Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • China to further reform investment approval system to boost efficiency

    China to further reform investment approval system to boost efficiency

    BEIJING, April 16, 2026 — China’s State Council has unveiled a revised set of policy guidelines to advance systemic reform of the country’s investment approval mechanism, with the core goals of cutting bureaucratic red tape, elevating approval service efficiency, and unlocking larger volumes of high-quality effective investment across the country.

    Released publicly on Wednesday by the General Office of the State Council, the new framework lays out targeted adjustments for the two major categories of investment projects in China: government-backed and privately led initiatives. For projects funded through public resources, the guidelines commit to further clarifying and optimizing the distribution of approval authority across different levels of government, alongside the introduction of a lifelong accountability system for project decision-making. This measure is designed to enforce greater responsibility among official decision-makers and reduce misallocation of public investment funds.

    For projects driven by private and enterprise investment, the policy requires continuous dynamic updates to the official government approval catalog, standardized documentation for project registration, and stronger alignment between national investment policies, industrial development strategies, and production factor management frameworks. The coordinated policy design aims to reduce policy friction and give enterprises greater clarity when planning new investment initiatives.

    To tackle longstanding complaints about slow and fragmented approval processes, the guidelines outline concrete steps to streamline administrative workflows for all investment projects, standardize regulatory oversight of public project bidding and tendering, crack down on prevalent irregularities such as bid-rigging and collusive bidding, and upgrade digital systems for project information filing. These changes are expected to cut the overall timeline for project launch and reduce compliance costs for investors.

    In closing, the policy document emphasizes that relevant regulatory departments will have their oversight responsibilities strengthened, and a new performance evaluation system aligned with China’s national goal of high-quality development will be established to assess the outcomes of the reform and investment implementation.

  • South African politician Julius Malema jailed for 5 years for firing rifle shots at rally

    South African politician Julius Malema jailed for 5 years for firing rifle shots at rally

    JOHANNESBURG – In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves through South Africa’s political landscape, prominent opposition leader Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years in prison following his conviction on firearms-related charges stemming from a 2018 political rally incident. The conviction, handed down in October, found the leader of the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) guilty on five separate counts, ranging from unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition to discharging a weapon in a densely populated area and reckless endangerment of public safety. The incident, captured on camera and widely shared across social media platforms, also saw Malema’s personal bodyguard Anton Snyman standing trial alongside him – though Snyman was ultimately acquitted of all charges. When delivering the sentence, Magistrate Twanet Olivier emphasized that the severity of the sentence reflected the gravity of Malema’s actions, in the context of a nation grappling with persistent gun violence. In her remarks from the bench, Olivier noted that communities across South Africa face regular losses of innocent life from stray gunfire, with children often falling victim to random shots while playing in residential streets and yards. This incident was no different, she argued, even though the shots had been characterized by the defense as celebratory fire. Throughout the legal process, Malema has repeatedly maintained that the charges against him were politically motivated. The case was brought by Afriforum, a lobby group representing the white Afrikaner minority that has had a long-running, bitter conflict with the firebrand opposition leader. Malema has claimed the group orchestrated the prosecution to target him for his political stances. However, Olivier rejected any implication of bias in the ruling, stressing that both the guilty verdict and the sentence were based exclusively on Malema’s conduct on the day of the rally, not any political considerations. Malema, whose EFF holds the position of South Africa’s fourth-largest political party, is one of the country’s most polarizing public figures. His political platform is defined by radical policy proposals, including calls for the expropriation of white-owned land without compensation and the full nationalization of South Africa’s mining and banking sectors. His controversial public profile extends beyond South Africa’s borders: last year, a video of Malema singing a contentious anti-apartheid song, which some have interpreted as inciting violence against Afrikaners, was featured by former U.S. President Donald Trump during a high-stakes meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, drawing international attention to the figure. As news of the sentence breaks, South Africans now face questions over the future of the EFF and the impact of the ruling on national political dynamics ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.

