During a series of meetings of foreign ministers of Southeast and East Asian countries in Vientiane, Laos, over the past few days, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China's consistent stance on the South China Sea issue. Judging from the latest joint communique issued by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which emphasizes the importance of peace and stability in the South China Sea, the differences among ASEAN countries are gradually narrowing, and consensus is gradually expanding, experts said, noting that this is particularly evident in the shared belief that the situation should not be allowed to escalate in a way that would affect regional security and relations with China.

China also sent strong signals to the US regarding the South China Sea issue and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, urging it to stop inciting trouble, causing disturbances, and undermining maritime stability. The US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy exacerbates security dilemmas and runs counter to the long-term vision of peace and prosperity in the region.

Some experts believe the US intends to provoke a proxy war and incite a new Cold War in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea. ASEAN countries should resist actions that disrupt regional peace and provoke bloc confrontations to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Solemn stance

There is a full historical and legal basis for China to uphold territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, Wang said in elaborating on China's solemn stance on the South China Sea issue on Saturday.

With a view of safeguarding neighborhood friendliness and regional cooperation, China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) with ASEAN countries and has consistently and effectively implemented it, Wang said, adding that China insists on managing differences properly through dialogue and consultation with all parties involved.

Ren'ai Jiao is China's inherent territory. The Philippines unilaterally changed the status quo by grounding its warship illegally at Ren'ai Jiao, and even attempted to build it into a permanent outpost, which severely violated Article 5 of the DOC and reneged on its commitments made to the Chinese side, the Chinese official said.

Wang also called on the Philippines to honor its commitments, not to break its promises and not to make more trouble.

In a joint communique of the 57 ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting released on Saturday, ASEAN countries reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability of the South China Sea, avoiding actions that may further complicate the situation.

"It is evident that the South China Sea issue has become a major topic at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The positions of various parties, which were previously quite divergent, are now increasingly converging. While not completely aligned, there are emerging consensuses between the different sides," Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Chen said the consensuses mainly refer to the agreement that differences should be managed through dialogue.

On Saturday, the Philippines sent a civilian ship to deliver daily necessities to its warship grounded at Ren'ai Jiao in accordance with a provisional arrangement reached with China. The China Coast Guard (CCG) supervised the operation throughout, said Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the CCG.

China and the Philippines reached an understanding on managing the situation at Ren'ai Jiao, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on July 22.

"ASEAN countries have been quite concerned about the continuous escalation of frictions recently, as peace and stability are important to ASEAN. The provisional arrangement reached between China and the Philippines has allowed ASEAN to relax a bit," Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at the China Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The US factor behind the Philippines has always been prominent, but this time the ASEAN series of meetings have highlighted ASEAN's own unity, independence, and centrality, Ding said.

Although the South China Sea issue is indeed a significant concern for ASEAN, it is not the top priority among ASEAN's key focus areas. "ASEAN does not wish for this issue to divert the attention of member states, ASEAN, and external major powers," the expert said.

With the increasing tensions at sea, it is becoming more apparent that more ASEAN countries are realizing that handling the situation as the Philippines and Vietnam have done, particularly the Philippines, could increase their own pressure due to China's firm stance, Chen noted.

"If ASEAN were to become divided, different countries would pressure other ASEAN members, potentially changing ASEAN's stance on the issue. Now I believe the role of ASEAN in the South China Sea issue is gradually becoming more prominent again," he said.

Also, Wang met Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on Friday during the meetings, warning the Philippine side over the deployment of a US intermediate missile system and calling on the Philippines to fulfill its commitments and refrain from changing its position on Ren'ai Jiao.

Commenting on the Philippines' resupply mission to Ren'ai Jiao on Saturday, some experts considered it as certain consensus reached by China and the Philippines. China hopes that the purpose of the dialogue is to manage differences, while the Philippines aims to continue its unilateral actions, experts said, noting that although the objectives of both sides are different, there is still room for dialogue.

"Recently, we can see that the Philippines has at least adhered to some of its commitments. However, the question remains whether it will continue to do so in the future, and I have my doubts about this," Chen said.

Due to the recent tense maritime situation, the Philippines has recognized China's resolve and significant pressure, leading it to make some compromises, Chen noted. "I believe this is not necessarily the genuine intention of the Philippine government, but rather a result of pressure from China, forcing it to accept this situation."

