hostility but in curiosity. Instead of fueling a new Cold War, why not explore the possibility of collaboration? What policies could the UK, the U.S., and Europe adopt from Xinjiang's advancements in green energy, transport, and industrial automation? How could they learn from China's approach to managing ethnic diversity in a way that fosters national unity?</p>
<p>The current narrative places China perpetually on the defensive, forcing it to counter allegations rather than highlight its achievements. But the real question should be directed at the accusers: Why is the West so invested in demonizing China rather than learning from its successes? Why is there such resistance to acknowledging that Xinjiang is an emerging hub of progress rather than a dystopian outpost?</p>
<p>It is time for a shift in perspective. Xinjiang is not a problem to be solved but an example to be studied. Its advancements in clean energy, infrastructure, and social cohesion offer valuable lessons for a world in desperate need of sustainable solutions.</p>
<p>The choice is simple: Continue engaging in ideological battles or embrace the opportunity to understand, collaborate, and grow together. Which path will the West take?</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/What-the-West-can-learn-from-Xinjiang-A-story-beyond-the-narrative-1BmeP0AFEoo/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: George Galloway: The West&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;Xinjiang card&amp;#039; can only fool fools
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<div data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-ratio="1920:1080" data-news-id="486194" data-video="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/George-Galloway-The-West-s-Xinjiang-card-can-only-fool-fools-1BmqKCZ2Vk4/video/wu_1il5p0fj5ou3rra1erievc1dd6a/wu_1il5p0fj5ou3rra1erievc1dd6a.m3u8" data-is360="false" data-is4k="false" data-poster="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/George-Galloway-The-West-s-Xinjiang-card-can-only-fool-fools-1BmqKCZ2Vk4/video/wu_1il5p0fj5ou3rra1erievc1dd6a/wu_1il5p0fj5ou3rra1erievc1dd6a.jpg" data-title="George Galloway: The West's 'Xinjiang card' can only fool fools" data-origin="web_list" data-sanitized-class="cg-player-container J_player_container">
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<p>02:35</p>
<img src="https://video.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/George-Galloway-The-West-s-Xinjiang-card-can-only-fool-fools-1BmqKCZ2Vk4/video/wu_1il5p0fj5ou3rra1erievc1dd6a/wu_1il5p0fj5ou3rra1erievc1dd6a.jpg" alt></div>
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<p>In the UK film 2073, Xinjiang is once again subjected to baseless slander. As former British MP George Galloway points out, "The West doesn't much like the Chinese and doesn't much like Muslims. But they love Chinese Muslims." But will people be fooled by the West's "Xinjiang card" again? Galloway believes not, because "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." As for the lies themselves, they are "just fish and chip wrapping paper."</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/George-Galloway-The-West-s-Xinjiang-card-can-only-fool-fools-1BmqKCZ2Vk4/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Tariffs reign, prices rise and trade sinks
hash: f?�Y��x�: $��
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Tariffs-reign-prices-rise-and-trade-sinks-1Bm75XodKcE/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Tariffs-reign-prices-rise-and-trade-sinks-1Bm75XodKcE/img/9d9f96b7d0cc4c4cb12895e8bf303864/9d9f96b7d0cc4c4cb12895e8bf303864.png" alt="The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, January 6, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, January 6, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, January 6, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>A construction worker wearing a gray safety vest walks gingerly across the rooftop of a housing development in California. While the scars left by the deadly fires several weeks ago have yet to heal, housing costs in the U.S. may go through the roof even more, thanks to the recently announced tariff hikes.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">Make America great?</p>
<p>The Trump administration on Thursday announced that starting March 4, the U.S. would impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China. If this slew of tariffs kicks in, many major construction materials will cost more, such as lumber (about 30 percent imported from Canada), lime and gypsum (about 70 percent from Mexico) and steel and aluminum (over 5 percent from China).</p>
<p>A study by the U.S. International Trade Commission also shows that each percentage point increase in tariffs would result in a 2-percentage point decrease in the quantity and value of imported goods subject to the tariffs. When imports shrink while demands at home remain high, prices go up.</p>
<p>How do sellers typically offset the impact? Raise the price and pass the cost onto consumers. From clearing goods at customs to sending them to final retailers, each player in the supply chain may mark up prices slightly to roll with the punches. Before long, the additional costs incurred by the tariffs will inevitably "trickle down" onto ordinary American consumers.</p>
<p>Like a seesaw game, tariffs push up prices and pull down earnings. Studies from various organizations show that tariffs would reduce after-tax incomes across all taxpayer groups, with the hardest impact falling disproportionately on lower-income households. In the end, those at the bottom will suffer a lot more than the top 1 percent.</p>
<p>That is not making America great again.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">The writing on the wall</p>
<p>According to the U.S. think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics, if the U.S. moves forward with the tariff threats, the total import taxes on goods from China, Mexico and Canada will amount to an annual tax increase of over $1,200 per household – the largest U.S. tax rise in this century.</p>
<p>Worse still, inflation may creep up. A recent University of Michigan consumer survey revealed that Americans' inflation expectations for 2025 have already climbed to 4.3 percent, the highest level since November 2023. For Americans already struggling with persistent inflation, this is the last thing they need.</p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/Tariffs-reign-prices-rise-and-trade-sinks-1Bm75XodKcE/img/bf5a5ac4712547d680cdc2997d7fd96e/bf5a5ac4712547d680cdc2997d7fd96e.png" alt="Customers at a supermarket in Foster City, California, the United States, May 15, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Customers at a supermarket in Foster City, California, the United States, May 15, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Customers at a supermarket in Foster City, California, the United States, May 15, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>While American families may not go to the grocery store to get steel and aluminum, they are bound to be directly hit by another tariff policy of Washington: the end of the de minimis exemption for Chinese goods. This measure hits American shoppers with unexpected duty bills on their small-value direct-from-China orders from Temu, Shein and other popular retailers. And who relies most on these platforms? The bottom 10 percent of income earners.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">Back to fundamentals</p>
<p>If the U.S. truly seeks to protect and grow its own manufacturing industries, the answer is not to keep competitive foreign products outside its borders with tariffs. Every country has its strengths in the global economy. America excels in cutting-edge technologies and world-class services, claiming the largest share of profits across global supply chains. China is competitive in labor supply and land, enabling its manufacturers to produce cost-effective goods.</p>
<p>The right approach is to keep doors open, work together and leverage mutual strengths – especially in times of economic headwinds. If, as some claim, imports from China widen the trade deficit, why not encourage Chinese investment to boost manufacturing in the U.S.? Chinese solar panels, windmills and green equipment are energy-efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels, which will put the U.S. on a greener course.</p>
<p>If the U.S. overuses tariffs and shuts out other foreign businesses under the guise of national security, it risks retaliatory tariffs from other countries and a more fragmented global economy. Does it ring a bell? That's how tariff hikes and protectionism reigned after the Great Depression, which ended up choking global trade and worsened economic hardships. The rest is history. Repeating past follies should never be an option.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: How the Russia-Ukraine conflict is changing the world
hash: �/O��W,w MW�n �
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-the-Russia-Ukraine-conflict-is-changing-the-world-1Bmpi2rhLdS/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="7.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-the-Russia-Ukraine-conflict-is-changing-the-world-1Bmpi2rhLdS/img/a665d6746a69475d9fa0579fc6aa259e/a665d6746a69475d9fa0579fc6aa259e.png" alt="A view of the destruction after a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 26, 2025. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="12.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>A view of the destruction after a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 26, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">A view of the destruction after a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 26, 2025. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Jian Junbo, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University, Shanghai. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>Looking back over the past three years, the Russia-Ukraine conflict – which may be resolved with the United States and Europe engaged in talks – has not only had a lasting impact on European security but has also changed security dynamics in various regions around the world.</p>
<p>It has exacerbated energy and food crises in regions like Europe and Asia, disrupted the development of the manufacturing sector in Europe, and fueled the rise of global protectionism. It has also sparked the emergence of stronger populist forces, heightened geopolitical competition among major powers and revived Cold War-era mentalities.</p>
<p>In short, the conflict has strongly shaken the international order that was collectively built by countries after World War II, particularly after the end of the Cold War. As a result, international relations have become more chaotic. However, from a long-term macro perspective, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to a redistribution of global power. The relations among major powers are undergoing profound changes, and the Global South is becoming more united than ever before. This shift could potentially serve as a catalyst for the creation of a new international order.</p>
<p><strong>Profound changes in the international security landscape</strong></p>
<p>Russia launched its "special military operation" against Ukraine primarily in response to the security threat posed by NATO's eastward expansion, and it was regarded as the greatest regional security challenge for Europe since the end of the Cold War. Following the outbreak of the conflict, the interactions and escalating bilateral tensions between Russia and Europe set the security situation in the Eurasian region on a downward spiral.</p>
<p>Since the conflict began, Europe has consistently provided Ukraine with military and financial assistance. Formerly neutral countries like Sweden and Finland joined NATO, and defense capabilities across Europe were significantly strengthened. This includes the establishment of a special off-budget defense fund in Germany, as well as large increases in military spending and weapons upgrades in countries such as Poland and the Baltic states. As a result, trust in security between Russia and Europe has completely evaporated and the perceived security threat from each other has only grown.</p>
<p>The conflict has also influenced the security dynamics in other regions. South Korea and Japan, close security allies of the United States, have not only joined the Western alliance in supporting Ukraine against Russia but are also rethinking and adjusting their own defense strategies and capabilities. This includes growing discussions and interest in nuclear deterrence, as both countries are increasingly open to expanding their nuclear defense options. In addition, the war has led to changes in the security landscape in the Asia-Pacific region, with the Philippines strengthening its security relations with the United States.</p>
<p>But due to their support for Ukraine, both the U.S. and Europe have seen their ability to fully implement their "Indo-Pacific strategies" weakened, which has, to some extent, helped stabilize the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region.</p>
<p>Now, with U.S. President Donald Trump returning to the White House, there has been a rapid reversal of the Biden administration's policies towards Russia, leading to sharp shifts in the security landscape in Europe. If the U.S. were to cease its military support for Ukraine, Europe would face a difficult choice between continuing to support Ukraine or stopping its aid. Regardless of the choice, Europe would be confronted with even greater security pressures.</p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-the-Russia-Ukraine-conflict-is-changing-the-world-1Bmpi2rhLdS/img/a03d43802cec43faab00868db4484ac2/a03d43802cec43faab00868db4484ac2.jpeg" alt="The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the U.S., February 26, 2024. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the U.S., February 26, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the U.S., February 26, 2024. /CFP</p>
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<p><strong>The impact on the global economy</strong></p>
<p>The economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is global in nature, with Europe being the most severely affected. Following the outbreak of the conflict, Europe voluntarily reduced and cut off its energy imports from Russia, exacerbating the already dire energy crisis on the continent. This has dealt a heavy blow to Europe's economy which relies heavily on its manufacturing sector.</p>
<p>The region is now grappling with persistent inflation, labor shortages, reduced consumer spending, high debt and disruption in exports to some key markets. Overall, Europe's economic growth has been weak.</p>
<p>The energy shortage has also made Europe's push for green energy development less urgent as several European countries have slowed down their efforts toward carbon neutrality, with some even opposing more ambitious green development goals, such as the 2035 target to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Europe has been forced to place greater emphasis on the development and application of low-carbon technologies, products and renewable energy to meet future energy demands.</p>
<p>The Russia-Ukraine conflict has also reshaped the global distribution of fossil fuel markets. As a result of European sanctions, Russia's oil and natural gas exports to Europe have largely shifted to Asia, with China and India emerging as the main consumers of Russian energy. Meanwhile, U.S. liquefied natural gas exports to Europe have surged, and countries with abundant oil and gas resources, such as Norway and those in North Africa, have also increased their exports to Europe.</p>
