Trajectory of history
Fossili
Fossilized
remains offer glimpse of new
species
of Jurassic-era bird LIFE, PAGE 17
spe
Drones in busy
mode sending
food deliveries
Migrant arrivals
CHINA, PAGE 4
WORLD, PAGE 12
EU unveils ‘remedy’ to help
Italy deal with crisis on island
TUESDAY, September 19, 2023
chinadaily.com.cn
Series of talks
serve regional,
world peace
China’s major-country diplomacy engages
US and Russia in a constructive manner
By ZHANG YUNBI
zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn
Since the weekend, Beijing has
impressed observers with separate
series of intense, high-level consultations with Washington and Moscow, one after another.
Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi
completed two days of talks with
United States National Security
Advisor Jake Sullivan in Malta on
Sunday, and he arrived in Russia on
Monday for a four-day China-Russia
consultation on strategic security.
Analysts said the
Inside two series of talks —
one closely following
Editorial,
the other — are part of
page 8
China’s efforts to carry forward its regular
two-way dialogues with influential
major countries and help shore up
nations’ concerted efforts to stabilize the Asia-Pacific region.
Both China and the US described
the weekend series of consultations
as “candid, substantive and constructive” in official readouts
released on Sunday. As part of the
talks’ outcomes, the two sides agreed
to hold three China-US consultations — on the Asia-Pacific region,
maritime affairs and foreign policy.
On Monday morning, Beijing
announced that Wang, a member of
the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the
Foreign Affairs Commission of the
CPC Central Committee, will hold
the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultations in Russia from Monday through Thursday.
Diao Daming, a professor at Renmin University of China’s School of
International Relations, said the
common background of the two
series of talks is that the world today
is in turmoil and chaos, the global
economy has a long way to go in
recovering in the post-pandemic
era, and the world has widespread
expectations of an improved international order.
During the weekend talks, China
and the US also discussed the AsiaPacific region, the Ukraine crisis
and the Korean Peninsula situation,
among other international and
regional issues.
“China has retained its steady
pace and resilience against various
changes when navigating its majorcountry diplomacy, and it earnestly
looks to shape relations with major
countries in order to improve the
region’s situation and the world’s
trajectory,” Diao said.
“What China wants is to work
with the international community
to rise to the challenge, and it has
always tried to inject the world with
a steady stream of positivity and certainty,” he added.
Wang and Sullivan previously
met and talked in Vienna, Austria,
in May. Before that, high-level strategic communication between China and the US took place over the
past two years in such places as
Zurich, Rome and Luxembourg.
During the talks with Washington, the Taiwan question and the US
perception of China’s development
were high on the agenda.
An unnamed senior official with
the Foreign Ministry who took part
in the weekend talks said the multiple rounds of consultations as a
whole “exceeded 12 hours in total”,
and “the Taiwan question consumed the longest time”.
The official told Chinese media
that Wang said the most essential
status quo is that both sides of the
Taiwan Strait belong to one China,
and the tension across the Strait
originates from the increasingly
rampant “Taiwan independence”
activities by Taiwan’s Democratic
Progressive Party.
The right path for peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question is “resolutely objecting to ‘Taiwan
independence’ and supporting the
peaceful reunification of China”,
Wang said.
China has always rejected
attempts to use competition to
define the whole of China-US ties,
and it opposes economic decoupling
under the pretext of “de-risking”,
Wang told Sullivan.
See Talks, page 3
In remembrance
People gather at the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, Liaoning
province, on Monday. Bells tolled to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Sept 18 Incident that marked the start of Japan’s invasion of China. CHEN SONG / XINHUA See more, page 5
国内统一编号: CN11-0091
国际标准编号: ISSN0253-9543
© 2023 China Daily
All Rights Reserved
Vol.43 — No.13524
邮发代号:1-3
A member of the
Asia News Network
RMB
¥2
Progress in programs for people with disabilities lauded
By CAO DESHENG
caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn
President Xi Jinping joined more
than 600 delegates from across the
country on Monday at the opening
ceremony of the 8th National Congress of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation in Beijing.
Xi, who is also general secretary
of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee and chairman
of the Central Military Commission,
attended the event with other Party
and State leaders including Li
Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning and
Cai Qi. Ding Xuexiang delivered a
speech at the opening ceremony on
behalf of the CPC Central Committee
and the State Council, China’s Cabinet.
Noting the significant achievements made in the past decade by
the country’s programs for people
with disabilities, Ding said that China has achieved the goal of “leaving
no disabled people behind while
completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all
respects” on schedule.
“In the fight against poverty, we
have made disabled individuals a
priority group, and over 7.1 million
disabled people from rural areas
have been lifted out of poverty, fundamentally changing the unfortunate fate of people with disabilities
being trapped in poverty for thousands of years,” he said.
The nation has also established
systems dedicated to the disabled,
such as living allowances for disabled people in need, nursing subsidies for the severely disabled, and
rehabilitation assistance for disabled children, benefiting over 20
million disabled people, Ding said.
He urged efforts to promote the
well-rounded development and
common prosperity of the disabled, saying that special attention
should be given to the disabled
individuals in the pursuit of Chinese modernization.
Zhang Haidi, chairwoman of the
China Disabled Persons’ Federation, delivered a work report at the
congress on Monday on behalf of
the federation’s seventh presidium.
China has around 85 million
people with disabilities. Since the
18th CPC National Congress in
2012, the country has made continuous efforts in promoting the cause
of people with disabilities, such as
guaranteeing their basic livelihoods, rehabilitation, education
and employment, as well as promoting the construction of barrierfree environments.
The nation’s first law on a barrierfree living environment took effect
earlier this month, and various
regions and departments are making every effort to promote the highquality development of a barrierfree environment.
Cultural ambassadors
Children pose with panda toys while visiting the China Cultural Center in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, on Sunday. The center, the first of
its kind in the Gulf region, launched trial operations on Sunday. ASAD / XINHUA
HIGHER GROUND
R&D input to further fuel innovation
By FAN FEIFEI
fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn
China spent about 3.08 trillion
yuan ($422.1 billion) in 2022 on
research and development, an
increase of 10.1 percent year-onyear, as the country remains
steadfast in stepping up investment in basic research and striving for breakthroughs in crucial
technologies, according to the
National Bureau of Statistics.
The increased R&D input will further enhance Chinese enterprises’
technological innovation capabilities and their core competitiveness
on the global stage, and inject
strong impetus into the country’s
economic recovery, experts said.
The NBS said on Monday that
China’s total spending on R&D
accounted for 2.54 percent of its
gross domestic product last year,
up 0.11 percentage point from the
previous year.
The ratio, which is between the
European Union’s average level of
2.2 percent and 2.7 percent of the
economies of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development ranks 13th across the
globe, said Zhang Qilong, an NBS
statistician.
In 2022, the nation’s investment
in basic research stood at 202.35
billion yuan, up 11.4 percent yearon-year. It ranked second in the
world, accounting for 6.57 percent
of the total R&D spending, according to the NBS.
The increased spending on
R&D shows China’s commitment
to implementing an innovationdriven development strategy,
which will bolster its strength in
science and technology, give it an
upper hand in fierce international
competition and foster new growth
drivers, said Pan Helin, co-director
of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at
Zhejiang University’s International
Business School.
“Continuous investment in basic
scientific research is key to driving
high-quality economic growth and
promoting the intelligent transformation and upgrading of traditional industries,” Pan said, calling
for giving full play to the leading
role of enterprises in bolstering
technological innovation.
Enterprises are expanding their
investments in important sectors,
laying a solid foundation for making breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and improving
fundamental industrial capabilities, according to the NBS. The R&D
expenditure of enterprises reached
2.39 trillion yuan in 2022, up 11 percent year-on-year. It contributed to
84 percent of the country’s R&D
growth, an increase of 4.6 percentage points from the previous year.
The NBS added that the country
will continue to increase financial
support, encourage local authorities to increase R&D spending and
improve the efficiency of capital
utilization.
China’s strength in sci-tech
innovation has taken a qualitative
leap in recent years. According to
the 2022 Global Innovation Index
released by the World Intellectual
Property Organization, the country has risen to the 11th place and
remains the only middle-income
economy in the top 30.
However, Luo Zhongwei, a
researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of
Industrial Economics, said China
still lags behind some developed
countries in R&D spending on
basic research. He emphasized the
significance of “pouring more capital into nurturing high-tech talent
and speeding up the industrialization of scientific and technological
achievements”.
More efforts should be made to
beef up investment in technological frontiers and forward-looking
fields, such as quantum information, artificial intelligence, biological sciences, new energy and new
materials, and achieve technological breakthroughs in key fields
through independent innovation
amid a rising tide of protectionism in some countries, Luo added.
TCL Technology Group, a Chinese consumer electronics maker,
said that its R&D expenditure
reached 10.78 billion yuan in 2022,
an increase of 22.9 percent year-onyear. The company vowed to continue to increase its investment in
strategic emerging segments like
new-generation display technology, new energy and semiconductor
materials, and further improve its
innovation capabilities.
K-POP SEEKS TO
BROADEN ITS
GLOBAL REACH
X
Genre faces
challenge of
becoming accepted
by other cultures
By CHOI JI-WON in Seoul
Asia News Network / The Korea Herald
I
n summer 2012, Korean pop
music, or K-pop, took a huge
leap forward in the global
music industry.
Rapper and television personality
Psy set several records on music
charts and gained international stardom with his megahit Gangnam
Style. Later, the term “K-pop” was
included in the vocabulary list of the
Oxford English Dictionary.
A decade on, K-pop is no longer
considered solely a regional music
genre that temporarily attracted a
global audience. It has firmly set
down roots as a major subcultural
genre, and is gaining prominence on
the international scene as a new
standard for the industry, not only in
terms of its artistic value, but for the
system under which musicians are
trained.
See Genre, page 2
2
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
PAGE TWO
Singers perform during the K-pop Super Live concert after the 2023 World Scout Jamboree closing ceremony at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul last month
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Genre: Tech advances boost industry
From page 1
K-pop has spread around the
world since the early 2000s, starting
with its domination of the Japanese
music market — the world’s secondlargest. K-pop then spread to other
East Asian countries until the mid2010s.
One of the key factors defining
this music — and one that continues
to demonstrate the genre’s potential
for growth — is its sensitivity to the
changing environment and readiness to accept new sources.
Pop music critic Jung Min-jae told
The Korea Herald: “K-pop has its
roots in the early gayo songs (a Korean term for popular music that people sing along to). Its key distinction
is the unique melodies formed
through the melding of various global music trends, such as Western pop
and J-pop (Japanese pop), into an
original yet contemporary sound.”
The band Seo Taiji and Boys,
which is considered to have set the
foundations for the K-pop music
industry, debuted in 1992 with a
completely new sound — combining
hip-hop, rhythm and blues and
dance pop.
The K-pop industry also showed
exceptional vigilance in adapting
and using technological advances to
develop a highly lucrative business
model.
In 2009, multinational entertainment company and record label JYP
Entertainment, which is based in
Seoul, failed in an all-out attempt to
make a breakthrough in the mainstream music market in the United
States. However, K-pop was already
extending its reach beyond Asian
countries to Europe and even parts
of the US through the internet.
Pop music critic Kim Do-heon said
such media friendliness is an innate
trait of K-pop that has seen the genre
go global.
“K-pop adapted fast to the evolution of digital technology, and active-
ly promoted music with a variety of
self-produced video content to
extend its fan base in the global market,” Kim said.
Global craze
Gradually, K-pop gained recognition around the world as a genre.
The first K-pop concert in Europe,
staged by Republic of Korea record
label and entertainment agency SM
Entertainment in Paris in 2011,
attracted some 14,000 fans for two
days of sold-out shows. The following year, Psy started a global Gangnam Style craze, setting several
records in global music charts and
rankings.
Over the past decade, K-pop has
evolved and expanded in different
respects. With sensational boy band
BTS leading the way, the genre overcame the seemingly unbreakable
walls of the mainstream US music
industry. The septet made history
and paved the way for fellow K-pop
musicians in the US.
Experts pointed out that the next
step for K-pop’s globalization is to
seek sustainability, while Kim said
the key to this is for the genre to lose
its “Korean-ness”.
“K-pop is not just a music genre,
but an entire production system in
which pop idols and their music are
carefully planned out and released
into the market,” Kim said.
“This is something that can be
adapted to any part of the world. It’s
now meaningless to talk about how
K-pop could be used as a means to
spread Korean culture and is at a
stage for discussions about how the
genre and the system can be applied
to the unique environments of different regions.”
In recent years, K-pop labels have
increasingly conducted global auditions, in which they seek trainees
regardless of their racial and ethnic
backgrounds.
Many major K-pop labels, including SM Entertainment, Hybe and CJ
Entertainment, have announced
plans to train and debut groups in
the US this year.
Statements released by these
companies said that while multinational acts continue to be based in
the Republic of Korea and use Korean as their main language, they will
now be trained in the US to debut as
global groups.
While the K-pop system is an
established business model, there is
still room for improvement, with
the issue of its openness to different
cultures being a starting point.
Lee Gyu-tag, a cultural studies
professor at George Mason University Korea, said: “The key to K-pop’s
success was its ability to mix and
mingle to form a new harmony.
However, issues of cultural appropriation and exclusiveness persist
even now.
“We’re already witnessing K-pop’s
influence as a form of soft power that
can bring together people of different backgrounds. To make K-pop a
truly global music genre, it needs to
become more accepting and understanding of other cultures. Hence,
the less Korean K-pop becomes, the
more successful it will be in settling
into the global landscape.”
K-pop’s true
value is that
it can
provide a
shared
experience
for so many
people
around the
world at the
same time.”
Lee Hye-jin,
a professor at Semyung University
Unique ability
Lee Hye-jin, a professor of East
Asian literature and pop culture at
Semyung University, said that rather than seeking its way to the top, as
K-pop has done up to now in its
quest for globalization, the genre’s
power may lie in its unique ability to
spread outward and interweave
with the transnational environment.
“K-pop’s true value is that it can
provide a shared experience for so
many people around the world at
the same time,” Lee Hye-jin said.
Moreover, there is the direction in
which K-pop must head in order for
a system to be established in which
artists can prosper as musicians, not
as mere components of the industry.
In June, BTS announced a temporary break from group activities for
its members to focus on their lives
and solo careers. They spoke of their
mental and physical fatigue from
the K-pop system. RM, the band’s
leader, said, “The system gives no
room for people’s growth, and constantly forces us to make music.”
While commercialization is an
essence of all popular music genres,
Jung, the critic, said K-pop is undeniably becoming increasingly competitive.
“These days, pop idol groups
make two to three singles or extended play discs a year, but many Western pop musicians or established Kpop groups, such as Blackpink,
release one album every one or two
years,” Jung said, adding that such
an environment allows no time for
the artists to mature as musicians.
Fellow critic Kim suggested that
in the long term, record labels and
their training systems must first
transform for there to be fundamental progress. To make more room for
artists’ creativity, Kim said the training system should not only focus on
honing stars on stage, but on their
maturity as individuals.
The members of BTS, who have
continued to push their boundaries
not just as musicians but as influential individuals with powerful voices,
have set an example for groups that
will emerge in the future, Kim added.
“I believe the members of BTS
have set a fair example for younger
generation idols. They haven’t
stopped at writing lyrics and composing, but have grown to become
artists who can spread messages,”
Kim said.
“K-pop now has to carry such
messages. There has to be a philosophy, and rather than injecting certain ideas into trainees, companies
must develop a system in which the
trainees can develop their own perspectives as individuals.”
Left: Girl group IVE performs in Seoul. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Above: A member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans. KOREA POOL /
GETTY IMAGES Right: K-pop singers receive the MTV music award
in New Jersey, United States, this month. NOAM GALAI / GETTY IMAGES
Musicals face numerous challenges to benefit from their vast potential
By PARK GA-YOUNG in Seoul
Asia News Network / The Korea Herald
The industry for musicals in the
Republic of Korea remains small
and stagnant, valued at the equivalent of $307 million a year. In comparison, theaters on Broadway in
New York and in the West End of
London do big business from such
productions.
However, experts in Seoul said
that Asia’s fourth-largest economy
has developed musicals with distinct characters, is home to unique
audiences, and has great potential –
but only after numerous challenges
are overcome.
Won Jong-won, a music critic and
communications professor at Soonchunhyang University, told The
Korea Herald, “The popularity that
other Korean cultural products
enjoy and the potential of musicals
cannot be separated, because many
great musicals come from long-lasting popular stories and music.
“The country is producing a
wealth of its own notable stories in
many forms, although it might take
some time for this potential to turn
into reality. The only way to grow
out of the current market is to make
original musicals and license them
out to other markets.”
An industry expert also said the
only way for the nation’s musical
industry to surpass its current market size is to create original productions.
“The current market size is at its
maximum, despite relying heavily
on K-pop stars and actors, without
whom it is difficult to sell tickets,”
said the source, who only gave her
surname as Kim.
Won and the industry source
pointed to the Republic of Korea’s
unique marketing strategy.
While Broadway and the West
End rely heavily on tourists to fill
theater seats, the ROK’s devoted
fans are locals eager to see musicals
a number of times.
This is due to the nation’s musical
industry developing a unique casting system, in which casting a number of performers simultaneously to
take on a role is becoming the norm.
The industry also relies heavily on
established K-pop stars and actors.
Creating original musicals has
long been the ambition of production companies, and attempts to
create such shows have continued
since the success of The Last
Empress in 1995.
This musical is based on a historical novel by author Yi Mun-yol
about Empress Myeongseong, the
official wife of Gojong, the 26th king
of Joseon and first emperor of the
Korean Empire. Many attempts
have been made to replicate the
show’s success.
EMK Musical Co adopted a different strategy by using a foreign creative team for shows based on
popular stories from the West, such
as The Man Who Laughs, from Vic-
tor Hugo’s eponymous novel, and
Mata Hari, the story of the Dutch
spy during World War I.
The use of global creative teams
for musicals based on popular stories has been criticized by some
observers for not being authentically Korean. Won said views need to
change on what constitutes an original or licensed musical.
“In this modern world of rapid
globalization, we don’t want to work
solely with local people for the sake
of remaining within the confines of
what is considered Korean,” Won
added.
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
3
TOP NEWS
Woman gets
death sentence
for abductions
Traditional performance
Testimony of victim helps convict
child trafficker who operated in 1990s
By CAO YIN
caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn
A 59-year-old woman who
abducted and trafficked 11 children in the 1990s for financial gain
was pronounced guilty and sentenced to death on Monday by a
court in Guizhou province.
The Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court announced the death
penalty for Yu Huaying, a native of
Yunnan province, after determining that her conduct — seeking
illicit benefits by abducting and
trafficking children from Chongqing and Guizhou to Hebei province between 1993 and 1996 —
constituted the crime of child
abduction.
The court said in a statement
that Yu carried out the abductions
with the help of a man surnamed
Gong, who died before the case
was heard in July. Two other people who participated in the abductions have been dealt with in
separate cases, it added.
“Considering the large number
of children Yu abducted and the
fact that her offenses were
extremely serious and had a
great negative effect on society,
we decided to harshly punish her
and arrived at the judgment,” the
court said.
The court also stripped Yu of
her political rights for life and
ordered all her personal assets to
be confiscated.
Yu said she will appeal in a higher court.
The case attracted wide public
attention in June 2022 when the
police in Guiyang, the capital of
Guizhou, received a report from a
woman who said she had been
abducted more than two decades
ago. The victim, identified as
33-year-old Yang Niuhua, was
abducted by Yu from Guizhou and
taken to Hebei in 1995 where she
was sold for 3,500 yuan ($480),
according to her report.
Yu targeted children who were
about five or six years old, luring
them with candies from crowded
places like railway stations.
Over the years, Yang, a native of
Guizhou, never stopped searching
for her family. In April 2021, she
posted a short video on Douyin, a
popular Chinese video-sharing
and livestreaming platform, in
which she spoke about her abduction and how she had made every
effort to find her family.
Within a month of the video
being shared, Yang connected with
her family following a successful
DNA match.
In June 2022, she returned to her
hometown and went to the Guiyang police to provide clues about
her abduction. Soon after that, Yu
was captured in Chongqing.
She was charged in February,
and the intermediate court heard
the case in July.
On Monday, Yang and her lawyer Wang Wenguang were also
present in the court to hear the
judgment being announced.
“My client and I are both happy
with the ruling, as Yu’s crime
deserves the capital punishment,”
Wang told China Daily.
Wang welcomed the efforts that
have been made in recent years to
combat child abductions, including increasing punishment for
those who buy abducted children
and using latest technology to
search for missing children.
“People from all walks of life
should attach greater importance to the issue, with more aid
and care provided for the victims,” the lawyer added.
Before being handed the death
penalty, Yu had been punished
twice before for indulging in similar activities. In 2000, she was
arrested in Handan, Hebei, and
served a two-month detention in
relation to child abduction
offenses, according to a report in
The Paper, a Shanghai-based news
outlet. The reason for her release
then was not mentioned.
In 2004, she was caught by
authorities again for abducting
children in Yunan province. At
that time, she was operating under
a fake identity and was sentenced
in that name to eight years in prison for child abduction.
Subsequently, her sentence was
reduced by three years, though the
reason was once again not reported. After her release, she had been
unemployed, the report said.
Enjoying science
Children watch robots in Zhangye, Gansu province, on Monday,
during a weeklong series of events to mark the 20th National
Science Popularization Day. WANG JIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY
A traditional dance is performed on Sunday at Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet autonomous region. The performance is named
“Qiangmu”, which means the “dance of the thunderbolt”. It has been included in the list of the first group of national intangible cultural
heritage representative projects. LI LIN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE
Washington’s drug slur on Beijing slammed
By ZHOU JIN
zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn
Beijing expressed on Monday its
strong opposition to Washington
smearing China as a “major source
country” for drugs, saying that China has implemented the strictest
drug control policy and its efforts
are widely recognized by the international community.
In a White House memorandum
issued on Friday, United States President Joe Biden identified a number
of countries, including China, as
major drug transit or major illicit
drug producing nations.
China has made serious demarches to the US over the identification,
which has no basis in facts, Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning
said at a daily news briefing.
The Chinese government attaches
great importance to fighting drugs,
Mao said. To date, China has scheduled 456 anesthetic and psychotropic drugs and two entire classes of
substances, she said, adding that the
country has also listed 38 types of
controlled precursor chemicals, surpassing the 14 varieties regulated by
the United Nations.
According to Mao, China is
among the countries that have
scheduled the largest number of
substances and exercise the strictest
control on drugs.
In contrast, the US — with 5 percent of the world’s population —
consumes 80 percent of the opioid
produced in the world, which makes
it a black hole and source of problem
for global drug control, she said.
The US is the single largest major
Wang expressed serious concerns
over the US suppressing and frustrating China in terms of science
and technology and over the US’
unilateral, unreasonable sanctions
on Chinese businesses, institutions
and individuals.
Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the
Department of American Studies at
the China Institute of International
Studies, said the “several rounds”
indicate the intensity of the negotiations and “the large number of
agenda items between Beijing and
Washington”.
“And Beijing’s message is clear —
not to cross the line over the Taiwan
question and stop suppressing and
encircling China,” she said.
“Washington is expected to work
toward the same goal alongside
China and take more positive
fires were the result of a secret “weather weapon” being tested by the US.
This report is not factual at all,
Mao said, emphasizing that the theory about a “weather weapon” came
from the US media first.
“Some Chinese media outlets and
we-media accounts did nothing more
than citing or re-posting those reports.
... If anyone was making up or spreading disinformation, it would be The
New York Times, not them,” she said.
After the devastating wildfires
broke out in Hawaii, China immediately extended sympathies and
expressed readiness to provide help
as needed, Mao said.
“We urge relevant US media outlet to be truthful, objective and neutral in its reporting, and stop
spreading disinformation against
China,” she added.
Huge potential seen in Sino-South African space ties
By ZHAO LEI
zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn
There is huge potential and there
will be big opportunities in the field
of space cooperation between China
and South Africa as the two nations
have recently decided to enhance
their collaboration in this regard,
observers said.
Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said
that China wants to maintain and
deepen
its
communications,
exchanges and cooperation with
other countries in space programs,
while South Africa seems interested
in space exploration and related
expertise, which means the two
sides can find common interests in
joining hands in outer space.
“As one of the space powers in the
world, China now has advanced
technologies and spacecraft, wellmade plans, rich experience and talented professionals. And, it is
willing to share its expertise with
friendly countries,” he said, emphasizing that South Africa has always
had good relations with China.
South Africa has a solid industrial
foundation and good capabilities in
scientific and technological fields,
which means it can also contribute to
joint space programs, Wang added.
Yang Yuguang, a senior space
industry observer and vice-chair of
the International Astronautical Federation’s Space Transportation Committee, said that South Africa has
been enthusiastic about advancing
its space capability for a long time,
and had once planned to develop its
own carrier rockets and satellites.
The nation is a leader in Africa in
terms of the space industry and the
science and technology sector, and
its location — at the southernmost
tip of the continent — is an advantage, Yang said.
“One important area where the
two sides can cooperate is ground
tracking and control work. South
Africa has been in cooperation with
several spacefaring countries
because its geographic location permits unique advantages in groundbased telemetry for and a control of
spacecraft. Lunar missions require
sophisticated telemetry and control
network, so the participation of the
African nation will be very helpful,”
the observer said.
Moreover, international cooperation has become an indispensable
part of China’s lunar endeavor, and
previous Chinese lunar probes
have carried foreign science pay-
Talks: China, Russia ‘maintain close communication’
From page 1
drug demand country and is in no
position to point its finger at China’s
counter-narcotics efforts, she said.
“The incompetence and ineffective
control is the true cause of the pervasive drug problem in the US, and the
fundamental solution is to reduce
domestic demand,” she added.
Mao urged Washington to stop
attacking and smearing China,
and “do things in ways that are
conducive to cooperation with
China, not otherwise”.
Also on Monday, the Foreign
Ministry blasted a New York
Times report that blamed China
for sowing discord in the US by
spreading disinformation about
the wildfires in Hawaii.
The report said that China used
artificial intelligence technology to
generate posts claiming that the wild-
moves in response to China’s message,” she added.
