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From the 14th to the 15th five-year plan, what drives China's steady hand in governance?
China's new energy vehicle boom accelerates.
Production and sales surged 35%, while exports jumped 90% in the first nine months.
And Japan makes history with its first female prime minister as it faces political and economic headwinds.
What challenges loom over Tokyo?
Welcome to Road Today, a news program with a different perspective.
I'm Ge'anna in Beijing.
To listen to this episode again or to catch up on previous episodes, you can download our podcast by searching World Today.
We begin with the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, currently underway in Beijing.
As China's top leadership works to chart the country's policy course for the next five years, attention is once again on a mechanism that has long guided the nation's development the Five-Year Plan.
President Xi Jinping has underscored the enduring importance of this system, describing it as both a key experience and a defining strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
So how has this planning system become a hallmark of the party's governance?
What underpins China's steady hand in long-term policymaking?
And what can you tell us about the country's strategic patience as he sets the course for the years ahead?
Joining us on the line is Professor Qu Qiang, fellow of Belt and Road Research Center at Mingzhu University of China.
Thanks for joining us, Professor.
Thank you.
Professor, China has now moved from the 14th to the 15th five-year plan and set its sights on achieving modernization by 2035 through three consecutive plans.
How does this one blueprint to the end approach reflect China's long-term vision and consistency in governance?
Well, I think China have its very unique way of, you know, statements and running the nation.
Number one, I think it's very strategic and visionary.
China, ever since, you know, its funding actually has been Always trying to, based on this five-year program, to find out in different stages what the target of the development it is and what's the priorities.
So everybody will be on the same page for the future.
We'll understand clearly about what is important in the next stage you know, a mid and short term.
And secondly, i think it's for the consistency because uh, you know, every five-year program will be based on the previous ones, so all the policies will share the visions, but also they will have a lots of, lots of stabilities and also consistencies to avoid the short-term turbulence and also frequent changes to make people confused about where we're going and what kind of the target we're going to approach.
And I think, certainly I think it's very good for the optimize the use of the resources, because China is a very large country, but also sometimes we are in shortage of all kinds of the resources we need.
So how we can optimize the use of the resources and deploy them actually become a very important topic among the nations.
So sometimes we always have a saying you have to concentrate all the resources to focus on the most urgently needed priorities.
And support them.
So I think the five-year program will make everybody understand what is number one priority, what is number two and where we should deploy all these resources.
This is very important.
And also, last but not least I think this is very important to forge the consensus, because the five-year program is a nationwide agenda.
It concerns every walks of life and it needs support from every sector of industries, every corner of the communities.
So I think, with everybody on the same page, forming all this consensus, it's easier to form the synergy to fight for the same target.
Professor.
Over the past five years, despite global instability, China has made breakthroughs in the high-tech sector and achieved annual production, for example, over 10 million new energy vehicles.
So in your view, what has enabled China to stay focused and, as they said, do its own job well?
Well, it's not easy, isn't it?
For example, in the past five years, the whole world has just experienced so much of the turbulence and challenges the COVID, the war conflict, financial turbulences but china still managed to make it in many fronts.
For example is like five years ago, like 2019, if i'm going to tell you that chinese uh, you know, a vehicle industry, the car making industry, is going to be, You know, one of the best in the whole world.
Probably you wouldn't buy the story.
It's going to be like listening to the story that Chinese football team is going to win the World Cup, but currently, even though our soccer teams still not been there yet, but our ev is really the number one in the whole world, and also the chinese auto industry just one example of it has already been walking among those giants like the germany, like the japan Japanese car makers and also United States.
I think the reason behind that, you know, and also the store behind semiconductors AI, green energy is the same thing, that is one is the steady Target, trying to always understand where it's going and also firmly dedicatedly, resolutely walking towards those targets without being interfered by the outside factors.
Number two I think it's a very, very strong leadership by the Chinese government and the CPC, because I think the party really, you know, makes a great, you know decisions and also policies, with the government actually been very effectively guided.