<p>The differing positions of China and Western countries regarding the conflict have prompted the U.S. and Europe to shift their strategies toward China, moving from the initial "decoupling" approach to a policy of "de-risking" in recent years. The U.S. government has introduced measures such as "offshore balancing" and "friend-shoring," which encourage external investments to relocate away from China.</p>
<p>Similarly, Europe has been pushing for a detachment from Chinese industrial supply chains, especially in critical and sensitive sectors such as key raw materials, supposedly to protect European economic security. This shift has led to international capital flowing into emerging economies, with countries like Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, and India seizing new opportunities for investment and trade. However, despite these shifts, the restructuring of global supply chains has not yet reached a dramatic scale.</p>
<p>It's clear that the restructuring of global supply chains under the "de-risking" strategy of the West is reshaping economic interactions between major powers. While globalization 1.0 has been dampened, the formation of new, more exclusive regional free trade agreements is on the rise. The connections between major powers, particularly China and the West, are being re-established through third-party nations acting as intermediaries, leading to the emergence of a new form of "proxy globalization."</p>
<p><strong>The reshaping of international political relations</strong></p>
<p>The Russia-Ukraine conflict has triggered new changes in the relations between major powers. Among these, the relationship between Russia and Europe has been impacted most directly. Europe views Russia's "special military operation" as an act of aggression against Ukraine, a violation of both the UN Charter and its fundamental principles, and the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.</p>
<p>In response, Europe has imposed 16 rounds of sanctions on Russia, severing long-standing ties in various fields, seizing Russian assets in Europe and joining the U.S. in providing Ukraine with military and financial assistance worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Europe has also consistently supported Ukraine in multilateral international forums, while condemning Russia's actions.</p>
<p>China has maintained an objective and rational stance toward the conflict, to the strong dissatisfaction of the U.S., Europe and other Western countries. Some have repeatedly condemned China for its position and the EU has even included certain Chinese companies and individuals in the scope of sanctions against Russia.</p>
<p>The conflict has prompted the EU to adopt a "de-risking" policy in its economic and trade relations with China, which has severely damaged both the economic ties and the broader relations between China and the EU.</p>
<p>Shortly after the outbreak of the conflict, the U.S. and Europe deepened their bilateral cooperation in both security and economic areas, resulting in a stronger transatlantic relationship. Both implemented similar sanctions against Russia and provided aid to Ukraine, while also enhancing coordination in foreign policies on China, including the establishment of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council. This body aims to strengthen cooperation in supply chain security and prevent technological leakage.</p>
<p>However, Trump's second presidential term threatens to fundamentally alter or even dismantle the transatlantic relationship. The Trump administration's approach, which excludes Europe from peace efforts and seeks to end the conflict through what Europe views as "appeasement" of Russia and pressure on Ukraine, would present the most serious challenge to transatlantic relations since the conflict began.</p>
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<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-28/How-the-Russia-Ukraine-conflict-is-changing-the-world-1Bmpi2rhLdS/img/883ba8e3af294bdbb80322cb2cc6298e/883ba8e3af294bdbb80322cb2cc6298e.png" alt="Flags of the European Union fly outside the Berlaymont Building, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, January 29, 2025. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Flags of the European Union fly outside the Berlaymont Building, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, January 29, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Flags of the European Union fly outside the Berlaymont Building, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, January 29, 2025. /Xinhua</p>
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<p>Particularly noteworthy is the apparent rise of the Global South. From the outset of the conflict, many countries in the non-Western world displayed positions that diverged from those of the West, catching the West off guard and highlighting that the Global South is not a mere follower of Western interests, but is emerging as a new political force on the international stage. Some countries in the Global South have made independent efforts to address the conflict, proposing constructive peace plans and actively mediating.</p>
<p>Thus, it is clear that the conflict has disrupted the inherent balance of international relations. As the relationships between major powers are restructured, the trend toward multipolarity has become more pronounced. This shift will create new opportunities for shaping a new international order.</p>
<p><strong>The evolution of global shared ideologies</strong></p>
<p>The Russia-Ukraine conflict has, to a large extent, reshaped the mainstream ideologies of the post-Cold War era. Geopolitical concepts that were once considered outdated or controversial have been revived in Europe and many other countries. Meanwhile, the ideals of economic globalization and liberal competition have been further undermined by a broad range of economic security measures and protectionist policies that the West has adopted in response to the conflict.</p>
<p>As a result, populism has spread across the world, especially in Western countries. The conflict has also challenged traditional centrist and establishment forces in Western countries, while simultaneously bolstering the far-right and conservative movements. The 2024 European Parliament election, the 2024 French National Assembly election and the 2025 German federal election reflect the far-right's rise across Europe, which will significantly shape the political landscape of the continent in the coming years.</p>
<p>The Biden administration categorized countries as either "authoritarian" or "democratic," a move that led to the resurgence of Cold War-era thinking globally. However, those who oppose this categorization, particularly China, have helped temper the spread of this outdated worldview. Despite this, it's undeniable that Cold War thinking continues to be promoted in the West, albeit no longer in the strict binary terms of the "authoritarian-democratic" divide. Instead, it's being advanced through ideas like "geopolitical rivalry" and "systemic adversaries."</p>
<p>The rapprochement between Trump and Russia, along with associated policies, has widened the gap between the U.S. and Europe in terms of values and worldview. For example, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance's criticism at the Munich Security Conference of Europe's "drifting away from freedom and democracy," coupled with the rise of populism within the West, has contributed to a degree of ideological confusion within Western countries.</p>
<p>As a result, the the ideological foundations that prevailed in the post-World War II era, particularly after the Cold War, have weakened. The sense of trust that once underpinned economic cooperation and political dialogue based on principles of sovereignty, openness and liberalism is increasingly overshadowed by growing mistrust. Sadly, the conflict has not given birth to a new philosophical or ideological paradigm that could inspire a more harmonious and constructive international order.</p>
<p>Looking to the future, the international community in the post-Russia-Ukraine conflict era should return to the tradition of emphasizing sovereignty that was established after World War II, as well as to the liberal ideals of the post-Cold War era, rather than revert to the imperialistic mindset of the 19th century.</p>
<p>It is only by continuing to adhere to the principle of non-violence in resolving issues, while maintaining broad openness and cooperation to solve global crises, that the international community can reconstruct a better, more harmonious global order after weathering the current period of intense conflict and upheaval.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions</em></a><em> on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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title: Private economy in China: Driving stability and enhancing prosperity
hash: �6<Q���ev�J��A
guid:
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content:
<div><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/Private-economy-in-China-Driving-stability-and-enhancing-prosperity-1BplAYO8m4g/img/626d08167f0b45a0a12c6c97f6c4de0c/626d08167f0b45a0a12c6c97f6c4de0c-1280.jpeg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><div readability="132">
<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> As the annual Two Sessions commences, CGTN’s Visionary Voices launches the "Global Think Tanks Unpack China Agenda 2025" series. Authored by experts from think tanks worldwide, these articles offer cutting-edge analysis of China's advancements in fields spanning economy, technology, rural revitalization and cultural innovation. Each piece demystifies China's growth trajectory while illuminating its global significance. The second article explores how to inject new impetus into society and safeguard people's well-being through the private economy. Paul Frimpong, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is founder and executive director of the Africa-China Centre for Policy &amp; Advisory (ACCPA). The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>China's private economy has emerged as a cornerstone of the nation's remarkable economic ascent over the past four decades, following the economic reforms and opening up that began in the 1970s. It has been the citadel driving innovation and spearheading economic growth.</p>
<p>China's private sector is already accounting for over 60 percent of GDP, 70 percent of technological innovation, and more potently, employing over 80 percent of the workforce across the country's urban landscape.</p>
<p>Focusing on continuing improvement in the business environment, promoting emerging consumption trends, and fostering an upward adjustment in employment opportunities, this insight explores how these strategies could propel China to strengthen its private economy.</p>
<p><strong>Strategic role of the private economy in China</strong></p>
<p>The strategic importance of the private economy goes well beyond its economic contributions and permeates areas such as technological innovations, becoming a pivotal part of China's social stability. It is a correlated fact that China's recent economic success and global standings owe their positions to the pivotal role played by the private economy.</p>
<p>In addition to the large percent of the country's GDP and employment, private enterprises contribute substantially to taxation revenue, contributing over 50 percent of it and bolstering the national fiscal base, which is critical for sustaining public goods and services.</p>
<p>China's private economy has also been at the forefront of the industrialization and modernization drive that has transcended multiple sectors such as manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy, representing over 70 percent of technological innovations in the country.</p>
<p>The Chinese government has been smart by enacting and promoting policies that ensure fair competition and a level playing field for private businesses. The level of commitment in ensuring transparency and ease of doing business has been a major game changer for the private economy to thrive.</p>
<p>For example, China unveiled new rules for fair competition reviews last June, which have ensured equitable market access for private businesses, removing favoritism. This certainly allows private businesses to compete with state-owned enterprises on a level playing field.</p>
<p>The level of transparency has been very impressive in recent years as China seeks to avoid bureaucratic hurdles. For instance, the Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access, is a guide that outlines which sectors of the economy foreign and private investment are restricted from. In doing so, it sets a clear expectation and avoids uncertainties that are common in other jurisdictions.</p>
<p><strong>Expanding market opportunities through new consumption</strong></p>
<p>There is a huge potential for China to create and expand market opportunities through new consumption approaches, especially in areas such as e-commerce and live-streaming sales, which are gaining popularity among the youth, as well as in digital services. The rapid expansion in China's digital economy presents an opportunity to drive new consumption growth, engineer innovations, and drive connectivity between the rural and urban markets.</p>
<p>The government's investment in critical IT infrastructures such as 5G networks and financial and technical innovations has facilitated the rapid development of the e-commerce ecosystem both in China and globally, thereby opening up opportunities for cross-border trade.</p>
<p>With the continuous rise of China's middle class, domestic consumption has also surged, presenting limitless opportunities for private-sector businesses. Premium services, quality products, and world-class experiences have been key determinants of what private businesses can and cannot do in China.</p>
<p>China's rural revitalization strategy has been remarkably successful in modernizing and developing rural industries, leveraging technological innovation, and expanding services such as e-commerce into rural markets. The private sector has played a monumental role in achieving this success.</p>
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<p><strong>Strengthening employment and protecting livelihoods</strong></p>
<p>Through the innovations of private sectors as key job creators and enhancement of workforce skills and entrepreneurship, China can create sustainable employment opportunities and protect livelihoods. A successful example of this can be drawn from the role firms such as Alibaba and Huawei have played and continue to play in generating millions of direct and indirect jobs.</p>
<p>Under workforce skills enhancement, China's launch of programs such as the National Vocational Education Reform Plan and the Digital China Strategy has ensured that Chinese workers, whether in rural or urban areas, remain competitive through technical and digital literacies. In 2023 alone, China offered subsidized training for 18 million people in areas such as advanced manufacturing and digital competencies.</p>
<p>While it's essential to ensure that there's availability of jobs and career opportunities, it is equally imperative for China to ascertain the sustainability of the same. This is why for all intents and purposes, the government prioritized introducing social security measures covering private sector employees. This is a novel achievement that has a role to play in ensuring stability and protecting livelihoods.</p>
<p><strong>Making it sustainable</strong></p>
<p>The Chinese government's effective partnership with the private sector has been central to the country's economic success through enhancing prosperity, employment, and overall livelihoods.</p>