Meanwhile, the previous round
of consultation under the ChinaRussia strategic security consultation mechanism took place in
Fuzhou, Fujian province, in September last year. The mechanism
was established in 2005.
Observers noted that the mechanism is part of the evolving ChinaRussia comprehensive strategic
cooperation in the new era.
The trip to Russia this week by
Wang, who was invited by Nikolai
Patrushev, secretary of the Security
Council of the Russian Federation,
for the 18th round of consultation
is “a routine activity within the
framework of the China-Russia
strategic security consultation
mechanism”, Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Mao Ning said on
Monday.
loads, Yang said. “South Africa
wishes to further expand its space
capability. Therefore, it is natural
for the two nations to open cooperation in this field.”
Earlier this month, South Africa
officially joined the International
Lunar Research Station Program,
an ambitious venture led by China.
On Sept 1, Chinese Ambassador
to South Africa Chen Xiaodong
signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the China
National Space Administration
with Humbulani Mudau, CEO of
the South African National Space
Agency, marking South Africa’s
entry into the program.
According to the agreement, both
parties will engage in extensive
cooperation in areas including the
planning, construction, operation
and application of the lunar outpost, as well as related education
and training projects.
Moreover, within the framework
of the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, the Chinese and
South African space agencies will
collaborate on remote sensing data
exchange and application, and on
satellite ground stations.
South Africa’s participation in
the program indicates that China-
South Africa space cooperation
has extended from near-Earth
operations to lunar and deepspace explorations, which will help
promote advancements in space
technology in China and South
Africa, the China National Space
Administration said.
According to Chinese scientists,
the first version of the International Lunar Research Station will
comprise components of China’s
Chang’e 7 and Chang’e 8 robotic
missions — orbiters, landers, rovers and a flyby craft, as well as a
relay satellite.
Both the Chang’e 7 and Chang’e
8 probes are designed to land on
the moon’s south pole. Chang’e 7
is scheduled to set out around
2026, while Chang’e 8 will join it
around 2028.
In the long run, other spacecraft
will be deployed on the south pole,
to bring more infrastructure to the
science outpost. The station will use
robots most of the time, but will also
be capable of accommodating astronauts for short stays.
The lunar station will act as an
international platform for moonbased scientific experiments and
mineral research, mission planners said.
The trip to Russia “aims to implement the important consensus
reached by the heads of state of the
two countries, promote the development of bilateral relations and
carry out in-depth communication
on important issues related to the
strategic security interests of the
two countries”, Mao said.
She pointed to both countries’
shared identity as permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council and major emerging market economies.
“The two countries have always
maintained close communication
on major, strategic and overarching
issues of common concern,” she
added.
Chinese Ambassador to Russia
Zhang Hanhui said that “ChinaRussia strategic cooperation is the
‘mainstay’ of maintaining international peace and security”, and “the
significance and impact of ChinaRussia relations go far beyond the
bilateral context”.
In an interview published last
week on the People’s Daily website,
Zhang said the two sides “work
closely together in the international arena”, resolutely oppose hegemony and power politics, and adhere
to genuine multilateralism.
4
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
CHINA
Meituan’s
drone food
deliveries
on the rise
Monkeypox classified as
Class B infectious disease
Winging it
By WANG XIAOYU
wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn
By WANG XU
in Shenzhen, Guangdong
wangxu@chinadaily.com.cn
In the year and a half since
e-commerce food delivery platform Meituan rolled out its first
drone delivery route in the city of
Shenzhen, more than 184,000
orders have been delivered and 17
delivery routes now exist across
the country.
This month, the Tencentbacked firm opened its third
delivery route in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district.
“With the third route in Nanshan, our drone delivery service is
making significant strides in the
field of efficient and convenient
food delivery,” Liu Shuo, head of
Meituan’s commercial drone
strategy told China Daily.
On Monday, Liu gave a detailed
introduction of the new route at
Shenzhen Talent Park. The
launchpad for this route is located
in Nanshan’s Haiancheng business district, approximately 1 kilometer from the pickup kiosk.
Customers placing orders at the
talent park can receive their food
within minutes of the restaurant’s
delivery to the launchpad.
Operating in a high-density
urban environment like Shenzhen presents unique challenges
for drone delivery. To overcome
this, Meituan has strategically
placed launchpads on the rooftops of shopping malls and pickup kiosks near residential and
office buildings. This point-topoint delivery approach ensures
that drones can navigate their
intended routes and safely deliver food to customers.
Liu said that compared to traditional delivery methods, the
key advantage of drone delivery
lies in its remarkable efficiency.
“In 2022, Meituan’s average
drone delivery time was approximately 12 minutes, nearly 150
percent faster than traditional
models. This significant reduction in delivery time translates to
saving users nearly 30,000 hours
of waiting time,” Liu said, adding
that drone delivery also opens up
new possibilities for extending
food delivery services.
“Previously, locating delivery
addresses within the park posed
challenges due to vague descriptions like ‘the fourth lamppost’ or
‘the sixth large tree’. This ambiguity made it difficult for delivery
drivers to find the intended locations accurately. With drone
delivery, users only need to proceed to the designated drop-off
kiosk within the park to collect
their meals, eliminating the need
for extensive communication,”
Liu said.
As a front-runner in the race to
develop low-altitude economic
industries such as drone delivery,
Shenzhen has launched supportive legislation and already has a
mature drone manufacturing
supply chain.
Local authorities said that last
year, the low-altitude economy
in Shenzhen reached a value of
75 billion yuan ($10.3 billion),
accounting for 70 percent of the
nation’s total.
This year, the Shenzhen government included the development of the low-altitude economy
in its government work report for
the first time, aiming to create a
comprehensive demonstration
zone for the general aviation
industry and a civil unmanned
aerial vehicle test area.
“We firmly believe that drone
delivery will eventually scale up
because it stems from user
demand. We will continue to promote the construction of a threedimensional urban distribution
network system to provide consumers with a more efficient
experience,” Liu said.
“I was initially skeptical about
drone delivery, but after trying it,
I’m a believer. The delivery time is
significantly shorter, and I appreciate the precision in locating the
drop-off point. It’s a futuristic
experience,” said Chen Chen, a
drone delivery user.
Yi Yang in Shenzhen contributed
to this story.
A previously rescued kestrel is released in Cuihu National Urban Wetland Park in Haidian district, Beijing,
on Sunday, the 11th Beijing Wetland Day. Five kestrels were released during an event commemorating the
20th anniversary of the park’s establishment. YUAN YI / FOR CHINA DAILY
Guideline reinforces
mine safety measures
Vetting of new projects strengthened,
use of robots suggested for risky tasks
By LI LEI
lilei@chinadaily.com.cn
China is seeking to revamp its
accident-prone mining sector with a
set of new rules, which include
strengthening the vetting of new
projects, using robots for risky tasks
and better monitoring for geological
disasters.
Officials said the new rules are
part of a broader effort by central
authorities to make the mining sector safer and more efficient, and are
crucial to helping authorities transition to a more preventive approach
to mining accidents.
On Sept 6, the general offices of the
Communist Party of China Central
Committee and the State Council,
China’s Cabinet, published a guideline on improving mining safety.
The rules banned smaller coal
mines, which usually neglect safety
protocols to control costs, and
demanded operations in geographically
complex
regions
use
unmanned technologies.
The guideline reinforced screening for non-coal mine projects,
whose operations are generally considered less dangerous than their
coal counterparts, which can be subject to gas explosions. It required
their safety to be vetted by provincial
or higher-level watchdogs and cannot be delegated.
Local authorities need to fasttrack efforts to mechanize operations in smaller mines or those prone
to natural disasters, and upgrade
larger operations to achieve automation and smart mining, the rules
said, adding that underground
mines must be equipped with systems to pinpoint miners’ positions
and enable communications, and to
ensure ventilation and water supply
in case of an accident.
The rules called for investment in
safe mining technologies, such as
digital mining systems, smart equipment and robots, and pledged to set
up a national key lab to aid progress
on that front.
Monitoring for disastrous weather
conditions must be improved, and
operations must be suspended for
extreme weather, the guideline said.
Zhang Xin, deputy head of the
National Mine Safety Administration, said the seven-part guideline is
problem-oriented, and aims to
address the root cause of the sector’s
thorniest problems.
“Safety of mine production is crucial because it is closely related to the
safety of people’s lives and property,
economic development and social
stability. It is the most important
field to advance overall safety production,” he told a news conference
in Beijing on Monday.
Coal mines still play a large part in
securing China’s energy supply
despite the rapid expansion of
renewable energy projects.
Last year, coal accounted for 56.2
percent of China’s energy consumption, and coal consumption increased
4.3 percent year-on-year, according to
the National Bureau of Statistics.
Despite safety in coal mining
improving in recent years, it remains
one of the country’s most dangerous
professions.
Last year, the death toll from mining accidents was 518, according to
data from the National Mine Safety
Administration, considerably lower
than the number in previous years.
During the five-year period ending
in 2017, an average of 1,300 workers
died in mining accidents each year,
according to the National Mining
Safety Work Conference held in Beijing early this year. Most of the
deaths were attributed to failures in
following safety protocols, including
ventilation requirements.
The decline in mining-related
casualties coincides with more technological input.
While addressing the news conference, Xue Jianguang, who oversees
technology and equipment affairs at
the National Mine Safety Administration, announced that a monitoring and early warning system for
coal-mine safety risks — such as gas,
fire, water hazards and dynamic
ground pressure — has been established in China.
The network links coal mining
enterprises, local regulatory and
supervisory departments, and
national supervisory authorities
with analyses data from 600,000
sensors nationwide and 39,000 surveillance cameras, and tracks the
real-time conditions of 800,000
underground miners.
“It can effectively monitor excessive and abnormal fluctuations of
gas and carbon monoxide concentrations, as well as abnormalities in
underground work and electricity
usage,” he said.
It can also provide analysis and
warnings for mining companies facing threats from extreme weather
conditions such as typhoons and
heavy rainfall, Xue added.
China’s consistency on health lauded
By HUANG ZHILING in Chengdu
huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn
China’s policy continuity has
proved critical to effectively addressing the issue of unhealthy diets and
all forms of malnutrition, said an official from the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
recently.
Lynnette Neufeld, director of the
Food and Nutrition Division of the
FAO, made the remarks during the
14th Asian Congress of Nutrition,
which concluded in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Sunday.
Neufeld praised China’s policy
continuity, contrasting it with many
other parts of the world where policies change too frequently as governments change.
That continuity is a strength in
China, she said. She gave the example of the existence of data on dietary
intake, nutritional status and health
continually since 1982. This provides
the much-needed basis for policies
and programs and allows China to
keep track of progress toward
improved nutrition and health. China has a strong capacity and impor-
tant track record in research. The
research and evidence generated is a
gift to China and the world. United
Nations agencies only develop guidance as quickly as the evidence is
presented in the scientific literature.
China has been an important contributor to this for many decades, she
said.
With the theme “Feeding the future
by sustainable future”, the four-day
congress drew more than 3,000 participants from international organizations such as the International
Union of Nutritional Sciences, the
World Health Organization, the FAO,
the UN Children’s Fund, as well as
more than 40 Asian academic organizations, domestic and foreign
research institutions and universities.
It has been 28 years since the Chinese mainland hosted the 7th Asian
Congress of Nutrition in 1995.
Like Neufeld, many representatives of participating international
organizations spoke positively of
China’s work in the field of nutrition.
Juliawati Untoro is the nutrition
technical lead of the WHO Regional
Office for the Western Pacific.
She said that the WHO would like
to applaud China on the successful
reduction of the prevalence of malnutrition, stunting and also wasting.
The reductions are on track to
achieve the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goal of “ending all forms of malnutrition”
particularly on stunting and wasting.
These are significant achievements and have been great examples
for many countries in the world to
learn from China on how the country’s leadership and well-designed
programs could effectively address
malnutrition.
China plays a very crucial role and
significantly contributes to global
progress, as the country has a huge
population she said.
The Healthy China 2030 Plan
emphasizes the importance of nutrition and health promotion, including addressing obesity and dietrelated noncommunicable diseases.
With the track record and successful achievement of addressing malnutrition, we hope to also learn from
China’s leading roles on the future
success of addressing obesity and
diet-related noncommunicable diseases, she said.
China has decided to manage
monkeypox as a Class B infectious
disease starting from Wednesday
as the country reported about 500
cases last month, including its
first infections detected in women, according to health authorities.
Class B infectious diseases in
China also include COVID-19,
AIDS, severe acute respiratory
syndrome and rabies.
The National Health Commission said in a statement released
on Friday that monkeypox used to
mainly spread throughout Central
Africa and West Africa, but since
May last year, more than 100 countries and regions have reported
monkeypox outbreaks, with a
mortality rate of 0.1 percent.
China registered its first imported monkeypox case in September
last year, and began experiencing
domestic outbreaks in June of this
year. So far, more than 20 provincial-level regions have reported
monkeypox infections as the virus
triggers domestic and stealth
transmission.
“Considering that the monkeypox epidemic will exist in the
country continuously for some
period, the commission will designate and manage it as a Class B
contagious disease in accordance
with the law, so as to better roll out
prevention and control measures
and protect the safety and health
of people,” it said.
Li Tongzeng, an infectious disease doctor at Beijing YouAn Hospital affiliated to the Capital
Medical University, said that it is
important to clarify the management category of monkeypox as
more and more regions are detecting new infections.
“Some regions have decided to
quarantine new infections at designated medical institutions,
while some patients who only
have mild symptoms prefer isolation at home,” he said. “Now, local
governments can abide by uni-
form protocols.”
Under the new designation, Li
said that confirmed or suspicious
cases, close contacts, as well as
health institutions, medical staff
and governments all bear the
responsibility to prevent further
spread of the virus and they will be
held accountable if found violating regulations.
Li added that China had registered over 1,000 local infections
and female patients were detected
for the first time last month. “The
emergence of cases infected
through heterosexual sex means
that sporadic cases will continue
to occur in the future and it will be
quite difficult to eliminate infections in the short term,” he said.
Monkeypox is primarily transmitted among men who have sex
with men.
According to data released by
the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, China
reported 501 domestic monkeypox infections, compared with 491
in July and around 110 in June. No
severe cases or related deaths have
been reported in the country.
The China CDC said that in
August, nearly 99 percent of infections are men and 92.5 percent of
them are men who have sex with
men.
“The five female cases all had
sexual contact with men within 21
days before the onset of the disease. Three of their heterosexual
partners were also infected with
monkeypox, one partner had rashes recently and the remaining one
had no related symptoms,” it said.
The China CDC added that the
primary mode of transmission
remains sexual contact and most
patients were discovered when
they sought medical consultation.
Zhao Wei, a professor at Southern Medical University’s School of
Public Health, said during an
interview with People’s Daily that
for most people, the risk of monkeypox infection is very low and
the possibility of seeing widespread transmission of the virus
among females is very low.
Brushing up
Contestants take part in a beauty event during the second national
vocational skills competition in Tianjin on Monday. The competition included 109 events, among which 62 were organized for
selecting talent for the WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France
next September. TONG YU / CHINA NEWS SERVICE
Hybrid rice hits record
yield in Yunnan province
By ZOU SHUO
and ZHU YOUFANG in Changsha
The output of hybrid rice, grown
with technology developed by the
late “father of hybrid rice” Yuan
Longping, at a demonstration base
in Yunnan province has reached a
record 17.8 metric tons per hectare,
according to the Hunan Hybrid
Rice Research Center.
The new record is near the target
of 18 tons per hectare set by Yuan.
The record yield was reached at
the 6.7-hectare demonstration
base in Mengzi, Yunnan province
in early September.
Meanwhile, the yield at the Gejiu
base exceeded 17.5 tons per hectare, also a new record.
Experts from Yunnan Agricultural University, Yunnan Academy
of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu
Academy of Agricultural Sciences
and Yangzhou University measured and assessed the production.
Yuan set the target of 18 tons per
hectare of the super-hybrid rice in
2020, and the task has been
entrusted to the plateau breeding
demonstration base in Gejiu city of
Yunnan.
At an altitude of 1,287 meters,
with a yearly average temperature
of 20 C and precipitation of 700 to
900 millimeters, plus a large irrigation system and flat land, the base
has favorable conditions for
achieving high yields.
Xu Jingbo, Party secretary of the
Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, said that for a country with a
large population and not so much
arable land, achieving higher
yields is a constant pursuit, while
also realizing green, high-quality
and efficient development.
“By teaching farmers the techniques, new technologies can be
applied quickly, so that grain production can be further increased in
the country,” he said.
Thanks to the hybrid rice technology, China has managed to feed
nearly 20 percent of the world’s
population with less than 9 percent of the world’s arable land.
Contact the writers at
zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
5
CHINA
Wide-field
telescope put
into operation
Steeped in
tradition
Farmers pick and process tea
leaves at a tea garden in Sanjiang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Sunday.
The county’s Dong ethnic
culture, including the tradition of tea planting and processing, has been turned into
an attraction for tourists.
GONG PUKANG / FOR CHINA DAILY
Facility is powerful tool in time-domain
survey in the Northern Hemisphere
By JIANG CHENGLONG
jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn
A spectacular image of the
Andromeda Galaxy, located over 2
million light-years from Earth, has
been released to coincide with the
most powerful wide-field telescope in the Northern Hemisphere
being put into operation, demonstrating its capability.
China’s Wide Field Survey Telescope was put into operation on
Sunday in Northwest China’s
Qinghai province, developed by
the University of Science and Technology of China and the Purple
Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The telescope, also known as the
Mozi surveying telescope, will significantly enhance China’s capabilities in time-domain astronomical
research, according to CAS.
Mozi was an ancient Chinese
philosopher who is said to be the
first in history to conduct optical
experiments.
The telescope is located on top of
Saishiteng mountain near the town
of Lenghu in the Haixi Mongol and
Tibetan autonomous prefecture in
Qinghai. The town is famed for
being China’s “Mars Camp” due to
its eerily eroded desert landscape
that closely resembles the surface of
the red planet.
According to CAS, the WFST
boasts an optical telescope of 2.5
meters in diameter and a 765-million-pixel camera, equipping it
with the strong surveying ability
that allows it to survey the entire
northern sky every three nights.
The Andromeda Galaxy is the
closest large spiral galaxy to the
Milky Way and has a similar
structure and metallicity, making
it an ideal research object for
exploring the formation and evolution of the Milky Way and similar galaxies.
The WFST has both a large field
of view and high-resolution imaging capabilities, enabling it to capture multicolor images of the
Andromeda Galaxy and its outlying
regions. The telescope generated
the image using 150 photos taken
on multiple nights of observation.
According to CAS, the telescope
is expected to play an important
role in the fields of high-energy
time-domain astronomy, galaxy
structure and near-field cosmology.
Zheng Xianzhong, the WFST’s
deputy chief designer, was quoted
by Science and Technology Daily
as saying that the telescope has
powerful survey capabilities and
can obtain a large amount of
image observation data to carry
out astronomical research.
“Through repeatedly scanning
and comparing images of the sky,
we can detect solar system objects
that move on the celestial sphere
and also discover celestial bodies
with brightness variations,” he said.
“With the telescope, by accumulating and stacking observation
data, we will be able to improve
detection depth and observe darker
and more distant celestial bodies,
gaining a deeper understanding of
the structure of the Milky Way and
the neighboring universe,” said
Zheng.
The Andromeda Galaxy (left) photographed by the Wide Field
Survey Telescope (right) in Qinghai province. XINHUA
Film highlights HK struggle
against Japanese invaders
By ATLAS SHAO in Hong Kong
atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
A historical documentary that
shines a light on the fearless struggle of a guerrilla force that fought
against Japanese invaders in Hong
Kong in the early 1940s premiered
in Shenzhen on Monday.
The documentary interviewed
dozens of veterans of the Hong
Kong Independent Battalion of
the Dongjiang Column, which
contributed greatly to China’s
whole-nation resistance war
against Japanese aggression.
More than 200 guests, including
the descendants of the battalion’s
soldiers, attended the documentary’s premiere on Monday, the 92nd
anniversary of the start of the War
of Resistance Against Japanese
Aggression (1931-45).
The battalion, led by the Communist Party of China, was established to protect Hong Kong after
the city was occupied by Japan in
1941. It was made up of local workers, farmers, teachers, sailors,
young students as well as compatriots from overseas.
Besides having hundreds of battles with the Japanese, the battalion also participated in rescuing
over 800 notable Chinese figures
and some allied soldiers out of Japanese-occupied Hong Kong. They
also shared intelligence information with other anti-Japanese for-
ces during wartime.
At Monday’s event, Liu Shen, the
documentary’s director and screenwriter, said the production was conceived in and had been ongoing
since 2009, and the team members
have extensively visited war relics
across Hong Kong. They filmed hundreds of hours of footage and collected thousands of historical photos.
Before filming the battalion’s story, Liu also directed a few documentaries on that war, including one
reflecting Hong Kong society under
the occupation of the Japanese
army from 1941 to 1945.
Deng Liping, the documentary’s
producer, and whose parents were
both veterans of the battalion, said
the purpose of the documentary is
to help the young generations know
that Hong Kong’s prosperity is built
on the elder generation’s resistance
against invaders. He said he hopes
young people cherish the hard-won
peace and make greater contributions to the city and the nation with
their expertise and knowledge.
To commemorate their contributions, Hong Kong people built
the Monuments for Martyrs
Against Japanese Militarism in
Wu Kau Tang, Tai Po and Sai Kung.
After Hong Kong returned to the
motherland, the city placed a name
list of the fighters of the Dongjiang
Column in the memorial shrine at
Hong Kong City Hall for the public to
pay their respects.
Cross-border freight trains link inland China with world
By LUO WANGSHU, FU YIFANG
and QI XIN in Zhengzhou
On Sunday, customers were seen
shopping at a retail store at Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Henan
province. Some read the labels of the
products carefully, some window
shopped and some used mobile
phones to check product prices on
other e-commerce platforms.
“I bought some green bean cake
from Malaysia. I don’t know what it
will taste like but it’s worth a try,” a
customer said while lining up to pay.
The store, like duty-free stores at
airports, sells imported products,
mostly carried by freight trains from
Europe and Central Asia to the
inland city. The products include cosmetics, wine, beverages and snacks.
Similar stores are also set up in cities across the province by Henan Central China Railway Tourism Group.
“The China-Europe freight train has
become a link for global partners to
share benefits from the Belt and Road
Initiative. We are trying to bring the
benefits from the cross-border freight
train to local residents,” said Han Wei,
general manager of the group.
Zhengzhou, capital of the inland
province of Henan, has extended its
links with the world via cross-border freight trains.
The first China-Europe freight train
departed from Zhengzhou in 2013.
“At the beginning of the operation,
there was one service each month,
but now there are as many as 34 train
services every week,” said Li Wenbiao,
Party chief of the Putian freight railway station in Zhengzhou, where all
such trains depart from the city.
The station has adjusted its facilities and service systems to cater to
the increasing number of China-Europe freight trains, such as adding
more tracks at the station, building
operation lines to cater to containers and launching a system to prevent containers from uncoupling
from each other, Li said.
Since the launch of the service,
more than 8,400 freight train services
carrying 730,000 containers have
operated between Zhengzhou and
Europe. Among them, more than
4,300 are outbound services and
about 4,000 are inbound trips, according to China Railway Zhengzhou
Group, the regional service operator.
Its network has extended to more
than 140 cities in over 40 countries.
Priority routes
China’s two major railways — the
north-south
Beijing-Guangzhou
Railway and the east-west LanzhouLianyungang Railway — meet in
Zhengzhou, which means that
freight trains from east, west, north
and south pass through the city.
About 10 percent of all freight
trains across China stop at Zhengzhou North Railway Station for a
number of reasons, including inspections, recoupling and sorting work.
Zhengzhou North has one of the
largest marshaling yards in China,
boasting a complicated fan-shaped
network of tracks and switches
where railway cars can be sorted
and connected to trains that will
head in different directions.
There are intertwined railway
tracks and countless engines waiting to be coupled. Inspection workers walk through the trains and
examine the status of each car to
ensure that none has been damaged
during their journey.
At the busy station, employees see
China-Europe freight train service
as a priority.
“We always spare one or two operation lines for China-Europe freight
trains, to ensure the train can be
ready soon after its arrival,” said Zhi
Hui, Party chief of the station’s dispatch plant.
When a China-Europe freight
train has been recoupled at Zhengzhou North, they will go through
thorough inspections.
“The team that examines ChinaEurope freight trains is made up of
the most experienced inspectors.
They can spot the size of a plate that
is critical to the train’s braking system with their bare eyes,” said Ma
Tianyi, head of a plant which mana-
A fully loaded freight train goes
through inspection in Zhengzhou, Henan province, before
heading to Hamburg, Germany
on Sunday. FU YIFANG / CHINA DAILY
ges the trains’ inspection from China Railway Zhengzhou Group.
If the plate is thinner than 20 millimeters, it has to be replaced.
“When examining a train, inspectors have to change about 30 such
plates,” he said.
It takes about 4 hours to inspect
one train.
When the train passes inspection at
Zhengzhou North, it goes to the
Putian freight railway station to be
readied for its cross-continent journey.
On Sunday, a fully loaded train
carrying a variety of products including medical equipment, auto parts,
toys, food, furniture and home appliances departed from Zhengzhou’s
Putian station, heading via Ereenhot
bound for Hamburg, Germany. The
journey will take about 15 days.
Customer approval
The safe and reliable service has
attracted an increasing number of
clients.
“Our company has used the service for 10 years. At first, there were
only a few containers a month, but
now we send about 600 to 700 containers every month. The variety of
products has also improved from
less than 10 to nearly 300,” said
Kong Weidong, general manager of
the Zhengzhou office of a freight
transport agency in Shanghai.
“When we first started our business in Zhengzhou, there were two
to three employees. Now our team
has grown to about 100,” he said.
“Although the foreign trade business this year is very complicated, we
are optimistic about the China-Europe freight train services. We want
to use the geographic advantage of
Zhengzhou to extend more routes in
Russia, Central Asia and even
ASEAN countries,” he said.
He believed the freight train service is a safe, reliable, efficient and
economical choice for customers.
It has saved time and is less affected by weather, unlike sea transportation, he said.
The company has about 800 clients, of which about 30 percent are
foreign companies.