The whole nation, you know, evolve into the right direction.
And third one is very stable and long term policy environment enables that China have a very, you know, steady and you know, good consistency.
So all the enterprises, market players, they will, you know, have very stable expectations.
And also, I think is the education slash innovation.
China actually has been investing more on the RD and also the education of the talents in the past five years so that our capabilities for this kind of the research and development you know, which is a very important basis for technology breakthroughs, has been mounted on to a new height And also the fleet of our engineers and also research talents also has been reaching a new height, which become very important for China to seize the commanding height in this technology competition.
And last but not least, is the devotion and also the sacrifice effort for all the Chinese people.
Chinese people are very diligent, very courageous, and also very creative.
So I think that has made China what it is today.
Professor speaking of doing his own job well.
Strategy from another perspective.
When facing the global competition, China continues to stress the importance of developing real industries through self-reliance.
So, looking at the achievements of the past five years, what does this path mean for China's long-term development?
Well, I think number one, China chooses this way.
Well, number one, we are forced to do this.
So we want and we are doing globalization.
We have globalized partners in the research network across, you know, global south nations and many developed nations, our partner as well.
So we never try to, you know, trap ourselves in this just kind of a silo, you know, to isolate ourselves.
We never want to do so but we still wanted to have a very sufficient part in the self-reliance is because, you know, we used to, you know, suffer from this kind of factors which we've been cut it out into the world, cut it out of the world network of the research supply chain and etc.
So this national economic security actually, you know It, becomes very important.
The remembrance for China.
For example, back in the 1960s and 1970s.
We understand what does that mean if you lose this kind of security and independence, so that you're going to be exposed to lots of the risks and also people will suffer from it.
And secondly, is the upgrading of the whole industry and technology really requires?
On that hey, come on.
You understand, if you want to become the champion in certain industry, in certain technology well, you cannot be the follower, you will have to triumph.
And the former leaders, we'll never give you this technology for free, even though you're going to pay a lot of money for it.
They wouldn't even give you that as well, because this is how they make a living.
So you need to make a breakthrough.
You need to depend on your own technology, depend on your own talents, your own investment to develop your really independent technology on your own, so that you can be the triumph, you can be the champion in this technology breakthrough.
And more than that, we need a sustainable development.
If you do not have this kind of technology and also the research capacity of your own, it's never sustainable, because every once a while you have to look outside.
You have back for more of the donation, you have to beg for more of the outside support.
That's not a good idea for sustainable development.
You know society, so i think, based on that reason, china chose its own way, for you know independent research and the self-sufficiency.
We've seen that in formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Over 3 million online suggestions were collected and President Xi personally held grassroots symposiums.
How have these grassroots voices found their way into China's policymaking?
And you've been to many countries and talked to many experts.
How would you compare the way Chinese people take part in national governance with what you've seen elsewhere?
Well, I think number one, it's the best – one of the best examples of democracy in China.
Look, if you want to make a long-term development plan, you have to make sure that everybody's idea can be heard and everybody's – on the same page.
Well, chinese democracy is not like the showmanship.
It's not like you invite a lot of the performers just to yell with their loudest voices, but more practically, you need to hear what real frontier workers are doing and what is the first line researchers are doing.
You have to listen to the real voices, the doers voices, and collect as many as you can so that more people, the real working people, the real researchers scientists engineers farmers workers, they can get involved in this kind of a plan making And so you can understand what's really going on down there.
You can understand what is the cutting-edge technology, what is most urgently needed problems and also how people think they can really solve this kind of the challenges.
And based on that two preconditions, people will form the consensus.
Because this idea has come from them and also the situation has been feedback from them, so people would like to, you know, fight for it even more, so the consensus will be forged and also the policy makers.
Quality will also be raised.
And more than that, because this kind of the sense of involvement and the participation, People will feel more about their democracy and people will feel more that they can be part of the great things, so that people will work harder for it.
