China Daily Podcast China Daily

The United States is intensifying its tech war against China. In yet another act of "economic coercion" targeting Chinese companies, the US has revoked export licenses that allowed tech giants such as Qualcomm and Intel to supply chips to Chinese telecommunications equipment company Huawei, which Washington has already put on a trade restriction "entity list" since 2019 on the grounds that it poses national security risks to the US.
美国正在加紧对中国的科技战争。在针对中国公司的又一次“经济胁迫”行动中，美国撤销了允许高通和英特尔等科技巨头向中国电信设备公司华为供应芯片的出口许可证，而华盛顿已经自2019年起将华为列入贸易限制“实体名单”，理由是华为对美国构成国家安全风险。
The move comes after the Chinese company unveiled its first AI-enabled laptop last month, and announced that its first-quarter profits surged more than fivefold year-on-year, making some China hawks in Washington to complain that previous US crackdowns on the Chinese company have not yielded the intended results. They have pushed for the US administration to further tighten the screws on the company.
此前，这家中国公司上个月推出了首款支持人工智能的笔记本电脑，并宣布其第一季度利润同比增长五倍以上。这让在华盛顿的一些鹰派人士抱怨说，美国此前对中国公司的打压并未取得预期效果。他们要求美国政府进一步收紧对中国公司的限制。
Speaking before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo made no bones about Washington's abuse of export controls. "I tell semiconductor companies that they can't sell their chips to China," she told the panel.
5月8日，商务部长吉娜·雷蒙多在众议院拨款委员会上公开阐述了华盛顿滥用出口管制的行为。她对小组成员说：“我告诉半导体公司，他们不能把芯片卖给中国。”
The new sanctions will certainly undermine the smooth development of Sino-US relations, which the two sides have managed to stabilize since last year through a series of high-level visits. The latest move not only runs counter to the World Trade Organization rules, but also belies the commitment the US has repeatedly made to China that it does not seek to "decouple" from the country or to contain its development.
自去年以来，中美双方通过一系列高层互访成功稳定了两国关系，新的制裁措施必将破坏两国关系的顺利发展。最新举措不仅违背了世界贸易组织的规则，也有悖于美国多次对中国做出的承诺，即美国不寻求与中国“脱钩”，也不寻求遏制中国的发展。
The fact that the latest US restrictions are targeted at purely civilian consumer chip products exported to China also makes the promise that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made during her visits to China that US national security actions in the economic sphere are narrowly scoped and based on clearly defined national security concerns sound empty.
美国最新的限制措施针对的是出口到中国的纯民用消费芯片产品，这也使得美国财政部长珍妮特·耶伦在访华期间做出的承诺，即美国在经济领域的国家安全行动范围狭窄，且基于明确界定的国家安全关切，沦为空谈。
There is increasing evidence that the US is trying to erect a technological "iron curtain" to isolate China from the rest of the world in the realm of high technologies.While unveiling US International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy at a major tech forum in San Francisco on Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken declared that the US intends to enhance international technology collaborations — or "digital solidarity" — with its allies and partners in technological advancements ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum computing, which obviously is aimed at countering Chin

President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the China-Hungary relationship is now at its best in history, and he called on the two sides to summarize the valuable experience of the past and continue deepening practical cooperation in various sectors.
The two countries decided to elevate bilateral relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
Xi, who had just concluded state visits to France and Serbia, held talks on Thursday with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, capital of Hungary, on the third leg of his six-day European trip.
Calling Sulyok "an experienced statesman and a legal expert", Xi said he appreciates the Hungarian president's long-standing dedication to growing the China-Hungary friendship and his positive contribution to development of bilateral ties.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1949, China and Hungary have always respected each other, treated each other as equals and pursued mutual benefit.
Last year, China was Hungary's largest source of foreign investment, as well as its largest trading partner outside the European Union.
As the first European country to sign a cooperation agreement with China on the Belt and Road Initiative, Hungary has been a distribution center for China-Europe freight trains and a crucial link in the logistics transportation corridor between China and Europe over the past decade.
Xi stressed the importance of summarizing the valuable experience of the past 75 years, which has ensured the steady development of bilateral ties.
The Chinese president also said that China welcomes Hungarian friends to board the express train of Chinese modernization and better align it with Hungary's Eastern Opening policy.
China will continue to work with Hungary to guide the correct direction for the joint building of the Belt and Road as well as the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, he said.
Xi also said it is hoped that Hungary, which is set to take over the rotating EU presidency in July, will seize the opportunity to promote the stable and healthy development of China-EU relations.
Sulyok, who jointly received Xi with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a welcoming ceremony on Thursday morning, hailed the positive results of bilateral cooperation in various fields since the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017.
Hungary has greatly benefited through cooperation with China in areas such as infrastructure connectivity under the BRI, he said.
Sulyok said his country highly appreciates the Global Development Initiative and other initiatives proposed by the Chinese president, as they are crucial for addressing various challenges facing the world today and for preventing bloc confrontation by advocating for dialogue and cooperation.
Noting that it is an established policy of Hungary to strengthen cooperation with China, Sulyok said the Central European country looks forward to promoting key cooperation projects such as the Hungary-Serbia Railway to deliver more benefits to the people.
Reporter: Mo Jingxi

