The eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, under the theme "Toward a Better Community Through Innovation-driven Development," is being held from Wednesday to Thursday in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, with China focusing on cooperation in key areas including regional connectivity and trade and investment, in a bid to promote sustainable development and economic integration in the region.

Mao Ning, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on Monday that leaders of the five Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and President of the Asian Development Bank will attend the summit upon China's invitation.

Since its inception over three decades ago, with the concerted efforts of the six GMS member countries, the GMS has vigorously advanced coordinated economic and social development and regional integration, bringing tangible benefits to the people of these countries, Mao said on Monday.

In a world facing a sluggish economic recovery and geopolitical turbulence, it is all the more important to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and focus on development and prosperity. Through this summit, China hopes to have in-depth exchanges with other parties, with an emphasis on openness, innovation, connectivity and coordination, strive for new progress in cooperation in key areas, including regional connectivity, trade and investment, agriculture and poverty alleviation, and make greater contributions to promoting sustainable development and economic integration in the region, the spokesperson noted.

Experts noted that the achievements that China and the Mekong countries have gained demonstrate the practicality and efficiency of cooperation, and the ongoing summit will point the way for the six GMS countries to deepen collaboration in areas including environmental protection, infrastructure construction and emerging sectors such as new energy collaboration.

Cooperation between China and the Mekong countries, which is based on mutual respect and win-win development, will continue to promote the stable development of the regional economy, setting a good example for regional connectivity, especially in a world where the unilateralism is on the rise, analysts noted.

Thriving regional devt

Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies said that new energy cooperation, joint law enforcement and disaster prevention will be the new emphasis during the summit.

Southeast Asian countries are speeding up their pace in developing new energy, and this sector is the highlight of China's cooperation with regional countries. Moreover, in recent years, China has conducted intensive joint law enforcement operations with Lancang-Mekong regional countries to crack down on telecom fraud, Chen told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Chen said that action on joint disaster prevention is expected to be discussed during the summit, noting that China could share its technology on forecasting and share meteorological data and its experience on how to prevent flooding.   

In addition, water resource management of the Mekong River, infrastructure connectivity and the construction of cross-border economic cooperation zones could be in the spotlight, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

In the first half of this year, total trade volume between China and Mekong countries exceeded $200 billion, a 12 percent increase year-on-year. 

Connectivity between China and the five Mekong countries has also continuously improved. The opening of the China-invested Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway marks a leap forward in the national highway transportation of Cambodia, the China-Laos railway is helping Laos move toward the goal of becoming a "land-linked country," and the construction of the China-Laos-Thailand railway is being accelerated. 

This year, nearly 900,000 personal trips from member countries of the GMS have been cleared at Mohan Port in Yunnan Province, on China's border with Laos, up 116.3 percent year-on-year, China Media Group reported on Wednesday. 

The daily average number of inbound and outbound trips from the GMS at the port increased from over 1,300 in 2023 to more than 2,800 this year, and cross-region people-to-people exchanges and economic and trade cooperation have been active, read the report.

Xu noted that among the many regional cooperation mechanisms, China's cooperation with Mekong countries has seen remarkable achievements, which demonstrates the practicality and efficiency of collaboration between China and these countries, and this will further release investment and trade vitality in the region.

"With pragmatic projects advancing, China, which has contributed to bridging the development gaps of these countries, will continue to be an engine to share development opportunities with the region," Zhou Shixin, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In response to some US media outlets' smears on China-built dams on the Mekong River, which alleged that the projects caused "negative hydrological impacts" in downstream areas, Zhou said that these claims are untrue. 

"Many of the self-proclaimed US researchers did not even conduct field work in the Mekong basin before drawing their 'conclusions,'" Bi Shihong, a professor on China's Neighbor Diplomacy Studies at Yunnan University, told the Global Times previously. "Their reports are less scientifically valuable." 

Instead, China is also doing what it can to help Mekong countries improve their water environment and river operations.

Zhou noted that improving infrastructure construction and enhancing trade and economic ties will further promote regional connectivity and boost the global economy.

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, presidents of Italy and Indonesia will pay state visits to China from November 7 to 12; November 8 to 10 respectively. 

Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay a state visit to China from November 7 to 12, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Tuesday. 

Hua announced at the same day that President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto will pay a state visit to China from November 8 to 10.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday emphasized focusing efforts to build the country into a powerhouse in culture by 2035.

Xi made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

He stressed continuously developing a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for a new era.

Xi emphasized the importance of upholding Marxism as the fundamental guiding principle, taking root in the extensive and profound Chinese civilization, and adapting to the evolving trends in information technology.

