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　　　　Lao She is a famous modern novelist and dramatist in the literary world. He graduated from Beijing Normal School in 1918 and once taught in primary and secondary schools in Beijing. In 1924, he went to England and taught at the Oriental College of London University. Returning to China in 1930, he served as a professor in cheeloo university and Shandong University successively; During the Anti-Japanese War, he presided over the All-China Association of Literary and Art Circles against the Enemy; After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he went to the United States to give lectures and write. Laoshe, a native of Beijing, has experienced the ups and downs of Beijing for decades and the changes of the times, and has created a large number of works reflecting Beijing’s social life, such as Camel Xiangzi and Four Generations under One roof. His language is popular, humorous, mellow and powerful, and he is known as the "master of language". His works are well-known, with a strong flavor of life, and are deeply loved by the people. Camel Xiangzi and Teahouse are still playing for a long time on the stage of drama and the screen of film and television.

　　　　When people mention Lao She, they will think of his classic works. Little did they know that Lao She grew from a progressive patriotic writer to a revolutionary people’s artist under the care and influence of Zhou Enlai. The deep friendship between him and Zhou Enlai is widely read in the literary and art circles.

　　　　Go under the anti-Japanese banner

　　　　Zhou Enlai was Lao She’s earliest contact with the Communist Party of China (CPC) leader.

　　　　After the "July 7th Incident", with the Japanese army advancing step by step, Shanghai and Nanjing fell one after another. At that time, 700 or 800 cultural figures retreated to Wuhan from all over the country. At that time, Zhou Enlai was carrying out anti-Japanese national united front work in Wuhan, and implementing the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.

　　　　In order to make the intellectuals gathered in Wuhan unite more closely and resist Japan with greater strength, Zhou Enlai instructed the Communist party member Yang Hansheng and others to prepare and organize an all-China literary and art anti-enemy association. At the end of 1937, Yang Hansheng first organized a "Literary Association" in propose to create in his own name, which immediately received enthusiastic response from all sides. Just at this time, Lao She also came to Wuhan. After Zhou Enlai, Wang Ming and General Feng Yuxiang discussed together, they are going to invite Lao She to preside over the work of "Literary Association". Although Lao She had no connection with the Communist Party of China (CPC) before, he was a famous writer with great sense of justice and patriotism. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he declared: "I am not the Kuomintang, nor communist party. I will go with whoever really fights against Japan, and I am an anti-Japanese faction."

　　　　After more than a month of intense preparations, on March 27, 1938, the All-China Anti-Enemy Association of Literary and Art Circles was formally established. Lao She was elected as the executive director and director of the General Affairs Department of the Literary Association (because the Literary Association does not have a chairman and president, the director of the General Affairs Department actually bears the overall responsibility, representing the Literary Association externally and meeting with the domestic prime minister), and Zhou Enlai was elected as the honorary director of the Literary Association. From then on, for a common goal, Zhou Enlai’s contacts with Lao She gradually increased. They cooperated sincerely and respected each other, and carried out their work in a colorful way.

　　　　Zhou Enlai led many aspects of work in the Kuomintang-ruled areas, shouldering heavy responsibilities and busy work, but he still often took time out to come to the "Literary Association" to meet and talk with everyone, understand the situation, and give concrete guidance and help to the work of the "Literary Association". Every time he comes, he will "make people feel warm and draw strength from it" (Lao She’s language).

　　　　In May, 1938, the "Literary Association" held the second Council, and Zhou Enlai was invited to attend. The meeting was warm and fruitful. In his conference report, Lao She gave a wonderful account of the scene at that time. He wrote: "… it’s Mr. Zhou Enlai’s turn to speak. He is very happy to sit and eat with so many literati, not just for the sake of eating, but for everyone to work together so intimately and with such concerted efforts. He said that we must try to get some money for the Literary Association, so that everyone can write more articles and make the conference more developed. Finally (with tears in his eyes), he said that he would be excused, because the old father will arrive in Hankou at ten o’clock tonight! (Applause) Violent enemy forces us to suffer losses and misfortune. Violent enemy forces my old father to come to the south, and life and death are all due to the aggression of violent enemy, but life and death have strengthened our unity. "

　　　　Zhou Enlai’s sincere emotional contagion impressed everyone present. Lao She further learned that Zhou Enlai is not only an outstanding, patriotic and charismatic leader of the Communist Party of China, but also a passionate man with flesh and blood, full of emotion and great appeal.

　　　　Lao She’s wife Hu? Qing later recalled: "During this period, although Lao She was still wandering in the fog, he was deeply proud of knowing such an outstanding proletarian revolutionary with a patriotic and sincere heart."

　　　　Through many cordial contacts with Zhou Enlai, Lao She gradually deepened her understanding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and finally "became a loyal and reliable friend of communist party" without hesitation and conviction. He once said with emotion, "This is communist party, nothing else. Is selfless, for the country and for the people! Enthusiastic attention to everyone, eyes everywhere! "

　　　　Under the influence of Zhou Enlai, Lao She made the work of "Literary Association" fruitful. Later, the "Literary Association" was further developed, with branches all over the country and many activities, which lasted until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and became the predecessor of the National Literary Federation and the National Writers Association. It made two historical contributions to the victory of the China Revolution: First, it united a large number of patriotic cultural figures. The Anti-Japanese War was one of the best periods for China literati to unite in history. The second is to make literature popular and popular. When the "Literary Association" held its inaugural meeting, the slogan hanging on the streets of Wuhan was "Articles Join the Army, Articles Go to the Countryside". It should be said that these two slogans have greatly influenced the trend of China literature since then. There is nothing but the painstaking efforts of Zhou Enlai and Lao She.

　　　　Recall for the motherland

　　　　After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Lao She and Cao Yu accepted the official invitation of the United States to give lectures in the United States, engaged in cultural exchanges between the two countries, and kept on writing. After the expiration of one year, the civil war broke out in China, and Lao She stayed in the United States. During this period, Zhou Enlai has been trying his best to achieve domestic peace, and then he planned and dispatched troops to defeat the Kuomintang reactionaries.

