Cluster munitions provided by the US arrived in Ukraine in mid-July, while controversies abound as multiple human rights groups and some US congressmen express concern over long-term harm to civilians. At least 38 human rights organizations have publicly opposed the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, where the weapons have already been used in the war to devastating effect, the Hill reported on July 7.
These human rights groups have urged Russia and Ukraine not to use cluster munitions - which are banned by more than 100 countries - and have asked the US not to supply them.
The Global Times contacted several organizations including Legacies of War, the US-based advocacy and educational organization working to address the impacts of the American Secret War in Laos and conflict in the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Vietnam, and Code Pink, a women-led grassroots organization working to end US wars and militarism, to hear their voices and concerns, many of which are tied to the already dark legacy of cluster munition deployment.
Growing up in Laos, Sera Koulabdara, the CEO of Legacies of War, witnessed her father, Sith Koulabdara, operate on countless victims of cluster munition accidents, including a little girl who attended the same school as her and shaped her passion for her role today.
"I know firsthand the horrors of cluster munitions. Given Laos' own history of subjugation and foreign invasion, I deeply value freedom and respect each country's right to defend its territory. I stand firmly behind the US' commitment to help Ukrainians. However, not by sending cluster munitions," Koulabdara told the Global Times.
She called the US' decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine "short-sighted, inhumane, and shows an inability to learn lessons from its own history, and a complete disregard for international law."
"Cluster munitions are not the 'winning weapon' but one that will prolong suffering for Ukrainians now and for decades to come," she stressed. This is a subject with which Koulabdara is familiar.
"During my last trip to Laos in 2022, I had the opportunity to meet with and hear 64-year-old Yong Kham's story while visiting a demining site in Sepon, Laos, in fall 2022. I learned that he and his family endured the nine-year air war waged by the US from 1964-1973. Most of his childhood was spent in a muddy, foul trench or dark cave to avoid death. He was injured during one of the bombing raids by a cluster bomb. He survived it, but two of his siblings were not so lucky. Cluster munitions claimed their lives in the trench," she recalled.
"Decades later, in 2003, his eldest son, Tong Dum, was fatally killed by cluster bombs while collecting wood and scraps. His life was just getting started at the young age of 21," she continued.
Koulabdara noted that as a result of the war, one-third of Ukrainian soil is already polluted with unexploded ordnances (UXO) and mines, and that is before Ukraine uses its vast new arsenal of cluster munitions from the US. She urged the US government to reconsider their decision, given the fact that the long-term impact of cluster munitions and other explosives will negatively affect all aspects of life for the people of Ukraine.
Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of Code Pink, said they believe that cluster munitions can result in a high civilian casualty rate, "severing the limbs of adults who, decades later, accidentally step on unexploded grenades, as well as children who picked up the small shiny bombs thinking they were toys, only to lose their hands."
"Some claim Ukraine can 'clean up' [the cluster bombs] after the war, but we have seen over and over again - in Laos, Cambodia, Kosovo, Lebanon, and Afghanistan - how unlikely that is. There is no magic eraser," Benjamin told the Global Times.
The co-founder of Code Pink also noted that the organization is pleased to see that 49 democrats and 98 republicans voted for an amendment to stop Biden from sending these weapons to Ukraine. "Although the amendment failed, it showed bipartisan opposition," Benjamin said.
"There is no moral sanctity - only moral atrocity- in choosing to ship hideous weapons to Ukraine while dismissing calls from the Global South, the UN Secretary General, and the Pope to support an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations," said the co-founder.
"While the US did not sign the treaty banning cluster munitions, it did pass a law against their transfer. President Biden's choice to bypass the law in the supposed interest of national security undermines congress' constitutional authority," Benjamin argued.
Rather than "escalating an arms race to risk nuclear war," Code Pink believes that the Biden administration should "promote a ceasefire and negotiations without preconditions."
"Instead of breaking international law, the US should break the military stalemate by joining the global call for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. We oppose shipping cluster munitions, as well as all weapons to Ukraine because there is no military solution - only more heartache as the war escalates," said Benjamin.
The Peace in Ukraine Coalition anchored by Code Pink has been tabling, petitioning, writing op-ed pieces, taking out full page ads, and meeting with congressional staff on Capitol Hill to promote a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution.
"It is incumbent upon us to support a diplomatic resolution and not sabotage peace negotiations by sending more and more barbaric weapons, from tanks with depleted uranium, to nuclear-capable long range fighter jets to cluster bombs," warned Marcy Winograd, the coordinator of Peace in Ukraine Coalition.
For ten years, China and Central Asian countries have been more tightly bonded together through cooperation in the traditional energy section under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, the rise of Chinese companies specializing in renewable energy and scientific institutes equipped with technology on ecological preservation has been greening the BRI in the past decade.
By using Chinese technology and experience to monitor and improve the ecology of Central Asia countries, imparting local people the expertise to build a hydropower station, and kick starting a cutting-edge photovoltaic power plant to help generate substantial renewable energy in the region, Chinese institutes and companies are helping turn the dream of a "Green Silk Road" into reality, while also making China-Central Asia cooperation in the green sector a paragon for other countries.
