Editor's Note:

Since 2012, China has witnessed an extraordinary economic transition, with historic achievements in all aspects of the economy from its size to quality. Such an unparalleled feat does not just happen, especially during a tumultuous period in the global geo-economic landscape and a tough phase in China's economic transformation and upgrading process. It was Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era that guided the country in overcoming various risks and challenges, and in keeping the China economic miracle alive.

As China embarked on the quest to become a great modern socialist country amid global changes unseen in a century, Xi's economic thought has been and will continue to be the guiding principle for development in China for years to come, and have great significance for the world. What is Xi's economic thought? What does it mean for China and the world?

To answer these questions, the Global Times has launched this special coverage on Xi's major economic speeches and policies, and how they are put into practice to boost development in China and around the world.
This year's two sessions - China's annual legislative and political consultative sessions - officially concluded on Monday, after national lawmakers and political advisers spent a week or so, on mapping the country's social and economic development blueprint for 2024 and beyond.

Often described as one of the most important political events, the two sessions, during which a slew of development goals are determined, offer a critical window for the world to view the latest economic trends and policy priorities in the world's second-largest economy.

More importantly, Chinese President Xi Jinping's agenda and major speeches during the two sessions provide the most crucial insights into the development path of the Chinese economy.

During this year's two sessions, Xi participated in three deliberations or group discussions with national lawmakers and political advisers, during which he also delivered important speeches. And a key theme emerged from these meetings and speeches: The Chinese top leader has put new quality productive forces front and center in China's economic agenda in 2024 and for many years to come.

As a relatively new concept that was first put forward by Xi during an inspection tour of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in September 2023, new quality productive forces has become a key phrase in China's political lexicon in recent months. Xi's emphasis on the phrase further highlighted its significance in China's economic policymaking and China's future development paths, as officials across the country have and will continue to roll out measures to boost innovation and generate new productive forces.

China's pursuit of new quality productive forces, which place the main focus on innovation and technological self-reliance, comes as China's economy faces a profound transformation from old growth drivers to sustainable ones, and as the global geo-economic situation has grown increasingly complex - characterized by the US' relentless technological crackdowns and growing protectionism. Therefore, developing new quality productive forces is critical for China's sustainable, high-quality development, Chinese lawmakers, political advisers, and economists said.

Top leader's focus at two sessions

During each year's two sessions, Xi often visits and holds meetings with national lawmakers and political advisors, and delivers major speeches on key national issues. This year, the Chinese president made three such visits, in line with the number made during the two sessions in 2023.

On the afternoon of March 5, Xi participated in a deliberation with fellow lawmakers from East China's Jiangsu Province during the second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

Xi called for focusing on high-quality development as a top priority, urging efforts to step up innovation, foster emerging industries, adopt forward-thinking plans to develop future-oriented industries, and improve the modernized industrial system. He stressed the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The top leader also made remarks about developing new quality productive forces or related issues such as technological innovation at the other two such deliberations he participated in.

On March 6, Xi participated in a joint group meeting during the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body. Xi called on political advisors and all people in the science and technology sector to strengthen basic research and apply basic research, strive to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and create new drivers to develop new quality productive forces.

Then on March 7, Xi attended a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force at the second session of the NPC. He stressed deepening reform to comprehensively enhance strategic capabilities in emerging areas. He also said that China's drive to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces has provided rare opportunities for the development of strategic capabilities in emerging areas.

The successive remarks about the new quality productive forces on three different occasions accentuated the top leader's focus on the issue and its importance in China's economic development, not just this year but in the years to come, national lawmakers, political advisers, and experts said. "The concept offers guidance for our country to take advantage of the historical opportunity of a new round of technological upgrade and aims to develop strategic emerging industries and future industries," Guo said.

Developing new quality productive forces is a decisive step in the economy's high-quality development course, Guo Guoping, an NPC deputy and a vice director of the Key Laboratory of Quantum Information of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times.

