The world's most advanced and China's first domestically developed ocean drilling vessel will commence its maiden voyage on Friday in South China's Guangdong Province, which marks an important step in China's deep-sea exploration capability, China Geological Survey said on Monday.
The vessel, which was developed by China Geological Survey and more than 150 research institutes and companies, was officially named "Mengxiang (Dream)" on Monday.
Weighing about 33,000 tons, the ship can travel 15,000 nautical miles and operate for 120 days without returning to ports, CCTV News reported. It has the capability of operating in unlimited navigational areas worldwide and the ability to drill as deep as 11,000 meters in the sea.
Possessing deepest drilling depth in the world, the ship has the world's largest shipboard laboratory with more than 3,000 square meters, including nine major laboratories covering marine science, microbiology, and paleomagnetism. It integrates key technologies such as digital twinning to achieve comprehensive monitoring of drilling and mining operations and intelligent collaboration in scientific experiments.
Currently undergoing preparations at the dock in Nansha district of the city of Guangzhou, "Mengxiang" will set sail on Friday to complete its first trial voyage mission according to an official schedule. With construction beginning on November 30 2021, it is expected to be fully completed in 2024.
After completion, the ship will provide equipment support for the industrialization of natural gas hydrate exploration and exploitation, further enhancing China's energy self-sufficiency capability, according to officials from China Geological Survey.
Chinese tennis players got off to a strong start at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games as four participants in the women's and men's singles progressed to the third round on Monday.
There are five golds on offer in the tennis events at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, attracting 11 Chinese athletes to participate. The winners of the two singles events will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In the women's singles, top seed Zheng Qinwen breezed past Maralgoo Chogsomjav of Mongolia with a 6-0, 6-0 clean sweep.
Earlier, second seed Zhu Lin also marched to the third round with a straight-sets victory over Ushna Suhail of Pakistan.Zheng, who made it to the US Open quarterfinal in September, and Zhu were tipped to continue China's grip on the women's singles title since the 2006 Doha Asian Games in Qatar. However, resting only three hours after the singles match, Zheng and Zhu suffered a 6-7, 3-6 defeat to Momoko Kobori and Ayano Shimizu of Japan in the first round of the women's doubles.
In Zhu's third match of the day, she and Buyunchaokete eased past Shakhnoza Marimova and Amir Milushev of Uzbekistan 6-0, 6-0 in the mixed doubles in 43 minutes.
Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times that China has fielded its strongest team for this Asian Games and the top two singles players in the men's and women's singles will fight for a spot at the Paris Olympic Games.
"Chinese players are a favorite to win the women's singles title. But playing on the home court, our players will be under enormous pressure. It's important for them to forget their world rankings, stay composed and take it one game at a time," she said.
As the women's doubles champion in 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Yang Zhaoxuan will team up with new partner Wang Xinyu to have a crack in the women's doubles this year.
Liu Feng, head coach of the Chinese national women's tennis team, said forging the new partnership is a bold attempt to prepare for the Paris Olympic Games.
"We want to try and find the best partners for the Paris Games. Wang is skilled in serving and baseline rallies, while Yang is good at attacking the net. The Asian Games is like a trial run for this new pair," said the coach.
In the men's singles, Zhang Zhizhen coasted to a 7-5, 6-2 win over Faleh Alhogbani of Saudi Arabia.
Wu Yibing, who won the men's singles silver medal in the Jakarta Games, edged past Justin Barki of Indonesia 7-5, 6-1. The Hangzhou native has set his sights on becoming the first man from the Chinese mainland to win the singles title since the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Meanwhile in the men's doubles, Zhang and Wu reached the men's doubles quarterfinals after overpowering Mashari Naif and Mubarak Alharrasi of Qatar 6-3, 6-4. The Chinese duo seeks to become the first pair from the Chinese mainland to claim the men's doubles title since China's last triumph in 1990.
In addition to the men's singles and doubles, Zhang, who reached the third round at this year's French Open and US Open, also competes in the mixed doubles with Yang.
China won two golds and two silvers in tennis events at the Jakarta Games in 2018.