Xi underscored developing the socialist culture with a strong power to guide theories, unite and inspire people, and influence the world.

"We have placed cultural advancement at a prominent position in governing the country since the 18th CPC National Congress," Xi said, adding that a series of major arrangements have been made, forming the thought on socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for a new era.

He also acknowledged solid achievements in building China into a powerhouse in culture.

After Taiwan authorities hyped the recent transit of a French vessel through the Taiwan Straits, connecting the event with similar activities carried out by other Western countries in the region to trumpet the so-called international support, analysts said a few Western countries cannot represent the international community and Taiwan authorities' attempts of using Western military presences in the region to legitimize their separatism are doomed to end in failure.

A French naval vessel sailed from south to north through the Taiwan Straits from Monday night to Tuesday morning, announced the island's "defense authority," which claimed that it monitored the passage and said the situation was normal, Taiwan local media reported. 

This follows a transit by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) of the US Seventh Fleet and the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) on October 20, said Taiwan local media on Wednesday. 

Wu Chih-chung, deputy head of the "Taiwan external affairs authority," also hyped this incident with a high-profile post on his Facebook page, linking the recent transit with other Western vessels' activities in the region, saying that "countries around the world are standing together to safeguard the common interest of regional democracy and peace." 

Li Fei, a professor at the Taiwan Research Center at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that while the US is reaffirming its "one-China policy" stance to try to stabilize ties with China, it is also trying to internationalize the Taiwan question by increasing military activities in the region and push its allies to do the same. At the same time, separatist authorities on the island would love to hype these transits as evidence of "international support for the so-called Taiwan independence," which is very provocative and dangerous.

On the recent transit, the French defense ministry said the ship had been on its way to Japanese waters after a stop in the Philippines in order to start work on a United Nations mission, Reuters reported.

Li said that DPP authorities will not be able to legitimize their dangerous separatism by hyping the military presences of some Western countries in the region, and their attempts are doomed to fail. "A few Western countries cannot represent the international community at all, and the transits of a few warships through the Straits will never undermine Chinese people's determination to realize national reunification. It will only force the mainland to strengthen its own military preparation to counter military intervention from foreign forces in the Taiwan question," he said.

"The more support and encouragement coming from the US for Taiwan separatism, the more danger the Taiwan authorities will provoke in the region, and the sooner reunification will be realized," Li noted. 

Technological advancements have profoundly transformed the global governance system, making the protection of emerging rights a critical issue with significant implications for human society, said experts on Tuesday, as international scholars gathered in Berlin for the 2024 China-Europe seminar on human rights to discuss ways for safeguarding these rights, while emphasizing that global challenges associated with emerging rights require collective action from all nations, rather than relying on individual countries.

Over 60 scholars from 16 countries attended the Tuesday event. The seminar, themed "The Protection of New and Emerging Rights: Views from China and Europe," was hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and Central South University, based in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province. The organizers include Central South University's Human Rights Center, the Berlin-based German and Chinese Culture Foundation - Stiftung Deutsche und Chinesische Kultur, with the support of Germany's University of Munster and the International Institute of Philosophy. 

Berlin, a culturally diverse and inclusive city, plays a crucial role in European human rights history, and hosting this seminar on the protection of new and emerging rights underscores the shared commitment of both civilizations in addressing emerging rights, Ma Huaide, president of the China University of Political Science and Law, said in his keynote speech at the seminar. 

"To protect emerging rights, we must move beyond narrow geopolitical thinking and advance true multilateralism in global human rights governance, Ma said, noting that as China and Europe both have unique traditions in human rights protection, "our cooperation is essential in addressing challenges to the emerging rights and fostering new pathways and new mechanisms for the global human rights movement," 

During Tuesday's seminar, scholars discussed topics such as the widening gap in social rights and wealth caused by globalization, the challenges posed by the intersection of digital technology, particularly artificial intelligence, and human rights, and how to balance the rights of individuals, society and nature to achieve sustainable development.

Some expressed concerns about the negative impact of geopolitical factors on human rights, highlighting how politicizing these issues harms the diversity of human rights and undermines global governance.

Zeng Fanhua, Minister to the Chinese Embassy in Germany, said at the seminar that China and Europe have different views on human rights due to variations in history, culture, social systems and economic development, which is normal. The key is how the two sides address these differences. 