“At first, customers, especially foreign clients, did not know or were
unwilling to learn about the service.
We have told our customers it is a
very good choice,” he said.
“One of the German companies
was not interested in the service in
2015 when I first introduced it to
them. I made a thorough introduction to them but they were still not
interested. But the customer came
back and found us about three or four
years later. They wanted to try the service after a few years’ observation,” he
said, adding that the company has
since become one of their loyal clients.
Kong also noted that the service has
improved over the years. Better services such as a tracking system and coldchain carriages are offered, he added.
The freight train service has not
only benefited Henan.
In 2011, a new era in rail freight was
ushered in when a train left Chongqing and traveled through Central
Asia to Europe, establishing a viable
alternative to sea and air shipping.
Over the past decade, 77,000 ChinaEurope freight train trips have been
made, carrying 7.31 million containers with a total estimated goods value
exceeding $340 billion.
The China-Europe train services
network has connected 217 cities in
25 European countries.
Contact the writers at
luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn
New documents reveal further details of Unit 731
By ZHOU HUIYING
and TIAN XUEFEI in Harbin
The Museum of Evidence of War
Crimes by Japanese Army Unit 731
in Harbin, Heilongjiang province,
on Monday released new evidence of
atrocities during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
(1931-45).
The evidence was contained in two
documents, including files of registration forms for the Imperial Japanese Army’s Unit 731, that recorded
the basic information of military doctors of Unit 731, as well as their affiliation, adjustment, demobilization and
some other information after 1944.
The materials were discovered at
the National Archives of Japan by
Seiya Matsuno, a Japanese historian
and a distinguished professor at Heilongjiang International University,
who brought a copy to China in July.
Staff members listed in the documents covered ranks from second lieutenant to lieutenant general, and
information included personnel transfers between Unit 731 and other health
forces, which is the core file for the
study of Unit 731 and Japanese germ
warfare, according to the museum.
“It is a very important discovery,
which marks the key evidence to comprehensively understand the crimes
of the Japanese invaders and the
coordinated crimes of military doctors,” Jin Chengmin, curator of the
museum, told Xinhua News Agency.
Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research
base established in Harbin in 1935
as the nerve center of Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during the war.
The unit conducted experiments
on living human beings to test germreleasing and chemical weapons.
At least 3,000 people were used
for human experiments by Unit 731,
and more than 300,000 people
across China were killed by Japan’s
biological weapons.
As China marked the 78th anniver-
A copy of a document substantiating details of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Unit 731, and
evidence of atrocities during the
War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
sary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World AntiFascist War in early September, the
museum released two documents
containing lists of names of staff
members from 24 Japanese army hospitals in Chinese cities, including Har-
bin and Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang,
and Dalian in Liaoning province.
The two documents, which had six
pages in total, were compiled by the
Japanese Kwantung Army in August
1940, and were classified as secret.
A document showed that in October 1940, the Japanese Kwantung
Army dispatched the First Army
Hospital of the Japanese Army in
Harbin to engage in the prevention
and control of plague bacteria carried out by Unit 731 in Jilin province.
“In fact, the operations might aim
to test the results of a plague bacteria attack in the name of outbreak
control,” Jin Shicheng, a researcher
with the museum, was quoted by
Xinhua as saying.
“The discoveries further proved
that the Japanese army hospital in
Harbin was closely related to Unit
731 and was an extension of medical
crimes committed by Unit 731.”
Contact the writers at
zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn
6
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
CHINA
H
e Cuiying lives on a
mountain peak in Yunnan province, at an altitude of 3,000 meters.
Every morning, the 91-year-old is
greeted by swirling mist, which creates a picturesque scene that’s reminiscent of a fairy landscape.
Four years ago, He Cuiying
opened a homestay in her yard with
the help of her granddaughter, He
Qingmei. Ever since, she has shared
her stories, the beautiful scenery
and the ethnic culture of her village
with visitors from across China and
other parts of the world.
He Cuiying is a member of the
Naxi ethnic group, while her late
husband was from the Tibetan ethnic group. In Qibie village, He Cuiying’s home, members of eight
ethnic groups, including the Naxi
and Lisu, all coexist happily.
The village — in Tacheng town,
Weixi Lisu autonomous county,
Dechen Tibet autonomous prefecture — is known as a “fusion of five
groups”, and local people currently
operate 102 homestays.
The villagers said they have turned
“houses into homestays and people
into performers”. They speak the
Naxi language, follow Tibetan customs and warmly welcome tourists
from all over the world.
In just eight years, they have developed a united multiethnic homestay
village, becoming a key demonstration project for cultural tourism in
Yunnan.
Tacheng is approximately a twoand-a-half-hour drive from ShangriLa city. Surrounded by mountains on
all sides, it was traditionally considered a remote area. It is rich in natural resources and located in the Three
Rivers Confluence Scenic Area, a
World Natural Heritage Site.
It is also the core area of the Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey National
Park and an important transportation hub. Those conditions provide
unique advantages for the development of Qibie’s tourism industry.
Love of singing
He Cuiying loves singing. Whenever guests visit her home, she sings
songs and offers blessings continuously. From Tibetan Buddhist
songs to Naxi folk songs, she can
sing more than 12 in a sequence.
Her favorite song is Chairman Mao
is Like the Sun.
She remembers how the remote
village was liberated and lifted out
of poverty under the leadership of
the Communist Party of China, so
she has a sincere admiration for
Beijing as the capital city.
One day, several guests from Beijing came to her home, and she
couldn’t help but sing famous revolutionary songs such as The East Is
Red and Unity is Strength.
Moved by the senior’s pleasant
voice, Sun Yutong and the other
guests said they felt her pure devotion to the CPC in her songs. After
hearing He Cuiying’s stories, many
of them were moved to tears.
He Huizhong, He Cuiying’s husband, was a devout believer in
Tibetan Buddhism. After having
five children with He Cuiying, he
discussed with her his desire to
realize his ideal of spreading Tibetan Buddhist culture by rebuilding a
ruined temple dedicated to a monk
named Bodhidharma on the mountain near their home.
He Cuiying wholeheartedly supported him, and did not object
buy vegetables anytime, anywhere,
we have turned these old objects
into vases and placed them in the
homestay. There are many such
items here.”
Left: He Cuiying (left) and her granddaughter, He Qingmei, chant Tibetan Buddhist prayers in Qibie village, Yunnan province. Right:
Residents of Qibie perform a traditional local dance to welcome guests. PHOTOS BY YAN DONGJIE / CHINA DAILY
Multiethnic village offers
template for rural tourism
Homestays and a wide range of cultural artifacts are providing better lives for
residents of an isolated settlement in Southwest China. Yan Dongjie reports.
Left: Qibie lies at an altitude of 3,000 meters in a mountainous part of the province. Right: He Qingmei
(center) talks with a couple of customers at her homestay in the village.
Sichuan
Qibie
Guizhou
Yunnan
CHINA DAILY
when he decided to move into the
temple and live there permanently.
In the decades that followed, He
Huizhong invested all his savings
and energy in rebuilding the ruined
temple.
Starting by moving one stone up
the mountain at a time, he eventually completed the reconstruction,
providing a pilgrimage site for
Tibetan Buddhists within a radius
of several hundred miles.
He Qingmei said: “Like other
devout Tibetan Buddhists, my
grandmother used to make a pilgrimage around the mountain
every year before she turned 80.
After chanting a blessing, she
would perform a long ritual. She
would also climb over the mountain between our home and the
temple every year to deliver handmade clothes and food to my
grandfather. I want to make a vid-
eo record of all the songs my
grandmother sings as they are a
precious cultural heritage. Once
my grandmother is gone, there
may not be anyone left to sing
those songs.”
He Cuiying’s homestay is named
“Grandma’s House” because it was
built by He Qingmei and her cousins for their grandmother.
They hope to share the beautiful
scenery and stories of their grandmother’s home with more people
and provide colorful memories for
the senior through the visits of
guests from around the world.
Construction of He Qingmei’s
own homestay started in 2015, and
it was one of the first such units
completed in Qibie. She said she
designed and built the homestay
herself.
The house retains the traditional
Naxi architecture of stone and solid
wood, along with wooden doors
that have a history of more than 100
years.
Combined with comfortable bedding and bathrooms, it achieves a
fusion of traditional ethnic culture
and modern elements.
“In this way, guests can have a different experience and still live comfortably,” He Qingmei said.
Pointing to a jar in her homestay,
she said: “When we were young, we
didn’t have vegetables in the winter, so the elders would use jars like
this to pickle vegetables. Now that
life is more convenient and we can
Higher incomes
June to August is the peak tourist
season in Tacheng every year. Family groups and visitors from all over
the world come one after another,
often overwhelming the homestays
in the town.
During peak season, the price of a
homestay room is generally around
1,000 yuan ($140), but it is lower in
the offseason. He Qingmei said that
over the course of the year, the
homestay brings in about 200,000
yuan in income, which is exceptionally high for local farmers.
He Qingmei is a Communist Party member, and she currently serves
as an organizational secretary in
Tacheng.
She shuttles between villages in
her daily work to talk to people. She
said that the Party branch activities
are rich and diverse, and people of
all ethnic groups are united. There
is a Party emblem on every piece of
clothing she wears, irrespective of
whether it is Tibetan or Naxi attire.
Chen Zhaojiang, deputy secretary of the Tacheng Party Committee, said: “The development of
cultural tourism has made a significant contribution to poverty alleviation in the town. Before the
national poverty alleviation campaign, the per capita annual income
of Qibie village was about 4,000
yuan.
We began to develop homestays
in about 2015. In 2019, Tacheng
achieved comprehensive poverty
alleviation, and now the villagers’
per capita annual income is more
than 10,000 yuan.
“What’s even more special is
many people who left the village to
become migrant workers have been
returning. Many young people from
the mountains went to the cities to
work. Now, we see that the tourism
industry in our hometown is developing well, so those talented individuals who left the village in the
early days have now returned
and helped develop various
industries.”
He added that in addition
to building homestays,
some of the residents have
opened restaurants, established livestock farms and
developed sales of agricultural produce, which has greatly
boosted Tacheng’s economic
development.
In recent years, Tacheng has been
awarded the title of “Advanced Collective in Yunnan Province’s Poverty
Alleviation Campaign”, designated
as “A Town with Ethnic Cultural
Characteristics” and as an “Exemplary Town for National Ethnic Unity” in Yunnan.
It has also been selected as one of
the 100 demonstration towns for
rural vitalization in the province.
Meanwhile, Qibie has been designated as a key national village for
rural tourism.
Contact the writer at
yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn
Online
See more by
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FIRST PERSON
My success means I can help other people
He Yanqun, 33-year-old member
of the Naxi ethnic group in Qibie
village, Tacheng town, Weixi Lishu
autonomous county, Dechen Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Yunnan
province
When I was young, most of my
friends dropped out of school early
and went to work. I didn’t do well
academically, so I went to ShangriLa city in northwestern Yunnan
when I was 13.
I got married and had a child
before I turned 20. I worked as a
cashier and also owned a bar. Later, I saved enough money to buy a
house in Shangri-La and settled
down.
I am a member of the Naxi ethnic group, born in Qibie village,
Tacheng town. Although I divorced
shortly after my child was born, I
felt that I was living a much better
life than other people of the same
age.
But then, life played a joke on
me. In 2015, my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
I took her to seek treatment outside of our village in Weixi Lishu
autonomous county. Even though
the doctors at public hospitals
advised me to give up, how could I
give up on my mother?
I accompanied her through two
major brain surgeries in Yunnan.
During the second surgery, she
spent 25 hours in the operating
room and was then in the ICU for
four months.
My savings ran out, so I learned
how to insert gastric tubes and take
care of patients in the hospital.
Then, I brought my mother back to
the village to recuperate. She was
paralyzed and didn’t recognize me
for two years, but I took care of her
until she passed away just before
Spring Festival this year. She didn’t
even have a bedsore.
In 2017, there was an opportunity to register one household in the
village that faced real difficulties,
which would be called the “poverty
alleviation cardholder”.
At that time, everyone in the village wanted to give me that spot,
and I was deeply moved. Although
there were many people who were
even poorer than me, with children
to educate, the others insisted on
filling out the form for me because
the medical reimbursement for
poverty alleviation cardholders
was more than 90 percent.
In 2019, Tacheng achieved comprehensive poverty alleviation. During those years, the homestays in
Qibie had already started to develop, and the government provided
some support, such as road construction, training, sewage treatment, improvement of the
environment and publicity, thus
encouraging us to start businesses.
Qibie became a model for rural tourism in Yunnan.
I thought that as I needed to take
care of my mother in my hometown,
it would be a good idea to renovate
the old house and open a homestay
to make some money. I asked my
father if I could sell the house in
Shangri-La and start a homestay,
and although he was a little hesitant, he supported my decision.
At the time, we did everything we
could on our own, from the design
work to purchasing materials and
construction.
Slowly, we built the first house.
After that, we didn’t have enough
money to decorate it, so I obtained a
loan of about 1 million yuan
($140,000) from the local rural credit cooperative.
Last year, the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic was beginning to
fade, so many tourists started
arriving. Within a year, we had
paid off a loan of 200,000 yuan and
used the remaining money to
expand by building another house
and courtyard next to it.
Now, my family has a 10-room
homestay. During the summer,
many parents bring their children
here on educational trips. We also
receive inquiries from travel agencies and teams on study tours,
hosting them one group after
another.
Sometimes, when my place is
full, I recommend other nearby
homes to visitors. The homestay
A staff member stands in the courtyard of He Yanqun’s homestay in
Qibie village, Dechen Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Yunnan
province. YAN DONGJIE / CHINA DAILY
owners in our village are in a group
where we help each other, share
experiences and work together to
constantly make our facilities better, from purchasing bedding to
tidying up the rooms and finding
customers.
I always remember the help my
fellow villagers have given me over
the years, so I hope that my current success can help others.
The few employees in my homestay are all from the village. During this year’s summer vacation, I
invited several college students
who had returned home to help
me at the homestay. When it’s time
for them to pay their tuition fees, I
am prepared to help them with the
expense.
He Yanqun spoke with Yan Dongjie.
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
CHINA
A makeup artist applies final touches to a model
before a show.
A foreign model has her lipstick adjusted by a
makeup artist.
Above: Models present various creations at several shows during China Fashion Week in Beijing, which feature new trends for next year’s spring and summer collection.
CHINA FASHION WEEK
STRUTS ITS STUFF
Trends for 2024 Spring Summer
Collection on display during
dazzling 10-day festival
By ZHU XINGXIN
zhuxingxin@chinadaily.com.cn
C
hina Fashion Week 2024
Spring Summer Collection opened in Beijing
on Sept 7. Over the
course of 10 days, it showcased
Models and designers attend the opening ceremony of China Fashion Week 2024 Spring Summer Collection in Beijing on Sept 7.
the latest fashion trends for next
year’s spring and summer seasons.
With the theme of “Joyful and
Brilliant”, more than 130 fashion
events were held.
Over 120 domestic and international brands and 260 designers participated in the festival,
covering various categories such
as menswear, womenswear,
evening gowns, sportswear, chil-
dren’s clothing, virtual fashion,
and trendy hairstyles. The event
aimed to promote the development of Chinese brands and
designs and showcase the diverse
and emerging ecosystem of the
Chinese fashion industry to the
global community.
With a history of 26 years, China Fashion Week stands as the
country’s only national-level
fashion festival. It has helped
drive the development of China’s
garment industry and served as a
bridge between designers and
the market, along the way promoting the high-quality development of China’s textile and
apparel industry.
PHOTOS BY ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY
A model presents a dress creation at a
fashion show.
A model walks through a circle of light
during a fashion week show.
Two models present street fashion creations from the Jeanswest company.
7
8
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
COMMENT
Editorials
Upbeat high-level talks give further boost
to relations that should not be squandered
S
ending a fresh signal that efforts continue
to be made to stabilize the world’s most
important nation-to-nation ties, Chinese
Foreign Minister Wang Yi had talks with
United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Malta over the weekend.
Both sides have subsequently struck an upbeat
tone, with their discussions described as candid,
substantive and constructive.
Strategic communication has emerged as a key
word to define the latest high-level contact between
the two sides. Apart from agreeing to maintain highlevel exchanges, the two countries also pledged to
hold consultations on Asia-Pacific affairs, maritime
affairs as well as their respective foreign policies.
The discussions have helped to cultivate the
right atmosphere for contact at the highest level in
the near future, with a face-to-face meeting
between the leaders of the two countries having
been mooted for the APEC gathering in San Francisco in November.
The talks between Wang and Sullivan are the latest in a series of high-profile exchanges of views
between the two sides, indicating that Beijing and
Washington are seeking to restore the channels of
communication to better manage their differences
and make sure the relationship does not spiral out
of control into conflict.
The US bid to suppress China on the economic
and technological fronts and its frequent provocations over the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue have fueled concerns and speculation
that the two countries were inexorably heading
toward a conflict.
Political wisdom is needed to put a check on the
ever-worsening bilateral ties and steer them on a
safer course. This is particularly true of the US, as it
is always the one creating trouble.
In his talks with Sullivan, Wang emphasized the
Taiwan question is “the first redline”, meaning the
US side should fully understand the sensitivity and
gravity of the Taiwan question and realize that
touching this redline will have consequences.
Wang also told Sullivan that China’s development
has strong endogenous driving force and follows
inevitable historical logic and it cannot be stopped.
“The Chinese people cannot be deprived of their
legitimate right to development,” he said. In fact,
Washington’s containment policies only serve to
consolidate China’s resolve to achieve self-reliance.
With the cooperation and participation of the
two countries necessary to address the many global challenges plaguing the world, the time is ripe
for a detente between Washington and Beijing. But
whether the good momentum that has been fostered toward realizing that can be maintained ultimately depends on whether the US can match its
words with deeds.
No delay brooked on action to realize the SDGs
I
n 2015, the United Nations member states
adopted the Sustainable Development Goals,
17 wide-ranging development targets that are
supposed to be achieved by 2030.
Yet at the midpoint of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the world is “woefully off
track” to achieve the SDGs, as progress has been
slow and, in some cases, things are even worse now
than they were eight years ago. The UN has already
admitted the development goals “are in peril”.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the
world has returned to levels of hunger not seen
since 2005. And at the current rate, 575 million
people will still be living in extreme poverty in
2030. Moreover, more than 2 billion people still
do not have access to drinking water, while 1.1 billion urban residents are still living in slums.
Other development goals, such as ensuring quality education for all children, achieving gender
equality, and the environmental targets, are also
not going to be achieved at the current rates of
progress.
The dire situation in the developing world
prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
to lament at the Summit of the Group of 77 and
China, held in Cuba last week, that “the world is
failing developing countries”. He called for a “fairer
future” for the Global South.
The two-day SDG Summit, which opened on
Monday under the auspices of the UN General
Assembly, offers a good opportunity for world leaders to give fresh impetus to efforts to realize the
development goals.
It is imperative that all countries set aside their
differences and work together to seek a “global rescue plan” for the SDGs because such goals are
“about righting historic wrongs, healing global
divisions and putting our world on a path to lasting
peace”, as Guterrres said.
World leaders must make the best use of the UN
meeting to make meaningful commitments that
can be followed up with concrete and faster
actions. They must focus on such key issues as
development finance, the climate crisis and building a more just and equitable global governance
system, rather than let rising geopolitical tensions
hijack the summit. China, as the world’s largest
developing country and a leading advocate for the
Global South, will play its due part in seeking to
ensure that no country is left behind in the push to
realize sustainable development.
Based on the three pillars of people and prosperity, the planet, and partnerships, China is doing
everything possible to make the country a best-inclass exemplar in pursuit of the SDGs.
As part of its efforts, China has put forward the
Global Development Initiative in a bid to encourage the input of greater resources into global
development collaboration and provide a road
map to accelerate progress to attain the SDGs
while leaving no country and no one behind. The
country will continue to seek to realize the full
potential of its own role and contribution through
expanding and strengthening its international
engagements.
Asia-Pacific has no more space for militarization
A
ccording to the online edition of Stars
and Stripes, the US military is planning
to establish a subordinate command in
Japan for its Space Force as part of its
efforts to enhance cooperation with allied countries in the domain of space.
The US Space Force and Japan’s Air Self-Defense
Force held their first-ever space domain discussions at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in July, and activities in Japan have reportedly already begun with a
small team.
The US Space Force established its first subordinate command in the Far East in the Republic of
Korea in December at Osan Air Base, one month
after it activated its “Indo-Pacific” Space Forces
field command at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
in Hawaii.
The purpose of founding the Osan command was
to coordinate “space operations and services such
as missile warning, position navigation and timing,
and satellite communications within the region”,
US Forces Korea said at the opening ceremony.
There has been no such beating around the bush
in relation to the command post in Japan, which is
aimed at strengthening cooperation between
Japan and the US in response to China’s “military
use” of space and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and
missiles.
The news comes hard on the heels of the US-Ja-
pan-ROK summit at Camp David on Aug 18, in
which the leaders of the three countries agreed to
“enhance trilateral dialogue on space security
cooperation”.
The provocative and aggressive nature of these
moves is self-evident. The command post of the US
Space Force in Japan will not only provide the necessary infrastructure for the US to upgrade its combat capacity to a new level in the region, but also
give Japan easy access to align its Self-Defense Forces with the cutting-edge front of space warfare in
a short time.
This represents a further expansion of the US’
military alliance network into the space domain
and another move by the US to accelerate its militarization of the Asia-Pacific.
Over the past one year, it has agreed to build
nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, opened
several new military bases in the Philippines and
provided large amounts of weapons to its regional
allies.
While China is making utmost efforts to stabilize
the situation in the region and maintain peace and
stability through talks and consultations, the US
has never stopped pouring oil on fire on various
regional issues by sowing the seeds of discord, cultivating proxies and muddying the waters to hijack
the security and development of the region.
The latest move shows the US is continuing its
efforts to ramp up the arms race in the region.
CHINA DAILY WORLDWIDE
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Song Chen
Opinion Line
US allies lack motivation to scale
back their trade ties with China
Most member states of the IndoPacific Economic Framework for
Prosperity have seen their trade
dependence on China increasing in
the past decade despite the United
States’ efforts to reduce its allies’
dependence on China. According to
the Yonhap News Agency, this is
what the Peterson Institute for
International Economics’ recently
released report says.
The PIIE report says China
accounted for an average of more
than 30 percent of IPEF member
countries’ imports, and the exports
to China accounted for about 20
percent of their total exports, 40
percent and 45 percent higher than
2010 respectively. Except for Brunei, China is now the largest source
of imports for all IPEF members
and the largest export destination
for half of them.
The US announced the launch of
the IPEF on May 23 last year to
replace the Comprehensive and
Progressive Agreement for Trans-
Pacific Partnership, and the 14 original IPEF members account for 40
percent of global GDP. US Trade
Representative Katherine Tai had
earlier said that the IPEF was
formed to counter China’s influence
in the region.
On May 27, the US announced
that the 14 members had “substantially completed” negotiations on
an agreement to improve supply
chain resilience and security. The
agreement is expected to deepen
US economic cooperation with
“Indo-Pacific” partners, help US
companies do business in the
region, and increase the US’ global
competitiveness.
However, an opinion piece in the
Financial Times on June 8 said that
IPEF countries lack the motivation
to advance it due to the lack of substantial new access to the US market or other trade privileges, and
the IPEF is incapable of countering
China’s geo-economic influence in
other meaningful ways.
Excluding China as the world factory, the IPEF exposes a self-evident
intention to split the Asia-Pacific
region and cut off economic and
trade ties between China and
regional countries. The Asia-Pacific
region has benefited from its pursuit of openness, cooperation and
mutual benefit; any regional cooperation framework in the region
should thus be open and inclusive,
rather than discriminatory, exclusive or protectionist.
The US’ attempt to politicize
economic and trade issues and
coerce some countries to restrict
exports to China will only seriously impact the stability of global
production and supply chains. All
parties should oppose the economic coercion and bullying of
the US, jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system, and
ensure the stability and smooth
flow of global production and supply chains.
— GUANCHA.CN
No rash conclusion about ‘humiliating’ image
The pigtail, or a single plait at the
back of a male’s head, is a humiliating reminder of a difficult chapter
in Chinese history.
Shunzhi, an emperor of the Manchu-dominated Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911), ordered all Han men to
shave their heads and sport a pigtail in submission. Barbers and executioners were stationed along the
streets and those refusing to shave
their heads were beheaded on the
spot.
While the pigtail is anathema for
a Han, one should understand that
in many cultures it is natural for
men to sport pigtails on their
heads. It is just a style and those
sporting it mean no offense to any
other culture.
That is why one should be cautious before blaming Apple Inc for
the promo of a yellow-colored person with a pigtail sporting an
Apple Watch on its official website. The brand never referred to
that person as being a Chinese
person.
Nor did Apple post the image on
the websites that cater solely to
China, meaning it had no intention
of linking the pigtail with China.
There is no reason for any Chinese
to feel victimized because of the
image.
Instead, one should think from
the perspective of the person in the
image. Some unconfirmed reports
said he is an indigenous person
who habitually sports the plait.
Should he then forfeit the chance
of featuring on Apple’s official website because of some groundless
suspicion?
On the other hand, Chinese people’s patriotism is understandable
but it should not be demonized into
a force that sweeps through the cultural sector.
In the past, Chinese people have
pulled up brands for unfriendly
content, such as squinting eyes or
ugly makeup on models sporting
ancient Chinese elements. Even
this time, while some unreasonable voices blamed the person with
the pigtail and Apple, there were
many clear minds who stopped
them.
— ZHANG ZHOUXIANG, CHINA DAILY
What They Say
Working together for the common good of the region
The ongoing 20th China-ASEAN
Expo and China-ASEAN Business
and Investment Summit held from
Saturday to Tuesday in Nanning,
capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, are witnesses to the
great achievements the two sides
have made in seeking common
development over the past two decades. They are also windows showcasing the huge potential of their
future cooperation.
China-ASEAN trade grew by 16.8
times over the past 20 years, and
they have been each other’s largest
trade partner for three years running.
Twenty years ago, long before the
United States realized the important role the Association of Southeast Asian Nations can play in
regional affairs, China, as ASEAN’s
dialogue partner, became the first
country to join the Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation in Southeast Asia,
and together with ASEAN established a strategic partnership for
peace and prosperity.