  • Wanted activist arrested in South Africa over support for Benin coup plot

    Wanted activist arrested in South Africa over support for Benin coup plot

    In a coordinated sting operation carried out at a Pretoria shopping center earlier this week, South African law enforcement has detained high-profile French-born Beninese activist Kemi Seba, who was wanted internationally for charges tied to an alleged failed coup attempt in his home country of Benin. Alongside Seba, 45, officials also took his 18-year-old son and a third individual accused of acting as a paid smuggler into custody, as the group was reportedly plotting an escape route to Europe via neighboring Zimbabwe.

    Seba, whose full legal name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, has built a large international following as a vocal Pan-Africanist, known above all for his vehement opposition to long-standing French political and cultural influence across the African continent. He currently leads the Pan-Africanist Emergency NGO, an organization focused on advancing African sovereignty and cross-continental solidarity, and counts 1.5 million followers across his social media platforms.

    The arrest stems from charges filed by Beninese authorities, who accuse Seba of inciting rebellion after he openly supported a December 2025 attempted coup against Benin’s sitting government. The mutiny, carried out by rogue soldiers, was quickly defeated within hours with security support from Nigeria and France, but Seba released a public video calling the attempted overthrow a “day of liberation” for Benin, a former French colony. That statement prompted Benin to issue an international arrest warrant for the activist. Preliminary investigations from South African police also confirmed Seba is wanted on additional criminal charges related to crimes against the state in his native France.

    The smuggling facilitator detained alongside Seba and his son had reportedly been paid 250,000 South African rand, equal to roughly $15,000, to help the group cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, from where they planned to travel onward to Europe, according to an official statement released by South African police this Thursday. All three detainees appeared in court on Wednesday and remain in police custody ahead of a next hearing scheduled for 20 April, with formal extradition proceedings already underway.

    Seba’s history of political activism has long been marked by controversy. He has been convicted multiple times in France on charges of inciting racial hatred, and has repeatedly faced accusations of anti-Semitism. In 2024, France stripped him of his citizenship, a move he responded to by publicly burning his French passport and declaring he had been “freed from the burden of French nationality.”

    He has also been repeatedly accused by Western officials of spreading Russian propaganda across the African continent. Thomas Gassilloud, who chaired France’s National Assembly defence committee in 2024, labeled Seba a mouthpiece for Russian interests, claiming he served a foreign power that actively fuels anti-French sentiment across West Africa. Later that same year, the ruling military junta in Niger granted Seba a diplomatic passport naming him a special adviser to junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani. Like neighboring military-led governments in Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger’s junta cut military counterterrorism cooperation with France after seizing power and has aligned itself closely with Russia instead.

    As of this report, Seba has not issued any public comment responding to the charges against him.

  • Plastic packaging runs short in Asia amid conflict

    Plastic packaging runs short in Asia amid conflict

    The ongoing Iran conflict has triggered an unexpected shake-up in Asia’s $200 billion packaging industry, disrupting critical plastic raw material supplies, sending polymer prices soaring to four-year highs, and accelerating a long-discussed shift toward eco-friendly paper-based alternatives that environmental campaigners have pushed for decades.

    The disruption traces back to the conflict’s impact on Middle Eastern energy and petrochemical exports—supply chains that Asia, the world’s largest plastic consuming and producing region, is deeply dependent on for raw feedstock. With oil and petrochemical flows choked off, plastic input costs have skyrocketed, forcing businesses across multiple sectors to reevaluate their reliance on conventional single-use plastic packaging.