Ongoing dialogue between government departments and regular exchanges among think tanks and scholars in China, Germany and the EU are beneficial. The goal should be to foster understanding and respect on an equal footing, rather than to confront one another, said Zeng, noting that China welcomes constructive suggestions for improvement from the international community, including Europe, but opposes the politicization of human rights or engaging in double standards by certain countries, as well as attempts to interfere in China's sovereignty. 

It is probably impossible to speak about human rights without addressing the immediate danger to the very existence of the entire human species - war in Ukraine and war in the Middle East, which risk escalating into a global nuclear war, said Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and President of German-based think tank the Schiller Institute. 

The highest priority for all people must be to rise above geopolitics and the notion that nations or groups can impose their interests on others by any means is fundamentally flawed, according to the expert. 

Compared to past discussions on human rights between China and European countries, which often centered on topics on China's Xinjiang and Xizang regions, this year's seminar addressed more practical and newer issues. Mao Junxiang, Executive Director of the Human Rights Research Center at Central South University and a law professor, highlighted that this shift reflects China's more proactive and confident stance on human rights.

"Previously, we defended against Western media's smears over China's Xinjiang and Xizang regions. Now, we are taking the initiative to lead discussions on emerging rights and showcase China's achievements in this area. This also underscores our consistent opposition to the politicization, instrumentalization and weaponization of human rights by certain Western countries," Mao said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to visit India for the 7th intergovernmental consultations between Germany and India from Thursday to Saturday. Scholz will be accompanied by senior ministers from his cabinet for the consultations, according to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs of India.

Scholz's visit to India is seen by some Western media as a move aimed at reducing reliance on China and revitalizing Germany's economy, amid the German government's strategy of "de-risking" from the Chinese economy.

Germany is pursuing a balanced strategy in its policy toward Asia, a trend that began during former German chancellor Angela Merkel's tenure. While Germany values its economic ties with China, it also recognizes India as a rapidly growing economy in the region, Jiang Feng, professor of European Studies at the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In recent years, Germany has attempted to shift some supply chains from China to Southeast Asia, but this transition has proven more challenging than expected, Jiang noted.

There may still be a gap between aspirations and practical realities, as Germany and India have both developed close economic and trade relations with China, according to Jiang.

According to data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, China was Germany's most important trading partner in 2023 for the eighth consecutive year. 

A report from the German Economic Institute showed that the total direct investment by German companies in China reached a record high of 11.9 billion euros ($12.7 billion) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 4.3 percent. The value accounted for over 10 percent of Germany's total overseas investment, the highest level since 2014, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Overall, the relationship between Germany and India is continuously developing, with both sides having a mutual need for cooperation, said Jiang. In terms of economic and trade relations, India's capabilities in the industrial and supply chains remain limited, which poses constraints for Germany as it seeks larger markets and raw materials, according to Jiang.

Scholz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to co-chair the consultations on Friday. Both leaders will hold bilateral talks to discuss topics related to defense, improving talent mobility, deepening economic cooperation and other sectors, according to the press release. 

Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that German direct investments in India could be increased, according to a Reuters report. 

China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao is scheduled to visit Europe and hold talks with Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the European Commission (EC), on September 19 regarding the anti-subsidy probe of the European Union (EU) into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), the Chinese  Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday. 

The planned visit comes after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's just-concluded visit to China, where both sides pledged to explore broader cooperation in emerging sectors such as new energy and the digital economy, despite ongoing China-EU trade frictions.

Experts said that the upcoming negotiations will focus on the key interests of both sides after several previous rounds of talks, and this approach is likely to reduce the risk of trade conflicts and prevent an escalation of tension. 

The Chinese government and the Chinese auto industry have been actively working to find a proper resolution through dialogue and consultation since the EU initiated an anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs.

On Monday, China's Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei visited Brussels to meet with senior EU officials. Li said China wishes to continue discussion of a potential resolution to the trade issue, following the EC's release of the pre-final disclosure of tariffs on August 20, according to the ministry. 

"The diverse positions of EU countries and the bloc's tendency to generalize political and security concerns will introduce uncertainties into the talks and final decisions," Zhang Monan, deputy director of the Institute of American and European Studies at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Ahead of the upcoming talks, Spain, which had previously backed the EC's tariff plans and voted in favor during a non-binding but still influential consultation in mid-July, showed a significant reversal of its position regarding the extra tariffs on Chinese EVs.

Sánchez called on "not only member states but also the [European] Commission" to reconsider plans for the impending tariff hikes against China on Wednesday, the last day of his highly watched visit to China, according to media reports.

"We don't need another war, in this case, a trade war," Sánchez said during a visit to Kunshan, East China's Jiangsu Province, expressing his hope to act as a "bridge" between the EU and China.

