"How to build a good car for users?" This problem runs through the development of Geely all the time, and has a profound impact on Geely’s strategic layout and product innovation.

On December 6th, Geely Automobile held a 7 # listing conference in Taizhou, Zhejiang. Taizhou is the place where Geely Automobile started, so during the media interview after the listing conference, Yan Jiayu, CEO of Geely Automobile Group, began to talk to the media about Geely Automobile’s concept of making cars.

Gan Jiayue said: Since the first car rolled off the assembly line on August 8, 1998, Geely has a 27-year history of building cars, and up to now it has accumulated 16 million users, ranking first in the number of independent brands in China. However, Geely Automobile’s concept of building a car remains unchanged, that is, to build a good car for users and ordinary people.

Constant values: building a good car for the people

Geely’s "unchanged" can be summed up as a simple and profound mission: "building a good car for the people." This concept has been established since the establishment of Geely, and has been accompanied by the development of the enterprise.

Yan Jiayue mentioned that Geely’s initial goal was to "build a car that ordinary people can afford". With the gradual development of the company, this goal was further deepened into "building a good car that ordinary people can afford" and now "building the safest, most energy-saving and most intelligent new energy vehicle". What remains unchanged is that Geely has never forgotten its original intention, that is, to meet the needs of mass consumers through cost-effective products.

Take Galaxy as an example. The main mission of Galaxy is to be a "high-value" new energy product. Gan Jiayu explained: High value means leading from technology, leading from quality and leading from the value of products, which is what Geely often talks about internally.

This "high-value" car-making concept also ensures Geely’s success. In 2024, the competition in China’s automobile market is becoming increasingly fierce, and many automobile companies have experienced double sales and profits, while Geely stands out in the market with its excellent "price-to-product ratio" and good user experience. Whether it is listed in August or Geely listed in October, it has become a market explosion.

Changing factors: technological progress and product innovation

Although Geely has always adhered to the concept of "building a good car for ordinary people", with the rapid development of the automobile industry, especially the rapid progress of intelligent and new energy technologies, Geely Automobile should continue to maintain the advantage of "price ratio" of its products, or return to the market and understand what products users need from the market perspective. Take the Milky Way as an example, which is manifested in the following aspects.

The first is the core technology. Yan Jiayu believes that if the technology is not continuously leading, the product will not be recognized by the market.

According to the introduction, in recent years, Geely Automobile has practiced the strategy of "one network and three systems" in technology, that is, an "intelligent Geely technology ecological network" and three systems composed of "intelligent energy, intelligent manufacturing and intelligent services".

Gan Jiayu believes that in the "one network and three systems", the most important thing for Galaxy is the intelligent energy system. To this end, Geely has built a Aegis short knife battery and an 11-in-1 channel platform. This system has ensured the best endurance achievement rate and safety of the same level for Geely Galaxy, and the power consumption and energy consumption of the products have also been well optimized, thus ensuring that the products get higher customer satisfaction.

Secondly, in terms of intelligence, Geely has accelerated the upgrading of intelligent manufacturing by implementing the "Smart Geely 2025" strategy.

Yan Jiayue mentioned that from 2021 to now, Geely has continuously strengthened its independent research and development capabilities, from the chip to the self-research of the operating system, which is constantly breaking down technical barriers and bringing better driving experience to consumers.

Take the Flyme Auto system as an example. This system is an AI intelligent system jointly developed by Geely and Meizu, which can optimize the intelligent operation in the car in real time according to the needs of users. This technology not only improves the operating experience in the car, but also helps the vehicle to achieve better performance in fuel consumption through the application of AI agents. For example, Starship 7 has better fuel consumption performance than many similar hybrid vehicles with the help of AI agents.

Such a technological breakthrough not only makes Geely stand out in the market, but also creates a leading technical image for the brand.

In addition, Geely has spared no effort in quality control. Gan Jiayu emphasized that "quality is the bottom line, the lifeline and the red line of Geely". While improving product technology, Geely always insists on maintaining high standards in quality management. This strict quality control not only ensures the safety and durability of vehicles, but also makes consumers feel more at ease when choosing Geely brand.

Balance between Change and Invariance: User Experience First

Geely’s success lies not only in technological breakthroughs, but also in how to transform these technologies into product values that users can actually feel.

Yan Jiayue emphasized that Geely does not need to show off its skills, but brings consumers a more real experience through practical technology. This "user-centered" design concept runs through every model of Geely, especially in the field of new energy vehicles, and Galaxy series is the concrete embodiment of this concept.

As a pure electric SUV, Yinhe E5 has been widely welcomed for its excellent intelligent system and extreme driving experience. Through the all-round fuel consumption optimization of AI agent, Galaxy Starship 7 achieved the best fuel consumption performance among similar new energy vehicles, which not only reduced the use cost of the owner, but also improved the overall driving experience. In addition, the addition of Flyme Auto system not only improves the convenience of the owner’s operation in the car, but also makes the intelligent interaction in the car more humanized, thus providing users with a higher value experience.

Conclusion: Geely’s "change" and "unchanged" are the core of its continuous success. On the basis of adhering to the initial goal of "building a good car for the common people", Geely has gradually realized the transformation from a China brand to a global brand through technological innovation, quality improvement and product experience optimization. It can be predicted that Geely in the future will continue to promote the continuous progress of the automobile industry with the initial intention of "building a good car for users" and achieve more high-value products with international competitiveness.

　　Speaking of the B-class car market, most people will think of SAIC Volkswagen Passat first. After all, in this market segment, Passat’s spatial attributes can be compared. Unless it is a luxury car, there are really few rivals. In the face of market demand, SAIC Volkswagen Passat is also constantly improving product quality. Not long ago, the 2023 Passat was officially listed. In this regard, what adjustments have been made to this 2023 Passat? Let’s take a look at it below.

　　SAIC Volkswagen announced the official launch of the 2023 Passat, and launched 9 models of 1.4T and 2.0T low-power engine powertrains, with the price range of 18.19-23.39 million yuan. On the basis of continuing the 2022 model, a 280TSI Star Elite version has been added, and two optional body colors, elegant white and crystal diamond silver, have been added.

　　The design has not changed, but only some details have been adjusted. On the whole, it is still quite satisfactory, retaining the original feeling of calm, low-key and luxury. The layout of the front face maintains the original model, but it is divided into conventional dot matrix layout and starry front face. Compared with the 2022 model, the decoration of chrome trim strips is reduced and the simple design style is restored. Matching the penetrating headlight group, daytime running lights extend to both sides of the front face, which has high recognition.

　　The length, width and height of the 2023 models are 4948×1836×1469 mm and the wheelbase is 2871mm respectively. The alloy wheels with 18-inch silver-black two-color design are full of movement.

　　A penetrating taillight group is applied at the rear of the car, and the interior of the taillight is designed with a horizontal light strip. The tail still uses a hidden exhaust system.

　　The interior has not changed, and it is still a family-style design language, calm and atmospheric, with three flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheels. This aspect has changed, and the latest style of Volkswagen has been adopted. 10.2-inch full LCD instrument panel and 9.2-inch central control display screen, intelligently support mobile phone interconnection mapping, voice recognition control, OTA upgrade and so on.

　　According to the different configuration and price of the new car, the seats are made of imitation leather and genuine leather fabrics for everyone to choose from. The electric adjustable seats, front seat heating, and adjustable buttons in the back of the co-pilot seat are the standard of this new car.

　　Section 2023Saic VolkswagenPassatofAdd configuration

　　Elite Edition/Star Elite Edition is equipped with parking automatic folding rearview mirror and ACC adaptive cruise; Deluxe Edition/Star Deluxe Edition adds 360 panoramic images, IQ. Smart car coupling system, electric trunk lid (induction opening), and provides HUD, Harman Kardon advanced audio and lane change assistance system as options.

　　The 2023 Passat is equipped with two kinds of power including 280TSI(1.4T) and 330TSI(2.0T low power). The maximum power is 110kW(150 HP) and 137kW(186 HP), and the peak torque is 250Nm, 320Nm and 350Nm respectively, matching the 7-speed dry dual-clutch gearbox and the 7-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox.

　　Generally speaking, the redesigned 2023 SAIC Volkswagen Passat is a new engine model with a variety of power options. The front McPherson independent suspension, the rear multi-link independent suspension, and the relatively compact chassis enable Passat, which is close to 5 meters long, to stably control the body posture when making an emergency turn. Will you be interested in this 23 Passat? Interested parties can go to the store for a test drive.

　　(Source: Look at the headline network)

The power is valuable, and the face value is higher. If it is the price, both can be thrown. There are many choices for gasoline +48V light mixing system cars, as we said today. Next, let’s see if its highlights can attract you with Xiaobian.

First of all, from the appearance, the front of the tank 300 looks cute and looks very dignified. At the same time, the headlight presents a young design style and looks very elegant as a whole. The car is equipped with LED daytime running lights, front fog lights, automatic opening and closing, adaptive far and near light, delayed closing and so on. Coming to the side of the car, the body size of the car is 4760MM*1930MM*1903MM. The car adopts simple and generous lines, which gives people a very fashionable and generous feeling. With large-sized thick-walled tires, it gives people a very domineering feeling. In the rear part, the rear looks tough, the taillights look very spirited, and the unique exhaust pipe is very domineering and stylish.