New quality productive forces refers to innovation-led, advanced productivity that is freed from traditional economic growth mode and productivity development paths, is high-tech, high efficiency and high quality, and is in line with the new development philosophy, Xi said during a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in February, stressing that developing new quality productive forces is an endogenous requirement and a pivot of high-quality development.
From concept to action

Thanks to the top leader's focus, while the concept of new quality productive forces has only been around for a few months, it has been rising rapidly in China's political and social lexicon and has become a buzzword across the country. More importantly, it has already been put into action in China's economic policymaking.

The Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023, which set top economic policy priorities for 2024, also heightened the development of new quality productive forces. New quality productive forces also became the subject of the first group study session held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee this year, according to Xinhua.

This year's Government Work Report also highlighted efforts to develop new quality productive forces. According to the report, China will strive to modernize its industrial system and develop new quality productive forces at a faster pace. It also said that China will step up research on disruptive and frontier technologies, and will launch an AI Plus initiative.

The top leader's emphasis on new quality productive forces was echoed throughout the two sessions, where lawmakers and political advisers enthusiastically talked about the concept and vowed to make great efforts in developing new quality development.

Shan Zenghai, an NPC deputy and chief engineer of Chinese construction equipment giant Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), who participated in the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation on March 5, said he was inspired by the top leader's remarks on new quality productive forces.

"The encouragement from top leadership greatly boosted our confidence in sticking to innovation-driven growth, bolstering the real economy and promoting high-quality development," Shan told the Global Times.

Zhou Bin, another NPC deputy from Yancheng, Jiangsu, who also attended the deliberation, told the Global Times that Xi's important remarks on new quality productive forces have offered scientific guidance for opening up new development tracks and shaping new development momentum.

Many officials vowed to take concrete actions to develop new quality development forces. Wu Qingwen, an NPC deputy and mayor of Suzhou, Jiangsu, said the city has the foundation, the condition, and the responsibility to take a lead in developing new quality productive forces, vowing to step up scientific and technological (sci-tech) innovation and bolster the city's high-end equipment, biomedicine, new energy industries among others, and create "new engines" such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Solid progress, great potential

When it comes to sci-tech innovation and the development of new growth drivers, China has already made great strides, thanks to the focus and support from the top leadership, national lawmakers, political advisers, and experts said.

Despite various challenges, including the US' relentless crackdown campaign, China has already become an innovation power. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Thursday, China remained the leader in international patent applications, followed by the US, Japan, South Korea, and Germany.

At the end of 2023, the number of high-value invention patents held on the Chinese mainland had exceeded 1.66 million, an increase of 25.7 percent year-on-year, and the number of effective high-value invention patents acquired in strategic emerging industries had reached 1.17 million, accounting for 70 percent of the total, according to Xinhua.

Also highlighting the steady progress in and importance of forming new growth drivers is the fact that the shift in China's three most popular exports. In the past, the three most popular items China exported were clothes, furniture, and home alliances, which were relatively low-value and labor-intensive; however, new-energy vehicles, solar batteries, and lithium-ion batteries have become China's tech-intensive and green "new three," with a combined export value of 1.06 trillion yuan ($150 billion) in 2023, jumping 29.9 percent year-on-year.

Moving forward, the development of new quality productive forces has great potential in China, as its huge marketplace ensures full testing, application, and evolution of new technologies and new business models, Xu Jiuping, a professor at Sichuan University and a member of the National Committee of the 14th CPPCC, told the Global Times, pointing to the support of national innovation policies.

Underscoring such policy support, the central government has pledged to allocate 370.8 billion yuan ($51.51 billion) for science and technology in 2024, an increase of 10 percent, with a focus on basic research, applied basic research, and national strategic tasks in science and technology, according to the budget adopted at the two sessions.

China's special envoy for climate change Liu Zhenmin will travel to the US from May 7 to 16 for talks with his US counterpart. The first formal talks between climate envoys from both countries carry great significance as it is expected they can continue and extend the positive exchange between the two countries in addressing climate change, according to observers, while also warning that the coming US presidential election could cloud the future cooperation.