　　　　In spite of this, Zhou Enlai has never forgotten Lao She, a literary giant who made great efforts for the Anti-Japanese War. In 1949, when Beiping was peacefully liberated and the national literary and artistic workers were reunited, Zhou Enlai first thought of Lao She, who lived abroad. He knows Lao She’s yearning and yearning for the new China, and his pain and depression in a foreign country.

　　　　On July 6, 1949, the National Congress of Literary and Art Workers was held in Beijing. At the meeting, Zhou Enlai said with deep emotion to the gathered writers: "Now Mr. Lao She is the only one, so please ask him to return to China anyway."

　　　　After a lapse of three months, Lao She, who was in new york, received a personal letter from Zhou Enlai inviting him to return home, which made Lao She overjoyed. Regardless of his weakness after the operation, he quietly prepared to return to China. On December 12, 1949, Lao She overcame many difficulties and finally returned to his long-lost motherland, missing day and night, and began a new page in his life.

　　　　The day after his arrival in Beijing, Lao She went to visit Zhou Enlai, accompanied by Yang Hansheng, regardless of the fatigue of the journey. I haven’t seen you for years. The two reunited old friends shook hands as soon as they met and refused to let go for a long time.

　　　　After returning to Beijing, facing a brand-new world, Lao She was filled with joy and passion. He obeyed Zhou Enlai’s orders, except to visit his old friends, and he was immersed in reading and writing. After reading Mao Zedong’s Speech at Yan ‘an Forum on Literature and Art, he realized that to be an artist, he must serve the workers, peasants and soldiers and the people. Zhou Enlai also mentioned this on the day he talked with himself. As a writer of the old times, if he wants to write about the new era and new life, and he doesn’t have enough ideological reform and experience of the new social life, if he writes rashly, he will make mistakes. Later, when talking about the feelings of this period, Lao She said: "In the past, I could rely on’ inspiration’, with a wave of my pen, and I only wanted to be happy for a while, but I was irresponsible to readers. Now, I am responsible for political thoughts and readers. Being eager for success will make me give up from disappointment. "

　　　　New works are multiplied in concern.

　　　　Zhou Enlai loves literature and art and has a high literary and artistic accomplishment. Zhou Enlai has seen almost all the plays written by Lao She, not only watching them, but also helping to give advice and help to modify them, and some even directly participated in the creation from beginning to end. Lao She admired Zhou Enlai’s noble character, noble sentiment, outstanding talent and extraordinary ability, and he drew infinite strength from this mentor.

　　　　In May 1950, Zhou Enlai attended the inaugural meeting of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Artistic Workers. At the meeting, Lao She was elected as the chairman of Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Lao She is very familiar with all aspects of Beijing society. He knows everything that his eyes can see, his ears can hear and his nose can smell, especially the dark side of old Beijing.

　　　　At noon on July 24th, Zhou Enlai hosted a banquet for Lao She, encouraging him to create more works for the people, and to write more about his familiar Beijing and its changes. Zhou Enlai is very concerned about Lao She’s creative plan. Lao She told Zhou Enlai that he was going to write a drama about the changes of Longxugou, praising Chairman Mao, communist party and the new government by comparing the old and new society. Zhou Enlai was very happy to hear that. When Lao She said that he had made an appointment to go to Longxugou for a field interview the next day, Zhou Enlai repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, I must go and wait to see your new play."

　　　　Laoshe’s drama Longxugou reflects the change of a slum in the southern suburbs of Beijing, which is an indictment of the old society and a praise of the new society. After the script of "Longxugou" was written, when it was about to be staged, some people had concerns. First, it was fashionable to play foreign dramas at that time, and it was afraid that playing "Longxugou" would not suit people’s interests; Second, at the time of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, the performance of Longxugou was afraid of being divorced from reality. Zhou Enlai did not agree with this view. He thought Longxugou was of great practical significance and was of great benefit to establishing the prestige of the new regime. Not surprisingly, Zhou Enlai expected that "Longxugou" was very popular with the audience after it was staged, and it was popular all over the country for a time. Lao She also won the honorary title of "People’s Artist". Zhou Enlai not only enjoyed the play Longxugou himself, but also recommended this excellent work to Mao Zedong. One night in the spring of 1951, Mao Zedong and other party leaders watched the performance of Longxugou in Huairentang, Zhongnanhai.

　　　　In the fresh and warm atmosphere of new China, Lao She was inspired by many works, and his artistic talent was fully exerted. In the process of his creation, Zhou Enlai has always given him enthusiastic attention. He encouraged Lao She to write more familiar things, and gave specific guidance from the creation plan to the creation content. Whenever a new play by Lao She is staged, Zhou Enlai always takes time out of his busy schedule to watch it, and puts forward many pertinent opinions from the script to the performance.

　　　　Lao She was constantly guided by Zhou Enlai, especially when he created political works that he was not familiar with. When Lao She wrote the script Chun Hua Qiu Shi, he felt that it was very difficult to write because he was unfamiliar with the social class described, and he could not grasp it easily. To this end, Zhou Enlai helped him to analyze and find out the problems one by one, and they often discussed them until late at night.

　　　　Chun Hua Qiu Shi reflects the duality of China’s national bourgeoisie under socialist conditions. Zhou Enlai explained the Party’s policy towards the national bourgeoisie to Lao She in detail, and pointed out that we should not ignore the capitalist’s willingness to accept transformation after struggle under the socialist system because we emphasized the struggle and restriction on capitalists. He also reminded Lao She that the play must not be turned into political propaganda. He hoped that Lao She would write according to his own style and use humorous language tricks that he was good at. He said that what the masses need is a play of flesh and blood, a real work of art.

　　　　Zhou Enlai also often reminds and encourages Lao She to make new writing plans. It is often heard that Lao She said to the comrades in the theater, "The Prime Minister has given me a new topic again." Often this will lead to a new drama. It can be said that the birth of each of Lao She’s works is permeated with Zhou Enlai’s painstaking efforts.