That is one of the most important secret that China has been achieving so much with such a short time because of the full process democracy.
Professor, one last question.
Based on these facets of governance we've discussed, what would you identify as the fundamental driver behind China's steady hand?
Well, I think China has been really a stable and steady player and also a great successor in many fronts.
Number one, long-term vision.
China is very, very good at strike a balance between the short-term profit and the long-term gain.
Long-term target.
And secondly is the policymaking.
China always tried to collect as many uh voices, many ideas from you know the vastest, the majority of group of people, and try to make sure that policy and institution can cover most of the ideas and people's voices.
And thirdly is people support.
Because of the democracy, because all these policies try to take care of people, so people will form the consensus and support those development plan and also contribute their own, you know power.
And, last but not least, the most important you know secret recipe is the leadership of the cpc and chinese government.
Because if you have this kind of the party who will provide leadership for all the people but also try to, you know, cope with all kinds of the challenges and the problems with the real effect, i think you will also see this kind of the success in your own country.
So I think, based on all that, we have already found our own unique way towards our target, towards success.
Meanwhile we try to shake off all kinds of the uncertainty and the turbulence, to fight for the most and the largest profit and welfare for our people.
Thanks, Professor, for your insightful analysis.
That was Professor Qu Qiang, fellow of the Belt and Road Research Center at Minzu University of China.
China's new energy vehicle industry is charging ahead at full speed.
Fresh data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that production and sales of NEVs through three quarters, jumped by around 35, reaching over 11 million units.
New energy vehicles made up nearly half of all new vehicle sales in the same period.
Industry experts say the surge is being powered by trading programs, local auto shows and a flood of new model launches.
And it's not just the domestic market that's booming.
China's NEV exports soared nearly 90%, sending cars to markets from Europe. to Southeast Asia.
For more on this, our Zhao Yang spoke with Chen Jiahe, Chief Investment Officer at Novenark Technologies.
So Jia He, China's NEV production and sales both jumped by around 35% this year.
So what's driving this remarkable growth, do you think?
Well, basically there are two very important reasons.
The first one is that if we look at the development of China's new energy vehicle industry, it's been so robust.
It's fulfilled with many exciting new models.
The efficiency of these cars are really increasing.
They really fit the demand of the customers.
I mean, that's probably the most important reason why it has been growing so quickly, because you have a very good product and you are welcomed by your customers.
The second thing is that China's consumption market is also growing at a very rapid speed.
I mean, people are having their income increasing at about 5% every year.
So that means people just got more money to spend every single year.
And the government is also supporting the growth of the consumption markets.
I mean China's government has been doing quite a lot of things in the past few years to stimulate the growth of the consumption.
I mean giving out subsidies they owe for new programs, cutting off some of the consumption taxes.
All these kinds of things has been conducted to stimulate the consumption market.
So I mean these two forces join together and you see a very strong growth of China's new energy vehicle industry growth.
And the NEV exports also surged nearly 90% in the first nine months.
So what has been fueling this export boom, do you think?
Yeah, that's really amazing that, if you look at the growth of the demand from international market toward China's, production of these NEVs is growing at an even stronger speed compared with the growth of the domestic demand or the consumption.
This really tells you that how special China's production of new energy vehicle is.
I mean it's much more welcome in the global markets because if you look at the local markets, you already have so many competitors and people got so many choices.
But when these cars are exported to, you know america, europe or south america or africa um, in these markets yeah, they don't really find much competitors in the local markets.
So local people are just welcoming that because of the low price, because of the good quality and also because of all these innovations that you can get.
So you see a very strong growth over there.
It's really amazing to watch this number.
For example, China's EV giant BYD's UK sales jumped more than eight times in September.
So what's behind this explosive growth and what are BYD's comparative advantages in the UK market compared with other EV brands?
Well, if you look at BYD, this is a very amazing company.
I mean, it's the best private-owned, an EV producer in China.