As Premier Li Qiang pointed out
in his address at the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN
Expo, the two sides have upheld the
common good of the world, jointly
tackled global challenges, and fostered a steady stream of cooperation highlights in poverty
reduction, climate action, environmental protection and the green
energy transition. The ChinaASEAN relationship has grown into
the most successful and vibrant
model for cooperation in the AsiaPacific.
Unlike Washington, which tries
to turn the ASEAN countries into
pawns in its geopolitical games,
while claiming it respects ASEAN’s
centrality in regional affairs, China
always regards the ASEAN member
states as good neighbors and relia-
ble partners, and has never targeted any third party in the process of
advancing China-ASEAN relations.
China and ASEAN should
strengthen their efforts to build a
peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable region
that will bring more tangible benefits to all peoples in the region.
Nearly 2,000 enterprises are participating in the China-ASEAN
Expo this year, up 18.2 percent from
the previous expo.
The complementarity of the Chinese and ASEAN economies, and
their time-honored friendly
exchanges and deep cultural bonds
are sources of vitality for ChinaASEAN cooperative relations. With
their cooperation now focused on
green and low-carbon development
and the digital economy, the prospects are bright for the sustainable
development of the region.
— LI YANG, CHINA DAILY
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
9
VIEWS
Shi Zhongjun
Move forward with ASEAN amid challenges
T
he world is encountering changes
unseen in a century, and once
again stands at a historical crossroad. On the one hand, the new
round of technological revolution and
industrial transformation is gaining
momentum, and the aspiration for win-win
cooperation among the economies has
grown even stronger. On the other
hand, the international and regional landscapes are undergoing
profound transformation, with
instability and uncertainties,
to some extent, on the rise.
The concerns over power
shift have led to growing
geopolitical tensions.
Global governance sustains risks of fragmentation and bloc
confrontation. The
Ukraine crisis is still
dragging on, severely
affecting global security
in energy, food and supply
chains. The aftermath of the
once-in-a-century pandemic continues to create difficulties for a world struggling for a speedy and steady post-pandemic
recovery. Not to mention challenges in other
significant areas such as addressing climate
change, narrowing the digital divide and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.
What shall we do facing such a changing
and challenging world? How can we navigate through the uncertain waters safe and
sound? I believe ASEAN and the related
cooperation mechanisms are something
worth exploring and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations definitely has
more to expect and offer.
A most dynamic region
in post-pandemic era
Despite the complexities in the international situation, ASEAN has successfully
managed to maintain peace and stability in
the region, sustain the good momentum of
growth, and make remarkable economic
and social achievements. Now ASEAN
stands out as one of the most dynamic
regions in the world, leading the post-pandemic recovery of the global economy.
Despite the impact of COVID-19, the GDP
growth rate of ASEAN in 2022 was 5.2 percent, one of the highest among all the main
economies and economic groupings. In its
latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund has upgraded its
growth projections for five ASEAN member
countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand — to 4.6 percent for this year, which is 0.6 percent
higher than average emerging market and
developing economies and 3.1 percent higher than average advanced economies.
In spite of the rise of unilateralism and
protectionism in some parts of the world,
the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership has entered into full force for
all its 15 signatory states, which will bring
more dividends to the peoples in the region.
Notwithstanding the complexities in the
international situation, the ASEAN-led
cooperation mechanisms in East Asia have
registered a good momentum of growth,
yielding dividends of cooperation to our
peoples. As the theme of ASEAN’s chairmanship this year “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” goes, ASEAN has been and
is playing an important role in both regional and international affairs. And this role is
surely to become more important in the
years to come.
The success of ASEAN lies in its right
choice of progress over regression, cooperation over confrontation, and openness over
isolation. The success of ASEAN also lies in
its adherence to solidarity and independence, in its cherishing of peace and develop-
LI MIN / CHINA DAILY
ment, in its respect for cultures and traditions of various members, and in its drawing on wisdom of Asian civilizations. The
“ASEAN Way” has been known to us for
quite a long time, underpinned by such key
principles as mutual respect, consensusbuilding and accommodating the comfort
levels of all parties, which lays a solid foundation for lasting peace and development in
the region. This is really what needs to and
should be carried forward and further promoted.
Ties with China contribute
to success of ASEAN
The success of ASEAN also lies in its
establishment of a multi-tiered and effectively-managed architecture of regional
cooperation together with its dialogue partners, among which ASEAN-China relations
have long been one of the most vibrant and
productive ties. Two decades ago, China
acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, making it the first
among major countries to join the treaty.
Two decades later, it is more than gratifying to see that ASEAN and China are trying
their best to build on a comprehensive strategic partnership which is well poised to
benefit us all and the parties beyond. The
past years witnessed ASEAN-China cooperation yielding gratifying outcomes in various areas. Both sides have become each
other’s largest trading partner, with trade
volume in 2022 almost topping $1 trillion,
up 11.2 percent year-on-year and more than
double the volume a decade ago. China is
also one of the largest sources of foreign
direct investment in ASEAN.
By the end of July this year, cumulative
two-way investment had surpassed $380
billion, with China setting up more than
6,500 enterprises with direct investment in
ASEAN member states. Against the backdrop of a bleak global economic rebound,
Asia, especially East and Southeast Asia,
has become bright spots. We have every reason to make this spot even brighter.
China firmly supports ASEAN community-building and ASEAN centrality in the
regional cooperation architecture. Early
this month, a series of leaders’ meetings on
It is hoped that the ASEAN
member states and China
will make the most of the
opportunities created by the
aforesaid important events
so as to open up new vistas
for ASEAN-China friendly
relations and mutually
beneficial cooperation.
East Asia Cooperation were held in Jakarta.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the
26th ASEAN-China Summit, the 26th
ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th
East Asia Summit, and reaffirmed that China is ready to continue working with
ASEAN member states to stay true to the
original aspiration of unity and self-improvement, uphold the spirit of win-win
cooperation, work together to meet challenges, so as to build a common home of peace,
tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendship, and ensure East Asia continuously
serves as an important engine for global
development, adding strong impetus to
continued advancement of ASEAN-China
comprehensive strategic partnership.
Way forward with
the ACC’s efforts
The ASEAN-China Centre was co-founded by the 10 ASEAN members and China in
2011. It is a milestone in the history of
ASEAN-China relations. During the past 12
years, the ASEAN-China Centre has been
working as a bridge and driving force to tap
into the potential, secure opportunities and
implement concrete projects of cooperation
in such areas as trade, investment, education, culture, tourism and media between
the ASEAN members states and China,
boosting the growth of ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership, and helping nurture better understanding between
the peoples on both sides.
In face of new opportunities and challenges ahead, it is the ASEAN-China Centre’s
commitment to keep ASEAN-China relations and cooperation at the forefront of the
times, and join hands with its partners and
stakeholders to make this region an epitome of development and a promising land
for cooperation. For that, the two sides
should focus on the following four aspects.
First, they should continue to strengthen
strategic dialogue and mutual trust. Just as
Premier Li has said at the 26th ASEAN-China Summit, sincerity is the key that opens
the heart, and trust is the bridge that connects the minds. As good neighbors, brothers and partners that cannot be separated,
ASEAN and China have shared goals and
responsibilities in maintaining peace, security and prosperity in the region.
The two sides should take measures to
deepen political mutual trust, strengthen
policy coordination in regional and world
affairs, support the centrality and leadership of ASEAN in regional affairs, and promote the further development of the
ASEAN-led regional cooperation mechanisms. In this respect, the ASEAN-China
Centre will continue to play a key role as a
facilitator and contributor in addressing
concerns of both sides and advancing cooperation, and build more branded platforms
of dialogue and communication, such as the
ASEAN-China Week and the ASEAN-China
Centre Roundtable Series.
Second, they should continue to deepen
economic integration. Economic and trade
cooperation has always been the ballast of
ASEAN-China relations, and promoting
economic recovery still remains the top priority for regional countries.
Both sides should continue to synergize
development policies, promote mutually
beneficial cooperation between the Belt and
Road Initiative and the “ASEAN Outlook on
the Indo-Pacific”, take full advantage of the
high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,
and work on the early conclusion of the
negotiation of the ASEAN-China Free Trade
Agreement 3.0 and the potential shaping of
the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area. The
ASEAN-China Centre will continue to
advance the aforesaid key areas of cooperation, and organize more activities to pro-
mote trade and investment policies of the
ASEAN member states and China by cooperating with the ASEAN member states’
embassies, government departments, business associations and think tanks.
Third, they should continue to pursue
innovation-driven growth. Emerging industries are indispensable to high-quality
cooperation between ASEAN and China and high-quality and sustainable
development in an era of innovation when the digital economy,
artificial intelligence, cloud
computing, quantum technology, as well as green technologies are developing at an
incredible speed.
Early this month in
Jakarta, our leaders
released the Joint Initiative on Advancing the
China-ASEAN Science, Technology and
Innovation Enhancing
Program at the 26th ASEANChina Summit. The ASEAN-China Centre will make more efforts to
expand our endeavors in such fields as
science, technology and innovation so that
the ASEAN member states and China could
seize the opportunities of transformation
and foster new growth drivers.
Last but not least, they should continue
to garner strength from public support.
Amity among our peoples holds the key to
sound state-to-state relations. With 2024
being designated the ASEAN-China Year of
People-to-People Exchanges, more efforts
should be made to continue deepening
exchanges and cooperation in the fields of
tourism, education, culture, sports, and
among the media, academia and youth.
In this respect, the ASEAN-China Centre
will make the most of the advantages of networking in facilitating lectures, training
programs, workshops and exchanges in
education, culture and tourism, stay connected with the media and carry out more
public relations activities to further raise
public awareness about ASEAN-China relations.
The success of this region is not something to be taken for granted, but it should
be earnestly cherished and actively promoted, especially amid the profound transformation that we are witnessing and living
through. Soon we will see both ASEAN and
China taking part in a series of major
events, including the 19th Asian Games and
the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in addition to the 20th
China-ASEAN Expo which was opened last
weekend.
It is hoped that the ASEAN member
states and China will make the most of the
opportunities created by the aforesaid
important events so as to open up new vistas for ASEAN-China friendly relations and
mutually beneficial cooperation.
Divided, we fail;
united, we prevail
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said
at the 26th ASEAN-China Summit, “The
world’s oceans are too wide to be sailed
alone”, and he told Premier Li on the same
occasion that “One needs good companions
to travel with and good neighbors to live
with”.
Looking ahead, we must answer the call of
the present time and garner strength to strive
for win-win cooperation. ASEAN and China
should always bear in mind that, on a journey seeking common development and prosperity, divided, we fail, united, we prevail.
The author is secretary general of the
ASEAN-China Centre.
The views don’t necessarily reflect those of
China Daily.
It’s time normal rail system ‘caught up’ with high-speed railway
Kang Bing
The author is former deputy editor-in-chief
of China Daily.
kangbing@chinadaily.com.cn
C
hina is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the introduction of highspeed trains this year. The BeijingTianjin high-speed intercity
railway started operation on Aug 1, 2008, a
week before the opening of the Beijing
2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Many, including my family, rushed to
experience the joy of travelling on a highspeed train which covered the distance of
160 kilometers from Beijing to Tianjin in
half an hour. However, few people at the
time could foresee that high-speed trains
would become a significant means of travel
for the common Chinese people.
Statistics show that by the end of last
year, China had 42,000 km of high-speed
railway, which cover more than 90 percent
of the cities with a population of more than
500,000. Despite complaining about the
high train fare — about half a yuan for 1 km
and double the fare for normal trains —
many still dig deep into their pockets to buy
tickets for high-speed trains.
In fact, high-speed trains have become a
top travel choice for Chinese people travelling to any city or town that is more than 300
km away on business or for other purposes.
After a new-generation high-speed train,
Fuxing, was pressed into service in 2017, the
authorities raised the speed limit to 350 km
an hour. Such is the popularity of highspeed trains now that airlines are offering
unbelievable bargains to passengers —
sometimes the airfare is lower than the
A railway network, if wellcoordinated between highspeed and non-high-speed
trains, should increase the
efficiency, affordability and
profitability of trains.
price of a high-speed train ticket for the
same destination. But considering the long
distances from residential areas in cities to
the airport, early arrival requirements for
flights and possible flight delays/cancellations, nowadays many people don’t even
bother to check flights before booking a
high-speed train ticket.
Given the huge amounts of money
invested to build and run high-speed trains,
railway operators will have to wait for a
long time to get profitable returns. Only a
handful of high-speed lines are said to be
profitable, with the Beijing-Tianjin intercity
railway being one such line.
The fact that the railway is financed and
operated by State-owned enterprises has
made it possible for China to expand its
high-speed train network, the largest in the
world, to serve the people despite not making profit. Tianjin’s Wuqing district, for
example, is a beneficiary of the intercity
high-speed railway. Several shopping districts that have cropped up near the station
attract as many as 10,000 visitors a day who
travel from Beijing and Tianjin or vice-versa by high-speed trains. As a result,
Wuqing’s GDP has increased fivefold over
the years.
So before calling the high-speed railways
a money-losing project, one should remember that the benefits it has brought and will
bring to the country in the future will be
many times the trillions of yuan invested in
it over the past 15 years.
The central authorities are encouraging
neighboring provinces and cities to inte-
grate their economies, as well as their education, research and social welfare mechanisms, so as to make their development
more efficient and inclusive. Without highspeed railways, such integration cannot be
realized.
China’s high-speed railway has been
expanding at an average of 3,000 km a year.
This year, the authorities are likely to add
another 3,000 km of new rail tracks,
though only 2,500 km will be for highspeed trains.
Does that suggest slowing down of highspeed rail development? Maybe. Having
enjoyed fast-paced growth over the past 15
years, I think it’s time China sorted things
out by focusing attention on improving the
existing 110,000-km-long normal rail tracks
— with trains running at 100 to 200 km an
hour on most of the routes.
A railway network, if well-coordinated
between high-speed and non-high-speed
trains, should increase the efficiency,
affordability and profitability of trains.
10
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
WORLD
Remarks by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the
opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo
Editor’s note: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday addressed the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous
region. The following is the full text of the speech:
Leaders of ASEAN Countries,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
Good morning! It’s a great pleasure
to join you in the beautiful “Green
City” Nanning for the 20th ChinaASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and ChinaASEAN Business and Investment
Summit (CABIS). Many present today
attended the 26th China-ASEAN
Summit in Jakarta ten days ago, and
now we are meeting again in Nanning. This speaks volumes about the
intensity and depth of the exchanges
and cooperation between China and
ASEAN. At the outset, on behalf of the
Chinese government, I wish to extend
warm congratulations on the opening
of CAEXPO and CABIS, and a hearty
welcome to the leaders and guests
attending the event.
Over the course of 20 years, CAEXPO and CABIS have borne witness to
the sustained growth of ChinaASEAN relations. Twenty years ago, as
ASEAN’s dialogue partner, China was
the first country to join the Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation in Southeast
Asia (TAC), and together with ASEAN
established a strategic partnership for
peace and prosperity. Ten years ago,
President Xi Jinping delivered an
important speech at the Indonesian
parliament, during which he proposed that China and ASEAN countries build a 21st Century Maritime
Silk Road and foster a closer ChinaASEAN community with a shared
future. His proposal received positive
response from ASEAN countries and
opened a new chapter of friendship
and cooperation between the two
sides. Two years ago, at the Special
Summit to Commemorate the 30th
Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, President Xi Jinping
proposed that China and ASEAN
build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home,
and together with leaders of ASEAN
countries, mapped out a new blueprint for the future of China-ASEAN
cooperation and development.
Over the years, we have upheld
unity for strength. Keeping firm to
the path of peaceful development, we
have preserved regional peace and
tranquility in a world fraught with
turbulence and change, and jointly
created the miracle of economic takeoff. Our combined GDP as a share of
the global total surged from 6.1 percent in 2002 to 21.5 percent last year,
and our 2 billion-plus people are significantly better off. We have upheld
win-win cooperation, made breakthroughs in connectivity, and steadily
advanced regional economic integration and economic and trade cooperation. Trade and investment between
the two sides has grown despite a
weak global economy. Our trade grew
by 16.8 times over the past 20 years,
and we have been each other’s largest
trading partners for three years running. Two-way cumulative investment has surpassed $380 billion. We
have upheld the common good of the
world, jointly tackled global challenges, and fostered a steady stream of
cooperation highlights in poverty
reduction, climate action, environmental protection and energy transition. The China-ASEAN relationship
has grown into the most successful
and vibrant model for cooperation in
the Asia-Pacific, and is a vivid illustration of building a community with a
shared future for mankind.
Looking back, we have every reason to be proud of these achievements, and feel keenly about the trials
and tribulations along the way. Looking ahead, we are full of confidence
and hope, but not without concerns
and worries. We, in this turbulent and
complex world, are faced with many
difficult issues and challenges that
require a collective response. Against
the backdrop of unprecedented global transformation, we must size up
the situation and adapt to the overall
trend. More importantly, we need to
bear in mind the essential principles
that remain constant despite the myriad of changes in the world, and the
overarching vision that guides us to
where we are today. The sound relations between China and ASEAN we
enjoy today are the hard-won result
achieved through our yearslong concerted efforts. In my view, the essential principle and vision that made
this feat possible are the insightful
proposition of amity, sincerity, mutual
benefit and inclusiveness put forth by
President Xi Jinping. As a fundamental guideline of China’s neighborhood
diplomacy, these four words represent the right approach to build
friendly ties with neighbors and hold
the key to our shared endeavor for a
brighter future. We need to make
greater efforts to practice the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit
and inclusiveness, foster an environment conducive to development,
prosperity, peace and tranquility, and
bring more benefits to neighboring
countries and people in the region
through our own development.
First, for greater amity, we need
to further strengthen our affinity.
Connected by mountains, waters and
similar cultures, China and ASEAN
countries have enjoyed a profound
friendship since ancient times. Closer
interaction brings greater amity to relatives and friends alike. We should fully harness the various exchange
platforms to facilitate regular and candid exchanges, narrow differences
and build consensus through
enhanced dialogue, and cement the
emotional bond for our common
development. China will work with
ASEAN to take the China-ASEAN Year
of People-to-People Exchanges in 2024
as an opportunity to expand cooperation in culture, tourism, training and
among the youth, in order to promote
greater understanding and amity
between our peoples. We will also
make good use of CAEXPO, the China
International Import Expo (CIIE), the
Canton Fair, the China International
Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) and
the China International Consumer
Products Expo (CICPE), among others, to provide businesses from both
sides with a longstanding platform for
exchange and cooperation.
Second, for greater sincerity,
we need to cement the foundation
of trust. As ancient Chinese wisdom
cautions, a person without credibility
can’t establish himself in society, and a
country without credibility will surely
decline. In a world fraught with instability, uncertainty and unforeseeable
factors, credibility and good faith have
become all the more precious. For economic and trade cooperation, nothing
is more important than being honest
to each other and setting up fair, consistent, transparent and predictable
market rules and policies. China
believes in treating others with sincerity and integrity, and has followed this
way in its relations with ASEAN countries. We hope to work with ASEAN
countries to advance all-round cooperation with good faith, and deliver on
our agreed cooperation programs by
taking concrete actions. I wish to reiterate that China will remain committed to its fundamental state policy of
opening-up, deepen institutional
opening-up in rules, regulations,
management and standards, and step
up the protection of intellectual prop-
erty rights. China will make every
effort to protect and promote fair
competition, and create an enabling
business environment that provides a
safe, secure and pleasant experience
to investors from all countries.
Third, for greater mutual benefit, we need to strengthen the
bonds of common interests. China
and ASEAN provide each other with
important development opportunities. We share extensive common
interests in terms of accessing megasized markets, tapping economic
complementarity and efficiently allocating resources. To achieve greater
development, it is imperative that we
cooperate under the principle of
mutual benefit, forge an even closer
network of common interests, and
bring integration of interests to a
higher level. China will continue to
import more specialty products from
ASEAN countries, and scale up trade
in intermediate goods with ASEAN.
We need to fully leverage the New
International Land-Sea Trade Corridor to upgrade regional connectivity.
We need to develop various types of
demonstration parks of cooperation,
expand cooperation in emerging areas such as green and low-carbon
development and the digital economy, and build a more stable and
smooth regional industrial and supply chain system based on comparative strengths, to consolidate and
raise the overall competitiveness of
our region.
Fourth, for greater inclusiveness, we need to embrace a more
open mind. Both China and ASEAN
countries have diverse cultures and
ethnicities. Our millennial-long interactions have nurtured our common
DNA of openness and inclusiveness.
Over past decades, our region has
enjoyed rapid growth in the course of
integration. This is made possible by
our shared commitment to promoting cooperation and mutual benefit
through openness and inclusiveness.
The Asia-Pacific is big enough for all
countries to develop together. As the
global recovery remains rocky and
growth across countries is under
strain, it is all the more important for
us to uphold openness and inclusiveness and strengthen solidarity and
coordination. China will continue to
firmly support the ASEAN-centered
regional cooperation architecture,
better synergize the Belt and Road
Initiative with the development strategies of other countries, and help
ASEAN countries realize their development goals. China will work with
ASEAN countries to advance regional
economic integration, ensure good
progress in the implementation of
the RCEP, and accelerate negotiations on the China-ASEAN Free Trade
Agreement 3.0, to further liberalize
and facilitate trade and investment.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
Thanks to our collective efforts in
the past 20 years, CAEXPO and
CABIS have grown into an important
platform for regional integration, and
produced fruitful results. From this
new starting point, we must continue
developing and making good use of
the platform to reinforce exchanges,
strengthen friendship, create more
business opportunities and share
greater benefits. Let us work together
to build a closer community with a
shared future and usher in a more
prosperous and brighter future.
To conclude, I wish the event a full
success.
Thank you.
XINHUA
High-tech zone spurs investment and trade for business partners
By YUAN SHENGGAO
The Xiamen Torch Development
Zone for High Technology Industries in East China’s Fujian province
has emerged as a major source of
investment and trade for its business partners following the 23rd
China International Fair for Investment and Trade, or CIFIT.
The international investment
promotion event, which took place
from Sept 8-11 in Xiamen, Fujian
province, saw 23 major projects
signed in the zone. With a total
investment value of 12.8 billion
yuan ($1.8 billion), they cover key
industries in the zone, including
new energy, software and information services, semiconductors and
integrated circuits, electrical appliances and flat panel displays.
Schneider Electric, a Fortune
Global 500 company, is investing in
the zone with a plan to build
Schneider Electric (Xiamen) Industrial Park, where the company will
establish capabilities centers,
research and development centers,
manufacturing centers and supply
chain bases to serve the global market for medium-voltage power.
As a staple of the zone for many
years, Schneider also plans to introduce several new digital product
innovation bases to conduct
research and high-end manufacturing, aiming to become a demonstrative platform for the digital economy
and low-carbon development.
During the fair, the zone signed
an agreement to build a comprehensive service platform based on
animal experiments and clinical
training of medical devices, and to
establish an innovative medical
device industry technology service
platform with “gold bricks countries”, thereby expanding the channel for sharing development
opportunities between China and
emerging markets.
SigmaStar announced it will
establish an intelligent automotive
chip design project in the zone to
help improve the localization rate
of China’s automotive rule perception and computing chips, enhance
the technical level of Xiamen’s intel-
ligent driving chips and fill gaps in
the related industrial chain.
Meanwhile, the zone has also
attracted a number of emerging
enterprises, including Xiang Fu
Xing Technology, a “little giant”
enterprise. According to the current
plan, it will build a polarizer manufacturing production base and the
product will be used in the IT, automotive and medical sectors, mobile
phones, industrial control panels
and other fields.
Industrial parks
Ahead of the opening of the 23rd
CIFIT, Xiamen held an event to
kick-start major projects in the city,
including five in the high-tech zone
with an investment of 6.8 billion
yuan that cover smart power, cloud
computing, new energy, and computer and communication equipment industries. Specific projects
include smart energy high-end
equipment manufacturing project
by Xiamen Kelong Technology, a
torch investment factory building
project, the Yealink intelligent
industrial park and a flat panel display industrial park project.
Xiamen Kelong Technology’s
project is aimed at creating two
business sectors: cloud industry
and energy electronics. The first
phase includes construction of a
cloud industry park, with the entire
project expected to be completed
and put into trial operation by the
end of 2026 before officially opening in 2027.
“Over the years, Kelong has
actively participated in the CIFIT
and expanded its overseas business
partners. Through the fair, our
brand influence overseas has greatly increased,” said Chen Sixiong,
president of Kelong Group. He added that the company’s overseas
market achieved more than 50 percent growth in the first half of 2023
and it will continue to pursue
opportunities and develop overseas
markets via the CIFIT.
The torch investment factory
building project is located in
Xiang’an industrial park in the
zone, with a planned total investment of 270 million yuan. It mainly
Top: CoolShadow Technology
located in the Xiamen Torch
Development Zone for High
Technology Industries
showcases its real-time face
changing technology.
Left: Representative project of
the zone’s Kelong Technology
kicks off the construction.
PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
builds general factory buildings
and supporting facilities and focuses on industries such as computer
and communication equipment,
flat panel displays, electric power
equipment, semiconductors and
integrated circuits.
The Yealink intelligent industrial
park project started construction in
September 2021 with a total floor
area of approximately 218,000
square meters. It integrates
research and development, production, warehousing and living functions, and will undertake the
production and manufacturing of
all company products.
Another highlight is that the
ADVERTORIAL
industrial park has introduced
advanced domestic intelligent
warehousing management systems
and built an intelligent three-dimensional warehouse to achieve
high-density storage, real-time
automatic inventory counting and
intelligent circulation processes,
greatly improving operational efficiency and space utilization.
Technological strength
Representatives of emerging and
high-tech enterprises from the
high-tech zone, including HPRT,
NewSound, RGBlink, CoolShadow
Technology and Amoy Island
Hydrogen Technology, showcased
products at the fair and demonstrated the technological strength
of the zone through physical displays, video introductions, artificial
intelligence and other forms.
As a domestically renowned player in the field of cyber security and
social governance, Meiya Pico
focused on the application of AR
models, blockchain and big data in
cutting-edge policing, future security and legal affairs. The company
set up a thematic scene pavilion and
an industrial ecology pavilion to
provide interactive and immersive
experiences spotlighting cuttingedge technologies and development
trends.