In terms of interior, the interior design of Tank 300 takes a dynamic route, which meets the aesthetic standards of young people. The steering wheel of the car is very in line with the interior style, and it is made of leather, which is not bad in practicality and value. From the central control point of view, the 12.3-inch central control screen is used for decoration, which makes the interior style impressive and looks quite spiritual. Finally, let’s look at the dashboard and seats. The dashboard design is remarkable and full of technology. The car uses leather seats, equipped with functions such as auxiliary seat electric adjustment, seat electric adjustment and seat proportion tilting, which improves the riding experience of drivers and passengers.

Tank 300 is equipped with car networking, driving mode selection, remote control key, Bluetooth key, rear wiper, interior atmosphere light and other configurations, which can be said to be quite satisfactory.

After reading this car, I believe you have a general understanding. The car introduced today is remarkable in terms of space, configuration and power, and home travel is also a good helper.

　　CCTV News:Recently, a school in Jiangxi called Yuzhang Academy has attracted much attention. The school claims that it can help problem of juvenile get rid of Internet addiction through Chinese studies, but many students who have studied here claim that the so-called Chinese studies in Yuzhang Academy are actually corporal punishment such as flogging and shutting down a small black room. So what is the truth? Faced with many questions, CCTV reporters contacted many parties, found several students and their parents who had studied here, and interviewed the principal and teachers of Yuzhang Academy, trying to solve the secret of this academy.

　　Establish qualified private training institutions in 2013.

　　A small tile-headed wall with blue bricks and a lattice window hanging in the cloister, these two poems seem to describe the building in front of us. Yuzhang Academy is one of the four major academies in Jiangxi’s history. In May 2013, with the approval of the local education department, this school named Yuzhang Academy was established in Qingshanhu District of Nanchang City. The nature of the school is a private non-academic education and training institution.

　　Students come from all over the country, mostly junior high school students.

　　Although Yuzhang Academy is located in Jiangxi, its students come from all over the country. At most, there are nearly 200 students, most of whom are teenagers in middle and high schools. Why does a private training institution that teaches Chinese studies attract so many children from all over the country to go to school?

　　Xiaowei, who lives in Nanchang, began to study at Yuzhang Academy in September 2013. According to him, he was "kidnapped" from home by several strangers.

　　Xiaowei: "I feel kidnapped. Ask them where this is and where they are taking me."

　　According to Xiaowei, he was "kidnapped" to the school. Another child, Xiao Yao, also said that he was cheated in the name of eating. However, unlike Xiaowei, Xiaoyao vaguely guessed what place he was going to be sent to.

　　Xiaoyao: "At that time, in my home computer, that is, in the history of search, my dad should have glanced at it before deleting it, and I just happened to see such a school. I forgot about almost such a school."

　　Xiaoyao’s family lives in Shangrao, which is more than 200 kilometers away from Nanchang. His father runs a lot of business there. However, since Xiaoyao entered high school, the existing crisis between father and son has become more explosive.

　　Ms. Yin, the parent of another girl in Yuzhang Academy, said that her daughter used to be like this, not only resisting communication with them, but even fighting with them. What worries Ms. Yin even more is that her daughter is crazy about mobile phones, and even in order to secretly buy mobile phones, instead of eating breakfast, she saves several or dozens of pocket money and meals to buy mobile phones.

　　No way, it is the common feeling of these parents, and at this time, Yuzhang Academy in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province entered the sight of these parents.

　　"Helping people with youth crisis to achieve excellent life" is a promise in the agreement signed between Yuzhang Academy and parents. The admission items of this agreement indicate that students can study at any time, and the semester is from six months to one year. The cost for six months is 31,250 yuan, and the cost for one year is 49,750 yuan.

　　Such tuition fees are not cheap for many families, but parents who are willing to spend so much money to send their children in have a common expectation. They believe that through the "characteristic education" of Yuzhang Academy, these children who even their parents can’t discipline will usher in a thoroughly remoulded change after half a year.

　　Why should every freshman be confined for seven days when he first arrives?

　　"Yuzhang Academy" has a meditation room, and every child who has just arrived at the academy has to be kept alone in the meditation room for seven days and seven nights. The headmaster gave his own opinion about this practice.

　

　　This "boredom relief room" is also called the meditation room in Yuzhang Academy, but for many students, it is a dark room that restricts their freedom. As soon as each student enters Yuzhang Academy, he will be kept here alone for seven days and seven nights.

　　Xiaoyao: "I said how I could be sent to a place like this, but I didn’t tell me anything clearly. I wanted to see my parents or something, so they quarreled with me. After I scolded them, they started to fight. I started to fight with their two instructors. I am sure I can’t beat them. Then they beat me up and they left. "

　　JovesongThere is a hole under the bed, and then I know what they do? That is to deliberately make a hole to scare you, that is, mosquitoes, mice and ants, and mice can climb in through this hole. "

　　Except for a few books, no mobile phone and no computer, it is extremely difficult for Calvin and Xiaoyao, who are only teenagers, to stay in this empty room.

　　The headmaster explained that this was Morita therapy.

　　Why do students have to be kept alone for seven days when they first enter school? The headmaster of Yuzhang Academy does not deny the question of "closing a small black room". He explained that this is actually a kind of psychotherapy called Morita therapy.

　　Ren Weiqiang, president of Yuzhang Academy, said: "The child may have some antagonism and reluctance when he comes at first, so we will let him get rid of this emotion through a relatively mild method,/because this teenager’s simple language communication will not be effective when he is in such an emotional state, and some even directly attack our teacher."

　　After seven days, the students became quiet but said they learned to pretend.

　　After seven days, the students released from the meditation room were really quiet and less grumpy. However, according to Xiaoyao, these were all produced by them.

　　Whether it is camouflage or Morita therapy, President Ren Weiqiang believes that after seven days of tempering, it is very helpful for students to study in the academy next.

　　Violating the "rules" will be punished by the "dragon whip"

　　At the end of the seven-day confinement, the formal school life began. During the day, there was a culture class, and at night, there was a course called Calder, which many students still couldn’t get over.

　　In Calder class, the culture teacher first summarizes the students’ day’s study, and then the instructor punishes the students who violate the so-called "school rules". This punishment is not just talk, but the use of a ruler and a whip, which is also called a dragon whip.

　　Jovesong"I didn’t recite the ancient prose he asked me to recite that day, and then I was beaten with a steel ruler. I think I hit it ten times, but I didn’t feel any pain at all. Why? Because I feel that my heart is dead, just like a walking corpse, disheartened and without any feeling. "

　　Xiaoyao: "Hiding snacks, not eating clean, not eating, boys and girls pass notes, lighter is to beat the ruler, heavier is to beat the dragon whip, anyway, it is all kinds of miscellaneous things, and the instructor can beat you with the ruler if you are unhappy."

　　The two recalled that for some serious mistakes in school regulations, it was not just to beat the ruler, but to use another thing, the whip.

　　Principal: Corporal punishment and non-violence are not half-terror on the Internet.

　　As for corporal punishment, President Ren Weiqiang believes that it is not violence. Before playing the ruler, they sometimes beat themselves a few times to master the strength. For the ruler to quit the whip, President Ren Weiqiang said that it was not as horrible as it was uploaded online.

　　Corporal punishment has clear approval procedures. Instructors specialize in punishment.

　　At the same time, President Ren Weiqiang said that corporal punishment has clear approval procedures and requirements, and their regulations are not so strict, and corporal punishment will not be carried out just because of a trivial matter. Is the situation like what the headmaster said? Our reporter found an instructor who had worked in the academy for a period of time. According to him, the culture teacher would record the students who violated discipline, and the instructor’s job was to punish them.

　　Zhou Wenliang used to be an instructor in Yuzhang Academy.: "The ruler is very common, that is, people basically make mistakes by hitting the ruler, so when boys and girls talk, they communicate with the opposite sex, which means fighting, hitting the teacher or trying to escape. This is very serious."

　　 At present, the police have launched an investigation into whether the behavior of Yuzhang Academy is suspected of breaking the law.

[Text/Observer Network Ruan Jiaqi]

Idol artists are constantly changing into new South Korea, and it has become the dream of countless trainees to debut in the well-known talent show "Produce 101", which once created super-popular groups such as IOI and WANNAONE.

But now the "101 Series" has become a street rat-according to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean police confirmed today (14th) that since the first season draft held in 2016, the whole series of "Produce 101" has been faked in all four seasons.

An Jun Ying, the director of the program, and Jin Rongfan, the producer, who were arrested on the 5th, were handed over to the prosecution for review and prosecution today. In addition, eight other people involved in the case were put on file for investigation.

In the third season, the women’s group IZ*ONE and the men’s group X1, which just debuted in the fourth season, have also stopped their work schedules due to the "fraud scandal", unable to board the singing program, and lost many advertising endorsements.

Faced with the request of the members of these two groups to dissolve their respective original societies, CJ E&M, a brokerage company, said that the results to be investigated would be released for further discussion. However, it has been revealed that some members are currently emotional and ask for dissolution.

The third season of "Produce 101" debuted in the Japanese-Korean cooperative women’s group.IZ*ONE from official website.

According to Yonhap News Agency’s report on 14th, An Jun Ying, director of the Korean idol talent show "Produce 101" and Jin Rongfan, the producer, were handed over to the prosecution for review and prosecution today after being arrested by the court on 5th for allegedly manipulating the voting results in a black box.

An Junying and others are suspected of operating behind the scenes in the live contest of the first to fourth seasons of the program, fabricating the voting results of the audience’s paid SMS and selecting specific trainees.

At present, An Junying has confessed to the police that she tampered with the player rankings in the third and fourth seasons. The police also revealed that they have mastered the situation that the production team and some trainees’ brokerage companies manipulated the ranking of contestants.