Liu will lead a delegation for talks with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Podesta, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said Tuesday.

The ministry said that Liu will exchange in-depth views on the "The Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis," which was issued by two countries in November last year; and other consensuses, as well as promote practical results in advancing China-US climate cooperation.

During this visit, Liu will also engage in discussions with relevant United Nations departments, as well as local governments and think tanks in the US, on topics related to climate change and other issues.

China will aim to extend cooperation on issues including energy, the circular economy and efforts to curb greenhouse gases beyond carbon dioxide, Liu told Bloomberg last month.

"Common ground means that both the US and China want to continue to lead this global process to respond to climate change," he said. "We have to cooperate as far as possible." The nations "also need to respect each other on all issues," according to Liu.

Energy transition, non-CO2 greenhouse emission such as methane, along with other issues are likely to top Liu's talks with Podesta, as those topics are of mutual concerns and energy transition is facing grave challenge amid complicated international situation, Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Ma believed trade issues will also top the list of discussion as the US has been using trade protectionism in key products and technologies for low-carbon transformation.

Podesta previously laid out the clearest declaration yet of the Biden administration's willingness to upend global trading rules — which the US fostered — to achieve its twin objectives of limiting carbon emissions and Chinese dominance of key industries, Bloomberg reported.

Liu and Podesta, both appointed to their roles in January, have spoken virtually and met in person briefly at the Petersburg Climate Dialogue in Berlin in April.

The strong personal connection between their predecessors Xie Zhenhua and John Kerry has kept climate talks between China and US alive even when bilateral relations spiraled to a low point, experts said.

The first formal talks between two climate envoys carry great significance as it is hoped they can continue and extend the positive exchange on climate issues between China and US, Ma said, noting that the strong bond doesn't come easy, and it needs time to establish the mutual trust.

Yet there's also concern that the coming US presidential election could cloud future cooperation. Speaking with Bloomberg, Liu said "I definitely hope that the American people will support the government to stay in the climate change process, stay in the Paris Agreement, even if Trump wins the next election…Not to repeat the mistake that they made during his last administration."

Ma said that US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement another time will not only disrupt climate collaboration between Beijing and Washington; it is also likely to greatly set back global effort in tackling global warming. The uncertainty, however, highlighted the importance of dual-track communication between two countries, which comprises both exchange between central government level and sub-national, and non-governmental cooperation, according to Ma.

California Governor Gavin Newsom paid a visit to China in November last year. In a press release issued addressing his visit, Newsom's office said his trip prioritized three goals -- advancing climate action and cooperation, promoting economic development and tourism, and strengthening cultural ties.

On his trip, California signed five Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with China's National Development and Reform Commission, the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, and the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, according to the release.

"These MOUs advance California and China's work on climate policy and help set the stage for national discussions and partnerships," the release read.

Located in west Zhejiang Province, Quzhou is a famous historical and cultural city with a more than 6,000-year-old history of civilization and was listed as one of the National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities in China in 1994.

At a seminar before the Quzhou visit, Liu Xinxin, an associate professor from the Communication University of China School of Government and Public Affairs, said that Quzhou's cultural branding can be a typical example of successful urban renewal in China. Only after the visit, could I fully understand the remark and vividly experience how the city is building its long-standing historical culture into a modernized industry, which has become a calling card for the city.

Although having never been to the city before, I soon fell in love with the enjoyable and culture-filled city. It is not only the second hometown of the Confucius family, but also the ancestral home of great Chairman Mao Zedong, the birthplace of Weiqi (GO) culture, the first place to experience spring in the new year going all the way back to the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), and home to tens of thousands of hard-working and creative Chinese farmers. 

This rich cultural heritages creates unique conditions for the city, which has taken a characteristically unique path to modernization by "planting [seeds of] culture," cultivating towering cultural trees, and growing abundant cultural fruits in order to lead local residents to common prosperity.

The Southern link to Confucius is, without doubt, a sound business card for the city. In 1128, after the downfall of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Kong Duanyou, a 48th-generation descendant of Confucius, moved to the south and settled in Quzhou, which led the city to become a cultural hub of Confucianism in southern China.