HPRT, which has been deeply
involved in the printing machine
industry for nearly 20 years in the
zone, is becoming a major player in
the innovation of domestic printing
technology. The company has
launched multiple high-tech products and applied them to various
industries, becoming a benchmark
for the development of China’s
printing industry.
Among its featured exhibits was
the iK4 label printer. With a fullmetal body, it supports label-printing with a minimum height of 3
millimeters, using barcode technology to encode components, molds
and electronic products in real time
while realizing tracking of parts
and product information. With
high calibration and printing
adjustments, it provides 600 disposable personal income, or DPI,
printing effects for labels used in
applications such as circuit boards,
chips and miniature components.
CoolShadow Technology, a company located in Xiamen Software
Park, showcased the latest AI technology at the fair, while RGBlink, a
competitive company in the field of
radio and television and professional audiovisuals, exhibited a one-stop
product and solution for professional audiovisuals and live broadcasts,
attracting a lot of attention from the
public and industry professionals.
Guan Xuan, Liu Qing and Li
Shun contributed to this story.
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
11
WORLD
No resolution
seen yet for
UAW strike
Japan draws up
whitewash plan
to salvage image
Misplaced prioritization suggests lack
of confidence over toxic water release
By JIANG XUEQING in Tokyo
jiangxueqing@chinadaily.com.cn
Japan plans to strengthen the
monitoring and analysis of information about the discharge of nuclearcontaminated water from the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant into the ocean and is seeking
extra funding to step up public relations efforts at home and abroad.
The Japanese foreign ministry
intends to include approximately
70 billion yen ($474.21 million) in
its budget request for the next fiscal
year to combat the spread of information it believes to be incorrect
regarding the ocean discharge, Japanese public broadcaster NHK
reported. It also plans to enhance
strategic external communication.
Specifically,
this
includes
expanding monitoring to detect
so-called fake news and strengthening the capacity to disseminate
information that the Japanese government believes to be accurate.
The ministry also plans to utilize
artificial intelligence for information collection and analysis, the
report said.
Before taking the above measures, the Japanese government
devoted a lot of effort in whitewashing its decision to release nuclearcontaminated water into the ocean.
Tokyo has set up a 30-billion-yen
fund with the aim of minimizing
the reputational impact associated
with the ocean discharge. The fund
has been used nationwide to support the expansion of seafood sales
channels, temporary purchase and
storage of seafood, and public relations activities related to the
Fukushima plant’s contaminated
water.
Publicly available information
indicates that the fund has so far
supported 16 public relations projects. The maximum support for
these projects totaled 2.7 billion
yen.
Winning bidders of the projects
include the Yomiuri Shimbun
Group, the Distribution Economics
Institute of Japan, and JR East Marketing & Communications.
“The government should spend
more money finding better ways to
deal with the nuclear-contaminated water, rather than trying to promote the idea that the radioactive
water released into the ocean is
safe,” said Michiko Ueno, 64, a resident of Chiba Prefecture.
Given that various types of radioactive substances remain in the contaminated water, Ueno is concerned
about the safety and health issues
that may arise from the discharge.
She joined a protest in Tokyo on
Sept 6 and urged the government to
spend money to develop methods to
properly remove radioactive substances from the contaminated
water so that it does not have to be
discharged into the sea.
“Discussions in the Japanese
media about alternative solutions
Environmental activists in Seoul pour Japanese beer into a barrel resembling radioactive waste as
they protest against Japan’s nuclear-contaminated water release on Monday. YONHAP
for Fukushima’s contaminated
water are not enough. The government should thoroughly explore
various solutions together with all
stakeholders, including local fishermen,” she said.
Since Japan announced plans to
release the toxic water over two
years ago, the legitimacy, legality,
and safety of the plan have been
continuously questioned by the
international community.
Managing public perception
Japan needs to manage public
perception to address major concerns about the long-term reliability of the filtration system that is
expected to remove multiple radionuclides from the water, the accuracy of data related to the
contaminated water, and the effectiveness of ocean-discharge moni-
toring arrangements, said Chen
Xiang, an associate research fellow
with the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences.
“Japan is aware that with the
release of nuclear-contaminated
water into the sea, there is a likelihood of unpredictable ecological
damage and harm to human
health, necessitating proactive public relations efforts to address these
issues in advance. Therefore, the
public relations expenditure is
aimed at salvaging Japan’s national
image to prevent a collapse of reputation,” Chen said.
Zhang Yulai, vice-president of
the Japan Institute of Nankai University, said: “The Japanese government is allocating a significant
amount of funding toward public
relations instead of addressing
the issue. This misplaced prioritization suggests a lack of confidence in its ocean discharge plan,
as the Japanese government
could have been more transparent by sharing information more
extensively and inviting relevant
organizations for full-process
monitoring.”
Li Ruoyu, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Japanese and
Korean Studies at Sichuan Normal
University, said Japan can hardly
achieve the goal of enhancing the
tolerance of ocean discharge globally with the 70.1-billion-yen budget because the international
community, which has access to
various information, will raise
questions about why the Japanese
government insisted on ocean discharge rather than adopting alternative solutions.
WASHINGTON/DETROIT — The
United Auto Workers’ strike against
three Detroit automakers entered its
third day on Sunday with no immediate resolution on the horizon.
Union negotiators and representatives of General Motors, Ford and
Stellantis resumed talks on Sunday,
following the start of the most ambitious industrial labor action in the
United States in decades. This is the
first time the UAW has gone on
strike against all three automakers
simultaneously.
UAW President Shawn Fain told
MSNBC on Sunday that progress on
the talks has been slow. The UAW
resumed talks with GM on Sunday,
and was expected to do so with Stellantis and Ford on Monday.
Analysts warned that the strike,
though limited for the time being,
may develop into a prolonged one
and a menace to the US economy, as
it could cut production by thousands, push up vehicle prices and
aggravate supply chain disruptions.
The standoff has fed already acrimonious debate in Washington over
President Joe Biden’s economic policies ahead of the 2024 election —
and whether he has done enough to
avert or resolve the auto dispute.
Only less than 10 percent of the
union’s 150,000 workers are currently on strike, but Fain’s comments
pointed to the possibility of a much
broader action, with echoes throughout the economy, Agence FrancePresse commented.
Biden, who has signaled support
for the union’s efforts, has had acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and
adviser Gene Sperling speaking to
the UAW and the automakers during the talks.
In a televised speech, Biden
noted the massive profits made by
automakers in recent years “have
not been shared fairly” with
workers.
AGENCIES VIA XINHUA
M&M’S switch to paper bags as part of sustainability drive
pating in recycling efforts.” Wan said
the sustainable efforts of M&M’S are
winning recognition and support
from young consumers.
“We’re taking action to support
the circular economy through
investment and innovation, working toward a world where packaging material never becomes waste,
but is reused, recycled or composted,” Wan noted.
By CHEN HONG
chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn
Young Chinese consumers have
an increasing awareness of sustainable lifestyles and demonstrate
strong desires to enjoy fun and fashion trends when practicing it,
according to a survey conducted by
M&M’S.
Their enthusiasm has been
sparked by M&M’S, the chocolate
brand of Mars Wrigley that has been
popular around the world for 80
years, in a recent nationwide campaign that incorporated a sustainable concept with fun and artistic
activities.
Under the theme of sustainability,
M&M’S advocates fun, diversity and
participation, making it possible for
every young person to become a
“Sustainability Idol”, said Wan Jinling, marketing vice-president of
Mars Wrigley China.
“We aim to provide consumers
with deliciousness and happiness
while promoting packaging that is
more conducive to circularity, ultimately contributing to building a
more sustainable and better tomorrow for our planet,” she said.
M&M’S, working with a large
supermarket chain and an art organization, staged sustainability art
experience activities in almost 100
supermarkets across nine major
Chinese cities, including Shanghai,
Guangzhou and Shenzhen, from
July 28 to Aug 19.
It came shortly after the launch of
new sustainable initiatives by the
brand, including compostable
paper packaging for its 40-gram
bags of milk chocolate M&M’S and
canister lids made from recycled
polyethylene terephthalate, or
rPET , for the 270-g sharing pack in
July.
Since it accepted applications on
July 28, the campaign has received
wide attention.
More than 17 million young people have spread information for the
activities online.
Roughly 3,300 young consumers
visited the art experience sites,
received professional guidance in
sustainable art creation, engaged in
interactive activities and created
Recycled packaging
In one of the sustainability efforts
of M&M’S, the brand has started
replacing the packaging of the 40-g
bag with compostable (under industrial condition) paper, the first of its
kind in China.
It has been a part of the brand’s
efforts in line with the commitment
of Mars, the global snacking giant,
for sustainable packaging since it
recognized that packaging waste is a
global challenge that threatens the
oceans and health of the planet.
Although having no apparent difference from the old packaging, the
new one, under industrial composting conditions, can be composted by
more than 90 percent within six
months, breaking down into nontoxic byproducts such as water and
carbon dioxide, said the brand.
It can also save at least 55 percent
of virgin plastic usage when compared to the previous packaging,
making it more sustainable, the
brand’s figures indicated.
At the same time, M&M’S introduced its canister lid made from
post consumer recycled PET for its
270-g sharing pack of chocolate in
the Chinese market.
PET, a common plastic, has been
widely used in food and beverage
packaging due to its high physical
and chemical stability toward food.
But more importantly, it can be recycled.
The new canister lids of M&M’S
use 96 percent recycled PET, according to the brand.
“This year, we are exploring sustainable packaging as a way to support sustainability. We hope our
efforts can inspire more young people that sustainable living can be
fun, inclusive and easily accessible,”
said Wan.
From top: Under the theme of
sustainability, M&M’s advocates
fun, diversity and participation.
The brand has started replacing the
packaging of the 40-g bag with
compostable paper. PHOTOS PROVIDED
TO CHINA DAILY
their own artworks about sustainability.
Online, the events became a hotlydiscussed topic that roughly 8.7 million people took part in, figures
from M&M’S indicated.
After participating in the activity,
Mowanyouyou, an influential tourism blogger with 1 million fans,
posted online: “I increasingly feel
that low-carbon, environmental
protection, and sustainable development should become a way of life.
For example, using reusable bags,
bringing your own water bottles and
utensils, purchasing products with
sustainable packaging and particiADVERTORIAL
Rising awareness
In a bid to understand the sustainable living attitudes of young
people in China, M&M’S carried out
a survey in July and August among
583 individuals aged 18 to 35, and
released the findings report in early
September.
The report found that about 58
percent of respondents want fun
when practicing sustainable living,
which is in the same view with
M&M’S who encourages people to
live the sustainable lifestyle they
choose and helps them feel included
by championing fun as a way to
share their true-self and connect
with others.
More than 91 percent of the
respondents said they are engaging
in sustainable living through various ways, such as green socializing
and low-carbon transportation,
benefiting the natural environment
and social development.
Among them, turning off lights
when not in use, carrying their own
water bottles and carrier bags, and
buying only what is needed to
reduce hoarding are the top three
common actions they take to reduce
energy consumption, show the findings.
Also one part of the young group
chooses to live a circular life, acquiring second-hand goods, exchanging
old items and turning waste into
treasure for secondary use.
More than 60 percent of the
respondents tend to buy goods that
can be recycled or have a longer life
span in their daily consumption.
They try to complete the closed loop
of product circulation in their own
way to save energy and resources,
the findings indicate.
“The pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle among young people today is
not only a reflection of their concern
for the planet and their introspection, but a manifestation of their
sense of responsibility and spiritual
values toward the future and the
world,” said Wan.
“By gaining their support and recognition, we aim to better advocate
sustainable concepts to young people and encourage more of them to
join the M&M’S family as ‘Sustainability Idols’”, she added.
12
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
WORLD
EU unveils ‘remedy’ for migrants
Briefly
Experts question
von der Leyen’s
plan to tackle crisis
in Italy’s island
The president of the Central American Parliament, Amado Cerrud, will
lead a delegation to visit China from
Tuesday to Saturday. On Aug 22, the
parliament revoked the “permanent observer status” of the
so-called “Legislative Yuan” of the
Taiwan region and accepted the
National People’s Congress of China
as a permanent observer. China
welcomes and commends the resolution, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.
“This again shows that the one-China principle represents the unstoppable trend of the times and has the
overwhelming support of the people,” Mao said. She added that China stands ready to develop friendly
cooperation with the Central American Parliament based on the oneChina principle.
By CHEN WEIHUA in Brussels
chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn
European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday
unveiled a 10-point plan to help Italy deal with the migrant crisis on its
Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, a plan that some observers
regard as ineffective.
About 11,000 irregular migrants
arrived in Lampedusa, located
between Malta and Tunisia, from
Africa over the past week, triggering
a crisis on the tiny island, with a
local population of only 6,000. The
island’s migrant reception center
only has a capacity for 400
migrants, prompting local mayor
Filippo Mannino to declare a state
of emergency on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European
Commissioner for Home Affairs
Ylva Johansson visited the island’s
migrant reception center, met the
local community, and inspected the
“boat graveyard” where irregular
migrants’ boats are stored.
“Migration is a European challenge
that requires a European answer and
solution,” von der Leyen said.
“It is concrete actions that will
bring change on the ground. It is
only through solidarity and unity
that we can achieve this. And you
can count on the European Union.
“We will decide who comes to the
European Union and under what circumstances, and not the smugglers
and traffickers,” said von der Leyen.
Some local residents held a protest against the irregular migrants
who overwhelmed the island and
caused tensions with locals.
“We are doing everything in our
power,” Meloni told the protesters.
C. American Parliament
delegates to pay visit
SOUTH KOREA
Opposition leader on
strike hospitalized
Migrants embark on a ferry in Lampedusa Island, Italy, on Sunday. About 11,000 irregular migrants
arrived in Lampedusa from Africa over the past week. VALERIA FERRARO / REUTERS
At a news conference later at the
Lampedusa airport, she stressed
that the “challenge of the massive
flow of immigrants” must be
addressed at a pan-European level.
‘Huge mistake’
“If somebody here in Europe were
to think that this crisis that we are
tackling and facing could just be
solved within Italian borders, then it
would be a very big and huge mistake,” she said.
“We cannot solve this problem by
resettling migrants within EU borders. We must also address the external dimensions of the issue. The only
way to stop illegal migration is to
stop these illegal departures.”
At the news conference, von der
Leyen announced a 10-point plan to
help Italy deal with the crisis.
They include increasing assistance to Italy in the procedures relat-
ed to the arrival of migrants through
the EU Agency for Asylum and EU
border protection agency Frontex;
supporting the transfer of migrants
arriving in Lampedusa to other
countries willing to accept them;
boosting cooperation with African
countries where the majority of the
migrants come from, and raising the
number of migrants to be sent back.
The plan also supports efforts to
prevent human trafficking through
partnerships with source or transit
countries; to increase border patrols
at sea and in the air; to disrupt human
traffickers’ logistical networks; to
enhance cooperation with United
Nations migration and refugee agencies for voluntary returns; and to
implement migration agreements.
The EU signed a deal with Tunisia
in July to help end illegal migration
from North Africa, but the European Commission has yet to pay the
100 million euros ($106.6 million)
promised in the deal.
Meloni on Friday vowed “extraordinary measures” to tackle the crisis, including calling for a naval
blockade of North Africa, a call that
von der Leyen did not mention on
Sunday.
“She’s got a plan … And it’s got 10
points … And it’s got 0 chance of
achieving anything,” Jonathan Eyal,
associate director of London-based
Royal United Services Institute for
defense and security studies, said on
X in response to von der Leyen’s
post on the social media platform on
her plan.
“#Lampedusa — as expected,
President @vonderleyen, spoke
plenty but said nothing at all,” Harris Samaras, an economist and
chairman of Pytheas, an international investment banking organization, said on X.
Sixth import expo in final stages of preparation
By YUAN SHENGGAO
The sixth China International
Import Expo is shifting focus from
exhibitor recruitment to exhibition
operations in preparation for the
Nov 5-10 event at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).
The expo will feature a wide variety
of activities, including exhibitions
from more than 100 countries
involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, interactive enterprise exhibits,
the Hongqiao International Economic Forum and cultural exchange
events. Technological innovation,
advantageous industries and investment environment will be highlighted to promote mutual understanding
and reciprocal benefits among participants, according to the CIIE Bureau
at a media briefing of the 50-day
countdown to the sixth CIIE held on
Friday.
The China pavilion will be upgraded and expanded, with the exhibition
area increasing from 1,500 to 2,500
square meters. It will focus on showcasing China’s latest achievements in
promoting high-level opening-up and
high-quality development, attracting
investment and reviewing the
achievements marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of pilot
free trade zones, organizers said.
Dedicated to organizing a comprehensive exhibition with professional
operations, the Business Exhibition
of the sixth CIIE will feature the top
six exhibition areas for food and agricultural products, automobiles,
intelligent industry and information
technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, and trade in services.
To date, about 3,000 businesses
have signed up to participate, covering an exhibition area of more than
360,000 sq m, and according to the
bureau, a special area for innovation
incubation will be unveiled soon.
Some 400 enterprises have
returned to the Business Exhibition
after an absence of more than two
years. The food and agricultural
products section will have the most
exhibitors and widest sources, with
more than 1,000 businesses from 100
countries and regions participating,
CHINA
South Korea’s main opposition
leader was hospitalized on Monday, days into a hunger strike in
protest against government policies, while prosecutors sought an
arrest warrant for him over corruption allegations. Lee Jaemyung, leader of the Democratic
Party, began the protest on Aug 31,
citing the government’s economic
mismanagement and failure to
oppose the Fukushima nuclearcontaminated water release into
the ocean, among other reasons.
Lee was transferred to a hospital
from the National Assembly in
Seoul on Monday morning after
suffering from dehydration and
dizziness, his party said. Kim
Gi-hyeon, head of the ruling People
Power Party, has urged Lee to stop
fasting, saying he was ready to talk
with the opposition leader on policy issues. Hours after Lee was
transferred to the hospital, prosecutors said they had requested an
arrest warrant for him as part of
an investigation into a develop-
while the automobiles exhibition
area will bring together the top 15
automotive brands from around the
world.
The low-carbon area in the intelligent industry and information technology section has reached a record
size, and the scale of the digital industry and integrated circuit zones has
also been expanded. The consumer
goods exhibition area will showcase
customized and limited-edition products, as well as new eco-friendly, intelligent and innovative products.
The medical equipment and
healthcare products exhibition area
will focus on demonstrating innovative products, cutting-edge technology and services to support the
Healthy China initiative. The service
trade exhibition area has set up five
sectors featuring commercial logistics, consulting, finance, culture and
tourism, and general services. The
innovation incubation zone has
expanded both its exhibition area
and themes, focusing on cooperation
and innovation.
Another important component of
the sixth CIIE, the foreign business
association groups, visited dozens of
countries and regions to invite their
business association institutions to
take part in the expo. Currently, the
number of institutions has increased
by 50 percent, with a 35 percent
increase in the exhibition area and a
20 percent increase in the number of
participating companies.
Meanwhile, professional visitors,
represented by purchasers, are a cornerstone of the continued healthy
development of the CIIE, and organizers have always attached great
importance to their contribution.
This year’s expo will feature group
visits consisting of trade delegations,
cooperative units, and major purchasers to enable precise communication and business matching
between exhibitors and buyers, and
organizers will assist in developing
plans, contacting exhibitors, arranging guided visits and providing tailored services as per requirements.
Officials said organizing group visits aimed at improving the accuracy
and efficiency of business matching
between exhibitors and buyers is a
key service provided by the CIIE.
Already 25 businesses, including
GE Healthcare, Bayer and Cargill,
have signed contracts or cooperation
memorandums for their participation in next year’s expo, where the
total exhibition area is expected to
exceed 10,000 sq m.
To ensure smooth customs clearance of exhibited goods, the CIIE
Bureau, the National Exhibition
and Convention Center (Shanghai)
and Shanghai Airport (Group) have
Signing
ceremonies
During the media briefing of the
50-day countdown to the sixth
CIIE, three signing ceremonies
were held:
• Signing of the framework
agreement on the facilitation of
customs clearance for the sixth
CIIE.
• Signing for exhibitors who are
to participate in the seventh CIIE.
• Signing for the cooperation
agreement on organizing the sixth
CIIE with zero carbon emissions
and zero plastic usage, as well as
encouraging green and smart
travel.
signed a cooperation agreement on
air cargo services for the sixth CIIE.
In addition, the CIIE Bureau and
the convention center have joined
hands with China Taiping Insurance
Holdings to launch a “carbon neutral
action” for the sixth CIIE. The bureau
and the convention center have also
signed a cooperation agreement with
Nio, which will serve as the official
designated auto partner, providing
green and smart travel solutions for
the event with new energy vehicles.
ADVERTORIAL
GERMANY
Climate activists defile
Brandenburg Gate
German climate activists sprayed
orange paint onto Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on Sunday morning
to urge the German government to
take more action against climate
change. Members of the group
Last Generation used fire extinguishers filled with paint to spray
all six columns of the popular landmark in Germany’s capital. Police
cordoned off the area surrounding
Brandenburg Gate and confirmed
that they detained 14 activists affiliated with Last Generation. Berlin
Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the
group’s actions, saying their tactics
go beyond legitimate forms of protest. Germany aims to reach netzero emissions by 2045, but it
missed annual targets for the last
two years, Reuters reported.
SOUTH AFRICA
20 mine employees
killed in road accident
At least 20 employees of mining
giant De Beers have been killed in a
road accident in South Africa, local
officials said on Sunday. The bus
involved was ferrying employees
from the Venetia mine, one of the
biggest diamond mines in the
country, said a transport official in
the northern Limpopo Province.
“The bus came into collision with a
lorry,” Vongani Chauke said.
Chauke told Agence France-Presse
the accident happened in the village on the border with Zimbabwe,
some 25 kilometers from the mine.
The cause of the accident has not
been established. The Venetia mine
has been run by the De Beers
Group for more than 30 years.
CHINA DAILY—AGENCIES
Hongqiao forum set to
assist global exchanges
By YUAN SHENGGAO
A signing ceremony for exhibitors to participate in the seventh China International Import Expo held on
Friday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
ment project and bribery allegations. Lee is accused of being in
breach of his duty over losses of 20
billion won ($15 million) run up by
Seongnam Development Corporation during his time as mayor of
Seongnam, prosecutors said.
As a major supporting event at
the China International Import
Expo, the Hongqiao International
Economic Forum serves as a crucial platform for global exchanges,
according to officials and experts.
In the address at an event promoting subforums and previewing
topics of the Hongqiao forum on
Friday, Sun Chenghai, deputy
director-general of the CIIE
Bureau, said preparatory work for
the sixth CIIE has achieved significant progress and the forum will
continue to produce high-quality
results, strengthen topic research,
invite high-profile guests and
refine service guarantees to ensure
better outcomes.
Nobel laureate Angus Deaton
expressed gratitude for being invited to participate in the sixth Hongqiao forum. He said consumer
spending has always been an important indicator for understanding the
economy, particularly in presentday China, and he will share insights
on a topic focused on observing new
consumer trends and stimulating
new consumption potential.
Turing
Award
winner
Jack Dongarra, who will participate in a subforum on intelligent
technology and future industrial
development, also weighed in.
“The intelligent technology field is
flourishing with the advent of
supercomputers and artificial
intelligence, which make computing faster and thinking more agile,”
he said.
Dongarra noted that science
and technology giants, including
Chinese companies, face “unimaginable opportunities” and will
ultimately reshape future industries. He said he hopes to listen to
the latest views of guests from all
walks of life in this field and is
looking forward to the development direction of intelligent systems.
Wang Dawei, economic affairs
officer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, said the
Hongqiao forum provides a unique
platform for communication and
can promote more international
dialogue and cooperation.
Wang promoted a subforum
revolving around developing green
investment and trade as well as
building a global ecological civilization, which will be co-hosted by the
UNCTAD. With the background of
global economic growth and climate change, the subforum will pay
more attention to challenges that
developing countries face in their
green transformation, according to
Wang, and guests from government departments, international
organizations, research institutions and business sectors have
been invited to provide input.
Sun Chenghai, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau, speaks
at an event promoting subforums and previewing topics of the
Hongqiao forum on Friday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
BUSINESS
CHINA DAILY | CHINADAILY.COM.CN/BUSINESS Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Luxury
watch firm
bullish on
prospects
in nation
CAEXPO
Greater RCEP market
openness encouraged,
win-win results desired
By YANG HAN in Hong Kong and
ZHANG LI in Nanning
Members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
agreement should work for more
open markets and promote winwin cooperation in the Asia-Pacific,
said officials and business leaders.
Given global uncertainties,
“RCEP is critical to bolster confidence in the multilateral trading
system, post-COVID recovery and
regional global economic integration based on win-win principles
and mutual benefits”, said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at
the 3rd RCEP Economic and Trade
Cooperation Business Summit in
Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang
autonomous region, on Sunday.
The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations and China need to
further boost the resilience of their
economic cooperation, Hun Manet
said, adding that in addition to
trade in goods, the two sides should
focus on promoting trade in services and digital commerce while the
importance of the RCEP to the private sector remains fundamental.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao
Kim Hourn said the business community should take advantage of
the RCEP agreement to diversify
and further integrate their supply
chains in the ASEAN region.
It is also important to evaluate
modern trade practices to assess
how digital technologies can be
used to promote trade under the
RCEP, said Kao, noting that the
agreement should be inclusive and
beneficial for all, especially small
and medium-sized enterprises,
developing countries and least-developed countries in the RCEP.
“Through enhanced market
access of essentially all goods in
the region, transparent rules and
clear mechanisms for resolving
trade issues, we anticipate benefits for businesses,” said Philippine Trade Undersecretary
Ceferino Rodolfo.
The stable and predictable business environment under RCEP will
encourage more investment and
economic activity in the region,
said Rodolfo.
Didi Sumedi, director-general of
national export development at
Indonesia’s trade ministry, said the
RCEP agreement eliminates tariffs
on 90 percent of traded goods,
simplifies many Customs procedures, investment and e-commerce regulations, and introduces
more trade-friendly measures.