<p>By driving GDP growth, creating jobs, and fostering innovation, private enterprises underpin the nation's economic resilience. By fostering a dynamic and inclusive private economy, China can sustain high-quality growth, improve living standards, and enhance global competitiveness.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
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link:
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title: From Havana to Beijing: A friendship that transcends time and distance
hash: ' O��Z�/� YJ
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/From-Havana-to-Beijing-A-friendship-that-transcends-time-and-distance-1BprzuXrXNu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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<div readability="6" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/From-Havana-to-Beijing-A-friendship-that-transcends-time-and-distance-1BprzuXrXNu/img/1adca945328c4aec9b890cb76e4a4ec6/1adca945328c4aec9b890cb76e4a4ec6.png" alt="File photo of national flags of China and Cuba. /CFP" layout="responsive"><div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>File photo of national flags of China and Cuba. /CFP</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">File photo of national flags of China and Cuba. /CFP</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note: </strong>Yi Fan is a current affairs commentator based in Beijing. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>"How much does it cost to fly from Havana to Beijing?" asked Tito, an 82-year-old retired Cuban pilot. This question wasn't just about travel expenses; rather, it was a reflection of the deep bond between China and Cuba. In 1961, 223 Cuban youths, including Tito, traveled to China to study aviation and aircraft maintenance. These young trainees returned to Cuba with exceptional skills and became the backbone of the Cuban Air Force, contributing immensely to their homeland's aerial missions.</p>
<p>Though more than half a century has passed since those early days, Tito's affection for China has never faded. His memories – captured in old photographs, training certificates and even the Chinese characters he wrote by hand – are cherished reminders of the time he spent in China, a period marked by hope, passion and mutual respect. Tito often shares his treasured mementos with Chinese visitors, proudly displaying his medals and notebook, while recounting his unforgettable experiences in China.</p>
<p>Tito's story is just one of many that reflect the deep, enduring friendship between China and Cuba. Even though the two countries are separated by thousands of miles, their bond is timeless, rooted in shared history and strengthened by years of cooperation. As 2025 marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, the connection between Havana and Beijing has only grown stronger, flourishing in countless ways that benefit both peoples.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">Strengthening people-to-people ties</p>
<p>The relationship between China and Cuba dates back over 170 years, with the arrival of the first Chinese laborers at Havana Port. Since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, exchanges between the two nations have grown increasingly frequent, as both governments have worked to foster deeper cultural understanding.</p>
<p>At the 42nd International Tourism Fair in Cuba in 2024, Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos Garcia announced an important new policy: Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports would no longer need a visa to visit Cuba.</p>
<p>That same month, the resumption of direct flights between China and Cuba was celebrated with a traditional water salute at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz was present to welcome the first Air China flight to Havana, emphasizing that this new air link and visa exemption symbolized the ever-growing friendship between their peoples. These developments reflect the aspirations of both countries to further deepen connections and enable citizens to easily engage with one another.</p>
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<div readability="8" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/From-Havana-to-Beijing-A-friendship-that-transcends-time-and-distance-1BprzuXrXNu/img/6d69e1ac8732416ca2b6739e22675cfa/6d69e1ac8732416ca2b6739e22675cfa.png" alt="Passengers of the first flight to resume air links between Cuba and China are pictured at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, May 17, 2024. /Xinhua" layout="responsive"><div readability="14" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>Passengers of the first flight to resume air links between Cuba and China are pictured at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, May 17, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="title">Passengers of the first flight to resume air links between Cuba and China are pictured at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, May 17, 2024. /Xinhua</p>
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<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">Flourishing trade relations</p>
<p>In recent years, China and Cuba have made remarkable strides in trade, driven by innovative partnerships and collaborative projects that have revitalized their economic ties. One notable example is the partnership between Chinese baiju (liquor) and Cuban cigars – two iconic products that are now united in a new business venture.</p>
<p>At the 24th International Habano Cigar Festival in Havana, Luzhou Laojiao, one of China's oldest and most respected liquor brands, teamed up with Habanos S.A., the world-renowned Cuban cigar company, by signing a strategic agreement aimed at expanding their markets. Baiju and Cuban cigars, as cultural symbols of their respective countries, complement each other perfectly, making this collaboration a natural fit. At the festival's Gala Evening, limited-edition bottles of Guojiao 1573 baiju and Cohiba cigars were auctioned off, with the proceeds supporting Cuba's public health system.</p>
<p>This partnership not only strengthens the business ties between China and Cuba but also demonstrates how trade can serve as a bridge, connecting the two nations and fostering mutual respect and understanding.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">Advancing scientific and technological cooperation</p>
<p>Both China and Cuba have made impressive advances in science and technology, with each country contributing unique expertise to collaborative projects. This dynamic partnership has resulted in a number of groundbreaking innovations.</p>
<p>One shining example is the biomass power plant, a 60-megawatt renewable energy project in Ciego de Avila, Cuba, co-built by China. This eco-friendly power plant uses sugarcane bagasse and marabou (a local plant) as fuel, turning agricultural waste into energy for local communities and factories.</p>
<p>The plant also feeds surplus electricity into Cuba's national grid, reducing the country's carbon footprint by approximately 120,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. This project highlights the incredible potential for China-Cuba cooperation to address global challenges while improving the lives of people in both nations.</p>
<p data-sanitized-class="paragraph-subtitle">A lasting friendship</p>
<p>In Chinese tradition, the Lantern Festival is a time of joy and reunion. On this special occasion, Tito and more than 10 retired Cuban pilots who had also studied in China, along with their families, were invited to the Chinese Embassy in Cuba. Happy to reunite with old friends, they celebrated the festival together and reminisced about their past experiences. They always remember China, and China never forgets them. Their enduring connection demonstrates how cultural understanding can bridge continents and proves that true friendship knows no bounds.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/From-Havana-to-Beijing-A-friendship-that-transcends-time-and-distance-1BprzuXrXNu/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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title: Will Europe pay the price for Trump&amp;#039;s spat with Zelenskyy?
hash: ǳ�ӷYG�<��� R
guid:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/Will-Europe-pay-the-price-for-Trump-s-spat-with-Zelenskyy--1BpFBuQOFnq/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

content:
<div readability="8.5" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/Will-Europe-pay-the-price-for-Trump-s-spat-with-Zelenskyy--1BpFBuQOFnq/img/b96caff2fd6c4223a58c243803bc40cd/b96caff2fd6c4223a58c243803bc40cd.png" alt="British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to No. 10 Downing Street, London, UK, March 1, 2025. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="15.5" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to No. 10 Downing Street, London, UK, March 1, 2025. /VCG</p>
<div readability="12" data-sanitized-class="wrapper-visible">
<p data-sanitized-class="title">British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to No. 10 Downing Street, London, UK, March 1, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<p><em><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Nikola Mikovic, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a freelance journalist in Serbia, covering mostly Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian foreign policy issues. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily those of CGTN.</em></p>
<p>On March 1, following a chaotic "debate" in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome at No. 10 Downing Street during his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In just 20 seconds, Zelenskyy thanked the UK three times. The two leaders later signed a £2.26 billion loan for the Ukrainian military.</p>
<p>"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal," former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said. Zelenskyy seems to have learned this the hard way.</p>
<p>Ever since the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, Zelenskyy has enjoyed widespread popularity in the West, including the United States. He was welcomed and firmly supported by virtually all Western leaders and his country received billions of dollars and euros to fight against Russia. But U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House in January 2025 seems to have changed Washington's approach toward Zelenskyy.</p>
<p>The Ukrainian leader's latest meeting with Trump and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House has clearly shown that Zelenskyy can no longer count on the Trump administration's full support. Their verbal clash in the Oval Office represented a humiliation for both Zelenskyy and Trump.</p>
<p>The Ukrainian president was repeatedly accused by American officials of "disrespecting" the United States. Indeed, no U.S. president is accustomed to arguing in front of cameras, especially in the symbolic setting of the White House. Trump, however, used the rhetoric his voters like to hear – portraying himself as a "peacemaker," insulting his predecessor Joe Biden, telling Zelenskyy to be "more thankful" for U.S. support and accusing him of "gambling with World War III."</p>
<p>Zelenskyy, by contrast, may be remembered as a leader who publicly resisted U.S. pressure in Washington – despite Ukraine's heavy reliance on American support. Due to the heated standoff with Trump and Vance, he was "kicked out" of the White House.</p>
<p>Zelenskyy would be unlikely to take such a hard stance toward Trump if he weren't firmly backed by Europe, as well as parts of the American establishment. Still, because of his quarrel with Trump and Vance, no minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv has been signed, which means that Ukraine, at least for the time being, will not have to give its natural resources to the United States.</p>
<p>Consequently, it remains unclear whether the U.S. will continue funding and arming Ukraine in the same way it has for the past three years. The Trump administration is reportedly considering ending all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine, while the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was instructed by the State Department to terminate initiatives set to help restore the former Soviet republic's energy grid.</p>
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<div readability="9" data-sanitized-class="cmsImage"><img src="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/Will-Europe-pay-the-price-for-Trump-s-spat-with-Zelenskyy--1BpFBuQOFnq/img/06d4c6430f4a41088329adc05a00b7b1/06d4c6430f4a41088329adc05a00b7b1.jpeg" alt="U.S. Vice President JD Vance (R) speaks during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 28, 2025. /VCG" layout="responsive"><div readability="17" data-sanitized-class="imageCaption">
<p>U.S. Vice President JD Vance (R) speaks during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 28, 2025. /VCG</p>
<div readability="13" data-sanitized-class="wrapper-visible">
<p data-sanitized-class="title">U.S. Vice President JD Vance (R) speaks during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 28, 2025. /VCG</p>
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<div readability="115.34110612855" data-sanitized-class="text en">
<p>But even if Washington completely halts its support for Kyiv, that does not necessarily mean that Ukraine will collapse. The European Union, unlike the U.S., has repeatedly signaled that it does not intend to abandon Kyiv.</p>
<p>Following the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump, most European leaders have openly sided with the Ukrainian President. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told him to "be strong, brave and fearless." Previously, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Ankara is "in favor of Ukraine being a member of NATO," which suggests that Kyiv can also count on NATO's second-largest military support.</p>
<p>More importantly, leaders from around Europe, as well as Türkiye, NATO and the EU, have been invited to the summit in London on March 2 "to drive forward European action on Ukraine." What they reportedly aim to secure is "a just and enduring peace, and a lasting deal, that ensures Ukraine's future sovereignty and security." Trump, on the other hand, is pushing Kyiv to de facto freeze the conflict and make concessions, which is what neither Ukraine nor Europe are willing to accept.</p>
<p>Therefore, the fundamental difference between Trump's and Europe's approach is that the EU seeks sustained support for Ukraine to bolster its negotiating position, while the Trump administration wants a ceasefire at any cost.</p>
<p>The problem, however, is that the EU, as well as other Kyiv backers, might not have the capacity to provide as much aid to Ukraine as it needs. That could be resolved in a way Trump would undoubtedly appreciate: Europe purchasing expensive American weapons and giving them to Ukraine.</p>
<p>In parallel, European countries are expected to strengthen their military-industrial complex, and possibly even form a new defense partnership, independent of the United States. They will likely find ways to increase their support for Ukraine at least until 2026, when the U.S. midterm election will take place, hoping that Trump's positions at home will significantly weaken as a result of the vote.</p>
<p>In the long term, as military force is likely to regain primacy over diplomacy, a larger war in Europe should not be ruled out. European leaders seem to have been aware of such a possibility a long time ago.</p>
<p>In March 2024, the European Commission proposed ways for the EU to boost its arms industry so it can shift to "war economy mode", while French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that a moment was being approached "in our Europe where it will be appropriate not to be a coward," pointing out that "the war has returned to our soil."</p>
