US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" seeks to peddle bloc confrontation in Asia-Pacific: Chinese expert

The so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy" of the United States seeks to gang up to form exclusive blocs, stir up confrontation and undermine integration and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, a Chinese military expert said Saturday.

While attending the 22nd edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the National Defense University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV) that the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" runs counter to the common aspiration of the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for cooperation and development.

At the annual Asia security summit, the United States once again peddled its "Indo-Pacific Strategy", which will lead nowhere except provoking incidents, creating crises, and disrupting the Asia-Pacific region, Meng said.

"We believe that the so-called 'Indo-Pacific Strategy' of the United States is a tool of hegemony in essence. In the military front, it provokes bloc confrontation. In the Asia-Pacific region, the United States has led in building a so-called 'quadrilateral mechanism' consisting of the United States, Japan, India and Australia. It has also created AUKUS, a so-called trilateral nuclear-powered submarine partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, which excluded most countries in the region. In the political and diplomatic fronts, the United States forces other countries to take sides. In the technological front, the United States builds 'a small yard with high fences.' In the economic front, it has initiated a trade war and a tariff war aimed at decoupling. Meanwhile, the United States has practiced value-hijacking. In a word, the United States attempts to stoke bloc confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

The Asia-Pacific region is a highland of global development, and peace and stability are hard-won, said Meng, adding that only the Chinese solution can bring development prospects to the region, which is also the common aspiration of neighboring countries in Asia, he said.

"China has reached consensus on building a community with a shared future for mankind with 17 neighboring countries, and signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 25 countries in the region. At the same time, it has built a cooperation network of two major clusters in the Indochina Peninsula and Central Asia. It should be said that China has contributed the wisdom of peaceful development in the Asia-Pacific region and put forward the Chinese solution. Peace, development and cooperation are the trend of history. We used to say that the trend of history is unstoppable. If you follow it, you will prosper, and if you go against it, you will perish. Therefore, peddling the so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy aimed at bloc confrontation finds little support here," Meng said.

Running from May 30 to June 1, this year's dialogue drew representatives from 47 countries, including 40 ministerial-level delegates, 20 chief of defense forces-level delegates, over 20 senior defense officials, and prominent academics, according to the Singapore Ministry of Defense.

US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" seeks to peddle bloc confrontation in Asia-Pacific: Chinese expert

US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" seeks to peddle bloc confrontation in Asia-Pacific: Chinese expert

US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" seeks to peddle bloc confrontation in Asia-Pacific: Chinese expert

US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" seeks to peddle bloc confrontation in Asia-Pacific: Chinese expert

A new round of trade-in subsidy program is energizing China's consumer market these days, with provinces across the country seeing a surge in demand for cars, home appliances and digital devices.

In north China's Shanxi Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, which started on January 9, has further helped boost sales in home appliances and digital devices which are covered by the new round of subsidies.

To enjoy the subsidies, six types of home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, must meet national Level 1 energy-efficiency or water-efficiency standards. Digital and smart products include four types, such as mobile phones and tablets, with a sales price cap of 6,000 yuan (about 800 U.S. dollars) per item.

In both categories, subsidies are set at 15 percent of the final transaction price. For home appliances, the maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per item. For digital products, the cap is 500 yuan per item. Each consumer can receive a subsidy for one unit in each category.

Neighboring Shanxi, Hebei Province kicked off the year of 2026 with the new round of trade-in subsidy program starting on January 1.

The subsidies cover automobiles, home appliances, and digital products. Individual consumers who purchase designated Level 1 energy-efficiency appliances or eligible digital products priced at no more than 6,000 yuan can receive subsidies equal to 15 percent of the transaction price. The maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per appliance and 500 yuan per digital or smart device, with each person limited to one subsidized item in each category.

Data showed that from Jan 1 to 9, Hebei's home appliance trade-in program alone disbursed more than 130 million yuan in subsidies, driving sales of over 920 million yuan.

In east China's Jiangsu Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, taking effect for two weeks, has brought the province a boom in trade-in.

At a local 4S store in Jiangsu's Suqian City, showroom traffic has spiked as salespeople walked customers through the new benefits from the trade-in subsidy program.

"Under the scrappage-and-replacement scheme, customers who buy a new energy vehicle (NEV) can receive a subsidy worth 12 percent of the vehicle price, capped at 20,000 yuan (about 2,860 U.S. dollars). For combustion-engine cars, the subsidy is 10 percent, with an upper limit of 15,000 yuan. For trade-ins, NEVs are able to receive a subsidy worth 8 percent of the vehicle price, up to 15,000 yuan, while combustion-engine cars will receive a 6-percent subsidy, with a cap of 13,000 yuan," said Sun Yue, a saleswoman at the store.

In the home appliance sector, Jiangsu's policy this year stipulates that only products that meet China's Level 1 energy-efficiency standard are eligible for subsidies. The scheme covers six major categories, including refrigerators and washing machines.

Consumers who purchase qualifying appliances can receive a subsidy equal to 15 percent of the final retail price, up to a maximum of 1,500 yuan per item. Each person is limited to one subsidized unit per product category.

Four types of digital and smart products, such as mobile phones and tablets, are eligible for a 15-percent subsidy capped at 500 yuan per unit, with a retail price no more than 6,000 yuan.

"With the national subsidy policy back in place this year, I went to the store to check what discounts I could get. It knocked 500 yuan off the price. [The discounted price is] very reasonable," said Wang Kang, a resident of Jiangsu's Xuzhou Province.

To enhance the shopping experience for consumers, many retailers are pairing subsidies with "one-stop" services that combine the delivery of new products with on-site collection of old ones.

"After consumers place an order for new home appliances, our staff will schedule a time to pick up the old units. Recycling the old appliance can also further offset the purchase price of the new one," said Yang Jie, a sales supervisor at a major home appliance company.

China's new trade-in program sparks consumption boom