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08/03/2019

Xinhua Headlines: China advances all-round opening-up at “two sessions”

Xinhua Headlines: China advances all-round opening-up at "two sessions"

Visitors are seen at a tulip fair at Baiwankui garden in Nansha free trade zone in south China’s Guangdong Province, Feb. 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) — China expects to see wider opening-up as it pledges to do more to attract foreign investment and promote global cooperation at the ongoing annual “two sessions.”

“We will promote all-round opening-up and foster new strengths in international economic cooperation and competition,” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said when delivering the government work report to the annual legislative session Tuesday.

At the session, further relax of controls over market access has been announced, a draft foreign investment law will be deliberated, and the Belt and Road cooperation has been promoted.

UNVEILING OPPORTUNITIES

The government will further shorten the negative list which outlines fields off-limits to foreign investors, Ning Jizhe, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session Wednesday.

China will roll out more opening measures to the agriculture, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, and allow wholly foreign-funded enterprises to operate in more sectors, Ning said.

John Huang with the British information service provider Experian believes that international investors will welcome China’s further opening-up.

“Some core industries, once considered to be ‘the most difficult areas to open up,’ such as automobile manufacturing and financial services, are now welcoming foreign investment,” said Huang, managing director for decision analytics of Experian Greater China.

“The Chinese government’s consistent commitment to opening-up has given foreign enterprises confidence about the business environment here,” said SangBoem Han, CEO of LG Display from the Republic of Korea.

In July 2018, LG Display opened an OLED panel factory in south China’s Guangdong Province with a total investment of 46 billion yuan (6.9 billion U.S. dollars).

China saw a record foreign direct investment of 135 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 despite a global economic downturn and rising protectionism.

“In the early days, foreign firms received preferential policies regarding land, electricity and taxes in China,” Han said, “but more recently, the government has increased its protection of intellectual property and improved efficiency.”

FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAW

On Tuesday, Premier Li emphasized opening up based on rules and related institutions.

This will help China better conform with the international rules, said Zhang Jin, a national political advisor and businessman from Guangdong.

“This is also in line with China’s further integration with globalization and engagement in international competition,” Zhang said.

A highlight at this year’s “two sessions” is the draft foreign investment law, which is to be submitted to this year’s session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) for review.

Once adopted, the unified law will replace three existing laws on Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, non-equity joint ventures (or contractual joint ventures) and wholly foreign-owned enterprises.

The foreign investment law would be highly significant to protect legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors and ensure fair competition, said Loh Jen Yuh, president of China & Investment Management of CapitaLand Group, one of Asia’s largest real estate companies.

“The law shows China’s openness and the rule of law,” said Han, who hoped that the enact of the law would further improve China’s business environment.

PROMOTING GLOBAL COOPERATION

Along with the efforts to attract foreign businesses, China is also stepping up the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to benefit more participants.

To date, a total of 152 countries and international organizations have signed cooperation documents with China on the BRI.

“Many countries along the Belt and Road have shown their intention to cooperate with Chinese manufacturers,” said Wu Gang, a national political advisor and chairman of wind power firm Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology.

“We are more confident in going global under the government’s favorable policies related to the BRI,” said Wu, whose business has gained great market shares in Pakistan and Australia.

According to the government work report, China will continue to “promote the joint pursuit” of the BRI, aiming at “shared growth through discussion and collaboration.”

China has signed free trade agreements with over 20 countries and regions. According to Zhao Ji, a national political advisor and president of China’s Northeastern University, the country’s efforts to strengthen the opening-up are especially important against the weak global economic growth.

“The development of China, which has been closely connected with the world, will continue to play a key role in promoting globalization,” Zhao said.

Source: Xinhua

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08/03/2019

Not girls, queens or goddesses: calls in China for a return to the real meaning of women’s day

  • March 8 has devolved into a prime time for online sales campaigns and advertising rather than a moment to celebrate the achievements of women, critics say

Job seekers look at the job advertisements at a job fair for women on the International Women's Day in Huaibei, Anhui province, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Job seekers look at the job advertisements at a job fair for women on the International Women’s Day in Huaibei, Anhui province, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Every year around March 8, the internet in China is plastered with references to International Women’s Day.
Online commerce sites promote discounts on items from jewellery to massage machines to electronics; groups and individuals post “supportive” comments for the women in their lives; and retailers roll out advertising campaigns with “feminist” messages.
But critics say the true meaning of the day is being lost and the annual commemoration has become less of a chance to celebrate women’s achievements and more of an excuse to push spending.
It has also spawned a phenomenon called “Girls’ Day”, that reinforces the social preference for youth and beauty, they say.
International Women’s Day was first organised by the former Socialist Party of America in New York in 1909 and later became a fixture on calendars among socialists and in communist countries before being adopted by the United Nations in 1975 .
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In China, it has been celebrated since 1924, with women using the day to highlight the need for their rights.