    South Korean cosmetic packaging manufacturer Yonwoo, which has long offered a line of sustainable paper-based tubes and pouches, has emerged as an early beneficiary of the market shift. Senior manager Kim Min-sang, who works at parent company Kolmar Korea—a supplier to global beauty giant L’Oreal—told reporters that inquiries for the firm’s paper packaging options have tripled since the conflict escalated. Unlike traditional plastic packaging, Yonwoo’s paper tubes for products such as sunscreen and body lotion use just 20% of the plastic found in conventional alternatives. While initial demand for these options came almost exclusively from brands prioritizing sustainability goals, Kim says growing interest is now being driven entirely by plastic supply uncertainty, with further demand growth expected if supply chain disruptions drag on.

    Across the region, the crisis is exposing just how deeply reliant Asian economies have become on plastic, even as the region grapples with a global plastic pollution crisis that it contributes to disproportionately. According to a 2025 study published in *Nature* by researchers from Tsinghua University, Asia accounts for more than one-third of all plastic waste that leaks into global ecosystems, driven by inadequate waste management infrastructure in many low-income Southeast Asian nations. Per capita, Japan ranks second only to the United States in plastic production and consumption, making the country particularly vulnerable to current supply disruptions.

    Japanese retailers are already sounding alarm bells over impending shortages of core plastic products including food trays and shopping bags. Kensuke Takahashi, product manager at Marutake Supermarket located in Saitama, just outside Tokyo, says industry wholesalers have repeatedly warned of incoming supply gaps. “We now have to discuss how to sell our products if trays are no longer supplied at all,” Takahashi said. “I’m very worried. We really don’t know what will happen.” Major Japanese plastic manufacturers including Mitsubishi Chemical and Sanipak, which produce plastic bags and food cling wrap, have announced that they will hike prices for selected products by roughly 30% in the coming weeks to offset spiking raw material costs.

    The disruption has already pushed some companies to make abrupt switches to alternative packaging. In Malaysia, leading dairy producer Farm Fresh has confirmed it has temporarily transitioned to paper-based milk cartons to avoid production halts. But for many small and medium-sized manufacturing firms, switching to alternatives is not a quick or simple option.

    Gaone, a 20-year-old South Korean firm that produces plastic packaging for face masks, is already facing extended order delays. Sales team manager Han Kyung-hun says the company is now warning clients of order lead times stretching to eight weeks, and projects that the supply crunch will hit its annual revenue significantly. “I hope things return to normal as soon as possible,” Han said, noting that even if the Iran conflict ends immediately, full supply chain recovery could still take up to two months.

    The current crisis comes as global progress on curbing plastic production remains stalled. Negotiations for a binding global treaty to address plastic pollution broke down last year, after the United States and major plastic-producing nations rejected a proposal led by the European Union to implement mandatory caps on new plastic production. While the current market-driven shift to paper alternatives has moved faster than years of policy negotiations, many industry analysts note that the transition is still largely a reactive short-term fix, rather than a permanent, structured shift toward sustainable packaging.

  • Tone-deaf, expensive tourism songs draw a lot of flak

    Tone-deaf, expensive tourism songs draw a lot of flak

    Two costly, government-funded tourism music projects in central and southwest China have drawn widespread public and official condemnation for misspending public funds, emerging as a high-profile test case for a new national campaign aimed at reshaping how Chinese officials measure effective governance.

    The first project, overseen by Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism in partnership with the local Hubei College of the Arts, carried a 3 million yuan ($440,000) price tag to produce a single tourism promotion song. The second, in Sichuan’s Zhaojue County — a region that emerged from extreme poverty only recently and still relies almost entirely on higher-level government transfer payments to cover its annual fiscal expenditure — allocated 1.49 million yuan to create and promote three similar music productions.

    An official investigation into the projects found multiple critical flaws in their planning and approval. Neither initiative underwent rigorous assessment of their potential public outreach impact, and both reflected a growing problematic trend of officials chasing trendy vanity projects rather than addressing grounded, practical public needs. The review also found that the agencies behind the projects violated central government directives calling for tighter controls on public spending, a rule that requires party and government bodies to set an example of cost-cutting and fiscal prudence.