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting also indicates that the Philippines is currently undergoing some internal changes, but these changes will likely require further compromises among different political interest groups within the country.

Proxy war

Besides warning the Philippines side over the US intermediate missile system deployment, Wang also urged the US side not to take any more action to fan the flames, stir up trouble, or undermine maritime stability during his meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Saturday.

Meanwhile, at the foreign ministers' meeting of the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Vientiane on Saturday, Wang said the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy exacerbates security dilemmas and runs counter to the vision of long-term peace and prosperity in the region.

The Chinese top diplomat also urged alert and opposition to intervention in the region by the NATO, which he said is bound to trigger confrontation and escalate tensions.

The US insists to believe that China is a country capable of and willing to challenge the "rules-based international order," with the South China Sea being a testing ground for this. Therefore, the US is unlikely to make significant adjustments in its involvement in the South China Sea issue, Ding noted.

"Currently, it hopes for chaos in the South China Sea but does not want this chaos to spiral out of control and ultimately backfire on the US. As a result, the strategy of using the South China Sea issue to sow discord and pressuring the Philippines to provoke China will continue," the expert said.

"Of course, ASEAN countries remain cautious and vigilant about this and see the situation clearly. China will not stand by in face of US' actions either," Ding added.

From January to May this year, China's total import and export of intellectual properties amounted to 180 billion yuan ($24.8 billion), a year-on-year increase of 14.1 percent. Exports of intellectual property rights (IPRs) rose 17.7 percent compared to the previous year, higher than the growth rate of imports by 4.7 percentage points, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said on Monday.

The CNIPA noted that IPRs are a strategic resource for national development and a core element of international competitiveness. In recent years, more high-value IPRs have been emerging in China.

As of June this year, the effective volume of China's domestic invention patents has reached 4.425 million pieces, and the proportion of invention patents whose right holders are enterprises has increased to 72.8 percent, with enterprises becoming more active innovators, according to the administration.

The number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 12.9, realizing the expected goal outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) ahead of schedule. The number of valid domestic registered trademarks reached 45.91 million, which is a new record high.

In terms of utilization, intellectual property has effectively empowered economic innovation and development. In the first half of this year, the number of patent transfer licenses by universities and research institutions increased by 22.2 percent year-on-year.

The value added of patent-intensive industries reached 15.3 trillion yuan, with the share of the annual GDP increasing to 12.7 percent.

Moreover, the number of foreign IPR applications and authorizations and validity in China, have all increased rapidly. 

As of June this year, the number of valid foreign invention patents reached 919,000, representing a year-on-year increase of 3.9 percent, and the number of valid registered trademarks in China totaled 2.13 million, up 3.8 percent. 

Data revealed that foreign enterprises attach great importance to the Chinese market and have full confidence in the country's intellectual property protection framework, according to the administration.

The CNIPA said that it will continue to improve the level of intellectual property protection, deepen international cooperation on intellectual property and follow the high-standard international economic and trade rules, in a bid to allow foreign-funded enterprises to better share the dividends of China's development and its mega market.

Editor's Note:

As the Chinese economy, along with the entire global economy, has been confronted with considerable challenges in recent years, some Western officials and media outlets have stepped up their long-standing smear campaign against the world's second-largest economy. They cherry-pick information and even distort facts to hype various specious narratives such as "Peak China," while turning a blind eye to China's considerable strengths and vast potential. 

As part of the Global Times' multimedia project to set the record straight, the opinion page is publishing a series of in-depth interviews and signed articles with economists, experts and scholars from different countries and regions who share their views on the prospects of the Chinese economy and debunk the Western rhetoric.
In the ninth article of the series, Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen talked with Barry Trembath (Trembath), a retired hydropower engineer living in Sydney who worked for the World Bank for 17 years and worked in 23 provinces and province level cities in China, about his understanding of high-quality development and the prospects of the Chinese economy.

GT: Last week, the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened the third plenary session of its 20th central committee in Beijing, which focused on further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting high-quality development. Based on your working experiences in China, what do you think of China's pursuit of high-quality development and its accomplishments in this regard?

