Top-ranked articles for week of 5-11 September 2021

Messages

In the week’s most widely circulated official news article, Xi Jinping asks young cadres “to adhere to principles and dare to fight”. In particular, “on principle issues [they] must not be vague and must not yield, otherwise they will be irresponsible to the Party and the people, or even commit a crime”.

So principles are more important than means and ends? In the current environment, yes. This is not saying that cadres can on occasion fight orders from above – anything but. Rather, they must “struggle” (another popular theme this week) in their attempts to wrestle with the challenges that China faces by inculcating the correct types of individual behaviour. What is being pointed to is that government policy has broadened: economic growth is no longer the primary goal, it has to be balanced with other needs (notably the environment and reversing inequality).

Exactly how these competing needs should be balanced is not spelled out; that’s the job of officials to determine – using principles. That this could be tough is signalled with the use of “dare to fight” (敢于斗争). The Party appears to be suggesting that hard times lie ahead and cadres – raised on decades of non-stop economic growth and a benign international environment – might find themselves having to run things in a rather different climate.

The other part, on “daring”, is more difficult. Like it or not, these officials were raised on competing with each other, and the easiest thing to compete on is economic growth. Xi may wish for them to compete on “common prosperity” or another ideological phrase, but none of those things are as easy to measure as growth. So while to dare may be to win, to do what you’re told may remain safer; thus Xi’s exhortations.

This week’s other articles show the importance of set phrases to official Chinese discourse. In international relations, China often speaks in two tongues. Asean, for example gets a very different type of language treatment from that used to discuss US-China ties or to report Xi’s call with Merkel. For Asean, it’s all the benefits of cooperation that have accrued over the years; for Biden, it’s a barely veiled threat for the US to fall in line; for Merkel, it’s a warning not to throw all the advances of recent decades. (Remember these messages aren’t for their apparent targets; the audience for all three is domestic.)

This works well with classical Chinese phrases in particular. The Asean piece proposes a community of shared destiny and mutual assistance. The use of “sharing weal and woe” (休戚与共) is a traditional formulation that sounds great but also sends a message to literate Chinese audiences. The phrase is taken from the Records of the Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou (3rd century CE). In the original context, Cao Pi pledges his loyalty and allegiance to his brother, the Emperor of Wei, the strongest of three competing kingdoms at the time. The allusion would not have escaped Chinese officials.

Xi’s congratulatory letter to the International Food Loss Reduction Conference seems incongruous, yet it too is linked to the principles point. One of his first campaigns after becoming CPC chief was to get people to “clean their plate” in order to reduce food wastage and so strengthen food security, with official banquets a major target. In April this year, China’s first anti-food-waste law was passed.

1. Cadre training

坚持原则 敢于斗争

Stick to principles and dare to fight

Date of first publication:4 September 2021

Story ranking: 21

Story source: Xinhua News Agency

Length: 1,409 characters / 991 words

论学习贯彻习近平总书记在中青年干部培训班开班式上重要讲话

“共产党人讲党性、讲原则，就要讲斗争。”在2021年秋季学期中央党校（国家行政学院）中青年干部培训班开班式上，习近平总书记明确要求年轻干部坚持原则、敢于斗争，指出“在原则问题上决不能含糊、决不能退让，否则就是对党和人民不负责任，甚至是犯罪”，强调“共产党人任何时候都要有不信邪、不怕鬼、不当软骨头的风骨、气节、胆魄”。

On Studying and Implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Training Class for Young and Middle-aged Cadres

"Communists talk about party spirit and principles, and they must talk about struggle." At the opening ceremony of the training class for young and middle-aged cadres at the Central Party School (National School of Administration) in the fall semester of 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly asked young cadres to adhere to principles and dare to fight. It is pointed out that “on principle issues must not be vague and must not yield, otherwise it will be irresponsible to the party and the people, or even commit a crime”, and emphasized that “Communists must have the spirit and integrity of not believing in evil, not afraid of ghosts, and improperly at all times. Courage.”

