Liao Mingfa, an 88-year-old man living in Jiangshan county, Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, still remembers that on April 19, 1942, when he was a little boy, his father, Liao Shiyuan, rescued a foreign man in the local mountains.

"That was a man with a long nose, red hair, and was very tall. Some villagers discovered him in the mountains and reported to my dad (who was the then village leader). My dad, along with four other villagers, went to rescue him. They took him back to home at around 9 pm. My dad guessed he was probably an American," Liao Mingfa recalled.

Despite not knowing the man's identity or why he had appeared in a small mountain village thousands of miles away in China, Liao Mingfa's parents took good care of the mystery foreign guest, cleaning his wounds and treating him with medical herbs.

At a time when Chinese people were facing tough living conditions, members of the Liao family also tried their best to treat the guest as best as they could. They would specially cook rice or eggs for the wounded guest while they themselves just ate corn paste.

"At first, he dared not eat the egg my mother cooked for him; he relaxed and started eating only after my father took a bite," Liao Mingfa recalled.

The mystery American the Liao's family rescued turned out to be Lieutenant Charles J. Ozak (1916-2010). He was one of the 80 Doolittle Raiders who launched America's first airstrike on Tokyo, on April 18, 1942, in retaliation for Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

The mission, led by Doolittle, marked the first successful US military bombing on Japanese soil during World War II, targeting Tokyo and four other cities.

The film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo produced by American film company MGM in 1944 detailed the arduous process of the Doolittle Raid. However, compared with the initial target to bomb Tokyo, the real challenge of the raid lay in the second half of the journey - landing in China.

According to Zheng Weiyong, a local history researcher who spent 20 years studying the Doolittle Raid's history in Quzhou, the planes were supposed to land in Quzhou airport, but had to make emergency landings in the mountains and waters near the airport due to various unexpected conditions such as loss of communication and low fuel.

The American movie Midway released in 2019 features this dramatic landing scene.

In the pitch-black night, a plane shook violently in the storm, with a flashing red light warning of critically low fuel. After repeated unanswered calls to airport ground control, Colonel Doolittle made a difficult decision - to parachute out and abandon the aircraft.

"I don't know if the land below belongs to the Chinese or the Japanese, so everyone be careful. Let's meet in Quzhou…" Doolittle encouraged his comrades before ejecting from the aircraft.

Fifteen of the 16 B-25 bombers that had participated in the Tokyo air raid crashed into the sea and the mountainous areas of East China's Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Fujian provinces, leading to a massive rescue operation by Chinese people.

Among the 75 raiders on the 15 planes, 64 were rescued by Chinese people.

The strange tall men who suddenly fell from the sky did scare the villagers at the beginning. However, after learning that they were American pilots who were fighting the Japanese, no effort was spared to protect and take care for them as well as help to reunite with their team.

After spending four days in the Liao household, Ozak was transported by local villagers to an air force base in Quzhou. The villagers carried him along the 30-kilometer route across rugged terrain. Another 50 rescued pilots were also assisted in making their way to the base and, together, they were transported to Chongqing.

Another pilot Major Ted William Lawson (1917-1992) suffered severe injuries when he fell into the area abutting the sea in Quzhou. On a boat, villagers transported him across the enemy ship blockade line to send him to the nearby hospital for amputation surgery, risking their own lives to save Lawson's.

However, what these pilots did not expect was that, after their departure, the Japanese army would launch a brutal attack in Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces in retaliation. The month following the raid saw the relentless bombing of Quzhou airport and a brutal campaign of germ warfare in the city, leading to an estimated 250,000 deaths according to reports.
A treasured history

Doolittle Raid survivors and their descendants have not forgotten the efforts of the Chinese people.

On the 50th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, Doolittle wrote a letter expressing gratitude to the Chinese rescuers: "On behalf of all members of the Doolittle Bomber Squadron Association, I sincerely appreciate our Chinese friends - those who risked their own lives and the lives of their families to rescue and take care of us!" according to materials provided by the Information Office of Quzhou government to the Global Times.

In 1990, a delegation composed of surviving Doolittle Raider veterans, visited Zhejiang to express their gratitude. Wherever they went, the delegation presented a commemorative bronze plaque engraved with the Chinese characters "duoxie" (Thank You), along with the signatures of the 44 surviving Doolittle veterans at that time.

