China is willing to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with the Czech Republic provided that the Czech side respects China's core interests, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The Czech Republic was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China and the two peoples have maintained good feelings toward each other. Bilateral relations, however, have experienced a downturn in recent years, a situation that China does not wish to see, said Wang.

China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and is committed to developing relations with all nations on the basis of mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. There are no fundamental conflicts in terms of national interests or geopolitical disputes between China and the Czech Republic. Improving and further developing China-Czech relations are in line with the shared aspirations of the two peoples and the fundamental interests of the two countries, he said.

Wang expressed the hope that the Czech side would engage in earnest self-reflection, develop the right perspective about China, and take concrete actions to rebuild trust with China.

The key is to respect China's core interests, particularly adherence to the one-China principle, and to safeguard the political foundation of China-Czech relations, so as to bring bilateral ties back to a healthy and stable track as soon as possible. Only on this basis would China be willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields with the Czech side, said Wang.

Lipavsky noted that last year marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. He recalled that during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the Czech Republic in 2016, the two sides established a strategic partnership, setting a clear direction for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Lipavsky acknowledged that, in the context of looming trade wars, maintaining dialogue and cooperation between the Czech Republic and China, as well as between the EU and China, is of great importance.

The Czech government pursues a one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence." The Czech Republic is willing to work with China to develop sound political relations and advance bilateral cooperation for better results, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on China-EU relations, the Ukraine crisis, among other issues.

Beijing unveiled new measures on Monday to enhance physical education (PE) in primary and middle schools, introducing increased class hours, expanded sports activities, AI-driven fitness monitoring, and an emphasis on ensuring PE classes are neither reduced nor replaced.

The measures, jointly issued by Beijing Municipal Education Commission and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, seek to address gaps in school sports programs and enhance students' overall physical fitness and well-being.

As part of the measures, PE class frequency has been expanded, with primary and junior middle school students having one class per day and senior middle school students having three to five classes per week. On days without PE classes, students should participate in at least 45 minutes of physical activity, and each PE session must incorporate a minimum of 10 minutes of fitness training.

Schools should monitor exercise intensity to prevent PE classes from becoming overly theoretical and guarantee full implementation of PE without being reduced or substituted by other subjects.

Primary and middle schools should include at least one of the three major ball sports — basketball, football, or volleyball — as a compulsory part of their PE curriculum, while high schools are required to provide training modules for these sports, according to the measures.

Schools are encouraged to organize winter sports activities among students. Schools specializing in winter sports should also include these activities in their PE curriculum and support the development of student clubs for winter sports at the municipal level.

"The release of the measures provides platforms for young students to receive diverse evaluations, while also meeting their individualized skill development needs," Liu Mingyi, chief expert at the China Youth Sports and Physical Education Integration Public Policy Research Center, told the Global Times. 

"The measures also create a supportive environment for sports education, nurturing more promising young talents in football, basketball and winter sports," he added.

The document released by Beijing authorities also requires schools to use breaks and after-school time to facilitate a rotation of at least 10 activities, such as ball games, jump rope and kicking shuttlecock, ensuring that every student in compulsory education acquires proficiency in at least two sports. 

In addition, the document also introduces class-wide competitions with full participation in Beijing's primary and secondary schools. Each semester, at least five class competitions are to be organized in elementary schools, four in junior middle schools and three in senior middle schools, including at least one of the "three big balls" activities.

The measures also include leveraging digital technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to establish an AI-powered "health coach" system to enhance collaboration between schools and families to promote effective exercise. For students struggling with fitness, schools should create personalized exercise plans to improve their physical health.

Previously, many regions announced to extend the 10-minute break between classes to 15 minutes for students, and among them, the education bureau in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, also develop guidelines for physical activities during breaks, tailored to the characteristics and interests of students at different educational stages.

The high-level symposium on the private economy held on Monday, the first of such kind since 2018, sent a warm and encouraging signal to the private sector, and contributed to promoting the high-quality development of the sector. It also garnered widespread attention among Western media, with some highlighting China's strong support for the private sector.    

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday urged efforts to promote the healthy and high-quality development of the country's private sector.

The private sector enjoys broad prospects and great potential on the new journey in the new era. It is a prime time for private enterprises and entrepreneurs to give full play to their capabilities, Xi said when attending a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing.

Huawei's Ren Zhengfei, BYD's Wang Chuanfu, New Hope's Liu Yonghao, Will Semiconductor's Yu Renrong, Unitree Robotics' Wang Xingxing, and Xiaomi's Lei Jun put forward their opinions and advice on the development of the private sector, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xi said the Party and the country are committed to unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector and unswervingly encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector.

US media outlet CNBC reported that the Chinese leader's presence at the symposium sends a "very clear signal of top-level support" to entrepreneurs, citing Peiqian Liu, Asia economist at Fidelity International.

"It could potentially be even more powerful than fiscal stimulus, should policymakers show more decisive support toward the development of the tech sector in China," Liu said.

The meeting with prominent entrepreneurs signals that the private sector is "considered key to reviving the world's No. 2 economy," Bloomberg reported.