Trembath: As I understand it, high-quality development is quite an advanced concept encompassing several objectives. It has several dimensions:

Development should be coordinated: The concept of coordinated development is development that addresses the various structural imbalances that occur during uncoordinated development or development which is driven purely by market forces. In China's situation, the primary imbalance is between the rural and urban economies. The income in China's most advanced economy, Shanghai, is several times that of communities in the western mountainous area of China. Early attempts at evening out this disparity focused on affirmative action to correct the imbalance. Coordinated development addresses the issue in the planning stages, taking advantage of China's planned economy.

The success of coordinated development can be measured by the ratio of GDP in rich provinces to poorer provinces. Another measure is the Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality between rich and poor. According to World Bank data, the Gini coefficient has been steadily declining. In 2008 it was 0.495. The latest data I have seen put it at 0.467 in2022. A similar improvement is evident when comparing GDP per head in richer to poorer provinces. China's tradition of collecting data makes it easy to make these comparisons.

Innovative development: This focuses on areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics advanced manufacturing, research, and other technologies, particularly development which originates from basic research rather than development from ideas generated by others. A measure of innovation is the number of patents issued by Chinese firms and individuals, research organizations and individuals. This is clearly on the rise with China being one of the leading countries in this regard. Considering the authors of papers in international journals including in the United States, Chinese names are very evident.

Green development: Green development is perhaps the only aspect which is self-explanatory. Early in China's modernization, this was characterized by air and water pollution and the destruction of natural resources, mining and coal fired power stations. Today, coal fired power stations are rare and if they are constructed at all they will be to the highest standard. In my time with the World Bank, my colleagues carried out a project called CRESP, (China Renewable Energy Scale Up Program) and it is gratifying to see that China is now the leader in several renewable electricity technologies such as wind and solar photovoltaic. They are also a leading manufacturer of equipment in these areas.

Open development: This dimension recognized the value of opening the economy to outside participants, which enables China to benefit from ideas that originated in other countries.

Shared development: This concept relates to the balanced development and the development of a middle class rather than excessive wealth in the hands of the few, recognizing that China's task now is to provide its entire population a reasonable standard of living, rather than the early task of eliminating poverty. Statements from China's leaders emphasize that this is now their primary focus.

GT: China is accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. What is your understanding of this term? How will it help advance China's high-quality development?

Trembath: As I understand it, this is focusing on the innovation objective, particularly in manufacturing where robotics are used extensively and less reliance is placed on low-cost labour or goods. Production efficiency is also gained by the improvements in infrastructure so that the cost of getting goods to market is reduced considerably.

GT: You worked for the World Bank in 23 Chinese provinces between 1989 and 2005. How would you compare China's development during that period and its development today?

Trembath: I have been back to China several times and development appears to have proceeded exponentially. The main differences I have noted are the tastes of middle-class people and infrastructure. During my time working in China, I found that only Shanghai was catering to tastes such as Western food, such as steak and table wines. When I last visited Chongqing, I found that the price of good quality wine in the shops was extremely high. The other notable difference is infrastructure. I have many funny stories about travelling in China in the early days. Air travel and road travel were the first to change and see improvements. Since then, they have been joined by the high-speed railway network, the envy of the world.

GT: What "Chinese characteristics" help China to realize its development?

Trembath: I consider the key characteristic to be the economy being planned rather than reliant only on market forces. In a pure market economy, many people are left behind.  Western economies rely on "safety nets," the best of these is in Scandinavian countries. But they are imperfect. In Australia, I am constantly reading about people who "have fallen between the cracks." Yet, others are exploiting the system. An economy planned by educated professionals is better in many ways.

GT: In your article you said, "In the context where China is mainly responsible for Australia's wealth, it is time to celebrate their achievements rather than to continue to denigrate them." Many countries, including China and Western countries like the US, are economically interdependent. But why do they keep badmouthing China's economy and even calling for decoupling?

Trembath: This is the million-dollar question. There is no question that this is led by the United States, particularly the two recent presidents and the arms industry. It is joined by other allies including Australia. I believe that the US is losing its position as a world leader which it assumed after World War II. Of course, the arms manufacturers simply want to sell more arms. I am in no position to advise China. They should continue what they are doing and resist any temptation to be drawn into a fight. "It takes two to tango." 