China also remembered these old friends. In September 2015, Jeff Thatcher, the son of David J. Thatcher (1921-2016), another participant in the Doolittle Raid who was rescued by Chinese people, was invited to China on behalf of his father to attend the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War. He followed in his father's footsteps and paid a visit to Quzhou.

In 2018, the Doolittle Raid Memorial Hall opened in Quzhou. In October that year, a delegation of 24 members from the Children of Doolittle Raiders visited Quzhou to participate in the opening ceremony.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Thatcher said, "Today, this exquisite building in front of us is a witness to the hardships endured by our ancestors and a symbol of cooperation and friendship between China and the US since April 18, 1942. We hope that the Doolittle Raid Memorial Hall can become an educational base for visitors, allowing more people to understand how 80 brave American pilots and thousands of brave Chinese people united together."

As they walked through the memorial hall, the eyes of the Doolittle raiders' children were gradually filled with tears. Susan Ozak, daughter of Charles J. Ozak, knelt in front of a photo and pointed to a soldier with trembling hands, saying, "Look, this is my father. Thank you for helping me understand my father better."

As a symbol of her gratitude to the Liao family, Susan Ozak donated $15,000 during her stay in Quzhou in 2018 to help renovate and preserve the old Liao house, where her father once lived for four days.

After learning that the renovation program had been completed in September 2023, Susan sent a video to the Quzhou government to express her gratitude again to the Chinese people. "I am grateful that this project was recently completed. By making this donation, I want to show the people of Jiangshan and of China my deep appreciation for all they did to help the Doolittle raiders during the war. Thank you!"

Susan also established a friendship with Liao Mingfa. "I hope she can come back to have a look every year. I am 88 this year, I hope I can still see her when I am 120," Liao Mingfa said.

Doolittle's friend Bryan Moon (1928-2015), former vice president of Northwest Airlines, was also dedicated to investigating Doolittle raiders' history in China for many years. In September 1990, he organized a 5-person inspection team to visit Zhejiang and Anhui to look for the Chinese people who had participated in the rescue.

Thanks to his efforts, the state of Minnesota, which had modified the Doolittle Raid's bombers, intersected with Quzhou. In 1994, Quzhou and the city of Red Wing in Minnesota became sister cities, marking a new era of friendship between American pilots and Chinese farmers.

Nowadays the young generation has taken on the mission of exchanges between the two places. In the last 30 years, Quzhou and Red Wing have exchanged delegations many times, with more than 200 people, including 30 teachers visiting to each other's schools and 13 artists having taken part in artistic exchanges.

Pan Zhiqiang, a former teacher and principal of the Quzhou No.2 High School, was the first exchange teacher from Quzhou to visit Red Wing. "At that time, overseas understanding of the Doolittle Raid was only limited to the event itself and few knew about the Chinese people's contribution to the action." During Pan's stay, schools in Red Wing added a course called "China," and a seed of mutual understanding was quietly planted in the two places across the ocean.

An enduring friendship

This history caught the public's attention after Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned it in his speech at a welcome dinner for the APEC, on November 15, in San Francisco. He referred to it as a vivid example to demonstrate that "the foundation of China-US relations was laid by our peoples."

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the US sent 16 B-25 bombers on an air raid to Japan in 1942. Running low on fuel after completing their mission, Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and his fellow pilots parachuted in China. They were rescued by Chinese troops and local civilians. But some 250,000 civilian Chinese were killed by Japanese aggressors in retaliation, Xi introduced.

The American people, on their part, always remember the Chinese who risked their lives to save American pilots. Offspring of those American pilots often visit the Doolittle Raid Memorial Hall in Quzhou of Zhejiang Province to pay tribute to the Chinese people for their heroic and valorous efforts. These stories fill me with firm confidence that the friendship between our two peoples, which has stood the test of blood and fire, will be passed on from generation to generation, Xi stressed.

Due to his research on the Doolittle Raid, the local history researcher Zheng Weiyong has also become a friendship ambassador between China and the US. He has been invited multiple times by the Doolittle Raiders Association to participate in commemorative events in the US.