　　　　Among Lao She’s later plays, Zhou Enlai admired Teahouse the most. He especially appreciated the first act, thinking that the plot was moving, the performance was wonderful and the artistic appeal was strong. He said that the younger generation should be shown Teahouse to let them know the darkness of the world in old China. He believes that young people should have an image of the old society, and it is not enough to rely on reason. A few years later, Zhou Enlai watched Teahouse again. After the break, he invited Lao She and the actors together to bring up the issue of educating young people. He said that the play should give young people an inspiration: ask them to think about what is the driving force of history and who is the hero of history. Although the script was later revised to add scenes of student movements, Zhou Enlai felt that it was not ideal. He said that it is still worth studying what events to choose as a typical stage in modern history, and he especially hopes that Lao She will carefully consider it. Unfortunately, neither of them cared about it later.

　　　　Zhou Enlai not only knows Lao She’s inner world very well, but also his personality characteristics are very clear.

　　　　On one occasion, Zhou Enlai held a symposium on cultural work in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai. At the meeting, Lao She talked about his desire to live in Shihezi Junken Farm in Xinjiang for a few days and experience life. Out of concern for his health, Zhou Enlai immediately chimed in and said, "You are old, your legs and feet are inconvenient, and the conditions in the border areas are more difficult, so you are afraid that you will not adapt. You don’t have to run so far to experience life. You can choose a place closer, or you can’t kneel down. It is also a way to take a quick look. " When the words were spoken, Zhou Enlai immediately felt that he had interrupted Lao She’s words and immediately apologized: "Oh, I interrupted your speech. I’m sorry, please go on." Lao She glanced at Zhou Enlai, raised his voice and said with a smile, "I’ve finished talking to you, what else can I say!" In a word, everyone laughed.

　　　　Zhou Enlai and Lao She are always honest with each other. When he hosted a banquet for a Korean friend, Lao She was so drunk that he was unconscious. When Zhou Enlai found out, he criticized him rudely. As soon as Lao She got home, he said to his wife, "I got a good criticism today." Since then, Lao She has never been drunk. Of course, there are also times when Lao She "will" Zhou Enlai. At a meeting of the National People’s Congress, Lao She took the stage and spoke bluntly, saying that too many meetings were a disaster, which squeezed the writing time and asked him to be relieved of his social part-time job, so that he could calm down and write more scripts. Zhou Enlai later said at a meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference: "Comrade Lao She once gave me an army at the National People’s Congress and asked him to arrange some time for business. We should take care of these comrades and don’t be too nervous. "

　　　　Zhou Enlai’s association with Lao She is also reflected in his meticulous care in life. Zhou Enlai frequented Lao She’s residence "Dan Persimmon Yard" to talk about creation and life with him. One afternoon in 1959, Zhou Enlai just arrived at Lao She’s yard and asked Lao She’s wife Hu? Qing: "How is Mr. Lao She recently?" Danghu? When Qing told Zhou Enlai that she had suffered from a severe bronchitis the other day, Zhou Enlai immediately asked her to talk about the situation in detail and asked, "Has Lao She been in the hospital? Are you cured now? ….. "After hearing hu? After Qing’s answer, Zhou Enlai said, "I’m going to criticize you now. Why didn’t you report this to me?" Hu? Qing embarrassedly admitted that she didn’t think of it. Zhou Enlai then said very seriously: "In the future, no matter what illness the old man is willing to give up, you should report to me immediately." Then, Zhou Enlai walked into the room and talked with Lao She. Both of them are talkative people, and Lao She is full of anecdotes, which is playful and funny. On that day, they seemed to have endless words, and they were still in the mood at dinner.

　　　　After a while, Zhou Enlai shouted Hu? Green’s name, crying hungry, went down to the kitchen to find food in person. Lao She and his wife had long wanted to invite Zhou Enlai to dinner, but they were unprepared at the moment and couldn’t come up with anything to entertain them. Now they are embarrassed to see Zhou Enlai looking for food. When Zhou Enlai saw this situation, he quickly said, "You don’t have to prepare specially. I will eat whatever you eat." Say that finish, he continued to talk with Lao She. Not long after, Hu? Qing hurriedly served a plate of scrambled eggs and a plate of dried fish. Zhou Enlai was happy at first sight and smiled at Hu? Qing said, "Like Xiao Chao, you are an intellectual and you are not good at cooking."

　　　　Zhou Enlai’s meticulous care and help made Lao She deeply moved and turned it into a driving force for progress. From the founding of New China to the outbreak of the "Cultural Revolution", Lao She achieved fruitful results in his creation and made gratifying achievements in publishing 21 plays. Among them, Camel Xiangzi, Teahouse and Longxugou are famous in China’s modern literary world for their unique features and high artistic value.

　　　　Sad memory, friendship lasts forever

　　　　As Lao She eulogized the Communist Party of China (CPC) heartily, eulogized the people’s new life and prepared to contribute more spiritual food to the people, a sudden storm swept through and threw him into the abyss.

　　　　In the first few months of the "Cultural Revolution", Lao She was dragged by the Red Guards to attend one criticism meeting after another. He was charged with "reaction" and advocated the restoration of capitalism …

　　　　About August 24, 1966, Lao She couldn’t bear the inhuman insult and torture, so he threw himself into the lake in anger and fought to death. When Lao She was insulted by her personality and was extremely indignant, Zhou Enlai was the first thing that came to mind. The only sentence he left was "The Prime Minister knows me best, and the Prime Minister knows me best …"

　　　　Unfortunately, at this time, Zhou Enlai was busy coping with and dealing with all kinds of thorny problems brought about by this "storm" that even he didn’t expect, and he was unable to stop the tragedy.