 China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday welcomed Sánchez's call, highlighting shared interests in the development of the EV sector and calling on the bloc to engage in dialogue to address trade disputes and foster stable China-EU economic and trade ties.

Rifts between political and economic interests within the EU are widening. "The shifting stances of major European countries such as Spain and Italy indicated their recognition that confronting China with unilateral tariffs could lead to an untenable lose-lose situation," Zhang said.

In July, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during her China visit, which was seen as seeking to recalibrate China-Italian relations, pledged to deepen cooperation with China across various sectors including EVs, and voiced opposition to "decoupling" and protectionism.

Recently, Japan's Ministry of Defense released its draft request for the defense budget for the fiscal year 2025. In the request, it mentioned that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) will undergo the largest organizational restructuring in over 60 years. This has drawn significant attention from international observers.

The most notable adjustment is the removal of unit names containing the word "escort." For example, the Fleet Escort Force, which has overseen surface battle vessels and replenishment vessels for the past 63 years, will be abolished and replaced by the newly established Fleet Surface Force. 

Under the reorganization plan, the new Fleet Surface Force will consist of three Surface Battle Groups, one Amphibious Mine Warfare Group and one Patrol Defense Group. This round of reorganization is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2025.

Although this move is ostensibly aimed at more effectively integrating the existing main naval vessels, it raises concerns among neighboring countries in light of Japan's continued increases in defense spending and its ongoing efforts to bypass its "pacifist constitution." 

According to officials from Japan's Ministry of Defense, the purpose of establishing the three Surface Battle Groups is to respond emergencies simultaneously. To a certain extent, the "exclusively defense-oriented" nature of Japan's main maritime units is being further weakened.

This significant adjustment trend within the JMSDF inevitably evokes a term that has been buried in history - Combined Fleet. The Combined Fleet was the strategic battle corps of the Imperial Japanese Navy that carried out aggressive operations in the far seas during the first half of the 20th century. It also served as the "vanguard" of Japan's invasion of East Asian countries. 

It is evident that Japan is now seeking to build an offensive maritime strike force, enhance its military presence in neighboring countries and maritime areas, strengthen its involvement in regional security affairs, and develop the capability to launch wars against potential opponents in three directions during wartime.

Additionally, Japan aims to be capable of executing "pre-emptive" attacks and conducting amphibious landing operations to invade other countries' territories once again. What is the difference between such a Fleet Surface Force and the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy? 

As the source of war in Asia during World War II and a defeated nation, Japan adopted a "peace constitution" and an "exclusively defense-oriented" policy after the war, which stipulates that Japan is not allowed to have offensive military forces. Its military forces can only be used for self-defense, and are referred to as the Self-Defense Forces. However, within Japan, militaristic thinking has not been completely eradicated. 

In recent years, the Japanese government has made deliberate efforts and used various tricks to break free from the "pacifist constitution" and the "exclusively defense-oriented" policy. It has vigorously developed its offensive military capabilities, and introduced advanced fighter jets and cruise missiles from the US. Japan is also actively cooperating with US geostrategy, increasing its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world and seeking various excuses to continuously send troops overseas.

Through some seemingly small changes, Japan is attempting to covertly accumulate its military strengths, gradually shedding the restrictions of the "pacifist constitution," seeking recognition as a world political and military power and striving to be "a normal country."

This approach has been a long-standing tactic employed by Japan's right-wing forces. History tells us that Asian countries and the international community should remain vigilant regarding Japan's military and security trajectories.

A report released by the European Commission (EC), the executive body of the EU, on the future of European competitiveness, has overly focused on the competition with China and overstated the so-called threat posed by the rise of Chinese industries, while overlooking the vast potential for China-EU cooperation, according to Chinese experts on Tuesday.

While the report also mentioned competition posed by the US, it singled out China as posing competition and even a threat to the EU in areas such as clean energy technology. Coming as the EC plans to impose tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), the report further exacerbated concerns that if suggestions in the report are adopted, they could lead to further protectionist actions that undermine China-EU cooperation, experts noted.

Both Chinese and EU experts have highlighted the vast potential for China-EU cooperation in a wide range of areas, including in green development, and urged the EU to treat Chinese firms objectively and fairly in order to realize such a potential. Meanwhile, some EU member countries, such as Spain, are seeking to expand cooperation with China, underscoring the strong desire for cooperation, instead of protectionism. 

The report, which was written by Mario Draghi, the former head of European Central Bank and former Italian prime minister, stated that to reignite growth, Europe must profoundly refocus its collective efforts on closing the innovation gap with the US and China, especially in advanced technologies.