"We are disappointed that Japan still wants to go ahead and dump the nuclear polluted water into the Pacific, because we are not convinced by the scientific reports that it will be safe for marine life, or for communities who are going to be affected," former prime minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Neill told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
He told the Global Times that efforts will continue to ask international agencies including the United Nations to attend to the concerns of people in the Pacific region.
On July 4, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and announced the final safety review report for the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The report stated that Japan's plan for dumping the nuclear-contaminated wastewater "meets safety standards," but it also emphasizes that the report cannot serve as the standard for Japan's approval of the policy.
Japan's plan to dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater has been met with strong protests and concerns from the international community since it was first proposed in 2021. According to the plan, Japan intends to discharge 1.3 million tons of treated nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean over the next 30 to 40 years.
In addition to neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, many Pacific island nations, which are ecologically vulnerable and heavily reliant on ocean fisheries, are also affected. Earlier this year, the Pacific Island Forum collectively opposed Japan's plan to dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean and sent a delegation to Japan for talks on the issue.
O'Neill was talking to the Global Times after attending an event organized by the think tank Center for China and Globalization (CCG). He said Japan owes it to the international community and to the Pacific to take the issue seriously, adding that they should not dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater and should find other ways of trying to treat the water or to manage the problem.
He stressed that it isn't the Pacific that started the problem of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Japan.
"It is their own issue and they need to manage it better. Many countries in the Pacific are very disappointed. They do not support Japan in doing this," he said.
"We all know from experience that for nuclear waste of any form, it takes time, it takes years, it takes decades [to resolve]. It's not resolved in a few years. Over time you will still have the presence of nuclear content within the waste that has been disposed of," he said.
As Japan continues with its plan despite the protests from Pacific Island countries, O'Neill told the Global Times that they will raise their questions to international organizations including the UN.
"Is this water safe? Will this water affect marine life? Is this water not going to affect individuals who have to drink water in the Pacific? These are questions that need to be answered," he said.
On the IAEA's release of a comprehensive report on the dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that the report "failed to fully reflect views from experts that participated in the review." Also, "the conclusion was not shared by all experts. The Chinese side regrets the hasty release of the report," the spokesperson said.
"We believe that the IAEA report should not be a 'shield' or 'greenlight' for Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. Due to its limited mandate, the IAEA failed to review the justification and legitimacy of Japan's ocean discharge plan, assess the long-term effectiveness of Japan's purification facility and corroborate the authenticity and accuracy of Japan's nuclear-contaminated water data. Therefore, the conclusion is largely limited and incomplete. We noted that Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that the IAEA conducted the review at the request of the Japanese government and the report is neither a recommendation nor an endorsement of Japan's ocean discharge policy," said the spokesperson.
Chinese people believe that letters are as valuable as gold. For thousands of years, letters, across mountains and oceans, have been delivering writers' sentiments and conveyed friendship and expectations.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has managed to find time to reply to some letters from different parts of society and the world despite his busy work schedule.
Through his letters, Xi has corresponded with international friends from all walks of life on numerous occasions, part of a series of excellent stories of China's international exchanges in the new era. The letters have also added vivid color to the diplomacy between China and other countries.
The Global Times traced and contacted some of the recipients of Xi's letters, to hear the inspiring stories behind the letters and their communication with the president.
In this installment, Global Times reporters spoke with the heads of associations that have been actively promoting the development of friendship between the peoples of the two countries, about their past efforts to facilitate exchanges, understanding, and cooperation, as well as their views on current US-China relations.
"President Xi Jinping's reply letter has inspired those in the US who have feelings for China and want the relationship between the two countries to get back on track to move forward courageously," said David Chong, founder and president of the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, when speaking about how the excitement of receiving a letter from the Chinese president transformed into enduring inspiration.
Recently, Chinese President Xi replied to a letter from the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association and friends from all walks of life in Washington State, US and a letter from the grandson of General Joseph W. Stilwell in the US respectively, both receiving positive responses from China and the US as well as the international community.
Letter after letter from President Xi to his American friends serve as reminders that the peoples of the two countries value each other's friendship, and that the interconnectedness of hearts can cross any barriers, Chong told the Global Times.