Since 2004, a memorial ceremony has been held annually at the Confucius Ancestral Temple in the city to celebrate the birthday of the Confucius. On that day, hundreds of guests from around the world, including the descendants of Confucius and representatives from various global Confucius institutes gather for the ceremony to pay tribute to the great philosopher and educator.

Confucius culture has also attracted nearly 100 overseas students and scholars from the US, Germany, and Armenia to visit Quzhou for research and study purposes in the last two decades.  

Through the tour, I found out that each village in Quzhou has a specialized path to development. Starting with painting, the Yudong village has established a common prosperity alliance with nine surrounding villages, working together to create "Nine Villages and Ten Workshops," forming marketable and creative products such as paintings, porcelain and scarves. 

The collective operating income of the alliance has increased by 205 percent annually, with an average increase exceeding 300,000 yuan ($40,996) for each village.

Quzhou is also making efforts to build itself as a Weiqi hub. The city built the first international Weiqi cultural exchange center in China, the first national Weiqi team local training base and implemented the first local regulations related to Weiqi, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture. The Quzhou-Lanke Cup World Go Open has also filled the gap left by the lack of an annual top-level Weiqi tournament in China. The tournament has been listed as the first professional event in the directory of the Chinese Go Association, on par with the "LG Cup" and "Samsung Cup" in South Korea. 

Regrettably, during this particular trip to Quzhou, I was not able to visit Mapeng, which is famous for being a prototype of many elements in Wuxia (martial heroes) novels by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). The village has also built many scenic spots that bring classic spots in Jin Yong's masterpieces, such as the Taohua Island, to life, attracting tens of thousands of Wuxia fans every year.

Certainly, however, I believe the future will bring new opportunities for a highly recommended visit to the renowned site and allow me to explore more the charming city.

The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department has recently released a notice seeking public opinions on the draft amendment of the regulations on the reward and protection of volunteer personnel who behave righteously in the province, in which the regulations stipulate that those sacrificed their lives will be awarded an additional one-million-yuan ($139,454) compensation for their righteousness.

South China's Guangdong Province aims to establish regulations that honor and protect the brave and righteous volunteer personnel, creating a more favorable environment for volunteer activities, according to the regulations. The public can submit feedback and suggestions to the provincial authorities before January 30.

In addition to receiving the corresponding awards given by the state and province for the individuals who have performed brave acts, the Guangdong provincial government will award a one-time bonus. For those who are completely unable to work will be awarded a bonus of 800,000 yuan, and those who win the title of national righteous and brave will be awarded a prize of 200,000 yuan, according to the regulations.

The act of bravery in the regulations refers to the actions of individuals who don't have legal responsibilities or obligations, but who, intervene in illegal and criminal activities or engage in rescue, emergency response and other actions, for protecting national and public interests, or others' life and property safety.

Citizens are encouraged to take appropriate and effective actions to carry out the acts of bravery, including stopping illegal and criminal activities that endanger national security, public safety, or disrupt social order, according to the regulations.

The regulations also stipulate county- or above-level governments within the province should reward those individuals who conduct acts of bravery such as releasing notification of commendation, awarding prizes and awarding the title of honor.

In order to ensure those individuals' legitimate rights, the regulations also stipulate that any organization or individual, who witnesses someone who is injured by performing a heroic act, should promptly inform the public security organs and medical institutions, and take measures to assist in treatment and provide aid. Medical institutions should prioritize treatment, and can not refuse or delay treatment.

The country has been making efforts to make sure the legitimate rights of those individuals who conduct brave acts are protected. In June 2023, a young deliveryman Peng Qinglin jumped off a high bridge to save a drowning woman in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou authorities awarded Peng the title of honor and a cash prize as well.

China recently verified a new morphing wing structure that can help build future cross-domain aircraft, with an expert saying on Tuesday that the cutting-edge technology is expected to undergo flight tests before being applied. 