Ecological cooperation
The Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the world's fourth-largest lake. Farmland expansion, rising temperatures and a lack of water-saving technology caused the sea to shrink to just 10 percent of its original surface by the end of the 1990s. Large areas of the lake bed have become bare and covered with salt or salt crust. The health of local residents has also been affected, with a significant increase in the proportion of people suffering from leukemia, kidney disease, bronchitis, and asthma.
In recent years, scientists from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Uzbekistan have been actively cooperating on the treatment of the Aral Sea.
"The Aral Sea crisis is essentially a problem of an inland lake drying up due to excessive water extraction for agricultural irrigation," Li Yaoming, the director of the Research Center for Green Development of Silk Road at XIEG, told the Global Times.
"China's Xinjiang region has also faced similar problems in the past, such as the management of the Tarim River. China has been implementing ecological water transfer from the Tarim River for many years and has relatively mature water resource management techniques, which can provide a reference for Uzbekistan," said Li.
In the suburb of Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, stood a 5-hectare demonstration field for drip irrigation water-saving technology. XIEG participated in the project, established an observation station for plants, brought cotton and wheat seeds from China and used drip irrigation to improve plant productivity.
The drip irrigation technology equipment and supporting farming machinery here are all from China, Shakhzod Saitjanov, a research fellow from the Institute of Genetics and Plant Experimental Biology of the Academy of Science of Uzbekistan, told the Global Times. He believes this project will elevate the quality of Uzbekistan's agriculture and boost the country's economy.
"Traditionally, Uzbeks tended to use flood irrigation in cotton cultivation, which requires the use of a large amount of water to wash away the salt content in the soil. We have introduced new drip irrigation technology, which will help save a significant amount of water resources," said Li.
In addition, Chinese scientists also helped in improving and managing saline-alkali land. They use salt-tolerant plants to reduce the salt content in the soil, creating conditions for growing other crops. Artificial forests are also planted on the sandy desert that formed after the drying up of part of the Aral Sea. All of these efforts play an important role in the protection of the Aral Sea.
Since the launch of the BRI, XIEG has conducted vast fundamental cooperation with regional countries in terms of improving the region's ecology. For example, the institute helped developed an integrated water-saving irrigation system for cotton in the Aral Sea region and a 25-hectare technology demonstration base has been established. The technology has been across a 200-hectare area. In 2021 and 2022, Uzbekistan found out that yields reached 404 kilograms and 414 kilograms per mu (0.06 hectare), respectively, while the water-saving rate reached 70 percent. Both yield and water-saving efficiency were more than double that of local cotton fields.
In Kazakhstan, XIEG introduced 32 species of plants with a total of 15,600 plants, and conducted training on planting techniques and irrigation measures. The institute completed the establishment of a 20-hectare protective forest belt demonstration zone, established a comprehensive health assessment system for man-made forests, and evaluated the ecological service functions of ecological barriers.
As the Earth is becoming hotter from global warming, inland and hydropenic Central Asian countries are facing severe environmental challenges. Such challenges are pushing China and Central Asia closer in cooperation in improving the region's ecological problems after the BRI was launched. Ten years ago, people in Central Asia had little understanding of China's in water-saving and ecological protection technology. However, climate change has made them feel the urgency of environmental protection in recent years, said Li, noting that more and more research institutes and government departments in Central Asian countries have been approaching them, seeking cooperation.
He said that ecological protection has been gradually emphasized under the framework of the BRI and that he expects the governments of Central Asian countries to endow more support to relevant projects.
Environmental protection was highlighted during the Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit, which concluded in Xi'an in May. As noted in the declaration, the Parties reaffirm the need for concerted efforts to ensure food security in a changing climate, and also note the importance of farming in the most environmentally friendly ways that support biodiversity, with the optimal use of water and land resources.
Li believes that the summit, as well as development of the BRI will be a turning point for China's environmental cooperation with Central Asian countries, as "collaboration in this field has been put in a higher position ever since."
Teach a man to fish
The Tuyabuguz Hydropower Plant in Uzbekistan was the first project completed after leaders of China and Uzbekistan signed government-to-government energy cooperation during the Belt and Road Forum held in 2017 in Beijing.
The project, contracted by Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC), was completed within 14 months and put into operation in April 2019. As of August, a total of 109 million kilowatt-hours of electricity has been generated by the project. The station can achieve uninterrupted power generation for 11 months in a year, with an annual electricity output sufficient to meet the power needs of 1,600 households in Uzbekistan. It will become profitable within four years.
Sun Jianfeng, a DEC project manager in charge of the station, told the Global Times on August 18 that "all power generation equipment in the project was manufactured in China, and the key technologies for the water turbines and generators were independently developed using Chinese intellectual property rights."
Sun introduced that the project was located downstream from the Akhangaran River's Tuyabuguz reservoir in the Tashkent region, which was originally used for irrigation. It was built at the location with the highest potential energy, which it fully utilizes to generate electricity, making it highly economical.
"The hydropower station maximized the utilization of energy during the irrigation process. Moreover, the project takes measures to prevent the flow of water from damaging crops or facilities," said Sun.
The project's environmental friendliness not only embodies the generation of green energy, it also does not cause environmental problems like the construction of traditional dams, as it was built under an existing reservoir, introduced Sun.
