访谈｜美宝集团副总裁刘钢：“入场”更便利，外企对中国市场充满信心******
(第五届进博会)访谈｜美宝集团副总裁刘钢：“入场”更便利，外企对中国市场充满信心
中新网上海11月6日电 (谢梦圆)“我们从36平米、150平米、300平米到今年的400平米，企业的展台面积不断扩大。”连续五年参与进博会的美宝集团是一家专注生命科学领域的外资企业，集团副总裁刘钢回忆说，第一次参会时对进博会不甚了解，最初的展位设计只有9平方米。“一开始我们把美宝国际分公司的技术和产品引入中国，随着我们在进博会上的巨大成功，很多国外的企业看到了这样的机会，组团来参与进博会。我们代理的产品不断增多，比如一些美国企业和欧洲企业愿意通过美宝的窗口进入中国市场。”
此次，美宝与南加州大学的联合科研中心推出了一款医疗诊断设备——一次性高清食管筛查工具“EndoVu”。该设备可用于早期食道筛查，使用一次性高清摄像头，污染风险大大降低；采用超薄型材设计，直径6毫米，易吞咽。采用高光谱代谢成像、云计算和AI评估技术，无需实验室分析，就可帮助胃肠道医生评估患者是否需要进行完整的食管镜检查。“EndoVu”具备所需操作人员少(减少66%)、操作时间短(5分钟/人次)、筛查费用低、设备造价低、可高度并行筛查提高患者周转率等优点。目前该设备在中国处于临床试验阶段，即将进军中国市场。
据悉，本次美宝共带入17个科研项目参会，计划借助进博会将项目落地中国，目前已处于商务洽谈阶段。美宝和南加州大学合作项目众多，此次参会的有10项，其中生物医药项目有9个，“EndoVu”只是其中之一。刘钢补充道：南加州大学看到了我们在第四届进博会上的成果，于是这次联手参会。
即便有不利因素影响国际贸易合作，但刘钢仍感受到外企对中国市场的信心，“很多国外企业都在思考怎么能更好更快地进入中国市场，因为他们知道，蛋糕谁先抢一步，谁就可能吃得更多。”一些无缘本次进博会的外资企业甚至会将产品和技术“托付”给美宝代为介绍。
“确实大环境不利于企业的发展，中国能够在这个关键时刻继续扩大开放，保持开放的力度和决心，这是在世界上比较罕见的。”刘钢认为，中国本土市场足够巨大且具备潜力，能在发展本土市场的同时吸引国际贸易加入。
对刘钢来说，另一个切身感受是外资企业进入中国越来越便捷，他曾准备了一大叠纸质材料办理业务，没想到最后只花了约十分钟上网操作就将事办妥，“我觉得政府的服务意识更强了，办事更容易了，原来我要盖几十个章，都不知道找谁，现在是一站式服务，包括一些公示都能在网上找到。这两年越来越好，原来一头雾水，甚至外企和国内企业还有明显的差别待遇，这两年大家一视同仁，营商环境逐步改善。我们这些外企、包括朋友圈的企业确实充满信心。”
下一步美宝将扩大在中国的金融投资，刘钢说，这两年中国的政策给外企不断带来惊喜，“每次我都期待中国的好政策能够有更多”。中国各个行业、尤其是科技类行业将会有很大发展，美宝愿意在这些领域进行投资，扶持一些优秀的企业，并带领国外优秀企业进入。除此之外，美宝还会在化妆品行业投资建实体厂，他介绍，原本在美国的高端化妆品获得了较好的市场反馈，所以计划在中国加大投资，继续生产，并希望能将产品供应到全世界。(完)
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