After investigation, An Junying has been entertained by many performing arts brokerage companies in entertainment places for many times since last year, and the total amount of bribes involved has reached tens of millions of won (about 100,000 to 500,000 yuan).

The police believe that there are black-box operations in the whole four seasons of the program. In addition to the creators, more than 10 people, including personnel of performing arts brokerage companies and CJ entertainment media executives of Mnet channel operators, have also been put on file for investigation. Among them, two people related to the planning company made a complaint.

The publication of the "full series of fraud scandals" not only cast a shadow over IOI and WANNA ONE (both of which have been dissolved due to their activities) in the first two seasons;

the year of 2016IOI debuted in the first season.

Debuted in the second quarter of 2017WANNA ONE

This has dealt a devastating blow to the future careers of IZ*ONE and X1, who are active in Korean music.

According to South Korea’s East Asia Daily, IZ*ONE, which was originally scheduled to release its first regular album on the 11th of this month, was urgently cancelled, and the album release plan was postponed. Not only could it not be put on the singing programs of SBS, KBS and MBC, but all the programs on the new album would also be cut to promote it.

Publicity photos of the new album BLOOM*IZ

　　Recently, Venezuela has welcomed a number of "benefits", the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela have been loosened, the so-called "interim government" supported by the United States in an attempt to replace the current government has been dissolved, and European countries represented by Spain and France are easing their relations with Venezuela. In particular, Latin American countries, such as Colombia and Brazil, have resumed diplomatic relations with Venezuela. These Latin American countries advocate multilateral mechanisms to solve problems and oppose unilateral sanctions and crowding out Venezuela.

　　Local analysts pointed out that there are indications that since 2018, the United States has tried to use unilateral sanctions to force the Venezuelan government to yield and pressure European and Latin American countries to isolate Venezuela, which cannot succeed.

　　American companies resume importing Venezuelan oil.

　　Since 2018, the United States has imposed "extreme pressure" on the Venezuelan government for many years, with the aim of supporting the so-called "interim government" led by Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido. Since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on February 24 last year, Europe and the United States have imposed sanctions on Russian crude oil exports, resulting in tight international crude oil supply and rising prices for a long time, which has also brought obvious negative effects to domestic oil prices in the United States. In order to stabilize domestic oil prices, the United States began to take the initiative to contact Venezuela, a major oil producer, to seek the possibility of importing oil from Venezuela.

　　On November 26, 2022, the US Treasury Department announced that in the next six months, Chevron will be allowed to resume its oil exploration business in Venezuela and allow it to import oil from Venezuela. As a result, two oil tankers sent by Chevron arrived at Lake Maracaibo, the main oil and gas producing area of Venezuela, on December 29th last year and January 3rd this year respectively. In addition to bringing naphtha used to dilute heavy crude oil to the joint venture between Chevron and Venezuela’s national oil company, it is estimated that 500,000 barrels of crude oil will be transported to Chevron’s refinery in the Gulf of Mexico. This will be the first batch of crude oil shipped from Venezuela to the United States in four years.

△ Chevron oil tanker sent to Venezuela

　　Francesco Monaldi, director of Latin American energy project of Baker School of Public Policy, Rice University, said that the crude oil production capacity of Chevron’s joint venture in Venezuela was 50,000 barrels per day at the end of November last year, and it is expected to increase to 800,000 to 100,000 barrels per day in the following months. If there is enough investment, the production capacity of Chevron is expected to increase to 200,000 to 220,000 barrels per day in the next two years.

　　Under the "favorable" factors such as Chevron’s resumption of operation in Venezuela, the Venezuelan Petrochemical Chamber of Commerce said that by the end of 2023, Venezuela could increase its crude oil production from the current 700,000 barrels per day to 1 million barrels per day, which would greatly increase the country’s oil export revenue. By the end of 2023, the export income including oil, gold and other minerals is expected to reach about 20 billion US dollars, exceeding the estimated income of 15 billion US dollars in 2022, which will help improve Venezuela’s balance of payments.

　　The process of multi-party game is difficult and tortuous.

　　The recent relaxation of sanctions against Venezuela by the United States is the result of a multi-party game, and its process is difficult and tortuous. Shortly after the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States completely banned the import of Russian oil, resulting in a gap of 600,000 to 700,000 barrels per day. In order to fill the gap, the US government sent a high-level delegation to Venezuela for talks with the Venezuelan government on March 5 last year. In the negotiations, US officials mentioned that Venezuela should export oil directly to the United States in exchange for relaxing US oil sanctions against Venezuela, while trying to determine whether Maduro’s government is prepared to keep a distance from its ally Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Plasencia, Venezuela’s foreign minister, said shortly afterwards that Venezuela was ready to sell oil to the United States again, but at the same time, it remained "loyal" to Russia, which remained an ally.

　　Since the end of March last year, Biden’s government has released 180 million barrels of reserve crude oil to the domestic market in the United States. The urgency of the United States to resume importing oil from Venezuela to stabilize oil prices has declined in a short period of time, and the negotiations between the United States and Venezuela have come to a standstill.

　　After temporarily shelving the option of Venezuela, the US government once tried to persuade Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other oil-producing countries in the Middle East to increase oil production. Last July, Biden visited Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of October 2022, "OPEC+"countries including Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates decided to reduce crude oil production by 2 million barrels per day from November until the end of 2022. Biden stated in this regard that the decision of "OPEC+"prompted the United States to reconsider the issue of oil import substitutes, but the United States has many options. The US media subsequently reported that Biden’s administration is considering the option of relaxing sanctions against Venezuela, so that American oil companies can restart oil production activities in Venezuela.

△ "OPEC+"countries hold a meeting

　　At the end of November last year, Biden’s government allowed Chevron to resume its oil exploration and export business in Venezuela, and Chevron quickly sent tankers to Venezuela to transport crude oil. According to American media reports, Chevron was able to quickly resume importing crude oil after obtaining the license, thanks to the company’s preparations as early as several months ago.

　　The analysis pointed out that a series of chain reactions triggered by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the world forced the United States to consider loosening sanctions against the Committee. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace recently wrote in official website that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has continuously strengthened the right to speak in the negotiations between Maduro’s government and the United States. As the United States demands to cut off Russian oil and gas exports and seek alternatives for Russian oil imports, the United States is giving up its "threatening language" against Venezuela in previous years and releasing more "goodwill" instead. Now Venezuela is becoming a "valuable partner" of the United States.

　　The "interim president" was dismissed because of infighting in the opposition.

　　Just as the United States relaxed its sanctions against Venezuela, both the "interim government" and the "interim president" Guaido supported by the United States had problems: the former was dissolved and the latter was dismissed. In the vote on December 30 last year, the Venezuelan opposition passed the decision to dissolve the so-called "interim government" and dismissed Guaido, the "interim president". Of the four main opposition parties in Venezuela, three supported the above decision.

　　Looking back at history, in May 2018, the current president of Venezuela, Maduro, won re-election in the presidential election, but the United States and some western countries did not recognize the election results and supported Guaido, who was elected as the chairman of Venezuela’s parliament in January 2019, as an "interim president". In fact, Guaido has never actually been in power for a day.

　　After the dissolution of the "interim government", the National Security Council of the United States indicated that the United States would continue to support the "interim government" in whatever form it existed. The State Council spokesman Price said on January 3 that although the "interim government" has been dissolved, the United States still "does not recognize" Maduro’s government and will continue to maintain the existing sanctions.

　　Compared with the tough stance of the United States, Venezuelan President Maduro said on January 1 this year that Venezuela is "fully prepared to take measures to normalize relations with the United States". Maduro criticized the US government’s extreme pressure on Venezuela. He said that the United States has taken measures such as suppressing Venezuela, threatening invasion and imposing extreme sanctions, hoping to force Venezuela to split internally and "arrange a president" for Venezuela from the outside, but these measures have been defeated.

　　However, although the Venezuelan government firmly opposed the "interim government" supported by the United States, it did not close the communication channels with the "interim government", especially on November 26 last year, the Venezuelan government and the opposition made an important breakthrough in negotiations for the first time in many years. The two sides agreed to implement a humanitarian rescue plan worth about $3 billion and continue the dialogue in Mexico. This further strengthened the initiative of the Maduro government.

△ Venezuelan President Maduro

　　Although the United States does not admit its failure in supporting the opposition, many mainstream media have quite consistent judgments on this. The New York Times wrote that Guaido’s dismissal was a major blow to the US government, which has been supporting Guaido since 2019. This clearly shows that the opposition has lost confidence in the goal of "replacing the Maduro government" led by Guaido. German news TV issued a document saying that Guaido’s dismissal means that "the attempt to support an influential opposition to compete with the Maduro government has failed".

　　The Sao Paulo newspaper, which has the largest circulation in Brazil, pointed out that although Biden’s government is unwilling to "recognize" Maduro’s government, it has shown that the US policy toward Venezuela has obvious pragmatism from sending a high-level delegation to visit Venezuela in March last year to allowing Chevron to import Venezuelan crude oil.

　　Some European countries began to ease relations with Venezuela.

　　Over the past few years, many European countries have expressed their support for the "interim government" and adopted measures to sanction the Venezuelan government, while some Latin American countries have also "selected side stations" and collectively put pressure on the Maduro government.

　　Today, these situations are changing.

　　In Europe, European countries have realized the importance of Venezuela since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine led to the energy supply crisis in Europe. French President Macron called for the diversification of European oil imports and the return of Venezuela to the international oil market at the G7 summit last July. Last November, at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, Macron met with Maduro, and Macron expressed his willingness to start bilateral cooperation beneficial to the whole region. Recently, the Spanish government appointed a new ambassador to Venezuela to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries at the ambassadorial level in order to coordinate the import of oil from Venezuela by the country’s oil companies.