In recent years, despite China-US relations reached low ebb, the door to dialog and communication on the Chinese side has remained open, and exchanges and contacts between the Chinese and American people have remained uninterrupted.
Xi personally has shown that he attaches great importance to the friendship between the peoples of the two countries. "The hope and foundation of the China-US relationship lie in the people, and its future lies in the youths," was Xi's earnest hope expressed in his reply, a hope that Chong bears in mind.
Chong and like-minded peers look forward to further spreading the importance of promoting the China-US people-to-people friendship, which Xi has constantly emphasized, to promoting mutual understanding between the two countries through more tangible actions, and to letting the seeds of friendship between the two countries be firmly rooted in the hearts of the young generation.
Steadfast light behind dark clouds
In July, the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association and other friendly people from all walks of life in Washington State sent a letter to Xi, expressing their good wishes for China's hosting of the 31st International University Sports Federation Summer World University Games in Chengdu and the Hangzhou Asian Games, while also reaffirming their commitment to continuously enhancing China-US youth cooperation and humanistic exchanges.
Speaking on the reason for writing the letter, Chong referred to President Xi's remark during his meeting with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on June 16 this year, where the president stressed that the foundation of China-US relations lies in the people.
"We have always placed our hope on the American people and wish all the best for the friendship between the two peoples," Xi said.
After seeing this news, Chong immediately shared Xi's views with his friends in Washington State, and they were all in agreement.
"We have found that in recent years, the voices of the American people calling for friendship between the two countries have been suppressed and even muffled. We felt it necessary to send a letter to President Xi, telling him that his friends in Washington State miss him, and at the same time letting our voices be heard by the American public, letting the Chinese people know that there has never been only one voice in the US, and that a lot of the American people expect that the two countries can continue to be friendly," he said.
Ron Chow, co-chairperson of the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, told the Global Times that President Xi's letter is an affirmation and support of their association's efforts to promote youth and student exchanges between the two countries.
"In fact, this cause is widely supported by the American community," Chow said.
The Global Times reporter found that the letter led by Chong and Chow to Xi was signed not only by the Secretary of State of Washington State, but also Washington State senators, mayors of Tacoma, Steilacoom and other politicians.
In September 2015, Xi visited Lincoln High School in Tacoma, US. Inside the school auditorium, he enjoyed a choir performance by Chinese and American students. The choir chose to perform a song named "On the Field of Hope," which embodies the Chinese people's faith and love for the future.
Less than a month after Xi's departure, the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association was established.
"We should allow our young people to have more contacts and exchanges to understand each other's cultures and values, especially at a time when some of them are being misled by remarks by certain Western media and politicians, which have created unnecessary suspicions," Chow said.
In July, the association arranged five high school students and one teacher from Steilacoom, Washington State, to participate in the 17th Shanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp.
Before coming to China, some US parents, influenced by negative public opinion about China, were apprehensive about their children's trip. However, the students returned from China told their families that it was one of the most wonderful summers they had ever spent, and hoped to continue their youth exchange program in China in coming years, Chow said.
From organizing US youth and student visits to China, promoting table tennis exchanges between the two countries, and helping teenagers who were personally affected by the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 to visit Washington State, the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association has shown commitment to the improvement of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries' youths.
Looking back on the association's work over the years, Chong and Chow are pleased that the platform which allows for the promotion of sincere exchanges, deepened understanding and building of friendships between US and Chinese youths, has maintained a solid trajectory in the spirit of mutual benefit.
Take steps in same direction
"President Xi has many old friends in the US. Many of our friends have written letters to him, even those whose fathers fought with the Chinese military against fascism in World War II, creating a lifelong friendship. On the other hand, the story of President Xi's relationship with his old friends has also become a great story in US-China relations," Chong said.
On September 12, Xi also replied to a letter from the Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Jeffrey Greene and Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Mel McMullen.
In his reply letters to the Flying Tigers' veterans and John Easterbrook, grandson of Stilwell, Xi stressed the fact that China and the US fought side by side against Japanese fascists and for world peace; looking into the future, the two countries have every reason to help each other achieve success and common prosperity.