　　　　When Zhou Enlai learned the news of Lao She’s disappearance, he was worried and sent someone to look around. Zhou Enlai was shocked and indignant when he learned the bad news of Lao She’s death. He once stamped his feet in front of the staff around him and said, "How can I explain to the society after getting Mr. Lao She to this place?" He immediately instructed the relevant departments to investigate. However, what Zhou Enlai has done is too late after all. Lao She has thrown himself into Taiping Lake in the northern suburbs with full of doubts and anger. Zhou Enlai cone heart to cry, shock, guilt, regret, indignation … all coming to him, he can’t help but ponder: Why? Why?

　　　　After Lao She’s accident, Zhou Enlai immediately worried about Lao She’s wife Hu? Green’s mood and safety. He asked Wang Kunlun, vice mayor of Beijing, to visit Hu on his behalf. Green, and ask Wang Kunlun to learn more about Hu? Green’s situation.

　　　　In the days to come, every once in a while, Hu? The imprisonment around Qing was removed. The first thing to unfreeze is Lao She’s contribution deposit. The bank was ordered to inform Hu? Qing said that the money can be freely controlled by her and her children. Hu? Green know, it is Zhou Enlai that giant hand in quietly moving all this, do both clever and expressionless. She was moved to tears.

　　　　In the next few years, the situation became even more difficult to control. Zhou Enlai was always in trouble, and it was too late to rehabilitate Lao She. However, he tried his best to break through all kinds of obstacles and protect a large number of outstanding talents on the literary and art front.

　　　　In the late period of the "Cultural Revolution", when Zhou Enlai was seriously ill and admitted to the hospital for treatment, he never forgot his old friend. He chose the anniversary of Lao She’s death, that is, August 24th, and came to Beihai Lake with a heavy heart to solemnly mourn the soul of Lao She.

　　　　Zhou Enlai looked at the clear water in front of him with a dignified look, lost in thought, and bowed his head for a long time. Suddenly, he asked the medical staff accompanying him for a walk by the lake, "Do you know what day it is today?" The medical staff replied that they didn’t know.

　　　　Zhou Enlai looked serious and lamented in a low voice for a long time: "Today is the memorial day of Mr. Lao She!" After a little hesitation, Zhou Enlai asked again, "Do you know how he died?" The medical staff replied: "I have heard about it, but I don’t know …"

　　　　"I know!" Zhou Enlai said firmly, "I’ll tell you in detail." ……

　　　　During the long silence, Zhou Enlai lamented the loss of an excellent people’s artist in New China, or was he deeply saddened by his failure to fulfill his responsibility of protection? These ingredients seem to be there, but, "one thing seems to be certain, his thoughts have flown back to his old friend Laoshe (in Shu Yi, the son of Lao She)."

　　　　On June 3rd, 1978, two and a half years after Zhou Enlai’s death, friends from the literary and art circles in Beijing and the whole country held a grand symbolic ceremony for Lao She to lay her ashes. Mao Dun, chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, said in his eulogy: "Mr. Lao She is a famous patriotic writer … His works have been warmly welcomed and loved by the people and enjoyed a high reputation at home and abroad." Ba Jin, a famous novelist, published an article in the newspaper, praising Lao She as a model of China intellectuals. Ba Jin said: "I am really ashamed of not being able to save him, and I am ashamed of my generation."

　　　　That day, Deng Yingchao came very early. She held Hu? Green’s hand, the first sentence is: "If En Lai is still alive, he will come first today!" " Deng Yingchao also said: "The Prime Minister often mentioned Lao She’s name before his death, and he missed Lao She very much. ….. I also came here in advance on purpose today, in order to attend Lao She’s memorial service on behalf of En, and to salute him. " (An Yuying Meng Hong)

Editor: Fan Jing

　　On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the "Belt and Road Initiative", China-Europe trains are moving towards a mature channel, but they are also facing new challenges.

　　In the past ten years, China-Europe trains have operated a total of 77,000 trains, transported 7.31 million TEUs, and the value of goods exceeded 340 billion US dollars, reaching 217 cities in 25 European countries, becoming an important bridge for international economic and trade cooperation.

　　Recently, the China-Europe International Cooperation Forum (hereinafter referred to as the "Forum") was held in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province. Cong Liang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, delivered a speech at the forum and gave the above data.

　　However, at the same time of rapid growth, changes in foreign trade structure and the impact of falling shipping prices have brought new challenges to China-Europe trains, and topics such as local subsidies have once again attracted attention.

　　The bank has a large scale and a wide range.

　　Wang Guowen, director of the Institute of Logistics and Supply Chain Management of China (Shenzhen) Research Institute for Comprehensive Development, told CBN that the above data showed that the China-Europe train operation was large in scale and wide in scope, which played an important role in maintaining the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain and communicating the trade between Europe and Asia, especially during the epidemic.

　　According to the data of the China-Europe train portal launched on the opening day of the forum, since 2023, there have been 3,327 freight trains in Alashankou, 2,317 in Horgos, 3,276 in Manzhouli, 2,152 in Erlian, 562 in Suifenhe and 4 in Jiangbei, and the overall number is on the rise.

　　Not only that, but the role of several major assembly centers in China-Europe trains has also become increasingly apparent. From January to June this year, China-Europe trains (Chengdu-Chongqing) started 2732 trains, up 29.6% year-on-year; Goods transported exceeded 220,000 TEUs, up 24% year-on-year, ranking first in China. In the first half of the year, China-Europe Chang ‘an operated 2619 trains, an increase of 46.2% over the same period of last year. The total cargo transported was 2.493 million tons, an increase of 64.1% over the same period of last year.

　　Moreover, the operating efficiency of the train is gradually improving. As of September 15th, the China-Europe train has opened five routes, with a total of 80 trains, including Xi ‘an to Duisburg every Wednesday and Saturday, Chengdu to Lodz every Saturday, Duisburg to Xi ‘an every Tuesday and Lodz to Chengdu every Thursday.

　　Compared with ordinary trains, the running time of European trains in the whole timetable is reduced by more than 30% on average, which provides more stable and high-quality train products, which injects new kinetic energy into ensuring the safety of international supply chain, smoothing the domestic and international double circulation and promoting the trade between Asia and Europe, and also marks that the high-quality development of Chinese-European trains has entered a new stage.