The Aircraft Strength Research Institute of China, a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), successfully completed the theory verification on a full lattice distributed morphing wing structure based on mechanical metamaterials last week, AVIC said in an announcement posted on Sina Weibo on Monday.

During the verification, the morphing wing structure achieved distributed active torsional morph control, made breakthroughs in multiple core technologies including performance characterization of the mechanical metamaterials, cellular configuration design, reversible assembly of lattice structures, multi-point morph sensing and collaborative control, according to the announcement.

A video clip attached to the announcement shows a scaling model of a half-hollow lattice distributed wing structure changing its shape dynamically.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Tuesday that morphing wing is cutting-edge technology that enables aircraft to flexibly change form without using rigid rudder structures currently used on aircraft, which can only make limited moves in controlling the aircraft.

Morphing wing is like wings of birds that can make changes without many restrictions, enabling fine tunings, so it can provide better control over the aircraft, Wang said.

The technology can provide support to the design of future cross-domain variable geometry aircraft, AVIC said in the announcement.

A cross-domain aircraft is a type of aircraft designed to fly at very different altitudes, from low altitudes with dense atmosphere to high altitudes with thin air, as well as at very different velocities, from subsonic speeds to hypersonic speeds, Wang said. "This requires the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft to adjust based on the changes of the environment."

To achieve this goal, variable-sweep wing was developed, but it is still a rigid structure with limitations, Wang said, noting that the morphing wing can make flexible changes that can adapt to more flight environments, as long as the requirements of materials and structures are met.

Wang said he does not expect the new technology to be put into application any time soon, as he expects the morphing wing structure to undergo flight tests on demonstrators first, before being put on genuine aircraft for verification.

As the clock ticked into 2024, several Chinese provinces including East China's Anhui and Central China's Hunan began a new round of construction of major projects, signaling a robust start to the new year. The growth in investment brought an encouraging sign for economic growth.

Analysts told the Global Times on Thursday that this development laid a solid foundation for investment in 2024, and these new projects are expected to generate significant economic benefits and jobs, and ramp up investment that will drive economic growth.

On Tuesday, Anhui held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hefei-Wuhan High-Speed Railway, along with the first batch of major projects for 2024. So far, 460 major projects have been launched in the province, with a total investment of 489.63 billion yuan ($68.5 billion).

These projects range from infrastructure to emerging industries and include 33 projects with an investment of more than 3 billion yuan.

Insufficient investment in 2023 hindered economic development in China, but the situation improved at the end of the year. With improving development expectations and new policies conducive to industrial development, investment is expected to further increase this year, Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"I am most optimistic about the energy sector this year," Tian said. "As an emerging industry, it has shown promising growth momentum and proven to have the potential to inject vitality into China's economic growth."

Hunan Province started on Wednesday work on 11 major projects with a combined investment of 87.2 billion yuan.

Emerging industries are playing a pivotal role in driving investments. Among the 460 projects initiated in Anhui, 253 are in emerging industries, including new-energy vehicles, smart grids, advanced photovoltaic systems and new materials, with total investment of 247.66 billion yuan. 

All across China, regions are gearing up for a strong start to the new year, with a focus on emerging industries.

In Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, 25 of the 63 newly launched projects are related to industries such as new energy, new materials and biomedicine, making up 39.68 percent of the total.

Central China's Henan Province on Monday announced policies to promote a robust economic start to the first quarter, with 100 projects each worth of 10 billion yuan in investment.

"I expect a rise in investment can provide the impetus to achieve 5 percent GDP growth for China in 2024," said Tian. 

32-year-old Portuguese golfer Ricardo Gouveia won his seventh Challenge Tour tournament at the Hainan Open in South China's Hainan Province on Monday after four days of competition.

He recorded a 272 (-16) to clinch the victory in four rounds, standing out from 120 players from home and abroad. Gouveia carded four rounds under par with a 67 in his first and final rounds, a 68 in the second round, and a 70 in the third round. He recorded 20 birdies in the tournament, highlighted by six in the final round on Monday.