The Chinese top leader continues to cherish his friends, honor history, and has hope for the next generation, and we cannot afford to sit back and watch the relationship between our two countries be pushed in the wrong direction by people with ulterior motives, Chong said.
In 1985, as Party secretary of Zhengding county in North China's Hebei Province, Xi went to the US on a study tour and met a number of American friends in Muscatine, Iowa. In 2012, when visiting the US as China's vice president, Xi made special arrangements to revisit Muscatine a reunion with his old friends.
This short stopover displayed the power of people-to-people exchanges. Xi told his old friends, "You were the first group of Americans that I came into contact with. My impression of the country came from you."
"To me, you are America," Xi said.
When President Xi visited the Lincoln High School in 2015, he surprised 100 students from the school with an invitation to visit China the next year. In 2016, 118 students and teachers from the school visited Chinese cities including Fuzhou, Chengdu, and Beijing.
On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2021, the principal of that school sent a letter to Xi stating that over the years, US students' visits to China have been some of the best educational experiences of their lives, and that he looks forward to further strengthening student exchanges and educational cooperation between the two countries in the future, and setting an example through the friendly exchanges between the two countries' peoples.
Chong and Chow believe that with President Xi's concern and inspiration, there will also be more and more people who have full confidence in the bright future of the relationship between China and the US.
In January 2020, I attended the 6th China-Australia High-level Dialogue in Sydney's Intercontinental Hotel near the picturesque Circular Quay. Although bilateral relations between China and Australia already started to chill after the then Australian government unwarrantedly accused China of "political interference" and recklessly imposed a blanket ban on Huawei, both sides during the meeting positively expressed a desire to put an end to the decline of the relationship. We pledged to meet again in the following year in Beijing to seek further mutual understanding and promote improvement to the bilateral ties.
No one had anticipated that China-Australia relations would plunge to their historically lowest point as the Morrison administration continued to align with the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy and further antagonize China as an opponent. Although both sides had hoped for the Beijing rendezvous, regretfully, it did not materialize.
After the Labor government took office in May 2022, glimmers of hope for the improvement of the bilateral relations coalesced into brighter glows as the Albanese team put a decisive end to the anti-China "megaphone diplomacy" adopted by the previous administration. China and Australia worked together to renew contacts, leading to a bilateral summit in Bali six months later, in November, between President Xi Jinping and Albanese. In December, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi reached a consensus with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong, who was visiting Beijing on the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between China and Australia, that the two sides should maintain high-level engagement, and commence or restart dialogue in areas including bilateral relations, economy and trade, and regional and international issues.
I had a sense of déjà vu when I walked into the spacious meeting room to participate in the 7th round of the dialogue, which finally took place on September 7 in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse compound. The Australian side sent an 18-member delegation consisting of current and former government officials, and representatives from the business, education and academic circles to participate in the "track 1.5" dialogue. Amid pleasantries and formalities, there were indeed genuine aspirations to restore the relationship which had been insensitively and viciously devastated in the past three years.
The atmosphere during this year's dialogue was encouragingly candid, friendly and warm. While stating differences in the perceptions and assessments of various matters and topics, both sides also tried their best to identify common interests.
Disparities in the two countries' systems of governance and cultural traditions do exist, as in any other international relations, but the differences should not be amplified or even distorted to hinder or sabotage the stability of bilateral collaboration and exchanges.
There have been no historical or territorial disputes between the two countries and China has never posed any threat to Australia. Australia's close ties with the US should not naturally position Canberra as an adversary of China. As Li Zhaoxing, China's former foreign minister and head of the Chinese delegation to this year's dialogue said, Australia's bonds with its allies should not be in conflict with its ties with its other partners.
Despite the diplomatic upheavals during the past several years, China-Australia trade relations have been developing with vigorous dynamism. China has remained Australia's biggest trade partner for 14 years. Frictions and disputes can take place as in any international trade relations, but such disagreements should not be ideologized and politicized with the cold war mentality, which would only exacerbate problems rather than bring about resolutions.