Uzbekistan has shown enormous interest in renewable energy in recent years. The country has set an ambitious goal - generate 30 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
Sun said that Uzbekistan government has been encouraging foreign investment into the renewable energy sector in recent years, which has created a friendly environment for Chinese companies. Meanwhile, Chinese companies' advanced technology in green energy also made them highly competitive in Uzbekistan. Thus, Sun believes cooperation between the two countries has great potential.
In May 2022, Uzbekistan's investment committee and China's Ministry of Commerce reached an agreement to build a series of small and medium-sized hydroelectric power facilities worth a total of $2.7 billion, media reported.
Apart from exporting equipment, DEC is devoted to training local experts in the hydropower industry. Sun said his company held large-scale training sessions in 2018 and 2019. More than 60 Uzbeks took part in the sessions.
"We taught them how to operate and maintain our equipment. The locals completed installation and debugging of our facilities during the final stage. The equipment has been functioning well and been well maintained during the past three years of operation," said Sun.
"We did not send our people to the site for maintenance, we just provided guidance online. We sold our equipment and offered them our technology at the same time. There's an old idiom called 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' We taught them how to keep the project running for the next four or five decades, so the Uzbeks are going to operate it independently in the future," said Sun.
Meet local demands
Aziz, who works at the Zarafshan 500MW Wind Power Project, is always enthusiastic about her work. Whenever she encounters a problem, she relentlessly seeks answers from her Chinese colleagues.
Aziz considers herself fortunate to have witnessed the installation of the first wind turbine at the Zarafshan wind power project in early June. This marks the first-ever wind turbine installation in Uzbekistan.
Constructed and run by SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. (SEPCOIII) in Zarafshan, Navoi Region, Uzbekistan, the Zarafshan wind power project is the first megawatt-scale wind power project implemented in Uzbekistan. With a total installed capacity of 500MW, it will also be the largest operational wind power project in Central Asia upon completion.
Currently, the project is in its peak construction phase. Once completed, the project will provide sufficient green electricity for 500,000 households and save 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, making a significant contribution to Uzbekistan's energy transition and sustainable economic development goals.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has implemented a series of reforms since taking office, of which new energy reform is an important part. According to the government plan, by 2030, the share of renewables in Uzbekistan's energy will reach 25 percent of the energy mix.
Aziz still vividly remembers the nationwide power shortage that occurred in early 2023. Despite the overall stability of the political situation and the upward trajectory of the economy in Uzbekistan, the country still faces challenges in meeting its growing electricity demand.
However, Aziz feels optimistic about the future of energy development in Uzbekistan. Aziz's confidence in the future of energy development in Uzbekistan is shared by many. The government's commitment to addressing the power shortage issue and its efforts to attract investments in the energy sector have instilled hope among the population.
"Uzbekistan is an important country along the BRI route, and the production and construction of photovoltaic, wind power and other new energy fields are the strengths of Chinese enterprises, so the prospects for cooperation between the two sides are promising," Ji Jun, manager of the project from SEPCOIII, told the Global Times.
'Green Silk Road' realized
A power station located in Kapchagay, Kazakhstan, co-invested and constructed by Universal Energy, a Chinese renewable energy company based in Shanghai and its Kazakhstan partners, marked the largest single photovoltaic power plant in Kazakhstan. Starting operation in 2019, the station is also the region's first large-scale new energy power station.
With the model of "100 percent Made in China, 100 percent Construction in Kazakhstan," the project is able to generate electricity at a much lower cost than other similar power stations, and has substantially reduced carbon emissions. Wu Xiaoliang, deputy manager of the Universal Energy told the Global Times that "the station can generate 160 million kilowatt-hours on annual basis, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 50,000 households in Kazakhstan for one year. The project can reduce carbon emissions by 160,000 tons annually."
Wu also pointed out that in 2023, the company completed an international green certificate transaction with a large international trader, selling carbon assets generated from the 7,000 megawatt-hours of electricity generated by the Kapchagay power station, offsetting approximately 5,950 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
"The company has six newly built renewable energy power stations in Kazakhstan that have provided a total of 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity to the local area, reducing carbon emissions by a total of 1.7 million tons."
In recent years, China and Central Asian countries have accelerated cooperation in the field of new energy such as wind power, solar power, and hydropower. According to data from China Power International (Kazakhstan) Investment Limited, by the end of 2022, the total installed capacity of a series of renewable energy projects invested and constructed by Chinese companies in Kazakhstan, including the Zhanatas wind power station and Turgusun hydropower plant, has exceeded 1,000 megawatts.
The accelerated cooperation is also aimed to cater for Central Asian countries' rising ambition in exploring usage of new energy. For example, Kazakhstan has made ambitious commitments to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions to 15 percent below their 1990 levels by 2030 and of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.
Wu explained that Kazakhstan can realize self-sufficiency in providing electricity at the current stage, yet the country is facing the problem of an outmoded electricity infrastructure.
"Most of the electricity-generation infrastructure was built during the Soviet era, which means their service time is reaching the limit. Insufficient maintenance and reinvestment in certain facilities are also evident. This means that if investment in the power sector is not increased soon, Kazakhstan may face significant power shortages in the coming years," said Wu.
Compared with companies from other countries such as Germany and Japan, Chinese companies' advantages are visible: Its leading photovoltaic technology, its deep connection with Central Asian countries and China-Europe freight train services have given such cooperation a better edge.