“Women’s day was meant to celebrate the spirit of women fighting for their rights, encouraging women’s independence and empowerment, that they can have all sorts of lives and not be a part attached to men,” Guo said.

“[The campaigns] give the impression that girls are innocent, without social experience, and ‘women’ are older, less attractive.”

Women need opportunities at work, at home and in public life, a rights advocate says. Photo: EPA
Women need opportunities at work, at home and in public life, a rights advocate says. Photo: EPA

Even international firms have come under fire for linking their products with Girls’ Day. On Thursday, in an advertisements for the film Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios’ China team wrote on Weibo, “Happy Girls’ Day! Captain Marvel Brie Larson sends her wishes to all girls in China.”

Commenters said the first Marvel movie to showcase a woman superhero was undermining its message by highlighting a day with a mixed meaning.

“The film basically sells feminism, yet you are talking about Girls’ Day?” one comment said.

China gender and sexuality centre shuts down as censorship chill spreads

Other firms, such as sportswear company Nike, won a round of applause for breaking stereotypes with Dream Crazier video. The video centred on breakthroughs from female athletes around the globe, complete with Nike’s slogan, “Just do it”.

Feng Yuan, the co-founder of Beijing-based group Equality, which is dedicated to women’s rights and gender equality, said many shop owners or platforms wanted to turn any special day into a shopping bonanza, but they only appeared to be trying to please women.

“We should be alerted that the names of ‘Girls’ Day’ or ‘Goddess’s Day’ indicate that many regard women only as consumers, caretakers or an ‘empty vases’,” Feng said.

The focus on women’s appearance was driven home on Thursday night in a fumbled attempt by a university in the country’s north to mark the day. In a Weibo post, Shandong University claimed it was the founder of Girls’ Day on March 7, and the original meaning was “three plus seven equals 10. You score 10 out of 10 points for sweetness.” It claimed the day was for university students to care for women and for female students to showcase their attractiveness.

The post quickly met with criticism. The Intellectuals, an online media outlet, said “the day recognises women’s achievements, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, language, culture, economic and political standing. It originated from North America and Europe’s workers’ movements in the early 20th century.

“Whether you call it Girls’ Day or Queens’ Day, it’s an insult to the true spirit of the day.”

On campuses throughout the country, it has become a tradition for banners with supportive messages to be put up on buildings and message boards. But rather than celebrating women, many of the banners sexualise them in what critics say amounts to a form of sexual harassment.

“I’ve met scores of women in the spring, but I’d rather be sleeping with you,” one banner read.

The sexualisation of the event is compounded by jokes online that play on the Chinese word for “day” and “sex” to suggest that the real meaning of the day is to “welcome girls into womanhood”.

Women’s rights advocates say the public needs to sever the sexual and commercial ties to the day and focus on the many areas in which women’s rights need to be improved.

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That includes the lifting of a ban on the official Weibo account of Feminist Voices, which before it was shut down without explanation on women’s day last year, had some 180,000 followers and published articles on sexual harassment, women’s rights or workplace equality.

More broadly, in 2018, women still on average made less than 80 per cent of the average salary for men, according to a report by Chinese recruitment platform Zhipin.com. The report said women tended to hit a glass ceiling for promotion and pay due to the demands of marriage and child rearing.

Women’s rights have gained some attention this week as national lawmakers and advisers have met in Beijing for their annual gatherings. Huang Xihua, a National People’s Congress delegate from Huizhou in Guangdong province, ignited debate at the congress with a called for the two-child policy to be scrapped and for unmarried women to be granted equal rights to have children.

Feng, from Equality, was clear about what still needed to be done.

“For women’s day, we don’t need flowery words of praise, but more women-friendly and gender-equal policies, giving women an equal position and opportunity in family, career and public lives,” she said.

Source: SCMP

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