It is heartening to see China and Australia have been carrying out proactive and conducive discussions and negotiations to seek solutions to the existing trade disputes. The recent resolution of the barley case is another promising step to steer the trade relations to the track of full recovery and consolidation with a constructive spirit on both sides.
During the sessions at the dialogue, I was thrilled to see a news alert on my phone that Anthony Albanese, Australia's Prime Minister, affirmed his long-anticipated visit to China within the year. The visit will obviously serve as a very positive move which will not only stabilize the bilateral relations, but also revitalize and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership.
China and Australia are two important countries and key economies in the Asia-Pacific. Our proactive and constructive partnership will not only contribute to the economic development and cultural diversity in both countries, but also the peace, stability and prosperity of the region, and also of the world.
I look forward to the new stage our bilateral relations will achieve when the next round of High-level Dialogue takes place in Australia next year.
Recently, European politicians have been clamoring for anti-subsidy measures against Chinese electric vehicles. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a corresponding investigation in her annual State of the Union address, which received positive responses from French Minister for European Affairs Laurence Boone, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck. For a while, the specter of trade protectionism seems to have returned to the continent that has been waving the banner of "open markets" for decades.
In recent years, the EU has continuously dressed up its foreign trade policies with concepts such as "fair trade" and "open strategic autonomy." However, in practice, it has continuously promoted restrictive measures in various fields through policy-making and legislative processes, such as formulating "competition rules" and so-called due diligence for supply chains. This time, the EU's argument is that huge state subsidies are distorting the market and "Europe is open for competition. Not for a race to the bottom."
However, in the eyes of the outside world, the EU wields the tariff stick with its unilaterally determined standards and reasons, using the banner of "fairness" to impose unfair measures on enterprises and products of other countries, essentially aiming to protect its domestic companies and market. Meanwhile, the EU and some member states are vigorously implementing subsidy policies. For example, issued in February, the EU's "Green Deal Industrial Plan" significantly relaxes the regulation of industrial subsidies, and the French government's "Green Industry Act" proposes tax exemptions of 20 percent to 45 percent for renewable energy equipment, heat pumps and battery manufacturers.
In fact, the so-called actions of the EU are more driven by concerns over the impact of China's electric vehicle industry on its traditional fuel-powered car industry. European car companies have invested heavily in traditional car technology and industry centered on internal combustion engines, making it difficult for them to adapt to the massive industrial transformation brought about by the revolution of electric vehicles, hence their call for political measures. Tu Le, the founder of Sino Auto Insights, stated that the EU's initiation of the investigation "says as much about the lack of competitiveness of European EVs."
On the other hand, the EU's investigation into "distorting market subsidies" targeting Chinese electric vehicles is completely unfounded and untenable. Chinese companies began investing in electric vehicle research and development and industrial investment as early as 15 years ago and have benefited from China's high-quality development process, relying on continuous independent innovation, a comprehensive industry chain system, and a large domestic market. In 2022, China's electric vehicle market will account for 59 percent of the global market. At the same time, the claim that Chinese car companies are distorting the European electric vehicle market is a complete lie. In 2022, the market share of Chinese electric vehicles in the EU was only about eight percent.
The European industry itself has also expressed opposition and concerns about resorting to protectionist measures to seek competitiveness. Ola Kaellenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, stated that "if we look at the success of the WTO over the last 30 years, globalization, reducing trade barriers and promoting free trade have driven an enormous amount of economic growth and wealth generation," and companies oppose using political means to undermine the system centered around WTO rules.
For the EU, the pursuit of so-called trade fairness through protective measures is likely to backfire. In recent years, the EU has implemented various measures in the field of trade with China, not out of genuine economic considerations but rather as a result of its increasing emphasis on China as an economic and systemic competitor and adversary. These actions, driven by political bias, are bound to create a gap between the vision of cooperation and mutual benefit among enterprises. From the perspective of current industry development, the EU's initiation of anti-subsidy investigations against China is baseless and will only unilaterally increase the risk of trade disputes and escalate tensions between China and the EU.