Wu said that the Kapchagay power station alone has more than 300,000 photovoltaic modules that were transported from China through China-Europe freight trains. The time and cost advantages brought by the China-Europe freight trains enabled the project to be completed and connected to the grid within only nine months.
China-Europe freight train services are helping China-invested wind power and photovoltaic power stations successfully land in Kazakhstan, which has accelerated exports of relevant Chinese equipment, and broken Europe's monopoly over Kazakhstan's new energy equipment, said Wu.
"The 'Green Silk Road' is becoming a reality," he said.
Currently, a great sporting event that is distinctly Chinese, uniquely Asian, and very spectacular is being staged in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province.
China has made history by hosting the Asia Games for the third time, bringing the country's eye-catching organizational and sporting capabilities to the world's attention.
Attending the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games and declaring it open, hosting a welcome banquet for the invited international dignitaries gathering in the scenic city, and holding bilateral meetings with leaders of six foreign countries and the heads of two international organizations, Chinese President Xi Jinping spent a period of tightly scheduled time that had witnessed substantive outcomes at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Since his youth, Xi has been an ardent sports fan. As a teenager, he played soccer and practiced skating. After he began to work, he maintained his habit of swimming and hiking, enjoyed the games such as volleyball, basketball, tennis, and wushu, and he would even stay late to watch televised sports programs.
As the leader of a large country, Xi clearly understands the constructive role sports play in global governance. From the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 to the Chengdu FISU World University Games (Chengdu FISU Games) held from July 28 to August 8, 2023, and now the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games, under Xi's guidance, China has overcome challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and presented the world with several splendid sporting events, fulfilling its commitments, demonstrating the confidence of a responsible major country, and also highlighting China's proposition in promoting the building of a global community of shared future..
As a sports enthusiast, Xi often takes sports as a bridge to actively promote peace, unity, and inclusivity both domestically and internationally.
At the same time, the sentiments held by China's national leaders vis-a-vis sports have always carried the dream of national prosperity and rejuvenation. Xi attaches great importance to and care for China's sports development, repeatedly encouraging Chinese athletes to strive for excellence while paying equal attention to promoting national fitness.
Following Xi's footsteps in sports, officials of international sports organizations, his old friends, and athletes who had interacted with Xi, highlighted Xi's sporting aspirations when speaking with the Global Times. According to them, for Xi, sports are not only his personal passion but also the most genuine approach to building a common world, promoting people-to-people connectivity, and creating a stronger and healthier China.
Practitioner of Olympic Spirit
President Xi is an important partner of the global Olympic Movement, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. said in Hangzhou on the sidelines of the Games on Monday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
"His commitment, his support to sport and the role that sports and Olympics can play for the youth, for the entire society, I think, is what I would take as most important," said Samaranch Jr..
China has always attached great importance to the development of sports, and actively participated in international Olympic affairs, Xi said when meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach in Hangzhou on Friday.
In the face of severe challenges brought by the unprecedented changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic, the IOC has stayed true to its original aspirations and played a unique role in safeguarding the world peace and development and promoting unity and progress of the humankind, Xi said.
Raja Randhir Singh, acting president of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OAC), told the Global Times during a news conference on Sunday that he was extremely impressed by the Hangzhou Asian Games, especially with the opening ceremony, the coordination between the OCA and the Games organizers, and the message of peace and inclusiveness conveyed by the Games.
"Asia is the only continent that can and is ready to host any games, anytime... It's incredible that China has hosted so many sporting events and that a city [Beijing] can host the Winter Olympics after the Summer Olympics," Singh said while answering a question from the Global Times during the news conference.
The Hangzhou Asian Games is an event of peace and harmony; we have to continue to face the future with our hearts together, and this is a call to the world, the OCA acting president said.
"China's interpretation and promotion of the new Olympic motto - Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together - is in line with the concept of building a global community of a shared future that Xi has proposed," said Huang Haiyan, a professor at the Shanghai University of Sport and director of the Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of Sports and Health Industry.
Through the decades, China has successfully overcome difficulties and hosted major international sporting events amid some hard times, in which China has also actively shared with the world the fruits of its sports development, noted Huang.
The Hangzhou Games reflects the profound cultural heritage and unique charm of Chinese culture, and further conveys China's genuine expectations for the world.
While in response to the global expectations upon China amid an era of profound changes witnessed across the world, the support and care of Chinese leaders as well as the hosting concepts of the sporting event also convey the development concept of a city or even the country.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was committed to its mission of hosting a "green, inclusive, open, and clean" Olympic Winter Games. The Chengdu FISU Games had adhered to the concept of being "green, smart, vibrant, and sharing" in its organization. And the concept of being "green, smart, economical, and ethical" has been a key element in the entire process of the preparation and hosting of the Asian Games.
Experts noted that this series of important sporting events, from the bidding processes to the preparation and hosting stages, have shown the bright prospects of Chinese modernization to the world.
Conveyor of China's friendship and goodwill
"In the letter that President Xi sent to us, he stressed that the Chinese government and people have full confidence in hosting a splendid Asian Games in Hangzhou. When we saw this grand event as promised, we felt immense excitement and pride inside. We also passed on the wonderful moments of the Asian Games to our friends in the US," David Chong, founder and president of the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, told the Global Times.