    Officials further noted that the decision-making process for both projects lacked due rigor, with final approvals driven heavily by subjective preference rather than data-driven, community-centered analysis. These two cases, the official statement emphasized, are not isolated incidents: they are emblematic of a broader, systemic issue in how some local officials evaluate and pursue professional performance.

    The public criticism of these ill-conceived tourism projects comes on the heels of a party-wide study campaign launched by the Communist Party of China Central Committee in late February 2026, focused on entrenching what the party frames as “a correct understanding of what it means to perform well”. The campaign, scheduled to run through July, is designed to root out misguided governance approaches that lead to wasteful vanity projects, hidden fiscal risks, unnecessary burdens on local communities, and erosion of public trust in government.

    This performance-focused framework serves as a core guiding principle for officials nationwide, stressing that effective governance should be measured by tangible improvements to public well-being and long-term sustainable outcomes, delivered through thoughtful decision-making and concrete on-the-ground action — even when those benefits do not materialize immediately. This latest initiative marks the continuation of the party’s ongoing efforts to strengthen internal self-governance, following a 2025 campaign focused on reforming official conduct.

    Party analysts and policy experts agree the campaign arrives at a pivotal moment for China. As the country enters the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), a key developmental stage on the path to achieving basic modernization by 2035, the success of the plan’s long-term goals depends entirely on how officials interpret and implement policy priorities.

    Li Zhiyong, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, explained that practices like ignoring local economic and social conditions, blindly following trendy project types, and prioritizing quick, visible results over long-term foundational work could create major barriers to progress over the course of the five-year period.

    Wang Junwei, director of the Academic and Editorial Committee at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, echoed this view, noting that officials must balance a focus on short-term visible achievements with investment in less visible, foundational work that lays the groundwork for sustained long-term development. This balanced approach, Wang emphasized, is essential to maintaining steady national progress.

    The official statement outlining the findings of the tourism project investigation stressed that all future policymaking must center public well-being, improve the efficiency of public expenditure, and enforce strict disciplinary measures against wasteful spending. “Every yuan of public funds should be directed to the most pressing needs, so that people can see and feel tangible, meaningful improvements in their daily lives,” the statement concluded.

  • Trump says war ‘close to over’, hints at fresh talks

    Trump says war ‘close to over’, hints at fresh talks

    A stark contradiction has emerged between U.S. President Donald Trump’s optimistic remarks on the US-Iran conflict and unconfirmed reports of expanding American military presence in the Middle East, as regional diplomatic efforts gain momentum to de-escalate tensions. Speaking in an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday, Trump asserted that the ongoing standoff with Tehran is ‘very close to being over’, adding that he believes Iranian authorities are eager to reach a negotiated settlement. He also dropped a hint that a new round of bilateral talks could be held in Pakistan in the coming days.

    While the Trump administration has not publicly confirmed any new troop movement, The Washington Post first reported that thousands of additional U.S. service members will be deployed to the region in the coming days to pressure Iran into accepting a deal favorable to Washington. Iran has yet to issue an official response to Trump’s talk of new negotiations, but Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a public statement this week outlining an upcoming diplomatic tour by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye between April 15 and 18.

    Officials note the visits are centered on advancing bilateral cooperation and discussing regional peace and security priorities. A key stop on Sharif’s tour is Turkiye, where he will take part in the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum and hold one-on-one talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other visiting global leaders.

    The United Nations has already signaled cautious optimism for renewed negotiations. During a UN briefing on Tuesday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that following a call with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the UN has received indications that US-Iran talks are highly likely to restart. Guterres also praised Pakistan for taking the diplomatic initiative to facilitate dialogue and advance peace in the Middle East.

    Alongside diplomatic efforts, the U.S. military has maintained aggressive pressure on Iran through a full naval blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global chokepoint for oil and energy trade. In a post on X Wednesday, U.S. Central Command confirmed that American guided-missile destroyers are part of the blockade force, which enforces restrictions on all vessels entering or exiting Iranian coastal waters, regardless of their flag. ‘A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East,’ U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement.