I mean Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger has been investing quite a lot in BYD in the past many years and they made a lot of money.
So if you look at the products of BYD, they're really winning their customers by the quality of their products.
If you buy a car from them, it's just much more functional compared with the other cars that you can buy with the same price.
So it's actually entering quite many markets and be able to win out in these markets.
And the UK is definitely one of them.
I mean, if you look at UK I mean I have been living there for five years and people in the UK are, you know, you can say they're living on the wheels.
The ownership of cars in the United Kingdom is about.
I think it's about 600 or 700 per thousand persons.
So it's quite a high number, which means almost For every two person living in the UK they own more than one car.
So they know how to choose their cars.
They've been buying cars since their teenage period, and now they choose BYD.
So it just tells you how good these products really are.
And also Jia He.
The 2025 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference was recently held in Beijing.
So what specific outcomes do you believe this conference delivered to accelerate the development and commercialization of those vehicles?
Yeah, I mean this conference just to bring another opportunity for the producers, for the you know buyers, everyone in the industry, to gather together, to you know, to meet together in Beijing to exchange all these informations.
I mean, if you look at the NEVs, they are really composed about quite a lot of new technologies.
I mean the connection program which, The connection technologies, which is the main topic of this conference, is a very important thing.
So it's like your cars connected to your mobile phone, to the smart home appliances at your home, how these connections are going to work.
Are there any safety concern?
Are we really reliable for these connections?
So, I mean, it's a lot of things.
For example, AI driving.
It needs the car to automatically connecting to all the 5G networks around where it is driving, connecting to the headquarter of the auto driving company a lot of connection.
That which is this conference is about.
So it brings an opportunity for people who are going there to exchange their ideas about the latest technologies, because in this industry, technology is always improving every day.
If you you're out from the industry for like a month, You back to it, you find something that you don't know has been created.
So you have to keep on connecting with people to know how these things are going on.
Now, building an intelligent vehicle involves so many parties deep convergence of automobile electronics communications, software industries, and so on.
What would a new ecosystem look like? how can we avoid a fragmented ecosystem?
Well, that's a question that people have always been asking that you know, you have all these things, and how can we avoid a fragmented ecosystem?
We have to avoid the waste.
So it's really a difficult thing because, On one hand, is that you need the market to compete against each other, which means you have more than one ecosystem in the market, because if you have just the one, ecosystem is not going to compete.
And if you look at the system of the market, the competition creates the efficiency.
So there are ways of more ecosystems and you create efficiency because they compete against each other and the customers would have a better choice.
They can, you know, compare between different ecosystems and they say okay, we're going to pay money to the one that we love the most.
But on the other hand is that if you have over competition, then you are creating really a lot of waste for the society.
So this program, it's a job of the government.
I mean, businesses are just competing to their deaths to make more profit.
That's their single job.
But the government is considering much more things considering the carbon emission, for example, considering the competition.
Is it over competition?
Are you really wasting a lot of things?
And China is also rolling out vehicle-to-grid or V2G pilot projects, where EVs feed power back to the grid.
So how big a game changer could that be for the green power integration?
It's a latest technology.
I mean, it's one of the latest technologies that we keep on thinking, because it needs a very strong computing program to put the vehicles into the grid in order to provide not only getting power from the grid, but also recharging the grid when they are not in use.
It's one part of the technology, so people are working on that.
Maybe it will come out really effective.
The only way to answer such a technical economic question is testing.
So ask some market or some city to test it, run out their program and put it out in the market and test it for like one or two years and do the calculation.
Are you making money?
So if you are making money after the testing, then the technology can be used in many other places.
That was Chen Jiahe, Chief Investment Officer at Nuvenark Technologies.
You are listening to Road Today.
We'll be back after a short break.
You've been listening to Road Today with Mika Anna in Beijing.
Sanae Takaichi has become Japan's first female prime minister after securing the backing of the House of Representatives.