△ European cruise ships arrived in Venezuela for the first time in 15 years.

　　In fact, European energy companies have started importing Venezuelan crude oil earlier. In the middle of last year, Italy’s Eni Group and Spain’s Lepsol Company imported a total of 3.6 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuela, which was the first time that Europe imported Venezuelan oil in two years. Since then, Venezuela has suspended the export of oil to these two European companies for three months because of dissatisfaction with the settlement method that exporting oil can only be used to pay off debts. Since November, Venezuela has resumed oil sales to these two companies. In that month, 2 million barrels of crude oil were exported to Europe, most of which were received by Lepsol’s Bilbao Refinery. The refinery uses heavy crude oil to produce a large amount of petroleum coke (an important raw material for cement, graphite, steelmaking and other industries), and the petroleum coke production capacity of the refinery can meet the demand of European market by about 5%.

　　Jon Imas, president of Lepsol Company, said that importing Venezuelan oil is not only beneficial to the company itself, but also beneficial to Europe as a whole. In the case that Europe is short of Russian oil due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Venezuela provides another option to supply Europe.

　　Just as some European countries eased relations with Venezuela and increased imports of Venezuelan oil. On January 3, a cruise ship from Europe docked in Venezuela, and nearly 500 passengers from France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Italy visited Venezuela for the first time in 15 years.

　　Latin American countries move closer to Venezuela

　　At the level of Latin American countries, cracks have appeared within the Lima Group. The Lima Group was founded in Lima, Peru in 2017 by 12 Latin American countries including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, with the aim of trying to solve the Venezuelan crisis by peaceful means. At the beginning of the establishment of Lima Group, many member countries boycotted the current Venezuelan government and supported the United States’ practice of excluding Venezuela from attending the Summit of the Americas.

△ Colombian President petro and Venezuelan President Maduro met for the first time in three years

　　Now, the situation has changed. Peru recognized the Maduro government in 2021, while Argentina and Mexico announced their withdrawal from the Lima Group in 2021. On the other hand, after the new President petro took office, Colombian neighbors quickly resumed diplomatic relations with Venezuela at the ambassadorial level, lifted the border blockade, and achieved the first meeting between the two presidents in three years. In Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, Lula officially became president on January 1, which not only ordered the lifting of the ban on the entry of President Maduro into Brazil, but also restored diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level between the two countries. (General Station reporter Lei Xiangping)

　　CCTV News:Under the background of complicated and changeable international trade environment and slow recovery of international investment, although some enterprises have moved their manufacturing bases from China to lower-cost areas, more investors are optimistic about the future development of China market.

　　In the process of moving towards the high end of the global value chain, where should China enterprises compete in the value chain? From "Made in China" to "Made in China", what efforts should be made? A number of business representatives discussed these issues in the column "On Tao".

　　Pang Guanglian, Secretary-General of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry International Capacity Cooperation Enterprise Alliance: In the process of this value chain reconstruction, some China enterprises have moved to Southeast Asia due to the increase of this cost, but recently we were in Zhejiang, and I recently visited more than 40 enterprises in Zhejiang. Many Zhejiang enterprises went to Vietnam and Cambodia, and after investing, they came back two years later, because China is the most complete among all industrial categories stipulated by the United Nations, with supporting infrastructure and industry.

　　You Feifeng, Chairman of Huafeng New Materials Company: From a long-term perspective, if we carry out some industrial transfer, it must be considered by some comprehensive factors, which is called comprehensive cost in our industry. Although it is said that low-end industries will inevitably move to some areas with lower comprehensive costs, some high-end industries may still develop further in some industries under the influence of such factors as being close to resources and some markets.

　　Pang Guanglian: But we must also see a trend now. The production focus of our entire petrochemical products has indeed shifted from west to east. Now China has occupied 39.4% of the world’s chemical production, which is close to 40%. According to BASF’s new CEO, it is possible that by 2030, the total output value of China’s chemical industry will occupy half of the whole world, and then a major change will take place.

　　Another is the focus of production, which gradually concentrates on the supply places of raw material production resources. In recent years, the flammable oil and gas in the United States has risen rapidly. As Mr. kadouri said yesterday, the total investment in the petrochemical industry in the United States in recent years has reached 230 billion US dollars, which is an amazing data. Many China enterprises, including those present here, are now choosing to invest in the Middle East, so now the whole world market is inseparable. You have me and I have you. Whether we let foreign-funded enterprises enter China or China enterprises go abroad, Chinese and foreign enterprises will cooperate with each other. This is the way to be king in the future.

　　You Feifeng: In the development of Huafeng for many years, it also relies on the introduction of some technologies from BASF and Kostron in China and the investment from their factories in China, which has provided us with some very stable help in the supply of raw materials for upstream resources.

　　In this process, Huafeng has sold some of our own products to BASF and Costron through years of development and some breakthroughs in its own products. Therefore, in the layout of the whole industrial chain, everyone is in a very high degree of cooperation and a state of common development and sharing development with all parties in the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain.

　　Lei Huanli, President of Kostron China: I think we are very happy from Kostron or myself, that is to say, we will continue to open wider to the outside world.

　　Second, I said that this openness is an ideological openness. This ideological openness is how to make these partners in each value chain stronger. We should do our duty as local residents or citizens. That responsibility means that we have some good practices and practices that we can learn from. We are willing to discuss with all partners in the value chain. This concept, which goes back to our company, is sustainable development. We should pay enough attention to the respect of resources, because resources are owned by everyone, shared by all and the earth, and we can’t squander them at will.

　　If we can work together and do this thing well together, I think it will be very, very good As a multinational company, we are deeply involved in this market. When we regard ourselves as a local market, we actually have this responsibility. We are also willing to fulfill this obligation and do this with our partners or with the government.

　　Yu Feng, Chairman of Honeywell China: Because Honeywell itself is a company with a sales volume of US$ 40 billion and a market value of more than US$ 100 billion, it has a large business in the world. We have some experience in so many businesses, and we also have many lessons, experiences and lessons to tell us. If an enterprise wants to be sustainable in a market, it must make use of its own advantages and the advantages of local partners, so win-win cooperation is the long-term direction in the future.

　　Second, there is another important method, that is, innovation. No matter how the value chain changes in the future, we must have our own original technology and depth. We must firmly believe that only depth will make this enterprise have a high level. Innovation costs money, and innovation needs lasting investment.

　　Therefore, my third suggestion must be management. We have some original inventions in the world ten years ago, and the market share in China is zero. Why? It’s not that the technology is bad, but that the price is too high and the cost is too high. Our cost is higher than the price that our customers in China can accept. So what should we do? Through management, these technologies have been localized and cooperated with local suppliers, and the cost has been greatly reduced. Therefore, these technologies have experienced triple-digit growth in China in the past few years. Therefore, as management requires efficiency, after improving efficiency, it will be fed back to our research and development and our innovation.

CCTV News:The State Council Press Office held a press conference on April 19th. The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce said that it would work with relevant departments to promote digital upgrading in trade-related links, including improving customs clearance efficiency and providing more and more convenient financing support for foreign trade enterprises.

In the field of trade digitalization, the Ministry of Commerce has guided more trade entities to use electronic trade documents and promoted the interconnection between document platform enterprises. Accelerate the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area global trade digital pilot area, and explore the docking of digital infrastructure and rules and standards, so as to accelerate the digital integration development of the whole trade chain. Cultivate leading enterprises in digital transformation, and also provide digital solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Li xinggan, director of the foreign trade department of the Ministry of commerce, said: "relying on multi-bilateral platforms, we will strengthen trade digital cooperation with our trading partners and jointly explore more landing scenarios in the trade field."　

Ministry of Commerce: It is normal for data fluctuation to attract foreign investment.

Since last year, there have been some fluctuations in China’s data on attracting foreign investment. At the press conference on April 19th, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce said that from the overall situation of global transnational investment and the situation of various economies, fluctuations in data on attracting foreign investment are normal.

In the first quarter of this year, the scale of attracting foreign investment in China exceeded 300 billion yuan. In the same period last year, the scale of attracting foreign investment in China reached the highest level in the history of quarterly investment, and it declined in the first quarter of this year. There are indeed factors affected by the high base. In addition, in the first quarter of this year, the number of newly established foreign-funded enterprises in China reached 12,000, a year-on-year increase of 20.7%, continuing the trend of rapid growth of newly established enterprises since last year.

Ji Xiaofeng, head of the Foreign Investment Management Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said that there is usually a process for foreign investment from project signing, company registration to completion and production. In this process, foreign capital will continue to be invested with the progress of project construction, so data fluctuations are also common.

Ministry of Commerce: China’s investment structure continued to be optimized in the first quarter of this year.

According to the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce, in the first quarter of this year, the actual use of foreign capital in China’s manufacturing industry reached 81.06 billion yuan, of which the investment in high-tech manufacturing industry reached 37.76 billion yuan, accounting for 2.3 and 2.2 percentage points higher than that in the same period of last year, and the investment in medical equipment manufacturing industry increased by 169.7% year-on-year, which fully demonstrated the continuous optimization of China’s investment structure.

At the same time, the person in charge also said that a comprehensive analysis of the situation of attracting foreign investment in China should not only look at the changes in the scale of attracting foreign investment, but also see the optimization of the structure of attracting foreign investment and its future development prospects.

Ministry of Commerce: China deepens national economic and trade cooperation with the Belt and Road Initiative.

