During the Paris Olympics, a Spanish journalist carried and praised a Chinese-made backpack with the Beijing Olympics logo as "the best bag ever" for its exceptional quality. The endorsement sparked a surge in orders for the backpack, again highlighting the global recognition of Made-in-China products through the Olympic spotlight.
"Our company attracted more than 2 million viewers at our live-streaming site on Douyin.com within 18 hours, resulting in total sales of the backpack exceeding 3 million yuan ($419,720), Chen Haining, the manager of Xiangxing Group, the producer of the backpack, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Chen added that the total sales of the backpack surpassed 5 million yuan within two days of live streaming, and the company's Douyin account has swelled with new fans, with the number of the new followers hitting 700,000 within three days, and going on to exceed 800,000 as of Tuesday.
This backpack was designed for media use during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Since then, the backpack was spotted during many international events carried by international journalists.
The Spanish journalist said he has been using the China-made backpack since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for 16 years, according to a report by China News Service on July 25.
Chen said that the backpack was specifically designed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, utilizing advanced technologies of that time to ensure durability and strength, but the backpack cannot be reproduced using the Olympic logo due to copyright issues.
The upgraded version of the backpack, priced at around 100 yuan, is now available and quickly sold out upon release. Other similar products made in China are also in high demand.
The backpack has attracted widespread attention from both domestic and international media in recent days, and its "high-quality" has become a popular description for Chinese-made products at this year's Paris Olympics, market watchers noted.
The success of Made-in-China products in drawing consumers at the Paris Olympic Games lies in a combination of high quality and sharp market insight, Liang Zhenpeng, a senior industry analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"Seizing such opportunities requires genuine quality, and the market recognition could benefit the company's future market expansion abroad," he said.
"Our team discovered that a foreign journalist mentioned this backpack in a China-related media report, and our company chairman shared the news online, encouraging us to respond proactively," Chen said, "I felt both excited and proud."
"We swiftly formed teams to handle the increased traffic generated by the Paris Olympic Games. During the past few days, our workers are motivated to create enough buzz that resonate with consumers," Chen told the Global Times.
When Manila hypes up so-called Chinese aggression, the Philippine people hold a different view. "China, like most of us Asian nations, are peaceful people. China did not invade us. China did not kill our ancestors. China did not impose their culture on us. China did not force us to speak their language. China did not meddle in our internal politics. But the United States did," wrote Jun Abines (Abines) , a Philippine political commentator. Why does he believe this? What experience could the two countries draw from previous friendly periods? Abines shared his views with Global Times (GT) reporter Li Aixin.
GT: Why do you believe China is peaceful?
Abines: More than 10 years ago, I was anti-China because of what I heard from TV, newspapers, and radio. The Philippines had a strong anti-China campaign for three decades. However, in 2014, while running a construction business, I met a client from the Chinese mainland named Mr. Qin. He noticed my criticism of China during discussions about China-Philippines relations amid tension in the South China Sea under President Benigno Aquino III. Mr. Qin invited me to visit China, specifically Guangzhou. That tour changed my perspective. From the moment we landed in Hong Kong and drove four hours to Guangzhou, I saw a China that was very different from what the media portrayed. During my 12-day stay in Guangzhou, I observed it was like Europe: safe, modern, and highly progressive.
I started researching more, and that's how my perspective changed on China. The more I dug into it, the more I realized that China, like the Philippines, has been invaded and bullied. China has actually helped fellow Asian countries that were invaded by the US.
In the last 500 years of history, most of the worst conflicts in the world have not involved China; it's mostly been Western countries. So, I am 100 percent convinced that China is a peaceful country. The narrative in the Philippines that China will invade us is a joke, because history itself will tell that Chinese people are peaceful. They love business and trade.
GT: You also mentioned, "The West and the US already invaded us."
Abines: In 1898, the US came to the Philippines with deception. They said they would assist us in fighting the Spanish, and the Filipino rebellion against the Spanish government welcomed US troops. It was later revealed that Spain had already sold the Philippines to the US for $20 million, deceiving us during their first invasion.
Now, American troops are back, claiming they will enter our country again to help us fight China and be our friends in humanitarian and disaster response. However, look at what happened in Metro Manila recently - the flooding. No American forces were seen in the area offering aid. The rhetoric - the US trying to help - was a lie. We were deceived again.
The US claims it needs nine bases throughout the Philippines. What is their purpose, and why are these bases located in cities full of civilians?