Looking back on the numerous journeys across the Pacific Ocean and the experience of traversing history and the present, Zheng deeply feels that as long as people stand together and overcome difficulties, and follow the trend of peace, development, cooperation, and a win-win spirit, the future of China and the US will surely be bright.

The Doolittle Raid is an important manifestation of China-US cooperation during World War II. It extends to the present, when we are still working for world peace and economic development. The presentation of historical artifacts is not to commemorate the war, but to celebrate humanitarianism and keep history "alive" and ensure it is passed down.

Businesses and experts see more potential in economic and trade ties between China and New Zealand as bilateral relations get stronger, highlighted by the ongoing visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the island nation this week.

As the two countries deepen cooperation in traditional sectors like dairy and aquatic products, industry insiders and experts said that there are burgeoning areas such as tourism, the green economy and digital economy where their complementarity can further be leveraged.

The comments came as the two countries marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington on Monday.

During the meeting, Wang noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand, the countries had set numerous records of "firsts," driving bilateral relations to the forefront of China's relations with developed countries, according to the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

China is happy to see New Zealand's continued participation in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, and looks forward to working with New Zealand to explore the new growth areas of cooperation such as science and technology, green and innovation while strengthening the cooperation in traditional fields, Wang said.

The Chinese economy enjoys both a solid foundation and a broad space for growth, which will continue to inject more impetus into the world economy and bring new opportunities to New Zealand, the Chinese foreign minister said.

At the meeting, Luxon also expressed his expectations for deepening cooperation in various sectors including economic and trade issues, education, tourism, agriculture and technology.

Wang is the highest-ranking Chinese politician visiting the country since he went there in 2017.

The visit has drawn wide attention, with businesses seeing even brighter prospects for bilateral economic and trade ties, the core of the bilateral relationship, experts and industry insiders told the Global Times.

The relationship between China and New Zealand has consistently been at the forefront of China's ties with developed Western countries, creating numerous milestones, Chen Hong, director of the New Zealand Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.

Economic and trade relations serve as the cornerstone of bilateral ties, with New Zealand products such as beef, lamb, dairy items and seafood gaining increasing popularity among Chinese consumers. Economic and trade relations have been robust and mutually beneficial, with China's value-for-money products also appealing to New Zealand consumers.

In addition to traditional sectors, both countries have vast potential for cooperation in the fields of the green and blue economies, as well as in the realm of the digital economy, Chen Hong said.

The strong China-New Zealand relationship also serves as a model, particularly for Australia, to learn from, especially after the downturn in China-Australia relations during the previous Morrison government, said Chen Hong.

Among various bilateral exchanges, tourism has been an important factor, with greater potential for growth.

Jason Chen, head of the New Zealand-China Travel Exchange Association, who also owns a travel agency in New Zealand, told the Global Times on Monday that he has good expectations for the high-level government meetings during the visit of China's foreign minister in terms of a possible boost for the tourism industry in the island country.

The year 2019 was the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism, with outbound travel from China to New Zealand reaching 587,700 in terms of arrivals. However, due to the pandemic, the number of tourists traveling to New Zealand has significantly decreased, Jason Chen said.
While there has been a recovery in terms of the number of Chinese tourists visiting New Zealand, it has not recovered to the pre-pandemic level.

"With high-level visits, we expect to boost the development of the tourism industry in both China and New Zealand. Booming tourism will help further revive the New Zealand tourism industry and boost its economy," Jason Chen said.

At the same time, the tourism industry insider said that as the bilateral relationship gets closer, the New Zealand government will consider introducing short-term visa-free policies for Chinese tourists, making it more convenient for more Chinese people to visit the island country for sightseeing and tourism.

In the dairy sector, business potential is strong. In a statement previously sent to the Global Times, Teh-han Chow, CEO of Fonterra's greater China division, said that the China market is incredibly dynamic and a strong driver of international trade and investment.

China's emphasis on openness creates opportunities for businesses to engage in mutually beneficial partnerships, expand market access, and contribute to economic growth, Chow said.

Bilateral relations have seen a positive trend, with important meetings and interactions at both the government and business levels taking place, following the visit of then New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to China in June 2023, charting a good course for bilateral relations.