China should continue to cater to its natural allies, the firms operating in China. While the military industrial complex in the United States have many lobbyists in Congress, the firms who rely on manufacturing in China and trade with China also have many lobbyists.

The other thing is a dimension of openness. My experience is that many people change their opinion of China when they visit the country. Before then, they have an old-fashioned view drilled into them by their parents that communism is bad and democracy is good. China is increasing the rate of visa free entry and electronic visas. This is good. China has reached agreements with Singapore and Thailand on mutual visa exemption up to 30 days. Anything that can be done to dispel the negative image that communism has will be beneficial.

GT: How do you see the prospect of the Chinese economy?

Trembath: Despite the slowing down of the economy, I think the prospects are very good. A growth rate of about 5 percent is excellent for an economy which is the largest in the world using purchasing power parity (as used by the World Bank and the IMF). I have learned in investing not to go against the trend and the trend is rising.

The recently released communique from the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) laid out an unequivocal commitment to further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, which underscored the distinctive features of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. 

The broad economic policy objectives articulated in the communique aptly embody the five major features of Chinese modernization - a huge population, common prosperity for all, coordination of material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development, serving as a more detailed blueprint for the modernization goals outlined in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC.

Among the highlights of China's upcoming reform efforts included ensuring and enhancing the people's well-being during development, described in the communique as one of the major tasks linked to Chinese modernization, calling for doing everything within the country's capacity in this regard and refining the system to guarantee basic public services. This reflected the policies' emphasis on effectively addressing issues of utmost concern, direct relevance, and immediate importance to the people.

In this context, more definitive actions are expected to be centered on improving the income distribution system, the employment-first policy, and the social security system, further reforming the medical and healthcare systems, and improving the systems for facilitating population development and providing related services.

These objectives are of utmost significance, as they underscore the imperative need for substantial reform that will deliver immediate and tangible benefits to the population, which are central to China's modernization agenda.

The communique clarified the guiding principles and shed light on China's economic reform and development trajectory for the upcoming decade. It vowed to implement various measures for preventing and defusing risks in real estate, local government debt, small and medium financial institutions, and other key areas, in a bid to ensure both development and security. 

This reflected the central government's awareness of these critical economic agendas and its resolve to address them, closely in line with the objectives outlined in the Central Economic Work Conference last year and this year's Government Work Report.

The reiteration of these goals also highlighted the central government's sustained commitment to key reform priorities, suggesting in-depth discussions on these issues during the third plenum and that specific follow-up measures are expected to be implemented in the near future.

The communique proposed numerous directional measures addressing major development issues to build a high-standard socialist market economy by 2035, thereby sketching a strategic blueprint for China's future economic reform. To achieve these goals, the government's top agenda will be to leverage the role of the market better, fostering a fairer and more dynamic market environment, and making resource allocation as efficient and productive as possible.

Moreover, China's commitment to deepening reform of the fiscal and taxation systems, further reforming the financial system, and improving mechanisms for implementing the coordinated regional development strategy is also highly significant for realizing China's long-term development goals.

Following the plenum, it is believed that an array of longstanding and unresolved major issues will be met with specific measures.

As the global community closely follows China's reform plans, the detailed blueprint in the communique shows China's commitment to the basic state policy of opening to the outside world and continuing to promote reform through opening-up, described as a defining feature of Chinese modernization.

There is reason to believe that China will continue to steadily expand institutional opening-up, deepen the foreign trade structural reform, and further reform the management systems for inward and outward investment. This will further reassure foreign businesses and investors, bolstering their confidence in the Chinese market.

Against this backdrop, international cooperation should focus on enhancing our opening-up capabilities - by both opening doors to the global arena and encouraging domestic enterprises to expand globally.

The communique also analyzed the current economic situation and the tasks we face, highlighting that we must remain firmly committed to accomplishing this year's economic and social development goals. 

Given this emphasis, further stimulating measures are expected to be introduced in the second half of the year, particularly regarding the boost to domestic demand, as highlighted in the communique. Efforts to expand domestic consumption are anticipated to speed up to ensure this year's growth target. This is crucial for conveying a positive message to the international community.

The People's Bank of China (PBC) on Monday ramped up its monetary policy, including cuts in a key short-term rate and market-based benchmark lending rates, in the latest move to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustment and increase support for the real economy.