"What an amazing day today. It was one of the toughest rounds of the year, and I played really well on the back nine. I just stayed patient throughout the day. I knew the last few holes were playing into the wind and really tough, so I'm excited to get the win," he said during an interview.

Switzerland's Joel Girrbach finished in second place on 13 under par, while Chinese player Ding Wenyi, Italian Francesco Laporta, and Englishmen Steven Brown and Will Enefer finished a shot further back in third.

Zhang Xiaoning, Chairman of the China Golf Association, said that he is "looking forward to the return of the Hainan Open." The total prize money of this event has been upgraded to half a million dollars. It is the first highest-level international men's professional event held in China after the pandemic, which reflects the determination of the China Golf Association to further promote the development of golf.

A total of 50 Hungarian art works were featured on Tuesday at the Chongqing Art Museum. The 2023 Western China Hungarian Cultural Festival and the 2nd Chongqing Urban Arts Festival with the theme "The Journey: Janos Fajo and The Pesti Workshop," were co-organized by the Chongqing Art Museum, the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center Beijing, the Consulate General of Hungary in Chongqing, and Central Bank of Hungary. 
Czégel Bálint, consul general of Hungary in Chongqing, Kohári Lajos, head of Department at the National Assembly of Hungary, Wang Rongfa, director of Chongqing Art Museum, and other guests attended the ceremony. 

This exhibition is to implement the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) development strategy, strengthen the mutual understanding of civilizations and people-to-people communication with Belt and Road countries, and enrich the series of exhibitions of the 2nd Chongqing Urban Arts Festival to meet the high-quality spiritual and cultural needs of the public. 

More than 50 pieces were put on display at the exhibition ranging from oil painting to printmaking and other media. The works are rich in context, experimental, and of high artistic value, reflecting the contemporary style and unique artistic characteristics of Hungarian contemporary painting.

The exhibition runs until November 17, according to official Wechat account of Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center Beijing.

The Islamic Republic has developed dozens of increasingly sophisticated turboprop and rocket-powered unmanned aerial vehicles over the decades, designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance to long-range precision strikes against land and sea targets.

Iran has reportedly developed a new hybrid aerial and sea-based drone capable of landing on and taking off from water, with senior military officials calling on Persian Gulf nations to ensure security collectively, while warning Washington and its allies of the consequences any aggressive moves.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has built drones that can take off from and land on the water," IRGC Commander Ali Reza Tangsiri said in an interview with local media over the weekend, pledging that more details about the drone will be provided at a later date.

"The IRGC Navy has also built hybrid drones that fly with one engine, with the second engine serving as a propelling engine," Tangsiri said. That UAV is said to have the capability to carry out reconnaissance missions lasting up to 15 hours.

The water-landing drones, reportedly designed to be able to carry missiles and bombs, would dramatically enhance the IRGC Navy's already substantial naval and coastal defense capabilities in the defense of the nation's vast coastlines in the Persian Gulf, along the crucial world energy transportation chokepoint in the Strait of Hormuz, and in the Gulf of Oman.

Tangsiri reiterated Tehran's long-standing diplomatic stance that Persian Gulf security can be assured by regional countries, without any interference from non-Gulf countries, and proposed the creation of an eight-nation pact of Persian Gulf-adjacent countries to ensure regional security, including Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The opportunities to forge such a regional security pact shot up dramatically this spring after Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a surprise normalization of relations deal mediated by China. Washington, Riyadh's longtime traditional partner in the region, was forced to begrudgingly accept the warming of relations between the traditional Gulf foes, while expressing skepticism over the agreement's ability to last, and leveling new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Separately, at a military ceremony outside Qom, central Iran on Monday, Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Baqeri warned Iran's potential enemies that the nation's military is on a hair-trigger alert to respond instantaneously to any aggression.

"The Iranian Armed Forces have set up a unified body to establish security in the country," Baqeri said. "State of readiness is a familiar concept for our armed personnel. That is, every moment we have our hands on the trigger and our eyes on the radar screen, along with surveillance and intelligence equipment so that no conspiracy is organized against the country and the enemies do not wish to launch aggression and undermine our security," the top commander added.