    Despite the formal blockade, however, two commercial vessels managed to reach Iranian ports this week by adjusting their automatic identification system (AIS) data, according to a Xinhua News Agency report citing maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List. The two Iran-flagged container ships, originally registered as heading for the major southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, changed their AIS destination to the broader label ‘PG Ports’, short for Persian Gulf Ports, and successfully completed their journey to Bandar Abbas on Tuesday.

    Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, has condemned the naval blockade as a dangerous and irresponsible act. He described the move as ‘a reckless misstep meant possibly for a dignified exit and face-saving’ for the United States, adding that the action is designed to create the narrative that Washington is imposing its will through military force. Moghadam argued the blockade serves to justify past military deployments, aggressive rhetoric, human casualties, and the heavy financial burden of the conflict on American taxpayers.

    As diplomatic teams work to finalize the date and location for the next round of US-Iran talks, the international community is also turning attention to another ongoing conflict in the Middle East: the standoff between Israel and Lebanon. A group of 10 countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Sierra Leone, and Switzerland issued a joint statement this week expressing deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation and mass displacement crisis in Lebanon. Currently, Israeli and Lebanese delegations are holding direct ambassador-level talks at the U.S. State Department in Washington, with Israel pushing for the full disarmament of Hezbollah and Lebanon calling for an immediate ceasefire.

  • China to boost two-way urban-rural job mobility

    China to boost two-way urban-rural job mobility

    BEIJING – In a major move to address long-standing divides in China’s labor market and unlock inclusive growth, three central government departments jointly published new policy guidelines on Wednesday that outline a comprehensive package of reforms to integrate urban and rural employment systems, enable smoother two-way worker mobility, and break down barriers between segmented urban and rural labor sectors.

    Released through a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the new framework sets a core goal of delivering high-quality, full employment for workers across both urban and rural regions of the country.

    The policy suite targets five key priority areas: expanding accessible employment opportunities, building public employment services that guarantee equal access for all workers regardless of residential background, rebalancing the distribution of vocational training resources, strengthening protections for fundamental worker rights, and expanding targeted support for vulnerable jobseekers.

    To expand local job opportunities closer to rural communities, the guidelines call for growing employment offerings at the county and township levels. The policy specifically highlights untapped employment potential in consumer-facing sectors, including cultural tourism, the creator (debut) economy, ice-and-snow leisure economy, and inbound tourism. It also prioritizes the creation of grassroots-level positions tailored to young jobseekers, particularly new graduates from colleges and universities.

    To reduce information and service gaps between regions, local administrative bodies are urged to develop balanced, easy-to-access employment service networks that span both urban and rural areas. The guidelines also encourage enhanced cross-regional labor matching and public information sharing, alongside formal policy support for skilled urban workers who wish to launch businesses or secure employment in rural regions.

    On the skills development front, the framework proposes a new integrated vocational training model, alongside a policy change to relax age restrictions for enrollment at vocational technical schools, a move designed to open up skills training opportunities to more rural young people.

    For the large population of rural migrant workers employed in urban centers, the guidelines place strong emphasis on upholding core labor and social rights. Key commitments include ensuring equitable access to childcare and compulsory education for migrant workers’ children, raising the share of migrant children enrolled in urban public schools, and expanding coverage of the national housing provident fund scheme to include more migrant workers. Eligible cities are also encouraged to add qualified migrant workers to local housing assistance programs, reducing the financial burden of urban relocation.

    For disadvantaged jobseekers facing structural barriers to employment, the guidelines strengthen existing targeted employment assistance programs. Particular focus is placed on supporting workers at risk of falling back into poverty, with provisions to better leverage existing urban and rural social safety net policies to prevent joblessness from leading to economic hardship.