　　This forum has gone further on the basis of 10 years. According to Xinhua News Agency, the forum has achieved 48 cooperation achievements, including launching the China-Europe train portal, publishing the whole schedule of China-Europe trains, implementing the electronic bill of lading for China-Europe train multimodal transport, implementing the capacity expansion and reconstruction project of key railway ports and rear passages of China-Europe trains, and increasing the traction capacity of China-Europe trains.

　　Not only that, Wang Guowen said that the traffic volume of the southern line is increasing significantly on the main channel of China-Europe trains. If the China-Kyrgyzstan-Urumqi Railway is completed and opened to traffic, the pattern of the "Belt and Road" and China-Europe trains will also change. We have countermeasures on the North-Central-South Line to form a more balanced channel development.

　　Facing new challenges

　　While the trains in Central Europe are still growing rapidly, their structure is also changing, and the trains going to Russia are growing rapidly.

　　Tang Tingting, assistant general manager of Sichuan New Silk Road Multimodal Transport Co., Ltd., told CBN that in the past, the business of the company’s European and Russian lines was about 80:20, but now it is 30:70, and the Russian line business is the main one. As a whole, China-Europe trains are mainly large-scale direct passengers and customized trains on some train platforms.

　　Wang Guowen said that the structural changes that China-Europe trains are facing are on the one hand due to the decline in global trade, which is mainly due to the decline in consumer demand in Europe and the United States, but the impact on China-Europe trains is not as obvious as that on shipping, because the proportion of China-Europe trains in global trade is not high, and it is not affected by the shrinking global trade demand, and it has little impact on the middle and high-end value goods transported by China-Europe trains.

　　He said that the structural changes in China-Europe trains are mainly due to the changes in the Sino-Russian trade structure after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Originally, oil and gas and other commodities were mainly transported through pipelines, but now grain, fertilizers and various commodities are growing rapidly, which are suitable for railway transportation.

　　According to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of China on September 7th, the trade volume between China and Russia increased by 32% from January to August 2023, reaching US$ 155.101 billion. It is estimated that the trade volume between the two countries is expected to reach 200 billion US dollars in 2023, which is one year ahead of the target set by China and Russia to reach 200 billion US dollars in 2024.

　　However, Wang Guowen believes that from the growth of the southern line, there is still a high demand for trains in Europe, and the future pattern depends on the construction progress of the southern line.

　　Not only that, after experiencing high growth under the epidemic, China-Europe trains are also facing new challenges.

　　Tang Tingting said that now all platform companies are lowering the booking price, and the profits of freight forwarding companies have returned to the pre-epidemic level, or even increased. Generally speaking, the general feeling in the industry at present is that the enterprises engaged in China-Europe train transportation have felt greater pressure.

　　In addition to the uncertainty brought by regional conflicts to the smooth operation of the trains, Tang Tingting said that the phenomenon of consumption degradation in Europe and the United States is obvious, and the pressure on foreign trade exports at the front end has increased, which in turn has increased their pressure. The structure of railway transport goods has changed, the shipments of traditional manufacturing industries have decreased, and the shipments of automobiles and parts have increased. But for small and medium-sized logistics and freight forwarding companies, it is more difficult to get orders.

　　At the same time, the impact of shipping prices on China-Europe trains is becoming more and more obvious. Tang Tingting said that the price of shipping has dropped again and again, and many small and medium-sized shipping companies have opened direct ships to Russia, and the price is also very advantageous. For example, the direct shipping to St. Petersburg is below $4,000, which has a great impact on railway transportation.

　　In this situation, the problem of local government subsidies has surfaced again. In the early stage of channel development, local governments provide certain financial subsidies, which plays a positive role in cultivating the market. Since then, the Ministry of Finance has asked local subsidies to gradually decline. However, now that the shipping price has dropped and the price gap has appeared again, local subsidies have once again attracted attention when competing for goods.

　　In April last year, the Chongqing Municipal Finance Bureau said in response to the NPC deputies’ suggestions that at present, Shapingba District’s subsidy funds for China-Europe trains (Chongqing New Europe) are about 800 million yuan per year, mainly from the municipal cash logistics park’s tax and land leasing subsidies. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, the city’s subsidy funds for logistics parks are about 5 billion yuan, which can fully cover the district-level demand for subsidies for China-Europe trains. At the same time, Chongqing’s subsidy to Central European trains (Chongqing New Europe) is calculated according to the cost and freight rate of train operation. With the deepening of market-oriented operation, the freight rate will increase accordingly, and the total subsidy expenditure will gradually decrease, and the share undertaken by Shapingba District will also decrease accordingly. It is estimated that the share undertaken by the district level will drop to about 500 million yuan in 2021, and it will also show a downward trend in the following years.

　　In May this year, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Finance responded to the proposal of the CPPCC, showing that according to the financial subsidy standard of the Ministry of Finance, it should be controlled reasonably, and the financial subsidy intensity of each line should decline year by year. In combination with the fact that the number of China-Europe trains in our province has increased rapidly every year, the provincial finance has arranged for the subsidy fund of China-Europe trains to remain unchanged at 160 million yuan every year in the past three years, helping the provincial trains to cultivate large-scale international freight trains with strong competitiveness.

　　Wang Guowen said that when the channel is mature, especially when it is in balance, it should return to marketization as soon as possible.

　　Tang Tingting said that in the fierce competition, some employees will be eliminated, and the remaining enterprises may go through a period of merger and reorganization, and they will join hands with each other to provide more stable services and develop better programs and routes, which should be beneficial to the long-term development of China-Europe trains.

　　Recently, the procuratorate of Fuzhou City prosecuted Gao Lianzhu for the crime of accepting bribes and transferring loans at high interest. In November last year, 53-year-old Gao Lianzhu took the initiative to surrender himself as the party secretary of Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics, and his alleged "high-interest loan transfer crime" attracted much attention.

