China can no longer rely on old model of development, time for change: Xi
Beijing: President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that China can no longer rely on its previous economic development model of depending on global exports and must build a self-controlled, safe, and reliable domestic production and supply systems to ensure industrial and national security.
The just-concluded plenary session of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), headed by Xi, adopted his proposals for the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035.
While the 14th five-year plan envisages a massive overhaul of the country's domestic market to boost consumption in order to reduce China's reliance on shrinking export markets, Vision 2035 visualizes a long-term plan, reflecting the development vision of Xi.
Politically, Xi's Vision 2035 plan has sparked speculation that he could continue in power for the next 15 years.
Xi, 67, has emerged as the CPC's most powerful leader after its founder Mao Zedong, holding the posts of CPC General Secretary, head of the military besides the Presidency with prospects of life-long tenure.
A constitutional amendment in 2018 has removed the two-five-year term limit for the president, which would enable Xi to continue in power for life. His second term as the president is due to end in 2022.
We shouldn't and couldn't simply repeat the previous model, but should strive to shape a new industrial chain to enhance technological innovation and import substitution, which is the focus of deepening supply-side structural reforms and the key to achieving high-quality development, Xi was quoted as saying in an article published in Qiushi's, CPC's official journal.
Xi said that in order to ensure China's industrial security and national security, we must build a self-controlled, safe, and reliable domestic production and supply chain .
We should strive to have at least one alternative source for important products and supply channels to form a necessary industrial backup system, Xi said.
He underscored the importance of the industrial and supply chain. One key feature for major economic power is that its industrial and supply chain should not be disrupted at a crucial moment, he said.
China's complete industrial chain has played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic by guaranteeing the availability of important materials for epidemic prevention and control. However, the public health crisis has also exposed risks in the domestic supply chain and industrial chain, he said.
For the sectors where China has achieved pioneering advantages, for example, the high-speed rail, power-generating equipment, and communication equipment, Xi suggested that technologies should be further honed, so as to forge strong countermeasures and deterrence capabilities when foreign parties block supplies, excerpts of his article published in the state-run Global Times said.
China's status as the world's factory has been affected by declining global markets and US President Donald Trump's trade war and his move to ban Chinese tech firms like Huawei and TikTok over security concerns. The US also recently clamped restrictions on exports of semiconductor chips to China, deepening the technology conflict between the world's top two economies.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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