The visit of Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, to China for the high-level EU-China economic and trade dialogue reflects the EU's desire to continue dialogue with China in the economic and trade fields. However, at the same time, the EU is preparing unilateral measures against China's electric vehicle industry, which is likely to raise doubts about its sincerity. The EU should realize that hoping to gain an advantage through "playing cards" and creating leverage will not bring benefits to the game but rather push the existing mutually beneficial relationship between the two sides toward a worse future, ultimately imposing unnecessary costs on its own economy and even its green transformation process.
The Fuling shale gas field in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, has produced over 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas, according to its operator China Sinopec, Xinhua reported on Sunday, adding the attainments have helped shore up China's energy security.
The Fuling shale gas field, an important gas source in West-to-East Gas Transmission pipeline project, was first established in December 2012 and started operation in March 2014, distributing natural gas to more than 70 cities along Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The shale gas field has a proved reserve of 900 billion cubic meters. In 2022, Fuling shale gas field produced 7.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 6,998 tons of shale oil, according to Xinhua.
The low-carbon-emission feature of the shale gas made it as an important energy source to promote China's green transformation too.
China first discovered domestic shale gas reserves in the 90's, but lacked the necessary technology and expertise to exploit it.
After decades of technology research and development, operators like Sinopec have achieved to grasp core technologies.
Apart from breakthroughs in shale gas and oil exploration technology, the complicated geometric structure of shale gas field and the high costs on new drills represent new challenges.
The United Nations said that shale gas remains a traditional energy source that also produces carbon dioxide, but it is much less than coal and gasoline, which makes it a bridge from traditional energy to solar energy, wind power and hydropower.
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a "perfect platform" for exchanging ideas within the global fashion and textile industry, a senior representative of the Spanish fashion giant Inditex told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.
It will be the fourth time that Inditex, which owns popular brands such as Zara, Bershka, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, will take part in the trade fair. CIIE is aimed at economic globalization, and opening the Chinese market to the world.
"The CIIE is a perfect platform for us to keep learning and exchanging ideas with the most inspiring and also relevant industry players, stakeholders and partners," Amy Yu, Inditex's Greater China Head of Communication, told Xinhua.
"This is an international platform that welcomes both domestic and international stakeholders, so it's definitely an opportunity for us to connect both at home and abroad," Yu added.
This year will be the sixth time that the CIIE, which is hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, will be held in Shanghai's National Exhibition and Convention Center. The trade fair runs from Nov. 5 to 10.
Some 150,000 business professionals from over 100 countries and regions around the world are expected to participate, say the expo's organizers. Events at the fair include networking meetings, seminars and workshops, and new product releases.
Zara opened its first store in China's Hong Kong in 2004, followed by another in Shanghai in 2006, where Inditex's Asia regional HQ is also based. The company now operates 50 stores around China for four of its brands (Zara, Zara Home, Massimo Dutti and Oysho).
"China is not only a retail market where we operate stores and different brands, but also a talent center, and a place where we continuously get inspired," said Yu. "Our business activities started in China as early as the nineties, when we started cooperation with the local textile suppliers."
The Spanish company's involvement in China extends beyond business concerns to social engagement, Yu underlined.
The company worked with the China Youth Development Foundation and 33 schools for the benefit of more than 5,000 students in China, and with the China Environmental Protection Foundation for clothes donation and recycling projects, she said.
On Sunday afternoon, China successfully launched the Macao Sicence-1 space satellite for scientific use , the first of its kind. The satellite was jointly developed by mainland and Macao agencies, Global Times learned from China National Space Administration (CNSA.)
The satellite was successfully launched into preset orbit via a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China at 4 pm on Sunday. This was the 474th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. A scientific experiment satellite named Luojia-2 was sent into space at the same time.
As the world's first low-latitude geomagnetic field and space environment scientific detection satellite, the Macao Sience-1, featuring the highest geomagnetic field detection accuracy in China, will significantly improve the level of the country's space magnetic measurement technology, the CNSA said in a statement to the Global Times on Sunday.
The project was jointly initiated by the CNSA and the government of China's Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macao and the detection data will be shared by both sides, the CNSA noted.
Such project explored a new path for cooperation between mainland and the Macao SAR, adding new impetus to the regional development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the high-quality development of aerospace technology, the CNSA said.