Both countries marked many "firsts" in their bilateral relations. China is New Zealand's largest trading partner. New Zealand was the first Western country to support China's accession to the World Trade Organization and the first Western country to decide to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

In March 2017, New Zealand became the first Western developed country to sign a cooperation agreement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Based on mutual respect and equality, the relationship between China and New Zealand has maintained steady momentum since the establishment of diplomatic ties, yielding many fruitful outcomes, Chen Hong said.

New Zealand's economic development has also directly benefited from closer ties with China, including a free trade agreement. China's ongoing consumption upgrade continues to inject new impetus into the island country's economic recovery in the post-pandemic era, Chen Hong said.

There are high complementarities between the EU and China since both sides are impacted by climate change and both have clear targets to pursue in the green transition, Vicky Pollard, head of the Unit in the European Commission's Directorate General for Climate Action, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

Chinese experts said that the remarks set a rare and positive tone from the EU side in seeking more cooperation with China against the backdrop of the intensified probe targeting Chinese new-energy products.

They also said that in order to facilitate their green transition, the EU needs to put more words into action by looking at cooperation rather than competition with China in the field.

The EU and China have much more to cooperate on in the green economy, said Pollard, noting that it also makes economic sense for the EU and China to cooperate for the green transition.

The remarks were made after a meeting on EU 2040 Climate Target, a seminar co-hosted by the EU Delegation to China and the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Tsinghua University in Beijing on Thursday.

During the meeting, Pollard gave a thorough presentation on EU's 2040 climate target and Chinese experts and industry representatives exchanged their views on how to pursue green transition and how China and the EU can cooperate in achieving their respective targets for carbon reduction.

Talking about the cooperation that have been made between China and the EU in green transition, Pollard told the Global Times that there are many things both EU and China have discussed and have been working on, including emission trading.

"We also share experiences and seek cooperation on our respective domestic frameworks to ensure deployment of innovative solutions to ensure we meet our commitment to tackle climate change, and we make sure that those commitments are achieved in the most cost-effective ways," Pollard said.

While climate change is a global problem, Pollard said that "by acting together, we can do so at a lower cost and faster provided there is a level playing field. It's also about more dialogue and learning from each other to develop good policies."

The deployment of renewables such as wind power and solar power in the EU and in China is a good example of good policies and the benefits of deployment at scale, said the EU official.

"The EU cannot undergo the green transition alone, nor can China. It's important that we work together within a rule-based system, including for trade, and maintain balance," Pollard further noted.

Laurent Bardon, head of the Green Transition Section at the Delegation of the European Union to China, told the Global Times that from Thursday's meeting, it's evident that participants from both sides engaged in an open discussion, striving to find optimal solutions for enhancing cooperation between China and the EU in the green transition.

"It's good more interactions like this take place in the future," Bardon said.

The China-EU economic and trade ties have encountered rising concerns after the EU issued on March 6 the Official Journal of the European Union regarding its commission's implementation regulation that makes imports of new battery electric vehicles designed for the transport of persons originating in China subject to registration.

The mandate may have some impact on EV exports to Europe, as it may possibly be followed by punitive tariffs, as experts and media reports had said.

Responding to the media question regarding customs registration, He Yadong, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce, said that the EU's import registration measures and possible retroactive taxation have increased the number of import links and added burdens to normal trade.

It is not conducive to deepening cooperation in the new-energy industries of both parties and will also affect the interests of EU consumers, He noted.

Although the EU claims to seek cooperation with China in green transformation, in reality, there is still significant suppression, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday. He noted that the EU's move targeting corresponding Chinese products is mainly due to geopolitical factors and a desire not to overly rely on China's industrial chain.

"Green transformation mainly involves cost-effective control and the application and popularization of green technology, and China, with its mature industrial chain, has a good advantage in this regard that the EU cannot imitate in the short term," Lin said.

However, if the EU side truly wishes to facilitate green transformation cost-effectively, it should refrain from suppressing relevant Chinese enterprises and products, Lin remarked.

Green transformation is a common goal for China and the EU. The EU needs China's affordable green products, while China needs the EU's large market, which is a win-win situation for both sides, Lin said.

China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) plan to invest in 133 projects in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from 2024 to 2026, with a total investment of nearly 700 billion yuan ($97.55 billion), China Media Group reported on Tuesday.