The 64-year-old won the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership contest earlier this month, following the party's loss of its majority in the July election.
The LDP is now partnering with the smaller right-wing Japan Innovation Party to form a minority government.
She will succeed Shigeru Shiba, who has resigned along with his cabinet.
For more on this, let's have Dr Rong Ying Chair, Professor at the School of International Studies at Sichuan University.
Professor.
As Japan's first female prime minister, how have Takeuchi's personal background and political career shaped her governing philosophy and leadership style?
Today Takeuchi certainly I think she's another kind of typical sort of politician coming from traditional or kind of political dynastic families, like many of the Japanese politicians have had.
She was born from, I think, average Japanese family whose father was an office worker and the mother worked at a local police station.
Police officer.
She's quite different from most or quite a lot of Japanese politicians.
It was reported that she developed her political interests or political aspiration during 1980 years, when Japan and the US relationship, particularly on trade, were very bad.
And that pushed her to, I mean, raised her interest to be an intern and a U.S.
Congress lady who had a critical view of Japan and later on learned that the Japanese I mean the Americans had such a shallow view of Japan.
They were not able even to tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages and others.
But her sort of real political career started in 1990s when she campaigned failed, but then later on elected as a member of the parliament and altogether up now 14.
And then very much, I think, become an active politician.
ABM, administration and so on and so forth, be taking over the profiles as economic, security and internal affairs and communications.
So it's just quite a veteran politicians, but also very much, I think, famous for conservative politics, uh sort of views on defense, on its relationship, or i mean japan's reading with neighborhood, and mostly on the question of history.
She was being always being a frequent visitor.
Your screen shines, which I can cause a lot of concern.
So all in all, her personal experience, her political career, I think very much shaped, In a way, becomes political, I mean very much conservative, also outspoken, I think, politician in Japan.
Professor with LDP rocked by black money scandals and now forming a coalition with the smaller right-wing Japan Innovation Party.
What obstacles might this coalition encounter in implementing its policies in the future?
First and foremost, The coalition itself even with the support I mean with the coalition with the Japan Innovation Party, I think, itself they do not have majority seats in the parliament, which means that they would continuously frequently seek support of other smaller or independent members of parliament.
That would be very much, I think, bad for a government like that, particularly when there's a heavy agenda for reform or high expectations of change.
Secondly, with that coalition partner, I think the Japan Innovation Party, they do share quite a lot of common ground ideologically in terms of defense policy, in terms of relationship with the United States. and so on and so forth.
But they also have huge differences or different expectations on specific issues.
The Japan, the JIP, it has a short history, but a very strong, I think, specific agenda.
For example, on the question of donation, political donation by the corporate and within these big business sectors.
They are very strong on that.
They also have their own very much concern, localized concern.
For example, the question of designing or making the Osaka as backup capitals and, more importantly, I think they are advocating reduction of shares of the parliament seats.
Which all these difference?
Putting together what they make.
The coalition, the running of the operational coalition is very difficult.
Last but not least, I think this is the first time and the last minute agreement for the two parties working together.
And the formal collaboration from JIP is not to join the cabinet, which again, of course, complications for that.
Then, besides dealing with the minority government, what domestic issues and pressures is the new government likely to confront?
Yeah, I think politically, the government were the first and foremost to win back the trust and the support of the public, and particularly the younger vote.
And it looks like they have little sort of options.
And not little they can do because, as we have seen, that the LBTPs have now entered 70 years has become really politically, I think, difficult things.
I think, the question of the political funding issues which literally, I think, create the real problems for LDP, is there no clear way out?
And secondly, at the recent elections lower house election has been seen that the Japan society as a whole is turning to right.
And two right-leaning sort of politicians, or right-leaning politicians plus a right-leaning party competing the right-leaning sort of politics would make, I think, the Japanese politics very difficult.
And last but not least, I think on the agenda, look at the agenda.
Economically diplomatically, there are a lot of, I think, pressing issues need clear, resolute.