"Sport is a bond that promotes friendship among peoples," Xi said in a reply letter to the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association and friendly personages from all walks of life in the US state of Washington in August 2023.
Over the past decade, on a variety of occasions at home and abroad, Xi has often taken sports, the universal language of all mankind, as a bridge to communicate with locals and convey China's friendship and goodwill to the world.
Chong was still proud that he had witnessed a Ping-Pong table, a gift that Xi sent to the students of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, during his visit to the US in 2015, on prominent display at the school.
During the stop, while receiving from the students a football and a personalized jersey bearing his name and emblazoned with "No.1" on the back, Xi gave the students gifts in return and kindly invited them to visit China. "Through travel, you will know China better, and hopefully you will like China," Xi said.
"Before President Xi's visit, table tennis was not the most popular sport in Lincoln High School. After that visit, many schools in the US started to organize varsity table tennis teams," Chong said excitedly. "Currently, table tennis is becoming more and more popular in the US, and I believe this momentum will continue."
During his visit to the IOC headquarters in Switzerland in 2017, Xi presented the committee with a stunning piece of Suzhou embroidery artwork. This masterpiece depicted ancient Chinese women engaging in cuju, the earliest form of soccer. The artwork symbolizes the cultural exchange and mutual learning fostered by the universal language of sports.
During that visit, IOC President Bach said, "President Xi is a true champion, and I want to give him a set of medals because he has a clear vision about the important role of sports in society and the importance of sports for education for the young people."
The China Table Tennis College (CTTC) Training Center in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is also another vivid example of China's friendly sports exchanges with other countries as having been supported by the Chinese leadership.
In November 2018, Xi visited the training center during his visit to PNG, where he watched PNG table tennis athletes training with their Chinese coach.
"I felt so honored and appreciative," 23-year-old PNG table tennis player Geoffrey Loi later told the Global Times when recalling Xi's visit to the training centre. Xi has paid great attention to and support sports projects, including the Ping-Pong training center in PNG, that can promote exchanges between China and other countries, said Ren Jie, executive deputy head of the CTTC. "With the foundation of Ping-Pong, we hope to further promote people-to-people exchanges, especially the exchanges between young people," Ren told the Global Times.
"Sports play a unique role in serving China's overall diplomacy," Huang told the Global Times. "They have injected a lot of new vitality into the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and have enriched China's head-of-state diplomacy."
Taking sports as a bond, China has expanded its "circle of friends" and demonstrated its strong sense of responsibility in sports fields as a major country in the world, Huang said.
Driver for building a sporting powerhouse
"Sports set the stage for a stronger and more prosperous country," Xi said during a grand gathering at the 13th National Games in August 2017.
Xi has always cared greatly about the training, growth, and development of China's young athletes. At major sporting events such as the National Games, the Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games, and the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Xi met with athletes from the Chinese delegation face to face, encouraging them to strive for excellence, and to support China's sports endeavors.
At the Chengdu FISU Games that concluded in August, China was at the top of the medal tally. "They deserve it because they prepared not only as an organizer, but all the Chinese student athletes prepared themselves to present the best performance in their home games," Leonz Eder, acting president of the FISU, told the Global Times in an earlier interview.
"I do believe that it's in the policy of China to promote elite sports among students as potential careers along with their conventional studies, but the government also encourages fitness among the larger population to maintain healthy lifestyles," said Eder.
In January 2022, when inspecting the preparatory work for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, Xi noted that the ultimate goal of building a sporting powerhouse and a healthy China is to enhance the public's health, fitness, and happiness. This aspiration is essential to China's wider endeavor to build a modern socialist country in an all-round manner.
In China, significant efforts have been made in recent years to promote a healthy living environment and to encourage individuals of all ages, including young people, students, and senior citizens, to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
President Xi emphasizes the importance of developing China into a leading sporting power, which covers many aspects, from the improvement of physical fitness and the overall health of people across the country, to the promotion of economic and social development of a region through hosting major sports events there, Huang noted.
By the end of 2022, China had 4.23 million sports venues covering a total area of over 3.7 billion square meters. More than 500 million people in China regularly exercise and over 90 percent of the whole population meets national physical fitness standards.
Currently, as the energetic spirit of the Hangzhou Asian Games continues to sweep across the country, observers believe that China will unleash a new era of sporting excellence following the Asian Games.
With its unwavering commitment to sports and the remarkable achievements thanks to Xi's leadership, China is poised to shine brightly as a formidable sports powerhouse on the global stage. The future of Chinese sports is undoubtedly filled with immense potential and endless possibilities.
Has China's Shanghai turned into a "ghost town"? This "nonsense" that can be easily distinguished by both Chinese people and foreigners with basic common sense has astonishingly become the headline of an article in the well-established American news magazine, Newsweek. There are indeed people playing tricks behind this absurd situation, and it's necessary for us to expose these "foreign ghosts" and bring them into the light of day.
Newsweek probably wouldn't be so ignorant to genuinely believe that Shanghai is becoming a "ghost town." Therefore, it appended a question mark to the headline, likely to deflect responsibility for spreading false information and rumors. However, the magazine cited three photos from social platform X (formerly known as Twitter), which were taken in the Lujiazui financial district of Shanghai. It didn't bother to verify the authenticity of these photos, when and under what circumstances they were taken. Instead, it simply adopted the exaggerated claims made by the photo uploader, suggesting that the desolate roads and an empty Starbucks in the photos indicate "deep trouble" for the Chinese economy. Such an approach is not just unprofessional but is essentially a form of rumor-mongering with a certain level of "technical sophistication."