At the press conference, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce introduced that since the beginning of this year, China has continuously deepened its economic and trade cooperation with the "Belt and Road" countries and achieved some new progress and new results.

In the first quarter, the import and export of goods between China and co-construction countries exceeded 4.8 trillion yuan, up 5.5%, 0.5 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of foreign trade, accounting for 47.4% of the total import and export.

From the perspective of export commodities, there are high-tech products such as electronic information, instruments and equipment manufacturing, which are closely related to the production of enterprises, as well as consumer goods such as household appliances and clothing that meet the needs of people’s livelihood.

From the perspective of imported goods, China and the co-construction countries actively share the opportunity of China’s big market. In the first quarter, the energy and mineral products, integrated circuits, auto parts and other industrial products imported from the co-construction countries continued to grow.

In the first quarter, China’s non-financial direct investment in co-construction countries reached 54.32 billion yuan, up 12%, accounting for 22.4% of the total foreign investment in the same period. From the perspective of investment, investment in RCEP member countries increased by 33.5%, and investment in Central and Eastern European countries increased by 41.3%, both of which were significantly higher than the overall growth rate.

Yang Tao, director of the Comprehensive Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said that in terms of exhibition platform, the just-concluded 4th Consumer Expo and the first phase of the 135th Canton Fair attracted a large number of merchants from countries with the Belt and Road Initiative, and the number of buyers from countries with the Belt and Road Initiative participating in the Canton Fair increased by 46%. In the import sector of the Canton Fair, the proportion of exhibitors from countries with the Belt and Road Initiative reached 64%.

Ministry of Commerce: I am confident to achieve the goal of "stable quality and quantity increase" in foreign trade this year.

At the press conference, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce introduced that looking forward to the next stage of foreign trade situation, there are both opportunities and challenges in general. The Ministry of Commerce is working with all localities and departments to study and launch a series of targeted, pragmatic and effective measures to stabilize foreign trade.

The opportunity is that the domestic economy is picking up and the foundation is constantly consolidating. In the first quarter, the national economy grew by 5.3%, and the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 6.1%, which provided a solid foundation for China to consolidate its foreign trade base.

The company’s expectations continue to improve and its confidence continues to increase. In March, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) of China’s manufacturing industry reached 50.8%, returning to the expansion range. Recently, a questionnaire survey was conducted among more than 20,000 exhibitors in the Canton Fair. The survey results show that the proportion of enterprises whose orders have increased or remained flat has reached 81.5%, an increase of 16.8 percentage points over the previous session. Enterprises are relatively optimistic about the order situation and are more enthusiastic about exploring the international market.

Key industries have stabilized and improved, and their motivation has been continuously enhanced. After a two-year down cycle, the trade of main products in the electronic information industry is gradually recovering. In the first quarter, China’s integrated circuits increased by 24.2%, imports increased by 14.3%, and exports of computers and parts increased by 8.6%, which also showed the ability of supporting and integrating China’s industries.

From the perspective of challenges, the growth of external demand is expected to slow down. Recently, the WTO released a global trade outlook and statistical report, in which the growth rate of goods trade in 2024 was lowered to 2.6%, which was 0.7 percentage points lower than the forecast value in October last year. In addition, the risk of geopolitical conflict has increased, the momentum of trade protectionism has risen, and the interference and difficulty faced by enterprises in opening up markets have increased.

Guo Tingting, Vice Minister of Commerce, said that at present, the Ministry of Commerce, together with various localities and departments, is working hard to study and launch a series of targeted, pragmatic and effective measures to stabilize foreign trade to help foreign trade enterprises enhance their motivation and open up markets. The Ministry of Commerce is confident and capable of achieving the goal of "stable quality and quantity increase" in foreign trade this year.

Ten departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, jointly issued the Measures to further support overseas institutions to invest in domestic science and technology enterprises.

The reporter learned from the Ministry of Commerce on April 19th that the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission and other ten departments have recently jointly issued policies and measures to further support overseas institutions to invest in domestic science and technology enterprises.

Clear policies and measures to support overseas institutions to invest in domestic science and technology enterprises through qualified overseas limited partners. It is clear that the establishment of venture capital funds in China by overseas institutions is treated equally with domestic venture capital funds. Encourage overseas institutions to cooperate with relevant domestic institutions to set up relevant funds, and support technology-based enterprises invested by overseas institutions to deepen industrial chain cooperation with relevant countries. According to the tax treaties signed between China and relevant countries, qualified overseas institutions can enjoy preferential income tax when investing in listed companies in China.

Ministry of Commerce: Three areas of innovation are full of vitality and have sustainable growth potential.

On April 19th, the State Council Press Office held a press conference, and the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce introduced that in recent years, China’s export structure has been optimized and upgraded. In the first quarter of this year, three areas were full of innovation vitality and had potential for sustained growth: first, the export base of complete sets of equipment was solid; second, the export demand of smart products increased; and third, low-carbon energy-saving and environmental protection products were very popular.

Ministry of Commerce: New export growth points will continue to emerge.

In addition, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce also introduced that in the first quarter of this year, the export of China’s labor-intensive products increased by 9.1%. Among them, the export of textiles and clothing increased by 5.4%, the export of plastic products increased by 14%, and the export of furniture and its parts increased by 23.5%. At present, China manufacturing is moving towards China creation. New export growth points will continue to emerge, and the Ministry of Commerce is confident to achieve the goal of "stable quality and quantity increase" in foreign trade this year.

　　Strictly administering the Party in an all-round way is the fundamental guarantee for completing the historical mission.

　　Feng Jun, Deputy Director of the Central Party History Research Office

　　Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation in modern times, and it is also the historical mission of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, we have never been closer to the goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In his important speech on "July 26th", General Secretary of the Supreme Leader emphasized that if the Party wants to unite and lead the people in a great struggle, advance a great cause and realize a great dream, it must unswervingly uphold and improve the Party’s leadership, unswervingly push forward the new great project of Party building, and make the Party stronger and stronger.

　　Strengthen political construction, comprehensively strengthen the party’s leadership and enhance the party’s cohesion, combat effectiveness, leadership and appeal. Party, government, military and civilian studies, east, west, north and south, the party is the leader of everything. Party member cadres should strictly abide by political discipline and rules, safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee, safeguard the unity and centralized leadership of the Party, firmly establish political awareness, overall situation awareness, core awareness and conformity awareness, and always maintain a high degree of consistency with the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core in ideological and political actions.

　　Strengthen the education of ideals and beliefs and stick to the spiritual home of communist party people. The lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of Socialism with Chinese characteristics are the spiritual pillar and political soul of the Communist Party of China (CPC) people. The majority of party member cadres must unswervingly adhere to the guiding position of Marxism, earnestly study the theoretical systems of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Socialism with Chinese characteristics, conscientiously study the spirit of the series of important speeches by the Supreme Leader General Secretary and the new ideas, new ideas and new strategies for governing the country and making up the "calcium" of the spirit.

　　Adhere to the close combination of ideological party building and institutional party management, and put institutional construction throughout all aspects and the whole process of party building. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee has formulated and revised a number of inner-party laws and regulations, which has tightened the cage of the system. The promulgation and implementation of the inner-party laws and regulations, such as the Regulations on Patrol Work in the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Regulations on Accountability in the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Code of Integrity and Self-discipline in the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the Regulations on Disciplinary Actions in the Communist Party of China (CPC), have enabled the party to be strictly governed in an all-round way. In particular, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee adopted "Several Guidelines on Inner-Party Political Life under the New Situation" and "Regulations on Inner-Party Supervision in the Communist Party of China (CPC)", which provided an important system for strengthening and standardizing inner-party political life and strengthening inner-party supervision under the new situation.

　　Adhere to strict management of officials and do a good job of leading cadres, the "key minority." Adhering to the correct orientation of selecting and appointing people, selecting and appointing cadres must adhere to the principle of having both ability and political integrity, putting morality first, adhering to all corners of the country, appointing people on their merits, and adhering to the standards of good cadres with firm beliefs, serving the people, being diligent and pragmatic, daring to take responsibility, and being honest and clean. Leading cadres should be strictly self-disciplined, cautious and cautious, start from themselves and manage from people around them.

　　Maintain the overwhelming trend of the anti-corruption struggle. Shortly after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China closed, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee formulated and promulgated eight regulations, which sent a strong signal that discipline should be maintained and the Party should be strictly governed. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, with the determination of a strong man to break his wrist, curbs the bones and cures the poison and cures the furuncle with fierce drugs, and insists that corruption must be countered and greed must be eliminated, thus effectively curbing the spread of corruption. To adhere to the comprehensive and strict administration of the party, we must maintain the overwhelming trend of the anti-corruption struggle and constantly win the hearts and minds of the party.

　

　　Stressing politics is a prominent feature and advantage of our party.

　　Tang Zhouyan, Party Secretary of Shandong Academy of Social Sciences

　　General Secretary of the Supreme Leader has repeatedly stressed that our party, as a Marxist political party, stresses politics as a prominent feature and advantage. Deeply understanding and grasping the spiritual essence of this important thesis is of great significance for promoting the comprehensive and strict management of the Party, advancing the new great project of Party building and winning new victories in Socialism with Chinese characteristics.