CNN reported that the timing of this meeting is "significant" as it signals "renewed effort to support private enterprise, especially in the tech sector, and to restore entrepreneurial confidence," citing an analyst.

VOA reported that the symposium comes as DeepSeek's AI platform has triggered investor speculation about its potential to buoy China's broader tech sector, leading to calls for an upward repricing of Chinese assets.

"We should expect more support to the private sector, especially in areas of strategic importance for the country," Reuters reported, citing Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of think tank The Conference Board's China Center.

"Despite their flaws, DeepSeek now, and Huawei's Kirin chip before, send a strong message to the West: that China not only has the intention but also resources and capacity to innovate its way out of technology restrictions, no matter how costly," said the expert.

It is not surprising that the meeting has aroused heated discussions overseas. Chinese private enterprises' innovative vitality and immense potential are increasingly evident, and the central government's determination to encourage and support the development of the private economy is also becoming more robust, Li Jin, chief researcher at the China Enterprise Research Institute in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The latest data shows that private enterprises account for over 92 percent of the total number of enterprises in China, and among the country's national high-tech enterprises, private businesses also account for over 92 percent, state broadcaster CCTV reported. 

High-quality development

"Different from the key symposium on the private sector held in 2018, this year's symposium is more focused on new quality productive forces. The attendees indicate that emerging industries, including artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent manufacturing and new energy, have become the focus of the policy tilt," Liu Dian, a deputy research fellow at the Chinese Institute under Fudan University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Immediately following the symposium, China's top economic planner pledged on Tuesday greater efforts to promote the development of the private economy, including further removing market access barriers and revising a negative list for market access in a timely manner.

Detailed measures will be introduced to continuously open up competitive infrastructure fields and major national scientific research infrastructure to private enterprises on a level footing, while supporting private enterprises' participation in projects for implementing major national strategies and building security capacity in key areas, as well as large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs, said Zheng Bei, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China Central Television reported.

While implementing policies to ease enterprises' difficulties, the NDRC will make preparations for the release and implementation of the private economy promotion law, Zheng said.

China is moving closer to its first basic law specifically focused on the development of the private sector. The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress will hold its 14th session in Beijing on February 24 and 25, during which lawmakers will review the draft private economy promotion law.

"A series of policy support measures underscores the authorities' clear attitude in effectively promoting the high-quality development of the private economy. Accelerating the formulation of the private economy promotion law will provide solid legal guarantee for private enterprises and help them play a greater role in market competition," Li said.

Boosting confidence

Multiple entrepreneurs who attended the symposium expressed their confidence for development prospects, stressing their confidence and resolve to step up sci-tech innovations and strengthen their businesses to contribute to building socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing Chinese modernization.

"The meeting will further ignite entrepreneurs' passion for contributing to the country through entrepreneurship," Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFlytek, who attended the symposium, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

He said the company will step up efforts in several aspects, including focusing on developing large language models trained on a home-grown computing platform, actively developing multi-language technologies and constantly improving the company's management and governance structure by keeping up with the times.

"Our goal is to set benchmarks that match or exceed global standards, leading in key areas and fostering a self-driven industry ecosystem," Liu said.

"As an entrepreneur who has started, grown, and developed a private high-tech manufacturing business in Shenzhen from scratch, I will remain steadfast in my confidence for industrial development, keep the original aspiration of entrepreneurship, maintain a strong sense of national responsibility, and dedicate myself to strengthening the real economy, refining our core business," Chen Zhilie, chairman of Evoc Intelligent Technology Co, who attended the symposium, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"General Secretary Xi said in 2014 that the path to becoming a strong automaking nation lies in developing new energy vehicles (NEVs). Today, 10 years on, the NEV industry has seen tremendous changes. BYD can truly appreciate the foresight of the central government in this decade. During this symposium, General Secretary Xi presented many requirements. Various policies must be implemented as directed by the General Secretary. With confidence, we can make our enterprises better and better," Wang Chuanfu said, according to a CCTV report. 

"I have profoundly sensed the care and support that the General Secretary and the CPC Central Committee have shown toward private enterprises and entrepreneurs, which has significantly strengthened our confidence," Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said in an interview with CCTV. Lei said the company is determined to use cutting-edge technologies such as AI in Xiaomi terminal products so as to bring better experience for consumers while efforts will be made to enhance the global influence of Chinese products.

"Here come the opportunities. Thanks to sound policies and improving market and legal environment, as well as gradually improving the medical system, the market development prospects are very promising," said Liu Changyun, chairman of Jointown Pharmaceutical Group Co, who attended the symposium.

Liu Changyun said the company will remain steadfast in its core business, and will fully adopt new quality productive forces such as modern logistics information technology, large language models and artificial intelligence (AI) to explore new opportunities, new forms and new models while making contributions to the high-quality development of the health industry, according to a statement on the company's WeChat account.

As two major time-honored civilizations, developing countries and emerging economies, China and India need to focus on development and engage in cooperation. This serves the fundamental interests of over 2.8 billion people of the two countries, meets the common aspiration of regional countries and peoples, goes along with the historical trend of the Global South growing stronger, and is conducive to peace and prosperity of the region and the wider world, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday.