The report begins by stating that the internet erupted in debate about whether Shanghai has turned into a "ghost town" following a "viral tweet showing empty streets." It then acknowledges that many residents have disputed this notion. However, it quickly shifts the focus to people's concerns about the Chinese economy. In fact, there should be no debate about whether Shanghai, China's megacity with a population of 25 million permanent residents, is a "ghost town." Only those who are blind, deaf, or mentally impaired don't comprehend this fact.
Discerning individuals can clearly see that the main focus of Newsweek is to sensationalize the economic downturn in China, a trend that has been particularly popular in Western media recently. Newsweek has caught onto a sensational gimmick and has disregarded its own image. By combining the visually shocking photos with the provocative term "ghost town," it has created a strong psychological suggestion that "China's economy is in trouble." It must be said that this kind of misinformation operates on a more "sophisticated" level.
If only Newsweek is doing this, then it is an isolated case, indicating the media outlet's problematic professional ethics and the negative impact it caused is not significant. However, starting from March or April this year, not only Newsweek but also other US and Western media outlets have been selectively using some specific data from a certain point or in a certain field to generalize, and even fabricate information to undermine, the Chinese economy. This is a coordinated and large-scale campaign, with consistent steps, intense actions, and extensive content, which is rare in recent years. Can we say that this is a coincidence?
In the field of economics, there is a term called narrative economics, which uses storytelling to influence judgments, even at the cost of creating false information, to undermine the morale and confidence of the target and attempt to deter foreign investment, thereby having a substantial impact on the economy. The US has openly regarded China as its biggest competitor and even treats China as an imaginary enemy in many practical aspects. We cannot expect it to engage in fair competition with China. In order to win this "competition" initiated by itself, the US often resorts to any possible means. This perspective can explain the phenomenon in which the US is badmouthing the Chinese economy in a collective manner and can also roughly predict the US' future actions toward China, indicating that it aligns with the basic facts.
From this perspective, including the rumors of Shanghai being a "ghost city," all kinds of negative comments are actually a cognitive and psychological warfare launched by the US and the West against China, targeting the confidence in China's economy both domestically and internationally. In their view, Shanghai is an international metropolis, so smearing its reputation will deal a "heavy blow." However, this time, Newsweek has hit the wrong target. Enterprises have the most sensitive instincts. If even the stores in Lujiazui are "empty," why did Starbucks announce last month that it would invest 1.5 billion yuan ($206 million) to establish an innovation and technology center in China and why did it plan to have about 9,000 China outlets by 2025? If China's economy is facing a long-term crisis, why are American technology companies still striving to expand their presence in China despite various restrictions?
For China, some people from the outside creating false information about China's economy is despicable and condemnable. We must first maintain composure and judgment, not be swayed by malicious rumors and manipulations, and concentrate on doing our own things well. Let the fact that China's economy is thriving and moving forward vigorously serve as the most powerful refutation against them.
Debt troubled real estate giant Evergrande announced on Sunday that due to an ongoing investigation into its main onshore unit Hengda Real Estate Group Co, the cooperation has failed to meet China Securities Regulatory Commission’s (CSRC) rule on issuing new bonds and repay its $19 billion offshore debt.
As of close of trade, Evergrande suffered heavy losses in the Hong Kong stock market, falling by more than 20 percent.
On Friday, Evergrande postponed its creditors meetings scheduled this Monday and Tuesday, which was already delayed twice in August.
Failing to issue new debt may halt the troubled corporation’s plan to reorganize its over 19 billion offshore debts. In March, Evergrande attempted to roller over its original debt by replacing it with new notes with maturities of 10 to 12 years.
The once largest real estate company in China is now in deep debt crisis, and facing difficulties due to the weak real estate market. From its previous disclosure, Evergrande suffered a net profit loss of 524.2 billion yuan in 2021, and that of 52.7 billion yuan in 2022. In the first half of 2023, it struck a 17.9-billion-yuan net profit loss, causing the company to be insolvent, with a consolidated net asset of -386.7 billion yuan.
The ongoing investigation was posed by CSRC, on August 16, Hengda posted a notification of a lawsuit, saying the company is being charged of suspected violation of information disclosure.
The School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin University, is about to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its founding. The school traces its origins back to the Department of Electrical Engineering at Peiyang University (the predecessor of Tianjin University), China's first modern university. Established in 1933, the school has now grown into a prestigious institution with a complete range of majors and disciplines in electrical engineering, electronics, control science and engineering. It also possesses an internationally renowned faculty and offers a comprehensive education program from undergraduate to doctoral levels.
Li Jiping, secretary of the school's Party committee, said, "Our School has three first-level disciplines - electrical engineering, control science and engineering, and information and communication engineering. Together with our university's School of Future Technology and the National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, we fully implement the emerging engineering education concept and have made significant progress in fundamental research, talent development, and achievement transformation. By this collective effort, we hope to contribute to the university's world-class construction and the comprehensive development of our education powerhouse."