　　Taking a clear-cut stand and talking about politics is an important magic weapon for the Communist Party of China (CPC) people to defeat the enemy. As a Marxist political party, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has never denied his political attributes, and has always taken a clear-cut stand on politics. This is our party’s outstanding characteristics and advantages, and it is also an important magic weapon for our party to grow stronger and defeat the enemy. As early as the Gutian Conference, Comrade Mao Zedong clearly proposed to "improve the political level within the Party" and "make party member’s thoughts and life within the Party politicized and scientific". Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core has unswervingly promoted the comprehensive and strict administration of the Party and repeatedly stressed that leading cadres should take a clear-cut stand and stress politics. Throughout the course of our party’s struggle, when the whole party stresses politics and the political life within the party is normal and healthy, the party’s cause will flourish; On the contrary, it may be full of ills and cause serious losses to the party’s cause. Standing at a new historical starting point, if we want to create a new situation in the cause of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must carry forward this outstanding feature and advantage of our Party and stress politics with a clear-cut stand.

　　Take a clear-cut stand and say that the key to politics is to firmly establish the "four consciousnesses". Strengthening the "four consciousnesses" is the concentrated embodiment and inevitable requirement of taking a clear-cut stand and stressing politics. We should firmly establish political consciousness, adhere to the correct political direction and position, maintain a clear political mind and keen political discernment, always take the party’s banner as the banner, take the party’s direction as the direction, take the party’s will as the will, and maintain a high degree of political consistency with the CPC Central Committee; Firmly establish a sense of the overall situation, establish a correct view of the overall situation, consciously understand, obey and safeguard the overall situation, and effectively unify thoughts and actions with the decision-making and deployment of the CPC Central Committee. As long as things that are beneficial to the overall situation are done well, as long as words and deeds that hinder the overall situation are resolutely opposed, the whole party will always be guaranteed to play a game of chess; Firmly establish the core consciousness, resolutely safeguard the core position of the supreme leader’s general secretary, take the maintenance of the core as the first political requirement, and achieve full trust in thought, resolute maintenance in politics, conscious obedience in organization, deep recognition in emotion, and always follow in action; Firmly establish a sense of conformity, take the initiative to align with the CPC Central Committee with the supreme leader as the core, take the initiative to align with the party’s theory, line, principles and policies, and take the initiative to align with the decision-making and deployment of the CPC Central Committee.

　　To promote the comprehensive and strict management of the party and develop in depth, we must take a clear-cut stand and stress politics. Standing at a new historical starting point, promoting the comprehensive and strict development of the party requires us to speak politics more clearly. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core has persisted in focusing on, examining and solving outstanding problems within the Party politically, and has grasped the root of strictly administering the Party in an all-round way. In the process of strictly administering the party in an all-round way, we can’t just solve the problem of corruption and not solve political problems. Political problems of cadres are no less harmful to the party than corruption, and some are even more serious than corruption. At present, the strict administration of the party in an all-round way has entered a new stage, which requires us to speak politics more clearly.

　

　　Firmly establish the "four consciousnesses" and resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee

　　Zhang Lei, deputy editor-in-chief of Economic Daily

　　Firmly establishing the "four consciousnesses" and resolutely safeguarding the authority of the CPC Central Committee are the inevitable requirements for upholding and consolidating the party’s leadership and ensuring the smooth development of the cause of the party and the state. The Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee pointed out: "A country and a political party have a core of leadership." "Resolutely safeguarding the authority of the CPC Central Committee and ensuring that all party orders are prohibited are the future and destiny of the party and the country and the fundamental interests of the people of all ethnic groups in the country."

　　From the development history of Marxist political parties, it is a basic principle of Marxist political party construction to safeguard the central authority and the core of leadership. In the practice of leading the communist movement, Marx and Engels always emphasized the importance of authority, which they believed was related to the success or failure of the revolutionary cause. The history of socialist development in the world shows that the proletariat not only needs authority to carry out revolution, but also needs such authority in the process of consolidating political power, construction and reform. The failure of the CPSU also illustrates this truth from the opposite side: once a Marxist political party with a glorious history and once very strong destroys the central authority and abandons the party’s leadership, it will inevitably lead to the tragic situation of the party and the country. This is a lesson of blood, which we must remember deeply.

　　Judging from the development history of our party in 1996, maintaining the central authority and the core of leadership is the fundamental guarantee for the continuous development of the party’s cause and the long-term stability of the country. Comrade Deng Xiaoping emphasized: "Any leading collective must have a core, and leadership without a core is unreliable.". He also pointed out that in history, the main reason for the frustration and failure of our party before Zunyi Conference was that it did not form a mature CPC Central Committee and a core of leadership that was widely expected. It was not until the central collective leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong as the core was formed that the China Revolution embarked on the smooth development. Similarly, in the historical process of promoting reform and opening up, the mature core of leadership also plays an irreplaceable role. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has gone through a glorious course of 96 years and has been in power for 68 years in a row. The reason why he has achieved the historic achievement of standing out from the rest of the world is that he has always emphasized upholding the leadership of the Party and safeguarding the authority of the CPC Central Committee.

　　Judging from the conditions of the times faced by our party, maintaining the central authority and the core of leadership is the need to shoulder the historical responsibility of the party and complete the historical task of the party. Great and profound changes are taking place in the world today. China is in the decisive stage of building a well-off society in an all-round way. The Party is faced with the historical task of carrying out great struggles, building great projects, advancing great undertakings and realizing great dreams. Our party has made great achievements that have attracted worldwide attention and accumulated extremely rich ruling experience, but the "four tests" and "four dangers" are still grim, and the "rushing for the exam" is far from over. Today, Socialism with Chinese characteristics is like a big ship sailing through the waves in the sea of Wang Yang. More than ever, it needs a capable, experienced and authoritative helmsman to guide it. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader has led the whole party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities in China to create a brand-new situation in the development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s cause, and has made a series of great achievements with great practical significance and far-reaching historical significance in reform, development and stability, internal affairs, foreign affairs and national defense, and in managing the party, country and army, and won the heartfelt love and support of the whole party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities in China. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader is the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party formed in the practice of the new great struggle. Firmly safeguarding the authority of the CPC Central Committee and the core position of the Supreme Leader General Secretary are important guarantees for us to strive for new and greater victories.

　

　　Serious inner-party political life is the basis of strictly administering the party in an all-round way.

　　Ji Zhengju, Deputy Director of the Central Compilation Bureau

　　The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Serious inner-party political life is the fundamental basic work of strictly administering the party in an all-round way and is a major task of the whole party." If the party wants to manage the party, it must manage the political life within the party; To strictly manage the party, we must start from the political life within the party. The "Several Guidelines on Political Life within the Party under the New Situation" and a series of important expositions by the Supreme Leader General Secretary on comprehensively administering the Party strictly have profoundly expounded the great significance, fundamental principles, basic requirements and scientific path of serious political life within the Party under the new situation, which is a scientific summary and theoretical sublimation of our Party’s experience in managing the Party and providing important compliance and institutional guarantee for comprehensively administering the Party strictly.

　　Serious inner-party political life is the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s fine tradition and political advantage. Over the past 96 years, one of the important reasons why our party has been able to maintain its advanced nature and purity forever is to attach importance to the role of inner-party political life in party building and make it a fine tradition and heirloom. As early as 1926, our party began to use the concept of party life in the central document. In the long-term practice, our party has gradually formed the basic norms of inner-party political life with seeking truth from facts, integrating theory with practice, keeping close contact with the masses, criticizing and self-criticizing, democratic centralism and strict party discipline as the main contents, which has provided an important guarantee for the development of the cause of the party and the state.

　　Serious inner-party political life is the golden key to solve the contradictions and problems existing in the party. History has proved that when the political life within the party is serious, the cause of the party and the people will flourish; Whenever the political life within the party is abnormal, the cause of the party and the people will encounter setbacks. One of the most important reasons why the Communist Party of China (CPC) can constantly overcome all kinds of difficulties and dangers and move from victory to victory is that he can overcome all kinds of contradictions and negative factors existing in the party in a timely and effective manner through regular, serious and serious political life within the party, such as dogmatism, empiricism, liberalism, hedonism, bureaucracy and sectarianism. Under the new situation, only by effectively solving the problems existing in the party through the political life within the party can our party maintain its advanced nature and purity in the face of "four major tests" and "four dangers".

　　Serious inner-party political life is a melting pot for party member cadres to exercise their party spirit. Political life within the Party is the main platform for Party organizations to educate and manage party member and exercise party spirit. Party member cadres’ ability and prestige are closely related to whether they have been seriously trained in inner-party political life. Serious inner-party political life is like a melting pot, in which party member cadres consciously accept the baptism of thought and party style and discipline, and constantly temper party spirit, so that they can keep fit and be tempered into steel.

　　Serious inner-party political life is a purifier of pure party style. What kind of inner-party political life there is, there is what kind of cadre style in party member. Political life within the party can not only purify the party style, but also promote the improvement of political style, folk customs and social atmosphere by stirring up turbidity, strengthening the body resistance and eliminating evil spirits. It can not only ensure the purity and health of cadres in party member, but also enable the Party organizations to constantly eliminate "dust" and "viruses", realize self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation and self-improvement, and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive and strict administration of the Party.

　

　　Strictly administering the Party in an all-round way inevitably requires strengthening inner-party supervision.

　　Xie Feng, Professor of Party Building Teaching and Research Department of Central Party School

　　General Secretary of the Supreme Leader attaches great importance to strengthening inner-party supervision and has made many important expositions on strengthening inner-party supervision. Both history and reality show that strengthening inner-party supervision is an inevitable requirement of strictly administering the party in an all-round way.