Unfortunately, I think, with such a minority and uncertain politics, I don't see the new prime minister, whether we have a smooth sailing for the days ahead.
Professor, earlier you mentioned, Takayoshi is seen as a hardline conservative who supports a hawkish foreign policy.
How might the new administration's foreign policy stance, especially on defense, impact Japan's relations with neighboring countries?
That's a great question.
I think it's clear from what is happening for the past years, particularly since 2015, the defense sort of strategic changes in Japan.
The overall trend of Japan is, I mean, towards raising the budget, expanding the capability in some source.
And now the question is that how much they are going far, because obviously they are also under huge pressure from the Trump administration.
And it would be, I think, the major issues later next week when President Trump meets Prime Minister Takahashi.
But this issue is related when the rising of defense budget, the increasing of growing defense capabilities took place in the context of Japan's sort of history problem and particularly with eight close neighbors.
That would make, I think, the process very much difficult. and very much controversial.
Even though I think Takeichi has shown some kind of flexibilities or pragmatism by not pledging clearly that Nan is taking over, which it should be visiting the Shrine, but her face, So the philosophy and the statement she has made always raise the concerns and suspicion of the neighboring countries.
Again, it also takes place again in the context of the uncertain, changing geopolitical sort of landscape.
Even the diplomatic agenda, diplomatic sort of issues can be a problem for the new administration.
That was Dr Rong Ying Chair, Professor at the School of International Studies at Sichuan University.
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Stay with us.
Welcome back to Road Today.
Let's move to the war-torn Gaza Strip, where eight trucks are navigating through the rubble in can units carrying essentials including fuel.
Palestinians, including women and children, line up outside a distribution center in the southern city to receive aid boxes.
Resident Rafat Al-Khawra says the deliveries are far from sufficient.
It's not enough for anything.
It's only enough for four or five days for a family of six people.
If the aid package was bigger than this or even delivered weekly, it would be better.
You can see how high prices are becoming and we cannot afford to buy anything.
Concerns rimming over how much aid Israel is allowing into Gaza, a key part of the ceasefire agreement.
The next stages of the ceasefire are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza and the future governance of the devastated territory.
To delve into this, let's have Dr He Wenping, Senior Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Thanks for joining us, Dr. He.
Thanks for having me.
Eight trucks have made it into Gaza, but Israel's attacks haven't completely stopped.
And both Hamas and Israel are accusing each other of violating the truth.
So how do you see the ceasefire actually playing out on the ground?
Well, obviously, it's not that optimistic. about this first phase implementation of this truce.
Now the Israel and the Hamas has been mutually finger pointing each other, saying the other side has broken this truce.
Actually you see Israel side saying the Hamas already killed two Israel soldiers after the truce has been signed.
But the Hamas, you know, the top leader, Serco, saying denied this accusation.
So even Donald Trump made some comments on this.
He said probably Hamas.
The high leadership really didn't know what's going on, you know, on the ground side of these Hamas soldiers, or maybe those soldiers has done this by themselves.
So it cannot be blamed, saying Hamas now want to, You know, break out this ceasefire, make this ceasefire no longer workable.
So you see, but Israel also, obviously also violating the truth because they continue bombing the Gaza Strip, already killed so far, saying 80.
Clearly, mutual trust is entirely lacking.
Israel and Hamas are maintaining a fragile agreement amid the conflict.
Do you think this situation, this truth, can last, or is a return to direct conflict almost inevitable?
Yes.
Nobody wants to see this truth of you know becoming failure because it has been taken Such a long time to reach this.
Even Donald Trump also put.
President Donald Trump of the United States also put his personal credit on this truth.
You see, he traveled all the way to Egypt to join this peace summit and also bring together, like Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, all those countries now becoming guarantor for this truth.
So no one want to see. quickly collapsed.
That means all those previous efforts have been totally becoming wasted.