Analysts said the decisive move at a critical moment shows the bank's resolve to bolster sustained economic growth. The move also echoes the just-concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which stressed that the country must remain firmly committed to accomplishing the goals for this year's economic and social development.

Dismissing Western media outlets' smearing of the Chinese economy, analysts said that the Chinese authorities are moving in the right direction to achieve the GDP growth target of about 5 percent, since stepped-up fiscal and monetary policies will revive market confidence and boost effective demand.

Starting from Monday, the interest rate on seven-day reverse repos - a widely used liquidity injection tool - was cut from 1.8 percent to 1.7 percent, in a bid to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustments to better support the real economy, according to a statement on the central bank's website.
It was the first reduction since August 2023.

The central bank held the reverse repo rate and medium-term lending facility rate intact since August to stabilize the yuan's exchange rate and prevent risks. However, given growing pressure on the economy, especially weak demand, counter-cyclical adjustments should be strengthened, Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank, told the Global Times on Monday.

"The central bank's decisive move reflects its determination to bolster economic growth. It also echoes the Chinese authorities' firm commitment to accomplishing the goals for this year's economic and social development, stressed during the just-concluded third plenary session," Wen said.

PBC Governor Pan Gongsheng said in June that the bank will continue to reform market-based interest rate adjustment mechanisms, for example, by using a single short-term rate as a main policy rate to guide markets.

Analysts said that lower interest rates will flow through the markets to the real economy, which will help reduce the real economy's comprehensive financing costs, revive social expectations and consolidate the economic recovery's momentum.

On Monday, the PBC cut the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) to 3.35 percent from 3.45 percent, while cutting the over-five-year LPR by 10 basis points to 3.85 percent, according to a separate statement on the PBC website.

These figures, released each month, serve as pricing reference rates for banks. "Monday's cut can save about 57 yuan in monthly payments, or about 21,000 yuan in total, for a new homebuyer with a 30-year mortgage of 1 million yuan," Yang Delong, chief economist at Shenzhen-based First Seafront Fund, told the Global Times on Monday. The move will help stabilize the real estate sector.

"Following the third plenary session, policies to stabilize growth will be gradually rolled out, and as a result, China's economic recovery is expected to strengthen in the second half of the year," Yang said.

China's GDP grew 5 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2024 to about 61.68 trillion yuan ($8.48 trillion), data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on July 15.

Analysts expressed confidence that China can achieve its economic growth targets in 2024, noting that the Chinese people have always pulled through difficult times and achieved new progress, and China's institutional advantages and the CPC's leadership will allow the country's economic miracle to continue.

Wan Zhe, an economist and professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, rebuked some Western media reports claiming the PBC's rate cuts ahead of the US Federal Reserve's reflect downward pressure on China's economy.

"Amid global economic uncertainties and imbalances, rates are being cut in many economies, for example, the EU and Canada. China is undergoing a transition from old to new growth drivers, which needs policy support to raise expectations and drive effective demand," Wan told the Global Times on Monday.

To achieve the around 5 percent GDP growth goal, more macro-policies are needed to stabilize growth in the second half, Xu Gao, chief economist at Bank of China International, told the Global Times on Monday.

Another more effective choice for stabilizing economic growth is setting up a fund of 1-2 trillion yuan to bail out real estate developers and get the industry back to normal, so as to stop the trend of contracting demand in the economic operation, according to Xu.

China will accelerate efforts to build a high standard market system, which is a major reform task for the country, Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, said at a press conference on Friday.

He said that efforts will be made to build a unified national market, including the development of a unified urban-rural construction land market, a nationwide integrated technology and data market, and a unified national electricity market.

A new round of reform and opening-up will build a sound institutional environment for all businesses and boost their confidence to expand investment and seek greater development, Wan said, noting that forceful reforms from the world's second-largest economy will inject stability into the world amid a sluggish economic recovery.

Editor's Note: The rise of urban clusters is undoubtedly a significant impetus propelling China's economic miracle. In a recent interview with the Global Times (GT) reporters Bai Yunyi and Wang Yi, Alain Bertaud (Bertaud), a former chief urban planner at the World Bank and author of "Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities," discussed the rise of Chinese urban clusters and the influence on China's economic growth.