With a focus on emerging industries in Xinjiang, the investments will be dedicated to new technologies, new tracks and new markets, striving to create a forward-looking and strategic "incubator," and cultivating new quality productive forces, the report said, citing an unnamed official of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).

The projects are expected to create 32,000 new jobs for the residents of Xinjiang during the three-year period, the official said at a meeting held in Beijing on Monday.

In 2023, central SOEs invested 270 billion yuan in fixed assets in Xinjiang and secured contracts worth 170 billion yuan for project construction, SASAC Chairman Zhang Yuzhuo said at the meeting.

These efforts are part of a broader strategy to boost local employment through industrial support, Zhang noted.

Ma Xingrui, Xinjiang's regional Party chief, said at the meeting that the SASAC as well as various central enterprises have been deeply engaged in industrial support in Xinjiang over the years, making significant contributions to the region's economic and social development.

In the meantime, Xinjiang offers a broad stage for central enterprises to demonstrate their capabilities and develop themselves, Ma said, noting that it is hoped that more central SOEs will deepen strategic cooperation with Xinjiang, with a focus on the development of the region's distinctive advantageous industries such as the "eight major industrial clusters."

This includes actively participating in oil and gas exploration, strategic energy storage and increased production, and strengthening the value chain of the grain, cotton, fruit and livestock industries, Ma said.

Central enterprises' efforts to support Xinjiang's development have yielded remarkable results in recent years. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the scale of investment from central enterprises in Xinjiang is expected to increase by more than 50 percent during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), compared with the 767 billion yuan invested during the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

As one of the latest examples, China National Aviation Holding Co signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Xinjiang Airport Group recently, aiming to develop Urumqi Diwopu International Airport into a national gateway hub connecting Central Asia, West Asia and Europe with Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, local media reported on Tuesday.

In 2023, total fixed-asset investment in the region (excluding rural households) increased by 12.4 percent year-on-year, with a growth rate 9.4 percentage points higher than the national average. Investment in the primary industry increased by 9 percent, while that in the secondary industry increased by 32.3 percent, data from the local government showed.

During an inspection tour in Xinjiang in November 2023, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing called on central SOEs to make further efforts to assist the region and help it to better serve and integrate into the country's new development paradigm.

"Central enterprises should combine their own advantages with the reality of Xinjiang, and help Xinjiang develop characteristic and advantageous industries and emerging industries," Zhang said.

China has discovered its first deep-water, deep-reservoir oil find in the South China Sea, state-owned oil giant CNOOC announced on Friday.

The Kaipingnan oilfield, 300 kilometers southwest of the waters of Shenzhen in South China, has a proven reserve of 102 million tons of oil equivalent, according to the company.

It is the first oil reserve with a water depth of over 300 meters and a well depth of over 3,000 meters found by China's own efforts, as well as the largest, said CNOOC. The maximum depth where the oilfield lies is 532 meters and the maximum well depth reached 4,831 meters.

Testing drilling yields over 1,000 tons of oil and gas on a daily basis, which is a new record in China for a deep-water, deep-reservoir oilfield, the company said.

The Kaipingnan oilfield demonstrated the vast potential of deep-water exploration in the South China Sea, and further consolidated the foundation of China's offshore oil and gas reserve, which is significant toward ensuring the country's energy security, the company said in a press release on Friday.

In recent years, CNOOC made significant discoveries at the Bozhong 26-6 deep-reservoir oilfield in China's Bohai Sea and the Baodao 21-1 gas field in western South China Sea.

Zhou Xinhuai, CEO of CNOOC, said the company's continuous discoveries in the eastern part of the South China Sea forged new growth drivers for the company's offshore oil and gas business, noting the company will continue to pour more efforts in oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea to ramp up energy supply capacity.

China’s foreign trade in Jan-Feb hit record high, up 8.7% y-o-y

The 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, kicked off its second session on Monday, marking the start of the annual two sessions. The second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, is set to open on Tuesday.

This year's political gatherings carry extra weight for the Chinese economy, as 2024 will be a crucial year for the realization of the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), and the new government is set to submit its Government Work Report to the NPC annual session for deliberation for the first time.