<p>The Trump administration does not seem willing to be directly involved in such a conflict, although it will undoubtedly seek to benefit from it. </p>
<p>At this point, Washington's interest does not seem to be a direct military confrontation with the Russian Federation, but rather an outcome in which all actors – Russia, Ukraine and Europe – will come out weaker. But since Trump does not enjoy full support in American society, and parts of the U.S. elites as well as most of Washington's allies oppose his actions, he may get the short end of the stick in this game.</p>
<p><em>(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow </em><a href="https://twitter.com/thouse_opinions"><em>@thouse_opinions </em></a><em>on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)</em></p>
</div>

link:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-02/Will-Europe-pay-the-price-for-Trump-s-spat-with-Zelenskyy--1BpFBuQOFnq/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&amp;UTM_Medium=rss&amp;UTM_Campaign=Opinion

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guid: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/fundamental-nature-of-health
title: Fundamental nature of health
author: ;Denis Rancourt
link: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/fundamental-nature-of-health
hash: �f��������=#u��
content:
<p>A short presentation I gave to ICS4 delegates in Bucharest, Romania, on 17 November 2023… Video produced by Dr. Jeremie Mercier. We recorded this on the fly, in a closed door session, with permission from the organizers. </p><p>I captured essential elements of individual health. This is profound. Rarely spelled out.</p><div data-attrs='{"url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe","language":"en"}' data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM" data-sanitized-class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor"><div data-sanitized-class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div data-sanitized-class="preamble"><p data-sanitized-class="cta-caption">To support our independent research efforts, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. (Pharma won’t fund our work)</p></div><div data-sanitized-class="fake-input-wrapper"><div data-sanitized-class="fake-input"></div><div data-sanitized-class="fake-button"></div></div></div></div><div data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs='{"mediaUploadId":"12aa1dfc-1817-4f02-bd2f-d4e737634ddb","duration":null}' data-sanitized-class="native-video-embed"></div><p>With quality English or French subtitles <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VjZqsiidtg">on YouTube</a> (use “CC” settings).</p><p>Feedback on X was like:</p><blockquote><p>Very interesting insights. It's important that Denis and his collaborators stay on this problem of increased mortality with vaccine rollout. —@ReginaWatteel</p><p>Rancourt (a remarkable Canadian physicist) explains how stress and dominance hierarchies in human societies function. Also… looks at death rates in south, equatorial, northern hemisphere… Also… medical establishment’s role in dominance hierarchies. Surprises. 18 minutes —@MaxEntropyy</p><p>Fascinating insights including that the Medical Industrial Complex is a major mechanism of enforcing the Social Dominance Hierarchy. —Kristina Bruce (@ACMEAtomicAce)</p><p>Brilliant talk. Understanding that medical care is a massive factor in premature death is something that most people haven't wrapped their mind around. Also, higher mortality rates in winter not explained by normal factors. —Shawn Gallagher (@ChildbirthJoy)</p><p>Brilliant, succinct and clear as the light of the day. Please listen everyone. —@michael_rashmi</p></blockquote><p>My full actual public talk at ICS4: <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/videos.php?id=112&amp;name=2023_11_18_ics4_all_cause_mortality_woldwide_and_romania">LINKS</a></p><p>My press-conference statement at ICS4: <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/videos.php?id=113&amp;name=2023_11_20_ics4_press_confernce_statement_by_denis_rancourt">LINKS</a> </p><p>Dr. Robert Malone’s report about my main talk at ICS4: </p><div data-attrs='{"id":139105233,"url":"https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/not-14m-lives-saved-but-over-17m","publication_id":583200,"publication_name":"Who is Robert Malone","publication_logo_url":null,"title":"Not 14M Lives Saved, But Over 17M Dead from the mRNA COVID vax","truncated_body_text":"https://www.internationalcovidsummit.com/","date":"2023-11-23T17:13:55.674Z","like_count":650,"comment_count":113,"bylines":[{"id":49176289,"name":"Robert W Malone MD, MS","handle":"rwmalonemd","previous_name":null,"photo_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0eb501a5-9fd2-4174-9231-6d6a73139db9_400x400.jpeg","bio":"Inventor of mRNA &amp; DNA vaccines, RNA as a drug.\nScientist, physician, writer, podcaster, commentator and advocate.\nBeliever in our fundamental freedom of free speech.","profile_set_up_at":"2021-12-03T14:30:47.501Z","publicationUsers":[{"id":514739,"user_id":49176289,"publication_id":583200,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":false,"publication":{"id":583200,"name":"Who is Robert Malone","subdomain":"rwmalonemd","custom_domain":null,"custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"Medicine, science, bioethics, analytics, politics and life","logo_url":null,"author_id":49176289,"theme_var_background_pop":"#FF6B00","created_at":"2021-11-27T02:35:35.638Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":"Robert W Malone MD from \"Who is Robert Malone\"","copyright":"Robert W Malone, MD","founding_plan_name":"Supporting Member","community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false,"payments_state":"enabled","language":null,"explicit":false}}],"is_guest":false,"bestseller_tier":10000}],"utm_campaign":null,"belowTheFold":true,"type":"newsletter","language":"en"}' data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-wrap"><a native="true" href="https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/not-14m-lives-saved-but-over-17m?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post"><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-header"><span></span><span data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-publication-name">Who is Robert Malone</span></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-title">Not 14M Lives Saved, But Over 17M Dead from the mRNA COVID vax</div></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-body">https://www.internationalcovidsummit.com…</div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-meta">a year ago · 650 likes · 113 comments · Robert W Malone MD, MS</div></a></div><p></p>

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guid: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/fisman-et-als-psi-index-is-ill-defined
title: Fisman et al.’s Psi (Ψ) index is ill-defined and leads to absurd interpretations
author: ;Denis Rancourt
link: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/fisman-et-als-psi-index-is-ill-defined
hash: *5w��k:��4�
content:
<p>By Joseph Hickey and Denis G Rancourt</p><p>This report shows that modeling claims, based on a novel mathematical construction (Ψ), that unvaccinated people disproportionately contribute to the infection risk of vaccinated people are rigorously incorrect. It provides a mathematical proof that garbage science was published in the <em>Canadian Medical Association Journal</em>.</p><div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4692f220-1c4c-415b-8017-c27fb9dbce51_768x594.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4692f220-1c4c-415b-8017-c27fb9dbce51_768x594.webp" width="768" height="594" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4692f220-1c4c-415b-8017-c27fb9dbce51_768x594.webp","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":594,"width":768,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":39264,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/webp","href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" fetchpriority="high" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The report is published both by <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/fisman-et-al-psi-index-is-ill-defined-and-leads-to-absurd-interpretations/">CORRELATION</a>, and here: <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/3ACB55309DB4EF7D3518A4A5B2B65E#2">https://pubpeer.com/publications/3ACB55309DB4EF7D3518A4A5B2B65E#2</a> </p><p>The incorrect claims were made in the April 2022 article <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.212105">“Impact of population mixing between vaccinated and unvaccinated subpopulations on infectious disease dynamics: implications for SARS-CoV-2 transmission”</a> by Fisman et al.</p><p>Hickey and Rancourt’s previous criticisms of the Fisman et al. article were:</p><ul><li><p>2023-10-31: J. Hickey &amp; D.G. Rancourt, <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.21.22279035v5">“Viral respiratory epidemic modelling of societal segregation based on vaccination status”</a>, medRxiv preprint [See Appendix 3 of <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.21.22279035v1?versioned=true">Version 1</a> of the preprint, in particular]</p></li><li><p>2022-04-30: <a href="https://www.ivoox.com/dr-byram-bridle-amp-dr-denis-rancourt-audios-mp3_rf_86442202_1.html">Interview about Fisman et al. paper with Dr. Byram Bridle and Dr. Denis Rancourt</a>, Trish Wood is Critical Podcast</p></li><li><p>2022-04-29: D.G. Rancourt &amp; J. Hickey, <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/fisman-et-als-main-conclusion-does-not-follow-their-model">“Fisman et al.’s main conclusion does not follow from their model”</a>, e-Letter, CMAJ</p></li><li><p>2022-04-27: D.G. Rancourt &amp; J. Hickey, <a href="https://ocla.ca/ocla-statement-on-cmaj-fisman-et-al/">“OCLA Statement on CMAJ Fisman et al. Article Claiming Disproportionate Infection Risk from Unvaccinated Population, and on Negligent Media Reporting”</a></p><p></p></li></ul><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Here is the new report:</p><h1>Fisman et al.’s Psi (Ψ) index is ill-defined and leads to absurd interpretations</h1><p><em>By Hickey and Rancourt</em></p><p>Fisman et al. (2022) modeled an epidemic in a society with two interacting groups: vaccinated people and unvaccinated people.</p><p>Within their model setting, the authors sought to quantify “the contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people” (Fisman et al., 2022, at pg. E575).</p><p>To achieve this objective, the authors should have used the fraction (<em>B<sub>v</sub></em>) of all infections among vaccinated people that derived from contact with unvaccinated people.</p><p><em>B<sub>v</sub></em> is directly the risk of an infected vaccinated person having acquired their infection from an unvaccinated person. The said risk can then be evaluated as a function of the segregation of the two groups (η), vaccine efficacy (<em>VE</em>) or population fraction of vaccinated (<em>P<sub>v</sub></em>). In each case <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> has an immediate interpretation of interest to policy makers. This is done, for example, by Hickey and Rancourt (2022).</p><p>Furthermore, <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> is an outcome that directly can be used in calculations of other policy-relevant outcomes. For example, the fraction of the total population that is vaccinated and that became infected from unvaccinated persons, <em>F<sub>iu</sub></em>, is <em>F<sub>iu</sub></em> = <em>P<sub>v</sub>T<sub>v</sub>B<sub>v</sub></em>, where <em>T<sub>v</sub></em> is the fraction of the vaccinated population that became infected (the fraction of breakthrough infections on completion of the epidemic).</p><p>Instead of using <em>B<sub>v</sub></em>, the authors defined an index Ψ as “the fraction of all infections among vaccinated people that derived from contact with unvaccinated people [<em>B<sub>v</sub></em>], divided by the fraction of all contacts [involving vaccinated people] that occurred with unvaccinated people [<em>f<sub>vu</sub></em>]”.</p><p>Fisman et al. incorrectly interpreted their Ψ index, for example, as (Fisman et al., 2022, at pg. E575):</p><blockquote><p>“As like-with-like mixing increased (i.e., with reduced contact between vaccinated and unvaccinated subpopulations) … the contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people (as measured by Ψ) increased. The larger the value of Ψ, the more unvaccinated people contributed to infections in the vaccinated subpopulation.”</p></blockquote><p>This Ψ (=<em>B<sub>v</sub></em>/<em>f<sub>vu</sub></em>) was introduced <em>ad hoc</em> by Fisman et al., without any reference. To our knowledge, it has no prior use or justification in the epidemiological literature.</p><p>Contrary to Fisman et al.’s assertion, Ψ is not a measure of “the contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people” (which is <em>B<sub>v</sub></em>) because one divides by all contacts, irrespective of whether the said contacts are benign or infectious, and the ratio of benign/infectious changes significantly with the circumstances. This leads to Ψ exhibiting absurd results, in the circumstances of interest, as shown below.</p><p>Furthermore, the Fisman et al. statement that “The larger the value of Ψ, the more unvaccinated people contributed to infections in the vaccinated subpopulation” is mathematically incorrect. The opposite is generally true, as also shown below.</p><p>Figs. 1-3, below, show Ψ (left panels) and <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> (right panels) versus η, <em>P<sub>v</sub></em> and <em>VE</em>.</p><p>All graphs in Figs. 1-3 use the parameters considered by Fisman et al.: β = 437 (probability of transmission per contact multiplied by number of contacts per year), γ = 73 yr<sup>-1</sup>, <em>NI</em> = 0.2, and <em>P<sub>v</sub></em> = 0.8 if not otherwise indicated. Here, <em>NI</em> is the proportion of the unvaccinated population that has pre-existing natural immunity at the outset of the epidemic.</p><p>In Figs. 1a and 1b (which have expanded Y-scales compared to Figs. 1c and 1d), we note that <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> decreases monotonically with increasing η, whereas Ψ increases<strong> </strong>monotonically with increasing η (for <em>VE</em> &gt; <em>NI</em>). According to Fisman et al., this behaviour of Ψ would mean that “the contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people” increases with decreasing mixing (i.e., with increasing separation between vaccinated and unvaccinated), and is largest for complete segregation (η = 1), even though <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> itself decreases to zero at η = 1 (for all values of <em>VE,</em> up to 1, see Figs. 1c and 1d and the inset of Fig. 1c), which is impossible.</p><p>Fisman et al.’s ill-defined “risk” (Ψ) (“standardized” by an unknown number of infectious contacts) that monotonically goes to its largest value when the agent of risk is removed (η = 1) is an absurdity, of no apparent utility in the real world.</p><div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2223aadf-325c-4c3d-850e-1f6ec6d8ceca_975x810.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2223aadf-325c-4c3d-850e-1f6ec6d8ceca_975x810.png" width="975" height="810" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2223aadf-325c-4c3d-850e-1f6ec6d8ceca_975x810.