Before the US' return to the Philippines, the world already knew that the US' objective in Southeast Asia is to contain China. This is common knowledge. I think more than 50 percent of Filipinos know this, but most media outlets are silent now, and people like me are being silenced. Many of us face bans or deletions on social media. Our articles are hard to circulate because they want to prevent the truth from coming out.
People like me who are raising our voices are not doing this for anyone else but ourselves. Many Filipinos understand that inviting US forces to the Philippines will only bring trouble and chaos.
GT: In Cebu City, where you live, there is the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, which is one of the bases the Philippines is offering the US access to. How do local people feel about the US military presence?
Abines: There's already a movement. Months ago, I saw a rally here advocating against a proxy war. There's a group saying that they oppose war. When interviewed by local media, they said, "We don't want to be the next Ukraine."
Another local group - No to Proxy War - conveyed that we Filipinos understand the US' objective is to contain China, and we don't want to be used as a proxy. We see the dangers ahead on that path. We want US forces to leave the Philippines and let us manage our own country, so we can progress economically. For too long, the Philippines has been poor due to bullying and economic policies dictated by Western countries, especially the US.
GT: After China and the Philippines recently reached a temporary arrangement on managing the situation of Ren'ai Jiao, the Philippine administration quickly reversed its position. How do you interpret Manila's flip-flopping on this hard-won consensus?
Abines: It has been this pattern over the past 12 months. Our current administration lacks a clear stance on peace. We notice this double talk on our side. President Marcos is saying two conflicting things at the same time. He said he wants peace, but his actions don't support it.
Additionally, there are too many spokespersons on the Philippine side. Unfortunately, many will accuse me of being a traitor for saying this - I believe the truth is that the Marcos administration is very incompetent and is primarily serving US interests. If they truly prioritized the Filipino people's interests, they would wholeheartedly go for peace and diplomacy.
It seems that the Marcos administration is aiming to please a master. While their master is supposed to be the Filipino people, they appear to be serving the US instead. Their actions align with what the US dictates. That's why we are very restless in the Philippines because we've seen so much incompetence and abandonment of Filipino welfare.
The Filipinos desire independence for the Philippines from the US. We seek progress, and the path to progress lies in fostering friendship with China, other ASEAN nations, and the US, but not in being a puppet of the US. If we continue to follow Marcos' actions, progress will elude the Philippines.
GT: What are the positive aspects for the Philippines in having better ties with China? And what experiences could the two countries draw from previous friendly periods?
Abines: During his six years in office, former president Rodrigo Duterte adopted a neutral foreign policy and fostered friendly relations with China, which proved to be the best thing that happened to us economically. From 2016 to 2020, we witnessed significant economic growth and progress in our country.
This serves as a prime example of the benefits of an independent foreign policy and maintaining an open mind toward a pro-Asia perspective. This approach is crucial for ASEAN countries, especially the Philippines, to promoting regional peace.
The lesson we can learn from the past period is to set aside differences. The South China Sea is disputed by at least five Asian countries. We should focus on prioritizing what both sides truly need: trade, progress, peace, and order. China, now an economic superpower with advanced technology, presents significant benefits for the Philippines. For a long time, the Philippines was deprived of technology and investment from Western countries, whom we call friends.
There's a lot of hypocrisy in our friendship with the West, as we often hear and read in the news that they claim to be our friends.
But whenever we try to improve our economy, they oppose us. They dictate what we can or cannot do, hindering our progress. For instance, we need nuclear power plants, but they oppose it. We also need to resolve our insurgency problem, but the US doesn't want that to happen. This illustrates the irony of our Western friends. When we apply for visas to the US, about 90 percent of applications are denied. They view Filipinos as mere sources of cheap labor and we cannot enter the US and Europe without showing a lot of money. They think most Filipinos are bad guys. We are not welcome in their country. This is the worst friendship.
The more I dig about our relationship with the West and the more I try to understand our relationship with China, the more I see hypocrisy from the West and sincerity from China.
Most Filipinos truly want peace in the South China Sea and throughout Southeast Asia. During the previous administration, we were very happy. Our economy was growing, and numerous infrastructure projects were underway. We had a strong relationship with China, and the Chinese government funded many projects in the Philippines. However, over the past two years, this progress has halted.