The session usually reviews past achievements and sets development targets for the current year and beyond.

At a time when mainstream Western media outlets are flooded with reports of China grappling with various difficulties - deflation, a property crisis, mounting debt burdens and a foreign capital exodus - the two sessions will serve as a crucial window for the world to observe the country's economic development and understand its policy direction for the year ahead, which Western media outlets said investors are watching closely for signals of a "bazooka-like stimulus." 

It's not unusual to see Western media outlets run bearish reports badmouthing the Chinese economy around the major political event every year. For instance, a report published by the Financial Times on February 27, 2023, was headlined "The implications of China's mid-income trap," while CNN ran an article entitled "China's economy had a surprisingly good start to the year, but it may not last" in March 2022.

Yet, China still accomplished its 2023 GDP growth target despite downward pressure and challenges, and the underlying trends of a rebound in the economy and long-term growth remain unchanged. Such economic fundamentals further prove that the ill-intentioned "China collapse" theory cannot withstand the test of time.

Why have Western predictions about a hard landing for the Chinese economy never come true? The key lies in the inability to understand that China's economic development has its own rhythm and policy direction, which will not be influenced by Western hype. The reason why the two sessions are of great importance to China's economy is not only because of the GDP target issued during the meetings, but also because of the policy direction set for achieving stable economic development in the year ahead.

There is no denying that China's GDP target has been the focus of world attention, which is not surprising given its huge economic size and important implications for the global economy. The Chinese government has always stressed the importance of the quality of economic development, rather than just the growth rate, but GDP, as a major measure of a country's economic strength, is still one of the most important economic metrics in China. 

It is true that China's economic growth has slowed in recent years amid unprecedented and complicated domestic and external market challenges. This is mainly because the economy is undergoing a period of adjustment and transformation. Despite the difficulties and downward pressure, China is still on a solid footing and its GDP growth rate remains relatively fast among the world's major economies. 

If anything, China's consistent economic performance over the years is the best proof that it has the ability to transform its economy while maintaining growth momentum.

During China's two sessions, much attention is often paid to the country's GDP growth target. However, it is crucial to look beyond mere numbers and understand the implications of new policies and measures to be implemented by the Chinese government to address economic challenges. Because the policy direction not only promises positive influence on China's economic prospects, but also presents opportunities in the country's future development.

The Chinese economy is resilient, has huge potential and vitality and its growth momentum will continue to strengthen and lead to a bright future, according to a spokesperson for the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Economic issues have been a focal point for political advisors ahead of the gathering, and it is the opinion of all political advisors that in 2023 the Chinese economy withstood the external pressure and overcome internal difficulties, and the economy has been on a general recovery track, according to Liu Jieyi, spokesperson for the second session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

There is a good foundation and favorable conditions for promoting high-quality development and the long-term positive economic trend will continue to be consolidated and strengthened, Liu said, responding to a question about the current status of the Chinese economy.

Solid progress has been made in achieving major social and economic growth targets, high-quality development and Chinese way of modernization in 2023, Liu said.

The CPPCC held quarterly seminars on the country's macroeconomic situation and in-depth consultations on the stable operation of the overall economy, with topics ranging from fiscal, monetary, employment and headline economic policies, and provide suggestions and strategies to stabilize market expectations and boost investor confidence, according to Liu.

Biweekly consultations meetings were held on fostering the high-quality development across the financial sector and promote the stable and sound development of the property sector and field trips were made to promote the high-quality development of the private economy, strengthen the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises, and improve the resilience and safety level of the industrial and supply chains.

The CPPCC also arranged study trips to small and medium-sized banks to help tackle the risks of smaller financial institutions and provide advice on implementing the task mapped by during the Central Economic Work Conference held in December.

Its suggestions on fostering new-quality productive forces were highly valued and in many cases adopted by relevant government departments, Liu said.

The second session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will begin on March 4.

China's economy grew 5.2 percent year-on-year in 2023, finishing above last year's official GDP target of around 5 percent, and underscoring the resilience and potential of the Chinese economy in the post-COVID-19 era.

Escalating US trade protectionism, and its behavior of politicizing economic issues and erecting more trade barriers to affect fair competition, will only harm the development of its own auto industry in the long run, He Yadong, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said on Thursday.