　　The crime of lending at a high interest rate refers to the act of taking credit funds from financial institutions and lending them to others at a high interest rate, with a large amount of illegal income. In recent years, this crime has frequently appeared in the notification of the investigated public officials. In this way, they can easily "borrow money to make money".

　　Jia Fenqiang, former deputy director of the Public Security Department of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, borrowed 3 million yuan, and after lending it to others at a high interest rate of 5 times, he easily made a profit of more than 1.05 million yuan; Qin Guoyou, the former deputy researcher of Luzhai County Committee of Guangxi, borrowed 3.05 million yuan, and made a profit of more than 1.19 million yuan after high-interest lending; Luo Fuyang, former deputy mayor of Fuzhou City and former director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, raised funds through bank loans, and then lent money to Chen Moumou and others at high interest rates, earning more than 6.5 million yuan.

　　According to relevant reports, China News Weekly covers a wide range of public officials involved in such issues, including party committees and government officials, as well as senior bank officials and state-owned enterprise executives. There are both deputy directors of the provincial public security department and grassroots cadres. Not only did they lose their public office, but they were also jailed.

　　Mao Jiangping, a member of the Supervision Committee of Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province, said in an interview with the media that the advantage of public officials in obtaining credit funds has made a small number of people use their brains and even take risks and try their best.

　　Mao Zhaohui, executive director of the China Supervisory Society and director of the Anti-corruption and Clean Government Policy Research Center of Renmin University of China, told China Newsweek that the high-interest lending behavior of public officials often involves the influence of personal power, which is more harmful and more concealed. After they use the influence of personal power to borrow money, they raise interest rates to lend money, disrupting the financial market order and increasing financial risks.

　　The shadow of power behind arbitrage

　　According to the law, when a loan applicant borrows from a financial institution, it is necessary to state the legal purpose of the loan and the term of the loan. Because public officials can’t run enterprises through business, many cases show that they usually take out loans on the pretext of housing renovation, and then transfer them to loans at high interest rates.

　　Jia Fenqiang, former deputy director of the Public Security Department of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is a typical case. In September 2016, Jia Fenqiang was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and fined 2.1 million yuan by the zhongwei Intermediate People’s Court.

　　Zhongwei Intermediate People’s Court found that Jia Fenqiang obtained a loan of 3 million yuan from the bank through his friend by signing a fake house renovation contract, with a monthly interest of 5% and a loan term of one year. After the loan was issued, Jia Fenqiang immediately lent all the loans to a microfinance company at a monthly interest of 2.5%. After several loan renewals, he made a profit of more than 1.05 million yuan.

　　An insider familiar with the local political and legal system in zhongwei told China Newsweek that the loan took place in October 2012, when Jia was a member of the Standing Committee of Yinchuan Municipal Committee, secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, and director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the bank involved was Shizuishan Bank. "At that time, other bank leaders offered to provide loans for Jia in order to close the relationship with Jia Fenqiang, but in the end he chose Shizuishan Bank."

　　Public officials who take loans on the grounds of housing renovation are not cases. The website of the State Supervision Commission of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection once published a document about the case of Wang Pengxiang, former vice president of the Jiaojiang District People’s Court in Taizhou, Zhejiang.

　　In January 2014, Wang Pengxiang took a property under the name of his wife Ye Moumou as collateral, forged renovation contract, and applied to a banking institution for a decoration consumer loan of 2 million yuan. In November 2014, the loan reached the account of the fake decoration contractor designated by Wang Pengxiang, and then the money was transferred to Wang Pengxiang’s mother-in-law account through her company employee Xu Moumou. On the day of lending, Wang Pengxiang immediately lent the money in his account to three stakeholders to earn the interest difference. According to the investigation, the interest income collected from Wang Pengxiang’s reloaning was as high as 1,504,800 yuan, and the interest on bank loans was 320,200 yuan, resulting in illegal profits of nearly 1.2 million yuan.

　　There are also cases that show that some public officials consciously have no hope of promotion, and they want to make a fortune by lending at high interest. At the beginning of 2009, Wang Moumou, a friend of Qin Guoyou, a deputy researcher of Luzhai County Committee in Liuzhou City, Guangxi Province, who was engaged in real estate business, learned that there were many sets of idle properties for rent when he was short of funds and difficult to borrow, and told Qin that it was a waste of resources to use the property only for rent. Wang Moumou advised Qin Guoyou to mortgage the property to the bank to get a loan from it, and then lent the loan to him, promising to give Qin Guoyou 50% interest every year.

　　At that time, Qin Guoyou had worked as a deputy researcher of the county party committee for six years, and he thought, "Since ‘ Guanlu ’ Poor, turn away ‘ Trade routes ’ " That’s fine. From 2009 to 2013, in the name of herself and her daughter, Qin borrowed from Guangxi Luzhai Rural Cooperative Bank for four times (totaling 3.05 million yuan) on the grounds of purchasing excavators, and then lent the loans to Wang Moumou and Zhang Moumou, and charged interest. After investigation, Qin Guoyou made a total profit of 1.19 million yuan through high-interest lending.

　　In 2015, the Liuzhou Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection interviewed him. When interviewed, he took the initiative to explain the fact that high-interest loans were transferred, but he believed that "this kind of behavior is only engaged in profit-making activities in violation of regulations, and it is enough to carry a punishment, and there is no need to return the illegal income." When the organization department asked him to hand over the illegal income, he refused to hand it over on the grounds that he had no money.

　　On February 14th, 2019, Qin Guoyou was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the People’s Court of Chengzhong District, Liuzhou City, for committing the crime of loaning at a high interest rate, recovering illegal income of 1.19 million yuan and fined 1.5 million yuan.

　　According to an interview with China Newsweek, many officials at the departmental level are also involved in the problem of high-interest loans. For example, Luo Fuyang, former deputy mayor of Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province and former director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, made a profit of more than 6.5 million yuan through illegal lending at high interest rates. Ye Shengkun, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of Meizhou Municipal People’s Congress in Guangdong Province, and Laynamor’s F, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of Yingkou Municipal People’s Congress in Liaoning Province, and other officials who fell off the horse, also mentioned the suspected crime of lending at high interest rates.