Bertrand brings a wealth of research experiences and unique insights to his analysis of the exceptional performance of major urban clusters like the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city clusters. He highlights the significance of scale, agglomeration effect, and innovation capability in the clusters, which underscores the great potential for enhancing China's productivity and lifting Chinese people's broad livelihood. 

GT:Have you visited China in recent years? What impressions do you have of the development of Chinese cities and urban clusters?

Bertaud: Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to visit China recently. My last trip to China was six years ago. I have tried to follow the land development by observing satellite imagery.

I began working in China during my first visit in 1983 and continued to return to the country until 2018. This experience has enabled me to witness China's development over a period of 35 years. The development of Chinese cities has been absolutely astonishing to me, especially in terms of infrastructure.

What impressed me the most are the large urban clusters in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta - now the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which has unparalleled size. The San Francisco Bay Area, including Silicon Valley and surrounding areas, is home to approximately 7 million people. The GBA now has a population of around 90 million people, equivalent to the entire population of Germany. The region is increasingly connected by rapid rail. Twenty years ago, it would take about two or three hours to travel from Hong Kong to Guangzhou by train. However, based on the data I have now, the journey only takes about 40 minutes.

In my view, there are still some progresses to be made in transport in the GBA. If this can be achieved, the GBA would be by far the most productive and innovative area in the world. What we have learned in urban development is that if you manage to have a very large labor market, the productivity of this area is much higher than the productivity of smaller cities, even though running a large city is more complex than running a small city.

I'm very encouraged to see that the local governments in China encourage innovation in different type of transport, not only speedy trains, but also self-driving cars. I think that this experimentation is absolutely necessary. In Europe and the US, cities are often hesitant to embrace change, leading to the implementation of regulations that could slow down change there. It appears that the Chinese are facing change much more eagerly and with more imagination.

GT: You once mentioned that China's unprecedentedly huge urban clusters have the potential to usher in a new era of improved productivity and creativity. Could you elaborate on the perspective? Compared to urban clusters in other parts of the world, what advantages do Chinese urban clusters have in terms of scale, economic benefits from concentration, and innovation capability?

Bertaud: I see two advantages.

First, size. I discussed before that China's GBA is larger in size compared to other clusters. If you look at productivity, innovation, size is important. 

Second, land use. Many manufacturing enterprises in the San Francisco Bay Area have relocated due to high land prices. The area now primarily consists of research labs, office buildings, and other brain work-related industries. Manufacturing has been outsourced to other parts of the US or even to other countries.

In China, industrial areas continue to remain in clusters like the Yangtze River Delta and the GBA. I believe this creates an advantage because research is important, but researchers must also be exposed to manufacturing in order to improve it. The key is not just inventing new things, but making those inventions work for the common good and commercializing them. I believe that the land use diversity in Chinese clusters is an advantage in achieving this.

GT:In 2017, you said in an interview that the most successful cities are those who embrace rapid urbanization rather than those that try to slow this process down. At that time, you mentioned China's ability to rapidly develop urban infrastructure. In your view, what enabled China to achieve fast urbanization? Is there anything in this process that other developing countries can learn?

Bertaud: I think there are cultural reasons that are difficult to replicate. When I was working in China, I noticed that China has a very clear and efficient decision-making system. This is a major advantage of China, but I am not sure if it's possible to transmit it to other countries.

In many other countries, at a local level of a city, there is a fragmentation of decision-making, which slows down decision-making. For instance, in New York, there has been an effort to implement congestion pricing to reduce traffic in the city center. However, the decision-making process is fragmented, resulting in no progress being made. 

GT: You discussed in your book the complementary relationship between infrastructure planning and market mechanisms. What changes do you think have occurred in China's urban planning since the reform and opening-up compared to before?

Bertaud: On the one hand, China has been able to develop top-down infrastructure, which must be designed in advance. On the other hand, the infrastructure has increasingly responded to market demands. I believe this is a significant strength of China. In the West, we sometimes face challenges with our top-down infrastructure due to fragmented decision-making.

Another advantage of China is that the boundaries around cities are very large. There are rural counties that are part of the municipality, which I believe is a significant advantage compared to the fragmentation we sometimes see in the West. 