From Professor Xu Qingchun, one of the trailblazers of China's power system discipline, to Professor Yu Yixin, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and founder of the Smart Grid Research Team, and Professor Wang Chengshan who was newly promoted to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2021, the School has cultivated numerous outstanding talents who have engaged in the development of China's electric power industry and prioritized scientific research aligned with the needs of the national industry. Wang is most renowned for his research in distributed power generation and Micro-Grid. The Micro-Grid design and operation control systems and equipment developed by Wang's team have been adopted as international standards and applied in various projects both domestically and internationally. They proposed the technical solution for the energy management system of the Micro-Grid on the Maldives Islands and deployed the system on 10 islands in the Maldives within three months.
So far, the island's Micro-Grid systems have been operating stably, saving nearly 28-44 percent of diesel consumption and reducing power supply costs by 27-65 percent.
In addition, the team is dedicated to implementing Micro-Grid technology in China to ensure a reliable power supply in challenging areas such as plateaus, islands, and uninhabited regions.
This summer, the School of Electrical and Information Engineering organized the "Unmanned Systems Wisdom Show" summer camp. Twenty-eight exceptional students from middle schools across China participated in this camp to explore the fascinating world of advanced automated unmanned systems. They had the opportunity to learn on-site and engage in practical operations, allowing them to truly experience the charm of this field. "There is no end to knowledge, and there is no end to scientific development." On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the School, Professor He Jiali, a renowned electrical expert in China and a foreign academician of the Russian Engineering Academy, expressed his sincere wish for the future: "I hope our School can keep moving forward and develop nonstop!"
He has been with the School for 70 years.
"We must answer to the nation's call and cultivate people with virtue." Talking about future development, Wang is full of expectations: "The School of Electrical and Information Engineering is forming a multidisciplinary and integrated talent training system that fosters the development of smart energy, smart grid, intelligent control, and advanced information and communication technologies. It is always our first priority to cultivate high-level innovative talents for the country."
China and Germany held the 3rd China-Germany High Level Financial Dialogue in Frankfurt on Sunday, during which both sides reached consensus on 25 items for raised for discussion.
The two countries reiterated that this dialogue mechanism is a key platform for bilateral exchange and policy coordination on strategic, overarching, and long-term fiscal and financial issues, according to a statement on the website of the Ministry of Finance.
The re-start of the high-level financial dialogue between China and Germany is of significance to not only the two sides but also to overall China-Europe economic and trade relations, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Sunday.
This is "a good opportunity" for China and Germany to increase understanding of each other against the backdrop of rising global challenges, he said.
Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on fiscal and financial matters, and open market access based on a level playing-field, while committing to combating trade protectionism, and supporting the rules-based, non-discriminatory, fair, open, inclusive, equitable, sustainable and transparent multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.
They agreed that the global economic landscape remains uncertain by complex structural risks. In this context and in light of generational challenges ahead, including the transition to carbon neutrality, both sides are committed to bolstering global confidence and enhancing strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth for the global economy.
China and Germany are committed to jointly promoting global economic recovery and sustainable development, and aim at safeguarding global financial stability. Both sides support the role of the G20 as the premier global forum for international economic cooperation.
Both sides agreed to strengthen exchanges regarding digital developments in financial services markets, including developments in central bank digital currencies.
Germany welcomes China's progress in recent years in building a stronger regulatory environment for foreign banks in China. And they encourage qualified financial institutions to invest and conduct business in each other's market. Both sides agree to strengthen investment cooperation, actively promote domestic enterprises to invest in each other's market, and reduce obstacles in two-way investment.
Li said major European economies have been facing difficulties such as an energy crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but the Chinese economy continues to recover and is playing an increasingly important role in global governance. In this regard, strengthening cooperation with China will also benefit Europe's economic growth.
The "Macao Science 1" satellite that the Chinese mainland and Macao co-developed was "one of a kind" featuring great uniqueness and innovation. It is a result of international collaboration by leading scientists from around the world and has in turn attracted many Western institutes to join the work, Zhang Keke, chief scientist of the "Macao Science 1" satellite, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
Two "Macao Science 1" satellites were successfully launched into orbit on May 21, 2023, marking the first space science satellite program jointly developed by the Chinese mainland and the Macao Special Administrative Region.
Macao Science 1 takes a twin-satellite approach. Satellite A carries payloads including high-precision magnetometers to detect Earth's magnetic field. Satellite B is equipped with payloads like high-energy particle detectors and solar X-ray instruments to obtain space environment data.
Satellite A is the world's first low-latitude geomagnetic field and space environment scientific detection satellite, featuring the highest geomagnetic field detection accuracy in China. It will significantly improve the level of the country's space magnetic measurement technology, according to the China National Space Administration.
During an exclusive interview with the Global Times, chief scientist Zhang Keke said that they are now carrying out in-orbit testing, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, after which they will collaborate with Western and domestic scientists to conduct scientific research based on the data obtained.
Zhang told the Global Times that the research and development of the satellite is the most challenging among all satellites of this type.
For one thing, the satellite must be non-magnetic to avoid inducing its own magnetic field, and its measuring instrument needs to be far away from all electronic instruments, generators, and other equipment.
Therefore, it was designed into a unique shape with a box sticking to the end of a long pole, extending to eight meters. This means that it has to be folded up during the rocket launch and unfold after arriving in orbit.
