Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Vietnam
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Vietnam
On December 12, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he held talks with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The meeting marked the third round of reciprocal visits between the two leaders and aimed to strengthen the bilateral relationship between China and Vietnam.
Xi and Nguyen held talks to discuss various aspects of the bilateral relationship. Both leaders recognized the historical ties and mutual support between China and Vietnam, both during their struggles for national independence and in their respective reform and innovation endeavors. Xi stressed the strategic significance of China-Vietnam relations in the current global context of unprecedented changes. He called for a strengthened partnership that would contribute to the stability, development, and prosperity of the region and the world. Both sides have announced the new positioning of relations between the two parties and nations, committing to building a Chinese-Vietnamese community with shared future that holds strategic importance.
After the talks, both leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents, which covered over 30 areas of cooperation, including “Belt and Road” initiative, digital economy, green development, transportation, defense and law enforcement security, and more. Overall, President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam showcased the deepening friendship and cooperation between China and Vietnam and laid the groundwork for a stronger partnership in the years to come.
China Holds Central Economic Work Conference
China recently conducted the Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping was in attendance and delivered a significant speech outlining the country’s economic priorities and strategies for 2024.
The conference acknowledged that 2023 represented a year of economic recovery and development following the COVID-19 pandemic. By deepening reforms, enhancing macroeconomic regulation, stimulating domestic demand, optimizing economic structure, boosting confidence, and managing risks, China’s economy made steady progress towards high-quality development. Despite the positive trajectory, the conference also noted several challenges and difficulties that need to be overcome to further promote economic recovery. These challenges include insufficient effective demand, excess production capacity in certain industries, weak social expectations, multiple risks, bottlenecks in the domestic circulation, and an increasingly complex and uncertain external environment. The conference emphasized the need to enhance awareness of potential risks and effectively address these issues.
The Central Economic Work Conference serves as a crucial platform for setting the economic agenda and charting the course for China’s development. The outcomes of this conference will provide the framework for China’s economic policies and initiatives in the coming year, ensuring sustained growth, stability, and progress on the path to achieving the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.
Several Universities Stop Providing Dormitories for Parts of Students Sparked Heated Discussions
On December 12th, several universities, including Peking University, announced that they would not provide dormitories for certain graduate students, which sparked heated discussions. Providing affordable dormitories for its students has always been regarded as an obligation for universities. This change has caught students off guard.
The annual rent for most Chinese university dormitories is only 1,200 yuan. In contrary, studios and one-bedroom apartments around universities can be approximately 5,000 yuan per month.
Therefore, students who fail to secure a dormitory spot at school will have to spend an additional 60,000 to 70,000 yuan per year on housing. For students with financial difficulties, this unexpected housing expense will undoubtedly bring significant pressure.