GT:A few years ago, The Economist reported that China is striving to transform itself into a nation composed of 19 major regions based on large urban clusters. At that time, you stated that if integrated properly, China's urban clusters could achieve productivity levels never seen before, "comparable to the gap between the UK and the rest of the world during the Industrial Revolution." Six years later, any change to your prior prediction? 

Bertaud: I think that because of the demography now, I will slightly modify my comment 10 years ago. In my opinion, even if some of China's major city clusters succeed, that would be enough to drive the economy of China.

I think that eventually the best city will attract more people. People vote with their feet. The most creative people, more entrepreneurs will be attracted there. I think that's the way probably the Chinese clusters succeed. 

GT:In your opinion, what challenges do China's large urban clusters still face, and what can be done in the future?

Bertaud: I think they are on the right track. I will concentrate on the transport and especially the last five-kilometer of transport. From the high-speed railway station to people's final destinations, whether it is a residential area or an office, there is still room for further improvement in the level of transportation and comfort.

The second is housing. Try to increase the supply of housing by encouraging competition, rather than relying solely on large companies. Smaller developers are typically more in tune with local demand and may be more likely to identify opportunities on smaller parcels of undeveloped land. In a city, people of all income levels are essential and should have access to affordable housing.

China hopes Germany respect facts and makes reasonable decisions, urging the European country to provide a fair market environment for enterprises from all countries, including Chinese companies, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told a press conference on Thursday.

Lin made the remarks in response to reports claiming that the German government and telecom carriers in the country have agreed in principle on steps to take out components made by Chinese companies from the nation's 5G wireless network during the next five years.

According to Reuters, under the preliminary agreement driven by "security considerations," the telecom operators will initially remove the country's 5G core network equipment made by Chinese companies including Huawei and ZTE by 2026.

In a second phase, the role of Chinese makers' parts for antennas, transmission lines and towers would be eliminated by 2029.

Lin said that Chinese technology companies such as Huawei have been operating in Europe for many years, building high-quality communications infrastructure for Europe, creating a large number of jobs and tax revenues, and there is no evidence that the Chinese equipment jeopardize the national security of European countries.

"Politicizing economic, trade and sci-tech issues will only undermine normal technological exchanges and cooperation, which is not in the interest of any party," Lin said, urging Germany to independently make decisions in line with its own interests and international rules, while also providing a fair, transparent, open and non-discriminatory market environment for enterprises from all countries, including China.

Telecom operators in the country have previously resisted Berlin's efforts to drive the expensive phase-out of Huawei, Reuters reported. However, the cost of the transition is expected to be significant.

The US telecommunication sector regulator said in May that nearly 40 percent of US telecom companies need additional government funding to remove telecom equipment made by Chinese companies from America's wireless networks.

International auditing company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) will reportedly reduce about 50 percent of its financial services audit staff in China, in addition to discharging about 20 percent of its staff in other auditing lines and non-auditing businesses.

The lay-off followed PwC's dismissal of stories that its branch in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, was to shut down on July 10.

PwC said the lay-off was a difficult decision, noting that due to the changes in external circumstances, the auditing firm has optimized its organizational structure in response to market demand, Chinese media outlet jiemian.com reported.

PwC said that the company has always valued talent and have invested heavily in talent development over recent years, adding that they are engaging in thorough communication with the employees and ensuring that the labor adjustment plan complies with relevant Chinese labor laws.

The report cited an employee of PwC, confirming the lay-off news and saying that they were discharged in the first week of July. Another employee said that new recruits this year were not affected.

PwC China office now has over 800 partners, and more than 20,000 workers in total, who are scattered in 29 Chinese cities, including Hong Kong, Macao and Xiong'an in North China's Hebei Province, PwC's website said.

Multiple listed companies in China have announced they are switching away from the PwC partly due to China's finance regulator is considering a significant penalty for the firm over its role in auditing the embattled property developer China Evergrande Group, which filed for bankruptcy last year and was ordered to be liquidated earlier this year.

In earlier July, the official website of PwC showed that it has appointed Li Dan, also known as Daniel Li, as the new chairman to head PwC Asia Pacific and China area.

