Closer To China Episodes

The 2015 Two Sessions political meeting of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference

An exploration of how sports work in China – and how things are changing A discussion with tennis great, Li Na

President Xi Jinping has made “Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics” a national strategic priority Why? What’s their role in China’s reform and development? Reporting to the government, can they critique the government? How can they be creative and innovative? What does it mean that China’s Think Tanks have “Chinese Characteristics”?

To the US, the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system “will be focused solely on DPRK nuclear and missile threats and not be directed towards any third-party nations” To China, THAAD will “seriously harm China’s strategic security interests and regional strategic balance” For years, China and the US cooperated on Korean Peninsula issues and China’s relations with South Korea were improving Closer to China discusses why each has now slipped back

Healthcare reform is among China’s top priorities because Chinese people are now demanding quality healthcare at reasonable prices without large disparities and endemic corruption New policies are encouraging non-government healthcare institutions, especially private hospitals We examine how private healthcare works in China, how patients benefit, whether competition improves healthcare, what doctors think, and what is appropriate in a Socialist system

Healthcare is one of the Chinese people’s biggest concerns Cases of patients attacking doctors reveal broader, systemic problems The public complains about overcrowded, under-staffed hospitals Doctors complain about being overworked and underpaid What about gross imbalances in medical quality? What about incentives to overcharge, like excessive prescriptions of drugs? And what about corruption in healthcare?

We investigate organ transplantation in China, including the former practice of using organs from executed prisoners and the new system of a community-based organ transplantation system that is fair, equitable and transparent Featuring the president of the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation and former Vice Minister of Health, Dr Huang Jiefu

Supply side structural reform is China’s new guiding strategy to enable economic growth Its components focus on overcoming obstacles that are impeding China’s economic transformation – reducing industrial overcapacity, cutting enterprise debt, reforming state-owned enterprises, encouraging innovation, and facilitating the process of doing business We speak with China’s economic thought leaders to understand the challenges and the opportunities

China is working to bring the vision of a ‘moderately prosperous society’ to all of its citizens In early 2016, about 55 million people were still living below the poverty line In response, the government’s precision poverty relief program has been set up to track every one of these families and prescribe specific measures for each to lift them above the line CCTV headed to Fuping County in Hebei Province to see how China plans to eliminate poverty completely by 2020

Three topics: China’s new two-child policy; China’s reform and opening up; China’s international image Featuring young professionals from China’s media: CCTV and Xinhua News Agency

China is still a developing country, yet it is setting aggressive targets to reduce greenhouse gases But how meaningful? How reliable? What is China’s motivation? President Xi Jinping at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris Featuring China’s special envoy and lead negotiator on climate change, Xie Zhenhua

China’s economy is in a historic transition, and opportunities and challenges abound However, its problems are daunting: slower growth, social imbalances, industrial overcapacity, excessive debt, and massive pollution How will China’s leadership address such diverse, complex issues? According to President Xi Jinping, China’s model going forward will be driven by development that is “innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared” These are now known as the “Five Major Development Concepts”

Why does China attach so much importance to relations with Africa? For decades, Africa has been a prime focus of China’s international strategy, so why has the world woken up only recently? What is China doing in Africa? What kinds of commercial activities? Natural resources? Infrastructure? Why are some western countries concerned? What are the political implications?

In September 2015, President Xi Jinping addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time He stressed “common and sustainable development and being cooperative with win-win partnership” – and he backed up his foreign policy philosophy with unprecedented commitments Why the dramatic increase in China’s commitment to the UN? Why now? What challenges or even dangers might China face?

Innovative Development is the first of the Five Major Development Concepts Reform requires change and change requires innovation, so CCTV is investigating two kinds of innovation: science and technology, and management and processes Both kinds of innovation are found at the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) For innovation to succeed, nurturing talent and fostering an environment that appreciates innovation are essential

Closer To China examines how science is transforming China through an exclusive interview with a pioneer of China’s science, the former president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a true scientist, Dr Song Jian This episode focuses on how China, as a latecomer, is seeking to catch up with the scientific capabilities of developed countries

Innovation in China is still weak and the productivity of transforming science into commercial products is still spotty What can we learn from China’s successes and failures to guide its strategies and policies? How did China’s major technology companies, like Huawei and Lenovo, get started? What about basic science research and international exchanges? Finally, how can China improve its poor performance in protecting Intellectual Property Rights?

Why does President Xi Jinping stress people-to-people exchanges as a form of public diplomacy and a core of China’s international strategy? In 1985, as a young county official, Xi stayed in the home of an ordinary American family He never forgot it So to understand China’s people-to-people strategy, we go to Muscatine, Iowa

China is placing a heavy bet on science The country’s two prime goals, a moderately prosperous society by 2020 and a fully modernized country by 2050, depend on technological advances and an innovative spirit But for China’s scientists to fulfill its mission, how will it adapt? How to promote creativity and critical thinking? And what about fighting fraud in the field?

China’s growth and development is powered by fossil fuels, which is why China’s ‘Energy Security’ is now a serious concern to policymakers There are two fundamental problems The first is a troubled, overcapacity, loss-making coal industry that provides over 70% of China’s electricity The second is increasing dependence on foreign oil in a volatile world What can be done?

The Communist Party of China (“CPC”) celebrates its 95th anniversary on July 1, 2016 How has the CPC, as China’s ruling party, led the country in its development and modernization? How has the CPC adapted to changing conditions? Kept up with the times? What about the CPC’s history? What are its enduring ideals? Why now must the CPC be rejuvenated?

How do the philosophies of the Communist Party of China (CPC) guide its vision, strategies, policies and organization? Why has China opted for what it calls, “multi-party cooperation and political consultation under CPC leadership”? Can a system with a single leading party increase the needed transparency and establish credible checks-and-balances? And how does the CPC as the ruling party claim legitimacy? This edition of Closer to China introduces to you the CPC’s governance philosophy

The Communist Party of China (“CPC”) has almost 90 million members Why then does the CPC seem such a mystery? The only way to appreciate China’s current conditions and anticipate future prospects is to understand what the CPC is and how it works We find out how the CPC governs itself and the country in this episode

The Communist Party of China (CPC) continues to be China’s ruling party after almost seven decades –a fact that may puzzle those outside the country However, the quality of CPC personnel helps keep the party functioning smoothly This edition of Closer to China explores how the CPC selects, trains, monitors, assesses, and promotes officials It also looks at how the Party fights corruption, extravagance and abuse of power

Delegates from across China have gathered in Beijing for the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) China is facing formidable challenges: slowing growth, market volatility, social imbalances, massive pollution, industrial overcapacity, excessive debt, state-owned enterprise reform, etc How can all these issues be addressed, coordinated? We focus on the Government Work Report