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":810,"width":975,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":173165,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" loading="lazy" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Figure 1: Panels (a) and (c): Fisman et al.’s Ψ index vs the degree of segregation η, for different values of the vaccine efficacy </strong><em><strong>VE</strong></em><strong>. Panels (b) and (d): the fraction of all infections among vaccinated people that derived from contact with unvaccinated people, </strong><em><strong>B<sub>v</sub></strong></em><strong>, vs η, for different values of </strong><em><strong>VE</strong></em><strong>. Panels (a), (b), and (c) have expanded Y-axes, and the inset of panel (c) shows the full span of the Y-axis for the Ψ vs η curves.</strong></p><p>This meaningless result of largest “risk” (Ψ) when nothing happens, and increasingly so for increasing<em> VE</em> (when the vaccinated should be increasingly protected), is maintained and amplified for larger values of <em>VE</em>, as shown in Fig. 1c. Here, Fig. 1 illustrates the behaviours as η → 1 (using η = 0.999, 0.9999, …).</p><p>Furthermore, the curves with <em>VE</em> &gt; <em>NI</em> (<em>VE</em> = 0.4 through 0.99) in Fig. 1 prove that the Fisman et al. statement “The larger the value of Ψ, the more unvaccinated people contributed to infections in the vaccinated subpopulation” is unambiguously false. We see that the opposite is true: on increasing segregation η, where Ψ increases (left panels), <em>B<sub>v </sub></em>decreases (right panels). <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> is defined “as the share of infections among vaccinated people that were due to contacts with infectious unvaccinated people”, which is exactly the proportion that “unvaccinated people contributed to infections in the vaccinated subpopulation”.</p><p>Here (Fig. 1), as the vaccine is made perfectly effective (near-1 values of <em>VE</em>), “the contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people”, supposedly and incorrectly represented by Ψ, now diverges (Ψ diverges) to large values, orders of magnitude outside of any reasonable range compared to its values at the lower values of η (Fig. 1c).</p><p>On the contrary, for <em>VE</em> near 1, the actual risk <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> does not diverge as one approaches η = 1, and there is virtually no change in <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> versus segregation η, up to nearly complete segregation (Figs. 1b and 1d). It is difficult to reconcile the “disproportionate” risk from the unvaccinated (inferred from Ψ as interpreted by Fisman et al.: “their choices affect risk of viral infection among those who are vaccinated in a manner that is disproportionate to the portion of unvaccinated people in the population”) with <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> decreasing with increasing η (Fig. 1), while being virtually independent of η for large <em>VE</em> (Fig. 1). In plain terms: In the real world, separation from the cause of risk reduces the risk. In the real world, there is no risk to the vaccinated, “disproportionate” or other, from the unvaccinated when <em>VE</em> = 1.</p><p>Fig. 1 thus proves that the main stated inference of Fisman et al. based on their Ψ is false.</p><p>This should be sufficient to convince readers of the misguided approach of thus introducing Ψ, but there is more.</p><p>Fig. 2 shows Ψ and <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> versus <em>P<sub>v</sub></em>, for many values of η. Here, <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> monotonically decreases to zero as <em>P<sub>v</sub></em> is increased to 1, as expected, and has smaller and smaller values for larger and larger values of η.</p><p>In contrast, the “contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people”, supposedly and incorrectly represented by Ψ, monotonically increases as <em>P<sub>v</sub></em> is increased, and is systematically larger for larger values of η. This would mean that the “contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people” increases the more people are vaccinated, and the more the vaccinated are separated from the unvaccinated, up to the extreme values of total vaccination uptake (<em>P<sub>v</sub></em> = 1), and up to total segregation (η = 1), and both total vaccination uptake and total segregation (<em>P<sub>v</sub></em> = 1 and η = 1), which is absurd.</p><div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd66c4456-4924-441d-b7d4-928f2e946fae_975x400.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd66c4456-4924-441d-b7d4-928f2e946fae_975x400.png" width="975" height="400" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d66c4456-4924-441d-b7d4-928f2e946fae_975x400.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":400,"width":975,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":119086,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" loading="lazy" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Figure 2:</strong><em><strong> </strong></em><strong>(a) Ψ vs the population fraction of vaccinated people </strong><em><strong>P<sub>v</sub></strong></em><strong> for different values of the degree of segregation η. (b) </strong><em><strong>B<sub>v</sub></strong></em><strong> vs </strong><em><strong>P<sub>v</sub></strong></em><strong> for different values of η.</strong></p><p>We learn, for example (Fig. 2a), that the supposed “contribution of risk to vaccinated people caused by infection acquired from contact with unvaccinated people” (Ψ) is approximately “15” at total vaccine uptake (<em>P<sub>v</sub></em> = 1) and for virtually total segregation</p><p>(η → 1) when <em>VE</em> = 0.8, which would be a stunning result if it were not meaningless.</p><p>In all the Ψ-<em>B<sub>v</sub></em> pairs of curves shown in the two panels of Fig. 2, for each of the values of η shown, the larger the value of Ψ, the smaller the value of <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> (the less unvaccinated people contributed to infections in the vaccinated subpopulation); which again proves that the Fisman et al. statement “The larger the value of Ψ, the more unvaccinated people contributed to infections in the vaccinated subpopulation” is rigorously incorrect.</p><p>In every case, we demonstrate that the ad hoc parameter Ψ is not what Fisman et al. believe it to be.</p><p>Finally, Fig. 3 shows Ψ and <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> versus vaccine efficacy <em>VE</em>, for many values of segregation η. Here, <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> goes to 1 in the limit as <em>VE</em> approaches 1, trivially because all of the infections of vaccinated individuals must come from unvaccinated individuals as <em>VE</em> approaches 1. Nonetheless, <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> values are systematically smaller for larger and larger segregation η, as expected; and <em>B<sub>v</sub></em> is essentially independent of η when <em>VE</em> is near 1, as also shown above (Fig. 1).</p><p>The opposite is true of Ψ (Fig. 3a) and its interpretation made by Fisman et al.: the greater the segregation η, the more Ψ increases; to astronomical values, as one goes to the larger values of <em>VE</em>. This inversion (compared to the behaviour of <em>B<sub>v</sub></em>) would mean that the more one is separated, the greater the danger from being infected by the individuals one is separated from, and all the more so if <em>VE</em> is high. This is difficult to reconcile with reality because it is nonsense, arising from the ill-defined “standardization” used to construct Ψ. </p><div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffdcb9b8-a11c-4f0f-9e97-7a7871f6d083_975x401.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffdcb9b8-a11c-4f0f-9e97-7a7871f6d083_975x401.png" width="975" height="401" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ffdcb9b8-a11c-4f0f-9e97-7a7871f6d083_975x401.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":401,"width":975,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":91888,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" loading="lazy" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Figure 3: (a) Ψ vs the vaccine efficacy </strong><em><strong>VE</strong></em><strong>, for different values of the degree of segregation η. (b) </strong><em><strong>B<sub>v</sub></strong></em><strong> vs </strong><em><strong>VE</strong></em><strong> for different values of η.</strong></p><p>We hope that this novelty of the Ψ index introduced by Fisman et al. will not spread or persist in the epidemiological literature. It needs to be removed and isolated.</p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Fisman DN, Amoako A, Tuite AR (2022). Impact of population mixing between vaccinated and unvaccinated subpopulations on infectious disease dynamics: implications for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. <em>CMAJ</em> 2022;194:E573-80. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.212105">https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.212105</a>.</p><p>Hickey J, Rancourt DG (2022). Viral respiratory epidemic modelling of societal segregation based on vaccination status. medRxiv 2022.08.21.22279035; doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.21.22279035">https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.21.22279035</a>.</p><blockquote><p><em>Citation: Hickey, J. and Rancourt, D.G. “Fisman et al.’s Psi (Ψ) index is ill-defined and leads to absurd interpretations”. CORRELATION Research in the Public Interest, Brief Report, 30 November 2023. <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/fisman-et-al-psi-index-is-ill-defined">https://correlation-canada.org/fisman-et-al-psi-index-is-ill-defined</a></em></p><p>All CORRELATION reports are here: <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/research/">https://correlation-canada.org/research/</a></p><p>Please support independent research.</p><p>And check out my extensive website: <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/">https://denisrancourt.ca/</a> </p></blockquote>

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guid: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/must-watch-new-100-second-video-truth
title: Must watch new 100-second video truth bomb about vaccine deaths
author: ;Denis Rancourt
link: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/must-watch-new-100-second-video-truth
hash: k�چ8��~�+�R ��
content:
<div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7d5ad780-fbf3-4284-bd2d-2cbe2a598f2e_457x382.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7d5ad780-fbf3-4284-bd2d-2cbe2a598f2e_457x382.png" width="457" height="382" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7d5ad780-fbf3-4284-bd2d-2cbe2a598f2e_457x382.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":382,"width":457,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":204202,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" fetchpriority="high" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Give yourself 100 seconds. Here is the video:</p><div data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs='{"mediaUploadId":"70dd3091-5c9e-4cab-b390-5b6451f1d0a8","duration":null}' data-sanitized-class="native-video-embed"></div><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>The full <em>Bright Light News</em> interview is <a href="https://brightlightnews.com/staggering-17-million-deaths-after-covid-vaccine-rollout-drs-denis-rancourt-marine-baudin-jeremie-mercier/">HERE</a>. In it, we address the most common criticism related to “comorbidity”.</p><p>This is the scientific report: <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/covid-19-vaccine-associated-mortality-in-the-southern-hemisphere/">LINK</a>.</p><p>This is my ICS4 presentation: <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/videos.php?id=112&amp;name=2023_11_18_ics4_all_cause_mortality_woldwide_and_romania">LINK</a>. </p><p>More videos <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/page.php?id=12&amp;name=videos">HERE</a>.</p><p>More research reports <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/research/">HERE</a>.</p><p>Please support our independent scientific research if you can.</p>

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guid: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/social-segregation-of-unvaccinated
title: Social segregation of unvaccinated people is not scientifically justified
author: ;Denis Rancourt
link: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/social-segregation-of-unvaccinated
hash: � ��5������*�
content:
<div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d4ba777-9068-410b-b3f2-81d8fa67d144_733x567.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d4ba777-9068-410b-b3f2-81d8fa67d144_733x567.webp" width="733" height="567" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5d4ba777-9068-410b-b3f2-81d8fa67d144_733x567.webp","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":567,"width":733,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":257756,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/webp","href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" fetchpriority="high" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>Ottawa, December 14, 2023 </em>(media release)</p><p>During the COVID-era, countries around the world segregated and discriminated against unvaccinated people, including by barring them from public venues where gatherings take place. These segregation policies were applied and promoted using the pretext of theoretical mathematical models with dubious or incorrect foundations, and were accompanied by widespread social <a href="https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2023/06/09/jme-2022-108825">scapegoating of unvaccinated people</a>.</p><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>One prominent example was the <em>Canadian Medical Association Journal</em> (CMAJ)’s publication of an April 2022 <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/16/E573">article</a> by Fisman et al. falsely claiming that unvaccinated individuals “disproportionately” contribute to the infection risk of vaccinated people, and all the more so as the unvaccinated minority are forced to reduce their contacts with the vaccinated majority.</p><p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.50520">a new paper</a> published today in the peer-reviewed journal <em>Cureus Journal of Medical Science</em>, scientists at CORRELATION demonstrate that segregating unvaccinated people from the vaccinated majority can actually increase the severity of the epidemic among the vaccinated part of the population, and that these kinds of models should not be used to justify any form of segregation based on vaccination status.</p><p>The article, entitled “Viral respiratory epidemic modeling of societal segregation based on vaccination status”, was authored by Joseph Hickey, PhD and Denis G. Rancourt, PhD, of the non-profit CORRELATION Research in the Public Interest (<a href="https://correlation-canada.org/">correlation-canada.org</a>) based in Ottawa, Canada.</p><p>The article’s general conclusion is:</p><blockquote><p>“In the two-population mixing-model framework, vaccination-status-based societal segregation can lead to substantially different and counter-intuitive epidemic outcomes depending on the type and degree of segregation, and depending on complex cultural and physical factors that co‑determine infectious contact frequencies (i.e., the products βc). Negative epidemiological consequences can occur for either segregated group, irrespective of the deleterious health impacts of the policies themselves.</p><p>Given the lack of reliable empirical evaluations of needed infectious contact frequency values, the demonstrated outcome sensitivities to the infectious contact frequencies, and the intrinsic limitations of SIR models in this application, we cannot recommend that SIR modelling be used to motivate or justify segregation policies regarding viral respiratory diseases, in the present state of knowledge.”