"When everyone was cheering for the success of the launch back then, I was actually very nervous as we waited for the pole to fully unfold. It took about two hours before we knew the unfolding maneuver had been performed perfectly," Zhang recalled.
When asked if his team has encountered any restrictions in its collaboration with Western scientists given the tense relationship between China and the US, Zhang said it wasn't an issue since "for us scientists, there should not be limitations in cooperation due to the so-called decoupling, as science knows no borders."
Many technical problems were difficult to solve, and they received help from researchers from European countries during the R&D process, Zhang said. He is now leading a team of about 30 scientists, some of whom are from the Chinese mainland and Macao, while others are from the US, UK and France among other countries.
What's more, they have signed agreements to jointly conduct research on the satellite with 18 top research institutes from around the world, including those from France, the US, the UK, and Germany.
"Westerners came to us, not the other way around," Zhang said proudly, as he introduced the unique advantages of the satellite. "The scientific project you are working on must be of interest to others, and that means it must be a first in the world. Our satellite is the first high-precision Earth magnetic field measurement satellite launched at a low inclination angle, which is of great significance to scientific advancement."
The expert further explained that the existing high-precision Earth magnetic field measurement satellites are polar satellites, mainly measuring the changes in physical parameters from the South Pole to the North Pole. And the Macao Science 1 has filled in a gap for east-west directions.
Elaborating on the importance of studying Earth's magnetic field, Zhang said that it not only provides a protective shield that blocks high-energy charged particles from the Sun from entering the atmosphere, but applies to almost every area of human beings' daily lives.
"Living on Earth, we need to know how changes occur and what changes will happen in the future. And that's really a question of the movement of the Earth's magnetic field," Zhang said.
Scientists generally believe that the magnetic field occurs in the Earth's core more than 3,000 kilometers below the surface. It is extremely hot at over 5,000 C, mainly consisting of molten iron. This produces a lot of kinetic energy, which is converted into magnetic energy, thus producing a magnetic field.
However, as humans can only drill down into the Earth's surface to a depth of 12 kilometers, we cannot see anything. The only way is to observe the changes of the Earth's magnetic field in time and space, requiring the use of satellites.
This is essential for satellite navigation for airplanes, ships, and spacecraft, which is very important for a country's economy, industry, and national security.
Over the ground lies a mantle of white — on Pluto. Snow-capped peaks on the dwarf planet dot an otherwise ruddy terrain. But these snowy summits appear to be composed of methane, not water, researchers report online March 3.
Mountain tops in Pluto’s Cthulhu Regio, a dark landscape abutting the planet’s famous heart, reflect more light than the surrounding area. The New Horizons spacecraft, which flew past Pluto on July 14, found that the bright regions correspond to surface deposits of methane. Mission scientists speculate that perhaps methane in the atmosphere on Pluto behaves like water in the air on Earth, building up on the ground as frost at the highest (and coldest) elevations.
New microscopy images of the virus reveal a bumpy, golf ball‒shaped structure, similar to that of the dengue and West Nile viruses, researchers report March 31 in Science. It’s the first time scientists have gotten a good look at Zika, the infamous virus that has invaded the Americas and stoked fears that it is causing birth defects and a rare autoimmune disease (SN: 4/2/16, p. 26). Cracking Zika’s structure is like getting the blueprints of an enemy’s base: Now scientists have a better idea of where to attack. “This certainly gives us great hope that we will be able to find a vaccine or antiviral compounds,” says study coauthor Michael Rossmann of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., who’s known for mapping the first structure of a common cold virus in 1985.
Researchers have been racing to solve Zika’s structure, says UCLA microbiologist Hong Zhou. “I was trying to work on the same thing myself.” But the new study’s authors beat everybody. “I was impressed they were able to do it so quickly,” Zhou says.
Rossmann and colleagues imaged a strain of Zika collected from a patient during a 2013‒2014 outbreak in French Polynesia (the strain is nearly identical to the one now spreading through Latin America).
The team used a technique called cryoelectron microscopy to create a three-dimensional picture of Zika. It’s a pretty sharp image, says study coauthor Devika Sirohi, also of Purdue. She and colleagues can clearly see the virus’ shape and can even make out sugars protruding from its surface.
These sugars, which look like little red doorknobs, hang from proteins in Zika’s shell. The knobs may help Zika attach to — and infect — human cells. The team discovered that Zika’s knobby regions look slightly different from those of related viruses. Zika’s sugar-decorated proteins “fold a little differently,” Sirohi says. And that might let Zika make different contacts with attachment sites on cells, called receptors. That could “influence what kind of cell the virus infects,” she says. These differences could explain why Zika infects cells not typically targeted by dengue or West Nile. One of the receptors targeted by Zika could be AXL, a protein crowded on the surface of neural stem cells, researchers propose March 30 in a separate study published online in Cell Stem Cell. Zika virus is thought to preferentially infect these early-development brain cells, and it could potentially use AXL as an easy entry point, study coauthor Arnold Kriegstein of the University of California, San Francisco and colleagues suggest.
Of course, exactly what role subtle structural differences play in Zika’s infection ability is “only speculation at this point,” Sirohi says. The team now plans to test how tweaking the knobby regions of the virus affects Zika’s virulence.