　　Many cases show that there is a complete interest chain in the case of public officials transferring loans at high interest rates. This chain is centered on public officials, down to the enterprises or individuals who actually use this loan, up to the relevant person in charge of the lending financial institution, and there are agents in the middle.

　　Baoping Li, a researcher at the Institute of Sociology and Law of Ningxia Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with the media that the business owners borrowed usury from leading cadres, in addition to the need for capital turnover, and more importantly, in order to maintain the relationship, which can be said to be a disguised form of interest transfer.

　　The "financial ghost" in the secret chain

　　"Half-monthly Talk" once commented that in some high-interest lending cases, some leading cadres repeatedly borrowed a large amount of money from banks on the grounds that their houses needed renovation, and the "renovation loans" of millions of dollars obviously exceeded the normal renovation demand. These obvious irrationalities reflected that financial institutions had management loopholes in the use of funds for loans involving public officials.

　　Why are financial institutions willing to lend to public officials at low interest rates? According to an interview with China News Weekly, because public officials have stable jobs and salaries, they are relatively high-quality customers for financial institutions, so they will formulate corresponding preferential policies for specific groups such as public officials.

　　An interviewed public official of the political and legal system told China Newsweek that many bank staff even took the initiative to go to his unit to promote credit business. "They took photos of our work documents and asked us to fill out a form, so they could get a loan of 300,000 yuan, or even more, and the loan interest rate would be obviously favorable. Although the salesperson said that the funds could not be used for high-interest loans and other purposes, there was no follow-up management. "

　　Mao Lixin, executive director of the Criminal Defense Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law and director of Beijing Shangquan Law Firm, told China Newsweek that the frequent occurrence of such cases revealed that financial institutions had certain problems in pre-loan review, loan management and post-loan tracking. In the pre-loan review stage, financial institutions neglected to review their loan contracts because they regarded public officials as "quality customers", and even turned a blind eye; In the process of issuing loans, the direction and practical use of this money were not carefully checked; After lending, it is rarely monitored whether the funds are used according to the agreed purpose.

　　He said that in such cases, if the financial institution finds that the purpose written in the loan contract is false and continues to lend, the amount is more than 2 million yuan or the direct economic loss is more than 500,000 yuan, the relevant staff of the financial institution is suspected of committing the crime of illegally issuing loans.

　　Even so, there are still people in charge of financial institutions who play the role of an "inside ghost" for reasons such as the exchange of interests with public officials, and illegally lend money to help public officials make profits through high-interest loans.

　　In May 2018, the Supervision Committee of Zhengzhou City Commission for Discipline Inspection received a clue from the Supervision Committee of Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection about Yang Hongwei, deputy mayor of gongyi city, who was suspected of violating the law. Among them, some people reported that Yang Hongwei used his power to obtain large amounts of funds from banks for lending, so as to obtain high interest.

　　According to the circular, in 2013, Wang Moufan, then director of Beishankou Rural Credit Cooperatives in Gongyi, thanked Yang Hongwei for his help in completing the storage task of the rural credit cooperatives, and agreed with Yang Hongwei to borrow 2 million yuan from Beishankou Rural Credit Cooperatives in the name of his brother Yang Moujun by signing a false contract, and Wang Moufan lent it to a real estate company, and the high interest of 1.02 million yuan obtained was dominated by Yang Hongwei.

　　According to the circular, Yang Hongwei’s modus operandi is hidden, and whether he borrows money from rural credit cooperatives or enterprises, he does it through "agent" Yang Moujun, while Yang Hongwei gains benefits from stealth.

　　There are also some principal responsible persons of financial institutions who even steal from themselves and start the business of lending at high interest. Kong Caimei, a former vice president of Yunnan Fudian Bank, was told that although she was paid millions of dollars a year, she was not satisfied, and she was thinking about how to make Qian Shengqian and interest. In the process of approving the loan, she learned that many private entrepreneurs were short of funds, which gave birth to the idea of usury. Kong Caimei borrowed the money she raised at high interest rate, "being a bank president during the day and a banker at night". After investigation, Kong Caimei was suspected of many illegal and criminal acts such as corruption, bribery, and high-interest lending, and the total illegal income was more than 31.8 million yuan.

　　Peng Xie, the former president of Dianchi Sub-branch of Kunming Branch of China CITIC Bank, first got to know all kinds of people with resources and capital needs as the president of the bank, and cast a net for high-interest lending. Then he negotiated with others to apply for a loan at his own branch and lent it at an annualized income of 15%. Since then, he took advantage of his position to promote the "green light all the way" of the bank loan approval process, turned a blind eye to the forged loan materials, and successfully lent the obtained loans to obtain high profits. After investigation, it used its authority to transfer loans at a high interest rate and made a profit of 710,000 yuan.

　　Gu Chao, a graduate tutor at Yangzhou University Law School, told China Newsweek that in the case of "inside job stealing" by the principal person in charge of such financial institutions, whether there is greater social harm due to their status will be considered, and comprehensive consideration will be given when sentencing. At the same time, the identity of this group also determines that they may be accused of lending at high interest and illegally issuing loans.

　　Why are not many people investigated for criminal responsibility?

　　The crime of loaning at high interest is a new crime in the criminal law in 1997. According to the amount of illegal income from loaning at high interest, the perpetrator will be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years, and fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal income.

　　Wang Xin, a professor at Peking University Law School and vice president of the Financial Legal Behavior Research Association of China Behavioral Law Society, told China Newsweek that the background of this crime was very special. In 1997, there was no crime of loaning at high interest in the draft revised criminal law submitted to the National People’s Congress for deliberation. However, during the discussion of the two sessions, some NPC deputies from the banking sector advocated adding this crime. Their reason is that after the loan was issued, many borrowers did not use it for the purpose they claimed when applying, but lent it to others at high interest rates and ate the interest difference.

　　"These representatives believe that this part of the loan was originally used in projects related to the national economy and people’s livelihood, but it was used in other projects, and it is easy to cause loan risks after lending. In the end, the legislature adopted this proposal and added this crime in the adopted draft. " Wang Xin said.