</p></blockquote><p>The paper was originally submitted to <em>CMAJ</em>, where it was rejected without peer-review by an academic editor (Dr. Matthew Stanbrook) who had a documented glaring conflict of interest with Dr. David Fisman whose work published in the CMAJ is shown by Hickey and Rancourt to be incorrect. Dr. Stanbrook recused himself. The paper was then submitted to <em>CMAJ Open</em>, which obtained two positive external <a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Table_of_Changes_-_Manuscript_CMAJOpen-2022-0237_R1_by_Hickey_Rancourt/24765039">peer reviews</a> but rejected the paper on the basis of internal editorial and anonymous in-house statistician comments, including the erroneous assertion that the authors should have used the mathematically incorrect analysis method introduced into the pages of <em>CMAJ</em> by Fisman et al. The latter assertion was abandoned by <em>CMAJ Open</em> following Hickey and Rancourt’s <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/3ACB55309DB4EF7D3518A4A5B2B65E#2">response</a>, but the journal nonetheless decided not to publish on the stated basis that the paper was not suitable for their audience.</p><p>CORRELATION is a registered not-for-profit organization conducting independent scientific research on topics of public interest, and is entirely funded by individual public donations.</p><p>This media notice can be read online at: <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/media-notice-social-segregation-of-unvaccinated-not-scientifically-justified/">https://correlation-canada.org/media-notice-social-segregation-of-unvaccinated-not-scientifically-justified/</a> </p><p>Many related research reports <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/research/">HERE</a>.</p><p>Please support our independent scientific research if you can.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong></p><div data-attrs='{"nodeId":"b031d08c-387a-4fcb-9baf-36e347229193","caption":"By Joseph Hickey and Denis G Rancourt This report shows that modeling claims, based on a novel mathematical construction (Ψ), that unvaccinated people disproportionately contribute to the infection risk of vaccinated people are rigorously incorrect. It provides a mathematical proof that garbage science was published in the","size":"lg","isEditorNode":true,"title":"Fisman et al.’s Psi (Ψ) index is ill-defined and leads to absurd interpretations","publishedBylines":[{"id":118089907,"name":"Denis Rancourt","bio":"Interdisciplinary researcher. PhD in Physics.","photo_url":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/67aac842-e4a3-4d41-8b7e-4392f14841a4_1440x1080.jpeg","is_guest":false,"bestseller_tier":null}],"post_date":"2023-12-02T01:27:56.296Z","cover_image":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4692f220-1c4c-415b-8017-c27fb9dbce51_768x594.webp","cover_image_alt":null,"canonical_url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/fisman-et-als-psi-index-is-ill-defined","section_name":null,"id":139351085,"type":"newsletter","reaction_count":52,"comment_count":27,"publication_name":"Denis’s Substack","publication_logo_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F11a809f5-18dd-42bd-a8b5-be9d66c49bb7_372x372.png","belowTheFold":true}' data-sanitized-class="digest-post-embed"></div>

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guid: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/let-a-scientist-speak
title: Let a scientist speak
author: ;Denis Rancourt
link: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/let-a-scientist-speak
hash: ��pu*r��i0��J
content:
<p>Here it is. Enjoy.</p><p>This short video has <a href="https://twitter.com/denisrancourt/status/1740872581987635278">gone viral on X</a>. </p><div data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs='{"mediaUploadId":"6f506622-5f47-462b-8845-9244285eeecb","duration":null}' data-sanitized-class="native-video-embed"></div><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>A friend said: </p><blockquote><p>“That’s one of the most impactful talks I’ve ever seen from Denis. Crystal clear, straight to the point.”</p></blockquote><p>This was the event poster, an amazing evening!</p><div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db3dfa8-4b91-4551-80f0-d804d14ca0df_1536x2048.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2db3dfa8-4b91-4551-80f0-d804d14ca0df_1536x2048.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2db3dfa8-4b91-4551-80f0-d804d14ca0df_1536x2048.jpeg","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":1941,"width":1456,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":740200,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/jpeg","href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" fetchpriority="high" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Please see more of my talks on <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/page.php?id=12&amp;name=videos">my website</a>.</p><p>And see all our research reports and articles at <em><a href="https://correlation-canada.org/research/">CORRELATION</a></em>.</p><p>Become a paid subscriber if you can. </p>

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guid: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/my-response-to-tracy-beth-hoegs-criticisms
title: My response to Tracy Beth Hoeg’s criticisms of our “17M vaccine deaths” calculation
author: ;Denis Rancourt
link: https://denisrancourt.substack.com/p/my-response-to-tracy-beth-hoegs-criticisms
hash: �{)��a8��6�Qb�~
content:
<p>A PDF-format version of this response is here: <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/entries.php?id=136">https://denisrancourt.ca/entries.php?id=136</a> </p><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://denisrancourt.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Tracy Beth Hoeg, MD, PhD (epidemiologist) wrote this criticism:</p><blockquote><p><strong>“A Critique Of The ‘17 Million Deaths Caused By The Vaccines’ Claim And The Current Data on Post-vaccine Deaths”</strong>. Substack, 18 January 2024. </p><div data-attrs='{"id":140791326,"url":"https://www.illusionconsensus.com/p/a-critique-of-the-17-million-deaths","publication_id":1604334,"publication_name":"The Illusion of Consensus","publication_logo_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b0b854f-0d0a-434c-aaba-0adbb62829c3_500x500.png","title":"A Critique Of The \"17 Million Deaths Caused By The Vaccines\" Claim And The Current Data on Post-vaccine Deaths","truncated_body_text":"Note to readers: One of the hardest things for humans to do is not lose themselves to the most extreme, outrageous strands of their ideology or group. Given the social incentives, It’s easy for liberals to spiral into far-leftism or environmentalists to degenerate into climate change extremists, for example.","date":"2024-01-19T01:36:57.083Z","like_count":222,"comment_count":166,"bylines":[{"id":9717947,"name":"Rav Arora","handle":"ravarora1","previous_name":null,"photo_url":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/50486799-c292-45e7-af4d-b8b1a5e6c27d_1773x1773.jpeg","bio":"Essayist. Writing on civil liberties, free speech, pharmaceutical drugs, and psychedelic therapy.\n\nAs mentioned on The Joe Rogan Experience (see on The Illusion of Consensus Substack).\n\nSeen on podcasts with Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro etc.","profile_set_up_at":"2021-11-15T19:08:14.794Z","publicationUsers":[{"id":1575894,"user_id":9717947,"publication_id":1604334,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":true,"publication":{"id":1604334,"name":"The Illusion of Consensus","subdomain":"illusionconsensus","custom_domain":"www.illusionconsensus.com","custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"An independent, podcast-fuelled newsletter devoted to dismantling weaponized \"consensus\" in science: COVID-19, transgender care, nutrition, and mental health.","logo_url":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8b0b854f-0d0a-434c-aaba-0adbb62829c3_500x500.png","author_id":9717947,"theme_var_background_pop":"#25BD65","created_at":"2023-04-20T23:49:48.219Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":"Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Rav Arora","copyright":"Rav Arora and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya ","founding_plan_name":"Founding Member","community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false,"payments_state":"enabled","language":null,"explicit":false}},{"id":1578437,"user_id":9717947,"publication_id":1606746,"role":"admin","public":true,"is_primary":false,"publication":{"id":1606746,"name":"The Illusion of Consensus (test publication - grey color) ","subdomain":"consensushallucination","custom_domain":null,"custom_domain_optional":false,"hero_text":"My personal Substack","logo_url":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8089a927-3e35-4a13-8f80-ee7728f59066_400x400.jpeg","author_id":9717947,"theme_var_background_pop":"#D10000","created_at":"2023-04-22T00:17:12.088Z","rss_website_url":null,"email_from_name":null,"copyright":"Rav Arora","founding_plan_name":null,"community_enabled":true,"invite_only":false,"payments_state":"disabled","language":null,"explicit":false}}],"twitter_screen_name":"Ravarora1","is_guest":false,"bestseller_tier":1000},{"id":50246478,"name":"Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD","handle":"tracybethhegmdphd","previous_name":"Swedish Socker","photo_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5adda8-3660-41f1-8dc8-7f6009d74ef8_2530x1620.png","bio":"PhD Epidemiologist Dept of Epidemiology &amp; Biostatistics-UC San Francisco, Associate Prof Clinical Research-U of Southern Denmark, PM&amp;R interventional spine &amp; sports physician at NCOA. Former Team 🇺🇸&amp;🇩🇰 runner, musician, writer, mom of 4","profile_set_up_at":"2022-07-14T01:39:38.075Z","twitter_screen_name":"TracyBethHoeg","is_guest":true,"bestseller_tier":null,"primaryPublicationId":1033257,"primaryPublicationName":"Better than Fiction ","primaryPublicationUrl":"https://tracybethhoegmdphd.substack.com","primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl":"https://tracybethhoegmdphd.substack.com/subscribe?"}],"utm_campaign":null,"belowTheFold":false,"type":"newsletter","language":"en"}' data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-wrap"><a native="true" href="https://www.illusionconsensus.com/p/a-critique-of-the-17-million-deaths?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post"><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-header"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b0b854f-0d0a-434c-aaba-0adbb62829c3_500x500.png" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-publication-logo"><span data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-publication-name">The Illusion of Consensus</span></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-title">A Critique Of The "17 Million Deaths Caused By The Vaccines" Claim And The Current Data on Post-vaccine Deaths</div></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-body">Note to readers: One of the hardest things for humans to do is not lose themselves to the most extreme, outrageous strands of their ideology or group. Given the social incentives, It’s easy for liberals to spiral into far-leftism or environmentalists to degenerate into climate change extremists, for example…</div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-meta">a year ago · 222 likes · 166 comments · Rav Arora and Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD</div></a></div><p>And here (22 January 2024): <a href="https://dailysceptic.org/2024/01/22/a-critique-of-the-17-million-deaths-caused-by-the-vaccines-claim/">https://dailysceptic.org/2024/01/22/a-critique-of-the-17-million-deaths-caused-by-the-vaccines-claim/</a></p></blockquote><p>About our article:</p><blockquote><p>Rancourt DG, Baudin M, Hickey J, Mercier J. <strong>“COVID-19 vaccine-associated mortality in the Southern Hemisphere”</strong>. CORRELATION Research in the Public Interest, Report, 17 September 2023 (180 pages). <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/covid-19-vaccine-associated-mortality-in-the-Southern-Hemisphere/">https://correlation-canada.org/covid-19-vaccine-associated-mortality-in-the-Southern-Hemisphere/</a> |</p><p>And about our ICS4 conference presentation (18 November 2023): <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/videos.php?id=112&amp;name=2023_11_18_ics4_all_cause_mortality_woldwide_and_romania">https://denisrancourt.ca/videos.php?id=112&amp;name=2023_11_18_ics4_all_cause_mortality_woldwide_and_romania</a> </p></blockquote><p>This led to a public 3-hour debate recorded on 20 January 2024, released unedited behind a paywall on 22 January 2024. Tracy then on 23 January 2024 commented about the debate and reiterated her points here: </p><div data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:140879324,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://tracybethhoegmdphd.substack.com/p/the-great-debate-dr-d-rancourt-vs&quot;,&quot;publication_id&quot;:1033257,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Better than Fiction &quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e645e2-2d97-441b-85b0-3430ad707df5_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Debate: Dr D Rancourt vs Dr TB Høeg. Do current data suggest the covid vaccines *caused* 17 million deaths worldwide?&quot;,&quot;truncated_body_text&quot;:&quot;It was an unusual Saturday night recording between 5 and 9pm PST with Rav Arora, Kevin Bass and Denis Rancourt. I really enjoyed getting to know all three of them and was grateful for their time and insights. I love the work Jay and Rav do on Illusion of Consensus, so it’s been such an honor to become a little part of their exciting project.&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2024-01-23T05:35:02.225Z&quot;,&quot;like_count&quot;:24,&quot;comment_count&quot;:10,&quot;bylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:50246478,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD&quot;,&quot;handle&quot;:&quot;tracybethhegmdphd&quot;,&quot;previous_name&quot;:&quot;Swedish Socker&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5adda8-3660-41f1-8dc8-7f6009d74ef8_2530x1620.png&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;PhD Epidemiologist Dept of Epidemiology &amp; Biostatistics-UC San Francisco, Associate Prof Clinical Research-U of Southern Denmark, PM&amp;R interventional spine &amp; sports physician at NCOA. Former Team 🇺🇸&amp;🇩🇰 runner, musician, writer, mom of 4&quot;,&quot;profile_set_up_at&quot;:&quot;2022-07-14T01:39:38.075Z&quot;,&quot;publicationUsers&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:979943,&quot;user_id&quot;:50246478,&quot;publication_id&quot;:1033257,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;admin&quot;,&quot;public&quot;:true,&quot;is_primary&quot;:false,&quot;publication&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:1033257,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Better than Fiction &quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;tracybethhoegmdphd&quot;,&quot;custom_domain&quot;:null,&quot;custom_domain_optional&quot;:false,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;Welcome. I'm a Danish-American dual citizen with a PhD in Epidemiology &amp; Public Health. I am a practicing physician, Mom of 4 and former Team USA runner.  \nBoth the scientific process and true democracies require that no questions are off limits.