We're frustrated that our mainstream media outlets only focus on negative news involving China, when we could benefit greatly from fostering friendship with, understanding, and embracing China as well as other Asian countries as brothers. That should be our case. But right now, we are disappointed by the fact that we have an administration in the Philippines that is a US puppet, which disgusts me personally. I think many Filipinos share my sentiment.
China's State Council, the country's cabinet, issued guidelines to promote high-quality development of consumption of services sector and expand opening-up of the fields including telecommunications, education, elderly care, medical care, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.
The timely and critical move is conducive to unleashing the enormous potential of the service sector and inject new impetus into the high-quality growth of the Chinese economy, which has established a well-developed industrial system in the manufacturing sector and is experiencing rapidly rising demand for improved consumption among residents, experts said.
While emphasizing the exploration of the potential of improvement-oriented consumption in areas such as cultural entertainment, tourism, sports, education and training, and residential services, the guidance also encourages the growth of emerging sectors including cruising, yachts, recreational vehicle camping, low-altitude flight, Xinhua reported.
China's manufacturing industry and the real economy have developed rapidly. Promoting high-quality service consumption will contribute to the balanced and sustainable growth of China's economy, Cao Heping, an economist from Peking University, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Many service consumption areas cited in the guidelines are those that need to be further developed in the process of increasing China's national income levels, according to Cao.
China's growth will remain resilient at around 5 percent in 2024 despite challenges. The country’s service sector is an underutilized driver of growth. Reallocating resources to services has helped boost productivity over the past two decades, according to an IMF article published on Friday.
The proportion of service consumption in urban residents' spending now exceeds that of goods consumption, with a relatively higher growth rate. Promoting the growth of service consumption at this time will aid in the overall recovery of consumption, Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Saturday.
China will continue to relax market access restrictions for the service sector, deepen the opening-up of the fields of telecommunications, education, aged care, medical care, and promote the comprehensive implementation of opening-up measures in the fields of technology services, tourism, according to the guideline.
China plans to further streamline border entry policies and enhance the consumption environment to expedite the increase in the number of flights, offer a variety of payment services, explore opportunities to expand visa-free countries, and enhance cultural tourism year activities, according to the guideline.
Expanding openness in these areas will further support the continuous recovery and upgrading of China's industrial structure, according to Tian.
Relaxing market access and expanding opening-up policies will help attract more foreign capital and foreign tourists to engage with China's service consumption market. This will be a favorable policy promotion for the development of related fields, Cao added.
A man who stole a doctor's lab coat to dilute his wife's blood sample at the hospital to help her evade punishment for drunk driving was convicted of aiding the destruction of evidence and sentenced to four months' detention and six months' probation, according to a court ruling in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, on Wednesday.
The judgment is now in effect. The case disclosed by the court revealed that the man's wife, surnamed Huang, was caught by a traffic police while driving a minivan under the influence of alcohol in August 2023. Huang was then taken to the hospital for a blood test before returning home.
The man, surnamed Zhu, came to the hospital on the same day and stole a white coat and gloves from a room to disguise himself as a medic. Zhu found Huang's blood sample test tube from the storage area, then poured water into the test tube to dilute the blood sample, and put it back in its original location.
Staff at the identification center discovered abnormalities in Huang's blood sample and called the police after observing Zhu's actions on surveillance footage. Zhu's actions resulted in Huang's blood samples being unable to be used as evidence, and subsequently the public security organs utilized spare blood samples for re-identification.
The court held that the defendant Zhu ignored the law, and his doing has constituted the aiding and abetting the destruction of evidence, and shall be punished according to law. However, in view of the fact that the defendant Zhu has confessed and meets the conditions for the application of probation, he may be subject to probation in accordance with the law.
Zhu disrupted the normal order of litigation procedure. His action would have made the offender escape legal penalty, and he ought to be punished by the law, according to the court.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for modernizing the country's border, coastal, and air defense to make it strong and solid as he chaired a leadership group study session prior to the country's Army Day, which falls on Aug. 1.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at the study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is holding intensive foreign military interactions with several countries across three continents, reflecting China's efforts in boosting friendly military cooperation and enhancing global peace and stability, experts said on Sunday.
In Europe, the PLA Navy's Type 052D guided missile destroyer Jiaozuo and Type 903A replenishment ship Honghu is visiting St. Petersburg and attending the celebrations of the 328th anniversary of the Russian Navy before visiting Egypt, with the Jiaozuo joining a Russian naval parade on Sunday, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
Another PLA Navy flotilla consisting of the Type 071 comprehensive landing ship Longhushan and the far seas training ship Zheng He is visiting Vladivostok, another Russian port city, for the celebrations.