“The RCEP will unfetter the
development of regional and global value chains and significantly
boost economic growth,” said
Sumedi, adding that more outreach programs and dialogue
should be encouraged during the
early implementation of the RCEP
to increase the utilization rate.
The RCEP is the world’s largest
free trade agreement to date, comprising 10 ASEAN member states
and five trading partners — China,
Japan, South Korea, Australia and
New Zealand. The agreement is
now in effect for all its 15 members
after it came into force for the Philippines in June.
The RCEP Regional Cooperation Outcomes and Development
Prospects Report 2023 was
launched during the summit. It
was stated that the RCEP has
become a favorable factor in driving the growth of global trade
investment and stabilizing supply
chains during multiple crises.
Speakers also highlighted green
and digital development among
RCEP members at the ChinaASEAN Business Leaders Forum
and Conference on Sunday in Nanning. Lao Prime Minister Sonexay
Siphandone said the country has
become a hub that connects
ASEAN members and China, especially after the inauguration of the
China-Laos railway in December,
which helps support regional connection of RCEP members.
With Laos scheduled to assume
the ASEAN chairmanship in 2024,
Sonexay said he welcomes investors to visit the country to discover
new opportunities and utilize the
railway.
Soh Thian Lai, president of the
National Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of Malaysia, said a big
data analysis center should be
established for the RCEP to effectively help ASEAN countries make
better use of the free trade pact.
Singapore Business Federation
CEO Kok Ping Soon said the RCEP
has strengthened regional supply
chains and stimulated trade by
lowering costs. For example, under
the agreement, at least 65 percent
of services sectors will be fully
open to foreign investment.
The RCEP is a step toward the
eventual establishment of an AsiaPacific free trade area, said Kok,
adding the agreement demonstrates the region’s unwavering
commitment to pursuing shared
prosperity.
Contact the writers at
kelly@chinadailyapac.com
By ZHU WENQIAN
zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn
Visitors savor Philippine food at the China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous
region. PENG HUAN / FOR CHINA DAILY
China, ASEAN target
institutional opening-up
Shorter negative list for investment,
upgraded FTA may bolster trade ties
By ZHENG YIRAN and
SHI RUIPENG in Nanning
With economic cooperation
between China and the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations strengthening toward a higher level, all parties concerned are expected to
embrace institutional opening-up in
order to co-create a new future for
regional development, officials and
experts said during the ongoing China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital
of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous
region.
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Expo, or
CAEXPO, as well as the establishment
of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership. With high-standard opening-up
bringing new opportunities, trade and
economic cooperation between both
sides has seen rapid improvement,”
said Li Fei, China’s vice-minister of
commerce, during a thematic event on
the expo’s sidelines.
“Both sides have become each other’s largest trading partner, with
cumulative two-way investment
being boosted and upgraded,” he said.
He further said that in the next
step, the country will make efforts to
steadily boost institutional openingup, by further reducing the negative
list for foreign investment, and paying attention to trade in both traditional industries like agriculture
and emerging fields like green and
low-carbon development and the
digital economy.
Against the backdrop of a bleak
Lithium battery makers expand abroad
By LIU YUKUN
liuyukun@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese lithium battery makers are
expanding their global footprint as
markets overseas have become new
drivers of revenue growth amid a
slowdown in the growth of new energy vehicle or NEV sales, experts said.
Battery maker Gotion High-Tech,
headquartered in Hefei, Anhui
province, announced on Saturday
the official start of operations of the
first battery pack production line at
its German facility.
Products include batteries for commercial vehicles, energy storage systems and passenger cars, with a total
planned production capacity of 20
gigawatt-hours to be completed in
four phases. Upon full completion, it
is expected to generate an annual revenue of 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion).
This move makes Gotion High-Tech
the second domestic battery manufacturer to begin production in Europe
after Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, which already has a
production line in Germany.
Other battery manufacturers
such as CALB, EVE Energy and Sunwoda have also announced plans for
production in Europe.
Experts said that overseas expansion allows Chinese battery makers to
better adapt to the rapidly evolving
international battery industry. Considering the widespread adoption of
NEVs in Europe and the potential for
bans on gasoline vehicles, expected
substantial demand for NEVs could
translate into significant growth
opportunities for domestic battery
makers, especially when slowed
growth of China’s NEV market drove
down the overall demand for vehicle
batteries, industry experts said.
“Chinese companies also have the
ability to optimize resources and
manage operations on a global
scale. Such companies’ overseas
branches need to provide localized
services, connect with consumers,
understand their needs and ensure
that product design and production
can respond quickly to market
demands,” said Zhou Mi, a senior
researcher at the Chinese Academy
of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing.
Setting up overseas production
plants will also help battery makers to
avoid possible trade hurdles in the
form of allegations of protectionist
policies being leveled against them by
foreign governments, experts said.
Many Chinese vehicle battery
makers have already recorded revenue growth on the back of overseas
projects. In the first half of this year,
CATL reported overseas market revenue of 65.68 billion yuan ($9 billion), up 195 percent year-on-year,
while Gotion High-Tech recorded
overseas revenue of 3.06 billion
yuan, up 297 percent year-on-year.
the grid and began generating electricity on Sunday, said the company.
Located approximately 35 kilometers off Pingtan, Fujian province, the
facility consists of 11 offshore wind
turbine units, including the world’s
largest 16-megawatt offshore wind
turbine unit.
Major transportation
project makes headway
global economic rebound, the cooperation between China and ASEAN
has become a bright spot, he said.
Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general
of ASEAN, said the robust growth of
ASEAN and China comes from the
two sides’ ability to adapt to global
instability and uncertainty. In
response to unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic,
the two sides chose to reinforce efforts
for free, fair and open trade whereas
some countries resorted to inwardlooking and protectionist policies.
To make the most of the economic
partnership between ASEAN and
China and drive regional economic
growth, a high-quality ASEAN China Free Trade Area (ACFTA 3.0) is
needed as part of efforts for institutional opening-up, he said.
China has been ASEAN’s largest
trading partner since 2009, with
trade volumes increasing over the
years. Last year, bilateral trade value
reached $975.3 billion. The ASEANChina Free Trade Area has contributed to the expansion of trade and
investment, benefiting both sides.
Negotiations for ACFTA 3.0 were
officially launched early this year to
further liberalize and facilitate bilateral trade flows.
He said that promoting ChinaASEAN infrastructure connectivity is
important as well. “This connectivity
not only facilitates the movement of
goods and services but sparks innovation and the exchange of ideas.”
The China-ASEAN partnership is
a great example of strengthening
multilateral cooperation without
leaning toward protectionism, unilateralism or economic nationalism, the officials said.
Given the complex economic and
geopolitical situation globally, the
two sides, as members of the
Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership,
should
further
strengthen economic and trade ties,
to contribute to quicker recovery
from the pandemic as well as international conflicts, they said.
Suriyan Vichitlekarn, executive
director of the Mekong Institute, an
intergovernmental
organization
run by six governments in the Greater Mekong sub-region (China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand
and Vietnam), said: “The progress
of the ASEAN-China cooperation
will produce more far-reaching
effects and benefits to others. Look
at the logistics and trade corridor —
although its focus is very much on
China and ASEAN ... however, if you
look at the map of Asia, this logistical hub could also benefit other
countries in South Asia, the Pacific
and the southern hemisphere.”
At the four-day CAEXPO that
began on Sunday, various exhibitors
are showcasing their latest achievements in digitalization and low-carbon development. The unmanned
dessert station of Yum China’s KFC
uses a robotic arm to produce ice
cream for consumers within 40 to
50 seconds. The electric and intelligent products displayed by Guangxi
Liugong Machinery account for
over 70 percent of its total exhibits.
Contact the writers at
zhengyiran@chinadaily.com.cn
Forum on green economy
Wolfgang Schussel (right), former chancellor of Austria, interacts
with Huang Baoyin (second from right), Party secretary of the
University of International Business and Economics, during the
Beijing Humboldt Forum 2023 held in Beijing on Saturday. The
nonprofit forum is an international conference on the intersection of the green economy and cultural heritage.
WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY
Cheng Yu contributed to this story.
Briefly
Largest offshore wind
unit connects to grid
The world’s largest offshore wind
power facility in terms of single-unit
capacity, located in Fujian province
and operated by China Three Gorges
Corp, has been fully connected to
Construction of a high-speed railway in Shandong province is stepping up as the Jinan-Binzhou HSR
saw a major railway bridge achieve
full connectivity, said one of the
State builders of the project. China
Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp
said the second Shanghuibin super
bridge in Binzhou, Shandong, which
spans the Shengli River, completed
linkage on Sunday — the first crossing to have achieved such a goal
along the HSR and a milestone in
the construction progress. With a
designed speed of 350 kilometers
per hour, the HSR will be a key railway for Shandong and better link
cities in northern Shandong with
the provincial capital, CR24 said.
CHINA DAILY
China is one of the most energetic and dynamic luxury markets for IWC Schaffhausen
globally, the Swiss luxury
watchmaker said, as it plans to
open more boutique stores to
meet the growing demand for
luxury watches in the country.
Chinese consumers tend to be
a little bit younger than their
counterparts in other countries
and women account for a higher
proportion of its clientele, said
Christoph Grainger-Herr, chief
executive of IWC.
“China is an important luxury
market. Most consumers come
from top-tier cities and are well
educated about the brand. It’s a
country we love. I’m fully confident in our operations in China,”
said Grainger-Herr, also an
architect who was personally
involved in
building the
first IWC boutiques in Beijing
and
Shanghai.
IWC often
uses the German words for
Christoph
“form”
and
Grainger-Herr “technology”
to refer to its
roots in Schaffhausen in the German-speaking area of Switzerland.
“China is becoming one of the
most influential and innovative
hubs around the world that is
determining the current culture
with a huge sense of creativity,”
he said.
Grainger-Herr visited the
nation for the second time in
September after China optimized its COVID-19 response
measures later last year.
The luxury watchmaker,
which has highlighted the
importance of customer experience and personal interaction to its brand image,
opened its new flagship boutique in Shanghai in October
last year.
Chinese consumers, especially
in top-tier cities such as Shanghai, prefer elegantly styled
watches, while in smaller cities,
the consumer preference is
more traditional, Grainger-Herr
said.
IWC said it would open
more outlets in the country to
interact with consumers
directly, even though it underlined that its digital channel is
important as more consumers
can research online before
visiting its brick-and-mortar
stores.
By 2025, China is expected to
become the world’s largest luxury consumption market. The
Chinese mainland market,
which saw growth in the first
quarter, is expected to pick up
pace again this year, consultancy
Bain & Co said.
In the past few months,
Europe saw the return of its
first group of Chinese tourists
after the pandemic, and a
more sustained tourist footfall is expected later in the
year. A positive scenario
shows a solid growth path in
2023, driven by China’s recovery and sustained growth in
Europe and the Americas,
Bain & Co said.
Across luxury categories, the
top-performing ones include
watches, with iconic models of a
few giant brands driving
growth, and jewelry, according
to the consultancy.
Following its presence at the
Watches and Wonders exhibition in Geneva earlier this year,
IWC showcased its novelties
and comprehensive watchmaking expertise at the latest
Watches and Wonders exhibition that concluded in Shanghai
on Sunday.
14
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
BUSINESS
Duolingo tunes in
to Chinese learners
with English course
By OUYANG SHIJIA
ouyangshijia@chinadaily.com.cn
An employee operates CCUS equipment at a platform off Guangdong province in May.
MAO SIQIAN / XINHUA
CCUS highlighted for oil, gas
firms amid green transition
Technology to help China reduce 1 bln
tons of emissions annually by 2050
By ZHENG XIN
zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn
Domestic oil and gas companies
should accelerate moves to develop
carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), an essential safeguard
technology for helping achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality in
China, as the country sees vast
potential in carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery, according to a
think tank.
Seen as a crucial aspect of the
decarbonization efforts in the oil
and gas sector in China and worldwide, the number of CCUS projects
in the pipeline in China has risen
significantly in the past few years,
according to the CNPC (China
National Petroleum Corp) Research
Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology.
CCUS has become a focus area for
China’s oil and gas companies, offering a significant opportunity for China to achieve a carbon dioxide peak
before 2030 and carbon neutrality
before 2060, said Yong Ruisheng,
vice-general manager of the institute, during the release of the Green
and Low-carbon Transformation
Report of Oil and Gas Companies.
“China has a carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery potential of
approximately 5.1 billion metric
tons, which provides early low-cost
opportunities for carbon emissions
reduction. Additionally, the geological storage potential is estimated to
be around 12.1 to 41.3 trillion tons,
serving as an important pathway for
achieving deep carbon dioxide
emissions reduction,” Yong said.
“It is projected that by 2050, the
annual emissions reduction achieved
through CCUS could reach approximately 1 billion tons in China and
technology will further accelerate
domestic oil and gas companies’ transition to an integrated energy corporation and promote industrial growth.”
It is projected that by 2030, the
average global annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction from CCUS
technology will be around 490 million tons. By 2050, the estimated
CO2 emissions reduction from
CCUS technology is expected to
reach 2.79 to 7.6 billion tons per year,
with an average of 4.66 billion tons
per year, he added.
Yong said despite a late start in
the low-carbon transition, Chinese
oil and gas companies are already
accelerating and leading in some
aspects of the green transition after
making efforts in recent years.
Many oil and gas fields are
researching and promoting CCUS
technologies, as well as carbon sinks
and carbon trading mechanisms, to
offset carbon emissions and realize
zero-carbon production, he said.
China Energy Investment Corp
started operations in June at Asia’s
largest CCUS facility, which is
attached to a generating unit at the
company’s Taizhou coal-fired power
plant in Jiangsu province, which
will capture 500,000 tons of carbon
dioxide each year.
China National Offshore Oil Corp
kicked off the operation of the country’s first offshore carbon capture
and storage demonstration project
in the eastern waters of the South
China Sea in June, filling the gap in
China’s offshore carbon capture,
treatment, injection and storage
technology, while State-owned energy company China Petrochemical
Corp last year launched a 1-millionton-per-year CCUS project, the
country’s largest so far, at one of its
oil refineries in Shandong province.
Domestic companies have also
embarked on the green transition
journey in recent years with overseas partners to step up the implementation of CO2 injection
technology to extract crude from
aging oil fields — also known as
enhanced oil recovery — using their
numerous empty and mature oil
and gas reservoirs to transform
them into a carbon storage hub,
seeking to lead the efforts with their
decarbonization moves.
The International Energy Agency data show that the number of
CCUS projects in different stages of
development worldwide more than
doubled from 89 in 2020 to 195 last
year.
Global energy consultancy Wood
Mackenzie said in a recent note that
the planned global CCUS capacity
pipeline has reached 905 million
tons per year, with more than 50
new projects announced this quarter alone. China and Southeast Asia
are forecast to have the biggest
demand for CCUS in the 2040s, it
said, adding that the development
also requires further regulatory and
policy implementation.
The biggest challenge for CCUS
adoption is the lack of related policies
and regulations in most countries,
Lucy King, Wood Mackenzie senior
research analyst, said in a note.
Duolingo, a United Statesbased language-learning platform, plans to launch an
advanced monolingual English
course, seeking to further cater to
Chinese learners and betting big
on the rapidly growing Chinese
market.
“Our aim for this course is to
equip users with fluent English for
both everyday life and professional settings,” said Yang Danchen,
head of learning and curriculum
for Duolingo in China.
Compared to the previous version, the course will focus more on
building immersive learning scenarios for users.
Applying a “using English to
learn English” approach, Duolingo said the new course will comprehensively cover listening,
speaking, reading and writing, to
cultivate a native English thinker’s
mindset.
Since entering the Chinese market in 2019, Duolingo established
its first international office in Beijing. Currently, China has grown
to be Duolingo’s seventh-largest
global market and one of its fastest-growing international markets. During the past three years,
Duolingo’s active Chinese users
for English learning have grown
by 126 percent in number.
“China is one of the important international markets for
Duolingo. From tuning into
local user needs to leverage AI,
we hope to help more Chinese
users explore the world
through language,” said Luis
von Ahn, co-founder and CEO
of Duolingo.
The platform is a languagelearning app that utilizes games to
test the reading, listening, writing
and speaking skills of users and
provides audio and vocabulary
examples related to real life. It
especially caters to casual learners
or those who are complete beginners who like to try different languages.
Currently, Duolingo offers over
40 languages and the app has
been downloaded over 500 million times worldwide. According
to its recently published second
quarter financial report, Duolingo has reached record highs in
daily active users, monthly active
users and subscribers, with a 50
percent year-on-year growth rate
of its 74.1 million monthly active
users.
Xiang Haina, marketing director
of Duolingo Asia-Pacific, said:
“Duolingo’s steady user growth is
intricately tied to our business
model. We are offering all courses
to users for free. This ‘free’
approach has led to Duolingo’s
robust user growth and widespread
word-of-mouth. Additionally, we
Our aim for this
course is to equip
users with fluent
English for both
everyday life and
professional
settings.”
Yang Danchen, head of
learning and curriculum
for Duolingo in China
50
percent
growth in monthly active
users in second quarter
are exploring educational areas
beyond languages, including mathematics.”
Duolingo has been ramping up
efforts to seek new growth
opportunities. Seeing the rising
interest among the youth toward
Cantonese, Duolingo launched
its first dialect course — Cantonese for Mandarin speakers — in
2022. As of July 2023, the Cantonese course had nearly 3 million users in China, ranking
third in popularity in the country, surpassed only by English
and Japanese.
As Duolingo brings languages
to Chinese users, it is also committed to promoting Chinese to the
world. Duolingo’s data showed
that over 9.8 million active users
are learning Chinese on its platform and the language is ranked
eighth as Duolingo’s most popular
courses.
According to the company, its
revenue is mainly from subscription fees, advertising and its Duolingo English Test, which gained a
huge following among Chinese
students.
The Duolingo English Test
(DET) is used as proof of students’ English language proficiency
for
applying
to
universities overseas. It has
changed traditional English testing norms by offering tests at a
quarter of conventional costs —
anytime, anywhere. Currently,
over 4,500 top global institutions
accept the test, including 99 of
the top 100 universities as ranked
by US News and 14 universities in
the U15 Group of Canadian
Research Universities.
“China is an important market
for DET,” said Wang Chen, marketing head for DET in China. “Our
goal is to transform the English
testing landscape, making it a
bridge rather than a barrier,
empowering numerous Chinese
students.”
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
15
BUSINESSFOCUS
Logistics firms
strive to get air
cargo soaring
Delivery companies boost efficiency to
give global access to Chinese products
By FAN FEIFEI
fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese logistics and express
delivery companies are ramping up
efforts to build logistics infrastructure globally and provide air cargo
services, as part of a broader push to
boost delivery efficiency and ensure
the stability and security of supply
chains, industry experts said.
The added the move to accelerate
the construction of warehouses
and enhance logistics capabilities
overseas is of significance in helping cross-border e-commerce platforms reduce logistics costs and
improve user experience, as well as
allowing global consumers access
to high-quality Chinese brands and
products.
Cainiao Group, the logistics arm
of Chinese tech heavyweight Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, is beefing
up the push to build global logistics
networks and expand its footprint
in Europe, North America and
Southeast Asia, with the target of
establishing one to two local warehousing and distribution centers
each year.
Wan Lin, CEO of Cainiao, said
the company will further improve
its global delivery services and
deepen logistics capabilities in key
overseas markets as part of its
go-global push. Wan made the
remarks at the Cainiao Global
Smart Logistics Summit in June.
“The next decade will usher in
new development opportunities
for smart logistics, and Cainiao will
dedicate its efforts to building a
leading global smart logistics network encompassing domestic,
cross-border and overseas shipping, as well as last-mile deliveries,
logistics infrastructure and technology,” Wan said.
Cainiao is strengthening its overseas expansion plans in collaboration with AliExpress, the businessto-customer platform of Alibaba
that sells consumer goods to overseas markets, for a global delivery
service that pledges to deliver
cross-border parcels within five
working days. The move will speed
up deliveries by an average of 30
percent compared to the industry
standard.
The company has developed a
global logistics infrastructure by
growing the number of its overseas
distribution centers to 18, as well as
warehouses and self-operated distribution and pickup facilities.
Cainiao has also announced the
launch of weekend deliveries and
same-city delivery services in
Spain’s major urban areas to opti-
mize local logistics experiences.
Data from the company showed
that the cross-border parcel volume in Spain increased by more
than 60 percent in June compared
with the same period last year.
The company’s logistics network
covers over 30 cities in Spain, with
cities such as Madrid and Barcelona achieving next-day delivery.
Cainiao has set up six smart
logistics hubs around the world,
operates more than 3 million
square meters of cross-border
logistics warehouses and runs over
240 chartered flights for trunk
logistics each month.
The company has partnered
with Shenzhen Baoan International Airport to establish an air cargo
center, with plans to launch more
international cargo routes originating from Shenzhen, Guangdong
province.
The new flights have been
launched in collaboration with
US air cargo operator Atlas Air,
operating twice a week, with a loading capacity of over 220 metric tons
per flight. Atlas Air provides crossborder cargo transportation services for product categories ranging
from electronics to automobiles.
A chartered flight connecting
Shenzhen to Sao Paulo, Brazil, has
been officially launched. The air
cargo center was established to
support the growing cross-border
e-commerce parcel volume from
China to Latin America. It will play
a key role in streamlining and optimizing parcel sorting and Customs
clearance processes for imports
and exports at the airport, Cainiao
said.
Zhang Zhouping, a senior analyst tracking business-to-business
and cross-border activities at the
Internet Economy Institute, said
establishing logistics infrastructure overseas will help improve
delivery efficiency, safeguard the
stability of supply chains and boost
the development of cross-border
e-commerce.
Chinese online retailers are
accelerating steps to expand their
footprint in overseas markets to
seek new sources of revenue in the
face of fierce competition in the
domestic market, said Lu Zhenwang, CEO of Shanghai-based
Wanqing Consultancy.
Lu said the efforts to invest in
overseas warehouses and delivery
networks will enhance the competitiveness of Chinese foreign
trade enterprises and bolster the
sales of Chinese products in overseas markets.
JD Logistics, the logistics arm of
A view of Cainiao’s automated distribution center in Karachi, Pakistan, in October 2022. As the logistics arm of Chinese tech heavyweight
Alibaba Group, the company is beefing up its push to build global logistics networks. XINHUA
Cainiao presents its autonomous delivery vehicle during a
technology show in Paris in June. GAO JING / XINHUA
Chinese e-commerce giant JD, said
it plans to speed up infrastructure
construction globally and build
more overseas warehouses in the
Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia,
Australia and the Middle East,
where Chinese enterprises are
accelerating steps to expand their
business activities with the e-commerce penetration rate continuing
to rise.
So far, the company has launched
self-operated overseas warehouses
in the United States, Germany, the
Netherlands, France, the United
Kingdom, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Australia, said Ji Jie,
general manager of international
warehousing and distribution at
JD Logistics.
By the end of 2022, JD Logistics
operated approximately 90 bonded warehouses, international
direct-mail warehouses and overseas warehouses, covering an
aggregated floor area of nearly
900,000 sq m.
In addition, Jiangsu Jingdong
Cargo Airlines Co Ltd, also known
as JD Airlines, an affiliate of JD
Logistics, received approval from
aviation authorities to put its selfowned air cargo fleet into operation and boost its long-haul freight
capacity last August.
JD Airlines launched a new allcargo route from Beijing to Shenzhen in April. The airline operates
the route six days a week, with a
daily transportation capacity of up
to 20 tons, mainly transporting
high-end goods, including fresh
produce, fashion and luxury products, medicines and medical
products.
It plans to strengthen its collaboration with Beijing Daxing International Airport and continue to
expand its air freight service
regions and improve the supply
chain efficiency for neighboring
industry belts.
The company said it will first
develop domestic air cargo to cover
major cities nationwide and gradually accelerate its operations in
international air cargo markets
such as North America, Europe, the
Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan
and South Korea by the end of
2025.
“Air cargo only comprises a relatively small proportion of China’s
comprehensive transportation system. The system can’t meet consumers’ fast-growing demand for
high-tech products and cold chain
logistics services covering the
transportation of fresh commodities and medicines,” said Yang Daqing, deputy director of research at
the China Federation of Logistics
and Purchasing.
The shortage of air cargo capacity and specialized air cargo enterprises,
along
with
rising
transportation costs, has become
very acute amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Yang added.
Developing the international air
freight business will help enterprises boost long-haul freight capacity,
establish overseas logistics networks and further improve crossborder delivery efficiency, he
added.
Other logistics firms have invested heavily in providing air cargo
services. SF Airlines, the aviation
branch of logistics giant SF
Express, has been expanding its
freighter fleet, reaching 84 aircraft
in July.
The expanding fleet helps SF Airlines enhance its air express capacity both at home and abroad. The
company has made stable progress
over the past decades by expanding
its global express services to 84
countries and regions and is currently operating an average of 150
cargo flights each day.
SF Airlines said it is endeavoring
to maintain the stable operation of
air cargo services during peak sea-
sons and will continuously expand
its fleet size and strengthen its air
logistics service capacity.
China’s first dedicated freight
airport, Ezhou Huahu Airport in
Ezhou, Hubei province, began
operations in July 2022. SF Express
holds a 46 percent stake in Hubei
International Logistics Airport Co
Ltd, the operator of Ezhou Huahu
Airport.
Wang Wei, chairman of SF
Express, said the company will
speed up the construction of the
airport and aims to build a worldclass international air cargo hub.
In April, the cargo-focused airport launched its first international
route from Ezhou to Liege,
Belgium. It recently opened a new
air cargo route linking Ezhou with
Abu Dhabi, capital of the United
Arab Emirates.
This marked the launch of the
first cargo route connecting the airport with the Middle East, said SF
Airlines. Weekly round-trip air cargo service is scheduled for this
route, with a total capacity of
around 200 tons.
As the first dedicated air freight
airport in Asia and the fourth of its
kind globally, the airport is expected to open 40 domestic cargo
routes and some four international
cargo routes by the end of this year.
YTO Express, another parcel
delivery company, said its air cargo
fleet reached 11 aircraft by the end
of last year.
The operation of cargo aircraft
serves as a vital supplement to
logistics companies’ current supply chain and delivery system, as
air freight transportation could
forge greater synergy with warehousing and sorting centers to
build an integrated logistics and
delivery network, said Han Tao, a
researcher at the China Air Transport Association.