    The policy sets a clear 5-year implementation timeline aligned with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period, which runs from 2026 to 2030. By the end of the period, authorities aim to fully smooth cross-sector employment channels, rebalance access to employment services and training resources between urban and rural areas, and build a far more equitable national employment environment. These changes are designed to not only achieve the core goal of high-quality full employment but also underpin broader high-quality economic and social development across the country.

  • Conflict takes toll on historical sites

    Conflict takes toll on historical sites

    As armed conflict continues to roil the Middle East, a growing international outcry has emerged over the irreversible damage inflicted on centuries of cultural heritage, with at least 131 historical sites in Iran already harmed by joint US-Israeli strikes and escalating threats to culturally significant landmarks across Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli bombardment. Experts warn that this destruction goes far beyond what is commonly accepted as unavoidable collateral damage of war, representing a deliberate erasure of shared human history.

    Neda Zoghi, an Iranian artist and civilization scholar with a doctorate in Islamic art who currently serves as a researcher at the Asia West East Centre based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, argues that the scale of destruction points to a coordinated attack on the identity of regional civilizations. “When over 100 cultural heritage sites and museums sustain deliberate or negligent destruction in a matter of weeks, we are confronting something far more calculated — the systematic dismantling of a civilization’s physical memory,” Zoghi explained in comments on the escalating crisis.

    Per a Friday report from Xinhua News Agency, Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, confirmed that the damage spans 20 of Iran’s provinces, with 131 irreplaceable historical and civilization-related monuments sustaining harm from the strikes. Photographic evidence released in early April captured the devastating impact: visitors walking through the fire-scarred, structurally damaged interiors of Tehran’s iconic Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Iran’s most recognizable cultural landmarks, serve as a stark visual testament to the destruction.

    As strikes continue, concerns are also mounting that Lebanon’s rich array of cultural and historical properties face the same fate. The country’s millennia-long history has left it with thousands of archaeological sites, historic city centers, and heritage landmarks, many of which already sit in active conflict zones along the Lebanon-Israel border. Cultural heritage advocates warn that without urgent intervention to protect these sites, the region could lose irreplaceable pieces of global cultural history that have survived centuries of conflict and change.

    The destruction of cultural heritage during armed conflict is widely recognized as a violation of international humanitarian law, which explicitly prohibits deliberate attacks on historic monuments and cultural sites unless they are repurposed for military use. The scale of damage reported in Iran has drawn growing condemnation from cultural organizations across the globe, with many calling for an immediate halt to strikes that target or put at risk sites of cultural significance.

  • China’s top garden expo opens in Wenzhou in East China

    China’s top garden expo opens in Wenzhou in East China

    WENZHOU, Zhejiang — China’s most prestigious international landscaping gathering, the 15th China International Garden Expo, officially opened its doors to the public on Wednesday in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, spotlighting the nation’s ongoing dedication to advancing ecologically friendly urban transformation. First launched in 1997, the expo has long held status as China’s highest-profile and most influential international event in the landscaping and urban greening sector. Over nearly three decades, it has transformed far beyond its original focus as a showcase for floral displays and ornamental gardening, growing into a multifaceted global platform that brings together ecological restoration projects, urban renewal initiatives, and cultural heritage preservation under one umbrella.

    This year’s iteration of the expo marks a notable step forward in sustainable event planning, with organizers integrating cutting-edge green and low-carbon technologies across every stage of development. A core priority of the 2026 expo is aligning large-scale event infrastructure with broader local urban renewal goals, ensuring the park and surrounding areas deliver long-term benefits to Wenzhou residents long after the expo concludes. In a break from traditional large-scale event development models, this year’s expo emphasizes grassroots public participation, inviting local citizens to take part as co-builders of the venue and contributors to programming.

    More than 600 public and professional events are scheduled across the expo’s run, organized around four central pillars: ecological empowerment, cultural revitalization, industrial upgrading, and international dialogue. The programming has been designed to create immersive, accessible experiences that blend the expo’s core mission with tourism, youth engagement, everyday community use, and technological innovation, breaking down barriers between professional landscaping displays and public recreation.