In Africa, the militaries of China, Tanzania and Mozambique are holding the Peace Unity-2024 joint exercise from late July to mid-August on land and at sea under the subject of joint counter-terrorism military operations, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, announced at a regular press conference on Thursday.
According to reports by CCTV, PLA forces arrived in Tanzania by sea and air over the past days, with the PLA Navy sending two Type 071 comprehensive landing ships, the Wuzhishan and Qilianshan, and a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, the Hefei, and the PLA Air Force sending Y-20 strategic transport aircraft in a multidimensional cross-border delivery operation carrying PLA Army troops and heavy equipment such as armored and assault vehicles.
In Asia, a detachment sent by the PLA Army will participate in the Khaan Quest-2024 multinational peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia in late July, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.
Before these ongoing events, the PLA wrapped up several other foreign military interactions over the past month, including a China-Russia joint aerial strategic patrol over the Bering Sea, a China-Russia joint naval patrols in the West Pacific and the South China Sea, the China-Belarus Eagle Assault-2024 joint army training in Belarus, and the China-Laos Friendship Shield-2024 joint drill in Laos.
China has engaged in intensive military exchanges, joint exercises and joint patrols with foreign countries recently in moves to boost friendships, understandings and pragmatic cooperation, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
Being able to hold simultaneous military interactions across three continents also shows the PLA's capabilities in global reach, as China now has a large number of advanced, ready-for-combat strategic transport aircraft and far seas-capable naval vessels, the expert said.
Many of the military interactions stress counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and regional security issues, while others are friendly visits or celebrations, the experts pointed out, noting that these events are not targeted at any specific third party or regional situation, and are conducive to peace and stability around the world.
Along with Team China, 35,000 high-performance ping pong balls and a wide array of high-tech sports gear descended on the Paris Olympics. Chinese experts and industry players said the situation reflected a profound change in the Chinese industrial sector in the past decade.
From chip-embedded soccer balls that allow a referee a firmer grasp of match dynamics to a nano-coated judo mattress that resists stains and is easier to clean, the infusion of tech ingredients is the latest case of Chinese companies' growing manufacturing prowess, in addition to cost performance, flexibility and first-rate services, observers said.
"Our company's illuminated table tennis table is a product of constant improvement and innovation for over two decades. The three-dimensional logo utilizes advanced tooling techniques to achieve the desired balance between looks and user friendliness," Lou Shihe, general manager of Shanghai-based DHS, told the Global Times on Monday. DHS is a long-time provider of sports gear to the Olympics.
Yang Xuefeng, brand operations manager at Guangdong-based Double Fish Sports Goods Group Co, told the Global Times on Monday that his company provided 35,000 table tennis balls of "top quality" to the Paris Olympic Games.
"The ping pong balls have an elasticity tolerance under 4 millimeters, a weight tolerance of 0.015 grams, and hardness tolerance of 0.03 millimeters, surpassing International Table Tennis Federation standards. The stringent quality ensures more stable flight, precise landing and better feel," Yang said.
For the first time in the history of the Olympics, the company has innovatively incorporated ball-serving machine technology into the referee table, replacing manual labor with a machine that can precisely send the ball from the table's server to a spot in front of the player, Yang said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a routine press conference on Friday that "made in China" is one of the ways that China participates in the Olympics.
High-quality Chinese products will provide technical and service support for the Paris Olympics and make the event even more stunning visually and technologically, Mao said.
Chinese sports gear was already predominant in many major sports events before the Paris Olympic Games, but it is the Olympics that command the unparallel media spotlight and attention of the masses.
"Just as the 1988 Seoul Olympics demonstrated to the world of the capability of Corporate Japan in factory assembly production, I think the Paris Olympics showed the leading position of Corporate China in the era of smart and intelligent manufacturing," Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, told the Global Times on Monday.
The realization of complex processing techniques requires best-in-class machine tools, as well as constant and hefty investment in a plant's production line. Sports gear production has become a miniature model of Chinese manufacturing's transformation from large-scale assembly line production to module-based intelligent production featuring high-level automation and informatization, Cao said.
From 2021-23, China has launched smart manufacturing pilot projects and built 421 national-level demonstration factories along with over 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and smart factories, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
At an executive meeting in May, the State Council adopted an action plan aimed at advancing manufacturing digitalization, and it vowed to channel more energy into the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector to foster new quality productive forces.