Online platforms up ante with unmanned vehicles
By FAN FEIFEI
Li Shuang, 33, an engineer at an
internet company in Yizhuang, a
southern suburb of Beijing, picked
up her take-out order from an
unmanned four-wheeled delivery
vehicle that appeared at the gate
of her community, avoiding any
human interaction.
She received her order of fresh
vegetables, fruit, seafood, meat and
other groceries about 15 minutes
from the time of placing it online
through an app. After she paid for
the order, she received a text message informing her that the delivery vehicle was about to arrive.
Like Li, hundreds of millions of
Chinese consumers vouch for the
efficiency and reliability of intelligent logistics technologies. Driverless delivery vehicles, robots and
automated warehouse systems
have been increasingly adopted to
enhance logistics efficiency, reduce
costs and improve user experience.
Compared with traditional
delivery, unmanned delivery features lower delivery costs, larger
carrying capacity and higher safety. It also provides a viable alterna-
tive to address some challenges,
such as rising labor costs and a
shortage of couriers, experts said.
Dada Group, one of China’s largest on-demand delivery and retail
platforms, is accelerating steps to
expand its unmanned delivery network in collaboration with JD
Logistics, the logistics arm of
e-commerce giant JD, and White
Rhino, an autonomous delivery
vehicle developer.
The company said its autonomous delivery system has already
been adopted by Seven Fresh, JD’s
supermarket chain, Yonghui
Supermarket and Walmart’s Sam’s
Club, as part of a broader drive to
normalize the scalable use of
unmanned delivery vehicles for
on-demand service.
The system can distribute
orders automatically for supermarkets, manage package loading
and maintain the normal operations of orders through its
human-machine interaction technology, as well as dispatch the
unmanned vehicles and plan
routes to ensure the latter efficiently fulfills online orders.
JD Logistics said smart technol-
ogies ranging from unmanned
warehousing to intelligent sorting
robots are employed in its highly
automated warehouses to enhance
logistics capacity.
The company operated nearly
1,600 warehouses and over 40
Asian No 1 intelligent logistics
parks across the country by the end
of June. JD’s Asia No 1 intelligent
logistics park in Kunshan, Jiangsu
province, stands as the world’s
largest intelligent logistics park —
capable of sorting 4.5 million parcels per day.
Its warehouses deeply integrate
cutting-edge technologies, such as
deep learning, big data, operations
research, machine vision system
recognition and digital twin modeling, enabling it to handle millions of stock-keeping units
covering hundreds of categories.
Damo Academy, a research
institute that Alibaba Group
Holding Ltd launched in late
2017, has rolled out its Xiaomanlv unmanned delivery vehicles to address last-mile delivery
challenges.
These vehicles have L4 self-driving capability and can automati-
cally calculate optimal routes and
avoid obstacles when delivering
parcels. L4 autonomy means the
car can drive itself in most conditions without a human backup
driver. Alibaba received approval
to test its Level 4 self-driving
trucks last year in Deqing county,
Zhejiang province.
In addition, JD has stepped up
efforts to apply drones to logistics
and delivery activities. The Beijing-based company used drones
to deliver online purchases to
rural shoppers in Jiangsu province
in 2016, kicking off the e-commerce giant’s use of unmanned
aerial vehicles for distribution
purposes.
Chinese food delivery platform
Meituan has made major strides in drone usage. Its drone delivery services have landed in several
commercial districts, scenic spots
and residential communities in
Shenzhen, Guangdong province,
and Shanghai, completing nearly
170,000 orders.
Noting that the application of
driverless delivery technologies
could boost delivery efficiency and
reduce costs, Lu Zhenwang, CEO of
An unmanned vehicle of JD Logistics is displayed during the Global
Digital Economy Conference 2023 in Beijing in July.
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Wanqing Consultancy in Shanghai, said, “Chinese technology
companies have invested heavily in
the intelligent logistics sector on
automated warehousing, driverless cars, drones and robots to gain
an upper hand amid fierce
competition.”
Unmanned delivery services
have been deployed in some desig-
nated areas and scenarios, such as
hotels, supermarkets and universities, considering the limitations of
the current autonomous driving
technologies and complicated traffic situations, Lu said, adding that
it will take a long time for
unmanned delivery services to
become commercialized on a large
scale.
16
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
CULTURE
A drink heritage to cherish
Traditional tea-growing area honors its history as it embraces the future, Wang Kaihao reports in Pu’er, Yunnan.
N
ear the China-Myanmar
border, the mountain is
embraced by a sea of
clouds on average about
half the year. Driving through the
zigzag road into the clouds feels like
a journey into a wonderland normally associated with fairy tales.
Traditional
tea-leaf-shaped
totems of the Blang ethnic group
stand sentinel on the roofs along the
road. This is the core area of old tea
forests of the Jingmai Mountain in
Lancang Lahu autonomous county,
Pu’er, Yunnan province.
Pu’er is home of the world-renowned tea of the same name.
While some other tea-growing hubs
in the region may have a larger output, more famous brands, and heritage surrounding the history of the
famous trade route known as the
Tea-horse Ancient Road, Jingmai
may not be the obvious candidate as
people’s first choice to look for the
best Pu’er Tea.
Nevertheless, being cut off from
the outside by rivers, this mountainous area has become a haven for an
ancient planting technique, cultivating tea trees under forest canopies, known as the “under-story”
method, which filter sunshine while
ensuring moisture. A tasteful location in more ways than one.
Nan Kang was former head of the
Mangjing village committee. He now
prefers crediting himself as “storyteller of the Jingmai Mountain”.
Running a credit union for more
than 40 tea-producing families from
various ethnic groups, he now wants
to turn Jingmai into an influential
name in the kingdom of tea.
“Compared to modern plantations, we’ll surely produce less tea in
the ancient forest,” the 61-year-old
Blang man says. “But we have to
respect our tradition and belief.
“Birds eat insects to protect the
tea and the fallen leaves from canopies provide fertilizer,” he explains.
“Everything reinforces the other,
but also restrains each other. It is the
way of nature.”
Everyone in his union vows to
only sell locally produced tea of high
quality. Modern checkpoints at the
gateways to the Jingmai Mountain
try to prevent tea from elsewhere
from entering. Apart from that, they
have a sublime supervisor.
A 50-meter banyan known as “the
tree of the bee spirit” in Mangjing
village is sacred to local hearts as a
patron of tea plants. Hundreds of
honeycombs hang from its branches, but no one will touch them to
fetch honey as they are in awe of
nature. Instead, villagers set up
their own hives nearby.
“We have an old belief: If somebody’s hive is empty, it’s a sign of the
banyan’s punishment,” Nan says.
“The owner must have done something to break our rules, and everybody will know.”
Nan is an old-time Blang chieftain’s grandson. Following a trail
leader named Pa Aileng, his ancestors came to settle near the Jingmai
Mountain centuries ago. Legend
says that Pa Aileng found that tea
leaves cured his people of the diseases they succumbed to during their
migration, and so the hero is also
worshipped as a “tea ancestor”.
Blang people chose a peak as their
sacred mountain to remember him.
They call it Peak Aileng.
Every spring, locals hold a sacrificial ceremony before the sacred
mountain in hopes of a good tea harvest. Nan leads the ceremony and
yells into the valley, calling for the tea
ancestor to safeguard the forests.
“We Blang people believe tea has its
87 million yuan to renovate old
houses and improve infrastructure
in the region to prepare for World
Heritage Site status.
Aikan’s home in Wengji, a settlement attached to Mangjing village,
benefits from this program. Graduating from the Minzu University of
China as a computer science major,
he had the chance to switch to a bigcity lifestyle and leave his hometown behind.
But he came back in 2018, to run a
cafe in Wengji.
“We live for tea, but we also need to
find new ways to use tea and better
embrace the future,” Aikan, 29, says.
He uses tea as an ingredient in a
series of products, including essential oils, facial masks and candles.
Through his cafe, he also has a platform to promote local cuisine and
handicrafts.
“Everything we make here is
designed to better tell the story of
this rainforest,” he says. “It’s meaningless to copy a city cafe here, like a
protective shield made of concrete.
By getting close to nature in our traditional dwellings, people can
understand the Jingmai Mountain
from a new perspective.”
Wengji settlement in Mangjing village, Pu’er, Yunnan province, shrouded by old tea forests and a sea of clouds.
own spirit,” he says. “The first planted
tea tree in every field is identified as
the Tea Spirit Tree. That means the
field has an owner. And the symbol
also urges everyone to observe moral
codes and protect the plants.”
Now, this mountain of tea, also a
reservoir of the time-tested traditions of indigenous ethnic groups,
attracts global attention.
On Sunday, the Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er was
inscribed as a World Heritage Site at
the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, becoming
China’s 57th entry on the list.
As the committee notes, the cultural landscape represents an exceptional testimony of the under-story
tea cultivation traditions. It enabled
the development of a complementary spatial distribution of different
land uses providing ecosystems and
microclimates that support both the
cultivation of forests and the wellbeing of local communities. The
integrity of the property is based on
preservation of the social relationships and ecological interdependencies between the climate, the
topographic features, and the cultural practices of the peoples on the
mountain.
Rich legacies
It is estimated that over 1 million
old tea trees grow in the approximately 72-square-kilometer core zone of
the World Heritage Site, which
includes nine traditional villages
whose inhabitants are mainly from
the Blang and Dai ethnic groups.
A book published in 864 during
the Tang Dynasty (618-907) records
that Pu’er Tea was widely planted in
the region. However, people have
reason to speculate that the teaplanting history of the area could be
much longer, considering the fact
that the world’s oldest-known living
tea tree, which is over 3,200-yearold, was discovered in Fengqing
county, Lincang, about 300 kilometers from the Jingmai Mountain.
Between the 10th and 14th centuries, the ancestors of Blang and Dai
residents came to the mountain.
Over the past 12 years, Chen Yaohua, director of the World Heritage
Research Center of Peking University, has led environmental research
programs to the Jingmai Mountain
and was in charge of the World Heritage bid documentation. According
to his investigations, about 10 percent of the tea trees on the mountain
are at least 100 years old, and the
oldest are over 300 years old.
He explains that the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains block cold air from the north
and increase rainfall, enabling tea
plants to survive through many colder periods in present-day southwestern China, an origin of tea-growing.
“Traditional tea growing techniques can also be seen in places
other than the Jingmai Mountain,”
Chen says. “However, similar landscapes elsewhere are usually fragmented, not on such a large scale
and not as intact. Villages are often
located away from the forest for
more convenient transportation.
“So, when I first came here in 2011,
it was like witnessing a miracle.”
In recent decades due to the wave
of urbanization, most tea-growing
hubs have switched to standardized
plantations on tablelands. In spite of
the higher production, Chen points
out that they are often vulnerable to
tea diseases. Nonetheless, people in
the Jingmai Mountain have ancient
wisdom to prevent that problem. For
example, there are three protective
partition forests on the Jingmai
Mountain to separate the tea fields. It
has been historically forbidden to
grow tea plants there. When disease
breaks out in one field, people can set
up a quarantine zone to minimize
loss.
People also grow osmanthus and
camphor trees among the plants,
which not only helps keep off insects,
Jingmai Mountain
Yunnan
Kunming
Pu'er
CHINA DAILY
The
living
past
but also creates special tea aromas.
“Like what we sing in one of our
ancient ballads, ‘everything comes
from tea’,” Su Guowen, an 80-yearold Blang elder in Mangjing village,
says. “Our ancestors exchanged tea
for clothes and tools, and used it as
medicine to save lives. For most people, tea is a healthy drink. But for us
living on the Jingmai Mountain, it is
a bond of life.”
As a retired teacher, he has spent
the last 20 years studying and promoting the history and folk cultures
of the Blang, and also helped draft a
rule regulating villagers’ behavior.
“It is forbidden to log high trees in
the forest,” one line in the rule says.
“Violators must plead guilty in front
of the tea ancestor and pay for a
road to be built for the village.”
“Traditional beliefs, governance,
tea culture and ways to spread
knowledge continue to thrive
today,” Chen explains. “They combine to safeguard the landscape of
old tea forests in an intangible way.”
A promising outlook
Tea not only serves as a spiritual
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
totem, but also as a key economic
support.
Xiangong, a member of the Dai
ethnic group, lives in Manggeng, a
settlement attached to Jingmai village. Growing up in a tea-growing
family, she once left the mountain
to study at a polytechnic school in
Chongqing. She decided to come
back to take up the family career
and established a tea-producing
cooperative in 2010. Her family
manages a 1.7-hectare tea forest,
and 229 other families have joined
the cooperative. Xiangong encourages them to attend tea expos and
tries to catch every opportunity to
promote her hometown on the
market.
“When I got married, my mom
gave me fine tea as a dowry,” Xiangong, who is now 40, says. “Tea gives
us a chance to better know the world
and also gave me the chance to
establish my own career. I didn’t go
to college, but this mountain is my
college, inspiring me to explore tea
cultures and traditions, and look
back on our tradition.”
All the tea is manually picked and
processed. Xiangong reminds every
picker to leave the spear untouched.
Traditionally, people harvested tea
three seasons a year. Now, they only
do it for two seasons as a promise to
conserve the nature of the World
Heritage Site.
“The tea price is rising,” she adds.
“But it’s not OK for the young generation to only focus on how much more
money is earned. We need to keep in
mind heritage and the duty of care,
and to pass down the culture.”
According to Hu Jianrong, deputy
mayor of Pu’er, a kilogram of tea produced in the ancient forest of the Jingmai Mountain used to sell for about
500 yuan ($69) in 2010. As its fame
rose following the bid to become a
World Heritage Site, one kilo now
sells for about 1,200 yuan and annual
net income per capita rose to 20,300
yuan at the end of last year.
The government also spent about
New concerns
While many young people in other rural areas pour into big cities
looking for better jobs, this rarely
happens on the Jingmai Mountain.
People usually choose to stay due to
the booming tea industry and growing tourism.
Wandering around the villages,
tourists are easily touched by local
hospitality, and are often invited to
taste homemade tea for free.
Nonetheless, Chen from Peking
University is also concerned whether this idyllic scenario will survive if
the area gets overwhelmed by tourism. Gaining World Heritage status
hardly ensures anonymity.
“The impact from the outside is
inevitable,” he says. “But we have to
come up with ideas to face it.”
Authorities have taken some measures. According to Zhang Piping,
director of the Administration for the
Conservation of Old Tea Forests of
the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er, no
vehicle from the outside will be
allowed into the heritage zone. Tourists need to take electric scooters to
shuttle between the villages. More
than 1,000 parking spaces have been
built at the foot of the mountain
about 13 km from the heritage zone.
A monitoring center remotely
supervises the heritage site. Up to
3,300 visitors are allowed to enter the
core zone of the heritage site each day.
“For us, gaining World Heritage
status is only a start,” he says. “It will
be a long journey to better protect
the forest in a long term.”
Nan the storyteller is calm in the
face of this possible tourist fad.
“None of our festivals or sacrificial ceremonies will be deliberately performed for tourism,” he says.
“We have to respect our ancestors.”
No one is allowed to climb Peak
Aileng, and Nan vows that rule will
never change.
The words Pa Aileng said before
he died have been chanted in the
valley for centuries and seems to
linger on.
“If I leave cattle for you, they may
perish in disasters. If I leave treasure
for you, you may squander it. So I
only leave you tea trees. Our sons
can make use of them forever. You
have to protect them, as you do your
own eyes. Never lose them.”
Contact the writer at
wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn
Left: A group of Dai women pick tea on the Jingmai Mountain, Pu’er, Yunnan province. PROVIDED BY ADMINISTRATION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF OLD TEA FORESTS OF THE JINGMAI MOUNTAIN IN PU’ER TO CHINA DAILY Middle: A man from the Dai
ethnic group processes newly picked tea in Jingmai village. Right: A Blang woman processes Pu’er Tea in Mangjing village. PHOTOS BY WANG KAIHAO / CHINA DAILY
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
17
LIFE
Left: Wang Min at a field excavation in Zhenghe county, Fujian
province. Above: Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and
Fujian Institute of Geological Survey during a field study in Fujian.
A real feather in their caps
Team of Chinese scientists discover fossilized remains of a new species of Jurassic-era bird, helping to fill a
30-million-year gap in existing avian records, Yang Feiyue reports.
A
pproximately 150 million
years ago, a birdlike dinosaur
found itself fatally trapped in a
long-vanished swamp in
today’s Zhenghe county in Nanping, in
the eastern province of Fujian.
Its fossilized remains were unearthed
last year by a group of Chinese scientists,
who later proved it to be one of the earliest birds found so far from the Jurassic
period, which ended about 145 million
years ago.
The team named the new species Fujianvenator prodigiosus, and phylogenetic
and radioisotopic dating analyses show
that it branched off from the birdlike
dinosaur family Anchiornithidae approximately 148 to 150 million years ago.
The description and analysis of the
ancient fossil was published in leading
international science journal Nature on
Sept 6.
Birds are descended from non-avialan
theropods (the most diverse group of “lizard-hipped” dinosaurs) from the MiddleLate Jurassic period. “Avialan” refers to
the clade Avialae that includes all birds
and their closest dinosaurian relatives,
but the earliest phase of this evolutionary
process from dinosaur to bird remains
unclear, owing to a sparse fossil record.
“Jurassic avialans are key to deciphering the evolutionary origin of the avialan
body plan. More importantly, they are
key to reconciling the phylogenetic controversy about the origin of birds,”
explains Wang Min, who is from the
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and
Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
“Our understanding of the earliest
evolution of Avialae has been hampered
by the limited diversity of fossils from the
Jurassic period,” says Wang, who is also
the lead and corresponding author of the
new species study, which was conducted
by the IVPP and the Fujian Institute of
Geological Survey.
To date, no definitive avialan fossils
have been unearthed except at the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota in Northeast China (166 to 159 million years ago)
and the slightly younger Solnhofen
Limestone in Germany (about 155 million years ago), which preserves the
remains of the Archaeopteryx, the fossil
publicly known as the “first bird”. This
leaves a gap of about 30 million years
before the oldest known evidence of Cretaceous birds.
The appearance of the Fujian fossil
fills in part of that gap in early bird evolution, according to Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, a
paleontologist at Yale University in the
United States.
“Even at their earliest stages, the closest fossil relatives of birds were diversifying in interesting ways,” Bhullar was
quoted in an article in Nature.
“There are many, many such things
left to be discovered. We’ve only
scratched the surface of the anatomical
and lifestyle diversity of these animals.”
The Fujian avialan fossil exhibits a
bizarre assembly of morphologies
shared with other avialans, as well as
with some non-avialan carnivorous the-
ropods, Wang says, adding that this
shows the impact of evolutionary mosaicism (the mixture of ancestral and
derived features in a single specimen) in
early bird evolution.
“Our comparative analyses show that
marked changes to body plan occurred
along the early avialan line, largely driven by the forelimb, which eventually
gave rise to typical bird limb proportions,” Wang says.
“However, Fujianvenator is an odd
species that diverged from this main trajectory and evolved bizarre hind limb
architecture.”
The fossil’s surprisingly elongated lower leg and other morphologies, in combination
with
other
geological
observations, suggest that Fujianvenator lived in a swamp-like environment
and was a high-speed runner or a long
legged wader, indicative of a previously
unknown ecology for early avialans.
Wang has been extremely productive
in the field of the origin and early evolution of birds, especially the way their features evolved across the bird-dinosaur
transition during the Mesozoic era.
Since he began scientific research in
2014, he has helped name one third of all
known birds found to date from the Mesozoic period, including the Archaeornithura meemannae that in 2015 was
considered the most important discovery in a decade by the leading outlet for
scientific news, commentary, and cutting-edge research Science, and the
Ambopteryx longibrachium that made
the cover of Nature in 2019.
Yet in his heart, the discovery in Fujian
is his favorite because it was the first
time that he led the team that dug it up.
Since October 2021, Wang’s team and
the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey
have conducted several expeditions into
multiple Mesozoic basins in Fujian.
Although they have found hundreds of
vertebrate fossils, including fish,
amphibians, and turtles, until recently,
no traces of dinosaurs or birds were
found, leaving them disappointed and
anxious, with Wang even describing
himself as being on the verge of losing
hope. Then, on October 23 last year, he
found himself standing in a 4-meter pit,
Clockwise from top left: A rendering of Fujianvenator prodigiosus by Zhao
Chuang; a group photo of researchers with the new fossil; a graphic by Wang
Ming charting the species, with a red star pinpointing the location of the
Zhenghe Fauna; a drawing of the Fujianvenator prodigiosus and the fossil.
PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
holding the obsidian-black fossil of an
avian corpse, beaming like a child.
“In the past, many of the important
specimens I analyzed had already been
prepared, but this one was different. I
was there when it surfaced from the
slab,” Wang says.
“For most paleontologists, it’s always a
bit of a regret if you haven’t personally
excavated an important specimen,” he
adds.
Decades of geological surveys by the
FIGS contributed greatly to this discovery.
In 2020, one of the most diverse Late
Cretaceous dinosaur track sites in China
was discovered in Fujian, which prompted a series of joint investigations by the
Beijing and Fujian institutes.
After failing to find dinosaurs in Xiapu
county in Ningde, Wang and his colleagues decided to take a shot at Zhenghe county in Nanping.
By sheer luck, he unearthed the Fujianvenator prodigiosus fossil the first day
of excavation at the new site. Although
the skull is missing, this did not prevent
the team from assessing the significance
of the specimen.
Months have passed since the discovery, but Wang is still having difficulties
reconciling its form.
The fossil’s forelimbs are similar to an
Archaeopteryx, while the pubis and
ischium of its pelvis exhibit the typical
features of the birdlike bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs, Troodontidae and
Anchiornis huxleyi.
“It’s like we have taken parts of the
bones from different dinosaurs closely
related to birds or avialans and then
mixed them together to create a new animal,” Wang says.
Its hind limbs are even more remarkable. In all non-avialan theropod dinosaurs, the thigh is longer than the shin,
while in avialans, although the shin gradually became elongated, the degree of
elongation was limited.
However, in the case of the Fujian fossil, the shin is twice as long as the thigh, a
feature otherwise unknown among Mes-
ozoic dinosaurs and birds.
In previous research, paleontologists
believed that the key factor in the evolution from dinosaurs to birds was adaptation to tree-dwelling life. The shift meant
that lower legs could not be too elongated, otherwise the bird would be unable
to maintain its balance in the branches.
Fujianvenator’s morphology indicates
that it was likely a small theropod dinosaur that was an adept runner, or which
lived near water.
“This lifestyle is completely different
to the understanding in our community
of ecological habits during the early evolution of birds,” Wang emphasizes, adding that the discovery adds to the
ecological diversity of primitive avialans.
Although Fujianvenator is eye-catching, scientists have found a great number
of well-preserved animal fossils from the
same part of Zhenghe.
“In addition to Fujianvenator, we have
found an abundance of other vertebrates, including teleosts, testudines and
choristoderes,” says Xu Liming who is
from the FIGS and who was lead author
of the study.
During the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous period, the area that is now southeastern China experienced intensive
tectonic activity resulting from the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate, which
created widespread magmatism and
coeval fault-depression basins where the
Fujianvenator was found, Xu explains.
This geological background is essentially the same as during the Late Jurassic in north and northeastern China,
where the older Yanliao Biota is preserved, Xu adds.
“The extraordinary diversity, unique
vertebrate composition, and paleoenvironment strongly indicate that this locality documents a specific terrestrial
fauna, which we have named Zhenghe
Fauna,” says Zhou Zhonghe, who is
attached to the Beijing institute, and
co-author of the study.
In situ radioisotopic dating and stratigraphic surveys constrain Zhenghe Fauna
to the period between 150 and 148 million
years ago, which makes Fujianvenator
one of the stratigraphically youngest, and
geographically southernmost members of
Jurassic avialans, Zhou says.
The discovery of Zhenghe Fauna
opens a new window into the Late Jurassic terrestrial ecosystem, and the joint
research team from the IVPP and FIGS
plan to continue their exploration of
Zhenghe and nearby areas.
Looking back on the period, Wang is
thankful for his team.
“Everyone comes from different backgrounds with different personalities and
habits. You can imagine how challenging
it can be for a team of fifteen or more
people to work and live together for over
a month,” Wang says.
“Some colleagues were experienced in
fieldwork, and they always found ways to
cheer the team up when we were frustrated.”
Contact the writer at
yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn
18
| Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
LIFE
Get trolls off
the internet
and back
into folklore
SET TO
MAKE A
SPLASH
Despite some major setbacks,
scriptwriter Kang Chunlei finally enjoys
his big break, as Ripples of Life opens in
cinemas nationwide, Xu Fan reports.
I
n October 2020, director Wei
Shujun and scriptwriter Kang
Chunlei faced one of the most
daunting
and
difficult
moments of their careers.
Just two weeks before the scheduled commencement of shooting
their movie, Ripples of Life, the creative duo was gripped by a sinking
realization: The script that had been
meticulously crafted over six years
might be on the brink of failure.
At that time, everything, from the
cast and the costumes, to props and
locations, had been found. However, the director Wei, a Beijing native
who shot to fame with his directorial debut Duck Neck in 2016, dealt a
hammer blow to the project. With
the movie seemingly destined to be
a flop, he chose not to proceed with
the filming.
A poster for the movie Ripples
of Life.
As a result, his producers had to
contact the actors and actresses to
negotiate compensation for breaches of contracts, while Kang, facing
immense pressure, undertook the
stressful task of crafting a new
screenplay.
Surprisingly, echoing the wisdom
of Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell who once said, “When one
door closes, another door opens”,
Kang and Wei found new inspiration and promptly crafted a fresh
story, which was committed to celluloid. Seven art house film directors were also invited to play various
roles in the rejigged production.
Under the original title, the movie garnered recognition at the 26th
Busan International Film Festival
in South Korea and the 74th Cannes
Film Festival in France in 2021. In
the same year, it won the prize for
Best Director at both the Fei Mu
Awards and the Youth Jury Awards
during the 5th Pingyao Crouching
Tiger Hidden Dragon International
Film Festival in Shanxi province, an
annual event founded by prestigious filmmaker Jia Zhangke.