So that's why, even now, I notice that Donald Trump's son-in-law, Kushner, together with U.S.
Special Envoy of Middle East Affairs, now travel to Middle East again, travel to Israel.
And it was said that Vice President of US Jesse Vance also will follow or maybe the coming day also will visit Israel.
That is why we can see how such a great effort has been made, Even from the United States side.
They don't want to see this truth and that quickly collapse.
They will put some pressure to Israel again.
For example, stop bombing, stop now killing those Gaza civilians.
Then how could this current situation affect the tougher talks ahead, like disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawals and who governs Gaza?
Yeah, that will be the second phase.
You see, that will be even harder that, you know, the content. can be implemented in that easy way.
This should be very difficult.
But by now it's not the time to talk about the second phase, because the first phase All those are like issues hasn't been resolved yet.
Because now Israel side, even saying Hamas not deliver all those bodies of those hostages, because those hostages, those alive ones, are still breathing.
Those people around 20 have been already handed over, transferred to Israel.
But now Israel is asking for all those died uh those uh hostages, those bodies also.
You should be returned back one by one, one by one.
But now seems is quite difficult for hamas.
Hamas now cannot finish this job.
Uh, they have been saying well, maybe somebody, one or two now disappeared uh, because all those years, two years, are bombing, and then even some underground those caves also been bombed, and then uh, so now They cannot.
Maybe they really don't have those bodies in their hands.
So this is becoming another excuse for Israel now saying cannot move to the second phase because the first phase of things hasn't done yet.
So that is why now I think even Donald Trump's son-in-law, Kushner, recently I heard his comments.
He said, oh, probably Hamas really don't know where are those bodies.
But before Israel said, they know exactly where they are.
They just want to hold it.
But personally, I don't believe Hamas even want to hold those died bodies.
It's not easy for them to keep them. if they really want to hold some hostages in their hands.
So better hold those alive to one, those still alive, still breathing.
Why they need to hold those died body?
So it's not make sense.
So I think if US pressure now goes to Israel saying no, need always fixed to this saying diet body, should be all returned back.
But if Hamas really cannot, so this first phase now continue move to the second phase.
So now still wait to see.
So, if it goes to the second phase One, there will be many, many challenges, like you just mentioned.
This Hamas, Hamas now say no.
If Israel withdraws all its troops from Gaza, Israel side say no either.
So now even those two not reach agreement on this second phase.
So how should we start?
Indeed.
Thanks, Dr. He, for your valuable insights.
That was Dr. He Wenping, Senior Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Bolivia has elected a centrist senator as the country's next president, bringing an end to nearly 20 years of continuous rule by the Movement for Socialism Party.
With almost all votes counted.
Rodrigo Paz defeated a right-wing candidate in Sunday's runoff election, securing over 54 of the vote.
Paz has pledged to end fuel shortages and tackle Bolivia's broader economic challenges.
He also says he will open up the country to wider international investment and stimulate private sector growth.
For more on this.
My colleague Ding Heng spoke with Professor Jiang Shixue from College of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University.
So thank you very much for joining us today, Professor Jiang.
Pats went from being a surprise frontrunner in the first round of the election in August to achieving a clear win in the runoff this time around.
What do you think the election result tells us?
And why do you think the candidates for the governing Socialist Party didn't even make it into the final round of voting?
Well, I think the main reason is related to the not so good economic situation.
In the past several years, particularly after the COVID-19, The economy in Bolivia has been in a kind of recession.
Ten years ago the economy in Bolivia witnessed the rapid growth, but after the COVID-19 the economy is terrible.
So unemployment rate is rising, prices are rising.
And everything related to the economy is not so good.
So people in Bolivia just wish to see a kind of change.
So they believe that change of the government might bring economic hope for them.
You know, this is a typical phenomenon in America.
When the economy is in a terrible shape, the public, or the voters, wish to see a change of the government.
Mr. Patz has campaigned with the slogan, Capitalism for All, promising free market reforms.