Also speaking at the event, Iranian Army Ground Forces Commander Kioumars Heidari warned that "if the enemies put a foot wrong and commit a foolish or mischievous act" against Iran, they "will receive a decisive response from the Army's ground forces."

"If the enemies attack Iran from the air, they will have no place to sit on the ground, and if they attack Iran from the ground, we will annihilate them within seconds by God's grace," Heidari added.

Iran unveiled a new ultra-long range drone last week at a military parade dedicated to the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988, with the UAV, named the Mohajer-10, capable of flying up to 2,000 km with a weapons payload of up to 300 kg, able to stay airborne for up to 24 hours at a time.

Regional tensions flared between the Iran and the US have recent months amid Washington's decision to dramatically ramp up its naval, air and troop presence in the Persian Gulf following Iran's crackdown on oil smuggling and maritime navigation violators.

Last month, IRGC Navy Commander Tangsiri stressed that the large US warships traversing Persian Gulf waters have been forced to obey Iran's maritime rules.

Armed with an impressive and technically advanced military-industrial complex, Iran's military design philosophy seems aimed at providing the country with David vs. Goliath-type asymmetric warfare capabilities against larger and technically more powerful adversaries, with the country building up mosquito fleets of fast boats armed with machineguns and artillery, hundreds of coastal defense batteries, dozens of drone designs, and maritime power projection capabilities using old tanker ships converted into mobile support platforms to save on costs. Iran's strategy has enabled it to become one of the top 20 militarily most powerful countries in the world, while spending just a fraction of what the US does on defense ($6.8 billion vs $877 billion in 2022).

Editor's Note:

China and Pakistan share a long-standing friendship that dates back to the early 1950s. Over the years, this relationship has evolved into a robust strategic partnership, with the two countries often being referred to as "iron brothers." In an exclusive piece penned ahead of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, highlights the deep-rooted brotherhood and ironclad relations between China and Pakistan. He not only emphasizes the strength of bilateral ties between both countries, but also commends China's significant contributions to the global community.

By Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar 

The tale of China-Pakistan relations is not an ordinary one. It is an account of brotherhood, friendship, and trust, the foundations of which were laid more than 70 years ago. The vision of the leadership of our two countries at the time laid a solid basis for a relationship, which has subsequently been carefully nurtured into a robust, vibrant, time-tested, all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. Pakistan and its people, with absolute confidence, value the relationship greatly, and proudly call China our "best friend." It is heart-warming that in China, the term "Ba Tie" (Iron Brother) is reserved only for Pakistan. 

The timeless Pakistan-China partnership and deep-rooted friendship serves the interests of both countries, being the historic choice of our people. Pakistan-China relations remain the cornerstone of our foreign policy. The close time-tested friendship with China enjoys the abiding support of the people of Pakistan.

With a time-honored history of brotherhood, our two countries have stood together, rain or shine, building an exemplary iron-clad friendship. Despite the vicissitudes of times and changes in the international landscape, the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has grown into a towering tree with its deep roots of love in the hearts of the two peoples. The bond of love and affection that the peoples of the two countries have for each other indeed remains higher than the mountains, deeper than the sea, and sweeter than honey. 

Zhou Enlai, China's first premier, once said that "the friendly interactions between the peoples of China and Pakistan date back to the dawn of history." Certainly, Pakistan-China relations are the continuation of ancient civilizational bonds that have existed between our two nations since ancient times. The flow of trade through the ancient Silk Road and geographical proximity brought the two great Asian civilizations together. Monks and thinkers from China made their historical journeys to Taxila and other Buddhist places in Pakistan, painting a beautiful picture of the Gandhara civilization and bringing Buddhist wisdom to China, thus binding the two nations together in an everlasting bond.

The historical evolution of the Pakistan-China relationship, and its growing importance in the wake of evolving regional and global developments, is an exemplary model of inter-state relationship. The unique relationship of more than seven decades, underpinned by the rationale of strong political support, mutual trust, and all-round practical cooperation, has matured into a strong strategic partnership.