Observers said the impressive debut of these high-tech sports gear products at the Paris Olympic Games epitomized the nation's steadfast efforts in transforming and upgrading its manufacturing sector, and the increased brand value and orders of numerous producers across the country showed the tangible benefits of embracing the digital trend.
In the first half of 2024, Chinese manufacturing companies' investment into technological upgrades grew 10 percent year-on-year, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than overall manufacturing investment growth, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
In addition to the technology elements that Chinese companies brought to the Olympics, the traditional advantages of Chinese manufacturing companies, such as advantages in scale and cost, continue to give them an edge.
Some 80 percent of the "Phryge" mascot dolls for the 2024 Paris Olympics were produced by Chinese companies, CGTN reported on Thursday, citing the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.
Shi Lei, a manager with Ningbo-based Ningbo Donggang Sports Co, told the Global Times on Monday that the company's shuttlecock production is at full throttle to meet an uptick in demand brought by the Games, although summer is not the traditional peak season for badminton products.
"Our orders increased by some 20 percent as the Games approached, and our annual production capacity was fully booked as early as March," Shi said, adding that the value of exports to France alone increased by 35 percent year-on-year in the first half.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on a 10-day trip to Asia on Wednesday. This will be Blinken's 18th visit to the so-called Indo-Pacific region since taking the post. Many US media have pointed out that Blinken's attempt to bolster relations with Asian countries this time is aimed at China.
This is a large-scale trip by the US to shore up the "Indo-Pacific Strategy," during which Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will meet with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, and Austin and Blinken will attend the fourth US-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The intention to "encircle" China can't be more obvious.
When Blinken talked about China-US relations at the Brookings Institution on July 1, he reiterated "competition, contestation and cooperation" and said that China hopes to become a "leading country" in the international system. He said that China's vision for the future is different from that of the US, hence, the US is going to make sure that it is the one who is effectively shaping the future. Blinken staged a typical show of Western politicians using "noble words" to spread strategic malice.
The US is currently grappling with the presidential election, and other countries are now confused about the US policies which have become uncertain. Therefore, the US hastily sent Blinken to appease its allies and give an explanation to these countries. But for Blinken's trip, its symbolic significance far outweighs its practical significance.
"Blinken's Asia trip is not expected to achieve any substantive result. The US has engaged with these Asian countries all these years, but the outcomes have been minimal. Of course, the US will not give up. It will maintain routine contact and hope that some of its needs can be met at some point in the future. At present, I think it is difficult for Washington to leverage anything in these countries." Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
From China's perspective, it should be highly vigilant about whether Biden's administration will use the remaining time to try to provoke more disputes in this region, particularly conflicts between the Philippines and China, and take it as the political legacy of this incumbent administration.
The US has significantly strengthened its relations with several Asian countries in recent years, especially countries that are involved in territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. Just two days after China and the Philippines announced on Sunday that the two sides reached an understanding on managing the situation at China's Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef), Blinken announced his Asia trip. He will likely further promote camp confrontation during this trip.
The US certainly doesn't want to see peace between Beijing and Manila, that's why it is now emphasizing the dispute and its determination to defend the Philippines. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan even stated on July 19 that the US will "take all necessary measures" to ensure that the Philippines can send supplies to the illegally grounded warship at Ren'ai Jiao. These US politicians don't care about the consequences at all, because the US will not really participate in conflicts, but simply transfer risks to its proxies.
In addition, the US is in chaos domestically, and therefore Blinken's Asia trip further demonstrates that the US not only fails to handle its internal affairs, it also wants to aggravate the chaotic situation across the world.
The US has evil intentions to bolster relations with Asian countries during his trip, that is, to destroy the original development and cooperation atmosphere in this region in an attempt to make geopolitics become the focus. The US wants to build Southeast Asia into a strategic barrier to contain China. It shouts noble slogans of "democracy," "rules-based orders" and "freedom" here, but what it actually does is expand the rifts and suspicions in the region and catalyze the fermentation of every dispute. What it most wants to see is chaos in the region, which will lead to its deep involvement and the reliance of countries in the region on the US.
China always views Southeast Asia from the perspective of development and good neighborliness, while the US views this region from the perspective of major power competition. Countries in the region should keep their eyes open, make clear what the US is seeking here, what consequences it may have, and take precautions against it, so as to prevent US destructive strategies from undermining peace in the region.