&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/28e645e2-2d97-441b-85b0-3430ad707df5_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;author_id&quot;:50246478,&quot;theme_var_background_pop&quot;:&quot;#9D6FFF&quot;,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2022-08-08T06:34:17.083Z&quot;,&quot;rss_website_url&quot;:null,&quot;email_from_name&quot;:&quot;Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD's Substack&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Tracy Beth Høeg M.D., Ph.D.&quot;,&quot;founding_plan_name&quot;:&quot;Founding Member&quot;,&quot;community_enabled&quot;:true,&quot;invite_only&quot;:false,&quot;payments_state&quot;:&quot;enabled&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:null,&quot;explicit&quot;:false}}],&quot;twitter_screen_name&quot;:&quot;TracyBethHoeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;utm_campaign&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPostToDOM" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-wrap"><a native="true" href="https://tracybethhoegmdphd.substack.com/p/the-great-debate-dr-d-rancourt-vs?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post"><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-header"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_56,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e645e2-2d97-441b-85b0-3430ad707df5_1280x1280.png" data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-publication-logo"><span data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-publication-name">Better than Fiction </span></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-title-wrapper"><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-title">Debate: Dr D Rancourt vs Dr TB Høeg. Do current data suggest the covid vaccines *caused* 17 million deaths worldwide?</div></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-body">It was an unusual Saturday night recording between 5 and 9pm PST with Rav Arora, Kevin Bass and Denis Rancourt. I really enjoyed getting to know all three of them and was grateful for their time and insights. I love the work Jay and Rav do on Illusion of Consensus, so it’s been such an honor to become a little part of their exciting project…</div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-cta-wrapper"><span data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-cta">Read more</span></div><div data-sanitized-class="embedded-post-meta">a year ago · 24 likes · 10 comments · Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD</div></a></div><p>My initial response was posted on Substack (18 January 2024) as:</p><p><a href="https://www.illusionconsensus.com/p/a-critique-of-the-17-million-deaths/comment/47624321">https://www.illusionconsensus.com/p/a-critique-of-the-17-million-deaths/comment/47624321</a></p><blockquote><p>“I appreciate this detailed and objective critique of our work. I wish it could have been a recorded discussion, so that each statement can be clarified and responded to as we go.</p><p>Mostly this is a critique of the 17M value (its prima facie plausibility, and whether it can actually be valid for the entire world), and of the causality claim (without specifying the nature and method of the actual claim), not of the extensive underlying work: <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/covid-19-vaccine-associated-mortality-in-the-southern-hemisphere/">https://correlation-canada.org/covid-19-vaccine-associated-mortality-in-the-southern-hemisphere/</a></p><p>Virtually all the criticisms raised are addressed in the paper itself, and the limits of the 17M estimation are spelled out and shown by the graphical results.</p><p>Nonetheless, I plan to respond more fully, when time permits. I thank the authors for their preliminary reactions to our work.”</p></blockquote><p>A more detailed written response follows. There is a conclusion at the end.</p><p>Tracy’s criticism was to argue that “17 million worldwide deaths due to vaccines does not pass a basic sanity test” and that our paper is so flawed that it “should <em>not</em> be used for causal inference”.</p><p>Basically, Tracy does not believe that the mortality associated with the COVID-19 vaccine could be as high as to have caused 17 million deaths worldwide.</p><p>Our “17 million number” corresponds to approximately <strong>1,000 deaths per million injections</strong>, which is a whole-national-population (all-ages) average, obtained from 17 countries in the Southern Hemisphere and Equatorial Region.</p><p>Tracy’s disbelief is anchored in the fact that our calculated risk of death by injection is so much larger than numbers inferred from her three (3) preferred studies.</p><p>Tracy’s three preferred studies are:</p><p>[Nafilyan et al.]</p><p>Nafilyan, V., Bermingham, C.R., Ward, I.L. et al. <strong>Risk of death following COVID-19 vaccination or positive SARS-CoV-2 test in young people in England</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em> 14, 1541 (2023). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36494-0">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36494-0</a></p><p>[Butt et al.]</p><p>Butt, A.A., Guerrero, M.D., Canlas, E.B. et al. <strong>Evaluation of mortality attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration using national level data from Qatar</strong>. <em>Nature Communications</em> 14, 24 (2023). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35653-z">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35653-z</a></p><p>[Cho et al.]</p><p>Jae Yeong Cho, Kye Hun Kim, Nuri Lee, Soo Hyeon Cho, Seung Yun Kim, Eun Kyoung Kim, Jae-Hyeong Park, Eui-Young Choi, Jin-Oh Choi, Hyukjin Park, Hyung Yoon Kim, Hyun Ju Yoon, Youngkeun Ahn, Myung Ho Jeong, Jeong Gwan Cho, <strong>COVID-19 vaccination-related myocarditis: a Korean nationwide study</strong>, <em>European Heart Journal</em>, Volume 44, Issue 24, 21 June 2023, Pages 2234–2243, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad339">https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad339</a></p><p>These three studies do not invalidate our article, as follows.</p><p>[Nafilyan et al.] [UK youth]</p><p>·         Nafilyan et al. is for 12 to 29 year olds, whereas we report an exponential increase of death risk per injection with age, doubling every 4-5 years in age, in real-world subjects that can have multiple comorbidities. Therefore, there is no logical link between Nafilyan et al. and our study.</p><p>·         Nafilyan et al. does not report absolute risk of death per injection, nor in their supplementary material, since this was not the purpose of their paper.</p><p>·         Nafilyan et al. arbitrarily limited their counting of vaccine deaths at 12 weeks after injection, and used the remaining 60 weeks or so of deaths following vaccination to obtain their “baseline” in reporting relative risk.</p><p>·         The sole reported funding for the Nafilyan et al. study is research funding to co-author K.K., who is a Member of the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).</p><p>[Butt et al.] [Qatar data]</p><p>·         Butt et al. applies a modified version of the WHO algorithm for assigning cause of death to the vaccine. Their algorithm considers only deaths within 30 days of the injection and ELIMINATES all deaths that have: “Clear alternate, unrelated cause of death identified and documented by a physician” OR “1 or more underlying conditions with high risk of attributable mortality AND physician documentation of cause of death being directly related to one or more underlying conditions” OR “No risk factors that could reasonably have contributed to death AND Unexplained and unexpected death in the absence of any risk factors, and/or physician documentation suggesting an association with vaccination AND Death between 16-30 days of any vaccine dose administration”.</p><p>·         In other words, Butt et al. considers only the most sanitized of cases excluding any shadow of a contributing factor other than the injection. As such, it is the opposite of our study which counts all temporally linked injections, irrespective of comorbidities, as occurs in the real world.</p><p>·         In plain language: Butt et al. uses the false premise that the vaccine can kill only healthy people, and not the frail and sick, who were actually the greatest victims by far.</p><p>·         Their 30-day cut-off is not justified: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14217.93289">http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14217.93289</a>.</p><p>·         Literally the opening of Butt et al. is “Accurate determination of mortality attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is critical in allaying concerns about their safety.” Likewise, the first line of their introduction is: “Despite their demonstrated safety and efficacy, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and refusal are not uncommon.”</p><p>·         Butt et al. states “The authors are grateful for the leadership and assistance provided by the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar, the System-Wide Incident Command and Control Center and the Business Intelligence Unit at Hamad Medical Corporation, ... The study was partly funded by the Medical Research Center at Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar”.</p><p>·         Butt et al. author A.A.B. (Butt) “has received investigator initiated grant funding from Gilead Sciences and Merck and Company” … “which is unrelated to the work”. A.A.B. is the sole authors responsible for “Concept and study design”, “Drafting of the manuscript” and “Data analysis and interpretation”.</p><p>[More below, regarding Butt et al.]</p><p>[Cho et al.] [Korea myocarditis]</p><p>·         Cho et al. examines solely vaccine-related myocarditis deaths, sudden cardiac deaths that are proven to be caused by myocarditis following vaccination.</p><p>·         Cho et al. does not examine or report all-cause deaths associated with vaccination.</p><p>·         All the vaccine-related myocarditis sudden cardiac deaths (21 deaths) found in Cho et al. for 44 million vaccinated individuals were in individuals under 45 years in age.</p><p>·         Whereas we report excess all-cause mortality (not a single cause affecting only &lt;45 year olds) temporally associated with vaccine rollouts, and find an exponential increase of death risk per injection with age, doubling every 4-5 years in age, in real-world subjects that can have multiple comorbidities.</p><p>·         It would be a false premise to assume that vaccines can only kill young people, and only via sudden cardiac death, and only when caused by myocarditis. On the contrary, the challenge of being injected is most impactful in frail and sick elderly people, in many (most) jurisdictions in which the clinical threshold not to inject may be near-absent.</p><p>Tracy’s use of her three preferred articles as a reasonable baseline (“underestimate”) for risk of death associated with injection is questionable. It’s like arguing that the baseline for overall murder rate can be estimated including only murders performed by children, excluding firearms and knives, corroborated by at least one parent of the child, and causing death or permanent coma within 24 hours.</p><p>In the real world, vaccines can kill frail and sick elderly people, who were actually (exponentially) the greatest victims by far, and the clinical threshold not to inject can be virtually nonexistent in many (most) jurisdictions.</p><p>Nonetheless, the primary (raw) data in Butt et al., taken as reported, is arguably relevant. Butt et al. report that 138 deaths (3.1%) of the 4413 deaths in Qatar in the study period occurred within 30 days of an injection, with median time since injection 17 days, and median age 55 years, mostly male (113: 81.9%), mostly non-Qatari (107: 77.5%), while 6,928,359 doses were administered. This would be 20 deaths per million injections, based on the entire records of the whole country. Apparently, none of the inferred vaccine deaths in Qatar occurred among frail and sick elderly people, which suggests a unique and high clinical threshold to inject, whereas our median age for vaccine associated excess mortality is approximately 80 years. Also, the inferred vaccine deaths were not only young but also mostly male non-Qatari, a surprising profile, which is incompatible with other findings on vaccine deaths.</p><p>However, Tracy is justified in directing us to the Qatar study, even with its obvious problems. More studies in which vaccination status of the deceased is known are needed, which could ultimately point to a hidden primary causal factor, associated with vaccine rollouts.</p><p>Having explained that she simply cannot believe our number, because of its large magnitude (“17 million worldwide deaths due to vaccines does not pass a basic sanity test”), Tracy goes on to outline alleged flaws in our paper, numbered below for convenience.</p><p><strong>#1 - Tracy states that our calculated risk of death from injection would lead to 15K vaccine deaths in Denmark and that this number is inconsistent with all-cause excess mortality in Denmark [which is False]</strong></p><p>Here Tracy makes a significant error, by not applying what our paper actually says.</p><p>Tracy takes the value of our average risk of death from injection to be applied individually to each and every country (including Denmark).</p><p>Tracy’s incorrect premise is contrary to what we say in our paper.</p><p>In fact, we calculate and report a large range of country-to-country values, extending from 200 deaths per million injections (New Zealand) to 2,000 deaths per million injections (Uruguay). We show this in many figures and we state it in our abstract.</p><p>Therefore, the prediction for Denmark can be as low as 3K, rather than the 15K value obtained by Tracy from an incorrect application of our work. </p><p>Tracy then makes two statements about excess all-cause mortality in Denmark: (1) Ioannidis et al. (2023) calculate a negative (&lt; 0) excess mortality in the vaccination period for Denmark; and (2) “Denmark’s own data” provides 6K excess mortality in the vaccination period.</p><p>The Ioannidis et al. (2023) value is simply incorrect, and arises from a systematic error. They incorrectly used an average from some previous years as their baseline.</p><p>“Denmark’s own data” value of 6K is of a similar magnitude to our best recently calculated value of 7.6K for Denmark (shown in the debate).  Since 6K or 7.6K is larger than 3K, the Danish data does not invalidate our paper, contrary to Tracy’s claim.</p><p>In fact, Denmark fits our prediction of vaccine-associated deaths.</p><p><strong>#2 - Tracy states: “The other issue is correlation does not necessarily equal causation”</strong></p><p>This is a boilerplate phrase that all the fact checkers use. It is trivially true that correlation is not causation. One can never prove an interpretation or model in science. Science can only disprove interpretations and models. That is a fundamental unavoidable characteristic of science, taught in grade school. It does not need to be stated in scientific papers.</p><p>It was never about ― and it cannot be about ― proving causation in the strictly logical sense.</p><p>In empirical population epidemiology one can only establish likelihood of a causal relationship between, say mortality, and an environmental variable. For example “causality” has thus been “proven” for the relationship between incidence of previously rare chronic gut diseases and tonnage of glyphosate used on food crops such as wheat (<a href="https://archive.org/details/2021-07-dgr-comments-to-health-canada-re-glyphosate-4/page/16/mode/1up">https://archive.org/details/2021-07-dgr-comments-to-health-canada-re-glyphosate-4/page/16/mode/1up</a>).