China plans the period that will follow the pandemic

In the time of the pandemic, with the forecasts of negative economic growth, as a common factor of the world states, China announces an expected figure quantified in a positive six percent, a value, in an absolute sense, which could appear limited, but, that if takes into account the global situation conditioned by Covid-19, indicates Beijing’s clear intention to abandon the difficulties of the period and start the Chinese economy towards normality, which could contribute to general economic growth. Of course this figure represents a forecast, which could not be reached, precisely due to the conditions of the other economies, which could continue to have production difficulties and poor capacity to absorb goods from the Chinese country; however, the venue where the announcement of the growth forecast was made, the opening speech of the annual session of the Chinese parliament, the People’s Congress, in front of the 3,000 delegates gathered, took on a particular significance of solemnity, also because at the end of the session will announce the fourteenth five-year economic plan, which will provide further guidance on Chinese intentions regarding its economy. The return to announcing growth forecasts, after Beijing had not expressed objectives last year and had concluded with a growth of 2.3%, very contained for the Chinese superpower, means that Beijing’s intention is to return to being protagonist of the world economy; it must also be taken into account that according to analysts China has not expressed an official figure even this year, on the contrary having made public the figure of 6% represents a challenge both towards the outside and towards the inside, to be able achieve those reforms deemed essential to achieve the quantitative and qualitative development objectives, which have been set. The Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China expressed his intention to reduce unemployment to 5.5% by creating eleven million jobs and increasing research spending by 7% to achieve technological independence, especially in strategic sectors, such as semiconductors, where China has the raw materials, but not yet the sufficient knowledge to bridge the production gap with the US and Taiwan. That the programmatic moment is crucial for the Chinese country is also understood by the intentions of Beijing on energy, where, thanks to the continuous spread of nuclear power, the impact of polluting raw materials is to be reduced, even if coal will not be completely abandoned. indeed, it is expected to reach the peak of emissions in 2030, and then gradually decrease in favor of the greater practice of clean energy. From a social point of view, China must fight the aging of the population with new birth programs that go beyond the prohibition of two children per family, but, at the same time, the intention to increase the retirement age is confirmed, with the innovation of guaranteeing the less well-off a minimum pension. The Chinese willingness to compete in the international arena as a protagonist requires the forecast of an increase in military spending, calculated at 6.8% to invest in the modernization of the military arsenal: this increase is viewed with concern by analysts because it could mean, among other things, the manifestation of the will to take specific actions against Taiwan, repeatedly claimed as belonging to the Chinese motherland, and the territories on the border with India, the scene of repeated clashes; there also remains the problem of the control of trade routes in Chinese seas, geographic sectors considered as areas of exclusive influence of China but also manned by the USA in support of its allies. In the background, the issue of Chinese military growth intersects with the problems of Hong Kong, for which Beijing has foreseen a drastic reduction in the possibility of autonomy also through the revision of the electoral law and an increasingly tight military control. What transpires from the possible developments of Chinese intentions is a world in an even more precarious state and of continuous insecurity, which can be mitigated by a general diplomatic approach to the detriment of conflict situations, even if it is precisely from the themes of world trade that the situations could arise. of remarkable contrast.

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