American businesses reaffirmed their commitment to the China market, their major trading partner, during their visit to China with a large delegation.
Despite the challenges and complexity in the bilateral relations, the visit of the American industry representatives, immediately in the wake of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, showcased the foreign companies' eagerness to understand more about the important policies released from the meeting, as well as the fact that two countries' economic and trade ties will stay resilient despite certain "decoupling" attempts from the US government, Chinese experts said.
The delegation led by Raj Subramaniam, board chair of the US-China Business Council (USCBC), had opportunities for face-to-face talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, and other senior officials such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and the Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao earlier this week, during which both sides exchanged views on many key subjects of concerns.
Roberta Lipson, founder of United Family Healthcare and Vice-Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, who also participated in the meetings as a member of the delegation, told the Global Times on Thursday that the face-to-face discussions during the visit helped to build confidence.
Every year the board of directors of the USCBC sends a high-level delegation of executives to give feedback, exchange ideas and learn from the leadership of China's government. Lipson said that the US-China relationship has had its challenges over the last few years, exacerbated by the lack of contact and dialog during the COVID pandemic.
"Although both government-to-government and people-to-people contacts have been recovering and growing for the past year and a half, the challenges of the post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as competitive, strategic and security issues continue to make for uncertainty," she noted.
Despite these vicissitudes in the relationship, Lipson said that business has continued to work on trade and investment, which creates jobs, improves quality of life and prosperity for both countries. "The face-to-face discussions of this visit helped to build confidence," she noted.
To Lipson, this visit comes at an opportune time, immediately after the third plenum, which outlines the development strategy for China over the next five years.
"Our visit at this time was a unique opportunity to hear directly from China's leadership about the third plenum's plans for strategic development; including a continued commitment to reform and opening-up, evening the playing field for the private market and SOEs, and increasing market access for foreign investment," Lipson said.
The delegation also had the opportunity to give feedback about challenges they were facing in their business. This, Lipson said, "along with the warm reception of our hosts, all have served to increase the confidence of the visiting executives."
In a meeting with the delegation led by Subramaniam on Tuesday, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao noted that China will continue to open up, and welcome enterprises from all over the world, including those from the US, to continue to explore the China market and share development opportunities.
Subramaniam said in the meeting with Wang that China has sent a positive signal to the world to further deepen reform and expand opening-up, which has enhanced market confidence, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Economic and trade cooperation is a stabilizing force for bilateral relations. Subramaniam said that the USCBC and its member companies support the expansion of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and will continue to be committed to long-term development in China.
"The visit of such a large delegation of the US businesses to China reflects the fact that many American companies are still hoping to maintain close relations with China, their major trading partner, in order to better secure their business interest," He Weiwen, a senior fellow from the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times in recent interview.
Their visit once again demonstrated that they attached great importance to the China market and that the two countries will not and cannot "decouple" from each other, He said.
China created 6.98 million urban jobs in the first half of this year, achieving 58 percent of its annual target, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Tuesday, highlighting the country's labor market has remained broadly stable.
The urban unemployment rate stayed low during this period, falling to 5 percent in June, a year-on-year decrease of 0.2 percentage points, which indicated a stable and positive trend in the job market, the ministry said.
The ministry predicts the positive trend will persist in the second half of the year, supported by comprehensive favorable policies and the advancement of new quality productive forces.
Employment among key groups, such as college graduates and migrant workers, also remained stable, with more than 30 million individuals from impoverished backgrounds employed by the end of June, the ministry said.
The stable trend was largely driven by ongoing economic revival, increased service consumption and robust growth in advanced manufacturing sectors, such as high-end equipment and new materials, the ministry noted.
The country's employment outlook is to remain stable, buoyed by the ongoing economic rebound and the progressive impacts of favorable policies, analysts said.
The ministry highlighted the significance of new quality productive forces in generating high-quality jobs.
In recent years, the demand for talent in advanced technology sectors including artificial intelligence has also surged, with job openings for large language development increasing by 605 percent year-on-year, according to Zhilian Zhaopin, a Chinese job-hunting platform.
However, the ministry emphasized that challenges remain, including a complex external environment, insufficient domestic demand and some firms' operational pressures. Job seekers from certain sectors may still encounter difficulties, indicating that unwavering efforts are required to achieve job targets and maintain market stability.