The movie was released in domestic theaters on Sept 8, quickly obtaining 7.4 points out of 10 on the popular
review aggregator Douban.
For Kang, who grew up in a village approximately 60 kilometers
from downtown Beijing, his first
inspiration for the brand-new
script for Ripples of Life was a
young woman who was the owner
of a restaurant in rural Hunan province, which he and fellow crew
members frequently visited while
preparing for the movie.
“She often held a little child,
around 1 year old, with a sense of
detachment from the surrounding
environment on her face. When we
met her, she showed curiosity
toward the crew and an eagerness
to try acting,” recalls Kang.
“This brought back memories of
my youth. When I used to spot
someone carrying a camera in my
hometown village, I couldn’t help
but feel a sense of curiosity, as if
they belonged to a world that was
more magnificent and enchanting,”
he adds.
After drawing inspiration from
the woman, Kang shared his findings with Wei and then wrote a
short tale, which became the first
chapter of the movie. The film consists of three chapters, each connected but focusing on different
characters.
All three short stories revolve
around a film crew as they prepare
to shoot a movie set in a fictional
town called Yong’an, which not only
means “eternal tranquility”, but
also hints at the stagnant lifestyle
and lack of change that keeps the
locals stuck in a stereotypical existence, as Kang reveals.
The first tale recounts the story of
a young mother who becomes
increasingly frustrated with her
monotonous life working in a small
restaurant run by her bossy parents-in-law. When the film crew visits the restaurant for dinner, she
eagerly hopes for a chance to feature in their production.
Starring actress Yang Zishan as a
movie star, the second tale follows
her character’s nostalgic journey
back to Yong’an, her hometown, to
shoot a film and reconnect with
childhood friends. However, she
gradually starts to realize that the
idyllic and sweet image she had of
the hometown might just be a figment of her imagination.
The third, perhaps the most sarcastic of all the three tales, features
Kang acting as a struggling scriptwriter, who has spent a decade writ-
Still images from Ripples of Life featuring (from top) a scriptwriter (right), played by Kang Chunlei, and
a film director (left), portrayed by Liu Yang, discussing a script; a movie star played by actress Yang
Zishan; and a young woman restaurant worker played by Huang Miyi. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
ing four scripts, none of which have
been made into movies. The character sees the opportunity to shoot a
movie set in Yong’an as his chance
to finally gain recognition.
“We hope to explore the stagnation of life and its impact on each
individual. In our youth, when facing an uncertain future, we believe
that anything is within our reach.
However, as we age, we come to
realize that many aspirations are
challenging to attain, leading us to
gradually accept our current circumstances,” explains Kang about
the theme of the movie.
The movie, to some extent, also
mirrors Kang’s personal hardships.
After graduating from a high school
in Beijing’s Daxing district in 2008,
he had ambitions of becoming a
writer and chose not to take the
national college entrance exam.
However, he faced a lot of challen-
ges in the following years, including
financial difficulties and a string of
different jobs, ranging from being
an extra to selling insurance and
working as a security guard.
The turning point came in 2012,
when he happened to learn from a
friend who had graduated from the
Central Academy of Drama that
writing a single episode of a TV
series could earn him more than
5,000 yuan ($687).
During the following year, Kang
purchased a lot of books, such as
Hollywood scriptwriter Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat! The Last Book on
Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, to
teach himself how to skillfully write
a script for a movie or TV.
In 2014, working as a script planner at a production company, he
managed to read over 300 scripts
and outlines, accumulating more
knowledge to write his own stories.
Shenzhen has a taste of France at food expo
By YANG FEIYUE
yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn
At SIAL Shenzhen, a premier
international food and beverage
exhibition opened in Guangdong
province at the end of August, Zheng
Qi’s booth was surrounded by visitors who lined up to taste a wide
array of quality cheeses from Europe.
His company B. Max (Beijing)
Trading Co was exhibiting products
that had been newly imported since
its participation in the SIAL event in
Shanghai in May.
“We’ve seen a rising number of
Chinese consumers who are interested in our products,” Zheng says,
adding that he wouldn’t miss any
opportunity to introduce new products to the Chinese market.
He has found Chinese consumers
are acquiring an international taste
Above: Visitors flock to the
SIAL Shenzhen, a premier
international food and
beverage exhibition, which
opened in Guangdong province at the end of August.
Left: Visitors sample corn
products at the event.
PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
and more of them have started to use
cheese to prepare Chinese cuisine.
It opens up more space for his
company’s business, he says.
Zheng is one of the more than
1,200 exhibitors from 33 countries
and regions, including the United
Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ireland,
Australia, Pakistan, Brazil, Russia,
France, Italy and the United Kingdom, who altogether showcased
over 60,000 food and beverage
products at the event, says Li Yue,
a senior official with the event
organizer.
“As high as 85 percent of international exhibitors present in Shanghai showed an interest in joining
our Shenzhen event,” Li says.
The event, which originated in
France, received support from multiple French politicians who also
attended.
However, none of his scripts found
their way the big screen before Ripples of Life.
Regarding the title, he explains:
“Big events in people’s lives are like
throwing a pebble into the water.
Although ripples immediately
appear on the surface, it quickly
returns to calmness.”
Thanks to the film, though, the ripples in Kang’s own life have been significant. Following his collaboration
with Wei, their second film, Only the
River Flows, adapted from awardwinning author Yu Hua’s namesake
novel, premiered during this year’s
Cannes Film Festival. Not content to
rest on his laurels, Kang is now contemplating using the perplexities of
his youth as a source of inspiration
for his next screenplay.
Contact the writer at
xufan@chinadaily.com.cn
“As China and France approach
the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
next year, French President Emmanuel Macron visited China on April
5th. During his visit, both countries
reached an agreement to strengthen their agricultural partnership,”
Li says, explaining the rationale
behind hosting the Shenzhen event.
“They also decided to jointly
address global food crises through
China’s international food security
cooperation initiative and agricultural resilience actions, ensuring
the smooth operation of the international food supply chain, and promoting Sino-French economic and
trade cooperation,” Li adds.
For food and beverage companies
looking to expand their business
scope and increase exports, China is
a vast market, which is more accessible now than ever before, says
SIAL’s CEO Nicolas Trentesaux. In
China, several segments of the food
and beverage industry are thriving,
with demand on the rise, he adds.
Before my 40s, when I thought
of trolls, they were ugly little
creatures or little dolls with big,
colorful hair that sat atop pencils. In fact, trolls originate from
Scandinavian folklore and are
depicted as ugly creatures that
live up in the hills or caves. This
description is not a far cry from
their modern-day iteration, usually found dwelling in dark corners of the internet instead of
under fairy-tale bridges.
When I think of internet trolls,
I imagine an isolated person who
spends countless hours online,
sitting in the dark, scrolling
through other people’s social
media posts and
who doesn’t often
speak to people
IRL — that’s “in
real life” to those
who are not up on
their millennial
lingo — and gets
Kara
their kicks from
Schroeder
eliciting reactions,
Second
Thoughts
whether positive
or negative. Internet trolls are people who are
“ugly on the inside”.
However, their ugliness can
have a serious impact, more so
than the mythical ones I mention
above, especially on people who
are more sensitive or suffer from
mental health issues. There have
been countless accounts of unassuming people who just want to
document and share their lives
with others online, only to experience a backlash with horrific
results.
A beautiful young woman
posted about her grandfather
and how she was loyally by his
bedside to take care of him. People attacked her for her pink
hair, calling her a “nightclub
girl” — and what’s wrong with
that anyway?
Another woman, whose son was
tragically killed when his teacher
accidentally hit the boy with a car,
posted her grief online. Many
made vicious comments about her
makeup and accused her of caring
more about her appearance than
her son. Both women took their
own lives as a result.
And these are just two examples of thousands where online
trolls picked the posters apart,
with hurtful and worthless comments that led to deadly results.
Unfortunately, online bullying
is an ongoing social issue that’s
tough to moderate. Had the
internet existed when I was a
teenager, I’m not sure what my
life would have become. Being
bullied face-to-face was already a
huge struggle to overcome. With
the Metaverse on the verge of
becoming mainstream, bullying
and sexual harassment have
been discussed without any resolution of how to manage it,
which is one aspect that makes
me apprehensive about this
advancing technology.
Some might say that, if people
post or participate, they should
develop a thicker skin to handle
such problems, but how is a person to know that if they post
about their devotion to their
dying grandfather or their grief
over a child’s death, trolls are
going to come out of hiding and
attack them?
One way for those who want to
share their lives online to deal
with these awful people is to try
to think of the trolls the same
way you would think of any bully.
If someone treats people in an
aggressive or ugly manner, there
is something wrong with them —
they suffer from loneliness, insecurity, jealousy, etc.
If there were a way to reach
the cyber trolls, I would say that,
if a person is posting something
and it doesn’t affect or hurt you,
don’t comment. Be nice. Get a
life. Get off the internet. Go outside. Get a hobby. Maybe try to
make real friends. Mind your
own business. Grow up. But for
everyone’s sake, let people live
their lives without making negative comments. Living IRL is
already hard enough.
Contact the writer at
schroeder@chinadaily.com.cn
19
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
CHINA DAILY
SPORTS
MOTOR SPORTS
TRACK AND FIELD
Duplantis keeps
raising the bar
Swede sensation
resets record
for seventh time
Carlos Sainz of Spain is doused in champagne by a Ferrari crew member as he celebrates winning
Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday. AP
Sainz outsmarts rivals as Red
Bull streak screeches to halt
SINGAPORE — Carlos Sainz said
Ferrari “didn’t put a foot wrong” as
the Spaniard drove a perfect race to
win a thrilling Formula One Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday and
end Red Bull’s hopes of sweeping
every race in 2023.
But an emotional George Russell
was close to tears after crashing his
Mercedes on the final lap after
attempting a late victory charge on
fresher tires.
Lando Norris was second after a
brilliant defensive drive to hold off
the Mercedes pair as Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in third after
teammate Russell’s lapse.
Championship leader Max Verstappen, who had won the last 10
races, was only fifth as Red Bull
failed to take the checkered flag for
the first time this season after a
weekend when they were consistently off the pace.
His teammate Sergio Perez
crossed the line eighth.
Sainz controlled the night race
around the downtown street circuit brilliantly from pole position
to take only his second career win,
the first coming at the British
Grand Prix last year.
“An incredible feeling. We didn’t
put a foot wrong all weekend,” said
Sainz.
“We nailed the race. We had one
opportunity to win a race this year
and we did it perfectly,” added the
Spaniard.
Sainz seemed set for a comfortable win until a virtual safety car 20
laps from the end gave the two
Mercedes the chance to change to
fresh medium-compound tires.
Russell and Hamilton came out
flying and soon reeled in and
passed the second Ferrari of
Charles Leclerc, who finished
fourth.
But when they got on the heels of
the top two they could not get past
as Sainz cleverly backed up to keep
his former teammate Norris within
DRS (drag reduction system) range
so the Englishman could defend
second place.
“It was just quite tight at the end.
We gave Lando a bit of a cheeky
DRS boost to help him and in the
end it worked,” said Sainz.
“The safety car forced us to pit
earlier than we wanted and I knew
it was going to be a long stint on the
hards.”
‘Heartbreaking’
Russell was all over the back of
Norris until his challenge ended in
the barriers, handing Hamilton the
final podium place.
“It’s heartbreaking after such a
great weekend,” said Russell. “I feel
like I let myself and the team down.
It’s tough but we will come back.”
Norris was grateful for the help
he received from Sainz, his former
teammate.
“Carlos was very generous trying
to help me get DRS. It helped my
race and it also helped his,” said
Norris.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was
sixth, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri
seventh.
Rookie Liam Lawson picked up
his first championship points in
ninth for AlphaTauri on only his
third F1 start and Kevin Magnussen of Haas rounded out the top 10
points scorers.
Sainz began the race smoothly to
take the lead with Leclerc slotting
into second and there was little
action until Logan Sargeant
prompted a safety car when he lost
the front wing of his Williams on
lap 20.
A flurry of pit-lane activity followed as all the leaders headed in
for fresh hard tires to take them to
the end of the 62-lap race.
Leclerc was held up doublestacking behind Sainz and Russell
and Norris emerged in front of the
Monegasque.
The order was unchanged until
Esteban Ocon’s engine gave out
causing a virtual safety car with 18
laps left.
It prompted the Mercedes pair to
dive in for fresh medium tires as
the leaders stayed out.
It put the pair behind Leclerc but
they were lapping two seconds
quicker and soon swept past the
Monegasque and closed on Norris
until Russell’s error cost him a
podium place.
Verstappen is still a runaway
favorite to claim a third world title
but the all-conquering Dutchman
has still never taken the checkered
flag in Singapore.
He now cannot clinch the title
until the Qatar GP in three weeks’
time, but said the team would
bounce back at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, where the track
will suit Red Bull better.
“I had fun in the second stint. We
were quite quick on the medium
compound,” said Verstappen, who
increased his lead over Perez to 151
points with seven races to go.
“I think we will be quick in
Suzuka.”
AFP
EUGENE, Oregon — Armand
Duplantis didn’t exactly remember
soaring over the bar to set a new
world record at the Prefontaine
Classic, but he knew what came
next.
“I just looked up and the bar was
still there,” the Swede laughed.
Duplantis and Ethiopia distance
runner Gudaf Tsegay both set new
world records on Sunday to wrap up
the season at the Prefontaine Classic
track and field meet.
Known as Mondo, Duplantis
leaped 6.23 meters. The reigning
world champion broke his own
record of 6.22 meters set indoors
earlier this year.
He was swarmed by fellow competitors after clearing the jump
before hopping onto the track’s railing and striking a victory pose for
fans at Eugene’s Hayward Field.
“We’re not only competitors, but
we really are brothers and we have a
great time together out there,”
Duplantis said.
“To see them embrace me like that
after doing a jump, breaking a world
record, I’m thankful. I just feel very
thankful.”
He has now reset the world record
seven times. Five of those marks
were set indoors, with both of his
outdoor world marks coming at
Hayward Field in Eugene, where he
won the world title last year.
“I’m two for two right now on
world records coming here to Hayward,” Duplantis said. “It has absolutely everything. It has the history,
it has the modern touch. The track is
really fast, the crowd and energy is
fantastic.”
Duplantis retained his world title
in Budapest last month with a clearance of 6.10m and cleared 6.12 in
Ostrava in June.
He failed in a string of attempts at
6.23 since February, including at
Brussels earlier this month, but said
the smaller field in the finals was
more conducive to a record attempt.
“I think that it’s a lot easier to be
fresh at that world record height,” he
said.
Duplantis had already secured
victory with a height of 6.02 — the
73rd clearance of his career of more
than six meters.
In his first effort at 6.23, with the
crowd chanting, he raced up the
runway and sailed over.
“I just try to jump high,” said
Duplantis, who believes he can continue to improve the record.
“The limit is very high, and I hope
that I can continue to jump well and
keep jumping higher than I did
today.”
Armand Duplantis of Sweden clears the bar to set a new world
record in the pole vault with a leap of 6.23 meters during the
season-ending Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay broke the world record in
the women’s 5,000 meters, finishing
in 14:00.21.
Tsegay bested the record of
14:05.20 set by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon earlier this year in Paris. Tsegay’s finish was nearly 12 seconds
better than her personal best. Kenyan Beatrice Chebet was runner-up
in 14:05.92.
Afterward, the 26-year-old Tsegay
vowed to try to go under 14 minutes
next year: “Yes, I try,” she said.
The Prefontaine Classic, normally
run in late May, was this year’s final
stop on the international Diamond
League circuit. The 32 champions
crowned during the two-day meet
earned $30,000 apiece.
It was the last major international
track and field competition before
the athletes begin gearing up for the
Paris Olympics next summer.
Canadian Andre De Grasse, the
200m champion at the Tokyo Olympics, won the event Sunday in 19.76
seconds to cap his season.
Shericka Jackson couldn’t break
Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 35-yearold 200m world record, but the
Jamaican’s 21.57 was enough to
complete a sprint double after her
100m victory on Saturday.
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen followed up his sensational win in the
mile on Saturday with victory in the
3,000m. In a photo finish with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, Ingebrigtsen
crossed the line first in 7:23.63.
American Joe Kovacs had a monster throw of 22.93m in the men’s
shot put, ahead of native Oregonian
and world-record holder Ryan
Crouser.
Crouser was diagnosed with
blood clots in his left leg just before
winning the shot put at the world
AP
championships last month in Budapest. He’s been on medication to
shrink the clots.
“Super happy with the season.
Had a lot of adversity this year that
really wasn’t planned — not that it
ever is,” Crouser said. “Wasn’t
expecting the issues that I had but I
feel like I battled through it really
well. I was overall really happy
today with my performance.”
American Athing Mu won the
800m in 1:54.97, a new national and
meet record. Marileidy Paulino of
the Dominican Republic won the
400m in 49.58.
Femke Bol of the Netherlands triumphed in the 400m hurdles in
51.98, while Tobi Amusan of Nigeria
took the 100m hurdles title in 12.33.
Among the men, Emmanuel
Wanyonyi of Kenya won the 800m
in a meet record 1:42.80. Canadian
Marco Arop finished second in
1:42.85, a new national record. Arop
bested Wanyonyi at the world championships.
Tokyo Olympic champion Hansle
Parchment of Jamaica pulled away
late to beat world champion Grant
Holloway in the 110m hurdles in a
world-leading 12.93.
Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh
edged Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers
in the women’s high jump, both
clearing 2.03m to improve on the
world-leading height of 2.02m they
shared coming into the meeting.
The two-day event opened Saturday. Among the winners were American Christian Coleman (9.83 sec) in
the men’s 100m and Jackson (10.70)
in the women’s event. Ingebrigtsen
won the Bowerman mile, an event
unique to the Prefontaine Classic, in
a blistering 3:43.73.
AGENCIES
RUGBY
Fiji’s ‘jackals’ hunt down Wallabies to ignite World Cup
PARIS — Fiji produced the upset
the Rugby World Cup needed on
Sunday, beating Australia to end
almost seven decades of rugby pain
at their hands while 2019 finalist
South Africa and England made it
two wins from two.
The Fiji players described as
“jackals” by their impressive coach
Simon Raiwalui outmuscled the
Wallabies to deservedly prevail
22-15 in a thrilling match that blows
open Pool C.
It was the first time Fiji had ever
beaten Australia at a World Cup.
Defending champion South Africa and England won in contrasting
styles, the Springboks thrashing
Romania 76-0 in Pool B while the
English ground out a 34-12 win over
Japan in Pool D.
Fiji’s impressive victory gives it a
great chance of reaching the last
eight for the first time since 2007
with its remaining matches against
a robust Georgia and whipping boy
Portugal.
Raiwalui said this was a new Fiji
that can combine steel in the forward line with swashbuckling threequarter play.
“We wanted to change who we
are, our identity, what we stood for,”
said the New Zealand-born former
Fiji lock.
“We have traditional areas where
those Tier 1 teams, developed nations
attack us and we think those are the
areas that we’ve really improved in.”
Rather than a “bunch of talented
individuals”, Raiwalui said this Fiji
is a “team of talented players”.
Australia and coach Eddie Jones
by contrast have it all to do if they
are to avoid the ignominy of becoming the first Wallabies team to fail to
reach the knockout stages.
In his first spell in charge, Jones
took Australia to the 2003 final only
to lose to England in extra time, but
his team now faces a monumental
test of character against Wales this
weekend.
‘Bit of a setback’
The 63-year-old former England
coach, who Australian rugby chiefs
took a gamble on bringing back to
replace Dave Rennie last January, is
adamant his young side can still go
deep in the tournament.
“We’ve had a bit of a setback today
Australia’s Nick Frost is stopped in his tracks by a trio of Fiji players during their Rugby World Cup
match in France on Sunday. Right: Fiji’s Tevita Ikanivere celebrates at the final whistle. AP / REUTERS
but that’s all part of being at a World
Cup. I do remember South Africa
lost a game and won the (2019)
World Cup,” said Jones.
South Africa’s minds will switch
quickly to this Saturday’s keenly
awaited match with Six Nations
Grand Slam champion Ireland.
Perhaps, though, the most significant move by the Springboks came
off the pitch.
In an effort to resolve their Achilles
heel, kicking at goal, they called up
their 2019 World Cup-winning playmaker Handre Pollard.
“We have no doubt he’ll step up to
the challenge,” said head coach Jacques Nienaber.
“He’s been here before so he
knows the physical and mental
demands of the World Cup.”
Nienaber was in philosophical
mood when asked about the Ireland
match which many believe will
decide who tops the pool and who
finishes second.
Awaiting the runner-up in the
quarterfinals is likely to be host
nation France, with the winner of
Pool B most probably matched up
against New Zealand.
“Destiny will decide who we will
play in the quarterfinal,” said
Nienaber.
England did not win over many
neutral observers in its attritional
win over Japan but for diehard supporters the style means little as it
sits top of Pool D after two matches.
England fly-half George Ford,
who contributed 14 points with the
boot to go with his team’s four tries,
admitted the match had hardly been
box-office rugby.
“Probably not the prettiest to
watch and we had to build the game
in a different way to get our points in
the end, but I thought it was good
discipline from the boys,” he said.
Ford was slightly on the defensive
when it was suggested the players
had seemed frustrated at halftime.
“There was no frustration from
our end, we understand what wins
Test matches,” said the 30-year-old.
“There’ll obviously be decisions
we’ll look back and think we could
have done better but overall we’re
very happy with the way we played.”
AFP
20 | Tuesday, September 19, 2023
CHINA DAILY
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
Editor’s Note: Since its establishment two years ago, the Guangdong-Macao
In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin has implemented the “distinctive
industries” project, the “flow of resources between Hengqin and Macao”
project and the “deep integration of peoples’ lives” project. A quality life circle
is being formed in Hengqin and Macao, and the zone has become a new
vanguard of opening-up.
Macao
Zhuhai
JOINING HANDS
CREATES NEW
CHAPTER OF
INTEGRATED
DEVELOPMENT
Macao
Guangdong-Macao
In-Depth Cooperation
Zone in Hengqin
The shortest distance
between Hengqin and
Macao is 187 meters.
ECONOMICS & DEVELOPMENT
GDP
Billion yuan
46.18
45.46
32.95
23.63
22.39
10.16
10.91
Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June Jan-Sept Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June
2021
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
Industrial added value (above designated size)
Billion yuan
0.57
0.46
0.36
0.32
0.29
0.13
0.09
Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June Jan-Sept Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June
2021
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
FACTS & FIGURES
There are 13 Macao-funded
qualified foreign limited
partnership (QFLP) management
enterprises, accounting for more
than 50 percent of the zone’s total.
Total retail sales of consumer goods
Billion yuan
1.61
1.49
By June 2023, 6,088 Macao residents lived in the
cooperation zone, an increase of 186 percent over when
the zone was established.
0.6
0.24
The “Macao New Neighbourhood” project, covering an area
of 190,000 square meters, is scheduled to begin sales in
September.
The “Macao New Neighbourhood” project consists of 27
residential buildings and a parking lot with about
4,000 spaces. The project will provide around 4,000
apartments and create a high-quality and livable
community for more than 10,000 residents.
Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June Jan-Sept Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June
2021
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
Wholesale and retail volume
Billion yuan
127.38
Hengqin and Macao have 13 pairs of
sister schools. There are currently
269 Macao students in the zone, 88
percent more than the total of 2022.
101.97
89.71
65.29
60.08
29.86
26.49
By Aug 29, this year’s throughput of inbound and
outbound travelers and vehicles via Hengqin
Port reached 11.27 million, marking the first time
the traveler throughput surpassed 10 million in a
calendar year.
5,740
5,688
5,529
5,466
5,396
5,355
5,323
5,238
5,148
5,092
4,975
4,975
5,601
Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June Jan-Sept Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June
2021
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
Registered Macao-funded
companies
In 2023, a total of five
special “Macao youth
internship projects”
were launched, offering
185 internship positions
and attracting nearly
1,000 applicants.
1.23
1.07
0.95
The number of Macao’s professionals practicing in the
cooperation zone in fields such as medicine,
architecture and tourism has increased to 1270, an
increase of 77 percent over when the zone was established.
Flow of resources between
Hengqin and Macao
1
2
By Aug 31, there were 22 law firms
and 332 lawyers in the
cooperation zone, including five
joint venture law firms and 47
lawyers from Hong Kong and
Macao. Since the establishment of
the cooperation zone, the numbers of
law firms and lawyers have
increased by 100 percent and 49.5
percent respectively, with Macao
lawyers increasing by 65 percent.
From Jan-June, 2023, 487
Macao-funded companies were
registered in the zone, a year-on-year
increase of 24.6 percent. By June
2023, the Inno Valley HQ had
incubated 956 businesses and
projects, including...
Jul
Aug Sep
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
2022
2023
Apr
405
from
Macao
May Jun
3
Improving the infrastructure and
related supporting policies in the
“first line” (between Macao and
Hengqin) and the “second line”
(between Hengqin Island and other
parts of the Chinese mainland),
enabling the smooth and efficient
flow of people, capital, logistics and
other resources between Hengqin
and Macao.
Having hammered out 30 measures
for the zone’s financial development
and revised and unveiled special
support measures for issuing bonds
in Macao, which increase the
support ratio from 0.8 percent to 2
percent of the actual amount of
funds raised.
Having improved the business
registration mechanism for both
Hengqin and Macao, reducing
administrative procedure handling
time by 60 percent.
Jul
Macao
Guangdong-Macao In-Depth
Cooperation Zone in Hengqin
A total of 14 commuting routes with 43 shifts
have been opened between Hengqin and Macao,
with an average daily peak passenger throughput of
880. There are eight university routes, with a daily
average passenger throughput of more than 700.
Macao people employed in Hengqin
enjoyed a reduction of individual
income tax by over 17 million yuan
($2.34 million) in 2022.
Sources: The executive committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
ADVERTORIAL*
28.48
24.61
16.23
10.33
8.30
4.21
3.15
Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June Jan-Sept Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June
2021
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
Paid-in foreign direct investment
Billion US dollars
1.52
0.19
0.29
0.44
0.47
0.52
0.72
Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June Jan-Sept Jan-Dec Jan-Mar Jan-June
2021
2022
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
41
from
Hong Kong
Zhuhai
Foreign trade
Billion yuan