By taking the lead among major cities in scrapping all restrictions on homebuying, Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, and Xi'an of Shaanxi province have set the tone in terms of effecting measures that boost market confidence and help the market to stabilize, property experts said on Thursday.
5月9日，房地产专家周四表示，在主要城市中，华东地区浙江省省会杭州和陕西省西安市率先取消了所有购房限制措施，为提振市场信心、帮助市场稳定的措施定下了基调。
All the previous limits on home purchases in Hangzhou were canceled on Thursday. Non-locals who own residential properties in the city can apply for permanent resident status, said a seven-item notice published on the website of the local bureau of housing security and real estate management on Thursday.
此前杭州的所有购房限制均于5月9日被取消了。5月9日，杭州市住房保障和房产管理局网站上发布了一则通知，包括在杭州拥有住宅房产的非本地人可以申请永久居民身份等七条措施。
"Hangzhou is the first Chinese city to lift all existing curbs posed on homebuying after April 30, when the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held a tone-setting conference calling for measures to digest housing inventories and optimize new supplies," said Yan Yuejin, director of Shanghai-based E-house China Research and Development Institution.
位于上海的易居研究院研究总监严跃进说：“4月30日，中共中央政治局召开会议，为房地产政策定调，要求采取措施消化住房库存，优化新增供应，杭州是4月30日之后第一个取消所有现有购房限制措施的中国城市。”
"Behind the easing policies are visible home price drops and withered transactions," said Li Yujia, chief researcher at the Guangdong Planning Institute's residential policy research center.
广东省住房政策研究中心首席研究员李宇嘉说：“宽松政策的背后是明显的房价下跌和成交萎缩。”
"All of the city's 10 districts reported declines on their average trading prices of pre-owned homes in April, ranging from 2 percent to 21 percent," said Li, citing data from the Beike Research Institute in Hangzhou.
李宇嘉援引杭州贝壳研究院的数据说：“4月份，全市10个区的二手房平均交易价格都出现了下降，降幅从2%到21%不等。”
Data from the China Index Academy showed a transaction downturn in the new homes market, suggesting similar measures are needed to activate potential demand.
中指研究院的数据显示，新房市场交易低迷，这表明需要采取类似措施来激活潜在需求。
Hangzhou's bold move may inspire easing in other cities or their districts, especially second-tier cities, that have tight restrictions on home purchases, said Gao Yuansheng, executive vice-president of the China Index Academy's East China region.
中指研究院华东大区常务副总高院生表示，杭州的大胆举措可能会激励其他城市或其所在区域，尤其是二线城市，继续优化限购政策。
Citing data from the China Index Academy, Gao said strict limits are still in place in housing markets across cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen of Guangdong province as well as some core districts of cities like Guangzhou of Guangdong province, Tianjin.
高院生援引中指研究院的数据说，北京市、上海市、广东省深圳市等城市以及广东省广州市、天津市等城市的一些核心区仍对住房市场实行严格限制。
Like Hangzhou, Xi'an lifted all its homebuying requirements on Thursday afternoon. The new policy is expected to ease pressure on the city in Northwest China to destock its housing inventories, said Zhang Hongwei, founder of Jingjian Consulting.
与杭州一样，西安也在5月9日下午取消了所有购房要求。镜鉴咨询创始人张宏伟说，新政策有望缓

In Hungary, China Daily reporter Peng Yixuan completed a street challenge to give massages for Hungarian people on the street. How did the locals react and what stories did they share with Peng Yixuan? Watch to find out!

As French President Emmanuel Macron rolled out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping's state visit, which concluded on Tuesday, China and France, with ample outcomes from the visit, have sent the message that they will consolidate the strategic stability of bilateral ties and jointly contribute to global security and prosperity.
The two countries signed 18 bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as green development, aviation, agrifood, commerce and people-to-people exchanges after the two presidents' official talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday.
They also issued four joint statements on the situation in the Middle East, artificial intelligence and global governance, partnership in the fields of biodiversity and oceans, and agricultural exchanges and cooperation.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France, with the latter being the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level with China.
Observers said that in an era in which mistrust often defines interactions between the West and China, the vibrant comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France stands as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that trust and collaboration are not only possible but essential for progress and prosperity.
During their talks, the two presidents highlighted the countries' friendly relationship as well as the potential and prospects of cooperation. They pledged to step up the countries' cooperation in traditional areas such as aerospace, aviation and nuclear energy, expand collaboration in emerging areas such as green energy, smart manufacturing, biomedicine and AI, and jointly uphold multilateralism, the United Nations Charter and international law.
Xi said that China is ready to maintain strategic communication with France, respect each other's core interests, unleash the great potential of mutually beneficial cooperation, and facilitate growth and balance in bilateral trade.
Expanding opening-up
He reaffirmed the nation's commitment to expanding opening-up, saying that China has fully opened up its manufacturing sector and will move faster to expand market access in the service sector, such as in telecommunications and medical services.
While saying that China welcomes investment by more French companies, Xi expressed the hope that the French side will provide a good business environment and stable development expectations for investment and cooperation by Chinese companies in France.
China welcomes visits by more people from France, and will extend the short-stay visa-exemption policy for citizens from 12 countries, including France, to the end of 2025, bring the total number of French students in China to more than 10,000, and double the number of young Europeans on exchange programs to China in the next three years, Xi said.
He also pledged to increase dialogue and communication with France in areas including AI governance and reform of the international financial system.
Macron said that as the world faces many pressing challenges, the profound and rich France-China relationship is at a critical juncture of building on the past and looking to the future.
The two sides, through mutual respect, a long-term perspective and strengthened cooperation, will play an important and positive role in addressing global challenges and opposing any logic of bloc confrontation, he said.
Macron assured Xi that France will continue to open its market to China and will not adopt discriminatory policies against Chinese companies.
David Gosset, founder of the China-Europe-America Global Initiative, said that as France and China translate their affinities into concerted action, they forge pathways for enhanced synergies between the European Union and the world's second-largest economy.
"This collaboration also signals to the United States that the Western world can engage in strategic partnerships with China," Gosset wrote in an opinion piece published by

Join China Daily reporter Peng Yixuan as she explores the Pyrenees mountains in France to delve into the essence of friendship. Hear from the friendly French as they share their insights. Watch the video for more!