</p><p>Epidemiologists use an established test for high likelihood of a causal association. In our paper, we apply this test in detail ― especially to a sharp mortality peak occurring January-February 2022 following a sharp booster rollout peak and to increases in mortality starting on first vaccine rollout in January 2021 ― and we conclude:</p><p>“As such, the robust criteria described by Ioannidis (2016) for proving causality are amply satisfied:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Experiment: </strong>The same phenomenon is independently observed in distinct jurisdictions, for distinct age groups, and at different times, which constitutes ample verification in independent real-world large-scale experiments.</p></li><li><p><strong>Temporality:</strong> The many step-wise increases and anomalous peaks in ACM are synchronous with vaccine rollouts; including in jurisdictions in which excess mortality did not occur until vaccination was implemented after approximately one year into the declared pandemic.</p></li><li><p><strong>Consistency:</strong> The phenomenon is qualitatively the same and of comparable magnitude each time it is observed.</p></li></ul><p>There can be little doubt that the mass COVID-19 vaccination campaigns caused the temporally associated excess mortality in the 17 countries of the present study, and in other countries studied to date.”</p><p></p><p>That last sentence is arguably too strong. For example, it could have been: “There can be little doubt that the mass COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are temporally associated with excess mortality in the 17 countries of the present study, and in other countries studied to date, and we have not found any plausible alternative association.”</p><p>Our work does not mean that the vaccine rollouts themselves cannot be correlated to more important causal factors. We could not find evidence for the presence of more important causal factors, and we eliminated the usual candidates in a lengthy section of our paper, entitled “6.6 Assessing other interpretations of the cause of the excess mortality”.</p><p>In this regard, we note that Tracy correctly opines that reported “COVID-19 deaths” do not explain or imply a causal link with the peaks in all-cause mortality “no matter how many ‘fact’ checkers use it” (including “Jeffrey Morris” who Tracy names).</p><p>An example of a hidden causal factor, correlated to vaccine rollouts, which we did not rule out at the time of writing our paper, is as follows. A vaccine rollout can be accompanied by a campaign for more testing, resulting in more aggressive (and deadly) treatments, in the age groups being targeted for boosters, for example.</p><p><strong>#3 - Tracy states: “Note, the authors actually say ‘definite causal link.’”</strong></p><p>Actually, the phrase “definite causal link” never appears in our paper. Tracy was selectively quoting from a press release statement. In our paper, we instead refer to “vaccine-associated mortality” (as per the title of our paper), and often to a causal link to “vaccine rollouts”.</p><p>Sometimes our language is stronger. The obvious context is empirical population epidemiology, and we spell out everything we do, so Tracy’s insistence on purity of language is a bit extreme in my opinion. It assumes that readers cannot think for themselves or recognize emphasis.</p><p>In our section 6.1, we state this, which Tracy may not have read:</p><blockquote><p>“It is important to discern the question of whether a COVID-19 vaccine injection can cause the death of the patient and the question of whether excess ACM (population level, by definition) is causally associated with the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts.</p><p>Even if there is clinical and pathological proof that injections can cause the deaths of individual subjects, this does not demonstrate a causal relation between a rapid vaccine rollout and a temporally associated peak in excess ACM. With necessarily limited numbers of documented cases of individual deaths, it only proves that the said causal relation is possible. A formal consideration of causality in excess mortality must nonetheless be made, which is done in sections below.”</p></blockquote><p><strong>#4 - Tracy states that the choice of the 17 countries is not explained in the paper and suggests the choice is biased</strong></p><p>It is false that the choice is not explained in the paper. The last three paragraphs of the Introduction are clear as to how and why these 17 countries were chosen.</p><p>First, it was decided to study the Southern Hemisphere because booster rollouts occurred in the Southern Hemisphere summers (seasons are inverted in the two hemispheres), thereby avoiding the confounding effects of seasonality of mortality. Second, all countries in the Southern Hemisphere and many in the Equatorial Region, which had all-cause mortality data, were included.</p><p>As stated in the debate, the current data availability map is like this:</p><div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13a5f12e-3680-4bc6-8b4d-d5e06e34a08a_819x409.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13a5f12e-3680-4bc6-8b4d-d5e06e34a08a_819x409.png" width="819" height="409" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/13a5f12e-3680-4bc6-8b4d-d5e06e34a08a_819x409.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":409,"width":819,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":89460,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false}' alt="" loading="lazy" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Here, Namibia and some small Pacific-island countries were added after the paper was written.</p><p>Bias in data selection is a serious accusation in science, even when presented as a question. Those who suggest selection bias should point to specific countries left out, which had different results. Tracy does not provide any specific example. (Not to mention that Tracy’s incorrect insistence that “the results are all over the place” contradicts her suggestion of selection bias.)</p><p>I think Tracy partly meant that the Southern Hemisphere counties are not representative of the world. In our paper, we stated that it was reasonable to expect that the mean risk from our 17 counties was globally representative, and we also stated:</p><blockquote><p>“Previously, we estimated that a representative global value would be 0.1 %, and that this would represent approximately 13 million deaths from the COVID-19 vaccines, from 13.25 billion injections up to 24 January 2023 (Rancourt et al., 2023). This can be updated as follows: (0.1257 ± 0.0035) % x 13.50 billion injections (2 September 2023, OWID, 2023a) = (16.97 ± 0.47) million COVID-19 vaccine deaths worldwide, to date. This current estimate is based on: 10.3 % of worldwide COVID-19 injections, 9.10 % of worldwide population, and a vaccination rate of 1.91 injections per person (all ages), in 17 countries.”</p></blockquote><p>In any case, when one quantitatively estimates the risk of death per injection, even from a single country, it is natural to calculate what the number would produce globally. It is a boilerplate fact checker’s strategy to vehemently insist that inferring a number for the entire world is some kind of cardinal sin.</p><p><strong>#5 - Tracy states: “the peaks of all-cause excess mortality do not clearly correspond to the vaccine rollout nor is any association that does exist consistent in appearance/timing from country to country.”</strong></p><p>Tracy raises an important criterion, and this is amply addressed in our paper. Tracy’s comment is solely about the 17 panels (one panel for each country) of Figure 2 in our paper, and she reproduces those panels, and we showed and discussed some of these panels in the debate.</p><p>Many fact checkers have made the same comment, waving their hands at the panels in our Figure 2.</p><p>Of course there are country-to-country differences in the all-ages all-cause mortality by time, and in the all-ages whole-population vaccine administrations, shown in our Figure 2. Such differences occur because of the variable nature of the assaults against people in those jurisdictions, and we have written about this at great length:</p><p><a href="https://correlation-canada.org/research/">https://correlation-canada.org/research/</a></p><p><a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/categories.php?id=1&amp;name=covid">https://denisrancourt.ca/categories.php?id=1&amp;name=covid</a></p><p>However, there are many common features in the 17 panels of our Figure 2:</p><ul><li><p>All that have the data exhibit a peak in mortality in and near January-February 2022, when boosters were being rolled out</p></li><li><p>Nine (9) of the 17 countries have virtually no excess mortality during the declared pandemic until the vaccines are first rolled out</p></li><li><p>All have detected increases in all-cause mortality when the vaccines are first rolled out, although not necessarily the largest sudden increases in all cases</p></li></ul><p>Tracy’s position is to stress the differences rather than examine the similarities.</p><p>More importantly (and this was stressed by me in the debate): Those 17 panels are for all-ages mortality and all-ages vaccine administration.</p><p>Tracy completely avoids ever mentioning the extensive age-stratified data for Peru and Chile, presented in our paper.</p><p>All-ages vaccine administration data smears and conceals rollouts to specific age groups. In addition, both mortality itself and the inferred vaccine toxicity are highly dependent on age, whereas all-ages data conceals this dominant effect.</p><p>All of this is shown and discussed in our paper. One cannot infer conclusions from all-ages data wearing the same glasses as one would wear looking at age-stratified data. Tracy is wearing the wrong glasses and refuses to look at the age-stratified data.</p><p><strong> #6 - Tracy states that many factors occur (school closures, lockdowns, increases crime, depression, drug abuse, decreased sports participation, delayed medical care, job loss, and increasing poverty), therefore one cannot attribute all excess deaths to the vaccines</strong></p><p>We searched for all such data, as we have been doing in all our Covid research, and we did not find any sudden changes or surges or peaks in anything for any country, which are temporally associated with the pervasive booster-related January-February 2022 peaks in all-cause mortality, which occur in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere. We invite Tracy and others to find and suggest such examples.</p><p>Nine (9) of the 17 countries had no significant excess all-cause mortality until the vaccines were first rolled out, usually in early 2021 [this absent excess mortality is also true in India and some half of the countries in the world], yet presumably these countries would have had school closures, lockdowns, increases crime, etc., prior to vaccine rollouts. If not, then, in the logic of the WHO, how could they have no excess mortality?</p><p>It seems to me that consistency checks are in order if one is going to throw out a long list of possible causes of excess mortality. We make these consistency arguments in our paper.</p><p>In our paper, we thoroughly examine and discuss the differences in vaccine toxicity inferred from the January-February 2022 peak versus from the full vaccine period. We do find larger values for the latter period for some of our 17 countries.</p><p>We are transparent about all our methods, calculations, and assumptions. Tracy and others are free to doubt our main conclusions, but Tracy has not provided counter proof.</p><p><strong>#7 - Tracy states: “We don’t have the vaccination status of the deceased” and notes that some of our 17 countries have low vaccine coverage (40%)</strong></p><p>True, researchers generally do not have the vaccination status data for the deceased. That would be a different study, with different available databases. This does not in itself invalidate our methods and conclusions.</p><p>We admit that such databases could invalidate the idea that the mortality peaks associated with rollout peaks imply actual vaccine toxicity. Proximity and synchronicity of vaccine rollouts to mortality peaks could be correlated to unknown dominant causes of mortality.</p><p>Tracy has not suggested a plausible alternative dominant cause of mortality having the needed temporal associations.</p><p>Also, we don’t see Tracy’s suggestion as to how low (40%) vaccine coverage could give “stronger correlations between vaccination rollout and excess mortality” in South Africa and Suriname.</p><p><strong>#8 - Tracy states: “We don’t know (or don’t provide) the causes of death. If there has been an increase in substance abuse, suicide and homicide deaths…”</strong></p><p>True, we do not report “causes of death”. Our whole approach in using all-cause mortality is to avoid unreliable “causes of death” data, such as “COVID-19 deaths”. Cause-of-death determinations have a high potential for bias and uncertainty.</p><p>We have often examined drug abuse, suicide and homicide rates, as proxies for societal stress and violence. In all cases that we know, these rates come nowhere near explaining whole‑population excess all-cause mortalities. Furthermore, why would these rates surge suddenly when boosters are being administered to elderly populations, for example?</p><p><strong>#9 - Tracy states that attributing all excess mortality to the vaccine in India (a different paper) “really detracts from the credibility of investigating vaccine-associated deaths and adverse events”</strong></p><p>Well, in my view, the credibility of many studies of Covid-period mortality in India seriously needs to be detracted from, as I have argued in my paper about India, entitled “Probable causal association between India’s extraordinary April-July 2021 excess-mortality event and the vaccine rollout”: <a href="https://correlation-canada.org/report-probable-causal-association-between-indias-extraordinary-april-july-2021-excess-mortality-event-and-the-vaccine-rollout/">https://correlation-canada.org/report-probable-causal-association-between-indias-extraordinary-april-july-2021-excess-mortality-event-and-the-vaccine-rollout/</a></p><h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2><p>Tracy believes that her points invalidate our study. They do not.</p><p>We agree that linked vaccine-status-mortality national databases will impose strong constraints on causal interpretations of synchronicity between rapid vaccine rollouts and sudden all-cause mortality peaks. We look forward to those studies and encourage governments to release the data.</p><p>We believe that risk of harm from vaccination is highly dependent on age and health status, and that the clinical threshold not to inject patients with comorbidities varies significantly with both jurisdiction and time. This is an integral part of our interpretations.</p><p>Tracy does not believe that the risk of death per injection can be as large as we have calculated, and cites controlled studies. We believe that real-world vaccination campaigns can be far more reckless than what is reported in controlled studies, and that elderly and sick vulnerable groups can be disproportionately affected. Tracy does not say how large the actual real-world risk might be, only that our values are unreasonable/unjustified overestimates.</p><p>More importantly, excess mortalities, both prior to (depending on the country) and during vaccination, have been massive around the world, and the establishment explanations are far from close to reality, in my opinion. Our work has shown and continues to show that response and measures killed people, not any new spreading pathogen:</p><p><a href="https://correlation-canada.org/research/">https://correlation-canada.org/research/</a></p><p><a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/categories.php?id=1&amp;name=covid">https://denisrancourt.ca/categories.php?id=1&amp;name=covid</a></p><p></p><p>Please support our work at one of the two latter links, and by upgrading to paid subscription. Cheers.</p>

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