New Era， New Life

China Economic Weekly Issue No. 7-8， 2018

The arrival of a new era is often accompanied by peoples good wishes for a better life. To turn those wishes into reality， efforts should be made. The report delivered by Xi Jinping to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China（CPC） last October pointed out that unbalanced and inadequate development has become the major restraining factor for the country to meet the peoples ever-growing needs for a better life. Then the hard nut in front of China to crack is its unbalanced and inadequate development.

The report to the 19th CPC National Congress also pointed out that in the new era peoples need for better lives arises. Not only have their material and cultural needs grown； their demands for democracy， rule of law， fairness and justice， security， and a better environment are also increasing. A research report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences claimed that due to uncoordinated social and economic development， Chinas social development lags behind its economic development by about 15 years.

As peoples demands and appeals in this regard are more diversified with some desires conflicting with each other， it becomes even more urgent for the country to spark development vitality and creativity of the whole society.

New Opportunities for Cross-border E-business

Oriental Outlook Issue No. 7， 2018

Since 2009， China has maintained its position as the worlds largest exporter and second largest importer in terms of trade in goods. Foreign trade has become one of the countrys major driving forces in boosting economic growth and promoting social development. Since 2015， China has lowered import tariffs on a range of consumer products for four times.

As a new type of business model， which can also promote a countrys import， the crossborder e-commerce activities have garnered increasing attention. In July 2014， the General Administration of Customs introduced the policy on bonded cross-border e-commerce. Later， via such ways as establishing comprehensive trial sites of cross-border e-commerce， China has formed a systematic supervisory model on cross-border e-commerce retail imports covering all aspects， thus building a sound policy environment.

Benefiting from the model， Chinas e-business has gained explosive growth.

Amid progress and adjustment， no one doubts that Chinas cross-border online import will continue to rise for quite a long time， facilitated by the countrys policy guidance of expanding imports.

A Retail War in Full Swing

Caixin Weekly Issue No. 8， 2018

The turn of this year was marked by Tencents raft of purchase activities. The Internet giant declared investment in multiple retail companies including Yonghui Superstores， Carrefour， Wanda， and HLA. It commenced the new round of forging alliance for investment. For example， Tencent joined hands with Yonghui to invest in Carrefour China， and allied JD， Suning， and Sunac China to invest in Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co.， Ltd. As for now， this flurry of investments in the retail field is estimated at over RMB 20 billion.

However， Alibaba is still a step ahead. Before Tencents moves， Alibaba had invested a total of RMB 80 billion in the retail field. After its executive chairman Jack Ma first proposed the concept of “new retail” in October 2016， Alibaba started its purchase frenzy in the field.

In its “new retail” layout， Fresh Hema， the chain store famed for its fresh seafood， is Alibabas primary test field. Based on its experiment in Fresh Hema， the e-business giant has rolled out its “new retail”deployment， penetrating such tangible sites as supermarkets， department stores， and shopping malls， showing its intention to subvert traditional business models.

The Rural Vitalization Drive Unveiled

Minsheng Weekly Issue No. 4， 2018

Renowned sociologist Fei Xiaotong remarked in his book Earthbound China that country folk cant live without earth as they make a living on farming.

Since the reform and openingup policy kicked off， the situation has changed. Some farmers have migrated to cities to find jobs. Since urban jobs can earn them more than that they get from farming， the migrating legion has kept swelling.

Forty years of reform and opening-up have made many farmers settle down in cities. The rural areas are expected to keep up with the pace of the new era， following the steps of cities that have achieved rapid development， and make headway in the agricultural modernization process. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to rural development. Led by the central leadership， comprehensive progress has been made in rural areas.

The “No. 1 Central Document”of the year charts the roadmap for the countrys rural vitalization strategy， and makes specific deployments under the guiding principle of thriving businesses， pleasant living environment， social etiquette， civility， and effective governance. A desirable and admirable new socialist countryside will be built amid efforts of the whole country.