Notably, the report portrayed China as a main competitor. "Increasing reliance on China may offer the cheapest and most efficient route to meeting our decarbonization targets. But China's state-sponsored competition also represents a threat to our productive clean tech and automotive industries," it stated. 

The report also asserted that Europe relies on a handful of suppliers for critical raw materials, especially China, while China relies on the EU to "absorb its industrial overcapacity." Such an assertion has been cited by the EC to investigate and subsequently decide to impose tariffs on Chinese EVs. Regarding the tariffs, the report said they could "help level the playing field."  

The report also claimed that EU companies face rising competitive pressure from Chinese companies. 

"The report showed that competitiveness has become a crucial focus of the newly-elected EC. And the parts that involve China reflect a certain degree of anxiety and limitation," Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "As China continues to develop in recent years and the global economy faces a downturn, competition with China has been put in a more prominent position." 

Coming as the EC has already taken protectionist measures against Chinese products and businesses, including the planned tariffs on Chinese EVs, the report further raised concerns of tension between China and the EU. The Economist said that Ursula von der Leyen, the recently re-elected head of the EC, is keen to act on the advice in the report.  

"If the EC adopts the stance of the report and agrees with the advice, the EU's policy toward China will mainly focus on competition, especially in the new-energy fields, and the EC will likely selectively take more protectionist actions," Jian Junbo, deputy director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Vast potential 

However, as the EU overly focuses on competition with China, it grossly overlooks the strong economic complementarity and vast potential for cooperation between China and the EU, Chinese and EU experts said. 

"I think there is greater economic complementarity between China and the EU than competition," Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday, noting that even in the area of new energy, there is room for cooperation. "For the EU to achieve its decarbonization goal, it needs to cooperate with China in related technologies." 

Underscoring the need for cooperation, during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's visit to China, China and Spain signed a number of cooperation agreements in fields such as green development, demonstrating the huge potential and bright prospects of bilateral cooperation, Sanchez said, according to Xinhua. 

In an interview with the Global Times, Miguel Otero-Iglesias, a senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute and professor at IE School of Global and Public Affairs, a Spanish think tank, said China has become highly competitive in green industries, and despite concerns over China's growing competitiveness within the EU, there remains vast potential for bilateral cooperation. 

"It's crucial to recognize that Europe's green transition will need Chinese products, technology, and investment to progress effectively. Chinese green investments could support the EU's sustainable development, create local jobs, and benefit EU consumers," Otero said.

Also highlighting strong potential for China-EU cooperation, bilateral trade registered a growth rate of 1.1 percent in the first eight months of 2024, slightly up from a 0.4 percent growth in the January-July period, according to Chinese customs data. The EU remained China's second-largest trading partner during the period.

Cui said that as the China-EU trade relationship faces challenges, both sides should refrain from taking unilateral measures, but instead focus on finding solutions through dialogue. 

Both sides should also be better at turning competition into cooperation and turning disputes into motivation to address challenges, he said.

In the first eight months this year, trade of goods between China and the US totaled 3.15 trillion yuan ($432 billion), up by 4.4 percent year-on-year, making the US China's third-largest trading partner, according to the latest data released by China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Tuesday.

The growth rate represents a slight uptick from the first seven months this year when bilateral trade reached 2.72 trillion yuan, up 4.1 percent year-on-year. 

Experts attributed the rise in China-US trade last month to the US consumers' strong appetite for Chinese goods. Recent intensive dialogues between the two nations across various fields also helped bilateral trade. 

The US maintained its position as China's third-largest trade partner in the first eight months, following ASEAN and the EU. China's trade with ASEAN rose 10 percent year-on-year during the Jan-Aug period, while its trade with the EU was up by 1.1 percent.

Specifically, China's exports to the US reached 2.38 trillion yuan, up 5 percent year-on-year, while imports from the US totaled 778.93 billion yuan, marking a 2.3 percent rise. Compared to the January-July period, China's imports from the US ticked up from 1.2 percent to 2.3 percent.

In terms of shares in China's foreign trade, the US maintained an 11 percent share in the first eight months. The EU's share remained at 13 percent during the same period.

"The continued growth momentum in trade indicates the solid foundation in China-US economic and trade relations, amid recent increased bilateral engagement to manage risks and enhance understanding," Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, which is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

China and the US held the second vice-ministerial meeting of the China-US commercial and trade working group on Saturday, with both sides agreeing to support trade and investment promotion activities hosted by each country and maintaining dialogues.