Li has served in navigating the complexities of IPOs, M&As, inbound and outbound transaction for a diverse range of MNCs, POEs and SOEs, the company's website said. "Li will lead PwC China in its mission of 'solving important problems and building social integrity,'" the company said earlier.

Pakistan and China are deepening cooperation in emerging green sectors through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mustafa Hyder Sayed, executive director of the Pakistan-China Institute told the Global Times in a recent exclusive interview. 

Sayed viewed the green CPEC project as a global model of people-centered, win-win cooperation that significantly advances new energy transition and sustainable economic development.

The comments came ahead of the 8th China-South Asia Expo, which is scheduled to take place in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, on July 23-28. During the Expo, green energy will stand out as a crucial sector where the two regions aim to enhance extensive and diversified business cooperation, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

Sayed highlighted accelerating Chinese industry relocation and technology transfer to Pakistan to enhance bilateral cooperation across green sectors. "This process will fuel local economic development and energy transition while allowing Chinese firms to benefit from Pakistan's lower production costs, facilitating China's green engagements with Central Asia and the Middle East," he said.

CPEC, a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is now upgrading into a green economic corridor. Sayed noted that the initiative has significantly benefited Pakistan by addressing its energy crunch, improving intra-country and cross-regional connectivity, developing local infrastructure, and revitalizing ports for enhanced commerce.

Pakistan is committed to developing renewable energy projects and investing in eco-friendly initiatives within the green CPEC by absorbing and utilizing Chinese advanced expertise and technologies, Sayed said, acknowledging the necessity of securing financial support from China. 

"Drawing investments from Panda Bonds, which are yuan-denominated debts issued by foreign entities in China, along with green bonds issued by Chinese banks, will contribute to funding green projects and fostering sustainable development in Pakistan," Sayed said.

Since its establishment in 2013, CPEC had cumulatively created 236,000 jobs for Pakistan and contributed to the addition of 510 kilometers of highways, 8,000 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, and 886 kilometers of expressway network across the country, according to official data. 

Various energy projects under CPEC, such as wind energy and hydroelectric projects in northern Pakistan, are the country's notable efforts toward diversifying the energy matrix. Chinese investments can help Pakistan reduce dependence on imported fuels while supporting its vision of reaching 30 percent of green energy capacity in the power mix by 2030, according to Sayed.

In June, the first unit of the China-built Suki Kinari Hydropower project in northwest Pakistan entered its wet testing phase, marking a major step towards official operation and power generation, furthering the progress of renewable energy cooperation under the CPEC, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Looking forward, Sayed said that more joint ventures are expected, focusing on localizing solar panel cells manufacturing in Pakistan. 

"Our way is to facilitate low-carbon investment from China into Pakistan, establish clear green investment criteria for Chinese investors, as well as ensure projects' financial viability, security, and profitability," he said, adding that Pakistan is eager to cooperate with and learn from China. 

Pakistan-China cooperation exemplifies people-centric cooperation between countries, Sayed said. "China has been prioritizing ecological and environmental protection as integral to human development, focusing more on improving people's living standards, which Pakistan views as a model for its modernization," he added.

In late May, China and Pakistan announced five new corridors for the second phase of CPEC construction, including the Innovation and Green Corridors, according to Pakistan media reports. Pakistani officials have vowed to attract more Chinese investment for joint ventures in renewable energy and modern agriculture projects.

Unlike Western models, China's economic growth is based on shared prosperity, extending mutual benefits to its partners, he said, highlighting this model's crucial role in reshaping the global landscape, while some Western countries' new Cold War mentality is overshadowing world peace and the rise of the Global South.

He criticized these countries' ongoing smear campaign against China as part of their containment strategy to hinder China's rise. They are also trying to create controversy around the BRI cooperation by labeling China's investments as placing debt traps. However, these attempts will fail, Sayed said.

The Global South is looking to China for leadership, as the future of the world economy is shifting toward the East, while the Western powers will seek confrontation to uphold their hegemony, he noted, urging the West to engage constructively with China in all potential areas, avoiding over-politicizing economic and trade issues.

Sayed is optimistic about China's growth prospects, noting despite external challenges, the Chinese economy remains resilient amid efforts for high-quality development. China's new development pattern of "dual circulation" will transform its economy into one driven by both domestic and international demand, promising a sustainable path of development, he said.