I will soon be traveling to Beijing on my first visit after assuming office, to participate in the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation - an event which will mark the completion of a decade of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the iconic and visionary project proposed by President Xi Jinping.

We pay tribute to the vision and statesmanship of President Xi who, 10 years ago, propounded the vision of building a global community of shared future, introducing a novel concept for international development partnership, a new idea for global governance and cooperation, and a fresh approach toward international exchanges, thus drawing up a new blueprint for a better interconnected world.

The core of the visionary concept is built on socio-economic development; with a focus on the elements of inclusivity, common prosperity, and win-win cooperation. It embodies the ideals of an open, interconnected, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace and sustainable security. As we delve more into this concept, it becomes clear that it draws upon ancient Chinese philosophy and wisdom. 

The concept of "tianxia datong," translated as "harmony under heaven," refers to the whole world and promotes diversity, while emphasizing harmonious and mutual interdependence as the means to enduring peace. 

As noted by the recent BRI white paper released by the China's State Council, the BRI is a key pillar of the global community of shared future. The subsequent unveiling of the concepts - including the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) - have further refined the concept of a global community of shared future.

Pakistan was among the first countries to join the BRI. As the flagship project of the BRI, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) marks a milestone in Pakistan-China relations, by placing economic cooperation and connectivity at the very center of the bilateral agenda, making the two countries more interconnected than ever before. The CPEC remains a shining example of the BRI's promise of economic prosperity and connectivity. It has transformed the socio-economic landscape of Pakistan, upgrading modern infrastructure, enhancing regional connectivity, ensuring energy security, and creating jobs.

This year Pakistan hosted a series of events and activities marking the successful first decade of the CPEC. We were also pleased to welcome Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, the special representative of President Xi, in Pakistan to attend the Decade of CPEC celebration event.

Pakistan remains committed to jointly building the CPEC. We fully endorse China's proposal of developing the CPEC as a corridor of growth, livelihood, innovation, greenness and openness - representing our two countries' preference for a human-centric approach, inclusivity, and green development. 

Pakistan is also a pioneering member of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and has played an active role in giving it a more concrete shape. As the first priority partner under the GDI, and the first one to ink an MoU on the GDI, Pakistan stands ready to benefit from this cooperation in areas of education, healthcare, climate change, and poverty reduction, thus making meaningful contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in a timely manner. 

Pakistan has also supported the Global Security Initiative and its adherence to the UN Charter and principles of multilateralism and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. Having long suffered due to unresolved disputes, conflicts, and terrorism, we also advocate for dialogue and constructive engagement based on mutual respect, to ensure regional peace in South Asia.

The Global Civilization Initiative is yet another landmark and timely initiative proposed by President Xi, promoting respect for diversity, peaceful co-existence, mutual learning, and inclusiveness. In a world marred with discord and divisiveness, dialogue between civilizations can be a means to peace and reconciliation. 

Pakistan's foreign policy objectives have always been those of "peace within and peace without," as outlined by our founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It was, therefore, all but natural for Pakistan to endorse these key initiatives put forth by President Xi.

In a world marred by multiple challenges like conflicts, economic recessions, food insecurity, social inequalities, and climate change, the salience of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership assumes great importance. 

It is a source of pride and comfort for our two peoples and a factor of peace and stability in the region and beyond. Ours is a relationship of the past, present, and future, and nothing can alter this reality. 

As per our long-standing tradition, we support each other on our core issues. We are grateful to China for its support for Pakistan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and economic security, and its principled support on the issue of Kashmir. We reaffirm our commitment to the one-China principle and our support to China on its core issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xizang (Tibet), Xinjiang, and the South China Sea.

As close friends, strategic partners, and iron brothers, Pakistan and China are moving forward toward a destiny of shared future. I remain confident and convinced that our friendship will further strengthen in the coming days and attain even greater heights in the years to come.

Long live the Pakistan-China friendship!

The author is Prime Minister of Pakistan