2. Xi talks to Biden

习近平同美国总统拜登通电话

Xi Jinping talks on the phone with U.S. President Biden

Date of first publication:10 September 2021

Story ranking: 20

Story source: Xinhua News Agency

Length: 895 characters / 653 words

国家主席习近平9月10日上午应约同美国总统拜登通电话，就中美关系和双方关心的有关问题进行了坦诚、深入、广泛的战略性沟通和交流。

习近平首先就飓风“艾达”造成美国多地人员伤亡和财产损失向拜登和美国人民表示慰问。拜登对此表示感谢。

On the morning of September 10, President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation with US President Biden at an appointment, and conducted candid, in-depth and extensive strategic communications and exchanges on Sino-US relations and related issues of mutual concern.

Xi Jinping first expressed condolences to Biden and the American people over the casualties and property losses caused by Hurricane Ada in many parts of the United States. Biden expressed his thanks for this.

3. Xi talks to Merkel

习近平同德国总理默克尔通电话

Xi Jinping talks on the phone with German Chancellor Merkel

Date of first publication:10 September 2021

Story ranking: 18

Story source: Xinhua News Agency

Length: 613 characters / 428 words

国家主席习近平9月10日晚同德国总理默克尔通电话。

习近平指出，去年以来，我们保持频密高效交流，为中德、中欧关系发展发挥了重要引领作用，也体现出中德两国的高度互信。总理女士积极致力于推动德国和欧洲对华务实合作和友好交往，我对此高度赞赏。

President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Merkel on the evening of September 10.

Xi Jinping pointed out that since last year, we have maintained frequent and efficient exchanges, which have played an important leading role in the development of China-Germany and China-EU relations, and also demonstrated the high level of mutual trust between China and Germany. Madam Chancellor is actively committed to promoting practical cooperation and friendly exchanges between Germany and Europe with China, which I highly appreciate.

4. Xi sends letter to food-loss reduction conference

习近平向国际粮食减损大会致贺信

Xi Jinping sends a congratulatory letter to the International Food Loss Reduction Conference

Date of first publication:10 September 2021

Story ranking: 18

Story source: Xinhua News Agency

Length: 417 characters / 300 words

9月10日，国家主席习近平向国际粮食减损大会致贺信。

习近平指出，粮食安全是事关人类生存的根本性问题，减少粮食损耗是保障粮食安全的重要途径。当前，新冠肺炎疫情全球蔓延，粮食安全面临挑战，世界各国应该加快行动，切实减少世界粮食损耗。

On September 10, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the International Food Loss Conference.

Xi Jinping pointed out that food security is a fundamental issue related to human survival, and reducing food loss is an important way to ensure food security. At present, the new crown pneumonia epidemic is spreading globally and food security is facing challenges. Countries in the world should speed up their actions to effectively reduce the world's food loss.

5. Xi sends letter to Asean expo and business summit

习近平向第18届中国－东盟博览会和中国－东盟商务与投资峰会致贺信

Xi Jinping sends a congratulatory letter to the 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit

Date of first publication:10 September 2021

Story ranking: 18

Story source: Xinhua News Agency

Length: 564 characters / 382 words

9月10日，国家主席习近平向第18届中国－东盟博览会和中国－东盟商务与投资峰会致贺信。

习近平指出，中国和东盟建立对话关系30年来，双方全方位合作不断深化，互为最大贸易伙伴，成为亚太区域最具活力的合作。新冠肺炎疫情发生以来，双方携手抗疫、共克时艰，以实际行动诠释了守望相助、休戚与共的命运共同体精神。

On September 10, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 18th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

Xi Jinping pointed out that over the past 30 years since China and ASEAN established the dialogue relationship, the two sides have continuously deepened their all-round cooperation. They are each other's largest trading partners and become the most dynamic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the two sides have joined hands in fighting the epidemic and overcoming the difficulties together, with practical actions to interpret the spirit of a community of shared destiny of mutual assistance and weal and woe.