　　Gu Chao said that when the crime of high-interest lending was added to the criminal law, all banks in China were owned by the whole people. At that time, the establishment of this crime was also considered from the perspective of the security of state-owned assets and the security of credit funds of financial institutions.

　　He told China Newsweek that in judicial practice, the crime of loaning at high interest may be mixed with some crimes in the downstream (if some of them are included in the crime of money laundering), and some cases may not be reflected as a separate crime. In addition, some cases are classified and not open to the public, so it is difficult to make statistics on the number of cases involving this crime over the years since its establishment. However, from the public notice, cases involving such crimes are still common in recent years.

　　Tong Xiaohui, the first-class police chief and public lawyer of Gongshu Branch of Hangzhou Public Security Bureau, said in an interview with China News Weekly that in cases involving high-interest lending, if the high-interest lender pays off the loan within the agreed time and does not cause losses to the bank, it is rarely exposed. Moreover, when such personnel transfer loans at high interest rates, they may not necessarily explain the source of funds to the lending target. "For the economic investigation department of the public security organ, compared with fund-raising fraud and contract fraud, high-interest lending will be more concealed."

　　Tong Xiaohui said that there are two main types of clues for public security organs to receive high-interest loans: the high-interest lenders did not pay off the bank loans, and the banks took the initiative to report the case after discovering the clues; The Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision found clues that public officials involved in high-interest loans and transferred them to public security organs.

　　A cadre of discipline inspection and supervision in Zhejiang Province told China Newsweek that it is not uncommon for enterprises and public officials to lend at high interest in practice, but not many people are investigated for criminal responsibility for this crime in practice. "Public officials’ duty crimes are under the jurisdiction of the Supervisory Committee, and the crime of lending at high interest is under the jurisdiction of the public security organs. In the face of a large number of high-interest loans, law enforcement officers will not and cannot all be sentenced. If such public officials have a good attitude, the supervisory Committee will generally not transfer clues to the public security and investigate the crime of lending at high interest. "

　　Many interviewees also said that the public knows most about the crime of accepting bribes and corruption when public officials violate the criminal law, and they have very limited knowledge about the crime of loaning at high interest, which also makes some people unaware that this is an illegal act even if they know that there are people around them. Some interviewees also said that the public officials around him thought that it was normal to transfer loans at high interest rates, and even this was a smart person who could manage money.

　　In addition, Mao Zhaohui believes that the crime of high-interest lending in criminal law has not been revised so far. With the emergence of some new manifestations in judicial practice, criminal acts have become more complicated, some involving illegal acts and some involving disciplinary acts. Crimes involve a wider range of people, including government, political and legal organs, officials of the financial system, etc., and some also involve agents. He believes that it is necessary to introduce judicial interpretations to further refine different situations.

　　In real cases, compared with the fact that public officials can usually get loans by virtue of credit, private entrepreneurs often need mortgage loans. The more poorly managed, the more difficult it is for enterprises to get loans. This is also considered to be one of the reasons why private entrepreneurs raise interest rates and transfer loans through channels such as public officials.

　　Gu Chao has done research, and the loans of business owners are generally mortgage loans, and the total amount of loans will not exceed 60% or 50% of the valuation of real estate or chattel market.

　　Shen Yufu, the legal representative of Hunan Zhanhong Construction Engineering Investment Co., Ltd., told China Newsweek that in 2009, he was in urgent need of funds because of problems in business operation, and wanted to borrow 10 million yuan from a local bank. Therefore, he mortgaged several sets of his own properties with a total market valuation of about 20 million yuan to the bank, but he still failed to obtain bank loans.

　　Shen Yufu said that in desperation, he raised interest rates and lent more than 6 million yuan to public officials in Xiangtan’s political and legal system through agents.

　　Several interviewees, including Wang Xin, told China Newsweek that banks should fully evaluate the actual needs of those at the end of the interest chain of high-interest lending (referring to the "lenders" who finally take over the offer, such as private entrepreneurs), and give them more loan support to make the high-interest lenders lose their existence space.

　　Mao Zhaohui pointed out that the high-interest lending behavior of public officials involves a wide range and has the characteristics of professionalism and concealment. The crackdown can not only rely on the discipline inspection and supervision organs, but also strengthen the collaborative supervision supported by big data supervision, and investigate and punish it through various forms such as inspections, inspections, discipline inspection and supervision, and auditing.

　　Recently, "China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Newspaper" issued a document quoting several discipline inspection and supervision cadres, saying that there is still a lack of supervision on high-interest lending. Among them, both the actors repeatedly transfer funds to avoid supervision, and the cooperation channels between relevant departments and financial institutions have not been fully opened, so it is impossible to achieve full coverage supervision.

　　Wang Xin believes that in the future, banks should strictly examine borrowers, establish a loan credit system, and cancel their future loan qualifications for those involved in high-interest lending. After lending, banks should follow up and supervise the use of loans and punish them in time when problems are found.

　　According to the article in the China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Newspaper, the supervisory committees of multi-disciplinary committees have taken measures to supervise the high-interest lending behavior of public officials. For example, the relevant person in charge of the Supervision Committee of the Wuhua District Commission for Discipline Inspection in Kunming City, Yunnan Province believes that the discipline inspection and supervision organs should urge the financial supervision departments to perform their duties, strengthen supervision over financial institutions to carry out credit granting for public officials, and strictly examine the use of public officials’ loans. The Supervision Committee of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of Nanping City, Fujian Province, combined with the newly revised "Regulations on Reporting Personal Matters of Leading Cadres", strengthened the briefing and problem investigation of untrustworthy public officials, and investigated whether there were problems of high-interest lending and illegal participation in private lending.

　　Published in China Newsweek magazine, No.1103, August 7, 2023.

　　Magazine title: Why do public officials lend money at high interest frequently?

　　Reporter: Zhou Qunfeng (zhouqunfenghaoren@163.com)