　　Deeply understand the significance of inner-party supervision to the comprehensive and strict administration of the party. This important significance can be understood from three aspects: first, from the historical experience of the party in power. Our party has deeply realized in its ruling practice that unsupervised power will inevitably lead to corruption, which is an iron law. As the ruling party, the biggest challenge our party faces is how to effectively supervise the power and keep the party’s advanced nature and purity forever. Among them, the most important supervision is the party’s own supervision, that is, inner-party supervision. The second is to learn from the failure of communist party in the Soviet Union. One of the main reasons for the collapse of the CPSU in the 1990s after more than 70 years in power was the lack of inner-party supervision and the abuse of power. This warns us that we should attach great importance to inner-party supervision and strictly manage the party. The third is to understand the problems faced by our party in the new period. At present, there are still many problems that need to be solved urgently in our Party. One of the important reasons is that the Party rules and regulations in party constitution have not been well implemented. To solve the problems existing in the Party, we must tighten inner-party supervision, promote the management of the Party from "loose and soft" to "strict and hard", ensure the effective implementation of party rules and discipline in party constitution, and provide an important guarantee for the comprehensive and strict management of the Party.

　　Promote the comprehensive and strict administration of the party by strengthening inner-party supervision. First, build a scientific inner-party supervision system. At present, a new inner-party supervision system with clear division of labor, clear responsibilities and three-dimensional complementarity has been formed, namely, unified leadership by the CPC Central Committee, comprehensive supervision by party committees (party groups), special supervision by discipline inspection organs, functional supervision by party departments, daily supervision by party grass-roots organizations and democratic supervision by party member. We should give full play to the role of the inner-party supervision system and promote the comprehensive and strict management of the party. Second, seize the "key minority". The object of inner-party supervision includes ordinary party member, but the focus is on leading organs and leading cadres, which is the key to strictly administering the party and strengthening inner-party supervision. Grasping the "key minority", especially solving the supervision problem of the top leaders, can play a leading and exemplary role and is of great benefit to curbing corruption and creating a good political ecology. Third, make full use of various means of inner-party supervision. These means include criticism and self-criticism, reminding conversation and admonishing conversation, debriefing and commenting on honesty, letters and visits, etc. Among them, we should pay special attention to the role of criticism and self-criticism. Criticism and self-criticism are the party’s fine traditions and good ways to find and correct shortcomings and mistakes. We must make good use of this weapon for self-defense and treatment. Fourth, strengthen the formulation and implementation of the inner-party supervision system. Adhere to the problem orientation and improve the relevant system of inner-party supervision; By adhering to the above rate, strengthening study and education, and strengthening supervision and inspection, we will do a good job in the implementation of the inner-party supervision system. Fifth, adhere to the combination of inner-party supervision and non-party supervision. The ruling position of our party determines that inner-party supervision is the most basic and the first.Only by strengthening inner-party supervision can we promote non-party supervision. At the same time, we should pay attention to the role of non-party supervision, realize the effective combination of inner-party supervision and non-party supervision, complement each other’s advantages and exert their overall strength, so as to maximize the effectiveness of supervision.

　

　　Strengthening ideals and beliefs and supplementing the "calcium" of the spirit

　　Guo Guangyin, former Party Secretary of Southeast University

　　Communist party people’s ideals and beliefs are their faith in Marxism, socialism and communism, and their loyalty to the Party and the people. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Ideals and beliefs are the spiritual’ calcium’ of communist party people. Without ideals and beliefs, ideals and beliefs will be’ calcium deficiency’ and’ rickets’." Today, if we want to push forward the new great project of party building, strictly manage the party and make the party stronger, we must ask party member cadres to make up the spiritual "calcium" of ideals and beliefs more consciously.

　　To strictly manage the party in an all-round way, we must first strengthen our ideals and beliefs. Strictly administering the party in an all-round way is a systematic project, and strengthening ideals and beliefs is the theme that runs through this project. Judging from the Party’s organization, the Communist Party of China (CPC) adhered to the ideals of socialism and communism, which enabled the Party to make clear the direction of its efforts ideologically and politically, unite people’s strength, and maintain unity and unity. From party member’s individual point of view, ideals and beliefs are the political foundation and spiritual home for communist party people to settle down, which plays a key role in guiding and directing their thoughts and actions. Some party member cadres are politically deteriorated, economically greedy, morally degenerated and corrupted in life. In the final analysis, they lack the "calcium" of the spirit of ideals and beliefs.

　　Strengthening ideals and beliefs should be based on "four possibilities" and "six noes". Regarding whether party member cadres have ideals and beliefs, the Supreme Leader General Secretary put forward the objective criterion of "four possibilities". He pointed out, "There are objective standards to measure whether a Communist party member and a leading cadre have lofty ideals of communism. It depends on whether he can adhere to the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, whether he can bear hardships first and enjoy later, whether he can work diligently and be honest, and whether he can work hard, struggle and give all his energy and even his life for his ideals." As for the firmness of ideals and beliefs, the General Secretary of the Supreme Leader further put forward the standard of "six noes", which mainly depends on whether party member cadres can have political determination in the face of major political tests, whether they can establish a firm sense of purpose, whether they can be extremely responsible for their work, whether they can bear hardships first and enjoy them later, whether they can bravely shoulder heavy burdens in the face of urgent and dangerous tasks, and whether they can withstand the temptation of power, money and beauty. The criteria of "Four Musts" and "Six Musts" endow the firm ideals and beliefs with real connotations, and provide a practical yardstick for each Communist party member to test and reflect on his political consciousness, emotional attitude and behavior.

　　Make up the "calcium" of the spirit of ideals and beliefs based on reality. With ideals and beliefs and objective standards to follow, it is not enough to ensure that ideals are always firm, beliefs are always persistent, and actions are always correct. Firm and persistent ideals and beliefs will not come into being spontaneously, but we should try our best to learn, believe, understand and do things all our lives. Only by making efforts to supplement the "calcium" of the spirit of ideals and beliefs based on reality can we cultivate a "indestructible body" that can stand firm, stand the test, resist corrosion and resist risks. The firmness of ideals and beliefs comes from the power of truth, which requires party member cadres to seriously study Marxist classics and systematically master the basic Marxist theories, standpoints and methods. To strengthen ideals and beliefs, we must also strengthen the cultivation of party spirit and constantly strengthen the "four consciousnesses." The firmness of ideals and beliefs will ultimately start with doing a good job in front of you.

　

　　Democratic centralism is an important magic weapon to safeguard the unity and unity of the party.

　　Xin Xiangyang, Vice President of Information and Information Research Institute of China Academy of Social Sciences

　　Democratic centralism is the fundamental organizational system and leadership system of our party, the basic criterion for regulating political life and handling relations within the party, a scientific and effective system for ensuring the correct formulation and implementation of the party’s line, principles and policies, and an important magic weapon for safeguarding the party’s unity and unity.

　　Democratic centralism ensures the unity of the will of the whole party and lays an ideological foundation for the unity and unity of the party. There are many factors that affect the unity and unity of the party, one of which is the ideological factor. Our party has always emphasized the principle and system of democratic centralism. With this principle and system, we can deny the party’s leadership, China’s socialist system and reform and opening up, violate, distort and deny the party’s basic line, distort, vilify and deny Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s words and deeds, distort, vilify and deny the party’s history, People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s history and the people’s army’s history, and distort, vilify and deny the party’s leaders and heroic models.

　　Democratic centralism ensures the healthy development of political life within the party and provides basic norms for the unity and unity of the party. The "Several Guidelines on Inner-Party Political Life under the New Situation" adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee pointed out: "In the long-term practice, our party has insisted on carrying out serious inner-party political life as an important task of party building, and formed the basic norms of inner-party political life with seeking truth from facts, integrating theory with practice, keeping close contact with the masses, criticizing and self-criticizing, democratic centralism and strict party discipline as the main contents." As the basic norm of inner-party political life, democratic centralism is conducive to unifying party member’s ideological understanding, solving some problems within the party and ensuring the healthy development of inner-party political life.

　　Democratic centralism ensures the correct orientation of selecting and employing people within the party and lays a cadre foundation for the unity and unity of the party. The development of the party’s cause is inseparable from a grand cadre team, and the formation of this team is based on democratic centralism. Based on democratic centralism, our party can constantly select outstanding talents to the jobs it needs. As the General Secretary of the Supreme Leader said: "Our current cadre selection mechanism is also at the first level. For example, I have worked in the countryside, served as the party branch secretary of the brigade, and worked in counties, cities, provinces and the central government." The first-level selection mechanism makes the selection of cadres not only reflect the wishes of the people, but also stand the test of political life. Without democratic centralism, some cadres will believe in the "circle culture" of cliques and consider how to pull relationships and find ways. If we earnestly implement the requirements of democratic centralism, we can train a large number of good cadres with firm beliefs, serving the people, being diligent and pragmatic, daring to take responsibility, and being honest and clean.

　　Practice has proved that democratic centralism is an important magic weapon to stimulate the creativity and vitality of the party and maintain the unity and unity of the party. We should adhere to the principle of democratic centralism to handle all kinds of relations within the Party, solve contradictions and problems within the Party, jointly safeguard unity based on the principle of party spirit, and ensure that the Party always keeps ahead of the times in the historical process of profound changes in the world situation, always becomes the backbone of the people throughout the country in the historical process of coping with various risks and tests at home and abroad, and always becomes a strong leadership core in the historical process of upholding and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics.

　　People’s Daily (September 20, 2017, 19th edition)

Original Zhao Bei Ten-Point Science

Because of the aging immune system, vaccines are less effective for the elderly. Scientists believe that it is more important and more widely used to develop drugs that can enhance the immune function of the elderly than to develop vaccines for the elderly.