Guo made the remarks in response to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's remarks on Saturday that the India-China relationship is trying to disentangle itself from the complications arising from the post-2020 border situation.

Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of the relationship between the two sides, said Jaishankar at the Nani Palkhivala memorial lecture in Mumbai on Saturday, adding more thought needs to be given to the longer-term evolution of ties, according to India's Business Standard.

Guo said that the two sides need to earnestly deliver on the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their meeting in Kazan, including that China and India are each other's development opportunity rather than threat, and cooperation partner rather than competitor. 

"We need to view and handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, bring the relations back to the track of healthy and stable development, and find the right path for big, neighboring countries to live in harmony and develop side by side," Guo told a routine press conference.

In global affairs, the two sides need to remain committed to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, practice true multilateralism, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and make greater contribution to world peace, stability, development and prosperity, the spokesperson said.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has sparked a sharp debate among experts over the future of China-US relations. Speaking at Davos, a prominent American scholar suggested that Trump's unconventional approach to diplomacy could bring about a surprising improvement in US-China ties, arguing that Trump might not fit the typical mold of a "China hawk." However, this optimistic view was met with opposition from another scholar, who warned that a Trump presidency could instead exacerbate tensions, predicting that bilateral ties could be "materially worse" within a year. This divide underscores the uncertainty and high stakes surrounding the trajectory of one of the world's most critical relationships, an expert says. 

Instead of the widely discussed possible trade war between the two countries, Graham Allison, a professor with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, said during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday that ties between the two superpowers could tick up, according to the South China Morning Post. 

"I'm betting this time next year… we'll be surprised on the upside in the relationship," said Allison, best known for his 2017 book, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?

"I have a piece, it'll be published next week, that asks: 'Is Trump a China hawk?' I think, if you look at what he said and did, you'll find it difficult to classify him in those terms."

"I think it is not possible, but likely that President Trump will surprise us in building a more constructive, productive relationship with China," Allison said in an email on Tuesday. 

Allison, who is known for his concept of the "Thucydides Trap," said on a visit to China in December last year that the US and China should avoid falling into the trap and that finding the right way for them to get along with each other is important for both countries and the world at large.

But Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group consultancy, another panelist at Tuesday's discussion, sharply disagreed and said ties could be "materially worse" in 12 months.

"China is convinced Americans want to contain it," Bremmer said. "They have ample evidence… Even though Trump is going to make a deal, the ability and the willingness of China are not propitious.

"I would make a fairly strong bet that US-China relations will be in materially worse condition."

The China-US relationship has long been characterized by complexity and significance. Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, shared his insights with the Global Times. Pessimists often overlook the shared interests and intricacies that define bilateral ties between Beijing and Washington, and that Trump's focus on addressing practical issues, rather than fixating on ideological divides, could pave the way for more constructive engagement. Li highlighted that the perspective offered by Allison acknowledges the mutual benefits that can arise from cooperation between the two nations.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that competition between the US and China will grow, although the risk of a "full decoupling" is unlikely at this stage. "We are in a new environment, a more dangerous, more turbulent environment," Wong told university students on Tuesday in comments posted by the Straits Times newspaper. He flagged the risk of new trade barriers or accidents and miscalculations around hotspots like the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait.

In response to Trump's remarks that he would order federal agencies to conduct a study of trade issues while holding off on immediately imposing new tariffs on trade with China, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that economic cooperation and trade between China and the US benefit both sides. Keeping business ties sound and stable serves the fundamental interests of both countries and both peoples, and it is also conducive to global economic growth. 

China stands ready to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, strengthen dialogue and communication with the US, properly manage differences, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation. We hope the US will work with us to promote the steady, sound and sustainable growth of bilateral trade and economic ties, Guo said.

In response to the warning from Friedrich Merz, German Christian Democratic candidate for chancellor, who warned of "great risks" for companies investing in China, Mao Ning, spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry, said Germany should objectively and rationally view China's development, uphold the tradition of China-Germany friendship, recognize the mutually beneficial nature of China-Germany cooperation, and do more that align with the interests of both countries and peoples.
 
Merz, whose party is currently leading in the polls for next month's elections, stated "I say to all representatives of the German economy that the decision to invest in China is a decision involving great risk," after a policy speech in which he advocated for Berlin to take a more active role on the global stage, according to Financial Times. 
 
In response, Mao stated during Friday's press briefing that China and Germany are comprehensive strategic partners. Over the past 53 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have developed bilateral relations based on the principles of mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences, mutual learning, and win-win cooperation. This has fostered a story of pragmatic cooperation that has delivered tangible benefits to the people of both countries. 
 
Mao further stated that China hopes Germany to objectively and rationally view China's development, uphold the tradition of China-Germany friendship, recognize the mutually beneficial nature of China-Germany cooperation, and do more that align with the interests of both countries and peoples.
 
We also welcome German politicians to come to China, take a look, and experience the real China, as well as the vitality and dynamism of China in the new era, said Mao.