He has also pledged to ease access to credit for small businesses, lower certain taxes, reduce import tariffs, crack down on corruption and decentralize the government.
He also says that once in power, he will cut fuel subsidies in a country that is grappling with severe fuel shortages.
So, among the things that he is planning to do, what do you think is easier and what might prove to be more difficult?
Well, I would say just easier said than done.
I would point out that maybe I'm too pessimistic.
I think all these policies, might be not so easy to take effect immediately.
And also I want to point out that it is quite strange that Sometimes nowadays in many countries in Latin America it is not so easy to distinguish between the left and the right.
Some of the policies you pointed out just now can be implemented by the left.
Something like capitalism for everybody.
Well, the populist left said similar things.
Well, but of course we can notice that there are some kind of important changes, like its policies towards foreign investment.
In the past two decades or so, the so-called left-wing government took a very cautious attitude towards foreign investment and also regarding its mining sector.
Also, the left-wing government asked the state or the government to play a pivotal role in its economy.
And now probably we are going to see that the right-wing government might take different policies towards foreign investment subsidy or something like that.
So if you read international media news stories you might say that some of the people or some of the stories say this incoming government might not be considered as totally right wing or say maybe kind of a center, the so-called third-way government.
So let's see what will happen in the near future.
And I guess Mr Patz is actually inheriting a divided country and some very challenging economic circumstances, including a shortage of US dollars, inflation and the downfalling natural gas exports, which used to be a main source of revenue for this country.
So I guess for any president it will be challenging to unite this country and restore its economic credibility.
Now talking about its foreign diplomacy.
We know between Bolivia and the United States there has not been a formal diplomatic relationship since the year 2008, when the then Bolivian leader accused Washington of conspiring against his government.
Do you think the election of Pats could signal a thawing of this relationship?
Well, the new government might change its policies of the previous left-wing government.
In the past two decades, Bolivia's relationship was not so good with the US, and sometimes it was really terrible.
As you know, the US didn't wish to see that.
The left-wing government, particularly under the leadership of Moraes, was totally against the US spending alongside Cuba Venezuela, Nicaragua.
So that's why the U.S. was not happy.
And now the U.S. will be pleased to see that Bolivia's policy towards the U.S. should be changed.
I think in the near future Bolivia's relationship with the U.S. will be improved greatly.
And regarding Bolivia's relationship with China, I cannot see that there should be reason for changes, because China's relationship with Bolivia, or any other countries in America, is not based on ideology.
No matter who is in power in Bolivia, left wing or right wing, China's relationship with Bolivia will continue to move forward.
I think the new government, as well as the people in Bolivia, can see that its relationship with China has benefited greatly to the economy of Bolivia.
Without the Chinese investment or without the Chinese trade, I think Bolivia's economy would have been suffered more.
The new president of Bolivia will continue to push forward its relationship with China, despite the fact that its relationship with the US will be changed.
So, by the way, regarding your point about China, what kind of cooperation opportunities do you see between Bolivia and China?
Well, as I mentioned just now, that Bolivia's economy, its infrastructures, its industry agriculture, mining well, in order to promote the development of these sectors, this South American country needs foreign investment, including particularly the investment from China, and also some of its products mining products, agricultural products can be sold to China.
So I hope that within the framework of the Belt Road Initiative, I think there are plenty of opportunities for cooperation between our two sides.
As you know, Bolivia is quite rich in mining resources, particularly the so-called lithium mining.
So, as you know that lithium minerals are very important for clean energy batteries, things like that.
But Bolivia lacks technology and lacks investment.
And, in this regard, I believe that China can offer a great helping hand for this South American country to develop the mining of its lithium sector.
So it's a kind of a win-win cooperation.
That was Professor Jiang Shixue from Sichuan International Studies University, talking with my colleague Ding Hong.
That's all the time for this edition of World Today.
I'm Ge'anna.
Thank you so much for listening.
Bye for now.