Along with skin aging, there is also the immune system. | Figure worm creativity

Author | Doctor of Immunology, Zhao Bei

Recently, many deaths caused by influenza vaccine in Korea have attracted attention. As of October 31st, the death toll rose to 83, of which 71 were over 70 years old (accounting for 85.5%). In addition to the possible quality problems of the vaccine itself, it also reminds us of the fact that the role of the vaccine for young people and the elderly is different.

This is also a difficult point in the development of COVID19 vaccine.

Increasing age, and aging immune system

As people get older, we experience a series of physical changes, such as hearing loss, skin relaxation, joint injury and so on, and even the vitality of the immune system gradually decreases. This phenomenon is called "immune aging". This is also the reason why the elderly have become the main targets of infection and death in Covid-19.

In the face of the out-of-control epidemic in COVID-19, USA, and the emergence of the second round of epidemic peak in Europe, vaccine research and development is in full swing in various countries, which is expected to be a life-saving straw to reverse the situation.

However, vaccines, a means of "actively mobilizing the human immune system to prevent real virus attacks", are usually far less effective in the elderly population-the immune response of the elderly to vaccines is often weaker. That is, the immune system of the elderly is more difficult to be mobilized by vaccines.

This means that vaccines may not protect those who need protection most.

So, how does the immune system age?

Our bodies are naturally resistant to most pathogens. Although the environment is full of pathogens, we still live well most of the time.

The human immune system is divided into innate immunity and acquired immunity. The former is universal immunity. When the body encounters foreign objects (such as skin and mucous membrane), innate immunity will respond quickly. However, although it responds quickly, its ability is limited and it is often broken. For example, when it meets Covid-19, it can’t hold on.

The latter is the acquired immunity of the body, that is, for some pathogens that have not been seen before, the body must first fight with it and learn from it before it can gain immunity to it. The power of acquired immunity is very powerful. As long as the body can withstand the attack of pathogens in "learning" and meet the same pathogens in the future, it will not be a problem at all. For example, infectious diseases such as smallpox and chickenpox, if you get it once, you will generally not get it again.

When the body is invaded by foreign pathogens, such as viruses, innate immunity and acquired immunity will cooperate to resist.

In the innate immune system, immune cells, such as phagocytes and natural killer cells, will recognize or even devour the virus first, and secrete a large number of cytokines to summon more immune cells with different functions to join the battle. Some of these cells, such as phagocytes and dendritic cells, will also transmit the antigens of these viruses (substances that can cause antibody production) to the subsequent T cells and B cells, which are representatives of acquired immune cells.

T-cells and B-cells (shown here as antibodies produced by B-cells) are representatives of immune cells, and they are named after mature parts. The former is mature in thymus (English) and the latter is mature in bone marrow (English). Both are star immune cells. | Figure worm creativity

These two kinds of cells can not only produce antibodies and cytokines to quickly destroy the virus, but also form specific memory cells, so that they can respond quickly after encountering the same virus again.

When the immune system destroys the virus, immune cells will gather locally in the body, forming redness, swelling and heat pain, which is what we usually call inflammation. Proinflammatory factors secreted during this period, such as interleukin -1 and tumor necrosis factor α, can promote the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms, but excessive inflammation may lead to cytokine storms and even life-threatening. Another kind of anti-inflammatory factor, such as interleukin -10, can prevent excessive inflammation and maintain the balance of the body environment.

These factors together constitute our immunity.

And what will happen to our immune function as we get older? What is the impact on vaccine development?

Compared with young people, the immune aging of the elderly is mainly manifested in two aspects:

The initial number of T cells and B cells decreased. Vaccine mainly stimulates B cells to produce antibodies. Only when there are a large number of B cells with high diversity of receptors in the body, the greater the probability of recognizing antigens, and the targeted (directional) antibodies and memory B cells can be formed. -The decrease of B cells will undoubtedly weaken this effect.

Chronic low-grade inflammation is easy to occur after vaccination. The aging and necrotic cells in the elderly can not be removed in time, which will stimulate the immune system continuously, causing immune cells (such as macrophages) to continuously secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, and the immune response cannot be terminated. The consequence is that the immune system can’t respond the next time the pathogenic microorganism attacks the human body, that is, immune dysfunction.

These lead to different effects of vaccines in the elderly and young people.

Vaccine research and development under "immune aging";

A special vaccine or an auxiliary drug to reverse aging?

For Covid-19, there are about 50 kinds of vaccines being tested in the world, but scientists are still not sure whether the vaccines are equally effective for the elderly.

One of the vaccines "mRNA-1273" being developed by Moderna, a biological company located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, produced antibody levels similar to those of younger subjects in 40 subjects over the age of 56.

However, Pfizer and BioNTech, pharmaceutical companies located in Mainz, Germany, found in the first phase of the experiment that the antibody level induced by the vaccine "BNT162b2" was only half that of young people. It is certain that the antibody level produced by the elderly after vaccination is higher than that caused by the virus infection of their peers, but this is still not enough to explain whether the antibody induced by "BNT162b2" is enough to protect the elderly from the real virus attack.

Most of the vaccines being developed have elderly subjects, but more than half of the 18 latest candidate vaccines have no elderly subjects in clinical trials, which greatly increases the potential risks of vaccines to the elderly.

Some vaccines are being developed, which may have hidden dangers for the elderly. | Figure worm creativity

Facing the phenomenon of immune aging of the elderly, scientists are also actively looking for strategies.

Mainly includes the following two aspects:

(1) The first is how to enhance the immune response of the elderly induced by vaccines.

According to the experience in the research and development of influenza vaccine, the elderly are usually treated by increasing immune stimulating components (such as adjuvants) or increasing the dose of virus antigen to achieve the expected antibody level.

Other scientists have turned to developing drugs to enhance the immune system function of the elderly, that is, supplementing drugs at the same time of vaccination. This way aims to promote the rejuvenation of the immune system of the elderly, even reverse immune aging, and can also resist the virus more effectively when it is infected.

In the above two schemes, the research on reversing age, especially immune aging, has made some progress. In the past 20 years, scientists have found some key small molecular targets. One kind of anti-aging drugs acts on the protein molecule mTOR in the cell growth regulation pathway. Experiments show that inhibiting the expression of mTOR can prolong the life of Drosophila and even mice.

Joan Mannick, one of the founders of resTORbio, a biotechnology company in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, said that "mTOR participates in many biological regulation mechanisms, especially the process of human aging and organ dysfunction".

During his work at Novartis Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mannick published a study on mTOR protein in 2018, trying to answer the question "Can reducing the content of mTOR protein in the elderly improve the immune system function of the elderly?". 264 participants in the study received low-dose mTOR inhibitor or placebo respectively, and after six weeks, the infection rate of influenza virus and the effect of influenza vaccine were followed up. It was found that the number of people suffering from influenza in the elderly who received mTOR inhibitors decreased significantly, and the immune response caused by influenza vaccine was stronger.

Another study shows that mTOR inhibitor RTB101 can enhance the immune response of the elderly after coronavirus infection, and the elderly who receive mTOR inhibitor have lower coronavirus load and recover faster. At present, resTORbio is testing the preventive or therapeutic effect of RTB101 on Covid-19 infection in 550 elderly people over 65 years old in nursing homes.

In addition, at least four research teams are studying the therapeutic effect of rapamycin, another more mature mTOR inhibitor, on the elderly over 60 years old infected with COVID-19.

In addition, metformin, a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, also inhibits the activity of mTOR protein. Clinical data from China and the United States show that diabetic or obese patients who take metformin have less symptoms of Covid-19 infection and lower mortality.

Carolyn Bramante, a researcher at the University of Minnesota in the United States, pointed out that people with diabetes and obesity show immune deficiency very similar to that of the elderly. At present, Bramante and his colleagues are conducting a study involving 1,500 people to explore whether taking metformin can prevent Covid-19’s infection or alleviate its symptoms. Although the mechanism is not clear, decades of clinical data show that metformin has high safety, can be used in children and even pregnant women, and the cost is very low, which are the advantages of metformin.

(2) The second key is how to avoid causing or how to terminate chronic inflammatory reaction.

Studies have found that losmapimod, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat muscular dystrophy, can inhibit chronic inflammatory response and improve the body’s response when viruses or bacteria invade. A biological company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA recruited 400 volunteers to verify the therapeutic effect of losmapimod on patients with COVID-19. The drug may be able to treat symptoms such as respiratory failure after Covid-19 infection, thus saving patients’ lives.

Many scientists say that it is more important to develop drugs to enhance the immune function of the elderly than to develop COVID-19 vaccine for the elderly, and the latter is more universal, which can improve the protection effect of influenza vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine and even other vaccines in the future. A deep understanding of immune aging and its regulation mechanism and the development of related drugs will also have far-reaching implications for the treatment of other diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

In short, although there are always difficulties in vaccine development, known or unknown, scientists have been working hard and believe that methods will always be found.

(Editor Gao Peiwen)

Original information:

Cassandra Willyard, Nature vol 586, 15.10.2020

Reference information:

1. Anderson E. J.et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 2020

2. Walsh E. E. etal., Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.17.20176651 (2020)

3. Helfand B. K. I. et al., JAMA Intern. Med., 2020

4. Mannick J. B. et al., Sci. Transl. Med., 2020

5. Luo P. et al., Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 2020

6. Bramante, C. et al., Preprint at medRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.19.20135095(2020)

7. Vukmanovic-Stejic M. et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 2018

The article was published by "Ten Points of Science" (ID: Science _ 10) WeChat official account, please indicate the source.

Original title: "Immune aging that cannot be underestimated: old age may lead to ineffective vaccines"

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