Chinese cars are popular in the global market because of their innovative features and high quality rather than alleged low-price dumping, He said, responding to a question over media reports saying that the Alliance for American Manufacturing had asked the US government to block the import of low-cost Chinese automobiles and auto parts from Mexico.

In addition, a Reuters report said on Wednesday that Republican US Senator Josh Hawley has introduced legislation to hike tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports amid so-called concerns about the potential competitive impact on American car companies.

In recent years, the US side has erected barriers to thwart Chinese car imports, like levying additional tariffs, excluding Chinese car brands from US government procurement and implementing discriminatory subsidy policies, He said.

While the US erects barriers to hinder Chinese carmakers, China is always open to carmakers from across the world, He said. 

US carmakers have fully enjoyed the dividends of China's huge market, with the sales volume of American brands far outpacing Chinese brands in the US. Protectionism by the US will only hinder its own auto industry's development in the long run, He said.

The MOFCOM spokesperson urged the US to respect the rules of the market economy and the principle of fair competition while correcting its non-market practices in order to build a fair environment for the long-term development of the auto industry.

The EU has also stepped up trade protectionism against Chinese automobiles, and recently, the EU's antitrust regulator launched an investigation into Chinese trainmaker CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive, a subsidiary of CRRC Corp, the world's biggest producer of rolling stock.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told the Global Times that the protectionist moves of the US and EU violate the WTO principle of fairness, and robust exports of Chinese new-energy vehicles (NEVs) reflect the strong international competitiveness of China's industry chains rather than so-called subsidies.

In China, the subsidy granted to NEVs was completely phased out as of the end of 2022. In order to maintain fair competition, provinces across China were required to stop subsidies for NEVs starting from 2018, and subsequently, national subsidies were phased out in an orderly fashion, Cui said.

Cui is positive about the development of China's NEV sector on the back of its strong innovation capability, complete manufacturing system and strong supply chains.

China's vehicle exports surged 57.9 percent year-on-year to a record of 4.91 million in 2023 as the country's automakers expanded their presence overseas, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

China-US economic and trade cooperation is a stabilizing force in bilateral relations. The Chinese side is willing to join hands with the US to implement the important consensus reached at the San Francisco meeting between the two heads of state to jointly promote the steady and healthy development of China-US economic and trade relations, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said when meeting with a US Chamber of Commerce delegation led by the chamber's President and CEO Suzanne Clark in Beijing on Tuesday.

China will unswervingly promote high-level opening-up and it is hoped that member companies of the US Chamber of Commerce will continue to be deeply rooted in the Chinese market and achieve win-win development, Wang said.

German auto giant Volkswagen Group has signed an agreement with Xpeng, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker to co-develop new EV models tailored for Chinese market, where broad consumers are embracing clean, environment-friendly cars.

The two parties agreed to commence strategic tech collaboration, bundling their respective strengths to explore the dynamic Chinese market, and will co-develop two intelligent internet-connected vehicles tailored for Chinese consumers, according to a statement sent from Volkswagen Group to the Global Times on Thursday. 

The agreement includes the joint purchase of vehicle equipment and auto parts, in addition to the use of innovative technologies in auto design and engineering.

The first two EV models are scheduled to hit the road in 2026, with one planned to be a sport utility vehicle, Volkswagen said. 

Ralf Brandstätter, a board member of Volkswagen AG for China region, said China is the world's largest and fastest-growing EV market, noting that the partnership with XPeng increases economic competitiveness of vehicle production in a price sensitive market environment.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of XPeng, said the company will provide Chinese consumers with the best EV products combining Volkswagen's vehicle making and engineering capability and XPeng's smart EV technology. 

In December 2023, Volkswagen completed the acquisition of shares amounting to 4.99 per cent of the total issued and outstanding share capital in XPeng, following the announcement of the partnership in July 2023.

Another Chinese EV maker Nio in December last year signed a pact for an investment of $2.2 billion with Abu Dhabi-based CYVN Holding. And, Dutch automaker Stellantis NV also announced in October 2023 to invest 1.5 billion euros to acquire approximately 20 percent of China's EV start-up Leapmotor, underlining the advantage and competitiveness of China's EV manufacturing.