After the satellite is launched into orbit, it will be able to function as a good complementary observation point together with the European Swarm satellite and the Zhangheng-1 satellite, realize the measurement and research of the Earth's low-latitude magnetic field and space environment changes and monitor the temporal and spatial changes of the magnetic field in the South Atlantic geomagnetic anomaly area.
Additionally, the satellite will provide valuable observational data for human beings to study the evolution of the geomagnetic field for a long time, to further promote China's research progress in the fields of lithospheric magnetic field, origin of geomagnetic field, space weather forecast, geomagnetic navigation, spacecraft space operation safety and high-precision satellites.
Taiwan billionaire and Foxconn founder Terry Gou Tai-ming announced on Monday that he will run in the 2024 elections for Taiwan's regional leader, making next year's vote a complicated four-way race. Analysts said that this is likely to further divide the island's opposition camp in favor of secessionist ruling party candidate Lai Ching-te.
According to the latest polls conducted in mid August by Taiwan media outlets and institutions, without Gou's participation, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai, who is currently the deputy leader of the island, is now the front-runner with 37 to 42 percent, while Taiwan People's Party candidate Ko Wen-je ranks second with 25 to 28 percent, and Hou Yu-ih of the major opposition party Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) getting 20-22 percent.
According to Taiwan polls that include Gou, with Gou's participation, Lai's front-runner position is virtually unaffected while the opposition candidates are impacted significantly, as Ko gets only about 16-17 percent, KMT's Hou gets 15-16 percent, and Gou has only 12 percent.
Analysts said this doesn't mean the DPP is popular, as most polls show that Taiwan residents who want to end the DPP rule are in the majority, as the combined support of opposition candidates is more than Lai's, but the problem is that the opposition camp is becoming divided due to the power struggle between the two opposition parties, and now the independent candidate Gou is dividing the field further.
The three opposition candidates are yet to reach a consensus on forming an alliance to run in the elections. Even if they do reach agreement on running together, which is very unlikely as they all refuse to give in and serve as deputy candidate, Lai is very likely to win, and unfortunately, the will of the majority on the island to end the DPP rule might not be realized, Li Fei, a professor at the Taiwan Research Center at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday.
"If Lai gets elected, cross-Taiwan Straits relations will be in danger, so the mainland is preparing for any possible scenario, including the worst one," Li noted. "But there are still a few months to go, and it would still be too early to say who can win eventually."
In an apparent response to Gou's announcement to run, the KMT said in a post on its Facebook account Monday, after his announcement without mentioning him, that "if we share similar values, then we can work together," but vowed that mainstream public opinion will not accept any act that "hurts comrades and favors adversaries."
Gou has been labeled by Taiwan media as a pro-mainland figure who has deep business relations in the mainland, and in order to preserve and resume cross-Straits cooperation that significantly benefit Taiwan, he also supports peace and opposes secessionism. However, experts said that his decision driven by political ambition is in fact helping the DPP authorities.
However, many Chinese mainland netizens and pro-reunification Taiwan residents have an interesting theory: If the DPP's Lai wins next year, this could speed up the reunification process, as the mainland will find it easy to completely abandon "the illusion of peaceful reunification" and make tough decisions to solve the Taiwan question immediately. Therefore, these people welcome Gou's act to run for the election, as they believe this will consolidate Lai's advantage.
Zheng Bo-yu, manager of the Vstartup Station of Taiwan, a company serving Taiwan youth seeking to study, work and launch startups on the mainland, said, "Many friends of mine in Taiwan who support cross-Straits cooperation and exchanges made a joke about the current election: Why don't we just vote for Lai and let the DPP win, so that the mainland will have an easier time making the decision to solve the Taiwan question once and for all, so that we don't need to be worried about the uncertain cross-Straits tension and US intervention anymore."
Li said the Chinese mainland has enough measures available to deter and counter secessionists and foreign interference forces, but the mainland is still making great efforts and showing great patience to seek peaceful reunification.
"But it's possible that, if Lai eventually wins, deeper and more reckless collusion between the DPP and the US will wipe out the possibility of peaceful reunification, and the mainland will be forced to take action," Li warned.