    Since the venue, Wenzhou Garden Expo Park, opened for a soft trial operation on February 14, it has already drawn overwhelming public interest. As of the official opening, the park has welcomed more than 2.18 million visits, averaging 40,000 visitors per day in the lead-up to the launch.
    To mark the official opening of the expo, organizers released the landmark Wenzhou Declaration on opening day. The document lays out a global call to action, advocating for a people-first approach to urban planning, heightened global collaboration on environmental protection, and the exploration of a Chinese model for building inclusive, sustainable modern cities that center the needs of all residents.

  • Guangdong to advance opening-up

    Guangdong to advance opening-up

    South China’s economic powerhouse Guangdong has announced a comprehensive push to advance high-standard opening-up and accelerate the construction of a dynamic, globally competitive world-class Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), a senior provincial official confirmed Wednesday.

    Speaking at a State Council Information Office press conference held in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, Zhang Hu, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and executive vice-governor of Guangdong, outlined the province’s strategic priorities for deepening opening-up across multiple sectors.

    As an established global hub for scientific and technological innovation, Guangdong will first focus on optimizing its foreign investment landscape and expanding space for cross-border capital and trade cooperation, Zhang said. A core part of this effort is advancing the alignment of rules and mechanisms across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, which will lift the level of institutional opening-up across the GBA.

    The province’s target is to build a business environment that integrates smoothly with the systems of Hong Kong and Macao and aligns with leading international standards, with steady progress already made in harmonizing rules, regulations, governance practices and industry standards. Positive headway has already been recorded in the mutual recognition of professional and industrial standards across the three GBA regions.

    “Guangdong has recently released a work framework to build a first-class market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment,” Zhang noted. The province is also rolling out a comprehensive pilot reform program for market-based factor allocation across the nine Guangdong cities in the GBA, with the goal of delivering a stable, fair, transparent and predictable operating environment for all business entities, regardless of ownership.

    To support innovation-driven growth, Guangdong will continue refining an open, inclusive scientific and technological innovation ecosystem and speed up development of a globally influential international innovation hub. Leveraging the opportunities brought by GBA development over recent years, the province has already implemented a full innovation-driven development strategy that has lifted its overall regional innovation capacity substantially.

    For foreign investors, Guangdong has rolled out a full suite of supportive policies that enforce equal national treatment for both domestic and foreign-funded enterprises. Major multinational projects, including US energy giant ExxonMobil and German high-performance polymer manufacturer Covestro, have already established operations in the province. Over the past five years alone, Guangdong has approved the establishment of more than 113,800 new foreign-funded enterprises, Zhang added.

    In terms of trade, Guangdong has led China in total cross-border trade volume for 40 consecutive years, building robust two-way opening-up between the GBA and global markets. In the first two months of 2026, the province’s total foreign trade jumped 22.1% year-on-year to 1.64 trillion yuan (approximately $237.68 billion), hitting a record high for the January-February period.

    Guangdong’s export portfolio now spans high-growth “new three” product categories — lithium batteries, electric vehicles and photovoltaic products — alongside established high-value goods such as home appliances and furniture, all of which have gained strong traction in global markets. “Guangdong does not only sell to the world — it also buys from the world,” Zhang said. “Each year, trillions of yuan in global goods enter China through Guangdong, creating a truly two-way open market.”

    Separately, Gong Zhenzhi, director of the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, outlined the province’s energy transition plans for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030). As one of China’s largest energy consumers, Guangdong aims to build a diversified, high-efficiency, low-carbon green power supply system and scale up the clean energy industry. The province will expand safe and efficient nuclear power generation, develop large-scale offshore wind power, promote utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects, and build out flexible regulating power sources including pumped storage and new-type hydropower in an orderly manner to ensure stable energy supply across the region.